First India-Ahmedabad Edition-31 October 2020

AHMEDABAD l SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 336

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DAYS TO GO

NATIONAL CONFERENCE CLAIM ON MILAD-UN-NABI

FAROOQ NOT ALLOWED TO STEP OUT FOR PRAYERS

 In three days, the US will either have Joe Biden as its new president or Donald Trump will continue to serve for four more years. The dominating talking point in this year’s elections has been the coronavirus outbreak and both presidential candidates have clashed over the issue several times over the past few months.  Ahead of the final weekend before Election Day on Tuesday,Trump and Joe Biden will barnstorm across battleground states in the Midwest, including Wisconsin, where the coronavirus pandemic has exploded.

EC rips status:

Kamal Nath no more a star campaigner

Mohd Fahad Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah was stopped by the administration from offering prayers at Srinagar’s Hazratbal shrine on the occasion of Milad-un-Nabi, his party the National Conference claimed in a tweet.

The National Conference tweeted that it “condemns this infringement of fundamental right to pray, especially on the auspicious occasion of Milad Un Nabi Saw.” “J&K administration has blocked the residence of party president Dr Farooq Abdullah and stopped him from offering prayers at Dargah Hazratbal.

JKNC condemns this infringement of fundamental right to pray, especially on the auspicious occasion of Milad Un Nabi Saw,” the National Conference tweeted.

Turn to P6

Preventing Farooq sahab from offering prayers on Milad Un Nabi Saw at Hazratbal exposes Government of India’s deep paranoia and their iron fist approach towards J&K. It’s a gross violation of our rights and is highly condemnable —Mehbooba Mufti PDP Chief

GUPKAR ALLIANCE DEPLORE KILLINGS The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) on Friday “unequivocally and unambiguously” condemned the killing of three BJP workers in Kulgam.

“Political differences cannot justify the use of violence. Violence crowds out sanity,” said Sajad Lone.

(Left) President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally at Phoenix. (Above) Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden calls out to people.

—PHOTOS BY PTI

PM dedicates 17 projects

on day 1 of Gujarat visit Projects expected to generate 3,000 jobs and monetary benefits of `9,000 crore by year 2022 First India Bureau

People attend the funeral of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha worker Umar Rasheed Beigh, who was killed in Kulgam.

‘LASHKAR-E-TAIBA HAND IN KILLING OF BJP MEN’ Terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is behind the killing of the three leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam, a senior police official said on Friday and added that such killings were being executed at Pakistan’s behest. A vehicle has also been seized. The alleged shadow group of LeT, The Resistance Front (TRF), has claimed responsibility for the killings. “Three militants came in a local car belonging to a local militant identified as Altaf. Fida Hussain was with his two colleagues in a car when the militants fired indiscriminately from close range,” said Vijay Kumar, the inspector general of police.

New Delhi: The Election Commission, headed by CEC Sunil Arora, on Friday revoked senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath’s star campaigner status for multiple model code violations.

The Commission has slammed Nath for using the word ‘item’ for a woman candidate and said that the usage of the word for a woman constitutes violation of the advisory issued by the commission. The Commission has further expressed its displeasure and said that despite being a leader of a political party, Nath is repeatedly violating the provisions of Model Code of Conduct and breaching the ethical and dignified behaviour.

Turn to P6

Ahmedabad/Rajpipla: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay tribute to Iron Man of India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 145th Birth Anniversary at the ‘Statue of Unity’ at Kevadia, on Saturday, Day 2 of his two-day visit to Gujarat.

On Friday, the Prime Minister dedicated 17 developmental projects to the people and announced the launch of four new projects.

After arriving in Ahmedabad on Friday, Modi paid homage to

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the newly inagurated Sardar Patel Zoological Park at Kevadia in Narmada on Friday.

former chief minister, the late Keshubhai Patel who died on Thursday, at the latter’s Gandhinagar residence before heading to Kevadia.

He was accompanied by Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat and Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

The 17 projects dedicated on Friday included Jungle Safari, handloom, and handicrafts, ‘Ekta Mall’ that symbolizes ‘Unity in Diversity’, world’s first technologybased ‘Children Nutrition Park’, nation’s first ‘Glow Garden’ and ‘Cactus Garden’. Turn to P6

ASSEMBLY SESSION FROM TODAY TO COUNTER CENTRE’S FARM LAWS The session of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly will begin on Saturday where the state government will bring an amendment bill on the lines of the Punjab government to ‘neutralise’ the impact of agricultural laws passed by the Centre, in the state.

Bollywood drugs case: Post Supreme Court ruling, now 20 statements of accused not admissible as evidence before court Mumbai: Following the Supreme Court on Thursday ruling that statements recorded by officers under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act cannot be treated as confessions, around 20 statements of accused, including actor Rhea Chakraborty, recorded by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the alleged drugs case linked with Bollywood, will now not

be admissible as evidence before the court.

NCB officers, however, said they have corroborative evidence to back each arrest they have made in addition to the statements, and that the ruling will not have an impact on the outcome of the case. “In addition to the statements, we have corroborative evidence like the money trail… how an accused has paid a particular

drug dealer using UPI app or credit card. Digital evidence and money trail, along with the statements, should be enough to prove the case,” said an officer.

The officer added that usually, they do not rely completely on statements recorded under Section 67 of the NDPS Act since they know the accused could retract them later. The section gives the officers the

File photo of actor Rhea Chakraborty outside NCB office.

power to call for information from any person or examine the person during an inquiry.

In the current case, most of the accused, including Chakraborty, have submitted to the court that they wanted to retract any statement made before the NCB, as they were “coerced” to make them. In its remand applications before the court, the NCB had said that certain

statements led it to some of the accused, resulting in searches and raids.

“The order makes it clear that the statements recorded by NCB officers will not be admissible as evidence. In absence of any other evidence like possession or seizure, the agency now cannot rely only on statements to prove the guilt of the accused,” said Ayaz Khan, a lawyer representing

some of the accused in the case.

When contacted, NCB spokesperson and Deputy Director K P S Malhotra said, “The NCB, during investigation, supplements the statements with various primary and corroborative evidence.”

An Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) officer from the state police added, “Since both ANC Turn to P6

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AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020

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PM pays tribute to Keshu Bapa and Mahesh, Naresh Kanodia First India Bureau

PM Modi tribute to former CM Keshubhai Patel a day after he passed away.

Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his twoday visit to the state by paying tribute to former chief minister and founding member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh Keshubhai Patel at his Gandhinagar residence. He then also visited the home of former MP Mahesh Kanodia and former MLA Naresh Kanodia at their Gandhinagar residence.

Modi was welcomed

by Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, BJP state unit president CR Patil and other leaders when he landed at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airport on Friday morning.

From there, Modi

PM Modi paid tribute to Gujarati film industry stalwarts Mahesh and Naresh Kanodia at their Gandhinagar residence on Friday.

went directly to Keshubhai’s residence to pay his respects. He also spent a few moments with Keshubhai’s family members to console them.

Later, the former CM’s daughter Sonal

The study also shows that almost half the candidates did not go to college

told the media that the PM had inquired about her father’s last day.

“He spent some time with the family. Even when my father tested positive for COVID-19, the Prime Minister used to regularly in-

quire about his health,” she added.

Later, the Prime Minister visited the Kanodia residence in Gandhinagar and paid tribute to the Maheshbhai and Nareshbhai.

He then tweeted: “They were associated with the world of films, music and culture.”

Later, Naresh Kanodia’s son Hitu Kanodia told the media that the Prime Minister expressed grief and said that the duo’s name would forever remain in the pages of history, when it came to the Gujarati music and film industry.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani cancelled his campaign programme on Friday and reached Gandhinagar to pay tribute to former chief minister Keshubhai. He also consoled Patel’s family.

‘Boycott bypoll’ banners seen in pockets of Morbi

First India Bureau

BY-ELECTIONS

25% OF CANDIDATES ARE CROREPATIS, 18% FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES: ADR First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Voters could well be stuck between a rock and a hard place on Tuesday when eight constituencies go to the polls in the state Assembly byelections. A quarter of all candidates have assets amounting to Rs1 crore or more, but almost half ended their formal education after Class 12, and almost a fifth of all the candidates are facing criminal charges, according to a study of their affidavits.

The analysis, conducted by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), states that 14 of the 81 candidates have criminal cases against them, with nine of them named in “serious criminal cases.”

While 38% of BJP candidates and 25% of Congress candidates are facing charges, BTP is the worst off with 100%-in other words, its sole candidate in Karjan-

-facing serious criminal charges under the Indian Penal Code. Of the others, 25% of BJP candidates face serious charges. None of the Congress candidates falls into this category.

However, 15% of independent candidates face criminal cases with 8% facing serious charges.

Also disappointing is the level of education among the candidates--49% have studied only up to Class 12.

While four have post-

Only 45 of the 81 candidates are aged 50 years or lower, while 22 candidates fall in the 51-60 age group and 13 candidates are senior citizens in the 61-70 age group. graduate degrees, six are professional graduates, and 10 are graduates, 11 have passed Class 12, 19 have passed

Class 10, 14 ended their education after Class 8 and 10 candidates have only finished Class 5.

Three are illiterate and

BJP candidate JV Kakadiya and other party leaders during a campaign meeting in Dhari.

three have “other” qualifications.

The ADR report also revealed that an analysis of the candidates' assets and liabilities shows that 25% of them are selfdeclared crorepatis.

Of the total 81 candidates in the fray, seven (9%) possess wealth amounting to more than Rs5 crore, six have more than Rs2 crore but less than Rs5 crore and 15 have wealth more than Rs50 lakh but less than

—FILE PHOTO

Rs2 crore. There are 33 candidates with assets worth less than Rs 10 lakh. Independent candidate Pravinbhai Gediya, who is contesting the Dhari seat, has assets of just Rs25,155.

