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he car in which Sheena


Bora was allegedly killed
was on Saturday traced, while
questions cropped up of a
cover-up by Raigad police for
not registering a case of murder or accidental death three
years ago when a partiallyburnt body, believed to be hers
was found.
We have traced the car.
The car had changed many
hands in three years and we are
yet to recover it, said a senior
police official.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Police
continued the interrogation of
three main suspects, Sheena's
mother Indrani Mukerjea, her
former husband Sanjeev
Khanna and her driver Shyam
Rai all of whom are to be taken
to the spot in Pen tehsil of
Raigad district where the body
was found a month after the
murder in April, 2012. Police
said Khanna and Indrani were
giving evasive replies. The
police also sought call data
records of the three accused.
Police are also interrogating
Indranis son Mikhail Bora at a
hotel in suburban Bandra in the
murder case. They are probing

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Mikhails claim that just hours


before Indrani and Sanjeev
Khanna met Sheena Bora on

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April 24, 2012 and took her for


what would be the last drive of
her life, Indrani had also alleged-

ly drugged her son, Mikhail.


Turn to Page 4

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akistan Army and Inter


Service Intelligence (ISI) have
stepped up their activities on the
Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch
and Rajouri by using unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAV) for reconnaissance. The development has
alarmed the security establishment since it is for the first time
that Pakistan has used such a
sophisticated devise to survey
strategic Indian territory.
In the last one week alone,
at least two airspace violations
by UAVs were detected in the
region. The UAVs entered more
than two kms inside Poonch
and hovered around for some
time to gather Intelligence about
strategic targets like Army locations and crucial road links.
Security forces fear that

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Bandhan festivities drew a huge
number of people out of their
homes, bringing the national
Capital literally to a standstill
at various places. Outer Ring
Road, its major arteries and
areas such as Vikaspuri, Uttam
Nagar in West Delhi,
Aurobindo Marg, Vikas Marg,
Marginal Pusta Road connecting Old Iron Bridge to Khajoori
Khas Chowk, NH-24, Mukarba
Chowk, Wazirabad in North,
Badarpur and Nehru Place in
South and Dilshad Garden,
Seemapuri in East saw traffic
jams since Saturday morning.
ISBT Kashmere Gate and
Anand Vihar witnessed heavy
crowds since Friday night.
Due to heavy rush, the
Delhi Metro daily ridership
touched a new high of 31.75
lakh on Friday on the eve of the
festival, while commuters
poured in, in large numbers
throughout the day as well.
Authorities took extra measures
for the festival that celebrates
the bond between siblings.
Additional DTC buses and
increased Metro trips had been

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t a time when the


Government is making allout efforts to popularise pension schemes in the country,
two regulators, Insurance
Regulatory and Development
Authority (IRDA) and Pension
Fund Regulator y and
Development Authority
(PFRDA), have locked horns
over the pension fund business,
which is still operated by some
life insurance companies.
PFRDA is waging a war
against insurance companies by
telling the Government that the
pension fund business of life
insurance companies must be
regulated by it on the plea that

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the PFRDA Act clearly states this.


Our long-pending demand
is that all pension fund business
should come under the PFRDA.
We have already requested the
Finance Ministry to look into
the matter. The pension fund

business of life insurance companies has already been reduced


to one-tenth in the past four
years due to the IRDAs diktat on
making it a guaranteed one, a
senior PFRDA official told The
Pioneer.

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ou will scarcely believe this


but there are people in
India who are undergoing cosmetic surgery and skin treatment to post a perfect picture
on Facebook.
Facebook facelift, a term
coined by the doctors, is a trend
gaining pace in the country
with people aiming for more
likes and comments on their
profile pictures.
Various doctors with
whom IANS spoke said people
these days dont mind spending lakhs of rupees and undergoing multiple surgeries to get
a perfect photogenic face.
Everyone wants to look
young and, in the age of social
media, there is a craze among

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the netizens to look better in
profile photos and selfies, by
opting for facelift procedures,
Anup Dhir, MD, Cosmetic and
Plastic Surgery at the Apollo
Hospital here, said.

Intelligence gathered by the


UAVs will be used by the
Turn to Page 4

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arranged for the day. Free travel for women in non-AC DTC
and orange cluster buses acted
as a sweetener for many.
Turn to Page 4

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here was heavy rush on


T
roads and in Metro trains
on Saturday, as the Raksha

<4C7>3C>
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Asked who men or


women seek these facelifts,
Dhir said, Both men and
women come, but there are
more females than men,
although males are catching

up fast.
This comes as a surprise in
the country where, till a few
years ago, people considered
social networking sites like
Facebook and Google+ a mere

time pass.
Dhir said that for real
change, patients have to undergo three interventions, with
each procedure costing up to
C30,000. But he cautions that a
facelift is not suggested for all.
Navin Taneja, director of
The National Skin Centre, said
that the trend is likely to see a
major surge in the coming days
with internet penetration in
the country constantly increasing with every passing day.
The trend has increased
200 per cent in the past three
years. It will keep growing with
the time and advancement in
technology, Taneja said, adding
people are getting more conscious about their looks and
they want to look their best in
each and every event.
Turn to Page 4

According to the PFRDA,


under the National Pension
Scheme (NPS), individual savings are pooled into a pension
fund and invested by PFRDAregulated professional fund
managers as per approved
investment guidelines into
diversified portfolios comprising of Government bonds, bills,
corporate debentures and
shares. In spite of good returns
and being a defined benefit
scheme, NPS has lagged behind
other long-term investment
products such as Provident
Fund, due to lack of ExemptExempt-Exempt (EEE) or taxfree status at the time of withdrawal. NPS, however, has
Exempt-Exempt-Taxed (EET)
Turn to Page 4

<YV]CRe_RR
YfXVY`_`fc
New Delhi: Indias tennis ace
Sania Mirza on
Saturday said it
was a huge honour to be conferred with the
Rajiv Gandhi
Khel Ratna and
the recognition
will push her further to do well in future.
Meanwhile, Arjuna Award
was conferred to 17 sportsperson, including PR Sreejesh
(hockey), Dipa Karmakar
(gymnastics), Jitu Rai (shooting), Babita (wrestling), Bajrang
(wrestling), Rohit Sharma
(cricket), K Srikanth (badminton), Manjeet Chhillar
(kabaddi), Abhilasha Mhatre
(kabaddi).
Detailed report on P11

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6/11 capers were always


the thing to do in
Bollywood. But this one, to
say the least, is audacious. It
plays to the gallery of avenging
the dastardly attack on India by
going into enemy territory and
liquidating under cover of
course the perpetrators of
26/11 who are enjoying their
freedom and patronage in
neighbouring Pakistan.
Such capers are usually
thrillers and Saif has earlier too
been in some such transnational spy-kill-terror mounts
(Agent Vinod). However, he and
the director, for some
unexplained reasons, takes it
very slow in this one. The result
is that even though the subject
is pulsating, the means to get to
it is rather unhappening.
From America to London
to Kashmir to Beirut to
Pakistan its a journey under
cover agent Danial Khan takes
to kill all 26/11 masterminds,
including David Hadley in an
American Jail and Maulana in
Pakistan.

Even though the terrorist


on target are real, the entire
operation is so unreal and
fantastic that even our RA&W
agents would be surprised they
were regarded capable of it. Saif
walks through the role and
Katrina Kaif, as a global
security agent undercover from
RA&W, is a neither here nor
there character in a film that
could have done so much better
only if it had been faster and
slicker.

A0?8358A4
heeled society from where her exhusband comes and a woman in
acute emotional distress.
Ricki and the Flash is a movie
that gets its moments from Meryl
Streep in both these contrasting
roles. As we know over the years,
Streep is a powerhouse of deep
seated histrionics and meticulous
performances on screen. Over the
years, she has also developed her
alternate talent of singing and
that is in wholesome display here as
she sings everyone from Bruce
Springsteen to rock and roll greats.
Her booming voice makes you tide
over her edginess of a failed mother
and a woman in the lookout for
money and stability.
After her grown up daughter
comes close to a breakdown after her
new husband leaves her for another
girl, Rickis ex-husband Pete calls in
for help. Ricki comes flying, literally,
and straight away lands in the upmarket society and family home
whose woman of the house is out on
a father errand to another city. The
familial dysfunctionalities and the
ultimate coming together have been
well strewn into the film which gets
all its edginess from Streep and
Streep alone.
See it for her and her
inbounding talent as the ultimate
star of any age.

CdbUU`Q\\
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ON
C OMEDY
NIGHTS
BACHAO
A comedy show based on the
insult genre or lampoon is very rare
on Indian TV. But Comedy Nights
Bacho (CNB) will fill this gap and
have celebrity guests who will
become the butt of all jokes. Not
just that, theyll get opportunity to
poke fun at the comedians too.
ON THE USP
If a celebrity comes to a TV
show, hosts and various other
people on the show do sweet talk
to praise them like they are big fan
of them and have watched all their
movies. But in CNB, we are telling
them the truth and making fun of
their work, life and personality
traits. It takes guts to face insults.
ON CELEBRITY GUESTS
Only those celebrities can sit on
the chair of CNB who have the
capacity to listen to the truth and
face criticism with laughter.
ON OTHER COMEDIANS
Its not a single persons show.
Instead, we have a team of 10
comedians who work like a joint
family. We have divided ourself in
five groups Krushna Abhishek,
Sudesh Lahiri and Sara Khan; me,
Karan Wahi and Pritam Singh;
Anita Hassanandani and Mubeen;
Shruti Seth and Shakeel Siddiqui;
and Pooja Bose and Naseem Vicky.
ON SIMILARITY WITH AIB
This show is very different
from the AIB roast. With the
amount of vulgarity that AIB had,
being an Indian, we would never be
able to watch it sitting with our
family. Whereas CNB is laughter

C:4<:E967=2D9
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7KHMRNHLVRQ\RX

created out of criticism but it is


funfilled. Its like when a brotherin-law comes to live for a day in a
Punjabi family and everybody pulls
his leg and teases him.
ACTORS GETTING OFFENDED
In the first episode, we have
Sohail Khan and Mika Singh as the
guests. We asked Mika: Paaji apke
paas Hummer hai. Toh aapne
rikshawali jaisi ladki ki pappi kyu
li?. We asked Sohail Khan that aap
toh Salman Khan ka autograph
market me beech ker paise kamate
hai naa?
These are the awkward
questions and punch lines they
faced but they didnt feel bad about
it but laughed it off. Mika and Khan
brothers are renowned in the

C4;;HC0;4

n stage Ricci was


magic. An unhindered
voice of rock & roll. A
diva in worship of music. A
woman, or should we say a
musician of conviction. Bring
her down the stage, and she is
a mess. She is not even Ricky,
she is a woman of a different
name, an absolute shirker of a
mother, a horror for the well

brainstrom over the


script.
If we tell them
that we cant say or do
what is written in the
script, they take it in a
good spirit and make
changes according to our
convenience.

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FUTURE PLANS
Im a very big fan
of Gaurav Gera and
Sunil Grover and
their characters
Chutki and Gutthi
looks hilarious yet
relatable.
I really like the way
when Chutki says
shopkeeper...
hanji
behenji. If Chutki and
L alli would come
together, its going to be
a
laughter
blast.

industry and would


not
like
if
somebody would
make fun or critise
them.
But on this
show, they took it
very sportingly and
our confidence grew
manifold after their
reaction.

7 YEARS
I am becoming more
enthusiastic and have
grown stronger day by
day. I love to do comedy
and when I see people
appreciating me it gives
me a high.
There are so many
people whoses living is
based on the show. If we
10 comedians are
performing in CNB, there
are 700 people who have
been associated with us
who work hard.

ON SCRIPTING
Our creative team is
very strong and we have
been doing comedy shows
from very long time.
They are our backbone
of the show and the creative
team, director and writer
sit
together
and
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QWill season 4 of Best of Luck Nikki be
just as crazy and have plenty of fun
element as its previous seasons?
Definitely. It will have a lot more to
offer in terms of fun and laughter. Those
who have been following the previous
season will find that this time round,
Avtaar Singh and his family is even
crazier that before.
QIs doing comedy shows a conscious
decision?
In real life too, I am a fun-loving
person. It is something that runs in the
family. My children tell me that I should
act like a father than this person who likes
to joke all the time. So, in some ways,
doing comedy comes very naturally to me.
The other reason why I choose to do these
kind of roles is that I want people from
the elderly to the youngest to sit and
enjoy my show. Best of Luck Nikki is a
show in which even a small child can
understand what is happening onscreen.
Nobody has to sit and explain to him.
QBut in films, your characters are very
different. Why?
While comedy comes easily to me, I
want people to know that I can do
serious roles as well. Hence, when I do
films the characters I do are so different.
But it is not as if I will not do a comedy
role for a film. If the role is good and I
feel I can do justice to it, I will take up
the project.
QIs doing serious roles a challenge for
you then?
Playing any character is a challenge
including comedy which happens to be
my forte. But when it comes to doing
other kid of roles, one has to get into the
character, understand what the director
wants from that role and deilver it. With
every role that I am given, whether it is
TV or films, I bring in my own version
of what I think the character should be.
QWhat makes Best Of Luck Nikki so
popular?
Like I said, the show have lots of fun
element to it. Viewers can sit with their
families and watch and have a good laugh.
Avtaar Singh and his family is very
wacky, the trouble they get into and the
antics they play are funny to watch.
QWhat are the other TV projects that
you have in hand?
There was Shastri Sisters. But that is
now off air. So for now I am concentrating

4YfURZ]d`_eYVac`h]

F
on Best of Luck... As an actor I prefer to
not do too many things at one time. First,
there is the dates issue which then leads
to time constrains. Though I have
reached a stage where I can juggle a few
projects at one time, it is better to give
your 100 per cent to one show before
saying yes to another.
QWhy is it that popular TV actors are
unable to make a mark for themselves
in films?
There are a few reasons. While TV
industr y pays well, for an actor,
Bollywood is the ultimate benchmark as
far as popularity goes. But the film
industry doesnt make it easy for anyone
to make a name for himself. For a TV
actor to make it big, he needs to
completely concentrate on one thing
films. For this he needs to have enough
money to sustain himself for at least two
to three years for a good enough project
to come his way. If the money becomes
a problem, the actor is forced to take up
any film that comes his way.
For a TV actor to make it big, he
needs to concentrate just on films. He
cant say that he will do a lead in daily
soap and do a lead in films too. In that
case he should take up smaller roles.
QAny Bollywood projects that you are
working on at present?
There are a few of them, five to six
films that are to be released in the next
few months including a Punjabi movie.

rom showcasing daayans and


naagins in Sasuraal Simar Ka
(SSK) and Swaragani,
vampire in Qubool Hai to the
chudails in Jodha-Akbar or
unravelling a murder in CID and
Aadalat, the Indian TV is under
the spell of the supernatural.
Showmakers have started infusing
the ghost element in storylines to
add suspense to the track.
SSK, which has completed
four years on Colors with a TRP
of 4.0 in week 33, roped in Sara
Khan in December 2014 to play
Maya, an icchadhari naagin. After
an accident and Rolis (Avika
Gor) plastic surgery, Khan entered
the show as Roli.
Such was the interest regeneration that the production
house decided to introduce a
chudail as Sunaina played by
Neetha Shetty. Showmakers were
not done yet and then came
dayaan played by Pratyusha
Banerjee as a mysterious girl
Mohini who fell in love with
Prem, and created a rift between
Simar (Dipika Kakkar) and Prem
(Dheeraj Dhoopar).
Rashmi Sharma, the producer
of SSK and Swaragani, created a
mahasangam of these two shows
and showcased Mohini kidnap
Prem and hide him at Swara
(Helly Shah) and Raginis (Tejaswi
P Wayangankar) place. When
Ragini got to know about Mohinis
truth, she asked for help in
stopping Swara and Lakshyas
(Namish Taneja) marriage
through black magic.
The supernatural strain on
the small screen is a relatively
unexplored terrain in fiction

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shows and we are utilising it to


create a unique fabric of
entertainment that keeps the
viewers engaged. The Indian
audience has always been privy to
stories of daayans and spirits. It
excites them to watch such
concepts unfold in a daily soap,
Sharma says.
For 24-year-old, Pratyusha
Banerjee, taking up a role of
dayaan for two shows was a big
risk. Earlier there was a bit of
inhibition as when you play a
negative character, people start
putting you in boxes and
categorise you as the vamp on
Indian TV. But then I realised that
this role is very challenging and I
had never done anything like that
before. As an actor, nothing can get
better than this, Banerjee says.
The actress had to shoot for
five days for these two shows
which was not only mentally and
physically exhaustive but too much
negativity was a big turn off. The
scene where Mohini put a garland
on Tvishas (child artist Sanjana)
neck and takes the sword to kill
her, I felt extremely bad after it got
over. I didnt speak to anybody that

day, Banerjee expresses. Sharma


feels that the main reason for
exploring this supernatural angle
on SSK is to cater to viewers who
like to watch Simar and Roli
unravel the mystery, emerge
victorious and stand stronger than
before. The fact that they fight to
protect their family adds to the
drama. These elements make for
high voltage drama which holds
the viewers attention, he tells you.
It is not just the producers
who feel that introduction of the

supernatural track generates


curiosity among viewers. Shows
like Uttaran, Fannah, Hamari
Sister Didi have paranormal
elements in them. Jodha Akbar too
fell for the supernatural trap.
Laboni aka Leela (Melanie Pais),
Jodhas long-lost sister practised
black magic so that she can marry
Akbar and become his begum.
Now all eyes are on the fourth
season of Qubool Hai-Mohabbat
Khatarnak. But this isnt the first
time that Qubool Hai weaved in

ghost track.
The
inception
of
supernatural element started in
season 3 where we did an
experiment by introducing the
villain Nai Sanam (Additi Gupta)
as daayan. It was a very mysterious
character and we also showcased
her walking with her legs twisted
back. At the climax, we showcased
Sanam taking revenge by killing
everybody but she lost her life
while fighting with the daayan.
The background story of
vampire is under development but
there is a strong love triangle
between Mahira, Azaad and
Amaad, Faizal Akthar, writer of
Qubool Hai, Ashoka and Ek Tha
Raja, Ek Thi Rani, tells you.
Sharma tells you that weaving
supernatural content in fiction
gives a lot of opportunity to create
an intriguing story around the
fight between good and evil. The
focus is on creating an
environment which has the viewer
on the edge. They are eager to
watch the show on a daily basis just
to see how the story moves
forward, he says.
When the paranormal track
was introduced in tele-series like
CID, Aadalat, Humne Le Hai
Shapat, FIR, Ek Thi Nayika among
others, the viewers loved it. CID
even ran a haunted special series
which featured a headless biker, a
haunted house and boat. The
team had to unravel the truth
behind mysterious deaths.
Another episodic show Code Red
is currently running Talaash series
that showcases popular
paranormal occurrences and why
it exists in our country.

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week after the South Delhi


gang war, the sixth abscondA
ing accused has been arrested by
the Crime Branch on Saturday.
The accused identified as Anup
Kumar Tiwari, 28, was the driver of gangster Deepak Pandit
for four years.
According to Joint
Commissioner of Police
(Crime) Ravindra Yadav, the
sixth absconding accused has
been arrested, identified as
Anup Kumar Tiwari. Of the six
assailants, Anup Tiwari was the
only one who managed to

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he Aam Admi Party (AAP)


on Saturday suspended
party MPs Dharamavira
Gandhi and Harinder Singh
Khalsa from primary membership of the party and initiated disciplinary proceedings
against them.
The AAPs Political Affairs
Committee (PAC) suspended
the MPs and referred disciplinary proceedings against them
to the National Disciplinary
Action Committee. Gandhi is
an MP from Punjabs Patiala
constituency whereas Khalsa
represents Fatehgarh Sahib
Constituency in the State.
The National Disciplinary
Action Committee constitutes
of three-members which
include Pankaj Gupta, Dilip
Pandey and Deepak Bajpai
who will look into the complaints of anti-party activities.
According to the statement, there have been several
instances where the two were
trying to establish a parallel
organisation within the party
with the sole objective of damaging it in Punjab.
Gandhi and Khalsa have
criticised the party leadership
and the decisions taken by the
party on several occasions in
the media. Not only Gandhi
and Khalsa used the Press to
express their disagreement with
the party on various issues, they
also openly disobeyed the party
on several occasions and
refused to follow party discipline, the AAP stated.
Alleging that Gandhi and
Khalsa have joined hands with
the BJP-SAD leaders in Punjab
and have betrayed the party,
they party accused the BJP-SAD
regime of making the State a
hub of narcotics trade. Welloiled state run corruption
machinery has completely paralyzed the Government apparatus. Fed up with two terms of
misrule by the BJP-SAD combine, people of Punjab have
decided to go with AAP to bring
Delhi model of corruption free
governance to the State, the
party claimed.

by a police team, Tiwari sped


the vehicle towards Greater
Kailash I and ended up entering a residential lane with no
further escape route.
After the SUV rammed
into an iron gate, the occupants
rushed out of the vehicle and
scattered around.

While five of the alleged


assailants chose to hide in and
around a park, and later got
pinned down one after another by policemen, who were
helped by residents and security guards, Tiwari chose to
take shelter inside a building,
a senior police official of southeast district said.
The next day, one of the
CCTV grabs, obtained from S
Block of GK-I, revealed that
Tiwari had escaped from the
locality between 8.30 am and 9
am, long after the action was
over, the police official said.
Police are yet to recover six
lakh rupees in cash, which
Rao was reported to be
carr ying at the time of
the incident. He was heading
towards southwest Delhis Tigri
village after collecting the cash
from a property consultant in
outer Delhi.

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escape despite a combing operation launched by police. He


was nabbed by a Crime Branch
team on Thursday near
ISKCON temple in South Delhi
based on a tip-off. Tiwari has
been handed over to the
Greater Kailash police station
where a case against him had
been registered in connection
with Sundays incident.
On the intervening night,
between August 22 and 23,
Pandit and his associates had
allegedly shot dead another
gangster-turned-property dealer Raju Ramakant Rao at an
intersection in South Delhis
Greater Kailash area.
They first hit Raos motorbike with their Scorpio SUV,
being driven by Tiwari, and
then opened fire at him. Tiwari
was constantly changing his
hideouts after the incident and
the district police could not

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track him despite conducting


raids at several locations in
Delhi-NCR.
On Friday evening, police
arrested him near ISKCON
temple where he had come to
meet an associate, said the
joint commissioner of police.
After the SUV was chased

BC055A4?>AC4AQ =4F34;78

o put Delhi at par with


London, New York,
Shanghai and Stockholm, the
Arvind Kejriwal Government
has consulted Google, Facebook,
Cisco, Aruba, Ericsson,
Vodafone and several other
internet and telecom companies for its free Wi-Fi project in
the national Capital. The tender document is ready. Delhi
Cabinet is expected to clear the
free Wi-Fi project by the third
week of September.
Top sources said that
Google, Facebook, Cisco, which
is a global leader, Aruba,
Ericsson, Vodafone, all of these
companies, including many
domestic firms, have shown
interest in the Aam Admi Party
Governments pet project to
provide free public Wi-Fi.

Around 150 companies from


around the world have
expressed interest in the project.
According to sources if
everything will be all right
then global tender is likely to
be floated by October. The
Government has plans to make
free Wi-Fi functional by
February of next year.
On Friday, Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal presided a

high-level meeting on Wi-Fi


project but had to leave half
way, apparently because he
had an appointment with the
President. According to
sources, half of the discussion
has been finished and the
remaining half will be done on
Sunday afternoon. The tender
document is being finalised,
said the sources.
The plan to give free Wi-Fi
access was among the original
poll promises of the Kejriwal
Government but the new plan
is that the service will now be
given on the basis of limited
data usage, and not based on a
time limit. Within the Wi-Fi service, browsing websites, social
media, email and WhatsApp
will remain free and users will
only have to pay for watching
videos, video chats and downloading content.

31>4941D5C31>1<C?EC5
4EC3?==E>9DIB149?D?
3?>>53DG9D8CDE45>DC
A07810A?0AE44=Q
=4F34;78

elhi University has allowed


candidates for Delhi
University Students Union
(DUSU) elections to campaign
through university website and
social networking sites like
Facebook and Twitter. To reach
a wider audience the university has decided to allow the
broadcast of speeches by the
respective candidates on its
website for the maximum allotted time of five minutes.
The university has also
allowed campaigning on its
community radio but
strictly barred to follow the
paid means.
They can use the university website for campaigning
for a wider reach and social
networking sites like Facebook
and Twitter could also be used
for connecting with students.
But the candidates are strictly
barred from using paid services
for campaigning. It will exceed
the specific amount thus violating the guidelines issued for
the DUSU polls, Chief

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Election Officer, DS Rawat
told The Pioneer.
The committee comprising
of Rawat and two other officials
of the university heading the
polls would make the critical
examination of the speech of
candidates and edit it before

uploading it on the website.


The speech would be
uploaded in alphabetical order
starting with the first name of
the candidate. According to the
time slots available, the candidates would be able to upload
speeches from September 7 to
September 9.
The DUSU elections are
scheduled for September 11.
Rawat had sent a letter to
the political parties mainly the
Congress, the BJP and the
Aam Aadmi Party asking for
their co-operation in maintaining a distance from the students polls and directing their
youth wings to follow code and
conduct for a fair and transparent election.
However, the relaxation of
allowing
campaigning
on community radio and websites has been welcomed by the
organisation.
The two main organisation
contending against each other
are the Congress youth wing
National Students Union of
India (NSUI) and BJPs Akhil
Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad
(ABVP). The Aam Aadmi
Party has launched its students wing Chhatra Yuva
Sangharsh Samiti which would
also to contest against the two.
The ABVP won all the four
seats of the DUSU polls in the
last election.

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=4F34;78

elhi Chief Minister Arvind


Kejriwal on Saturday
D
extended his greetings to the
people on the occasion of
Raksha Bandhan. In a tweet,
Kejriwal said, Warm greetings
on the occasion of Raksha
Bandhan. I pray for safety of all
sisters. I am going to Haridwar
to celebrate Raksha Bandhan
with my younger sister.
He left for Haridwar to cel-

?C8

ebrate the festival with his sister. According to PTI, Kejriwal


arrived
at
Haridwar
railway station by DelhiDehradun Shatabdi Express at
11 am where he was given a
guard of honour.
However, the Chief
Minister returned the vehicle
provided by the district administration and went to his sisters
place in his brother-in-laws car.
Kejriwals sister who is a
doctor in Bharat Heavy
Electricals Limited (BHEL),

Haridwar - tied a Rakhi on his


wrist only after 2 pm as it was
not propitious to do so in the
morning hours due to
Bhadrakal.
Talking to the media at
Haridwar, Kejriwal described
his visit to the city as purely
personal and offered his greetings to the people on the occasion of Rakhi.
After spending the day
with his sister, the Chief
Minister returned to the capital by the Shatabdi Express.

67 '(/+,%22.)$,5%(*,16
BC055A4?>AC4AQ =4F34;78

eeking to make people aware


of the importance of skill
development in todays India,
the 21st edition of the Delhi
Book Fair began at Pragati
Maidan on Saturday. Based on
the
theme
of
Skill
Development, the event this
year aims to offer people an
idea about skill development
and how it can change the life
of the youth. The fair was
inaugurated by Jitendra Singh,
Minister of State (MoS) in the
Prime Ministers Office.
It has been jointly organised by India Trade Promotion
Organisation (ITPO) and The
Federation of Indian Publishers
(FIP). Subsidised entry tickets
priced CRs 20 for the nine-day
fair have been made available at
several Delhi Metro Stations for
convenience of public. Delhi
Deputy Chief Minister Manish

Officials said they will look


to ensure a minimum internet
speed of 512 kbps and the
Government is considering fixing the data usage to 50 MB per
day. Every day the system will
be reset. Once the data limit of
50MB is exhausted, users can
avail the service by paying for
extra usage. User will have to
pay for watching videos. Video
chat and downloading content
will be charged. As it is a public Wi-Fi, it will be available only
at public places. Residential
areas, green belts, farm belts and
rural belts will not be covered.
The
Information
Technology department is in
the process of identifying 1,000
places along with the Ground
Water
Sur vey
and
Development Agency for setting up hotspots in the first
phase of implementation.

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Sisodia also visited the Book


Fair on Saturday afternoon.
At the inauguration, MoS
Singh stressed that the challenge was to create a passion for
books among the public.
Better than employment is
employability. Therefore, better
than facilitating peoples arrival

to the fair, we need to inspire


some passion in them... It is a
huge challenge to create a passion which would not require
facilitation, he said.
While Internet is seen as a
threat to the tradition of reading books, the optimistic
Minister suggested the need for

encouraging a harmonious coexistence of the two. I dont


think that (Internet) should be
taken as a challenge. It should
be taken as a supplement. A lot
of things have become easier. If
you cannot find a publisher,
you can publish it on the
Internet. It automatically gets
readership across the world, he
said, adding that a book, however, will always have a longer
shelf life as compared to its
electronic counterpart.
Addressing a query by
Ashok Gupta, president of FIP,
regarding any possibility of
books becoming taxable with
the passage of the GST Bill,
Singh said, We can make a
submission in front of the
Finance Minister to urge him
against any such move. The
fair is featuring titles and publications by over 215 participants, including overseas participation from China.

