37 minute read
Continued on
in brief
MAN KILLS DAUGHTER’S MUM-IN-LAW OVER MARRIAGE FEUD
Mohammad Malik killed Ishrat Ahmed and injured her husband Afaq with an axe after his daughter’s marriage ended "acrimoniously" . The incident took place on their doorstep in Nelson on 4 July 2021, Lancashire Police said. The police confirmed that there were "ongoing disputes" between the families. Malik, 58 was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter at Preston Crown Court. According to the police, Malik drove to the Ahmeds' house to find their son Wasim, whose marriage to one of Malik's daughters was called off. Malik then attacked them in their own doorway. Mrs Ahmed, 52, later succumbed to serious head injuries in hospital while her 55-year-old husband has since recovered from serious brain injuries. He will be sentenced on 11 February.
9 AREAS IN LONDON REPORT ABSENCE OF PUPILS AMID COVID
According to the latest figures that were released by the Department for Education, the nine areas that recorded the highest number of children off school were in London. Amongst the nine areas, Harrow, Southwark and Bromley had the highest Covid absence rates in the country before Christmas. Harrow had the highest Covid absence rate in the country, with 10.8 per cent of pupils absent due to the virus. On December 16, in total, 34,971 London pupils were off school due to Covid. Along with this, staff shortages were also worst in London, with 5.3 per cent of teachers and headteachers in London. Following Harrow, Southwark and Bromley, Lewisham, Hammersmith and Fulham, Lambeth, Hillingdon, Waltham Forest and Merton had the next highest absence rates. As per the National figures, before Christmas, the number of children off school at the start of this term was higher by almost 15,000.
LIFE EXPECTANCY TO FALL DUE TO COVID, SAYS REPORT
A baby born in the 2020s in the UK will die five years earlier than precited, new data shows. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), girls that were born last year are expected to live for 90.2 years while boys will live for 87.3 years. Girls born in 2020 are expected to live 4.8 fewer years than predicted in 2012, and boys have 4.5 fewer years. The coronavirus pandemic is being considered as one of the factors for the decline in expected life expectancy. David Finch, assistant director of healthy lives at the Health Foundation, said that “The government faces a massive challenge in delivering its promise to improve life expectancy for people in the UK. ” The ONS said: “There are projected to be many more people at older ages by 2045, in part because of the baby boomers from the 1960s now being aged around 80 years, as well as general increases in life expectancy.
TONGA TSUNAMI- BODY OF BRITISH WOMAN FOUND
British woman Angela Glover was swept by the tsunami while rescuing her dogs has been found, her brother informs. Nick Eleini told broadcasters the family was "devastated" . Her death is considered to be the first in the disaster when an underwater volcano erupted, sending a tsunami towards the Pacific island nation. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha apai volcano, which erupted on Saturday, was about 40 miles (65km) north of Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa, where Angela and her husband James lived. Mr Eleini said Angela and James loved their life in Tonga and adored the Tongan people. He added Angela was the heart of their family and they will miss her every single day.
Father’s four-year fight with council for disabled son
Continued from page 1
Mr Puri moved to Hertfordshire county in 2017 and was told the council was unable to provide a local school for Meet due to lack of space. Instead, Meet was placed at a school in Brent, a 45-minute car journey from Hertfordshire.
Mr Puri was told the council would try to place his son in a local school once a space became available. However, Mr Puri said, “It’ s been four years living in South Oxhey now and Hertfordshire Council have not offered Meet a place at any local schools. ”
After a number of attempts in contacting Hertfordshire Council over the years, Mr Puri said the issue has remained unresolved. He said: “Before Christmas, I called the council three or four times asking for a place at a local school but got no response. ”
Hertfordshire Council did provide transport to and from school for Meet but at the beginning of this year, Mr Puri was told he would now have to contribute £518 per term towards funding transport for Meet as he is now over 16.
Mr Puri said £518 is a “huge amount” for his family and was told by the council he would need to contribute towards transport or Meet would have to use public transport to get to school like other chil-
dren.
Meet’ s one-way commute to school on public transport would take over two hours and because of his cerebral palsy, Mr Puri believes the mental and physical stress on Meet would be too much.
Since Meet’ s transport was ceased by the council a week before Christmas, Mr Puri has been attempting to contact the council.
