Mangaluru origin boy Madhav Kamath bags 2nd place in Scrabble World Youth Cup

coastaldigest.com news network
August 23, 2021

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Ten-year-old Madhav Gopal Kamath, a Mangaluru origin boy, has made India proud by securing the second place in the 2021 Scrabble World Youth Cup on Sunday, August 22, 2021. The event, which is normally held in different parts of the world, was this time held online due to the pandemic. Madhav’s second-place finish in the main Under-18 event is the best performance by an Indian scrabble player in the history of the World Youth Cup. The prize comprises a trophy and cash award.

Equally impressive was 12-year-old Suyash Manchali from Bengaluru, a class VII student at MESKKPS, Vidyaranyapura, who finished eighth and was named as the best Under-14 player. This was the first time India had two players in the top ten. The Indian team also received the ‘Spirit of Scrabble’ award for being the team that best played in the true spirit of the game.

Madhav narrowly lost out on the top spot to defending champion 15-year-old Syed Imaad Ali of Pakistan. Madhav and Imaad both had nine wins from 13 games, but Imaad won the title due to a better spread (difference between his scores and opponent’s scores). The annual global event is organised by World English-Language Scrabble Players Association (WESPA) and was hosted this year by Pakistan Scrabble Association. India's participation in the tournament was coordinated by the Scrabble Association of India.

Madhav, who is a class VI student at Sanskriti School, New Delhi, is the second son of Sudhir Kamath and Malavika P. His father Mangalore born Sudhir Kamath is the CEO and Co-founder of 9stacks, India’s fastest growing online poker platform. His grandmother, Surathkal Gowri Kamath was earlier a resident of Pound Garden, Kadri, Mangalore.

Madhav started playing scrabble when he was six. He has previously won the Under-8, Under-10, and Under-12 works titles held in Malaysia 2017, Dubai 2018 and Kaula Lampur 2019 respectively. This year, apart from runner up (2nd rank) in the main Under-18 event, he has won the Under-12 too. He has participated and won prizes in adult tournaments too, including top five finishes in two national level tournaments for adults.

2021 Scrabble World Youth Cup

2021 Scrabble World Youth Cup tournament featured the top 72 Scrabble players aged under 18 from 14 countries, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Canada, Australia, Nigeria, UK and the USA. Each of the players first played 36 games in a hard-fought preliminary round held over two weekends from 7th to 15th August. The top ten players from the group stage proceeded to the final round on 21st and 22nd August and played a further 13 games each. The tournament was played online, with strict monitoring protocols in place to prevent unfair play, with the players being observed constantly.

India’s competitive Scrabble circuit has seen an upswing in recent years, with India-born Akshay Bhandarkar winning the world title a few years back, and Indians consistently ranking in the top 50 in the World Championships for adults and amongst the top 20 in the Youth Championships. The recent lockdown has given a further push to online Scrabble, and many talented youngsters have taken to the game in a big way. With both Madhav and Suyash being under 12, they have many more years to participate in the Under-18 Championships, said a media release by Scrabble Association of India.

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News Network
May 2,2024

Bengaluru, May 2: Prajwal Revanna, grandson of former Prime Minister Deve Gowda, was issued fresh summons on Thursday by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which is investigating the case of obscene videos involving the former JD(S) member, several news outlets reported.

The SIT also junked his appeal which sought seven days time to join the probe, as per these reports.

Prajwal and his father, H D Revanna, have sexual harassment and stalking cases filed against them over the matter. Gowda's son, H D Revanna, however, said that what took place '4-5 years ago' is now being turned into a legal case.

JD(S) in its core committee meeting suspended Prajwal from the party till the end of the probe. Prajwal, meanwhile, took to X to state he would join the probe in seven days time, asserting 'truth will prevail'.

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News Network
May 2,2024

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Mangaluru: This year too, the Mangaluru International Airport has missed being designated as an embarkation point for the annual hajj pilgrimage. 

According to the Haj Committee of India, not many are choosing Mangaluru as an embarkation point. Last year, although Mangaluru was notified as one of the embarkation points, the Union government removed it from the list at the last minute.

Several associations and organisations submitted memorandums to the Haj Committee of India, requesting the reinstatement of Mangaluru as one of the embarkation points, but their efforts have not materialised this year either.

The use of Mangaluru Airport as an embarkation point for the haj began in 2010. In 2019, 1,400 haj pilgrims flew from MIA to Saudi Arabia.

“When the number is less, it is difficult to consider it. It was the same issue as last year,” reacted AP Abdullakutty, chairman of the Haj Committee of India.
Mangaluru as an embarkation point served people from undivided Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada, and Chikkamagaluru districts.
Last year, the Muslim Central Committee of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts submitted a memorandum to Abdullakutty. They expressed their disappointment with Abdullakutty and stated that Mangaluru had a good number of applicants ever since it was identified as an embarkation point. 
Now, they have to travel to Bengaluru. 

UT Khader, speaker of the Karnataka legislative assembly, pointed out that several Union ministries are involved in the process of designating embarkation points for the haj.

“We are not sure why MIA as an embarkation point was removed. Is it because of fewer applications, or are airlines not willing to bid for MIA as an embarkation point? Is it only an issue with MIA as an embarkation point, or are there other airports in the country facing similar issues? We will try to find out and seek answers. Meanwhile, we will also start working at the earliest so that MIA is considered as an embarkation point for hajj next year,” said Khader.

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News Network
April 20,2024

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New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is being pushed towards a “slow death” inside Tihar jail by denying him insulin and consultations with his doctor.

Kejriwal, who has Type-2 diabetes, has been asking for insulin and a video conferencing with his family doctor but his requests are being denied by the jail administration, party spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said in a press conference.

"I want to say with full responsibility that a conspiracy is underway for the slow death of Kejriwal," Bharadwaj claimed citing blood sugar readings of the Chief Minister in jail.

He also slammed the Tihar administration, BJP, Centre and Delhi LG for allegedly denying insulin to Kejriwal and said the Delhi Chief Minister had been suffering from diabetes for the last 20-22 years.

On Friday, the chief minister council Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi said Kejriwal has not been administered insulin to control his sugar levels since his arrest, terming it “shocking” and “alarming”.

The ED had on Thursday claimed before the court that Kejriwal was eating food high in sugar like mangoes and sweets every day, despite having Type-2 diabetes, to create grounds for medical bail.

Kejriwal, however, refuted the ED’s claims by asserting before a court that the food he consumed was in conformity with the diet chart prepared by his doctor.

“Out of 48 meals sent from home, only three times mangoes were there…,” Singhvi told the court.

Bharadwaj said Kejriwal was allowed by the court to use a machine in the jail to monitor his daily blood sugar levels.

"Overall, it was a conspiracy to finish Kejriwal so his multiple organ damage and when he comes out of jail after 2-4 months he goes for treatment of kidney, heart and other organs," said Bharadwaj, who holds the portfolio of health in Delhi government.

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