Category: RECORDS IN ASIA

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).

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Ayodhya sets world record by lighting over 15 lakh diyas on Deepotsav in PM Modi’s presence

Modi also offered prayers to Ram Lalla at Ram Janmbhoomi in Ayodhya. This is Modi’s first visit to Ayodhya after a “bhoomi pujan” for the construction of a Ram temple on August 5, 2020.

Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya set a new Guinness World Record for lighting the maximum number of earthen lamps – over 15 lakh- on the banks of the Saryu as Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the historic Deepotsav celebrations on Sunday, on the eve of the festival of Diwali.

Modi and chief minister Adityanath displayed the Guinness Record certificate on the occasion.

Beginning his speech with ‘Jai Shri Ram’, Modi addressed a gathering on the occasion of Deepotsav. “From the holy birthplace of Lord Ram, I pass on Diwali wishes to my countrymen,” Modi said.

Modi also said people have to learn as much as they can from Lord Ram.
“Lord Ram doesn’t leave anyone behind, doesn’t turn away from anyone,” Modi said.

Earlier, Modi offered prayers to Ram Lalla at Ram Janmbhoomi in Ayodhya. This is Modi’s first visit to Ayodhya after a “bhoomi pujan” for the construction of a Ram temple on August 5, 2020.

“I got the opportunity of Lord Ram’s darshan due to his blessings; happy that people across the world watching Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya,” Modi said.

Immediately after reaching Ayodhya for the Deepotsav celebrations, the PM went to the makeshift Ram temple and offered prayers to Ram Lalla. He lit an earthen lamp there and performed an “aarti”. Temple chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das applied vermillion on his forehead.

Modi was also briefed by officials on the construction going on for a grand Ram temple at the site. Modi also performed the Rajyabhishek of the symbolic Bhagwan Ram in Ayodhya.

“Shri Ram Lalla’s ‘Darshan’ and then ‘Rajyabhishek’ of King Ram, this good fortune is obtained only by the grace of Lord Ram. This Deepawali has come at a time when we have completed 75 years of independence. ‘Sankalp Shakti’ of Lord Ram will take India to new heights,” the PM added.

Earlier, Modi was welcomed by governor Anandiben Patel and chief minister Yogi Adityanath. He attended the Deepotsav celebrations.

Ayodhya divisional commissioner Navdeep Rinwa had earlier said more than 15 lakh earthen lamps will be lit as part of the Deepotsav celebrations by over 22,000 volunteers at Ram ki Paidi near the Saryu bank. The rest will be placed at important intersections and spots in the town.

Five animated tableaux and 11 Ramlila tableaux showcasing dance forms from different states will also be presented during the Deepotsav.

“Deepotsav of Ayodhya started 6 years ago with the guidance and inspiration of PM Narendra Modi. This festival of UP became a festival of the country. Today, it is touching new heights of success,” Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on the occasion.

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Bhanwala becomes first Indian to win medal at U23 Worlds, takes bronze 

PONTEVEDRA: Sajan Bhanwala became the first Indian Greco-Roman wrestler to win a medal at the Under-23 World Championship when he edged past Ukraine’s Dmytro Vasetskyi on ‘criteria’ to emerge winner in the bronze play-off, here.

It was the Ukrainian who pulled off a four-pointer on the edge of the circle for a solid start but Bhanwala bounced back immediately with a strong move that got him into a position from where he could pin his rival.

Though he could not pin his rival, it was good enough to earn four points. Bhanwala lost two more points and got into defensive mode.

For staying passive, Bhanwala put on a ‘Par Terre’ position, something Indian wrestlers are very poor at defending and the Ukrainian pulled off another four-pointer from the ground position for a handsome 10-4 lead.

Bhanwala scored two points with a take-down move and with 35 seconds left in the bout, managed to push his rival on the back to level the scores.

The bout ended at 10-10 but since the Indian had scored the last point he was declared winner on criteria.

Bhanwala had begun with a 3-0 win over Lithuania’s Aistis Liaugminas but lost his pre-quarterfinal bout to Moldova’s Alexandrin Gutu.

As Gutu made the final, Bhanwala bounced back into medal contention via the repechage route and he made full use of that with a 9-6 win over Kazakhstan’s Rassul Zhunis.

