Courageous Kashmiri Girl

When the country was celebrating Durga Puja by worshiping Devi Durga, the symbol of women power, a young Muslim girl in a remote Jammu village turned to be “ Durga” and killed a dreaded Lashkar terrorist on Sunday. Exhibiting astonishing courage, Rukhsana Kausar confronted a group of Lashkar terrorists who had barged into their home late Sunday night. The brave girl snatched an AK-47 from one of the terrorists, and shot one to death, injured another and send the others running for their lives. Rukshana was trained by the village defence committee how to fire an assault rifle. The training helped her for the courageous act.  She said “I pushed a terrorist into the wall. I hit him with the butt of the gun and then fired several times.” It is reported that the deceased militant was identified as commander Osama, of Pakistani origin.

Festival – a new page introduced

There is a proverb in Bengali that in twelve seasons, there are 13 festivals (Baro Maase tero parbon). A page named festival (Go to page ‘Festival)has been introduced in this blog, just to give you a glimpses of those “thirteen” festivals.   Festive season is  on in full swing and greatest festival of Bengal, Durga Puja, has began. In fact has already started from the day of Mahalaya on 18th September with the invocation of Goddess Durga. This will last for Five days from 24ay Sep 2009 (Shashthi)  to  28th Sep 2009 (Dashami).   The idols of Goddess Durga are made by the artisans based on the theme of the puja / pandal and as a whole takes the shape of Art Exihibition due to competetions and every puja committee tries to be the best. 

To read about Durga Puja, go to my another post “Durga Puja”.

Wish you a very Happy Durga Puja,

 

 

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On that momentous day of 15th. Aug 1947

IT WAS A CELEBRATION OF FREEDOM :

At the midnight when the Union Jack was replaced with Indian Flag at Raj Bhavan, the atmosphere throbbed with ear shattering sounds of cheer and sloganeering. The gates of Raj Bhavan, Kolkata (then Calcutta) were thrown open for Indian for the first time. Enthusiastic crowds kept streaming into the mansion for the entire day. Many revelers had a hard time believing that the British had actually gone for good and were coming to Raj Bhavan just to check if the news was true.

While hundreds of people had free access to Raj Bhavan on that momentous day, one heartening memory is that nothing was damaged or stolen from the premise. Perhaps those were a people who knew that with freedom comes responsibility. Those were the times of honest , hardworking people who took the new-found independence very seriously . Things have gone sea change today.

(Source : Times of India of 17 Aug 09)

Good to see a dutiful conductor like BEST conductors

(BEST buses of Mumbai are washed everyday before pressing into service in the early morning. As we know Mumbai never sleeps, buses ply whole night except 2AM to 4AM when buses are washed, cleaned and serviced for next day)

Two days back, while driving towards Park Circus bridge No. 4, from Science city, a very uncommon scene (for Kolkata) noticed while waiting for Green signal at the traffic. A Bus conductor, on the other side of the road, caught a youngster’s collar and dragging him to his Bus standing in the traffic. Understood the youngster ran away without buying a ticket which is very common in Kolkata specially in some areas. The youngster was trying to escape the clutch of the conductor but being the conductor tall and heavily built he could not and from his body language it seemed he was arguing why he was being dragged by his collar. Conductor did not bother to his all sort of shouting and force to get free from his clutch. Finally the conductor collected requisite fare from the boy and then he freed him.

This was a good scene to see and realized that Kolkata bus conductors are becoming more dutiful and responsible towards their owner (whether it is Government, or some person). This is the tactics which is applied by Mumbai BEST conductors to collect the fares. During my stay in Mumbai (from 1997-2003) I was very much impressed with whole transport system there including Train services. There every thing is systematic and disciplined. There are checking at the end of each route of the buses. In between checks also carried out in the bus without stopping the bus. At the end of route, while getting down from the bus, you will be welcomed by two ticket checkers at two gates. Anybody is caught without Ticket here, will be fined Rs. 100. So everybody try to hurry up to take ticket before the end of journey. In Mumbai, only one conductor manages the whole bus. Anybody is standing at a far distance from him, the ‘fare’ will be passed on by passengers upto the conductor and the ticket and change if any, will also follow the same path to reach to the ticket buyer. Nobody minds for this and everybody co-operates. In-spite of all this, there are persons sometimes try to travel WT. If such persons are caught or somebody argues about the fare in the bus (what we experience in Kolkata, every now and then), he will be manhandled by the conductor and collect the fare. Nobody will oppose to the conductor’s behavior because he is discharging his duties and he has to be rough and tough if anybody does not want to pay the requisite fare. BEST drivers, conductors are disciplined and dedicated to their department, that’s how the buses are so well maintained and making profits.

I congratulate the conductor for being such rough and tough with that passenger who did not pay the fare and trying to ran away and on the contrary he was trying to say that why he was being treated like that. I would be happy if all conductor of Kolkata turn to be such dutiful and responsible to his departments/ owners and bring back some discipline in running the buses instead of racing each other and taking lives of the passengers on board.

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SRK relax, take it easy

The incident of detaining SRK at American airport Newark, is most shocking and disturbing to the Indians. When Obama administration is trying to develop a new relationship with the Islamic world, detaining SRK, the Bollywood hero, has sent a wrong message to them. Authorities have different opinions about the incident which may not be convincing to the Indians and it shows that he was grilled just because of his Muslim name ‘Khan’. It is most humiliating and insulting – I too thought and wrote this post hurriedly.

