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One burnt to death in bus-truck crash
Pledging to save girl child, with President
Slum women spread wings
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Pasmanda Mahaz rally a flop show
Abductor’s kin shot by girl’s family
Disha, an NGO for women
Women make their mark in IT-BPO sector
Novel pichkaris to paint the town red
No platform tickets to be sold during Holi rush
Artscape
Farmer’s compensation money withdrawn fraudulently
3 held for stealing credit card in Noida
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One burnt to death in bus-truck crash
New Delhi, March 8 The driver of the dumper managed to escape under the cover of darkness, while the bus driver sustained multiple injuries, the police said. The police said that the Blueline bus, plying on route number 502, and the dumper were coming from opposite directions. The drivers could not apply breaks in time because both the vehicles were in high speed. Just after the accident, there were sparks in the engine of the bus that caused the fire and within a few minutes the fire engulfed the entire bus. The passengers of the bus panicked and jumped out from the window when they did not find any other way to escape. The fire was doused by Delhi Fire Service personnel, said the police. The police claims that most of the passengers suffered minor injuries while trying to break window panes to come out of the bus. Shankar Das, DCP, New Delhi district, said, “One person died, while 21 people were injured. Two are in a critical condition.” Meanwhile, the Delhi police is inquiring about the incident. However, no arrests have been made so far. |
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Pledging to save girl child, with President
New Delhi, March 8 While on the one hand, the President called upon women from organisations who work in the field of women empowerment in marginalised areas of Delhi, on the other hand, she administered pledge to save girl child to an audience comprising eminent personalities of every field. “People across countries have realised that women were not provided with enough opportunities to develop and hence extra effort was needed to ensure that they have the right to live a dignified life,” said Patil. She added, “Several women’s organisations are doing good work to uplift the women living in slums. Women should not just use the opportunities they get to develop themselves, but they should also help other women and work collectively.” The President invited a special girl on the occasion after reading her letter addressed to the President. “Pinki wrote a letter to me about her initiative of using waste plastic bags and making beautiful bags and carpets out of them. She also wrote about her financial constraints. I want the government officials to discuss her initiative and help her,” said Patil. Talking about her unique creative endeavour, Pinki Gupta from Lailunga, Chattisgarh, said, “We observed that gutkha stashes create a lot of pollution in our surroundings, so we started collecting the packets and created bags out of them. Then we thought we should use waste plastic and we used it in making carpets and footmats.” Pinki said she wanted to involve more people across the cities and reuse the plastic that is one of the most harmful pollutants around. Women representatives from seven women’s organisations also greeted the President on Women’s Day and gave her an overview of their work in the slums. Shyam Kali said her organisation National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) fights for honour of women. “We also spread awareness against female foeticide and our work is mostly based within the marginalised sections of society,” said Shyam. She added, “It is only because we have a woman President that we could celebrate Women’s Day in the Rashtrapati Bhavan today.” Rai Bano from Nazrat Mahila Samiti said the biggest challenge they face while working amongst Muslim women was to convince the women to come out of their houses. |
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Slum women spread wings
New Delhi, March 8 These examples of uplifting spirits and determination from Tughlaqabad, Kalyanpuri, Sangam Vihar, Vasant Kunj, Kirbi Place and Govindpuri are holding interacting sessions at Kirbi Place, Bilaspur and Sonia Camps, which are basically community centres of Katha, an NGO. Having shed old nostrums of shyness and diffidence, these women are staging their success stories and holding discussions at grassroots-level on breaking gender stereotypes, comprehending the serious issues relating to girl child, and eventually, finding out ways to address those concerns, under a series of programmes, which has been flagged off today at Katha Khazana in Govindpuri. The self-sustainable groups of women have ceased to confine themselves within the four walls of houses in the clumsiest alleys of our Capital and recreated their destinies. Jamila Sheikh (35 years), who has managed to lift herself along with her family from Navjivaan Camp, a slum, to a satisfying life at DDA flats in Kalkaji, is one of those inspiring few women who have realised their potential and attained a sustainable degree of self-reliance. Having