Meanwhile, Vikas will fight for a bronze in the 72kg after losing his semifinal by technical superiority to Croatia’s Pavel Puklavec.

He will be up against the winner of the repechage contest between Georgios Theodoros Sotiriadis and Jpana’s Daigo Kobayashi.

Before losing his semifinal clash, Vikas beat Kyrgyzstan’s Adilkhan Nurlanbekov and home team rival Marcos Sanchez Silva Mejias by technical superiority, losing just one point across bouts.

In the 60kg category, Sumit got back to medal reckoning when he made the repechage round. He will be up against Kazakhastan’s Olzhas Sultan.

In the 67kg competition, Ashu bowed out after losing his qualification bout by technical superiority to Georgia’s Diego Chkhikvadze.

Six Greco-Roman wrestlers travelled to the Spanish city for the championship along with two women and one free-style wrestler while visas of 21 other Indians were rejected by the Embassy of Spain.

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ISSF World Cup Changwon: India finish on top of the table with 15 medals

Anish Bhanwala, Vijayveer Sidhu and Sameer won the silver medal in the 25m rapid fire pistol team event on the final day. South Korea finished second in the standings.

The Indian men’s 25m rapid fire pistol team comprising Anish Bhanwala, Vijayveer Sidhu and Sameer won the silver medal on the last day of the ISSF World Cup Changwon 2022 in South Korea, on Wednesday.

The medal helped India retain the top spot on the medals table with five gold, six silver and four bronze. South Korea managed just one bronze on the final day and finished with four golds, five silver and three bronze medals. 

The Indian trio had made the final after coming through two rounds of qualification, finishing second with 872 points in the first and topping the second round with 578 for a shot at gold.

However, up against Czech Republic’s Martin Podhrasky, Tomas Tehan and Matej Rampula in the final at the Changwon International Shooting range, the Indian shooting team went down 17-15 to settle for silver.

India started strongly to take a 10-2 lead. The experienced Czech trio then mounted a brilliant comeback to unsettle the young Indian shooting team. 

In the mixed team skeet event, an in-form Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Zahra Mufaddal Deesawala finished ninth out of 17 teams with a score of 138/150.

This is the second time this year that the Indian shooters had topped the ISSF World Cup medals table. India finished with the most gold medals (four) at the ISSF World Cup in Cairo.

Cairo will also be the place for the next assignment of the rifle/pistol squad with the ISSF World Championship scheduled later in October. The shotgun squad has theirs in September in Osijek, Croatia.

ISSF World Cup 2022 in Changwon: India medal winners

1. Arjun Babuta – gold – men’s 10m air rifle

2. Shahu Tushar Mane/Mehuli Ghosh – gold – 10m air rifle mixed team

3. Prithviraj Tondaiman, Vivaan Kapoor and Bhowneesh Mendiratta – silver – men’s trap team

4. Shiva Narwal and Palak – bronze – 10m air pistol mixed team

5. Arjun Babuta, Shahu Tushar Mane and Paarth Makhija – gold – men’s 10m air rifle team

6. Eavenil Valarivan, Ramita and Mehuli Ghosh – silver – women’s rifle team

7. Shiva Narwal, Naveen, Sagar Dangi – silver – men’s pistol team

8. Rhythm Sangwan, Yuvika Tomar and Palak – silver – women’s 10m air pistol team

9. Aishwary Pratap Singh – gold – men’s 50m rifle 3P

10. Anjum Moudgil – bronze – women’s 50m rifle 3P

11. Chain Singh, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Sanjeev Rajput – silver – men’s 50m rifle 3P team

12. Mairaj Ahmad Khan – gold – men’s skeet

13. Anjum Moudgil, Sift Kaur Samra and Ashi Chouksey – bronze – women’s 50m rifle 3P team

14. Anish Bhanwala, Rhythm Sangwan – bronze – 25m rapid fire pistol mixed team

15. Anish Bhanwala, Vijayveer Sidhu and Sameer – silver – men’s 25m rapid fire pistol team

olympics. com

Sreejesh, Savita voted FIH Men’s and Women’s Goalkeepers of Year

Sreejesh played in all six games at 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games where India won the silver medal

India’s P. R. Sreejesh and Savita Punia were on Wednesday voted FIH Men’s and Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year respectively for the second year running, on the back of their strong shows under the bar.

