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Family fled Punjab in the ’80s, 19-yr-old at T20 World Cup for Netherlands

Vikramjit Singh, tipped to be one of the brightest cricketing talents in the Netherlands, will take guard against India, the country of his forefathers, on Thursday, which he calls “the biggest match of my international career”.

On a cold December night in 1984, Khushi Cheema returned home and asked his wife to pack their belongings. The following day, the Sikh family from village Cheema Khurd near Jalandhar boarded a train for Delhi. During the 52-km ride, 5-year-old Harpreet kept asking his father where they were going. He only got a smile as an answer.

“I can never forget that night and the next morning. It still feels like it happened yesterday. My father took that decision to keep his family safe after the rise of insurgency in Punjab during the mid-1980s,” Harpreet tells The Indian Express over phone from Amstelveen in the Netherlands.

Cut to the present, Khushi Cheema is back on his farm in Jalandhar, and Harpreet is running a transportation company in Amstelveen.

His 19-year-old grandson, Vikramjit Singh, tipped to be one of the brightest cricketing talents in the Netherlands, will take guard against India, the country of his forefathers, on Thursday, which he calls “the biggest match of my international career”

After the win against Pakistan in the opening game, India will start as favourites against a nation where cricket isn’t a mass sport.

“I was five when I came to the Netherlands. It was very hard; you didn’t know the language, it was a completely different culture. It took me a few years to settle down,” says Harpreet.

He goes down memory lane, recollecting his family’s hardships and the discrimination he faced growing up.

“Back then, there was racism. I faced a lot because of my skin colour, turban and beard,” says Harpreet.

But with time, things eased. Khushi Cheema, who started driving a taxi in his new country, handed over his transportation company to his son before moving back to India in 2000.

“My father handed over the business to me and moved back to India. He said his duty as a father was done, we are well settled here now, and he wanted to go back to his pind (village), to his people,” Harpreet says.

The family’s bond with India was too strong to cut off. Vikramjit was born in Cheema Khurd and he moved to the Netherlands only after he turned seven. He never had to face problems like his father.

At 11, he was spotted at an U-12 tournament by then Dutch skipper Peter Borren, who spent hours and hours in the nets to groom the youngster. He also got a sponsorship from Beat All Sports (BAS), a sports goods manufacturers company that made bats for Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh.

At 15, he was already in the Netherlands ‘A’ side and two years later, made his senior team debut.

“For me, cricket started in Cheema Khurd. When I moved to the Netherlands, I used to go with my father as he used to play in the local leagues. At 12, I played alongside him when he was captain,” Vikramjit says from Sydney.

Borren got Vikramjit enrolled at his club VRA, Amsterdam, where he was captain.

“Not sure what he saw in me but I feel lucky that someone like Peter, with so much international experience, is my mentor. He has guided me throughout my cricketing career so far,” says Vikramjit.

It is not easy to be a professional cricketer in a country obsessed with football with a cricket season ending in September before resuming in March.

Here, Harpreet came to his son’s rescue. During his playing days, he had become friends with Amit Uniyal, a former Punjab and Rajasthan Royals bowler, who used to play league cricket with him in the Netherlands. From 2015-16 to 2019-20, the youngster spent six months at Uniyal’s Gurusagar Cricket Academy in Chandigarh.

“I had my doubts first. NRI kid, will he be able to train twice a day? Will he be able to get along with the local lads? But he surprised me with his temperament, his immense self-belief and hard work. He never complained and I am not surprised to see his rise in International cricket,” says Uniyal.

In 2021, Vikramjit shifted his base to Jalandhar and started training with former India U-19 player Taruwar Kohli, who also used to play for a club in Amsterdam.

“One of the reason was that Taruwar Kohli’s Powerplay Cricket Academy was near my village (Khurd Cheema), and now my mother doesn’t have to worry about me anymore. It was kind of exhausting for her too. Above all, I got to spend more time with my Dadu (grandfather),” says Vikramjit, who has gifted his Netherlands jersey to his grandfather, a die-hard cricket fan.

