The GSAT-7R is the successor to the GSAT-7 “Rukmini,” India’s first dedicated military satellite, launched in 2013. While Rukmini revolutionised naval communications by providing real-time data links across the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, the GSAT-7R significantly upgrades these capabilities.

The successful launch of India’s CMS-03 (GSAT-7R) aboard the LVM3-M5 rocket on November 2, 2025, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota will provide a major boost to the country’s pursuit of maritime security and technological self-reliance.

The 4,400 kg multi-band communication satellite, designed and developed indigenously by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is the heaviest communication satellite launched into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) from Indian soil. It will play a crucial role in enhancing the Indian Navy’s operational reach, situational awareness, and surveillance capabilities across the Indian Ocean Region.

Secure communication coverage

The GSAT-7R is the successor to the GSAT-7 “Rukmini,” India’s first dedicated military satellite, launched in 2013. While Rukmini revolutionised naval communications by providing real-time data links across the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, the GSAT-7R significantly upgrades these capabilities. Equipped with multi-band transponders (UHF, S, C, and Ku bands), the GSAT-7R enables seamless voice, data, and video communication between naval ships, submarines, aircraft, and Maritime Operations Centres (MOCs). The satellite’s advanced payload ensures high-capacity, secure, and jam-resistant communication — vital for network-centric warfare and joint operations with the Army and the Air Force.

With a lifespan of 15 years, the GSAT-7R extends secure communication coverage up to 2,000 km from India’s coastline, encompassing vast stretches of the Indian Ocean Region. This expanded coverage will allow the Indian Navy to monitor critical sea lanes, chokepoints, and potential maritime threats more effectively. It will support continuous coordination among naval assets deployed on anti-piracy, anti-submarine, and humanitarian missions, ensuring real-time situational updates and rapid response capabilities.

Moreover, the GSAT-7R will enhance maritime domain awareness (MDA) by integrating space-based communication with surveillance platforms, such as coastal radars, reconnaissance aircraft, and unmanned systems. This synergy will allow the Navy to maintain an uninterrupted watch over the region’s dynamic maritime environment, strengthening India’s ability to deter and respond to any hostile activity.

According to experts, the launch of the GSAT-7R underscores India’s growing self-reliance in defence space technology under the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. By securing robust and indigenous satellite communication infrastructure, the Navy can operate independently of foreign systems, ensuring confidentiality and reliability in strategic operations.

Quantum leap

In essence, the GSAT-7R represents a quantum leap in India’s maritime communication and surveillance architecture, empowering the Indian Navy to maintain a vigilant, connected, and technologically advanced presence across the Indian Ocean Region.

The Navy’s satellites, sensors, radars, unmanned aerial vehicles, and surveillance aircraft relay real-time data to the Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC), now being upgraded into a National Maritime Domain Awareness (NMDA) platform. The NMDA will integrate data from multiple sources to create a unified operational picture for naval commanders. Using AI-enabled analytics, it will enhance situational awareness, improve surveillance, and support swift decision-making. The system will help detect and counter threats such as illegal fishing, smuggling, piracy, and maritime terrorism, strengthening India’s maritime security and safeguarding its strategic interests across the Indian Ocean Region.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

The list, compiled by Hurun India and EdelGive, an arm of the Edelweiss group, shows 24 new women entrepreneurs entering the list with Rohini Nilekani being the most generous with a contribution of Rs 204 crore.

Shiv Nadar and family have retained the top spot on the country’s ‘most generous’ list  with a donation of Rs 2,708 crore. The HCL Technologies founder increased his contribution by 26% from last year’s Rs 2,153 crore. The total donations by the ‘haves’, as recorded by the Philanthropy List 2025, increased by a healthy 22% to 10,500 crore from Rs 8,8783 crore last year.

 The list, compiled by Hurun India and EdelGive, an arm of the Edelweiss group, interestingly shows 24 new women entrepreneurs entering the list with Rohini Nilekani being the most generous with a contribution of Rs 204 crore.

Significantly, sectors like software and start-ups have emerged as big donors proportionate to their size. Some like Zirodha (the Kamath brothers) are bypassing the traditional donation routes like ‘education’ to provide funds for new concerns like climate change, noted Hurun India’s Anees Junaid.

