Indian Abroad - Jan 1-15, 2023

India-Australia trade pact comes into force

visa.

India has achieved the unique distinction of operationalising two Trade Agreements this year.

After the entry into force of IndiaUAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement on May 1, the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement has come into effect from December 29.

The ECTA was signed on April 2 and ratified on November 21. Written notifications were exchanged on November 29 and after 30 days, the agreement has come into force.

PM Modi terms India-Aus trade

pact

‘watershed moment’ in bilateral ties

New Delhi, Dec 29 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the India-Australia trade pact, which came into effect on December 29, is a watershed moment for a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Modi also said that he looked forward to his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese’s visit to India in March.

New Delhi, Dec 29 (IANS) The IndiaAustralia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) has into force from Thursday.

Under it, Indian goods on all tariff lines will get access to Australian market with zero customs duty.

Also additional 10 lakh jobs would be created in India under the ECTA,

said Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, while addressing a press conference in Mumbai.

Indian yoga teachers and chefs would benefit from annual visa quota, he added.

Over 1 lakh Indian students would also benefit from post-study work

“There is a lot of potential for exporting finished goods to Australia, since they hardly manufacture anything, they are largely a raw material and intermediate producing country, we will get cheaper raw materials which will not only make us more competitive globally but also enable us to serve Indian consumers better; enabling us to provide more quality

PM Modi’s mother Heeraben Modi dies at the age of 100

Earlier, Australian PM Albanese said that he will visit India in March next year with a business delegation committed to improving two-way trade between the two nations.

“The Australia-India Trade Agreement, which came into force today, will deliver new opportunities to Australian businesses. At the invitation of PM Modi, I will visit India in March with a business delegation committed to improving two-way trade between our two nations,” Albanese tweeted.

Modi replied to Albanese’s tweet,

saying: “Glad that IndAus ECTA is entering into force today. It is a watershed moment for our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. It will unlock the enormous potential of our trade and economic ties and boost businesses on both sides. Look forward to welcoming you in India soon.”

Bus driver and conductor saved Rishabh Pant’s life

Dehradun,

She

UN

and Research Centre said in a statement, “Heeraba Modi passed away on December 30 at 3.30 a.m. (early morning)

Modi wrote with a heavy heart, “A glorious century rests at the feet of God. In Maa, I have always felt that

trinity, which contains the journey of an ascetic, the symbol of a selfless Karmayogi and a life committed to values.”

The Prime Minister met his mother for the last time at the hospital where she had been admitted on Wednesday.

India becoming world’s 5th largest economy, one of 2022 achievements: PM Modi

Modi also spoke about the challenge of ‘Kala-azar’.

The parasite of this disease is spread through the sting of the sand fly.

When someone has Kala-azar, one has fever for months, there is anemia, the body becomes weak and the weight also decreases. This disease can happen to anyone from children to elders. But with everyone’s efforts, this disease, named Kala-azar, is now getting eradicated rapidly, the prime minister said.

The

The

SSP

Indian-origin scientist named to STEM expert panel in Australia

Melbourne, Dec 25 (IANS) An Indian-origin biotechnologist has been appointed to the Australian government’s expert panel to boost diversity and increase women’s participation in STEM sectors.

New

Minister

In

vaccines

“India crossed the magical

figure of $400 billion in 2022... In sports, be it the Commonwealth Games or the victory of our women’s hockey team, our youth have shown tremendous potential,” the prime minister said while listing the achievements of the departing year.

“Until recently, the scourge of Kalaazar had spread in more than 50 districts across four states. But now this disease is confined to only four districts of Bihar and Jharkhand. I am sure, the strength and awareness of the people of Bihar-Jharkhand will help the government’s efforts to eliminate ‘Kala-azar’ from these four districts as well,” he said.

Associate Professor Parwinder Kaur, a University of Western Australia Public Policy Institute Fellow, who hails from Nawanshahr, Punjab, will draw on years of experience as a scientist, academic and immigrant to support diversity in Australia’s STEM sectors.

“Being a woman and immigrant navigating academia and industry I have deep lived experience of the biases and invisible hurdles that are out there which we all need to work on to not only increase participation in STEM but also retention,” Kaur said in a University of Western Australia statement.

The three-member panel for the Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review has been appointed by Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic, and it will report its findings and make recommendations to the government in late 2023.

Dec 30 (IANS) Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was saved by the driver and conductor of a Haryana Roadways bus, when he met with an accident early Friday morning.

14-second CCTV footage of the accident, which surfaced online showed that his speeding car collided with the iron barrier on the

roadside, before catching fire. The driver and the conductor acted promptly and called 112 immediately after the collision.

police sent Pant to the hospital and informed his mother.

Ajay Singh, who took him to the hospital in his vehicle, said that further investigation in the matter is underway.

Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) Prime

Narendra Modi on Sunday said that among the many successes of the year 2022 was India attaining the status of the world’s fifth largest economy.

his monthly radio broadcast, ‘Mann Ki Baat’, he said that in 2022 the record of India surpassing the incredible figure of 220 crore

was also one of the landmarks.

exports

New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother Heeraben Modi passed away at the age of 100 early on Friday morning.

was admitted to Ahmedabad’s UN Mehta Hospital after her health deteriorated.

Mehta Institute of Cardiology

during the treatment at UN Mehta Heart hospital.”

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PM Modi brother’s car accident case: Driver booked in K’taka

Mysuru, Dec 31 (IANS) Karnataka police have booked the car driver in connection with the accident in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brother and his family members sustained injuries, officials said on Saturday.

The FIR has been lodged in Mysuru Rural police station against N. Satyanarayana. The convoy staff S. Mahadeva had lodged a complaint

these public display of assertive Hinduism.

Another group of Indian Americans hosted two events at the Capitol in 2022 to register their desire to shirt the generic name of the community from Indian American, as the nearly 4 million Americans of Indian extraction have been called for decades, to Hindu American as some in the community have been advocating for long, but unsuccessfully until now.

in this regard. He had stated in the complaint that an over speeding and negligent driving by the accused driver resulted in the accident.

Prime Minister Modi’s brother Prahlad Damodar Das Modi and his family members were injured after the car in which they travelled met with an accident near Kadakola village in Mysuru district on December 27.

The incident had taken place when Prahlad Modi and his family were travelling towards a tourist spot Bandipur in a Mercedes Benz car.

The authorities have said that the incident had taken place when the driver of the car lost control and hit the road divider.

Seventy-year-old Prahlad Modi had suffered an injury on his chin. His son Mehul Prahlad Modi (40),

daughter-in-law Jinal Modi and 6-year-old grandson Menat Mehul Modi were also injured in the accident.

Satyanarayana, the accused driver, has also suffered injuries in the accident.

The police investigations have found that the accident had taken place due to Satyanarayana’s negligence.

Burgeoning fiscal deficit will be a challenge for govt in FY 2023-24

New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) With the next financial year (2023-24) just a quarter away, India will need to do a tight ropewalk to check its burgeoning fiscal deficit and current account deficit.

By Yashwant Raj Washington, Dec 28 (IANS)

Assertive Hinduism was the most visible US import from India in 2022, courtesy the Indian American community.

An event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence at US Capitol, home to US democracy and Congress, was turned into a celebration of their Hindu faith by organisers and attendees as groups after groups lustily chanted “Jai Sri Ram”. It wasn’t the wine that was being served.

A bulldozer rolled along a parade organised by a separate bunch of Indian Americans in New Jersey, in an unmistakable nod to its emergence as a symbol of oppression of minorities in India.

The backlash continues to this day, with a coalition of Muslims, African Americans and civil rights groups calling for the US authorities to investigate its organisers, which included the Overseas Friends of BJP.

This import from India was also seen in other countries with significant presence of the Indian diaspora in 2022.

Indian-origin Britons chanting “Jai Shri Ram” marched through the

streets of Leicester in the UK in September, which was noted with much alarm by British authorities and media.

Some Hindu-Americans have been quietly promoting their faith and cultural accoutrements for decades.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad America, for instance, was founded in 1970 to, in the words of its website, “preserve, promote and practice those great universal and eternal values which were discovered and practiced by the Sages of Bharat”.

But this in-your-face Hindu assertion is new and has surprised and embarrassed more moderate sections of Hindus. “I was shocked by the naked display of this Hindu assertion at the US congress event,” said one of the people who attended, speaking on condition of anonymity to be able to express his views freely.

Attendees posed for pictures in groups chanting “Jai Shri Ram” as members of US congress arrived, spoke and left with aides. Slogans were also raised about India -- “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, which may have been appropriate given the occasion, the 75th anniversary of Indian independent.

US Congress, incidentally, was a favoured venue for many of

One of the events was hosted by a group of prominent Indian Americans who said they were disappointed by the Indian government’s refusal to offer a robust criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and, they further argued, they did not want to take the backlash they suffered on behalf of the Indian government.

These events were also motivated by a desire to project Hindu Americans -- and not Indian Americans -- as a political force in US politics, which was cited as a reason by the organisers for hosting at the US Capitol, to deliver the message directly to US lawmakers.

The Indian diaspora in the US has been debating this name change for a while, and among community members who vote and support both the Democratic and the Republican parties.

India-born immigrants continued to feel a strong link with their country of origin, but the second generation of Indian Americans feel less committed to this political part of their heritage -- they feel they are American, born and raised in the US unlike their parents, uncles and aunties.

The name Hindu American for Hindus in the diaspora makes more sense. But this is not a debate that has been settled yet.

India’s fiscal deficit widened to Rs 9.78 lakh crore for the AprilNovember period of 2022-23, which is 58.9 per cent of the Budget target of Rs 16.61 lakh crore for the current fiscal, according to data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) on Friday. During the corresponding period of last year, fiscal deficit was at 46. 2 per cent of the Budget target.

Fiscal deficit till October in the current financial year had touched Rs 7.58 lakh crore, or 45.6 per cent of annual estimates, as per the official data. During the corresponding period of last year, it was 36.3 per cent of the budget estimates of 2021-22.

A fiscal deficit is a difference between the state’s revenue and spending. It shows the shortfall in revenue.

With continuous rise in India’s fiscal deficit, economists are of the view that if the fiscal deficit continues to widen in 2023-24, it will further push interest rates up, which will hurt the private sector and put pressure on the government’s ability to invest in infrastructure.

They say that India’s current account deficit will also need huge foreign investments in the coming days to compensate for the shortfall in domestic savings.

However, with India’s current account deficit also surging to an all-time high of $36.4 billion in the

July-September period of 2022-23, it may diminish India’s appeal as a global investment destination and also push capital costs, they added.

While presenting the Union Budget for 2022-23 on February 1, 2022, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had set a fiscal deficit target at 6.4 per cent of GDP for 2022-23, compared to 6.7 per cent in the previous financial year of 2021-22.

For 2022-23, the fiscal deficit is estimated to be Rs 16.61 lakh crore or 6.4 per cent of the GDP.

However, the target seems to be an ambitious one, looking at the current economic scenario prevailing in the country as well as the latest figures.

According to a report by SBI’s research team, India’s fiscal deficit in the current fiscal is expected to be in the range of 6.5 per cent, as against the budget estimate of 6.4 per cent.

Fiscal deficit for the first quarter of the current financial year reached 21.2 per cent of the annual target, compared to 18.2 per cent in the corresponding period of last year, the SBI report said.

Tax revenue has been robust with record high GST revenues which have been possible because of increased compliance and higher economic activity.

However, the SBI report noted that on the expenditure side, the government has incurred higher capital expenditure (23.4 per cent of budgetary estimates in 2022-23 compared to 20.1 per cent of budgetary estimates during the same period in 2021-22).

In the past few fiscals too, the picture has not been exactly rosy, if one goes by RBI’s figures.

RBI has said that the gross fiscal deficit of the Indian states rose nearly 79 per cent after the lockdown. According to its latest data, the fiscal deficit rose from Rs 5 lakh crore in 2019-20 to Rs 9.3 lakh crore in 2020-21. In 2021-22, the deficit fell to Rs 8.1 lakh crore but stood much higher than the pre-pandemic level.

The data released in RBI’s Handbook of Statistics on the Indian states showed that except Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Sikkim and Odisha, all the states saw a higher fiscal deficit in 2020-21 as compared to 2019-20.

In the case of the Central government, the fiscal deficit jumped from 4.6 per cent in 2019-20 to 9.3 per cent of the GDP in 2020-21.

Amid a tough fiscal scenario, keeping fiscal deficit and current account deficit in check would be no cakewalk for the government in the new year.

Lata Mangeshkar to Pele: The legends who departed in 2022

Last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev (91), feted in the West for ending the Cold War (temporarily, as it emerged) but not particularly liked at home for presiding over the Soviet Union’s dissolution, also passed away on August 30.

Interestingly, Stanislav Shushkevich (87), the last Soviet leader/first leader of Belarus, and Leonid Kravchuk (88), the last leader of Soviet Ukraine/first President of Ukraine -- a duo who went behind Gorbachev’s back to strike a deal with his bete noire Boris Yeltsin to dissolve the Soviet Union -- also passed away this year -- on May 3 and May 10, respectively. So did Ayaz Mutallibov (83), who declared Azerbaijan’s independence, on March 27.

Other leading political luminaries who passed away in 2022 were Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh (95), on January 22, Madeleine Albright (84), the first woman US Secretary of State, on March 23, the UAE’s second President and Abu Dhabi ruler Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (73), on May 13, Angolan freedom fighter and long-time President, Jose Eduardo dos Santos (79), on July 8, Chinese leader Jiang Zemin (96), who presided over China’s economic boom, and veteran Indian socialist leader, three-time Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and former Defence Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav (82), on October 10.

anti-Nazi who ironically played dyed-in-the-wool Nazi German officers in films like “A Bridge Too Far” (1977), but was best known for his roles in romantic adventure “Hatari” (1962) and war drama “Wild Geese” (1978), died on January 19, while Italian actress Monica Vitti (90) passed away on February 2, and accomplished actor William Hurt (71) on March 13.

Also passing away this year were James Caan (82) or Sonny Corleone of “The Godfather” (1972), on July 6, Greek actress Irene Papas, known as the tough woman resistance fighter in “The Guns of Navarone” (1961), and the widow in “Zorba The Greek” (1964), on September 14, and Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane (72), who portrayed both Hagrid in the movie adaptations of the Harry Potter series as well as James Bond foe and reluctant friend Valentin Zukovsky in “Golden Eye” (1995) and “The World is Not Enough” (1999), on October 14.

Indian cinema will miss Marathi and Bollywood actor Ramesh Deo (96), who passed away on February 2, and actor Salim Ghouse (70) of the intense gaze and mesmerising voice on April 28.

French film director Jean-Jacques Beineix (75), who spearheaded the ‘cinema du look’ movement, and the acclaimed ‘New Wave’ director JeanLuc Godard (91), also walked off stage on January 13 and September 13, respectively.

like “Grease” (197) with the young John Travolta, on August 8. Indians bid adieu to pianist Neil Nongkynrih (51), the founder of Shillong Chamber Choir, on January 5, music composer Bappi Lahiri (69), on February 15, santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma (84), who had teamed up with ace flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia as Shiv-Hari, which gave soulful music for several iconic Bollywood films, on May 10, playback singer Krishnakumar Kunnath or KK (53) on May 31, and ghazal maestro Bhupinder Singh (82) on July 18.

In the world of books, author Harry Patterson aka ‘Jack Higgins’ (92), best known for “The Eagle Has Landed” and other thrillers set in World War II and later, passed away on April 9, Spanish author Javier Marias (70), who breathed his last on September 11, and English author Dame Hilary Mantel (70), known for bringing the age of King Henry VIII alive in books like “Wolf Hall”, who died on September 22.

English scientist, and environmentalist James Lovelock (103), known for his ‘Gaia’ hypothesis or the earth being a self-regulating organism, passed away on July 26, historian J.S. Grewal (95), famous for his works on Sikh history, died on August 11, while American philosopher and logician Saul Kripke (81) breathed his last on September 15.

Yury Zaitsev (71), who won gold in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, passed away on September 30.

Another high-profile passing was of Brazilian legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento ‘Pele’ (82), whose fame transcended football, on December 29.

In India, several veteran hockey players passed away this yearJaswant Singh (90), member of the silver-winning team at the 1960 Rome Olympics, on January 14, Charanjit Singh (90), who led the team to gold medal at 1964 Tokyo Olympics, on January 27, and Varinder Singh (75), member of the bronze-winning team at the 1972 Munich Olympics, on June 28.

Former women’s hockey captain Elvera Britto (81) also passed away on April 26.

Among others who bid adieu was soldier and avid mountaineer Major H.P.S. Ahluwalia (retd), 85, who climbed atop Mount Everest as part of the first Indian expedition in 1965 and was undeterred by a paralysing battlefield injury to continue adventure sports and work for the disabled, on January 14.

By Vikas Datta

The dark clouds of Covid may have dissipated a bit in 2022 with growing vaccine coverage stemming the mass fatalities, but, the continuing pandemic, along with other diseases and age, continued to take its toll on several stellar figures from various spheres spanning politics to arts to sports.

In India, the passing away, on February 6, of Lata Mangeshkar (92), the voice of generations of Hindi film heroines from Madhubala to

Madhuri Dixit and many more, ended a long standing melodious career, while the death of United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II (96) - for many generations of Britons, the only monarch they knew - on September 8 after a record over 70-year-long reign ended the second Elizabethan era.

Then, the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (67) on July 8 came as a shock, coming in a nation where political violence is largely absent.

The world also lost a range of feted actors and directors this year, beginning with Bahamian-American actor and ambassador Sidney Poitier. The first Black to win the Oscar for Best Actor (for “Lilies of the Field”, 1963) and showing his prowess with inter-race dramas “To Sir, with Love”, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”, and “In the Heat of the Night” (all 1967), Poitier passed away at the age of 94 on January 6.

Hardy Kruger (93), a fervent

The world of music lost Michael Lee Aday aka Meat Loaf (74) on January 20, Greek composer Vangelis (79), who brought electronic music into the mainstream with his evocative score for Oscar-winning sports drama “Chariots of Fire” (1981), on May 17, Australian band “The Seekers” vocalist Judith Durham (79), most famous for her “The Carnival is Over”, on August 5, and pop singer Dame Olivia NewtonJohn (73), known for her musicals

In the field of sports, the most unexpected death was that of Australian spin wizard Shane Warne, aged 52, on March 4. Coincidentally, the same day, wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh (74), part of the celebrated Australian team of the 1970s along with the Chapell brothers, and pacers Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thompson, also passed away the same day.

In another shock, former Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds (46) died in a car crash on May 14.

Heavyweight Soviet weightlifter

Asian and Commonwealth Games medal-winning discus thrower Praveen Kumar Sobti (74), who went to carve a new career in Bollywood, notably in Amitabh Bachchan’s “Shahenshah”, and then as Bhim in B.R. Chopra’s TV serial “Mahabharat”, passed away on February 7.

Noted India industrialist Rahul Bajaj (83) passed away on February 12, while engineer and architect Mahendra Raj (98), who contributed to structural design of buildings like the Hall of Nations in Delhi’s Pragati Maidan and the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad, breathed his last on May 8.

(Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)

Indian Americans turn to ‘assertive Hinduism’ to define identity

Absconding national level wrestler turned criminal nabbed after 3 yrs in rape and abduction case

According to Ravindra Singh Yadav, Special Commissioner of Police (Crime), with the help of electronic surveillance and manual intelligence, Naresh was traced to Najafgarh area. When the police team conducted a raid, he showed his wrestling skills and tried to escape but was apprehended.

Naresh had participated in many wrestling championships at the National Level. Olympian Sushil Kumar was his ‘Akhara’ mate at Chhatrasal Stadium, Delhi and they were in frequent touch.

In 2005-2006, Naresh joined hands with gangster and contract killer Amit alias Babloo, a resident of Ghoga village in Delhi.

“In 2006, Naresh along with Amit, Surender alias Nitu Daboda, Sandeep, Gurbachan and others took supari (contract killing money) for Jai Prakash and brutally murdered him in broad daylight. He was booked in the murder case registered at Bawana police station,” said the Special CP.

Mumbai, Dec 30 (IANS) Making a sensational claim, Vanita Sharma -- mother of the late actress Tunisha -- said for the first time that her daughter was under ‘pressure’ to convert to Islam, here on Friday.

Speaking to the media, she said that Tunisha was constantly harassed in different ways by her ex-boyfriend Sheezan Khan -- currently in custody -- and his family, she was forced to do many things against her wishes and was allegedly under duress to embrace Islam.

“They had an undue influence on our innocent, sensitive girl. She had even started addressing Sheezan’s mother as ‘Ammi’, his sister used to take him to a ‘dargah’ and celebrate her birthday,” said Vanita.

She said that Sheezan was allegedly forcing her to accept Islam religion, and she had reportedly started sporting a ‘burqa’.

Vanita slammed the Khan family for compelling Tunisha to spend long hours or days at their home, ostensibly against her will, decorating their home for her birthday party, and she bought expensive gifts for them.

busy... Yet she told me to speak with Sheezan. I met him, but he just said he was ‘sorry’ and told me I could do whatever I want,” said Vanita.

The Sharma family has also raised doubts at the purported delay of nearly 30 minutes to rush Tunisha to the hospital where she was declared dead on December 24, and are troubled as to “what happened in just a few hours” after she reached the shooting venue.

The Sharma family reiterated that “we want justice for Tunisha” who had no major illness barring OCD, and rejected the claims of the Khans that she was suffering from depression.

“If she was in depression, she could not have worked for long hours at shoots, memorising lengthy dialogues,” Vanita pointed out.

New Delhi, Dec 29 (IANS) A 38-yearold national level wrestler turned criminal, who was evading arrest for the last three years in a rape, kidnapping and POCSO Act case of 2019 was nabbed by the Delhi police’s Crime Branch.

The accused, Naresh Sehrawat alias Sonu aka Pahalwan, after polishing his grappling skills in the wrestling arena as a national player, entered the world of crime in 2006 by committing a murder. Thereafter, he

kept engaging in criminal activities, ranging from the Arms Act, attempt to murder to MCOCA, said an official.

In August 2019, a kidnapping case was registered in Delhi against Naresh and his brother-in-law Manjeet for kidnapping a 16-year-old girl and sexually assaulting her. Manjeet was arrested in 2019 but Naresh was absconding. He was also declared a ‘proclaimed offender’ by a local court.

“Keeping in view his criminal activities and close association with gangsters Amit, Nitu Daboda, Sandeep, Gurbachan and others, he was booked in a MCOCA case registered in 2009 at Narela police station,” said the official.

In 2012, Naresh escaped from judicial custody during a visit to the DDU hospital, while he was behind the bars in a murder case.

Gang of armed robbers targeting businessmen in Delhi busted, four held

Kamal

With their arrest, the police claimed to have solved more than 10 armed robbery cases registered in North, Central and North-East Delhi.

“During investigation, it was found that the accused had committed several robberies in the past few months. Some old photographs of the suspects involved in similar incidents were provided to the police teams which launched a massive manhunt,” the officer said.

The distraught bereaved mother called upon the Palghar Police to rope in the Khan family for their investigations and at one point even voiced suspicions that Tunisha’s death could be a ‘murder’.

Recalling the sequence of events, Vanita said Tunisha wanted to go to celebrate Christmas in Chandigarh for a couple of days to get a change.

“A day before (December 23), I had dropped in on the teleserial sets unannounced, but she was very

Vanita Sharma’s contentions came a day after Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale visited the bereaved family, and assured to seek a compensation of Rs 25 lakh for them from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.

Tunisha, 20, committed suicide on December 24 on the sets of a teleserial being shot at a location in Vasai, and a day later, her co-star Sheezan was arrested after her mother accused him of cheating, two-timing, betrayal, ‘using’ her for 3-4 months and other things in a video-statement.

Once, when Tunisha had checked Sheezan’s mobile he became furious and slapped her and then announced he was breaking off with her.

“Knowing that our religion is different from theirs, seeing the huge age difference (around 8 years), why did they involve her so deeply, what are the reasons... Why did his mother speak long hours with her about Sheezan’s ex-girlfriend which Tunisha said she did not like,” demanded Tanisha.

She urged that Sheezan should not be spared and must be punished to ensure justice to Tunisha as she was cheated at every step.

Local manufacturing push to drive 60% Indian employers to hire new talent in Q1 2023

New Delhi, Dec 27 (IANS) The government’s reforms to boost local manufacturing have triggered the creation of new jobs in the sector, and 60 per cent of employers in the manufacturing segment aim to recruit and expand their resource pool in the first quarter of 2023, a report showed on Tuesday.

external conditions, the manufacturing industry is projected to witness all-encompassing growth,” said Mahesh Bhatt, Chief Business Officer, TeamLease Services.

New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) After a brief exchange of fire, the Delhi Police arrested four members of a gang specifically targeting businessmen in the national Capital, an official said on Friday.

The police said that they have also recovered four semi-automatic pistols along with four extra magazines, 111 live cartridges of .32 bore, two country-made pistols, and two cartridges of .315 bore from the possession of the accused.

The accused have been identified as

According to Sagar Singh Kalsi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), complainant Jagatpal, an employee of Mac Forex & Holidays Private Ltd, recently collected Rs 28 lakh, which included Australian dollar, as payment from Khucha Ghasi Ram near Chandni.

“When Jagatpal along with another employee, Garib Kumar, reached near Kamla Nehru Park on a bike, their bag was snatched by two bike-borne miscreants. When the victim tried to chase them, another bike-borne miscreant stopped them and took away the bike keys at gunpoint,” said Kalsi.

On December 27, Kamal was nabbed, while Vijay Tomar was apprehended the next day. Vijay provided vital information about the location of the two other accused -- Deenbandhu and Somveer.

“The police intercepted Somveer and Deenbandhu near the Hindu Rao Hospital in Delhi when they were following another person with the intention of robbing him.

Upon seeing the police, the accused opened fire and in retaliation two rounds were fired by the police who overpowered and apprehended the accused duo,” Kalsi said.

India-Australia trade pact comes into force

sector, the double taxation has now been removed by amending the law, from April 1, 2023, double taxation for IT sector will be over, we will save millions and millions of dollars right now, and over a billion dollars going forward, maybe 5-7 years going forward, giving us competitive edge and also creating a lot many jobs,” Goyal elaborated.

The Ind-Australia ECTA provides an institutional mechanism to encourage and improve trade between the two countries. It covers almost all the tariff lines dealt by both the nations.

The positive higher hiring sentiment is attributed to large-scale enterprises (69 per cent), followed by medium (44 per cent) and small (39 per cent) businesses.

The overall intent to hire for both the manufacturing and services sectors combined grew from 65 per cent in Q3 to 68 per cent in Q4 of the ongoing financial year, according to the report published by employment services provider TeamLease.

“The global employment rate has increased considerably post the last Covid-19 wave and is poised to grow stronger in the coming quarters. With domestic demand increasing, despite stringent

In the January-March 2023 period, employers in the manufacturing sector are most enthusiastic about recruiting at the junior level (60 per cent) and entry-level (55 per cent), followed by mid-level (27 per cent) and senior level (24 per cent).

The intent to hire is greater in Metro and Tier I cities (94 per cent) as compared to Tier II cities (73 per cent), Tier III (43 per cent), and the rural sector (23 per cent).

The cities with the highest intent to hire are Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Pune.

“Hiring intent for Q4 has increased by 3 per cent and will continue to surge in the coming quarters as well. Production-linked incentive schemes, along with financial impetus for the manufacturing

segment that the budget is likely to address, will promote employment optimism,” said Balasubramanian, Vice President and Business Head - Consumer and Healthcare, TeamLease Services.

Further, attrition appears to be more balanced in the sector. Apart from healthcare and pharmaceuticals that have shown a double-digit attrition rate during the July-September period this year, the manufacturing industry has single-digit attrition rates, said the report.

goods at more affordable prices,” Goyal told reporters.

“Australia, which is largely dependent on imports, will benefit hugely, they will soon start seeing a lot more finished goods coming in from India, providing huge amount of

work and job opportunities in both goods and services, provided by Indian talent,” the minister added.

“The Agreement will also eliminate double taxation on IT services which were making us less competitive and making us less profitable in IT

Kaur will serve alongside chair Sally-Ann Williams, a leader in the technology and entrepreneurial space, and Mikaela Jade, a Cabrogal woman of the Dharug-speaking nations of Sydney.

Kaur, who is currently the Director of DNA Zoo Australia, also leads cross-disciplinary biotechnology research investigating Earth’s biodiversity and natural environments to

India will benefit from preferential market access provided by Australia on 100 per cent of its tariff lines, including all the labour-intensive sectors of export interest to India, such as gems and jewellery, textiles, leather, footwear, furniture, food and agricultural products, engineering products, medical devices and automobiles.

ensure sustainable futures. She was recognised in 2013 for her substantial contributions to biotechnology and scientific excellence by the prestigious ‘Science and Innovation Award’ by the Australian Academy of Sciences.

In 2019, she won the Microsoft’s AI for Earth award, and was a finalist in Western Australia’s Innovator of the Year in 2022.

Indian-origin scientist named to STEM expert panel in Australia

Yadav, a resident of Khajuri in Delhi, Vijay Tomar from Baghpat district in Uttar Pradesh, Deen Bandhu, a resident of Shahdara, and Somveer from Ghaziabad.

G20 Presidency: India’s role pivotal

An opportunity for the world to work cohesively

India has assumed the G20 Presidency from the 1st of December from Indonesia and will convene the G20 Leaders’ Summit for the first time in the country in 2023. It is only befitting that a nation deeply committed to democracy, multiculturalism and multilateralism should take up the reins of G20 and it has been hailed as a watershed moment in India’s history. India’s philosophy and culture of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ or the ‘World is One Family’ makes India an important player in finding global solutions for the wellbeing of all nations and peoples. And India has assumed the Presidency at a crucial moment in history where the world is facing the threats of poverty, war, terrorism and pandemics. From a unipolar world, the countries are gyrating towards a multipolar arrangement. India being the largest democracy and with its rich cultural ethos has a pivotal role to play in bringing about peace and stability in the world. The global economies are faced with recession and climate change is an issue which has to be addressed sooner than later.

India has assumed the Presidency of the G20 for one year from 01 December 2022 to 30 November 2023. Under its Presidency, India is expected to host over 200 G20 meetings across the country. As to why G20 is such an important platform for global exchanges is because the Group of Twenty is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies. It comprises 19 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, USA and the European Union (EU). Moreover, the G20 accounts for 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade and two-thirds of the world population. India is currently part of the G20 Troika (current, previous and incoming G20 Presidencies) comprising Indonesia, Italy and India. During our Presidency, India, Indonesia and Brazil would form the troika. What is of great importance is to find the voice of developing countries becoming more vocal. The developing countries are not just discussing their respective problems; rather they are raising issues of international importance as well. A country like India does not shy away from expressing its mind with freedom. India’s challenges from across the border being posed by Pakistan and China are no longer holding back the country from participating in international issues to solve the

problems of other nations as well.

For itself India has some stiff targets such as to reach non-fossil energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030; to fulfil 50% energy requirements via Renewable Energy by 2030; to reduce 1 billion carbon emissions by 2030; to reduce carbon intensity below 45% by 2030. India aims to achieve the target of Net-Zero by 2070.

These targets may seem ambitious for any country but India is committed to achieving them as it strives to set an example for other countries, especially the developing countries to look for innovative solutions to achieve these goals.

There is a need for more international cooperation in all areas of human activity. The geopolitical considerations, hegemony of one state or the other are no longer the goals of a world order which is moving towards an integrative approach. The sustainable millennium goals have to be achieved to safeguard the interests of humanity. India as a nation and as part of the global community must look for innovative solutions to global problems. The ancient and the modern technologies must find a synergy if problems are to be solved. India’s rich culture and tradition offers an opportunity to look for solutions.

The importance of a forum like the G20 must galvanise the United Nations (UN) to make it more effective and influential. The rise of regional forums has become more important as the UN as an international organisation is finding it difficult to justify its role. The Ukraine war which is still on is a reminder that the UN needs to reassess its role and effectiveness in the world.

Besides these issues there are many other pressing issues such as that of women’s empowerment; digital public infrastructure and tech-enabled development in areas ranging from health, agriculture and education to commerce, skill-mapping, culture and tourism; climate financing; circular economy; global food security; energy security; green hydrogen; disaster risk reduction and resilience; developmental cooperation; fight against economic crime; and multilateral reforms.

While India is asserting its military strength by test-firing a missile system like Agni-5, the country has acted responsibly India has never harboured any intention to interfere or usurp territories of other countries. India’s core foreign policy goals remain the same i.e. to live peacefully with other countries. This makes India just about the most responsible country to take up the job of ensuring international peace.

What is different now about the China-India Tawang faceoff?

By Major General S.b. Asthana

The China-India LAC faceoff near Yangtse in Tawang Sector on December 9, 2022 is neither the first nor the last one, but its resulting into injuries to few soldiers on both sides, shows increasing aggressiveness and violent attempt to enforce own perception of the LAC by both sides.

Post the Galwan clashes in 2020, the Indian side is not surprised by the irresponsible behaviour of PLA, which had junked all old agreements for peace and tranquility earlier; hence Indian troops resolutely and firmly contested the PLA’s effort to close in to the LAC near Yangtse in Tawang Sector presumably to change the status quo.

Although both sides immediately disengaged from the area, held a Flag Meeting between opposing local commanders in accordance with structured mechanisms to diffuse the situation, such repeated attempts in future are possible and will have to be responded proactively, resolutely and firmly each time, as demonstrated now.

What makes the border issue between China-India complex?

The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) refused to ratify the Simla Agreement of 1914, signed between British India and Tibet, initialled by Chinese representative. The Indian stance on Border generally follows Johnson Line (1865) in Ladakh and the McMohan Line in the east. When Maharaja Hari Singh signed instrument of accession, Aksai Chin was part of it; hence rightfully belonged to India. India should have compelled China to accept the Shimla Agreement, before recognising Tibet as part of the PRC. There is therefore no mutually agreed border treaty between Independent India and PRC demarcating borders.

China refuses to accept any treaty signed with Tibet or earlier than annexation, when it does not suit it and selectively refers to them when it suits it’s interests, like it referred to a Treaty of 1890 during Doklam Crisis which seemed advantageous to it, despite the fact that it was superseded by many other treaties later.

LAC and its complex management The LAC, by definition, indicates loosely demarcated areas under actual control of Chinese and Indian

forces. Both countries have their own perception of the LAC and in certain areas, these perception overlap (like Tawang, Pangong Tso). As the LAC is not demarcated, the Chinese, with scant regards to international agreements and obligations, uses non-demarcation as an opportunity to pursue its “Strategy of Incremental Encroachment” by laying fresh claims (Arunachal Pradesh) and following it up with troops buildup/infrastructure development till resisted, and stops just short of conflict. An opposing action/ build up by Indian forces leads to “Faceoff/Standoff” each time. To avoid accidental triggers both sides have been resorting to measures short of live firing to prevent the other side violate its perception of LAC, which are increasingly getting converted into violent clashes. Why the faceoff in Tawang is different now?

The transgressions, patrol clashes, faceoffs and flag meetings to resolve it has been a common feature to dominate or enforce own claim on own perception of LAC and will continue to be so till the LAC is demarcated. The current faceoff in Tawang is somewhat different than the earlier ones for many reasons, if seen in current geo-political and strategic context as below:-

-- Chinese President Xi Jinping may be attempting to stoke nationalistic fervour out of his aggressive nationalistic stance by playing victim card to divert domestic discontent due to Zero Covid policy, downslide in Chinese economy and other reasons.

-- Aggressive stance in Ladakh and Taiwan and its Chinese-doctored narrative suited Xi Jinping in consolidating his position as strong leader to secure a third term; hence he would like to continue with it further.

-- Unhappy at the fastest-growing economy, a faceoff in winters may activate political debate in democratic India, and the Indian government may be compelled to deploy more troops throughout winters in all sectors, thereby increasing the financial cost for India by LOCisation of LAC.