But But I think we should be matured in thinking and tackling the issue. SRK may be feeling insulting humiliating because the position (Bollywood Badsha) he enjoys here in India, he was denied that and he was treated like a common man. From Security point of view, if you think, they are not wrong, they have done their duty. Only thing they should have done the process faster. Security of a country whether it is US or India, there should not be any relaxation. In America, Security personnel may not know him. We too don’t know many VIP’s of US.

We should not forget the Attack on Mumbai last year for which the security lapses, negligence of duties were the main reasons. Therefore there should not be any relaxation in security checks which may sometime cause unparallel damage to the safety of the citizens.

SRK relax and try to cooperate with the system without feeling any humiliation. Remember India and US are the prime target of the terrorists today.

Indian Dress : Saaree

Aishwarya in Saaree

Saaree is a most popular Indian dress. Its can be used the way you want. In India women of all ages and classes from slum dwellers to millionaires use it. It is very gorgeous and elegance dress. Village women use it because they cover their body fully by it and also cheaper varieties are available. But at the same time if anybody glamorous wants to expose her beautiful body parts, can also be done so without much efforts. It is so flexible. In India this dress is popular dress and women prefer to be in this dress in any social or religious functions like pooja, marriage, get together etc. Only the Saarees will differ in design, colors and cost according to function. This a dress which enhances beauty of a beautiful woman.

Over the years, the Saree has become a statement of style, a symbol of elegance. And who else but Aishwarya Rai could carry it off with such elan. In photo: Former Miss World and Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai poses for the media in front of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India on Dec. 1, 2004. (AP Photo)

<!–[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 <![endif]–> I was not having any intention to write about saaree. But the the photograph of Aishwarya Rai above and the other one below and also another picture in my memory, inspired me to write this. During my adolescent days, when I was in class eight, new math teacher, Miss Malakar, on her first day came in the class drapping a pink saaree. She was too young, hardly 22 years, just college passout, was looking very gorgeous, very beautiful and that is still in my mind. It may be due to my adolescent years, I liked her at the first sight. From that day she is in my memory and I could make out that Saaree makes a beautiful woman more beautiful, more attractive.

Magic of Saaree

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Politically active city Kolkata has seen many types of road blockades like by sitting on the roads, by organizing meetings and processions by different political parties to protest or to put forward their demands to the authority concerned. Now the city has seen a new kind of road blockade. Yesterday, one of the main roads of the main business centre of Kolkata, i.e. Dalhousie square (BBD Bag) area was blocked by two horses, leaving no place to pass vehicles, as if they too have some demands from the citizen of Kolkata as the city is becoming more and more polluted due to lots of vehicles on the roads.
(Photo : Times of India)

At last….

Pramod Muthalik, president of outfit Sri Rama Sene, was Monday barred by authorities from entering a coastal Karnataka district for one year, as his presence could lead to communal disharmony in the area. Mangalore is the HQ of That district, around 350km from Bangalore.

To bar Muthalik’s entry to the district, district magistrate V. Ponnuraj passed a 15-page order citing various reasons, including an attack on young women in a Mangalore pub in January and Valentine’s day threat. The order came into effect immediately.

As reported in my previous post, a group of 40 Sri Ram Sene activists barged into the pub Amnesia in Mangalore and bashed up a group of young women and men, claiming the women were violating traditional Indian values.

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What is in a name?

What is in a name? Nothing but sometimes it matters. An interesting story came out when a little sachin met Sachin Tendulkar in New Zealand. Indian connection started from his mother’s name. His mother Veda Karan was named by her parents simply just like that, without thinking anything. This is how Indian connection started with her and soon she fell in love with India and its rich culture and philosophy. She added that she became vegetarian for most of her life and never smoked or even touched alcohol. She had been to India for six years.

Her husband being sports freak absolute lover of Tendulkar, and because of her Indian fetish, they selected an Indian name. First child was named as Sachin and second child is Rama Mohandas.

Little Sachin has waited all of seven years, more than half of them probably not even realizing what he was doing, to meet the original Sachin. His wish finally came true here on Sunday afternoon: after the Indian innings, he got to meet Sachin Tendulkar, the icon after which this Kiwi boy had been named. Tendulkar, despite a sapping 163, was all smiles as he stepped out to meet his namesake. Sachin Tendulkar presented him a sheet of paper with the photographs and autographs of all the Indian players.

Its an interesting story which shows us how a name can change a life and we can’t say anymore that what is in a name? Here is a lesson to us too. We Indians try to adopt Western cultures forgetting our own beautiful one. We being Indian, we forget our good things and we prefer to adopt others culture.
(Acknowledgement : Times of India)
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WordPress Camp in India

Having been associated with WordPress for a quite sometime as a blogger, its give me immense pleasure to learn that first ever WordPress camp is being held in India on 21 and 22 Feb 2009. The IndiBlogger team announced that the Delhi Bloggers Bloc along with Blog Design Studio are organizing the first ever WordCamp in India for all WORD PRESS enthusiasts and for those who want to know more about WordPress! This event is being held on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of The Delhi Bloggers’ Bloc.

It may be known to you that WordPress is a platform for bloggers and it comes to us at free of cost. The blogging site is a state-of-the-art publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. This blogging platform is so feature-rich and user friendly that it’s proving to be competition to full fledged content management systems.

Matt Mullenweg (Founder of the WordPress.com) and Om Malik of GigaOm would be joining the event. you can also meet Amit Agarwal of Digital Inspiration there.
Agenda:

A two-day conference which brings together stakeholders and audiences of social media and blogging, centered around WordPress.
Date & Place:
21st, 22nd Feb’09 (Saturday, Sunday), 9:00am – 6:00pm
Venue : I-1A, Sector 25A
Noida, U.P. 201301
India (Tel: +91 120 244 4711)