AFP Asia

A Singapore shipping company told AFP on Tuesday it will refuse to pay Sri Lankan court-ordered damages of US$1 billion for causing that country’s worst case of environmental pollution.In an exclusive interview, X-Press Feeders chief executive Shmuel Yoskovitz said he believed paying would have wide-ranging implications on global shipping and “set a dangerous precedent”.The company operated the MV X-Press Pearl that sank off Colombo Port in June 2021 after a fire — believed caused by a nitric acid leak — that raged for nearly two weeks.Its cargo included 81 containers of hazardous goods, including acids and lead ingots, and hundreds of tonnes of plastic pellets.The ship was refused permission by ports in Qatar and India to offload the leaking nitric acid before it arrived in Sri Lankan waters. Tonnes of microplastic granules from the ship inundated an 80-kilometre (50-mile) stretch of beach along Sri Lanka’s western coast. Fishing was prohibited for months.Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court in July ordered the company to pay Colombo an “initial” US$1 billion in damages within a year, with the first tranche of US$250 million to be paid by Tuesday.It also ordered the company “to make such other and further payments” in the future as the court may direct.- ‘Hanging guillotine’ -Yoskovitz rejected the open-ended nature of the penalty. “We are not paying because the whole base of maritime trade is based on the limitation of liability. This judgment undermines this limitation of liability,” he told AFP.”Any payment towards the judgment could set a dangerous precedent for how maritime incidents will be resolved in the future,” he said.Sri Lanka’s government said it would ask its chief prosecutor what action it could take.”We will be guided by the advice of the attorney general on what further steps to take,” government spokesman and media minister Nalinda Jayatissa told reporters in Colombo.The United Nations office in Colombo noted that the “polluter pays” principle was enshrined in global agreements, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”The Supreme Court’s ruling is a vital step toward justice and accountability,” the UN in Sri Lanka said on X.Yoskovitz said the absence of limitations could lead to higher insurance premiums, which would be ultimately passed on to consumers.The chief executive again apologised for the incident, saying the company recognised the disaster and was trying to make amends. He said X-Press Feeders had already spent $170 million to remove the wreck, clean up the seabed and beaches, and compensate affected fishermen.”We are not trying to hide… We are willing to pay more, but it has to be under certain marine conventions and an amount that is full and final and then it can be settled, and we can move on,” he said.”But to live under this hanging guillotine — it is simply impossible to operate like this.”- Long-term effects -In Colombo, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on Thursday about the implementation of its decision.One of the petitioners who sought compensation for the pollution has called for further research to determine the full extent of the damage to the island’s marine ecosystems.”If you visit the coastlines today, there is nothing visible in terms of plastic pollution. A major clean-up took place soon after the X-Press Pearl incident, but the effects of the pollution will be felt for a long time,” said Hemantha Withanage from the Centre for Environmental Justice.It remains unclear how Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court could enforce its decision. However, in its 361-page decision in July, the court ordered the police and the state prosecutor to initiate criminal proceedings for non-compliance if the parties were present in Sri Lanka.Yoskovitz expressed concern over the ship’s Russian captain, Vitaly Tyutkalo, who has been banned from leaving Sri Lanka for more than four years, as well as the company’s third-party agents there. The firm had offered to pay a fine for the skipper’s release, but this was refused, according to Yoskovitz. X-Press Feeders obtained an order from London’s Admiralty Court in July 2023, limiting its liability to a maximum of 19 million pounds (US$25 million), but Sri Lanka has challenged that.The Sri Lankan government also filed a lawsuit against the ship’s owners in the Singapore International Commercial Court. But that has been stayed pending the result of the case in London, with a pre-trial hearing expected in May 2026. 

