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January 2023

Class: ix-d, st. anne''s conv, class; vii-a, bhavans vidya mandir- elamakkara, kochi, dishita sohana, class: viii-a, st. francis de sales public school icse&isc, frinna rozeen, class: viii-b, st. francis de sales public school,electronic city, varnika mantripragada, class: x-d, d.a.v. public school, kukatpally, shrestha sharma, class viii-d, the orbis school, pradyuth ravi k, class ix-a, st francis de sales public school icsest, samriddha biswas, techno india group public school garia, rhea anilprasad, xi-b,dps east,bangalore., viii-a, st. francis de sales public school icse&isc, vii-e, st. francis de sales public school,electronic city, standard: x-d,carmel high school,bangalore., gargi bhargave, ,standard: x-b,sri sri ravi shankar,mumbai., ,standard: xii-a,bds,vadodara/baroda., aditya shroff, standard: ix-e,st.josephs boys high school,bangalore., saranya sistla, ,standard: viii-a,st francis de sales public school icse,bangalore., aishaani basu, ,standard: ix-a,calcutta girls high school,kolkata., hansini indoori, standard: vii-a,p.b.d.a.v. model school,hyderabad., vaishnavi pateriya, ,standard: x-b,st. peter''s convent school,delhi., standard: xii-a,bds,vadodara/baroda., prachi d.kamble, ,standard: ix-a,sardar dastur nosherwan girls high school,pune., drishya mohan, xii-a,n.c.l- jr college,pune., xii-c, velammal bodhi campus / maxworth,chennai., ,standard: viii-d,queen valley''''s sec-8 dwarka,delhi., likhith gowda, ,standard: xi-a,vyasa international school,bangalore., ritisha roy, ,standard: x-g,amity school (gurgaon sec_46),delhi., tanisha bose, ,standard: vi-b,deens academy,bangalore., samedh bhat, ,standard: viii-b,notre dame academy,bangalore., narayani sharma, ,standard: ix-a,who,jammu., chetan jain, ,standard: vi-b,jamnabai narsi monji - gift city,ahmedabad., ,standard: ix-b,sri sri ravi shankar,mumbai., vaibhav mudgil, ,standard: x-d,gmsss-19c,chandigarh., ,standard: ix-d,dav public school, kukatpally,hyderabad, k saketha nambiar, ,standard: ii-a,bhavans adarsha kakkanad,kochi., standard: ix-a,who,jammu., abhishek kumar, ,standard: x-c,aksips 41 smart school,chandigarh., ,standard: xi-c,sri ramakrishna matric higher secondary school,coimbatore., dhruv jain,, standard: vi-a,jamnabai narsi monji - gift city,ahmedabad., ,standard: ix-d,dav public school, kukatpally,hyderabad., aakash darda, ,standard: x-d,hutchings high school & junior college,pune., khyaati saraogi, class xi, st. mary''s school, pune., standard: ii-a,bhavans adarsha kakkanad,kochi., umang badhwar, ,standard: xii-a,lotus valley school(noida),delhi., priya likhi, ,standard: ix-d,delhi public school bangalore east,bangalore., anvi sharma, ,standard: viii-a,the indian heights school,delhi., ramya raghu k,, standard: vi-g,euroschool wakad,pune., ,standard: xi-a,ncl jr. college,pune., ninaada r adiga, , viii c, innisfree house school, yuvika kandari, ,standard: x-b,laxman public sch(hauz khas encl),delhi., ,standard: vii-a,the indian heights school,delhi., ,standard: viii-a,new horizon thane,mumbai., anya mehrotra,, class vii-d, delhi public school bangalore east, bangalore, samriddhi dhankhar, , class vii, army public school, kamraj road, bengaluru, pamanpreet kaur, class vii, kalam mris mohali, varun prasath r, , xi a, bethel matriculation higher secondary school, saahil shaikh, standard: xii-a,the bishops co-ed school,pune., class viii d, dav