Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Sabarimala explained: Supreme Court verdict, protests and controversy
Situated about 3,000 feet above sea level, Sabarimala temple is around 175 km north from state capital Thiruvananthapuram. Devotees from across the country throng the temple during the festival season between November and January every year. The journey to the temple is arduous because vehicles can go only up to Pamba base camp. Devotees have to trek 5 kms through forests. After Mecca, Sabarimala is considered to be the second largest seasonal pilgrim centre in the world. Custodian of the temple, Travancore Devasom Board says around 3-4 crore pilgrims visit the temple during the season. The King of Pandalam during a hunt reportedly found an abandoned baby in the forest and took him to the palace. He grew up in the court as his son. It is believed that Lord Ayyappa is son of Hari (Vishnu) who took the form of Mohini and Hara (Lord Siva). After killing the powerful demon Mahishi, he is believed to have meditated in Sabarimala. Later, a temple was built in his memory by the King of Pandalam. Though women of a certain age group were barred, believers of other religions are welcome. Lord Ayyappa's favourite disciple Vavar Swami was a Muslim and devotes have to offer prayers at his mosque before proceeding to the hilltop. Renowned singer K J Yesudas is an ardent devotee and a regular visitor. Once a devotee dons bead and wears the black cloth, he's known as 'Swami' and not by his name. Ban on women in Sabarimala was first challenged in Kerala High Court which in 1991 ruled that restriction was part of an age-old tradition. Upheld restriction on women between 10-50 age group. Indian Young Lawyers' Association filed a PIL in Supreme Court challenging the temple's practice saying it was discriminatory and against gender justice. The issue was referred to a three-judge bench. Then Congress-led state government favoured status quo. The plea came up for hearing after eight years. A constitution bench was formed to hear the plea. The CPI(M)-led state government supported entry of women A five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court allowed women of all ages to enter the temple. The SC takes up 60-odd review peitions DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Hindustan Timeshttp://www.subzerotyler.com/UserProfile/tabid/61/userId/186879/Default.aspx
Ready-to-move-in house supply will go up by 2020: Report
Currently, nearly 13.1 lakh housing units, launched between 2014 and Q3 of 2019, are in various stages of construction in the top seven cities of the country and nearly 21% of such units are to be delivered by the end of next year. The report further states that nearly 41% of these houses (1.13 lakh) are in the affordable housing category (priced at less than ₹40 lakh), 33% ( 90,770 units) are in the bracket of ₹40 to ₹80 lakh and 16% are in the range of ₹80 lakh to ₹1.5 crore. The remaining 10% units fall in the ultra-luxury segment, the report stated. Anuj Puri, chairman, Anarock property consultants, said developers are keenly aware that ready- to-move-in homes are in great demand and, as such, they are working overtime to complete the projects in time. 'Most buyers are focused on the affordable and mid-range segments (priced below ₹80 lakh) and will have ample choice once this ready inventory hits the market by the end of next year. An overwhelming 74% or approximately 2.04 lakh units fall in these two segments,' he added. Another positive development listed by the report is that NCR will see the maximum number of houses delivered by the end of 2020. This number will stand at 68,070 units. Referring to the development, Sonia Vaid, a Gurugram-based realty consultant, said home buyers will greatly benefit in the city as large number of affordable properties would became available by the end of next year. 'The people only want to buy finished homes right now, and this supply will surely help,' she said. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Hindustan Timeshttps://justpaste.it/6vl2z
Punjab circle: 2,582 BSNL employees opt for voluntary retirement
The process had begun on November 3. Sources in the BSNL said that at least 3,357 employees out of 5,750 were eligible for VRS, however, 775 employees did not opt for it. At least 285 employees, who opted for VRS, work in Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali. The employees opting for VRS include General Managers and Assistant General Managers (AGM). The applications are in process. However, the Indian Telecommunication Service (ITS) officers attached with BSNL were not eligible for the scheme. General Manager (Administration), BSNL, VK Garg told Chandigarh Newsline, 'There is a tremendous response from the side of BSNL employees towards VRS. At least 2,667 employees had originally applied for it. Tuesday was the last day for filing the forms. On the last day, around 85 people withdrew their consent for the VRS. The entire list will be forwarded to the Delhi office tomorrow evening. The last day for filling the form is December 3. There are less chances of extension of the last date for VRS applications. The amount of ex-gratia for any eligible employee will be equal to 35 days salary for each completed year of service and 25 days salary for every year of service left until superannuation.' Karan Chander, Circle Secretary of Bhartiya Telecom Employee Union (BTEU) said, 'There is a mix bag of feelings about the VRS. Some are accepting it, considering the profit. Some fear that they would lose out on profits if they did not accept the scheme as the government could change its mindset. I have personally calculated the scheme and offers being offered by the government. What we will not get is our annual increments of the further service, if we opt for VRS now. It shows that the government wants to change the company's structure. As excepted, contractual/private employees will be hired in the BSNL.' Through the 'BSNL Voluntary Retirement Scheme - 2019', BSNL is expected to save around Rs 7,000 crore from its wage bill, if about 70,000 personnel opt for retirement. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The Indian Expresshttps://www.coalindia.in/ActivityFeed/MyProfile/tabid/64/UserId/577438/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Mammootty on Mamangam: 'It's our duty to bring history to audiences through films'