 Mukesh Ambani and the Reliance Foundation are at second place with a donation of Rs 626 crore, up from Rs 407 crore last year. The group has a wide portfolio of beneficiaries including healthcare, sports development and heritage conservation.

At third and fourth place are legacy groups – the Bajaj family and Kumarmangalam Birla – with notable donations of Rs 446 crore and Rs 440 crore, respectively. Gautam Adani and the Adani Group were at fifth spot with a contribution of Rs 386 crore.

Answering questions, Hurun’s Junaid said the data collection did not do a deep dive to indicate ‘generosity’ in proportion of the size of the group. For instance Reliance Industries’ market capitalization is $240 billion while Mr Mukesh Ambani’s personal wealth stands at Rs 105 billion. A donation of Rs 626 crore with these parameters would pale into insignificance when compared to Kiran Mazumdar Shaw’s donation of Rs 83 crore from a group that generated just $2.2 billion in revenue last year and has a market capitalization of $7.5 billion.

 This year, 191 individuals featured on the Hurun-EdelGive list, lower than 203 donors of last year. However, the average donation saw an increase to Rs 54 crore from Rs 43 crore last year.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

Born in Rajasthan’s rural heartland, Educate Girls’ community-driven mission to educate daughters has now earned India Asia’s highest honour.

An idea born in the heart of rural Rajasthan has travelled all the way to Manila. Educate Girls, a homegrown non-profit that has helped millions of Indian girls return to classrooms, was on Friday honoured with the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often described as the Nobel Prize of Asia.

The award, first announced in August, was formally presented at the Metropolitan Theatre in the Philippines’ capital, where founder Safeena Husain accepted the honour alongside members of her grassroots team.

Started in 2007, Educate Girls began as a modest effort in Rajasthan’s dusty hamlets, where girls’ education often took a backseat to household chores and early marriages.

Over time, it grew into a nationwide movement for change, now working across more than 30,000 villages in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

With the support of over 55,000 community volunteers, the organisation has brought more than two million girls back to school and provided remedial learning support to over 2.4 million children.

As she took the stage in Manila, Husain dedicated the award to the girls and community workers who form the backbone of the initiative.

“This award is for our girls — for their courage, grit and resilience,” she said. “Girls who manage homes by day and study late into the night to build a better future for themselves, their families and their country.”

She also credited the success of Educate Girls to its Team Balika volunteers — local youth who go door to door persuading parents to enrol their daughters in school.

“When communities come together to educate girls,” Husain said, “every girl gains opportunity, choice, voice and agency.”

Chief Executive Officer Gayatri Nair Lobo said the recognition was both an honour and a call to aim higher.

“It reminds us of the incredible power of people united by one purpose — to educate girls,” she said. “It fuels our ambition for the next milestone: 10×10 — reaching 10 million learners by 2035.”

The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, in its citation, commended Educate Girls for “addressing cultural stereotyping through the education of girls and young women, liberating them from the bondage of illiteracy, and infusing them with skills, courage and agency to achieve their full potential.”

A 25-member team from Educate Girls, including field coordinators, volunteers and first-generation learners, travelled to the Philippines capital for the ceremony, drawing global attention to an idea that began in India’s most overlooked villages.

For an organisation built on the belief that “every girl deserves to learn,” the journey from the margins to Magsaysay marks not just an international accolade but also a moment of vindication — proof that when a community chooses to educate its daughters, it can rewrite its destiny.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

In August, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) gave the go-ahead for 97 LCA Mk1A jets to be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at a cost of around Rs 67,000 crore.

Amid concerns over the depleting number of combat squadrons in the Air Force, India and the United States have inked an agreement for the supply of engines for the LCA Mk1A fighter jets.

“Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has entered into an agreement with M/s. General Electric Company, USA, on 7th November 2025 for the supply of 113 Nos of F404-GE-IN20 engines and support package for execution of 97 LCA Mk1A programme,” said HAL on its social media handle.

“The engine deliveries would be from 2027 to 2032. The contract for 97 LCA Mk 1A was signed in September 2025,” it added.

