USUALSUSPECTS SWAPAN DASGUPTA M y admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi has increased exponentially over the past six months. Far from being tamed by the ‘system’ and the comforting environment of Lutyens’ Delhi, Modi has not lost the fire in his belly. First there was the ‘surgical strike’ on terror camps across the Line of Control, an act of high-risk audacity that drew wild applause from the citizenry but invited tut-tutting from the punditry. Then there was the demonetisation of November 8, another extremely high-risk strategy aimed at striking at the very core of the black money menace. Once again the pundits threw up their hands in horror. The outrage was fierce. But Modi stood his ground, not yielding on the fundamentals but always willing to fine tune his tactics. The impact of demonetisation, as this year’s Economic Survey conceded, will take years to be fully gauged-and much will depend on how adroitly the Government follows through. However, one thing has become clear: Modi’s war against corruption isn’t a cosmetic exercise aimed at winning a State election but driven by a sense of mission. To even suggest that a political leader is blessed with a missionary zeal that goes beyond immediate political calculations is calculated to invite sniggers. Cynicism has become so deeply ingrained in the national imagination that it has become nearly impossible for educated Indians to believe that something as basic and non-contentious, but at the same time noble, as the Swachchh Bharat campaign is motivated by a higher ideal. In the case of demonetisation, many political buffs and even BJP supporters could not comprehend the logic of a move that hit small traders and small businessmen- traditionally the party’s most loyal supporters-the hardest. True, they were collateral victims in a move that sought to inject ethics and transparency in public life. But no Indian politician — not since Mahatma Gandhi injected the moral quotient into mass politics — has risked the immediate in pursuit of a loftier goal. This Budget was in many ways a predictably dreary affair: A few generous outlays on crucial sectors that warranted a leg-up, a little tweaking of the tax rates and a quota of platitudes. But there was one thing that stood out, an attempt to codify political funding that took into account ground realities. For as long as anyone can remember, it has been said that the underground economy has thrived on political patronage. People seeking advantage and wanting to cover-up some wrongdoing have traditionally been generous donors to political parties. Audited accounts suggested that between 65 and 75 per cent of the income of parties came from anonymous cash donations. This is not including the contributions to individual war chests which were entirely in cash. Maybe the Congress crafted this system of political funding, however, as political competition, particularly in the States intensified; other political parties established funding networks that mirrored the one established by the Congress. The net effect of this political practice was two-fold. First, political activists have become accustomed to easy money, particularly during elections. The venality has spread to sections of the electorate that now both expect and demand to be paid for their support. Even the media has succumbed. The global outrage against ideologically-driven Fake News was preceded in India by Paid News, a phenomenon that is hard to detect and impossible to check. Second, the growing cost of contesting elections effectively made political parties completely dependent on large donations. This in turn influenced the hierarchies inside the party. In the sphere of governance, decision-making was wilfully injected with a large discretionary element to cater to those who had the ability to either bankroll politics or enhance personal fortunes. It is unlikely that the Modi Government’s initiatives will lead to total transparency and cleansing of political life. The rot is far too deep for change to take place by legislative fiat alone. Already there are those who are planning innovative ways by which the ceiling of `2,000 in individual cash donations can be circumvented. We may also find that the cash restrictions lead to many politicians discovering the virtues of smaller, regional parties. Ways will also be found to undermine the effectiveness of the election bonds. Indeed, those who complain that the reforms mooted in the Budget don’t go far enough also include those who don’t want to upset the status quo. There will be a demand for the state funding of elections. In theory this seems a legitimate demand for a level playing field. In reality, given the proclivities of a spoilt political class, this will translate into getting money from multiple sources and enjoying the best of both worlds. Turn to Page 4 In the case of demonetisation, many political buffs and even BJP supporters could not comprehend the logic of a move that hit small traders and small businessmen — traditionally the party’s most loyal supporters — the hardest. True, they were collateral victims in a move that sought to inject ethics and transparency in public life. But no Indian politician — not since Mahatma Gandhi injected the moral quotient into mass politics — has risked the immediate in pursuit of a loftier goal Modi trying to create an ethical India INTERCEPTOR MISSILE PUTS INDIA IN TOP CLUB Balasore: India on Saturday entered an exclusive club of four nations by successfully testing its interceptor missile off the Odisha coast, achieving a milestone in developing a two-layered Ballistic Missile Defence system. P5 29 NID STUDENTS HELD AFTER LIQUOR PARTY RAID Ahmedabad: As many as 29 students of premier design institute National Institute of Design (NID), including 14 females and a foreign national, were arrested on Saturday in connection with a liquor party here, police said. CAPSULE PNS n LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI A whopping 64.22 per cent of the 2.59-crore electorates in 73 Assembly constituencies of communally-sensitive west- ern UP voted on Saturday in the first of the seven-phase polls in the State, the outcome of which will be crucial for the electoral fortunes of all the key players in the long run. The 64.22 per cent turnout sur- passed the figures of 2012 elec- tions when the same region registered 58.62 per cent polling. Voting was by and large peaceful with some stray incidents reported from Baghpat, Meerut, and Shamli. Yadav family pocket bor- ough Etah recorded the high- est 73 per cent turnout, fol- lowed by Muzaffarnagar 65 per cent, Bulandshahr 64 per cent, Noida 60 per cent and Ghaziabad 57 per cent. In Baghpat, while members of different communities clashed in Baghu colony lead- ing to injuries to 10 people, another incident of violence was reported as the Ajit Singh- led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) workers obstructed Dalit vot- ers from casting their vote in Looyan village under Badaut area, leading to a clash. An FIR was lodged against three RLD workers. In Meerut, the police detained Gagan Som, brother of controversial BJP leader Sangeet Som, for carrying a pis- tol inside a polling booth. In Kithore segment of Shamli constituency, SP and BSP work- ers exchanged brickbats and even fired in the air. In the 15-districts-strong Western UP, the stakes are high for the BJP, the BSP, the RLD and the SP, which is in alliance with the Congress this time around. In the 2012 polls, the SP and the BSP had shared the honours bagging 24 seats each. The BJP could win 11 seats, the RLD nine and the Congress five. But riding on the “Modi wave”, the BJP had swept all the 12 Lok Sabha seats of western UP, dominated by Jats and Muslims. Three Union Ministers Mahesh Sharma, General (retd) VK Singh, and Turn to Page 4 Hopes drag voters to booths UP first phase sees enthusiastic 64.2% turnout; save Shamli, Meerut, Baghpat, polling peaceful ABRAHAM THOMAS n NEW DELHI F ifteen death-row convicts, including four associates of forest brigand Veerappan, will now not face the gallows and instead undergo life imprisonment. This, after the Supreme Court, on Thursday, turned down the curative petition of the Centre — the last legal recourse available under law to upturn an apex court decision — making inordinate delay to dispose mercy petitions a ground to commute death sen- tence to life. Finding no ground to unsettle the three-judge Bench’s decision of January 21, 2014, a four-judge Bench presided by Chief Justice JS Khehar, said, “In our considered opinion, no case is made out within the parameters indicated in the decision of this court in the Rupa Ashok Hurra vs. Ashok Hurra case in 2002. The cura- tive petitions are accordingly dismissed.” The order came as a lease of life to the 15 death-row prison- ers who directly benefitted from the decision as their mercy peti- tions remained pending with the Governor/President under Articles 161/72 respectively for years. These include Veerappan’s four associates — Bilavendran, Simon, Gnanprakasham and Madiah. Their mercy petition has been pending with the State and Central Governments for over nine years. In the remaining cases too, the court found unexplained delay, some extending to 16 years, which was held by the court to be “inhumane” and a violation of Article 21 (right to life) of the prisoners on death row. One such case is from Uttar Pradesh, where Suresh and Ramji, accused of Turn to Page 4 SOUVIK MITRA n NEW DELHI F ake cosmetic goods bearing the name of branded prod- ucts like Lakme, Ponds, Fair & Lovely, Vaseline, etc, may have filled the market if the report of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence is believed. The agency seized imported spuri- ous cosmetics worth over `5 crore from the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Tughlaqabad on Friday. Sources said the fake prod- ucts were imported from China. The importer identified as 31-year-old Yogesh Gera, who is a resident of North-west Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh, has been arrested. “Since the customs department does not have its own lock-up, he was lodged in the lock-up of the local police station,” said the official. On a special tip-off, cus- toms officials at ICD Tughlaqabad examined the goods in five containers imported by M/s Sunshine Impex and found the fake cos- metic products bore the name of famous brands, said an offi- cial to The Pioneer. Moreover, the imported goods carried “made in India” tag. “The goods found in the containers were cosmetic items of various brands like Hindustan Lever’s Lakme, Ponds, Fair & Lovely, Vaseline, Proctor and Gamble’s Olay and products of Garnier, Revlon, L’oreal, Lotus, bearing ‘Made in India’ mark. The brand holders of all these products, who are registered under Intellectual Property Rules, 2007, were called for examination of the said brand- ed goods and they have certi- fied that all the goods are counterfeit and not manufac- tured in their Indian plants, thereby violating section 9C of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The market value of the seized goods is `5,41,22,016,” said the customs official. Samples of seized cosmet- ics have been sent for forensic examination. The accused, Yogesh Gera, has been arrest- ed under Sections 132 and 135 1(a) and 1(b) of the Customs Act, 1962, which are cognizable and non-bailable. SC nixes Govt’s plea; 4 aides of bandit among 15 get reprieve Fake & lovely fills cosmetic market! Egyptian woman Eman Ahmed (Inset), one of the heaviest women in the world, weighing 500 kg, arrives for weight reduction treatment in Mumbai on Saturday PTI Girls show their ink-marked finger after casting vote at a polling station in Sector 12 in Noida on Saturday PTI Lucknow: The BJP has won all three graduate MLC seats from Kanpur, Gorakhpur, and Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. This year’s MLC elections were significant because the legislative council results may boost the Assembly election campaigns of winning party. Lucknow: Seeking to win over 300 of the 403 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday jointly released ten commitments on which their alliance will work on coming to power. BJP bags all 3 graduate MLC seats in UP Akhilesh, Rahul release 10-point common minimum programme New Delhi: BJP on Saturday hit back at Rahul Gandhi for his remarks against the PM, saying the Congress leader “behaves as per his standards” and it does not expect anything better from him. Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the PM was more interested in “peeping into bathrooms of people”. We don’t expect anything better from RaGa: BJP Delay on mercy decision gives Veerappan’s men a lease of life DIRECTORATE OF REVENUE INTELLIGENCE SEIZES IMPORTED SPURIOUS COSMETICS OF VARIOUS FAMOUS BRANDS SUCH AS LAKME, OLAY, GARNIER, REVLON Published From DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL BHUBANESWAR RANCHI RAIPUR CHANDIGARH DEHRADUN Late City Vol. 153 Issue 41 *Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable Established 1864 RNI No.2016/1957, REGD NO. SSP/LW/NP-34/2016-18 www.dailypioneer.com LUCKNOW, SUNDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2017; PAGES 12+8 `3 SPORT 10 BANGLA SHOW FIGHT ON DAY 3 LANDMARK 5 WON’T PULL PLUG ON FADNAVIS GOVT IN HASTE: UDDHAV WORLD 7 TRUMP HINTS AT ‘BRAND NEW’ ORDER ON IMMIGRATION BAN @TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneer Follow us on: KUMAR CHELLAPPAN n CHENNAI A s Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Saturday got a boost, with an MLA and 4 MPs of AIADMK joining him after deserting VK Sasikala, the party chief threatened to hold a new type of protest with a new strategy on Sunday. She targeted Governor Vidyasagar Rao for the delaying her swear- ing-in as the Chief Minister. Sasikala met the legislators supporting her at a retreat near here, and said that the delay by the Governor in invit- ing her to form a Government appeared to “facilitate split in our party.” “The delay in inviting us to form the Government is an attempt to divide the party and encourage horse trading. We have waited patiently till now. The time has come for us to adopt a different strategy,” Sasikala told journalists late on Saturday evening. In a letter to the Governor, Sasikala sought an appoint- ment with him so that she could parade all the MLAs support- ing her in Raj Bhavan. Though the AIADMK leader had sub- mitted a list of 130 MLAs to the Governor, there were only 90 MLAs at the resort. Her outburst came as MLA and School Education Minister K Pandiarajan and four MPs — PR Sundaram, K Ashok Kumar, V Sathyabama and Vanaroja — switched over to the CM’s camp, pledging their support to Turn to Page 4 Chinnamma for new game plan against OPS Sasikala meets MLAs as more party leaders shift loyalty to Panneerselvam In a surprise move, AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala arrives at the resort in Koovathur at East Coast Road to meet MLAs, who are camping there for the last four days, to decide on the further course of action, near Chennai on Saturday PTI
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USUALSUSPECTSSWAPAN DASGUPTA
M
y admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
increased exponentially over the past six months. Far
from being tamed by the ‘system’ and the comforting
environment of Lutyens’ Delhi, Modi has not lost the fire in
his belly.
First there was the ‘surgical strike’ on terror camps
across the Line of Control, an act of high-risk audacity that
drew wild applause from the citizenry but invited tut-tutting
from the punditry.
Then there was the demonetisation of November 8,
another extremely high-risk strategy aimed at striking at the
very core of the black money menace. Once again the
pundits threw up their hands in horror. The outrage was
fierce. But Modi stood his ground, not yielding on the
fundamentals but always willing to fine tune his tactics.
The impact of demonetisation, as this year’s Economic
Survey conceded, will take years to be fully gauged-and
much will depend on how adroitly the Government follows
through. However, one thing has become clear: Modi’s war
against corruption isn’t a cosmetic exercise aimed at
winning a State election but driven by a sense of mission.
To even suggest that a political leader is blessed with a
missionary zeal that goes beyond immediate political
calculations is calculated to invite sniggers. Cynicism has
become so deeply ingrained in the national imagination that
it has become nearly impossible for educated Indians to
believe that something as basic and non-contentious, but at
the same time noble, as the Swachchh Bharat campaign is
motivated by a higher ideal.
In the case of demonetisation, many political buffs and
even BJP supporters could not comprehend the logic of a
move that hit small traders and small businessmen-
traditionally the party’s most loyal supporters-the hardest.
True, they were collateral victims in a move that sought to
inject ethics and transparency in public life. But no Indian
politician — not since Mahatma Gandhi injected the moral
quotient into mass politics
— has risked the
immediate in pursuit of a
loftier goal.
This Budget was in
many ways a predictably
dreary affair: A few
generous outlays on crucial
sectors that warranted a
leg-up, a little tweaking of
the tax rates and a quota of
platitudes. But there was
one thing that stood out, an
attempt to codify political
funding that took into
account ground realities.
For as long as anyone
can remember, it has
been said that the
underground economy
has thrived on political patronage. People seeking
advantage and wanting to cover-up some wrongdoing
have traditionally been generous donors to political
parties. Audited accounts suggested that between 65 and
75 per cent of the income of parties came from
anonymous cash donations. This is not including the
contributions to individual war chests which were entirely
in cash.
Maybe the Congress crafted this system of political
funding, however, as political competition, particularly in the
States intensified; other political parties established funding
networks that mirrored the one established by the Congress.
The net effect of this political practice was two-fold.
First, political activists have become accustomed to easy
money, particularly during elections. The venality has spread
to sections of the electorate that now both expect and
demand to be paid for their support. Even the media has
succumbed. The global outrage against ideologically-driven
Fake News was preceded in India by Paid News, a
phenomenon that is hard to detect and impossible to check.
Second, the growing cost of contesting elections
effectively made political parties completely dependent on
large donations. This in turn influenced the hierarchies inside
the party. In the sphere of governance, decision-making was
wilfully injected with a large discretionary element to cater to
those who had the ability to either bankroll politics or
enhance personal fortunes.
It is unlikely that the Modi Government’s initiatives will
lead to total transparency and cleansing of political life. The
rot is far too deep for change to take place by legislative fiat
alone. Already there are those who are planning innovative
ways by which the ceiling of `2,000 in individual cash
donations can be circumvented. We may also find that the
cash restrictions lead to many politicians discovering the
virtues of smaller, regional parties. Ways will also be found
to undermine the effectiveness of the election bonds.
Indeed, those who complain that the reforms mooted in the
Budget don’t go far enough also include those who don’t
want to upset the status quo.
There will be a demand for the state funding of elections.
In theory this seems a legitimate demand for a level playing
field. In reality, given the proclivities of a spoilt political class,
this will translate into getting money from multiple sources
and enjoying the best of both worlds. Turn to Page 4
In the case of demonetisation,many political buffs and evenBJP supporters could notcomprehend the logic of a movethat hit small traders and smallbusinessmen — traditionallythe party’s most loyal supporters — the hardest. True,they were collateral victims in amove that sought to injectethics and transparency inpublic life. But no Indianpolitician — not since MahatmaGandhi injected the moralquotient into mass politics —has risked the immediate inpursuit of a loftier goal
Modi trying to createan ethical India
INTERCEPTOR MISSILE PUTS INDIA IN TOP CLUB Balasore: India on Saturdayentered an exclusive club of fournations by successfully testing itsinterceptor missile off the Odishacoast, achieving a milestone indeveloping a two-layered BallisticMissile Defence system. P5
29 NID STUDENTS HELD AFTER LIQUOR PARTY RAIDAhmedabad: As many as 29students of premier designinstitute National Institute ofDesign (NID), including 14females and a foreign national,were arrested on Saturday inconnection with a liquor partyhere, police said.
CAPSULE
PNS n LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI
Awhopping 64.22 per cent ofthe 2.59-crore electorates
in 73 Assembly constituenciesof communally-sensitive west-ern UP voted on Saturday inthe first of the seven-phasepolls in the State, the outcomeof which will be crucial for theelectoral fortunes of all the keyplayers in the long run. The64.22 per cent turnout sur-passed the figures of 2012 elec-tions when the same regionregistered 58.62 per centpolling. Voting was by andlarge peaceful with some strayincidents reported fromBaghpat, Meerut, and Shamli.
Yadav family pocket bor-ough Etah recorded the high-est 73 per cent turnout, fol-lowed by Muzaffarnagar 65per cent, Bulandshahr 64 percent, Noida 60 per cent andGhaziabad 57 per cent.
In Baghpat, while membersof different communitiesclashed in Baghu colony lead-ing to injuries to 10 people,another incident of violencewas reported as the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD)workers obstructed Dalit vot-ers from casting their vote inLooyan village under Badautarea, leading to a clash. An FIRwas lodged against three RLDworkers.
In Meerut, the policedetained Gagan Som, brotherof controversial BJP leaderSangeet Som, for carrying a pis-
tol inside a polling booth. InKithore segment of Shamliconstituency, SP and BSP work-ers exchanged brickbats andeven fired in the air.
In the 15-districts-strongWestern UP, the stakes arehigh for the BJP, the BSP, the
RLD and the SP, which is inalliance with the Congress thistime around. In the 2012 polls,the SP and the BSP had sharedthe honours bagging 24 seatseach. The BJP could win 11seats, the RLD nine and theCongress five.
But riding on the “Modiwave”, the BJP had swept all the12 Lok Sabha seats of westernUP, dominated by Jats andMuslims. Three UnionMinisters Mahesh Sharma,General (retd) VK Singh, and
Turn to Page 4
Hopes drag voters to booths UP first phase seesenthusiastic 64.2%turnout; save Shamli,Meerut, Baghpat,polling peaceful
ABRAHAM THOMAS nNEW DELHI
Fifteen death-row convicts,including four associates
of forest brigand Veerappan,will now not face the gallowsand instead undergo lifeimprisonment.
This, after the SupremeCourt, on Thursday, turneddown the curative petition ofthe Centre — the last legal
recourse available under law toupturn an apex court decision— making inordinate delay todispose mercy petitions aground to commute death sen-tence to life.
Finding no ground tounsettle the three-judge Bench’sdecision of January 21, 2014, afour-judge Bench presided byChief Justice JS Khehar, said, “Inour considered opinion, nocase is made out within theparameters indicated in thedecision of this court in theRupa Ashok Hurra vs. AshokHurra case in 2002. The cura-tive petitions are accordinglydismissed.”
The order came as a lease oflife to the 15 death-row prison-ers who directly benefitted from
the decision as their mercy peti-tions remained pending with theGovernor/President underArticles 161/72 respectively foryears. These include Veerappan’sfour associates — Bilavendran,Simon, Gnanprakasham andMadiah. Their mercy petitionhas been pending with the Stateand Central Governments forover nine years.
In the remaining cases too,the court found unexplaineddelay, some extending to 16years, which was held by thecourt to be “inhumane” and aviolation of Article 21 (right tolife) of the prisoners on deathrow. One such case is fromUttar Pradesh, where Sureshand Ramji, accused of
Turn to Page 4
SOUVIK MITRA n NEW DELHI
Fake cosmetic goods bearingthe name of branded prod-
ucts like Lakme, Ponds, Fair &Lovely, Vaseline, etc, may havefilled the market if the reportof the Directorate of RevenueIntelligence is believed. Theagency seized imported spuri-ous cosmetics worth over `5crore from the InlandContainer Depot (ICD) inTughlaqabad on Friday.
Sources said the fake prod-ucts were imported fromChina. The importer identifiedas 31-year-old Yogesh Gera,
who is a resident of North-westDelhi’s Shalimar Bagh, hasbeen arrested. “Since the customs department does nothave its own lock-up, he waslodged in the lock-up of thelocal police station,” said theofficial.
On a special tip-off, cus-toms officials at ICDTughlaqabad examined thegoods in five containersimported by M/s SunshineImpex and found the fake cos-metic products bore the nameof famous brands, said an offi-cial to The Pioneer. Moreover,the imported goods carried
“made in India” tag. “The goods found in the
containers were cosmetic itemsof various brands likeHindustan Lever’s Lakme,Ponds, Fair & Lovely, Vaseline,Proctor and Gamble’s Olay
and products of Garnier,Revlon, L’oreal, Lotus, bearing‘Made in India’ mark. Thebrand holders of all theseproducts, who are registeredunder Intellectual PropertyRules, 2007, were called for
examination of the said brand-ed goods and they have certi-fied that all the goods arecounterfeit and not manufac-tured in their Indian plants,thereby violating section 9C ofthe Drugs and Cosmetics Act,1940. The market value of theseized goods is `5,41,22,016,”said the customs official.
Samples of seized cosmet-ics have been sent for forensicexamination. The accused,Yogesh Gera, has been arrest-ed under Sections 132 and135 1(a) and 1(b) of theCustoms Act, 1962, which arecognizable and non-bailable.
SC nixes Govt’s
plea; 4 aides of
bandit among
15 get reprieve
Fake & lovely fills cosmetic market!
Egyptian woman Eman Ahmed (Inset), one of the heaviest women in the world, weighing 500 kg, arrives for weight reductiontreatment in Mumbai on Saturday PTI
Girls show their ink-marked fingerafter casting vote at a polling station inSector 12 in Noida on Saturday PTI
Lucknow: The BJP has wonall three graduate MLC seatsfrom Kanpur, Gorakhpur,and Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh.This year’s MLC electionswere significant because thelegislative council results mayboost the Assembly electioncampaigns of winning party.
Lucknow: Seeking to winover 300 of the 403 Assemblyseats in Uttar Pradesh,Samajwadi Party presidentAkhilesh Yadav and Congressvice-president Rahul Gandhion Saturday jointly releasedten commitments on whichtheir alliance will work oncoming to power.
BJP bags all 3
graduate MLC
seats in UP
Akhilesh, Rahul release10-point commonminimum programme
New Delhi: BJP on Saturdayhit back at Rahul Gandhi forhis remarks against the PM,saying the Congress leader“behaves as per his standards”and it does not expect anythingbetter from him. Rahul Gandhion Saturday said the PM wasmore interested in “peepinginto bathrooms of people”.
We don’t expect
anything better
from RaGa: BJP
Delay on mercy decision givesVeerappan’s men a lease of life
DIRECTORATE OF REVENUEINTELLIGENCE SEIZES IMPORTED
SPURIOUS COSMETICS OF VARIOUSFAMOUS BRANDS SUCH AS LAKME,
OLAY, GARNIER, REVLON
Published From DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPALBHUBANESWAR RANCHIRAIPUR CHANDIGARHDEHRADUN
Late City Vol. 153 Issue 41*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable
Established 1864 RNI No.2016/1957, REGD NO. SSP/LW/NP-34/2016-18
www.dailypioneer.com
LUCKNOW, SUNDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2017; PAGES 12+8 `3
SPORT 10
BANGLA SHOWFIGHT ON DAY 3
LANDMARK 5
WON’T PULL PLUG ON FADNAVISGOVT IN HASTE: UDDHAV
WORLD 7
TRUMP HINTS AT ‘BRAND NEW’ORDER ON IMMIGRATION BAN
@TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneerFollow us on:
KUMAR CHELLAPPAN nCHENNAI
As Tamil Nadu ChiefMinister O Panneerselvam
on Saturday got a boost, withan MLA and 4 MPs ofAIADMK joining him afterdeserting VK Sasikala, theparty chief threatened to holda new type of protest with anew strategy on Sunday. Shetargeted Governor VidyasagarRao for the delaying her swear-ing-in as the Chief Minister.
Sasikala met the legislatorssupporting her at a retreatnear here, and said that thedelay by the Governor in invit-ing her to form a Governmentappeared to “facilitate split inour party.”
“The delay in inviting us toform the Government is an
attempt to divide the party andencourage horse trading. Wehave waited patiently till now.The time has come for us toadopt a different strategy,”Sasikala told journalists late onSaturday evening.
In a letter to the Governor,Sasikala sought an appoint-ment with him so that she couldparade all the MLAs support-ing her in Raj Bhavan. Thoughthe AIADMK leader had sub-mitted a list of 130 MLAs to theGovernor, there were only 90MLAs at the resort.
Her outburst came as MLAand School Education MinisterK Pandiarajan and four MPs —PR Sundaram, K Ashok Kumar,V Sathyabama and Vanaroja —switched over to the CM’scamp, pledging their support to
Turn to Page 4
Chinnamma for
new game plan
against OPS
Sasikala meets MLAs as more partyleaders shift loyalty to Panneerselvam
In a surprise move, AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala arrives at the resort inKoovathur at East Coast Road to meet MLAs, who are camping there for the lastfour days, to decide on the further course of action, near Chennai on Saturday PTI
city 02LUCKNOW | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 12, 2017
Printed and Published by Vijay Prakash Singh for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., 4th Floor, Sahara Shopping Centre, Faizabad Road, Lucknow-226016 and Printed at Tin Tin Printech Pvt Ltd., C-33 Amausi Industrial Area, Nadarganj, Lucknow. Tel: (0522) 2438656 / 9336266608.
Editor: Chandan Mitra. Resident Editor: Vijay Prakash Singh. RNI No. 2016/57. Lucknow Telephones: EPABX: 4036600 Fax: 2345582. Allahabad Office: (95532) 2420818, 2421018, 3290460. Kanpur Office: (95512) 2304006, 2304416. Varanasi Office: (95542) 2414294, 2414295. Delhi
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AUCTION NOTICE
22.02.2017. 12:00 NoonS.I.B., 110-Mall Road, LucknowAuction of Unserviceable TataSumo-1, (Make-2004). SecurityRs. 5,000/- cash/Bank Draft InFavour of "D.D.O., S.I.B.,Lucknow." Govt. AuctioneerI.P. Singh.
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Hardoi, (PTI): Three peo-ple were killed and two otherswere injured as the car theywere travelling in rammed intoa mini-truck on Saturday nearNaktora village here, policesaid. Vinay (26), Anup (25) andthe driver of their car AmanKumar Mishra (35) were killed,and two other occupants of thecar were injured. One of theinjured was admitted to theLucknow Hospital in a seriouscondition, police said. The dri-ver of the mini-truck fled thescene leaving the vehiclebehind.
PNS n LUCKNOW
In a clear indication of his preferencefor his Chief Minister son Akhilesh
Yadav, Samajwadi Party patriarchMulayam Singh Yadav said that hisparty would never grow old and itwould remain a young party.
Without taking names, MulayamSingh Yadav, seeking votes for hisbrother Shivpal Yadav in Takhaa blockof Jaswantnagar Assembly constituen-cy on Saturday, sought public supportclaiming that the Samajwadi Party willbe voted back to power.
Shivpal is locked in a bitter powerstruggle with his nephew AkhileshYadav.
“Samajwadi Party has always pro-moted young leaders. This party cannever grow old. Only the SP has the abil-ity and competence to address aspira-tions of the youths and create job oppor-tunities for them,” said Yadav Seniorwhile addressing the gathering atTakhaa block on Saturday.
“I have come to my ‘karmabhoomi’to seek support for Shivpal Yadav. I amvery happy to be here, I won the pre-vious elections from this constituencyunder different circumstances. Myparty always fulfilled the promises itmade during elections and we willalways help people who need support.Not only Shivpal Yadav’s, ensure the vic-tory of all party candidates in Etawahand neighbouring districts,” Mulayamsaid.
The SP founder said, “I am address-ing a public meeting after a long gap. Itis my wish that Samajwadi Party bevoted back to power in UP.”
The SP patriarch said that no partycould match the performance ofSamajwadi Party in agricultural sectoras it did whatever was possible for farm-ers, including waiver of loans and freeirrigation.
“Let me tell you that the party willdo more for the farmers if voted backto power,” he added.
Mulayam said unemploymentamong the youths was a big challengeand if the SP was voted back to power,the government would work for creat-ing job opportunities for youths.
For the first time in the 50-year elec-toral history of Jaswantnagar con-stituency, Shivpal Yadav is facing stiffchallenge from the Bharatiya JanataParty and is visiting each village andmeeting individuals seeking their support.
Jaswantnagar goes to polls in thethird phase on February 19.
Jaswantnagar has been a tradi-tional seat of the Yadav clan. MulayamSingh Yadav had won this seat in 1966 and lost it only once in 1980.Since 1996, Shivpal Yadav has wonfrom this constituency in everyAssembly election.
PNS n LUCKNOW
The Samajwadi Party-Congress allianceresponded aggressively to
Prime Minister NarendraModi’s statement threatening toexpose the ‘horoscope’ (jan-mapatri) of the alliance partners.
“Modi is doing every thingexcept what a Prime Ministershould do,” said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in hisrepartee.
During a joint press con-ference with Akhilesh Yadavafter the release of theCommon MinimumProgramme of the alliance inLucknow on Saturday, Rahultook a swipe at Modi for his‘raincoat in bathroom’ barb atformer Prime MinisterManmohan Singh, saying thePM (Modi) is more interest-ed in ‘peeping into people’sbathrooms’.
The Congress vice-presi-dent expressed the hope thatModi would get a ‘jolt’ once theresults of UP Assembly elec-tions were out.
“Modi likes to read jan-mapatri (horoscope), searchGoogle and peep into people’sbathrooms, but he is a failureas a Prime Minister,” Rahulsaid.
The Congress vice-presi-dent also reacted strongly toModi’s threat during an elec-tion rally in Haridwar onFriday that the Bharatiya JanataParty had a detailed dossier onCongress leaders. Daring thePM, Rahul said, “You have
been the Prime Minister forover two years. You can takeout the janmapatri of Congressand go ahead with it.”
To another of Modi’s jibethat Rahul was the ‘most jokedabout politician’ on Google, theCongress leader hit back, “Helikes to search Google and hecan do so in his leisure. But hehas failed as a PM. Modi’s pol-icy is that of distraction. Whenhe cannot reply to issues likeemployment, security, demon-etisation, he distracts people
and the whole country knowsit,” Rahul said.
“Modi talks about securi-ty and terrorism. The result ofsurgical strike is that some 90security personnel had to sac-rifice their lives,” the Congressleader said.
Speaking at the confer-ence, Akhilesh Yadav said thatemotions and anger were notright as these were elections forgrowth and prosperity of UP.
“Anyone’s ‘janmapatri’ is aclick away in this net age. The
PM and the BJP should notmislead people and insteadtell them as to what they havegiven to the state which elect-ed all prominent leaders of theNDA (National DemocraticAlliance).”
To a question on Muslimclerics like Maulana AhmedBukhari and Kalbe Jawwadrallying behind Bahujan SamajParty, Akhilesh said that per-sonal issues should not bemanifested at political level.
“One maulana earlier usedto seek votes for the BJP and isnow backing the BSP. Is heworking towards an alliancebetween the two parties? As faras the second maulana is con-cerned, you can ask him per-sonally if he would bless thetwo of us,” Akhilesh queried.
Even as Rahul preferred toshy away from commenting onBSP chief Mayawati, Akhileshattacked her saying, “This partyhas a history of forging post-poll alliances with the BJP.”
Taking a further dig at theBSP chief, Akhilesh referred tothe statues of elephants andstone memorials built duringher tenure and said,“Pattharwali sarkar bhi ab devel-opment ki baat kar rahi hai...Yeh alliance ka impact hai.”
However, both leadersavoided questions on theirfuture relationships.
“We have not come to UPjust for power, It is aimed attransforming the state. It is apartnership of shared vision forthe next five years,” RahulGandhi said.
PNS n LUCKNOW
Samajwadi Party’s senior leaderMohammad Azam Khan on Saturday
lashed out at Imam of Jama Masjid ofDelhi, Syed Ahmed Bukhari. Using cho-sen invectives against Bukhari, the SPleader called him a “quam ka saudagar”and a “blot on Islam and Jama masjid”.
Bukhari was at the receiving end ofAzam Khan for issuing an appeal toMuslims to vote for Bahujan Samaj Partyas the Samajwadi Party had betrayed theminority community by not fulfilling anypromise it made during the Assembly elec-tions in 2012.
Addressing an election meeting in thepresence of Chief Minister and SP presi-dent Akhilesh Yadav in Milak town ofRampur, Azam Khan said: “Bukhari is notyour Imam, he is a merchant and a bro-ker who sold himself for money and he isa blot on Islam and Jama masjid.”
“Bukhari came to Lucknow 20 daysback, had breakfast with Mayawati andhalf-an-hour later had snacks withMulayam Singh Yadav. He had come to
Lucknow on ‘recovery mission’ to extortmoney for his support but he went emptyhanded as neither Mulayam Singh Yadavnor Akhilesh Yadav obliged him with suitcases full of cash,” Azam Khan alleged.
Azam Khan alleged that ImamBukhari had joined hands with theBharatiya Janata Party and had a secretunderstanding with the party.
“Bukhari cannot openly ally with the
BJP so he has chosen the route of BSP andthis party will join hands with the BJP afterthe elections to form government as it hasalready done so three times in the past,”he said.
Targeting BSP chief Mayawati, the SPleader said, “Haathi wali mataji kisi kopaisa deti nahi hai, paisa lekar ticket detihai” (Mayawati never gives money to any-one, she only takes money and sells theparty ticket).
Khan added: “Now Mayawati is say-ing that she will neither install statues norconstruct new parks and memorials.”
Asking Muslims to vote diligently,Azam Khan said, “Even one vote can makea big difference and shortage of one seatcan prevent the Samajwadi Party fromforming the next government.”
Azam Khan also launched the usualbroadside against Prime MinisterNarendra Modi. He criticised the PrimeMinister for sending his 94-year-oldmother to bank to stand in queue to with-draw money after demonetisation of thehigh value currency notes in December lastyear.
PNS n LUCKNOW
The Bharatiya Janata Partysaid the 10-point Common
Minimum Programme of theSamajwadi Party and Congresswas an effort to cover up theirdifferences.
“There is nothing com-mon between the SP and theCongress. This has been provedby the list of their candidates.Both parties have fielded can-didates in over a dozenAssembly constituencies,” saidBJP state general secretary
Vijay Bahadur Pathak here onSaturday.