In his 16th year as a full international for India, Sreejesh once again showed his value to the team, playing in all 16 games in the FIH Hockey Pro League as India finished in the third position.

He also played in all six games at 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games where India won the silver medal.

“The longevity of P. R. Sreejesh’s career continues to defy logic as the 34-year-old Indian shot-stopper continues to raise his game as the years roll on,” the FIH said in a statement on Sreejesh, who had also won the award last year.

Sreejesh got 39.9 total points in the voting, followed by Belgium’s Loic van Doren (26.3 points) and Netherlands’ Primin Blaak (23.2 points). The votes were cast online by experts (40%), teams (20%), fans (20%) and media (20%).

Sreejesh is the third player to win back-to-back FIH Goalkeeper of the Year award. A similar feat was achieved in the past by David Harte (Ireland) who won the award in 2015 and 2016, and Vincent Vanasch (Belgium) who won it three consecutive times from 2017 to 2019.

During the course of the season, Sreejesh also completed 250 international appearances, becoming the eighth Indian and the only goalkeeper to achieve the feat.

“No doubt, this is a special award because the hockey fans are voting for us. This is a big honour for me and a testimony to all the hard work,” said Sreejesh who is currently at the SAI Centre, Bengaluru along with his teammates in the national camp for the upcoming FIH Hockey Pro League.

“Winning awards, no matter at what stage in your career you are at, is always a motivating factor. This award surely motivates me to further improve and do well in an all-important year where we will play the FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar-Rourkela 2023.” The 32-year-old Savita finished on top of the voting with 37.6 points. Argentina legend Belén Succi received second most points with 26.4, followed by Australia stalwart Jocelyn Bartam (16 points).

‘Big surprise’ for Savita

Savita is now only the third athlete to win the Goalkeeper of the Year (women) for consecutive years since the inception of the award in 2014.

“This surely is a big surprise and a very pleasant one. I am sure many Indian hockey fans voted for us and I thank each one of them,” said Savita who is currently playing for Haryana in the National Games in Gujarat.

Savita was instrumental in leading India to a podium finish in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2021-22, in their debut campaign, pulling off an astounding 57 saves in the 14 games she played.

Her form only improved at the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup, as she pulled off some incredible saves as India held the eventual gold medallists England to a draw in the pool stages. She also had a remarkable game in the cross-over match against Spain, making seven saves that had the viewers rubbing their eyes in disbelief.

Savita then inspired the team to a bronze medal in the 2022 CWG in Birmingham, as India ended a 16-year podium drought at the Games. She had a stellar game in the bronze medal match against New Zealand, which included multiple match-winning saves in the shoot-out.

“Savita was magnificent in defense of the Indian goal, often astounding her opponents with her ability to pull off saves from impossible situations. It therefore comes as no surprise that she received nearly twice as many votes from her peers around the world, as anyone else nominated in the best goalkeeper category at the FIH Hockey Stars Awards,” the FIH said.

“Savita’s win comes from her goalkeeping heroics, but her impact on her team looms even larger, as not only is she the backbone of the Indian defense, but also plays a crucial role in leading the side, having taken over captaincy from the talismanic Rani Rampal, who missed large parts of the previous year due to injury.”

On Tuesday, India forward Mumtaz Khan was voted the FIH Women’s Rising Star of the Year on the back of her stellar role during the country’s campaign at the Junior World Cup in South Africa earlier this year.

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Goan lad sports Qatar colours

15-year-old set to spearhead Gulf Nation’s challenge in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualifiers in Oman.

This Goan lad will take the pitch in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers in Muscat, Oman, that commenced on Saturday.

But not in the blue strip of India. Instead, he will wear the maroon of Qatar in which he is expected to sparkle at the centre of the attack.

Meet Justin Fernandes, all of 15, a strapping 5-foot- 11-inches tall and endowed with the qualities of an aggressive centre-forward.

His consistent appearances in the top bracket of the goal scorers’ list through age group tournaments evidence his prowess and the ensuing rare honour of an expatriate being bestowed the coveted Qatari colours.

Son of Camilo who hails from Murida village in Cuncolim and Abigail, from Assolna, Justin was born and raised in Qatar.

A bright student, now studying in Class XI, science stream, Justin has what it takes to be a thinking player – vital for success in any sport.

