MY ACTUAL STAY- THE MGM RESSORT IN MUTTUKADU (CHENNAI)

THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

The tragical end of a butterfly

LATEST NEWS ABOUT THE SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE KIDS

The two child stars of "Slumdog Millionaire" risk losing their monthly stipend and their trust fund unless they start attending school more regularly, a trustee for the fund said on Thursday.


The slum kid stars of Slumdog Millionaire want a lot of things in life _ new houses, a car, trips to London and Paris _ but they aren't too interested in school.
Ten-year-old Rubina Ali has missed nearly 75 percent of her classes and her co-star hasn't done much better truancy that filmmakers say will jeopardize their trust funds and monthly stipends if it continues.
Their parents blame the absences on deaths in the family or other misfortunes, including the demolition of Rubina's shanty by city authorities earlier this year, and have promised to do better. But the filmmakers say the children are being lured away by endorsement deals, television appearances and other opportunities to cash in on their celebrity at the risk of losing the money set aside for them once they graduate.






"Our love got a little bit tougher today," Slumdog producer Christian Colson said. "We understand there are opportunities for both kids and for the parents of both children to cash in, in the short term, on their celebrity. We don't have a problem with that. But if they want to benefit from the trust, they have to get those attendance rates up."
Beneath the debate about school is a deeper tug-of-war between the impoverished families' urge for as much short-term gain as possible and the filmmakers' desire to endow the children with a secure future.
Rubina and 11-year-old Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail both grew up in one of Mumbai's most wretched slums. They shot to fame after starring in the rags-to-riches blockbuster, which won eight Oscars. Rubina was cast as the young Latika, who grows up to become the hero's love interest, and Azhar plays his brother, Salim.
After filming ended, director Danny Boyle and Colson got the pair placed in a Mumbai school that helps disadvantaged children. But these days, Azhar is showing up to class just 37 percent of the time and Rubina's attendance is only 27 percent, said Noshir Dadrawala, an administrator of the trust.






"It's pathetic," said Dadrawala, adding that a flurry of awards ceremonies, festivals and fashion shows that have taken the kids to Paris, Madras and elsewhere are detracting from their studies. These have included Rubina's Paris trip to promote a book about her life, "Slumgirl Dreaming: My Journey to the Stars," as well as a tea party at Westminster in London, a dance number on a Hong Kong TV show and, of course, a trip to Los Angeles for the Oscars.
"They are constantly going ... That's fine, but go over the weekend, not at the sacrifice of school," Dadrawala said. The parents were told Thursday that if the children do not get their attendance above 70 percent they would lose their monthly $120 stipend. And if the kids fail to graduate, they will forfeit the lump sum payment set aside to help them get a start in life, Dadrawala said.
The filmmakers have declined to reveal the amount of the trust for fear of exposing the families to exploitation. In addition, both families are covered by medical insurance, which the trust finalised on Thursday.
Azhar's mother, Shameem Ismail, said her son had missed school because he has been inconsolable since his father died in September from tuberculosis.
"He would cry often, so I kept him home from school for a while," she said, promising he would go to class more often. "As long as I'm alive, I will make sure my son gets an education," she added. Rubina's father, Rafiq Qureshi, said his daughter's absences were due to the destruction of the family's shanty last May and a cut on her leg that forced her to stay home.

ANOTHER HONOUR CRIME IN HARYANA

Dwaipayan Ghosh | TNN



New Delhi: It’s yet another instance of what’s becoming a horrifyingly story. Three years after a young couple fled their village in Haryana from families opposed to the ‘‘same-gotra’’ union, the girl’s family allegedly killed the 22-year-old man and locked up their daughter to be repeatedly raped by her relatives and their friends. She would have been killed too, say cops, but the gritty 21-yearold escaped from her captors and approached the police, turning in her father and other family members.
The gory turn of events began on Diwali day in Narela, outer Delhi, where the couple was tricked into joining a friend for celebrations. Police has arrested four people — the girl’s father Daya Singh (50), her nephew Sandeep and his friends Pawan and Inderjeet — for the alleged ‘‘honour killing’’ of her husband. They are also looking into claims by the girl that she was confined and raped by Sandeep and his acquaintances from October 17 to 22 when she managed to flee.
DCP (outer) Atul Katiyar said the victim Shruti (name changed) approached cops on October 26 with the help of a friend. Based on her account, police recovered the body of her husband, Virender Singh, from a canal in Sonepat district. A Maruti van owned by Sandeep which was allegedly used to dump the body has also been seized.
Police said Shruti was 18 and a student of Class 10 when she fell in love with Singh, two years her senior at school. ‘‘Their relationship was resented by her family and the villagers of Mahara in Sonepat as both belonged to the same gotra. Unable to convince their families, they fled from the village in October 2006,’’ said Om Prakash, assistant commissioner of police for operations, Outer Delhi. Both were majors — Shruti was 18, while Virender was 19.