Tens of thousands of mourners thronged the streets of India’s northeastern Assam state on Tuesday to bid farewell to a flamboyant artiste, celebrated as much for his music as for his irreverent persona. Zubeen Garg, 52, died by drowning in Singapore last week, triggering a massive outpouring of grief among his millions of fans in Assam, where he enjoyed a cult-like status.”He will be remembered for his rich contribution to music,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a condolence message.  “His renditions were very popular among people across all walks of life.” Assam’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state had “lost one of its favourite sons”.  “Zubeen’s voice had an unmatched ability to energise people and his music spoke directly to our minds and souls,” he said in a statement. “He has left a void that will never be filled.” As news of his death broke, hundreds of thousands of people poured onto the streets across the state, breaking into his popular numbers.Legions of people also turned up to pay their respects at a stadium complex in Assam’s biggest city Guwahati where his embalmed body was kept for two days.Garg was cremated on Tuesday, with full state honours and accorded a 21-gun salute. India’s parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju was also in attendance, as a representative of Modi. Assam has declared four days of state mourning, with Sarma flying to New Delhi to receive the singer’s body.His death brought the state of over 30 million people to a standstill, with businesses shuttering and the government suspending all non-emergency services. Garg, who rarely ever shied away from speaking his mind, largely eschewed the popular world of Bollywood and chose to sing primarily in Assamese and other local dialects. He was also a gifted actor, having won several accolades for his performances in Assamese cinema.He identified himself as an atheist and was a vocal critic of Hinduism’s deeply entrenched caste system.”I don’t have any caste, religion or God,” he once said, one of his many proclamations rejecting tradition.Garg is survived by his wife Garima Saikia Garg.

In their Pakistan safehouse, Shayma and her family try to keep their voices low so their neighbours don’t overhear their Afghan mother tongue.But she can belt out Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin'” any time she likes, and no-one would guess it comes from a 15-year-old refugee in hiding.”In the kitchen, the sound is very good,” she told AFP alongside her sister and fellow young bandmates.By now, Shayma should have been testing the acoustics of her new home in New York.But before her family’s scheduled February flight, US President Donald Trump indefinitely suspended refugee admissions, stranding around 15,000 Afghans already prepared to fly out from Islamabad.Thousands more are waiting in the city for relocation to other Western nations, but shifting global sentiment towards refugees has diminished their chances and put them at risk of a renewed deportation drive by Pakistan, where they have long exhausted their welcome.For girls and women, the prospect is particularly devastating: a return to the only country in the world that has banned them from most education and jobs.”We will do whatever it takes to hide ourselves,” said Shayma’s 19-year-old bandmate, Zahra.”For girls like us, there is no future in Afghanistan.”-‘Not a transit camp’ -After the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, tens of thousands of Afghans travelled to neighbouring Pakistan to register refugee and asylum applications with Western embassies, often on the advice of officials.Many had worked for the US-led NATO forces or Western NGOs, while others were activists, musicians or journalists. Four years on, thousands are still waiting, mostly in the capital Islamabad or its outskirts, desperately hoping that one of the embassies will budge and offer them safe haven.Hundreds have been arrested and deported in recent weeks, and AFP gave interviewees pseudonyms for their protection.”This is not an indefinite transit camp,” a Pakistan government official told AFP on condition of anonymity. He said Pakistan would allow Afghans with pending cases to stay if Western nations assured the government that they would resettle them.”Multiple deadlines were agreed but they were not honoured,” he added. – Miraculous music -The teenaged musicians learned to play guitar back in Kabul at a nonprofit music school for girls, who are now dispersed across Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States.”We want to use our music for those who don’t have a voice, especially for the girls and women of Afghanistan,” said Zahra, one of the four in Pakistan.The school opened under Kabul’s previous US-backed government, when foreign-funded initiatives proliferated alongside NATO troops.Overcoming social taboos, Shayma and her sister Laylama attended the after-school lessons run by an American former arena rocker, who helped kids get off the streets and into guitar practice.One of 10 siblings, Laylama sold sunflower seeds to help support the family. She had cherished a stringless plastic guitar, until she encountered the real thing.”Music really changed our life,” she said.But fearing retribution from the Taliban government, which considers Western music anti-Islamic, Laylama’s father burned her guitar.”I cried all night,” the 16-year-old told AFP.