The Golden Sparrow on Saturday 12/09/2015

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PUNE, SEPTEMBER 12, 2015 | www.thegoldensparrow.com

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TGS LIFE

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MUMBAI

CITY

Sons accuse father of building an illegal bungalow P2

Pune archaeologists make historic Harappan find P5

How these rustics acquired a filmy razzle-dazzle PICS BY ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

Almost every household in the scenic Wai and Bhor villages boasts of having played some role in the making of films like Omkara, Swades, Singham, Dabangg, Manjhi...

See Spotlight, p08 & 09

Dashrath Thopte and his son Satish look on as a shoot goes on their farm at Bhor

Shame on you PUNE POLICE

Teenage girl manages to flee from the clutches of her kidnappers and rushes to Wakad police station to alert them about another gagged woman, only to be told that the case does not fall in their jurisdiction.

At Hinjewadi police station she is thrown out as cops think it’s a hoax RAJIL MENON @RajilMenon Pune cops will go to any extent to shirk work. On Thursday a 15-year-old was abducted and dumped at the back of a tempo. Inside she found another woman gagged and bound by ropes lying on the floor. Petrified Mayuri Hanumant Rangar screamed for help but could not attract anybody’s attention as the door of the tempo was shut and the vehicle was moving. Few kilometers later, she found an opportunity when the tempo was stuck in traffic and the door came ajar due to the bumpy ride. She jumped out and rushed to a police station.

What happened next was worse.

The incident occurred on Thursday at around 7.30 pm in Hinjewadi. Mayuri had left her house in Yelwande slum to pick up groceries from a nearby shop when a tempo stopped near her. She recalls two men jumping out of the vehicle, lifting her and dumping her at the back of the tempo.

“One of them was masked. Before dumping me at the back they gagged me with a cloth so I couldn’t scream. But they did not tie my hands,” said a horrified Mayuri. Inside the vehicle there was another woman who was bound hand and foot, who seemed to be unconscious.

Since her hands were not tied, Mayuri

Hinjewadi Police Station

managed to get rid of No FIR mea ns the cloth tied to her O Pune Police no crime: Mantra mouth and started I I screaming for help. Her screams did not make A any difference as the door was shut and the vehicle was travers- T I ing through traffic. A A few minutes later, she saw the door open a little. “A string that was tied to keep TGS expose o n callous the door shut from cops in Ju Pune ne 20 ed ition outside came loose, may be because of the bumpy ride. I saw an opening and jumped out,” she said.

Mayuri landed in the midst of moving vehicles, and startled the drivers. In the commotion, she also had the presence of mind to try and rescue the woman in the van, but she was unable to rouse her, so she made her escape from her kidnappers.

Next she borrowed an autorickshaw driver’s phone to call her uncle, who told the driver to drop her at Bhumkar Chowk.

Her uncle and aunt, who have been her guardians since Mayuri’s parents expired a couple of years ago, were waiting at the chowk. Thereafter her aunt Jaya, uncle Gorakh Shelawane and Mayuri’s brother Kiran Rangar took her to the Wakad police station. After narrating the kidnapping attempt to the policemen on duty, they were made to wait for over half an hour. Eventually the cop returned only to tell them that the crime spot did not fall in their jurisdiction. They were told to approach Hinjewadi police station. “We tried requesting the cop to do something urgently as there was another victim in the vehicle. But the policeman just refused to act and told us to go to Hinjewadi,” said Mayuri’s aunt. Th is is despite Mayuri telling the cops about the make of the tempo and that she was able to memorise the last four digits of the vehicle’s registration number – 6742.

Made me wai t six hours and filed an NC

THE GOLDEN

SPARROW

ON SATURDAY JUNE 20, 2015 PUNE

THE GOLDEN

JUNE 20,

n Wednesday heading home night, Prithviraj Mane, 32, was when he got by a group On hearing beaten ruthlessly of men. Th Viman Nagar his attackers this, Mane, who was e techie residing determined arrested, called he came acrosswas driving when near in to get commissione up his uncle, Bishop’s School a group of r of the road. to the uncle of police in Solapur. Palandean assistant He honked men walking in the middle but refused hoping that Instead the also spoke to his ground they would men got off and insisted budge. Mane, however, move. him. He made ended and on an FIR. held A good two hurled the boys that the mistake of responding. abuses at Sassoon Hospitalhours later, the cops if they had Mane told told him to should accompany for a medical a problem they would with check-up after go to see Even before him to the police station. him, they which over an hour if it called for an FIR. he could After spending one of the medical certifiat the hospital, Mane men grabbed realise what was happening, returned with and rammed him. The men of a serious cate which said that a his his nature. His kicked around. head against a pillar. punched him up and other wound had injuries were The techie bruises dressed. to be stitched the passersby On seeing the commotion, was that cops would intervened, some One of them have to fi le Th is essentially meant only to be (punishment told to move of called up the of seven years) a case under section rattled the on.

325 attackers. Th police control room, of the Indian Once back which e men fled Penal Code.

Mane held medical certifi at the police station, from the cops saw cate and tried the cops would on to one of the attackers,the spot. last the time to not convincing be able to nab hoping that however, bit Mane one the rest later.

Sandeep Ankushinsist on an FIR. Th his arm and The man, is time inspector t’s supposed deep gash fled. Badly Jagdale, joined in to to be a on bruised and convince Mane,who was on night duty process. If with from Ramwadihis head, Mane waited you are a victimsimple Jagdale told too but to no avail.

Mane that crime, you of a arrive. What Chowkey, barely 100 for the police Inspector he the had been beaten same spot metres away happened next your local police,just need to approach had already to up too at was worse charges. With and despite being a narrate the been through. than what file an FIR cop did not incident, Mane refusing he or NC, and The cops press recorded his leave the rest to relent, to the cops. statement. about the scuffl took him to the chowkey, the cops At They to return next e and asked Supreme Court least that’s what the inquired day to collect asked him to leave, happened. him to and of India forget a copy of the The policemen On Thursday, November FIR. complaint.

Mane went were reluctantthat it ever 2013 states. ruling of cognisable On duty head back only to here in Pune, However, to fi le a complaint Mane that get a non copy. The the charges it was a minor constable A M Palande no bearing. the order has little or cops had and booked really come told case, and that diluted Cops will sections 323 unknown of it. anything do do almost accused under and 504 for never be identifi His logic was that the nothing would shirk Since it was attackers would ed and arrested.

They regularly their responsibility. registered as assault and intimidation indulge in the cops would a non . commonly a practice not have to cognisable compliant, known paperwork. investigate Visit any of as burking. it or fi le any the 37 police or attached chowkeys and stations across cops you come engaged in conversations animated with the complainants In most cases . convince, and they are trying to at victims to forget times even force the sole aim seems about the case. Their their paperwork to be ensuring that is minimal.

And they are willing any extent to go to to from registeringdissuade the victims a First Information Report. In a recent case of theft from a marriage hall, they were prompt enough to ask the complainants to prove that the crime place. The had taken cops asked the get CCTV footage of the family to and only then occurrence would they registering consider a case. As per the law, when a person made him walks into station and wait a police reports a Through those for over six hours. crime, cops cognisable not pursue are different offi six hours, at least three the case as case and start supposed to register a cers tried convincing the the area are investigating. injured man notorious and locals in occurrence the that there was such crimes.

In another known for of in filing a When the man keep official crime. This is just to severely thrashed case, a techie was formal compliantno point ground, they crime stood his it is about would never by a bunch filed a non as they time, seniors As for cell record low. over a petty of thugs be able to case, which cognisable disciplined phone thefts, issue. The bleeding in the accused. Th trace the meant and online force pick sought help bank is, have to investigate they would not frauds, the man up the rule book and from the eye witnesses. despite there being cops here just do not care. punish the instead of cops, who Th errant cops.

Similarly, therethe case.

As per section going by the cops went to One of the ‘on duty’ official records is is evident from their are several registering book and the extent of rape, abuse Penal Code, 166 A of the Indian cases a case of grievous of narrating how he had and 87 cases of which show that mere any been assaulted injury, which are seldom sexual harassment, cell phone take cognisance cop who fails to same spot thefts have at the taken place recorded in not so long of a serious registers, or this year. liable to be police ago, but did registered ‘punished with crime is With almost a lot of pressure, only after imprisonmen every person has ever been t for a term rigorous weeks after who shall not be to the police the which in Pune, less than six station narrating months but which may similar tales, extend to two shall also be years and liable to fine.’

2015

Issued lost cert registering ificate instead of a case of thef t

Cops thrashed the accused but refused to file an FIR

n March this year, Dhruvin and two of Shah his friends stepped out for a snack late in the restaurant near Nal Stop. night at a were about to leave, they When they owner of a bike parked requested the behind theirs make way so that they to could get their vehicle out.

Th to care and e owner was too drunk started hitting his friend Umakant Yalande.Shah and others joined Several the man and and Yalande beat up Shah ruthlessly minutes. Somehow, for the next few the two to flee from the spot and managed police control called the room.

“A young us on the way officer and his team met and took us eatery. We back to the pointed out had thrashed the us. The cops men who nab the four accused and managed to back to Deccan brought police station,” them Shah, whose said wallet, mobile bike keys had phone and men during been taken away by the the bashing. cop station, Once at the the cops beat accused and managed to up the four get the others, who had fl ed. so, the accused “Over the next hour or returned my The cops thrashed belongings. them pretty made them badly and regret what they to us. During all this, I kept had done cops that I telling the wanted an FIR against the accused. Both registered and I were my friend bleeding plus our belongings from the beating, had been The cops could have charged stolen. assault and theft. However, them for simply refused the police He added that to fi le a case,” said Shah. hour convincingthe cops spent the next Shah and Yalande fi ling a case that was a “The policemenbad idea. kept telling a case would us that have to keep only mean that we will coming back hearings. Th to court for ey were too youngalso said that the accused to be booked a serious off for such ence. The cops refused budge and asked us to to leave. Left no option, with we the fact that consoled ourselves with at us had learnt least the men who beat their lesson,” said Shah.

They won’t act because accused is powerful

ON SATURDAY

They asked to prov that crime had e taken place

The sole objectiv Police officials e of cops in Pune seems to be keeping will do almost the crime anything to dissuade a compla records, not crime, as low as possible inant from registering . an offence

his is one of most commonly used by Pune cops to underplay used techniques city. Each immediate. crime rate in They assured snatched, cops time a person’s cell the found in no me that the phone is stolen time insist on issuingrefuse to fi le a theft Shirsath. Monthsonce it is kept on tracingphone will be case. Instead or a lost certifi is able to get they later, the 23-year-old system,” said cate. Th is way, from the cops a the person is yet to hear cases of theft new SIM card and cops him for a ride. about his cell phone. under are able to Clearly they keep Take the case control on paper. took Shirsath is of Pratik Shirsath, not the only Eight months whose cell one. Thousands a phones are was at a study ago his cell phone was civil engineer. of people, stolen, are is obvious stolen while session with treated from the fact approached thefts were that mere 76 this way. Th is Nigdi police his friends in Akurdi. he recorded in cases of mobile of his phone to fi le a complaint He 2013, and 147 in 2014. worth the number of theft missing complaint Rs 12,000. “I rose to was told to Another ruse instead of fi le a suggested that a theft complaint. those who insist often deployed by a theft complaint cops to dissuade Th a long and a person whose on FIRs, is to ask for tedious procedure. will not help as ey an affidavit. property missing it is When On the other cops and insists phone has been stolen one is quick approaches on registering and the action hand, a to come back the an FIR, they is almost with an affi ask phone and other details. davit stating the value him of the

SPARROW

PUNE

A

They praised me for my alert ness but refused to file FIR

shwini Zambare fraud in Januarywas almost at the receiving this year. account in Within minutesend of a bank account Union Bank an unknown of opening of India, number. a new requested Zambare’s The man claimed she received a phone call from to be the manager account details. since there of a bank and had been no He justified his request activity on key details by her account, which he would the bank was saying that Zambare that fi ll out for her missing out to finish the now and so she had not changed formalities. her this process He told was necessary. banking passwords for Zambare’s a long time closed after salary account, which was in a diff she quit her erent bank, a mere 30 job and the had been minutes prior new account was amiss, had been opened Zambare askedto the phone call. Realising he was calling, the person for the bank something for information which he refused to from where disclose. He Zambare still about her bank account repeatedly asked did not divulge and passwords, the call. A any information, and when few hours later, Station to fi he disconnected Zambare went le a to the Dattawadi I did not want complaint. “I was alert Police and did not Hence I thoughtothers to fall for it fall into the and become trap. if the cops victims of saved,” said fraud.

Zambare. At nab the caller, several people would from what the police station, she be the situation such complaintshoped for. The inspector was far He congratulatedand that it is generally on duty refused to register impossible her complaint.

Zambare on to find the her sharp mind He said that culprit as the they get several and that was SIM cards it. Till date are almost always stolen. no complaint has been registered.

njali Pawar, a noted activist registered. from It happened Pune after and president 11 days the incident,” of NGO Sakhee, gets said Pawar, who has now into tiffs with cops almost fi led a criminal every second the against the case Most of these inspector day. inspector and sub involved in not wanting fights are over cops delaying the FIR. Pawar hears to register cases. about a lot In another of sexual of cases with similar case, Pawar met abuse from and children. women part of offi reluctance on the Her idea is cials at Rajgad the victims to get station. justice and police Th is take each one of them three-year-ol one involved a to a logical d boy who face hurdles end. “I sexually at the very abused. “His had been fi The cops are reluctant rst step. came to know parents fi le complaints. to even about the abuse I have handled and took him to cases where They approacheda public hospital. the police has taken anywhere between the cops for a week to even fi ling an FIR, only a year to fi le to be driven away. When FIRs,” said Pawar.

I came to know She cites approached and several the where cops have shirked cases were too callous local cops, they responsibility to care. Finally . One of their I approached involved a the higher-ups them got minor girl the FIR registered and who was raped, and four days later,” said who Pawar. In Loni Kalbhor approached the this case too, she sought police station fi le a complaint. action against to cops, two who refused “The girl turned down was to act in time.

The latest because the on the fi rst day old girl who involves a 14-yearcops were had been raped out for lunch. heading staying at while The next day a shelter went back, she cops but the cops received an home. “The her away on anonymous the grounds drove letter telling had come them that she alone, and who was pregnant.about the girl needed to bring her As per parents along. law, she went back When the the cops should have verifithe information ed they humiliatedwith her parents, case immediately and registered a her. Instead consoling her since of was a minor. However,the victim the complaint, and taking down they did not do so.

When I got dirty remarks. they made really involved, I insisted that She did not go back to they fi dare to good the year and half le an FIR. A the experience,”police station after after the girl explained Pawar. was abused, the The activist cops finally a complaint,” got to know fi led the case and explained Pawar. rushed to the about Th station. Initially police across e activist says she comes they drove away as well Pawar “Police such cases quite on often. here is was a routine the grounds that it not really interested molestation in fi ling a rape case. and not cases of women and “I and took her traced the victim children. Th only if they ey care back see refused to budge to the police. I make money an opportunity to and got the in such cases,” FIR Pawar. said

SC RULIN

G

26-year-old advertising professional has approached local office multiplepolice and commissionethe r’s times. The Market Yard resident of is being constantly by a police harassed officer’s son.

“I used to know guy a few years house and stole ago. He fi rst broke into the my my credit card. card to shop He used the for When I went Rs 75,000 worth of goods. to said that they the police station, the cops money back. would ensure that I got Th instead asked ey did not fi le a case my me and a lot of running to settle the matter.

After around I did back, but a my money formal case was never registered by the cops,” said the victim.

As if that wasn’t enough, woman has In November now the been frantically 2013, a Constitution from the cops.

Bench of seeking help the Supreme Th entry of such e same stalking her. person has that registration Court held closure must been “He started plied to the of First Information made lewd harassing me Report is first informant be sup• Corruption calls. I approached mandatory and and not later forthwith cases under but they did 154 of the than local police Cases where Code of Criminal Section not do anything. disclose reasons one week. It must I had to dure, if the there is abnormal Procedelay in in brief for Finally, approach information the complaint initiating closing the office. Th is commission discloses criminal and not proceeding ecution, was three years commissioner’s prosof a cognisable further. for example, commissione fence and ago. After months delay over three ofno preliminary r’s personal the (iv) The in reporting calls stopped intervention permissible inquiry is police offi ter without for a bit. But in such a the avoid his duty cer cannot satisfactorily the matsituation. again,” said they have started Supreme of registering the reasons The explaining Court issued the advertising if cognisable offence for delay. the following guidelines professional.

Th is time around, The aforesaid offence is are only regarding Action must disclosed. illustrations the victim the registraseveral calls tion of FIR. be taken against and not has made haustive of and trips to officers who exall conditions erring station and do (i) Registration warrant preliminary which may women’s cell the local police if information not register the FIR of FIR is mandabut to no avail. tory under inquiry. received “I know just (vii) While Section 154 by him discloses a cognisable because the ensuring of the Code, if the information tecting the and proaccused in offence. discloses (v) The rights a senior police sion of a cognisable commisscope of and the complainantof the accused officer’s inquiry is preliminary offence and son, the cops preliminary not to verify , a preliminary inquiry should no inquiry is the veracity or otherwise permissible act. These days won’t such a situation. be made of the information bound and in each time ceived in but time the any case reonly to ascertain (ii) If the not exceed it should person information er the information 7 days. The whethcalls me, does not received fact of such delay and I simply reveals any disclose a nisable off the causes cognisable cogswitch off fence but ence. of reflected ofmy hone indicates in the General it must be (vi) As to the necessity for several for an inquiry, Diary entry. what type (viii) Since hours a preliminary which and cases and stay the may be conducted in inquiry preliminary Station Diary/Daily General Diary/ alert to be conducted inquiry is only to ascertain when I step whether Diary is the cord of all will depend cognisable out. facts and reinformation on the offence is What closed or circumstance a police received dischoice not. case. The s of each station, we in do I really category (iii) If the direct that information of cases in inquiry discloses preliminary all relating which have?” said commission inquiry may to cognisable offences, the the of a cognisable are as under: whether resulting be made victim. the FIR must offence, istration be registered. where preliminary In cases inquiry ends closing the in complaint, a copy of the

• Matrimonial disputes/ disputes • Commercial offences • Medical negligence cases

family

in regof FIR or leading inquiry, must be mandatorilyto an meticulously and reflected in the said Diary and the decision to conduct preliminary a inquiry must flected, as also be rementioned above.

It was a repeat of the Wakad station, as even at the Hinjewadi policemen did not bother with noting down any details about the kidnappers or the vehicle they used. A lady cop at the police station accused Mayuri of concocting the story.

The family was shooed away from Hinjewadi.

Pune police just care about cases doesn’t sexual abuse of

n April this year, the Shroff gold rings family was and devastated. their daughter’s one lakh rupees in Two wedding reception cash were stolen Kondhwa. from After wasn’t misplaced,verifying that the bag at Sheerji Banquet in containing Dilip Shroff register an all the gifts approached off the local police the cops asked ence. However, to the to 52-year-old’s him to prove place. that the off surprise, ence had indeed The resident taken gold rings that of Camp was asked to produce bills of on duty that were stolen. Shroff tried since the rings to reason with the two produce the were gifts, the cops bills he CCTV footage immediately. The cops would not be able to then asked stolen the gifts. from the banquet to him to get prove that Dejected, Shroff to fi le a complaint. left the police somebody had It has taken station, unable the footage him over that the cops around the asked for. He a month to finally get police takes is hoping that up his case. this time

BURKING Burking is a process by which low. Instead the police of registering keep the tend to fi crime records le non cognisable FIRs where they are warranted, According to the Supreme offences or not register them cops to dilution Court of of the rule India, burking at all. of law in negative of crime the short impact on leads run; and the rule stop having also has of law in respect for a very the long a large number rule of law. run Thus, non-registrasince people of FIRs leads to lawlessness tion of such in society.

AUTHORITY

SPEAK

Sunil Ramanand, “In some cases,Joint Police Commission er it has been diluted. I have observed that issued a notifi the complaints without diluting cation to all the police crimes have been Code applicable. stations to register the facts or the sections of Indian Penal A cognisable offence must be diluted as be registered a non as cognizable.

