Latest news with #Lahiri
Mint
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Lounge Loves: ‘Marley Springs Ahead', ‘Jogi' and more
The first look for Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar, which dropped last week, is a surprisingly well-put-together Bollywood promo. The action is cut to the beat of Jogi, a 2003 track by UK producer Panjabi MC. This was a remix of an incredibly catchy 1995 Punjabi folk number called Na Dil De Pardesi Nu, composed by Charanjit Ahuja. Panjabi MC kept Muhammad Sadiq and Ranjit Kaur's playful vocals, adding a big beat and a few yells. The track appeared on the same album that gave the international hit Mundian To Bach Ke. The Dhurandhar version sounds essentially like Panjabi MC's, with some further mixing and tweaking by Shashwat Sachdev. The biggest addition is a rap by Hanumankind, who made a big splash last year with Big Dawgs. Sadiq and Kaur's original vocals can scarcely be improved, and are duly retained here as well. It's impossible not to read Jhumpa Lahiri's new short fiction, Jubilee (published recently in The New Yorker), as a fragment of autobiography. The unnamed first-person narrator revisits the year when Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her jubilee. Back in 1977, she, the narrator, then a girl of 10, spent three months in London, the city of her birth, with her parents and infant sister. Her memories of that time are light and innocent, but also heavy with a tragic awareness—of the past as well as future. Inspired by writer Mavis Gallant, Jubilee could have come from Lahiri's Pulitzer-winning debut collection, The Interpreter of Maladies (2000). It's an elegy to loved ones, especially to mothers, crafted with the delicate reserve that Lahiri is synonymous with. We have a pile of baby books at home which my one-year-old used to pore over in awe, but now the awe only lasts a few seconds per book. The only book that holds her for longer is Marley Springs Ahead, a touch book about a dog that my sister fortunately saved after having her child over a decade ago. Between my child's love for animals and the bright colours and different textures, Marley is definitely her favourite book. We don't go anywhere without him. Unfortunately, there aren't more available in India, so I'm being ultra careful with this book. I am even softer on him after discovering he is the very Marley that Marley and Me was based on, and by the same author.
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Global honour for drive led by Kolkata doctor against steroid misuse
1 2 Kolkata: A group of Indian doctors with Kolkata-based dermatologist, Koushik Lahiri, as its founding chairman has been felicitated by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), London for their work against steroid abuse in fairness and other skincare products, including ointments. The group, Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists, and Leprologists Task Force against Topical Steroid Abuse (ITATSA), is among the three organisations that has been honoured with the 'RCP Excellence in Patient Care Awards' for 2025. It had submitted its project titled 'A Crusade Against Abuse of Topical Steroid in India: A Silent Epidemic of Astronomical Magnitude' to RCP. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Lahiri represented the organisation at an award ceremony held in Liverpool on July 10. The Kolkata doctor has claimed that their campaign, spanning about two decades, has led to reduced sales of steroid-laden fairness and antifungal creams since 2018. Health experts said a good number of skincare products contain an irrational mix of steroids and heavy metals with various harmful chemicals. The high-potency formulations and prolonged use can do more harm than good, experts claimed, adding that one of the most common side effects is the red skin syndrome. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo ITATSA has been publishing study reports to raise public awareness on this matter. The RCP lauded the continuous efforts of ITATSA in combating steroid abuse since 2014. "This crusade is not the work of one, but the outcome of the tireless efforts of hundreds of dermatologists across India," Lahiri told TOI from the UK. "This honour, following a detailed entry and presentation before an international jury, brings our work on Topical Steroid Damaged Face (TSDF) and the broader issue of irrational steroid misuse into the global spotlight," Lahiri added. The core members of the organisation are doctors Arijit Coondoo from Kolkata, Rajetha Damishetty from Hyderabad, Shyam Verma from Vadodara, Rajeev Sharma from Aligarh, and Abir Saraswat from Lucknow. In fact, Damishetty was with Lahiri for the award ceremony. The other two organisations, which received the honour, were Croydon University Hospital and Homerton Healthcare Trust, both based in the UK.