In a somewhat ironic twist, the two richest candidates are from the Congress. Morbi candidate Jayanti Patel tops the list, with assets worth Rs10.92 crore and liabilities of Rs1.82 crore. He is followed by Mohan Solanki, the Congress party’s candidate from Gadhada, who has assets worth Rs8.60 crore.

Per candidate, the Congress party’s average assets amount to Rs4.38 crore. For the BJP, this number is a relatively more modest Rs2.52 crore.

However, it is worth noting that all eight of candidates from the ruling party are crorepatis, against six from the Opposition and six Independent candidates.

Ahmedabad: While election time is never easy when you are a politician, the upcoming state Assembly byelection promises to be tougher than most on the two major political parties--especially in Morbi, where voters in some pockets have decided to boycott the polls altogether.

Voters in more than 10 villages already banned the entry of NJP candidate and former MLA Brijesh Merja, who stepped down from the Congress ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections and later joined the ruling party. They have also been taking campaigning politicians to task about older campaign promises that have been left undelivered.

As resentment over a lack of basic amenities continues to simmer, people of the Satwara community in Boriapati area of

Ward 12 in Morbi have put up posters and banners announcing their decision to boycott the election. And after the residents of the Kalika plot area threatened to boycott the polls if their issues are not resolved, boycott banners have also sprung up in other areas of Morbi.

Sources say that desperate political leaders have been trying to calm ruffled feathers using backdoor tactics, but the issue of primary facilities could severely affect the by-election for the Morbi seat in the Assembly.

Locals have not let up in their demand for proper road connections to their locality and other basic amenities.

Meanwhile, several villages in Morbi have already banned the BJP contender Brajesh Merja who has left Congress Party and joined BJP. More than 10 villages have banned his entry.

Morbi residents display a banner announcing a boycott of the upcoming bypolls.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020

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In 2nd case this month, youth held for raping minor cousin

Complaint filed in Junagadh’s Vanathali taluka has echoes of Navsari case involving three brothers First India Bureau Junagadh/Gandhidham: A youth has been arrested for raping his nine-year-old cousin in Vanthali Taluka in Junagadh.

Disturbingly, this is the second such case of familial rape in the past fortnight after three brothers raped their minor cousin in Navsari district.

Vanthali Police Inspector CM Gamar said the accused, Akshay Devipujak, was arrested on Friday morning.

He will be produced before the court after a medical check-up.

According to the criminal complaint lodged at the Vanthali police station, the nine-year-old had been playing with her cousin and one of her friends near the local temple on Thursday afternoon. While Aksh-

TRUST SHATTERED

ay returned home around 3 pm, the victim did not arrive until some time later. The victim’s mother told the police that her daughter seemed to be disturbed about something when she reached home.

“When I asked her

what was wrong, she initially complained about pain in her abdomen. However, when I persisted further, she narrated the story,” said the mother, who told the police that the revelation had left her “shattered”.

The girl told her

mother that Akshay-her mother’s brother’s son--had lured her to his home, where he raped her. He then proceeded to threaten the girl, warning her not to tell anyone about the incident.

When they learned about the child’s or-

deal, her parents rushed to the police station. There, the police officer on duty advised them to take the child to the hospital first, since she appeared to require medical attention. The complaintfiling procedure was completed later.

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Guj tests 50K samples for nCoV in 1 day, 60L so far First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The state has conducted 51,657 tests for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total up to 60,02,273 tests so far. Interestingly, the past 30 days have brought 30 lakh more tests, since the total number of tests had been 30,01,383 on September 30. This means the state’s health department has conducted an average of one lakh tests every day for the past month.

This is the highest jump in tests over the past five months.

Gujarat, which had tested 2,11,930 samples at the end of May, added 1,61,773 tests the next month to take the tally to 3,73,663 tests at the end of June. In July, it added another 3,91,114 to take the tally to 7,64,777. However, August saw an exponential jump when the state added 15,67,059 to take the total test tally to 23,31,836 as on August 31.

People wait in line to be tested for COVID-19.

969 cases, six fatalities take state tally to 1,72,009 cases, toll to 3,714 The past 24 hours have brought 969 new cases of COVID-19 from across the state.

Ahmedabad and Surat each accounted for two of the six patients who died. The other two deaths occurred in Rajkot and Patan. As on Friday, there are 13,190 active cases in the state

—FILE PHOTO

and 62 patients on ventilators.

Again, Surat reported the highest number (218) of new cases, while cases were also reported in Ahmedabad (181), Vadodara (114), Rajkot (74), Gandhinagar (33), Jamnagar (29), Banaskantha and Mehsana (26 each), and Bharuch and Narmada (24 each).

A family in Ahmedabad has accused the privately run CIMS hospital of overcharging them for COVID-19 treatment. They were allegedly billed Rs5 lakh.

Kutch cops arrest Bidder submits fake certificate to win SMC nets `52K fines man for rape and for mosquito breeding contract at A’bad’s local civic body murder of 7-year-old First India Bureau

The police team that nabbed Vijay Koli (seated in front).

First India Bureau Bhachau (Kutch): The police on Thursday arrested a 22-year-old man in connection with the rape and murder of a sevenyear-old girl who had gone missing on Tuesday. Her body was recovered from an old deserted building on Wednesday morning.

According to a statement from the KutchEast (Gandhidham) police, the child’s parents had lodged a complaint with the Samakhiali Police station on Tuesday, stating that their daughter had gone missing from her home in Lakhapar village.

Kutch-East and the crime branch team were roped in to search for the missing girl.

The victim’s body was found in a deserted building in the neighbourhood the next morning.

The post-mortem report of the deceased said she was before being murdered. The cause of death has been established to be suffocation, the statement said.

Kutch-East Superintendent of Police Mayur Patil formed teams to search for the culprit.

On Thursday evening, acting on a tip-off, the police team reached Haripar Maliya and picked up the suspect, Vijay Koli (Mahalia).

During primary questioning, Koli told the police that he had held the child’s nose shut to silence her.

The accused is currently on police remand.

Ahmedabad: In another case of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) goof-ups, a man was accused of submitting a fake certificate along with a bid for a contract for garden maintenance work. The Parks and Garden department of AMC had invited bidders for the provision of labourers and a tractor for watering and gardening work, for which Sai Enterprise was the lowest bidder.

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.

The civic body was about to allocate the work to Sai Enterprise when the experience letter that was submitted by the bidder seemed suspicious. “The con-

—FILE PHOTO

tractor has submitted forged documents in respect of experience. The letter claims that the contractor had provided four labourers and a tractor to the Mehsana

municipality,” an AMC official alleged.

The letter was duly signed by the chief officer. “The letter looked suspicious when I read it so we inquired with the concerned authority and found that no such contractor ever worked there. We have had such issues in the past also where contractors gave fake bank guarantees and so on,” added the officer.

The standing committee had asked the department to bar that contractor from any bidding in the AMC for three years.

First India Bureau

Surat: With the COVID-19 situation seeming to come under control, the Surat Municipal Corporation is turning its focus to vector-borne diseases, which have shown an uptick in the city.

Around 150 teams of the vector-borne disease control department combed through more than 600 schools and educational institutions in one day and collected Rs52,000 in fines after identifying spaces that might be breeding grounds for

mosquitoes.

“Efforts against vector-borne diseases had taken a backseat to COVID-19, but we are now again focusing on curbing the spread of malaria, dengue, chikungunya and other similar diseases,” an SMC official said.

WINTER IS COMING: MERCURY DIPS ACROSS THE STATE First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The state has been experiencing nippy mornings and colder evenings too.

Even daytime temperatures decreased due to a change in wind direction. At present, northerly to northeasterly winds prevail at lower levels. The lower temperatures can be attributed to them.

Many India Meteorological Department stations recorded minimum temperatures as low as 20 degrees Celsius. There was no significant change in day temperatures over the region. Day temperatures were appreciably below normal in parts of Kutch; above normal in parts of Saurashtra; appreciably above normal in parts of the southern Guja-

Ahmedabad’s famous revolving restaurant is barely visible amid the fog that has begun to descend in the mornings. —FILE PHOTO

rat region, and normal over northern Gujarat and in other parts of the region.

No significant change in night temperatures occurred; they were significantly below average in the southern Gujarat district; below normal in parts of Saurashtra– Kutch; and above normal in the remaining parts of the region.

Valsad recorded the

highest maximum and lowest minimum temperatures in the state, which were 37 degrees Celsius and 15.5 degrees Celsius respectively. In Ahmedabad, there was respite from the burning heat as the climate cooled down.

The maximum temperature recorded in the city was 34.7 degrees Celsius while the minimum was 18.5 degrees Celsius.

FINAL CHECKS

Parts of River Front spruced up and sanitized before PM’s arrival Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the seaplane service between Ahmedabad and Kevadia on Saturday 

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Special preparations in relation to sanitation and security have been made for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the city to inaugurate India’s first seaplane service in the state on Saturday. The seaplane service will

operate from Sabarmati River Front in Ahmedabad to Statue of Unity in Kevadia.

Modi will also pay tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 146th birth anniversary.

The River Front and surrounding areas have been sanitized prior to the event. In addition,

Security personnel conducted a rehearsal a day before the PM’s visit to the Sabarmati River Front.

—PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI

security has been beefed up near the Water Aerodrome at the River Front. A bomb squad and a dog squad have also been mobilized for extensive checking.

The Ahmedabad Water Aerodrome building as well as the jetty will also be sanitized. In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, all the employees working for the project as well as those stationed in the vicinity, will be tested for the nov-

el coronavirus. The staff of Ahmedabad Water Aerodrome, the police, the Gujarat Test Aviation team, SpyJet team, fire team will also be tested for the virus.

