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West Bengal, Bihar, Karnataka CMs congratulate KCR

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Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Bihar and Karnataka on Tuesday congratulated their Telangana counterpart K. Chandrashekar Rao on his ruling TRS party’s massive win in the state’s Assembly elections.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Karnataka Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy telephoned the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President to convey their congratulations.

According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, YSR Congress Party President and leader of opposition in Andhra Pradesh Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and Sarada Peetam head Swaroopanandendra Saraswati also congratulated Rao.

 

IANS

‘Jallianwala Bagh massacre was preceded by reign of terror by the British’

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 As the country gears up to observe the 100th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of innocent, unarmed Indians by ruthless British forces, the events before and after the April 13, 1919, killing of hundreds clearly indicate that the British rulers of that time were unnerved by the unrest in Punjab in general and Amritsar in particular, which led them to do something which could “teach a lesson” to the Indians.

“Though Brigadier General Reginald Dyer (who ordered his troops to fire on people who had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh on the fateful day and killed hundreds) was blamed for the action, there is hardly any documented evidence to show how he landed in Amritsar on that day as he was posted in Jalandhar (earlier Jullundur),” author and columnist Kishwar Desai told IANS in an interview here.

Desai, who has penned a book “Jallianwala Bagh, 1919: The Real Story” recently, said that her extensive research on the happenings around the massacre revealed that the British rulers were quite unnerved by the unrest in Punjab and Amritsar.

“Prior to the killings at Jallianwala Bagh, there had been signs of increasing unrest in Punjab. These signs were being interpreted as sedition, even though causes of the unrest were varied. Indeed, it is impossible to understand what happened on 13 April 1919, without an examination of the barbarism unleashed in Punjab under the regime of the then Lieutenant Governor Sir Michael O’Dwyer to suppress the so-called rebellion,” Desai, who is the chair of The Arts and Cultural Heritage Trust that set up the world’s first Partition Museum at Amritsar’s Town Hall, points out in her book.

The author said that the idea to write this book and to bring out “some facets which had not been researched in detail so far” came after she chanced upon a photograph of the burnt-down Town Hall building of Amritsar. This happened in April 1919.

Further investigation and research, according to Desai, led to more evidence of the British atrocities on Indian subjects just before the Jallianwala Bagh incident and the violence that erupted in Amritsar on April 10 in which many people, including five Europeans, were killed. Properties, including the Town Hall, were targeted to protest against the British atrocities.

Disputing the commonly held narrative that the people who had gathered at the Bagh on the fateful day for an anti-Rowlatt Act meeting were outsiders who had come to Amritsar for the Baisakhi festival, Desai points out that the meeting was attended mostly by local residents of Amritsar and no more than 25 per cent of them were from outside.

“And it is very likely that the massacre was a carefully planned one, not spontaneous one as has been often made out. In all likelihood, no women were present,” Desai states in the book, adding that O’Dwyer, who was nearing retirement at that time, and others in power, were upset over the emerging importance of Punjab in the freedom struggle and retaliated with a reign of terror where people were whipped in public, bombed, incarcerated, forced to crawl, starved, beaten, caged and even executed.

“The massacre on 13 April was part of a policy of oppression unleashed by O’Dwyer against the frequent ‘hartals’ (strikes) or the ‘Satyagraha Movement’ (launched by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi)… in fact, the civil administration of Punjab had already declared Amritsar a war zone (around April 11) and regarded the residents as their enemies,” Desai points out in the book.

Dyer, who had arrived in Amritsar from Jullundur on the evening of April 11, had ordered his troops to fire on the gathering inside Jallianwala Bagh on the evening of April 13, 1919. The official death figure was put at 379 while nearly 1,200 were injured. The death toll is often disputed, with claims (Indian National Congress Report) that over 1,000 innocent people were killed.

“Not a very well-known entity” when he arrived in Amritsar, Dyer had a “fairly humdrum career” till he “hit immortality as a mass murderer”, the new book says.

IANS

Case filed against ‘Kedarnath’ in UP court

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A case has been filed in a local court at Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh against the Bollywood flick “Kedarnath”, which is set against the backdrop of the 2013 flash floods.

The film which depicts the love story of a Muslim porter and a Hindu girl on a pilgrimage to Kedarnath sees the debut of Sara Ali Khan, daughter of actress Amrita Singh and Saif Ali Khan.

In his petition filed before the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM-II), Dhananjay Mishra on Monday, the petitioner Siddhartha Singh, has named the main lead Sushant Singh Rajput, Sara Ali Khan and director Abhishek Kapoor.