Commenting on the CMPreleased by Congress vice-pres-ident Rahul Gandhi and SPpresident Akhilesh Yadav at ajoint press conference inLucknow on Saturday, Pathaksaid that this was an oppor-tunistic alliance devoid of anyideological basis.
“Two discredited leadershave joined hands in a desper-ate bid to grab power in thestate when everyone knowsthat the SP government has
failed to deliver in the last fiveyears,” Pathak said.
The BJP leader furthersaid, “Both parties are symbolof corruption, loot and plunderof public money. The Congresshas done it at the Centre fordecades while the SP has doneit in UP. People have alreadydismissed this alliance.”
Pathak went on to pointout that the Chief Minister waspromising what the partywould do if voted to power butwas silent on crime and crim-inals who ruled the roost dur-
ing his five-year regime in UP.“The SP government not
only patronised criminals, italso aided and abetted corrup-tion in appointments anddevelopment. In several cases,the High Court and theSupreme Court intervened andordered CBI inquiry, particu-larly in the case of NOIDAChief Engineer Yadav Singh,”Pathak said.
Meanwhile, addressing anelection rally in Pilibhit, BJPchief Amit Shah on Saturdayattacked the Congress-SP
alliance, saying it was the com-ing together of two familieswho were neck deep in cor-ruption.
“Akhilesh Yadav hasalready accepted defeat or hewould not have joined handswith the Congress,” he said.
Taking a dig at RahulGandhi and Akhilesh, Shahsaid, “The mother of one ofthem is fed up with her son, thefather of the other is not happywith him. People of the statewere dealing with only one, butnow they will have to face two.”
PNS n LUCKNOW
On the day the first phase of polling for UPAssembly elections was held, the Bharatiya
Janata Party experienced some ‘achhe din’ asit won three of the five UP Legislative Councilseats for which biennial elections were held onFebruary 3.
As per the Election Commission, BJP can-didates won the Legislative Council seats ofGorakhpur-Faizabad graduate constituency,Bareilly-Moradabad graduate constituencyand Kanpur graduate constituency.
Independents have won from Jhansi andKanpur teachers constituencies.
Counting of votes started on Friday morn-ing. Ballot papers were used in these polls.
From Gorakhpur- Faizabad graduate seat,BJP’s Devendra Pratap Singh defeated SanjayTripathi of Samajwadi Party to wrest the seatfrom the ruling party. Singh is a sitting MLCof the SP and had defected to the BJP beforeelections.
From Bareilly-Moradabad graduate con-stituency, Dr Jaipal Singh of the BJP retainedthe seat by defeating Renu Mishra ofSamajwadi Party by around 25,000 first pref-erence votes.
From Kanpur graduate constituency, BJP’sArun Pathak defeated Manvendra Singh ofSamajwadi Party.
In the two teachers constituencies, SureshKumar Tripathi won the Jhansi seat by defeat-ing Ashok Kumar while for Kanpur seat,Rajbahadur Singh Chandel defeated HemrajSingh by around 800 votes.
Meanwhile, victory in the Council electionshas given the BJP an opportunity to rejoice.
BJP state general secretary Vijay BahadurPathak said in Lucknow on Saturday that it wasjust the beginning before the big event to beheld on March 11 when results of the Assemblypolls will be declared.
Pathak said that the people fromGorakhpur in east UP to Moradabad in westUP had extended their support to the BJP andthis would be repeated in the Assembly pollsalso.
PNS n LUCKNOW
The Common Minimum Programme —‘Pragati Ke 10 Kadam’ — released by
Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance here onSaturday drew sharp criticism from BahujanSamaj Party chief Mayawati, who said it was anattempt to fool people in the name of devel-opment and welfare of youths and women.
“After the jungle raj and over 500 riots inthe state, the SP-Congress combine are talkingabout improving law and order,” Mayawati said,adding that people living in fear for the past fiveyears would not be influenced by the CMP andwould support the BSP for peace and cordialatmosphere in the state.
“After ruling for five years, Akhilesh is nowtalking about development but everyone knowsthat Samajwadi Party had changed the namesof some of her government’s project and allother projects were dedicated to people evenbefore their completion,” Mayawati said, attack-ing the SP government on its much hyped devel-opment plank.
Reacting to the claims of the alliance part-ners that their government was coming with fullmajority in the state, Mayawati said that thetrend in the first phase polling and the man-ner in which people voted for her party clear-ly showed that people wanted BSP back in
power. “The claim of the alliance that they are com-
ing to power is only to misguide the people. Thetruth is that after seeing a certain defeat, bothCongress and SP have come together only tohelp Bharatiya Janata Party and stop BSP fromcoming to power,” Mayawati said, adding thatpeople were now fed up with the jungle raj andthey had already witnessed Narendra Modi’sfalse promise of achhe din’.
She said the BSP would come to power withfull majority.
Mayawati continued her campaign, attack-ing BJP and SP-Congress alliance in her meet-ings in Saharanpur and Bijnor on Saturday.
She also announced several sops to attractthe voters, particularly youths whom shepromised reservation on economical criteria,policemen by assuring revival of leave encash-ment system and promising full security tominorities.
On Sunday, Mayawati will address rallies inSitapur and Hardoi and on Monday, she willhold two meetings in Etawah and Unnao.
Modi does everything except
what a PM should do: Rahul
Babbar falls ill at CMP release
Lucknow (PNS): UP Congress chief Raj Babbar, who wassharing the dais along with Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav,suddenly fell ill soon after the press conference on Saturdaymorning.
Sources said that his blood pressure suddenly shot up andhe had to rest for an hour at the venue, a hotel, where doctorsattended on him. Babbar, who was scheduled to address threepublic meetings at Tilhar and Pallia on Saturday, later left forNew Delhi in the afternoon.
The meetings were addressed by senior Congress leaderRajeev Shukla and others.
BJP wins threeCouncil seats
Mulayam seeks vote
for Shivpal and SP
Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav with his brother and senior leader Shivpal Singh Yadavat an election rally in Etawah on Saturday PTI
CMP an attempt to fool people: Maya
‘Samajwadi Party hasalways promoted youngleaders. This party cannever grow old. Only theSP has the ability andcompetence to addressaspirations of the youthsand create jobopportunities for them’
BJP: Nothing common between SP and Cong
Azam Khan lashes out at Bukhari
Three killed in
road mishap
city 03LUCKNOW | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 12, 2017
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
Advocating inclusion of health issues onthe agenda of political parties during
the Assembly elections, Indian MedicalAssociation (IMA) Lucknow branch onSaturday sensitised parties about itsimportance. It also stated that political par-ties should include population control ona priority basis.
The IMA holds health a major com-ponent for the public and stressed thatnone of the parties included environmentand health issues in their respective man-ifestoes. The medical association has alsosent a memorandum to political partiescontesting Assembly elections raising asmany as 10 such issues.
“All political parties should includepopulation control and health problemscaused due to environmental pollution ona priority in their manifesto. The partiesshould also take steps for tuberculosis con-trol on the lines of Polio eradication.Moreover, Encephalitis deaths amongchildren have increased in eastern partsof the state. The parties should resolve totake effective steps for controlling such lossof lives,” IMA Lucknow branch presidentDr PK Gupta said while speaking to media
persons at IMA Bhavan on Saturday. Healso advocated that the state governmentshould open wellness centres in urban andrural areas for prevention and tests of var-ious diseases. “Medical services should beplaced in essential public utility categoryand private clinics, hospitals and testingcentres be allowed and regularised to oper-ate in residential areas. Spots in newly-constructed colonies be identified for pri-vate clinics and testing centres,” the IMALucknow president said.
The body of doctors also emphasizedon safety of doctors and suggested amend-ments in Clinical Establishment Act.“The parties should consider the draw-backs of CEA and exempt small hospitals,clinics and testing centres by amending theAct. Instead, proper implementation of theMedical Protection Act be ensured as asafeguard for violence in hospitals,” thememorandum said.
Besides, the IMA demanded abolitionof provision of municipal license for hos-pitals and decreasing punishment feelevied by consumer forums.
IMA Lucknow office-bearers includ-ing secretary Dr JD Rawat, ex-presidentDr Vijay Kumar and other members werepresent at the conference.
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
The body of a 25-year-oldunidentified man was
recovered outside the Annexein Hazratganj police stationarea on Saturday morningexposing chinks in the securi-ty armour of the VVIP area.The police termed the incidenta simple case and said theman was a roamer who prob-ably died of some chronic ill-ness.
As per reports, a com-muter identified as Liaqat Alispotted a man in a sitting posi-tion while his back was restingagainst the railing alongside theroad (near gate number 2 ofAnnexe) and he alerted thepolice. A police team reachedthe place for investigation andsent the body for autopsy afterfailing to ascertain the identi-ty of the man.
SHO, Hazratganj, DKUpadhyaya said some pave-ment-dwellers and vendorsendorsed that they had seen theman roaming and sitting whileclutching the railing on Fridaynight. “The body bore nomarks of injuries and we sentit to mortuary,” he said.
The recovery of the body inthe VVIP area created flutteramong the top police brass andsenior officials kept calling theSHO, Hazratganj, to get detailabout the deceased. Theyheaved a sigh of relief whenthey came to know that the caseinvolved a low-profile man.The pavement-dwellers saidpolice presence had thinned inthe area and there was a littleactivity on the road due to election.
TWELVE-YR-OLD GIRL CRUSHED TO DEATH
In a tragic incident, a 12year-old girl was killed in a roadmishap in Chinhat on Saturday.Meena of Bahraich was livingwith her parents in a shanty inHardasi Kheda locality ofChinhat. Around noon, shewas going to a shop to purchasesome item and was crossing theroad to reach the shop. Whenshe reached the middle of theroad, a speeding truck knockedher down killing her on the spot.Residents flocked to the sceneafter they knew the incident andchased the truck forcing the dri-ver to flee the scene after aban-doning the truck. Police reachedthe place and rushed the girl toa hospital where she wasdeclared “brought dead”. Thepolice spokesman said the truckdriver identified as Sakir ofUnnao was later arrested and acase was registered in this connection.
Meanwhile, private compa-ny employee Rishabh Dixit ofShahjahanpur was found deadand his body was found lying onrailway tracks in Rahimabadlocality of Malihabad onSaturday morning. Police said arailway staff spotted the muti-lated body lying on the tracksand informed the police aboutthe same. “On the basis of doc-uments recovered, the identityof the man was ascertained. Wecontacted the victim’s family andcalled them to reach Lucknow,”the police spokesman said. Thefamily said that Rishabh had leftthe house in search of a job. “Butwe did not know how he wasfound dead on railway tracks,”they added.
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
King George’s Medical University (KGMU)will focus on organ-based surgery in the
General Surgery department and will soonform eight units to provide advanced health-care to patients. “The department has beenperforming a series of different surgeries. Thefocus will now be on performing organ-basedsurgery as a measure to provide improved andadvanced level of healthcare to patients. Thedepartment will be divided into eight units,each to be headed by an expert in the respec-tive field,” head of General Surgery depart-ment in KGMU AA Sonkar said at a pressconference on Saturday.
The different units in the General Surgerydepartment will include laparoscopic surgery,head and neck surgery, colorectal surgery,oncology surgery, thoracic surgery and trau-ma surgery. The department will also organ-ise regular lectures along with training ses-sions for latest advancements in techniquesand surgery methods in the field of generalsurgery. The department is gearing up for the62th Foundation Day celebrations onFebruary 18. The department will host a CMEprogramme where live demonstration of lat-est techniques and lectures on recent devel-opments in the field of general surgery willbe given to surgeons.
“The exchange of techniques help us pro-vide better patient care. In the surgical edu-cation week, various doctors and residentsfrom state and medical colleges will partici-pate in the CME. The experts in laparoscopy,pancreatic cancer, along with other criticalsurgeries, will deliver lectures and perform livedemonstrations,” said Prof Sonkar.
He also presented an annual report of thedepartment. The department had given con-sultation to more than 50,000 patients in theout-patient department while more than10,000 surgeries were performed in the lastone year, the report said.
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
The district administrationdirected all presiding offi-
cers to be prepared for theSMS-based system to be usedon the polling day for sendinginformation directly to theElection Commission.
In the ongoing trainingsession of polling officials,the latter were instructedabout the SMS-based system.The polling officials will keepon sending updates to a con-trol room in ElectionCommission. “There will befour officials headed by a pre-siding officer and three pollingofficers at booths. It will be theresponsibility of the presidingofficer to send informationthrough SMS to the commis-sion. In case, he cannot sendSMS, the polling officer-1 willcarry out his task,” said a dis-trict election official.
On February 18, whenpolling parties will reach theirrespective polling stations,they will send the first SMSfrom there. It will be followedby SMS for mock polls andcommencement of the actualvoting. Then each pollingbooth will send SMS at 9 am,11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm and 5 pmon the voting day to inform the EC about thepolling percentage. The lastSMS will be about the closureof voting.
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
Imam-e-Eidgah KhalidRasheed Farangi Mahali and
principal, Darul UloomNadwatul Ulama, SaeedurRehman Azmi have extendedtheir support to SamajwadiParty (SP) in the comingAssembly polls.
Both the clerics led a del-egation to meet Chief MinisterAkhilesh Yadav at his resi-dence on Saturday. “The CMhas fulfilled all promises madefor the Muslim communityand we hope that Akhilesh willform the government again inthe state for the uplift of the
Muslim community and thewhole state,” said the clerics.
Khalid Rasheed FarangiMahali said: “We are living ina democratic nation wherepeople are free to vote for thecandidate of their choice. Butit is unfortunate that, in everyelection, some people issueappeal to vote in the name ofreligion and the same createsconfusion amongst the people.
Notably, on Friday, Shiacleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwadannounced open support forthe Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)and denounced SP terming itanti-Muslim. Khalid Rasheed issaid to be close to Akhilesh
Yadav ever since he became theChief Minister. Akhilesh wasinvited to Eidgah several timesas a chief guest in different pro-grammes. In a recent pro-gramme at HussainabadHeritage Zone, the cleric sangpaens of praise for the CM andprayed for his victory too.
The delegation informedAkhilesh Yadav that Muslimshoped that more work be donein the field of education,besides social uplift of thecommunity, after the formerformed the next government. Italso demanded more partici-pation of Muslims in govern-ment jobs.
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
Even as the Lucknowpolice claimed to haveworked out the Shravan
Sahu murder case with thearrest of two shooters —-Satyam Chaudhary ofAmbedkar Nagar and AmanSingh of Basti and their aideAjay Patel, the family is not sat-isfied and insisted on a CBIprobe. The police had claimedthat both the shooters wereprotégé of Aquil who was saidto have hatched a criminalconspiracy in the case. Aquilhad killed Sahu’s elder sonAyush in Thakurganj in 2013and was threatening Sahu tostop pursuing the Ayush mur-der case.
But the cops failed to pro-vide details what the amount ofcontract money he gave tokillers to execute the crime. Thepolice came up with a flimsyclaim that the weapon by whichSatyam fired at Sahu was withAman’s girlfriend who wasuntraceable. The police hadclaimed that the shooters treat-ed Aquil as their mentor andexecuted the crime to obligehim. But as a matter of fact,Aquil himself is a small-timegoon and he himself was a pro-tégé of Crime Branch sleuthsfor whom he worked. Aquil,who was desperate to get rid ofShravan Sahu, planned toframe up Sahu in a fake con-tract killing case some timeback. However, the issue leaked
to mediamen and later theSSP, Lucknow, was forced todismiss sub-inspectorDheerendra Shukla and twoconstables Anil Singh andDheerendra Yadav.
“It had surfaced that shoot-ers went straight to the houseof Ajay Patel where theychanged their dress and laterleft for Charbagh. On reachingCharbagh, they parked thevehicle and left for New Delhiby a bus,” they said and point-ed out that it was not clear if theshooters sent a message ofhaving done the job to Aquil.
They said the police hadinterrogated Aquil in the jailwhere he was lodged two daysafter the murder took place onFebruary 1. “But the master-mind had not disclosed any-thing of this sort and he haddisowned the crime,” they said.
The sources said Aquillater changed his statementand owned up his crime when
he was taken on remand. “Itseemed that Aquil obliged hismentors in the Police depart-ment and owned his crimeunder pressure,” the sourcessaid.
In the backdrop of ambi-guity over the Shravan workoutcase, the family is still scaredand skeptical about the policeclaim. “Aquil had framed upSahu in a fake contract killingcase. By providence, he wrig-gled himself out of the fake casebut lost his life because of thedangerous mafia-police cau-cus,” they said. “The Lucknowpolice involvement was evidentever since Ayush murder case.A sub-inspector posted inKrishna Nagar had attemptedunsuccessfully to save Aquil.Aquil was sent to jail but hewalked out of the jail due toweak chargesheet prepared byThakurganj police. Later CrimeBranch sleuths complicity hadsurfaced.
Family not satisfied,
demands CBI probe
SAHU MURDER CASE
The accused arrested in connection with the murder of Shravan Sahu
Mahali, Azmi meet AkhileshBody recoveredoutside Annexe
Students of Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir taking out a voter awareness rally on Saturday Pioneer
Poll officersto inform ECthrough SMS
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
Causing huge inconve-nience to patients, the CT
scan machine in SPM CivilHospital has gone dysfunc-tional. The administration saidas the machine was old, itdeveloped a technical problemwhich would be rectified soon.Outstation patients from dif-ferent districts come to thehospital in large numbers andare often advised to undergoclinical and radio diagnosistests. In such a scenario, adefunct machine has increasedthe inconvenience to patients.
Hospital sources said thatthe machine went dysfunc-tional at various instances andled to huge public inconve-nience, at times even com-pelling them to discontinuetreatment in the hospital andconsult private doctors. Also,
sources said there was no clar-ity over the status of themachine. They added that themachine also became dys-functional last month and thatits annual maintenance con-tract had expired.
A patient from Hardoi,Sunil has been suffering fromheadache for a long time.After undergoing treatment atthe district hospital, he wasreferred to Lucknow for fur-ther diagnosis and treatment.He consulted a doctor in OPDand was advised medicationalong with CT scan examina-tion. Sunil said he depositedthe CT scan fee but when hewent to the Radiology depart-ment, he was told that the testcould not be conducted. Onfurther enquiry and citing hisinability to stay in Lucknow,the staff told him about thedefunct CT scan machine and
suggested him to come backnext week. Though major testsare offered without any cost inthe hospital, patients have to payhigher fees.
Medical superintendent DrAshutosh Dubey said there wassome technical problem whichwould be rectified soon. A pro-posal for installing an advancemachine had been sent to theHealth department, he added.
CT scan machine goes dysfunctional
KGMU to focus on organ-basedsurgery
IMA for inclusion of health
issues on pol parties’ agenda
SP candidate Aparna Yadav during party workers’ meet at Akhilesh Das Gupta’s residence in Cantt Pioneer
city 04LUCKNOW | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 12, 2017
U.P. RAJYA VIDYUTUTPADAN NIGAMLTD. OBRATHARMAL POWERSTATION OBRA-
S O N E B H A D R A - 2 3 1 2 1 9SHORT TERM TENDER-NOTICE 1. SHORT TERMTENDER NOTICE NO. :03F/FF&SD/2016-17 2. OFFICE: Executive Engineer FireFighting & Safety Division, ObraTPS. 3. WORK : Work for con-sultancy of fire alarm system andwater spray system at differentlocation of 5x200MW, BTPS,Obra. 4. EARNEST MONEY:Rs.7000/-(Rs. Seven Thousand,only) in favour of Dy. ChiefAccounts Officer, CentralFinance Accounts & BegetOrganization, ATPS, Obra. 5.TENDER COST : Rs. 300.00 +Rs. 44.00 (14.5% VAT) 6.PERIOD : One Months 7.ESTIMATED TENDER VALUE: Rs. 3.5 Lacks, Only 8. DATEOF SUBMISSION OF TEN-DER DOCUMENT : 25.02.20179. OPENING DATE : i) Bid Part-I on 27.02.2017 at 16.00 Hrs. ii)Bid Part-II on 28.02.2017 at16.00 Hrs. NOTE: - The tenderdocuments shall not be sold,instead the tenders submitted onthe basis of matter published inthe news papers or uploaded onNigams's website www.uprvunltd.org shall be enter-tained EXECUTIVE ENGINEERTENDER NOTICE 1. SHORTTERM TENDER NOTICE NO. :T-02/CESD/2016-17 2. OFFICE: Executive Engineer, CREP,Environment & Safety DivisionObra. (Shed no-1 Obra "C"Civil office Behind project hos-pital), Obra thermal power sta-tion, Obra.) 3. WORK :Construction of Online LocalControl Room for CEMS WorkUnit No. 9, 10 &11 of BTPS,Obra. 4. EARNEST MONEY:Rs.5000.00 5. TENDER COST: Rs. 250.00+38.00 (VAT) 6.PERIOD : 01 Months 7.ESTIMATED TENDER VALUE: Rs. 2,37,154.31 8. DATE OFRECEIPT OF COMPLETETENDER BID TILL 18.03.2017Up to (14:00 Hours) 9. DUEDATE OF OPENING OFTENDER PART-I 18.03.2017(16.00 Hours) PART-II21.03.2017 (16.00 Hours)NOTE: - The tender documentsshall not be sold, instead the ten-ders submitted on the basis ofmatter published in the newspapers or uploaded on Nigamwebsite www.uprvunl.org shallbe entertained EXECUTIVEENGINEER CREP,ENVIRONMENT & SAFETYDIVISION, OBRA.1. SHORT TERM TENDERNOTICE NO. : T-17/BMD-I(3x200MW)/BTPS/2016-17 2.OFFICE : Executive Engineer,BMD-I, 3x200MW, 'B' TPS,Obra. 3. WORK : The miscel-laneous repairing works of Boilerplatform and platform structureof Unit no. 10 of 3x200MW,BTPS, OBRA. 4. EARNESTMONEY: Rs. 10,500.00 only(Rs. Ten Thousand FiveHundred only) 5. TENDERCOST : Rs. [email protected]%=Rs. 573.00 only 6.PERIOD : 03 Months 7. ESTD.TENDER VALUE : Rs. 5.05 Lacapprox. 8. DUE DATE OFOPENING OF TENDER PART-I 25.02.2017 (16.00 Hours)PART-II 28.02.2017 (16.00Hours) NOTE: - The tender doc-uments shall not be sold; onlythe downloaded versions of thetender notice and specificationshall be treated as official andshall have to be essentially dis-played at the time of tender eval-uation. EXECUTIVE ENGI-NEERSHORT TERM TENDERNOTICE 01. TENDER NO. :WC-03/CIMD-I/BTPS/16-17 02OFFICE : THE EXECUTIVEENGINEER CONTROL &INSTRUMENTATIN MAINTE-NANCE DIVISION-I 'B' THER-MAL POWER STATION, OBRA.03. NAME OF WORK : Roundthe Clock Running Maintenance,Preventive Maintenance &Breakdown Maintenance ofInstrumentation system and allrelated C&I equipments of UnitNo. 9, 10 & 11 3x200 MW,BTPS, Obra. 04. PERIOD : 06Months 05. ESTIMATEDVALUE OF WORK : Rs.9,00,000.00 06. EARNESTMONEY Rs. 18,000.00 07TENDER COST: Rs. 500.00+VAT 08. DATE OF RECEIPTOF COMPLETE TENDER BID27.02.2017 (Upto 13:00 hrs) 09.DUE DATE OF OPENING OFTENDER PART-I 27.02.2017(16.00 hrs.) PART-II 28.02.2017(16.00 hrs) NOTE: - The tenderdocuments shall not be sold;only the downloaded versions ofthe tender notice and specifi-cation available on Nigam'swebsite www.uprvunl.org shallbe treated as official and shallhave to be essentially displayedat the time of tender valuation.EXECUTIVE ENGINEER No.54 Date 10.02.2017 "SAVEELECTRICITY IN THE INTER-EST OF NATION"
MEN’S RIGHTSPati Parivar Kalyan Samiti
organised a seminar on men’srights at UP Press Club onSaturday. Samiti’s presidentIndu Subhash said India waswidely blamed for its patriar-chal society for misfortune ofwomen but she had a differentstory to tell. “Increased societalpressure and legal apathytowards male are nothingunconventional. NCRB 2015suicides statistics reveal gloomypicture of deteriorating maleposition. The total number ofsuicides by men increased from89,129 in 2014 to 91,528 where-as suicides by womendecreased marginally from42,521 to 42,088. It’s notewor-thy that the male to female sui-cide ratio in India is 2.17:1,which means that for everyone women committing sui-cide, there are 2.17 men doingthat,” she said. She said whatwas more alarming was mari-tal suicide index, which surgedby 60 per cent in the past twodecades. The marital suicideindex is male to female suicideratio. “The single largest reasonfor suicide as highlighted by thereport is family disputes.Family disputes constitute 27.6per cent followed by illness 15.8per cent and marriage-relatedissues 4.8 per cent while loveaffairs and bankruptcy 3.3 per
cent each. The gender divide issuch that every year, womenempowerment and upliftmentreceives exorbitant budgets.Finance Ministry allocated Rs184 thousand crore whereas 90per cent of tax payers who aremen do not receive a singlepenny dedicated for men’s wel-fare,” she explained.
WAJID ALI SHAH FESTThe 4th Annual Wajid
Ali Shah Festival, directed byfilmmaker Muzaffar Ali, willbe held on UP Tourism Day atDilkusha Gardens. Ali toldmediapersons on Saturday thatdance ballet ‘Rang’ would be
staged at the festival to pay trib-utes to kathak and thumripatronised by Nawab Wajid AliShah. “The fest has not onlyfound place in the hearts ofLucknowites but also encour-aged tourism as a lot of peoplefrom all over the world lookforward to this event everyyear. It has been instrumentalin promoting the regional cul-ture of Awadh. The Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb is reminiscentof Shaam-e-Awadh, where theculturally inclined gather toenjoy evenings set with lyricalpoetry, soulful music, the tin-kling of ghungroos, the waftingof rose sherbet, and the essence
of Awadh. The legacy is beingcarried forward by the foun-dation so that people of todayare aware of their rich heritageand also their roots,” Ali said.
“The performing artsflourished and blossomed asNawab Wajid Ali Shah pro-moted artisans in the Awadhiregion, thereby setting a trendfor years to come. Celebratingthis spirit of the ruler is RumiFoundation’s Wajid Ali ShahFestival, aimed at conservingthe cultural heritage of Awadhand presenting it in its mostaesthetic form. This festival isa retrospective of the culturalheritage of Awadh, rekindling
the magic and passion of erasbygone,” he added.
CMS STUDENTS VISITMETRO DEPOT
A group of 183 studentsfrom class IX of City MontessoriSchool (CMS), Gomti Nagar,visited the Transport NagarMetro Depot on Saturday wherethey were briefed by managingdirector Kumar Keshav.Coordinator Eram Mahdi andother school staff and teachersalso accompanied the students.During this visit, LMRC officialsprovided them important infor-mation related to the function-ing of Metro and also show-cased a documentary filmdepicting its historic journey.Keshav gave an inspirational lec-ture to the students and wishedthem a bright future. EramMahdi said: “Lucknow Metro isthe need of the city and CMSstudents glad to be the part ofthis visit.”
E-SUMMIT-2017Jaipuria Institute of
Management organised Itsannual E-Summit-2017 thatconcluded on Saturday. Theevent comprised analysing theentrepreneurial, marketing andselling capabilities of the bud-ding managers. Students par-ticipated in the activities ofevent.
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
The sixth national confer-ence on nano-materials
and nano-technology and elec-tronics workshop was inaugu-rated at Lucknow University’sPhysics department onSaturday. The three- day con-ference/workshop has morethan 200 participants with 22invited lectures scheduled. Thechief guest on the occasion wasIndian Institute ofToxicological Research (IITR),Lucknow director AlokDhawan, who also deliveredkeynote address on nano-tox-icology. He said it was imper-ative to understand the toxi-cological aspects of nano-materials before venturing intothe nano-technological appli-cation for human life.
IITR Laboratory underCouncil for Scientific andIndustrial Research (CSIR) isamong the few in the worldthat is doing research in nano-toxicology. Dhawan high-lighted the advances made byscientists in the field of nano-materials and nano-technolo-gy in easing out day life of thecommon man. The inaugural
session was chaired by Vice-Chancellor SP Singh.
He laid stress on the needfor keen observation in thefield of scientific research. Hedrew parallel between a smartperson with all human quali-ties in him and a smart mate-rial which is multifunctionaltoo. Convener of the confer-ence Rajesh Shukla said theconference would deliberateon various aspects of nano-technology and would be use-ful for the scientific commu-nity. “Nanotechnology is thenext growth innovation andthe 21st century would be thenanotechnology century.Nanotechnology is going toaffect every aspect of our lives,from the medicines we use tothe power of our computers,the energy supplies we require,the food we eat, the car wedrive, the buildings we live inand the clothes we wear.Nanotechnology is going torevolutionise areas like semi-conductors, pharmaceuticalsand materials. The total soci-etal impact of nanotechnolo-gy is expected to be muchgreater than the Silicon Valleyrevolution,” organisers said.
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
Members of the JNUStudents’ Union, along
with local students, will takeout ‘Insaaf march’ in the statecapital on Sunday demandingthat missing Najeeb Ahmed betraced.
“After Najeeb was beatenup by ABVP students in theJNU hostel, he went missingfor the last four months. Dueto the lax attitude of the Delhipolice and the universityadministration, Najeeb’s moth-er is running from pillar topost but ABVP students areroaming freely,” claimedJNUSU president MohitKumar Pandey while talking toreporters in the state capital onSaturday. To press theirdemand, the JNUSU has col-laborated with many local stu-dents’ unions in different cities
to spread awareness about theNajeeb case. A protest in thisregard will be organised atGPO Park at 1 pm on Sunday.
Recently, when the ‘Insaafmarch’ was taken out in Najeeb’shome district Badaun, an FIRwas lodged against protesters bythe local police. Mohit said:“We are protesting to findNajeeb who is missing for thelast four months. Instead oftracing him, police are hound-ing us. Even an FIR was lodged
against Najeeb’s mother forprotesting peacefully.”
Najeeb's mother FatimaNafees said: “I knocked thedoors of all political parties andpoliticians including HomeMinister Rajnath Singh andChief Minister Akhilesh Yadavbut no positive response camefrom them. In Badaun, an FIRwas lodged against 150 stu-dents who were protestingpeacefully. This shows thatthe state government is anti-student too.” She added that itwas not a communal issue butan issue of a student who wentmissing from the university.
Aligarh Muslim UniversityStudents Union (AMUSU)president Faizul Hasan saidearlier when the protest marchwas taken out in Aligarh, pro-testers were lathicharged andan FIR was lodged againstthem.
KIDS’ CARNIVALKids Carnival, organised
by City Montessori School,Rajendra Nagar (Campus III)won the admiration of parentsand guardians who were over-whelmed with the versatility oftheir wards. Students’ mothersalso did not lag behind in per-
forming, adding extra zest tothe eventful day. Tiny-tots par-ticipated in science exhibition,arts and craft exhibition, babyshow, colouring, puzzles, poemrecitation, fun with numbers,dance and singing besides avariety of other interestingitems. Mothers showcased their
creativity by actively takingpart in rangoli designing,colouring, clay modeling andother events. The carnival wasorganised to attract parentstowards the latest teachingmethods in vogue which areboth enjoyable as well as effec-tive in educating young minds.
SCHOOLSCAN
CITYBRIEFS‘Imperative to understandtoxicological aspects ofthe nano-materials’
Missing student: JNUSU
‘Insaaf march’ today
The JNUSU hascollaborated withmany local students’unions to spreadawareness in thisregard and a protestwill be organised at GPO Park at 1 pm on Sunday
Lucknow (PNS): LucknowDevelopment Authority (LDA)will sign an agreement withtourists and catering corpora-tion for construction of a low-budget hotel in Chak Ganjariaproject on Sultanpur Road.The agreement will be signedin April. Earlier, it was to besigned in March but was post-poned due to Assembly polls.There will also be four insti-tutes of international standardand a giant diary. Besides, theproject also includes an audi-torium with a seating capacityof 1,000 and four mini audito-riums for seminars and con-ventions. The aim is to provideboarding and lodging facilitiesto those who come for attend-ing seminars and conventions.
LDA Vice-ChairmanSatyendra Singh said that theywould provide all the supportand assistance to the corpora-tion so that the project was asuccess.
LDA to signpact for hotel inChak Ganjaria
CMS students at Transport Nagar Metro Depot
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW
Unidentified miscreantsopened fire on a trader,
who was passing throughSingapore mall in VibhutiKhand police station area, onSaturday night. However, thebullet missed the target as it hithis car and window screen. Asper reports, Sunil Soni wasreturning home from some-where in his car.
Soni nearly lost control onthe wheel but managed tostop the car. Later, he raised analarm and dialled police con-trol room. Confirming theincident, police said Soni didnot suffer injuries.
Traders, who have been onthe radar of goons of late,shared their problems with dif-ferent political leaders in thepoll-bound state but theLucknow police have failed toallay their fear.
Trader shot at
near mall
HOPES DRAG...Sanjeev Baliyan are from
the region. Whether the Jats,which had solidly backedthe BJP in 2014 but havebeen nursing grudges againstthe ruling party over theissue of reservation to themamong others, will continueto support it or side with theRLD will be interesting towatch out for.
Similarly, whether theMuslims will overwhelming-ly vote for the SP-Congressalliance or go with the BSPleading to community’s vote-bank getting divided tooremains to be seen.
Notable among the can-didates who were in the firstfray are the son of HomeMinister Rajnath Singh,Pankaj Singh (from Noida),Congress Legislature Partyleader Pradeep Mathur(Mathura) against whom BJPhas f ie lded spokesmanSrikant Sharma, BJP MPHukum Singh’s daughterMriganka Singh (Kairana),and controversial BJP MLAsSangeet Som, and SureshRana from Sardhana andThanabhawan respectively.Former BJP State presidentLakshmikant Bajpai(Meerut), RJD chief LaluPrasad’s son-in-law RahulSingh (SP) f romSikandrabad, and SandeepSingh, grandson of RajasthanGovernor Kalyan Singh from Atrauli too areamong other key figures inthis phase.
In all, 839 candidates,including 77 women, are inthe fray. Around 20 per centof them have criminal casesregistered against them and36 per cent are crorepatis(multi-millionaires). The BJPand the BSP have fieldedcandidates in all 73 seats,while the SP and the allyCongress are contesting on51 and 24 seats respect ively and theRashtriya Lok Dal has field-ed candidates in 57 seats. Thesecond phase in 67 Assemblyseats would be held onFebruary 15.
CHINNAMMA FOR...him amid mounting
pressure from the party cadreand apparent public senti-ment. Meanwhi le ,Panneerselvam launched asignature campaign to makeVeda Nilayam, the residenceof late J Jayalalithaa, anational memorial in thehonour of Amma.
Speaking to journalists,PR Sundaram demanded aCBI probe into the factorsleading to the death ofJayalalithaa, while AshokKumar claimed that moreand more MPs would jointhe Panneerselvam camp inthe coming days. But theicing on the cake turned outto be K Pandiarajan, who hadaccused Panneerselvam ofbeing an opportunist andhypocrite on Friday and for-mer Minister Ponnaiyanchanging their allegiance bySaturday.
Pandiarajan, who hadbeen a vocal supporter ofSasikala till now, changed hisstance by Saturday after see-ing the public support com-manded by Panneerselvamover the last one week.
“I am sure more MLAswould join us in the days tocome. There is a feelingamong some of the MLAsthat they would lose theirmembership of the House ifthey supportedPanneerselvam. Efforts areon to make them under-stand the provisions in theanti-defection law,” saidPandiarajan.