-- An attempt to test Indian response on the eastern borders after India has committed large amount of troops in Ladakh and Kashmir.

-- The strategic and cultural

relevance of Tawang is coming to forefront as the time of nomination of next Dalai Lama is approaching.

Tawang monastery has been the seat of cultural power and birthplace of the 6th Dalai Lama.

-- The Yangtse area has tough approach from Indian side and in winters is relatively more isolated; hence the Chinese could have thought of taking a chance with an intrusion there.

-- China enjoyed gross asymmetry in infrastructure development in its favour for too long and is not comfortable with Indian effort to catch up in this regard; hence disruption in development activities along borders suit its design.

What should India do?

With no de-escalation by the Chinese in sight, India is and will continue to be ready for all contingencies with similar deployment along LAC, in coming months/ years, including creating some more leverage, if the situation demands so.

The Indian aim should be not to concede Chinese attempt to redraw LAC, or LOC-isation of the LAC further.

The Chinese will like to keep border unsettled, till the time the political cost of mot settling it, becomes higher than doing so, for CCP, China.

A change in mindset is required, from being reactive to being proactive with additional intelligence, surveillance and offensive capability to demonstrate capacity to encroach into Chinese sensitive areas, in absence of which China has assumed no threat from India, with freedom to encroach anywhere, at will.

If the Chinese have passed a Border Defence Law, India too should pass some laws to facilitate emphatic border construction and

Looking Beyond

India must continue capacity building in all domains, including maritime domain, where Chinese vulnerable sea lines of communications can be threatened. Besides ongoing infrastructure development along borders the scope of Border Area Management Programme (BAMP) needs to be enhanced. The surface communication addition to Vibrant village Programmes along northern borders to respond to Chinese plan of well off villages along LAC, it is recommended that States/UT along LAC should allot concessional land to security forces like regional SCOUTS, ITBP, SSB, and families hailing from that area (on son of soil concept), ready to settle in villages so constructed, along own perception of the LAC. This will improve inclusive growth, integration, besides proof of our claims on the border, to ward off Chinese design of developing hundreds of new villages along the LAC.

Strategic partnerships with like-minded democracies and collective naval posturing to create multi-front situation for China are efforts which should continue. There is a need for alternative supply chain, trade and technological eco system, independent of China for which some initial steps taken by Quad countries need to be pursued. (A retired Director General of Infantry, Indian Army, the author is an accomplished writer and speaker on strategic issues. The views expressed here are personal. He can be reached on Facebook and LinkedIn at Shashi Asthana, @ asthana_shashi on twitter, or on his personal site: https://asthanawrites. org/.)

Stars charge because everybody wants stars

By Vinod Mirani

S.S. Rajamouli, the maker of the latest international hit, ‘RRR’, says that costs charged by stars and directors caused this sorry state of affairs where the Hindi film industry is in the doldrums. The stars took the credit when a film succeeded and went on to increase their remuneration.

It is a myth that a star makes a film work. At best, a star, if popular, can only help bring in the initial footfalls. The rest depends totally on other factors, notably the content, which counts the most.

the film industry as a mint! Or, did they think they knew the business better than the freelance filmmakers did?

Sadly, these corporate houses knew nothing about filmmaking. All they had was money. Traditionally, a star’s remuneration would be equal to the price of one major circuit (Bombay and Delhi-UP being counted as the major circuits), but no such formula was followed when corporate houses came into the picture.

rejected, failures.

They do it to stay relevant, to stay in the news. All they have been able to do is make social media anti-social.

They are identified with the film industry and are not known to be proficient in other fields. But they know what the government should do, what the prime minister should do, and what the other filmmakers should do. Imagine, this coming from the industry rejects!

Gender stereotypes are sure to change effectively with women cricketers taking the centre stage

The inaugural season of the Women’s IPL is likely to be played from March 3 to 26 in India. The BCCI has earmarked a window for the WIPL with the tournament set to start a week after the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup final, which is scheduled to be played on February 26 in Cape Town.

This is a step in the right direction especially because cricket will in all probability being about a change in the attitude of people who do not treat women on a par with men in every walk of life.

India and even internationally, women are given a raw deal when it comes to giving them the opportunity to be financially self-reliant and according them the respect they deserve. In India only a very small percentage of women make it to the top. After marriage women are still looked down upon and their work and profession are perceived with little respect.

Hitherto, women’s cricket did not have enough crowds following as compared to men’s cricket. But now things are changing with more and more people turning up to watch

women’s cricket. The introduction of women’s IPL will go a long way in bringing a level playing field for any sport. If women’s tennis is as much popular as men’s, why should it be any different for women’s cricket? Women’s hockey and women’s soccer are up next and need to be given the support they deserve. The stereotypical attitude that women cannot compete in games requiring physical strength and stamina is a myth. Women have been competing on a par with men in weightlifting and boxing. Cricket is, on the other hand, a game that requires more skills than stamina alone. And women have shown to have matched the skills for being a cricketer in every department of the game. Jhulan Goswami has become a legend in women’s cricket; but she can rightly be said to be a legend in cricket in general. And she is a pacer and performed consistently throughout her career. The recent women cricketers of the world, including India, can bat, bowl and field skillfully. If women perform at the peak of their performance in cricket and other sports and the stereotypical thinking is ceased, cricket can help in giving women the status it deserves in society.

It is a fact that content makes a star out of any actor. Rajesh Khanna, for example, was created post-’Aradhana’. As for Amitabh Bachchan, he struggled from 1969 onwards when his debut film, ‘Saat Hindustani’, was released. It was only in 1973 that ‘Zanjeer’ turned into a superstar.

Earlier, a producer would go for the talent of an actor. Otherwise, actors such as Sanjeev Kumar, Rishi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Govinda, Amol Palekar, and other such performers would not have carried their films to silver or golden jubilees.

Rajamouli should know that star prices follow the same economic formula: the demand. It is not limited to Hindi movies. Star prices, along with cinema admission rates, have also been a big concern in the South Indian film industries and to address the issue, the trade bodies there had also passed certain resolutions to convince the stars to be more reasonable.

It is illogical but when it comes to big-time, successful filmmakers, stars are more reasonable, but they fleece an aspiring producer till he bleeds.

How did filmmaking turn into a multi-crore investment business suddenly? It was thanks to big corporate houses that suddenly saw

The big companies never asked who the writer was or found out about the main technicians involved in a film. They backed what the film trade calls ‘proposals’. Only the stars mattered, so even as the stars made money, the corporate moneybags lost money big time. And while these moneybags deserted the scene, the stars stuck to their impractical demands.

Rajamouli is right about star prices, but he also prefers to work only with stars. Would he have risked working with newcomers in ‘RRR’ instead of NTR Jr and Ram Charan? He had a great subject, after all, and he is also proficient at executing his projects. So why not new faces? Simple, stars draw the initial audience and with big budgets and widespread releases, the first few days matter the most.

Maybe, the two heroes of ‘RRR’ were more reasonable with Rajamouli, considering his track record, but some other producer is certainly going to pay big money to them after the super success of ‘RRR’.

Mr Know All!

Social media has nurtured many attention seekers, and those who have not amounted to much in their chosen field, swarm social media platforms. Those who vent their frustrations here are either those who have gained unexpected success, or, mainly, those who are

The problem is not with social media, they also serve the purpose of those who have no agenda or frustration to vent. The problem lies with the media. Any comment by these irrelevant people becomes newsworthy to them.

This know-all nonentity has aired his observation that when one emulates a South Indian dubbed film such as ‘KGF 2’, which succeeded all over India, you are heading towards a disaster.

Now, why would a Hindi filmmaker want to emulate a certain film? Hindi filmmakers don’t emulate, they simply copy. Copying officially is called a remake. They have copied a lot many foreign films. When a successful film starts a trend, others do try to follow it.

A trend does work for a time. Till another trend is set.

A lot many Hindi films were big hits. Has anybody tried to emulate ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ or ‘Mother India’?

Nobody tried to emulate ‘Sholay’, ‘Deewaar’ or ‘Zanjeer’! Yes, it became a to cast Rajesh Khanna in mainly romantic films, even as Amitabh Bachchan carried on with his angry hero image. That is called following a trend.

The same man also has a grouse against Vivek Agnihotri, claiming that the maker’s research for ‘The Kashmir Files’ was not complete!

Fine, but while you are at it, are you capable of pointing out what exactly

was missing or, what more was needed in the film’s research?

‘The Kashmir Files’ was not an entertainer as genres go, Yet, the film was a huge hit and the best Hindi film of the year, collections-wise. One thing every filmmaker knows is that you can’t prove your audience wrong. ‘The Kashmir Files’ was lapped up by cinegoers and Rs 245 crore that the film managed to collect at the box office vouches for that.

If your films had an audience, you would know that. You tried to emulate your ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ with a sequel, did it work? It did not and that’s why makers don’t emulate a successful film, they follow a trend.

When it comes to ‘The Tashkent Files’ or ‘The Kashmir Files’, neither you, nor any other maker can emulate it. And the same goes for the South Indian blockbusters. This guy posts his unasked-for comments, observations and advice, and opinions just to gain some publicity. So, I have decided not to name him.

What trend have you been able to set?

Comment on politics and other social issues, but it is not ethical to pass judgments on other makers and their films. Especially when one of them made a huge hit that you need to emulate!

extend schemes under Border Infrastructure Management Authority (BIMA) as near as the LAC as is practically feasible.

Inaugural women’s IPL could be the game changer

How Kota’s coaching centres drive students to depression, suicide

Jaipur, Dec 25 (IANS) Why do

coaching institutes charge Rs 2.5 lakh for the notes made from NCERT books worth Rs 250? Why no authority has ever gone and checked how coaching centres in Kota are discriminating against students on the basis of their performance and placing them in top-grade and below-grade batches?

These are some questions being raised by one Vishal Tiwari who is delivering free-of-cost coaching to around 5 lakh students via digital mediums after he himself faced the blues while being a student at a Kota coaching back in 2013-14.

“In 2013-14, I was one among those who took coaching in Kota,” Tiwari said. “The situation was pathetic there as discrimination on performance ruled the roost. Those who were good at studies were given the best teachers and best batch while those who were poor in studies were given admission to below-par batches.

“These were the students who had come to Kota after overcoming serious financial challenges, their parents had taken loans from private lenders at high-interest rates. Also, they (parents) put pressure on their wards to secure good marks and hence such students collapse under pressure - emotional and financial - while studying in Kota.”

Tiwari said that there are “clear instructions from the government that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and the

IIT-JEE syllabus should be based on the NCERT textbooks, which are available for Rs 250. Now, why these coachings charge whopping Rs 2.5 lakh for these courses is a billion dollar question”.

He further said that “almost all coaching have a fee of Rs 1.5 lakh for a duration of 7-8 months. They (students) spend around Rs 2 lakh on their hostel fees and food.

However, even after spending 3.5 to 4 lakh, the pass percentage is just 1-2 per cent”. “Just 20,000 to 30,000 students qualify the entrance tests while others consider themselves as failures,” he added.

“Another challenge posed by the coaching institutes here is of poster boys. The posters of top rankers are put up across cities and these are the students who are paid by coachings to get into the coaching. They in fact need no coaching. This in fact deceives aspirants as well as parents and thus (this practice) should be stopped at the earliest,” Tiwari asserted.

Recently, a student preparing for the NEET was found hanging in his hostel room. This was the fourth case of suicide within 10 days. So far in 2022, 15 students have committed suicide in Kota.

The deceased Aniket Kumar (17) was a resident of Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.

He was preparing for NEET from a private institute in Kota and was living in a hostel. One afternoon, Aniket’s brother called him multiple times, but he did not take up the

call. Later, when the warden and other students in the hostel checked Aniket’s room, they found him hanging from the ceiling fan.

Aniket’s brother Abhishek said that his younger brother was preparing for NEET in Kota for three years. He was admitted here in Class 11th.

Based on initial investigations, the police said that the reason for the extreme step seems to be stress.

Earlier, on December 11, three students committed suicide. Two of them were from the same hostel.

Two students who committed suicide were preparing for NEET while one student was preparing for IIT. Of these, two students were from Bihar and one student was from Madhya Pradesh.

Soon after, a guideline was made ready and coaching institutes were asked to implement it, however, the suicide of another student raised many questions about the lapses plaguing the education system in Kota.

Local Muslims join Christmas celebrations in J&K’s Srinagar

Srinagar city.

Wearing Santa Claus hats, a group of local Muslims went with sweets to a local Church in the city to share the joys of the festival with the members of the Christian community.

The group of Muslims said that Kashmir has always been the meeting point of different religions and cultures and these have coexisted and blended into a great eclectic culture called ‘Kashmiriyat’.

“There have been ups and downs in our history those have momentarily shaken the edifice of our great culture, but history is witness to the fact that we have always upheld and reclaimed our legacy despite all the odds in the past,” said one of the local Muslims who went to greet and

parameter is concerned.

On both these days, the AQI levels were above 300 which falls under “hazardous” category, as against Delhi’s levels of “very unhealth” on December 12 and “unhealthy” on December 13.

identify with the Christian community during the celebrations today. Kashmir has hosted many Christian missionaries in the past and while these missionaries have helped in growth of education and healthcare in the Valley, locals have lent support and complemented their efforts.

In addition to setting up three Christian missionary schools in the Valley, doctors from England have worked in different local hospitals to alleviate the suffering of the sick people in Kashmir.

As part of their verbal history, Kashmiris fondly recall the services rendered by Christian missionaries during earthquakes, epidemics and in routine day-to-day healthcare.

CREA analyst, Sunil Dahiya feels that this a serious lapse on part of both public and private sector thermal power plants in the state to reduce pollution at source as a result the pollution scenario in the state is deteriorating day by day.

Nagpur, Dec 27 (IANS) Adding to the woes of the ruling Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party, a video of a state minister abusing, threatening and assaulting two persons has come to the fore and gone viral on social media with the Nationalist Congress Party demanding action, here on Tuesday.

In the video-clip, Ports & Mines Minister Dada Dagadu Bhuse, attired in his trademark white with a snowy beard, is seen and heard rebuking two unidentified persons, giving them punches, abusing them in the lowest language.

The reasons behind the minister’s questionable behaviour and foul language in full view of the police and public are not clear in the undated video.

NCP leader and ex-minister Dr. Jitendra Awhad of Thane has demanded strong action against the Minister Bhuse for abusing, intimidating and hitting at the two men in public.

“CM Eknath Shinde Saheb, now what action will you take against your minister who hits the people, abuses them. Under what offences will you book him? He hit them in front of the police,” Dr. Awhad asked sarcastically, posting the video with his comments.

The video shows the Nashik MLA calling some persons to click the developments, confronting the

victims, one was pushed ahead by someone, and as they tried to argue, he pulled one menacingly, and gave a resounding slap to the other, shocking onlookers there.

An aide of the minister also gives a tight biff to the other but is restrained by others, as the Minister is clearly audible hurling crass abuses at the shivering duo

Actress Tunisha Sharma suicide: Cops discount ‘love jihad’ angle

Palghar (Maharashtra), Dec 26 (IANS) The police have ruled out any potential ‘love-jihad’ angle to the December 24 purported ‘suicide’ of actress Tunisha Sharma, days after a break-up with boyfriend actor Sheezan Khan, official sources said here on Monday.

The Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar Police which is probing the case, arrested Khan, 27, on Sunday and he has been remanded to police custody till Wednesday on charges of abetment to suicide, with some politicians claiming a ‘love-jihad’ angle to the case.

During his questioning, Khan reportedly informed the investigators that he was very disturbed by the recent Shraddha Walkar-Aaftab Poonawala case and hence decided to end his relationship with Tunisha. After the ‘suo-moto’ breakup, a stressed Tunisha had lapsed into depression that may have led to her taking the extreme step on the eve of Christmas.

When contacted, the MBVV’s Assistant Commissioner of Police Chandrakant Jadhav declined to comment on the case and its related

aspects as “the investigations are still going on”.

Soon after her body was found, Tunisha’s uncle Sanjeev Kaushal informed the media that almost two weeks ago, she suffered an anxiety attack and was admitted to a Mumbai hospital.

She informed him and her mother how she was wronged and cheated and the Sharma family has demanded that the culprit responsible for the state of affairs should not be spared.

Later, Tunisha’s mother said in a video-statement that Sheezan had betrayed her daughter, promised to marry her and then used her for 3-4 months before abruptly breaking up.

She accused Sheezan of cheating ‘my child’, and was allegedly involved with some other woman even when he was going steady with Tunisha, and demanded that the police should not spare him.

Among other things that have emerged in the police probe are that the duo had frequent quarrels, but had met for lunch on last Saturday, and hours after that Tunisha was found hanging in one of the toilets

on a film set in Vasai area.

It maybe recalled that after the body of Tunisha, 20, was found last weekend, it re-kindled stark memories of other high-profile glamour world women’s suicides like Jiah Khan, Kuljeet Randhawa, Nafisa Joseph, Viveka Babaji, Pratyusha Banerjee, Vaishali Takkar, Sejal Modi, and many others that have shaken the entertainment industry in the past few years, with many rooted in depression, drugs or dead-end relationships.

Modi speaks to Ukraine’s Zelenskyy, discusses G20 issues, offers support for peace efforts

By Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri

Kolkata, Dec 25 (IANS) A new year always brings with it a new hope for brighter days and this time, the expectations are even higher given that things, especially the economic activities, have started to pick up after a prolonged slowdown due to Covid pandemic.

However, on the environment front, the environmentalists have forecast a grim scenario as they see 2023 approaching with a serious threat for West Bengal. As per them, the pollution levels in Kolkata and some other district towns might reach worsening levels with the likelihood of average air quality index (AQI) in the state capital surpassing that of New Delhi.

Sounds unconceivable! But indications have been there with the advent of winter in the last month of 2022, where the AQI for Kolkata has been recorded worse than that of New Delhi on certain days. IANS takes a review on the threat factors as well as remedial measures on this count as suggested by environmentalist and green- technologists.

According to a recent report from HEI Soga, currently Kolkata is the second most polluted city in the world second after the national capital of New Delhi in the parameter of the quantity of PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide in the air. However, in the last month of 2022, there has been an indication that one day the pollution level in Kolkata is going above that of the national capital.

For the two consecutive days of December 12 and December 13 this year, the pollution level in Kolkata had been higher than that in Delhi as far as the air quality

According to the environmentalist and green-technologist Somendra Mohan Ghosh, this finding is an alarming indication. “This shows that while at times the AQI levels in the national capital have started showing some minor positive trends, the situation is getting reversed. If administrative measures for pollution control are not implemented strictly, things will worsen for Kolkata as well as in the entire state in the coming years and if not the next year,” Ghosh said.

Environmental activists are of the opinion that a number of negative factors in the pollution- management system is fuelling the fast deterioration on this count. Of these negative factors some are typical for the state capital of Kolkata while some relate to the districts of West Bengal.

The most glaring example of mismanagement on this count has been evident in the case of the different coal- based thermal power plants in West Bengal, which have conventionally contributed to increasing pollution levels in the state.

According to a recent report from Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), not a single- power plant in West Bengal has successfully implemented the emission standards set for them set in December 2015 for limiting emission of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury, along with tightening particulate matter emissions. While 40 per cent of the thermal power plants in West Bengal are yet to awards the bids for flue gas desulphurization (FGD) plants till date, the remaining 60 per cent have not have been able to complete the pollution reduction technology installation within the allotted time frames, which had already been extended three times over the previous seven years.

Renowned environment activists like Subhash Dutta and Nabo Dutta feel that there is an urgent necessity for the West Bengal government to replicate the Tamil Nadu model of setting up a special-purpose vehicle like Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company (TNGCC) to formulate plans to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions in the state besides developing strategies to reduce emissions through green energy and renewable energy and increasing forest cover in the state among others.

Other than Somendra Mohan Ghosh, environmentalists like Dipanjali Majumdar and Viay Jaju feel that while automobile emission remains the dominant factor for the deteriorating AQI in Kolkata, there are other factors like open air cooking using coal- based or kerosine- gas ovens by 10,000 odd street vendors in the city, indiscriminate burning of garbage in open places in absence of a proper garbage segregation systems and the piling of hazardous construction sites in open spaces near the under-construction real estate sites are other major contributing factors.

Considering that automobile emission remains the dominant factor for the deteriorating AQI, Ghosh specially stressed on limiting the entry of diesel-driven commercial vehicles within the city limits. “In order to achieve that the state government will have to take initiatives like setting up more CNG stations and charging centres for battery-operated vehicles. At the same time, an initiative should be taken for direct supply of CNG through pipelines to the different gas stations. Another necessity is setting up adequate conversion centres for conversion to fit the CNG kits into the existingdiesel operated vehicles,” Ghosh added.

New Delhi, Dec 26 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday had a telephone conversation with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding India’s G20 presidency.

Modi also conveyed to Ukraine India’s support for any peace efforts and assured its commitment to continue providing humanitarian assistance for affected civilian population.

Zelenskyy conveyed his best wishes for India’s presidency of G20. Modi explained the main priorities of India’s G20 Presidency, including giving a voice to the concerns of developing nations on issues like

food and energy security.

The two leaders discussed opportunities for strengthening bilateral cooperation.

The Prime Minister requested Ukraine authorities to facilitate arrangements for the continued education of Indian students who had to return from Ukraine earlier this year.

The leaders also exchanged views about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Modi strongly reiterated his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and said that both sides should revert to dialogue and diplomacy

to find a lasting solution to their differences, official sources said.

Jaishankar beefs up preparations for G20, all ministries on board

New Delhi, Dec 26 (IANS) Aiming for the success of G20 summit next year, Union Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar especially addressed the Spokespersons, Panelists and media coordinators on G20 and International issues today at the BJP headquarters.

According to sources, “Jaishankar gave mantra to BJP spokespersons today. In the present circumstances, G20 is a big opportunity for India, public participation has to be increased in this. The Minister asked the spokespersons to take the spirit of G20 to new heights. With preparation on G20 and international

issues, the spokesperson should go to public.”

The G20, or Group of Twenty, is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s 20 major developed and developing economies, making it a premier forum for international economic cooperation. The first G20 Sherpa meeting under India’s presidency started on December 4, 2022, in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

BJP is looking forward to seeing G20 as a mega hit, hence it is leaving no stone unturned in making it a success.

All the ministries are holding series

of meetings for preparation of a roadmap for participation in G20 meet next year.

Cabinet approves free ration distribution till Dec 2023

New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS) In a major decision, the Union Cabinet on Friday decided to distribute free ration under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) for a period of one year till December 2023.

The move will entail a burden of Rs 2 lakh crore which would be completely borne by the government, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal told mediapersons.

More than 81.35 crore NFSA beneficiaries will benefit from the move. Earlier, rice and wheat were provided at subsidised rates to the

beneficiaries under NFSA.

Foodgrains, which were being provided under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) since April 2020, will also be subsumed under NFSA quota, Goyal informed.

Thus PMGKAY won’t be extended beyond December 2022.

Prior to Friday’s decision, under NFSA, 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month at Rs 2-3 per kg were being provided.

Families covered under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) get 35 kg of foodgrains per month.

Maha Minister abuses, threatens & whacks two men; NCP bays for action

Breathless Kolkata all set to beat Delhi’s dismal air pollution record index (AQI)

Srinagar, Dec 25 (IANS) Keeping up with the traditional brotherhood, a group of local Muslims joined their Christian brethren on Sunday for Christmas celebrations in J&K’s

Hyderabad, Dec 25 (IANS) She belongs to a humble family that depends on agriculture but this young mountaineer from Telangana has not let the odds stop her from scaling new heights.

Barely three months after she scripted history as the first Indian woman to scale the ‘true summit’ of Mt. Manaslu, Anvitha Padamati (24) has gone on to scale the tallest peak in Antarctica.

On December 17, Anvitha scaled Mt. Vinson, the highest peak of Antarctica continent - an altitude of 4,892 m above sea level.

She was part of the international expedition team in Antarctica with Transcend Adventures India that set out from Hyderabad on December 3 to Punta Arenas, Chile. After completing the documentation and other paperwork, she flew to Union Glacier in Antarctica on December 7. “It was not an easy mountain to climb but I summited it successfully with the team. All the previous

mountain climbing experience helped me a lot. It is my 4th summit as part of 7 summits,” Anvitha said.

From December 8 to 15, Anvitha spent time getting acclimatized to the harsh Antarctica weather braving extremely windy conditions with temperatures hovering around minus 30 Degree Celsius. Finally on December 16, she attempted the summit climb.

“It was a very windy day, almost minus 30 degrees and my hands were too cold and I couldn’t even put up a tent. With great difficulty we built the tent and it was almost minus 35 degrees inside the tent.

On December 16 we set out for a summit around 11 a.m. We reached the summit of Mt.Vinson around 9 p.m. and placed the Indian flag on the summit at 4892 m. Almost 20 minutes on the summit is a very great experience because the mountain on top is like a pyramid.

“Due to very bad wind we packed all our stuff and descended directly to

Global Investors’ Meet (GIM) was successfully held between November 2 and 4 by the Karnataka government in which the industrial honchos participated.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal reiterated that Bengaluru continues to be the startup and unicorn capital of India. The city accounted for about 40 per cent of the country’s exports.

peak

base camp on the same day. It took us 20 hours. It was a long day but a great day,” she reminisces.

Anvitha’s coach and mentor, Shekhar Babu Bachinepally said, “Climbing the Vinson Mountain is not technically difficult but the mountain location is incredibly remote and conditions often extreme. Good pack-fitness is important considering extreme cold conditions, and the load ferry of the expedition supplies and equipment to various heights of the mountain.”

Anvitha’s father, Madhusudhan Reddy is an agriculturist while her mother, Chandrakala Padamati works in Anganwadi school at Bhongir.

For Anvitha, who is aiming for seven summits spread across the seven continents, this feat in Antarctica marks her fourth achievement, and brings her closer to her goal.

In January 2021, Anvitha climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak on the African continent. She went on to scale Mt. Elbrus, the highest peak on the European continent in December 2021, becoming the only Indian to achieve the feat.

In May 2022, she climbed the world’s highest peak, Mt. Everest. Her victory over Mt. Vinson, the tallest peak in Antarctica leaves Anvitha just three peaks short of achieving the seven peak goal. Mt. Aconcagua, in South America, Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia, and Mt. Denali in North America, comprise the remaining three peaks of the seven summits.

Anvitha’s next goal is the tallest peak in South America, Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina. “I’m preparing for a February ascent,” she said, signing off.

At the peak of Hijab crisis, the statement of the late Al-Qaeda leader Ayman-al-Zawahiri, praising a Karnataka Muslim girl student for standing up against the mob and chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ against ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans went on to become international news, causing concerns among security agencies.

Kannada cinema delivers blockbuster movies

Bengaluru, Dec 25 (IANS) Karnataka had become a flash point during the year 2022 both for the right and wrong reasons. Being called the progressive state, IT hub, education, science and research hub of the country, the state witnessed the worst floods that devastated the IT industry and agricultural sector.

As the state inched closer to elections, Karnataka witnessed chaotic developments in the field of education, business and some of the incidents even threatened to disrupt the day-to- day life of the common man. However, the state was quick to recover and put forth progressive and success stories to the world and the country.

Floods that made the IT industry sink

Bengaluru city received the highest rainfall in a single day in the last 38 years in the first week of September. The city was pounded with massive rainfall inundating IT campuses and posh localities where tech population resided.

Images of knee- to waist-deep water on arterial roads, tractors and JCBs moving IT employees, CEOs to and fro from the companies went viral throughout the world exposing the crumbling infrastructure of the city.

Global Investors’ Meet; Infosys turns 40

After the flood fury, the state got back to its usual business. The

IT giant Infosys, which revolutionised the IT sector in the state and put Bengaluru on the international map, completed 40 years in the month of December. The founder N.R. Narayana Murthy spoke about taking Infosys to the milestone of 100 years. He underlined the need to keep up values and guided the present leadership to take decisions which would earn them respect from all stakeholders even 30 years later.

Blast that shook the state Mangaluru cooker blast which took place on November 19 shook the state. The police department declared it as an act of terror.

An unknown terror outfit called the Islamic Resistance Council (IRC) claimed responsibility and warned of future attack. Investigations revealed ghastly plans of Mohammad Shariq (23), the bomber, to carry out the blasts in public places. Though Karnataka was on the radar of terrorists, it was for the first time that such a threat was given.

Chaotic moments of boycott, murders, and disputes:

Karnataka witnessed communal developments in 2022 like never before. It started with the hijab movement and resulted in a boycott of Muslim traders.

The murders of Hindu activists Harsha in Shivamogga district on February 20 and Praveen Kumar Nettare in Dakshina Kannada district on July 26 resulted in revenge killings and threatened the law and order situation of the state.

Kannada film industry delivered super hit movies at the national levels with ‘KGF Chapter 2’, ‘Charlie 777’ and ‘Kantara’ at the year end.

Kannada film industry called as Sandalwood, was always seen as an underdog in comparison with neighbouring Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam film industries.

‘KGF Chapter 2’, released on April 14, went on to become the highest grossing movie at the national level.

Actor Yash went on to become a national super star and the whole Indian film industry is awaiting his next project.

Rakshit Shetty-starrer ‘777 Charlie’ released on June 10 has been a decent hit at national level. ‘Kantara’ which hit the screens on September 30, went on to become one of the super hit movies of the year at the national level. It catapulted Rishab Shetty, as the most sought after actor and director.

Bengaluru has now India’s second biggest airport

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Terminal 2 of the KempeGowda International airport on November 11. The terminal was built at a cost of Rs 13,000 crore to handle an additional 2.5 crore air passengers.

With the inauguration of terminal-2, KempeGowda International Airport has become the second biggest airport of the country. The swanky terminal-2, billed as one among the biggest terminals in the world with a hanging garden for the first time in Asia.

Agra, Dec 25 (IANS) A 25-year-old woman ended her life here by suicide following police ‘inaction’ against her molester.

Her family along with local residents. protested and refused to send the body for post-mortem. Sub-inspector Arjun Singh was later removed and attached to the police lines.

The woman had given a complaint letter against one Sandeep Kumar, saying that she had gone out to bring her 65-year-old father-in-law back home on Wednesday evening as ‘he is frail and suffers from poor vision’.

The accused molested her on the way and offered to pay her Rs 2,000 to remain quiet. When she screamed for help, Kumar started beating

her, and then on seeing villagers approaching, threatened to kill her before fleeing.

A villager, who went along with the woman to the local police station to assist her in filing an FIR, said, “SI Arjun Singh instead of registering the case and acting against the molester, passed obscene remarks at the woman. We approached other cops but no one came forward to help. When we again went to the thana, after a few hours, the SI saw us and threatened to send the woman to jail after issuing a challan against her for filing a ‘false complaint’. Humiliated and left with no hope, the woman took the extreme step.”

Taking cognisance of the matter, commissioner of Agra police

Preetinder Singh has ordered a probe.

DCP (Agra-west), Satyajeet Gupta, said, “On the basis of the complaint from the woman’s family, an FIR is being registered. The body has been sent for post-mortem. To ensure a fair probe, the concerned SI has been removed. The accused man will be arrested soon.”

The

Leaders pay floral tributes to Vajpayee on his birth anniversary

New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other leaders paid floral tributes to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Sadaiv Atal memorial here on his 98th birth anniversary on Sunday.

“Tributes to Atal Ji on his Jayanti. His contribution to India is indelible. His leadership and vision motivate millions of people,” PM Modi said in his tweet.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief J.P. Nadda also paid their floral tributes at the Sadaiv Atal memorial.

Vajpayee

Vajpayee’s

the ‘Good Governance Day’. He

from 1999 to 2004.

Retrenched worker murders factory owner, his father & uncle in Surat

and uncle inside the manufacturing premises in the Anjalir Industries area in Surat, police said on Sunday.

Police have picked up two suspects, one of them is a juvenile.

Surat Deputy Police Commissioner Harsad Mehta told the mediapersons that Kalpesh Dholakia owned an embroidery unit, named Vedanta Texo. On Sunday morning, around 9 a.m., the retrenched worker, whose services were terminated ten days ago, came to the unit along with his associate.

The two had a heated argument with Kalpesh Dholakia, which soon turned into a scuffle. During the fight one of the two accused stabbed Dholakia with a knife.

Kalpesh’s father Dhanjibhai and maternal uncle Ghanshyam Razodia, who too were present at the unit intervened, but they too were stabbed. The two then fled from the unit, said the officer.

All three were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries, said the police officer,

and added that two suspects have been detained for questioning, one of them is a juvenile.

Another Officer, Deputy Commissioner of Police Pinakin Parmar told the media that the worker was terminated, because of some mistakes that he had committed during his night duty hours which had damaged the production. Primary information was that before terminating his services, the industrial unit owner had paid all his dues.

Well-wishers and industrialists in large numbers gathered at the private hospital. BJP MLA Kumar Kanani demanded that the police keep check on the history-sheeters entering Surat in search of jobs.

The Southern Gujarat Chambers of Commerce and Industry president Dinesh Navadia sought stern action against the accused, and has promised to take up the issue with authorities for more protection of industrialists.

From floods in IT city to polarisation, chaotic journey of a ‘progressive’ state

Surat (Gujarat),

In a horrifying incident, a retrenched

worker and his associate murdered a textile factory owner, his father

Agra: Woman ends life after police ‘inaction’ on molestation complaint

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born on December 25, 1924, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.

was one of the most influential leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

birthday is celebrated as

woman, whose husband works in Ahmedabad, was living with her father-in-law and five-year-old son.

served three terms as the prime minister, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 to 1999, followed by a full-term

Telangana farmer’s daughter conquers Antarctica’s tallest

Australia to vote on Indigenous Voice to Parliament within 12 months: PM

Addressing the annual Woodford Folk Festival on Wednesday, Albanese told the crowd that the referendum will have been held by this time next year.

The referendum will ask Australians if they support an alteration to the Constitution that would establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to act as an advisory body to Parliament, Xinhua news agency reported.

“This is an opportunity for all of us to be a part of enriching our nation and being even stronger in the future,” the Prime Minister said.

“This will give respect to First Nations people, and it will enhance both the way Australians see ourselves, and the way we are seen by the world.”

In order to be successful, the referendum must achieve a double majority, meaning more than half of

all voters nationally and a majority in at least four out of six states must vote in favour.

Only eight of the 44 referendums in Australian history have been carried out.

Polling has suggested that the voice was on track to be passed.

Ahead of the vote, the Opposition has called for the government to release more details on how the voice will function.

However, Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney said its rules and functions would be determined after the vote if it is successful.

“The people will vote on the principle, for Indigenous people to be guaranteed a fairer say on the laws and policies made about them, and parliament will legislate the detail,” she added.

Australia names ex-PM Kevin Rudd as new US envoy

Canberra, Dec 20 (IANS) Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been appointed the country’s next ambassador to the US.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday confirmed months of speculation that Rudd, who was in office between 2007 and 2010 and again in 2013, will become the 23rd ambassador to the US, reports Xinhua news agency.

Rudd, a former leader of Albanese’s Labor Party, will head to Washington early in 2023, replacing Arthur

Sinodinos after three years.

Making the announcement in Canberra, Albanese said Rudd had extensive connections and experience in the US.

“Kevin Rudd is an outstanding appointment, he brings a great deal of credit to Australia by agreeing to this appointment,” Albanese, who served as Rudd’s deputy PM in 2013, said.

In a statement on Tuesda,y Rudd said he was honored by the appointment.

Summer heat raises concern for kids’ safety in Aus state

Canberra, Dec 27 (IANS) The Australian state of Victoria has urged residents to never leave children in cars alone and to stay safe from the heat this summer.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the state government announced its “Survive the Heat” and “Never Leave Kids in Cars” campaigns ahead of the first run of extreme heat, noting that there have been already 113 callouts to locked cars in November by its latest count, reports Xinhua news agency.

The campaigns provided parents with tips to survive the heat, such as staying hydrated, spending time in cool, air-conditioned buildings, planning ahead and keeping up to date with weather forecasts, and checking in on those most at risk in the heat like older people or young children.

