First India-Ahmedabad Edition-28 May 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

28°C - 44°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 182

INDIA

WORLD

3,54,717 57,40,327 4,528 1,57,935 938 DEATHS

ON

CONFIRMED CASES

HIGH

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DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

GUJARAT

DEATHS

15,268

CONFIRMED CASES

Indo-China rancour: Trump offers ‘help’ Aditi Nagar

ALERT

New Delhi: Flaring up of tensions between India and China even at a time when both countries are grappling with containing the spread of Covid-19, could turn to be the penultimate challenge for PM Narendra Modi.

India has already had couple of face offs with China when it conquered Tibet and then at nathu-La which India managed to retain. With the PLA and Indian Army staring each other in the face in the Ladakh highlands, the relations have only run into the rough.

The latest aggression

by China comes at a time when the country is facing criticism globally for

India matched Chinese army’s deployment in terms of troops, capacity and resources in eastern Ladakh that is witnessing four simultaneous standoffs between the two armies.

—Pic for representational purpose only

spread and lack of transparency of information related to Covid-19.

Minister for Petroleum and Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said that there was nothing to worry under the leadership of PM Modi. “There is nothing to panic and worry,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a surprise move, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday offered to “mediate or arbitrate” the raging border dispute between India and China, saying he was “ready, willing and able” to ease tensions, amid continuing standoff between the militaries of the two neighbours.

India’s new leadership role as Chair of Executive Board of WHO may have also peeved China and forced it to show assertiveness.

More on P6

Why can’t pvt hosps give free ‘CBSE students can take boards in their home dists’ Corona treatment? SC to Centre Those given land either free of cost or at nominal rates should treat for free; identify private hospitals, says SC —PIC FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSE ONLY

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Wednesday asked the Centre to identify private hospitals where COVID-19 infected patients could get treatment for free or at a nominal cost.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde, hearing the matter via video-conferencing, observed that there are private hospitals which have been given land either free of cost or at nominal rates and they should treat coronavirus infected patients for free.

“You identify all those hospital and find out,” the bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy, told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

“They have been given land either free of cost or at a very nomi-

New Delhi: Class 10 and 12 students who moved to a different state or district when schools were closed ahead of the COVID-19-induced lockdown, can appear for the pending board exams at their current places of stay, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ announced on Wednesday.

He said students will not be required to travel

back to their previous board exam centres.

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will announce the modalities of registration for such requests, the Union minister said.

“Class 10 and 12 students, who have to appear in the pending board exams but have moved to a different state or district during

Shramik Sp: Mellow Didi seeks PM’s intervention nal rates. These charitable hospitals should treat patients for free,” the bench observed and posted the matter for hearing after one week.

Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the top court that this being a policy issue was required to be decided by the government.

Mehta said he would file a response on the is-

sue.

The bench was hearing an application filed in a plea which has sought a direction for regulating the cost of treatment of COVID-19 at private hospitals across the country.

The top court had on April 30 issued notice to the Centre and sought its response on the plea, Turn on P6

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention on Wednesday in the alleged “whimsical” functioning of the railways in sending Shramik Special trains to West Bengal daily and urged the BJPled central government not to pursue politics when the state is battling the dual crisis of the

COVID-19 pandemic and the trail of destruction left behind by Cyclone Amphan.

The state’s infrastructure is “stretched to its limit” following the devastation caused by Cyclone Amphan, she said, adding that West Bengal can receive very few trains carrying migrant workers on a daily basis as of now.

Turn on P6

the lockdown when schools were closed, will be able to appear for the exams at their present places of stay. They

will not be required to travel back. The CBSE will issue a notification in this regard and for the modalities of registration of such requests,” Pokhriyal said.

The exams, which were postponed due to the nationwide lockdown imposed on March 25 to contain the spread of COVID-19, will now be held from July 1 to 15.

“It has come to notice

that due to closure of schools because of lockdown, some students are not present at the station from where they were appearing in the examinations prior to their postponement and it would be difficult for them to appear in the scheduled examinations from their existing examination centres,” CBSE Secretary Anurag Tripathi said.

HEART-WRENCHING VIDEO OF TODDLER TRYING TO WAKE DEAD MOM GOES VIRAL A video capturing a toddler’s vain attempt to wake up his dead mother on a railway platform in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur, on Wednesday, showed the heart-breaking reality of migrant crisis, unfolding across various states since the imposition of lockdown. A video tweeted by Sanjay Yadav, an aide to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, shows the child toddling up to his mother’s body, tugging at the blanket placed over her. The video went viral on social media, evoking strong reactions from people, many of whom questioned if the government will take responsibility of these deaths.

P8

30 new cases in 3 districts poke holes in ‘return to normalcy’ narrative  24 hours: 376 cases, 23

CM SAID WE WILL CONQUER CORONA

deaths, 410 discharged  Total: 15,268 cases, 938 deaths, 7,547 discharged First India Bureau Gandhinagar: In its enthusiasm to push the narrative that things are returning to normal, this is what the government wants you to know: The case doubling rate in the state has slowed to 24 days

from 16 days in the past two weeks. Similarly, Ahmedabad’s doubling rate has dropped to 25.08 from 13 days two weeks ago. The state says the doubling rate here is far better compared than in other states.

Here’s what you need to know: Mahis-

Concluding the “I am a Corona Warrior” campaign, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said, relaxation in the lockdown norms are granted but still we have not conquered the novel coronavirus. He, however, expressed confidence that the state will soon conquer it. He also carried out virtual visits to COVID-19 19 hospitals through the CM dashboard and chaired a cabinet meeting in which premonsoon preparation and water arrangement for summer were discussed.

While wholesale markets for tobacco and other products were allowed to open, shop owners failed to maintain social distancing, compelling local police to ask traders to pull down shutters. From Thursday, only on odd and even based shops will be allowed to operate.

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

agar, Valsad and Surendranagar have reported 14, 10, and six cases, respectively in the past 24 hours.

These were among the 376 cases, 23

deaths, 410 discharges reported from across the state in the past 24 hours.

The state now has a tally of 15,268 cases, a death toll of 938, and

has seen 7,547 patients being discharged so far.

Of the 6,720 active cases in the state, 92 are on ventilators and 6,628 are stable.

In the past 24 hours, 4,550 samples were tested in the state.

While the state health bulletin states that three cases have come in from Rajkot, a report from the ground cites four positive cases, including a two-month-old infant.

Ahmedabad now has a total of 11,097 cases.

Turn on P6

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AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020

Handling the pandemic

GLOBAL STATE OF AFFAIRS

MODI SHOWS A

ccording to a poll published by 'Morning Consult', Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds the highest approval rating as a politician, amid a selection of other world leaders.

However, there has been only a slight improvement in Modi's rating, as it was still high before the coronavirus pandemic struck India, a report

by Moneycontrol stated.

Seventy four per cent of Indians had approved of their PM on March 17, and this number was up only by a mere 8 per cent to 82 per cent on May 19. Other world leaders whose popularity among citizens improved during the Covid-19 outbreak, were Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

While British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s was being treated for coronavirus in April, his approval rating increased. But it crept back to 55 per cent in May, amid increasing Covid-19 deaths in the country.

This resulted in just a 9 per cent approval increase increase for Johnson. What's surprising is that despite US leading with the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths, Trump's approval ratings have remained steady throughout the pandemic. On the other hand, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's ratings have gown down. Possible reasons could be his dismissal towards the social distancing norms being followed across the world, even as cases and deaths continue to rise in Brazil.

It has gone down by 17 percentage points since March.

Violinist and composer L Subramanium

New Delhi: Violinist and composer L Subramanium has released a symphony titled ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ with greats like Pandit Jasraj and Birju Maharaj and dedicated it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the country.

Responding to a

tweet by Subramanium, Modi said it was a brilliant rendition.

“Conveys the message of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family) well. Great effort by those who are a part of this,” Modi said.

Subramaniam had tweeted, “I’ve released

Bharat Symphony Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam with London Symphony Orchestra & legendary artists Pt. Jasraj, Pt Birju Maharaj, Begum Parveen Sultana, K J Yesudas, SPB, Kavita. I’m dedicating this to our country & our honorable PM Narendra Modi.” —PTI

COUNTRY TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

1,735,360 BRAZIL 396,166 RUSSIA 370,680 SPAIN 283,339 UK 267,240 ITALY 231,139 FRANCE 182,722 GERMANY 181,719 TURKEY 159,797 IRAN 141,591 CANADA 87,481 CHILE 82,289 S ARABIA 78,541 MEXICO 74,560 BELGIUM 57,592

101,351 24,746 3,968 27,117 37,460 33,072 28,530 8,520 4,431 7,564 6,760 841 425 8,134 9,364

USA

the way globally

Subramanium dedicates Bharat Symphony to PM

02

+779 +197 +161 +60 +412 +117 +88 +22 +34 +56 +121 +35 +14 +501 +30

WWW.WORLDOMETERS.INFO LAST UPDATED: MAY 27, 2020, 11:26 PM

IN GUJARAT DISTRICT

TOTAL CASES

11097 914 SURAT 1416 RAJKOT 97 BHAVNAGAR 120 ANAND 95 BHARUCH 37 GANDHINAGAR 237 PATAN 75 PANCHMANHAL 79 BANASKANTHA 104 NARMADA 18 CHOTA UDEPUR 23 KUTCH 68 MAHESANA 104 BOTAD 58 DAHOD 36 PORBANDAR 8 JAMNAGAR 52 MORBI 3 SABARKANTHA 97 ARAVALLI 101 MAHISAGAR 107 KHEDA 63 GIR SOMNATH 44 VALSAD 35 TAPI 6 NAVSARI 22 DANG 2 SURENDRANAGAR 31 DWARKA 12 JUNAGADH 27 AMRELI 8 OTHER STATES 10 TOTAL 15268 AHMEDABAD

VADODARA

@ahmedpatel Pandit Nehru played a vital role in shaping our democracy.

He preached and practiced self-reliance from space to food production- long before others realised it Unwavering commitment to upholding our diversity will be our biggest tribute to India’s first PM

Happy b’day: PM greets Gadkari

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nitin Gadkari.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday greeted his cabinet colleague Nitin Gadkari on his 63rd birthday, saying he is working hard to ensure futuristic infrastructure.

“Birthday wishes to

—FILE PHOTO

our senior Cabinet colleague, Shri @nitin_gadkariJi. He is working hard to ensure futuristic infrastructure as well as vibrant MSMEs in the nation,” the prime minister tweeted.

“Praying for his long and healthy life,” he said. —PTI

SAMPLE RECEIVED SAMPLE NEGATIVE

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

764 36 65 2 8 10 3 13 5 7 4 0 0 1 4 1 0 0 2 0 3 3 2 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 938

19 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23

1,93,863 1,78,595

UNDER EXAMINATION

0

Gujarat to borrow `15K-20Kcrore to meet its financial needs 

With revenue loss of Rs2,999 cr in April, state takes aid of `4,000-5000 crore in 2 months

Haresh Jhala Gandhinagar: With the lockdown hitting April’s revenue receipts hard, as First India on April 04 said it would, the government will have to borrow Rs15,00020,000 crore over the next six to seven months to stay afloat.

At Rs1,051 crore, revenue receipts for April show a 25% drop. With this, the state has seen a revenue loss of Rs2,999 crore in April.

As a result, the state government has had to borrow Rs 4,000-5,000

crore in April and May to meet mandatory expenses.

Sources say that while the state does borrow from time to time, this usually happens at the tail end of the financial year, never in the first two months.

This year, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant total lockdown in April, economic activity ground to a halt. This had an adverse impact on revenue. However, there are fixed mandatory expenses and the state also needs to make

RBI GUIDELINE

At the height of the lockdown, petrol sales dropped by 95%.

monthly payments towards clearing old debts.

For instance, fixed expenses like salaries and pensions alone amount to Rs4,000 crore. Together with its other bills,

the state needs a minimum of Rs5,000-6,000 crore every month. Until the economy recovers completely, this amount is attainable only through borrowing. So, in the next six to

seven months, the government will likely borrow Rs15,000-20,000 crore, following RBI’s new guidelines.

The Centre has assured all states of a 14% increment in GST allo-

cation to help them state in these bad times.

It is clear that Gujarat’s finance department and state government came to the same conclusion First India did: that the lockdown would hit state revenue receipts and that this would have a cascading effect on developmental works. This would explain why it began to relax lockdown norms right in the middle of April. Sub-registrar offices in non-urban areas were the first to get relaxation, followed by industries in rural are-

as. The latter increased power consumption, leading to an increase in the collection of electricity duties. Later, agricultural activities and market yards were opened up. Relaxation in non-containment zones soon followed. By allowing trade and business to resume, the state facilitated petrol and diesel consumption, adding to its VAT (value-added tax) collection.

It thus appears that the economy will likely resolve itself considerably sooner than the current health crisis.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020

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Corona-hit Guj may make civil hosp COVID-care centre

As patients flock to pvt hospitals, only non-critical may remain at govt-run facilities Gargi Raval

UNPREPARED

Rajkot: Under complete lockdown, it was easy for the district administration here to locate cases, monitor, treat them and also perform contact tracing. But, with the government relaxing inter-district movement, the district administration seems to be having trouble identifying positive cases, unless they are reported by people themselves.

To get a hold of the rising number of COVID-19 cases, Rajkot district development officer (DDO) Anil Ranavasiya, via a video conference on Tuesday, instructed all taluka development officers to involve the gram panchayats, which will now keep the government informed regarding inter-village movement.

Villages will also be responsible for identifying people with COVID-19 symptoms.

Around 50,000 people have reached villages from various states and districts

Case Fatality Rate of All Districts of Gujarat 12.0 10.0 8.0

9.9 8.1 8.1 7.0 6.8

6.0

6.1

5.6

4.0

5.3

4.8 4.6 4.5 4.3 4.2 4.0 4.0 3.9 3.0 2.2 1.8 1.6

2.0

1.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

0.0

Gargi Raval

—FILE PHOTO

Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.

zen patient will be treated at any of the government hospitals,” said a senior health official.

“There are several issues at the Civil Hospital, be it infrastructure, the ventilator machines, or the medical services.

That is the reason why the state high court had slammed

Gram panchayats to track COVID-19 Masuma Bharmal Jariwala

At 10.75, Anand has worst case fatality rate

An a B nd Pa haru nch ch m Bh ahal a Ah vnag me ar dab a Gu d jar at Pa ta Val n sad Kh eda Ga Su nd rat hin Jam agar na Vad gar Ba odar nas a kan Me tha Sa hsa bar na kan th Ara a val l Ra i jko Bo t tad K Ma utch his aga r Ch A ho mrel ta U i dep u Da r ho De d vbh um Dang iD Gir wark So a m Jun nath aga dh Mo Na rbi rm a Na da P vsa Su orba ri ren nd dra ar nag ar Tap i

Ahmedabad: With over 40 private hospitals operational in the city, patients have taken to heading there as opposed to government-run Civil Hospitals. The ‘move’ comes after reports of mismanagement, lack of facilities and proper medical care at various civil hospitals surfaced this month.

If sources are to be believed, no critical COVID-19 patients have been referred to the Civil Hospital in the past week. “There are more than 500 patients being treated at private hospitals for an affordable fee. Of the total, 17 patients are currently on ventilator support.

As of Tuesday, only 19 patients were on ventilator support at the Civil Hospital’s COVID-19 ward. At this rate, not a single senior citi-

03

the government.

Within a week’s time, the hospital might only receive symptomatic patients who are not critical or have co-morbidity. It may become akin to any other COVID-19 Care Centre in the city,” he added.

He alleged that Civil Hospital has reached

new heights in mismanagement. “There were many instances wherein families of deceased COVID-19 patients were not informed about their loved ones’ death for days. Then, there was theft of valuables from a dead body. A positive patient from the hospital found dead on BRTS terminus. And

this is supposed to be one of the biggest hospitals in Asia!” he lamented.

Amit Chavda, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president who visited the Civil Hospital on Tuesday said the “pathetic condition is visible once you visit the hospital campus.”

these people have succumbed to COVID-19, putting the district’s CFR at 10.75.

On the other hand, Ahmedabad has seen 775 fatalities from among its total of 10,841 cases, giving the city a CFR of 7.14--despite its terrible reputation. The district’s CFR is 6.8.

In fact, Bharuch, Panchmahal and Bhavnagar have higher CFRs than Ahmedabad. The first two are at 8.1, while Bhavnagar district has a CFR of 7.

With 915 deaths from

Ahmedabad: The Civil Hospital here has earned notoriety for the high number of deaths that have occurred there. The Gujarat High Court has even compared it to a dungeon. However, in terms of the case-fatality rate (CFR), Anand district beats Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital—and the rest of the state— hands down.

As of Tuesday night, Anand has reported a total of 93 cases. Ten of

Mehsana SP’s was no routine transfer

UNEASY STREET

First India Bureau

HEAVY PRICE

mainly from Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Surat.

Ranavasiya said, “So far, the district has reported 18 cases of which not a single case is of local transmission, but from people of other districts. It has been impossible to track movement after the relaxations. Hence, the gram panchayat has been strictly told to report to the health team if any person who has come from outside is found suffering from COVID-19 symptoms in their villages. This way tracking becomes easy and their movement can be restricted by capping off the virus from spreading further.”

among 14,812 positive cases, the state’s CFR is 6.17 at this juncture.

Interestingly, while Sabarkantha, Rajkot, and Mahisagar have reported case numbers similar to Anand with 97, 94, and 92, respectively, the death tolls there have been 3, 2, and 1, respectively.

Thirteen districts still have a CFR of zero and, according to a state government press release on Tuesday, five districts have reported zero new cases in the last six days.

Gandhinagar: The state’s transfer of Mehsana Superintendent of Police Manish Singh to SRP Group-4 Dahod on Tuesday might not have been a routine one. It is being seen as being connected to an inquiry set up by Gandhinagar range Inspector General against seven police officers of the Kadi police station for illegally selling liquor under Gujarat’s prohibition laws.

The Kadi incident may be just the tip of the iceberg. Sources tell First India that in addition to being an industrial town, Kadi may also be a transit point for contraband headed to Ahmedabad, just an hour away.

Allegedly, the town is a landing space for everything from Indianmade foreign liquor to illegal meats, since anyone can deliver anything to Ahmedabad and be back in Kadi in a matter of hours, especially at night. Also, some of the players

The cluster containment area near the Geeta Mandir bus terminus in Ahmedabad wears a deserted look on Wednesday as the lockdown continues.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Two minors raped in 24 hours First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Two little girls, aged five and eight years, were sexually assaulted in two separate incidents in the state over a 24hour span.

In the first case, the child, the daughter of migrants from West Bengal, was playing outside her house when

an unknown man carried her to some nearby bushes and raped her.

He fled when the girl’s parents and neighbours responded to her cries of pain. Bhachau Police are looking for the unknown assailant.

In the second of the two shocking cases, the girl was raped by her father, who was caught lying naked on his

daughter by her mother.

He has been arrested and the girl sent for a medical check-up.

Meanwhile, police cased was filed at Rangpur police station in Chhota Udepur, based on a video from May 21, in which a young woman was seen being physically assaulted by 15 men for marrying a boy from her own village.

Journalist gets bail First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Additional City Sessions Judge Prerna Chauhan on Wednesday granted conditional bail to journalist Dhaval Patel in the sedition case filed against him. He has been granted bail on a personal bond of Rs50,000.

Manish Singh

here are said to operate with the blessings of political benefactors, making it perfectly safe for illegal businesses.

With this in mind, Singh’s transfer cannot be read simply as punishment for not knowing what was going on under his nose as the head of the district’s police force.

Far likelier is one of the two following scenarios: On the one hand, his frequent visits to the town may have raised suspicion among his superior officers about possible affiliations with Kadi’s questionable businessmen.

On the other hand, Singh’s could also be a political move at the behest of some of the players whose feathers he may have ruffled.

Unable to get tested, family disappears after 2 succumb to virus Relative claims they received no help from local authorities in terms of testing or treatment and were left to fend for themselves, even after two senior citizens passed away

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Losing a family member is a loss which cannot be compensated. But for the Acharya family of Dhananjay Society in Isanpur area of the city, losing two family members to COVID-19 in a span of 10 days, has been a never-ending nightmare.

It started with the 90-year-old patriarch of the family coming down with a fever and other family members struggling to get tested for

COVID-19 before going missing on Tuesday.

The family started the treatment of their patriarch at home for fear that he might contract COVID-19 at a hospital.

“We had feared the worst, and so were prepared when he died. The next day, two of his sons—both senior citizens—developed a fever. They contacted the nearest urban health centre and received a dose of medicines. Despite repeated requests, they were not tested for

—FILE PHOTO



While suspected patients are usually taken for treatment in an ambulance, it never arrived in this case.

COVID-19. We even called the 104 helpline several times to no avail,” said a relative.

On May 21, one of the sons, Dhimant Acharya was admitted to the Civil Hospital in a critical condition. He tested positive on May 23 and died the next day, before the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) could put the family under quarantine.

“We received a call from the hospital and were asked to come there and collect the

dead body within 20-25 minutes. For help with transportation, we tried to reach the police on 100, even tried to contact the helpline number 104, also the ambulance services on 108, to no avail. We tried everything to arrange a vehicle to reach Civil Hospital but nobody helped us,” relative said.

As of Tuesday, none of the family members have been quarantined, and no contact tracing has been conducted by the civic body.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020

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CONSCIOUSNESS:

IN-DEPTH

SHED A TEAR FOR PROLES OF A CIVILISED INDIA

AWARENESS OR ENLIGHTENMENT? DR ASHOK PANAGARIYA The writer is a Padamshri awardee, a former vice-chancellor and Director SMS university hospital

I

f there is hope, wrote Winston, it lies in the proles. He remembered how once he had been walking down a street when a tremendous shout of hundreds of voices had burst from a side-street…It was a formidable cry of anger and despair…It’s started, he had thought…The proles are breaking loose at last! But…it appeared one of the stalls had been selling tin saucepans…Now the supply had unexpectedly given out. The successful women, bumped and jostled by the rest, were trying to make off with the saucepans…George Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Replace proles with millions of migrant workers walking barefoot for hundreds of miles without food and water. Videos of modern-day, trillion dollar economy’s proles fighting over food and water at Kanpur and Itarsi railway stations are worse than Orwellian women fighting over saucepans. Even in this hour of crisis, our concern for them is limited to scoring a political goal over the opponent because the proles are not conscious of their strength. That perhaps explains the deep economic divide successive governments have perpetuated.

It seems there is no sense of shame left and the milk of human kindness has dried up. What else will one deduce when a child tries to wake up her mother lying dead on railway platform? We are told that she died of hunger, thirst and lack of timely medical aid. Dozens of other migrants also died on their way, some run over by train others road accidents. Many others died after reaching their doorsteps, their bodies drained of all strength.

Railways helped but also added to their misery by whimsically changing routes of trains.

Instead of lamenting the migrants’ plight we see a potential champ in a teenage girl’s Herculean effort to cycle 1200 km carrying her injured father. How did such a situation arise and why couldn’t the country’s humongous, administrative machinery respond to the situation with efficiency and humanity? It is logical to pose this question as district magistrates have been vested with lot of powers under the Disaster Management Act which has been invoked for strict enforcement of the lockdown.

It makes for a sad commentary that the Supreme Court has taken 60 days to seek answers from the government on “problems and miseries of the migrants”.

W

By the neurological benchmark, consciousness has two components — level of consciousness and the content of consciousness, the latter determining the spectrum of enlightenment of an individual.

The level of consciousness defines the degree of variation from normal alertness, while the content of consciousness is defined by the quality and coherence of thought and behaviour

hat we are living through is an unforeseen period. It is a trying time, both mentally and emotionally. Given the circumstances, it is natural to look for a de-stressing mechanism or turn toward spirituality. The ways in which we choose to do so may be different, but the end goal takes us through the route of ‘consciousness.’

To talk about consciousness is like opening a Pandora’s Box. Generally speaking, it would translate into ‘awareness’, but from a neurological point of view, consciousness would be the state of awareness of the self, environment, and one’s responsiveness to external stimuli and internal needs.

By the neurological benchmark, consciousness has two components — level of consciousness and the content of consciousness, the latter determining the spectrum of enlightenment of an individual. The level of consciousness defines the degree of variation from normal alertness, while the content of consciousness is defined by the quality and coherence of thought and behaviour. The content determines the spectrum of enlightenment in terms of an individual’s behaviour, emotions, memory and perception. That said, the first step to enlightenment is the state of being mindful of one’s surroundings, of simply being aware.

In non-scientific parlance, consciousness or awareness is the kind of experience that is lost when one faints, dreams or slips into a coma. In ordinary clinical jargon, one uses terms like stupor, sub-consciousness or consciousness. However, these fail to communicate the actual complexities of the subject. Since modern science is not sure about the origin and nature of most psychic phenomena, including dreams, it is tempting to search for wisdom of ancient scientists, the-

ologists and philosophers. The Vedas and Upanishads described the four state of consciousness as Jagriti (wakefulness), Swapna (dream), Sushupta (deep sleep) and Turiya (non-dual or transcendental consciousness).

Simple wakefulness is controlled by the reticular activating system, a fibre system arising from the brainstem sending impulses to both the hemispheres to keep them vigilant for perceiving external and internal signals. But the content of consciousness is modulated by neuronal circuits of the limbic system, a major component of the mind.

Pure Consciousness, Divine Consciousness or Super Consciousness (Anukarana Chitta) are terms frequently used by mystics, since it is generally held in mystical traditions and not in scientific reality. To hypothesise scientifically, it could be understood as a state where the content and quality of consciousness (the inner world) is filled with pure thoughts, pleasure and relaxation, giving the highest level of contentment.

This state can be achieved when chemical and electrical milieu of the mind is in perfect balance. Such a bal-

IN NON-SCIENTIFIC PARLANCE, CONSCIOUSNESS OR AWARENESS IS THE KIND OF EXPERIENCE THAT IS LOST WHEN ONE FAINTS, DREAMS OR SLIPS INTO A COMA. IN ORDINARY CLINICAL JARGON, ONE USES TERMS LIKE STUPOR, SUBCONSCIOUSNESS OR CONSCIOUSNESS

ance can be achieved by simultaneous activation of pleasure channels and inhibition of channels mediating stress. The Super Conscious mind, working through the conscious and sub- conscious states, brings forth intuition, clarity and insight.

India makes source code of contact-tracing app public

I

ndia said on Tuesday it was making public the source code of its coronavirus contact-tracing app Aarogya Setu for Google’s (GOOGL.O) Android smartphones, a move digital rights activists said will boost the security of users.

The bulk of India’s roughly 500 million smartphone users have Android devices and the source code for the app’s iOS version will be released in the next two weeks, India’s tech ministry said in a statement.

“Transparency, privacy and security have been the core design principles of Aarogya Setu since its inception. And opening the source code up to the developer community signifies the government of India’s continuing commitment to these princi

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ples,” Amitabh Kant, CEO of the government think-tank NITI Aayog, told a news conference.

Aarogya Setu (‘Health Bridge’) was launched by the government in early April as a key tool in containing the spread of COVID-19. It is currently used by over 115 million Indians.

It uses Bluetooth and GPS on smartphones to record when people come in close contact with one another, so that contacts can be quickly alerted when a person is diagnosed with COVID-19.

Privacy advocates including a French hacker who called out some of Aarogya Setu’s flaws on Twitter (TWTR.N) had asked the government to make the app’s source code public, which would allow security researchers to inspect the system and find how it captures data.

THE BULK OF INDIA’S ROUGHLY 500 MILLION SMARTPHONE USERS HAVE ANDROID DEVICES AND THE SOURCE CODE FOR THE APP’S IOS VERSION WILL BE RELEASED IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS

A source code refers to programming instructions which are used to run an application.

Udbhav Tiwari, the public policy adviser for internet firm Mozilla, said the Aarogya Setu app still had some ground to cover be-

fore it could claim to be truly open source.

“This includes open sourcing the server-side code and ensuring that the app is built exclusively from its public repository,” Tiwari said.

On Tuesday, the government said it did plan to release the server code.

India has been encouraging a widespread use of the app including for rail and air travel, although it softened its previous demand for compulsory use by office workers, after a backlash from privacy advocates.

The app, which was initially available for only Android smartphones and Apple (AAPL.O) devices, can now also be used in cheap internetenabled phones which run on the KaiOS mobile operating system.

FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.REUTERS.COM

The sub-conscious mind is a very frequently used word and has still not been described very scientifically. In Vedas, it is ‘Vasana Chitta’ and ‘Samskara Chitta’, the mind of ‘subliminal traits’ and ‘impressions’.

Scientists, to begin with, thought and believed that the sub-conscious mind is the ‘ancient’ understanding of the mind, in contrast with the more recent cortical level of thinking. More recently, it has come to be understood as the circuitry which connects emotions with past memory residing diffusely in both the cerebral hemispheres. This probably explains the layman’s perception of sub- consciousness, in which there are occasional episodes of amnesia for words or events on the one hand, and brilliant unexpected answers on the other.

The quest to solve the puzzle of human consciousness, the very essence of our being, is one of the greatest challenges for modern science. Lately, multi-specialty integrated programmes are in the process of being launched and offer hope to us for becoming more conscious of the ‘Consciousness’.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

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TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp Shri @RahulGandhi must apologise to the people of the country for misleading them and indulging in baseless and motivated campaigns when the whole country is coming together to fight this invisible enemy.

Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Home Bound Shramik Trains: Watch how Railways is taking special care during train operations to support migrants.

Through social distancing, thermal scanning, distributing food packets & maintaining hygiene, Railways is ensuring a comfortable & safe journey for all.

Spiritual SPEAK

If you find no one to support you on the spiritual path, walk alone. There is no companionship with the —Buddha immature.

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RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD ON MIGRANTS

‘ITNI BADI SANKHYA HAI KUCH TOH PARESHANI HOTI HAI’

SC seeks MHA’s response on timely disposal of mercy pleas

Congress will launch a ‘SpeakUp’ campaign on May 28 to voice the concerns of the poor New Delhi: The Indian government is ready to provide migrant workers with trains, said Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, adding “itni badi sankhya hai kuch toh pareshani hoti hai (They are in such large numbers, there will be some difficulty)”.

The minister made the comments at a press conference on Wednesday.

Referring to Congress’ Rahul Gandhi’s meet with migrants, Prasad dismissed it as an attempt at theatrics.

Speaking about his meeting with migrant workers, the Congress leader said there is a sense of hopelessness.

“Bharosa toot gaya (Have lost faith)” is what Rahul Gandhi said the workers told him.

The Congress will launch a ‘SpeakUp’ campaign on May 28 to help

Migrants step out of Danapur railway station to board a bus to reach their native places, during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, in Patna, Wednesday.

raise the voice of the poor, migrants, small businesses and the middle class people before the central government.

On Tuesday, the SC issued notices to Centre & State governments over migrants’ plight, saying there have “been lapses”. The bench said the

ICMR removes price cap of `4,500 for Coronavirus tests

New Delhi: The Indian Council of Medical Research has removed the price cap of Rs 4,500 for the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test used to detect COVID-19, asking states and Union Territories to negotiate with private labs to fix “mutually agreeable” rates for the test.

In a letter to the state chief secretaries, ICMR Director General, Balram Bhargava said the COVID-19 diagnostic supplies are stabilising because of the indigenous production of the kits.

“In this backdrop and keeping in view the evolving prices of testing commodities, the earlier suggested upper ceiling of Rs 4500 vide letter dated March 17, may not be applicable

We should trust the judgement of ICMR. ICMR people are exceptionally well qualified in this. If they say it should be continued we should trust their judgement and will continue this drug.”

—Shekher Mande, Director General CSIR

now,” he said.

“Therefore, all state governments/UT administrations are advised to negotiate with private labs and fix up mutually agreeable prices for samples being sent by the government and also for private individuals desirous of testing by these labs,” Bhargava said in the letter. —ANI

CONG’S GURJAR CONDEMNS ARREST OF AJAY KUMAR LALLU Lucknow: Senior Congress leader and co-incharge of UP Dheeraj Gurjar came to defence of UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu, terming his arrest as political ill-will.

He said that an elected MLA is in jail underIPC section 420 & asked whether the UP Assembly speaker was informed about the arrest? “It is

political ill-will. On one hand, UP CM says that infected people have come to state, and on the other, there is a leader who wants to serve people.

“But, the arrest of Lalluji is sending a message that BJP is misusing government machinery & wants to stop the Congress from helping the people in need,” Gurjar said.

central and state governments should immediately provide adequate transport arrangement, food and shelters “free of costs.”

Media reports, the court said, had been “continuously showing miserable conditions of labourers” walking on-

foot and cycles from long distances.

“Not proper for me to make observations on the SC’s remarks. The State & Centre will respond to the notice. All the governments are doing their best, these are very challenging times,” said the law

minister.

Earlier, the Congress had accused the Centre & rail ministry of charging migrants for train tickets in this hour of crisis. Stepping in, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had said her party will bear the cost for the rail travel of all such workers stranded due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Since then the party has attacked the BJP for the same.

“Rahul Gandhi also made false allegations that ticket money is being taken for workers’ tickets in Shramik Special trains. The government has repeatedly told that the fare is not being charged from the labourers, railway ministry is carrying 85% of ticket fare & the state governments 15%,” said Prasad. —Agencies

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a detailed response from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in four weeks on a petition seeking timely disposal of mercy plea in death row cases.

A bench of apex court, headed by CJI SA Bobde, sought a detailed response from the MHA within four weeks on the matter.

The apex court wanted to know as to whether there was a timeline for MHA to put the mercy plea before the President, for which Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought time to come back with a response. The top court was hearing a petition filed by one Shiv K Tripathi. —ANI

‘Does the UP govt want to abolish workers’ rights?’

Lucknow: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asked whether the UP government wants to abolish the constitutional rights of labourers through its recent decision of forming the ‘Migration Commission’.

“Instead of helping labourers, the Uttar Pradesh government has taken a strange decision whereby nobody will be able to employ the labourers without the state government’s permission. Does the government want labour to become bonded? Does the government want to abolish the constitutional rights of labourers?” Priyanka tweeted. “The labourers’ issue needs to be solved through an empathetic approach. For this end, we want to keep politics apart and help the government in solving the issue but we will surely not let the government be successful in augmenting the labourers’ problems,” she added.

CM Adityanath had 5

New world order post Covid-19:RaGa New Delhi: “People say 9/11 was a new chapter, this [Covid-19] is a new book,” former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday, contending there will be a new world after the pandemic ends.

He also contended that the balance of power between China and the US will change after the pandemic.

Gandhi’s remarks came during a video interaction with American health expert and Harvard Global Health Institute director Ash-

I don’t think there will be one response to this disease. Every state will have its own response. You can already see that some states are doing better than others because of their nature, their design, their political system. I get the sense that the more decentralised states, the states that spread more power closer to the people, will do better —Rahul Gandhi, Congress Leader

ish Jha. Gandhi was asked by Jha how the coronavirus will change society and what social norms and interactions will look like in India two years from now.”I

‘No Army deployment in Mumbai, Pune’ Mumbai: Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh dismissed “malicious rumours” circulating on WhatsApp and social media platforms that the Army is being deployed in Mumbai and Pune to enforce a 10-day curfew.

The rise in the number of COVID-19 cases rise in India’s financial capital has been a serious cause of concern for the state government as well as the Centre.

Calling the rumours baseless and false, the minister tweeted that

Maharashtra Cyber has already begun an action against people who started this rumour.

Malicious rumours are being spread on Whatsapp about army deployment in Mumbai & Pune to enforce a 10-day curfew. —ANI

NO.18 SQUADRON OPERATIONALISED

BY IAF, EQUIPPED WITH LCA TEJAS Sulur: The Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria PVSM AVSM VM ADC operationalised No. 18 Squadron ‘Flying Bullets’ of IAF on May 27, 2020. This event was conducted at Air Force Station, Sulur.

The Squadron was equipped with LCA Tejas FOC Aircraft & will be the second IAF Squadron to fly LCA Tejas.

don’t think there will be one response to this disease. Every state will have its own response.

You can already see that some states are doing better than others be-

cause of their nature, their design, their political system. I get the sense that the more decentralised states, the states that spread more power closer to the peo-

05

ple, will do better,” Gandhi said.

“I am convinced you are going to have a new world after this virus. I also think for example, I think it is going to reshape Europe. Many people won’t like what I say…But I think Europe will have real, real difficulty staying together. I think the balance of power between the US and China will change. I think we are entering…people say 9/11 was a new chapter, this is a new book,” Gandhi said. —ANI

THE MOVE

said that state government will provide social security to labourers and no state can take manpower from UP without his government’s permission. —ANI

Vaccine will be available by next yr: Harvard Prof New Delhi: Harvard Professor Ashish Jha “Three vaccines are showing promising res u l t s .

These are f r o m America, China & Oxford. For now, they all seem promising , may be all turn out to be effective. I am confident that the vaccine will be available by next year,” said Jha in vc with Rahul Gandhi. —ANI

End blame game: WB Guv to Mamata Kolkata: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to update him on the situation “as expected under Constitution” and said that need of the hour is to engage in relief on the ground. “Electricity, water and essential services be normalized urgently. Do not wish to share horrendous sufferings inputs from various parts of Kolkata and outside. This is no time to engage in tall claims Mamata Banerjee in media. Need of hour is to engage in re-

Electricity, water and essential services be normalized urgently. Do not wish to share horrendous sufferings inputs from various parts of Kolkata and outside.

This is no time to engage in tall claims Mamata Banerjee in media.

Need of hour is to engage in relief on ground. lief on ground,” Dhankhar tweeted.

He went on to say that the situation would not have been “so frightening” if attention was paid to preparation at the right time “instead

JAYALALITHAA’S NEPHEW, NIECE AS 2ND LINE LEGAL HEIRS: HC Chennai: The Madras High Court declared J Deepak and J Deepa as the second line legal heirs of late CM J Jayalalithaa and suggested to the government to convert part of the latter’s residence as a memorial.

The court also suggested that part of Jayalalithaa’s residence ‘Veda Nilayam’ could be used as the Chief

Minister’s office. The Tamil Nadu government has been given eight weeks time to reply to the court’s suggestions.

The two-member bench consisting of Justice N Kirubakaran & Abdul Quddhose, who dismissed the petition filed by an advocate to appoint an administrator to manage Jayalalithaa’s properties.

of politics”. “The situation would not have been so frightening if instead of politics, attention was paid to preparation at the right time. Scenes of senior ministers in public spat

and MLA’s public thrashing are a depiction of the actual situation,” he added.

The Governor stated that attention should also be focused on rural areas where the situation continues to be “frightening.” “There must be end to blame game and finding scapegoats. Attention also be focused on rural areas where the situation continues to be frightening. These areas cannot be neglected. Urge Mamata Banerjee to update me on the situation as expected under Constitution,” he tweeted. —Agencies

‘64,426 CURED, RECOVERY RATE PEGGED AT 42.4 PC’ New Delhi: The recovery rate of COVID-19 patients has been pegged at 42.4 per cent as per the statement of Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued on Wednesday.”A total of 1,51,767 cases have been reported from the country in which 64,426 persons have been cured and the recovery rate is pegged at 42.4 per cent,” said the Ministry. The Health Ministry further informed the fatality rate in the country is 2.86 per cent whereas the world average is 6.36 per cent. About 624 labs are conducting tests.

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Army Commanders’ meet amid Ladakh face-off The main focus of the three day conference will be on the tense standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh New Delhi: Top commanders of the Indian Army on Wednesday, began deliberations on key security challenges facing India, including the tense standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in several areas of eastern Ladakh.

The three-day conference is being presided over by Chief of Army Staff Gen M M Naravane. The commanders are also expected to delve into the overall situation in J&K. However, the main focus will be on the situation in eastern Ladakh where Indian and Chinese troops are locked in an eyeball-to-eyeball faceoff in sensitive areas like Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie, government sources said.

“All aspects of India's security challenges, including along borders with Pakistan and China, will be discussed at

‘China, India shouldn’t let differences shadow ties’

It is learnt that both India and China are looking at a solution to the issue through talks.

length by the commanders,” said a senior military official on condition of anonymity.

Both India and China have significantly increased their presence in all sensitive areas in the region, in an indication that neither side is ready to back off.

The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated after around 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers were engaged in a violent face-off on the evening of May 5 which spilled over to the next day before the two sides agreed to “disengage” following a meeting at

—Pic for representational purpose only

the level of local commanders. Over 100 Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in the violence. The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in north Sikkim on May 9.

The commanders' conference was originally

scheduled to be held from April 13-18, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The second phase of the conference will take place in the last week of June. Both India and China are looking at a solution to the issue through talks. —PTI

China used heavy vehicles meant for dumping New Delhi: In the initial phase of the faceoff in Eastern Ladakh sector, China moved its troops close to the Indian territory for buildup in heavy vehicles used by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in war games on its side and for dumping mud at a project site to convert a civilian airfield into a military base.

During the initial period, the Chinese used

the road infrastructure built by it over the last many years, like its Western Highway, to rapidly induct troops in large numbers near the LAC on multiple locations and inside some areas on the Indian soil, sources said.

The Chinese were able to surprise Indian security forces initially in the face-off by managing to induct troops to outnumber

the Indian troops as they swiftly diverted their troops engaged in a wargame in trucks and other heavy vehicles towards the border with India, they said.

To enable faster movement of their troops, they also utilised the trucks which were being used to bring mud from a location for expansion of an airfield which has been taken over by the PLA. —ANI

SC refuses order on flights with middle seat occupied New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to modify its earlier order allowing Air India to operate non-scheduled flights to bring back Indians stranded abroad with middle seats booking for the next 10 days.

A bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, refused to modify its earlier order on a petition challenging the decision.

The apex court had on

Monday, while hearing an urgent plea against Bombay High Court’s order to keep middle seats vacant in international flights in compliance with social distancing

INFRA DEVELOPMENT ALONG LAC

R Sreelekha to be Kerala’s first woman DGP

norms, had allowed Air India to operate foreign flights with middle seat bookings for 10 days. The apex court had said that it will ask the Bombay High Court to decide on the matter again.

Bombay HC had earlier directed Air India to keep middle seats vacant on international flights evacuating Indians stranded abroad.

The decision was challenged in the top court by the Central government and Air India. —ANI

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Police will get its first woman Director General when R Sreelekha assumes office as the new head of the Kerala Fire and Rescue Services on June 1.

Presently an ADG of Police, she currently heads the Jail Department. —Agencies

tients either pro bono publico (for public good) or on no-profit basis.

“The issue requires an urgent consideration of this court as many private hospitals are commercially exploiting the patients suffering from COVID-19 to make a fortune out of their miseries in the hour of national crisis,” the plea has alleged.

It has also sought a direction to the Centre to bear the cost of COVID-19 treatment at private hospitals for the poor and vulnerable, who neither have

any insurance cover nor have coverage under government schemes like Ayushman Bharat, and also of those who have the coverage but the cost of treatment surpasses their reimbursement.

It has said that given the resource constrains of public health sector in the country, extensive participation of private healthcare sector would be required particularly in dealing with moderate and severe cases of coronavirus that would require hospitalization.

New Delhi: China and India should never let their differences shadow the overall bilateral ties and must enhance mutual trust, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong said on Wednesday, in remarks that came amid an eyeballto-eyeball confrontation between armies of the two countries in several sensitive areas along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.

Without referring to the military standoff, Sun said both the sides should resolve their differences through communication and adhere to the basic premise that they pose no threat to each other.

“We should correctly view our differences & never let them shadow the overall situation of bilateral cooperation.

At the same time, we should gradually seek understanding through communication and constantly resolve differences,” Sun said. He was speaking at an online interactive session organised by Confederation of Young Leaders.

“We should adhere to the basic judgment that China and India are each other's opportunities and pose no threat to each other. We need to see each other's development in a correct way and enhance strategic mutual trust,” he said.

The Chinese Ambassador's comments came in the midst of aggres-

AMBASSADOR SPEAK

Take the nation into confidence: Congress New Delhi: The Congress said the standoff between the armies of India and China is a matter of serious national concern and urged the government to take the country into confidence and address the concerns of people.

Senior spokesperson of the party Anand Sharma said the situation in Ladakh following the incursion by Chinese forces in Langong Tso lake & Galwan valley regions & the standoff between the armies of India & China are matters of “serious national concern.” The differsive posturing by both Chinese & Indians troops in several areas in eastern Ladakh including Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg

ing accounts in national & international media of escalation of tension have caused anxiety among people, he said. “Congress party urges the Government of India to take the nation into confidence to address the concerns of the people,” Sharma said. —PTI Oldie. Both sides have been asserting that pending the final resolution of boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace in the border areas. —PTI

‘Scindia will get a befitting reply’ Chhindwara: Former Madhya Pradesh CM and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath said that the state''s people will give a befitting reply to former party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia who had switched sides to the BJP. “I do not wish to say anything on Scindia''s actions. People will give him a befitting reply. The people of MP are honest and simple.

They do not compromise on good values and principles,” the Congress leader, who

BJP EXPELS FORMER MP BORASI

represents Chhindwara segment in the state Assembly, said. Kamal Nath''s son Nakul Kamal Nath is the Congress MP from Chhindwara constituency. Both

leaders have come to Chhindwara after a gap of around two months since they were stuck in Delhi due to lockdown.

As for the charges levelled against him by for-

mer Congress leaders who had moved over to the BJP, Kamal Nath maintained that such leaders were bound to speak lies and find excuses. —Agencies

“optimal and well managed”, Banerjee said.

“The state government is facing a dual crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastation caused by Cyclone Amphan. Our infrastructure is completely stretched. The railways is sending Shramik Special trains to the state every day according to its whims and fancies, without even bothering to inform us,” she said.

“Where will we keep these migrant labourers for institutional quarantine?

This is not the time for politics. We are facing a very tough situation and we need time and space to tackle it,” the chief minister said, ahead of the slated arrival of 11 Shramik Special trains to the state in the evening.

“They (BJP) can disturb me politically, but why are they causing harm to the state?

West Bengal is facing such a major disaster.

It will lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases.

Who will take the responsibility then?

“I request the prime minister and home

minister to look into the matter. The prime minister should intervene,” the feisty Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said.

The TMC government has asked the railway ministry not to send Shramik Special trains to the state till May 26 in view of the devastation caused

by Cyclone Amphan.

Those returning from the coronavirus hotspot states of Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu will have to go for a 14-day institutional quarantine, Banerjee said.

FROM PG 1 30 new...

This includes 361 police personnel, 88 of whom are under treatment. Three died and the rest recovered. Five teachers who contracted COVID-19 while on duty have died in Ahmedabad.

The state government has constituted four expert doctor committees to look into a resident doctor’s allegations, following the high court order on Monday to constitute an independent committee to look into the conditions at the Ahmed-

abad civil hospital.

Why can’t... filed by advocate Sachin Jain, which alleged that private hospitals are “commercially exploiting” patients suffering from coronavirus in this hour of crisis.

The petition has said that the government should mandate private hospitals which are running on public land allotted at concessional rates or running under the category of charitable institutions to at least for the present, treat COVID-19 pa-

It has said that the Centre, in exercise of powers under the Disaster Management Act, has regulated the cost of tests for COVID-19 in private health sector and on the same analogy, the government can also regulate the cost of treatment in private hospitals to combat the pandemic.

Shramik Sp:...

The state considers the ferrying of a large number of migrant workers by the railways as a big problem for public health. The pressure should be

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020

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CORONAVIRUS WILL

07

Luxury goods companies h av but to rethink their strateg e no choice ie more severe crisis for the se s to face a ctor than the financial crisis of 2007

RESHAPE the

GLOBAL LUXURY

INDUSTRY

T

he Covid-19 crisis has hit the luxury and fashion industry hard. According to a study conducted by the Boston Consulting Group, sales in these two

sectors could drop by 25% to 30% compared to 2019. The economic and health crisis could also have long-term repercussions on purchasing behaviour, trends and trigger tremendous changes in the luxury field.

MORE RESPONSIBLE LUXURY

n April 11, Hermès reopened O its Guangzhou flagship store and reportedly achieved a $2.7

million turnover in a single day.

Will the phenomenon of revenge spending observed in China spread to other countries? Or does it illustrate the attractiveness of Hermès in particular?

While it is too early to draw conclusions, the example is interesting. It can be seen as an aspiration for timeless luxury and for an ethically committed house.

This trend was evident even before the start of the pandemic, in particular among millennials: 64% indicated that would be influenced by sustainability in their buying behaviour.

Still, many consumers and resellers will face a reduction in their financial resources and could put a hold on their purchases. This situation may force luxury houses to reduce the number of collections and products offered each year.

Consumers could even reconsider the concept of ownership and shift toward rental services.

CONSOLIDATIONS

ith the financial difficulties, many players, and in W particular the smallest, will become more-affordable targets. The most financially solid players such as LVMH,

Kering or Chanel will no doubt have the option of buying out competitors, subcontractors and even suppliers.

Confronted with the lasting effects of the crisis and taking into account the observed consumption trends, significant changes in the industry are to be expected. Concentration of ownership in the luxury sector will intensify, the shift to digital will become absolutely crucial, and efforts in terms of sustainable development will be expected from consumers. The new business models linked to second-hand and luxury goods rental should also come out as winners.

This crisis, which forces us all to reconsider our purchasing decisions could bring the era of “slow luxury” and trigger a new awareness of the circular economy.

RAMPING UP OF DIGITALISATION

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI DESIGN: ABHISHEK GUPTA

o dispose of their inventories Tstores, during the closure of their luxury houses will strive

to offer an online service with a first-class customer experience. It should be a flawless process from the product offering through to the secured payment and timely delivery. Luxury groups will have to attract many more customers, at least temporarily, to their digital platforms and create a new customer journey.

In the short term, if they do not already have their own platform, some players may collaborate with existing marketplaces – i.e. merchant websites managed by a third-party provider of goods or services – for example, Farfetch.

But they will also have to roll out their own online sales channels to fully control the customer experience and preserve their brand image. This will involve initiatives such as the creation of virtual stores or ephemeral “popup shops”, as some players have already done on WeChat.

CUT IN PR BUDGETS

n the current context, brands Icommunicate. will have to review the way they In particular, fashion weeks in their traditional format – and whose June editions have now been cancelled in Paris and Milan – must be revisited. They could be replaced by virtual experiences and more “private” events. In the coming months, the organisation of large gatherings will indeed remain limited. Faced with the crisis, it is self-evident that luxury companies will have to restrict spending and that communication and events budgets will be the first to be impacted.

SECOND-HAND MARKET BOOM

the Covid-19 crisis, consulting firms BCG and Altagamma Beurosefore predicted that the second-hand market, estimated at 22 billion in 2018, would grow by 12% by 2021. The emergence of ethical and ecological considerations among consumers is thus a favourable prospect for sites like Vestiaire Collective, founded in France and which has become one of the world’s largest online marketplaces to buy and sell pre-owned designer clothes and accessories.

In difficult times, customers may turn even more to these second-hand goods. Consumers with luxury items and in need of cash will offer their items for sale, thus expanding supply, albeit at lower prices which could stimulate demand. This trend seems to be gaining momentum even in Hong Kong.

A SECTOR AT A STANDSTILL

the main luxury houses have reallocated their production tools to Landaudably, produce hydroalcoholic gels (LVMH, Hermès), or manufacture face masks lab coats (Kering, Chanel, Louis-Vuitton). They also decided to provide

financial support to health services and to their employees. Some companies, such as Hermès, have proposed a reduction in the dividend paid to shareholders and no raise in management remuneration. On April 16, LVMH CEO, Bernard Arnault announced that he would give up two months’ salary.

Beyond these immediate measures, luxury goods companies have no choice but to rethink their strategies to face a more severe crisis for the sector than the financial crisis of 2007. According to Javier Seara of the Boston Consulting Group, luxury goods sales could plunge by 65% to 80% in March and April 2020 compared to 2019 before rebounding at the end of the year.

The impact will not be the same in all countries, according to the US firm: In Western Europe, it could fall by 30% to 40%; in Northern Europe, from 32% to 38%, in North America from 23% to 34% and China from 24% to 30%.

The drop in sales is among others correlated with the difficulties in selling the spring-summer 2020 collections. In China, some luxury brands were able to make online sales – notably thanks to the WeChat application – but not all firms have deployed an omnichannel strategy and nor are they able to ensure deliveries. In Europe, the lockdown came later. The end of Chinese tourism and the closing of stores small and large as well as department stores will have disastrous effects on end-of-year inventory levels and on income. In the United States, the same trend is looming and several historic players, including Neiman Marcus and JC Penney, may be filing for bankruptcy Companies suffer not only on the sales side, but they also have to cope with a supply issue.

According to a study led by Mckinsey & Company, 40% of the world’s production of luxury goods occurs in Italian factories.

Most of these are medium-sized or family businesses and have not restarted yet despite a gradual easing of restrictions.

As the major luxury brands still produce mostly in their country of origin or nearby, Europe with its main manufacturing sites and workshops in France and Italy is particularly affected.

In the longer term, significant changes are to be considered. Here are five main trends that we may see.

There is no love as pure as the Mother’s love. A mother truly thinks of the future and invests all of her ‘present’ in it.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020

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AFTER PUNE, NOW GUJ INSTITUTE CRACKS MUTATIONS OF CORONA

08

Three UP migrants die in Jaunpur after returning from Surat

State-run GBRC becomes second in country to decode genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2 First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Researchers at the State Government-run Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) have claimed to that they have decoded 131 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from samples taken from COVID- 19 patients, which will help in developing vaccine and medicines for the infection. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus responsible for COVID-19 infection.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Monday tweeted that he was proud of the achievement, as it will help in tracking the origin of drug targets, developing a vaccine, and its association with viru-

DECODING COVID!

Medical professionals with samples of corona suspects in Ahmedabad.

lence. The GBRC in a tweet said India had so far submitted 366 SARS CoV-2 genomes, of which 131 were from their institute.

It stated that scientists from all over the country were invited

to analyze these genomes. Assembled genome sequence and raw data were available at http://covid. gbrc.org.in. No permission was required to analyze the data and researchers can

‘Knot’ ready for now: 30K weddings put off First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The coronavirus has infected the plans of a new life of thousands of youngsters in 2020 with at least 30,000 weddings being cancelled or put off in Gujarat during the sixty-day plus lockdown.

According to Hotel and Restaurant Association (Gujarat) spokesperson Abhijit Deshmukh, not less than 30,000 weddings have been cancelled during the peak marriage season of March and April in the State.

Giving the idea of a big fat Indian wedding a miss, some couples have chosen to tie the knot in the presence of eight to 10 close relatives, wedding planner Devang Shah said. He pointed out that although some relaxations in the lockdown were announced from May 18, hotels, restaurants, party venues and tem-

Hundreds of weddings have been cancelled in Gujarat.

ples have been asked to remain shut to avoid crowding.

“People have been cancelling their bookings and are waiting for the next auspicious season in December and January.

Those who can’t wait are getting married at home in the presence of a select few family members. Two of my former clients did this,” Shah said.

Though the State Government in the new guidelines have provided people with the option of organising a small ceremony with only 50 guests, very few have come forward for this, according

to decorator and caterer Amal Gandhi.

He asked, “Who would want a wedding album with photographs of people wearing masks?”

The decorator and caterer also pointed out that it is also not feasible to arrange food for just 50 guests. “This is also the reason for people calling off their weddings and waiting for things to get back to normal,” Gandhi said.

Some couples have even opted for court marriages and decided to organise a proper wedding ceremony as well as reception later, he added.

acknowledge the GBRC while publishing results, the GBRC said in another tweet.

“The genomes will be crucial in developing a vaccine and finding genomics of host adaptability,” an offi-

cial said. The institute was working on identifying more such genome sequences from patients, he said.

“So far, these 131 genomes collected from 17 different locations in the state have been de-

coded,” the official said. The GBRC became the second institute in India after the National Institute of Virology Pune, to decode the entire genome sequence of the SARSCoV-2 on April 15.

Following which,

by May 25 it decoded 131 genomes, the official said. “It is important to have a large number of genome sequences so that scientists can develop medicine, vaccine, and learn more about its virulence.

The data collected from Gujarat will also help them find local mutations that the virus undergoes to adapt to the environment,” the official said.

Migrants died in Jaunpur days after their return from Surat.

First India Bureau Jaunpur (UP): Three migrant workers, who returned from Surat, have died after complaints of fever, coughcold and breathing difficulty in separate areas in this Uttar Pradesh district, official sources said on Wednesday.

The locals suspect that all three could have been infected by coronavirus, but the health department has taken the samples of only one of them and his con-

tacts while the bodies of the other two have been handed over to their families stating that the reason behind the deaths was heart attack.

According to sources, a 40-year old man, originally hailing from Handiya village in Azamgarh district, was working in a cloth mill in Surat.

He reached Pratapgarh through a Shramik Special train on Tuesday and had set out for his home in a tempo.

Amreli ensures 31% people quarantined First India Bureau Amreli: In sharp contrast to the normal trend, many people in major cities of Gujarat have begun migrating to smaller places, including in Saurashtra region.

Alert to this, the Amreli district administration in Saurashtra is ensuring that everyone entering the region is being checked and quarantined. As a result, Amreli district has the State’s maximum, 31

1,958 people return home Gandhinagar: As many as 1,958 Gujaratis have returned to their home state under Vande Bharat Mission so far from 11 countries including UK, Kuwait, Philippines, Australia, France, Indonesia, Singapore and others. Special flights were operated during May 12-17.

The State Government said 1,869 more will return between May 29 and June 9 from UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, UK and USA. Vande Bharat Mission was launched on May 7.

Home-quarantined peope in Amreli have also been marked.

per cent, of people under home-quarantine.

According to the website of Gujarat State Health Department, as

many as 4,65,312 people have been quarantined in the state as of May 25 evening. Out of this, 1,46,764 people are in

home quarantine in Amreli district alone.

Thus, out of the total quarantined persons in the state, 31% are in Amreli district alone.

A Corona Warrior Committee has also been formed by the district administration to keep an eye on outsiders. The committee comprises Sarpanch, Anganwadi workers, Asha workers, members of the municipality and others. The committee has to ensure that the health of the quaran-

tined people is checked regularly and that they follow the necessary protocol.

The district administration has also ensured that if the Corona Warrior Committee finds people violating the norms, legal action is being taken against them.

So, everyone entering Amreli has to undergo a 14-day home quarantine regime -- this also explains why the district falls under the green zone.

Minor girl flogged in public for eloping with uncle; three booked First India Bureau Chhota Udepur: The police have booked three people after a video of public flogging of a 17-year-old girl in a village in Chhota Udepur district went viral.

Police said the relatives of the girl flogged her with sticks on May 21 for allegedly eloping with a man. The video surfaced on social media Wednesday morning, after which the police identified the ac-

A 17-year-old girl was flogged for eloping with her uncle in Chhota Udepur in central Gujarat.

cused and booked them.

No arrests have been made so far.

Chhota Udepur Su-

perintendent of Police MS Bhabhor said, “The video is of a 17-year-old girl being

publicly flogged by her relatives for eloping with a man of the same village. The older man seen in the video has been identified as the girl’s uncle. We are currently lodging an FIR against three who were seen assaulting the minor in the video.”

The video shows a group of three men flogging, assaulting and stripping the victim while hurling abuses at her as several onlookers watch the incident.

HUMANITARIAN CRISIS 

A video clip went viral on social media wherein a child was seen pulling cloth covering her dead mother trying to wake her up

‘Criminal Negligence’: Patel on video of child trying to wake dead mother Kartikey Dev Singh Jaipur: With the video of a child trying to wake up his dead mother at Muzaffarpur railway station in Bihar coming to light, the entire nation has been hit by the reality in front of the migrant labourers. The video, that has shaken masses, shook veteran Congress leader Ahmed Patel also who expressed

his dismay on twitter.

“This is criminal negligence. Government must do much more to end this humanitarian crisis,” he tweeted. In a tweet by a news agency on death of two passengers of Shramik Special train, Patel tweeted, “The trains being run for workers are in disarray. Neither are they running on time, nor are they reaching

the right place. There is no provision of food and water. It is painful that people are dying in trains, the government should pay heed so that disorderliness does not occur when more trains are run in future.”

Earlier also reports have emerged of the lack of basic needs like water and food remaining unfulfilled on the Shramik special Trains

while a route of 30 or so odd hours is taking 2 to 3 days to cover. This has led to a feeling of desperation in the troubled migrants travelling to their hometowns.

It is worth noting that a video clip went viral on social media wherein a child was seen pulling cloth covering her dead mother trying to wake her up.

As the matter gathered

momentum, authorities started a search for answers and it was then learnt that the woman had been suffering from illness and was undergoing treatment in Ahmedabad too, and was accompanied by relative when she died, none of whom came forward claiming that she died of hunger, as was made viral on social media. The GRP arranged for an ambulance to ferry the dead body, home. The Indian railway also tweeted clarification on the incident.

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IN AANKHON KI MASTI KE...

LET’S GO ON A REWIND MODE WITH CITY FIRST, TO WITNESS SOME OF THE ICONIC DANCES IN THE MUJRA FORM THAT THE BOLLYWOOD INDUSTRY HAS GIVEN US!

KARISHMA GWALANI

karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in

B

ollywood is one film industry that has been obsessed with dance numbers from the days of its inception.

A well-accepted part of the culture in several regions of the Indian subcontinent, the Mujra dance recitals, naturally made way into the cinema and has always had a special place in Bollywood films.

It combines elements of the native classical Kathak

dance with native music including ‘thumris’ and ‘ghazals’.

It also includes poems from other Mughal periods like the emperors from Akbar to Bahadur Shah Zafar’s ruling periods. Originated in the Mugal era, Mujra combines Kathak moves with Hindustani classical formats of music, as this dance form was traditionally performed by courtesans (tawaif in Urdu) at mehfils and in special houses called Kothas.

From Madhubala gracefully dancing in ‘Mugal-e-Azam’ to Kareena Kapoor Khan in ‘Agent Vinod’, actresses have often graced the screen with Mujra numbers. But you have to admit, this classical dance form is no piece of cake as it requires elan, poise and elegance to steal the hearts.

Every time someone says Mujra and Bollywood together, we can’t think of anyone but Rekha. She played the role of a courtesan in the cult film ‘Umrao Jaan’, and looked absolutely stunning in ‘In Aankon Ki Masti’ and ‘Dil Cheez Kya Hai’.

Meena Kumari, the queen of Mujra, did a wonderful and inspiring job in classic hit numbers ‘Chalte Chalte’, ‘Inhi Logon Ne’ and

‘Thare Rahiyo’ from the film ‘Pakeeza’. No one can match her elegance and ‘ada’.

Yesteryears’ actress Madhubala swayed her fans with her evergreen performance in ‘Pyaar Kiya Tho Darna Kya’ of the film ‘Mughale-Azam’. When Umrao Jaan was remade in 2006, the whole of India was comparing Aishwarya to Rekha. While she may have not been as convincing as Rekha, we can’t deny she looked absolutely elegant in the film. The dancing queen of Bollywood, Madhuri Dixit, did a wonderful job of playing a courtesan in ‘Devdas’. I wonder how many hearts her song ‘Maar Daala’ wounded. Kareena stole the hearts of many in her super hit number ‘Dil Mera Muft Ka’ from ‘Agent Vinod’. The modern Mujra girl looked lovely in a pink deep neck outfit with her long hair falling on one side. The portrayal of Mujra in Bollywood movies has changed a lot but still, the grace and charm with which the actresses pulled this dance form is incredible.

09

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AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020

10

MAHATMA GANDHI IN CINEMA

T

here is a new book for cinema lovers and scholars of Gandhian studies.

Penned by Dr. Narendra Kaushik, a journalist-turnedacademic, and published by Cambridge Scholars, ‘Mahatma Gandhi in Cinema’ appraises the entire history of Hindi Cinema to decipher whether and how much of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, by far the tallest leader of Indian freedom struggle, lives on celluloid. First India News caught up with the author, who is an Associate Professor with JECRC University, to know more. Excerpts from the interview:

 Is it your doctoral thesis that you have given the shape of a book?

Yes. But I had to rewrite a lot of things. Even the topic of the thesis was a longwinded one.  How did you go about your research?

Gandhi, you know, had adopted 11 vows in his life. From these, I picked up five – truth, non-violence, swadeshi, untouchability and equality of religions – because all other vows are interwoven in these.

I divided entire Hindi cinema history (19132013) into f o u r phases a n d picked up five films conforming to Dr Narendra Kaushik each princi-

FA CE OF TH ED AY

 Why did you decide to write on Mahatma Gandhi in Cinema?

I did not choose the subject.

The subject chose me. It was during one of the googling sessions that I first hit upon the idea sometime in 2010.

I wanted to pursue doctorate and was looking for a subject to research on.

Cinema had been my passion since formative years when we would watch films on Panchayati television in our village. I was mesmerized by the moving pictures I saw on Doordarshan on Sunday evenings.

I was introduced to Gandhi in late 90s when a lady at Gandhi Darshan in New Delhi gifted me a copy of ‘The Story of My Experiments with Truth’. The reading left a permanent imprint on my conscience.

I had also chosen a couple of other subjects to fall back on in case Mahatma Gandhi in Cinema was rejected by the research boards. But somehow, my research guides always in-

sisted on it and in 2013 when I enrolled for doctorate in mass communication I chose an identical topic for research.

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ple. This worked out to a total of 25 films. I also analysed three semi biopics and six other films where Gandhi’s character has appeared in cameos.

Then I collected secondary data from The Story of My Experiments with Truth, 100 books of The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (CWMG), newspapers published by Gandhi in his lifetime (He published seven newspapers) and other books on Gandhi. I compared this data with what I gleaned from the films.

Padosi, Do Aankhen Barah Haath, Dharati Ke Lal, Do Bigha Zameen, Phir Subah Hogi, Shriman Satyawadi, and Naya Daur had Gandhi written all over them.

The father of the nation exited the cinema after the arrival of superstar Rajesh Khanna and his age of ro-

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Your health keeps you happy and you are in good shape like always.

Remember patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet, soon you will get a great news regarding the investments you made in the past.

Your colleague will appreciate and acknowledge all your support.

As far as your body fitness is concerned you will surely get the results you want, just keep working on it. Being a mediator in business deal may fetch you a fine sum of money.

Today some of you may have a very busy working day in office which will later help you in getting promotions.

You may have minor health issue today but they are so temporary in nature so nothing to worry. The loan that you have applied for will get sanctioned today. To grow and prosper learn to respect your seniors and pay heed to way they have to say otherwise it may be difficult later.

You need to work very hard to achieve the perfect physique you aim for so keep up the spirit and work on it. You will make profit by doing the timely submission of your proposal. The kind of interest that you take in doing your tasks at hand, will bring you lot of recognition.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Don’t worry as you are healing and making a speedy recovery from an affliction and you will be completely fine. Embrace punctuality otherwise reaching your workplace late can lead to monetary loss. You will on cloud nine as far as your love life is concerned.

You continue to stay fit and healthy by following your strict exercise regime.

Professionally, you must change your attitude if you want to get successful. Financially, you will save a lot to make yourself financially stable. You may fall in love with someone whom you have known.

It’s alright to eat healthy for some time because eating junk food and avoiding exercise can only make your health worse. On financial front, you will easily escape any difficult situation. Some of you may get the chance to work on a very important project in office.

Today you in good state health wise but any negligence may alter the condition tomorrow. Some savior may prevent you from spending more than what you can handle. Honesty is the best policy so think twice before using someone else’s idea at work place.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You can munch on things today as a reward for all the hard work you have done to get in the best shape. Some of you will make money from other side sources. It may get difficult for you to please someone specific in office today. Your annoying habits can irritate your love to the extreme.

To remain fit and fine, follow an exercise plan.

Your happy days are back again, financially you won’t suffer any more. Today in office, your work ethics will be discussed by many so you have to make sure it is in a good way. You can expect good news regarding your property.

You give hundred percent attention to your health which is a very good thing.

You may financially feel a little disappointed. You will be overloaded with work in office in contrary to what you expected. Today is your lucky day, you will get all the attention of the world from your lover.

You maintain a good diet and you exercise regularly thus motivating those around you. Financially, you may find yourself in a very strange situation where you have to take a quick decision. Today will be able to breathe as far as your work load is concerned.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

MALHAAR RATHOD, Actor

 Did you find a Gandhi in films?

The answer is yes as well as no. If you are talking about the period from 1913 to 1960s Gandhi is definitely there on the silver screen in the form of his ideas. Films like Raja Harishchandra, Achhut Kanya, Hum Ek Hain,

mance. He remained outside till the beginning of the 21st century. This period more or less belonged to angry young man Amitabh Bachchan. Though there were films made on Gandhian ideals – Ankur, Manthan, Jaag Utha Insaan, Dharm etc. – they were too few and far between. Moreover, they came out from the parallel cinema. Even Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan and Swades had unmistakable stamp of realistic cinema. Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi was primarily made for foreign audience.

Gandhi reentered Bollywood in 2006 when Rajkumar Hirani’s Lage Raho Munnabhai hit the marquee.

Dilip Prabhavalkar’s Gandhi along with Sanjay Dutt’s tapori professor resurrected Gandhi and took his ideals of truth, love everyone, even your enemies, and Gandhigiri to the masses. The film inspired launch of many Gandhi movies but not many of them saw the light.

If you are asking me whether I found a biopic on Gandhi my answer would be no. I found only semi biopics. Attenborough’s Gandhi blanks out his formative years and youth and only concentrates on his political struggles. I would call it a hagiography which presents Gandhi as a superman. In comparison, Shyam Benegal’s Making of the Mahatma is much more relatable but that too only covers Gandhi’s time in South Africa.

Feroze Khan’s Gandhi, My Father, on the other hand, pits the great man against his wayward son Hari Lal. It also presents him as a great man. The fact is he was an ordinary man who achieved extraordinary things.

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020

11

Lauds Rajasthanis!

S hraddha Kapoor is an advocate for the safety and protection of animals. She is impressed by the efforts of some villagers in Rajasthan who have been doing their bit to help animals.

The actress shared an article on social media where villagers in Rajasthan have dug reservoirs for thirsty animals. She lauded the efforts of the villagers: “The empathy shown by the people from Rajasthan’s Pali village is heartwarming.

Thank you for your selfless efforts.”

Recently, Shraddha shared a poem on social media from the perspective of a caged animal, talking about freedom and life outside zoos. “A lot of us are feeling anxious and ‘caged’ during this lockdown. Imagine being taken away from your family, your home and being locked up for your entire life?” she had begun her post.

“Animals have feelings just like us. They get depressed when separated from their natural habitats and loved ones. Why should we believe that we have the right to take away their freedom?” she posted.

—IANS

Shraddha Kapoor

Disappointed JENNIFER!

Never stop learning!

U

rvashi Rautela has been attending an online master class by Hollywood star Natalie Portman.

“This pandemic has taught me to explore more about myself and now I have been taking an online master class from Natalie Portman, she is an Oscar-winning actress and she was part of my f avo u r i t e

J

ennifer Lopez had been planning a summer wedding in Italy with Alex Rodriguez. Reportedly, the couple had started making arrangements for their big day but like many other couples who were looking forward to getting married in 2020, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez’s marriage plans also got affected by the Coronavirus. As social distancing restrictions are put in place due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases across the globe, public gatherings are forbidden and it seems it’ll stay this way for quite some time. Jennifer Lopez revealed how she feels about postponing her marriage, “Nobody knows, Really, there’s no planning right now.

You just have to kind of wait and see how this all plays out. It’s disappointing on one level,” JLo said.

—IANS

V

Loves Motherhood

A

ctress America Ferrera, who recently welcomed her second child daughter Lucia is enjoying being the mother of two children. A few days ago, she celebrated the birthday of her two-year-old son Sebastian. Taking to Twitter, America shared a few pictures of the birthday celebration and wrote: “Bazzito Burrito is 2 today! What an amazing 2 years America Ferrera it’s been with this wondrous, magical, delicious little guy. Celebrating a love like no other with cake for breakfast.”

America’s happy post comes after she shared that she felt anxious about giving birth to Lucia amid the coronavirus pandemic.

—IANS

films ‘Black Swan’ and ‘Jackie’,” said Urvashi.

“It’s a first time, first women in class. There is unlimited access. She will be giving all her experience, all her insights from her 25-year long career,” Urvashi added. The actress, who has worked in films like ‘Great Grand Masti’ and ‘Pagalpanti’, calls acting a joyful experience.

“Acting is a very joyful

Jennifer Lopez

Urvashi Rautela

experience for me and I think she (Natalie) the best choice. It’s all about learning the technicality, she will be sharing all the direct approaches towards acting including how to build a character map, how to research for the character, how to work with the director, how to build the physicality and consciousness to each character,” she said.

—IANS

In a new AVATAR!

idya Balan unveiled the first look of her first short film ‘Natkhat,’ wherein she can be seen in a rural avatar. She has also co-produced the Last year, Balan announced her new film, in which she project by sharing a picture of the clapplays the lead role.

The ‘Mission Man- perboard of the film. She wrote: “I’m gal’ star posted the happy and excited to share that a few days ago, I did my look on Insfirst short film as tagram and an actor... The film wrote, “Ek kahaani suis called Natkhat noge...? Presenting the and has me in a first look of my first new role....that of short film as producproducer... I never er and also as an achad plans to turn tor #Natkhat. @rsproducer but the vpmovies #ronniestory written by screwvala @sanAnnukampa Harsh ayairanizohrabi @ and Shaan Vyas shaanvs @annukampropelled me in pa_harsh.” that direction...

The short film is Can’t wait to share helmed by Shaan it with my world Vyas and proand hoping that it duced by Ronspeaks to you like it nie Srewvala did to me.” and Balan. Vidya’s post —ANI

Menstrual Hygiene Day 2020 WOMEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY PARTICIPATED IN THE #REDDOTCHALLENGE INITIATED BY UNICEF, TO PUT A STOP TO THE APPROACH OF MENSTRUATION BEING A TABOO

Aditi Rao Hydari

Diana Penty

Tanya Ghavri

Dia Mirza

Malvika Sitlani Aryan

Aanam C

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AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020

CHANGING MINDSETS

UNVEILING THE NEWBIES

CITY FIRST GOT IN TOUCH WITH SONAXI CHANANA, THE WINNER OF ‘ELITE MISS RAJASTHAN 2015’ AND A MODEL, ON HOW SHE ASPIRES TO CHANGE THE MINDSET OF PEOPLE WHEN IT COMES TO MODELING!

NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

M

odeling is a very vast industry, and there are various misconceptions that people have regarding this, like ‘Models are glorified clothes hangers’, ‘Models don’t eat’, ‘Your only job is to look pretty’, and what not. Sonaxi Chanana from Jaipur, the winner of ‘Elite Miss Rajasthan 2015’ and a professional

model feels that this misconception needs to be changed and that models work as hard as anyone else, and it’s what they call ‘passion’.

On asking about how she made modeling her career, she said, “I have always been fascinated by the glam world. I used to take part in all the fashion shows conducted at my college and used to enjoy being a part of the same but the real professional modeling started when I won Elite Miss Rajasthan back in 2015 when I was just 19.

It helped me being connected to all the fashion designers and show directors in my city.”

“There is a lot of misconception in the minds of people regarding the fashion world.

People always give me that weird look when I tell them

that I am a model. You are judged as soon as you tell them about your profession but honestly, so far my experience has been great in this field and fortunately I always met the right people. I always try to change the mindsets of the people who think this field is corrupted, and somewhere or the other, I pretty much succeed in it,” she stated further. Talking about the future in this field, she mentioned, “I plan to be in the same field and I will try to work as hard as possible to make e ve r yo n e proud.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

TWEETED!

CITY FIRST

R Sonaxi Chanana

ajasthan Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas will be unveiling three new Skoda models - Skoda Karoq, Superb and Rapid today in the Skoda showroom at Ashram Marg, Jaipur. The launching event will start at noon with maintaining all norms of social distancing and staying masked to de-

Uttar Pradesh: National Secretary, AICC, Vivek Bansal, started intensive sanitation of Chungi based Vikasnagar and Ramnagar, Aligarh, along with the thermal screening and distribution of masks as a part of preventive measures in our fight against the Coronavirus, on Wednesday.

Rajasthan: The organiser of beauty pageant Miss Rajasthan, Yogesh Mishra, interacted with Miss Rajasthan 2017 winner Simran Sharma Live on Instagram on Wednesday, where they shared various tips on modeling with the girls who want to make a career in the field.

feat Corona. The 2020 Skoda Rapid is available in five variants, while the 2020 Skoda Karoq comes in a single variant. The 2020 Skoda Superb facelift gets two variants.

Rajasthan: A noted Indian film director, Bharatbala and a devoted team of 117 set out to document this unprecedented lockdown time in the history of Independent India and the result is ‘Uthenge Hum’. Commemoration of India’s lockdown, a record of the collective human experience of the world’s most populous democracy. ‘Uthenge Hum’ is the first pan India filming of the lockdown with the nationwide premieres on 31 May.

Rajasthan: Lions Club Jaipur is organising an online talent hunt show ‘Lions Ke Hunarbaaz’ for the 180 families of the club living in Dist. 3233E-1, with the support of JECRC. The event has been conceptualised by the renowned singer and president of Lions Club Jaipur, Dr Gaurav Jain, which will have three categories: singing, dancing and acting.

Rajasthan: On the death anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, a discussion on ‘Jawaharlal Nehru and the Indian Concept’ was organised by the Department of Arts and Culture, Government of Rajasthan and Rajasthan Sahitya Academy, which was inaugurated by Rajasthan Art & Culture Minister Dr BD Kalla. The session was conceptualised

by Rajasthan Art & Culture Principal Secretary, Sreya Guha and moderated by Sahitya Academy Secretary Furqan Khan. It was also attended by Social Scientists, Prof. Rajeev Gupta and Dr Alok Kumar Srivastava.

Rajasthan: I Connect Jaipur is organising a talent hunt show ‘Jeetega Jaipur’ with the support of Mission Shakti and I Hope, in which participants will get the opportunity to showcase their talent in fifteen categories including dancing, acting, singing, modeling, cooking, story writing, photography and sketching among others. To participate in the event, participants have to make their video and upload it to its official website, informed by the Organisers Vinil Gupta, Mamta Patodia, Seema Khandelwal and Aviral Gupta.

Pyaar Ka Punchnama fame actor Ishita Raj Sharma, who is the brand ambassador of the show, will also judge the talented participants among other celebrities.

Ishita Raj Sharma

Gujarat: Heavy winds ripped off this shamiana in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, leaving police personnel deputed to Ashram Road without any protection against the weather.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Rajasthan: The Shrut Panchami festival was celebrated with devotion by the Jain community in their homes on Wednesday.

Every year on the occasion of Shrut Panchami, a three-day festival is being organised by Rajasthan Jain Sahitya Parishad, in which Shrut Skandha Vidhan Mandal Pooja, Seminar and huge Jinwani Rath Yatra were taken by the members to celebrate the festival. But this year, due to lockdown, the Pooja rituals were followed by the community members as per the instructions of Muni Pragya Sagar Maharaj at morning 8 am in their homes only.

Pratap Singh Khachariyawas

WHAT’S HAPPENING! Rajasthan: Mahant Kailash Sharma of Moti Doongri spent a quiet birthday on Wednesday with his family. He did a special ‘Ganesh Puja’ praying for good health and peace for all humanity.

—FILE PHOTO

Vaibhav Gehlot

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Rajasthan: During the ongoing online musical series ‘Sumiran’, initiated by Rajasthan Forum, in association with Shree Cement and Raghu Sinha Mala Mathur Charity Trust amid the nationwide lockdown, a Jaisalmer based renowned singer Mehboob Khan Langa aka Sonu mesmerized the online audience by his performance on popular songs, on Wednesday.

HAPPY B’DAY!

Gujarat: Two men brave the afternoon heat as they struggle with a heavily laden pedal cart amid traffic in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

IAS Urmila Rajoria (top) and IAS Dr Vikram Jindal celebrated their birthdays on 27 May, Wednesday.

We wish them all the best!