Maya devi temple

President Ram Nath Kovind will pay obeisance at the famous Bankey Bihari temple in Vrindavan on Monday, officials said here on Friday. He will interact with the residents of Krishna Kutir, a widows’ home in Vrindavan, and also have tea with them. “During his visit to Vrindavan, the President will pay obeisance to the principal deity of the Bankey Bihari temple,” District Magistrate of Mathura Navneet Singh Chahal said. Kovind’s predecessor Pranab Mukerjee had also paid obeisance at the temple, said Gyanendra Goswami, the Rajbhog Seva Adhikari of the Bankey Bihari temple. He said that Rajendra Prasad, the first President of Independent India, had also paid his obeisance to the deity. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had come to pay obeisance at the temple. But by the time she reached the temple, its portals were closed since temple timings were over, the priest said. PTI CORR NAV NSD … [Read more...] about President Kovind to pay obeisance at Bankey Bihari temple in Vrindavan on June 27

Recent investigative reports ( The Indian Express , June 19-22, 2022) bring to light proposals for deletions and changes to school textbooks across the board. The aim, purportedly, is to reduce the load on school students who have suffered a loss of learning due to extended shutdowns during the novel coronavirus pandemic. However, the changes made in the history textbooks specifically target certain areas of India’s past and will result in an ideological shift in history teaching at the school level. Curricular changes The Government is currently undertaking a series of curricular changes. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports recently tabled its Report on the Reforms in Content and Design of School Text books (November 30, 2021). The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is already in the process of formulating the new National Curricular Framework, which will direct the syllabi of central and State … [Read more...] about Rewriting ‘old history’ for a New India

Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had a major setback on Sunday as it lost the parliamentary byelection to the Sangrur constituency, so far a party bastion. Simranjit Singh Mann, a known radical Sikh leader of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) won the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat by securing 2,53,154 votes. He defeated his nearest rival of the AAP, Gurmail Singh, by 5,822 votes. Mr. Singh secured 2,47,332 votes. The byelection is being seen as the first major test to ascertain the popularity of the three-month-old AAP government, which went into the Assembly polls earlier this year on the plank of its development work, and stern action against corruption, illegal mining and other “mafias” in the State. Losing Sangrur is being seen as a big blow against the party, especially for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, as the constituency is his home turf. The byelection was necessitated as the seat fell vacant after Mr. Mann contested and won from the Dhuri Assembly seat in the Assembly … [Read more...] about With Sangrur bypoll win, Simranjit Singh Mann makes a comeback

A group of progressive organisations and several leading writers and intellectuals held a demonstration on the steps of Town Hall on Sunday against the arrest of activist Teesta Setalwad and former IPS officer R.B. Srikumar in the Gujarat riots conspiracy case. Linguist G.N. Devy said while no one has been arrested for the murder of former parliamentarian Ehsan Jafri during the riots, the support of Ms. Setalwad or others for Zakia Jafri’s fight for justice could not be construed as a “conspiracy”. “This will have a chilling effect on those who are relying on courts to fight for justice,” he said. “Initiating State action following an observation made in the court is definitely not in the spirit of the law of the land,” he said. “The targeting of human rights activists and those who have spoken out against the present regime is an assault on our democratic and constitutional principles. We stand with them and demand their immediate release,” said Bahutva Karnataka, a coalition of … [Read more...] about ‘This will have a chilling effect on the fight for justice’

A conversation with the Gundecha Brothers, Umakant and Ramakant, is like the unfolding of a jugalbandi. They dress alike, talk alike, when one stops, the other takes off spontaneously. The Gundecha Brothers have always been singing together. The jugalbandi is an important feature of the Dhrupad, especially in the Dagar tradition. When they sing there is unison, the two so attuned, so aware of each other. Performing together involves understanding of the musical aesthetics and thoughts of each other. It can, however, sometimes be tricky. “We complement each other in an effort to build up our music, our concert,” says Umakant. And Ramakant takes over, “Of course, there needs to be proper understanding or else the whole thing will be out of tune. It is important to be able to accept thoughts. We go ahead with one philosophy, perfect understanding.” Mutual respect for the musical aesthetics, says Ramakant, is how they overcome such niggles. “Both of us have different ideas about music, … [Read more...] about Two voices, one spirit