public school, kukatpally, hyderabad, pranavi nagavolu, , class vii, delhi school of excellence, attapur, hyderabad, anrinee nandi, , class vi-c, delhi public school megacity, kolkata, class viii-d, dav public school, kukatpally, kanakdeep kaur sohal, class ix-a, the orbis school, pune, prachi d kamble, class ix-a, sardar dastur nosherwan girls high school, pune, class ix-a, sardar dastur nosherwan girls high school, pune, junet mary paul, st peter’s senior secondary school, kavya rathi, dav public school sector-14, gurugram, anya mehrotra, abhishek kumar,, class ix-c, aksips 41 smart school, chandigarh, shefali bansali, , class x, billabong high international school, kanchipuram, hasika mantripragada, , class viii c, dav public school kukatpally, , class ix-a, sardar dastur nosherwan girls high school, pune, class xi, peace on green earth public school, chennai, class viii c, dav public school kukatpally, priyal garg, viii-d, apeejay school panchsheel park, delhi, inayat kapoor, class xii-d, bhavan vidyalaya panchkula, chandigarh, tanish manem, , class xi-c, p obul reddy public school, hyderabad, aarav raman ashutosh, , class v, sgvp school, ahmedabad, sharayu pathare, class x, air force school, class vii, dav ideal school, vellore, nikshep raman,, class v, gd goenka public school, lucknow, ananya sharma,, class vii, euro-school, undri, ritika maan,, class ix, dav model school, yusuf sarai, delhi, , class iv, delhi school of excellence, attapur, pranavi nagavolu,, vii, delhi school of excellence, attapur, nikshep raman, class vii d, dps bangalore east, shreya nimbali, class xii, delhi public school, rk puram, delhi, fiona merin philipose, class viii-b, mar thoma public school, kochi, manushree rawat, , ix b, st kabir school, ahmedabad, ishan sejush, class v, the global edge school, kokapet, joeliyn n soni, class x, carmel convent school, delhi, gayathridevi jayachandran, class vii a, the orbis school, pune, class x, dc model sr sec school, shanofi somani, class xi-b, delhi public school bopal, ahmedabad, class viii-b, pathways world school aravali, gurgaon, ritika maan, class ix-b, dav model school (yusuf sarai), delhi, ix, aksips-41, chandigarh, divyam agrawal, class ix, apeejay school (pitampura), delhi, class vii-c, global edge school, kukatpally, hyderabad, class xii, dps, rk puram, delhi, , class vi, assisi vidyaniketan public school, kochi, preet jhaveri,, class x, ryan international school, mumbai, standard: xi-a,the bishops co-ed school,pune., snigddha mehta, standard: ix-a,holy child sch pkl-sec-2,chandigarh., saksham sahu,, class v, air force school, avadi, saloni shevde, class xi-a, air force school chandan nagar, pune, class vi, assisi vidyaniketan public school, kochi, class vii, delhi school of excellence, attapur, hyderabad, class v-a, presidency school, bengaluru, sanjeev t.s, ix-c,spring days school, ,vellore., swara mishra shankra, class i-e, the hdfc school, pune, siva sankari iyappan, class viii, the orbis school, pune, ajiteh vishwanath,, class x-b, laxman public school, hauz khas enclave, delhi, rishi reddy, class vii, air force school, bengaluru, class vii, air force school, bengaluru, dhatri singh, class viii, dps, gomti nagar, lucknow, soumilee bhattacharyya, class xi, apeejay school, kolkata, anjaneya bajaj,, class x, nps hsr, bengaluru, aarna malot, standard: viii, lake montfort school, bengaluru., teshi sharma, standard: x, giis chinchwad, pune, himanshu