The Indian Panorama

Year: 2023

  • Good hydration key to living longer, healthier life: Study

    Scientists have found good levels of hydration may be key to living a longer and healthier life.According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) study, adults who stay well-hydrated appear to be healthier, develop fewer chronic conditions, such as heart and lung disease, and live longer than those who may not get sufficient fluids.

    Using health data gathered from 11,255 adults over a 30-year period, researchers analyzed links between serum sodium levels – which go up when fluid intake goes down – and various indicators of health.

    The researchers found that adults with serum sodium levels at the higher end of a normal range were more likely to develop chronic conditions and show signs of advanced biological aging than those with serum sodium levels in the medium ranges. Adults with higher levels were also more likely to die at a younger age.

    The findings are published in the journal eBioMedicine.

    “The results suggest that proper hydration may slow down aging and prolong a disease-free life,” said Natalia Dmitrieva, a study author and researcher in the Laboratory of Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of NIH.

    For the analysis, researchers assessed information study participants shared during five medical visits – the first two when they were in their 50s, and the last when they were between ages 70-90, the study said.

    To allow for a fair comparison between how hydration correlated with health outcomes, researchers excluded adults who had high levels of serum sodium at baseline check-ins or with underlying conditions, like obesity, that could affect serum sodium levels, the study said. The scientists then evaluated how serum sodium levels correlated with biological aging, which was assessed through 15 health markers. This included factors, such as systolic blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, which provided insight about how well each person’s cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, renal, and immune system was functioning. They also adjusted for factors, like age, race, biological sex, smoking status, and hypertension, the study said.

    They found that adults with higher levels of normal serum sodium – with normal ranges falling between 135-146 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L) – were more likely to show signs of faster biological aging. This was based on indictors like metabolic and cardiovascular health, lung function, and inflammation.   Source: PTI

  • Egg Fried Rice

    Egg Fried Rice

    Ingredients

    Basmati Rice – 2 cups, Eggs – 10, Onions – 2 Spring, Onions – 1 bunch, Beans – 10, Carrot – 2, Capsicum – 2, Cabbage – 100 gms

    Pepper Powder – 1/2 tblsp, Green Chillies – 2, Tomato Puree – 2 to 3 tblsp (or as required), Ajinomoto – 3 tsp (optional), Soy Sauce – 4 tblsp, Salt as per taste, Oil – 3 tblsp, Coriander Leaves – few, chopped

    Method

    –              Pressure cook the rice until 1 whistle and remove.

    –              Chop all the vegetables finely and keep aside.

    –              Grind together the green chillies and mix well 2 tblsp water.

    –              Heat oil in a pan.

    –              Saute the onions for a minute.

    –              Add the chopped vegetables one by one and cook for a minute or two.

    –              Add the green chilli paste and tomato puree.

    –              Add salt and ajinomoto.

    –              Mix well and add soy sauce.

    –              Break the eggs into the pan and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes.

    –              Add the cooked rice and mix until all ingredients are combined.

    –              Garnish with coriander leaves.

    –              Serve.

  • Why stomach growls when we feel hungry

    Why stomach growls when we feel hungry

    The Greeks called it “borborygmi”, which is also a medical term for stomach growling. This is a noise which doesn’t exactly come from the stomach but originates when excessive gas moves back and forth in the intestines.

    Our belly usually growls when we are hungry and our blood sugar level starts to dip. The growling sound is an indication that we need to feed the stomach to help intestines get the required nutrients from the blood. As soon as we eat something, it calms down the growling noise and our digestive system gets focused on absorbing the food rather than moving the air around.

    But now the question arises, how does this air get trapped inside our digestive tracts? Well, if you talk while eating, that’s believed to be one of the primary reasons. Talking while eating allows air to enter our digestive tract. Along with this, eating too fast or drinking excessive fluids while working out also enable air to enter our body.

    The process that makes you growl

    The process that sends signals to your body about the hungry stomach is called migrating motor complex (MMC) process. This means that our stomach and intestines get engaged in sensing the absence of food in the body. Thus, receptors in the stomach wall create waves of electrical activity and trigger hunger. Remember, a poor MMC functioning can lead to vomiting, indigestion, abdominal pain and nausea.

    Stomach can growl when it is full

    Yes, not only when you are craving food but some of you must have experience growling when your stomach is full. Many may not notice it as the sound is relatively low. This growling is the result of undigested food, due to which our gut starts to produce gases.

    Irritable bowel syndrome

    Usually, the noisy stomach is not considered a major health issue. But in case you experience increased growling problem, it may be a symptom of indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome or even a bout of diarrhea.

    Sweet-tooth is harmful

    If you have a sweet tooth, then the noise that your stomach makes can be embarrassingly loud. This is due to the reason that excessive amount of sugar in the body can cause flatus, resulting in increased intestinal noise.

    What can be done?

    Eat slowly and chew your food properly. This will help in aiding digestion and prevent production of unwanted gases in the body. Avoid talking while eating as it will prevent air from entering the body. While drinking as well, air can enter the body. This advise may sound weird but if you drink water using straw instead of a glass, it will limit the amount of air you can gulp. While exercising do not over hydrate yourself as heavy breathing during a workout can enable air to enter the body.

  • Jan 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol

    Jan 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol

    On January 6, 2021, following the defeat of then U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The mob was seeking to keep Trump in power by preventing a joint session of Congress from counting the electoral college votes to formalize the victory of President-elect Joe Biden.

    According to the House select committee investigating the incident, the attack was the culmination of a seven-part plan by Trump to overturn the election. Five people died either shortly before, during, or following the event: one was shot by Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, and three died of natural causes.Many people were injured, including 138 police officers. Four officers who responded to the attack killed themselves within seven months. The monetary damages caused by attackers exceed $2.7 million.

    Background

    The conduct of the 2020 presidential election was significantly affected by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the early stages of which coincided with the first presidential primary elections in February and March. Because of the evident risk to public health, governors and election officials in several states postponed primary elections or implemented changes to election procedures to enable voters to cast their ballots safely. Among such measures were extending early-voting periods and loosening or eliminating requirements for obtaining or casting absentee (mail-in) ballots, which millions of voters were expected to use as a safer alternative to in-person voting. Correctly anticipating that Democratic voters would be more likely than Republican voters to use absentee ballots (in part because Trump had repeatedly downplayed the extent of the pandemic and the seriousness of the illness), the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee (RNC), and Republican leaders in several states filed scores of lawsuits alleging that the changes undermined the constitutional authority of state legislatures to make election law or that they invited individual voter fraud. Nearly all of the suits were dismissed or withdrawn. Amid those failed challenges, Trump continued to falsely claim that Democrats were plotting to “rig” the election through voter fraud and by systematically forging, altering, or discarding absentee ballots, among other illegal means. His accusations were of a piece with his frequent assertions during the 2016 presidential campaign that the election of that year, which he won, would be rigged by Democrats.

    In a press encounter in the early morning of November 4, the day after the election, Trump maintained his false narrative of Democratic cheating by declaring himself the winner and denouncing the ongoing counting of absentee ballots as a “fraud on the American people.” During the next several weeks he continually accused Biden and the Democrats of having stolen the presidential election and repeated conspiracy theories involving ballot stuffing, dead voters, and malicious voting-machine software that deleted or changed millions of votes for Trump. His false accusations were indirectly endorsed by several Republican members of Congress who expressed uncertainty about the election’s outcome or who simply refused to publicly acknowledge Biden’s victory. Their calculated reticence helped to spread false doubts about the integrity of the election among rank-and-file Republicans. (Such manufactured doubts were later cited by Republican governors and election officials in several states to justify new “election integrity” laws that made it harder for some Democrats to vote and easier for partisan state legislatures to improperly influence or overturn statewide elections—see voter suppression.)

    As vote counting continued, various groups of radicalized Trump supporters quickly coalesced around the idea that forceful protests and even violent direct action were necessary to stop the counting of fraudulent ballots and thereby to prevent Biden from taking office. A short-lived Facebook group calling itself “Stop the Steal” was created on November 4 and grew to some 320,000 members in less than 24 hours before the social media company shut it down because of posts containing disinformation and calls for violence (see also collective violence). Stop the Steal enthusiasts soon migrated to other social media venues, where they repeated and elaborated conspiracy theories about the election and organized on-the-ground demonstrations in several cities, including at polling stations where supposedly fraudulent vote counting was underway.

    After the electors from each state cast their votes for president and vice president on December 14, giving Biden a victory of 306 electoral votes to 232, Trump and his allies, as well as leaders of Stop the Steal and other pro-Trump groups across the country, turned their attention to the last, formal step in the election of a U.S. president, the ceremonial opening and counting of the electoral votes of each state in a joint session of Congress, presided over by the vice president and commencing on January 6, a date fixed in federal law. Some allies reportedly advised Trump—incorrectly—that the vice president’s role in the electoral-vote counting would give Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, the constitutional authority to replace Democratic slates of electors with Republican ones and thereby to block Congress’s confirmation of Biden’s victory.

    The attack and its aftermath

    Meanwhile, in several tweets beginning in mid-December, Trump encouraged his supporters to attend a rally and march on January 6 to protest the vote-counting ceremony. In one of the tweets, Trump stated, “Be there, will be wild!” At the rally, held at a public park near the White House, a crowd of thousands, which included members of paramilitary organizations and other right-wing extremists, listened to speeches by Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and Trump’s sons Donald, Jr., and Eric, among others. In his own address, which began at about noon, Trump repeated well-worn falsehoods and conspiracy theories about the stolen election; called on Pence to block Congress’s confirmation of the electoral college vote—declaring that, if Pence failed to act, the rally crowd would not let the confirmation take place (“We’re just not going to let that happen”); encouraged the crowd to “walk down Pennsylvania Avenue” to the Capitol building; and urged his audience to “fight like hell” or “you’re not going to have a country anymore.” Although Trump did not explicitly direct those in attendance to commit illegal acts, his generally incendiary language plainly suggested to many in the crowd that they would be justified in violently attacking the Capitol and members of Congress to prevent Biden from becoming president.

    Even before Trump finished his address shortly after 1:00 PM, and just as the joint session of Congress was being convened, a mob of his supporters—including members of right-wing extremist organizations, such as the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and the Three Percenters, as well as self-identified adherents of the QAnon conspiracy theory—pushed through fences at the western perimeter of the Capitol grounds, forcing Capitol Police officers to retreat to additional barricades closer to the building (see United States: The 2020 U.S. election and United States presidential election of 2020: Aftermath: Trump’s refusal to concede and the insurrection at the Capitol). The mob grew larger as ever more people arrived from the rally at which Trump had spoken. Capitol Police officers, along with reinforcements from the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, were overwhelmed. Many officers were brutally beaten with deadly weapons (bats, pipes, and flag poles), sprayed with chemical irritants, or crushed and trampled by the surging crowd. As the rioting continued outside, the joint session was temporarily adjourned to allow the House and Senate to separately debate a Republican challenge to the Democratic slate of electors from Arizona. By about 2:00 PM the rioters had breached the last barrier on the west side of the building and were running up the Capitol steps and scaling the walls of the West Terrace. Another mob also had broken through barriers on the east side of the Capitol.

