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Sharath, Manika-led PSPB teams primed for Institutional TT championships

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Coimbatore, July 31 (IANS) All paddlers have landed in top gear for the 48th All India Inter-Institutional Championships starting at the Bharatiar University Indoor Hall here on Tuesday.

The A. Sharath Kamal-led Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) team is primed for the occasion in the company of A. Amalraj, G. Sathiyan, Sanil Shetty along with the young potent weapon they have added to their arsenal Manav Thakka.

They should, in all probability, help PSPB go for yet another shot at the title. Surprisingly, however, Harmeet Desai misses the team bus.

If they foresee a worthy opponent who can give a run for their money, it is the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The hosts, with some young guns in Sushmit Sriram, Arjun Ghosh, Manush Shah, Ronit Bhanja and Abhiseh Yadav, can hope to turn the tables against PSPB.

The Railways, once a real contender, can at best be described as the third in line to upset the PSPB applecart.

But the Railways will expect the old warhorse Anirban Nandi and youngsters Ravindra Kotiyan, Anirban Ghosh to carry the major load on their shoulders with Pankaj Vishwakarma and E. Prabhakaran to lend them a supporting hand.

But for these two teams, there is no real or perceived threat for PSPB from any other teams. Similarly, the entire Team India squad that brought glory to the country at Gold Coast with the first ever win to grab women team gold — “Manika Batra, Mouma Das, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Pooja Sahasrabudhe and Madhurika Patkara — is the one that is taking care of PSPB’s title ambitions here.

But the truth is that there is very little challenge for them from the rest of 13 other squads, including hosts AAI and Reserve Bank of India that has some exciting players.

However, one can witness some excellent contests brewing in the Youth Boys (five teams) and Youth Girls (four teams) categories.

Though both events will be played on a round-robin league basis, the gold medal contest could be between PSPB Boys, with Manav, Jeet Chandra, Anukram Jain and Siddesh Pandey well entrenched and AAI, whose fluctuating fortunes hinges on how well the foursome of Manush Shah, Ronit Bhanja, SFR Snehit and Akaash Nath cope with the pressure.

As for Youth Girls team crown, yet again it’s going to be a fight between PSPB and AAI with RSPB finishing third and probably in that order.

Archana Kamath, who qualified for the Buenos Aires Youth Olympics along with Manav, will have the able company of Yashini Sivashankar, Srushti Haleangadi and Prapti Sen to buttress their cause. On the other hand, AAI will rely on Surbhi Patwari, Moumita Dutta, Selenadeepthi Selvakumar and Kaushani Nath.

Understandably, PSPB has been given the top billings in all team events — Men, Women Youth Boys and Youth Girls. PSPB are the holders of titles in the first three but RBI, the last year’s winners in Youth Girls, having failed to pit a team, the position has gone to PSPB in the section, too.

In men and women events, teams have been divided into group to play the first stage on league basis with two teams from each group making the main draw, the knockout stage to decide the winners. But the Youth Boys and Girls will be of single group league, the winners emerging with maximum triumphs.

The team finals are slated for Friday and they will be followed by one round of group qualification matches in singles events. Subsequently, the doubles get underway — two teams in men and women and four in mixed allowed — may not be as glamourous but they do offer reasonable prize money in each category to motivate all top pairs to compete.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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