top of page

By:

Vinod Chavan

30 September 2025 at 3:04:23 pm

Birder Cop finds an Australian tagged bird

Latur: G. Thikanna, serving in the Andaman Police Department as an Assistant Sub-Inspector in Communications was posted on one of the most remote and lesser-inhabited islands in the world to complete a one-month tenure. This island lies about 140 nautical miles away from the capital city, far from his family and loved ones in Port Blair. Life there is challenging, with no mobile network and no regular power supply. The only source of electricity is a portable generator that runs for about...

Birder Cop finds an Australian tagged bird

Latur: G. Thikanna, serving in the Andaman Police Department as an Assistant Sub-Inspector in Communications was posted on one of the most remote and lesser-inhabited islands in the world to complete a one-month tenure. This island lies about 140 nautical miles away from the capital city, far from his family and loved ones in Port Blair. Life there is challenging, with no mobile network and no regular power supply. The only source of electricity is a portable generator that runs for about three hours a day just enough to charge communication devices and essential equipment. This was his second visit to the island in 2025. On the morning of June 16, 2025, during a routine inspection of the shoreline, he noticed a small bird moving along with the tidal waves. What caught his attention, however, was that the bird was having some colour tags on it legs. The photographs revealed that the bird had three tags: a red flag leg above the knee and a yellow tag under the knee on it right leg. The left leg had a metal ring. The red flag had a code which read DYM. In March 2026, Dr. Raju Kasambe, ornithologist and former Assistant Director at Bombay Natural History Society, and founder of Mumbai Bird Katta, visited South Andaman for a birding trip by his venture. Thikanna shared his observation and photographs with him. Dr. Kasambe took great interest and asked Thikanna to send the photographs. He identified the bird as Sanderling (Calidris alba), which breeds in the extreme northern parts of Asia, Europe and North America. After studying the shorebird Colour Marking Protocol for the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) Dr. Kasambe realized that the bird was tagged in South Australia. He informed the EEAF team and Ms. Katherine Leung reverted with the information about the tagging of this tiny migratory wader, which weighs just 40-100gramms. The wader was tagged on 13 April 2025 by Ms. Maureen Christie at the Danger Pt, Brown Bay, near Port Macdonnell, in South Australia. That means the wader had reached Narcondam Island after two months and three days on its return journey back the its breeding grounds in extreme northern parts of Asia. The straight-line distance the bird had flown was an amazing 7472km and it hadn’t yet reached its final destination – the breeding grounds. This is first record of resighting of any tagged bird on the Narcondam Island, as the island remains mostly inaccessible to bird watchers. Interesting, the Island is home to the endemic Narcondam Hornbill, a species which is not found anywhere in the world. Mr. G. Thikanna is associated with the Andaman avians Club which conducted bird watching and towards creating awareness about birds in the Andaman Island. Other members of the club have congratulated him on the great find in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Bollywood filmmakers make beeline to secure titles

  • PTI
  • May 9, 2025
  • 2 min read
Vivek Agnihotri, filmmaker
Vivek Agnihotri, filmmaker

Mumbai: “Operation Sindoor”, “Mission Sindoor” and “Sindoor: The Revenge”... Bollywood filmmakers are rushing to register film titles inspired by India's military strikes in Pakistan with 30 applications linked to Operation Sindoor submitted in just two days.


India carried out the targeted strikes on terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir early Wednesday under 'Operation Sindoor', two weeks after the massacre of 26 people, mostly tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.


Since the strikes, the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA), Indian Film and Television Producers Council (IFTPC) and Western India Film Producers' Association (WIFPA) have witnessed a surge in applications for registration of film titles related to Operation Sindoor.


“The three bodies have received over 30 title applications via email related to Operation Sindoor. The numbers will go up to 50-60. This is not something new. Most people have applied for the title, ‘Operation Sindoor' and ‘Mission Sindoor'.


"One person can apply for any number of titles but the title will be allotted to the person who has first applied for it. Any producer who wants to make a film looks for what is in the news. This is something India is proud of. So, filmmakers want to bring this story," Anil Nagrath, Secretary, IMPPA, told PTI.


Past experience

Nagrath said in the past, they have received title applications for Kargil, Uri, Kumbh, and others.


The titles being applied for also include ‘Hindustan Ka Sindoor', ‘Mission Operation Sindoor' and ‘Sindoor Ka Badla'. The applications have also been received for titles in the name of Pahalgam -- ‘Pahalgam: The Terror Attack', ‘Pahalgam Attack', and others.


According to sources, Aditya Dhar, who directed the 2019 film "Uri: The Surgical Strike" based on the 2016 Uri attack and India's retaliatory strikes, as well as actor Suniel Shetty, filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, Vivek Agnihotri, Ashok Pandit, production banner T-Series are among those who have applied for the above mentioned titles.


"Once, the title is applied, a committee consisting of members IMPPA, IFTPC or WIFPA, and Producers Guild of India, decides who should get the title purely on the basis of who registered it first. There's no favoritism in this process,” Nagrath said.


Application fees

The application fee for the registration of a title is set at Rs 300 plus GST and if it is on an urgent basis then it is Rs 3,000 plus GST.


“There's a timeline of three years. For instance, if the film is not ready within three years with the title, then the title will be taken away,” Nagrath said.


Earlier in the day, it was reported that Reliance Industries Limited and five others have approached the Controller General of Patents Design and TradeMarks for the registration of term "Operation Sindoor", seeking to use the phrase for entertainment-related services like audio and video content.


The applications were filed for registration under Class 41 of the Nice Classification, which includes education and training services, film and media production, live performances and events, digital content delivery and publishing, and cultural and sporting activities.


Reliance Industries Ltd later withdrew its application, stating that it was inadvertently filed by a junior employee without authorisation.


Comments

bottom of page