Sajjad Hussain, the second Pakistani terrorist captured in Jammu and Kashmir after Usman Khan alias Mohammed Naved, was sent to seven-day police remand on Friday by a judicial magistrate court in Sopore.
The terrorist, identified as 22-year-old Sajjad Ahmed, was captured on Thursday following an over-night encounter near the Line of Control (LoC) in Rafiabad area of Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the Army, Sajjad hails from Muzaffargarh in south west Pakistan.
Three terrorists were killed in the encounter on Thursday while one was killed on Wednesday.
The security forces had on Wednesday launched a massive operation in north Kashmir, ranging from Uri sector near the Line of Control to Panzalla in Rafiabad area, following information about presence of a group of militants in the area.
Pakistani troops violated ceasefire by resorting to heavy mortar shelling along International Border in RS Pura and Arnia sectors of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, killing 3 civilian and injuring 16 others.
Subhash Chander, 45, and Bimla Devi, 42, both residents of Sai Khurd village, and Pawan Kumar, 55, who lived in Abdullian village, were killed.
The firing and mortar shelling started around 0145 hours along the IB in Kishanpur, Jora Form, Jugnu Chak, Nawapind, harna, Sia, Abdullian and Chandu Chak areas, a police officer said.
Police said the Pakistani side also used automatics and machine guns to fire indiscriminately in the area. Many civilians areas have come under heavy shelling by Pakistan.
BSF troops guarding the border retaliated resulting in heavy exchanges which are going on when the reports last came in from the area, they said.
Meanwhile, J&K Deputy Chief Minister said that injured people are being given free treatment and assured relief from the state government.
There have been 51 violations of the border ceasefire agreement of 2003 by Pakistan in August and over 245 ceasefire violations this year so far.
On August 16, a woman was killed and five persons were injured as Pakistani troops fired 120 mm and 82 mm mortars bombs, HMGs and RPGs on border posts and civilian areas in Poonch and Rajouri districts.
Reality TV personality Kim Kardashian and husband Kanye West have won a USD 440,000 settlement after they filed a lawsuit over their leaked proposal video.
In 2013, the rapper surprised his then-girlfriend with a private party at AT&K Park, where he proposed to her in front of her family and friends.
While the happy moment was filmed for an official online video as well as for “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”, amateur video of it made its way to video websites including YouTube, reported E! Online.
The couple sued YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley, whose new website MixBit’s logo was seen on the fuzzy footage.
“My clients brought this case because they take confidentiality agreements seriously. We are gratified that California’s trial and appellate courts upheld all our claims in this matter.
“With Mr. Hurley’s settlement payment, we believe a fair and just outcome has been achieved,” Kardashian and West’s lawyer said.
Actress Aditi Rao Hydari says she consciously wears garments by Indian designers on the red carpets and events as it is her way of promoting our talent, handloom and textile.
The “Guddu Rangeela” star turned showstopper for designer Ritu Kumar on the day two of the Lakme Fashion Week, which celebrated the Indian handloom and textile day.
She stunned in a pink brocade sari, choli and gold churidar. “Somewhere I have made a conscious decision to always wear Indian designers. I don’t think I have ever worn a western designer’s clothes. I truly believe that we have so much talent here. And there are so many people in the industry who have been promoting Indian textile for a long time now,” Aditi said.
The 28-year-old actress lamented that people in our country always look west for inspiration and do not truly understand the value of the rich culture and heritage.
“We always look west when we want inspiration. I don’t understand why we always need others from outside to tell us how rich we are – be it yoga or fashion. I think it is high time we change that and celebrate what we have.”
In an era which is marked by movements for women’s liberation and rights, Raksha Bandhan can be celebrated as a festival that promotes brotherly-sisterly relations. Raksha Bandhan this year is being celebrated on August 29. Traditionally, this festival is celebrated by our Hindu brothers and sisters. The sister seeks the protection of her blood-brother or a close male friend, who in turn offers her respect and protection. Earlier, this festival was wrongly understood as a woman subjugating herself before a man as her lord and master. Raksha Bandhan, celebrated in the month of Shravan (August) is a festival where the sisters tie a decorative thread known as a ‘rakhi’ around the wrist of their brothers and apply a ‘tilak’ on their forehead. They pray for their brothers’ well-being, who in turn promises to take care of them and offer them protection.
