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Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Barbed wires, blackbucks and Bishnois: Ex-BSF's documentary showcases flourishing wildlife at Indo-Pak border in Rajasthan
1 2 3 4 5 6 Pune: Against the odds of scorching desert winds and a fraught geopolitical backdrop, a new documentary brings to light an unexpected story of the resilience of wildlife along the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan. 'Living with Border Security', the first film in the upcoming 'Living with Nature' documentary series, will launch on YouTube this World Environment Day on June 5. Filmed by a former Border Security Force (BSF) officer and wildlife biologist Amit Goswamy, the documentary delves into the stark, sandy stretches of Rajasthan to uncover thriving ecosystems just steps away from the international border fence. The project was made with the support of the BSF Rajasthan Frontier, India's primary paramilitary defence force along the western boundary. "While exploring the zones of human-wildlife coexistence in India, our journey took us to unexpected places, like the borders of India and Pakistan in Rajasthan. Despite the hostile weather and the legacy of cross-border tensions, there is an incredible diversity of wildlife here," said Goswamy, who served with BSF from 2011 to 2018 after completing his master's degree from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. Among the desert's more elusive residents caught on film are the desert monitor lizard, brilliant agama, saw-scaled viper, spiny-tailed lizard, and more. The film also showcases scenes of chinkaras bounding through the dunes, desert jirds darting across sand, and surprisingly large herds of blackbuck, some 200-300-strong, wandering just shy of military fences. Goswamy and his team documented not only the visuals but also baseline data on species. "It was incredible to witness a good number of chinkaras thriving at the border belt," said Goswamy, who also highlighted how the BSF contributes to conservation beyond its call of duty. "In many places, BSF personnel are the unsung saviours of the wild. In fact, we saw how discarded helmets are being repurposed as water feeders for birds," he shared. Equally important to the narrative is the role of local communities, who have not only learnt how to coexist with nature for centuries but also provide care and are instrumental during rescue operations of wild animals. In northern Rajasthan, the Bishnoi community, known for their deep respect for nature, continues to play an important role. "Their compassion, even in extreme climates exceeding 50°C, plays a vital role in conservation. In various ways, their efforts have helped maintain habitats where wildlife can thrive," Goswamy observed. The film also touches on the changing dynamics of traditional livelihoods, including the 80% decline in camel populations as mechanisation renders them obsolete. "Many camels are now abandoned, left to roam free," he said. According to Goswamy, the film is more than a documentary, it's a call to rethink conservation. "This is one unique story of wildlife flourishing outside protected areas. The border belt, often seen only through a security lens, is in fact a functional ecosystem protected by the BSF in every sense," said the filmmaker. With its lens set on life that not only persists but flourishes in one of India's most challenging landscapes, the documentary reframes the border not just as a line of defence, but as a line of coexistence.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Bishnoi gang sharpshooter holed up in Yavatmal, nabbed in dawn raid
1 2 Nagpur: In a meticulously planned swoop at dawn, Yavatmal police nabbed a fugitive sharpshooter of the infamous Lawrence Bishnoi gang — Bhupendra Singh alias Bhinda alias Raghuvir — on Saturday, dealing a blow to the interstate criminal network linked to the gang's US-based module and Canada-based terrorist Goldy Brar. "He was receiving a monthly payout of $250 from Bishnoi gang's US operative Sourav Gujjar, brother of Bishnoi's right-hand man, Billu. These funds helped sustain Bhinda before his next deadly assignment," said a senior police official to TOI. At 5am, a 100-member police team laid siege to a quiet residential area of Dandekar Layout on Jham Road in Yavatmal, culminating in the capture of the gangster, who had 17 criminal cases, including murder, attempt to murder, extortion, and Arms Act violations. The dramatic two-hour raid led by Yavatmal superintendent of police Kumar Chintha unfolded after precise intelligence inputs that Bhinda, 35, originally from Hoshiarpur, Punjab, was holed up there with his wife. When confronted, the gangster attempted to flee and resisted arrest, but was swiftly subdued. Bhinda was later handed over to Rajasthan Police. Sentenced to 20 years in prison, he had jumped parole from Jalandhar jail and executed his first contract murder for Bishnoi gang in Barmer, Rajasthan, in 2023. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Natural Prostate Shrinker? Urologists Shocked Men With This Discovery! Men's Health Watch Now Undo Disguised as a dhaba owner, he eloped with a Rajasthani girl to Yavatmal last year and sought refuge in a gurdwara, before moving to a rented place. The Rajasthan govt had put a Rs 25,000 bounty on his head, underscoring the urgency of his capture. Talking to TOI, Yavatmal SP Chintha said, "We were keeping an eye on the gangster after our sources confirmed the presence of the Bishnoi sleeper cell in Yavatmal." During interrogation, Bhinda confessed to his ties with the Bishnoi gang and unraveled a chilling tale of organised crime. His criminal journey began a decade ago in Jalandhar prison, where he was recruited by Binny Gujjar, a key figure in the Bishnoi network. Since then, he was implicated in two murders, including the