New Delhi: A 30-year-old man,


who rebuked his drunken
neighbours for causing nuisance in the neighbourhood late
at night, was stabbed to death at
Dasna village in southwest
Delhi. According to the police,
the incident was reported at
around 12.40 am on the intervening night between Friday
and Saturday. The deceased,
Rajender was a skilled labourer who lived in a dormitory with
five others. Other labourers living in the neighbouring dormitory allegedly got drunk last
night and created nuisance in
the locality.
A group of locals
approached Rajender and asked
him to control the menace as
they had known him for a long
time. Rajender went to the
neighbouring dormitory and
rebuked two youths, which
erupted into an altercation. The
youths, identified as Jagannath
(24) and Mohan (25), allegedly stabbed Rajender and fled the
scene before the locals could
stop them. When a police team
rushed to the spot, they found
Rajender lying in a pool of
blood. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared
brought dead.
A case was immediately
registered. The accused duo
were later tracked down and
arrested, said DCP (southwest) RA Sanjeev.
SR

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New Delhi: A 20-year-old DU student from


Manipur was allegedly molested by a labourer
in North Delhi, police said on Saturday.
The accused, identified as Mohammad
Farmood (55), a native of Darbhanga district of
Bihar, was arrested after being booked under
Sections 354A (advances involving unwelcome
and explicit sexual overtures) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a
woman) of IPC, said a senior police official.
The woman has a pet kitten which had ran
into the grocery shop adjacent to her rented
house. She lost track of the kitten till the entrance
of the shop. The owner of the shop told her that
he had last seen the kitten entering the store
room. Inside the storeroom, the woman saw a
labourer taking rest but it was too dark to look
for the kitten. When she returned, the labourer advanced towards the woman allegedly in an
indecent manner. The woman rushed out of the
room and reported the matter at the police station, the official added.
SR

New Delhi: Two persons wanted in connection with


an attempt to murder a restaurateur in Geeta Colony
in East Delhi have been arrested. The accused have
been identified as Harpreet Singh and Naresh.
DCP East district Bhairon Singh Gurjar said that
Harpreet Singh and Naresh who had allegedly fired
at the restaurateur Ajay Mehta in Geeta Colony, were
caught by the police from their hideout on Friday
night. In his complaint to police, Mehta had said that
four to five men had came to his house on August
26 evening and thrown bottles at his house. They
also shot at him. One round of pistol was recovered
by the cops from the spot. An FIR was registered in
this connection at Geeta Colony police station.
Ajay revealed that he had borrowed Rs 20 lakh
from some persons in Geeta Colony and had opened
a cafeteria in Noida but the business was not doing
well and he had to close it down. The arrested duo
told police that they had given more than Rs 2 lakh
to Ajay but despite their request he was not paying
back and they had tried to instil fear in him by throwing bottles at his house and firing in the air.
SR

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nadequate staff and poor


infrastructure are the major
causes of recent spurt in infant
deaths in the Sishu Bhavan
here, felt a team of experts from
Union Health Ministry.
The four-member Central
team headed by a Joint Secretary
visited the paediatric hospital
here on Saturday and expressed
their desire to cooperate with the

State Government to improve


the situation.
The Central team apparently came to the hospital after
Union Petroleum Minister
Dharmendra Pradhan discussed the Sishu Bhavan situation with Union Health
Minister JP Nadda. Earlier in
the morning, Pradhan accompanied by State BJP president
KV Singhdeo and some State
leaders visited the paediatric

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?C8

A`]ZTVRaReYj
From Page 1
Mikhail has claimed that on the pretext
of discussing a property deal, he was given
a spiked drink in his hotel room in Worli by
Indrani and Sanjeev, who then left to meet
and murder Sheena. By the time they came
back, the suspicious, groggy Mikhail had fled.
Meanwhile, the mystery surrounding
the murder took a new turn with a media
report claiming her brother Mikhail operated her social media accounts, sent her resignation letter, and cancelled her rented flats
lease well after her death. Telegraph quoting
an unnamed relative from Sheenas mother side has reported that Mikhail did this
at his mother Indranis behest. The police had
earlier claimed that the resignation letter was
written by a woman, who was apparently an
employee of Indrani .
In another major development, the
Raigad Police admitted that no due procedure was followed when Sheenas remains
were first found on May 23, 2012. In a startling disclosure that may have a bearing on
the ongoing investigations Raigad Police
admitted that they had neither registered a
First Information Report (FIR) nor filed an
Accidental Death Report (ADR), after they

0[[U^aP[XZT

From Page 1
He said it was not only the young who
come for such a procedure, but people over
50 also opt for it.
At our centre, the common requirement
is of non-surgical facelift, wrinkle reduction,
treatment for under-eye darkening, pigmentation, lip job, glowing and rejuvenat-

hospital and held discussions


with hospital Superintendent
Niranjan Mohanty.
Speaking to media, Pradhan
expressed concerns over the
increase in deaths of the infants
at the hospital and assured that
the Central Government would
do whatever necessary to arrest
the infant mortality rate in the
State. Meanwhile, the deaths in
the Sishu Bhavan continued
unabated on Saturday also and

at least four deaths were reported on the day taking the number of deaths to 47 during the
past nine days.
Echoing the observations
of various previous committees,
the Central team also mentioned that patients in extreme
critical condition are referred to
here from the peripheral hospitals. As a result, many of them
die within 24 hours of their
admission.

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found the highly-charred body of Sheena in


the jungles of Gogade Khurd Village near Pen
town on May 23, 2012.
Upset with the botch-up in preliminary
investigations into the sensational murder
case, Maharashtras Director General of
Police Sanjeev Dayal ordered an inquiry into
the lapses in the initial investigations and
promised action against the erring police officials. A day after Dean of the JJ Hospital Dr
TP Lahane disclosed that his hospital could
not determine the age, sex and cause of
death of Sheena from the pieces of bones
submitted to the hospital on May 25, 2012,
Raigad District Superintendent of Police
(FSP) Mohammed Suvez Haq came clean
and conceded that neither an FIR was registered nor an ADR was filed by the local
police after the recovery of a body (purportedly that of Sheena) from the jungles of
Gogade Khurd village near Pen town on May
23, 2012.
Addressing a news conference at
Alibaug, Haq - who took over as the Raigad
DSP early this year - said: Before sending
the mortal remains of a deceased for an
autopsy in May 2012, the Raigad Police did
not register a crime or a report of accidental death. My superiors (DGP) have asked
me to probe this and I have prepared a factual report and sent it to them.

Replying to a query, Haq said: Inspector


General of Police (Konkan Range) has
ordered me to conduct an enquiry into the
lapses in the initial investigations. I will complete it and send across the report to our
superiors at the earliest.
Asked why the Raigad Police had handled the initial investigations in such a casual and lopsided manner, Haz said: An
enquiry is on and this is not the right time
nor am I the right person to comment on
why a case was not registered.
Giving details of what transpired after
the recovery of the body from the jungles
located in the neighbourhood of Pen town
in Raigad district, the DSP said: (on May
23, 2012), the Pen police received information about an unidentified dead body found
in the nearby jungles. Three police personnel went to the spot. The inquest panchnama and body panchnama were done, a doctor was called and the post-mortem was conducted. Before burying it, samples were collected from the body. The samples were later
sent to the Sir JJ Hospital in Mumbai for
examination. Police have also collected the
blood and hair samples of Indrani and
Mikhail Bora, her son from her first marriage
Siddharth Das, and sent them to the Central
Forensic Laboratory (CFL). A report is
expected from the CFL early next week.

ing skin procedure, he added.


There are a lot of men who want to look
good and are willing to spend as much as
they can to achieve this. he said.
Although no facelift recipient was willing to come on record, a photographer who
shoots pictures for social media says that it
has become an integral part of peoples life.
They easily agree to pay up to C50, 000
for an album shoot to upload it on

Facebook, Zubain Khan, founder of the


Zubai Khan Studio in Delhi said. We give
around five to seven photos which they
upload one by one as and when they feel like
updating, he added.
Khan said the rate depends on the
requirement of the clients which includes
make up and loacation shoot as well.
College students are the most who come for
such shoots, Khan said.
IANS

<>78C:0=370A8Q 90<<D

Government schoolteacher posted in


remote Doda district of Jammu region
has landed himself in big trouble after he
motivated the schoolchildren to sing
National Anthem during morning prayers
in the school premises.
The practice of singing National
Anthem was not in vogue in majority of
Government schools in the erstwhile Doda
district when militancy was at its peak.
But with situation returning to normalcy
across the region many Government and
private schools have started organising
morning prayers and sing National Anthem
before dispersing.
But in case of Bhanu Pratap Singh,
Physical Education Master of Government
Higher Secondary School Bhagwah the
practice of singing National Anthem and
motivating children to do so has won him
more enemies than friends in the communally sensitive region.
Following a complaint against him by
the majority of schoolteachers District
Development Commissioner, Doda
Bhupinder Kumar has issued him a show
cause notice to explain his position within
next five days failing which appropriate
action as warranted under law would be initiated against him.
Speaking to The Pioneer, Bhanu Pratap

80=B Q :>;:0C0

man in West Bengals


Hooghly district was
arrested on Saturday while he
was trying to dispose off the
bodies of a woman and a
minor girl suspected to be
killed by him, police said.
The accused Samaresh
Sarkar, was caught with three
trolley bags inside which the
dismembered bodies of a
woman and a minor girl were
found. He was caught by
fellow passengers after he threw
the bags into the river while
riding a ferry.
The passengers of the
ferry grew suspicious after
Sarkar threw the bags into the
river and detained him.
We have recovered the
trolley bags from which we
have found dismembered
bodies of a woman and a fiveto
six-year-old
girl,
Superintendent of Police
(Hooghly) Pravin Tripathi said.

Saturday. They are retired Havaldar Abhilekh


Singh and retired Havaldar Major Singh.

attacked them and tried to snatch


the gold. When the guard and
the driver put up resistance they
were shot at.
The driver died on the spot
while the guard was admitted to
the Lucknow trauma centre in
critical condition, police added.

where we have been deprived


of such benefits, he added.
The Finance Minister in his
Budget speech declared that if
one invests an extra Rs 50,000
in NPS, in addition to Rs 1.5
lakh tax-free investment, then
it will not be taxed.
On the other hand, life
insurers feel that in case
PFRDA starts regulating pension funds, then investors will
lose interest in parking their
money in such funds.
Currently, insurance companies enjoy EEE status, whereas pension funds under NPS
dont have this facility. It means
that investors putting their
money in pension funds being
regulated by PFRDA will have

to pay tax at the time of


redemption, whereas they
neednt pay any tax in case of
investments in life insurance
companies, said a top official
of a State-owned insurer.
At present, the fund regulator has eight pension fund
managers who are managing
pension wealth of subscribers.
The growth of this fund is not
picking up due to some reason
or the other.
However,
PFRDA
Chairman
Hemant
G
Contractor said: The
Government is very keen to
cover every Indian under some
pension scheme or the other,
but sadly the pace of its growth,
especially in NPS, has not been

too encouraging. Despite such


an acute need, people have not
come out in large numbers to
participate in it.
NPS being the lowest-cost
pension schemes in the world,
its architecture is low-cost and
flexible and there is no fixed
amount that one needs to pay.
Talking about growth of the
pension scheme, he said: We
have reduced it considerably
and simplified the system.
There are attempts to create more flexibility and increase
awareness about this product.
The PFRDA is all set to
launch an online facility for
opening of accounts under the
NPS to grab its prospective customers, he added.

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he driver of a security van


was shot dead while a security guard was critically injured
when unidentified assailants
robbed seven kg gold worth
crores of rupees from the vehicle in Uttar Pradeshs Unnao district, police said on Saturday.
Inspector General of Police,
Lucknow, Zaki Ahmad said the
van belonged to Sequel Logistics
Private Limited and was used as
a delivery van by jewellers.
When the incident
occurred the van was returning
with a major consignment of
gold from Kanpur to Lucknow.

5HJXODWRUVZDU
From Page 1
status or taxable at the
time of withdrawal. The corpus
from an NPS account, once
received, is taxable under the
appropriate bracket.
PFRDA has been seeking
EEE status from the
Government for a long time to
grow this business and to bring
it at par with other such instruments, the official said.
As per the NPS tax break
benefit that was announced in
the budgetary declaration by
Union Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley early this year, the problem is that the EEE status has
been given to life insurers only,

meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get


the issue resolved.

rivers. Militants find it easier


to sneak in through rivulets
and nullahs now in spate due
to monsoon and thick jungles.
In order to enable the ultras to
have a smooth entry into
Indian territory, Pakistan Army
gives them covering fire by targeting Indian Army posts.
In fact, out of 250 ceasefire
violations this year more than 80
per cent have taken place in
Poonch and Rajouri sectors,
indicating that Pakistan Army is
going all out to make this zone
hot, sources said. They also did
not rule out more air space violations by the UAVs and increase
in ceasefire violations in the
coming days.
Pointing out another crucial
factor, they said, unlike North
Kashmir where villages are located far from the LoC, farmers till
their land very close to the border
in Poonch and Rajouri, and so they
are easy targets for Pakistan
Rangers.
In the last couple of weeks
the manner in which the
Pakistan Army targeted civilian
areas in Poonch forced majority of residents to vacate their
homes and hearths. Since they
act eyes and ears of the Army,
their absence in the forward area
provides easy access to militants

The gold was to be sent to


Mumbai by plane.
The van started the journey
on Friday night from Kanpur
with the custodian, driver Hari
Shankar Yadav and guard Ram
Bachan Pandey.
The heavily armed robbers

Lucknow: A minor altercation


between some people snowballed into a communal clash in
Uttar Pradeshs Barabanki district
on Saturday, as two communities
fought pitched battles, attacked
police and set aflame vehicles,
police said.
The violence started when
two men of one community
were beaten up by a bus cleaner
from a different community,
soon bringing the two communities face to face with each other.
An official said that
Gyanchandra and Jang
Bahadur, two residents of
Phoolmati travelled in a private
bus to Jaidpur on Friday. They
had a verbal spat with the bus
driver and cleaner.
IANS

80=B Q ;D2:=>F

3DNXVLQJH\HVLQVN\WRVS\RQ$UP\DW/R&
From Page 1
Pakistan Army to hit locations in India using long-range
mortar firing besides unearthing
new ingress routes to push in
militants from launch pads located in Pakistan Occupied
Kashmir (POK). These pads are
situated close to the LoC and
high resolution pictures captured by the UAVs will enable the
ISI handlers of various militant
groups to plan and execute daring infiltrations in the coming
days. Disclosing this, officials said
Poonch and Rajouri have seen
more ceasefire violations than
areas
like
Kupwara,
Gurez and Tangdhar in North
Kashmir, where militants try to
infiltrate in the summer after the
snow melts.
This summer has so far
seen reduced infiltration
attempts in North Kashmir due
to aggressive and dynamic pattern of counter-infiltration
deployment. Failing to breach
the security wall there, Pakistan
Army and ISI are now focusing
on Poonch and Rajouri located
south of Pir Panjal Ranges.
Elaborating upon this
aspect, sources said many parts
of the LoC in these two areas
are not fenced to stop the infiltrators due to tough terrain and

dren sang National Anthem but some


senior schoolteachers objected to it and prevented children from singing the same.
Singh said, On August 18 large number of students of GHSS, Bhagwah took out
a protest march covering around 15 kms
on foot to reach office of the Deputy
Commissioner where they held a peaceful demonstration seeking action against
the teachers who had allegedly prevented
school children from singing National
Anthem in the school.
He said instead of appreciating my contribution i was held responsible by the majority of school staff for motivating the students
to take out a protest march. They even filed
a complaint with the local SHO to register
FIR against me. Later, under pressure from
the local people a high level inquiry was also
ordered by the DC, Doda to ascertain the
facts in the sensitive matter. Assistant
Commissioner Revenue, Vaibhav Kohli
after conducting the inquiry has submitted
his report. Acting on the report DC, Doda
Bhupinder Kumar told The Pioneer, a showcause notice has been served to Bhanu Pratap
Singh to explain his position. When asked
whether any action has been initiated
against those who prevented school children
from singing National Anthem, DC Doda
claimed i cannot disclose the identity of those
teachers adding a show cause notice has been
served to one of the teachers as well.

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Four ex-servicemen were taken to hospital
earlier, while others continue to sit on a fastDPEXODQFHVFDP Q^SXTb^Uf^\P]
wo of the ex-servicemen on an indefinite unto-death at the Jantar Mantar.
A group of agitating veterans on Friday met
hunger strike at the Jantar Mantar here to
T
New Delhi: The CBI on RWX[SX]QPVb
demand implementation of the One Rank, One Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who
Saturday carried out searches at
Pension (OROP) scheme were hospitalised on assured them about OROP and about
the residential premises of
incumbent directors of Ziqitza
Health Care Limited against
which a case of alleged cheating
was registered by the agency on
the recommendation of BJPruled Rajasthan Government.
CBI sources said the houses of present directors of the
company Sweta Mangal, Naresh
Jain and Ravi Krishna were
searched.
The FIR was registered
against the then Directors of
the
private
firm
at
Mumbai/Jaipur and others
including public servants under
section 420 (cheating), 467
(forgery), 468, 471 and 120-B
of IPC on the allegations of
irregularities in the award of
tender in favour of the said firm
by deliberately inserting technical specifications and irregularities in the implementation
of the project which included
excess bills claimed by said firm
and paid to them, CBI
spokesperson said.
PTI

Singh said, I am being targeted by the


majority of schoolteachers for starting the
practice of singing National Anthem in the
morning prayers.
He said for last two years the schoolteachers were not allowing the schoolchildren to sing National Anthem. On
August 15, when we organised a flag hoisting ceremony and invited officers of ten
Rashtriya Rifles our schoolchildren participated in the programme and also sang
National Anthem. For next two days chil-

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inside the Indian territory.


In the last three months
about two dozen infiltration
bids have been recorded along
the 740-km-long LoC and
International Border in Jammu
region.
Though Army authorities
and the BSF officers maintained
that not a single infiltration bid
was successful and all of them
were foiled by the robust antiinfiltration grid, but in some of
the cases where these infiltrators
have managed to sneak in, it has
thrown open a new challenge to
security forces.
According to field reports a
handful of new terror factories
have reportedly come up across
the LoC and International
Border. ISI is imparting arms
and explosive training to fresh
batches of militants before pushing them inside the Indian territory to spread its arc of terror.
Intelligence inputs indicated
that five groups of militants
were now poised to infiltrate into
Poonch in the next few days.
Two to three teams of ultras are
also ready to get into Krishna
Ghati sector in Rajouri. Each
team or group has five to seven
militants equipped with sophisticated weapons and communication sets, they said.

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From Page 1
Anticipating the traffic
snarls, Delhi Traffic Police had
appealed to the public on Friday
to use public transport like
Metro or buses to avoid congestion on the roads. As people
abided by the advisory, it left the
Metro trains and buses packed
to capacity.
Owing to huge commuter
movement at various places in
the city, there was heavy traffic
since morning. Approach roads
to every major marketplace
were chock-a-block with traffic.
Those who drove to Sarojini
Nagar, Karol Bagh, Chandni
Chowk, Sadar Bazaar, South
Extension or Lajpat Nagar either
had to turn back disappointed
or remained stuck for hours.
The traffic police was caught off
guard with this rush.
Roads leading to
Connaught Place, Karol Bagh
area, Vikas Marg, Aurobindo
Marg, Station Road, Kali Dass
Marg, Pankha Road, Africa
Avenue Marg, August Kranti
Marg, Subhash Marg have been
facing traffic jams since the
morning due to Raksha
Bandhan, a Delhi Traffic Police
official said.
Areas around Sangam Vihar,
Badarpur Road, Mangolpuri,
Jamia Hamdard Hospital,
Dharamshila, Kanpur road,
Maharanapratap Road, Patel

Road, and Rohini were also


affected.
The problems were further
compounded with breakdown of
buses at major connecting roads
across the city, the official added.
With more commuters preferring the Metro for travel, the
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
(DMRC) decided to introduce
an additional 210 trips on Friday
and Saturday due to Raksha
Bandhan. In view of the
increased ridership observed
by the DMRC in earlier years on
the day before and on Raksha
Bandhan itself, the Delhi Metro
will run about 210 extra train
trips on the two days, an official statement from DMRC
said. On Friday, Metro ferried
more than 32 lakh people,
Anuj Dayal, chief spokesperson
of DMRC, said.
But for Sanjeev Kumar, a resident of Noida, more Metro
trains didnt serve the purpose as
he had to stand for over 10 minutes in a long queue just to enter
the Metro station.
I stood in a long line that
ran onto the road for over 10
minutes to enter the Noida City
Centre Metro Station. I found the
Metros were running rather too
slow, although the frequency was
fine, Kumar said. He also said a
Metro ride to Dwarka took him
more than two hours in an
overcrowded compartment.

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he State administration
completely lifted the curfew
T
in the violence-hit Gujarat on
the auspicious day of Raksha
Bandhan and by Sunday
morning five columns of Army
will return from various areas.
However, ban on social media
would continue till Monday.
Commercial capital of
Gujarat Ahmedabad witnessed normal traffic with all
the routes of Bus Rapid
Transport System (BRTS) and
city bus services functioned
normally. Shops, malls and
other commercial establishments not only remained open
but also witnessed heavy rush
in the wake of Raksha
Bandhan. Similar environment
of peace and harmony was
maintained across the State
that include cities like Surat,
Vadodara, Rajkot, Junagadh,
Jamnagar, Morbi etc.
Additional
Director
General of Police (ADGP) PP
Pandey confirmed that curfew
was lifted from across Gujarat
as no report of violence came.
In fact, curfew was lifted from

6dadZd[BRW^^[bcdST]cbRT[TQaPcTcWTUTbcXeP[^UAPZWXX]cWTXabRW^^[X]BdaPc6dYPaPc^]BPcdaSPh

most parts of the State on


Friday itself barring few areas
in Ahmedabad including
Ramol, Nikol, Odhav,
Bapunagar, Krishnanagar and
Naroda. On Saturday, early
morning curfew was lifted in
these areas too. Curfew was
clamped on Wednesday after
widespread violence across the
State that included incidents of
arson, burning of properties
and stone-pelting.
As violence erupted after

Maha Kranti Rally organised by


Patidars for OBC quota on
Tuesday, the State administration was forced to call in paramilitary forces as well as the
Army. With complete normalcy returning in the State gradually these forces are being withdrawn. Five columns of Army
which were maintaining peace
in various parts of Ahmedabad
would return by Sunday morning, said Ahmedabad collector
Rajkumar Beniwal. According to

?C8

a notification issued by the


Gujarat Police, Mobile internet
services are barred till Monday
to avoid rumours and provocative messages.
Meanwhile, convener of
Patel Anamat Anadolan Samiti
(PAAS) Hardik Patel is expected to visit Delhi on Sunday. He
will meet leaders of seven different States there. According
to Patel, Patidars have considerable population in Seven
Indian States. During the rally

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on August 25, the 22-year-old


hinted to make the quota stir
nationwide by saying that in
Gujarat alone population of
Patidars is 1.80 crore and total
population of Patidars in the
country is around 27 crore.
In the afternoon, Patel leaders including representative
of PAAS Dinesh Patel met
Gujarats Health Minister Nitin
Patel and submitted memorandum at his office.

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ntensifying their agitation for


One-Rank, One-Pension
(OROP), ex-servicemen on
Saturday wrote a letter to the
President Pranab Mukherjee
seeking his intervention to
resolve the issue. They also said
if anything happens to fasting
veterans he and the Government
will be solely responsible.
Condition of four former
soldiers, who are on fast unto
death in the national Capital, is
serious.
In the letter to the President,
who is also the Supreme
Commander of the armed
forces, United Front of Ex-servicemen (UFESM) said a soldier
is supposed to kill the enemy
before laying down his life for
country, but under your rule,
a soldiers life is at stake and is

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being wasted as he is being


deprived of his legitimate dues.
Copies of the letter were
also sent to Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar and BJP
president Amit Shah. Parrikar
on Friday had sought some
more time to resolve the vexed
OROP issue and assured the
veterans that the Government
in principle has decided to
implement it but small gaps
have to be filled.

He also said the Prime


Ministers Office (PMO) is
directly involved in finding a
solution.
UFESM, an umbrella
organisation of agitating veterans, noted that as many as
four former soldiers, who are
on fast- unto-death, have
been hospitalised and that
health of another ex-serviceman Havildar Major Singh,
who was on an indefinite fast

since August 16, was fast


deteriorating.
Your Excellency and the
Government of India will be
solely responsible if any damage/mishap happening to
Havildar Major Singh or any
other ex-servicemen because of
hunger strike, it said.
Urging the President to
instruct the Government to
implement OROP as per
Defence Ministry letter dated
February 26, 2014, the protestors said there are some issues
where financial cost cannot be
the sole determinant factor and
that the pensions of Defence
veterans is one of these. OROP
stands approved both by the
UPA as well as the present NDA
Government. However, its
implementation has not been
carried out so far for the reason
best known to your
Government, the letter said.
It added that during the
veterans meeting with Defence
Minister, they were informed
that the proposal for implementation of OROP costing
C8,298.48 crore had been
approved by him and forward-

ed to the Finance Ministry on


March 17, 2015. It is here,
where OROP file seems to have
been stuck, the letter said.
The Government had initially wanted base year being
2011 but then relented to stick
to the veterans demand of
2013-14 as per vote on account
and Finance Bill 2014. But they
wanted the payout date be
pushed forward from April 1,
2014 to April 1, 2015, a proposal rejected by the veterans.
In subsequent talks, the
Government pushed the payout date from April 1, 2014 to
September 1, 2014.
However, there would be a
provision of review of pensions
once every five years against the
veterans proposal of once a year
or once at least every two years.
Close to 22 lakh retired servicemen and over six lakh war
widows stand to be immediate
beneficiaries of the scheme,
which envisages a uniform
pension for the Defence personnel who retire in the same
rank with the same length of
service, irrespective of their
date of retirement.

?aPQWd_XcRWTb<PZTX]8]SXPU^aAPX[fPhb
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o further attract investments in railways, Railway


Minister Suresh Prabhu on
Saturday invited foreign players to make India their manufacturing base as the
Government would be investing $120 billion over the next
five years to develop railway
services. Prabhu reiterated that
Railways is working on Make
in India strategy to attract
investments.
Prabhu said the main
thrust of any transport organisation should be on safe and
secure transportation with zero
scope for accidents and emphasised the need to launch zero
accident mission with definite

timeframe.
World-wide focus on
transportation is safety and it
is for Indian Railways as well.
It is most important for us to
ensure safe travel with the help
of latest technology, Prabhu
said at International Railway
Convention on Advances in
Command, Control and
Communication Systems for
Main Line, Metro and High
Speed Transit Systems.
Highlighting the scope of
investment in rail sector, he
said, The Government will be
investing about USD 120 billion in the next five years in
railways and the amount will
be more in future. The seminar was attended by many
representatives of foreign

nations including Japan,


Korea, Russia, among others.
He said India has technological collaboration with many
countries in rail sector.
Targeting investments
from abroad, Prabhu said India
has the advantage of skilled
manpower, big market and
large manufacturing base and

in addition to internal consumption; such manufacturing


hubs have export potential.
There is a positive environment for make in India. We
would like to have partnership
with other countries to make
India a manufacturing hub.
Come and make your goods
here and then export from
here, he said.
He also laid emphasis on
development of technology
like remote sensing to control
accidents at unmanned level
crossings by providing indications about approaching
trains and any obstruction on
track. Prabhu pointed out
that in such conferences we
should focus on global benchmarks and assess our stand-

ing as compared to global


standards.
We should adopt new
appropriate technology to minimise human errors. Our objective should be to have zero accident mission with a definite
time line, he said. He however said that this requires integrated approach involving use
of cost effective advanced technology and properly trained
manpower.
He further said that new
advances in command, control
and communication system
can play a very vital role in
evolving safe and secure operation environment on Indian
Railways where there should be
no scope of accidents even in
case of human errors.

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amil Nadu may see early


poll to the Assembly if the
T
words and deeds of Chief
Minister J Jayalalithaa are any
indication. Last week,
Jayalalithaa announced in the
legislative Assembly a series of
popular social welfare measures
like
Amma
Health
Programmes for the benefit of
economically backward sections of the society. She followed it up with another
important announcement that
her Government would construct a suitable memorial for
late Sivaji Ganesan, a popular
Tamil movie actor.
Friday saw Jayalalithaa
ordering a major reshuffle in
the bureaucracy. Many senior
officers who have been put on
waiting list got postings and
some have been entrusted with
crucial departments like Tamil
Nadu Housing Board and
Chennai
Metropolitan
Development Authority.
Jayalalithaa, who is also the
general secretar y of the
AIADMK, strengthened the
IT wing of the party on
Saturday by introducing a
group of computer and management professionals drawn
out from the corporate world.
It is widely believed that
she may prefer to go to the
electorate immediately after
the Global Investors Meet
scheduled for September 9
and 10. In normal course,
Tamil Nadu Assembly elections should take place either
in April or May 2016. But right
now what we see is that
Jayalalithaa is in a powerful
position with no anti-incumbency factor against her. The
popular schemes like Amma

Canteens, Amma Pharmacy,


Amma Mineral Water, Amma
Cement, Amma Homes and
the
Amma
Health
Programmes have been a hit in
Tamil Nadu and it is certain
that she would sweep the elections if it is held now, N
Kalyanasundaram, veteran
scribe and chronicler of Tamil
Nadu politics, told The Pioneer.
The entire propaganda
wing of the AIADMK is on a
mission mode since early
August. All spokespersons of
the party like CR Saraswathi
and Avadi Kumar are all in a
campaign mode addressing
public meetings in the districts.
During the day time, they meet
individual voters and speak to
them about the importance of
re-electing the AIADMK for
another term.
Rama Ramanathan, former AIADMK MLA from
Kumbhakonam is a busy person nowadays. I am addressing street corner meetings to
propagate the details of the
good works done by Amma in
the last four years. We are getting good turnout for these
meetings and the general
impression is that Amma
would win with a massive
mandate, said Ramanathan.

What
strengthens
Jayalalithaas position in Tamil
Nadu is the failure of the
Opposition to find a common
ground against her. There are
five Chief Ministerial candidates among the Opposition
parties and all are pulling each
others legs rather than sorting
out their differences.
Vaiko, the MDMK leader
has declared that a nonAIADMK and non-DMK
Government would be formed
after the next election. The
Joint Movement for Peoples
Welfare, the self-styled Third
Front in Tamil Nadu has the
CPI(M), CPI, MDMK, VCK
and the MMK as constituents.
Interestingly, the MMK is an
Islamic extremist outfit which
is propped up by the Lefts who
swear by secularism.
The factor which strengthens the possibility of an early
election is the weather in Tamil
Nadu. While March, April and
May are known for scorching
heat, the pleasant weather during November and December
may suit Jayalalithaa for campaigning. She had to cancel
some of the travel plans in the
recent past because of the hot
weather or her indifferent
health.

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the run-up to the Bihar Assembly polls, the


Commission has ordered transfer of
IStatenElection
officials posted in their home districts and
those who have served long at one place in order
to ensure free and fair polls.
The Commissions letter addressed to the
Bihar Chief Secretary and Chief Electoral
Officer, Bihar on July 28 was released on
Saturday where the Commission sought an
action taken report from the Chief Secretary and
CEO before this month-end.
The development marks an important step
preceding the formal announcement of polls in
the State where the tenure of the Assembly ends
on November 29 this year. Earlier this month,
CEC Nasim Zaidi had visited the State and met
Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh and DGP
PK Thakur, who assured him cooperation for
smooth conduct of polls. The Election
Commission team even met representatives of 10
national and State parties in the State who shared
their suggestions on possible poll schedule.
Revealing contents of the letter communicating transfer of officials, the EC said, The
Commission, in its task of conducting free and
fair elections has followed the consistent policy to ensure that officers, who are connected
with the conduct of elections in the State, do not
serve in their home districts or places where they
have served for long, the EC letter said.
In the past, the Commission received sev-

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eral queries with regard to transfer-postings. The
poll panel said that no officer either from the
administration or police service, connected
directly with elections should be allowed to continue in the present district of posting if she/he
is posted in her/his home district and if she/he
has completed three years in that district during the last four years or would be completing
three years on or before November 30, 2015.
The Commission further stated, If prima
facie any complaint is received with regard to
officers who are indirectly connected with election, the Commission shall take appropriate
action against such officials.
The panel clarified that the transfer order
will not be applicable to Sector officers though
they are directly involved with the poll process.
This exception was made for the reason that their
duties require them to be deployed in the field
where their knowledge of the area or terrain is
crucial to their effective performance.
It, however, directed senior poll officials to
keep a close watch on such officers during the
election period to ensure their performance is
strictly impartial. The Commission asked the
State Government to scrupulously follow the cutoff date prescribed for calculating the three year
period as past experience showed how states
failed to strictly enforce it.