According to the statement, last summer, Ambulance Victoria paramedics received 410 reports of people locked in cars across the

state, while children aged below 13 made up 92.5 per cent of the cases.

A child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult and the temperature inside a parked car can be 20 to 30 degrees hotter than it is outside, the state government warned, adding that leaving the windows down has little effect on the inside temperature.

“All Victorians can stay safe this summer by following simple steps to beat the heat -- drink plenty of water, stay somewhere cool, and plan ahead,” said the state’s Minister for Ambulance Services Gabrielle Williams.

“It’s simple: never leave your kids alone in a car -- the consequences can be deadly,” the Minister added.

Earlier in the day, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said on social media that heatwave conditions continue in Victoria, with Melbourne, the state’s capital, expecting its hottest day.

“It will be an oppressive night across much of the state, with temperatures staying in the mid-high 20s,” said the weather bureau.

On Monday, the BOM also issued a heatwave warning for Victoria, indicating that maximum temperatures in the mid to high thirties are expected over the coming days, peaking in the low forties across the northwest of the state on Tuesday.

Australian PM supports push for national gun register

be better shared to protect police officers and the general public from firearms, flagging discussions as a priority when he next meets with state and territory leaders at the national cabinet, reports Xinhua news agency.

“I am certainly up for dialogue with the states and territories about how there can be a better national consistency and national information that can serve the interests of police going about their duty,” he said.

Fellow officer Constable Randall Kirk was shot and injured while Constable Keely Brough hid in nearby bushland before escaping.

Neighbour Alan Dare, 58, was also killed by the Trains, who all died when police stormed the property.

In the wake of the shooting, police unions across the country have called for the establishment of a national gun owner’s register, which was first recommended in 1996.

Canberra, Dec 21 (IANS) Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has backed a proposed national firearm register in the wake of a deadly police shooting.

Albanese said his government would take advice from law enforcement on how information can

A public memorial service was held on Wednesday in Brisbane for Constables Rachel McCrow, 29, and Matthew Arnold, 26.

The pair were shot dead when they were ambushed by Gareth Train, his brother Nathaniel and wife Stacey at a remote property approximately 300 km west of Brisbane while carrying out a missing persons inquiry on Dec. 12.

Currently, police cannot readily access information about whether a person holds a gun license in another state as was the case with Nathaniel Train in New South Wales.

The Police Federation of Australia has also called for mental health checks to be conducted to obtain or renew a gun license.

Young Australians feel increasingly isolated: Survey

Canberra, Dec 20 (IANS) A growing number of young Australians feel isolated and left out in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new government survey revealed on Tuesday.

The survey by Headspace, the government’s youth mental health support agency, found that 60 per cent of respondents, all of whom were aged between 12 and 25, reported lacking companionship, while 62 per cent said they feel left out, reports Xinhua news agency.

Despite Australia’s strict coronavirus lockdowns ending more than 12 months ago, Headspace chief executive Jason Trethowan said the social isolation and stay-at-home orders have had a lasting impact.

“We’re finding many young people are still feeling cut off from the world and struggling to re-establish relationships,” he told the local

media.

According to the national mental health organisation Beyond Blue, one in seven Australians, or 3.2 million people, is experiencing an anxiety condition at any given time and one in 16 are suffering from depression.

In the lead up to the Christmas period, suicide prevention service Lifeline has made more crisis support workers available to respond to 4,000 calls and messages every day.

“The idea of togetherness traditionally associated with holidays can also exacerbate the intense loneliness many people feel,” chief executive Colin Seery said.

The survey’s release came a eek after the federal government drew criticism for cutting the number of psychologist visits it will subsidise.

At the start of Covid-19 lockdowns, the then sitting government had

increased the number of psychologist visits it subsidised in a year from 10 to 20 for every Australian.

Earlier this month, Health Minister Mark Butler said that the number would return to 10 per year from January 1, 2023.

The Australian Association of Psychologists, a national peak body, described it as a bitterly disappointing decision that would deny people the care they need.

Universities call for Australian migration reset

Canberra, Dec 19 (IANS) Australian universities have called for a “hard reset” of the visa process for international graduates.

In a report submitted to a parliamentary committee reviewing the migration system, the peak body representing Australia’s tertiary educators said the current complicated system was seeing the country fall behind the rest of the world, reports Xinhua news agency.

Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said there are currently more than 100 visa subclasses, describing the system as not fit for purpose.

Australian universities are among the world leaders in international student numbers.

However, according to Universities Australia, less than a third of international graduates use their

post-study work permits and only 16 per cent become permanent residents.

“This is not surprising when our system has more barriers than gateways, including extended wait times, a lack of visibility around application status, and little certainty in general for prospective students and staff,” Jackson said in the report.

“Meanwhile, our global competitors are increasing the number of international graduates in their migration mix in recognition of the significant contribution they make. Australia is falling behind.”

The body made five recommendations for change in its report, including automatically granting temporary visas to all international students who graduate from Australian universities and upgrading reporting processes to

provide applicants with up-to-date information on their visa status.

It also called for a priority system similar to the US Green Card to allow priority workers to receive fast-tracked permanent residency.

The comprehensive review, which was launched by Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil, is expected to hand down its final report in February 2023.

Canberra, Dec 29 (IANS) Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised a referendum on establishing an Indigenous voice to Parliament will be held within 12 months.

New York, Dec 22 (IANS) Indianorigin Attorney Vivek Malek has been appointed as the first nonwhite treasurer of the US state of Missouri, Governor Mike Parson announced.

Haryana-born Malek, 45, will replace Republican Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick, who is leaving the position to become state auditor in January.

“Vivek Malek will be our next State Treasurer of the State of Missouri. Vivek’s appointment will fill the vacancy created by the election of Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick to the Office of Missouri State Auditor,” Parson wrote in a Facebook post.

Wildwood resident Malek came to Missouri in 2002 to get his Master’s degree in business administration from Southeast Missouri State University.

He started with his law practice in 2006 and opened a law firm in 2011. “When he arrived, he had just $300 in his pocket, but he didn’t make

excuses,” Parson said in the post. Recently, Malek was selected for the Southeast Missouri Board of Governors.

“Vivek is a family man, small business owner, conservative leader, talented attorney, and a true embodiment of the American dream. We know he will work hard every day to safeguard the people’s money and trust,” Missouri Governor added.

Malek practices in all aspects of immigration law, including business, family, asylum and removal defence.

He has worked with numerous companies across various industries and has helped in bringing skilled workers to the US in all visa categories, according to his LinkedIn bio.

He was recognised by the Missouri Senate (2015) and Missouri House (2007) for his service and contributions to Missouri communities.

“It is my honour of life to be able to serve as the next State Treasurer of

the state of Missouri, and I promise to give the job and the people of Missouri all and best,” Malek, a father of three, was quoted as saying in the statement.

Malek has prepared and filed petitions, appeals and motions with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Department of State (DOS) and the United States Department of Labor (DOL).

Parson said that Malek’s story is an “inspiring proof that the American dream can and will live on for the next generation of Missourians”.

“President Reagan once said immigrants are one of the greatest sources of American greatness, and both Vivek and I agree. Through our shared values, Vivek helps legal immigrants embrace our nation and achieve their American dream too,” Parson wrote in the Facebook post.

“As a Republican, strong capitalist, and conservative Missourian, we know Vivek will be a principled leader, who works hard every day to safeguard the people’s money and bring opportunity to Missouri families and their communities,” he added.

Malek was awarded the Minority Business Leader Award by the St. Loui Business Journal in 2010, earned the ‘Up and Coming lawyers Award’ by Missouri Lawyers Media in 2010, and was recognised as Top 30 under 30 by Business Today magazine in 2007, among other awards and recognition, the statement said.

“These new standards provide our growing Sikh community in Mississippi with an opportunity to educate our neighbours about the Sikh faith and better protect and recognise Sikh students in the state,” said Sikh community member Amrik Singh of Jackson.

According to Sikh students who continue to face bullying because of their religion and articles of faith, the move is one of the best ways to educate their teachers and classmates about the religion in an accurate and constitutional way.

Sikhs in US Marines can now keep beard, wear turban

New York, Dec 24 (IANS) In a historic move forward, a federal appeals court has ruled that Sikhs recruits in the US Marine Corps can keep a beard and wear turbans.

Judges from the District of Columbia’s federal appeals court on Friday cited the Apresent Corps’ boot camp rule of cutting hair and shaving beards as a violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).

The ruling came after three Sikh Marine Corps recruits -- Aekash Singh, Jaskirat Singh and Milaap Singh Chahal -- fought for an emergency appeal in District of Columbia’s federal court to get an immediate exemption to the Corps’ boot camp rule.

“Now, three Sikh recruits, who had previously been denied religious accommodations, can enter basic training,” Eric Baxter, senior counsel who represented the Sikh trio, tweeted.

In Sikh faith, men wear turban and they do not shave off their beards or cut hair.

The Marine Corps previously denied all these requests, due to which the trio for years have remained poolees -- an individual who has already

signed up to become a Marine but has not yet left for the recruit training at boot camp.

Further, the Marine Corps argued that allowing Sikhs to wear religious beards would disrupt troop uniformity and appearance among the recruits, ultimately threatening national security.

This despite other branches of the US military -- the US Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard -- already accommodating the religious requirements of Sikhism.

Writing for the court, Judge Millett stated that the Sikh recruits “not only have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits, it is difficult

to imagine them losing”.

She noted that the Marine Corps has never explained “why the Corps cannot apply the same or similar (religious) accommodations that the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and Coast Guard provide”, Baxter wrote in a series of tweets.

And Judge Millett said it was particularly clear in light of “the exemptions already made for other Marine recruits’ beards, hair, and other individual physical indicia,” as well as the Corps’ “own history of flexible grooming and uniform requirements” since its creation in 1775.

British-Indian ‘sexual predator’ doc loses sentence appeal bid

London, Dec 22 (IANS) A former Indian-origin family doctor in the UK has lost a bid to challenge his 12-year jail sentence for committing sexual offences against women patients between 1983 and 2018.

Krishna Singh, 73, from North Lanarkshire, Scotland, was convicted earlier this year of 54 offences, involving 47 women, including a rape victim, teenagers and pregnant women.

Singh’s lawyers had sought to challenge the sentence but permission for an appeal to proceed was not granted by a judge.

“The court is not satisfied there are exceptional circumstances justifying the extension sought,” a judge at the Court of Appeal in Edinburgh said on Wednesday.

that were arguable.

Singh, who was awarded an MBE in 2013, had denied the charges that he was a “sexual predator hiding in plain sight”.

The High Court in Glasgow heard earlier this year that Singh “kissed, groped, gave inappropriate examinations and made sleazy comments” targeting teenagers and pregnant women.

“You abused this position to carry out unnecessary physical examinations of a sexual nature including examinations without a chaperone and in circumstances where there were no clinical justifications for your actions.

New York, Dec 22 (IANS) More than 24 million students in the US can now learn about Sikhs with two more states voting in favour of new social studies standards that will include Sikhi, or Sikh faith, in their school curriculum for the first time ever.

Utah and Mississippi became the 15th and 16th states in the US recently to include information about Sikhism, Sikh practices, and traditions in their social studies syllabi.

These new standards will give 606,000 students in Utah and approximately 457,000 students in Mississippi the opportunity to learn about the Sikh community.

“Thanks to these new educational standards, students across our state can learn about Sikhism -- which means safer schools for my children in Utah, and better cultural education for all,” said Manjit Singh, a resident of Salt Lake City.

Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world and the community has contributed to American society for over 125 years in the fields of civil rights, politics, agriculture, engineering, and medicine.

In spite of that, Sikhs and their social and historical contributions are largely absent from the state educational standards and their associated materials, a Sikh Coalition statement noted.

Immigrant Rights Commission for the city and county of San Francisco.

The Immigrant Rights Commission guides the Mayor and Board of Supervisors on issues and policies that impact immigrants who live or work in San Francisco.

“I am very excited to be taking this role and am really looking forward to working for my community in San Francisco,” Chaudhary wrote on her LinkedIn post.

Chaudhary is a gender, human rights, child rights, and conflict resolution specialist.

In her role, she will deal with asylum applicants who have faced gender-based violence or persecution in their countries.

Prior to her new role, Chaudhary worked as an Asylum Law Clerk:

Hothi, whose parents are from Punjab, previously served as vice mayor under mayor Mark Chandler.

As a mayor of the city, Hothi will serve a two-year term, chair the Common Council meetings, and serve as executive officer of the city.

“Honored to be sworn in as the 117th Mayor of the City of Lodi,” Hothi tweeted after taking oath this month.

New

“Everyone came to Lodi because they realized it was a safe family town. (It has) great education, great people, great culture, great values, and just hard-working people in this town. I’m just proud to represent this community as its next mayor,” Hothi was quoted as saying in Lodi Times.

Hothi, who graduated from Tokay

The move came after Sikh Coalition made the initial request for Sikhi to be included in the new standards at the State Board of Education Meeting in January this year.

“Inclusive and accurate standards are an important first step to combat bigotry and to reduce bullying, and they benefit all students by increasing baseline cultural competency and decreasing ignorance,” Harman Singh, Sikh Coalition Senior Education Manager, said in a statement.

Local adoption and implementation of the more inclusive standards will begin in the months and years to follow, a Sikh Coalition press note said.

Gender Specialist at the Law Office of Robert B. Jobe, according to her LinkedIn profile.

A law graduate from Punjab’s Army Institute of Law, Chaudhary has also taken guest lectures on feminism, patriarchal violence and gender in international law at the Harvard Law School.

Also a published author, her first book, “Laiza: Sometimes the End Is Only a Beginning”, is about human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of women in Nepal after the 2015 earthquake.

An LLM from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, Chaudhary was selected for the aLeading Non Violent Movements for Social Progress’ at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

High School in 2008, said that growing up in the city was a challenge, especially post 9/11, when many Muslims and Sikhs experienced unfair harassment.

His family was also instrumental in founding the Sikh temple on Armstrong Road, the Lodi Times reported.

He was first elected to the Lodi City Council in November of 2020 from District 5, and also serves as a Board Member on the Lodi Fire Foundation and as District Director to Assemblymember Jim Cooper.

Lodi is a city located in California’s San Joaquin County with an estimated population of approximately 67,021 according to 2021 census data.

The appeal judge said that Singh was convicted of a prolonged course of sexual offences against patients which had “a devastating impact on many of the victims”, the Glasgow Times reported.

He added that the proposed note of appeal against the sentence imposed on Singh did not disclose grounds

Toronto, Dec 25 (IANS) The Khalistan referendum - held in September and November - became a huge irritant in India-Canada relations in 2022 and a major point of friction in the Indo-Canadian community as pro-Khalistan and pro-India supporters clashed in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

India called the referendum a “farcical exercise held by extremists and radical elements” and asked Canada for “action in this matter.”

In a rare travel advisory, New Delhi urged travellers to Canada to be cautious about the possibility of anti-India violence in Canada.

Canada said it supports India’s integrity, but it won’t stop the referendum as its citizens were free to protest.

Though Ottawa is trying to warm to India as outlined in its recently announced Indo-Pacific Strategy in which it calls India “a critical partner in Canada’s pursuit of its objectives under this strategy,” Khalistan will continue to be a major issue in India-Canada bilateral relations in 2023 and beyond.

“Though one can agree with Canada’s stand that it cannot stifle free expression, the fact remains that Khalistani activities are a direct interference in India’s internal affairs because most pro-Khalistani

“You undermined the standing of the medical profession and eroded the trust of the female patients,” Lord Armstrong told Singh while delivering the verdict.Detectives from Police Scotland began an investigation into Singh after a woman came forward in 2018 to report him.

He was subsequently arrested and charged in April 2018.

“Krishna Singh was a doctor, and in a position of trust, at the time he carried out this sexual abuse. His predatory behaviour was appalling for a man in his position,” Detective Inspector Stephen Morris, of the Specialist Crime Division, had said.

A hearing date has now been set by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) for January 4 which will finish two days later.

According to media reports, a hearing date has now been set on January 4 by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, which will take decisions on Singh’s medical licence and practice.

elements are now Canadian citizens with Canadian passports.

For India, they are foreigners and Canada must rein in them,” said a Brampton-based Indo-Canadian leader, requesting anonymity.

Top Indo-Canadian politician and former Canadian health minister Ujjal Dosanjh thinks that the Khalistan movement is virtually dead but some elements in Canada are trying to keep it alive with the support of Pakistan.

“My sense is that the Khalistan movement is almost dead. Now it is more about Pakistan keeping it alive by supporting these elements,” said Dosanjh who has been a fierce critic of Khalistanis in Canada.

In this dying movement, he says, these elements will do anything to stay in the limelight.

Dosanjh is also critical of India’s high-profile statements on the

activities of Khalistani elements in Canada, saying that these statements provide oxygen for the Khalistani elements who are a very small segment of the diaspora.

“India is too sensitive about what happens in the diaspora. By making high-level statements, it is actually infusing life into a dying movement. This is what Khalistani elements want,” said Dosanjh.

Brampton-based veteran Punjabi journalist Balraj Deol, however, notes that India must toughen its stand in dealing with Canada on this issue.

“Khalistanis have lobbies in all political parties and in the government here. Their religious parades are nothing but political muscle flexing and politicians for them. All this won’t stop.” The Khalistan issue will always remain an irritant between India and Canada, he said.

Punjab to set up fast-track courts to facilitate diaspora

Ludhiana, Dec 24 (IANS) Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has said that the state government would soon set up fast-track courts to facilitate Punjabi diaspora in addressing their issues on priority.

Presiding over third Punjabi NRIs’ ‘Naal Milni’ (meet) held here, Dhaliwal said the government was committed to redress their grievances by taking the initiative of such meets. He said this endeavour would go a long way in bringing positive results.

The minister said that the fasttrack courts would be functioning

dedicatedly for the speedy redressal of issues of non-resident Indians (NRIs) pertaining to civil cases.

“I have already talked with the Chief Minister in this regard,” said Dhaliwal, adding the proceedings will be initiated soon to establish such courts on priority.

Expressing satisfaction over the enthusiastic response of the Punjabi Diaspora towards the Milni initiative, Dhaliwal said the NRIs would be made active partners in the state’s progress. He lauded the contribution being made by NRI Punjabis in the development of villages and cities.

He pointed out that nodal officers are being deputed in the districts, who would get the issues of NRIs done at the earliest without any delay.

In the presence of civil and police department officials, the minister heard the problems of NRIs from Ludhiana, Sangrur, Malerkotla and Barnala districts and directed that these complaints should be resolved immediately.

During the meeting, district counters were established where officials addressed the issues of the NRIs. A total of 170 cases were heard.

Indian-American Attorney named 1st non-white treasurer of Missouri

Khalistan issue remains a major irritant between India and Canada

Indian-American lawyer named Immigrant Rights Commissioner

Californian city gets its first Sikh mayor

Now Sikhism to be part of school curriculum in 2 US states

New York, Dec 24 (IANS)

Chandigarh-born lawyer Kudrat Dutta Chaudhary has become the first immigrant of Indian-origin to take oath as Commissioner to the

York, Dec 25 (IANS) Mikey Hothi has been unanimously elected as the 117th mayor of Lodi city in northern California, becoming the first Sikh to hold the position in the city’s history.

China woefully under-prepared as it grapples with Covid tsunami

meeting, Ma Xiaowei, director of the NHC, demanded hospitals sort out their overflowing emergency rooms and move patients into inpatient departments, said one of the people who participated in the meeting.

He also urged midsize and large hospitals to take in more patients with severe symptoms and promised regulators would not hold them accountable for rising fatality rates, Financial Times reported.

over the counter, with the aim of sending anyone infected with the virus to quarantine facilities and makeshift hospitals.

That has meant that all pharmacies across the country have limited stocks of fever medicine and pharmaceutical firms had significantly curtailed their production of it. Now the authorities have asked them to ramp up production around the clock, SCMP reported.

million - has become a thorny issue for a government that staked its legitimacy on “saving lives”, CNN reported.

Officially, China reported only eight Covid deaths this month - a strikingly low figure given the rapid spread of the virus and the relatively low vaccine booster rates among the vulnerable elderly.

announced over the weekend that those who test positive for Covid could go to work, so long as they showed no symptoms. Then on Monday, Chongqing, one of China’s largest cities and a major manufacturing hub, went one step further by allowing those with mild symptoms to return to the office without testing.

By Sanjeev Sharma

New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) Chinese officials estimate about 250 million people (18 per cent of the population) were infected with Covid-19 in the first 20 days of December, as Beijing abruptly dismantled restrictions that had contained the disease for almost three years.

The estimates - including 37 million people (2.6 per cent of the population) who were infected on Tuesday alone - were revealed by Sun Yang, deputy director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in a Wednesday health briefing, said two people familiar with the matter.

Sun said that the rate of Covid’s spread in the country was still rising and estimated that more than half of the population in Beijing and Sichuan were already infected, the people briefed on the meeting said, Financial Times reported.

The explosion in cases followed Beijing’s decision this month to abandon its zero-Covid policy, which kept the virus at bay through mass testing, mandatory quarantine and draconian lockdowns.

Sun’s figures, which were provided in a closed-door meeting, contrast with data put out by the National Health Commission, which reported 62,592 symptomatic Covid cases over the same period. Last week, China stopped publicly trying to tally the total number of infections after authorities curtailed Covid testing.

The lack of information made public by China on its Covid wave has led Washington and the World Health Organization to push Beijing to be more transparent about case counts, disease severity, hospital admission figures and other health statistics that have been made widely available by other countries, Financial Times reported.

In China’s capital and other cities, the wave of Covid infections has overwhelmed hospitals with an influx of elderly, bedridden patients and left emergency rooms and intensive care units with fewer available beds.

The NHC’s official account of the Wednesday event provided little detail on what the country’s top health officials discussed. But in the

Fever medicine in short supply, hospitals and emergency services swamped, an acute blood shortage in many cities, the death toll soaring among the elderly, and morgues and funeral parlours overwhelmed with bodies.

In a word, China is woefully under-prepared for the chaos that is inevitably unfolding since the controls were lifted, as seen in other countries, Wang Xiangwei wrote in South China Morning Post.

There are similar horror stories all over Chinese social media. One influencer has started a daily death count, highlighting that prominent Peking University professors in their late 70s and early 80s have been dying at an abnormal rate, the SCMP article said.

As has been widely reported, China did an about-face on its zero-Covid policy, lifting almost all controls because of mass protests in late November. But the protests were just the trigger. The underlying issue is that China’s leaders have finally comprehended the magnitude of the devastating impact of the policy on the economy.

The acute shortage of fever medicine is also a situation of Beijing’s own making. Strict rules have for the past three years discouraged people from buying such medicine

Major winter storm claims 23 lives across US

occurred in the states of Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, New York, Colorado, and Michigan, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Among them were four fatalities caused by a 46-vehicle pileup on the Ohio Turnpike near Sandusky, Ohio, on Friday afternoon.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine tweeted Saturday that state troops “have responded to terrible crashes on our roadways this weekend.”

“If you have to be out, drive slowly, buckle up, and keep a safe stopping distance,” DeWine warned. “We want you to get to your destination safely.”

A “historic” blizzard has caused “impossible travel conditions in the Buffalo area of the state of New York and beyond, according to Governor Kathy Hochul’s office.

The North County, Finger Lakes, and Central New York regions all experienced peak wind gusts of more than 60 miles (96 km) per hour during the event.

In Western New York, peak wind gusts reached 79 miles (127 km) per hour. The Buffalo and Watertown areas are expected to see snow totals of 3 to 5 feet (91 to 152 cm) by Monday.

Additionally, since medical resources were directed into mass testing and quarantine three years ago, hospitals around the country simply don’t have enough ICU beds and equipment to cope with the surging coronavirus cases. Moreover, hospitals are in dire need of qualified and trained doctors and nurses to work in those ICUs.

The authorities are now stepping up training and recruiting ICU doctors and nurses - but this takes time, which they don’t have at this critical moment, the report said.

Now, as an unprecedented wave of infections rips through China, its state media is deliberately ignoring scenes of crowded hospital wards and packed crematoriums unfolding at home, while officials insist that by the government’s own count, few people are dying of Covid, CNN reported.

For nearly three years, China’s hardline zero-Covid policy shielded its population from the kind of mass deaths that haunted Western nations - a contrast repeatedly driven home by the Communist Party to illustrate the supposed superiority of its rule. But as China abruptly abandoned that strategy, with little warning or apparent preparation, the prospect of surging deaths - projected by some studies to be as high as one

Kiev, Dec 25 (IANS) Ukraine will require at least $39.5 billion in external financing in 2023 to keep its economy afloat, a media report said, citing a recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) projection. “Staff analysis suggests that external fiscal financing needs would be at least $39.5 billion in a central scenario,” the IMF was quoted by Interfax-Ukraine news agency as saying, Xinhua news agency reported.

Under a pessimistic scenario, which

The official tally has been met with disbelief and ridicule online, where posts mourning loved ones dying of Covid abound. Caixin, a Chinese financial magazine known for its investigative pieces, reported on the deaths of two veteran state media journalists infected with Covid, on days the official toll stood at zero, CNN reported.

Nearly 37 million people in China may have been infected with Covid-19 on a single day this week, according to estimates from the government’s top health authority, making the country’s outbreak by far the world’s largest, Bloomberg reported.

As many as 248 million people, or nearly 18 per cent of the population, likely contracted the virus in the first 20 days of December, according to minutes from an internal meeting of China’s National Health Commission held on Wednesday, confirmed with people involved in the discussions.

If accurate, the infection rate would dwarf the previous daily record of about 4 million, set in January 2022, Bloomberg reported.

Chinese officials and companies are letting Covid-positive people return to work in a bid to keep the economy running, despite a massive Covid surge that could be as large as a million cases a day, Fortune reported.

Officials in Zhejiang province

envisages that Ukraine’s gross domestic product will decline by 12.5 per cent, the country’s foreign financing needs will be around $57 billion, the IMF said.

According to Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko, external financing of Ukraine’s state budget is set to reach $30 billion this year.

The Ukrainian economy, which was severely hit by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, is expected to shrink by between 32-35 per cent this year after a 3.4 per cent growth in 2021.

A day later, city officials in Beijing said that Covid-positive patients in home isolation could return to work without needing to test so long as they did not have a fever. Previously, a negative test was required to leave home isolation, Fortune reported.

Directives from Chinese government officials that allow people to go work sick represent a major change in tone from just weeks ago, when Beijing was still wedded to a tough policy of lockdowns and mass testing to completely suppress COVID outbreaks. Now, as China rapidly eases its COVID controls, officials are trying to reassure ordinary Chinese worried about a rapid surge in cases.

Factories are also trying to prepare their workforces for a COVID wave.

On December 12, Qin Lihong, president of electric-car maker Nio, told reporters that the company had “sent trucks of medicines and equipment to the factory to be well prepared.”

Some manufacturers are using “closed-loop” systems, where workers live on-site with strict movement controls, in order to keep infections out. Companies like Tesla used these systems to keep factory lines running during earlier COVID outbreaks and lockdowns, Fortune reported.

(Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at Sanjeev.s@ians.in)

IMF

Washington/New York, Dec 25 (IANS) A major winter storm has claimed at least 23 lives across the US, according to NBC News.

The media outlet reported that 23 deaths till Saturday evening had

US weather forecasters said on Saturday that the winter storm continues to impact the Great Lakes with gusty winds, frigid temperatures and heavy snow, even with its centre now well to the north over eastern Canada.

The lights are still out for hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the United States as Christmas Eve falls.

More than 3,300 flights within, into, or out of the US have been canceled on Saturday, with around 7,500 delayed, according to a flight tracking website.

Chinese cry for paracetamol as govt pushes for traditional drug

“Why

Lianhua Qingwen

expensive Lianhua

need is drugs

can lower the temperature, such as ibuprofen and paracetamol,” wrote one user on social media website Weibo.

According to the report, some provinces are distributing tens of thousands of boxes with Lianhua Qingwen to residents.

2020 as a recommended treatment for fever, coughs and fatigue in mild-to-moderate cases.

Earlier this year, it was included in the anti-epidemic kits distributed to every household in Hong Kong as the city battled its own surge in cases, said the report.

Hong Kong, Dec 25 (IANS) As people in China suffering from Covid ask for ibuprofen and paracetamol, the government is pushing for a traditional medicine known as Lianhua Qingwen to contain the surge of Covid-19 infections, the media reported on Sunday.

According to South China Morning Post, people and experts are divided over its effectiveness as a treatment and regulators in some countries have warned against its use or even banned it, like the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The medicine was officially recommended as a treatment by the government in the early stages of the pandemic

“Why can Lianhua Qingwen be transported and distributed freely, while the usual fever drugs are not available or distributed?” asked another Weibo user.

The Yunnan government has said there was an acute shortage of ibuprofen and paracetamol and the government was working to have them produced at “in full capacity”.

Lianhua Qingwen became a household name after it was included in a national Covid-19 guidelines in April

However, Liu Qingquan, president of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said in a media briefing that, under the theory of the “same treatment for different diseases”, many more options can be used for Covid-19.

“The choice of drugs is actually very broad, and all of these drugs can treat infection with the Omicron variant,” Liu was quoted as saying.

Chinese officials estimate about 250 million people (18 per cent of the population) were infected with Covid-19 in the first 20 days of December, as Beijing abruptly dismantled restrictions that had contained the disease for almost three years.

10 killed, 50 injured in S.Africa gas explosion

Johannesburg, Dec 24 (IANS) At least 10 people were killed and around 50 others were injured on Saturday following a gas explosion at Boksburg in South Africa, officials said.

William Ntladi, a spokesperson for Ekurhuleni Emergency Management Services, told Xinhua that they received a report that a gas truck was stuck under a bridge in

Boksburg at around 7.50 a.m.

“When the firefighters tried to suppress the fire, there was an explosion and six firefighters were injured... they are in a stable condition,” Ntladi said, adding that the circumstances will be investigated.

The type of gas carried by the truck was unclear, according to the spokesperson.

Over 50,000 int’l tourists visit Sri Lanka in Dec

Colombo, Dec 24 (IANS) Sri Lanka recorded over 50,000 international tourist arrivals in December so far, a significant improvement compared to previous months, according to latest data released by the tourism authority.

The daily average of arrivals in December is over 2,500 and in the first 11 months of this year, the figure was around 1,900, data from Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) showed.

The total number of international tourist arrivals for the year to December 20 was 678,392, Xinhua news agency quoted the SLTDA as saying.

Tourism, one of Sri Lanka’s

Rags to Riches: Indian driver in Dubai wins over Rs 33 cr in lottery

Dubai, Dec 24 (IANS) An Indian driver Ajay Ogula has won the grand prize of 15 million dirhams (over INR 33 crore) in UAE’s weekly lottery Emirates Draw.

Ogula emerged as the EASY6 Grand Prize winner and took home AED 15 million.

Ogula created history with a unique rags-to-riches tale by becoming the first person to win the grand prize of Emirates Draw’s AED 15 million.

The 31-year-old Indian national, who hails from a village in southern India, came to the UAE four years ago in search of a better life.

As the eldest among siblings, he felt obliged to support his family, which consisted of an aging mother and two younger siblings, who lived in an old, rented house.

Since his arrival in UAE, Ajay has been working hard, often for long hours, as a driver for a jewellery establishment.

“During a conversation with my boss, I mentioned reading about someone winning a good amount with Emirates draw, to which my boss said ‘you keep wasting money here and there, so why don’t let it be

used for that’,” Ajay said.

Following his employer’s advice, Ajay installed the Emirates Draw mobile app and bought two tickets for his first involvement with Emirates Draw, which changed his life.

“I was out with my friend when I got the congratulatory e-mail. I thought I won some small amount... but as I started reading, the zeroes kept adding up, and I lost my mind when I saw the final figure. I felt lost,” says

Ajay, adding “it was hard for his family to believe him”.

“I was able to verify the news only after visiting the Emirates draw office and receiving the cheque,” he said

Ajay plans to first invite his family to Dubai to give them a glimpse of life in the UAE.

He said that he plans to build a house for his family in his village and start a construction company to become self-sufficient.

give us

Qingwen? What we

that

Ukraine to require at least $39.5-bn external financing in 2023:

leading foreign exchange earners, has suffered a setback due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the country’s economic and political crises. Sri Lanka aims to attract around

1.5 million tourists in 2023 and 3 million tourists in 2024, according to Minister of Tourism and Lands Harin Fernando.

Brace yourself for a great New Years celebration

By N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe

The party starts at 8 pm with the a-la-carte menu that includes an array of fresh salads, signature handmade pasta, small and large plates, burgers, a deli section, artisanal bread, and scrumptious desserts, something for everyone’s palate! Once the clock hits 10 pm, the best deals kick in with different packages starting at Rs.1800/going up to Rs. 4500/- for a night full of unlimited lip-smacking food

and drinks from Mediterranean and European cuisine. And dance, till you drop with the best beats of Commercial and Bollywood, played by the in-house DJ all night long! So head to Loci & Toot, located in the buzzing lanes of Bandra, and countdown to 2023!

Ti’s the holiday season and there is no better reason to wine and dine at your favorite Italian restaurant, CinCin. Known for its fresh handrolled pasta, Italian cocktails, and extensive wine list- CinCin aims to deliver an authentic Italian experience in the heart of Mumbai. To celebrate their five-year anniversary, the team decided to take their love for wine a step further with their

third house wine- the zesty sparkling wine, Limon Spritz.

This festive season, swirl, sip and savor with your amici and take a trip to experience the ultimate Italian culture with CinCin’s Limon Spritz.

Address- CinCin, Raheja Towers, Near Dena Bank, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East.

Contact: +91 83558 70000

Kick off the 2023 celebrations with your family and friends. Head to the Modern Indian Gourmet Diner SAGA, at Golf Course Road, Gurugram. Putting top-class produce at centre stage and spotlighting hyper-seasonal ingredients, the New Year special Brunch menu will have Michelin-star Chef Atul Kochhar’s curated Cuisines of India. Indulge in the flavours of Chicken Tikka Pie, Butter Chicken ball, Murgh Musallam Tacos, Nadru ki chaat, Kundan Qalia, Goat Biryani and many more. Kids and adults alike will love the decadent desserts and soulful live music while basking in the lush green Al Fresco at SAGA. The regional ingredients inspired Cocktail Menu has plenty

It’s about time, time to say goodbye to 2022! How about we do it in style with a Masquerade themed party. Yes! You heard that right, Foo Bandra is set to make your New Year’s Eve celebration a one to remember

If you are looking for a place to dance your heart out, then head to Foo Bandra as DJ Rohan takes over the decks and will ensure to keep you on your toes with his high energy music.Well, if it’s Foo you know you are going to indulge in authentic flavours and a variety of Asian dishes accompanied by bespoke drinks

The ultimate Foo experience doesn’t stop at this! Raise a toast to the good times, surrounded by your favourite people at a table set with the most splendid feast, and of course, festive

It’s been a great year and now it’s time to step into the next one, a new beginning is here and it’s time to welcome 2023 by celebrating New Year’s Eve at KMC* with a House Party. KMC*, a space progressive space for community and culture is hosting a party with unlimited food and alcohol to go along with it. To take it up a notch there are also some photography and fun party props. And to conclude a special countdown to welcome the New Year!

The tickets are available at two different pricings, one for the early birds and the other for the last-minute spontaneous one with access to unlimited premium Liquor & Food

priced at Rs. 2499 for Female Stag, Rs. 2999 for Male Stag, and Rs. 4999 for Couples. For all the late bloomers out there, there is a premium Liquor & Food Package that consists of the following prices, Rs. 2999 for Female Stag, Rs. 3499 for Male Stag, and Rs. 5499 for Couples. Grab your early bird passes now! And head to KMC* to ring in the new year with the best House Party in town!