It has come cognisable offence.

It cannot to my notice been robbed that in some have been cases people not demand asked to submit affi affidavits. Th who have circumstance davit while registering e cops must s, from a theft case or in any other I am not afraid the victims. of crime up on paper merely because records looking bulky or crime rate diligently. police stations Complaints must be registered have started taking going any delay. Also FIRs appropriate as they come sections I have displayed and without my cell phone must be applied. and people numbers at can call me all the police anytime.” stations

Mayuri Rangar, 15, (R) was abducted by unknown men on Thursday evening and approached two police stations with her aunt and uncle

The cops there did not even care to send out a message to control room to look for the vehicle.

Jaya was infuriated with the police apathy and their refusal to take Mayuri’s story seriously. “In fact, a woman constable at the Hinjewadi police station kept accusing Mayuri of trying to elope with a boyfriend, and that she had concocted the kidnapping episode. She even threatened to beat up Mayuri,” Jaya said. “After making us wait for a long time this is how they treated us. They even did not bother when Mayuri told them about the woman who was in the tempo, who seemed to have been abducted by the duo,” she said.

Gorakh said that the way they were treated

by the police personnel at both the Wakad and Hinjewadi was shocking. “How can they threaten and browbeat a minor like Mayuri, who was visibly shocked and traumatised by the kidnapping attempt? Meanwhile, the two unknown culprits are still at large and free to carry on their misdeeds, he said.

On Friday, when TGS contacted SP Bhosale, senior inspector of Hinjewadi police station, he said he would personally speak to the victim and register a case. “Th is is shocking to me as well.

I will trace the victim, take her statement and register an FIR.” rajil.menon@goldensparrow.com

mUMBAI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

PUNE

Want GST implementation from Apr 2016: Jaitley P 14

“We will not allow shutdown of municipalized abattoirs for the 8-day of Paryushan. We will ensure there is no ban on sale of meat for eight days.”

-Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena Chief

Sons accuse father of building an illegal bungalow The Jondhales, who control 23 educational institutes, are at war yet again TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly The Jondhales are at loggerheads again.

Education baron Shivajirao Jondhale has been sued by his sons Devendra and Sagar over construction of a bungalow in Junnar. The sons have filed a petition in Bombay High Court, alleging that their father is constructing an illegal bungalow on a plot of land jointly owned by the trio.

The Sagar Jondhale matter came up for hearing before a division bench of HC recently and is slated for the next hearing on October 5. The Jondhales own 23 educational institutes, which include engineering and management colleges mostly in Thane district.

In the petition, Devendra and Sagar have claimed that they came to know about the construction of a palatial bungalow on the plot located at Karajale village from their personnel. The plot, measuring 13 acres, already has an existing bungalow built around 15 years ago. After learning about the ongoing construction of another bungalow on the plot, the sons approached local authorities to find out more.

The petition stated that Devendra and Sagar “visited the plot and found that Shivajirao Jondhale was indeed

The construction of this bungalow at Junnar has led to a legal battle between Shivajirao Jondhale and his two sons Devendra and Sagar

carrying out unauthorised construction of a bungalow on a plot belonging to the Petitioners (sons) without their consent and/or knowledge.” The petition further stated, “The Petitioners also found out that no permission has been granted to said Shivajirao Jondhale for construction of Shivajirao Jondhale the said bungalow by any competent authority.” The sons filed a complaint with district officials and local gram panchayat.

The gram panachayat told

Devendra and Sagar that they were not a planning authority and hence not allowed to grant any permissions for the construction. As for the district administration, the sons have alleged that the officials there deliberately avoided action against the construction.

They claim that the sub divisional officer instructed the local tehsildar to act immediately. “The tehsildar instead of taking immediate action directed the circle officer to conduct an enquiry. The tehsildar, under the pretext of hearing, has delayed taking action and thereby protected the unauthorised construction which is being carried out by Shivajirao Jondhale and also gave him breathing time to complete his unauthorised construction,” stated the petition filed on August 27.

Devendra and Sagar have sought demolition of the bungalow in their petition. On August 31, the matter was heard

by Justice AS Oka and Justice VL Achliya. Since the Devendra Jondhale petition was only against district administration, the division bench asked the sons to include their father as well as one of the respondents. The case will be heard next on October 5.

When TGS contcated Shivajirao Jondhale, his representative Anup Dongre said that there was nothing illegal about the bungalow. “We have all the permissions dating back to July.

Devendra and Sagar should have first checked permissions and then knocked on HC’s doors. The truth will be out soon,” said Dongre.

Devendra and Sagar on one side and their father Shivajirao, have been at war for almost a decade now. The two sides have filed several complaints against each other over the years. At the heart of the feud is control over educational institutions - polytechnics, engineering, management, schools and colleges - run under the banner of Samarth Samaj Trust (18 colleges) and Vighnaharta Trust (five colleges).

Shivajirao is president of both the trusts but the sons have control over only some of the institutes. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Seven months on, death of social reformer’s kin remains mystery The death of Suvarna Sathe, a Police Constable in adjoining Thane who was also the great grand daughter of social reformer from Maharashtra Annabhau Sathe, remains shrouded in mystery even seven months after she went missing and later succumbed to burn injuries.

Suvarna went missing from Thane, where she was a Constable in rural wing, while on duty seven months ago. A few days later the family came to know of her mysterious death in their native place Walva, Sangli district, about 375km from here, in Western Maharashtra.

Since then her widowed mother Lilabai has been running from pillar to post seeking justice for her daughter. Lilabai and her acquaintance Shankar Kamble have accused Sunil Ingle, a “goon” from Walva, of murdering the 23-year-old.

Kamble said one day the family got a call from a Walva hospital about Suvarna being admitted there with 80 per cent burn injuries and were asked to meet her soon as her chances of survival were slim.

“All that the family has is the copy of her death certificate and her buckle number (4073),” Kamble said. “Even her body

Suvarna’s family has accused ‘goon’ Sunil Ingle of murdering the Constable

was cremated without any of her immediate family members being present,” he added.

Kamble said Suvarna left Thane along with Ingle, who had promised to marry her in Walva. Thereafter, the family got the news of her tragic death. To add to their misery, Ingle allegedly issued repeated threats to her family members. “They began threatening us to keep quiet or else my two sons would also go missing without a trace,” Lilabai said.

The news of Suvarna’s death brought even more agony for the family. Her father and grandmother passed away in quick succession, she added. Lilabai lamented she is not getting help from Sangli Police in solving the case, but vowed to continue her fight for justice.

PTI

2006 Mumbai train blasts: 12 convicted, one acquitted Seven RDX bombs had exploded in the first class coaches of suburban trains killing 188 people, injuring 829 Nine years after seven RDX bombs witnesses, including eight Indian kept in Mumbai suburban trains Police Service (IPS) and five Indian exploded killing 188 people, a Administrative Service (IAS) officers MCOCA court in Mumbai on as well as 18 doctors. The defence Thursday convicted 12 persons in the lawyers examined 51 witnesses and serial blasts case. one person was called as a court Delivering the verdict, the Special witness.

Maharashtra Control of Organised The deposition made by witnesses Crime Act (MCOCA) Judge Yatin runs into around 5,500 pages.

D Shinde pronounced 12 accused as Seven RDX bombs had exploded guilty while acquitting one accused in the first class coaches of Mumbai’s Abdul Wahid Shaikh (34) in the case. suburban trains on July 11, 2006, The 12 accused who were convicted killing 188 people and injuring 829. on Thursday The blast are: Kamal o c c u r r e d Ahamed Ansari within a span (37), Tanvir of 10 minutes Ahmed Ansari between Khar (37), Mohd Road-Sa ntaFaisal Shaikh cruz, Bandra(36), Ehtesham Khar Road, Siddiqui (30), Jogeshwa r iMohammad Mahim JuncMajid Shafi tion, Mira (32), Shaikh Road- BhayThe deposition made by witnesses in the train Alam Shaikh ander, Mablasts case runs into around 5,500 pages (41), Mohd tunga- MaSajid Ansari him Junction (34), Muzzammil Shaikh (27), Soheil and Borivali. The MCOCA judge had Mehmood Shaikh (43), Zamir Ahmad concluded the trial on August 19 last Shaikh (36), Naveed Hussain Khan year. The examination of witnesses (30) and Asif Khan (38). resumed after two years since the SuHowever, Azam Chima, along preme Court had stayed the trial in with 14 others, are still absconding in 2008. the case. Arguments for the quantum Before the stay, the prosecution of sentence are likely to begin on had already examined a police officer.

Monday.

The Supreme Court vacated the stay In the trial that lasted for eight on April 23, 2010. years, the prosecution examined 192 PTI

Dam water shouldn’t be given for Kumbh: PIL

Petitioners allege that 3,000 mcft water has been reserved for ‘shahi snan’ days A public interest litigation (PIL) filed in the Bombay High Court has demanded that no water should be released for the ‘shahi snan’ (‘royal bath’) days during the ongoing Kumbha Mela at Nashik on the banks of Godavari as most of the state is reeling under an “unprecedented” drought.

The petition, filed by activists Sanjay Kale and Sandip Kulkarni, would come up for hearing before the Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court.

The Kumbh Mela, touted as the largest religious congregation on earth, is underway at Nashik. The PIL objects to the state government’s decision to release water periodically from up-stream dams to Trimbakeshwar and Panchawati at Nashik between July 14 this year to August 2016.

On one hand, during the droughts, swimming pools are shut down and water supply for many other purposes is cut, but there is no regulation of water usage for religious occasions such as the Kumbh Mela, the PIL says, adding it shows “utter disregard for a uniform state policy with regard to use of water during the drought”.

According to the statistics released by the Water Resources department, almost eighty per cent of the state is facing a drought, Marathwada being the worst-affected, and most dams hold very little water, the PIL points out. The petitioners allege that 3,000 mcft water has been reserved for ‘shahi snan’ days of the Kumbh Mela this year.

PTI

Unfortunate that women with TB discriminated in society: Big B Megastar Amitabh Bachchan decried the stigma being attached to young women in society who are diagnosed with tuberculosis.

“I think (because of TB) there is a discrimination in the society especially against young women who are to get married and those who are married...

They are like (thrown) out of house.

It is worst that Indian women have to go through something which can be detected and cured,” Bachchan said.

He was addressing reporters at an event wherein the US Ambassador to India Richard Verma launched the ‘Mumbai Dialogue: Towards a TBfree India’ campaign in presence of veteran industrialist Ratan Tata.

“Married women are facing stigma, they are made alien.

It is a myth that people get inflicted by the disease. People are treated like barriers. This (perception of society towards TB patients in general) is wrong and needs to be corrected,” he said.

The goal of the drive is to engage corporate sector to strengthen Union government’s ‘Call to Action for a TB

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, US Ambassador to India Richard Verma and Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata during a press conference announcing an initiative for TB-Free India in Mumbai

-free India, launched in April.

“I happily agreed to be part of this campaign for the country. I feel obliged to Government of India, to the Embassy and Ratan Tata,” Bachchan said.

On the occasion, Bachchan

recalled how he contracted TB in 2000 and then fought back.

“I had worked on TB with MCGM (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai). We did events like awareness programme. I did suffer

from TB in year 2000 and it was detected by accident. I did undergo treatment with a heavy dosage of medicines. If it can happen to me it can happen to anybody, but there is cure for it,” the veteran actor said.

Bachchan had earlier been the face of polio eradication campaign in the country. He was brand ambassador by MCGM for its anti-TB campaign.

The actor said it is important to eliminate TB just like polio had been eradicated through measures of awareness across the nation.

“We made India polio free after eight years, thanks to the efforts taken for it. We need to choose dedicated workers who should be encouraged and given facility for bringing to our notice where help is required. I am happy to cooperate,” Big B said.

“We should be concerned and try to prevent it (TB) by taking measures.

It doesn’t just affect poor, it can happen to rich or poor. I feel privileged to be here and being involved with something that makes difference to society,” Ratan Tata said.

PTI

TB an ‘economic drain’, impediment to development: Ratan Tata Terming tuberculosis as an “economic drain”, which also results in discrimination at schools and workplace, noted businessman Ratan Tata said TB is not just a poor man’s disease and anyone can be infected by it.

“This disease, which is treatable and curable, is a significant economic drain, especially on our poor, and results in discrimination at schools and workplace,” he said at an event ‘Mumbai Dialogue: Towards a TB-Free India’ here. The Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons noted that TB is not just a poor man’s disease and today anyone can be affected by the bacterial infection that usually attacks the lungs, but they can also damage other parts of the body.

“Most Indian families, it seems, at some point have encountered TB, which is a big impediment to our basic well being and overall socio-economic development,” he said, adding that the disease is a “silent killer” and is assuming proportions, which is a matter of serious concern for the country.

The 77-year-old investor-philanthropist said it is about time that corporates and communities collectively responded to end this epidemic in our country.

According to the WHO estimates, as many as 2.4 lakh Indians die of TB each year and 61,000 suffer from multi drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Tata, along with megastar Amitabh Bachchan and US Ambassador Richard Verma, launched ‘Mumbai Dialogue: Towards a TB-Free India’, which aims to engage corporates to strengthen the government’s call to action to eradicate the disease.

Stressing on the need for private sector involvement in dealing with this key health issue, Verma said, “Over the last 18 years, the United States has invested close to USD 100 million in India to prevent and control TB, and has helped to treat over 15 million people.”

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

“I will inform the state government about the school fee hike issues raised by parents and request them to expedite the setting up of a divisional fee regulatory committee. At present, there is only a state-level committee in place.”

— Purushottam Bhapkar, Education Commissioner

‘TV channels crossed ‘Lakshman Rekha’ while covering Yakub case’ P12

It’s all about the money DIAT students launch indefinite strike over unpaid stipend and allowances

BY Gargi Verma @missgverma Around 70 PhD students of the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) have declared an indefinite strike against their management. The students have been deprived of their rightful allotment of funds by the institute management.

The government has raised their research scholarship monthly stipend, but the 70 students have not been paid for the past two months. Not just the stipend has been unpaid without prior notification, but they have also not received their allowances.

The decision to suspend all lab work and go on a strike was taken on September 11 when the Board of Directors met and decided that only the previous amount of Rs 16,000 for first two years and Rs 18,000 for the next two years will be paid to the research fellows.

“While taking admissions, we were told that the institute complies with MHRD and UGC guidelines.

Now they are saying they’ve received a letter from the either the defence ministry or MHRD that says they can’t pay us the hike. There are so many discrepancies, that we are not sure what is wrong. So, till we are paid our hiked fees along with the arrears, we are declaring an indefinite strike. We

PUNE

DIAT caters to defence, DRDO and civilian students and follows the MHRD and UGC guidelines

shall not attend our lab sessions and shall protests peacefully outside the Vice Chancellor’s office,” said Preetam Bala, a senior research fellow.

A letter was also sent to the Vice Chancellor demanding clarifications.

The letter stated, “all PhD students do not comply with the decision made in BOM regarding receiving our scholarship as per old rate, as DIAT, being an institution following MHRD norms as per our joining letter and DIAT’s own rulebook and online website, we are bound to be given hiked fellowship effective from 1-10-2014.”

The institute that caters to defence, DRDO and civilian students follows the MHRD and UGC guidelines, according to its website. According to the MHRD guidelines issued in February 2015, however, the grants for research students have been hiked from Rs 16,000 per month to Rs 25,000 per

month for junior fellows, and from Rs 18,000 per month to Rs 28,000 per month for senior fellows, from October 1, 2014. The DIAT had issued a memo notifying this on May 2.

A senior research fellow, under conditions of anonymity, said, “We should have received the arrears for the period from October 2014 to May 2015, along with the hiked stipend, in June. But what we got instead was a stipend of Rs 25,000, for both junior and senior fellows. We thought that this would be rectified by July, but that has not occurred and we have not received even a rupee in July and August.”

The students who took up the issue with the Registrar and Vice Chancellor, were asked to prove that they were research fellows. “Our qualification was contested and we were asked to furnish proofs. It’s

ironic because we got admission in this prestigious institute on the basis of fine academic records and top ranks in the NET/GATE exams,” said Manish, another student. Notwithstanding that, the vice chancellor told the students that the ministry had nullified their scholarships and that the institute would only give them the pre-hike stipend for a year.

“We were given no clarification and no reason why the ministry nullified our scholarship. We were then told to wait till September 11, when the board of directors were scheduled to meet,” said a junior research fellow. “We have sent a letter to MHRD, UGC and all concerned authorities. However, no one has responded yet,” the students claim.

Fee hiked, stipend stopped Students who got admissions in March-April 2015, paid a fee at the DIAT of Rs 25,000 per semester, for the first year. This is a five-fold hike from the earlier Rs 5000. The students say that the fee was hiked as the stipend had increased. “They didn’t tell us about the fee structure till we received our acceptance letters when we came here for the documentation. But there was no fee break-up either,” said a first year student. Senior students who are married have families to take care of and receiving no money for the past two months has been an ordeal. “We are managing somehow, but we have no money to send home.”

Where is the money?

It’s not just about the stipend.

“According to our offer letters, students staying elsewhere besides the hostel are supposed to get 30 per cent of the monthly stipend as housing allowance.

We have not received that. We are also supposed to get Rs 30,000 per year to spend on our research topics and for attending seminars across the country.

For the past few years, we have been even denied this,” students said. They say that according to UGC guidelines, each research institute gets a certain amount of money which they disburse amongst the students. “Either they are using the money somewhere else, or they are not receiving the money.

If they are not, then they are clearly not following the UGC guidelines.

They should inform about this in their prospectus,” said a senior fellow student. Another student said, “What if tomorrow they say that our degrees and research are not valid, since we haven’t followed MHRD or UGC guidelines? Our five years and effort will then go down the drain.”

New heads, new problems The students say that the Registrar and the Vice Chancellor have been newly appointed. While the Registrar has been there for a year, the Vice Chancellor has served for only six months. This, they say is the root cause for the many issues. “They are resorting to red tape, jargons and definitions instead of understanding our problems or helping us. The former registrar was willing to discuss our issues. Now the Registrar refuses to talk to us,” the students claimed. Only when the students threatened a gherao did the Registrar decided to meet them in his cabin.

Registrar says, “Our first concern is for the defence and DRDO students” Retired Rear Admiral Vivek Sheel Batra, Registrar DIAT, says that there is no issue regarding money. He said, “It’s a clerical mistake by the Ministry

over which our Auditor has stopped the funding.” He said that the Junior and Senior Research Fellows were different from the PhD students and the ministry deleted the paragraph about PhD students. About the prospectus of the institute denoting them as the same, he said, “How is that possible? I can’t call you one name for a few years and another name later.” The issue can be resolved at the Ministry level only, he said. “I went to Delhi and met both the MHRD and Defence officials.

They assured me that problems would be solved at the earliest,” he said.

About the housing allowance, he said, “Our primary concern is students from Defence and DRDO backgrounds.

We provide unmatched facilities at reasonable cost. The students really have nothing to complain about.”

The Vice Chancellor said there were no issues he was aware of and told us to talk to the Registrar.

However, the Registrar and Vice Chancellor were unavailable after their board meeting on September 11 for comments.

What does rulebook say?

According to the Institute prospectus, the PhD students for the first two years are supposed to be referred to as Junior Research Fellows and thereafter as Senior Research Fellows. However, in the mail by the management, they are sometimes meant as the same entities and at other times as a different group of students. This is the bone of contention between the students and the management. The students are also liable to receive the allowances and the arrears according to the UGC guidelines.

The students currently are mulling over the course of the strike. “However, we are sure that it will be a peaceful strike and we shall not budge till our funds are released,” said Preetam. gargi.verma@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

PUNE

“The RTO app is a platform for parents, schools and police to keep watch on school transport. Most parents now use smartphones. That is why, the administration decided to make the information available through this medium.”