Ranveer Singh to receive Marrakech International Film Festival’s Étoile d’or

The award was previously given to Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan from India.

The 19th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival will pay tribute to Bollywood star Ranveer SIngh with its Étoile d’or, an award previously received by Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan.

“I’m deeply humbled and thrilled to be receiving a tribute, which recognises my body of work along with this very, very special honour — the Etoile d’Or! The Marrakech International Film Festival is one of the most respected film events in the world, bringing together the best of cinema from across the world, especially Asia and Africa. As such, I’m extremely grateful for this distinctive recognition and the prestige bestowed upon me by the festival,” the actor said.

Other than Ranveer, Scottish actress Tilda Swinton, renowned US filmmaker James Gray and Moroccan film pioneer and director Farida Benlyazid will also receive this honour, in keeping with the festival’s tradition of celebrating cinema in all its diversity.

In Morocco, especially in Marrakech, Indian cinema has many admirers and Ranveer Singh is one of its most appreciated personalities for his films Band Baaja Baarat, Ram Leela, Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat, Gully Boy and 83.

“It’s hugely gratifying that my body of work is being recognised in Africa! It indicates that my work has been able to transcend geographical and cultural borders. For a humble artiste, who wishes to bring people together through entertainment, this is greatly rewarding. I cannot wait to be in Marrakesh to soak in the love of the people and express my gratitude to them,” said the actor.

Ranveer will be in Marrakech from November 11 to 13 to attend the grand inauguration and his felicitation in front of Moroccans and world cinema lovers at the historic Jemaa el-Fna Square.

International Hospitality Day Awards 2022: Professionals honoured by IIHM and IHC London

Several personalities from the industry who have made a difference through their unique ideas received the IHC Outstanding Contribution to the Hospitality Industry Award.

The International Hospitality Council (IHC) London observed International Hospitality Day through a prestigious award ceremony held on 18^th July 2022. The International Hospitality Day Awards, Mumbai paid tribute to a number of people who have contributed immensely to the Hospitality industry through their hard work, innovation and ideas.

The most prestigious award of the series, the Lifetime Achievement Award, went to Chef Satish Arora, Director, Food Production at Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces. Chef Satish became the world’s youngest executive chef to handle a Five Star’s kitchen at the age of 26, casting a magical spell with his culinary talent on guests at the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai. From Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles to former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Chef Satish has mesmerised many global personalities with his extraordinary culinary skills. His guests include heads of states like Bill Clinton, Indira Gandhi and Neil Armstrong. While receiving his award, he said, “This award is the icing on the cake because a dream that Dr Suborno Bose saw about two decades ago is showing great results and is a boon to the hospitality industry. When I was executive chef, the industry was starved of good professionals. We had to do extensive training. But today, Dr Bose and IIHM are doing a wonderful job of helping us. IIHM students are at par with national standards. I thank IHC for this memorable award.”

The International Hospitality Day Awards recognise the hard work and tireless contribution of hospitality professionals who have put in their best efforts to revive the industry after the two-year lull brought on by the pandemic. Dr Suborno Bose, the CEO and Convenor of the International Hospitality Council (IHC) said, “The International Hospitality Day Awards, Mumbai truly signify the bounce back of the industry. The hospitality industry was one of those that was badly hit during the pandemic. But the way it had come back with a vengeance, the figures of sales and profits are equal to 2019 figures, is amazing. The industry has rediscovered and reimagined itself is truly commendable. The awards ceremony organised jointly by IHC and IIHM, India’s largest hotel school chain, is a celebration of the bounce back of the hospitality industry after the Covid-19 pandemic. I take this opportunity to congratulate all my friends in the hospitality industry in India and the world who have worked tirelessly with huge passion, enthusiasm and hope and we see the results in the form of huge success of the industry.”

Over 100 young hospitality professionals working in hotels and other sectors across India received the IHC Best Hospitality Professional Award. They were selected on the basis of merit and performance by the organisations they work for.

