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Appu Ghar, adieu
MLA ordered to do community service
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Man comes under Blueline
bus
Garden festival ends
Father charged with rape acquitted
Delhi to set up panel
for children’s welfare
Pleasant weather for Delhiites
Postal divorce ruins lives of brides
Japanese tourist stable
DU has no problem with Hindi books panel
A.B.L. Srivastava is NHPC director
Film Review
Artscape
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New Delhi, February 17 “Ever since I heard that Appu Ghar was closing down, I wanted to come here for a last ride at the roller-coaster and the thrilling tunnel ride through the ‘Bhoot Bangla’,” said eight-year-old Aman Sharma, who came with his family. Appu Ghar, the first amusement park in India, was for long considered a “happening” place for kids, teenagers and adults. Many Delhiites have grown up with a visit to the fantasy-land and have later come back with their children for the rides at the park. And some who took their children years ago came to visit the park one last time Sunday —for old times’ sake. “I had first come to the amusement park in 1990 with my friends and my second visit was with my children in 1997. I have very fond memories of the time spent there. With my children settled abroad, I have come to visit the park with my wife,” said septuagenarian Ramesh Khanna, who came to bid farewell to the park he’s visited time and again over the years. During peak summer season, Appu Ghar usually drew around 8,000 to 10,000 visitors on weekends. And on weekdays the number hovered around 4,000. The amusement park gained popularity among teenagers and college students when Oysters, the water park, was introduced in 1999. “Appu Ghar was our favourite hangout during college days to either celebrate a friend’s birthday or New Year. I could not stop myself from visiting this place for a last time,” said 27-year-old Ritika Gupta, a business consultant. Officials at the park are now hoping that they are provided with alternative land elsewhere in the city. The matter will also come up for final hearing in the Supreme Court February 19. “We are hopeful of some relief from the Supreme Court. We also hope that alternative land is provided to us in and around Delhi. But so far, there are no plans to shift the amusement park to any other part of Delhi,” Prem Vijeshwar, Director of International Amusement Ltd, told IANS. However, if no land is provided to them, the company is mulling a similar entertainment zone in Jaipur, he said. With Appu Ghar closing down, the fate of its 250 employees also hangs in the balance. Vendors who sell cotton candy, films, toys and key chains will also be affected by the park shutting down. “Not only the employees but their families and vendors outside the park will be adversely affected by the closure. In case nothing happens, the company has given them the option to come to Jaipur when the new park begins,” Vijeshwar said. Often termed India’s Disney Land, Appu Ghar has also been a landmark on Delhi’s tourist map, with many families making it a point to try one of the rides when they come to the Capital.—IANS
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MLA ordered to do community service
New Delhi, February 17 Applicants have a moral responsibility to pay back society in kind by way of social service. Therefore, I allow the application with a direction to them to organise a cleanliness drive and a family planning programme including campaign for HIV/AIDS awareness, metropolitan magistrate Tarun Sehrawat said. Allowing the plea of Jungpura legislator T S Marwah, the court asked the Station House Officer (SHO) of Hazarat Nizammuddin police station to file a compliance report before it. At this stage, accused T S Marwah and co-accused Gyas Arora voluntarily undertake to organise the above-mentioned programmes on February 17 at Basti Barapulla in Hazarat Nizammudin. The court also asked the accused to inform the Station House Officer before performing the community service. The court was hearing a criminal case lodged by Rekha Bhalla, a resident of Hazarat Nizammudin area, who had alleged that the accused leader and his accomplice had trespassed into her house and committed a mischief in 1998. An FIR under Section 421 (mischief) and 451 (house trespass) of the IPC was lodged against them. Both the accused moved an application, seeking the court’s nod to allow a compromise with the complainant on the ground that even Bhalla did not want to pursue the matter. Perusing their application, the judge clarified that the parties on their own cannot compound the criminal case if the offence committed was house trespass. I am appreciative of the fact that parties have settled the matter amicably with each other. However, the entire judicial process has been put into effect by the virtue of the proceedings, arisen out of the alleged incident. This undoubtedly has led to an increase in the burden on public exchequer, the judge said, making it clear that compromises can only be arrived at on the terms of the court.
