THE CONTINENT OF CONTRAST WORLD'S RICHEST TEMPLE

Lord Balaji's temple at Tirumala is immune to the recession. The world's richest temple has an annual budget of 1400 crores= 200 Mio euro ( 1 crore = 10,000,000 rupies= 142,000 euro). And now, another 1000 crores are being donated by devotees.

The additional money will be used to add gold to the interiors of the temple, especially to the walls of the inner sanctum devoted to Lord Balaji. The goldplating will be completed by the end of next year.

Eighty kilograms of gold have already arrived at the temple. That's being converted into gold plates for the walls at a high-security workshop at Tirumala.

There'll be additional upgrades after that. " Once we start the work, we can do for adjacent places as well," promises D K Adikesavulu Naidu, the chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which manages the affairs of the temple. The committee also promises that current inscripttions on the wall will be preserved and the new gold plates will not cover these.

An equally grand offering is being planned in the form of composer AR Rahman setting to music the lyrics of saint - poet Annamacharya, who had sung over 33,000 songs
in the praise of Lord Venkateswara. Lata Ma
The Lord of Tirumala is the all-pervading Lord of the Universe.A large number of devotees-daily 30,000 on an average, visit the sacred shrine of Lord Venkateswara to pay their homage to Him.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams are in turn dedicated themselves to these devotees by providing facilities for darshan, accommodation as well as for sevas.The aim of the Devasthanams has always been to improve these facilities for making the pilgrimage a spiritual experience.
This site is a revised edition containing more detailed information about the accommodation, the sevas and festivals in Tirumala in which they can participate and general information about what to do and what not to do on the Holy Hills.
The host hopes this site will serve as a valuable guide to the pilgrims.

Nobody even comes to the idea to spent it to help the 26 Mio of Indian living on the street with an income of less than 1 euro/day. But of coarse the WEST can spent for the poor, Indians prefer to spent for the deities. For them the poor are animals.And I am stipulating that being now 5 years in India !!!

The Lord of Tirumala is the all-pervading Lord of the Universe.A large number of devotees-daily 30,000 on an average, visit the sacred shrine of Lord Venkateswara to pay their homage to Him.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams are in turn dedicated themselves to these devotees by providing facilities for darshan, accommodation as well as for sevas.The aim of the Devasthanams has always been to improve these facilities for making the pilgrimage a spiritual experience.

THE RENTED BABY

Publishment of The Telegraph by Dean Nelson in New Delhi


A wealthy Indian family discovered their seven month old son was being rented out to beggars by their own nanny while they were out at work.



It is common for female beggars to carry babies with empty milk bottles at traffic lights in India's main cities



Every day, the baby boy's mother would lay out his clothes for the day and leave him with his nanny while she went out to work for one of Bangalore's multinational companies.
But no sooner had she left than the child was dressed in rags, sedated with drugs, and handed over to a beggar gang which used him as a prop to generate sympathy and persuade passing motorists to part with their cash.

While the child was out the nanny relaxed on the couple's sofa, watched television soaps, and helped herself to contents of the fridge.
The family discovered their baby's double life when the mother came home early one day and found the nanny watching the television with no sign of the child.
The nanny or "ayah" as they are known in India, confessed that she had rented out the baby to a beggar gang for 100 rupees per day (around £1.25) and that the child had been spending his days on the streets for the last three weeks.
It is common for female beggars to carry babies with empty milk bottles at traffic lights in India's main cities, and rumours that babies are rented as props to increase the number of donations they receive, but there have been few proven cases.
The case has highlighted the extent to which organised begging operates as an industry in India.

DALAI LAMA's VIST TO TAWANG (ARUNACHAL)

Speaking to his followers, the Dalai Lama declared that Arunachal Pradesh was an important part of India, and spoke emotionally about his attachment to the town were he first arrived when he fled China's invasion on Tibet in 1959.
"My stand that Tawang is an integral part of India has not changed," he said, and recalled his relief at being met in the town on his arrival from Tibet by an Indian foreign ministry official.
"There was a feeling of hopelessness when I first came here in 1959. But I felt safe when I saw a long-time friend from the Indian foreign ministry waiting for me at the border. That is why I have visited Tawang so many times. People here take a genuine interest in Tibetan Buddhism and Buddhist culture. Right from Ladakh to Tawang, Tibetan Buddhism is practised traditionally," he said.





His comments will further inflame Beijing's anger at the visit, not least his reference to Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir being areas of strong Tibetan Buddhist influence.
China claims vast swathes of both areas as its own and rejects the 1913 Shimla Convention at which the Tibet government ceded Tawang to British India and agreed the McMahon Line as the border between India and China.
China now regards the McMahon line as its last disputed border and has escalated tensions over the issue to pressurise India to make new concessions.
Beijing renewed its attack on the Dalai Lama's visit yesterday accusing him of visiting the area at India's behest to bolster its claim to the area China calls "Southern Tibet". Its official media has also denounced him as a "liar" for comments on fear among his people in Tibet.

THE BRAVE FISHERMAN OF KOVALAM

CORAL ART & THE COLLECTED SHELLS

My shell and coral collection of yesterday and this morning from Muttukadu beach.

SUN RISE AT MUTTUKADU BEACH

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.