Latest news with #Divya
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Modi, Gadkari & CM Laud Nagpur Chess Queen Divya For Historic Win Over World Women's No.1
1 2 Nagpur: Two days after the TOI exclusively highlighted Divya Deshmukh's heroics in the World Blitz and Rapid Team Championships, where Nagpur's golden girl stunned the world's best women chess player, China's Hou Yifan, in London, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded the 19-year-old's historic victory. While minister of state for sports Raksha Khadse, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Nagpur MP Nitin Gadkari took inputs from the TOI report to congratulate Divya first on Wednesday, Modi and others lauded India's chess sensation's efforts on Thursday. On Monday, Nagpur's world junior no.1 and International Master (IM) Divya registered a hard-fought 74-move win over world women's No.1 Yifan in the second leg of the semifinal round in the blitz team chess championship. Overall, Divya brought home a total of three medals representing Hexamind Chess Club in both the blitz and rapid events. In an exclusive story on Tuesday, the TOI reported the face-off between the best women chess player and her junior counterpart — China's Yifan vs India's Divya. The face-off between Yifan and Divya in the shortest format of chess had similarities to the classical game played between Magnus Carlsen and D Gukesh, where the recent 'Oh My God' moment happened when the world No.1 suffered his first defeat to the youngest world champion. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like เริ่มแล้ว! ตลาด USDJPY อยู่ในช่วงขาขึ้นกว่าเดิม IC Markets สมัคร Undo When Divya recorded her first win over Yifan, the Nagpur girl got a bit emotional but controlled her emotions and went to prepare for the bronze medal match. Congratulating Divya on X, Modi said, "Divya's success highlights her grit and determination. It also inspires many upcoming chess players. Best wishes for her future endeavours." Modi's congratulatory message on Thursday made the media line up for a bite from Divya at her Shankar Nagar residence. Replying to Modi's message, Divya said, "PM Modi sir has written very nice things which are very encouraging and motivating, so it makes me feel very good and gives me a lot of inspiration to win medals for India in the future." Fadnavis wrote, "What an extraordinary moment as Divya defeats world No.1 Hou Yifan in London. Her fearless moves, sharp focus, and unshakable determination have not only secured a historic victory but also made every Indian — and every Maharashtrian — proud. This isn't just a win on the board, it's a statement to the world that young talent from India is ready to conquer global arenas. Wishing Divya many more glorious victories ahead. Indian chess has found a new queen, and she hails from Nagpur!" Following Modi's congratulatory message, the country's who's who have started lauding Divya.
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Advice, practice games with Levon, Anish, Murzin came handy for Divya
1 2 Nagpur: Divya Deshmukh's 74-move win over World Women's No. 1 Hou Yifan has once again brought the Nagpur girl into the limelight. During the seven-day World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship in London, the 19-year-old International Master (IM), representing Hexamind Chess Club, secured as many as three medals — two bronze and a silver. Speaking exclusively to TOI, Divya shared her experience of playing alongside the world's best players, including Levon Aronian, Murzin Volodar, Anish Giri, and Vidit Gujrathi. Divya said, "The best moments were definitely the blitz knockouts and also the entire team spirit. Everyone was really friendly, and everyone got along really well, so it took away the pressure to perform. Levon, Anish, and Murzin helped me with advice, practice games etc, which was super nice of them. And, of course, the banter." Despite suffering a defeat against Yifan in the first leg of the round-robin semifinal, Divya remained positive and came back stronger to prevail over her experienced opponent. In the second leg of the semifinal, Divya utilised her opening advantage with the white pieces well and made her moves faster to take control of the clock for her first-ever victory over Yifan. Explaining her strategy for getting the better of Yifan, Divya said, "I knew I had to go all out. I would have been automatically scared if the thought of playing against the World Champion had crept into my mind. So, it did not matter whom I was playing against; I focused on the game, and I only knew that I had to win the game." On her future plans, Divya said that she is preparing for the forthcoming World Cup. She added, "I am focused, and my preparations are going well. I will give my best and will try to bring medals in future tournaments."
India Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
DNA review: Atharvaa-Nimisha's film is a smart thriller with few unwanted detours
Tamil director Nelson Venkatesan has been in the industry since 2016. Nearly a decade in Kollywood, the filmmaker is just three films old, and all three films have made noise for their themes and filmmaking style. After the underrated 'Farhana, he returns with his fourth offering, 'DNA', starring Atharvaa and Nimisha (Atharvaa) is a brooding alcoholic drifter who is struggling to come to terms with life after a breakup. Divya (Nimisha Sajayan) is a naive woman diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, who often gets branded as paithyam (a derogatory Tamil term for someone with mental illness). One good-for-nothing man deserves a woman with a condition – this is what both families decide as they come together for a marriage of Anand and Divya navigate through this and find love in each other. He is a man who makes life easier for Divya, while she is a woman who lights up his life. When they get pregnant and are all set to step into their lives as new parents, tragedy strikes - Divya finds out that the infant handed over to her is not her child. Anand, who initially doubts Divya, eventually believes her and takes the police's help to find their missing Nelson Venkatesan's 'Oru Naal Koothu', 'Monster' and 'Farhana' are all rooted in realism. It's a recurring theme in his films and 'DNA' is no exception. This film takes off with an accident that has a callback post-interval. Initial stretches of 'DNA' featuring Anand's life as a brooding man are difficult to sit through. A bar song, multiple scenes to prove that Anand is walking a path of self-destruction, and the family finally pushing him into marriage reek of convenient narrative choices. advertisement It is only after Anand and Divya's marriage that 'DNA' truly takes off and grabs your attention. The film is replete with little touches that make the audience connect with it. From discussing post-partum depression, psychosis and how a new father struggles to identify his newborn baby, 'DNA' has a lot going for it. When Anand and experienced cop Chinnaswamy (Balaji Sakthivel) start investigating the missing child, the screenplay picks investigation is cleverly written and exposes organised crime with sharp writing. Like all Nelson's films, the characters shown in the film possess shades of black, white and grey. An elderly lady who takes part in an organised crime involving children justifies her action through her monologue, and you can't help but understand her perspective as well. Little instances like this offer a lot to the 'DNA' also suffers from cliches. Be it the breakup scenes at the start or the TV serial-style climax or the unwanted inclusion of a special song, it takes a few unwanted detours that rob the audience of the high it intended to give. For the most part, 'DNA' remains largely faithful to the thriller trope, offering a lot of chills and thrills that make one sit on the edge of the as Anand, is perfect in his role as he showcases the phases of his healing journey to becoming a new father. Nimisha Sajayan, who has proved her mettle in films like 'The Great Indian Kitchen', sleepwalks through this role. As a woman suffering from BPD, she scores in the emotional scenes, especially after becoming a mother. Atharvaa and Nimisha complimented each other with their balanced its short run-time, 'DNA' could have done away with the two songs that add nothing to the story. With a decent background score by Ghibran and great supporting acts from Balaji Sakthivel and Ramesh Thilak, the film makes for a well-made crime thriller that has enough meat to entertain you the climax might have touches of melodrama, they will work well among the family audience. 'DNA' also packs in a few surprises during the investigation scenes that are written with nuance and wishful thinking. If you are a stickler for thrillers, then Nelson Venkatesan's 'DNA' could be your weekend watch.3 out of 5 stars for 'DNA'.Must Watch
Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Who is Divya Deshmukh? Indian star congratulated by PM Modi after win over world no. 1 Hou Yifan
