The Golden Sparrow on Saturday 11/06/2016

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PUNE, JUNE 11, 2016 | www.thegoldensparrow.com

THEY ALL LIKED TO

A year old ghost of FTII’s longest strike

She failed SSC, but passed the life test

One year after the strike, students face personal backlash, emotional breakdowns and more. How does the fight, then, go on?

BY GARGI VERMA @missgverma It will be a year since the students of Film and Television Institute of India went on a strike against appointment of Gajendra Chauhan and four others, on June 12, 2015. While the 139-day old strike was the oldest the institute saw, 12 months on only its ghost remains, while Chauhan and others are getting their way at FTII. A 2008 batch student and one of the known faces of the strike, Ajayan Adat has moved on since the strike.

“Only one final project was left for me, I finished that as soon as we returned from the strike,” he explains. He has left college, worked for multiple projects including a Malayalam

Combining fun with fitness, the second installment of TGS MoveIt Marathon turned out to be a resounding success, and the diverse range of almost 3,000 participants was the icing on the cake See p08-09

reality show and even has plans of settling down in Mumbai soon. “I think we carry the strike within us, even though we have left the space,” he says, reminiscing about the 139day debacle. He is not the only one.

Several other students, who were either involved directly with the strike or were active during the 139 days the strike continued from the senior batches, have moved on with their projects and lives. Another student who is currently on a project outstation and hasn’t passed out yet, told this reporter, “The strike had taken much of our time. Time anyway is a rare commodity for the FTII students. So, we are finishing up whatever wecan, in however much time we have.”

Continued on p5

Priyanka Balaji

BY DNYANESHWAR BHONDE @dnyanesh1 Seventeen-year-old Priyanka Balaji Wagre of Latur, underwent surgery for congenital heart disease, on May 20, at Ruby Hall Clinic. The surgery was free of cost for Priyanka, who is glad to be alive, but her family’s joy was somewhat diminished, as she failed in Mathematics in her standard X exam, the result for which were declared on June 6, the day she was discharged from hospital. But her parents and younger brother kept the results from Priyanka, as they did not want her happiness over her surgery to be soured because of her exam results.

Priyanka is the daughter of farm labourer Balaji Wagre, 48, and Nagarbai, 43, who are residents of Pakhar Sangvi village in Latur district, which is 326 km from Pune. She was diagnosed as suffering from Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), a congenital heart disorder, from birth, which results Continued on p3

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY JUNE 11, 2016

PUNE

MUMBAI Has North Korea reactivated N-plant?

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‘‘The Sena, in collusion with Opposition Congress, is opposing Metro project because it wants to protect vested interest of some builders engaged in redevelopment projects in South Mumbai.’’

- Ashish Shelar, Mumbai Unit BJP President

Ravissant staffer held for duping store of Rs 1.11 cr

She prepared fake bills and took away Rs 1 crore 11 lakh from the store

BY SANTOSHEE MISHRA @santosheemishra

An employee of Ravissant luxury store was arrested on June 9 for cheating and committing forgery against the company’s store, located at shopping arcade of Taj Mahal Hotel at Apollo Bunder, of Rs 1,11,00,000. The case has been registered with Colaba Police Station.

Colaba Police Station Inspector AK Pathare said, “We have arrested Ravissant Jewellery Store staffer Monisha Kapoor (48) for her alleged role in the forgery and cheating case based on the complaint. She will be produced before the Metropolitan Magistrate Court on June 10. The case has been registered under Sections 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 465 (forgery), 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating), 408 (Criminal breach of trust) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of Indian Penal Code. The cheating and forgery is of Rs 1 crore 11 lakh. We have recorded her statement. The FIR registered on June 3 mentioned two names, including Monisha. We will arrest her accomplice soon.”

Monisha Kapoor

According to investigating officer Pathare, the incident came to light after one of the customers of Ravissant Private Limited wrote an email stating that he was forced to pay cash despite electronic mode of payment and cheque

system facilities available with the company by the store in-charge and alleged accused.

“She took Rs 55,000 from the customer and gave him a receipt but the amount was not reflecting in the online

system of the company. The account manager and the complainant found that the delivered bills were forged. Later, the company examined the accounts only to find that the accused used to take cash from customers and showed it as advance payment but it never showed in the accounts,” Pathare said. The police officer said that investigations revealed that the alleged accused used to generate forged bills of payments after accepting cash from various customers and showed it as advance payments against gift articles and jewellery. Later the same gift articles and jewelleries (unaccounted) were sold.

“The employee is working with Ravissant since 2000 but quit after some time only to join later. She is a resident of Malabar Hill,” Pathare said. santoshee.mishra@goldensparrow.com

Mumbai on top in road accidents Mumbai has got the dubious distinction of the city with maximum road accidents in India, while the number of deaths in road mishaps is highest in the national capital, a government study showed.

“Mumbai had the highest number of 23,468 number of road accidents during 2015 while Delhi had the highest number of 1,622 deaths due to road accidents,” the ‘Road Accidents in India’ report unveiled

by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said.

In 2015, there were about 5 lakh road accidents in the country, of which 1.46 lakh people were killed. “In 2015, 50 million-plus cities accounted for a share of 22.1 per cent in total road accidents in the country, 11.3 persons in total persons killed in road accidents and 16.4 per cent in total persons injured in road accidents,” the report said. Thirteen states accounted for 87.2 per cent of road accidents. Tamil Nadu occupied the top slot with 79,746 persons injured in road accidents.

Besides, the list includes states of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana,

HC judgement on CR to alert commuters about unmanned crossings via SMS women’s entry in Haji Ali on June 28 The Bombay High Court said it would pronounce on June 28 its verdict on a petition filed by a women’s group challenging ban on entry of women inside the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali dargah in the city.

A division bench of justices V M Kanade and Revati Mohite-Dhere asked the petitioner and trust officials to submit orders, if any, passed by the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court in similar places, including Sabrimala and Shanisingnapur temples, where entry of woman had been banned.

The bench said it would study the cases and pass an order accordingly.

The court has reserved its judgement on the plea filed by two women, Zakia Soman and Noorjehan Niaz, challenging the ban on women’s entry in the sanctum sanctorum of the dargah.

The PIL states that gender justice is inherent in Quran and the decision contravenes the Hadith, which proves that there is no prohibition on women visiting graves.

The Maharashtra government

has told the court that women should be barred from entering the inner sanctorum of Haji Ali dargah only if it is so enshrined in the Quran.

The ban on women’s entry cannot be justified if it is on the basis of an expert’s interpretation of the Quran, the then Maharashtra Advocate General Shrihari Aney had argued.

On whether the court can interfere in the customs and traditions of a religion, Aney had said, “If the religion (Islam) is going to fall if women are allowed entry, then the ban should prevail over fundamental rights.”

The dargah trust had defended its stand saying that it is referred in Quran that allowing women close proximity to the dargah of a male saint is a grievous sin.

Advocate Shoaib Memon had said, “Women are not allowed inside mosques in Saudi Arabia. They are given a separate place to pray. We (trust) have not barred women. It is simply regulated for their safety. The trust not only administers the Dargah but also manages the affairs of religion.”

PTI

The Central Railway (CR) has decided to alert train commuters about unmanned railway crossings through text messages in all the five divisions across its jurisdiction.

CR, which has nearly 325 unmanned railway crossings in its five divisions, namely Mumbai, Pune, Bhusawal, Solapur and Nagpur, would utilise short messaging service (SMS) in order to issue safety warnings as part of the ongoing drive of Indian Railways.

“CR’s jurisdiction of the Mumbai division extends up to Igatpuri, Roha and Lonavala and there are a significant number of unmanned crossings in the Diva-Panvel and Roha region.

“Not just in our jurisdiction, we want to sensitize people about crossing the unmanned railway crossings with utmost care and this is why we have

India’s growth rate to dip by 0.2 per cent P 14

launched the drive of sending one crore text messages,” a senior CR official said.

He said that besides English and Hindi languages, the text messages would also be sent in Marathi language, since many of the unmanned crossings are in rural areas.

The text message reads “Pledge to be alert, be responsible and be safe at level crossing.”

For the safety of railway passengers and those using roads, it is necessary for vehicles on the road to always stop before a railway crossing, watch out for approaching train from either side, and then cross the railway crossing safely, the official said, adding that railways has in the past installed banners and made announcements on loudspeaker to alert the commuters.

PTI

Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal. The report said two wheelers accounted for the highest - about onethird share of - the alarming 5 lakh road accidents in India in 2015 while 33 per cent of people killed in crashes belonged to 15-24 years age bracket.

Next to it, was the share of the groups of cars, jeeps and taxis in 2015.

Overloaded vehicles caused 77,116 accidents and 25,199 deaths. While 28.4 per cent accidents occurred on National Highways, 24 per cent took place on State Highways and and 47.6 per cent on other roads last year. “National Highways accounted for a share of 35 per cent in total number of persons killed and 29 per cent in total number of persons injured,” it said.

About 17 per cent each accidents happened between 1500 to 1800 hours and 1800 to 2100 hours, as per the study.

“Drivers fault has been revealed as the single most responsible factor for road accidents, killings and injuries on all roads for a long period of time... Driver’s fault accounted for 77 per cent of total accidents in 2015.

PTI

BMC contracts awarded to six firms to be probed The Maharashtra Lokayukta has ordered a probe into the contracts awarded to six firms which were allegedly involved in a multi-crore roads construction scam.

State Lokayukta ML Tahaliyani ordered the probe into contracts awarded by Birhanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to six firms — KR Constructions, RPS Infraprojects, Mahavir Infrastructure, J Kumar Works, Relcon Infraprojects and RK Madhani Works — after RTI activist Anil Galgali filed a complaint with the corruption watchdog.

“The Lokayukta has launched a probe into the matter as stated in the complaint,” an official at Lokayukta office, K Chavan said. The BMC had filed police complaint last year in April against the six companies over their alleged involvement in an alleged scam to the tune of Rs 352 crore.

PTI

Top cop aims for doctorate on cybercrime Superintendent of Police (cyber) Balsingh Rajput has completed 70 per cent of research

BY SANTOSHEE MISHRA @santosheemishra With digital age making online communication the norm, Internet users and governments face increased risks of becoming the targets of cyberattacks. As online criminals continue to develop and advance their techniques, it has become all the more important for government authorities to check the fast-spreading cybercrime. Former Deputy Commissioner of Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police and Superintendent of Police (cyber) Balsingh Rajput is pursuing a doctorate in ‘Cyber Economic Crime in India and response of Criminal Judicial System’ from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to understand the ‘invisible state of crime’.

Rajput, a 2005 batch Maharashtra

Public Service Commission officer, hails from Aundh in Satara district.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was instrumental in forming a separate department to handle cybercrime and Rajput is part of this department headed by Inspector General of Police (cyber) Brijesh Singh. State government had passed a resolution in January to form a separate wing to handle and resolve cyber threats in the state. “While heading the EOW team as DCP, I found that online frauds in the state had increased threefold as compared to visible crimes like chain-snatching, housebreaking, murders and extortion. Many fall for this ‘invisible crime’ and end up losing their hard-earned money. Some victims even commit suicide,” said Rajput.

There are about 162 companies running Ponzi chit fund schemes and the fraud has gone up to the tune of Rs 40,000 crore, claims state government data.

“I have completed 70 per cent of research work, covering sub-topics like safety measures from fraud including multi-level marketing, online lottery, banking fraud, bank

scams and technology. The role of police in the investigation of these ‘invisible crimes’, the understanding of the subject by cops in terms of their own research to crack cases like Q-net, Speak Asia, NSEL and many other scams are also part of my study,” Rajput said.

Rajput has chosen around twenty cases which include bank frauds, scams in bank, online lottery, multilevel marketing, Ponzi schemes. The research also includes criminal justice system, the role of prosecution to stablish the case, the Indian Penal Code and Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (MPID) Act. “I am also including the mindset of accused and the various modus operandi they use in the crime. I am seeking all relevant documents of the cases through RTI, as it is for academics and I am not using the clout of a police official,” Rajput said, adding that he met experts in finance, trading companies, field researchers and stakeholders for his research.

Rajput started his research in 2013 and plans to submit it by the end of 2016 to TISS. santoshee.mishra@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY JUNE 11, 2016

PUNE

‘‘Under the plan, we will review the existing cycle tracks and make it easy for commuters to use the routes. The policy is being developed according to the directives from the Union urban development ministry.’’

— Kunal Kumar, PMC Commissioner

India included in terror prone nations P12

She failed SSC, but passed the life test Teenage girl from Latur given a fresh lease of life owing to the kindness of the medical superintendents of Sassoon Hospital, who facilitated her surgery free of cost Continued from p1 she was discharged and taken in an inadequate f low of blood to home, but within a week Priyanka’s the lungs for oxygenation. Due to condition worsened, she became her illness, Priyanka would feel weak, suffering spells of fainting exhausted after walking the two and other issues, which forced us to kilometres to school. But despite bring her back to Pune,” said father her ailment, Priyanka did not give Balaji. up on her education, On May 11, they and she studied hard arrived by train at as she appeared for Pune, leaving their her Secondary School other two sons Vishal, Certificate (SSC) or 21, and Prasad, 15, standard X exam, from back home.

The Bhagwan Primary worried parents took School, Latur.

Priyanka to Sassoon Though she was General Hospital, aff licted with the as they did not have congenital disease the means to afford since birth, Priyanka the fees at a private was given medical hospital. Priyanka was help only after her so weak that she was condition worsened to unable to walk, and her such a stage that she father Balaji carried was unable to walk her all the way from - NAGARBAI WAGRE even a step. After the station to Sassoon her SSC exam in March 2016, her Hospital. More agony was in store condition continued to deteriorate, for them, as the doctors refused and her parents brought her to the to admit Priyanka because of the Command Hospital in Camp area, unavailability of beds. The family in the month of April. spent three days and nights on a “The Command Hospital platform at Pune railway station, doctors admitted her, and conducted surviving on wada pav. A woman tests and gave her medication over called Trupti whom they had got to the course of a month. After this, know at Command Hospital, told

“I don’t want to spoil her mood by telling about the exam results.”

Priyanka Wagre with her parent and Sassoon hospital’s social Medical superitendent Satyavan Suravase

them to talk to Sassoon Hospital medical social department Medical Superintendents M B Shelke and Satyawan Suravase.

“When they came to see us, we saw that Priyanka was in a very bad state. She was carried by her father to our office. We admitted her immediately in hospital and conducted X-ray and 2D eco tests on her,” said Satyavan Suravase,

social medical superintendent of Sassoon Hospital. “We found that Priyanka had congenital heart disease, which we were unable to treat at our hospital. We sent a letter to the charity commissioner and got approval for the expenses for her treatment, and sent her to Ruby Hall Clinic for treatment,” he said.

At Ruby Hall, after undergoing several tests, Priyanka was

diagnosed to be suffering from Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). TOF affects the right ventricular (RV) outf low tract causing obstruction in the human heart, especially in children, owing to which the blood f low to the body and liver is affected.

She was operated on by paediatric cardiologist Dr Siddhant Ghadge, paediatric surgeon Dr Shrinivas Kinikar and Anaesthetist Dr Bikas Sahu, on May 20.

“She was suffering from TOF and we operated on her with ‘Biventricular Repair’ surgery, in which we placed a coronary using advanced technique, free of cost,” said Dr Ghadge. He said that these types of patients are to be brought in before their first birthday, but Priyanka was brought in after she turned 16. But fortunately, the surgery was a success, and now she can lead a normal life.

Priyanka was given a discharge from hospital on June 6, and her parents met the Medical Superintendent of Sassoon Hospital and gave him sweetmeats as a token of their gratitude. It also happened to be the day the SSC results were declared. Her parents called their elder son Vishal and inquired about Priyanka’s result, and they were

saddened to hear that Priyanka had failed in Maths. But they were more than happy that the surgery was a success and that Priyanka could lead a normal life.

“We are happy now, as after years I am seeing my daughter able to walk on her own, and she is so happy.

So I don’t want to spoil her mood by telling about the exam results.

She is a talented and hard-working girl, and were it not for the heart problem, she would have passed all the subjects,” said Nagarbai, mother of Priyanka.

“I like the Arts stream and want to be a teacher. We are grateful to the doctors in Sassoon Hospital, who helped me a lot and saved my life,” said Priyanka.

Dr M B Shelke has assured Priyanka financial help for her education.

Priynaka’s elder sister Pooja, 21, who is married, has studied up to standard XII. Her elder brother Vishal is pursuing Bachelor of Commerce, and younger brother Prasad has passed standard IX. The family lives in a rented room, paying Rs 1200 per month as rent. They neither have a farm nor their own house. dnyaneshawar.bhonde@ goldensparrow.com

Renting quarters, a Retired PMPML buses to be converted lucrative business for into mobile toilets AFK officers

BY TUSHAR RUPANAVAR @tusharrupanavar

BY SUSHANT RANJAN @sushantranjan The very persons who supply ordinance to the armed forces and work under high security, are breaking rules and renting out the bungalows outhouses to unknown persons. Bungalows allotted to officers of the Ammunition Factory, Khadki (AFK), have outhouses for servants, which are being rented out by the officers for several years. The officers are thus earning illegitimate money by breaking government laws.

Most of the bungalows are near the Khadki Cantonment Board (KCB) and allotted to defence personnel or civilians working in defence establishments. The bungalows have seven outhouses for servants. The Defence Ministry issued a directive after the Pathankot attack, to secure all defence establishments and to tighten monitoring of the centres, but the AFK seems to be not taking this directive seriously, as unauthorised people are seen around the defence establishments.

This issue has come to light during the anti-encroachment drive undertaken by the AFK. “Last Friday an antiencroachment drive was undertaken. A vegetable vendor had parked his hand cart inside a bungalow. Questioned by the antiencroachment drive officers, he argued with them and threatened to throw stones at them. The officers immediately called Khadki police station. The police came and lodged the a first information report (FIR),” AFK officials said, The house in question belongs to K S Mehra. He is attached to the AFK as Junior Works Manger. He had put up a ‘to let’ notice on his gate. Mehra, however, refused to comment on the issue.

AFK sources said that the bungalows have been allotted to officers, who

are renting out their outhouses. Each outhouse has seven rooms and the officers are charging Rs 3000 for each room.

Those who are living in the outhouses, work as housekeepers in the bungalows.

A women who lives with her family in a bungalow, said that she was staying in the bungalow because she does housekeeping work. “I am working as a housemaid and madam is not asking for rent. There are six families staying in the outhouse besides me. They all pay Rs 3000 per month as rent. I do not have to pay because I am working there,” she said.

According to AFK sources, 75 bungalows have been allotted to officers.

“All bungalow owners rent out the outhouses. Each owner earns about Rs 21,000-25,000 monthly. The AFK authorities are not taking any action against them so they are doing what they want,” they said.

KCB board member Manish Anand said that AFK officers are breaking the rules and nobody is taking action against them. “Those who are staying in the bungalows have been registered with the AFK. Most bungalow owners are giving their outhouses on rent. All of them are not registered with the AFK, which is illegal,” he said.

KCB Chief Executive Officer Amol Jagtap said, “It doesn’t concern us who stays in the bungalows allotted by AFK, but KCB allotted bungalows or staff quarters come under our jurisdiction and we will not allow anyone to stay there illegally.”

Khadki residents say that many of those living in outhouses come from Bangladesh, but this has not been proved. Some allege that KCB and AFK authorities are not interested in a hawker free zone. sushant.ranjan@goldensparrow.com

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is considering setting up modern mobile toilets in buses which are taken out of service by the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML). These mobile toilets will be useful for domestic and foreign tourists coming to Pune city.

Two days ago, leader of the house Shankar Kemse wrote a letter to PMPML officials regarding giving 100 buses which PMPML had decided to terminate from its services, so that these buses could be converted into mobile toilets.

Pune is a rapidly growing city, widely known for its historical significance. Large numbers of people not only from the country, but from foreign lands, come to Pune, to working in the rapidly growing automobile and IT sectors. But PMC has constructed very few public toilets, and these toilets

are not well maintained, causing great inconvenience to citizens. PMC, in its 2015-16 budget, has proposed building 28,572 public toilets in the city, for which a budget of Rs 5.30 crore has been set aside.

About the issue of mobile toilets, Kemse said, “We have very few public toilets in the city. It’s the civic body’s responsibility to provide sanitary facilities to people. Recently, while reading about PMPML terminating 100 buses from service, I thought about converting these buses into mobile toilets, which I suggested to Mayor Prashant Jagtap. Jagtap agreed to my proposal and told me to write a letter to the PMPML administration, to give its out of service buses to the PMC. We will modify these buses and make them into public toilets. Making toilets from out of service buses is cheaper than constructing new ones. One more advantage of these mobile toilets is that we can move these

toilets according to our needs. We can make air conditioned mobile toilets too in these buses, which we can be reserved for foreigners visiting Pune. Maintenance of these mobile toilets can be given to private contractors, who will charge the users

and look after their cleanliness. This way, PMC is taking a step towards the Clean Pune City campaign as well, which is in a way supporting the ‘Swachha Bharat’ scheme of the central government.” tushar.rupanavar@goldensparrow.com

Man fights to get his son and land back Claims that authorities have turned a deaf ear to his fight for justice

BY VICKY PATHARE @Vickypathare2 Bansi Sakharam Khilari is fighting for justice for the past six years. The 58-yearold farmer of village Shiroli in Junnar taluka, Pune district, that comes under Narayangaon police station, has been visiting Pune District Collectorate every day.