— Jitendra Patil, Regional Transport Officer

Indian-origin entrepreneur tests new driverless vehicle in US P10

Chopra intervention fails to break FTII deadlock Allegations and counter-allegations continue between students and ministry representatives

Aniruddha Rajandekar

BY Gargi Verma @missgverma It has been over 90 days since the launch of the students strike at the Film and Television Institute of India, and there have been countless twists and turns.

The students blame the Information and Broadcasting ministry for not listening to their demands. Information and Broadcasting Minister of State Department Rajyavardhan Rathore has denied this allegation in his statement, on September 10. Rathore said, “Various back channels were used to negotiate with the students.”

The most prominent mediator was renowned Hindi film director and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

Institute sources said that Vidhu Vinod Chopra had first approached them on July 20. On July 23-24, Chopra and three students representative went to Mumbai to allegedly speak to the Joint Secretary, off the record. This was the first of three unofficial but crucial meetings involving the students, Chopra and ministry representatives.

The representatives returned from Delhi two days later, and took along three others for a discussion organised

by Chopra. The six students, Vikas Urs, Harishankar Nachimutu, Ajayan Adat, Yashasvi Mishra, Shini JK and Prateek Vats met Chopra, who tried to convince them to renege only on the issue of Gajendra Chauhan. The ministry was ready to accept all their demands, as long as Chauhan was the

Vehicle, housing loans hiked for Haryana MLAs P12

Two minor girls raped, one held

Man held for raping 7-year-old daughter; duo booked for raping mentally challenged teen

By Gitesh Shelke @gitesh.shelke

The Kondhwa police have arrested a 37-year-old man for allegedly raping his seven-year-old step daughter on the night of Tuesday and Wednesday.

They have booked the suspect for unnatural sex offense and rape.

The man’s wife has lodged a complaint in this regard with the Kondhwa police station. The victim has been admitted to the Sassoon General Hospital.

According to the complaint, the incident took place at her home when the victim’s mother had gone out.

Sub Inspector Sheetal Sutar said that the family stays in an apartment in Kondhwa and the victim’s mother work as domestic help, while the accused works with a private firm.

“It is the second marriage for both the suspect and the woman, while the girl is a student of a local school,” Sutar said.

mentally challenged daughter, over the last two years.

The girl, who is currently placed in a home for mentally challenged children at Satara, was subjected to a medical examination there, after she disclosed the story of her sexual exploitation to the home authorities.

The caretaker of the home has filed a complaint in this regard, which was transferred to the Yerawada police station, on Wednesday.

The police confirmed that the girl had severe injuries on her private parts and back.

The complaint states that the victim girl was sexually abused regularly back in 2013 when she was just 12 years old, and the traces of the injuries she suffered then are still evident.

The police party from Yerawada police station visited Satara on Thursday, only to find that her parents had migrated to Parbhani in search of work.

Police said that the girl was living with her family at Yerawada when the alleged abuse took place. The case has therefore, been referred to the Yerawada police station for further investigation. gitesh.shelke@goldensparrow.com

The complaint states that the victim girl was sexually abused regularly back in 2013

After being on strike and suspending classes for more than three months, the FTII students have now embarked on a hunger strike with three students being the first ones to start it. Ministry and management have not commented on the same

Chairman. The government was also not willing to ratify this statement on paper, so the students were sceptical, said a core committee member.

However, negotiations were dropped when Rahul Gandhi met the students, which politicised the issue.

Chopra contacted Urs on September 3, and the committee, wherein Shini was replaced by Malayaj, met Chopra at his residence, on September 4. “The government was adamant on Chauhan, but we didn’t want that. It was all back door and ad hoc. We wanted a

permanent solution, so this deal fell through,” the students said.

Director (Films) Deepak Kumar said, “The ministry hasn’t had a single back door communication. Neither did we appoint a mediator.” gargi.verma@goldensparrow.com

Mentally challenged girl r aped The Yerawada police have booked a man and a family friend for the alleged rape of the man’s 15-year-old

Why are they treating citizens with disdain?

250 NDA cadets take ill after having lunch at hostel The staff at the Citizens’ Facilitation Centre are needlessly rude and refuse to reveal their names or designation Rahul raut

BY PRIYANKKA DESHPANDE @journopriyankka

About 250 cadets of the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla near here, took ill after having their lunch at the hostel mess, an NDA spokesman said on Thursday.

All those who had taken ill yesterday with complaints of vomiting and upset stomach were treated in the NDA hospital and subsequently discharged, the spokesman said, adding that a majority of them were discharged yesterday itself while a remaining few were allowed to go this

morning after observation.

When asked if this was a case of food poisoning, the spokesman Shibbu Devasia said, “there are about 1000 cadets taking daily food. Only some of them were affected with indigestion and stomach upset.”

He, however, stated that the authorities had ordered an inquiry into the incident.

All the affected cadets were now back to their routine, he noted.

PTI

Dispute over food bill leads to molestation

By Gitesh Shelke @gitesh.shelke The Kondhwa police have arrested two youths for allegedly molesting a 24-year-old woman at a Salunke Vihar restaurant owned by the victim’s father, late Wednesday night.

According to the police, the two men were among a group of people who spent a long time over their drinks and dinner. But when they were given the bill for the food and beverages at around midnight, the group claimed that they were overcharged. In the ensuing fracas, the hotel owner was manhandled by

the irate customers. The woman who received a call from the restaurant staff immediately rushed to the restaurant.

When she intervened in the dispute over the bill, the two youths identified as Wanowrie residents Harsh Ramlakhan Singh and Mohammed Reza, continued their argument over the bill, and eventually molested her sexually.

The incident was reported to the police chowky immediately, where the victim and two alleged culprits were taken by the police for inquiry. The police said that the argument continued at the police station. gitesh.shelke@goldensparrow.com

The staff at this public office are extremely rude, they refuse to reply to queries, and when asked, decline to reveal their names or designations.

Welcome to the Citizens’ Facilitation Centre for Pune city, which is located Ajay Kate in a godown at Sh iv aji n a g a r.

The non-co-operative staff at the centre have been appointed by the district administration through a private contractor. Their tasks include making affidavits for property registration, ration card, income and other such vital documents. Their lethargy and rude behaviour with members of the public, therefore, is all the more shocking and unexplainable.

Pushkar Gurjar had gone to the centre to inquire about what documents were needed for the registration of property succession.

Imagine his bewilderment when the woman staffer who was in charge of receiving the documents refused to reveal her identity, and when he kept insisting, she literally drove him away.

“Who is she? Don’t I have a right to know the name and designation of the person to whom I will be handing Pushkar Gurjar over important p r o p e r t y documents?” said Gurjar. “She seemed infuriated by my demand, refusing pointblank to disclose her identity. If I insisted on knowing her name and designation, then I should not come to her to submit my documents, she told me,” he said.

This Sadashiv Peth resident is now in

The tasks at Citizens’ Facilitation Centre for Pune city, located in a godown at Shivajinagar, include making affidavits for property registration, ration card, income and other such vital documents

a quandary over the issue, wondering What they wanted was a caste who would be responsible for the certificate for their children. “This is safe-keeping of his documents. the fourth time that we have come to Ajay Kate, who wanted a new the office. Every time they ask me to ration card for his married daughter, produce some document or another. has been to the CFC several times My husband’s and father-in-law’s over the last few caste certificates days. “I want to clearly mention make a new ration them being of the card for my recently Buddhist caste. But married daughter the CFC staff want and her husband. a caste put on my Despite obtaining child’s certificate an NOC from the which has not Pune Municipal existed after 1950,” Corporation, the Rachana said.

CFC staffers are TGS team asking for an NOC visiting the CFC for the new ration observed that there card,” he said. was no signboard The Shukrawar p r o v i d i n g Peth resident says information about - Sonappa Yamgar that he and his facilities available acquaintances have at the centre, been at the receiving end of such which is mandatory under the Right treatment at the hands of CFC staff to Information Act. Neither were regularly. the names and designations of the Rachana Gajarmal and her centre’s staff displayed on their desks. husband have had a long wait after When we asked the woman staffer at arriving at the CFC at 10.30 am. the caste certificate counter about

“We have not issued any orders regarding disclosure of staffers’ identity. I will look into it.”

what documents were needed, she redirected us to another building.

We went to the counter where affidavits are submitted for the registration of succession of property.

The woman staffer whom we asked about the necessary documents, replied rather vaguely. Thereafter, she refused to reveal her name and instead told us, “What difference will knowing my name make? I am here to get your work done, that’s all,” she said.

Expert speak RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar said that the attitude displayed by the CFC staffers was in complete contradiction to the state government’s newly introduced Right to Service Act, which assures transparency and delivery of service to citizens from government machiner y.

Kumbhar said, “It amounts to a serious offence Rachana Gajarmal if a government employee or private staff appointed by the district administration refuse to disclose their identity. In fact, if the district administration appoints private staff at facilitation centres, their names, contact numbers and designations should be clearly displayed.” The RTI activist also stressed the issue of be accountability and responsibility regarding citizens’ important documents.

Official speak Pune Sub Divisional Officer, Sonappa Yamgar, said that such a state of affairs at the CFC was not acceptable. “The staff are from private agency appointed by us. We have not issued any orders regarding disclosure of staffers’ identity. I will look into what is happening at the CFC,” Yamgar said. priyankka.deshpande@ goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

“Some institutions have refused to admit a few students allotted seats in the first round of the state education department’s centralised admission process.

They are now sitting at home despite the academic year beginning in June.”

— Mukund Kirdat, the spokesperson of AAP

Burial from Rakhigarhi

BY EKTA KATTI @Ektaak A group of Pune archaeologists undertook an extensive five-month excavation at sites in Rakhigarhi, Haryana, 150 km from Delhi. Their mission was to trace and decipher the appearance of the Harappan people, with the help of the DNA samples they gathered.

The landmark excavation was headed by Vasant Shinde, vice chancellor of Deccan College Post Graduate and

Research Institute, Pune.

“The DNA samples were extracted from the tooth of the skeleton. The study of the DNA will help us determine their appearance, blood group and their civilisation. This will basically help us understand them better,” said Shinde.

The group of 15 archaeologists, including eight local students, focused on three of nine mounds or hillocks.

They excavated the skeletons from the seventh mound.

BIG BREAKTHROUGH

DECODING THE ANTIQUITIES The excavation yielded a treasure chest of antiquities such as pottery items, terracotta figurines and toys, beads, stones, lapis lazuli, tools and bangles dating back 4500 years.

“One of the most precious finds was a piece of terracotta which had the Harappan script engraved on it,” said Amrithavalli, a PhD student, who was part of the excavation. They are yet to decipher the script. The beads and lapis

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P11

Gram sevak latest victim of hit and run

Cops suspect that several vehicles drove over Lature’s body after the accident

Deccan College archaeologists acquire DNA samples of the Harappan race from an excavation site in Rakhigarhi, Haryana

Shinde is greatly elated on finding DNA samples of the Harappans for the first time ever from the site at Rakhigarhi, which stretches over 350 hectares.

The DNA samples will also help them determine if Indians are the decedents of the Harappans. “It is not yet scientifically proven if we are their descendants. We will be working on the samples for a couple of months.

Hopefully by the year end our questions will be answered,” said Shinde.

If the study proves that the Harappans are our ancestors, it will be the biggest of breakthroughs for the Pune archaeologists. From the samples it could also be determined if interregional marriages took place in that era.

The DNA samples will be also studied by archaeologists and DNA specialists from South Korea.

Want GST implementation from Apr 2016: Jaitley

Switzerland best place to live for older adults, India 71st

Pune archaeologists make historic Harappan find

RAHUL RAUT

BY RAJIL MENON @RajilMenon Warje police station has a tough case to crack. Late on Thursday night they found body of a hit and run victim.

The mangled body of a person later identified by the police as Vinod Vaman Lature, was found on the Mumbai bypass highway near Chandni Chowk.

A red Honda motorcycle was lying near the body.

Pravin Mohol, 29, of Baner and Amit Bansode, 32, of Kothrud came upon Lature’s body at around 1 am.

Mohol called the police emergency number, while Bansode called an ambulance service, who refused to travel that far. However, they stopped a passing police patrol van, and the police personnel assumed charge of the case.

Mohol and Bansode used the deceased person’s SIM card to contact his kin. The police said that Lature was a resident of Vedant Residency at Sus and worked as a gramsevak.

“We are treating it as a hit-andrun incident, and have fi led a case against unknown persons under the IPC sections 279 (rash driving), 304

Excavation team from Deccan College

Complete Pots found with burial grave at Rakhigarhi

lazuli are Harappan ornaments.

HUB FOR ARCHAEOLOGISTS The Deccan College is understandably proud of the finds. Nilesh Jadhav, research associate and project codirector for the Rakhigarhi excavation, believes that the DNA samples and their findings will put Pune and their college on the global archaeology map.

“The college and Pune is home for students from all over the world. These findings will benefit us and make Pune a hub for archaeologists,” Jadhav said.

Pravin Mohol (L) of Baner and Amit Bansode (R) spotted Lature’s body

City prof gets discriminatory govt order scrapped

Vinod Lature’s bike

(culpable homicide), 427 (causing mischief) and under the Motor Vehicle Act 132, 119 and 177,” said Warje Police Station Assistant Police Inspector Vikas Mahamulkar.

Cases of accidents and rash driving are common at the spot on the highway where the incident occurred. It is also a remote area and medical aid and ambulances are not available in emergencies. It is also likely that in the recent incident, Lature’s body was run over by more passing vehicles after the initial crash, which could explain the reason for its mangled state. rajil.menon@goldensparrow.com

DDHA

ANIRU

EKAR

RAJAND

With this issue

State government had issued a circular stating that a victim of domestic violence cannot be counselled before she approaches court with her complaint

BY YOGESH SADHWANI @yogeshsadhwani

m rrow.co

denspa

PUNE,

“Lack of awareness of many women of the legal rights and position in law is a truism.”

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letter, stated that the government should not put a blanket prohibition on counselling or put restrictions on activities undertaken by any NGOs. She termed the circular violative A letter from a faculty in ILS Law College of Article 21 of the Constitution of India. “It to the Bombay High Court has changed infringes on the rights of women who are victims the way cases of domestic violence are to of domestic violence and also of NGOs which be dealt with. Dr Jaya Sagade, vice princiare working for the promotion and protection of pal of ILS, objected to a government cirwomen’s human rights,” she wrote. She explained cular which stated that victims of domestic in her letter that there were many victims of violence are not to domestic violence in Pune who were sceptical be counselled before about approaching courts but may approach the they approach courts NGOs and in some cases intervention results in for justice. The circuamicable settlements. lar last year termed The court took up her letter as PIL in June this counselling or mediayear and asked the state to respond. The division tion before approachbench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice ing courts a ‘breach of Roshan Dalvi also asked several organisations law’. The HC, which working for women’s rights - Majlis Manch, converted her letter Lawyers Collective, Tata Institute of Social to a suo moto pubServices (TIS), Stree Mukti Sanghatana (SMS), Dr Jaya Sagade lic interest litigation, Bharatiya Stree Shakti (BSS) – to join the PIL. - HC Division Bench scrapped the state cirAfter extensively hearing all the parties cular, calling it “discriminatory, arbitrary including the state government, the division and unreasonable”. bench observed that the spirit of the Act is as much of Dr Sagade has been teaching at the ILS Law College protecting a victim as of preventing the violence and since 1979. She is the vice principal and also director of the empowering her to have access to justice. “For protection and Women’s Studies Centre at the college. In March this year, prevention of the violence counselling has, by experience, she wrote to the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, raising been seen to be an effective antidote,” the division bench in objection to a circular issued by the State’s women and child its judgment pronounced on September 4 stated. development department on July 24, 2014. The circular “Such counselling would have to be given to pertained to the Protection of Women from Domestic the woman ideally long before she could have Violence Act (PWDVA) which contemplated having access to justice. It deals with not just should ideally commence when she feels physical violence, and apprehends violence against but also other her, be it physically, sexually, forms of violence mentally, psychologically or such as emotional/ economically and at least so verbal, sexual, and soon as she becomes the economic abuse. victim of any of these,” the The circular stated, bench further observed.

“Only after the case is The division bench, fi led in the court and after the while scrapping the directions given by the court, circular stated, “The lack of counselling and mediation can awareness of many women be carried out. No agency shall of the legal rights and do counselling or mediation position in law is a truism. without the directions from It is for that purpose that she the court… If counselling needs to be counselled and the or mediation is provided to advise that she receives would a domestic violence victim include the knowledge of all that without the directions from the law provides so that she can the court, it will be a breach make the ultimate choice.” of law.” yogesh.sadhwani@ Dr Sagade, in her goldensparrow.com

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Mahindra TUV300 vs Ford EcoSport

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

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“Indira Gandhi Lek Vachava Abhiyan will be the first scheme of its type to be run by a civic body’s education board. The drive will lay emphasis on educating municipal school students and their parents about the importance of maintaining a healthy sex ratio in the society.”

— Vasanti Kakade, Head, PMC School Board

Sustainability of the city lies in our hands Pune Inspire is on a mission to transform Baner into clean and hygienic locality and it is breathing success within a few months

EVERY SUNDAY FOR CITY Implementing her idea in Baner where she stays, Sonali began running drives every Sunday getting together as many people as she could. The first drive was to clean the streets of Baner starting at the highway right up to Baner Phata.

And the cleanliness drives have been religiously arranged every Sunday since February 2015.

With the arrival of monsoon, Pune Inspire is now carrying out plantation drives at the areas they have cleaned. And the team’s Sundays are devoted towards collecting saplings and planting them, besides setting an example for others.

“Charity begins at home and this is all we at Pune Inspire are trying to promote. If every individual begins cleaning or maintaining the area around his or her house, inch by inch the entire city would be maintained.

It does not even take up too much of your time or energy. A few hours every Sunday is all that is needed to keep the city’s sustainability,” Sonali said.

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His work pins innovation flags from across India

Delhi-based author Akshat Agrawal shares the inspiration behind his debut book ‘Indian Innovators’ at a panel discussion at Pune Literary Fest TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly

BY SALONEE MISTRY @Sal0412 Beginning at the grass-roots level is the need for every citizen to work towards making neighbourhood a better place to live. After arranging Pune’s very first TED Talk in 2013, IT professional Sonali Rao (40) felt she needed to do something more for society. After ample research, conversations with office colleagues and a lot of brainstorming with friends, she started Pune Inspire in 2014. Her vision was simple: take efforts to help every citizen realise the need to make surroundings greener, clean and healthy.

A traditional and cosmopolitan city

Assisting in the designing and fabrication of an artificial knee joint for above-the-knee amputees, Akshat Agrawal has come a long way since his IIT days. An ardent collector of stamps, avid reader and frequent traveller, the 28-year-old believes in charting his own course through life.

TGS spoke to him about his first project as an author.

Sonali Rao (left) and her Pune Inspire team cleaning the streets of Baner as part of their Sunday cleanliness drive

all age groups and professions. The Pune Inspire team has picked Sundays to contribute to the cleanliness and sustainability of the city.

Children learning to plant trees

The team is also painting the walls to spread social messages and seeking the help of the social media. Spread across

LIMITED RESOURCES Manpower and accessibility are the two main challenges that Sonali faces and she finds that both are interlinked.

She needs a large bank of volunteers from around the city to make the mission more effective. Not only will this help increase awareness of the path towards sustainability but a larger area will be covered and drives will be carried out round the year. “It is easier for me to run drives every Sunday in the area that I reside. If I find partners from other areas willing to contribute to the initiative I shall gladly team up with them. The aim is to ensure that the entire city is clean and dividing responsibility is the only way to do it,” Sonali said.

PLANS UNDERWAY With a youthful zeal and energy

to do more for society, Sonali is in talks with the Symbiosis International University’s Lavale campus to collaborate with them to make Sus a smart village. Not coming under the ambit of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), making changes in the village might be tedious but is extremely necessary, believes Sonali. One of the issues she wishes to address first is that of waste management. Not falling under PMC, the garbage generated by the village is seen lying around in piles all around.