His inspiration? “Lionel Messi,” says the lad, who he follows keenly – even to the extent of locking on to Paris-St Germain, the French giants for whom the Argentinean superstar turns out these days.

 That might seem to be a paradox of sorts. Justin, you see, is an English Premier League ‘freak’, soaking up the action on television seemingly incessantly.

So much so that his great big ambition is “to play in the EPL!”

 Justin’s precocious talent earned him the privilege of representing the Gulf nation which he has done with aplomb for more than a year.

First taking to the sport as a seven-year-old, his natural talent and abilities caught the eye of scouts and he was duly invited to the Absolute Sports  academy to hone his fast-growing skills.

He moved to the Aspire academy in 2019 and sustained the promise he revealed by excelling in the QFA U-13 and U-15 leagues with Al Ahli.

His influence in the club’s fortunes is unmistakable. In 2020 he was among the leading scorers in the U-13 league while assisting Al Ahli to third place.

In 2021, Al Ahli took the top podium, with Justin inevitably finding the net prolifically.

Even before his exploits propelled Al Ahli to the top, he was accorded the 2018 Qatar Foundation’s best U-13 player accolade.

 And, as an U-11 and turning out for Absolute Sports in Armenia at a summer camp in Yeravan, Justin was adjudged best forward.

 Justin also inspired his academy to a tournament win in Georgia as an U-12.

 It was only a matter of time that the lad would earn the rare privilege of turning out in Qatari colours.

 The summon duly arrived and off went Justin in the revered maroon shirt to do national duty in Slovenia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE as an U-16, proving to be a menace to rival defenders.

 With his control, scoring prowess and speed, Justin’s presence in the team was a foregone conclusion as Qatar gear up for U-17 continental honours.

 Camilo played a bit of football himself but attributes his son’s sporting genes to his grandmother, Abigail’s mother, Jovina, who played hockey for Mumbai in the 1970s.

 Given the Indian, and particularly Goan, diaspora in the Gulf region, one wagers that Justin will be among the players closely watched in Muscat.

And, on the pitch one suspects, even more closely by defenders in the ranks of Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain and hosts Oman who make up the field.

heraldgoa.in

Dubai’s Kay Godkhindi creates history in all-female chair umpire team at Sofia Open

In a first, supervisor, tournament director, referee and chief of umpires are all women who have been assigned to an ATP tour event.

There’s a strong Dubai connection to the ongoing Sofia Open in Bulgaria run by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body of the men’s professional tennis circuits.

This is for the first time, an all-female chair umpire team, including the ATP supervisor, tournament director, referee and chief of umpires, was assigned to an ATP Tour event.

Tournament Director Kay Godkhindi, who is of Indian origin and holds an Australian passport, grew up in Dubai and went to college in the USA.

She told Khaleej Times from Sofia about the exciting aspect of the event.

“Truth be told, we had no clue about history being made in front of our eyes. At the end of the day, it’s a sport where gender is of little consequence. Besides, gender doesn’t define an individual’s capabilities. However, it’s a wonderful concept to have equal opportunity in both the ATP and the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) and empowering women as and when possible is a step towards the right direction,” she said while lavishing praise on ATP for championing the gender cause.

Tennis has had several prominent female officials, including those officiating in men’s matches, for several decades.

Anne Lasserre, who is the ATP Supervisor for the ATP 250 in Sofia, is the gender-bender pioneer.

“I think it’s an honour as well to be the first female. I worked as a chair umpire for the ATP a long time ago,” Lasserre said.

“I think things and the situation are evolving, which I think is a good thing. It’s an honour, I’m proud of it…

“It’s good to think about the future and being able to break this glass ceiling and give this opportunity to other females to do the same job as we do in every sport,” she told atptour.com.

ATP Senior Director of Officiating Administration Ali Nili told atptour.com: “The ATP Officiating Department prioritises high performance and a diverse officiating team. The tournament in Sofia is an example of our successful efforts in that direction. While the road to progress is long, we are proud of the direction we are heading, and the future seems bright.

khaleejtimes.com

SD Burman’s abandoned palatial home in Bangladesh to be converted into cultural complex

Legendary musician and composer Sachin Dev Burman’s palatial home in Cumilla district of Bangladesh is all set to be transformed into a cultural complex, with the Sheikh Hasina government having sanctioned Taka 1.10 crore (Rs 86 lakh) for the project.