The old and weak man’s daily routine since May 2016 is to sit below the tree in front of the Collector’s Office gate and write application to the district collector from 8 am to 6 pm. He has been singlehandedly demanding justice with no apparent success in sight.

Khilari wants to get back his son and save the five acers that he owns at Shiroligaon, located 110 km from Pune city.

Speaking to TGS, Khilari said, “I got married to Jijabai 40 years ago and we had a son named Ramdas. My wife is a resident of Sultanpur and she left for her maternal home when Ramdas was just nine months old after we had a fight. Jijabai started living with her maternal parents Zumbar Attare and Kisnabai Attare. I

started living with my aunt Shevantibai Khilari and brother Sakharam Khilari at the village. Even though we were not legally divorced, Jijabai got in contact with one Aabha Krushna Bhor of Ranjanegaon and they had a son named Santosh.”

The farmer said that after her aunt passed away in 1993, Jijabai moved in to his house along with Santosh and she now claims that the latter is his son only to claim ownership of his land.

“Santosh cannot be my son as I was never in contact with Jijabai since the day she left. I have asked for DNA test to reveal the truth. Jijabai and her son came to my house after 18 years and started fighting with me and forcefully took away all utensils, furniture and domestic goods.

She is even asking for a share in property.

I had no option but to leave my own house as Jijabai was accompanied by her many supporters. Soon, she forged documents and registered Santosh’s name as my beneficiary although I am alive,” Khilari said.

Khilari said that his son Ramdas has been missing for five years. “The Narayangaon Police officials claim that my son is alive and is living at Satara, Sangli and Velhe. I have visited all these places in vain. I fear that my son must have been killed by this people for property,” he said.

Despite owning five acres, Khilari has been sleeping at railway station, ST stands, temples and other public places for the past six years and begs for a living. “I cannot enter my village and Narayangaon Police don’t register my complaint. What should I do?” he said.

The old farmer has written to Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission, Circle officer Narayangaon, Narayangaon Police station, Panchayat Samiti, Deputy Superintendent of Police and Commissioner of Police.

“I have even sat on a hunger strike for days in front of these offices. I have written to District Collector hoping to get back my son and land. The collector ordered for a probe on May 4 and its report is awaited,” Khilari said.

Shiroli Village Sarpanch Jaysingh Gunjal said, “He does not stay in the village since years but he has no entry restriction. He has two sons, one lives at Bhor and the other at Mumbai. His wife lives at his house. He has a hobby of writing applications.”

Shiroli Village Gramsevak Vaishali Kharade said, “I don’t know much about him except that he has some family issues.

I don’t know where he lives but I have been told that he visits the village once in a year. We haven’t put any restriction on his visiting the village.”

Khilari has mentioned Gunjal, Vaishali and many other people from the village as troublemakers in his applications to authorities.

“I will commit suicide if I don’t get justice and name these people as responsible for my death,” Khilari said. vicky.pathare@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY JUNE 11, 2016

PUNE

‘‘Besides RSP students, we will also take help of four to five local citizens who will help manage traffic during school opening and closing hours. A traffic constable will be there at all major schools where vehicle will not be allowed to stop.’

—Rashmi Shukla, Pune Police Commissioner

Plug-nplay, the USB way!

Bourne & Shepherd’s picturesque India

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At BJ Medical College, nurses are lesser mortals

Auto driver kills paramour

He slit paramour’s throat with a sharp weapon after an argument over their extramarital affair

BY DNYANESHWAR BHONDE @dnyanesh1

The facilities provided by BJ Medical College administration for MBBS and nursing students stand in stark contrast.

Dirty rooms, leaking roofs, distorted walls needing painting, dust-wrapped classrooms, chairs, floor and unclean toilets are the facilities that the staff and nursing students are forced to make do with. In contrast, hostel for MBBS students is lavish.

Repeated correspondence by nursing college representatives to BJ Medical College administration for upgradation of building have fallen on deaf years.

BJ Medical College runs graduate course of Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and post graduate courses Master of Doctor (MD)/ Master of Surgery (MS). The nursing college attached to BJ Medical College runs four years graduate ‘BSc nursing course’ admitting 50 students (male and female) batch per year. Thus there are approximately 200 nursing students (four batches) and 14 teaching staff, including the principal and tutors. The two-storey college building accommodates principal office, teacher’s rooms, laboratory and toilets with the classrooms, library, auditorium for nursing students located on the first floor.

Interestingly, the well-equipped girl’s hostel for MBBS students is also located on the first floor of the same building.

Talking to TGS, one of the nursing school students on condition of anonymity said, “We are being given a step-motherly treatment by BJ Medical College administration. Apart from decrepit classrooms, laboratory and library, only one of the five washrooms can be used with the windows broken.

Even a roadside municipal toilet is in a better condition. If the college administration can upgrade the hostel

BY YOGESH WAGH

only two. The college officials have been sending a letter every month to the BJ Medical College Dean for the past ten years in vain. The letter states “Despite repeated correspondence with you there is not a single problem solved yet for years. We don’t have basic infrastructure, electricity and the faulty drainage on first floor is stinking.”

Dean of BJ Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital Dr Ajay Chandanwale said that they have provided basic facilities to nursing college and infrastructure work is going on. “The infrastructure is being upgraded. I will look into the matter and address it,” he said. for MBBS girl students two years back and turn it into a deluxe one, then why not for us?”

The nursing school students said that classrooms, library and auditorium does not have proper chairs and some rooms do not tube lights forcing students to study in dark. Students have no option but to sit under the leaky roofs during

rainy season with some rooms turned into a dumping site of broken furniture.

Regarding staff strength, nursing students said that there are only two servants and a clerk for the entire nursing college. The college does not have a librarian and the rector is forced to work as a tutor. The college needs 25 computers to teach students but it has

ABOUT NURSING COLLEGE BJ Nursing School was started in 1914. Till 2009, it was offering general nursing and midwifery and a diploma course in nursing. Later, the nursing college was started and it is now offering graduate course ‘BSc nursing’. Every year 50 students (male/female) are given admission for the course. dnyaneshwar.bhonde@goldensparrow.com

A 33-year-old autorickshaw driver brutally murdered his 35-year-old paramour, by slitting her throat with a sharp weapon, in a running autorickshaw.

The gruesome incident happened at 9:30 pm on Thursday night at Shivai chowk, Karvenagar, when the two were having a dispute over their relationship. Another autorickshaw driver, Somnath Shankar Thakar, 36, resident of Ganesh Colony, Kothrud, lodged a complaint in this regard, at Warje Malwadi police station.

The accused has been identified as Bharat Durge, 33, resident of Sutardara, Kothrud, while victim has been identified as Rupali Mare, 35, of Sinhagad Road.

The Warje Malwadi police said that Durge is an autorickshaw driver and fitter, who is married and has two children. Mare was divorced eight years ago, and her two sons live with her divorced husband.

Durge and Mare met six years back, and their relationship grew into an intimate one.

“Durge’s wife had come to know about his extramarital relationship with Mare, and there was constant friction in their home because of this. Durge was considering ending his relationship with Mare, and it was this issue that they were fighting over, which led to her murder,” said Sandeep Jagtap, Assistant Police Inspector and investigating officer in the case.

Durge and Mare went to a restaurant in Kothrud in his friend’s autorickshaw on Thursday night at around 8 pm, where they had some drinks. They were in the

autorickshaw which Thakar was driving, when at around 9:30 pm, they began to quarrel. Durge, then in a fit of rage, slit Mare’s throat with sharp weapon.

Thakar then drove the autorickshaw to Alankar police station, and handed over the accused to the police. The police sent the victim’s body to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, where the doctors declared her dead on arrival.

The accused Durge has been handed over to Warje police station by the Alankar police. yogesh.wagh@goldensparrow.com

Pune metro project Govt scheme is of no help to the jobless inches forward A mere three per cent of those registered got jobs under the government’s skill development scheme since 2014

DMRC completes survey of proposed HinjawadiShivajinagar metro route and will submit DRP to PMRDA

BY TUSHAR RUPANAVAR @tusharrupanavar Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has finished the survey of the proposed metro route, from Hinjawadi to Shivajinagar, and will submit its Detailed Project Report (DRP) to Pune Metropolitan R e g i o n a l Development Mahesh Zagade A ut h o r it y (PMRDA) by July. This DPR will be forwarded to the state government for further permissions, said chief executive officer (CEO) of PMRDA Mahesh Zagade while interacting with The Golden Sparrow. This metro route will serve not only the IT professionals, but also the commuters of Hinjawadi and adjacent areas of Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the need for metro route construction between Hinjawadi and Shivajinagar on fast track basis, during his Pune visit on June 11, 2015. Later, on the formation of PMRDA, Fadanavis handed the responsibility of this metro route development work to PMRDA. After the order from the chief minister’s office, Zagade had started work.

Talking to The Golden Sparrow, Zagade said, “Soon after the order from CMO to PMRDA of construction of Hinjawadi to Shivajinagar metro route, we have immediately given survey work to DMRC. They have now finished the survey work of this metro route.

This 21.6 km metro route will be

passing through Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), PCMC and MIDC areas. So we have to take into confidence these three authorities for smooth work. DMRC will submit its DPR of this metro route by the end of July. After PMRDA gets the DPR, we will immediately forward it to the state government for further permissions.

State government will suggest further action for fund raising. As per the state government guidelines, we will take the next steps of this project. But Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis personally is serious about construction of this Hinjawadi to Shivajinagar metro route on fast track basis.

“This metro connectivity between Hinjawadi and Shivajinagar will be helpful for IT professionals, as major IT companies have their offices at the Rajiv Gandhi InfoTech Park, Hinjawadi and right now PMPML is the only public transport system connecting these IT industrial areas to the main city. Many IT companies and IT professionals have no option but to take private vehicles to reach offices. But it is highly risky for IT women professionals to take private vehicles as there were incidences of kidnappings, rapes and murders of women IT professionals in Hinjawadi area. So there is urgent need for construction of mass transit public transport system like metro link between Hinjawadi and Pune city, as it is safer. PMRDA will not put any financial burden on PMC and PCMC municipal corporations for the construction work of HinjawadiShivajinagar metro. We will decide our own fund raising model according to guidelines of state government.” said Zagade. tushar.rupanavar@goldensparrow.com

BY VICKY PATHARE @vickypathare2

More than a lakh of people have registered with the District Skill Development Employment and Entrepreneurship (DSDE&E) Guidance Centre, in the hope of getting a job, through this state government initiative. But documents relating to thousands of unemployed individuals, are just gathering dust here. In the last two-and-a-half years, the Pune District DSDE&E department has registered more than a lakh of unemployed individuals, of whom only three per cent have been employed. At the job fairs organised by the department, most of the men have got placements as either as security guards or insurance agents.

Since 2014, Pune district has registered 1,64,130 jobless people. of which, only 5,130 have been employed, according to the department’s records.

In 2015, only 3,417 out of 68,697 who registered with the district, got jobs.

Among those employed, most of the unskilled candidates who have studied up to standards X or XII have got jobs. However, the scheme has failed dismally in providing employment to the qualified candidates, possessing a Diploma, Graduate and Post Graduate degrees. Only 1,663 candidates have been placed since 2014, which is only one per cent. Till May 31, 2016, just 219 (Diploma and Degree holders) among 33,857 persons were given employment.

The government has already stopped providing government jobs to youth in 2008 through the office.

The state government then started the Skill Development, Employment and Entrepreneurship programme to facilitate employment and provide self-employment guidance for the youth.

The Employment Promotion Programme (EPP) scheme provides

Year

2014

2015

Applications as Live 34,36,358 7,41,868 Registered

2016 TOTAL (Till May End) 15,75,962

0

Applicant Registered

61,630

68,697

33,857

1,64,130

Total Number of Applicants Placed

1,171

3,417

542

5,130

X & XII (Placed)

854

2,290

323

3,467

317

1,127

219

1,663

Diploma, Graduates, Degree Holders and Post Graduates (Placed)

on-the-job training to experienced as well as inexperienced job seekers for acquisition and upgradation of skills and experience in the private

sector. However, sources from the department say that most of the job seekers complain that they don’t get placed even after completion of

training and their time was wasted.

District Skill Development Employment and Entrepreneurship (DSDE&E) Guidance Centre Pune district assistant director G A Sangade said, “To provide jobs is not our responsibility, but the skills help unemployed individuals get suitable jobs if they are available. For this purpose, we organise employment fairs every month. Most candidates are skill deficient, and this is a major reason a large number of applicants are rejected by the recruiters. Many applicants with higher educational qualification lack the basic aptitude needed for the jobs that match their qualifications.

They choose to remain unemployed rather than work anywhere else.”

Over the years, the district employment department role has become that of just registering unemployed individuals through www.msdc.skill. According to the DSDE&E officials, the department now only monitors the records and advertisements.

“The state government’s job applications process is now being routed through their respective office which issues advertisements for job vacancies available. Earlier, getting a secure job in government drew the jobless persons to the district office for registration. But since that stopped, the office just registers the details of the unemployed,” he said.

Interestingly, last week, when BJP Chief Amit Shah, was in the city for inauguration of a skill development programme, he blamed the previous government for creating “a force of unemployed youth”. A new scheme titled ‘Pramod Mahajan Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Mission’ was inaugurated with an aim to provide jobs or business skills to youngsters in Pune, and it is hoped that this will provide jobs to the jobless in real terms. vicky.pathare@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY JUNE 11, 2016

BY VICKY PATHARE Vickypathare2 Deficit rainfall last year and soaring temperatures this summer, have led to a drastic drop in the district groundwater levels. However, the water and sanitation department of the Pune district Zilla Parishad (ZP) has banned as many as 298 water sources in the district, for having a high f luoride content, but which is still being used for drinking purposes.

“High levels of f luoride content in water leads to pitting of tooth enamel and its deposits in bones,” said Dr Dilip Bora, Taluka Health Officer, ZP. He said that in 2016-17, the department had taken up post-monsoon chemical analysis of water, in which they had targeted as many as 5,000 sources, and managed to get samples from 2,956.

ZP District Water Quality Inspector Sr No

Parameter

Mrudul Mohite said that after banning the concerned water sources, they are hoping for a better monsoon.

Moreover, they think that the chemical contamination will reduce with increasing water levels. However, since the district did not receive good rainfall last season, the groundwater levels dropped further. Hence, the authorities had no option but to continue the ban on these water sources.

The maximum number of water sources are in Junnar, Khed and Ambegaon.

Officials said the permissible limit of f luoride in the groundwater should be 1.5 mg for every litre, and a maximum of 1.9 mg per litre.

But the f luoride content was found to be as high as 9.9 mg/litre in Junnar, 7.3 mg/litre in Khed and 3.1 mg/litre in Ambegaon.

In the meantime, ZP officials have

Desirable Limit

Permissible Limit

1

Ph (measure of how acidic/basic water is)

6.5 to 8.5

No Relaxation

2

Total Dissolve Solids

500mg / litre

2000mg / litre

3

Fluoride

1.0 mg / litre

1.5 mg / litre

4

Iron

0.3 mg / litre

1.0mg / litre

5

Nitrate

45 mg / litre

------

6

Fecal Coliform

0 MPN / litre (Testing method for Coliforms counting)

0 MPN / litre

7

Coliform

10MPN / litre

10MPN / litre

P13

P11

Water from 298 sources declared unfit for drinking Deficit rainfall last season and this year’s summer heat have caused a dip in groundwater levels, resulting in high chemical content in the water

65,000 Lankans issued certificate of absence

‘India’s nuclear disaster emergency plans outdated’

‘‘Both PMC and PCMC pay for operational losses. While the PMC pays Rs 7.5 crore, the PCMC pays Rs 5 crore to the transport utility. Part of the payment from the PMC has been delayed.’’

— Abhishek Krishna, PMPML Chairman and Managing Director

urged the concerned gram panchayats not to use groundwater sources such as wells and borewells, and instead look for other sources for drinking water. But water from such sources can be used for washing and cleaning. The doctors in the places have been told to ensure that they increase the supply of calcium among the villagers, to reduce the risk of f luoride in water.

Officials said that as the water level dips, the level of chemicals increases in groundwater. Hence, they continue taking samples before and after the monsoons to take precautionary measures.

The water gets contaminated due to two reasons: chemical contamination, the presence of unwanted substances that make water unfit for consumption or use, and bacteriological contamination, which means the presence of pathogenic or disease-causing microbes in drinking water.

Some of these microbes, such as bacteria, may occur in nature and seep in naturally, while others are a result of human sewage or industrial farming techniques.

“A type of dangerous, toxin-producing, bacteria known as E.coli 0157:H7 can cause bloody diarrhoea and even kidney failure in people who ingest this deadly microbe by drinking contaminated water. Giardia is a protozoan parasite that causes diarrhoea in some humans who ingest it.

This parasite, you guessed it, is spread through feces, and contaminated material including water. Consumption of bacteriological contaminated water can cause diseases like gastro, intestine diseases, typhoid, jaundice and many other ailments,” said Dr Dilip Bora. vicky.pathare@goldensparrow.com

PUNE

These doctors are forced to run OPD under a tree

BY DNYANESHWAR BHONDE @dnyanesh1

Fifty-two doctors working under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), along with 52 pharmacists and nurses, have been forced to run an Out Patient Department (OPD) under a tree on the Aundh Civil Hospital premises, as they have not been given a room to work from. The irony is that there are several vacant and unused rooms in the hospital, but the authorities are not ‘interested’ in solving the problem these doctors face.

RBSK is a state government’s health program, under which 80 teams operate in Pune district, their work including regular health check-ups of school students enrolled in government-run Anganwadis, as well as schools in rural and remote areas of the district. A RBSK team includes a male and female doctor, a pharmacist and a nurse. They also examine patients at Aundh Civil Hospital on a regular basis. The objective of these doctors is to identify abnormalities and diseases in children at an early age, and refer them to the civil hospital for the necessary treatment. Children from the schools and Anganwadis, who have any health issues, are referred to the Aundh Civil Hospital.

Out of the 80 teams, 26 RBSK doctors’

teams who are working in the area around the civil hospital, gather regularly at the hospital, and examine referred patients for an hour before going to Anganwadis for regular health check-ups.

“We gather here in the morning at 9:30 am, and examine referred patients under this tree. Despite several demands and reminders, the authorities have not provided us a single room for checking OPD patients,” said a doctor on the condition of anonymity. “We are also facing issues regarding where to store all our necessary documents relating to patients. We are doctors, but we have been forced to examine patients under a tree, despite there being lots of rooms in the big civil hospital,” he said.

Another doctor said that the authorities keep assuring them about providing them a room, but nothing has happened in the last three years.

“The Resident Medical Officers (RMOs) and civil surgeon ask us not to sit here. The objective is clear, as they neither want us to sit outside, nor do they want to allow us inside,” said a doctor.

Aundh Civil Hospital Civil Surgeon S A Deshmukh said, “Doctors should treat these patients in Anganwadi and schools. Referred patients are few, so there is no need to provide them any shelter.” dnyaneshwar.bhonde@goldensparrow.com

A year old ghost of FTII’s longest strike JUNE PUNE,

With this issue

11, 2016

m rrow.co denspa thegol | www.

ON’T D Y E TH ED NO NE UGHT THO TROL CON ols and t of scho te a niche pped ou ea They dro rk hard and cr em most. to wo ed th colleges d that interest unekars who P el in the fi es up with five to pick the h nly tc TGS ca on education o assroom p cl u r gave d as thei real worl

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What’s your iftaar ritual?

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In the issue S RE U T

Include organic produce in your life

FE A

many of us were sure, at least after a point of time that the outcome would be nothing. We were told as much by the Information and Broadcasting ministry as much. However, we went on because it was an ideological debate,” she says while tearing up, clearly moved by the memories. “One needs to understand that we put everything on hold, not for personal gains but for the FTII community and the extremely vulnerable, highly volatile spirit of it,” she adds.

In all essence of words, the strike at FTII did not go on. The individuals petered out, with the administration keeping close observation on them, forced to fight personal battles. The zest of the students to fight everything head-on has disappeared, as has the outside world’s attention. “There’s just too much to fight. But we do try to keep the strike on individually,” Shini, due to leave in a month says.

She, however, does not agree that the strike died. “An artist can never forget. We are artists, we shall never forget,” she says with a smile. She adds, “Our strike and protest lives on in the art we make henceforth. You should see the movies that came out after the strike, be it based on it or otherwise.

People’s perspectives have changed; there is a more profound sense of social awakening, albeit at a heavy price.”

A students’ film made on the denial of admission and then arrest of FTII students at IFFI has been selected for the International Documentary Film Festival supposed to be held in Kerala. “This is our salvation. This and the personal fights we pick and win at the campus against the lackadaisical administration,” she chuckles.

“We are planning a celebration on June 12. It will be for two things, first to celebrate the strike and then to gear up against the Academic Council’s decision. We shall not take it lying down,” she says. Very few however, share her optimism.

As darkness of night descends around the Wisdom Tree, once the hub of all activities, students can be seen or heard discussing their works or personal lives. No one demands a revolution anymore. gargi.verma@goldensparrow.com

FE A

will risk being thrown out, tell me,” says Shini JK, a final year TV student.

She adds, “All said and done, we really hoped that they would support us.”

The teachers, however, believe that it was the students’ high-handedness that drove them away. “One can’t complain about everything on this earth. The students, after a point, became unreasonable and we had to tell them so. If that means we left them alone, then it is utterly wrong,” said a faculty member, requesting anonymity.