high-profile 2023 killing in Rajasthan. Bhinda's arrest marks the second major bust of a Bishnoi gang sleeper cell in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, following the identification of another network in Akola. That gang, led by on-the-run Shubham Lonkar, was linked to the sensational murder of Mumbai-based politician Baba Siddiqui in Bandra last year. The arrest also shed light on the gang's operations, which include contract killings, extortion, and arms smuggling, orchestrated with chilling precision. The Bishnoi gang provides members with vehicles, weapons, and cash to execute crimes, while maintaining a steady flow of funds to keep fugitives like Bhinda operational, said police sources. The operation was a triumph of coordination between the Yavatmal, Punjab, and Rajasthan police forces, with authorities in Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, and Barmer verifying Bhinda's extensive criminal history. SP Chintha hailed the operation as a critical step toward dismantling the Bishnoi gang's network and restoring law and order. CAPTION Lawrence Bishnoi gangs's Sharpshooter Bhupendra Singh alias Raghu alias Bhinda
Mint
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Fantasy leagues are making cricket viewing transactional
Have you made a Dream11 team?" That question surprised me, coming from one of my closest friends, one with whom I talk far more about culture and cinema, than cricket. As far as I knew, he's never been into the sport. Yet here I see him assiduously making teams, looking up pitch statistics, with daily alarms on his phone to signal announcements of lineups. I find this fascinating, and remain utterly foxed by it. He isn't alone. When watching with friends nowadays I hear fewer full-throated roars and groans. Instead, I hear mutterings. Secretive, shifty, mutterings. 'I wish Klaasen had caught that one," 'Somebody should hit Bishnoi for a few," 'Miller is my vice-captain, he better make a 50." Also read: Why it's important to give the kids a glimpse of your younger self Cricket has always been community. We bled blue or green or yellow, depending on where we were born, but bleed we did—in unison with our fathers and cousins, our flatmates and chai-wallahs. Admittedly I'm not the rabid cricket viewer I once was. Once Sachin Tendulkar walked off the Wankhede in 2013, I hung up my metaphorical boots. No cover drive could taste the same. Yet when I watched Rishabh Pant in 2021, fearlessly conquering the Gabba and loftily punching back Josh Hazlewood, something stirred. It stirred again when I saw Pat Cummins silence a country by defeating an unbeaten Indian side at the 2023 World Cup final. This is theatre, this is cricket. The game, however, is changing. Fantasy leagues—Dream11, MPL, My11Circle—are doing to cricket what reels and memes are doing to cinema: atomising it. Instead of supporting an actual team, we support data points in opposition. We may cheer for a decision against India because it means more points. A Chennai fan curses an M.S. Dhoni stumping because the rival batsman is on his team. The allegiance has shifted inward. This is not fandom. I see its appeal, of course. The rush of picking those that shine against all odds and balancing them alongside the ones that will consistently get you points. It's chance disguised convincingly as strategy. Every micro-performance is a tick or a scratch on your app's leaderboard. This gamification comes at a price. The players are now spreadsheets with limbs. The scoreboard is a stock-ticker. More than the countries or IPL teams we support, we are increasingly becoming beholden to our individual fantasy league teams. Our viewing experience is in danger of changing from a collective one to an individual one, where you only care about how those you've put in your team are faring, taking precedence over team loyalty and fanhood. This makes cricket viewing transactional. You don't watch a game; you work it. You grind it for points. You look up expected strike rates and recent fantasy form and head-to-head bowling matchups. You don't cheer a team as much as you audit it. This works perfectly for my buddy who doesn't remember crying over collapses against the West Indies or hasn't grown up scarred by Ricky Ponting, but for those of us who do, it feels surreal—even perverse—to watch cricket like this. It's moral whiplash. Wanting a batsman to score a 50 and also get bowled in the next over? Rooting for a bowler to take three wickets and still get smashed for 30? You're hedging joy against greed. Then there's the slippery slope of micro-transactional gambling. These apps are nearly free to enter. A bit for this match. A bit more for a bigger pool. Boost your winnings. Before you know it, the dopamine dependency kicks in like a slot machine. The margins are cruel. You might win ₹90 today and lose ₹200 tomorrow. But your team 'nearly" made it, right? So you try again. Just one more match. Just one more toss. What is this other than fishing needlessly outside the off-stump, again and again and again? I tried it once. I downloaded the app because that dedicated friend compelled me, and I slapped together a team for the price of a single rupee. I won back ₹49, which, by curious coincidence, is exactly what the app then nudged me to wager for the next round. A lucky taste to draw me back in. Instead, I took my 49x winnings, smiled, and deleted the app. (The house mustn't always win.) T20 leagues already resemble fast-food joints: convenient, ubiquitous, aggressively flavoured, and ultimately forgettable. A match ends and we swipe to the next. No one remembers a dead rubber. No one savours a single. We're looking for fireworks and forgetting the fires. This fantasy epidemic only highlights how disposable the game has gotten, forcing us to make our own entertainment. Even a dull game will get you points, hurrah. Triumph and defeat reduced to profit and loss. How depressingly prosaic. If our primary loyalty is to ourselves and our stats, then we are taking something collective and turning it solitary. We're trading love for leverage. Play along if you like, but be careful. If you start to care more for your fantasy XI than the one whose jersey you wear, something is deeply, deeply broken. You may still be entertained. You may even make some money (though you aren't very likely to). Yet this is a different game, and it's not quite cricket. Raja Sen is a Lounge columnist. Also read: French Open 2025: Who to watch for at Roland Garros