attended numerous workshops on non-formal education and remedial course, Jamila has worked on various projects like mahila panchayat, self-help groups, reproductive health care, etc. Jamila’s message to the womenfolk is “Women should understand their power and recreate their destinies without being dependent on the male strata of society.” These groups of community women, under the aegis of Katha, have taken up the task of generating awareness and community mobilisation by door-to-door campaigns, under which they would apprise the womenfolk of slum clusters about their reproductive and health needs. The director of Katha Khazana, Parvinder Kaur, said, “There is a great deal of potential in these women, the only thing is channelling it with little handholding and empowering them to take on roles to look after their day-to-day demands. This series of events is celebrating the womanhood of these women by giving them a platform to interact with the entire society.” Katha’s approach of developing communities has been safe sanitation and drinking water, housing and health, and economic resurgence, said Deepti Dubey of Katha. |
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Pasmanda Mahaz rally a flop show
New Delhi, March 8 The Pasmanda Mahaz has a charter of demands for Muslims from all political parties. However, demands were not read out in the rally. The rally was organised at Ram Lila Maidan with an expectation that about one lakh people will turn up from Delhi as well as neighbouring areas. But the attendance was very thin. The rally was scheduled to start at 11 am, but it began around 1 pm. Siraj Qureshi himself turned up at 4 pm. Among the dignitaries present were CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan and Delhi unit chief of the UDF Yusuf Qureshi. Siraj Qureshi admitted that thin attendance had sent a message that the Muslim community did not know how to pressurise political parties to get its rights. Had the community been politically aware, it would have come to show its strength, he said. When asked about his plans to launch a political party, he said there was no plan to launch any political party. He said that thin attendance of people in the rally indicated that it had been sabotaged by a group of people which is not in favour of giving due rights to the community. Appreciating the political effort of the Pasmanda Mahaz, Bardhan assured to include its demands in the CPI’s election manifesto. Giving reference of another rally recently held in Ram Lila ground, which was attended by a large number of Muslims, he said that Muslims gathered on emotional issues. They did not come together when there was an opportunity of benefits. |
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Abductor’s kin shot by girl’s family
Ghaziabad, March 8 The family members of a youth, who had allegedly abducted a young girl at Bijwada village in Bagpat The police has arrested two of the assailants while the PAC was deployed in the village in view of tension. Those killed are Chaman and Mange, sons of Ram Bhajan while the wounded have been identified as Jai Veer and Jagpal. According to police, Ghanshyam Sharma’s daughter was abducted by Krishen Pal on Friday evening. Ghanshyam’s family looked for the two, but could not trace them during the night. Ghanshyam’s family then forcibly took away accused When Krishen Pal’s brothers could not provide any information on it, Ghanshyam’s relatives rained bullets on them. As the victims tried to flee, the assailants encircled them from all sides and shot at them. Chaman died on the spot, while Mange, Jai Veer and Jag Pal were critically wounded. Mange succumbed to his injuries in hospital. The two wounded were rushed to a local hospital. The police from many police stations and the PAC reached the spot under SP police. In another village Shiekhpura, somebody slit the throat of an elderly person and killed him. Police is trying to nab the accused. |
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Disha, an NGO for women
Gurgaon, March 8 The NGO intends to advance the well-being of women in general without any distinction of caste, creed or community and empower them to live a wholesome life. It claims to undertake the programmes primarily for the safety and security of women, issues of individuals and groups that are exposed to vulnerability. The organisation also claimed that it will arrange shelter and food for homeless, helpless, widow and destitute women who are devoid of any protection from their near and dear ones. Appreciating the step, the police commissioner said that they were receiving large number of cases of family disputes that can be settled after consultation with the experts. He also mentioned that the state government has appointed domestic prohibition officers for settling of various disputes, especially child marriages and also for counselling people. Deswal said, “It is good that such an NGO has come ahead, as there are certain cases where women require rehabilitation to come out of distress or need financial help,” and added that they had also launched a 24-hour helpline for women where lady officers will hear the quires or problems of women. “Thus any women or girl can call them for any matter,” he retreated. “The police had also decided that no women or child shall be called to the police station at any cost,” Deswal confirmed. He said, “Women should be given equal rights in comparison to men and this starts from home only, as it is parents who can teach their child that he has to respect women.” The president of the NGO Asha Sharma said that they aim to organise educational campaigns to sensitise women about the provisions of law and facilities given by the central and state governments and other organisations for their well-being. They will provide counselling, consultancy and rehabilitation services to needy women and will senstise them to the meaning of life and their role in society. |