“It was another disillusionment, that’s it,” says Shini, who was an active face of the strike and has also been active after it. “We visit various campuses, talk about how we managed to keep fighting, extend our solidarities. The strikes after ours have been our legacy,” she explains. On the side, she is also writing an essay, documenting the strike. “What we lived in those 139 days will continue to be a major part of our lives. A lot of people raised existential questions about us, such as why do we need to study films, how can we retaliate against people so high up above, did we fail. My documentation tries to answer those,” she explains further.

Shini, who has seen multiple strikes in her home state Kerala, however, takes a pause when faced by the question, “How has the strike gone on, since it was called off almost seven months ago?” After a long pause she says, “There are multiple people in this campus with as many ideologies. While some believed in the power of the strike,

I ND

Continued from p1 However, while many have moved on, for a lot of them, the strike became a personal issue. The 139-day strike that saw multiple instances of police involvement, court cases and even hunger strike, has impacted various students in various ways. Some of the students, who were fervently involved, have changed a lot. The detrimental aspect of the “revolution” is that many students have become clinical cases of depression and other ailments. “Some of us have been so affected that they had emotional breakdowns, and had to be taken to doctors. Families have rushed in and they along with fellow students remain the biggest strength,” says a second year student, requesting anonymity.

Worse off still are the students who have a year or more left at the institute. “While most of us saw it as an ideological fight, some actually got disillusioned about the world in general. It has affected personal lives, the way we see things and the way we perceive things too. We have been facing so many backlashes from our own administration that it is almost impossible to go back to normal,” said another second year student.

The administration, that earlier constituted of only the honchos sitting in the office along with the registrar and director, now encompass even the faculty. “The biggest blow was the fallout with faculty. Their briefs were clear, either be with the administration and reap benefits, or support the students and be thrown out. Who

City celeb chat

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY JUNE 11, 2016

PUNE

‘‘We have scant regard for road safety . As a result, the expressway has become a death trap.

People are dying for no fault of theirs. Lives have been lost due to vehicles jumping the median and also because of landslides. Road safety measures are lacking due to red tape.’’

— D S Kulkarni, Prominent land developer

Chinese media names LeT in 26/11 attacks P 13

Success tastes sweeter after struggles The landmark Secondary School Certificate exam is a turning point in one’s life, and it is even more so for students who have to battle untold adversity in their quest for success

Farm labourer’s disabled son scores 92% in SSC

Disabled boy from Bihar has made the most of his opportunity to study, despite the hurdles of coping with his disability and family’s impoverished state

BY VICKY PATHARE @Vickypathare2 A student who is determined and willing to work hard, can achieve his goals by overcoming every hurdle that comes across his path, and make use of every opportunity that comes knocking at his door.

This was personified by a 16-yearold son of a daily wage labourer, who, despite being disabled, secured 92.40 per cent marks in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination, the results of which were declared on June 6, 2016.

An only child, Jaynarayan Mallu Mahato has been affected

by Polio since birth which left him with more than 80 per cent disability, since he was deprived of vaccination. Born in a labourer’s family in Mahadeva village of West Champaran district, Bihar, he wanted to attend school like any other child. But the big hurdles in his path were caused by his disability and that he belonged to a poor family.

Destiny brought him to Pune, where his parents admitted him to ‘The Society for the Welfare of the Differently Abled Persons (Physically Handicapped) Education And Research Centre’ Wanowrie. Jaynarayan emerged as a topper in studies at the institute and even at S M Joshi High School, Golibar Maidan.

Jaynarayan stayed at the welfare institute since standard I, where all his expenses are borne by the organisation. The institute has also paid for a couple of surgeries to reduce his deformity.

Jaynarayan has surprised everyone by securing the top most position in matriculation examinations in his school.

Jaynarayan scored 92.40 per cent,

with 93 marks in Mathematics and 97 marks in Science & Technology and Social Science.

Jaynarayan has not let his disability hold him back when it comes to pursuing his goals. He wants to be a Mechanical Engineer. “I am fond of cars and bikes and admire the new models. I would like to drive a vehicle but unfortunately I don’t have any,” he said.

Telling about his preparations for the exams, he said, “I studied in morning from 7.00 am to 8.00am, went to school, returned at 5.00 pm. I never skipped classes. In the evening we have coaching classes at the institute, where we are taught English, Maths and Science, which helped me a lot. M N Kachare, chairman of the institute, who had seen the spark in me, has a lion’s share in my achievement, for guiding me every time. At night, I studied only for till 12.00,” he said.

“I wish he succeeds in life and becomes a Babu (officer) than becoming a labourer like us” - BHAGWANI DEVI

Despite topping the exams, his prospects of becoming a Mechanical Engineer seem bleak. Unfortunately, he may even have to give up studies as his father, who earns Rs 150-200 a day, cannot afford to pay for Jaynarayan’s education any further. He may have to look for odd jobs.

Gardener’s daughter scores 96.4% Despite moving house 15 times in 10 years, she managed to score 99 per cent in maths and Sanskrit

‘Today I can breathe free’

Single mother who cleared SSC at 36 is an inspiration to everyone around her

BY ABHA PANDIT @abha_pandit Jyoti Pandit was inspired by the words ‘Nothing is impossible’ written on one of her walls. She cleared SSC exam at the age of 36.

Working as a peon at the Government Sales Tax department in Mumbai that she got on compassionate grounds after the death of her husband at the same post, Jyoti brought up their two kids on her own.

Jyoti was married off as a teenager when she had just cleared her seventh grade. Her husband turned out to be an alcoholic and soon passed away leaving her with two sons and a bleak future.

As a single mother, she faced a gruelling journey to get to where she is. After her husband took to drinking heavily, she knew she had to take matters into her own hands for the sake of her family.

“While dropping my children off at one of their classes, I saw some graffiti on a nearby building which said “Nothing is impossible”. That was the day I realised that I had to find a way to support myself and my two children,” she said.

studied from 7 to 11 pm.

“My parents are my inspiration. They have had to work so hard to give me an education, which has kept me motivated. Even my teachers Vijaya Kulkarni and Nand kumar Thakur have helped me every step of the way,” said Monica.

Her coaching class teacher Pandurang Funde said, “Monica has always been a dedicated child, despite the financial instability at home. She would come to class early and always finish her homework on time. She excelled in every subject.

I feel proud that she was my student.”

Monica wants to study medicine, and she wishes to reward her parents by buying a house and a car for them. romil.kothari@goldensparrow.com

Jyoti appeared for SSC board exams in 2015 and secured 45 per cent.

“I got the job that my husband was doing before he passed away in 2010. Although the post gave me enough to lead a respectable life, the menial nature of work always bothered me. My boss encouraged me to appear for the SSC boards and continue with my education. After a year of sleepless nights, my hard work finally paid off when I received the results today. I was overjoyed when I found out that I had passed. Today I can breathe free,” she said with a smile, adding that her in-laws did not support her decision to study.

Now Jyoti plans to prepare for HSC (12th board) so she can get promotion at work.

Her two sons, Nihal (17) and Sahil (14), are proud of their mother.

“She is a strong woman and our inspiration,” they said.

“I have spent the last six years telling myself that ‘Nothing is Impossible’ and that is what I want to tell everyone. Whenever you stumble, don’t give up, hold your head high and carry on. Everything will turn out okay,” she said. abha.pandit@goldensparrow.com

Masters of the board and the books Pune chess player IM Abhimanyu scores 93 per cent, while national champion Akanksha garners 87 per cent in SSC exam

BY ASHISH PHADNIS @phadnis_ashish

BY ROMIL KOTHARI @romil_kothari Monica Pawar scored 96.4 per cent marks in the SSC board exam, including 99 per cent marks in Maths and Sanskrit. What is laudable about Monica’s success in the exam, is that she did not let the problems of moving from one house to another come in the way of her studies, and maintained her focus on her academic goals to achieve outstanding marks.

Monica’s father Ram Pawar is a farmer in Solapur, but owing to the drought, he shifted to Pune, and took up gardening as a profession, to earn a living. His wife Lalita Pawar works as domestic maid.

“Owing to the drought and the resulting financial hardships, we have had to shift our home 15 times in the last ten years, which really disrupted our children’s studies. But Monica has always been very discipline when it comes to her studies, and she has come out with flying colours,” said Ram Pawar.

Monica would wake up at 6 am, and study for an hour before leaving for the Guru Ganesh Vidya Mandir school in Nigdi. After school, she attended coaching classes, and after a break, she

Bhagwani Devi, 44, mother of Jaynarayan, was very happy that her son has scored such high marks in the Board Exam. She said, “He is our only son but since standard I, he has been living in Pune for completing his studies. If he would have being staying with us, would never have studied till standard X, due to our financial problem. I miss him a lot but my pain is compensated for by his achievement. He has a disabled leg due to Polio since birth, as we couldn’t even afford his medical expenses. I wish he succeeds in life and becomes a Babu (officer) than becoming a labourer like us, is what I pray to God every time.”

Mallu Mahato, 46, is worried about the future of his son. “I am uneducated but am happy that my son has succeeded in scoring such good marks. I am a farm labourer and earn only a small amount, which can only keep us alive, and there is nothing else we can do for him with the money we earn. I don’t even have a piece of land that could be sold to meet the expenses for my son’s further studies,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jaynarayan, in spite of being clever in studies, faces a future which seems to be dark, due to his family’s poor financial condition. He could complete his SSC thanks to the expenses being borne by his institute Apang Kalyankari Shikshan. Students like Jaynarayan should not have to give up studies and get a job due to lack of funds, like most children from poor families.

Jaynarayan wants to become a Mechanical Engineer. “I will try my best to pay for his studies but if I can’t, then I would suggest that he pick up a small job for his livelihood,” his father said. vicky.pathare@goldensparrow.com

Pune’s Abhimanyu Puranik and Akanksha Hagawane are the future of Indian chess.

Abhimanyu has already attained an International Master title and also earned first norm of Grandmaster title. He is the 6th ranked player in the under-16 category in Asia, whereas Akanksha is a National Subjunior champion and is fifth ranked in Asia (girls U-16).

Both players have a bright career ahead in chess, and simultaneously they have shown their affinity for academics too. Abhimanyu, a student of Symbiosis Secondary School, impressed with a whopping score of 93 per cent, while Akanksha, a student of Deccan Education Society School, Tilak Road, scored 87 per cent in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination.

“I opened my books for the first time after December. I solved a couple of papers as practice and that’s all. I even played few important tournaments before my preliminary exam and hardly got a day or two for preparation. I got 65 per cent, which was too low as per our expectations. So after my national tournament, I completely devoted myself to studies and didn’t play a

Abhimanyu Puranik

Akanksha Hagawane

single match after that,” said Akanksha, who faced difficulties in dealing with maths and language papers.

“Science was comparatively easy and I enjoyed studying it. But I want to pursue my career in sport, hence will go for commerce,” she said.

Normally parents become paranoid when their kid are appearing for the SSC exam and restrict them from any extracuricullar activities. However, the parents of both these players didn’t put any pressure on them and allowed them to pursue their sporting careers throughout the year.

“While other parents were busy with their kids in the study room, we literally insisted on Abhimanyu to participate in the Qatar Open tournament, as World champion Magnus Carlson was playing there. It was a golden opportunity and we didn’t want to miss it,” said Abhimanyu’s father Sameer Puranik.

“We were sure that he will make the best of the remaining time. He is good in science and also likes to read a lot. So, the only issue was about maths. But, he managed it somehow and it was a pleasant surprise for us too,” he said.

He also praised the school management for their support.

“Both schools, DES and Symbiosis, helped these two a lot. They adjusted unit tests, practicals and even attendance. Abhimanyu didn’t go to school for a single day, yet they convinced the board for the exam. Without the school’s support, it wouldn’t have been possible,” said Puranik.

Abhimanyu said, “I came back from Qatar on December 31 and gave my prelims on January 4. Naturally, I scored much less and felt nervous when I saw my other friends, who were busy studying throughout the year, taking help from various tuitions, classes, and scoring good marks. I was under pressure and I feel that was the driving force that enabled me to study day and night for the last two months.”

Both players have been training with Fide trainer Jayant Gokhale for the last several years. The coach praised his wards by saying that the sport helped them in preparations.

“In chess, time management is a key factor. It has been observed that chess players can focus and concentrate more effectively.

Instead of putting their heads in the book throughout the year, they achieved something in sport and used the remaining quality time for academics,” he said. ashish.phadnis@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY JUNE 11, 2016

“The ads are focussing on social commentary nowadays. Advertising in the past could not get into social commentary. It has become very relevant because people are concerned in which way our society is heading.”

— Prahlad Kakar, Ad Guru

Retired teacher aims to transform slum kids

Leela Bhatia at one of her Saturday sessions with the children from the slum areas of Kalyani Nagar

Pune resident has taken up the task of grooming neighbourhood slum children

BY ABHA PANDIT @abha_pandit Working with children is something that Kalyani Nagar resident Leela Bhatia, 69, has enjoyed since she became a schoolteacher, over two decades ago. Working in Dubai, she and her husband moved back to Pune after their retirement 10 years ago. These days, she is contributing to the society by educating children living in the slums near Kalyani Nagar.

After she lost her husband eight years ago, she was looking for something to invest her time in a productive manner, and met a woman who would spend time with the slum children in the area once a week. Leela would help her out, and eventually become so attached to the kids that she decided to carry it on by herself.

The work she does has nothing to do with her academics as such, but focuses more on manners, general hygiene and attitude.

“Although I do teach them basic mathematics and multiplication tables, my main aim is to make them better citizens and prepare them for the world outside,” she said. Every Saturday, the kids gather at the Ganesh Mandir in Kalyani Nagar for an hour in the evening, and are completely engrossed in whatever activity Leela has planned for them that week. Some of

Conservationist Mohammed Dilawar has been working relentlessly to conserve the humble next-door bird TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly

While many conservationists are busy making efforts to save species like large animals, there are few takers to take care of the house sparrow, the nextdoor bird. It was this concern for the humble bird that made 36-year-old Mohammed Dilawar to start Nature Forever Society (NFS) in 2008, after working for the conservation of house sparrows and other common flora and fauna since 2006.

Experts cite that population of house sparrows is fast declining due to widespread use of garden pesticides, which kills insects that are vital diet of new-born sparrows, disappearance of open grass lands, rising temperature and avian-unfriendly modern architecture has grievously harmed these birds.

“Why we have to wait for the animals, birds and fishes to be endangered. We are worried about the species in the forests and take for granted those in neighbourhood. Recent studies has shown that the population of house sparrows is on the decline in many parts of the country. Sparrows were once a common sight and an intrinsic part of our larger existence. But we began to take these little birds for granted and ceased to take notice of them. Today it is difficult for many to spot the bird that has adapted itself to human life over centuries,” said Dilawar, who has done his Master’s degree in environment and ecology from Nashik.

Explaining about the habitat about the humble bird, Dilawar said that nests of house sparrows used to be found in almost every household and public places such as markets, bus bays, and railway stations in the past.

NFS has its headquarters at Nashik with its offices spread across India, including Pune and Mumbai.

The NGO has been running many initiatives, its latest being ‘I Love Sparrows’ campaign that highlight the love that people have for sparrows and do their bit to express it by telling

Nature Forever Society’s ‘I Love Sparrows’ campaign received wide public response

the world the ways in which they are helping conserve sparrows. “We have our supporters turn journalists and bloggers to write their take about the little bird,” he said.

“I have found that many citizens are willing to offer monetary assistance to social causes and organisations are contend to value them as ‘cash cows’.

Our mission is to involve citizens in the conservation movement and our initiatives are simple with farreaching results. NFS has spearheaded programmes and projects that are making a visible difference to sparrow populations in cities. Some of the initiatives started by NFS are Common Bird Monitoring of India (CBMI), World Sparrow Day, Project SOS, NFS Sparrow Awards and Adopt a Feeder and Nest programme,” he said.

NFS has helped in popularising March 20 to be celebrated as World Sparrow Day (WSD) around the world.

‘Rise for the Sparrow’ is a NFS

Mohamad Dilavar

‘‘There is a window of opportunity to radically change the trajectory of the epidemic and put an end to AIDS forever over the next five years.’’

— Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General

them also come from areas like Yerawada and Koregaon Park, as the word has spread.

Around 150 children look up to her for guidance, although all of them do not show up every week. She also provides them with food each time they come. Some days it is fruits, chocolate and dry snacks, while on other days it is a full meal with roti, rice, a vegetable and dal.

Over the last eight years, there has been an immense and visible improvement in the children. While earlier, some of them would even skip school, they are all very regular students now. “When these kids came to me, a lot of them were very rowdy and reckless. It was probably an effect of living on the streets. But they have all undergone a complete transformation now. They don’t swear, they know their prayers and have become more obedient,” said Leela. The older children still come to visit her once in a while, some of them are working while others have got married and moved away.

Along with her basic teachings, Leela also teaches them vocational skills like making paper bags or decorations. The kids are then allowed to sell whatever they make, and use the money for a small treat. They have also had sessions where they learnt to make Ganesh idols out of clay. Her programme is funded by various donors who want to give back to society.

“There are many people who cannot volunteer their time. So they contribute by way of monetary help or food for the children. Some of them have even funded the entire education of some of the children,” she said. Corporate donors also organise free medical and dental camps for them. Leela has also been widely recognised for her work by organisations like Cybage and Rotary Club.

As for managing the entire group each Saturday, there are some women who come to help her out when they are free. But none of them have made it a priority like Leela has. abha.pandit@goldensparrow.com

Meet the house sparrow saviour

initiative which aims to inspire, empower and involve the citizens, schools, educational organisations, government agencies, NGOs and practically anyone who is interested to contribute towards conservation of sparrows and other common birds.

NFS in association with Mumbaibased environmental research and awareness institution Burhani Foundation (India) (BFI) launched project Save Our Sparrow (SOS) where 52,000 bird feeders where distributed free across the world to save sparrows and other common birds. The project received recognition from the Guinness Book of World records for the highest distribution of bird feeders in the world.

The Help Birds in Summer Campaign is an initiative where people forward an SMS and posters for display which urge people to provide water for birds during summer.

The main fund source for Nature Forever Society is its members.

“We have around 25,000 plus active members and the maximum number are based in Pune. We began our work in a small way, without any sustainable source of funding support but our belief and vision is what keep us going. Our supporters adopt nest boxes and bird feeders and we put back the profit into conservation initiatives. Ours is a fight to conserve not just the diminishing sparrow count, but to save all common birds and biodiversity found in our immediate environment,” Dilawar said. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

PUNE

Doing their bit to help the drought-hit areas

BY VICKY PATHARE @Vickypathare2

With the state facing one of its worst droughts in a century, many vendors, teachers, non-governing organisations and charity foundations have come forward to extend support to the thousands affected by water crisis.

The vendors from Indira Mini Market in Khadki has taken the responsibility to provide water to residents of Murdhav Village, a small hamlet in Renapur Taluka of Latur district.

The vendors have been making arrangements to provide tanker water to 800 families of the village every day since May 6 and will continue the initiative for next month also. With the parched village getting water once in 20 days, the efforts undertaken by 30-40 vendors of Indira Mini Market has helped villagers overcome water crisis.

“Mukesh Agarwal, who had undertaken a similar water aid initiative for Latur’s Bramhwadi Village, is the brainchild. We have decided to continue water supply for more months if the condition doesn’t improve.

Shantilal Kshatriya, Nijanand Palankar, Dada Nanavre, Hemant Shah and Sanjay Pense are some of the vendors who are part of this social cause,” said Ganesh Mahorkar, who owns a shop in the market.

Hanumant Pawar, a resident of Gavan Village in Renapur Taluka of Latur said, “Villagers are happy as they are getting water at their doorstep. What more can one expect in this dire situation? I am happy that people from Pune are coming forward to help us.”

As people living in Marathwada region are the worst hit, a team of Karishmaa Care Foundation (KCF) from Pune has started providing aid to villages in Ashti and Beed districts. KCF have undertaken various activities like donating food grains, water tanks, clothes and medical kits, besides providing skill development programmes

for women from Marathwada to make them self-employed. KCF, working since last four months in Marathwada, has donated 23,000 kgs of food grains (wheat, rice and dal), installed 50 water tanks at Chavnis and distributed clothes to more than 700 people from six villages till date, benefitting more than 30 villages in Marathwada region, including Dadegaon, Bhavarwadi, Khadipur, Jamgaon and Bavi. Founded by holistic healerentrepreneur Neelam Tuteja six months ago to support the underprivileged living in rural Maharashtra, Tuteja is the only woman in the past seven years to have come forward to help the drought- affected in Marathwada.

“I visited Marathwada region and assessed the situation before extending support. I am coming to this region once in a week for the past four months carrying food grains, clothes and other amenities for distribution,” Tuteja said.

Wagholi-based Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana (BJS) in Wagholi under its education rehabilitation project (ERP) has adopted more than 300 children from Marathwada and Yavatmal regions. These children of farmers who have committed suicide hail from Aurangabad, Beed, Hingoli, Latur, Yavatmal and Parbhani.

vicky.pathare@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY JUNE 11, 2016

PUNE

THEY ALL

Combining fun with fitness, the second ins turned out to be a resounding success, and participants was the ic

These Spanish marathoners run for social causes Daniel Clavero, 38, and his wife Dola Mbobda, 36, shifted to Pune from Spain four years ago. Daniel ran the 10 km and finished the run in 54 minutes, while Dola did the 5 km run, and finished the run in 35 minutes. Daniel is an engineer working for FTI industries in Chakan, a pipes and accessories manufacturing company. Dola is a housewife and is currently learning English in Aundh.

The couple used to take part in marathons back in Spain.

They have been in the city for some time, but TGS MoveIt Marathon was their first. They did not come to the venue with a load of expectations, but were pleasantly surprised with how well everything was planned. They also found that the early Sunday morning schedule was perfect for a marathon run, evading the sun, and the food on offer and the Zumba session only spiced up the run even more.