    Shortly after 2:00 PM the rioters shattered windows to break into the west side of the building, and for the next few hours they vandalized and looted the interior and ransacked offices as they searched for their perceived enemies in Congress. They also looked for Pence, whom they now denounced as a traitor for having refused to interfere in Congress’s tabulation of electoral votes. (Shortly before the start of the joint session, Pence had released a letter in which he stated that “it is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not.”) At about 2:20 PM Trump condemned Pence in a tweet to his followers, claiming that “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.” Only minutes after the break-in, members of the House and Senate were notified that protesters had entered the building. Realizing that their lives were in danger, many lawmakers fled or were evacuated from the building or hid behind desks or in barricaded offices and even closets. Pence was evacuated to a secure location within the complex.

    The governors of Virginia and Maryland eventually dispatched National Guard units and state troopers to assist in securing the building; because of bureaucratic delays, the District of Columbia National Guard was not mobilized until about three hours after the start of the attack. The Capitol was finally cleared of rioters at about 6 PM, some four hours after they first entered the building. The vast majority of the attackers were not arrested on-site and simply walked away. Congress then resumed its tabulation of electoral votes (after dismissing Republican challenges to the slates of electors from Arizona and Pennsylvania), and Biden was certified as the winner of the 2020 presidential election in the early morning hours of January 7.

    The attack on the Capitol was broadcast live on major news networks. Trump himself watched some of the assault and reportedly was pleased and excited by what he saw. After initially resisting pressure from White House aides and House minority leader Kevin McCarthy to condemn the attack, Trump reluctantly tweeted (at about 2:40 PM) a call to his followers to support the Capitol Police and to “stay peaceful.” A similar tweet was issued about half an hour later. At about 4:20 PM Trump tweeted a brief video in which he once again asserted that the election had been stolen. Expressing his “love” for the rioters, he urged them to “go home,” stating that “we have to have peace.” Later that day he tweeted:

    On January 8 Trump was permanently banned from Twitter for having posted tweets before, during, and after the assault that violated the company’s policy against glorification of violence.

    According to a Justice Department report released in July 2021, approximately 140 Capitol and Metropolitan police officers were criminally assaulted by the rioters in the January 6 attack. Among those victims, one died of a series of strokes after being hospitalized for injuries sustained in the attack, and two others committed suicide. One of the rioters was shot and killed by police, another died of a heart attack, and a third was apparently crushed to death by the stampeding mob. The rioters caused an estimated $1.5 million in damage to the Capitol building.

    On January 13, 2021, the House of Representatives, by a vote of 232 to 197, adopted a single article of impeachment against Trump for incitement of insurrection. At his Senate trial in February, which began three weeks after he left office on January 20, Trump was acquitted after only 57 senators, 10 short of the required two-thirds majority, voted to find him guilty.

    During the first year after the attack, the FBI and the Justice Department arrested more than 725 of the rioters, charging them with a variety of federal crimes, including injuring law-enforcement officers, destruction and theft of government property, and conspiracy to obstruct a congressional proceeding. As of early January 2022, the FBI had yet to identify and apprehend more than 350 additional persons believed to have committed violent crimes on the Capitol grounds.

    In May 2021 Senate Republicans blocked passage of a House-passed bill that would have created a national commission to investigate the January 6 attack, claiming that it would unnecessarily duplicate ongoing investigations by two Senate committees and the Justice Department (the Senate investigation, however, was focused on intelligence and communication failures by law-enforcement agencies prior to the attack). In response, the House voted along near-party lines to create its own committee, the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, which held its first hearings in late July. By early January 2022 the committee had interviewed more than 300 people and collected thousands of pages of records related to the attack. It had also subpoenaed testimony and records from high-level members of the Trump administration and other Trump associates and supporters, some of whom refused to cooperate with the investigation. In October 2021 Trump filed suit against the committee in federal district court, seeking to block the release of several hundred pages of records relating to his activities and communications before and during the attack, which the committee had originally requested in August. In December, after the district court rejected Trump’s request and an appellate court upheld that decision, Trump filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court, asking that it review the district court’s ruling and that it block release of the documents pending its final decision in the case. The Supreme Court denied Trump’s request in January 2022, allowing the committee to begin receiving the documents from the National Archives.

  • Swami Vivekananda

    Swami Vivekananda

    The birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, which falls on January 12, is celebrated across India as National Youth Day, to honor one of the greatest philosophers and spiritual leaders. It also marks his ideas on how the young should participate in the modern world while upholding their values

    Swami Vivekananda was a Hindu monk and one of the most celebrated spiritual leaders of India. He was more than just a spiritual mind; he was a prolific thinker, great orator and passionate patriot. He carried on the free-thinking philosophy of his guru, Ramakrishna Paramhansa forward into a new paradigm. He worked tirelessly towards betterment of the society, in servitude of the poor and needy, dedicating his all for his country. He was responsible for the revival of Hindu spiritualism and established Hinduism as a revered religion on world stage. His message of universal brotherhood and self-awakening remains relevant especially in the current backdrop of widespread political turmoil around the world. The young monk and his teachings have been an inspiration to many, and his words have become goals of self-improvement especially for the youth of the country. For this very reason, his birthday, January 12, is celebrated as the National Youth Day in India.

    National Youth Day

    The birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda is celebrated across India as National Youth Day, to honour one of the greatest philosophers and spiritual leaders. It also marks his ideas on how the young should participate in the modern world while upholding their values. The decision to celebrate Vivekananda’s birthday as National Youth Day was taken in 1984, and it was first marked on January 12, 1985.

    The government had then said that the philosophy of Swamiji and the ideals for which he lived and worked “could be a great source of inspiration” for the Indian youth.

    The day is marked all over India at schools and colleges, with processions, speeches, music, youth conventions, seminars, Yogasanas, presentations, competitions in essay-writing, recitations and sports every year. But due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the schools being shut, most of the events will be held in virtual mode.

    Early Life and Education

    Vivekananda was one of the eight children of Vishwanath Dutta and Bhuvaneshwari Devi. His father Vishwanath was a successful attorney with considerable influence in society. Narendranath’s mother Bhuvaneshwari was a woman endowed with a strong, God-fearing mind who had a great impact on her son.

    As a young boy, Narendranath displayed sharp intellect. His mischievous nature belied his interest in music, both instrumental as well as vocal. He excelled in his studies as well, first at the Metropolitan institution, and later at the Presidency College in Calcutta. By the time he graduated from the college, he had acquired a vast knowledge of different subjects. He was active in sports, gymnastics, wrestling and body building. He was an avid reader and read up on almost everything under the sun. He perused the Hindu scriptures like the Bhagvad Gita and the Upanishads on one hand, while on the other hand he studied western philosophy, history and spirituality by David Hume, Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Herbert Spencer.

    Spiritual Crisis and Relationship with Ramkrishna Paramhansa

    Although Narendranath’s mother was a devout woman and he had grown up in a religious atmosphere at home, he underwent a deep spiritual crisis at the start of his youth. His well-studied knowledge led him to question the existence of God and for some time he believed in Agnosticism. Yet he could not completely ignore the existence of a Supreme Being. He became associated with Brahmo Movement led by Keshab Chandra Sen, for some time. The Bramho Samaj recognised one God unlike the idol-worshipping, superstition-ridden Hinduism. The host of philosophical questions regarding the existence of God roiling through his mind remained unanswered. During this spiritual crisis, Vivekananda first heard about Sri Ramakrishna from William Hastie, the Principal of the Scottish Church College.

    Earlier, to satisfy his intellectual quest for God, Narendranath visited prominent spiritual leaders from all religions, asking them a single question, “Have you seen God?” Each time he came away without a satisfying answer. He put forward the same question to Sri Ramkrishna at his residence in Dakshinewar Kali Temple compounds. Without a moment’s hesitation, Sri Ramakrishna replied: “Yes, I have. I see God as clearly as I see you, only in a much deeper sense.” Vivekananda, initially unimpressed by the simplicity of Ramkrishna, was astonished with Ramakrishna’s reply. Ramakrishna gradually won over this argumentative young man with his patience and love. The more Narendranath visited Dakshineshwar, the more his questions were answered.

    Spiritual Awakening

    In 1884, Naredranath underwent a considerable financial distress due to the death of his father as he had to support his mother and younger siblings. He asked Ramakrishna to pray to the Goddess for the financial welfare of his family. On Ramakrishna’s suggestion he himself went to the temple to pray. But once he faced the Goddess he could not ask for money and wealth, instead he asked for ‘Vivek’ (conscience) and ‘Bairagya’ (reclusion). That day marked the complete spiritual awakening of Narendranath and he found himself drawn to an ascetic way of life.

    Life of a Monk

    During the middle of 1885, Ramakrishna, who had been suffering from throat cancer, fell seriously ill. In September 1885, Sri Ramakrishna was moved to Shyampukur in Culcutta, and a few months later Narendranath took a rented villa at Cossipore. Here, he formed a group of young people who were ardent followers of Sri Ramakrishna and together they nursed their Guru with devoted care. On 16 August 1886, Sri Ramakrishna gave up his mortal body.

    After the demise of Sri Ramakrishna, around fifteen of his disciples including Narendranath began to live together in a dilapidated building at Baranagar in North Calcutta, which was named Ramakrishna Math, the monastic order of Ramakrishna. Here, in 1887, they formally renounced all ties to the world and took vows of monkhood. The brotherhood rechristened themselves and Narendranath emerged as Vivekananda meaning “the bliss of discerning wisdom”.

    The brotherhood lived off on alms donated voluntarily by patrons during holy begging or ‘madhukari’, performed yoga and meditation. Vivekananda left the Math in 1886 and went on a tour of India on foot as a ‘Parivrajak’. He travelled the breadth of the country, absorbing much of the social, cultural and religious aspects of the people he came in contact with. He witnessed the adversities of life that the common people faced, their ailments, and vowed to dedicate his life to bring relief to these suffering.

