Hyderabad: A man from Alwal made an unconventional protest at the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) ward office on July 26 by releasing a snake inside the office premises. The act was intended to highlight his frustration with the alleged failure of officials in addressing the issues faced by residents of the locality during a crisis.
Identified as Sampath Kumar, he took matters into his own hands when he found a snake that had entered his house. Taking the snake with him, he proceeded to the local GHMC ward office and released it on one of the office tables.
During his visit, Sampath Kumar engaged in a heated argument with the office staff, expressing his discontent with the civic body's inability to address the problem of snakes and other creatures entering the houses of local residents.
According to Kumar, several complaints had been lodged by residents about the presence of snakes in the area, but the GHMC officials failed to take appropriate action to resolve the issue. Frustrated by the lack of response, he waited for over six hours for GHMC officials to come and handle the situation, but no one arrived.
In response to the incident, it came to light that the GHMC does not have a dedicated team of snake catchers. Instead, the responsibility for dealing with such situations has been entrusted to a non-governmental organization (NGO).
A resident releases a snake that entered his home due to rain, in a GHMC ward office at Alwal, Hyderabad, after authorities failed to respond to his complaint. #Hyderabad #GHMC #Residents #AuthoritiesFail #RainTroubles pic.twitter.com/hiraGqxlbH
— Deccan Chronicle (@DeccanChronicle) July 26, 2023
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Lucknow (PTI): Pacer Akash Singh caught the eye with his unique celebration during Lucknow Super Giants' win over Chennai Super Kings, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket after a wicket, a gesture he said was aimed at "motivating" himself and "asserting dominance" over batters.
The left-arm pacer pulled out a scrappy piece of paper after each of the three wickets he took in LSG seven-wicket win over CSK, with the message reading: "Akki on fire -- Akash knows how to take wickets in T20 cricket.
The 24-year-old, who began his IPL journey with Rajasthan Royals and was part of Chennai Super Kings’ title-winning campaign in 2023 before moving to Lucknow Super Giants, registered his best IPL figures with 3 for 26 on Friday.
"'Akki knows how to take wickets in T20 cricket', right?" Akash said when asked about the message on the piece of paper, adding that it serves as a source of motivation and helps him focus on dominating batters and delivering stronger performances for the team.
"Different things motivate different people. Some days I show the paper, some days I don't, but it reflects my mindset on that particular day. When you carry a piece of paper with something written on it, you manifest things and the most important part is when those manifestations actually materialise," he added.
Akash, who hails from Bharatpur in Rajasthan, said the strong backing from the Lucknow Super Giants support staff over the last two years had played a huge role in his growth as a cricketer.
"I've been with LSG for two years and the most important thing has been the backing from the coaches, even when I'm not in the playing XI. This year we have Bharat Arun sir, last year Zaheer sir was there...Tom Moody. The way they guide us, prepare us and keep us ready for opportunities is very important when there are 25 players in the squad," he said.
"When you are not playing, you naturally seek backing and every player wants to make the most of the opportunities he gets. The support from the captain also matters a lot and with Rishabh bhaiya backing you, the confidence grows and you are able to perform better," Akash said, referring to Rishabh Pant.
Akash said Pant had asked him to trust his strengths ahead of the clash against CSK.
"He told me that the new ball is my strength and that I can swing it both ways. So I just tried to make the best use of my skills. The wicket also had good bounce, so I focused on using the bouncer effectively,” added Akash.
On his success against CSK, Akash said his experience of playing in the IPL since 2020, including a stint with CSK, helped him understand the opposition batters better, while backing his own strengths with the ball also played a key role in his impressive spell.
"Obviously, when you play in the IPL and have shared the dressing room with some players, you understand their strengths and weaknesses. My focus was first to back my own strengths, then exploit their weaknesses and also make the best use of what the wicket was offering," Akash said.
Akash said he had sensed over the last two-three games that an opportunity could come his way after being repeatedly told to "be ready", though he admitted he was unfortunate not to get a chance earlier.
"Two days before the match, during practice, I was told to be ready," he said.
Clarifying that he had not been carrying the piece of paper in anticipation, Akash said he often notes down thoughts that could help improve his game..
"Whenever I’m alone or about to sleep, any thought that comes to my mind which can help my cricket, I write it down. The other night I got this thought and jotted it down on paper," he added.
