First India-Ahmedabad Edition-11 December 2020

AHMEDABAD l FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

P5 OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD & LUCKNOW

DEFENCE MINISTER RAJNATH SINGH SIGNS THE JOINT DECLARATION BY THE ASEAN ON STRATEGIC SECURITY VISION 17°C - 34°C

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ON INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY, RAHUL ACCUSES MODI GOVT OF SNATCHING AWAY RIGHTS OF POOR

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NEW ABODE OF DEMOCRACY

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla addresses at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the New Parliament Building on Thursday.

A NEW BEGINNING Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays the foundation stone of New Parliament Building, in New Delhi on Thursday.

—PHOTOS BY PTI

STONES HURLED AT BJP CHIEF JP NADDA’S CONVOY; VIJAYVARGIYA, ROY HURT

ATTACK ON NADDA ‘SPONSORED’,

AMIT SHAH SEEKS WB REPLY

PM: New Parliament building will

Under pressure from Oppn, Haryana Dy CM Chautala hopes farmers-Centre rift Historical & Proud will end soon Day for India, says

witness ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla after stone laying ceremony

The home ministry called for two reports from the Bengal administration within 12 hours Aditi Nagar

New Delhi/Kolkata: Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday ordered an investigation into an attack on BJP chief JP Nadda’s convoy in West Bengal and asked the Governor for a detailed report on law and order in the state.

The home ministry called for two reports from the Bengal administration within 12 hours as the BJP alleged that the state had slipped into complete lawlessness and anarchy.

The BJP chief ’s convoy came under attack, allegedly from supporters of Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress, around 60 km from Kolkata. Nadda was on his way to a meeting of party workers Turn to P6

The broken windshield of JP Nadda’s convoy vehicle.

MAA DURGA SAVED ME: NADDA IN

CM MAMATA’S NEPHEW’S CONSTITUENCY

AMIT SHAH @AMITSHAH Bengal has descended into an era of tyranny, anarchy and darkness under the Trinamool rule.

The manner in which political violence has been institutionalized and brought to the extreme in West Bengal under TMC (Trinamool) rule is sad and worrying

Kolkata: “If I have reached here for the meeting, it’s due to Maa Durga’s grace,” said Nadda. The BJP has launched protests across the state. Nadda said he was unhurt because he was travelling in a bullet proof car but other BJP leaders, Kailash Vijayvargiya and Mukul Roy, were injured. Some journalists were pushed and shoved back, according to PTI. Mamata Banerjee claimed the attack was staged and accused the BJP of resorting to “drama” to malign her government ahead of assembly polls next year. “BJP is creating a new Hindu dharma (religion). It is a hateful dharma.

This is how Hitler became who he was. They are creating videos of incidents and sharing with media...Nautanki is going on. They will say Pakistan is attacking us, Nepal, Israel,” said the Chief Minister. “Just think of the situation. They are roaming around with the BSF, CRPF, Army, CISF....then why are you so scared?,” added Mamata.

DELHI DY CM’S HOUSE ATTACKED New Delhi: Delhi’s rul-

ing Aam Aadmi Party claimed on Thursday that Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s residence had been “attacked by BJP goons” who, the AAP claimed, had acted with the support of police personnel meant to ensure the safety and security of Sisodia and his family.

Shocking visuals from videos posted online

by Sisodia and AAP leaders Atishi and Raghav Chadha showed dozens of men marching up to the Deputy

CM’s residence and forcing their way past a handful of policemen, at least one of whom had what looked like an assault rifle. The videos show the mob pushing the police aside and hammer on the gates till they fly open. As the mob makes its way inside the compound,

some policemen follow them in and try to stop them from proceeding any further. According to news agency ANI, a case has been filed and six people have been arrested. Sisodia, who was not home at the time, tweeted: “Today, in my absence, BJP goons broke into my house and tried to attack my wife and children. You (tagging Home Minister Amit Shah) may have lost the political battle but this is how you will respond?”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the foundation stone laying ceremony of New Parliament Building, in New Delhi on Thursday.

Chandigarh: Breaking his silence on the farmers’ protest, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala hoped that they will call off their stir now that the Centre has offered to give written assurances on MSP. The Jannayak Janta Party leader said he is quite hopeful that the farmers protesting over the new agri-marketing laws will understand that when the Centre is giving written assurances, it a victory for their struggle.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday urged farmer union leaders to consider proposals sent to them to break the deadlock over protests against the three new Turn to P6

New Delhi: Describing the laying of foundation stone of the new Parliament building as a “milestone in India’s democratic history”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said if the old Parliament house gave direction to the country postindependence, the new one would be a witness to making of a self-reliant India.

Addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone of the new building and performing the groundbreaking ceremony, Modi said many new things were being done in the new Parliament House, which will increase the efficiency of the MPs as modern methods will be incorporated in the work culture.

“It is a very historic day. Today is a mile-

BUILDING YOUR PALACE AS FARMERS PROTEST: CONG ON PM, NEW PARL New Delhi: The Congress attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the new parliament today, giving a reminder of the farmers protest going on outside the borders of the national capital for more than two weeks. “Mr Modi, History will also record that when the Annadata was fighting for their rights for 16 days on the streets, you were building a palace for yourself in the name of Central Vista! In democracy, power is not a means to fulfill whims, it is a medium for public service and public welfare,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted in Hindi on Thursday under hashtag “farmers”. stone in India’s democratic history,” he said.

“We, the people of India, will together build this new building of Parliament. This new building will be an inspiration when India will celebrate its 75 years of independence,” Modi said.

“I can never forget the moment in my life when I had the opportunity to come to Parliament House for the first time

in 2014 as an MP. Before stepping in, I bowed and saluted this temple of democracy,” he said.

If the old Parliament House gave direction to India post-independence, the new building would be a witness to the creation of a selfreliant India, Modi said.

“If work was done to fulfill the needs of the country in the old Parliament building, Turn to P6

GUJ HC TO GET A SANITIZED CLEANUP, TO RESUME OPS FROM DEC 15 State Election Commission asks govt to vaccinate election staff on priority basis First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Chief Justice Vikram Nath of the Gujarat High Court ordered the closure of its premises for a period of three days from December 12-14 for complete sanitization. Even the nearby post office and State Bank of India’s branch will remain closed for the duration.

The entire campus will be thoroughly sanitized by local civic body Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

The decision was announced through a notification issued by Registrar General RK Desai.

It further stated that the government pleader’s office registry will also be shut down. The ‘physical’ filing of peti-

Gujarat High Court

tions will be closed on December 14 and the ones listed for December 14 will be taken up on December 15. The processing of new petitions will resume from Tuesday onwards.

Meanwhile, the state election commission is planning to hold local body elections for six municipal corporations, 55 nagarpalikas, 31 district panchayats, and 231 taluka panchayats in Februray next year.

Turn to P6

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AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, DECEBMER 11, 2020

02

IT WILL BE PLAYED FROM FEBRUARY 24-28 NEXT YEAR, FOLLOWED BY A FIVE-MATCH T20I SERIES

MOTERA STADIUM TO HOST

INDIA-ENGLAND DAY-NIGHT TEST First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced that the England-India Test series will commence on February 7 in Chennai. The day-night Test match of the series will be played from February 24-28 at the Motera (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) Stadium in the city.

After dedicating an indoor cricket academy in the city, BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirmed that daynight Test match will be played at Motera, as per the schedule.

Motera, the largest cricket stadium in the world, boasts of stateof-the-art facilities and a seating capacity of 110,000 spectators.

It will host India’s second day-night Test match after the huge success of the firstever pink ball Test match that was played

by India against Bangladesh in Kolkata last.

The historic Test will be followed by a fivematch T20 International series, which will also be held in Ahmedabad.

Meanwhile, the indoor academy inaugurated by Shah was developed by the Gujarat Cricket Associa-

BCCI secy Jay Shah with GCA officials at the academy, (R) Trying his hand at batting

—PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI

tion (GCA) at an investment of Rs40

bowlers and two for spinners.

lakh. The facility holds four types of

pitches, two of which are suitable for pace

Unseasonal rains lash parts of state RMC fire dept issues notice First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Keeping with the forecast of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), some parts of the state received unseasonal rains on Thursday. Due to the effect of a western disturbance that has formed, a few states in the country experienced rainfall, including Gujarat. It is likely to sustain for two more days.

At first, the Saurashtra region was greeted with sunny and cloudy weather on Thursday morning, but the sky got cloudy and showers in the afternoon ruined standing crops in a few places. This invoked

Farmers worried about damage to winter crops such as cumin, chickpea, wheat and also cotton

panic in farmers of Gariadhar, Talaja, and Mahuva pockets. Currently,

winter crops such as cumin, chickpea and wheat are in danger of

sustaining damage while the cotton crop is also likely to be affected

by the unseasonal showers.Rural areas including Dedan, Khadadhar, Borala, Chakrava of Khambha taluka in Amreli district also received rainfall. Monsoon fodder exposed to the elements is also feared to have been soaked in the rain.

On the contrary, the weather in some parts of the state remained pleasant with cold nights.

to 60 high-rise structures First India Bureau Rajkot: In a bid to ensure norms such as proper installation and condition of fire safety equipment are followed by high-rise buildings including hospitals, the fire department of Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) issued notices to 60 buildings for nonrenewal of fire No Objection Certificate (NOC).

The department has swung into action after the fire incident at the Uday Shivanand Hospital that claimed the lives of five COVID-19 patients last month.

Of the 60 buildings that have been issued no-

A patient being helped out of the building by Uday Shivanand Hospital personnel during the fire incident.