Fire and emergency teams have also been deployed at the location, with more than 45 firefighters taking COVID-19 tests. IndoTibetan Border Police troops have also arrived in the city for the security of Prime Minister Modi.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020

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IN-DEPTH

MACRON LEADS FRANCE’S WAR AGAINST TERROR

THE INNOCENT COWHERD SADHGURU, ISHA FOUNDATION

Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru is a yogi, mystic, visionary and a New York Times bestselling author Sadhguru has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2017, the highest annual civilian award, accorded for exceptional and distinguished service

I

slamic terror started in France with Charlie Hebdo, a magazine known for attacking religious fundamentalism, publishing controversial cartoons of Prophet Mohammed. In 2006 the magazine was pulled up

by French President Jacques Chirac for its overt provocations which could hurt the religious convictions of others. The matter went to court but Nicolas Sarkozy, who would succeed Chirac, wrote a letter to be read in court defending the French tradition of satire. The journal’s editor won the case.

In 2015 two Muslim gunmen barged into the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo and opened fire, killing 12 staffers causing a furore. The magazine’s supporters defied the Islamists by holding placards with the slogan “Je suis Charlie” (I am Charlie).

Two beheadings and two stabbings happened after the republication of Prophet’s cartoons by Charlie Hebdo in September to mark the start of the trial in the 2015 attack.

These terror killings sparked strong protests in France which takes pride in its secular traditions. The French State does not favour any one religion and guarantees their peaceful co-existence. The law prohibits all clothing or other attire displaying religious worship to be worn in school. Laicite does not allow any place for religion in the public sphere. But Muslims, especially the recent immigrants, have found it hard to reconcile with requirements like not wearing a hijab or full veil by Muslim women as mandated by Islam. The irreconcilable differences give rise to friction the kind of which one is witnessing in France today.

Adding fuel to the religious outrage are certain remarks made by the French president. Prior to the beheading of the school teacher Samuel Paty, President Emmanuel Macron spoke of Islam as “a religion that is in crisis today all over the world” and that it is “plagued by radical temptations and by a yearning for a reinvented jihad which is the destruction of the other”.

After the barbaric killing of Paty, Macron asserted France “would not give up cartoons, drawings, even if others back down” as he spoke of Islamic separatism in France.

His assertions led to a row with Turkey and Pakistan attacking the Republic for spreading Islamophobia. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan went to the extent of questioning Macron’s mental health. At such a difficult time, Macron has found a dependable friend in India which strongly condemned the attacks as it faces “similar, non-traditional security threats”.

While it strongly criticised the killings in the name of religion, India was careful not to mention the Prophet’s caricatures. It did not agree with them either in the name of secularism or freedom of expression presumably because of the sizeable Muslim minority in the country.

France plans to get cracking on radical Islam with a bill against separatism. Will Muslims agree to integrate fully into a country where freedom is respected? For now, the world is witnessing a resurgence of terror.

R

Ravana was a great devotee of Shiva and he worshipped Shiva from down South where his kingdom was.

Then after some time he thought, “Why don’t I bring Kailash closer to my home.” So he walked all the way from Sri Lanka to Kailash and went and started lifting Mount Kailash.

This made Parvathi very angry and she told Shiva, “It does not matter how dear he is to you, you cannot allow him to take Kailash to the South. That is not possible.”

avana has gotten some very unfair press for himself. If you look at his life, he was a wonderful guy by himself. It is just that out of his own foolishness and egoistic nature, he was unable to benefit from what he had.

Ravana was a great devotee of Shiva and he worshipped Shiva from down South where his kingdom was. Then after some time he thought, “Why don’t I bring Kailash closer to my home.” So he walked all the way from Sri Lanka to Kailash and went and started lifting Mount Kailash. This made Parvathi very angry and she told Shiva, “It does not matter how dear he is to you, you cannot allow him to take Kailash to the South. That is not possible.”

Shiva also got angry with Ravana’s egoistic nature and so he pressed the mountain down trapping Ravana’s hands beneath Kailash. Ravana struggled in pain but Shiva refused to release him.

Then Ravana with his hand stuck beneath Kailash, started pouring out his love for Shiva in various beautiful hymns. After he had formed 1001 hymns of utter love and surrender, Shiva released him and said, “You can have a boon. Ask me what you want.” Once again Ravana’s asura nature manifested itself and he said, “I want to marry Parvathi.”

Shiva said “Ok. She is at Manasarovar Lake. You can go and marry her.” All the ganas who were around Shiva got excited and wondered, “How can it be? How can Ravana ever touch Parvathi?

This is not possible.” They all ran to Parvathi at Manasarovar Lake and told her, “Ravana is coming. Shiva has given him permission to marry you.” Then Parvathi called Manduka, the queen of the frogs, and converted this frog into a beautiful woman. Ravana had never set eyes on Parvathi and when he came and saw the woman Manduka, he was at-

tracted to her and he took her and married her. That woman was Mandodhari.

After this, Ravana did a very powerful sadhana and received a powerful Jyothirlinga from Shiva himself. Shiva does not care whether something is socially approved of or not. He falls in love with anything that happens genuinely. Shiva told Ravana to carry the Jyothirlinga to his land and that wherever Ravana placed the Jyothirlinga, it would remain forever. The one condition was that Ravana could not keep the Jyothirlinga down anywhere else because wherever he put it, it would get established there.

Very carefully, Ravana carried the Jyothirlinga with great strength. The man was such a yogi that he held every aspect – he did not eat, he did not urinate, he did nothing that is compulsive for every human being, and just walked down almost 4000 kilometers from Kailash to a place called Gokarna in Karnataka. Because he walked without anything that a human being normally needs, he was feeling weak and he wanted to pee. Maybe he was drinking water because he was not having any food. His bladder must have been a thousand gallons by then and he could not hold it anymore. But he could not keep the lingam down and he

IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER YOU ARE GOOD OR BAD, IF YOU ARE WILLING, DIVINITY IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE. BUT WHETHER YOU MAKE IT A CURSE OR A BOON FOR YOURSELF IS LEFT TO WHAT KIND OF NATURE YOU CARRY WITHIN YOURSELF

would not relieve himself – something that he considers a very base act, with the lingam on his body.

Then he saw a very cute and innocent looking cowherd boy.

He called him and said, “I will give you a jewel if you hold this in your hand for a few minutes while I relieve myself.” The boy said, “Fine” and Ravana gave the lingam to the cowherd and turned around to urinate. This boy was actually Ganapathy who did not want Ravana to take this linga to Lanka because if he did, he would become absolutely superhuman.

So Ganapathy just kept the lingam down and it sank into the earth. Even today if you go to Gokarna, there is just a small hole in the rock through

Globalization needs rebuilding, not just repair

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second term for US President Donald Trump would complete the demolition of the postwar international economic system. Trump’s aggressive unilateralism, chaotic trade initiatives, loathing of multilateral cooperation, and disregard for the very idea of a global commons would overpower the resilience of the web of rules and institutions that underpin globalization. But would a victory for Joe Biden lead to a repair of the global system – and, if so, of what kind? This is a much harder question to answer.

There will be no lack of eagerness to erase Trump’s legacy, either in the United States or internationally.

But an attempt merely to restore the pre-Trump sta

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tus quo would fail to address major challenges, some of which contributed to Trump’s election in 2016. As Adam Posen of the Peterson Institute has pointed out, the task ahead is one of rebuilding, rather than repair. It should start with a clear identification of the problems that the international system must tackle.

The first priority should be to move toward a commons-oriented system. The preservation of global public goods such as a stable climate or biodiversity was understandably ignored by the architects of the post-war international economic order, and (less understandably) was still a secondary priority in the system’s post-Cold War partial renewal. Policymakers focused on visible

linkages through trade and capital flows, rather than on the invisible ties that bind us to a common destiny, which helps to explain why the rules and institutions governing the latter are still much weaker.

Biden’s intention to rejoin unconditionally the

2015 Paris climate agreement is to be welcomed, but it will not by itself turn the accord into an ambitious, enforceable program. The large number of players and the strong temptation to let others shoulder the burden make preserving the global commons notoriously hard. Even in the

area of health, solutions to date do not measure up to the challenge.

Climate action is critical. Absent an elusive global consensus, efforts will have to rely on a coalition whose members converge on hard targets and on border-adjustment mechanisms applicable to trade with third countries. Implementation will be fraught with difficulties. Success will require agreeing on which trade measures are acceptable and which are just covert protectionism. That is a high bar to reach. Having already indicated its intention to introduce a border adjustment, the European Union is on the front line here. This is a major responsibility.

The second priority is to make the global economic system as rivalry-proof as

possible. Regardless of who wins the US presidential election on November 3, great-power competition between the US and China will continue to dominate international relations. But the Cold War analogy is misleading, because today’s protagonists are major economic partners. Whereas the Soviet Union’s share of US imports never exceeded a fraction of a percentage point, China currently accounts for 18%. Die-hard US advocates of decoupling wrongly view further Chinese development as a national security threat and want to end this interdependence in an attempt to halt China’s economic rise. As the Peterson Institute’s Nicholas Lardy has argued, however, a general decoupling from China would be a “high-cost, lowbenefit policy.”

which you have to put your finger and feel the lingam because it has gone in.

Ravana got so angry that he knocked the boy on the head and that is why you will also find a Ganapathy statue with depression in his skull at Gokarna. Then, in anger, Ravana took his turban and threw it in one direction.

The turban went and fell at a place which became Murudeshwar. Then he took his necklace and threw it another direction; then he took his earrings and threw them in a third direction. In this manner, he took five different things from his body and threw them in different directions and each one fell in a different place. Today there are temples at all these places. Ravana did not have the strength to walk back to Kailash and do his work again and so in great dejection and anger, he walked on to Sri Lanka.

So similarly, irrespective of whether you are good or bad, if you are willing, divinity is always available to everyone.

But whether you make it a curse or a boon for yourself is left to what kind of nature you carry within yourself. What kind of attitude and mind you cultivate within yourself determines how you make use of the existence.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Ravi Shankar Prasad @rsprasad Our initiative of Tele-Law, to provide legal advice to poor litigants using video conference has touched a new milestone. 4 Lakh beneficiaries have received legal advice under this through Common Service Centers.

Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank @DrRPNishank Investments in renewable sources of energy is one of the ways to tackle Global Warming. I recently inaugurated the DST- IEST Solar PV Hub of IIEST Shibpur that will help the institute engage in credible work in the realm of climate change and solar energy.

Spiritual SPEAK

Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the —Proverbs 22:9 poor.

SOURCE: PROJECT SYNDICATE

Vol 1 Issue No. 336 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.

Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

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BIHAR ASSEMBLY ELECTION 2020

SAAT NISCHAY YOJANA IS BIGGEST SCAM IN BIHAR’S HISTORY: CHIRAG PASWAN

05

Reservation should be proportionate to population: Nitish

Why is Nitish Kumar scared when we are just talking about the investigation,” LJP chief said Patna: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Chirag Paswan on Friday termed Nitish Kumar’s “Saat Nischay Yojana” (Seven Resolves Scheme) as the biggest scam in the history of Bihar.

“This is just the beginning. Whoever is associated with “Saat Nischay Yojana” will be investigated and action will be taken. I kept on saying that “Saat Nischay Yojana” is the biggest scam in the history of Bihar and this should be investigated fully.

Just because of investigation they are in fear.

Why is Nitish Kumar scared when we are just talking about the investigation,” Chirag said.

Chirag also reacted to the Munger firing incident and blamed Nitish Kumar for the episode.

“These kinds of instances increased in Bihar. My Lok Sabha constituency, Jamui have also faced similar incidents. If state’s CM’s thinking is focussed on caste system, then what can we expect. This is an attempt to indulge in vote bank politics.” —ANI

‘SHOULDN’T NITISH KUMAR SPEAK ON UNEMPLOYMENT?’

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar addresses a gathering during an election meeting, in Khagaria on Friday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

LJP President Chirag Paswan speaks to media persons, in Patna on Friday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

‘If elected will help 2 ex-CMs’ sons pass class 10’ Patna: Hitting back at Tejaswhi Yadav’s barbs that education and health sectors were destroyed under the reign of CM Nitish Kumar, President of the BJP in Bihar Sanjay Jaiswal on Friday took a jibe at the Lalu Prasad’s family, saying that if voted to power they will help the “sons of

two former CMs (Lalu Yadav and Rabri Devi) help clear class 10 exams”.

Jaiswal was responding to allegations levelled by Tejashwi Yadav that Bihar’s CM destroyed Health, education and Industries in the state. “If you talk about Education, for the last 15 years, Nitish

INTERNAL REPORT OF CISF

‘Police fired first in Munger violence’

New Delhi: In a major revelation about the violence in Bihar’s Munger on the night of October 26, a report has claimed that the Bihar Police fired first.

The incident happened during the Durga idol immersion in Munger. The Bihar police have been claiming that the people miscreants fired first. However, an internal report by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) says that it was the police who fired first.According to the report, “At 11:20 pm on the

night of 26 October, a group of 20 CISF personnel, at the behest of Munger police station, was sent from the camp at the district school for the safety duty of immersion.”According to the report, “At 11:20 pm on the night of 26 October, a group of 20 CISF personnel, at the behest of Munger police station, was sent from the camp at the district school for the safety duty of immersion.” The report adds that state police divided these 20 soldiers into two groups of 10 each.

BIHAR: NO REPOLL RECOMMENDED

BY OBSERVERS/ CEO IN ALL 71 ACS Patna: In accordance with ECI’s instructions, General Observers, in presence of Candidates/Political Parties, conducted postpoll scrutiny of all 71 ACs which went for first phase poll in Bihar. Observers after careful scrutiny of records and inputs of candidates/political parties have concluded that in all 31,371 polling booths

Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday asked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to speak on issues of unemployment and migration. In a tweet in Hindi, Tejashwi Yadav said, “Respected Nitishji accepts that in 15 years of his government he has destroyed education, health and industries of the state. He also ruined the present and future of two generations. This is the reason why he does not speak anything about unemployment, jobs industries, investment and migration. Shouldn’t he speak on these issues ?”

in all 71 ACs spread over in 16 districts, poll process were completed on poll day peacefully and in accordance with extant statutory instructions. In view of foregoing, Observers have not recommended any repoll.

CEO, Bihar, has furnished his report and also said that no repoll is recommended.

Kumar was the chief minister and he distributed cycles, books and uniforms for students, but two chief ministers couldn’t motivate both of their sons to pass class 10 exams. It is a matter of concern The person who is alleging, who is the child of two chief ministers couldn’t

pass 10th in 15 years of Nitish rule. We will make sure to help those from RJD who couldn’t clear 10th exam so that they can pass next time,” Jaiswal said.

Tejashwi had accused Nitish government of ruining state by not addressing people’s grievances. —ANI

Valmiki Nagar: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has said that reservation should be proportionate to population.

Speaking at a public rally on Thursday, Kumar said, “As far as the question of population is concerned, that is decided only after the census and that decision is not in our hands. We would like to say that reservation should be proportionate to the population, there is no second opinion about it.”

“You have given us the chance to work in the past and if you give the same in future, we will continue to work. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working for the whole country and is providing special assistance for the development of Bihar,” he added.

Bihar saw a final voter turnout of 55.69 per cent in the first phase of assembly polls with the poll percentage better compared to that in 2015. —ANI

They are talking today, but how was the condition of women earlier? They were ignored, nobody paid attention to their issues. When he was sent to jail, he installed his wife (Rabri Devi) on the chair, but did nothing for the welfare of the women otherwise.

—Nitish Kumar, BIHAR CM

IN THE COURTYARD

SC Plea seeks SIT probe into ‘forceful conversion’ New Delhi: A petition has been filed in SC seeking the setting up of a SIT to probe into alleged forceful conversion of Hindus and crimes against women of community in Nuh district of Haryana.

A number of Hindus have been forcibly converted to Islam and a number of Hindu women and minor girls have been abducted and raped. Hindu women are not safe at all. The Muslims at a large number have committed atrocities on members of Schedule caste (as well,” the plea, filed by a group of lawyers and social activists claimed.

PIL filed through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, sought protection of the fundamental rights of the Hindus.

Bineesh Kodiyeri Hold FB, Twitter responsible for funded Bengaluru spreading hate, fake news: PIL in SC drug peddler: ED New Delhi: A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to make laws to regulate social media platforms and to hold Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram directly responsible for spreading hate speeches and fake news.

The public interest litigation (PIL), filed

by advocate Vineet Jindal through advocate Raj Kishor Choudhary earlier this week, sought directions to Centre to frame laws

for criminal prosecution of persons involved in spreading hate, fake news through social media.

It requested top court to direct Centre to establish a mechanism for automatic removal of hate speeches fake news within a short timeframe so that counter production is minimised.

AGUSTAWESTLAND CASE

Thiruvananthapuram: A day after ED arrested Kerala CPI(M) state secretary’s son Bineesh Kodiyeri the central agency said he was the financier of the drug cartel and pumped in huge amount of unaccounted fund into the bank account of drug peddler Anoop Mohammad.

In a statement, the ED said Mohammad was just a ‘benami’ of Kodiyeri and allegedly ensured fund from various sources for peddling drug. Bineesh was arrested by the ED in Bengaluru on Thursday and a court had remanded in the ED custody for four days.

Trouble began for Kodiyeri after the Bengaluru drug racket-accused Anoop Mohammad gave a statement to NCB mentioning his name.

RETD IAS KK SHARMA IS NEW J&K ELECTION COMMISSIONER Srinagar: Advisor to Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor, KK Sharma took oath as the J&K election commissioner on Friday. Sharma held the post of advisor to the Lt Governor of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir prior to his appointment. A 1983-batch IAS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Mizoram Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre, KK Sharma was sworn in as the J&K election commissioner at a ceremony in Raj Bhavan in Srinagar on Friday evening. IAS officer Rohit Kansal shared the news.

MICHEL PAID EURO 22,000 FOR TYPING REPORT, CONTRACTS New Delhi: British National Christian James Michel, who is one of the alleged middlemen in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland case, had hired a typist for Euro 22,000 to type the AW contracts. According to CBI supplementary charge sheet running in over 12,000 pages filed in the Delhi court last month, “During investigation, Surbramanian, an associate of Michel, stated that as per the instructions of him he had typed the dispatches or reports and sent them to the office of AgustaWestland/Finmeccanica, Guido Haschke etc.,” it said.—ANI

AMETHI: VILLAGE CHIEF’S HUSBAND BURNT ALIVE, 3 HELD Amethi: A village chief’s husband in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, was allegedly burnt alive and died on his way to the hospital, with his family claiming that he was killed over electoral rivalry, the police said. The man’s family filed a complaint against five people, of which three have been arrested. Arjun Kori, 45,

husband of Bhadoiya village head Chhotka Devi, was found with serious burns on Thursday night.

He died while being taken to a Lucknow hospital for treatment Friday morning, the police said.

His son Surendra Kumar said Arjun Kori had gone to market to purchase vegetables but did not return home.

AAROGYA SETU: ORDERS ACTION ON OFFICERS New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and IT has taken a serious view on lapses made in providing information about Aarogya Setu app, and issued directions to initiate suitable action against concerned officers, government sources said. The ministry is committed to furnish all the information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to the applicant, and comply with the directions of Central Information Commission (CIC), the sources told news agency Press Trust of India.

INDIA AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020

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15th Finance Commission Kailash Vijayvargiya violates code of conduct concludes deliberations ahead of MP by-polls EC ISSUES NOTICE

The commission will submit 5-year report to President, PMO on Nov 9 New Delhi : The 15th Finance Commission (XV-FC), led by Chairman N K Singh, concluded its deliberations on the report for 2021-22 to 2025-26 on Friday.

Following this, the report was signed by the chairman, and other members of the commission -- Ajay Narayan Jha, Professor Anoop Singh, Dr Ashok Lahiri, and Dr Ramesh Chand, as per a release.

President, whose office wants it to be presented on November 9.