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oderate
ideologue
Ghulam Mohammad
Bhat was elected Amir
(Chief ) of Jamaat-e-Islami
(JeI), a prominent politicoreligious organisation in
Kashmir. He has remained the
JeI head thrice in the past and
returned to the post after 12
years. His election is significant because he is a known
opponent to hardline
approach of Hurriyat
Conference chief Syed Ali
Geelani, who floated his own

Tahreek-e-Hurriyat party in
2003 after leaving Jamaat.
Bhat is known for bringing
out JeI from a tumultuous
period of early 1990s when a
significant cadre of the organisation was targeted by the
security forces for their support
to
militancy.
Hizbul
Mujahideen, the indigenous
militant outfit, derived most of
its cadre from the Jamaat. The
Hizb was officially the military
wing of Jamaat for some period but Bhat played crucial
role in distancing the two
groups and returning Jamaat to
its reformist basics.

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t least a dozen soldiers were


injured, seven of them critA
ically, when a blast occurred dur-

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ing a training session at an


Army training unit in south
Kashmirs Khrew area on
Saturday morning. The injured
were airlifted to Base Hospital in
Srinagar for treatment.
Sources said that an explosive went off during a preinduction training exercise at
Armys Corps Battle School
(CBS) situated at Khrew in
south Kashmirs Pulwama district around 8.45 am. The Army
did not specify what kind of
explosive went off and the rea-

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sons behind the blast.


Khrew formation is highly
fortified and one of the oldest
in Kashmir valley. The Army
said that investigation was on to
find out the cause of the blast.
Army choppers were pressed
into service to evacuate the
injured soldiers to 92 Base
Hospital. Sources said seven of
the injured were critical while
the others were discharged
from hospital after first aid.

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ICC president Sonia


Gandhi is likely to share
dais with Bihars regional
satraps Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar and RJD supremo Lalu
Prasad on Sunday here at
Gandhi Maidan during the
Swabhiman Rally of the JD(U),
RJD and Congress alliance.
But in a setback to the
alliance, the chief of Janata
Parivar and Samajwadi Party
president Mulayam Singh
Yadav is unlikely to attend the
rally. He seems to be unhappy
with the seat sharing for Bihar
Assembly polls in which his
party was totally ignored. Yadav
is also uncomfortable with
sharing dais with Sonia.
In bid to keep MSY in

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good humour, Lalu on


Saturday announced to give
five seats to the Samajwadi
Party. He said three seats which
were left out and two more
seats from the RJD quota
would be given to Yadavs
party. Netaji never made any
demand and I am doing this on
my own, he said. However,

Lalu evaded a question if MSY


would attend the rally. State
JD(U) president Bashistha
Narain Singh said, Lalus
announcement would be discussed among the parties and
would be implemented. This
will further strengthen our
alliance.
The Bihar unit of

Samajwadi Party was up in


arms for being ignored by the
alliance leaders and some of its
State leaders resorted to indefinite fast which was broken following intervention by SP and
RJD leadership. Bihar
Samajwadi Party chief
Ramchandra Singh Yadav said
the State executive has decided to authorise Mulayam to
take a call on Lalus offer.
Bihar Congress president
Ashok Chaudhary on Saturday
announced that Sonia Gandhi
is expected to address the rally
on Sunday. She would be
accompanied by Leader of
Opposition in the Rajya Sabha
Ghulam Nabi Azad and AICC
general secretary and Bihar incharge CP Joshi. Sonias participation will give a big boost
to grand alliance and energise
the Congress workers, he said.
When asked about the
likely crowd at the Sunday
rally, Nitish said, The Maidan
will be filled and the crowd
will spill out the spacious

maidans periphery. It will be


historic one.
Lalu had been sweating
out almost every day by travelling to places for inviting the
people. He concentrated on the
rural areas of Patna district and
neighbouring regions saying
the maximum crowd would
come from those areas. Large
scale preparations have been
made at the residences of all the
Ministers, MPs and legislators
here to host the people coming
from their respective constituencies. Meanwhile, Lalu
has warned them not to make
any arrangement for singing
and dancing at the venues as
had been common practice
during earlier rallies of the RJD.
Barricades have been put
up in the spacious Gandhi
Maidan and high alert sounded. Each gate has been fitted
with metal detector and sector
magistrates and police personnel have been deputed with
one gate earmarked exclusively for the arrival of the VVIPs.

%LKDUDPLVVLRQSRVVLEOHIRU%-36XVKLO0RGL
enior BJP leader of Bihar
S u s h i l
SKumar
Modi
pioneer

believes that
people of the INTERVIEW
poll-bound
Bihar, irrespective of caste and
creed, have heartily welcomed the
special package announced by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and would vote for NDA in the
name of development. Bihar is a
mission possible for the NDA,
Sushil Modi, the most recognisable face of the BJP in Bihar, who
is seen as undeclared candidate
for the top post, talks to Faizan
Ahmad in an exclusive interview:
Q: The Assembly election is
poised to be a clash between
special package versus special
category status.
A: We will definitely make
special package an election issue.
Bihar for the first time has got
a tool to make big leaps. I am
constantly travelling and found
that people are quite happy and
impressed with this package. I
did not find a single person talking about special category status.

In the 14th Finance


Commission, the
chapter of special category status to States
has been closed.
Even
in
the
Raghuram Rajan
report there is no mention of
special status. Now this demand
has no relevance. Without any
special status to Bihar, investments worth C10 lakh crore
came during the last one decade
but only a meagre amount of
investment could be matured
because the Government failed
to provide land to prospective
investors. All the big companies,
which had shown interest in
Bihar, have gone back.
Q: Nitish Kumar and Lalu
Prasad are making DNA an
election issue saying the PM
insulted Bihari pride by questioning the DNA of the CM.
A: Go anywhere in the
State and ask people about
DNA and they will feign ignorance and will ask back what
is this. All issues raised by
Nitish have backfired.

Q: The Bihar Assembly election is likely to be Narendra


Modi versus Nitish Kumar
fight since the BJP has not
declared its leader.
A: It is not only in Bihar but
in other States like Maharashtra,
Haryana and Jharkhand, the
BJP fought under the leadership
of Narendra Modi and won.
Lets give the BJP a chance and
the party will provide a strong
Government and deliver. The
leadership issue will be decided after polls in consultation
with other allies.
Q: Your allies LJP and RLSP

are getting restive over delay


in seat sharing and issuing
ultimatum to BJP.
A: We share their concern. All the BJP leaders right
now are engaged in Parivartan
campaign and PMs Bhagalpur
rally but we are in touch with
our allies. After these engagements we will sit together very
soon and sort out all issues. We
have three allies in Bihar and
two of them (LJP and RLSP)
are in Union Government. The
third ally is Jitan Ram Manjhis
Hindustani Awam Morcha.

has time and again clarified


that he is neither interested nor
in the race. Paswan has stated
that CM should be from the
biggest party.

Q: Who will be the CM once


NDA comes to power?
A: The CM will be elected
from the biggest party in the
NDA and that is the BJP. The
decision will be made by the
Parliamentary Board.

Q: How do you say that


Muslims are attracted
towards BJP?
A: Muslims are impressed
with our performance during
seven years. They have watched
the behaviour and performance
of BJP Ministers. In the capacity as Finance Minister I
financed and facilitated several minority-oriented projects
like fencing of graveyards and
assistance to madrassas. We are
confident to get sizeable number of Muslim votes.

Q: But one of the senior leaders of BJP Shatrughan Sinha


has publicly said that LJPs
Ram Vilas Paswan could be
best person to be made CM.
A: This is his personal
opinion. But Paswan himself

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attled by the intense opposition from inside and outR


side, the Andhra Pradesh
Government has dropped the
idea of forcible acquisition of
land for the construction of the
new capital city Amaravati in
Guntur district and reverted
back to the old model of land
pooling.
The decision was taken in
view of the increasing resistance from the affected farmers and support extended to
them by all the Opposition parties as well as an ally film star,
Pawan Kalyan.
Days after Pawan Kalyan
threatened to go on indefinite
fasting to oppose invoking of
Land Acquisition Act, Andhra
Pradesh Minister for Urban
Development P Narayana
announced that the Government will resume negotiations
with the farmers to pool their
lands for the Capital project.
Of the 2,500 acres of land in
nine villages, which the

Government wanted to acquire


after the refusal of farmers to voluntarily surrender, the
Government has managed to
convince the owners of 600
acres land, he said.
At a review meeting with
the officials of Capital Region
Development Authority,
Chandrababu Naidu directed
the officials to persuade the
farmers to opt for land pooling. Naidu said the
Government wanted a peaceful atmosphere conducive for
investments as several countries including China, Japan,
Germany and Singapore were
keen to make investments in
the new Capital region.

ex ratio in the States of Telangana and


Andhra Pradesh was much better than many
other States in the country.
The sex ratio in the united Andhra Pradesh
in 2011 stood at a healthy 993 women per thousand men, a significant improvement to the 978
women in 2001.
According to the data issued by the Registrar
General and Census Commissioner, there was a
degree of difference in the sex ratio of different
communities and here the Hindu community has
outdone the Muslims in Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana. But it is the Christian community
which has the highest female to male ratio.
The sex ratio among Muslims in Telangana
and Andhra Pradesh was 968 and 984 women
per thousand men, Hindu community was still
better at 989 and 995 women respectively.
The most surprising figure was for the
Christians. Though their decadal growth of population was showing a marginal decline, the population of their women was far higher than men.
Their gender ratio stood at 1033 and 1076 women
per 1000 men in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
respectively. In united Andhra Pradesh Christian
population has come down 11.8 lakhs in 2001
to 11.2 lakhs in 2011. The sex ratio among the
Sikhs in the two States follow their national level
pattern, which was causing a concern to the community heads.

Q: How do you view the entry


of Asaduddin Owaisis MIM
in Bihar polls which held a
rally in Kishanganj recently?
A: Anybody is free to contest polls. But this time, the BJP
is attracting Muslims. In 2010,
we fielded two Muslims and one
of them won. This time we will
give more tickets to Muslims.

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he annual pilgrimage to the


holy Amarnath Cave in
south Kashmir concluded on
Saturday as devotees chanted
hymns and offered prayers at the
shrine located in the mountains.
The pilgrimage, which was
scheduled for 59 days this year,
concludes on Sharavan
Purnima when the holy mace
of Lord Shiva carried by Hindu
monks reaches the cave shrine
after a weeklong journey from
Srinagar. With 282 pilgrims
reaching the cave shine on the
concluding day, as many as
3,52,771 pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine this
year. The pilgrims arrive to
have a glimpse of ice stalagmite
formed naturally in the cave,
which is believed to be the form
of Lord Shiva.
Governor NN Vohra, who
is the ex-officio Chairman of
the Shri Amarnath Shrine
Board (SASB) that regulates
and arranges the annual pilgrimage with the logistic assistance of J&K Government,
attended the concluding worship at the Cave. The Governor
prayed for sustained peace,
harmony, progress and prosperity in the State.
The pilgrimage began in
the first week of July amid tight
security throughout the 59-day
period. The pilgrimage is carried out through Pahalgam
and Baltal tracks.
The Governor complimented the Civil and Police
Administrations of Anantnag
and Ganderbal districts, J&K
Police, Central Armed Police
Forces, Army, and all the
involved State Government
departments and other agencies for the smooth conduct of
the yatra.
The Governor directed the
CEO to ensure complete cleaning of all camp sites and to prepare a camp and route-wise
Action Plan for Yatra 2016,
keeping in view the experiences
gained during this years pilgrimage.

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big step towards the linkriver Godavari with Krishna,


Iningtheoffirst
officials of Andhra Pradesh Government
on Saturday released the water of
Godavari into the right bank canal of the
under construction Polavaram project.
Officials said that 150 cusecs of
water was released from Tadipudi lift
irrigation project canal at Guddigudem
village of West Godavari district.
This is merely a trial run, said
Executive Engineer of irrigation department Devprakash. If need be we can
increase the release of water to 450
cusecs, he said.
Diversion of Godavari river waters
to the water-starved parts of West
Godavari district and to the Krishna
Delta region was one of the main aims
of the Polavaram project as every year
more than 3000 tmc ft of Godavari is
wasted into the Bay of Bengal.
The State Government had started
work on Tadipudi scheme a month ago
to make the diversion of water into
Polavaram canal possible and now the
water was released without any fanfare.
Officials assured the farmers of
Tadipudi that the water will be released
only after fulfilling their irrigation
needs and they need not worry about

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the development.
This water will take 15 days to
reach Prakasham Barrage near
Vijayawada, Devprakash said.
The development is of far reaching
impact as Krishna delta region was facing a severe crisis due to the failure of
Monsoon and lack of water in the river
Krishna. Water level has touched an all
time low in the Srisailam and
Nagarjuna Sagar projects on Krishna
river hitting the farming activities
badly in the normally fertile delta.
Officials hope that by diverting atleast
a part of excess Godavari waters to the
Krishna delta they can help the farmers.

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fter remaining calm for


several months, Kerala
A
slipped into political violence
amidst the Onam festival with
a BJP worker and a CPI(M)
activist losing lives in attacks by
political enemies in Thrissur
and Kasaragod respectively on
Friday, the main day of the festival, and violence erupting
subsequently in several places
in the State in which many
activists of the two parties suffered grave injuries.
The Kerala Government,
which promised urgent and
effective measures to restore
calm, suspected that there was
a deliberate bid to trigger wide-

spread violence in the State.


Police officials expressed apprehension about the possibility of
the situation getting out of
control in the context of the
upcoming local bodies elections in the State.
The BJP on Saturday
observed a dawn-to-dusk shutdown in the Puthukkad
Assembly constituency and
Kodakara Panchayat areas in
Thrissur district to protest
against the violent incident in
which its activist Abhilash (31)
of Vellikkulangara was hacked
to death, allegedly by CPI(M)
activists, on Friday afternoon.
Abhilash was attacked at
Vasupuram
near
Vellikkulangara in Kodakara
when he was going on a
motorbike with a friend,
Satheesan. Police said that
Satheesan, who was driving the
bike, also suffered hack injuries
and had been admitted to the
ICU of a hospital. In the
protests that followed, a

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CPI(M) office came under


attack which led to further tension in the area.
Normal life was thrown
out of gear on Saturday in
Kasaragod, northernmost district of Kerala, when the
CPI(M) observed a day-long
hartal to protest against the
attack on Friday afternoon in
which its activist C Narayanan
(45) of Chamundikkunnu,
Kodombeloor was stabbed to
death, allegedly by BJP workers. His brother C Aravindan

also suffered stab injuries in


the attack.
The two were attacked at
Kayakkunnu, Kanhangad
allegedly by three men who
arrived on a motorbike.
Narayanan died on the spot
while Aravindan was battling
for his life at the ICU of a
Mangalore hospital. Police said
that tension had been prevailing
at Kodombeloor and nearby
places for the past several days.
The police have taken two
CPI(M) workers from

Vasupuram in connection with


the murder of Abhilash. Sources
said that seven persons could
have taken part in the incident.
In Kasaragod, two BJP workers
were booked in connection
with the murder of Narayanan
but the BJP said it had nothing
to do with the incident.
The police clamped prohibitory orders on areas in and
around Azhikode in politically sensitive Kannur district
after violence erupted on Friday
night between CPI(M) and BJP
activists. Two CPI(M) activists
had been admitted to hospital
with stab injuries and a BJP
worker also suffered injuries in
the violence in Azhikode.
Several party offices and a
minimum of a dozen houses
belonging to CPI(M) and BJP
activists came under attack.
Police officials said that the area
had been witnessing tension in
the past several days but they
had no clue about the reason
for the sudden eruption of

violence. The CPI(M) called for


a shutdown in the area in
protest against the attacks on
their men.
Tension prevailed even on
Saturday evening in the
Kanjiramattam area of
Thodupuzha in Idukki district
from where two RSS activists
were admitted to a Kochi hospital with serious injuries suffered in the violence that had
erupted around Friday midnight. The CPI(M)s area committee office came under attack
following the incident. Five
CPI(M) men have been booked.
State Home Minister
Ramesh Chennithala expressed
the suspicion that the violent
incidents taking place in the
State since Friday afternoon
could have been pre-planned.
Requesting the CPI(M) and the
BJP to withdraw from the path
of violence, Chennithala said
that stringent action would be
taken against those responsible
for the incidents.

f^a[S&

=4F34;78 kBD=30H k0D6DBC "! $

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?C805?Q 208A>3>70

hree Al-Jazeera journalists


were on Saturday sentenced to three years in prison
by an Egyptian court for
spreading false news and
endangering national security,
in a case that has triggered an
international outcry.
The three Canadian
national Mohammed Fahmy,
Australian journalist Peter
Greste
and
Egyptian
producer Baher Mohammed
were sentenced after a
lengthy retrial. At least three
other co-defendants, accused of
working with Al-Jazeera,
received similar sentences.
All three were convicted
last year on charges that
included conspiring with the

?C8Q :D0;0;D<?DA

ens of thousands of
Malaysians marched in a
T
massive anti-government rally
here on Saturday demanding
the resignation of Prime
Minister Najib Razak following
weeks of simmering anger over
corruption allegations against
the premier.
Online reports said there
were at least 40,000 protesters
in the rally in downtown Kuala
Lumpur.
Unfazed by hundreds of
police which had declared the
rally as unlawful, thousands
carrying placards joined the
protest organised by Bersih, a
coalition of NGOs which has
also called for electoral reforms
and transparency.
Public disenchantment has
been rapidly on the rise after
leaked documents published by
the Wall Street Journal showed
that Najib received some USD
700 million in his private bank
accounts from Malaysias
indebted state fund 1MDB. He
later said the money was a
donation from the Middle East.
Protesters in yellow Bersih
T-shirts and headbands gathered at several points with the
intent to march towards the
Merdeka (independence)
square where celebrations to
mark Malaysias 58th National
Day will be held on Monday.
The protesters have agreed not
to enter the square.
Najib meanwhile said those
involved in the anti- establishment demonstration held close
to the independence day cele-

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0?

bration were devoid of love for


the country. He is not in Kuala
Lumpur and had travelled to
Pahang state.
We are about to celebrate
Merdeka Day (on August 31).
Are they too shallow to understand that the venue (for their
rally) carries historical significance (for the birth of
Malaysia)?, he said.
An activist Wong Chin
Huat said those gathered for
the Bersih rally had no intention to bring down the government. We are not here to
bring down the government.
We want to correct the wrongs.
Thats all. Things are going
awry and we are voicing our
thoughts, said Wong.
Former premier Mahathir
Mohamad, a strong opponent
of Najib told a large crowd outside Kuala Lumpur that some
leaders had forgotten their
duty to the people who voted
for them as their representative.
Come back to the right path.

4gTSXc^a^U=>CF\Ph
aTY^X]<daS^RWT\_XaT
?C8Q ;>=3>=

edia mogul Rupert


Murdochs News Corp is
believed to be in talks with former News of the World editor
Rebekah Brooks for her return
as chief of its UK division four
years after she had quit amid
the phone-hacking scandal, a
newspaper reported.
Brooks had quit as chief
executive in 2011 at the height
of the scandal involving the
hacking of phone voice mails
by journalists though she was
later cleared at the trial last year.
Her re-appointment could be
confirmed by next month, The
Financial Times reported.
Evan Harris, joint executive
director of campaign group
Hacked Off, said the appointment would show News Corp
has no regard for the feelings of
the victims of phone-hacking.
Theres a gall to just carry on

1TXadc) 0QaXTUcadRTQTcfTT]BhaXP]
aTVX\TU^aRTbP]SaTQT[Va^d_bX]
cWaTTZThc^f]bT]STS^]5aXSPhPb
cWTfPaaX]V_PacXTbaTbd\TS
R[PbWTbP]SbWT[[X]VP\^]Xc^aX]V
Va^d_P]SP\TSXPc^abPXS

?0:10=B8B;0<82BC0C4
<8;8C0=C6A>D?

appointing someone who yes


shes entitled to her verdict of not
guilty but she achieved that
with a defence of incompetence; she didnt know what was
happening, and yet shes coming
back. Its astonishing, he said.
The FT said a return could
be perceived as a slight triumph for Brooks, but some
former colleagues might not
welcome it.
Brooks, 47, had said after
being acquitted of all charges
following a 138-day trial that
she felt vindicated. Her former colleague, Andy Coulson,
another former News of the
World editor, was jailed after
being convicted of conspiracy
to intercept phone voicemails
of several people including
crime victims and celebrities.
The News of the World is
the subject of a police probe
into the phone hacking called
Operation Weeting.

CW^dbP]Sb^U
;TQP]TbT_a^cTbcTab
VPcWTaX]1TXadc
Beirut: Thousands of people
began gathering on Saturday
amid tight security in downtown
Beirut, ahead of a major rally to
protest government corruption
and the country's dysfunctional
political system. At least two or
three armoured personnel carriers were deployed around the
prime minister's office. A man
over a megaphone chanted:
"Declare it a revolution!" The
protest is expected to be the
largest of the demonstrations that
began last week over garbage piling up in the streets of Beirut, following the closure of a main
landfill. But the government's
failure to resolve the crisis has
evolved into wider protests
against a political class that has
dominated Lebanon since the
end of civil war in 1990. AP

director-general Mostefa Souag


said the sentence defies logic
and common sense. The
whole case has been heavily
politicised and has not been
conducted in a free and fair
manner, Souag said.
The case began in
December 2013, when Egyptian
security forces raided the
upscale hotel suite used by AlJazeera at the time to report
from Egypt.
Authorities arrested the trio
and later charged them with
allegedly being part of former
President Mohammed Morsis
Muslim Brotherhood which was
declared a terrorist organisation
by authorities. They were
accused of airing falsified footage
to damage national security.
The earlier verdict brought

a landslide of international condemnation. The countrys highest appeals court, later ordered
their retrial, saying the initial
proceedings were marred by violations of the defendants rights.
Egypt deported Greste in February, though he remained charged in the case. Fahmy and Mohammed were released on bail.
Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera
vowed on Saturday to appeal an
Egyptian court verdict to sentence three of its journalists to
three years in prison, calling it
a "deliberate attack on press freedom". The Qatar-based broadcaster said it would appeal the
"grotesque" verdict as soon as
the Cairo court has explained its
decision, and would also "intensify" its campaign to get its
reporters freed.

3R_X\`\S`^S
dfdaVTeEfc\ZdY
_ReZ`_R]dRj
EYRZ`WWZTZR]d

Bangkok: A man resembling


the prime suspect in Thailands
worst terror attack here that
killed 20 people, who was
today arrested with dozens of
passports and several bombmaking tools and materials, is
a Turkish national, security
officials said on Saturday.
Colonel
Banphot
Phunphien, spokesman of the
Internal Security Operations
Command (ISOC), was quoted by a media report as saying
that the arrested man is a
Turkish national, in the first
detention in the attack at
Bangkoks Erawan Brahma
temple. He carries many passports. Its unusual how he carries so many passports,
Banphot added.
We have detained one
person, deputy national police
chief General Chaktip
Chaijinda told reporters but
police would not confirm the
nationality of the detained person who local media said was
Turkish. We have found components of bomb-making
materials in his apartment and
I am confident that he is likely involved with the bomb
attack, he said.
National police spokesman
Prawut Thavornsiri said in a
televised statement that police
had also found detonators,
metal pipe with lids at the suspects apartment during the raid
this afternoon.
The 28-year-old man, who
was not identified and was
arrested from his rented apartment in Nong Chok district in
0=T_P[TbTfXcRWS^Rc^a_[PhbSad\PbWTSP]RTbP]S^UUTab_aPhTabc^;^aSBWXePSdaX]V9P]PX?da]X\PUTbcXeP[X]CX\P[
a suburb in eastern Bangkok,
eX[[PVT:PeaTSXbcaXRcX]=T_P[^]BPcdaSPh3daX]VcWXbUTbcXeP[7X]SdbcPZTW^[hQPcWbP]S_TaU^a\cWTXaP]]dP[RWP]VT^UcWT
was also found in possession of
9P]PXPbPRaTSR^cc^]bcaX]Vf^a]Pa^d]ScWTXaRWTbc^acXTS^]cWTfaXbcX]cWTQT[XTUcWPcXcfX[[_a^cTRcP]S_daXUhcWT\
0? multiple passports.
PTI

?`hEcf^ad]R^d9Z]]Rcjd 8616$5LFHWR
YLVLW3DNLVWDQWRGD\
:_UZR_2^VcZTR_RZUV
BA0906>?0;0=Q
F0B78=6C>=

presidential hopeful Donald Trump, who has


Republican
mostly been targeting his political rivals thus far, opened a new
line of attack on Friday by slamming Hillary Clintons IndianAmerican aide Huma Abedin in
the wake of the Democratic
front-runners escalating private
email server controversy.
At a rally in Massachusetts,
Trump charged that Abedin,
who served as Deputy Chief of
Staff while Clinton was Secretary
of State, used to receive classified
information which she then
shared with her sleazebag husband, former Democratic lawmaker Anthony Weiner. Abedin
is currently Vice Chairman of
Clintons presidential campaign.
Trump who has been accusing Clinton of compromising

official secrets by using her private email server and projecting


that she would end up in jail surprised political pundits by taking aim instead at Abedin and
her husband, who had to give up
his Congressional seat in the
wake of a sexting scandal. It
(classified documents) all sort of
came through Huma, Trump
thundered. Who is Huma married to? One of the great sleazebags of our time, Anthony
Weiner. Did you know that? Shes
married to Anthony Weiner.
Now, these are confidential
documents, shes married to this
guy, and guess what happens to
Anthony Weiner? Trump
quizzed, adding: A month ago,
I see he went to work for a public relations firm.
So shes married to a bad
guy. Ive known Anthony Weiner
for a long time, Trump charged,
adding: Do you think theres

even a 5 per cent chance that shes


not telling Weiner, now of a public relations firm, what is coming across? I dont think so.
At some of his recent outings, Trump has sought to compare Clinton with disgraced former CIA Director David
Petraeus, saying the latter had
paid a much higher price for a
far lesser crime. His life was
destroyed for two per cent of
what Hillary did, says Trump
about the former four-star general who was sentenced to two
years probation and fined
$100,000 after providing classified information to his mistress
and biographer.
Reacting to the latest Trump
offensive, a Clinton spokesman
said: He should be ashamed of
himself, and others in his own
party should take a moment to
stand up to him and draw the
line for once.

?C8Q 8B;0<0103

S National S ecurity
Adviser Susan Rice is
expected to pay a day-long
visit to Pakistan tomorrow for
discussions on various bilateral and regional issues, officials said here today.
Rice is expected to hold

important talks with Prime


Minister Nawaz Sharif over a
host of issues. Sharif s proposed trip to the US in
October will also be part of
the talks.
Rice would also meet
army chief General Raheel
Sharif to discuss defence ties
and regional situation including the status of talks between
the Taliban and the Afghan
government.
The visit coincides
with rising tensions between
Pakistan and India along
the LoC.
The US has been urging
the two countries to sort out
their differences through
peaceful means after Pakistan
called off NSA-level talks set
for August 23 when India
made it clear that discussions on Kashmir and a meeting with separatists will not be
acceptable.

<YRiQcXY`gbUS[d_\\!!'T_jU^c]YccY^W :_UZRAR\dY`f]UcVd`]gV
05?Q CA8?>;8

CWTQ^Sh^UP\XVaP]c[XTb^]cWTVa^d]SPbQ^SXTbPaTR^[[TRcTS
PUcTacWTXaQ^PcbP]Z^UUcWTR^Pbc^UX]IdfPaP;XQhP
0?

escuers have retrieved


from the sea the bodies of
R
117 migrants whose boat

sank off the coat of Libya, the


Red Crescent said on Saturday
8b[P\PQPS) CWTDBWPbSTRXSTSc^ in a new toll.
A spokesman for the Libyan
_a^eXST0W IEX_TaPccPRZ
WT[XR^_cTabc^?PZXbcP]c^bWPa_T] relief organisation said dozens
are still missing after Thursdays
d_XcbR^d]cTacTaa^aXb\TUU^acbP
tragedy. So far 117 bodies have
\TSXPaT_^acbPXS^]5aXSPhCWT
3T_Pac\T]c^U3TUT]RTWPbP[aTPSh been retrieved from the sea
PfPaSTS]TPa[h$'\X[[X^]X]
while dozens of people are still
R^]caPRcc^1T[[7T[XR^_cTaU^a
missing, the spokesman
_a^eXSX]VcWTRW^__Tabc^?PZXbcP] Mohammad al-Misrati told
Pb_Pac^UP[PaVTa$' \X[[X^]
AFP. He said the boat carried
STP[\^bc^UfWXRWV^Tbc^cWT
400 would-be migrants, and
0\TaXRP]=PehcWT3Pf] aT_^acTS that 198 had been rescued.
On Friday Misrati said that

240B458A414CF44=BHA80
A468<4A414;B4=3B

You are lost, he said.


Malaysia is a mainly Malay
Muslim nation with 25 per cent
ethnic Chinese and eight per
cent ethnic Indian minorities.
As the mystery over the
$700 million deposit into
Najibs account grabbed headlines, Malaysias anti-graft
agency said the amount paid
into the premiers account was
a donation from the Middle
East before a 2013 election, but
no names have been revealed of
the donor.
Najib, 62, has denied taking any money for personal
gain. However, he dismissed his
deputy who had questioned
him about the funds and the
attorney-general who was
probing the state fund 1MDB.
Najib heads the ruling
Barisan Nasional coalition,
which has been in power since
1957. The coalition lost the
popular vote for the first time
in the 2013 polls to an opposition alliance that split this year.