Ponnaiyan, who led theparty’s regular briefing aboutAmma’s health status duringher 75 days of hospitalisa-tion, said Panneerselvam isgiv ing “goodgovernance..Free of corrup-tion and winning laurels forhis work from the people.”
Hai l ing the ChiefMinister, he said, “It is onlyPanneerselvam who is com-petent to lead both the partyand the Government in tunewith the aspirations of partycadres.”
He said Panneerselvam
had already been “selected asChief Minister by Amma”and added that he was an“unassuming leader” like theDravidian ideologue CNAnnadurai.
Lauding Panneerselvam’sadministrative skills in gov-ernance, he said when theVardah cyclone hit last year,he worked at a “higher speedthan the storm and won thehuge support of the people.”
Incidentally, Ponnaiyanwas among the senior lead-ers who voiced support forSasikala for the top post ofGeneral Secretary after thedemise of Jayalalithaa.
“It reminds me of thecrowd which had assembledat the Marina Beach for theJallikattu agitation. There isno doubt about the fact thatthe general public and theAIADMK cadre are withPanneerselvam,” said UmaAnandan, a social activist.
However, KASengottaiyan, the new pre-sidium chairman of theAIADMK said most of theMLAs were with Sasikala.“We are conf ident of proving our majority in theHouse or in the Raj Bhavan,”he said.
Meanwhile, senior BJPleader Subramanian Swamycalled on the Governor,which the R aj Bhavandescribed as a courtesy call.Later speaking to reportersSwamy said the Governor isconstitutionally bound toinvite Sasikala and swear herin as Chief Minister. “She hasfurnished the names ofMLAs supporting her. If shehas the majority of the MLAswith her, then there is nooption other than invitingher to form theGovernment,” said Swamyafter his meeting with theGovernor.
By late evening, therewere unconfirmed reportsthat because of the delay inthe swearing in of Sasikala,her faction may meet soonand elect either EdappadyPalanisamy or Sengottaiyanas leader of the Legislature
Party. “Since both of themare MLAs, there is no legalhitch in inviting them to besworn in as the ChiefMinister,” said a source in theSasikala camp.
DELAY ON MERCY...Murdering five members
of their family, suffered anincarceration of 16 years ondeath row, awaiting a deci-sion on their mercy petition.The other prisoners whofound relief from the courton the ground of delay arePraveen Kumar (8.5 years),Jafar Ali (9.2 years), GurmeetSingh (almost 7 years), Shivuand Jadeswamy (6.5 years),Sonia and Sanjeev Kumar(5.8 years).
In two cases involvingdeath row convicts SunderSingh and Maganlal Barela,though the delay in dispos-ing their mercy petitions isunder two years, yet consid-ering their mental illness, thecourt commuted their deathsentence.The judgmentunder challenge also laiddown guidelines to be fol-lowed while dealing withdeath row convicts byproposing a uniform set ofrules to be adopted by eachjail to ensure that the proce-dure under law is executedfairly.
These guidelines saidthat a death row prisonershould not be kept in solitaryconfinement prior to rejec-tion of his mercy petitionand should be provided legalaid and documents necessaryto file appeals. The convict orhis/her family should also beimmediately communicatedabout thePresident/Governor reject-ing his/her mercy petitionand a copy of the sameshould be supplied to theconvict, the convict shouldbe provided 14 days to pre-pare mentally prior to exe-cution, should undergo men-tal and physical check-upprior to execution date andmeet family members beforethe designated day of hanging.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Modi trying to...From Page 1
In his Budget speech, the Finance Minister released
statistics that clearly suggest that tax compliance is, by
and large, the prerogative of the salaried class. What is
shocking is how few of those who are independent
businesses or in the professions actually bother to declare
their real incomes and pay taxes. Part of this stems from
the lack of state penetration. But far more important are
the habits inculcated during the bad days of Congress
socialism when personal Income Tax levels crossed 90
per cent-an absurdity that naturally encouraged
concealment of real incomes.
Bringing tax rates down to and making life difficult for the
non-taxpayer are important steps in enlarging the tax net
and, in time, reducing the overwhelming dependence on
indirect taxes. However, there is a cultural problem. As a rule
and maybe due to historical reasons, Indians appear to have
mastered the art of short-circuiting rules and procedures. We
saw some of this during the demonetisation drive when fat
cats entered into private deals with bank officials to
exchange old notes for new, without the transactions being
recorded.. Trust and a willingness to play by the rule book
are very important in establishing the moral fabric of a
country. The writings of late-19th century and early-20th
century Indian stalwarts, particularly those who agonised
over the reasons for India’s loss of sovereignty, indicate the
premium attached to charitra (character) in nation building. It
is a tragedy that this emphasis on character building was
discarded after Independence as the focus shifted to
identity and entitlements. There are times, particularly
during election rallies, when Prime Minister Modi projects
himself as a combative politician in the traditional mould.
However, there is a far more appealing Modi who comes
across as something fundamentally different in his periodic
Maan ka baat radio addresses when he focuses on issues
that go above partisan politics. It is that Modi which is
driving this bid to create an ethical India. That no politician
has tried to attempt something so audacious is no reason
why it shouldn’t be tried at all.
29 students held for booze party
Gandhinagar (PNS):Almost two months after for-mer Indian Premiere League(IPL) chairman Chirayu Aminand other who's who ofVadodara's arrest for consum-ing liquor illegally in dryGujarat, the State police onSaturday arrested 29 students ofAhmedabad-based high-profileNational Institute of Design(NID) for consuming liquorand arrange booze party ille-gally under Gujarat ProhibitionAct.
The party started on Fridaynight and continued till weehours on Saturday at a privateapartment situated in Paladiarea of Ahmedabad in theproximity of sprawling NIDcampus. However, the cops
only raided after a tip-off frompolice control room (100 num-ber).
"We raided Pushkar Flatsnear the NID campus andarrested the students, including14 women, while having thebooze party. They have beenbooked under the prohibitionlaw," said a police inspector,adding that some residents inthe same flat complaint in thepolice control room about loudmusic inside the flat whereparty was going on.
The Ahmedabad PoliceCommissioner had informedthe NID Director over phonerecently that the police hadinformation of students con-suming liquor on the campus,sources said.
landmark 05LUCKNOW | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 12, 2017
DEEPAK KUMAR JHA nNEW DELHI
In a major embarrassment forthe Bihar Government, the
Supreme Court has upheld thePatna High Court order quash-ing the FIR against an IAS offi-cer on charges of corruption. TheSupreme Court was convincedthat a false case was “framed”against the official who wasgunning against the truck mafia-police nexus in the State.
The officer in question,Dr Jitendra Gupta, was the sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) ofMohaniya in Bhabua district ofBihar. After realising the mag-nitude of nuisance created bythis mafia-police nexus, and asper direction of BiharGovernment, this young officerhad taken stern action againstthe wrong doers.
But to get him out of theway, an “Entry Mafia” lodged avigilance complaint alleging thatthe officer seized four trucks onJuly 3, 2016, at 7am in Mohaniyaand later demanded bribethrough his driver to release thetrucks. The vigilance wing raid-ed the house of Dr Gupta on July12 last year from where nothingwas admittedly recovered andthereafter in the midnight hewas arrested based on the state-ment of co-accused SanjayTiwari who was allegedly caughtred handed by vigilance police.
Consequently, an FIR waslodged against Gupta whospent about a month in jail. Theintegrity of Gupta, who alsoholds a medical degree, wasvouched for by the IAS OfficersAssociation of Bihar. TheAssociation also submittedmemorandum to the Governorand Chief Minister of Bihar.
The Patna High Court onOctober 28, 2016, quashed theFIR against the 2013 batch IASafter it pointed out glitches inthe investigation with the worstbeing that on July 3, 2016, thetruck in question was not
parked at the spot as claimed bythe prosecution. It was provedby Gupta through the docu-mental evidence that truckswere in Jharkhand almost 200Km away from the alleged placeof occurrence on that day.
Interestingly, the prosecu-tion accepted this and thenattempted a cover-up by filinga counter affidavit contrary toaffirmation made by truckers intheir affidavit on oath. Also, allthe three essential componentsof demand, acceptance andrecovery were missing in theprosecution’s case as far Guptawas concerned. The court madean observation that nobodymade even a feeble attempt toconfirm whether the money wasdemanded at Gupta’s behest.
The money was allegedlytaken by the officer’s driverSanjay Tiwari with no evi-dence to show that the saidamount (`80,000) was collect-ed at the officer’s behest andthat a meeting ever happenedbetween the two. The courtheld that the prosecution caseabout Sanjay confessing topolice that the bribe was meant
for Gupta can’t be relied uponas evidence to fasten guilt onco-accused. The HC did notbuy the prosecution theory tohold Gupta guilty merely onthe basis of statement of a co-accused who was in policecustody and quashed the FIR.
The Bihar Governmentcontested the HC order in theSC seeking that FIR could notbe quashed as investigationwas still pending. The Bench ofJustices Adarsh K Goel and UULalit dismissed Bihar’s pleaand stated that the officer wasframed for targeting the over-loaded trucks plying on NHflouting rules. “We do not seeany merit in this special leavepetition which is hereby dis-missed,” said the SC Bench.
Reacting to the order vin-dicating the stand of Gupta,Treasurer of IAS OfficersAssociation (Bihar Branch)Dipak Kumar Singh, said,“Right from day one, there wasno direct evidence againstGupta. It was clear that he wasframed. Justice has finally beendone to Gupta and he has thefull support of the Association.”
ARCHANA JYOTI n AMARAVATI(ANDHRA PRADESH)
Union Minister YSChowdary on Saturday
asserted that the status ofwomen in India is much betterthan in many developednations but it is the picturisa-tion of violence against womenthat is demoralising them. Hisobservations came even asAndhra Pradesh and TelanganaGovernor ESL Narasimhanunderscored the need forstrengthening the legal processto effectively deal with thecrime against women.
They were speaking at the second day of the three-day National Women’sParliamentary Conclave beingheld here.
Chowdary said, “As a mat-ter of fact, women today areeverywhere. There’s no dearth ofdecision making power. There’sno dearth of giving status in ourcountry which has given respectto women in our mythologiesalso. But unfortunately our coun-try is being picturised as violenceagainst women, for which I per-sonally feel may not be true if onegoes by statistics. If we talkmore and more about it (violenceagainst women) women willlose their confidence.”
Chaudhary also minced nowords as he said that there wasdouble standard in the societyas it is the mothers themselveswho discriminate amongdaughters and daughter-in-laws.He added discrimination andatrocities are much higher in thedeveloped countries as he foundduring a seminar at YaleUniversity which he had attend-ed a few years ago.
“Situation in India is com-paratively much better,” headded. Chowdary added ini-tially he was against reservationfor women in politics as inactual sense men were gov-erning. “But I had change ofheart when my leaderChandrababu Naidu correctedme saying that reservation is afirst step towards womanempowerment,” he said.
The AP Governor called forexemplary punishment to theguilty in crime against women.“Getting away under benefit ofjuvenile laws was wrong. Acrime is a crime and has to bedealt with. Media also broad-casts certain incidents, especially
reports related to crimes againstyoung girls and women repeat-edly. What is the Censor Boardis doing? The crime scenesagainst women shown in filmsor electronic media should becut. I think we should go for leg-islation in this regard.”
Ex-chairman of UPSC AlkaSirohi exhorted the women andgirl students to recognise theirtalent and work towards theiraim while senior journalistSagarika Ghose lamented thatnot much was being done toempower women.
The NWP is being organ-ised by Andhra PradeshLegislative Assembly in associ-ation with MIT School ofGovernment, Pune with thetheme of ‘Empowering Women-Strengthening Democracy’.
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE nNEW DELHI
With the objective of pro-viding a shield to major
cities from enemy ballistic mis-siles, India on Saturday suc-cessfully conducted a testwherein an incoming missilewas intercepted by a missile inexo-atmosphere. With thiscapability, India has nowentered the elite league ofnation having this capability.The other four countries areUS, Russia, Israel and France.
The significance of thistest, the second in the last twoyears, is that the interceptormissile can shoot down a bal-listic missile fired from morethan 2,000-km, at least 50-kmabove earth’s atmosphere,thereby nullifying any threat toIndia’s skies and cities. Somemore tests will be conducted inthe coming months before themissiles which are part of
Ballistic Missile DefenceSystem (BMD) are inductedinto service. The programmewas conceived in 1999.
As regards the latest test ofthe missile, an incoming enemymissile was intercepted at 07.45off Balasore in Bay of Bengal inOdisha. The interceptor waslaunched from Abdul KalamIsland (Wheeler Island) ofIntegrated Test Range inBalasore.
With this commendable
scientific achievement, Indiahas crossed an important mile-stone in building its overallcapability towards enhancedsecurity against incoming bal-listic missile threats. It hasentered an exclusive club offour nations with developingcapabilities to secure its skiesand cities against hostilethreats, Defence Ministry offi-cials said. Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and DefenceMinister Manohar Parrikar
lauded the efforts of theDefence Research andDevelopment Organisation(DRDO) for this achievement.
This mission was termed as“PDV mission is for engagingthe targets in the exo-atmos-phere region at an altitudeabove 50 km of earth’s atmos-phere.” The target depicted ahostile ballistic missile firedfrom more than 2,000 km awayand launched from a shipanchored in the Bay of Bengal.
The interceptor missiletracked it in an automatedoperation and the computernetwork with the help of datareceived from radars predictedthe trajectory of the incomingMissile. The interceptor waskept ready and took-off oncethe computer system gave thenecessary command for lift-off.The Interceptor guided by highaccuracy Inertial NavigationSystem (INS) supported by aredundant micro navigationsystem moved towards the esti-mated point of the interception.
Once the missile crossedthe atmosphere, the heat shieldejected and the seeker domeopened to look at the targetlocation as designated by themission computer. With thehelp of inertial guidance andseeker the missile moved forinterception and all eventswere monitored in real-time bythe telemetry stations located atvarious spots, officials said.
New Delhi: Calcutta High Courtjudge Justice CS Karnan hasplayed the Dalit card in connectionwith the contempt proceedingsinitiated against him and asked theSupreme Court to refer the matterto Parliament, contending it was“not sustainable”.
Justice Karnan wrote astrongly worded letter addressedto Registrar General of apex courton receiving the February 8 orderof the seven-judge bench askinghim to appear in person before iton February 13 to explain as towhy contempt proceedings be notinitiated against him. “Beforeobtaining any explanation fromme, I wish to state the courts haveno power to enforce punishmentagainst a sitting judge of the HC.The said order does not conformto logic, therefore it is not suitablefor execution,” he said.
PNS n NEW DELHI
Women must be given theright to choose when to
have a baby and when to abortit as it concerns her body,” saidSupreme Court judge AK Sikrion Saturday. Speaking at asymposium in the Capital, thejudge rued the fact that in ourcountry women’s reproductiverights are governed by thechoice of the husband or eldersin the family.
“When we talk of repro-ductive rights in this country,then there is hardly any choiceso far as the woman is con-cerned... there again the choiceis of the husband in the fami-ly or what the elders say...whenthere should be a child,whether that child should bemale or female etc,” Justice Sikrisaid. He was speaking at a sym-posium on “Reproductive
Rights in Indian Courts:Celebrating Progress,Identifying Challenges andDiscussing the Way Forward”,organized organised by theJindal Global University.
Reproductive rights shouldbe seen with sexual rights ofwomen, the judge argued,while linking both with thebasic human right of thewoman intertwined withhuman dignity. He also laidemphasis in his talk on thecriminal practice of femalefoeticide and the role of menand families in forcing womento undergo this crime.
“A woman’s choice toreproduce, abort or preventpregnancy, deals with her body.It is she, who, by the virtue ofher anatomy, undergoes theprocess eventually. It is herbody and her right to choose,”the judge said.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijijuvisits the BSF Souvenir stall at the National PoliceMemorial where the first retreat ceremony wasperformed by BSF, at Chanakyapuri in New Delhi onSaturday PTI
TN RAGHUNATHA n MUMBAI
Notwithstanding the hintsthrown by him earlier that
his party might withdraw itssupport to the BJP-ledMaharashtra Government afterthe February 21 BrihanmumbaiMunicipal Corporation (BMC)polls, Shiv Sena presidentUddhav Thackeray is no moodto pull plug on the DevendraFadnavis Government in haste.
In an interview to ThePioneer, a non-committalUddhav said on Saturday, “Afterthe polls, we will take a call,after watching as to what will bethe attitude of the DevendraFadnavis Government withregard to the issues of trans-parency (in its governance)raised by us.
At one stage of the inter-view, Uddhav said, “As far asour walking out of the StateGovernment or otherwise isconcerned, it is as much the ShivSena’s option as it is of the BJP.If they are unhappy with us andif they think we are corrupt, theBJP can also walk out of theState Government...It does notmean that either the Shiv Senawill continue to remain in thisGovernment or withdraw itssupport to the StateGovernment”.
Slamming Prime MinisterNarendra Modi for his “intim-idating” remarks made byNarendra Modi at his Friday’selection rally at Haridwar thathad janam patris (horoscopes)of Congressmen and warnedthem against speaking non-sense, Uddhav said no previousPrime Minister had stooped tothe level that Modi did.
Uddhav expressed confi-dence that even if Modi were tocampaign in the BMC polls asextensively he did for the BJP inthe October 2014 Maharashtrapolls, the Shiv Sena would comeup trumps in the civic polls.
Here are the excerpts ofthe interview:
Having snapped its electoralties with the BJP, the ShivSena — after a long gap of 20years — is going it alone inthe Brihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation (BMC) polls?How do you look at the polls? Is it a tough battle or aneasy one?
There is tremendous enthu-siasm among Shiv Sainiks.There is also a lot enthusiasmamong Mumbaikars. The peo-ple are happy with our decision
to severe our electoral ties withthe BJP. I will confide with youhonestly that I am getting verypositive feedback from the peo-ple. When I go around the cityin my car, people whom I hap-pen to see through the windowof the car, greet me profuselyand many of them have eventold me that the Sena has donea right thing by severing its elec-toral alliance with the BJP.
As far as the second partyour question is concerned, itis going to be a very easy con-test for us. You yourself saidthat we snapped the alliancewith the BJP after beingtogether in power in the BMCfor more than 20 years. It is thesame people (BJP) who areaccusing us of indulging in cor-ruption, despite having sharedthe power with us for morethan two decades. They havesuddenly noticed our acts ofcorruption and that too onlyon the eve of elections. Thatmeans they are lying throughtheir teeth. As far as Congressand NCP are concerned, theyare exposing their own acts ofcorruption during their previ-ous Government in the stare,by making wild allegationsagainst us.
You have gone on recordchallenging the BJP to fieldPrime Minister NarendraModi as a campaigner in theBMC polls? Now, it does notseem that either Modi andBJP president Amit Shah willcampaign in Mumbai.
Whatever I do, I do itwith confidence and withutmost sincerity. I have notposed any challenge nor it ismy intent to pose any challengeto Modi (to come and cam-paign in the Mumbai polls).But the manner in which thePrime Minister has been cam-paigning in the ongoingAssembly polls in five statessurprises me. In the October2014 polls, the Prime Ministerhad — setting aside his officialwork — addressed as many 26public rallies in Maharashtra.Even now, I do not know as towhat is the official work he isdoing, but he is spending mostof his time addressing publicrallies in the election-boundstates in the country.
The problem today youcannot ask him (Modi) and hisGovernment any question. Somuch so that Bihar ChiefMinister Nitish Kumar whohad supported Modi on thedemonetisation decision, has
come out againstthe NDAGovernment. Modi has noanswers to give us as howmuch of black money that theNDA Government hasunearthed.
That’s why I said if Modiwants to set aside his work tocome and campaign for hisparty in Mumbai, he is welcometo do so and spread his usualfalsehood. He will get to see thatthe Sena enjoys the blessings ofthe people and it would win thepolls hands down.
In Goa where the Shiv Sena iscontesting, Defence MinisterManohar Parrikar is camping for the campaigningpurpose…
From Goa, Parrikar hasbeen making statements like,We will stop infiltration andgive a fitting reply to Pakistanetc. When will he give a fittingreply to Pakistan? All he isdoing is hitting out at hispolitical rivals?
Of late, you have been indi-cating that you may withdrawsupport to the BJP-ledGovernment after the BMCpolls. Will you do so? Or areyou reconsidering your threat to walk out of theGovernment?
Ahead of the October 2014Assembly polls, the BJPsnapped the ties with us. In thepolls, the Congress was thrownout of power in the state Sinceboth the parties had achievedthe objective of dislodging theCongress-led Government, Ireconsidered the situation, putour feud with the BJP in thebackburner and joined thegovernment. But it was ourmistake to have joined theGovernment.
After two years, we haverealised that the BJP wantspower at each and every level— at the Centre, State andnow even at the BMC level.
In Mumbai, I do not needthe support of the BJP. Thepeople in the city are fed up ofthe BJP. They are angry withthe BJP. In the BMC polls,Mumbaikars will go wholehog with the Sena.
You have spoken aboutpulling the plug on the
Devendra FadnavisGovernment..
I have just confirmed thatwe have put the StateGovernment “on notice” andthe notice has a timeline linecode of conduct.
After the polls, we will takea call, after watching as to whatwill be the attitude of theDevendra Fadnavis govern-ment with regard to the issuesof transparency (in its gover-nance) raised by us.
It is I who has placed thetransparency agenda on theState Government’s table. Ihave made it clear to the StateGovernment: At the Cabinetmeetings, I would like theleader of the Opposition,media and Lokayukta toremain present at the Cabinetmeetings. This is needed forbringing about transparency inthe government. You haveraised the issue of transparen-cy with respect to municipal. Iam asking for similar trans-parency in the StateGovernment as well.
I am for all transparency. Iam ready to put on line the not-ings of municipal commission-er and various elected repre-sentatives. I would like similarsystem in the state government,where the notings of the chiefminister and the ministers madeon files should be put on web.We will watch the stateGovernment’s approach towardsthe issue of transparency.
Will the Sena and BJP cometogether once again as pollpartners? Will make it clear ifthe Sena would withdraw its support to the StateGovernment?
As far as our sharing thepower is concerned, I am rul-ing out totally at the BMC level.We have also decided that theSena would go it alone in allthe elections henceforth. As faras our walking out of the stategovernment otherwise is con-cerned, it is as much the ShivSena’s option as it is of the BJP..Another thing is that it is theBJP ministers in the state gov-ernment who are facing alle-gations of corruption and notthe Shiv Sena…If they areunhappy with us and if theystill think we are corrupt, theBJP can also walk out of theState Government.
All the same, let us go stepby step. Let the municipal andlocal body elections get over first,then we will think about all theseissues. It does not mean that
either the Shiv Sena will continueto remain in this Government orwithdraw its support to theState Government.
At an election meeting yes-terday, Modi warned theCongress against speakingnon-sense and said he hadjanam patris (horoscopes) ofeveryone in that party andthat their sins would chase theparty men concerned. Howdo you react to this?
Everyone has janampatrikas (horoscopes) eventhere is a patrika of Modiji also.He if late Thackeray had notstood by (the then ChiefMinister of Gujarat) Modi, afterthe Godhara carnage, one can-not imagine where he wouldhave been today. It does notbehoove well for Prime MinisterModi to be speaking in such anintimidating manner this he didyesterday… That’s why I havebeen praising the previousPrime Ministers, includ-ing Indira Gandhi andManmohan Singh.Because, despite havingso much of power, theynever stooped to thelevel as Modi has done.
Can you list two to threeachievements of the ModiGovernment during the33 months?
(With an expressionlessface): Why not? The ModiGovernment has completed33 months in office and it has27 months to go to complete itstenure.
We see the Shiv Sena makingall out effort to woo Gujaratissettled in Mumbai. What kindof percentage of Gujaratisthat you expect to support theSena in the BMC polls?
We are not doing much.Because, during the last twoyears, Gujarati traders andbusinessmen have facedthe brunt of income raidsand they are not happywith Modi’s demonetisa-tion decision. The Gujaratis inthe city are upset, unhappy andangry with the BJP. Till nowthey were in a dilemma as whatto do if the BJP continued tocontest the polls in alliancewith the Sena. Now that theShiv Sena snapped its ties withthe BJP, the Gujaratis havefound a way out of the situation— i.e supporting the Sena.
Will the Hadik Patel factorcount in the BMC polls ?
(Patidar leader had metUddhav Thackeray a few daysago and announced that hewould stand by the Thackeray’sfamily in all its battles)
I have not looked at HardikPatel from the point of view ofderiving political benefits. He isjust 23-year-old boy. Thesehave slapped him with seditioncharges. He had been sendingmessages to me saying that hewanted to come and payrespects to late Thackeray. I hadsuggested that he come onJanuary 23 (the birth anniver-sary of late Thackeray). But, hehad some preoccupations. Hecame and met me subsequent-ly. He came to pay his respectsto late Thackeray. Exceptingsaying that he had come to meetme, I have never used his namein my campaign speeches.
I asked Hardik if he hadany political ambitions. Hereplied in the negative. My takeon him is simple: If he devel-ops into a bigger leader, I willuse him as the face of the ShivSena in Gujarat.
INTERVIEWpioneer
Won’t pull plug on Fadnavis Govt in haste: Uddhav
Interceptor missile test-fire success
☛ With this capability, India has nowentered the elite league of nationhaving this capability
☛ The other four countries are US,Russia, Israel and France
☛ The significance of this test, thesecond in the last two years, isthat the interceptor missile canshoot down a ballistic missile firedfrom more than 2,000-km, at least50-km above earth’s atmosphere,thereby nullifying any threat toIndia’s skies and cities
☛ As regards the latest test ofthe missile, an incomingenemy missile wasintercepted at 07.45 offBalasore in Bay of Bengal inOdisha. The interceptor waslaunched from Abdul KalamIsland (Wheeler Island)
☛ This mission was termed asPDV mission is for engaging thetargets in the exo-atmosphereregion at an altitude above 50km of earth’s atmosphere
IASGRAFTCASE
SC upholds Patna HC orderThe officer in question, Dr Jitendra Gupta, was the sub-divisionalMagistrate of Mohaniya in Bhabua district of Bihar
But to get him out of the way, an “Entry Mafia” lodged a vigilancecomplaint alleging that the officer seized four trucks on July 3, 2016,at 7am in Mohaniya and later demanded bribe through his driver torelease the trucks
Consequently, an FIR was lodged against Gupta who spent about amonth in jail. The integrity of Gupta, who also holds a medicaldegree, was vouched for by the IAS Officers Association of Bihar
The court made an observation that nobody made even a feebleattempt to confirm whether the money was demanded at Gupta’sbehest
The court held that the prosecution case about Sanjay confessing topolice that the bribe was meant for Gupta can’t be relied upon asevidence to fasten guilt on co-accused
We do not see any merit in this special leave petition which is herebydismissed, Bench said
AK Sikri: Women should
have reproductive rights
Contemptproceedings ‘notsustainable’:Justice Karnan
YSR Congress MLA RK Rojawas on Saturday detained at theVijayawada Airport as shearrived from Hyderabad to takepart in the National Women’sParliament (NWP). Roja was notallowed to attend the conclavethough she was duly registeredand invited, as police suspectedshe “might create trouble” at thevenue. In fact, Roja is also amember of the NWP ‘welcomeand reception committee’.
YSR Cong MLA RKRoja detained atVijayawada Airport
As a matter of fact, womentoday are everywhere.There’s no dearth of
decision making power.There’s no dearth of givingstatus in our country whichhas given respect to womenin our mythologies also. Butunfortunately our country isbeing picturised as violenceagainst women, for which Ipersonally feel may not be
true if one goes bystatistics. If we talk more
and more about it (violenceagainst women) women will
lose their confidence
UNION MINISTER YS CHOWDARY
Min: Picturisation ofviolence against Indianwomen demoralising
MANIPURUTTARPRADESH
UTTARAKHAND
06
LUCKNOW | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 12, 2017
Badaun: Taking a dig at ChiefMinister Akhilesh Yadav’s“kaam bolta hai” slogan, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi onSaturday said it was the SPleader’s “karnama” (misdeed)which spoke for him.
Modi, who has stepped uphis attack on Akhilesh in recentdays, also said that the ChiefMinister is to be blamed if peo-ple of the state which he ruled forfive years do not see ‘achche din’.“Akhileshji says ‘kaam bolta hai’(work speaks for itself). Even achild here knows that it is your‘karnama’ (misdeed) which isspeaking for you,” Modi said atan election rally here.
“Akhilesh asks whether‘achchhe din’ have come,” Modisaid referring to the SP leader’sfrequent jibe at Modi over his2014 poll slogan of achchhe din(good days).
“He is the Chief Ministerfor the past five years and if
people tell him that it has notcome, he is responsible...It isBSP and Congress which isresponsible.”
He also asked whyAkhilesh “who had brandedMayawati Government as cor-rupt” and had promised to sendto jail the guilty had not actedagainst them.
“Officials close to Mayawatiand facing serious corruptioncharges were given more impor-tant posts after a drama of two-three months and doors wereopened for more corruption....What kind of officials wereposted in Noida?” Modi asked.
Stressing that all the polit-ical parties opposed to eachother were together on theissue of corruption, Modi saidboth Mayawati and MulayamSingh Yadav had never beenone of any issue but both wereangry with him on his note bandecision.
PNS n LUCKNOW
After releasing manifestoesof respective parties,
Congress vice-president RahulGandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav announced a 10-point Common MinimumProgramme (CMP) inLucknow on Saturday. TheCMP coined ‘Pragati Ke 10Kadam’ exuded confidence ofcoming to power with other 300out of 403 seats in the Assembly.
Despite grappling for con-sensus candidates in a dozenseats, both Rahul and Akhieshclaimed that all was well and thealliance was route to getting aclear majority and forming thenext Government focussing onyouths, farmers, women, infra-structure and development.
“This 10-point promise isthe foundation of developmentof UP. Our Government will bemeant for all but other parties arenot speaking about it,” Gandhitold reporters after releasing theCMP along with Yadav.
“We want a Government ofthe youth and vision and these10 points in the joint pro-gramme are foundations ofdevelopment,” the Congressleader said.
On the other hand, Yadavthanked the people for sup-porting the alliance in a big wayand claimed that the first phaseof polling on Saturday will givea clear edge to the formation ofthe SP-Congress Government.
“I am happy with the initialvoting trend in first phase ofpolling. The first votes went to
SP-Cong alliance and so alliancewill be ahead,” he added.
The two leaders claimedthat the documents released bythem focused on youth, farm-ers and women. The list ofcommitments also include dis-tribution of free smartphones toyouth, employment guaranteethrough skill development to 20lakh youths, loan waiver andproper remuneration for crops.
It also commits to provide`1,000 monthly pension to onecrore poor families and one time
food at `10 to urban poor, 33per cent reservation to womenin Government jobs and 50 percent reservation in panchayatand local bodies electionsbesides power, road and waterto every village in five years.
Free cycles to all girl stu-dents of Class IX to XII andmeritorious students, freehomes to over 10 lakh poorDalit and backward families,four-lane roads connecting alldistricts and Metro in six maincities also figure in the list.
1) A newly married woman shows her inked fingers after casting vote in Agra on Saturday
2) A physically-challenged girl on her way to cast her vote in Aligarh
3) A polling station wears a deserted look in Mathura
4) An elderly woman votes at a polling station in Aligarh
5) A woman shows her inked finger after casting vote in Muzaffarnagar
6) Voters await their turn in Meerut Pictures: PTI
AKHILESH’S KARNAMA
BOLTA HAI: MODI
‘Pragati Ke 10 Kadam’ to sail through
Crowd of supporters at Home Ministerand senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh’selection rally in Moradabad district onSaturday PTI
Prime MinisterNarendra Modiwaves at crowd atan election rally inBadaun onSaturday PTI
BJP supporters taking selfie at PrimeMinister Narendra Modi’s election rallyin Badaun on Saturday PTI
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister AkhileshYadav with Congress vice-presidentRahul Gandhi during a joint Pressconference in Lucknow on Saturday PTI
Home Minister and senior BJPleader Rajnath Singh addressesan election rally in Moradabadon Saturday PTI
RAHUL, AKHILESH ANNOUNCE A 10-POINT CMP
* Free smartphones to youth and skill development training for 20lakh youth so that they can get employment
* Loan waiver to farmers, reduction of power tariff for them, andproper remuneration for crops
* `1,000 monthly pension scheme for 1 crore poor families andmeal at `10 to the urban poor
* 33 per cent reservation to women in Government jobs and 50 percent reservation in Panchayat and local bodies elections
* Electricity, water, and roads to all the villages in five years
* Free cycles to all girl students and meritorious students of Class IXto XII and meritorious students
* Free homes to over 10 lakh poor dalit and backward families
* Four lane roads connecting all districts and metro in six main cities
* For the minorities and backwards, it promises representation inratio to their population in all the welfare schemes
* Police modernisation and phased expansion of Dial-100 service
PROGRAMME INCLUDES
Rawat cries foul over
chopper search
PNS n DEHRADUN
Uttarakhand Chief MinisterHarish Rawat on Saturday
today objected to the checkingof his helicopter for unac-counted cash during cam-paigning in Haldwani andalleged he was being harassedat the behest of the Centre.
In a complaint to the ChiefElection Commissioner, Rawatsaid why only his helicopterwas being checked “when BJPleaders from New Delhi werebringing money in their chop-pers to distribute it amongparty candidates”.
Taking exception to the
“special treatment” beingmeted out by the Commissionto BJP central leaders, Rawatalleged he was being harassedon the direction of his influ-ential political adversariesbased in Delhi.
Rawat’s chopper waschecked in Haldwani yesterdayby the administration appar-ently to find out if unaccount-ed cash was being carried in it.
Accusing BJP of havingpumped Rs 2,000 crore into theelections so far, Rawat said thepoll panel should subjecteveryone to equal treatmenthowsoever important they maybe.
PTI n KUSHINAGAR
In a Taliban-like diktat, UttarPradesh Minister Radhey
Shyam Singh allegedly threat-ened to set a local journalistafire for not supporting himduring the ongoing Assemblyelections in the state.
Kushinagar goes to polls onMarch 4 in the penultimatephase of the seven-phaseAssembly elections endingMarch 8. The journalist hasfiled a complaint with thepolice and has handed over themobile audio of the allegedthreat to the Superintendent ofPolice, Kushinagar, Raju BabuSingh. Singh said he hadreceived the complaint andthe matter would be investi-gated. In the past too, the min-ister was accused of abusing
and threatening local govern-ment officials over phone.
Earlier, another UttarPradesh Minister, Ram MurtiSingh Verma, was bookedalong with five others in con-nection with the killing of ajournalist Jagendra Singh byallegedly setting him on fire inShahjahanpur district in June2015. Jagendra had made aFacebook post against the min-ister regarding his allegedinvolvement in illegal sandmining and land grabbing.
Jagendra had madea Facebook postagainst the ministerregarding his allegedinvolvement in illegalsand mining and landgrabbing
UP minister threatensto set scribe afire PTI n PILIBHIT
BJP chief Amit Shah on Saturdayattacked the Congress-SP alliance,
saying it is the coming together of twofamilies who are neck deep in cor-ruption.
“Akhilesh Yadav has alreadyaccepted defeat or he would not havejoined hands with the Congress,” hesaid at an election rally here.
Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi andAkhilesh, he said, “The mother of oneof them is fed up with her son, thefather of the other is not happy withhim. People of the state were dealingwith only one, but now they will haveto face two.”
This is the first time that theSamajwadi Party has entered analliance with any national party forelections in the state. While SP will iscontesting on 298 seats, Congress hasfielded candidates on the remaining105 seats.