- ‘Drastic measures’ -Since they were smuggled into Pakistan in April 2022 to apply for refugee status with the United States, Shayma and her bandmates have had to move four times, driven deeper into hiding.At the start of Pakistan’s crackdown in 2023, the US embassy provided the government with a list of Afghans in its pipeline that should be spared, according to a former staffer with the State Department’s Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts. That office, and the protections it offered, have been dismantled by the Trump administration.”Leaving these refugees in limbo is not just arbitrary, it’s cruel,” said Jessica Bradley Rushing of the advocacy coalition #AfghanEvac.As Pakistan expands its “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan” to include refugees, it may be seeking leverage over foreign partners in its counter-terrorism campaign, said International Crisis Group analyst Ibraheem Bahiss.”These are really drastic measures not only to put pressure on the Taliban government but also to show the international community they are very serious,” he told AFP. For the girls, every day brings the fear that a knock on the door will send them back.Outside, mosque loudspeakers in Afghan neighbourhoods order migrants to leave, while refugees are picked up from their homes or workplaces, or off the street.To stem their anxiety, the girls maintain rigorous daily routines, starting with the dawn call to prayer.They rehearse a Farsi version of Coldplay’s “Arabesque” and a riff on Imagine Dragons’ “Believer”.They also practice English through YouTube videos and reading “Frankenstein”.”It’s not normal to always stay in the house, especially for children. They should be in nature,” Zahra said.”But going back to Afghanistan? It’s a horrible idea.”

A Singapore shipping company told AFP on Tuesday it will refuse to pay Sri Lankan court-ordered damages of US$1 billion for causing that country’s worst case of environmental pollution.In an exclusive interview, X-Press Feeders chief executive Shmuel Yoskovitz said he believed paying would have wide-ranging implications on global shipping and “set a dangerous precedent”.The company operated the MV X-Press Pearl that sank off Colombo Port in June 2021 after a fire — believed caused by a nitric acid leak — that raged for nearly two weeks.Its cargo included 81 containers of hazardous goods, including acids and lead ingots, and hundreds of tonnes of plastic pellets.The ship was refused permission by ports in Qatar and India to offload the leaking nitric acid before it arrived in Sri Lankan waters. Tonnes of microplastic granules from the ship inundated an 80-kilometre (50-mile) stretch of beach along Sri Lanka’s western coast. Fishing was prohibited for months.Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court in July ordered the company to pay Colombo an “initial” US$1 billion in damages within a year, with the first tranche of US$250 million to be paid by Tuesday.It also ordered the company “to make such other and further payments” in the future as the court may direct.- ‘Hanging guillotine’ -Yoskovitz rejected the open-ended nature of the penalty. “We are not paying because the whole base of maritime trade is based on the limitation of liability. This judgment undermines this limitation of liability,” he told AFP.”Any payment towards the judgment could set a dangerous precedent for how maritime incidents will be resolved in the future,” he said.Yoskovitz said the absence of limitations could lead to higher insurance premiums, which would be ultimately passed on to consumers.The chief executive again apologised for the incident, saying the company recognised the disaster and was trying to make amends. He said X-Press Feeders had already spent $170 million to remove the wreck, clean up the seabed and beaches, and compensate affected fishermen.”We are not trying to hide… We are willing to pay more, but it has to be under certain marine conventions and an amount that is full and final and then it can be settled, and we can move on,” he said.”But to live under this hanging guillotine — it is simply impossible to operate like this.”- Long-term effects -In Colombo, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on Thursday about the implementation of its decision.One of the petitioners who sought compensation for the pollution has called for further research to determine the full extent of the damage to the island’s marine ecosystems.”If you visit the coastlines today, there is nothing visible in terms of plastic pollution. A major clean-up took place soon after the X-Press Pearl incident, but the effects of the pollution will be felt for a long time,” said Hemantha Withanage from the Centre for Environmental Justice.It remains unclear how Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court could enforce its decision. However, in its 361-page decision in July, the court ordered the police and the state prosecutor to initiate criminal proceedings for non-compliance if the parties were present in Sri Lanka.Yoskovitz expressed concern over the ship’s Russian captain, Vitaly Tyutkalo, who has been banned from leaving Sri Lanka for more than four years, as well as the company’s third-party agents there. The firm had offered to pay a fine for the skipper’s release, but this was refused, according to Yoskovitz. X-Press Feeders obtained an order from London’s Admiralty Court in July 2023, limiting its liability to a maximum of 19 million pounds (US$25 million), but Sri Lanka has challenged that.The Sri Lankan government also filed a lawsuit against the ship’s owners in the Singapore International Commercial Court. But that has been stayed pending the result of the case in London, with a pre-trial hearing expected in May 2026. 

