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Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
41st anniversary of The Times of India, Bengaluru: The city has embraced various evolving sports, from Pickleball To Racquetball and Kickboxing, making it a hub for both competitive and recreational a
By: When Abhinav Bindra achieved his milestone in 2008 becoming one in a billion, there was a sudden increase in the popularity of shooting sports. Until then, the sport had attracted participants through National Cadet Corps or state rifle shooting associations. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This trend was similarly seen after Neeraj Chopra made history at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, which brought in interest in javelin throw. In recent years, several new sports have begun to compete with established ones, capturing attention and attracting new participants. Although these emerging sports may not yet be included in major competitions, their rapid growth suggests they could soon make their way into global or regional events. Pickleball Pickleball, originated in America, is generating significant excitement in Bengaluru. Many new sporting or recreation centres are being built with dedicated pickleball courts. These courts are the same size as a doubles badminton court, with a non-volley zone, or 'kitchen', that extends 7ft from the net on both sides. 'Currently, there are about 250 courts in the city and it is set to become 400-450 in another 30 days. Most of these (around 70%) are outdoor courts,' , president, Karnataka Pickleball Association, told TOI. 'The best part about pickleball is that anyone who has played any sport falls in love with it in under 10 minutes. That's all it takes to learn the game. The sport's popularity has surged, with over 2,000 active players joining in the past year. Curiosity drives people to come and play, and the ease of learning and enjoying pickleball keeps them coming back,' he added. 'Most players start as recreational participants, particularly those in the 25-40 age group. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now However, there's also a noticeable increase in young players in the U-13, U-15, and U-17 categories who are becoming enthusiastic about the sport. Pickleball captured the imagination of people in the US during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it has been making inroads in India over the past year,' Harsha said. The growing popularity of pickleball reflects the increasing spending power of young Indians. On average, it costs around 800 per hour to play pickleball at any of the centres in the city, and even a basic paddle is priced at around ₹3,000. However, most paddles used by players in Bengaluru cost upwards of ₹5,000. 'It's relatively more expensive to play pickleball. The world over, there is a lot of conversation going around on how to make it more accessible,' he said. Esports Esports gained popularity before Covid-19, suffered a setback during the pandemic, but is now rapidly regaining traction. The games are divided into two categories: Mobile and PC versions. 'On mobile platforms, the most popular games are PUBG and Free Fire. For PC gaming, the leading titles are Valorant and CounterStrike 2, both first-person shooting games,' said Prince Goyal, CEO of Blitz Esports, one of the city's oldest esports cafés. After a tough time during the pandemic, esports have made a significant comeback. 'There are about 10-12 major centres in the city, such as Blitz in Rajajinagar and LXG in Indiranagar, attracting around 500 new players every month. Esports are massively popular in Europe, and 'The International' — an annual esports world championship for the five-on-five video game Dota 2 — offers a total prize pool of $35-40 million,' Goyal explained. 'Indian teams compete in the Southeast Asia qualifiers, but none have yet reached the final round.' Another esports official stated, 'Five or six years ago, there was a stigma around esports gaming, but that has dissipated, and its popularity is soaring. At the school level, esports aren't encouraged alongside academics, making it difficult to gain mainstream acceptance. Only the Bihar government is actively promoting esports, while elsewhere, it's through cafés that the sport is nurtured at the grassroots level. ' Experts estimate that at least two esports athletes from Bengaluru have turned professional after getting involved in the sport through local cafés, now playing in international leagues and earning substantial monthly incomes. Kickboxing A blend of boxing, karate, and Muay Thai, kickboxing has been present in India for some time but has recently become one of the most-discussed martial arts in city clubs. 'For the past five years, kickboxing has gained popularity across the state, particularly in Bengaluru. We have 36 clubs in the city with around 3,000 to 4,000 people training. Most participants come from backgrounds in karate, taekwondo, and wushu. I switched from karate because kickboxing offers seven different events to compete in, while karate has only two,' said Pooja Harsha, state chief of the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations India. 'Kickboxing is not as brutal as MMA or Muay Thai; it is a very safe sport. We have four events on the mat, which are semi-contact, and three in the ring, which are full-contact knockout fights. Kids start in the points category,' she explained. 'We have divided the city into four zones, and kids can start training from the age of four, with competitions beginning at age seven.' Yumnam Thoisana Singh, a top kickboxer from Manipur, now trains in Bengaluru. He has won accolades, including Gala Pro Fight in Delhi and a gold medal at the Indian Open tournament. Thoisana has been training at Namma Training, a local club, for the past year. 'Kickboxing is gaining recognition in Bengaluru and also in many states. The public is increasingly aware of this sport and appreciates its disciplined nature. Besides being a competitive sport, kickboxing is also popular for self-defence, fitness, mobility, and flexibility, making it a well-rounded and beneficial activity for everyone,' said Thoisana, who recently won the Pro Fight Title Belt at the 2025 Kickboxing India League and has been training in Bengaluru for the past year.
