January 2020

BMTC bus conductor clears UPSC Mains Here is an inspirational story of a bus conductor who cleared the UPSC mains exam by studying five hours a day. Madhu NC, who hails from a small town of Malavali in Mandya joined as a bus conductor with BMTC at the age of 19. Recently, Madhu cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Mains exam which results were released this month. Now the sky is the limit for his joy. According to the Bangalore Mirror, Madhu cleared the prelims in June 2019 and after which he started preparing for the mains. He had...

We miss MS Dhoni a lot, no one sits on his last corner seat in team bus: Yuzvendra Chahal Since MS Dhoni’s last international match in July last year, the speculations regarding his retirement from the sport are floating everywhere. While there have been some statements regarding his future like the one by team India’s head coach, Ravi Shastri, saying that his comeback in the T20 squad for the World Cup is still possible, if he has a great season of the Indian Premier League, things still remain unclear. Adding fuel to this fire, in a recent video released by...

Jonty Rhodes names his seven favorite fielders, picks two Indians Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes is undoubtedly one of the greatest fielders the game has ever produced. He wrote new definitions with his spine-tingling efforts in the outfield. His diving run-outs and acrobatic catches have always galvanized fans. One can’t forget the incident when the Proteas star ran Pakistan’s Inzamam-ul-Haq out during the 1992 World Cup. After retiring from the international cricket, Jonty now assists various teams as a fielding coach. He has worked with the IPL franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) for nine seasons. In the upcoming edition of...

Manzoor Pashteen: Activist who dared to challenge Pakistan army held Manzoor Pashteen was taken into custody in Peshawar along with nine others from his Pashtun Protection Movement. Mr Pashteen has drawn tens of thousands to rallies in cities around Pakistan. A fellow protest leader said he was being punished for simply demanding human rights. The powerful military, unused to criticism, denies wrongdoing. Mr Pashteen, a charismatic former veterinary student who shot to prominence two years ago, has become the face of the Pashtun Tahaffuz (Protection) Movement (PTM), in a country where few openly challenge the military. Source: BBC

Sachin Bansal On Navi’s Digital Banking Ambitions, Changing The Fintech Status Quo After the success of Flipkart and exiting the company ahead of the Walmart acquisition, Sachin Bansal is clearly focussed on the fintech sector now. Bansal will be leading the charge towards digital banking with Navi Technologies, which was launched in December 2018 by Bansal and Ankit Agarwal as BAC Acquisitions. Navi Technologies completed the acquisition of non-banking finance company (NBFC) Chaitanya Rural Intermediation Development Services Private Limited (CRIDS) in September 2019 and Bansal took over as the CEO of the company. CRIDS, which runs Chaitanya India Fin Credit (CIFCPL), provides the...

Republic facing its fourth crisis: Ramachandra Guha The Indian Republic, as it completes seven decades, is living through its fourth big crisis, historian Ramachandra Guha said while delivering a lecture, ‘The Republic at 70’, at Bengaluru International Centre on Sunday. He said the earlier three crises were in the 1960s, which saw the death of two Prime Ministers, India being defeated by China and food shortage; the Emergency of the 1970s; and the rise of communalism in the early 1990s. Source: The Hindu

Fruit Seller Who Earns Rs 150 a Day Wins Padma Shri for Providing Education to Children The efforts of a fruit-seller in providing education to children of his village has earned him an honorary Padma Shri Award, one of he highest civilian awards given by the Indian government. A day ahead of the 71st Republic Day the government announced the list of the 21 recipients of the Padma Shri this year. And Dakshina Kannada-based Harekala Hajabba made it to the list. The orange seller, who hails from the village of Newpadapu near Mangalore, has no formal education yet has been...

How Football Clubs Reacted to Kobe Bryant’s Sad Demise Kobe Bryant, retired NBA star, died in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, Calif. Nine people have been reported to have died in the crash, which also included Kobe Bryant’s daughter, Gianna Bryant. A basketball coach, along with his daughter also lost their lives in the deadly accident.  Kobe Bryant has been widely regarded as one of the most legendary figures of not only the NBA but also world sports. People are mourning over his death, which also includes the footballing world. It has been reported that Kobe was headed towards the Mamba...

Court directs police to not take “coercive steps” against Bharti After actress Raveena Tandon and filmmaker Farah Khan, comedian and TV actress Bharti Singh had filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, thereby seeking quashing of an FIR against her. Singh, along with Tandon and Khan, was charged for hurting religious sentiments of the Christian community on a show. The court has directed the Punjab Police not to take “coercive steps” against her. Source: NewsBytes

Godfrey Phillips, other KK Modi firms up for sale, tweets Lalit Modi MUMBAI : The promoter stake in several companies of the KK Modi group including listed cigarette maker Godfrey Phillips India Ltd are up for sale, said industrialist KK Modi’s son Lalit Modi in a series of tweets on Monday. Modi and his family owns 47.09% stake in Godfrey Phillips, known for manufacturing the Marlboro brand of cigarettes. Philip Morris Global Brands Inc, the owner of the Marlboro brand, owns a 25.1% stake in the company. Source: Livemint