—FILE PHOTO

tices, 30 are high-rise buildings located mainly in residential areas while the other half comprises commercial complexes.

Following the tragedy at Uday Shivanand Hospital, RMC has not only started training staffers of hospitals, hotels and other commercial buildings regarding emergen-

cy response, but also vowed to fill all vacant positions in the department. Around 30-35 people are trained by department officials every day in operating fire equipment during emergencies. For the first time, a woman officer will also be inducted into the department.

MAKING WATER ACCESSIBLE

CM Rupani lays foundation stones of water supply projects in A’bad First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani virtually laid the foundation of three water supply improvement schemes to be implemented in rural Ahmedabad at an investment of Rs48.62 crore. The initiative will benefit over 3.74 lakh people residing in 128 villages of seven talukas in rural Ahmedabad, and provide them with adequate drinking water. The CM also ex-

The Rs49.32 crore project will provide over 3.74 lakh people living in 128 villages with drinking water pressed his pleasure on Gujarat taking the lead in supply of potable water to hinterland villages in Saurashtra, Kutch (North Gujarat) with the construction of a massive water grid in the state.

ON BOARD

(L to R) Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and and Water Supplies Secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi at the virtual event for Ahmedabad water supply project on Thursday.

On the occasion, state Water Supply Minister Kunvarji Bavaliya joined from Vinchhiya village of Jasdan district via video conferencing while Minister of State for Home Af-

fairs Pradipsinh Jadeja participated from the chief minister’s residence.As part of the initiative, the Saurashtra branch canal will be upgraded at a cost of Rs22.95 crore to benefit

54 villages of Viramgam, Bavla and Sanand talukas. Similarly, the Zinzuwadia branch canal will provide water to 44 villages of Viramgam, Mandal, Detroj talukas, while the

Vahelal branch canal improvement scheme of Rs13.83 crore will benefit 30 villages of Daskroi taluka.

Talking about the government’s efforts, the chief minister said,

“Water has been supplied to villages by laying 700 to 900 km of pipelines from canals such as the Narmada, Kadana, Ukai. Earlier, we used to receive only 45 litres of water per

person but now each person receives 100 litres.”He added, “There was a time when people were reluctant to get their daughters married to men who lived in villages battling water scarcity. Today, Gujarat has achieved 80% success in delivering tap water to its citizens. Earlier, only 24% households had access to tap water.

Gujarat will meet the target of 100% tap water two years earlier planned in 2022.”

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2020

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Sub-inspector arrested on attempted rape charges First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Crime Detection Branch (Crime branch) has arrested a serving police sub-inspector for rape. The team is also investigating if he had any accomplices within the force.

The victim, the married daughter of a retired Police Sub-Inspector, had originally come into contact with SubInspector RR Mishra when she visited the Vadaj police station in July to lodge a complaint about her missing husband.

Mishra allegedly first used the woman’s number to call and send her messages via WhatsApp. Then, one day, he called the woman to the Hotel Red Apple, where he tried to molest and rape her.

The woman, however, escaped his clutches.

A week later, the city police commissioner handed over the investigation to the Assistant Police Commissioner (crime branch).

The Crime branch made the arrest based on evidence including call data records and CCTV footage, as well as a witness who had seen a woman running from the hotel.

State launches surveys to create vaccine lists

CONSTANT THEME

Teams across state will prepare beneficiary list for vaccine based on voters’ lists First India Bureau Ahmedabad/Surat/ Rajkot: The state began its four-day doorto-door survey in order to firm up its plan to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine in the state, on Thursday.

Teams have been set up along the same lines as those formed during elections. The survey will be conducted via district collectors and district development officers, even as vaccine trials continue at the Sola Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad. Health workers will be the first to receive the vaccine.

The data for the other vaccines is being prepared based on polling stations, and voters’ lists are being used to organize the survey.

Each municipal corporation and district administration has been asked to form teams immediately and also orient these teams, which will cover people above the age of 50, and those below the age of 50 but with comorbidities.

They have been asked to take into account information on incurable diseases including can-

With Uttarayan just over a month away, kite-makers at Allah Nagar near Ahmedabad’s Danilimda area are already hard at work. And, like everything else in the recent past, COVID-19 seems to have permeated the kite industry, too.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

State sees further decline in daily jump in fresh cases DETAILED SURVEYS

cer, organ transplants, kidney diseases, heart diseases, thalassaemia, sickle cell anaemia, AIDS and mental illness. The state health commissioner has issued a circular on the issue to all district collectors, district development officers as well as municipal commissioners.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

First India Bureau

The teams will complete their surveys and the ensuing data entry

by December 13 and then send the list to the government.

In Ahmedabad, 2,000 teams have been deputed to conduct the survey across the city and district.

In Surat, 2,800 teams have begun their sur-

veys over 11.70 lakh people. The vaccine is being stored at the Adjan Health Centre, which has the capacity to store about 14 lakh doses.

Meanwhile, Rajkot city has formed 958 teams for the survey, while 806 teams will cover the rest of the district. The district’s development officer Anil Ranavasiya estimated that there are around 3.5 lakh people above 50 years in the district and around 1.5 lakh with comorbidities. Rajkot authorities have identified 80 cold chain points and are equipped with 500 vaccinators.

Gandhinagar: Gujarat recorded another drop in the number of new COVID-19 cases, with the state registering 1,270 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, according to the bulletin issued by the state’s health department on Thursday evening. This takes the total case count in the state to 2,24,081 since March. The death toll due to the pandemic has now reached 4,123, the bulletin also said.

Of the 12 new deaths that occurred during the day, seven occurred in Ahmedabad, three in Su-

More than 60,547 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours.

rat, and one each in Mehsana and Vadodara.

New cases emerged in Ahmedabad (265), Surat (171), Vadodara (137), Rajkot (135), Gandhinagar (58), Mehsana (50), and Patan (37), among others. There are now 13,820

active cases, with 72 patients on ventilators.

Meanwhile, the AMC has sealed Atmiya hospital in Naroda for operating as a COVID-19 facility and admitting 13 patients without permission.

ACB to study NW zone nCoV hosp bills paid for by A’bad civic body First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Anti-Corruption Bureau is thoroughly investigating the files of private hospitals designated for the treatment of COVID-19, to check for discrepancies in the bills paid by the local civic body.

This comes after the ACB nabbed a private doctor who was found to be acting as an agent for deputy health officer Dr Arvind Patel who demanded a 10% of

—FILE PHOTO

Anti-Corruption Bureau.

bribe to pass a bill amount of Rs1.5 crore from CIMS Hospital for treated COVID-19 patients on the AMC quota. Dr Patel has since been suspended.

Those familiar with the development say the ACB has called senior officers for their statements.

“Ever since the ACB case surfaced, the zone-

level files have been checked. It has also been learnt that deputy municipal commissioner CR Kharsan has been asked to remain present before the ACB,” a person privy to the development said.

Further, senior civic officials are also looking into any grievance faced by the hospitals.

Earlier there were discrepancies in hospital admission, where the AMC was found to be sending patients from one zone to the other for treatment.

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PROBLEM-SOLVING

AHNA forms billing redressal cell for patients of COVID-19 —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Hospital and Nursing Association (AHNA) on Thursday announced that it has set up a “Covid Patient Billing Redressal Cell” following wide-spread complaints from patients who have received treatment at various COVID-19 designated hospitals in the city over the pas few months.

Patients who have been discharged from facilities designated to treat Sars-CoV-2 infections since November 1 can approach

03

COVID-19 patients in a private hospital.

the cell, which comprises doctors and specialists, if they have any complaints about their bill.

If a patient’s complaint is found to hold water, the hospital will have to not only refund the extra

amount charged, but will also have to pay a penalty amounting to 10% of the bill.

At the time of filing the complaint, the patient or their relatives will have to pay Rs1,000. If the complaint is found to be

true, the Rs1,000 filing charge will also be returned. The committee will also help if there is a problem while making an insurance claim. At the same time, if the treatment given by the hospital is charged but the bill is not paid, a complaint can be registered online, AHNA has said.

Patients seeking treatment at the Designated Hospital will be able to lodge a complaint through AHNA’s website.

The move follows several requests to the state government to cap the rate of hospital charges.

Call us at : 1800-266-4606 304, 3rd Floor, 3rd Eye II, Opp. Parimal Garden, Nr. Panchwati Char Rasta, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad-380015 | Ph. : 79-40050660-61 | Fax : 40050662 4th Floor, Plot No. A-2, UDB Corporate, Tower, Near Jawahar Circle, JLN Road, Jaipur – 302017 www.jkcement.com | E-mail : jkc.gujrat@jkcement.com

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2020

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04

370 IS GONE FOR GOOD BRIG VETERAN ANIL GUPTA

The author is a Jammu based veteran, political commentator, columnist, security and strategic analyst

T

370 was also used by the Gupkaris to deny the devolution of powers to the grassroots level by preventing the application of 73rd and 74th Amendments and not holding elections to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies. They were loath to centre of power shifting from Gupkar Road to the towns and villages taking shelter under 370. It was also used to promote regional and religious discrimination

he response of the people across both regions to the ongoing elections for the District Development Councils (DDCs) is a curt message to the status quo lobby led by the Peoples’ Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) popularly also known as Gupkar Alliance.