Shah asked the Samajwadi Partygovernment to tell people on what it
spent the additional fund of Rs 2.5lakh crore given by the NarendraModi government.
He said if BJP came to power inthe state, it would “take up every caseof atrocity on people”.
“People of the state were troubledby successive BSP, SP governments inthe past 15 years and to change thefuture, they need to vote for the BJP,”the party president said.
TAKING A DIG AT RAHULGANDHI AND AKHILESH, HESAID, “THE MOTHER OFONE OF THEM IS FED UPWITH HER SON, THEFATHER OF THE OTHER ISNOT HAPPY WITH HIM.PEOPLE OF THE STATEWERE DEALING WITH ONLYONE, BUT NOW THEY WILLHAVE TO FACE TWO”
SP-Cong tie-up is coming together of 2 families neck deep in graft: Shah
BJP national president Amit Shah being felicitated with a sword during an election rally in Pilibhit on Saturday PTI
world 07LUCKNOW | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 12, 2017
Trump considers ‘brand new' order on immigration
PTI n WASHINGTON
President Donald Trump hassaid he is considering sign-
ing a "brand new" executiveorder by next week temporar-ily barring refugees and citizensof seven Muslim-majoritynations from entering thecountry, a day after a US courtrefused to reinstate his con-troversial travel ban. "We willwin that battle. The unfortu-nate part is that it takes timestatutorily, but we will winthat battle. We also have a lotof other options, including justfiling a brand neworder,"Trump told reporters travellingwith him on Air Force Onefrom Andrews Air Force Baseto Florida.Asked if his planmight be to issue a new exec-utive order, Trump said: "It verywell could be. We need speedfor reasons of security, so it verywell could be." Trump said that"in honour of the (9th USCircuit court) decision" he willlikely wait until next week torespond with any action."Perhaps Monday or Tuesday,"he said.
The new executive orderon immigration would includesecurity measures, Trump said."New security measures. Wehave very, very strong vetting.I call it extreme vetting andwe're going very strong onsecurity. We are going to havepeople coming to our countrythat want to be here for goodreason," he said.
The President's remarkscame after a three-judge benchof the 9th US Circuit Court ofAppeals in San Franciscorefused to reinstate his con-troversial travel ban onThursday.
The judgement means thatcitizens of seven majority-Muslim countries will contin-ue to be able to travel to the US.Trump signed the executiveorder last month suspendingthe arrival of all refugees for atleast 120 days, Syrian refugees
indefinitely, and barring citi-zens from Iran, Iraq, Libya,Somalia, Sudan, Syria andYemen for 90 days, fulfillingone of his central campaignpromises.
"We will be doing some-thing very rapidly to do withthe additional security for ourcountry. You'll be seeing thatsometime next week," Trumpsaid speaking at the WhiteHouse. "In addition, we willcontinue to go through thecourt process and ultimately, Ihave no doubt we will win thatparticular case," Trump toldreporters during a joint newsconference yesterday withJapanese Prime MinisterShinzo Abe. "We are going tokeep our country safe. We aregoing to do whatever is neces-sary to keep our country safe.We have had decision which wethink will be very successfulwith, it shouldn't have takenthis much time because safetyis a primary reason," Trumpsaid.
"One of the reasons I amstanding here today, the secu-rity of our country, the votersfelt I would give it the bestsecurity," he said, indicatingthat he would continue with hisefforts for the safety and secu-rity of the US despite the courtsetback. "While I've beenPresident, which is just for avery short period of time, I'velearned tremendous things thatyou could only learn, frankly,if you were in a certain posi-tion, namely President," hesaid.
Trump said there aretremendous threats to thecountry. "We will not allow thatto happen, I can tell you thatright now.
So we'll be going forwardand we'll be doing things tocontinue to make our countrysafe. It will happen rapidlyand we will not allow peopleinto our country who are look-ing to do harm to our people,"he said.
Trump, Shinzo Abe pledge tostrengthen US-Japan tiesWashington (PTI): USPresident Donald Trump andJapanese Prime MinisterShinzo Abe have vowed tostrengthen defence andstrategic ties and agreed tomake the bilateral trade morefair.
"We are committed tothe security of Japan and allareas under its administrativecontrol and to furtherstrengthening our very cru-cial alliance. The US-Japanalliance is the cornerstone ofpeace and stability in thePacific region," Trump toldreporters at a joint news con-ference with Abe at theWhite House yesterday.
After the meeting,Trump insisted that it isimportant that both Japanand the US continue to investheavily in the alliance tobuild up their defence capa-bilities which, undertheirleadership, will becomestronger and stronger, and astime goes by, ultimately theywill be impenetrable.
Trump said the twocountries face numerouschallenges and bilateral coop-eration is essential to addressthem.
"We will work together topromote our shared interests,of which we have many, inthe region, including free-dom of navigation anddefending against the NorthKorean missile and nuclearthreat, both of which I con-sider a very, very high prior-ity," Trump said.
"On the economy, we willseek a trading relationshipthat is free, fair and recipro-cal, benefiting both of ourcountries. The vibrantexchange between us is atrue blessing," Trump said.
Abe, speaking inJapanese, congratulatedTrump on being elected asthe US President. Abe wasone of the first world leaderwho travelled to the US tocongratulate Trump aheadof his swearing-in in January.
"The mutually beneficialeconomic relations havebeenbuilt by Japan and theUS," he said. With Trumptaking on the leadership, Abesaid big infrastructureinvestments will be made,including in high- speed traintechnology.
"Japanese bullet trainsare known for their speed,and safety," Abe said, adding,with the latest magnetic tech-nology, it would take onlyone hour to travel from fromWashington, DC to NewYork where Trump Towerexists.Japan, with its high-level of technical capabilitywill be able to contribute toTrump's growth strategy, hesaid. The two leaders in ajoint-statement announceda three- pronged approach ofmutually-reinforcing fiscal,monetary, and structuralpolicies to strengthen domes-
tic and global economicdemand .Trump and Abediscussed opportunities andchallenges facing theireconomies and the need topromote inclusive growthand prosperity in their coun-tries, the Asia-Pacific region,and the world. "They empha-sised they remain fully com-mitted to strengthening theeconomic relationshipsbetween their two countriesand across the region, basedon rules for free and fairtrade," the joint statementsaid "This will include settinghigh trade and investmentstandards, reducing marketbarriers, and enhancingopportunities for economicand job growth in the Asia-Pacific," the joint statementsaid.
Trump and Abe affirmedthe commitment of the USand Japan to the realign-ment of US forces in Japan,to ensure the long- term,sustainable presence of USforces, it said. They also con-firmed that Article V of theUS-Japan Treaty of MutualCooperation and Securitycovers the Senkaku Islands.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., right, and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., listen as President Donald Trump speaks during a meetingwith Senators on his Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, in the Roosevelt Room of the WhiteHouse in Washington. AP
‘US firms going abroad can't say bye-bye and fire everybody'Washington: President DonaldTrump has warned of"consequences" to Americancompanies planning to shift baseabroad, telling them that he wouldmake it "harder" for them to justsay "bye-bye and fire everybody."In his weekly address to thenation, Trump also said that he isworking on a major tax reformwhich would massively reducetaxes of American workers andbusinesses."We are in the process right nowof working on a major tax reformthat will massively reduce taxes onour workers and businesses,"Trump said yesterday. "We want tomake it much easier to dobusiness in America, and that'swhat we're going to do. We'regoing to make it also much harderfor companies to leave. They're notjust going to say bye-bye and fire
everybody. There will beconsequences," he said.Trump said, he met the CEO ofIntel (Brian Krzanich) this week,who announced that his companywill invest USD 7 billion in a newmanufacturing facility in Arizona,creating thousandsof newAmerican jobs. "That's what wewant, new American jobs andgood jobs. Intel decided to moveforward with this project becausethey know we are totallycommitted to lifting the regulatoryand tax burdens that are hurtingAmerican innovation andcompanies," he said. Trump saidhe want America to be the greatestjobs magnet of the world. "But wecan't do that if we don't stop thewasteful rules and excessive taxesthat make it impossible forcompanies to compete," he said.Every hour of every day, his
administration is focused oncreating jobs for people, Trumpsaid. "I mean good jobs. Morejobs, better jobs, higher payingjobs, that's our mission," he said.Referring to his meeting withsheriffs and police chiefs fromacross the country, Trump said hisadministration is committed tonational security, which is why hewill continue to fight to take allnecessary and legal action to keepterrorists, radical and dangerousextremists from ever entering thecountry. "We will not allow ourgenerous system of immigration tobe turned against us as a tool forterrorism and truly badpeople We must take firm stepstoday to ensure that we aresafe tomorrow," Trump said. "Wewill defend our country, protectour Constitution and deliver realprosperity for our people," he said.
India wants Pakistan
to take action against
terrorists: Bambawale
PTI n KARACHI
India wants Pakistan torenounce violence and take
"strong preventive action"against terrorists and extrem-ists without discrimination,Indian High Commissionerto Islamabad GautamBambawale has said. "Indiawishes Pakistan well in itsnation building process. Indiawishes to see a stable, moder-ate and prosperous Pakistanwhich is at peace with itself, atpeace with its neighbours andat peace with the world,"Bambawale said at the inau-guration of the 8th KarachiLiterature Festival yesterday.
He said as this year's festi-val commemorates the 70thanniversary of Pakistan's inde-pendence "perhaps some intro-spection may not be out ofplace". "India wishes to see aPakistan which abjures vio-lence and takes strong pre-ventive action against terroristsand extremists.
India wishes to see aPakistan which does not dis-tinguish between good andbad terrorists but instead
moves against all such ele-ments irrespective of whomtheir hatred is directedagainst," he said in a statement.
The High Commissionersaid he was happy that sever-al writers and authors fromIndia have been invited to thefestival.
"I am sure they will con-tribute positively to your delib-erations and interactions," hesaid. Tensions have been run-ning high between India andPakistan since a terror attackon Pathankot Air Base onJanuary 2, 2016 by Pakistan-based terrorists.
17 dead in stampede at Angolanfootball stadium: PoliceLuanda: At least 17 footballfans died in a stampede at astadium in northern Angola,police said, adding that scoresof other spectators wereinjured, many of them seri-ously.Panic spread throughthe crowd at the match in thetown of Uige between SantaRita de Cassia and Recreativode Libolo in Angola's domes-tic league season.
"There was a blockage atthe entrance to the January 4stadium... this obstructioncaused multiple fatalities -- 17deaths, and there are 56injured in the hospital,"police spokesman OrlandoBernardo yesterday told AFP.
He added that there werean unknown number of chil-dren among the dead, andthat hospitals were treatingthose injured.
Police said hundreds offans had tried to enter thealready packed stadium to seethe match, causing a crushthat pushed some people tothe ground. Many of the dead
were trampled to death orsuffocated. "While the playerswere on the field, outside fanswere trying to get into thestadium and a gate probablygave way to the pressure ofthe crowd causing severalpeople to fall who were liter-ally trampled on by thecrowd," said the Recreativo deLibolo club in a statement onits website.
"There are already 17confirmed dead and at least59 wounded... (this was) atragedy without precedent inthe history of Angolan foot-ball."
Some witnesses saidmany fans did not have tick-ets to the match, while otherreports said that spectatorsinside the stadium were notaware of the stampede until itwas over.
Angola, ranked 148 inthe FIFA world rankings, is aminor power in African foot-ball The country has been rel-atively closed to the outsideworld under the authoritari-
an President Jose Eduardodos Santos who has ruledsince 1979. Football has atragic history of stampedesand stadium deaths, oftenblamed on lack of crowdcontrol, dangerous venuesand spectator behaviour.
In 2009, poor crowd con-trol in Abidjan caused 19deaths before a 2010 WorldCup qualifier between hostsIvory Coast and Malawi.
A stampede at the AccraSports Stadium in Ghana in2001 resulted in 127 deaths.
At that game, supportersangered by their team's defeatthrew projectiles and brokechairs. Police threw tear-gasgrenades, triggering a stam-pede.
In May 1964, 320 peoplewere killed and more than1,000 injured during a stam-pede at a Peru-Argentinamatch at Lima's NationalStadium.
Fans could not escapethe crush and were trampledor asphyxiated.
‘Pak concerned over peace in Indian Ocean'Karachi (PTI): Pakistan's topdiplomat Sartaj Aziz onSaturday alleged that India'sevolving "expansionist" mar-itime security strategy and un-demarked border of Sir Creekpose "threat" to the security ofthe Indian Ocean.
"The un-demarcated bor-ders in Sir Creek have thepo-tential to cast a shadow onmaritime security. India'sevolving expansionist mar-itime security strategy is acause for concern for peace inIndian Ocean," said Aziz, thePM's Advisor on ForeignAffairs. He made the remarksat a conference on 'Strategicoutlook in Indian OceanRegion 2030 and Beyond –Evolving Challenges andStrategies' organised by thePakistan Navy as part of amulti-nation five-day navalexercise in the Arabian Sea.
"Nuclearisation of theIndian Ocean has also led tofurther instability in theregion," he added. He saidthat with 95 per cent ofPakistan's trade taking placethrough sea, Pakistan washeavily dependent on a ten-sion-free Indian Ocean. Azizsaid Pakistan is third largestIndian Ocean littoral countryand as a matter of policy it con-
tinues to pursue the goals ofrealising the economic poten-tial of the region. "We areaware of our national interestsand every effort would bemade to strengthen our capac-ity to ensure that we remainready to meet the emergingmaritime security challenges.For us, to remain oblivious ofthe developments taking placein the Indian Ocean Region isnot an option.
These developments havea direct impact on our securi-ty and prosperity," he said. Azizsaid that the several IndianOcean Region contains sever-al conflict zones and theregion’s maritime security chal-lenges have grown and areaffected by key variables such
as militarisation, the involve-ment of major and extra-regional powers, and non-tra-ditional security threats. "Onthe other hand, the militarisa-tion of the Indian Oceanregion, the proliferation ofweapons of mass destruction,increased missile capabilitiesand power projection by for-eign militaries are a threat topeace in the Indian OceanRegion. And this trend is like-ly to intensify in the comingyears," he said. "And to add tothis complex scenario, today,the Indian Ocean faces manynon-traditional security chal-lenges and threats includingpiracy, illegal fishing, humantrafficking, drug smuggling,trafficking of weapons, mar-
itime pollution and climatechange," he added.
Aziz said Pakistan has astrategic stake in peaceful nav-igation and security of IndianOcean region. "Our interestsemanate from our coastlinethat is over 1000 kilometreslong, an Exclusive EconomicZone (EEZ) of around 300,000square kilometres, the Karachiport and the newly built deepsea port of Gawadar," he said.He said that due to presence ofseveral powers in the IndianOcean, the changing powerbalance and r suggest thatmany global struggles will playout here in the 21st century.
95% of Pakistan'strade taking placethrough sea, Pak
was heavilydependent on
aIndian Ocean Pak isthird largest Indian
Ocean littoralcountry and it
continues to pursuethe goals of realising
the economicpotential of the
region
13 killed in bus-van
collision in B'deshPTI n DHAKA
At least 13 people werecharred to death and 20
others injured when a head-oncollision between a bus and avan hauling gas cylindersresulted in massiveexplosionsin southwest Bangladesh, policesaid today.
The accident took place lastnight on a highway connectingDhaka and Khulna town inFaridpur district.
"Thirteen people have diedso far in the accident whilenearly 20 people are beingtreated for injuries caused bythe accident," a police officialsaid.
Media reports quoting wit-nesses said that a massive fireengulfed both the vehicles asthe gas cylinders fell off the vanfollowing the collision with abus and exploded.
They said that most of thevictims were burned to deathbeyondrecognition.
"Most of them died almostinstantly. Some of the wound-ed bus passengers were criti-
cally injured," a police officersaid, adding that the death tollmay increase.
The van driver was amongthe dead. Fire service and CivilDefence assistant directorMomtaz Uddin said that thefire might have occurred by theexplosion of gas cylinders.Four fire fighting units fromFaridpur were rushed to thespot and brought the fire undercontrol, he added.
Chinese soldier returns home from India after five decadesBeijing (PTI): A Chinese sol-dier, who was stuck in India forover 50 years after he crossedover the border post 1962 war,on Saturday arrived in Beijingwith his Indian family mem-bers to an emotional reunionwith his Chinese kin. Wang Qi,77, was received by his closeChinese relatives, besides offi-cials of the China's Ministry ofForeign Affairsand Indianembassy when he arrived herealong with his son, daughter-in-law and grand daughterfrom Delhi-Beijing flight.
Wang became emotional ashe hugged his relatives, theirfirst reunion after he crossedinto Indian side over fivedecades ago."It was an emo-tional reunion," an official pre-sent at the airport told PTIhere. Wang was accompaniedby his son Vishnu Wang, 35,daughter-in-law Neha andgrand daughter, Khanak Wang.His Indian wife Shushila, how-ever, stayed back.
Indian officials said Wangand family members will belater flown to Xian, the provin-cial capital in Shaanxi province
from where he will be taken tohis native village Xue ZhaiNan Cun in the province. Hisreturn became a possibilityafter India and China workedout modalities for both Wangand his Indian family to trav-el together to China and laterreturn as per their wish.
Wang was caught whenhe entered the Indian territo-ry shortly after the Sino-IndiaWar of 1962.
After his release fromprison in 1969, he settled inTirodi village of Balaghat dis-trict in Madhya Pradesh.Though his story has beenpublished by Indian mediaseveral times in the past, arecent BBC TV feature on
him was widely picked by theChinese social media high-lighting his plight, promptingthe Chinese government toinitiate action in coordinationwith India to facilitate hisreturn. The Chinese ForeignMinistry said on February 6that he was provided a passportto travel to China in 2013 andhe was also paid a livingallowance.
Chinese Ambassador toIndia Luo Zhaohui recentlyspoke to him.
While the Chinese gov-ernment has provided visasfor his family to visit China,India has provided a re-entryvisa for Wang to return back ifhe chooses to. Indian officialsterms the facilitation of thetravel of Wang and his familyby both sides s positive devel-opment, specially at a timewhen India-China relationswere stuck with differencesover issues like China-PakistanEconomic Corridor, Chinablocking India's entry intoNuclear Suppliers Group andlisting of JeM leader MasoodAzhar as terrorist by UN.
Turkish troops, Syrian
rebels enter IS-held town
AFP n BEIRUT
Turkish troops and Syrianrebels on Saturday entered
the Islamic State-held town ofAl-Bab in northern Syria, asgovernment forces alsoapproached thejihadist bas-tion, a monitor said.
"Turkish forces and alliedrebels in the Euphrates Shieldcampaign entered the westernedge of the town and tookcontrol of a number of areas,"the Britain-based SyrianObservatory for HumanRights said.
The monitor said heavyclashes were underway with ISin the town, which is thejihadist group's last strongholdin the northern province ofAleppo.
The town has been seen asa key prize and Syrian gov-ernment troops and alliedforces have also been advanc-ing towards it in a bid to wrestit from IS.
Al-Bab was besieged sinceMonday, when governmentforces advancing from thesouth cut off a road leadinginto the town.
By yesterday, governmentforces were just 1.5 kilometresfrom the southern outskirts of
Al-Bab, while Turkish troopsand allied rebels advancedfrom the north, east andwest.Turkey began anunprecedented campaigninside Syria on August 24, tar-geting both IS and Kurdishmilitia.
After initial rapid progress,the campaign became mired inthe deadly fight for Al-Babsince December.
Turkey's Dogan newsagency says 66 Turkish soldiershave been killed in the cam-paign since it started, mostlyin IS attacks.
Al-Bab has been under IScontrol since 2014, when thegroup seized large swathes ofterritory in Syria an neigh-bouring Iraq, proclaiming itsself-described caliphate.
LUCKNOW | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 12, 2017 films & tv 08
A Jolly good film
JOLLY LLB 2
*ing: Akshay Kumar, Annu Kapoor, Huma
Qureshi, Saurabh Shukla
Rated: 8/10
Jolly LLB 2 is a crackling, near perfect, all-in-place rarity. Call it the star power ofAkshay Kumar or the syrup of an eventful
script, this one is strides ahead in presentationand engagement from Arshad Warsi’s Jolly...
As the Kanpuriya working out of the file-burdened bustling courts of Lucknow, Akshayas Jaggannath Mishra and his janeoo are a sliceof small town life, both outside and in thecourtroom of small-town India.
Akshay shows yet again how powerful heis on the screen even when his muscles are notrippling and his fists are not making too muchof an intrusion in his personality. As thewannabe, unscrupulous lawyer whose maritalhigh lies in plying his middle-class wife withwhisky secretly and cooking a meal for her asshe chomps away as the man of the house,Akshay’s personality has been built with a lotof consideration and is, thus, riveting.
But the beauty of this film lies not in justits lead character but also the atmospheredirector Subhash Kapoor has infused into thefilm, the well-fleshed out side characters, thetumult around the courts, the fun element thatexists even in the odds of life, the pathos of
victimisation, the unrelenting corruption, theabuse of power by the police and theemotionality in every small or big relationshipthat is at play in this courtroom drama.
As asides go, one can’t think of this filmwithout the sterling performance of SaurabhShukla who plays the absolutely harried judge.He makes you laugh, he makes you think andhe gives you those much needed breaks frommonopoly of the lead character. Shukla wasgood in the first one too but it is here that heemerges as one of the main pillars of thestructure.
Then there is Annu Kapoor as the criminallawyer who encapsulates everything that iswrong with our judicial system. As Mathur, heis the epitome of that breed of service providerswho are known to even scrape out the fleshfrom over your bones and yet not feelcannibalistic.
Huma Qureshi as Akshay’s wife is the onlycharacter that is wishy-washy in Jolly LLB 2 butshe still manages to hold her own as asideshow which is actually meant to and doeshighlight the innate goodness of Mishrajiwhich also comes out through the cut-in-scriptencounters he has with his aged father playedby VM Badola.
On the whole, Jolly LLB 2 is the sole reasonwhy you should head to the cinemas this week.
RINGS
*ing: Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe, Johnny Galecki, Vincent
D'Onofrio, Aimee Teegarden, Bonnie Morgan
Rated: 5/10
The horror flag of this week comes with a lot of evilspreading the fear through a video game. Not exactlya scream this one as the fear element is slow and
stealthy but it does have its moments and can be placedin the middle of the ladder when it comes to siblingassessment of the Ring series.
It all starts with a nose-bleeding hyper flier who tellshis neighbour on a flight to New Jersey about feelingsqueamish after watching a video a girl at the party gavehim before vanishing into the blue. And just then, slushflows into the plane, there is a scary girl emanating outof the insides of the wiring and then the plane crashes.
For starters, it does makes you wonder what’s up nextand it is this gentle suspense that keeps you on tenterhooksdespite the long winded ghost chase that a teen couple isput on.
It all ends up where it shouldn’t and that too gives youthe heebie-jeebies. The premise of the film and the horror-makers in the show are all familiar and in familiar territory.Apparently good men doing horrible things in the pastand the repercussion being borne by the far removedgeneration next, familiar, isn’t it? Familiar yes but it is stillworth one see.
THE SPACE BETWEEN US
*ing: Gary Oldman, Asa Butterfield, Carla Gugino,
Britt Robertson
Rated: 5/10
It’s been quite some Valentine seasons that no goodromance from Hollywood has swayed your heart. Notjust Hollywood, even Bollywood has not planned
anything special for this special month.The Space Between Us is an attempted romance in the
sci-fi spatial genre and works hard at creating thosemoments with an ethereal looking female lead and hercomp-and-romp interlude with a man from Mars,literally from Mars.
The film has its moments but they are as sparselypopulated as life is on Mars from where this blue-watery-eyed 16-year-old comes. Born to an astronaut who boardsthe flight to Mars hiding her pregnancy from the world,and her husband, his vital organs are not equipped tohandle gravity and thus he has to be banished to live onMars for life, summarily sentenced to such spatialisolation by a company which had manned the mission.
After his mother Sarah Elliot dies in child birth, heis left in the company of a friendly robot and an undyingambition to go to earth and find his father. He alsomanages to establish contact and a long-distance contactwith a college girl whom he romances across theuniverse.
But things turn linear when the film starts obsessingabout this teen’s self discovery of life on earth. The chaseto save him by fellow astronauts (he has an enlarge heartwhich is ready to burst due to the earth’s gravity) leadsacross the stunning landscape of America as the boy andthe girl go on a road-trip to find the boy’s father.
The chemistry between the two is good but not goodenough to hold the entire film on its own. A mildlyinteresting one from outer space.
In the ringof evil
This one is forthe love month
SHOW TIME WITH MEENAKSHI RAO
‘Theatre has helped
me grow as an actor’
Music, Food & ShoppingWhat: Moonliit Fest, 2017When: February 12, 2017, 12 pm to 10 pmWhere: Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, Delhi
Moonlitt is a premium music, food,drinks and fashion festival offering anunmatched entertainment, shopping andgastronomical experience. Enjoy the sunnywinter afternoon and the full moon eveningwith 12 plus hours of nonstop music byHeadliners like Nucleya and Mika, along withIndeep Bakshi, Rannvijay and many more. 30plus leading restaurants and bars of DelhiNCR including Raasta, Molecule, 6 Degrees,OTB etc. And fashion shows and designerspop-up market, model hunt, contests andmuch more.
PlanYour
Week
YOUNG RISING STARSLast week, Colors launched its much awaited live singing
reality show, Rising Star. Both episodes were filled withentertainment and pure singing talent highlighting the votingprocess which created some nail-biting moments. While theSaturday episode showcased some incredibly stupendous talent,the Sunday episode was a tribute to those budding singers who areyet to get their due recognition even after lending their voice tosome songs as playback singers. The 130 plus crore viewers alongwith the experts showered the talent with support in the form ofvotes, putting their singing prowess in the spotlight.
Today’s episode will be chhota packet bada dhamaka asyoung aspiring singers will take over the audiences’ televisionscreens in the most endearing way. The budding talent of the nationwill get an opportunity to perform in front of the expert panel –Shankar Mahadevan, Diljit Dosanjh and Monali Thakur and bejudged by 130 plus crore viewers who will log onto the Colors TVapp to select their favourite talent.
One of the child prodigies will perform Shankar Mahadevan’spopular song ‘Breathless’ as tribute to the singing legend. Singingone of the toughest and most challenging songs, it remains to beseen whether this young singer will be able to impress the epitomeof pure music Shankar?
Monali Thakur who is known for her lively and chirpy personawill be seen bonding with the kids who perform on the show. Tofind out more, tune in to Rising Star Today, February 12, 2017 at9pm on Colors.
WATCH FIRST UKRAINIAN SHOW ON ZINDAGICatch the all new
Ukrainian show —Snowdrop. The show airsin Hindi every Monday toSaturday at 9 pm only onZindagi. The showrevolves around Nadya, aninnocent, good heartedand hard working girl,who gets wrongly framedfor an accident. Irina, herbeautiful, spoilt andmanipulative stepsisterand the man that both ofthem are in love with isIgor. He is the heir to acosmetics empire. Atragic accident kills Igor’sbeloved sister. Igor, wholoved Nadya loses all histrust in her after the ill-fated incident. Irina, takes advantage of thesituation and convinces Igor to marry her.
Talking about the serial, Catherine Tyszkiewicz who plays therole of Irina says that playing this role took quite a toll heremotionally and physically! As her character required screaming,she often ended up damaging her vocal chords. Catherine said, “Forme, the most difficult thing about this role was to relate to thecharacter and find an excuse to justify all of Irina’s sneaky andmanipulative actions. I had many emotional, nervous and tearfulscenes; far more than Maryna or Valentin. I had to scream all thetime and would often rip my vocal cords because of which theproducer of the show had to call the Phoniatrician (Vocal Doctor) tothe set.”
lHow did you bag the role?I got this show by giving an audition. It
was a last moment call for me. When Igave the audition, I was sure that I won’tbe selected because I didn’t think I fit thecharacter. But the makers thoughtdifferently. I am glad to be part of thisproject since I loved the script.lDid you do something different foryour character?
Frankly speaking, I did nothing. Mycharacter is a very bechara kind of aperson. I think I got selectedbecause unhe ek becharachahiye thha aur mein tohnaturally bechara sa lagtahoon. So, there was nothingas such to do to build mycharacter. The story issimple, so I have kept myrole simple. Everythingabout me screamssimplicity. This is anintegral part of the show.lDo you have anyexpectations from thisshow?
I just hope that people likethis show. I don’t know aboutthe future, and I am not somuch into TRPs. But theaudience should love it since theserial is very relatable and trueto real life incidents. The entirefamily can sit together andwatch it. lReasons for the audiencethat why should they watchthis show.
First, it has lots of humour.Second, is the balance betweenthe characters. Despite the title— Har Mard Ka Dard, it putsacross viewpoint of the womenas well. Third, it has familyvalues — the respect mycharacter gives to his family.Fourth, is the language used.It is a mix of Hindi andPunjabi. Both languages aresweet . Last ly, it i s thedirection. Parmeet Sethi hascreated magic. Patiala was ourfirst outstation location and itwas amazing.lHow was the experienceworking with him (ParmeetSethi)?
He is a great director. Ijust follow what he saysbecause what he sees I can’t
see. My experience working with him is trulyfantastic. All credit goes to him for showingthings the way he has on the small screen.lDo you relate to this character?
To be very honest, I don’t. It is not as ifthese things have happened to me in themanner that has been shown in the show. Youknow how it works in such serials,. There isneed for a bit of drama and exaggeration.Despite this, it has relatability.lHow challenging comedy is as a genre?
Every genre is challenging. If a scene isnicely written then no genre is challenging. If
the scene is not well written, theneverything is a challenge. I have cried
in Kumkum Bhagya and now, thisshow is totally different as is thecharacter. For me, what is importantis that I prepare well in advance for therole.lTell us about your journey thus far.
I was born and brought up inKashmir. I went to Shimla for my schooling.
There was a system in our school thatevery child has to perform on the
stage. I was into sports, I wouldget stage fright. But when Iwent on the stage, I loved it.Then I came to Delhi for mygraduation, I attended actingworkshops and did theatre. Igot exposed to films andattended film festivals.Coming to Mumbai was anatural transition. I assisted ona film as well. Film and
Television Institute of India,Pune, was reopening its acting
course, I filled up the form andlearnt whatever there was to learn.Then I came back to Mumbai andpicked everything I was offered.lYou have done theatre withNaseeruddin Shah. Tell us aboutthat.
Mein jitna boloon utna kumhai. He is a great performer andgood human being. Whatever Ihave learnt, it has been under hisguidance; he is my mentor. I hadmet him at Pune as well and thenbumped into him in Mumbai.
He asked me what I was doing.When I told him that I had justcompleted my course, he wanted toknow if I would do a play with him.Of course, there was no way sayingno. I had a small role to play inAntagony but it was a greatexperience.lYou have done theatre andassisted as well. How does this helpyou when you act?
An understanding of themedium helps a lot. The biggestthing is that, whether a director
is in theatre, television or in amovie, when he briefs you, how
good is your understanding isimportant . Since I haveworked in theatre, it becomeseasy for me when thedirector is briefing you.
Comedy is a genre thateveryone loves to be apart of. To join the
evergreen comedy shows likeTaarak Mehta Ka OoltahChashmah and Bhabiji GharPar Hain, Har Mard Ka Dardis all set to go on air fromFebruary 14, 2017 on Like Ok.The show brings in lots oflaughs and useful tips for thosemen who want to know whata woman wants.
To give a sneak peek intowhat the show is all about, a skitwas performed. The leadprotagonist, Vinod Khannaplayed by Faisal Rashid, atypical Punjabi husband istrying to figure out what giftshould be given to her wifeSonu, who is a Gujarati, playedby Jinal Belani. But failsmiserably. He appeals to theGods to give him an insight towhat a woman wants. To solvehis problem, a boon is granted.Whether he is able to takeadvantage of this or not, is amajor suspense and the makerswant it to keep the mystery till
the show begins.The producers are excited
and are hopeful that theaudience will love the conceptsince it is something that is newto TV. “This is fam-comdrama. The whole family cansit together and enjoy it. It is notyour typical saas-bahu or a lovestory that the viewers are usedto. This show is about incidentsthat are very relatable,” DeeyaSingh, the co-producer of theshow, tells you.
The reason why theshowmakers took this storylinewas because each man wants toknow ki ek woman ko kyachhahiye and yet it remains thegreatest mysteries of all.“Nothing on these lines hasever been shown on Indian TVbefore. Every man faces thisproblem but has no answers. Infact, we got the idea of the showone day while I was talkingwith my wife, Deeya. She askedme if she was fat. I wasstumped and didn’t know howto answer this question. Thisgot us thinking and end result
is in front of you — a show thattries to address this problem.We collected more suchinstances. Shailesh Lodha (partof the show) guided us a lot; hebrought in a lot of comic effectand helped with the script aswell,” Tony Singh, the co-producer says.
Parmeet Sethi, the directorof the show did the rest — tobring everything alive and toguide the actors towards whathe wants. Jinal tells you that heis the points person and keepseverything and everyone cooland calm even when there is aglitch. “Parmeet sir is verysupportive. He has great comictiming and that makes all thedifference. Through hisdirection, it all plays outbeautifully during the shoot.Usually you have a director’sactor where the actors actaccording to the director, butParmeet sir is an actor’sdirector. He gives the questionand leaves the rest to us. Wehave the freedom to bring inour interpretation” Jinal says.
Know what a
woman wants
Here is a chance for every man to find out what awoman wants, says HARSHIT NAGPAL
TELLYTALE
FAISAL RASHID makes a
comeback on the small
screen with Har Mard Ka
Dard on Life Ok. He speaks
to HARSHIT NAGPAL
about the show
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special 09LUCKNOW | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 12, 2017
Si vis pacem, para bellum— Vegetius, a scholar believed to havelived in the Roman Empire in the 5thCentury
It means that if you want peace, pre-pare for war. The phrase whichfinds mention in De Re Militari hasbeen used effectively by statesmenand generals. But is there a phrase
which says that if you want safety and secu-rity, be prepared for disasters? One cannever call a nation armed to the teeth asa war monger. Your enemies will respectyou only if you are well-armed and well-protected.
Same is the case with natural or man-made disasters. The worst disaster facedby south India in modern times was theDecember 2004 Tsunami which struck thecoasts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala claim-ing the lives of thousands. India was thor-oughly unprepared for it which was the fallout of an earthquake of magnitude 9 in theRichter scale with its epicentre in theIndian Ocean.
But in the next two years, scientists ofthe Indian National Centre for OceanInformation Services perfected a tech-nology with which the possibilities ofTsunami could be forecasted well inadvance.
Today, India is the Regional TsunamiWarning Centre for all the countrieslying along the rim of the Indian Ocean,Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
The satellites launched by the IndianSpace Research Organisation help mete-orologists to forecast with precision thepossibility of cyclones, sea swells anddeforestation of any kind happening in thenook and corner of the country.
Chinks in the armour become visibleonly when the country is struck with dis-asters of all kinds. This became evident onJanuary 28, 2017 when two tanker shipscollided 4 km off Chennai’s Kamarajar Portresulting in spillage of Heavy Fuel Oil(HFO), a fuel used to run the ship.
The spill was caused by human error,if reports coming from various sources aretrue. Even after a week of fire fighting bythe Coast Guard, the leaked oil is spread-ing all over the Chennai coast.
The Indian National Center forOcean Information Services (INCOIS) inits latest report has said that till Wednesdaynight (February 8, 2017), a 52-km stretchalong the Chennai coast has been pollut-ed by the spill. This information is basedon “Oil Spill Trajectory Model” run by thescientists of the INCOIS.
