Sporting Icons – Ashok Mankad: The Unsung Hero of Indian Cricket

Girja Shankar Dixit Ashok Mankad was one of Indian cricket’s most talented yet underappreciated batsmen—a cricketer whose immense promise never quite translated into a consistent international career, largely due to the vagaries of selection and constant positional shuffling. While the spotlight often eluded him at the highest level, Mankad left an indelible mark on Indian…

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Mindful Memoirs – The Flying Finn: The Story of Lasse Virén

Lasse Artturi Virén, born on July 22, 1949, is a Finnish former long-distance runner and politician, best known for his unprecedented feat of winning gold medals in both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter events at two consecutive Olympic Games—Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976. With his trademark endurance, tactical brilliance, and sheer willpower, Virén carried forward the…

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Drones in Modern Warfare

Girja Shankar Dixit The rapid evolution of drone technology has fundamentally transformed modern warfare. Once limited to reconnaissance missions, drones—also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—now play a central role in surveillance, precision strikes, logistics, and electronic warfare. Their ability to operate without risking human lives, combined with advancements in artificial intelligence and autonomous navigation,…

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Mindful Memoirs

Tich Freeman: England’s Master Leg Spinner Alfred Percy “Tich” Freeman stands as one of cricket’s most prolific and distinctive leg spinners, his legacy etched into the fabric of English and world cricket. Despite his diminutive stature—standing just 5 ft 2 in—Freeman’s impact on the game was monumental, making him a legend for Kent and England…

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