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Women’s senior team hails 2020 U-17 World Cup nod

womens football teamThe women’s national football team hailed FIFA’s decision to give the 2020 U-17 World Cup to India, calling it a “game-changer”.

On Friday, FIFA announced India as the hosts for the tournament. It will be the second FIFA World Cup event being held in India in four years – the first being the U-17 World Cup in 2017.

“My initial reaction was ‘wow’!” said head coach Maymol Rocky, before stating that hosting the World Cup will be a huge step in developing the sport and increasing its popularity, especially among girls.

“I am delighted that an Indian women’s team will take part at a World Cup for the very first time. It will increase awareness about women’s football and in the process, create a bigger base for subsequent age-group and senior national teams – which is good for us as coaches as well,” she stated.

Coach Maymol also said that like the U-17 World Cup, this competition will pave the way for the sport to grow pan-India.

“The U-17 World Cup in 2017 was a huge success and this is a chance to carry forward the excellent work,” she said.

She added, “It has helped spread the game across the country and we have seen some great talents come out from that team as well. We can expect the same from the girls’ team that will play in 2020 and a few years down the line, it will only help add more quality in the senior team as well.”

Goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan hailed the news as a “game-changer” for the sport in India.

“I’m very excited that India will host the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup next,” she said.

“It will be a golden opportunity for the girls to step up and change the way women’s football is looked at in our country. We are already moving in a positive direction and this World Cup will accelerate the process and can be a real game-changer for us,” the custodian added.

Defender Dalima Chhibber opined that the opportunity to play in a World Cup will promote participation from women in the sport.

She stated, “The World Cup will be a great platform for young girls. I feel that this will encourage parents to support their children in playing football and push more youngsters to take up the sport.

 

Madhuri Dixit-produced Netflix Marathi film ’15th August’ set for March 29 release

madhuriMadhuri Dixit’s production debut, Marathi film “15th August”, will release on Netflix on March 29, the streaming service announced on Monday.

Set in a Mumbai chawl, the film follows the course of a series of zany mishaps that occur on a single day, as its residents prepare for the Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony.

“15th August” revolves around how the course of the day unfolds on a not-so-typical Independence Day – when a lover, in his quest to win over his beloved, ends up creating complete mayhem, compelling all the residents to unite and help him out of his mess.

Madhuri said she is looking forward to turning producer with the film.

“There’s always been a part of me that wanted to create and back meaningful films, and there couldn’t be a better starting point for me than ’15 August’. This is an endearing, relatable story…” the actor said in a statement.

Swapnaneel Jayakar has directed the film and it features Rahul Pethe, Mrunmayee Deshpande, and Adinath Kothare.

“15 August”, co-produced by the actor’s husband Dr Shriram Nene, is all set to release on the service across 190 countries.

It is the second Marathi project for Netflix after “Firebrand”.

On getting caught, Modi turned whole country into chowkidars: Rahul

rahul gandhi 4Mocking the prime minister’s “main bhi chowkidar’ (I too am watchman) campaign, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Monday said Narendra Modi has turnedthe whole country into “chowkidars” after getting caught.

Gandhi, who had been repeatedly taking the “chowkidar chor hai”(watchman is the thief) jibe at Modi to claim irregularities and favouritism in the Rafale fighter jet deal, said the prime minister never said he would make the whole country “chowkidars”.

Addressing a public rally here in north Karnataka, he said Modi had told the people to make him a “chowkidar” and not prime minister, but was now turning the whole country into “chowkidars.”

“Whose chowkidari has he done?” the Congress president asked, alleging Modi had only helped Anil Ambani, Mehu Chowksy and Nirav Modi, a charge vehemently being denied by the BJP and the government.

Modi had on Saturday urged his supporters to take the ‘main bhai chowkidar’ (I too am watchman) pledge, saying he is not alone in the fight against graft and social evils.

He also posted a little over three minute video to drive home his message.

The prime minister has often described himself as a “chowkidar” who would neither allow corruption nor get corrupted himself.

Modi and other BJP leaders, including party president Amit Shah, prefixed the word “chowkidar” to their names in their Twitter profile Sunday as they sought people’s support in the Lok Sabha elections.

Gandhi also alleged that the target of Modi was to abolish the Constitution just as he scrapped the old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes during the demonetisation exercise.

 

‘Wonder Woman 1984’ not a conventional sequel: producer Charles Roven

wonder woman

Veteran producer Charles Roven said that his much-awaited film “Wonder Woman 1984” is not a conventional sequel.

Roven said the film, which stars Gal Gadot as the titular character, is a next iteration of “Wonder Woman”, which released in 2017.

