T20 world champions India finally depart from Barbados
Bridgetown (Barbados) Jul 3: The T20 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team finally departed for Delhi aboard a charter flight from the Grantley Adams International airport on Wednesday after being stranded here for three days due to a category 4 hurricane.
The Air India special charter flight AIC24WC -- Air India Champions 24 World Cup -- took off around 4:50am local time and will land in the Indian national capital on Thursday at around 6:20 am (IST).
"Coming home," posted India captain Rohit Sharma on Instagram, posing with the trophy in the aircraft before it took off.
The Indian squad, its support staff, the players' families and some board officials are aboard the flight along with members of the travelling media contingent. The flight has been arranged by the BCCI.
The side won the title after pulling off a thrilling seven-run win over South Africa in the final on Saturday.
The Boeing 777, which took off from New Jersey, USA on July 2, landed in Barbados around 2am local time and the airport staff here stated that they had not seen a bigger plane land at the Grantley Adams International airport, which resumed its operations on Tuesday.
"Air India managed to send a flight on a charter basis in close coordination with the BCCI officials to bring the players home. Fortunately, this aircraft could be made available after accommodating the passengers due to fly from Newark to Delhi in another Air India flight," a source close to the developments said.
"These passengers could have been inconvenienced but would have wholeheartedly supported the change to ensure our champions come back."
The players are set to be felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi within hours of returning to the country. Plans are also afoot to have a road show in Mumbai to honour the triumphant players, who ended a trophy drought of 11 years.
Earlier, the Indian team was scheduled to leave around 6pm local time on July 2 and arrive at 7.45pm (IST) on Wednesday but the departure was delayed as the plane landed late here.
Hurricane Beryl is now headed towards Jamaica.
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People should not be judged by caste, wealth or language: Mohan Bhagwat
Raipur (PTI): RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday said people should not be judged by caste, wealth or language, adding that the country belongs to everyone.
“The first step towards harmony is removing feelings of separation and discrimination from one’s mind and treating everyone as one’s own,” Bhagwat said, addressing the Hindu Sammelan at Sonpairi village in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur district.
“The entire country belongs to everyone and this spirit is true social harmony,” Bhagwat said.
Bhagwat stressed the need to revive family interactions, saying families should spend at least one day a week together, engage in prayers according to their faith, eat home-cooked food together and hold meaningful discussions, Bhagwat said, calling the discussions ‘mangal samvad’.
“People often fall into bad habits when they feel lonely. Regular interaction and dialogue within families can help prevent this,” the RSS chief said.
Bhagwat called for social harmony, environmental responsibility and disciplined civic life, urging people to rise above divisions and work collectively for society and the nation.
The RSS chief said the first step towards social harmony is removing feelings of separation and discrimination.
He said temples, water bodies and cremation grounds should be open to all Hindus, describing social work as an effort of unity, not conflict.
“Do not judge people by caste, wealth, language or region. Treat everyone as your own. The entire India is mine,” he said, describing this approach as samajik samrasta (social harmony).
Public facilities and religious spaces should be open to all, he said, calling it a work of unity rather than conflict.
On the issue of addiction, Bhagwat said loneliness often pushes people towards addiction.
He underlined the concept of ‘kutumb prabodhan’, stating that individuals must reflect on how much time and resources they devote daily to society and the nation.
“If the country is in danger, families are also in danger,” he said, calling for values to be practised at home and in daily life.
Expressing concern over global warming and environmental degradation, Bhagwat urged people to begin conservation efforts from their homes by saving water, adopting rainwater harvesting, reducing single-use plastic and planting more trees.
He also advocated the use of one’s mother tongue at home, respect for Indian attire and promotion of swadeshi and self-reliance by buying locally made products, except where imports such as medicines are unavoidable.
Bhagwat called for strict adherence to the Constitution, laws and civic discipline.
He said the Constitution’s preamble, fundamental duties and citizens’ responsibilities should be read and followed regularly, along with traditional social values like respecting elders and helping the needy.
The work of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, that began from a small 'shakha' in Nagpur, has now spread everywhere, Bhagwat said.