The vast majority of people standing in long queues outside the polling booths in the bone-chilling cold while responding to the news reporters do not mince words while stating that they are voting for development and employment. It is their sole agenda since they have deprived of it for long. It is, therefore, clear that 60 year rule under the shelter Article 370 failed to provide the basic amenities of road, drinking water and electricity to the people at large. Connectivity, education, health, and basic amenities still elude the people despite the huge amount of funds received from successive central governments. Where did all these funds vanish? Reports are surfacing of projects shown as completed in files but not actually existing on the ground. Voters are openly accusing their leaders of having cheated them time and again and becoming unreachable and inapproachable after the elections are over leaving them to their plight which has not changed during the last seventy years.

People have also realised that they were emotionally exploited with slogans like selfrule, greater autonomy, Azadi while enough autonomy was granted by article 370. Had these leaders been serious and committed to the welfare of the people they could have easily provided them the basic facilities of road, water, and electricity but instead they chose to mislead them with false slogans and dreams of greener pasture while lining their own pockets with the generous assistance received from the Central Governments. This gave rise to a group of elite and privileged families who assumed controls of not only the government but other organs of administration as well. While these families prospered, ordi-

nary people continued to live a life full of miseries. Gradually, they grabbed so much power that they began to consider themselves as invincible and permanent rulers to the extent that the people were scared of questioning them.

Gupkar Road, a signature elite landmark residential area became the power centre of J&K favouring their cronies and relatives while the rest were left to look up to them as their My Baap who occasionally showered their blessings on them in form of favours like government jobs or appointments in local bodies which largely remained unelected.

As claimed by the leaders of the Gupkar Alliance, Article 370 was meant for protecting the Kashmiri identity. Kashmir’s identity world over was recognised as a multilingual, multi-faith, multi-cultural plural society famous for peaceful co-existence. But these very leaders are responsible for the murder of the famous Kashmiri identity. 370 was misused to promote secessionism, separatism, radicalisation leading to an onslaught on the Kashmiri Pandit community, the indigenous community of the Valley, forcing them to flee leading to large-scale exodus and ethnic cleansing. Was this the purpose of inserting Article 370 in the Constitution of India?

Fears expressed by Dr Ambedkar about the future of Hindu and Buddhist minorities in Kashmir proved true. Taking shelter of 370, Gupkaris refused to include the word “secular” in the preamble of the State Constitution after its inclusion in the Constitution of India.

Article 370 was used by the Gupkaris to institutionalise corruption in J&K since none of the progressive anticorruption laws passed by the Parliament was made applicable in the state. This encouraged the Gupkaris and their cronies to resort to unbridled corruption without fear of being held accountable or questioned. Rules were not only ignored but blatantly bypassed with impunity.

The skeletons which emerged in the cupboard of Jammu & Kashmir Bank Ltd post revocation of 370 and the Roshni Scam dubbed as the biggest land scam of the country are just a few examples of institutionalised corruption unleashed by them.

370 was also used by the Gupkaris to deny the devolu-

UNHAPPY WITH THE TREMENDOUS RESPONSE TO THE REVOCATION OF 370, THE STATUS QUO LOBBY JOINED HANDS TO FORM THE PAGD WITH AVOWED AIM OF STRUGGLING FOR THE RETURN OF 370 AND STATEHOOD. THEY ALSO ANNOUNCED THAT THEY DO NOT RECOGNISE THE J&K REORGANISATION ACT 2019, WHEREBY THE STATE WAS DIVIDED INTO TWO UNION TERRITORIES (UTS) AND ALL CENTRAL LAWS MADE APPLICABLE, AND ANY DECISION TAKEN THEREOF. HOWEVER, DDC ELECTIONS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER A NOTIFICATION USING SAME ACT, FORCED THEM TO MAKE A U-TURN

tion of powers to the grassroots level by preventing the application of 73rd and 74th Amendments and not holding elections to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies. They were loath to centre of power shifting from Gupkar Road to the towns and villages taking shelter under 370. It was also used to promote regional and religious discrimination. 370 was used as a bargaining tool with the central governments which usually succumbed to their pressure tactics in order to appease them. Successive central governments preferred to rule J&K through them rather than reaching out directly to the people and understanding their problems.

Thus, the decision was taken by the Government of India to revoke Article 370 was welcomed by the vast majority. The process to undo the ills and woes of 70 years of misrule was set in motion with all sincerity. It certainly was not to the liking of the Gupkaris and their cronies.

The subdued response of the people much against their hopes of bloodshed and huge protests came as a rude shock to them. The government was falsely accused of the

use of force and suppression.

The government took precautionary measures to prevent divisive elements from creating law and order problems causing inconvenience to common men. These measures proved successful.

A slew of measures were taken by the government thereafter to undo the ill-effects of 370 as enumerated above. These included elections to the second and third tiers of PRI by holding elections for Block Development Councils (BDCs) and District Development Councils (DDCs). Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) elections were also held. Ongoing DDC elections are unique in the sense that certain deprived sections (West Pakistan Refugees, Valmikis and Gorkhas) are voting for the first time. (Earlier they could vote only for Parliamentary elections). 73rd and 74th amendments have been made fully applicable fulfilling the long pending demand of the people. There are reserved seats for the women and Scheduled Tribes (STs) for the first time. A new crop of grassroots level leadership is emerging which augurs well for the future.

Unhappy with the tremen-

dous response to the revocation of 370, the status quo lobby joined hands to form the PAGD with avowed aim of struggling for the return of 370 and statehood. They also announced that they do not recognise the J&K Reorganisation Act 2019, whereby the state was divided into two union territories (UTs) and all central laws made applicable, and any decision taken thereof. However, DDC elections being conducted under a notification using same Act, forced them to make a U-turn. Initially, lofty claims were made of elections only as a measure to stop the growth of the BJP but soon they began to pronounce it as a referendum for the restoration of 370. Appeals are being made to vote for the candidates of PAGD so that they can bring back 370. There can be nothing more farther from the truth than this since DDCs are nowhere empowered for lawmaking? Yet they are resorting to their old trick of false promises to people. Going by the demand of the people for development and employment, it appears they may not succeed this time and restoration of 370 will remain an unfulfilled distant dream like greater autonomy or self-rule.

Gupkaris and their sympathisers are trying to win over the people by creating a fear psychosis among them. They oppose each and every action of the government on the plea that it is meant to kill their identity and change demography. Baseless accusations to emotionally exploit the populace. One of the lingering fears created among the youth that their jobs will

The Indian Ocean is a rich historical archive

O

n many beaches around the Indian Ocean, keen observers may spot bits of broken pottery. Washed smooth by the ocean, these shards are in all likelihood hundreds of years old, from centres of ceramic production like the Middle Eastern Abbasid caliphate and the Chinese Ming dynasty.

Originally destined for Indian Ocean port cities, this pottery would have been purchased by merchant elites accustomed to eating off fine plates.

These traders formed part of vast commercial networks that crisscrossed the Indian Ocean arena and beyond, from East Africa to Indonesia, the Middle East and China.

These trade networks stretched back thousands of years, powered by the monsoon winds. Reversing

direction in different seasons, these winds have long shaped the rhythm of life around the ocean, bringing rain to farmers, filling the sails of dhows and enabling trade between different ecological zones.

The monsoon wind pattern makes the Indian Ocean relatively easy to cross both ways. In the Atlantic, by contrast, winds blow in one direction all year round. That is why the Indian Ocean is the world’s oldest long-distance trans-oceanic trading arena and is sometimes known as the cradle of globalisation.

This cosmopolitan world has long fascinated scholars and has become a vibrant domain of research. Yet this work has had little to say about the sea itself. Its focus is on human movement with the ocean as a passive

backdrop. In the age of rising sea levels and climate change, it is important to learn more about the sea from a material and ecological point of view.

Over the past few years, this situation has started to shift. In this article, we survey both the older and the newer forms of Indian Ocean studies, of surface and depth.

SURFACE HISTORIES OF THE INDIAN OCEAN Given the long millennia of trade and exchange, one key concern of Indian Ocean studies has been a focus on cultural interaction. Cities on the shores have sustained deep forms of material, intellectual and cultural exchange so that the denizens of these ports had more in common

with each other than with their fellows inland.

This early cosmopolitan world has famously been explored in Amitav Ghosh’s In an Antique Land, which traces the travels of Abram bin Yiju, a 12th-century Jewish Tunisian merchant based in Cairo and later in Mangalore, India. The book contrasts the rigidity of bor-

ders in the 1980s with the relative ease of movement in the late medieval Indian Ocean.

The Swahili coast provides another famed example of Indian Ocean cosmopolitanism. Stretching a thousand miles from Somalia to Mozambique, Swahili society arose from centuries of interaction between Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Centred on coastal city states like Kilwa, Zanzibar and Lamu, Swahili trade networks reached far inland to present-day Zimbabwe and outward to Persia, India and China. After reaching their height from the 12th to the 15th centuries, these city-states were eventually undone by the Portuguese, who arrived from the early 16th century, seeking to establish a monopoly of the spice trade.

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

be snatched. The reality is to the contrary. J&K now has 100% reservation for locals in all jobs including gazetted and non-gazetted. No other state/UT in the country enjoys this unique privilege.

The amended land laws were also used to create fear among the people claiming that their lands would be snatched and forcibly purchased by outsiders. People are being confused by quoting protection enjoyed by a few states under Article 371. There is no comparison between 370 and 371 since 371 is a permanent provision and does not promote secession and separatism. Often people are misled by drawing comparison with neighbouring Himachal Pradesh stating that the state has special provisions protecting their land rights. Again the fact is to the contrary. Section 118 in Himachal is restrictive and does not put an absolute ban on the sale and purchase of land and property in Himachal. It has provisions through which, with the approval of government, anyone can buy land and property in the state. While the new land law of J&K totally bans the sale of agricultural land to other than the existing agriculturists of J&K. People will soon realise that these lies are being told just to discredit the new laws and create a pitch for restoration of 370.