kumar,, class xii, new green field school, alaknanda, new delhi, ix-a, bgs public school,bangalore., anagha bhat, viii-c, ramsheth thakur public school, kharghar , navi mum,mumbai., class vii, nps hsr, bengaluru, neha chhabria,, standard: xi-b, green fields school(dilshad garden), delhi, siddhant gadodia, class vii, jankidevi public school, mumbai, harshita gupta, class x, mahadevi birla world academy, kolkata, mehvesh shabab khan, standard: x-a, yashwantrao chavan english high school, navi mumb, standard: xii-b, b.d.m. international, kolkata, aditi bhosle, standard: ix-a, girton high school(grant rd), mumbai, keerthana.c, standard: xi-a,shrishti vidhyashram,vellore, shalom keshet, standard: iii-b,vibgyor high, yerwada, mahak goyal, salwan public school(rajinder nagar, sunidhi sudhir, class x, dps e-city, bengaluru, anika singh bhati, standard: x-a,delhi public school gurgaon sec45 d,delhi, vaidehi rajesh, standard: viii-b,akshara international school,pune., shaikh ayesha, class ix, guru gobind singh education academy, nerul, kenia & anchor english school (secondary section), asish singh, class xi, st. augustine''s day school (barrackpore), west bengal, prabhleen kaur, jaspal kaur public school, new delhi, kenia & anchor english school, shreyas baloni, standard: ix-b,cambrian hall,dehradun., laavanya rajput, standard: x-e,mount carmel school(dwarka),delhi., ritika jyala, class x, dav public school, nerul, navi mumbai, ambika khachi, class ix, bhavan vidyalaya, panchkula, pavana. p. karanth, sadvidya high school, mysore, r . nikhil . m, standard: xii-g,shri tp bhatia college of science,mumbai., bhoomi bhimani, new horizon public school - airoli, navi mumbai, roma ramcoumar, bethel mat hr sec school, srijeet r chivate, army public school kirkee, sunidhi sampige, class x, the brigade school, malleswaram, gayathri devi jayachandran, standard: vii-a,the orbis school,pune, misbah fathima, standard: vi-a,hmr international school,bangalore., satwik baramal, vikhe patil memorial school,lohegaon, aleena s raj, class xii, holy innocents public school, thiruvananthapuram, standard: x-a,yashwantrao chavan english high school - navi mumb,mumbai, ayushi shelke, standard: x-d,the orbis school,pune, punya malhotra, class xi, bbps, pitampura, standard: x-a,yashwantrao chavan english high school - navi mumb,mumbai., standard: xi-a,maxfort school,delhi., shabrina khan, standard: vi-a,yashwantrao chavan english high school - navi mumb,mumbai, yashwantrao chavan english high school - navi mumb, neha varadharajan, standard: viii-d,the orbis school,pune, standard: xii-c,lions public school,gurgaon, mohammad aves, class xii, vivekananda school, jogiwala, the orbis school, raunak kumar, d.v.m.public school, sainik school balachadi, jamnagar, lakshmi bharathi, saandipini hitech school, sriharshaa padmakumar, psbb learning leadership academy, pranav deshpande, class ix, gundecha education academy, mumbai, priyanshi saraogi, class ix, lakshmipat singhania academy, kolkata, neetidnya phadke, city pride school, namitha bhat, carmel high school, tanishq chugh, standard: xi-d,delhi public school,meerut., standard: ix-a, global international school,delhi., vishnu vardhan, new baldwin international school, j. mohith kumar, standard: vi-a,alwin international public school,chennai., standard: x-a,the bishops co-ed school,pune., shwetha shree, r carmel high school, mehul joshi, class xi, dav public school, panvel.

