Author: xorance@gmail.com

 Lessons from motorcyclingOver 20 years ago, an ad for the newly launched Bajaj Avenger 180cc instantly gave me motorcycling goals. Thanks to that ad, I was sold on the feeling of the wind across your face as you cruise down highways. That’s how I bought my first motorcycle.That’s also how I fell in love with cruising — though it took me another decade to do cross-country trips.So when Royal Enfield invited me on a two-week ride — Unseen North East — along the border states to experience the slow life, I said yes. As a solo rider who’s never been…

Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Virat Kohli seen during a practice session in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar Talismanic batter Virat Kohli on Saturday (March 21, 2026) urged his Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammates to “switch on” themselves and not waste even a minute at the training sessions as they gear up for their IPL title defence.Addressing the squad during their first practice session at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli underlined the need to maintain the intensity that brought them the title last year.”We worked really hard over the last two to three seasons to achieve what we did last…

Refiners plan to resume buying ‌Iranian oil while refiners elsewhere in Asia are examining such a move after ​Washington temporarily removed sanctions to alleviate an energy crunch caused by the U.S.-Israeli ⁠war on Iran, traders said. Image used for representation purpose only. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Refiners plan to resume buying ‌Iranian oil while refiners elsewhere in Asia are examining such a move after ​Washington temporarily removed sanctions to alleviate an energy crunch caused by the U.S.-Israeli ⁠war on Iran, traders said on Saturday (March 21, 2026).Three Indian refining sources said they will buy Iranian oil and are awaiting…

The BCCI statement comes two days after Ireland’s director of high performance Graham West confirmed the series | Photo Credit: PTI Reigning world champions India will play two T20 Internationals in Ireland on June 26 and June 28 respectively, the BCCI said on Saturday about the games that will precede their white-ball assignment in England.Both match will be held at Belfast, where the Indian team will play for the first time since 2007.”Team India (Senior Men) will travel to Ireland for a two-match T20I series in June 2026.Having toured Ireland three times in the past eight years (2018, 2022 and…

Walk through Fort Kochi and Mattancherry to watch art, history and politics intersect on its walls.“That is the unique nature of public art — the impermanence of it combined with the interventions of public interactions with a painting. It gives the painting another, different  life,” says Jinil Manikandan, artist and member of the Trespassers. His response to the question about the ephemerality of murals in public places — their vulnerablity to heat, dust, and rain. And of course the scope for destruction which makes one wonder if the effort is worth it.  He illustrates his point with a previous work, a…

File photo of Harshit Rana and Matheesha Pathirana Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Matheesha Pathirana is expected to miss the early stages of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, while Harshit Rana’s availability in the tournament is also uncertain, according to ESPNcricinfo.KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar has confirmed that Pathirana, who was snapped up for ₹18 cr in the IPL auction, will be available only from mid-April. The Sri Lankan pacer, who missed the 2026 T20 World Cup with a calf strain, is currently undergoing rehabilitation under the supervision of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).Speaking at KKR’s pre-season press conference,…

A farmer sprays pesticides in a watermelon field, in Nagaon. File. | Photo Credit: ANI CropLife India, an umbrella body of various pesticide manufacturers, has warned of about 20-25% increase in the pesticide and crop protection chemicals as an impact of the war in West Asia. They said the increase in prices is driven by escalating fuel prices and persistent supply chain disruptions and this could also lead to the sale of spurious pesticides.Chairman of CropLife India Ankur Aggarwal said in a statement here on Friday (March 20, 2026) that the disruption in supply chains and key shipping routes due…

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane addresses a press conference ahead of the IPL 2026 season, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on March 20, 2026. | Photo Credit: PTI Despite overhauling their squad after a disappointing title defence in 2025, Kolkata Knight Riders have retained faith in skipper Ajinkya Rahane, who said on Friday (March 20, 2026) he is embracing the responsibility with calmness and positivity.Rahane, who topped KKR’s scoring charts last season with 390 runs, could not prevent the team from finishing eighth with just five wins in 14 matches (two abandoned).But the veteran insisted that pressure is…

GT will expect good returns from Sai Sudharsan, who won the Orange Cap last season. | Photo Credit: File photo: VIJAY SONEJI Gujarat Titans doesn’t do anything impulsive. It doesn’t chase the auction. At the IPL 2026 auction, what it did was very on-brand: identify a structural gap, fill it with precision, and trust a system that has rarely let it down.Jason Holder was not only the headline but also the metaphor. Not the flashiest name on the board, not the most expensive, but exactly what it needed. GT has, at times, looked like a team toggling between one batter…

The government, however, assured that this is limited only to the premium variants and that the prices of the normal grades of petrol and diesel remain unchanged. | Photo Credit: Muthuganesapandy. M In what could be the first sign of cracks due to the fiscal stress brought on by skyrocketing global oil prices, Indian oil-marketing companies on Friday (March 20, 2026) increased the price of the premium variant of petrol and industrial diesel by approximately ₹2-3 and ₹22 per litre, respectively.The government, however, assured that this is limited only to the premium variants and that the prices of the normal…