Meet has been unable to go to school for the last two weeks and is feeling “depressed, discriminated against, and let down by the council and education ministry, ” said Mr Puri.
He said the council remained “ unresponsive ” until a few days ago when he finally received an email from Councillor Christopher Alley who said he “ cannot promise anything but will try to get an explanation for Hertfordshire County Council’ s decision regarding your son ’ s transport. ”
Mr Puri said he is left wondering if his son and family are being discriminated against by the council. He wonders how there has been no availability in any of the local schools in the past four years and why the council are comparing his son ’ s school commute with other kids who have no special needs.
According to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the prevalence of cerebral palsy in the UK is about two per 1000 live births. This figure has not changed significantly in the past forty years.
Mr Puri and his wife Rajni, 42, are finding it very difficult to see their son depressed and so upset. He said, “We see him sad and depressed, and we feel helpless and very disturbed to see his already difficult life get even more stressful. ”
Mr Puri and his wife continue to resolve the situation with Hertfordshire County Council.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has is proposing that ministers should create a Coronavirus Recovery Visa, a temporary visa scheme for construction workers to handle the double impact of Brexit and the pandemic on the building industry.
Mayor believes that scheme will help sectors struggling with shortages of workers, including construction. He has also called for a regional shortage occupation list that will allow London and other cities to attract and retain staff in sectors with acute staff shortages.
The mayor said that before Brexit, the capital was dependent on migrant building workers, with more than half the workforce being from the EU and beyond. He also added that as per the official figures, in the three years to April 2020, the number of construction workers in the capital from the EU fell 54 per cent.
Mr Khan said: “We ’ ve worked tirelessly over the last five years to get London building again, and the construction sector forms a key part of London ’ s Covid recovery plan. However, both our recovery and efforts to deliver the genuinely affordable homes Londoners desperately need could now be put at risk if there isn ’t the skilled workforce available to build them. The Government must look beyond their current blinkered approach to immigration and recognise the impending crisis that is already enveloping one of our most vital industries. ”
Two Keralites were killed in a car accident at Cheltenham town in Gloucester, England. Bins Rajan (32) of Kunakkal in Muvattupuzha and Archana Nirmal from Kollam did not survive the crash.
Three of their other family members are said to be injured. According to a web portal, the incident took place around 11:15 am on A-46 Road at Pegglesworth on Monday when the car collided with a lorry. Rajan and Nirmal were visiting a friend in Oxford when their car collided. Rajan ’ s wife Anagha and their two-year-old child, and Archana ’ s husband Nirmal Ramesh were injured. The child’ s condition was reportedly very serious, has been admitted to NHS Hospital in Oxford. UK Malayalis (UUKMA) are helping the relatives in Kerala to receive their mortal remains.
UK population to outgrow due to 2.2 mn migrants
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released a report that states that the UK’ s population growth from 2020 to 2030 will be driven by the arrival of 2.2 million migrants as native deaths will outnumber births.
Due to the decline in fertility rates across the world and the increasing age of the post-war 'baby boom generations' , the ONS believes that deaths would outnumber births by 59,000 in the decade to 2030. However, an increase in migrants will push the UK's population to an estimated 67.1million in mid-2020 to 69.2 million in mid2030.
ONS statistician James Robards said: 'The UK population is projected to grow by 2.1 million over the ten years to mid-2030, with England's population expected to increase more quickly than the other UK nations. ”
Its analysis noted: ‘Over the 25-year period between mid-2020 and mid-2045 it is projected that there will be 1.4 million more deaths than births. During this period, the population will grow by 3.9 million, again driven by projected net migration of 5.3 million.
Six men on trial for raping eight girls
A gang of six men sexually exploited and abused vulnerable young girls after luring them over Facebook with the promise of drink and drugs, a court heard. These six men are accused of forcing themselves on eight vulnerable victims aged between 12 and 15 in the Redditch area of Worcestershire between 2013 and 2017.
Abdul Hussain, 21, Usmaan Asghar, 22, Arslan Tazarab, 25, Ethashan Tazarab, 21, Usman Ali, 28 and Numan Mohammed, 23, has been charged with a total of 24 sex offences going back almost ten years, are now on trial at Worcester Crown Court.
Prosecutor Mark Heywood QC said, “This case is about eight girls in their early to middle teens and from 2013 to 2017 they were sexually abused by these defendants. Some were crudely groped simply because they were in reach. Some were lonely and wanted attention. Others had made poor lifestyle choices which made them vulnerable. This included drinking, taking drugs, and being sexually available - they were easily taken advantage of.