The collision between the two ships,BW Maple (Isle of Man flagged vessel) andMT Dawn Kancheepuram (India flaggedvessel) occurred at 4 am on January 28.Maple had departed from Kamarajar Portafter off loading its cargo of LiquifiedPetroleum Gas and it was on its way toVisakahapattanam. MT Dawn was enter-ing the Kamarajar Port with a load ofpetroleum oil and lubricants.
Maple was sailing through the chan-nel connecting the port to the high seas.When the ship was 3.7 km away from theshore, Vinod Sahadevan, the KamarajarPort pilot who was directing the shipthrough the narrow channel got down andboarded his boat to return to this work sta-tion. The ship had to cover some more dis-tance through the channel before enteringthe high seas. But the port authorities hadallowed MT Dawn to enter the channelmuch before Maple cleared the channel.
Navigators of Dawn were being direct-ed by the port officials how to sail safelythrough the channel when they caughtsight of Maple approaching their ship.Though they scurried to avoid a collision,it was too late, according to a senior offi-cial in Kamarajar Port who was followingthe development.
The channel from Kamarajar Portwhich leads to the high seas has a turningat the exit point. The ships leaving the porthave to take a left turn to enter the Indianhigh seas. The cardinal law is that shipsleaving the port should give way toinbound vessels before venturing out intothe high seas. This means that Mapleshould have given way to Dawn before itcould move through the channel. ButMaple, in true Tamilian style, went aheadand crashed against Dawn.
A veteran pilot, told The Pioneer thatthere has been no communication betweenthe vessels. “The thumb rule is that offi-cials of the inbound and outgoing shipsshould communicate with each other. Thiscollision is the result of no communicationbetween the ships,” Captain Subash Kumar,advisor, port trusts tells you.
The collision itself was a major disas-ter. The Bulbous Bow, made of solid steelat the bottom of the front of the ship (bow),described as the strongest part of the ship,bore into Dawn like a sharp knife. It is onlywhen one understands that the BulbousBow has been designed to cut throughwater, reduce drag and improve fuel effi-ciency of the ship, one can understand theimpact of the collision.
Maple’s Bulbous Bow is said to havepierced through Dawn’s duck, ballast tankand fuel tanks. Maple was moving in adirection perpendicular to that of Dawnand hence the damage . Maple cut throughthe fuel oil pipelines of Dawn which result-
ed in the heavy fuel oil leakage. The realstory revealing the inefficiency and inex-perience and under preparedness of theagencies responsible for preventing thespread of oil spills begin from this point.
Officials in Kamarajar Port claimedonly one tonne oil leaked into the sea fol-lowing the collision. Three days after thecollision, morning walkers in the beauti-ful Marina Beach were taken aback whenthey saw heavy black deposits of oil on thesand. “There was blackish oil floatingaround,” Dr Naditha Krishna, an envi-ronmentalist says.
It took another three days for theauthorities to officially accept the truth thatthere had been an oil spill. By this time,the scientists of the INCOIS who set inmotion their Oil Spill Trajectory Modelconcluded that the oil spill has spread to29 km along the Chennai coast. TheINCOIS also said that based on the size ofoil plumes and sludge, no less than 20tonnes of oil had leaked into the sea fol-lowing the collision.
The Indian Coast Guard’s InspectorGeneral Rajan Bargotra, said on February3, 2017 that the Port authorities informedthe Coast Guard about the oil spill a godthree hours after the incident. “We werealerted about the oil spill at 6.30 am whilethe accident is reported to have happenedat 4 am. The furnace oil and sludge fromDawn Kancheepuram had got dischargedinto the sea following the collision. The oilleak was detected by the Vessel TrafficManagement System only by morning,”
Bargotra says.The Coast Guard authorities claim that
they launched the clean- up operationimmediately after receiving the informa-tion about the spill. It was then the thor-ough inefficiency and incapability of theagencies to undertake such a massiveoperation came out in the open. Two sub-mersible pumps used by the Coast Guardto remove oil sludge broke down. TheKamarajar Port exposed its weakness: Theport has no mechanism in place to preventthe oil spill which happened right underits nose.
Two days after the accident, ecologi-cal experts had cautioned the authoritiesthat what the port officials counted as aminor accident would end up as a major
disaster with future ecological impact.Journalists who were taken out to the seaby the Coast Guard officials were shockedto see the kind of cleaning operation inprogress: “They are using mugs, buckets,rubber gloves and gumboots… all prim-itive equipment in this era of satellitephones and ultra modern engineeringproducts capable of sucking the oil out ofthe sea.
Buckets were being used to scoop outthe heavy fuel oil. Hundreds of concernedcitizens came forward offering voluntaryservice to help the coast guards in thecleaning operations. They were seen man-ually transferring the buckets filled withoil sludge to 1,000 litres tankers parked bythe beach side. The Coast Guard Pollution
Response Team used spades, mugs, buck-ets to remove the oil slick. The process iscontinuing even at the time this story wentto Press and it may take weeks before theslick can be removed.
The National Green Tribunal, whichtook note of the oil spill following com-plaints by hundreds of fishermen that theirlivelihood was at stake, could not get aproper answer to the query how much oilhad leaked into the sea. Tamil NaduPollution Control Board, entrusted withthe task of monitoring the coastlineexpressed their helplessness to the NGTB.It told the NGT that till February 3, thecoast guard had removed 72 tonne oil slickfrom the sea. Asked about the quantity ofoil spilled into the sea, the PCB feignedignorance. The officials of the KamarajarPort told the tribunal that 20 tonnes oil hasbeen spilled. But they were silent when thetribunal countered them with the questionthat how come 72 tonnes oil slick wasremoved if there was spillage of only 20tonnes.
One more truth came out during thehearing. The super suckers and sub-mersible machines deployed for the clean-up operations were ineffective. Fishermenstaying along the Chennai shoreline wereseen removing the oil sludge with barehands and no shoes. Since the dischargedoil had a rich content of benzene, it couldlead to several health problems later on.
Jayapalayan, a marine engineer-turned-environment activist who is alsothe president of South India Fishermen’s
Federation tells you that all safety measureshave been violated by the officials atground zero. “This is a man-made disas-ter arising out of irresponsibility and cal-lous attitude of port officials as well as thatof the agency responsible for checking thespread of oil spillage,” Jayapalayan says.
He tells you that standard operationprocedures have been blatantly violatedwhich resulted in the spilled oil leaking todistance of more than 50 km. “The entiresand along Chennai shore has been con-taminated with oil. We do not have facil-ities or a system to clean the oil or cordonoff the area where the spillage has hap-pened,” he says.
Experts tells you that the contaminatedsand was being transported to Ennore nearChennai where it would be subjected to theprocess of bio-remediation. “This is anoperation in which bacteria developed byus would be released to the oil-pollutedsand. The bacteria would swallow the con-taminated portion (the chemical fixed tothe sand) over a period of six to eightmonths,” a Kamarajar Port official says.
One is told that there is a silver liningto this spillage. Since the oil spillageoccurred close to the shore, the damage orpollution caused is the minimum. Had ithappened some more distance away fromthe port, the result would have been dis-astrous.
Though the officials are tight lippedover the quantity of oil spilled fromDawn, The Pioneer was told by a seniorKamarajar Port official that 100 tonnes ofbunker oil has been discharged into the sea.
Tamil Nadu’s Fisheries Minister DJayakumar claimed that the State has suf-fered a loss of ̀ 120 crore due to the oil spill.He has not given furnished any data basedon which he arrived at the figure. The fishcaught off Chennai coast remained unsoldwhich caused hardship to the fishing com-munity in the region. But no widespreaddamage has been caused by the spill,according to marine scientists. “Thisclaim is something like the `25,000 crorecompensation claimed by Chief MinisterO Panneerselvam following the cycloneVarda which hit Tamil Nadu in early 2017,”Jayapalayan says. He pointed out that nei-ther the Minister nor the port authoritieshave any idea about the quantity of oilspilled, they are up to date on the lossessuffered by the people and the compen-sation to be claimed from the Centre orother agencies.
Systemic failure is cited as the reasonfor the collision between the two ships andalso the inefficiency of the concerned agen-cies to prevent the spreading of the leakedoil. It is said that there is a National Oil SpillDisaster Contingency Plan formulated atthe national level. But Tamil Nadu andmore importantly its capital is yet to hearof such an action plan. This, when the Statehas one of the longest coastlines in thecountry!
Adding insult to injury is the fact thatthere is no response protocol or standardoperating procedures (SoP) or a contin-gency plan in Tamil Nadu to counter oilspills or disasters of this kind. All majorports in the country were asked to pre-pare a plan for themselves and StateMaritime Boards were asked to formulatea comprehensive action plan for all portsin the State. In Tamil Nadu, port author-ities have not heard anything of this kind.
But there are some people laughing allthe way to the bank — the NGOs whichare focussing on environment and eco-logical issues. Come any disaster, it wastime for them to swoop down. They haveclaimed that more than 20 Olive Ridleytortoises have died because of the oil spilland this was reported widely in themedia. The fact is that no tortoise waskilled because of the oil spill as they werefar away from the shoreline. But theNGOs got their moment of publicitywhich would help them to get morefunds from abroad as well as CentralGovernment agencies.
The task before the agencies probingthe collision as well as the oil spill is to zeroin on the factors which led to the ship leav-ing the port and colliding onto the incom-ing vessel and also the reason behind the pilot of the outbound ship gettingdown much before the ship reached thehigh seas.
“Whether it be floods, drought, tsuna-mi, or marine pollution, Tamil Nadu hasno response protocol or SoP in place. It isthe Central Forces which rush to the res-cue and are part of the relief and rescueoperations. The State should have anaction plan which should be executed bythe local people who are familiar with theregion,” Nanditha Krishna, winner ofIndira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar, thecountry’s top honour for environmentalprotection, tells you.
This lacuna has to be rectified imme-diately. If not whosoever is the ChiefMinister, they can fly to New Delhi seek-ing assistance. We need a concrete actionplan and SoP in place and officials shouldbe earmarked to implement them. Chennaiwas lucky this time because the spot of thespill was at a safe distance. Had it beenslightly far away where the currents arestrong, the entire State’s coast would haveturned black and marine life goneforever!
THE OIL CRISISIt has been more than two weeks since two tankers collided off Chennai spilling oil into the coastline. Though the authorities are
working round the clock to contain the damage, it will be weeks before things normalise. The reason, KUMAR CHELLAPPAN says,
is lack of proper cleaning equipment and an inadequate action plan in a city that has the second longest coastline in the country
BE IT FLOODS,DROUGHT,
TSUNAMI ORAN OIL SPILL,TAMIL NADU
HAS NORESPONSE
PROTOCOL INPLACE
Firefighters and volunteers try to clean up oil that washed ashore — Photos: PTI
sport 10
PTI n HYDERABAD
Indian bowlers faced dogged resis-tance from Bangladesh middle-order led by captain Mushfiqur
Rahim, who hit a defiant 81 to take histeam to 322 for six at stumps on daythree of the one-off Test here onSaturday.
Premier all-rounder Shakib AlHasan's attacking 82 also contributedto Bangladesh's fightback. At close ofplay, Rahim was ably supported byMehedi Hasan Miraz, who was battingsolidly on 51.
However, the visitors still trailIndia by 365 runs after the hostsdeclared at 687 for six on Friday.
Umesh Yadav (2/72 in 18 overs)was India's best bowler on display butspin twins Ravichandran Ashwin (1/77in 24 overs) and Ravindra Jadeja (1/60in 29 overs) didn't look incisive despitebeing economical on a track that is stillpretty good for batting. Ashwin infactwas hit for 12 boundaries.
Ishant Sharma (1/54 in 16 overs)looked more effective with the old ballbut he did inflict some pain toMushfiqur with a snorter that had himin some pain. But the gritty Bangladeshskipper whipped the next for a bound-ary.
While India still have the upper-hand with two full days of play,Bangladesh certainly would have gainedconfidence as they showed stomach forsome fight in the last two sessions of theday after a poor morning.
The young Miraz showed maturi-ty beyond his years to help his captainby playing risk free cricket, only hittingthe loose deliveries en route a maidenTest half-century.
Mushfiqur hit 12 boundaries in 206balls while Miraz hit 10 boundaries in103 balls. The final session yielded 76runs in 30 overs.
The seventh wicket partnershipbetween Mushfiqur and Miraz yielded87 runs in 32.5 overs but more impor-tantly showed that there aren't too manydemons in the pitch.
The best part was their applicationin the final session. There was a pointof time when Mushfiqur had scoredonly four runs in an hour in the posttea session. He was ready to put his headdown and defend and with very lessturn on offer, Ashwin never lookedmenacing.
Bangladesh still need 166 runs toavoid follow-on and on a fresh morn-ing, a few quick wickets can mean thatVirat Kohli would like to ensure followon. But with his bowlers already send-ing down 104 overs, he might just wantto give them rest and pile a few runs inthe second innings.
The post lunch session was com-paratively better for Bangladesh with
121 runs coming at the loss of two wick-ets. But India after getting Shakib andShabbir Rahman in quick succession,looked in complete control beforeMushfiqur and Mehedi resisted.
Shakib, who was instrumental instemming the first session rot, went onthe counter smashing his way to 82 offonly 103 balls before his indiscretionlanded the visitors in trouble.
Once Shakib was dismissed, thevisitors quickly lost another wicket withShabbir (16) being trapped leg beforeby Jadeja.
Well set and looking good for acentury, Shakib couldn't properly con-nect a lofted shot after giving Ashwinthe charge with Umesh Yadav gleeful-ly accepting the easiest of catches atmid-on.
His balance was all awry, he didn'treach to the pitch of the delivery andabove all the situation didn't warrantthat shot with 107 runs already beingadded by him and other senior proRahim.
Bangladesh dressing room wouldhave felt good about the session as boththe senior players looked comfortablehitting some good shots but Shakib'sdismissal robbed them of claiming asession which could rightfully have
been theirs.Shakib's shot selection has been a
talking point despite his immenseabilities as an all-rounder. Some of theimperious cover drives offBhuvneshwar Kumar and Yadav werea treat for the eyes. He also attackedJadeja slogging him to the cow corner.
He got an able ally in Mushfiqur,who kept the scorecard busy with hisramp shot off Ishant and the dabs offboth Jadeja and Ashwin with an occa-sional cut shot.
Earlier Yadav (2/61 in 15 overs) rat-tled Bangladesh batsmen with pacewhile Ishant Sharma got some reverseswing going his way as the visitors wereleft losing three wickets in the pre-lunchsession.
The first session of the third daycertainly belonged to Umesh, whoworked up good pace for a consistentperiod of time.
The only batsman who hadlooked comfortable was Tamim Iqbal(25) and he was unfortunately run-out after a horrible mix-up withMominul Haque (12). The miscom-munication while going for the sec-ond run became Tamim's undoing ashe could add only a run to hisovernight score.
PTI n HYDERABAD
Crediting his rampaging runto captaincy, Indian swash-
buckler Virat Kohli says theadded responsibility has left noroom for complacency in hisbatting and that has helped himachieve the record-breaking featof fouAr double hundreds in asmany Test series.
Kohli, who smashed 204 onthe second day of the ongoingone-off Test against Bangladeshin Hyderabad, said captaincy hashelped him go for longer inningsin Test matches.
"I don't know, I think it isbecause of captaincy that youtend to go on more than whatyou usually would as a normalbatsman. I think the room forcomplacency is no more presentwhen you become captain. So,that has something to do withme playing long innings," the 28-year-old right-handed batsmansaid.
"I have always wanted toplay long innings and my firstseven or eight hundreds werenot even 120 plus scores. Afterthat I made a conscious effort tobat long and control my excite-ment or not be complacent atany stage," he was quoted as say-ing by bcci.tv, when asked abouthis hunger for big scores.
K o h l ibecame thefirst batsmanin the historyof Test cricketto claim fourdouble hundredsin as manyseries. In theprocess, he sur-passed the leg-endary Sir DonBradman andRahul Dravid,both of whomhad three dou-ble hundreds ins u c c e s s i v eseries.
The Indian captain saidthat he's is no longer satisfiedwith Test hundreds and his fit-ness level allows him to play forlonger innings and eye biggerscores.
"I worked on my fitness levelover the years and I feel I can gofor longer periods now. I don'tget tired as much as I used tobefore. Definitely, I don't get sat-isfied when I get a Test hundredwhich used to be before, becauseI used to give too much impor-tance to Test cricket separately.Now I have started to treat it asany game of cricket and I haveto keep going on till the time theteam needs to," said the Delhibatsman.
Asked how he has been ableto maintain consistency acrossthe three formats, he said, "It isnot easy to do especially with theamount of cricket we play nowa-days. It is more of a mental thing.I don't necessarily focus toomuch on practice becausesometimes you might not getto practice so much.
"I think mentally youneed to focus and thinkabout what you are goingto do in the game.
Switching to differentformats is the need
of the hour inthese days' crick-et. I certainlywant to con-
tribute in all threeformats. That has
always been themindset and I have to
prepare in a certain way. It ismore mental than going into thenets." He, however, admittedthat the pitch was not as testingas other wickets on which hehad scored his double cen-
turies earlier. "The wicketwas very good tobat on. It was not
as testing wicketas other wicketsthat I scoreddouble centuries
on. I think thefocus was only tofollow my intentbut at the same timebe careful in shot
selection.”
PTI n HYDERABAD
India’s batting coach SanjayBangar on Saturday termed
Umesh Yadav, who has beenproviding the team with break-throughs at crucial juncture, as“the most improved bowler” inthe last one and half seasons.
While Umesh only pickedtwo wickets on Saturday, histwo morning spells split intonine overs was termed byShakib Al Hasan as the finestever he has faced in his Testcareer.
“Ever since the Delhi Testmatch against South Africa, wehave seen him (Umesh) givingthe breakthroughs that theteam requires. So I think thereason for that many Test vic-tories is not only the contribu-tion of the spinners but thesmall contributions that the fastbowlers have made.
“That’s why someone likeUmesh stands out because Ibelieve that he’s the mostimproved bowler in the lastseason and a half,” Bangar said.
Bangar said all three pac-ers got the ball to reverse.
“All our three seamers wereable to get the reverse swing.But Umesh (stood out) with hispace and the lengths that hebowled. Bhuvi (BhuvneshwarKumar) can bowl the conven-tional swing but Umesh canswing the ball both ways. AgainIshant (Sharma) bowls slight-ly back of a length but Umesh’slength allows him to swing theball with the new ball andalso with the old ball. He’sworked a lot on his wrist posi-tions and balance at the crease.”
The former all-rounderpraised skipper Virat Kohliand coach Anil Kumble’s deci-sion to have five bowlers whichalways keeps a team in the huntfor a decisive result.
“You need to give a lot ofcredit to how the captain thinksand how Anil thinks about it.It’s very important that thebowling unit is developed in
such a fashion that even whenIndia tours overseas, spinnerswill have to play a particularrole and role reverses for seam-ers, when they play in India,”said Bangar. With the likes ofUmesh, Ishant andBhuvneshwar getting promi-nent roles in home Tests, thesituation has changed.
“You need to develop abowling attack that gives youresults in all conditions. That isthe thinking that goes behind,showing faith in quickerbowlers. You don’t see often inIndia that three spinners areplaying but there are also twoseamers in the line-up. Lot ofcredit should go to Virat andAnil for the way they haveplanned things for Indiancricket,” he said.
More than 900 runs werescored in three days andBangar believes that bowlersneed to be patient.
“Being patient on such sur-faces also teaches you a lot. Iremember a Test in SriLanka, we were 0-1 down, wewere bowled around 350 andnot getting the breakthrough.There was a sessionwherein we conceded 65 runsand got only one wick-et. But that session was fol-
lowed by a flurry of wickets.That teaches our bowlers to bepatient in certain ses-sions and wait for batsmenmake mistakes.
“Build on consecutivemaidens and making themsort of score through areas youwant them to score of. Thoseare certain things that we as abowling group certainly learnwhen we play on surfaces likethis.”
‘INDIAN BATSMEN GO BACK
TO NARROWER STANCE’
Former India coach DuncanFletcher had prescribed awider stance for the Indianbatsmen notably being AjinkyaRahane but a lot of them havegone back to a “narrowerstance” in order to play spinbetter, revealed batting coachSanjay Bangar on Saturday.
Bangar indicated thatMoeen Ali’s performance dur-ing 2014 series in England wasthe start of the change.
Asked about change fromwider stance during Fletcherera, Bangar said: “A lot of bats-men have gone back to nar-rower stance purely becausemobility is a crucial aspect inbatsmanship. You need to be
ready to adjust to the variationsof the pitch including quickerpitches and against the bounc-ers. That is a crucial factor,”Bangar said at the end of theday’s play here.
India created a worldrecord posting 600 plus totalsin three successive Tests andusing feet against the spinnershas been a key – irrespective ofwhether the spinner is Moeenor Adil Rashid, MitchellSantner or Ish Sodhi, Shakib orMehedi Hasan Miraz.
“We being Indians, usingfeet has always been ourstrength. Going over the topand not being afraid lofting thespinners. We are always send-ing the message to spinners thatwe are coming at you. It hasalways been a strength ofIndian batsmen over a numberof years. All batsmen (with nar-rower stance) have been able todo that. We have started gettingresults with our approach in theway we wanted.”
“There was a phase in2014, a lot was madeafter Moeen Ali got sixwickets in a Test. A lot of ques-tions were raised ifIndians are not asgood against spinners as theywere in the earlier peri-od, I don’t believe in that.There has been a lot ofimprovement in that aspect ofbatsmanship as well.”
Bangar has felt that thisIndian team is self motivatedand his job is to mere providethe pointers.
“I think all the batsmenapply a lot of thought. They putin a lot of effort. Theywant to excel and they want tobreach their own benchmark.They are in their quest forexcellence. Our job is to justgive them some poi nters sothat they remain on theright track. All creditto batsman for the way theyprepare. Because of their mind-set they are able to transformtheir ability into performances.”
PTI n HYDERABAD
There is no bigger compliment for a fastbowler if one of opposition's key bats-
man terms his spell as "unplayable" and that'sexactly what Shakib Al Hasan felt aboutIndia pacer Umesh Yadav's morning spellon day three of the one off Test here.
Umesh bowled a nine over spell on abarren track in the morning where he beatShakib, a number of times, with his pace andswing. "There was nothing much in thepitch. Because we play in KKR, I know him(Umesh) very well. Probably, this was thebest spell I have faced in my Test career. Hewas moving the ball both ways and someof the deliveries were unplayable. The bestI could do was to hit the deliveries that Icould and the ones I couldn't, I tried not tonick it. I was lucky that I survived that spell,"said Shakib, who made a counter-attacking82 in Bangladesh's 303 for 6.
The all-rounder termed the wicket asa good one to bat on and save oneunplayable spell from Umesh, nothingmuch was happening.
"No, I think the wicket is still really goodon the third day. We always knew that ballturns and there is help for spinners in Indiabut that is not happening. Apart from thatone unplayable spell, we managed to cope.
As of now, the wicket is good but tomor-row is a new day. Let's see what happens."
Elaborating how he coped with Umesh'sdeliveries, he said: "I played with softhands and made sure that I didn't nick it."
PTI n MUMBAI
Former India captain SauravGanguly on Saturday said he
wouldn't be surprised if Indiaswept Aussies 4-0 in the upcom-ing Test match series, com-mencing on February 23 atPune.
"Yes, it will be very difficult(for Australia). As I said, I don'tpredict in cricket, but I won't besurprised if India wins 4-0,"Ganguly told reporters after thelaunch of a new range of TetleySuper Green Teas by Tata GlobalBeverages. Asked what madeIndia, who have not been beat-en since 2012 so dominant athome, the 113-Test veteran said,"Same thing that has made Indiadominant at home over the last25 years - spinners. They justkeep coming one after the other.(Anil) Kumble and Harbhajan(Singh) in my time,(Ravichandran) Ashwin and(Ravindra) Jadeja now.
"You just hand the ball toany spinner, you just give it toAmit Mishra, he wins yougames. You give it toYuzvendra Chahal, he winsyou games. You give it to off-spinner (Jayant) Yadav, he winsyou games. So that's what it is- spin. In India, you have toplay spin well and bowl spinwell to win, simple," hequipped. It was underGanguly's leadership thatIndia came from behind andsurprised Australia 2-1 in the2001 series, played at home.
"Yes, it was only a matterof time. (Mahendra Singh)Dhoni has been remarkable.What Dhoni has done over theyears is terrific and it's a cycleof life that somebody has totake over. Every good thing inlife will be taken over bysomeone," said the Bengalstalwart when asked whetherit will be easy for the team withKohli leading in all formats.
RAHIM, SHAKIB LEAD BANGLA RESISTANCE
After Shakib’s 82, skipper’s unbeaten fifty helps visitors reach 322/6, but still trail India by 365 runs
4Mushfiqur Rahim became the fourthBangladeshi and 184th batsmanoverall to complete 3000 runs in
Tests.Mushfiqur Rahim who made hisTest debut against England at Lord's onMay 26, 2005, took 11 years and 262days to reach this landmark. Tamim Iqbal(3467 runs in 89 innings of 47 Tests),Skakib Al Hasan (3295 runs in 87 inningsof 47 Tests) and Habibur Bashar (3026runs in 99 innings of 50 Tests) are theother three Bangladeshi batsman tocomplete 3000 runs before him
1Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib AlHasan's 107-run stand for the fifthwicket was Bangladesh's first century
stand against India in India. It was alsoonly fourth century stand for Bangladeshagainst India in nine Tests and the secondbest for this wicket position after 115-run partnership between Aftab Ahmed,Mohammad Ashraful at Chittagong in2004-05
2The 104 overs faced by Bangladeshibatsman in their first innings so faris the second most against India
after 153.3 overs faced for 400 runs intheir maiden Test match at Dhaka inNovember 2000 Faisel Features
FIGURATIVELYIndia vs Bangladesh
Live from 9:30am IST
START SPORTS
THE SEVENTH WICKETPARTNERSHIP
BETWEEN MUSHFIQURAND MIRAZ YIELDED
87 RUNS IN 32.5OVERS BUT MORE
IMPORTANTLYSHOWED THAT THERE
AREN'T TOO MANYDEMONS IN THE
PITCH. THE BEST PARTWAS THEIR
APPLICATION IN THEFINAL SESSION
‘Captaincy, fitnesskey to my success’
Umesh’s spell was toughest of my Test career: Shakib Yadav most improved bowler: Bangar
‘Won’t be surprised if India sweep Oz’
Mushfiqur Rahim (Right) and Mehedi Hasan Miraz (Left) in the process of completing a run on the 3rd day of the one-off test against India AP
LUCKNOW | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 12, 2017
sport 11LUCKNOW | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 12, 2017
CENTURION: South Africa’s crick-eters have “unfinished business” inNew Zealand, according to one-daycaptain AB de Villiers.
Speaking ahead of the team’sdeparture for New Zealand onSaturday, De Villiers said South Africawere keen to avenge their defeat by theBlack Caps in a dramatic 2015 WorldCup semi-final which was marked bycontroversy over South Africa’s teamselection. The Proteas brought inVernon Philander for fellow fastbowler Kyle Abbott in that game, adecision made, it was claimed, toensure four players of colour in thestarting XI. South Africa will travel asthe world’s leading one-day teamafter completing a 5-0 clean sweep
against Sri Lanka at SuperSport Parkon Friday. In less than a week they willplay a one-off Twenty20 internation-al in Auckland next Friday, with thefirst of five one-day internationals inHamilton two days later. De Villierssaid the number one ranking gave theteam confidence but also put pressureon the players. “Being the number oneteam in the world people expect youto play a certain level of cricket all thetime,” he said.
“But with the team ethic we haveat the moment I think we’ll thriveunder that kind of pressure. It defi-nitely gives you confidence as well.There’s a reason why we’re numberone and that’s because we’re playinggood cricket. “We’ve got a bit of unfin-
ished business there from the 2015World Cup and we’re very keen to playgood cricket against a team that hasalso been playing well. “I think wedeserve to be number one and wewant to carry on playing the way wehave been.” De Villiers said he expect-ed a tough challenge.
“New Zealand are a street-smartteam and they find ways to competebut we have a decent record there. Thelast few tours we have been there wehave played really good cricket.”
Faf du Plessis, who will captain theteam in the T20 international as wellas a three-match Test series which fol-lows the one-day games, said over-coming jet lag would be the immedi-ate challenge for the squad.
SA RECLAIM NO.1 ODI RANKING DUBAI: South Africa returned to thetop of the ICC ODI Team Rankingsafter sweeping aside Sri Lanka 5-0 intheir home series which ended atCenturion.
South Africa had entered theseries against Sri Lanka, trailing num-ber-one ranked Australia by fourpoints. However, Australia’s 0-2 defeatagainst New Zealand and SouthAfrica’s own 5-0 win over Sri Lankameant the Proteas (119 points) havenow moved ahead of the world cham-pions.
India, meanwhile, were placedfourth in the ODI team rankings with112 points, behind third-placed New
Zealand (113 points).A delighted South Africa captain
A B de Villiers said: “We are excitedto be back at the top of the ICC ODITeam Rankings. We have had sometrials since the World Cup two yearsago but have worked hard to rebuildand to gain some form and consis-tency in this format.
“It’s an important year for uswith the ICC Champions Trophyin June and regaining the No.1position is a step in the rightdirection for our preparation aheadof the event. It’s a tight contest atthe top so it will be important for usto continue putting in the perfor-mances so that we can hold onto theposition.”
PTI ■ MELBOURNE
Having wasted a chance toplay in India in 2013 due
to the ‘homework-gate’ saga,Australian opening batsmanUsman Khawaja says he haslearnt his lessons and is deter-mined to make his mark in theupcoming four-match Testseries in India beginning laterthis month.
Khawaja was in theAustralian squad that touredIndia in 2013 when he becameone of the four players, along-side Shane Watson, MitchellJohnson and James Pattinson,to be embroiled in the home-work saga involving then-coachMickey Arthur.
His subsequent suspen-sion for failing to provide writ-ten feedback on how the teamcould improve ended Khawaja’schance of playing Tests onthat Indian tour, meaning theseries opener in Pune onFebruary 23 will be his first atthat level against the host coun-try, who are currently topranked in the longer format ofthe game.
“It was a tough tour (India2013), even from the sideline,just because we were losinggames and things were notgoing our way,” Khawaja wasquoted as saying by FairfaxMedia in a report appeared in‘Sydney Morning Herald’.
The Australian team iscurrently training in Dubaiahead of the Test series againstIndia.
“There was a bit going onin and around the change rooma t the time. I think that hap-pens from time to time, espe-cially when you start losinggames — it’s tough work. It isone of those things, we have adifferent group now, (different)support staff.
“All experiences...probablymore so bad experiences orexperiences where you failprobably help shape you as acricketer and a person more.You always seem to learn whenyou don’t quite do as well orwhen the team doesn’t quite doas well, if things don’t go yourway,” Khwaja said.
Australia lost the 2013series 0-4 and still have not wona Test on Indian soil since 2004,when Adam Gilchrist led the
side to a memorable 2-1 victo-ry. Khawaja is now tasked withhelping Australia nullify India’sdeadly spin duo ofRavichandran Ashwin andRavindra Jadeja.
“I always get really excitedplaying against really goodopposition, really good players,really good bowlers. At the endof the day, that’s what it’s allabout, playing and challengingyourself against the best play-ers in the world,” Khawajasaid.
“Everyone goes about theirways differently. Everyone willlook at it (footage of Ashwinand Jadeja) at some point, butsome people will look at itmore, some people will look atit less. It’s the modern game,everyone looks at everyonenowadays, it’s just part and par-cel of the game.”
Khawaja toured the sub-continent three times sincemaking the Australian team sixyears ago and has played fourTests, two against Sri Lanka in2011 and two more against theislanders last year.
His last trip to the sub-continent was in July last yearfor three Tests against SriLanka, a series Australia lost 0-3. Khawaja played in the firsttwo matches before he wasdropped for the third Test.
In four Tests on the sub-continent, Khawaja averagesless than 20, in stark contrastto the superb numbers he hasput up in Australia during thepast two summers.
Last season he cracked 504runs in four Tests, whichincluded three centuries. Thisseason, he has scored 581 runsin six Tests against South Africaand Pakistan, as well as helpinghimself to a couple of SheffieldShield hundreds forQueensland in between.
PTI ■ MUMBAI
Star-studded North Zone,comprising four members of
the 2011 World Cup winningsquad including captainHarbhajan Singh, start odds-onfavourites in the T20 InterZonal league for the SyedMushtaq Ali Trophy com-mencing at the WankhedeStadium on Sunday.
The North side has explo-sive batsmen in Yuvraj Singh,Gautam Gambhir, ShikharDhawan and Rishabh Pant,and wily bowlers such asHarbhajan, who missed theentire first class domestic season, the ageless AshishNehra and leggie YuzvendraChahal, to name a few, to bankon.
North, thus, appears to bethe side to beat in the five-teaminter zonal round-robin leaguethat ends on February 18.
Led by Harbhajan, Northhave the right balance in alldepartments as they take onSouth Zone in the secondmatch on day one startingat 1:30 pm following thetournament opener com-mencing at 9:30 am betweenhosts West Zone, to be led bywicket keeper Parthiv Patel,and the Suresh Raina-ledCentral.
The fifth team in the leagueis East, led by Bengal captainManoj Tiwary, who are to playtheir first game on February 13against Central.
That the tournamentcomes ahead of the February 20IPL auction at Bengaluru wasnoted by West coach and for-mer Saurashtra batsmanSitanshu Kotak.
PTI ■ MUMBAI
Discarded India openerShikhar Dhawan is eyeing
a comeback into the nationalteam at the ICC ChampionsTrophy in June by performingwell in the few domestic tour-naments lined up ahead of theevent in England.
“Absolutely. For that I have2 to 3 months and 3 to 4 tour-naments. I will do better. InODIs my performance hasbeen top-notch, I feel that if Ido good (in these tourna-ments), there will be a greatchance for me to get into theside,” said Dhawan here today.
The 31-year-old Delhi lefthander was dropped for thethird and final ODI againstEngland after making 1 and 11in the first two games. In thisformat he averages close to 43after 76 games.
He has not made it to theT20 Internationals since figur-ing against Australia at Mohaliin March, 2016 and was also
ignored for the five-Test seriesagainst England after not doingwell in the preceding three-Testrubber against New Zealand.
Dhawan, who is part of theNorth Zone squad for theMushtaq Ali trophy T20 interzonals commencing here onSunday, is confident he willperform consistently well to getback into the Indian team.
“All tournaments areimportant for me. If I have tomake a comeback the thing issimple - the more runs I scorewill be more beneficial for meand my case will be stronger,”he told reporters here.
“Consistency, I could notdo it. I tried completely, but didnot happen. I could do better,but as a batsman I alwaysanalyse and I try to improve,”he said when asked about thereasons for his omission fromthe national team.
“And now I know that Ihave to score consistently to getin. I am an impact player, so ifI stand and score runs, my
team is going to win the game.That is my biggest strength andonce I start doing it more con-sistently, it is going to be goodfor me and I will have goodchance for making a come-back,” said the Delhi player.
On the upcoming four-Test series against Australia,beginning on February 23 inPune, Dhawan believes thevisitors will have it tough goingon spinning tracks. ( “Australiahave been doing good andIndia is performing well. It’sgoing to be tough for theAustralian boys to perform onturning tracks. Australiantracks are totally different,”said the swashbuckling bats-man.
“They are a little bouncy,but flat wickets. When theyplay on turning tracks, it’sgoing to be tough for them,”said Dhawan who made hisTest debut in a sensationalfashion at Mohali againstAustralia with a 174-ball 187 inMarch, 2013.
He also heaped praises onDelhi ‘keeper-batsman RishabhPant, who recently made hisIndia debut in the shortestformat of the game.
