The Hindu Crossword 8313 Solutions - by Vinod & Rajagopal

Across
1 Meeting hall in church of brownish-yellow colour (7) CHAMBER (church=CH, brownish-yellow colour=AMBER => CH+AMBER)
5 A lesser summit (4,3) HILL TOP (Direct)
9 Soldier to rehearse, say, what the doctor may do (7,8) PRIVATE PRACTICE (Soldier=PRIVATE, rehearse=PRACTICE)
10 Short measure by the French to get protected against disease (6) IMMUNE (Short measure=1 mm=IMM, the French=UNE?? -- a,an in French=UNE, but 'the'?)
11 A wild punch from the fodder processor (8) HAYMAKER (fodder=HAY, processor=MAKER => HAY+MAKER)
13 A plea for directions before agreement (8) ENTREATY (directions=EN, agreement=TREATY=>directions before agreement = EN+TREATY)
15 Bird — in retrospect, it motivates (6) TOMTIT (Reverse containment => retrospecT IT MOT -- Not too comfy with 'retrospect' being used as a reversal indicator as well as part of the container)
18 Girl's formal greeting could be rudely brief to start with (6) CURTSY (briefly rude=CURT)
19 Ingenuity in cooking the right English course (8) RESOURCE (right=R, English=E, course=COURSE=>right English course = ana. R+E+COURSE)
22 Reaction of a peer's son to change (8) RESPONSE (peer's son to change = ana. PEERS+SON)
24 Force cord into hollowed out pearl (6) PROPEL (cord=ROPE, hollowed out PearL=PL=>cord into hollowed out pearl = P(ROPE)L)
27 American-style whirlwind visit by political candidate (7-4,4) WHISTLE-STOP TOUR (Direct)
28 Reportedly slippery fish, lifeless, gave up (7) YIELDED (slippery fish=EEL, lifeless=DEAD=>Reportedly slippery fish, lifless = homonym of EEL+DEAD=YIELDED?? -- I thought YIELD is pronounced YEELD and not EELD)
29 Around which to dance on workers' holiday (7) MAYPOLE (Direct)

Down
1 Sudden change of attitude about cost (7) CAPRICE (about=CA, cost=PRICE => CA+PRICE)
2 Self-evident statement displayed in taxi omnibus etc. (5) AXIOM (Container => tAXI OMnibus)
3 Second-rate, dry and stupid (9) BRAINLESS (Second-rate=B, dry=RAINLESS => B+RAINLESS)
4 Right, payment returned for collection of corals (4) REEF (Right=R, payment=FEE=>payment returned=EEF => R+EEF)
5 Acceptance of painting by Indian aircraft maker caused work stoppage (6) HARTAL (painting=ART, Indian aricraft maker=HAL=>Acceptance of painting by Indian aircraft maker = H(ART)AL)
6 Stand-in doctor rewrote column, omitting name (5) LOCUM (name=N=>column, omitting name=COLUMN-N=COLUM=>rewrote column, omitting name = ana. COLUM)
7 One who deceives by winning a batch of cards, shuffling the rest (9) TRICKSTER (winning a batch of cards=TRICK, shuffling the rest=ana. REST=STER => TRICK+STER)
8 The croupier rotates the wheel, capturing a clown (7) PIERROT (Container => crouPIER ROTates)
12 Corrupt place that the chesty revolutionary fled (3) STY (chesty=CHESTY, revolutionary=CHE Guevara=>chesty revolutionary fled = CHESTY-CHE)
14 Change the design of a mechanical barrier (9) TURNSTILE?? (Change=TURN, design=STILE?? -- design=STYLE is ok, but STILE??)
16 Study of mountains is for the large part the study of the earth's physical features etc. (9) OROGRAPHY (Direct -- contains a substantial part of geOGRAPHY, which is the the study of the earth's physical features etc.)
17 What the lawyers charge (3) FEE (Direct)
18 Its seed provides flavour to transport at a distance (7) CARAWAY (transport=CAR, at a distance=AWAY => CAR+AWAY)
20 Increase the size for general improvement (7) ENLARGE (general improvement = ana. GENERAL)
21 Like the chairman with an objective, move up (6) ASCENT (Like=AS, chairman=C, objective=>Like the chairman with an objective = AS+C+END)
23 Group of eight gets a month these days (5) OCTAD (a month=OCT, these days=AD (Anno Domini) => OCT+AD)
25 Publicity effort by a professional doctor (5) PROMO (professional=PRO, doctor=MO => PRO+MO)
26 Plant part that the biologist emphasised here (4) STEM (Container => biologiST EMphasised)