Vaccine passports likely to be scrapped
At the end of the month, facemasks are likely to remain a legal requirement on public transport and indoors, but work from home guidance and vaccine passports are expected to be scrapped.
Oliver Dowden, the Conservative Party chairman, expressed that “ signs are encouraging ” for lifting coronavirus restrictions on January 26. He also added that he felt hopeful and optimistic after seeing “ some very promising data ” on infections and hospital admissions.
Taking economic impact into consideration, ministers have decided to end work from home guidance as a priority while vaccine passports provoked a Tory revolt in the Commons last month.
While the spread of the Omicron variant appears to be reaching a plateau in London and the South-East, there is a lot of pressure on hospitals in the North-East and NorthWest NHS regions. Hence, the requirement to wear a face mask is likely to remain.
PM Boris Johnson must resign
It is a shameful and hypocritical act by the British PM Boris Johnson for whom voters of his country gave the mandate to lead. On May 20, 2020, he held a party in a garden when a lockdown was announced where Britons were barred by law from meeting up with more than one person outside their households. He apologised only after opposition politicians called for police investigation after ITV published a leaked email invitation to the
“bring your own booze ” party.
The true meaning of apology diminished when he simply said ‘ sorry ’ despite knowing that he broke the rules. Last year, our younger grandson Shiv (12) during the lockdown in Canada came to our front porch and dropped some food and went off. Even in India last year I called auto rickshaw owner Hari Bharvad at VV Nagar, Gujarat, India to check how he and his family were doing. He replied saying, that Sureshkdada, ‘it is a very hard time as due to lockdown I cannot go out and no money coming to maintain a family. ’
If he and a 12-year-old knew the meaning of lockdown, why not the PM of Britain? Last year here in Canada, many ministers, members of federal and provincial parliament from all political parties, CEOs of the health department, police chiefs and others holding high profile positions, knowingly ignored Covid-19 lockdown guidelines and went on vacations, travelled abroad for personal, business reasons under one or other pretext - and only when they were caught - they said sorry, made lame excuses and regretted their mistakes ( I would say blunder ) and resigned. PM Boris Johnson must resign. Period.
Nobody is above the law of land where they live. Kudos to the Australian government. and an Austrian court’ s decision that Tennis unvaccinated star Djokovic should be deported from Australia after losing an appeal against visa cancellation. He is not above law and it doesn ’t matter that he is the 20th Grand Slam titleholder.
All please stay safe and healthy and follow all rules and regulations announced by the government and medical experts.
Suresh and Bhavna Patel Markham, Canada
Truth of religion
With reference to Kapil Dudakia ’ s article titled New Year, but Old Challenges Remain, As a Hindu myself, I am very saddened and hurt to read his negative poisonous thoughts on the history of Christianity and throwing dirt on the holy bible. He is forgetting he is living in a Christian country (UK) that country has provided his family and him a shelter and protection. I genuinely request him to keep his negative ideas to himself instead of stirring hated in the Indian community UK who are living peacefully with harmony and contributing their services to the Christian nation who in return are appreciating our contributions to the nation.
Humanity is an ocean; a few drops of the ocean are dirty; the ocean does not become dirty. Mahatma Gandhi.
Famous Neasden Mandir in London is an icon of Hinduism in a Christian country, where all faiths of all religions are welcome with kindness and love without any kind of restrictions. Abu Dubai, a Muslim country has gifted land to build a BAPS Hindu Mandir. This mandir will be an icon of unity of peace and harmony between different religions, races and languages. All religions of the world united as one family of the world to fight back the deadly virus – Covid 19. This is what I call “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. ” The world is one family.
All holy religious books of the world give the same message of love, kindness, and compassion. We selfish human beings stir up conflict in the name of religion and create prejudice among the human race.
In 1893, Swami Vivekananda gave a powerful Iconic speech at the World Religion Conference in Chicago. He addressed the people of America as brothers and sisters. His speech included the wisdom of being patriotic, loving all religions.
On 24th Dec 21, I text a message of Merry Christmas to the head of BAPS Neasden Mandir as follows:
As Hindus we celebrate Diwali. At the same time, we do celebrate Christmas. This I call a diversity, harmony living with different faiths in the UK. A Merry Christmas to all BAPS trustees.