Dev Burman, born in 1906, spent the first 18 years of his life in this South Chartha village rajbari (palace) in Cumilla, said Golam Faruk, an advocate and a prolific writer who edited a 596-page book on the musician.

“His musical talent was honed under the supervision of his father, who was a sitarist. Dev Burman completed his schooling from Cumilla Zilla School and graduated from Victoria Government College in 1924,” Faruk, also a historian, said.

His father, a descendant of Tripura royal family, had moved to Cumilla to look after the princely estates.

The palace, where the music maestro was born and raised, was listed as a protected monument on Nov 30, 2017, officials in Bangladesh said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had visited Agartala to attend the convocation of Tripura University in 2012 and assured a delegation of writers and cultural activists there that the house would be preserved and converted into a cultural centre and museum, the officials said.

READ HERE | Tripura’s Pushpabanta Palace to be turned into museum celebrating royal history, Tagore links

In May 2017, Hasina had visited Cumilla to attend the 116th birth anniversary of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, and laid the foundation stones of seven projects, one of which was for the ‘Sachin Dev Burman Cultural Complex’, they said.

Faruk pointed out that the palace was built on seven acres of land, but a major part of it was encroached upon, over the years, as it lay abandoned.

“Cumilla MP AKM Bahauddin Bahar, however, was able to vacate the land to a considerable extent with the help of the district administration,” he told PTI.

The MP, when approached, underlined that the government sanctioned Taka 1.10 crore for building the complex.

The district collector of Cumilla, Md Kamrul Hasan, said the administration was waiting to hand over the house to the archaeology department, have completed all repair work.

“The restoration work was completed long ago. Since the site is yet to be taken over by the archaeology department, the district administration is still looking after it. Two staff members of the district administration and the archaeology department are currently taking care of the house,” he told PTI.

Faruk, also a ‘mukti joddha’ (freedom fighter), said, “Many geniuses, including renowned Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, had visited Dev Burman’s house and played music with him.”

An official said on the condition of anonymity that the abandoned house was used as a military warehouse during the Pakistan regime.

After the warehouse was removed, part of the house was converted into a poultry farm, and since then, the place was known as ‘Cumilla poultry farm’, he said.

“Former cultural affairs minister and theatre personality Asaduzzaman Nur had earlier announced that a complex would be built around the house with a floating stage in the pond. A music library was also part of the plan. The poultry farm will have to be done away with,” he added.

Dev Burman, popularly known as ‘sachin karta’, lived in Cumilla until 1924, said Faruk.

“He left for Kolkata that year to pursue higher education and then later to Mumbai in 1944. Those of the Dev Burman family, who lived in the Cumilla house, migrated to India after 1947,” Faruk added.

Dev Burman’s first major breakthrough in Mumbai came in 1947 with ‘Do Bhai’.

He went on to compose music for several epic Hindi films including ‘Pyaasa’, ‘Kagaaz ke Phool’, ‘Guide’, ‘Abhimaan’ and ‘Mili’.

He also sang songs in semi-classical and folk styles of Bengal.

The maestro was conferred Padma Shri in 1969 for his contribution to music.

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Film on India’s role in Battle of Haifa in the works, will be shot in real locations across Israel

A feature film on Battle of Haifa, considered to be the “last great cavalry campaign in history”, is being developed by Indian production banners Golden Ratio Films (GRF), Yaelstar Films and Hundred Films.

The project was announced as part of Haifa Day, marked by the Indian Army every year to pay respect to the three Indian Cavalry Regiments – Mysore, Hyderabad and Jodhpur Lancers – that helped liberate the Israeli coastal city Haifa following cavalry action by the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade.

The film, billed as a fast-paced war drama, will be co-produced by GRF, a digital content production of Vistas Media Capital; Yaelstar and Hundred Films. The makers are planning to rope in a global team for the project.

Captain Aman Singh Bahadur and Dafadar Jor Singh were awarded the Indian Order of Merit (IOM) and Captain Anop Singh and 2nd Lt Sagat Singh were awarded the Military Cross (MC) as recognition for their bravery in this battle.

Major Dalpat Singh, widely popular as the Hero of Haifa, was awarded a military cross for his bravery.