Gory Tragedy


Couple flee Sonepat in 2006 as villagers oppose same-gotra relationship
Virender jailed for abduction, his lover forcibly married off
Couple get married in 2008 after girl runs away from ‘abusive’ husband
On Oct 17, 2009, friend invites couple for Diwali celebrations where girl’s family allegedly locks her up, murders Virender



New Delhi: A case of kidnapping was lodged against Virender — who married Shruti despite being from the same gotra — by the Sonepat police and he was arrested and sent to jail. In January 2007, even as Virender was in jail, Shruti was forcibly married to Jaipal, from Teli Khera village near Jind in Haryana. Jaipal began to abuse her when he came to know of her past and Shruti lodged a case with the Jind police. But no action was taken and a desperate Shruti contacted Virender who was out on bail.
The couple decided to reunite and Shruti left Jaipal to set up home with Virender in Samaipur Badli in outer Delhi. On August 8, 2008, they got married in a temple in Chandigarh.




Girl raped by her relatives
‘‘They shifted to Samalkha in Haryana after her father traced them in Samaipur Badli and threatened to kill Virender,’’ said an investigating officer. Meanwhile, angered by his ‘‘wife’s boldness’’, Jaipal lodged a kidnapping case against Virender with the Jind police. ‘‘Fearing that they might be arrested again, the couple contacted the district collector’s office in Jind and clarified that they had married of their own free will.’’
That didn’t help, though. The couple were arrested and Virender, who was working
with a food company by then, was sent to jail again.
‘‘The girl refused to go back to her father’s place, fearing she would be killed, and stayed at the local Nari Niketan. All through Virender’s trial, she maintained that she had gone with him of her own accord. The case was dismissed and Virender was freed,’’ said DCP Katiyar.
On October 17, Virender was invited by his friend Inderjeet to spend Diwali at Sandeep’s house in Narela. The couple accepted, unaware that Sandeep would also be present.Around 10.30pm on that day, Shruti’s father, an ex-serviceman currently employed as a security officer, reached the house with his son and nephew and beat up Virender before allegedly strangling him to death.
‘‘Shruti was allegedly raped by Sandeep and Inderjeet in another room. Sandeep carried the body in his van and dumped it in a canal after tying a stone around the neck. The girl was kept confined in a room in Narela and threatened to return to Jind or face death,’’ said Katiyar. Police are now investigating the role of other family members in the incident. ‘‘Her first husband, Jaipal, is under the scanner too. The girl is still under severe trauma and we are providing counselling to her,’’ added the DCP.

EXPRESS TRAIN HIJACKED- ONE MORE NAXAL ATTACK

After 5 dramatic hours the Delhi bound Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express was freed from Maoist-backed tribal activists (NAXALS) who held the train hostage at a station in West Bengal's West Midnapore district on Tuesday.
Timeline of the Rajdhani crisis:
2.30 pm: Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express passes Banstala station in West Midnapore district. The train was stopped by around 500 tribals armed with bows and arrows. They took over the driver’s cabin and surrounded the train. They then took the driver to a nearby area.
4.00 pm: Security forces begin firing at the tribals.
4.30 pm: Negotiations begin between tribals and Railway officials. Tribals give food and water to the passengers in the train.
5.00 pm: Firing exchanged between the two sides.
6.00 pm: Central forces manage to reach the area and the tribals begin retreating.
7:00 pm: Security forces take full control of the train. The tribals flee into the jungles.
8.00 pm: Relieved train leaves Kharagpur with doctors onboard the train.