It is the fear of being questioned and held accountable for their misdeeds including unbridled corruption that is haunting the Gupkaris. That is the main reason for their demand of restoration of 370.

But the common man has understood how 370 was misused by these leaders to deprive them of basic amenities while filling their own coffers. They are happy with the much-awaited change they were yearning for and are hopeful that the representative they choose for the DDC will meet their much wanted basic needs. With this hope and visualisation of brighter future 370 has become an irrelevant issue for them.

With each passing day, the Gupkaris are getting disappointed because of the obvious writing on the wall. Gupkar Road will no more enjoy the status it once did. 370 is gone for good. Bye-bye 370, welcome Naya Jammu Kashmir.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp As PM Shri @narendramodi ji rightly said, India is the mother of democracy. The voice of people of India will resonate in the new temple of Indian democracy where all differences merge and all disconnects vanish. #NewParliament4NewIndia Anand Sharma @AnandSharmaINC Yes India needs a new parliament today but why the tearing hurry in times of economic distress, pandemic and despondency all around, when farmers are fighting for justice and their rights in the biting cold. Clearly a case of misplaced priorities.

Spiritual SPEAK

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him. —Proverbs 22:15

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KEEP NATIONAL INTEREST SUPREME, Rajnath signs ASEAN

PLEDGE ‘INDIA FIRST’: MODI THE PRIME MINISTER SAID THAT DEMOCRACY IN INDIA HAS ALWAYS BEEN A MEANS OF RESOLVING DIFFERENCES ALONG WITH GOVERNANCE

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, urged the citizens to take the pledge of “India first” and said national interest should be supreme in our decisions.

Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony of new Parliament building, PM Modi: “We will have to take the pledge of ‘India first’.

Our decisions should make the nation stronger and be measured on the same scale - that nation’s welfare comes first. Our efforts in next 25-26 years should be towards how do we want to see India in 2047, in our 100 years of Independence.” “We, the people of India, take this pledge - there will be no greater interest for us than national interest. We, the people of India, take this pledge The country’s concern for us will be more than

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses during the foundation laying of the New Parliament Building in New Delhi on Thursday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

our own concern. We, the people of India, take this pledge - nothing will be more important to us than the unity and integrity of the country,” he added.

“We, the people of India, take this pledge - for us the dignity and fulfillment of the Constitution of the country will be the biggest goal of

life,” PM Modi added.

The Prime Minister said that democracy in India has always been a means of resolving differences along with governance. “Different views, different perspectives, they empower a vibrant democracy.

There is always room for differences but never disconnected, our

With no end to deadlock on 3 laws, farmers pile up pressure

Farmers sitting at Singhu border during a protest against the newly passed farm law, in New Delhi on Thursday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

Karnal: The number of farmers at DelhiHaryana borders is increasing with each passing day with more from across Punjab and Haryana making a beeline to join the protest in the national capital against the three farm laws that they deem to be detrimental to their livelihood.

The agitation entered the 14th day on Wednesday with a constant flow of farmers carrying black flags on their actor-trailers, SUVs, cars, trucks and canters, marching forward on NH 44----- Delhi-Chandigarh national highway-towards the national capital.

With talks with Union government re-

ANNA HAZARE WARNS OF ‘JAN ANDOLAN’

WILL END STIR AFTER LAWS ARE REPEALED: BKU

Ahmednagar: Octogenarian social activist Anna Hazare came out in support of farmer protests and warned the Central government that he would begin a ‘Jan Andolan’ if farmers’ demands remain unaddressed. “ “If the government does not accept the demands of the farmers, I will once again sit for a ‘Jan Andolan’ that will be similar to the Lokpal agitation,” he warned.

Ghaziabad: With the farmers’ protest in and around Delhi against the recently enacted farm laws entering 15th day, the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) on Thursday reiterated that the agitation would not be withdrawn till the three Acts are repealed. A day after rejecting the Centre’s proposal on changes in the three farm laws, the BKU also demanded a Bill on MSP.

maining inconclusive, the farmer leaders are requesting more and more followers to join the protests to increase the pressure on govern-

WOMAN GANG-RAPED BY 17 IN DUMKA, NCW EXPRESSES CONCERN Jharkhand: The National Commission for Women on Thursday, expressing serious concern over an alleged rape of a woman by 17 men in Jharkhand’s Dumka district, sent a letter to the state police and asked it to complete its probe within two months. According to a police official, the survivor in her complaint

said that she was raped while her husband was held hostage by 17 men, when they were returning home on Tuesday night.

The matter came to fore on Wednesday after the victim lodged a complaint in Mufassil police station in Dumka, a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)’s stronghold, further informed the police official.

ment for withdrawal of three laws. Farmers in villages along the highways and Gurdwaras are serving langar for travelling farmers.

democracy has moved ahead with this goal,” he said.

“There can be differences over policies and politics. But we are for the service of the public, there should be no differences in this ultimate goal,” he added.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi laid the foundation stone of the new

There can be differences over policies and politics. But we are for the service of the public, there should be no differences in this ultimate goal.

—Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

Parliament building at the Parliament House Complex. The new Parliament building will be modern, state-of-the-art, energy-efficient, with highly non-obtrusive security facilities to be built as a triangular-shaped building, adjacent to present Parliament. LS will be three times of existing size. —ANI

Defence Ministers’ Meeting joint declaration New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday signed the joint declaration by the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) on strategic security vision.

“Delighted to address the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus on the 10th anniversary of its foundation. We appreciate the central role of ASEAN-led forums, including ADMM Plus in promoting dialogue and engagement towards a pluralistic, cooperative security order in Asia,” Singh said in a tweet. He added that the ADMM Plus has grown to become the fulcrum of peace, stability and rules based order in this region.

“The concepts of ‘vasudhaive kutumbakam’ ‘the whole world is one family & ‘sarve bhavantu sukhinah’ - ‘all be at peace’ are the core of the Indian civilization,” he said further. —ANI

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressing, via video conference, the 10th Anniversary of the founding of the ASEAN Defence Minister Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus) at Hanoi, from New Delhi on Thursday.

INDIA AND JAPAN DISCUSS STRONGER MILITARY TIES New Delhi: Amid an ongoing row with China, the Air Forces of India and Japan discussed further strengthening their ties through joint exercises and training. The two sides held wide-ranging discussions during the visit of General Izutsu Shunji, Chief of Staff, Japan Air Self Defense Force (CoS-JASDF) who arrived on Wednesday and met his Indian counterpart Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria. The visit by the Japanese Air chief comes soon after the navies of the two countries held the Malabar maritime exercise with all four Quad members in it along with the US and Australia.—ANI

IN THE COURTYARD ROSHNI ACT

YES BANK CASE

SC asks J&K HC to decide on Dec Court denies bail to 2 ex21 PILs seeking review of verdict officers of Cox & Kings New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Jammu and Kashmir High Court to decide on December 21 the pleas seeking review of its verdict scrapping the Roshni Act which conferred proprietary rights to occupants of State land.

A bench headed by Justice N V Ramana considered the oral assurance of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Jammu and Kashmir administration, that no coercive action will be taken against those petitioners who have ap-

proached the top court in the matter as they are not “land grabbers or unauthorised people”.

The bench, also comprising justices Surya Kant and Aniruddha Bose, said that it will hear in January last week the appeals filed before it challenging

the October 9 verdict of the high court.

Mehta apprised the apex court that J&K has already filed a review petition in the high court and said that the authority is “not against bonafide & common people who are not land grabbers.” —PTI

Mumbai: A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act or PMLA court in Mumbai on Wednesday rejected bail pleas of a former Chief Financial Officer and an ex-internal auditor of Cox and Kings Group, who were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with its probe in the Yes Bank alleged loan default case.

Special judge PP Rajvaidya rejected the bail applications of former CFO Anil Khandelwal and former internal auditor Naresh Jain.

They were arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money

Laundering Act (PMLA) in October this year.

According to the Enforcement Directorate, its probe found that Yes Bank had a total outstanding of 3,642 crore in respect of Cox & Kings Group of Companies.

Yes Bank co-promoter Rana Kapoor and DHFL promoters Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate early this year. —PTI

Mumbai:Bollywood makeup artist held with Cocaine Mumbai: The (NCB) arrested a Bollywood makeup artiste and hairstylist, along with an autorickshaw driver, for possessing 11 grams of cocaine and Rs 56,000 in cash, said to be the proceeds of the drug’s sales.

The NCB’s Mumbai Zonal Unit, in a state-

3 DIE, 2 INJURED IN CAR ACCIDENT IN NOIDA Noida: Three members of a family died in a car accident at sector 49 in Noida on Wednesday while two others suffered injuries and are undergoing treatment. The incident occurred when five people were returning from a function and the driver lost control and the car fell into the drain in Salarpur area of Noida. “After the accident, all 5 members were admitted to a private hospital by locals where two of them were declared brought dead and one succumbed to injury during treatment on Thursday morning,” DCP Rajesh S said.

meer Wankhede. Godambe, a popular makeup artist and hair stylist, has worked with some big production houses, an NCB official said. He was allegedly the receiver of consignment.

