Tag: India Sport

CAPTURED: WAR & PEACE

About: This is the fourth in my Captured Series, on stories that moved the World since Episode 3, when the world was on fire – blazes. This time I capture stories on what is turning out to be a never-ending war, the peace of the BRICS Summit, Sports, and a sensation called Jimothy the Raccoon.

WAR

Least we forget, try recalling what started the Russia-Ukraine War and it appears hazy, flimsy, and bizarre. A history of intertwining between these countries, yet fighting with each other. Old cave and tribal instincts of man rising to the surface?

Going back deep into History, once upon a time Ukraine was a founding republic of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1922, until it declared independence in 1991 on the collapse of the USSR. Ukraine gave up all Soviet nuclear weapons and related military infrastructure, stationed on its land, to Russia over several years after independence -completing the last warhead transfer in 1996. However, it kept its civilian nuclear facilities and power plants.

Ukraine also holds the site of the terrible 1986 Chernobyl accident at a Soviet-built nuclear power plant, which is easily the worst disaster in the history of commercial nuclear power generation. An experiment designed to test the safety of the power plant went wrong and caused a fire which spewed radiation for 10 continuous days. Clouds carrying radioactive particles drifted thousands of miles, releasing toxic rain all over Europe. Deaths directly attributable to radiation exposure eventually climbed to a figure of over 9,000 people. About 116,000 people in the immediate vicinity of Chernobyl were quickly evacuated, and a 30 km Exclusion Zone was imposed, which was later expanded to cover more affected areas. Today, it is still illegal to live inside the Exclusion Zone. Despite this, about 130 to 150 people persisted: many of whom are women in their 70s and 80s, farming their ancestral land, maintaining their own way of life.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, after months of belligerent posturing to this effect, but officially the Russia-Ukraine War started in February 2014, when Russia captured and annexed the Crimean Peninsula, belonging to Ukraine. Hitting the History button again, during the Soviet Union days, Crimea was ‘internally transferred’ from Russia to Ukraine to commemorate the Union of Russia and Ukraine. Amidst the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, when Ukraine seceded, it continued to exercise sovereignty over Crimea-which seized the opportunity to call itself the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Russia’s seemingly iron-clad argument of annexation of Crimea in 2014 was that it was getting back what actually belonged to Russia. And they cleanly got away with it. This was the first Annexation of another country after World War II.

Looks like February is a dangerous month for Ukraine, any year!

What are the reasons for Russia and Ukraine being at each other’s throats? Seems to be the usual verbose, complex geopolitical, historical, and security motivations asserted by Russia. The eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is touted as an existential threat to mighty Russia. And Russia has all along been demanding legal guarantees that Ukraine would never be admitted into NATO. The full-scale invasion of the year 2022 was justified as some kind of ‘demilitarising’ and ‘denazifying’ Ukraine, which is nothing but unfounded propaganda. In the mind Russia still considers Ukraine as the blood running in its body!

Ukraine (it too has Russia, after all) fought back and even carried the fight into Russia in a strong calibrated counter-attack. By the year 2023 the front lines had largely stagnated, and the conflict became a war of attrition as it continued into 2026. The war has displaced a third of Ukraine’s population, with as many as 1.6 million Ukrainians forcibly transferred to Russian territories by Russian forces.

Over 4 years and 6 months has passed and the war is anything but over, stealing World War I’s run of 4 years 3 months and 14 days; and perhaps targeting World War II’s throw of 6 years and 1 day. It still remains a grinding war of attrition, with limited Russian territorial gains at high cost, Ukrainian long-range strikes deep into Russia, and no imminent peace deal. Russia occupies roughly 20% of Ukraine. Neither side has achieved a decisive breakthrough.

What needs to be done to stop the war? No one has an answer. Maybe until Russia’s President decides it’s done (whatever he had in mind) and enough is enough. In the process, Ukraine has become an expert in Drone Warfare and learnt to use modern weapons and perhaps use of ‘James Bond gadgets’ supplied by its Allies.

