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Prithvi Asthana

20 August 2025 at 5:20:30 pm

Desi method saves LPG at RSS camp

Use of biomass wood stove helped in reducing high cooking cost Mumbai: When the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) decided to hold a 21-day training camp in Jalgaon in the first week of May one of the biggest concerns for the organisers was availability of fuel. The organisation needed two LPG cylinders of 19 kg each for making three meals for 255 participants and 50 managers daily. It would have cost them Rs 6,000 daily and the cost for 21 days on meals on would have touched Rs 1,26,000. It...

Desi method saves LPG at RSS camp

Use of biomass wood stove helped in reducing high cooking cost Mumbai: When the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) decided to hold a 21-day training camp in Jalgaon in the first week of May one of the biggest concerns for the organisers was availability of fuel. The organisation needed two LPG cylinders of 19 kg each for making three meals for 255 participants and 50 managers daily. It would have cost them Rs 6,000 daily and the cost for 21 days on meals on would have touched Rs 1,26,000. It was a time when availability of LPG cylinders was a concern and a costly affair. India’s LPG supply was hit because of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The government had hiked the price of commercial LPG cylinder by Rs 993. Then came a desi solution. The RSS decided to use a biomass wood stove that uses renewable energy rather than LPG. The main fuel for this stove was ‘wooden blocks’ prepared from cotton, cow dung or turmeric trees (turkhati). The market rate of the ‘wooden bricks’ is Rs 3 per kg or Rs 150-200 per sack. An RSS swayamsevak from Dhule Rahul Kulkarni has designed this biomass wood stove. He operates an industrial machinery manufacturing company called as ‘Essential Equipments’. The company manufactures renewable energy products like solar thermal systems, bio-gas plant, biomass wood stove, etc. The biomass wood stove proved to be a high success. Its use reduced the daily cooking cost to mere Rs 300 saving around Rs 1,19,700 during the camp period. Not only it helped in reducing cost but also to protect the environment being a source of renewable energy. “We had put a lot of research and development behind this stove, and it was already available. Amid the crisis the stove came in handy to us, and I am happy that we were able to solve this problem. It helped in reducing the cost drastically,” Kulkarni told ‘The Perfect Voice’. Dattatreya Hosable, General Secretary of RSS, who visited the camp for three days, also acknowledged the innovation in cost cutting and saving environment. “I appreciate the efforts taken by the swayamsevaks amid the LPG crisis. Henceforth, RSS will use this method in training camp across the country and I myself will take this solution to all the places,” he said.

Where Handshakes Are Apparently Optional

What a time to be alive in the grand theatre of Indian Premier League drama. In a world plagued by actual problems, the cricket fraternity has decided that the real crisis of our era is Virat Kohli refusing to shake Travis Head’s hand after SRH demolished RCB by 55 runs. Yes, dear reader, the sport that proudly calls itself the “gentleman’s game” is once again clutching its pearls over etiquette while conveniently ignoring that the field itself often resembles a verbal war zone. How utterly predictable.


Let’s rewind the tape of this earth-shattering incident. During the SRH vs RCB clash on May 22, 2026, in Hyderabad, sparks flew as they usually do when competitive egos collide. Kohli, ever the embodiment of controlled aggression (or so his fans insist), engaged in some classic on-field banter with Head. Gestures were made—Impact Player signals, invitations to bowl, the usual alpha-male posturing that makes T20 cricket so thrilling for viewers and exhausting for sports psychologists. Head, not one to back down, gave as good as he got. Standard fare in a high-stakes league, right? Wrong. Because after RCB folded like a cheap suit, the post-match handshake line became the new Colosseum.


Human Decency

Head, displaying what some might call basic human decency (or perhaps just following protocol), extended his hand. Kohli? He walked straight past, eyes fixed on the horizon like a man who had just discovered a more interesting Instagram story. Cameras caught it all, naturally. Social media erupted faster than a Rashid Khan googly. “Poor sportsmanship!” cried the purists. “King Kohli doesn’t fake it!” roared the Viratians. Meanwhile, the rest of us watched in bemused horror as a 37-year-old sporting legend treated a post-match ritual like it was optional, depending on his mood and the scoreboard.


The sarcasm here writes itself. Cricket loves to lecture the world about “spirit of the game.” We’ve had entire documentaries about walking when you nick one (a quaint custom now as rare as a honest politician). Yet when a player with Kohli’s aura decides the spirit doesn’t include shaking hands with an opponent who dared sledge back, suddenly it’s “passion.” Imagine if this was anyone else—say, a young domestic player or a foreign import without the god-like status. The BCCI would probably issue a statement, sponsors would frown, and the moral brigade would demand a suspension. But for Virat? It’s just another chapter in the Legend of the Unshakable Ego.


Let’s be brutally honest in that sarcastic way the situation deserves: Kohli has built a career on intensity. That fire has won India matches, carried RCB through lean years, and turned him into a global icon. Fair play. But intensity without self-awareness becomes petulance. At 37, one might expect a veteran to understand that leaving the fight on the field is what separates great competitors from those still proving something. Head, the Australian opener known for his own swashbuckling style and calm demeanor off the field, extended the olive branch. Kohli swatted it away like a bothersome yorker. The message? “I can dish it, but I won’t shake on it.” Charming.


The hypocrisy meter is off the charts. Indian cricket fans, quick to criticize Australian teams for “unsportsmanlike” behavior in past rivalries (remember the 2008 Sydney Test?), are now defending this as “mental disintegration” or “not forgetting the battle.” Australian fans, who once cheered sledging as national sport, are suddenly appalled. Everyone’s a hypocrite when their guy is involved. Travis Head himself seemed unfazed, posting something cryptic on Instagram that fans dissected like ancient runes. Classy response, really—ignoring the noise while the internet burned.


Personality Cult

This isn’t about one missed handshake. It’s about the cult of personality in modern cricket. Virat Kohli isn’t just a player; he’s a brand, an emotion, a religion for millions. His aggression inspires, but it also excuses. Commentators bend over backward to justify it: “He’s passionate.” “Competitive spirit.” Translation: “Don’t criticize the King.” Meanwhile, young fans learn that if you’re talented and famous enough, basic courtesy is negotiable. What a wonderful lesson for aspiring cricketers. Forget technique; master the art of selective handshakes.


Critics will say I’m being harsh. After all, emotions run high in a 55-run thrashing. RCB lost, Kohli scored modestly, and Head’s team won. The banter was mutual. Why villainize one man? Because leadership and legacy demand better. Kohli has spoken eloquently about respect and the values of the game in countless interviews. Seeing him ignore a simple gesture undermines that. It’s not the end of civilization, but it is disappointing from someone who positions himself as an ambassador for Indian cricket.


(The writer is a senior journalist based in Mumbai. Views personal.)

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