A special awards segment included the IHC Hospitality Leadership Awards that recognised the significant contributions of hospitality leaders and trendsetters. “We are here today to recognise all the outstanding and wonderful achievements of these icons and entrepreneurs. We must also thank all the professionals in the industry who have supported us during these difficult times. We are honouring the icons and entrepreneurs of the industry who are the artists of the industry. We must be very proud of our industry and its people,” said Prof David Foskett, MBE, Chairman of IHC.

Several personalities from the industry who have made a difference through their unique ideas received the IHC Outstanding Contribution to the Hospitality Industry Award. Those receiving this award included:

Atul Bhalla, Area Manager for ITC Hotels in West and East India and General Manager, ITC Maratha Mumbai.
Sanjay Sethi, CEO and Managing Director, Chalet Hotels also received the award.
Ranvir Bhandari, Senior VP and GM, Trident Nariman Point.
Sharad Datta, General Manager, The Westin Mumbai Garden City.
Manish Gupta, CEO, Taj SATS Air Catering Limited.
Anuraag Bhatnagar, COO, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts.
Param Kannampilly, Chairman and MD, Concept Hospitality Pvt Ltd, The Fern Hotels & Resorts.
Shib Sankar Mukherji, Executive Vice Chairman, The Oberoi Group.
Puneet Dhawan, Senior VP, Operations, Accor India & South Asia.
Jyoti Mayal, President, Travel Agents Association of India.
Nikita Ramchandani, General Manager, JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu.

Tourism is an integral part of hospitality industry and IHC took the initiative to award those who try to promote tourism in the country. The IHC Outstanding Contribution to Development of Tourism Award went to Carl Vaz, Chairman and CEO, Chairperson Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd.

IHC has always respected and applauded women achievers in the hospitality sector. These award went to some amazing women who have contributed immensely to the industry.

Ananya Banerjee, Chef, Consultant, Author, Globetrotter, Artist.
Sonal Holland, Master of Wine and wine professional. Sonal is India’s first and only Master of Wine, and also the country’s most accomplished wine professional.
Shatbhi Basu, India’s first Woman Bartender and consultant, brand ambassador and mixologist.

The IHC Outstanding Hospitality Influencer Award went to Bibhor Srivastava, MD, ITP Media India. Bibhor has over two decades of work experience in Senior Management roles in publishing, audience development and media related events and exhibitions, marketing and sales management and business development.

Hospitality’s contribution to society was recognised through the IHC Hospitality for a Cause Award. The award went to the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust (TPSWT) that was set up in December 2008, in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks. Inspired by the resilience of the survivors and the courage of those who came to their aid, they reach out to people affected by disasters with support to rebuild their lives. They also have a special mandate for the welfare of injured and disabled members of the armed forces. Since their inception, they have worked for relief and rehabilitation initiatives across the country, with a strong commitment to helping survivors regain their confidence and independence.

Hospitality entrepreneurs are making a huge difference to the industry and IHC acknowledged their contribution through the Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which was awarded to Sidharth Gupta, Co-founder at Treebo, Hotel Superhero. Treebo Hotels and Hotel Superhero were Sidharth Gupta’s brainchild. Treebo is a technology-enabled hotel brand operating in the budget segment and is present in over 800 locations across 150 cities with a network size of 15,000 rooms. Hotel Superhero is a comprehensive hotel management software thatallows hotels to manage their business on a cloud-native SaaS platform.

Finally, the IHC Rising Star of the Year Award went to Anant Leekha, Cluster General Manager at Accor. Anant has a rich experience of over 16 years with groups like Lemontree and Accor.

‘Privileged’: Fiji is 1st Pacific nation to host 12th World Hindi Conference

Anjeela Jokhan, Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Education, Heritage, and Arts, said the country is honoured to be the first in the Pacific to host the prestigious event and praised the partnership with India.

Fiji will be hosting the 12th World Hindi Conference next year from February 15-17, 2023, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said at an event held here in New Delhi.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar launched the logo and website of Vishwa Hindi Diwas along with V. Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs and Permanent Secretary for Fijian Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts Anjeela Jokhan.