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Man comes under Blueline
bus
New Delhi, February 17 Ranvijay Kumar, 30, was crushed under the wheels of a bus plying on Route No. 567 between Lajpat Nagar and Nangloi in West Delhi region. Kumar, employed with a private firm, got off from the bus at Naraina when it took an abrupt turn and ran over him. Kumar was rushed to the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital where his condition was said to critical. Kumar was travelling along with his eight-year-old son and father Ram Pukar Yadav when the mishap occurred. The police registered a case in this regard. The 4,000-odd Blueline buses, a crucial part of Delhi’s public transport system, have earned public ire for the recklessness of its drivers and owners but officials say they are helpless to check the menace. The toll of the privately operated fleet is seven this year. In 2007, Blueline buses had claimed 120
lives.—IANS |
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Garden festival ends
New Delhi, February 17 The three-day festival was organised by Delhi Tourism in association with government of Delhi and Incredible India. The festival had the various competitions organised in 32 categories such as hanging baskets, seasonal flowers, floral animals, foliage plants, aromatic plants, tray gardens, cut flowers, flower arrangements, theme garden etc. More than 15,000 varieties of plants were on display from cactus to dahlia and foliage. Herbal and medicinal plants were displayed separately as part of the festival. |
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Father charged with rape acquitted
New Delhi, February 17 The acquittal is painful, as the child was allegedly ravished by her father. Medical tests confirm that the girl was raped, additional sessions judge Anoop Kumar Mendiratta noted. He added that the victim’s mother — Neelam and sister – Soni, who had lodged the FIR at the Tilak Nagar police station in West Delhi on April 28, 2005, turned hostile. He said that the most disturbing part of Lalit’s acquittal was that the victim would have to share the same roof as that of the accused. The case could not be proved as Neelam and Soni whittled down either under weight of relations or due to social fear, the judge said, giving the benefit of doubt to Lalit. Lalit had allegedly ravished the girl on April 28, 2005. The court, however, asked the city police commissioner to ensure the girl’s safety, as she would live with her father. Some steps need to be taken to protect the victim’s dignity at least till she reaches the age of a rational understanding, the judge ruled.
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Delhi to set up panel
for children’s welfare
New Delhi, February 17 “We have realised that there is a need for a forum to look into the welfare of children. The cabinet has given its nod to a state commission for the protection of children’s rights. And Delhi will soon have one,” Raghuraman told IANS on the sidelines of the national consultative meet organised by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). The need for such a commission, according to Raghuraman, arises from the fact that the two Juvenile Justice Boards functional here deal only with those children who are in conflict with the law, leaving aside thousands of others in need of care and attention. Looking bleary eyed, 16-year-old Chandan, who was part of the conference, said he has lived in several juvenile and rehabilitation homes in Delhi but ran away from each because of the ill-treatment meted out. “The juvenile homes sheltering homeless children are like jails. The caretakers beat the children instead of showering them with love and care. The clothes that the children are given are later taken back in return for money and sometimes cigarettes and tobacco,” he said. Raghuraman said the staff of juvenile homes will have to be sensitised and the commission will thus look after all aspects of children’s welfare. The commission will comprise a chairperson who has to his credit outstanding work in the field of promotion for children’s welfare and six members, of whom two will be women, appointed by the state government. “The state commission will have to submit an annual report to the state government and special reports on any issue at any time if needed,” Raghuraman said. The date of setting up the commission has not yet been fixed. “There is always a pressure of space in Delhi. But we are hoping that it will be set up soon,” she
said.—IANS |
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Pleasant weather for Delhiites