Indian cavalry regiments armed with just spears and swords had displayed the highest tradition of valour and cleared the enemy from the rocky slopes of Mt. Carmel.

Addressing the gathering at the Indian cemetery in Haifa, India’s Ambassador to Israel, Sanjeev Singla, described the daring cavalry charge as probably one of the last classical cavalry actions before the battlefields were transformed fully by modern warfare .

Singla also highlighted that the Teen Murti Memorial erected to commemorate this historic deed was renamed the Teen Murti- Haifa Chowk in recognition of this battle and as an affirmation of the historical link between India and Israel .

This cemetery and the Indian soldiers who fell here are one of many historical connections that India has to this land… As time passes it is important that their tales, courage and sacrifice remain a living memory,” he said.

The Mayor of Haifa, Dr Einat Kalisch Rotem, recalled how brave Indian cavalry men stormed with spears and rifles a well fortified Turkish cannon positions and subdued them .

The story of the battle and it’s legacy constitute an important chapter in Haifa’s history. The Heroes of Haifa left us with a historical and heroic legacy and the residents of the city salute them for it , Rotem said.

Haifa municipality, along with the Indian mission in Israel, have been organising an event every year to pay tributes to the Indian soldiers since 2010.

The Indian film producers have been doing preliminary recce for the film in the country. They have met officials at various Israeli ministries who have “encouraged the production and invited them to shoot the film at actual locations in Israel, where the battle went down”.

The team released a poster of the proposed project in Haifa soon after attending a ceremony to pay respects to the Indian soldiers.

” Heroes of Haifa’ is a story about the courageous feat of Indian soldiers that the world needs to know. The heroic deed played a significant role in shaping the history of the region. It somehow has remained suppressed and not yet completely become the part of living memory it so well deserves , Piiyush Singh, the co-founder and group COO of Vistas Media Capital, told PTI.

We are honoured to make a film with such an exceptional storyline. After a lot of research on the minute details and considering the nuances of battle we are able to pin down this incredible narrative which the world should be aware of,” Atul Pandey, co-founder of Hundred Films, added.

Following the meeting with the movie producers, the Israel Foreign Ministry in a tweet said it was a fruitful discussion on Indo-Israel films and media collaborations.

“Joint projects like this will help strengthen the close ties between the 2 countries as we celebrate 30 years of diplomatic relations,” the post read.

The Mayor of Haifa assured the filmmakers of full support from the authorities.

“I’m positive that the movie will show proudly our beautiful city and its importance in the history of India. This large-scale production will showcase Haifa to millions of viewers, not only from India but from other countries, and will bring the city thousands of new tourists, she said.

About 900 Indian soldiers are interred in cemeteries across Israel in Jerusalem, Ramle and Haifa.

History textbooks in Haifa teach about the story of liberation of Haifa by Indian soldiers from class 3 to 5. The Haifa Historical Society has also been going around to schools in the city telling the story of liberation of Haifa to youngsters over the last decade.

In a symbolic gesture of friendship with Israel, India renamed the iconic Teen Murti Chowk, a war memorial, during the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Delhi in January 2018 to Teen Murti Haifa Chowk.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Haifa cemetery during his visit to Israel in July 2017 and unveiled a plaque commemorating Major Dalpat Singh for his critical role in the liberation of the city.

The Israel Post had issued a commemorative stamp in 2018 in appreciation of Indian soldiers’ role in liberating the city.

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World Para Athletics Grand Prix: Devendra Jhajharia won silver

Indian javelin thrower, Devendra Jhajharia has clinched a silver medal in the World Para Athletics Grand Prix, in Morocco.

Indian javelin thrower, Devendra Jhajharia has clinched a silver medal in the World Para Athletics Grand Prix, in Morocco. Paralympics gold medalist Devendra threw the javelin to a distance of 60.97 meters to capture the silver. Devendra is a three-time Paralympics medalist. While 2020 Tokyo Paralympics silver medallist Nishad Kumar won the gold medal in the men’s T47 high jump, javelin throwers Ajeet Singh and Devendra Jhajharia bagged gold and silver respectively in F46 category.

India has so far won 3 gold medals, two silver, and a bronze in the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Morocco. Other medalists for India include Neeraj Yadav (F55/56 discus- Gold), Anil Kumar (T54 100m- Silver), and Ranjeet Bhati (F57 javelin- Bronze).

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