Today, we are watching many films from different languages, and what connect us together are the emotions that are conveyed. This film, even in original version, will have the linguistic connect with Tamil. Mamangam isn't a revenge story, but it will delve into the philosophy where there's no point in seeking revenge. It is conveyed as a beautiful element in the end. In fact, it will have a contemporary relevance to what many are fighting for,' Mammootty was quoted in a report by Times of India. Directed by M Padmakumar, Mamangam also stars Prachi Tehlan, Iniya, Unni Mukundan and Tarun Arora among others. Tipped to be the costliest Malayalam film ever made, it is gearing up for release on December 13. The film is high on visual effects and apparently features over 2000 VFX shots, the highest number for a Malayalam film. Talking about its release in other languages, Mammootty said: 'People beyond Kerala should know about the history of Mamangam and why it was once considered the most special trade fair in the world. This will also help tap into newer markets as an industry.' The film, which will have a simultaneous release in four languages, has music by M Jayachandran. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Hindustan Timeshttp://yarp.com/f7596756a4c8
George Reddy movie review: A missed opportunity
George Reddy (Sandeep Madhav) after spending his childhood in Kerala, enters Osmania University, Hyderabad, to do his research in Science. The university is full of student politics, in which caste and religion play important roles. George Reddy is a brilliant student, but against the caste and feudal politics. He creates his own set of people and starts a fight with other student leaders dominant in the university. Within a short span of time, Reddy became popular not only in the university but also in society. Some of the leaders couldn't digest the rise of George Reddy and they planned to stop him. Who planned and killed George Reddy and how students play a bigger role in society is the crux of the story. Director Jeevan Reddy earlier made Dalam, a realistic film for which he was appreciated. George Reddy, based on the life of a real character, nevertheless begins with a disclaimer that it is 'inspired' by George Reddy but has used some fiction for cinematic purposes. The film is also topical because George Reddy was the founder of the Progressive and Democratic Students Union (PDSU), currently under fire from the state, branded as Naxal. Reddy was a brilliant student, a gold medallist and also a boxer. There are a few films already made inspired by George Reddy that include Mani Ratnam's Yuva where the character played by Suriya is inspired by him. Thammareddy Bharadwaj made a film Alajadi in 1989 loosely based on George Reddy's life. He didn't mention his real name in the film. The director's attempt to show the student leader's life is appreciated, but the narrative mode is not interesting. Though he did research, it's not enough to project a young leader who rose like a star within a span of just six years. If the director had approached people like Thammareddy Bharadwaj, a senior filmmaker, who was also very close to George Reddy, to get more information about George, it might have helped. The film has some good moments here and there, but the director should have concentrated more on George and how he rose to the top. But he concentrates more on students fighting each other on some issues over and over again. He also didn't touch upon Reddy's Telugu connection, his Telugu father. There are more fictional rather than factual elements in the film. It is quite clear that the director wanted to cash it on George Reddy's name, rather than coming up with a good, interesting and accurate narrative. The first half of the film is a bit interesting establishing George Reddy as a leader, but the second half is not up to the mark. Why the director goes on about the student elections throughout the second half is inexplicable. The climax scene is also not impressive. The director narrated the story through a girl called Muskan who wants to make a documentary on George and when she meets people, they speak about him. When it comes to the performances, Sandeep Madhav perfectly fits into the George Reddy's role. One can understand that he has done lot of homework and also hard work to get into this role and it pays for him. He has proved that he is a bundle of talent with a bright future. Satya Dev, Shatru, Manoj Nadan, Chaitanya Krishna all act well. Shatru is good in a negative role. Many are new faces, but they all supported well. The highlight of the film is the background music by Suresh Bobbili. He elevated some scenes with his music. The second is the excellent cinematography by Sudhakar Yakkanti. Art director Gandhi should be appreciated for his perfect art work as he recreated the Osmania University of the late 60s and early 70s. The dialogues are good in parts and the popular line from George Reddy, 'Jeena hain toh marna seekho, kadam kadam par ladna seekho' comes in many times in the film. Jeevan Reddy succeeds in bring back old memories to the present generation, but he should have focused the narration on the leader's life. While interesting in parts, as a whole, the makers rely more on the name of the slain student leader rather than the content of his life. ... DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Deccan Chroniclehttps://lookbook.nu/user/6844998-Sreenath