India and Pakistan’s refusal to shake hands during their Asia Cup cricket matches bent the code of the so-called “gentleman’s game”, as sport once again served as a proxy battlefield.The tournament marks the first meeting between the nuclear-armed neighbours since their armies clashed in May — a four-day exchange of artillery, drones and missiles that killed more than 70 people.The sporting rivals do not play bilateral matches, meeting only at neutral venues during international tournaments.The handshake snub is the latest example of how cricket mirrors politics between the two countries.- Eyes down -The cricket-mad neighbours have already met twice in the Asia Cup T20 tournament this month, played in the United Arab Emirates as a neutral venue.On September 14, India captain Suryakumar Yadav said his refusal to shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart was “aligned with the government” — a move Pakistan said had “disappointed” them.When they met again on September 21, neither side offered the traditional handshake. Both skippers kept their eyes and hands down after the toss.The hostility did not stop there. Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman celebrated his half-century by using his bat like a gun, while his teammate Haris Rauf taunted the crowd by seemingly mimicking a plane crashing, an apparent reference to the Indian fighter jets that Pakistan said they shot down in May.India won both games.If both sides progress, they may meet in the September 28 final — and again in October when India co-hosts the Women’s World Cup, with that game played in Sri Lanka.- ‘Cricket for peace’ -A love of cricket is one thing the two sides can agree on.In 1987, Pakistan’s then military ruler Ziaul Haq stunned India with a surprise visit to a Test match in Jaipur.The hastily arranged trip, dubbed “cricket for peace”, helped defuse a tense border standoff and saw Zia charm both fans and Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.In 2005, a match in New Delhi brought Pakistan’s then president Pervez Musharraf face-to-face with Indian leader Manmohan Singh.- Pitch gardening -In 1991, spade-wielding activists from India’s Hindu right-wing Shiv Sena party dug up the pitch at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium to prevent Pakistan’s cricket tour.The scheduled one-day series was cancelled.Security fears forced Pakistan to call off two more tours in 1993 and 1994 before returning for the 1996 World Cup.In 1999, Shiv Sena struck again, damaging the pitch at New Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla stadium ahead of a Test match, but authorities repaired it in time.- Fans evicted -A 1999 Test in Kolkata’s  Eden Gardens descended into chaos after India’s Sachin Tendulkar was controversially run out following a collision with Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar.Crowds erupted, chanting “cheat, cheat” and hurled water bottles at Akhtar, forcing officials to halt play.Tendulkar’s pleas failed to calm the stands, thousands of fans were evicted, and Pakistan sealed victory in front of empty stands.- Pakistan ban -Pakistani stars were a major draw in the Indian Premier League’s 2008 debut season, with Sohail Tanvir topping the wicket charts.But after the Mumbai terror attacks that same year, carried out by Pakistan-based militants, Indian authorities barred players from across the border.The ban remains in place, depriving Pakistan cricketers of the chance to play in the world’s most lucrative T20 league.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav played down the hype around the cricket rivalry with Pakistan after beating their bitter rivals by six wickets in the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.India rode on a blazing 74 from opener Abhishek Sharma as they chased down a target of 172 in 18.5 overs in the Super Four clash, where they again refused to shake hands with their opponents.It was India’s second win in the Twenty20 tournament over Pakistan in a week after their group stage clash.It was also their 12th in 15 T20 internationals.Asked if this dominance showed that the rivalry was waning, Suryakumar replied: “You guys should stop asking questions about the rivalry between India-Pakistan. “According to me, if two teams play 15-20 matches, and if it is even, then it is a rivalry. 