Speaking at the event, Anjeela Jokhan said that Fiji is privileged to be the first country in the Pacific to host the prestigious event and hailed the partnership with India.

“We are honoured to have been nominated by the Indian government as the next year’s host for the World Hindi Conference as this platform will provide us with a wonderful opportunity to promote and celebrate Hindi, one of our country’s main languages. Indeed Fiji feels blessed and privileged to be the first country in the Pacific to host this prestigious event,” said Fijian Secretary Anjeela Jokhan.

“We will do our best to make this conference a grand success. Fiji Hindi is in fact enshrined in the Fiji Constitution as one of our official languages. Not only this we also teach Hindi in our primary and secondary schools. While it is compulsory for students of Indian origin in primary schools, it is an optional subject in secondary schools. Hindi is also taught in our universities,” she added.

Jokhan noted that the partnership with the government of India has grown from strength to strength over the past 52 years and the people of our nations have been deeply enriched through our bilateral interactions and engagements. The official added, “Our two nations have an undeniable bond which can be seen in mutual understanding and respect that we have for each other’s sovereignty, common development and shared prosperity.”

“It is based on our shared history which is rooted in age-old ties of culture. In Fiji, we have a very cordial relationship with the High Commission of India that enables us to celebrate together many events such as Yoga Day, World Hindi Day, and so forth. In fact, in 2020 we held Regional Hindi Conference in Suva”, she continued saying.

Further highlighting the contribution made by the Fijian scholars towards developing Hindi, she said that the country looks forward to hosting the event. “With a significant portion of our population having Indian heritage, we have worked together to ensure the protection and promotion of our languages, traditions, and culture. We are proud to say that Fijian scholars have made a contribution towards developing Hindi not just in Fiji but across the world via the Fijian diaspora.”

Fiji looks forward to hosting this event from February 15-17, 2023, she highlighted and said, “We look forward to hosting this significant event in our country. We know that we will receive the Indian diaspora from a number of nations and this will give our people the opportunity to develop networks and friendship.”

The three-day conference would be held in the Fijian city of Nadi.

IIT Guwahati develops AI model to predict bone repair outcomes after surgery

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati have developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) model to predict the healing of thigh bone fractures after surgery.

According to the team, the model can be used to assess the healing outcomes of different fracture fixation strategies so that an optimum strategy can be chosen for the patient depending on their personal physiologies and fracture type.

Using such precision models can reduce the healing time, and lighten the economic burden and pain for patients who need thigh fracture treatment, they said.

The results of the research have recently been published in open-source journal, “PLoS One”.

“AI has tremendous potential when it comes to understanding and predicting complex biological phenomena and hence, can play a big role in health sciences applications,” said Souptick Chanda, Assistant Professor, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Guwahati.

The research team has used a combination of Finite Element Analysis and the AI tool “Fuzzy Logic” to understand the healing process of fracture after various treatment methods.

Various bone growth parameters were used along with a rule-based simulation scheme for this purpose.

The study further examined the influence of different screw fixation mechanisms to compare the fracture healing efficacies of each process.

The predictions of healing made by the model agreed well with experimental observations, pointing to its reliability.

“Our simulation model can potentially help a surgeon choose the right implant or technique before a fracture treatment surgery. In addition to various biological and patient-specific parameters, the model can also account for different clinical phenomena, such as smoking, diabetes, etc. The model can also be adapted for veterinary fractures which are, physiologically and in various aspects, similar to those occurring in humans,” Chanda added.

The researchers plan to develop a software or app based on the algorithm that can be used in hospitals and other healthcare institutions as part of their fracture treatment protocols.

The team is presently collaborating with Dr Bhaskar Borgohain and his team of orthopaedists from the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences Hospital, Shillong, for animal studies to validate and fine-tune certain parameters.

“The research is useful because incidences of thigh bone and hip fractures have increased significantly due to the increasing geriatric population in the world. An estimated 2 lakh hip fractures occur every year in India alone, most of which require hospitalisation and trauma care. Treatment for hip fractures traditionally includes bone plates and rods to bridge the fracture site and promote bone healing,” said Pratik Nag, research scholar at IIT Guwahati.