Hindustan Times
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Akash Deep: Dealing with life's curveballs, finding his own swing
Kolkata: Earlier this year, Akash Deep was in Pune with his seriously ailing brother-in-law, helping him to get back on his feet. And every time he was in Lucknow during IPL, Akash spent sleepless nights keeping vigil at a Lucknow hospital where his elder sister, who the world now knows, was admitted for cancer treatment. India's Akash Deep celebrates his ten-wicket haul in the game after their win against England on day five of the second cricket test match at Edgbaston in Birmingham. (AP) It's as if despair is hell bent on shadowing a man, who had lost his father and brother in the space of six months. Saurasish Lahiri, the former Bengal skipper, recalls Akash once asking him, in a moment of helplessness, if there would ever be a silver lining. 'I just told him: 'God burdens those who can shoulder this kind of responsibility',' Lahiri says. Akash soldiered on. This is a man who until he was 20 didn't bowl with a leather ball full-time, and whose first season of structured cricket at a second-division club began without pay. To overcome those odds, make first-class debut happen at 23, Test debut at 27 and a first 10-wicket haul in just over a year takes the kind of grit few possess. One wouldn't know that seeing Akash though, as he quietly goes about his job. 'Akash is like a sponge. He will observe everything, take mental notes and do his job silently. He isn't someone to be swayed by one good performance,' says Lahiri, a former Bengal off-spinner who gave Akash his first trials as an U-23 bowler in 2017-18. Akash's story till then wasn't one that Bengal cricket was unfamiliar with. Scores of young players turn up in Kolkata every year from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, many of them used to playing tennis ball cricket in the Durgapur-Asansol coal belt like Akash. But Akash has pace. Intimidating pace, Lahiri says. It first caught the eye of Joydeep Mukherjee — then Bengal Ranji team director — at the Rangers Ground here. Watching a second division Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) league game, Mukherjee noticed the wicketkeeper standing 35 yards behind the stumps instead of the usual 10 because of a wiry fast bowler. Mukherjee called Lahiri, who summoned Akash for trials at the CAB indoor nets. 'He had no idea what indoors was, how a hard surface is different from a natural surface,' recalls Lahiri. 'He was just keen on bowling quick. He was actually rattling batters. I had to stop him.' Akash's selection wasn't easy though. A back niggle prevented Akash from bowling in matches, which made Lahiri's task of keeping him in the mix difficult with pre-season approaching and selectors wanting to see Akash bowl. But Lahiri, confident of Akash's talent, appealed to Sourav Ganguly and Avishek Dalmiya. Akash got to stay at a dormitory and went in for a monthlong rehabilitation. Work began on slowly making Akash game ready, with former Bengal pacer Ranadeb Bose working on basics like grip and release. Lahiri tried to delay his debut as long as possible until Akash was given a game against Mumbai and scored a quickfire 58 and took a five-wicket haul. His journey kickstarted with that match. Bengal were on the lookout for a pacer by then as Mohammed Shami was constantly on India duty. Akash fit the bill with an uncanny resemblance to Shami in his ability to extract movement from even dead pitches. Ordered by England, the Edgbaston pitch in Birmingham for the second Test too was one such strip. Until Akash turned up with the ball that got Harry Brook, on 158, in the first innings. On a length and seaming back as Brook tried to play it coming forward, the ball sneaked through the defence and took the top of off-stump. The second innings, similar ball, slightly lower but equally express, hit Brook on the back leg just above the pad, to be given out leg-before. Brook was bamboozled and left hobbled by the painful blow. 'You can't do anything about that,' skipper Ben Stokes later said about the dismissal. Both times the ball moved in exaggeratedly, which is what you expect of Akash. The magic ball though was the one that got Joe Root, pitched in from wide of the crease, it straightened and clattered into off-stump. Akash always had a great incoming delivery. But mastering this variation took some time, and some nudging. During Akash's Test debut at Ranchi last year, former Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary recalls pointing out that he risked becoming predictable with the in-swinging delivery. 'Which is why I asked him to work on the outswing. Even if it's not an outswing, the ball holding its line is variation enough for a batter expecting the ball to come into him. When he started getting that right, he could plan the batters out.' That is exactly what Lahiri claims Akash is capable of now. Cue the final hour of Day 4, a phase England were heavily dependent on Root to see out, only for Akash to nip those hopes, eventually finishing with 10/187 for the Test. 'He was so wide of the crease to Root that time that he had no other choice but to play it to the onside. To get the ball to leave him and take the off stump, that's nothing short of magic,' says Lahiri.