The festival of Raksha Bandhan has acquired different expressions and connotations in the course of time. Today, the sisters choose flashy, stylish and expensive rakhis for their brothers and look forward to receiving expensive gifts from them like a mobile phone or an iPod. Unknown to many, this festival is rooted in several myths and a spiritual truth of greatest significance that reflect its purity and power of protection. Before the advent of sister-brother ritual, the sacred thread of rakhi was tied by the family priest. It was considered auspicious for all the family members. This custom still prevails in some parts of India.
It was also believed that soldiers and warriors were tied rakhis by their sisters and wives before they entered into the battlefield to wish them good luck and a safe journey back home. Actually, it was a reminder that they should respect the honour of the womenfolk of the enemy in the same spirit as they would expect their own womenfolk to be treated by the enemy, if captured.
According to one story, it is said that there was a 12-year-long battle between the deities and demons, which was won by the latter. The king of deities, Indra, vowed to claim back his sovereignty by waging another war with the demons. Before going to war, his wife, Indrani, tied him a ‘rakshasutra’ as a symbol of protection. This time, Indra won the battle and the deities reclaimed their sovereignty over heaven.
According to another legend, when Yamuna, the sister of Yama, the lord of death tied a rakhi to him, he declared that whosoever would tie this bond of purity and eschew lust would be liberated from the fear of death and attains a place in the land of immortality, i.e. heaven. These stories highlight the fact that true protection is possible only when purity is upheld in any relationship. Today, it’s more than ever imperative to reinforce this message of Raksha Bandhan to protect women’s honour. We have been witnessing more and more women falling prey to the lust of men. Today, most women feel unsafe and insecure even at home.
Raksha Bandhan is undoubtly the only bondage that truly frees us from all insecurities, fear and sorrow. Let us therefore spread the true message of Raksha Bandhan and vow to imbibe pure attitude and respectful behaviour towards all womenfolk.
A budding writer Insiya Patanwala, is a gifted child with a creative imagination who has written the fantasy novel series titled Esoterica. This book speaks about the world of angels which fears an invasion by the devils and the story is all about how nine teenagers battle it out to save the angel world. A grade X student in one of the leading schools of Mumbai, Insiya’s passions include reading, writing poems, short stories and painting. Here are the excerpts of the interview with our correspondent Suraj Chandran.
What inspired you to write the book Esoterica?
I did not start writing out of inspiration. Nothing as such inspired me. In fact, I started writing out of curiosity. I used to read Harry Potter series those days. What got me was how J.K Rowling managed to make such an elaborate, beautifully woven plot. My curiosity got the best of me and I started writing just to get an answer to my question: How an author writes the plot for her story? I wrote a very stupid story first and it disappointed me a lot. I decided to scrap out the idea of writing. But then something made me start again. I discarded the original story and started afresh. And somehow, from somewhere, I still haven’t been able to figure out how, I managed to come up with a full length novel.
Tell us something about your book.
At first, I just wrote for fun. But then my reason for writing has changed. I started channelling my emotions into my words. I started writing down what I couldn’t express aloud. My book is totally based on things that I saw and I experienced everyday. The book deals with a teenaged fourteen- year-old girl Sophia Martin and how she hates who she is. She messes everything up and she feels herself to be worthless. That is until an incident changes her life. She is told that she is supposed to defeat evil and save the universe. Thrown into a completely different world full of chaos, betrayal, bloodshed and war, she finds herself desperately trying to survive without losing her mind. The story deals with Sophia’s emotions, the hardships she faces and how she finds her way out of every problem and learns to love herself eventually.
Which is your favourite character in the Esoterica?
I have no favourite character. I love all the characters in my book because without any of them, the book would look incomplete. I love Angelia’s strong willed personality and her mother, Somalia’s gentleness. I love Seleva’s wit and smartness and I love Jake and Jack, Sophia’s twin brother’ happy-go-lucky nature. Hailey and Hadley have their own significance as Sophia’s sisters and her first and best mates. Ethan and Anaya have their own significance as Sophia’s best friends. And so all the characters in my book are my favourite.
Do you relate with the characters in the book?