13-0, 10-1, I don’t know what the stat is, but this is not a rivalry anymore.” Pakistan’s last of three T20 wins over India came in the Asia Cup in Dubai in 2022. India and Pakistan only play in multinational tournaments as their bilateral ties have been stalled since 2012 over political tension.Pakistan rode on a brilliant 45-ball 58 from opener Sahibzada Farhan but managed 171-5 after romping to 93-1 in 9.3 overs.Suryakumar said that India played better cricket as Abishek and Shubman Gill put on a rapid 105 for the opening stand in 9.5 overs.”I think we were better than them (Pakistan), and also from a bowling point of view,” said Suryakumar. “The catch drop percentage at this venue is so high and that is part and parcel of the game.”Suryakumar praised Sharma’s talent.”He knows what is required of him, what bowlers are going to bowl, that’s a plus point for him. He is learning with every game,” said Suryakumar of the 25-year-old left-hander.Pakistan captain Salman Agha said that his team had come up 15-20 runs short.”We have yet to play a perfect game in this event,” said Agha, whose team next faces Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.”After being 91 in 10 overs we lost way but still feel 171 was a challenging total.”Agha acknowledged that his bowlers could not control the Indian openers.”We need to play a perfect game, do well in all three departments,” said Agha. “We look forward to playing Sri Lanka in the next game.”Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by four wickets in their Super Four match in Dubai on Saturday.The top two teams from Super Four will play the final in Dubai on September 28.

Opener Abhishek Sharma hit a blazing 74 as India beat Pakistan by six wickets and again refused to shake hands with their opponents in the Super Four clash of the Asia Cup on Sunday.Chasing 172 for victory, India rode on a 105-run opening stand between the left-handed Abhishek and Shubman Gill, who made 47, to achieve their target with seven balls to spare in Dubai.The rivals came into the contest of the regional tournament with tensions high after India angered Pakistan by also refusing to shake hands when the pair met in the group stage.Tempers flared on the field when Gill and Shaheen Afridi exchanged simmering glances after the batter hit the pace bowler for a boundary.Both Abhishek and Gill came out roaring with a flurry of boundaries to unsettle the Pakistan attack as they raced to 101-0 in 9 overs. Abhishek and Haris Rauf kept up the spice with a fiery exchange.”Today was pretty simple, the way they were coming out to us without any reason, I did not like it at all,” Abhishek said after being named player of the match.”That’s why I went after them. I wanted to deliver for the team.”Medium-pace bowler Faheen Ashraf bowled Gill, and Rauf in the next over took down skipper Suryakumar Yadav for a duck to check India’s surge.Abhishek fell to Abrar Ahmed’s leg spin after his 35-ball blitz laced with six fours and five sixes.Rauf took one more wicket but Tilak Varma, with his unbeaten 30 off 19 balls, steered the team home off a six and a four.The Indian batters quickly left the field while Pakistan players shook hands amongst themselves.”We are yet to play a perfect game, but we are getting there,” said Pakistan captain Salman Agha. “A great game but in the powerplay (first six overs) they took the game away from us.”- Gun celebration -India won the toss and fielded first, but Pakistan came out attacking as Sahibzada Farhan, who hit 58, and Saim Ayub, who made 21, put on 72 runs for the second wicket, to help their team reach 171-5.Fakhar Zaman opened with Farhan and started aggressively in his nine-ball 15 before being caught behind.Farhan kept up the charge as he hit five fours and three sixes in his 45-ball knock as he reached his fifty with a six and celebrated by using his bat to mimmick a gun.India hit back with three wickets, including Farhan who was dismissed by medium-pace bowler Shivam Dube, as Pakistan slipped to 115-4.Mohammad Nawaz made 21 before he was run out.Agha, on 17, and Faheem Ashraf, with 20 off eight balls, struck 22 between them to boost the total.Dube stood out with figures of 2-33, but Indian fielders had a day to forget as they dropped four catches. India beat Pakistan in their group match, which was the first cricketing clash between the rival nations since a four-day cross-border conflict in May left more than 70 people dead.Andy Pycroft turned out as match referee for the Super Four match in spite of Pakistan lodging a protest with the International Cricket Council, alleging that the Zimbabwean had told Agha not to approach Suryakumar for a handshake.The Pakistan Cricket Board demanded that Pycroft be removed from their matches and threatened to withdraw from the eight-team T20 competition.Because of fraught political ties, nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan only meet at neutral venues during multi-team tournaments.Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are the other teams in the Super Four. The top two will move into the final on September 28.