Apart from the village, Pune Inspire is also looking at improving road safety and traffic management in the city. Keeping in mind the fact that Pune is the second most populous city in the state when it comes to vehicles, traffic management should be made a priority, she thinks. Sonali is looking at introducing a healthcare initiative for next year. And the initial stages of planning and research has already started. salonee.mistry@goldensparrow.com

RECOGNISING THE STRUGGLE Akshat faced many hardships while setting up his first online and offline innovative education start-up. The main problem was the reach it could generate. Realising that several such stories of struggle before and after triumph existed across the country, he decided to pen these inspirational experiences. Writing for the first time, Akshat is hopeful of the book’s success.

“My intention as the author of this book is to only make sure that the struggle of every innovator reaches the masses. We very often use products that make our life so much easier but are unaware of the struggle behind the final product,” he said. The online trial rooms for consumers to try out clothes digitally or the MittiCool refrigerator, a cost-effective refrigerator made from clay, among other things are examples of innovations that have the potential to change the face of country.

Alongside recognising the struggle of these innovators, another initiative on Akshat’s part is to ensure that many creations of unsung innovators reach a wider audience and get the desired market.

IMPACTING LIVES In his book, Akshat speaks about 20 selective innovators from across India.

His idea was to pick innovators whose products have impacted or have the potential of impacting many people.

The innovations must have an equal appeal in not only developed countries but also developing ones was one of his parameters. The innovation should also have addressed an issue that is not particularly unique to a single country but can be used by all with little or no modification. Wanting to touch people’s lives himself, this one factor was of crucial importance when Akshat made his list to feature in his first book.

LOCAL INNOVATORS Pune is not to be left behind when one talks of innovations. Akshat’s book highlights the success journey of two people from Pune. Chinmay Deodar, a student of IIT Madras, has developed a dual-purpose laparoscopic surgery instrument. He is collaborating with California-based Intuitive Surgical for further research. City’s Mrinmayee Bhushan has developed a nanotechnology-based hair growth inhibition cream. The cream has no sideeffects and is one of its kind in the world.

NO LOOKING BACK Akshat has already began researching for his next book. “The biggest challenge in publishing a book of this kind is sourcing the contact details of innovators. It was quite a timeconsuming and tedious task. I hope the second time over it becomes a bit easier,” Akshat said. His second book will feature 20 more innovators from across India. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

‘Uber, Ola could eat into auto sales’ Mahindra Group chairman Anand M a h i n d r a opined that taxihailing apps like Uber and Ola are the biggest potential threat to the automotive industry, which Anand Mahindra must create new products that customers love to own and not just use as a means of transport.

“The age of access being offered by taxi-hailing apps like Uber and Ola is the biggest potential threat to auto

industry. Since these apps operators have made transpiration a commodity, (auto) sales could be hit and volumes get impacted,” Mahindra said in Pune.

He was talking to reporters after launching M&M’s first compact SUV, TUV300, from an all new platform at the company’s plant in Chakan, Pune.

Mahindra said the problem gets confounded as “a lot of youngsters who can own vehicles today don’t want to own one, but only need access to transportation.”

Mahindra, however, expressed hope “people will own those things which they love” and called upon the auto industry to create products with

passion so that they induce a desire in customers to buy cars and not just meet their automotive needs.

“The job of automobile manufacturers is to passionately build something that others love to own,” he said. It can be noted that US-based taxi-hailing app Uber, which despite running into some troubles following the rape of a woman passenger by one of its drivers last December in Delhi and other regulatory hurdles, is investing USD 1 billion here so that it can ramp up its daily ridership to 1 million by March next year.

Uber wants to increase its India presence from the present 18 cities.

Industry estimates peg Uber’s daily rides at around 2,00,000.

Similarly, its domestic rival Ola, which leads the market in terms of number of taxis, drivers and riderships by a wider margin, is also getting millions of dollars of investments to increase its market share. Others like Meru and Tabcab which are also growing rapidly and such app and phone-based taxi services are tilting the balance against cars faster than expected.

Low cost of ridership is forcing many people in over-crowded cities to opt to just hail taxis and not buy vehicles.

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(From L-R) Deepak Mehra and Akshat Agrawal at the Pune Lit Fest panel discussion

Pune gets first online diabetes ‘SPA’ to keep sugar levels in check The clinic at Pimple Saudagar helps screen, prevent and raise awareness about the most common health ailment TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly With studies showing that at least seven out of 10 people suffer from some kind of diabetes around the globe, Dr Abhijeet Nakave is making effort to reach out to as many patients as possible. An expert in diabetes and internal medicine and practicing in the United States, Nakave took up the project to provide online consultation in 2012.

As the ailment is closely linked to diet, exercise, and other lifestyle

Dr Abhijeet Nakave (on the television screen) based in the US will offer online/visual consultation to people suffering from diabetes

choices and Pune seeing increasing number of people suffering from diabetes, he decided to open his first centre in the city. The clinic SPA (screening, prevention and awareness) will offer consultation by Nakave, tests

as well as classes on how diabetics can take care of themselves and how those susceptible to it can prevent it.

Stress, Nakave believes is one of the biggest factors that pushes an individual towards diabetes. In cities like Pune

where the life is relatively more stressful than other smaller towns and people are more laid-back than bigger metros an initiative like this is a must.

“Pune screams stress at almost every turn. The jobs are stressful, the traffic is stressful, the fact that the country is so diverse and everyone has to live up to the diversity in terms of understanding, options and perception are also stressful. With the city having a sizable student population they are unaware on how diabetes latches on or how they can prevent it. My clinic aims at changing the ratio of awareness between those that are aware and those that aren’t,” said Nakave, adding that in bigger metros the stress levels are high but so is the level of awareness.

As per International Diabetes Federation, India has become diabetes capital of the world with 40 million people living with diabetes.

While Nakave will be based in

the US, the clinic will offer virtual consultation through an online portal.

Tests and online records are also part of this package.

“The idea is to be able to give patients correct and in-depth knowledge about their condition and what they could do to stop it from aggravating from where I am based. The online records enable me to access the patients’ health status whenever I wish to, freeing them from the burden of bringing their hard files for every consultation,” he said.

The clinic will give ample time to every patient and work on an individual level by allowing a diabetic to set a goal that he or she thinks is manageable and can follow.

Apart from consultations and regular check-ups, the clinic offers online courses. Keeping in mind that the attention span of an individual is at its best for a mere 20 minutes, Nakave will conduct online classes. His idea is

to be able to spread awareness about the ailment, its cure and its prevention. He believes that with a rise in awareness the, number of people getting diabetes in the country shall reduce.

Nakave said that there is a shortage of experts in the country and those that are around are overwhelmed with patients. In addition to this, the accessibility of patients to these doctors is really low with some people needing to travel distances for treatment.

The online portal will offer access to Nakave from wherever they are.

The doctor warns patients to avoid following treatment from unreliable sources available online when they do not find experts.

Nakave plans to open another clinic in his hometown Nashik. He wants to reach out to as many people as he can and will target smaller cities because of its low awareness about the ailment. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

“We want to develop Bodh Gaya as a spiritual capital of the Buddhist world. Buddha gave to the world a complete system of morality, he was a great teacher of equality.”

— Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

“Mahatma Gandhi proved that the culture of peace can change the course of history. Let us carry on this legacy until we end the terrible suffering in our world and establish lasting peace.”

— Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General

Slum children move towards brighter future

Students of Fergusson College give free tuitions to kids from Pandavnagar and Wadarwadi slums every day

BY AJAY RUPANAVAR @TGSWeekly

Fergusson College student Akshay Guikar, 20, could not contain his excitement when he was asked to teach the schoolgoing children living in the slums near his college. Coming from a humble background, Akshay, hailing from Akola, had to work hard to complete his schooling. Getting an opportunity to teach poor kids gave him the much-needed relief that he can always cherish.

“Our college’s National Service Scheme (NSS) group is running ‘Sanskar’ classes for seven years. It is different from such social activities carried out by other colleges in the city as we also teach these children in classrooms. We teach about 30 boys and girls from neighbouring slums of Pandavnagar and Wadarwadi for two hours every day. The children have to revise and take test as it helps them score good marks in their school examination,’’ said Akshay.

Part of the 25-student NSS group pursuing fi rst and second year in Bachelor of Science (BSc) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Fergusson College, Akshay and his collegemates teach students of standard I to standard VIII on the college premises.

Under the NSS scheme adopted by the college, every student has to take part in a social work.

THE RESULT The parents of slum children, who are attending these classes, are indebted to these ‘young’ teachers for instilling in their kids a sense of purpose. Besides

students. 20 Tejal Gadekar said, “Teaching kids between standard I-VIII has also helped in brushing up our knowledge of science and other subjects that are necessary for cracking competitive exams. Able to make these young minds understand the subjects in a fun way also helps us in improving our teaching capability. Taking part in these activities is a small step in giving creative solutions to give slum children access to effective education.”

The college students also give acting, singing and drama classes to poor kids.

The happy faces of slum children in the midst of their teachers, students of Fergusson College, at the college’s Kimaya Hall says a lot about their love to study in a fun way

the improvement in grades and taking part in extracurricular activities at schools, these poor kids have no time to loiter around as they tend to go astray and get into bad company.

They get free education and personal guidance by college students and like the classes at ‘Sanskar’.

The elders admit that being less educated hamper the overall growth of their children and going to ‘Sanskar’ classes is a worthy effort to bridge the gap. The college students not only teach the school curriculum but also undertake activities that help in developing social skills and personality of children.

Vishal Dhande, 39, the parent of a child that regularly attends ‘Sanskar’

classes, said, “My work gives me no time to teach my children. I have observed a positive change in my daughter after she started attending these classes. Schoolteacher told me that her grades have significantly improved.”

Mangesh Bhoir, 44, said that her two daughters do self-study after becoming students of ‘Sanskar’ classes.

“Earlier, they took extra classes in school. Both my shy daughters now do stage performance with confidence and the credit goes to the college students,” he said.

THE BENEFIT Taking part in the NSS project has also helped the Fergusson College

Exploring tech and beyond MIT College’s Tesla ’ 15 will be remembered for its ‘aero buster’ event RAHUL RAUT

One of the techfocused activities at Tesla 2015 that had the participants completely enthralled

TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly The excitement and enthusiasm level at the campus of Maharashtra Institute of Technology’s (MIT) College of Engineering was palpable. The sports ground, computer laboratory and even classrooms were jam-packed with students. The event is the student initiated national level technical festival ‘Tesla’. While some showed their talents; some cheered their teammates and others belonging to the organising team were seen running around finishing up last-minute tasks.

The two-day fest was time well spent.

TECHVOLUTION Entering its ninth year, Tesla is pushing for innovation, attention to detail and advancement of technology.

The annual festival held on September 7 and 8 received an overwhelming response. Close to 2,000 students from different colleges across the country participated in the competition and some made group with their friends who could be from different colleges and entered the contest.

Divided into five main categories

namely, Guros, Creo, Psypher, Arqteky and AtLANtus, the fest saw the evolution that technology has managed to master. The events also included Robo Wars, Robo Soccer, Hackathon, Cadathlon, Junkyard Wars, Nitro Buster, OS Mania, and Line Tracer. “The response was overwhelming and made organising the event even more fun.

Being a part of the sponsorship team, my work began almost a month back while the other teams followed.

At the end of the event, I couldn’t be more proud of the entire organising team. The event was larger than last year and we are happy at its success,” said Gaurav Bhide, 20, a second year student of electronics and telecommunication at MIT.

well. These events focused on practical problem solving techniques for engineering professionals. Conducted by expert consultants, the topics included Ethical Hacking, Gesture Robotics, I.C. Engine, Internet of Th ings and Bridge Design. “The workshops were interesting and interactive. I could not have asked for a better afternoon. It was a perfect example of an informative lecture that doesn’t put you to sleep,” said Shubhankar Jadhav, a participant at the fest.

Tesla 2015 drew 2,000 students from across the country

ADDED ADVANTAGE Unlike other college fest, Tesla had workshops arranged for participants and anyone who wished to join in as

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN INDIA Tesla 2015 shall always be remembered as a year that saw an event like never before. Organised for the very fi rst time was a competition titled, aero buster. Th is involved the flying of a Quadcopter to deliver a 300 grammes payload. Picking it up and delivering it at the finish line after passing several checkpoints was the arduous task. salonee.mistry@goldensparrow.com

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THE PROJECT Speaking to TGS, Anand Katikar, 43, who teaches Sanskrit at Fergusson College and also handles the college’s NSS activities said, “The well-to-do people should help the poor out of a sense of social responsibility. There are thousands of slum children who needed and wanted to be educated.

There are many college students who have energy, enthusiasm and time to teach. There exists pockets of available space in ideal teaching environments.

The idea is to bring together the three kids, student volunteers and spaces - to provide a better education for the less privileged children. These classes are just a step in the right direction.”

“Initially, we thought what difference are we making. But we now know that one day it would make a difference. The children seem eager to learn, they linger on after the classes are over, chatting with their teachers, in no apparent hurry to leave,” said Akshay. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

There is a way to end city’s watering woes

NSCC has written to the civic chief on preventive measures to check wastage and equitable distribution

BY SALONEE MISTRY @Sal0412 Even as monsoon has hit the state, Pune skies have still not seen enough clouds. The poor rainfall even affected the city’s water supply, with residents getting water supply on alternate days, a 30 per cent cut in daily water consumption of the city.

According to National Society for Clean Cities (NSCC) Pune, an NGO in the cleanliness sector, taking preventive m e a s u r e s by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Kunal Kumar citizens could have prevented water wastage and help check receding water level of dams.

In a letter to Pune Municipal Commissioner Kunal Kumar dated April 20, NSCC has pointed out the problems that it observed which were leading to wastage of water.

These issues included illegal water connections, wastage of water, presence of illegal suction pumps and lack of regulation on tanker water supply. The letter detailed the options

that needed to be explored by the civic administration to ensure equitable water supply.

“Our letter to the civic chief states certain steps that should be taken to prevent water crisis. The distribution of water should be equitable and it should be 145 litres per day per person. We are not asking anything for ourselves but want the civic body to take preventive measures at the earliest,” said NSCC Satish Khot president Satish Khot.

Another issue raised by NSCC in its second letter to commissioner on April 29 that of tanker expenditure that a few societies had to bear because of inequitable distribution of water. The NGO suggested that PMC should provide tankers to those societies that were not getting their fair share of water and, if required, at a minimal fee.

Speaking to TGS, Municipal Commissioner Kunal Kumar said that PMC was taking into consideration the suggestions put forth by NSCC. salonee.mistry@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY

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SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

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pics by Aniruddha Rajandekar

Bhor

A shoot in progress on a farm in Khanapur village near Bhor

Nira River Necklace Point, Bhor

B

hor lies midway between Pune and Satara, a few kilometres away from Wai. It is situated on the higher peaks of the Western Ghats, and is strewn with natural splendours. No surprise, Bhor has not passed un-noticed by film-makers. It has been the setting for the shoots of Hindi films like ‘Chalte Chalte’, ‘Mangal Pandey’, ‘Jolly LLB’, ‘Khakeee’, not to mention Marathi serials. In

panchayat, tehsildar, and police and PWD. We also recommend locations for film shoots,” he said.

Dashrat Thopte, 65, of Khanapur near Bhor, has rented out his house and his farm for film shoots. “The money is handy for me to pay my living expenses,” he said.

But beyond the money, Thopte is more thrilled by the status he has acquired because of the film connection. “I have also worked as an extra on a couple of occasions,” he said.

Jagdish Zagade, 45, has invested in three vehicles that he rents out to film crews. And the money he earns thereby pays him enough to provide for his family’s and his own needs. His vehicles are almost always in use by film units. “When there are no film shoots, I rent out my vehicles to locals,” he said. He earns Rs 12,000-15000 from films.

Rajwada The Rajwada palace was built by Pantsachiv Chimnajirao in 1869. It is the best preserved wada in the state. The Peshwa style of architecture style is a big draw for historic film and serial makers. It has been the setting for many films, including ‘Chal Chalachal’ and the Marathi TV serials ‘Raja Shiv Chhatrapati’ and ‘Ramaya Vastaviya’.

Swati Pantsachiv, who is the heir and owner of the palace, said, “We have Marathi film and serial film shootings all year round.

Ramesh Damse now provides gensets and vehicles for film shoots

How these

rustics acquired a filmy razzle-dazzle Almost every household in the scenic Wai and Bhor villages boasts of having played some role in the making of films like Omkara, Swades, Singham, Dabangg, Manjhi...

BY Zainab Kantawala & Gitesh Shelke @TGSWeekly

fact the Bhoreshwar temple was where scenes from Aamir Khan’s ‘Mangal Pandey’ were shot.

The inhabitants have taken to or are connected to some business or another related to films, such as lodgings, transport, hiring/acting as extras.

Marathi films have much smaller budgets than Hindi films, but still they have propped up the local economy in a big way.

Rajesh Damse, who organises shoots at Bhor, said that film directors usually rent out houses and farms for film shoot. And the farmers who own the farms and houses stand to earn a lot of money. Eightnine films are shot here a year on average. The chief locations here are the dam, palace, the hill and open areas.

Damse also hires extras. “The locals who are farmers fit into the film scenes perfectly,” he said. Extras earn Rs 250-350 a day.

The villages or small towns of Wai, Bhor, Dhom, Menavali etc, seem to be light years away from the razzledazzle, glittering world of cinema. Think again! Because the locations of these towns, nestled as they happen to be in the embrace of a verdant and scenic environment, have been catching the roving eye of film location scouts for quite Bhor Rajwada

some time. So scenic are these villages and their surroundings, given the wealth of greenery, all the rivers, water bodies, rolling hills, along with the presence of historic forts, monuments and other heritage structures from a bygone era that they provide equally eye-catching and far more affordable alternatives to foreign locations for Indian film-makers.

And as a result, film shootings are as routine and everyday affair for the rustic inhabitants of these villages as a zingy meal of jhunka-bhakar.

In the wake of the countless Hindi and Marathi film crews that have come visiting here for the shooting of their outdoor sequences, the locals who have been roped in by the film units as extras, or as part-time assistants or helpers, have shared screen space and mingled with big movie stars on such a regular basis to qualify as film veterans.

Along with the glamour quotient, the film shoots have also brought in a big dollop of material sustenance, in the form of employment for the locals, as well

as the lucrative fallout of luring in large numbers of tourists.

Ashutosh Gowarikar shot his ‘Swades’ scenes at Menavali, and Shah Rukh Khan featured in a wrestling sequence. The locals will even show you where the Khan sat during the shoot.

Though film crews prefer to stay at Mahabaleshwar or Panchgani, there are several lodges at Wai itself for the benefit of the film fraternity.

The village gram panchayats too find film shootings a lucrative enterprise,

getting an income for issuing the necessary permissions for film shoots. While earlier these locations were used for just a song or a few shots, ‘Gangajal’ was the first film to be shot here in its entirety.

No less than 300 Hindi and Marathi films have featured the Krishna river as backdrop, and the flood of film crews show no signs of ebbing.

Let us zoom in for a slow motion close-up of these living film sets and the characters… tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com The famous Narsimha Temple, Dhom

Jagdish Zagde used to be a farm labourer but now has a flourishing transport business. He has bought three vehicles to ferry crew members

Mostly we have shoots here, as this wada provides a perfect setting subjects that relate to the Maratha empire. Sometimes there are students who come to shoot short films too,” says.

BhatgHar dam The area around Bhatghar dam is a treasure house of natural and

Wai T

he village of Wai is known to every tourist bound for Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar. In fact, it is the ideal spot for a chai/coffee break for the car-bound or bike-borne travellers from Pune or Mumbai.

Not many may take the time to actually spend more time at Wai, but given its setting encircled by the hills, Wai is nearly as enchanting a destination as the far more popular twin hill stations.

But Wai has a tall claim to fame, featuring in The Guinness Book of World Records as the most popular Hindi film shooting location of them all. And there is a long and running list of blockbusters such as ‘Manjhi’, ‘Gangajal’, ‘Omkara’, ‘Dabangg’, ‘Swades’, ‘Singham’ and ‘Chennai Express’, that have the biggest of the Bollywood star fraternity in their cast, which had extensive outdoor shooting schedules at Wai and villages in the vicinity.