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Movie Review: Toofan

• Publish Date: Jul 19 2021 1:56PM
• Updated Date: Jul 19 2021 1:56PM

 Toofaan Story: The life of Aziz Ali aka Ajju bhai (Farhan Akhtar), a street ruffian, debt collector and henchman of a criminal overlord changes overnight after he falls in love with a righteous doctor Ananya (Mrunal Thakur). She asks him to make a choice. Does he see himself as Ajju wasooli bhai or Aziz Ali, a respected boxer?

Toofaan Review: A good hearted Parsi gym owner in the neighbourhood, introduces the legendary Muhammad Ali’s videos to Aziz. ‘Boxing Aur bhaigiri mein yahi farak hai. Boxing is a sport that needs technique, discipline and patience, not just strength,’ he clarifies. Recognising his potential and the expert training he deserves, Aziz is recommended to a widely respected boxing coach Nana Prabhu (Paresh Rawal). The Dadar veteran is wary of a Muslim guy from Dongri with notorious background but agrees to take him under his wing. He even bestows him with the title ‘Toofaan’ (unstoppable storm) but this near perfect coach-protege relationship takes an ugly turn when things get personal.

Forbidden love, casual bigotry, communal harmony, making of a boxer and redemption of a disgraced athlete… Toofaan tries to tread several paths at once. In doing so, the fictional tale loosely feels like a mishmash of several films you may have seen before… Ghulam, Sultan, Mukkabaaz. Given the fact that Toofaan sees Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra reuniting with his solid Bhaag Milkha Bhaag team — Farhan Akhtar and Shankar Ehsaan-Loy, one expects nothing less than fireworks. What you get is a run of the mill story told in an over-simplistic way. A few empty punches, a few solid blows, lot of evading the opponent and eventually tiring out the vibe, Toofaan is an odd mix of succumbing to and destroying the stereotypes. Love lies at the heart of the story but boxing drives the narrative. The juggling doesn’t seem organic and feels a lot like one interrupting the other.

You always have a choice, believes Ananya. To uproot yourself from the world you were born into and upgrade, isn’t easy. The film’s protagonist does it without batting an eye and you hope to follow his journey, inner conflict and boxing skill. The focus however, shifts to a conventional interfaith love story, societal scrutiny, parental outrage and boxing as an extended highlight.

The film’s strongest portions revolve around its modest and realistic setting, the coach-protégé relationship and confrontation on communal discourse. Strangely these scenes are cut short and emotions curbed in order to keep the story moving. The story gives an impression that it wishes to delve into issues like religious tolerance, empathy and prejudice but settles on merely scratching the surface.

After Bandra boy Ranveer Singh rapped his way into your heart through the gullies of Dharavi in Gully Boy, you have Farhan Akhtar doing some Phoda phodi in Dongri in Toofaan. While Ranveer still has a mainstream appeal, Farhan’s thinking urban persona can be overwhelming. The actor-writer-director takes his time but manages to mould himself into a character that isn’t remotely close to his sensibility. As far as his physical transformation is concerned, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag has already proved his sincerity and determination to look the part. It’s everything or nothing for Farhan and he sticks to the plan this time around as well. His face off with renowned Indian boxers like Neeraj Goyat, Gaganpreet Sharma is captivating.

Paresh Rawal gives the film its finest moments by merely shooting a glance at his highly misunderstood boxer. He, along with Dr Mohan Agashe show you how good actors can elevate a standard script. Mrunal Thakur essays her role in an undramatic, earnest manner. What also stands out is characters not wallowing in self pity when in crisis or pretending to be something they are not. Aziz unabashedly admits, “Boxing mein jo foda fodi hai, Woh Kareeb hai apne.”

Overall, Toofaan may not be the cyclone you may have expected it to be but it definitely has its thundering moments.

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Why Does It Take India Six Weeks to Vote?

The election is a giant undertaking that requires millions of poll workers, voting machines and security forces to cover deserts, mountains, forests and megacities.

• Share full article

By John Yoon and Hari Kumar

When Indians start heading to the polls on Friday, it will be just the beginning of a colossal democratic process. Not until June 4, after six weeks of voting, will India know whether its powerful prime minister, Narendra Modi, will remain in office for a third term.

