Round-the-world solar pilot flies into Indian red tape tangle

A pilot who is trying to make history by flying a solar-powered plane around the world launched an angry attack on Indian bureaucracy on Wednesday after a lengthy hold-up in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state.

Bertrand Piccard, the Swiss pilot of Solar Impulse 2, said the aircraft's take-off from Ahmedabad city in the western state of Gujarat was delayed by five days because of tedious paperwork.

The plane landed in Ahmedabad last Tuesday from the Omani capital Muscat after completing an initial sea crossing in its epic bid to become the first plane to fly around the world solely powered by the sun.

"The delay is (because of) of administration, papers, stamps," Piccard told reporters before the plane finally took off from Ahmedabad airport on Wednesday morning.

"I'm not here to accuse anybody. I just say that since the last five days we are trying to get all the stamps and every day (they) say tomorrow," a frustrated Piccard said.

"Since five days we are desperate to get all the stamps and we still have stamps missing."

The single seater had been due to leave on Sunday for a short flight to the Hindu holy city of Varanasi before heading onto neighbouring Myanmar.

But the plane could only leave on Wednesday following a series of delays, including a last-minute hitch at the time of scheduled take-off that had originally been blamed on poor weather.

Piccard's comments risk embarrassing Modi, who has vowed to cut bureaucratic red tape in promised reforms to revive India's economy after storming to power at general elections last May.

Modi, who was the chief minister of Gujarat before becoming premier, wants to attract more foreign companies who have long complained of encountering bureaucratic nightmares in India.

Modi supporters have often touted Gujarat's business-friendly policies as a model for success which should replicated nationally.

- 'Stalling progress' -

Kiran Mazumadar Shaw, chief of Indian biotechnology company Biocon, on Wednesday took a swipe at Modi's government following the pilot's tirade.

"Hope (the prime minister) heard the solar plane's pilot commenting on bureaucratic delays n cumbersome paperwork...Red tape and petty officialdom are stalling progress," she wrote on Twitter.

The team behind Solar Impulse 2, which has more than 17,000 solar cells built into its wings, hopes to promote green energy with the circumnavigation attempt.

Ridiculed by the aviation industry when it was first unveiled, the venture has since been hailed by UN chief Ban Ki-moon.

Muscat was the first of 12 planned stops on the plane's journey around the world from Abu Dhabi, with a total flight time of around 25 days spread over five months.

The sea legs pose the greatest challenge for the Solar Impulse team as any loss of power over the water would leave the pilot no alternative but to bail out and await rescue by boat.

The longest single leg will see one of them fly solo non-stop for five days and nights across the Pacific from Nanjing, China, to Hawaii -- a distance of 8,500 kilometres (5,270 miles).

The plane's maiden leg last Monday took co-pilot Andre Borschberg 13 hours and two minutes, while Piccard's flight to Ahmedabad of 1,468 kilometres was hailed as the longest point-to-point distance flown by a solar-powered plane.

Borschberg, the CEO and co-founder of Solar Impluse, set the previous record when he flew 1,386 kilometres across the United States.

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Nun gangrape: Top Catholic functionary to meet Sister Superior of convent

A top Catholic functionary on Wednesday arrived here to express solidarity with the Sister Superior of a convent school, who was allegedly gangraped on Saturday. Soon after his arrival here, President of Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) Baselios Cardinal Cleemis went to the convent to meet the other nuns to give them moral support. He will then proceed to Ranghat sub-divisional hospital to meet the septuagenarian nun.

The CBCI president was likely to meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, no arrests have been made in connection with the incident. Fifteen persons have so far been detained, Nadia district superintendent of police Arnab Ghosh said.

A police team has been sent outside the state in connection with the investigation.

The CCTV footage at the convent had shown four persons who were allegedly involved in the crime. The SP had announced a reward of Rs one lakh to any individual providing information leading to the arrest of the accused.

Hospital superintendent A K Mondol had said yesterday that a medical board has been formed for her treatment and she is being given counselling. Her spiritual counselling by a Christian missionary from Rome is also on, he said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the nun on Monday.

The 71-year-old nun was allegedly gangraped by dacoits at Gangnapur in the early hours on Saturday after which a CID probe was ordered into the incident.

