South Pointers, artistes take to the streets
A joint rally against the NRC-CAA-NPR by former students of South Point School and Artistes Unite, an association of actors and actresses, musicians, filmmakers and theatre activists, on Rashbehari Avenue on Saturday. The protest rally held under the banner “concerned South Point alumni and friends” was to start from Deshapriya Park. Another rally, by Artistes Unite, an association of actors and actresses, musicians, filmmakers and theatre activists, was supposed to start around the same place. Among those who walked was writer Antara Dev Sen, daughter of Amartya Sen and Nabaneeta Dev Sen, and an alumna of South Point. “When I got to know of the rally by Artistes Unite, I immediately blocked the date because I wanted to be in the rally,” she said.
Source:The Telegraph
January 18, 2020 20:26 UTC
Kid’s fire alert saves the day
Nirban’s mother was out buying gifts for her son’s birthday party on Sunday night and father Rathijit was elsewhere. When Moushumi reached the adjacent room, she found that her son’s clothes were on fire. She managed to reach the rooftop from where firefighters rescued her and brought her down. Dolly lost her consciousness soon after. “She regained consciousness soon, and no one was injured,” a police officer said.
Source:The Telegraph
January 18, 2020 20:15 UTC
A fighter & a Bhagwati: Protests needed for a democracy to thrive
If India calls itself the world’s largest democracy, it should act like one, said a former US Marine who has fought discrimination all her life. Anuradha Bhagwati, rights activist and author, has led a sustained campaign against sexual harassment and misogyny in the US armed forces. “India is supposed to be the world’s largest democracy. If India calls itself the world’s largest democracy, it should act like the world’s largest democracy. She saw “sexual harassment” both inside the forces and “commercial sexual exploitation” of the local population where her bases were stationed.
Source:The Telegraph
January 18, 2020 20:03 UTC
Mayor promise: No NRC, NPR
Mayor Firhad Hakim said he had been signing daily close to 500 documents related to obtaining Aadhaar and other papers that can be used as proof of identity and residence. The corporation’s council house discussed the matter after which mayor Firhad Hakim announced: “I can assure everyone there will be no NRC (National Register of Citizens) or NPR (National Population Register) in this state. They want to have Aadhaar cards.”The mayor said such queues were there in each of the 16 boroughs of the corporation. A corporation official later said the state government had issued a written order two months ago, directing officials to keep the NPR on hold in the state. “The current format for the National Population Register has questions like name of parents and their place of birth.
Source:The Telegraph
January 18, 2020 20:03 UTC
The government is like a crazed pack of dogs chasing a car: Kannan Gopinathan
Bose has just finished ordering another round of “infusion”, when a gangly young man comes up to our table and greets Gopinathan. As the three of us watch the young man walk away, Gopinathan says, “Our country is looking for sacrifice from its youth again. He is scathing in his critique of the BJP government, compares it to a crazed pack of dogs that will chase any car that enters the mohalla. He says, “They don’t know what to do when they get closer to the car. They start something and don’t know how to conclude or steer.
Source:The Telegraph
January 18, 2020 19:52 UTC
If on a winter's night a traveller...
8.23pm: Central Avenue Prayag He is sitting like a statue on a plastic sheet on the pavement; one shawl tied like a turban, another one wrapped around himself. A pair of black chappals at an angle beside him. He speaks little and in Hindi, gives away no personal detail. But when asked which part of the winter night is most unbearable, he mumbles, “All of it. But when it rains in the wee hours and there is a breeze too...”
Source:The Telegraph
January 18, 2020 19:41 UTC
That aroma around is me
I’ll never be able to put a finger on the exact moment when my love for perfumes began. It came in a blue box with a no-nonsense squarish bottle and smelt of a bouquet of flowers with undertones of musk. Worn on pulse points, a perfume will undergo subtle changes depending on body chemistry (pH balance), temperature and even diet. So came home another Dior — Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet — in a pretty pink bottle with a scent that underlines Christian Dior’s legendary passion for flowers. Another time in Cologne I doggedly searched for the store that sold the original Eau De Cologne, 4711.
Source:The Telegraph
January 18, 2020 19:30 UTC
letters to the editor 19 january 2020: capital punishment, traffic congestion, acid attack and chhapaak
Capital punishment has no place in a civilized society as it has been proved numerous times that it does not serve as a deterrent. Capital punishment does not go beyond the immediate gratification of vindictiveness. Any civilized and right-minded person would be disgusted by the thought of capital punishment. Capital punishment is thus a travesty of justice; it is giving in to the mob’s desire for revenge. Further, available modes of public transport like buses and metros are not exploited to the fullest because of inadequate planning.
