Latest news with #Ashwin
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Class XII boy feted for bagging chess title for disabled
Trichy: A Class XII student of Adi Dravidar Higher Secondary School in Kattur, Trichy, has won first place in the Under-19 category at the 5th National Chess Championship for specially-abled, conducted by Chess Federation for Physically Disabled (CFPD). The student, R Ashwin, was felicitated by his headmaster, staff, and local residents on Thursday following his national-level achievement. The competition was held from June 25 to 28 in Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh. Following the win, Ashwin has earned a spot in the upcoming World IPCA Individual Chess Championship, to be held in Goa from July 21 to 31. The event will be jointly organized by CFPD, a registered non-profit body under Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Rules, 1979, and International Physically Disabled Chess Association (IPCA). According to the school authorities, Ashwin, a paraplegic, had consistently excelled in academics, topping his class in both 10th and 11th grades. He first participated in the 2024–25 Thiruverumbur block-level chess competition, representing his school, and won first place. This led to his selection for the district-level team, and he went on to win the state-level competition held at Vaniyambadi in Tirupattur district. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo Ashwin's father, T Ramamoorthy, said they discovered his son's talent in chess about four years ago. "It was in Class VIII that I encouraged him to start playing chess with the help of a coach. He picked it up quickly. Over the last two years, he has been putting in serious effort," he said. "Apart from coaching, he also watches online games and learns from digital chess modules."
News18
7 hours ago
- Sport
- News18
'Rishabh Pant Wasn't In The Mood': Ashwin's Big Reveal On Nightwatchman Fiasco
Last Updated: In a stunning reveal, Ravichandran Ashwin has said Rishabh Pant 'doesn't like' batting in the last 30-40 minutes of a day, so nightwatchman Akash Deep was sent ahead at Lord's. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed that Rishabh Pant doesn't like to bat in the last 30-40 minutes of a day, which is probably why the Shubman Gill-led side chose to send nightwatchman Akash Deep ahead of him at Lord's on Day 4 of the third Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test. India went down to 53/3 just before Stumps. With more than 20 overs left in the day's play, India opting for the nightwatchman instead of a proper batter raised eyebrows. KL Rahul, on the other end, supported him for a while but gave him a strike for the final over of the day, bowled by Ben Stokes. Stokes set him up brilliantly, bringing in a fielder for the bouncer with a short-leg before slipping in a full one on the stumps that the tailender couldn't keep out. Although he did his job by protecting Rahul or another specialist batter, fans questioned the need to send in him the first place. Ashwin, speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, revealed that this wasn't the first time Pant had avoided coming out to bat. 'I'll tell you a story," Ashwin said. 'Remember that Test match in Mirpur when India were chasing some 140 runs to win (2023 against Bangladesh)? So I was sitting and relaxing in the dressing room after bowling. It was all hot and humid. I was sitting next to the analyst and Rahul Dravid (head coach) was there a little further. After we lost the first two wickets, Rishabh said main nahi ja raha batting karne (I am not going out to bat) to Rahul bhai. There was a good 30-40 minutes left. But he said I am not going. When the next wicket fell and the No. 4 batter was supposed to go in, he went inside and they had to send Axar Patel first, I guess, and then Jaydev Unadkat to go in as the nightwatchman," he added. Ashwin said the same thing happened in November 2024 against New Zealand. 'Rishabh does not like batting in the last 30-40 minutes of the day. That's why they sent Akash Deep. But see, it is about protecting your best batter, yes. But when you send a batter like Akash Deep and then he gets out, it puts you in even more of a situation. When we were playing against New Zealand, the same thing happened. When Virat Kohli got out, Rishabh was not in a mood to go out. Then we had to Siraj. And when he got out, again a proper batter had to go out." Pant will have to come out to bat at the start of the fifth day, with India needing 135 runs to win and take a lead in the series. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘Mahavatar Narsimha' interview: Director Ashwin Kumar on building India's first animated cinematic universe