Maybe disbanding NATO- which is a defensive grouping of nations- would be the best offensive action at ending this Bloodline War. Well, was not The Warsaw Pact, the counter to NATO formally disestablished in July 1991? And isn’t the Cold War over?

Now, over to the other war which occupies the headlines. It too began in late February this year. What’s this thing with February for starting wars?

This other war is the United States and Israel fighting Iran. And Iran in turn trying its darnedest to ‘kick the backside of camels’ of nearby nations such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait to drag the Middle East -screaming and squealing – into the War, by itself and through its proxies in Lebanon and Yemen. The United States (US) achieved one of its goals by knocking off the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the first few days, but perhaps the ulterior motive of collapse of Iran and Regime Change, never happened and stays on the drawing board. Instead, it went straight to becoming a Strait of Hormuz drama. A badly wounded (how bad, no one knows) Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded his father as Supreme Leader and the Islamic show goes on.

Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have intensified attacks on Saudi Arabia with missiles and drones striking airbases and infrastructure, disrupting the Red Sea as an alternative route and prompting Saudi pipeline issues. Saudi’s Prince Charming winked and asked Israel for Intelligence Information.

Multiple ceasefires and memoranda, including a June 2026 Pakistan-mediated one, have been signed and then collapsed over issues like Hormuz control, Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions, and proxy activity. Fighting has settled into cycles of strikes, lulls, and renewed exchanges rather than an all-out conventional war.

Meanwhile, Israel continues to dismantle Hezbollah in Lebanon, terminating the lives of more and more Hezbollah and Hamas big shots. And wiping out a maze of tunnels. I get to know, when Israel posts ‘ELIMINATED’ stamped on the guy, on X. Wonder how many more are out there – new guys coming in faster than the old ones being shot-down to Hell.

Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion are moving on their own tracks while Iran is busy needling its neighbours, keeping the fires burning.

Wars a certainly big business for the Arms Manufacturers and Suppliers. And perhaps an opportunity to get rid of old and ageing weapons. And try out fresh new techniques of killing people? But, there is still something we can do!

I am reminded of Viktor E Frankl’s powerful concluding lines in, Man’s Search For Meaning, ”For the world is in a bad state, but everything will become still worse unless each one of us does his best. So, let us be alert – alert in a twofold sense: Since Auschwitz we know what man is capable of. And since Hiroshima we know what is at stake”.

PEACE: BRICS 2026

Then comes the BRICS Summit hosted by India and attended by Russia, Brazil, China, South Africa and many others – not living in the acronym. Over 20 years, the BRIC start-up became BRICS and got even better, building a colony of nations. Brick by brick? Hugs, handshakes, photo-shoots ruled while the media went mad discussing the Indian vegetarian menu.

On conclusion, the newspaper headlines screamed, ‘BRICS unanimously adopts landmark Delhi Declaration’. The focus continued to be on the so-called pragmatic goals of making it easier for member nations to promote trade settlements and investments in their own currencies to achieve faster, cheaper and safer cross-border payments, among other points. It called for nuclear disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation; made a strong statement on the Palestine cause and even asked Israel to withdraw its occupying forces from Lebanese territory.

I was disappointed. Lots of lacklustre, invisible, unmeasurable goals. Russia was easily left off the hook.
My kind of visible action would be: Russia declaring its war with Ukraine over; Iran dealing with only directly responding to the US(and Israel), withdrawing support to its proxies in the Middle East, not attacking its neighbours; Gaza behaving itself and staying away from endlessly ‘irritating’ Israel – accepting Israel as a State; condemning Bangladesh’s harassment of Hindus; China accepting existing borders with India and declaring the Border War over…and the kind. Live and Let Live. Simple: one headline per day for the next week and more…until the next Summit.

India’s Prime Minister oiled the show very well in his trademark style. I would not have space on my walls to hammer the photo-frames!

China is set to chair the next BRICS Summit in 2027 and President Xi Jinping quickly left – perhaps to begin making arrangements.

Does anybody track the outcomes of these great Summits? Or are they only grandstanding glossy words on glossy paper?

