hyderabad l sunday l november 09, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION 66th SAARC Literature Festival begins today, without pakistan The four-day festival in New Delhi will see a mix of poetry, fiction and academic papers featuring celebrated voices from South Asia ‘pak writers barred till terrorism stops’ cross-border cultural exchangES The literature festival, organised by Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL), is hosting writers and scholars from all SAARC countries except Pakistan. Punjabi writer and president of FOSWAL Ajeet Cour said Pakistan’s participation in this edition is a “political issue”, and the organisers “cannot invite Pakistani writers till terrorism stops” ■ ■ The festival will begin with an inaugural session by Sahitya Akademi president Madhav Kaushik, scholar Ashis Nandy, and diplomats of the seven countries that are participating in this year’s event Established in 1986, FOSWAL has organised cross-border cultural exchange through conferences, festivals, and youth outreach fetes Nov 12 is when the festival will come to a close CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI different strokes Casual vs diligent on roping in manjhi D Canada got intel on Nijjar’s killing from UK: Report New Delhi: A new documentary has claimed that British spy call intercepts helped Canada draw alleged links between India and the 2023 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. ‘Inside the Deaths that Rocked India’s Relations with t h e West’ , p roduc ed by Bloomberg Originals, reports that UK spies intercepted conve r s a t i o n s mentioning three individuals — including Nijjar, who was declared a terrorist by India in 2020. According Hardeep to the docuSingh Nijjar m e n t a r y, British intelligence provided Ottawa with a sensitive file in July 2023, hand-delivered and restricted to a few pre-approved officials. The intercepted calls were reportedly between individuals believed to be working for the Indian government and referred to three “targets” — Nijjar, British activist Avtar Singh Khanda, and US-based Gurpatwant Singh Pannun — followed by discussions suggesting Nijjar’s “elimination.”  pti ashrath Manjhi’s new house has a visitor. A surprise political visitor. Not the one you would have expected if you knew the prequel to this story . But it’s the sequel that can contain clues to the difference between India’s two national parties. Yes, the man who moved mountains in life can move politics even in death—though not as much as he would have liked. Who’s Dashrath Manjhi? For those who somehow missed out, he’s the man who cut through a mountain all on his own, with a hammer and chisel, over 22 years. His wife had died because medical care was 70 km away by road, though just over the mountain in reality He swore that such a fate should . never befall anyone again. And kept his word. Town is now just a kilometre away from his Gehlaur village. He was feted belatedly as the ‘Mountain Man’, a postage stamp was issued in his name, films were made about santwana his life—a documentary, a bhattacharya Hindi movie, even a couple Editor of Kannada films. But the destitution had not changed. When Dashrath died, in 2007, home was still a thatched-roof hut. The lot of many among his ‘Mahadalit’ community of Musahars, and millions of others in Bihar. Then came Rahul Gandhi. It was revealed a few months ago that the Congress leader had quietly — without any fanfare or publicity, without even being asked — sponsored a fiveroom pucca house for the Manjhi family Me. dia briefly hailed the Good Samaritan act, then forgot all about it. Bihar had much more compelling business to attend to. There was the SIR, Rahul’s own yatra in the run-up to a hotly contested assembly election. A sidelight there was that Rahul had come visiting Gehlaur again. Bhagirath Manjhi, Dashrath’s sixty-something son, was the one who had invited him for his first visit. That time Bhagirath had not asked for any favour. This time he did. He wanted a Congress ticket to contest the election. Rahul assured him one. It made eminent sense too. The Congress was now speaking up for Dalit rights with a new force. What better way to illustrate it than to have Dashrath’s son contesting under its flag? Come candidate selection time, Bhagirath went to Delhi, camped for four days. What came next was the usual Congress self-goal. Party apparatchiks denied him a ticket. When we visit Gehlaur, along the road that Dashrath built, this new pucca house — as we said — has a visitor. It’s an “MLA from Chhattisgarh”. Some tangible discomfort at encountering us, and a hasty exit ensued.  