Latest news with #Thushara
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India.com
7 days ago
- Sport
- India.com
RCBs Bowling Dilemma: Nuwan Thushara or Josh Hazlewood, Who Will RCB Pick For IPL 2025 Playoff Qualifier 1?
IPL Playoffs 2025: The tension in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) dressing room was palpable. The league stage of IPL 2025 had concluded, and against all odds, RCB had defied their "chokers" tag, finishing second on the points table, securing a direct spot in Qualifier 1 against the table-toppers, Punjab Kings. But with this win came a new dilemma for RCB that who will play in IPL playoffs for them Nuwan Thushara or Josh Hazlewood? With Sri Lanka's Nuwan Thushara delivering a standout performance against Lucknow Super Giants, and Australia's Josh Hazlewood proving to be a model of consistency all season, RCB are left with a tough call to make. Thushara's Statement Spell vs LSG In a must-win encounter against LSG, Thushara was nothing short of sensational. Operating with unerring accuracy, he conceded just 26 runs in his 4 overs, outshining every other bowler on both sides. His pinpoint yorkers in the death overs left LSG's batters frustrated and anchored RCB's bowling unit. Exceptional Performance: - 4 overs, 26 runs, 1 wickets (crucial dot-ball pressure) - Best economy rate in the match - Executed yorkers under pressure with clinical precision His unorthodox slingy action, reminiscent of Malinga, is not only difficult to pick but also highly effective in stifling momentum at the death a crucial asset in playoff scenarios. Hazlewood: Consistent, Composed, Clinical If Thushara brought fireworks, Hazlewood has brought firepower quietly and relentlessly. The Australian pacer has been RCB's most reliable bowler this season, scalping 18 wickets in just 10 matches at an economy rate of under 8.5. His ability to strike early and choke the run flow in the powerplay and death makes him a captain's dream. Hazelwood RCB's Best Bowler Of The Season 18 wickets in 10 matches Economy: 8.44 Powerplay weapon, middle-overs control, playoff experience Hazlewood also brings the advantage of playoff poise, having played in multiple high-pressure knockout matches both in IPL and international cricket. For RCB, this isn't a problem it's a privilege. Two quality bowlers, both match-winners in their own right, are vying for one precious playoff spot. Head coach Andy Flower and skipper Rajat Patidar will weigh every detail before the toss. But no matter who gets the nod, one thing's certain: RCB will go into the playoffs armed with firepower.
Herald Malaysia
13-05-2025
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Sri Lankan priest shapes next generation of artists
Artist and sculptor Samantha Thushara has crafted dozens of statues and trained over 200 students from various faiths May 13, 2025 Sri Lankan Catholic priest Samantha Thushara (center) conducts a workshop for his students at Gampaha, Western Province, Sri Lanka. (Photo supplied) By Quintus ColombageWhen he is not busy with pastoral engagements, Fr Samantha Thushara can be found in his bustling art studio, located behind the stone facade of Holy Cross Church in Gampaha, Sri Lanka's Western rising early in the morning to returning to bed late at night, the 53-year-old, soft-spoken priest remains busy with chisels and mud as an artist, sculptor, and art teacher. 'Art is a bridge. It unites us despite our differences, allowing us to share common human experiences,' he told UCA News in a recent interview. Thushara has created dozens of paintings and life-sized statues of religious and globally renowned personalities and trained over 200 art students, including Christians, since has been conducting training workshops for both young men and women in Gampaha and the nearby Kimbulapitiya priest says he not only teaches them paintings or sculptures but also 'sculpting their lives.'Over the past few years, Thushara and his students have crafted statues of Jesus, Mary, and Catholic saints, as well as global icons such as Aristotle, Mahatma Gandhi, Karl Marx, William Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln, Che Guevara, and Martin Luther King Jr. They have also created Buddha statues for temples and public places across Sri livesLiyana Arachchige Kalhara is among the 30 students currently undergoing their training. The 23-year-old Buddhist said the training made him familiar with sculpting instruments, allowing him to cast figures like St. Michael the Archangel and Mahatma Gandhi. "Fr Thushara transformed my mindset. Now I prepare thoroughly, read more, and do my art with greater understanding and discipline," Kalhara told UCA News. Sigithi Harshika, 29, from Halpe, Katana, Western Province, completed a training course under the guidance of Thushara. She now runs her own art workshop. 