Daniel and Dola like to take part in different marathons, for social causes mostly, that revolve around poor children and cancer societies. “I appreciate the efforts put in by The Golden Sparrow and MoveIt Marathon team for a well organised marathon. We enjoyed it and look forward to participating in the next one too,” said Daniel, with a big smile on his face.

The couple loves travelling around India, and they have grown quite fond of Pune with its surroundings and cosmopolitan air.

They have so far been to Mumbai, Agra, Jaipur, Karnataka and Goa, and are looking forward to more discoveries in India.

For Spaniard Fernando Ullate, 34, just like for his friends Daniel and Dola, this was the first marathon in India, and he revelled in the ambience at TGS MoveIt Marathon, including the Zumba session. A finance manager, he finished the 10 km run in 54 minutes.

Fernando has taken part in quite a few marathons in Europe, the last one at Madrid, featuring 25,000 participants.

“The one thing that struck me here was the volunteers’ coordination, which the participants truly appreciated. I have never seen anything like this in the marathons abroad,” he said.

“Running helps me keep fit, healthy, and at events like this, I also get to meet and make friends with people who share a passion for running,” said Fernando. A member of a group in Spain called ‘Amigos Del Running’, Fernando also loves cycling, swimming and trekking, which he has been able to do, thanks to the profusion of such spots around Pune.

“I like Pune, its people, food and culture, and am looking forward to more memorable experiences here,” he said.

This five-year-old is inspired by his doctor to run Aarav Shewale is just five years old, and he was one of the youngest runners at TGS MoveIt Marathon.

He participated in the 3 km run, and was overjoyed when he crossed the finish line along with his mother Jui. A standard I student of Karnatak High School, Aarav has been running since he was three. When he was one-and-a-half-years old, he was diagnosed with bilateral profound hearing loss, which was a devastating experience for his parents.

But they faced the adversity with fortitude, and Aarav underwent surgery to get cochlear implants, which brought his hearing back.

But then the parents had to teach him to speak.

Dr Neelam Vaid, the doctor who performed the surgery on Aarav, is an avid runner herself, and she has also motivated Aarav to take up running.

“We are deeply indebted to Dr Neelam for encouraging our son to take up running,” said his mother Jui. Now Aarav runs thrice a week with his father Kaustubh. “Running is Aarav’s favourite way to spend time with his dad, which is their regular father-son time,” she says.

After experiencing the emotional rollercoaster owing to Aarav’s disorder, it is a joy for his parents to see how he has progressed in the last three years. Energetic and fun-loving, besides running, Aarav also loves badminton. When he crossed the finish line, he shouted, “I won! I won,” which was like music to his parents’ ears.

T

BY ABHA PANDIT AND ROMIL KOTHARI he second edition of The Golden Sparrow MoveIt Marathon was held on June 5, and almost 3000 participants turned up for the event. With four categories of 3 km, 5 km, 10 km and 21 km, this time the run was an even bigger success than the last.

Besides the seasoned long distance runners, fitness freaks and running enthusiasts, there was a large contingent of amateurs and first-timers too. From toddlers to students, working professionals to senior citizens, they were all eagerly waiting for the event to begin. Apart from the

participants, their family and friends had turned up to cheer them on too. Everyone had a gala time on Sunday morning, and the passing drizzle was refreshing, and did nothing to dampen the spirits of the runners. It all started off with a super energetic Zumba session, which was held before every run started, and was the ideal way for the participants to get warmed up. And the energy levels hit peak intensity, even at 5 o’clock in the morning.

The runners were on an adrenaline rush and gave it their all for another round of Zumba even after they had completed their marathons. The bonus for TGS was all the stories the participants had to tell, each with their personal, individual perspective on the happening.

‘I was never really interested in running’ SURAJ KUMAR MEN’S 21 KM WINNER Suraj Kumar emerged the winner in the 21 km segment, crossing the finish line with a time of 1 hour, 25 minutes. The 21-year-old medical student took up running three years ago, after participating in a cross country run.

A student at the Armed Forced Medical College, Suraj hails from Mysore. “I was never really interested in running until I came to Pune. After running my first cross country, I realised that I had enjoyed myself immensely, and that is where my journey began.” Since then, Suraj has been practicing regularly and has participated in a number of half marathons. Currently, he trains with Iron Man winner Dr Kaustubh Radkar. He plans to run a full marathon after he has trained enough.

Apart from running, this youngster loves to cook and is keen on learning different languages. He also enjoys cycling and has participated in two duathlons.

‘I want to train for longer distances’ SAVANI BARVE

WOMEN’S 3 KM WINNER For 11-year-old Savani Barve, her parents are the inspiration. She was the first female to cross the finish line in the 3 km race. Having achieved a time of 18 minutes and 3 seconds at the TGS MoveIt Marathon, she attributes the success to her father who encouraged her to participate. Her parents Rakhee and Pushkar Barve, both of whom are kho-kho players, also joined her in the run.

Growing up in a household which gave immense importance to sports, Savani took to athletics like a fish to water. Being a school student, she has just started running longer distances.

With daily training sessions, she is working towards improving her timing and preparing for longer distance runs. Not just training right, but eating right too is equally important for a runner. They all follow a strict home food diet plan. “I have just begun with 3 km and 5 km runs. I want to train for and run longer distances like 10 km and 21 km. I am working hard to improve my timings too,” says the enthusiastic youngster. For the Barve family, spending quality family time is to run together.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY JUNE 11, 2016

PUNE

PICS BY RAHUL RAUT, VISHAL KALE AND TEJAS GAIKWAD

LIKED TO

stallment of TGS MoveIt Marathon d the diverse range of almost 3,000 cing on the cake

This family believes in running together

The people of Pune were more than enthusiastic to participate in the second TGS MoveIt Marathon held on Sunday

‘Running has become an outlet for me’ TANMAYA KARMARKAR,

WOMEN’S 21 KM WINNER Tanmaya Karmarkar, 38, is a computer sciences research professional, who grabbed top spot in the women’s 21 km run, with a time of 1 hour, 57 minutes, which was almost 10 minutes faster than the first runner-up. She has been running for the past two years, after her friend convinced her to take up the sport.

“At the age of 36, I didn’t know I had it in me to run such long distances,” she says. Tanmaya has run a 42 km full marathon before, and is currently training three times a week with Dr Kaustubh Radkar.

While she enjoys running, as a working woman and mother she has to pull off quite a balancing act. “With a full time career and a family to look after, it becomes difficult to take time out for yourself. Running has become an outlet for me to do that, and I prefer to run by myself, without anyone for company,” she says.

Tanmaya has some advice for people who are just beginning to run, or are a little hesitant to start. “It doesn’t matter at what age you start.

If you have the urge to run, go for it. Start out slow, and don’t bother about winning or speed.

The flow will automatically come,” she says.

Members of Pune Newspaper Vendors Association

Priyanka Pai, housewife and her husband Ravindra are both avid runners. Inspired by her fitness enthusiast husband, Priyanka took up long distance running. Her routine included workouts and a healthy diet. But then running took a backseat when she conceived her first child. She though, missed her regimen so much that she was determined to get back to it as soon as possible.

Just as she had decided, she continued with her daily log and participated in 5 km run at the TGS MoveIt Marathon, held in March this year. “I was running again after almost a year, and my husband was supportive enough to look after our son while I ran,” she said.

This time they had a tough time deciding on who would sit on the sidelines looking after the toddler. And they came up with a plan which would let both of them in on the fun. Priyanka participated in the 10 km run and took her son along with her! She completed the marathon in a time of 1 hour and 2 minutes while pushing the stroller in which her son was asleep, while her husband Ravindra went on to complete the 21 km run. “I was lucky that Sharv was fast asleep the entire time, and so I could finish the marathon,” she said with a smile.

This go-getter couple enjoys running together and recommends that everyone try it out. “It is a wonderful stress buster, and helps us bond better. Once my son is old enough, I will encourage him to accompany us, so we can run as a family,” said Priyanka.

He wants to represent India at the Olympics Sachin Kumar, 18, in a repeat of the last TGS MoveIt Marathon, won the 10 km run with a time a little over 37 minutes. This Haryana resident lives on the Bombay Engineering Group (BEG) campus in Khadki, where his father is posted. His tall, athletic build is ideal for the rigorous training he undergoes.

An ardent footballer, Sachin is determined to make a career in sports, and considers himself lucky to have the unstinting support of his family.

His goal is to represent India at the Olympics, and he is constantly working on improving his timing. “This time I slipped up a minute or so from my last timing, but I will train harder to improve it,” he says.

‘There is no particular age at which one can start running’ Himangi Godbole emerged victorious in the 10 km run in the open women’s category.

The software developer from Pune began running in 2013, after her husband persuaded her to accompany him on his runs. Her husband Atul is a trainer and founder of Motiv8 Coaching in Pune.

Since she began running, Himangi has completed a full marathon as well as a few half marathons. “This time, before TGS marathon, I did not have enough time to practice, which is why I chose to run in the 10 km category instead of the 21 km one,” she says.

A mother of two, Himangi has encouraged her children to pick up the sport as well.

“There is no particular age at which one can start running.

I started after I gave birth to my second child. As long as you are determined to achieve your goal, nothing can stop you,” she feels.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY JUNE 11, 2016

TECH/START-UP

PUNE

‘‘Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, as well as Apple have one not so obvious thing in common – they were all started in a garage.’’

— http://www.websitemagazine.com/

‘More women taking up odd jobs’ P 12

Plug-n-play, the USB way!

APP WORLD

After 20 years, the USB connector is up for a major upgrade. Here’s what you need, to tide over the transition

BY ANAND PARTHASARATHY Older readers will remember the big, fat, desktop PCs of the 1990s -- with their bulky dabbas and a fat CRT monitor , taking away most of the space on your desk. Perhaps, the most vivid memory is of that cat’s cradle of wires on the back of the machine -- a rear wall pockmarked like ageing cheese, with multiple holes for a serial port, a printer port, a keyboard port and a PS/2 port for the mouse, plus those tiny coloured holes in which to stick the loudspeaker and mike connector.

Checked any PCs lately? Chances are you’ll find 4 to 6 identical USB ports which work with almost every accessory device. Plug-n-play is the new way with PC accessories. The Universal Serial Bus or USB is actually just over 20 years old -- but it is only in recent years that it has emerged as the undisputed king of the connector jungle, in the process, having gone through a few upward bumps in the speed at which it can transfer data. The current USB 3.1 standard, is the zippiest, to date, transferring data at a typical 150 - 200 MBPS which is about 10 times faster than what we could achieve with USB 2.

While USB reading speeds have been jacked up, the physical connector has remained largely unchanged, until recently.

The familiar USB Type A connector has one big hassle: it goes in only one way -- and it seems, we always insert it the wrong way, the first time!

The new Type C USB connector overcomes this pain point: it is reversible, ie, you can insert it into a USB socket, any way you like. You will increasingly find, that newer devices like notebooks, tablets, printers, music players or speakers come with the new Type C port. In fact its smaller sized has allowed phone makers

to replace the micro version of the USB Type A connector even on phones, with the Type C. And this immediately poses a problem.

Almost all the things we connect into our smart phones -- battery chargers, memory sticks, external speakers -currently sport a micro USB A connection.

For some time to come, we need to carry an extra adaptor cable that lets you use your Type C phone or device with a Type A accessory.

This has one downside: You may overcome the physical problem, but you will lose out on the higher speed and considerable versatility of your Type C device. Just think: The single Type C port in your new phone or tablet is a sort of agni astra: Industry is all set to ditch the 3.5 mm audio jack and let the USB port on your phone do double duty: charging

3 terabytes on the hoof!

Still thinking of 1 terabyte as big storage? Think again. The rate at which most of us accumulate photos and videos, has made 2 or 3 TB the minimum ‘must-have’ for our storage and archiving needs.

Western Digital has just launched a pair of new USB 3.0 portable drives in India.

The HGST Touro Mobile external hard drives with up to 3 TB portable storage, come in a slim palm-sized form and offer free cloud storage as well as the capacity of the physical drive.

Two levels of data protection protect your precious photos, movies, music and documents and they can be accessed anytime, anywhere, from any smartphone or computer, if you use the cloud storage. You can even share your online content with others by simply sending a web link. The drives are ready to go with Windows and easily reformatted for Mac. The 3 TB drive costs Rs. 14,200, while the 2 TB can be had for Rs.9,200.

IndiaTechOnline

devices and providing an audio path.

The Chinese company LeEco, recently launched a couple of phones -- Le 2 and LeMax 2 -- where they have done away with the audio jack completely: the Type C audio jack does the job and if required also charges the phone. The phones are coming to India starting June 28 -- and we will bring you our detailed review in this space very soon. We can however provide a sneak preview of an unexpected bonus that comes when a Type C USB is used to make an audio connection: Since any USB connection carries 5 volts DC, headphone makers have been able to throw away the heavy batteries they used to put in to drive the noise cancelling circuits -- and simply use the current that is available to all takers on the USB connection.

The Type C also handles more power up to 20 volts and 5 amperes ( or 100 watts).

This means it can be used to charge almost all devices -- even a laptop typically needs only 60 watts.

Such are some of the benefits of the industry’s lurch to a new USB standard.

To tide over the transition, makers of USB flash drives have just launched some dual drive models-- with a Type C connector at one end and a Type A at the other.

I have been trying out Kingston’s new DataTraveler microDuo 3C USB drive and using it to add some external storage to either a Type C or a Type A USB device, at will. The drive comes in 3 sizes -- 16, 32 and 64 GB and costs Rs 800, Rs 1200 and Rs 2000 respectively and is covered by a 3-year warranty. Grab one -- to smooth over your USB crossover pains.

Other makers have come out with similar dual drive products: Sony has launched its own USB Type-C & Type-A Dual Connection Flash Drive in the same three sizes -- USM 16CA1, USM 32CA1 and USM 64CA1 costing Rs 1999, Rs 4099 and Rs 7999 respectively. SanDisk’s Dual USB Drive Type C is currently available with 32 GB for Rs 3099.

For iPhone and iPad owners SanDisk has also brought its mobile storage device iXpand Flash Drive, to India. It comes with a USB 3.0 connector and is available in 16GB, 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB capacities, at Rs.3990, Rs.4990, Rs.6990 and Rs.9990, respectively.

A simple USB Type C-to-Type A convertor with no onboard storage can be bought online for a couple of hundred rupees. Armed with such a cable, plus a double ended Flash drive like the ones described, you can have a relatively hassle free time, as you say: ‘Goodbye Type A, hello Type C’, in the Brave New World of the USB connector.

IndiaTechOnline

Swipe right - for this 4G phone!

From Pune based Swipe Technologies, comes a feature-rich, pocket friendly phone

BY V. SUDHAKSHINA Buying a smart phone with a tight budget does not mean that you need to compromise on the specs: smart phone manufacturers are coming up with feature-rich devices, which won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

Pune-based Swipe Technologies has been making waves upcountry and in the south, for a year now, with its pocket-friendly products that still manage to offer a compelling combo of features. Earlier this week the company launched its latest phone ---Swipe Elite Plus -- at an event in Bangalore and we got to put it through its paces.

Design-wise, the Elite Plus comes with a sleek and light plastic body with a metal rim around. Weighing 131 grams, the phone feels quite light and fits snugly in your hands. With a 5-inch screen size, this phone’s build is ideal for those who don’t want a huge and bulky device and instead, are looking for a snug fit in their pockets. The device is

built with DragonTrail glass for scratch resistance. The full HD, 1920x1080 IPS display makes for bright and sharp viewing.

We were impressed with the Elite Plus’s 13 megapixels rear camera with f/2.0 aperture and auto focus. The picture quality is crisp and clear for both indoors and outdoors. Even the 8 megapixels front camera gave us some good shots. If you are an amateur photographer, who likes c l i c k i n g random pictures, then this one’s for you.

Powered by the Snapdragon octacore processor with 2 GB RAM, the phone does not lack on the performance side. Like its predecessors, the Elite

Plus runs on Swipe’s ‘Freedom OS’, a custom user interface overlay, which is based on Android Lollipop. The UI feels smooth and intuitive. But there isn’t any notable upgrade to the software, apart from a few customizations and gesture controls, and even the Andriod version is slightly older.

The dual- SIM phone offers a good battery life with 3050 mAh battery. It comes with 16 GB of internal storage, expandable up to 64 GB. The Swipe Elite Plus is now available on Flipkart for Rs. 6,999.

Packed with some decent goodies the Swipe Elite Plus can be a good deal within that price range. And it’s made in India too -- if you feel patriotic!

IndiaTechOnline

UC News: Made for India

Mobile browser UCWeb launches a news app with customised content The China-based UCWeb, a part of the Alibaba Group, claims 80 million active users in India, making it arguably the most popular browser on mobile devices.

To further strengthen its connections in this country, it has just launched a UC News app exclusively for its Indian consumers. The app aggregates content based on topics trending on Facebook and Twitter. It also offers customized content subscription. For example during cricket matches, one can set the feeds to cricket news and remove them once the series is over. The app covers and curates content in 20 different categories -- general news, cricket, technology, entertainment, movies, lifestyle, health, humour, etc. Currently available in English and Hindi, the company also has plans to launch in other regional languages. UCWeb is also partnering with other content providers like bloggers and opinion leaders. The UC News app is now available on GooglePlay and 9Apps.

Pune-Mumbai self-drive and drop off

Great for Punekars catching an international flight from Mumbai Car sharing and self-driven solution provider Myles has launched a ‘One Way Drop’ scheme between Pune and Mumbai where customers can pick a vehicle, drive from one city and drop it at the other. The one way service with Swift cars can be booked for a minimum of 6 hours, with an option of extending the hours of booking. The cars can be picked and dropped from Mumbai International Airport and Pune Airport and Railways station. With a security deposit of Rs 5000, the hourly charges with fuel, during weekdays is Rs 260 and Rs 360 during weekends. The package offers home delivery service within 10 Kms range. With home pick-up and drop-off services rated at Rs 450 each, customers can avail both side services at the rate of Rs 900 All Myles cars are centrally tracked through GPS technologies and enable the consumers to find a car within walking distance of their location through a the Miles Selfdrive app for Android or iOS or calling 08882222222.

Pune techies embrace online learning Professionals increasingly turn to e-learning for up-skilling themselves to shine in the workplace

As a concept, e-learning has been around for a few years now. The idea of learning over the internet as opposed to sitting in a classroom and attending lectures, has taken some time to gain popularity. Until recently, the majority of learners (both professional learners and beginners) never believed that they would get the same – at least similar – experience learning over the internet, as they would sitting in a classroom.

The credit for this change of mindset should be given to Indian e-learning startups that have revolutionized the learning experience using best-in-class tools, infrastructure and course content. One of the first companies to realize the potential of professional e-learning in India was Edureka, a five year- old bootstrapped startup that

boasts of a learner-base in excess of 2.50,000.

Says Lovleen Bhatia, Founder and CEO of Edureka: “When we began operations in 2011, we realized that professional colleges in our country did a fabulous job of imparting theoretical knowledge to students,

but as MNCs, startups and India-bred tech companies began to come to India, the ecosystem demanded practical applicability of these theories in day-to-day scenarios. That is where we stepped in.”

He adds: “We empanelled industry practitioners as our instructors. These were men and women who had hands-on experience on the topics they teach. They are the best sources to learn about challenges from ground zero, day-to-day problems and expectations from the industry they serve.

From there, it was only a matter of time before word spread and our courses became popular.”

Today, Edureka has 100-plus courses in areas ranging from big data, analytics, to mobile development, programming languages, among others. Each of these courses is live and interactive, and learners can get their queries addressed in real-time with guaranteed support all through their lives.

Over the last year or so, Punekars have been extremely active in embracing online courses in order to become industry-ready and future-proof. Edureka claims that, in the last

6 months, its customer base from Pune has grown by a whopping 67%, with 57% of new learners coming from the Pimpri-Chinchwad region.

According to a survey by TeamLease, a leading recruitment firm, Pune has witnessed increased demand for e-commerce jobs, BPO and IT-enabled Services (ITeS). In fact, the IT industry as a whole was only one of four industries whose growth story began in 2014, and shows no signs of slowing down.

Says Prateek Lad, a data analyst with an MNC in Pune: “In the industry I work in, new analysts are born every single day, and unless I’m one step ahead, the newbies will come and take my job. At the same time, I have a 9-hour-a day-job to keep, making it almost impossible to attend classes. e-learning is the only way out. I can choose my time, select my batches and spend a couple of hours every day for a few weeks, on weekends, or after work.”

Seems like Pune is all set to start yet another technology revolution, this time with a little bit of help from online learning IndiaTechOnline

Photo swaps made easy

Shoto, allows you to get the photos and videos you didn’t take.

The photo discovery app, Shoto, has launched a new technology called ‘Album Swap’ that matches and swaps your friends’ photos and videos with your own. You have something they don’t. They have some pix you don’t -- so swap and complete both collections! The app organizes photos into meaningful albums and then finds out who has photos or videos from those shared moments. With a single tap users can swap relevant content without creating duplicates. This is the first app that tells users which friends have relevant photos and videos even if they don’t currently use the Shoto app. This it does by some clever artificial intelligence data sources derived Facebook, your phone book, face detection and other photo metadata. The app then highlights relevant images from shared moments to enhance your album. Say goodbye to manually and tediously sharing photos and eliminating duplicates. Shoto is here -- and available in the App Store and Google Play. Or just go to www.shoto. com

IndiaTechOnline

ENVIRONMENT “There are many cities where the forest department has land but there are no forests on it or they are degra ded. In these places, through the people’s participation, we will establish urban forests.”