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Women make their mark in IT-BPO sector
Noida, March 8 In the past two years, the number of women employees has gone up by nine per cent. According to the Association of Software Services Companies (NASCOM) during 2007-08, women formed 47 per cent part of the total recruitment. This number has reportedly gone up by 9 per cent during the last two years. According to women professionals in IT–BPO sector, higher salaries, better security and better work place have attracted them to this sector. In Noida IT companies, 11 per cent women are occupying the leadership slots. As per NASCOM, out of two million employees in IT-BPO sector in 2007-08, women occupied about 28 per cent jobs. A management survey conducted on a sample of 50 companies, women were found to be discharging leadership role in 11 per cent senior management slots. NASCOM conducts seminars from time to time to create better awareness and cultivate favourable aptitude towards this sector. While women are not found lagging in sewing and stitching in garments industry, they are equally at ease in highly skilled engineering sector demanding intelligence and management skills. This is why women employees have a sizeable presence in Special Economic Zones (SEZs) all over the country. Over 71,000 women are among an estimated 2 lakh employees working in various SEZs in the country. Even in Noida SEZ, over 6,000 women are employed at various levels. In home delivery sector where men had been dominating so far, women have reportedly left men far behind in door-to-door marketing of the product of Japanese companies. Sari-clad women with bags dangling from their shoulders are seen going from one sector to another on their scooters. |
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Novel pichkaris to paint the town red
New Delhi, March 8 Some Rajasthani craftsmen have come out with silver-coloured pichkaris with the engraving of Radhe-Krishna. Of course, they cost a bomb. A large variety of pichkaris are available in the market. The Chinese have sent long-range water guns with playful features. Although Holi is still some days away, the city is turning into festive mood–thanks to the warm weather. Heaps of colourful dust—gulal and abeer—can be seen on the roadside shops. The local markets have started displaying the latest ‘Holi weapons’ like water balloons and non-allergy dry and liquid colours. Holi is one festival that accounts not only for playing with colour, pichkaris or gulal, but it also invites you to get involved in shopping and preparing traditional sweet and saltish dishes like ‘gujiyya’, ‘mathri’ and ‘shakarpare’. The walled city is famous for some of its unique Holi preparations sold by pavement shopkeepers. Sweets and kulfi made of ‘bhang’ known as ‘bhang ki barfi’ and ‘bhang ki kulfi’ are amongst these special preparations. “Without them, Holi is incomplete,” says a resident of Chawri Bazar. ‘Gujiyyas’, known as the best Holi item, are being sold at every sweet shop, big or small. Rajuram, who makes Holi dishes every year, says, “This tradition originated in Uttar Pradesh from where the traders arrived here to do business. With them, they brought their culture and mouth-watering dishes.” “Without tasting these traditional sweets,” a Chandni Chowk housewife said, “you can’t enjoy this lovely festival.” “These sweets are for everyone. Even our Muslim neighbours in the walled city love them,” says Jitendrabhai, a handcart seller in Sita Ram Bazaar, while weighing a packet of ‘gujiiyas’ for an old woman. “Holi is a symbol of brotherhood. One can see Hindus and Muslims enjoying the festival in ‘purani Dilli’, dancing to the tunes of ‘nagada’ and sharing these sweets,” Jitendra adds. To savour the best traditional sweets, one can visit Sita Ram Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Fatehpuri, Ajmeri Gate and Darya Ganj. One can’t forget the ‘thandai’ of Holi. Many people believe that without ‘bhang wali thandai’, the celebrations are incomplete. Rammo Guru, who has been making ‘thandai’ in Old Delhi for the last 27 years, says, “The thandai that I make has a totally different taste from the one made at home. That is why people line up at my shop during Holi.” Apart from milk, black pepper, rose petals, almonds, ‘posta dana’ or ‘khus-khus’ and dry fruit are added to the thandai mixture, one night before it is served at Holi, Guru tells you. Even for foreign tourists, these special dishes and drinks are an attraction. A shop owner at Chandni Chowk, Raghu Nandan, says, “This thandai is more like a celebration drink.” The ‘mithaiwallhas’ are receiving huge orders for gold and silver-coated ‘gujjias’, priced at Rs 4,500 per kilogram. There is a two-in-one gold coating ‘gujiya’ with a mixture of almonds and cashew nuts. The three-in-one ‘tiranga’ gujiya contains cashew nuts, almonds and pistachio nuts. Don’t worry, if you are diabetic. Sugar-free ‘gujiyas’ are also available. Just get ready to enjoy the unique festival of colours. Holi
