B R Sharan Kumar

  Ashes and Echoes   In mother’s womb, we all arrive— No gold, no gems, no wealth to thrive. Though kings may reign with treasures grand, They leave it all with lifeless hands.   When death arrives, both rich and poor Must pass the same unguarded door. No coin, no note, no trusted friend Can follow where the journey ends.   The body burns, the ashes fall, And silence wraps around it all. What’s left behind, the world will claim— Another’s hands, another name.   It may be spent, it may be lost, The dead can’t question what it cost. But charity, when done with grace, Outlives the man—it holds its place.   A deed well done, a gift well given, Is wealth that walks the path to heaven. For better we share while we are here, Than leave it to those we never held dear.  

  The Quiet Company   I am not alone. Breath walks beside me, an old friend who knows when to hurry, when to slow, when to hush so I may listen to the quiet voice within. My heartbeat keeps me close, a drum in my chest that remembers every fear, every hope, each secret I’ve sworn to bury, each dream I’ve dared to hold. It keeps time for my wandering mind, calls me home when I drift. And even my loneliness stays, a quiet, faithful companion who settles in the corner of the room, never asking much, never leaving. It reminds me I am here, teaches me the art of listening to the hush between words, the vastness behind closed eyes. I am not alone. The wind speaks to me in sighs, The dark wraps me gently, The morning light breaks for me. I am my own witness, my own shelter, and somewhere in the silence I find company enough for this long and human road.

  Tunnel Road Project May Threaten BTC’s Future     By Sharan Kumar   The ambitious and controversial underground tunnel road connecting Central Silk Board to Hebbal may end up disrupting more than just surface traffic—it could seriously jeopardize the functioning of the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC), especially if land abutting the backstretch of the racecourse is taken over, even temporarily.   Pitched as a game-changer for Bengaluru’s traffic woes, the ₹17,698-crore tunnel project is designed exclusively for four-wheeler traffic and will run entirely underground. But despite its scale and intent, critics have slammed it as an exorbitantly priced venture with limited utility—particularly when compared to the metro expansion, which promises broader connectivity at a fraction of the cost.   Nevertheless, the government is pressing ahead. Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE), the agency executing the project, has identified five locatio...

      Trainer Prasad Raju Joins 1,000-Win Club   By Tippu Sultan   Monday’s Hyderabad races will be etched in local turf history as the day trainer K S V Prasad Raju joined the elite club of Indian trainers to have saddled 1,000 career winners. The remarkable milestone was achieved in style when Sangreal, the firm favourite in the concluding race of the day, obliged with a commanding win—fittingly ridden by none other than Suraj Narredu, a long-time ally in Raju’s training journey.   What made the day even more special was that Prasad Raju saddled a treble, all piloted by Suraj, highlighting a partnership that has delivered countless winners over the years. With this feat, Raju joins fellow Hyderabad veterans Leo D’Silva, Donald Netto  and Vittal Deshmukh in the rarefied 1,000-win club.   Prasad Raju’s career, once considered solid but understated, surged in stature over the last two decades as he began receiving better quality...

  BTC Stewards Punish Physiology, Not Foul Play   By Sharan Kumar   In what appears to be an unprecedented decision, the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) Stewards handed trainer G.Y. Rajesh Babu a one-year suspension on the grounds that his horse, Adelanto , weighed 12 kilograms more on race day than it did at the time of acceptance. The weighing was conducted before the race, and the Stewards deemed this fluctuation a contravention of Rule 202 of the BTC Rules of Racing. The punishment, disqualification until June 2026, raises serious questions about proportionality and whether such a routine physiological occurrence justifies such a severe penalty.   To begin with, fluctuations in a racehorse’s weight — particularly in the range of 10 to 15 kilograms — are neither rare nor necessarily suspicious. Thoroughbreds, like any athlete, experience daily shifts in weight due to hydration levels, gut fill, salt intake, digestion cycles, and resting phases. A horse that ...

  Golden Thunder Strikes in the Wet Leger   By Sharan Kumar   Golden Thunder thundered away in cloudy skies and drizzle to win the Gr 2 Bangalore St Leger, the last classic of the Bangalore Summer Season, run on Sunday. Trained by Karthik Ganapathy, this long-striding galloper has always given the impression he needed an airport runway to build momentum — not your sprightly, jump-and-scoot type, but more the freight train that doesn’t stop once it’s moving.   The much-hyped Dyf, who has been punching the clock with clockwork consistency, looked like he’d finally had enough. When Trevor Patel tried his usual trick — creeping up from behind — Dyf responded with the kind of enthusiasm one reserves for Monday mornings. The zip was missing, the legs were heavy, and the white flag may as well have been flying by the time Golden Thunder swept past. He still managed to trudge home in second, but that was more out of habit than hope.   Truth was a distant...