Yes. I relate to Sophia. In fact, Sophia is just like me. It’s easier for me to relate to her than any of the other characters of my book. Writing about Sophia is easy as I know how she must be feeling at different times and in different situations. I feel what she is feeling and I understand it and maybe that is how I write. It was so that during the course of the time I was writing the book, I was suffering from low self-esteem and trauma. When I used to come home from school, I used to pour out the distorted emotions on the paper. According to that, I wrote. That is how Sophia was created. In truth, Sophia is ME.
Who is your favourite author?
It’s obvious that my favourite Author is J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter series were one of the first books I started to read.
What prompted you to become a writer?
No one did. I acted upon my emotions. Writing came naturally to me and I wrote what I felt. I didn’t write because I wanted to be declared as an ‘author,’ I wrote because it made me feel good. It made me feel relieved and alive.
What is your ambition in life?
I want to inspire people. I want to help them. I want to be the one who makes a change in the world, who makes their mark. I also want to help people get out of their stress and ensure that no other person- teen, adult, child- goes through any kind of stress. Maybe that is why I want to become a psychiatrist.
What are your hobbies?
Writing is obviously my hobby. Drawing, painting, reading are other hobbies. I also like singing a lot but I am not confident about it. I also am going to learn to play the guitar after the conclusion of my tenth board exams.
It’s very important for a dancer to remain relaxed, calm and confident.
Most of the international celebrities whom I taught to dance, I have always asked them how do they fight ‘backstage jitters’ just before a performance. Madonna, Shakira, Beyonce and even Kenny G have the same fears. My student actress Kajol once told me due to the fear of stage fright she can never do live performances. It is natural for any dancer to feel nervous right before appearing on stage. Often this nervousness can hinder a dancer’s performance. As we become seasoned performers, we learn how to use this nervousness to our advantage.
This tension comes from the adrenaline that naturally will release into the body. It is hard to feel calm once this happens! This will happen when a person embarks on a venture that requires a great deal of courage. Dancing on stage can be downright scary at times. One way to better perform better is to appear on stage enough times…to just naturally feel comfortable! This unfortunately isn’t an option for less experienced dancers. But there are a few things a dancer can do to lessen this tension and to use it towards the performance ahead.
Be Ready
Before you get called to the wings by the stagehands; practice breathing and stretching. Make sure you are completely warmed up, stretched and calm. Taking deep breaths is very important so you have a great surplus of oxygen flowing through your lungs and muscles. By the time you get to the wings, you should be calm enough to handle last minute nerves.
Never go on a stage without practicing the piece at least twice. Being physically warmed up will assure a better performance and that should ease a little tension right there.
Make sure you have enough time the night before, to sleep at least 9 hours that night. This will help your performance and your tension.
Do stay hydrated and have some protein in your pre-performance meal. Don’t eat heavy but try to eat enough so that you feel energetic. Eat 3 to 4 hours before your performance so that it is digested for energy stores at the time you’ll need it. Do not eat sugar or drink caffeine. And absolutely no smoking or alcohol!
Make sure your dance bag, costumes, accessories and makeup are all packed and checked the night before.
Arrive at the venue at least an hour before you’re required to be there. This will give you time to practice on the stage area and will lesson your chances of any late arrival, which will in turn cause increased tension.
Try your shoes on the floor when it’s rolled out. Make any last minute adjustments according to the floor.
Be focused
Make sure you listen to your music and visualize the performance before you go onstage. Visualization is a very powerful tool and can relax the mind and body.
Don’t let a chatty friend take all your crucial last moments before a performance! Try to center yourself and stay in a very focused state of mind.
Try to use whatever mood you’re feeling that day towards your performance. Any energy is good energy. This is the difference between a good dancer and a phenomenal performer.
Be positive
Backstage nervousness is also a twist of anticipation and excitement. Remember these other factors and keep your mindset positive. Anticipate your best performance yet, and enjoy the excitement of your finally getting to perform this piece after all the hard work you’ve done! Enjoy instead of dread it! Be pro-active!
Dancers need to come together as a group in a positive light pre-performance. It always helps to pray together, massage each other’s shoulders or do a pep cheer! This pep cheer can be a team ritual that gets every one in the mode and into the spirit. It brings a positive energy to the group that translates on stage.
Have confidence in yourself! You have worked hard and know the choreography. You were chosen for this part because you earned it! Have pride in your part no matter how large or small it may be. This humble and thankful mindset will give off an inner happiness that will shine for your fellow dancers, your choreographer and your audience.