The New Indian Express earlier reported that negotiations with GE for the engines were completed in September.

In August, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) gave the go-ahead for 97 LCA Mk1A jets to be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at a cost of around Rs 67,000 crore. The new engines to be procured will be used for these combat jets.

In the meantime, the Mk-1A has completed weapons integration trials, including the firing of Astra and Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAM).

Giving the timeline of the deliveries, sources said the advanced LCA Mk2 is scheduled to be rolled out in 2027, while 83 Mk1A fighters are now expected by 2029, after a reported delay of four quarters.

The Tejas Mk1A is the newer and improved version of India’s single-engine, 4.5 generation delta wing multirole combat aircraft designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency. It will play an important role in mitigating the decrease in the quantity of combat jets and the overall fall in combat squadrons.

As earlier brought out by The New Indian Express, the IAF had ordered 83 LCA Tejas Mk 1A at a cost of Rs 46,000 crore in 2021. Once this new order is completed in the stipulated 15 years, the IAF will have 40 LCA, over 180 LCA Mark-1A and at least 120 LCA Mark-2 planes.

The fast dwindling combat fighter strength has resulted in anxiety in the IAF leadership. The 23 Squadron of the MiG-21 was number plated in September, bringing the current number of fighter squadrons below 30.

Officially, the IAF is supposed to have 42 squadrons of combat squadrons. A squadron comprises 16-18 aircraft.

In September, The New Indian Express noted the need for more combat squadrons than the sanctioned numbers to meet the contingency of a two-front conflict.

Tejas is a single-engine, lightweight multi-role fighter, originally meant to replace the MiG-21. The first indigenous LCA was inducted in July 2016. The first IAF Squadron to induct the Tejas was the No 45 Squadron, the ‘Flying Daggers’. Forty LCA Tejas Mk 1 fighters were ordered initially, of which 35 have been inducted till now.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

Enumerators have been trained to use apps to help in digital collection and faster processing of Census data; the self-enumeration portal is open to the public in pre-test areas from November 1 to 7.

The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India launched two mobile applications this week in preparation for the trial phase of the country’s first digital Population Census in 2027.

The pre-test for the first phase, House Listing and Housing Operations (HLO), where a total of 30 questions on housing amenities will be asked, will be held in select areas across the country from November 10 to 30.

The enumerators, including block development officials, revenue officials, and government school teachers, have been trained to collect data on the two applications available on Google Play Store: Digital Layout Map (DLM) and Census 2027-Houselist. The apps are compatible with both Android and Apple phones, and can only be downloaded by authorised personnel.

Public participation needed

The self-enumeration portal is available for testing from November 1 to 7.

“To encourage public participation, a Self-Enumeration facility will be made available through the Census Portal from 1 to 7th November 2025, allowing individuals residing in the areas selected for Pre-Test to submit their details online through the website https://test.census.gov.in/se , prior to field visits by enumerators,” a government statement said.

Digital mode

The DLM app’s description explains the evolution of India’s Census, the world’s largest data collection exercise, into a digital operation.

“Until the 2011 Census, data was collected on paper schedules, with layout map sketches prepared manually. These paper records were later digitised through scanning, a process that was both time-consuming and prone to inconsistencies. With the upcoming 16th Census of India, a historic transformation is taking place. For the first time, Census operations are being carried out in digital mode, ensuring improved accuracy, faster data availability, and enhanced monitoring. A crucial part of this transition is the preparation of Digital Layout Maps and the geo-tagging of all buildings within each Houselisting Block (HLB),” it says.

Records building information

It adds that the DLM app replicates the traditional methodology followed by supervisors and enumerators for drawing notional sketches for houselisting blocks, the primary unit for data collection, while introducing digital efficiency, accuracy, and real-time monitoring capabilities.

The app will record building coordinates (latitude and longitude for each structure), the names of localities, roads or streets, building numbers (if available; otherwise, temporary Census house numbers will be assigned by enumerators), building names (If available), building type (pucca or kutcha), building use (residential, partly residential, and non-residential), landmarks (mandatory), number of floors, and number of Census houses.