What makes Wai such an ideal location for the Bollywood lot, is that it can be made to look just like an Uttar Pradesh, Bihar backdrop or a North Indian town or village.

Menavali Just three kilometres from Wai lies Menavali village. Its most famous landmark is the Nana Fadnavis Wada. The village was gifted to Fadnavis in 1768, who built the Wada and a ghat on the Krishna river, as well as temples of Vishnu and Shiva.

The temple complex houses a massive bell from a cathedral in the Portuguese fort at Bassein, dating back to 1707. The five-alloy bell bears a bas-relief of Mary carrying the infant Jesus Christ.

Menavali was the location for the outdoor shooting of the big budget Bollywood films ‘Swades’, ‘Singham’ and ‘Gangajal’.

All dressed up for a shoot: Newly elected Sarpanch Santosh Tambe leaving his residence early in the morning

Dhom About eight kilometres away from Wai is Dhom village, made famous by its ghats on the Krishna river and the Narsimha mandir. The mandir is known for its striking Maratha era architecture, including intricate stone carvings, and a Nandi bull in a lotus shaped pond.

The Dhom dam is a very popular location for film crews, thanks to its scenic valley setting and the profusion of waterfalls and such.

Not just Hindi and Marathi film-makers, but this place has even been frequented by Bhojpuri and Tamil film crews.

The long list of Bollywood films that have been shot here include ‘Gangajal’, ‘Omkara’, ‘Dabangg’, ‘Swades’, ‘Ishqiya’ and ‘Singham’, besides the Marathi film ‘Deool’.

Besides films, Dhom has been the venue for television serials and commercial ad film shoots.

The village extras Santosh Appa Tambe has been elected Sarpanch of Menavali village recently. He is quite a veteran extra, and is ready at the drop of a hat to get into film extra acting mode, along with donning his best shirt and trouser ensemble. In fact, his wife and mother are so used to his film routines that they ask him almost daily if he has any interesting film assignments in the village. Santosh who is clearly visible in some crowd scenes in ‘Gangajal’, said, “I have acted in few Marathi films too.” The film income has helped Tambe refurbish his shop.

Ramesh Ananda Jadhav, 58, is a veteran extra who has featured in ‘Gangajal’, ‘Swades’, ‘Bol Bachchan’ and ‘Chennai Express’, and in commercial ad films as well. “I shifted to my home town Wai from Pune 15 years ago, because I earn more here,” he said.

Jadhav makes Rs 250-300 per day as an extra, as well as partaking of the catering for the film unit. Besides the Rs 15,000-20000 monthly Ramesh Jadhav income, he also handles the hiring of extras as required by the film units. Tambe has invested his on-screen earnings in a motorcycle and the upkeep of his house.

Raju Wagh specialises in scouting for locations and getting permissions from authorities for shoots. His high end phone is his lifeline

Damse also provides generator vans and vehicles to film crews.

“This is an additional source of income for me,” he said.

Raju Wagh gave up his barber’s profession in Bhor eight years ago and handed over his saloon to an acquaintance. He earns his living from films now.

“My life has changed radically in the last eight years. With the money I earn from films, I have built my own house and also invested in a used motorcycle,” he said.

With his film connection, he is a minor celebrity around Bhor and he is thrilled by the recognition.

“The big change though is in myself. On the film sets I have met good people, who have caused positive changes in me. My life is all the better for it,” he said.

Wagh also makes use of modern technology, such as a tablet, to photograph locations for film shoots.

Tushar Ghodekar of Bhor has a BA (History), and he is grateful to the income from films for his education. He used to work as a helper in the beginning but now he manages other tasks on the film sets.

“I hire extras and at times even play small roles. I played a State Transport (ST) bus conductor in ‘Poster Boys’,” he said.

He has bought a motorcycle and is also renovating his house with his earnings.

Ghodekar has set up Garwa Productions with four partners from Bhor. “We acquire permissions for film shoots from local gram

Farm worker Popat Kamble and local chicken shop owner Azimuddin Patel holding tiles which were used to build houses for the shoot of Omkara Tushar Ghodekar has started a small production company which assists film-makers Menavali

scenic beauty, and is therefore, a much desired location as backdrops for film scenes and sequences.

Ashok Waikar is a former Sarpanch of Menavali, who has also benefited from the influx of film-makers to his village. Besides the six-seven films shot here on an average, even Hindi and Marathi television serial crews come to the village for their shoots. “Our village

Dhom dam, Wai

is also the setting for commercial ad film shoots and they often hire us as extras,” he said.

Waikar has invested his earnings from film shoots to purchase a couple of cows.

Popat Laxman Kamble, 58, of Dhom village, who earns a livelihood by working on other people’s farms, thinks of the film shoots as a proverbial boon. He has worked as an extra in the films ‘Omkara’ and ‘Yedyanchi Jatra’.

“I do not own a farm but work on other people’s farms. The film shoots are a godsend as now I have the means to earn some money even when there is no work on the farms. The money I earn as an extra goes towards my children’s education as well as household expenses,” he said. He also gets work, doing odd jobs on film sets, if not as an extra. “Besides the Rs 500 per day, I also eat with the film crews, which is a bonus,” he said.

The extra income goes a long way in helping Hemant Zore Kamble fend for his family and himself.

“If it were not for the films shoots, I would be in dire straits, and probably I would have been unable to meet my daily expenses,” he said.

Azimuddin Babu Patel owns a chicken shop in Menavali. He played a cleric in the film ‘Omkara’. “My family members were thrilled to see me on the screen,” he said.

Patel gets jobs as a helper or delivery boy on the film sets.

“Sometimes I am part of the crew of extras, but I mostly am hired as a helper. I earn Rs 400-500 per day,” he said.

Patel had been able to invest in a motorcycle for his son from the moonlighting as film crew helper.

“The film crews that come here regularly mean that I get work on the film sets for seven-eight months a year. It’s a very regular and dependable source of income,” he said.

Mandar Shende of Wai used to do character artist roles. Now he has ventured into finding locations for film shoots at Wai and other parts of Satara districts.

“The houses in our village are similar to those in North Indian villages. The seven ghats along the Krishna river resemble a South Indian landscape. Film crews generally favour a valley setting for a

Wai resident Mandar Shende who doubles up as a character artist and also scouts for locations around the village for shoots

song shoot. Wai has lots of different locations for film shoots, including the old wadas which feature in ‘Swades’,” he said.

“Its proximity to Pune and Mumbai makes Wai so attractive as a location for film shoots. The villages near Wai such as Pasarni, Gadhvewadi and Warkhadwadi are ideal as locations and there are also extra available there,” he said.

He said that the waterfronts at Dhom, Balkawadi, Mugaon, Boriv and Borgaon are in great demand by film-makers.

Shende thinks that the regular film shoots have been a shot in the arm for the local transport business, with film crews requiring transport to and from the locations.

“Even the hospitality sector has flourished with the regular film shoot. When there was just one lodge and a couple of resorts ten years ago, now there are 27 lodges and 20 resorts in and around Wai,” he said.

Shende is also delighted with the extras aspect. “Agents who recruit and manage extras earn Rs 145 per extra. And when 500 to 1000 extras are needed for a scene, lots of locals stand to benefit,” he said.

Shende says that even local theatre artists are getting parts to play in films. “There are 125 character actors in Wai alone,” he said. They have had key roles in big banner films like ‘Deool’ and ‘Shala’. Most of them work on farms and films provide them an additional source of income.

Shende who has done numerous films, will be playing the driver of a lead actor in a big banner film next.

Hemant Zore belongs to the Pratik Theatre group of Wai, and he had played character roles in over 25 films. “I get Rs 1500-4000 per day as a character actor,” he said.

Zore has featured in ‘Gangajal’, ‘Apaharan’, ‘Chingari’, ‘Tukaram’, ‘Lau Ka Lath’, ‘Nishani Dava Angtha’ etc. “Apart from Hindi and Marathi films, I have played key roles in Bhojpuri films and television serials,” he said.

His parents are understandably proud of their actor son and the film earnings have Suraj Babar enabled him to cater to his family’s needs and his own, such as a two-wheeler.

Suraj Babar, 26, had displeased his family members when he joined a theatre group. “But now that my theatre skills have enabled me to land acting jobs in films, they are more than happy. I am earning far more than they and even I expected from the film shoots,” he said.

After ten years, Babar is now known to the film unit people and therefore, for him he is never short of film work. “I am lucky to get to know so many people from the film crews, and they get me work regularly,” he said.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

TECH/START-UP

PUNE

Every minute, 100 hours of video are uploaded on YouTube by individual users — http://www.websitemagazine.com

Tough hurdles for uranium sale to India P 13

Robot in board room? WEF survey says possible by 2025!

11 game-changing new technologies such as the first robotic pharmacist and 3D-printed car can become a reality in 2015 itself From the realms of science fictions, robots and artificial intelligence machines may fi nd their way to the corporate board rooms in the next ten years, says a new worldwide survey conducted by WEF. Besides, there is a high expectation that as many as 11 game-changing new technologies such as the fi rst robotic pharmacist, 3D-printed car and implantable mobile phone can become a reality in 2015 itself.

“Nearly half of respondents expect the fi rst AI machine to be on the board of directors of a business by 2025, while the fi rst transplant of a 3D-printed liver is likely to become reality by 2024,” found the survey of 800 executives by the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Software and Society.

The survey, which aims to predict the dates when game-changing technologies become mainstream, said the “the world is about to enter a period of exponential change, with new technology promising to soon make real concepts that were fi rmly rooted in the realm of science fiction only a few years ago”.

As per 90 per cent of survey

NASSCOM to open business incubatorcum-accelerator at Infopark In a major step towards boosting the start-up culture in Kerala, the National Association of Software and Services Companies will open its ‘business incubator-cum-accelerator’ at Infopark this month.

The facility, which is part of NASSCOM’s ‘10,000 start-ups’ initiative, will be the third in the country after Bengaluru and Kolkata.

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will inaugurate the NASSCOM ‘Startup Warehouse’ at Infopark campus on September 12 in the presence of State IT and Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty.

“It will be an incubation facility where companies like Google, Microsoft and IBM will share their expertise in the technology field with the start-ups.

“Also, the facility will be a platform for the start-ups to achieve global exposure,” Infopark CEO Hrishikesh Nair said.

The 6,500-sq ft facility will provide a central, well-connected, plug-andplay working space for start-ups to launch their operations besides giving one-on-one mentorship.

It will also serve as NASSCOM’s Regional Centre in the state.

PTI

respondents, in 2025 at least 10 per cent of people will be wearing clothes connected to the internet, 75 per cent believe the US will have its fi rst robot pharmacist, 63 per cent think the world will have its

fi rst traffic-light-free city and 45 per cent believe an artificial intelligence machine will sit on a company’s board of directors.

“We already feel like technology has changed our lives, but the results from

this survey indicate that we are just at the beginning of a fundamental shift in society,” World Economic Forum Director Derek O’Halloran said.

“Any one of these technologies by themselves would change our lives significantly. Taken together, they represent a fundamental re-write of what’s possible and how we organise our society’s raising deep economic, political and ethical questions which we must address together,” O’Halloran added.

The report said that technology is becoming increasingly personal.

Computers were fi rst located in large rooms, then on desks and, following that, on people’s laps. While technology can now be found in people’s mobile phones in their pockets, it will soon be integrated directly into clothing and accessories.

In the survey, the tipping points, or “shifts”, are grouped into six distinct megatrends. These are: people and the internet; computing, communications and storage everywhere; the internet of things; artificial intelligence and big data; the sharing economy and distributed trust; and the digitisation of matter.

PTI

Indian-origin entrepreneur tests new driverless vehicle in US Move over, Google! A US-based start-up cofounded and helmed by an Indian-American entrepreneur is testing a new driverless vehicle at a university campus.

The Santa Clara University campus is the beta test grounds for the autonomous shuttle system being developed

by Silicon Valley startup Auro Robotics.

Test engineers will occupy at least one of the four seats on the modified golf cart, Nalin Gupta monitoring technology and safety as well as the user experience.

The pedestrian campus allows Auro to observe and adjust its service in a large but traffic-free area that replicates the target market, the university said in a statement.

In addition to colleges, the company envisions these vehicles at theme parks, resorts, industrial campuses, and retirement communities.

SCU is a private institution, meaning the experiment does not require government approval.

In addition, Auro Robotics co-founder and CEO Nalin Gupta praised the university’s

“technolog yf o r w a r d mindset.”

One primary goal during the pilot programme will be learning whether the “shuttle bus” mode (a fi xed route with a number of stops) or the “on demand” mode is more feasible and popular.

The benefit could extend to students, faculty and staff not only on campus but in accessing public transit such as Caltrain and the potential BART station nearby, the statement said.

The electric vehicle uses an array of sensors such as laser scanners, radar, cameras and GPS to create a 360-degree view. It is conditioned to avoid pedestrians by adjusting its route, or to stop completely if necessary.

The ride should be smooth because the sensors can evaluate as far as 200 meters away.

Not only does the vehicle sense pedestrians, it measures their speed and direction to assess whether those pedestrians will still be in the path, giving more lead time

to adjust the route and speed.

The prototype at SCU is the company’s only vehicle; as the tests generate more data and feedback, the company will build next-generation vehicles that will look less like golf carts.

Future vehicles could hold anywhere from one to five passengers, or even more in (for instance) an amusement park.

For the first month of the pilot, the vehicle will not have any university passengers. As Auro gathers data and makes adjustments, the company and university will develop guidelines for faculty, staff, and students to use the service.

Gupta said the experience on campus, with or without passengers, provides valuable information that can’t be produced in a lab.

“Every type of environment has some peculiarities. Those kinds of things take the most time and represent the greatest engineering challenge,” Gupta added.

PTI

Robot to save Great Barrier Reef from starfish The COTSbot underwater drone is equipped with stereoscopic cameras for depth perception, pitch and roll sensors for movement control, and GPS to aid in its navigation

WWW.DIGITALTRENDS.COM

Australian researchers have developed the world’s fi rst robot designed to seek out and eliminate the crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) that are wreaking havoc on the

Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS)

Great Barrier Reef ’s coral.

COTS are responsible for an estimated 40 per cent of the reef ’s total decline in coral cover, researchers said.

The COTSbot completed its fi rst sea trials last week in Queensland’s Moreton Bay to test its mechanical parts and navigation system.

Its creator, Dr Matthew Dunbabin from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), said the COTSbot was equipped with stereoscopic cameras to give it depth perception, five thrusters to maintain stability, GPS and pitch-and-roll sensors and a unique pneumatic injection arm to deliver a fatal dose of bile salts.

“Human divers are doing an incredible job of eradicating this starfish from targeted

sites but there just aren’t enough divers to cover all the COTS hotspots across the Great Barrier Reef,” Dunbabin said.

“We see the COTSbot as a fi rst responder for ongoing eradication programmes - deployed to eliminate the bulk of COTS in any area, with divers following a few days later to hit the remaining COTS,” said Dunbabin.

“The COTSbot becomes a real force

multiplier for the eradication process the more of them you deploy - imagine how much ground the programmes could cover with a fleet of 10 or 100 COTSbots at their disposal, robots that can work day and night and in any weather condition,” he said.

The COTSbot is designed to search the reef for up to eight hours at a time, delivering more than 200 lethal shots.

Key to the autonomous underwater vehicle is its new state-of-the-art computer vision and machine learning system.

QUT roboticists have spent the last six months developing and training the robot to recognise COTS among coral, using thousands of still images of the reef and videos taken by COTS-eradicating divers.

“Its computer system is backed by some serious computational power so COTSbot can think for itself in the water,” said Dr Feras Dayoub, who designed the COTSdetecting software.

“If the robot is unsure that something is actually a COTS, it takes a photo of the object to be later verified by a human, and that human feedback is incorporated into the robot’s memory bank.”

PTI

APP WORLD

Tantalize taste buds with online treats Allrecipes Dinner Spinner

IOS/Android: Free Get dinner on the table with less fuss and more fun! The brand-new Allrecipes Dinner Spinner app gives you instant access to Allrecipes’ amazing collection of member-submitted recipes, with photos, ratings and reviews from our community of more than 11 million home cooks. Recipes feature step by step instructions, home cook reviews with awesome tips, photos, nutrition and more. You can even search by dietary need, cooking time, and even the ingredients you do and don’t want.

Food Network In the Kitchen

IOS/Android: Free Get instant access to your favorite Food Network chefs and thousands of their most popular recipes with In the Kitchen, the awardwinning, top-rated recipe app, now available for free. Cook with Alton Brown, Giada De Laurentiis, Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri and more. Check out helpful recipe and How-To Videos on select recipes. Save your favourite Food Network recipes, access your own personal recipes saved on FoodNetwork.com, add ingredients to your shopping list and more with the new and improved recipe box.

Allthecooks Recipes

IOS/Android: Free Allthecooks is an unique cooking community app where people post recipes and pictures. It has over 200,000 simple, quick and easy to follow recipes from stay at home cooks. After cooking your recipe, other people can post the photo of their own attempt of making the recipe and others can comment. You can follow a complete genealogy of a recipe, and keep on discovering new variations on themes. The recipes themselves don’t need to be anything fancy, and that’s another reason why the app is unique. It gives a look into what real people are making for their families at home.

Look & Cook

IOS/Android: Free Look and Cook is like having your own private chef. 52 step by step cooking guides, with stunning food photography, close-up images and how to HD videos, help you make the most delicious meals. Within each recipe you can find a shop section: a list of hand-selected accessories and gadgets available for in-app shopping, for perfect, professional looking dishes. It’s foolproof every step of the cooking process is explained and demonstrated. It will help you upgrade your own kitchen and discover the best kitchen gadget and utensils that money can buy.

BigOven

Apple/Android: Free BigOven is like a personal assistant for the kitchen, one that has 350,000 recipes memorised. Look through recipes, download a meal plan and even get a grocery list. The main page is a series of new recipes for the day. Scroll through those to see what’s new or search by category. Search for recipes by time of day, time of year, certain dietary restrictions or kind of food. When you find recipes you like, save them to your weekly meal plan. Mark which day, meal and how many servings you need and the app will save it for you. From here you can access a grocery list so you know exactly what to buy for the week. One of the most useful features is the leftovers section. Plug in three things you have in your refrigerator or pantry and BigOven will give you a variety of recipes that use all of those ingredients.

Epicurious

Apple/Android: Free Epicurious pulls recipes from all over the web and compiles them in one place. Find meals from Bon Appetit, Gourmet and others. Search for a recipe by using categories like main ingredient, kid friendly, dish type and even occasion. All recipes come with photos, ingredient list and directions. Find one you like and you can add favorite it so you can find it later. You can also view a grocery list for each one and check all the things you need. This will be saved to a master list you can view at the market. One of the hardest parts of cooking is knowing when food is done. Use the smart timer and never over or undercook something again.

You can search for certain foods like chicken or broccoli and the app will give instructions on how to prepare it and set a timer for how long it will take. It will even deliver a notification when you need to flip the food or turn hat up or down.

ENVIRONMENT “The realignment of 388 houseboats at Doldum in the form of a cluster should be done immediately as it is critical to maintaining the water quality of Dal Lake.”

— Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister

Artificial ‘plants’ could fuel future cars

A research team has created an artificial leaf that produces methane, using nanowires and bacteria Scientists have taken a big step towards creating artificial ‘plants’ that can use only sunlight to make gasoline and natural gas to run future cars without polluting the environment.

A research team has created an artificial leaf that produces methane, the primary component of natural gas, using a combination of semiconducting nanowires and bacteria.

Thomas Moore The research builds on a similar hybrid system that yielded butanol, a component in gasoline, and a variety of biochemical building blocks.

It is a major advance towards synthetic photosynthesis, a type of solar power based on the ability of plants to transform sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into sugars.

Instead of sugars, however, synthetic photosynthesis seeks to produce liquid fuels that can be stored for months or years and distributed through existing energy infrastructure.

In a roundtable discussion on his recent breakthroughs and the future of synthetic photosynthesis, Peidong Yang, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley said his hybrid inorganic/biological systems give researchers new tools to study photosynthesis - and learn its secrets.