“Fracture treatment methods are intuitively chosen by surgeons based on their experience, and there is no way of predicting the efficacy and success of the treatment method chosen. Our research will help increase the accuracy rate in decision-making in orthopaedics, thereby reducing the cost and disease burden associated with fracture recovery,” he added.

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Pay equity: BCCI announces equal match fee for its men and women cricketers

In a revolutionary decision, the BCCI on Thursday announced equal match fees for its centrally-contracted female and male players in a bid to tackle gender discrimination.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah took to Twitter to announce the development.

“I’m pleased to announce @BCCI’s first step towards tackling discrimination. We are implementing pay equity policy for our contracted @BCCIWomen cricketers. The match fee for both Men and Women Cricketers will be same as we move into a new era of gender equality in Cricket,” Shah tweeted.

As per the newly introduced system, the Indian women’s cricketers will now receive Rs 15 lakh per Test, Rs 6 lakh per ODI, and Rs 3 lakh per T20I, the same as their male counterparts.

“The @BCCIWomen cricketers will be paid the same match fee as their male counterparts. Test (INR 15 lakhs), ODI (INR 6 lakhs), T20I (INR 3 lakhs). Pay equity was my commitment to our women cricketers and I thank the Apex Council for their support,” Shah added.

Earlier this year, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) had struck a deal with the country’s players’ association, which enabled the women cricketers to earn as much as the male players, while Cricket Australia (CA) is also working to do away with gender disparity.

Terming it a major victory for women cricketers across the nation, the Chairperson, NCW, Rekha Sharma said in the statement that this is a historic decision for women’s cricket in India. She also said that at last the voice of women cricketers was now being heard.

“Women cricketers earning the same match fee as their male counterparts heralds a new era of equal opportunities and is a significant advancement toward achieving gender equality. Additionally, it will also encourage greater participation of women in sports,” the statement from the NCW said.

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Canadian city gets first turban-wearing Sikh woman councillor

Indo-Canadian healthcare worker Navjit Kaur Brar has become the first turban-wearing Sikh woman to be elected as Brampton City Councillor in the recent Municipal council polls.

Brar, a respiratory therapist and a mother of three, won the race for City Councillor in Wards 2 and 6, beating Jermaine Chambers, a former Conservative MP candidate for Brampton West.

Brar had 28.85 per cent of the votes cast on Monday with Chambers as nearest contender with 22.59 per cent, and Carmen Wilson coming in third at 15.41 per cent, the Brampton Guardian reported.

“I am so proud of @Navjitkaurbrar. She was a selfless and dedicated front line healthcare worker during the pandemic. She has stepped up for public service and I am confident she will be a phenomenal addition to Brampton City Council,” tweeted Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, who won a second term in recent election.

As part of her campaign she knocked over 40,000 doors and spoked to over 22,500 residents in the last two months.

“Over the past 3 years, I’ve spoken to countless Bramptonians and the sentiment I hear is that they are all hurting, they feel unheard, they feel left behind. With the rising cost of living It’s getting harder to raise and provide for your family in Brampton… As your city councillor I will fight for better services for all Bramptonians and ensure that your voices are heard,” Brar had said in her campaign pitch.

Brar previously ran as the Ontario NDP candidate in Brampton West, losing out to incumbent Progressive Conservative MPP Amarjot Sandhu.

Another Sikh candidate, Gurpartap Singh Toor, knocked off his opponent Gurpreet Dhillon in Wards 9 and 10 by a scant 227 votes.

As many as 40 Punjabis were in the fray for Brampton civic elections, according to local media reports.

Out of 354,884 eligible voters in Brampton, only 87,155 of them turned up to cast ballots — an abysmal voter turnout of approximately 24.56 per cent, according to unofficial results, The Pointer reported.

The Indo-Canadian community, along with the councillor candidates, had raised concerns over the election date overlapping with Diwali — one of the most-awaited festivals celebrated by the large swathe of Indian diaspora present in the North American country.