The description emphasised that “no personal information of the residents/occupants of the buildings are collected through this app.”

Speed, accuracy, reliability

The description for the House Listing Operation app says it was developed as part of the Census of India 2027 to modernise and streamline the data collection process. “By adopting this digital approach, the Census aims to enhance the speed, accuracy, and reliability of the house listing and housing census operations, laying a strong foundation for the upcoming population enumeration phase,” it says.

Both phases of the Census — houselisting and population enumeration — will be completed between April 1, 2026 and February 28, 2027. The second phase will also count the population by caste for the first time in Independent India.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

India’s low costs and vast labour pool have long been an attraction for manufacturers.

Toyota, Honda and Suzuki are spending billions of dollars to build new cars and factories in India, a sign of the country’s growing importance as a manufacturing hub as Japanese automakers redraw global supply chains to reduce dependence on China.

Toyota, the world’s largest carmaker, and Suzuki, the leader in the Indian market with almost a 40% share, have separately announced investments totalling $11 billion to beef up manufacturing and export capabilities in the world’s third-largest auto market.

Honda said last week it will make India a production and export base for one of its planned electric cars.

India’s low costs and vast labour pool have long been an attraction for manufacturers.

Now, Japanese automakers are stepping up operations as they pivot away from China, both as a market and a manufacturing base, multiple industry executives said. Another benefit: India remains all but closed to Chinese EVs, so Japan’s carmakers – at least for now – won’t face bruising competition from BYD and others there.

A brutal price war among Chinese EV makers has made it difficult to turn a profit in China. Adding to the pain, Chinese carmakers are now expanding overseas and snatching market share from Japanese rivals in Southeast Asia.

“India is a good choice as a replacement market for China,” said Julie Boote, autos analyst at Pelham Smithers Associates in London, citing low profit margins in China.

“For the time being, the Japanese think it’s a much better market because they don’t have to deal with the Chinese competitors,” she said.

Other draws include the improved quality of India’s manufactured goods, and incentives from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, executives say.

Toyota and Suzuki each have majority ownership of their India units. Honda owns 100% of its business there.

TOYOTA GOES LOCAL IN INDIA

Japan’s annual direct investment in the Indian transport sector, which includes automakers, jumped more than sevenfold between 2021 and 2024, hitting 294 billion yen ($2 billion) last year.

As Japanese automakers revved up investment in India, they cooled on China: direct investment in China’s transport sector saw an 83% decrease over the same period, to 46 billion yen last year.

Toyota is working with Japanese and Indian vendors to lower costs and expand production of hybrid components. India is one market where it saw tight supply of hybrid parts amid a surge in demand this year.

It has localised its offerings, said an executive at a major Toyota supplier. “It is no longer about global specifications but about local ones.”

The Japanese automaker plans to launch 15 new and refreshed models in India by the end of the decade and deepen its rural network, Reuters reported last week. It aims to have 10% of the passenger car market before the end of the decade, from 8% now.

“The Indian market is extremely important and is set to grow in the future,” Toyota President Koji Sato told reporters at last week’s Japan Mobility Show, noting many other automakers were also paying attention to the market.

Last year Toyota announced more than $3 billion in investment to expand production at its existing factory in southern India by some 100,000 vehicles a year and build a new plant in western Maharashtra state that is expected to begin production before 2030.

That is expected to take Toyota’s Indian production capacity to more than 1 million vehicles.

At its quarterly earnings on Wednesday, the automaker cited the growing importance of India to profits, especially as the North American business has been impacted by tariffs.

HELP FROM MODI GOVERNMENT

India’s economic growth has averaged 8% over the past three fiscal years, a surge that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government wants to sustain by luring more foreign manufacturers. It is rolling out incentives to get them to produce goods for both domestic and global markets.

India manufactured about 5 million passenger cars last financial year, of which almost 800,000 were exported and the remainder sold in the domestic market.

Domestic sales grew about 2% from a year ago, while exports rose 15%.

Government limits on Chinese investment are effectively another form of help, making it difficult for new Chinese carmakers to enter and existing ones like SAIC’s MG Motor and BYD to expand.