“We’re good at generating electrons

from light efficiently, but chemical synthesis always limited our systems in the past,” said Yang, also a co-director of the Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute.

“One purpose of this experiment was to show we could integrate bacterial catalysts with semiconductor technology.

Th is lets us understand and optimise a truly synthetic photosynthesis system,” said Yang.

“Burning fossil fuels is putting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere much faster than natural photosynthesis can take it out.

A system that pulls every carbon that we burn out of the air and converts it into fuel is truly carbon neutral,” said Thomas Moore, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Arizona State University.

Ultimately, researchers hope to create an entirely synthetic system that is more robust Ted Sargent and efficient than its natural counterpart.

To do that, they need model systems to study nature’s best designs, especially the catalysts that convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars at room temperatures.

“Th is is not about mimicking nature directly or literally,” said Ted Sargent, the vice-dean of research for the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at University of Toronto.

NALCO achieves its ‘Swachh’ target State-owned National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has said it has completed the target of constructing toilets for schools in three districts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, which has been appreciated by the Centre.

Appreciating the initiative undertaken by NALCO, SC Khuntia, Secretary in Department of School Education and Literacy, Union Ministry of HRD (MHRD), has congratulated NALCO’s CMD TK Chand “for achieving 100 per cent target under SwachhVidyalaya initiative”, a company release said.

“Please convey my appreciation to all officers who have contributed to the success in this socially important initiative,” it quoted Khuntia as having said in the message.

It may be mentioned that NALCO was asked by the MHRD to construct 355 toilets in 202 schools of Angul, Koraput and Visakhapatnam districts

and the company had successfully completed the task within the stipulated time through NALCO Foundation, the CSR arm of the company, the release said.

SwachhVidyalayaAbhiyan was a herculean task, considering the fact that most of the schools allotted to NALCO were located in remote and Maoistinfested areas of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, it said.

Since some of the schools did not have any approach roads, pre-fabricated toilets had to be carried on head loads, crossing rivulets and hillocks, the release said.

Despite heavy odds, NALCO not only achieved the target on time, but also constructed 79 additional toilets beyond the MHRD target, as per ground realities and requests from school authorities, it said. NALCO altogether constructed 433 toilets in 206 schools under the SwachhVidyalayaAbhiyan.

PTI

“Instead, it is about learning nature’s guidelines, its rules on how to make a compellingly efficient and selective catalyst, and then using these insights to create betterengineered solutions,” said Sargent. The study Peidong Yang was published in the journal PNAS. Thomas Moore is Regents’ Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Arizona State University, a team leader at the Center for Bio-Inspired Solar Fuel Production and past director of the Center for Bioenergy & Photosynthesis. He studies the design and assembly of biologically inspired solar energy systems.

Ted Sargent is vice-dean for research for the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at University of Toronto, where he is also University Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Canada Research Professor of Nanotechnology. His research goals include the application of colloidal quantum dots to the production of efficient and inexpensive solar cells.

Peidong Yang is co-director of the Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute at UC Berkeley and Berkeley Lab and a founding member of the DOE’s Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis. His interests include the use nanomaterials in artificial photosynthesis and solar cells.

PTI

Shanghai to shut polluting factories for Disney Park China’s commercial hub Shanghai plans to shut 153 polluting and inefficient companies near Disney’s planned theme park to help improve the surrounding environment, according to a local government statement.

The government will close the industrial fi rms -- described as “high polluting, high consumption and low efficiency” -- by the end of 2016 to “welcome” the opening of the Disney park, due early in the year, Shanghai’s economic agency said on its website.

The 153 companies are mainly in the machinery, chemical and textile industries, it said, and are in the Zhoupu area, near the Disney Park.

Disney has pushed back the opening of the USD 5.5 billion park, which broke ground in April 2011 and was due this year, to 2016.

In July, Disney unveiled details of the planned park, promising Chinese features and new attractions not found in its five other resorts. The government plans to redevelop the companies’ current sites.

AFP

One-on-one tutoring can ease math anxiety in kids Parents, take note! One-on-one tutoring can relieve math anxiety in kids by fi xing abnormal responses in the brain’s fear circuits, scientists, including those of Indian-origin, have found.

The study is the fi rst to document an effective treatment for math anxiety in children, researchers said.

“The most exciting aspect of our findings is that cognitive tutoring not only improves performance, but is also anxiety-reducing,” said senior study author Vinod Menon, professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

“It was surprising that we could, in fact, get remediation of math anxiety,” he said.

Many children feel anxious about doing math problems. For some, the anxiety persists throughout life,

discouraging them from pursuing math and science classes as well as careers that rely on mathematical expertise.

The new research was based on the idea that the principles of exposurebased therapy for treating phobias might also apply to alleviation of math anxiety.

Phobias, such as the fear of spiders, can be relieved in affected individuals by repeatedly exposing them in a safe environment to the thing they fear.

The study included 46 children in third grade. Each child took a test that assessed his or her level of math anxiety. They were divided into two groups - one with high math anxiety, the other with low math anxiety.

They also completed standard neuropsychological assessments and were tested on simple addition

problems while having their brains scanned via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

The brain scans of the children with high levels of math anxiety showed activation in the brain’s fear circuits and so-called “fear centre,” or amygdala, before tutoring.

After the fi rst fMRI scan, children participated in an intensive, eightweek tutoring programne consisting of 22 lessons involving addition and subtraction problems.

After tutoring, the math anxiety test and fMRI scans were repeated.

All of the children performed better on addition and subtraction problems after tutoring. The children who started the study with high levels of math anxiety had reduced anxiety after tutoring.

PTI

H EALTH

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

PUNE

“ There is a serious problem of PoP when Ganpati idols are immersed in the river. The POP idols are nonbiodegradable, resulting in choking of water bodies.”

— Suresh Jagtap, Deputy Commissioner (solid waste)

Switzerland best place to live for older adults, India 71st Switzerland is the best place in the world to live for those aged 60 and over while India ranks a dismal 71st among 96 countries when it comes to social and economic wellbeing of older people, according to a new report.

The Global AgeWatch Index 2015 from HelpAge International, working in partnership with the University of Southampton, found that Switzerland is the best place to live for those aged 60 and over, followed by Norway and Sweden.

Germany was the fourth best place for older people to live, Canada stood at fi fth, followed by Netherlands, Iceland, Japan, US, UK and Denmark.

According to the report, India, where 116.6 million people over 60 are living, ranked a low 71 on the list of 96 countries when it comes to social and economic wellbeing of older people.

In 2030, those over 60 will make up 12.5 per cent of the country’s population while the number is expected to rise to 19.4 per cent by 2050.

The life expectancy at 60 the number of years a 60-yearold expects to live - is 17 years in India but healthy life expectancy aged 60 - the average number of years a person can expect to live in good health - is only 12.6 years.

People aged 60 in Japan have the highest life expectancy and live on average an additional 26 years, while people aged 60 in

The report, which assesses the social and economic wellbeing of the older population in 96 countries worldwide, ranks Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Germany and Canada in the top five. Afghanistan, meanwhile, is ranked last

Afghanistan, live on average an additional 16 years.

The report found that 28 per cent of people over 65 in India are receiving a pension. Around 30 per cent of men and 72 per cent of women over 60 are fully dependent on others.

The Global AgeWatch Index represents 91 per cent of the world’s population aged 60 and over, amounting to some 901 million people. It measures the lives of older people in four key areas: income; health; education and employment and the enabling environment.

The rank of some other countries included Sri Lanka at 46th position, China (52), Bangladesh (67), Nepal (70), Pakistan (92) and Afghanistan was at the bottom of the list.

The report found that poverty rates among older people vary dramatically.

South Korea currently has the highest poverty rate among older people at 48.5 per cent, followed by Venezuela at 38 per cent, Australia at 33.4 per cent, Bolivia at 30.3 per cent and Honduras at 28.9 per cent, despite significant variations in Gross National Income per capita.

At the other end of the spectrum countries with low old age poverty rates are equally varied. The poverty rate among older people in South Africa is 12.17 per cent, Mauritius, 6.4 per cent, India, 5.1 per cent, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, 4.5 per cent, Czech Republic, 1.7 per cent and the lowest, Iceland at 1.6 per cent.

PTI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

PUNE

“Farmers and labourers had reposed faith in Modi-ji, who assured of ushering in ‘achhe din’ (good days). But after becoming the prime minister, he forgot them in just two days. Where are the ‘achhe din’ for farmers?”

— Rahul Gandhi, Congress Vice President

Undri is reeling under its burden of woes P 15

‘TV channels crossed ‘Lakshman Rekha’ while covering Yakub case’ In the rush for TRP, the TV channels brought in Chhota Shakeel, of all people, to comment from the other side NEW DELHI: The government is “very reluctant” about issuing show cause notices to TV news channels but had to resort to it after some of them crossed the “Lakshman Rekha” while covering Yakub Memon case, Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said.

“The government is always very reluctant to issue notices to channels for breaking the programme code,” Rathore said, adding the government wanted them to exercise selfregulation.

He said the I&B Ministry issued an advisory during the recent terror attack in Punjab that no live telecast should be carried out and most channels followed the programme code. He, however, said there were some “minor” violations with an anchor mentioning that the sound of gunfire could be heard and visuals of people shooting being aired.

Maintaining that some channels crossed the “Lakshman Rekha” in the Yaqub Memon hanging case, the minister said, “In the rush for TRP, they brought in Chhota Shakeel, of all people, to comment from the other

Maintaining the programme code “We issued a showcause notice as the idea was that the channels maintain broadcasts within the parameters where India is not affected.”

— Rajyavardhan Rathore side. And he (Shakeel) on one news channel actually went on to say that every action has a reaction. And then when questioned further, he says, there are others who are watching you and will act against you.”

Rathore said the country’s territory, which includes frequencies in the air, cannot be used by people “who are against us to do their propaganda”.

“We issued a showcause notice as the idea was that the channels maintain broadcasts within the parameters where India is not affected. Where we don’t foment community issues against each other... We (government) are very liberal by far,” Rathore said.

The I&B ministry had issued Show Cause Notices to four channels over

their coverage of the Yakub Memon hanging case. Of these, two had carried Shakeel’s comments.

Rathore was responding to questions at an interaction after delivering the 19th Col Pyara Lal Memorial Lecture on ‘Role and Limitations of Social Media in Image Building and Perception Management’.

In his lecture, Rathore said social media has many advantages but added elements inimical to India’s interests could use it for spreading rumours. The only way to counter this, he said, is that people have to be present on internet like soldiers and spread the positive message.

Speaking about the importance of social media, Rathore said it empowers

people to express themselves and also lets two-way communication happen between people. He said the ministries and department are on social media.

“We have realised it is a very important channel of communication...

We have created a social media cell. We are tracking social media throughout 24 hours,” he said. He added that the ministry has a software which trawls millions of websites in an hour and picks up all the specified keywords.

“So it provides to the government trends and analysis of anything that happens,” Rathore said and added that on the One Rank, One Pension issue government had used this feedback.

“Till date, it has generated about 1500 reports. On a daily basis the report goes to some of the top ministers to understand as to their policy decisions, what is the effect it is having on the general public,” Rathore added.

Rathore, who is a retired colonel, told the gathering primarily comprising of ex-servicemen that rumours can be easily spread on social media.

He cited an example when people from north eastern states began moving out of Bangalore following

an incident of assault after the social media was awash with it. He said there were umpteen examples of pictures or visuals taken in some other country being referred to as having happened elsewhere.

Because of these reasons, social media can be dangerous and the only way to counter it is yourself being on social media and sending the right message. “It is very difficult to police it,” Rathore said. He said internet as a medium is meant to be entirely free and there is a lot of public uproar if any attempt is made to put any restrictions on social media.

The minister said the government favours free communication but there are concerns about the ability of “inimical elements” to use this medium to attempt mischief.

“Our defences are very well covered from air, from land, from sea. But not from the internet. And the enemy can very easily without any restriction, through news.... or through views on social media can enter our country.

There are no boundaries between districts and states and countries and so this is certainly a threat,” he said.

PTI

Islamic institution denounces ISIS, issues fatwa LUCKNOW: An Islamic institution here has denounced the activities of ISIS as “anti-Islam” and issued a ‘fatwa’ against it, while cautioning the Indian youth against falling in the trap of the barbaric terror outfit.

Darul-uloom-Farangi Mahal issued the fatwa in response to a query by one Sajid Umar Jilani, who referred to repeated waving of ISIS flags by some people in Kashmir and wanted to know whether activities of ISIS are valid from the Islamic point of view and what a youth should do.

The fatwa termed activities of ISIS as being against Islam, Maulana Khalid Rashid FarangiMahali, Manager of the Darul-uloom-Farangi Mahal, told PTI. Allah has said in Quran Sharif that killing of any person without reason is against the humanity,” he added.

Mahali said the way ISIS is committing atrocities and barbaric actions in the name of Islam, it is not permissible in Islam.

“Through our fatwa, youth are being cautioned that they should not fall in the trap of ISIS and they should not think that by associating with ISIS they will get ‘jannat’ (heaven) by Allah. Only those get place in ‘jannat’ who have trust on Allah and work for humanity,” he said.

Noting that activities of ISIS are a threat to entire Asia and Saudi Arab, he said India is also faces a threat.

Ulema of Saudi Arabia have also issued fatwa against ISIS, he said.

PTI

New howitzer to boost Army firepower Indian Army will soon be handed over the indigenously-developed howitzer ‘Dhanush’, also known as ‘desi bofors’

JABALPUR: In what would be a shot in the arm for a force that has not had a new 155mm artillery gun inducted since the Bofors scandal of 1987, the Indian Army is set to soon be handed over the indigenously-developed howitzer ‘Dhanush’, also known as ‘desi bofors’.

“Dhanush, the indigenouslydeveloped 155mm gun with 45 calibre having advanced features, is likely to be handed over to the army in November this year,” Senior General Manager of Jabalpur’s Gun Carriage Factory (GCF), NK Sinha, told PTI here.

The gun, a towed howitzer with a strike range of 38-km, has been

Vehicle, housing loans hiked for Haryana MLAs CHANDIGARH: The limit of home loan and motor car loan for members of Legislative Assembly in the state was today hiked with Haryana Vidhan Sabha today passing a Haryana Legislative Assembly (Facilities to Members) Amendment Bill 2015 in this regard.

It is proposed that motor car loan may increase from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh and home loan may increase from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 60 lakh, the Bill said.

Haryana Legislative Assembly (Facilities to Members) Amendment

Bill 2015 was presented by state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ram Bilas Sharma on the last day of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha session here.

Another Haryana Legislative Assembly (Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members) Amendment Bill 2015 was also passed. In this Bill, secretarial allowance to MLAs for private secretary was hiked from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per month.

Among other Bills, Haryana Vidhan Sabha passed Haryana Value Added Tax (Second Amendment) Bill,

2015. Through this Bill, it was proposed to amend Section 2 and Section 8 of the HVAT Act, 2003, to deny undue claim of input tax in cases where tax has not actually been paid to the government.

Under this law, the government has decided to extend limitation period for provisional assessment, assessment of unregistered dealer, reassessment and revision cases so that cases of builders, developers could be reassessed in accordance with the judgment of Supreme Court in L&T Limited case.

PTI

developed by Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), Kolkata, after going through the design and voluminous documents running into more than 12,000 pages which were delivered to India under the first phase of Transfer of Technology (ToT) as part of the Bofors gun deal in late 80s, an official said.

Costing about Rs 14 crore apiece, Dhanush is comparable to most current generation weapons systems which are in use by different countries,

the official added.

Along with electronic gun-laying and sighting systems and other features, the indigenously-developed gun has an enhanced 11km range as against the gun range of 27-km of the imported Bofors.

Indian army had stationed a special team of officers at GCF to help monitor the progress, coordinate proof resources and provide guidance regarding the qualitative requirements vis-a-vis the gun system

The gun has an enhanced range compared to the Bofors gun

PTI

BY Lamuel Lal

from the user’s perspective, the official said.

“A team from the 506 Army Base Workshop, close to CGF, was constantly providing technical inputs which it acquired for the project for over more than two decades,” he added.

The Swedish Bofors company (now owned by Britain’s BAE System) could not complete the ToT for the 155mm howitzer with 39 calibre to India as the deal got embroiled in a major political row over alleged kickbacks in 80s.

Subsequently, OFB struggled to produce the howitzer indigenously despite manufacturing and supplying components or spare parts.

PTI

AT YOUR SERVICE...

Jammu and Kashmir Animal Husbandry Minister Sajjad Gani Lone presents a job letter to a girl as Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Syed and Information and Technical Education Minister Imran Raza Ansari look on during the ‘Mega Job Festival - 2015’ at SKICC, in Srinagar on Wednesday

What caused Bengal student migration Vol-II* lssue No.: 13 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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KOLKATA: The migration of students from West Bengal, where Renaissance started in the late 18th century, to Delhi and other centres of learning since the 60s was the result of an all-round decline triggered by “fiery political agitations”, Prasar Bharati CEO Jawahar Sircar has said.

“The non-political student, researcher or teacher preferred to move away from the state rocked by regular bandhs, blockades, fiery agitations and declining standards of discipline,” Sircar said.

Sircar was speaking at the annual

convocation of the International Management Institute here.

Speaking on the topic ‘Is Kolkata losing its charm as a knowledge centre?’, the former principal secretary of Higher Secondary Education of West Bengal, regretted that the migration of students “actually increased after a stable government was installed in the state because higher education was clearly not its highest priority”.

Tracing the reason for the migration of professionals and researchers, Sircar noted that this was because of the decline in the state’s economy and

consequent fall in revenue generation.

“Successive governments pampered the lower bureaucracy in both government and academic institutes to such an extent and at the expense of the institutions, that a large number of good professionals and researchers simply migrated to foreign countries in utter disgust,” he alleged.

Other states pumped in money into their institutions and attracted the best available brains from different parts of the country including Kolkata, thereby strengthening their own centres of knowledge.

English suffered as a medium of education for decades in West Bengal and this deprived even the most talented knowledge-hunters to find a footing elsewhere, according to Sircar. Bengal was mired in the cesspool of politics while the western India marched ahead not only because of enterprising socioeconomic groups, but also because the post-OPEC world of petro-chem and gas-based industries found favourable ground. Sircar, however, was hopeful that Kolkata may regain its position as a place of thought, knowledge and vision.

PTI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

Pooja aims for higher score at Asian C’ship P 16

PUNE

“Europe should support Israel - not pressure Israel, not attack Israel, but support Israel, which is the only real shield that Europe and the Middle East have against extremist Islam, which is surging.”

— Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister

Tough hurdles for uranium sale to India The report carefully favours India but with a few recommendations

BY Natasha Chaku MELBOURNE: Australia should not sell uranium to India until it sets up an independent nuclear regulator, separates its civil and military nuclear facilities and allows safety inspections, a multi-party committee recommended.

The Treaties Committee tabled a report in parliament into the uranium deal with India, carefully favouring it but with few recommendations including that India should be encouraged to become a party to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

The report has for the first time addressed several issues including the uranium export to a nation which is not party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The merits of selling uranium to India, a deal which was inked last year by Prime Ministers Tony Abbott and Narendra Modi, were being

examined by experts as part of the Treaties Committee’s inquiry into the Government’s proposal.

The report said Australia must commit to “significant diplomatic resources to encouraging India to become a party to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and to negotiate a fissile material cut-off treaty.”

India is not a signatory of the NPT nor CTBT. “It would be fair to say that, in this debate, there are no small risks or benefits. Every issue the Committee has dealt with in this inquiry bears significant potential benefits and risks,” the report said.

“To begin with, the quantum of uranium involved could easily double the size of the uranium mining industry in Australia, bringing significant export revenue, and business and employment opportunities at a time when commodity prices for other mining exports are slowing the pace of growth in Australia’s mining industry,” it said.

“For India, the significance of the proposed Agreement is possibly even greater. As an emerging world power with a considerable shortfall of generating capacity, nuclear powered

NEW YORK: Online giant Amazon and the University of Pennsylvania have been sued by the mother of an Indian-origin girl student who committed suicide over two years ago by consuming cyanide purchased from the retailer, according to media reports.