Muslim Brotherhood, spreading false news and endangering national security, but they
have maintained their innocence, saying they were simply
reporting the news. They were
also accused of operating without a press license.
The three journalists
were originally sentenced to
up to 10 years in prison. But
their convictions were overturned in January this year and
were freed in February to
await retrial.
After Saturdays verdict,
Greste tweeted: Shocked.
Outraged. Angry. Upset. None
of them convey how I feel right
now. 3 yr sentences for
@bahrooz, @MFFahmy11 and
me is so wrong. (sic)
Al-Jazeera English acting

76 bodies had been retrieved


after the boat sunk near the
western Libyan port of Zuwara.
Red Crescent teams wearing
protective white clothing and

'jVRc`]UXZc]SVZ_X
dfVUZ_2fdecZR

Vienna: A six-year-old girl is


being sued for more than
8b[P\PQPS) ?PZXbcP]WPbQP]]TScWT $38,000 in Austria for alleged8b[P\XRBcPcT\X[XcP]cVa^d_cWPcWPb ly causing a skiing accident
^eTaad]ePbcbcaTcRWTb^U8aP`P]S
which left a woman with seriBhaXPPUcTaaT_TPcTS[hST]hX]VcWT
ous injuries.
SaTPSTS^dcUXcb_aTbT]RTfXcWX]Xcb
The woman has started
cTaaXc^ahCWT8b[P\XRBcPcT^a3PTbW legal action against the child,
WPbQTT]QP]]TSX]?PZXbcP]P]
with the Feldkirch Provisional
8]cTaX^a<X]Xbcah^UUXRXP[bPXS
Court considering this week
whether someone of this age
E0C820=?0;4BC8=80=A85C could be held responsible for
>E4A5;06B0CD=7@
causing an accident, the
EPcXRP]2Xch) CWTEPcXRP]WPb
Independent reports cited
SXUUTaTSfXcWP?P[TbcX]XP]aT`dTbc
reports from The Local Austria
U^acWTcf^^QbTaeTabcPcTbc^cWT
news paper.
D]XcTS=PcX^]bc^QTP[[^fTSc^
Under Austrian law, a child
aPXbTcWTXaU[PVbPcXcbWTPS`dPacTab aged under 14 cannot be held
bPhX]VcWT\^eTV^TbPVPX]bcP
responsible in cases of civil
[^]VWT[ScaPSXcX^]PccWTf^a[SQ^Sh wrongs, such as personal injury

accidents.
First and foremost, supervisors such as the instructors
and the parents would be sued
for neglecting their supervising
responsibilities, according to a
court spokeswoman.
The case against the sixyear-old was brought after an
earlier attempt to sue the adult
who had been supervising the
girl at the time of the accident
was dismissed, according to the
Daily Telegraph.
An exception to 14 being
the age of legal responsibility in
Austria was when a child under
this age would have been capable of judging the consequences
of their actions.
IANS

masks on Friday collected bodies that had washed ashore,


placing them in orange plastic
bags and carrying them to
ambulances.

C7A440AA4BC43>E4A
;81H0=B78?FA42:

Tripoli: Three suspects were


arrested in Libya on Saturday
over possible involvement in
recent migrant crises that nearly killed 200 people, the authorities said. A statement from
Tripoli's Special Intervention
Squad said an organised crime
group of three members have
been arrested. The group was
involved in human trafficking
and managed many migrant
boats to Europe through the
Mediterranean, Xinhua reported. The three suspects are
detained in Zuwarah for investigation for now.
IANS

"'VXa[bh^d]V
ZddfVdhZeYUZR]`XfV+3cZeRZ_ f^\T]ZX[[TSX]
The British diplomat in a
meeting with Pakistani BfPiX[P]SRaPbW
ritish foreign secretary Interior Minister Chaudhry
Philip Hammond has Nisar Ali Khan in London Johannesburg: At least 38 girls
B
expressed serious concern advocated his view that India and young women were killed
80=B Q 8B;0<0103

over the suspension of the


dialogue process between
New Delhi and Islamabad
and urged them to resolve all
the remaining issues at the
negotiating table.
Philip Hammond said
Britain reiterates that the two
South Asian nuclear archrivals should resolve all their
issues with dialogue, The
Daily Times reported on
Saturday.

must understand the dialogue


process cannot proceed further without discussions on
the issue of Kashmir.
Without furthering dialogue there can be no peace in
the region.
Nisar added that India
was trying to sabotage the
efforts for peace on one pretext or the other and is
putting regional security and
stability at stake.

0?bdTb^eTa
2WPSTgTRdcTb ,UDQSUHVLGHQWRSSRVHV
1^Z^7PaP\ 3DUOLDPHQWYRWHRQ1GHDO PRRTbbc^
518aTR^aSb
\T\QTab
limiting Iran's nuclear pro- Washington: The Associated
gram in exchange for lifting Press has sued the US
NDjamena: Chad has executDepartment of Justice over the
ed 10 members of Nigerian
resident Hassan Rouhani economic sanctions.
"If
the
Joint FBIs failure to provide public
Islamist militant group Boko Psaid on Saturday he opposHaram by firing squad, a day es a parliamentary vote on the Comprehensive Plan of Action records related to the creation of
0?Q C47A0=

after they were sentenced on


terrorism charges, security
sources said on Saturday.
They were shot this morning at the Massaguet firing
range, said one of the sources,
referring to a city about 60 km
(40 miles) northeast of the
capital NDjamena. Among the
executed was Mahamat
Moustapha, a 30-year-old
Cameroonian who was accused
of masterminding a series of
attacks on NDjamena.
Agencies

landmark nuclear deal reached


with world powers because
terms of the agreement would
turn into legal obligations if
passed by lawmakers.
Rouhani told a news conference that the deal was a
political understanding reached
with the five permanent members of the UN Security
Council and Germany, not a
pact requiring parliamentary
approval. The deal also says
Iran would implement the
terms voluntarily, he said.
The historic deal calls for

is sent to (and passed by) parliament, it will create an obligation for the government . It
will mean the president, who
has not signed it so far, will
have to sign it," Rouhani said.
"Why should we place an
unnecessary legal restriction on
the Iranian people?" A special
committee of parliament has
already begun studying the
deal before putting it to a vote.
But the legality of such a move
is in doubt because the government has not prepared a bill
for parliament to vote on.

a fake news story used to plant


surveillance software on a suspects computer.
AP joined with the
Reporters Committee for
Freedom of the Press to file the
lawsuit in US District Court for
the District of Columbia. At
issue is a 2014 Freedom of
Information request seeking
documents related to the FBIs
decision to send a web link to
the fake article to a 15-year-old
boy suspected of making bomb
threats to a high school near
Olympia, Washington.
AP

in a crash while travelling to a


traditional festival in Swaziland,
a rights group said on Saturday.
About 20 others were
injured when the truck they
were in collided with another
vehicle on Friday, the Swaziland
Solidarity Network said. The
young women and girls were
allegedly travelling on the back
of an open truck, the rights
group said.
Police in Swaziland discouraged reporting on the accident, said the group.
Photographers were prevented
from taking pictures at the
scene, said a Swazi journalist
who insisted on anonymity for
security reasons.
A high-ranking police officer contacted by The Associated
Press refused to comment, saying the matter was related to the
highest authority, and so no
details could be disclosed to the
media. You dont hide a death,
said Lucky Lukhele, spokesman
for the Swaziland Solidarity
Network. Members of the
Swaziland Defense Force alerted the rights group to the accident, Lukhele said, adding that
he expected the death toll to rise.
The females were travelling
on a highway between the Swazi
cities of Mbabane and Manzini,
when the truck carrying them
smashed into another vehicle
and was then hit in the rear by
a second truck, the Times of
Swaziland reported.
AP

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hree Shubham Logistics,


co-promoted by Bafna
family, has appointed 62year-old Dr Prakash Bakshi,
the former Chairman of
Nabard as Managing Director.
Aditya Bafna, Executive
Director of Shree Shubham
Logistics, a subsidiary of public listed Kalpataru Power
Transmission, has put in his
papers.
The exit of Bafna comes
when the company is gearing
up to launch its initial public
offering to raise C210 crore.
Sebi approved its application
in June.
Incidentally, Bafna along
with his brother Shubhendra
Kumar Bafna hold minority
stake in the company. The
proposed IPO provides a partexit for private equity investor
Tano Capital which has offered
to offload 70 lakh shares.

?C8 Q =4F34;78

of agro-chemicals
and drug intermediates
Promoters
A18]^cS^]TfXcWaPcTRdc Astec
Lifesciences will sell 45.29
cent stake in the company
bcX[[X]PRR^\\^SPcXeT\^ST per
to Godrej Agrovet Ltd (GAVL)

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ndia's apex bank has cautioned its US counterpart on


going ahead with a rate hike,
especially at a time when world
economic growth is stalling
which has led to massive volatility in currency, equity and commodity markets.
Caution regarding a hike
during the upcoming US Federal
Reserves (US Fed) rate decision
was conveyed by the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) Governor
Raghuram Rajan in an interview
with CNBC at Jackson Hole,
Wyoming.
"My position over time has
been don't do it when the world
is in turmoil. It's a long anticipated event, it has to happen
sometime - everybody knows it
has to happen - but pick your
time," Rajan said during the
interview aired on the channel's
'Closing Bell' show.
Rajan is in the US to attend
the global central bank chiefs'
meet at Jackson Hole, a ski
resort located along the border
of Wyoming and Idaho for the
Federal Reserves' annual retreat.
Rajan's comments come at
a time when investors are
spooked by a slowdown in
China, massive devaluation in
emerging markets' currencies
and growing chances of the US
Fed going in for a rate hike.
The US Fed is expected to
announce its decision to hike
interest rates after a decade or so
of easy monetary regime with
interest rates pegged at near
zero levels during its policy
meet scheduled on September
16-17. The Indian markets are
worried that the recent positive
data points from the US has
heightened chances of a US rate
hike in September.
High interest rates in the US

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are expected to lead away the foreign portfolio investors (FPIs)
from emerging markets like
India. It is also expected to dent
business margins as access to
capital from the US will become
expensive. At the same time,
Rajan showed great worry over
a Chinese slowdown which has
the potential to send the world
economy back into a recession,
start currency wars and dampen
capital
markets.
Notwithstanding the possibility
of a Chinese slowdown, he was
quick to point out that India was
relatively well placed due to its
strong macro economic conditions. "If in fact there is a greater

WASHINGTON: Hinting at
the fourth interest rate cut
this year, RBI Governor
Raghuram Rajan has said he is
not done with lowering rates
and the central problem for the
entire world remains slowing
economic growth. Rajan, who
was participating in the elite
Jackson Hole economic symposium of the Kansas City
Federal Reserve, also said RBI
has reached an agreement with
the government on a new ratesetting panel, the Monetary
Policy Committee, which
would be announced soon.
Rajan, who has been
under pressure from the
Government and the industry to further cut rates, said
RBI is still in an 'accommodative mode' and would
take a decision as per the data
on inflation and other macroeconomic factors. "We also
Chinese slowdown than is anticipated, it won't affect us as much
as other countries around the
world," he said, adding that of
course, everybody would like
stronger Chinese growth, but to
some extent we are among the
least affected.
On the question of reducing
interest rates Rajan said that he is
not done with easing monetary
policy, however adding that any
future decision will be data driven. "We'll look at the data as it
comes in and take a further
view. We have not said we are finished," he added.
Indian Inc has been urging
the central bank to cut rates in the

have inflation which other


people do not have. We have
cut the interest rate thrice so
far this year and we are still
in accommodative mode. We
will have a look at data as it
comes in and take a view
accordingly.
We have not said we are
finished (on cutting rates)
and we will take a view as the
data allows us to do, Rajan
told a news channel in an
interview on the sidelines of
Jackson Hole summit.
Interestingly, it is the same
summit where Rajan had
once famously presented a
paper that talked about an
imminent global financial
crisis, which eventually hit the
world markets in 2007-08.
Rajan was IMF's chief economist when he made that
famous
'prediction'.
PTI
light of an expanding economy
which is expected to grow around
7 per cent with contained inflation, reining-in of fiscal deficit,
good monsoon coupled with a
plunge in commodity prices.
After having cut the short term
lending rate thrice thus far in this
calendar year to bring it down to
7.25 per cent, the RBI kept key
lending rates unchanged during
its last monetary policy meet
held on August 4. RBI that time
said that further cuts can only be
effected if commercial lenders
pass on the previous reductions
to borrowers. RBI has so far
reduced lending rates by 75 basis
points in 2015.

that could entail a consideration


of C167.41 crore.
The board of directors of
the company has approved execution of a share purchase agreement, whereby the promoters of
the company have agreed to sell
45.29 per cent of the current
paid-up equity shares of the
company at a price of C190 per
share to Godrej Agrovet Ltd,
Astec Lifesciences said in a BSE
filing.
Based on information available on BSE, 45.29 per cent of
the company's shares amounts
to over 88 lakh shares. As on
June 2015, its total shares were
1,94,55,055.
At a price of C190 per share,
the transaction value is C167.41
crore. The company further
said, pursuant to the transaction,
GAVL will make an open offer
to the shareholders of the company under the SEBI
(Substantial Acquisition of
Shares and Takeovers)
Regulations, 2011, for which a
public announcement will be
made by GAVL separately, it
added.
Depending on the
response to the open offer,
GAVL may acquire additional
shares from the promoters such
that GAVL's total holding reaches 50 per cent plus 1 share of the
fully diluted share capital of the
company after completion of the
open offer, Astec Lifesciences
said.
The transaction is subject to
various conditions precedent,
which include the sale of the
equity shares held by the company in its wholly-owned subsidiary, Astec Crop Care Pvt Ltd.

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inance Minister Arun


Jaitley on Saturday kept up
suspense on whether controversial land acquisition ordinance will be repromulgated,
saying a decision will be taken
in the next 48 hours.
Wait for next 48 hours
(for a decision on land ordinance), he said, when asked
whether the government has
take a decision with regard to
repromulgate the ordinance
which lapses on August 31.
The land acquisition ordinance, which sought to make
land acquisition for industrial
projects easier, generated lot of
political controversy and was
promulgated for three times. It
will expire on August 31.
The Government on
Friday issued a statutory order

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eliance Capital has pledged


1.30 crore shares, or 5.14 per
cent stake, with Axis Trustee
Services. In a disclosure to the
BSE, Reliance Capital said its
total pledged shares with Axis
Trustee Services stand at 22.56
per cent.
Reliance Capital has pledged
1.30 crore shares, or 5.14 per cent
stake, with Axis Trustee on
August 26, the disclosure said. At
the current market price of
C307.70, the 1.30 crore pledged
shares are valued at around
C400 crore.
Reliance Capital already had
4.40 crore shares, or 17.42 per
cent, pledged with Axis Trustee
Services. This takes the total
pledged shares to 5.70 crore
shares or 22.56 per cent.

on Land Bill in lieu of re-promulgation of land ordinance.


The order will ensure compensation for land acquired
under 13 Acts and will safeguard the rehabilitation of
land owners.
Replying to a host of questions at a function here, Jaitley
made a case for lowering interest rates saying it was essential
to raise the growth rate to 810 per cent.
If we have to jump to 8

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acing economic downturn,


China on Saturday removed
75 per cent loan-to-deposit
ratio stipulation for its commercial banks to improve liquidity and imposed $2.5 trillion
as
ceiling
for
local
Governments to control the
spiralling debt.
National People's Congress
(NPC), China's legislature,
adopted an amendment to the
Law on Commercial Banks,
removing a 75 per cent loan-todeposit ratio stipulation.
The ratio will instead be
regarded as liquidity-monitoring indicator, state-run Xinhua
news agency reported.
China has kept the 75 per
cent ratio since the law was
enacted and put into effect in
1995. The amendment will

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HH Healthcare Berhad, a
Malaysian healthcare
Iprovider,
has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a
73.4 per cent stake in citybased GE Medical Associates
Private that runs Global
Hospitals, for C1,284 crore.
According to a release
issued by IHH, pending necessary approvals and satisfaction of certain conditions,
the deal is expected to close
within 3 months.
As part of this transaction,
IHH will use C265 crore to
fund the hospital chains capex
requirements and optimise
its current cost of borrowing.
Founded in 1999, Global
Hospitals operates a chain of
five hospitals -- supported by
three feeder centres -- with
approximately 1,100 operational beds in Hyderabad,

Bangalore, Chennai and


Mumbai.
The number of operational beds is expected to go
up to approximately 1,900
within the next 5 years, the
release said. Dr Tan See Leng,
MD and CEO of IHH, said the
acquisition will be a gamechanger for IHH in India.
Together with our existing hospitals, the acquisition
of Global Hospitals catapults
us towards becoming one of
the leading hospital groups in
India. India has tremendous
growth potential with its

rapidly increasing demand


for quality private healthcare,
Leng said. IHHs India portfolio comprises approximately 1,800 beds with potential to
reach up to 4,000 in the next
5 years, he said.
Dr K R avindranath,
founder and Chairman of
Global Hospitals, said that
with its expanded presence in
India, IHH aims to gain further business synergies, cost
savings and operating leverage
through centralised procurement, optimised backroom
functions, common branding
and marketing strategy, sharing of doctors and better utilisation of facilities.
Tan Sri Dato Dr Abu
Bakar Bin Suleiman, IHH
Chairman, said the acquisition
of Global Hospitals boosts
IHHs beds globally to more
than 8,000 across 45 hospitals
in 10 countries.

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KOLKATA: India will be able to double its power generation
in the next seven years, Union Coal and Power inister Piyush
Goyal has said. Very clearly, as we work to provide energy access
to every citizen of India 24X7 and as we work to eliminate dieselgenerated power, sadly we still have several thousands of crores
of rupees (spent) on diesel-generated power, which is much
more expensive. The cost is borne by the people of the country directly or indirectly, Goyal said during a programme organised by the BCC&I here. All of these are sought to be replaced
by thermal, gas, nuclear and renewable power and this will generate great demand, he reasoned.
PNS

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S cult bike maker Harley


Davidson is recalling 3,698
units of its XG750 model manufactured this year to rectify a faulty
fuel pump inlet. HarleyDavidson confirms that it has voluntarily recalled model year 2015
Harley-Davidson Street family
vehicles, of which the XG750
model is available in India,
Harley-Davidson India said.
Explaining the reasons, it
said: We identified that some
of the motorcycles may have a
poor seal at the fuel pump inlet,
and announced the recall in the
interest of customer safety.
Stating that the company is
committed to correcting this
issue, Harley-Davidson India said

it is working with its dealers in


India to notify customers to
bring their motorcycles in for
inspection.
Ever since auto industry
body SIAM initiated voluntary
recall for safety related issues in
July 2012, companies have proactively recalled vehicles.
Recently, Honda Motorcycle
and Scooter India recalled 13,700
units of its CBR 150R and CBR
250R bike models, mde between
July 2014 to June 2015, in India
to fix a defective starter relay
switch assembly.

?=B Q =4F34;78

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NEW DELHI: Realty major
DLF on Saturday announced
appointment of its two wholetime directors Rajeev Talwar
and Mohit Gujral as co-CEOs
of the company with immediate effect. The decision to
appoint Gujral and Talwar as
co-CEOs was taken in a meeting of the board of directors
held on Friday.
In a BSE filing, the country's largest real estate firm
said the board has entrusted
additional responsibilities upon
Mohit Gujral and Rajeev Talwar,
both of whom are whole time
directors of the firm, by re-designating/appointing them as
CEOs of the company with
immediate effect.
In February last year,
Talwar and Gujral were
appointed as whole-time directors of the company. PTI

take effect on October 1.


The ratio was set to prevent over quick expansion of
commercial banks' credit scale
and control liquidity risk, but
it has become improper for
current needs, said Shang
Fulin, chairman of the China
Banking
Regulator y
Commission.
In another crucial policy
move, the NPC also imposed
a ceiling of 16 trillion yuan
($2.505 trillion) for local
Government debt in 2015. It
consists of two parts, 15.4 trillion yuan of debt balance
owned by local governments
by the end of 2014 and the
remaining 0.6 trillion yuan
the maximum size of debt
local governments are allowed
to run up in 2015. China has
struggled for years to rein in
local government debt.

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rivate airport operator


GMR has put in place an
P
action plan to decongest the

n a major top-level bureaucratic shakeup, Shaktikanta


Das was named new
Economic Affairs Secretary
and would be replaced by
Gujarat cadre IAS officer
Hasmukh
Adhia
in
Department of Revenue,
while former Air India chief
Sunil Arora will become I&B
Secretary.
As many as 16 appointments were approved on
Friday night by the
Appointments Committee of
Cabinet headed by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and
include 15 RPT 15 new
Secretaries and one for the
position
of
National
Highways Authority of India
(NHAI) Chairman, a coveted
post that has gone to Madhya
Pradesh cadre IAS officer of
1982 batch Raghav Chandra.
As per the order issued
late tonight by the
Department of Personnel and
Training, Air India's current
Chairman and Managing
Director Rohit Nandan will
replace Arora as Secretary in
the Ministr y of Skill
Development
and
Entrepreneurship.
Deputy
Election
Commissioner Vinod Zutshi
has been appointed as new
Tourism Secretary. Das, 1980

per cent plus or 8-10 per cent


growth bracket than all the
stalled projects (have to be
revived) and cost of capital
have to go down, Jaitley said.
Although Reserve Bank
reduced the benchmark interest rate by 0.75 per cent in
three tranches since January, it
maintained the status quo at its
policy action earlier this
month despite pressure from
industry and Finance Ministry.
The next monetary policy is due on September 29.
The Government, he said,
was working on the process
of ease of doing business,
bringing in bankruptcy law,
rationalising taxation and
introducing proper public
procurement policy. These
are c oupl e of are a s on
which work is in advanced
stage, Jaitley said.

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batch IAS officer of Tamil


Nadu cadre, would replace
Rajiv Mehrishi as Economic
Affairs Secretary upon his
superannuation on August
31. Financial S er vices
Secretary Hasmukh Adhia,
an IAS officer of Gujarat
cadre, will replace Das as
Revenue Secretary.
Tapan R ay, another
Gujarat cadre IAS officer,
would become Corporate
Affairs Secretary in place of
Anjuly Chib Duggal, who
would replace Adhia in the
Department of Financial
Services. The changes in
Finance Ministr y comes
months ahead of the Union
Budget and also at a time
when a one-time compliance
window is open as part of thenew black money law.
Arora, currently Secretary
in Ministr y of Skill

Development
and
Entrepreneurship, would
replace Bimal Julka as
Secretary in the Information
and Broadcasting Ministry
on his superannuation on
Monday.
The appointment of
Arora, a 1980-batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre, comes
at a time when the I&B ministry is in the midst of several important activities including the e-auctions of Phase III
FM radiostations and Phase
III and IV of Digitisation.
The I&B ministry has also
been under fire over the twomonth-old impasse at the
Film and Television Institute
of India (FTII) where students
are demanding removal of
Gajendra Chauhan as its
chairman. Earlier, Arora has
functioned as the CMD of Air
India.

domestic terminal (1D) at the


Indira Gandhi International
Airport (IGIA). The action
plan include optimum utilisation of check-in counters, introduction of flap gates at the
boarding place and an
increased boarding gate area
among others.
Budget carriers IndiGo,
GoAir and SpiceJet currently
operate from this terminal,
which was built to handle 16
million passengers annually.
Civil Aviation Ministry has
already given its nod to the
action plan, after aviation secretary RN Choubey held a
review meeting during a recent
visit to the Delhi Airport, an
official release said on Saturday.
The review meeting was
also attended by officials from
CISF, Bureau of Civil Aviation
Security (BCAS) besides
senior management of Delhi
International Airport Limited
(DIAL), the joint venture
company which runs IGIA.
The civil aviation secretar y during the meeting
emphasized for better coordination among all stakeholders
including government agencies to provide a passenger
friendly environment at the
airport, the release said.

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ndrani Mukerjea alias Pori Bora


was the pampered daughter of tea
garden owner Upendra Kumar
Bora and Durga Rani Bora. Born in
Guwahati, Indrani was always ambitious and a much talked about girl in
town. She was vivacious, friendly and
outgoing, her classmate said. Her
umpteen affairs come as no surprise
to her close friends but they are
shocked to know about the cold
blooded way in which she is alleged
to have murdered her daughter. Can
she kill? I really cant say. She was
over the top and very smart but this
has come as a shocker, her friend
added.
During her growing up years in
Assam, there was a lot of unrest due
to the long-running anti-foreigner
agitation that started in 1979. As a
result, Indrani continued her education in neighbouring Meghalaya. It is
here in Lady Keane College (Shillong)
that Indrani met Siddharth Das and
fell in love with his wit and charm. It
is believed that she had two children
from a relationship with him
Sheena and Mikhail. We were not
constantly in touch once she moved
to Shillong but during her visit to
Guwahati, she used to talk about her
good handsome friend who really
cared for her, the friend said.
There is another theory about her
children. Some say, Indrani had
eloped with Chirag, her senior in college. They were not married, but had
two children Sheena and Mikhail.
According to those rumours, Indranis
father had set up a restaurant for
Chirag, who was jobless then, in the
Ganeshguri area of Guwahati.
However, the business did not take off
and the couple soon separated.
Indrani went to Kolkata, leaving the
children with her parents in
Guwahati. There she met and married
Siddhartha Das, a businessman from
Agartala with trade interests in
Guwahati and Kolkata.
She was a popular girl in college
but never an open book. One could
never say for sure what went on in her
mind. In Kolkata, in the 1990s, she
studied computers and took up an
apartment as a paying guest.

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B

orn in United Kingdom, Peter


Mukherjea had it in him to make
it big. The Doon school product was
always amongst the toppers and he
developed a strong business acumen
very early on in his career.
When he was 29, Peter was chosen by global media baron Rupert
Murdoch to steer his ship in India.
Broadcast was much in news at that
time as private broadcasting was
still an upcoming phenomenon.
Peter, as CEO of Star India, redefined
entertainment in Indian by launching iconic shows like Kaun Banega
Crorepati and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi
Bahu Thi.
Peter hogged all media attention
and his newly-wed glamorous wife
Indrani received equal praise. In
2007, the couple hit the headlines
when Peter announced his departure
from Star India to launch a rival
broadcast network, apparently at the
behest of Indrani. That is how INX
Network was born.
However, INX never really took
off. The Mukerjeas were made to step
down amid controversies and allegations of mismanagement and
financial problems in 2009. As promoters, they were handsomely compensated for their stake in the venture. The couple shifted base to
Bristol in the UK soon after the exit.
They were pretty much settled in the
UK though they would occasionally
visit their house at Worli in Mumbai,
says a person close to the couple.
Early this year, however, they came
back and were planning to once again
settle here, he says.
Peter, today, is a non-plussed husband, who maintains that he had no
idea about his wifes nefarious activities and that he genuinely believed
that Sheena was, indeed, her sister. He
even fell out with his son over when
the latter suggested to him that there
was something fishy.

5a^\R[^RZfXbT)<XZWPX[8]SaP]XAPWd[
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Within three years, she started


dating influential businessman
Sanjeev Khanna. They got married in
1993. Indranis parents were not present on the occasion. Indrani and
Sanjeev had a daughter, Vidhie in
1997. In 2001, the couple moved to
Mumbai.
But all was not well in their marriage. Sanjeevs friends recall that the
fallout was extremely bitter and
dragged on for more than six months
before the couple decided to call it
quits.
While Sanjeev was brooding
because of a failed marriage, Indrani
moved on pretty quickly. In 2002, she
was introduced to Peter Mukherjea
by Alyque Padamsee. In three days
time, Peter told me that he was seeing her and was very happy, Suheil
Seth recalls that incident.
After a six-month courtship, in
November 2002, Indrani married
olkatas whisky circuit is agog,
thanks to their most active
K
member Sanjeev Khanna and his
alleged involvement in a murder
most foul. Jaws have never dropped
like this before at Calcutta Cricket
and Football Club, the most soughtafter evening addresses among the
citys hi-bye socialites.
Sanjeev Khanna is definitely
short-tempered but was he so coldblooded as to murder a young girl
so unscrupulously? Kolkatas party
circles are still asking this question,
particularly CCFC, an ancient colonial institution.
But who knows what is buried
in whose mind? We were party
friends and seldom ventured
beyond that, says a Khanna buddy
who was also his drinking partner
for the past few years. But I have
never been to his place. If he has
killed someone then it is his business and he has to give an account
of that. Sanjeevs life took an ugly
turn last Wednesday with the doorbell ringing at 20B Belvedre Road
in South Kolkatas Alipore area
where he was having dinner. Those
who entered through the door in
the guise of Cable TV operators
soon morphed into cops who had
sniffed him out.
After a brief interrogation,
Khanna was arrested under Section
302 (murder) Section 364 (kidnapping), Section 201 (destruction of
evidence) and Section 120B (criminal conspiracy).
Going back in time, Khannas
life changed years ago the moment
he fell in love with Indrani Bora/Das
a deeply charming yet ferociously
ambitious lady of not-so-high
morals, of Guwahati and decided to
tie the knot with her, overruling
friends advice against going steady
with a woman to whom love meant
a means to reach the summit,
sources at CCFC say. Sanjeev is a
whisky buff. Sometimes he gets so
drunk that he even picks up brawls
with others says a friend. Once he
was suspended from the heritage
Club. But he is philosophical too
and seldom gave the impression that
he can kill even an ant. He keeps

Peter Mukerjea. After this marriage,


Vidhie Khanna moved in with the
Mukerjeas and took the Mukerjea
surname. Sheena and Mikhail by that
time had also found jobs n Mumbai
and were looking to connect with
their biological mother.
In 2005, after much deliberation,
Indrani introduced her children
Sheena and Mikhail to Peter as her
younger siblings.
In 2006, Sheena Bora moved in
with the Mukerjeas when she was
pursuing her graduation from a
reputed college in Mumbai.
Apart from her colourful life and
umpteen affairs, Indrani was a
known person in the broadcast
business circuit. Along with Peter,
she held 50 per cent stake in INX
Media and the rest came from
investors such as New Silk Route,
Temasek Holdings and New Vernon
Private Equity. INX was in the
news from the very beginning. As
the founder and CEO of the network, Indrani became a regular feature in the business Press. She was
celebrated as the youngest female
CEO of a broadcast company globally. In 2008, she received the Uttar
Ratna award for achieving her
vision of creating a cable and satellite network from scratch. The
same year, she was nominated as the
prestigious 50 women to watch out
for global list released by Wall
Street Journal. As she soared, her
channel dipped and eventually the
couple had to take their stake in the
company and move out for good.
From 2012 to 2015, the Mukerjeas
divided their time between residences in Worli, Mumbai, Bristol
(UK) and Marbella (Spain).
Today, Indrani is in custody for
allegedly killing her daughter
Sheena in cold blood. Sheena was
strangled on April 24, 2012, allegedly by Indrani's ex-husband Sanjeev
Khanna, with Indrani and her driver Shyam Rai also in the car.
All mails sent from Sheena's
phone after that were aimed at projecting that Sheena had left for the
US and was not interested in returning to India.

BWTT]P1^aP)?^^a
[Xcc[TSPdVWcTabXbcTa
soft spoken girl with impeccable manners is how Sheenas
A
friends remember her. Born in Guwahati, Sheena was a bright
student with a vision to make it big in life. She was an achiever
who always wanted to venture out of Guwahati. She had friends
who worked in Delhi and Mumbai and Sheena wanted to follow
suit.
Immediately after finishing her higher secondary school,
Sheena came to Mumbai looking for a career and more importantly to be with her mother. Sheena was very emotional about
our mother. She had many questions and wanted answers to all
of them, her brother Mikhail said.
Sheena pursued her graduation in Economics from St Xaviers
College in Mumbai and moved into Indranis home as her sister.
In 2009, she joined Reliance Infrastructure as a management trainee
and in 2011 became an assistant manager with Mumbai Metro
One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL), a joint venture company owned by
Reliance Infrastructure, Veolia Transport and the Mumbai
Metropolitan Region Development Authority.
While living with her mother in Mumbai, Sheena fell in love
with Rahul (Peter Mukherjeas son from this first marriage).
Although Peter was fine with the relationship, Indrani was not
too happy because Rahul was not earning.
They used to converse in Assamese which was difficult for
me to follow but I could gauge that there were a lot of problems.
I assumed the sisters would talk it through and sort the issues,
Peter Mukherjea told mediapersons. On April 24, 2012 Sheena
went on leave and was not seen again. Her mother, Indrani
Mukerjea, claimed that Sheena finally saw reason and broke off
with her boyfriend Rahul. Her friends were told that Sheena had
gone to the US for higher studies. She had in fact been ruthlessly murdered by her mother.
The last time I saw her was in February 2012 when Sheena
had come to Guwahati for a friends wedding. She never mentioned about going to the US, Mikhail told reporters.