— Prakash Javadekar, Environment Minister

by drugmakers and their customers, so they weren’t available to the researchers.

Also, the countries have varying government and private health insurance programs, so how much of the medicines’ costs patients actually bear is unknown.

Lead researcher Dr Daniel A Goldstein, of Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel, presented the findings at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago.

“The retail prices are lower in places like India than in the US (but) they’re still less affordable than in the US,” Goldstein said in an interview.

He and colleagues analysed eight drugs covered by patent and 15 generic ones for which retail prices were available in all seven countries, according to the standard monthly dose.

AP

Pilot study examined list prices, also called retail prices, and affordability in Australia, China, India, Israel, the United Kingdom, the United States and South Africa

BY LALIT K JHA

‘India’s nuclear disaster emergency plans outdated’ Greenpeace India said that India’s nuclear accident plans are not in line with international standards

India’s nuclear disaster emergency plans are “not in line with international standard” and some interventions set

by Indian nuclear regulator in case of an emergency provide “inadequate” protection against possible radiation, Greenpeace India claimed.

“Some of the disaster intervention levels set by the Indian nuclear regulator allow inadequate protection against possible exposure, both internal (from consumption of irradiated foodstuffs or radioactive particle-laden air) and external (by simply being physically present in an area with high radiation levels) in case of a nuclear emergency,” it alleged.

The NGO, which released a report ‘Red Alert India’s nuclear disaster plans outdated and inadequate’, highlighted key issues like “lack” of emergency preparedness, “ancient” manual for emergency guidelines, “unacceptable” standards of food contamination among the reasons for India’s plans being “outdated” in case of an emergency.

Referring to the recent “accident” at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in Gujarat, Greenpeace India said it proved that India’s nuclear accident plans are “not in line” with international standards.

The report highlighted that

Obama backs India’s NSG membership

population density around nuclear power plants in India poses a “significant” evacuation challenge in the event of an emergency. “The current evacuation plans only provide support within a radius of 16 km in case of an offsite nuclear accident. For Fukushima, Japan had to set an evacuation zone of 30 km.

“Our report examines such differences and provides recommendations for the authorities to act upon,” said David Boilley, Director ACRO Labs and lead author of the report.

The NGO further said the manual on emergency preparedness at Kalpakkam, despite being revised in April 2011, still includes a regulatory guideline with intervention levels based on Publication 40 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection

Cool green tech to light up Phalodi

PAGES: 16+16 (TGS LIFE) | PRICE: `5

PUNE, MARCH 28, 2015 | www.thegoldensparrow.com

TGS LIFE

Run for... yourself

PAGES: 16+16 (TGS LIFE) | PRICE: `5

PUNE, MARCH 14, 2015 | www.thegoldensparrow.com

Dr Vijaypat Singhania’s grandchildren from his estranged son Madhupati have moved Bombay High Court seeking their share in ancestral property. They have filed a suit against their grandfather, father, mother and Raymond Limited. Detailed story on p7 TGS LIFE

When hunger strikes past midnight

NATION

CITY

Bakery worker’s daughter gets her wings P 12

Why are traffic cops taking selfies these days?

P3

AUTO,

HAIL A

CAB

or long distances (depending on their mood), overcharge or ask for obnoxious fares, often refuse to ply by meter – the list is endless.

TGS Team members decided to give the ‘victimised’ autorickshaw drivers a chance.

Five members of the team tried hiring rickshaws for distances ranging between 1.5 and 20 kms. All the members came back irked and disgruntled. The autorickshaw community let us down badly, as they do with citizens across the twin cities.

Then we tried our luck with private cab operators, who were more than were willing to oblige and take us wherever we wanted to go, for a price of course.

In some cases, the cab fare worked out cheaper than what the auto drivers were asking us to cough up.

Intentions of Dr Singhania were ‘malafide and illegal’ with a motive to grab the share of Madhupati and Anuradha as well as grandchildren and to achieve the same he directed that his son and daughter-inlaw move to another country ‘instead of Collectively Pune Municipal continuing to stay in India with the family.

Spotlight Pg 8 and 9

CHIKHALI

ALANDI

AKURDI

CHINCHWAD BHOSARI

4 THERGAON HINJEWADI VILLAGE

KALEWADI FATA

WAKAD

DIGHI

NASHIK PHATA

5

LOHEGAON

DAPODI 50

PIMPLE GURAV

WAGHOLI

3 4 BANER

VISHRANT VIMAN WADI NAGAR YERWADA

AUNDH

2

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AH47

WADGAON SHERI

MUNDHWA

SHIVAJI NAGAR

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9

BAVDHAN

CAMP

HADAPSAR

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SWARGATE PARVATI

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NANDED AMBEGAON BUDRUK

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4

Had it not been for a Pune-based activist everybody had forgotten about a film on Lokmanya Tilak commissioned in 2001 by Central Government at the cost of `2.5 crores. Three years after Vishnu Kamalapurkar raised questions about the film, the project is nowhere in sight RAHUL RAUT

said director of the school, who

the FIR and kept in touch with “We are feeling fitheled investigating officer and public prosecutor The director is let down by the PUNE, MARCH 14, 2015throughout. | www.thegoldensparrow.com yet to get a copy of the order. prosecution The case dates back to February when some of the students and the system. 2013 studying in class five walked up to their class teacher and alleged that It is upsetting their creative writing sir had touched because we do them inappropriately. The class teacher turn informed the principal and not how to face inmanagement.

School authorities spoke to several other students and the parents and found that 22 girls in all had levelled similar allegations. Director of the students who school approached Chaturshrungi came forward police station and lodged an FIR under the Protection of Children from to give their Sexual Offences Act (POCSOA).

The investigation was carried out by statements.”

DIRECTOR OF THE SCHOOL

6 KIWALENIGDI

RAVET

Sab golmal hai...

The creative writing teacher from a reputed school in Baner was booked and arrested in February 2013. A special court acquitted him on the grounds that police bungled up in collecting evidence

RITU GOYAL HARISH

DEHU

Corporation, PimpriChinchwad Municipal Corporation and Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited have spent `1,816 crores on constructing dedicated corridors and flyovers along major routes, erecting bus shelters, and buying buses.

Despite this not a single route is operational or has succeeded in years. Citizens residing in twin cities continue to cry foul over pathetic public transport system. And from the looks of it nothing is going to change in near future.

See Spotlight on p8&9

~ Suit filed by the siblings

Precious man hours are lost every day at Hinjewadi just because planners forgot to make more entry and exit points. Over a decade after Hinjewadi was planned to house country’s best IT firms and talent, planners have finally woken up to the plight of citizens.

They have now planned five alternative roads. But the authorities are in no hurry to complete them. See spotlight on p8 & 9

The case created ripples across the city. A teacher was accused of sexually abusing 22 students all from fi fth standard of a reputed school in Baner.

In February 2013, Chaturshrungi police registered a case of sexual abuse against the creative writing teacher and arrested him immediately. Two years after the cops went all out to claim that they had a watertight case, the teacher has been acquitted by a Special Court. The court ruled that the prosecution made out a weak case. The management of the school and parents of students are not only disappointed but also irked with the outcome.

“We are feeling let down by the prosecution and the system. It is upsetting because we do not how to face the parents and students who came forward to give their statements.

We believe we were on the right,”

Parents teach them more than exams do P 10

`1,816 crores spent on BRTS,

~ Suit filed by the siblings

What a mess!

Teacher booked for sexually abusing 22 students acquitted

Truly, a tree lady P4

And yet no respite for commuters

DR VIJAYPAT SINGHANIA

Madhupati Singhania (57) and his wife Anuradha (54) with their children Ananya (29), Rasaalika (26), Tarini (20) and Raivathari (18)

Rickshaw unions across the city want us to believe that private cab service providers or radio cab operators, as they are popularly known as, are villains.

Around 12,000 radio cabs have made their lives miserable for 50,000-odd autorickshaw drivers in twin cities of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. The auto drivers want us to believe that corporate houses with deep pockets behind the cab services are eating into their share. Essentially poor rickshaw drivers are getting poorer because of stiff competition from private cab operators.

All that the auto drivers are saying is true. But what they are not telling us or willing to concede is that their enemy lies within. Their enemy number one is not private cabs but members of their own ilk – many of whom are rude, refuse to ply short

COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS

CITY

TGS LIFE

Hum Saath Saath Hain

PICS ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

DITCH THE

GAUTAM SINGHANIA

While Gautam Singhania ‘in a span of 14 years as CMD of Raymond Limited has built a personal net worth of `1.4 billion, Madhupati belonging to the same family was struggling to settle down in a new country, educate his children and make a new life.’ Gautam and his family led a luxurious life ‘with fancy cars, private jets, yachts and expensive holidays.’

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

A new approach to supply electricity is being perfected in Jodhpur

Get your voice heard on NetaG P6

GRANDCHILDREN SUE THE COMPLETE MAN

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

driver for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise of providing electricity to every household by 2022.

The novel Indian technology also helps cut down greenhouse emissions and is very environment friendly and hence under Energy Minister Piyush Goyal’s leadership the Ministry of Power is pushing hard to field test the technological fix being offered by IIT, Madras.

There are many hamlets in Phalodi that are still not connected to the grid and for whom light after sun down still means a smoky kerosene lamp.

This is the setting where IIT Madras has intervened with what they call an “inverter-less power supply”.

The system is fairly straight forward but with key twist in the tail. Houses that have no electric supply are provided with a simple one square meter solar panel. The electricity generated by the panel is stored in four regular lead acid batteries and the electrical appliances instead of running on AC power run on DC power.

In most solar power solutions or in battery backed up systems ‘inverters’ have to be deployed that convert DC power to AC power so that regular electrical appliances can be run.

In Phalodi, this off grid power solution is totally run on DC power.

This makes the whole system between 25-30 per cent more efficient and brings down power consumption by almost 50 per cent. It costs about Rs 25,000 to install the entire ‘inverter-less system’, says an ex-IIT Madras engineer and project manager for the Phalodi project Surbhi Maheshwari.

PTI

NATION

CITY

No damaged goods please P3

PAGES: 16+16 (TGS LIFE) | PRICE: `5

PUNE, MARCH 21, 2015 | www.thegoldensparrow.com

Shaitanram, a farmer from Likhmasar village on the edge of the Thar Desert, has for the first time this year tasted the benefits of having electricity in his home and says “his five-member household has literally seen a new dawn”.

He is one of the early beneficiaries of a new disruptive technology being spearheaded by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras which promises to brighten the lives of the 300 million Indians who have no access to assured electric supply even today.

Shaitanram’s 58 household hamlet is part of larger Phalodi, a small town in Rajasthan that recently hit headlines as it sizzled at 51 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature ever recorded in India.

In the heat and dust unknown to many, a quiet revolution in electrification has also been unfolding at Phalodi. A bunch of energetic engineers from IIT, Madras has been lighting up homes there using DC or Direct Current.

The omnipresent electrification standard in India is by using AC or Alternating Current. A revolutionary new approach to supply electricity is being perfected amid the sand dunes of Jodhpur district.

Professor Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director of IIT, Madras calls it potentially a game changer technology.

“It is not a new invention but the world had abandoned using DC power to electrify homes,” he says. The outof-the box thinkers from IIT Madras are reviving DC power as a potential solution to India’s electricity woes.

A disruptive solution that holds a lot of promise and could be the key

(ICRP) adopted in 1984 which was well before the Chernobyl disaster.

There have been updates to these international guidelines in 1992, and then again in 2007 but the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has not updated its guidelines for 26 years, it said.

Greenpeace India claimed India’s acceptable limit of contaminated food are “set dangerously higher” than international limits. In case of an accident, counter measures are initiated only if contamination is in the range between 8,000 Bq/kg in meat to 90,000 Bq/kg in fruits and vegetables.

In comparison, any organic matter with more than 8,000 Bq/kg of cesium is considered as radioactive waste in Japan.

PTI

THANK GOD IT’S S AT U R D AY

The IIT Madras promises to brighten the lives of the 300 million Indians who have no access to electric supply

BY PALLAVA BAGLA

US President Barack Obama supported India’s candidature for membership of the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as he discussed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ways to take the bilateral ties to new heights.

Addressing the media jointly with Modi after over hour-long talks at the White House, Obama said it was natural for India and the US, two biggest democracies, to “deepen and broaden” partnership.

Modi said the two leaders discussed a wide range of issues, particularly ways to take the bilateral economic ties to new heights.

The other issues discussed by them included terrorism, clean energy, climate change, regional security and cyber security.

During his remarks to the media, Obama said they discussed progress made in the Civil Nuclear agreement.

“I indicated support to India being a part of NSG,” the US President said amidst opposition

by China to such a move.

PTI

Report highlights that population density around nuclear power plants in India poses a “significant” evacuation challenge in the event of an emergency

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

India is a leading producer and exporter of vaccines but two-thirds of Indian children do not receive vaccinations on time which makes them susceptible to diseases and contributes to untimely deaths, according to American researchers.

A research conducted by the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health found that only 18 per cent of children are vaccinated with the recommended three doses of DPT vaccine, while about a third receive the measles vaccination by 10 months under the government-supported immunisation program.

“This is a systemic problem,” said the study’s lead author, Nijika Shrivastwa, who recently finished her doctorate in epidemiology at University of Michigan (U-M) and is now at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

“Immunising a child six months after the recommended time period can have dramatic implications for a child’s vulnerability to diseases,” Nijika said.

Although India is a leading producer and exporter of vaccines, the country has the greatest number of deaths among children under 5, the majority are from vaccine-preventable diseases. “Every year, 26 million children are born in India - the greatest number by far of any country in the world,” said Matthew Boulton, senior associate dean for global public health at the U-M School of Public Health.

“Adding vast numbers of new children who need vaccination, while the older ones remain under or unvaccinated because of immunization delays, is like walking too slowly on a moving treadmill you continuously fall further back,” he said.

According to University of Michigan, the researchers found that only 12 per cent of children are vaccinated with the measles vaccine by the required age of 9 months, although 75 per cent are vaccinated by age 5.

This delay in vaccination can contribute to frequent outbreaks of measles in India. “Approximately, 95 per cent vaccination is required in a population to successfully stop measles outbreaks.

PTI

PUNE

“Environmental crime is growing at an alarming pace. The complexity of this type of criminality requires a multi-sector response underpinned by collaboration across borders.”

— Jurgen Stock, Interpol Secretary General

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

‘Indian kids are not vaccinated on time’

JUNE 11, 2016

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

Cancer drugs predictably cost much more in the US than in poor countries and even other wealthy nations, but a study shows they are less affordable in some developing countries despite the lower price.

Relative to their ability to pay, cancer patients in China and India pay much higher prices than wealthier US patients, according to the research released. Australia had the most affordable prices, for both cancer medicines under patent and lessexpensive generics.

The pilot study examined list prices, also called retail prices, and affordability in Australia, China, India, Israel, the United Kingdom, the United States and South Africa.

But what is actually paid in most countries is usually much lower because of discounts and rebates manufacturers give insurers and health programmes.

Those net prices are usually kept secret

H EALTH

Supriya Bhoite from Chaturshrungi police station.

Contd on p4

PUNE, MARCH 28, 2015 | www.thegoldensparrow.com

advance, and second instalment was to be released after completion of certain formalities. The very next year second instalment was also disbursed.

Cut to October 2012 – Kamalapurkar fi led an RTI with chief public information officer (CPIO) of Ministry of Culture seeking information about the fi lm on Tilak.

The CPIO was clueless about the project and sought information from his colleagues in other department in the same ministry. But none of them knew about the existence of fi lm. In January 2013, the Culture Ministry forwarded his application to Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) as well hoping that they would have commissioned the fi lm. I&B in turn contacted National Vishnu Kamalapurkar, Pune-based activist, sought details of the project in 2012 from Films Development Corporation the Central Government only to be told that they had no records left asking if Dhumale had registered a fi lm in the name of Lokmanya Bal

BY ASHOK BHAT Gangadhar Tilak with them. The @ashok_bhat answer was negative.

RP Bahuguna, under secretary and The fi lm was jinxed from the start. It also CPIO of special cell in Ministry was commissioned to celebrate 50th of Culture wrote to Kamalapurkar in Anniversary of Indian Republic.

July 2013 admitting that the issue of While 2000 was the celebratory year, funds being sanctioned for such a fi lm the project was assigned to fi lm-maker by the government came to light only PUNE, MARCH 21, 2015 | www.thegoldensparrow.com Vinay Dhumale only by the end of after receiving his RTI. 2001. Money was doled out and it was Contd on p4 expected to get over in a year’s time.

Fourteen years later, there is no sign FILM FACTS of the fi lm. Vishnu Kamalapurkar, Pune-based activist, sought details of đƫ ĆĀ0$ƫ **%2!./ .5ƫ+"ƫ * % *ƫ the project in 2012 from the Central !,1 (% čƫ *1 .5ƫĂĀĀĀ Government only to be told that they finally been traced by the government đƫ ƫüƫ()ƫ+*ƫ".!! +)ƫüƫ#$0!.ƫ had no records left, the concerned with the help of police and claims

+') *5 ƫ %( 'ƫ3 /ƫ ministry had been wound up, and that the fi lm will be released in “next +))%//%+*! ƫ 5ƫ +20ƫ+"ƫ * % ƫ that fi lm-maker could not be traced. two to four months”. He still hasn’t %*ƫ ! !) !.ƫĂĀĀā Essentially, the government acceded answered several questions raised by đƫ $!ƫ,.+&! 0ƫ3 /ƫ +))%//%+*! ƫ 0+ƫ*+0! ƫüƫ()ġ) '!.ƫ %* 5ƫ that it had been duped of `2.5 crores, the government about the script and $1) (!ċƫ`ĂċĆƫ .+.!/ƫ3!.!ƫ the sum that was transferred to the the star cast. / * 0%+*! ƫ 5ƫ0$!ƫ + ƫ"+.ƫ0$!ƫ fi lm-maker.

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ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

Cancer drugs costlier in India and China: Study

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY

Ministry of Culture wrote to Kamalapurkar admitting that the issue came to light only after receiving his RTI

When

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Hum

Saath Saath Hain

past midnight

A family that prays together stays together. Pune’s joint families on why they agree to disagree

TGS takes a night trail around the city to look for places that will silence a grumbling tummy in the dark of night

The Kamdars

Run for…

yourself

Puneites are running to fight depression, lethargy, even physical disadvantage. Marathoners are taking over the street and making the city fitter than it has ever been

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‘‘India has a large higher education network comprising 757 universities and over 38,000 colleges.

However, issues relating to quality and excellence are one of the biggest challenges. Today, in the absence of good quality educational institutions, around two lakh students go overseas to study.’’

— Pranab Mukherjee, President

Monsoon advances in south; heat wave in Rajasthan IMD says conditions are favourable for further advancement of monsoon to parts of coastal, south regions

NEW DELHI: The southwest monsoon that hit Kerala on June 9 advanced into remaining parts of the state, and other southern states even as heatwave conditions prevailed in many places in Rajasthan with Churu being the hottest place at 46.5 degrees Celsius.

An IMD bulletin said conditions are favourable for further advancement of monsoon to remaining parts of coastal and south interior Karnataka, some parts of south Konkan and Goa, north interior Karnataka, some more parts of Rayalaseema, and coastal Andhra Pradesh during next two days.

In the national capital, it was hot day even as it turned overcast afternoon onwards bringing little relief to Delhiites with the maximum temperature settling at 41.1 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season’s average.

MeT office predicted overcast conditions with possibility of rain, thunderstorm and duststorm in Delhi.

In Himachal Pradesh, two tourists were killed and another injured when a tree, uprooted by a severe storm, fell on the tent they were sleeping in at nature park managed by the state government.

In Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district three persons, including a woman, died in lightning strike last night.

The victims, all in their twenties, were returning home from market when rain accompanied by thunder hit the area and all of them took shelter under a thatched roof.

One of the victims switched on the torch of his mobile phone when the lightning struck killing them

Odisha prepared for possible floods: SRC

With the IMD predicting above normal rainfall in the state during the upcoming monsoon season, the Odisha government began preparations of possible floods.

“As the IMD has predicted about 113 per cent rainfall during this monsoon, we expect floods in Odisha. Therefore, we have already started preparation to face the impending eventuality,” Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P K Mohapatra told reporters after the Chief Secretary reviewed preparedness ahead of the monsoon.

Earlier, the IMD had predicted arrival of monsoon in Odisha during the second week of June, Mohapatra said, adding ten more units of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) would be added to the existing ten units. He said a mock drill to verify the preparedness for the floods would be organised in all 30 districts on June 19.

on the spot, the state police said.

Churu in Rajasthan was the hottest place at 46.5 degrees Celsius followed by Sriganganagar at 46.2 degrees.

Heatwave conditions prevailed in many parts of Rajasthan where Kota, Jaipur, Pilani, Bikaner and Ajmer recorded maximum temperatures of 45.4, 44.3, 43.6, 43.3 and 42.7 respectively.

In Uttar Pradesh Jhansi was the hottest place at 45.5 degrees Celsius.

The UP Met office said Dhaurahra received 6 cms rainfall followed by Faizabad, Chandreepghat, Kakardharighat, Kaiserganj - 4 cms each, while

Sidhauli, Basti, Sitapur, Shardanagar, Elgin bridge, Nighasan and, Pallia Kalan - received 3 cm of each.

In West Bengal Coochbehar in Sub-Himalayan region recorded the day’s highest rainfall in the state at 68 mm.