Indian Express
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Bihar voter verification: In 10 days, 94% of forms handed out, only 21% filled and returned
On the 12th day of the month-long Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar on Sunday, the Election Commission (EC) said that the initial phase of the campaign of printing and distributing enumeration forms to all the registered voters in the state is 'almost complete' and that 21.46% of the filled out forms had been submitted. 'The initial phase of the exercise, during which enumeration forms were to be printed and distributed, is almost complete with the forms being made available to all electors who were available,' EC Deputy Director P Pawan said in a statement. However, there is a significant backlog in the number of forms uploaded to the poll body's ECINET database, with only around 7.25% of the 1.69 crore now up on the system. 'The partially filled forms are also available for download on the portal as well on the ECINET app. The filled forms can be uploaded by the electors themselves on the app,' Pawan said. Till 6 pm Sunday, EC data shows that enumeration forms of 1.69 crore (21.46%) of nearly 7.9 crore electors enrolled as on June 24, 2025, have been received. 'In the last 24 hours 65.32 lakh enumeration forms have been collected. There are still 19 days to go for the last date for submission of forms,' Pawan noted. Another data set provided by the office of the Bihar Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) showed that as of July 5, 23.9 lakh forms were uploaded on the ECINET system, of which Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) put up 23.14 lakh forms, while 75,789 voters directly uploaded them online. Vaishali tops the list in the collective submissions (BLO and citizen-initiated uploads) with over 1.78 lakh forms submitted. It is followed by Patna (1.69 lakh), East Champaran (1.46 lakh), Nalanda (1.37 lakh), and Samastipur (1.05 lakh). The bottom-five districts are Lakhisarai (4,674 forms), Buxar (14,415), Kaimur (17,781), Munger (19,532), and Sheohar (22,317). In terms of collection percentage too, Vaishali tops the list with 25.83% forms collected. It is followed by Supaul (22.46%), Nawada (22.29%), Kaimur (21.98%), and Arwal (20.54%). The lowest collection percentages till now are in Saharsa (6.43%), Katihar (7.54%), Aurangabad (8.18%), Lakhisarai (8.93%), and Madhubani (9.39%). The EC has said 77,895 BLOs are conducting door-to-door drives to help 'electors fill out the enumeration forms' and that in many cases 'photographs are being taken for immediate uploads'. A senior EC official said more than 20,000 additional BLOs had been pressed into service to ensure the timely completion of the drive. 'They (BLOs) are being supported by over 1.5 lakh booth-level agents in addition to the four lakh volunteers, including government servants and National Cadet Corps and National Service Scheme members to assist the elderly, persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups,' the official said. Bihar CEO Vinod Singh Gunjiyaal said the poll panel was actively collaborating with all stakeholders to spread awareness among voters and ensure no eligible voter is left out. A total of 239 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 963 Assistant EROs, 38 District Election Officers (DEOs), along with the state CEO, are involved in the drive.
Hindustan Times
05-07-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
DU may began ECA quota trials for 2025-2026 session from July 14
Delhi University is likely to begin trials for extracurricular activities (ECA) quota around July 14-15 for the upcoming 2025-2026 undergraduate academic session, officials aware of the matter said on Friday. The total number of seats available in ECA quota is 1,347. (ARCHIVES) 'There are 14 categories, out of which trials for 12 will be done physically at individual centres. The other two, which include National Cadet Corps and National Service Scheme, will be held online. The trials for the same will tentatively begin around July 14-15,' said Deepti Taneja, convener, DU ECA admissions committee. ECA admissions will be based on a composite score, with 75 per cent weightage given to ECA performance and 25 per cent to the CUET score. The 14 categories include a wide spectrum for students to choose from, including divinity, digital media, dance, and debate. The total number of seats available in ECA quota is 1,347. Taneja added, 'Each category will have a separate centre but the allocations and admission process will be conducted through a centralised committee. For example, the creative writing trial will be held in Hansraj College and the trials for divinity, where candidates are evaluated on their proficiency in 'shabad kirtan paath', will be held in Mata Sundari College for Women.'