BP]YTTe:WP]]P)D]bRad_d[^dbTg\P]
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within his own group though he


waves at everyone with whom he
has spoken at least once, sources say.
But then why would he tell his
friends a couple of days ago that he
was in trouble and might have to
invoke a politician to bail him out?
Asked whether money played a role
in Sanjeevs journey to Mumbai and
subsequently him getting involved
in the crime, a friend requesting
anonymity said he has his own
business houses at Kolkatas
Hastings and other areas. One is not
sure whether he needed more cash.
Co-incidentally, Khannas
father was also reportedly murdered
when he was a child and he was
brought up by a relative.
Subsequently, he was educated at

Mayo College and came back to


Kolkata to start his own business
that had its own ups and downs.
First, he tried his luck in the Cable
TV business, worked as an HRD
person during which time he came
in touch with Indrani who was then
running a placement service. She
lived at the YWCA hostel. Though
there was nothing abnormal in her
conduct that she was ambitious
could be proved by her tendency to
go make friends with high and
mighty who visited the club, says a
friend and wife of an Air Force official. DJ Clair, a friend of Khannas,
says: It is difficult to believe that he
is involved in a murder but he himself was such a distressed person at
times. On whether he could have

killed Indranis daughter Sheena,


there are not many answers. You do
not look into peoples bedrooms. If
he has done so let him pay the price.
But his outward appearance is different, a friend said. The only
expression his mates would see in
him for the past a few years was a
deep urge to meet his daughter
Vidhie who had been kept away
from him by his ex-wife Indrani
ever since they separated.
Apart from loving his drink
which could be one way Indrani
might have trapped him Sanjeev
was a good dart player representing
his club. He is also a businessman
running his own business and managing the ones owned by friend Ajay
Rawla.
In fact he has been managing
Rawlas heritage hotel at Budge
Budge off Kolkata for a long time.
Friends say, he was in touch with
Indrani and would regularly beg her
to let him see his daughter who had
since been adopted by Peter
Mukerjea, Indranis current husband. In fact, he had not married
the second time and was perhaps
nurturing a faint hope that one day
he might be united with Indrani and
Vidhie, his friend said.
Khannas longing for his daughter had led him to write on her
Facebook post: A daughter is one
of the most and beautiful gifts this
world has to give. This is one reason why his friends wonder whether
a person who loves his own daughter so much will kill someone elses.
By the same logic, others argue
perhaps his uncontrollable desire
for his daughter may have led
Indrani to lure him into doing this
act. Who knows!
In another post, he has written,
there is no need for revenge. Just
sit back and wait. Those who hurt
you will eventually hurt themselves
and if you are lucky God will let you
watch.
1hBPdVPaBT]Vd_cPUa^\:^[ZPcP

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104

heteshwar Pujara marked his comeback with a gritty unbeaten century as India recovered from an early
slump to reach a decent 292/8 in their first
innings of the third and final cricket Test
against Sri Lanka here on Saturday.
The 27-year-old Pujara (135 batting)
notched up his seventh Test century as he
anchored the Indian innings brilliantly to
take them to a respectable total after being
reduced to 119/5 at one stage on an
engrossing second day.
Pujara found an able ally in tailender
Amit Mishra (59) as the duo put on a resolute 104-run partnership, the highest
eighth wicket stand on this ground, which
allowed India to claw back into the game.
Ishant Sharma (2) was giving Pujara
company when stumps were drawn early
because of rain and a wet outfield resulting in the loss more than 12 overs.
Resuming at the overnight score of
50/2, India lost the wickets of captain Virat
Kohli (18), Rohit Sharma (26), Stuart Binny
(0), Naman Ojha (21) and Ravichandran
Ashwin (5) in quick succession but Pujara
and Mishra frustrated the hosts.
For Sri Lanka, Dhammika Prasad (4
for 83) was the pick of the bowlers, while
Nuwan Pradeep, Angelo Mathews
Rangana Herath and Tharindu Kaushal
chipped in with a wicket apiece.
The first session clearly belonged to the
hosts as they took two wickets for 69 runs
and also claimed the honours in the second session by reducing India to 220/7.
However, the visitors relied on Pujaras
temperament and application to rebuild
the innings while Mishra also showed that
he was no pushover with the bat. Pujara
hit 13 boundaries during his long vigil and
made his comeback into the Test team a
memorable one after a four- Test layoff.
The day began 15 minutes early as stipulated for the remainder of this Test match,
and the Sri Lankan bowlers were immediately on top.
Dhammika and Pradeep got good purchase from the still- fresh pitch. The former
looked especially threatening throughout the
morning session and was really unlucky not
to have picked up more wickets.
He had two huge shouts for LBW
against Virat Kohli (18) in the very first
over of the day, and the first one a very
close call, but umpire Nigel Llong did not
accept the bowlers appeals.
At the other end, Pradeep also made
Pujara hop and skip as the ball took off

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?C8

of occasions, and hitting him for a six as


well. This positive intent rubbed off on
Pujara as well and runs started flowing in
the latter half of the session. The first hour
of play yielded just 22 runs at the expense
of one wicket in 15 overs.
Playing with soft hands against pacers, Pujara opened up against the spinners
as well, stepping out of the crease time and
again. He was severe on Tharindu Kaushal
(0/17) smacking three fours in his very first
over as India crossed the 100-run mark in
the 41st over. Two overs later, the
Saurashtra batsman reached his half-century off 127 balls.
Their 50-run partnership came off 117
balls as Kaushal was hit out of the attack after
only a couple of overs. Prasad then returned

for one last spell before the lunch break and


got instant purchase from the pitch.
Just when it appeared that the two
Indian batsmen would go safely into the
lunch break, Rohit went hard at an out
swinger and edged the ball to first slip.
Ashwin failed once again with the bat
in what is proving to be a lean series by
his standards. But Mishra then stuck
around long enough to help push Indias
total past the 200-mark in the 70th over.
The day was, however, all about Pujara,
who batted at a strike-rate of 46.11 and gestured keenly towards the dressing room on
reaching his hundred off 214 balls. Pujara
and Mishra continued to frustrate Sri Lanka
in the post-tea session, furthering their 40run partnership despite second ball taken.

22

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from a good length, displaying the differentiating bounce in the pitch. Indias
scoring rate was very slow of course as it
was a tough first hours play, with only six
runs coming off the first five overs.
The Pujara-Kohli combine brought up
their 50-partnership in the 23rd over, and
then immediately Angelo Mathews (1/8)
dismissed Kohli, who was caught behind

chasing a wide ball outside the off-stump.


Keeper Kusal Perera, who had dropped
Kohli on 8 yesterday, did not make any
mistake this time and gleefully accepted
this chance.
Rohit walked in to join Pujara at the
other end as Rangana Herath (0/37) came
on. He looked to attack the spinner
immediately, going over the top a couple

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$QDQGPHHW*LULLQ6LQTXHILHOGVHFRQGODS
?C8Q BC;>D8BDB0

ive-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand


will have an uphill task at hand when he takes
F
on Dutchman Anish Giri in the sixth round of the

EX]^SfX[[WPeTc^
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=4F 34;78) Former wrestling coach Vinod

Kumar, who was to be considered for the


Dronacharya Award 2015 following a Delhi
High Court order, will have to wait longer as
a larger bench today ordered further hearing
on various disputed questions on the issue.
A single judge bench had on Friday
directed the Centre to include Kumar in the
list of awardees, saying that it was alarming
that the selection committee had not considered the accolades conferred on him.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice
G Rohini, however, ordered further hearing
of the matter saying that there are various
disputed questions of facts which need to be
dealt with by the single judge bench.
In the light of the material available on
record, it appears to us that the matter
involves various disputed questions of facts and
require consideration after giving an opportunity of being heard to all the parties, the
bench, also comprising Justice Nath, said.
It, however, gave a green signal to the
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to go
ahead with the function to confer the prestigious award on the other coach Anup Singh.
The court made it clear that the conferment of the award would be subject to the
outcome of the pending litigation.
It said that the single judge is required
to dispose of the matter expeditiously, preferably within six weeks from today without having regard to any of the observations/finding
recorded in the order under appeal.
The bench said that although the order
challenged by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Sports is interim and the main matter is pending but the direction in the order that petitioner Vinod Kumar be included in the list of
awardees amounted to the relief actually
sought in his petition. It also took into the
account the statement of Additional Solicitor
General Sanjay Jain that in the event of Vinod
Kumar succeding in his case, the Sports
Ministry will take appropriate steps in terms
of the order that may be passed in his, including the conferment of the award.
?C8

$300000 prize money tournament here.


After losing the first two games and drawing the next three, Anand is in joint ninth spot
in the 10-player round-robin tournament. He is
now desperately looking for a turnaround in his
performance and fortunes.
Anand started the tournament losing to
Hikaru Nakamura of United States and then suffered another defeat at the hands of Russian
Alexander Grischuk in the second round.
Thereafter Anand drew the next three with
Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, American Fabiano
Caruana and French star Maxime VachierLagrave. Up against Giri in the next round, Anand
will have black pieces but then he will play with

Wesley So of United States with white.


Anands only concern could be against
Armenian Levon Aronian in the penultimate
round, while he could really turn things around
in the final game when he takes on World champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway,
Carlsen, meanwhile, has staged a big comeback
in the tournament after losing the first round to

Topalov. On 3.5 points, the Norwegian shares the


podium currently with Aronian and these two are
followed by Giri and Topalov with three points each.
With just four games to go, Hikaru Nakamura
is also training his sights for a good finish along
with Vachier-Lagrave on 2.5 points, while
Grischuk and Caruana would be hoping for the
same having pocketed two points each.
After a rather sedate start, Carlsen has won
three out of his last four games and it all started
with a dramatic victory from a lost position against
Caruana in the second round. The world champion is getting better with each round and his
demolition of Wesley So in the fourth round was
a remarkable effort. Aronian is showing his true
mettle after a long time in elite tournament and
he, too, looks determined to make things go his
way. The showdown with Carlsen in round six
might be decisive for the Armenian who is the
only unbeaten player here, besides Anish Giri.

<Rafc]`_V:_UZR_e`^R\VTfeeZVU%%eY
?C8Q ?A06D4

Rising star Matthew Fitzpatrick


holed a 15ft birdie putt on his final
hole for a share of the lead at the
halfway mark. The Englishman,
who turns 21 next Tuesday, also
sank a 30ft eagle putt on the 12th
hole in his five under par second
round of 67 to move to 11 under par
for the tournament, a total which
was match by Swedens Pelle Edberg,
who also birdied his final hole for a
round of 67.
It was Fitzpatricks second consecutive bogey-free round at
Albatross Golf Resort as he bids for
a maiden European Tour title, having finished runner up to fellow
Sheffield native Danny Willett in last
months Omega European Masters
in Switzerland.

hiv Kapur, the lone Indian to


make the cut at the D+D REAL
Czech Masters, shot a two-under
70 that included two birdies and 16
pars in the third round of the tournament.
Kapur, whose even par 72 in
second round helped him get into
the weekend rounds, is now threeunder 213 and rose from tied 61st
to tied 44th. In the third round
Kapur birdied the first and 10th and
had pars on all remaining holes.
Meanwhile the remaining three
Indians missed the cut, as SSP
Chawrasia (73-73), Gaganjeet
Bhullar (72-73) and Jeev Milkha
Singh (76-70) exited early.

A0858=8B7!!=38=90:0AC0

90:0AC0) Himmat Rai played his

best round of the week on the final


day of the Ciputra Golfpreneur
Tournament to finish Tied-22nd.
Rai, a former Asian Tour winner, had seven birdies against three
bogeys as he finished at 10-under
par 278 for the week. Rai shot
rounds of 70, 71, 69 and 68.
Rai began with a hat-trick of
birdies and then added further
birdies on sixth, 10th, 13th and 17th.
He dropped shots on fifth, seventh
and 11th. Michael Tran of Vietnam
sensationally won his maiden Asian
Development Tour (ADT) title after
defeating overnight co-leader Lam
Chih Bing of Singapore on the first
play-off hole.

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elieved after notching up his first


hundred in close to two years,
R
Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara on
Saturday thanked A team coach Rahul
Dravid for reassuring him that there
was nothing wrong with his technique during the prolonged lean patch.
Pujara, who made a grand comeback to the playing XI by scoring an
unbeaten 135, had spent quality time
with Dravid last month while playing
against Australia A in Chennai.
The best thing came out of
Rahul Dravid when I was playing with
India A team.
He said that
there is nothing
wrong with my
technique. So he
told me to keep
calm.
He
watched me bat
in the nets and
told me that
there is a big one
coming ver y
soon, maybe in
Sri Lanka or
even in the India-A game. So that gave
me lot of confidence and belief in
myself, Pujara said.
He (Dravid) felt that overall, I
was batting really well during
England and Australia tours. Its
just that I didnt convert the 30s or
40s into a big one. So I decided to
stick to what I do and continue playing the way I have been.
Pujara said that he decided to
keep things simple today even when
wickets fell at the other end.
I kept things simple. When I
went in, I just had to go bat and play
my natural game. I thought that if I
think about all the stuff that had been
happening, that I am not batting at
my regular position and this is the
last opportunity that might be there
and so on, I wouldnt be able to go
and perform to the best of my abilities, said the Rajkot-born player.

2P]aTVPX]V^^S_^bXcX^]
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otwithstanding Indias
dogged fightback after losing a flurry of wickets, pacer
Dhammika Prasad on Saturday
said Sri Lanka can claw back
into the game as the nature of
the wicket was changing and it
was not as bowler friendly as at
the start of the Test.
Riding on Pujaras unbeaten 135, India closed Day 2 on
292 for eight with lot of time lost
due to rain interruptions only
15 overs were possible on the
opening day. Dhammika, who
has picked up four wickets so far,
is confident of making it count
on the morning of Day 3.
In the first session (yesterday), we could get lots of seam
movement. In the latter part of
the day it has changed a bit. Its
not doing as much as it did yesterday. Its changed a bit,
Prasad said.
There was a lot of swing in
the morning today too. When
the pitch had some sun in the
afternoon, it slowed down a little. Now that the wicket is covered, there will be something in
it tomorrow morning. I think we
should be able to get those two
wickets (remaining), he added.
India were struggling at 119
for five and then were reduced
to 180 for seven before Pujara
got going with Amit Mishra
(59). The duo stitched a 104run eight-wicket partnership to
bring Indian back on their feet,
but Prasad sees a lot of light at

the end of the tunnel.


We had seven of their
wickets for 180, then they had
that 100-run stand. We were in
the ascendancy, but with the
century stand we went down a
little bit. But I think we can get
the remaining wickets cheaply and regain a good position,
Prasad said.
Making batsmen play and
miss on his away-going deliveries, Prasad (4-83) was more
than a threat to many an Indian
batsmen. His verbal chats with
Pujara and Virat Kohli also
added spice to the days play and
Prasad said its all part of the
game. At the time, I had had
two close lbw appeals against
Kohli. I was a little frustrated
because I didnt get them. Also,
Kohli and Pujara were getting
beaten a lot by the balls I was
sending down. I was desperate
for a wicket, so with that frustration, I did anything I could
do to try and get that wicket, he
said, when asked about the
chatter in the middle.

2eddebWUc@32d_Q\\_gXY]bUce]U`\QiY^W

?C8Q :0A0278

akistans tainted former captain


Salman Butt has asked the
P
PCBs anti-corruption officials and
legal advisors to reconsider the
reintegration and rehabilitation
plan for the disgraced trio.
Butt met the PCBs anti-corruption officials and legal advisors
on Friday and requested them to
allow him to resume playing first
class cricket from September 2.
Salman Butt has requested a
review of the action plan and is keen

to get clearance to at least play first


class cricket, said a board official.
The Pakistan Cricket Board on
Wednesday had announced a comprehensive action plan for Butt,
Muhammad Asif and Muhammad
Aamir to reintegrate them back into
mainstream cricket.
But the plan rules them out of
playing first class cricket until
February 2016 as they attend anticorruption programs, deliver anticorruption lectures in different
regions, have counselling sessions,
train and meet fitness standards at

the national cricket academy and


mend fences with the members of
the national team.
The trios five-year bans for
spot fixing expire on September 1
midnight and the ICC said they
can return to national and international cricket after that date.
But Pakistans former Test captain Ramiz Raja has advised the
PCB to rule out any chances of the
trio returning to the national team.
The PCB can give them permission to play some domestic
cricket and perhaps even assist

them financially but they must not


be allowed to represent Pakistan
again, Raja said in Lahore.
The former skipper made it
clear that the trio by indulging in
spot fixing in England on the
2010 tour had brought a bad
name to Pakistan cricket and tarnished its image.
It would be unfair to have
eight players in a team who are
clean and want to win and three
players about whom they will
always be doubts that they dont
want to win, he said.

Raja said even the reintegration/rehabilitation plan would not


make the trio corruption free cricketers. They did something which
badly hurt Pakistan cricket and its
integrity and image and it has
taken many years to once again
restore our image internationally. I
dont think they deserve a second
chance to play for Pakistan, he said.
Raja also felt that the current
Pakistan team had become an
unified outfit, which could survive
and continue to do well without
the three tainted players.

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sain Bolt is perfect yet again.


Dispelling two years of injury
doubts, the Jamaican won three
sprint gold medals this week for an overall world championship record of 11.
The last of them came on Saturday when
he anchored the 4x100-meter relay
team with free-flowing, giant strides that
have made him an icon for the sport.
This is even better to me. Just to
prove everybody wrong, Bolt said. I
came out and proved you can never
count Usain Bolt out.
Behind him, the United States was
far back in second place. But Justin
Gatlin, who had been unbeaten in two
seasons of sprinting, lost the chance
for a third silver when the American
team was disqualified for a bad
exchange on the anchor leg.
According to Bolt, the Americans
just couldnt deal with the situation of
being the favourites.
It is stress. It is pressure, Bolt
said. It is easy for people to chase
people, but when you are the one
being chased it is much harder.
The Americans lost their chance
for a medal when they botched their
last handover, just as Bolt grabbed the
baton for the last leg of the race.
We looked good in prelims. We
looked good in practice, Tyson Gay
said after he got the baton to Mike
Rodgers outside the exchange zone.
We just didnt get it around.
To the delight of the tens of thousands of fans in the Birds Nest, China
moved up to silver and Canada took
bronze.
It was Bolts third sprint triple in
a row, starting at the London Olympics
and continuing through the 2013
worlds in Moscow, and fifth overall.
There was a distinctly gladiatorial atmosphere in the Birds Nest as all
teams entered the arena through a traditional Chinese facade, passing cheerleaders and flagbearers to be intro-

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duced to a raucous capacity crowd.


Not only has Bolt won 11 individual world or Olympic sprint titles from
a possible 12 since he took track and
field by storm at the 2008 Beijing
Olympics, but the 29-year-old has also
been a key part of the relay team.
Despite losing to the US team at
this years World Relays, much to Bolts
visible annoyance, the Jamaicans have
won all world and Olympic sprint
titles since the 2008 Beijing Games,
and also set a world record of 36.84sec
while winning gold at the London
Games.
The Americans got solace from
Ashton Eatons world-record perfor-

singles
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mance in the decathlon. The Olympic


champion beat his own mark with a
stirring run in the closing 1,500
meters of the race.
Eaton was around world-record
pace throughout the 10 events over
two days and, with exhaustion hanging heavy in the Birds Nest, he pushed
through pain to total 9,045 points, six
better than his previous best.
His chest heaving, he crumpled to
the track. Once he got up, he only had
one thing on his mind: seeking out his
wife, heptathlon silver medalist
Brianne Theisen-Eaton, for an emotional embrace in the stands.
The result is awesome, Eaton
said.
For the Jamaicans, the womens
4x100 relay team made Saturdays

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?C8Q =4F34;78

ndian womens hockey team will return to the


Olympics after a long gap of 36 years as it qualified on Saturday for next years Rio Games, courtesy England making it to the final of the ongoing Euro Hockey Championships in London.
Englands semifinal victory over Spain, coming after the Netherlands win over Germany in the
other semifinal in the European Championships
freed one quota place as both the finalists have
already qualified for the Olympic Games.
India took the quota place on the basis of its
fifth-place finish in the womens Hockey World
League Semifinals in Antwerp last month.
International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed that Indian womens team has qualified
for the Rio Games.
India qualified after England defeated Spain
in the semi-finals of the Unibet EuroHockey
Championships in London, which ensured that the
only teams The Netherlands and England (as
Great Britain) who can now win the event have
already qualified for Rio through the Hockey World
League Semi-Finals, the FIH said in a statement.
The winner of the EuroHockey
Championships will qualify for the 2016
Olympics as European continental champions,
opening up a further qualification spot which
India secure as the team who ranked highest at
the Hockey World League Semi-Finals not
already qualified, it said.
Indian womens team now join nine other
teams, who have already qualified for 2016 Rio
Games Korea as Asian Games champions,
Argentina as Pan Am Games champions and
Great Britain, China, Germany, Netherlands,
Australia, New Zealand and the USA through the
Hockey World League Semi-Finals.
Indian womens hockey team last featured in
an Olympics in the 1980 Moscow Games, where
they finished at a respectable fourth position.
Hockey India applauded the historic achievement of the womens hockey team.
It is a proud moment for Hockey India and
the whole country. We have been waiting for this

sprint party complete.


They brought a smile to Bolts face
ahead of his race when they won gold,
beating the US team with a championship record and the second fastest
time in history at 41.07. It also was the
second gold for Shelly-Ann FraserPryce, whose performances were
again as flashy as her green hairdo.
The Jamaican win denied Allyson
Felix a 10th world title, but the
American veteran will get another
chance in Sundays 4x400 relay. This
is not the end for me, Felix said.
Veronica Campbell-Brown, however, got another sprint relay gold 11
years after winning the 4x100 title at
the 2004 Athens Olympics. At 33, she
was the leadoff runner.
Earlier, Mo Farah joined Bolt
with a third straight double in individual events at global competitions
since winning the 5,000 and 10,000
meters at the London Olympics. After
defending the 10,000 world title on the
opening day last weekend, he had a
relatively easy race in the 5,000 meters
on Saturday.
Hanging back in last place for the
first two kilometers, Farah then quickly moved up. When Caleb Ndiku
sought to sprint away over the last lap,
Farah kept the Kenyan in check and
beat him in the finishing straight. It
felt amazing, Farah said. Incredible.
Ever since the 2012 Olympics,
Farah has been unbeatable over the
long distance races and has six major
gold medals to show for it. Only Bolt
has done similar.
On a road just outside the Birds
Nest, Matej Toth of Slovakia won the
longest event at the championships,
taking gold in the 50-kilometer walk
in 3:40:32. In other events, Russian
high jumper Maria Kuchina took
gold ahead of Blanka Vlasic of Croatia,
Marina Arzamasova of Belarus won
the 800 and Piotr Malachowski won
the discus, giving Poland a third gold
in the throwing events.

performance in the World Championships as countrys


best hope Vikas Gowda finished a poor ninth in the
final round of the mens discus throw event on the
penultimate day of competitions here on Saturday.
Gowda, the reigning Asian and Commonwealth
champion, had an off day in the office as he could only come
up with a best effort of just 62.24m, well below his seasons
best of 65.75m and personal as well as national record of
66.28m. He had made it to the final round with a best effort
of 63.84m in the qualification round on Thursday.
The 32-year-old United States-based Indian began the
final round with a below-par 60.28m and then fouled his
second attempt. With a big throw needed in the third round
to stay in the competition, Gowda apparently buckled under
pressure and came up with a mere 62.24m which was not
good enough for him to make it to the top-eight.
After three rounds, the top eight throwers remained in
the competition for three more attempts to decide the podium finishers while the four bottom placers are eliminated.
Piotr Malachowski of Poland won the gold medal with
a best throw of 67.40m while Philip Milanov (66.90m) of
Belgium and Robert Urbanek (65.18m), also of Poland, took
the silver and bronze.
This was Gowdas
fifth appearance in the
World Championships
and third to be in the
final round. He failed to
qualify in the final
round in 2005 and 2007
while he had finished
seventh in both 2011
and 2013 editions.
Earlier in the day,
Indian womens 4x400m
relay team and mens
50km race walkers
brought up the rear with
a disappointing show.
Sandeep Kumar and Manish Singh Rawat finished 26th
and 27th respectively out of 38 athletes who completed the
mens 50km race walk event with timings of 3:57:03 and
3:57:11 early in the morning. It was though seasons best
performance for Sandeep while Rawats effort was his personal best.
Then the Indian womens 4x400m team crashed out
at the heat stage. The quartet of Tintu Luka, MR
Poovamma, Debasree Majumdar and Jisna Mathew finished
last in an eight-team heat number two with a seasons best
timing of 3:29.08.
Indian womens team had never entered the finals of
World Championships earlier and the sad story continued
here as well. Lalita Babar, O P Jaisha and Sudha Singh
will take part in womens marathon on the last day of
competitions on Sunday.
?C8

:HVW+DPVKRFN5HGV
0?Q ;>=3>=

for the last 36 years and this achievement is the


sweetest and the most memorable among all our
previous feats in recent times, HI President
Narinder Batra said in a release.
I congratulate all the players and coaching
staff who made this dream real and this achievement also shows their commitment toward their
responsibilities. Hockey India thanks all the
coaches who trained these players at their respective academies, parents, sponsors and the entire
hockey fraternity, who continuously motivated the
players and without their support, we could not
have achieved this success. I am sure the girls will
make us proud at the Olympics, he said.
Hockey India Secretary General Mohd
Mushtaque Ahmad said: The Olympics qualification is indeed a great achievement for the
Indian Women Team and the Indian hockey fraternity. The players and the Coaching Staff have
done a commendable job and they are still training hard for the 2016 Olympic Games. Hockey
India is doing its part and fulfilling all the requirements of the team.
I congratulate the whole team and the people who have been working hard behind the scene
to achieve this success. However, the job is still
half done and the team now has to set a new aim
of clinching the first Olympic medal, he said.

ose Mourinho endured another


setback at the start of Chelseas
title defense as his 100th premier
league home game ended in a 2-1
loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
It was only the second time
Mourinhos Chelsea has lost in the
league at Stamford Bridge, leaving
the champions eight points behind
leader Manchester City.
For Palace manager Alan
Pardew it was a third victory over
Mourinho in less than two years,
with the previous successes coming while in charge of Newcastle.
After winning at Chelsea for
the first time since 1982, Palace has
a five-point advantage on its
London rival after four games.
Saturdays game came to life
after Bakary Sako put Palace ahead
in the 65th minute. Although
Radamel Falcao leveled with his
first Chelsea goal in the 79th,
Palace was back in front inside two
minutes through Joel Ward.
Meanwhile in the other major
upset Mark Noble scored and
was later sent off as West Ham
stunned Liverpool 3-0 for its first
victory at Anfield since 1963 in
league game that both teams finished with 10 men.
Liverpool had not conceded a
goal in its opening three games but
went behind after just three minutes when Manuel Lanzini celebrated his first league start for West
Ham with an early goal.
Lanzini set up the second as he
outmuscled Dejan Lovren to steal
the ball and crossed for Noble to
drive home in the 29th as West
Ham ended one of the longest win-

0abT]P[bBP]cX2Pi^a[PPUcTacWTfX]

0?

less runs in English top-flight history.


Things got worse for Liverpool
when Philippe Coutinho picked up
his second yellow card in the 53rd
minute as Brendan Rodgers team
fell to its first loss of the campaign.
Noble was then sent off for a
lunging challenge in the 79th but
Diafra Sakho polished off the win
in injury time.
It was West Hams second win
of the season, having beaten
Arsenal away on the opening
weekend.
Arsenal relied on Fabricio
Coloccinis own goal to win 1-0 at
Newcastle despite the hosts playing most of the Premier League
game with 10 men on Saturday.
Aleksandar Mitrovic was dismissed in the 16th minute for a
studs-up challenge on Francis
Coquelin. Arsenal dominated possession the rest of the way but
couldnt break through until

Coloccini inadvertently deflected


Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains shot
into his own goal seven minutes
into the second half. Arsenal has
now collected seven points from
four games six of them away
from home.
We were mature and intelligent and we played a little bit cautious but at the end of the day we
won the game, Arsenal manager
Arsene Wenger said.
Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil
missed the game with a knee
injury, and Wenger started with
Theo Walcott up front and Olivier
Giroud on the bench. Walcott
wasted the best chance of the first
half, though, when he missed the
net from a few yards out after Tim
Krul couldnt hold on to Alexis
Sanchezs shot.
Walcott was taken off for
Giroud in the second half but the
Frenchman was ineffective as well,
and the teams inefficiency is likely to increase calls for another striker to be brought in before the end
of the transfer window on Tuesday.
Newcastle remains without a
league win after four games under
new manager Steve McClaren,
with the only success coming in the
League Cup.
Mitrovic has now picked up
two bookings and a sending-off in
his first five appearances for
Newcastle.
It was harsh. It was more
clumsy, he had his eye on the ball
and kind of stood on his foot,
McClaren said. All we could do
after that (red card) was show
spirit and fight and discipline.
They were magnificent in terms
of that and what a fantastic
crowd.

CQ^YQS_^VUbbUT;XU\BQd^Q1bZe^QcXQ^TUTd__
?C8Q =4F34;78

ennis star Sania Mirza was on Saturday


conferred with the prestigious Rajiv
Gandhi Khel Ratna the countrys
highest sporting honour while shooting sensation Jitu Rai was among the
Arjuna award recipients in a glittering ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
President Pranab Mukherjee presented the award to Sania, clad in a
maroon saree and blue blazer, amid thunderous applause at the Durbar hall where
Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was
among the attendees.
Sania became the second tennis player to receive the countrys highest sporting honour after Leander Paes on a day
when Sports Ministry was fighting a court
case that raised questions against its
process of selecting the awardees.
The President also gave away the

Arjuna awards even as the line-up was low


on star power in the absence of cricketer
Rohit Sharma, who missed the ceremony alongside boxer Mandeep Jangra and
quarter miler M R Poovamma. In all, the
(retired) Justice V K Bali led panel had recommended 17 names for Arjuna.
Sania, who attracted the loudest
applause from the esteemed gathering at
the Rashtrapati Bhavan, received a medal,
certificate and cash prize of C7.5 lakh. She
had flown in just to receive the award
ahead of the US Open starting in New
York on Monday.
The Arjuna awardees received statuettes, certificates and award money of C5
lakh each.
The ceremony, however, was shrouded in controversy with the ignored athletes
and coaches not accepting the recommendations of the Ministry-appointed panel.
Just when it seemed there would be

pending is of wrestling coach Vinod


Kumar, who went to Delhi High Court
claiming he was more deserving for the
Dronacharya award than his rival Anoop
Singh, whose name was recommended by
the government-appointed panel. It will
be known in the next weeks whether he
gets the Dronacharya or not.