“(Director Patty Jenkins) was just determined that this movie should be the next iteration of Wonder Woman but not a sequel. And she’s definitely delivering on that. It’s a completely different time frame and you’ll get a sense of what Diana/Wonder Woman had been doing in the intervening years. But it’s a completely different story that we’re telling.

“Even though it’ll have a lot of same emotional things, a lot of humour, and a lot of brave action. Tugs at the heart strings as well,” Roven told Vulture magazine.

“Wonder Woman 1984”, which also features Chris Pine, Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wiig, is scheduled to release on June 5, 2020.

Was surprised when I was cast as villain in ‘Brahmastra’, says Mouni Roy

mouni roy
Mouni Roy says her casting as the main antagonist in Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt-starrer “Brahmastra” came as a surprise for her.

The 33-year-old actor, who made her Bollywood debut with Akshay Kumar’s “Gold”, says she wants make versatile choices.

“I am playing the main villain in the film. I am really looking forward to it. What is more liberating for me is playing different characters that challenges me. I was surprised initially that they wanted me to play the villain.

“Ayan Mukherji (director) had seen something from ‘Naagin’ and felt I could play the villain. So you never know what clicks with whom. As an actor you should be willing to experiment and be versatile otherwise you can’t learn and grow,” Mouni told an agency.

“Brahmastra” also featuring megastar Amitabh Bachchan, will serve as the first film in the trilogy. Mouni says working with the team has been an enriching experience.

“My life is fulfilled after working with Mr Bachchan. Ranbir and Alia are sweethearts, they are too good. They all are such big stars that you get scared walking on the sets.

“They all have been so generous, welcoming and made me feel comfortable. With great success and talent they als have that humility and are accepting people from outside,” she adds.

“Brahmastra”, produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Production, will release on December 20.

Mayawati, Akhilesh asks Cong not to spread confusion

mayawati and akhileshAfter Mayawati’s retort to the Congress, the Samajwadi Party Monday asked the grand old party not to spread any kind of confusion while maintaining that the BSP-SP-RLD alliance is capable of defeating the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.

The Congress on Sunday said it would leave more than a dozen Lok Sabha seats for other parties, including seven for the SP, BSP and RLD alliance in the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.

Apart from this, the grand old party also said that it will leave two seats for the Apna Dal, and entered into an electoral agreement with the lesser known Jan Adhikar Party.

“In Uttar Pradesh, the SP, BSP and RLD alliance is capable of the defeating the BJP. The Congress party should not spread any kind of confusion,” SP president Akhilesh Yadav wrote on Twitter.

Earlier in the day, Mayawati advised the Congress to refrain from spreading misunderstanding about leaving seven Lok Sabha seats for the SP-BSP-RLD combine.

In a series of tweets, Mayawati also made it amply clear that BSP will not enter into any alliance with the Congress.

She said the SP-BSP-RLD alliance is capable enough to defeat the BJP on its own.

The SP and the BSP had forged an alliance on 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. As per the deal, the SP will contest 37 Lok Sabha seats in UP and the BSP 38, leaving three for the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal and two for Sonia Gandhi (Rae Bareli) and Rahul Gandhi (Amethi).

Rama to Ramji – BJP politics not enough for votes?

Rama vs Ramji 1It seems BJP has realised that no political party at this juncture can afford to ignore Dalits and survive the electoral battle. So, in the attempt of appeasement, BJP earlier came adding Ramji to Baba Saheb’s name. The party as of now survived on Lord Rama in Ayodhya and now they have gone one step ahead of renaming Bhimrao Ramrao to Ramji. Since BJP has come to power, many Dalit organisations raised their voices against Dalit atrocities. The SP-BSP alliance and the grand entry of the Congress with Priyanka Gandhi as a campaigner, 2019 seems to be a tough race for the BJP. The changing political scenario has forced the saffron party to woo the Dalits in all possible manners. They already won the Muslim votes (female) in the name of triple talaq.

BJP MP Rajendra Agrawal asserted, “PM Modi has worked for the betterment of everyone be it Muslims, STs, SCs or other castes or religions. Before Modi, they have been used for vote banks for so many years and the Modi-led government has demolished the vote bank politic of this country by bringing Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas into existence. BJP government has done a lot for the lower castes and minorities without any discrimination. We should always avoid violence as it is not good for the harmony of the society. Violence on minorities and lower castes has been decreased under the BJP government.”

The dynamics in rural Dalit politics seems to have moved from challenging the upper castes to finding acceptance and becoming a part of the majoritarian polity that is under construction. The emergent “new” middle classes from among these Dalit families continued to feel the pinch of caste within the anonymity of urban spaces. This political language also provides anonymity and ostensibly side-lines and undermines the language of caste that comes as a relief to the urban Dalit.