Divya Deshmukh and PM Modi (Agency Photos) N EW DELHI: Divya Deshmukh, one of India's brightest young chess talents, is making waves on the global stage, and now, she's caught the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 18-year-old rising star OF Indian chess stunned the chess world by defeating Chinese legend and World No. 1 Hou Yifan in the World Blitz Team Chess Championship held in London. Yifan, representing the WR Chess Team, had defeated Divya in the first leg of their round-robin semifinal clash. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! But Divya, showing remarkable resilience and tactical sharpness, bounced back strongly in the second leg. Playing with the white pieces, she capitalised on her opening advantage and managed her clock superbly, a critical skill in blitz chess, to dominate the game. The achievement earned widespread praise, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who posted on X (formerly Twitter): "Congratulations to Divya Deshmukh on defeating the World No. 1, Hou Yifan in the 2nd leg of Blitz semifinal at the World Team Blitz Championships, London. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Concentrated Siberian Ginseng Extract 2oz Superior Ginseng Undo Her success highlights her grit and determination. It also inspires many upcoming chess players. Best wishes for her future endeavours. " Who is Divya Deshmukh? Born on 9 December 2005 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, to doctor parents Jitendra and Namratha, Divya Deshmukh discovered chess at five. Initially drawn into the sport when her sister enrolled in badminton, she fell in love with the game downstairs and quickly advanced. She won the Under-7 National Championship at age seven in 2012, followed by world youth titles in the U‑10 (Durban, 2014) and U‑12 (Brazil, 2017) categories. Divya became a Woman FIDE Master early on, and by October 2021 had earned her Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title, becoming Vidarbha's first and India's 22nd under that rating. She then secured her International Master (IM) title in 2023 Known as World Junior No. 1, Divya shone by winning the World Junior Girls' U‑20 Championship in 2024, finishing with a dominant 10/11 score. 'Cricketers Aren't Cattle... ': Harish Thawani on the IPL and Business of Indian Cricket She also contributed to India's team gold at the 45th Chess Olympiad (2024) in Budapest and earned individual honours, achieving a performance rating over 2600 in the blitz segment of the World Team Rapid & Blitz Championship. To date, she holds multiple medals: three golds at the Olympiad, multiple Asian and World Youth titles. Trained under GM R.B. Ramesh at Chess Gurukul in Chennai, Divya is praised for her sharp tactical vision, unshakeable composure, and creative flair. Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Students from Bengal wait it out in Israel
Kolkata: With the Iran-Israel conflict intensifying further, a section of students from Bengal in Israel is considering the possibility of leaving the country. The Indian Embassy, in an advisory, has already stated that those willing to exit Israel should take the route via Jordan. Over the past seven days, Divya Mukhopadhyay, a researcher from Bandipur Colony, Khardah, spent sleepless nights at his university in Rehovot, Israel. Mukhopadhyay, who is pursuing post-doctoral research in plant pathology at the University of Jerusalem, went to Israel in 2022. While he is scheduled to complete his research by the end of this year, he now finds himself stranded in central Israel, amid sirens, missile alerts, and underground shelters. "The sirens went off, and the mobile alert system warned them just in time to take shelter underground," said Shubhamoy Mukhopadhyay, Divya's uncle. "On Saturday, a missile landed barely a mile and a half from his residence. There were more sirens on Sunday and Monday. Even on Wednesday morning, they had to rush to safety again," he added. On Wednesday morning, officers from the Rahara police station visited Divya's family in Bandipur to check on their well-being. As tensions continue to escalate in the region, families like Divya's are left hoping for a swift resolution and the safe return of their loved ones. At Haifa, nearly 125 km from Rehovot, air raid sirens and missile alerts have become a grim part of daily life for the students of Bar Ilan University. "There was a drone attack by Iran on Wednesday morning. However, that was intercepted," said Nilabja Roychowdhury. Madhyamgram resident Roychowdhury is a research scholar with the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar Ilan University, Safed. Akash Panja, a resident of Ghatal who is pursuing research in medicinal chemistry at Ariel University, is, however, hoping that the situation might improve within a week. "My wife is also pursuing research in medicinal chemistry at the same university. We have decided not to leave the country at present. But I am hopeful that the situation will improve soon," he said.