“He (Rishabh) is doinggood, performed very well inRanji Trophy and was reward-ed with an India call-up. He hashis own game, backs himselfand that’s what I like abouthim,” Dhawan said.
North favourite
to lift T20
inter-zonals
Dhawan eyes India comeback through Champions Trophy
“All tournaments are important forme. If I have to make a comebackthe thing is simple - the more runs Iscore will be more beneficial for meand my case will be stronger”
Proteas have ‘unfinished business’ in New Zealand
LUANDA: At least 17 footballfans died in a stampede at a sta-dium in northern Angola,police said, adding that scoresof other spectators wereinjured, many of them seri-ously.
Panic spread through thecrowd at the match in thetown of Uige between SantaRita de Cassia and Recreativode Libolo in Angola's domes-tic league season.
"There was a blockage atthe entrance to the January 4stadium... This obstructioncaused multiple fatalities -- 17deaths, and there are 56 injuredin the hospital," policespokesman Orlando Bernardoyesterday told AFP.
He added that there werean unknown number of chil-dren among the dead, and thathospitals were treating thoseinjured. Police said hundreds offans had tried to enter the
already packed stadium to seethe match, causing a crushthat pushed some people to theground. Many of the deadwere trampled to death or suf-focated.
"While the players were onthe field, outside fans were try-ing to get into the stadium anda gate probably gave way to thepressure of the crowd causingseveral people to fall who wereliterally trampled on by thecrowd," said the Recreativo deLibolo club in a statement onits website.
"There are already 17 con-firmed dead and at least 59wounded... (this was) a tragedywithout precedent in the his-tory of Angolan football."
Some witnesses said manyfans did not have tickets to thematch, while other reports saidthat spectators inside the sta-dium were not aware of thestampede until it was over.
17 dead in stampede atAngolan football stadium
PTI n CHANDIGARH
Amagnificent 60th-minutegoal by Dabang Mumbai's
Robbert Kemperman snatchedvictory from defendingChampions Jaypee PunjabWarriors by a narrow 2-1 mar-gin in the Hockey India Leaguehere on Saturday.
Tristan Clemons continuedhis fine form as he starred inthe first quarter for JaypeePunjab Warriors. The alertAussie saved two field goalsthat could have taken DabangMumbai's lead to 4-0. First itwas Florian Fuchs' attempt inthe third minute of the matchwhen he turned around a tac-tical dribble in the circle to takea strike twice and on both occa-sions Clemons was perfect inpadding it away. Clemons waskept busy through the secondquarter too with DabangMumbai making forays into thecircle. Jake Whetton had agreat opportunity to score for
Jaypee Punjab Warriors sec-onds before the half time whenhe attempted a reverse stickshot after a good assist by SVSunil, but it was too wide fromthe post. The Third quarterproved to be lucky for thehome team as they took a 1-0lead in the 37th minute whenMink van der Weerden con-verted a PC for the defendingchampions sending a powerfulflick to the left top corner of thepost. This was his fifth suc-cessful attempt at scoring a PCin this season. The fourthquarter saw some dramaticaction, with Dabang Mumbaipushing hard for a goal andClemons continued to impresshelping his team retain the lead.
The defenders too did wellat keeping dangermen Fuchs,Yousuf and Nikkin Thimmaiahat bay. But a 60th minute goalproved their mettle yet againwhen Robbert Kempermanscored a brilliant field goal tosteal the match.
DEVILS EXTEND STREAK, RESPITE FOR WENGER
AP n MANCHESTER
Anthony Martial scored one goal andset up the other in ManchesterUnited's 2-0 win over Watford on
Saturday that extended the team's unbeat-en run in the Premier League to 16 games.
United manager Jose Mourinho hascalled on Martial to show improvementwith so many other wide players compet-ing for places in the team, and the Francewinger responded in style at Old Trafford.
Martial provided the low cross thatJuan Mata converted from the edge of thesix-yard box in the 32nd minute.
The 21-year-old Martial scored histhird league goal of the season when hewas set free by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, beforecutting in from the left and beatingWatford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes at hisnear post with a low shot in the 60th.
Martial joined United for an initial feeof 36 million pounds ($55.5 million) in
2015 - making him the world's mostexpensive teenager - and was the club's topscorer in his first season, but has been inand out of the team under Mourinho.Marcus Rashford, Juan Mata, HenrikhMkhitaryan, Jesse Lingard and AshleyYoung are other wide players inMourinho's squad.
The win kept United in touch with thetop four as six teams go for four qualifi-cation places for next season's ChampionsLeague.
Watford had won its previous twogames, including a 2-1 victory at Arsenal,but was well-beaten at Old Trafford.
ARSENAL GET BACK TO WINNINGAlexis Sanchez's double saw Arsenal
return to winning ways in the PremierLeague with a 2-0 victory over Hull onSaturday in a game dominated by con-troversial refereeing decisions.
The first goal came via the hand of
Sanchez, as he bundled the ball home fromclose range 11 minutes before halftime,with officials failing to spot the crucialdeflection.
A late penalty sealed the win at theEmirates stadium.
The victory was much needed forArsenal with Arsene Wenger's side mov-ing up to third, having lost its previous twoleague games and four of its last nine.
Hull has been rejuvenated since theappointment of manager Marco Silva inearly January and produced anotherimpressive display as it outplayed Arsenalfor significant periods.
Sanchez's first goal was far from thebest of his sparkling season, but may godown as one of the most crucial.
Mesut Ozil's cross was cleared to thefeet of Kieran Gibbs, and the left back'sshot was cleared off the line by AndrewRobertson before Sanchez pounced.
The Chile forward's initial effort was
well saved by Eldin Jakupovic, only for theball to bounce into the net off Sanchez'sright hand.
The visitors' disappointment withreferee Mark Clattenburg intensified in the54th when Gibbs was given just a yellowcard after bringing down Lazar Markovicwhen the Hull winger was through ongoal.
Petr Cech made two important savesfrom Oumar Niasse as the dangerousMarkovic caused Arsenal problemsthroughout.
Arsenal rarely threatened in the sec-ond half but wrapped up the victory instoppage time as Sanchez got his 17thleague goal of the season. Hull midfield-er Sam Clucas was sent off as he kept outLucas Perez's goalbound header with hisarm, before Sanchez converted to achievehis best ever tally for a Premier Leagueseason.
Hull stayed in the relegation zone.Manchester United's Anthony Martial, centre, celebrates scoring his side's second goal vs Watford AP
LUCKNOW COLTS BEAT INDIAN XILucknow Colts beat Indian XI by 15 runs in a league match
of Sri Om Prakash Saxena Memorial Tournament at KD SinghStadium on Saturday.BRIEF SCORES:LC: 197 (Abhishek 67, Gaurav 28, Praveen 26; Harshit 23/4,Ashutosh 41/2)IE: 182 (Rameshwar71, Ashutosh 42; Numan 37/3, RP Singh 33/2,Gaurav 30/2)
MADHYANCHAL WIN TOURNEY
Madhyanchal beat Harduaganj by nine runs to win the 43rdInter-DISCOM T20 Cricket Tournament at Green Park onSaturday.BRIEF SCORES:Madhyanchal: 119 (Saurabh Saxena 33, Ram Prakash 30; KalyanSingh 4 wkts, Sandeep 2 wkts, Narayan 2 wkts)Harduaganj: 110 (Premendra 25, Satyendra 21; Vipin Prakash2 wkts).
16 ASSAM REGIMENT (B) WIN16 Assam Regiment (B) defeated 2/11 GR 2-1 in a league
match of the 2nd Seven-a-side Football tournament at LaMartiniere ground on Saturday.OTHER RESULTS: National Club bt Lions Club 3-2, New Boysbt FCUK(B) 2-1, Milani Club bt Black Demons 1-0, 16 AssamcRegiment bt Unique Club 2-0, New Dragon Club bt White Eagle2-1, New Dragon bt Real Mart 3-1, 16 Assam (A) bt Unique Club3-0, 16 Assam (A) bt Secred Heart 2-0, Christian College bt StateUnited 1-0.
Sahara Adventure Sports Ltd director Abhijit Sarkar watching the Hockey IndiaLeague match between UP Wizards and Kalinga Lancers at Dhaynchand Astroturfstadium. Wizards played a 2-2 draw with Lancers.
LOCAL EVENTSMumbai registernarrow 2-1 win
Ready to make his mark in India: Khawaja
“IT WAS A TOUGHTOUR (INDIA2013), EVEN FROMTHE SIDELINE,JUST BECAUSE WEWERE LOSINGGAMES ANDTHINGS WERE NOTGOING OUR WAY”
backpack 12LUCKNOW | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 12, 2017
Call it a fad or a creative instinct tocharacter design, the latest trend inCosplay is the gaming characters
that are coming alive. It has become a seri-ous professional art form since it firstbegan in India in 2013 when most of thecosplayers would don their favouritesuperhero or villain from a movie or acomic book.
26-year-old Nadir Najumal Hussain,from Kochi and an architect by profession,started Cosplay in 2013 and cosplayed IronMan. “I started off with comic characterand gradually shifted to gaming ones asit is very challenging yet interesting to do.In Delhi Comic Con, I cosplayed asHunter from Halo, a video game. Itrequires a lot passion to make a cosplaycostume that is not only expensive buttakes months to put together. There aretemplates available online but I use a 3Dmodel from the software to com-pile it. Most of the cosplayers useEVA form and faux leather whichis light to carry. We have tomake sure that the cos-tume is strong and intactand would not fall offon the stage whichhas happened withmany people,”Hussain says, whohas been wonmany prizes atcosplay competi-tions.
The otherpopular gamingcharacters that aredoing the roundsare from Dotaand Overwatchvideo games.
18-year-oldZara Rebello from Nasik,who started cosplaying atthe age of 16, was last
seen cosplaying a vengeful spirit fromDota. “Character designing has become abig thing in cosplay. You see many icon-
ic and intrinsic gaming charac-ters being cosplayedin various gamingevents, corporate
shows and cosplay tour-naments like Comic Con,
World Cosplay SummitIndia, Cool Japan Festival,
Indian Gaming Show, EDLcompetition and much more.
In abroad, millions of cosplaytournaments takes place and
people have made a career out ofit and earning quite well. Another
common trend is Japanese animationcharacters since the Cosplay art is orig-
inated from Japan,” Rabello sayswho also cosplayed as Queen of
Pain from Dota 2.A graphic designer from
NIFT, Hyderabad, 23-year-oldSana Khan had had to do exten-
sive research to get into the skin of thecharacter. “I cosplayed for the first time lastyear as vengeful spirit from Dota and thefirst attempt was terrible. My weapon wasfalling apart and I didn’t know how to stylea wig and do the make-up. I worked onit and other cosplayers also helped me.Since my character has lights coming outof it, I had to research about how to installthe LEDs in the suit and get everythingright,” Khan says.
Hussain, Rebello and Khan are thenine finalists of Indian Championship ofCosplay. The grand finale will take placetoday, February 12 at Ansal Plaza, Delhifrom 12pm to 8pm. The winner will rep-resent the country at the Annual CrownChampionships of Cosplay at the ChicagoComics and Entertainment Expo. IndianChampionship of Cosplay will host a spe-cial Fan Cosplay Contest open to all thevisitors attending the show and the win-ner would get `15,000.
To register for entry, log on tohttp://bit.ly/2hQP3m8.
After Spiderman, Ironman and Joker, the video game characters have becomea big thing in the Indian Cosplay scene. SANGEETA YADAV tells you more
It’s game time!
Traditional boat race, localbeer and tribal communitiesthat have a rich culture are
the three tenets of Assam whichits tourism department is sellingat the Rongali Festival inGuwahati. Organised byShyamkanu Mahanta, who is alsothe man behind North-EastFestival in Delhi and Mumbai, thethree-day festival brought every-one together to showcase the bestof the best the State.
“There were a lot of concernsabout the relationship betweenAssamese speaking people andother communities like the Bodos,Karbis, Dimasa etc. But now all ofthem have come together here.Assam is now safe and connec-tivity has improved with otherStates. Through Rongali, we wantto create good vibes, love and rockand roll in the society bringing outour rich heritage,” Mahanta says.The overall budget of the festivalwas `1.60 lakh.
UNITY IN DIVERSITYThe second season of the fes-
tival boasts of unity in diversityamong different tribes like Bodos,Mising, Karbi, Dimasa, Tiwa,Sonowal Kachari, Singphoh,Deuri, Tai Phake, Thengal Kachariand Ahom. Each district in Assamhas around 20 tribe and non-tribecommunities. A major attractionwas the oldest group — DeshiCommunity. Also known asGoalparia, the community settleddown in lower Assam before theAhom dynasty. Their history canbe traced back to 1204 AD whenMech king, Ali Mech, convertedto Islam from Koch-Rajbongshis.
Ashiq Zaman, who exhibitedtheir traditional quake resistantbamboo hut, said: “Deshis speak theGoalpariya dialect which is knownfor its rich folksongs popularised bythe legendary Pratima Barua.Though the Deshis are Muslims,they follow many customs similarto the Rajbongshi communities likecelebration of Beshoma (RongaliBihu), Puishne (Bhogali Bihu),using sindoor during wedding cer-emony and observing Amaati dur-ing ambubachi of KamakhyaTemple. The Deshi culture is a trueexpression of the composite cultureof Bar-Axom,” he added.
Each community speaks mul-tiple dialects, has traditional cos-tumes, celebrates different festi-
vals, cuisines, folk art and culture,music and dance forms.
Meanwhile, the Tai Ahom orthe priests of Mohan DeodhaiBailung Sanmilon, dating back to1200 AD, carved mantras onbamboo bark and silk cloth whichare preserved by local astrologerswho use it even now to predict thefuture and give out health reme-dies. These manuscripts are onlyavailable with the local priests.
TRADITIONAL LIQUORCelebration in Assam is
incomplete without homegrownbeer made of rice and herbs, fer-mented and stored for years.Rongali, which was also promot-ing the liquor tourism of Assam,
had a variety of local beers onshelves. One such popular brandis Judima brewed by the Dimasasand served in bamboo cups.
“Tourism can be the vehiclefor transforming the livelihood ofpeople. We like to promotetourism through our communitiesand promotion of the productswhich are unexplored till now byoutsiders. For the first time, thefestival promoted Dimasa as a des-tination. Apart from having threehighest peaks of Assam andOnrong, the biggest artificial waterreserve, we are famous for Judima.It’s made in every household bywomen and can be preserved foryears. The State Government isformulating a policy to regulate itbrewery and export it to otherStates,” Kulendra Daulajupu, exec-utive member, tourism and edu-cation, Dimasa district, tells you.
Another popular liquor is SaiMod from the Mising communi-ty. “There are two varieties of SaiMod. One is made from white riceand the other from black rice.Though you will find white beereverywhere, the other variety isour speciality,” Biswajit Bholey, acommunity member, explains.
ADVENTURE SPOTOn the banks of the
Brahmaputra, amid green moun-tains, you can indulge in para-
sailing for that adrenaline rush.The magnificent view of themountains makes it extra special.
“Adventure sport is anothermajor area we are looking at. Thetrends is picking up, especiallyafter the launch of AerosportsAssociation of Assam last year.The Brahmaputra in theNoonmati region has huge sanddunes and it’s the best place foraerosports. The aim is to make theriver an aerosport destinationand a four-month activity — fromDecember to February. But it iscostly and we are looking forGovernment’s support in this tomake it commercially viable,”Mohanta tells you. Then there isthe traditional boat race at theDighali Pukhuri. The race wasorganised in association withDirectorate of Sports, Governmentof Assam and Assam TraditionalSports and Dragon BoatAssociation. The best part aboutthe race is that it’s not only a men’ssport but girls too can participate.
DANCEThe three-day festival also
showcased around 35 traditionalfolk dances and mask presenta-tions. One such dance drama wasa 500-year-old Kaliya Daman(Kathak), also known as AnkiaBhaona, directed by Sattriya expo-nent Dr Nirupoma Mahanta. Theevening saw rocking performancesby popular DJ Nucleya, Bollywoodsinger Ash King, top rapperDivine, London-based singerArjun, the North-East’s top rockband Alobo Naga and Assamesehearthrobs Zubeen Garg and JoiBaruah.
nHow was your recent music concertat Rongali festival in Guwahati?
It was great! The fans went crazydancing to popular songs like Dhumpichak dhum and grooved on Heymaaeri, abb naa jaa, and others. To giveto local touch to the concert, I also sanga few lines in Assamese which got a lotof applause. The ambience was greatsince there was good music and cheersfrom the crowd.nDid you prepare for the concert?
Wherever I perform, I learn theregional language so that I can make aconnect with the locals. Concerts are tir-ing but I make sure I have enough restand stamina to rock thetwo-three hour show.One has to be phys-ically and men-tally fit andinnovate gigstoo. It is atough life forsingers per-forming liveat variousplaces. I havebeen very dis-ciplined andworkout a lot tobuild the staminaand believe in keepinggood habits. I am ateetotaler. nWhere will yoube performingnext?
We have fourmore concerts. Fromthere we are goingto Jaipur,Bhopal, Indoreand Delhi. nHow is lifelike per-f o r m i n gback toback?
It keepsus on ourtoes. Everymoment ofEuphoria perform-ing is the bestmoment for me. Whathappened at Rongaliwas the best momentfor me. When westarted off performing,people were little scat-tered but by the end ofthe show you seeeveryone together,cheering and enjoyingthe music. When Iperform, I think of itas this is the first andthe last show I amdoing. And I just givemy best.nHow is Euphoriadoing?
It has been the flag-bearer of non-filmmusic band in thiscountry and we havebeen doing great andwill keep performingtill the end. It feels great
that we all band members sustained ouridentity of being a live band than shift-ing tracks to other mediums. nWhy there is a fall in music bands inIndia?
Most of the music that we get to hearthese days is filmi music. The problemis that artists are working as playwritersto make music for movies to make anactor look and sound good. The focus hasbeen shifted from pumping money inalbums to film music.
Artists in the non-film music aredoing music for the sake of music. It’svery difficult to take out non-film music.But we are trying our best to do it in the
best possible way do that the trendstays alive and can benefit
other artists too. India hasbeen a big support
towards good melodyand great thought andwe should keep pro-ducing it. nWould you like tosing for movies?
I’m not the guywho you can see stand
behind a glass anddoing playback. We are
a band and I have alwaystried to be at the forefront
and also brought my bandmembers in the limelight.
nHow do you look at the trend of sin-gles in the Indian music scene...
Singles are a great idea. If nothingelse, it is promoting music. I wish andhope that the entire industry under-stands that music should be treated as
a separate industry and not apart of the film industry.
That’s what I will do itthrough Euphoria. nYou have been spot-ted wearing mangalsutra...
I wear my moth-er’s mangal sutra andthe locket is called car-touche which is an
Egyptian hiero-glyphs. On one sideof it, it has mymother’s name
on the other,my father’s. nHow is
your newa l b u mshapingup?
Thetitle of
the albumis not yet finalised but wehave already shot the musicvideo. We are waiting for theright time and good oppor-tunity to release it so thatpeople also take notice ofnon-filmi music. nWhat are your upcomingprojects?
We are preparing a newHindi TV show shot under
Palash Sen Productions. Thiswill be a surprise for everyone.I am sure the end product willbe liked by the viewers.
TalktimePALASH SEN
Doctor-turned-singer and actor, Palash Sen,who recently rocked the stage at Rongali fest
in Guwahati, talks to SANGEETA YADAVabout the need for a separate musicindustry to encourage non-film music
and his new album & making aTV debut
‘Music should be a separate industry’
Rongali revelry
From Assam’s tribalcommunities comingtogether to showcase theirlife to homemade liquor tofolk dance and much morewas part of the recentlyheld Rongali Festival inGuwahati. SANGEETA YADAV bringsyou a glimpse of the richculture and tradition fromthis region
From L-R: Women from a tribal community of Assam in their traditional attire, Paramotor and Parasailing sports activity and tribal men in their traditional attire
Zara Rebello asVengeful Spiritfrom Dota
Nadir Hussainas Hunter
Sana Khanas VengefulSpirit from
Dota
SWEET BITESHeart shaped macaroons: Foodhallbrings to you a wide array of specialpatisserie and Valentine’s special hampers.From heart shaped strawberry macaroonsto shortbread cookies with flowers on topand chocolate and raspberry pastry, Darkchocolate mousse, raspberry jelly withcrispy base, cakes etc are a perfect optionto gift your someone special. Available tillFebruary 28 at Foodhalloutlets in DLFCyber City;Aerocity, WorldMark 3; DLFPromenade Mall& DLF Place Mall.
OPEN HAPPINESS
Boxed: Show your love with handmadestuff with photos and romantic notes. Giftyour significant other the love box whichincludes creative personalised products.Kraftly, an online e-commerce platform,brings to you ‘Gift Tree’ which is a col-lection of handpicked products for ‘Himand Her’. Log on to https://kraftly.com/cura-tions/gift-ideas?icn=Giftree&icp=1col-umn&ref=GiftreeSay it with a song: If words are notenough to express the love, gift a mix ofhand-picked romantic songs. Saregamahas curated a playlist in the music cardtitled Romance which has the best ofmelodies by Mohammad Rafi, KishoreKumar, Asha Bhosle etc. Each music cardcomes with 200 HD songs pre-loaded ona 4GB USB memory card, making it con-venient to use on laptops, computers, carmusic systems and any other USB port.
This is available at http://www.sarega-ma.com/musiccard.html or on Amazon,Snapdeal and Ebay and costs `600.
WHAT TO DOLove games: Plan a date that is filled withenthralling games, pocket-friendly finger foodsand a wide range of cocktails at SmaaashGurgaon and also become a part of some excit-ing offers for the couples this Valentine’s Day.Priced at `1,402, the package includes twoIndian-made liquor or two beers along withgames of finger coasters, two arcade games andtwo veg or non-veg starters of choice. On fromFebruary 11 to 14, 2017.
In the name of loveWith Valentine’s Day just a few days away, SUNDAY PIONEER lists down some interesting thingsto do, what to gift, where to celebrate and much more
POOCH LOVEPamper your furry love this Valentine’s
Day with a specially curated Valentine WagBox, by Heads Up For Tails. The box containsfew personalised articles along with other lux-ury pet carepro du c t s .The boxcomprisesp e r s o n -alised cush-ion withcatchy texton it like —All youneed is love— and a dog’s name (insert your doggie namehere), lavender oil, heart-shaped freshlybaked cookies, all natural yak chews, tug-n-fetch rope toy, doggie deo and surprise giftinside it.
CAMP AT STARRY NIGHTPlan a starryValentine’s nightunder the stars ina Swiss or Dometent at DeyorCamps in the outskirts of Gurugram, nearDam Dama Lake. Camping Under theStars is a one night package fromFebruary 13 to 14. The cost starts from`4,000 per couple and includes variousactivities, movie under the stars, meals,boating etc. For more information, log onto http://www.deyorcamps.com/hotel-search/india/haryana/gurgaon/sohna-road/dome-tent-room-in-hotel-starry-valentine
Villager showing ageold inscriptions
nTell us about yourself.I am a singer, actress, dancer
and Miss India Scotland, 2012. Ihave been singing since I was 11 andthat’s when I released my debutalbum titled Dil Milde produced bymusic director Atul Sharma and co-featuring my brother LordManmeet. The album featured tra-ditional Punjabi folk songs. nDid you train professionally?
I am a classically trained singerof Shabad (Sikh religious hymns)and sing at the local Gurdwara. Ilearnt ragas and sargams very earlyin life, first in the UK and then in
India. nHow did acting happen?
I have starred in the BBC TVseries Half Moon Investigations’ aswell as several short films and doc-umentaries. Then there is thisPunjabi film Mahi NRI alongsideaward-winning Punjabi singerHardy Sandhu releasing this year.nTell us about your singles.
As part of Stranger Family in2012-13, I released the single Peenghto great success in the Asian musiccharts. I featured on the summersingle Ghetto alongside MumzyStranger, Junai Kaden, Tasha Tah
and Char Avell.My debut solo Kuriya was one
of the stand-out party tracks in thesummer of 2014. Then came Terekarke produced by Surinder Rattanwhich went straight to No 1 posi-tion on world charts on iTunes.
The latest release Talli Hogiyawith Curtis Young, Dr Dre’s son.nTell us more about this song.
It is a beautiful Punjabi soulfulsong whose lyrics have been writ-ten by Zain Kan and Sonu Khan.The music has been composed byDr Zeus. I am sure people will loveit as much I do.
‘Talli... is my rocking go-to song’
21-year-oldRAMEET
SANDHU hasbeen blazing thecharts with herlatest song Talli
Hogiya. Shetalks to
Sunday Pioneerabout her
journey so far
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Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s life and career have been anopen book and enough has been written aboutthem. And yet, despite the surfeit of material, theformer Prime Minister remains, to take a quoteof Winston Churchill, “a riddle, wrapped in a
mystery, inside an enigma”. Churchill was referring to Russiaand in saying so, he added that the key to unravelling theriddle was “Russian national interest”. In Vajpayee’s case too,the key to understanding him is to realise that everything hedid or said was guided by his resolve to serve the nationalinterest.
In his book, The Untold Vajpayee: Politician andParadox, author and journalist Ullekh NP attempts to deci-pher the former Prime Minister and arguably the tallestleader the Bharatiya Janata Party has had. It’s easy becausethe author’s subject has lived a transparent life, but it’s dif-ficult because understanding the mind of a politician, andthat too one like Vajpayee who seamlessly migrated fromone end of the ideological spectrum to another and yetremains acceptable to all, calls for a high level of interpre-tative skills.
As an active politician, Vajpayee was certainly unique.From being in awe of Jawaharlal Nehru’s liberalism to being aflag-bearer of Hindutva to being an admirer of Indira Gandhito being her trenchant critic to being a moderate to being atrend-setter in managing political coalitions, he often flum-moxed his supporters and won over opponents. You justcouldn’t ignore him, and not only because of his good looksand poetic outbursts and oratorial skills. He was a consum-mate politician who knew the pulse of the people — andmore importantly, the pulse of the moment. And yet, the‘paradox’ that he was, Vajpayee failed to read the signs in2004. And twice earlier, before he settled down to complete afull term as Prime Minister, and despite his charm and good-will, he had to go through the embarrassment of quitting thepost for lack of support from the outside.
Ullekh’s earlier part of the book recounts Vajpayee’s strongsupport to the dismissal of the communist Government ofEMS Namboodiripad in Kerala through the use of Article 356.The author quotes from Vajpayee’s statement in 1959, wherethe latter said, inter alia, “The people of Kerala deserve to becongratulated. I hope in future too they will give a fitting replyto the communist party… with these words I support the reso-lution (moved by the Congress for imposition of President’srule).” The author then adds two paradoxes that he finds inVajpayee’s political career: “Ironically, Vajpayee would soonbecome one of the most vocal opponents of the political mis-use of Article 356.” Also, “It’s an altogether different matter thatin the late 1990s, he chose to recommend President’s rule inBihar, citing breakdown in law and order…”
Ullekh attributes Vajpayee’s 1959 position to “false infor-mation” that he had been fed with, regarding the acts of thecommunist regime in the State. But what Vajpayee had saidthen to support the resolution could not have been too far offthe mark, even factoring for some exaggeration. “In spite ofbeing a critic of the Congress, I have no hesitation in sayingthat what happened in the 13 States ruled by the Congress, inno States were cell courts set up. Fourteen-year-old boys werenot banished from their homes, no parents were told to
marry their daughters to communists, and no one whodisobeyed a cell court was stabbed.” This was 1959, butare things any better today? The RSS and its affiliateshave been the target of Marxist terror; there are villagesthat have been marked as ‘communist’ where no otherparty worker can function; and those who dare to pro-mote any ideology other than the Left can get theirbones broken or lose their lives. This has been happen-ing for years in the State, regardless of whether thecommunists rule or are in the Opposition.
The author says that while Vajpayee was the “mod-erate face of Hindutva”, he “did stray often”. Ullekhoffers one contentious instance of such straying. In1970, Vajpayee had locked horns with Indira Gandhi inthe Lok Sabha while speaking on communalism. Hesaid, “Our Muslim brethren are getting more and morecommunal and as a reaction Hindus are getting moreand more aggressive… Hindus will no more take a beat-ing in this country… You cannot fight communalism byignoring Muslim communalism. If you promoteMuslim communalism, the other feeling will run high.”Where is the lack of moderation here that the authorrefers to? Vajpayee was simply speaking the truth —and it remains relevant to this day. Secularists of thosedays must have felt uncomfortable with the home truth(Indira Gandhi had responded to the speech as “poiso-nous topic”), just as they do now. Today’s secularists usethe word ‘fascism’ at the drop of a hat to condemn theNarendra Modi Government, just as Indira Gandhi hadseen “naked fascism behind those words (of Vajpayee)”.
Vajpayee was one of the leaders who bore thebrunt of Emergency, and yet the experience did notembitter him to a fanatical extent. Ullekh narrates aconversation that took place during the Emergencyperiod between Vajpayee and a senior ABVP leader.Vajpayee said, much to that leader’s shock, that he hadgone to see the Minister of State for Home, Om Mehta.Vajpayee added that he was uncomfortable with theviolence that had been unleashed against theEmergency, and that the ABVP should own up andapologise for the arson and loot the organisation’scadre had indulged in, for Emergency to be lifted. So,what does one make of this conversation?
Here was a leader committed to the values ofdemocracy and free speech, almost justifying theEmergency? After all, it was well known that theIndira Gandhi regime had been giving out exaggeratedversions of criminal activities that the Opposition par-ties had been supposedly indulging in, in its bid to sellEmergency. Or was it the voice of a reasonable personwho, while condemning Emergency, was also equallyforceful in criticising mindless acts of violence?Whatever it was, it was in keeping with Vajpayee’s reputation of seeking a balance and not taking extremepositions for mere ideological sake.
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This performance oftreading the middleground while remaining
on the Right is not everyone’scup of tea. But Vajpayee wasan accomplished artiste. Heshowed traces of this in hisearlier years in the BharatiyaJana Sangh, when he got pittedagainst colleague and firebrandleader Balraj Madhok. The lat-ter was senior to Vajpayee, abrilliant speaker and organiser,and had built the Jana Sanghin Delhi from scratch. But hewas also too sharp for the lik-ing of many, blunt and oftenarrogant in approach, andinflexible. This made himunacceptable to many withinthe group and even the RSSwhich was then in the processof steering the Jana Sangh intoa process of broader accep-tance in society. The partyneeded a ‘liberal’ face, andVajpayee was it. Ullekh dedi-cates some pages in his bookto the Vajpayee-Madhok rival-
ry, but his treatment of theissue is superficial; a few otherbooks published recently onthe former Prime Ministerhave dealt with the subject ingreater detail. But Ullekh doesbring out the fact which otherauthors too highlighted: ThatVajpayee, assisted by seniors inthe RSS, not least by MSGolwalkar, emerged as thechoice of the Jana Sangh as thefuture face, while Madhok wassidelined. Vajpayee had playedhis cards well.
If the story about Vajpayeeis told — as it is in Ullekh’sbook — then the story aboutthe formation and rise of theJana Sangh also gets told. Thestory of the birth of the BJPand its growth gets told. Thestory of the formation of aBJP-led Government gets nar-rated. Also gets told is the artof coalition governance, theyears of Prime MinisterVajpayee and those of formerPrime Minister Vajpayee. In
sum, a good chunk of the his-tory of post-Independencepolitical India is covered. Suchthen, has been the broad brushwhich makes Vajpayee such animportant figure. He was vocalin his dismay over the failureof the Morarji DesaiGovernment, and felt that agood opportunity had beenfrittered away. While agreeingthat Charan Singh had been ahugely destabilising influence,he also believed that the RSScould have done more indefusing the crisis. But in thesame breath, he felt that theRSS should steer away fromactive intervention in politics.Yet another paradox?
During his years as PrimeMinister, he maintained cor-dial relations with the RSS, butalso saw to it that it did not
needlessly interfere in theaffairs of governance.Interestingly, we find s a simi-lar approach today withNarendra Modi as PrimeMinister, with Modi and theRSS maintaining perfect har-mony. Ullekh quotes Vajpayee:“I must also add that the RSS,claiming to be a social and cul-tural organisation, should havetaken greater pains to demon-strate that they did not seek apolitical role. Patronising apress that takes sides in thesordid politics of power,involvement in both bodiesthat interact with political par-ties, participating with tradeunion rivalries… these do nothelp an organisation to estab-lish its apolitical credentials.” Alesser leader would have beenrapped for these remarks, but
Vajpayee could not be brushedaside. The RSS responded withan acknowledgement that ithad to change with the times.This was not defiance butplain speak with good intent,but the author does not see itthat way. Ullekh writes,“Vajpayee alone could defy theRSS and get away with it.”
The escalation of thePunjab crisis and the rise ofJarnail Singh Bhindranwalehad been seen long before ithit the nation, by Vajpayee. Hesaid, “It is not a question ofpolitical parties deriving polit-ical benefit. Sometimes thereis great apprehension aboutIndia’s unity and integrity…The fire of Punjab has reachedthe National Capital.” WhileVajpayee congratulated theIndian Army for its successful
conduct of Operation Bluestar,he also had a word of caution:“We must not lose sight of thefact that the Army is primarilyorganised and equipped tofight foreign enemies. Using itagainst our own countrymenis a very unpleasant step, andwe should avoid it as far aspossible.” He added, with deepemotion, that “even the roti-beti relationship could nothelp the gulf from widening”.The fire of Punjab indeedreached Delhi when IndiraGandhi was assassinated.
Arguably the worst periodfor Vajpayee and for the BJPwas the post-assassination one,when the wave of sympathyfor the Congress brought RajivGandhi to power and obliter-ated the BJP. But Vajpayee,along with his colleague LK
Advani, continued to work forthe party, resurrecting it andkeeping it afloat for the future.The time came when thoseefforts bore fruit. Rajiv Gandhilost power five years down theline and VP Singh’sGovernment came in with BJPsupport. Events thereafter onlyfurther strengthened the partyand eventually led to the for-mation of the first BJP-helmedGovernment. From 1999 on,the Vajpayee regime was toserve its full five-year term.
It’s a measure of hisacross-the-board appeal andenduring popularity that tothis day, even his critics havenice things to say of him. AsPrime Minister, Vajpayeefaced many challenges, bothon the domestic and theinternational fronts. Thenuclear tests were conductedand international sanctionsimposed on India. Parliamentwas attacked by militantswith links to Pakistan. A
plane was hijacked and somedreaded terrorists had to bereleased to secure the safepassage of hundreds of inno-cent passengers on board theflight. In the midst of all this,Prime Minister Vajpayeereached out to Islamabadwith a hand of friendship. Itdid not work — just as it hasnot so far despite PrimeMinister Modi’s similarly sin-cere gestures.
But all said, it is difficult tonot agree with author Ullekh’swords that round off his book:“Vajpayee was a non-con-formist with a resolute streakof irreverence for the conven-tional, contempt for the super-stitious and unrelenting ambi-tions that overshadowed hisinsecurities. True, Vajpayeemade many mistakes…but hewas as much a democrat as hewas a revolutionary, andIndian politics would havebeen poorer without the swayof his rich contribution.”
The first bird I ever lookedclosely at — the way a bird-watcher does — was a sun-bird. All of us have seenpigeons and crows and
kites. We also have seen sparrows andmynas and parakeets. But a sunbird?Who knows of a sunbird? Forgetabout having seen one, most of ushave never even heard of a sunbird.