India Gazette
06-07-2025
- Science
- India Gazette
Seminar on impact of climate change in Northeast India held in national capital
New Delhi [India], July 6 (ANI): A national seminar 'Impact of Climate Change on Northeast India' was held here Saturday at the Constitution Club of India to discuss and deliberate various pressing climate-related issues in the northeastern region. The seminar was jointly organised by the South Asian Climate Change Journalist's Forum and the North East Media Forum. Northeast region is considered to be one of the sensitive ecological zones in the eastern Himalayan foothills. The region is highly vulnerable to climate change, experiencing frequent floods, landslides, earthquakes, and droughts. Speaking at the seminar, Dr Kiranmay Sarma, Professor in the School of Environment Management, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, highlighted several of his climate-related studies carried out in the northeastern region and beyond, painting a broader picture of climate-induced events and their cascading effects on the community. Dr Sarma, who specialises in geospatial technology applications for environment and disaster management, made a presentation at the seminar, touching upon various remote sensing tools that can help study environmental impacts. also underlined the pivotal role of the indigenous knowledge system in mitigating climate change and in the conservation of biodiversity. Responding to a query about whether remote sensing can identify aquifers in water-scarce areas of the northeast, he said, 'Yes, remote sensing technology can help identify aquifers. In Meghalaya, aquifers have been identified through this technology.' Souparna Lahiri of Forest and Climate Policy of Climate Land Ambition and Rights Alliance, as part of his intervention, touched upon various facets of climate change, and how society as a whole can mitigate its impact. Climate change, according to Lahiri, is a natural response to all anthropogenic activities. He suggested that all northeast states must come up with their climate action policies. 'The climate action plans are usually prepared by consultants, not the people from the community. A climate action policy is supposed to be a bottom-up approach, involving the community, their knowledge and experience, so that we can formulate a proper action plan,' said Lahiri. During the seminar, a journal named 'NE Climate 2025 - documenting the changing climate of North East India' was also released, which was edited by Ashish Gupta, President of the South Asian chapter of the Climate Change Journalists Forum and a senior journalist, along with CK Nayak, General Secretary of the forum's India chapter. In his address, CK Nayak said the Northeast is grappling with a complex set of climate challenges that demand a holistic approach to both adaptation and mitigation, not fragmented or piecemeal efforts. 'Understanding the specific impacts across the region and addressing root causes such as deforestation and unsustainable land use and practices are critical steps toward building a climate-resilient future,' he quipped. President of North East Media Forum, Sanjib Kumar Baruah, in his address, said the time to combat the scourge of climate change is to 'act now'. General Secretary of North East Media Forum, Pranjal Pratim Das, offered the vote of thanks. The seminar drew a diverse audience, including journalists, researchers, environmentalists, government officials and students. (ANI)
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Speaker expunges oppn remarks, says ‘hear replies before walkouts'
Kolkata: "When you ask questions, hear out the replies," speaker Biman Banerjee on Thursday told BJP legislators staging a walkout before allowing state finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya to respond to discussions on the West Bengal Sales Tax (Settlement of Dispute) Amendment Bill, 2025. Warning of stern action, Banerjee expunged statements made by BJP MLAs during the day from the assembly proceedings. The issue started during the debate on the bill. BJP MLAs, including economist Ashok Lahiri and Ambika Roy, participated in the discussion. Lahiri even remarked that BJP was ready to listen to govt's response. However, soon after his speech, BJP MLAs led by its chief whip Shankar Ghosh began exiting the House. Although Lahiri initially remained seated, he too eventually left after being prodded by Ghosh. As Bhattacharya began her formal reply, the opposition benches were nearly empty. Outraged, she said, "They leave before hearing us. This cannot go on." Banerjee invoked assembly rules and said the opposition's remarks would be deleted from the day's proceedings. He added that according to rules, members cannot leave the House immediately after delivering their speeches. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo The speaker said: "I have never seen such behaviour from the opposition before. They are continuously showing disrespect to the sanctity of the House. I do not want to exclude anyone, but if this continues, we will be forced to take sterner action." Terming it "highly unfortunate", Banerjee said "from now on, if such incidents are repeated, the opposition's entire statement will be expunged." The minister then asked the speaker if she should respond to the opposition's now-expunged points. "You don't need to reply. Just deliver your speech," Banerjee said. Bhattacharya said the amendments aimed to benefit both the tax assessee and state govt. "It will be a win-win situation for both if the principal tax can be recovered through a settlement without entering into legal disputes," she said. In the absence of opposition members, the bill was passed by a voice vote. BJP MLAs defended their action, saying they were given insufficient time to review the bill. Ghosh said they decided to leave the House before the minister's reply to register their protest.