A copy will also be presented to PMO. The report, pertaining to five

Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission N.K. Singh concludes deliberations on the Report for the year 2021-2022 to 2025-2026, in New Delhi on Friday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

financial years, along with an Action Taken Report of Centre, will be tabled in Parliament

Centre asks states for smooth Covid-19 vaccination drive

New Delhi: The Centre has asked states to constitute committees for coordination and overseeing Covid-19 vaccination drive while ensuring minimal disruptions in other routine healthcare services, stressed early tracking of SM to dispel rumours which could impact community acceptance of coronavirus inoculation.

Activities also include planning and mapping of vaccination sessions where HCWs will be vaccinated dur-

ing 1st phase and mapping human resources across departments that could be deployed for vaccination sessions for verification, overall coordination. STF will track districts for adherence to timelines for overall implementation of vaccine intro.—Agencies

by the Union finance minister. The commission finalised report after wide-ranging con-

Sensex ends at 136; Nifty at 11,642 Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex declined 136 points on Friday following losses in Infosys, ICICI Bank and Bharti Airtel amid a selloff in global markets.

After gyrating 746 points during the day, the 30-share BSE index ended 135.78 points or 0.34 per cent lower at 39,614.07.

Similarly, broader NSE Nifty slipped 28.40 points or 0.24% to 11,642.40.

—PTI

sultations with Centre, state governments, members of finance commissions.

—ANI

New Delhi : The EC on Friday said that BJP’s National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya violated the Model Code of Conduct ahead of the MP bypolls. The poll panel had pulled up Vijayvargiya for referring to Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath as “chunnu munnu” at an election rally on October 14 in Indore.

The commission had issued a notice to Vijayvargiya in connection with matter on Monday.

BJP leader replied on next day, saying remarks were misunderstanding. “The complaint is an election

brought forth by Modi government.

“During the ‘satyagraha’, party leaders will highlight the special contribution of independent India’s first Union HM Sardar Patel in the context of Bardoli farmers movement and how the Modi government is blatantly attacking what the Sardar fought for, as also undoing the ‘Green Revolution’ ushered in by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that made India self-sufficient in food,” said AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal.

Kailash Vijayvargiya

driven narrative of the Congress to change course of the election,” Vijayvargiya replied.

Order said, commission has considered matter “and is of considered view that Kailash Vijayvargiya violated Para (2) of Part I of Code of Conduct for Guidance of Parties, Candidates”. —Agencies

RAHUL GANDHI @RahulGandhi On the occasion of #EidMiladUnNabi, may the spirit of kindness and brotherhood guide one and all.

Heartiest wishes.

Prez, other leaders greet people on Milad-un-Nabi

LS Speaker Om Birla to lead Indian delegation

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday greeted people on the occasion of Eid-Milad-un-Nabi, the birthday of Prophet Muhammad. Muslims celebrate this occasion as the day of prosperity.

“On the occasion of Milad-un-Nabi, the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, good wishes to all fellow citizens, especially to our Muslim brothers and sisters in India and abroad,” Pres-

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena has picked Bollywood actor Urmila Matondkar for nomination to the Maharashtra Legislative Council through the Governor’s quota. Confirming the same, Sena’s chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut stated, “CM Uddhav Thackeray has spoken to Matondkar and she has agreed to be nominated by the Sena.”

Matondkar is also likely to be appointed as spokeperson. Well, her name was earlier doing rounds from Congress.

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will lead the Indian Parliamentary delegation to the 206th Session of the Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), which will be held from November 1 to 4, 2020.

This will be an Extraordinary Virtual Session, which is being organised in place of a full-fledged in-person Statutory Assembly of IPU due to pandemic, according to an official release.

The term of the new president of IPU will be

ident Kovind tweeted.

“A celebration to commemorate the birth of Prophet Mohammad.

He showed the path of compassion, universal brotherhood,” VP Naidu tweeted.

“Hope this day fur-

thers compassion and brotherhood. May everybody be healthy and happy!” Modi tweeted.

A tweet from the Office of the HM read, “May this festival bring brotherhood and happiness all across country.

ASSEMBLY OF IPU

crore to inhabitants of the tribal communities living in a 100 sq. Km radius, over the next two years.

The PM will also launch four new projects: Administrative Bhavan, Government Housing, SRP quarters, and Adarsh Houses to rehabilitate the people of five villages who were affected by the SoU project.

In addition, the PM will also inaugurate the special design lighting decorations spread over 25 sq. km area around the Statue of Unity-which will see Kevadia shining with one billion lights.

On Saturday, Modi is

expected to launch the nation’s first seaplane service between Kevadia and Ahmedabad from the water-aerodrome in Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati River Front.

ligence – would be considered as police officers and hence, statements recorded by them would not be admissible like in case of other police matters.

Bollywood drugs... and NCB were working on NDPS cases, we had on several occasions said that either both agencies be allowed to use the statements recorded as evidence or neither should be allowed to do so.”

However, Thursday’s ruling by the SC stated that as per the NDPS Act, officers – from the departments of central excise, narcotics, customs or revenue intel-

Farooq not...

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti in a tweet today criticised the administration.

“Preventing Farooq sahab from offering prayers on Milad Un Nabi Saw at Hazratbal exposes GOI’s deep paranoia and their iron fist approach towards J&K,” Mufti tweeted about her latest colleague in the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, a newly

minted group that includes Sajjad Lone to fight for restoration of Article 370 and resolution of Kashmir.

Spokesperson of the Peoples’ Alliance for Gupkar Declaration Sajad Lone said Abdullah was scheduled to go to Hazratbal, but was stopped from leaving his house. “We strongly condemn the actions of the state administration which are tantamount to interference in the religious rights of Dr Farooq Abdullah,” Lone said.

EC rips...

The EC had pulled up Nath to not use words such as “item” to ad-

Jishu Barua has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Assam. Baura, who belongs to a 1988 batch IAS officer, will assume the charge on October 31, 2020.

Name of Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha has been cleared as the new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC).

He served as India’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and to Sri Lanka. He is the senior most member of the Central Information Commission.

PUNHANI TO BE IC !

Saroj Punhani is being appointed as Information Commissioner. Punhani ‘s name has reportedly been cleared by the PM - led selection Committee.

Punhani 1984 batch IA&AS is presently Dy CAG. MAHURKAR TO BE NEW INFORMATION COMMISSIONER

Veteran Journalist Uday Mahurkar is being appointed as Information Commissioner of India.

SECRETARY, DEFENCE FINANCE RETIRING THIS MONTH

Ms Gargi Kaul, Secretary Defence Finance in the ministry of Defence, is retiring this month. She is an IA&AS officer.

IDAS OFFICER LIKELY TO BE NEW SECRETARY, DF

All eyes are on the appointment of new Secretary, Defence Finance in the Ministry of Defence.

According to sources, this time an officer from IDAS is likely to be appointed as the Secretary, Defence Account. Eariar IDAS officers were used to be appointed as Secretary, Def Finance but former Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharman stopped appointing IDAS officers as Secretary m Defence Finance and bought an IA&AS officer.

If IDAS officers get the chance then Sanjeev Mittal is likely to be appointed as Secretary, Defence Finance in MoD. He is presently CG, DA.. he is a 1984 batch IDAS officer.

JUSTICE BHAT CONTINUES AS CHAIRPERSON, NCLAT Justice Bansi Lal Bhat will continue as officiating Chairperson of NCLAT till December 31, 2020.

TWO IAS OFFICERS SHIFTED IN AP

Pattanshetti Ravi Subash has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer, Comprehensive Financial Management System and S Ram Sundar Reddy was made Joint Collector, Rythu Bharosa and Revenue, Kurnool District in AP. MRS RACHNA PATIL APPOINTED AS COLLECTOR, MUNGER IN BIHAR

Mrs Rachna Patil has been appointed as Collector, Munger at the behest of Election Commission.

MANAVJEET SINGH DHILLON APPOINTED AS SP, MUNGER IN BIHAR Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla

from 2020-23.

There are four candidates in fray for the election of IPU President- Duarte Pacheco from Portugal, Muhammad Sanjrani from Pakistan, Akmal Saidov from Uzbekistan and Salma Ataullahjan from Canada.

—ANI

FROM PG 1 PM dedicates...

The PM also undertook the 40-minute ‘Ekta Cruise’ ferry ride from the Statue of Unity to the Shresth Bharat Bhavan. Before that, he also unveiled the plaque for nine projects: the jetty and boating for Ekta cruise, a navigation channel, the Navo Gora Bridge, Garudeshwar Weir, Ekta Nursery, Khalvani Eco-Tourism, a government housing project, two bus terminals, and the Tribal Home Stay.

The projects dedicated on Friday are expected to provide employment opportunities to 3,000 families and monetary benefits of Rs9,000

JISHU BARUA IS NEW CHIEF SECRETARY, ASSAM; TO TAKE CHARGE ON OCT 31

WILL MITTAL BE APPOINTED SECRETARY, DEFENCE ACCOUNT?

Sena chooses Urmila Matondkar for Legislative council seat

Muslims take part in a religious procession on the occasion of Eid Milad-un-nabi, in New Delhi on Sunday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

POWER Gallery YASHVARDHAN KUMAR SINHA TO BE CIC

Cong to observe Kisan Adhikar Diwas today against farm laws New Delhi : Stepping up its support to the farmers in the wake of enactment of three contentious agriculture-related central laws, Congress on Friday said it would observe October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and death anniversary of late PM Indira Gandhi as ‘Kisan Adhikar Diwas’.

Party’s state leaders and activists will hold ‘satyagraha’ between 10 am and 4 pm at district headquarters to protest against the farm laws

06

dress a woman during campaigning for the bye-elections while Code of Conduct is in effect.

Addressing an election meeting on Sunday for the November 3 bypoll in Gwalior’s Dabra town, where the ruling BJP has fielded Imarti Devi, Nath had said the Congress candidate was a “simple person” unlike his opponent who was an “item”.