New Delhi, February 17 According to the Met office, the minimum temperature was recorded at 11.7° Celsius as against yesterday’s 9.5° Celsius. The maximum temperature was recorded at 26.6° Celsius yesterday, three degrees above normal. The Met office has predicted a clear sky and pleasant weather for the next 24 hours. |
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Postal divorce ruins lives of brides
New Delhi, February 17 Hers is among an increasing trend of ex-parte divorces taking place with girls and their families in far off villages taken completely unawares as the unscrupulous husbands discover an easy route to get rid of their illiterate wives. These hapless women do not even get a notice from the court before they get the divorce order, usually after the husband has taken the dowry. An ex-parte divorce is a one-sided case, where the judge passes the ruling if the other party does not appear twice in the court. There are around 50 applications received in Delhi courts everyday from men wanting to undo the nuptial bond. To get a divorce the basic requirement is to show a separation of one year, which is easy for the husbands with their wives living in their parent’s home in villages. Once proof of separation is shown, then the husband gets the divorce easily. However, such rulings can be challenged in higher courts. And, this is what Shashibala is doing. Shashibala has now challenged the divorce by husband Girish Sharma in a Delhi court. “She was forced to give her mutual consent for divorce under influence, force and fraud. She was assured that the money demanded as dowry by her husband would be waived if she gives a statement in the court,” Javed Ashraf Khan, lawyer of Shashibala, told IANS. He said that the husband had taken advantage of Shashibala being unlettered. The latest figures collected from eight matrimonial courts in the city indicate a disturbing trend. Of the 50 petitions being filed everyday, almost half relate to people from rural backgrounds where the groom takes dowry and after sometime files a divorce case on the unsuspecting bride. “It came as a shock to me and my family that our daughter was divorced without any major marital discord between the two families. Though we kept receiving dowry demands we never thought they would divorce my daughter,” said Shashibala’s father Jagdish Sharma. Most of such cases are either disposed of with the other party unaware of any legal proceedings against them, while the rest are solved through mutual consent. “It is the tragedy of the Indian legal system that many such rulings are passed without even the knowledge and understanding of a party against whom the case has been filed. Proper legal aid should be there so that illiterate girls can fight for their rights in the court,” said Khan. Divorce cases are on an upswing and such ex-parte cases are adding to the numbers. In 2006-07, 6,283 divorce cases were filed in matrimonial courts - adding to the 5,677 cases pending from earlier. Of these, 5,236 cases were disposed of, leaving 6,724 still undecided. — IANS
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New Delhi, February 17 The Delhi police also identified the 27-year-old Japanese as Nashinn Sukeokno who had come to India Feb 13 on a tourist visa. His visa was valid till March 16. The suicide attempt occurred around 4.15 p.m. Saturday when the man, reported to be inebriated, jumped onto the railway tracks from a height of nearly 20-25 feet. Police and fire service personnel tried to dissuade him but he gave them the slip. He was admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital with grievous head injuries and multiple fractures. Eyewitnesses said the man was sitting on the railing of the Chanakyapuri railway overbridge, holding onto a hoarding, for over an hour, before he jumped onto the tracks below. The reason behind his suicide attempt was yet unclear as the man was not fit to give a statement, a police official said. Sukeokno is still unconscious though his condition is stable, the official said. — IANS
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DU has no problem with Hindi books panel
New Delhi, February 17 Appearing before a division bench headed by Justice T S Thakur, DU counsel said that the University Grants Commission (UGC) guided the varsity and DU had no hassle if the UGC decided to constitute an expert committee to solve the problem. A PIL by People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), an NGO alleged that the university had allowed students to opt for Hindi but failed to provide books on the subject. Teachers were also not being recruited to teach Hindi, it alleged. The petitioner’s counsel Prashant Bhushan said that students were forced to sit in English classes, as there were no teachers who could teach them Hindi. He suggested the court to direct the UGC and DU to set up a committee to look into the matter. He added that the university had no accurate data about the number of students studying Hindi, as they had to choose a subject while filling the examination forms. |