“India’s protectionist stance toward neighbouring countries is a blessing in disguise for Japanese carmakers,” said S&P Global Mobility’s Gaurav Vangaal. “Because of this, they see an opportunity to expand investment in India, enhancing their cost competitiveness against domestic players.”

Local companies Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra have been expanding their offerings with SUVs, taking market share from Suzuki. Before the pandemic Suzuki had about 50% of the passenger car market.

And India is never an easy market. Foreign automakers such as Ford and General Motors previously struggled there and eventually exited.

HONDA WANTS TO GO FOUR WHEELS IN INDIA

For Honda, India is the biggest market for its highly profitable two-wheel business, and it now intends to ramp up its four-wheel business, Chief Executive Toshihiro Mibe told the mobility show.

Honda said its top three focus markets for the car business are the United States, followed by India and Japan.

It plans to make India the production and export base for one of its “Zero series” electric cars, with one model to be exported to Japan and other Asian markets from 2027.

Suzuki’s $8 billion investment in India is to mainly expand its local production capacity to 4 million cars a year, from some 2.5 million now. Its Indian business, Maruti Suzuki is the country’s top-selling carmaker and largest car exporter.

“We would like to grow India as Suzuki’s global production hub,” President Toshihiro Suzuki told reporters on the sidelines of the mobility show. “We would like to enhance exports from India.”

source/content: telegraphindia.com/ Reuters (headline edited0

Indian-origin Cincinnati mayor wins second term, defeats VP JD Vance’s half-brother.

Indian-origin politician Aftab Pureval has been re-elected as the mayor of Cincinnati. He won a decisive victory against Republican challenger Cory Bowman, who is also the half-brother of US Vice President JD Vance.

With Pureval’s victory, Democrats have also cemented the control of Cincinnati’s local government and added to Pureval’s growing profile in Ohio politics, Fox News reported.

Pureval defeated Bowman during the May open primary, winning over 80 per cent of the vote. As both men were the top two vote-getters in the primary, they proceeded to compete in the November general election, according to The Hill.

Bowman had never held public office, but he was inspired to run after his half-brother, JD Vance, took office, according to Fox News.

Vance had voiced his support for his half-brother on social media, calling him “a good guy with a heart for serving his community,” and urged followers to “get out there and vote for him”.

Who is Aftab Pureval?

• Pureval is a former special assistant US attorney. The 43-year-old first claimed the mayor’s office in 2021 after winning nearly 66% of the vote.
• Pureval’s Tibetan mother had fled Communist Chinese occupation as a child. He grew up in a refugee camp in southern Indian. His father is an Indian-origin Punjabi. The family moved to Ohio in 1986.
• Pureval studied political science at The Ohio State University before earning a law degree from the University of Cincinnati.
• Pureval began his political career in 2015 while running for Hamilton County Clerk of Courts.
• Aftab Pureval is married to Whitney Whitis, an internal medicine doctor at Bethesda North Hospital. The couple has two sons, Bodhi and Rami.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

On DD Bangla’s 50th birth anniversary, the author profiles a man whose persona remains an indelible part of the channel.

Those who have seen him in his heyday will for sure remember him as the tabla player with thick spectacles, handsome sideburns and hair like the nimbus. In a televised interview of Pratima Bandyopadhyay with Hemanta Mukherjee, or Utpala Sen with Madhabi Mukherjee, he would be in the background. And when the celebrity artiste would break into a song or a bol, his flying fingers would set the tabla achatter and his dark locks would shake from side to side as it rained beats.

The day Doordarshan Bangla was launched — August 9, 1975 — Sanjay Mukherjee was on duty as a tabla accompanist for the inaugural event. “Those days, I was working as a casual instrument player at the All India Radio,” the 72-year-old tells The Telegraph.

Those days, contractual artistes were referred to as “casual” staff.

Mukherjee joined DD Bangla as a full-time employee in 1977. He continues, “Mira Majumdar and Satish Garg were the station director and the assistant station director at the time. They were well aware that viewers liked to watch my hair in action. I used to get numerous phone calls from women through the day. One day, just as I was about to enter the studio, I was asked to attend a call from my residence. I hurried out and took the call, but it was a stranger calling. She wanted to know the colour of the shirt I was wearing!” In 1977, colour television sets were yet to make their India debut.