hai! |
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No platform tickets to be sold during Holi rush
New Delhi, March 8 A Northern Railways spokesperson said, “We do not sell platform tickets around the time of a big festival. Usually people accompany a passenger which results in a lot of rush at the station. Moreover, even anti-social elements become active these days and to avoid any such untoward incident, this step has been taken.” Platform tickets will not be available at New Delhi, Old Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin and Sarai Rohilla railway stations during this period. However, platform tickets would be given on demand to senior citizens, physically handicapped people, medically sick persons and women and children who are travelling alone at the assistance booth at these stations. |
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Artscape
New Delhi, March 8 As part of his tour, Gil Shohat will be performing in Delhi and Kolkata. Acknowledged as “the most important and influential personality in classical music in Israel” by the three major Israeli newspapers (Yediot Aharonot, Maariv and Haaretz), Gil Shohat will perform a Piano Recital in Delhi on March 10 at the open air theatre, The Ashok Hotel, Chanakyapuri, here. Gil Shohat is one of the leading Israeli musicians of his generation and the performer of more than 80 concerts a year worldwide, both as a conductor and pianist. He came to local and international recognition with his opera Alpha and Omega (2001) - the largest original opera production ever staged in Israel - which received enthusiastic reviews worldwide. He is the composer of nine large-scale symphonies, twelve concertos for various instruments, four operas, Oratorios, Cantatas, solo vocal pieces and dozens of chamber and piano pieces. Among several prestigious awards and accolades, Gil Shohat has won the Prime Minister Prize for composition in 2003 and was named Composer of the Year in 2004. Shohat holds the position of the Musical Director and Chief Conductor of the Israel Chamber Orchestra. Existence is Bliss
Dhoomimal gallery, a platform for showcasing the works of established and upcoming artists from all over the country, is showcasing Nidhi Aggarwal’s solo art exhibition, titled ‘Existence is Bliss’. It is an exhibition of contemporary Indian arts that celebrates the spirits of colours from March 4 to 14. According to critics, her use of colours as well as stroke play are now confident, energetic and in a way not bound by restrictions and seem to come naturally and instinctively, giving her works a bold and magnificent character. Though her works are contemporary, she uses objects that we encounter in our daily lives like, music systems, or cigars along with other human forms. Also her colours such as bright yellow or red or dark blue and pink have a lot of life in them and present a very happy and vibrant picture to the viewer. Sitar and cello duet
Chinmaya Mission Delhi is presenting internationally acclaimed musicians, Pt. Shubhendra Rao and Saskia Rao-de Haas, in a unique sitar and cello duet as a part of their annual music festival “Jai Bharti –Iv, Nada Bindu Festival” on March 13 at the Chinmaya Centre, 89, Lodhi Road, here. A Colourful Arena
Galerie Art Eterne is presenting A Colourful Arena in the Midst of Heat –II by artist Devajyoti Ray from March 7 to March 21 on its premises in Lado Sarai. Devajyoti Ray’s work does not require any external help to view, a triumph of simplicity yet lucid in its presentation, the images wait to enter into a dialogue with the viewer. Though it appears simple, the depth of his understanding is visible in the vivid portrayal of his images springing out from the canvases in poetic fervour. Photo exhibition
on TB
Lilly MDR TB Partnership and Lokayata Art Gallery are organising a photo exhibition on TB- “Because I Care – I am Stopping TB” from March 9 to 12 at the Lokayat, Hauz Khas. The photographs are the artistic creations of Subhash Sharma, the renowned humanistic and documentary photographer. The exhibition aims to create awareness about the present situation of TB in India. Remembering Kamaladevi
The Centre for Mohiniyattam here is organising a two-day festival to pay tributes to the legendary Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay at the India Habitat Centre here on March 9 and 10. A number of well-known artistes from across the country are participating in the festival. Mohiniyattam is an ancient dance form from Kerala. Mango Cherry Mix
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is organising “Mango Cherry Mix”, a dance performance by Indian artiste Navtej Johar and Japanese dancer Miyamoto at the Kamani Auditorium, here, on March 10.