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AAP row: Bhushan, Yadav need Kejriwal more than he needs them

Soon after waging a war among themselves, the factions within the Aam Aadmi Party have hit the reconciliation button following Arvind Kejriwal's return from Bangalore.

He has already held two separate meetings with the leaders of the two factions besides directing both not to go public with intra-party matters. While some in the party question why he let the matter fester, some believe it has worked well for him as a tactical move.

His authority over the party is fully established now. He can play peacemaker with ease.

It's the Prashant Bhushan-Yogendra Yadav camp which began the reconciliation bid when on Monday Bhushan sent a text message to Kejriwal stating that he wanted to meet him to discuss the latest developments. In the evening Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh and Ashish Khetan, leaders of the other faction, met Yogendra Yadav.

This was the first such meeting after Bhushan and Yadav's ouster from the party's powerful political affairs committee. According to party sources, on Tuesday afternoon, leaders of both groups met again at Khetan's residence.

Is the peace offer from the Bhushan-Yadav camp an indication that they are on a weaker ground? A senior party member said it is a fact that they need Kejriwal more than Kejriwal needs them. They may be credible faces of the party but the latter is the vote-puller. Without him they would lose whatever political weight they carry now.

"Good sense must have prevailed on them and they might have realized that damaging Arvind Kejriwal's image, which is the USP of AAP, won't do any better to the party. What Narendra Modi is for the BJP and Rahul Gandhi for the Congress, so is Kejriwal for the AAP. Anyone who thought that Kejriwal would lose was clearly unaware of the realities.

Not only has he emerged as the tallest leader in the party, his leadership and cadre support base have also ensured that none would mistrust him.

If Yogendra Yadav talks of expansion outside Delhi, any damage to Kejriwal's image would invariably spoil that plan as well," Sudesh Verma, former founding member of AAP and currently, president, Debating India Foundation, a Delhi-based think tank told Firstpost.

"To call the crisis in the AAP a tussle for internal democracy is far from the truth. It is the ganging up of those who feel that time has come to cash in on their contribution and make the best use of the brand. They are the same set of people who were beneficiaries of the largesse by Kejriwal - they were not elected but handpicked and inducted by the national convener, making it a fait accompli for the National Council to ratify the composition of the national executive," added Verma, author of Narendra Modi: The Game Changer.

The reconciliation bid is spurred by the volunteers of the party too. They are an important cog in the party's working and the general mood among them is that the party should stay together. It reflects in the latest tweets of the leaders. Yadav has termed his meeting with members of the other group as "a good beginning of a dialogue and results are awaited".

On the other hand, AAP spokesperson Ashish Khetan has apologetically tweeted, "I shd not have commented about Bhushans in public. We've fought for many public causes together & will hopefully continue to work as a team (sic)."

Political sociologist Prof Manjit Singh of Punjab University added, "There's a lot of pressure from all around - from AAP volunteers, NRI members, the media, intelligentsia to common man. It's very difficult to fall apart and both sides now seem to be thinking on saving the ship. The collective will of the people should be honoured and both Kejriwal and Bhushan-Yadav duo should arrive at a mutual understanding for the long-term benefit of the party, as AAP ignited hopes amongst millions."

The general will seems to be prevailing as the three - Kejriwal, Yadav and Bhushan - made a joint appearance in Karkardooma court on Tuesday afternoon in a defamation case where they refrained from making any public comment on each other.

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WhatsApp tips: 8 ways to secure your personal chats

WhatsApp chats are more than just simple texts. We all know it. We share photos, videos, bank account details, contacts and what not on WhatsApp. And with so much personal data, if you take privacy and security of WhatsApp for granted then its jackpot for wicked minds.

ESET advices WhatsApp users by providing top security tips to stay secure on their personal chats. WhatsApp recently announced that it has more than 700 million monthly active members, sending a combined total of 30 billion messages a month. That's an enormous volume of personal information being communicated, and even though WhatsApp now encrypts all of its messages and data, it pays to be secure with your chats. Here are eight top WhatsApp security tips

1) Lock WhatsApp

One of the best WhatsApp security tips is to protect the app with a password or PIN. WhatsApp itself doesn't offer such a function, but there are third-party apps that do. It might seem cumbersome but if you lose your phone, it's going to prevent anyone else accessing your chats. Messenger and Chat Lock, Lock for WhatsApp and Secure Chat are three Android apps that do just that.