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A.B.L. Srivastava is NHPC director
New Delhi, February 17 Srivastava is a chartered accountant and a company secretary. He holds a Master’s degree in Business Finance and Commerce. Srivastava has served prestigious organisations in over three decades. |
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Film Review There is Hrithik Roshan as Akbar, in full regalia, watching a traditional Sufi qawwalli when he suddenly goes into a spiritual trance and joins the qawwalls for a dance to divinity. This historic moment that takes us beyond the dynasties of Mughals could not have been possible without Hrithik’s amazing capacity to infiltrate the portals of divinity through dance movements. As we traverse the simply stunning spectacle of Ashutosh Gowariker’s historical epic, often wonder-eyed and open-mouthed, we end up looking at Akbar as interpreted by Hrithik rather than as what the Mughal legend might have been. The body language of the sword-wielding poet-warrior reminds us of Mel Gibson in ‘Braveheart’ and Tom Cruise in ‘The Last Samurai’ rather than Prithviraj Kapoor who played Akbar in K. Asif’s undying classic ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ with such imposing imperiousness. In terms of the creative and visual terrain covered in the three-hour, 20-minute journey, Gowariker’s vision subsumes a reined-in wealth of ideas and images into an opulent but aesthetic tale of love, romance, war, hatred and secularism. The director transports us into an era, when brother battled brother in bitter rage. But love blossomed in the heart of a secular Muslim emperor who married a fiercely individualistic Rajput princess and allowed her space to be her own person. The narrative patterns Akbar’s chequered life of love and wars through the various characters who influence his mind and heart. To begin with, we see the young Akbar being moulded into a violent person, brimming with ideas of revenge and acquisition by his senapati-mentor Bairam Khan. In a frightening burst of vengeful brutality, we see Akbar ordering his soldiers to throw a stubborn adversary head-first to death. But all said and done, Gowariker’s Akbar is a man who would rather live in peace than wallow in war. Alas, Akbar lived in violent battle-friendly times. Then there’s the complex relationship that Akbar shares with his foster mother, played by Ila Arun. But the friction between the foster mother and Akbar’s new bride could be straight out of Indra Kumar’s ‘Beta’! Gowariker also purposely brings in kitschy elements from commercial cinema to provide a kind of warm accessibility to his historic tale. The filming of the durbar song “Azeem-o-shaan shahenshah” is the last word in spectacle. Breathtaking is the word that often comes to mind in this tale of vibrant valour and vitality. Never before have we seen battle sequences so spectacular and energetic in Hindi cinema. Take the opening sequence where the battle lines close ranks in such passionate movements that the audience almost feels trampled in the middle. Kiran Deohans’ swift but sublime cinematography is of international calibre, at par with ‘Gladiator’ or ‘Braveheart’. A.R. Rahman’s music is a bit of a letdown though. Veering between authenticity and listener-friendliness, it is a bit of a mellow mishmash signifying none of those enchanting echoes of Jodha and Akbar’s ever-lasting romanticism. — IANS
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Artscape
New Delhi, February 17 The group show aims to showcase the artists’ creativity as well as a social reform tool for effective dissemination of human values of sharing and caring. The invited artists are requested to contribute 40% of the sale proceeds from their work in the show for Sahaj Sankalp which is a non-profit, non-government, voluntary organization, committed to the care of children in need. The aim and objective of the organization is to help the poor and needy children by giving them education and nutrition in a family home called Balgrah to provide a strong foundation for an independent and happy life. Since its inception in 2001 at New Delhi suburbs of Kalkaji, Sahaj Sankalp has expanded its services for children in need to many other Indian cities. Today, there are 8 centres/projects under establishment which are allied projects like medical aid and DSP - Distant Support Programmes. The problem of needy children in India is huge and Sahaj Sankalp is trying to help as many children as possible within its capacity. ‘Indian Rhapsody’German