It was a birdwatcher friend ofmine who pointed out my first sun-bird to me. This was in a garden inPune, where I live. There was ahibiscus bush in the garden and a tinybird, the size of my palm, was flitingamongst the large red blooms thatspeckled the bush. “That’s a sunbird,”said my friend. He handed me a pairof binoculars. “You’ll need these. Thebird doesn’t look like much. But lookat it through binocs. Then you’ll see.”
I looked, and I stared, and mymouth popped open. The tiny sun-bird was truly beautiful. It pulsed witha riot of colours — purple, yellow,maroon, green, and brown. Andthere was a sparkle and metallic glintto its feathers. Its beak was long andhooked and the bird was hovering.Hovering? That was odd because asfar as I knew only humming birdscould hover. It was a learning expe-rience for me that other birds — likeour Indian sunbirds — could hovertoo. That day I stared at the sunbird.I watched it flit from flower to flower,flashing its gaudy colours. I marvelledas it skillfully hovered and sank itslong, curved beak into hibiscus flow-ers, greedily feeding on the nectarinside. From that day I was hookedon to birdwatching.
A few days later, I bought myselfa pair of binoculars (essential if youwant to watch birds), I bought all thebird books available and I startedprowling the gardens and riverbanksof Pune, looking for birds.
Birdwatching can be a bit tire-some to start with. First you have tolearn to use binoculars. Then youhave to get the hang of how to spotbirds. Birds are exasperating creatures.It takes a while to find them in a tree.Then, by the time you raise yourbinocs and focus where the bird is sit-ting, the bird is gone and you findyourself staring at leaves and emptybranches. But if you swallow yourfrustration and keep at it, you will findbirds, and if you push yourself, youfind them quicker and quicker andthey pose for you and you start enjoy-ing the pastime of birdwatching.
Birdwatching isn’t only for nerdsor the studious sorts. It is for anyonewith a heart and an eye for beauty.The best thing about birdwatching isthat it draws you closer to nature.When you sit quietly, staring at a tree,waiting for a bird to appear, yoursenses tune in on Mother Nature. Youfeel her presence, you sample herheady odours, and you start to under-stand her rhythms. You will notice
when a tree, like a silk cotton tree,breaks into flowers. You will marvelat the birds — hundreds of them —that are drawn to a tree when it flow-ers. You will notice the increase ofbirds in your city when winter sets inand you will experience a pang ofregret when the birds depart as the
heat of summer bakes the land.Birdwatching begins at home.
Although it is great to travel to exot-ic bird destinations, it’s not necessaryto do so. All you have to do is tuneyour senses to nature, which meansthat you must look with eyes thatactually see and listen with ears thatperceive sounds around us. Andwhen you actually look, you will findthat the trees and gardens of your cityare home to many birds. Several birdsthat play a role in my stories — thesunbirds, bulbuls, bee-eaters, drongos,koels, and owls — are all found incities. You only have to look and youwill find these beautiful birds.
If you want to travel to birdinglocations, then one of the best placesfor birdwatching is Keleodeo NationalPark in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. It is alarge park, filled with trees and grass-es and jheels (ponds that water birdsvisit). In winter, hundreds of thou-sands of migrating birds descend onthe park and because no one attacksor bothers them, the birds turn boldand allow you to come close.
In the cold season you can findhundreds of species in the park. Myfavourite birds are the greylag andbar-headed geese. The bar-headedgeese impress me because they arethe strongest fliers in the bird king-dom and have been spotted flyingover the Himalayas at 25,000 feetabove sea level. You also find cranes,storks, all kinds of ducks, kingfish-ers, orioles, spoonbills, harriers,eagles, owls and many, many otherbirds. And the best part is that theguides who work in the park areextremely helpful and knowledgeable.They love birds and take great pridein showing and identifying all thebirds in the park for you.
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When a cheetah sprints, there is nothing onearth that can touch it. The big cat’s hindlegs heave forward, kicking up dust, while
its front paws bounce off the ground. A few years ago,a cheetah at full pelt clocked 64mph, covering 100min just 5.95 seconds. Usain Bolt’s world record for thesame distance is 9.58 seconds. Not for nothing is theworld’s fastest land mammal called a ‘polka-dottedmissile’. Yet for all its untouchable talent, man is nowbeating beast. A report released last week by theZoological Society of London (ZSL) revealed that thecheetah is racing towards extinction. Today there arejust 7,100 in the wild, a figure that has halved since1975. Over the next 15 years, that may be furtherreduced by 53 per cent.
The cheetah’s is a familiar tale. Its wide huntingrange means they come into contact with humans out-side of protected national parks. Their skin and meatis prized by poachers, while cubs are targeted by traf-fickers to sell as status symbols in the Middle East.
Speaking to The Telegraph from the Serengeti,Dr Sarah Durant, lead author of the ZSL research,fears there are countries where whole cheetah pop-ulations will be wiped out in 2017. “Some are hang-ing by a thread,” she says. Today, the cheetah occu-pies just nine per cent of its historic range, confinedpredominantly to southern Africa. The few remain-ing in central Niger and Zimbabwe could go this year.And the once widespread Asiatic cheetah has beenreduced to fewer than 50 individuals in one isolat-ed pocket of Iran. “I am worried the cheetah will goextinct,” Dr Durant says. “This is a wake up call.”
While the cheetah should survive the next 12months, other species will not be so lucky. Amajor study released by the ZSL and WWF(World Wildlife Fund) in October revealed thenumber of wild animals living on Earth is set tofall two-thirds by 2020.
Destruction of wild habitats, hunting and pollu-tion are all to blame. This year, the mass extinctionis feared to march on apace. A ‘red list’ of endangeredspecies compiled by the International Union for theConservation of Nature (IUCN) features 82,954 ani-mals and plants, with almost a third threatened withbeing wiped out completely.
The world’s last three northern white rhinosremain under 24-hour armed guard in Ol PejetaConservancy in Kenya. The beasts, two females anda male, were transferred from a Czech zoo in 2009with another male, Suni, who died in 2014. Asrecently as 1960, there were more than 2,000 north-ern white rhinos. But poaching — most recently tofeed the demand from the Far East for rhino horn— has put paid to that. The only male left, Sudan,43, has already had his horn removed to make himless valuable to poachers, and is weakening by theday. Attempts to encourage the trio to breed haveproved unsuccessful. Also at risk from poachers arethe last remaining 21 giant tusked bull elephants,which feature on the IUCN red list.
Similarly endangered is the pangolin, anancient scaly creature which subsists on ants, andis prized in Asia for its meat. The world’s smallestporpoise, the vaquita, may also vanish this year.Only 60 individuals are left in the Gulf ofCalifornia — a 92 per cent drop since 1997. China’sYangtze river dolphin is already feared gone.
There’s also bad news for great apes. Four out
of six species are now critically endangered: the east-ern gorilla, western gorilla, Bornean orangutan andSumatran orangutan. Numbers of eastern gorillas— the world’s largest primate — have declined by70 per cent in the last 20 years and it was placed onthe red list in September.
But 2016 brought better news for giant pandas,as the animal was downgraded from ‘endangered’ to‘vulnerable’, thanks to a population rebound in China,after decades of work by conservationists. Latest esti-mates suggest the overall population is now 2,060,though that number could fall again, as climate changescientists predict over a third of the animal’s bamboohabitat will be wiped out in 80 years.
Britain is far from immune to the world’swildlife crisis. The annual State of Nature report, com-piled by 53 wildlife organisations in the UK and pub-lished in October, reported 1,199 species on the redlist — compared to 755 three years ago.
Newly added creatures include the Kentishsnake millipede, mole cricket, necklace ground bee-tle and yellow pogonus, a small sand beetle foundin salty marshes. They are names many of us havenever heard, but their disappearance could have acalamitous effect.
The decline of sand eels, for example, has led toa crash in puffin populations, now also at risk ofextinction in Britain. Since 2003, some 8,000 Britishspecies have declined by 53 per cent; among themhedgehogs, natterjack toads, great crested newts, watervoles, turtle doves and nightingales. The hen harri-er is down to a handful of birds, while fewer than 100Scottish wildcats now exist outside captivity.
But there is hope. Jeff Ollerton, a biodiversi-ty professor at the University of Northampton andbee specialist, has monitored a shocking declineover his career. In 1990, when he began his PhD,a rare mining bee became extinct in Britain. Sincethen several species have been reduced to a tinyfew, such as the six-banded nomad bee and thehairy-horned mason bee.
The great yellow bumblebee is now extinct inWales, Northern Ireland, and England. In the pastcouple of years, though, the once extinct short-haired bumblebee has been successfully reintro-duced into Britain from Sweden. Last week, it wasreported that European scientists are edging clos-er to bringing aurochs — a primitive wild cattle thatonce roamed wild forests — back from extinctionvia a process known as ‘back breeding, selectivelymating the beast’s closest living relatives.
Professor Ollerton believes more species couldfollow. Improving biodiversity on agricultural land,which covers 75 per cent of Britain, is key. So too,keeping parks and gardens wild.
“There is increasing public awareness that weneed to conserve Britain’s biodiversity,” he says. “Alsomost of our extinct species still occur on the conti-nent and could be reintroduced if appropriate habi-tats were found.” Creating enclosed spaces fornature, he admits, is not enough. Rather humans needto develop better ways of co-existing with animals.
Back on the plains of Serengeti, Dr Durantagrees. “If we have nature in one place and peoplein another that is a recipe for disaster,” she says.“People do cause problems for wildlife but they canalso be part of the solution.”
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If Rajiv Gandhi’s 1988 China visitdowngraded the border dispute,Prime Minister Narasimha Rao’s1993 visit complicated the borderresolution by adding an additional
military line to the PLA’s advantage. Raowent back to the Nehru approach ofminor territorial (sectoral) adjustmentsinstead of a ‘package deal’ for border reso-lution. China responded by saying that theentire border should be called the Line ofActual Control, without prejudice to theborder positions of the two sides. Chinatold India that with the LAC in place,troops could be withdrawn sector-wiseinstead of waiting for the entire LAC andborder agreements. The agreed sectorscould then have ‘mutual and equal securi-ty’ as agreed by the two sides. The hand ofthe PLA was evident in the Chinese offer,while India-much like during the Nehruyears-did not consult its army while mak-ing its border policy.
Rao and his civil advisors failed tounderstand that the LAC by definitionwould be easier to alter than a disputedborder even if it was not agreed on mapsor on the ground. The resolution of a dis-puted border is expected to follow tradi-tion, history and the international princi-ples of geographical determinants such ascrest-lines and watersheds, which is notthe case with the LAC. Being a military-held line, it can be changed by force.
The Rao Government fell for theChinese ploy and the two sides signed theBorder Peace and Tranquillity Agreementduring the Prime Minister’s China visit inSeptember 1993. With a stroke of the pen,the entire disputed border was renamedthe Line of Actual Control. Hitherto, theLAC had meant a mere 320 kilometresfrom Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) to Demchokin Ladakh (Western Sector) which hadcome up after the 1962 war. In the EasternSector, India continued to refer to the bor-der as the McMahon Line, a colonial termunacceptable to China. Thus, after thesigning of the Border Peace andTranquillity Agreement, the disputed bor-der acquired three lines: The border asperceived by China; the border as under-stood by India; and the Line of ActualControl as agreed by both.
The Border Peace and TranquillityAgreement added to the operational woesof the Indian Army in three areas: renam-ing of the border as the LAC, the sector-by-sector approach and the concept of ‘mutualand equal security’ (Article II of the agree-ment). For example, between 1962 and the1993 agreement, there were two recordedborder skirmishes or show of strength inci-dents: The 1967 series of firings at Nathu
La and Cho La in Sikkim and the 1986-87Sumdorong Chu crisis in ArunachalPradesh. However, after the agreement wassigned, and especially after India’s nucleartests in 1998 when relations between thetwo countries nosedived, the number ofChinese transgressions inside Indian terri-tories increased manifold. India’s figuresshow that Chinese transgressions (whichthey claim is patrolling within their ownterritories) have become brazen over theyears. The PLA’s version of ‘forward policy’had begun and continues apace.
Starting in 1998, Chinese activitiesboth in the Western and Eastern sectorscontinued to be aimed at asserting theirclaims up to their perception of the LACirrespective of the mutually agreed ‘disput-ed pockets’ where both sides should beexercising equal levels of jurisdiction. Forexample, during the eighth meeting of thejoint working group held in August 1995,the two sides had identified eight ‘pocketsof dispute’ where both had differing per-ceptions on the alignment of the 1993LAC and border. These were Trig Heightsand Demchok in the Western Sector,Barahoti in the Middle Sector and NamkaChu, Sumdorong Chu, Chantze, Asaphilaand Longju in the Eastern Sector.However, in 1998, the Chinese adopted anoffensive posture in the Trig Heights areaby constructing a road approximately 5kilometres inside Indian territory. This wasused by Chinese patrols to demonstratetheir presence in the disputed area. This
unprecedented movement was indicativeof the Chinese intention of asserting theirclaim as part of a well-designed nibblingaction. Violations inside Indian territoriesby the Chinese became routine, increasingwith each passing year.
Similarly, though Pangong Tso in theWestern Sector was not an ‘agreed disput-ed area’, since 1998 the Chinese startedpatrolling the lake in powerful boats. In1999, they constructed a motorable graveltrack from their post at Spanggur up tothe southern bank of the lake. TheChinese indicated to local Indian com-manders that their LAC ran about 6 kilo-metres inside Indian territory. TheChinese increased their activities inRechin La, Siri Jap and Demchok in theWestern Sector. Since 1998, they startedslowly upgrading their infrastructure andmoved up to their 1960 claim line at someplaces in the Western Sector. By early2015, ‘there were 12 areas of differences inLAC perception between the Indian andChinese maps, which was far beyond thetwo mutually identified disputed areas —Trig Heights and Demchok — in theWestern sector by the Joint WorkingGroup on boundary in 1995’.
In the Eastern Sector, the Chineserepeatedly attempted to push their gra-ziers intermixed with soldiers into Indianterritory. Such incidents, that began in1999, happened in Chantze and a numberof times in the Asaphila and Dichu areas.Consequently, the PLA holds Indian
ground in Asaphila and Maja in westArunachal Pradesh. All these and numer-ous minor stand-offs have been reportedby local commanders to the Governmentthrough proper channels. China, inessence, has been trying to assert itsclaims or seek bargains on the basis of thede facto possession of pockets that arebeing grabbed through intrusions. It wasno coincidence that China’s heightenedactivities along the Sino-India borderstarted in 1999 when India was at warwith Pakistan in Kargil. Moreover, as wehave seen, during Operation Parakram,the 10 months long military stand-offbetween India and Pakistan, the PLAmaintained pressure, especially in theEastern Sector, to ensure that India foundit difficult to divert maximum forces fromthe eastern front towards Pakistan.
China also beguiled India into accept-ing the sector-by-sector approach. A mutualtroop withdrawal was delinked from theneed to properly define the LAC. Instead, itwas based upon a ‘sector-wise approach’.Such an approach adopted by mandarins inthe Indian foreign office makes little mili-tary sense. How can a military theatre com-mander pull out troops when he does notknow what he is required to defend andwhat has been settled in his area of respon-sibility? A theatre commander should alsoknow about his area of interest, meaningwhat his adjacent number is doing.
In the Indian context, it involves coor-dination amongst four army commanders:
The Western Sector is the responsibility ofthe Northern and Western army com-manders, the Middle Sector is the opera-tional area of the Central army comman-der, and starting from the Nepal-Sikkimborder the Eastern army commandertakes on the disputed sector. The Chinesedo not have this problem because theTibet Autonomous Region (TAR)is a sin-gle theatre command. Simply put, untilthe entire LAC is mutually agreed upon,any troop withdrawal for India is unrealis-tic and is not likely to be accepted by thearmy; what’s more, even the 1993 BorderPeace and Tranquillity Agreement and itsfollow-on deal on ‘Confidence BuildingMeasures in the Military Field’, signed on29 November 1996 during the visit ofChinese President Hu Jintao, cannot beimplemented. Doing so would jeopardiseIndia’s border management. Furthermore,even after the LAC is settled in its entirety,the Indian Army would find it difficult toreduce its presence in any significant wayuntil the LAC is accepted as the border.
This is because the PLA’s formidableairlift, road and rail capabilities have madethe principle of ‘mutual and equal security’for troop withdrawal as suggested in theBorder Peace and Tranquillity Agreementmeaningless. The Chinese have a dualoperational advantage along the LAC: Agrowing capability to bring in troops quick-ly (thirty-four divisions, each with 12,000troops within weeks); and, unlike India,they do not have to spend weeks acclimatis-ing their troops stationed in Tibet for oper-ations on the high-altitude border.
Another issue that mocks ‘mutual andequal security’ is intelligence gathering.The PLA does not need to undertakereconnaissance missions by aircraft andunmanned aerial vehicles as it has high-resolution satellites with low visitationperiods (the time a satellite takes to comeback to the same point on completing itscycle) in both low Earth and polar syn-chronous orbits, as well as fixed reconnais-sance satellites in sun synchronous orbits.India does not have comparable capabili-ties. Moreover, China has better humanintelligence than India because the peoplenear the border are of the same stock, and,unlike India, China is not an open societyand can therefore bring more pressure tobear on its people as also camouflage itsmoves better. It is not surprising thatChina has been able to hide its surface-to-surface missiles in the Tibet AutonomousRegion, something that India would finddifficult to do close to the LAC.
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Dr HK Kaul’s life is interwoven withthe boundaries of literature andlibraries, and in these selective
environment, he has authored and edited60 books that include 15 volumes ofpoetry, such as, On the Waves, In DeepSeas, Firdaus in Flames, In the Islands ofGrace, Poetry of the Raj, New Journey,Poetry India, among others including thepresent volume of 138 poems writtenbetween 2006 to 2016.
Encounters with People and the Angelsof Hope covers new poems written byKaul — a poet, author, and the FounderDirector, DELNET (Developing LibraryNetwork) and Founder Secretary-Generaland now President, The Poetry Society(India). The poems are divided in eightsections: Society and culture; struggles forsurvival; Kashmiri Pandits; crime andviolence; religion and spirituality; envi-ronment; the professionals and craftsmen;and decaying and death.
Kaul’s poems surprises us with theirdiverse themes, and his command overlanguage and expressions, for sensitivityof a man whose multifarious activities arewell known. His contributions to theworld of poetry is well known. He hasworked mainly for English poetry, whenhe established The Poetry Society(India)in 1984, a time known for political uncer-tainly in the country.
Comprehending and reading Kaul’sverses are not an easy job. His lines andwords speak from consciousness, hiswords merge with complicated themes.This is not ordinary poetry, of just love,lust, hate, separation or union. The versesspark from depth of a mind, mind of amultidimensional personality who earlierhad written on Yoga and Shri Aurobindo.This is the mind of a man, that ShriAurobindo may have had perceived andthat reflects in his verses. He speaks andwrites like a mystic specially in the sec-tions of spirituality.
Poems of pain and melancholy, asense of rootlessness, anguish for losthome are included in the section onKashmiri Pandits. The poet turns autobi-ographical as he pens: As I stroll towardsdowntown/Through streets, lanes, streamsof consciousness/To watch the roots ofsome old structures/I find streets haveturned into lanes/Lanes into dark narrowspaces/Within fractured blocks, blockedstreams/In the diminishingspaces/Shadows of fading consciousness...Poems of pain and anguish are reflected
when he writes: Gods in the Valley arealone now. No watchmen around/No wor-shippers either... He also turns autobio-graphical for the poem My Life Changed.
To accept failure is challenging, butthe poet braces his defeat and pens thechallenging lines: This winter, he couldn’tsell a dream/The harsh reality of crashingto defeat/Made him contend with the
abuse/Welcomed to get snapped, lured andthreatened/Into the unusual labour mar-ket… Pain, anguish, a sense of rootless-ness, lost home, resulted in these a mem-orable verses. Words delve deep into ourconsciousness. Evocative lines stir ourpsyche. His sweetest verses are those thattell of saddest thoughts. The poet has cel-ebrated his life as a sublime hymn andthe verses demonstrate this.
This anthology gives a gruesome pic-ture of the present era. Human history isfilled with blood stains and funerals butthe poet sometimes draws some picturesof hope as well. As he writes: Some babieson their mothers’ backs seeing slight pas-sages of hope/Little by little grew andran/With ambition, hitting the ground…
Protests are now frequent in the city.They have become a recipe for destruc-tion. Kaul thus writes an appropriate poettitled Protest in this volume. The poemsdepict the present culture, situation of theworld diverging into different directions.Values are changing and so is the man.The poet reflects that in his poems. Thelives of sculptors, puppet maker, miners,boat men of Kashmir, in the section ‘Theprofessionals and craftsmen’ are pennedin sensitively. Kaul stresses on imagery alot and some lines give the photographicimpressions. In his playful mood, he alsopens the poem, Your Shadow. The dis-tinct use of poetic devices, such asmetaphors, alliterations, imagery, oxy-moron, and images are amazing. The fol-lowing expressions speak volumes abouthis poetic diction — like petty tyrannieswere live wires(metaphors); darkenedvision(Oxymoron); Maker of mountainshadow (alliterations); Speedingrivers(metaphor and imagery); formlessstate (oxymoron, metaphor) etc.
Kaul draws his images from thenooks and corners of the society. Hispoems identify the winds of change andthe undercurrents that are eroding thefoundations or organised societies. Hispoems are infused with passion to uncov-er the unruly. He is concerned about thevoices that are silent and about the terrorphenomenon that turn nights into play-grounds and days into knee jerk traps.Indeed, his verses are complex amalgamof thought and theme, images andimagery, talent and convictions, and aresensitive and humane.
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The Reserve Bank of India’schange in monetary stancehas been termed hawkish,
shocking the stock market andpounding the banks stocks heavily.The industry was expecting aninterest cut to come out of the dif-ficult situation of non-payment oftheir large debts. The central banksays it has already reduced 1.75per cent repo rate but the bankshave passed only 0.75 per cent to0.9 per cent.
The RBI says that shift to aneutral stance and a hold on rateswere called for to assess how thetransitory effects of demonetisa-tion played on output gap. Thestatement is extremely modest asthe central bank knows that thesituation is lot worse. The curren-cy note ban is virtually not thedevil and possibly it is also not theblack money.
The culprit is the critical condi-tion of public sector banks owing tohigh stressed funds due to non-repayment by large debtors. Just 50companies account for 71 per centof the debt. It is affecting invest-ments in the private sector.
A survey quoting Credit Suissedata says that the top 10 stressedcorporate groups owe �7.52 lakhcrore in 2016. It was �45,400 crorein 2006. Total non-performingassets are estimated at about �12lakh crore, part of which has beenrestructured — repayment officially delayed.
At least 13 of the public sectorbanks, says the Economic Survey ofIndia 2016-17 (ES), accounting forapproximately 40 per cent of total
loans are severely stressed. The ESsays the situation is worsening asthe stress on corporate and banksare continuing to intensify. This inturn is taking a miserable toll oninvestment and credit. The picture,the survey portrays, is grave. Therecovery process is complicated andtime consuming. The ES notes,“The underlying debt problem hasto be addressed lest it derails India’sgrowth trajectory.”
That is a pointer to a severe cri-sis the economy is heading for. Thebanks in February 2016 revealedtheir NPAs had soared to suchextent that provisioning had over-whelmed operating earnings. As aresult, net income had plungeddeeply into red. It led to crash oftheir shares to such low levels thatat one point the medium-sized pri-vate sector bank, HDFC, was val-ued as much as 24 public sectorbanks together.
The RBI’s prescription of assetquality review (AQR) — cleaning upbank books - did not work. As 2016proceeded NPAs soared to nine percent of total advances by September— double their level a year ago. Morethan four-fifths of the NPAs were instate-owned banks and it had reached12 per cent.
The ES attributes it to “twinbalance-sheet (TBS) problem”,where both the banking and corpo-rate sectors were under one of thehighest degrees of stress in theworld. “At its current level, India’sNPA is higher than any other majoremerging market, except Russia,higher even than the peak levelsseen in Korea during the East Asian
Crisis in 2000. (Korea had 8.9 percent NPA).”
Credit Suisse reported that 40per cent of Indian corporate debt itmonitored was owed by companies,which had interest rate coverageratio less than one. It means theydid not earn enough to pay theinterest obligations on their loans.
In countries with TBS, corpora-tions over-expand during a boom,leaving them with obligations thatthey cannot repay. This proves dev-astating for growth, says the ES, asneither stressed companies caninvest nor the sound ones as fragilebanks are not in a position to lendthem. The crisis started with India’sattaining high growth between2004-05 to 2008-09 as amount ofnon-food credit doubled both frombanks and large inflows from over-seas. Foreign inflows or externalborrowings reached nine per centof the GDP.
But as companies were takingon more risk, global financial crisisor Lehman Brothers meltdown hap-pened. Costs soared and rupeetumbled forcing them to repay theirdebts at exchange rates closer to�60-70, while firms had borrowedwhen rupee was �40 to a dollar.
Higher costs, lower revenues,greater financing costs squeezedcorporate cash flow, quickly leadingto debt servicing problems.
Unlike in the US and Europe,TBS did not lead to economic stag-nation in India. Strong domesticdemand maintained growth despitevery weak exports and moderate tohigh inflation. Despite supply con-straints and fall in manufacturing,
trade and transport; new powerplants, new roads, airports, andports ‘helped’ India grow. But mostinfrastructure investments did notprove financially viable.
In other countries, creditors insuch situation would have triggeredbankruptcies. Instead, India, the ESnotes, the strategy was to allowmore time to corporate wounds toheal. Companies sought principalpayments to be postponed so thatthey could become viable. Accord-ingly, banks restructured loans by2014-15 and extended fresh fund-ing to stressed firms.
“As a result, total stressed assetsfar exceeded the headline figure onNPAs. To that amount one need toadd the restructured loans andother bad assets.”
Market analysts estimate thatunrecognised debts are four per centof gross loans and perhaps five percent of public sector banks. The ESsays, “Total stressed assets (actualNPA) would amount to about 16.6per cent of bank loans and nearly 20per cent of loans at State banks.” Themodel is similar to that of China.Both India and China spurred growthwith liberal bank loans.
The ES, however, questions itssustainability. Indian large compa-nies saw earning diminishing to�20,000 crore per company perquarter at end of 2015, from�25,000 crore in early 2015; and bySeptember 2016, to �15,000 croreper quarter. It means aggregate cashflow has reduced by 40 per cent inless than two years. It has severelyhit their repayment capability.
(The writer is a senior journalist)
��������������������������Reader response to Swapan Dasgupta’s column,Usual Suspects, published on February 5:
Taking advantage: Maximalistapproaches are a smokescreenand are characterised in con-textualising arguments, as isdone by countering masses oftheir positions, that inabsolute terms, would bewrong outright.
Haven’t we witnessed thisearlier when former PrimeMinister Manmohan Singhlabelled demonetisation as a“monumental mismanage-ment”, when prima facie, itwas rolled out to uncoverblack money, and nobodycould argue with that!
The real is what gave thecontext, ie Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s step ofdemonetisation! It can only
be countered by a similarmove or even with construc-tive criticism that wouldhave achieved the result, orweed out the inefficiencies ofthe system of implementingnotebandi, which was neverdone in the last 69 years ofIndia’s independence.
Obfuscating the issue iswhat smokescreens are meantto do, which is used by hyp-ocrites in the garb of liberalintelligentsia. This truly is thebane of Indian politics.
Ashish Rai
Taxation woes: PrimeMinister Narendra Modi andhis Government are trying toeliminate undue hype that isbeing attached to an annualexercise called the Budget. AsUnion Finance Minister ArunJaitley said, “Ours is a non-taxcompliant country”.
Since this is true, it is nofun to project those figures of
allocations. This Governmentappears to bring in more andmore Indians in the tax net.Imagine a Budget speech giv-ing details of tax collections of�25 lakh crore and allocationsof �24 lakh crore!
Jitendra
Common tax: Now that thereis no black money in the sys-tem post-demonetisation, whynot abolish income tax com-pletely and introduce a com-mon tax on spending? Lethigh spenders pay more tax.
Imagine the man hoursthat the country will save interms of individual efforts offiling, scrutiny by IT dept etc.By trying to enlarge the taxbase in the just presentedBidget, Union FinanceMinister Arun Jaitley hasincreased the useless activitytraps in the system which isnot good for the country.
C Prabhu
�����������������������������������������Reader response to Kanchan Gupta’s column,Coffee Break, published on February 5:
Take the lead: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has givenfreedom to babus to talk tohim directly. The result is thatyoung officers seem to havehonesty, hard work ethics,high-tech knowledge and theylook beyond politics to seeclearly what needed to bedone for the country. Saarclost relevance due to Pakistanand China. India needs todirectly connect with theremaining Saarc countries toadvance the agenda of growth.From the Western coast ofIndia, trades and shiptourisms can increase mani-fold via short sea routes to theUAE and other Arab nations.
Premolal
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Less than a month into theWhite House, US PresidentDonald Trump seems to be in
excessive hurry in signing manycontentious executive orders in tunewith his campaign’s favoured policy“America First”, thereby threateningto reset the established global order.In the process, he has to choose theright path from the several optionson his plate. The trouble is, none ofthe options are in tune with theglobal norms and if implementedcould shake the world.
Be it North Korea’s nucleardevelopment issue, the nuclear dealwith Iran, building a wall acrossMexico border, China’s trade prac-tices and the ‘One China’ policy,Islamic terrorism, snubbingAustralian Prime Minister byabruptly snapping the telephonecall, speaking to Taiwan PresidentTsai Ing-wen on telephone andthereby annoying China, barringnationals from seven Muslimmajority countries and threateningothers to be put in the same cate-gory or banning on-line betting,killing the much touted Trans-Pacific Partnership, and manymore, Trump’s plate is already full.It seems he is taking more bitesthan he can chew, thereby takingthe future of the world on anuncertain course.
From all the above issues, themost worrying seem to be handlingrelations with China and NorthKorea, both of which have poten-tials to develop into a major inter-national conflict. Past USGovernments and Asian regionalleaders laboured hard but unsuc-cessfully to deter Pyongyang toeschew its chosen nuclear path inreturn of economic help. Kim Jong-un’s commitment to nuclear devel-opment programme and defianceto world counsel against it could bea true test to Trump leadership.
When Kim Jong-unannounced in his annual New Yearaddress that his country had
reached the “final stages” of devel-oping an intercontinental ballisticmissile, Trump responded with adefiant message by saying: “It won’thappen!” But if Pyongyang does, infact, launch a missile, what optionsshall Trump have and what way heis going to respond shall be thetrue test to his leadership.
Any precipitous action byTrump would render his policy onthe issues of immigration, buildinga wall on Mexico border, or with-drawal from the TPP and manymore to be relegated to the secondcategory of importance as theNorth Korean issue would definite-ly overwhelm all other policyresponses with world-wide conse-quences, with the fear of the worldeven drifting towards a nuclear war.
But by his out-of-the-box poli-cy pronouncements, Trump isdetermined to reset the world orderon his own terms. In the process,he is going to create more enemiesand could lose existing friends. Ifhis “America First” policy standsthe test of time during his presiden-cy remains to be seen. By doing so,Trump may have been trying toresurrect the Monroe Doctrine.Many Americans have startedexperiencing its resurgence underPresident Trump. However, a vigor-ous resuscitation of the MonroeDoctrine could contradict Trump’sfavoured “America First” policy.
$-0/0/#1��"#$"-��"�$/#-2The Monroe Doctrine was firstarticulated in 1823 as the US policyof opposing European colonialismin the Americas. It was a means ofblocking external interference inthe Western hemisphere. It furtherstated that efforts by Europeannations to take control of any inde-
pendent state in North or SouthAmerica would be viewed as “themanifestation of an unfriendlyindisposition towards the US”.
The Doctrine was issued at atime when nearly all LatinAmerican colonies of Spain andPortugal had achieved or were atthe point of gaining independence.President James Monroe first stat-ed the doctrine during his seventhannual State of the Union Addressto Congress. The term ‘MonroeDoctrine’ itself was coined in 1850and by the end of the 19thCentury, Monroe’s declaration wasseen as a defining moment in theforeign policy of the US and one ofits longest standing tenets. SeveralUS Presidents, including Ulysses SGrant, Theodore Roosevelt, John FKennedy, and Ronald Reagan,invoked the doctrine.
This doctrine remained thecentral pillar of US policy towardsLatin America until BarackObama’s Secretary of State JohnKerry told a group of Latin
American diplomats in 2013 that“the era of the Monroe Doctrine isover”. The statement was part of aneffort to rehabilitate the US imagein a region long accustomed to see-ing the US as seeking to control itthrough persuasion when possible,and force when necessary.
Trump seems to have upturnedsuch US stance. Craig Deare,Trump’s Latin America advisor onthe National Security Council staff,denounced Kerry’s statement bysaying it “was a clear invitation tothose extra-regional actors lookingfor opportunities to increase theirinfluence”. He specifically men-tioned China. But what is frighten-ing in Trump’s foreign policy stanceis that the country is retreatingtowards isolationism. Trump wantsto build a literal wall between LatinAmerica and the US.
3*�-$/*�4/$.���)"�/5Trump’s policy approaches maykeep US-Latin America relationson the edge because of his compet-
ing impulses — the intervention-ism of Monroe and the isolation-ism of “America First”. His unilat-eralist style has already affectedMexico on the wall building issue.If Trump does indeed resuscitateMonroe Doctrine’s unilateralism inresponse to perceived threat fromChina throughout the region, onecan foresee a denouement in USties with Latin America.
Over the years, Mexico and theUS have forged closer ties andmore mature relations under theNorth American Free TradeAgreement (NAFTA). NAFTA hashelped Mexico promote economicintegration with the US. Mexicohas also deepened security cooper-ation. Now, by stressing on“America First” agenda, Trumpinsists that Mexico pay for themultibillion-dollar wall project,thereby displaying the ugly arro-gance of the US in Mexican eyes,forcing Mexican President EnriquePena Nieto to abruptly cancel ascheduled visit to the White
House. Trump’s arrogance was infull display when he told theMexican President to either acceptto pay for the wall or not to bothertravelling to Washington. This wasrather undiplomatic -- giving achoice to the head of state ofanother country. This signals thatTrump’s arrival portends an era ofdeteriorating relations between theUS and the hemisphere.
So, the Monroe Doctrine isback in full vigour? Diplomacy bythe threats and force is going to bethe new mantra in Trump presi-dency. Trump’s pursuit of an“America First” policy has alreadystarted putting off a number ofallies and partners. Besides bullyingMexico, its closest partner in thehemisphere and America’s thirdlargest trading partner after Canadaand China, Trump has alreadyupset 11 other countries by unilat-erally cancelling TPP and has start-ed annoying China by questioningthe ‘One China’ policy. These areworrisome and portend bad timesahead. By signing an executiveorder to build a wall across Mexico,Trump has begun to resetAmerica’s role since World War II.
The question that begs ananswer is can Trump secure nation-al security by adopting an isolation-ist policy to make his “AmericaFirst” campaign a success? Will hiswithdrawal from the 12-nationTPP help him achieve his objec-tive? Thus far, the US had created aweb of interdependence around theworld, which has defined post-WarUS policy and a sudden departurefrom such a strategy could exposethe US with unknown uncertain-ties. A sudden dramatic reversal ofthe existing stance could haveunpredictable consequences.
.�*.��/#�6#�46#�/#1The other area where Trump isresetting the world order by sign-ing executive orders is to drastical-ly reduce funding for the UN andother international organisations,as well as beginning a process toreview and potentially leave somemultilateral treaties. The first exec-utive order titled ‘Auditing andReducing US Funding ofInternational Organisations’ callsfor terminating funding for anyUN agency or other internationalbody that meets any of several cri-teria. The order is aimed at cuttingWashington’s funding for interna-tional organisations by 40 per cent.