Date: 31st December 2022 Time: 9:30 PM - 1:30 AM

Address: Kitab Mahal, 1st Floor, Shop No.2, Azad Maidan, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001 Tickets are available on insider.in

Is there anything more fitting than a good ol’ feast to enjoy on New Year’s Day? Well, then make your way to CHÔ for a hearty brunch. With an elaborate menu curated using the best seasonal produce, local products, and artisanal items, dig into their fantastic selection of Asian and Vietnamese delights. Think: Duck Puffs, Banh Khot (prawn cakes), Braised Duck Rice Paper Rolls, Gluten-free Chicken Dumpling, Vietnamese Chicken Chorizo Pizza, Winter Nabe Paper Pots and more. Their bar is another highlight, well-stacked with the finest spirits. While you watch the mixologist performing wizardry and churning

Address: Ambawatta One, H5/1, Kalkadass Marg, Mehrauli, New Delhi

For Reservations: 9311902818

Cost per person: Rs. 2500/- plus taxes

Begin the countdown to the New Year at Plural and indulge in a menu that pays homage to the tastes and textures of popular dishes from Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Located in the quaint lanes of Kala Ghoda, the restaurant will be open for a-la-carte dining at a cover charge of INR 2,500/- per person. The menu will serve special dishes such as Asian Green Dimsums with scallion dip, Avocado Tartare, a diced avocado dish with tenkasu sriracha dressing and chives, and the classic Pho, among others.

And to end the affair on a sweet note is the Plural and An Ode To Gaia Holiday Dessert menu, with comforting winter flavours - mulled

wine, warm spices, figs, strawberries, lemongrass and more. Each dessert is a labour of love consisting of multiple elements and textures, with a keen eye on aesthetics and plating.

The patrons will each be offered a glass of Sparkling wine to raise a toast to the year that went by. If you are not a straight drinks person, you can pick some of Plural’s eclectic cocktails specially curated for the season from the Holly Jolly to Feeling Thorny, Plural’s Holiday drinks have got you covered.

Address: Jai Hind Building, Nanik Motwani Marg, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001 Contact: 098923 82740

It’s time to welcome 2023 and say adios to the Year 2022! And what better way than to do it in style with KOKO’s signature drinks, food, music and festive decor! Dance the Night away with stellar music by DJ Conrad while savoring signature dishes such as the KOKO Signature Roll, Prawn & Chive Dumpling, Crispy Pork Belly, & more, paired with exemplary cocktails. Ensuring only the best for its Patrons KOKO has an exclusive experience that includes access to Exclusive VIP Tables, Private Butler Service, Premium Alcohol. Trust us when we say KOKO is the place to be, to celebrate New Year’s Eve!

Date: 31st December, 2022 Time:10 pm onwards VIP luxury tables - INR 12,000 plus

Inclusion: endless food and premium drinks

Regular entry - but no private table14k per couple plus taxes

Stag Entry

Male - INR 10,000 plus taxes

Female - INR 5000 plus taxes

Inclusion: endless food and drinks

Date: 1st January, 2023

Time: 12 pm to 4 pm

Price: INR 2400 ++ per person for Food. Drinks as per a la

Radisson Blu Mumbai International Airport brings to you an evening filled with scrumptious meals, heavenly beverages, customized dining options, and much more! The display kitchen and live counters will bring this special evening to life, with a selection of fine beverages while you swoon to the tunes of live music with your friends and family.

the most dazzling parties, offering good food, a great ambiance, and even better deals.

our scintillating bespoke cocktails, get yourself a glass, too! And finally finish off the meal on a sweet note with their sinful Hot Toffee Pudding. Nestled in a 160-year-old haveli overlooking the city’s revered Qutub Minar, CHÔ- Vietnamese Kitchen and Bar will also have a live acoustic performance. Sway to the soulful rhythms and welcome 2023 on a beautiful note.

AIMA annual gala event held

Dr Raja Kannusamy awarded for contribution to education & iandustry

Program leader and senior lecturer at the COLAB, which is apartof Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors,Dr Raja Kannusamyreceived an important academic award recently.

He has been at the forefront of preparing learners and industry to evolve with the technological landscape, was awarded ‘The Brian Gibson Best Academic Paper Award’ by the Small Enterprise Association of Australia and New Zealand (SEAANZ) for his work into the future of work for small and medium-sized enterprises.

SEAANZ is a professional association which is working for research, policy development and

the dissemination of ideas relating to entrepreneurship and small business management for the small to medium enterprise (SME) sector in the Australasian region.

In this year’s SEAANZ symposium, Dr Raja presented his findings to government officials, policymakers, industry and academics to pave the way for the upcoming generation of new breed thinkers in business.

DrKannusamy’s paper ‘Blockchain Use: A Conceptional Paper to Address the Question on “What Tools Can Help SME Practitioners, Policy Makers and Researchers Plan for an Uncertain Future?’, which wasco-written with DrNagarajanVenkatachalam from Queensland University of

Technology, was

as the best research on

Small and

CG attends roundtable on Australia-India trade ties

Indian Abroad Newsdesk

Indian Abroad Newsdesk Consulate General of India, Perth Amarjeet Singh Takhiattended a very informative and interactive roundtable recently with Frances Lisson, Chief Negotiator for the Australia-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, together with YazMubarakai MLA, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education; Aboriginal Affairs; Citizenship and Multicultural Interests and CEOs and leaders of several WA businesses and industry organizations. This was an Australia India Chamber of Commerce initiative to strengthen bilateral trade ties.

selected

digital technology applications in

Medium Enterprises for the award. Dr Nathan Crane at ICHM has also been recognised for his contributions to education and industry.

Indian Abroad Newsdesk

Indian doctors’ fraternity, under the Australia-India Medical Association (AIMA) held the annual gala event recently. It was attended by Amber-Jade Sanderson, Minister for Health; Mental Health of Western Australia, together with Dr Jags MLA, Parliamentary Secretary

to the Minister for Finance; Commerce; Women’s Interests and DrPaddy Ramanathan. Consulate General of India, PerthAmarjeet Singh Takhi participated in the event and interacted with AIMA representatives and members, including eminent doctors in different specialisations.

Over 600 Indian doctors participated in the event. AIMA has contributed immensely to maintaining the well-being of Australians and earned very high regard and appreciation from all, including WA Premier, who acknowledged the stellar role played by Indian doctors in keeping people healthy.

Indian Abroad Newsdesk

part of AKAM celebrations, the High Commission Of India,

Canberraorganised an exhibition commemorating VeerBaalDiwas remembering the bravery and

sacrifice of Sahibzade Baba Zorawar Singh Ji and Sahibzade Baba Fateh Singh Ji.

India.

Punjabi to be introduced in local schools in WA

The government of Western Australia announced recently that a Punjabi curriculum will be developed and made available for pre-primary to Year 12 students of the state. This is keeping in view the fact that Punjabi is the fastest growing language in Australia.This is after the announcement in 2021 of the development of syllabuses for Hindi, Korean and Tamil, which will be introduced to schools in the region starting 2023.

The Education and Training Minister and a leader in the Legislative Council in the state Parliament and also Sue Ellery announced recently that curriculum writers will begin developing

Punjabi will be fully developed in Western Australia, where languages education becomes compulsory from Year 3, by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority.

The pre-primary to Year 10 Punjabi syllabuses will be available to schools from 2024, and the Year 11 courses will be available to students in 2024, with the first Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) Course Examination to be set in 2025.

Sydmal donates $2000 for flood vicims

Malayalee Association (Sydmal) donated $2000 directly to Givit, a support network provided by the Government, to support NSW flood impacted communities.

Givit provides 100% funds to a nominated project and provides a tax deductable invoice for the funds donated.

Those interested in donationscan inform Sydmal through email: execom@sydmal.com.au and

CG

meets Mayor of City of Swan

Indian Abroad Newsdesk

Punjabi syllabuses and support materials for schools from January.

Western Australia boasts of a sizable population of Punjabis after Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

Indian Abroad Newsdesk

their nameswill be published in Sydml website as a donor from Sydmal community.

Indian Abroad Newsdesk

Consulate General of India, PerthAmarjeet Singh Takhimet Cr David Lucas, Mayor of City of Swanand the new CEO of City of

Swan Stephen Cain recently, and discussed various areas of collaboration including commerce, culture, tourism and people-people links.

Indian Abroad Newsdesk

The 14th Edition of World Spice Congress (WSC) will be held in Mumbai from 16-18 February 2023 on the sidelines of the G20 Meet.

Over 1000 delegates from more than 50 countries are expected to participate in the event. For registration and more information, visit https://www.worldspicecongress.com/

Indian Abroad Newsdesk

The North West Malayalee Association Sydney celebrated Christmas recently. ‘NANMA Sydney - Summer in Bethlehem’ powered by sponsors was a massive success. The success of the event was the culmination of extreme talents,dedication of the committee members and community and it was indicative of the amazing turnout.

The Christmas event introduced one of the multi- talented JohnTimotheus.

Consul General of India, PerthAmarjeet Singh Takhi joined the ShaheediDiwas congregation at Sikh GurudwaraSaheb at Canningvale in paying tributes to the four Sahibzade of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji on their courage and unparalleled sacrifice in standing up for their beliefs and keeping the dignity of Sikhism high.

As announced by Prime Minister of India, the Government of India has notified that 26th December will

be observed as ‘Veer

while walking on the path of justice. A digital exhibition showcasing the courage and sacrifice of Baba Fateh Singh ji and Baba Zorawar Singh jiwas held at the Consulate premises on 26 December 2022 from 10:00 hrs to 16:30 hrs. The exhibition was shown on 28 December at the CanningvaleGurudwaraSaheb during ShaheediDiwas special diwan in the evening.

Indian Abroad Newsdesk

As part of the AzadiKaAmritMahotsav, the CGI Melbourne organized an Exhibition ‘Veer Baal Diwas’ on

Indian Abroad Newsdesk

Indian Abroad Newsdesk

estern Australia Kannada Sangha(WAKS) celebrated14th Kannada Rajyothsavaon 12 November 2022 at UWA Octagon Theatre, WA.Kannada Rajyotsava, also

26th December 2022, to commemorate the martyrdom of Baba Fateh Singh and Baba Zorawar Singh, the ‘Sahibzade’ of 10th Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

Baal Diwas’ to mark the martyrdom of Sri Guru Gobind Singh’s chhotesahibzadas

known as Karnataka Formation Day or Karnataka Day, was the day in 1956 when all the Kannada language-speaking regions of south western India were merged to form the state of Karnataka.

Veer Baal Diwas organized in Melbourne Veer Baal Diwas celebrated WAKS celebrates Kannada Rajyothsava

Teachings of Jesus are identical with Vedic beliefs’

This led me to believe that there is something wrong in understanding Jesus. Hence the study and the writing (of this book),” Cairae elaborated.

Jesus had twelve main disciples, who were called apostles. One of them, Judas Iscariot, had betrayed him which led to the arrest and crucification of Christ. Judas is reported to have committed suicide thereafter. The remaining apostles, by common consent, nominated another disciple to be an apostle to make the number twelve again. Paul was not one of these. He had never met Jesus in his life, but claimed that he received his teachings in a vision and proclaimed himself an apostle. Christianity today is based on the beliefs and teachings laid down by Paul.

delivering this judgement. A very important part of this was that whoever believes that Jesus was the Son of God and that he rose from the dead would go to heaven. Thus, faith alone, in his doctrine, was sufficient. The book asserts that Jesus and his apostles did not have any such belief and did not preach this. They believed in the transmigration of souls in which a person was born in a position on the basis of his deeds in the previous life. The soul could go out of the cycle of rebirth and attain salvation by realising the true nature of the self. The teachings of Jesus were thus diametrically opposite to what Christians believe today and as were laid down by Paul.

from the writings of the Christian Fathers of the early centuries to show that the followers of the apostles did not acknowledge Paul as an apostle and did not believe in what he preached. James, an apostle and the brother of Jesus, had become the bishop of Jerusalem and the head of the Church of the apostles after the death of Jesus. No writings of anyone from this side have survived. All that has come down to us is from Pauline traditions, except a set of gnostic literature that was found in the last century, carefully packed and buried in Egypt and goes by the name of the Nag Hammadi Library.

By Vishnu Makhijani Veteran bureaucrat Harsh

Mahaan

and religion. He has studied the scriptures of several religions, of which the Vedas have been of special interest. He discovered that the teachings of Jesus Christ are identical with Vedic beliefs.

In his book “Discovering Jesus” (Rupa), he proceeds to look for the source of these beliefs reaching Jesus and finds that these were also the original beliefs of the Jews. “Jesus did not acquire them from an external source. This raises a bigger question of how the beliefs of the Jews were identical with the Vedic beliefs. Were they in any way related to the Aryans? I have relied on a number of literary sources including my earlier book, ‘An Aryan Journey’ which was a research based on Vedic, Zoroastrian, Greek and Roman literary sources, and concluded that the Jews were Aryans and were of the group which called itself Devs as distinct

from Asurs,” Cairae told IANS in an interview.

“I, however, concede that this has emerged from literary sources alone and such a big question cannot be answered finally on the basis of one source alone. Other sources of information, particularly genetics need to come in to take the issue to its logical conclusion,” he added.

“My first book was based primarily on a research of Vedic and Zoroastrian scriptures in which I had traced the migration route of the Indo-Aryans. In this I had come across a person in Iran, named Mani, who is believed to have been the founder of Manichaeism, a religion very widely practiced till the spread of Christianity. My findings led me to believe that this was the Vedic religion which had acquired a new name as Mani had introduced some reforms. Mani used to claim that he was the Apostle of Jesus Christ. The Manichaens claimed they represented true Christianity, while the Church considered them to be heretics. Heretics, but not followers of some other religion.

Paul, and later the Pauline Church, created an impression that he and the other apostles preached together and the same things. With this it has got established that what Paul has laid down is what was preached by Jesus.

“Discovering Jesus” brings out evidence to show that Paul and the real apostles were not preaching together or the same things. Paul fought a running battle with them all his life and was not acknowledged as an apostle by their followers.

The belief laid down by Paul is that the world would come to an end where after there would be a Day of Judgment. (At places he has said that this could come within the lifetime of the people he was addressing.) When it comes the dead will rise from their graves with new bodies, while the bodies of the living will be transformed. All will be judged for their deeds, the sinners would be sent to suffer in hell till eternity, while the virtuous will go to heaven to enjoy, also till eternity.

“On behalf of God, Jesus would be

In showing that Paul was fighting with the apostles and not preaching with them, the book first brings out evidence from the Bible itself. The letters of Paul, that are a part of the New Testament and are called Epistles, show the discord. Very important are the quotes from the Epistle to the Hebrews. The book brings out that this is addressed by Paul to the apostles. In this Paul has listed out the doctrinal differences that he had with them and has requested them to leave them aside for the present for a discussion in the future and for the time being discontinue animal sacrifice. The doctrinal differences he records include the debate between deeds and faith; doctrine of baptism; laying on of hand; resurrection of the dead; and eternal judgement. These are fundamental beliefs of Christianity today, which Paul has himself recorded, were issues on which the Apostles did not agree with him. For animal sacrifice, which Paul was requesting to be stopped immediately, the book brings out evidence to show that this was practiced in the Church. Apart from what emerges from the Bible, the book brings out evidence

The care with which it was found packed shows that there was a danger of it being destroyed by the opponents, which the keepers were in no position to resist.

Despite nothing coming from the apostolic side, a lot about them can be known from the Pauline writers as a lot of them have written about them and their beliefs, at times for repudiation and at others to mock. Based on this, the book brings out evidence to show that Paul was considered to be an apostate by the followers of the apostles.

Having shown that Paul was not on the same side as the apostles, the book proceeds to bring out the myths that Paul and the Pauline Church created to support their belief system and for that how the New Testament was tampered with.

It shows that only the Gospel of Mathew was the genuine gospel accepted by the followers of the apostles and, as it was in Hebrew, the Gospel of Mark was its translation into Greek. The rest of the New Testament is Pauline. Even in these two a lot of interpolations have been made to support Pauline theology.

To create a divine stature for Jesus, myths have been created of his birth from a virgin, miracles performed

by him and his rising from the dead. The last myth has been created also to support the theory of the resurrection of the dead on the Day of Judgment. The book brings out evidence to show that the apostles and their followers did not believe in any of these myths.

For the concept of the Immaculate Conception, apart from bringing out evidence to show that the apostles did not believe in it, the book points out that it cannot be believed because Joseph and Mary, the parents of Jesus did not believe in his divinity. If it had been true, they would have been the direct witnesses to the event and would have received the testimony of the Holy Spirit that Jesus was the Son of God. In such a situation they should have been the first and foremost believers of his divinity and should have been his followers.

The Bible does not mention Joseph after the childhood of Jesus while references to Mary show that she was not a believer. The book states that we have a situation wherein the Church wants its followers to believe that Jesus was the Son of God while the mother who gave him birth did not believe in this. The book also notes that this myth was not created by Paul but emerged a few centuries later. Paul does not mention this anywhere in his extensive writings. The basis for saying that this was incorporated later is the reason for the creation of this myth.

It is claimed that this was to fulfill a prophecy. Christians believe that the Old Testament, which is the Tanakh, the scripture of the Jews, contains prophecies about the coming of Christ and Jesus, by his birth and life, fulfilled all of them.

(Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in)

If Centre gets complete control, judiciary won’t be free: Ex-SC judge Madan Lokur

Constitution. Lokur said, the executive is an equal player in the collegium system, however, “It is now emerging that the biggest hurdle to the success of the collegium system is the executive and its complete opacity and its arbitrariness”.

And, on the row over the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, he said the central government stubbornly decided that it should be its way or the highway. Excerpts from the interview:

Q: Recently, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, attacking the mechanism to appoint Supreme Court and high court judges, said the collegium system is “alien” to the Constitution. Is the collegium system really alien to the Constitution?

Can it be said that they were not independent? If not then why this apprehension that without collegium, judiciary will not be independent?

A: There are governments and governments and ministers and ministers. Judges have always been independent even before the collegium system. Governments and ministers did not like it, on occasions, but accepted and tolerated it. Primacy was accorded to the Chief Justice of India.

Not so today. It appears that the executive does not want independent judges but wants a committed judiciary. If it succeeds in its misadventure, India will cease to have an independent judiciary to the detriment of all of us.

increased in connection with the appointment of judges. Do you think the collegium system is successful or there are certain areas which lack transparency in selecting judges?

A: Some functional areas in the collegium system deserve greater transparency. Improvements in these areas is possible and I hope the Supreme Court and the High Court collegiums will look into this. However, this is no ground to scrap the collegium system. The executive is an equal player in the collegium system. Unfortunately, there is total lack of transparency as far as the executive is concerned and its decision making is opaque.

arbitrariness. The executive must open up and be transparent.

Taking potshots at the collegium system is not a substitute for transparency. The executive must appreciate that and be transparent, not opaque. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.

Q: Was the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act a good model? Did it require a fair chance to work or is the collegium system far better than it? Was NJAC really a battle between the judiciary and the executive?

in the collegium system. And yes, the collegium has made some recommendations and not made some recommendations on criteria other than objective. This is where improvement is necessary.

The failure of the executive to accept some recommendations of the Supreme Court has, unfortunately, been based only on subjective reasoning, or so it appears. Where an objective decision has been taken by the executive, the collegium has accepted it.

appointment process”, and if it succeeds, India will cease to have an independent judiciary to the detriment of all of us.

He said nobody knows why senior advocate Saurabh Kirpal, who is openly gay, has not been appointed as a judge to the Delhi High Court? Also, it is improper to accuse several Supreme Court judges of giving an alien interpretation to the

A: The collegium system is the result of decisions rendered by the Supreme Court over a period of several years. It is not an overnight development. Judgments delivered by a Bench of 9 judges of the Supreme Court interpreted the Constitution resulting in the collegium in its present form. It is improper to accuse several Supreme Court judges of giving an alien interpretation to the Constitution.

Q: Prior to the introduction of the collegium system in the 1990s, judges in the higher judiciary were appointed by the government.

Q: Does the collegium want absolute power in the appointment process? If judges were to make a mistake recommending a name for elevation, since no institution in a constitutional democracy is perfect, who would correct it?

A: The collegium does not and never wanted absolute power. You’ve got it completely wrong. It’s the executive that wants absolute power and control over the appointment process. Why? It is not prepared to accept the primacy of the Supreme Court for reasons that are quite obvious.

Q: Friction points between the Centre and judiciary have

OneWeb satellites for a fee; flying for the second time its small rocket; development of new rocket architecture and others.

The Central government is expected to announce the Space Policy and also enact a law governing the sector next year and the private players will also get ready their satellites and rockets.

“The ISRO will be looking at ways to have better systems. The space agency will focus on development of new generation rockets that are cost effective. The agency will work on developing a new rocket architecture,” Somanath told IANS in an interview.

For example, on what grounds does it disagree with recommendations made by the Supreme Court collegium? Nobody knows. For what reason does it delay forwarding recommendations to the President? Nobody knows. Why has Chief Justice Dipankar Dutta not been appointed to the Supreme Court for over two months? Nobody knows. Why has Saurabh Kirpal not been appointed to the Delhi High Court? Nobody knows.

There are several such instances of opaque decision making by the executive. It is now emerging that the biggest hurdle to the success of the collegium system is the executive and its complete opacity and its

discussions with several Ministries. Speaking of the space missions he told IANS that the launch of 36 satellites belonging to the UK based OneWeb is there. The satellites will be launched by ISRO rocket LVM3 (formerly Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mk3).

The prestigious Chandrayaan-3 mission is also slated for 2023 and the launch in June/July is critical. ISRO plans to send one navigation satellite, NavIC, next year and try one more, Somanath said.

A: The NJAC Act was the result of an amendment to the Constitution. There should have been a healthy debate before making the NJAC a law. Only then could the flaws have been minimised and creases ironed out. Unfortunately, the Central Government stubbornly decided that it should be its way or the highway. It was never a battle between the judiciary and the executive, but now the executive is making it out to be so, unfortunately.

Q: Some questions have been raised about the collegium picking up some names and dropping others. Are recommendations for appointment of judges to the apex court and high courts more subjective and less objective?

A: I don’t accept it as a general proposition. As mentioned earlier, the executive is an equal player

viewing the Sun without occultation/ eclipses.

As regards to Gaganyaan, ISRO plans to test fly two rockets and also carry out an unmanned rocket mission next year.

On the Indo-US collaborative NASAISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Mission, Somanath said the satellite will be launched next year.

Q: Recently, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud emphasised on having good judges instead of doubling the number of judges to combat pendency. Is the collegium system perfect in selecting good judges and the executive’s larger say in the process would dilute the independence of the judiciary?

A: No system is perfect, including the collegium system. An effort should always be made to minimise errors of judgment. The manner in which the executive has been dealing with the recommendations of the collegium is an indication that it intends to throw out the baby with the bathwater and take complete control over the appointment process. If that happens, it will be the end of the independence of the judiciary.

(Sumit Saxena can be contacted at sumit.s@ians.in)

and looking at ramping up the production.

In 2023, the ISRO is expected to test its semi-cryogenic engine that would power the rockets.

The

In line with the global trend, the ISRO will also look at having a constellation of satellites for imaging purposes.

According to Somanath, the Space Policy has to come and then the Space Bill. The draft Bill is under

He said the ISRO is also planning to have its mission to the sun with its satellite Aditya-L1, a coronagraphy spacecraft to study the solar atmosphere, with a PSLV rocket next year. According to the ISRO, the spacecraft will be placed in a halo orbit around the first Lagrange point, L1, of the Sun-Earth system.

A satellite around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously

“The NISAR satellite is expected to be flagged off from the US to India in January/February next year,” Somanath remarked.

According to him, the ISRO is planning to fly a couple of its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) -- its new rocket -- next year.

The space agency has to make a satellite to fly the second SSLV rocket.

The first mission that happened in 2022 was a failure.

Somanath said there are good enquiries for the usage of SSLV

“We are working to get the Indian government’s permission to launch one NavIC satellite next February. We are also looking at the long term plan. We are building five more NavIC satellites as replacement for the existing ones. The five satellites will have a new frequency for civilian use. Further the communication security is beefed up for use by the strategic sectors,” Somanath said.

The year 2023 will also see ISRO test landing its reusable launch vehicle (RLV) as the air force helicopter was not available in 2022 to lift and release the same from the required height.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in)

By Venkatachari Jagannathan Chennai, Dec 24 (IANS) The year ahead will be significant for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in particular and for the space sector, says S. Somanath, chairman of the country’s premier space agency, and Secretary, Space, Government of India.

Cairae is an avid reader and a student of philosophy

By Sumit Saxena New Delhi, Dec 4 (IANS) Former Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B. Lokur, in an interview with IANS, said “the manner in which the executive has been dealing with the recommendations of the Collegium is an indication that it intends to throw out the baby with the bath water and take complete control over the

Indian space agency is looking at couple of major space missions, like the Mission to the Moon (Chandrayaan-3); test flights and unmanned flight of rocket for human space mission Gaganyaan; launch of Aditya L1 satellite or the Sun Mission; the Indo-US joint NISAR satellite launch; launch of 36

New Delhi, Dec 26 (IANS) Year 2022 was a milestone for the BJP in terms of electoral success as it secured a record breaking win in its strongest bastion, Gujarat.

The party also created a record by retaining power in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. It, however, failed to form government in Himachal Pradesh.

The party that raised the slogan of ‘Congress-mukt bharat’, was defeated by the Congress in the hill state.

Given this, now 2023 will be crucial for the saffron party as the elections to be held in the year would decide the course of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The coming year would tell whether Congress has regained its strength or BJP’s slogan of Congress-free India is headed towards success.

Out of 10 states and Union

Territories- Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Tripura, Meghalaya,

Nagaland, Mizoram and J&K, where Assembly elections are to be held in 2023, the BJP will be engaging in direct contest with the Congress in all the states except Telangana and J&K.

The saffron party is expected to hold its national executive meeting in mid-January, 2023 to chalk out a strategy for the upcoming Assembly polls.

In Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, which are currently under the Congress rule, the BJP is attempting to oust it from power.

The BJP wants to give a jolt to both the Gandhi family and the Congress by defeating Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan and Bhupesh Baghel in Chhattisgarh, as both these leaders are considered very close to the Gandhi family.

The saffron party faced defeat in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh in the 2018 Assembly elections, and gained power much later due to major defection by Jyotiraditya Scindia among others in MP, and the success of Operation Lotus in Karnataka.

In order to defeat the Gehlot government in Rajasthan, the BJP has been taking out a Jan Aakrosh Yatra in all the 200 assembly seats of the state and is also preparing for a big campaign by bringing all the factions together.

The BJP is trying to unite the party divided into factions in

Chhattisgarh, and taking the help of organisations affiliated to the RSS to strengthen its base in the state.

The Shivraj government and the BJP high command have been gearing up to win the elections in Madhya Pradesh.

To change the political atmosphere in Karnataka in its favour, the BJP high command removed the then Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and made Basavaraj Bommai the Chief Minister in 2021.

Yediyurappa was then made a member of BJP Parliamentary Board Committee, party’s highest and most powerful body, in a bid to appease all factions and caste equations, and to send a political message to the people of the state.

Assembly elections are also due in Telangana where the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (formerly known as Telangana Rashtra Samithi) is in power and K. Chandrasekhar Rao is the Chief Minister.

Rao is engaged in a campaign to unite all opposition parties against the BJP across the country, while the latter is working on a strategy to defeat Rao in his home state.

In view of Assembly elections to be held in 2023 in J&K, the BJP which has a stronghold in Jammu, has been trying hard to strengthen its base in Kashmir.

In all these states, the BJP is expected to take the advantage of Prime

Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity, which is why Modi will be seen engaged in more programmes and rallies in these states under the strategy for 2023.

Along with free ration being provided to more than 80 crore people, attempts will be made to spread information of the Centre’s other achievements among the people.

The party is also eyeing the Muslim votes and has been laying emphasis on preparations to seek the support of the Muslim community, especially the backward Muslims, in these elections.

The BJP high command will review its strategy by visiting Delhi and the capitals of the states where the elections will be held in 2023, several times in the new year.

These meetings will be held under the command of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President J.P. Nadda and General Secretary B.L. Santosh.

Legislative Assembly elections are also to be held in Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram in 2023.

Tripura is currently ruled by the BJP and as part of its election strategy, the party has changed the Chief Minister in the state.

In Meghalaya and Nagaland, the BJP-backed government is in power, while in Mizoram, the Mizo National Front (MNF) is in power.

Yogi framing SP leaders in false cases: Akhilesh

evening where he met jailed former SP MLA Deep Narain Yadav.

The state government’s action against SP MLA Irfan Solanki and Deep Narain was a strong message to the party to act in a similar fashion when it comes to power, the SP chief said.

Both of them are in jail on multiple charges and the police have invoked the Gangsters Act against them.

“The government has failed on all fronts. It has no solution to problems like unemployment and rising inflation,” Akhilesh Yadav told reporters after the meeting.

“Deep Narain is innocent, I have

full faith in the judiciary. I am sure Deep Narain will be out of jail soon,” he said, adding: “BJP MLAs are involved in large-scale land grab in the state. This is leading to bad blood between the MLAs.”

The SP chief also demanded the government to place all the MoUs it has signed for investments in Uttar Pradesh so that the people could get a clear picture.

“The government should tell who is investing and where investment will be made,” he said.

Supporting the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav said: “I want the country to stay united.”

Lucknow, Dec 27 (IANS) The Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) presidents will not be joining Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Uttar Pradesh, when it begins early next month, but both leaders have extended their good wishes to Gandhi.

RLD national convenor Anupam Mishra said, “We have received an invitation from the Congress party, but it is not possible for party president Jayant Chaudhary to participate in the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra due to his being preoccupied with other events.”

“We, however, wish all the success to the Congress’s Yatra,” he said.

There is also no likelihood of Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav participating in the yatra, according to an SP leader.

Samajwadi Party national secretary and state spokesperson Rajendra

Lucknow, Dec 27 (IANS) The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) will begin its ‘Mission 2024’ for Uttar Pradesh from January.

The party’s exercise to win maximum seats from Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will begin when BJP President J.P. Nadda,g eneral secretary B.L. Santhosh and Union Home Minister Amit Shah visit the state next month.

“The programmes of these leaders are being finalised for January. The process of a constituency wise assessment and, thereafter, candidate selection will begin,” said a party functionary.

The party, according to sources, will be replacing a number of sitting MPs who have crossed the age limit of 75 years.

Chaudhary said, “The Samajwadi Party and its national president Akhilesh Yadav are already on the path of struggle against the government. The SP president is busy with his programmes and there is no likelihood of his joining the yatra.”

The Congress has invited several leaders of the non-BJP parties to join the Uttar Pradesh leg of the yatra scheduled to enter the state through Loni in Ghaziabad on January 3.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief national general secretary Prof Ramgopal Yadav has attacked the Central government over the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra.

He had said that there was no Covid-19 in the country, but the Union government was trying to prevent the yatra in the name of Covid-19.

YEAREND

to

INTERVIEW: No more Vyapams - Cong

make recruitments transparent: Kamal Nath

all 16 Municipal Corporations, but the Congress this time won five of them. They used money, muscle and administrative power, otherwise, this result would have been more different. Momentum is very crucial in politics and at the present the momentum is with the Congress.

IANS: During elections, communalism goes high and all basic development issues take the back seat. Will 2023 MP Assembly elections be fought on development issues time?

2023.

IANS: CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan reiterating that MP’s fiscal growth (19.76 per cent) is the highest in the country and the state has come out of BIMARU tag. On the other hand, the economic debt burden has crossed Rs 3 lakh crore. How is the state economy going to be affected in the future?

Kamal Nath: Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has made a world record of making announcements and presenting fake datas.

if it is back in power in 2023?

Kamal Nath: This is really a worrying situation for the youth in Madhya Pradesh. The Congress is determined to make a transparent system in the competitive exam recruitment process. The corrupt system has destroyed the future of our youths, which we will not allow in anyway.

Those who have been found to be under-performers are also likely to be replaced to counter the anti-incumbency factor.

The BJP leadership, apparently, wants to ensure that there is no rebel candidate when elections finally take place.

“We have seen how rebel candidates harmed us in Himanchal Pradesh and we do not want a repeat in Uttar Pradesh. Issues will be decided well in advance so that such factors get diluted,” said the source.

The functionary said that performance of the candidate would be high on the priority list in candidate selection because with the double engine government, there can be no excuse for non-performance.

Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary has said his party aims to win all 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2024 and has chalked out a strategy for the same.

“In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, we won 64 seats, and lost 16 seats.

In the bypolls, we won Rampur and Azamgarh. As of now, there are 14 seats which we do not have. Rae Bareli and Mainpuri are also among them,” he said.

While the Congress has the lone seat of Rae Bareli, won by its president Sonia Gandhi, Mainpuri was also retained by Samajwadi Party in a recent bypoll.

With Madhya Pradesh gearing up for Assembly elections in the year ahead, former Chief Minister and state Congress chief Kamal Nath, in an exclusive interview with IANS, shared details of how Congress plans to take on the ruling BJP.

IANS: The year 2023 is going to witness heated Assembly elections, and the state Congress is getting ready to contest a second consecutive election under your leadership. What are your mantras for the party workers to take on the ruling BJP?

Kamal Nath: Every election is different and so is the 2023 Assembly election also. Black and white TV era is outdated now, you have to make a strategy accordingly. We are not fighting against the BJP, but its organisation. We are coming to the Assembly elections strengthening the Congress and we are confident that we will win. ‘Booth jeeto, seat jeeto’ will be our main mantra. The Congress will fight against the BJP’s negative politics strongly.

IANS: The Congress seems energised after facing a back to back jolt in 2020, and the results of urban body polls were an indication of it. Do you believe that the people will support the Congress in the 2023 Assembly elections, too?

Kamal Nath: The Congress received massive support in the urban body polls held recently. The results are clear that people have supported the Congress in both urban and rural areas. The BJP was ruling in

Kamal Nath: See, communalism is the prime agenda of the BJP, and therefore, they are not going to do anything different this time also. We are aware that they will create a heated scenario in an attempt of polarisation, because their development has been exposed now. Their fake claims of development done in the last 18 years have now been exposed. Madhya Pradesh has made high growth in crime against women and atrocities against tribal people. Big events are being organised to hide the reality of the state, but the people of the state have now decided to teach the BJP a lesson.

IANS: Corruption has been a serious issue which affects the people of the state directly and the opposition is targeting the BJP government on this. Will the Congress come up with any strong mechanism to reduce corruption from the governance system?

Kamal Nath: Madhya Pradesh used to be known for peace and harmony, but the BJP has changed its identity in the last 18 years of its rule. Vyapam scams have undoubtedly tarnished Madhya Pradesh’s image across the country.

Even then, instead of taking some concrete steps, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government has given a free hand to the people behind the scams. During the 15 months of the Congress government, we acted against such people, that is why they panicked. Political leaders and the government officials those involved in corruption will be punished, if the Congress comes back to power in

During the Covid-19 pandemic, economic collapse occurred across the country and everybody is aware of this, however, the Madhya Pradesh government is presenting the BJP’s economic data, which does not match with the real economic data.

It’s not about a 3 per cent increase in economic growth, but we need to see how much economic growth has increased in the last three years. If the state’s economy has increased, as the BJP claimed, then why has unemployment increased.

Real economic growth means an increase in employment. Centre’s data revealed that the per capita income of the citizens of Madhya Pradesh has decreased.

IANS: With election days getting closer, communal/religious issues have started coming out, instead of real public issues. As an economic expert and the senior most politician, how do you observe this?

Kamal Nath: Madhya Pradesh is reeling under huge debt. The BJP government, on an average, borrows around Rs 5,000 crore every month. Public money is being invested to pay interest and the government is investing money borrowed as loan for organising events.

IANS: There is a strong nexus in the governance system that plays with the future of the youth. Recruitment exam paper leaks have become common in Madhya Pradesh, which indicates that Vyapam ghosts are still present in the system. Will the Congress restructure the recruitment system,

If the Congress wins the elections, first of all we will take action against those running the nexus in the BJP government. The BJP has fixed the rate for recruitment, transfer and posting. Many who are close to CM Chouhan have been found involved in corruption and they are being protected.