Yadav, the supplier, is an autorickshaw driver and works on behalf of a Nigerian Syndicate.

ment, said that the agency had rounded up the two persons from the city’s Oshiwara locality. “Initial investigation revealed that one of the arrested persons, Suraj Godambe, is a hair stylist by profession,” according to a statement issued today

by NCB Zonal Head Sa-

JEM TERRORIST HELD FOR SUPPORTING OTHER TERRORISTS Awantipora: Jammu and Kashmir police on Thursday arrested a Jaishe-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist in the Awantipora area for providing shelter and logistics to JeM terrorists and transporting ammunition and explosive material for terrorists in Tral and Awantipora areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

The arrested man has

been identified as Irshad Ahmad Reshi, informed the police officials of the district. Five kilogram cannabis powder, 10 detonators, one wireless set without battery, two wireless antenna and one IED remote powder has been recovered from him. A case has been registered at Tral police station.

The agency seized 11 grams of cocaine in 16 packets during the raid, along with an autorickshaw, from near Oshiwara’s Meera Tower.

This being of ‘intermediate quantity’ both accused were put under arrest. They will be under NCB custody till December 16. —PTI

INDIA-NEPAL VIRTUAL MEET ON POWER SECTOR HELD Kathmandu: The eighth India-Nepal joint working group meeting on power sector cooperation at the level of joint secretaries was held on Thursday via video-conferencing. According to officials, the key agenda for both the countries is to access the market for hydro and solar sectors. “The 8th meeting of India-Nepal Joint Working Group on Power Sector Cooperation at the level of Joint Secretaries has commenced through video conference,” India in Nepal wrote in a tweet.

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Governor expresses concern over attack on Nadda Kolkata: Expressing concern over the attack on BJP president J P Nadda''s convoy, when it was on its way to Diamond Harbour for a public meeting on Thursday, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar accused the state administration of failing to act despite his warnings.

In a tweet, the governor wrote that he had alerted the chief secretary and the director general of police of the possibility of the collapse of law and order during the BJP meeting at Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district.

The chief secretary had informed him that the DGP has been alerted and sensitised accordingly, Dhankhar wrote on the microblogging site.

"Events indicate total abdication of lawful authority," Dhankhar wrote in a series of tweets on the attack.

"As constitutional head I share my shame with you as it is on account of your acts of omission and commis-

Jagdeep Dhankhar

DILIP GHOSH WRITES TO AMIT SHAH OVER ‘SECURITY LAPSES’

sion," the governor wrote. The BJP president’’s convoy came under attack when he was on way to Diamond Harbour, about 40 km

from here, to address a meeting of party workers, resulting in injury to several leaders including saffron party general secretary

Apollo ready to vaccinate one million people daily New Delhi: India's largest hospital chain Apollo Hospitals has said that it is ready to administer 1 million coronavirus vaccines every day. The hospital chain has trained 6,000 staff across 71 hospitals, hundreds of clinics and thousands of pharmacies to administer the shots. However, the government is yet to make it clear on how the distribution would take place and whether private healthcare services would be involved.

Managing Director Suneeta Reddy said that the company's talks with officials in New Delhi is yet to provide any firm guidance. Reddy said that they want to know if the government will handle the entire thing alone or would involve the private sector, according to the reports. The question, she said, is how to double the amount of people who can be vaccinatea.

Moreover, Apollo believes that a vaccine shot will be available in the next 60120 days. Krishna Ella, Chairman of Bharat

Indian Pharma scaling up for local & global needs

New Delhi: India, the world’s biggest vaccine maker, is getting set for the massive global blitz to contain the coronavirus pandemic with its pharmaceutical industry and partners freeing up capacity and accelerating investments even without firm purchase orders. India Biotech believes that there will be a flood of vaccines in the next five to six months. However, companies have raised questions about India's capacity to inoculate its 130 crore people. Une-

manufactures more than 60% of all vaccines sold across the globe, and while its $40 billion pharmaceutical sector is not yet involved in the production of the expensive Pfizer Inc and Moderna shots, the nation will play a pivotal role in immunizing much of the world. qual access between the wealthy and the poor also remains a cause for concern. Apollo has already held talks with the Serum Institute but is awaiting the nod from New Delhi.

Kailash Vijayvargiya, party sources and eyewitnesses said.

The area where the incident took place is within the Lok Sabha

constituency of Trinamool Congress youth wing president Abhishek Banerjee, nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The BJP president is on a two-day visit to the state since Wednesday to attend various programmes aimed at strengthening the party organisation ahead of the Assembly elections due in April-May next year.

It is reported that The attack on Mr Nadda’s convoy -- allegedly by supporters of Ms Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress -- took place around noon today when he was on his way to Diamond Harbour, the constituency of Trinamool MP and Ms Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

However, The Bengal government has said that it has received no request to provide security to Mr Nadda.

The point was emphasised by Mamata Banerjee. “You don’t inform the state, but when there is a problem, you blame the state,” she said. —PTI

TMC govt committed to upholding human rights: Mamata Banerjee

TMC REPORT CARD OF 10-YEAR-RULE

Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday claimed that democracy was being bulldozed and voices muzzled in the country, and vowed that her government was committed to upholding human rights. Taking to Twitter, the CM, on the occasion of Human Rights Day, said her government has set up 19 human rights courts over the last nine-anda-half years. "Today is H u m a n R i g h t s D a y.

Nowadays, there is a big trend to bulldoze democracy, crush funda-

mental rights, and muzzle the voice of the people. Our government is committed to upholding human rights," she tweeted. "The GoWB has set up 19 human rights courts in the last nine and half years. It was after repeated protests and movements by me that the West Bengal Human Rights Commission was set up in 1995. My best wishes to all," Banerjee said.

Human Rights Day is celebrated every year on December 10 to honour the United Nations General Assembly's adoption and proclama-

in Diamond Harbour, which is the parliamentary constituency of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

Dramatic videos online showed rocks smashing windscreens and windows as cars made their way through a violent crowd. The attackers thumped the cars and used sticks and rods, according to the BJP. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said there would be a police probe but questioned if there was a provocation

or a conspiracy. She also said the BJP had not asked for security for Nadda.

Her nephew and Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee told a rally: “If the people don’t like the BJP, what can we do?”

The attack comes a day after Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh wrote to the Home Minister raising concerns about Nadda’s security after he was shown black flags in Kolkata.

Several union ministers and West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar condemned the incident.

“Bengal has descended into an era of tyranny, anarchy and darkness under the Trinamool rule. The manner in which political violence has been institutionalized and brought to the extreme in West Bengal under TMC (Trinamool) rule is sad and worrying,” Amit Shah tweeted.

Under pressure... farm laws and said the government is ready for further discussions with them any time.

In Chandigarh, hoping that the farmers will arrive at a settlement with the Centre,

tion of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on this day in 1948. —PTI

‘Nobody can present Snowfall, heavy Protesting farmers expected call Details From 1993’ rain in Uttarakhand threaten to block New Delhi: In the defamation case filed by former union minister MJ Akbar, the advocate for journalist Priya Ramani told a Delhi court that nobody can present call details from 1993 & even MTNL won’t have it.

She was replying to Akbar’s submission that no call records were presented to support Ramani’s claim that she had called her friend, Nilofer, on the night of the incident.

“In this country, nobody can produce call

Priya Ramani

records from 1993. Even MTNL won’t have it,” said Senior Advocate Rebecca John, who was representing Ramani in the matter.

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a 'yellow alert' for Uttarakhand for the next five days, warning that many districts in the state are likely to receive snowfall and rain.

The IMD has said by December 13, different parts of the state are expected to receive snow, rain and hailstorm. On December 12 and 13, the Garhwal division is likely to get snowfall, the IMD said.

Rahul accuses BJP of snatching fundamental rights of poor New delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Modi government of snatching away the fundamental rights of the poor and said doing so was a crime against humanity. The rights of every class of people must be respected for the country’s future, Gandhi added. “The Modi government is snatching the fundamental rights of the poor. It is a crime

The Modi government is snatching the fundamental rights of the poor. It is a crime against humanity.

—Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader

against humanity. For the better future of the country, we have to respect the rights of every class,” he said in a tweet in Hindi. The

Congress has been attacking the government over alleged atrocities on the poor & vulnerable sections of society, including the Dalits.

railway tracks

New Delhi: Farmers agitating for the past two weeks against the new agri laws on Thursday announced that they will block railway tracks if their demands are not met by the government.

Farmer unions, which held a meeting on Thursday, said they will soon announce a date for blocking tracks across the country.

Addressing reporters at the Singhu border where they have been protesting for almost two weeks to demand a rollback of the laws, the farmer unions also reiterated that they will intensify their agitation and start blocking all highways leading to the national capital.

“We will block railway tracks if our demands are not met. We will decide on the date and announce it soon.

The blocking of tracks will not be limited to Haryana and Punjab but it will be done across the country,” farmer leader Boota

FROM PG 1 Sponsored violence...

With an eye on 2021 Assembly polls, the ruling TMC in West Bengal released a report card highlighting its government’s welfare policies and development projects over the last 10 years.

The TMC, after coming to power in 2011, has raised allocation for the education sector to Rs 37,069 crore from Rs 13,872 crore, State Education minister Partha Chatterjee said. “As part of the ‘Sabujsathi’ scheme, 84 lakh cycles were distributed. Thirty new universities have come up in the state since 2010. We could not work at the expected pace this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. —PTI

Chautala told reporters, When a written assurance is being given, I don’t think the issue now needs to be taken further.

Chautala said he had been in regular touch with the Centre on the farmers’ issue, adding that his JJP had also given its suggestions.

We are hopeful that this deadlock will end soon, he said.

Chautala, who faces pressure from the opposition and some Haryana farmers to withdraw from the BJP-led government in the state, reiterated that he will resign if the mini-

mum support price (MSP) system is threatened.

PM: New... then the aspirations of 21st century India will be fulfilled in the new building,” the prime minister said.