    Lecture at the World Parliament  of Religions

    During the course of his wanderings, he came to know about the World Parliament of Religions being held in Chicago, America in 1893. He was keen to attend the meeting, to represent India, Hinduism and his Guru Sri Ramakrishna’s philosophies. He found assertion of his wishes while he was meditating on the rocks of Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India. Money was raised by his disciples in Madras (now Chennai) and Ajit Singh, Raja of Khetri, and Vivekananda left for Chicago on May 31, 1893 from Bombay.

    He faced insurmountable hardships on his way to Chicago, but his spirits remained as indomitable as ever. On 11 September 1893, when the time came, he took the stage and stunned everyone with his opening line “My brothers and sisters of America”. He received a standing ovation from the audience for the opening phrase. He went on to describe the principles of Vedanta and their spiritual significance, putting Hinduism on the map of World Religions.

    He spent the next two and a half years in America and founded the Vedanta Society of New York in 1894. He also travelled to the United Kingdom to preach the tenets of the Vedanta and Hindu Spiritualism to the western world.

    Death

    Swami Vivekananda had predicted that he will not live till the age of forty. On July 4, 1902, he went about his days’ work at the Belur Math, teaching Sanskrit grammar to the pupils. He retired to his room in the evening and died during meditation at around 9. He is said to have attained ‘Mahasamadhi’ and the great saint was cremated on the Banks of river Ganga.

  • Sikh History This Week- January 6, 2023, to January 12, 2023

    6th January

    1846       Battle of Budowal between Sikhs and British.

    1989       Sirdar Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh hanged for gunning down Indira Gandhi. As Prime Minister of India, she had ordered the June 1984 attack on Harimandir Sahib by the Indian Armed Forces.

    Sardar Satwant Singh and Sardar Kehar Singh were hanged till death. They were co-accused with Sardar Beant Singh for gunning down Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. Sikh Panth holds Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India, responsible for the dessicration of Harminder Sahib in 1984’s Bluestar operation.

    7th January

    1924: 62 members of the SGPC were arrested from the precincts of Sri Darbar Sahib under Section 120, 121 (2) Indian Penal Code (Sedition) and Section 17A and 17B of the Act of 1908 by Special order of Punjab Governor.

    1974: Through the efforts of Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Yogi, the US Army Dress Code was amended to allow Sihs to wear beards and turbans and to maintain the five Kakkars.

    8th January

    1685       Baba Aalla Singh, founder of Patiala State, was born.BABA AALLA SINGH JI was born in village Phull to father Baba Ram Singh “Phulwansi” and mother Saabhi. He was introduced to amrit by Baba Deep Singh Ji, in TheekriWalae village. In sunmat 1810, he laid the foundation stone of a temporary structure for the Patiala fort while the construction of a permanent structure began in sunmat 1820. Simultaneously he founded the Patiala city. Barnala, Longowal, Sunaam, Bathinda, and Patiala were under his control. He passed away on 22nd Aug. 1765 in Patiala.

    9th January

    1961       Fateh Singh broke his fast after assurances regarding Punjabi Suba from the Indian Government.

    1983       Akali Dal organized a convention for GurSikh intellectuals in connection with the Dharam Yudh Morcha.

    10th January

    1770       Sikhs attack Delhi from Panipat side.

    1943       Harbans Singh Babbar of Sirhala was arrested.

    11th January

    1666: Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji released from prison.

    1843: A friendship treaty was signed between Maharaja Sher Singh and Amir Dost Mohamed Khan, ruler of Kabul. This treat was signed during Mohamed Khan’s visit to Lahore.

    1915: Giani Mewa Singh Lopokae hanged until death.

    12th January

    1758       Baba Aalla Singh attacked Abdul Samand Khan of Sirhind and reached a mutual agreement.

    1797       Shah Zaman lost 20,000 soldiers against Sikhs in a battle in Amritsar during his 3rd invassion. In a reckless hand-to-hand fighting at Amritsar, Shah Zaman lost 20,000 of his choicest solidiers against 15,000 Sikhs. During his 3rd invassion, Shah Zaman reached Peshawar in Nov. 1796 and entered Lahore in Jan. 1797. Sikh Sardars vacated Lahore and assembled at Amritsar to face Shah Zaman. Shah Zaman was defeated at Amritsar and returned to Lahore. The Sikhs pusued the retreating Afghans upto the outskirts of Lahore. Ranjit Singh with his 9000 troops was made responsible for security of the holy city. This marked the begining of the rise of Ranjit Singh. Sikhs cut off his supply lines and forced Shah Zaman to returned back.

    1922       British government announced its decision to finally withdraw from the management of the Drabar Sahib at Amritsar. The British government announced its decision to finally withdraw from the management of Sri Darbar Sahib at Amritsar and leave the administration in the hands of the Sikh community. The government had mistakingly belived that the Sikh community wanted to use the Gurudwara resources for political purposes. Despite its intense efforts, it found no Sikh willing to accept the office of Sarbrah at its hands. Finally, the government was left with no option but to negotiate with the SGPC, conceding the demands of Baba Kharak Singh, the uncrowned King of the Sikhs.

    1922       The Akalis under Mula Singh Bahowal took control of Anandpur Sahib.

    1922       The militant Akalis under Kishan Singh Garhgaj helped capture the Gurudwara of Kiratpur Sahib. Akalis forcibly captured the Kirtapur Gurdwara, despite the SGPC’s disapproval of such measures. The Akalis were helped by the Chakravarti Jatha under the leadership of Kishan Singh Garhgaj.

    1923       Letters of the soldiers published in Babbar Akalis Doaba newspaper. These letters expressed the gist of their talks with District Commissioner of Jalandhar.

    1982       Harsimran Singh, Chief organizer of Dal Khalsa, arrested. Harsimran Singh, Mukh Panch (chief Organiser) of the Dal Khalsa was arrested from Mohali near Chandigarh. The Dal Khalsa leaders believed that that was possible because of a conspiracy by some member of the Organisation. Harsimran Singh was tortured by the police and forced to read out a written statement if he wanted to save his life. The police told him that they had the permission of the Government to kill him in a fake encounter near the Indo-Pakistan border. Such atrocities were perpetrated on various Sikhs arrested during that period.

  • January 6 New York & Dallas E – Edition

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”E-Edition” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Istok%20Web%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theindianpanorama.news%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F01%2FTIP-January-6-E-Edition.pdf”][vc_single_image image=”136127″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.theindianpanorama.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/TIP-January-6-E-Edition.pdf”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Lead Stories This Week” google_fonts=”font_family:Istok%20Web%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theindianpanorama.news%2F”][vc_wp_posts number=”5″ show_date=”1″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”82828″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.theindianpanorama.news/advertising-media-kit-portal-indian-panorama/”][vc_single_image image=”82829″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.theindianpanorama.news/advertising-media-kit-portal-indian-panorama/”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Jodhpur: The Blue City

    Jodhpur: The Blue City

    Jodhpur is the second-largest city in Rajasthan and the former capital of the Marwar region. It is popularly called “the Blue City” as it looks completely blue from an aerial view because of its blue walls and houses. Jodhpur is primarily famous for its temples, lakes and snacks, with the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort being the main attraction.

    The magic of Jodhpur lies in the streets of the old city itself, which circles the mighty Mehrangarh. Hundreds of shops, guesthouses, eating joints, and vendors make it a bustling chirpy town, especially near the landmark clock tower and Sardar Market. The new and modern Jodhpur lies beyond Mehrangarh. Nearby Jaswant Tada and Umaid Bhawan Palace are also among the top attractions in Jodhpur.

    Jodhpur is famous for its delectable food items, especially Pyaaj Kachori, Mirchi Bada and Mawa Kachori. In September, the city hosts the colourful Marwar Festival and Rajasthan International Folk Festival. Some traditional villages are located around Jodhpur, and a tour of these villages (called Bishnoi Village Safari) is one of the popular things to do here. One of the strangest temples in India, where a Royal Enfield motorbike is worshipped, is located nearby and worth visiting. The ancient Thar desert town of Osian is also located here, 65km north of Jodhpur. Seen in the backdrop of the movies, the most popular being The Dark Knight Rises, Jodhpur attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors worldwide. Moreover, it is conveniently located in the centre of Rajasthan, making it the base for visiting nearby places.

    Mehrangarh Fort

    Mehrangarh, also known as Mehran Fort was built by Rao Jodha in 1459 in Jodhpur, is one of the largest forts in the country. It is situated at the top of a 410 feet elevated hill and guarded by massive walls. One of the most easily recognisable forts in Jodhpur, it has appeared in many Hollywood and Bollywood productions such as The Lion King, The Dark Knight Rises, and the more recent – Thugs of Hindostan. The entrance of the fort, atop a hill, is majestic and has seven gates. These are called Victory Gate, Fateh Gate, Gopal Gate, Bhairon Gate, Dedh Kamgra Gate, Marti Gate and finally Loha Gate. Each of these was built at different times and serves a very specific purpose. While one still has marks of cannon balls being hit on it, the other has spikes that can protect it from elephant and animal attacks. However, Victory Gate was built to commemorate the win of Maharaja Man Singh over Jaipur and Bikaner armies. The fort also has opulent palaces such as the Sheesh Mahal (Glass Palace) and Phool Mahal (Rose Palace).

    The intricate carvings on the walls of the fort, the sprawling courtyards, its impressive history, striking palaces, museums and galleries allure tourists from all over the world. The fort also has one of the well-stocked museums of Rajasthan. There are six different galleries in the Mehrangarh Museum: Elephant’s howdahs, Palanquins, Daulat Khana, Armoury, Paintings and the Turban Gallery. National Geological Monument, Nagnecha Mataji Temple, Chamunda Temple and Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park are the tourist attractions in Mehrangarh Fort.

    Umaid Bhawan Palace

    Voted as the Best Hotel in the world, Umaid Bhawan Palace is also a major tourist attraction in Jodhpur. Apart from being a heritage hotel, it is a museum and the residence of the Royal Family of the present owner, Raja Gaj Singh. Because of its location on the highest point in Jodhpur, the Chittar Hill, it is also referred to as the Chittar Palace. Built-in 1943, the palace was commissioned in 1929, was built in order to provide employment to the drought and grief-stricken farmers of the area and thus took longer to complete. Umaid Bhavan Palace offers amazing hospitality along with heritage walks to unforgettable dining experiences. It was recently in the news for being the site of the Bollywood Superstar Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas – a renowned Pop Star from the Band – One Direction.

    At present, the 347 – room palace has been divided into three parts. One part is the residence of the royal family, where the tourists are not allowed to enter. The second houses a museum which displays a rich collection of photographs, arms, clocks, stuffed animals and many other possessions of the royal family. The third part of the palace has been converted into a five-star hotel and offers the most exquisite services to its clientele. It is one of the most popular hotels in Jodhpur. Perched atop the mighty Chittar Hill, this palace is often referred to as the Chittar Palace too. To add to the beauty of the palace, there is a beautiful garden outside with lush greenery and different varieties of flowers.

