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Grass Is For... , Culture Vulture, Mani Shankar Aiyer and Omphaloskepsis

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Grass Is For...
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The first sport played competitively at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club was croquet in 1868; the first tennis championship was played in 1877 (winner Spencer Gore won 12 guineas).

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In 1969, Pancho Gonzales beat Charles Pasarell in five hours 12 minutes, playing 112 games in Wimbledon’s longest match so far.

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Anne White's white skin-tight spandex bodysuit at Wimbledon in 1985 was banned because the neckline was too low.

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Last year, over 23 tonnes of fresh grown strawberries was served with cream at the tournament, amounting to over 2 million strawberries.

Culture Vulture
Arthashastra Kautilya

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What is it Treatise on government by Chandragupta Maurya’s prime minister. Often compared to Machiavelli’s Prince in its ruthless practical political approach.

Boring political treatise Emphatically not. Highly entertaining, especially sections on how a king can retain power and preserve his life after he is overthrown.

Current relevance With two potential Kautilyas running Parliament, maybe it’s time for a sequel.

So you thought you knew all about
Mani Shankar Aiyer

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Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas, he’s just made you pay an additional 2 bucks per litre for petrol. Got your ‘mani’ on him?

A. Born in 1941 in Lahore, elected to the 10th Lok Sabha at age 50

B. Educated at Sherwood, Nainital, St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and Trinity Hall, Cambridge.

C. Served in the IFS between 1963-89, was the Karachi consul-general, 1978-82.

D. Has authored several books including ‘Of Hillybillies, Hypocrites And Other Strange Creatures’, ‘Remembering Rajiv’ and ‘Pakistan Papers’

E. Married in 1973, has three daughters.

Answer B. Went to Doon School, Dehradun

what is
Omphaloskepsis

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The mystic art of contemplation of one’s navel as an aid to meditation. Practised by Indian writers in English down the ages. Mere navel-gazing is a pop-culture adaptation of this serious pastime, and is frowned upon by dedicated practitioners.

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