Priests from the Sringeri Math Karnataka did the rituals for the ‘bhoomi pujan’ at the new Parliament building site and it was followed by a ‘sarva dharma prarthana’ (inter-faith prayer).

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, Urban

Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh also offered prayers during the ceremony.

The new building will have an area of 64,500 square metres.

The existing Parliament House building will be suitably retrofitted to provide more functional spaces for parliamentary events, to ensure its usage along with the new building.

Guj HC...

With their terms ending in December, the elections had been

scheduled for this month but, owing to a surge in COVID-19 cases, they were postponed.

Now that the state election commission has slated the elections to be organized in February, it has requested the state government to prioritize staffers on election duty for COVID-19 vaccination, to which the state government has agreed, said sources.

Around 2.80 lakh polling staff, 2.8 lakh police personnel, 14,000 state transport drivers are expected to be on election duty.

Singh said at the press conference.

The announcement by farmers came on a day Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said it was not proper to announce the next stage of agitation when talks were continuing and urged the unions to return to the discussion table.

Tomar also urged farmer union leaders to consider proposals sent to them to break the deadlock over protests and said the government is ready for further discussions with them any time.

“Centre has admitted that laws have been made for traders. If agriculture is a state subject, the central government does not have right to make laws on it,” said Balbir Singh Rajewal, another leader.

The government had on Wednesday proposed to give a “written assurance” that the existing MSP regime for procurement will continue.

Free blood for patients at Maha govt hospitals from Dec 12 Mumbai: Blood will be provided free of cost to patients receiving treatment at state-run hospitals in Maharashtra from December 12, Health Minister Rajesh Tope announced on Thursday. Tope made the announcement after donating blood along with party colleague and NCP Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule. Earlier, processing charges of Rs 800 were used to be imposed on patients needing blood.—PTI

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The Games have a long history of taking chances, from pesapallo (yes, it’s a sport) to kite flying

BREAKDANCING IN THE OLYMPICS? A history of obscure events

RICHARD BAKA Senior Lecturer, College of Sport & Exercise Science, Victoria University South Korea won gold in baseball at the 2008 Olympics before the sport was cut from the programme for 2012 and 2016.

— YONHAP/AAP

S

urfing, skateboarding, karate and sport climbing will be the new sports included in the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games, with BMX freestyle (think halfpipe snowboarding but on bikes) and 3x3 basketball (teams of three playing on a half court with on basket) added as disciplines in existing sports.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Games will feature seven new events— freestyle skiing big air (men’s and women’s), women’s monobob (solo bobsledding) and mixed team events in short-track speed skating, ski jumping, freestyle skiing aerials and snowboard cross.

The latest Olympic sport added to the 2024 Paris Games is “breaking”, which started as a form of dancing associated with hip hop culture and has morphed into a well-organised competitive sport governed by the World DanceSport Federation.

Not everyone is thrilled by the inclusion of breakdancing in the games, but this is all part of the ongoing transformation of the Olympics as it seeks to remain relevant to younger audiences more familiar with halfpipes than equestrian dressage.

Pespallo is the Finnish version of baseball.

U

A push for younger, more extreme sports

I

n fact, new sports are continually being added to the Olympics, while others are dropped. restling (a sport dating back to the ancient Olympics) was axed from the Tokyo Olympics only to be reinstated several months later. Baseball and softball were both in the games, then out, then in again (Tokyo 2021), then out again (Paris 2024).

Other sports, such as golf and rugby, were part of the Olympics in the early 1900s, then dropped for decades before being added back in.

The impetus for some of these changes can be traced to the International Olympic Committee’s Agenda 2020 policy document released in 2014. The objective was to usher the Olympic movement into a new modern era with a focus on sports that are more youth-oriented,

Summer Games are maxed out in terms of size

Slopestyle skiing is one of many new Winter Olympic sports.

—SERGEI ILNITSKY/EPA

do not require expensive venues, can ensure more gender balance and are television-friendly.With the IOC often criticised as being malecentric and old-fashioned, the current IOC president, Thomas Bach, has been a major driver of this new way of thinking and modernising of the Olympics.he IOC has also been pushed in some ways by the strong influence of the Extreme Games, launched in 1995 and later rebranded the X Games.This event, with both a summer and winter version, was developed by the ESPN sports network. And it’s certainly made for TV: the focus is on action sports that have a high degree of “spectacle”.Due to their success, the Olympic movement was reasonably quick to embrace several sports that originated in the X Games.

Tug-of-war was once an Olympic sport.

I

n 1994, the Olympics shifted to a new two-year, alternating cycle for the summer and winter games. This brought increased visibility for the Winter Olympics, which began adding new sports and grew rapidly in size. Curling, women’s hockey and snowboarding were added to the 1998 Nagano Games programme. Fourteen years later, an unprecedented 12 new events had their debut at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games. As a result, the Winter Games have blossomed from 16 events and 49 medals in 1924 to a record 109 events and 327 medals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. Although the summer games have also grown gradually, they have been unable to add as many new sports due to size lim-

itations and logistical factors. The summer games are over twice as large as the winter games in terms of budget and the number of athletes that take part. They also require far more purpose-built venues. The Tokyo games are expected to feature 11,092 athletes in 339 events, but this will actually shrink to 10,500 athletes and 329 events for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Logically, if new contemporary sports like breakdancing are added, others (like baseball and softball) will have to go.

Athlete numbers will also need to be reduced in existing sports, as will happen at the Paris games.

The IOC also has a gender-balance goal for athletes and it is expecting to reach 50-50 parity for the first time in Paris.

ntil 1992, numerous sports were included in the Olympics as “demonstration” events. Medals were awarded, but they were not included in the official tally. The idea was to showcase a local sport of the host country or to trial a sport that could possibly be added as a full medal sport in the future. There have been a number of unusual and obscure demonstration events in the Games, such as bandy (a mix of ice hockey and field hockey), dogsled racing, tug of war, military patrol (a skiing and shooting sport similar to biathlon), bicycle polo, roller hockey, rope climbing, pesapallo (a Finnish version of baseball) and Australian Rules football. The 1900 Paris Olympics included a catalogue of strange events, such as cannon firing, fishing, pigeon racing, fire fighting, hot air ballooning and kite flying, though some were part of the adjacent World’s Fair and not considered “official” Olympic events.

The Olympics also have a long tradition of including various forms of arts competitions, as well. From 1912–48, an “Art Olympics” ran alongside the summer

games, with medals across five categories: architecture, music, literature, sculpture and painting. Not everyone is embracing the addition of breakdancing to the Olympic programme. Some sports like netball and squash have lobbied unsuccessfully to be included in the Olympics for years—and were disappointed yet again for being passed over for the 2024 games. Some purists are not fans of the Olympics’ embrace of youth-oriented sports, either. Bob Costas, the veteran US sports commentator, once compared slopestyle skiing to the types of pranks shown on the MTV television programme Jackass. Breaking may be the lucky winner for 2024, but many other new sports are knocking on the door to get into the summer games. As the IOC attempts to keep pace with a changing world, it is likely we will see even more changes to the Olympic landscape for the Los Angeles 2028 summer games. And if Brisbane does follow through on a bid to host the 2032 games, could we expect to see Aussie rules football back on the programme?

SOURCE: THECONVERSATION.COM

Staying Masked, maintaining social distance and regular washing/ sanitizing the hands – is the SAFETY MANTRA for now.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2020

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COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

INDIA

08

GUJARAT

15,82,516 6,95,91,542 1,42,204 97,94,799 4,135 2,24,081 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 47,972 DEATHS 18,68,172 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

UTTAR PRADESH 8,009 DEATHS 5,61,114 CASES

DEATHS

KARNATAKA 11,912 DEATHS 8,97,801 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

DELHI 9,874 DEATHS 6,01,150 CASES

DATASPEAK: 58% Guj rural poor eat less veggies since lockdown

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 2,500 DEATHS 2,87,219 CASES

Tarun Barot seeks discharge in Sadiq Jamal encounter

A survey has found 22% rural poor in Gujarat often skipped meals for want of food Darshan Desai Ahmedabad: Notwithstanding the claims of the Gujarat and the central governments about ensuring food supplies to the poor during and after the lockdown, a survey, Hunger Watch, in 9 districts in the State has revealed startling numbers.

The survey, carried out by Anna Suraksha Adhikar Abhiyan, Gujarat, in September and October 2020, found that as many as 38.2% of the poor and marginalised sections were forced to reduce their consumption of rice and wheat had decreased.

More shocking, 40.7% people said their consumption of dal (lentils) had come down and 57.6% said they had been eating less of vegetables, except potatos.

Their tale doesn’t end there. The research found that as many as 20.6% of the people

SILENT R-CARDS!

Retired DySP Tarun Barot.

First India Bureau —FILE PHOTO

sometimes skipped their meals due to lack of food and “21.8% said they sometimes slept without food in the month of the survey itself ” -- that is as recent as September and October.

The Hunger Wath survey was launched by the National Right to Food Campaign across the country.

In Gujarat, they surveyed Ahmedabad, Anand, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Dahod, Mor-

Local court denies bail to Pirana blast accused

bi, Narmada, Panchmahals and Vadodara districts, comprising a cross-section of urban, rural and adivasis. The researchers collected data from 403 households, each with an average size of 5, which fall under the most backward communities in both rural and urban regions of Gujarat.

Over 91% of the households surveyed were from rural regions and 49.4% of them were

women. The average household size was 4.8 and 10.4% had at least one member with disability, while 64.5% worked as casual daily wage workers and 38.7% were farmers.