“It is very problematic that the elections are taking place on the Diwali day, especially the municipal election that has always seen a low voter turnout,” Gurpratap Singh Toor, who has won Wards 9 and 10, had told Omni Punjabi.

Elections for municipal government are held every four years on the fourth Monday of October, which fell on October 24 this time.

These polls usually elect a mayor and city council and sometimes also a school board.

Around 40 per cent of Brampton’s population is South Asian, and the municipal election also fell on the religious festival of Diwali, celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains.

Indian Navy & Drone Federation of India collaborate to promote indigenous development of drones

The Technology Development and Acceleration Cell of the Naval Innovation Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) under the Indian Navy and Drone Federation of India (DFI) have come together to collaborate towards promoting indigenous development, manufacturing and testing of drone, counter-drone, and associated technologies for the Indian Navy.

As a part of this collaboration, TDAC and DFI will increase the Navy-Industry-Academia synergy, source technology development challenges towards component indigenisation. A special maritime drone testing site shall also be earmarked for the Indian drone industry to facilitate faster development and testing of drones especially in maritime environments, thus enabling development for a host of applications.

Additionally, programmes on sensitisation and skill development shall also be undertaken as a part of this collaboration. “TDAC has been working towards accelerating the development of indigenous technologies to be utilised by the Indian Navy. Our collaboration with the Drone Federation of India will help us in developing a deeper industry connection as well as create a stronger roadmap for induction of drone platforms in the Indian Navy in a time-bound manner.” said Cmde A. P. Golaya, VSM, OiC TDAC, Indian Navy.

“It is a proud moment for the Indian drone industry to have established a partnership with the Indian Navy to build and test superior drone platforms. The maritime testing site being developed under this initiative will accelerate the development of versatile and reliable drone platforms for advanced maritime use cases like maritime patrol, drone landings on moving ships, ship to ship deliveries, ship to shore deliveries, etc.” said Smit Shah, President, Drone Federation of India

SS Rajamouli’s RRR wins Best International Film award at 50th Saturn Awards: ‘We’re super elated’

RRR has minted over Rs 1000 crore at the worldwide box office. It tells the story of two freedom fighters and friends — Alluri Sitarama Raju (played by Ram Charan) and Jr NTR as Komaram Bheem, who fight side by side against the British.

SS Rajamouli directorial RRR has won the Best International Film award at the 50th Saturn Awards. It was nominated in multiple categories, including Best International Film, Best Action Adventure and Best Director.

While Rajamouli was himself not there to receive the honour, an AV was played in which he was seen giving a thank you speech.

“I am so glad that our film RRR has won the Saturn Award in the Best International Film category. I thank the jury on behalf of our entire team. We’re super elated. This is also my second Saturn Award. The first one I had got for Baahubali: The Conclusion. I wish I was there in person, but due to my prior commitments related to RRR promotions in Japan, unfortunately I am not able to attend. I would like to congratulate all the other winners. Hope you are having a great time. Have fun, namaste,” the director said in a video shared by the Twitter handle of Saturn Awards.

In the Action Adventure category, the feature was competing with Death on the Nile, F9: The Fast Saga, No Time to Die, Top Gun: Maverick, and West Side Story. Meanwhile, it was in the running for Best International Film award with movies like Downton Abbey: A New Era, Eiffel, I’m Your Man, Riders of Justice, and Silent Night.

On the other hand, SS Rajamouli was competing for the Best Director trophy against Guillermo del Toro (Nightmare Alley), Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), Jordan Peele (Nope), Matt Reeves (The Batman), Steven Spielberg (West Side Story), and Jon Watts (Spider-Man: No Way Home).

“Greatest Privilege”: Rishi Sunak, First Indian-Origin UK Prime Minister

UK is facing an economically toxic combination of recession and rising interest rates. Critics blame the economic downturn on the Conservative Party and what they call its “series of miscalculations”.

Rishi Sunak is the next Prime Minister of UK, tasked to steer the economically floundering nation days after his predecessor Liz Truss stepped down, conceding defeat. At age 42, he is the youngest and the first person of colour to hold the post.

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