Bihar, SIR to dominate Dec 1-19 Winter Session Opposition hits out at govt over short session of Parliament Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addressing poll rallies in Bihar on Saturday | PTI Key bills The proposed legislative agenda includes Govt of UTs (Amend) Bill, the J&K Reorganisation (Amend) Bill, and the Constitution (130th Amend) Bill Pr e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi The outcome of Bihar’s assembly elections is expected to dominate the the Winter Session of Parliament, which will be held from December 1 to 19. The Opposition is also planning to up the ante on the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and the alleged vote theft in Haryana and Maharashtra. Though there is no joint Opposition strategy on SIR so far, Opposition-ruled states Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala have intensified their protest against the exercise. All parties will come together to oppose the SIR during the session, said an Opposition leader. Speaking to the media, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that the Mother Eliswa becomes the first nun of the Catholic Church in Kerala to be beatified | P5 WITH THIS ISSUE Malevolent Marauder PLUS 12 P AGES Continued on: P8 U n e x p e c te d f e a st Country chicken chase, chaos & curry U M a h e s h @ Hanamkonda An ordinary morning in Elkathurthy village on Saturday turned into a full-blown countryside carnival by the evening, complete with feathers, frenzy and a feast. Hundreds of country hens, mysteriously released along the Elkathurthy–Siddipet highway , sent villagers, farmers and motorists chasing after the birds through the fields. For a few glorious hours, the usually calm agricultural stretch resembled a scene from a rustic comedy, people chasing clucking chickens across cotton fields, sacks swinging and vehicles abandoned mid-road. No one knows who gifted Elkathurthy this feathery bounty, but the word spread faster than a rooster could fly Within min. utes, vehicles screeched to a halt as their occupants joined the impromptu poultry hunt. The result: a two-kilometre traffic jam filled with laughter, chaos and the occasional triumphant cry of “Got one!” By afternoon, some villagers were spotted heading home like victors returning from battle, one hen under each arm, a few even lugging entire sacks. By evening, smoke from fresh chicken curry filled the air, as kitchens across Elkathurthy turned into pop-up feast zones. “Delicious,” said one local, ladling gravy into a bowl. Videos of the hen chase soon hit social media, showing groups darting through fields in what netizens have dubbed “The great Telangana chicken run.” Elkathurthy Sub-Inspector A Praveen Kumar said that his team is checking CCTV footage to identify who released them. Veterinary officials, led by Dr G Deepika, were called in to ensure the uninvited guests were disease-free. “The birds appear healthy she confirmed, ,” though samples have been sent to a Hyderabad lab “just in case.” A flock of country chickens caught from a field by a resident of Elkathurthy; above, a local celebrates after catching two birds during what netizens have dubbed “The Great Telangana Chicken Run” on Saturday key issue will be the SIR. “The Prime Minister’s silence on Trump’s statements is a major issue. The current relationship with China is unresolved... There hasn’t been a border agreement with China. We haven’t returned to the previous situation. Negotiations are being held between the two countries based on the new normal that China has established. Besides, there are many such issues regarding the rate of economic growth, GDP unemployment. There , is no shortage of issues. We keep issuing notices again and again, but no action is ever taken on them. The government does whatever it wants,” Ramesh said. This session is set to be one of the shortest since 2014. The previous winter session ran from November 25 to December 20. Opposition parties rapped the government for ‘curtailed’ session. Ramesh said the session is “an unusually delayed and truncated one”. “It will be just 15 working days. What is the message being conveyed? Clearly, the government has no business to transact, no Bills to get passed, and no debates to be allowed.” Echoing the view, TMC leader Derek O’Brien said the government is avoiding parliamentary scrutiny . “15-day Winter Session announced. Setting dubious records.” `60,799 crore push for state’s road infra: Venkat E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Saturday announced that the state government is undertaking road construction works worth `60,799 crore, the largest such initiative in Telangana’s history. In addition, projects worth another `28,000 crore, including the Mannanur–Srisailam corridor and the Future City–Bandar Port Greenfield Highway, are in the proposal stage. In a media statement, Komatireddy said the state aims to create world-class infrastructure to attract multinational companies. The new projects, he said, are expected to bring investments worth several lakh crore to Telangana and generate employment for lakhs of rural youth.  Continued on P4