IANS: The BJP has been targeting the Congress by creating an impression that the grand-old party has suffered due to factionalism. How would you respond to this?

Kamal Nath: BJP’s ‘jumlebazi’ is not going to work now. At present, the MP BJP is divided into three parts -- Shivraj group, Maharaj group and Naraz (rebel) group. A new Chief Minister’s face emerges every three months. Those who were doing ‘gutbazi’ (groupism) in the Congress, now they are doing partnership there. The BJP should focus on its own and not worry about the Congress.

IANS: What is your message to the people of Madhya Pradesh on New Year?

Kamal Nath: On the New Year’s occasion, I would appeal to the people of Madhya Pradesh to support the Congress in the 2023 elections. People of the state have been cheated for the last 18 years, the kind of situation they have faced during the Covid pandemic and failure of the BJP government left thousands of families helpless.

Madhya Pradesh will become a growing state, industrialisation will happen and employment will increase. We have planned to introduce a lot of schemes after forming the government and for that we will need support from the people.

Bihar heading towards ‘Jungle Raj’, Mahagathbandhan leaders in delusion: Nityanand Rai

Patna, Dec 26 (IANS) In wake of Nitish Kumar abandoned it to form an alternative government in Bihar with the help of six parties, including the RJD, the BJP is not letting any chance to target the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ government, especially on the question of law and order.

On the current situation of Bihar, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, in an interview to IANS, said: “Bihar is heading towards Jungle Raj and the leaders of Mahagathbandhan are responsible for it. Murders, rapes, dacoities are the common affairs in Bihar. People are miffed with the current rulers of Bihar. People will reply to them in the next elections.”

On the Mahagathbandhan leaders claim to squeeze the BJP within 5 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Rai said: “Those who are making statements like this must know that the BJP will take them to such a situation where they would not be capable of contesting elections again. The leaders of Mahagathbandhan will not live in delusion long... the people of Bihar will break this (delusion) soon.

Those who were against the Jungle Raj, went with them and ran the government in Bihar.”

On Nitish Kumar’s Samaj Sudhar Yatra, he said: “Nitish Kumar has been ruling Bihar for the last 17 years and he used to go for Yatras

every year. Such Yatras would not make any difference. The people of Bihar are understanding everything about how he is running the government.”

Rai also stressed that Bihar was on a development path when the NDA was in power.

“When Nitish Kumar was with the BJP, development was taking place here. Roads and railway lines were constructed, people were given 24 hours power supply in rural areas. All these happened due to the BJP. The Central government has taken Bihar forward by giving aid in numbers of development programmes.

Whatever the development has happened in Bihar, all because of the Narendra Modi government. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was in center, the construction of four-lane roads happened in Bihar,” he said.

SP, RLD chief not to join Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Yatra

BJP to begin ‘Mission 2024’ for UP from Jan

Kanpur, Dec 27 (IANS) Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav has accused the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh of

framing party leaders in order to hide its own failures.

Yadav was in Jhansi on Monday

2023 polls to set tone for 2024, but will BJP get closer to ‘Cong-mukt Bharat’?

T-Hub, Atal Innovation Centre pick 17 startups to boost healthcare innovation

T-Hub, AIC and external industry experts.

The shortlisted startups shortlisted are: Xtraliving, HSOL, Sanjiva Homoeopathy, Qurix, Health Compass, Latros Health, Second Consult, Thera Healthtec, Immuny5, Yantram Healthtech, Medtotes, Mediforte, Yeshbio Solutions and Thamsar TeleHealth.

MSR, CEO of T-Hub.

The programme is focused on providing startups with world-class experts and resources to sharpen their understanding of markets, refine their business and product commercialisation plans.

New Delhi, Dec 27 (IANS) Former BharatPe co-founder and managing director Ashneer Grover has revealed he made a cool Rs 2.25 crore from Zomato IPO within 8 minutes of its opening in July last year.

In his memoir ‘Doglapan’, Grover said that with the IPO being oversubscribed more than 30 times, he got an allotment of shares worth over Rs 3 crore.

minutes of the Zomato IPO opening, I had made over Rs 2.25 crore.”

Grover said that he became a little greedy post the Zomato IPO.

“I went in for the Car Trade IPO but ended up losing Rs 25 lakh there,” he said.

Grover, currently facing a court case filed by BharatPe that he co-founded, said that he was bullish on the Zomato IPO on several counts.

New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS)

Technology incubator T-Hub on Friday announced the launch of the third cohort of the Atal Innovation Centre (AIC) T-Hub Healthcare programme with 17 startups in the healthcare sector.

The startups were shortlisted from more than 200 applications after an extensive screening process by

The startups were selected based on their cutting-edge deeptech innovations for healthcare and life sciences space, go-to market readiness, scalability and team composition.

“Through this programme, we aim to create a strong ecosystem empowering startups and facilitating new-age solutions in Healthcare and Life Sciences. Over the next few months, we will work alongside AIC to provide the startups access to the right mentorship, funding channels and networking opportunities,” said

The cohort is focused on areas such as Data Digitization, Prevention and Early Detection, Non-invasive medical devices, Capacity Building, Diagnostic Tools for CVD, Cancer, and Eye Diseases and Health Care Workers.

“This is the best time for our startups to rethink healthcare innovation. There are enormous opportunities for India to become a healthcare destination,” said Rajesh Adla, CEO of AIC T-Hub Foundation.

In the second cohort, T-Hub helped startups raise Rs 7 crore in investments and 11 market pilots’ intervention in various hospitals.

Chanda Kochhar: From Kamath’s angel to jail

Kochhar had a 50 per cent stake, raising eyebrows and questions on ethics, as Chanda had set the credit limits for the Videocon Group companies.

The CBI charge sheet said that under Kochhar, the ICICI Bank sanctioned the loans to Videocon Group and others in complete violation of the bank’s policies, and later these were declared non performing assets (NPAs) causing losses to the bank and illegal gains to the borrowers and accused.

By Quaid Najmi

Mumbai, Dec 25 (IANS) The high-profile, much-talented, discussed, rewarded, awarded and decorated woman banker with a ‘Midas touch’, the former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the private ICICI Bank, Chanda D. Kochhar, was finally arrested along with her husband Deepak Kochhar.

It is some seven years after the first of the complaints surfaced that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) bit the bullet to nab the Kochhar couple in connection with the alleged massive Rs 3,250 crore loan fraud involving the defunct Videocon Group.

Among other things, the CBI has accused Chanda Kochhar, 61, of irregularities, flouting banking rules and laws in a series of loans sanctioned to industrialist Venugopal N. Dhoot’s Videocon Group between 2009-2011, when she was lording over the bank.

The CBI earlier in 2019 booked the Kochhar couple and Dhoot, besides naming the companies like Videocon International Electronics Ltd., NuPower Renewables Pvt. Ltd., Videocon Industries Ltd., Supreme Energy Pvt. Ltd., under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act.

In an alleged quid pro quo deal, the CBI claimed that after the Videocon Group got the loan of Rs 3,250 crore from ICICI Bank in 2012, Dhoot reportedly diverted a Rs 64 crore to NuPower Renewables where Deepak

The CBI also wanted to investigate the role of other ICICI Bank’s senior officers who approved the loans to Videocon Group, among others, allegedly at Chanda’s behest.

The loans to Videocon Group companies and others eventually turned into NPAs by 2017, and the CBI said that most were grossly flouting the laws, banking rules and the bank’s regulations, and were red-flagged as ‘frauds’ after the probe.

Independent banking circles say that the ICICI Bank reported the maximum NPAs during Chanda’s leadership and as per a RTI reply received by a Pune businessman Prafful Sarda, it had accumulated up to a staggering around Rs 200,000 crore till 2021.

Just last week, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed parliament that among other banks, the ICICI Bank had written off loans worth Rs 42,164 crore.

As the heat was turned on, in early-2018 Chanda went on leave and then applied for early retirement, which the ICICI Bank accepted, ostensibly as it was kept in the dark on certain facts and non-disclosures on various issues, which came up later.

Rattled by the complaints and media exposures, the ICICI Bank appointed a committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge, Justice B. N. Srikrishna in June 2018 to probe all the allegations against Chanda from April 2009-March 2018.

The report damned her for ineffectively dealing with ‘conflict of interest’ and ‘due disclosure or

recusal’ requirements, violating ICICI Bank’s Code of Conduct, lack of ‘diligence’ with respect to annual disclosures as required by the bank, After this report, the ICICI Bank decided to treat Chanda’s separation as ‘Termination for Cause’ with severe consequences including revocation of all her existing and future entitlements like unpaid amounts, bonuses, increments, unvested and vested and unexercised stock options, medical benefits and clawback of all bonuses paid to her during the probe period and take any further actions as warranted.

Shaken by the turn of events, Chanda not only questioned Justice Srikrishna’s report but also challenged her termination by the ICICI Bank in the Bombay High Court and later Supreme Court, only to face disappointment.

These developments drew the curtains on the Jodhpur-born and Mumbai educated bright babe of Indian banking falling into disgrace - all within 16 years - from 1984 when she joined the ICICI Bank as a trainee and became the Executive Director in 2001.

From there on, she spread her wings and soared up the ladder quickly, to become the all-powerful MD & CEO in 2009, after which the apparent downhill slide started for her and the bank.

Over the years, awed by her perceived calibre and skills, Chanda picked up a string of many national and international awards or honours, was conferred the Padma Bhushan, advised the government on policy issues and was a muchsought after speaker at domestic and global events.

Chanda’s arrest by the CBI marks yet another grisly end to what could have been a glorious banking career, ranks among several of the high-profile banking scams arising out of the lure of lucre that have rocked the Indian banking industry and she counts among a handful of shining top women bankers to crash under an eclipse of ignominy... (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)

DGCA approves Garuda Aerospace’s Kisan drone

introduced by the Indian government in August 2021 under Drone Rules.

Following the Type Certification for the GA-AG model, Garuda Kisan Drone - priced at Rs.4.50 lakh- is now eligible for Rs.10 lakh unsecured loan from Agri Infrastructure Fund at five per cent and 50-100 per cent subsidy from the Government of India.

“My RMs (relationship managers), based on grey-market premiums, were expecting the Zomato share to list between Rs 85-90, as against an issue price of Rs 76. I, however, was certain that it would do far better. When the share opened on the listing day at Rs 116 per share, I mandated them to sell all my shares,” he wrote.

By the time the trade got executed, “I got a selling price of Rs 136 per share. With my landing cost after interest being between Rs 82-85, 1 ended up making over Rs 2.25 crore,” he said. “Within eight

“Of course, I knew of Deepinder (Goyal), and I am a big believer in his ability to persevere and keep building big. Fundamentally, with the pandemic the ticket size of their orders had grown, as people were ordering food from home for 3-4 members in the family, as against single rolls in office, thereby increasing Zomato’s absolute margins,” he wrote.

Moreover, with restaurants completely dependent during lockdowns on app orders, there was no risk of the take-rate coming down.

“On the other hand, job insecurity among delivery boys kept delivery costs in check. In fact, COVID magically solved the food delivery economics in the country overnight, just like it skyrocketed UPI penetration,” said Grover.

Grover was in a heated tussle with Kotak Mahindra Bank after their financing arrangement during the IPO of FSN E-Commerce Ventures Ltd., which owns Nykaa, failed to materialise.

Adani group to own 64.71% stake in NDTV after Roys decide to cash out 27.26%

New Delhi/Chennai, Dec 23 (IANS) The two original promoters of New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) -- Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy -- have decided to sell their 27.26 per cent holding in the company to Adani group’s RRPR Holdings Private Ltd.

In a regulatory filing, NDTV said that Roys have decided to transfer 27.26 per cent stake out of their 32.26 per cent stake in the company to RRPR Holding.

The Roys said in a statement that AMG Media Network, a part of the Adani group, is the single largest shareholder in NDTV now.

The Roys said in the statement: “We started NDTV in 1988 in the belief that journalism in India was world-class but needed a strong and effective broadcast platform that would allow it to grow and shine.

After 34 years, we believe that NDTV is an institution that has met so many of our hopes and ideals; we are so proud and grateful that across

the globe, NDTV is recognised as ‘India’s and Asia’s Most-Trusted News Broadcaster’.

“Consequently, with mutual agreement, we have decided to divest most of our shares in NDTV to the AMG Media Network. Since the open offer was launched, our discussions with Mr Gautam Adani have been constructive; all the suggestions we made were accepted by him positively and with openness.”

As per the filing, the price at which the Roys would sell their 27.26 per cent (1,75,77,676 shares) stake will not be higher by more than by 25 per cent of Rs 368.43 per share.

With this acquisition, the Adani group will hold 64.71 per cent stake in NDTV.

The Adani group has acquired 8.27 per cent stake in NDTV through its open offer though it had planned to mop up 26 per cent stake in the channel company.

“Mr Adani has invested in a brand that is synonymous with Trust,

Credibility and Independence, and we are hopeful that he will preserve these values and expand upon them with all the responsibility required of a leader of an organisation of this nature. We look forward to watching NDTV, and its entire extraordinary team, delivering the next phase of growth, one that India can be proud of,” the NDTV founders said in the statement.

Meanwhile, the NDTV board at its meeting on Friday appointed Sanjay Pugalia and Senthil Sinniah Chengalvarayan as additional directors in the capacity of non-executive, non-independent directors.

T’gana: 50 new super luxury buses of TSRTC flagged off

Hyderabad, Dec 24 (IANS)

Telangana Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar on Saturday flagged off 50 new super luxury buses purchased by state-owned Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC).

The minister inaugurated the new buses on Tank Bund in Hyderabad in the presence of TSRTC Chairman Bajireddy Goverdhan and Managing Director V.C. Sajjanar.

The minister said these 50 buses form part of 776 buses to be purchased by TSRTC in the first phase.

The corporation has plans to add a total 1,016 more buses worth Rs 392 crore to its fleet in the current financial year.

In the first phase of procurement, the TSRTC has placed an order for 630 super luxury, 130 deluxe buses and 16 sleeper buses. All these buses will start playing on different routes by March 2023.

The new super luxury buses procured by the TSRTC are equipped with upgraded technology for the safety of passengers. These buses

have a tracking system and a panic button, which is connected to the TSRTC control room.

The TSRTC control room will be notified if any passengers press the panic button in case of emergencies.

Each bus has 36 reclining seats, LED display boards cell phone charging facilities and TVs for entertainment.

For the safety of passengers, security cameras and reverse parking assistance cameras are installed in the buses.

The vehicles will also have stateof-the-art fire detection and alarm system (FDAS). The system sends immediate alerts in case a fire breaks out in the bus. It will also have a temperature sensor that will set off an alarm in case of overheating.

This is the highest number of buses being procured by the RTC, largest in its history. The minister said though TSRTC suffered a loss of Rs 2,000 crore due to Covid-19 pandemic, the government has been extending all the help to the corporation to overcome the same.

Bajireddy Goverdhan said that the corporation was able to cut the losses due to efforts of the staff. He also pointed out that the corporation released five pending installments of Dearness Allowance (DA) to the employees. Despite the increase in the price of diesel, the corporation did not increase the fares.

Former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar, husband arrested for loan fraud

New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS) Former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar and her husband and businessman Deepak Kochhar were on Friday arrested by the CBI in connection with a loan fraud case involving bank officials and the Videocon Group.

Garuda Aerospace also said it has an

order book of 5,000 drones.

According to Garuda Aerospace, the DGC Type Certification is provided on the basis of the quality check of the drones and is issued after a rigorous testing process for the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

The Type certification was

“We are powered and blessed with strong demands of manufacturing 5,000 drones in the next five months catering to many opportunities. With receiving approvals we are certain that the necessary utilization of skills with significant sector growth will be seen,” Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO, Garuda Aerospace said.

The company is also a DGCA authorised Remote Pilot Training Organisation (RPTO) to train people to operate drones.

A senior Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official told IANS that the arrests were made from Delhi whereas the fraud FIR was filed with its Mumbai branch in January 2019 against Kochhar, her husband and Venugopal Dhoot of Videocon Group.

“We had filed an FIR for the offence of forgery, cheating, using fake documents as genuine, hatching a criminal conspiracy and having common intention against the bank officials and the Kochhars,” the official said.

Nupower Renewables, Supreme Energy, Videocon International Electronics Ltd and Videocon

Industries Ltd were also named as an accused in the FIR.

Dhoot allegedly invested crores of rupees in Nupower, months after the Videocon Group got Rs 3,250 crore as loan from ICICI Bank in 2012.

The CBI official said that they will

“We

Chennai, Dec 24 (IANS) The

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued the Type Certification for the Kisan or farmer drones made by Garuda Aerospace, the company said.

TSRTC Chairman Bajireddy Goverdhan said the TSRTC was procuring a large number of new buses thanks to the support of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. He thanked the chief minister for providing Rs 500 crore to TSRTC every year.

produce Kochhar and her husband before a court and will seek their custodial remand.

have also conducted search operations at their premises and have recovered a few documents connected to the case.”

Viva Magenta For Men

The India Fashion Awards 2022

The India Fashion Awards 2022, by Rajnigandha Pearls and sponsored by Mario Foods, were held on December 13 at the Andaz by Hyatt to honour fashion industry visionaries. The top names in fashion from all around the nation attended the gala night to either accept the prizes or to congratulate

“Viva Magenta” has been named Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2023. If you haven’t heard of this colour, it’s quite intentional. It is a reddish hue that has its roots in nature and is symbolic of a fresh show of power. Viva Magenta is a bold, brazen colour whose exuberance encourages a joyful, upbeat celebration and creates a fresh narrative.

All of these together make Viva Magenta an intriguing shade that has been successfully tickling every fashionista’s curiosity to the max. Anand Singh, Fashion Design Manager, DaMENSCH unravels the why behind Viva Magenta for this year and says “ Unconventional

color in unconventional times, a symbolic of much-needed strength and power, a color that induces indulgence and passion when you look at it, a color which reminds you of the time when you were hurt or you were in love. A derivative of crimson red, this color has evolved through times which we have seen recently, there was a lot of turmoil in emotions through the pandemic and the war. Now the color of the year is just not decided or voted but this is more of an evolutionary process that supports what was and what’s going to be.”

Well, if you love the color as well as we do, Anand shares his expert tips on how men can style this hot hue!

This colour has a very strong individual essence, the trend is simple, and anything solid looks niche and premium. To ace this color with a suit is where we can imagine nice viscose or a silk blend. There’s a rare chance of going wrong with a

cheque

tonal magenta (fashion) to a Navy (conversational), or you can go all out with a Ranbir Singh look.

The Fashion Entrepreneur Fund (FEF), supported by the world’s top fashion entrepreneurs, designers, mentors, and investors, was also launched at the event. It is the largest grant programme in Asia and the first fashion-only grant programme in India. The creators of India Fashion Awards have unveiled India’s first of its kind “Fashion Entrepreneur Fund” in an effort to find, encourage, and promote the great ideas and future unicorns. The Fashion Entrepreneur Fund (FEF) aspires to become the most sought-after fashion grant in the world by welcoming persons, concepts, and originality to revolutionise the fashion industry.

“In the last few decades, the Fashion industry has contributed significantly to the growth of the Indian economy. This promising sector in the country continues to establish new success milestones and industry

the winners. Manish Malhotra, Elnaaz Narouzi, Vagish Pathak, Raghavendra Rathore, Anaita Shroff, Rocky Star, VipulGoel, Vijender Singh, Ambika Pillai, Maneka Gandhi, Carol Gracias, and Aparna Bahl were among the eminent fashion designers, Bollywood stars, and business moguls that attended.

Now if you recall retro influences, nothing can beat a nice cut n sew detail in a street/sport setting. This is a color you can almost pair with

anything in a color block, blues, whites, blacks, use it in majors, and use it in accents as it looks fresh everywhere.

Viva Magenta is all set to rule the men’s top-wear market. Shirts {not solids} structured tees, slightly darker hues in jackets, accents in sweaters, color blocks, stripes, etc are what will be the talk of the town. Washed look of this color in colored denim can also be imagined to be

a street-style winner. Men’s polos can be a big market, accents in any category, a devil in the details look of this color lined inside a jacket won’t surprise me, also these winter varsity jackets are big there this color can be a big hit.

This market will again make a very big bet on this colour, from men’s caps to sunglasses; this color can make fits stand out. This can become a very nice accent to pop us the

whole style. Goes without saying, with so much being done in men’s sneakers, this color is definitely going to kick in!

India Fashion Awards also provided a platform for the first time for Indian artisans and craftsmen to be recognised for their contributions to the Indian fashion industry. Ansari Shahid Hussain, a Zardozi artist, Dalavai Kullayappa, Krishna Kant Sharma (Chhotu Ji), and Vankar Bhimji Kanji were honoured for their outstanding contributions to art and textiles. Ambika Devi, a master of Mithila, also known as Madhubani art, is a specialist in the ancient craft of making leather puppets.

Sanjay Nigam, Founder, India Fashion Awards says, “There are iconic designers in the Indian fashion industry who have taken the global fashion stage by storm and received their due honour. But, a majority of our unsung heroes of the industry, behind the scene of this new fashion revolution are still

waiting for the rightful recognition. The need of the hour is to create more collaborations, repositioning Indian Fashion on global platforms to honour and glorify the tremendous hard work of these unsung heroes. India Fashion Award is an honest attempt to honour and highlight these real heroes’ contributions in front of a global audience.”

Additionally, Mitesh Rajani was named Makeup Artist of the Year, Gaurav Raina was named Music Director of the Year, Delnaz Daruwala was named Backstage Manager of the Year, Elnaaz Naruzi was named IFA-Ambassador for Change, Robin Raina and Anchal Jain were named Stylish Power Couple of the Year, Vijender Singh and Karman Kaur Thandi were named IFA Stylist Sportspersons of the Year, and more. Anjali Sivaraman won New Age Model of the Year Ramp-Female, Rabanne Jamsandekar Victor in the male category, Shaurya Atley as New Age Fashion Stylist of the Year, Sasha Jairam as New Age Fashion Photographer of the Year, Vahbiz Mehta & Lokesh Sharma as New Age Show Director of the Year, & A-List as IFA Influencer Management

Designer of the Year - Handlooms & Textiles was given to Gaurang Shah in this glittering ceremony. Designer of the Year - Men’s Wear went to Rohit & Rahul from Rajnigandha. Designer of the Year - Bridal Wear Fusion went to Gaurav Gupta.

Designer of the Year - Jury choice went to Anamika Khanna. Designer of the Year - Popular choice went to Manish Malhotra from Rajnigandha.

India Fashion Awards is a singular and cherished celebration of the Indian fashion industry under the ardent guidance of Sanjay Nigam, the event’s founder, Vagish Pathak as chairperson, and Rocky S. as creative director. The originality, passion, innovation, and brilliance of the leaders in the fashion and leisure industries are not only acknowledged, but also encouraged on a global scale.

The Mario Foods and Kubershoppepowered third season of the awards was co-powered by Pepsi, DLF Malls, Ebix Cash in partnership with PC Jewellers, Cream Bell, Artize, Vega, Little Tags Luxury, and many more well-known companies.

Registration for the 59th Femina Miss India is now open

The 59th edition of the VLCC & Trends co-present Femina Miss India 2023 hosted by Manipur Tourism co-powered by ORRA Fine Jewellery & Rajnigandha Pearls, is now accepting entries for participation.

Through strategic collaborations that help women to realise their full potential as role models and ambassadors, the Miss India Organization hopes to build an ecosystem of international influence and social effect, bringing honour to India on a global scale.

The institution of Femina Miss India believes passionately in the power of beauty to change attitudes, project confidence & empower young women by instilling a sense of individuality, and uniqueness, encouraging self-expression, and creating significant & aspirational value among the youth.

To stage 30 state winners from all around the country, on the grand finale night, the pageant has kickstarted a national search to choose delegates from 29 states

(including Delhi) and a collective representative for the Union Territories (including J&K). The selection structure for participation will require an online registration process followed by zonal auditions in five cities, namely, Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Guwahati, and Kolkata, to be held in January & February 2023.

The 30 state winners will participate in the pageant boot camp, which will offer a host of activities, including workshops, photo shoots, sub-title competitions, awards night gala event, and personal interviews, culminating into the grand finale extravaganza. Winning the title of Femina Miss India will not only catapult you to fame but also give you a chance to live in the Maximum city – Mumbai – known to be the hub of entertainment and glamour. In addition, former Miss India and Bollywood star Neha Dhupia will mentor the state winners as they prepare for the grand finale. Talking of her association, Neha Dhupia said, “ Every year, the journey of

Femina Miss India takes me back to learnings and experiences I’ve gained and will cherish for the rest of my life. Seeing these young state winners so motivated and ready to take on the world is always endearing. Their determination to succeed never ceases to inspire everyone, including me.”

Here is some exciting news for all the Miss India pageant aspirants.

The Ace Your Pageant course from The Grooming School - The House of Miss India is now available for

all applicants at an attractive price as part of their registration process for the Femina Miss India 2023 pageant. Upskill your preparation for the audition and stand a chance to win the pageant by enrolling in the course.

Applicants can visit their nearest VLCC centre for a free fitness certificate and complimentary services.

For more details on Femina Miss India 2023 Log on to www.missindia.com

Celebrate the spirit of youth with swag

Culture curator beverage brand Pepsi® is all set to celebrate the spirit of the younger generation through its partnership with disruptive fashion label HUEMN for their latest collection. The collection oozes SWAG, and the spirit of community, through an on-ground fashion show in Mumbai on 17th December 2022. Bollywood youth icon Sara Ali Khan will be seen sporting a coveted Pepsi x HUEMN look that will surely become a cult trendsetter.

The collection will be an ode to the Swag generation and aligns with both brand DNA who are known to empower the youth time and time again. The capsule collection will feature HUEMN’s trademark design and aesthetic while staying true to

Pepsi®’s iconography – that will aim at encouraging the youth to be their authentic and true selves.

Speaking on the collaboration, Saumya Rathor, Category Lead, Pepsi Cola, PepsiCo India said, “Pepsi is a brand that has always resonated with the voice of today’s generation. This new generation is armed with swag or an inherent confidence in their own abilities. They are not afraid to express themselves and Fashion has always been an important tool through which they can express their identities. Our collaboration with HUEMN is our commitment to celebrate this very philosophy.”

Commenting on the collection, Pranav Misra, Co-Founder & CEO, HUEMN said, “We are thrilled to be

partnering with a legacy brand such as Pepsi. HUEMN’s signature has always been both - easy sophistication and artistic abandon, which is being presented to a global audience.

The collection is testimony to the ethos of both brands that believe in

self-expression and confidence. This is our effort to bring an inclusive and fresh collection driven by both - a constantly evolving social landscape; and our 10th year of business.”

How to Style Pantone’s Colour Of The Year

pattern where old-fashioned windowpane. Checks fashioned with a base or highlight of this color, probably with a darker

Pepsi X Huemn limited-edition

To stage 30 state winners from all around the country, on the grand finale night

A cherished celebration of the Indian fashion industry

Sportswear

Casualwear

Accessories

Suits

(L-R) Vipul Goel, Vagish Pathak, Rocky S, Sanjay Nigam, Anisha Bahl, Anaita Shroff Adajania, Aparna Bahl, Carol Gracias, Raghavendra Rathore, Ambika pillai

The Jury included Sanjay Nigam, Vagish Pathak, Dia Mirza, RaghavendraRathore, Nikhil Kamath, ShaliniPassi, Maneka Gandhi, Ambika Pillai, KunalRawal, CarolGracias, Tarun Khiwaland Ravi Jaipuria and other stalwarts from fashion space.

benchmarks on the global stage of fashion. India Fashion Awards has been curated to spark a fresh wave of excitement and motivation in the fashion industry and confer the right professionals with deserving praise and admiration,” says Vagish Pathak, Chairperson, India Fashion Awards.

Agency of the Year, among other significant awards in various categories.

By Dr Rickson Pereira

Everybody wants to look their best when the seasons of life change. We all enjoy showing off our youthful, healthy skin that radiates and glows, regardless of our age. However, having skin that is healthy and youthful-looking takes work. Time and effort must be put out.

• There is no instant miracle cure The first and most important step is to consistently follow a decent skincare routine. However, certain circumstances that are out of our control, such as the loss of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid in the deeper layers of the skin, may be too great for skincare to handle alone. These three vital elements for healthy, firm skin begin to dwindle over time, leaving our skin thinner, drier, and saggier than before. These losses happen as a result of pollutants, ageing, and lifestyle choices.

What can you do?

Touted as a game-changing treatment that hydrates from below the skin’s surface, bio-remodelling treatment may be the answer to your hydration and anti-ageing needs. Using a slow release of hyaluronic acid, it helps to replenish hyaluronic acid and enhance the formation of both collagen and elastin, both of which make up the structural support of the skin. With this therapy, such ageing defects can be delayed and minimised significantly.

Bio-remodelling works differently from other dermal filler treatments since it is formed entirely of hyaluronic acid. It blends seamlessly into the skin and spreads itself adequately to provide the needed hydration and flexibility. The structure of the face is not altered by bio-remodelling treatment, it simply gives you more rejuvenated, radiant

and ravishing skin. Another important function that bio-remodelling performs is to fast-track skin regeneration, especially required during wound healing tissue regeneration. This is because hyaluronic acid has tissue repair and anti-inflammatory properties.

Where can you use it?

The common areas of the body suitable for treatment include the face, neck, and hands. This highly hydrating injectable moisturiser encourages the natural production of collagen while filling in the lines while lifting the skin and improving the skin's firmness, elasticity and tightness.

• Who can use it?

Bio-remodelling is suitable for anyone who has skin laxity, crepey skin, or fine lines and wrinkles they wish to target five key areas: the lower and mid-face for nasolabial folds and laughter lines, cheek, chest and decolletage, as well as the hands. It is recommended to anyone who is looking to address signs of early ageing, as well as younger people, to strengthen and hydrate their skin. For most, a depletion of hyaluronic acid begins around thirty the late twenties. Profhilo is one of the trusted brands out there that offer natural, non- toxic, and patient-centric skin relief using 100% hyaluronic acid. Reactions to bio-remodelling have rarely been documented because hyaluronic acid is considered safe, even for pregnant women and nursing mothers. However, it is important to consult your doctor to determine your suitability for this treatment.

(Dr Rickson Pereira, Consultant Dermatologist, Aesthetic Physician, Trichologist, Venereologist and Dermatosurgeon at Dermatherapie Clinic)

Vegan beauty brand supports girl child education

A bridal skincare regime for your big day

The secret to glowing bridal skin is to have moisturized, plump skin

One of the most significant days in your life is your wedding day. Being a bride is the most sentimental experience you will ever have, and this is the time you want to look impeccable since all eyes will be on you. You would want to appear stunning and stand out, looking like you are straight out of a bridal magazine, with your stunning lehenga and immaculate makeup. You prepare for your special day for months, choosing your outfits, jewellery, diet, and other specifics. You can’t possibly miss your skin in all this planning. In our efforts to look perfect, we frequently make serious skincare errors that may backfire on us. To save you from these blunders, Cetaphil’s team of skincare experts shares tips for your skin to look flawless on your wedding day.

Timely Cleansing

Your face is exposed to a lot of pollutants including dust and dirt during the day. Cleansing is important as it deep cleans and gets rid of all the excess dirt, makeup,

and impurities you’ve encountered throughout the day. This will help to keep your skin clear, healthy, and radiant. Without cleansing, your skin will be more prone to breakouts, dehydration, and premature aging.

• Deep Moisturization

The secret to glowing bridal skin is to have moisturized, plump skin. Your entire makeup look might be ruined by dry, flaky skin. A moisturizer can aid in retaining the moisture in your skin. Daily moisturizing helps lessen the likelihood of developing extreme dryness as well as excessive oiliness. Both extremes are damaging to the skin and are the root of frequent skin problems like acne.

Bedtime Skincare

Despite the hectic schedule linked with wedding preparations, do not neglect your nighttime skincare routine. As soon as you go to sleep, your skin begins to repair. The healing process will be substantially accelerated and made simpler by

providing your skin with the right nutrients. To help you achieve radiant, luminous, and glowing skin, use something like Cetaphil Bright Healthy Radiance Night Comfort Cream. It contains niacinamide, which helps to reduce dark spots, and also has hyaluronic acid which contains rejuvenating properties that your skin will thank you for.

Sun Protection

It is essential to use the right SPF for your skin type even if the sun rays are not that strong in winter.

Prolonged exposure to the sun can have long-lasting effects on your skin and is one of the leading causes of skin damage. The effects of unprotected sun exposure on your skin include hyperpigmentation, sunburn, dark patches, and sunspots.

•

Sensitive Skin Friendly Ingredients

Use products that are compatible with your skin as you strive to stick to a skincare regime to make sure your skin is flawless. You don’t want

unexpected flare-ups ruining your plans. Niacinamide, as an ingredient, can increase skin hydration by preventing the loss of moisture and acts as a natural anti-inflammatory. For those with sensitive skin, this is a go-to ingredient to eliminate all their skin woes.

Reverse the signs of ageing with hyaluronic acid

By Dr M Shraddha

Most people wish to appear and feel younger than they actually are. Along with concerns about wrinkles and other outward symptoms of ageing, the idea of growing old causes its own share of anxiety. According to a recent Forbes Health Survey, about 50 percent of Americans are terrified of getting older, largely due to how it will affect their health.

Similar circumstances can be found in India, where many people express fear about getting older. They would wish to stop the ageing process if they could.

Because some people wonder if ageing can genuinely be reversed if it is a natural process, reversing ageing and its numerous symptoms is a hotly debated topic. The solution is straightforward: while the indications of ageing cannot be totally stopped or reversed, they can be slowed down and postponed.

Have you ever seen a 60-year-old who is so firm and young-looking? A balanced diet, regular exercise, and an active lifestyle can help you achieve this. However, there are certain methods you may take to counteract these effects if you’ve already started to see the signs of ageing, such as wrinkles, skin thinning, loss of skin elasticity, fragility,

and diminished fatty tissues beneath the skin’s layers. Utilizing supplements like hyaluronic acid is one of these steps.

Using hyaluronic acid to counter the signs of ageing

The body has a slick, sticky fluid called hyaluronic acid (HA). It is a naturally occurring acid that functions as a lubricant or cushion in the body’s joints and other tissues. Although hyaluronic acid (HA) is primarily a moisturiser that keeps the skin hydrated and strong, ageing can cause HA levels to drop. The suppleness and richness that the skin needs to stay younger and healthier as you age can be provided by HA.

Hyaluronic acid administration depends on the type of therapy being used. Profhilo, a bio-remodeling injectable therapy that helps to provide the proper amounts of stabilised HA to reconstruct skin tissues, is one of the most advanced HA treatments currently accessible.

A further advantage of HA’s texture is that it is evenly dispersed in the crucial areas that need filling, such as the hands, chin, neck, and under the eyes. Lack of moisture is one of the reasons why the skin starts to age.

Skin thinning is unavoidable without the proper quantity of moisture.

Because the Profhilo treatment goes beyond the typical dermal filler or skin revitaliser, it comes with a lot of expert advice. It also encourages comfort because fewer treatment sessions and injection sites are required because the proper concentrations of HA are delivered to the parts of the body where they are required.

Other age-related worries that many individuals have are justified, such as definition loss, fine wrinkles, and drooping skin. The face, arms, neck, and abdomen are the main areas to take into account. The two main causes of these disorders are loss of collagen and thinning of the epidermis. By increasing

collagen production and creating the moisture that your skin’s epidermis needs to be supple and full, HA can firm up those body flashpoints.

The dermatology equivalent of the proverbial “holy grail” is hyaluronic acid. The scientific community is still raving about the benefits and wonders it has discovered, particularly in relation to its anti-aging capabilities. Hyaluronic acid is exactly what you need if you want to keep the proper structure of your skin for as long as possible or if you want to appear hydrated and plump.