    Camel Safari

    A trip to the desert would be incomplete without a camel safari across the seemingly endless expanse of the sandy terrain. With Rajasthan being the desert state of India, a trip to this cultural oasis will only feel complete by availing a camel safari. The city of Jodhpur offers multiple packages of varying durations for its visitors. The shortest of these safaris allows one to travel 70 km across the glistening sheets of golden sand of the Thar desert to the ancient town of Osian, steeped in cultural history significant to both Hindus and Jains. If you’re feeling especially adventurous, there are packages offering travellers the opportunity to undertake the incredible journey from the blue city of Jodhpur to the golden city of Jaisalmer, spanning roughly 250 km of the mesmerising desert.

    Toorji Ka Jhalra

    Constructed in 1740, Toorji Ka Jhalra, commonly called stepwell of Jodhpur, is an intricate design of stepwell, one of the few remaining structures depicting the traditional water management systems of Jodhpur. This architectural wonder was built by the queen-consort of Maharaja Abhaya Singh, a sign of the age-old tradition of the region where royal women were in charge of overseeing the public water works. The design and structure help onlookers comprehend the lifestyle of the earlier generations who had used it in its prime, with the site serving as the local watering hole for its time.

    Jaswant Thada

    In the royal state of Jodhpur lies Jaswant Thada, a splendid marble cenotaph monument that is also a mausoleum for the kings of Marwar. The memorial was built in the honour and memory of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II by his son Maharaja Sardar Singh in 1899 and is still used by the Marwar Royal Family as cremation grounds. The beautiful edifice is made out of intricately carved marble that is offset vibrantly against the red steps that lead up to the entrance. Jaswant Thada in Jodhpur is considered as an architectural landmark and must be seen by one and all. On the steps leading up to the monument, one can see local musicians and folk dancers entertain the visitors.

    The cenotaph also has a beautifully maintained garden which the tourists can explore along with the monument. You can explore the intricate artistry on the carved marbles. The skilfully carved thin sheets of marble are worth appreciating. The entire structure resembles a temple with unmatched beauty. It is also called the Taj Mahal of Marwar and attracts tourists from all over the world.

    Mandore Garden

    Famous royal cenotaphs, Mandore Garden is located just 9 kilometres away from Jodhpur in Mandore which was once the ruling seat of the Pratihara dynasty. The garden is a part of the more massive Mehrangarh Fort, and also houses the famous Hall of Heroes and the temple of Three Hundred Million Gods. The garden also has a Government Museum, which is full of artefacts and old relics.                 Source: Holidify

  • Paush Purnima

    Paush Purnima

    Paush Purnima refers to the full moon of the “Shukla Paksha” in the month of Pausha, as per the Hindu Calendar. It is a significant day for Hindus and is celebrated all over the country by fasting, worshipping and conducting the Satyanarayan Katha. On the day of the Paush Purnima, the moon is visible in its complete size, and it is said that bathing in holy water, donating to the poor and offering “Prasada” to Suryadev on this day shall rid a person of all their sins and guide them towards the path of salvation. A full moon marks the day of Purnima, and according to the Hindu calendar, there are a total of twelve Purnimas in a year. However, the Pausha Purnima and the Magha Purnima are given the most importance.

    Significance

    The Paush Purnima is a significant day for the Hindu religion. The day marks the end of winter and the beginning of the Magha month, and even the “Maha Kumbh Mela” falls during this period.

    The Paush Purnima is an opportunity for devotees to end their inner darkness and follow the path of enlightenment, thus attaining salvation. According to the Hindu religion, taking a bath in the holy water at a Hindu pilgrimage place on this auspicious day rids a person of all their sins and helps them attain “Moksha.”

    It is believed that a person who wakes up early in the morning on this day and bathes in the holy water as he offers his prayers to the rising sun shall be forgiven for all the sins he has committed in his past lives and be entitled to salvation.

    The Fasting Procedure

    On the auspicious occasion of the Pausha Purnima, devotees all over the country bathe in the holy water of the Ganges, make donations and fast in an attempt to impress Suryadev and attain ultimate salvation. Mentioned below is the procedure to follow on the day of the Paush Purnima to impress Suryadev.

    Take a vow to fast throughout the day before taking a bath in the holy water.

    Pray to the Lord of Oceans, Varun dev.

    Now bathe in a holy river.

    Offer holy water to Suryadev while chanting his mantras.

    After the bath, pray to Lord Krishna by offering Prasada to the Lord.

    Donate food to a needy person or a Brahmin.

    Also, donate woollen clothes, blankets, and jaggery to the poor.

    Rituals

    Let us look at some of the rituals that are followed on the day of the Paush Purnima.

    Bathing is the most important ritual on the day of Paush Purnima. Devotees wake up very early in the morning and take a bath in the holy rivers at sunrise as they offer ‘Argha’ to the rising sun.

    After bathing, devotees must worship the “Shiva Linga” with water and meditate near the “Shiva Linga” in order to absorb the spiritual energy.

    Devotees are known to organise a Satyanarayan Katha on this day as they fast and pray to the Lord Vishnu and offer Prasada to the Lord.

    After the Katha, the Aarti is done, and the Prasada is distributed to the members present in the ceremony. On the day of Paush Purnima, ‘Pushyabhishek Yatra’ is celebrated in the temples of Lord Krishna all over India.

    Recitations of the Ramayana and the Bhagavad Gita are also organised on this day.

    Devotees must donate things and food to the poor on this day

    Under ‘Anna Daan’, free food is served in temples and ashrams to needy people all over India.

    Paush Purnima Vrat Katha (Stories Related to Paush Purnima)

    Mythology of Paush Purnima

    According to mythological texts, there was a time when a demon named Durgam had spread terror on the Earth. Due to this, the rain stopped, and this situation lasted for a hundred years. Due to lack of rain, there was a shortage of food and water, and there was a severe drought, due to which people started dying. Life on Earth was beginning to end. The inaccessible demon had also stolen all the four Vedas of Brahma. Then Maa Durga incarnated as Maa Shakambhari Devi. Goddess Shakambari had a hundred eyes. Seeing the plight of the Earth, his tears started flowing, and in this way, the water flowed again on the whole Earth. After this, Maa Shakambhari put an end to Durgam.

    Second story of Paush Purnima

    According to another legend, Goddess Shakambhari did penance for 100 years and used to eat vegetarian food once at the end of the month. As a result of her penance, trees and plants had grown on their own in a lifeless place where there was no water for 100 years. From far and wide, sages and saints came there to see the miracle of the mother and were given vegetarian food. Since the mother used to take only vegetarian food, The name of the mother was Shakambhari Mata.

    Mantras to Chant on the Paush Purnima

    Mantras of Lord Surya:

    Om Ghrini Surya Aditya

    Om Hrim Hrim Suryay Sahastrakiranray Manovanchhit Falam Dehi Dehi Swaha

    Om Aihi Surya Sahastranshaon Tejo Rashe Jagatpatye,Anukampayama Bhaktya, Grihanarghai Divakar:

    Om Hrim Ghrini: Surya Aditya: Cleam Om

    Om Hrim Hrim Suryaya Namah

    Om Surya Namah.

    Om Ghrini Surya Namah.

    Moon Darshan worship mantra:

    Om Kshirputray Vidmahe Amrit Tatvay Dheemahi, Tanno Chandra: Prachodayat.

    This mantra should be chanted while offering Argha to the moon.

    Shakambhari Mata Mantra:

    Neelavarnanilotpalvilochana.

    Mushtinshilimukhapoorna Kamalankamalalaya.’

    Paush Purnima is the opportunity to end your inner darkness, hence, use it to the fullest. May Suryadev be enchanted by your prayers and help you succeed in life.

  • Global economy to face tougher year in 2023, warns IMF chief

    A third of the global economy will be in recession this year, the IMF (International Monetary Fund) chief has said, and warned that 2023 will be “tougher” than last year as the US, EU (European Union) and China will see their economies slow down.

    Kristalina Georgieva, the chief of the IMF made these grim assertions on Sunday during a CBS news programme “Face the Nation.” It comes at a time when the ongoing conflict in Ukraine shows no signs of abating after more than 10 months, with spiralling inflation, higher interest rates and the surge in coronavirus infections in China fuelled by the Omicron variant. “We expect one-third of the world economy to be in recession,” Kristalina Georgieva said on the news programme. The year 2023 will be tougher than last year because the economies of the US, the EU and China will slow down, she said. “Even in countries that are not in recession, it would feel like a recession for hundreds of millions of people,” she explained. In October last year, the IMF trimmed its growth forecast for 2023. “Global growth is forecast to slow from 6 per cent in 2021 to 3.2 per cent in 2022 and 2.7 per cent in 2023. This is the weakest growth profile since 2001 except for the global financial crisis and the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic,” it said.

    Source: PTI

  • Republican Kevin McCarthy elected as House Speaker in 15th round of votes

    Republican Kevin McCarthy elected as House Speaker in 15th round of votes

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected Speaker of the US House of Representatives on Saturday, January 7, which is hopefully expected to bring an end to political paralysis that the country has seen for days now.

    McCarthy, 57, replaces Nancy Pelosi, 82 of the Democratic Party, which lost the majority in the House after the November 8 midterm elections wherein the Republicans won 222 seats in the 435-member House against 212 of the Democrats.

    McCarthy defeated 52-year-old Hakeem Sekou Jeffries by 216 to 212 votes, in the 15th round of votes that went past midnight.

    The Republican was able to muster a majority from the lawmakers present on the floor only after six of his party rebels voted present, which brought down the magic number from 218 to 215 votes. McCarthy will be the 55th speaker.

    Congressman Matt Gaetz, one of his fiercest critics and opponents, refused to vote in favor of McCarthy in the 14th round and also in the 15th round. But moved his vote from against McCarthy to present, and so did five other GOP lawmakers.

    In the 14th round, there were some last-minute floor negotiations in front of the cameras, wherein McCarthy walked up to Gaetz pleading for his vote. This was followed by some angry exchange of words between supporters of McCarthy and Gaetz.

    Congressman Richard Hudson was seen pulling his party colleague Mike Rogers, as he confronted Gaetz, during the 14th round of voting. In the previous 13 rounds – two of which were held earlier in the day–, McCarthy had some frustrating and embarrassing moments as he was opposed by a group of 20 lawmakers from his own party, mostly from the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus. It was only in the 12th and 13th rounds that more than a dozen of those GOP naysayers switched their votes.