artist, Kirstin Pukall makes her debut in the Indian art arena with her first solo exhibition titled ‘Indian Rhapsody’. The exhibition, comprising an eclectic mix of both figurative and abstract paintings, will be showcased at the Open Palm Court Gallery, India Habitat Centre from February 21 to February 25. The artist’s paintings in acrylic have been inspired by India and her oeuvres d’art are dominated by colour. This showpiece presentation has it all – 35 works, acrylics on canvas, indigenous, inimitable creations that salute India’s resilient spirit in all its various nuances and myriad hues – effervescent, phantasmagoric and more. A vibrant colour palette, Kirstin’s works are inspired by the people that make up the country. Each painting tells a story and is translated on canvas by Kirstin’s adept brush strokes. Kirstin uses human figures as a ruse to her poetic use of colour and play of multivariate textures. Her use of colours is fascinating. She captures the poses and moods of humble people in stoic silence. Texture being a significant element in her work, is achieved by various techniques. Finally, all of Kirstin’s works collectively portray the artist’s view on life and a mature handling of her chosen medium. Coupled with her skillful use of imagery to put forth her thoughts, each painting is remarkable in its technique and the brilliant use of colours. Artist Kirstin Pukall says, “A holiday in India in 2005 changed everything. However, she felt that something was missing – she needed a change and an opportunity to put back the missing piece. During a holiday in India in 2005, she and her husband were very fascinated by this country, by its colours, its beauty and also its contrasts. Thus they were delighted when they got a chance to come to India, more so since Kirstin decided to also pursue her passion—-painting. Contemporary dance
Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, an organisation devoted to the development of contemporary cultural expressions, presented “Purushartha” a multi-media dance production co-produced by Bonn Biennale and International Festival of Contemporary Dance of the Munich Arts Council at the Kamani Auditorium here on Saturday. Purushartha is a contemporary dance performance reflecting the present Asian society. It portrays the Indian aesthetic and emotional expressions along with Japanese digital and sonic music. Festival of Arts
Impressario India, in collaboration with the India International Centre and with the sponsorship of Oil India Limited, is presenting its annual two-day Festival of the Arts from the Banks of the Brhamaputra on February 23 and February 24 on the lawns of the centre here. The festival will reflect the many-faceted cultural mosaic of Assam. Auroville art
“Why Art? ” an exhibition of creations by five artists of Auroville is being held at the Annexe Gallery of the India International Centre here from February 22 to February 29. The exhibits include paintings, photographs and sculptures. Audio-visual expo
The Anant Art Centre here is presenting “Mechanisms of Motion”, the first-ever audio-visual exhibition of India curated by Marta Jakimowicz from February 16 till the end of the month. Works of renowned artists like Abhishek Hazra, Susanta Mandal, Ayisha Abraham, Baiu Parthan, B.V. Suresh, Kabir Mohanty, Kausik Mukhopadhyay, L.N.Tallur, Navin Thomas, Navjot Altaf, Ranbir Kaleka, Smitha Cariappa, Vivan Sundaram and Yashas Shetty. The Art Alive Gallery is presenting “Night Watch”, an exhibition of the recent works of Shuvaprasanna from February 15 to March 1. Calendar launch
Artoholix Gallery is holding a calendar launch and exhibition of the recent works of artist Pushpa Bagrodia at the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre here from February 18 to February 20. “Citing the City”
The Sakshi Gallery here is presenting, “Citing the City”, an exhibition of the recent works of Sudhir Patwardhan from February 27 to March 5 at the Shridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam here. Painting exhibition
YaWeDo International in association with Artholics presents ‘Collectors Corner’, an eclectic exhibition of paintings, comprising emerging as well as noted contemporary artists in a showpiece presentation at the Lodi Restaurant, from February 22 to February, 25. The artists include Sidharth, Sunil Padwal, Yusuf, Meghna Oberoi (sister of Bollywood actor Viveik Oberoi), Shridhar Iyer and Shiv Singh amongst others. In this collection, Niten Mehta of YaWeDo International has hand-picked artists from across the art milieu—-new voices that hold definite, measurable promise and senior artists who have carved their own niche in the art market. |
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