The second executive ordertitled ‘Moratorium on NewMultilateral Treaties’ calls for areview of all current and pendingtreaties with more than onecountry and asks for recommen-dations on which negotiations ortreaties Washington should abro-gate. These orders are in tunewith his campaign promise thathe would make the US withdrawfrom international organisationslike the UN. He had alsoexpressed distrust about multi-lateral agreements, such as theParis climate agreement.
What it means in practicalterms is that an executive order byPresident Trump would mean adecrease in funding to internationalorganisations that could severelycurtail the work of UN agencies,which rely on billions of dollarsfrom the US. The order calls forenacting “at least 40 per cent overalldecrease” in US funding towardsinternational organisations. But itremains unclear whether the callfor cutting 40 per cent of contribu-tions is for each internationalagency separately or to the overallfederal funding budget.
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The first phase of the BudgetSession offered some succorfor the Government. Therewas a working environmentin both Houses of Parliament
due to the President’s speech, theGeneral Budget, and the Motion ofThanks on the President’s address. TheOpposition parties were in an offensivemode, but they were taking part in thediscussions. Sonia Gandhi also told theCongress leaders to participate in thedebate, and other Opposition partiesfollowed suit in both Houses. PMNarendra Modi was also present in theHouse, so the Opposition had no rea-son to rake up this issue.
The other reason might be this: TheOpposition MPs are busy in electioncampaign, especially in UP. The BJP haslarge number of MPs, so it is not facingany difficulty despite many MPs beingoccupied with poll preparations. Butthe Congress is stuck as it doesn’t havemany MPs in Parliament. TheSamajwadi Party and Bahujan SamajParty are also not very comfortable; theBSP has only Rajya Sabha MPs and allof them are busy in UP. Mayawati isalso busy in election campaign. TheAIADMK is the third largest part inLok Sabha but its MPs are grapplingwith internal politics of the party.
Of course, MPs of the TMC areexhibiting their hard stand but they arenot attacking due to various reasons. So,there was no bedlam in the first phase.But the Opposition is not going to sitpeacefully in the second phase. Probablyall Opposition leaders have had a talkand this is clear that they will be in anattacking mode in the second phase,which will start in March.
However, a lot hinges on the resultsof the five States. If the BJP’s perfor-mance is not up to the mark, then theOpposition will certainly stall the pro-ceedings of Parliament and there canbe din over demonetisation. But if theBJP fares well, then there will be nohue and cry over this issue and theOpposition will have to allow peacefulproceedings of Parliament.
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The election results from Goa andPunjab are not out yet but leaders
of AAP are on cloud nine. After pollingin both States, party leaders had animportant meeting recently. The meet-ing continued for three hours andmany leaders, including ArvindKejriwal, participated in it. In themeeting of the political affairs commit-tee, probable results of the two Stateswere discussed and a strategy was pre-pared for the Assembly Elections inGujarat and Himachal Pradesh, which
are due at the end of the year. Himachal Pradesh is a Congress-
ruled State, whereas Gujarat is beingruled by the BJP for the past twodecades. The leaders of AAP are of theview that if they win Punjab elections,they can also have a good show inHimachal. A senior AAP leader feelsthat Himachal is just like Punjab andDelhi. There is no third party, and theCongress and BJP have been in powerone after another. That is why the AAPis looking for a chance there. This isalso being said that leaders of both par-ties are facing corruption charges.
Though party sources say thatGujarat is more important thatHimachal Pradesh. As per the ambitionsof Kejriwal, the national convener ofAAP, they are concentrating more onGujarat. Kejriwal has given the respon-sibility of Gujarat to the party’s seniorleader, Kumar Vishwas. The party hasalso prepared a blueprint to start a‘movement’ on all 182 seats of the State;it will lead the freedom movement ofGujarat! Leaders of the AAP say thatthere is strong anti-incumbency due totwo decades of the BJP rule. They alsoclaim that Kejriwal has got huge supportduring his visit to Gujarat.
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The Bihar CM is keeping mum andallowing many rumours to spread.
One such speculation is that he mightgo with the BJP. What gave rise tothese rumours was the fact that hefilled colours in a lotus outside thePatna Art Fair. Earlier, he maintained asoft stand on the issue of demonetisa-tion, praised Narendra Modi, andallowed the buzz that he was inchingtowards the BJP and the PM.
This is also true that he is not talkingabout the alliance with the BJP; he is stillsearching for political space in theOpposition. People are saying that he isin regular contact with the Oppositionparties and opposing many policies ofthe Modi Government. He has talked toCPM general secretary Sitaram Yechuryover several issues, and has also contact-ed the NCP leaders. He is going to par-ticipate in a function of NCP leaderPraful Patel at an engineering college.
This is being said that Nitish isdoing all these things to keep a tab onhis alliance partners, the RJD andCongress. He has already given indica-tions to his party leaders that if the needarises, he will not take even a singleminute to go with the BJP, but before
that, he will certainly take a chance withOpposition politics. He is in regulartouch with all those parties which canbe instrumental in a non-Congress andnon-BJP politics. Probably, earlier hehad left this responsibility on SharadYadav’s shoulders, but now he has takenmatters into his own hands.
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Tamil Nadu’s former CM Jayalalithaawas in the hospital for almost three
months, and there were controversiesover her ailment and the treatment givento her. These controversies continue twomonths after her death, especially sinceSasikala Natarajan became the generalsecretary of the AIADMK, even morewhen she was chosen the leader of theLegislative party. Many sordid questionsare being raised, some pertaining towhether Jayalalithaa’s death was natural.
That is why the State Government haspushed forward the team of doctors whotreated her to clear the air. Dr RichardBeale of London and other doctors ofApollo Hospital addressed a press confer-ence and said there was no negligenceduring the treatment and no reason forany apprehensions. Despite that, rumourspersist on the social media, one being that
Jaya’s sugar level had reached unmanage-able levels and one of her legs had to beamputated due to gangrene. Theserumours did the rounds in October also,but doctors had rejected them.
Some people say there was a longwound mark on Jayalalithaa’s face.Though the doctors denied this, theyexplained that prolonged illness can leavesome marks on the patient’s face. Aftertwo months of Jaya’s death, it is beingclaimed that she had died much beforeDecember 5, but it was announced laterdue to some or the other reason. Thedoctors have also clarified that she wasrecuperating but died suddenly followinga massive heart attack.
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The BJP formed the Government inAssam after winning elections, and in
Arunachal Pradesh, it formed theGovernment due to infighting in theCongress. Now, the party has set its eyeson Manipur, where elections are sched-uled for next month. The party is alsoclosely monitoring Nagaland. Amidstpolitical turmoil in this State, the BJPfeels that the story of Arunachal Pradeshcan be repeated there.
This must be noted that there is a lotof chaos in Nagaland over the issue ofreservation for women in local body elec-tions. The State has been already a victimof separatists and the situation is worsen-ing after the new turmoil. Workers of theNagaland Tribes Action Committee havelocked the State Assembly and secretariatalong with many of the Governmentdepartments. They are opposing the 33per cent reservation for women.
The NPF is the ruling party inNagaland and TR Zeliang is the ChiefMinister of the State. There are 46 MLAsin the State Assembly, which has thestrength of 60 MLAs. Some time ago, alleight MLAs of the Congress had mergedinto this. So, the BJP is the second largestparty with four MLAs. The NCP andJDU have one MLA each, and there areeight Independent MLAs. Amidst theturmoil in the State, it is being said thatCM Zeliang has put all his MLAs in ahotel for security reasons.
This is being said that the BJP wantsMP of the NPF and former CM ofNagaland, Neiphiu Rio. He had been theCM of the State from 2003. In 2013, theNPF had won the elections under hisleadership, but in 2014, Zeliang tookover. Some say probably he can topplethe Zeliang Government. Many BJP lead-ers are hopeful that Rio can be instru-mental in assuming power in the Statewhere more than 87 per cent populationis Christian. Sources say that senior BJPleaders are in touch with Rio and talksare going on in Delhi too.
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For a moment, Richard Ratcliffehad allowed himself to hope.For the first time since his wifeNazanin was sentenced to fiveyears in an Iranian jail on
secret charges, he began to believe hewould soon be reunited with her andtheir two-year-old daughter Gabriella.The British father had been separatedfrom his wife and baby ever since theyflew to Iran last April to visit Nazanin’sparents. His wife, a dual British andIranian citizen, was arrested on her wayback home to London, while theirdaughter’s passport was detained.
The family assumed it was all a ter-rible mistake, but within days, it becameclear that Nazanin was not beingreleased. Instead, she was accused ofbeing a Western spy — something thefamily label “outlandish” — whileGabriella was forced to stay with hermaternal grandparents. Richard was leftpowerless and alone in their northLondon home.
For almost 300 days now, he has beencampaigning for their return, and recent-ly began hoping his efforts would pay off.Nazanin’s appeal was in progress, she hadbeen granted an extra visit fromGabriella, and had been moved cells.From being kept in isolation and thensharing a room with a woman who gaveher the silent treatment, she is now in awing of educated women with whom shecan hold a conversation.
“Things were going well,” he explains.“I had allowed myself to be more positiveand then… well, then there was the badnews.” In an unexpected turn of events,he discovered that Nazanin’s appeal hadfailed; her five-year sentence had beenupheld by the courts. This news was ahuge blow to the family. “Nazanin’s mumhas been crying on the sofa since sheheard this,” says Richard. “Her dad wascompletely shocked that brutality is goingto continue. They are deeply mourning.”
Richard’s response is more measured:“We had a plan, it didn’t work. We need anew plan. I just don’t know what it is yet.”But his face falls when I ask him if
Nazanin could cope in prison for anotherfour years. “I think it’s ‘can I cope’?” hesays quietly. “I think I can only live with itin phases. I need to live with it now untilthe summer. Five years is far too long.”
He refuses to accept there is a chancehe could be apart from his beautiful andintelligent wife for five years. “Of coursethere would be all sorts of damages andconsequences [if it happened],” headmits. “But I’d rather not dwell on thatand instead think of what’s happening inthe next few months.” The 42-year-oldaccountant had never imagined that hisfamily would be caught up in a night-mare like this. Nazanin, 38, worked as aproject manager for charity Thomson-Reuters Foundation, and had regularlyvisited her parents with no trouble at all.
Richard strongly denies any of theclaims against his wife, which have beenreported variously as “espionage, plottingthe overthrow of the Iranian government,and that she worked as a recruiter forBBC Farsi, a World Service television sta-tion, which is banned in Iran”. (In fact,she once briefly worked for the broad-caster’s charitable wing, BBC MediaAction.) Most recently, Richard has alsobeen accused of being a British spy.
“They’re just inventing stories,” hesays flatly. “None of it’s true, and theyknow that. They think because I’ve beenon the news and so on, that I must havepolitical connections, therefore I must bea spy. It’s all utterly opportunistic.” Hebelieves that instead Nazanin is beingused as a political pawn and stresses: “Weneed to go back to what this is: A mumand a baby being held on false politicalcharges. This is a disgrace.”
Richard had originally hoped tobring Nazanin and Gabriella back hometogether by Christmas. He was reluctantto take away the weekly one-hour visitsNazanin had with her daughter — espe-cially late last year when she was in soli-tary confinement, attempting hungerstrikes, and experiencing suicidalthoughts. Yet now the appeal has fallenthrough, he must consider the possibilityof bringing Gabriella back home to
London without her mother. “It’s a seri-ous conversation I need to have withNazanin,” he says. “We’re not in a tempo-rary situation now. But it’s not a conversa-tion to broach in the next few weeks:‘You’ve just been sentenced to five years.Hi, can I take your baby away?’
“The thing Nazanin resents most isshe’s being denied watching her daughtergrow up. The thing she feels the most isher daughter adapting to that. In the firstfew visits, Gabriella had to be draggedaway and was just stroking Mummy. Nowas time has gone on, she’s adapted toGranny being her primary carer. Hebelieves, however, that Nazanin may agreeto him bringing Gabriella home in thenext few months. Her moods haveimproved, and now that she is in the mainprison wing, she has been able to pick upher old hobbies of sewing and knitting.
Richard has not yet spoken toNazanin about the appeal rejection, butsays her family has been able to visit hersince and reported back. “They said shewas calm. She was devastated when shewas first sentenced, but this time, she’salready had the shock. She hasn’t cried —but she’s not resigned to it either. She toldher family she’d write a series of letters tothe British and Iranian authorities plead-ing her case. Within the boundaries ofwhat she can do, she’ll do what she can.She’s getting stronger again.”
He has been forced to communicatewith his wife these past 10 months onlyvia phone calls listened in on by guards,and his relationship with Gabriella is con-fined to Skype. His plans to go and visitthem both were scuppered by failedattempts to secure a visa — something hebelieves will be exacerbated by the recentaccusations of him being a spy.
Richard says the trauma of being awayfrom his wife and baby hits him as soon ashe stops campaigning or leaves the office.“I miss them if I’m in a familiar place andthey’re not there. It’ll catch me oddly at acoffee shop when you see a family walk in.It’s seeing the rhythms of family life, therhythms I don’t have anymore.”
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Matthew McConaughey hasentered tricky political watersby appearing to endorse
Donald Trump’s presidency, and sug-gesting that Hollywood needs to“embrace” it. In an interview with theBBC’s Andrew Marr, McConaughey wasasked by Marr if it was time “the culturalelite of America should give [Trump] abreak”. McConaughey, in the UK to pro-mote his new film Gold, replied: “Well,they don’t have a choice now. He’s ourPresident. And it’s very dynamic and asdivisive of an inauguration and timewe’ve ever had. At the same time, it’stime for us to embrace and shake handswith this fact and be constructive withhim over the next four years.”
McConaughey added: “Even thosewho most strongly disagree with hisprinciples, or what he’s said and done.Which is another thing: We’ll see whathe does compared to what he had said.No matter how much you disagreedalong the way, it’s time to think abouthow constructive you can be, becausehe’s our President for the next fouryears — at least.”
McConaughey has tried to remainstudiously apolitical as a public figure,
preferring to instead channel his ener-gies into the Just Keep LivinFoundation, which is “dedicated toempowering high-school students …to lead active lives and make healthychoices for a better future”. However,both sides of the American politicaldivide have seized on his comments,after Breitbart drew attention to themby calling them a “sobering message”.McConaughey’s representatives havebeen contacted for a response, buthave not replied as yet.
ADavid Bailey portrait of theQueen has been reissued tocommemorate the 65th anniver-
sary of the monarch’s accession to thethrone. The photograph shows thehead of state wearing a suite of sap-phire jewellery given to her by KingGeorge VI as a wedding gift in 1947.
Sapphire is the 65th anniversarygemstone and the King’s gift to hiseldest daughter, then PrincessElizabeth, featured a glittering neck-lace, dating from 1850 and made of 16large oblong sapphires surrounded bydiamonds, with a pair of matchingsapphire and diamond drop earrings.
The Queen has added a sapphireand diamond tiara — made from anecklace that originally belonged toPrincess Louise of Belgium — and abracelet 1963 to the collection to com-plement the original pieces. She hadthe necklace shortened and the largeststone made into a pendant. The photo-graph was taken and first issued in2014 after being commissioned for theGovernment’s “Great” campaign,which aims to promote the UK abroad.
Bailey took a number of portraits
of the monarch, and when the Dukeof Cambridge saw them during a visitto a “Great” event in Shanghai the fol-lowing year, he said: “I love them.”
The photographer, whose famoussitters include the Kray twins, Diana,Princess of Wales and the Beatles, said atthe time of the commission: “I’ve alwaysbeen a huge fan of the Queen. She hasvery kind eyes with a mischievous glint.I’ve always liked strong women, and sheis a very strong woman.”
Mel Gibson will star alongsideVince Vaughn in a filmabout two police officers
who are suspended when footage of their “strong-arm” tactics is leakedto the media.
Dragged Across Concrete will bedirected by Bone Tomahawk’s S CraigZahler, and will see Gibson andVaughn team up again after Gibsondirected Vaughn in his Oscar-nomi-
nated Hacksaw Ridge.According to the Hollywood
Reporter, Gibson will play a veterancop and Vaughn his younger partner;after the tape is leaked they turn tothe criminal underworld to raise cash.
Gibson’s Hollywood rehabilitationwould now seem to be complete, fol-lowing Hacksaw Ridge’s six Oscarnominations, including best pictureand best director for Gibson.
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French presidential candidateJean-Luc Melenchon can’t
be in two places at once.But the 65-year-old hard-left hopeful is trying hishardest, thanks toadvances in technology.
As Melenchon held arally in Lyon last Sunday, a holo-gram of him was projected bysatellite to crowds in Paris.Critics called it a headline-grabbing gimmick thatobscures his firebrand poli-tics. Meanwhile, supporters ofconservative candidate FrancoisFillon hit the streets to try tostem damage to his campaign.They distributed tracts entitled“Stop the Manhunt.”
Prosecutors are investigatingthe jobs that Fillon’s wife andtwo of their five children hadworking as his parliamentaryaides. Preliminary probe involvessuspicions of embezzlement andmisappropriation of public funds.
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Passengers aboard a Swiss Air flightbound for Los Angeles were close to
trading in their sunscreen for snow-shoes after the plane was forced tomake an emergency landing in
Arctic Canada.Swiss Air Flight 40, a
Boeing 777, left Zurich withmore than 200 passengers and17 crew this week. The flightpath on the direct flight toLos Angeles took the planeover Greenland and thenorthern part of Canadabefore turning towardSouthern California.
When the pilots lost theuse of one of the plane’sengines, they were forced to
make an emergency landing — andthe closest airport was in Iqaluit,the capital of Canadian territory ofNunavat, north of Quebec. Theplane landed without incident.
Initially, airport officialsplanned to let the passengers getoff the plane and spend the nightin Iqaluit, allowing for some
tourist time, provided anyonewas willing to brave the -20 degrees tempera-ture. Ultimately, passen-gers were kept on board the plane andSwiss Air sent a replacement aircraftfrom New York, which arrived around5.30 am the following day and took thepassengers to Los Angeles, as planned.
Local officials in Iqaluit expressedregret their overnight visitors weren’table to see any of the area, save whatwas visible from the airplane windows.
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An Australian lungfish that entrancedvisitors to Chicago’s Shedd
Aquarium for more than 80 years hasbeen euthanised due to old age, thepopular tourist attraction announced.Granddad, who was four-foot-long andweighed 25 pounds, had stopped eatingand started showing signs of organ fail-ure. He was euthanised last Sunday. Anecropsy — or animal autopsy — foundconditions consistent with old age,aquarium officials said.
“For a fish who spent much of his
time imitating a fallen log, hesparked curiosity, excitementand wonder among guests ofall ages who would hear his
story,” said Bridget C Coughlin,Shedd Aquarium’s president and chiefexecutive officer.
Shedd estimates Granddad wasmore than 90 years old. The aquariumacquired him from the SydneyAquarium in Australia during a 1933collecting expedition, and Granddadwas one of two lungfish that attractedvisitors during that year’s A Century ofProgress International Exposition inChicago. Aquarium officials estimatemore than 104 million people sawGranddad over eight decades.
Rob Vernon, a spokesman for theAssociation of Zoos and Aquariums,said the nonprofit group is unaware ofany older fish kept by a zoo or aquari-um that it accredits in the US or eightother countries. “Granddad lived a pret-ty relaxed life, enjoyed interactions withus, including gentle pats along his back,and loved to eat his leafy greens,” saidMichelle Sattler, who was Granddad’scaretaker for more than 30 years.
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Vandals have struck a banana yellow carblamed for ruining visitors’ photos
of a famous English village.“Move,” someonescratched into the hood ofPeter Maddox’s car in theCotswolds village ofBibury as part of a Januaryrampage that causedaround $8,000 in damages.
For the past threeyears, the 84-year-oldwidower has parkedhis Vauxhall Corsaoutside his retire-ment cottage onArlington Row inBibury. The grey-stone 14th centuryhomes are among theoldest inhabited dwellings inBritain and feature in the art-work of British passports.With locals’ public backing,the retired dentist says hewon’t have his style dictated bytourists. Told by mechanics thathis car was probably an insur-
ance write-off, Maddox says he plans tobuy a replacement — in lime green.
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NASA astronauts are claimingto have set a new record for
the longest football pass in histo-ry, but chances are it won’t
make the cut for GuinnessWorld Records. It seems
the lack of gravityplayed a huge role.
Astronaut TimKopra, aboard theInternational
Space Station, tossed the pigskinfor 564,664 yards. Considering thestation is moving at 17,500 mph,the ball travelled at 8,800 secondsper yard. Since the big game ishappening in Houston, home ofthe Johnson Space Center, NASAhas been adding its name to pre-
and post-game festivities, whichincludes a virtual reality rollercoaster called Future Flight that
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Health and well-being are of major concern thesedays as fear psychosis grips our society. The
tremendous shift driven by technological advances andover-dependence on diagnostic tools have caused sig-nificant changes in the practice of medicine. Whatused to be a mission driven by the Hippocratic Oathseems to be giving way to commercialisation. Healthand well-being have become a big business and corpo-rate hospitals have mushroomed all around. The fancynames and styles, however, seem to be doing preciouslittle as hypochondriasis and neurasthenia seem to bespreading like an epidemic.
The cost of healthcare is rising. Fear of health andwell-being is creating anxiety neuroses. There is wide-spread agony mongering all over driving people to cor-porate hospitals. But the much-needed succour is miss-ing conspicuously. Interestingly, the major catastrophefacing humanity on the health front is bracketed underone phraseology — lifestyle diseases. Leisure and tech-nology have hardly come to mankind’s rescue. Ormaybe they are the reasons for many problems.
In the age of information and social media, the onemajor casualty has been the gregarious man with theinteractive societies that used to be the hallmark ofearlier life becoming extinct. Man seems to haveacquired power and wealth but at the same timeappears to be losing vigour and health. Vulnerabilitiesare more due to weakening of physical and mentalresilience rather than strength and increased resistivityof the microorganisms.
It is against this backdrop that we need to take alook at an interesting chance discovery of the nature oflife in the past societies. It is the story of RosetoValfortore reported by Malcolm Gladwell in his popu-lar book Outliers. The word ‘outlier’ denotes a statisti-cal observation that is markedly different in value fromothers of the sample. In other words, the odd man out.Roseto Valfortore lies in the Italian province of Foggia.What Gladwell calls The Roseto Mystery is his storyabout the Rosetans who migrated to America in searchof livelihood. As their numbers increased, they createda Roseto in America. Perfectly normal. However, theintriguing aspect reported by the author is the observa-tion of a medical doctor named Wolf, who to his dis-may found that during the 1950s, there was hardlyanybody from Roseto under the age of 65 dying ofheart attack. Those days, cholesterol-lowering drugsand interventionist measures to prevent heart attackswere not even heard of.
Moreover, heart attacks were an epidemic in theUnited States. Wolf wanted to find out why Rosetans ofAmerica were free from the menace. He took helpfrom his sociologist friend John Bruhn. The surprisingfinding was that there was no suicide, no alcoholism,no drug addiction and very little crime. The peoplewere neither on welfare nor had they any other com-mon diseases like peptic ulcers. The people were onlydying of old age. Why this was true was intriguing.
On deeper analysis, the findings were startling.The secret of Roseto was not diet or exercise or genesor location. It was simply the Roseto way to life. TheRosetans visited one another, chatted when they metone another on the streets, and even cooked for oneanother in their backyards. It was the sociology thatmade the difference — the powerful, protective socialculture that insulated Rosetans from the pressures ofthe modern world. A culture that fostered love andcamaraderie rather than envy and apprehensions.
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There is mention ofthe churning ofthe celestial oceanby the Gods anddemons in the
vedic texts. The ocean waschurned to obtain the divinenectar or amrit, and requiredthe combined force of Godsand demons. It was agreedthat the fruit of churning willbe shared by the two sides.Mount Meru became thechurning rod and NaagVasuki offered itself tobecome the churning ropewhich was pulled alternatelyby the Gods and demons.Lord Vishnu in his Kurmaavatar provided support tothe Meru. As a result of thechurning, various gems andaccomplishments came outof the ocean, also came outthe venom before obtainingthe amrit. The venom wouldhave spelled doom for theentire creation. Terrified, theGods and demons invokedthe energy of Adi Guru Shiv.Lord Shiv then drank thevenom and held it in histhroat, distributing theaccomplishments to all.
The above mentionedincident also describes theawakening of the primalenergy in the human body;through the practice of yogand sanatan kriya under theguidance of a Guru, who isthe reflection of Adi GuruShiv, in a physical form. Thesushumna becomes thechurning rod, the twin flowof ida (right) and pingala(left) represent the opposingforces of cold and hot, moonand sun that perform thechurning. Primal energy thatlies coiled at the base ofsushumna assumes the role ofNaag Vasuki. As the churn-ing happens, immense heat isreleased, which opens thevarious blockages in the body
and melts the primal energy,arising the various chakrasthrough the sushumna,granting the being accom-plishments associated witheach centre. While the heatunclogs the body and acti-vates the shakti of the kun-dalini, if generated in anuncontrolled manner in theabsence of a Guru, its inten-sity leads to the destructionof the body which is unableto bear the heat. A Guruassumes the role ofneelkanth, taking in thedestructive aspects of theheat of yog, granting thoseseeking accomplishments upthe ladder of evolution.
There are techniques inyoga that can regulate yourbreathing flow. They cankeep you charged up and dis-ease free all the time. SanatanKriya details the practice ofNadi Shodhnam, whereprana from breath becomethe fuel powering the ida andpingala flow, which togetherperform the churning to gen-erate immense heat in thebody. As this heat spreads tovarious parts of the body, itopens up the blockages in thepath of experiencing higherenergies and awakeninghigher centres, using thepower of primal energy.
Nadi refers to the ethericchannels in our body wherethe prana flows, while shod-han means purifying. Anycongestion in the channelhinders the movement ofprana. The stagnation ofprana leads to a plethora ofdiseases. In Nadi Shodhanam,the ida and pingla work aschurning rods, creating heatthrough friction at the base ofthe spine. This heat then risesthrough the sushumna andfrom there is spread acrossthe body to cleanse the vari-ous channels, remove heavi-
ness, congestion, and alsoignorance —making the bodyfar more receptive to subtlerenergies and life force.
There are many practi-tioners at Dhyan Ashram whohave rid themselves of chronicrespiratory ailments with thepractice of Sanatan Kriya. Infact, one of the students, asevere asthmatic patient, onlyrealised that her asthma hadbeen cured when the localchemist asked how was it thatshe had not purchased aninhaler in the past six months!However, asana and pranaya-ma, as detailed in yogsutras,are not to cure diseases; theyare a process of awakening.Today, there is no dearth ofmasters and teachers sellingpranayama as an exercise toincrease oxygen supply to thephysical body and boostadrenaline. The fact ispranayama does not pertain tothe physical body. It is a saluta-tion to prana, which runs inthe pranamaya kosha, whichdirectly affects the annamaya.
When you perform apranayama, the oxygen levelsreduce. In the lungs, thereare tiny sacks called alveoliwhere exchange of gases hap-pens. For the absorption ofgases by alveoli, a differencein pressure is required for aspecific time period.Pranayams like nadi shod-hanam equalise this pressureand as a result, diffusion ofgases does not happen. Evenin a hyper-pranayama likebhastrika and kapalbhati, themovement is so fast thatthere is no time for absorp-tion of gases. So, oxygen sup-ply reduces, and carbon diox-ide levels increase. A processis initiated as a result ofwhich you get into certainstates where the lower func-tions of brain reduce due tolack of oxygen and certain
higher centres, which themodern science does notunderstand, get activated.
The process of pranaya-ma is triangle. The primalenergy is in the form of anupward pointing triangle atthe mool chakra. If you noticein a pranayama, the move-ment of breath is in a trian-gular manner. There is anerectile tissue in our nose,which inflates when there ismore blood flow. In apranayama, you make a tri-angle and press the erectiletissue at the nose constantlyon both sides. This trianglepushes the primal energyupwards, when optimumareas of brain are awakened.The optimum activation hap-pens when the three flow —ida, pingala and sushumna —are balanced. Then the pri-mal energy rises and spiritualexperiences follow.
For Nadi ShodhnamPranayama, close your eyesand sit in vajrasan. Gentlyplace the thumb of your righthand on the right nostril, thering finger touches the left nos-tril, and the middle finger restsat the centre of the forehead.The left hand may be placedon the left knee. Shut the leftnostril with the ring finger andinhale from the right nostril.Exhale from the left nostril bypressing the thumb against theright nostril and simultaneous-ly releasing the ring fingerfrom the left nostril. Nextinhale from the left nostril andexhale from the right using thethumb and index finger. Inhaleto the count of four and exhaleto the count of eight. Thiscompletes one cycle. Repeatthis cycle seven times. Do thispranayama to awaken the pri-mal energy and have supernat-ural experiences.
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In the Bhagavad Gita, LordKrishna laid emphasis on per-forming one’s duties. If this is
the case, then shouldn’t we try tomake them enjoyable?Theoretically, this may make a lotof sense but how do we do it prac-tically? We know that duties aredetermined by time, place and cir-cumstances, which means that thechoice of duties is not always ours,which means that at least someduties will not appeal to us andmay also give some pain. Forexample, an employee is handedover a dossier and is asked to givehis recommendation next morn-ing. The dossier contains severaldocuments and this report is cru-cial for making an important deci-sion by the company. Time isshort and the work time-consum-ing. He may have to take thedossier home and study it. Howon earth can he enjoy this duty?
The following examples willillustrate how a duty, whichappears tough and is so mostly too,can be made pleasurable. How doesa mother take care of a newborn,who remains awake during thenight and sleeps during the day,just the opposite of what his moth-er wishes him to do? She does this
duty willingly because she loves herchild dearly. She is not thinking ofher pain, she is focusing on thewell-being of her child.
Another example is of a stu-dent, who knows studying is a longhaul spanning over a decade, maybe two, and he must do it. If thestudent is wise, he will focus on allthe benefits he will derive bystudying well. The third example isof a professional cricketer, whotirelessly practises perfecting histechnique. What keeps him going?He knows that a better techniquewill bring him many rewards. Thelast example is that of a personstarting a business. He realises inhis heart that this will be a longand hard journey but he needs themoney. Therefore, what does hefocus on? That once he succeeds,his financial woes will be over. Inall these examples, duties were
embraced with benefits in mind.What do we normally do? We
consider duties as pain. Somewomen do not bear children forthe fear of inconvenience to themand miss the pleasures of moth-erhood. Some, nay most, studentstreat studying as highly boring
and fail to take advantage of thetime spent. They are only seeingthe negative side of duties whichpale in comparison to the bene-fits of studying well.
Also, it is not unusual for oneto think that these duties are forthe benefit of someone else. In
case of women not agreeing tobear children, they refuse to bebothered about some soul, whoshe has to bring up with lots ofpain. People don’t realise thatduties have been assigned to usfor our own benefit. They con-tribute towards our spiritualprogress besides giving us manyother benefits. A good studentgenerally excels in life; all thepain taken bears fruit.
The next question is about theselection of duties. Some dutiesare apparent like a student’s needfor learning but some are not soclear. It is no wonder that LordKrishna has stated in the Gita thatthe intricacy of action is difficultto understand. (4.17) This iswhere wisdom and guidance help.We can correctly ascertain ourduties but we are more concernedabout duties of others; we think
more in that regard rather thanabout our own.
The Lord has advised use ofintelligence in ascertaining ourduties where there are options. Wemust weigh all our actions, includ-ing our duties against three yard-sticks. One, what should be doneand what shouldn’t. Two, whatshould be feared and what shouldn’t.Three, what will contribute to ourwelfare and what has the potential ofputting us in trouble. The nextimportant thing to do is to ensurethat all our actions are appropriate,neither excessive not insufficient.This exercise must go on lifelong.For those who follow these guide-lines, duties become enjoyablebecause they are on the right course,which brings success and satisfac-tion besides spiritual progress.
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Ahighly ambitious guy in his teens,worried about his poor perfor-mance came asking the other day:
“Am I not intelligent enough to scorewell? Though I have been working veryhard, I am not able to score well. Why?”
Well, fact remains that you are bril-liant. You have a fertile mind withvision, foresight, and imagination. Infact, you have an independent, innova-tive and inventive mind, capable of visu-alising things far ahead of others. Youmay perceive things in quick flashes.You also enjoy an excellent communica-tive skill whereby you can present thingswith exactitude. All put together quali-fies you for extraordinarily performance.
Yet, if you are not able to performwell, it would imply that there are somelimiting factors in mind that do not letyour potential-self play out to its best.Mind it; one needs to put in qualityefforts to score well. Mere physicalendeavor would not suffice.
What does quality effort mean? Itsimply implies one-pointedly puttingin your whole, free from any distract-ing influence from within. Remember,what you study needs to be understoodand absorbed well, for the subject mat-ter to effortlessly become available to
one’s asking. Then only, one would beable to do justice to the questionsasked. This, in the first place, calls forone pointed attention on the subjectmatter while studying. Second, suffi-cient mind-space should be available toaccommodate fresh inputs.
The irony, however, is that youngimaginary minds, usually live in theirown dream world. Unabated, they keepbreeding fanciful ideas. Also, they keepbrooding and contemplating uponimprints of scores of indwelling desirescarried over from the past. They arealso susceptible to be drawn towardstempting influences of the glare andglitters of the outer world.Consequently, like a monkey unmind-fully and randomly jumping from onebranch of a tree to the other, unwittinglymind keeps flirting around from onedream destination to the other. Mind,thus, remains subject to enough of dis-traction from within, which does notallow one-pointed attention on the sub-ject matter while studying.
Remember, there are five levels ofmind — ignorant, scattered, gatheringup, one-pointed, and concentrated. Bybirth, invariably one begins with anignorant and a scattered mind, thus
coming up with attention deficiency.One would, therefore, need to con-sciously gather the mind and try toimprove one’s focus for quick learningand desired performance. Leave asidebecoming fully concentrated, whichcould be accomplished through contin-ued practice over a period of time. Evenif one gets into the gathering up process,one may be able to remain focused for afair amount of time at one go. That willbe good enough to score well.
Let us now look at the astrologicalmarkers of the boy to figure out whatholds him back from performing well,despite being armed with immensepotential. Born with Aries lagna, a fieryand active sign, he is impulsive, aggres-sive, headstrong, and impatient. He willcarry a tendency to jump into actionwithout proper forethought. Lagna lordMars is conjunct mind-signifyingMoon, in an airy sign. Both are placedadverse to Uranus, Venus, and Rahu.This, in the first place, accounts for hismercurial temperament, and irrationalbehavior at times. Second, he is vulnera-ble to unpredictable mood-swings.Third, he is too much touchy and sensi-tive, who may get over exercised evenon trivial issues. Following which, hekeeps unnecessarily mulling over the
issue for long. He becomes jittery andirritable. Fourth, he has a restive mindcarrying worrying tendency. Fifth, hewould be unconventional and unstable.
Mars is also ill-disposed off to itsdire enemy Saturn, as well as mischie-vous Neptune. He thereby has a suspi-cious mind, and at times would doubthis own worthiness. He would be intol-erant and critical of others, and wouldnot take any contrarian view kindly. Hewould be self-deluding and inhibitive.He may develop inferiority complex.Mercury placed adverse to Saturnaccounts for his fixated one track mind,normally not open to listening or coun-sel till pushed to the wall. And theresult is there to see.
Towards the positive side, the Sunis conjunct wisdom oriented Jupiter,and intelligence signifying Mercuryplaced trine to Moon and Mars. Readtogether, makes out a genius. Let himfollow the process as suggested toaddress his infirmities, and he may beable to present his best soon.
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