B R Sharan Kumar

  Namma Bengaluru: The City That Eats Around the Clock   By Sharan Kumar   Whatever else one may pursue in life, the search for good food is an obsession shared by almost everyone. And Bengaluru may have taken that obsession to another level.   There are many things Bengaluru is famous for: its gardens, weather, traffic, pubs, start-ups and, of course, its remarkable software industry. But there is another industry in which the city has quietly achieved something approaching excellence: eating out .   Look at the crowds outside its hotels from morning to midnight and one begins to wonder whether anybody actually cooks at home. Breakfast brings the idli, vada, dosa, rava idli, kharabath and pongal brigade. Lunch brings the meals crowd. Evening produces another rush for dosa, coffee and snacks, while night-time brings out the hunters of egg rice, biryani, pani puri and whatever else remains open.   Eating out in Bengaluru is rarely an occa...

    Racing No Longer Pays for Racing!   By Sharan Kumar   The 111th Annual Report of the Royal Western India Turf Club raises a fundamental question for those running the institution: can horse racing at RWITC sustain itself financially from horse racing? The numbers suggest that it cannot.   The Club reported an overall deficit of ₹12.48 crore for 2025-26. More revealing, however, is the segment-wise position. Racing generated ₹33.41 crore against expenses of ₹57.25 crore , resulting in a deficit of ₹23.84 crore . The corresponding racing deficit in the previous year was ₹9.85 crore. This is not simply an accounting issue. It raises questions about the financial sustainability of the Club's core activity.   Where racing's revenue comes from   The racing operation earned ₹8.91 crore from bookmakers' stall fees, ₹1.21 crore from Tote commission and ₹0.39 crore from Tote fixed-odds betting. Gate receipts contributed ₹3.85 crore, ...

        Pune Turns the Favourite Obsession on Its Head   By Sharan Kumar   After the Hyderabad favourites had spent the previous day ruling the roost, punters perhaps arrived at Pune armed with enthusiasm, confidence and, in some cases, the previous day’s winnings. Pune, however, has never been particularly interested in following the script. It sings to its own tune, and occasionally the tune is distinctly jarring.   The favourites certainly did not have their best day. There were a few fancied winners, but those regarded as almost unbeatable by the market and public imagination discovered that being a favourite and winning a race are two entirely different professions. The betting public’s obsession with favourites took another beating as long shots repeatedly gatecrashed the party.   The day’s feature, the 1400 metres Southern Command Gold Trophy for maiden three-year-olds, provided a finish worthy of the occasion. Dallas ...

  When the Committee Room Stops Racing   Horse racing is built on competition, but competition appears to be disappearing from the committee rooms of some racing clubs. When the same people remain in power for years, elections become predictable, opposition weakens and fresh ideas struggle to find space. Experience is valuable, but prolonged control can breed complacency, vested interests and intolerance of criticism. Should racing now examine whether fixed terms and genuine leadership renewal are necessary for healthier, more accountable institutions?   By Sharan Kumar   Horse racing is built on competition. Horses compete for prizes, jockeys for winners, trainers for championships and owners for recognition. Yet in some of India’s race clubs, the one place where competition appears to have disappeared is the committee room. When the same people remain in control for years, sometimes decades, elections become predictable, opposition weakens and fresh ...

  When the Committee Room Stops Racing   Horse racing is built on competition, but competition appears to be disappearing from the committee rooms of some racing clubs. When the same people remain in power for years, elections become predictable, opposition weakens and fresh ideas struggle to find space. Experience is valuable, but prolonged control can breed complacency, vested interests and intolerance of criticism. Should racing now examine whether fixed terms and genuine leadership renewal are necessary for healthier, more accountable institutions?   By Sharan Kumar   Horse racing is built on competition. Horses compete for prizes, jockeys for winners, trainers for championships and owners for recognition. Yet in some of India’s race clubs, the one place where competition appears to have disappeared is the committee room. When the same people remain in control for years, sometimes decades, elections become predictable, opposition weakens and fresh ...