The lush greenary, the quietitude and students dressed elegantly in saris and dhoties welcoming you with a warm smile... watching a dance performance or listening to music in Kalakshetra is an experience. And when the artistes are dhrupad specialists Gundecha Brothers, it is pure bliss. Ramakant and Umakant were in Chennai recently to participate in the Dhrupad Festival. When they began to render ‘Niranjan Nirakar’ in Rageshri, set to chautaal, and then Kabir’s ‘Jheeni re jheeni chaderiya’ in Charukesi, it made the audience understand the nuances of dhrupad and why the brothers are credited with reviving an art form on the extinct. Leading Dagarvani singers, they are the disciples of Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar and Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and trained under the guru-sishya parampara at the Dhrupad Kendra in Bhopal. Dhrupad has descended from a form called Prabadha — a fixed composition of sacred music, which was performed in temples between 12th to 14th century. However, in the … [Read more...] about Gundecha Brothers unravel dhrupad’s beauty

Watching the 2008 Mumbai carnage live on TV from Pakistan, terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) handlers guided the attackers on phone and even asked them to change tactics to challenge the advancing commandos. The strategy followed during the 60-hour siege of Mumbai emerged during the testimony of the 26/11 co-accused David Headley in a Chicago District Court on the third day of the trial of his childhood friend and Pakistani-Canadian Tawahhur Rana. Rana has been slapped with a dozen charges in connection with the November 2008 attack in which 166 persons were killed, while Headley, a Pakistani-American and a star prosecution witness, has pleaded guilty. Headley told the court that his LeT handler Sajid Mir was in Karachi during the Mumbai attack. Sajid Mir told Headley that a couple of people were with him. Sajid Mir was in contact with the attackers via phone and he was watching TV coverage of the siege and seeing what was going on in India, he said. Sajid Mir was praised by … [Read more...] about ‘LeT handlers guided attackers watching Mumbai attack on TV’

HANOI, June 27, 2022 (AFP): Vietnam has banned swimming and scuba diving at a popular central tourist spot in an attempt to revive its damaged coral reef, officials said Monday. The communist nation boasts more than 3,200 kilometres of coastline with crystal clear waters, vibrant sea life and sandy beaches that are a huge tourism draw. Coral reefs across South-East Asia have been badly hit by global warming, with scientists warning their degradation could have devasting environmental and economic knock-on effects. Recent photos taken off Hon Mun island -- about 14 kilometres from the city of Nha Trang and popular with divers thanks to its diverse ecosystem -- showed the reef bleached and damaged. "The Nha Trang bay management authority decided to halt swimming and scuba diving activities in areas around Hon Mun island," officials said. In a statement they said the ban was to "evaluate the condition of sensitive area so that an appropriate plan to enact the sea conservation … [Read more...] about Vietnam halts scuba diving off popular Hon Mun island to protect coral

Wearing masks was made mandatory for devotees coming to see the annual Ratha Jatra festival in Puri on July 1 amid rising COVID-19 cases in Odisha, a senior official said on Monday. Around 10 lakh people are expected to gather for the festival in the temple town from across the country, and some foreign nations, Director of Health Service Bijay Mohapatra said. The festival of Lord Jagannath this time will see the participation of devotees after two years. In 2020 and 2021, only servitors took part in rituals due to the pandemic. ”We are expecting a large congregation during the festival this year. Mask is mandatory in Puri during the festival. Health camps will be set up at the railway station, bus stand and Grand Road (Bada Danda),” Mohapatra said. Asking people with symptoms to avoid visiting the town, he said caution should be maintained to check the spread of the virus. The state government has set up Covid Care Centres in Puri, and arranged for oxygen and ICU beds to meet with … [Read more...] about Puri Prepares for Lord Jagannath’s Ratha Yatra Amid Fresh Covid Alarm