In Odisha, rains in several parts kept temperatures below 40-mark across the state, except Hirakud which recorded 40 degrees Celsius. Gopalpur received a rainfall of 52 mm followed by Sundargarh (44 mm) and Anugul (21mm).

The regional IMD has predicted arrival of monsoon this week and the state government is taking preparatory measures as 113 per cent rain is expected in the season.

PTI

‘More women taking up odd jobs’

MUMBAI: More and more women in metro cities are applying for unconventional jobs like cab driver, security guard and delivery executives, thanks to attractive pay and demand and supply gap, says a report.

“We see a rise in preference, by both end customers as well as job seekers, for women in unconventional jobs or those sectors which were traditionally considered male dominated areas, especially in big cities,” Babajob Co-founder and COO Vir Kashyap told PTI here.

The rising trend of Indian women opting for unconventional careers in the informal and semiskilled sectors is also due to demand and supply mis-match and higher salary, he added.

According to the data compiled from actual applications on Babajob. com platform in 2015-16, there has been seven times more demand from employers for female cab drivers and 153 per cent increase in applications for the women driver jobs.

“This trend is a fairly recent

phenomenon and the increase of women applying for unconventional jobs is higher in Mumbai, compared to other metro cities,” Kashyap said.

Babajob is India’s livelihood marketplace, facilitating blue collar jobs in the country and at present, it has over six million registered job seekers and over 3,25,000 employers.

The data also revealed that there has been five times increase in job opportunities for women delivery executives and 114 per cent rise in applications by women.

Women are offered more money in categories such as sales and data entry, it said.

With an average salary of Rs 10,981.44 per month, jobs of delivery executives saw an increase of 2.57 per cent for women over men, it added.

Similarly, sales executive segment, that offers an average salary of Rs 12,809.03 per month, has witnessed 6.55 per cent increase in pay for women candidates, the survey pointed out.

In data entry, women are getting offers of 3.24 per cent more pay than the average salary of Rs 8,878.28 per month.

The report also revealed that the security guard category has seen 25 per cent increase in job opportunities, while 125 per cent rise in job application by women candidates.

PTI

Vol-II* lssue No.: 52 Editor: Yogesh Sadhwani (Responsible for the selection of news under the PRB Act, 1867) Printed and Published by: Shrikant Honnavarkar on behalf of Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt. Ltd. CIN:U22200PN2014PTC151382 and printed at PRI – Media Services Private Limited CIN: U22222MH2012PTC232006 at Plot No. EL-201, TTC Industrial Area, MIDC, Mahape, Navi Mumbai.

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Prudent settlement of bad loans, empowering PSBs P 14

India included in terror prone nations

India, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Nigeria accounted for majority of the terror strikes in 2015

BY LALIT K JHA

WASHINGTON: Five countries including India, Pakistan and Afghanistan accounted for more than half of the terror attacks that took place across the globe in 2015, a US official has said.

“More than 55 per cent of all attacks took place in five countries, India, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Nigeria,” Acting US Coordinator for Counterterrorism Justin Siberell told reporters in a news conference.

“And 74 per cent of all deaths due to terrorist attacks took place in five countries, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Syria,” he said, adding the figures are based on the data compiled by the University of Maryland.

Although terror attacks took place in 92 countries in 2015, they were heavily concentrated geographically, as they have been for the past several years, Siberell said.

The total number of terrorist attacks in 2015 decreased by 13 per cent as compared to 2014, he said while releasing the annual Country Reports on Terrorism.

“Total fatalities due to terrorist attacks decreased by 14 per cent, principally as a result of fewer attacks and deaths in Iraq, Pakistan, and Nigeria. This represents the first decline in total terrorist attacks and resulting fatalities worldwide since 2012,” the

official said.

“At the same time, there were several countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey, where terrorist attacks and total deaths increased in 2015,” he added.

The United States and its partners around the world face a significant challenge as they seek to contend with the return of foreign terror fighting forces from Iraq and Syria, the risk of terrorist groups exploiting migratory movements, and new technology and communications platforms that enable terrorist groups to more easily recruit adherents and inspire attacks.

“ISIL (ISIS) remains the greatest terrorism threat globally. Despite the losses it sustained last year. ISIL continued to occupy large areas of Iraq and Syria,” Siberell said.

Responding to a question, Siberell said the number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan decreased in 2015 as compared to 2014, which was a particularly violent year in Pakistan.

PTI

ALL IN A ROW...

A flock of greater Adjutant storks takes rest on a boundary wall near a garbage dump at Boragaon in Guwahati

Bourne & Shepherd’s picturesque India Samuel Bourne and Charles Shepherd visually reintroduced the country to the western world

BY KUNAL DUTT NEW DELHI: Over 40 iconic images of India taken nearly 150 years ago by celebrated British photography pioneers, who gracefully combined artistic composition with commercial enterprise in the analogue era, are part of an exhibition here that seeks to reintroduce the legendary duo to a contemporary audience.

From the picturesque Taj Mahal in the north to pristine Ooty in the south, and from detailed architectural studies to vivid portraits of people, Samuel Bourne and Charles Shepherd not only skillfully captured the vintage 19th century India, they visually reintroduced the country to the western world.

Titled ‘Figures in Time: Bourne & Shepherd’, the display hosted by Bengaluru-based Tasveer Arts, is currently playing at Exhibit 320 art gallery in south Delhi after travelling through four cities — Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Delhi, in that order.

Out of 41 photographs on display

sourced from Bengaluru-based Museum of Art and Photography, 17 are original images while rest are “digitally blownup versions” that “magnify” the details of the smaller analogue pictures while “matching” its original tone.

“While the original photographs were very small, they contained a lot of details and information as they were shot on a large plate camera. This really lent them to being blown up. It took us six months to put it together, with two months spent on retouching the images.

“We made high-resolution scans and retouched the images to reveal all the hidden details, and printed the enlarged prints to match the tones of 19th century photographs,” a team member from Tasveer told PTI. So, while a viewer can enjoy the original prints of Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and a heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railway train doing its famous loop, a cathedral in Calcutta (now Kolkata) or Audrey House in Ooty, one can also visually feast on the digitally magnified and faithfully reproduced images of the ruins of the Lucknow Residency, Hooghly shipping yard, ghats of Varanasi, Safdarjung Tomb of Delhi and the opulent Taj Mahal.

Other digitally enhanced photographs include Cawnpore Memorial Well (now Kanpur), Kolkata’s Clive Street view and its Government

House, Secunderabad, Esplanade in Bombay (now Mumbai), aerial view of the city from atop Jama Masjid, Paigah Tomb, all taken during the period of 1860-1880.

“The juxtaposition of vintage photographs and modern reprints in this exhibition also reflects the development of photographic technology in the last 150 years. Our present-day ability to produce images with such rapid ease,

in many ways, serves to accentuate the difficult physical circumstances under (and despite) which these photographs were originally produced,” she said.

A former clerk in a Nottingham bank, Bourne arrived in India in 1863 and abandoned his position in favour of a photographic career in the country.

Initially partnering with William Howard, Bourne set up the Howard & Bourne studio in Shimla. They were joined by Charles Shepherd, and with the leaving of William Howard, the studio became Bourne & Shepherd.

In 1866, in alignment with a growing culture of studio-photography, the Bourne & Shepherd establishment set up a branch in Calcutta, where it soon became one of the most prestigious studios of its time.

“Part of the idea behind the exhibition was to reintroduce ‘Bourne and Shepherd’ to a contemporary audience. Photography is such a ubiquitous medium today, but few people actually stop to think who the pioneers of the medium were, or its significance in the history of visual culture of the country.

“Bourne and Shepherd’s significance is also to do with how they combined the artistic side of the medium, with commercial enterprise creating a photographic brand and legacy,” the Tasveer team member said.

PTI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY JUNE 11, 2016

‘I have missed playing table tennis’ P 16

‘‘India say they will talk if Pakistan make some progress on terrorism but we say that they (India) should talk on all issues including Kashmir. The whole world agrees that India and Pakistan should have composite dialogue.’

— Sartaj Aziz, the Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Pakistan

Chinese media names LeT in 26/11 attacks

Has North Korea reactivated N-plant?

Footage aired by state-run Shanghai Television contains confessions of Ajmal Kasab

(From left) US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, US Secretary of State John Kerry, China’s President Xi Jinping, China’s Vice Premier Liu Yandong and China’s Vice Premier Wang Yang pose for a photo in Beijing

BY KJM VARMA BEIJING: In a rare rebuke to its “all weather” ally Pakistan, China’s staterun channels have aired a documentary naming Lashkar-e-Taiyaba for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and even showed footage containing confessions of Ajmal Kasab, the lone Pakistani terrorist caught alive during the 26/11 carnage.

The footage was first aired by the state-run Shanghai Television weeks ahead of President Pranab Mukherjee’s

visit last month and was subsequently shown by another state-run Chinese television channel as well, officials here said. The documentary containing vivid details of planning and execution of the Mumbai attacks by LeT militants caught Indian officials here by surprise as Chinese state media shows extreme care and caution in airing negative news about the all weather ally Pakistan.

The state media largely refrained from allegations that militants of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement

Swiss to help India in hunt for black money GENEVA: Switzerland assured India of stepped up cooperation in its hunt for unearthing black money stashed

by Indians in Swiss banks as it agreed to send a top official to New Delhi to extensively deliberate on the issue.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his talks with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Amman, raised the issue of black money and tax evasion by Indians to which the latter offered to extend the level of cooperation.

Schneider-Amman said his government will send a state secretary for international financial matters to India on June 14 to explore enhancing cooperation on the issue.

The move is seen significant as brining back black money from foreign shores was a major electoral promise of Modi in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls in 2014.

“Combating the menace of black money and tax evasion is also our shared priority. We discussed the need for an early and expeditious exchange of information to bring to justice the tax offenders.

“An early start to negotiations on the Agreement on Automatic Exchange of Information would be important in this respect,” Modi, who arrived here this morning on a short trip, said at a joint media interaction with Schneider-Amman.

On his part, the Swiss President said India and Switzerland were making “considerable progress” in fighting tax fraud and evasion.

“The delegations also discussed financial policy matters.

Switzerland and India stressed their shared resolve to take action

against tax fraud and tax avoidance and underlined the high quality of their cooperation in this area,” the Swiss government said in a press statement.

Swiss banks, known for their banking secrecy practices, have come under global pressure as countries, including India, are stepping up efforts to crack down on the black money menace.

As part of its bilateral treaty for administrative assistance and exchange of information with Switzerland, India has sought details about numerous individuals and companies from the Alpine nation as part of its crackdown against those stashing black money in Swiss banks.

Indian tax authorities are probing a number of cases of tax evasion and black money stashed abroad. The probe had gained momentum after a leaked list of hundreds of Indian clients of HSBC’s Geneva branch found its way to the Indian tax authorities.

Last month, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said India had signed an agreement with Switzerland and received details of those people having accounts in HSBC. “We completed assessment of those people who had accounts in HSBC, Switzerland. We assessed Rs 6,000 crore black money which was in HSBC. We filed criminal cases against them,” he had said.

India is keen on an automatic exchange of information about individuals who fail to disclose their foreign assets to discourage stashing of ill-gotten wealth abroad.

PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Nestle’s CEO Paul Bulcke after a round table with Swiss Economic representatives in Geneva, Switzerland

PUNE

(ETIM) from Muslim-majority Xinjiang province had training bases in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

“We have to wait and see what is the significance of the documentary on LeT on Chinese state television,” an Indian diplomat, who has seen the programme, told PTI. It was a surprise as China has earlier blocked India’s bid to get a UN ban on LeT operational commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of the Mumbai attack.

China had put a technical hold when India sought a ban on him after he was released from prison.

In March, China had put a technical hold again on attempt to get UN ban on Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar, accused of masterminding the January Pathankot terrorist attack.

China’s attempts to block the UN listings against the two has cast a shadow on its relations with India and diplomatic efforts were on between the two sides to resolve the issue.

Officials say the airing of the footage against LeT’s involvement in Mumbai attacks comes at a time when technical holds put in by China in the UN sanctions committee on some of the LeT leaders was set to expire in a few days.

It is to be seen whether there will be a change of stand in China’s position in UN, officials said.

PTI

Poland, NATO launch biggest manoeuvres WARSAW: Poland and its NATO partners have kicked off their largestever joint military exercises aimed at shoring up security on the alliance’s eastern flank amid the West’s worst standoff with Russia since the end of the Cold War. The two-week long Anaconda manoeuvres are aimed at “checking the alliance’s ability to defend its eastern flank,” Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz said.

More than 31,000 soldiers from 24 NATO and former-Soviet “Partnership for Peace” states including Ukraine are taking part in the manoeuvres, held biannually across Poland since 2006.

Some 14,000 US troops will join 12,000 Polish soldiers and around 1,000 from Britain for the exercises involving some 3,000 vehicles, 105 planes and 12 naval vessels.

US Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley said the American presence “demonstrates that we are shoulder to shoulder with the Polish people”.

AFP

VIENNA: North Korea may have reactivated a plant for reprocessing plutonium for use in nuclear weapons, the UN atomic watchdog said, citing satellite imagery and echoing recent comments from a US think-tank.

“The indications that we have obtained... (are of) activities related to the five-megawatt reactor, expansion of enrichment facilities and activities related to (plutonium) reprocessing,” International Atomic Energy Agency head Yukiya Amano said.

“However, as we do not have inspectors on the ground we are only observing through satellite imagery.

We cannot say for sure. But we have indications of certain activities through the satellite imagery,” Amano told a regular news conference in Vienna.

He said that the indications spotted at the main Yongbyon complex included the “movement of vehicles, steam, discharge of warm waters or transport of material”. The type of plutonium suitable for a nuclear bomb typically needs to be extracted from spent nuclear reactor fuel. North Korea mothballed

the Yongbyon reactor in 2007 under an aid-for-disarmament accord, but began renovating it after its third nuclear test in 2013. It carried test out a fourth on January 6.

The director of US National Intelligence, James Clapper, warned in February that the North could begin recovering plutonium from the reactor’s spent fuel “within a matter of weeks to months”. Amano’s comments tally with those of the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University last week.

The think-tank said that recent satellite pictures showed two rail “flatcars” — loaded with tanks or casks — near the Yongbyon complex’s radiochemical laboratory.

Similar flatcars were seen during reprocessing campaigns in the early 2000s and the casks could be used to supply chemicals for reprocessing, the institute said. At the same time, exhaust plumes were seen coming from the lab’s thermal plant and coal pens adjoining the plant appeared filled to capacity, it said.

AFP

65,000 Lankans issued certificate of absence COLOMBO: In a landmark decision, Sri Lankan cabinet approved a draft legislation to enable issuing ‘certificates of absence’ for some 65,000 people, who went missing during the brutal three decade-long war with the LTTE, to settle long-pending issues of property for their kin.

“This measure will help tensof-thousands of Sri Lankans whose family-members and loved ones are missing and who are unable to address practical issues relating to their disappearance”, the foreign ministry said.

Sri Lanka has one of the largest case-loads of missing persons in the world.

In fact, since 1994 alone, the government commissions have received over 65,000 complaints of missing persons. These include people who went missing during the government’s nearly three-decade-long war with Tamil separatists and a Marxist uprising.

The suffering and distress of the families of those missing is exacerbated as, at this point in time, the government does not recognise the status of missing persons, the ministry said.

“This means that the families of missing persons face a range of practical issues including inability or difficulty in facilitation of property transfer and ownership, applying for compensation, qualifying for social welfare payments and pensions and accessing frozen assets,” it said.

PTI

GET SPORTY ON SANDY BEACH

The Polo tournament ‘Beach Polo World Masters’ kicking off at the Baltic Sea beach in Warnemuende, Germany

Indian students asked to leave US varsity 25 of the total 60 Indian graduate students at Western Kentucky University fail to meet its admission standards

WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

NEW YORK: At least 25 of a total 60 Indian graduate students at Western Kentucky University have been asked to leave their computer science programme after the first semester as they do not meet its admission standards, a media report said.

The move will force the students to return to India or find placement in another university or programme in the US, less than six months since their enrollment in January after an aggressive recruitment campaign in India last summer and fall lured them with tuition discounts and “spot admission”.

The university used international recruiters, who had run advertisements, to find the students and compensated them based on how many students they enrolled. James Gary, the chairman of the university’s computer science programme, said that “almost 40” of the students did not meet the requirements of their admissions, even though they were offered remedial help by the university. While some students will

be allowed to remain, at least 25 of the nearly 60 students in the programme must leave, he was quoted as saying by The New York Times.

Allowing the students to continue in the programme would “be throwing good money after bad,” he said, because they were unable to write computer programmes, a necessary part of the curriculum and a skill that American schools teach to undergraduates.

“If they come out of here without the ability to write programmes, that’s embarrassing to my department,” Gary said, explaining why the university could not permit them to continue.

The chairman of the Indian Student Association at Western Kentucky University, Aditya Sharma, expressed concern for the students. “I definitely feel bad for these students,” said Sharma, a graduate student in public health administration. “They’ve come so far. They’ve invested money into it.”

But he said some of the students had adopted a “casual” approach to

their studies. “They could not meet their G.P.A., so the university had to take this decision,” Sharma said, adding that some of the students are seeking placement in graduate schools in Missouri and Tennessee while others are considering applying to less rigorous programmes. Those who are not able to find placement will be forced to leave the country under the terms of their visas, the report said.

When faculty members learned last fall that some of the students did not meet admissions standards, the university Senate endorsed a resolution expressing concern about the recruitment campaign, part of the university’s efforts to lift enrollment and revenue in the face of deep state budget cuts, it added.

The university said in a statement that it had altered its international recruitment efforts in India. In addition to reviewing its advertising, the school is sending members of the computer science faculty to India to meet with

students before offers of admission are made.

PTI

MONEY MATT ER S

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY JUNE 11, 2016

PUNE

‘‘Payments banks are set to revolutionise banking space, helping the unbanked and under-banked. Paytm also pioneered the growth of mobile payments and e-commerce in the country.’’

— Andy Dey, EdgeVerve President

Signpost Digital commerce to touch Rs 2.1 lk cr Driven by strong growth in e-commerce, digital commerce in India is expected to touch Rs 2.1 lakh crore by end of this year, growing 68 per cent from December 2015, a report has said. The digital commerce market has grown at a CAGR of 30 per cent between December 2011 and December 2015. It was valued at Rs 125,732 crore by the end of December last year, the IAMAI-IMRB report said.

‘‘We have already created some 45,000 jobs in India and continue to see huge potential in the Indian economy.”

— Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon.com

India’s growth rate to dip by 0.2 per cent

World Bank slashes its growth forecast for global economy, saying advanced economies are rebounding more slowly than expected and low commodity prices continue to hurt countries The World Bank marginally downgraded India’s growth rate to 7.6 per cent in 2016 even as it said the country will continue to grow faster than its large emerging market peers.

The bank in its latest ‘Global Economic Prospects’ report downgraded its 2016 global growth forecast to 2.4 per cent from the 2.9 per cent pace projected in January.

India’s growth too has been downgraded marginally by 0.2 per cent, while that of China remains the same and pegged the Communist nation at 6.7 per cent.

The bank also modified its projections for India’s growth rate in 2017 and 2018 by a marginal down gradation of 0.2 per cent to 7.7 per cent growth in both the years.

“India will continue to grow faster than its large emerging market peers, with growth rates of 7.67.7 per cent from Fiscal Year 2016/17 to Fiscal Year 2018/19,” it said.

Jim Yong Kim

The bank said half a point down grade in the global growth was due to sluggish growth in advanced economies, stubbornly low commodity prices, weak global trade and diminishing capital flows.

“This sluggish growth

underscores why it’s critically important for countries to pursue policies that will boost economic growth and improve the lives of those living in extreme poverty,” World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement.

“Economic growth remains the most important driver of poverty reduction, and that’s why we’re very concerned that growth is slowing sharply in commod it y-ex por ting developing countries due to depressed commodity prices,” Jim said.

The bank said that growth in India picked up to 7.6 per cent in Fiscal Year 2015/16, a 0.4 percentage point increase over Fiscal Year 2014/15, driven largely by domestic demand.

“Partly thanks to the ongoing liberalisation of India’s foreign direct investment (FDI) regime.

PTI

Foreign policy change opens new avenues

BY LALIT K JHA Change in India’s foreign policy has not only opened up “new avenues” for Indian businesses globally, but also allowed them to shed the earlier “defensive outlook”, a leading Indian trade body has said.

Participating in a panel discussion on “US-India Economic Ties and the Final Modi-Obama Summit”, Naushad Forbes said that through a sector focused approach India will be able to deal appropriately with the winners and losers resulting from trade.

“The change in the foreign policy stance of India has opened new avenues for trade negotiations, has brought in an outward looking perspective amongst Indian business community from the earlier defensive outlook,” said Forbes, president of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) which along with Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) organised the summit.

With almost 64 legislative bills passed in the last two years in India, steps taken up to ease business regulations such as the E-Biz portal, bringing in transparency for the passage of Bankruptcy Law, India reflects a commitment to provide a strong and secure investment base for foreign and domestic investors, he said.

Agreeing that the US is a strategic partner for India, Forbes further stated that India was also a significant contributor to the US economy and the economic gains of job creation and investments which Indian companies have brought to the US must be

Prudent settlement of bad loans, empowering PSBs Jaitley said the government is fully committed to supporting the banks to deal with the NPA situation

Committing to support NPA-ridden public sector banks, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said they would be empowered and protected in case of “commercially prudent” settlement of bad debts.

