The Hindu Crossword 8218 Solutions - by Vinod & Rajagopal

Across
1 Idle spec about being overshadowed (8) ECLIPSED (Idle spec about = ana. IDLE+SPEC)
6 Said to irritate a Frenchman (4) _A_L
9 Substitute a copy (4,2) BACK UP (Double Defn.)
10 Where small weapons are placed (7) ARMRACK (Direct)
13 Heed Pluto for having provided additional assistance (6,3) HELPED OUT (Heed Pluto for=ana. HEED+PLUTO)
14 They are written out by pupils as punishment (5) LINES (Direct)
15 The French region gives money (4) PAYS (Double Defn.)
16 Honest, served without ice (8-2) STRAIGHT UP (Double Defn.)
19 U.S. State can foil IRA rockets (10) CALIFORNIA (can foil IRA rockets = ana. CAN+FOIL+IRA -- Great surface reading and excellent use of 'rocket's as an ana. ind.)
21 Baudelaire's hideaway (4) LAIR (Container => BaudeLAIRe)
24 A girl going round a U.S. city (5) MIAMI (A girl=MIMI, a=A=>A girl going round a=MI(A)MI)
25 Like-minded Mac, I posit, ran away (9) SIMPATICO (Mac, I posit, ran away = ana. MAC+I+POSIT)
26 The kind of record that is not surpassed for a while (3-4) ALL-TIME (Direct)
27 Raina's lot of foreign money (6) NAIRAS (Raina's lot = ana. RAINAS)
28 Still one mysterious creature (4) YETI (Still=YET, one=I => YET+I)
29 An artist has a draft passed around for a version of sitar (8) TARAFDAR (An artist=RA, a=A, draft=DRAFT=>An artist has a draft passed around=ana. RA+A+DRAFT)

Down
2 Daily the French gets unknown heroin (7) CHARLEY (Daily=CHAR, the French=LE, unknown=Y => CHAR+LE+Y)
3 Kind of computer printing system (6) INKJET (Direct)
4 Drink after drink given to the adherent (9) SUPPORTER (Drink=SUP, Drink=PORTER=>Drink after drink=SUP+PORTER)
5 Drawing an animal (5) DRAFT (Double Defn.)
7 Opposed to a profit, by the way (7) AGAINST (a=A, profie=GAIN, the way=ST=>a profit, by the way = A+GAIN+ST)
8 Not that only this pool is of the first water (4,8) LAKE SUPERIOR
11 Indian gardener, no good, back to show evil disposition (6) MALIGN (Indian gardener=MALI, no=N, good=G=>no good, back=GN=>Indian gardener, no good, back=MALI+GN)
12 All members of this work in the same craft (5,7) SHIPS COMPANY (Cryptic defn. => craft means ship)
17 Naomi airs views of a peninsula (4,5) ASIA MINOR (Naomi airs views = ana. NAOMI+AIRS)
18 Fair turn-out by the princess tribe (6) AFRIDI (Fair turn-out=ana. FAIR=AFRI, princess=DI=>Fair turn-out by the princess = AFRI+DI)
20 Performing flea allowed the handbill (7) LEAFLET (Performing flea=ana. FLEA=LEAF, allowed=LEt => LEAF+LET)
22 "Open sesame" brought wealth to him (3,4) ALI BABA (Direct)
23 Superstar iffy about hidden schedule of charges (6) TARIFF (Container => SupersTAR IFFy)
25 In a way very small, but altogether delightful (5) SWEET (way=ST, very small=WEE=>In a way very small=WEE in ST = S(WEE)T)