C78B8B07D647>=>DA)B0=80

no controversy in the lead up to this years


function, para-athlete H N Girisha
approached the Karnataka High Court
challenging Sanias recommendation for
Khel Ratna.
While Girisha will still be hopeful of
getting the award later, another court case

Mirza later said it was a huge honour


to be conferred with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Ratna and the recognition will push her
further to do well on the professional tour
and next years Rio Olympics.
Amongst Sanias many achievements,
what stands out is her womens doubles triumph at Wimbledon with partner Martina
Hingis earlier this year, becoming doubles
world number one and now the Khel
Ratna, countrys highest sporting honour.
I would not like to pick any and say

one was a bigger achievement than the


other. It is a simply a huge honour to get
this award. It has been an amazing year
so far, becoming the world number one
and winning the Wimbledon of course,
Sania said after receiving the award from
President Pranab Mukherjee.
Sania got the honour with the awards
mired in controversy again. Her recommendation for Khel Ratna was challenged by para-athlete H N Girisha in the
Karnataka High Court, which sent notices
to the Sports Ministry and the tennis player herself.
Asked about controversies year after
year in the National Sports Awards, Sania
bluntly refused to comment.
The star further said that she is looking forward to the US Open starting on
Monday and is not thinking about Rio
Olympics yet.

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Talktime

78/6,.80$5
After giving us hit music like Tum Jo Aaye Zindagi Mein from the
movie Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, Piya Aaye Na from
Aashiqui 2 and Saiyaan Superstar from Ek Paheli Leela, TULSI
KUMAR is now set to experiment with different genres. She will be
starting off with sensual romantic songs. Kumar talks to
SANGEETA YADAV about receiving the Rajiv Gandhi Excellence
Award for being the melodious voice of the year

Moving on to the
sensual romantic
Q You were recently honoured with Rajiv Gandhi
Excellence Award for being Melodious Voice of the year.
How does this make you feel?
This prestigious award means a lot to me. Over the past
eight years of my music career, it was a great learning experience and Ive developed at every stage. Getting an award
encourages me to give 200 per cent to my work and achieve
great heights. It encourages you to take your tasks seriously
and perform them with equal gusto. Im still very young
in the industry and aspire to grow much higher.
Q Who do you give credit to for your success?
My success was a combined contribution of many music
directors starting from my father late Gulshan Kumar who
spotted the talent in me and trained me since my childhood.
I got professional training under Pundit Vinood Mishra ji.
It was Himesh Reshammiya who gave me my first break
in Bollywood with the song Mohabbat Ke from Aksar movie.
Anu Malik gave me the title song Humko Deewana
Kergaye which was also the name of the movie. Pritam da
made me sing Tum Jo Aaye Zindagi Mein along with Rahat
Fateh Ali Khan which was beautifully written by Irshad
Kamil. Whenever I sing duets with Mithoon, he explains
little things very beautifully and that helps me to give my
best performance. And with Jeet Ganguly, the emotions
and feeling comes out the best. I used to observe a lot of
veterans like Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Sonu Nigam
and many others that helped me to grow as an artist.
Q What is the biggest life-lesson that you have learnt from
your father?
Music is not just a profession for me. It is a therapy, language and an institution. My dad was extremely dedicated, hardworking and a great believer of God. His love for
music made him the man he is today. When he was young
my father used to make a living by selling juice in Delhis
Darya Gunj area. He then set up his own cassette shop and
later decided to come to Mumbai to pursue his dreams. I
imbibed all his values and principles.
Q How have you evolved as a singer over the years?
I have mostly sung melodious romantic songs but I
experimented with my style for the first time by singing
Saiyaan Superstar from the movie Ek Paheli Leela which
turned out to be superhit. Im venturing into the sensual
romantic and out and out dance number with my upcoming single and movie project one of which is Ram Gopal
Varmas project. I have been the playback singer and for the
first time, I have given voice-over for YouTube channel Kids
Hut.
Its another creative side which I have explored. Like
in music, voice over also requires nice vocal, expression and
feeling. I have started venturing into live performances as
well and from October onwards, Ill be doing gigs in some
of the colleges in Pune, Mumbai and Delhi and at international concerts as well.

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he one thing that works wonders


with this celebrity is nervous
energy. It keeps her going and
pushes her to give her best. As a performer, the moment you say you are no
longer afraid of consequences and jo
hoga dekha jaega, you have reached the
fag end of your career. There is nothing that can excite you any more. I dont
think that is the best approach in this
industry. Here, the moment you get
complacent, your career is kaput, veteran actress Tabu says. She is in her
happy space at the moment, celebrating the super success of her thriller film
Drishyam.
It was such an amazing concept.
My friends were behind the Telegu and
Tamil films, so I had seen the original
make much before and I had always fantasised myself in the powerful role of
Meera. The moment Nishikant
approached me to be a part of the film,
I was beaming. It was like a dream come
true, she says. Although the role was
that of a ruthless cop, Tabu says she is
very scared of one in real life. I dont
want to get entangled in any hassle with
the cop. I think they are doing a
tremendous job of safeguarding our
cities but I would never want to rub
them the wrong way, she tells you.
So, how did she manage to pull off
the character so convincingly? After
aeon of experience in the film industry
and having played characters, I think I
can handle anything coming my way
(laughs). Its a nice feeling to do a substantial, powerful role. I really enjoyed
being Meera for the duration of the
film, the Vijaypath actress says. Power
roles which she essayed in Haider are the

kinds that Tabu is eyeing.


From where I am right now, I
would only like to do these influencing
roles where there is a challenge for me
to overcome. I have been there for long
enough to know what roles will suit me
and which ones are not meant for me
at all, she says.
It is a known fact that Tabu doesn't go hankering after awards at functions bu the seasoned actor tells you she
wont mind if the awards find her
instead. I am never going to go after
awards and accolades but if they find
me, I would be a fool to say it doesn't
matter. Any kind of recognition in any
industry matters a lot, she explains.
Having done all kinds of roles in her
illustrious career, Tabu says she has
learnt a lot and grown very fast.
It is an insider joke in the
industry; that here we age 10 times
faster and experience everything 10
times before we really should.
Bollywood teaches you many
things how to survive, how to
take up challenges, how to mould
yourself to adapt to a situation,
how to be patient et al, she says.
Coming back to Drishyam, which

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e know him better as the


Punjabi singer who made
W
it big as an actor in Pollywood
(Punjabi cinema) and made his
Bollywood debut with Second
Hand Shaadi opposite Geeta
Basra and Govindas daughter
Tina Ahuja. Gippy Grewal is now
hogging all the limelight with his
second film Faraar which got
released last week.
This is for the second time
that I will be playing a double
role. In Faraar, I am both an innocent student and a gangster And
it has been an amazing experience. In fact, here I was made to
jump into various avatars, from
a studios geek to a rough fighter, he tells you, adding that this
action thriller is one of the ideas
which Jas Grewal has penned
down as a script and Baljit Singh
Deo has given it a new face to it
with his direction.
Grewal was recently in the
Capital for an event organised by
AAS (a leading NPO in
Delhi/NCR). The event saw
many Punjabi greats descend on
the stage to create awareness
about Cervical Cancer, Save Girl
Child & Educate the Girl to mark
the Independence Day celebration with Punjabi Tashan.an
event organised by AAS, a notfor-profit organisation. charity
performance at an awareness
initiative on cervical cancer and
safety, health and education of
child girl by AAS NGO.
Coming back to Faraar, the
cinematography of the film has
garnered a lot of praise. The

Punjabi movie has also been


dubbed in Hindi. We want to get
ourselves to the level of
Hollywood cinema which is a tall
order but we are all striving very
hard. We have many Hollywood
technicians on board who keep
teaching us the nuances of cinematography, the actor says.
For the action scenes and
stunts, Baljit (director) wanted
him to perform the stunts by
himself to give it natural look.
Grewal had to undergo strict fitness regime. I did 14 months
workout to get six pack abs and
had to make sure of my diet plan
and daily workout for the rough
look of the fighter. The stunts
performed by me in the film were
very difficult. Initially, I had a lot

of injuries while performing the


stunts but gradually started
enjoying them, Grewal tells you.
Though his singing journey
started in 2002, Grewal managed
to grab a few headlines by dubbing for Jai Courtneys character
in A Good Day to Die Hard. Over
the years, he feels that the entertainment industry has evolved
and it only helped him evolve.
Music Industry now has a wider
reach. That is mainly because of
technology that has made everything very easy. Its easier to reach
out to people quickly in less time.
As an actor, Ive always learnt at
every step. With every new
movie I learn something new
from veteran co-stars like
Dharmendra and others.

CQXQRjQQTU9bbVQ^1\Y;XQ^_^Qb_\\

Q Youre real name is very


long, isnt it?
Yes, its Sahabzaade Irrfan
Ali Khan. In convent school,
for identification, they used to
consider the name Sahabzaade
Irrfan Ali Khan as a very
strange name and so, as the
years went by; I kept making
it shorter and have ended up
with Irrfan now. Later, I might
remove the Irr as well and
keep it Fan who knows?!
Q I have heard that your family, your father and grandfather were not very rich or
well-off?
They were feudal in nature,
zamindars actually. My father
owned land along with his
brothers and each had their
own share. But my dad sold his
property to his brothers since
he had no interest in it and had
a very different temperament
in comparison to them. Then,

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she says is one of her top five favourite


films; Tabu feels the reason it had an
impact on the audience was because it
was so real. Nishikant being a
Maharashtrian has worked a lot on the
cinematography. The way he took
the scene in and out of Goa made
a lot of difference to the film.
Everyone thinks that it is easy
to replicate a re-make but
for me it is tougher and
much more back
breaking. The director
has the added tension
of making his movie
different, yet not lose
the soul of the film. In
drishyam this has been
done very subtly, she says.
Working with old pal Ajay
Devgn was the icing on the cake
for Tabu. Even though the duo were
working after a 14 year gap, Tabu says
nothing has changed in Devgn.
He is the same old hard working person who wants to get
involved in every nitty gritty of film
making. I have worked with so
many actors, but I am yet to meet
someone with filmy knowledge as
Devgn. He knows a whole lot
about everything, she says.
Although the friends caught up
on the sets, Tabu wishes she was
not pitted as his rival in the film.
I felt miserable while doing
scenes where I had to trouble
him and his family, especially
his young children (on
screen), the sensitive Tabu
comes to the fore.
According to the actress,
Devgn is the best Bollywood
Papa! He is very good with
his children and gives them a
lot of his time. Ajay always
gives priority to his family over
work. That is very essential in
the industry that we work in,
she says. As for his pranks,
that has reduced in comparison, Tabu offers as a reply.
With big banner films like
Fitoor lined up for next year, Tabu
says there is so much more to look forward to.
I love my work. Things are looking good at this moment, she says.

he had an automobile tyre


business as well but a majority of his life was spent as a
hunter.
Q You wanted to go to Delhi
to become a professor?
I had told them that I
wanted to attend drama school.
But I realised that they didnt
understand what I was trying
to say. I had heard that after
finishing this course I can
become a professor. So, I told
my parents that version so I
that I could go to Delhi. After
that they agreed.
Q Do you think you are an
introvert by nature?
The mike was right next to
me and yet I didnt sing. In my
mind, I thought I was singing.

Q You received your admis-

sion to the National School


of Drama at your first try?
That was a miracle honestly.
Q I remember that they ask
for a list of 10 plays during
admission.
I faked all ten of them.
But, they liked a few of them
and I had that earnest quality to learn that I think they
picked up on. I had even lied
that I wanted to act in plays
which wasnt true since films
was my priority. I remember
everyone spoke about NSD so
much, as if it was a sort of
place where they gave you a
tablet to convert you to an
actor!

hes doing multiple films


and even getting a chance
to sing. Shraddha Kapoor,
says her life gets exhausting
sometimes, but then its all
worth it as her dreams are coming true via Bollywood.
I really believe in the law of
universe. Have you heard about
a book called Secrets? Its all
about laws of the universe,
Shraddha said when asked about
her love towards music-related
films, as after ABCD 2, she will
be seen in the sequel to Rock On.
Ever since I started loving
to sing, I got opportunities and
now Rock On 2 has happened.
Its not like Im sitting and plan-

ning, but I truly feel blessed that


Im doing this film. You know
youve a certain wish and that
happens... its like that. I wanted to do film where I play a
singer who sings her songs and
Im blessed to be doing Rock On
2 now. I just wish that more
dreams keep coming true, she
added. At first, Bollywood was
a not a smooth ride for her,
courtesy roles in films like Teen
Patti and Luv Ka The End, but
success and fame came her way
with Aashiqui 2, Ek Villain and
Haider. The actress is also doing
Baaghi with Tiger Shroff, and
has shot a dance song.
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T

hey lead us to formulae that help us


in solving complex mathematical
problems. But there is no formula
that can create a good teacher. They
share with us the delight of reading
evocative poetry or appreciating art. But
there is no poem or any art that can help
make one a good teacher. They transport us
into the magical world of sciences where the
mix of chemicals can produce the most exotic of elements. But is there any mix of chemicals that can produce a great teacher? They
map the world for us and chart the courses
that history has taken. But can we map out
a great teacher? Teachers and teaching
cannot be conceived and delivered. It
requires both art and craft to be a good
teacher and teach well.
We live in a world of listings. If we
survey some of the most inspiring
teachers of India, we notice some
names that appear repeatedly. First
and foremost is, of course, the
man whose name is inseparable
from Teachers Day as it was
named after him, Dr Sarvepalli
Radhakrishnan, the first VicePresident and the second
President of the country.
Here was a teacher who
avoided the fancy title of Earl
of Willingdon that had been
bestowed upon him, choosing
instead to use Doc as the
title that he had achieved
through his own hard work. It
is his pride in the teaching profession that led him to request
his birthday be celebrated as
Teachers Day. And so September 5
has come to be just that.
Rabindranath Tagore is as memorable
an educator as he was a poet, philosopher
and artist. Gurudev left for us not just his wonderful writing, the pride of the nation, but a whole new
way of learning outside the classroom and under the
trees, becoming one with nature and a higher intellect. For Tagore, teaching was not to explain things
but to knock at the doors of the mind. He called the
school he raised Santiniketan or abode of peace, and
today it has become Vishwa Bharati University, a
name only too fitting for the vision of a man who
believed in universal brotherhood.
Very few today can recall Savitribai Phule, the
first female teacher of Indias first women school. This
was a woman whose courage is the stuff mythical
tales are made of. Undaunted by the rotten eggs,
tomatoes and cow dung hurled at her as she walked
the streets of Pune, a city dominated by Brahmins,
she accomplished her mission of starting schools for
girls. This, at a time when such ideas were considered
sacrilege. Issues affecting marginalised communities,
such as widow remarriage and untouchability, were
among those that she and her social reformer husband Jyotirao Phule engaged with tirelessly. Not only
was she a teacher but she also wrote remarkable poetry and many see her as one of the leading lights of
Marathi literature.
Another educationist of note was Nissim Ezekiel,
regarded as the foundational figure of post-colonial
Indias literary history. Ezekiel is credited with creating a new dynamics of Indian English poetry and liberating poetry in India, written in English, from a
colonial hangover. He was a passionate teacher for
over four decades, teaching in Bombay and having
strived towards bringing simplicity of thought and
language to the Indian-English poetry.
And again, Rambhau Kundgolkar (Sawai
Gandharva) and Ustaad Alla Rakha Khan appear to
be much loved and revered as great teachers. The former is known for his Hindustani classical music and
the guru of luminaries like Pt Bhimsen Joshi and
Gangubai Hangal, and the other is known to be an
all-time great exponent of tabla, and it was his expert
training that made his son Zakir Hussain take tabla
playing to a new dimension.
So what do these half a dozen people have in
common that make them revered? Perhaps their
most outstanding aspect is the ability to think out of

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the box. To be able to think along


new directions, what is necessary, of
course, is to have a vision and to
believe in the viability or realisation
of that vision. To sustain such faith,
one must have a spine of stainless
steel. Only then can one forge ahead
to achieve the goals set by ones
vision regardless of all the negativity
and criticism that one faces.
Its almost as if one must find
within oneself a perennial spring of
positive energy so that the steely
determination required in the worst
of times remains intact. Besides, to
move beyond conventional ideas, one
would need to be progressive and not
mired in fossilised ways of thinking.
Its also clear that creative energy is
powerful among those considered
great teachers; maybe creativity can
energise like nothing else can. It can
also enable innovativeness. Humility
too is responsible for constant
growth, for with humility there is the
desire to evolve further.
However, the most significant
attribute that one observes in these
teachers is their sense of citizenship,
their desire to contribute to the
nation in visible ways, to recognise
and fill the gaps existing in society
through education and especially of
those less privileged.
Not only does one need to
understand the rights of humans but
one must also stand up for these
rights. True recognition of all people
as equals can only take place if we
believe in this principle ourselves
and strive to educate others through
example.
Which brings me to the next
aspect I consider very important: A
teacher must be a leader, in every
way. Those we have come across as
great teachers have been leaders in
their field, and also in the way in
which they have led their lives.
The question is: All this is
irrefutable but do teachers and teaching continue to command respect in
society? Are teachers changing the
course of history? Are they contributing to national growth? Is education in India today one that we can
be proud of and is the education system a meaningful one?
If we hark back to our ancient texts
where the tradition of the guru shishya
parampara has been inscribed, the
words that instantly come to the fore
are: Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu,
Guru Devo, Maheshwarah, Guru
Saakshat Parabrahma, Tasmay Shree
Guruve Namah.
In Vedic times, a teacher was
considered to be privy to sacred
knowledge; he enlightened his students through his discourses and
oratory on a wide arena of subjects
and whose knowledge was considered profound as well as complete.
Undoubtedly the teacher was a veritable God. Students were expected to
revere their teachers and in turn,
teachers were expected to lead the
students towards attaining their
aspired goals. There was a deep bond
as well that was forged due to the
proximity of the teacher with the students for they lived together and followed a disciplined life and students
did a whole lot of daily chores, performing even the most menial tasks.
It seemed to work well.

//a#

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ndamans looks like a piece of


beads strung together in the Bay
of Bengal, straight out of a
dream set. It is flanked by the
beautiful and mesmerising
North and South Andaman Islands, and
stretches till the Nicobar group of islands
in the south. Consisting of about 556 islets,
this magical land hosts some remarkable
hidden gems that are far away from the
usual touristy hotspots. There are some of
these, which are equally, if not less, appealing and scenic than the usually known
places such as Havelock and Neil Islands.
My journey to the islands was intended to be different and a bit daring, so to
say. It was a solo backpacking trip, the
weather was not conducive, and I would
say there was never a single moment I
regret being all alone. You can easily fly to
Andamans from any city through Chennai
or Kolkata (which is usually a two-hour
journey). International travellers and
tourists would, however, need to have a
permit to enter the islands, which can be
comfortably availed from the authorities
upon arrival. So heres my ultimate itinerary for you to plunge into the deep blue
waters and virgin islands of Andamans and
make a solo backpacking trip yourself.
<?>79C<1>41>47E9D1B9C<1>4
A tiny piece of natural wonder tucked away
off the eastern coast of the North and
Middle Andamans, Guitar Island has a crystal clear white sandy beach that you can have
all for yourself. It is not inhabited by human
population except for a few boats cruising
and circumnavigating it for fishing. The
entire beach is yours, just you, the sand, and
the sea. Where else on earth can I find such
a place, I wondered. But why this name, I
asked curiously. Its aerial view is in the
shape of a guitar and hence its name, says
the forest department official who accompanied me to the island.
These officials braved the monsoons to
bring me here to witness its breathtaking
beauty. Located off the Long Island, Guitar
Island has a picturesque and exotic aura that
spells a magical charm. Another spectacular beach you should visit is Lalaji Bay
Beach, which is a perfect hotspot for beach
combing, swimming and nature photography. It is situated on the northeast coast of
Long Island and one would need a country boat (a ride of 45 minutes from Long
Island jetty) to reach here. You can reach
Long Island by boarding one of the
Andaman and Nicobar Administration
operated ships from Port Blair. It would
roughly take four to five hours (and about
C600-700) to reach Long Island from Port
Blair by ship (via Havelock/Strait Island).
This place is off a touristy itinerary and quite
understandably, there are very few staying
options on this island. I stayed for a night
at the Vanashree, the Forest Guest House
(make sure you book it in advance). There
is also a privately owned resort on this
Island. The Forest Guest House has four
basic airy rooms, a manicured garden, sandalwood trees and a view of the sea. You can
get the most amazing fish fry here, which
I had during my stay. The staff is congenial,
courteous and would give you your choice
of the meal on time.
I requested for a dinghy to make a quick
trip to Guitar Island. It was made albeit with
a hovering overcast. After a brief 15minute drive, our boat anchored on the
coast and I got off to set my footprint on

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chairs. Quite interestingly, the west side of
Ross and Smith Islands was extremely
windy while the east side was unexpectedly calm. The waters in the eastern side
were still and peaceful as if its a swimming
pool. When you are here, take advice from
the forest and tourism officials if you want
to swim across its beaches.
Ross and Smith Islands are perfect for
witnessing the sunrise, beach combing and
sunbathing. You can walk across the
sandy stretch connecting the duo islands
during low tide.

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the secluded and unbelievably quiet beach.


Lots of sea creatures, sand crabs, hermit
crabs, shells came through to the beach and
I hurriedly captured them on my lens. One
has to be really fast to photograph them; one
blink of an eye and they are gone, immersed
beneath their sandy holes.
In the meantime, the overcast sky took
a more threatening avatar. It continued to
grow darker and darker. Fortunately, as a
matter of precaution and to protect my camera, I had brought an umbrella. We moored
back our boat after spending some time on
the beach, chased the clouds and breezed
past the choppy waves to reach Long Island.
B1>71D9>=944<51>41=1>
I got myself a boat ride of about an hour
from Long Island (departed at 7 am) and
reached Yerrata Creek near Rangat journeying through some of the most beautiful, calm
and pristine mangrove creeks. At the other
side (Yerrata Creek near Rangat), my vehicle was ready to pick me up for my journey.
I had breakfast on the way at Rangat (this
is a bustling hub and you can find local shops
and restaurants in the market. The Andaman
Tourism department has its own guest
house, Hawksbill Nest, which offers a comfortable stay with local delicacies.
Rangat is blessed with a few remarkable
eco-tourism spots such as Aamkunj Beach,
Morice Dera Beach and Dhani Nallah
Mangrove Walkway. On my way, I first
stopped at Aamkunj
beach (8

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km from Rangat) which is a long, sandy and


patchy stretch interspersed with pebbles.
You can enjoy watching the waves, or sit quietly for some time at the eco-friendly
benches such as log sofas and log
teapoys. Next was Morice Dera beach
(12 km from Rangat) which has been
developed by the tourism and forest
department as an eco-tourism hotspot.
It has unique twin rock formations right
on the beach where you can walk along the
ridges through a pathway. But the most
exciting part was the 700-metre Mangrove
walkway at Dhani Nallah. It is an exemplary
display of mangrove conservation efforts
by the Andaman and Nicobar administration. The walkway takes you through the
rich biodiversity of mangroves, palm trees,
breathing roots, and Hathi Kaan orchids.
The walkway leads to a pretty long and
exciting beach called the Dhani Nallah
beach. It is a vast expanse of sand stretching from Curtbert Bay at one hand to as far
as my eyes could go on the other hand.
B?CCC=9D89C<1>4C9>>1>41=1>
A boat ride of almost 15-30 minutes from
Aerial Bay jetty in Diglipur (North
Andaman) brings you to the exquisite Ross
and Smith Islands in North Andaman. The
administration has maintained some
remarkable eco-tourism initiatives in Smith
Island. These are bare minimum, given that
the duo islands are yet to take off in the
national and international tourism circuit as a popular tourist destination.
But I felt these were adequate
there were about 10-15 thatched
huts, sitting arena, adequate
hygiene facilities, changing room, a couple of
swings set romantically
amidst coconut trees,
and beach reclining

8ED21I9><9DD<51>41=1>9C<1>4
Get yourself a chopper ticket from the
State-run Pawan Hans Limited interisland chopper services to fly from Port
Blair to Hutbay. A ticket for Hutbay would
cost you C2,625 and you can comfortably
reach there in 45 minutes. However,
there are daily ships from Port Blair that
will take five to eight hours depending on
their speed. Hutbay boasts of hosting the
best surfing destination in India. Its not
an exaggeration and when you visit this
isle, you would believe that. Located in
Little Andamans, Hutbay hosts the longest
beach of Andaman and Nicobar Group of
Islands 22-km stretch from Netaji
Nagar at one end till Butler Bay beach
at the other hand via Kalapathar.
The Butler Bay beach, which is
gaining popularity among domestic
and international surfers for its exquisite sea surfing waves, is teemed with activities during winter and summer. A host
of private resorts flanking Netaji Nagar
offer surf boards on rent, however do
check with them prior to arrival. There
needs to be adequate infrastructure facilities on this beach but you would be mesmerised by the golden sandy stretch here.
If you are not a surfer, you can go for
snorkeling, sun bathing, or boating
amidst the clear waters.
Once you have had your fill from
the sea and the sand, you can head to
a nearby waterfall which is the only surf
waterfall in Andamans. It is located
inside a forest and would require you
to make a short jungle trek of 10 minutes from the main gate passing
through some creeks. There is an
entry fee of C20 per person and a vehicle charge of C20. Andamans only
waterfall, tucked away inside the verdant and thick rainforests, beckons
you. The sight of this bewitching 20metre pristine waterfall will surely
enthrall you. You can also take a dip
beneath its crystal clear waters, surrounded by bamboo and banana
plantation.
While on your trip to Little
Andaman, you can stay at one of the
private eco-resorts at

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Hutbay or the Government-owned


APWD guest house. Room tariffs at the
private resorts start from extremely reasonable C400 per night, while the APWD
guest house (which can be booked
through the Directorate of Tourism)
charges about C500 per bed per night.
Most of these private resorts also offer
two-wheelers to tourists for sightseeing at
C300 per day. There arent any luxury or
high end resorts in Hutbay yet.

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5 A > <  ?0 6 4 

ook back at a few legendary stories and you


will see how powerful
teachers were in those days.
They had only to ask for
something and it could not
be denied. So Guru Drona
could ask for Eklavyas thumb
as guru dakshina and he was
well within his rights. Again,
Parshuram could dismiss
Karna and forbid him from
using his archery skills, and
then too the teacher was not
challenged. What was the
end result? Arjuna remained
the undefeated master of the
art of archery.
The gurus literally wrote
history for who knows what
would have been the historical outcome if Eklavya and
Karna were allowed to use
their archery skills. Society
was literally structured the
way the gurus wanted, and
class hierarchies were
scrupulously maintained due
to their perpetuation by the
gurus. Good or bad, the
undoubted fact is that the
guru ruled.
Cut to present times.
Today a teacher is expected
to be quite a superhuman
whose skills are tested in
multitudinous ways.
Changing times have made
curriculum interdisciplinary; advancing technology
has opened entirely new
options and access to
resources across the world;

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moreover students are not


expected to blindly accept
what the teacher says, they
are expected instead to challenge the teacher.
Teaching is not about
indoctrination or initiation
anymore; it is about interactiveness and learning is participatory. Pedagogical tools
have thus to be sharpened
such that every student in
the classroom can respond
to what is being taught with
a certain critical reflectiveness. Importantly, a teacher
has to be an honest interpreter between cohesion and
pluralism, tradition and
modernity, radicalism and
liberalism. Above all, the
teacher has to be a livewire
as a communicator.
However, is the teacher
powerful? Are teachers
allowed to frame laws and
does society function according to those laws? The questions draw a bitter laugh.
Lets look at what happens at the college level.
After you complete graduation (and if you want to get
into a college in Delhi, you
may be in for a rude shock
or some major changes in
your choice of discipline as

gaining admission into the


hallowed portals of a DU
college may be barred); you
get into the race to complete post-graduation and
further studies.
You are expected to clear
the NET (National Eligibility
Test for Lectureship), which
seems to have been designed
with the express purpose of
getting you down. Once you
clear this, you generally join
in an ad hoc capacity (how
much this teaching experience counts especially if you
are also doing a PhD alongside teaching is now highly
ambiguous). Then begins the
interminable wait for a permanent position and every
year there are cuts in vacancies. This is attributed to the
constantly changing syllabi,
which does little else except
reducing workload.
Lets presume you are the
lucky one who after 10 years
of ad hoc teaching gets into a
college as a permanent faculty. You are then expected to
teach a full workload, and
contribute to the corporate
life of the college. You are
also expected, outside of
your teaching duties (lecturing, tutoring, assessing, set-

ting papers, evaluating university papers, invigilating


etc), to publish books and
articles, preferably refereed
ones and present papers at
conferences, preferably,
international ones.
And aside from the study
leave for PhD, you dont get
sabbaticals to do this, contrary to popular myth.
Having done all of this, you
are also subjected to the

demands of a constantly
changing (some would call it
evolving) curriculum, which
leaves little or no time to
pursue research in areas of
your interest.
Also, the refresher and
orientation courses, which
you are expected to do and
which is what passes in the
name of teacher training,
have nothing whatsoever to
do with preparing you to

teach. As for promotions,


well, rarely are the interviews
timely (and besides, if you
are teaching in say a college,
you dont even get to be a
Professor).
Not a very happy state of
affairs and not one that
reflects either the power of
teachers or the respect of
society towards them. The
plight of many teachers today
undergoing the trauma of job

uncertainty leads to job dissatisfaction, depression, and


lack of interest, which the
Government has also largely
failed to address.
Resultantly, there is lack
of mental satisfaction and
happiness at the workplace. If
there is no joy in teaching
then what else is left? There
is criticism today about
teachers who are not skilled
enough and about those who
are shirkers. Of course there
are all kinds of teachers just
as there are teachers who are
principled, proficient and
hardworking. There are no
excuses for cheating or laziness in any profession and
teachers too cannot be
exempt from these charges.
But do the powers that be
ever bother to address the
reasons that are responsible
for making some teachers
errant or unprincipled? Is it
only because they lack
morals or have poor ethical
standards? Or are there some
deeper reasons which have
been habitually ignored?
With apologies to the
Bard, only some can achieve
greatness in such a scenario.
An obstacle race seems a better option than seeking
employment as a teacher in a
college! And having cleared
all these hurdles, one is then
expected to fit into the prototype of the ideal teacher with
the qualities that were

described earlier: Fortitude,


courage, innovativeness, creativity and so on. Perhaps
time has come to create a
robot that fits the bill of the
ideal teacher.
The fact of the matter is
that now, more than ever
before, in an increasingly
globalised world you need
good, indeed great, teachers,
who can lead people in the
right track, towards development and progress. You
need teachers who will build
glocal citizens; teachers who
will lead you to the light at
the end of the tunnel, be it
towards self-development or
national progress. You need
teachers to foster balance in
life and society. And for
this, you need to give them
more space.
More significantly, you
need to get to the root of the
problem and analyse what
ails teaching and teachers
today. You need to give them
their due as gurus. Test them;
dont make it childs play for
them to take up this profession. But when they do, dont
quote platitudes about teachers or sing paeans in praise of
great teachers. Help make
their lives better too. You say
you love and respect your
teachers, show it more constructively.