No matter which faith one belongs to, we all human beings take refuse one God for protection from fear. We call that God with different names. Prayers of God are answered if our mind and soul is pure.
Let’ s pray wisdom of all religions brings peace to the world with the celebration of faiths.
Putin, Proud and Patriotic Politician
One may wonder why the West, especially Britain and America are hell-bent on continuing the Cold War atmosphere when the Soviet Union is dead and buried a long time ago. While military alliances like Warsaw Pact, SEATO and CENTO, also known as Bagdad Pact, were dismantled in view of the demise of the Soviet Union, NATO, in sharp contrast has redoubled its efforts to expand and surround Russia, an act of intimidation proud Russia will never tolerate.
When the Soviet Union tried to install missiles in Cuba, only a stone throw away from US main-land, President Kennedy was willing to go to war that may lead to nuclear holocaust, prevented by the diplomacy of President Nikita Khrushchev who took over the reign after the death of Joseph Stalin, in 1953. I wonder what would have happened if Stalin was in charge!
After the demise of the Soviet Union, NATO has taken in East European countries, like Poland, Hungary, Romania and three tiny Baltic States, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, last two bordering Russia with a considerable Russian population. If Ukraine joins NATO with a long common border with Russia and eastern Ukraine mainly populated by Russian speaking Ukrainians, loyal to Russia, this will lead to war between these two nations, eastern Ukraine will leave and form an independent nation, although this will be David versus Goliath struggle unless NATO intervenes to protect Ukraine, which seems unlikely without being NATO member.
Russia has warned Sweden and Finland, with an extensive land border with Russia not to join NATO, asking questions whether the US will ever tolerate if Russian missiles are stationed on borders between US and Canada, US and Mexico! India has proved that it is possible to have good relations, both with US and Russia.
President Putin also boasts that Russia now possesses hypersonic ICBM, flying at the speed of one mile per second, immune to anti-missile missiles that fly through space or even hugging the landmass and comes down vertically on their targets. Russia is such a huge country with a tiny population and landmass stretching six thousand miles from East to West, it has little interest in adding more land, unlike China who is constantly on the lookout to grab whatever land it can devour, Tibet, being the prime example.
It is time for Western politicians to wise up and sort who is the real enemy, Russia or China!
I admire and applaud Bhupendra Gandhi for giving up his free time to volunteer to help his MP.
I think that most of your readers would agree that to compare an MP's remuneration with that of a footballer is illogical as they are two very different occupations in unrelated fields. In my opinion, footballers are overpaid but that is a separate debate. MPs are paid by the taxpayer whilst the footballers are paid by shareholders. And to describe MP's salary of £81k + allowances + pensions as peanuts must come as a shock to many hardworking people in the country who have to manage their family budgets with a lot less than that.
MPs (unlike the Civil Service where I work), already enjoy the benefit of an independent pay review body which is tasked to review and recommend remuneration on an annual basis. Just as I am free to move to a better paying job if I am not happy with my remuneration, MPs are also free to change their occupations if they feel that they are not adequately remunerated. Parliamentary candidates will know what the job entails and what it pays before they choose to stand in elections. Most MPs are hardworking and say that they are in politics to serve the public.
The advantage of living in a democracy like ours is to recognise that there will always be differing opinions on issues and that you can amicably agree to disagree with different opinions and move on with your lives! Rashmi Jeshang Your lame excuses
I was saddened to read Vibhaben Mistry ’ s letter published in Gujarat Samachar dated 08 January 2022, about Sangam Advice Centre closing down.
Within the last 50 years, the situation has drastically changed, some compromises have to be made to appoint qualified trustees and the positions should be shared with each other to include younger and newer people.
As a registered charity, it is the duty of the organisation to serve the needy and alleviate their suffering.
It is rather pointless, to raise huge funds or keep more than required funds in the bank every year, and then ask people to speak to Citizen Advice. There are many Senior Citizens ’ Clubs in the local area, then why not guide senior citizens to go there instead?
It is understandable that due to the pandemic, there may have been some income irregularities, but it is only for a short period of time. Sooner or later this pandemic will end, and funds will start coming in again. If the current committee does not have the passion to do social service, it is very important to hand over the responsibility to the right person. Your excuses are not good enough.
Kapil’s KHICHADI
Follow me on Twitter: @kk _ OEG The Year of the
Spineless?
