Author: sureshzmc07

Magical Ashwin bags six, Jadeja snares three as India thump Bangladesh by 280 runs
CHENNAI: In a few years’ time, when we will look back at the India vs Bangladesh Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in the September of 2024, we will remember it as the ‘Ashwin Test’.
From the second session of the first day to the time when India wrapped it up in the first session of Day 4, it was Ashwin all the way.A century on Day 1, his 37th five-wicket haul to equal Shane Warne, another Man of the Match award, his father, wife, kids, former coaches and many friends in the galleries, the stage might have been incredibly tempting for the 38-year-old to announce that it was his last at his beloved home ground.

He didn’t. “Who knows if this was my Chepauk swansong in Tests? But if it was, what a swansong it was,” Ashwin left it open-ended, soaking in all the adulation after another match-winning spell of 6-88 as India won the Test by 280 runs to go 1-0 up. When the fourth day started, the result of the Test was never in doubt. The challenge for India was to wrap it up as early as possible before the team leaves for Kanpur in the search of the second of their four wins that will book them a World Test Championship Final berth.
One felt that on a tired pitch here on Day 4, captain Rohit Sharma might bring Ashwin and his spin twin Ravindra Jadeja into action right from the start. But he waited, allowed the effect of the roller to wear off, and let the Bangladeshi batters Najmul Hossain Shanto and Shakib Al Hasan get used to the pace of the quick bowlers.

Just when it seemed the two lefthanders might just stretch the game a bit, Ashwin and Jadeja were brought in. Ashwin, coming in from round the wicket and bowling with a 5-4 offside field to the left-hander, chose to take the middle-stump line rather than off. It took the cut and the reverse sweep out of the equation and the master offie was looking to bowl a little slow through the air, to get maximum purchase out of a pitch which hadn’t shaped up into a vicious turner.
The skill of the bowler had to come into play and that’s exactly what happened when Ashwin induced an inside-edge off Shakib’s bat and the forward short-leg fielder completed a good catch diving to his left.

That was the beginning of the end as Ashwin and Jadeja looked more and more dangerous. Litton Das, a super success in Pakistan recently for Bangladesh, didn’t have the quality to deal with the spin duo and Jadeja (3 58) sent him back.
The ball pitched on the middle and turned just a little bit and the edge was a regulation at slip. At this point, the only point of interest was whether Bangladesh captain Shanto (82) could complete his century. But with wickets falling at the other end, the left-hander who had batted with a lot of belief till then, tried a big shot against Jadeja and gave his wicket away.

Jadeja, though, was made to wait for his milestone 300th wicket, stopping at 299, when he had the last man Hasan Mahmud bowled 15 minutes before lunch. In a way, it was fitting as well, because Jadeja was equally instrumental in this win, scoring 86 with Ashwin, taking the two big wickets in the first innings, and now, finishing things off in a hurry, the way he has been doing on Indian soil over the years.
“Jadeja is such an inspirational story…My admiration for Jadeja keeps on increasing as I realize I will never be able to beat him,” Ashwin paid his comrade the ultimate compliment as India truly looked like a happy family.

NEW DELHI: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) performed a ‘shanti homam‘ ritual at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple complex in Tirumala on Monday. The ceremony was organised in response to the recent controversy surrounding the use of animal fat in the ghee supplied for the preparation of the temple’s famous Laddu Prasadam.