With provisioning for NPAs or bad debts leading to Rs 18,000 crore of accumulated net loss for about a dozen banks, he said the government will not hesitate to provide capital beyond the Rs 25,000 crore budgeted for the current fiscal.

After meeting top executives of state-run banks, Jaitley said the Indian Banks’ Association - a representative body of management of banking in India - would discuss and suggest a mechanism to handle settlements of non-performing assets (NPAs) or bad debts.

“The IBA would be examining some of the suggestions. The government

would be also open for discussion...to the suggestions that the banks further put forward with regard to resolving the stress that has been created.

“One of the key considerations was that in situations like these banks should be empowered and consequently should be protected so that they can bring about commercially prudent settlements,” Jaitley said after the review meeting with the heads of public sector banks.

He said the PSBs clocked operational profit in excess of Rs 1.40 lakh crore last fiscal and the cumulative losses of Rs 18,000 crore suffered by them were mainly on account of higher provisioning for bad loans.

“The overall operational profit of the PSBs last year was quite significant. It was in excess of Rs 1.40 lakh crore...

It is on account of the provisioning that overall the PSBs declared a net loss of about Rs 18,000 crore and a significant amount of provisioning having been made in the last two quarters (of last fiscal),” Jaitley said.

Talking about road ahead to deal with the bad loan problem, Jaitley said the bank CEOs and government had a candid discussion on the subject.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with MoS Jayant Sinha and Financial Services Secretary Anjuly Chib Duggal at a press conference in New Delhi

“Various suggestions have come up with regard to empowering the banks itself to function in an environment where, on commercially prudent considerations, they can deal with the situation. The government is fully committed to supporting the banks in this regard,” he added. .

With regard to specific suggestions made for recovery of bad loans, Jaitley said the discussions centred around empowerment of banks, protection for

bona fide decisions taken on commercial consideration and finding a resolution or taking solution-oriented steps.

Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha said the review meeting discussed ways to expedite and strengthen the recovery and resolution process.

“We are considering a stressed asset fund as well. That is something that the banks are also working on and we will certainly see what we can do in terms of solution to expedite the recovery

India has lowest annual base salaries among APAC nations, says survey WILLIS TOWERS WATSON

Findings are based on a survey that covered over 5,500 companies in the APAC region

Annual base salaries in India across levels are the lowest in the Asia Pacific region, says a survey.

Willis Towers Watson also said that China’s base salaries across all job grades are higher than in India by 64100 per cent. The annual base salaries in India are the “lowest in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region and significantly lower than China”, it said.

The findings are based on a survey that covered over 5,500 companies in the APAC region and around 313 firms from India participated.

In the APAC region, entry-level salaries for white-collar professionals

are among the lowest in India and the Philippines at an average annual base salary of around USD 11,000. Their peers in China receive almost twice as much, the survey said.

“At approximately USD 66,000, India offers the lowest average annual

base salary across the region, which is almost half that of China,” it added.

In terms of highest paying countries, Australia tops at entry and midmanagement levels while Singapore is on top when it comes to senior and top management positions.

“China salaries are notably higher across levels as compared to India - 81 per cent higher at entry-level, 84 per cent at mid-level, double at senior level and 64 per cent at top management level,” it noted.

Sambhav Rakyan, Data Services Practice Leader, Asia Pacific at Willis Towers Watson said that a young and tech-savvy workforce as well as comparatively lower salaries, especially at the entry level, augur well for India’s quest to emerge as a top manufacturing destination.

These factors, combined with a focus on skilling, could give India an advantage in comparison to China, where an ageing population and shrinking workforce mean salaries would remain higher, he added.

Willis Towers Watson offers global advisory, broking and solutions.

PTI

process,” Sinha added.

IDBI Bank MD Kishor Kharat said the meeting discussed resolution mechanism wherein decisions of the bankers can be protected.

“In today’s atmosphere any decision taken by bankers, which is actually in the interest of recovery, if that is subsequently questioned then it becomes difficult to take a decision. Therefore, some buffer needs to be provided,” Kharat said.

Jaitley said the government is fully committed to supporting the banks to deal with the NPA situation and the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Code will become operational soon.

“Another set of amendments to the debt recovery legislation and the securitisation legislation are before Parliament. The joint committee is considering them...we hope to further empower the banks (to deal with NPAs),” he said.

Jaitley said NPAs have risen on account of certain sectoral stress and the PSBs need to be supported fully so that their ability to extend credit and support growth remains sound.

PTI

US President Barack Obama listens as Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their joint press briefing in White House

acknowledged and factored in.

Indian businesses in the US have created about 91000 jobs in the US, with investments of approximately USD 15 billion. The aspiration is for bilateral trade to increase to USD 500 billion by 2025 from the current USD 100 billion.

India, along with expanding its global presence and looking at important markets such as its neighbours Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Middle East is also keen to join the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in a major way to further strengthen its relations and benefit the global markets, he said. Shobana Kamineni, president designate, CII reiterated that India and the US were natural and strategic partners and both countries have added immense value to mutual economic growth.

PTI

Speech analytics can improve customer experience Over 70 per cent companies believe that speech analytics can lead to improved customer experience and more than half think that its deployment can lead to revenue enhancement, says a report.

“72 per cent companies believe that speech analytics can lead to improved customer experience and 68 per cent regard it as a cost-saving mechanism while 52 per cent respondents trust that speech analytics deployment can lead to revenue enhancement,” a report titled ‘Executive Survey on Speech Analytics’

by Opus Research said.

Uniphore Software Systems, which released the report highlighting the growing importance of speech analytics to improve customer experience in critical service areas. The other major finding was the ability of speech analytics to detect and prevent fraud, especially in financial services, banking and retail industries. Most respondents said they expect to increase spending and investment on speech analytics for their business operations.

PTI

India’s engineering exports nosedive

India’s engineering shipments to key markets like Sri Lanka, UAE and China plummeted in April amid a 19 per cent decline in the sector which slipped in terms of its contribution to the country’s overall export basket, according to industry body EEPC India.

The engineering exporters’ body said country’s engineering exports to Sri Lanka witnessed a degrowth of over 90 per cent, falling to mere USD 63 million in April 2016 from USD 648 million in the same month last year, marked by a huge fall in exports of aircraft and spacecraft parts.

Likewise, shipments to UAE fell by 46 per cent to USD 331 million from

USD 613 million in the face of the Middle East witnessing a major slump in investment in oil and infrastructure sectors, EEPC India said.

India’s engineering exports to China, comprising mainly of basic metals and iron ore, dropped 57.6 per cent to USD 102.6 million from USD 242.50 million as the Chinese economy is facing a major upheaval, it said.

Declining for 17th straight month in April, exports dipped by 6.74 per cent to USD 20.5 billion due to sharp fall in shipments of petroleum and engineering products amid tepid global demand.

PTI

EEPC said country’s engineering exports to Sri Lanka dropped by over 90 per cent

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY JUNE 11, 2016

PUNE

VOX POPULI When: June 17 to 26 Where: Panash, Four Points By Sheraton Hotel, Viman Nagar

Southindies is hosting an Andhra Food Festival, which is really oneof-its-kind in Pune, as it not only focusses on just the flavours of Andhra, undiluted, but it also focusses on providing a complete experience of an Andhra meal, from starters to desserts.

Some of the lip-smacking dishes on the platter are Dosakkai Vaadiyallu Crisp Rice papad stuffed with spiced up country cucumbers; Soya Kheema Paniyaram - rice dumplings stuffed with spicy hyderabadi style soya kheema; Mokkajuna Miriyalu Fry - crisp fried baby corn with a hint of pepper and lime and so on.

When: June 13 to 26 Where: Southindies, Ganeshkind Road

fusion band.

When: June 15 Where: blueFROG, Ishanya Mall, Yerawada

CHULLAS BBQ

Chullas BBQ Project by Blue Water Restaurant is going to be fun day coming Sunday. This project is launched to encourage ‘Make Your Own BBQ’ in the Chullas Socials while you listen to Live Bands where you can avail unlimited Beer, Sangria, Mocktail, BBQ and buffet.

When: June 12 Where: Blue Water Restaurant, Aundh Ravet Road

WORLD BURGER TOUR

Take a trip with Hard Rock Cafe’s World Burger Tour as they start off the season with a menu showcasing Local Legendary™ burgers from all over the world. Indulge in variations such as Lebanese Veggie Burger, Istanbul Kafta Chicken Burger, Italian Chicken Burger, Indian Tandoori Chicken Burger, Miami Cuban BeefBurger to name a few. This will be accompanied by an enticing array of cocktails such as El Matador, Citrus Summer Shandy, Melonpalooza, Crisp Sipper, Watermelon Hoedown and more.

When: Ongoing Where: The Hard Rock Café, Koregaon Park

PORCUPINE TREE TRIBUTE

Fake Plastic Friends, comprising members of several well-known indie bands, will play a gig honouring UKbased progressive rock band Porcupine Tree with their renditions of some of the band’s music. The band includes Velijon Noronha (guitars and vocals), Rohan Radhadhyaksha (keys, vocals), Aditya Kadam (bass, vocals), Daniel Kenneth Rego (guitars) and Hamza Kazi (drums). Catch them live at Hard Rock Cafe.

When: June16 Where: The Hard Rock Café, Koregaon Park

Priya Ramachandran Entrepreneur I hear 89 cuts have been suggested by the Censor Board, making it ‘Cut ta Punjabi ‘now! At this rate Anurag Kashyap will have to release this film on Snapchat or Whats App as .gif. And that will make movie history as the shortest motion picture ever made. The Sanskar Board with scissors is absolute bonkers!

Shweta Dakhane Entrepreneur The censor board has been exceeding its brief under the current leadership. We don’t want the censor board to tell us what to watch and what not to. That prerogative belongs to us. We are intelligent enough to make informed choices.

WEEKEND BRUNCH

Get ready to start your weekend with an extraordinary weekend brunch with Wynkk- the Lounge. The Brunch includes some lip smacking dishes right from golden pouches, sesame chicken to tequila prawns.

So come along and kick start you weekend with a freshly curated menu and some exotic mixes to chill you through the Saturday and Sunday afternoon. With a playlist of some of the best tracks ever!

When: June 11 and 12 Where: Wynkk – The Lounge, Near Pune University

Bhavana Sharma Thakker Stylist I think Pankaj Nihalani first needs to check on the creepy video songs from his film with Manisha Koirala. He needs to clean his hands before pointing fingers. Why is our country in denial always, be a sexually harassed child or adult or a rape victim or denial towards exploitation towards the poor or the corruption.

Infact we need films like this one as a mirror to our society so we can face, accept and bring about a much needed change! It takes a lot of courage for an artist to portray the real picture that knocks the society’s consciousness.

DJ PEARL & NIKHIL CHINAPA

MOMO AND THUKPA FESTIVAL

In the mood for some alternative music? Head to blueFROG. The line-up for Wednesday Night Live is pretty impressive with The June Tom Influence headlining the night along with supporting acts by Soulshine.

The June Tom Influence is driven by original compositions by 5 musicians.

Their genres include folk, blues, pop, rock and country, but they end up mixing up all of them to be called a

ABUSED BY FRIEND’S MOTHER, TEENAGE GIRL ATTEMPTS SUICIDE

EDITOR

In yet another case of deteriorating law and order situation in Pune, a group of miscreants vandalised over a dozen vehicles in Warje area late on Saturday night. Police claim it was a result of rivalry between two groups in which vehicles of several residents living in the area were vandalised. Police has been able to arrest only one accused so far. The incident occurred at 11 pm on Saturday night outside Pimpre building, near Chaitanya Chowk.

According to a complaint filed by Sambhaji Sitaram Pimpre, a real estate agent, some men came to the area and started hurling abuses at him. When his wife peeped out of the window, she saw a group of men vandalising their vehicle and that of others residing in the building.

His complaint stated that the group of men led by Rohit Pasalkar vandalised the vehicles and also pelted stones at window panes in the building. For now Warje police

ACID ATTACK LEAVES TWO STRAYS INJURED

Two dogs this week became the latest victim of an acid attack in Pune. The acid was hurled by some unidentified men at two strays on consecutive days last week. The dogs, found at the busy Shaniwarwada area, were brought in burnt and deformed to the Blue Cross Hospital, where they are recuperating. The three-year-old male and twoyear-old female dogs were brought to the Blue Cross hospital at Keshavnagar. “Two boys saw one of the dogs on the road and the other inside a nearby ditch, and called our ambulance service at around 8 pm on May 30. They told us that the dogs had met with an accident,” said the caretaker of the dogs, Rahul, 28. However, when the ambulance driver and paramedic Mahesh Kirte saw

the dogs, he realised that it was something grave. “The doctors on duty declared that both of them had suffered 4th degree burns due to acid, and we instantly got down to cleaning the burnt flesh,” said Manoj, another caretaker.

The two dogs, according to the Blue Cross, have suffered severe burns. “The male’s right flank has been completely burnt, and the bones of his legs were exposed, that we have currently bandaged. The female stray has suffered maximum burns. Her entire left flank has been burned and even her legs have been affected. The acid has even burnt parts of her face and neck,” Rahul said. The dogs are recuperating and have been kept at the Intensive Care Unit in the hospital.

UNDER HIS WATCHFUL EYES: The homeless use the place at the Kamgar Statue near Shivajinagar court to sleep after a hard day’s labour

Salute to these cops

Disability isn’t a bane

It is highly commendable that the police officials from the force take out time to do things that they love, as written about in the cover story of the supplement LIFE. Their job is already so stressful that this small break that they get is definitely welldeserved. What is more important is that they aren’t doing it just to escape the Meet the CREATIVE COPS stress that comes along with their job, but are doing it to excel in it.

They are dedicated and put in a lot of effort, which clearly reflects in their work. I am glad that I got to read about this and hope that others too, even if they are from different professions take inspiration.

-Ranjan Shloka

Being disabled doesn’t mean you are T at a disadvantage. It simply means T M that you have to work a little harder to get to where you want and this T is exactly what the government officials have written about in the U Spotlight section, have been doing their entire life. Working to earn a living instead of cribbing about H what they don’t have these people are true inspirations for everyone. The problem with society is that everyone looks at disability in form of physical dimensions and not in mindsets.

If this is reversed, everyone will have an equal opportunity and everyone can progress together.

-Sandeep Pandhare

Refusing to be restricted by their day jobs, some of the city’s police officers are working doubly hard to be able to keep their artistry and passion alive

PUNE, JUNE 4, 2016 | www.thegoldensparrow.com

PIC

has booked Rohit Pasalkar, Mandar alias Manya Joshi, Sanket Shinde, Akshay Jadhav and others. They have been to nab only one of the accused so far.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY JUNE 4, 2016

A sensitive issue and a fun medium

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY

PUNE

JUNE 4, 2016

PUNE

THE INDOMITABLE HUMAN SPIRIT

Living with disability can be a burden, a cross too heavy to bear, in an age when everyone wants to look and be perfect in every sense.

But there are those who have not let the yoke of disability weigh them down, but instead, have risen above their circumstances to attain a life that is both constructive and rewarding

BY VICKY PATHARE AND GARGI VERMA @TGSweekly

he human body is one of the most underrated miracles in the living world. It is a perfect machine that helps one to experience the physical world while also sustaining one. But people neglect and sometimes even abuse their own bodies. Th is is so because the perfect functioning is an inherent fact, until it isn’t. Diseases, accidents and sometimes being born without an organ, forces one to identify oneself as

a disabled human. Disability forces people to modify their lives and finding multiple alternatives for even the simplest tasks becomes the norm. Adding to that is the social stigma around being disabled which makes matters worse, pushing disabled people to the verge of isolation and despair. But this is not always the case.

Team TGS spoke to people who are not only living with disabilities, fighting a new war every day, but are also emerging as winners. They are the exceptions who have not let their handicaps shackle them, but have managed to make their lives a boon to others. They are testimony to the indomitable human spirit.

‘I would have made something out of myself if it were not for Polio’

The amazing world of a deaf and dumb receptionist

day Gaikwad, 40, walks to his seat at the front desk of the Aundh ward offices of the Pune Municipal Corporation.

He signals to visitors and asks how he may be of help and gives directions. He, however, does all this by writing. One only realises his disability when the phone rings and he talks on the video call by making actions. Sometimes he walks to the back and signals one of his workmates to come and help.

“The phone emits a red light, and that is how I know that someone is calling. When people come to our office, I welcome them with a smile, and gesture to them to have a seat. When they sit down, I gesture that I cannot hear. At times some of them do

“I have had a hearing problem since birth, but I am very happy that my daughter is fine” - Uday Gaikwad

not understand what I am trying to communicate. In such cases, if my interpreters happens to be around, they help. But when they are away, I will communicate with the person

Gaikwad at the front desk interacting with visitors in sign language

through writing. I always have a paper and pen which come in handy during such moments,” he says.

Gaikwad has been working at the office as a peon and receptionist for four years, but he has never experienced any kind of negative attitude from workmates or visitors.

Instead people are amazed by the fact that a deaf and dumb person like him is a receptionist. “Most of the people who come here, initially have problems communicating with me. But when I communicate with them in writing, some of them understand and read the basic movements of my hand,” he says.

Gaikwad says the only challenge he faced was his limited education, as he has studied only till class IV. “But while working here for more than four years, I have become equipped with the necessary knowledge which helps make my work easier. My bosses are happy with the work I am doing and that’s why they have entrusted me with the front desk,” he said.

“I think I was the fi rst deaf and dumb employee they have seen.

Besides the unnecessary attention I was getting from them, I had a hard time understanding what the seniors were saying. While communicating with them, I had a problem as they did not know any sign language and neither did any of the office visitors. So I only depended on lip reading, which I was not good at. I then started using pen and paper to communicate to them by writing, but it is not possible to write down everything,” he says.

“I have had a hearing problem since birth, but I am very happy that my daughter is fine,” he said.

ulsidas Yemgul, 47, hasn’t had it easy. He was only three years old when his family realised that he would never run about like normal kids. “I do not know how or why, but I had contracted polio,” he says. His right leg is stunted due to the disease, and affects his posture and walking. However, the tough times have not wiped the smile off his face.

A senior grade clerk at the Bandhkam Record room at Nanawada in Kasba Peth, Yemgul has been working for the Pune Municipal Corporation for 17 years. “I started off as the junior clerk at Shivajinagar ITI building. Then I shifted to two other offices before being promoted in 2010 and shifting here,” he explains with a smile. Even though understaffed and dilapidated, his office room is neatly organised. Clearly, here is a man who loves what he does.

“We have all the old records of sale deeds and other documents of any construction of this division. Nearly 40-50 people come here daily enquiring about their old documents. My work is to fi nd the documents, give them for a certain time period and then, once they are

“I have been lucky that I have been treated on par with the other employees” - Tulsidas Yemgul

Tulsidas Yemgul sits at his bench all day, handling people with different temperaments

returned, to replace the documents in the right fi le at the right spot,” he explains. Not a cushy arm-chair job, it is a dual job of handling people who are generally harrowed and frustrated and moving around in two rooms, trying to locate age old fi les. “Sometimes, we don’t fi nd some fi les. Sometimes the pages have been damaged over the years. People don’t take to that kindly,” he says, patiently.

“However, our job is to sift from whatever document we have here and guide people onward. We try our best to remain calm,” he says, speaking also for his assistant.

He believes that he has met good people more often than not. “No one has ever taunted or made fun of my disability. I have been lucky that I have been treated on par with the other employees,” he says in a serious tone. “When I was to join, I was very sceptical about everything. I was worried if I would be made fun of, or if people would shun me. However, that hasn’t happened till date,” he says. Sure, he has his bad days, but they are few and far in between.

“Once or twice in a month someone comes up and behaves rudely. Their frustration at not being able to fi nd their documents angers them, and sometimes even I am slow. So some people do lose their tempers,” he says. He, however, never lets bad temper take its toll on him. “They almost always never mean to hurt. It’s because they are worried or frustrated. It is work,” he says.

The two-room office in the heritage structure of Nanawada, is not a disabled-friendly office at all. Two sets of stairs lead one from the main gate to the Bandhkam office. These stairs, however, do nothing to diminish the indomitable spirit of Yemgul. “Work starts sharp at 9 am and I leave around 5 pm,” he says. The renovation work

going on at the site makes it one of the less ergonomic offices. “It has been on for some time now. But it doesn’t bother us. It might bother the people who come here though,” he laughs.

Known to his other friends and colleagues as someone who helps others by going out of his way, he has not had a lavish lifestyle. “I have done my graduation in Arts from University of Pune. However, because of my leg I did not wish to continue education and getting a job was also not an easy feat. So, I started a small Xerox shop at Padmavati and that was my only source of income for many years. However, one day a family friend told me about the openings in government offices. I applied, since government jobs are way better and secure than a Xerox shop,” he explains.

“I have two elder sisters, both of whom are married.

My elder brother works at a bank. Our parents stay with me, my wife and our two sons,” he says. His younger son is awaiting his matric results and his elder son is pursuing Bachelor in Microbiology. Talking about his son’s career, he says, “It is great that the current generation has so many new options in front of them. When we were studying, it was all about a certain course. These days, degrees also cater to a student’s interest and not only the herd mentality.”

“I wish I had never contracted polio, but that is like asking for time to move back. So, now, I have sort of grown accustomed to it. Obviously, my life would have been different, I would have also made something of myself. However, what’s done is done, and one can’t crib about one’s entire life,” he says with a faint smile.

PICS BY RAHUL RAUT, AND VISHAL KALE

LETTERS TO THE

MOB VANDALISES A DOZEN VEHICLES IN PUNE

OF

A 17-year-old girl tried to commit suicide after her friend’s mother came to her home and abused her verbally.