Kapil Dudakia
Iwonder if we are going to witness a year when the spineless in society undermine not just a nation, but nations across the world? Yes, I know it’ s quite a statement to make without any context or explanation, but let’ s see if I can get the conversation going in Kapil’ s Khichadi.
We have seen loonies on the left, the corrupt media, woke social media warriors and the political fraternity ever eager to take advantage of the spineless. So it was no surprise when they attacked Boris Johnson. Initially it had been the constant saga about Boris renovating a public property (Number 10) with private money (no expense to the nation). No rules were broken, but that did not stop the pettiness of our opposition politicians in undermining the nation. When that failed, they attacked him on having ‘ parties ’ at Number 10 during the pandemic. As far as I can tell, there has never been a party at Number 10. Yes, we can safely say that it was rather silly that Number 10 staff compromised the Prime Minister by having gatherings for work colleagues. A bit of wine and a few snacks no doubt, but no party music, no dancing, in fact none of the things you would expect of a real party. Everyone has gone nuts, demanding that he resigns. Names have been put forward of who should replace him as the next party leader and our Prime Minister. And the spineless floating voter suddenly change their allegiance to Labour if current polling is to be believed.
This nation was not built by the spineless. What madness possesses people to think that Labour, an antinational party, would ever do anything for this nation? Labour which comes across as anti-Israel, anti-India, anti-Hindu and antisemitic! Labour a party that wants to bankrupt this nation by spending other people ’ s money. Labour a party that hugs and supports extremists here and around the world.
Add to this, and think about it properly, an agent of the Chinese government living in the UK giving a leading Labour politician more than £400000 for services rendered.
So before you get compromised, remember, there may well be no party today that is worthy of your vote. However, by siding with the anti-nationals you confirm the destruction of your community and your nation. That spine needs a proper backbone, find it before it’ s too late.
The same type of spineless characters are now attempting to assassinate PM Modi. In India you have got Khalistani terrorists supported by terrorist outfits in Canada, USA and UK who want to destroy India. Recently PM Modi’ s convoy was stuck on a flyover in Punjab creating a potentially serious security issue and a threat to his life. You can blame the Punjab government, the local police and the Khalistani terrorists. However, I blame the Prime Minister ’ s security detail and Delhi. There is a security breach because those who should know better took their eye off the ball. Your enemies can only gather confidence and momentum if you allow them the space to operate. Let’ s hope this is a wake-up call for PM Modi. The job in saving Bharat has just started, it would be the spineless in India that will comprise the nation.
In a democracy, its greatest strength and weakness is always the people. If people allow themselves to be misguided and they stoop to the level of their spineless character, then the nation is put in jeopardy. Hold the Prime Minster ’ s feet to the fire, but don ’t believe for a second that the alternative is any better.
Great read
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It has been a weekend read for almost the same time as the publication's inception.
May we wish the editors and rest of the staff all the best and may you all continue with this excellent service for the Asian community.
Rajnikant Shah Cambridge
We are grateful to all letter writers for more and more versatile letters well within word limit. Please keep contributing as always. If you are new, then write to Rupanjana at rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com
Pakistan serves old wine with a new label
Ruchi Ghanashyam
Mrs. Ruchi Ghanashyam is the former High Commissioner of India to the UK. With a career in Indian Foreign Service for over 38 years, she has been posted in many countries including South Africa, Ghana, before arriving in the UK. She was only the second woman High Commissioner to the UK since India ’ s independence and during her tenure, she witnessed a number of significant developments in the UK-India relations.
@RuchiGhanashyam
Pakistan
’ s Prime Minister Imran Khan launched the first-ever Pakistan National Security Policy (NSP) 2022-2026 on January 14, 2022. The ‘ all-encompassing, multidimensional’ document articulates a ‘ citizencentric framework, and places economic security at its core ’ , to secure an economically resilient Pakistan.
The document claims that Pakistan ’ s national security interests would be best served by placing economic security as the core element of national security. NSP is said to be a ‘ guiding document’ and aspirational in some respects. Framed after seven years of analysis and consultations, the policy document is expected to continue evolving.