India clinches 27 medals on Day 2 with big hauls from shooting, athletics
India also bagged gold medals in both men's and women's table tennis team events. India's medal tally stood at 43 medals (18 gold, 16 silver and 9 bronze), behind hosts Nepal's 44 (23 gold, 9 silver, 12 bronze). Sri Lanka was third with 46 medals (5 gold, 14 silver, 27 bronze). On the first day of athletics competition, Archana Suseendran (women's 100m), M Jashna (women's high jump), Sarvesh Anil Kushare (men's high jump) and Ajay Kumar Saroj (men's 1500m) won a gold each to begin India's athletics campaign on an impressive note. Suseendran clocked 11.80 seconds in the 100m dash to emerge as the fastest woman of the Games, leaving behind Sri Lankans Thanuji Amasha (11.82) and Lakshika Sugand (11.84) for silver and bronze respectively. In the women's high jump, Jashna cleared 1.73m to clinch the gold while Rubina Yadav bagged a bronze with an effort of 1.69m. Kushare cleared 2.21m to win the men's high jump gold while compatriot Chetan Balasubramanya claimed the silver with an effort of 2.16m for a 1-2 finish for India. Saroj won the gold in men's 1500m with a timing of 3.54.18 seconds while Ajeet Kumar clinched the silver by clocking 3.57.18s. The bronze went to Tanka Karki (3.50.20s) of Nepal. Kavita Yadav then added a silver in the women's 10,000m race by clocking 35 minute 7.95 seconds. Earlier in the day, India's Chanda (4.34.51s) clinched the silver medal in the women's 1500m event while compatriot Chitra Palakeez (4.35.46s) settled for the bronze. The gold in this event went to Sri Lanka's Uda Kuburalage (4.34.34s). At the Satdobato Shooting Range, Indian shooters bagged nine medals, including four gold, with Mehuli Ghosh winning the yellow metal with a score better than the world record. The 19-year-old Mehuli clinched the gold with a score of 253.3 in the final, which is 0.4 more than the current world record of 252.9 which is in the name of another Indian, Apurvu Chandela. Mehuli's effort will, however, not be considered as a world record, as the South Asian Games' results are not recognised by the international body (ISSF) for the purpose of records. Shriyanka Sadangi took the silver with a score of 250.8, while Shreya Agrawal (227.2) clinched the bronze in a 1-2-3 podium finish by the Indians. India also won the team gold in the 10m air rifle event. In the men's 50m 3P event, Chain Singh clinched the gold medal with compatriot Akhil Sheoran winning the silver. Yogesh Singh and Gurpreet Singh won the gold and silver medal in the 25m center fire pistol event respectively. India also won a silver medal in the 25m center fire pistol team event. India also swept the volleyball gold medals by winning both the men's and women's titles. The men's team defeated Pakistan 20-25, 25-15, 25-17 and 29-27 in a hard-fought summit clash to defend the gold they had won at home in the 2016 edition. The bronze medal went to Sri Lanka. In the women's final, the defending champions had to toil hard to beat hosts Nepal in a five-setter to clinch the gold. India won 25-17, 23-25, 21-25, 25-20 and 15-6. The women's bronze medal also went to Sri Lanka. In table tennis, Indian men's team beat Nepal 3-0 in the summit clash while their women's counterparts defeated Sri Lanka team 3-0 in the final to clinch gold medals. In taekwondo, Kashish Malik won a gold in women's 57kg category while Radha Bhati (women's 46kg), Kanha Mainali (men's 54kg) and Prithviraj Chavan (men's 68kg) won a bronze each. In women's football, India mauled Maldives 5-0 in their opening game with Bala Devi scoring a brace. Indian men's and women's kho-kho teams registered dominating wins over their Sri Lankan counterparts in the semi-finals to enter the finals. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Deccan Chroniclehttps://www.zintro.com/profile/zia399c16a?ref=Zia399c16a
Friday, 29 November 2019
WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair completes India tour promising to deliver on her goals
She also gave them a signed goody to remember her by and cut a cake with them. 'For me, the most important thing about being a part of WWE is putting smiles on the kids' faces.', said Charlotte. (Source: WWE) The second day of WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair's visit to India was power packed with some incredible Bollywood moves and a yoga lesson from Bollywood Actor Varun Dhawan. (Source: WWE) Varun, a well know WWE fan caught up with Charlotte to get her 'Bollywood ready' and chat candidly about their fitness routines and his love for the sport. Varun also led Charlotte through the basics of yoga, demonstrating and teaching her how to perform the 'Surya Namaskar' and engaged in a fun showdown of who could hold a plank longer as they discussed how they stay fit and how they like to spend their days off. Charlotte then expressed how she finds Bollywood songs extremely catch and Varun did not miss the opportunity of shaking a leg with the 'Queen of WWE' in person, teaching her some iconic Bollywood moves to popular tracks. (Source: WWE) Varun ended the splendid afternoon by confessing his lifelong dream of watching WrestleMania Live in the US to which Charlotte happily extended an invitation and asked Varun to come witness her winning a match. Will we see the duo back in action at WrestleMania 36? Will we get to see Charlotte Flair in a Bollywood movie sometime soon? (Source: WWE) WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair dressed up in the traditional Indian Saree in the color picked out by her fans during her third day of the India Tour. (Source: WWE) Speaking to the indianexpress.com Charlotte Flair spoke about her goals and said, 'I want to continue with my momentum and main event again and build more depth on RAW and SmackDown.' (Source: WWE) DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The Indian Expresshttps://c-stem.ucdavis.edu/users/guessyleague/
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