Archives for September 2022

MYSURU:  Karnataka’s cultural centre, Mysuru, is all decked up to herald the 10-day extravaganza of Dasara, which is slated to be inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu on Chamundi Hills on Monday.
With the President inaugurating the Nada Habba for the first time since Independence, security has been beefed up around the hill temple and entry for the public is restricted till 11.30 am.

Murmu will also be offering puja to the idol of the presiding deity, Goddess Chamundeshwari, which will be placed in a silver chariot. Though in the past, the then Vice-President Shankar Dayal Sharma and President R Venkataraman had participated in the Jamboo Savari in 1988 and 1990, respectively, for the first time now, the festivities will be inaugurated by the President, in Vraschika Lagna between 9.45 am and 10.05 am, after she has darshan at the temple.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, and cabinet ministers will receive the President in Mysuru. The tribal community in the region is elated at the maiden visit of the President, and invitations have been extended to select people on the occasion. The President’s Office has allowed 13 persons, including the Governor and Chief Minister and ministers, to share the dais.

The Dasara high-power committee has decided to celebrate the festival without compromising on tradition and culture, and has chalked out music and cultural programmes at the Mysuru Palace and other venues. 
Renowned singers and actors are also invited to perform at Yuva Dasara. Meanwhile, events such as wrestling, food mela, Raitha Dasara, and Mahila Dasara, are also being planned. Meanwhile, hectic preparations are on at the Mysuru Palace for the private durbar under the supervision of Pramodha Devi Wadiyar, wife of late Srikantadutta Narashimaraja Wadiyar. 

AHMEDABAD:  Monday is the start of Navratri, which is celebrated in Gujarat with a lot of fanfare. Because of COVID-19 and the nationwide lockdown, this year’s Navratri is particularly significant for Gujarat because it has been two years since the previous celebrations. As the Gujarat election draws near, sources claim that PM Narendra Modi and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi may attend the Garba festival this year.

During Navratri, Gujaratis begin each day by worshipping Goddess Shakti. One of the primary attractions of Gujarat’s Navratri celebrations is the traditional dance known as “Garba,” “Ras-Garba,” or “Dandiya”.  People do dance while dressed in traditional Garba costumes and using dandiyas (sticks).

Additionally, they perform a number of mythical tales through dance. Mega-celebrations for Navratri have recently been planned where a sizable crowd of people attend. People gather and feast on their favourite meals after the Garba. This year, the Gujarat government was given permission to use loudspeakers even after midnight. Gujarat will also have open dining establishments and grocery stores till midnight.

Minister of State, Youth, Sports & Culture Harsh Shanghvi said, “In the festival of Durga, Navratri, which is an important part of the culture of Gujarat and the soul of every Gujarati, permission has been given to play loudspeaker for nine days till 12:00 midnight, giving priority to the joy, faith, and emotions of the people.”

This time Navratri is a few months before the Gujarat assembly elections, so political parties do not want to miss any opportunity to spread their election campaign through Garba, sources say. PM Narendra Modi will perform ‘aarti’ of Goddess Amba at Ambaji Temple in Banskantha district and will also witness people playing ‘Garba’ at Ahmedabad on the occasion of Navratri, during his visit to the state on September 29 and 30.

While Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi’s name has also been added to this list. According to the information, Priyanka will visit Gujarat during Navratri. She will do a road show by visiting Shakti Pith of “Mahakali goddess” in Pavagadh and will also attend a Garba in Ahmedabad.

After two years, Garba classes saw huge crowds as everyone wants to enjoy the festival to the fullest and show their dance moves during the Navratri. Anil Jariwala, who has been running Ras Garba classes in Surat for 32 years, said, “I have been running Garba classes for the past 32 years. The number of people who play Garba is increasing every year, but due to Corona, the people who played Garba had not left their homes for the last two years but this year a large number of people have come to the Garba classes.”

Aman, a 22 -year-old Garba enthusiast said, “This year, we will be enjoying Navratri after two years and hence I along with my society friends decided to make the most of it and we have learned various new steps.”

As Gujarat readies for famous Festival Navratri, Garba a part of Gujarat’s Navratri Celebration itself is inching closer to getting the coveted United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s tag for Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The latest nomination will be considered for the next year’s cycle.