Executive officer of TTD, Shamala Rao, along with other officials and priests, participated in the Maha Shanti Homam.The ritual, which involved the installation of three ‘homagundams’ at the Yagashala within the temple premises, was intended to nullify the “sinful effects” of using the tainted ingredients.
The decision to perform the ‘shanti homam’ was made after consulting with the Agama adviser and Pedda Jeeyangar, as per the suggestion of chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. This ritual follows the annual ‘pavitrotsavam‘ purificatory ceremony conducted at the temple in August, which aims to counteract any negative effects of unintentional sins committed within the temple complex.
In addition to the ‘shanti homam’, Mr. Syamala Rao announced that ‘panchagavya‘ would be sprinkled throughout the shrine to further purify the area. “This, we believe, will help restore faith of the devout Hindus after the unfortunate incident,” he stated during a media address on Sunday.
Earlier, Agama advisors and priests at the Tirumala temple unanimously suggested purificatory rituals in the kitchen and a yagam to seek pardon for use of alleged animal fat-laced cow ghee in its laddus. Agama advisors are Vedic scholars who oversee temple rituals.
The suggestion was put forward on Saturday at a meeting of Agama advisors and priests to seek their advice on the purificatory measures in view of the ghee adulteration report. The meeting was called by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which runs the Lord Venkateswara temple. Chief priest A Venugopala Deekshitulu and four Agama advisors were among those who met and discussed various purificatory methods.
Sources told TOI that TTD was advised to conduct ‘Mahashanti’ and ‘Vaastu’ homams along with recitation of ‘Nalayira Divya Prabhandam’ and ‘Veda Parayanam’, besides taking up purification rituals at the temple kitchen (Potu).
According to sources, the chief priest and other religious authorities believe that the recently concluded three-day annual ‘Pavitrotsavams’ festival at the hill temple serves as a sufficient purificatory ritual to seek forgiveness for any intentional or unintentional wrongdoings. They maintain that an additional purification ceremony is unnecessary, especially since the festival was held after the ghee adulteration incident came to light.
The laboratory analysis of samples of cow ghee supplied to the temple for making its famous laddu prasadam during the term of the YSRCP govt in Andhra revealed presence of foreign fats including lard (clarified pig fat), tallow (beef fat) and fish oil. The report was made public by the TDP govt on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, famously known as the ‘Rawalpindi Express‘, is a legendary figure in world cricket, renowned for his searing pace, steep bounce, and lethal yorkers that terrorised batsmen for more than a decade.
Despite a successful career that spanned 46 Tests, 163 ODIs, and 15 T20Is for Pakistan, Akhtar retired after the 2011 World Cup due to chronic knee issues.
Recently, a video of Akhtar’s lookalike, Imran Muhammad, has gone viral on social media, sparking nostalgia among fans.
The footage, from an Oman D10 League match between IAS Invincibles and Yallah Shabab Giants, showcases Imran’s striking resemblance to the iconic pacer.
Imran, now 30, hails from Dera Ismail Khan district in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
He left his village at 18 and now resides in Muscat, where he makes a living by installing CCTV cameras while also participating in franchise league cricket in Oman.
WATCH:

Since his retirement, Shoaib Akhtar has transitioned into a successful commentator and analyst.
He shares his expert opinions and reviews on international matches, league games, and Pakistani cricket on his popular YouTube channel.
Throughout his illustrious career, which began in 1997, Akhtar took 178 wickets in 46 Tests, with his final Test appearance against India in Bangalore in 2007.
In ODIs, he claimed 247 wickets, while in T20Is, he picked up 19 wickets in 15 matches.

Stock market today: BSE Sensex and Nifty50, the Indian equity benchmark indices, surged in opening trade on Monday, reaching new highs. While BSE Sensex was above 84,700, Nifty50 was above 25,850. At 9:16 AM, BSE Sensex was trading at 84,752.76, up 208 points or 0.25%. Nifty50 was at 25,882.55, up 92 points or 0.36%.
The domestic markets maintained their positive trend last week, with benchmark indices rising nearly 2%, primarily due to the US Fed’s rate cut.
“Looking ahead, the Nifty is approaching a significant milestone at 26,000, with the potential to extend its rally further to 26,500. This extension will depend on continued strength in banking and financial heavyweights, which have been leading the market’s upward trajectory,” said Ajit Mishra – SVP, Research, Religare Broking.
The short-term trend of the Nifty remains strongly positive, although there is a possibility of consolidation or a breather pattern in the near term before further upward movement. The next upside targets, based on Fibonacci extension, are around 26,250, with immediate support at 25,650, according to Nagaraj Shetti of HDFC Securities.
Global markets showed mixed signals, with S&P 500 futures rising slightly, while Hang Seng futures and Euro Stoxx 50 futures fell. The Japanese yen weakened against the dollar, and the offshore yuan remained stable.
Oil prices edged up in early trading on Monday, driven by concerns over potential supply disruptions in the Middle East and expectations of increased demand following the recent US interest rate cut.
Several stocks are in the F&O ban period today, including Balrampur Chini Mills, OFSS, GNFC, RBL Bank, PNB, Nalco, Biocon, Birlasoft, LIC Housing Finance, Granules, and SAIL.
Foreign portfolio investors turned net buyers, purchasing shares worth Rs 14,064 crore on Friday, while domestic institutional investors sold shares worth Rs 4,400 crore.
The net long position of FIIs increased from Rs 2.23 lakh crore on Thursday to Rs 3.59 lakh crore on Friday.