'I've had to pause taking new orders because demand has grown so much,' Harshika told UCA News. Harshika's latest artwork included Stations of the Way of the Cross for a church. She employs several assistants to craft statues and said she is grateful to the priest for paving the way for self-reliance. Fathima Hasna, a Muslim student from Udugampola in the Western Province, said that the priest's work is not limited by the boundaries of religion. A lifelong passion Thushara was born in 1972 in the seaside town of Maggona in Western Province as the youngest of five children. The town is home to Sinhalese-speaking Maggona ethnic people who are believed to have migrated to present-day Sri Lanka from the eastern Indian state of Odisha in the 13th century. Thusara's family belongs to the ethnic group. He was attracted to art in his childhood and pursued the passion after entering the seminary for priestly formation. Thushara was ordained a diocesan priest in September 2000. Priestly life offered him opportunities to pursue his passion for art, he acknowledged. The priest first studied at the Vibhavi Academy and the Colombo Academy of Art. Then he moved to Italy for specialized training in sculpting. There, he earned a diploma in the Sacred Art School of Firenze and a master's degree from the Accademia di Belle Arti of Florence. Thushara said his training in Italy allowed him to work with renowned European sculptors, but he remained focused on Sri Lankan culture and traditional faith practices. 'My soul is always here,' he says. Crossing boundaries Over the years, the priest oversaw the crafting of 150 life-sized statues, six church altars, and Buddha statues, including one he created for the Narammala Punyawardena Temple. Among the artist-priest's most notable works are 25 figures he created for All Saints' Church in Borella, a suburb of the capital, Colombo. Those include a cinematic visualization of the crucifixion of St. Peter. Sarath Chandrajeewa, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Visual and Performing Arts, says the priest's emphasis on traditional artwork is laudable. "In a world where our statues are losing value to corners being cut and to fiberglass, he restored integrity and discipline to the sacred art," Chandrajeewa said. Apart from being an artist and arts teacher, Thushara has made strides to uplift the lives of people in Uchchimune, a fishing village in the Northwestern Province. He trained 30 impoverished Catholic fisherwomen in sculpting, candle-making, and rosary-making. The training enabled these women to earn a stable income and lift their families out of poverty with their newfound livelihoods. Wijith Rohan Fernando, a senior lecturer in Christian Studies at the University of Kelaniya, states that the priest empowers village youth by providing them with skills, self-expression, and dignity through meaningful and creative labor. While his student Kalhara carefully carves an angel's wing, he glances at his guide with humility and gratitude. "He is not just a teacher. He helps us do better than we ever thought we could do," Kalhara
New Indian Express
29-04-2025
- New Indian Express
Kerala: Husband, mother-in-law sentenced to life for starving woman to death over dowry
KOLLAM: A court in Kollam on Monday sentenced the husband and mother-in-law of a 28-year-old woman to life imprisonment for starving her to death over dowry in 2019. Kollam Additional Sessions Court judge S Subhash also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each on the convicts, Chandulal, 36, and Geetha Lali, 62, who were found guilty for murdering Thushara, a native of Karunagapally. Chandulal's father Lal, 67, the third accused, was found dead on the banks of the Ithikkara river six months ago. The court observed that this is an unprecedented case in the country. The prosecution argued that the murder was carried out according to a plan. At the time of her death, Thushara weighed only 21 kg. The postmortem report revealed that there were no traces of food in her stomach. Thushara died on March 21, 2019, in Oyoor. After being informed about her death, Thushara's father and family members rushed to the Kollam District Hospital around 1am and found her body in a deteriorated state. The postmortem, which was conducted based on a complaint lodged with the Pooyappally police, revealed the shocking details of the 'murder'. Chandulal married Thushara in 2013. According to the prosecution, after the engagement, the accused forced Thushara to sign an agreement stating she would pay the shortfall of Rs 2 lakh in dowry within three years. However, just three months into the marriage, the accused began subjecting Thushara to physical and mental torture, demanding the dowry. Verdict satisfactory, says prosecution Thushara was then isolated from her family, the prosecution said. 'Thushara has two daughters, but even they were not allowed to meet their mother. The accused even prevented Thushara from interacting with her children. The police found that the accused denied Thushara the right to mother her own children. The statements of neighbours and the teacher of Thushara's three-and-a-half-year-old child were crucial in the case. When the child's teacher enquired about the absence of the mother, the accused falsely claimed she was bedridden. They also misled others by saying Geetha, the second accused, was the mother,' said special prosecutor K B Mahendra. The court on Saturday found the accused guilty under sections 302 (murder), 304b (dowry death), 344 (wrongful confinement), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC, convicting them of murder with common intent, causing death by negligence and wrongful detention. Mahendra said this was the first such case in the country. 'During the legal fight, I couldn't find any similar incident. We typically rely on precedents and court judgments, but this case was unique. In 1961, there was an attempted starvation death over dowry, but the woman survived,' he said. 'We are satisfied with the verdict though we had hoped for the maximum punishment. This was a challenging case as all the events took place inside the house, and we had to rely on circumstantial evidence,' he added. Chandulal argued for a lesser sentence citing his elderly mother, while the prosecution pushed for the maximum punishment.