SPORTS

India continues to gain muscle in sport, keeping the momentum of its many successes – across sport domains.

The Indian Women’s Cricket Team won a record-extending eighth Women’s Asia Cup title on 13 September, defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final in Dubai.

On the same day India’s Dhiraj Bommadevara made History by winning the 2026 Archery World Cup Final in Saltillo, Mexico. He won the men’s individual recurve gold medal becoming the first Indian man to claim the season-ending title.

Dhiraj Bommadevara an Indian Army Subedar and recurve archer from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, delivered one of India’s standout individual results of the past two months. He beat Japan’s Junya Nakanishi 6-5 in a shoot-off after the five-set final finished level, sealing it with a 10 to Nakanishi’s 9. Earlier in the event, he defeated Olympic medallists Berkim Tumer of Turkey) and Jean-Charles Valladont of France.

India is the land of the Archer and Arjuna and Lord Rama would be proud.

Another heart-warming result was Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty winning the men’s doubles title at the 2026 China Masters Super 750 in Shenzhen on 6 September, becoming the first Indian pair to lift the trophy since the tournament began in 2005. They beat China’s He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu 11-21, 21-13, 21-17 in a 70-minute final after dropping the opening game. It was their third final at the event, after runner-up finishes in 2023 and 2025. Persistence pays!

Moving out of India to the United States.

Alexander Zverev won the 2026 US Open men’s singles title, beating American Ben Shelton 6–3, 7–6(7–2), 5–7, 6–2 in the final on 13 September. It was his second Grand Slam of 2026-after the French Open-and the first US Open men’s title by a German since Boris Becker won the title in 1989.

Kazakhstan’sElena Rybakina– the No 2 seed- won the women’s singles title beating two-time defending champion Belorussia’s Aryna Sabalenka 6–4, 5–7, 6–2 on 12 September. It was her first US Open title and third major overall (she also won the 2026 Australian Open). The result also confirmed her position as the new World No 1.

RACOON JIMOTHY

A Raccoon is a medium-sized, stocky mammal native to North America. It looks a bit like a small, hunched bear or a heavy-set cat, with a pointed muzzle, rounded ears edged in white, and short legs. The most recognisable features are the bold black ‘bandit’ mask across the eyes and a bushy tail. The body fur is dense and grizzled gray-brown. Front paws are hairless on the palms and unusually dexterous, almost hand-like, which lets raccoons manipulate objects, open latches, and feel for food. Raccoons have short necks – thick, and often hidden. A raccoon’s body is compact and somewhat hunched, with dense fur around the shoulders and a relatively broad head that sits close to the torso. That makes the neck less obvious than on a dog, cat, or deer. You still see it clearly when the animal stretches, looks up, turns its head, or walks with the head held forward.

Now, enter Jimothy the Raccoon.

A wild raccoon living in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, Washington State, US, has captured the collective imagination of people, due to his unusual body shape. It was first spotted in July 2026, and has since gone viral on social media, and its fame has spread not only across the US, but globally as well.

The spark was a short Instagram video posted by a woman after she spotted him under a car on 13 July and thought he was a cat. She named him Jimothy because, “he just looked like a Jimothy to me. I don’t have any other explanation”. The clip exploded to millions of views and became an internet sensation. Neighbours then shared older footage, including a video of him as a clumsy kitten with his mother and siblings. Jimothy is a playful made-up portmanteau combining Jim and Timothy – a common piece of modern slang used in internet memes and comedy to poke fun at overly formal or corporate speech.

The look, plus the name, plus the “what am I looking at?” energy turned him into an instant mascot. Seattle embraced it as Jimothy Summer: city proclamations, murals, tattoos, a bobblehead, brand shout-outs, charity fundraising, even an honorary University of Washington mention. People compared him to a Cryptid (a fictional animal of folklore), Danny DeVito, or a living Koosh ball (a round toy made of soft rubber filaments attached to a central core).