Prior to its launch, there were indications in Pakistan ’ s media about the country ’ s desire to make peace with India and other immediate neighbours, leaving the door open for trade with India even without the settlement of the Kashmir issue – provided there is progress in bilateral talks. A Pakistani paper reported that peace with immediate neighbours and economic diplomacy will be the central theme of Pakistan ’ s foreign policy under the new National Security Policy. An official was quoted as saying, on condition of anonymity that Pakistan is “ not seeking hostility with India for the next 100 years. The new policy seeks peace with immediate neighbours ” .
This positive sounding quote set the tone for the coverage of the document prior to its launch. A quick perusal of the text made public, belied these positive projections. Whether it was in the context of connectivity or Jammu and Kashmir or the ruling dispensation in India, the tone and substance of the document could only be aimed at enmity rather than friendship.
In the context of connectivity, NSP highlighted the significance of westward connectivity, especially in the context of Afghanistan, “ given that eastward connectivity is held hostage to India ’ s regressive approach” . On bilateral ties, it said that they have been “ stymied as a consequence of the unresolved Kashmir dispute and India ’ s hegemonic designs ” . The para on Jammu and Kashmir refers to continued “human rights abuses and oppression through war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocidal acts ” in “Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK)” . It also voices concern about India ’ s Hindutva-driven politics, amidst other decidedly unfriendly references. Nowhere in the document could the spirit of the unnamed official’ s claim of Pakistan ’ s friendly approach to India could be discerned.
While making an indirect reference to the removal of article 370 and the consequent changes to J&K, the NSP fails to acknowledge the underhand game that Pakistan has played over the years in absorbing Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Gillgit Baltistan. In keeping with past practice, Pakistan makes a reference to the UN resolutions on Kashmir while completely overlooking that Pakistan itself was never ready to implement the very first clause of the resolution that called for the withdrawal of Pakistani forces and all those who were not normally resident in Kashmir.
NSP glorifies the need to develop human security, that ensures the safety, security, dignity, and prosperity of its people, but the publicly available text ignores the role of terrorist groups flourishing on Pakistani soil. Nor does it outline the measures it will take to satisfy the demands of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which continues to keep Pakistan on its grey list. The FATF is a global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog that lays down international standards with an objective to prevent such activities. The FATF is expected to review Pakistan ’ s performance on its recommendations in FebMarch this year. This grim scenario is glossed over by the NSP in a grandiose, if delusional, statement claiming that “Pakistan has been acknowledged globally for taking positive strides towards creating a strong financial monitoring system to prevent terror financing ” .
Pakistan ’ s economy has been in dire straits for sometime now. It’ s policy of giving economic stimulus had to be abandoned in the face of runaway inflation, falling value of its currency, mounting debt, downward trends in economic indicators and overheating of the fragile economy. Towards the end of last year, it was already negotiating a $6 billion bailout package with the IMF. This is separate from the $4.2 billion in cash assistance pledged by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Pakistan is also dependent on loans from China needed for completing power-sector projects that are part of the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Pakistan needs to take an honest look at its failures and make a genuine effort to respond to the friendly gestures extended by India ’ s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right at the start of his tenure in office. The Pakistani people deserve a sincere effort from their government to bring development and prosperity to their country. Only then can the talents of its people be truly harnessed.
British Asians celebrate Makar Sankranti
Sculpture of goat-headed Yogini repatriated to India
The High Commission of India announced the recovery and repatriation of a very special 10th Century stone idol that had been illegally removed from a temple in Lokhari, Banda, Uttar Pradesh in sometimes the 1980s.
The sculpture is of a goat-headed Yogini that originally belonged to a group of stone deities carved in sandstone and installed in Lokhari temple. These had been the subject of a study by Indian scholar Vidya Dahejia on behalf of the National Museum in New Delhi in 1986 which was later published under the title, ‘Yogini Cult and Temples: A Tantric Tradition ’ .
It is learned that the said sculpture had briefly surfaced in the art market in London in 1988. In October 2021, High Commission of India received information about the finding of a goat-headed Yogini sculpture that had matched the description of the Lokhari set, in the garden of a private residence near London.
India Pride Project, Singapore and Art Recovery International, London swiftly assisted High Commission of India, London, in the identification and recovery of the statue while the High Commission of India processed the requisite documentation with local and Indian authorities.