The petitioner, also a lawyer, has been represented by two lawyers Ravindra Vikram Singh and Himanshu Srivastava in the case who have pleaded before the court that a love story has been shown in the film at the time of the natural calamity of 2013 which killed thousands.

The petitioner has objected to the film, his lawyers pointed out, due to a variety of reasons including its passionate love scenes and alleged promotion of love jihad, obscene dance sequences in the backdrop of a major disaster, scars of which are still afresh in the minds of the victims and their families.

The court has fixed January 17 as the next date of hearing.

IANS

RS adjourned for the day after mourning Vajpayee’s death

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RS adjourned for the day after mourning Vajpayee's death
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Tuesday after mourning the death of former Prime Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

“Vajpayee ji was one of the doyens of the country’s political leadership who influenced the course of events after Independence. During his long stint in public life, Vajpayee ji epitomized the politics of grace,” Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu said in an obituary reference as the house assembled.

He added that Vajpayee, who died on August 16 at the age of 93, was a parliamentarian par excellence who never hesitated to rise above politics whenever warranted in larger interest of the country and was respected across the political spectrum despite his strong ideological views.

The house also mourned the death of former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, former Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar, former Rajya Sabha members R.K. Dorendra Singh, Kuldip Nayar, Karma Topden, Nandamuri Harikrishna, Darshan Singh Yadav, Ratnakar Pandey, Satya Prakash Malaviya, Ram Deo Bhandary, Malti Sharma, N.D. Tiwari, P.K. Maheshwari, and Baishnab Parida.

In an emotional obituary reference to Ananth Kumar, Naidu said he has lost a personal friend.

The house also mourned the death of people in natural calamities — Titli cyclone which hit Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, and cyclone Gaja which hit Tamil Nadu.

The house was adjourned after observing a two-minute silence in memory of the deceased.

IANS

I don’t feel any pressure, but have responsibility towards acting: Ranveer Singh

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New Delhi Hopes are high from newly-married Ranveer Singh, who is set to woo quintessential Bollywood fans with “Simmba” later this month. After eight years of entertaining audiences, the actor says he does not feel any pressure to deliver his best as he sees it as a responsibility towards what he loves doing — acting.

Ranveer has a filmography boasting of titles like like “Band Baaja Baaraat”, “Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl”, “Lootera”, “Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela”, “Bajirao Mastani”, “Dil Dhadakne Do” and “Padmaavat”.

Asked if he feels pressure with so many hopes riding on him, Ranveer told IANS in an e-mail interaction from Mumbai: “I have been fortunate enough to experience both highs and lows. (I have been) Lucky and blessed that there have been more highs than lows, but I’m glad that the lows were there because they taught me a lot.”

The actor, who faced failure with films like “Befikre” and “Kill Dil”, says it taught him that filmmaking is a collaborative process.

“According to me, whether it’s my most successful film or least successful film — I know in my heart of hearts that I tried my best, I performed with all honesty and never gave less than a 100 per cent. If a film did not work, that is not in my hands. From my point of view, my perspective, I gave it everything.

“For a film to become a hit or a flop, there are many variables and many factors. That said, I don’t get pressurised. I see it as a responsibility to what I love doing,” he said.

Ranveer, who tied the knot with his long-time lady love Deepika Padukone in November, says he feels responsible when filmmakers come to him for collaborations.

“When filmmakers collaborate with me, I only assume that they expect me to bring something to the table creatively and I like that. I appreciate that the finest filmmakers look upon me as a collaborator. It’s something to be proud of and so I feel responsible,” said Ranveer, who has worked under the direction of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Zoya Akhtar, Aditya Chopra and Vikramaditya Motwane.

As a performer, Ranveer said his effort is always to make people associated with him proud.

“I want to make my fans, family, my team everybody who is directly or indirectly connected to me, my life, my career — proud. So, I feel responsible in that way. So yes, I don’t feel pressurised, but I definitely do feel responsible,” he added.

Ranveer, who has been feted with the “entertainer of the year” award by a magazine, has a bag full of films coming up. His next his “Simmba”, where he is playing a flamboyant police officer. Then there’s “Gully Boy”, “’83” and a period drama “Takht”.

The actor’s last Bollywood outing was Bhansali’s “Padmaavat”, in which he essayed the role of Alauddin Khilji. Ranveer upped his own game with his powerful acting and eccentric mannerisms in the film, and captivated cine-goers with his stand-out performance, which set the bar higher for Bollywood villains.

Would he like to play an anti-hero again?

“Khilji’s part was mentally and emotionally taxing for me. I don’t think I’m keen on going into the dark space again anytime soon. That said, I want to keep doing different things. I will explore new characters that have a fresh set of layers to play. I never say never, but probably not anytime soon,” he said.