Jimothy has a rare congenital spinal condition, called short spine syndrome. It shortens and compresses the spine so his head sits right on his shoulders, his body looks compact and rounded, and his gait is a distinctive lope. Jimothy is incredibly short, and an unusually round raccoon running through the neighbourhood.

Now his every movement is carefully mapped, multiple global news outlets are running stories on him and Seattle City Hall has already christened 2026, ‘The Summer of Jimothy’.

Wildlife officials have been clear: leave him alone. He is a healthy wild raccoon, not a pet. Approaching, feeding, or trying to catch him risks harm to both the animal and people.

Meanwhile, Jimothy is still around, and is often spotted in the neighbourhood.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-22

About: the world this week, 26 May 2024 to 1 June 2024: Israel gets going in Rafah; landslide in Papua New Guinea; a US President is convicted; India’s Elections, the Heat, Rockets, and Sport; and Cannes 2024.

Everywhere

Israel Tunnels into Rafah

Israel pushes ahead, surgically and clinically, deep into Rafah.

An Israeli airstrike, early this week, triggered a fire that killed about 45 people in a tent camp in Rafah, prompting a wild outcry from global leaders who urged the implementation of a World Court order to halt Israel’s assault. The strike set tents and rickety metal shelters ablaze.

Israel’s military said it was investigating a precision strike it carried out against Hamas commanders in Rafah, which could have caused the fire, and was never intended to cause civilian casualties. In Rafah, about 1 million non-combatant residents have already been evacuated and despite best efforts, something could have tragically gone wrong. More than half of the dead were women, children, and elderly people.

Later in the week, the facts about the airstrike and the fire that followed, emerged, making things clear.

The airstrike that targeted senior Hamas commanders was more than a mile away from the safe zone for Palestinian civilians and more than 550 feet away from the shelters Hamas had falsely claimed were targeted in the incident. The munitions used were the smallest possible, far smaller than what other Western Militaries use in comparable situations. The munitions could not themselves have ignited a fire of the size that resulted in the deaths of Palestinian civilians, indicating that Hamas weapons stored in or near the targeted structure—of which Israel was unaware—may have exploded and caused the fire. Footage of the scene taken by Palestinians and uploaded to social media appears to show secondary explosions, further indicating the presence of weapons in the area. A phone call within Gaza, intercepted by Israeli intelligence, contained the admission that the structure targeted by the airstrike served as an ammunition warehouse, that secondary explosions took place. And that the Israeli airstrike wasn’t powerful enough to have ignited the fire. Hamas has been operating from the area since 7 October 2023; a rocket launcher used to fire rockets into Israel was located 150 feet from the targeted structure, suggesting that additional weapons were likely stored nearby and may have caused the fire.

Israel now controls the entire Philadelphi Corridor – a 14 km narrow strip of land between Gaza and Egypt – uncovering a far great number of tunnels crossing into Egypt than previously discovered.

While ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ was trending on social media, in support of Palestine, wonder why the eyes shifted from the 120 hostages, still under captivity for over 230 days. And the barbarism of 7 October 2023, by Hamas, is still livid.

A Landslide

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a country in the Pacific Ocean that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia -a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean, north of Australia. It shares its only land border with Indonesia to the west, and it is directly adjacent to Australia to the south, and the Solomon Islands to the east. Its capital, Port Moresby, is located along its southeastern coast. The country is the world’s third-largest island country.

PNG is a country of immense cultural and biological diversity known for its beaches and coral reefs. Tucked inside are active volcanoes, a dense rainforest, hiking routes like the Kokoda Trail, and many traditional tribal villages, with their own languages.

PNG regularly experiences landslides and natural disasters but the latest landslide is one of the most devastating it has seen in recent years. Parts of a mountain in the Maip-Mulitaka area in Enga province, in PNG’s north, collapsed in the early hours of last Friday killing more than 2,000 people and affecting up to 70,000 people living in the area. An entire village with shops, a fuel station, a lodge, a church, and a school all went under the rubble.

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape blamed extraordinary rainfall and changes to weather patterns for multiple disasters this year, including the landslide.