2) Block WhatsApp photos from appearing in photoroll

It's fair to assume that your WhatsApp conversations might occasionally take on a distinctly 'personal' note. If you're sharing images with your significant other, the last thing you want is for those images to appear in your general photostream, popping up when you let a friend swipe through your holiday snaps.On iPhone, it's easy to fix: Go into your phone's Settings menu, then 'Privacy', 'Photos', and deselect WhatsApp from the list of apps whose images are fed into the photostream.

Android users will have to get under the hood a little bit. Using a file explorer app like ES File Explorer, find WhatsApp's 'Images' and 'Videos' folders. Create a file within each called '.nomedia'. That will stop Android's Gallery from scanning the folder.

Secondly, if you exclude WhatsApp images from your photoroll, and lock the app as above, it provides another layer of security if your phone is stolen or hacked into - but it won't be a 100% bulletproof solution.

3) Hide 'last seen' timestamp

Not sure you want people to know when you're coming on and offline? It may not seem like vital information, but if a scammer already knows some other things about you, adding that last piece of contextual information could prove useful to them - whether you're awake or not; at home or overseas; coming out of the cinema or getting off a flight. Or you just might not want contacts - especially colleagues, or your boss - to know you're checking WhatsApp at your desk. You can disable or restrict who sees your 'last seen' time in WhatsApp's 'Profile'; 'Privacy' menu, in Android, iOS, Windows or Blackberry. Be aware though, if you turn it off, you won't be able to see other users' 'last seen' times either.

4) Restrict access to profile picture

Is your profile photo one you've used elsewhere - on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter? Maybe it's even on your company's website somewhere. If it is, and your WhatsApp sharing is public, anyone you've ever spoken to - even if you've just replied to an unwanted message - can download your pic from your WhatsApp profile and, using Google Image search, very quickly find out more about you. Set profile picture sharing to "contacts only" in the Privacy menu.

5) Watch out for scams

WhatsApp itself will never contact you through the app. Also, WhatsApp does not send emails about chats, voice messages, payment, changes, photos, or videos, unless you email their help and support to begin with. Anything offering a free subscription, claiming to be from WhatsApp or encouraging you to follow links in order to safeguard your account is definitely a scam and not to be trusted.

6) Deactivate WhatsApp if you lose your phone

WhatsApp offers users simple and effective security tips to keep control of your account if your phone is lost or stolen. As well as locking your SIM card through your network provider, WhatsApp recommends that you immediately activate WhatsApp with the same phone number on a different phone, with a replacement SIM. The app can only be used by one number on one device at a time, so by doing so you instantly block it from being used on your old phone. If that's not possible, WhatsApp can deactivate your account.

7) Be careful what you talk about

Last but not least, use the same common sense you would with any form of digital communication. Don't send personal information if you can possibly avoid it - addresses, phone numbers, email addresses - and never send your bank, social security or credit card details, or your passport or other identification details.

8) Remember to log out of WhatsApp Web

WhatsApp recently made a lot of noise with the launch of WhatsApp Web. The mirroring service makes life easier while working on PC. However, most users are unware that they should ideally log out of WhatsApp Web on Google Chrome browser either from their mobile or the browser. Just imagine your collegues reading your chats on a large screen while you stepped out for a coffee break.

READ ALSO: Free WhatsApp calling - How to activate

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25 shots in 60 seconds: 23-year-old vodka enthusiast dies after drinking game

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Drinking games at college parties is not unheard of but for 23-year-old Humberto Moura Fonseca, a student of Julio de Mesquita University in Bauru, Brazi,l one such game cost him his life.

Fonesco took 25 shots of vodka in under 60 seconds, and died in the ambulance before reaching the hospital. Alcohol poisoning was confirmed as his cause of death.

The most ironic bit of this entire story is a seemingly innocent quote that Fonseca added on his Facebook page many months ago. The quote, originally by Russian poet Vladimir Maiakovski, reads: "It is better to die from vodka than from boredom."
"We were all having a great time and someone came up with the idea of the drinking competition. I knew I'd already had too much and there was no way I was going to be able to drink five shots, let alone 25. But, Humberto and the others were really up for it," said his 23-year old friend Rodrigo Pancetti, according to this report by Metro UK. "I never thought that would become reality. But once he had finished he said he felt ill and suddenly collapsed."