    “Of the more than 50 speakers of the House, 15 have been in McCarthy’s situation: needing multiple elections to win the gavel,” NBC News said, reflecting the historic and unprecedented nature of the election of a House Speaker this year. There have been only four House speaker races that have gone so far in the past. As a powerful Speaker of the House, McCarthy would be in a key position to play a key role in deciding the national policies, including those related to the budget. In this position, McCarthy is also third in the line of succession after President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The 118th Congress has five Indian Americans as members of the House of Representatives. They are all from the Democratic Party — Dr Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal and Shri Thanedar. All of them voted for Jeffries in the 14th round of votes.

    (Source: PTI)

  • Making every effort to reduce visa interview appointment time in India: US

    Making every effort to reduce visa interview appointment time in India: US

    State Department spokesperson says visa processing is recovering faster than projected

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The United States is making every effort to reduce the waiting time for visa interview appointment in India as soon as possible, a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday, January 4.

    “Visa processing is recovering faster than projected and over the coming year, we expect to reach pre-pandemic processing levels,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference.

    visas in fiscal year 2022 than in any year since 2016, he said, adding that its embassy and consulates in India in particular broke their all-time record for the number of student visas issued in a single fiscal year. “We issued nearly 1,25,000 student visas. We recognize that some applicants may still face extended visa wait times, and we’re making every effort to further reduce visa interview appointment wait times as quickly as possible in India and around the world, including for first-time tourist visa applicants,” he said.

    Responding to a question, Price said he certainly understands the frustrations of those having long wait times. “I can tell you that it is a priority of the Secretary and of the Department to do everything we can to reduce that backlog and ultimately to reduce the wait times. We are committed to safeguarding national security while facilitating legitimate travel to non-immigrant travelers,” he said.

  • Indian American Business Council & Consul General of India at Chicago jointly host Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Promotional Community Meet

    Indian American Business Council & Consul General of India at Chicago jointly host Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Promotional Community Meet

    Indian American Business Council & Consul General of India at Chicago  jointly host Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Promotional Community Meet

    CHICAGO, IL (TIP): Indian American Business Council [IABC] in collaboration with the office of the Consulate General of India under the leadership of Ambassador Somnath Ghosh held Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Promotional Community Meet & Reception with the express purpose of mobilizing robust representation and participation of the Indian diaspora from the Chicagoland area held at the Marriot Northwest in Hoffman Estate, Illinois. This promotional community meet attracted 20 community organizations who have stepped up to showcase enthusiastic support and interest in participating at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be held in Indore City, India from January 8-10, 2023. Several Chicago community’s high-profile leaders spoke with Ambassador Somnath Ghosh, Consul General of India taking the lead.  Consul General Somnath Ghosh thanked Indian American Business Council and the participating organizations for their enthusiastic participation and said that it augurs well that the representation from Illinois at PBD will be robust. Consul General Somnath Ghosh eloquently outlined the success story of India and the trajectory of India accelerating economic growth and its march towards global eminence.  Consul General Ghosh urged Indian diaspora to take this opportunity to visit India to attend the PBD to discuss and participate in nation building. Consul General Somnath Ghosh spent time interacting with each organizational groups and acknowledging them for their warm reception.

    Earlier, Ajeet Singh, President of Indian American Business Council in his welcome address explained that it is our collective mission to ensure substantial representation of Indian Americans from Illinois at PBD.

    Ajeet Singh thanked and acknowledged each of the twenty community organizations for their fervent support and particularly thanked Ambassador Somnath Ghosh and acknowledged Amarbir Ghoman and Harry Ghoman for graciously opening their magnificent Marriot facility to showcase Pravasi Bharatiya Divas event. Ajeet Singh announced IABC will host the ‘Global India Conclave’ in July 2023 in Chicago that will celebrate the magnificent transformational story of India and the sizeable contributions made by the Indian diaspora in India’s march towards global eminence.

    Dr.Bharat Barai, prominent leader who was a recipient of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Award from the then President of India – in his remarks – presented an overview and how Pravasi Bharatiya Divas meet has evolved since its inception. Dr. Bharat Barai passionately advocated Indian Americans to attend and participate at the NRI Divas to engage in a conversation that seeks to bring about meaningful outcomes. Dr. Sreenivas Reddy, Chairman of Illinois Medical Board and a leading Vascular/Interventional Radiologist highlighted the noteworthy role and the contributions of the Indian diaspora in nation rebuilding especially during the pandemic.  Dr. Sreenivas Reddy thanked Consul General Somnath Ghosh for his spirited efforts in galvanizing the community to appraise the significance of participation at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and add that the year 2023 is a momentous year with Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, The Global India Conclave in Chicago, Global Peace Festival with Shree Shree Ravi Shankar ji and the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

    Earlier, Mr. Amarbir Ghoman, CEO of the Marriot Northwest welcomed the guests and said he was deeply honored to be the host for this important PBD promotional reception.

    Indore City Mayor Shri. Pushyamitra Bhargav came on ‘live’ and addressed the gathering and said a historic welcome awaits the Indian diaspora at the PBD meet in his city which he said bears a rich history and rapid industrialization, Indore is famously known for its hospitable people, magnificent palaces and temples, street food, night markets, and more and added it is becoming a preferred destination.  Kailash Vijayvargiya former Mayor of Indore and National General Secretary of BJP party also joined in inviting Indian Americans to join  him at the PBD meet. FIA Chairman Sunil Shah in his introductory remarks said that Federation of Indian Associations are excited to be a part of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas promotional event and said under the aegis of FIA we will mobilize good representation at the Pravasi Divas in Indore, India.

    Anand Tiwari of Madhya Pradesh association made a power point presentation that exhibited the evolving beauty of Indore City and how it is rapidly transforming to be the ‘Silicon Valley of the Madhya [middle] Pradesh.

    Keerthi Kumar Ravoori, Chair of Indian American Business Council served as the moderator for the event. Dr. Vemuri Murthy of Chicago Medical Society spoke at the event. Vinesh Virani, Executive Vice President of IABC proposed a vote of thanks and especially acknowledge Consular officers Vinod Gautham, Ranjit Singh and TD Bhutiya and others.

    Photographs and Press release byAsian Media USA

  • International Indian Icon (3iii)

    International Indian Icon (3iii)

    A Platform for Indian Talent across the Globe!A global talent hunts!

    CHICAGO, IL (TIP): International Indian Icon (3iii) (Three Eye) by Gee Vision Inc. (Gee), Chicago USA is taking over the world as a global talent platform by giving young children and adults the opportunity to showcase their talent without any restrictions of location, culture, color, gender or age at a national and international level. Since its inception in 2017, Dec 30th 2022 Gee Vision Inc. completed 3iii 2022 Season-6 with the huge success 3iii S-6 episode production (Semi-finals, Finale and Grand finale) in n Plainfield, IL Suburb of Chicago) from Dec 29th to Dec 30th 2022. 3iii has reached a platform of 25,562 participants and a world-wide talent from the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Middle East, Asia and India with registrations from 46 countries of 7 continents. 1st 3iii S-6 Semi-final i.e., 3iii India 2022 with 102 on-site semi-finalists and 18 on-line semi-finalists (joined through Zoom) from all over Asia was shot in Delhi, India on Dec 26th & 27th 2022.

    2nd 3iii S-6 semi-final and finale with 82 on-site semi-finalists; 23 on-line semifinalists from all over the world and 12 finalists i.e., 3iii India 2022 winners from India (joined through Zoom) was shot in Community Event Center, 24035 W. Riverwalk Ct., Plainfield, IL 60544 with multiple cameras and beautiful stage and 3iii Band by Suneer Mehmood on Dec 29th 2022.

    3iii S-6 was judged by Bollywood Music composer, lyricist and singer ARKO, Hollywood actor and music manager BOBBY LEIGH, Ms India 2013 and International celebrity anchor SIMRAN AHUJA which was supported by 3iii International Jury consisting of Bollywood playback singer POONAL BHATIA, Bollywood entertainer from Dubai ABBAS ALI MITZA for singing; Gauri Jog, Pooja Joshi, Bharathi Devarakonda for Dance; Juhi Jigiasi and Pooja Nanjia for Fashion.

    3iii Anchor/MC team included Simran Ahuja, Ajai Kumar and RJ Anya Ahuja.

    Grand-finale of 3iii 2022 Season-6 was successfully concluded as per plan by declaring following Winners of International Indian Icon (3iii – 2022), Season-6 of different categories and age group.

    Singing:

    On-site in Chicago:

    • Payal Roy Gaguli (Senior)
    • Tulip Ghosh (Junior)

    * On-line through Zoom

    • Sanika Pandey (Junior)

    Dance:

    * On-site in Chicago

    • Gazal Sethi (Senior)
    • NayanNampally (Junior)

    Fashion:

    * On-site in Chicago

    • NayanNampally (Junior)
    • Riya (Senior)

    I Got Talent:

    * On-site in Chicago

    • TablaJugalbandi (Junior):
    • AkshayTalreja Ashwin Nair Viral Patel Tejas Patnaik

    * On-line through Zoom

    • Surjeet Singh (Senior)
    • Nihal Banda (Junior)

    3iii previous 5 seasons have been judged by numerous

    • Bollywood legendary music directors, singers and choreographers like legendary music director Jatin Pandit,
    • Bollywood composer, lyricist and singer Arko Mukherjee,
    • Bollywood Slumdog millionaires choreographer Longinus Fernandez.
    • Bollywood actress Meenakshi Seshadri.
    • Ms India 2013 Simian Ahuja

    Show their talent in numerous categories such as Singing, Dancing, Instruments, acting, Fashion, Comedy and I Got Talent (Any Talent) across all 3 age groups Junior (16 Yr.), Senior (55 Years) and Super Senior (More than 55 Years).

    1st 2 seasons of 3iii were aired on Zee TV USA while 3rd and 4th seasons were televised by Sahara One, Samay and Filmy TV channels. Discussion about airing / streaming Season-5 and 6 episodes on some global TV channels/OTT platform is in progress, soon TV channel / OTT platform will be announced. Talent are recognized in all talent categories across all 3 age groups as State Indian Icon at state level across the country, who are invited to compete at country level to be recognized as Indian Country Icon at country level across the globe and winners of all countries of all categories across all 3 age groups are invited to Chicago, USA to join 3iii Episode Production (Semi-final, Finale & Grand-finale) on-line or onsite during last week of December.

    3iii (Three Eye) founded by Mr Sharan Walia, the vision behind the platform for both on-line and on-site competition to not only show the beauty of Indian culture through song, dance, fashion and talent but also allow nonnatives to show their love for Indian culture by performing to Indian songs and dance.