More than a year after the catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible, which killed all five passengers aboard, the tragedy has taken on the form of a modern-day Greek tale of hubris like Titanic, according to testimony from the first week of US coast guard panel investigating the disaster.
The Washington-based company behind the submersible, OceanGate, and its founder, Stockton Rush, have been criticised for prioritising profits over safety, with passengers paying $250,000 for the doomed dives.
Harvard oceanographer Peter Girguis told CNN, “What this really comes down to is hubris and greed,” noting the bitter irony that the disaster took place near the site of another infamous maritime catastrophe — the Titanic.
‘Smoke and mirrors’: Malfunction days before fatal dive
During the hearing, former associates of OceanGate described a “smoke and mirrors” culture, revealing that the Titan experienced a malfunction days before the fatal dive. Witnesses also recounted repeated safety warnings that were ignored.
The crew of five — including Rush, businessman Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman, businessman Hamish Harding, and French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet — perished when the submersible imploded on June 18, 2023, shortly after losing contact with its mother ship.
Their remains were identified through DNA analysis, according to the Marine Board of Investigation.
‘All good here’: Titan’s message before implosion
One of the final messages from the Titan, sent just moments before the disaster, read: “All good here.” But less than 30 minutes later, contact was lost. As Chris Roman, a professor at the University of Rhode Island, told CNN, cutting corners in deep-sea exploration “will bite you” .
‘Catastrophic implosion’
Authorities concluded that the Titan submersible suffered a “catastrophic implosion,” a violent collapse triggered by the immense pressure of the deep ocean. Near the wreckage, “presumed human remains” believed to be those of the victims were recovered from the sea floor.
‘The old man and the sea’
Until that tragic morning, no manned deep-ocean submersible had ever imploded, according to experts in the industry.
The event echoes the sentiment in Hemingway’s “The old man and the sea”: “Man is not made for defeat…A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” It serves as a sobering reminder of the relentless power of nature when faced with human ambition.