Three other students who were brought in with him are still in ICU.

A police spokesman, who spoke to Mirror UK, said they are looking to charge the organisers with homicide,

"Two fourth year students at the university have been arrested for organising the event without a licence and for potentially causing the death of the student."

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First they came for the women. Then they came for the Christians. Then they came for the runs.

Shock. Horror. Outrage. Another church burnt, another place of worship desecrated. Another group of Christians attacked.

Each new episode seems to evoke the same response and the words have begun to lose meaning and impact, feelings have begun to get numbed. Yet, the recent gangrape of an elderly nun in West Bengal has jolted not just the Christian community, but many in our country into searing awareness of the intersecting levels of rampant communalism, religious fundamentalism, political manoeuvring and economic imperatives.

Is this what we want our country to be? Is this who we are as a people? Can we just let it happen?

As a woman, as a Christian, as a nun, I find myself struggling to remain calm and rational while discussing these issues with students. But the maelstrom of emotion that threatens to engulf my sanity will not be so easily ignored. Gripped by anger, I want to lash out against the forces that seem to be rioting unchecked across the country. Forces that target the vulnerable, the defenceless.

As a woman, I am involved every time a woman is attacked, raped, killed. Rape has always been the “ultimate” weapon against not just a woman but against all womankind, and against the entire community to which the raped woman belongs. Imposing what a patriarchal mindset calls a “fate worse than death” upon the victim, it proclaims the power and supposed invincibility of the rapist. It underlines the vulnerability of the victim, and worst of all, it imposes the burden of shame and guilt upon the victim. She, not the perpetrator, is “dishonoured.” And the family, the community, is “dishonoured” as being so weak and spineless that they cannot protect the “honour” of their womenfolk. As a woman, and as a teacher, I have to come to daily grips with the challenge of changing this mindset.

As an Indian Christian, the attacks on the community and on Christian places of worship in my own country leave me aghast, shaken to the foundations in my belief that as Indians we bring a large acceptance and understanding to our multiculturalism. Shaken also in my belief that this is fundamentally a law-abiding country. Questioning the value of our protected status as a minority community, guaranteed by the Constitution. Confused, bewildered, struggling to cope with a sense of a betrayal of trust. Struggling to hold on to my belief that we are essentially good people, that my neighbours and I are essentially one people, united in our plurality.

And then, as a nun. As nuns, we are women, but consecrated women. As nuns, we are Christians, but consecrated to a particular way of life. Our vocation calls us to serve God in and through our brothers and sisters in a variety of ways, like education, healthcare, counseling. But knowing all along, that the core of our vocation is to be as like our role model—Jesus—as we can be. To make counter-cultural choices. To be witness by our very lives to an alternate worldview that runs counter to the consumerist, competitive world we inhabit. What do these attacks say about the way we are viewed by those among whom we work?

So, I don’t know. In the last few months, the escalation of such communal attacks has been frightening. That I am outraged as an Indian, as a woman, as a Christian, as a nun, every time something like this flares up, is an understatement. But there is a terrible fear of what is going to happen to this country. We—as Indians, as human beings—need to speak out, to protest, to demand action from the elected authorities and from our law-makers and law-enforcement agencies.  There is no room for neutrality, our silence can only indicate acquiescence.

In the words of Pastor Niemöller, speaking at his trial in Nazi Germany:

First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

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Rape of nun in West Bengal: Is attack on Christians a warning shot for Muslims?

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With the gang-rape of a 71 year old nun in West Bengal, Christians in India certainly have a reason to feel vulnerable as the decorated former super-cop Julius Ribeiro felt on Monday. The rape, apparently a pre-determined act by the criminals who robbed a missionary run school, was the latest in a series of attacks against the Christians reported from different parts of the country.

Three days ago, a Church was vandalised in Hisar in Haryana and a Hindu idol was placed inside its premises. Earlier in the month, there were attacks against Christians by Hindu groups in Madhya Pradesh.

In February, a Christian school in Delhi was attacked, followed by vandalisation on a church a week earlier, and later in the same month, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat heaped the worst possible insult on Mother Teresa by by attributing conversion as the motive for her charity. Hard to miss, all this while, was the vitiating call for "Ghar Wapsi" renting the air across India, including in Kerala where the numbers of Christians are significant.