A dancer without jitters is a bird without wings. Use this energy towards your movement and know that it is normal. Enjoy this excitement and relish every time you’re in the position to be coming out of those wings. We can’t be dancers forever! So enjoy these moments, and soar on that stage! You are there for a reason, let it shine!
As per reports, Sheena was expecting before allegedly being killed by her mother Indrani Mukherjea.
After the arrest of three people Indrani Mukherjea, her driver Shyam Rai and her former (second) husband Sanjeev Khanna in connection with the Sheena Bora murder case the Mumbai Police are probing the honour killing angle in this case. Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria is personally involved in the investigation being conducted by Khar police in suburban Mumbai. He had earlier questioned accused Indrani Mukerjea, mother of Sheena. According to Maria, the victim was strangulated to death and her body set afire after pouring petrol. The murder took place on April 24, 2012, and the body was found by Raigad police on May 23, he said.
“Although the motive behind the murder still remains a mystery, we are probing all the angles as we strongly suspect honour killing in this case,” said a police inspector.
Sheena is stated to be Indrani’s daughter from an earlier marriage with one Siddharth Das. Police also claimed that Indrani, 43, was present at the site in Raigad district where the victim was killed.
As per reports Sheena was expecting before allegedly being killed by her mother Indrani Mukherjea. Sheena had shared this information with Indrani. She wanted to give birth to this child. Sheena also had informed Indrani that she would not only keep the baby but also the money which was a huge, unaccounted for sum that had been parked in a foreign bank in the former’s name.
Media baron Peter Mukerjea’s son Rahul Mukerjea was questioned by Mumbai Police for a second time within 12 hours to unravel the complex web of linkages in the Sheena Bora murder case as he was in a relationship with the deceased.
According to police officials, Rahul was yesterday again grilled about his ‘relationship’ with Sheena and also over the reasons for not pursuing the missing complaint about her.
Rahul was also taken to two flats in suburban Bandra and Khar where he had allegedly spent some time with Sheena when they were seeing each other, they said.
Rahul and Sheena were said to have been dating for over a year, which Mukerjea’s wife and the main accused, Indrani, did not like.
“When Sheena had taken leave of absence on April 24 and was murdered on the same day, then this is very much clear that her resignation letter or email was sent by someone else,” said a police officer requesting anonymity.
“We would be inquiring with Reliance Metro officials over what reasons were cited in her resignation and did she resign through email or by sending hard copy letter. Did MMOPL officials try to verify the resignation letter and contact Sheena’s next of kin to know about her resignation?
Sheena was kidnapped from outside the National College in western suburbs of Mumbai. She came here from Assam in 1990s along with Indrani and completed BA Economics from St Xavier’s College.
In June 2011, she got a job with Reliance Mumbai Metro but suddenly stopped coming to duty after some time, police said. In the same year, her Facebook account was deactivated.
Peter said he would cooperate with investigators in the probe. “I have never experienced anything like this before. The news I am getting, the kind of crime that has been committed, I would have never expected.”
Bihar elections are just round the corner but BJP is yet to declare its chief ministerial candidate. Its allies are also mounting pressure, BJP indicated that it will finalise seat-sharing deal with them for the Bihar Assembly polls by the first week of September. Sources say just like Maharashtra BJP is planning to go solo, if seat sharing with their alliances fails. Narendra Modi’s rallies had set off a “storm of change” in the state which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his foe-turned-ally Lalu Prasad have ruled for 25 years between them, the saffron party said over 60 lakh people had attended more than 50,000 public meetings organised by it so far. Unlike the last two polls when BJP was in a settled tie-up with Kumar-led JD(U) with both parties having few differences, this time its allies have been piling pressure for a larger share of 243 seats going to the polls than it is likely to concede. Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP, Upendra Kushwaha-led RLSP and Jitan Ram Manjhi-led HAM are fighting the assembly polls in alliance with BJP for the first time.