Ashwin Kumar knows exactly what he's up against. The director behind Mahavatar Narsimha, the upcoming animated epic that kickstarts India's most ambitious mythological film franchise to date, is steering into uncharted territory on technical, commercial, and cultural fronts. 'By no means is this the best animation in the world,' he says. 'But it's a step towards that for India and we have to make it better.' Ashwin and his team of animators at Kleem Productions are laying the groundwork for the Mahavatar Cinematic Universe, a seven-film saga chronicling the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu. With Mahavatar Narsimha releasing theatrically on July 25 — in 3D and across five Indian languages — it's a statement of intent and a litmus test for what India's dormant animation industry might grow into if it learns to back its own stories. 'There's so much anxiety, depression, and conflict,' Ashwin says. 'We need a spiritual anchor. And the perfect deity for that is Lord Narasimha.' Initially a fledgling conversation among friends in 2008, his vision has since grown into a sprawling cinematic mission. But it wasn't until years later, armed with conviction and collaboration, that Ashwin began building a team and a pipeline from scratch. Instead of a standalone project, he chose the format of a cinematic universe to reflect the larger arcs across the ten avatars of Vishnu, spanning over a decade's worth segments — Mahavatar Narsimha (2025), Mahavatar Parshuram (2027), Mahavatar Raghunandan (2029), Mahavatar Dwarkadhish (2031), Mahavatar Gokulananda (2033), Mahavatar Kalki Part 1 (2035), and Mahavatar Kalki Part 2 (2037). While Mahavatar Narsimha will inevitably be compared with Western animation powerhouses, Ashwin is focused on carving out a distinctly Indian idiom. One that, like China's Ne Zha 2 or Pakistan's The Glassworker, can eschew mimicry and find its roots in indigenous storytelling. 'We must stick to our story, stick to our roots,' he says. 'All the archetypes are already present here, and they've been drawn from us by the world out there.' Films like Jiaozi's Ne Zha 2 have already proven that culturally anchored narratives told through local aesthetics can not only move audiences but also make a killing at the global box office. Meanwhile, Usman Riaz's The Glassworker has demonstrated how intimate hand-drawn animation can become a cultural milestone. And so, the goal for Ashwin isn't technical parity with the West, rather a sense of spiritual clarity. 'We should inherit the West's standards of quality, and maybe even go beyond,' he adds. The core of his vision is the persistent belief that India deserves world-class animation and is entirely capable of creating it on its own terms. 'We do have a lot of talent here,' he says. 'But we do not quite have a doctrined animation industry like Japan, the United States, Korea or China. And it's about time we step up.' But he's also cognisant about the limitations Indian animators face. 'They're serving the outsourced way too much, and not believing in their own indigenous stories' he says. 'Taking the plough in their own hands is what Indian animation really needs to do.' His own attempted spiritual retelling told through the wrappings of a blockbuster is a countercultural moment and a commercial gamble. One of Ashwin's bolder decisions was opting for a realistic 3D style for the franchise that could cut across age groups and geographies, over a niche 2D visuals. 'To revitalise Indian animation requires for it to be accepted and embraced en masse. And to do something en masse, it needs love and validation on a country level,' he explains. 'We had to break that stereotype because this industry and this land really needs it now.' The realism, he believes, anchors the emotional and spiritual stakes of the narrative. Technically, the film is stitched together through a combination of industry standards and open-source ingenuity. Ashwin initially experimented with Blender — the free-to-use software that was made to produce last year's Oscar-winning Latvian indie, Flow — but struggled to find artists trained in it. Eventually, the animation was executed in Maya, effects in Houdini, and everything rendered back into Blender and composited in Nuke. 'We had to tailor-make the pipeline,' he says. 'And by the next film, we'll have more open-source software to bring the costs down. Maybe even integrate AI tools for faster production.' This piecemeal, problem-solving approach has become a defining trait of Mahavatar Narsimha's production. Ashwin names a few early collaborators — his producer Shilpaa Dhawan, and the studio behind K.G.F., Salaar and Kantara, Hombale Films — who helped keep the project afloat during two COVID waves and beyond. 'They believed it could happen. That really means a lot to me.' As someone who came into animation through theatre, choreography, music, and storytelling, Ashwin credits his spiritual journey as the thread that ties it all together. 'I've been into art all my life,' he says. 'But I think it all came down to one epiphany — my spiritual awakenings. That manifested into what we are seeing today.' So what does success look like? Ashwin seems more interested in how the film may resonate culturally over how it performs at the box office. 'I want people to see the astute faith of Prahlada,' he says. 'To carry an iota of that with them into their lives.' His tastes are telling. His favourite Indian animation? The iconic 1993 Indo-Japanese Ramayana. 'That's an epic in my mind.' From the West, it's the original 1994 Lion King that left its mark. And from beyond that, he singles out Kentaro Miura's cult-classic Berserk. 'One of my all-time favourites,' he says. Despite the challenges of building a team, a pipeline, and a belief, Ashwin seems pleasantly undeterred. If anything, the ambition behind the Mahavatar universe feels almost provocative. Can Indian animation finally tell its own stories, on its own scale, with its own sense of mythic grandeur? 'It's never been done before,' he says. 'But Bharat is the place that does it.' Mahavatar Narsimha hits theatres on July 25