Time of India
28-04-2025
- Time of India
Thushara murder: Life term for husband, mother-in-law
Thiruvananthapuram: Kollam additional district court judge S Subhash on Monday sentenced the accused in the Pooyappally Thushara murder case to life-term imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh. Thushara, 28, of Thushara Bhavanam near Ayani South at Karunagappally, was starved to death by her husband Chanthulal, 36, of Charuvila Veedu at Chenkulam near Oyoor, who is the first accused, and mother-in-law Geetha Lali, 60, the second accused, on March 21, 2019, demanding more dowry. Life-term rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh each were awarded to both accused as per sections of IPC 302 for murder and 304 (B) for dowry death . In addition to this, two-year rigorous imprisonment and a Rs 5,000 fine were also imposed as per Section 344 for wrongful confinement. All these sentences will run concurrently, informed the prosecution. Thushara was locked inside a room at her husband's house without food for days, demanding more dowry. Postmortem and inquest reports turned crucial in the case. She weighed only 21kg at the time of death, and the postmortem found that there were no particles of food in her stomach. Her skin was attached to her bones in the absence of flesh, and her stomach was seen attached to the backbone, with ribs protruding. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Legendary Stars: Timeless Icons Boite A Scoop Undo The family of the deceased was informed about the death by an autorickshaw driver, and her parents filed a complaint at Pooyappally police station after seeing her body at the hospital mortuary. On behalf of the prosecution, advocate K B Mahendra appeared before the court. The case was investigated by DSPs Dinaraj and Nasarudeen. Thushara married Chanthulal in 2013, and there was an issue over the dowry given soon after the marriage. The accused wanted Rs 3 lakh more as dowry, and an agreement was also written over it. However, the family of the deceased could not give it on time, and the accused started torturing her physically and mentally. She was not even allowed to take care of her two children, and witnesses told the court that she was beaten up once for embracing the child. "The accused received the right sentence, and the court rejected the defence plea to consider the age of the first accused and his ailing mother, who is the second accused. The court has not mentioned anything about the life of the children of the deceased, but it will be duly addressed in the coming days," Mahendra said. As many as 23 witnesses deposed before the court and also submitted 35 documents during the trial.
Time of India
28-04-2025
- Time of India
Reduced to 'bag of bones': Husband, in-laws sentenced after starving Kerala Woman to death in 2019 dowry abuse case
Chandhulal, Geethalal & Thushara NEW DELHI: A Kerala court on Monday sentenced a man and his mother for starving his wife to death over dowry demands . The 28-year-old victim, identified as Thushara, was reduced to a "bag of bones" and died due to starvation. The case, which dates back to 2019, caused significant public outrage in Kerala. The victim was also a mother of two. At the time of her death, Thushara weighed only 20 to 21 kilograms. Thushara suffered horrifying abuse at their home in Karunagappally. Denied proper food, she was forced to survive on soaked rice and sugar syrup before she collapsed and died at a government hospital on 21 March 2019. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like My Stepdad Demands I Pay Him Rent On My 18th Birthday. He Doesn't Know I Own The House So I Did This Beach Raider Undo S Subash, judge of the Additional District and Sessions Court-IV, found husband Chandulal (36) and his mother Geetha (62) guilty and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each. Special prosecutor Mahendra K B said the court accepted the prosecution's arguments and convicted the two under Sections 304(B) and 302 of the Indian Penal Code. "This is a case which has no precedence in our country," said Advocate Mahendra, speaking to reporters after the verdict. While dowry-related killings have tragically been seen before, he explained this was likely the first instance where a woman was forced to die through starvation. Thushara's torture came to light during a police investigation following her death, leading to the swift arrest of both Chandulal and Geetha. Chanthulal and Geethalal were allegedly practising witchcraft and black magic, and had erected a tin barrier around the compound of the house to keep away from the outside world, said a police officer. Thushara married Chandulal in 2013. Just three months after their marriage, he demanded an additional Rs 2 lakh as dowry. When her family couldn't afford it, Thushara was kept locked in the house, forbidden from meeting her relatives or neighbours. She wasn't even allowed to contact her family by phone. Even after having her second child, her relatives were not allowed to see her. It was only when the Kollam East Police got involved that Thushara's family was allowed to visit her and meet the baby. Rural SP K G Simon, who supervised the investigation said that no one in the neighbourhood had any clue about the severity of the torture