Why does it all take so long? The short answer: India is the world’s most populous nation , with 969 million eligible voters. That’s more than one-tenth of the world’s population, or about four times the number of eligible voters in the next largest democracy, the United States.

The longer answer involves India’s geography, election rules, security apparatus, holidays and electronic voting machines — a complicated choreography for a big, complicated nation.

Mind-Bogglingly Large

India’s first national parliamentary elections, from 1951 to 1952, lasted over 120 days. In 1977, they took five days. But, generally, they have taken weeks or months, even without primary elections, because of their sheer scale.

The country has a land area of more than a million square miles, with people in megacities , scattered throughout the Himalayas , in the Thar Desert , inside forests and along the Ganges .

India’s laws also state that voters can’t be required to travel more than 2 kilometers, or 1.2 miles, from their home to get to a polling station. To make that possible, 12 million election workers will traverse the country to set up polling stations this year, sometimes by foot, bicycle, helicopter or boat — or even by horse, camel or elephant.

Some of those trips can take days. In 2019, the country’s highest polling station was more than 15,000 feet above sea level in the Spiti Valley of the Himalayas. In 2009, a team of five trekked deep into the Gir Forest in Gujarat, in India’s west, to reach the lone inhabitant of a remote Hindu temple.

“It is an honor, it really is,” the priest, Bharatdas Darshandas, told reporters after the election that year. “It proves how India values its democracy.”

Preserving Order

In the early years of India’s democracy, clashes between supporters of rival parties turned deadly. Candidates were kidnapped. Local police officers, failing to maintain order, were accused of taking sides under pressure from the ruling politicians. So, starting in the 1990s, national paramilitary forces began to be deployed on a large scale in elections.

India is deploying over 300,000 members of its federal security forces to help transport voting machines and maintain peace at voting booths this year. Because they can’t cover the entire nation at once, elections are split into multiple stages. In each stage, the soldiers shift from one region to another.

These safety precautions prolong elections that would otherwise take a few days, said Vikram Singh, the former police chief of India’s largest state, Uttar Pradesh, who had supervised security forces in past elections. But he said voters were safer because of them.

Violence is infrequent at polling stations today. The presence of soldiers there also instills confidence in the election results.

While having multiple stages has prevented violent outbreaks, it has also prompted criticism that it makes the election process take too long. S. Y. Quraishi , a former chief election commissioner, said in an interview that the gaps between the phases had given more time for rumors and disinformation to spread.

Working Around Holidays

When the Election Commission of India schedules votes, it tries to avoid India’s various public holidays and religious festivals. Harvest season, the academic calendar, exam schedules and the weather are also considered.

The careful planning has helped achieve high voter turnout. In 2019, 67 percent of the electorate voted in the national election, the highest participation rate in the country’s history.

One holiday during this election is Mahavir Jayanti, on April 21, one of the most important festivals in Jainism, a religion of some six million people in India. Another is Buddha’s birthday, May 23, when monks will carry sacred relics of Buddha on chariots, and people will decorate their homes with flowers and donate to those in need.

Millions of Machines

Electronic voting machines became a standard in all of India’s national elections in 2004. They have made voting simpler for millions of people, particularly in India’s teeming cities, where the busiest polling stations can serve up to 12,000 people on the voting day.

The machines were built to be more portable and lighter than traditional ballot boxes. But they must be transported to wherever the polling stations are set up. Each machine consists of a “control unit” that tallies and stores votes; “balloting units” with buttons that voters press; and a printer that creates a paper trail.

They also come with special carrying cases that make them easy to pack. Workers follow elaborate safeguards to transport them around the country.

Thanks to these machines, once the voting is over, the counting goes fast.

John Yoon is a Times reporter based in Seoul who covers breaking and trending news. More about John Yoon

Hari Kumar covers India, based out of New Delhi. He has been a journalist for more than two decades. More about Hari Kumar