To bridge the gap, BJP decided to refer Bhimrao Ambedkar by his full name Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar in Uttar Pradesh comes with a political pitch to break the ‘Neem-Bhim Ek Saath’ (Muslim-Dalit unity) slogan in the state and align Dalits with its Hindutva agenda in the light of the BSP-SP tie up, party leaders said. The Yogi government has decided to introduce ‘Ramji’ as the middle name of the Father of the Constitution BR Ambedkar in all official correspondence and records, an order that has raised opposition hackles ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Samajwadi Party MP Nagendra Pratap Singh said “Now the people of India know that the BJP is anti-Muslims, Dalits, STs, SCs and backwards. Nothing is going to work in favour of BJP this time. It has deceived the Indians in the last five years. Muslim minority and Dalits have been murdered, lynched and tortured during the Modi-led BJP government. Instead of voting for Modi they will take revenge by throwing him out of the power. As far as BSP-SP alliance is concerned, they are going to form the government in Uttar Pradesh.”

This move hence helps in aligning the Dalit community with BJP agenda, especially with SP and BSP joining forces for 2019. Ambedkar Jayanti will be a very big event in UP this time on April 14 with all the state ministers fanning out to districts for the celebrations.

Dr. Lalji Prasad Nirmal, director of Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Mahasabha, said that the campaign had been initiated by Governor Ram Naik (BJP leader from Mumbai) in December 2017, who had written to the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister, and also the Mahasabha, expressing his concerns over the prevalent incorrect spelling of Ambedkar.

Film Producer Vishwajeet Gaikwad told Afternoon Voice, “Ramji was Ambedkar’s father’s name. As per common practice in Maharashtra, father’s name is used as a middle name for sons. The irony of Indian citizens is that such gimmick works; instead of changing spellings, these people should have worked for Ambedkar’s dream for India, put thought on why he put efforts in the Constitution. However, the main point is that the way the name should be pronounced. While its English spelling is correct, the spelling will have to change in Hindi, as will the pronunciation.”

The order soon got mired in political controversy with the opposition Samajwadi Party crying hoarse that the move smacked of politics ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

“The BJP government is playing politics with the name of the Dalit icon,” said SP leader Anurag Bhadoria. He charged the state government with politicising Ambedkar’s name for attracting Dalit vote bank.

In 2019, it would be interesting to see who saves BJP, Lord Rama or Ramji?

 

Are Hindus and Muslims Bhai-Bhai in reality?

So far the minorities and the Muslims believe that they were used by many political parties, whereas the majority of the state has only 5-8 per cent of the Muslim population and that too scattered. It was the Hindu votes from which the Congress ruled this country for so long, the Muslims were only extra supports. They were always displayed as getting appeasement from the parties for votes but the real story is far from the truth. People blame politicians, extremists for creating a barrier and a thick line of hatred between the people is a myth. Politicians or extremists just use people to create chaos to disturb things. If people are united, there will be a few or no chance of hatred among people. Most of the people may hate the Muslims across the globe because of the misconception and example available for terrorism.

There is no point in saying that the Hindus are most tolerant or most liberal. There are few Hindus who hate Muslims, Christians, Buddhist, and Sikhs even Dalits; they are the haters just like the Muslims who hate Hindus, Christians, Jews, Druze, Ahmadis etc. However, the fact is that most Hindus generally don’t hate Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jews etc. but they do hate the Muslims. People may deny but we all know that there are Muslims in every state from North to South who burst crackers for Pakistan Cricket team, not because they understand bowling style of Shoaib Akhtar but because they hate India and believe Pakistan is their “real home”.

Speaking of politics, for a nation to be stable and happy either the majority should be Muslim or a negligible minority like less than 5 per cent should be Muslims. A large Muslim minority is really very unfortunate for any nation especially a democracy. They demand Sharia compatibility and don’t respect civil laws. They always polarise the voting process by voting blindly en masse for their religious agenda and hatred. Now, Christianity and Islam both are similar from a Hindu point of view as originated in Arab, similar sagas, Abrahamic religion etc.

However, has anyone heard of Christians bursting cracker or favouring English Cricket team? The Portuguese government has given many Goan Catholics the Indian Citizenship but still, the “general population” will be proud of their “Indian” identity. There are Christians who “criticise” Modiji but they will certainly NOT vote for their hatred for Modi or BJP. They don’t believe in polarisation and don’t care to Impose Catholic/Protestant doctrine in law. They vote for candidates just like any other Hindu or Buddhist for that matter. Not only Hindus, most Christians, most Jews, most Animists, most Buddhist almost every major religion would prefer non-Muslim demography over Muslim demography, and that’s a fact.