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ith a track record of


three decades as a
journalist and publisher, Jyoti
Sabharwal is
among the pioneers of celebrity
writing. Her latest work is the biography of Dr Kapila Vatsyayan,
prominent scholar of Indian classical dance, art, and architecture, and
who has also been Vice Chairman,
Sangeet Natak Akademi; Additional
Secretary, Department of Culture;
Member Secretary and Academic
Director, Indira Gandhi National
Centre for the Arts (IGNCA); Life
Trustee and President, India
International Centre; Secretary to
the Indian delegations to UNESCO,
and so on. In an interaction, the
writer talks about how Dr Vatsyayan
is an institution in herself.
Tell us about the unique title of
your book.
Needless to say, Dr Kapila
Vatsyayan and cognition are synonymous, and hence I looked at
this work as a cognitive biography.
She is one of those iconic scholars
who treaded the path of knowledge
in such a seminal way. Imagine,
she coveted the Barbour
Fellowship and went to University
of Michigan in 1948 after securing
a first class in Masters in English
literature. This is where she
became conversant with the writings of Ananda K Coomaraswamy
and Heinrich Zimmer. It dawned
upon her that she was grossly
unaware of her own cultural roots
and heritage. Finding a new calling, she had to satiate the burning
curiosity. The fire in her belly
made her beat a retreat even
though one of her professors at
Hindu College had told her
brusquely that unless she had a
PhD from the West (even if it was
in boot-polishing), her work would
not be acknowledged or validated.
That was an era when America
was known to be a land of golden
opportunities, but she went against
the tide and followed her instinct.
It was her most courageous decision. This fellowship was awarded

to select women from the Orient


and she had earned it. So, when
she left the scholarship midway, it
showed her sagacity, deep perception, and clarity of mind. But in
those two years she spent in
America, she went beyond the academics. Having been a disciple of
the Kathak maestro, Achhan
Maharaj, she delved into modern
dance, and travelled with her
Hungarian dance teacher Juana de
Laban, who also facilitated her
access to other renowned dancers
ranging from Martha Graham,
Bela Bartok, Hanya Holm, Alwin
Nikolais to La Meri. Later she sat at
the feet of stupendous scholars in
Banaras Hindu University, to
accomplish her doctorate.
As for the title, Afloat a Lotus Leaf,
it was suggested by Dr Vatsyayan.
Therein lies another tale. Her mother, Satyawati, was quite an adventurous soul; rowing, horse-riding,
trekking, boating, and all else.
Kapila would collect lotuses while
rowing in Dal Lake. And her mother asked one day: Khali kamal hi
ikathe kar rahi ho. Zindagi ko kamal
ke patte ki tarah jeena hai. What
she conveyed through this analogy
was that in life one has to rise above
the muck, and yet, blossom magnificently, just like the lotus. And thus,
right through her life, she stayed
afloat with dignified silence and her
head held high, amidst all the crucial controversies.
She was born in an intellectually
inclined family. Didnt that also play
a vital role in moulding her mind?
We all are products of our environment. The right kind of nurturing
can hone any skill and channelise
aspirations. Dr Vatsyayan certainly
belonged to a family that was both
artistically and academically
inclined. Her maternal grandmother had set-up the first non-sectarian, non-purdah school for girls in
Srinagar, which celebrated its centenary in 2010. Her father held a
double Masters in Mathematics
from St Stephens College and also
a degree in Law from Lahore. Her
mother was extremely supportive

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WTP[cWXTabhbcT\

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad had a


strong influence on her.
Thats because she had this incessant urge to keep learning and
became largely instrumental in
implementing Maulana Sahabs
vision of soft diplomacy. He did
not want political expediency to be
an explicit arm of diplomacy. He
was not only deeply committed to
Indian heritage but also wanted
Kalidasas Abhijnanasakuntalam to
be translated in Arabic or Katha
Upanishad in Persian, and distributed in West Asia.
This is a trajectory of relentless
search and research, for Dr
Vatsyayan even pursued the fathomless Gita Govinda for 50 years! And
the way she handled the XXVI
International Congress of
Orientalists in January of 1964, the
maiden Oriental discourse in India,
is an eye opener. Until then, the
West had defined and dictated what
the Orient or Orientalism were all
about. She establishes that culture
always sustains itself: It lies in what
the essence is when all else is lost

of creative arts, and in her formative years her house in Calcutta


was more like a hub for litterateurs,
thinkers, intellectuals, and artists of
all shades and hues.
As a child, she had the privilege of being in close proximity to
Pt Banarsilal Chaturvedi,
Hazariprasad Dwivedi, Kamaladevi
Chattopadhyay, Prithiviraj Kapoor,
Madeleine Slade (associate of
Mahatma Gandhi), among others.
Accompanying her parents to
Santiniketan, she not only recited
poems to Gurdev Tagore, learnt
how to hold a painting brush from
the legendary Nandalal Bose, but
also observed remarkable women,
like the Austrian-German art scholar Stella Kramrisch, Hungarian
painters Sass and Elizabeth
Brunner. Even at that nascent an
age, she registered all these encounters and the multiple insights that
came along.
She is known to be media shy,
how difficult was it to get
through to her?
I happened to be the very first person
to have interviewed her way back in
1989, when she was the Academic
Director of IGNCA. She had categorically turned down the request, but I
suppose, one charmed her to give
some glimpses of her erudite mind.
Fortunately, I managed to keep in
touch with her over the years. It was
a long chase and eventually I succeeded in convincing her that it was
imperative her life and times should
be documented for posterity. She has
breathed knowledge and has been
privy to the turbulent history of pre
and post-independent India. She
broke fresh grounds in cultural diplomacy and put Indian culture on the
global map when the country was
widely known as the land of sadhus
and snake charmers. So, this biography is a must-read for the young
aspirants of post-modern India. In
the course of writing over these four
years, not once did she interfere with
the editorial content, let alone asked
any portion to be altered.
Indias first education minister

lthough Kapila was back


from that green world
(South India) and teaching at Miranda House, not
rejecting King Lear, Albert
Camus or Andre Jide, her sorties
to the South became an
escapade from being explicit to
more implicit. She became an
adopted daughter of Tamil Nadu
and Kerala alike, with an affinity
of a hardcore North Indian, a
Kashmiri-Punjabi-Delhiite.
And one day, during a class
in Miranda House, the principal
called her over and said,
Theres a phone call from the
Prime Ministers office. He
wants to talk to you.
She didnt quite know what
was happening. She took the
call and went over to see Pt
Jawaharlal Nehru. On meeting
her, he said, Soon, were going
to have our first Republic Day
parade. Dont you think it
would be a good idea to have
floats on the cultural history of
India? Also find out more about
the dances and the people of the
remote regions of India.
There was no such appellation as tribal, adivasi or Dalit,
but Pt Nehru wanted to know
everything, even if not much was
written about them in his
Discovery of India. Perhaps, he
made a mental note that it would
be worthwhile to involve the
university students and teachers.
He asked Kapila, What do you
think the first float should be? I
want it to be devoted to the message of peace.
She just mumbled what came
to her mind instantly, We could
have a float on Buddha. Not the
scene of enlightenment but where
Sujata brings him the pudding?
He laughed, Not a bad idea
at all. Fine! Why dont you get
going on this?
A three-tonne truck was
parked at Miranda House and
Kapila activated all the girls to
start working, while the principal oversaw the entire activity.
And the student who befitted
the role of Buddha was Roma
Mazumdar, later to be the
Secretary to Government of
India, and a proficient administrator. They worked it all out,
cutting a tree from the campus.
It seemed very amateurish,

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270A<4ABB>C78B18>6A0?7H
8B0<DBCA4035>AC74H>D=6
0B?8A0=CB>5?>BC<>34A=8=380

Please tell us about how she handled bureaucratic controversies as


an administrator of art and academic institutions.
Given her perspicacity, she chose to
follow what she deemed to be the
correct path. Even when she was
shifted from the External Cultural
Relations Bureau, travelling extensively and signing numerous cultural exchange programmes around
the world, and given the charge of a
hoary department of languages and
Sanskrit studies, she made the best
of this opportunity and set-up the
Central Institute of Higher Tibetan
Studies in Sarnath with due guidance and benevolence of His
Holiness The Dalai Lama, and also
worked on the revival of Sanskrit
studies. For, many such initiatives
taken by Pt Nehru and Maulana
Sahab were languishing.
Irrespective of bureaucratic blocks
and a rigid steel-frame, she continued to make strides as an advisor to
various Governments.
The reason why many academ-

ic institutions and cultural centres


in the West are able to safeguard
and maintain their autonomy no
matter which Government comes
and goes, is, because they enjoy
financial autonomy by raising their
own funds too. And their systems
are well in place, which cannot be
flouted by the whims and fancies
of people in power.
Does she see sense a serious
disconnect between education
and culture today?
Yes, of course, she feels quite disturbed about this disjunction. And
her candid views in the chapter,
The Arts as a Pedagogical Tool,
would render worthy guidelines for
the educationists. Theres a growing
chasm between aspiration and
awareness, and disharmony
between the goals and the means.
Perhaps, that might explain why
youngsters today are detached
from their roots and facing an
identity crisis. Instead of creating a
cosmos of culture, there has been
globalisation of culture. She firmly
believes in blending the socio-economic with artistic dimensions.
As a biographer, which facet of her
life appeared most striking to you?
For me personally, it was her
Almora sojourn, as she visited the
Himalayas seeking refuge from
bureaucratic hassles. She went to
meet Sri Krishna Prem (Gopal da).
He was a British fighter pilot,
Ronald Henry Nixon, who came to
India during the First World War,
and decided to stay on. He turned
a Vaishnavite as the disciple of Sri
Yashodha Ma. Now completely
transformed, Gopal da was settled
in this ashram, Mirtola. This meeting was beyond any quest for
power and attention, beyond what
is national and international. It was
the beginning of another journey
at the deeper levels of consciousness that enabled her to stay afloat
like a lotus in murky situations,
deflecting darts from all quarters,
and yet, retaining that equilibrium
to be at peace with oneself.

P]P]hP_X^]TTa/V\PX[R^\

8]SXPbUXabcAT_dQ[XR3Ph_PaPST
:P_X[PEPcbhPhP]WT[_TS^aVP]XbT8]SXPbUXabcAT_dQ[XR3Ph_PaPSTcWPcaTU[TRcTS
cWTR^d]cahb\X[XcPahbcaT]VcWYdgcP_^bTSfXcWXcbRd[cdaP[V[^ah4gRTa_c)
given the simplicity of the float,
but this was an experience of
what it is to create a tableau on
a truck. There was a sense of
eagerness as they started to take
the float, which had to be stationed near Talkatora Garden.
On the way, as the truck
passed under a bridge, the
Bodhi tree came crashing down.
The girls had yet to be seated
under the tree, so no one got
hurt. There was as much
lamenting as laughter. Then
they had to recreate another
Bodhi tree. Kapila was shaking
in her shoes if it would fall all
over again. Mercifully, it didnt,
and became the inaugural
pageant of the Republic Day
Parade. And soon after, even the
Department of Education had
issued a statement:
Since its inception, the
Republic Day parade has had
two components: The military
parade and the cultural
pageant. The Indian State took
a deliberate decision in 1951 to
incorporate these two elements
in the parade...which signifies
that this young Republic values
cultural progress no less than
military strength.
As meaningful was this
experience the following year, as
Pt Nehru suggested, We should
create the Nishat Bagh.
Going by the earlier mishap,
this time round, the trailer of
the truck was parked at No 5,
Rajendra Prasad Road, where
the IGNCA stands today. As
they started recreating Nishat
Bagh, all the vines and flowers
were needed, like cascades
which flow from terrace to terrace. So also a motor for water
to be re-circulated. One of
Kapilas colleagues had some

7Xb7^[X]TbbcWT3P[PX;P\P\TTcX]V:P_X[PEPcbhPhP]^]3TRT\QTa&! "

engineering skills. But the more


they experimented with the
machine, the more slush was
created in the lawns. Also, it was
rather difficult to get roses in
the month of January.
While they were working
like maniacs on that chilly
night, guess who arrived there
to take stock of things? None
other than Pt Nehru himself! He
inspected everything and said,
Kapila, youve recreated the
Nishat Bagh, but you must have
the vines of the white roses of
Nishat hanging from all sides of
the truck. Then only would the
idea seem real.
None of them could have
conceivably imagined that the
Prime Minister would land up
at this ungodly hour past midnight. They were working real
hard but it wasnt coming out
too well. And here was Pt
Nehru accompanied by Aliek

27=@2E2=@EFD
=627
;j`eZDRSYRchR]
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Percy Lancaster, Superintendent


of Horticultural Operations.
Lancaster looked at the
slush in the beautiful lawns, and
said, Its all very well to think
of white roses and cascades
coming down, but whos going
to sort out these messy lawns?
Kapila was at the end of her
tether and started crying. Seeing
that she had reacted to this reprimand, Pt Nehru said very gently,
Its alright. We have to get white
roses and Percy will ensure to get
them from wherever he will.
That was the end of the
matter. Nishat Bagh was ready.
All of Kapilas students were
dressed up in Kashmiri gear.
And the friend who had made
the motor work was operating
this gadget, as the float went
through. A great sigh of relief!
But what became the most
touching moment for Kapila
was receiving a note next morn-

ing that read, The Prime


Minister would like to have
breakfast with you.
All tears were forgotten.
She cycled to Teen Murti
House and there she was being
received by Pt Nehru. This
overwhelming gesture was, perhaps, owing to the fact that
Kapila did not have the heart to
take any criticism. Come on,
well have breakfast together?
That was the compassionate Pt
Nehru she got to know.
Why Kapila and her students were roped in initially
was due to the absence of professionals on the scene.
Thats another long history,
as to how the presentation of
diversities of India happened on
this occasion, which was primarily meant to be a military
parade. Kapila puts down the
reaction of the caustic critics to
basic ignorance and their inability to admit that the educated
India, the Indian, who calls
himself mainstream, was barely
acquainted with the richness,
vibrancy and the multiformity,
which in socio-economic terms
is called tribal India, or in sociological terms, folk Indian.
It was Pt Nehru and Indira
Gandhi, evinces Kapila, who
conceived and thought that there
should be a section of not quite a
pageant but a diversity of India,
which should be annually represented on the 26th of January.
This parade was meant to sensitise the urban Indian to another
India and arouse interest in
other parts of the country, which
they were not directly acquainted with, but may have read in
the books of anthropology.

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here were two reminders via


Twitter. The first, rather unusual (its no longer fashionable to
recall the heroic deeds of those who
rebelled against the subjugation of
India by foreigners) reminder was
about Khudiram Bose, a young lad
barely 18-year old, who embraced the
noose on August 11, 1908, with an
ode to the motherland on his smiling
lips. His accomplice, Prafulla Chaki,
too had preferred death over slavery.
The sacred memory of Khudiram
Bose, Prafulla Chaki and countless
other revolutionaries of Bengal has
long been erased from the national
consciousness, as has been the memory of many others who shaped the
destiny of this nation.
Ceaseless hagiographic adulation
of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty by our
eminent historians who wag their
tails every time a scrap is thrown
their way from the high table of the
Congress has ensured this tragic
memory lapse. Or maybe this is
simply a nation of ingrates who are
so obsessed with securing their
quota of welfare doled out by a maibaap state that they have had neither
the time nor felt the need to recall
the martyrdom of Indias real heroes,
leave alone express gratitude towards
them. Hence, nobody cavilled when
for decades, the Congress appropriated taxpayers money as tribute to
the dynasty that owns the party and
ruled the nation.
The other reminder came from a
self-flagellating Hindu given to peddling fiction as fact in order to
demonstrate his secular credentials.
On August 11, 1947, Mohammed Ali
Jinnah, in his speech to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, memorably said, You are free; you are
free to go to your temples, you are
free to go to your mosques or to any
other place or worship in this state of
Pakistan That single line is
recalled every August 11, year after
year, to foist the memory of Jinnah
as a staunch secularist who would be
appalled by the pitiful sight that is
Pakistan today, his moth-eaten
dream that has turned into a bloodsoaked nightmare. No particular
purpose is served by recalling Jinnahs highfalutin rhetoric: It did not
diminish the tragic consequences of
his quest for Pakistan then; it does
not diminish the horrific consequences of forging an Islamic Republic now. Yet, we are reminded how
Jinnah never wanted it this way, that
he had hoped for a secular state, and
that he continues to be misunderstood if not maligned.
All that and more about the sole
spokesman of the Indian sub-continents Muslims is as much bunk as
the crafted history which glorifies
the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty as the
sole contributor to the shaping of
Indias destiny. But, for the moment,
we shall talk about Jinnah and not
the Nehru-Gandhis, because August
also happens to be the month when
rampaging Muslim League mobs
laid to waste thousands of lives (at
least 4,000 people were butchered
according to official estimates) in
the Great Calcutta Killing of August
16, 1946. This is one dark event of
our past which has not received due
attention of scholars; the reasons do
not merit elaboration, just as its
unnecessary to point out that jour-

nalists pretending Direct Action


Day never happened is a measure of
their intellectual bankruptcy.
But that does not mean August
1946 should be air-brushed from
our history, or that Jinnah never
called for direct action. The repeated reminder of his speech on August
11, 1947, is nothing more than an
attempt to whitewash his crime of
August 16, 1946. That cant be
allowed, indeed must not be
allowed. So lets go back in time and
history. We will either have a divided India or a destroyed India, Jinnah thundered as Muslim League
members cheered him lustily. This
was in late July 1946, a fortnight
before Jinnahs direct action to force
Indias colonial rulers in London to
concede his demand for a separate
homeland for Muslims.
By then, Jinnah had decided to
boycott the Constituent Assembly
and had rejected the initial plan for
transfer of power to an interim
regime that would include the Congress and the Muslim League. This
was not what the Muslim League
desired; it was definitely a repudiation of Jinnahs two-nation theory
that laid down, in stark black and
white, his vision of Muslims as a
nation separate and distinct from
Hindus. The two, Jinnah decreed,
could not live together. A day before
declaring that he and his Muslim
League would settle for nothing less
than a divided India or a destroyed
India, he had railed against the
Hindu-dominated Congress.
Today, much is made of Jinnahs
partiality towards constitutionalism.

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On that July day, he had set aside all


such partialities and declared: We
are forced in our own self-protection
to abandon constitutional methods...
The decision we have taken is a very
grave one. If Indias Muslims, Jinnah
added, were not granted their separate Pakistan, they would launch
direct action. Any doubts that may
have lingered about the true intentions of the Muslim League under
Jinnahs leadership, any uncertainties
that may have remained about what
exactly he meant by direct action,
were washed away by the blood-letting that began on August 16, 1946,
in Calcutta when Muslim League
activists, observing Direct Action
Day, murdered men, women and
children with chilling cruelty.
Huseyn Shaheen Suhrawardy, a
shining star in the Muslim League
firmament and head of the Government of undivided Bengal with a
Muslim majority, did not so much as
wag his plump little finger to admonish the killers. By the time the silence
of the dead descended on Calcutta,
there were far too many carcasses
than vultures could feast upon.
More importantly, the Great
Calcutta Killing marked the beginning of Jinnahs direct action. The
massacre at Noakhali, the depredations inflicted on Hindus and Sikhs
in the North-West Frontier Province
and the horrendous communal violence that swept through Punjab
directly resulted from the Quaid-eAzams questionable decision to
abandon constitutional methods in
his search for a homeland for the
sub-continents Muslims.

Jinnah was no mullah in a clerics


robe with a flowing beard. Margaret
Bourke-White, a correspondent and
photographer for Life magazine, was
in India in 1946. She was present at
the Press conference where Jinnah
had announced the Leagues decision
to go for direct action and was
struck by the oddity of it all. In her
book, Halfway to Freedom: A Report
on the New India, published in 1949,
she described Jinnah as cool, calculating, unreligious... a thoroughly
Westernised, English-educated attorney-at-law with a clean-shaven face
and razor-sharp mind. That someone like him should have agreed to
direct action was, to a Western
observer, an oddity.
Not really, though. Never mind
Jinnahs fondness for drink and food
forbidden by Islam. Forget too his
so-called liberal worldview. He saw
himself as distinctly separate from
his erstwhile Hindu colleagues in the
Congress; he saw no place for Muslims in Hindu majority India. His
politics was hinged on the ideology
of communal separatism.
To quote a snatch from Jinnahs
August 11 1947, speech in which he
made a passing reference to Pakistan
as a liberal state, in order to assert
that he was secular, to say the least,
is extremely loathsome. It does grave
injustice to August 11, the day a
young nationalist from a humble
home in Bengal walked the short
distance between his cell and the gallows at Muzaffarpur Jail, his head
held high, chanting Vande Mataram.
(The writer is a current affairs
analyst based in NCR)

5 4 4 3 1 0 2 :
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Reader response to
Swapan Dasguptas column,
Usual Suspects, published
on August 23:
Voters no fool: The BJP
should, in fact, treat the Bihar
election as a referendum on
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and the Union
Government. The voters of
Bihar are no fools. They
know that if they elect Nitish
Kumar as the Chief Minister,
they will also provide some
space to Lalu Prasad for the
return of the jungle raj.
Also, the so-called news
channels neither inform nor
entertain. They are there to
further their own agenda. A
better way is to stop watching them. One should switch
over to Doordarshan or the
social media.
Jitendra

BJPs win crucial: A few


years ago, journalist Nalini
Singh travelled to Bihar and
described the living conditions of a family in a village
over there. The word
poverty is not potent
enough to stir us.
However, what Nalini
Singh wrote had a deep
impact on my mind. The
womenfolk of that family
had only one saree. Hence,
when the mother-in-law
had to step out of the house,
the others covered their
bodies with papers. When
the daughter-in-law went
out, the mother-in-law and
others covered their body
with the same paper.
This is the achievement
of leaders like Lalu Prasad,
Jagannath Mishra, and
Bindeshwari Dubey. I recall,
BBCs Andrew Whitehead
portrayed the same Lalu
Prasad as a great leader. It is

These channels are waiting


for an opportunity to badmouth the Modi
Government at the slightest
opportunity and play down
its achievements.
RRs

highly imperative that the


BJP alone wins the election
in Bihar. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi also belongs
to the Other Backward Class
community. Yet, he is Indias
George Washington Carver.
Janakiraman Rajalakshmi
Talking ill: Television channels are now becoming more
sensational in their coverage.
They are not interested in

showcasing the positives.


More than two lakh toilets have been built in
Government-run schools
within one year. This is a
very positive achievement
which received low coverage.
The television space is
occupied more by negatives.
The result is that many people have switched over to
other channels from these
so-called news channels.

Tough contest: The writer


is correct in saying that
there are many factors
responsible to conclude that
an election is an election,
and certainly not a referendum in any manner.
Elections are fought on
party-to-party basis and,
therefore, have nothing to do
with a personality. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi is a
person and not a personality.
The writer is also correct
to contend that the election
in Bihar is being fought on
local issues and national
issues have been put to the
background. Now, its not
just the Rashtriya Janata Dal

but also the Janata


Dal(United) and the BJP that
a share of the slice. It means
there will not be any one
party who will win the laurels. Lets wait and watch
which way the wind blows!
RL Pathak
Its a referendum: Whether
one agrees with the perception or not, the fact is that
Narendra Modi is going to
be the face of Bihar
Assembly election, and that
the people will vote for the
BJP on his strength and
assurances. Whoever
becomes the Chief Minister
later on, is a different matter.
Similarly, people will vote in
the name of Lalu Prasad and
Nitish Kumar. the coming
poll is, therfore, a referendum on all these three leaders, regardless of what their
parties say.
Ravi K

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JD and JDU have made the


same mistake that had been
committed by Lalu Prasad
Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan
before the 2009 Lok Sabha
Elections. Lalu and Paswan, after assessing their vote banks, had left the
Congress in the lurch and it was compelled to go alone. Nitish Kumar made
the same miscalculation in 2014 Lok
Sabha Elections. He left the BJP but didnt
create any other secular alliance.
This time also Lalu and Nitish have
taken the Congress in, but have left many
other parties to march on with separate
politics and ideology. As a result, other
parties are gearing up for the third and
fourth fronts, which are bound to affect
the grand alliance.
Earlier, it was being speculated that
Nitish would tie up with the Left front
also. During the Lok Sabha Elections,
Nitish had left two seats for them. But
this time, he distanced himself from the
three Left parties, and now they have
formed a separate front. When CPI, CPM
and CPI-ML are fighting separately, RJD
and JDU alliance will be adversely affected. A fourth front is also in the offing in
Bihar. Leaders like Sadhu Yadav, Pappu
Yadav, Dadan Yadav and Nagmani have
already formed their parties and are now
trying to forge an alliance. NCPs Tariq
Anwar is also not happy, and if his
resentment persists, then the grand
alliance will be at bigger loss.

t is a little surprising that


while we have innumerable
accounts of the First World
War and frequent literary investigations of the Partition, similar
vigour in scrutinising Indias participation in World War II has
long been betrayed. Award-winning historian Yasmin Khan, who
is also an author and Associate
Professor of History at Oxford
University, does the needful in
her grand archival project, The
Raj at War. In this monumental
work, Khan traverses through
assorted facets of colonial India
and strings together the pressing
concerns that determined Indias
role in WWII. Khans methodical
precision merged with ample
compassion towards her subject
makes this book for not only an
enlightening commentary highlighting hitherto unknown facts,
but also urges the readers to
indulge in a furthered discourse
on the same. What makes it more
compelling and complete, so to
say, is that this detailed study
encompasses the stories of the
common Indian people at the
time of the war.
She recounts the perspectives
of farmers, mothers, cooks at
army boats, love letters from soldiers, accounts from the brothel
houses, and much more, and thus
devises a peoples history, as the
subtitle underlines. Soldiers from
North India had always been
recruited to British royalty during the colonial era, but in the
beginning of the 1940s, British
officers came all the way to
Punjab, Rajasthan, and the southernmost parts of the country to
engage Indian troops in graver
concerns. In fact, many of them
were also employed to fight
Germany, Italy and their allies in
the Middle East and Africa, and
also to fight the Japanese in the
Far East. And then there were
also the Gurungs, Rais, Limbus,

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anmohan Singhs problems are set to


multiply. After the coal scam, questions are being raised on his offices role
in the CWG scam also. The CAG report
has mentioned that when Manmohan
was the PM, his office had intervened in
the CWG process. CAG also said that two
Sports Ministers of the UPA Government
Sunil Dutt and Mani Shankar Aiyar
didnt want Suresh Kalmadi to be given
the responsibility of organising the CWG.
Despite that, the PMO intervened and
Kalmadi was given the green signal.
Even in the coal scam, Manmohans
problems will increase. Madhu Koda has
filed an application in CBI special court
that Manmohan should be made an
accused in the case. Kodas argument is
that the CM only gives recommendations, and the final approval is given by
the Coal Ministry.
The coal block allocated on Kodas
recommendation had been finally
approved by Manmohan, the then Coal
Minister. After filing an application in
court, Koda is now planning to make it a
political issue. He wants that recommendations made by other CMs at that time
should also be probed.

24=CA4B>5C>=<0<0C0

attitude of the Centre and BJP has


Thechanged
towards West Bengal CM
Mamata Banerjee. The BJP has changed
its strategy on the issues of political
attack on Mamata and is helping her
Government too. BJP leaders have also
stopped targeting her. Some say when
the Congress and Left started coming
closer, the BJP changed its strategy. The
BJP is of the view that it wont gain much
by attacking or criticising Mamata, and if
attacks on her continue, then the
Congress and Left will benefit. So, there
is a change in the BJPs strategy.
That is the reason why the WB
Government has changed its approach
towards the Centre. Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley has candidly said that political disagreement will not stop funds to
WB, and the development of the State
will not suffer. Probably, Railway
Minister Suresh Prabhu has also
increased funds for Bengal. Mamatas
party TMC has also got good news from
the CBI. After interrogating many leaders of the party and analysing their bank
accounts, the CBI said there were no illegal transactions between chit fund company Saradha and TMC. This has come
as a big relief for Mamata.

A40;740302745>AA07D;

ahul Gandhi is finding it extremely


difficult to handle the party kshatrapas. His action in Parliament, his padya-

Sarma was the strength of the party, he


believes there will be no impact of his
resignation. In fact, reality is quite different. Sarma is very powerful in many
parts of Assam and can damage the
Gogoi Government right now.
The BJP leadership is not ready for
this. Sarma has challenged that if the BJP
is ready to give tickets to his MLAs, then
he can break them away from the
Congress. But the BJP is not in a mood
to topple the Gogoi Government as the
Assembly Elections will be held at the
beginning of the next year.
So the question is what would Gogoi
do now? Sarma had told the Congress
high command several times that
Hagrama Mohilary of BPF and
Badruddin Ajmal had left the Congress
alliance only due to Gogoi.
In the present situation, the Congress
is not in a position to do anything.
Mohilarys party BPF has given support
to the BJP. With this support, the BJP is
in a position to polarise Hindu votes. In
reply, if Muslim voters go with Ajmal,
then the Congress will be in the situation
in which the BJP is today. If the Congress
manages to go into an alliance with
Ajmals party, polarisation will be
in favour of the BJP and BPF.
tras in many States and his attacking
mood against the Government gave a
message that his leadership was established. Leaders of the Congress were elated with the idea that Rahul had become
a natural leader and could be given the
party reins any time. But results of the
local body elections in Rajasthan and
Madhya Pradesh have put a big question
on his leadership.
The effect of these elections can be
seen in the North-East where Himanta
Biswa Sarma has probably taken a decision. Rahul had met Sarma and tried to
make him stay in the party. At one point
it seemed that he was ready, but suddenly he decided to leave the party. This was
also seen as Rahuls failure.
In the same manner, Rahul has not
been able to appoint the leader of his
choice as Punjabs party president.
Probably, he would put his choice forward through Ahmed Patel, political
advisor of Sonia Gandhi. The names
were: Ravneet Bittu, Kuljit Nagra and
Amrinder Singh Raja. But the three bigwigs of the State Amarinder Singh,
Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Pratap Singh
Bajwa rejected all names. The same
crisis is prevailing against his youth
brigade in Haryana, Jharkhand and
some other States.

=>=80B>55824AB8=6>EC

the importance of IAS officers diminin the Government of India?