PM Narendra Modi to perform ‘aarti’
PM Narendra Modi will perform ‘aarti’ of Goddess Amba at Ambaji Temple in Banskantha district and will also witness people playing ‘Garba’ at Ahmedabad on the occasion of Navratri, during his visit to the state on September 29 and 30.

AHMEDABAD: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday targeted the ruling BJP as well as the Congress in Gujarat, where Assembly elections are due to be held in December this year. Kejriwal was addressing a gathering of youth in Ahmedabad, where he was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. 

The Delhi Chief Minister told the attendees, “I saw a message shared in a WhatsApp group that said, ‘If you vote for Congress, then Sonia Gandhi’s son will prosper. If you vote for BJP, Amit Shah’s son will prosper. If you vote for AAP, then every single child of Gujarat will prosper.”

He added: “They compare me with a terrorist. Our events got cancelled at the last moment at 12 places. For this hooliganism, people of Gujarat will give an answer.” He hit out at the Opposition, calling the Congress “even worse”, and presenting the AAP as an alternative. He said: “Leaders of both the BJP and Congress have stolen so much public money that if their properties are sold, the entire debt of Gujarat can be paid.”

Mann also took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and said, “We do not just speak but listen to others as well, whereas the BJP just talks. They should listen to the public’s ‘mann ki baat’. But they have no habit of listening.” Kejriwal promised 10 lakh government jobs by filling teachers’ posts in schools, besides opening of new colleges and mohalla clinics, and providing more doctors and healthcare staff in hospitals, among others. He added that if the AAP comes to power in Gujarat, it will curb corruption.

BENGALURU: With brand Bengaluru taking a beating with the recent deluge exposing the city’s creaking infrastructure, former director of Infosys TV Mohandas Pai called on Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday and discussed various issues.

During the 30-minute one-on-one, the two discussed measures to develop Hubballi-Dharwad as an alternative to Bengaluru as a tech hub. The region has the potential to become an electrical vehicle manufacturing centre, Pai told Bommai and presented a clear proposal as to how to go about it, .

They discussed steps to attract more investment to Hubballi-Dharwad and Bommai responded positively, they added. Pai visited Hubballi-Dharwad recently and the meeting is the outcome of that tour. He has been lobbying to develop the north Karnataka region since his days at Infosys. Infosys Foundation’s former chairperson Sudha Murty too is from the region. In fact, Infosys started operations from its Hubballi campus on August 1.

NEW DELHI: Even as the eight Namibian cheetahs released into the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh on September 17 are gradually acclimatising to their new surroundings, state wildlife officials are “concerned” about the danger they might face from the large leopard population once they finally find their way into the wild a few months from now.

Speaking to this newspaper, Madhya Pradesh Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) J S Chauhan said, “We are preparing ourselves for kinds of challenges ahead, including the danger the cheetahs might face from about 98 leopards. That is the concern”. At least 25 leopards were removed from the area the cheetahs will occupy in the first six months and radio-collared for subsequent observation.

Wildlife Institute of India (WII) researchers – nine of them have been continuously observing the cheetahs since they were released into the quarantine zones — are also mindful of potential leopard-cheetah conflicts in the near future. According to the WII, the leopard population density at KNP is nine individuals per 100 sq km.

One WII researcher said that intensified observation of the cheetahs will begin once they are moved to the larger, 5-sq-km enclosure. “In the first four to five days, the cheetahs did exhibit aggression whenever vehicles or people went past their enclosures, but they have begun to adapt even in rainy conditions,” the researcher said.

Chauhan admitted that the cheetahs are “eating less” than usual in the first few days of their arrival at KNP but they will “stabilise soon”. The fastest land animals are being “served dressed buffalo meat twice in four to five days” with each cheetah “consuming an average of 1.5 to 2 kg buffalo meat per day”.

Around the middle of August, the cheetahs will be moved to the 5-sq-km zone with nine compartments. Chauhan said that two pairs of female and male cheetahs will be “put together” in one large enclosure while the rest will be in single enclosures. “Depending on their comfort levels, they will be in these enclosures for two to four months before they are allowed to roam free in the 748 sq km expanse of KNP,” Chauhan said.