Source:The Telegraph
January 18, 2020 19:18 UTC
Parking woes? Calls are free
The steel city will have a dedicated toll-free number to address parking woes from this month. The administration has also directed the JNAC to ensure parking contractors delete the line “parking at owner’s risk” from the counterfoil of the payment receipt. A source in the district administration said these directives were issued after repeated complaints from commuters about employees of parking contractors “misbehaving” at dedicated parking bays in the commercial hub of the city. “There have been complaints from several quarters about misbehaviour on the part of the staff of parking contractors. There are instances in parking bays when vehicles have been damaged and parking staff have expressed ignorance about damage stating they are only responsible for parking and not the security of vehicles parked.
Source:The Telegraph
January 18, 2020 18:33 UTC
Schools publish admission lists
Parents check the Lkg admission list at Rajendra Vidyalaya in Jamshedpur on Saturday. Picture by Bhola PrasadAbout 58 English medium schools in the steel city announced their entry-level admission lists on Saturday. While some published the lists on the school notice boards, the others uploaded them on the school website. “I had bought admission forms from 10 schools, but my daughter’s name did not appear in any one of them. Asrarul works in Dubai and is here to ensure his daughter’s admission.
Source:The Telegraph
January 18, 2020 18:33 UTC
Hardik Patel arrested for flouting bail conditions, evading trial in sedition case
Congress leader Hardik Patel was arrested by Gujarat Police on Saturday for failing to appear before a trial court in a 2015 sedition case. Patel was arrested from Viramgam taluka in Gujarat's Ahmedabad district on Saturday evening, hours after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him in connection with the 2015 sedition case. "We have arrested Hardik Patel from near Viramgam after the court issued a non-bailable warrant against him. A sedition case was slapped against the Patidar leader after violence broke out during a rally by the Patel community in Ahmedabad on August 25, 2015. The court observed that the Congress leader was flouting bail conditions by not remaining present regularly with the intention to delay trial, the report said.
Source:dna
January 18, 2020 18:33 UTC
Centre nod for ₹643.5-cr plan to tackle sea level rise in Maha
Maharashtra Sustainable Climate Resilient Costal Protection and Management Investment Program is a five-year long project and has received a nod from the Centre. Using a scientific approach, we studied the level of erosion, wave currents, and susceptibility to sea level rise at each selected site, and proposed soft solutions,” said Raisinghani. The state government confirmed this was the first major plan to address sea level rise in Maharashtra. “These are welcome actions proposed by MMB in line with state’s sustainable development goal 2030. Sea level rise threatens 16 major cities in India with Mumbai at critical risk.
Source:Hindustan Times
January 18, 2020 18:33 UTC
Spike in air pollution after temperature rises
mumbaiUpdated: Jan 19, 2020 00:11 ISTThe city witnessed a sharp rise in air pollution on Saturday as a marginal increase in temperatures was recorded. Other parts of the city recorded ‘moderate’ air quality. On Friday, the city had recorded its lowest January minimum temperature since 2013 at 11.4 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature in the suburbs increased to 13.4 degrees Celsius on Saturday, 3.8 degrees below normal while south Mumbai recorded 15.5 degrees Celsius, 3.7 degrees below normal. Maximum temperature to range between 30-32 degrees Celsius.
Source:Hindustan Times
January 18, 2020 18:33 UTC
For social causes: Tale of two TISS start-ups
mumbaiUpdated: Jan 19, 2020 00:12 ISTThe Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, has incubated around 35 social start-ups over the past seven years. Spread across the country, these social enterprises work on a range of issues such as waste management and education. “Usually, social startups are equated with non-government organisations, but that is far from the truth. There are many enterprises that have a self-sufficient model and make a social difference,” said Satyajit Majumdar, professor at the Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, TISS. “The existing waste management process is non-cyclic where the waste generator and the scrap dealers do interact with each other.
Source:Hindustan Times
January 18, 2020 18:33 UTC
'Pray for her quick recovery': PM Modi says news of Shabana Azmi's injury is distressing
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday prayed for a quick recovery of actor Shabana Azmi who was injured in a car accident on Mumbai-Pune Expressway in Maharashtra's Raigad district. "The news of @AzmiShabana Ji’s injury in an accident is distressing. I pray for her quick recovery," Prime Minister Modi tweeted. The veteran actor met with an accident as her car rammed into a truck at the highway and was brutally injured. She was earlier admitted to MGM Hospital which said she was stable and out of danger.
Source:dna
January 18, 2020 18:00 UTC