Isishing

There are many IAS officers in the PMO


and among the personal staff of the PM,
but its a fact that of late non-IAS officers
are being preferred to look after governance. The posts which were occupied
by IAS officers are now being given to
officers from other cadres.
At the Centre, a joint secretary level
officer looked after the work, and normally IAS officers were chosen for such
posts. But the Government seems to have
changed this tradition. More than 50
joint secretaries have been appointed
from non-IAS cadre. The same thing is
happening in the case of secretaries.
Apart from ministries, non-IAS officers are being appointed even at PSUs
and constitutional bodies. Recently, IPS
officer Karnail Singh was appointed as
the Enforcement Director. This is the
first time that an IPS officer has been
given this post.
Similarly, officer from railway services, Ashwani Lohani, has been appointed as the CMD of Air India. Before this,
revenue services officer KV Chaudhary
had been appointed as CVC. He is the
first non-IAS officer to occupy this post.

F70CF8;; C0AD=6>6>83>.

ssembly Elections of 2016 in Assam


will be a tough task for CM Tarun
Gogoi. He has won thrice but this time
he is facing big challenges. His problems
have increased after Sarma decided to
leave the party. Though Gogoi thinks

B40CB70A8=68=1870A

he BJP is facing problems in seatsharing arrangements with its


alliance partners in Bihar. The party is
maintaining silence and all three partners have become apprehensive. They
think the BJP is doing politics like in
Maharashtra and Haryana, and will
announce the seat-sharing arrangement
at the last moment. Then either there
will be no option left for them or they
will have to leave the alliance like the
Shiv Sena and HJC.
Sources say the BJP is giving very
few seats to its partners. In fact, it wants
to fight on 175 seats and has started
negotiations on 20 more seats. That
means the BJP can leave maximum 80
seats for its partners and the three parties
will have to share these.
Delay caused by the BJP has made
the alliance partners restless and they
have started holding meetings in and out
of Delhi. Upendra Kushwaha has met
Paswan. Probably, Paswans party is
expecting 40 seats. Kushwaha and Jitan
Ram Manjhi are expecting 60 seats. The
three alliance partners are saying that
they can settle for minimum 90 seats.
This means the BJP will have to fight
on 153 and leave 90 for its partners.
Probably this is being considered as a
good equation but the BJP wants to fight
on so many seats that it can reach near
majority on its own.

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all collectively called the


Gurkhas, who played a distinctive role in Asias military history.
But what makes the accounts of
the war also fascinating is that
this book projects the Indian soldiers as willing participants at
many points, amidst being forced
to fight for an empire that was
oppressing their country. Like
Khan suggests, reasons for joining the war were diverse and
depended on individual circumstances. If some joined out of
poverty, some saw it as a venerable family occupation. If many
were unwilling partakers, many
others saw in it their moment of
patriotic glory. But within this
structure, Khan writes that the
greatest resistance came from the
mothers who hid their sons and
left no stone unturned in protecting them. A large number of
mothers grieve how their sons
were simply grabbed by officers
and that was the last they saw of
them; many newly married
brides never got to know their
husbands as well.
There is also a strong examination of the War Fund, which
was more of an imposition than
obligation and took a toll on the
poor lot. Contribution to the War
Fund became a compulsion every
time one needed the smallest of
favours from the officials. This
made things worse for the poor
peasants who were already vic-

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timised by inflation and price


hikes in clothes and wheat.
Royalty in India, too, chose to be
blind to their woes in return of
the promise of protection from
the British, should there be
instances of rebellions from the
subjects. Khan writes that the
British failed to understand that
Indians resisted recruitment and

War Fund because of their financial and political subjugation, and


instead blamed it on Indians
being too backward, irrational,
underdeveloped, uneducated,
superstitious or unable to see the
international picture.
Although there is also the
mention of British officers who
shared the sentiments of the

resisting Indians nationalist aspirations as well; a British sergeant


of the Sudan Ordnance Corps
wrote home from the Middle
East, I have met scores of the
Indian troops in Cairo and have
had drinks with many of them
and would do so again. If India
was composed chiefly of these
kind of blokes I would say they

deserve Home Rule and be glad


to see them get it. Nonetheless,
differential treatment between
the Indian and British troops and
racism were widely prevalent. In
fact, it is only in the middle of
the war that Indian officers were
allowed to sit on the court martials of the British officers.
Needless to say, pay and other
conditions varied as well.
There are also fascinating
depictions of the social world of
the soldiers: Men in uniform
filled local cinemas like the Regal
and the Eros playing The Wizard
of Oz, Casablanca and Gone With
The Wind... As everyone waited
for the next chess move in the
war, men took every chance they
could to go sightseeing, to visit
shops and markets, cinemas,
dances and bars Chinese
restaurants gained popularity
dances and parties promised girls
galore and Louis Jazz Band
played in Delhi in good old
Yankee Jumpin Jive style The
Grand Hotel in Calcutta was a
place where you could Forget the
War! with Teddy Weatherford at
the piano in the American
Cocktail bar, Chinese jugglers,
raffles, quizzes and hand-picked
dance hostesses. Markers of modern living were further reinforced
by Hollywood and Bollywood
competing for Indian audiences
since the 1930s. Now posters and
magazine showed curvy ladies

with puckered lips. Cinema was


thus used as an instrument of
power to mobilise mass support.
But of everything else, soldiers missed their women. It was
a time of ruptured associations,
and everyone longed for a sense
of belonging, and the sentiment
prevailed all over the world. As
Lara Feigl had pointed out in The
Love Charm of Bombs, this was a
peculiarly exciting time when
London too had become a setting for intense love affairs and
surreal beauty.
The Raj at War has a delightful and thoughtful cover that
makes it look like a persuasive
reading, credited to Haitenlo
Semy and Neeraj Nath, with two
women volunteers of an ambulance service with a vague smile
on their faces. The book has a
charming gallery of photos from
the time, more strikingly, of
women from the time. There are
photos of Parsi womens precaution training, women protesting
during the Quit India Movement,
of a female aircraft plotter, construction workers, anglo-Indian
policewomen, and so on. There is
also a photo of Aruna Asaf Ali,
leader of the underground movement during the Quit India campaign and later a political leader
of independent India, whom
Khan mentions in detail. At the
same time, it would also have
been rather captivating if
accounts could be incorporated
of living people who have actually endured that piece of history.
This book, one hopes, will be
duly acknowledged and consumed
by students for its colossal archiving and engaging way of writing.
The kind of research, sensitivity
and labour that has been put in it
gives a channel to the unheard
voices and stories to be heard,
which they justifiably deserve.

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found it have kept the location under


wraps, saying, through their lawyer,
that they may reveal their secret to the
President of Walbrzych next week. But
until then the location stays secret.
The local press have claimed one
place the train could lie is the village
of Walim. Stretched along a valley
some 12 miles west of Walbrzych and
overlooked by the forested Owl
Mountains, Walim has emerged as a
contender for the location because its
hills are home to some of the Project
Riese tunnels.
One of the biggest construction
projects in the history of the Third
Reich, Project Riese involved digging
miles of tunnels in a series of complexes across the Walbrzych region, which
was until 1945 part of Germany.
Thousands of slave labourers died
hewing the rock for reasons that still
remain unclear. Some say the tunnels
were for a secret command centre,
others claim they were for underground factories for Hitlers secret
weapons, or even hid research on an
atomic bomb.
To this day not all the tunnels
have been explored so believers in the
gold train legend say the locomotive
and its cargo may still lie hidden in a
secret siding. On his office computer,
Pawel Brzozowski, Walims director of
culture and tourism, pulled up an old
German map of the village. It showed
a now non-existent railway line running into Walim. He explained the
theory was that there may have been
a special track laid that led into a
Reise tunnel.
In May we found that somebody
had carried out illegal digging on one
of the hills near the cemetery not far
from the track may have been, and this
indicates that somebody has been
searching, he said.
Some of the tunnels and caverns in
Walims hills are large, big enough, per-

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=RhcV_TVZdSVdeaRZUWV^R]VdeRc

ennifer Lawrence has topped the


annual Forbes list of the highest
paid female actors in the world for
the first time, thanks to lucrative roles
in the Hunger Games and X-Men
movies. Lawrences estimated $52m
haul over the past 12 months puts her
way out ahead of the second-placed
actor, Scarlett Johansson, who made
$35.5m during the same period.
As well as the lead role of
Katniss Everdeen in the post-apocalyptic Hunger Games saga and
mutant Mystique in the X-Men
films, the 25-year-old will reunite
with director David O Russell and
co-star Bradley Cooper on the
awards season-friendly Miracle Mop
biopic Joy later this year.
Lawrences rise to prominence has
been stratospheric: It is just five years
since her Oscar-nominated breakthrough as a teenager struggling to
keep her family afloat while searching
for her missing father in the Ozark
highland backwoods in 2010s Winters
Bone. Since then, she has picked up a
best actress Oscar for 2012s Silver

Linings Playbook and a best supporting


actress nomination for 2013s
American Hustle, both also featuring
Russell and Cooper.
Jennifer Lawrence has been able
to negotiate very favourable deals on
the back end of the Hunger Games
films, said Forbess Natalie Robehmed.
No other actress could play Katniss
Everdeen, and for that reason, she can
command a substantial cut of profits.

8ZSd`_UV_ZVdafdYZ_XaY`e`XcRaYVc

V^[ScaPX]

here has always been a bit of


gold in the steep, treedecked hills around
Walbrzych in southern
Poland. Enough to prompt
the opening of a few mines long ago,
and enough for tourists to still chance
their luck with a gold pan in the fast
flowing rivers. But never enough to
generate excitement and frenzy. Until
now, that is.
Two men have claimed to have
found what could be a legendary Nazi
ghost train that disappeared without
trace into the mountains around
Walbrzych in April 1945 with a cargo
of gold as it fled the advance of the
Red Army. If the claim is true, then
there could be a fortune beneath the
peoples feet, and that has got them
excited.
People are talking about it. They
are talking about in the town. My
clients talk about it and weve had a lot
of journalists coming by, said Marek
Marciniak, the owner of a cafe adjacent to Walbrzych town hall. And
when I go home and flick on the
television I see a lot of news about
the gold train.
Marciniak, like many others, is
quick to stress that everybody has
heard stories about the train and its
gold before, and how people have tried
and failed in the past to gain their
fame and fortune by finding it. What
sets this time apart from the others, he
pointed out, is that the two claimants
have taken a legal step by filing a claim
with the local authorities in Walbrzych
in the hope of attaining a finders fee
of 10 per cent of the value of the find.
This is a measure nobody before
has taken, and has fuelled speculation
that this time somebody may have
actually found something.
But just where the train might
have been found remains unknown.
The two who have claimed to have

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haps, to house a train. Brzozowski said


he hopes the legend and its gold lies
buried somewhere in the hills but
maintains a dose of scepticism.
It would be important for us, if it
was found, he explained. It could
bring people here, and already people
are asking about it. We are just waiting
to see what happens. But some people
laugh about it because there have
always been stories about the train.
Further up the valley at the
entrance to Walims Reise tunnels, now
a tourist attraction, Marcin Pasek,
shakes his head at talk of finding the
gold train. A tunnel guide for five years
he has heard the legend many times
and it still fails to ring true for him.
I have my reservations about
this, he said with a slight laugh.
There has been talk but no evidence.
Maybe there was some treasure but
why leave it on a train? In the past
Nazi loot has always been found in
boxes, never on a train. Or maybe
somebody has found a train, but perhaps its just an old abandoned train
with no treasure.
While his scepticism about the discovery claims appears to strike a chord
with many people in the Walbrzych
region, there is also abundant hope the
train and its precious cargo will soon
be uncovered. That would bring a
surge of publicity to a region unknown
to many in Europe, and provide an
economic boost to a town that has suffered of late.
Mines around Walbrzych have
closed, jobs lost and the population
has dropped from 170,000 to 110,000
in just 25 years. We hope its true. For
this region it would be good news,
said Marciniak, the cafe owner. But
even it isnt, the legend will live on, he
added with a smile. Nobody ever sees
the Loch Ness monster but people still
go to Loch Ness.

CWT3PX[hCT[TVaP_W

el Gibson did not push a


female photographer outside
a Sydney cinema last Sunday,
his US publicist has said, calling the
story a complete fabrication. On
Monday morning, Australian media
outlets reported that the Oscar-winning actor and director had allegedly
shoved, spat and shouted at News
Corp Australia photographer Kristi
Miller as she photographed him leaving the Palace Verona cinema in
Paddington with his girlfriend, the US
equestrian vaulter Rosalind Ross.
Miller told the Daily Telegraph, for
whom she works: I took a photo of
Mel and his girlfriend and when I
turned around he shoved my back
really hard... It shocked me because I
wasnt expecting it. I dont know if it
was his hands or elbow. But Gibsons
publicist Alan Nierob denied there
had been any physical contact.
Basically Gibson and his friend
were being harassed by this photographer and he asked her repeatedly to
stop, which she did not, he told
Guardian Australia. There was never

any physical contact whatsoever and


the story being told by her is a complete fabrication of the truth.
Nierob did not comment on
Millers account that Gibson verbally
abused her.
He was spitting in my face as he
was yelling at me, calling me a dog,
saying Im not even a human being
and I will go to hell, she told The
Daily Telegraph.

;RT\^R_V^SRc\d`_CWT>ShbbTh

ugh Jackman is in early discussions to take on the lead role


in an upcoming version of
Homers The Odyssey. According to
The Wrap, the Oscar-nominated star
of Les Miserables would play the part
of Odysseus, who undertakes an epic,
decade-long journey home to his family after the fall of Troy.
The project is being directed by
Francis Lawrence, who broke out with
Constantine and has since been
behind Water for Elephants and the
final three Hunger Games films. It
reunites him with Lionsgate, the studio in charge of the dystopian adven-

ture franchise. In May, it was revealed


that the story might be split into two
films. The project is apparently on
fast-track, with an aim to start shooting early next year from a script by
Mockingjay screenwriter Peter Craig.
Jackman announced that his next
outing as Wolverine will be his last
before he hangs up the claws. This
Christmas will also see him turning to
the dark side with a role as Captain
Hook in Joe Wrights Pan.
Forthcoming films from the actor
include a role in sports biopic Eddie
the Eagle and high-profile Christian
film Apostle Paul.

> 3 3 ;H 4=>D67
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t seems money is the best
Iundead
medicine to put the
to rest. The annual
New Jersey Zombie Walk
has fallen victim to rising
costs and growing popularity. The free event
began with a group of
friends shuffling and
groaning their way
through Asbury
Park seven years
ago. It grew in size
over the years and
raised money for
charities.
In 2013, Guinness
World Records certified
nearly 10,000 zombies
were the worlds largest
gathering of the
undead.
Organiser Jason
Meehan broke the
news on Facebook
recently. He wrote
that costs have
risen and the

decayed buildings that once served as


the events backdrop in the city have
been replaced by new condos and
restaurants. Meehan is tentatively planning an October 3 funeral on the
Asbury boardwalk.

0?

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8==4FH>A:BD1F0H

woman who bit another


passenger in a dispute over
a seat on a crowded subway was
being sought for assault, the
New York City police said.
The attack occurred on a
Manhattan-bound F train from
Queens a week earlier, when a 45year-old woman asked the suspect
to remove her belongings from a
seat so she could sit, said
Lieutenant Thomas Antonetti,
spokesman for the New York
Police Department.
When the rider did not
respond, the woman attempted to
sit down anyway. The suspect
became enraged pushing the
victim, scratching her on the
chest, pulling her hair and bit-

ing her on her


forearm causing a laceration and bleeding, the NYPD
said in a statement.
The suspect fled the train when it
stopped at a station but not before the
victim snapped a cellphone picture of her
baring her teeth, which police shared
with the public to help track down the
suspect. Caught in the act, Antonetti
said. The rider was taken to the hospital
but has since been discharged.

ATdcTab

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century-old message in a bottle,


possibly the oldest ever found, has
finally reached its destination. Tossed
into the North Sea sometime between
1904 and 1906, the bottle washed up on
the beach on the German island of
Amrum, and was found by a couple in
April. Inside they found a postcard asking that it be sent to the Marine
Biological Association of the UK
which they did.
We were very excited, Guy Baker, a
spokesman for the group, said. We certainly werent expecting to receive any

more of the postcards.


Baker said the bottle was
one of some 1,000 released
into the North Sea by
researcher George Parker Bidder, who
later became the associations president.
The bottles were weighed down to float
just above the sea bed, and used as part
of a study into the movement of sea currents. Inside each bottle was a postcard
promising a one shilling reward to anyone who returned it to the association,
along with information about where and
when they found the bottle. Most bottles
were trawled up by fishermen and
returned decades ago, Baker said.

HPW^^

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European Space Agency astronaut


famous for wearing her Star Trek
uniform on the International Space
Station (ISS) is headed where no man
has gone before in a fan film. Samantha
Cristoforetti, the first Italian woman in
space, returned to Earth in June after
199 days on the ISS, and the makers of
fan-produced film Star Trek: Axanar
have now announced she is joining the

production in an as-yet unspecified role. As long as we can work


out her schedule (as she will have
to fly back from Europe), she
would love to have a role in
Axanar, the films producers said
in a blog post.
Cristoforettis affection for
the science fiction franchise
became clear in April, when
she donned a Star Trek:
Voyager-style uniform and
snapped a series of selfies
aboard the ISS.
Star Trek: Axanar is a fanproduced film following the
character Garth of Izar, who
appeared in original Star Trek
episode Whom Gods Destroy.
The fan film takes place about
21 years before the first episode
of Star Trek.
Cristoforettis journey
where no man has gone
before follows in the footsteps
of NASA astronaut Mae
Jemison, who appeared in
a small role on Star Trek:
The Next Generation.

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Pittsburgh defense attorney got
A
a hearing postponed at the last
minute after convincing a judge

D?8

that his wifes labour was a matter of life or his death.


The Pittsburgh TribuneReview reports Marc
Daffner was granted a continuance after filing a blunt
request with a Pittsburgh
City Court magistrate.
It read: Defense counsels wife went into labour at
approximately 11.15 am
today, and defense counsel
will be killed by his wife if
he does not get to the hospital immediately.
Daffner says the district attorney and judge
agreed to the move. His
client is charged with
receiving stolen property.
Daffner says, I didnt
have a legal reason for the
continuance, but that was
the truth.

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he saints and mystics are always


telling us that if we
place our attention
only in the activities of the world, then we
will have turmoil in our life.
This is a world of illusion;
this is a world of maya.
There is a time associated
with how long everything is
going to last here, and finally
everything will deteriorate
and decay. When we try to
connect with that which is
not permanent, those
moments of happiness are
temporary and we never
attain lasting joy. For us to be
in the state of eternal happiness and joy, we need to connect with that which is permanent.
There is a story from the
life of Alexander the Great
that illustrates the result of
engaging in the desires of the
world. Alexander the Great
had conquered many people.
He was leading his army into
the north-western part of
India to conquer those people. When returning home,
he asked his astrologers to
tell him how and when he
would die.
The astrologers told him,
O great king, our calculations show that you will not
die until the earth turns into
iron and the sky is transformed into gold. The king
was overjoyed and said,
This is great news. It would
take many ages for the earth
to turn into iron and the sky
to turn into gold. What a
miracle! I am going to live
for a long time.
Alexander the Great next
decided to go to Persia. On
the way, he had an attack of
malaria, and told his chief

minister who was riding


alongside him on a horse, I
have terrible fever. My
strength is fading. I cannot
ride any longer.
The minister grew worried and said, O great king,
let us ride a few miles more.
We can then find a tree and
you can lie down in the
shade. However, Alexander
could ride no longer. He got
off his horse and lay down
on the hot ground.
The minister could not
bear to see the great king
lying in the hot sun, so he
made a couch for the king by
removing his own coat of
iron armour that was lined
with 40 layers of silk so that
the king could rest upon the
silk. The minister then held
his own shield over the kings
face to keep the sun off him.
When Alexander opened
his eyes and saw the shield
decorated with strips of gold,
the astrologers prediction
came to his mind. Oh, no,
thought Alexander. I was a
fool to be happy with the
astrologers prediction. I
thought it meant I would live
a long time. Now, the prediction is true. I am lying on
iron as if it were earth. The
sky above me is now the gold
shield.
Suddenly, the royal
physician rode up on his
horse to treat the king. He
examined Alexander and told
the king, I cannot deceive
you. You are lying at the door
of death. Alexander cried,
Is there no remedy? The
doctor said, No, great king,
the fever is too severe. No
medicine can help you.
The king fell into despair.
Although he was so weak, he
could not believe his life was

he word dharma is defined in an


English dictionary as truth, which is
just one aspect of dharma.
Righteousness comes a little closer, which is
defined as morally right and good. This
word is better defined in a Sanskrit dictionary, which gives dharma several meanings.
Some of them are: Duty, goodness, action
according to bona fide scriptures, justice,
purity and being cultured. Dharma is based
upon several good qualities such as truthfulness, mercy, humility, compassion, love, forgiveness, dutifulness, tolerance, patience,
faith, etc. However, dharma transcends all
these; it is paramount.
The following examples will clarify the
last point. Mothers routinely lie to their children. For example, a child demands something, which she is unable to provide due to
money constraints. She convinces him that
something else that she can afford is better.
Here dharma transcends truthfulness. Two
children are fighting and the younger one is
the offender. Their mother takes the elder
one aside and asks him to be more careful in
future because the younger one is still not
old enough to understand things properly.
The elder one is told to tolerate and try to
avoid such fights. Here dharma is above justice. The third example is that of a highly talented girl having been placed third in a
competition, which she should have won.
The explanation: Such early success will
make her proud, and could come in the way

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about to end. The king


turned to his minister and
said, Please announce that I
will give half my kingdom to
anyone who can enable me
to live long enough to have a
last glimpse of my mother.
The doctor said, Sir, that is
not possible. You have only a
minute or two to live.
Alexander panicked,
Whoever will let me live
long enough to see my
mother will receive all my
conquests. I will live only
on alms. The doctor said,
It is useless. Nothing can
save you now. Then,
Alexander the Great, who
had terrorised and plundered thousands of people
as he conquered their
nations, began to cry.
Suddenly, a saint wandered by. He looked in
silence at the dying king. He
then said to the minister
that it was a shame that
Alexander threw away all his
life for temporary desires of
the world. He added that the
conquest of all the world is
nothing compared to spiritual bliss.
This anecdote from history says that although people may drink the wine of
the world, such wine cannot
offer any salvation or eternal
bliss as compared to the nectar of the lord.
In the scriptures it is
said that what is true today,
was true in the beginning of
creation, and will remain
true until the end of creation. The scriptures tell us
that to know God, we need
to be still and focus our
attention within ourselves.
As long as our attention is
on the world outside, that is
the area from which we get

input into our system. When


our attention is not on the
objects or the activities of
this physical world and
instead is focused on the
holy word or the naam or
shabd within ourselves, then
everything that comes to us
comes from a source of permanent happiness, of permanent joy. That is why so
much emphasis is laid on us
being able to experience the
divine for ourselves.
In the Sant Mat tradition,
the technique that we use is
called Shabd meditation. We
recognise that power of god
within ourselves as the divine
light and sound of god.
When we sit to meditate,
we experience that creative
force within ourselves, as
divine light and sound. This
light is coming from the creative force, which is within
each and every one of us.
As we experience the
light and sound of God, we
start to truly experience the
divine, and this connection
automatically makes us
happy. That happiness
shows in our face, it shows
in the way we talk, and it
shows in the way we act or
deal with others.
As we become more and
more in tune with this divinity within ourselves, the love
of god will permeate each
and every part of our being.
No riches of the world, no
gains at the mental level, the
physical level, or the emotional level can make us
attain this state.
This is a state that comes
when we are in tune with the
divine light and sound of
god, and we open ourselves
to the will of the lord.

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here is a story about the last days of warrior


king of Macedonia Alexander. The story goes
that while he was on his death bed and the end
seemed imminent, Alexander called his trusted wise
men near his bed and gave them the instructions to
be followed after his death. The first was that all the
best doctors of his kingdom would lead the funeral
procession. The second instruction was that the
gems, gold and diamonds in his treasure that
Alexander had amassed during his many victories
across the world be thrown along the course of his
funeral procession. The third instruction was that
while placing his body in the coffin his hands should
be kept hanging outside.
Baffled by the strange last wish one of the wise
men asked the king what was the significance of
these three instructions. With a rather painful yet
confident smile Alexander explained his three wishes
to his wise men. The first instruction to ask the doctors to lead the funeral procession was to prove that
though he had too many doctors at his beck and call
yet he could not be saved. Death, then, is inevitable.
The second instruction asking them to strew the
gems, diamonds and gold along the path of funeral
procession was to prove that though he amassed so
much wealth, he could not carry it to the other
world. He had to leave it here. The third instruction
to let his hands hang outside the coffin was to prove
that in the end you depart empty-handed. Just the
way you had come into this world.
There is no means to ascertain whether the story
is true or imaginary, and whether the instructions
could be carried out or not. However, even if it is a
story, there is a great lesson to be learnt.
The moral of the story, thus, is that death is a
great leveller and it visits the prince and the pauper
with the same degree of nonchalance. And most
importantly, all your wealth has to be left here in this
world. Nothing can be carried to the other world.
You enter this world with zero balance and the other
world too with the zero balance. But the point is that
why it takes so long to realise this basic truth. Why
do people spend their entire lifetime in the futile
pursuit of material wealth?
A difficult question that perhaps can only be
answered through realisation that usually comes in
the face of death at the fag end of the life. It is ignorance or avidya that makes human beings run after
maya or illusion. Many before Alexander must have
realised this. Many after him would also have
realised this.
But the lesson could not be learnt by human
beings. Such is the power of maya that even the wise
get entrapped. Was it not the pursuit of a golden deer
that befuddled Lord Ram and blunted his reason,
thus resulting in misery? Maya is a formidable
enemy and it can only be challenged through reason
that leads to inner awakening.
But how to listen to this voice of reason is the
main issue. Particularly because it is there in all of us
and keeps trying to awaken us. The enemy number
one is the ego that gives us the vanity resulting from
a false sense of invincibility.

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of her reaching her potential. This conduct
of the judges was according to dharma,
though they acted unfairly.
In life, we all face many problems and
challenges. How we tackle them determines
the quality of our lives. How should we
tackle any problem? The answer is simple.
We must ascertain what the solution is
according to dharma. Once we are certain,
we should go ahead and implement it.
Now lets see why dharma is supreme. In
the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna states that
whenever there is decline in dharma and
there is ascendency of adharma, I incarnate
myself. In the next verse, he reaffirms the
message, ie he incarnates in different yugas
for re-establishing dharmic principles. Now
we can understand why dharma is more
important than anything else, and why one
should always follow it. If we tread the path
of dharma, god will assist us because he
upholds dharma in all circumstances.
Therefore, wise persons first establish
what dharma is in any circumstance. This

one can do with the help of bona fide scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita, talking to
realised souls and following the examples of
great souls. Then, one must follow it in a
practical way no matter how difficult or
painful it is. And, finally, the result must be
left to god the protector of dharma.
The following stories will illustrate what
has been stated earlier. In a family, the father
is acting irresponsibly. The mother takes full
care of her children. Obviously, they love her
and their father not so much. But the mother
never involves her children in her difficulties
with her husband. She tackles him on her
own because she does not wish her children
to become hateful of their father. That would
damage their psyche, which is worse than
any victory she will achieve with their help.
The next story is of a principal, who had
brought his school to the top of all local
schools by working diligently. The head of
the Trust which ran the school was pleased
with him. They decided not to seek capitation fee from new entrants. Everything was
done on merit and based on dharma. The
head died and his son succeeded him. He
asked the principal to start collecting capitation fee. The principal resigned. His new job
took him to a school quite far from his local
residence but he did not mind. He applied
himself there to make that school the very
best. I welcome your comments.
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0BCA>BC@4

170A0C17DB70=?03<034>

hen fundamental truth gets


knocked down even out of
ignorance, it leads to serious
consequences. So no wonder, the
worldly existence has got into an existential crisis, ever since seeds of consumerism have been sown in our
minds, which in turn, have bred the
sense of individualism. We have
become self-centric, not bothered
about others, and at the worst, religion/culture/caste centric.
Somehow, a sense of identity crisis
seems to have overtaken ignorant
minds all across, which is what is driving ignorant people trying to make
their individual/group presence forced
upon others, even if it means taking
resort to uncivilised methods. And all
this to grab the spoils even when it is at
the cost of others. Or for that matter,
innocents are getting killed every day
because of group vandalism in the
name of religion or securing ones caste
rights, here in India and beyond its
boundaries.
It may not be out of place to mention here that we are all born imperfect.
That calls for a compulsive engagement
with others to make up for each others
inadequacies, and together meet our

/LYHIRUHDFKRWKHUDQGEHKDSS\

existential needs. This fundamental


truth seems to have been forgotten by
the majority. Otherwise, all and
sundry would not be living in a
demanding mode. What we seem to
have forgotten is that if you wish to
seek from others what you need, it
becomes imperative upon you to give
back in return what others require too.
The obvious implication is that if at all
we wish to secure individual and societal peace and welfare, we shall have
to live in a giving mode as nature
does. If you expect food from mother
earth for your survival, you need to
water and nurture her resources too.
Similar principle will apply both at
societal and family levels.
Here I recall the statement of an
Australian Physicist, Paul Davies: For
a nave realist, the world is a collection
of objects. For a quantum physicist, it
is an inseparable web of vibrating energy patterns, where no one component
has a reality independent of the entirety, included in that entirety is the
observer. So, even modern science has
realised that the world is a unitary
organism where ones individual existence will become questionable if the
fundamentals of collective existence get

anyway compromised.
The irony, however, is that we have
become so self-centric that even within
a small family, every member is trying
to force his/her whims and fancies on
others. As a consequence, hardly any
family is at peace. The other day a middle aged man, by himself well meaning
and professionally well established,
came complaining that he feels lost and
like a loner. His wife and other family
members remain in demanding mode
all the time, seldom remembering that
even he needs some care. He gets so
hassled that he had lost his peace of
mind, self-esteem and confidence. As a
consequence, his creative urges have
gone for a toss.
Let us look at his astrological
pointers. Lagna lord Saturn is locked
in adverse formation to Moon, the lord
of spouse signifying 7th lord. It implies
that the man is vulnerable to be at the
receiving end of an ignorant nagging
wife. Moon again being mind indicator
posited in the 3rd house identified
with general mental dispensation, he
would get too much unnerved when
confronted with unpleasantness. On
top of that is debilitated Mars occupying the 7th house and that too ill-disposed off to mischievous Neptune,

pointing to a domineering wife suffering from inferiority complex. She


would be over domineering with my
way or no way attitude. She may ignorantly misdirect her energies that may
prove self-destructive.
The question now is: How to deal
with such a situation? First, the man
has to take resort to spiritual process
under the guidance of a proven mentor.
Following the process, he will be able
to clear off all negative imprints so far
gathered in the mind. The mind-space
thus cleared off will help expand his
scope of vision and increase strength
of mind, which in turn, may help
regain his self-esteem and confidence.
He may then realise that ignorance is
the root cause, underlying his wifes
appalling conduct. So, better she is put
through continued psychological
counselling by a proven expert to
make her realise that her happiness
can be secured only by being supportive to her spouse. And very soon they
may end up a happy couple.
CWTf
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