Shinde, Uddhav battle over Dussehra rallies 
After Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena got permission for its annual Dussehra rally on October 5 at Dadar’s Shivaji park in the city, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde who was eyeing the same venue has decided to have his camp rally at BKC, Bandra.  Both factions are not vying against each other to get the maximum footfall for this rally so that they can proclaim mega success ahead of the BMC elections. Shinde has given instructions to his people each leader should bring at least 100 people from all part of the state. Shinde is relying on government machinery to get the crowd while Thackeray is relying on his local Shakha Pramukhs and worked to fill the ground.

Chavan gears up to welcome Rahul 
Former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan has been known for his precision in planning party affairs. With Rahul Gandhi’s padyatra is scheduled to pass through Chavan’s home Nanded district and adjoining Hingoli district, he has now sent his ten-member team to visit the route of the padyatra in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and get feedback from departments such as catering, media, accommodation and the like. Chavan has told the team to make detailed notes on what items were provided and what were left out by previous teams, so that the arrangements for the padyatra can be done to perfection.

In search of backers, Gehlot reaches Mumbai
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, before filing his nomination for the Congress party’s presidential elections, quietly made his visit to India’s financial capital and met the big corporate and business houses to get assurance from them as key help during his tenure as Congress president. Without the help of Mumbai’s backing, it will be tough for Ashok Gehlot to helm the grand-old party in its fight against the world’s largest political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party. It shows that the chief minister is gearing up for a tough fight for the presidential post. On Saturday, he also paid a visit to the Shirdi Saibaba temple in Ahmednagar in the state.

NEW DELHI: Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez on Monday arrived at the Patiala House Court which had summoned her in connection with the Enforcement Directorate case related to Rs 200 Crore money laundering case involving conman Sukesh Chandrashekar and others.

Actor Jacqueline Fernandez’s lawyers have moved a bail plea in the money laundering case.

Additional Sessions Judge Shailender Malik sought a response from the ED on the bail plea, till then her regular bail is pending before the court. At the request of Jacqueline’s lawyer, the court granted interim bail to Jacqueline on a bail bond of Rs 50,000.

The next date of hearing is October 22 this year.

Earlier on Wednesday, the court issued a summons to the actor to appear before it physically on September 26 this year.

On August 17, this year, a supplementary chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate in the Rs 200 crore extortion case against conman Sukesh Chandrashekar in a Delhi Court mentioned the name of Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez as an accused.

The Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh on Wednesday after taking cognizance of the supplementary chargesheet, directed the newly made accused Jacqueline Fernandez to appear before it on September 26, 2022.

The court also directed ED to supply a copy of the chargesheet to all the accused in the present case.

Meanwhile, a lawyer appeared for Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) which is also probing the same case informed the court that Jacqueline Fernandez was recently asked to appear for it on August 29, 2022, but she didn’t appear so we have issued a fresh summons to her to join the investigation. To that lawyer appeared for Jacqueline assuring that she will join the investigation and co-operate with the probe agency.

Jacqueline Fernandez has also been summoned by ED several times in the matter for the purpose of investigation.

Advocate Prashant Patil appeared for Jacquline and stated that she has always cooperated with the investigation agencies and attended all the summons to date. “She has handed over all the information to the best of her ability to the ED.

ED’s earlier chargesheet did not mention her name as an accused but mentioned the detail of the statement recorded by Bollywood actors Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi in the matter.

According to ED’s earlier Chargesheet, Bollywood actresses Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi examined and stated that the actresses got top models of BMW cars, the most expensive gifts from the accused Sukesh.

ED chargesheet clearly stated that “during the investigation, statements of Jacqueline Fernandez were recorded on 30.08.2021 and 20.10.2021 Jacqueline Fernandez stated she received gifts viz three designer bags from Gucci, Chanel, and two Gucci outfits for gym wear. A pair of Louis Vuitton shoes, two pairs of diamond earrings and a bracelet of multi-coloured stones, two Hermes bracelets. She also received a Mini Cooper which she returned.”

“According to ED, Sukesh was confronted with Jacqueline on October 20, 2021. Jacqueline Fernandez stated that Sukash Chandrasekhar had arranged private jet trips and her hotel stay on different occasions for herself.

Statements of Nora Fatehi were recorded under section 50 of PMLA, 2002 on September 12, 2021, abd October 14, 2021, wherein she stated that she got a booking for a charity event and during the event, she was gifted a Gucci Bag and one iPhone by Leena Paulose. (Wife of Chandrashekhar)

Nora further stated that Leena Paulose had called her husband and put the phone on the speaker where he thanked her and said that they were her fans. She then announced that they would gift her a brand new BMW car as a token of love and generosity.

According to ED, during the investigation, searches were conducted at various places linked to Sukesh Chandrashekar and his associates. During the search, 16 high-end vehicles were seized under section 17 PMLA and these cars are either in the name of the firms of Leena Paulose or in the name of third parties. It is further submitted that it has emerged that Sukesh knowingly created the structure for layering and transferring proceeds of crime and thus, actively participated in the process of money laundering.

The first-ever visit of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to a mosque and a madrasa last week suggests a sincere purpose beyond reproach. In the past, he had made conciliatory remarks saying Hindutva without Muslims has no meaning. In the context of the Gyanvapi controversy, he had said, ‘you can’t go looking for a Shivling under every mosque’. But his maiden visit to Islamic institutions took the outreach to the next level. It cemented a late realisation that the entire Muslim community cannot be vilified for radical acts of a few and that national integration would be incomplete without representation of all sections of the population. He said as much at a meeting he had with five prominent Muslim intellectuals last month—former Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, former CEC S Y Quraishi, former vice chancellor Zameer Uddin Shah, former MP Shahid Siddiqui and businessman Saeed Shervan

While politicians like Owaisi dissed it, calling the intellectuals rootless elite, the fact that they set up a talks table ought to be applauded. How else can knotty problems be addressed in a democracy? At the meeting, Bhagwat accepted their anguish at labelling all Indian Muslims as Pakistanis or jihadis. Likewise, he said calling all Hindus kafirs (interpreted by radicals as enemies of Islam) was not fair either. Bhagwat also articulated the perceived insensitivity from the other side to the cow, considered holy by Hindus. He had no patience for hotheads spitting venom like those in the controversial Dharm Sansads. Bhagwat was also emphatic that the Sangh was committed to respecting the supremacy of the Constitution. 

The Sangh began grappling with the Muslim question at least since the early 1990s, as it realised that Muslims could not be wished away because of the sheer size of their population. The Muslim Rashtriya Manch was floated to platform nationalists within the community. But instead of approaching integration the way Gandhiji did, the Sangh first worked on unlocking Hindu majoritarian power. A few months ago, at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bidding, the BJP started reaching out to the poor Pasmanda Muslims to add to its vote bank. 

Bhagwat taking the lead for rapprochement ought to be welcomed. But it will not be easy to contain firebrand VHP and BJP elements and their invectives like Babar ki aulad and abbajaan. If PFI that radicalises the youth needs to be parallelly crushed, so be it. Fostering communal amity is the only way forward for inclusive growth.

MUMBAI: Parts of Mumbai witnessed heavy rains on Saturday morning, but the public transport services in the city remained unaffected and no major waterlogging was reported, civic officials said.ADVERTISEMENTAds by 

The city and its eastern and western suburbs received heavy showers between 7 am and 8 am. But the rainfall stopped after that in most of these places.

A civic official said that during the one hour, Dadar Fire station and Ravali Camp recorded 28 mm rainfall, F-North ward office 21 mm, F-South office 18 mm, Wadala Fire station 17 mm and Britannia at Reay Road recorded 12 mm rainfall.

In eastern suburbs, M-East and L-East ward offices recorded 17 mm and 12 mm rainfall, respectively, while SWM Workshop recorded 20 mm, Cooper Hospital and H-East ward 18 mm, Andheri fire station 17 mm and Versova Pumping station recorded 14 mm rainfall, he said.

“No major waterlogging was reported anywhere in the city or Suburbs. The suburban train services running normal and bus services of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) also were not diverted,” the official said.

Mumbai city, its eastern suburbs and western suburbs recorded rainfall of 27.45 mm, 5.24 mm and 9.38 mm, respectively, in the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Saturday, the civic officials said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted partly cloudy skies in the morning and light to moderate rainfall in the city and its suburbs in the evening.