(Dr. M Shraddha, Senior consultant dermatologist & aesthetic dermatologist, Helios Skin & Hair Clinic)

Zara launches its first ever Beauty line

perspective on

the idea of beauty, Zara launched its first ever comprehensive Beauty line this December. The best ingredients, cleanest formulae, and refillable containers are used to create each product.

‘Project Blackboard’ – an initiative to support girl child education by vegan beauty brand Plum, has a philosophy of “Goodness that Delivers”. Nearly 40 percent of adolescent girls in India lack access to education*, stemming this thought, the brand has unveiled a digital film executed by Famous Innovations featuring its Founder and CEO- Shankar Prasad urging the audience to take one step in the right direction today that can create a positive impact for generations to come.

What happens when one little girl goes to school? She becomes an inspiration for millions of others. Her education not just empowers her, but also drives many others to go to school, and has the potential to improve countless lives around her. And this is exactly what Plum captures in its commemorative film. With the traditional multiplication tables forming a musical backdrop, the film opens in an empty classroom and travels through an empty school, with the voices of many more little girls reading out their tables. An interplay of little girls’ names and the crescendo

of “multiplying” voices captures the joy of more and more girls inspiring each other to come to school. Beautiful cinematography, real people, and memorable music together pay a fitting tribute to the noble objectives of Plum’s initiative ‘Project Blackboard’.

As part of the initiative, the brand along with its brand ambassador Rashmika Mandanna flipped text on their social media handles for a day to show how little girls feel when they don’t know how to read. Plum also roped in brand ambassadors Mithila Palkar endorsing their skin and Ananya Panday endorsing their fragrance category, to mobilize even more support for the cause.

The brand will be collaborating with multiple NGOs for the initiative. The campaign is currently being initiated with Save the Children, India’s leading independent child rights NGO, who, since their inception have impacted the lives of more than 14 million children across 16 states. Under this initiative, whenever a customer chooses a Plum product, a part of the sales proceeds will go towards girl child education.

The line of cosmetics for the eyes, lips, face, and nails was developed under the creative direction of renowned British makeup artist Diane Kendal, who has worked on some of the most recognisable runway looks in New York, Paris, and Milan as well as some of the most recognisable fashion photography in history. It is the outcome of careful deliberation and was developed over the course of more than a year with virtual communication between the team in Spain and Diane in New York.

“When Zara approached me to lead the creative direction of Zara Beauty, I saw an opportunity to make something that everyone

would want to use. Zara has always reached such a diverse audience, and I wanted to bring that same big vision to beauty with a collection that is clean, refillable, and accessible to all. I am really proud of what we have created: an expansive array of consciously unique formulas for eyes, lips, face, and nails. To have this breadth of color and sense of playfulness, while also being clean and using high-quality ingredients, is something that hasn’t really existed before. Through a multiplicity of faces and looks, the collection celebrates what I believe to be most important in our industry: there is no beauty, only beauties,” shares Diane Kendal.

Eva Lopez-Lopez, who leads Zara Beauty, remarks, “Our goal was to create something truly inclusive in which many can participate - innovative products with a playful, personal and individualistic character, all made with the high-performance ingredients and true colour innovation. Those were mutual ambitions that we shared with Diane, so she is the perfect person for us to work with.” New York and Paris based creative agency, Baron & Baron, have developed unique and custom packaging. Inspired by the “Z” from the Zara logo itself – the entire line is on a slant – elegant, re-fillable

and designed to enhance the experience of using each product that it contains. Baron & Baron also developed the brand concept, the launch and strategy and the 360 creative, digital and social program: “Instead of gearing their concept towards specific targeted markets, which is something very common in the beauty industry, Zara has opted to cover the entire market with a groundbreaking line that is flexible with its products to obtain any look for any beauty. This is what inspired our overarching brand message, of celebrating something for everyone,” stated by Fabien Baron.

Zara Beauty is available this December with a holistic shopping experience that includes integrated virtual ‘try on’ features at Zara.com

With the goal of creating a range of products that anyone - regardless of skin colour, gender, age, or personal style - will want to use, embracing individuality and a new

A campaign initiated with Save the Children

Bio-remodelling works differently from other dermal filler treatments

Developed under the creative direction of renowned British makeup artist Diane Kendal

The Soft Edit of Nail Polish

It is the dermatology equivalent of the proverbial “holy grail”

and currently at DLF Promenade, New Delhi with more stores across India to follow.

Full Edit Stiletto Demy-Matte Lipstick

Tinted lip Balm

Experience a mélange of cultures

The eagerly anticipated North East Festival, the largest and liveliest festival in the capital, will take place in Delhi from December 23 to 26 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (gate no. 14), New Delhi. The ninth North East Festival

has a lot to offer, including exhibitions, book launches, B2B meetings, and a variety of cuisine, craft, and cultural events.

North East Festival, said, “North East Festival, a colourful festival showcsing the spectacular cultural diversity of North East India, Art, cuisiness, craft, agri horti products, tourism destinations, musical extravaganza etc are being organised in Gate No 14, Jawarharl Nehru Stadium, New

Delhi. Ministry of MSME is assisting in organsing a large exhibition which will bring authentic products from NER. I will present to inaugurate the Exhibition at 3.30 PM on 23rd December. All are invited.” Like every year, the festival features an intriguing lineup of musical

Prof.

December.

The festival is expected to be graced

Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Government of India; Piyush Goel, Minister of Commerce & Industry (2019-present), Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution; Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Cabinet Minister, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways & Ministry of Ayush, and

Festival, Shyamkanu Mahanta said, “This is not just a fest but an emotion, an expression of liveliness. Through the festival, we want to unite people, providing opportunities to enthusiasts to explore our rich cultures, traditions, and heritage. I hope people will embrace the beauty, diversity, and integrity that North East India holds. Since the festivities have already begun, the tenth edition will be even more special. We want to make these 4 days the best days of the year for the entire audience.”

Expressing the excitement to perform at the festival, Jimmy Thang of Traffic Jam band said, “The North East Festival is one festival we look forward to every year and this year would be even better…to celebrate Christmas! It is a platform we are proud to stand in because we get to represent our identity and share our rich cultural heritage with the world. So many colours, dialects, cuisines, traditional dances, folk

music, talents, traditional attires and cultural history that have stood the test of time. My band Traffic Jam is extremely honoured to be a part of the North East Festival and share the stage with some great artistes of the North East, that I personally really look up to and admire. As part of the ever-loyal rock lovers of the North East, we will be playing rock mostly, which will comprise of a few of our originals and some rock anthems that have always hummed in the voices of the North East people. We are looking forward to a great time and amazing experience of food, culture, music, art, sights and sounds.”

The exhibition area, which intends to highlight goods made in the North East, will include an MSME zone where more than 100 North East Indian MSME businesses will display agri-horticultural goods, handicrafts, processed food items, and more. For this show, some 140 booths will be set up, and a market place will be developed where guests can peruse and purchase genuine and original goods from

the area. Additionally, tourist information booths will be set up to advertise the region’s well-known and unusual destinations.

In the presence of the icons of North East India, a booklet titled “Know Your North East” will also be released. This booklet will be given out in schools and universities to inform and motivate people to discover and recognise the region’s rich legacy

Anoushka Shankar to pay tribute on the 10th anniversary of Nirbhaya

Echoing similar sentiments, Achurjya Borpatra, remarked, “I am supremely excited to be coming and performing at the North East Festival. This is my first at this popular carnival. North East Festival brings the diverse culture and tradition of North East India, exhibitions of the finest products of the region, the best of musical bands, ace fashion shows and many more all under one umbrella. We will be performing our regional hit songs like ‘Biya’, ‘Bidurgeet’, and a fusion of some Bihu hits.”

As many as 50 food stalls will present diverse food items not only from Northeast India but across Delhi-NCR to encourage cross-cultural awareness and exchange. “As the stall names says, we are representing Nagaland and we will showcasing our authentic Naga cuisine. We are expecting good vibe, good crowd, nice music like the last time we participated before COVID-19 took over. Some of our signatures include Purple Sticky Rice, Smoked Pork with Axone

(fermented soya), Pork with Fresh Bamboo Shoot, Chicken Curry Naga style, and Momo (veg and non veg),” commented Roudy Buchem of Taste of Nagaland.

The fashion shows will see 16 designers of the region featuring local fabrics and designs on models and celebrities from the states. Sukalpa Das, fashion choreographer and stylist for the event said, “Delhi has been a witness to North East Festival for the past few years (excluding the years of lockdown at COVID-19). This is one event that brings the whole of the region to one venue for everyone to enjoy irrespective of age, caste, culture. This year for fashion we have some amazing lineup of new, talented and creative team of designers, models and backend support. We are aiming at taking the North Eastern traditional fabric, motif and product to greater creative heights where it can be versatile enough for everyday choices as well as grand enough to make a statement in a crowd.”

Upcoming events in 2023

In addition to being a world renowned musician, Anoushka Shankar is also an activist, producer, and film composer. Nikita Gill, a well-known British-Indian poet, playwright, writer, and illustrator, will be featured in Shankar’s new song, “In Her Name,” released soon on December 16th, 2022, ten years after the horrific event that served as its inspiration—the gang rape of Jyoti Singh in New Delhi in 2012, which left her injured and dead 13 days later.

The song was debuted live for the first time on December 16, 2022, in Mumbai as part of Shankar’s first multi-city tour of India since the pandemic. This release follows Shankar’s nomination for Best Global Album at the Grammy Awards for “Between Us,” a live album featuring Manu Delago, Jules Buckley, and the Metropole Orchestra that was released by LEITER earlier this year. For their joint song, “Udhero Na,” from the Deluxe Edition of Arooj Aftab’s album “Vulture Prince,” Shankar and Aftab were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Global Performance. Now, Shankar has an astounding total of nine nominations during her career.

‘In Her Name’ is a newly recorded – and substantially developed –version of a track originally released in 2013 as ‘In Jyoti’s Name’, included on Shankar’s ‘Traces Of You’ album.

The new title reflects its significantly expanded horizons, and acknowledges how little has changed in the decade since the atrocity that first provoked the song as well as headlines across the world. Six months afterwards, in July 2013, the United Nations estimated that one in three women would be beaten or raped in her lifetime. Almost ten years on, that harrowing figure remains constant. ‘In Her Name’ now bears witness to the global ubiquity of violence and sexual violence against women, the policing of women’s bodies, and the increasing erosion of women’s rights in more insidious but no less dangerous manners throughout the world.

“One of the reasons I’ve come back to this song,” Shankar says, “is because of this endless wave of horrifying story after horrifying story, and each time there’s this wave of pain and grief: ‘When is it going to stop? When is enough enough?’

What happened to Jyoti should have been the last time anything like that ever happened. The song was about her, but now it’s also about everyone else like her.”

This, sadly, is a theme acutely close to Shankar’s heart. In 2013, in the wake of Jyoti’s tragic death, she recorded a message of support for One Billion Rising, a campaign whose very name highlights the number of women who will suffer sexual violence in their lifetime. The organisation’s founder, V (formerly known as Eve Ensler), asked her to tape a gesture of solidarity, and in her video Shankar chose to reveal that she, too, is a victim of abuse.

“There’s been a real change over the last decade,” she explains of her decision to open up, “but at that time there were very few people talking about this, especially where I come from. So it felt important

to universalise it, to say it’s not a one-off, it’s not only in a certain demographic, to say that ‘If I’m not safe, no one’s saf

This time, Shankar turned to Nikita Gill to help articulate her feelings, inviting her to contribute a text for the song’s middle section which could communicate the all-encompassing nature of this ongoing threat. “She’s like a sister to me,”

Shankar confides. “She’s one of the people I would have wept on the phone to when, for example, Sarah Everard died. She speaks from a very particular place culturally, as a modern, female, Indian-heritage poet, and that chimes with me, while sisterhood is also a very strong theme in her work. It was a very natural, obvious connection, and when I said ‘Would you please write something?’ she didn’t even wait for me to finish my sentence.”

Shankar delivers Gill’s lines in calm, collected fashion during a meditative musical passage midway through the song, enabling these powerful sentiments to strike with more force before its ultimate climax. “Let our fury echo through the pages of history,” she recites firmly. “Do not let this death be quiet like all the thousands before it. Time cannot devour what we will not allow to be forgotten.”

Her accompaniment, meanwhile, conveys her anger in a similarly eloquent manner, especially in its repeated, syncopated phrases.

“There are different stages to the song,” Shankar elaborates, “but, though it’s not overtly raging, fury is a driving factor. Anger can often be stifled, especially in women, and yet it’s such a propelling force, a fire that generates an energy to create change, especially that feeling of collective fury that starts in my belly, that I feel in other women’s bellies too.”

Shankar selected additional partners with whom she shares a similar cultural background and aesthetic sensibility when it came to the song’s artwork and video. The cover image and bronze sculptures in the remarkable video, which was shot in London and Los Angeles and stars Indian-American Bharatanatyam dancer Mythili Prakash, were created by contemporary Indian artist Shilo Shiv Suleman, who co-founded the activist art collective Fearless Collective in 2012.

“Mythili and I have been close since childhood and have an ongoing artistic relationship. I trust her artistry implicitly, and I knew she could embody the song in a suitably sensitive but still striking manner,” Shankar adds. “She brings forth unbelievable power, depth and nuance through her choreography and performance. Shilo and I connected more recently through other like-minded artists. Her work is deeply passionate and poetic and I’m so grateful to feature her powerful sculptures in the video. Crucially, Nikita, Mythili, Shilo and I all have a shared experience as women and particularly as Indian women, in how we were affected by what happened to Jyoti, whilst as artists, we speak a common language across our mediums that goes beyond our cultural roots but carries them at the core.”

Shankar recorded ‘In Her Name’ this autumn at London’s Guildhall, with regular collaborators Pirashanna Thevarajah adding mridangam, the south Indian double-headed drum, and Tom Farmer on bass. “It’s a really interesting sonic space,” Shankar says. “Having upright bass pulls the sitar out of a certain sound world that people are used to hearing it in, and yet the Indian percussion gives me the intricacy that I feel like I can really fly with.

People go to festivals to experience the energy, the flavour of the region, and the diverse group of artists who occasionally come together for a carnival of artistic expression. To plan a few grand celebration evenings when artists and their supporters can assemble and celebrate society’s creative spirit in a happy and uplifting setting.

If you enjoy music and theatre and can’t get enough of the thrill of attending a live performance, Hyperlink promises to make 2023 a great year for you.

Shakti 50th Anniversary India Tour – 4 cities

The Groundbreaking Super Group Shakti’s 50th Anniversary World Tour will take place across 4 cities in India this January, and it will be one of the most recognisable and immersive live music performances in January 2023. The group, which consists of living legends John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, Ganesh Rajagopalan, and Selvaganesh Vinayakram, embarks on a world tour in 2023 that begins in India and visits Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, and New Delhi before continuing to Europe and the United States in the summer and fall.

Mumbai – 20th January 2023 at NSCI Convention Centre

• Bangalore – 22nd January 2023 at Jayamahal Palace Hotel

• Kolkata – 24th January 2023 at CCFC

Delhi – 28th January 2023 at

Weightlifting Auditorium

Mahindra Blues Festival 2023 - Mumbai

After a long hiatus break, the Mahindra Blues Festival will return for its 11th edition in 2023. In this season, Buddy Guy, who is now on

his

They

11th and 12th February 2023 at Mehboob Studio

Arijit Singh – One Night Only Tour – 4 cities

The Arijit Singh One Night only Tour kicked off in November in Mumbai and will see 4 more cities between December and March.

• Hyderabad – 17th December 2022 at GMR Arena

Kolkata – 18th February 2023 at Eco Park

Bangalore – 4th March 2023 at BIEC Delhi – 18th March at 2023 at JLN Stadium, Gate No. 2

Aadyam Season 6 – Mumbai & Delhi

The pioneer theatre initiative by the Aditya Birla Group will return in 2023 for its 6th season. There will be a total of 6 plays performed this year in Delhi and Mumbai. For a far more comprehensive theatre experience for its viewers, Aadyam will also welcome new initiatives and events this season. On this, more details will be provided.

The season will run from January to September 2023

Jagdish Mukhi, Governor of Assam & Nagaland will inaugurate the cultural evening of 10th North East Festival. Arvind Singh, Secretary of Tourism, Govt. Of India will chair a A B2B Meet on Tourism with national tour operators on 23rd

by G.

respective Chief Ministers of the region among other dignitaries. Chief Organiser of North East

Narayan Rane, Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of India, who is going inaugurate

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) will do a session with farmers and various stakeholders on 26th December.

Shakti 50th Anniversary India Tour & the Mahindra Blues Festival 2023

farewell world tour, The Damn Right Farewell Tour, and Taj Mahal, two blues luminaries, will perform.

will be accompanied by Christone Kingfish, a 2022 Grammy winner, as well as Ivan Singh and the Arinjoy Trio from India!

concerts, fashion exhibitions, mask presentations, dance performances, open-mic nights, and much more.

Various rock bands from around India will participate in a North East Rock Battle.

The day Kathmandu cops nabbed Sobhraj inside a casino

By Raamesh Koirala

Rajesh Gurung, a young photojournalist at ‘The Himalayan Times’, had received an assignment from his editorial team -- to get a photograph of Charles Sobhraj.

The serial killer had been spotted at Thamel [an area in Kathmandu popular among tourists] and the newspaper was keen to get pictorial evidence.

From September 14 to 16, Rajesh hung around Thamel, observing everyone closely. On the third day, his manhunt came to an end. He clicked several snaps of Charles Sobhraj, keeping his camera in stop-motion to capture every second of Charles’s exit from the communication centre in Thamel.

On September, a front-page news story appeared in ‘The Himalayan Times’. ‘Annapurna Post’, another newspaper from the same publishing house, also picked it up.

The man known the world over as ‘The Serpent’ has come calling to Kathmandu. Charles Sobhraj, the internationally well-known ex-criminal and now a free man, has been camping in Thamel for the last fortnight.

The ostensible reason for his visit is that he is attempting to forge ties with Nepalese entrepreneurs to export pashmina and possibly start a mineral water factory.

Three days later, on September 20, the two newspapers ran another story about Sobhraj. This time, it was not as positive about the man’s business plans.

The report was run under the headline ‘The Serpent is Finally Caught’ and it said:

“Ironic as it may seem, Charles Sobhraj Gurumukh, known worldwide as ‘The Serpent’, was arrested from a local casino late last night by a special team of the Kathmandu Police.

“The team, headed by Deg Bahadur GC, the deputy superintendent of police at the Valley Crime Investigation Branch, zeroed in on Sobhraj after a painstaking search spread over three days. The manhunt began on Wednesday when ‘The Himalayan Times’ and ‘Annapurna Post’ broke the story about Sobhraj being in Kathmandu.

“Following the report, the police began searching in hotels in Thamel and the Naya Bazaar area. They learnt that Charles had hired a room in The Garden Hotel in Naya Bazaar, but eventually found the room to be empty. The police then began looking in the casinos. He was apprehended by the police when he was having dinner at the casino and thereafter taken to the Kathmandu District Police Office.

“The man who once pompously claimed that he could smuggle in an elephant through the customs

check at the Tribhuvan International Airport is today cooling his heels in the regional police office, Bhrikutimandap.”

That day, the international media had been flooded with the breaking news. Speculation had been endless. After all, Charles Sobhraj had been arrested in Nepal from the Royal Casino, from the very heart of the capital city of Kathmandu. What had he been doing there?

Had he intentionally come back to Nepal to get arrested for murders committed 30 years ago? Or was the whole thing a mistake?

September 20, 2003. Early in the morning, Charles was taken to the immigration department with an initial charge of passport forgery.

The police prepared a case against him for entering Nepalese territory with two different passports -- one Dutch and the other French. He appeared in public later that day, covering his face with a red handkerchief as the police dragged him to the Kathmandu District Court.

It was widely believed that the police was keeping him in custody for further investigations under the Immigration Act of Nepal.

But the truth was different. Mr Baral, the deputy inspector general who headed the Valley Police Office, divulged it to the media in a press conference.

He said the police department was not able to interrogate him properly because of a three-day national strike. The department was working on finalizing a chargesheet against him, a chargesheet much more serious than passport forgery.

“He is guilty of committing premeditated murders of two foreign nationals in Nepal,” said Mr Baral. “He cannot escape the law anymore.”

“Mr Charles Sobhraj, what do you have to say about your arrest?”

Journalists fell over each other as they tried to get an interview with Charles, even as the police pushed him inside the van.

“This is my first visit to Nepal. I have not committed any murders in Nepal.” The police van sped out of the exit gate of the Kathmandu District Court, leaving his words and his conviction hanging in the air.

Later that day, the police remanded him, not entertaining any of his justifications or demands. For an entire month, they were busy preparing a chargesheet against him.

From time to time, the police happily shared some of their findings with the media -- and the public. If they took delight in grilling him about the murders he had committed, they did not hide it. The police unearthed it all, one by one.

(Excerpted from ‘Charles Sobhraj - Inside The Heart Of The Bikini Killer’ with the permission of the publisher, Rupa)

Hyderabad Metro Rail wins national award for its coffee table book

K’taka University includes lesson on late actor Puneeth Rajkumar’s philanthropy

Hyderabad, Dec 26 (IANS)

About 2000 photographs have been used in the book.

Kailash Vishwas Sarang, Minister of Medical Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh presented the award to Malladi Krishnanand, CPRO at the PRSIA National conference at Bhopal on Sunday.

In the true spirit of the adage “a picture speaks thousand words,” this 800 page coffee table book covers

The book also chronicles with fascinating photographs of the various hurdles faced during the brisk construction stage of metro pillars, viaduct and stations.

The book provides an insightful information to the readers who are interested to know about Hyderabad Metro project, in detail.

HMRL MDA NVS Reddy congratulated Mr Krishnand on receiving the national award.

Bengaluru, Dec 22 (IANS) The fans of late Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar are celebrating as Bengaluru University has included a lesson in ‘Vaanijya Kannada - 3’ textbook prescribed for B.Com students.

The third semester students will read a lesson on late superstar Puneeth. The lesson is a chapter culled out from ‘Neene Rajakumara’ book written by journalist Sharanu Hullur.

Neene Rajakumara book was released recently by Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar, wife of the late superstar.

The book had seen record sales and it was claimed that it is the highest selling biography in Kannada language.

The fans of Puneeth had demanded to include his life story and philanthropic activities in school textbooks as they serve as an inspiration. The

fans have appreciated the move of Bengaluru University and on celebration mode.

Puneeth Rajkumar always supported social causes and generously contributed to charities and foundations. He breathed last on October 29, 2021. Puneeth was supporting 26 orphanages, 16 old age homes and 19 gaushalas. He ran Shakti Dhama, a shelter for homeless women and girls. He supported thousands of girl students.

All this came to light after his death and at the height of Covid fears, Kanteerava Indoor stadium where his body was kept saw more than 20 lakh footfalls. The family of Puneeth donated his eyes and then, donating eyes became a movement throughout the state as lakhs of people and his fans came forward to donate their eyes.

5 books to celebrate the season

Is there anything more traditional for the holiday season than cuddling up with a good book? We’re very excited about Christmas because it’s coming up so quickly. Books are undoubtedly one of the nicest parts of Christmas since they bring that additional touch of magic and help to kick off the holiday festivities. The holiday and Christmas spirit have taken over at this time of year. The air is magical, and everyone can sense it. One of the best Christmas activities this holiday season is curling up with a good book. Like your favourite holiday films, books are the perfect companion. Decorate your tree, prepare a cup of hot cocoa, and sit in because this selection of Christmas books will undoubtedly make you feel festive! These novels capture the spirit of the season and are great for readers of all ages to enjoy. The British Council Digital Library has selected a selection of novels that will have you turning the pages all year long, from time-honored classics to intriguing mysteries to Christmas tales for kids.

1. Little Women by Louisa May

Alcott

‘Little Women’ is a coming-of-age novel. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details their passage from childhood to womanhood. It explores timeless themes such as love and death, war and peace, conflict between personal ambition and family responsibilities.

2. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

‘A Christmas Carolre’ counts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.

3. A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote

“A Christmas Memory” is a short story which takes place in the 1930s. Seven-year-old Buddy knows that the Christmas season has arrived when his cousin, Miss Sook Falk exclaims: “It’s fruitcake weather!” Thus begins an unforgettable portrait of

an odd, but enduring friendship between two innocent souls.

4. Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie ‘Hercule Poirot’s Christmas’ is a work of detective fiction. The book features the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and is a locked room mystery. The premise is a family reuniting for Christmas, and they find the host of the gathering murdered in a private room. Poirot’s

investigation explores the victim’s methodical and vengeful nature.

5. The Christmas Swap by Sandy Barker

Chloe, Jules, and Lucy meet at a Maui resort kids’ club, aged 11, forging a lifelong friendship spanning two decades and three continents. Twenty-two years later, they decide to swap Christmases, none of them expecting the hilarity and romantic escapades that will ensue.

Children’s Literature, what went wrong?

By Neha Jain

Literature has been one of the fields that have contributed significantly to society - its culture, practices, goals, and aspirations. We can even go so far as to say that literature has played an instrumental role in shaping society from time to time. However, literature as a term is vast and comprises of several subsets. But there’s one kind that most of us would have been taught in various forms - children’s literature.

Children’s literature, while offering all of the mentioned benefits, offers the additional advantage of providing a means of communication with the child. It helps inculcate in the child the morals valued in the culture by presenting them as relatable stories. Therefore, it’s as important as studying science and mathematics as it helps carve out the essence of the child’s personality.

Over the past decade, however, children’s literature has almost been in a slump. Publishing houses have been going out of business, and very few storytellers have grasped the young audience’s attention. This can be partly attributed to the decline in children’s reading habits and the outdated nature of some of the fairy tales traditionally read out to them.

At this juncture, one must consider whether children’s literature is a dead field. This question warrants an analysis of the past and present developments in the field, for in this analysis is embedded its future potential.

The past and present of Children’s

literature

Children’s literature has traversed a convoluted path, especially in the West. All political events have impacted the kind of stories told to children. This includes the gender of the protagonist and the role that they play in the story. For example, the insistence on the female character to have fair skin and a slim waist reflect the European standards of beauty that most women were expected to ascribe to. An extension of this is that the male protagonist is brave and chivalrous and expected to rescue the woman in danger- almost a replica of the Victorian knight. One can only imagine the impact of these stories on a dark-complexioned girl or on a boy who feels scared in the face of danger.

The underrepresentation of specific sectors of the population is another problem that may have contributed to the disenchantment of children with these stories. For example, hardly any stories deal with issues of sexuality or cast children in gender antagonist roles. They encourage the attributes of blind obedience, cruelty, and even helplessness, which may be detrimental to the personality development of most modern children.

What does the future hold?

Children’s literature or stories for children have to be recreated to suit the needs and preferences of the child. This includes plots, characters, and even the modality of storytelling. For example, stories that deal with modern-day concerns,

like bullying, grief, childhood sexual abuse, and issues of sexuality, are likely to be much more helpful for children. These stories will also allow adults to communicate with their children about complex matters and, in a way, foster open communication and emotional connection between the parents and their wards.

Another essential aspect that needs to be encouraged is the personalisation of stories. Children connect better with the protagonist of the story when they can name the character and choose the story’s plotline. It allows them to fully harness their imagination and creativity.

The reader goes on adventures, not from the lens of a distant character but from that of a character that is familiar to them. Such stories do not force upon the child a gender role.

On the contrary, they offer flexibility of choice. For example, there can be a female dragon slayer or a male home keeper. No’ normal’ is defined; hence, no stigma is attached to

gender-incongruent behaviour. Literature, unlike the hard sciences, is not fixed. It evolves with time and prominent traditions. Children’s literature is no exception to this rule. It has to find a way of communicating with the child about matters that present themselves in their life in a way they can understand. It is important to remember that the goal of literature is to liberate or use fantasy to combat the realities of life. Not changing the children’s stories to align them with modern issues will mean that the same somewhat stereotypical standards are being enforced on children.

According to many experts, this is almost oppressive. Therefore, personalised stories based on current issues are the future of children’s literature. With children’s literature gradually rising from its slump, thanks to digital platforms leaving no stone unturned to ensure its protected, we can safely say that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

(Neha Jain, Author, Merlinwand)

Hyderabad Metro Rail has won Public Relations Society of India’s prestigious national award for its colourful pictorial coffee table book titled “Hyderabad Metro Rail. - A Pictorial Overview”.

the entire gamut of Hyderabad Metro Rail events, right from the conceptual stage of the project to the current day operations, presented aesthetically.

Bhutan celebrated its 115th National Day

The event also featured a mega cultural bonanza with traditional performances

The Kingdom of Bhutan gathered to commemorate its 115th National Day. All Bhutanese take great delight in celebrating the country’s National Day, which is a significant annual event. The primary event this year was hosted in Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan, while celebrations were held all around the nation (and even to Bhutanese living overseas).

The National Day is celebrated in commemoration of the coronation of the first king of Bhutan, Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck, on this day in 1907. Bhutan has never been colonized in its history, and on December 17, 1907, the country was united as one nation under one leadership in the form of the monarchy. Bhutanese people love their King,

and the monarchy enjoys much deserved respect in the Himalayan kingdom. Bhutan has been blessed with the extraordinary and visionary leadership of the Wangchuck Dynasty. The major policies of Bhutan have always been guided by the vision of The Kings who have and continue to work tirelessly to ensure the country’s peace, prosperity and happiness of its citizens. The development philosophy of the Kingdom of Bhutan, namely ‘Gross National Happiness’ is also one the legacies of the Monarchy, introduced by His Majesty the Fourth King and is aimed towards sustainable and balanced development that is integral to social, economic and cultural wellbeing of the nation and its people.

The new Brand Bhutan is centred on the next generation, the nation’s future guardians, as Bhutan is undergoing a dramatic transformational journey under the personal direction of His Majesty The King across all sectors, including the public service, tourism, education, and many others.

During the National Day event, Bhutan’s Orders, Decorations, and Medals are awarded to recognize groups and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the country. There is always much anticipation for the awards. “This day has profound significance

in the lives of every Bhutanese. We gather to remember and pay respects to our great forefathers who worked tirelessly for the wellbeing of our country and people and who ensured to hand over a strong and sovereign nation to us. It is the day where all the generations come together to not only rejoice, but reflect and pass our solemn vows, recommit to the cause of the nation and rededicate to building a better future,” said Dorji Dhradhul, the Director General of the Department of Tourism. “We congratulate all Bhutanese on this wonderful occasion,” he concluded.

In order to forge a new path following the pandemic and strengthen the nation’s fundamental philosophy of pursuing sustainable growth, Bhutan has revised its tourist policy.

The Sustainable Development Fee (SDF), which supports initiatives promoting Bhutan’s economic, social, environmental, and cultural development, increased from USD 65 to USD 200 per person, per night.

Bhutan is speeding up its efforts to maintain its status as one of just a few carbon-negative countries in the world since it is a country that is sensitive to the consequences of climate change (experiencing

melting glaciers, floods, and unpredictable weather patterns) (in 2021, Bhutan sequestered 9.4M tonnes of carbon against its emission capacity of 3.8M tonnes).

The Kingdom also unveiled a new brand, “Bhutan Believe,” which embodies its resolve to concentrate on laying the groundwork for future generations and adjusting its trajectory to keep pace with modern advancements. A fresh vision for the Kingdom and its goals for the next generation are intended by the new brand. It is also helpful for those seeking an exceptional and once-ina-lifetime travel experience.

A-list boutique experiences for last-minute year-end holidays

further—we’ve made the calls and compiled an A-list of 7 boutique

hotels that are still open. These are conveniently located, purposefully lavish resorts, tiny boutique hotels, wellness resorts, and jungle lodges

that blend opulent comforts with thrilling travel experiences while honouring the places they stand and the people they coexist with.

There is not an iota of roughing out at this jungle resort - a complete package of all things luxurious and authentic experiences of the Land of the Shepherds and Leopards, Jawai. Being the only hotel with a lake within its premise and villas that overlook the rocky hanging boulders of the Aravali, birding and leopard

spotting begin from the balconies of your rooms! And then there are the warm Rabari village experiences, safaris in super-customized 4X4 jeeps, and the incredible culinary spread and cocktail concoctions at their clubhouse. WH Cheetahgarh Resort & Spa is a happy 3-hour drive from Udaipur or Jodhpur.

Looking to stay in a place that doesn’t feel like a concrete jungle?

Spice Village located near the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady is modelled on the traditional swelling of the Mannan tribe of the forests here, including the unique thatching with elephant grass. Year after year, the resort works with the tribal community to rethatch these roofs using their unique technique.

Understated, earthy luxury with intention, conception, dwellings, cuisine and experiences

fundamentally based on the native Manan tribe and the cardamom hills of the Periyar forest, Spice Village is a wondrous spice garden of orchards and vines. Choose from villas with or without private pools and revel in the thrills of the Asian Elephant habitat with plantation visits, naturalist-led nature walks, Periyar forest hiking, bamboo rafting, etc. Getting to the property is convenient with a 5-hour drive from the Kochi airport or a 3-hour drive from Kottayam.

offers a large number of outdoor activities like mountain bicycling, zipline, archery, and Burma Bridge among others. Make time to chill by the poolside and enjoy a stunning sunset. Or else opt for a sensual pampering in the hot tub and infinity pool with beautiful views of the mountains in the daytime and clear starry skies at night. The bonfire in the evening and the festive music will keep your spirits up. Moksha is just one hour drive from the Mohali international airport, a short drive from Chandigarh, and a five-hour drive from Delhi.

Christmas marks the beginning of the festive season we wait for all year long. What better way to celebrate this year’s Christmas & New Year holidays than in a property that combines wellness with some fun activities? There are a host of activities for you to enjoy like pottery, kite flying, trekking, and nature walks. You can calm your mind and body with a session of yoga or meditation or experience forest bathing at the resort. Besides the

tastefully done-up Spa and Wellness Centre, Fazlani Natures Nest is also equipped with a gym and a unique outdoor 3-tier swimming pool in a spectacular outdoor setting. If you are a music lover, karaoke is at your disposal. Enjoy a bonfire in the evening and relish a sumptuous especially curated lunch and gala dinner! Getting to the property is convenient with a 2-hour drive from the Mumbai airport or a 1-hour drive from Pune airport.

The Himalayas is a treasure trove of Incredible India. Moksha Himalaya Spa Resort is set in the majestic Shivalik range within the Himalayas, a nature lover’s paradise. The beautifully laid-out resort boasts 62 deluxe rooms and two opulent family suites each of which has an en-suite bathroom with a bathtub and shower that face out into the Shivalik range. The resort has state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to the enrichment of physical, and spiritual health, beauty, and well-being. The therapies offered are a mix of traditional Ayurveda and international experiences. The resort

The resort offers a unique setting where guests immerse in the rich Rajasthani culture. This Rajasthanivillage-themed resort promotes the local heritage and culture that is indigenous to Rajasthan. Chokhi Dhani Resort offers guests an opportunity to experience traditional artistry, culture, and its delectable cuisine all under one roof. Chokhi Dhani Resort is a part of the village ‘Chokhi Dhani’ that is famous for

the music and dance performances by locals. The most well-known of them is the performance by the nomad tribe showcasing Kalbeliya, Ghoomar, and Chari dance forms. Apart from this, the Bamboo Acrobatics, Terah Thali Dance, and the Traditional Fire Act showcase the daring acts done by various folk artists which leave the audience intrigued, speechless, and in awe of their heritage.

Planning a last minute getaway away from the run-off-the-mill 5-star hotels?

Cheetahgarh Resort & Spa, Rajasthan

Moksha Himalaya Spa Resort, Himachal

Chokhi Dhani Resort, Rajasthan

Spice Village, Kerala

Fazlani Natures Nest, Maharashtra

Similarly, His Majesty the Fourth King also had a vision for the nation’s tourist strategy. When Bhutan first opened its doors to tourism in the 1970s, the nation made a conscious and deliberate decision to pursue “High Value, Low Volume” tourism. Ironically, it was also a

moment when the global economy was struggling. As a result of this visionary programme, which is now admired and valued by many people around the world, Bhutan now has a strong “Brand Bhutan” that is nurtured by its virtues, and essence.