“Our people in that village went to sleep for the last time, not knowing they would breathe their last breath as they were sleeping peacefully. Nature threw a disastrous landslip, submerged or covered the village. This year, we had extraordinary rainfall that has caused flooding in river areas, sea level rise in coastal areas and landslips in a few areas,” Marape said.

“It’s basically a mountain that has fallen on their heads,” said an officer with the UN development programme. Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate amid further earth slips in the region.

Residents have been using shovels and bare hands to dig through mud and debris almost two storeys high, even as officials said chances of finding survivors were slim. Rescue teams have been slow to reach the site because of the treacherous terrain and tribal unrest in the remote area, forcing the military to escort convoys of relief teams.

Donald Trump of the United States of America

This week, former President Donald Trump earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first US President to be convicted of a crime. A 12-member jury found Trump guilty of falsifying documents to coverup a payment to silence a porn star’s account of a sexual encounter, ahead of the 2016 election. He was found guilty on all counts – 34 of them. Sentencing is set for 11 July, days before the Republican Party is scheduled to formally nominate Trump for President, ahead of the 5 November 2024 Presidential elections. Some said it’s too trivial a matter to warrant such action. And Trump could still go ahead and stand for President.Whatever, ‘Stormy’ times lie ahead, for sure!

India Elections-The End

India’s great Lok Sabha, General Elections finally reached the last phase – the seventh- on 1 June 2024. And it all began on 19 April 2024. The noise, heat and dust of campaigning settles down and candidates go over for a thorough wash, maybe some rest, some may sit on a rock and meditate-making loud plans to develop India- and then appear in their best clothes on 4th June 2024, for the counting and declaration of results. Exit polls will sound the bugle after 6pm on, 1st June.

Great Expectations in the upcoming week. I’m sure it will be a tale to tell. Will it be the best of times, the age of wisdom, the spring of hope? Over to the Voter.

Meanwhile, India’s Prime Minister went into a two-day hibernation at the southern most tip of India at the Vivekananda Rock, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, to meditate over the future of the country.

The Heat in Delhi

This week, India’s Capital New Delhi recorded its highest ever summer temperature of 52.3 degrees celsius. In addition to climate change, could the heat of elections be a reason? Earth’s average temperature has increased by about 1.2 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times.

In India, a heatwave is declared over a region ‘when the actual maximum temperature remains 45 degrees Celsius or more’.

Earlier, Rajasthan’s Churu region was reported to be the warmest district of the season at 50.5 degrees Celsius. Now, Delhi has broken that record.

India’s Rockets Rock

This Thursday, Chennai-based private space startup Agnikul Cosmos successfully launched its 3D-printed, semi-cryogenic Agnibaan rocket after previous four attempts had been called off. Agnibaan is a customisable, two-stage launch vehicle that can carry a payload of up to 300 kg into orbit of about 700 km. The rocket uses a semi-cryogenic engine with a mix of liquid and gas propellants, a technology that is yet to be demonstrated by the Government’s own highly successful, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), in any of its rockets. The Agnilet engine is the world’s first single-piece 3D-printed semi-cryogenic rocket engine.

The mission featured a 6.2 meter tall single-stage launch vehicle with an elliptical nose cone and was equipped with advanced avionics, architecture, and autopilot, developed indigenously.

India’s private sector ‘launch into space’ is coming of age, supported by ISRO.

Indian Sport

Over the past few years Indian sport has been doing spectacularly well in all fields.

This time it’s gymnastics. Dipa Karmakar created history becoming the 1st ever Indian Gymnast to win Gold at the Asian Championships. She topped the Vault with an average score of 13.566.

Then, in a great move, India’s Chess wizard, Praggnanandhaa defeated Magnus Carlsen for the first time in Classical Chess. Pragg took down the World no.1 with the white pieces in the 3rd round of Norway Chess 2024. It was a fantastic game by Pragg – he got an advantage out of the opening, and converted in superb fashion. With this win, Pragg now takes sole lead with 5.5/9 points in the event.