    Gee would also like to thank Mr. Naresh Shastri (3iii Execution Director) from Chicago for successfully executing 3iii globally since 3iii 2017 Season-1. Gee thanks 3iii India Partner MrAjit Bains and huge support of Mr. Sanjay Yadav in making 3iii India 2022 a huge success. Gee appreciates support of Dr ChidatmikaKhatua, founder of Adi Tribal Foundation for collaborating with Gee Vision for Tribal Queen Global (TQG) to empower Tribal women and recognize Tribal talent globally.

    MrRaajRahhi as 3iii Director has taken the responsibility of entire 3iii episode production globally to make 3iii episodes to air/stream it globally on multiple TV channels and/or OTT Platform. TV and OTT platforms may contact Gee / 3iii for collaboration opportunities.

    Gee would like to thank 3iii Advisory Board, 3iii International Jury and appreciates the volunteer support of Archana Mitta for supporting 3iii 2022 S-6 with her team.

    International Indian Icon (3iii – 2022) Season-6 Grand-finale Singing (Senior) Category winners Payal Roy Gaguli.

    Gee is on the move to create an International on-line and on-site platform 3iii for anyone who likes any type of Indian art and culture, living in any part of the world, without any restrictions of geographical boundaries, culture, color, gender and age to give them opportunity to showcase their talent at National and International Level.

    Gee welcomes any talent of any category of any age group, gender, region, religion, and color without any discrimination to participate in the 3iii Global talent competition to showcase their talent to the world. Gee has a unique vision and mission of bringing a global talent community at one platform 3iii to share the knowledge, talent, experience and art with each other globally.

    3iii 2023 Season-7 plan is being built and registration for the same will open on Apr1st 2023 on both 3iii websites www.internationalindianicon.com and www.3iii.us as well as on 3iii Apps (iOS & Android).

    (Photographs and Press release byAsian Media USA)

  • AAPI’s 16th Annual Global Health Summit Inaugurated in Visakhapatnam

    AAPI’s 16th Annual Global Health Summit Inaugurated in Visakhapatnam

    VISAKHAPATNAM/NEW YORK (TIP):  The 16th annual Global Healthcare Summit (GHS)  organized by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) was inaugurated with a beautiful rendition of Vande Mataram and the lighting of the traditional lamp by the Chief Guest, Smt. Vidadala Rajini, Honorable Minister for Health, Family Welfare & Medical Education and several other dignitaries, AAPI leaders and local organizers of the Summit at Hotel Novotel on the seashore in Visakhapatnam on January 6th, 2023.

    Attended by nearly 500 delegates from the United States and India, the GHS 2023 is being jointly organized by AAPI and the local organizing committee at Visakhapatnam from January 6th to 8th, 2023. This Global Health Care Summit, with participation from leading medical professionals, thought leaders, heads of several health industry sectors, and policy-makers  assumes importance especially in the context of the waning pandemic that has shaken the entire human race and has been instrumental in helping everyone realize that the predicament is common across all the continents.

    AAPI leaders and guests on the stage.

    Shri. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Honorable Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, in a message delivered to the AAPI delegates at the GHS, urged the members of “the American Association of Physicians of Indian origin to give back something to the society, which has given them an opportunity to pursue medical education and become successful in India and abroad.”

    Shri. Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed confidence, stating, “I’m sure this platform will bring together best in the healthcare field from professionals, who will provide innovative solutions for the challenges being faced by all.” Lauding the world-renowned specialists from the United States, who have assembled in Visakhapatnam, Shri Jagan Reddy said, “I am informed that many specialists from the US are attending the conference, whose expertise will be very much useful since their ideas on technology and advances in various fields in solving health related issues in India. While this conference is focusing on mental health, neurology, maternal and child health, oncology, gastroenterology, neurology, cardiology, they will be very relevant to learn from the successful practices abroad.”

    Chief Guest at the Summit, Smt. Vidadala Rajini, Honorable Minister for Health, Family Welfare & Medical Education, said, “The Global Healthcare Summit is an important opportunity for all the healthcare professionals to learn from each other and enhance fellowship. I’m grateful to have this opportunity to attend and learn from all of you,” she said. “I believe that by working with you, we can improve the health and wellbeing of the people in the state. The government has the ability to design the best policies on healthcare, while delivering the best of the patient’s treatment eventually falls into the hands of the physicians.” She praised AAPI delegates for their “dedication and passion to deliver the best patient care. Thank you all once again. The nation is indebted to you for your leadership, and for helping our vulnerable people.” The state has already started taking measures to improve the performance of the healthcare sector by mapping the public healthcare and preventive healthcare system through effective interventions, she said.

    While presenting a robust picture of how the state of Andhra Pradesh has become a role model in healthcare delivery with higher rate of investment in healthcare, the Health Minister of Andhra Pradesh said, “Thank you all for being here. And thank you for taking time and conducting such big summits over here. And likewise, it’s a learning session for all of us. And all of your ideas will be taken into consideration by the government of Andhra Pradesh, and let’s all work together and be a part of the growth story of us today.”

    Others who spoke on the occasion and felicitated AAPI and the local organizers of the Summit included, Shri. Gudivada Amarnath, Honorable Minister for IT.

    Dr Ravi Kolli, President of AAPI in his opening remarks, while describing the objectives of the  Summit, said, “The Global Healthcare Summit aims at raising awareness on key health care issues affecting the Indian subcontinent such as Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, Women’s and Children’s Health, Infectious Diseases and Mental Health.”  The highlight of this Summit is to reaffirm NRI Physicians’ commitment towards improving health care and create model programs for management of various diseases and to improve outcomes universally, he added. The Summit will be focusing on mental health, reduce the stigma for seeking mental health services, working on Physicians burnout, he added. In addition, AAPI is keen to collaborate with various state and federal government programs to enhance the quality of healthcare delivery, making it affordable, efficient, and equitable, especially helping with the management of various diseases, improving health outcomes universally, training the trainer sessions involving learning modules in different specialties, and tele-consultations. “We are sure that the Summit will offer a rewarding experience not only on intellectual but on aesthetic front as well, as the scenic beauty of Visakhapatnam and the many places around will be worth going to during your trip. The organizing committee is immensely pleased to be at your service,” said Dr. Ravi Raju, Chair of GHS (India) 2023.

    Describing some of the objectives of the GHS, Dr. Prasad Chalasani, Chair of GHS (USA) 2023 said. “We hope to create an intellectually charged platform for experts to share their experiences on some of the common professional issues that still remain a challenge in spite of all the advancement. The exchange of expertise and transfer of technology by the best brains is bound to offer positive and innovative solutions to some of the problems faced by humankind.”

    A view of the gathering

    Among the many initiatives that emerge from GHS 2023, a notable action plan will be for AAPI to collaborate with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to initiate an ambitious program to address mental health and wellness of students in high school in Andhra Pradesh. Some of the other initiatives that will be announced during the GHS 2023 include: effective treatment modalities on non-communicable medical diseases, reducing the infant and maternal mortality and HPV Vaccination. Discussions and deliberations that are being addressed included, the Stigma of Mental illness, Suicide prevention, Management of Chronic diseases and Non Communicable Diseases, and other Global Health issues including Climate Change and its impact on health.

    The essence of AAPI is educational. That translates into numerous Continuing Medical Education and non-CME seminars by experts in their fields. The GHS 2023 with the theme of “True and Total Health is the Wellbeing of Mind, Body, and Spirit” has several CME sessions that focus on Mental Health, Infant and Maternal Mortality as well as various other medical specialty updates, and Medical Jeopardy.

    CME sessions with academicians from the United States offer unique opportunities for local medical staff and healthcare professionals to advance leanings and provide the best possible care for the people of India. The Summit will have a research competition for medical students and post graduate students from all over India. AAPI will confer Awards of excellence and lifetime achievements during the Summit. “In our quest to fulfill the mission of AAPI, we are proud to share best practices and experiences from leading experts in the world and develop actionable plans and projects that enable access to affordable and quality healthcare for all people. To help accomplish this mission, we are excited to be here in Visakhapatnam and be part of the GHS 2023,” Dr. Kolli urged. For more information on Global Health Summit, please visit: www.summit.aapiusa.org and www.GHS2023.com

    (Based on a Press Release)

  • The Indian Panorama Special Correspondent in Rajasthan, Dr Yashpal Goyal, interviewed Dr Kirori Lal Meena, Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament on the Uniform Civil Code Bill.

    The Indian Panorama Special Correspondent in Rajasthan, Dr Yashpal Goyal, interviewed Dr Kirori Lal Meena, Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament on the Uniform Civil Code Bill.

    Though he is a BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan, Dr Kirori Lal Meena, is known for his clever and genuine protests. In last 4 years of Gehlot government, Meena joined protests with  others regardless of party politics and gender bias. Meena leads their sit-in, roadblocks, sleeping on ground in all seasons with them, entering into secretariat and CM’s residence. Meena enables them to get justice and demands fulfilled. Meena makes the Gehlot government answerable on public agitations.

    None else among BJP’s political figures has such a boldness, competence and sharpness to challenge the Gehlot government in the state. Last year in August,  unceasing charisma that he is, he forcibly  hoisted a Meena community flag (Jai Meenesh) over Amagarh Fort, and got it opened for all other community people who worship there. As he has stronghold in eastern districts of Alwar, Dausa, Karauli, Sawaimadhopur, Bharatpur, and tribal belt of Banswara districts, no government (specially Congress led) can dare to stop him but they tried to resolve the demands and issues on top priority and on the spot.

    The 70 years vibrant Meena, having an MBBS degree, was first elected from Mahwa assembly in Dausa district in 1985, then he was a cabinet minister in the previous Raje government during 2003-08, and due to political differences with Raje he  quit the BJP party in 2008. His wife Golma Devi (like Rabri Devi of Bihar) entered into politics as an Independent MLA and was MoS in the Gehlot’s second term 2008-13. He joined PA Sangma led National People’s Party, but  finally returned to the BJP fold and was offered Rajya Sabha MP seat from Rajasthan in 2018.  Using his political credentials and power of Meena community and being Prime Minister’s blue eyed boy, Dr Kirori Lal was prompted to place a private member’s bill on Uniform Civil Code in Rajya Sabha amidst Opposition parties’ allegations of killing democracy and unity in diversity.

    Will it be a ‘litmus test’ of the NDA government or will it be disastrous like the 3-farmers bills which were withdrawn after yearlong agitation in Punjab and Haryana states last year.  In a frank conversation with Dr Yash Goyal, Meena revealed the facts of the bill that he hoped to get through in near future, if not soon, may  be before the LS polls in 2024.

