The pandemic did not help Thakran as it affected his routine but the 25-year old has not looked down as the victory states so.
Why was it so important for the Karnataka government to hold Ganesh Chaturthi puja in an Idgah maidan somewhere in the state? Was it something to do with the fact that assembly elections are around the corner?
With the tide of majoritarian appeasement, fuelled by the ruling political establishment, there are efforts now to even exempt the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri dispute in Varanasi from the ambit of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
If the Ram Temple movement established the saffron outfit in the Hindi belt, the Hubballi campaign catapulted it to power in the state
PFI came into being in response to violence against Muslims. Political silence on it only helped the fundamentalist outfit grow in coastal Karnataka
The 1990s decade was dominated by the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid row. Now, the Gyanvapi mosque row has added another chapter to the country’s history of disputes over religious structures and the spaces they occupy.
Updated: 29 Sep 2022 4:27 pm
Indian super middleweight boxer Shiva Thakran was crowned WBC Asia Continental champion after he clinched a Technical Knockout (TKO) victory over Malaysia's Adli Hafidz here.
The Indian caused ripples in the Asian Pro Boxing circuit with the eighth round stoppage win over the former South East Asian Games medallist on Wednesday.
The fight had been three months in the making and Thakran had moved up two weight divisions from his usual super welterweight for the contest.
"When this fight was made, nobody expected me to last more than 6 rounds, let alone win by a KO. A lot of people had written me off as I hadn't fought in more than a year," Shiva said.
"People forget that I am only 25 years old, I started off on Pro Boxing quite early unlike the usual norms in India where you are expected to stick to amateurs.
"I climbed over 2 weights for this fight, it hasn't affected me at all."
Since turning professional in 2016, Thakran (16-3, 8 KOs) has had a good run in the nascent Indian Pro Boxing circuit.
The COVID induced lockdowns and restrictions have had an effect on Thakran, as he had to sit out and watch while his peers in the global circuit have gained considerable experience in the past three years.
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