Taking another complaint in consideration, where the Congress leader has spoken against current state CM Chouhan and referred to him as “mafia” and milawatkhor”.

Manavjeet Singh Dhillon has been appointed as Superintendent of Police (SP), Munger in Bihar. He is a 2009 batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre.

ALOKE SINGH APPOINTED AS CEO, AIR INDIA EXPRESS LTD

Aloke Singh has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer, Air India Express Limited (AIXL) on contractual basis for a period of three years.

By arrangement with: http:// whispersinthecorridors.com

‘Pak Min reveals truth of Pulwama attack’ Bhagalpur : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Friday said that a Pakistani ministers admission of his countrys involvement in the 2019 Pulwama attack has revealed the truth on the matter and silenced those who had questioned the NDA governments intent on the issue.

His statement came at an election rally here a day after senior Pakistani minister Fawad Chaudhry sensationally admitted that his country was responsible for Pulwama attack in J&K.

Rajnath Singh

Pakistan has accepted that they were behind the Pulwama attack. Until now, they had been saying they were not involved in it,” he said. Singh said, “Opposition had questioned our intent then. Congress leaders were indirectly empowering Pakistan.

—PTI

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020

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07

It is RIGHT to be LEFT-HANDED; no single gene governs it, at least 41 regions of DNA are involved

I’M A LEFTY! M

ost people consistently use the same hand to do tasks that require skill and control such as writing or threading a needle.

We know genetics plays a big part in which hand a person prefers, but it has been dif-

ficult to identify the exact genes responsible. To find out more, we analysed the DNA of more than 1.7 million people and discovered 41 regions of the genome associated with being left handed and another seven associated with being ambidextrous.

THERE IS NO SINGLE GENE FOR HANDEDNESS S ince the mid-1980s more than 100 journal articles have explored the idea that a single gene might influence handedness. These theories suggested one variant of the gene would bias an individual towards righthandedness, while the alternate variant led to handedness being randomly determined.

While there have been many theories attempting to explain different human characteristics via single genes, in recent years we have discovered that the reality is often much more complicated. More recent research uses genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to look for a relationship between a trait of interest and the number of copies of a genetic variant someone has. These analyses are run for millions of variants located across the genome.

These genome-wide studies have shown that almost all human traits are influenced

by many hundreds or thousands of genetic variants. Often these variants are located between genes whose purpose is not clearly identifiable, in what used to be called “junk DNA�.

GWAS has also shown most traits are influenced by large numbers of genes which each contribute a very small effect, rather than a single gene which has a large effect. To track these small

effects, larg e collaborative studies with many participants are required in order to identify the individual genetic variants involved.

WHAT MAKES PEOPLE LEFT-HANDED?

WHAT GWAS REVEALS ABOUT HANDEDNESS

I

n 2009 we started a project involving researchers from around the world to hunt for genetic variants that influence handedness using GWAS. We did not recruit participants based on their handedness, so the number of left-handed people was relatively small. As a result, we have only recently gathered enough to undertake robust analyses.

Our study brought together analyses of data from 1,766,671 people. Of these people, 194,198 were left-handed and 37,637 were ambidextrous. We found 41 regions of the genome associated with left-handedness and seven regions associated

with ambidexterity.

Many of the regions of the genome associated with lefthandedness contained genes that code for microtubule proteins. These proteins play important roles during development in the migration of neurons and in the ability of the brain to adapt to changes in the environment.

Interestingly, genes that influence other asymmetries in the body, such as which side of the body the heart is located on, were not associated with handedness in our study.

Another important finding was that there was little overlap between the regions of the ge-

nome associated with left-handedness and those associated with ambidexterity. This suggests that ambidexterity is more complicated than we previously thought. The mechanisms that influence the direction of hand preference might be different from those that influence the degree of hand preference.

These findings give us promising new leads but more work is needed to identify further genetic variants that influence handedness. There is also a long way to go before we understand how these variants play a role in someone becoming right-handed, left-handed or ambidextrous.

A

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

bout 88% of people prefer to use their right hand for complex tasks, around 10% prefer their left hand, and the other 2% report they do not have a preference and can use either hand. Hand preference develops so early that it can be seen in the womb.

Handedness tends to stabilise around the time children are learning to draw. In the absence of injury or training it remains constant

throughout life. Evidence from historic human populations suggests it has been this way for hundreds of thousands of years.

Research examining patterns of handedness in twins and families shows most of the variation is down to non-genetic factors, such as training and the environment in which we gain early motor skills. However, genetics does play a significant role.

CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI

DESIGN: CP SHARMA

Always try to do what you cannot do, in this way at least you will learn to do something that you didn’t know earlier.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020

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COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

INDIA

GUJARAT

11,90,233 4,56,55,031 1,20,387 80,22,264 3,714 1,72,009 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 43,837 DEATHS 16,72,858 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 11,091 DEATHS 7,22,011 CASES

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

KARNATAKA 11,140 DEATHS 8,20,398 CASES

DEATHS

DELHI 6,470 DEATHS 3,81,644 CASES

Experts warn arrest powers to GST officers means inspector raj

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 1,898 DEATHS 1,95,213 CASES

3 Delhi businessmen duped of `16 lakh

—FILE PHOTO

Gujarat HC said GST Commissioner can make arrests before assessment, but sparingly Darshan Desai Ahmedabad: In a farreaching decision, the Gujarat High Court has ruled that the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Commissioner could arrest suspected defaulters even before a showcause notice is issued or assessment process started.

Though the High Court has introduced safeguards stating that this power should be exercised only if the officer concerned has “reason to believe” that the person has committed a grave offence, experts advise utmost caution.

Amid fears that this power in the hands of tax officers could herald an inspector raj yet again, eminent GST expert and author of at least 10 books on the subject, Ahmedabadbased Monish Bhalla said, “Assessment officers would need to exercise utmost care since

08

NATURE OF OFFENCES

First India Bureau

this would be their subjective judgment.”

Bhatt told First India, “Although there are provisions that empower officials to arrest defaulters for huge GST evasion, there is every possibility of blatant misuse of powers.”

He agreed that there were safeguards in the law but since GST was being implemented by the Centre and the State

together, the “GST Council should come out with strict and clear uniform guidelines, especially after this High Court order.”

Similarly, Senior Supreme Court advocate Tarun Gulati said while the High Court had reiterated several safeguards to exercise the power to arrest, the judgment “has overlooked the practical con-

siderations where powers of arrest could be brazenly misused and are used as a coercive measure for tax recoveries.

Echoing these views, Harpreet Singh of KPMG, says while the High Court has held that the Commissioner has the power to make arrests under Section 69, one hopes that the rationale

would be applied by officers in substance and entirety by exercising extreme caution “The learned judges have rightly held that such power should be used sparingly and only on substantive weighty grounds and reasons, instead of based on mere suspicion of complicity in an offence,” he said.

Ahmedabad: Three businessmen from Delhi were duped of Rs 16 lakh in Ahmedabad when they came to the city on Thursday for a dubious deal of changing old currency with new notes on a commission basis.

Police said Satish Kumar Garg (56) and Ashok Kumar Taneja, both residents of Sagra village in old Delhi, and Rajkumar

Gandhi from Greater Noida, had come for the business transaction.

On Thursday evening, when they reached a hotel near Shantipura in Sarkhej area they were duped of Rs 16 lakh allegedly

by Imran Khan Pathan, Suresh Mota and Rahul. Imran Khan had contacted them in Delhi a few days ago.

“We were told by Imran that there is a person called Suresh Mota from Mandvi in Kutch who can

get us old currency notes in exchange of Rs 2,000 notes for 10% commission in Ahmedabad. Since we have had business in Ahmedabad earlier, the three of us came here on Wednesday evening by train and booked a hotel. Imran told us that he would make us meet Suresh along with bundles of old currency notes in Sarkhej on Thursday evening,” said Garg in his complaint.

Zipline at riverfront removed to enable seaplane landing

Surat city reports 3 suicides in 24 hours

Police remove anti-Macron posters from Vadodara street

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the seaplane service between Ahmedabad and Kevadiya on Saturday, the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has dismantled the zipline it erected for Rs 50 crore on the Sabarmati Riverfront in 2015.

Deputy Municipal Commissioner RK Mehta said the zipline was proving to be an obstruction in the flight path of the seaplane, which would land at the Sabarmati Riverfront.

It was removed after a request from the Civil

Surat: Surat city witnessed 3 cases of suicide during the last 24 hours including 2 businessmen and a student.

Police said in one case, a man from Katargam area consumed poison near a construction site, while in another a man jumped from a building and a student killed himself by consuming poison reportedly under pressure of studies.

Popatbhai Gabani, 48, of Ved Road sat on an under construction building and consumed poison.

Then he called his

Amdavad Municipal Corporation removes zipline erected at the Sabarmati Riverfront.

—FILE PHOTO

Aviation Department.

He said the AMC would explore where else the zipline could be erected again and would do so if it was feasible.

The 350-metre wide zipline was erected at a height of 20 metres

near the Sabarmati Riverfront behind NID in Paldi in 2015. The fee to use the zipline was Rs 200 per person.

The seaplane is a Twin Otter 300, which will be operated by SpiceJet. The plane can seat 19 people.

brother and his family members rushed him to the nearest hospital which referred him to New Civil Hospital where he was declared dead.

Meanwhile, 5 0 - y e a r - o l d Dharmesh Modi jumped from his residence in Begumpura.

He was suffering from Psoriasis while his salary was slashed to half during he Covid-19 crisis. This led him to the extreme step, police said.

In the third case, Hasmukh Vaghasiya, 18, was under stress reportedly due to studies and killed himself.

Vadodara: The police on Friday removed posters calling for boycott of France and its President, Emmanuel Macron, that surfaced in a locality in old Vadodara city.

According to the police, the posters carrying a pictures of Macron with “Boycott Macron and Boycott France” printed on it, were pasted by some unidentified persons on a small stretch of a road at Nawabwada.