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Gallery of fame at Mahamaya stadium to honour athletes from Ghaziabad
Ghaziabad: A 'gallery of fame' featuring Ghaziabad's top-performing athletes is set to come up at the Mahamaya Sports Stadium as part of a district-level initiative to promote sports and motivate budding players. District magistrate Deepak Meena has directed the sports department to set up the gallery and also replace cash awards for athletes with customised sports equipment to support their long-term development. District sports officer Poonam Bishnoi said that the gallery will be prominently located at the entrance of the stadium. "It will be the first thing athletes see when they enter the stadium. The idea is to greet every player with stories of excellence and perseverance that have emerged from our own district. It will include framed portraits, brief biographies, and highlights of achievements of athletes who made Ghaziabad proud at national and international levels," Bishnoi said. Among those set to be featured here is Simran Sharma, a visually-impaired para athlete who won a bronze medal at the Paris Paralympics 2024 and was conferred the Arjuna Award the same year. Also to be featured are Lakshay Phogat, who clinched a silver medal at the Asian U-15 Boxing Championships in Jordan this April, and javelin thrower Pradeep Yadav of Modinagar, who bagged a silver at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like O novo dispositivo que os idosos usam para ajudar na neuropatia (dor nos nervos) A arte do herbalismo Undo Yadav, who has a motor disability, also received the Uttar Pradesh Laxman Award earlier this year. "I am extremely honoured to be part of the gallery. It's a proud moment and I hope it encourages more para athletes to aim high," he told TOI. The gallery's construction is part of a larger renovation plan for the stadium. TOI earlier reported that the state govt allocated Rs 16 crore for the stadium's overhaul in the last financial year. A detailed project report was prepared, tenders were awarded, and renovation work is set to begin soon. In a significant policy shift, the DM also said that, instead of cash prizes ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000, athletes will now receive high-quality equipment suited to their discipline. "For instance, a badminton player might receive a professional-grade racket set. This will help them train more effectively," said Bishnoi.
Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Vice Chancellor of CLDU in Haryana's Sirsa replaced 4 months after appointment
Barely four months after being appointed as the vice-chancellor of Chaudhary Devi Lal University (CDLU) in Haryana's Sirsa, Professor Narsi Ram Bishnoi was Monday replaced with Governor Bandaru Dattatraya, who is also the varsity's Chancellor, appointing Dr Vijay Kumar to the post. In a notification, Haryana Raj Bhawan said, 'Dr Vijay Kumar, Professor of Physics, has been appointed as vice-chancellor, CDLU, Sirsa, for a period of three years or till he attains the age of 68 years whichever is earlier, with effect from the date he assumes the charge of his office. Terms and conditions of the appointment will be determined on the advice of the state government later on'. Bishnoi had taken over as vice-chancellor of CDLU on January 25. He was previously vice chancellor of Guru Jambeshwar University of Science and Technology (GJUST), Hisar. Soon after taking over as V-C, Bishnoi renamed buildings at CDLU, igniting political controversy. On May 19, the multipurpose hall of the CDLU was named after Namdhari reformer Guru Ram Singh. Two days later, the IT data and computer centre was renamed after environmental martyr Mata Amrita Devi Bishnoi. On May 23, the Student Activity Centre was named after Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar. On Sunday, CDLU announced that its information centre and guidance bureau would be named after Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Ashok Singhal. The Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), led by Haryana's former deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala, had been protesting against Narsi Ram Bishnoi. During a press conference Sunday, Digvijay Singh, JJP's state secretary general and Dushyant's younger brother, accused Bishnoi of allegedly 'exceeding his mandate'. Singh claimed that the student activity centre was originally slated to be named after Punjab's former chief minister, Parkash Singh Badal, and Dushyant Chautala had already announced it. Singh added that the party did not have an objection to naming a building after Veer Savarkar, but it should not have been done by replacing Parkash Singh Badal's name. 'While I respect Veer Savarkar ji, but Parkash Singh Badal's contributions to the farming community and the region need to be equally respected, and cannot be ignored,' he said, and demanded that Badal's name be restored to the hall and 'Savarkar's name be assigned to another facility'. The JJP leader also urged Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to intervene, and warned of statewide protests if corrective action was not taken. Haryana government officials, however, told The Indian Express that it was a 'routine transfer'.