    How would you explain, what is Uniform Civil Code ?

    It means a common law for everyone in the country. Without considering the religion, castes and domicile, one common law should come in force to protect the personal rights of all citizens. I belong to a tribe, I am Hindu, I can have two marriages. You cannot do it, and if anyone does it he would be punished under the section 494 of IPC for seven years. In our country, Muslim man can do 3/4/5 marriages, whereas in the neighbouring country Pakistan, a second marriage is only possible when Muslim man gets his wife’s consent. There is a disparity in law, and to remove/correct this disparity, Uniform Civil Code needs to be applied. The bill titled ‘The Uninform Civil Code in India Bill, 2022 was brought in Rajya Sabha for every religion and caste. There is no uniform law in our country with regard to marriage, divorce, adoption, succession, property, and these subjects are controlled by the personal laws. Hence the UCC should be ensured to all citizens residing in areas where the population of entire geographical areas resides.

    When the NDA goverrnment led by PM Narendra Modi has full majority in Parliament, why this bill was moved as a Private Member’s Bill?  

    There are cetrain rules of public interest that gives information to the government and Janta at large. This is/was a national interest issue, that is why I introduced it. Member of Parliament (MPs) usually bring such private bills in every session, and it is up to the House and a debate cutting across the party lines to decide nor not to decide on such public matters.

    Earlier BJP and its MPs discouraged this UCC if moved through you, then what brought them together in Parliament ?  

    This is wrong. This question does not arise. No one in BJP/MPs opposed it. It was a pertient issue in early days of Jan Sangh (now BJP) along with abrogation of article 370 in Kashmir, Ram Mandir Nirman, and CAA (The Citizenship (Amendment) Act. These have been very important agenda of the BJP party. This is the ideology and thinking of BJP that a common law be enacted in the country.

    Is this privarte member’s  bill taken up seriously by RS MPs ?

    It is a sensitive issue. A lot of Opposition. The Indian courts are worried and wanted it to be taken up in Parliament. You can consider it as a “Litmus Test” of the BJP government on this particular bill.

    Whether UCC would be applicable to all castes like SC/ST/OBC/MBC/EWS?  Will it be governing marriages in these castes ?

    The traditions of tribes are different in many states. The intention of this bill to bring uniformity and what would be its framework, it would be decided in the UCC. I remember during former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s tenure a bill was brought for daughters’ right in father’s property. This is not possible in Muslims but a Shariyat Law is applied and accepted in marriage, adoption, and divorce. The rights of women are curtailed in the muslim community, hence, the UCC would empowered them. The wrong trend of religious conversion would be contained.

    What is the main point in this bill which will be taken up first to start with ?

    The Central government shall, within a period of six months from the coming into force of this act, constitute a Committee to be called National Inspection & Investigation Committee for the purpose of UCC and its implementation in the country. The Committee will consist of a Chairperson, who shall be a retired Chief Justice of India, Union Minister of Home Affairs-ex-officio member, Union Minister of Law and Justice-ex-officio member and other members mentioned in the bill. The Central government would, after due appropriation made by Parliament by law in this behalf, provide adequate funds to the committee for carrying out the purposes  of this act.

    India a nation of diversity in culture. Unity in Diversity. Ekta Meain Anekta Hai. The committee would give its report keeping a view that no dispute shall arise, no unrest to prevail, and the communal harmony be maintained.

    What are the legal Objects and Resasons to introudce this bill ?

    I like to quote it : The Statement of Objects and Reasons clearly said, “Besides, no government showed proper will power to implement these constitutional provisions, because the minorities, especially the Muslims believed that the UCC will lead to the violation of their personal laws. Hence,, only to compile the Hindu Laws, this Acts like the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the Hindu Succession Act,

    1956, the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956 and Hindu Adoptions and Maitenance Act, 1956 were enacted. In these Acts along with the Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, laws related to different religious communities of the Hindus are included vide which women have been given right to divorce and succession and caste has been termed irrelevant for marriage. Also polygamy has been done away with. In the present context, it seems our country is divided into three classes on UCC, namely political, social and religious. In the Shah Bano case, the Supreme Court decided that section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 is applicable to all irrespctive of religion, caste and community. The court directed that Shah Bano must be provided with living expenses. The then Chief Justice Y V Chandrachud said the UCC would end the dissmilarlities in the Indian law which would help in establishing national unity. Hence, the SC had observed that the Parliament may make the law related to the UCC.

    In the Constituent Assembly, while on the one hand there were people like Dr B R Ambedkar who desired reform in the society and wanted to accept UCC, and there were also Muslim represenatives who took side to retaining the Personal Laws based on the religious enshrines. As a result, regarding the UCC, only one line could be added as aricle 44 of under Part IV  as Directive Principles of State Policy in the Constituion. In this article it is stated that the State shall endeavour to secure for citizens a UCC throughout the territory of India. Since the UCC has been included in the Directive Principles of State Policy of the state, hence this can not be enforced.

    Not only the SC, the High Courts have also expressed their concern and worry on UCC many times. Thus, it is a proper time to introduce this bill and get it passed in Parliament”.

    Will this act bring gender equality too ?

    Gender inequality does exist in the society and particularly in minorities. Its level is very high and worrying. I believe this act will change gender inequality into neutrality, and the discrimination would end.

    NDA Government is in power for the last 8 years, how come this bill is delayed ?

    This is true. Every thing has its own time. The Modi government has so many other issues to be taken up first. Now time has come for this. India has witnessed a number of cases of Love Jehad, and Live in Relationship. Recently in Delhi it was terrible and scary that a man (Aftab Ameen) chopped off his wife’s body into 35 pieces. Our party has a serious concern and worried on such matters. This is also a subject for intellectuals. Therefore, it is high time to get this act passed.

    In Rajya Sabha, many political parties including Congress, TMC, MDMK, RJD, SP, CPI, CPIM, NCP have opposed your move to place this Bill, how would you convice them ?

              All those parties who opposed it are doing politics of appeasment. They are engaged in misleading a ‘Dharam Vishesh’ (a particular religion), creating fear, and they have making them a vote bank. Therefore they (Opposition) are making anti-act atmoshpere. Even the Teen Talak act was accepted by the Muslim women and they are happy now. Of course, Opposition made hue and cry on this too. Oppositon always trying to create fear like a terror  in the minds of mulsims so that they can bank on their votes in election. The Central government has clearly stated this is not against any religion and caste. Everyone will get benefit of UCC. This is the main purpose.

    You (Meena) belong to Sheduled Tribe community, will it affect ST castes ?

    As I am, I can do two marriages, because the Hindu law does not apply to the tribe. The tribe is governed by their customs rather than the law. In such a situation, the Uniform Civil Code will not have any effect on the tribal class. As I said earlier the Muslim men in India can do 3/4/5 marriages, but in Pakistan, one has to take legal permission from his wife. That’s a disparity to be corrected.

    What would be the future line of action of this private member’s bill ? 

    This bill will go up to the Presidet for her approval/consent. Then it would go to Business Advisory Committee of Parliament to take decision on it when and whehter to place the bill in Parliament. When it is placed, a debate will be invited to clear the bill.

    Do not you expect any strong resentment against this bill on streets by the Opposition parties and NGOs  ? 

    No possiblity of untoward incident. Bringing-in this bill will not harm anyone nor it would do unjustice to any citizen.                         (TIP)  

  • Pathaan gets a UA certificate after 10 cuts

    Pathaan gets a UA certificate after 10 cuts

    Pathaan featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham has been embroiled in controversies ever since glimpses of it started showing up online. From leaked pictures to their song releases, there has been a mix of good and bad responses, nevertheless, the excitement around it has stayed intact. Now the latest news suggests that Pathaan has been given a UA certificate post certain cuts in the films. This includes the close-up shots of Deepika Padukone which were deemed inappropriate along with the dialogues. Three cuts have been made in the Besharam Rang song that were too bold for the viewers. Whether the saffron outfit that wreaked havoc on viewers has been removed or not was mentioned in the report. Words such as RAW have been replaced with subtler terms like “Humare” and “Langde Lulle” with “Toote Foote.” Other words such as “Mrs. Bharatmata”, “Ashok Chakra”, and “scotch” were replaced with “Veer Puraskar”, “SBU” and “drink’ respectively. Also, any reference to Russia is also reported to have been eradicated.

    Meanwhile, protesters tore down posters of Pathaan in Ahmedabad. In a video shared by the Bajrang Dal Gujarat on Twitter, people were seen shouting slogans as they tore posters and even huge cut-outs of Pathaan’s star cast. The incident took place at Alpha One mall in Vastrapur, Ahmedabad where members of Bajrang Dal created a ruckus.

  • Kartik Aaryan’s Shehzada trailer to be attached to Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan

    Kartik Aaryan’s Shehzada trailer to be attached to Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan

    Kartik Aaryan’s next Shehzada is gearing for a big launch before its release a few days before Valentine’s Day. Directed by Rohit Dhawan, the film will release on February 10, 2023. The film’s trailer, which is due to be released soon, will also be attached to the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan on January 25, 2023. Kartik’s last theatrical release was the blockbuster hit Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 in May.

    The Hindi film also stars Kriti Sanon, Manisha Koirala, Paresh Rawal, Ronit Roy and Sachin Khedekar. Shehzada is the remake of the Allu Arjun’s 2020 Telugu hit, Ala Vaikunthapuramuloo, which also starred Tabu. A first look teaser of the film was launched in November 2022. Kartik’s character Bantu is seen beating up goons and stating, “Jab baat family pe aiye toh discussion nahi karte, action karte hai (When it comes to your family, you don’t stop to talk, you act first).”

  • As Oscar vote draws closer, ‘RRR’ nets 11 mentions on ‘Variety’ shortlists

    As Oscar vote draws closer, ‘RRR’ nets 11 mentions on ‘Variety’ shortlists

    The ‘Variety’ editor responsible for making the Hollywood bible’s predictions for the Oscars and Emmys has a lot of good news for the makers of ‘RRR’. If Clayton Davis had the casting vote at the Academy, ‘RRR’ would be a close runner-up to ‘Close’, Lukas Ghont’s 2022 Cannes Grand Prix-winning coming-of-age movie, in the Best Picture and the International Feature categories (though for the latter, it is not India’s official entry).

    And if Davis were the God of All Things at the Academy, music composer M.M. Keeravaani, along with playback singers Suddala Ashok Teja and Kala Bhairava, would come home with the Oscar for ‘Komuram Bheemudo ‘, staving off a challenge from ‘Naatu Naatu’.