India Today
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
R Ashwin recalls his father's bold prediction about Siraj in thrilling Lord's Test
Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shared a light-hearted moment from the recently concluded third Test at Lord's, recounting his father's confident-but amusing-prediction during the fourth innings. As the game reached a tense climax, with India's gritty tail mounting a resistance alongside all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, Ashwin's father boldly claimed that Mohammad Siraj would finish the match by hitting three Test, already filled with drama, had both teams posting identical first-innings totals of 387. England, in their second innings, were bundled out for just 192, handing India a golden opportunity to go 2-1 up in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. But chasing 193 in the fourth innings on a tricky surface was never going to be easy. England's spirited fightback, led by captain Ben Stokes, turned the tide in the hosts' favour. Ravindra Jadeja stood tall with the bat, holding one end together, but the lower-order resistance ultimately wasn't enough. India eventually fell short by 22 Stokes bowled an unbelievable spell. I was discussing this with my father-he was so sure Siraj would finish it off by smashing three sixes. I told him to cut down on the jokes. Watching Stokes bowl, he even started talking about a bowler from his league games who used to bowl from both ends," Ashwin shared on his YouTube channel. The 38-year-old added, "In both his spells of 9.2 and 10 overs, Stokes was bowling at 132-140 kph. At one end, you had Jadeja standing like a fortress, building India's resistance, and at the other, Stokes doing the same for England."While Stokes contributed only 77 runs across both innings, his five wickets-taken with disciplined lines and lengths-were key to England's narrow win. India's effort, especially Jadeja's stand and the tail's resilience, ensured the match went down to the a game marked by heated on-field exchanges, Ashwin also highlighted a moment of grace and sportsmanship. After Siraj's unlucky dismissal-where the ball came off the middle of the bat but rolled back onto the stumps-England's Joe Root and Zak Crawley were seen comforting the fast bowler."What a battle. It was an amazing Test match-truly a contest between equals. Both teams pushed each other to the limits, and it ended on this note. Look at Crawley and Root, consoling Siraj with an arm around him. That's the beauty of Test cricket. Every player was at loggerheads, yet this moment stood out. It was theatrical," Ashwin concluded.- EndsTune InYou May Also Like
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Indian Express
Kerala man gifts father a ‘Bullet' he has wanted for 14 years, heartwarming video goes viral: ‘Boys like him are a blessing'
'Alla, enikkalla. Ende alla. Achanteya' (No, it's not for me, it's not mine. It's for you, dad) said Ashwin, a content creator from Kerala's Kochi, while surprising his father with a shiny, brand-new Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle. The video that captured his father's reaction has already accumulated over seven million views. Sharing the video, Ashwin wrote on Instagram, '14 years ago, he told me he wanted to buy a Bullet. He had chances over the years, but he never did. Maybe he just never put himself first. Today, I gave him the one thing he always wanted but never got for himself. This is for you, Achaaa.' The now-viral video shows Ashwin handing over the key of the motorcycle to his father, who, at that point, was unaware that the purchase was for him. As the video progresses, the elated father and mother get emotional and hug their son. Watch here: A post shared by Ash (@ The video prompted a wave of reactions as several social media hailed the son. 'Boys like him are a blessing. wish today's generation had more like him,' a user wrote. 'Our generation is healing and helping heal our parents too,' another user commented. 'The way the parents have been controlling their tears,' a third user wrote. 'So much love, warmth and healing.. this gen is reverse patenting at such young age,' a fourth user said. Last year, a video of a man surprising his father with the car of his dreams emerged on social media. According to NBC 10 Boston, the 22-year-old was working in automotive parts and purchased the car from one of his employees. The viral video shows the father in tears after his son surprised him.
