Regional journal: TA’s celebrity soldier line-up

When the Defence Ministry gave the Army Chief the powers to mobilise the Territorial Army (TA) in the wake of the Indo-Pak escalation, all eyes were on celebrity soldiers of this secondary force, which is invoked in the times of emergencies. Also called Terriers, the TA boasts of a prominent line-up of volunteer soldiers, including politicians Anurag Thakur and Sachin Pilot, actors Mohanlal and Nana Patekar, and sportspersons Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Abhinav Bindra. Any civilian who is 18 to 42 years, a graduate, physically and mentally fit can apply.

Sardar Trump, the sarpanch

Soon after US President Donald Trump claimed on X that he made India and Pakistan agree to a ceasefire, Punjabi creativity exploded. A viral photo showed Trump with a brown moustache, bright turban and tiny images of Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif in the background. He was not just Trump anymore. Now, he was Sardar Donald Singh Trump, Sarpanch of Amreeka Kalan! Before the laughs could settle in the tense situation, another photo appeared — Trump dressed as a Nihang, holding a “barcha” (spear), ready to guard peace.

HPCC chief to be named soon

Rahul Gandhi seems keen on ending the uncertainty surrounding the dissolved Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee and its president. CM Sukhvinder Sukhu, his ministers and HPCC president Pratibha Singh and former party presidents are likely to be called to New Delhi for a meeting this week to decide the new HPCC chief. Once the new president is decided, the exercise to reconstitute the state body, lying defunct for over six months now, will also start.

Hry pat for Op women briefers

Col Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, key figures in Operation Sindoor’s media briefings have got much appreciation in Haryana. A decorated cadet and athlete, Singh was married into Bapora village — known for its military legacy. It is also the native village of former Army Chief Gen VK Singh. Col Qureshi, who once delivered a motivational talk in Sirsa, emphasised national service as a duty above all.

Nutritional ‘cake’ for cows

To mark Union Power Minister ML Khattar’s 71st birthday, a unique celebration took place at Shri Krishna Gaushala in Karnal, where special a nutritional “cake” made from dalia and cow fodder was prepared and offered to cows. The cake-cutting ceremony was led by Karnal MLA Jagmohan Anand and Mayor Renu Bala Gupta.

(Contributed by Aditi Tandon, Archit Watts, Subhash Rajta, Deepender Deswal and Parveen Arora)

India