The event also featured a mega cultural bonanza with traditional performances by the Royal Academy of Performing Arts and other groups

selected by a committee which coordinates the celebrations, as well as a concert featuring popular Bhutanese performers.

Located close to Nagpur and just a kilometer and a half away from the forest gate, this premium resort of lavish cottages and luxury tents is a gateway to the popular tiger haven of Tadoba. Expect 65 acres of

unspoiled beauty, 5-star facilities, great food, and the warmest hospitality. And add to this, a rejuvenating spa and thrilling safaris - perfect for a memorable break.

WH Tadoba Vanya Vilas Resort & Spa, Maharashtra

New Delhi, Dec 26 (IANS) From a crewed NASA mission to private spacecraft roaring to explore the Moon, the year 2023 promises to be the final lap towards sending humans, including a woman and a person of colour, to the lunar surface in 2024.

On November 28, Orion spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth during the Artemis I mission when it was 268,563 miles away from our home planet.

Among the accomplishments for NASA’s human spaceflight programmes, the agency successfully launched, for the first time, its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which put NASA’s Orion spacecraft on a path that travelled farther than any spacecraft built for astronauts has been before.

The US space agency has completed manufacturing the booster segments and delivered the engine section to Kennedy for the Artemis III mission, which will be humanity’s first return to the lunar surface in more than 50 years and land the first woman on the Moon.

The agency has also completed numerous key Artemis milestones that will ensure not only a human return to the lunar surface, but longterm exploration on and around the Moon in preparation for sending the first astronauts to Mars.

To date, the agency has identified 13 candidate landing regions near the lunar South Pole where the next American astronauts on the Moon could land during Artemis III, selected Axiom Space to provide the moonwalking system, including spacesuits, that astronauts will use during Artemis III, as well as awarded a task order to Collins Aerospace to develop new spacesuits for the International Space Station.

NASA also awarded a contract modification to SpaceX to further develop its Starship human landing system to meet agency requirements for long-term human exploration of the Moon, including a second crewed landing demonstration mission during Artemis IV, and announced a call to companies to provide proposals for sustainable lunar lander development as the agency works

toward a regular cadence of Moon landings beyond Artemis IV.

It has issued a draft request for proposals for Lunar Terrain Vehicle services to solicit companies’ feedback and completed desert analog missions with crew in a simulated lunar environment to test pressurized rover operations and moonwalks for future Artemis missions.

Meanwhile, private Moon missions are also shaping up, slowly but steadily.

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa in December announced an eight-person private mission around the Moon, carrying artists and creative professionals on a SpaceX flight.

The crew will have DJ Steve Aoki, musician Choi Seung Hyun, choreographer and performer Yemi A.D., photographer Rhiannon Adam, YouTuber Tim Dodd, photographer Karim Iliya, filmmaker Brendan Hall, and actor Dev D. Joshi, with snowboarder Kaitlyn Farrington and dancer Miyu as backup crew members.

“I hope each and every one will recognise the responsibility that comes with leaving the Earth, traveling to the moon and back,” Maezawa said in a video making the announcement.

In 2018, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed that Maezawa, Founder of Japan’s largest online clothing retailer Zozotown will be the first private customer to ride around the Moon on the company’s future rocket, the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR).

According to The Verge, Maezawa plans to fly on the trip as early as 2023, with artists onboard, as part of his “dearMoon” mission.

Five mobile games that will win the hearts of Indian players in 2023

growing in India like a rollercoaster, developers are trying their best to offer new games to satisfy the gamers.

Here are the top 5 mobile games that may make their mark in 2023:

1. Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile

By Ayushi Jain New

Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) Mobile gaming has taken India by storm this year, with the popularity of mobile games surging among the youth, especially millennials and Gen Z.

India’s gaming market reached $2.6 billion in revenue this year, which is expected to quadruple to $8.6 billion by 2027, according to a report by Lumikai, a gaming and interactive media venture capital fund.

India is home to 507 million gamers, of which about 120 million are paid gaming users, with at least $20 revenue per user. With 15 billion downloads, India was the world’s largest consumer of mobile games in FY22 (fiscal year 2022).

Nearly 48 per cent of gamers spend money on mid-core games, while 65 per cent of paying gamers claimed they had engaged in in-app purchases at least once, the report mentioned.

Indians are spending an average of 8.5 hours per week on mobile games.

Three big trends are changing the mobile gaming industry -- better gameplay, improving graphics and new monetisation models.

As the gaming community is

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile from gaming company Activision Publishing is a tactical shooting game with Battle Royale mobile game experience. The game will allow for up to 120 live players in a match on mobile. It is the next era of the Call of Duty franchise. The game will be available on both iOS and Android devices, and is expected to release next year.

However, pre-registrations for the game have started on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

2. Underworld Gang Wars (UGW) Underworld Gang Wars (UGW) from the Mayhem-Studios is the most promising upcoming battle royale mobile game which will be rooted in India and is built for gangsters. It will be available on both Android and iOS devices, and pre- registrations for the game are open and even crossed over 2 million. The game features a gang war between two opposing sides. It’s up to the gamers “to pick a side and defend it with your might”.

3. Rainbow Six: Mobile Tactical shooter game Rainbow Six: Mobile is a competitive and multiplayer first-person shooter experience game. Gamers can compete in the game’s classic ‘Attack vs. Defence’ game modes. Gamers can play as an Attacker or Defender in fast-paced 5 versus 5 matches

and face intense close-quarter combat while making timely tactical decisions.

The Ubisoft-owned game will be available on both iOS and Android devices. The game developer in September had announced that it is rolling out a closed beta version to some gamers who pre-registered the game.

4. Battlefield Mobile Battlefield Mobile is from the video game company Electronic Arts. It is an action shooter game where gamers can play high intensity player versus player combat in epic large-scale battles. The game allows players to explore massive 3D destructible maps and wartime environments at the scale only Battlefield can bring to mobile. It will be available on both Android and iOS devices, and is expected to launch in early 2023. However, pre-registrations for the game have started at the application stores.

5. Dragon Siege: Kingdom Conquest Dragon Siege: Kingdom Conquest’ is a massively multiplayer (MMO) casual fantasy game from NDREAM Corporation. In this game, players can start an exciting adventure at the Fantasy World, Dragonia. Gamers can expand their village, farm and harvest resources, and can even battle with other players. They can also build their troops in real-time and can enjoy strategic combat.

This game will only be available on Android devices and pre-registrations for the game have started on the Google Play Store.

(Ayushi Jain can be reached at ayushi.j@ians.in)

Twitter didn’t remove suicide prevention tool, it is fake news: Musk

Media reports earlier claimed that Twitter removed a feature that promoted suicide prevention hotlines and other safety resources.

“False, it is still there,” the new Twitter owner said in a tweet.

The reports, quoting Twitter executives, claimed the feature was removed and was being revamped.

Replying to a user, Musk said: “Twitter doesn’t prevent suicide”.

Twitter from some consumer safety advocates, report Engadget.

A Twitter user said: “Mental health support and crisis prevention tools to help integrate with social platforms is incredibly important. Tumblr for example has been doing a great job now”.

“Fake News and its publishers should also be blocked on Twitter for a certain period of time,” another Musk follower posted.

Indian smartwatch players gear up to beat Chinese, global rivals

By Shrey Srivastava

New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) The Indian smartwatch market has not only grown exponentially on the home turf, but also performed exceptionally well at the global level.

And the domestic players expect to repeat the feat in 2023, with the expectation to overtake both Chinese and global rivals.

In Q2 2022, India overtook China to become the second-largest smartwatch market globally for the first time, growing 347 per cent (yearon-year), according to Counterpoint Research.

China, which ranked second in Q1, was pushed down to the third place with a 10 per cent (year-on-year) decrease in its shipments.

According to Prabhu Ram, HeadIndustry Intelligence Group, CMR, homegrown smartwatch brands will seek to raise their domestic value addition to further increase their overall competitiveness, not just against the Chinese, but global smartwatch brands.

“After catering to value-conscious buyers in the affordable and competitive Indian smartwatch market, the smartwatch brands will aim to increase their market pie by targeting higher price tiers,” Ram told IANS.

Indian brands such as Fire-Boltt and Noise took top spots in the global market share in the June quarter (Q2) amid macro uncertainties such as inflation and geopolitical

tensions.

Commenting on the company’s growth, Amit Khatri, Co-founder, Noise, told IANS that they have been at the forefront of India’s smartwatch market with a 30 per cent share, “also becoming the only homegrown brand to make it to the top 3 smartwatch brands globally”.

“We closed FY22 at Rs 850 crore and aim to close FY23 at Rs 2,000 crore.

Being one of the first Indian brands to localise the production of smart wearables in India, we are bullish about ramping up our Make in India efforts by bringing 80 per cent of manufacturing to India by year-end,” Khatri added.

According to Arnav Kishore, Founder and CEO at Fire-Boltt, 2022 has been the best year for the company so far.

“We witnessed tremendous growth this year and bagged the No. 1 spot in the smartwatch category in two consecutive quarters (Q1 and Q2). We also climbed up in our global rankings and today we are the fourth largest smartwatch brand in the world,” Kishore told IANS.

The company will move towards 100 per cent localisation in the next three months, in terms of its India manufacturing plan, he said. At the moment, Fire-Boltt is at 70 per cent localisation.

In Q3 2022, India’s market grew 171 per cent (year-on-year) to become the biggest smartwatch market globally, according to Counterpoint.

Noise grew 218 per cent (year-onyear) to regain the top spot in the Indian market, while Fire-Boltt ranked second.

Another homegrown, high-end consumer electronic brand, Boult Audio, also made its mark in the Indian market. Being among the top three audio brands in India, Boult further spread its horizons and ventured into the smartwatch market in 2022.

“It is creating a niche in the smartwatch category too and is establishing itself as a premium brand choice among Indian consumers,” said Varun Gupta, Founder and CEO, Boult Audio.

By 2026, Boult endeavours to reach out to more than 100 million customers worldwide.

“As we embark upon 2023, Boult aims to strengthen its market position in the smartwatch category in India,” Gupta told IANS.

(Shrey Srivastava can be reached at shrey.s@ians.in)

Time for ‘cockroaches, not unicorns’: Layoffs, funding winter set to continue

New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS)

Thousands lost jobs amid deepening funding winter in 2022 as massive layoffs by the tech companies this year alone surpassed the levels from the Great Recession the world went through in 2008-2009 that began with Lehman Brothers collapse.

In 2008, tech companies laid off about 65,000 employees, and a similar number of workers lost their livelihoods in 2009, according to data by global outplacement and career transitioning firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

By comparison, over 1,000 tech companies laid off more than 1,52,000 employees this year globally, surpassing the Great Recession levels of 2008-2009.

More than 91,000 workers in the US tech sector were laid off in mass job cuts in 2022, according to a Crunchbase tally.

Over 17,000 tech employees were shown the door in India, led by edtech companies like BYJU’s, Unacademy, Vedanta and others.

The startup ecosystem’s funding winter could last another 12 to 18 months and the industry may face “a lot of turmoil and volatility”, Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy has warned.

The fact is that only two startups in India, Shiprocket and OneCard, attained unicorn status (valuation of $1 billion and above) in the JulySeptember period, according to a PwC India report.

“There was a definite downturn in Q2 of this year and the quality deal flow had dried up substantially, as investors at large were wary of deploying dry powder,” said Rushit Shah, CoFounder of DevX Venture Fund.

The startups which raised at astronomical valuations were given a reality check by the market and brought to sanity.

“Reducing the burn happened to be the new mantra, which led to layoffs especially in the edtech sector in a gloomy environment,” Shah told IANS.

According to Shrijay Sheth, Founder, legalwiz.in, 2023 will continue to be the year of sustenance for most, and funders will continue to remain more cautious.

“Both valuation multipliers and funding opportunities will go more conservative. Startups must build better units economics as opposed to expensive acquisitions driven growth channels,” said Sheth.

Geo-political issues, global supply chain crisis and other macro issues are expected to prevail.

“Mostly, the serious funding houses will prevail while we will see visitors in the VC world take a break,” Sheth added.

India saw a massive 35 per cent drop in funding this year, from $37.2 billion in 2021 to $24.7 billion.

Edtech startups witnessed a significant 39 per cent drop compared to the same period last year, according

to Tracxn.

The late-stage investments fell by 45 per cent, from $29.3 billion in January-November 2021 to $16.1 billion for the same period this year.

According to Yash Shah, Co-founder and CEO, Clientjoy, �growth at all costs’ is no longer a philosophy entertained by investors.

“During these times, founders must push themselves to identify and optimise their conversion funnels that directly show a reduction in their acquisition costs and push the company towards at-least unit level profitability, if not complete profitability,” he said.

Ambitious projects and long term initiatives with low probability of success that employed talent at the cutting edge of technology are being put on hold and survival has become the priority.

“The market will turn eventually and disciplined founders and top talent will reap disproportionate benefits once this funding winter is over. This is the time for cockroaches and not unicorns,” said Shah.

Multicloud strategy will dominate Indian enterprises in 2023

By Shailender Kumar

The year 2022 was unquestionably a year of technological dynamism, particularly in the cloud space, as new cloud computing models came to the fore. With businesses increasing their investment in cloud, they continue to prioritise flexibility, agility, scalability, and cost-efficiency.

One observation that stands out to me, based on several discussions I’ve had with customers over the past year, their requirement is simple: a cloud that does not limit their operations and one which allows them to choose the best cloud option for key workloads.

A significant IT trend has emerged in recent years -- customers are realising that a single public cloud cannot meet all their business needs. A multi-cloud strategy will be the de facto approach to ensure customers can get the benefit of the best services from more than one cloud provider.

A multicloud environment is often the right choice for organizations to balance price, performance, and agility in a world with many cloud-based services and solutions.

New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS)

CEO

“The message is actually still up. This is fake news,” he added.

The disappearance of the #ThereIsHelp banner, even if it was only momentary, led to criticism of

The #ThereIsHelp banner pointed users to suicide prevention hotlines and other safety resources when searching for certain content on Twitter.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure supports robust multicloud solutions, enabling simpler management while minimizing integration complications and security risks.

This strategy is typically driven by workload, business, and data

governance requirements. When designing a multicloud solution, it’s essential for companies to consider network latency, data movements, security, orchestration, and operation management, which ultimately drive their architectural decisions.

Organisations are looking for cloud providers that can collaborate with one another and offer on-demand services. Cloud providers are already managing this trend by clustering their cloud capabilities together to reduce latency -- we are actively doing this in Oracle.

We have created offerings that operate seamlessly across cloud infrastructures and applications.

Oracle Interconnect for Azure is one such partnership where customers run more than one application across two different clouds.

We also offer Oracle Database Service for Azure which is an Oracle-managed service for Azure customers, even Oracle MySQL HeatWave on AWS -- an OCI fully managed database on AWS compute with machine learning-powered automation and built-in advanced security features. It enables OLTP and OLAP in one MySQL Database service -- without ETL duplication.

Companies will adopt the best public clouds for each of their key workloads, and its adoption will grow throughout the next decade. Even traditionally, risk-averse industries like financial services are

embracing multicloud -- based on key competencies and benefits each cloud provider offers.

Likewise, regulators have jumped on the multi-cloud bandwagon. One of our Oracle Cloud Infrastructure customers, Reliance General Insurance is one such firm.

The world is changing, businesses and workloads are getting more complex and with that the way we use technology is different. The efficacy and demand for multiple clouds will only increase as agility and optimization retain top business priorities among customers.

Cloud providers will be tasked with ensuring that their offerings -- both infrastructure and applications -integrate with other cloud providers rather than operate in silos.

Customers want their cloud solution providers to work well together so they can establish operational efficiency and deliver the ultimate customer service.

(Kumar is Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director, Oracle India and NetSuite JAPAC)

Twitter

Elon Musk has denied that the micro-blogging platform removed suicide prevention feature for its users, said the reports were “fake”.

From NASA mission to private trips, humankind gets closer

China gives up reporting Covid figures as virus rips through population

Beijing, Dec 27 (IANS) China’s National Health Commission has announced that it will no longer be publishing daily Covid-19 infection figures, as the virus rips through the population with the abandonment of rolling lockdowns, mass tracking of citizens and compulsory testing, according to a media report.

“As of today, we will no longer release daily statistics on the pandemic, with any data released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention for the purposes of

reference and research,” the health ministry said on its official website, RFA reported.

The announcement came as China said on Monday that beginning January 8, it will put an end to a mandatory quarantine on arrival for overseas travelers that had been in place since March 2020.

It also followed a leaked ministerial document dated December 20 -which analysts said was likely the result of computer modeling in the absence of widespread testing

-- said around 250 million people may now be affected with Covid-19 following the lifting of control measures, RFA reported.

Officials had already warned that the development of the current outbreak had become “impossible to track” in the absence of mass testing.

High-profile pro-government commentator Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief of the Global Times, said the figures released in recent days had been “seriously distorted”, and believed by no one, RFA

People in 30-50 age group sleep the least due to childcare, working life

to the findings published in Nature Communications.

Across the study sample, people sleep an average of 7.01 hours per night, with women sleeping 7.5 minutes longer than men on average.

The study led by University College London, University of East Anglia and University of Lyon researchers involved 730,187 participants spread over 63 countries.

department.

People who report sleeping the most are in Eastern European countries such as Albania, Slovakia, Romania and the Czech Republic, reporting 20-40 minutes extra sleep per night and the least in South East Asian countries including the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.

reported.

The announcement came amid anecdotal evidence of skyrocketing death rates and overwhelming pressure on hospitals. A hospital in Taizhou city recently announced that it had passed two million emergency room visits in recent days, while a video clip uploaded on social media by a Shanghai resident on Sunday showed hundreds of people lining up to get served at the city’s Baoxing funeral parlor, with the line stretching out of the gate

and onto the street.

An official in China’s political and legal committee system, the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s law enforcement hierarchy, said the massive pressure on crematoriums in the city had prompted municipal civil affairs bureau officials to take control of the sector, RFA reported.

Nobody is now allowed to transport the remains of their dead relatives to funeral homes, but must wait for them to be picked up by funeral home staff.

The official said the current wave of infections is driven by government pressure to reboot the economy after months of damage under Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid policy, and suggests the government is pursuing “herd immunity”.

“They are expressly telling people who have tested positive to go to work, to spread the infection as fast as possible,” the official said.

“It’s like this all over the country now,” he said, RFA reported.

UN chief issues global alert on Int’l Day of Epidemic Preparedness

United Nations, Dec 28 (IANS) UN

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a global “wake-up call” on the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, which is observed annually on December 27.

London, Dec 24 (IANS) People sleep less in mid-adulthood than they do in early and late adulthood, finds a new study. The researchers said the decline in sleep during mid-life may be due to demands of childcare and working life.

Sleep duration declines in early adulthood until age 33, and then picks up again at age 53, according

“Ours is the first large study to identify these three distinct phases across the life course. We found that across the globe, people sleep less during mid-adulthood, but average sleep duration varies between regions and between countries,” explained Professor Hugo Spiers from University College London’s Psychology and Language Sciences

People in the UK reported sleeping slightly less than the average. People tended to sleep a bit less in countries closer to the equator.

The researchers found that navigational ability was unaffected by sleep duration for most of the sample, except for among older adults (aged 54-70) whose optimal sleep duration was seven hours, although they caution that the findings among older adults might be impacted by underlying health conditions.

BF.7 is Omicron with mutations, won’t lead to severe disease: Experts

immune evasiveness. It essentially is the same virus as Omicron, but with additional mutations... There is no indication that it causes more severe disease,” he said while talking to IANS.

Dr Jayadevan told IANS that after Omicron was spotted in November 2021 in South Africa, it covered the globe in just one-and-a-half-month.

India saw BA.1 version first, followed by BA.2, which caused the third wave in January-February 2022.

of Omicron such as BQ.1, BQ.1.1 and XBB afterwards,” he opined.

“The world must come together. Covid-19 was a wake-up call,” Guterres said in his message for the international day, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The costs have been catastrophic,” he said, noting that since the pandemic struck, millions of lives have been lost, and hundreds of millions have fallen ill; economies have been shattered, health systems stretched, and trillions of dollars lost.

Moreover, progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals has been “thrown off track”, the top UN official said.

“Developing countries were often left to fend for themselves, shamefully denied the vaccines, tests or treatments they needed to protect their people,” he said.

Covid-19 will not be the last epidemic or pandemic humanity faces, he warned.

“As a global community, we must heed the harsh lessons of Covid-19 and make bold investments in pandemic preparedness, prevention and response,” said the UN chief.

Guterres underscored the need for better surveillance “to detect and monitor viruses with epidemic potential”; resilient health systems supported by universal health coverage; and a “well-trained, well-equipped and well-paid” health workforce.

“We also need equitable access to vaccines, treatments, diagnostics and life-saving technology for all countries,” Guterres added.

He highlighted the need to “fight the scourge” of misinformation and pseudoscience with science and fact-based information, reminding that a pandemic cannot be fought country by country.

“On this International Day of

First infection of ‘brain-eating amoeba’ reported in S.Korea

By Avinash Prabhakar

New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) The current Covid surge in many countries including China is believed to be driven by Omicron sub-variant BF.7. India has also so far reported four cases of this variant that includes two from Gujarat and two from Odisha.

Unlike China, the new substrain of coronavirus has not affected India disastrously even as the first case of this variant was detected months ago. However, the Centre has directed all states and Union Territories to remain cautious and ramp up the genome sequencing to track the variants.

The BF.7 is a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant BA.5, which, Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, Co-chairman, National IMA Covid taskforce, calls ‘great-grandson of Omicron’.

“BF.7 is a great-grandson of Omicron, which has a greater ability to infect previously infected or vaccinated people than the original Omicron. This property is called

“Since then, BA.2’s sons, daughters and grandchildren are circulating in India but have not caused any large waves.”

Giving credit to high vaccination coverage and naturally acquired immunity among those who survived past Covid-19 infection, Dr Jayadevan said that when Western countries suffered under the subsequent BA.5 version of Omicron, most parts of India did not witness a proportionate rise in BA.5-linked cases.

“A few months ago, when BF.7 was first reported, scientists were initially excited about it because it appeared simultaneously in several countries at once. It was found especially in Belgium and also in Denmark, Germany, and France. Naturally, there were initial concerns that it would outgrow its siblings. That did not happen. For example, in the US, BF.7 currently forms only 3.9 per cent of the circulating variants. That is possibly because it was outclassed by newer and more capable versions

almost three years ago, with a total of more than 1 million deaths.

Japan is facing an ongoing eighth wave of the pandemic and the country registered 206,943 new cases.

South Korea’s new Covid cases remained below 70,000 for the second straight day on Saturday, while new coronavirus-related deaths hit a three-month high.

There is no indication at this time that BF.7 or its ancestor BA.5 have made any impact in India. It has also been reported in northern China. Continued genomic surveillance is required - all over the world - firstly due to the fast-changing nature of the virus, and secondly, because some people with compromised immune systems could harbour the virus for long periods of time, Dr Jayadevan advised on the recent growing Covid scare.

“Covid-19 is constantly mutating, the RNA strand of the virus replicates and will make mistakes resulting in mutations, which can introduce important changes, helping the virus to adapt or survive better and increase the ability of the virus to spread faster,” said Public Health Expert and Director, Bone and Joint Institute, Fortis Escort Hospital Dr Kaushal Kant Mishra.

He said that studies across the globe have established that being a subvariant of Omicron, it is highly infectious and spreads faster than other variants. “We have observed the increasing trends of joint pain, upper body pain, URI and vertigo,” he said, adding that as “no study till now has linked these symptoms with the new variant so we can’t say that these are the symptoms”.

However, the most common symptoms include congestion, sore throat, cough, fatigue and runny nose.

to affect vulnerable members of the community. While an endemic may not experience large outbreaks, it also means that it will not be completely eradicated,” she said.

Health experts said that it is harder to predict if Covid-19 will become endemic in 2023 because it is a respiratory virus that tends to mutate, similar to other Influenza viruses.

Seoul, Dec 26 (IANS) The first infection from Naegleria fowleri, or “brain-eating amoeba,” has been reported in South Korea, the health authorities said on Monday.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) confirmed that a Korean national who died after returning from Thailand was infected with Naegleria fowleri, which destroys human brains.

The man in his 50s came back to Korea on December 10 after a four-month stay in the Southeast Asian country and was admitted to a hospital next day. He died on Tuesday last week, reports Yonhap

news agency.

This is the first known infection from the disease in the country, which was first reported in the United States in 1937.

Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba commonly found in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, canals and ponds throughout the world. The amoeba is inhaled through the nose and travels to the brain to destroy brain tissue.

The KDCA said the odds of human-to-human transmission of Naegleria fowleri are low but asked local residents to refrain swimming in the areas where the disease has broken out.

China hands over daily Covid data duty to local CDC as nations seek transparency

Hong Kong, Dec 26 (IANS) China’s National Health Commission (NHC) has stopped publishing daily Covid-19 case data, handing over the charge to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as nations including India ask the country to share actual Covid data on an urgent basis.

According to state-run Global Times, handing over the epidemic data calculation to a technical organisation “is a reasonable move to provide professional epidemic figures”.

“The NHC will no longer release daily epidemic data from Sunday. China’s CDC will release relevant COVID-19 information for study and reference,” the NHC said in a statement.

According to local experts, the move will help shift more resources of related authorities to other key steps like clinical treatment.

It is believed, the CDC will largely rely on COVID-19 data reported by clinical diagnosis in medical institutions and monitor overall epidemic trends.

China’s NHC began to release the daily new tally from January 21, 2020 when epidemic experts identified that the virus could spread from between humans.

However, it will still take days for the CDC to activate the epidemic monitor reporting system and allow the organisation to collect and report infection data effectively.

The organisation will roll out the plan in the coming days.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last week that he is “very concerned over the evolving situation in China” and appealed for specific data on disease severity, hospital admissions and intensive care

requirements.

The reports from China suggest that the Omicron BF.7 variant is behind the surge in the country.

Indian officials and experts feel that China’s censorship on actual Covid infection data sharing is a major concern for the world as countries prepare to navigate another potential wave.

IIT Kanpur ready with artificial heart

Kanpur, Dec 25 (IANS) IIT Kanpur is ready with an artificial heart that would be of great help to people with acute cardiac problems.

New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) With Covid infections once again surging in several countries, especially in China which saw over 250 million cases in just 20 days in December, fresh Covid wave fears linger across the world, including in India.

While the BF.7 variant of Omicron virus is a cause of concern in China and India, the Omicron subvariant XBB accounts for 18.3 per cent of the Covid-19 cases in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This marks an increase of 11.2 per cent as the XBB variant continues to drive up cases in Singapore.

Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 accounted for about 70 per cent of new cases in the US.

The total number of confirmed Covid cases in the US have surpassed 100 million, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, since the pandemic broke out

The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that he hopes that Covid-19 will no longer be a global health emergency sometime next year.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the WHO Covid-19 Emergency Committee will discuss next month the criteria for declaring an end to the Covid-19 emergency.

“We’re hopeful that at some point next year, we will be able to say that Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency,” he said, adding that however, SARS-CoV-2 virus, the culprit behind the Covid-19 pandemic, will not go away.

Kirti Sabnis, Infectious Disease Specialist at Fortis Hospital in Kalyan, Mumbai, told IANS that when a pandemic becomes endemic, it means that the disease is present in a particular community or globally, and there is enough immunity among the population to control outbreaks.

“Also, the infections can continue

“If multiple mutations change the virus’s protein structure or its ability to attach to cells, it could give rise to new strains. However, if the current protection of the immunity to the virus is sufficient to prevent severe disease or reduce transmission, then definitely Covid can become endemic,” Sabnis said.

It is uncertain when or if Covid-19 will become endemic, but it is unlikely that we will be able to completely eliminate it.

Experts said that we may see occasional outbreaks, particularly during flu season or if new mutations emerge, as is currently happening in China.

“The transmission of the virus in India and the level of immunity acquired through previous vaccination and community transmission will also influence its potential to become endemic. However, it seems unlikely that there will be significant new outbreaks or that the virus will become endemic in the next 2-3 months,” Sabnis said.

IIT Kanpur Director, Abhay Karandikar, said that the trial on animals would begin next year. He said, “Now heart transplant will be easy. Artificial hearts can be implanted in serious patients.

IIT Kanpur and cardiologists from across the country have developed this artificial heart. Trial on animals will start from February or March. After success in the trial, transplantation can be done in humans in the next two years.”

Karandikar said that heart disease was increasing rapidly and a large number of patients were being advised heart transplant.

“Artificial heart is being developed to reduce the sufferings of the patients,” he said, adding, “a team

of 10 scientists and doctors has prepared this artificial heart. After the success of the trial on animals, heart transplantation in humans will begin within two years.”

He said that doctors and scientists should together prepare equipment and implants.

He said, “India imports 80 per cent of equipment and implants from abroad. Only 20 percent of the equipment and implants are being manufactured in India. Most of the implants and stents for heart patients are being imported.”

He further said, “Covid-19 taught us some hard lessons. Before Covid, ventilators were not made in India.

To save the lives of corona-infected, Indian scientists and doctors prepared ventilators in just 90 days. Two companies are manufacturing ventilators in India. Foreign ventilator costs Rs 10 to 12 lakh while

Indian ventilator is being made for only Rs 2.5 lakh.”

He said, “There is a huge shortage of doctors and paramedical staff in India. There are only 8 doctors per 1000 population. This deficiency cannot be filled at once. However, the government is rapidly opening hospitals and medical colleges. Despite this, the crisis of doctor-staff will continue according to the population and geographical conditions. In such a situation, there is a need to connect the medical system with technology.”

Will the pandemic become endemic in 2023? Experts hedge their bets

Epidemic Preparedness, I urge all countries to stand with our efforts to ensure the world is equipped and ready to take on the health challenges to come,” he said.

The first International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, marked on December 27, 2020, was called for by the UN General Assembly to advocate the importance of the prevention of, preparedness for and partnership against epidemics.

A total of 381 Naegleria fowleri cases have been reported as of 2018 in the world including in the US, India and Thailand.

Sthitaprajna: Stable Wisdom and Being Dispassionate

on the idea of the Sthitaprajna.

In verse 53, Krishna says that anyone who can channel one’s intellect to look beyond the Vedic rituals (that yield personal benefit) and has realised one’s true self is nothing but consciousness, is a perfect Yogi. It is to this statement that Arjuna asks what is the nature of such a enlightened person. Verse 54 is where the term Sthitaprajna, to describe the enlightened person, is first used. More specifically, Arjuna asks how does a Sthitaprajna speaks, sits, and walks (i.e., interact with the world).

sensory input, as described in Patanjali’s Yogasutras is key. This message is re-emphasised in verses 61 and 62 where introspection should not on objects that give pleasure as that will only lead to desire, fear and anger. The introspection should be on what is one’s true self.

Krishna states in verses 63-65 that when a person’s mind is tranquil, they will not be attached to anything. This will ensure that their intellect is not confused. A tranquil mind is a prerequisite to enable one to identify one’s true self with consciousness.

By Paddy Krishnan

The term Sthitaprajna is used in the Bhagavad Gita. Verses 54 to 72 in the second chapter describes this in detail. It is in the second chapter that Arjuna has doubts about fighting the war. He asks Krishna if by not fighting he is doing the right thing. Krishna teaches Arjuna about Karma Yoga, i.e., performing actions with equanimity. But Arjuna wonders whether anyone can achieve such a state. It is Krishna’s explanation to this that describes who is a Sthitaprajna.

Krishna’s explanation is related to Samadhi introduced in the Patanjali Yogasutras. Patanjali discusses how to focus the mind including physical actions such as Asansas (postures), Pranayama (breathing exercises). But one has to be able to look inwards (called Pratyahara). This is a difficult, but key step, before one can attain Samadhi. Krishna, refers to some of these aspects but focuses on describing a “role-model”. Krishna also uses ideas from Samkhya (e.g., the importance of Sattva Guna) and how to control one’s Rajas Guna that leads to a restless mind.

In this note, I will summarise the key points from the second chapter in the Bhagavad Gita and elaborate

Krishna’s answer in verse 55 is not very different from his statement in verse 53. He essentially repeats that anyone who discards selfish desires is a Sthitaprajna. Krishna continues in verses 56 and 57 that one’s mind should not be disturbed by pleasure or misery. He indicates that desires are the cause of fear (because of unfulfilled desires) which leads to anger and anger leads to impulsive behaviour. Thus, impulsive behaviour is caused by desire. Therefore, desires need to be controlled.

Hence a Sthitaprajna does not exhibit any impulsive behaviour because such a person is not attached to anything under any circumstance. A Sthitaprajna recognises that everything found in this world can only provide transient happiness. It is important to note that a person who tries to avoid the sense pleasures by mere abstinence is not really free of desires. Suppression only leads to more anger mainly because desires are not satisfied.

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In verses 58-60 Krishna points out that one’s senses are strong and can control the mind. Hence self-control of the sense organs is necessary. This is like the tortoise withdrawing its limbs and head inside its shell. That is, introspection and reducing

Krishna reiterates the power of one’s senses in verses 67 and 68 and compares the senses to a strong wind that can blow a large ship off-course. Nothing is more important than controlling all the sense organs.

Verse 69 is very interesting. Informally, it says that what most beings consider as day is night for the wise and what most beings consider to be night is the day for the wise. Krishna points out that material enjoyment is often the focus of most beings. Because they get pleasure from these senses, the view the whole experience is “as bright as day“. But the Sthitaprajna knows this is false and hence views such experiences as “dark“. Most beings view spirituality as a hurdle to enjoying this life and hence “dark”. But the wise know that this is only way to true, everlasting happiness and hence true “brightness”.

Verses 70-72 conclude the chapter and Krishna’s message just reinforces the previous answers. That is, one has to control the mind and give up material desires, greed, etc. One must be like the ocean which does not get disturbed when various rivers flow into it. Thus a Sthitaprajna is freed from Samsara (the cycle of birth and death). Although Krishna does not use the term Jivanmukta (one who is enlightened whilst still alive), it is clear that this is what he

means. Hence, one who is enlightened is never again confused. The Bhagavad Gita repeats this idea of a Sthitaprajna (without necessarily using that term) in subsequent chapters. For instance, in chapter 5, verse 20 the terms Sthira Buddhi and Asammudhan are used. They mean steady intellect and firmly situated (in the divine) respectively. In chapter 11 verse 55 Krishna repeats the importance of performing actions free from attachment. Although chapter 12 focuses on Bhakti (the path of devotion), it does state in verses 3-5 that one can be one with Brahman by restraining the senses and being imperturbable. It is interesting to note that Krishna does not answer Arjuna’s question directly. He does not explicitly state how a Sthitaprajna speaks, sits or walks. This is because, the main message is that one does not have to start performing different actions. One can continue to perform the actions but have a different attitude to both the actions and the results of the actions. A Sthitaprajna does not perform any action for their happiness or freedom. They are already happy and free. Hence their actions do not consider emotions like pleasure, pain, fear, or anger.

Krishna just states a Yogi discards all desires and is in Samadhi.

Krishna does not say one must not enjoy things. One can enjoy things, but one must not moan about things that cause pain. One needs to be neutral towards adversity and good times. A person who is neutral is one with Brahman. This concept is expanded in the Ashtavakra Gita where King Janaka was detached while living in luxury.

Krishna states that one’s journey to be a Sthitaprajna will be long and arduous. Hence one should not deny oneself all pleasures right away. Being detached should be done gradually keeping in mind that items being enjoyed are always

in accordance with Dharma. One should also work towards contentment without supression. This will automatically reduce one’s desires. This is related to the concept of Sadhana or repeated practice.

Initially, these practices will not be natural but one must learn from them. The story of Vishvamitra, who had great difficult in controlling his anger and his desire to be come a Brahma rishi is relevant.

Vishvamitra failed many times but never gave up and was focused on continuous improvement. He was not satisified in being a great rishi. But once he was truly contented he automtically became a Brahma rishi.