Interestingly, a similar sculpture of the buffaloheaded Vrishanana Yogini, apparently stolen from the same temple at Lokhari village had been recovered and repatriated by the Embassy of India, Paris in 2013. The Vrishanana Yogini was installed in the
National Museum, New Delhi in September 2013. Lokhari is a small village situated in the Mau sub-division, in Banda district of Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh. Yoginis are a Gaitri Issar Kumar, High Commissioner of India to the UK with Met Police representative and others group of powerful female divinities, associated with the Tantric mode of worship. They are worshipped as a group, often 64 and are believed to possess infinite powers. The goat-headed Yogini received at the High Commission on the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti, is being dispatched to the Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi.
SCRUTATOR’S
Rocket scientist Somnath is new Isro chief Senior rocket scientist S Somanath has been appointed as the tenth chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and secretary, department of space (DoS). He will replace K Sivan, who will complete his term, which included a one year extension, on January 14. Somanath, who at present is serving as director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), said the most important responsibility is to create a space enterprise in India where all the stakeholders, including DoS, Isro, INSPACe, industry and startups are all part of the efforts to expand the space programme on a bigger scale. Before becoming VSSC director, he had a two and-a-half-year stint as director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre. Somanath is credited with “energising development activities of the high thrust semicryogenic engine, conceiving a fast track hardware realisation and test programme, development of throttleable engines for the lander of Chandrayaan-2 and successful flight of an electric propulsion system in GSAT-9.
” Somanath earned his B.Tech in mechanical engineering from TKM College of Engineering, Kollam, Kerala. (Agency)
Huge python brings traffic to a standstill
Bumper-to-bumper traffic is a common sight in most Indian cities and can cause the most patient of people to get impatient. However, there are also instances where people display patience when required. A great example of patience and humanity was visible recently in Kochi, Kerala, when a nearly 6.5-footlong python slithered out of a roadside bush and made its way across a busy street in the city. Commuters stopped their vehicles to allow the Indian rock python, a non-venomous snake, to cross the road in peace. The incident occurred on the busy Seaport-Airport Road in Kochi. A video of the incident has emerged on YouTube. In the video, we can see a number of cars and motorcycles parked in the middle of the road so that they don't run over the snake while it is crossing. A few people can also be seen standing quietly, watching the snake cross the road. On reaching the other end of the road, the reptile vanishes into the bushes. (Agency)
Man paraded naked for 'harassing' girl
A man was brutally thrashed and paraded naked in a busy traffic junction for allegedly misbehaving with a girl at the Maharaja Park in Hassan district of Karnataka. According to the police, the person who was thrashed has been identified as Meghraj from the Vijayapura district of the state. He is a construction worker. Meghraj was sauntering in the park when locals spotted him allegedly harassing a girl. A group of people then assaulted him. Instead of handing him over to the police, they thrashed and disrobed him, and then paraded him naked near a busy traffic junction. The cops who arrived at the spot immediately taken him into custody. After inquiry, the police registered an FIR against four unknown persons for assaulting and parading him naked. Though the girl did not file any complaint, Meghraj lodged a complaint with the police and an FIR has been filed against four persons. (Agency)
The thief's costly nap
Vishnu Dantani allegedly broke into a house near Mansa town in Gandhinagar recently. The 25-year-old ransacked the cupboards and found gold and silver jewellery worth Rs 700,000. During his search for valuables, he also found a blanket. As he had not been sleeping properly for almost a week, Dantani wrapped himself up and decided to catch a few winks before he left with the booty.
According to the FIR filed with Mansa police, the house belongs to Vishnu Patel, an Ahmedabad resident. Vishnu Patel got a call from his cousin Kanu saying that someone had broken into the house. When Kanu and other locals entered the house, they saw Dantani asleep with the valuables next to him. They latched the main door from the outside and called Patel and the police. The thief got a rude awakening when he woke to find himself surrounded by locals and cops. The police have registered a case of burglary and criminal trespassing against Dantani. (The Times of India)
Snow-clad mountains wow people “Incredible, ” “ mesmerising, ” and
“breathtaking,
” are probably few among the many words that you ’ll be inclined to use after seeing these pictures posted on Twitter. The images, shared on the official Twitter account of the Indian Railways, show snow-clad mountains. “A mesmerising view of the snow clad mountains from the #Banihal station of #KashmirValley, covered in a blanket of freshly fallen #snow, ” the department wrote while posting the pictures. The images show the snow-covered station against the backdrop of the mountains clocked in white sheets. Since being shared, the tweet has accumulated more than 2,500 likes and counting. The share has also prompted people to post varied comments. “It’ s beautiful, ” wrote a Twitter user.