Apart from this, a banner with the same text was also found hanging at the road when police reached the spot after getting information about it

Cops removed posters of French President Emmanuel Macron in Vadodara.

in the morning, Vadodara Police Commissioner R B Brahmbhatt said.

“We removed the posters and banner in the morning itself, and no complaint has been

lodged in this regard,” he added.

The French President has been facing criticism from various Muslim-majority countries over a cartoon row.

SHOCKING CUSTOMS

Menace of ‘exchange weddings’ alarms Gujarat High Court In a curious case, a man wants his wife back from her parents since he had paid Rs 3 lakh to her family

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: In a curious case spawning from the saata-paata custom of exchange weddings, the Gujarat High Court on Friday directed the Patan Police to look into allegations of a man that he had paid Rs 3 lakh to a woman’s parents to marry their daughter.

If required police could initiate against

the man (the complainant) himself, the court stated.

A division bench of Justice Sonia Gokani and Justice N V Anjaria was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Sanjay Thakor, who had alleged that his in-laws were not allowing his wife to return in his life.

Sanjay’s sister Vidhi had married Rakesh, and the latter’s sister Jyoti to Sanjay. After a

HC is hearing a curious case of "exchange weddings."

—FILE PHOTO

few years, Rakesh divorced Vidhi. This angered Jyoti who returned to her parental home. Sanjay claimed in the court that he had paid Rs 3 lakh to his inlaws through middle men to marry Jyoti.

The court observed, “It is quite shockingly apparent that the areas of the State, where there is depletion in sex ratio, more and more such illegal and unpalatable

incidents are being noticed.” The “saddest part is that the legal battles are fought over daughters,” not for her happiness or to protect her, but for money, the court observed with concern.

Meanwhile, Jyoti got married to a person of her choice and settled in Kutch and the court has directed police protection to the couple.

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09

AHMEDABAD, SATURDAY OCTOBER 31, 2020

WEDDING BELLS! Neha Kakkar and Rohanpreet Singh got married in a beautiful and lavish wedding ceremony on 24 October and ever since, the social media is filled with pictures and videos of the newly-wed couple.

KAJAL WEDS GAUTAM! Actor Kajal Agarwal, tied a knot with with long-time beau Gautam Kitchlu, who is a well-known interior designer. She took to social media to share this news with fans and well-wishers.

THE MONTH THAT WAS...

CITY FIRST BRUSHES UP THE HAPPENINGS OF THE MONTH OF OCTOBER IN BOLLYWOOD, COME WHAT MAY... LIFE GOES ON!

SILVER JUBILEE OF DDLJ Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge clocked 25 years on Oct 20 and opened the floodgates of memories for the fans and those who were associated with the iconic movie.

MANDIRA KI TARA Actor Mandira Bedi has adopted a four-year-old girl named Tara. She announced the news on her Instagram profile by sharing an adorable photo of herself with the whole family.

DEARLY DEPARTED Bhanu Athaiya, the costume designer from India, who became India’s first Oscar winner for her work in ‘Gandhi’ in 1982 passed away in Mumbai.

SCREENING INTERNATIONALLY Sharing a poster of ‘Laali,’ actor Pankaj Tripathi announced that the short film will be screened at the 26th Kolkata International Film Festival this year.

RECORD-BREAKING

Ajay Devgn’s brother Anil Devgan died on 5 October. The actor announced the demise on Twitter to his fans, adding that there will be no formal prayer meet for Anil due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Akshay Kumar’s ‘bell-bottom’ became the first film in the world to start and finish shooting during the pandemic.

MIRZAPUR-2 RELEASE

‘BHARAT KE MAHAVEER’ Sonu Sood and Dia Mirza have partnered with Niti Aayog, United Nations India, & Discovery to host ‘Bharat Ke Mahaveer’ three-part series, which will share the stories of 12 Covid warriors.

The gangster drama Mirzapur 2 started streaming on Amazon Prime on October 23.

Helmed by Karan Anshuman and Puneet Krishna, Mirzapur has been produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar.

CANCER-FREE Sanjay Dutt, 61, who recently flew to the United States to seek treatment for his cancer, announced that he is cancer-free and in remission, recovering well. Taking to social media, the actor shared the happy news on his twins, Iqra and Sharaan’s, tenth birthday.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone will star with Telugu superstar Prabhas in a multi-lingual megaproduction for the big screen. The yetuntitled film is slated to release in 2022.

—COORDINATED BY KARISHMA GWALANI

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AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020

10

IF TRUTH BE TOLD

DEEPAK’S CORNER

A MONK’S MEMOIR

DEEPAK

deepaklifemusings@gmail.com

T

FA CE OF TH ED AY

his is a story which has been with us, in this land, for thousands of years, in which the seekers of Truth, wander the land as mendicants. They are respected and looked after by the common lot for their frugal requirements, enabling them the freedom to pursue their search for the Divine. They have defined and illustrated Hinduism, the world’s oldest religion, as a living experiential belief system, free of the rigid institutionalization seen in other major religions of the world.

The Monk here is a young, well educated man, a millionaire in the international business circuit, deep in the labyrinth of life willing to forsake all, in pursuit of his Mukti. He is very much here, present and has met his creator. His experience and wisdom is for all of us to learn from, to refresh all that defines our Hindu culture. His search is a revalidation of the deep spiritual truth that forms the common thread, which links the seemingly disparate elements in our religion and the chaotic multitude of deities worshipped in every form.

“If Truth Be Told : A Monk’s Memoir,” is an amazing book.

A must read. It is a truth that jolts you. Awakens you. One can almost not believe it. It’s not a book- it’s a living experience.

Can a person subject himself to such hardships? It is the ultimate devotion from a seeker.

Up in the solitude of Himalayas, he calls out to Maa and she comes- radiant, compassionate, loving, bestowing, as “Primordial Principle and The Creative Energy”.

By contrast, he seeks a spiritual Guru,in the Holy city of Kashi. All he finds is- fake, mercenary, drug addicts. Finally, a Babaji takes him in and assures him of guidance. By way of total surrender he prostrates before his Guru with complete servitude, offering unquestionable

faith, devotion and services. It is beyond human endurance. Page after page you read through unshed tears and disbelief. Can a so-called realised soul actually be so inhuman. He uses and tests this young disciple’s tenacity to the hilt: Physical (insect and scorpion bites, raging fever, starvation, hardships, even more so due to asthma attacks); Mental (by promising an initiation which never comes about); Emotional (verbal abuse and humiliation). He fleeces him of his bank balance, along with self respect, forcing him to ultimately leave the ashram in disgust.

Can one actually review such a memoir? By divine grace, I had the opportunity to meet Om Swamiji at the Jaipur Literary Festival on 25th January, 2020.

It’s pure bliss to be in his pres-

YOUR DAY Horoscope by

Saurabbh Sachdeva

ence. Swamiji’s personality exudes such radiance, goodness, positivity. He is totally charismatic. Indeed, how fortunate we are to be in Om Swamiji’s era.

He lives in an ashram in the Himalayan foothills. We can actually meet him, be in his presence and feel the all enveloping aura that reflects off his warm personality.

One is awestruck by Om Swamiji’s simplicity, balancing his sheer power, his beauty, his divinity, his empathy for every living creature, his emphasis on each word, as he speaks. He is the perfect image of a self realised soul, a Saint.

“A Monk’s Memoir” is a most inspiring autobiography, written in a down-to-earth manner.

Om Swami comes across not as a pretentious monk but as a modern man, with the courage and conviction to seek and find God. For the sincere seeker of Truth, it’s a must read book. He boldly declares that religious prayers, rituals and offerings have no value, if we cannot be compassionate and truthful.

Om Swami, born as Amit, in a Brahmin family, to a spiritual mother. A saint had prophesied, “One of us would come to the family soon”. He was born as the third child. At 8, he had a vision of God in a dream which aroused his quest for spirituality. He drowned himself in books, study of astrology, meditation, religious texts, study of

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

You are financially stable but not satisfied and you want to collect wealth. This is an excellent time to showcase your talents as not only you will get the recognition for it but also you will get rewarded for the same. Eating right is important but its alright to treat yourself.

Changes in behaviour will directly have good impact on your relationships both personal and professional.

Joining hands with someone for a social cause will be the best decision.

Your problem will be solved only if you have an spiritual inclination. You are a nice person.

Abstemious behaviour just to slim down could be a good idea if tried for sometime. Your venture that was all going down will suddenly start giving you profits beyond measure. Some of you are not very much interested in studies and there is nothing to be ashamed about it.

Barriers are many in life to state the truth but it surely depends on each individual how they manage to cross it. You are gifted with lots of wealth in inheritance and you plan to do something big with it. You are a devoted person and you dedicate yourself completely to any task.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You have in-depth knowledge of a particular subject and you may have a career in teaching like. You will earn a lot and money will never cease to flow in your life but satisfaction is another thing, you have to learn to be happy. All that you love is manifested in your life.

Eventualities related to business are something you should be prepared for well and in advance. Don’t stress out and over exert today as sometimes too much burden of work can make you sick so take things a bit easy. Those compelled in terms of career must take a stand now.

Excessively eating from outside right now could prove to be a big health hazard. You are tempted towards trying you hand in something creative and its requires some money initially. You are someone who gives strength to people to fight and never give up.

Haphazard arrangements only causes trouble therefore hire some profession to do the same for business event. Pending tasks will be completely on your behalf by someone, this is how nature will show its love towards you. You may be confused.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Impatient nature sometimes does good for you. You are always busy in your fantasy world and you need someone from outside to wake you up and get you out. You are working on a project that will change your life, this is the beginning of your career and you shall never look back.

Looking out for a friend is something everyone can learn from you. You are special in many ways and your parents are blessed to have you in their life. You have a vision and you will achieve all that you want someday. This is the beginning of a golden period of your life.