    The period drama’s director, S.S. Rajamouli, is in the running for Best Director, but he gets an honourable mention, in a field topped by Todd Field, the helmer of the highly anticipated film, ‘Tar’.

    Also to land an honourable mention is ‘RRR’ star Jr NTR for Best Actor in a Leading Role, where the favourite is the ‘Elvis’ star, Austin Butler, followed by Brendan Fraser (‘The Whale’). Jr NTR is in the honourable company of Will Smith (‘Emancipation’), Hugh Jackman (‘Son’) and Bill Nighy (‘Living’), who also have received honourable mentions. Vijayendra Prasad, ‘RRR’ screenplay writer, is on another list of honourable mentions, for Original Screenplay; so is Sabu Cyril, for Production Design and A. Sreekar Prasad for Film Editing. K.K. Senthil Kumar is among the five on Davis’s shortlist for Best Cinematography in the formidable company of his compatriots behind the cameras of ‘Batman’, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, ‘Emancipation’ and ‘Nope’. Likewise, ‘RRR’ music composer M.M. Keeravaani is in the shortlist for Original Score.                                  Source: IANS

     

  • Laviscount could be the next James Bond after Daniel Craig

    Laviscount could be the next James Bond after Daniel Craig

    Lucien Laviscount is the new entrant in the lineup of Hollywood actors being considered for the James Bond franchise. The Emily in Paris star could replace Daniel Craig as 007 in the film series. The actor plays Alfie in the Netflix series headlined by Lily Collins. Alfie is the boyfriend of Lily’s character Emily Cooper; he joined the series in season two.

    The British actor, who is 30, is said to be the perfect age to play the character, according to the makers. Producer Barbara Broccoli has previously said that she wants the next actor as Bond to play the British secret agent for the next 15 years. Daniel last played the iconic character in the 2021 film No Time To Die. He acted in five films in the franchise beginning with Casino Royale in 2006.

    According to a report in the Daily Mail, the only hinderance to Lucien’s casting could be his previous appearance on the reality show Celebrity Big Brother in 2011, when he came in fifth place. A source told the British website, “Lucien ticks all of the boxes.

  • Murder Mystery 2 first look: Jennifer Aniston, Adam Sandler reunite in Paris this March

    Murder Mystery 2 first look: Jennifer Aniston, Adam Sandler reunite in Paris this March

    The first of the upcoming Netflix sequel, Murder Mystery 2, shows actors Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler reuniting in Paris. The second film, directed by Jeremy Garelick, will release on the streaming platform in March. Murder Mystery, which released on June 14, 2019, got a tremendous opening weekend with 30.8 million views in its first three days of release.

    The first film featured Adam as New York City police officer Nick Spitz and Jennifer as his wife Audrey, a hairdresser and murder mystery novel enthusiast. The ordinary couple are caught up in a murder investigation on a billionaire’s yacht in Europe. The sequel, which is also written by James Vanderbilt, gets Audrey and Nick involved in a new international case as their friend is kidnapped at his own wedding. In the new photograph, Jennifer and Adam are listening in on a phone call on speakerphone on Paris’ iconic street, Pont des Arts. Jennifer is wearing a fur-lined black coat and carrying some luggage, while Adam has his left arm in a sling. The actor is wearing a long coat and sunglasses in the first look.

    In April 2022, Jennifer had shared an Instagram Reel wrapping up the film in Paris set to the song C’est Si Bon from Eartha Kitt. The video featured Adam and other crew members behind the scenes on the film. Adam and Jennifer are also producers on the sequel.

    Actors Adeel Akhtar and John Kani will return for the sequel, while Mark Strong, Mélanie Laurent, Jodie Turner-Smith, Kuhoo Verma, Enrique Arce, Tony Goldwyn, Annie Mumolo and Zurin Villanueva are coming on board for the second film. Part of the film is also expected to take place in the Caribbean.

    With the recent popularity of Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Netflix could have another murder mystery hit on its hands in March. The first film racked up 170 million hours in its first 28 days and even ended up in the list of top 10 most-watched Netflix movies of all time. The sequel is said to be loosely based on Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.

  • Dave Bautista is relieved to say goodbye to MCU’s Drax

    Former wrestler Dave Bautista’s breakout role in Hollywood was with the 2014 Marvel feature Guardians of the Galaxy directed by James Gunn. He played the warrior Drax the Destroyer in the superhero franchise film, becoming the comic relief in the series. The actor also received several kudos for his portrayal of Drax. This year, he says goodbye to the character after six movies over nine years. Dave is not the first wrestler to join Hollywood. Dwayne Johnson and John Cena have also made a name for themselves in the industry. But filmmakers and fans have noted Dave’s enthusiasm to branch out as an actor since he began acting in 2006. He was recently seen in Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in December where he played Duke, a former video game streamer turned men’s rights activist. Rian also stated he believes Dave has the potential to take a real dramatic lead role with an established filmmaker and deliver. In a new interview with GQ magazine, Dave spoke about taking his acting career to the next level. He shared that he had to say goodbye to Drax after all this time as he is more keen to take other kinds of parts in order to be a ‘respected actor’. The actor had to spend four hours in makeup to transform himself into Drax. He said, “I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him. But there’s a relief [that it’s over]. It wasn’t all pleasant. It was hard playing that role. The makeup process was beating me down. And I just don’t know if I want Drax to be my legacy—it’s a silly performance, and I want to do more dramatic stuff.”

  • Angelina Jolie seen on coffee date with Normal People star Paul Mescal

    Angelina Jolie has been seen with Paul Mescal after a fan spotted and photographed the pair having coffee together in London, England on Tuesday. The Oscar-winning actor was seen in conversation with the young actor who broke through with his performance as Connell in the series Normal People in 2020. Angelina’s 16-year-old daughter, Shiloh, was also present with them at the Almeida Café & Bar. Earlier in the day, Angelina and Shiloh had watched Paul perform on stage at the Almeida Theatre. He is playing the lead role of Stanley in the Tennessee Williams play until February 4. The actors were spotted by a fan who photographed them. A Paul fan account on Instagram shared the photograph on their Instagram Story with the caption, “Angelina Jolie saw ‘A Streetcar named desire’ yesterday and after they grabbed a coffee at the @almeida_theatre Cafe.” Both have their backs to the camera; Paul is wearing a red T-shirt and Angelina is dressed in black.

  • SRK renames Alia Bhatt giving her the quirky ‘Kapoor’ name of ‘Amma Bhatt Kapoor’

    Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has shared a nickname for actress Alia Bhatt after she said she will call him ‘Pathaan’ after the film’s release. Alia had a banter filled exchange with SRK on Twitter, where the actor treated his fans with an ‘Ask SRK’ session on Twitter. Alia Bhatt joined the question and answer session, as she responded to a fan, who had asked Shah Rukh Khan, “Why does Alia call you just SR?” Responding to why Alia Bhatt called Shah Rukh Khan only ‘SR’, the actor tweeted what ‘SR could stand for.

    He wrote, “Could mean sweet and romantic or maybe senior and respected or maybe just Shah Rukh.” Alia revealed what ‘SR’ stood for, and tweeted, “More like sweet and respected :) But from 25th January I’m going to switch to calling you Pathaan. See I’m so creative na.” After Alia Bhatt announced her new name for Shah Rukh, he too, came up with a name for Alia. In reference to Alia’s daughter Raha Kapoor, he tweeted, “Done little one. And I am now going to call you little Amma (mother) Bhatt Kapoor!”

  • Will adhere to timeline, 44 judges’ names to be processed in three days, Centre tells SC

    Will adhere to timeline, 44 judges’ names to be processed in three days, Centre tells SC

    New Delhi (TIP)- Forty-four names are likely to be processed for appointment as judges within two-three days, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Friday, January 6,  as it sought to assure the court that the timeline for processing the names recommended by the Collegium would be followed. Out of the 104 recommendations made by High Court Collegiums pending with the government, 44 are likely to be processed and sent to the Supreme Court by this weekend, Attorney General R Venkataramani told a Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul. The Bench – which also included Justice AS Oka — asked Venkataramani about the status of recommendation for appointments to various High Courts and the Supreme Court as also the recommendations for appointments of Chief Justices to certain High Courts and transfer of HC judges.

    As the Bench talked about the recommendations made on December 13 for the elevation of Rajasthan HC Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal, Patna HC Chief Justice Sanjay Karol, Manipur HC Chief Justice PV Sanjay Kumar, Patna HC Judge Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Allahabad HC Judge Manoj Misra to the top court, Venkataramani urged it to defer the matter.

    “Would your lordships defer this for a little while? I have some inputs given to me but I may have some difference of opinion on that,” the Attorney General told the Bench. “This should not take time. They are already Chief Justices and senior judges,” Justice Kaul told Venkataramani. The Bench took strong exception to the Centre sending back names reiterated by the Collegium, terming it a “matter of concern”. There was nothing in the present scenario to prevent the appointment of a candidate after reiteration of recommendation of his name by the Collegium, it added. The Bench also objected to the Centre sitting over recommendations for transfer of HC judges, saying it gave rise to an impression that there is “third party interference” and sent a very wrong signal. “Ten recommendations for transfers have been made. These have been made in the end of September and end of November. In that the government has very limited role. Keeping them pending sends a very wrong signal. It’s unacceptable to the Collegium,” the Bench said.

    The Bench – which was hearing a petition filed by the Advocates’ Association, Bengaluru, alleging “wilful disobedience” of the time frame laid down to facilitate timely appointment of judges in its April 20, 2021, order — posted the matter for further hearing on February 3. The Bench said the Centre had returned 22 names recommended by the Collegium for appointment as judges for reconsideration.

    “Rightly or wrongly, we will have to deal with it. There are 22 names which have been sent back. Out of that, some of the ones are… (which were) recommended by the Collegium but have been sent back. Some reiterated names have been sent back. Some third reiterations have been sent back. And some names are which the Collegium did not clear but the government in its wisdom feels these ought to be considered. So the Collegium will have to consider the views of the government whether those names, which we did not clear earlier, are now required to be cleared or not. The total of these three categories are pending today,” it said.

    Justice Kaul expressed concern over meritorious candidates withdrawing their consent for judgeship due to delay in clearing their names for appointment. Senior counsel Vikas Singh and advocate Prashant Bhushan sought to highlight the issue of seniority of a person recommended for judgeship being disturbed by the government.

    Maintaining that nothing prevented the legislature from introducing a better system for appointment of judges, the Bench has been telling the government that until such a law was enacted, the Collegium system must be followed in letter and spirit.

    The government may have its own views when a recommendation is made but it can’t be kept on hold without sending it back with comments, it said.

    Source: TNS