The vulnerability of Christian institutions in India now is reminiscent of a 1999 Human Rights Watch report titled Politics by Other Means: Attacks Against Christians in India.

"Attacks against Christians throughout the country have increased significantly since the BJP began its rule at the center in March 1998. They include the killings of priests, the raping of nuns, and the physical destruction of Christian institutions, schools, churches, colleges, and cemeteries. Thousands of Christians have also been forced to convert to Hinduism. The report concludes that as with attacks against Muslims in 1992 and 1993, attacks against Christians are part of a concerted campaign of right-wing Hindu organizations, collectively called the sangh parivar, to promote and exploit communal clashes to increase their political power-base. The movement is supported at the local level by militant groups who operate with impunity," the HRW said. It's in the same year that Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burned alive in their car.

"Is it coincidence or a well-thought-out plan that the systematic targeting of a small and peaceful community should begin only after the BJP government of Narendra Modi came to power last May?" asks Ribeiro, who was once hand-picked by Rajiv Gandhi to be the top cop in Punjab to reassure the Hindus of their safety from Sikh terrorists. He goes on to add: "Ghar wapsi", the declaration of Christmas as "Good Governance Day", the attack on Christian churches and schools in Delhi, all added to a sense of siege that now afflicts these peaceful people."

The author of the 1999 HRW report had said that Christians were the new political scapegoat in India. Unfortunately, they still are. What was required was only a change of political climate. The Hindu rightwing organisations were mostly lying in wait. Now they look menacing and emboldened.

One cannot ignore the fact that BJP is in power at the Centre and in many states. Is it part of a pathological phobia for other religious beliefs than one's own, a threatening message to other minorities, or simply a political ploy to polarise people? From the air of hatred and mistrust spread by the right wing organisations, it appears to be a combination of all the three.

Christians account for only less than 2.5 per cent of the population and most of them are either in four north eastern states or in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and parts of southern India. In most of India, they lay scattered and have no organisational or political support.

Except in their pockets of influence such as the north East and south India, they are the least organised minority. Even if some convert, to escape their caste-based subjugation, the numbers hardly matter. What does one gain by their persecution? Is there an indirect message for the bigger minority, the Muslims, who constitute more than 10 per cent of the population, who are a political constituency and are better organised? A warning shot?

By participating in a Church function in Delhi last month and announcing that his government will ensure that there is complete freedom to choose one's faith, Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed to have restored some confidence among the Christians. However, his words had done precious little to abate the hate campaign of the Parivar organisations.

What's unmissable is the impression that the agenda of the Sangh Parivar organisations is being silently endorsed by the BJP governments in the states and the centre. In return, the Sangh seems to have compromised on their Swaraj principles of economics.

This air of permissibility and impunity threatens India. With the governments not doing enough, the responsibility finally falls on people. The way Ribeiro reassures himself should make Indians introspect: "It makes me hope that ordinary Hindu men and women will not be swayed by an ideology that seeks to spread distrust and hate with consequences that must be avoided at all cost."

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PM Modi 'deeply concerned' about nun's gang-rape, church attack; seeks immediate report

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that he was "deeply concerned" about the rape of an elderly nun in West Bengal and the demolition of a church under construction in Haryana, amid protests for the better protection of women and religious minorities across the country.

PM Modi has asked for an immediate report on the violence on the weekend, according to a statement.

There were angry scenes in Parliament as legislators demanded to know why the man accused of raping the 72-year-old nun had not been arrested. Over the last few months, PM Modi has been criticised for being slow to condemn a series of attacks on Christian institutions.

Outrage over the rape of the nun has reignited an angry debate about the safety of women.

"We all feel ashamed, never before could this have been imagined, we have never heard of such things," said Mohammed Salim, a CPM member of the Lok Sabha or lower house of parliament. "And despite that, after 70 hours no arrests have been made."

Members of parliament shouted: "We demand justice."

Hundreds of protesters clashed with police in West Bengal on Monday evening, blocking the convoy of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for almost an hour.

Ms Banerjee was prevented from travelling along a motorway after she visited the nun in hospital. The crowd surrounded her car with protesters demanding to know why the man suspected of raping the nun had not been caught.