In the Indian Premier League (IPL) Cricket Tournament 2024, Twenty-Twenty, finals held in Chennai, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won their third title defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets. It was a dominating performance by the winner throughout the Tournament. Previously, KKR has won the Title in IPL- 2012 and IPL-2014. The most successful IPL teams have been the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians with 5 Titles each.

The Cannes Film Festival

The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival was staged from 14 to 25 May 2024 at Cannes, France. American filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig served as jury president for the main competition. French actress Camille Cottin hosted the opening and closing ceremonies.

American filmmaker Sean Baker won the Palme d’Or, the festival’s top prize, for the comedy-drama film ‘Anora’, which he had written and directed. It stars Mikey Madison in the title role of an exotic dancer and follows her beleaguered romance with the son of a Russian oligarch.

In a significant milestone for India, Actress Anasuya Sengupta became the first Indian to win the Best Actress award at the ‘Un Certain Regard’ segment of the Film Festival. This segment presents 20 films with unusual styles and non-traditional stories seeking international recognition. She received the award for her role in the film ‘The Shameless,’ directed by Bulgarian filmmaker Constantin Bojanov, which premiered at Cannes on 17th May.

‘The Shameless’, forays into a dark, disturbing world of exploitation and misery. Two sex workers, one who bears the scars of her line of work, and the other a young girl, days away from ritual initiation, forge a bond and seek to break the shackles of their condition. Sengupta plays the central character of Renuka, who escapes from a Delhi brothel after stabbing a policeman to death and takes refuge in a community of sex workers in northern India. There she meets Devika, a young girl condemned to a life of prostitution.

Sengupta was born in a Bengali family in Kolkata, West Bengal. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Jadavpur University, but wanted to establish herself as a journalist. She played a supporting role in the 2009 movie ‘Madly Bangalee’. She dabbled in theatre for some time before shifting to Mumbai in 2013 where she started working as a production designer. And eventually she landed ‘The Shameless’ role.

Then, in another lights-on moment at Cannes, Indian Filmmaker Payal Kapadia scripted history as her spellbinding drama ‘All We Imagine as Light’ won the Grand Prix award at Cannes 2024. The film bagged the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d’Or, during the closing ceremony. Kapadia’s feature directorial debut received glowing reviews in the international press. It registered its name in the history books after it became the first Indian film in 30 years and the first ever by an Indian female director to be showcased in the main competition. The screening of the film received an eight-minute standing ovation from the audience members.

“All We Imagine as Light”, a Malayalam-Hindi feature, is about Prabha, a nurse, who receives an unexpected gift from her long-estranged husband, who lives abroad, that throws her life into disarray. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a private spot in the big city to be alone with her boyfriend. One day, the two nurses go on a road trip to a beach town where the mystical forest becomes a space for their dreams to manifest. International critics have given the film a thumbs up and praised Kapadia’s storytelling prowess.

Going back into history, the first and only Indian Film to win the top prize of Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, in 1946, was Chetan Anand’s ‘Neecha Nagar’ (a lowly City area) with music composed – in a first – by Pandit Ravi Shankar. It starred actress Kamini Kaushal, Zora Sehgal, and Chetan Anand’s wife, Uma Anand, among others. The movie is about the gulf between the rich and the poor in society. Ironically, the film was never released in India but was telecast on India’s national Broadcaster, Doordarshan in the 1980s.

In 1982, Mrinal Sen was the very first Indian to join the Cannes Film Festival Jury. And his movie ‘Kharij’ won the jury prize. Many of his movies were showcased at the festival. Sharmila Tagore has also attended as a jury member, in 1962 with Satyajit Ray. Between Sen in 1982 and Deepika Padukone in 2023, the Cannes jury had invited filmmaker Mira Nair (1990), novelist Arundhati Roy (2000), actresses Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan (2003), Nandita Das (2005), Sharmila Tagore (2009), filmmaker Shekhar Kapur (2010), and actress Vidya Balan (2013).

More screen stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Watch the world with World Inthavaaram.