“Beauty of India, ” posted another. “Amazing, ” expressed a third. “Wow, ” commented a fourth. (Agency)
Encounter between man and a mountain lion
A viral video shows how it feels to be face to face with a lion in the middle of a jungle. The video, gives us a spine-chilling glimpse of an encounter between a hiker and a mountain lion. It was a shocking incident not only for the viewers but also for the hiker who filmed it. The video begins by showing us some beautiful mountain ranges and the dry forest in the region. But soon the man starts to run. When the camera turns backwards, we see a mountain lion chasing him. However, the hiker stopped and was able to ward off the wild beast with “ a roar at the last minute ” . The caption to the video read,
"I was stalked by a mountain lion so I ran up on and scared it away with a roar at the last minute. " Viewers praised the man for his presence of mind. A user wrote, "Good call. Screaming like that confuses them. Predators don't like to have confrontations if they don't have to. " Another wrote on similar lines, "That's exactly what you should do. Scream as intimidating as you can. If you run you're only their chase now. " Many were horrified to imagine what would have happened had the man not looked back to face the mountain lion. A person wrote, "Wow. If he hadn't turned around, that would have been a painful, frightening end for him. " Another comment read, "It could have been your neck if you didn't turn around when you did. " (Agency)
After losing her father, bride gets his words embroidered on veil
Bridal outfits mean so much more when they carry a personal touch to them. A bride understood how she could add more meaning to her bridal lehenga. She carried the memory of her late father to her wedding by getting a part of his
letter embroidered on her veil. Bride Suvanya showed up at her wedding in a red lehenga set designed by Sunaina Khera. What caught the attention was the story behind her embroidered veil. The bride narrated the tale of her father's letter in a video released on social media. The caption read, "Bride Suvanya got her father's letter embroidered on her dupatta and that's absolutely heartwarming. " In the clip, Suvanya revealed that she lost her father to cancer in May 2021. She said, "the emotional turmoil of not having him around will always get to me. Logical or not, I really wanted to feel his presence at the wedding, in a way that I can always hold on to, just like his letter. " That's why she picked the phrase "My heart to yours" from her father's letter and got it embroidered on the veil of her lehenga. The letter was written and gifted to Suvanya by her father on her last birthday. She said in the video, "He had carefully crafted it with utmost honesty and love, in an attempt to convey what I mean to him. Karma will catch up with everyone
We have been warned by our elders about karma catching with us. Whenever we tend to take shortcuts or sidestep the right path, we were cautioned that our karma will soon make us pick the right path. To drive home the point, several people shared videos that showed how bad karma instantly “ rewards ” us with bad results. Indian Forest Service Officer Susanta Nanda shared two videos on this subject recently. One of the videos showed a man trying to pull the tail of a camel. However, as he tries to catch it, the camel kicks the unsuspecting man and sends him falling back. He showed another video in which a hunter is waiting for its prey, a deer, in the jungle. But the deer rushes towards him with such speed that the hunter does not get enough time to respond. The animal hits him and sends him flying backwards. Another video that went viral shows a group of men riding a cart pulled by buffalo. Some of them were thrashing the buffalo with wooden sticks, forcing it to run harder. The buffalo got irritated, apparently, and hit the wheels on a road divider, overturning the cart. The buffalo's sweet revenge was lauded by many people. (Agency)
This bride's dance is breaking the Internet
When Saba Kapoor got married, she ditched the tradition bridal entry under a phoolon ki chaadar for something more unconventional. Months after her wedding, a video of her entry is now breaking the Internet. The video shows how Gurugram-based Saba Kapoor, creative director of Nivasa, got her family and friends involved in her "surprise bride entry " . In the clip, Saba and her family dance to 'Sau Aasmaan' from the 2016 film 'Baar Baar Dekho' . Her friends and family members line up on either side of the aisle that leads up to where the groom is standing. As the bride walks up the aisle, everyone takes turns dancing with her. The video was first shared on Instagram by YSDC Wedding Choreography. "Surprise bride entry, " they wrote while sharing the clip, and urged their viewers to "Watch till the end to see something super special" . Although it was shared on Instagram last month, where it has since collected over 200,000 views and a ton of compliments, the video actually began to go viral after it was posted on Twitter recently. (Agency)