"The train had just crossed Jhargram station and was passing through a densely forested patch when a large mob attacked it with stones," passenger Susanta Das said.


"The mob, armed with axes, swords, bows and arrows, smashed the glass panes and forcibly opened the doors as the passengers panicked.


"All of us were asked to get down which we did. We thought they would loot us. But they did not harm anybody after we followed their orders," Das, a wildlife enthusiast who was on his way to Himachal Pradesh to join an expedition, told PTI.


Most of the passengers reportedly thought them to be dacoits. The train, which left Bhubaneswar around 0900 hrs IST, reached Kharagpur at about 1400 hrs IST. The incident occurred about half an hour later, he said.


"Initially, we also did not know that a bandh was on in the area and we also had no idea why the train stopped," Das said, adding the attackers initially appeared to be in a violent mood, but calmed down as the passengers obeyed their orders.


Another passenger Subodh Tripathy said after the train was stopped, the passengers locked themselves in. But the doors were forcibly opened by the agitators.

This is very bad new for tourist and travellers in general. Since the roads in India are more than unsafe due to the status of the street and the chaotic and suicide- like driving- style of the average Indian, now the dirty and unhygienic but up to now safe means of transport is now under questions. What remains is flying, but not all cities are reachable and other cities like Dehradun or Nashik haave only one flight per day, served by adventurous small propeller machines.
What are Naxals ? ( will come in the next post)

CHHATH PUJA AT YAMUNA

This weekend is Chhat Puja one of the most important religious days for Hindi


TIMES NEWS NETWORK



New Delhi: Chhath was celebrated with much fervour in the city. The banks of the Yamuna, colourfully decorated with flowers and lights, were reverberating with devotional Bhojpuri folk songs on Saturday. Thousands of devotees, including those observing fast, thronged the ghats to offer prayers to the setting sun.
After fasting the entire day, people offered Chhath Sandhya Arghya to the setting sun by standing in knee-deep water. As the evening sky changed colours, the lamps offered in the river by thousands of hands made for a truly delightful sight. The festival will culminate at dawn on Sunday after devotees offer Arghya to the rising sun. One of the devotees, Laxmi Devi, said, ‘‘The eldest lady of the house usually keeps the fast, but my mother-in-law has stopped keeping it. This is the first time I’ve observed the fast. However difficult, we always keep the fast.’’



Some ardent male devotees who’ve kept the fast for their wishes to come true crawl the entire route from their home to the river bank out of devotion. There were many youngsters who had also kept the fast. Twenty-year-old Deven Prasad said, ‘‘I have kept the fast hoping for a better health for my mother who is suffering from cancer. We have a lot of faith in Chhath Mayi.’’
Carrying cane baskets containing coconut, sugarcane, and seasonal fruits on their heads, men accompanied their wives to the ghats.

For 300 years, every dog had its day here



From Parvesh Sharma | TNN
TNN


Khanpur (Patiala):

In Punjab village, bark before you eat

Khanpur (Patiala): Unknown to most outside Patiala, a diktat by Alaa Singh (1695-1765) is cast in stone by villagers, and is followed till this day and dogs get to eat before worshippers at the temple — all three meals of the day.
Following tradition, head priest Anand Giri comes out thrice to the temple gate each day and, before food is served to villagers, starts howling like a dog to call the canines to the table. Within minutes a bunch of dogs gather and are, with due respect reserved for them, offered the best that the langar (community kitchen) has on its menu. “Its an old tradition and I always bark out to all the dogs here before start of a langar,’’ he said.
Fellow villager Khushdeep Singh added, “We never treat dogs the way others do. In fact, we never even raise a finger when our children are attacked or crops destroyed.’’ But good run that started for dogs here 300 hundred years ago, may just be completing its course.
The younger g e n e r at i o n , though still unable to rebel against what they see as a weird ritual, are both dismissive and embarassed.
“You know,’’ said Gursevak Singh, a student, “it’s okay to treat dogs well, but to worship them and make them eat before us is ridiculous. Though we have got used to it because almost everyone here behaves that way, it becomes awkward when we have visitors come over to our place. To hear the priest howling like that is just too much.’’