The main cut throat competition will be between Janta Parivar (JDU+RJD) and BJP. Other parties will play a spindle in forming alliances. Lalu proved himself smart by supporting JDU because he knows he will definitely lose the game if he goes alone. The illusion of Modi waves have blown down to a larger extent, Bihar doesn’t vote on sentiments and after Delhi elections many equations have changed for the party. Nitish had worked for Bihar. It was he who brought safety, strength, status and growth of Bihar. After Lalu’s era, it was not easy to get Bihar on track. Nitish Kumar has more votebank and faith of the common man even after Jitaram Manjhi’s debacle as CM. As Chief Minister, he gained popularity by initiating a series of developmental and constructive activities including building of long-delayed bridges, re-laying roads that had ceased to exist, appointing over 100,000 school teachers, ensuring that doctors worked in primary health centers, and keeping crime in check. Nitish Kumar belongs to a socialist class of politicians. He learnt the lessons of politics under the tutelage of stalwarts Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia, S N Sinha, Karpuri Thakur and V. P. Singh. Nitish Kumar again assumed office of Chief Minister of Bihar on 22 February 2015. Bihar Legislative Assembly election, 2015 is considered as the toughest election for him. He is campaigning aggressively for Bihar elections after the formation of Janata Parivar.
Nitish has long history of socialist politics; he participated in Jayaprakash Narayan’s movement along with Anand Mohan Singh between 1974 and 1977, and was close to Satyendra Narayan Sinha, a prominent leader of that time. Once upon a time, he was a face of Bihar politics when BJP and JDU were in alliance and he was much appreciated by many. Although in Lok Sabha elections JDU was wiped off by BJP, it will be really very interesting to see the ‘Ghamasan’ between Janata Parivar and BJP.
Caste is everything (amongst the masses) in Bihar, approximately, ninety per cent of the voting here is based on caste. This time also votes will be split to a largest extent on caste base. Most of the educated Bihari voters are non-resident; either they stay in Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata. They are earning their livelihood somewhere else, and it is highly unlikely that they would vote. In this election, Nitish Kumar is solely dependent on caste card. Without support of RJD his survival in Bihar politics is difficult. BJP is riding on Modi’s wave in this poll. From 90’s, Bihar politics is defined by castes. This time, it’s a personal war between two leaders; CM Nitish Kumar versus PM Narendra Modi. If Kumar wins, it will open gates of corruption for RJD MLAs who are out of office for almost a decade. This factor is very important in this analysis because these are the guys who could actually break the caste based voting pattern, but since they won’t participate, their opinion does not matter at all in reality. As I earlier said most of the educated Biharis are staying outside and voting in Bihar is pretty less, hence it is very much insignificant to bring out any difference in the outcome. Moreover, RSS is supporting BJP in Bihar and upper caste votes can completely go in the party’s favour.
Cash and liquor for votes still works in Bihar. And it happens pretty openly. Probably it happens everywhere, but I am certain that it happens here in every election. I don’t know how much difference it actually makes.
For some reason or the other, development doesn’t work here in elections. Apart from a few urban areas like Patna, people are hardly concerned about anything related to development. The one who is residing in Bihar continues to do so because some or the other reasons, else know one wants to stay here. Some had their lands and farms here and hence couldn’t leave. Some didn’t have proper education. Some had to stay here because of their government jobs. Some had to stay because their ancestors have left a lot of immovable property here. Ninety nine per cent people, if they had an opportunity, will leave this place.
John romanced bhains ‘bijuriya’ and sang romantic songs for her.
Reality TV personality Kim Kardashian and husband Kanye West have won a USD 440,000 settlement after they filed a lawsuit over their leaked proposal video.
Actress Aditi Rao Hydari says she consciously wears garments by Indian designers on the red carpets and events as it is her way of promoting our talent, handloom and textile.
Tell us something about your book.
better is to appear on stage enough times…to just naturally feel comfortable! This unfortunately isn’t an option for less experienced dancers. But there are a few things a dancer can do to lessen this tension and to use it towards the performance ahead.
After the arrest of three people Indrani Mukherjea, her driver Shyam Rai and her former (second) husband Sanjeev Khanna in connection with the Sheena Bora murder case the Mumbai Police are probing the honour killing angle in this case. Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria is personally involved in the investigation being conducted by Khar police in suburban Mumbai. He had earlier questioned accused Indrani Mukerjea, mother of Sheena. According to Maria, the victim was strangulated to death and her body set afire after pouring petrol. The murder took place on April 24, 2012, and the body was found by Raigad police on May 23, he said.