The 20-year-old nursing student at the university, had reported an alleged sexual assault by a male student in 2011, but no charges were filed and he remained on campus, leading to a twoyear downward spiral culminating in her cyanide suicide in 2013, the lawsuit said. After that, she showed troubling behaviour at school, missing classes and getting arrested for alcohol intoxication, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

“Despite her problems, university employees’ conduct toward her was unsympathetic, hostile, and at times

vindictive,” the suit says.

One school official allegedly wrote in an email she had “no sympathy” for her and said the student “deserves anything you dish out to her”.

In December, 2012, she ordered cyanide crystals from Amazon through a vendor in Thailand, who had listed it as a “kitchen” item, said the suit filed in late July that also names the vendor and his company as defendants.

By the spring 2013 semester, she was being investigated for academic misconduct. She was barred from registering for classes, and ordered to leave her dorm while awaiting a hearing for the misconduct. On February 8, 2013, the day of the hearing, her roommate found her unresponsive in their dorm, and she was pronounced dead hours later. Amazon offered cyanide for sale until February 2, 2013.

PTI

Professor suspended for not showing PoK as Pak territory

LAHORE: A senior professor at the Punjab University here has been suspended for committing a “grave mistake” of not showing PoK as part of Pakistan. Abida Nasreen, assistant professor at the university’s Institute of Education and Research, has been suspended for three months, the varsity’s spokesman Khurram Shahzad said.

Shahzad said action under the Punjab Employees Efficiency Discipline and Accountability (PEEDA) has been initiated against her for her “grave mistake.”

On Friday, a workshop was organised by the Department of Secondary Education at the university during which the “wrong map” of Pakistan without Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was shown. “Abida was responsible for publication of the map,” he said. The incident is being investigated.

PTI

Vajpayee expressed his grievance that he had been shabbily treated by Sharif in Lahore

L A HOR E : Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee complained to Nawaz Sharif after the outbreak of the Kargil conflict that he had been shabbily Atal Bihari Vajpayee treated and made the Pakistan premier speak with film legend Dilip Kumar who pleaded for controlling the situation, says a new book.

Narrating a startling anecdote recounted to him by Saeed Mehdi, the ex-Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Sharif at the time of the Kargil War in May 1999, former foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri says, “According to Saeed, one day he was sitting with PM Sharif when the telephone bell rang and the ADC informed the PM that the Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee wished to speak with him urgently.”

During their talks, Vajpayee expressed his grievances that he had been shabbily treated by Sharif after having been invited to Lahore, Kasuri writes in his book ‘Neither a Hawk

Nor a Dove’.

Sharif looked surprised at the words of Vajpayee, who complained that while he had been received in Lahore with such warmth, Pakistan had wasted no time in occupying Kargil.

Sharif said he was not aware of what Vajpayee was saying to him and promised to get back to him after talking to Chief of the Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf.

Before the conversation could end, Vajpayee told Sharif that he would like him to speak to somebody who was sitting next to him during their conversation, Kasuri writes.

Sharif was astonished when he heard the voice of Dilip Kumar (Yousuf Khan originally from Peshawar), who said, “Mian Sahib, we did not expect this from you since you have always claimed to be a great supporter of peace between Pakistan and India”, Kasuri writes in the book.

Let me tell you as an Indian Muslim that in case of tension Dilip Kumar between Pakistan

hillary shows her moves on degeneres show

BY M Zulqernain

“Atal made Sharif speak with Dilip Kumar over Kargil”

BY M Zulqernain

world’s recoverable uranium resources, and exports nearly 7,000 tonnes a year.

Among recommendations, the report said that the uranium treaty only be ratified if India manages to achieve the full separation of civil and military nuclear facilities, and that it establishes a fully independent, nuclear regulatory body.

It also recommends the International Atomic Energy Agency verify that inspections of nuclear facilities live up to international standards. .

The report said that while the NPT was performing well in limiting

“India is on the wrong side by not signing NPT.”

AP/PTI

Amazon, US varsity sued in suicide case

electricity generation will grow as one of a number of generating sources selected because of their low carbon emissions,” the report said.

It asked that given the benefits for Australia and India from the proposed agreement, can the risks be tolerated and ameliorated.

Australian authorities estimate India’s uranium import could grow up to 2,000 tonnes a year, valued at 200 million dollars. India currently gets about 50 per cent of its energy from coal and only 2 per cent from nuclear power.

Australia holds about a third of the

the proliferation of nuclear weapons, use of Australian nuclear material was India as an emerging world power is on a central requirement. the wrong side by not signing it.

“Should Australian nuclear “The problem lies in the arbitrary material be sold to India, the date that separates those parties to the Australian public will want to be NPT who are nuclear weapons states assured that the nuclear material is and those who are not. India is on the being used safely,” it said, pointing out wrong side of that date,” the report that recent examinations by a number said, adding that 40 years of isolation of institutions had indicated that safety from NPT community standards were not as have not prevented it high as they should be, from developing and particularly in the areas deploying nuclear of the independence of weapons. the nuclear regulator, “The Committee and the quality and believes that if quantity of safety signatories to the inspections.

NPT are going to “In relation to the accept India back into specific issues associated the non-proliferation with the proposed mainstream, the Indian agreement itself, the Government is going to bulk of these have - TREATIES COMMITTEE have to act expeditiously been resolved to the to prove its nonCommittee’s satisfaction. proliferation credentials In particular, the as an emerging world power,” it said.

Committee is as assured as it can be It further recommended Australian that Australian nuclear material will be Government to consider facilitating tracked and accounted for, and so will not the negotiation of a nuclear arms be diverted into military applications,” it limitation treaty in the subcontinent said. The uranium sale agreement was region stating that for the Committee, tabled last October. the highest standard of safety in the

PTI

and India, Indian Muslims become very insecure and they find it difficult to even leave their homes.

Please do something to control this situation, Dilip, a recipient of Nawaz Sharif Pakistan’s highest civilian honour Nishan-e-Imtiaz, told Sharif.

Kasuri feels that he has made his point, “if even the great icon Dilip Kumar, as an Indian Muslim, felt insecure in case of tensions between India and Pakistan”, it would not be hard to imagine the difficulties faced by ordinary Muslims in periods of tension between the two countries.

The former foreign minister says that he has seen first-hand that it is possible to have a meaningful peace process between the two countries and how quickly such a process could change the paradigm of relations between them.

He concludes with his conviction that peace is possible between two countries and that it would have a very positive impact on the status of minorities in both the countries.

PTI

Actress Amy Schumer, left, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, second from left, Ellen DeGeneres and musician Pink dance on stage during a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, at Rockefeller Center in New York

Indian-origin contestant creates stir over outfit on UK TV

BY Aditi Khanna LONDON: An Indian-origin Cambridge University student has created a social media stir after he appeared on one of Britain’s most popular quiz shows known for its serious approach, in a leather vest and silver chain.

Kaamil Shah, a 22-year-old student of King’s College Cambridge, sparked a frenzy on Twitter with the hashtag “#vestgate” after he appeared on BBC’s ‘University Challenge’ this week.

The academic show, hosted by Jeremy Paxman, is known for its nononsense and serious approach.

But Shah’s family has come out in support of his unconventional dress code choice on the sombre show.

“The family are proud of his achievements and we are having a laugh about it,” his brother Haaris told ‘Evening Standard’.

“One of the guys working on the programme said he had never seen so much flesh before. Some of the old ladies in the audience were gasping.

“Our mum found it very funny.

He was very upset about losing and his own performance but the family think he did well,” the 19-year-old added.

London-based Bhavik Shah, whose wife is related to Kaamil’s father, said, “Compared to what everyone else is wearing it is quite out there, admittedly.”

PTI

Islamist plot to blow up Bangla navy bases

BY Anisur Rahman DHAKA: Bangladeshi intelligence agencies have unearthed an Islamist plot to blow up over 100 navy and coastguard bases and oil refineries in southeastern port city of Chittagong, a media report said.

A lesser-known outfit called Hilful Fuzul al Islami planned to carry out gas bomb explosions in collaboration with several other banned Islamist groups in retaliation to an escalated security clampdown against the militants, according to the ‘Samokal’, a mass circulation newspaper.

“They have targeted more than 100 government and nongovernment installations on both the sides of the Chittagong Port Channel where the Coastguard’s West Zone Base, Kaptai’s BNS (Navy) Moazzem Base, BNS Isha Khan are located,” said the report, quoting unidentified intelligence sources.

It added that the Hilful Fuzul also hatched plots to carryout sabotages at the main depots of four refineries in the port city.

When asked to comment on the report, a spokesman of elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) told

PTI that “we are aware of the report which you are referring to.

“It (Hilful Fuzul) is a little-known outfit... but we are investigating into the suspected plot,” RAB’s spokesman Major Maksud Alam said without elaboration.

Another security official, who requested anonymity, seemed to downplay the report, saying militant outfits currently were in a dilapidated state due to the intensified antimilitancy clampdown.

“Their previous attempts to regroup and forge unity failed also largely because of their ideological differences,” he said.

Media reports earlier said Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), which claimed to an affiliate of Al-Qaeda’s Indian Subcontinent chapter and believed to have killed a number of secular bloggers dubbing them as “atheists” in recent months, previously failed to unite the Islamist outfits despite efforts by its chief Jashimuddin Rahmani.

The report came as banned Hizbut Tahrir staged an online conference after mobilising participation by pasting posters on passenger buses and walls.

PTI

Hilful Fuzul al Islami planned gas bomb blasts

MONEY MATT ER S

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

PUNE

“Tata Sky Transfer STB launch comes at a time when 75 per cent Indian audiences access Internet on mobile. It is the innovative answer for keeping in touch with favourite content 24x7.”

— Harit Nagpal, Managing Director, Tata Sky

“We are promoting electronic cluster in a big way since last 14 months. We have received investment proposals of Rs1.07 lakh crore till now.”

— Ravi Shankar Prasad, Communications and IT Minister

‘India ranks low on inclusive growth, devp ranking’ It has mostly been ranked in the bottom half of the 38 countries that make up our lower middle income bracket

BY BARUN JHA India has been ranked very low, mostly in the bottom half, globally on most of the parameters for inclusive growth and development even as it fares much better internationally when it comes to business and political ethics.

In a fi rst of its kind global rankings, across different groups of countries in terms of their per capita income levels, the World Economic Forum (WEF) found that most countries are in fact missing major opportunities to reduce income inequality and same is the case with India.

WEF said that the new study, which was conducted over the past two years, seeks to identify the various ways policymakers can drive economic growth and equity at the same time and assesses them on their relative success

in implementing these measures.

“Our message is unequivocally that leaders must pursue economic strategies that are at the same time pro-growth and pro-labour,” said the Geneva-based think tank known for its economic conclaves held in different parts of the world including in Davos, Switzerland and in India.

India has mostly been ranked in the bottom half of the 38 countries that make up our lower middle income bracket.

Particularly disappointing is its position in terms of Fiscal Transfers, where it ranks 37th out of 38.

It also ranks very low at 32nd for Tax Code and 36th for social protection.

WEF said that another area that policymakers in India would need to prioritise improvement would be

‘Asset building and entrepreneurship’, in particular the Small business ownership, where India ranks bottom among its peers at 38th place.

However, India does demonstrate leadership in some areas, WEF said, while naming areas like corruption and rents where it comes 8th.

For business and political ethics, India ranks 12th, while it ranks 11th on the fi nancial intermediation of real economy investment pillar, which suggests that money invested in the economy generally gets directed towards productive uses.

WEF said its fi rst Inclusive Growth and Development Report presents a new framework for assessing countries’ efforts to foster economic growth that raises the living standards of entire societies.

“Around the world, no bigger policy challenge preoccupies political leaders than expanding social participation in the process and benefits of economic growth,” WEF said while releasing the report that covers 112 economies.

PTI

Most nations are missing chances to reduce income inequality

‘Govt mulling using unclaimed amounts for senior citizens’ The Centre is considering using unclaimed amounts in various government investments to provide healthcare to the country’s senior citizens, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said. “In fact, I am currently working on a programme we have approved last year where all the unclaimed amounts in various government investments are now to be taken over and used for providing healthcare to senior citizens.

It is a programme which is under consideration,” Jaitley said. He was speaking at a function organised in Kochi to celebrate the achievement of Kerala government’s Karunya Benevolent Fund, launched to finance treatment expenses of poor people from the revenue earned from its Karunya lottery.

Setalvad’s NGO licence suspended for six months In fresh crackdown on an NGO run by social activist Teesta Setalvad, the Home Ministry suspended its registration for six months accusing the organisation of violating Foreign Currency (Regulation) Act that invites termination of its licence. In an order, the Home Ministry said exercising the powers conferred under Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, the registration of Sabrang Trust has been suspended for a period of 180 days with effect from September 10, 2015.

The Sabrang Trust, run by Teesta and her husband Javed Anand, can make a representation against the order within 30 days. However, if the Home Ministry is not satisfied with the reply of the NGO, its registration will be cancelled.

Taxman to file court case if illegal foreign assets detected NEW DELHI: Taking a tough stance against black money, the CBDT has directed the Income Tax department to mandatorily launch court cases against people found to be holding stash funds and tainted assets abroad and consider “compounding” of such offences only at a later stage.

The apex policy-making body of the tax department has recently issued a directive in this regard to all I-T offices in the country after the latter raised “doubts” over the applicability of the provisions of the “Compounding of Offences” under the Income Tax Act, 1961 in these cases.

“Such cases (where a person has been found to be holding illegal assets

abroad) can be compounded only after fi ling the prosecution complaint and shall not be compounded at the stage of show cause notice and/or without fi ling the complaint in the court,” the new directives, accessed by PTI, said.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes, sources said, also obtained the opinion of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money on the subject and after obtaining its approval it subsequently gave a directive to the I-T department that launching of court cases in such offences is a must.

The Compounding of Offences is undertaken under section 279(2) of the I-T Act by a panel of senior I-T officers in an assessment range keeping

in view factors such as conduct of the person, nature and magnitude of the offence and facts and circumstances of each case. In case a court case has been fi led, the department duly obtains the permission of the court to initiate these provisions which aim to help a cooperating offender of tax evasion.

“It has been made clear that the compounding of offences, which means settling the case with a consenting party without going into tedious litigation process but under the ambit of the I-T law, will be only used in chosen and deserving cases of black money but a court case will have to be fi led in the fi rst instance,” a senior I-T official said on Tuesday.

PTI

The capitals of starting a business

BY SARANSH DEY @Casaransh

but in near future. If your idea does not make profits on paper there are high chances it won’t make money in practical application too. A business plan is a must to understand and justify the idea to yourself more than anyone else.

Next step is to pick the right form of organisation for your idea. Broadly you can have a sole proprietorship, partnership, private limited company and a limited liability partnership (LLP).

Each one has their own benefits.

A table (see below) briefly describes the level of compliances you can expect from each form of organisation.

The basic requirement for most businesses is Shop Act. Shop Act is considered a proof of nature of business, place of operation and number of employees. For any start-up I always recommend it to start with a sole proprietor or a partnership form of organisation. They are easiest to incorporate, operate and later can be converted to a Private limited or LLP. If you were to choose between Private Limited and LLP, I would recommend the latter. It has lesser compliance and is easier to operate. It has the benefits of a partnership and a private limited merged together.

Deciding the name should be done meticulously. Most people start using a name for their business without any regards to existing brands or businesses. Th is can later lead to a trademark and copyright issue and once your business is established changing the name is time consuming and counter productive. Starting a business is a great step towards financial independence but must be done with meticulous planning. Always give preference to systems and plans over opinions and advice. saransh@goldensparrow.com

Everyone has that one idea that they want to start as a business. It may be a small bistro, an app idea, a trading business or a delivery business. The biggest challenge you face in starting your dream venture is to know where to start. We work in a complex business environment and do not know the all the rules and regulations that effect business. Multiple licences may be needed to be required before taking the first plunge.

There are a few basic things that you need to know before you start.

First thing to do before you start is to have a business plan in place. A business plan essentially pens down your idea, breaks it up into various processes and milestones, deliverables to be achieved and trigger points for various stages.

The biggest mistake a start-up does is to ask the consultant to make a plan only for bank loan purposes.

The consultants use a standard report with a few change in ratios and call it your business plan. Th is blunder can cost you your entire idea. A good professional will force you to think of scenarios not thought of before you took up the idea, the dependencies, the requirement of resources, cash and people.

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Want GST implementation from Apr 2016: Jaitley Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said he wants the GST to be implemented from April next year, but warned that the new indirect tax regime may get delayed if Congress continues to obstruct it.

Speaking at an event organised by The Economist magazine here, Jaitley said if the number of parties which supported the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill in Lok Sabha are tallied, the government has “two-third” majority support in Rajya Sabha as well.

“The Congress party says -- I will only shout down... I would like to see it being implemented by April 1, but if this kind of obstructionism remains, perhaps the Congress party will succeed in hurting Indian economy and derail the GST for sometime.

“But now GST is almost a fortified agenda. The objections being raised I don’t see much substance in them. So I don’t see much time before this is passed,” he said.

Congress yesterday virtually redflagged government’s attempts to call a special session of Parliament, telling it bluntly such an exercise would serve no purpose unless action was taken against External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and chief ministers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

The Constitution Amendment Bill for roll out of GST has been passed in Lok Sabha, but is yet to be approved by Rajya Sabha where the ruling BJP does not enjoy majority of its own.

The Finance Minister also said the

PTI

Signposts

FINANCIAL CORNER

composition of Upper House would change after the next bi-annual election in April in favour of the ruling alliance.

As of now, Congress has maximum members in Rajya Sabha.

The government plans to roll out GST, which seeks to replace all indirect taxes with a uniform levy, by April 1, 2016. GST is estimated to boost India’s GDP by 1-2 per cent.

Jaitley further said the government

has embarked on a certain course and on that course in current circumstances “we are doing reasonably well.”

“You had a Parliament session which was wasted.

Conventionally it has been that it is politically costly to pursue reforms.

But this time you had much larger public opinion in favour of that Parliament should be allowed to enact a law particularly with regard to indirect taxation GST,” he added.

PTI

GST is expected to boost India’s GDP by 1-2 per cent

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during the ‘India Summit 2015’ organised by UK-based Economist magazine in New Delhi

Fragile PSBs to merge with strong peers if worries persist: FM Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said consolidation of weaker state-run banks with stronger ones will be the next step if some of the lenders continue to remain fragile despite steps to strengthen them.

Speaking at an event organised by The Economist here, Jaitley also said that though nonperforming assets (NPAs) in the banking sector was a cause of concern, there was no ground to “panic”.

He said the government was taking steps to strengthen the public sector banks and highlighted the measures, like capital infusion and hiring of professionals, including from private sector.

Bringing down government stakes in these banks to 52 per cent would further augment their capital.

The government’s fi rst objective was to strengthen fragile public sector banks (PSBs), he said.

“After this (measures) if there is a fragile bank

we are looking at consolidation with stronger banks.

So it’s not that banks don’t get a priority. In fact, after inheriting the banks in a fragile situation, we are systematically trying to address each of these problems,” Jaitley said.

On NPAs, he said: “It is (banking system) a matter of concern. It’s not the main worry. There is no ground to panic.

The banking system that we inherited primarily, the public sector banks, was actually very challenging.

“When the economy slowed down, and when you inherit the economy at sub-5 per cent level, it has an impact on the banking system as well... primarily three or four sectors...(have) added to the NPAs of the public sector banks,” he said.

He said the NPA was mainly in sectors like highways, steel, state discoms and textiles.

Jaitley further said the government has addressed the highway issue in a “big manner”, large investment is going in highways and it has “started moving”.

“As far as the discoms are concerned, I am in touch with each of the states where the discoms need to be reformed,” he said, adding government was looking at more steps to check dumping of steel in the country.

Gross NPAs of the state-run banks at the end of March quarter stood at 5.2 per cent compared with 5.63 per cent in December.

Out of Rs 1.80 lakh crore capital requirement estimated by the Finance Ministry for state-run banks, the government would be providing Rs 70,000 crore -- Rs 25,000 crore each in the current and the next fiscal, and Rs 10,000 crore each in 2017-18 and 2018-19 fiscal.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

“ Students from Kalewadi have to cross the road to reach the school. There is no subway or foot overbridge for 500m from MM School Chowk till the next junction.”