Brilliant mind leads to brilliant ideas but thats not it, you need to put those ideas to some use for brilliant outcomes. You are very quick with your responses and sometimes you say things that you don’t mean as you don’t think much before speaking.

You love your spouse.

Mother’s love is most important for you and you can do anything for your mother. You are recently feeling restless as you wish to do something but still couldn’t figure out what, don’t worry you shall find the way soon. Your performance academically is remarkable.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

ROSHNI BHATIA, Content Creator

mantra and tantra. But no God! In frustration, as an 18 year old, Amit headed to Australia (in 1990), to realise his worldly dreams. With almost no money and support, he struggled to study, earn and survive. He gained every possible knowledge. Two years later he was earning well. At 26, he was a multi millionaire. He had every possible luxury, but his yearning to find God made him restless. So, he returned to India. He handed over his entire business to a friend (not family, so as not to leave any attachments), and

walked out of his office one day, to never return (15.3.2010). He renounced the world. As a monk, he faced the ordeals of heartless Kashi. Finally, it was in the silence and solitude of The Himalayas that he found the presence of divinity. All the near-death encounters, intense meditation, starvation, excruciating hardships through fierce elements and wild nature only made his resolve stronger. He reached the ultimate realisation- “I am what I have been seeking”. This is the base of all Om Swami’s teachings and books. “An empty mind is not a devil’s workshop. A passionate mind is. It is restless. Empty mind is a divine blessing. To be free of thought, is a coveted state for a yogi- calm, serene & focused. With complete stillness comes the control over mind & body. Heartbeat, blood pressure, pulse, body temperature can all be mastered by the mind. Truth is a personal affair- Buddha found under a tree, Einstein in a laboratory, Edison in a bulb, Socrates in a drink, Christ on the cross, Bill gates in Microsoft, Steve Jobs in Apple....!

Spiritual process is basically a journey from the Creation to the Creator. You are a master of infinite possibilities. Find the fulfilment- in meditation, dancing, writing poetry, painting, music, reading”.

“I’ve given you my truth.

Go, discover yours.”

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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Stay COVID-safe this

HALLOWEEN NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

H

alloween, which is celebrated today is now almost as popular in India as abroad, though in India it remains a niche festival popular among a certain group and especially on social media platforms.

Kids are apt to dress up and move around in their local apartment blocks and colonies at least; if not going trick or treat then at least enjoying scaring others. For the young it is purely an occasion to dress up differently and party the night away! Resorts and clubs would advertise special Halloween nights in pre-pandemic times.

Now, with much of the world in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, there is talk of cancelling Halloween celebrations this year across the world.

It’s only natural to wonder if we should celebrate an event that, on the surface, seems frivolous and unimportant when so many people around the world are suffering and dying because of the deadly virus.

Halloween is a celebration of both the living and the dead. The fun and entertaining aspects — sweets, parties, carved pumpkins and over-the-top costumes and decorations — don’t

take away from its importance.

The question is: how to celebrate Halloween and stay safe within any local rules you have to follow?

Perhaps it’s time to create new traditions to keep the spirit of Halloween alive, without forfeiting our health. Halloween has a mixed historical heritage.

It’s often claimed it originated in Europe in the ancient Celtic festival of Sam-

hain. This was celebrated (roughly) in November, starting on the evening of October 31 — known as “the eve of Samhain”.

Carved vegetables, such as turnips, were placed outside doors to both guide and ward off evil spirits.

Masks were worn as part of the celebration: the aim was either to scare off the spirits or to honour them, depending on which source you consult.

Across the centuries, many practices have been part of the Hallowtide celebrations, children dress up in whimsical costumes and go door to door demanding offerings of foods for the departed.

If we think about the event in these terms then we can reshape and re-invent our traditions to fit our changed world.

—Input from Agencies

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020

11

CITY BUZZ www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia

Awarded for INNOVATION

12

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020

Prepping for Karwa Chauth

CITY FIRST

H

industan Zinc’s Evolve eCommerce Initiative has been conferred with ‘Best eCommerce Technology Innovation award’, under e-Commerce category for its overall state-ofthe-art innovation of changing the way metal is bought or sold in the market. The awards were presented in the recently held ‘21st Inflection Conference & Awards 2020’ ceremony via virtual event co-sponsored jointly

by NASSCOM Centre of ExcellenceIoT & AI, Singapore Institute of Materials Management (SiMM), Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and The Alden Global Value Advisors.

Speaking on the occasion, Arun Mishra, CEO, Hindustan Zinc said, “Driving a high-performance culture by creating disruptive ideas in technology and innovation is what exemplifies Hindustan Zinc as an organization. This is a huge achievement for us and just goes on to demonstrate our continuous efforts in embracing innovation and technology. Our aim is to revolutionize the Indian Mining industry through the adoption of such innovative ideas and continue to strive for excellence.” cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

KARISHMA GWALANI

Karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in

K

arwa Chauth is one festival women wait all year round for! A day marked by celebrations, fasting and feasting, it is generally observed by married Hindu women to wish for a long and healthy life for their husbands. All these together make this festival a celebration of the bond of love and marriage. City First talked to a few people from Rajasthan and Gujarat, to know how they are prepping to celebrate the day of Karwa Chauth on 4 November. If this is your first time observing a Karwa Chauth or you are looking for a few tips to keep the fast more healthily, then here’s some help.

Karwa Chauth is the most important festival for me as it shows my love for my better half, who also fasts for me. I have already started the preparations- I have got a new saree and jewellery for the day. I will be putting Mehendi and would keep myself hydrated during the fast. I will also take utmost care of sanitization especially on this Karwa Chauth.

A few days left for Karwa Chauth and I have already started shopping for the day. What most women love about Karwa Chauth is the sola sringar, which is all about dressing up for their loved one. I have also started buying new ‘karwas’ and paint them on the outside with lovely designs.

— AMISH JOSHI

—RAKHI SINGH

In a country like India, where festivals form the essence of life, it is very interesting to see how each & every occasion is celebrated especially during the tough time of the pandemic.

I’m going to celebrate Karwa Chauth with my family and friends. I would be keeping myself hydrated and will make sure to have proper meals prior and after the festive. I will also perform the rituals and Mehendi ceremony but this time with proper social distancing. I will maintain the proper sanitization of the area where everyone is going to be gathered.

HAPPY 22nd!

SPOTTED

PICTURE BOX GLAM FEST

A Kultejan Singh

Rishee Miglani CITY FIRST

Y RAJ: A two-day talk show ‘Picture Box Glam Fest’ on how to celebrate the festival with safety during COVID-19 is going to be organised on 31 October and 1 November at Jaipur Ajmer Road Bhankarota.

outh icon, Rishee Miglani was spotted shooting in the Pink City at various locations for an upcoming trendy brand, ‘Copy Cats’. The owner of the brand Kultejan Singh mentioned, “We make trendy designer shirts,

that are affordable for all. I was very excited about this shoot, and the pictures have come out very well. I’ll be sharing them on social media soon.

My dad is my inspiration, and I am following his guidance.”

Talking about the brand, Rishee men-

FASHIONABLY ROYAL I

tioned, “The best part about Copy Cats is the fit of the shirts, every size is perfect. We shot at various locations, but Piante Kitchen and Bar in Raja Park is where we shot mostly, and I quite like the place. Jiten is a fantastic photographer, he’s done a good job.” “ Ku l t e j a n’s family is in the industry for decades, I’m confident his launch will be a big hit, despite corona. Because the product is outstanding,” he added. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

BUZZ

CITY FIRST

n today’s era where everyone is fighting against this hazardous COVID-19, where every industry is surviving. In these tough times, the industries upgrade themselves by taking numerous small steps in a form of minievents.

In this typical scenario in the world of fashion designers showcase their new wedding collection on different colourful themes with their different patterns and creations.

‘Shivayu’ by Shivani and Ayush, a wellknown fashion clothing brand did their shoot to showcase their new creative collection ‘Nazakat’ for the wedding season.

Celebrity designers

nanya Panday on Friday rang in her 22nd birthday on the sets of Shakun Batra’s upcoming untitled film as she spent her special day shooting. “But no complaints. It will be a different kind of celebration without family and friends but with the cast and crew,” she said.

Ananya is shooting for the Shakun Batra directorial with Deepika Padukone and ‘Gully Boy’ fame Siddhant

Chaturvedi.

As she returned to work after the six-month-long coronavirus induced hiatus, the 22-year-old actor termed the period of shutdown as “scary and uncertain.”

“I had not taken an off since I started Student Of the Year 2 and these six months were scary and uncertain. I was afraid, I had forgotten how to face the camera. But it was smooth sailing from day one,” she said.

—ANI

WHAT’S HAPPENING! RAJ: For the occasion of National Unity Day on 31 October, 7-year old Jayaditya Gautam from Jaipur made a portrait of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel using a paper quilling technique to pay tribute to him on his 145th birth anniversary.

RAJ: People in the Pink City witnessed a jaw-dropping scene on Friday, as a man stood in the public wearing a red bra. RJ Mohit initiated this awareness campaign as the commemoration of international breast cancer awareness month. In his message, he wrote “Nazar Andaz Nahi, Parwah Karo”, encouraging a change in the perception of breast cancer.

GUJ: Statue of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel inaugurated inside the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) office in Ahmedabad on Friday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

‘Nazakat’ collection by Shivayu

Shivani and Ayush Soni said that their collection shows a softness towards the Indian traditions and culture, which are carried on special moments to feel the comfort and uniqueness. The ‘Nazakat’ collection also shows the royalty and art of Rajasthan. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Ananya Panday

—NIMISHA AJITSINH MAHIDA

HAPPY B’DAY!

Shivani and Ayush Soni

IAS Nishant Jain (left) and IAS Mahendra Kumar Parakh celebrated their birthdays on 30 October, Friday. We wish them all the best!

GUJ: Students of Swaminarayan Gurukul Saint School taking their regular classes at the Swaminarayan Gurukul Navsari in Gujarat on Friday. ­—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI