The Golden Sparrow on Saturday 28/03/2015

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

TGS LIFE

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Get your voice heard on NetaG P6

No damaged goods please P3

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

GAUTAM SINGHANIA

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

What a mess!

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

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

DR VIJAYPAT SINGHANIA

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

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

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

mUMBAI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2015

PUNE

“If we scrap toll taxes and the government is dragged to courts for violating the contract, we would have to be prepared to shell out `80,000 crore,” — State Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar

‘Scientist’ Munir booked yet again

61-year-old self-proclaimed healer says he is being framed time and again by cops and FDA who have an axe to grind with him

Munir Khan

By Yogesh Sadhwani @yogeshsadhwani A fresh FIR has been filed against wonder drug maker and self-proclaimed scientist Munir Khan

by Mumbai police. On March 18, Food and Drug Administration filed the case against Khan with Versova police station alleging cheating, forgery, releasing objectionable advertisements and for portraying himself as a scientist when he did not have any qualifications.

This is the third FIR against Khan since 2009 on similar grounds. On both the occasions in the past he has somehow managed to wriggle out. Fresh FIR may spell doom for 61-year-old self-proclaimed scientist who manufactures and markets wonder drug named ‘Body Revival’.

The recent case was filed after officials from FDA went to his office and inspected all the documents pertaining to the sale of the drug.

They went straight to Versova police station and filed a case. At the heart of the controversy is a television ad released by Khan, which the FDA officials claim is objectionable and misleading. In their FIR they have alleged that the ad claims to cure all diseases, including the life threatening ones - tuberculosis, neurological problems, diabetes, rheumatism, spondylitis, multiple blockages in heart, thyroid, fits, tumours, prostrate cancer, among others.

Also, FDA investigators have a problem with

Khan being addressed as a scientist in the ad. The FIR has been filed under provisions of Indian Penal Code, Objectionable Advertisement Act and Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act. Khan has now approached Mumbai Sessions Court seeking anticipatory bail. He has alleged that he is being framed by FDA and police repeatedly. His lawyers have said that even if one assumes that the ad is objectionable, there is no reason for him to be booked for cheating and forgery – provisions that invite stricter punishment.

“The said provisions were deliberately invoked (by police and FDA) so as to raise illegal demand (from Khan) under the threat of his arrest,” states the bail application. It goes on to add, “Present criminal proceeding is maliciously instituted with an ulterior motive for wreaking vengeance (on Khan) and with a view to spite him due to private and personal grudge.”

In the past, two similar FIRs have been filed by FDA against Khan. The first case was in 2009 and a manhunt was launched for Khan back then. He finally surrendered in May 2010 after his bail was rejected by Supreme Court of India.

He ended up spending two months behind bars before being released in July. Initially he was not allowed to sell his wonder drug. In 2013, Bombay High Court relaxed his bail condition and allowed him to sell the product on the condition that he will not make false claims about the drug. There is no final outcome of the case filed in 2009.

In 2014, yet another case was filed by FDA. The state body had a problem with a similar ad being shown on TV claiming that the dug could cure all diseases. The overzealous Versova cops however went ahead and booked Khan for cheating and forgery as well. Days after the FIR was filed, Vijay Chavan, assistant inspector attached to Versova police station, demanded a bribe of `5 lakhs from Khan’s son Munish. API Chavan allegedly wanted a Tissot watch and cash for not arresting Khan.

The Khans approached Anti Corruption Bureau and got Chavan arrested. There is no outcome of the 2014 FIR either. Khan was never arrested in connection with that case.

Even in the latest FIR, Versova police are yet to make any arrest. While Khan’s bail application will be hard this week, he has decided to sue the cops and FDA for “harassing” him “time and again with frivolous cases”. yogesh@goldensparrow.com

Get your voice heard on NetaG P6

State doesn’t really care about disabled P4

Cop who nabbed Kasab in trouble

Inspector Hemant Bawdhankar, his wife are accused of ‘illegally’ taking over a Girgaum Chowpatty flat

BY Bapu Deedwania @TGSWeekly A gallantry award winning police officer and his wife are in trouble for allegedly usurping a property worth `8 crores in Girgaum, Mumbai. Inspector Hemant Bawdhankar and his wife Anjali, a schoolteacher, have been accused of illegally taking over tenanted property near Girgaum Chowpatty, an upmarket area in Mumbai, by Hemant Bawdhankar the owners of the building. Recently, Mumbai sessions court asked a lower court to take a look at the allegations and decide whether it was a fit case for an FIR on charges of criminal breach of trust, house trespass and conspiracy.

Inspector Bawdhankar was part of the team that gunned down 26/11 terrorist Abu Ismail and nabbed Ajmal Kasab. In 2009, Bawdhankar won President’s police medal for gallantry. The decorated officer and his wife are being accused of acquiring a 1,425-sq ft apartment in Girgaum from the previous tenant Mulraj Devidas Kapadia, who passed away in September 2014.

The flat is on the ground floor of Saraswati Niwas, a building owned by Mhatre family. While the market value of the property is around `8 crores, as per the ready reckoner rate it is valued at `2.88 crores.

It all started in 2013 when Ajay Mhatre, one of the owners of the five storey building, noticed that their tenant Kapadia was nowhere to be seen. Instead unidentified men were living on the property. Mhatre went and confronted them only to be told that the earlier tenant had sold the property to them and left. “We were shocked because as per law a tenanted property cannot be sold just like that without getting consent from the owners. Our tenant, a senior citizen, was nowhere to be seen which made me suspicious about the whole deal and hence we rushed to Gamdevi police station,” said Mhatre.

At Gamdevi police station the Mhatre family, which jointly owns the property,

The market rate of the 1,425-sq ft apartment in Girgaum is `8 crores

wanted to register an FIR against the new occupants but were told that action would be initiated only after checking with the new tenants. Days later, Mhatres were told by cops at Gamdevi police station that they had checked with the new tenant Anjali Bawdhankar, who claimed to have bought the tenancy from Kapadia on August 12, 2013. The owners were told that theirs was a civil dispute and that they must approach court. Left with no alternative, the Mhatres filed a civil case disputing the transfer from Kapadia to Anjali Bawdhankar. They also filed a criminal case with Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Court.

In February 2014, ACMM ordered that it was a civil dispute and not a criminal case. Mhatres, who were represented by noted criminal lawyer Abha Singh, approached Mumbai Sessions Court against the ACMM order. While the cases were being heard, in September last year, Kapadia passed away.

On March 10 this year, Sessions Court ordered that it did not agree with the lower court’s verdict. Sessions Judge Sangitrao S Patil has asked Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Court (AMMC) court to take a fresh look at the case and decide whether Bawdhankars can be booked. bapu.deedwania@goldensparrow.com

Citing 26/11, report gives FBI low score ‘Fadnavis sitting on US report states the intelligence agency did not find Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley a potential threat

By Arun Kumar Washington: Citing the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack and four other cases, a report has concluded FBI has made strides in the past decade but needs faster reforms to transform itself into a threat-based, intelligence-driven organisation.

One of the key plotters of 26/11, the terror assault on Mumbai, PakistaniAmerican David Coleman Headley, the report noted “had previously come to the attention of US law enforcement authorities but FBI officials repeatedly concluded that Headley did not pose a threat at the time.”

“The increasingly complex and dangerous threat environment it faces will require no less,” said the report by the FBI 9/11 Review Commission which studied FBI investigations into five “significant terrorism events.” In none of those cases did a confidential source “provide actionable intelligence to help prevent or respond to a terrorist operation,” the report released Wednesday said.

The principal authors of the report were Bruce Hoffman, a professor of security studies at Georgetown University; Edwin Meese III, the former attorney general; and Timothy J. Roemer, a former ambassador to India.

In December 2007, Headley’s Moroccan wife complained to US officials at the US embassy in Islamabad that her husband was a terrorist. But the FBI investigation of Headley did not begin until 2009, and it was triggered by a tip that originated outside the FBI that revealed his relationships with extremists abroad,

David Headley’s emails show he had inside information on 26/11 Mumbai attacks

the report said.

“One of the main lessons from the Headley case is that absent an intelligence effort across the US Intelligence Community to understand the connections among cases and complaints across field offices, relevant intelligence may fall by the wayside,” it said.

News outlets, it noted, have reported, prior to his terrorist activities, Headley had worked as a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) informant in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, following two heroin

trafficking arrests.

“A single complaint may be more easily dismissed as a poison pen motive, but several unrelated complaints should not be dismissed as readily as the work of a malcontent,” the report said.

“The Headley case raises the important question faced by all intelligence agencies - certainly important to the FBI - of how to scan and assess voluminous amounts of collected information strategically and identifying valuable intelligence leads,” the report said.

“Still, more than a decade

after 9/11, the FBI must prioritize empowering and equipping its analytic cadre to make these connections with cutting edge technology, to minimize the risk of the FBI missing important intelligence information,” it said.

In the Headley case, an analyst was ultimately able to connect him to an ongoing plot in Denmark, underscoring the value of good intelligence analysis in the field to meet the FBI’s national security and investigative missions, it said.

Describing Headley as “an elusive target,” the report noted, “he conducted his activities with all the skills of a trained intelligence operative-able to travel to and from the United States, Pakistan, and India with relative ease and eluding authorities.”

“The FBI had no knowledge of Headley’s connections to Lashkar-iTaiba (LeT) until provided with a tip that originated outside the FBI that prompted the investigation in 2009.

In Chicago, National Security Letters helped the FBI track David Headley and better understand his involvement in the Copenhagen plot directed by Ilyas Kashmiri, Al Qaeda’s chief of external operations at the time and the head of the Pakistani extremist organization, Harakat ul Jihad al Islami. Over the next several months, the FBI obtained warrants on Headley and on his associate Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Pakistani Canadian resident of Chicago.

Based on the information obtained, FBI special agents decided to arrest Headley before he could leave the country, the report noted.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)

ministers’ assets details’ Alleges RTI activist Ani Galgali and demanded that the assets/liabilities details be posted online in public domain Mumbai:

Maharashtra Chief M i n i s t e r Devend ra Fadnavis is yet to take a decision on making public his cabinet memb e r s ’ declarations of their assets and l iabi l it ie s ,117 Devendra Fadnavis days after his government took office, an RTI activist said here on Wednesday.

“Transparency and clean governance were the two prime agenda on which the Bharatiya Janata PartyShiv Sena government was formed in the state. However, nearly four months after assuming office, the twin agenda is being flouted by Fadnavis himself,” said RTI activist Anil Galgali.

According to Galgali, information on the cabinet members’ assetsliabilities was sought under Right to Information Act from General Administration Department underSecretary DK Naik, who declined to provide the details on grounds of “nonavailability”.

“Since the same practice is followed at the Centre by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also in Bihar, I again wrote to the state government demanding that the assets/liabilities details be posted online in public domain. Till date, there is no response from the government in the matter,”

Galgali told IANS. Naik replied that Galgali’s RTI query was lying with the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in Mantralaya and would be made available only after Fadnavis’ decision in the matter.

Galgali said all the current 18 cabinet ministers and 12 ministers of state, including the chief minister, have to declare their assets-liabilities to Governor CV Rao. “My letter on November 14, 2014, and a reminder on March 9, 2015, to Fadnavis is pending in CMO since Anil Galgali November 27, 2014. This is clearly a violation of the Citizens Charter and Right to Service Act,” Galgali said.

Interestingly, he pointed out how he had pursued the same issue with the previous Congress-Nationalist Congress Party regime headed by then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.

“Only the names of the ministers came in the public domain, not details of assets-liabilities as Chavan was against making it public. The new BJPSS government elected on the plank of transparency and clean governance seems to have continued the same IANS policy,” he said.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2015

Good test drive here is real licence to hit the roads P5

After Shivaji’s death in 1680, the administration of the city was passed on to the Mughals. Emperor Aurangazeb named his Pune settlement Muhiyabad, in memory of one of his grandsons who died here in 1690, which later came to be known as Budhwar Peth

Indian couples do not want to adopt children with special needs. In contrast, couples from other countries are more than willing to adopt what Indian couples think are ‘tainted goods’ PIC for representationalPURPOSE only

By Priyankka Deshpande @journopriyankka When Indian couples go shopping for a baby, they are extremely picky. They want nothing to do with children with special needs. When it comes to a child with a disability or a medical condition, or even above five years of age, our own home-grown couples refuse to bother even looking at them let alone considering them. They just want perfect babies.

Over a thousand couples are in the waiting list of the State Adoption Research Agency (SARA) of Maharashtra, a government body that coordinates and supervises adoptions.

Couples are willing to wait out for over a year for perfect child but will not settle for one with special needs. “We have observed

so far that Indians are not very keen to adopt special kids. Presently, 1,034 couples are on the waiting list of SARA. However, none of them have showed their willingness to adopt such kids,” said Amol Shinde, programme manager at SARA. In the year 2013-14, all the 121 special need kids in the state were adopted by foreign citizens, while 69 such kids were sent to abroad for adoption in 2014-15 by SARA. According to SARA, as many as 255 children with special needs in 69 orphanages across the state are waiting to be adopted. “In Pune district alone, 40 such kids living in the seven orphanages are yet to be adopted,” added Shinde. Since, none of the Indian couples on the waiting list are keen on adopting these children SARA’s only hope is foreigners.

Desi couple now match horoscope If you thought horoscope matching was only restricted to matchmaking, you are mistaken. These days couples wanting to adopt get horoscopes of potential children done and later match them. Namrata Gajare, programme officer at SARA, explained that Indian couples are not just obsessed with fair skinned children but now have gone a step ahead by getting kundalis done. “Shockingly, there have been cases where parents have asked for children’s horoscope to check if the child is fit for them or does not have negative planetary effects,” she said. Some even insist on adopting a child born and raised in a particular city. For example, a couple from Pune insisted on adopting a child from the city and rejected ones from neighbouring remote areas.

Children with special needs in adoption parlance include those with a disability, HIV infected, having hepatitis or suffering from Thalassaemia. “Even older children (between the age group of 5-11 years) and kid with sibling come under the category of special need,” said Shinde.

For now, couples from Italy, the US and UK are the ones adopting kids with special needs. “Some of them are also adopted by the citizens from Norway and Dubai,” said Shinde.

A refreshing change over the past few years is Indians settled abroad, who have now gradually shown willingness to adopt children with special needs.

The flip side of giving up these kids to foreign couples is that there is very little monitoring and follow-ups that our Indian agencies can do. “We have child protection officers in every district of the country to ensure that kids are looked after well. But that’s only in India. In case of kids who are sent to foreign countries, the entire responsibility of follow-ups lies with the orphanages or homes where the child grew up,” said Shinde.

Experts explained that there are a variety of reasons why Indian couples are not keen on adopting children with special needs.

Trustee of one of a certified adoption centres explained that Indian couples want their children to grow up and look after them.

“They want hassle-free children who will someday grow up and take care of them. They do not want to spend a lot on a special child.

As for foreigners that’s not the case - they just want the joy of raising a child. Moreover, they do not really expect their children to look after them when they grow old,” said the trustee, requesting anonymity.

Maina Shetty, deputy director of Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra, explained that they have tried to sensitise Indian couples about adopting children with special needs, but that hasn’t worked too well. Indians prefer normal children, whereas foreigners are more than amenable to adopting ones with special needs. Indians prefer a normal child. However, foreign citizens are more sensitive towards child with special need. “For foreigners raising a child with special need is not so difficult. They have access to proper education, infrastructure, etc,” she said. priyankka.deshpande@goldensparrow.com

Here their bow-wow’s go unheard A foster care home for animals in Ravet is under a cloud after two animal lovers found that their pets have gone missing from the shelter

Priyanka Banerjee had claimed that three caretakers will manage the shelter in her absence, but only one was found when TGS visited the spot

Gayatri Sarang and Sahail Jagasia, both Mumbai residents, have been camping in Pune for the past few days. They have been making trips to a foster care home for animals in Ravet twice a day to trace their dogs they had kept in the shelter.

Of the nine dogs kept at the shelter run by Priyanka Banerjee, three have gone missing. They have managed to get the remaining six out and shifted elsewhere. The word has gone around and animal lovers across Mumbai and Pune are perturbed, some coming up with their own horrifying experiences with the shelter in the past, while others vehemently defending Banerjee.

Banerjee is a well-known in animal welfare world in Pune. She fosters animals for others. For each animal that is left behind with her, she charges `1,100 a month.

It all started early this week when Sarang, a baker by profession, called up Banerjee to check on her and

Jagasia’s dogs kept at the shelter. The 33-year-old claims, she got evasive answers from Banerjee which got her suspicious. Sarang and Jagasia, 24, a photographer by profession, rushed to the shelter to find that only six of their nine dogs were around and there was no sight of other three. Even Banerjee was nowhere to be seen. The owner of the shelter - situated in a remote area in Ravet - told the duo that she had left for Gujarat to be with her ailing mother. She also claimed that she had taken one of Sarang’s puppies – Bobo – with her for treatment.

“Her stories kept changing. That’s what got us more suspicious. The sad part was that Priyanka claimed that she had left behind three experienced caretakers at the shelter to take care of 60 odd dogs and cats in her absence.

We were stunned to find a sole guy, who had no experience with animals whatsoever,” said Jagasia, 24, a professional photographer. When the duo confronted the caretaker about three dogs, he said he had no idea where they were as he had not seen the animals matching their description in

the 20 days that he had been around.

Since then, Jagasia and Sarang have been frantically searching the area to look for the three dogs but to no avail.

In a bid to get others involved they reached out to their friends and acquaintances through social networking sites. This has opened the Pandora’s box with several others narrating similar tales.

Manoj Oswal, an animal welfare officer appointed by the Bombay High Court, said that he had received similar complaints against Banerjee in the past.

“Her behavior is slightly fishy. I have received a few complaints against her for losing the animals in the past as well. However, it is beyond my jurisdiction to enquire into complaints of missing animals. I can step in only if there is clear evidence of cruelty.

For now we are helping the victims by giving them legal assistance and trying to find if there is any evidence of cruelty to the animals. We have advised them to approach the police with complaint of cheating, of breach of trust and usurping of property as animals are also property,” he said.

Several animal lovers are now baying for Banerjee’s blood. They want her to either clarify the allegations and carry on her work or shut down the place. When TGS contacted Banerjee, she responded via a text message.

“I have medical emergencies at home. They (Sarang and Jagasia) have proved that I am careless - I accept.

From now on, people should take care of the dogs and cats there as I am just not competent enough to manage animals and also I take money,” she responded. rajil.menon@goldensparrow.com

Tapping ‘criminal’ talent Pune police are going all out to rehabilitate youngsters who broke the law

BY Gitesh Shelke @gitesh_shelke So how does one dissuade criminals from committing more crimes? One way is to put them behind bars and let them languish for good. Another way is the Pune police way.

City cops have come up with an innovative idea to reach out to youngsters who have committed small or big crimes in the past.

They have initiated ‘Samvad Parivartanacha’ (dialogue of change) through which they understand the mindset of these criminals, reasons for committing crime, counsel them and help them secure jobs depending on their aptitude.

Initiated three months ago, the concept has started taking shape now. It began with cops preparing an exhaustive list of criminals in different areas.

Next step was preparing a detailed form to profile each one of them and to understand what kind of work they are capable of handling. Weeks later, the forms have gone out to 20,000 youth who have either have criminal cases against them or have tendency to commit crime.

In the form, the city police have sought their personal details, educational qualifications, date of the crime and nature of the crime, and what he thought at the time of committing the crime.

To ensure that the project is a success, cops have tied up with 50-odd non governmental organisations (NGOs), several medium and large scale companies. NGOs role is to counsel the youth coming forward, while companies are supposed to provide employment opportunities.

Over the last three months a team of officers led by Sudhakar Pathare, deputy commissioner of police (Zone II), has met several such youngsters residing

PIC for representationalPURPOSE only

No damaged goods please

BY Rajil Menon @TGSWeekly

PUNE

in slum pockets in twin cities.

Now that everything is in order, starting next week gatherings will be organised where youth, NGOs and potential employers will come together. Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cantonment) Atmacharan Shinde said that the police have organised a programme at the Tadiwala Road next week.

“All the youth who have filled the forms have been called to attend the function,” Shinde said.

Shinde explained that the youth will be counselled and offered jobs so that they do not take to crime as source of income.

“NGOs will counsel them and act as a bridge between private

firms and youth. The need of companies will be ascertained and as per the nature of the job, youths with proper or peculiar education qualifications will be referred to those companies,” he said.

“The data analysis is going on now. We have found that many of them are graduates or post graduates, while others have done ITI or polytechnic diploma courses. However, there are quite a few school or college dropouts as well,” he added.

The ultimate agenda of the whole exercise, as ACP Shinde sums it up is, “They shouldn’t turn to crime to earn their livelihood.” gitesh.shelke@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2015

PUNE

Palkhi, a unique feature of the Maharashtrian culture, is a 1,000-year-old tradition followed by the warkaris.

People collectively go singing and dancing, chanting to the holy town of Pandharpur

We are united!

Thousands of avian visitors bid adieu to Valley

P10

P12

State doesn’t really care about disabled

A funding scheme to help physically challenged set up small scale businesses exists merely on paper; none of those shortlisted from Pune have received a single penny this year

Like Amol Sherekar (right), many are waiting for government financial aid not released because of the callous approach of state and district administration

to know that the state government and nationalised banks jointly give `1.5 lakh to the disabled to help them start something of their own,” said Sherekar, who is the lone breadwinner of the family.

Every year the state government is supposed to provide financial assistance to the physically challenged

to set a small scale business like stationery shops, food stalls, grocery shops etc. Under the self employment scheme state gives `30,000 as grant and nationalised banks give another `1.2 lakh to every person as a loan.

In every district such cases are to be identified and list sent to social welfare department. The state then releases

Pune police have registered nine cases in last few days against clubs preying on men who want sexual favours and even get paid for them

Most men would fall for the offer – get paid for sleeping around. All one has to do is become part of a friendship club, pay a small deposit, and then wait for a barrage of calls from women wanting to have a good time. The sensible ones would figure that the offer is too good to be true.

Others would obviously fall for it.

The beautifully crafted scam seems to be working exceptionally well in Pune. In the past 15 days social service branch of Pune police has registered nine cases of men being duped by such friendship clubs.

From the complaints being investigated by cops, they have figured that all the victims first received call with an offer to become member of

• Person with minimum 40 per cent disability • He/she should be between the age group of 18 to 50 • His/her annual income should be less than `one lakh

‘Friendship clubs’ on a prowl for stupid men

BY Gitesh Shelke @gitesh_shelke

People entitled to get the fund

their friendship club.

“Sir, you can join our friendship club and earn `15,000 to `20,000 per month simply by entertaining females from Pune,” says a female voice to the caller. The woman at the other end then requests the man to deposit a sum of `1,000 to become a member of the friendship club.

Once the person deposits the sum, he gets another call in next two or three days. “You will get calls from women and a car will come to pick you up. But for that you will have to pay our commission which is `1,500,” says the caller this time. Most men fall for this as well.

It takes a while for the men to figure that they have been duped.

No car ever comes to pick them, nor do they get any calls from women wanting to be “entertained”.

In a recent case, a 33-year-old from Viman Nagar was duped for `1,550 by two suspects primarily identified by social service branch as Poonam Desai and Pavan Kumar. The victim lodged a complaint with the Koregaon Park police station. “The names given are fake, SIM cards and bank accounts are operated on false names and addresses,” said Sanjay Nikam, senior inspector from the social service branch.

Police have come across a numbers of victims who have been duped by such clubs and have requested them to lodge complaints. “They are cheating people in the name of a friendship club. They mainly target educated unemployed youths, and then take advantage of their financial and emotional plight,” said Nikam.

The majority of the victims do not prefer to lodge complaints citing the social stigma attached. Nikam said that the amount may seem meager individually, but in all such clubs have cheated around 100 men from Pune. “All the cell phone numbers that have been verified are from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh,” he added.

For those who decide to take matters in their hand and recover the sum, they are forced to make a hasty retreat. Inspector Nikam revealed that several men call the club and ask for refund. “The victim is accused of having spoken to a woman in an objectionable manner, and are warned against lodging a police complaint,” Nikam said. gitesh.shelke@goldensparrow.com

Police have requested victims to lodge complaints at the earliest

PIC for representationalPURPOSE only

Men are enticed to join friendship club and earn `15,000 to `20,000 per month by entertaining females from Pune

their share of funds. Once the state funds are released to an individual, banks also follow suit.

In Pune, district social welfare department shortlisted 89 physically challenged who were to receive funds from the scheme. Knowing that they will not get funds for as many people,

district administration brought down the list to 24, and kept the remaining 65 on wait list. This was in financial year 2013-14. A year later, district office is yet to receive a single paisa and hence has not been able to disburse any funds.

Making matters worse is that

district office has been told that they would be receiving only `4.7 lakhs for the financial year 2013-14, just about enough to help mere 15 persons (`30,000 per person). This would only mean that the numbers in waiting list would increase. Likes of Pisal and Sherekar might be among those whose dreams of starting something of their own might not come true soon.

Tug of war between district and state Officials in state’s Person with Disabilities department that funds the entire scheme said that they had already disbursed `2 crore to all the districts recently. “We received the funds late from the state government and hence could disburse only now. The funds should have reached district officers,” sad an assistant commissioner with Person with Disabilities department, requesting anonymity.

In contrast district officials said atht they are yet to receive any money.

“We haven’t received any funds from the Department of Person with Disabilities. Everything is on the paper,” said Sanjay Kadam, District Social Welfare Officer. priyankka.deshpande@goldensparrow.com

Realty projects on decline in Pimpri-Chinchwad Building permission department cites recession for fall in target by `194 crore PIC for representationalPURPOSE only

Amol Sherekar, 25, was on cloud nine when he came to know that he is entitled to get financial aid from the government to start his own business.

He was to get `1.5 lakh to set up an electronics shop that would ensure that he would be able to look after himself and his family. But a year after he was promised the funds, the money is yet to arrive. The physically challenged, has been making rounds of the social welfare department’s office in Camp, good 10 kms away from his house in Warje, almost every day by public transport.

Sherekar is not the only victim of callous approach of the state and district administration. Sachin Pisal, 30, another physically challenged residing at Valchand Nagar, has also been running pillar to post although he is among those who have been shortlisted for financial help from the state. Pisal too takes a trip to district social welfare office almost every week find about his share of funds. “I applied for the fund last year. In return all I get is lame excuses and hollow promises from the officers in the department,” complains Pisal, who dreams of starting his own laundry service and getting his life back on track.

“Couple of years back, I met with an accident after which I had to undergo multiple surgeries on my left leg. Ever since the accident I have been diagnosed as 52 per cent disabled. My life completely turned around after the accident and I am barely able to make end meet. I was relieved when I got

Aniruddha Rajandekar

BY Priyankka Deshpande @journopriyankka

BY ARCHANA DAHIWAL @ArchanaDahiwal The numbers say the gloomy picture of realty market in Pimpri-Chinchwad.

As per the building permission department of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), the civic body generated Rs 325 crore revenue in 2013-14, but the figure has just touched Rs 221.46 crore till March 15 this year.

And the civic administration had set the 2014-2015 target at Rs 415 crore. Municipal officials cite recession as the cause for decline in seeking building permission in the township. PCMC will fall short of target by around Rs 194 crore.

PCMC building permission department head Ayubkhan Pathan

said, “We hope that the revenue may reach Rs 230 crore by the end of this financial year. We will be unable to achieve the set target because of recession in realistic market.”

The industrial hub of PimpriChinchwad saw maximum development in realty sector in 2013-14.

The property tax and building permission of PCMC had become a major revenue generator after the abolition of octroi in 2014-2015.

PCMC going tough on illegal construction, publishing the list of authorised and unauthorised constructions on its website and generating awareness through SMS facility instilled confidence in buyers about the property’s credibility. These measures, including simplifying the building

Industrial hub saw maximum development in the realty sector in 2013-14

permission process, helped the civic body collect record revenue every year.

In the past five years, maximum realty developments took place in Aundh, Baner, Wakad, Pimple Nilakh and Pimple Saudagar, Rahatani, Thergoan, Tathwade, Moshi, RavetKiwale and Chikhali in Pimpri Chinchwad. Homebuyers preferred the suburb due to comparatively low rate and proximity to IT Parks and industrial belt. archana.dahiwal@goldensparrow.com Land record Year

Property Building permission tax revenue collected granted

2007-08

698

`56.80 cr

2008-09

776

`82.90 cr

2009-10

770

`107.32 cr

2010-11

761

`126.47 cr

2011-12

716

`190.24 cr

2012-13

902

`265 cr

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2015

Established in 1854, College of Engineering, Pune (COEP) is one of the oldest engineering college in Asia, after IIT Roorkee (1847). In June 1866, Theodore Cooke was appointed the Principal. He went on to hold the office for 28 years

Where ideas meet and evolve P11

Did Angelina just boost the growth of $1.72 trillion cancer industry?

P14

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

Cop caught pants down!

Sagar Gaikwad, 25, from Mann (Satara district)

“I own a transport firm and learned to drive on my own.

The institute taught me how to tackle emergency situations and avoid road accidents.”

Nilesh Gaikwad, 22, from Satara The Institute of Driving Training and Research at Kasarwadi provides training to drivers of public and private transport vehicles and holds driving tests

Good test drive here is real licence to hit the roads Track of the Institute of Driving Training and Research at Kasarwad is equipped with latest safety standards

BY ARCHANA DAHIWAL @ArchanaDahiwal It is an achievement to get a driver’s licence after clearing the test at Institute of Driving Training and Research (IDTR) at Kasarwadi on Pune-Mumbai highway. The facility started at the centre with Regional Transport Office (RTO) Pune from March 2 is seeing many applicants coming for test again. Citizens have welcomed the automated driving skill evaluation system for issue of driving license at IDTR. Kiran Mane, 20, studying at MIT College and resident of Dighi, failed to K Madhavaraj clear the test in

the first attempt. “I have come to give the test again.

I am happy because getting the licence after passing this test will make me realise the importance of sensible driving.”

Baner resident Rajendra Kiran Mane Panikar, who moved to Pune after working in Middle East for 30 years said, “The driving test here is similar to international standards. I passed in the first attempt.”

The centre also provides training to drivers of public and private transport.

Those who fail to clear the test must reappear after seven days. Only vehicles with dual control are used for the test.

Applicants can take IDTR vehicle or

bring motor school vehicle for which they have to pay Rs 200 and Rs 100 respectively.

A two-day free refresher course, including free medical check-up, is also provided to drivers and 800 drivers from various parts of the state have benefitted from this facility.

The institute plans to start onemonth driving training courses for light and heavy motor vehicle drivers from May. A five-day programme for instructors to help them impart scientific, practical and systematic driver training is also on the cards, said an IDTR official.

THE INSTITUTE Spread across 15-acre in Kasarwadi, IDTR is a joint venture with Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT). It was established by Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to promote road safety with focus on training drivers. It was

inaugurated by Union Minister for Road transport Nitin Gadkari on November 1, 2014.

It is mandatory for everyone to face the Innovative Driving Testing System (IDTS) developed by CIRT at IDTR to get a driver’s licence. The IDTS allows an automatic assessment without any human objection, based on merit. It enables promotion of a corruption-free platform for issuing driving licences and selection of drivers ensuring the quality of the applicant.

The system is helping to provide the facility of audit of driving skill.

K Madhavaraj, Rajendra Panikar head and

She takes her work seriously

TGS Quiz Contest

A

No. 41

nswers to the following 10 questions are embedded in the stories featured in this edition. Send us the correct answers at contest. tgs@gmail.com and be one of the two lucky winners to receive gift coupons.

1. Who has been named the captain of the India’s Under-23 team for the Asian Football Confederation Under-23 Championship?

2. Who has achieved the first norm in the 2nd LIC Grandmasters Open International Chess Tournament?

3. Where is the Museum of Old and New Art located?

4. What is Deepti Kasbekar’s The Mesh about?

DSO Jyoti Kadam has busted 25 illegal LPG rackets in 15 months

BY PRIYANKKA DESHPANDE @journopriyankka Date: March 19, 2015, Time: 11 am, Place: An anganwadi in Moshi Taluka A fivem e m b e r District Supply Department ( D S D ) barged into an anganwadi in Borate basti and found around 1oo illegal domestic Jyoti Kadam gas cylinders stored in a classroom where students were studying.

Non bailable warrant (NBW) was issued against the culprits.

Date: March 3, 2015, Time: 1 pm, Place: Bibvewadi A racket of illegal refilling of twenty

gas cylinders was busted by DSD and action was taken against two gas agencies. The authorities also proposed the Centre to cancel their licence under the Essential Commodity Act 1955.

Date: December 12, 2014, Time: 4 pm, Place: Pimpri-Chinchwad and Indapur During a raid at many restaurants in Pimpri-Chinchwad and Indapur, DSD found the illegal use of domestic gas cylinder for commercial purpose.

Since taking charge of DSD on October 13, 2013, District Supply Officer (DSO) Jyoti Kadam has busted as many as 25 illegal LPG rackets. The officer did not stop at that and impelled the police to issue NBWs against the culprits.

“Soon after taking office, I monitored series of raids covering the entire district. Around 400 domestic cylinders have been seized since 2013,” she said.

Admitting of facing political pressure while doing her duty, Jyoti said, “I never pay much heed to such hindrances.”

She cites the illegal storage of domestic cylinders in the Moshi taluka anganwadi classroom as the grimmest incident so far.

“The three to five-year-olds were sharing the classroom with the stored cylinders,” she said.

Highlighting a trend of gas agencies appointing illegal subdealers, she said, “We raided a subdealer in Wagholi in July last year and found 35 cylinders in his house. He was selling it at `1,000 per cylinder.”

She said that linking bank accounts and Aadhar cards with LPG connections will reduce the illegal use of cylinders. “Almost 90 per cent Aadhar and LPG linkage work is completed before the March 31 deadline,” she said. priyankka.deshpande@goldensparrow.com

5. Name the cop who nabbed nabbed Kasab?

6. What bike does Firdaus Shaikh own?

7. What instrument does Sameep Kulkarni play?

8. What genres of music does Suyog Kundalkar listen to?

9. What is the name of Mrs India Earth?

10. When was first-ever national marathon in the country held?

Contest # 40

winners

Sanjeev Gupta Akanksha Gund

Children sharing an anganwadi classroom with domestic cylinders was the most heartless sight for DSO Jyoti Kadam

PUNE

“Even though I have been driving vehicles for four years, the basic rules about traffic and safety I learnt here.”

Sandeep Khandale, 25, from Vashi

“I am working with a private travel company. I am thankful to my seniors for sending me to this training programme.”

ROAD ACCIDENTS IN STATE YEAR/2011/2012/2013/2014 Fatal/13,057/13,333/12,194/12,861 Severe/9,766/9,136/8,590/9,164 Injured/45,616/43,847/41,104/43,523 faculty of IDTR said, “The tests aims at accessing a candidate’s driving ability and ensuring that in future the candidate will drive the vehicle safely and give due consideration to other road users. IDTR is leading the way towards its goal of road safety.”

As per the data published by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, 13.8 per cent of the total road accidents in the country happened in Maharashtra. One of the important reasons is poor driving skills, said Madhavraj. archana.dahiwal@goldensparrow.com

BY GITESH SHELKE @gitesh_shelke In a major blow to the image of Pune police, a constable attached to Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) has been accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old resident of Pimpri. While the victim’s family has refused to file a complaint, Pune police have initiated suo-moto action against the constable and suspended him pending inquiry.

His identity, however, is being shielded

by Pune police. The incident occurred on Tuesday around 8 pm when the constable attached to FRO had gone to a Pakistani family’s house residing in Pimpri. The Hindu family moved to Pimpri from Pakistan five years ago and has been living on residential permit.

The cop went to their house on the pretext of checking their documents.

After going through the paperwork, the constable asked the victim’s father to get photocopies of the same. Victim’s mother was busy with her errands.

According to the police, once the father left, the constable asked the 13-year-old girl to fetch him a glass of water.

When the girl came back with glass of water from the kitchen, the cop had allegedly unzipped his pants. The victim raised an alarm and mother came to her rescue. The cop allegedly threatened the family that if they ever report the incident, he will file a negative report against them and that they will be sent back to Pakistan. Too scared to react, the family slept over it that night. The next morning father went to FRO and narrated the incident to officials there.

Sanjay Patil, deputy commissioner of police (FRO) when contacted by TGS confirmed the incident and said that the constable was suspended on Thursday evening. “We are conducting an internal inquiry against the constable as the victim’s parents have refused to file an FIR,” Patil said. Surprisingly, the senior police officials who are now aware of the case have not filed an FIR against the cop under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Section 19 of the Act makes it clear that any person who is aware of a sexual offence against a child, must report it and file a complaint immediately. The law is applicable even to commoners and binding on cops. gitesh.shelke@goldensparrow.com

tECH

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2015

PUNE

The first tweet was sent on March 21, 2006

by Jack Dorsey — http://www.buzzfeed.com/

Angola: Two women, opposite fortunes

Students’ deaths could have been avoided

P 13

P 15

Get your voice heard on NetaG Pimpri youth introduces an app that brings citizens and politicians together to redress civic issues

Thanks to the app developed by 26-yearold Krushnaal Pai, the public transport facility at Masulkar Colony ward in Pimpri Chinchwad has been restored in just eight days. The ward has a population of around 8,000 people. Few years ago, Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) had scrapped the 30-year-old bus service between Masulkar Colony and Nigdi, thus causing inconvenience to the residents.

The residents lodged a complaint on NetaG, an app developed by Pai, and in just eight days the PMPML restored the facility. Many such issues have been resolved with NetaG. Pai is a Pimpri-based computer engineer, who has made the effective use of technology to sort out local issues. NetaG is a platform, where politicians, citizens and authority can communicate not only to sort out the civic issues but can also work for the betterment of society.

“I have started my journey from PimpriChinchwad so initially my focus will be on twin town and Pune. Gopal Singh Rawat, a politician from Madhya Pradesh also downloaded the app considering its flexibility,” says Pai. After its launch on December 15, 2014, nearly 300 different issues pertaining to twin-township have been sorted. The app has more than 2,300 users, 120+ politicians of which 10 are elected corporators.

Krushnaal is now trying to enrol more politicians so that they can work for the masses in an effective way.

Driven by the passion for technology, Krushnaal is aspired to establish his own company that can help people with the optimum use of technology. “We are happy to have been able to solve people’s problems by connecting them with their leaders in a

NetaG is a free, location-based smartphone app that connects common man and politicians in an innovative way. The app is currently available on Android, while iOS application is in process. Just visit Google Play Store and search for NetaG. Or download it directly from h t t p s : //p l ay.g o o g l e.co m /sto re / apps/details?id=com.netag To get the detailed specification, you can visit www.netag.info Watch this two-minute video to see how it works - https:// w w w.y o u t u b e . c o m /w a t c h ? v = i4vbuXTksw

Aniruddha Rajandekar

By Archana Dahiwal @ArchanaDahiwal

Know the app

Pune and PCMC, and if everything goes well we’ll branch out in other cities too.”

26-year-old computer engineer Krushnaal Pai explaining NetaG, an app developed by him

safe manner,” says the talented lad. idea that becomes a reality Explaining the idea behind developing NetaG, Krushnaal said, “When I casted my first vote during the ward elections, I was completely clueless about candidates’ work.

At that time smartphones were not very common. After completing my graduation from Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Alandi, I started working for Accenture to gain some work experience. This was when I bought my first smartphone and was impressed with its features like its ability to capture location, pictures and connect seamlessly with the Internet. After I quit Accenture, I started brainstorming to conceive the idea in an app.”

The primary objective of NetaG is to bridge the communication gap between common citizens and politicians. Using NetaG a common man can anonymously

get his issue resolved in a simple, safe and organised manner. Apart from issues, it helps create awareness among citizens about the work done by their politicians. Similarly, it also helps politicians to showcase their work and garner support during elections.

It’s a win-win situation for all.

“It took 2.5 months and Rs 50,000 to build the launch version of the app and one month to build a test prototype. Between the prototype and launch, I had to meet people to know how they deal with politicians to solve their issues,” says Krushnaal, a resident of Ajmera Society, Masulkar Colony, Pimpri. A technofreak, Krushnaal also loves cricket and sketch writing.

Sharing his future plan, Krushnaal says, “My objective is to build an open, transparent and secure network that can help resolve issues, create awareness and help politicians understand people in a better way. Currently, we are concentrating on

Success Stories: Unauthorised Slums Residents of Sukhwadni Residency in Pimpri were facing slum dwellers’ menace for past several years. There was a huge unauthorised slum sprung on barren land opposite their housing society. An anonymous person lodged a complaint on NetaG about the issue. Surprisingly, public representatives and civic authorities swung into action and till date nearly 50 per cent of the slum has been demolished.

Quick response to plaint Kalpana Marathe, a senior citizen from Pimpri, posted a complaint on February 28, about trees that were apparently never pruned for the last 10 years. Those branches blocked sunlight and led to mosquito menace. Within five minutes of posting her plaint, the corporator of her ward approached her to understand the problem.

Marathe was completely overwhelmed with this experience. archana.dahiwal@goldensparrow.com

A fullproof system for citizens and their representatives • Be Anonymous: To make NetaG a safer place for the public, by default, the profile of the public is kept anonymous, which means nobody can find out who you are, what you do or where you live.

• Check progress: The politicians will keep you updated about their progress via chat or photo proof.

• Track the process: ‘Notified’ - Politician received

notification for the issue.

‘Work In Progress’ - Politician has started working on the issue.

‘Marked Resolved’ - Politician has finished working on an issue and is waiting for issue owner’s review.

‘Resolution Approved’ - Issue owner is happy and has approved the politicians’ resolution.

• Know your politicians:

US President praises IndianAmerican kids

See all the politicians(active & aspiring) in your ward and checkout their profile, which party they belong to, their contact info and what they aspire to be (e.g. local corporator, MLA, MP).

• Stay updated with politicians’ daily activities: Receive activity updates of your nearby politicians in real-time. Check out the issues they have resolved and other welfare

activities they have done.

• Support your favorite politician: If you like a politician’s work you can support him/her anonymously by clicking the ‘Support’ button (handshake symbol). .

• Chat with ‘politicians’ on your issue anonymously: One of the most useful features in NetaG is ‘Open Discussion’.

It is a chat feature where the ‘Issue Owner’(Anonymous) and

Could wearable computers be as harmful as cigarettes?

By Arun Kumar Washington: President Barack Obama praised the work of young Indian-Americans as he exhorted budding American scientists to “keep exploring...keep dreaming” and use the power of their ideas to change the world. “Keep asking why. Don’t settle for what you already know,” he said as he welcomed young scientists and engineers from across the country to showcase their inventions, robots, and discoveries at the 2015 White House Science Fair Monday.

“Never stop believing in the power of your ideas, your imagination, your hard work to change the world,” said Obama after personally viewing 12 of the exhibits by more than 100 students from 30 states. “So Nikhil Behari is here from Pennsylvania,” he said calling out the winner of a second place award in Technology at the 2014 Broadcom MASTERS national finals.

“He’s a freshman -- right? -- in high school, interested in how we can better protect ourselves against hackers and data thieves online. So scientists are already using biometrics to prove that each of us walk in our own distinct ways. “And Nikhil wondered, what if we each type in a distinct ways?

So he collected all kinds of data about how a person types -- their speed, how often they pause, how much pressure they use; built a special keyboard to test it.

“It will be Nikhil. Congratulations,” he added amid applause. And “Anvita Gupta -- where’s Anvita? There she is,” Obama said amid applause, “used artificial intelligence and biochemistry to identify potential treatments for cancer, tuberculosis, Ebola.” As part of the Fair, Obama announced over $240 million in new private-sector commitments to inspire and prepare more girls and boys - especially those from underrepresented groups - to excel in the STEM fields.

With the commitments made Monday, Obama’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign has resulted in over $1 billion in financial and in-kind support for STEM programmes.

all the ‘Politicians’ working on that issue can openly discuss, ask questions or clarify doubts regarding the issue. This forum is visible to everyone.

• Photo Proof: Politician’s who resolve the issue can take pictures of the resolved situation and attach it to their ‘Resolution’. This makes it convenient for the ‘Issue Owner’ to know that their problem has been resolved.

By NICK BILTON In 1946, a new advertising campaign appeared in magazines with a picture of a doctor in a lab coat holding a cigarette and the slogan, “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.” No, this wasn’t a spoof. Back then, doctors were not aware that smoking could cause cancer, heart disease and lung disease.

In a similar vein, some researchers and consumers are now asking whether wearable computers will be considered harmful in several decades’ time.

We have long suspected that cellphones, which give off low levels of radiation, could lead to brain tumors, cancer, disturbed blood rhythms and other health problems if held too close to the body for extended periods.

Yet here we are in 2015, with

companies like Apple and Samsung encouraging us to buy gadgets that we should attach to our bodies all day long.

While there is no definitive research on the health effects of wearable computers (the Apple Watch isn’t even on store shelves yet), we can hypothesize a bit from existing research on cellphone radiation. The most definitive and arguably unbiased results in this area come from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a panel within the World Health Organisation that consisted of 31 scientists from 14 countries. After dissecting dozens of peer-reviewed studies on cellphone safety, the panel concluded in 2011 that cellphones were “possibly carcinogenic” and that the devices could be as harmful as certain dry-cleaning chemicals and pesticides. The WHO panel concluded

that the farther away a device is from one’s head, the less harmful - so texting or surfing the Web will not be as dangerous as making calls, with a cellphone close to the brain. (This is why there were serious concerns about Google Glass when it was first announced and why we’ve been told to use hands-free devices when talking on cellphones.)

A longitudinal study conducted by a group of European researchers and led by Dr Lennart Hardell, a professor of oncology and cancer epidemiology at Orebro University Hospital in Sweden, concluded that talking on a mobile or cordless phone for extended periods could triple the risk of a certain kind of brain cancer.

While researchers debate about how harmful cellphones and wearable computers actually are, most agree that children should exercise caution.

In an email, Hardell sent me research illustrating that a child’s skull is thinner and smaller than an adult’s, which means that children’s brain tissues are more exposed to certain types of radiation, specifically the kind that emanates from a cellphone.

That being said, when it comes to wearable computers, I’ll still buy the Apple Watch, but I won’t let it go anywhere near my head. And I definitely won’t let any children I know play with it for extended periods of time. © 2015 New York Times News Service

APP WORLD

Top mobile photo editing tools Handy Photo adva-soft.com iOS/Android: `190/183 Here’s something you don’t see everyday on a mobile app. Handy Photo allows you to do some incredible things like removing elements from a photo, or selecting and moving them to a different location. It even allows you to “uncrop” a photo, filling in detail where previously there was none. It won’t work too well in complicated scenes, but if you’re missing a stretch of grass, or water in a scene, you can add it back. Of course, there’s the usual filters and touch-up tools. Handy Photo is well worth the price of admission.

AfterFocus iOS/Android: `60/Free The one thing you almost never get in mobile photography is depth of field that nice effect where things that are not in focus are blurred, highlighting the subject. This is for various technical reasons known to photographers, but too involved to get into here. AfterFocus allows you to selectively recreate this effect with your own photos. You can specify what areas are in the foreground and background by drawing on the picture, and the software does the rest. There’s a paid pro version that allows higher resolution output as well.

Enlight

enlightapp.com iOS: `250 There’s an endless barrage of photo filter and camera apps for iOS, but Enlighten is one that you might keep around long after you’ve deleted the others off your home screen. For starters, it does a bunch of things you’d keep other apps around for. Text labels?

Available. Adjust curves? Of course. Filters? How could it not. It’s particularly fast on a modern device like an iPhone 6, and allows you to do crazy stuff like reshaping parts of an image, the sort of stuff you’d resort to a desktop PC and photoshop for.

Enlighten isn’t for everyone. There’s a lot to take in, but as a Swiss Army Knife of photo editing apps, it’s hard to beat.

SKRWT skrwt.com iOS: `120 Another brilliant, if unconventional photo editing app. It doesn’t focus on the superfluous - there are no filters to be had. What SKRWT does is make it very easy, and accurate to correct lens distortions, straighten photos and adjust perspective. The controls are simply, but not gimmicky, and allow a fine level of control on how your photo turns out.

In fact, I find myself using SKRWT even for the simplest straightening duties, because it’s so accurate. Just check out the hashtag #allhailsymmetry on Twitter to get a sense of what’s possible.

Layout from Instagram iOS: Free Sometimes you want to put more than one photo into a composition. You’d think that’s an easy ask for an iOS device, but apparently not. You need an app. Try searching the App Store for a collage maker or some such, and you’re flooded with apps. Which one is best, should you pay for it? Thanks to Instagram this past week, you don’t have to. Layout is a very simple, quick way of making picture collages with minimal fuss. Just pick the photos you like and the app shows you a bunch of collage options. Choose the one you want and save/share as you will.

It’s a use case I’ve come up against a surprising amount of times, and Layout finally ends the confusion. Just use this.

Snapseed iOS/Android: Free Snapseed is actually a Google product, and often missed in favour of better-known tools.

It’s a very powerful image editor, and while it doesn’t allow advanced editing like moving elements, the filters and effects it is capable of are worth a download. The interface uses vertical and horizontal swipes for most actions and it’s really quick to use. Pro tip: use the drama filter on pretty much anything and be amazed. It’s also possible to selectively apply effects on parts of an image, which is also useful. Snapseed is a free download, but you may not even need it. Android often has a built-in “Photos” app that does much of the same stuff.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2015

PUNE

Grandchildren sue the complete man Dr Vijaypat Singhania’s grandchildren from his estranged son Madhupati have moved Bombay High Court seeking their share in ancestral property. They have filed a suit against their grandfather, father, mother and Raymond Limited

By BAPU deedwania & Yogesh Sadhwani @yogeshsadhwani In 1998, Dr Vijaypat Singhania and his elder son Madhupati decided to part ways. Back then, the 40-yearold decided to move out of their family home in Mumbai and settle in Singapore with his wife Anuradha and four children – Ananya, Rasaalika, Tarini and Raivathari. While parting ways, the couple signed an agreement with Singhania senior giving up their share in family wealth. Not stopping at that, the couple also gave up the share of their minor children.

Seventeen years later, now that the children have grown up, they have filed a suit in Bombay High Court challenging the agreement signed on December 30, 1998. Ananya (29), Rasaalika (26), Tarini (20) and Raivathari (18) have made their grandfather Dr Vijaypat Singhania, father Madhupati, mother Anuradha and Raymond Ltd party in the case. The case will come up for hearing before Justice Gautam S Patel on Monday, March 30. At stake is their share worth billions of rupees in ancestral wealth. Net worth of Raymond Limited alone was `1680 crores in the financial year 2012-13.

The battle between four junior Singhanias and the three seniors revolves around the agreement, which came to be formally known as Family Arrangement (FA) signed in 1998.

Papers perused by TGS show that the FA was signed on their behalf by their father Madhupati, as a natural guardian.

The children’s case is that through the FA their parents not only gave up their own share in the joint family property in the form of shares, movable and immovable property, but also gave up the share that belonged to four of them when they were minors. When all of them turned major, they chose not to ratify their father’s decision for them and, in January 2015, moved court. The siblings want the FA cancelled.

Disclosure of Financial Agreement In the suit, the four siblings have stated that till October 2014 they were not aware of the ‘status of any of their ancestral or individual properties.’

In the same month, Raivathari, Dr Singhania’s only grandson, turned 18.

The suit states that at this juncture, their father Madhupati informed them about

the differences and disputes between him and his father. He also informed them about the existence of the FA and told them that he did not disclose this earlier ‘as he desired that Raivathari should attain majority (18 years of age) and complete his education before disclosing any of this’ since ‘he felt that such a disclosure would adversely affect all of them.’

The suit spells categorically, ‘A mere look at the said FA will show that though the document is titled FA, in fact there is no settlement and what Defendant no 1 and 2 (Madhupati and Anuradha) have done is to gift away properties including shares in which the plaintiffs (four siblings) had interest.’

Rude Shock for them Ananya amongst the much earlier, for all these

and Rasaalika, who four attained majority have told the court that years they were under

The four Singhania siblings who have joined hands and taken on their grandfather, father and mother

Father struggled to make ends meet, uncle owned yachts and private jets Claiming their right to ancestral property, Dr Singhania’s grandchildren

‘The Financial Agreement is nothing but a forcible relinquishment deed wherein our parents have been compelled to give up everything’ the impression that their father and grandfather do not get along and hence they live separately. ‘The plaintiffs (children) were not aware that all their properties, rights and legacy have been relinquished in this manner… The plaintiffs are utterly shocked by the manner in which the properties have been gifted away by their parents in favour of Dr Singhania during their minority,’ the suit states. It is for this reason that they decided to challenge the FA and have now appointed Devkumar Aggarwal, their maternal grandfather, as their constituted attorney.

In the suit, the four siblings have mentioned that they were very young and Raivathari was merely a two-yearold when the FA was signed. ‘The sudden change in lifestyle at home, school and relocating was very hard on the family, which put them through a lot of emotional distress and financial hardships, which cannot be narrated in words, they grew up in an atmosphere of sadness as their father never really recovered from the shock,’ state the four.

mention that while their father struggled to make ends meet and provide basic amenities to them, his younger brother, Gautamhari (Gautam Singhania) and his family led a luxurious life ‘with fancy cars, private jets, yachts and expensive holidays.’

While Gautam Singhania ‘in a span of 14 years as CMD of Raymond Limited has built a personal net worth of `1.4 billion, Madhupati belonging to the same family was struggling to settle down in a new country, educate his children and make a new life,’ mentions the suit.

Why did father and son enter into FA The FA was signed on account of discord between Madhupati and Dr Singhania for over three years before 1998, the suit states. The reason for this was the difference in management styles of the son and father. The main objective of the FA was to ‘avoid adverse effect on family peace, harmony and prestige.’

According to the case it was decided that Madhupati and his family would emigrate and lead an independent life

after transferring everything, including the minor plaintiffs’ (all four children) properties to Dr Singhania. The only consideration, in favour of Madhupati, was that Dr Singhania assured reasonable help and support ‘without any economic interest.’

FA favourable only to Dr Singhania and Gautam ‘The so called peace, harmony and prestige was only meant for defendant no 3 (Dr Singhania) and his son Gautam.

The plaintiffs and the defendant no 1 and 2 (Madhupati and Anuradha) were treated with utmost discrimination and gross injustice and against the traditions of the Singhania family. Till date, not even a single person from such a large family has been ousted by the head of his own family,’ the suit states.

It’s not FA, but a forcible relinquishment The four grandchildren have said, in their case before HC, that the FA is nothing but a forcible relinquishment deed wherein their parents have been compelled to give up everything they owned other than a few assets, which they retained under such an arrangement.

Their parents were forced to gift valuable properties in the form of shares of Raymond Limited and immovable properties all of which were also grossly undervalued at the time. They were also forced to give up each and every share holding in all the family businesses.

Our right in the ancestral property cannot be taken away The siblings say that the FA is prima facie illegal. In their case, they have

Dr Singhania & his family

Singhania family tree

In 1980, Dr Singhania was appointed as the CEO of Raymond Ltd. He has two sons Madhupati, Gautamhari and a daughter Shephali. Madhupati married Anuradha, and Gautam got married to Nawaaz.

Madhupati has four childrenAnanya, Rasaalika, Tarini and Revathari while Gautam has two daughters Niharika and Nisa.

stated that their father and mother could not have given away any property in which the four of them had acquired right by birth. As per Hindu Law, they are members of a Hindu joint family and, as such, they have a right in the ancestral property by birth. Hence, the decision taken by their parents to give away their right is not binding on them.

In fact, they go on to state that even their grandfather had no right to sell, or give away, their rights in movable and immovable properties while they were minors and hence any such sale, transfer, or any other gift made during that time should be declared void by the court.

Intentions of Dr Singhania malafide, acted arbitrarily

The Singhania family started their business journey in 1918 by father-son duo of Lala Juggilal and Late Lala Kamlapat Singhania.

Kamlapat Singhania created history by setting up the first cotton mill in Northern India called JK Cotton & Spinning Mill in 1921.

During his lifetime he acquired several assets and properties from the income of the joint family business. The business was carried out in the name of ‘Juggilal Kamlapat” which later became the famous JK group.

Kamlapat Singhania had three sons- Padmapat, Kailashpat and Laxmipat. After the death of Kamlapat Singhania, three of them became instrumental in providing strong foundation to the family business in three different cities viz Kanpur, Kolkatta and Mumbai.

Mumbai was led by Kailashpat, Kolkatta by Padmapat and Kanpur

by Laxmipat.

They continued with the joint status of the business under a partnership firm called M/s Juggilal Kamlapat Bankers (M/s JK Bank-

ers). With the funds of JK bankers the Mumbai branch acquired ‘Raymond Wollen Mill’ from Sassons a wealthy business family. The three brothers had equal share holding in this mill.

In 1925 the brothers formed a company called - The Raymond Wollen Mills Limited and within a few years from being an Indian Textile Company it became a global conglomerate. On March 31,1995 the company changed its name to The Raymond Ltd.

The suit states, ‘Unquestionably, Madhupati, Anuradha and Dr Singhania jeopardised and infringed their legal rights… They were legally and morally responsible to protect the interest of the plaintiffs (children) as they were minors at the time of executing the said deed (FA).’

They have asked the court to direct Dr Singhania and Raymond Limited to disclose the present status of all the assets on oath that were initially in their name and eventually gifted, or given away, by their parents under the FA. The siblings have said that their father informed them that when the FA was signed, both their mother and he were made to sign a number of documents, the copies of which were not provided to them; and hence they are unable to ascertain all their shares and interest in the joint family property conclusively.

Settled Law

‘Madhupati and Anuradha were treated with utmost discrimination and gross injustice and against the traditions of the Singhania family’

The suit mentions that the intentions of Dr Singhania were ‘malafide and illegal’ with a motive to grab the share of Madhupati and Anuradha as well as grandchildren and to achieve the same he also directed that his son and daughter-in-law move to another country ‘instead of continuing to stay in India with the family.’

‘Madhupati was forced and coerced by Dr Singhania taking undue advantage of his dominant position by virtue of the fact that he controlled all the companies and the affairs at home too,’ the suit mentions. It also states that the FA finally resulted in Dr Singhania ‘grabbing their genuine and lawful ancestral shares in the family property.’

The siblings allege that even ancestral jewelry was of considerable value, however, it was grossly undervalued, at `34.17 lakhs, in the FA. They have asked that Dr Singhania be directed to furnish a list of ancestral jewelry so that its true value can be ascertained. They further allege that Dr Singhania acted in an ‘arbitrary manner’. The suit says that the shares and properties belonging to them were forcibly purchased at book value and a 20-acre property in Madhya Pradesh

Financial Agreement

Singhania family history

was valued at just `1.31 lakhs. ‘This very clearly shows the arbitrariness of Dr Singhania in deciding everything in the manner and at price he chose.’

Our parents and grandfather infringed our rights

The FA was entered into because of the discord between Dr Singhania and Madhupati and the difference in their management styles. The fundamental purpose of the arrangement to which all of them agreed was that Madhupati and his family would completely severe their economic ties with Dr Singhania and other family members.

Madhupati and Anuradha decided to completely disassociate themselves and their family from the economic activities of the group headed by Dr Singhania in India and abroad. Dr Singhania agreed that he may, if approached by his son, provide moral and social support to strengthen his social position in Singapore, the country Madhupati decided to settle in.

Madhupati and Anuradha while accepting Dr Singhania’s offer declined any monetary or economic help. Madhupati and family decided that they will transfer all their assets and properties in such groups to Dr Singhania or any person nominated by him. The couple decided to retain certain assets including some flats for themselves to take care of their occasional visits in India.

The assets owned by their children were also listed in the FA. These assets were to be sold or transferred to persons nominated by Dr Singhania at market value and the amount that came from such sale or transfer was to be deposited in the bank accounts held in the name of his respective children.

The suit also states that it is a wellsettled law that the natural guardian of the property of a Hindu minor must compulsorily seek the permission of the court before dispossessing any properties of the minor, which was not done in this case.

Protect our rights, we are Singhanias too The suit states that Dr Singhania was the son of the founder member and not the founder himself of the group. ‘He also inherited everything by virtue of being a Singhania.’ Similarly, Madhupati and Anuradha too have inheritance rights in the ancestral property and thus being their children even they have a right as well. ‘The plaintiffs (children) have also inherited this legacy by birth and it could not have been taken away in the manner that it was chosen to,’ the suit states.

They have sought that ‘defendants no 1 to 4 (Madhupati, Anuradha, Dr Singhania and Raymond Limited) be directed by the court to not deal in any manner with any property pertaining to their share or assets as mentioned in the FA of 1998.’

Maternal grandfather is their constituted attorney The matter will come up for hearing before Justice Gautam S Patel on March 30, 2015. The suit has been filed by advocate Sharmila Deshmukh for the four children. A copy has been served to all parties, including the parents and grandfather. The siblings have appointed their maternal grandfather Devkumar Aggarwal as their constituted attorney.. bapu.deedwania@goldensparrow.com & yogesh@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2015

1

Nande-Chande Road

Pics ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY

PUNE

MARCH 28, 2015

What a mess!

Precious man hours are lost every day at Hinjewadi just because planners forgot to make more entry and exit points. Over a decade after Hinjewadi was planned to house country’s best IT firms and talent, planners have finally woken up to the plight of citizens. They have planned five alternative roads. But the authorities are in no hurry to complete them

BY Gitesh Shelke @gitesh_shelke

This is a 10 metre wide road which would have been a boon for those residing in PCMC’s jurisdiction. But the two lane road, and on some stretches even narrower, is nothing short of a nightmare. During meetings between

heads of various government agencies involved, it was decided to widen the road to 18 metres. Months later, work on this hasn’t started, due to hurdles in land acquisition.

This is an existing road, if it can be called one. The narrow road has potholes all along. Starting from Mezza9 restaurant, it leads to Marunji junction and then turns onto Bhumkar Chowk. A 500 metre stretch between Mezza9 and Marunji can be barely used because it has craters all over. Similarly, another 500 metre stretch between Marunji and Bhumkar is in pathetic state.

Street lights are a luxury that motorists using the road have never enjoyed. During the day, motorists somehow muster courage to use this route. But after dark, the road

is seldom used.

All the authorities need to do is repair the two stretches which are in pathetic state. While one stretch falls under state Public Works Department and the other is in the jurisdiction of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. This is one of the roads that have been extensively discussed by the authorities and work has just about begun. But the pace at which it is progressing, it will be a while before motorists will be able to use it.

This is another entry and exit point for those working in Hinjewadi which if and when completed will turn out to be a boon. Connecting Marunji to Emcure Pharma in Hinjewadi, the road as of today is barely 10 metres wide. There is very little tar left on this road. It works better as a racing track for four-wheel vehicles than one for office cars. As per plan, this road is to be widened to 24 metres. Work is yet to begin on this stretch.

Some shopkeepers and house owners who have their establishments on the road bank are opposing the road widening project. Some of them have already file their suits in the court.

Already, the section of the road under the PCMC jurisdiction has been widened however, work on the section under PWD purview is yet to begin.

Shirish Poredi, spokesperson of engineering department, PCMC “PCMC is battling with locals over acquisition in most places. The roads leading to Hinjewadi from Tathawade and Katraj – Dehu road bypass sections are stalled due to land disputes. However, we are widening the road leading to Mezza9 Chowk from Mhalunge village. We are ready to construct roads in the village jurisdictions also, but their support is essential. Moreover, work is not gaining speed as owners of some of the unauthorised structures coming in the way have moved court.”

This road requires immediate widening

Phase2 Chande

“There are several authorities involved in road construction activities around Hinjewadi IT Park - MIDC, state PWD, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporations. Our prime concern is entry and exit points. Last week, we had a meeting at the district collector’s office and it seems that only the PWD is lagging behind in the road works. The road works will speed up only if PWD hands over the roads in its jurisdiction to the PCMC and other agencies.

At the same time, we are pushing for the Balewadi – Hinjewadi road which involves construction of a bridge over Mula River. It will take care of 90 per cent of the Hinjewadi IT Park’s traffic woes.”

Maan

5

Nande

Marunji

Phase1 Mezza9 Chowk

3

Shivaji Chowk

1 4

Rd.

Shivaji Chowk – Bhumkar Chowk 2

Mezza9 – Marunji Junction – Bhumkar Chowk 3

EmcureMarunji 5

Authority Speak

Sunil Pailwan, public relations officer, Hinjewadi Industry Association (HIA)

Sus

planners and they decided to widen the existing road.

Moreover, the 2,300 metre patch, which was the missing link between two ends, was to be filled with several truckloads of debris, levelled and constructed afresh.

As of today, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has started work on the road but it will be a while before it starts taking shape. The filling and resurfacing of missing link is progressing at snail’s pace.

those working in Hinjewadi have now written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. IT professionals have initiated campaigns on Twitter and on ground, urging chief minister to take immediate steps. That hasn’t yielded any results either.

For now, those working in Hinjewadi, have three roads to access their workplace, at least on paper. The most commonly used road is Wakad - Shivaji Chowk, which has a narrow mindlessly designed flyover to get to the other side. Then there are Shivaji Chowk - Bhumkar Chowk (1.8km) and Mezza9 Chowk - Marunji Phata Bhumkar Chowk (2.5km) roads. The two roads are in deplorable condition. Not only are they narrow but barely usable as they have not been repaired in a while.

Spread over 684 acres, mere one fourth potential of Hinjewadi has been exploited till date. Of eight phases, only three phases are partially developed. In days to come as more companies set up their base, infrastructure experts dread to imagine what the chaos would be like then.

TGS team went around Hinjewadi to take a look at status of the five alternative roads planned only to come back stunned.

Phase3

Mula River

Over 3.5 lakh citizens go in and get out of Hinjewadi every day. Their only way to reach what most call hell in Pune, all thanks to mayhem on roads, is over or under the Hinjewadi flyover. Traffic snarls during peak hours, at times even post midnight, are a common sight here, courtesy city planners who just didn’t care to think hard enough. Over a decade after the IT Park was carved out of farmlands, planners have finally woken up to the plight of those working in Hinjewadi and come up with five alternative roads other than the existing one. Sounds great!

But when it comes to executing works on these five roads, the babus are taking their own sweet time.

Barring one, none of the others will get done in near future. This is despite former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Member of Parliament Supriya Sule holding several meetings with bureaucrats and engineers of various government agencies involved. Sick and tired of lackadaisical approach of the government servants,

This has been on the priority list of all the agencies concerned. Passing via Nande and Chande villages, this road, if and when developed, will lead straight to Sus. The 13-km project involves widening of existing road.

Barring a 2,300 metre patch in between, the road is in place. As of today it is narrow and is potholed. Those residing in Pashan and neighbouring areas will greatly benefit from the road.

Last year the road was extensively discussed by the

PUNE

Mhalunge

NH 4

2 Hinjewadi village

6 Balewadi sports complex

Bhumkar Chowk

NH 4

Katraj – Dehu Road Flyover

Wakad flyover

Balewadi – Hinjewadi

This would be a dream come true for those working in Hinjewadi. It would not only be a convenient route but also the shortest one. It will save at least four kms of drive for IT professionals working in Hinjewadi. A major part of the road in its crudest form exists today.

From NH4 or Balewadi to Mhalunge village, the road

chaos by travelling on the wrong side

6

Balewadi

4

Even the software engineers from the IT park add to the

is in place. On the end, a major stretch of the road from Hinjewadi is in place. All that is missing is a bridge over Mula River. The bridge is part of the plan to ease chaos at Hinjewadi. No one knows though as to when will this dream come true.

Work on this flyover is going on in full swing. This is the only solution that might end up working out in the next few months. Plan is simple – once the flyover is ready, traffic from Hinjewadi wanting to go to PCMC limits or Katraj side, will be diverted from under this flyover.

Motorists will not be allowed to take the Hinjewadi flyover and then take a U-turn to get onto the highway.

If authorities are to be believed, the flyover will address the traffic problem in a very small way.

Sudhir Nage, executive engineer of the Maharashtra Industries Development Corporation (MIDC) “The internal roads have been developed properly.

However, our concern is the entry and exit roads.

Right now, there are only two entry and exit points but one of them is a narrow road. The new road at Vinode Vasti is almost ready. However, some land acquisition issues are pending and owing to this, the entire road cannot be used by the motorists. It will be resolved soon.

Secondly, we are repairing of the Nande-Chande Road. It will take care of 30 per cent of the traffic flow. It should be ready by May-end. Land acquisition is in progress for the Balewadi – Hinjewadi IT park road. We have already floated a tender to construct a bridge across the Mula river.

The work will soon take off.”

The Vinode Vasti road is ready but cant be used owing to land disputes

Sarang Awad, deputy commissioner of police (Traffic)

Twitteratti Speak @adityakaole: @Dev_Fadnavis Sir, Please visit Hinjewadi in evening to see the #HinjewadiMess yourself.. Need immediate attention.. #traffic @jaywantdesh: Hinjewadi roads see half billion $ of wasted man hours in traffic every year @rahulwane: The traffic at Hinjewadi is seriously frustrating & hampers productivity at work significantly. Come together. @arpitr09: Things u can do while travelling to your Hinjewadi ofc everyday 1 Watch 2 movies 2 Read a full novel 3 Complete a TV series #HinjewadiMess @BJP_ITCELL_Maha: Written an email to @ HinjeindAssoc but it seems Association members

are sleeping on #HinjewadiTraffic issue no response @olakkengal: People driving wrong side of the road especially in #Hinjewadi is truly appalling, so called education is complete hogwash @Vishalbabu1 When will be Hinjewadi IT Park, Pune free from Traffic Mess? @devendradesh Hinjewadi IT Park Traffic Mess, Huge loss of Precious Person Hours @KSR_I_AM: Why did chicken cross the road? Well, it couldn’t. beta!!! hinjewadi ka traffic tha @sachingulhaneTime taken from Infosys circle to shivaji chowk -28 mins. Distance -1 km..are you kidding ? @talllika: Covered Hinjewadi Phase 1 to Kondhwa in 35 mins today. Felt like my first plane journey after always traveling by train! #Pune #traffic

“The situation becomes chaotic during peak hours.

We are using the Hinjewadi flyover effectively to avoid the traffic snarls and are also using the space available beneath the bridge to ease out the traffic.

We even tried convincing IT companies to stagger in and out timings of their staff but it wasn’t a feasible option for them. Technically there is only one proper exit-entry road. We have requested PMC, MIDC, PCMC and local gram panchayats to act in tandem to arrive at a solution.

Our concern is that the government is planning to open up more phases in the IT Park which will only add to the traffic flow in and out. If nothing is done soon enough, situation will only worsen.”

This subway will be ready by the first week of April and traffic will be diverted from it

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2015

PUNE

“I would like to request the authorities to ensure that justice is done. The sisters have forgiven but justice needs to be made visible and such acts should not continue” — Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, Head, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India

WE ARE UNITED!

Participation of all faiths in the peace rally organised to support the rights of minorities underlines the country’s secular fabric

LPG consumers get an insurance cover!

P14

The times when Tamil weddings were social events

Velaiya’s collection of invitation cards throw up an insight into changing cultural practices in Tamil weddings

BY TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly The peace rally organised on Tuesday

by Christian community to support the rights of minority communities in India and protest the gang-rape of a 71-year-old nun in West Bengal saw people from all religions marching together, in unity, seeking justice.

The rally, attended by around 25,000-30,000 people with some coming from as far as Talegaon and Lonavla, commenced from Saint Felix School on Boat Club Road in Bund Garden at 9.30 am and ended at Council Hall by 11 am.

Before flagging off the rally from the school’s playground, Pune Bishop Thomas Dabre reminded the gathering to carry out the procession in a peaceful manner, as peace and love is the most powerful weapon to seek justice.

The presence of politicians Vandana Chavan, Ramesh Bagwe, Balasaheb Shivarkar, Abhay Chhajed

and Vinod Mathurawala, former Test attend the rally, teachers, boys and stalwart Chandu Borde, hockey icon girls in school uniform turned up in Dhanraj Pillay, professional Indian large numbers. shooter Anjali Bhagwat, educationist “The Christians have been running PA Inamdar, activist Kiran Moghe schools and colleges all over India for and All India Humanity many years. If they were Association general into conversion then their secretary Anees Chisthi at percentage would have been the gathering completed more than 2.5% of India’s the United India picture. population.

Why this City-based activist ‘Ghar wapasi’ when India group Lokayat sang noted is already my home, my poet Javed Akhtar’s ‘Is country?” said Augustine mulk mein hai awazen do, Xavier, 45, residing at ek hamari ek hai unki...’ at Kondhwa. the beginning of the rally.

Speaking to the All the faithful walked Siyon Auchite gathering after submitting the 2 kms singing hymns, a memorandum to Pune saying prayers and sort of District Collector Sourabh enjoying the march under the March Rao, Pune Bishop Thomas Dabre said, sun. One could see fathers with “I am an Indian fi rst. India is my fi rst sleeping babies on shoulders, and priority. We are forgetting the secular mothers holding the hands of their approach of the Indian Constitution.

7-8 olds wearing caps. As most of the Attacking minority groups and Christian educational institutions had vandalising their houses of worship is given permission to their students to a direct attack on the constitutional

rights of the citizens. We demand that the Modi government ensure that the culprits be punished.”

Vicar General Father Malcolm Sequeira said, “We are all one and if we stay united nobody can do any harm to us.”

“These unfortunate incidents have shaken our faith in the secular fabric of the nation,” said Fr Andrew Rathod of the Church of North India.

Seven-year-old Siyon Auchite, who completed the rally along with his mother, said, “My mother asked me to join the rally and I loved walking with her.”

Deven Sequeira, 42, working at global fi rm providing equipment solutions in chemical industry DresserRand India Pvt Ltd, said that even his Muslim colleague plans to take out a secular peace rally.

The peace rally ended with the gathering singing the national anthem in front of Council Hall. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Two Bangladeshis held for Bengal nun gang-rape In their fi rst major breakthrough, West Bengal Police arrested two Bangladeshi nationals in connection with the sensational gang-rape of a nun inside a convent in Ranaghat, an officer said. These are the fi rst arrests in the case and came 12 days after the crime that sparked revulsion in India and beyond.

A Criminal Investigation Department (CID) team of the state

police nabbed a Bangladeshi man, Mohammed Salim Sheikh, from a Mumbai slum in the early hours with the help of the Mumbai Crime Branch.

CID Deputy Inspector General, Dilip Kumar Adak told that another man, Gopal Sarkar has been arrested from Habra in North 24-Parganas district for harbouring the gang of bandits who committed the crime

inside the convent.

The 71-year-old sister superior of the Convent of Jesus and Mary was brutalised on March 14 by the dacoits in Nadia disrtict’s Ranaghat area, some 80 km from here.

Following a tip-off, a team of CID officers, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Pinaki Ranjan Das, went to Mumbai.

They caught Sheikh from a house in

Pilkhana Street of Mahila Mahal Jhoparpatty (slum) in south Mumbai.

Adak said acting on another piece of information, a CID team led by DSP Anik Sarkar picked up Gopal Sarkar from Habra and arrested him after sustained grilling. Gopal Sarkar, who had allegedly sheltered the gang of bandits before they committed the crime, came to India illegally from Bangladesh in 2002.

At a time when families of both brides Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and bridegrooms leave everything to Many cards in the 1940s and 1950s contractors and leisurely arrive at the carried photographs of Hindu gods marriage hall just a few hours before and goddesses, showing how deeply the event, Velaiya’s collection is a religious people were in that era. throwback to the days when weddings From 1955, the conventional Tamil were social events, organised jointly wedding invitations were in yellow and by families, relatives and the entire pink - a style preserved even now. The village. marriage venues began to increasingly A unique collection of invitation shift to wedding halls and hotels from cards for mostly Hindu weddings from the 1970s and 1980s. the early 1940s unveils a fascinating “Marriages some decades ago had story of how Tamil society none of the vulgar display evolved over six long of wealth we see today,” decades.

Karthikeyan explained.

The cards show how “Now people go out of their marriages were once way to make them more mostly simple social events, pompous than necessary.” conducted mostly at the A majority of the bride’s home or at a temple. invitations in the collection The invitations were related to Velaiya’s printed barely a week or so Thondaimandala Mudaliar before the event. Th is is in community whose members, Late M Velaiya contrast to the lavish like Brahmins, were an and ostentatious affairs educated lot. weddings now are.

Velaiya’s own The collection was invitation card - he got the brainchild of the married on September late M. Velaiya, who 9, 1945 - is part of worked for the Railway the collection. Velaiya Mail Service and who passed away in 2010 in had made it a point to Chennai. carefully preserve every “My father would wedding invitation he preserve every invitation got from 1943 to 2000. he got. Once he had Each of the 475 accumulated a few, cards has been neatly he would put them - V Karthikeyan pasted on brown paper in his album,” said and carefully bound in Karthikeyan, his own wedding invitation four volumes.

“Th is collection figuring in one of the bound was my father’s volumes. passion,” V T h e Karthikeyan, a collection has retired central proved to be government a major hit official said. “I in Velaiya’s doubt if there is community. another collection “Sometimes like this in India.” friends who have Most cards in the early 1940s lost their own were a simple one-page affair, mainly wedding invitation cards but find it because of the paper shortage caused with us beg for it,” Karthikeyan said.

by World War II. They were mostly in “As far as possible, I tell people, Tamil. out of respect for my father, to let the By the mid-1940s, Velaiya began card be in the collection. But they can getting bilingual cards - in Tamil and scan it.”

English. From the late 1950s, with the Why did Velaiya stop collecting advent of Dravidian parties in the then the invitations from 2000?

Madras state, the Tamil language in Karthikeyan has a simple answer: the cards began to shed its Sanskrit “That was the year when my daughter influence. got married. The card I got printed The fi rst invitation Velaiya received for her was costly, and oversized for printed exclusively in English was his album.”That was not to his liking. of a September 11, 1972, wedding From that day, he never preserved any involving a groom who worked for the other wedding invitation.”

IANS

“My father would preserve every invitation he got”

Puneites hail SC’s decision to strike down Section 66A

BY TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly From those making news to those reading it, everyone welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Expanding the contours of free speech to the Internet, the apex court’s Manoj Oswal l a nd m a rk jud g me nt on Tuesday struck down the much abused Section 66A of the Information Technology (IT) Act which authorised police to arrest people for social media posts construed ‘offensive’ or ‘menacing’.

Calling it ‘open-ended and unconstitutionally vague’, the bench of Justices J Chelameswar and Rohinton F Nariman said nothing short of quashing the law ‘in its entirety’ could suffice since Section 66A ‘arbitrarily, excessively and disproportionately’ invaded the right to free speech, right to dissent, right

to know, and had a ‘chilling effect’ on constitutional mandates. The court held that Section 66A violated Article 19(1) (a) of the constitution that guaranteed freedom of speech and expression.

City’s animal activist Manoj Oswal said, “Highlighting the plight of animals in a shelter on my website www. jeevraksha.org ruffled some feathers in political circles. I received threats from Pratap Pawar’s supporters to pull down the website. I did not listen and I was arrested by the crime police in November 2011, and the media reported that I had committed slander.

I have fought one writ petition and one PIL in High Court, the trial in lower court, and finally one Special Leave Petition (SLP) and one writ petition in Supreme Court. I have argued before five benches in the High Court and two benches in the Apex Court.

I argued most of the petitions Nutan Kanegaokar in person, while

some were argued by my lawyer friends. The High Court had upheld 66A of the IT Act and stated that this act was essential to prevent misuse of technology. The Supreme Court Nuzhat Khan also almost dismissed my appeal to this issue but later permitted this case to be tagged with other petitions on the subject. I am extremely delighted that this dark weapon of political vendetta has become a history.

“The elder generation is failing us in protecting our rights of expression.

Politicians take cover under national security issues. But the truth is their sense of fear of being exposed for incompetence, arrogance and corruption. It took a young lady from the current new generation to challenge a government who undermined our rights once again,”said Nuzhat Khan, student.

“It’s surely a welcome move.

The judgment has reaffirmed and

strengthened my faith in the Supreme Court. It’s a remarkable step towards making India - the Land where the mind is without fear. Human dignity, Rights cannot be randomly suppressed,” said Nutan Kanegaokar, professor.

The Apex Court has struck down Section 66 (A) of IT Act, but it does not mean that one can defame anyone as per one’s whims and fancies. There are other sections in the IT Act which debars one from defaming others. The section 66(A) was vaguely defined in the Act and was misinterpreted by the police authorities.

The repeal will not give freedom to express controversial statements online and on social networking sites. One should maintain precautions while commenting online or uploading views,” said Gaurav Jachak, citybased cyber crime lawyer tgs.feedback@ golden spar row. com With inputs Gaurav Jachak from IANS

SECTION 66A Section 66A of the IT Act states that “Any person who sends, by means of a computer resource or a communication device, (a) any information that is grossly offensive or has menacing character; or (b) any information which he knows to be false, but for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred or ill will, persistently by making use of such computer resource or a communication device, (c) any electronic mail or electronic mail message for the purpose of causing annoyance or inconvenience or to deceive or to mislead the addressee or recipient about the origin of such messages, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and with fine.

TWITTERATTI SPEAK @sajjanjindal59: The Internet is creating a new world order, and freedom to express is at its core. I endorse SC’s decision to abolish #Sec66A of IT Act. @milinddeora: In lieu of 66A, will the more draconian IPC be applied on netizens? An unregulated Internet can be more dangerous than a regulated one @ArvindKejriwal: Section 66A scrapped. A big day for freedom of speech n expression. @madhukishwar: Striking down of section 66A needed because it was draconian & served the powerful. But sensible law agnst defamation on social media needed

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2015

“We are planning to go global and enter emerging markets in the future, but before we take that step we will win India.”

— Azeem Zainulbhai, Housing

“People are awestruck that after spending 15 lakhs in MBA we are still not earning a penny and friends salute us for the courage, smile when we do something good.”

— Tanushree Khandelwal, Fashionove

Deepti Kasbekar’s The Mesh is a beneficial co-working space for start-ups TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly

Accel Partners to fund early stage Indian start-ups ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

Where ideas meet and evolve With many start-ups having its birth in Pune, some of its founders would thank 29-year-old Deepti Kasbekar’s The Mesh for providing them the space to think and click. With capital being the crucial factor for would-be entrepreneurs, The Mesh provides an ideal economical co-working space.

Deepti converted a 1,200-sq ft apartment located behind JW Marriott on Senapati Bapat Road to a co-working space. “An ailment forced me to quit my copywriter job with a firm in Mumbai and move to hometown Pune for treatment a couple of years back. It was one of the most boring days of my life as I was at home all day with no will to work,” she said.

An offer to assist writing a cook book gave her the much-needed push to work. “As my previous job included a lot of brainstorming sessions, I was used to company to think. I started The Mesh because I thought that there are many others also who would like to have like-minded people around to help them open their minds to new ideas,” she said.

Kaushik Bhagwat, her former colleague, joined her new venture and takes

The energy at The Mesh, started by Deepti Kasbekar (right) is contagious. It is like a mental ground where ideas meet and reach a conclusion

care of the operational aspects. Deepti’s cousin Viswajit Dilip helped her with initial investment; her mother, a successful entrepreneur, takes care of housekeeping and staff; her uncle, a senior official at the Bombay Port Trust and a former scout master, also extended help.

The Mesh started its operations in September 2014. The space which has a capacity of seating 25 people was filled up within 20 days of opening. Within three months Deepti reached the breakeven target and expanded the space to

Sahil Khan, 26, co-founder, Quinto

I came to know about The Mesh through a friend. I run a food app and have been working from home for six years. My co-founder Hrishikesh Rajpathak and I used to meet once in a month at a food joint. The Mesh has helped both of as to work together under one roof, besides interacting with other members who are working on various start-ups.

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2,400 sq ft in seven months. Now, the facility accommodates 35 people and there is a waiting list of those who want to use The Mesh.

All entrepreneurs need to do is get their team with their workstations and all operational headaches are taken care of

by The Mesh. It provides entrepreneurs with space, conference rooms, food, Internet, tea, and puppy Toba as a stress buster. Facilities like printers, scanner and even free gymnasium memberships are available. Entrepreneurs are allowed

to work any number of hours and food facility is available anytime.

The energy at The Mesh is contagious. It is like a mental ground where ideas meet and reach a conclusion.

“I try to provide them a nest. Once they learn to fly, they go. It is a network powerhouse where start-up founders meet each day to exchange ideas and help each other. When they grow, they have to go. I want to create such ‘Mesh’ within the Pune city and expand to more places within the country. The idea is to

Preeti Vasudevan, 29, founder,

Storekey Solutions Private Limited

“The Mesh is a great place for start-ups to meet other startups. I have developed a software that provides a point of sales system for kirana stores. At The Mesh I have met people from diverse backgrounds who give their critical analysis about my project and inspire me to constantly evolve. One does not find a dull moment here.”

create a mutually beneficial community of the start-ups by the start-ups for the start-ups,” Deepti said.

Talking on the attachment that develops while being with such a vibrant group, Deepti said that they supported her throughout, looked after work and took care of her pet dog Toba when her father passed away recently.

“I wish to take The Mesh to rural areas,” Deepti said. Handling daily operations and keeping the facility up to the mark have its challenges. “Internet can go kaput anytime, people might not like the food you are serving and those used to a corporate life would find the place too casual. At times it gets difficult with so many strong heads under one roof,” she said.

Apart from a desk to work, a co-working space opens doors to new contacts and builds a sense of community amongst its members as people are working in diverse fields from technology, education, financial services to agriculture, clean technology and architecture. The Mesh is a five-member team that includes Dilip, Bhagwat, three office assistants Vikram, Rohit and Kailash, and communication executive Anshuman.

Bookings are taken on their Facebook Page and website themesh.co.in.

The Mesh works on a pay per desk model. Members pay a fi xed monthly fee (`6,500 with food and `5,500 without food) which includes high speed Internet, tea-coffee, snacks, 25 printouts a month and an office assistant. One day pass for business travellers includes a seat with Internet, 10 printouts, tea-coffee and a meal. The monthly moonlighter package for people who wish to rent a desk at night is `5,000 for entrepreneurs and `3,750 for students. Social entrepreneurs and women entrepreneurs avail special membership rates. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly Global venture capital firm Accel Partners — known for backing Facebook, Dropbox in the Silicon Valley and Flipkart, BookMyShow in India — has announced the launch of their new India fund, Accel India IV, a $305mn fund, dedicated to invest in very early stage Indian start-ups.

The firm plans to work closely with Indian entrepreneurs to help build their businesses from the earliest days. Accel had previously raised $155mn as part of Accel India III in 2011 and $60mn as part of Accel India Venture Fund II in 2008.

In its decade-old existence in India, Accel has backed brands like BookMyShow, CommonFloor, Flipkart, Forus Health, FreshDesk, Mitra Biotech, MuSigma, Myntra, Power2SME, Proptiger and TaxiForSure in their initial stages. The main aim of the investment by this California-based growth equity firm is at solidifying consumer, enterprise software, and mobile sector along with the healthcare division.

With the infusion of large amount of capital from global investment firms like Softbank’s $210mn investment in Ola and $90mn in Housing.com, and Alibaba’s $575mn investment in One97, it definitely shows that there is more interest in India from many large players for now.

According to Subrata Mitra, an official from Accel, investors believe in the Indian start-up success stories, but valuations have grown faster in the last few quarters than ever before. Accel will continue to fund early stage tech firms.

Fund raising is a daunting task be it for the entrepreneurs raising funds for their ventures or the partners raising investments for their new fund.

The buzz created around the Indian start-up space is also convincing the Limited Partners (LPs) to fund promising ventures. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Google’s project could allow paying bills within Gmail TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly Google is working on a project that will enable Gmail users to be able to pay their bills directly from their email inbox. The details of the project ‘Pony Express’ could be seen on tech news site Re/code and is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2015.

The document details a step-by-

step walkthrough of how users can sign up for the service. Users will have to provide personal details including their full name, address and partial and full Social Security number to a third-party company in charging of vetting their identity.

Users might also be required to link their full credit card number or telephone service account number to their Gmail account, and the idea is that third-party

vendors would work with Google to email out bills on behalf of utility providers, or telecom and insurance companies.

Once a user is authenticated, he/ she can receive or pay the bills through Gmail or the Inbox app (Google’s new email app). Users can pay with a debit/ credit card, and their bills would be organised into a designated folder, as shown in the image below. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

THE FASTEST READS ON THE WEB

Teabox gets funding from Jafco Asia Siliguri-based start-up Teabox that caters to worldwide tea lovers market has raised $6mn in Series A funding led by Jafco Asia and with participation from Accel Partners, Keystone Group LP and Dragoneer Investment Group. The fi rm had earlier raised $1mn in seed funding from Accel Partner and Horizen Ventures in early 2014. Founded

by Kaushal Dugar in 2012, Teabox is a tea brand that is focused on vertical integration of sourcing, branding and distributing teas. They source tea blends from Darjeeling, Assam, Nilgiri and Nepal and ship to worldwide consumer through online portal teabox.com. Dugar said that the fresh investment will help the fi rm expand into new markets, namely China, Japan and Korea. Teabox has shipped teas to 75 different countries.

Recruitment app Super gets bigger

Y Combinator’s pick is RazorPay Start-up incubator Y Combinator has picked Razorpay, the fi rm that provides simple, affordable and secure online payment solutions for small businesses, start-ups and other traditional SME organisations like schools, colleges and training centres, for funding. It is the only India-focused company to be selected

by Y Combinator this year. As a part of the Y Combinator, they will receive funding of USD 120,000 in addition to 3-month acceleration support and mentoring from Silicon Valley investors and mentors.

Razorpay is founded by Shashank Kumar and Harshil Mathur who used to work at Microsoft and Schlumberger respectively.

Mumbai-based start-up Super founded by Faisal Memon has announced the acquisition of CrunchCommerce. Memon’s job seeker and employer match-maker app Super is gathering numbers.

CrunchCommerce is a bootstrapped company with SaaS products for eCommerce companies that want to go mobile. As part of the deal, CrunchCommerce’s twenty member team will merge with Super and work on the app on priority alongside the existing business.

Super app is free to use for job seekers and companies. Super began as a mobile resume builder in 2013, facilitating matching job seekers and employers through the app.

We have more hooning and sliding action on our YouTube channel. Subscribe and comment.

Four cylinders, four doors, all-wheel drive. The CLA 45 AMG and Evo X misbehaving around the hills.

Wet conditions and the Jaguar V8 R Coupe addup to an impossibly fun afternoon spent mostly sideways.

We went to the top of the world in an insane rally Thar and a Suzuki V-Strom 1000. We came back too.

Look our for the alive logo in the magazine to watch the action unfold

Going back to when Toyota’s were cool, we drive a custom Supra with a big turbo and come away scared, and maybe a bit wistful.

w w w. a l iv e a r. c o m

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2015

PUNE

“Atal Bihari Vajpayeeis is the most deserving person to receive the Bharat Ratna. Any country would be proud of him. Only few leaders have this capacity to harmonise the global and local. That was one of the greatest virtue, quality and approach of Vajpayee” —BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi

Pune has the charm of a small city P 15

Thousands of avian visitors bid adieu to Valley More than eight lakh migratory birds of various species spent the winter in water bodies and reserves in the Kashmir Valley

By Sheikh Qayoom Srinagar: After six months of winter sojourn in the Kashmir Valley, thousands of migratory birds are bidding adieu to return to their summer homes in far off lands.

The increasing cackle, the preparatory flapping of wings and vigorous feeding are some of the signs for bird watchers to know that the spectacle of sound and colour is soon going to end. “Before beginning their journey of thousands of miles, the birds show significant changes like human beings but with different priorities,” said Imtiyaz Ahmad Lone, the Jammu and Kashmir wildlife warden. The birds will head to Eastern Europe, the Philippines, China and Russian Siberia.

“To ensure cohesion and better communication during the long flight that lasts on an average a fortnight, the cackle increases, the birds peck at each other to remove damaged feathers, feed more vigorously than usual to build energy for the journey and even pin water chestnuts on each other’s wings to feed during inhospitable stopovers,” Lone told IANS. This year, according to Lone, more than 800,000 migratory birds of various species spent the winter

Migratory birds have been coming to Kashmir from time immemorial to ward off the extreme winter of their homes

in water bodies and bird reserves in the Kashmir Valley.

For the first time, Lone’s department conducted the Asian water birds’ census in the valley along with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). “It was a voluntary effort which will now be a regular feature.”

The migratory birds have

been coming to Kashmir from time immemorial to ward off the extreme winter of their homes where temperatures freeze water bodies rock solid, making feeding and drinking impossible. The protected bird reserves of the valley include Hokarsar in Srinagar district, Shallabugh in Ganderbal and Mirgund and Hygam

Odisha monk campaigns to save indigenous cow

Paramahamsa Prajnanananda, the spiritual leader of the Kriya Yoga of Prajnana Mission, has kept over 150 cows of Odisha’s indigenous varieties at his ashrams Puri (Odisha): A monk in Odisha has launched a campaign to save the state’s native cow breeds that are on the brink of extinction. Paramahamsa Prajnanananda, the spiritual leader of the Kriya Yoga of Prajnana Mission, has kept over 150 cows of Odisha’s indigenous varieties at his ashrams and urges others, especially farmers, to follow suit. Prajnanananda, 55, said he stayed three years ago in Rajasthan where such conservation had proved successful. After returning to Odisha, he started collecting native varieties cows and nurturing them.

“Initially we started with a few.

Later the number gradually increased,” said the saffron-robed who has travelled widely around the world to promote Kriya Yoga -- a spiritual form of yoga. “The milk we consume today from hybrid cow is type A1 which can contribute to diseases. But the milk of the native cow is type A2 which is good for health,” Prajnanananda told IANS, seated in Hariharananda Gurukulam, an ashram near Puri city.

Situated in the natural surrounding of forests, about 60 km from Bhubaneswar, the ashram houses over 50 cows and calves, mostly of Odisha’s indigenous varieties as well as over 200 stray cattle. The milk produced by the cows cater to the daily needs of hundreds of ashram inmates and regular visitors. The Hariharananda Balashram, the Prajnana Mission’s another religious centre in Kendrapada

Paramahamsa Prajnanananda is worshipping cows at his Ashram Hariharananda Gurukulam near Puri

district, his birthplace, also houses about 85 cows and calves.

Spread over about 10 acres, the ashram also runs a residential school which has 500 children, mostly orphans.

They get quality education free of charge up to Class 10. The students, staff and other inmates consume milk produced by the ashram cows. The holy man, who has written and translated numerous books on spiritual topics, said the forested areas in the ashram complex provide the domestic animals the natural grazing fields. “From time immemorial the cow has been the backbone of our agrarian economy,” he told IANS. “The milk, curd, ghee, cow dung and cow urine of the native cows have medicinal properties.” He lamented that their use

has been almost lost. Prajnanananda has been organising meetings across the state in recent years, motivating farmers to go for and protect the indigenous cow.

The native cow’s population in Odisha was 13,144,359 in 2003. This fell to 10,315,499 according to the livestock census of 2012, the most recent.

Although the state has several native cow breeds, only four have been listed in the National Registry by the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resource (NBAGR). Prajnanananda, who was an economics professor at the Ravenshaw College in Cuttack before becoming a monk in 1995, said most native cows have evolved naturally through adaptation to Odisha’s agroIANS ecological conditions.

in the district of Baramulla.

Wildlife guards protect the reserve’s defined boundaries, prevent poaching, watch bird behaviour and look out for spread of diseases in the habitat. In addition to the reserves, thousands of avian visitors inhabit the Wullar Lake, Dal Lake and other big and small lakes in the valley. It is at

Don’t encroach on privacy while installing cameras: HC to police New Delhi: The Delhi High Court directed the city police to install within two months CCTV cameras at vulnerable areas identified by it, without encroaching upon “privacy of people”. A division bench of Justice BD Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva asked police to install CCTV cameras in public areas but said privacy of people should not be affected.

Police had earlier told the bench that CCTV cameras will be installed at vulnerable points within the jurisdiction of 44 police stations where the crime graph against women was high. “Delhi Police have identified 44 police stations on the basis of crime mapping where graph of crime against women is higher.

We expect that CCTV cameras will be installed within two months,” the court said. “When CCTV cameras are installed, special regard be given to privacy issue of people. The cameras be installed in public areas and no private property be encroached for this,” it said, posting the matter for May 20.

The bench had earlier asked Delhi Police to formulate an action plan to put up CCTV cameras in the city for the safety of women as per the crime mapping exercise after advocate Meera Bhatia asked the court not to remove the CCTV cameras which were installed during the visit of US President Barack Obama in January. The court has been monitoring women’s safety in the capital after it took suo motu cognizance of the December 16, 2012, gang rape.

The bench also directed the central government to expeditiously approve the proposal by Delhi Police for induction of over 16,000 additional personnel, including a dedicated force IANS for crime investigation.

these unprotected water bodies that change which needs a thorough study,” poachers move in organised bands Lone added. Officials noticed no case during the night to shoot these birds. of bird flu this season.

This season, anti-poaching squads The mystery of how the migratory were moved to the Dal Lake, Wullar birds navigate their long journey Lake, the Narkara water body and with stunning precision has baffled some other places, with appreciable humans. Flying in highly regimented results. flocks with the leader in the front, each Bandipora District Magistrate species flies separately, proving the Shah Faesal ordered people to deposit adage that birds of the same feather all licensed weapons in local police flock together. stations to give anti“It is always the poaching efforts a boost, eldest and the ablest Lone said. bird that is fully The migratory familiar with the birds which fly to route that heads the Kashmir include flight,” explained greylag geese, mallards, Noor Muhammad shovellers, wigeons, Wani, 62, of teals, pochards, Bandipora. “Some of Brahmany Ducks and the most advanced coots. There are also navigational skills resident water birds of humans look like like normal and purple child’s play when moorhens, debchicks, compared to the strokes, kingfishers and accuracy with which herons. “Then there these birds navigate. are cormorants and “If the leader Sandhills cranes which dies during the flight - Noor Muhammad come to Kashmir to or is taken sick, the spend some time before second in command moving to the Indian plains,” Lone takes over so that the journey is not told IANS. interrupted,” said Wani, a keen bird “Interestingly, we have noticed watcher whose village overlooks during the last over a decade that many Wullar Lake. mallards, finding the environment Unfortunately, the traditional highly hospitable, prefer to stay back homes of the migratory birds in to breed in the protected reserves of Kashmir are shrinking. But as of now, Hokarsar, Shallabugh and Mirgund. that is not the birds’ main concern.

“This a significant behaviour IANS

“It is always the eldest and the ablest bird that is fully familiar with the route that heads the flight”

Man survives bullet injury in skull

New Delhi: A 50-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh, who received a bullet injury in his skull during celebratory firing at a religious event, has got a new lease of life following a critical surgery at a hospital here.

Hakim Singh, a ‘katha-vachak’ (a professional religious story-teller) and resident of Hasnapur village in Kanpur Rural district, was badly injured on January 10.

“He was delivering ‘Bhagwat Katha’ at Miyanpur village in Jhansi district when he received the bullet injury.

He was admitted to Apollo Hospital where the surgery was conducted,” his son Abhay Pratap Singh told IANS. According to his doctor Pranav Kumar, a neurology consultant at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital: “Hakim Singh was admitted to our hospital a day after the injury. Though he was very critical, we did not give up hope.”

After brain surgery, Hakim Singh takes a few seconds to reply to questions, but Pranav Kumar said it was “a new life

for him”. At a press conference doctors spoke about Hakim Singh’s miraculous struggle for his life.

“It was a case of complex and exceptional brain surgery of Hakim Singh. He had sustained a gunshot wound to his head leading to extensive brain injury,” said Pranav Kumar. “The bullet had pierced through the skull. It was a depressed fracture in the frontal region of his brain and the bone was broken at multiple places. “The damage to the brain was severe as the right frontal lobe had multiple pieces of bone lying inside it along with numerous cerebral contusions,” he said.

Hakim Singh had a 13 mm linear tear in the superior sagittal sinus, which is the principal drainage channel of the brain which caused heavy bleeding. The surgery lasted for five hours. Hakim Singh was kept under intensive care and on anti-convulsant and other supportive medications. After three weeks of therapy and treatment, he was IANS discharged from hospital.

(From right) Dr Pranav Kumar with the patient

India faces shortage of five lakh teachers Vol-1* lssue No.: 41 Published by: Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt. Ltd. CIN:U22200PN2014PTC151382 and printed by PRI – Media Services Private Limited CIN: U22222MH2012PTC232006 at Plot No. EL-201, TTC Industrial Area, MIDC, Mahape, Navi Mumbai.

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New Delhi: India is facing a shortage of over five lakh teachers while the deadline for regularisation of teachers under Right to Education Act is only days away.

RTE Forum, a network of 10,000 grassroot organisations working in 18 states, on Wednesday highlighted that an additional 6.6 lakh teachers need teacher-training.

“It’s a crucial juncture as the nation stands at the threshold of the RTE Act’s deadline 31st

March, 2015. Unfortunately, only 10 percent schools in India presently comply with all the norms and standards of the RTE Act,” Ambarish Rai, national convenor of the RTE Forum, said.

“We are facing a shortage of approximately 5 lakh teachers and an additional 6.6 lakh teachers need teacher-training. These statistics are particularly disappointing considering that March 31, 2015, marks the final deadline for teacher regularization and training,” Rai said.

At a national convention held here, the activists said new challenges have emerged as over one lakh government schools have been shut in multiple states, including Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttarakhand.

“What is concerning is that the state continues to violate provisions of the RTE Act, recruiting contractual and untrained teachers with less pay. The status of teachertraining and teacher- training institutes is equally poor; and there

is no clear road-map to improve the situation and quality of education,” Rai said.

The activist added that numerous low-cost private schools have emerged across the country, segregating the society furthermore on the basis of people’s ability to pay.

“In such a scenario, it is the extremely marginalized children of the society who continue to remain deprived of their fundamental right to free and compulsory education,” Rai said.

IANS

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2015

PUNE

“While US forces are not taking direct military action in Yemen in support of this effort, we are establishing a Joint Planning Cell with Saudi Arabia to coordinate US military and intelligence support” —US National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan

PFC share points in Maha derby P 16

Angola: Two women, opposite fortunes LUANDA, ANGOLA: Th is is the tale of two women, each an emblem, in her own way, of one of the world’s most corrupt and dysfunctional nations.

One of the women is Isabel dos Santos, Africa’s richest woman. The daughter of Angola’s president, she is worth $3 billion and is Africa’s only female billionaire as well as its youngest billionaire, according to Forbes. The magazine found that all her major Angolan investments were in companies seeking to do business there or were achieved by a stroke of her father’s pen.

She has extravagant tastes. For her 10th wedding anniversary, she flew in guests from all over the world for days of lavish celebration. Dos Santos declined to comment, but she is widely seen as a symbol of Angola’s status as one of the most corrupt countries in the world - “graft on a scale never before seen in Africa,” the Angolan journalist Rafael Marques de Morais told me.

The other woman, more typical, is Delfina Fernandes, and I met her at the end of a bone-rattling journey over impossibly rutted dirt roads in a village called Kibanga in the northern part of the country. Blind in one eye, she lives in a grass-roof hut without electricity or running water, and without access to health care.

Fernandes unrolled a homemade mat of straw on the ground and sat beside me there, telling me that she

had lost 10 children (her neighbor, Ana Luciano, who had lost only four children and has a fi fth now sick with malaria, said that sounded right).

Perhaps the most excruciating blow a parent can suffer is to lose a child, and that has happened 10 times to Fernandes.

It’s impossible to be sure how her children died because, like half the country’s population, the family is beyond the orbit of the health care system.

Therefore, her children never received birth certificates or death certificates. Yet a good guess is that they succumbed to malaria and malnutrition.

In all, Fernandes, 50, says she had 15 children, of whom five survive. She had never heard of family planning, like other women I spoke to along the road, and, in any case, none is available in rural areas here.

For people like Fernandes, life isn’t that different from a few hundred years ago. There is no school in this area, so she and everyone else nearby is illiterate. Several villagers I talked to had never heard of the United States or President Barack Obama, couldn’t recognise a single letter and had no idea that mosquitoes cause malaria.

“Fifty per cent of Angolans live outside the orbit of any health care,” noted Dr Stephen Foster, an American surgeon who runs a rural hospital near Lubango. “They’re still getting what the traditional healer would have given them if they’d come by in the 17th century.”

Fe r n a n d e s was gracious and hospitable - and also stoical. She never complained, and only when I asked about her rotting, disintegrating teeth did she acknowledge that she has lost so many teeth that she has trouble eating.

She said she suffers relentless dental pain, and that the only relief from the agony comes when she is asleep.

She gave no sign of anger at the government, and when I probed to see whom she blamed for her suffering, she said mildly: “It’s God who takes my children.”

That may be a little unfair to God. An International Monetary Fund report last year noted that Angola has one of the richest pools of natural wealth per person in Africa, yet the country has done much less than its peers to assist ordinary people. And when the IMF reviewed Angola’s

Angola is ranked 161 out of 175 countries by Transparency International in its ‘corruption perceptions index’

books from 2007-10, it initially found $32 billion missing.

“Government corruption at all levels was endemic,” the U.S. State Department said of Angola in its annual human rights report in 2013.

Angola is ranked 161 out of 175 countries by Transparency International in its “corruption perceptions index.”

The World Bank’s “Doing Business” series ranks Angola 187 out of 189 countries in enforcing contracts.

Th is is a global problem, of course, not just Angola’s. Two new books, “Th ieves of State” by Sarah Chayes and “The Looting Machine” by Tom Burgis, document the way corruption is a catastrophe in many poor countries.

Angola is simply an extreme example.

Th is corruption is also a reason 150,000 children die each year in Angola before the age of 5. The health budget is systematically pillaged: de Morais, the Angolan journalist, cites $58 million that was allocated to renovate a particular hospital - and then pretty much vanished.

The differences between dos Santos and Fernandes are vast, but there is a wrenching shared interest in the oil industry. Dos Santos has monetised it, and when I asked Fernandes if she knew that Angola was rich with oil she was a bit confused by the question but said eagerly that she, too, values gasoline when she can afford to buy a swallow.

“I put it in my mouth,” she said, “to dull the pain from my teeth.” © 2015 New York Times News Service

Quirky $200 million art venture proves just the ticket for Tasmania

THANK GOD IT’S S AT U R D AY

The Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania has been a huge success and this is the reason why Lonely Planet catapulted Tasmania into the Top 10 of the world’s must-see places

PUNE’S PEOPLE WITH A PURPOSE

China connection P 16

China Calling P8

Fighting Parkinson’s with dance P2 ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

THE SAD STATE OF PUNE’S ‘ZERO STONE’

Help restore Pune’s Zero Stone

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Given its significance, this valuable part of the city’s heritage ought to be restored, fenced and beautified ABHAY VAIDYA @vaidya_abhay

EDIT PAGE

Guide for Dummies: It’s easy to grab headlines in India P 12

SPORTS

START-UP CITY

City players put up a good show P 16

Born to be a fashionista P9

ALASKA

USA

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BUDAPEST

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Pune’s water situation improves

WIKI COMMONS

HOBART, Australia: For most of its existence, Tasmania was known as a faraway island at the bottom of Australia, a grim 19th-century redoubt where British colonial officers imprisoned convicts in the harshest of the empire’s jails and killed much of the aboriginal population.

So perhaps it was not entirely surprising when a wealthy local gambler and mathematician opened a lavish art museum here three years ago and announced with a flourish that it would be devoted to the themes of sex and death. The venture, housed in an underground labyrinth of sandstone and located on a spit of land upriver from this sleepy harborside city, conjured more darkness.

But then its owner and creator, David Walsh, slightly amended his original premise, opting instead for an idiosyncratic, $200 million museum that blends top international contemporary art with well-stocked bars and lounge areas. To the shock of Tasmania’s patricians, some of whom can trace their lineage to the early settlers, and to the surprise of most of the island’s 500,000

largely working-class residents, the Museum of Old and New Art has been a huge success.

More than 10 lakh people have visited the hard-to-reach showplace.

Lonely Planet catapulted Tasmania into the Top 10 of the world’s must-see places this year. Curators from New York and Paris have marveled at how the museum flouts convention: There are no explanatory placards fi xed to the walls, and visitors are encouraged to wander through the subterranean spaces at will.

They can stop at the “Fat Car,” a glistening red Porsche plumped with fiberglass into a bulbous symbol of conspicuous consumption by the Austrian sculptor Erwin Wurm. They can admire the large installation of sheaves of gray steel by the German artist Anselm Kiefer, housed in its own building. They can squirm at the “Cloaca Professional” by the Belgian artist Wim Delvoye, who devised six machines suspended from the ceiling that every day duplicate human defecation, and its smells. “The museum is born of risk, just like David’s early life of gambling,” said Leigh Carmichael, a close collaborator of Walsh’s and the creative director of the museum’s winter festival. “He

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City dams need additional 10 TMC water to tide over crisis

BY ASHOK BHAT @ashok_bhat

`2,200 cr project for water augmentation

The Zero Stone monument in Nagpur and other parts of the world

Rainfall in July has brought some reThe PMC’s Water Supply lief to the citizens of Pune and the civic Department has proposed a administration. However, to be able to `2,200 crore project to replace ensure regular water supply without the network of old, leaking and cuts in the coming weeks and months, and drainage Modiwater tweets the dams supplying water to Pune willPMdamaged

BY GITESH SHELKE lines. A Draft Project Report (DPR) need to build up an additional 10 TMCin Japanese @gitesh_shelke is scheduled to be placed before (thousand million cubic feet of water) the City Improvement Committee storage.

Primenext minister Narendra With 28-years-old Asif Shaikh as its week, BJP’s groupModi leaderon While the Khadakwasla dam hasThursday putGanesh out a series of told tweets in head, the Shri Shivram Tarun Mandal in PMC, Bidkar TGS Japanese and said that as his friends Trust on MG Road is truly an inspiring from Japan had asked him to talk to icon of communal harmony, as it the people of Japan directly, he had prepares for Ganeshotsav with a range done so. Modi is scheduled to visit Jaof charitable activities every year. pan from August 30 to September 3.

Describing their youth group as “a In a tweet in Japanese, he said he was truly cosmopolitan mandal”, Shaikh very “excited” about the visit that will and the mandal’s secretary Sheldon strengthen the relationship between Fernandes spoke of the two countries. In another tweet what Ganeshotsav addressed to his Japanese countercelebrations mean part Shinzo Abe, Modi said he deeply to them every year. respected Abe’s leadership.

First and foremost, the trust involves everyone National Herald case: from the locality in Court defers hearing the festivities.

The mandal collects vargani ( v o l u n t a r y A court on Thursday fixed December contribution) from 9 as the next date of hearing in a case the neighbourhood against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and but does not spend her son and party vice president Rahul it entirely on decorations and the Gandhi and others over acquisition of immersion procession. “Instead, we the National Herald newspaper. provide meals to the poor for 10 days Metropolitan Magistrate Gomati and also undertake other charitable Manocha deferred the hearing after it activities,” Shaikh said. was apprised that the Delhi High Court This includes the distribution has put on hold a trial court’s summons of blankets, jackets and other such clothing to the poor, especially

Signposts

APSHINGE:

The great village of brave soldiers Two days from today, July 28, 2014, will mark the centenary of the First World War, also known as the Great War, that ushered in a new epoch in world politics. The history of that war is intertwined with a small, remote village in Satara district. TGS Special Report p13 This medallion was presented by the Queen of England after the First World War to the next of kin of all British and Empire service personnel who were killed in the war. Sepoy Khashaba Powar’s medallion has been placed by his family at their place of worship

Signposts India to have 4 new central universities NEW DELHI:: The government has decided to set up four new central universities in the country, parliament was told early this week.

“The ministry of human resource development (HRD) has decided to set up four new central universities, viz. one Central Tribal University each in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, one central university in Andhra Pradesh and Mahatma Gandhi Central University in Bihar,” HRD Minister Smriti Irani said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

At present, there are 40 central

Army chief pays tributes to Kargil War martyrs SRINAGAR: Indian Army chief after the wreath laying ceremony at the General Bikram Singh on Friday paid Kargil War Memorial in Drass town of tributes to the martyrs of 1999 Kargil Kargil district.

War in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ladakh The chief of the Indian Army said region on the occasion of 15th Vijay ceasefire violations by Pakistan have Diwas. been taking place regularly on the He said the army is alert and Line of Control (LoC) in the state, but has been deployed effectively on the assured that the army has been effectively borders to defend the integrity and the responding to those violations. sovereignty of the country.

“They violate the ceasefire every “Let me assure you, the army is week and every month, but the army has deployed on the borders to defend the been taking effective steps to respond to PUNE, AUGUST 30, 2014 www.goldensparrow.com integrity and the sovereignty of the those,” he said. country,” General Singh told reporters Contd on p 10 I've always been a movie guy, movies have been my thing.

I love movies, all kinds of movies.

— Christopher Nolan

ministry.

IANS

BY JANE PERLEZ

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ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

What is going wrong with road safety in India?

Telangana school bus accident resulting in the death of 19 students is part of a larger tragedy that demands immediate attention

BY PRIYANKA NEW DELHI: India not only has the dubious distinction of having one of the worst road accident records in the world, but these are taking more and more young lives, particularly of school children.

Road accidents have left nearly 70

dents were killed and some 20 injured when their school bus was rammed by a speeding train at an unmanned rail-road crossing in Telangana Thursday. The dead included the school bus driver.

Although the number of school children is a minuscule part of the total number of Indians dying daily on the

convicted in stock scheme WASHINGTON

RAHUL RAUT

MATHEW NEWTON FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

“Fat Car,” a Porsche plumped with fiberglass by the Austrian sculptor Erwin Wurm, is one of about 200 artworks on display

stripped down the old museum of white spaces and interpretation and created immersive material so that you don’t feel guilty if you are not learning something.”

For many, the first glimmer of the museum - colloquially referred to by its friendly-sounding acronym, MONA is a high-powered catamaran that glides from the city’s port down the Derwent River to the museum entrance. On the way, three bars serve Champagne, wine and beer (one is called the Posh Pit) accompanied by delectable pies and pastries prepared by onboard chefs.

The catamaran, painted in camouflage to signal that it is protecting the oncepolluted river, offers a baroque-style comfy sofa for relaxation on the lower back deck and stools shaped like sheep in the outdoor upper saloon.

In all, about 200 of Walsh’s collection of 1,500 artworks are on display, said Delia Nicholls, the museum’s research curator. Not on show at the moment: “The Holy Virgin Mary”

by Chris Ofili, the painting of a black Madonna that incorporated elephant dung and created a political furor when it was shown at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in 1999. Walsh acquired it some years ago from the Saatchi Gallery in London.

The museum attracts all kinds traditional art lovers, young art students, tourists who have come to Tasmania for the island’s natural beauty. Yet, even with the tourism the museum has generated for the struggling Tasmanian economy, Walsh, 53, is a figure local residents cannot quite embrace.

To explore the question of art and evolution, Walsh has invited two American experts in evolutionary psychology, Steven Pinker and Geoffrey Miller, and the cognitive scientist and neurobiologist Mark Changizi, who have all visited the museum, to curate exhibits at MONA in 2016.

“I am opportunistic also, and I will grab any opportunity to ask a good question while putting some great pictures on the wall,” he said. © 2015 New York Times News Service

Delfina Fernandes

On Wednesday, when this newspaper took a review of Pune’s Zero Stone on the footpath outside the General Post Office (GPO), the sight was pathetic to say the least.

With white paint spilled over it, there was a sweeper’s broom lying next to it and rubbish all around. A tea vendor was stationed with his cart next to the stone.

In 2006, when this journalist fi rst reported on this small, yet valuable piece of Pune’s heritage, there was a watermelon seller sitting on the stone, using it as a convenient stool.

The Zero Stone is a very special milestone as it signifies the geographic location of a city and the point from where distances are established between towns and cities. As such, it ought to be restored, fenced and beautified so that the children of this city, other citizens and tourists can go back to the time when Pune was taking shape under the British, bit by bit.

There are just 80 of such special milestones that were installed in the

Generosity & communal harmony define these mandals students- to prepare for the winter.

The mandal also runs a small library for the neighbourhood residents and children, says Shaikh, explaining that a lot of money can be saved if spent prudently on just decorations, sound systems and other such expenses.

As a part of its activities, the mandal has rented out some space to a tea vendor and the rent is used for the Ganeshotsav celebrations.

Ni ne te e nyears-old Sheldon, a BBA student, helping others and doing something constructive for society brings lot of joy to everyone involved in the celebrations.

Associated with this youth group since childhood, he says his fellow members hail from different castes, creed and religion.

The Ashok Chakra Mitra Mandal close to Shivaji Market, Camp, is celebrating its golden jubilee this year and has a number of Muslims as its members, said Faiyaz Khan, one of the activists.

Headed by Raghuvir Vanal, this

$250,000 fine.

Shah was the president and CEO of SOHM and Costas, both based out of California. He was accused of paying kickbacks to an investment fund representative in exchange for buying stock in the two companies.

The fund representative was, in fact, an undercover FBI agent working on an investigation into fraud in the market for penny stocks, the report said. Penny stocks are less heavily regulated than stocks that trade on major exchanges such as the Nasdaq or the New York Stock Exchange.

indigenous missile development, is one of the visiting faculty members in IIMShillong.

Kalam spoke about the challenges that India and the world were facing and emphasised the role of leadership to tackle these issues and develop possible solutions to ensure socio-economic development.

He said the key requirement for achieving a distinctive profi le for the nation was by creating sustainable enterprise-driven models at the rural level. Kalam urged the students to emulate a development model to bring

urban amenities to rural areas.

“Providing Urban amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) is one such system which I suggest will help in providing opportunities through cooperative working of resource and social entrepreneur in the rural areas,” he said.

“PURA is the creation of physical, electronic, knowledge connectivities leading to electronic connectivity of rural regions. With this combined and planned intervention of infrastructure, digital technology, information and enterprise, we can select a cluster of about 20 to 50 villages, which share core

mouth

BY YASH DAIV @yash009

&DESERTED

the BJP’s newly elected city MP Anil Shirole, was to closely follow-up on the mass transportation project. Shirole focused on updating himself on the project and seeking clarifications on the project as proposed by the Congress-NCP government.

Prominent social workers from different parts of the country who promote intercaste and inter-religious marriages have decided to establish a national movement called Chayan (Choice).

This was decided at a meeting in the city on November 4-5 during a conference on ‘Right to Choice of Partner in Inter-caste and Interreligious Marriages’.

Activists from the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), SM Joshi Socialist Foundation, Rashtriya Seva Dal and Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal along with the voluntary organisation, Dhanak from Delhi, were present at this meet.

the Special Marriage Act, 1954, which is complicated, different in every state and plagued with controversies. “A platform like Chayan can help modify such a law,” he said.

Iqbal suggested that under the national platform one can create a secure place for couples who have mixed marriages. “We can offer them shelter, legal procedures and counselling in case there is an outburst from the families,” he said.

Chayan would ensure the smooth functioning of the legal structure pertaining to marriage.

Deepak Girme, president, MANS said society’s mindset have deep religious roots. Having worked with the late anti-superstition crusader Narendra Dabolkar for 25 years, he said any religious text should be questioned.

Pune’s hottest start-up, 2014 to get top prize today

Asif Shaikh (left) and Sheldon Fernandes (right) of Shri Shivram Tarun Mandal Trust preparing the decorations for Ganeshotsav

mandal runs a social organisation called Anzuman Faizane Raza and the members celebrate other prominent festivals and occasions such as Eid, Independence Day and Republic Day with equal fervor.

“We collect money and support poor patients in the hospitals.

Our members also support orphans in different orphanages in the city,”

Muslims and Christians and they are steadfast about the spirit of unity in diversity and respect for all religions that defines the nation, said Khan.

This members of this group include

shelke.gitesh@goldensparrow.com

WASHINGTON: A dozen Indian firms figure in this year’s Forbes Asia’s Fabulous 50 list of the region’s best big publicly traded companies with HDFC Bank making the list more times than any other company.

China boasts the most companies on the list, as it has for the last three related to the project. years. But the number fell to 16, down “We are planning to meet the from 20 last year and 23 the year Central minister with regards to this before, according to the list published project soon,” Bidkar said, adding that in the web edition of Forbes Asia. an announcement on the forthcoming China’s tech companies made a state assembly polls is expected in PUNE, OCTOBER 11, 2014 www.goldensparrow.com strong showing, with Tencent the most a week or two and the BJP is keen valuable, having a market cap of $155.6 to push the Pune Metro project to a billion, nearly twice that of runner-up decisive stage before the Model Code India’s Tata Consultancy Services. of Conduct comes into force,” he said.

Lenovo is the biggest in terms of annual revenue of $38.7 billion, Continued on p 10

The Software Exporters Association of Pune’s (SEAP) annual mega event, PuneConnect 2014, that seeks to promote a culture of innovation, just edging out India’s Tata Motors. creativity and enterprise in the city is India trails China with 12 companies setsame to unfold on the Fab 50 list, the numbertoday as at Hotel Westin, PUNE, AUGUST 2, 2014Koregaon www.goldensparrow.com Park, at 9.30 am. last year.

At this event 2014’s hottest start-up HDFC Bank, the country’s fromsector Pune will be selected from four second-largest private bank, finalists for theyear, top prize. appears on the list for the eighth The entire the most times of any company on the galaxy of bodies You have pride in how promoting in India is list since Forbes began compilingStart-ups this you take care of your supporting this event and includes the roster in 2005. family.

Association of Software and Other notable National companies from —Julia Roberts Service Companies (NASSCOM), India include HCL Technologies, Indus (Tie, Pune), which makes the listTh fore the fifthEntrepreneurs time, SoftwareIndustries, Technologies Parks of and Sun Pharmaceutical (STPI), Mahratta Chamber Of which appears on theIndia list for the third consecutive time. Commerce Industries & Agriculture (MCCIA), PuneTech, iSpirit, IIM Mahindra & Mahindra also rejoins Ahmedabad’s the list after a two-year absence. Centre for Innovation Incubation IANS and Entrepreneurship, SME Joinup, Hinjewadi Industries Association (HIA), IACC, and Pune Open Coffee Club.

The four finalists for the top prize are: Scandid- a shopping technology start-up that enables shoppers to compare prices by scanning the product barcodes with one’s mobile phones; Framebench- a cloud based online collaboration, communication and feedback platform; Ecozen Solutions, started in September 2009 to promote awareness against poor energy management practices and elevate the Indian industry to the standards and expectations of a developed nation, and The Green Raddiwala which focuses on providing door-to-door services in collecting raddi or recyclable waste such as plastic, newspapers and the like.

Founded by Sushil Chaudhari and Madhur Khandelwal in 2012, Scandid also helps consumers find latest online and offline deals. The company previously won the regional round of the Seedstars World- a global start-up competition.

2FRAMEBENCH THE FINALISTS ARE...

3 ECOZEN SOLUTIONS Framebench, founded by Rohit Agarwal, is a cloud-based online collaboration, communication and feedback platform. Framebench is a central workplace where one can store and share one’s creative assets. The company can help remote teams and

THE GREEN RADDIWALA clients to review, mark changes required on the assets and even host discussions on them in real time, which automatically gets documented for viewing later. This visual communication workflow allows for crisp & quick feedback.

Ecozen Solutions run by Devendra

(Left to right) MANS state secretary Milind Deshmukh, president Deepak Girme and Dhanak secretary Asif Iqbal at SM Joshi Hall in Navi Peth on November 4

Gupta, Prateek Singhal and Vivek Pande was started in 2009 to promote awareness against poor energy management practices and elevate the Indian industry to the standards and expectations of a developed nation.

It is with this view that this designed a pioneering and innovative micro Cold Storage- a solar powered cold storage system, which was primarily designed for the rural segment to serve their needs ideally. This innovative product can be suitably adapted for local conditions Great across thethings world. can happen when have the The you fourth finalist, The Green courage to yourself.

Raddiwala hasbebeen established by Michael Sam Nikhil Pagare—and Saurav Pasalkar to provide door-to-door services in collecting raddi or recyclable waste such as plastic, newspapers and the like.

Green Raddiwala purchases the recyclable waste from households at market rates and sells it directly to recycling industries. This drastically reduces environmental pollution. ishani.bose@goldensparrow.com (See related reports on p3)

After several brainstorming sessions that probed into legal, religious and humanitarian aspects of marriage, the group devised the concept of Chayan (choice). These organisations aspire to make Chayan a national movement.

The conference began with an “oath of humanity” to promote the principle of non-discrimination based on caste, religion, language or gender.

Madhav Bhavge, secretary, MANS said Chayan is the need of the hour. “It could be a national level

“People blindly follow the vedic rituals. A person should be able to justify all his or her activities rather than following a tradition. If we are able to instil this attitude in the masses we will be able to eradicate class politics and in turn the problems of mixed marriages,” he said. Subhash Bhave, secretary, SM Joshi Socialist Foundation emphasised on the need for mass awareness. “People have a tendency to hide their marriages until the legal documents are ready. This attitude must be changed,” he said.

It was suggested during the deliberations that there should be a group of five to ten people in every district who will promote and provide assistance if required, for inter-caste and inter-religious marriages. yashdaiv@gmail.com

City takes lead over Delhi, Mumbai in the journey of product start-ups TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeeKLY Pune has emerged as the nation’s second-fastest product start-up hub in the country. A close second to Bangalore, Pune has taken a lead over mega-metros like Delhi and Mumbai.

This has been stated in the latest report by iSPIRIT, (Indian Software Product Industry Roundtable), a company mainly focussed towards the product industry.

“Pune is significantly ahead of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad,” the report said while

noting the product start-ups activity in Bangalore at 33% of India, Pune (21 %), Delhi and Mumbai (about 1112% each) and Hyderabad at 9%.

“Pune is definitely No. 2, which is excellent,” said Amit Paranjape, co-founder of Pune-Tech, an online tech portal for the tech and startup community in Pune.

Addressing a recent press conference Paranjape spoke about Pune’s viable ecosystem, which has been developing tremendously to enable entrepreneurs to launch an enterprise.

Others who shared this thought were Gaurav Mehra, past president SEAP and managing director, Saba Softwares; Maneesh Bhandari, director, Pune Division, Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) at IIM Ahmedabad; Ashutosh Parasnis, president of SEAP and managing director of Qlogic; Ramaswamy Narayanan, vice president, SEAP; Vishwas Mahajan, president of TIEPune chapter and Navin Kabra, cofounder of Pune Tech. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Children, send us your paintings, poems & essays on

CHILD LABOUR IN INDIA Mention your name, age, standard, school’s name and contact number in your entry.

Last Date for Receiving Entries: Saturday, 22nd November Prize Winning Entries will be announced in this newspaper Entries may be sent to: The Golden Sparrow on Saturday, 1641, Madhav Heritage, Tilak Road, Pune - 411030. Tel: 020-24324332/33

For Details SMS/Contact: Prachi, Tel: 9822619858 or Yash: 9762884007

Vow Factor The

From the

Ever wondered where thoroughbreds go after retirement? Or why jockeys are weighed before and after a race? Barnalee Handique has the answers

‘Chayan’ promises to offer shelter, legal support and counselling to couples in case of outburst from families

RAHUL RAUT

BY ISHANI BOSE @ishani_bose

ASHOK BHAT @ashok_bhat

Pune FC enter Durand Cup final P 16

Nat’l movement to promote marriages of choice gets going

With support from Delhi, city BJP 12 Indian firms among keen to push Pune Metro project Forbes Asia’s Fabulous 50 In view of the forthcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra, central road transport minister Nitin Gadkari has begun giving personal attention to the proposed Pune Metro project. In a bid to counter the ruling CongressNCP government in the forthcoming polls, the BJP is chalking out its strategy to gain maximum advantage by announcing critical steps on the Metro project.

Speaking to this newspaper, BJP’s leader in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Ganesh Bidkar said that one of the top priorities for

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DEAD

competencies and empower those using local enterprise. This would enable our country to grow by shared efforts and overcome the challenges faced by the society,” he said.

Charting out a link between creative leadership and economic development, the former president emphasised the importance of the role that change in leadership would play for ensuring success.

He also accentuated on the role of integrity among leaders for sustained success and development of the society. (IANS)

Horse,s

PUNE’S PEOPLE PURPOSE

WITH A

Carrying the torch in the battle against cancer P2

Six out of eight subways in the city are in a sad state of neglect and are closed to the public. Some are used as convenient urinating spots or as gambling dens. They are dirty, poorly lit and unsafe. Why can’t city subways be restored and made user-friendly for pedestrians? Also related is the complete avoidance of foot over-bridges by pedestrians. Why waste public exchequer and construct them if they are so very unpopular with the public? See Spotlight on p8-9

Emerge as creative leaders: Kalam to IIM students SHILLONG: Former president APJ Abdul Kalam has urged students of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Shillong to emerge as creative leaders to bring about the required change in the country.

“I want to see all of you as creative leaders to bring about the required change,” Kalam said, while delivering a lecture “Dimensions of National Development” at the prestigious B-school on Thursday.

The “missile man”, as Kalam is also known due to his background in aerospace engineering and his role in India’s

TGS LIFE

Pune brands go pan India

City subways are

Chief of Army Staff General Bikram Singh paying homage to martyrs at the Infantry War Memorial during his farewell visit to the Infantry School, Mhow in Indore recently

Boston Globe reported.

country as special markings for a survey by the British. India’s Zero Stone stands proudly in Nagpur, denoting the centre of the country.

The oldest and most famous of such milestones is located in Rome, the Milliarium Aureum (“Golden Milestone”) of the Roman Empire. The maxim “all roads lead to Rome” is believed to have originated from this monument.

A number of prominent cities in the world have their own “zero stones” and are proud of it, including Washington DC, Tokyo, Berlin, Buenos Aires...

The citizens of Pune and publicspirited organisations such as the MCCIA’s Janwani, INTACH, Pune International Centre and the National Society for Clean Cities, to name a few, need to lobby with the Pune Municipal Corporation’s Heritage Cell to do what is needed.

The Golden Sparrow on Saturday pledges its fullest support to such an effort. Get in touch with us at: editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com www.goldensparrow.com or Tweet us: @TGSWeekly

ILLUSTRATION BY GAURI BARVE KALE

BY NICHOLAS KRISTOF

NICHOLAS KRISTOF/THE NEW YORK TIMES

An International Monetary Fund report last year noted that Angola has one of the richest pools of natural wealth per person in Africa, yet the country has done much less than its peers to assist ordinary people

A Woman Of Substance

DEEPIKA PADUKONE

Talented, hard-working and a big league movie star, They are independent and opinionated and Deepika Padukone can also these 20-year-olds are going it solo when everyone around them is getting hitched. take a tough stand when Ishani Bose tells us more push comes to shove.

Anjali Shetty gauges public opinion See P10-11

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“About 300 of the specialised sales force will be hired in India for cloud and the expansion will help us to drive growth and support demand for our cloud solutions across the region” — Loic Le Guisquet, Oracle’s APAC regional president

“Honda is strengthening its ‘Make in India’ resolve through steady and strategic investments with a long term objective of creating 39 percent additional capacity within 3.5 years” — Keita Muramatsu, president and CEO, HMSI

Signpost SBI to dilute 23 pc stake in SBI general insurance CHENNAI: India’s largest mortgage lender State Bank of India (SBI) has decided to lower its stakes in its general insurance joint venture to 51% and has decided to begin the process, the bank said. In a regulatory filing in BSE the bank said its executive committee of the central board (ECCB) on March 25 decided to initiate the necessary action as per the joint venture agreement for dilution of its stake in SBI General Insurance from 74% to 51%. SBI said the other partner, Insurance Australia Group (IAG) of Australia would increase its holding in the general insurance company from 26% to 49%. According to SBI, the process for diluting its holding in favour of IAG would begin as per the joint venture agreement which includes the appointment of valuer to estimate the enterprise value and price discovery.

‘Hannover Messe to focus on Make in India, Skill India’ NEW DELHI: The Hannover Messe fair, the world’s largest industrial trade fair, which Narendra Modi is to inaugurate next month, will provide the perfect platform to showcase India’s engineering prowess and reinforce government initiatives like Make in India, Skill India and Digital India, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said. Addressing the Growth Net Summit 2015, Swaraj said India was “ideally placed to emerge as a powerful player in global manufacturing landscape and export markets using our unique advantage of 3D: Democracy, Demography and Demand. She said the commerce wings in the Indian missions abroad are being re-energized as the focal point of commercial activity.

Did Angelina just boost the growth of $1.72 trillion cancer industry?

Millions of women may have got their ovaries removed but since Angelina Jolie has money, name and fame, she is being used to get more patients. Medicine is no longer a calling. It is a down right cut throat business, especially the cancer treatment PROF DR BM HEGDE “Winning at all costs” may sound like good business advice, but it’s not.”

— Rob Spiegel Angelina Jolie had her ovaries removed for a possible 50% chance of getting cancer there. As many readers would remember, she had her breasts removed too for the same reason.

Sooner than later she will have more of her organs removed and replaced by artificial ones!

Not surprising, if you believe these doctors called cancerologists.

There is a 50% chance of anybody getting any disease.

Does that warrant us to get our organs removed to remain safe from cancer?

If it is that easy, then lot more people will cough up that kind of money to get their organs removed. I remember my student days, when we used to advise children to get their tonsils and appendix removed, lest they should get into problems. Now, we think that it is foolish to do that.

Science has advanced by leaps and bounds. With the latest science the following conclusions could be drawn which seems to be true today.

• •

The future is not there. It is yet to be born. The past is dead.

Human body is not a machine put together by joining organs together.

• •

•

•

•

Human body is a bundle of energy and a colony of 129 trillion human cells, each one of which can live like a human being in isolation. We also are home to ten times that number of germ cells at a ratio of 1:10.

The human body works as whole and not in bits and pieces.

Healing has to be Whole Person Healing. (WPH) Th is is now scientifically accepted by the IOM in USA, thanks to Late Professor Rustum Roy’s efforts.

Organs cannot be treated in isolation.

In a dynamic system, future prediction is impossible, unless we know the total initial state of the organism, which is impossible.

Weather predictions never come right, butterfly effect is the rule.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, Professor WJ Firth, a physicist, shows how foolish it is for doctors to predict the unpredictable future of their patients. (BMJ 1991; 303: 1565) Evolution is not DarwinianMendelian but is Lamarckian. The genes play a secondary fiddle, as there are only 23,000 human genes in our genome, with two and half trillion germ genes. Epigenetics is the order of the day.

How could anybody advise a patient

‘Steep spectrum bids will burden telecom players, test tariffs’ Unless the revenue stream for the operators increases sharply, there will be little scope for the players to justify the high bids they have made

As e-auction of telecom spectrum concluded on Wednesday, analysts said the winners faced a piquant situation now as their steep bids will burden their financial state further with limited elbow room to pass it on to customers in the form of tariff hikes.

The auction concluded after 19 days and 115 rounds of rigorous bidding with total commitments at Rs.109,874 crore as per provisional figures released by the government.

As many as 50 out of 69 service areas on offer went at a premium.

“The whole auction was designed by the government to extract maximum revenues from the operators. As a result, the industry is going to face financial needs,” Rajan S. Mathews, director general of the Cellular Operators’ Association of India, told IANS. Pointing to a key financial indicator, analysts quoted GSM Association’s research wing to point out that in India bids were at global levels, but the average revenue per user was already low for Indian operators at $2.55, justify the high bids they have made. But in a against $17.65 for Germany, $29.30 for the regulated tariff regime, they also felt the scope Netherlands and $28.52 for the UK. for tariff hikes was limited. “Prices are within “The spectrum auction outgo will impact the ballpark region. Price is not a surprise. on the rollout and quality of telecom network.

However, the amount of bidding in the 800 In this competitive environment, operators MHz for 4G was not expected. It happened will find it difficult to raise data or voice most of the operators are now planning to be a tariffs in the immediate term,” said Arpita P. 3G and 4G player,” Mahesh Uppal, director of Agarwal, head for telecom with telecom consultancy fi rm Com PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

First, told IANS. Former telecom minister Uppal, however, cautioned Kapil Sibal also felt the auction that prices at which the winners process was flawed. got the spectrum were very “The telecom sector is hugely very high. “It means less money in debt to the extent of Rs.3.4 to spend on the growth of lakh crore. Now, in paying for network,” he added. high spectrum prices, there’ll Analysts also felt the impact be no money for investment on basic mobile phone services, in infrastructure,” Sibal told classified as second generation IANS. (2G) telephony, will be impacted Analysts said unless the the most, as bidding was most revenue stream for the operators competitive in the 900 MHz increases sharply, there will be band - also since some players - Kapil Sibal little scope for the players to have to vacate the spectrum in

“The telecom sector is hugely in debt to the extent of Rs.3.4 lakh crore”

to have her organs removed for fear of getting cancer there with 50:50 chances?

• After she had had her breasts removed, I had written that her other organs are at risk at this rate and it has come true!

• That said, I must hasten to add that this is very sensible medibusiness. Cancer is a 1.72 trillion dollar industry and growing by leaps and bounds. The drugs are expensive and are not even being tested properly. I wonder if we have been able to conquer cancer.

Not yet! Money seems to be the only driving force in this business.

Scientists and rationalists condemn our poor astrologers for predicting human future.

I agree with them there.

The same people do not condemn this kind of quackery? Why this double standards? In fact the latter is more dangerous as it is done in the name of that hallowed word-“Science”. What is science? I was sure that Dolly would die a premature death due to old age diseases as she was created from her mother’s cell.

That happened.

Eric Drexler, a young PhD from MIT started a company, called, if I remember right, Furutistic.Inc. He claimed to produce custom-built human beings without mother and father (selfreplicating nanobots). He collected billions from venture capitalists. His

Poor Jolie, she is being taken for a ride. At this rate what will be left of her body

own teacher, Nobel Laureate Richard Smalley had to warn the world that this is an impossibility. The company closed down declaring chapter 11! Th is is how one makes money through science.

All that is fi ne with our thinkers but they are allergic to astrologers.

Weather predictions do not come true correctly. Edward Lorenz then had a new hypothesis of “Butterfly Effect”. In the human body which is non-linear and holistic, things happen due to butterfly effect every minute.

No one, not even the best scientist can predict the human future using the present science. Poor Jolie, she is being taken for a ride. At this rate what will be left of her body? I wonder how this business thrives in today’s world where the media should keep a watch. On the contrary, the media is helping them by advertising their work.

Look at the news of Angelina’s ovaries. They make headline news all over the world. How are her removed ovaries making so much sense to the lay reader? Millions of women must have got their ovaries removed but since Angelina has money, name and fame, she is being used to get more patients. Medicine is no longer a calling. It is a down right cut throat business.

“A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.”

— Henry Ford (Professor Dr BM Hegde, a Padma Bhushan awardee in 2010, is an MD, PhD, FRCP (London, Edinburgh, Glasgow & Dublin), FACC and FAMS.) @Moneylife

LPG consumers get an insurance cover!

LPG accident victims are covered for death and accident but its not Rs40 lakh as is being spread in social media messages and messaging apps YOGESH SAPKALE

December after the expiry of the licence.

“We participated in the recent spectrum auction to ensure continuity of business and service to our customers. We remain committed to providing seamless connectivity and superior communication services to our customers across the country,” Vodafone said in a statement. But experts saw more auctions in the near future as the current round focused on eight bidders.

“There was strong focus on 2G spectrum in this auction by all bidders. Looking at the current low demand for 2,100 MHz band, there may be another auction for 2100 MHz band soon with more spectrum and revised reserve price,” Rishi Tejpal, principal research analyst, Gartner, told IANS. But is a consolidation on the cards?

The opinion on this is: “Let the norms be set, at least,” as PwC’s Agarwal said. “With this auction completion, the government should bring back focus and provide roadmap on pending issues of spectrum trading, sharing, guidelines on mergers and acquisitions.” IANS

As a consumer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or cooking gas, you are protected for accidental death and injury in case the gas cylinder bursts.

In their Citizen Charter, both Indian Oil Corp (Indane Gas) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HP Gas) maintain that “All registered LPG consumers are covered under an insurance policy taken by the public sector undertaking (PSU) oil Companies.” There, however, is no mention of any amount either for the coverage or the annual premium. In addition, all LPG distributors also have third party liability insurance to cover losses in the event of an LPG accident, the Citizen Charter says.

An article in Lokmat Times says that consumers are insured to the extent of Rs40 lakh. Messages on social media and messaging apps are widely circulating this. Th is is not true.

First, the amount of claims is not Rs40 lakh and second there is no special insurance policy or coverage for individual LPG customers. All PSU oil-marketing companies (OMCs) have two types of accident insurance policies, no fault liability and legal liability.

Here are the monetary values of coverage under no fault liability as stated on the Bharat Gas portal...

• Personal accident cover of Rs5 lakh per person per event in case of death • It covers medical expenses of Rs15 lakh per event, maximum Rs1 lakh per person.

Immediate relief up to Rs25,000 per person.

• Property damage maximum Rs1 lakh per event at authorised customer’s registered premises.

• It also covers customers who are supplied through reticulated system of LPG Under the legal liability, the monetary value, as per myLPG.in, is...

• Per event (accident) Rs50 lakh • Per person Rs10 lakh • Per year Rs100 crore Last year in February, M Veerappa Moily, the then Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, in a written reply, informed the Rajya Sabha that LPG distributors act as principal and are responsible for taking insurance policy for accidents, including third party insurance cover

to persons and properties.

“In addition, OMCs jointly take a comprehensive insurance policy called ‘Public Liability Policy’ for Oil Industries, covering established cases of LPG accidents, which include personal accident cover, medical expenses, property damage at authorized customers registered premises as per the provisions of the policy of the Insurance Company. Th is Public Liability Policy covers the whole country,” he had said.

Moily also clarified that OMCs do not provide any free insurance coverage with LPG gas connection in the name of the individual customers.

According to reports, PSU OMCs pay Rs100 crore every year as annual premium for the insurance coverage.

So, how one can claim the insurance in case of accident?

• In case of the unfortunate event of an accident, the customer must immediately inform the distributor in writing.

• The distributor then informs the concerned oil company and the insurance company about the same.

• The distributor is supposed to assist the customer in completing formalities of the insurance claims arising out of the accident.

• In addition to the above, all LPG distributors also have third party liability insurance to cover losses in the event of an LPG accident.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2015

“To avoid accidents, there should be road markings, indicators and signs. Moreover, the drivers should observe lane discipline and park the buses properly.”

— Sarang Awad, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic)

PUNE

“PMPML has prepared the new direction boards that will be put up on buses. All bus direction boards are uniform and would be placed on upper part of the buses.”

— Shrikar Pardeshi, PMPML, CMD

Students’ deaths could have been avoided The unlit and waterlogged underpass at Wakad is a deathtrap

Renu Garg, Director, Indira Institute of Mass Communication

The tragic death of two girl students from DY Patil University who were mowed down by a speeding Innova on the busy Wakad bypass was upsetting. The accident could have been avoided if the water-logged underpass under the care of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) was operational. This underpass has been inoperable since 2010. In fact, it is this water-logged underpass belonging to NHAI that forces students to cross the busy KatrajDehu bypass road, and risk their lives every

day. We have been constantly highlighting the need for NHAI to ensure that there is no water-logging in the underpass, and that it has to be properly lit. Even after writing more than 100 letters to the authorities, our grievances have not been addressed. Except for one occasion, NHAI has never responded to our letters.

Rajesh Kumar Kaundal, NHAI Pune Project director, has passed the buck to multiple agencies, blaming them for the delay in giving them permissions to widen and repair the underpass. On the other hand, government agencies are shirking their responsibilities by saying that they have no role to play in the repair of the underpass, and that it is the sole responsibility of the NHAI. According to Kaundal, the repair works will begin only in December 2015.

Moreover, he has also been ignoring the issue of widening the entire 34 km stretch road for over five years. The question of the hour is, how do we avoid these accidents? Will the authorities take notice only after students meet with accidents?

Citizen Journalist

Rahul ruat

Pune has the charm of a small city

It feels great to be a student after a break and the student community in the city is extremely diverse

Ueda Sotaro loves the way the city changes its ‘colours’ with the onset of new season

Snehal Sonawane

On June 17, 2014, I came to Pune for a job interview and trust me, I had already made up my mind to stay back in this city, without knowing if I was going to get the job. This place was so beautiful on that particular day, that I found it hard to go back to my home town, Dhule. Pune has the charm of a small city and it’s not as fast-paced as Mumbai or Delhi.

After I completed my graduation in computer application (BCA) in Nashik, I wanted to do the masters. Since I am settled here, and Pune being the hub

of education, I decided to continue higher studies here.

The best part about my stay in Pune is that I get to experience life both as a student and a working person. It feels great to be a student again after a break and the student community in this city is extremely diverse. Most of the students in my college are from different cities across the country, which makes learning even more meaningful.

Apart from this, Pune has always had an international student community,

non-native

parole

Letters to the

Editor

It is disheartening that the iconic dining car of Deccan Queen, the only passenger train of the Indian Railways to have the service, is history. The dining car, also known as ‘Restaurant on wheels’, was started soon after the train became operational, on June 1, 1930. Central Railway authorities said the dining car was taken off the tracks from the safety point of view, as it had exhausted its life.

The news has disheartened many commuters who travel between Pune and Mumbai. The manner in which the administration discontinued the service is very disheartening. Passengers allege that the railway authorities kept them in the dark and misled them into believing that the car was away for maintenance work.

This kind of action is not fair to Deccan Queen’s loyal commuters. The dining car was the crown jewel of the Queen. Even if there are some inevitable reasons to take the car off the tracks, there’s was no need to keep it secret.

The ideal way to take off the

I want to be a bridge between Japan and India

which is great as you get to know so much from them. Such cultures are almost unheard of in my hometown.

One of the most memorable incidents during my first days in the city was in the month of July, when I saw a bunch of people playing ‘dhol tasha’. I was excited to see girls in the group, and I spoke to a couple of them, and I soon became a part of the group.

It was an awesome experience.

One of the most unique places in the city is Parvati. When I first came to Pune, it was during the rainy season, and I was struck by the beautiful scenery of Parvati hill, which I could see from my office window. With the clouds and the rain, I would forget my surroundings.

In 2011, when I got an offer to teach language at Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth in Pune, I took it. I had never heard about Pune till then! I searched the Internet and tried to gain information. With very scanty knowledge, I landed in the city. But I was aware of India, and its various traditions, cultures and festivals fascinated me. It is quite amazing to find people living peacefully under one umbrella. In Chiba, near Tokyo, where I come from, mono culture is prevalent.

I enjoy the different seasons here, the summer, winter, autumn

and spring. With the onset of a new season, I love the way nature changes its hues. Along with nature, I like the various vegetables and fruits that flood the market. I make it a point to visit the local market to check the different stuff available there.

A city is known by its citizens and Pune is known for that. The people are warm-hearted and loving. They go out of the way to help.

At the institute, I am connected

to my students. They are so eager to know about my country and the various traditions. I have been helping them to improve their language skills.

I want to be the bridge between Japan and India. On the other hand, I have picked up a couple of Marathi words.

Pune has a great future if certain issues are tackled, like traffic and infrastructure. Even after living in the city for so many years, I find it difficult to cross the road.

from foreign

shores

Ueda Sotaro, language specialist

The dining car was the crown jewel of the queen

car would have been to inform the commuters beforehand, so that they could have had the pleasure of dining there one last time.

— Valmiki Gautam

Everyone in India is a Hindu!

The recent Jnanpith Award winner Bhalchandra Nemade seems

to have been suddenly afflicted with verbal diarrhoea. His silly comments make one wonder how he got the prestigious award. His present salvo is: “Everyone in India is a Hindu and even Akbar and Aurangzeb considered themselves to be Hindus!” This is a revelation to me and all those who have a smattering of India’s chequered history. The recent emergence of Hindu militancy, resulting in an attempt to distort the history, spawned the likes of Nemade, who have no grounding in history and Hinduism.

I remember the great British historian Collingwood’s pithy and perceptive words: “When history is distorted on the basis of religion by the amateur historians of ensuing eras, it ceases to remain history and assumes a political statement with opportunists hogging the limelight.” (from his essay, ‘The role and relevance of a historian’, first published in ‘The Guardian’, 1941). No Mughal emperor ever considered himself a Hindu, though Zahiruddin Babar

jokingly stated in his autobiography ‘Tuzuk-e-Babri’ (originally written in archaic Turkish with many passages in Uzbeki, Babar’s mother tongue) - Shin’a izz min Hindu (I’ve become a Hindu in Uzbeki). But it’s an out of context sentence, because here he didn’t mean that he became a Hindu by caste or religion, but a Hindu by colour, because Hindu means ‘black’ in Persian.

‘Agar aan Turk-e-Shirazi badastayad d i le-ma a r a / B’ k h a a l-e-H i ndu a sh bakhsham Samarkand-o-Bukhara’ (I can give away cities like Samarkand and Bukhara in preference to the black (Hindu) mole on his face: Hafiz Shirazi, who was in love with a 16-year-old boy from Shiraz). Let’s hope against hope that people like Nemade and other pseudo-intellectual Hindus like him do their homework extensively before commenting upon religion and history. We need qualified and unbiased historians, not loudmouth dilettantes.

— Sumit Paul

Khed SEZ imbroglio This is the second time in about two weeks that the Khed SEZ is in the news.

The officials had talked about SEZ being converted into an Integrated Industrial Area (IIA). The farmers’ march kicked off from four villages, where land has been acquired for SEZ. Khed SEZ is spread over 1,705 hectares and is located in Khed taluka of Pune district. The land was acquired in 2006-2007. Khed Economic Infrastructure Private limited (KEIPL) is developing the land that was acquired for the company by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. MIDC has 26 per cent shares in KEIPL, and Bharat Forge has 74 per cent shares in the company.

The original and relief and rehabilitation package talked about giving 15 per cent developed land back to project affected people but it has not been met. Instead, the KEIPL formed a company, Khed Developers Limited, that used the land bank as equity holding.

The package also talked about jobs and development.

But nothing has been done so far. The meetings with the mantralaya have proved futile. Will the protest by the locals against further land acquisitions help?

— Siddhesh Sutar

Write to Us Letters to the Editor may be emailed to editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com, editor_tgs@gmail.com or mailed to The Editor, Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt Ltd, 1641 Madhav Heritage, Tilak Road, Pune-411030. The Best Letter of the Week will receive a special gift from Venus Traders, Pune’s finest stationery departmental.

SPORTS

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MARCH 28, 2015

PUNE

“Losing to New Zealand in the group stage gave us a kick up the backside. The boys have turned up to training and the results have showed that.”

— Australia skipper Michael Clarke

“Let’s not make 50-over game like a T20 game because even a lot of sixes and fours also make it very boring. The real essence of ODI cricket lay in how a side batted in the middle overs.”

— Indian captain MS Dhoni

Kirrtane is still going strong

Signposts Tiger Combine, Eagle FC enter semis PUNE: Tiger Combine and Eagle FC scored hard-fought 1-0 wins to advance into the semifinals of the Second Division PDFA DSK Toyota Pune Football League at Dhobbarwadi ground. A first-half strike by Rohan Tupe (32nd minute) off the pass from Akshay Bakir helped Tiger Combine pack Parshuramians ‘B’. In the other encounter, the strike of Tangak Taki (18th minute) proved decisive as Eagle FC edged past Jubilee FC with 1-0 verdict. Earlier, Bishops FC ‘B’ and DSK Shivajians ‘C’ have booked their place in last four with easy wins over their respective opponents.

Pune FC ‘keeper Amrinder Singh to lead India TGS NEWS NETWORK @TGSWeekly

The veteran tennis player is giving opponents half his age a run for their money

BY ASHISH PHADNIS @phadnis.ashish

titles,” said Kirrtane.

“It’s very disappointing to see youngsters who don’t have that killer Former Davis cupper Nitten Kirrtane instinct. They train hard, they are capable turned 40 last year. Most players of his age of producing good results, but they lack the have retired from the competitive circuit, urge, the passion and the burning desire to and have taken up coaching as a career. But be the best amongst all,” he said. veteran Kirrtane is not ready to hang up his Kirrtane, who gives physical fitness racquet just yet. top priority, says that the credit goes to his He has not just been participating in previous trainer Mihir Ternikar and current all India level tournaments, trainer PVK Raman, for but has been winning them his injury-free season. too. Just last week Kirrtane “Fortunately, I didn’t won the CRS Trust AITA suffer any injury and ranking tournament, managed to increase my beating second seed Vinod fitness and resistance Sridhar of Tamil Nadu, in levels,” said Kirrtane, Bengaluru. who works as a welfare Continuing the fine manager in Western form, he went on to beat Railway, Mumbai.

Jayesh Pungaliya in the final About his future of the BIPL Trophy men’s plans, he said, “I would 50k tennis tournament, at have loved to participate Shiv Chhatrapati sports in ITF events. But due to - Nitten Kirrtane complex in Balewadi time constraints, currently recently. However, Kirrtane I am focusing on the is not the kind of sportsman who boasts AITA ranking tournaments only. Next, about his successes. At this stage of his I will be playing in the Rs 2.5 lakh prize career, results really don’t matter that much, money tournament to be held at Gwalior, he says. from April 6.”

“I just want to give my best in each Kirrtane is not just involved in onand every match. I like to maintain my court activities. With the help from city’s form, my ranking and at this age, winning sports enthusiast Aniruddha Deshpande, or losing doesn’t matter much. But I still he opened the new leaf by organising have the killer instinct, and I always enjoy Maharashtra Tennis League (MTL) in competing. Once you lose that competitive 2012. spirit, you are no longer contending for ashish.phadnis@goldensparrow.com

Gujarat beat Baroda in West Zone T-20

“It’s very disappointing to see youngsters who don’t have killer instinct”

R Bhat’s unbeaten 40-run innings helped Gujarat as they beat Baroda by five wickets in the Senior T-20 West Zone cricket tournament at Maharashtra Cricket Association’s ground in Gahunje. Earlier, Gujarat restricted Baroda for 116-7. Mehul Patel picked two wickets. Chasing the target, Gujarat lost early wickets, but Bhat along with Chirag Gandhi who chipped in with 20 runs, steered the team to victory. Meanwhile, in another encounter, Saurashtra scripted 61-run win over Mumbai. Sheldon Jackson played a key role for the winning team with his half century. He was well supported by India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara who contributed 28 off 28. Chirag Jani produced an all-round performance. He scored unbeaten 36 and later picked up two crucial wickets of Abhishek Nair and Shoaib Shaikh.

Goalkeeper Amrinder Singh did Pune FC proud after being named captain of the India Under-23 team for the Asian Football Confederation Under-23 Championship (qualifiers) which got kicked off in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Friday.

The twenty-two-year-old thus became the only second-ever Pune FC player to lead the country at any level.

Previously ex-Pune FC striker Jeje Lalpekhlua led India at the AFC U-22 championships qualifiers in Muscat.

The 23-member squad announced by the National body (AIFF) boasts of three Pune FC players with Kolhapurborn local boy Nikhil Kadam and striker Thongkhosiem Haokip being the other.

Amrinder first joined the Peninsula Pune FC Academy in 2011 in the Under-19 team. The young Punjabi impressed the coaching staff and was also included in the senior team the same season as a third choice goalkeeper. In fact, he made his first senior appearance in the 2011 Federation Cup. The youngster was even part of the historic 2011-12 U20 I-League winning team before being fully inducted into the senior set up the following season. After filling in as a second choice keeper on multiple occasions, Amrinder cemented his place as the number one goalkeeper in 2013-14 season and has continued to impress at various levels. Amrinder was recently a part of the India U23 team at the Asian Games held in Seoul earlier this season and was even called up to the senior national team for the friendlies against Bangladesh (Mar 2014) and Palestine (Oct 2014). tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Abhimanyu wins IM norm

City chess player performs impressively in the Grandmasters Open International TGS NEWS NETWORK @TGSWeekly Pune’s Candidate Master Abhimanyu Puranik has stepped on the path of his next target – International Master and he has achieved the first norm in the 2nd LIC Grandmasters Open International Chess Tournament which was held in Kolkata recently.

The tournament was very strong with almost 50 Grandmasters and as many International Masters participating. Super Grandmaster and World Championship candidate finalist Nigel Short was the biggest attraction of this event. Though started as most favorite, it was India’s GM Suyashekhar Ganguli who won the prestigious championship.

Pune’s most promising trio at this moment – Abhishek Kelkar, Aniruddha Deshpande and Abhimanyu Puranik were in good form right from the start and always in the fray of winning the IM norm. While, Aniruddha and Abhishek have two IM norms under their belt and need just one more to complete the title,

it was Abhimanyu’s first serious attempt.

All three defeated strong Grandmasters in the early rounds and also won the ‘Best Game of the round’ award. Abhimanyu won award for his win against 4th seed GM Ortiz in the first round itself while Abhishek won the same for his brilliant win over GM Abdulla Rakib in the

second round.

Abhimanyu played against five Grandmasters, one International Master and one Fide Master in nine rounds.

He scored 5 points from 9 rounds with an average rating performance of 2454 to complete the required formality of achieving the desired norm result.

Abhimanyu will be adding 45 ELO rating points from this event and will be crossing 2300 rating, thus completing his Fide Master title en route.

A 10th standard student of Symbiosis SPA School, Abhimanyu is training with Fide Trainer Jayant Gokhale for the last eight years.

“As a coach, I know that he has got a great potential and talent. But I need to remind him of his strength and capabilities. Sometimes he plays brilliantly but on occasions ends up with a very ordinary game. He needs constant motivation,” said Gokhale.

“Now we are trying for IM title but for that he needs financial support.

Therefore we are looking for a sponsor,” he added. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

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PFC share points in Maha derby Defender Raju Yumnam pulls out a late equaliser against Mumbai FC in I-league encounter

TGS NEWS NETWORK @TGSWeekly Pune FC were held to a 1-1 draw by tenman Mumbai FC in the season’s second Maha derby at Cooperage football ground in Mumbai.

Pune FC midfielder Edgar Marcelino (Red) takes a crack on the Mumbai FC goal

The I-League Round 12 encounter had all the derby drama with an early goal, a red card and a late equaliser to make it an interesting game. Midfielder Taisuke Matsugae (4th minute) gave Mumbai FC the lead before defender Raju Yumnam (76th minute) pulled Pune FC level in the second.

The hosts played an hour with ten men after defender Sampath Kuttymani was sent off at the half hour mark.

Having shared spoils, Pune FC took their tally to 16 points and dropped to the third place in the standings behind leaders Mohun Bagan (18 pts) and Bengaluru FC (17 pts).

The game had turned physical and the tackles were flying. One such moment saw Sampath Kuttymani kick Pune FC medio Dhanpal Ganesh on the flank. Referee Tejas Nagvenkar pulled out a red card to send Kuttymani off. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

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