Part of their “Music of the Spheres” international tour, Coldplay is scheduled to play Mumbai in January 2025. Due of great demand, the concerts will take held in the DY Patil Stadium on January 18, 19 and a recently added third date on January 21.
The curiosity and craze is mindboggling and even after best of attempts, many would have missed the Coldplay Mumbai concert ticket.
The Excitement of Ticket – New Form of Parasocial Relationship
A parasocial relationship is type of relationship wherein person feels a strong emotional link with a media figure such as a celebrity, social media influencer, or fictitious character despite no actual contact between them.
Frequent media consumption helps these ties to develop since viewers or fans feel as though they “know” the person or character personally.
As per behaviour studies at NumroVani, the para social relationship is on rise and 4 in 5 people experience this para social relationship, however a very few of them admit.
Mirror neurons, oxytocin, and dopamine—which react to media characters like in-person interactions—along with other inherent social processes in the brain create parasocial relationships. Especially in social isolation, repeated exposure to recognizable personalities on screens strengthens emotional ties since the brain interprets media people as part of its social surroundings.
Let us dive into how each zodiac signs feel after missing the ticket:
Aries
For Aries, missing tickets to their preferred concert seems as if their feeling of control is being attacked. Not suited for delays or disappointments, they are a sign that lives on activity and spontaneity. They might react immediately with aggravation and frustration, or they might even let their emotions out by loudly grumbling or searching for something else to rapidly cover the void. For Aries, it’s all about fast pasting the annoyance, but without appropriate emotional release, they could stay restless for hours.
Taurus
Stability, comfort, and having everything go as scheduled are Taurus ideals. Should their hopes be dashed by missing tickets to a much-anticipated concert, they can withdraw into their comfort zone and exhibit sulky and sad behavior. Taurus hates changes in schedule, thus missing an event they were looking forward can feel like a big personal loss. To help themselves, they might resort to luxury or culinary excess, but the emotional sting stays.
Gemini
Gemini enjoys social engagement and excitement; the regret of not being able to purchase concert tickets can really affect them, albeit in a dispersed sense. They will look for distractions right once, chatting to pals, or some exciting hobby to cover the void. After missing out, geminis could even become bored or restless and fast go on to the next great prospect. They might, however, ignore the residual irritation if they are not slowed down to process their feelings.
Cancer
Missing concert tickets for cancer can feel like a major emotional loss. Many times, music is associated with memories and emotions; hence, missing a live event can feel as like one is being deprived of something very significant emotionally. Sensitive and sentimental, cancer might cause one to focus on the disappointment and experience emotional pain. They might even withdraw from social events to tend to their hurt emotions.
Leo
Leo enjoys being the focus of vibrant, glitzy events; missing a concert can feel like a public humiliation to him. Leos enjoy being part of the action, hence they could feel ashamed or annoyed when things go against them. Their pride may suffer, and they might use the disappointment as a dramatic statement of the extent they “needed those tickets.” For Leo, the sense of missing out is about being noticed and part of the spirit, not only about the event.
Virgo
Virgo is pragmatic and meticulous; not receiving concert tickets usually makes them unhappy with the process—technical problems or miscommunication notwithstanding. Often blaming themselves or the circumstances, Virgos overthink and examine what went wrong. If they can’t, they will absorb the irritation and overwork themselves in some other sphere of life to make up for their great need to “fix things.”
Libra
Libra enjoys social peace and being part of wonderful events, therefore losing concert tickets can seem to disturb their concept of enjoyment and connection. They can be angry not only for themselves but also for the friends they intended to accompany. Libra hates conflict, hence even if they mask their displeasure on the outside, they feel split inside. They will be tempted to search for another strategy to strike equilibrium, such planning an other social gathering.
Scorpio
Because Scorpio experiences intense emotions, missing tickets to their preferred performance can feel like a betrayal or a very personal loss. Feeling disappointed they did not get what they desired, they could ruminate over the lost chance. Sometimes even looking for darker or more profound emotional experiences as a way of processing, Scorpios often absorb disappointment. They could believe the universe is somehow testing them and find it difficult to let go of such strong loss.
Sagittarius
Sagittarius loves adventure and novel experiences, thus missing a performance can seem like a significant obstacle in their path of enjoyment. Sagittarians are naturally upbeat, hence even if they might first feel letdown, they will quickly dismiss it and begin searching for the next great prospect. Having said that, their free-spirited character may be frustrated by their restlessness and sense of limitation or restriction.
Capricorn
Capricorn is goal-oriented and disciplined, thus missing tickets could seem like a failure in their well-organized schedule. Their annoyance with themselves for not being faster or more orderly in the ticket-booking process could be directed toward For Capricorn, it’s about the principle of missing out on something they wanted as much as the concert. They usually treat losses seriously, hence it could cause irritation or inadequacy.
Aquarius
Aquarius celebrates individuality and shared experiences, hence losing concert tickets can feel as though one is being deprived of a unique shared occasion. On the surface, they could seem indifferent or disconnected, yet deep inside they could be frustrated by not being part of a shared experience they cherish. Though they tell themselves it’s not a big problem and intellectualize their emotions, they could nonetheless experience squandered opportunity.
Pisces
Missing concert tickets can feel like a very emotional loss since Pisces are spiritually very sensitive and linked to music. Feeling depressed or melancholy about the missing event, they could withdraw into their dream world. Often deeply absorbed, Pisces can focus on the emotional meaning of losing out, feeling as though they have lost an opportunity for a very magical event.
This article is written by, Sidhharrth S Kumaar, Registered Pharmacist, Astro Numerologist, Life & Relationship Coach, Vaastu Expert, Energy Healer, Music Therapist, and Founder, NumroVani