The girl was admitted to Sassoon General Hospital, while three persons were arrested in connection with the incident, by the Faraskhana police.

Vandana (name changed) is a friend of Rohidas Ganesh Kamble, 20, resident of Mangalwar Peth. But Rohidas’ mother Lata was not happy about their friendship. On Sunday, when Vandana’s mother was at Rasta Peth, Lata stopped her and told her to stop her daughter from talking to her son.

Later that afternoon Vandana’s mother asked her about her relationship with Rohidas. Lata, Rohidas and his sister Rohini came to Vandana’s home and abused her using foul language. In a fit of humiliation, Vandana tried to kill herself by consuming a f loor cleaner called Leozeal. After drinking the f loor cleaner, she felt drowsy and collapsed.

Seeing her in this state, Lata, Rohidas and Rohini f led from the scene.

Vandana’s mother then took her and admitted her to hospital.

Y USUF K APASI

Groove to the beats of Yusuf Kapasi at High Spirits over the weekend. Known for his quirky mixes and dynamic tunes, DJ Yusuf is immensely popular among party-hoppers. From the best of rock n roll, EDM to some desi grooves, this is the party you shouldn’t miss out on.

When: June 11 Where: High Spirits, Koregaon Park

VISHAL KALE

WEEK THAT WAS

Soham Hundekar Film Student Censor boards and film makers haven’t gone well with each other since a while. The problem here is how one man gets to decide what is right and wrong.

Even in the case of Udta Punjab, there are a number of wrong doings from the boards side itself. The whole point of the CBFC upholding certain set of morals and ethics that they feel right, is kind of worrying because then that’s somewhere an authority telling you what to view and what not to, which shouldn’t be a case in a democracy. And being a film student, I can point out a number of intimate scenes that really add up to the narrative. How can you just remove a certain part of the film because you think that it doesn’t fit into a certain set of beliefs?

E WE K

THE JUNE TOM INFLUENCE

Monsoons are the perfect time to savour some delicious momos with piping hot thukpa, and indulge in these Tibetian delicacies at Panash. On offer will be non-vegetarian steamed momos such as Sha-Momo (chicken, scallion, ginger and oyster), Sugpo Momo (seafood, oyster, bamboo shoot and spring onion) and Rasha Momo (lamb, coriander, garlic oil and sesame oil). Vegetarians can choose from Chur Tse Momo (cheese and vegetables) and Ijang khu Momo (green leafy vegetables, chives and celery).

DJ Pearl and Nikhil Chinapa were one of the early proponents of EDM in India. Pearl helped establish house music in the country and turn a nascent scene into a now thriving one. Nikhil Chinapa wears several hats, from VJ to DJ and entrepreneur and launched India’s biggest electronic dance music company, Submerge, in 2001, which brought legendary acts such as Above&Beyond and Swedish House Mafia to India. He is now festival curator and partner of beach festival Vh1 Supersonic. Catch the duo live at blueFROG. When: June 11 Where: blueFROG, Yerawada

THE

ANDHR A FOOD FESTIVAL

Pahlaj Nihalani, the censon board chief, has been in the news for a while now. This time it’s for the film Udta Punjab and his demand to drop Punjab from the title, along with 94 other cuts. This has created quite a stir in the country. We ask Puneites their take on the issue

“They know that I do my work as per the protocols of our office and follow the norms”

Kalbande attending a Phone Call a part of his daily routine work

he real problem of blindness is not the blindness itself, but what the members of the general public think about it. The blind, too, are part of our society. The blind are not psychologically or mentally different from people with normal eyesight. They are neither especially blessed nor especially cursed. They need jobs, opportunity, social acceptance, and equal treatment, not pity and custody.

Sadanand Kalbande, 31, is an example of how a visually impaired person has overcome his disability and now is an ideal for society and his co-workers. Kalbande was blind in his left eye since birth, and owing to glaucoma, he lost sight in his right eye at the age of 14.

“I belong to a poor family. After conducting primary tests, the doctors told my parents that I was suffering from glaucoma, and would have to undergo a surgery. My parents, after a long struggle, somehow managed to raise the Rs 60,000 needed for the surgery, by borrowing from friends and relatives. Rs 60,000 was a very big amount for us, 17 years ago,” said Kalbande.

“But when the final tests were done prior to the surgery, the doctors from Ganpati Netralay, Jalna, said that it was too late, that the surgery would be of no use, and that I had lost my sight forever,” he said.

Kalbande has been working at the Food Distribution Office (FDO), Pune, for two years, and is pursuing his second year in MA. Because of his disability, his duties have been altered by his seniors, who have allotted him other work. His work profi le includes duties of telephone operator, receptionist and sometimes he even works as secretary to the FDO. He interacts with People and provides guidance to more than 200 people on an average in an eight-hour working day.

Kalbande guides and informs people who visit the FDO, about which officer is available in the office, and when she/he will be coming to office. About 50 people on average visit the office daily, and he attends to more than 150 phone calls a day. He also conveys messages of all the officers and subordinates. He also always knows his boss’s

HOW MANY OF US CAN LAUGH OVER OUR SHORTCOMINGS?

The two best friends have been together since school, have done almost everything together and are inseparable. Even their families have now become closely intertwined

ai apna dil to awaara, Narayan Chinchavade croons in a carefree style. But when he performs the same in front of hundreds of people, whose faces he can’t even see, it is not easy. He has performed in nearly all districts across Maharashtra, and music is not even his profession. Narayan is one of the few people who have learned to live carefree despite his blindness.

A history teacher at the Kasturba Gandhi Municipal School at Koregaon Park, he has been teaching children for 12 years.

Originally hired to teach the blind students who attended the school, he started teaching ‘visually normal’ children in 2009. “I teach them all subjects, as it is a primary school and the course work is not difficult. It is perhaps, one of the most satisfying aspects of my life,” he says. “Children are the best any human can aspire to be. They don’t have the dogmas that we carry around all the time. In fact, all they do is reciprocate. I treat them with affection, dedication and respect and they love me back,” he explains, with a smile. “I have never had a bad day, not one in the past 12 years, on account of my students. The same cannot be said about the grown-ups however,” he says ruefully.

Narayan always wanted to become a teacher, but he realised his dreams only when he crossed the threshold of 40. “I had been through two jobs, a business and I was fi nally looking for a semblance of stability,” he says

The army gets a say in civil decisions

with a smile. He had worked as a telecom operator at the Taleras office since he was in junior college. “I shifted to a private company in 1995 and shortly after that, the job of an operator was consumed by technology,” he says. Since handling telephones was the only vocational skill he had learnt all his life, he stuck to it and started a phone booth at Nigdi that he ran for nearly ten years. “I was confident working alone, as I did not know how people would react to me,” he says.

It was his best friend Gautam Kamble who pushed him to do a Diploma in Education.

“Gautam and I have been best friends since our fi rst day at school. We went through school, college together, even got married at the same time and our children were also born around the same time,” he laughs. Kamble, a music teacher in the government’s blind school at Kolhapur, has been a teacher for the past 25 years. “When we had done everything similar, why not our jobs too,” he says.

Both Gautam and Narayan were not born blind. “I contracted small pox when I was three. The disease affected my eyes and I lost my eyesight,” explains Narayan. He even lost his sister to the disease. Gautam has a similar story. “I lost my eyesight to a disease.

It thankfully, did not affect anyone else in my family,” he adds. However, both of them have turned this into a plus point, thanks to the guidance they got early on in life. “In blind school, we were taught music from the fi rst day

- Sadanand Kalbande

Getting over the handicap of blindness and leading a constructive life

“It is due to our love for music and empathy towards our blind brethren, who despite qualifications don’t get jobs” - Gautam Kamble

of school. I loved those classes, they helped me to soothe myself over everything,” Narayan recounts. “I also had a teacher, Vijay Doke. He was blind too and he is the biggest inspiration in my life. So, whenever I feel hesitant about facing a new bunch of people, I think if Vijay

sir could, even I can,” he adds with a grin, Narayan’s wife suffers from a retinal condition that has reduced her visibility to zero. “She was partially blind when we were married, but now she can’t see anything,” he explained. Did it affect their daughters that

whereabouts.

Kalbande is always busy, attending to visitors or answering phone calls. “I have a lot of responsibility as we receive phone calls from important people like corporaters, Members of Legislative Assembly and even Members of Parliament. I have to calm them down as such dignitaries are often upset if I tell them that Madam (the Food Distribution Officer) is not in office. At times they are also abusive,” he said.

In August 2015, a caller had registered a complaint against him on baseless allegations. Kalbande said, “The person had complained against me, saying that I ask a lot of questions, and ask for details about the reason for the call. People here are assigned different work, and how can I guide him or transfer the call of a person without knowing their actual work? If I don’t know the exact problem, how can I transfer the call to the respective person?

“The office staff, my seniors and Madam Nilima Dhaygude, the FDO, have always stood by my side and supported me. They know that I do my work as per the protocols of our office and follow the norms,” said Kalbande. His senior Laxman Bagade helped him find a writer for the Services Selection Board exam last year, which he passed, scoring more than 65 per cent marks.

Bagali never falls short of the target he is expected to achieve

‘People often express pity and consider the disabled a burden to society, which is wrong’

anoj Bagali, 45, does not let disability hold him back when it comes to pursuing his goals. He was affected by polio at the young age of eight, after being deprived of vaccination. He works as a sorting assistant at the business post centre at Vishrambaugwada, Pune.

His window of opportunity came when he was selected at the Regional Post office (RMSB Division) Pune in 1994. In spite of his 75 per cent disability, he has never looked back. In quite an achievement, he completed his Masters degree in Computer Management (MCM) while working at the division office.

“I was working at the division office and had a graduate degree.

But I always wanted to complete a master’s degree in computers.

I requested my department to provide me a convenient shift time. Normally there are three shifts, but the night shift was the most comfortable and convenient for me. The officers agreed to provide me the convenient timing to help me complete the degree.

And he made the most of the opportunity by completing the master’s degree with a high percentage. The credit also goes to my subordinates who gave me invaluable help and support while pursuing the degree,” he said.

Bagali holds a key position in his office and his comprehensive computer knowledge and skills have made his work easier. He deals with customers and clients on a regular basis. Bagali looks after the revenue transactions of the postal department, and never falls short of the target collection, and he has received much appreciation from his department. His work involves preparing confidential reports, presentations, collection of revenue on behalf of the postal department from government, semi-government and private fi rms.

“In regular day-to-day work, I have never had any bad experience. My co-workers are

“In regular day-to-day work, I have never had any bad experience” - Manoj Bagli

always helpful in my work which involves physical movement and power,” he said.

“People often express pity and consider the disabled a burden to society, which is wrong,” he said.

He urges all parents to vaccinate their children against polio, to save them from the disability and unending torment.

both of their parents couldn’t see? “It did, but it made them good humans. They have been very understanding. They have seen people helping us through our lives so they have grown up with the sense of giving back to society. They have also seen us struggle, so they respect us for that. Yes, there have been good, bad and ugly moments, but then all parents face that,” he answers.

Narayan and Gautam, in a bid to help other blind people who do not manage to secure a job, have started Swarangan Drishtiheen Sanstha. “We do full, three-hour orchestra shows, where 25 blind men perform the songs. We also run classes for all, and charge a nominal fee for that,” explains Gautam.

“We don’t do it for profit.

In fact, we don’t get any profit out of this and keep spending money from our salaries. It is due to our love for music and empathy towards our blind brethren, - Narayan Chinchavade who despite qualifications don’t get jobs,” he adds.

“I have been teaching able children for years now. My students have grown up and made something of their lives. I think that is the biggest take-away for me. They come and tell me that it is because of me, because of my guidance that they have succeeded and I feel a wave of gratitude washing over all my wounds that being blind has caused me,” he says with obvious emotion. “We can all crib about the shortcomings, how many of us can laugh over them?” he says.

I had taken my son and daughter to watch the play ‘Growing up’, and I must say it was superbly made. Puberty is a very tricky subject to talk about with your children, and this play uses humour to explain it excellently. With so many changes going on with their bodies and minds, it is a confusing time for kids and it is best if they are told about this in an appropriate manner, especially with the increased exposure to the internet. I would strongly recommend parents with children who are in this age group to watch the play and start a dialogue about this subject with them.

- Sanjay Jain

“We can all crib about the shortcomings, how many of us can laugh over them?”

It is great to hear that army officials will now have a say in the height of buildings around their establishment areas. Until now, the safety issues were not taken into consideration, since they had no decision making power. Now that they can decide the height of the buildings, the army can take all aspects of defence security and civilian requirements into consideration while making a decision. Redoing the buildings which are already built is out of the question anyway, but new constructions will be better thought out. This is a great initiative taken by the PMC. - Mrunal Khire

Dancing with Tigers

Aditya Jhunjhunwala’s initiative to allow youngsters to attach a meaning to their lives by giving back to the society is absolutely wonderful. The fact that each batch from this group works towards raising funds through different methods for different causes makes it all the more superb! I am very happy that kids these days still realise the importance of community work, and of helping the people who are less fortunate than them. At this time, when everyone puts the blame on this generation for being selfish and not caring about anyone, it is a welcome change to see them prove us elders wrong!

- Manjiri Phadnis

Write to Us

Letters to the Editor may be emailed to editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com, yogesh.sadhwani@goldensparrow.com or mail it to The Editor, Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt Ltd, 1641 Madhav Heritage, Tilak Road, Pune-411030.

SPORTS

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY JUNE 11, 2016

PUNE

“ It doesn’t matter if Sharapova did it on purpose or not. I don’t really see the difference. You need to know what goes into your body. If you’re not, you’re going to be damned.”

— Roger Federer, Tennis Legend

Signposts Double crown for Manasi Gadgil Manasi Gadgil won a double crown in the Construction Group, district junior and senior badminton championship held at PDMBA complex, Shivajinagar. In the mixed doubles, she along with Nishad Dravid, defeated Varun Khanwalkar and Shruti Mundada. Later in the women’s doubles, Manasi and Shruti prevailed over Swarali Chitnis and Kalyani Pundlik 2110 21-19. Meanwhile, Purva Barve defeated Tanishka Deshpande in the girls’ under-17 final. Fifth seed Arya Bhivapathaki impressed with his win over top seed Abhishek Kulkarni in the men’s final.

Shivajians part ways with coach Pereira DSK Shivajians FC and Coach Derrick Pereira have decided to part ways after mutually agreeing to terms. The 54-year-old Goan was at the helm of affairs and guided DSK Shivajians in their debut season of the I-League apart from the inaugural all-India DSK Cup. During his stint, he helped the club bag the DSK Cup, edging out Dempo SC in the final. Similarly, in the I-League, he guided the team to some memorable wins over Mumbai FC and Kingfisher East Bengal.

Cadence enter final Cadence Cricket Academy defeated President XI to enter the final of the Senior Invitational cricket tournament at Shinde High School. Cadence bowlers Sachin Chaudhari (4 wkts) and Dhawal Hemnani (3 wkts) restricted President XI to 136 in their second innings. While chasing the target, Cadence opener Jay Pande (59) and Harshad Khadiwale (75) did the job for the team.

Big win for Bharat FC in super division Bharat FC A slammed eight goals against Jolly Rangehills to move into the second round along with Pune City Police, Commando and Bishops FC A, in the First and Super Division matches in the 12th edition of the Hutatma Shrikant Lingayat football knockout tournament, organised by Keshav Madhav Pratishthan at PDFA football ground, Dhobarwadi. Two goals apiece by Karmendra Saras and Parag Shriniwas helped Bharat FC register a 8-0 win over Jolly Rangehills , Pune City Police arrested Ashoka FC 4-0 , while Commandos shot down Ghorpuri Young Ones 6-2. Bishops FC ousted Khadki Blues 2-0 to move into round two.

Pune to host ODI and Test at Gahunje Maharashtra Cricket Association’s stadium in Gahunje has been awarded one ODI and a Test match during India’s packed home season in February-March in 2017. The stadium which had got just one ODI (against Australia in 2013) and two T20 matches (against Sri Lanka in 2012 and against Sri Lanka in 2016), will host an ODI against England. The stadium had received Test status in last November and after a long wait they will have a chance to host a Test against World No 1 team Australia. Other venues like Rajkot, Vishakhapattanam, Dharamshala, Ranchi and Indore which also got Test status along with Pune, will also get a Test match each for the first time, informed BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke. The Gahunje stadium was was ready by 2012 but they missed deadline and couldn’t host Cricket World Cup matches.

“Zimbabwe tour is a very important for the youngsters.

It provides them an opportunity to test themselves in international waters.”

— Sanjay Bangar, India Coach for Zimbabwe Tour

‘I have missed playing table tennis’ Shubhankar Renavikar, who once dominated district and state tournaments, makes a striking comeback to the circuit

BY ASHISH PHADNIS @phadnis_ashish Shubhankar Renavikar was once a regular at district and state level tournaments.

During his heyday, he was known for his complete domination and ruthless attacking style. He even represented India in the South Asian Junior Table Tennis Championship held at Dehardun in 2010, and the Asian Junior under-18 event in China, in 2012.

He had a bright future as a paddler, but he hung up his bat when he was just 18, opting for an academic career instead.

He scored 88 per cent in SSC and 72 per cent in HSC exams, and decided to focus on an engineering degree rather than playing tournaments. Now, after a gap of almost three years, he has made a comeback to the circuit.

Those who have seen Shubhankar play, remember him as a chubby boy with a constant smile on his face. But over the years, Shubhankar’s looks have undergone radical changes, and with a scruffy beard, lean body and unkempt hairstyle, he looks like a rebel. The only things that have not changed are his aggressive approach, lightning reflexes and crafty service.

Shubhankar displayed all these skills, as he had a wonderful outing at the recent state ranking table tennis tournament at Symbiosis Spa, Prabhat Road. Though he failed to clinch the title, he registered

the biggest upset, by defeating Ravindra Kotiyan in the third round of the youth category. Kotiyan, who is top ranked in the country, was stunned when he was shown the door with a score of 6-11, 1113, 7-11. Shubhankar didn’t allow him to win a single game.

“It was a good match. I was playing at the state level after a long time. So I had nothing to lose and I was playing freely.

For the last three years, I didn’t even touch the bat, not even on weekends. So I am glad, I was able to brush off the rust of these years and perform like a seasoned player,” said Shubhankar.

“Though I was not playing, I kept myself busy with my fitness regime. I am doing gym workouts, running and strength training regularly. I have lost enough weight and I feel my power has increased. These elements helped me in this tournament. With the increased power in my strokes and services, I have got a sense of self confidence,” he said.

Shubhankar decided to make a comeback, as it was his last year in the youth category. He was surprised with the changed rules though.

“The major change was the ball.

When I used to play, the ball was smaller and fast. But to make it spectator friendly, the federation made it bigger and slower.

So it was a surprise element for me as the rallies are getting longer. But this is a good decision and will help popularise the game,” he said.

Gagan aims medal with advanced gun

Walther presents eletronic triggered air gun for the shooter TGS NEWS SERVICES @TGSWeekly As Gagan Narang prepares for the Rio Olympic Games, German gun makers Walther presented the Olympic bronze medallist with a technologically advanced air gun with which he would compete in Brazil.

Narang had been using Walther air gun since he took to shooting 19 years ago and it was on this brand of gun that he achieved the world record of 600 out of 600. Considering that newer technology had come in, Narang needed to change his gun for better results and what would be better than tried and tested Walther.

Besides having an electronic trigger, the gun is made so that it adjusts to the shooters’ shoulder rather than shooter forced to adjust to the gun. Also the weight is lighter than the old one, which should give Narang some advantage.

“I will be using this gun at Rio Olympics. Unlike in the past when one needed to spend much time to get adjusted to the gun, the technology has reduced that gap, so it will be easy for me to shoot with this new gun with same or better scores,” said Narang.

The gun was presented to Narang by the Wulf Heinz Pflaumer, President of Carl Walther Group in the presence of Alexander Lenert, CEO of Walther Group, Hichem Hanafi, Export

Manager, Walther Group and Pawan Singh, Director of Gun For Glory Shooting Academy.

“Besides the weapon and weaponry, what is important is the person who is holding the gun. I am in fine shape for the Games and the preparations are in full swing. The reduced weight of the trigger is what I was looking for, which this gun has made it possible,” said Narang.

Walther Group, which has been associated with the Gun For Glory Shooting Academy since its inception, announced their whole-hearted support to Gagan Narang’s initiative in popularising the sport of shooting.

“We know what Narang has done.

He has taken the sport to the grass root in India. But there is more work to be done and we are sure that he would achieve it in the coming years,” said Pflaumer, pointing out that in Germany football clubs have the largest membership, while shooting follows at the second place.

“We want to see more people in India take to shooting. If that happens in the near future then India will have more Olympic and world champion from shooting,” Pflaumer added.

Walther has so far given 50 guns to the Gun for Glory Shooting Academy over the years since the partnership was forged in 2011. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Wulf Heinz Pflaumer, president of Carl Walther Group (C) presenting the advanced gun to Gagan Naragn in the presence of Alexander Lenert, CEO of Walther Group

Earlier while studying in Muktangan School, Shubhankar was the finalist at the Chennai National championship, securing a silver medal. He had participated in the preparatory national camp for the Asian tournament held at Cuttack and Orissa and had also received a scholarship from Air India.

“Playing in the men’s category will be quite diff icult.

T h e s e players are on the circuit for long and I don’t think I will be able to make a career as a player now. But I will try my best as I never play casually,” said Shubha n k a r, who is currently studying me c h a n ic a l engineering at Pune Vidya r t h i Gruha.