Nav Gunjar
showcased
Nav Gunjar, an installation by artist Vishal K. Dhar, is being showcased at the British Council, here, from March 12 to 14. Nav Gunjar is an avatar of Krishna, a creature composed of nine different animals. It emphasises the fact that all human beings are connected and form part of a larger organism. Vishal K Dar, an architect by profession, has taught at his alma mater, the University of California, Los Angeles in the United States, and won many prestigious awards. Photographic
exhibition
“Art for Prabhat @ Zaza Space” is hosting a photographic exhibition by Ajay Rajgariah, Malovika Andrew, Sandeep Biswas, Sunando Mazumdar, Laurent Goldstein, Shashwat Nagpal, Udit Kulshreshta, Neeraj Mahajan and Hirak Kanti Dutta from March 6 to 19. |
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Get that perfect smile with cosmetic dentistry
New Delhi, March 8 And what is more, rather than Indians going abroad for such treatment, people from overseas are flocking to cosmetic dentists in India where the costs are a fraction of what they would otherwise be charged in the US or Europe. From bleaching and bonding of teeth, to fixing custom made dental bridges, capping or crowning, the perfect teeth are for your asking in a matter of five-six sittings with your dentist. But be willing to pay! It could cost you from as low as Rs.1,500 ($30) for simple bleaching, which dentists don’t really recommend, to Rs.150,000 ($3,000) for bonding a thin sheet of porcelain veneers on the frontal surface of some 16 teeth, experts in the field maintain. “The rush for getting that perfect smile was always there,” says Akshay
Sur, a dentist practising in the upmarket south Delhi area of Vasant Vihar in the national capital. “But, of late, more people, especially the young brides-to-be, come in large numbers for cosmetic dentistry before they get married,” Sur told
IANS, adding men in the age group of 20-25 years are also getting smitten by such procedures. Bela S.
Jain, another dentist in west Delhi and a member of the Indian Dental Association, says cosmetic dentistry is not much different from the normal dental treatments. “It is a hype which the media and some of the people have created around it,” she says. “Otherwise, capping, crowning and similar procedures are normal. But what has actually become popular among the masses is bleaching which every second person is now opting for.” While teeth jewellery, where a crystal or a blue sapphire is embedded into the enamel, is also gaining popularity, what the affluent class is opting for are veneers - a one-stop option closing tooth gap, giving them a perfect shape and disguising the discolouring. Gautam Khanna, vice president and head of 3M Healthcare in India, that recently launched its new brand of crowns and bridges, also confirms the growing popularity of cosmetic dentistry in India. His company is a leading global supplier of dentistry material. According to him, even though there are no consumer surveys to reflect the growing popularity of cosmetic dentistry in India, a correlation could be drawn with the rapid rate at which new dental colleges have proliferated in the country. As against 16 dental colleges in India in 1983, the number has increased to 926 colleges - 260 of them in Maharashtra alone. And out of 50,000 dentists in the country, 4,000 are in Mumbai, the glamour capital of India, he adds. All this has also seen the rise of dental tourism to India, says Jain. “We get the maximum number of patients for dental treatments from the UK as the prices are exorbitant there,” she says, adding that Indians from the US also come here for treatment while visiting their friends and relatives.
— IANS |
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Farmer’s compensation money withdrawn fraudulently
Greater Noida, March 8 According to Jyanti Prasad, he had deposited the cheque in a bank. But when he went to check his bank account, he was told that the cheque had been cleared and the amount was transferred to Bulandshahr branch of the bank from where it had already been withdrawn. Hearing this, Prasad collapsed. When the bank staff realised that Prasad had fallen victim to a fraud, they assured him that a probe would be conducted and his money returned to him. Jayanti Prasad had sold his land to Yamuna Expressway Authority for Rs 12.36 lakh. He had deposited the cheque in the Javer branch of the State Bank of India on February 3. He planned to buy land with the money. But when he went to check his account, he was informed that his amount hadbeen remitted to Bulandshahr branch of the bank and the same had been withdrawn. However, bank manager CP Sharma assured him that a probe will be conducted and his money returned to him. The police has been informed about the fraud. |
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3 held for stealing credit card in Noida
Noida, March 8 The Noida police arrested Robin Verma, Sanjeev Nehra and Anil Nehra near Shopprix Mall while they were trying to sell items purchased on the stolen credit card. Verma worked as a store manager of a branded showroom in the Great India Place mall. Verma reportedly stole Parmanand Goel’s purse, which contained the credit card, the police
said. — IANS |
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