Krishna’s reference to focusing on the benefits of Vedic rituals is also telling. Being ritualistic for personal benefit means that they have not understood the benefits of performing these rituals. These rituals must be performed with a view to reaching the state of Pratyahara and look at cosmic benefits. Sensory experiences will always be there. But one should learn to control one’s reactions to these sensory inputs. Eventually, one’s mind and thus reactions will become steady (Sthita).

The analogy of the wind and the ship is also for a practical reason. Life is not stagnant and is constantly changing like the wind blowing or being very still. We have to learn

to harness the wind to ensure that we can steer the ship towards the final destination. Practically, one cannot keep asking oneself “Am I enlightened?”. A better question to ask is “Am I making good progress?”. That is, one must measure against oneself. That is why Krishna does not give a direct answer to Arjuna’s question.

To summarise, a Sthitaprajna is one who is desireless and hence will be emotionally stable and exhibit perfect self control. One can reach this stage via performing the right actions (Karma Yoga), having the right knowledge (Jnana Yoga). Technically, to become a Sthitaprajna one does not need to believe in the Brahman or Atman. The process to become a Sthitaprajna is all about controlling the mind. But because the Gita is used in the context of spirituality, it has references to Brahman, Atman and consciousness.

Paddy Krishnan is a computer scientist, who got his BTech degree from IIT-Kanpur and PhD from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Being very interested in Hindu philosophy, he maintains a blog at www.goldcoasthindu. wordpress.com

Indian Americans turn to ‘assertive Hinduism’ to define identity

minorities in India.

The backlash continues to this day, with a coalition of Muslims, African Americans and civil rights groups calling for the US authorities to investigate its organisers, which included the Overseas Friends of BJP.

This import from India was also seen in other countries with significant presence of the Indian diaspora in 2022.

universal and eternal values which were discovered and practiced by the Sages of Bharat”.

But this in-your-face Hindu assertion is new and has surprised and embarrassed more moderate sections of Hindus. “I was shocked by the naked display of this Hindu assertion at the US congress event,” said one of the people who attended, speaking on condition of anonymity to be able to express his views freely.

Hinduism.

Another group of Indian Americans hosted two events at the Capitol in 2022 to register their desire to shirt the generic name of the community from Indian American, as the nearly 4 million Americans of Indian extraction have been called for decades, to Hindu American as some in the community have been advocating for long, but unsuccessfully until now.

political force in US politics, which was cited as a reason by the organisers for hosting at the US Capitol, to deliver the message directly to US lawmakers.

The Indian diaspora in the US has been debating this name change for a while, and among community members who vote and support both the Democratic and the Republican parties.

By Yashwant Raj Washington, Dec 28 (IANS)

Assertive Hinduism was the most visible US import from India in 2022, courtesy the Indian American community.

An event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence at US Capitol, home to US democracy and Congress, was turned into a

celebration of their Hindu faith by organisers and attendees as groups after groups lustily chanted “Jai Sri Ram”. It wasn’t the wine that was being served.

A bulldozer rolled along a parade organised by a separate bunch of Indian Americans in New Jersey, in an unmistakable nod to its emergence as a symbol of oppression of

Indian-origin Britons chanting “Jai Shri Ram” marched through the streets of Leicester in the UK in September, which was noted with much alarm by British authorities and media.

Some Hindu-Americans have been quietly promoting their faith and cultural accoutrements for decades.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad America, for instance, was founded in 1970 to, in the words of its website, “preserve, promote and practice those great

Attendees posed for pictures in groups chanting “Jai Shri Ram” as members of US congress arrived, spoke and left with aides. Slogans were also raised about India -- “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, which may have been appropriate given the occasion, the 75th anniversary of Indian independent.

US Congress, incidentally, was a favoured venue for many of these public display of assertive

One of the events was hosted by a group of prominent Indian Americans who said they were disappointed by the Indian government’s refusal to offer a robust criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and, they further argued, they did not want to take the backlash they suffered on behalf of the Indian government.

These events were also motivated by a desire to project Hindu Americans -- and not Indian Americans -- as a

India-born immigrants continued to feel a strong link with their country of origin, but the second generation of Indian Americans feel less committed to this political part of their heritage -- they feel they are American, born and raised in the US unlike their parents, uncles and aunties.

The name Hindu American for Hindus in the diaspora makes more sense. But this is not a debate that has been settled yet.

Is Astrology really fraud? Here’s what you need to know

Is it true that astrology is a “fraud”?

As mentioned earlier, astrology has a history of being the target of caustic assaults.

One of the main points of contention has been whether astrology can be considered rational and scientific, or whether it is more akin to a superstition.

The answer to this question lies in the legal dynamics of astrology in India.

In 2004, the Supreme Court of India proclaimed astrology as a science.

It sided with the view that astrology is a time-tested science and dates back more than 4,000 years old and refused to ban on practices promoting astrology.

Since then, astrology is being taught in several universities in India. In fact, very recently, IGNOU introduced a Master’s programme in Jyotishvia distance learning which can only by pursued by students who have completed their undergraduate degree.

called Ephemeris.

In order to determine the precise degree of the ascendant and the planets, complex mathematical calculations must be performed throughout the horoscope-making process.

The accuracy of horoscope predictions is highly sensitive to even the smallest of mathematical errors.

to understand relationship between man and other living and non-living beings and to decipher the purpose of life through karmic patterns generated through subconscious and conscious emotional interplay.

By Neeraj Dhankher

Time and again, numerous attempts have been made to malign the credibility of astrology. One such attempt was made recently when, in a video, a fame-hungry, self-styled influencer described astrology as a ‘fraud’ industry meant only for feeble minded Indians.

The creator of the video claimed how millions of Indians are being ‘fooled’ into believing astrology and it is nothing but just a sham.

The video’s claims regarding the veracity of astrology and other mystical disciplines like numerology seem too bold to be supported by any evidence or in-depth understanding of the topic presented.

On the other hand, the only

information available was a generalised description of the planets and a simplistic interpretation of the zodiac.

The astrological systems of the West and India were lumped together without any consideration for their differences. It turned out that the video was really a covert advertising ploy for an audio-book service, and the creator picked a subject connected to astrology because of the subject’s widespread popularity throughout the world.

Nonetheless, it poses some pertinent questions about astrology and its believers.

Is it true that astrology followers are ‘fooled’ into their beliefs, and are they ‘weak-minded’ because they turn to astrology for solace?

In a historic judgement, the apex court noted, “Astrology is a science, which claims to foretell the future or make predictions by studying the supposed influence of the relative positions of the moon, sun, planets and other stars on human affairs. It, therefore, requires study of celestial bodies, of their positions, magnitudes, motions, and distances, etc...”

The court further directed the universities in India to consider adding astrology as a subject.

Again in 2011, the Bombay High Court dismissed a plea that had challenged astrology as science.

It refused to consider astrology and other allied sciences like Palmistry as part of The Drugs and Magical Remedies Act of 1954.

This goes on to show that there is definitely an educational criterion to study astrology since it involves various computations and abstract ideas. Clearly, astrology cannot be called a ‘fraud’ industry.

The subject matter of astrology is human beings and how they are affected by the motions and placements of the planets, stars, and other heavenly bodies across the Zodiac.

Astrology draws heavily from two ‘pure’ sciences - Astronomy and Mathematics. The influence of planets is studied using data gathered by astronomers on the orbits of planets and other celestial bodies on a daily basis.

Information on the daily motion of the planets and its effect on human behaviour is compiled in a log-book

In the same way, astrology makes use of the fundamentals of geography like longitude and latitude to interpret the positioning of the stars and planets in relation to Earth.

Thus, a significant quantity of “verifiable” data is amassed. The astrologer then analyses the data and uses it to make predictions about the person’s life.

Like a scientist, an astrologer becomes more reliable and effective with time and practise.

Astrology is undeniably a scientific discipline. It’s an integral component of Indian culture and has been for centuries.

It was always practiced by Indians as a scientific way of life, be it the type of food to be eaten according to the body type, auspicious timings for various activities calculated from the distance between Sun and Moon, health matters, direction of houses,

The foundation of astrology is the concept of ‘harmony’ between the many types of energy in the cosmos. It has withstood the onslaught of western culture throughout the years and continues to evolve, adapt and re-invent itself in line with the changing times.

It would be a great disrespect to people of India to call them as ‘weak-minded’. Indians have long looked to astrology as a means to better align their karmas with the energy of nature in pursuit of spiritual bliss and understand truth behind human existence.

The science of astrology has been dedicatedly adhered to as a matter of belief and faith.

It has been, should be and will always be used as a tool for course correction.

(Neeraj Dhankher is an astrologer with proficiency in Vedic, KP and Nadi Astrology. He is Founder and CEO of Astro Zindagi. The observations are made by the writer based on his own analysis)

IPL 2023, mini-auction: All-rounders hit jackpot as Sam Curran becomes most expensive player in league’s history

Kochi, Dec 23 (IANS) England

all-rounder Sam Curran on Friday became the most expensive buy as well as player in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history after Punjab Kings bought him for a whopping Rs 18.50 crore at the 2023 mini player-auction of the cash-rich tournament.

There was intense bidding between MI, CSK, RR, LSG, and PBKS for Curran, who was Player of the Tournament at the 2022 T20

World Cup in Australia. However, PBKS eventually got the England all-rounder.

After Curran, Australia all-rounder Cameron Green also attracted big bids from franchises and became the second-most expensive player in the IPL history after Mumbai Indians picked him for a whopping Rs 17.5 crore.

Before this auction, South African all-rounder Chris Morris was the most expensive buy in the IPL. He

was signed by Rajasthan Royals for Rs. 16.25 crore in the 2021 auction.

Meanwhile, the England Test captain Ben Stokes was sold to Chennai Super Kings for Rs 16.25 crore after fierce bids with LSG and SRH. His team-mate Harry Brook became the first millionaire at the IPL 2023 mini auction after Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) snapped him up for a whopping Rs 13.25 crore.

West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran, who didn’t have a great IPL 2022

and was released by SRH, went to Lucknow Super Giants for 16 crore.

Rajasthan Royals bought another West Indian in Jason Holder for 5.75 crore.

Mayank Agarwal, who was released by the Punjab Kings, became the biggest Indian buy during the auction, going to SRH for 8.25 Crore while Gujarat Titans roped in Shivam Mavi for 6 Crore, the other big buy from the country.

Joe Root, Rilee Rossouw, Shakib Al

Hasan were ignored in the initial rounds but were the two buys in the auction. Rossouw went to DC for 4.6 crore, RR roped in Joe Root for Rs 1 crore and KKR got Shakib for Rs 1.5 Crore.

On the other hand, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was sold for Rs 2 crore to defending champions Gujarat Titans while former India Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane was roped in by CSK at his base price of Rs 50 lakh.

CLOSE-IN: Legends are blessed, but one needs the ‘Hand of God’ too

win it for his immense contribution to the sport.

They did so in splendid style and richly deserved it.

Argentina’s success was a good example of the uncertainty that sports bring to the table. The football world was shocked when they lost their opening match of the World Cup to Saudi Arabia. Argentina, thereafter, needed to win both their matches to qualify. However, the loss put a shadow of doubt on their ability. Champions, they say, revel when the chips are down. Messi did so in his team’s progress after the initial defeat. It seemed he took the onus on himself and his magical skills came forth in every game they played thereafter.

Federer, Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, Usain Bolt, LeBron James and several others, in their respective sports, evoked the emotion that everyone around them wanted them to do well. The interesting part is that these great individuals break through one’s personal or loyalty barriers. Their performances are marvelled at and one wants them to achieve the highest echelon possible.

his dream. The Indian fans were not only elated by the country’s win but also thought it a fitting tribute to a man who had done yeomen service to Indian cricket.

The celebrations that one saw on the Argentina team’s return to Buenos Aires reminded one of three such moments in Indian cricket.

god-sent special moment for Indian cricket. To dethrone, the unconquerable West Indian side and lift the crown seemed to be like a victory of David over Goliath.

By Yajurvindra Singh

Sports lovers around the world were in a state of stunned silence in anticipation of the outcome. The reason is that the football World Cup ‘22 final between Argentina and France had gone into penalty kicks. The question was whether the superstar and living legend of Argentina, Lionel Messi, after 16 years of participating in it, would finally lift the famous FIFA World Cup. This, as most felt, would be his

last attempt to win the cup.

The phrase “Hand of God” made famous by Diego Maradona, in what is termed in a very loose way, somehow always seems to find itself blessing the legends of the sport.

Messi, the champion footballer, was the one to receive it when most required at this World Cup.

Argentina was one of the favourite sides not only because of the way they play the game of football but also because one wished Messi to

Memories of the feats achieved by legends are what keep sports alive.

The achievements of Jesse Owens in athletics in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Don Bradman’s unbeatable batting record in cricket, Dhyan Chand’s incredible mastery in hockey, and Pele and Maradona’s breath-taking performances in football are some timeless moments of greatness etched in sports history. Legends such as Messi, Roger

The words of Albert Einstein come to one’s mind, “a genius is 1% talent and 99% hard work”. This has been, thereafter, used to measure success as well. One still questions this saying, as, most of the individual world-class sportsmen have the talent and put in the hard work too. But, just a few seem to go beyond it. God definitely has that blessed percentage in hand. ‘Luck’ is what one associates it with, but as one says very commonly that “ one makes one’s own luck”. Indian cricket too has had such memorable moments. The last being, India’s World Cup win in 2011. Sachin Tendulkar, after two decades of playing the game and on his 5th attempt to be a part of a World Cup-winning side, finally achieved

The 1st was on the return of the 1971 side, who under the leadership of Ajit Wadekar, won the 1st Test series win against England in England.

This they achieved after winning a series against the West Indies as well. The motorcade welcome followed by a red carpet and full house at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai was a sight to savour.

The win at the Oval in London was achieved on the auspicious day of Ganesh Chaturthi. The Gods, as one said, were with India.

The 2nd massive celebration was when India, the rank outsiders, beat the West Indies in 1983 to win the Cricket World Cup at Lords in England. The bunch of cricketers led by Kapil Dev were received, both in Delhi and Mumbai, with such an abundance of splendour that one just cried with joy. The victory was a

The last and 3rd occasion one celebrated a glorious victory in India was when Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit his customary ‘helicopter shot’ for a six to win the 2011 World Cup. India were the favourites to win and to do so one felt was a blessing in disguise.

Since then, India has had individual success in several of sports, however, team success has eluded them.

India will be hosting the Cricket World Cup in the latter part of 2023. This one feels will be the farewell to arms for two Indian cricket legends, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Both have brought joy to the millions of Indian fans from the day they stepped onto the cricket field to play for their country.

India, winning the Cup would be just the ideal way to bid them adieu. The Hand of God is all they require to do so.

(Yajurvindra Singh is a former India cricketer. The views expressed are personal)

2”. The film’s team kick-started the shoot for the sequel to the 2021 horror film “Chhorii” a few weeks ago.

Taking to the story section of her Instagram, Nushrratt shared a picture of a clapping board and wrote “A scary Christmas for us!”.

The actress earlier received a lot of positive response for “Chhorii” in which she played the role of Meenal, a pregnant woman who starts experiencing paranormal activities. Meanwhile, on the other hand, she has an interesting lineup of films like “Selfiee” alongside Akshay Kumar and Emraan Hashmi, and “Akelli”, which is another solo lead film by the actress.

Vicky Kaushal reveals Rajkumar was first choice for ‘Masaan’

selected for that role.”

Vicky recalled how while shooting a scene, he started crying in reality: “In the scene ‘Yeh dukh kaahe khatam na hota be’, I cried a lot. I was not supposed to cry, but somehow, I ended up crying and wailing.”

“Also, I had to act drunk for the scene, so to make it look natural, I got drunk for the first time in my life. I knew it was an intense scene and I had to give my best.”

The ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ actor continued to reveal: “So, the scene ended and in the background, there was a bridge on which a train was leaving, I heard the horn and automatically said ‘tu kisi rail si guzarti hai ... main kisi pul sa thartharaata hoon’. After just completing the sentence, I could not hold back my tears.

“It looked so natural that Neeraj said that we have to keep this scene. After shooting the film, the whole crew left, only Neeraj, Avinash (the DOP), and I were left. We three took a stroll in the ghats of Banaras and Neeraj tells us that he does not want me crying in two scenes and asks if we can shoot the ring-throwing scene again.”

Pankaj Tripathi’s first look from ‘Main Atal Hoon’ sets the tone for a compelling biopic

Mumbai, Dec 25 (IANS) Actor Pankaj Tripathi is playing the role of former Prime Minister of India - Atal Bihari Vajpayee - in the biopic ‘Main Atal Hoon’, and his first look from the film was released by the makers on Sunday on the occasion of the stateman’s birth anniversary.

The first look shows him dressed in the Indian attire of kurta and dhoti and shows many sides of Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a poet, a statesman, a leader and a humanitarian.

The film is being helmed by National Award winning director, Ravi Jadhav and written by Utkarsh Naithani with music composed by Salim-Sulaiman with lyrics by Sameer, while Sonu Nigam has rendered vocals for the motion video announcement.

Presented by Bhanushali Studios Limited and Legend Studios, produced by Vinod Bhanushali, Sandeep Singh, Sam Khan and Kamlesh Bhanushali and co-produced by Zeeshan Ahmad and Shivv Sharma, aMain Atal Hoon’ will release in cinemas in December 2023.

When Anushka Kaushik was told she got ‘Patna Shukla’ as a result of nepotism

Anushka Kaushik has made her mark with her performances in projects like ‘Ghar Waapsi’, ‘Thar’, and ‘Crash Course’. She recently wrapped up the shoot of two projects that will be released in 2023; one of them being Arbaaz Khan’s ‘Patna Shukla’ and the other Tigmanshu Dhulia’s ‘Garmi’.

life and work.”

Kaushal spilled some beans about how he bagged his film ‘Masaan’ and revealed that he was not the first choice for the film.

Taking a trip down memory lane, Vicky said: “This dates back to 2010 when I wanted to become an actor and Neeraj Ghaywan wanted to pursue direction. We both started our journey together as assistant directors in ‘Gangs of Wasseypur.’

“So, post that I started doing theatre to enhance my acting skills. In 2013, we met again while travelling to Pune and we started talking about

“During the conversation, I got to know that he is making a film and is in search of a producer but is struggling with it. He then shared that he has made a pilot promo on the film with Rajkumar Rao. Owing to Masaan’s tight budget, they could not create a mela, but had to wait to shoot a real one.

“The mela in Benaras usually happens in the month of October and there were some issues with Raj’s dates so there was a vacancy for that role, and I jumped right into it. After giving auditions, I was finally

“Luckily, Avinash had his small camera, so we reshot that scene under a lamppost. The best part was that Neeraj used his white shirt as a reflector as there was not enough light. And that’s how the picture was made,” Vicky concluded.

Vicky is coming on the sets of the comedy-based reality series ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’ along with Kiara Advani, Renuka Sahane, Viraj Ghelani, and director Shashank Khaitan to promote his film ‘Govinda Naam Mera’.

‘The Kapil Sharma Show’ airs on Sony Entertainment Television.

Bobby Deol to play Aurangzeb in Pawan Kalyan’s ‘Hari Hara Veera Mallu’

of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the film, the shooting of which is underway in Hyderabad. Directed by Krish Jagarlamudi, the film will be released in five languages - Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.

A massive ‘darbar’ set, intricately designed by Thota Tharani, dating back to the 17th century, has been erected for the schedule.

Crucial scenes in the darbar featuring Pawan Kalyan and Bobby Deol will be filmed on the set. In a special video released by the makers, the team of ‘Hari Hara Veera Mallu’ is seen offering a grand welcome to the actor, who’s seen sporting a stylish stubble.

Bobby, who is excited to make his South Indian debut, said: “I always wanted to work in the South industry and was waiting for an opportunity which would excite me. When I heard ‘Hari Hara Veera Mallu’ I got hooked.

“I am also looking forward to portraying the role of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and working with Superstar Pawan Kalyan. The producer of the film A.M. Rathnam and director Krish Jagarlamudi have done such amazing films in the past. It’s great to be associated with such a fabulous team.”

The makers of the film recently wrapped an extensive schedule spanning 40 days in Ramoji Film City where crucial action sequences with over 900 crew members were filmed.

A special pre-schedule workshop was held prior to the shoot with the primary cast and crew in attendance.

She got candid about her working experience with Arbaaz Khan and Satish Kaushik in ‘Patna Shukla’. Commenting on her collaboration with Arbaaz, Anushka said: “I felt like a kid working on ‘Patna Shukla’ because amongst my co-actors I was the youngest one, so everyone pampered me a lot. Arbaaz (Khan) sir has told us so many incidents from the industry which proved like a learning experience for me.”

She further talked about the way Arbaaz managed the role of a producer on the film’s set. She added: “Arbaaz sir has been doing a good job as a producer and since he has been an actor, it’s easier for him to understand how it feels when you are enacting a scene and what all anxiety or problems an actor might face.”

Sharing a shooting experience, she further mentioned: “As a producer, he keeps all that in mind and makes it easy for the actors. For example, while shooting for a scene in ‘Patna Shukla, there was a prop that was falling repeatedly, so he got a little agitated seeing that the actor wasn’t

comfortable. Throughout the film, he was right behind the monitor and he always made sure that everything was right.”

Speaking about how it was to work with a senior actor like Satish, Anushka added: “Satish Sir was the funniest person on set. He is senior as an actor but I never felt a gap between us through the shooting process because his energy was just

like a kid whenever he used to enact his scenes.”

“If I was occupied somewhere else, he would call me by our shared surname ‘Kaushik’. Interestingly, one of the junior artists told me that I’m doing this film only because I am from Satish Kaushik’s familybecause of nepotism! And we used to laugh a lot at this,” she concluded.

has never danced at weddings, denied ‘insane amount of money’

Kangana

Mumbai, Dec 23 (IANS) Actress Kangana Ranaut has said that she has said no to the “insane amount of money” being offered to her to perform at weddings and private parties.

Kangana took to Instagram, where she shared a video of veteran singer Asha Bhosle talking about how her sister and late legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar never performed at weddings.

In the video, Asha Bhosle is talking about how her elder sister and legendary singer was once offered a million dollars to sing at a wedding, but she refused the offer.

She was heard saying: “Kaha 2 ghante sirf aap darshan dijiye humari shadi meina (just come to our wedding for 2 hours, they had said to her).”

Kangana captioned: “Agree. Even I never danced in weddings or private parties, even though I have the most popular songs...denied insane amount of money...glad to come across this video.. Lataji truly so inspiring.”

On the work front, Kangana is filming her directorial, ‘Emergency’, where she will be seen playing former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Mumbai, Dec 24 (IANS) Vicky

Mumbai, Dec 25 (IANS) It’s a working Christmas for Bollywood actress

Nushrratt Bharuccha as she is busy with the shoot of her film “Chhorii

Mumbai, Dec 24 (IANS) Bollywood

actor Bobby Deol is set to make his South Indian film debut as he has joined the cast of ‘Hari Hara Veera

Mallu’ which also stars Telugu star Pawan Kalyan and Nidhhi Agerwal. The actor will be essaying the role

“Comments in this post... All perverts, creeps. It is good that the comments were not moderated. So we know who the dangerous ones are. I am wondering whether all these men were breast fed or not? I wonder what will happen if all these men have daughters,” Chinmayi said.

Swathi Jagadish, who runs a sex education page on social media, also slammed “the men commenting on Nayanthara, about her husband, their s** life etc”.

“I feel bad for the women in your life. Especially your female friends, little cousins, etc. Mine is a s** end page. I recommend all of you, especially the cowards with fake IDs, to follow my work so you get some sense into your brains on how to see, treat women.”

What colour is freedom of expression?

end with the Censor Board. There are other local authorities, down to a District Collector, who have the power to stop a film’s screenings if they fear that a film may hurt people’s sentiments or it may create unrest in his area.

But, most of all, India being the democracy that it is, the masses have freedom of speech and expression. Only, their way of demonstrating or expressing that freedom may not suit everybody. What a senior star should be asking is, why is there censorship for films but none for the digital media, such as YouTube, where the song ‘Besharam Rang’ was released.

In a country where six-and-eightyear-old girls are kidnapped, raped and killed, we can certainly do without more provocation to fuel the perversion of such people.

‘Besharam Rang’ is just that fuel.

‘Cirkus’ second preference; cinemas stay with ‘Avatar’

Rohit Shetty’s ‘Cirkus’, which released on Friday, December 23, was the major Hindi release of the Christmas week. The holiday season was expected to help it make the most of its potential at the box office. What more can a maker ask for?

Shamita Shetty, who enjoyed positive response from the audience during Season 15 of reality television show ‘Bigg Boss’, will soon be seen in the upcoming film ‘The Tenant’. The teaser of the film was unveiled on Saturday by the actress on her Instagram.

Sharing the teaser, Shamita wrote in the caption: “ITS FINALLY HERE. I’m the tenant! As I’m sure a lot of us have been at some point in life. I know the looks from society, and the names called by all in variety. It’s like the woman’s always in the wrong and the list of judgement is definitely long.”

The film has set its release date on February 10, 2023. “Unfolding a piece of my heart, that is sure to find a place in yours Releasing on 10th

February, in theaters near you - ‘The Tenant’, teaser out now,” the actress further noted in her caption.

The teaser gives a sneak-peek into the life of a young, modern, independent and headstrong woman living alone in a society filled with judgement and prejudice.

It shows the glimpses of varied aspects of experiences sprung upon

a woman living alone played by Shamita.

Talking about the teaser and film, Shamita said: “’The Tenant’ is extremely special to me in many ways. Not only does it mark my return to the cinema but also narrates a story that so closely reflects a much prevailing and disturbing aspect of society.”

Rahul Roy-starrer film ‘L.A.C’ gets a new name

The name of ‘Aashiqui’ actor Rahul Roy-starrer film ‘L.A.C’ has been changed to ‘Sarzameen e Hindustan’. The actor had also suffered a brain stroke while shooting for the film in Kargil due to extreme weather conditions and he was under treatment for several months in the hospital.

The film also stars TV actor Nishant Malkhani. Speaking about the reason for changing the title of the film, producer Chitra Vakil Sharma said: “From the beginning, we had Sarzameen e Hindustan registered as an alternative title for the film. The theme song of the film also has the same name. During test screenings, we realised that this was a far more powerful title than ‘L.A.C’ as it truly captures the essence of the film.

“That’s how we came to the decision of changing the title of the film to ‘Sarzameen e Hindustan’. The phrase means the ‘Land of India’. It signifies that our soldiers will do anything to protect every inch of the Land of India from enemy forces, even if it means giving up their lives for it,” she said.

While talking about the casting of the film, Chitra added: “In the film,

we show four main characters, from the rank of Colonels to Majors to Sepoys. Thus, we needed artists of different age groups who could portray the different ranks. Also, we wanted to make sure that the artists have a fresh and positive image in the minds of the public, untarnished by controversies. That’s how we decided to use this cast, who ended up having amazing on-screen chemistry with each other.”

Nitin Kumar Gupta, a doctor turned VFX head turned filmmaker has directed the film and Chitra feels he has done justice to the film.

Chitra further mentioned, “In my opinion the only person who could have pulled off this film is Nitin. It was his vision to make a story about the unarmed combat on our borders, in extremely hostile conditions consisting of snow, ice-cold rivers, freezing winds, treacherous bridges, and cliffs. He insisted on filming on location at Kargil, and he motivated the cast and crew throughout the film.

“His medical background helped keep the team protected, and his technical expertise made the film the marvellous piece of wizardry it is. The fact that he chose to shoot

Iulia Vantur turned to

By Vinod Mirani

The ‘Pathaan’ controversy has snowballed. But, in this case, to call it a fireball would be more apt.

It all started with the depiction of a song in the film, ‘Besharam Rang’. I have heard of a voluptuous song or a scene related to a certain character’s portrayal in many films. Sadly, in this case, it is nothing of that sort. The term voluptuous fits a performer, not the act. And the performer here has nothing of that voluptuousness to boast of. The number is full of suggestive moves; it is provocative and reeks of vulgarity. Whoever thinks that exposing will lure the audience has some very wrong ideas about our moviegoers. If it were so, Sunny Leone would have been the biggest star in our cinema universe and at least she has the body to flaunt. (Now, of course, she insists on a certain dress code before she signs a film.)

‘Pathaan’ reminds me of a book, ‘The Afghan’ (2006), by Frederick Forsyth. It was a book worth remembering by all counts. But my memory was revived when Kamal Haasan copied the subject to make his own version, Vishwaroopam (2012). To say the least, Haasan’s version was funny for those who had read the book.

In Haasan’s version, as in the original, an Al Qaeda man, who resembles Haasan, is captured by the US and Haasan impersonates him with the aim to bring down Al Qaeda!

Shah Rukh claims ‘Pathaan’ is a patriotic film. The public perception about a Pathan or an Afghan is that of a solidly built six-foot-plus man.

Kamal Haasan did not fit that image. Don’t know if Shah Rukh Khan will!

The very initial response to the song’s release on YouTube was negative. If a star or a maker needs such a prop as ‘Besharam Rang’, it shows lack of confidence. The religious factions joined the bandwagon only later. That helped, the controversy caught on, if that is what the makers wanted.

The song shows the dancer, Deepika Padukone, in various flimsy bikinis and one of them happens to be in saffron or ‘bhagwa’, a colour with which the country’s majority community identifies with.

Looks like thanks to the vulgarity of

the choreography, coupled with the saffron and the lyrics, ‘Besharam Rang’ has touched some wrong nerves. On the other hand, Islamists have a problem with how a Pathan is depicted in the film.

If the makers added this song to the film only to roll it out as a promo with plans to withdraw it when the time for the film’s release came, it has backfired. Yes, the makers will make a lot of money from YouTube, where all links to the songs, including the one put up by YRF, are crossing millions of hits (some 113 million at last count).

When such things happen, certain people, especially film stars, raise the issue of freedom of speech and expression. Aamir Khan, Naseeruddin Shah and Javed Akhtar, among others, have resorted to airing such thoughts while they continue to enjoy all the freedom they could ask for.

Yet, a statement by Amitabh Bachchan during the inauguration of the Kolkata Film Festival last week was most curious. He said, “Even now, questions are being raised on civil liberties and freedom of expression.” Yes, they are being raised, but is he also raising it?

Bachchan’s statement made no sense as to why he said it and for whom it was directed at. There was no preamble or conclusion to his comment. Also sharing the stage with him at the event was Shah Rukh Khan, whose ‘Pathaan’ is in the news. Was it meant to please Khan or was it directed at the West Bengal Chief Minister, who was also on the stage?

Bachchan also made a reference to the Cinematograph Act of 1952 vis-avis the Censor Board. Why it merited a mention also was left unsaid. He should know that the Act has been amended from time to time and efforts have often been made to appoint a film industry person in the Chair.

By the way, the Bachchan-starrer ‘Sholay’ was the victim of the Censor Board and so was ‘Inquilaab’, among other films, but there is no record of his observations on freedom of speech and expression when this happened.

After all these years in the film industry, one is expected to know that everything does not start and

With such an opportune release week for a film, that too one coming from a director reputed for giving mass-oriented blockbusters, the release should have been smooth, a cakewalk.

Here, things got a bit complicated. Though riding on the film is the director Rohit Shetty’s reputation and that of a sellabe star, Ranveer Singh, the makers had to face a hard time. To make the most of the Christmas holidays, the film needed an extensive release with as many screens as possible.

This should have been easy. As there is no other Hindi release to compete with, it could be considered an open week. In normal circumstances, the exhibitors should be chasing the film’s distributors, but, surprisingly, it was the other way round!

‘Cirkus’ was not getting the prime multiplex cinemas and even the single screens equipped with 2K screening facility were out of bounds. The problem was the continuation of the Hollywood hit, ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’. All the best cinemas have been booked by the ‘Avatar’ distributors, Disney, who are bound by a two-week contract. Besides the contract, the cinema managements had no reason to discontinue ‘Avatar’ and accommodate a new film because ‘Avatar’ was doing exceedingly well.

Yes, luckily for ‘Cirkus’, the film is being distributed by PVR, who have granted more shows to the film at their cinemas by reducing the screening of ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’. The new age makers may not be aware, but asking cinemas to discontinue a screening is considered a sacrilege and has always backfired.

For the rest of the cinema chains, it looks like they trust Hollywood more than the Hindi film industry now. Last Christmas, too, there was a contest for screen time between the Hindi film, ‘83’, and the Hollywood global hit, ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. If the cinemas count more on Hollywood today, they cannot be blamed because the Disney banner itself has given them five hits in row, all making money for them.

And now it looks like the exhibitors who stuck with ‘Avatar: Way Of Water’ have made the right decision, taking into account the reports about ‘Cirkus’!

it as a single-shot film and actually pulled it off, speaks of his genius.”

So when the film is expected to release or it’s an OTT release, she replied: “We are taking the film ahead step by step. Our main aim is not commercial, but to showcase the film to as many people as possible so that the people of our country can appreciate the bravery and sacrifices of our border soldiers, and motivate them to fight for their country when the time comes.”

In the past. Chitra has been associated with series like ‘Tandoor’ starring Rashami Desai, Tanuj Virwani.

Urmila

Matondkar for her latest track ‘Yai Re’

Mumbai, Dec 23 (IANS) Singer and actress Iulia Vantur revealed how she was inspired by Bollywood actress Urmila Matondkar for her latest song ‘Yai Re’. She has collaborated with Honey Singh for the track which was originally sung by Asha Bhosle for the movie ‘Rangeela’ starring Urmila.

She spoke about how she drew inspiration from Urmila’s dance steps for the music video of this track.

The singer said: “The thought of matching the steps and vibes from the original song picturised on Urmila Ji made me slightly nervous at first. But as I watched the original song I was able to draw inspiration from her and create a new vibe for the song in my own style.”

She is known for her songs such as ‘Mai Chala’, ‘Designer Lehenga’, and ‘Tera Tha Tera Hoon’, among others. Now, she has all the hopes from her latest track and she talked about getting support from the team to bring perfection in the picturiastion of the song.

“With the constant support and guidance of the team, we achieved what we were aiming for. And by the audience’s reaction, we can tell

Mumbai, Dec 24 (IANS) Pictures from the sets of the Guru Randhawa and Saiee Manjrekar-starrer ‘Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay’ are here and they conjure up a palpable chemistry between their character of Heer and Ira.

‘Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay’ marks the film debut of Guru, who is known for belting out chartbuster songs like ‘Lahore’, ‘Suit Suit’ and several others.

In the pictures, Guru and Saiee can be seen richly dressed while attending a function. While Saiee is seen in a red dress, Guru preferred to be in all-black. This song was shot at ‘D Grand Marquis Agra’ and the makers got 350 international and national background dancers.

Directed by G. Ashok, the movie also stars Anupam Kher and Ila Arun and presents the story of middle-class life with quirkiness packed in the form of a family drama. The producer of the movie Amit Bhatia also

that we are on the right track,” she added.

‘Yai Re’ is sung by Yo Yo Honey Singh

announced that the movie is all set to release on Baisakhi, next year.

‘Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay’ is being produced under the banner of Mach

‘Creeps’, ‘perverts’: Chinmayi slams trolls for body shaming Nayanthara ‘The Tenant’ teaser shows Shamita as strong-willed single woman

Reacting to trolls targeting popular actress Nayanthara’s outfit and body shaming her, Telugu singer Chinamyi Sripaada called them out for their cheap comments, terming those trolling the actress as ‘creeps’ and ‘perverts’.

Nayanthara’s recent appearance for the preview of her latest movie ‘Connect’ was subjected to brutal trolling. A video clip of the event went viral on social media, drawing insensitive remarks on her looks and personal life.

Guru Randhawa, Saiee in vibrant avatars on ‘Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay’ sets

Films. The banner’s second film will go on floors in April 2023 and will be shot in London, followed by the third in mid-2023.

and Iulia Vantur. It is released on Tips Official’s YouTube Channel.