When her government was attacked in the Lok Sabha by members of both the Opposition and treasury benches, Saugata Dey of her party attempted to deflect the blame accusing the central government led by the BJP of failing to curb religious intolerance.

Union minister Venkaiah Naidu pointed out that law and order in India is primarily the responsibility of state governments. "You cannot expect the Government of India to do something in Haryana or West Bengal. The moment Central government steps in, there will be criticism," he said.

"These are condemnable incidents. Let's have a civilized debate, don't try to score brownie points," Mr Naidu added.

The West Bengal police have detained nine men after Saturday's attack on the 72-year-old nun in a convent school, but no arrests have been made. A group of men broke into the school and stole some items. One of them then raped the nun.

Even after national soul searching caused by the gang rape and murder of a student on a moving bus in Delhi two years ago and tougher penalties for men who attack women, the country is struggling to tame chauvinistic attitudes that leave women vulnerable to rape.

In the past, Ms Banerjee and members of her Trinamool Congress have attracted criticism for comments on rape, that were deemed insensitive. Two years ago, Ms Banerjee accused a rape victim of making up the incident and one of her ministers questioned why she was out late drinking at a night club.

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On World Cup stage, belated recognition comes to Kumar Sangakkara

When Suresh Perera played for Sri Lanka in the early 2000s, he had no inkling that his teammate was destined for greatness. Perera, who played three Tests and 20 ODIs between 1998 and 2001, was impressed by his affable teammate's work ethic. But he believed the left-handed batsman's limited range of strokes and cautiousness would be susceptible against the world's best bowlers.

"When I was playing for Sri Lanka, Kumar [Sangakkara] was a fringe player and he did not really stand out in his ability," Perera tells Firstpost. "His batting was very careful when he started and it was hard to see him being able to dominate against world class bowlers."

Perera's scepticism proved correct initially. Sangakkara started his international career slowly, averaging in the mid-20s with a mediocre strike rate of under 70 through 75 ODI innings. Even in Tests, where Sangakkara's renowned mental fortitude equips him best, he averaged an acceptable but hardly earth-shattering 42 after four years at the international level.
It is often said that an indefatigable appetite for hard work is the common characteristic uniting successful people in any walk of life. With Sangakkara, it's easy to be besotted by his exquisite strokes, particularly his breathtaking cover drives. But it is Sangakkara's sheer resoluteness to grind that turned around his fortunes and catapulted his career to heights few have ever reached.

"Even when he was young and struggling to get into the team, he worked so hard on his game," Perera says. "Kumar would always stay in the nets longer than everybody else and continue batting until he felt like he had improved his game. He has mastered his game now. It did not happen all at once but through tireless work throughout the years and he ended up a dominant batsman in all formats."

Sangakkara's famed humility and intellect, which received widespread acclaim after his seminal MCC lecture in 2011, is the backbone to his success as a cricketer, according to Perera. "He is very strong mentally but he genuinely cares about the game and the broader impacts cricket has on society," Perera says. "Kumar is actually a very relaxed person and likes to have some fun but once he puts the pads on he's all about business. He has a great ability to switch on, but he also knows when to switch off, which is also very important."

It has often felt the graceful Sri Lankan master is overshadowed in comparison to the other modern great batsmen - Tendulkar, Lara, Ponting and Kallis. It is certainly true in Australia, where alleged cricket tragics are adamant Sangakkara is "in the league of Damien Martyn".

The derision is mainly due to his modest average of 43.9 against Australia, although from only 11 Tests, compared to his incredible career average of 58.66 over 130 Tests, which betters any of his modern counterparts. Some believe the average is skewed because of his obliteration of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, against whom he averages more than 90 from 20 Tests. But it isn't his fault Sri Lanka has played Bangladesh more than Australia.

A chunk of the scepticism, from Australians anyway, can be attributed to the fact that some of the more causal cricket fans haven't actually watched Sangakkara bat often. Due to inept scheduling, Sangakkara has only played five Tests in Australia. Conversely, Tendulkar played 20 Tests, Lara 18 and Kallis 15. Many would be surprised to learn that Sangakkara averages more than 60 in Australia, with six scores over 50 from 10 innings.

