No 13635, Monday 15 Aug 2022, Vidwan

INDEPENDENCE DAY GREETINGS

Artwork by Prasanna

Rangoli by Gowri

Solution to 23A has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular / novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

ACROSS

9   Most nuclear waste relocation in the east is messy (7) UNCLEAN {NUCLEAr}*{r...oN}

10 Restrain men at pub consumed by self-importance (7) EMBARGO {E{M}{BAR}GO}

11 Step out with fellow spending millions a month (9) SEPTEMBER {STEP*}{mEMBER}

12 Mocking right away like Greek? (5) IONIC IrONIC

13 Smell of inlet off western coast (4) REEK cREEK

14 Use a GPS slyly as surveillance tool (7) PEGASUS*

18 Lines up! Time to join army (6) ENLIST {LINES*}{T}

19 Colourless Marconi blanched up inside (6) ALBINO [T<]

22 Club occasionally appeared in Madras, way back (7) ARSENAL {mAdRaS}{LANE<=}

23 Freed of desire? Promiscuously single! (4) ?N?Y (Addendum - ONLY wantONLY - See comments)

27 One who doesn't drink has little to chirp (5) TWEET {T{WEE}T}

28 Background work by everyone, every year and for everyone (9) WALLPAPER {W}{ALL}{PA}{PER}

29 I'm corona (not the last) variant! (7) OMICRON {IM+CORONa}* &lit

30 Special kind of lens for a special lady's latest frame (7) ASPHERE {A}{SP}{HER}{f..mE}

DOWN

1   Found out about United Nations Security Council Resolution on radiation shield (9) SUNSCREEN {S{UNSCR}EEN}

2   Mouth organ music? (1,8) A CAPPELLA [GK]

3   Lesser, half-hearted passion (5) FEVER {FE(-w+v}VER} Half of W=V

4   Helped fit into finale (7) ENABLED {EN{ABLE}D}

5   Go back and host party again (7) RETREAT {RE-TREAT}

6   Without doubt, boy's soul travels around void occasionally (9) OBVIOUSLY {BOY+SOUL}* over {VoId}

7   Scene near a ground (5) ARENA*

8   Duke and Knight going bit sober in Scotland (5) DOUCE {D}{OUnCE}

15 A brisk walk through breaking waves on beach or some man-made stretch of grass (9) ASTROTURF {A}{S{TROT}URF}

16 Abductor or lullaby singing babysitter? (9) KIDNAPPER {KID NAPPER}

17 Sounds like a festival booking for priests (4,5) HOLY ORDER {(~holi)HOLY}{ORDER}  

20 Spirit of the masses? (3,4) RED WINE [CD]

21 Counter gold display (7) TABLEAU {TABLE}{AU}

24 Taming the most unbounded spirit (5) ETHOS {THE*}{mOSt}

25 Partly second-rate American news organisation (5) MEDIA {MEDIocre}{A}

26 Intiations of Eleusinian practices or philosophocal traditions for the beginner (5) EPOPT Acrostic &lit

Reference List

Men = M, Milliions = M, Right = R, Time = T, One who doesn't drink = TT, Work = W, Every year = PA(Per annum), Special = SP, Duke = D, Knight = N, American = A