DD Bangla’s first home was Akashvani Bhawan in central Calcutta but by the time Mukherjee joined, the office had shifted to Radha Film Studio in Tollygunge.

He says, “DD Bangla was different from AIR. The people at the radio station were more inclined towards music and entertainment. DD Bangla was not an entertainment channel. There were news bulletins, educational programmes, programmes on public health and something for farmers too. There were women-centric programmes such as Ghare Baire and there was Darshaker Darbare in which Chaitali Dasgupta and Saswati Guha Thakurta chatted about heritage, culture, food and other things. It was designed as an adda session.”

There were five full-time musicians on the staff of DD Bangla. Mukherjee says, “When there were no live shows scheduled, no recordings to be done, we five musicians composed musical tracks that could be played as title tracks for certain programmes.” He cites the examples of Pallisamaj, a programme on village life, culture, women’s issues, and children’s programmes such as Hore Koro Komba and Chiching Phank.

In 1986, the Doordarshan Kendra shifted to its new centre at Golf Green in south Calcutta where it stands now. “Life got busier when we shifted to this new building. This place is huge,” says Mukherjee.

Earlier, most of the programmes of DD Bangla were live telecasts as the infrastructure for recording was not well developed. But the new studio had advanced recording facilities. So, the musicians were always busy.

Mukherjee talks about “demise recordings”. They were recorded musical compositions played by way of tribute when a celebrity died.

In the new building, the number of studios were more, so live programmes became commonplace. As a tabla player, Mukherjee remembers how his job
suddenly became challenging. He says, “At times, my day would start at 10 in the morning and end at 6am the next day.”

Then adds, “I would first play alongside a classical musician, then go to the next studio to play with the sarangi player and then to another studio where some popular song by Dwijen Mukherjee was to be performed.”

New programmes were conceptualised. Mukherjee was required to organise a tabla programme for children. It was titled Tabla Bahaar. He recalls another programme which he had conceptualised. Different kinds of drums from across the country were played in that programme. He says. “Dhak, dhol, pakhawaj, khol, nagara… I had named it Taal Badya Baichitram. DD Bangla allowed us to explore, experiment and come up with such innovative ideas.”

Mukherjee has played with many artistes, so it is natural that he should have many stories. He talks about how most Rabindrasangeet artistes preferred just a theka or a gentle beat of the tabla, but Debabrata Biswas was an exception. Says Mukherjee, “In the middle of a programme he stopped and said ‘uraye bajao’, meaning, play full throttle. The same was true for Subinay Ray. He would say, ‘I don’t want a defence player as my tabla accompanist’.”

Mukherjee remembers how some of the musicians and singers wanted him and no other tabla player. Satinath Mukherjee and Utpala Sen were among them. “They would bring chicken tandoori from Park Circus for me and cajole me into eating it before I played.”

Mukherjee has played alongside Kanika Bandyopadhyay, Suchitra Mitra, Nirmala Mishra, Manabendra Mukhopadhyay, but when it comes to reminiscences, he seems to prefer to recount his experiences of working with the classical singers.

He rattles off the names, “Girija Devi, Bhimsen Joshi, Rashid Khan, Radhika Mohan Moitra, Ghulam Mostafa Khan, V.G. Jog, Ajoy Chakrabarty, M.R. Gautam, Vidushi Kalyani Ray.”

He says, “Pandit Ravi Shankar had suggested I work with him, travel abroad. But I chose to remain with DD Bangla, which was those days my financial backbone. Besides, they had bound me to them with an invisible thread of love and loyalty.”

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

It was a moment to frame when the skipper and her deputy Smriti Mandhana engaged in a bear hug with Jhulan, telling her “Didi, Yeh Aapke liye thaa [Sister, this is for you]”.

At the stroke of midnight, Harmanpreet Kaur created her legacy, “broke the barrier” and declared that this is not the end but just the beginning.

