The Hindu Crossword 8163 Solutions - by Vinod & Ganesh

Across
1 Not that the Indian Railways employs all its staff thus (11) PERMANENTLY
9 Home for the Oriental fugitive (7) REFUGEE (Home=REFUGE, Oriental=E)
10 West African cokes scattered by eccentric persons (7) WACKOES (West African=WA, cokes scattered=CKOES)
11 Bundle Nike's has unravelled (5) SKEIN (ana. Nike's)
12 That can no longer be quoted as easily roused? (9) EXCITABLE (no longer=EX, that can be quoted=quotable=CITABLE)
13 Stun kuberas presenting a Malay title (5) TUNKU (Container=>sTUN KUberas)
15 Questionable document? (4-5) TEST PAPER (Direct)
18 As used when you need a serving in pinches (4,5) SALT SPOON (Direct)
21 Figures of perfection? (5) NINES (Direct=> as in the usage "prepared to the nines")
22 Delivers — as the raingod does? (5,4) SENDS DOWN (Double meaning)
24 Time to be near the tip of truth (5) NIGHT (near=NIGH, tip of truth=T)
26 Goodbye to frankfurter! (7) CHEERIO (Double meaning)
27 Nothing rare to us a la U.S. practices (2,5) AS USUAL (ana. us a la U.S.)
28 Not having enough staff to have something taken down quickly? (5-6) SHORT HANDED (Double meaning)

Down
1 Pai stares obliquely at freeloaders (9) PARASITES (ana. PAI STARES)
2 Plunder some Bihari fleapits (5) RIFLE (Container=>some BihaRI FLEapits)
3 A goat runs round an old ship (9) ARGONAUTS (ana. A GOAT RUNS)
4 Woman to catch her breath only after its peak is reached (7) EVEREST (Woman=EVE, catch her breath=REST)
5 Strikes what's scattered round the cook (7) THWACKS (what's scattered=ana. WHAT'S=THWAS, cook=CK=>THWA(CK)S)
6 Somewhat chatty about head of tradesmen leaving boat (5) YACHT (head of tradesmen=T, somewhat chatty=ana. CHATTY-T)
7 Hindi film on person of Japanese descent coming up with a hair-grip (5,3) BOBBY PIN (Hindi film=BOBBY, person of Japanese descent=NIP, person of Japanese descent coming up=PIN)
8 Land mass is over half a mile (4) ISLE (is=IS, half a mile=LE)
14 Not now as formerly (2,6) NO LONGER (Direct)
16 U.N. leaps in to reconstitute south India, for instance? (9) PENINSULA (ana. U.N. leaps in)
17 Test elder ordered to be located in a new place (9) RESETTLED (ana. TEST ELDER)
19 Sherry to look up an alternative to single in spectacles (7) OLOROSO (look=LO>look up=OL, an alternative=OR, single in spectacles=>S in OO=OSO. Hence=>OLOROSO)
20 Lie, by some other name (3-4) NON-FACT (Direct)
22 Therefore the cook hit hard (4) SOCK (Therefore=SO, cook=CK)
23 Indian crane brings up flavour to you and me (5) SARUS (flavor=RAS, brings up flavor=>inversion of RAS=SAR, you and me=US)
25 Fruit cup (5) GOURD (Direct)