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav again refused to shake hands with Pakistan’s Salman Agha as he won the toss and elected to field in their Super Four contest of the Asia Cup on Sunday.The two neighbours come into the key match of the regional tournament with tensions high after India angered Pakistan with a ‘no handshake’ stance in their previous meeting at the same venue in Dubai.It was the first cricketing clash between the rival nations since a four-day cross-border conflict in May left more than 70 people dead.Andy Pycroft will be match referee in spite of Pakistan lodging a protest with the International Cricket Council, alleging that the Zimbabwean had told Afgha not to approach Suryakumar for a handshake.The Pakistan Cricket Board demanded Pycroft be removed from their matches and threatened to withdraw from the eight-team T20 competition.Because of fraught political ties, nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan only meet at neutral venues during multi-team tournaments.India come into the Super Four unbeaten with three wins in the group stage.Pakistan, who came second behind India with two wins and one defeat, cancelled their pre-match press conference, but Agha said “the mood is normal” within the camp.TeamsIndia: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun ChakaravarthyPakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (capt), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar AhmedUmpires: Ahmad Shah Pakteen (AFG), Gazi Sohel (BAN)TV Umpire: Ruchira Palliyaguruge (SRI)Match Referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

An Afghan government defence official said Sunday that a deal over Bagram air base was “not possible”, after US President Donald Trump said he wanted the former US base back. Bagram, the largest air base in Afghanistan located north of the capital Kabul, was the centre of US operations in their 20 year-war against the Taliban.Trump threatened unspecified punishment against Afghanistan if it was not returned — four years after it was abandoned by US troops. “If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!” the 79-year-old leader wrote on his Truth Social platform.On Sunday, Fasihuddin Fitrat, chief of staff of Afghanistan’s ministry of defence, said “some people” want to take back the base through a “political deal”.”Recently, some people have said that they have entered negotiations with Afghanistan for taking back Bagram air base,” he said in comments broadcast by local media. “A deal over even an inch of Afghanistan’s soil is not possible. We don’t need it.”Later in an official statement, the Afghan government said warned that “Afghanistan’s independence and territorial integrity are of the utmost importance”.Trump has repeatedly criticised the loss of the base, noting its proximity to China.But Thursday while on a state visit to Britain was the first time he publicly raised the idea of the United States retaking control of it.US and NATO troops chaotically pulled out of Bagram in July 2021, under Joe Biden’s presidency but as part of a 2020 Trump-brokered deal with Taliban insurgents. The loss of crucial air power saw the Afghan military collapse just weeks later and the Taliban sweep back to power.Trump was asked by reporters at the White House if he was considering sending US troops to retake Bagram.”We won’t talk about that, but we’re talking now to Afghanistan, and we want it back and we want it back soon, right away. And if they don’t do it, you’re going to find out what I’m going to do,” he said.A massive, sprawling facility, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others have repeatedly raised allegations of systematic human rights abuses by US forces at Bagram, especially pertaining to detainees in Washington’s murky “War on Terror”.The original airfield was built with assistance from what was then the Soviet Union in the early 1950s, expanded with US help during the Cold War, and significantly developed further by Moscow during the decade-long Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.At the height of US control around 2010 it had grown to the size of a small town, with supermarkets and shops including outlets such as Dairy Queen and Burger King.It was visited by several US presidents including Barrack Obama in 2012 and Trump in 2019. 