Having taken the World Cup-winning epochal catch, the mercurial Indian women’s team skipper displayed an entire gamut of emotions never seen before.

She ran like crazy as if there was no tomorrow after taking the catch. Stood a bit detached as the youngsters celebrated, trying to soak in the moment.

Touched “Guruji” Amol Muzumdar’s feet and engaged in an emotional hug where the tears burst out of the welled up eyes.

Called the two OGs of Indian women’s cricket — Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami — to hold the Cup. Both the legends broke down.

It was a moment to frame when the skipper and her deputy Smriti Mandhana engaged in a bear hug with Jhulan, telling her “Didi, Yeh Aapke liye thaa [Sister, this is for you]”.

And when Harmanpreet spoke at the post-match presentation ceremony, she didn’t lose the macro picture of what it means to be the first women’s team to achieve the unthinkable.

“This is the start. We wanted to break this barrier. And our next plan is to make this a habit. We were waiting for it, now this moment has come. So many big occasions are coming, and we want to keep improving. This is not the end, just the beginning,” the skipper said.

Captaincy is a lot about planning but just like it was Kapil Dev on June 25, 1983, whose gut feel told him to give one more over to Madan Lal against a rampaging Vivian Richards.

Harmanpreet felt that on Sunday, and her trump card was Shafali Verma, who possibly couldn’t have done any wrong.

“When Laura and Sune were batting, they were looking really good. I just saw Shafali standing there, and the way she was batting, I knew it was our day.”

“I thought I have to go with my gut feeling. My heart was saying, I had to give her at least one over. And that was the turning point for us. In the end, they panicked a little and that is where we cashed (in). at the right time, Deepti came in and took those wickets.”

Shafali had bowled 14 overs in her entire international ODI career and on the day got two crucial wickets.

“When she came to the team, we spoke to her that we might need 2-3 overs, and she said if you give me bowling, I will bowl ten overs. Credit goes to her, she was so positive and she was there for the team. Salute her.”

It was Amol , who would always be on his skipper’s ears about doing something big and something special.

“Amol sir was with the team and he was always telling us to come up with something special, and to keep preparing for the big occasion.”

“We should give credit to the support staff and the BCCI. We did not make too many changes (to our squad), and they really invested in us, and because of everyone, we are standing here.”

For Shafali, who in the past one year saw her international career come to a standstill, must have felt that it had to be God’s decree.

“I said at the start, that God has sent me here to do something nice, and that reflected today. Very happy that we won and I cannot express it in words.”

Coming for two knock-out games isn’t easy but Shafali had belief in her abilities.

“It was difficult but I had confidence in myself – that if I can stay calm, I could achieve everything. My parents, my friends, my brother, everyone supported me and helped me understand how to play.”

“It was very important for my team and myself, and I just wanted to make my team win. My mind was clear and I worked on my plans.”

“So happy that I could execute and Smriti di and Harman di, everyone was supporting me. They (seniors) asked me just to play my own game, and when you get that clarity, that is all you need. It is a very memorable moment.”

With Sachin Tendulkar in the stands, it couldn’t have been more special for Shafali to do it in front of her idol.

“When I saw Sachin sir, it gave me an incredible boost. I keep talking to him, he keeps giving me confidence. He is the master of cricket, and we keep getting inspired just looking at him.”

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Records achieved under the Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan for mass registration on health platforms and screenings.

The Union Health Ministry has achieved three Guinness World Records titles under the nationwide Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan (SNSPA) campaign, according to a release issued by the Ministry on Friday.

The records include – the most people to register for a healthcare platform in one month (3,21,49,711 or over 3.21 crore), the most people to sign up for a breast cancer screening online in one week (9,94,349 or over 9.94 lakh), and the most people to sign up for vital signs screening online in one week at the State level (1,25,406 or over 1.25 lakh).

The Ministry said the achievements were part of the nationwide campaign launched on September 17 and concluded on October 2, 2025, in conjunction with Poshan Maah. The initiative focused on improving the health and nutrition of women, adolescent girls, and children, with the goal of strengthening early detection, ensuring access to essential health services, and empowering families to adopt healthier lifestyles for a stronger and healthier India.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)