The Hindu
04-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Delhi University UG admissions: second phase starts next week
Delhi University (DU) will start the second phase of the admission process on the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS) portal over the coming week. The university made the announcement on Thursday, a day before the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) results were announced. In the first phase, applicants have to register on the portal. In the second phase, candidates can mark their preferences for colleges and programmes on the CSAS dashboard. The first phase of the admission process, which started on June 17, is still under way, said an official, adding that the date for the commencement of the subsequent phase has not been decided yet. The university is offering 71,624 undergraduate seats in 69 colleges and departments. It has earmarked a total of 1,347 seats under the extracurricular activities (ECA) quota, which has been divided into 14 categories — creative writing (English and Hindi), debate (English and Hindi), digital media (photography, film-making, animation), divinity, fine arts (sketching, painting, sculpture), music - vocals (Indian and western), music - instrumental (Indian and western), dance (Indian classical, Indian folk, western, choreography), theatre, quiz, National Cadet Corps, National Service Scheme, and yoga. 'All prospective applicants are advised to start applying for CSAS Phase-I, if not done so far. Candidates are also advised to start preparing their list of preferred 'Programs and Colleges' in advance,' read the university notification. It advised applicants to monitor the online admission portal for updates and urged them to 'take informed decisions and avoid any mistakes while filling their choices in the CSAS Phase-II as soon as it is launched'. Last year, the admission process was delayed by nearly a month and the academic session began on August 29 due to the late declaration of the CUET results by the National Testing Agency. This year, DU has announced that it plans to start the academic session on August 1. Hence, the second phase is unlikely to last for more than a week. The process During the second phase, which begins every year after the declaration of CUET results, candidates must log in to their dashboard and map subjects by selecting those they studied or those similar to the ones they studied in Class 12. Completing this process allows candidates to view the programmes for which they are eligible. Following this, they can mark their preferred course and college combinations in order of preference on the CSAS portal. This is the most crucial step, say university officials, as the order of preference will determine their chances during the allocation of seats. Before the first round of seat allocation, DU will issue simulated ranks to help students gauge the probability of their allocation to a particular programme, giving them another chance to revise and reorder their preferences. 'Auto-upgrade' option The candidates are then allocated the best possible option based on their preferences, merit, availability of seats, and category. Once the seat is allocated, the candidate will have to accept the allocation in order to be considered for upgradation in the subsequent rounds.
Hans India
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Omar: Talks on restoring statehood should end soon
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Thursday that discussions on restoring statehood to the Union Territory should be concluded soon so that people can get what they have been demanding. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a special national integration camp organised by the Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh NCC Directorate here, Abdullah also lauded the sanctioning of several projects for the Union Territory. 'Let there be discussions, it is a good thing. But we would want the discussions to conclude soon and that we get what we are demanding,' he said. Welcoming the sanctioning of several projects for Jammu and Kashmir, including tunnels, costing Rs 10,600 crore, the chief minister said these projects will give a huge boost to the Union Territory. 'There was a demand for a Mughal Road tunnel for long, since the road was completed in 2008-09. People wanted the road to remain open throughout the year. Similarly, there was a long-pending demand for a tunnel on the Sadhna pass to connect Tangdhar that has been approved. 'Many other projects have been approved,' the chief minister said, adding that Rs 10,600 crore is not a nominal amount. 'Now, we will have to try for some more tunnels, like in Gurez, which have been left out,' he said. The National Conference leader said the youngsters who associate themselves with the National Cadet Corps (NCC) benefit immensely. 'It inculcates discipline, self-awareness, self-confidence and patriotism, as well as develop some relationships that benefit them lifelong,' he said. Abdullah said these youngsters can achieve a lot in their young age.