If we see, Muslims are the one party in every major religious conflict! Why an illiterate factory worker from Dhaka, who can’t show Israel in the world map, hates Jews anonymously? Why don’t the Hindus from Nepal join Bajrang Dal, Christians from the UK join Anti Balaka, Buddhists from India pledge blind support for Buddhists Military junta in Burma, however, Muslims from UK, India, Nepal, and Burma join ISIS? That’s because Muslims as a community hate anything that they believe as a threat to Islam and what is Islam? For them, religion and Allah are above all, above Nation, above Country, and above any Faith.

Even Muslims are not at peace with their religion — Sunnis say Shias are not Muslims and hate them while Shias say Sunnis are not Muslims and hate them. Both of them say Ahmadis are not Muslims. All of them say terrorists are not Muslims, those who fornicate are not Muslims, alcoholics and stock brokers are not Muslims etc. However, whenever a terrorist in Kashmir, New York, Gaza gets prosecuted all of these people come together, defending the faith.

Meanwhile, if we talk only about India, the hypocrisy of Muslims is being exposed many times. Muslims demanded separate Islamic nation from India. Hindus never demanded a Hindu nation and remained secular because Hindus were never afraid of the Muslims. Muslims played this divide politics during partition also and took the support of some Dalit leaders and the first Law Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was a Dalit. What happened to them later is history. Muslims are always insecure because they are a minority community but BJP and RSS projected that the Muslim population will soon explode. Muslim boys are marrying our daughter; they are converting Hindus and spreading Islam — this is what RSS tried to spread fear in Hindus heart. The overgrown population of India is largely contributed by the Muslims in its ratio.

The Hindus were comfortable living with the Muslim population but still, Muslims demanded the Islamic nation wherever they were in the majority. In 1947, there was no partition of Kashmir, so stop peddling lies. Moreover, it is not necessary that in a partition, all the states and geography gets divided. Wherever the Muslims were in majority or near majority, they went to Pakistan. Most of the ideologues of Pakistan were from Hindi heartland i.e. Bihar, UP, MP who settled there. If we look at the history, Muslims who remained in India post-partition were not by their choice but by the choice of the majority who wanted a secular nation i.e. Hindus. Dalit is a term created by the foreign rulers that too by the Mughals to divide the Hindus and rule them. In our holy books, there’s no caste system based by birth. Muslims took Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh but the world knows where these countries are heading and where is India today as compared to them. Muslims ruled India for 1,400 years because they preserved their religion, culture, and pride.

We may say that Hindu-Muslim Bhai Bhai (brothers) but the reality is exactly the opposite. God knows when and how these difference are going to be sorted out!


(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

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Goa CM Manohar Parrikar passes away after battle with pancreatic cancer

Manohar Parrikar, Goa, CM, Goa CM, Parrikar, Manohar Parrikar Passes Away

Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar died in Panaji on Sunday, succumbing to a pancreatic ailment that had slowed down the technocrat-politician. He was 63.

Parrikar returned to work in December, admitting that he was battling a “life-threatening disease”, but said he would continue to work till his last breath.

He presented the Goa budget in the assembly on January 30, wearing a tube in his nose. “Present circumstances have prevented me from delivering a detailed Budget speech, but there is a josh that is too high, very high and I am in hosh. Fully in hosh,” he had said after presenting the budget.

Parrikar, who studied at IIT Bombay, served as the defence minister in the Narendra Modi government before he moved to take charge as Goa’s chief minister for the fourth time.

“Extremely sorry to hear of the passing of Shri Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister of Goa, after an illness borne with fortitude and dignity. An epitome of integrity and dedication in public life, his service to the people of Goa and of India will not be forgotten,” said President Ram Nath Kovind on Twitter.

Born in Goa’s Mapusa in 1955, Parrikar joined the RSS during his school days. He studied at Loyola High School, Margao. He completed his secondary education in Marathi and went on to graduate in metallurgical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in 1978. He is the first IIT alumnus to serve as MLA of an Indian state.

He pursued metallurgical engineering from IIT-Bombay and graduated in the year 1978. As a sanghchalak in Mapusa, in the 1990s, he was heavily involved in spreading the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in Goa.

More than 11,558 political ads removed ahead of polls

posters

As many as 11,558 unauthorised political advertisements and posters have been removed from Mumbai suburban district ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, an election official said.

Besides, 16 police complaints of such unauthorised boards have also been filed in the last one week as part of implementation of the model code of conduct in the district, he said.

“So far, 9,298 advertisement boards, posters, banners and flags have been removed from public places. Besides, 2,260 such boards have been removed from private properties,” he said.

Senior police and civic officials have been given the task to help in the implementation of the code of conduct in their areas of jurisdiction, he added.

Mumbai suburban district comprises four Lok Sabha and 26 Assembly constituencies. Its administrative limits are from Mahim Causeway to Dahisar, Kurla to Mulund and Kurla to Trombay.