To make it worse, Sri Lanka was often shunned by the scheduling, including playing two Tests in mid-2004 in Cairns and Darwin during Australia's winter. It's a time of year where Australia's football codes hog the limelight, and this short series was promptly relegated to the background. In 2007, Sri Lanka played two Tests very early in the Australian cricket season and it was overshadowed by the ensuing prominent, and infamous, Indian series during the peak of the Australian summer

Sangakkara's majestic 192, during a forlorn massive run chase in Hobart, is therefore somewhat neglected when memorable Test innings scored in Australia are evoked.

When Sri Lanka belatedly played during the cauldron of Australia's summer in 2012-13, Sangakkara had the misfortune of copping the wrath of a Mitchell Johnson bouncer during the Second Test at the MCG to end his tour prematurely. It meant Sangakkara would never have the privilege of playing a Test at the SCG. His ability to create a legacy in Australia was somewhat stymied - through no fault of his own - by also not playing Tests at the WACA, Gabba and Adelaide Oval. Astonishingly, he has played just one Test at Australia's five main grounds.

But Sangakkara's wondrous batting under the glaring spotlight of the World Cup has granted him a belated platform in Australia. Compiling four consecutive hundreds, including a belligerent century against Australia at the SCG, has earned him a magnitude of plaudits from the mainstream public. It appears his continued accumulation of runs has finally silenced the nagging cynics.

Perera, who now lives and plays local cricket in Perth, believes the widespread acclaim is something Sangakkara has long deserved. "I do think he has not been properly appreciated in Australia over the years," he says. "People can offer excuses but the fact is he has made runs all over the world and in all formats. And unlike other great players, Kumar just keeps getting better and better."

The World Cup will be the final chapter of Sangakkara's ODI career, with his Test retirement set for August. To compound Sri Lanka's woes, Mahela Jayawardene - their other indefatigable figure - will retire from international cricket after the World Cup.

Perera predicts Sri Lanka is set for a difficult period in the aftermath of their retirements. "They are just so hard to replace, not just as players but their influence around the team as true gentlemen and leaders," he says. "They are much-loved in Sri Lanka but they have set a great example for the younger players to follow."

Before it's too late, Perera implores cricket fans to savour the final images of Sangakkara's career. "Kumar is a truly special player and person, and that combination is rare," he says. "Kumar is like a Bradman or Tendulkar figure for Sri Lankans. He is irreplaceable."

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Vidya Balan to play Suchitra Sen in biopic, who will be her Uttam Kumar?

More than once, Vidya Balan has played the role of a Bengali woman onscreen so convincingly, you'd be forgiven for thinking she is Bengali. But can Balan up her game to play one of Bengali cinema's most beloved actresses, Suchitra Sen?

According to a Hindustan Times report, Balan has been signed to play Sen in a biopic of the actress. Wasting no time in trying to get her act right, Balan has already started training in Kathak from Pt Jayu Raman. However, we can't help wondering whether Balan, as gifted an actress as she may be, can actually transform into Sen onscreen.

Talking about Balan playing the role of Sen, a source told Hindustan Times, "since it's a biopic, she (Balan) wants her portrayal to be authentic."

"After the makers informed her that she will have Kathak dance sequences in the film, she asked them to arrange for a teacher," added the source.

However, while we have no doubt that Balan's intention are truly genuine, this biopic on Sen sounds like it could be another Mary Kom in the making.

To begin with, Balan doesn't look a thing like Sen. Although Balan is undoubtedly the better actress, it's going to be an uphill task for Balan to look like Sen. Aside from Sen's natural grace and beauty, their facial features are entirely dissimilar. Also, imagine Balan's face in those curious close-ups that showed Sen striking dramatic expressions for the camera in her films, and try not to giggle while you're at it.

One Bollywood actress who has been likened to Sen is Madhuri Dixit, primarily because the two had similar smiles. However, Dixit is now, no doubt, too old to helm a biopic that will probably span Sen's life from when she debuted as an actress till her later years.

While little is known about the biopic so far what we are more worried about is the casting of Uttam Kumar, Sen's onscreen hero. The two of them remain Bengali cinema's best-loved romantic pair. It's difficult to imagine any one of the current crop of actors as Kumar, who continues to make hearts flutter. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that Emraan Hashmi doesn't get that part.

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