Some 45.6% respondents said the nutritional quality of food had decreased and 36.7% said the quantity of the food had decreased. 33.2% say the current situation will persist whereas 16.1% says it will get

worse in the next three months.

The survey found that over 50% respondents earned less than Rs 3,000 a month, and significantly, 49.5% said they had no income in the months immediately following the lockdown and 36.5% said they still had no income even in September and October, 2020.

Ahmedabad: Retired Deputy Superintendent of Police Tarun Barot, once known as “encounter specialist”, has moved an application in a special CBI court seeking discharge from the trial of Sadiq Jamal Mehtar encounter case.

Barot is one of the key accused in the case who is alleged to have illegally taken custody of Sadiq from Mumbai police days before he was killed in

Pirana fire site in Ahmedabad.

A complaint was filed

by Ashish Christian who lost his mother in the blast. The woman was working at Kanika Fashion, which is adjacent to Sahil Enterprise in Pirana-Pipdaj where the incident took place.

Based on the complaint all the 3 accused persons were arrested.

First India Bureau A man seen with his pet dog, also sporting a face protective gear, on a bench on a street near Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad on Thursday morning.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

SCAM OF SORTS

More names surface in Surat input tax credit scam The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) was investigating Vedan Impex Ltd, which raised bills in the name of fake firms to claim huge input tax credit First India Bureau Surat: The names of 7 more traders have emerged in an alleged scam in Surat in which input tax credit worth crores of rupees was gained by raising invoices in the name of fake companies.

The Directorate Gen-

ing except the visit of the present accused no. 8 to Mumbai between 02.1.2003 to 04.1.2003.

“There is not a single direct statement document in the charge-sheet which suggests that it was present accused no. 8 himself who obtained the alleged custody of Sadiq from Mumbai.

In view of this, the charge of the complainant CBI is based on just conjectures and surmises.”

No bail for man stripping before 4-yr-old girl

MASKED ALL!

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Sessions Court on Thursday rejected the application for bail of 2 accused persons, Hetal Sutariya and Pradip Bharvad, in the blast causing a fire in a chemical factory at Pirana-Pipdaj Road on November 4 that left 12 people dead.

The court rejected the bail application of Hetal Sutariya, who is the owner of Sahil Enterprise and Pradip Bharwad, who is one of the owners of the industrial estate.

The court had last month rejected the bail of another accused Nanu Bharwad.

an encounter in 2003 in Ahmedabad, which the CBI probe found was stage-managed.

Barot, who is also an accused in Ishrat Jahan encounter case, has claimed in his plea that he is “innocent and has been falsely implicated in the case.” The application claims,”...all the socalled statements and the documents, sought to be deliberately used as incriminating material against the present accused no. 8 (Barot), reveal noth-

eral of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has found more names while investigating the case of Zaiyad Chakkiwala in connection with wrongfully claiming the input tax credit.

The DGGI was investigating Vedan Impex Ltd’s owner Mohammed Zaiyad Chakkiwala who

raised fake bills in the name of non-existent

companies to claim huge input tax credit.

The officials have found several incriminating documents and it is believed that Chakkiwala used his company’s registration to falsely claim Rs6.54 crore of input tax credit.

Investigations have revealed that Chakkiwala, through Vedan Impex, set up 73 fake companies and is believed to have cheated the exchequer of Rs100 crore in tax.

As of now, the investi-

gations have exposed 13 bogus companies where Chakkiwala showed the supply of products, which had never happened. He raised a bill for the same and wrongfully gained Rs 6.54 of an input tax credit.

During interrogation, Chakkiwala has revealed the names of seven more traders who were involved with him in the fraud.

The department is likely to send a summons to them soon.

Ahmedabad: An Ahmedabad court on Thursday rejected the bail application of a 42-year-old man who had allegedly stripped in front of a 4-year-old girl in the city. He happens to be the relative of the girl’s father.

A police complaint by the child’s father alleged that the accused got nude in front of his minor daughter. Both the accused and the complainant live opposite each other.

The advocate appearing for the petitioner submitted that the accused was suffering from skin disease since 2019

and was under treatment at LG Hospital and Shardaben Hospital.

He had stripped to apply some ointment on his genitals and meanwhile, the child entered his home.

Going through the medical papers submitted by the accused’s lawyer, the court said the paper from Shardaben Hospital of August 25 related to a rapid antigen test, which was positive and he was advised home isolation for 14 days.

Similarly, other reports of Civil Hospital referred to lower abdominal pain. None speaks of any skin disease, the court observed.

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09

AHMEDABAD, FRIDAY DECEMBER 11, 2020

Super stars of First India (from left) Arpita, Jyoti, Ayushi, Khushbu, Shweta, Vijendra, Deepa, Megha, Vaishali and Mansi

The Anchors are the stars of the channel and it is a highly sought after designation, Syed Umar, Senior Editor First India News shares some tips on what is needed to become a news anchor!

SYED UMAR

syed.umar@firstindianews.com

A

s a child which one of us hasn’t looked in the mirror and practised speaking like a news anchor?

The anchors are the face of the channel and it is the most sought after career in the world of media.

When we look at what are the basic requirements for being a news anchor then good looks and a photogenic face tops the list.

Anchors are supposed to be well-groomed overall and ensure this 24Ă—7.

The second most important part is the voice and good command over the language. An anchor should have a pleasant voice along with 100% correct pronunciation.

Now comes the most important part and that is awareness of current affairs, especially politics. Get into the habit of reading newspapers regularly and I do mean newspapers in the plural. An anchor must absorb different points of view and be totally neutral.

Another key factor is good communication skills, news anchors handle debates and guests during the bulletins too so they must possess good communication skills which include non-verbal communication skills expressions, tone and pitch.

Remember this is not a one-time effort.

News has to be the lifeline of the anchors and one also needs to be a good listener.

Another very important factor is the presence of mind, an anchor has to be alert as they are expected to take up the news without any pre-information at times. A seasoned anchor assesses the news and is immediately able to sift through and start relaying the key information to the viewers within seconds. With a high level of newsworthy awareness, good anchors cues in with the correct questions bringing out all aspects of the news. At the same time, they make sure that their own team member the reporter who is on the ground he is comfortable with the questions.

One also needs to be physically fit to be an anchor, not just slim but also fit to handle the long bulletins, be confident and speak for hours at a stretch without fatigue settling in and have a healthy lifestyle which ensures that one looks radiant on screen.

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AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2020

ETC

10

Holistic Healing with Aromatherapy DEVYANI SINGH cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

T

he smell of night Jasmine makes me nostalgic as the heady fragrance reminds me of the many summer evenings spent playing in the yard. The comforting smell of my mothers perfume makes me happy and brings a smile to my face.

The smell of my fathers cooking not only makes me hungry but also makes me salivate.

Thus it must be noted that the nose and sense of smell can trigger an emotional as well as a motor response.

Odors take a direct route to the limbic system, which operates by influencing the endocrine system and the autonomic nervous system. The primary structures within the limbic system include the Amygdala

A few recipes to use essential oils and aromatherapy As a mosquito repellent – Mineral oil (100ml) + Citronella / Geranium / Lemongrass 10 drops + lavender 5 drops Can be applied directly onto the skin after a patch test To unwind at the end of a long day – 5 drops Neroli + 5 drops Sandalwood in a diffuser ing

FA CE OF TH ED AY

- the emotion center of the brain, and the Hippocampus, which plays an essential role in the formation of new memories about past experiences. It is on this scientific code that Aromatherapy operates. Aromatherapy is a holistic healing system using essential oils.

It is believed that essential oils can heal almost all physical as well as mental ailments.

Humans have used aromatherapy for thousands of years. Ancient cultures in China, India, Egypt, and elsewhere incorporated aromatic plant components in resins, balms, and oils.

Studies show promising results in emotional relief, beauty and environmental cleans-

YOUR DAY Horoscope by

Saurabbh Sachdeva

with the use of essential oils.

Essential oils can be consumed via smell or skin absorption.

They have a very fine molecular structure that allows deep absorption right to the fatty layer of the skin through which it is circulated. These oils must always be used on the skin along with carrier oils, usually cold pressed vegetable oils to form a barrier on the skin and provide lubrication for the essential oil application.

A good carrier oil for the body is Almond oil, for the hair is a combination of 1 tablespoon Olive oil along with 1 teaspoon Castor oil and for the face Grape seed oil or Jojoba

oil (specially the local variety of Jojoba oil growing in Rajasthan). Castor in particular has the great ability of rejuvenation and cell regeneration.

Essential oils can be used with the help of diffusers, aromatic spritzers, inhalers, bathing salts, body oils, creams, or lotions for massage or topical application, facial steamers, hot and cold compresses or clay masks. It has an array of benefits as well including pain management, improved sleep quality, reduce stress, agitation, and anxiety, alleviate side effects of chemotherapy, ease discomforts of labor, fight bacteria, virus, or fungus and improve digestion.

ARIES

TAURUS

Good rent can be expected from a property you own.

Avoid taking things lightly on the work front. Taking up a fitness regimen will help keep you fit and energetic. You may be organising a family gathering just to be able to meet your near and dear ones. A fun trip is in the offing.

You are likely to up your earning and strengthen your financial front. A break from a tedious job will be most welcome. Some of you may make a few changes in your lifestyle just to retain good health.

Spending more time is likely to have a favourable effect on your family.

For migraine relief – 1 drop Basil + 1 drop clary sage + 1 drop peppermint (if it is triggered due to sinus then add 1 drop Eucalyptus oil Mixed with a carrier oil of choice.