Ranveer was in fact advised by many people to not play Khilji.

“The rationale behind that was pretty convincing. They rationalised saying how audiences are very emotional, they even draw lines between actors and stars. If they love a character, they will shower the love on who played the character and if they hate the character, that hate will come upon the actor.”

But the 33-year-old star saw it differently.

“I trusted the audience, I trusted their maturity and the fact that they have evolved over time that they can see the performance for what it is. I felt that if I do this part well, they will appreciate me as an actor. I’m glad I trusted the audience and my trust in them paid off. It was a huge risk, but I’m never one to play it safe. So I’m glad I took the risk,” he said.

(IANS)

Ratan Tata conferred steel industry’s lifetime achievement award

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 Eminent industrialist Ratan N. Tata was conferred the Steel Users Federation of India (SUFI) Lifetime Achievement Award for his association and contribution to the industry, an official said here on Monday.

The award was bestowed on Tata by Union Minister for Steel Choudhary Birendra Singh and other dignitaries on Sunday night, besides 450 delegates from 10 countries representing the industry attending the 2nd SUFI Steel Awards.

The other prominent awardees included Hall of Fame category’s ‘Steel CEO of the Year’ for Vipul Mathur, CEO, Welspun Corp. Ltd; Tata Steels Ltd. and Maharashtra Seamless Ltd sharing the ‘Steel Company of the Year’; and POSCO Maharashtra Steel Pvt. Ltd and Naresh Steel Industries Ltd. jointly bagging the ‘Emerging Steel Company of the Year’ honours.

In the special category, M. Junction won the ‘Digital India Award’, JSW Steels Ltd. got the ‘Make In India Award’ and Metal Street bagged the ‘Start-Up India Award’.

Addressing the gathering, Singh said that the steel industry needs in-depth research and motivation to stay ahead of competition globally, and accommodate the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

“The government is pacing towards boosting and assisting the steel industry towards innovations and technology revolution,” said Singh.

SUFI President Nikunj Turakhia said that recognising the disconnect between the industry and government, the organisation has been instrumental in bridging the gap.

“We believe it is imperative that the contribution of those who have made the steel industry reach its heights today is recognized through these awards,” Turakhia added.

The SUFI Steel Awards with several categories added this year, were conducted in association with the Steel Group, Steel Scenario and ASSAR.

IANS

 

This ‘Kaala’ takes up racism against Africans in India

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 Rajinikanth-starrer “Kaala” had a socio-political message on the plight of Dalits, but here’s another “Kaala” — a short film by Tarun Jain — which aims to highlight the issue of racism in India, especially against Africans.

“My film ‘Kaala’ is my response to the troubled nights and anger which pushed me every day to tell this story. It is a socio-political film about the uncompromising issue of racism in India. Between 2016 and 2017, reports on brutal assaults on the Africans in parts of Delhi and its close by areas was covered by almost all media houses. The incidents shook me to the core,” Jain told IANS of the reason he chose the subject for a film.

“Delhi is my home and I have fond memories attached to it, but this city failed to offer equivalent memories to people from other inhabitants. It became a city filled with gory reminders of murders, deaths, brutal attacks, abuses and so on. With over a decade of experience in filmmaking, I decided to use my ability and not remain a silent watcher. Racism is enormously rooted in our society and ignorance will not take us further, but it will stop us from advancing,” he added in an email interview.

Why title it “Kaala”?

“Kaala is a derogatory statement which we attempt to change. It’s more of a word which is used to define someone in disparaging terms. In our film, there is a dialogue, ‘Oye Kaluwe, kaha jaa raha hai?’. Kaala is not just restricted to skin colour, but it also reminds you that you that you are inferior. Rajinikanth’s ‘Kaala’ is also a socio-political film with a strong message.

“We too hope that our short film brings about an urgent change, more so now than ever before,” added Jain, who is rasing Rs 500,000 for the film’s post-production, via crowdfunding platform Wishberry.

India, the 33-year-old filmmaker said, has failed to consider racism a pressing issue.

“As a society, we failed miserably at accommodating a safe and respectful place for people of other communities, despite Indians facing invasive situations in other parts of the world. Our film questions ‘why we are doing the same things for which we have been battling the western world for generations?’

“How is skin colour enough to judge a person? How our opinion changes when we see a black as compared to a white? Why can’t we treat a human as human? Man as a man and a woman as a woman? My ‘Kaala’ is about the disturbing elements of how a society can abandon you for something as trivial as the colour of your skin. It takes you to an uncomfortable yet compelling space which makes you contemplate on your choices in life.”

The larger message, he said, is to help people reconnect to the most powerful human emotion, love.