— Vinod Nadhe, opposition leader in PCMC

PUNE

“Sharad Pawar has no right to attack the state government because he did nothing when he was in power. Pawar only paid attention to Baramati. I want to ask Mr Pawar what has he done to alleviate the condition of farmers?” — Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil, Congress leader

Undri is reeling under its burden of woes The area has rapidly become an in-demand residential area, but the infrastructure remains in a very backward and primitive state

T

h e Undri a r e a has been developing at a breakneck pace in recent years.

From what was once the outskirts of Eakta Khanna town, it is now a happening area, what with the Corinthian Club and the gamut of residential complexes. In fact, it is probably one of the most popular destinations for employees of the IT sector.

Undri is well connected to NIBM

Road, Wanowrie and is not too far from Camp and MG Road. And the IT hubs of Hadapsar, Magarpatta and Kharadi are also within reach.

A big factor in its evolution has been the setting up branches of Delhi Public School and Bishop’s School, which brings a big population of students to this area.

But the infrastructure has not kept pace with the growth and development. What is sorely needed is a better road network.

And the roads need to be wide enough to accommodate the increasing volume of traffic.

Unfortunately, the existing roads do not fulfil this criterion. Given the large number of housing projects, the resident population is set for a big boom and it will be a wise course to plan for the future, now.

Water supply is another crucial issue, and it is an ordeal when people

have to resort to buying water from tankers for their daily needs. And the residents’ complaints and demands to the authorities do not yield any results most of the time.

There is also a dire need for public transport, which means a greater frequency of PMPML buses to and from the main areas of the city. Waiting two hours for a bus is not a feasible option.

We could also do with more efficient and timely garbage clearance, better upkeep of storm water drains, and a solution to the pollution caused by the brick kiln near Bishop’s School.

I have written a number of times to the civic authorities regarding all these issues, but they have all fallen on deaf ears. Will the corporator responsible for this state of affairs do something?

CITIZEN JOURNALIST

A traditional and cosmopolitan city Two years of living here has taught me a lot and given me a fresh and wider perspective on all things

It has been almost two years since I arrived in Pune from my hometown of Nagpur. It was my fi rst experience of being away from home and family, and I really did not know how living in a hostel would turn out to be.

To my good fortune, my Sukhda Kalra hostel-mates were mostly an easy-going lot and my apprehensions and fears vanished in a jiff y. My education at ILS College too began and carried on in a largely trouble-free manner, so things were working out pretty fine.

After settling in, I had time to look around and absorb the Pune climate and environment.

It is a far more forward-thinking and liberal place than Nagpur, and I found it a most exciting environment.

The pleasant weather almost all year round is a real boon, and though it is a big and developing city, it has its share of the quaint and traditional

LETTERS TO THE

EDITOR

Maharashtrian way of life, alongside the modern, cosmopolitan and global style of life.

I have made the most of the malls, restaurants, and the happening events scene, whenever my friends and I have had the time. Among our favourite hangouts are Goodluck Café on FC Road, Club Delhi at Kothrud, and Burger King at Koregaon Park. There are loads of other food places that I enjoy, and the variety of cuisines seems almost unending. Thanks to its cosmopolitan way of life in the upmarket areas like Kalyaninagar, Baner

and Koregaon Park, the atmosphere there is very open, and tolerant. That said, there are the old city areas where people are way more conservative, and where Marathi is the dominant language, along with the Maharashtrian way of life.

In fact, a fair knowledge of Marathi is essential when one is dealing with bus conductors, autorickshaw drivers and the police. I do give it my best shot but among my friends are those who have no grasp of the local language which at times proves to be a real hurdle. But then there is always the option of Hindi and everyone knows a smattering of English, so it’s not the end of the world.

NON-NATIVE

PAROLE

The heart of Pune city beats to the tune of its rich culture, and education and the IT sector are its engines of growth

I have been living in Pune since 2005 and I have seen this city grow in leaps and bounds over this time. My fi rst job was with a fi ve-star hotel, and I have relished the opportunity to serve and mingle with the elite class of this city. My job has also afforded me the opportunity to observe the lifestyle and culture of Pune fi rst-hand.

I have found the average Puneite to be cordial and easy-going. Of course, Pune is now home to people from across the globe, and the locals have been quick to absorb and take to a cosmopolitan way of life.

Culture plays a big role in Pune, and one can see it in the round-the-year calendar of events, religious festivals and such. There are Marathi plays at Balgandharva, Tilak Smarak Mandir and other venues, along with classical music concerts at Yeshwantrao Chavan auditorium. Pune is also home

to connoisseurs of western classical music, and the regular concerts at Mazda Hall in Camp are proof of this.

All the educational institutes and the IT sector has transformed the Vivian Joel, Canada profi le of the city, and the galaxy of malls, restaurants, hotels etc, provide a rich potpourri of things to do.

Puneites are also making their mark in the country and even abroad. Th is is testimony to the intellectuals and professional caliber of its residents.

Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata are metros that Pune cannot be compared to, But Pune rates in the same class as Hyderabad and Bangalore as a prime IT hub. What gives it an edge, is the temperate climate and proximity to Mumbai.

There are scores of issues that need to be sorted, but in general, I have found an ideal city to settle down in, and if the past decade is anything to go by, I am not likely to change my opinion in the near future.

FROM FOREIGN

SHORES

Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned immediate steps to bring the garden back to its original state.

—Satyabhama Pujari

Women’s emancipation

Rucha and Archana’s quilt-making enterprise for destitute or needy women is wholly praiseworthy. It is selfless of them to enable these women to become fi nancially independent.

Such people are shining examples in today’s self-obsessed age. It shows us the way to make time and devote our The two Pune woman booked by the police for trying to set a car ablaze is astounding. It is amazing how people, especially those of the fair sex, can stoop to such levels to cause harm to the property of someone they have had some issues with. And the reason mentioned in the articles is of so little consequence that most sane people would plainly ignore it, let alone going to such lengths for ‘revenge’. Have we become so vengeful towards our neighbours? It does not bode well if today’s Indians, and especially women have become so ego- and self-obsessed. I wonder what kind of a sentence the law will put on these two women for their mean and thoughtless actions. But it should serve as an example for others, and deter them from taking the law into their own hands for trivial matters.

—Pushkar Kumar

Showcase of culture

From glory to ruin The Mughal Garden on Sinhagad Road seems to be a story of utter neglect by the caretakers, which is the Pune Municipal Corporation. From what the garden looked when it was inaugurated, to the dismal state it has been reduced to today is tragic. It just shows how the PMC authorities and staff blatantly shirk their duties. Pune is a city that needs all the green spaces and parks for its citizens to enjoy ad make use of. But if this is the way the civic body looks after gardens, the citizens will be better off not visiting them at all. I don’t see what is the obstacle that the PMC cannot tend to such a potentially beautiful garden. I am sure it is not because of a shortage of funds or manpower. What is the point of spending so much money in setting up the garden and then let it go to seed. The authorities must take

energy to making life a little better for those who need help. When they become fi nancially independent, they will not fall prey to unscrupulous persons. And along the way, they are producing articles which are of great use. It is not just constructive but creative as well. In the urban zone, it has become necessary for every one to have a respectable source of income and that is just the kind of avenue that Rucha and Archana have opened for needy women.

—Vedika Raut

Black-hearted youngsters

The NIFT students booked for blowing smoke into a puppy’s face may be from the privileged and affluent class, but their thoughtless behaviour towards a dumb canine is extraordinarily asinine and revolting.

How can human beings endowed with a brain do such stupid, moronic things? What have their parents and teachers taught them all these years?

Are these kinds of youngsters human?

If they can indulge in such crude and cruel acts, what will they be capable of when they are fully grown human beings? Surely, they are the ones who are capable of murder. An innocent puppy is generally so cute as to be adored by almost everyone. What drove this future generation of Indians to such inexplicable behaviour? Being kind to animals is an essential human trait and these young people have left

a sour taste in my mouth and a dark spot in my mind regarding the future of our country. Shame on all of you.

—Nilima Solanki

then. It is also to the credit of TGS to publish such heart-warming and inspiring stories. Way to go.

— Sameer Jogi

Dog in a manger The non-governmental organisation striving for the welfare of the disabled have just cause to feel offended by the state government approach. It’s a dog in a manger kind of attitude, of not doing something yourself and then stopping others from dong some good.

If the authorities feel that the books aren’t up to the mark, it would make sense to open a dialogue in this regard with those designing the books, and provide specific guidelines. In the meanwhile, it is the visually impaired students who are being deprived of the benefits of learning from the books.

—Shalaka Shastri

Making the world a happier place

Yunus and Durriya Shipchandler are like angels who have devoted their twilight years to taking care and offering shelter to orphans at their Sai Ashram. And the incident that sparked this philanthropic and human enterprise is also so telling as it is touching. The world needs more such people who will put aside their own concerns and devote their time to bringing happiness and comfort to others who are more in need. The world would surely be a happier place

Write to Us Letters to the Editor may be emailed to editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com, editor_tgs@gmail.com or mailed to The Editor, Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt Ltd, 1641 Madhav Heritage, Tilak Road, Pune-411030.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

PUNE

SPORTS

“We want to be unpredictable and dynamic, to be able to play in different styles according to different situations. These are the areas I want to improve in the Indian team.”

— Roelant Oltmans, India’s hockey chief coach

“If we do not change, Indian football will die and that is clear. We are already at death’s door and that is why we are ranked 156 in the World.”

—Stephen Constantine, India’s football coach

Pooja aims higher at the Asian Championship ASHISH PHADNIS

The defending champion shooter is preparing and training hard for the big events to come

BY ASHISH PHADNIS @phadnis_ashish

Olympics bronze medalist shooter Gagan Narang says his academy could have created a major stir in India

Pooja Ghatkar of the city has been stealing the limelight by means of her shooting prowess since the National Games at Kerala in February.

Her season took off on a winning note, with two gold medals in the national tournament, and she has not faltered even a bit since then.

In the 5th Gun For Glory Shooting Championship at the Shiv Chhatrapati sports complex in Balewadi, she topped the chart with 416.0 points in the 10m Rifle Challenger Cup. She also went on to defeat Harmanveer Singh (Punjab) by a big 10-6 margin in the quarterfinals, and outplayed Shriyanka Sadangi (ONGC) 10-1 to make the final.

“I am really enjoying this tournament. My qualification score was fine, but what I liked the most was the challenging format. With the loud music and cheering crowds, it was very difficult to concentrate. Then there was the pressure to perform with one-on-one knock-out rounds. It is thrilling,” said Pooja, who was totally relaxed after her semi-final round.

ASIAN CHALLENGE Pooja had impressed with her gold medal in the Asian Championship in Kuwait last year.

The medal was even more special for her as she had defeated Olympic champion Yi Siling in the process.

Now the Asian champion is all set to defend her medal in the upcoming Asian Championship to be held in Kuwait from November 1. However, before that Pooja is aiming to impress in the 8th Asian Airgun Championship to be held in Delhi from September 27.

Indian shooters are expected to dominate this championship as shooters from China and Japan have pulled out. In the last edition in Kuwait, China had topped the table with 25 medals, including 11 gold, while India had fi nished second with 19 medals, including five gold.

However, Pooja is disappointed rather than elated, as she feels that the pullouts have taken the sting out of the tournament.

“With the Chinese shooters we would have had good practice before the Asian Championship. But that’s fi ne. Iran’s shooters are quite impressive, and even shooters from Malaysia and Singapore are doing a good job. Moreover, we will be facing the pressure of expectations from the home crowd,” said Pooja.

The Asian championship in Kuwait is the

Signposts Modern College wins volleyball title Modern College, Shivajinagar defeated College of Engineering, Pune (CoEP) 25-14, 25-19, 24-26, 25-11 in the final of the intercollege volleyball championship at Deccan Gymkhana recently. Over 40 teams from city colleges participated in this tournament. In the semi-finals, Modern prevailed over Fergusson College, while CoEP defeated Modern Engineering College.

Roaring Lions lift junior tennis league trophy Roaring Lions scored a close 24-20 win over Vepar Speeding Cheetahs to win the title at the inaugural PMDTA Dial-a-Meal Junior Tennis League, organised in collaboration with the Pune Metropolitan District Tennis Association (PMDTA). In a close final encounter, Cheetahs raced to a 18 -6 lead as Aryan Sethi, Yashraj Dalvi and Salsa Aher won their respective matches.

Maharashtra outplay Karnataka in Futsal Maharashtra registered a 4-0 win over Karnataka to emerge winners at the DSK Futsal national championship at Balewadi. The Maharashtra team supported by KSH group, got their first success through Mayur Shelar in the ninth and 30th minute. Vijayan Arnald (12th min) and Azhar Khan (31st min) contributed to the team’s victory.

‘We could have done much better than this’ TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly

“But we could have done much better.

Despite putting in our best efforts, we are still struggling for support. Our sponsors have not let us down, but we had much bigger plans, which have been stalled owing to financial constraints,” he said.

Was his own reputation a reason for the success? Narang said, “It’s basically a team effort. Our team has worked day and night for the academy and for this event. Without them it wouldn’t have been possible.”

Olympian bronze medalist Gagan Narang and Pawan Singh started the Gun for Glory shooting academy in Balewadi in 2011, to promote and boost the sport of shooting.

The academy even launched a national-level shooting championship to popularise the sport. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), has selected shooters for national competitions on the basis of their scores in this championship.

PUNE’S ROLE Given the unprecedented success The academy has been grooming of its marquee event, the academy a number of upcoming shooters decided to make it an annual event. and it’s the biggest shooting event The championship has continued Gagan Narang held annually in the city, but Pune to go from strength to strength, shooters are yet to make their mark and currently it’s the only shooting event in at the national level. country which attracts more than 4000 entries.

Narang said, “Th is is a starting phase.

Narang had not foreseen such an overwhelming We have reached out to the school children response when he launched the tournament. in our search for talent. The number of “In wake of the positive feedback, we participants from the city is increasing every decided to make it an annual event. The year. We have created a broad base, and now tournament has acquired a prestigious status in we need a cumulative effort to take them India, and it’s also heartening to know that the tothe next level.” shooting community is increasing,” he said. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

‘GOVERNMENT SPENDS MAXIMUM ON SHOOTING’

Pooja Ghatkar

last chance for shooters to earn a quota for the Rio Olympics and Pooja is preparing hard for this crucial event.

“My performance so far has been good.

My confidence is high. I performed badly in one event, but I covered up for it. So right now I am satisfied, but there is still a lot more work to be done,” she said.

MENTAL PREPAR ATION Pooja feels that she needs more mental training to perform better.

“I score better during training, compared

to tournaments. So I am working hard on that aspect. I am availing of guidance from my mental coach Vaibhav Agashe. Gagan Narang sir is also helping me a lot. I discuss my problems with him and he has given me tips to fi ne tune my performance,” she said.

Apart from defending her medal, Pooja is also aiming to better her performance.

“Last year I scored 413.1 in the qualification round and 208.8 in the fi nals. Th is time I am preparing to raise that bar. But I am not putting pressure on myself,” said Pooja. ashish.phadnis@goldensparrow.com

Rajaram Mane, Commissioner of Sports and Youth department of Government of Maharashtra, who was present at the tournament, said that the government is supporting the development of shooting in Maharashtra.

“The major chunk of sports funds are spent on shooting. We have built shooting ranges in various cities, we are providing ammunition and equipment to shooters and helping them get the best of training. It’s an expensive sport so it will take time to bear fruit, but Maharashtra shooters have done us proud,” he said.

Off-roading is the new adventure City to witness over 300 participants in the Path Finders’ debut Offroad Carnival this weekend

only on marked tracks. Vehicles with excessive emissions are likely to be disqualified,” Sethi said.

THE PUNE PATH FINDERS The Pune Path Finders is a non-profit group, which was formed in 2012 by experienced offroad enthusiasts. It includes over 500 members from all over Maharashtra, with 450 plus vehicles.

“We have close ties with almost all major off-roading groups in India. However, we need one apex body to monitor the event. Right now we are working under the guidelines set

by Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), which is the official governing body of motorsport in the country. However, we can’t implement the rules set for rallies, as both sports are way different in nature. For this event, we have used technical help from RFC, Goa,” said Sandeep Anand.

TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly Off-roading is an adventure sport that has been around for some time in India. The LehLadakh, Nubra Valley and Rann of Kutch regions have been host to car and bike rallies, and are also the prime off-roading destinations in India. Goa is the venue for the annual Rain Forest Challenge (RFC), which is considered to be among the ten most difficult off-roading events on the planet.

Pune has also been the venue for motorsport activity, and off-roading as an adventure sport has been very popular among the local hardcore drivers and bikers. However, besides participating in off-roading events, there was no one promoting the sport in any organized manner.

The Pune Path Finders group, which was set up in 2012, however, have gone about promoting off-roading in a focused and positive manner.

The big and welcome news is that the group is organising its fi rst ever ‘Annual Off roading Carnival’ at Wagholi this weekend (September 12-13). Over 300 participants from Chennai, Mumbai, Nashik, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Gokak, Goa, Belgaum, and Kolkata along with hosts Pune are taking part in this two-day event. The event will script a new and glowing episode in Pune’s motorsport annals, the organizers believe.

THE EVENT Elaborating on the carnival, Path Finders member Gagan Sethi said, “We have set up a

special track designed by off-roading veterans, which happens to be amidst a truly beautiful natural landscape. Th is two-day event will have 12 special stages (SS) spread across 200 acres of natural terrain, designed to truly test the mettle of the competitors. A perfect combination of driver, navigator and vehicle will be essential for those aiming for a podium finish. The event will be marshalled by experienced hands who have been officiating at the premier off-road events in India, and we ensure a transparent process for participants.”

The event is open to all road-registered fourwheel drive vehicles, currently or previously on sale to the general public. No commercial or agricultural vehicles will be allowed.

“We have also very strict environment norms. No standing trees or plants will be cut or damaged. Participants will drive to campsites in an organised convoy, within speed limits and

OFFROADING Off-roading entails driving or riding a vehicle over unsurfaced roads or tracks, made of materials such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural terrain. It takes competitors through mud, rain, across steep slippery slopes, deep ruts, gullies, flooded rivers, and landslides too.

“Off-roading is a demanding sport, but unlike high-speed rallies, the chances of casualties or serious injury are lower. Secondly, there is a misconception that the sport is restricted to those who can afford to invest in big, heavy machines (cars). But, that’s not true.

Of course, for participating in such events, one must follow the technical requirement and modification of the vehicle. But, those who are interested can start with moderate trails and can proceed to the higher levels, gaining experience along the way,” said Saneep Anand, another member of Path Finders. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Double delight for city girl Snehal TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly City’s tennis player Snehal Mane is on a winning spree. The 16-year-old won back to back titles in ITF Junior Championships held in Mauritius.

In the last week of August, fi fth seeded Snehal won the singles title and emerged runnerup in the doubles’ event, at the Petit Camp Cup Under-18 Grade 4 ITF championships being played at the Mauritius Phoenix National Tennis Snehal Mane Center.

She created an upset by beating top seeded Julia Vulpio of Dominican Republic 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in a two-hour 10-minute tussle in the final. With this win Snehal also earned 40 ITF points. In the doubles finals Mane who combined with Julia Vulpio and were the top seeds, went down fighting to the second seeded Hong Kong pair of Alvina Lai and Venia Yeung.

Boosted with confidence, Snehal won the Mauritius Open ITF junior Championship Grade-5 event held at the same venue. In the final, she scored a 6-3, 6-0 win over Amelie Boy of Mauritius in just over a hour.

Mane who trains with Hemant Bendrey at PYC Gymkhana will add 30 ITF points to her kitty with this win. She is currently ranked 648, and had rich outing in Mauritius garnering 70 points in two weeks will see her ranking move up by 161 places and making it to the top 500 rankings. Snehal is a member of the MSLTA Vision Programme and is supported by Lakshya - Bharat Forge. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com