General guidelines while using essential oil – Do not use while pregnant with the exception of Flower oils Do not use while taking Homeopathy as it reduces the potency If used directly onto the skin without carrier oils it can cause burning of the skin. Always do a patch test before application Test for purity – apply a little on a piece of paper and dry it, the oil should not leave a stain on the paper.

GEMINI

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

Your bargaining skills will come in handy for negotiating a lucrative deal on the business front. You will manage to complete a project left halfway by someone else. You will need to be punctual in an exercise routine that you have adopted. Your near and dear ones may visit you.

Money will not be a problem anymore as you start to earn well. You will make the correct decision of hiring someone for work. Health remains excellent, as you become a fitness buff. A family youngster may rebel and upset you. Singles are likely to mingle and enjoy.

You will manage to curtail expenditure by instituting some austerity measures.

Burden of work at the office is likely to be shared. Health of those ailing improves. Someone on the family front may need your support, but may be reluctant to approach you, so remain available.

SAGITTARIUS Retailers and service providers will find their cash registers ringing. An excellent phase starts for you both personally and professionally.

A new exercise regimen may be taken up by some. Family interest comes first for you, and you will not hesitate to relegate other issues.

MAR 21 - APR 20

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

NOV 23 - DEC 22

ASHI KHANNA, Content Creator

Relaxation and anti fatigue (as a massage oil) – 2 drops Rosemary + 1 drop peppermint + 2 drops Neroli or Orange blossom + 100ml of carrier oil (Almond oil, Grape seed oil or Apricot oil in the winter)

AUG 24 - SEP 23

Financially, you will be able to secure your position by curbing wasteful expenditure. You can expect appreciation from least expected quarters on the work front. Keeping healthconscious people around you will prove a good idea, as it will automatically help you maintain health.

CANCER

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

Keeping home expenses to a minimum may prove to be an uphill task. A tactful approach may be required to get through some work at the office front. An old ailment shows all signs of disappearing for good.

Meeting your near and dear ones is likely to give you happiness.

SCORPIO

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

A donation can be expected by those running an organisation. A change of priorities on the professional front may find unfinished work piling up. Bringing health into focus is possible for some and will benefit immensely. A leisure drive will work wonders.

Taking up a fitness regimen will help keep you fit and energetic. You manage to tie up all the loose ends at work and retain your peace of mind. You will succeed in stemming wasteful expenditure by tightening your purse strings. A family member may become too demanding.

Salary and perks curtailed previously are likely to be restored. You will be more than willing to improve your performance today. Efforts on the fitness front will bear fruit. A suitable matrimonial match for someone eligible in the family can be expected.

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

Businesspersons are likely to do good business today and earn well. A worrisome phase on the health front is all but over, so enjoy this new lease of healthy life! Professional front may seem a bit hectic today for some. You may feel fatigued and tired.

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2020

11

Nobody could do ‘romance, tragedy and dance’ in the songs like Dilip Kumar. He would all these three genre of Bollywood songs to perfection.

Today, on the thespian’s 98th birthday, I bring you some of my personal favourites!

ANITA HADA

anita.hada@firstindianews.com

M

y Dad would often sing Shaam-e-gam ki kasam when he was in one of his ‘moods’ and that was my introduction to Dilip Kumar, the song focusing on a young devastatingly handsome Dilip Kumar’s face remains a favourite to date.

His numbers with Vijyanthimala are a breed apart. What a couple they made on-screen. I think I have already confessed once that they are among my favourite. The first song I remember is Dil tadap tadap ke keh raha hai ki aa bhi aaja from Madhumati. I found it endearing how they sang it around trees, moving all the time, never touching and no physical contact it all, it had a quality of expression of love no longer found on the screen. Then of course Maang ke saath tumhara on the tonga with hair pushed back in the wind, he and his leading lady were both beautiful. Udein jab jab Zulfein teri- is a converteri sation of love with expressions and emotions flowing freely. I

loved the romance of Dilip and Vijyathimala in the idyllic setting of fountains, a wooden bridge as sings to her “tere husn ki kya tareef karun”… with cute loving actions of pulling each other by invisible strings!

How can I forget, Madhuban mein radhika naache re… the typical hand movements of Dilip Kumar wooed me in this movie, one of his best with wonderful comic scenes. What a roller coaster!

Mere pairon meinn ghunghru bandha de where a ‘high’ Dilip Kumar wows among a bevy of women

in a perfect dhoti-kurta is a personal favourite for all times it has been enacted in family weddings!

Reminds me of another favourite from Gunga-Jaman- Nain Lad jayi hain, the steps executed by the young Dilip Kumar are nothing short of a marvel. It’s one of his best performances.

Koi sagar dil ko behlata nahin and aaj purani raahon se are songs seeped in sadness, perfectly brought to screen by our tragedy king Dilip! My all-time favourites are his two bhajans- Sukh ke sab saathi and ram chandra ke gaye siya se.

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CHILDREN DANCED

AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2020

12

BEST WISHES!

FIERCELY! CITY FIRST

M

Anadi, Choti Sadri

Anvishka, Jaipur

Devesh, Churu

Tanishka, Barmer

Parv, Bhilwara

any children participated in the Country’s First Digital Baal Mela’s various competitions to fulfil their craze for dancing, singing, and painting. We witnessed some talented dancers on Thursday.

Anadi Agrawal, resident of Rajasthan’s Chhoti Sadri Village showed her skills on the song ‘Bindiya lagati to kapti thi palke meri’ Similarly, Anveeksha Pareek from Jaipur danced beautifully on the Rajasthani song ‘ Kesariya Balam’. While Vanshika performed melodiously on a song based on the speech of PM Modi regarding the curfew, Devansh from Churu expressed himself on the song ‘ Kudi Chocolate hai’ and Parv Jain, resident of Bhilwara performed on the song ‘ Mera Wala Dance’.

Jagdeesh Chandra with (from left) Riya Sen, Gaurav Gaur, Anchal Ajaypal, Anjali Sharma, Riya Suledia, Sapna Bundwal and Soni Kumari

Jagdeesh Chandra at the birthday celebration of Gaurav Gaur, Director, Elite Miss Rajasthan, in Jaipur, on Wednesday, 9 December. Keeping the COVID protocols in mind, it was a safe and small gathering with just a few guests, and was an evening full of fun, laughter and glamour!

Swati and Priyanka

CONGRATULATIONS!

Sonaxi, Gaurav, Muskan and Mona

Shloka Mehta and Akash Ambani

Mukesh Ambani with grandson

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani welcomed a new member to the family on Thursday as son Akash and daughterin-law Shloka became parents to a baby boy in Mumbai. Nita and Mukesh Ambani are delighted to become grandparents. Both mother and son are doing well. The new arrival has brought immense joy to the entire Mehta and Ambani families.

HAPPY B’DAY!

INDIA TRAVEL MART

BUZZ

I

ndia’s Leading B2B Travel & Tourism Showcase & Conclave – India Travel Mart (ITM) starts from today at Birla Auditorium, Statue Circle, Jaipur from 11 am to 6 pm and will last till Sunday, as informed

by Chairman and Managing Director, ICM Group, Ajay Gupta.

Entry to the show is by prior registration and invitation.

REMEMBERING THE LEGEND...

IAS (RAJ) Vishram Meena, IPS (RAJ) Om Prakash II, IPS (RAJ) Jagdish Chandra Sharma and IPS (RAJ) Shailendra Singh Indoliya celebrated their birthdays on Thursday, 10 December.

We wish them all the best!

Proud Moment!

K

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Raj: FB Tech. Founder Dr Sandeep Sharma has made UVDR lights that kill coronavirus and 19 other germs, the products of FB Tech will reduce the spread of coronavirus by a ray of light which is commonly known as Ultraviolet rays. These products will protect the glam Miss and Mrs India 2020 in Jaipur.

Priyanka

avi Pradeep Foundation will be remembering the legendary Indian Poet Kavi Pradeep on his death anniversary today, 11 December. They are organising a live event on Facebook, ‘Ek Deep Kavi Pradeep’.

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

Raj: The City Council elections in Dausa city will be held today. Meena Sharma, a resident of Saraswati Nagar, is a candidate for the post of ward councillor from ward number 50. Her election symbol is “Balloon while her slogan “My ward should be happy” describes her dedication and service to the people of the city council.

Ruby

(Clockwise) Shashi, Akanksha, Radhika and Nisha

I

ndia’s National Show Muscle mania Bodybuilding Competition, 2020 was held in Bangalore. Sheikh Farhan Abdul Razzaq from Ahmedabad got the first rank in Junior Men Physics. Bodybuilders from different cities of the country participated in this competition where all the bodybuilding had to be styled for different body-related experiments.

Farhan has built a beautiful body at a young age of 21 with dedication and hard work. The leaders and local municipal councillor Iqbal Sheikh greeted the winners with shawls and flowers.

—City First

Guj: A Special Bridge construction could be seen over Sabarmati river near Sea Plane Service site, beside the Flower Garden in Ahmedabad on Thursday. The city will soon have an attractive tourist place to visit.

Raj: Ramanjit Kaur expressed herself on whys and hows of creating or Curating Art Projects or Festivals concerning gender issues and the Funding for the same. She was in conversation with Leena Kejriwal, Tammy Brennan, Claire Engel and Indrani Lahiri and also expressed her deep condolences on the loss of Manglesh Dabral and Astad Deboo.

Raj: The fourth edition of Sahitya Utsav, organised by the Rajasthan Progressive Writers Association every year in the name of “PLF”, will be held online in February this time. Its name has also been changed to People’s Literature Festival, that is, Jan Sahitya Utsav. Earlier it has been organized in the name of Parallel Literature Festival.