“Kaala” features a non-actor of African descent as its main character.

Jain said their research for the movie mainly included meetings and interactions with people from the African community.

“During eight months of research, we met people from the embassies, students from different schools, universities, professionals and mainly indulged in conversations after conversations. Sometimes, it also led to heated arguments and ended up in a few fights as well. During those meetings, our intention was to meet African residents and know their experiences and their expectations.

“We also met a few victims and families of those who lost their lives. Our research also comprised reading a lot on incidents between 2016 and 2017, interacting with journalists who covered the attacks in the past, Indian government’s reactions and implementations after the attacks, and their outcomes,” said the Delhi-based filmmaker.

 

IANS

New ticket system for Taj Mahal to reduce human impact

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The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Monday enforced a new ticketing system for the Taj Mahal, aimed at reducing increasing human impact on the fragile 17th century white marble marvel.

Vasant Kumar Swarnkaar, the ASI chief in Agra, said the new ticketing system came into effect from Monday morning.

According to the ASI, visitors will now have to shell out an extra Rs 200 to enter the main mausoleum with the graves of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Domestic tourists were initially paying only Rs 50 only.

Foreign visitors will also need to buy the Rs 200 ticket in addition to the Rs 1,100 entrance fee.

The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute had originally suggested two tickets, to help reduce the number of visitors to the main structure.

The tourism industry has not appreciated the increase, fearing this step could hit arrivals.

 

IANS

HC seeks response on plea seeking women’s entry into Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah

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 The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the Centre and the Delhi government to respond to a plea seeking directions to allow the entry of women into the sanctum sanctorum of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah.

The court was hearing a plea seeking directions for framing of guidelines to ensure the entry of women and declare the act of prohibiting women to enter as unconstitutional.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Kameswar Rao asked the Ministries of Home Affairs, Law and Justice, the Delhi government, Delhi Police and Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Trust to file the response and listed the matter for further hearing to April 11, 2019.

The plea was filed by Deeba Faryal and other female law students of the Balaji Law College, Pune, who are presently in Delhi for their internship.

The petitioners, in the plea, stated that they had gone to visit the Dargah but they were prohibited from entering the sanctum sanctorum.

“They (law students) found out that women are not allowed inside the main Darghah or the sanctum sanctorum. All the women were allowed to do was to watch from outside how men were praying inside,” said the plea filed by advocate Kamlesh Kumar Mishra.

“While the entire nation is professing and advocating the entry of women in all religious institutions without any discrimination and the same having been further allowed and promoted by the Supreme Court in the recent Sabarimala judgement, women in the heart of the country and the centre of the capital are being discriminated. Their entry into the Dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin is prohibited when it is just 15 minutes away from the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court,” read the plea.

The plea has also sought the removal of signs and display boards inside or near the Dargah displaying prohibition of entry of women.

SAY NO TO DRUGS : A BIKE RALLY TO CREATE AWARENESS ON DRUGS

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By : Husna Rizwan
 A bike rally for bringing in awareness among the youth and general masses against drug addiction was taken out from Jayanagar to Ferns Estates in Boyahalli on Airport Road. The event was well received by Namma Bengalureans.NEWS9
550 Bikers and more were active participants and audience count was nearly 1000 people. #SayNoToDrugs was the Events focus.
Bikers are using their mobility and clout to spread such messages wherever they ride. Ashish Singh, founder of Indian Royal Cruisers, Bangalore was the man behind the scenes. His is the last picture. Man on the right.
Keynote speakers at this event were Dr. Sangeeta Saksena of Enfold India She spoke on the empowering that Biker groups can do. How the High can be experienced by riding a bike and get lifes thrills that way.
Dr. Jayant Mahdevan an expert on drug addiction in Bangalore spoke on how to look out for the vulnerable children an others in society who can be easy preys for drug addiction
Major Bhavana, retd. of Yoddha spoke of how all of us can benefit from self defence classes and why it is something that should be taught across all schools…Yoddha Self-Defence
Gitanjali Gupta. Head CSR & Advocacy of EnfoldIndia spoke on women empowerment and propagated the download of the Stri Suraksha app. ..in 11 languages. Free. For Android phones. Made with collaboration with Unicef and C.Dac, Hyderabad. The app is quite unique. This is not an emergency app. Its an app that provides you comprehensive education on how to take necessary steps to protect yourself with knowledge of Indian Penal Codes, critically defining paragraphs that inform you with legalese on your rights and laws; provide you with clarity on what trauma you have undergone and how to take issues up further with police till end stage. Its a wonderful handy books of legal knowledge & resources on how to help yourself in times of distress.

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