Stepping through the gates of India’s Mayo College is like journeying back 150 years. Yet, the school that was once reserved for princes now educates a new elite.Its history echoes with grandeur. The first student, the son of the Maharajah of Alwar, arrived in 1875 with pomp, seated in a palanquin and accompanied by 300 servants.”We try to preserve a certain tradition of the past,” said Saurav Sinha, principal of the school in Rajasthan’s Ajmer.”But only to the extent it enriches our culture, and lets our students remember who they are, and where they come from.”Nicknamed the “Eton of the East” and modelled after England’s elite boarding schools, Mayo was founded by the British viceroy, the Earl of Mayo, with the aim of fostering relations between Indian royalty and London.Today, among its 850 students aged nine to 18, only a few are descendants of royalty.They have been succeeded by the scions of ministers, business magnates, diplomats and senior army officers.Tuition fees run to around $11,500 a year — a fortune in a country where annual per capita income is about $2,300.This places Mayo among a rarefied dozen elite boarding schools in India — a stark contrast to the nearly 1.5 million other educational institutions in the world’s most populous nation, where more than two-fifths lack computers.For many families, the cost is justified.”It was clear to me to send my two sons here, because it prepares you for anything,” said Abhishek Singh Tak, who runs an events company in Jodhpur and is himself a Mayo alumnus.Standing before the school’s majestic main building, built of marble reminiscent of the Taj Mahal, he stated: “Everything I am today started from here.”- Military discipline -His sons Nirbhay, 10, and Viren, 17, now live in this luxurious cocoon for nine months a year.The younger dreams of Oxford; the elder aims for the University of Delhi or Sciences Po in France, hoping to become a diplomat.Although the strict military discipline that built Mayo’s reputation still prevails, recent years have seen greater emphasis on student well-being and self-confidence.Headmaster Sinha balances “immense respect for the heritage” with a resolve to keep the school “resolutely forward-looking and adapted to a rapidly changing world.”The 76-hectare campus is an oasis of ancient trees and lush lawns — a striking sight in Rajasthan’s desert.But students have little respite between rising at dawn and lights out at 9:30 pm.”We’re so busy that I don’t have time to think about my family,” joked Arrin, provoking laughter from his classmates.A year after leaving Mumbai, the 11-year-old seems content and at ease.”What I miss most is home-cooked food,” he said, standing straight with hands behind his back, as required.Rajesh Soni, head of the junior school, admitted the first months can be challenging. Mayo has therefore recruited psychologists and increased the number of female teachers and support staff.”The priority is to make it a place where happiness reigns, so they can explore and achieve their goals,” he said, adding that “everything is done to awaken their intellectual curiosity”.- Launchpad for ambition -Parents say the results speak for themselves.”My son has gained enormous self-confidence; he has become very independent,” said Daakshi Bhide, 38, a Mayo English teacher whose 10-year-old son boards at the school.Before classes begin, students wearing white shirts and navy blazers gather for morning assembly, where they say prayers and discuss current events.The curriculum, taught in English, is broad: science, foreign languages, literature, international relations, art and music.Afternoons are reserved for sports.Mayo offers around 20 disciplines — from polo and golf to swimming, shooting and tennis.Football has recently overtaken cricket as the campus favourite.The facilities are exceptional: an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a nine-hole golf course, and stables housing 60 horses.Arrin, whose parents are a doctor and a businessman, hopes to become a professional footballer.A die-hard Ronaldo fan, he sees Mayo as the first step.A third of students plan to study abroad — in Britain, Australia or the United States.Many want to contribute to India’s prosperity. Advaya Sidharth Bhatia, 17, hopes to launch a business at home and “help his country.”Sinha reiterated: “I have immense respect for this heritage, but Mayo must always look to the future.”For many, that future is exactly why they are here.