From becoming the first Indian woman to win the title of Miss Universe at the age of 18 to raising two daughters single-handedly and entertaining viewers with her versatile acting performances, Sushmita Sen has surely come a long way in her life. The last two years must be really special for Sushmita as she made a solid comeback in acting with the web show ‘Aarya’, which is now nominated for the prestigious International Emmy Awards in the Best Drama Series category.
According to Sushmita, who turned 46 on Friday, Ram Madhvani’s directorial changed her life for the better. “I feel prior to Aarya, I was kind of an actor, on the personal front also, I faced quite a lot of challenges and a challenging 5 years period at the end of it. I felt like the Universe had to reward me because I’ve worked so hard to get there! And I can call Aarya that reward! It came at the right time, not just on a professional level,” she said.
Sushmita added, “Playing Aarya has been a worthy experience and to do so successfully, showcasing the relationship of a mother and of a woman who can hold the family together, even if the family belongs to the underworld and Drug Mafia, you glue it all together. I think Aarya changed my life on many levels. It was an exciting and lovely series as an actor to be a part of. I think it was an all-around experience which has changed my life for the better, for sure.” Sushmita is now waiting for the release of the second season of ‘Aarya’.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first public comment on the subject as the government works on new rules for digital currencies said, “The world’s democracies must work together on cryptocurrency to ensure it “does not end up in the wrong hand”.
Manu Zacharia, Cyber Security Evangelist said, “Cryptocurrencies are more like a necessary evil. It is the future of digital currency. However, as with any technology, it is a double-edged sword. When not used in a controlled and mature manner, it can have devastating effects, both individually as well as from a national perspective. Cryptocurrencies have added a new dimension to information and financial warfare by evolving as one of the economic pillars for financial dominance. From an individual perspective; many youngsters are getting into the cryptocurrency space. A good amount of market study and analysis is always recommended to understand the risk involved and to take an appropriate decision.”
“From an individual perspective, many youngsters are getting into the cryptocurrency space. A good amount of market study and analysis is always recommended to understand the risk involved and to take an appropriate decision,” said Utkarsh Tambe, IT professional from Pune.
“I don’t understand its rationale. To me, it looks like a highly sophisticated Ponzi scheme. I hope Indian youth are able to resist the temptation,” said RTI activist Shailesh Gandhi.
Social Media Activist – Nandita Thakur said, “It seems cryptocurrency will be the future currency but with no rules and regulations, it is highly risky. The trend is Youth are the biggest investors in it, hope they are not stealing, borrowing or begging money to invest and are emotionally stronger to handle the situation arising in case of losing money.”
Harin Naik, an IT professional from Gujarat said, “Cryptocurrency used to be nerd money. Lots of early investors have made a fortune from it. Youth can be definitely vulnerable to it because it can buy anything and everything if you know where to shop for it.”
Suresh Nakhua, BJP spokesperson said, “As per latest reports more than 105 million Indians (7.9%) of the population is invested in the cryptocurrency to the tune of $10 Billion. Basically, cryptocurrency is a decentralised currency and nobody can deny its presence and influence. Indian govt is cognizant of the fact that this is an evolving tech and will keep a close eye on it and take proactive steps. The steps taken by GOI would be progressive and forward-looking, including engaging with experts and other stakeholders. The Government also feels that any attempt to mislead the youth through over-promising and non-transparent advertising has to be stopped. Unregulated crypto markets cannot be left to become avenues for money laundering and terror financing.”
Keval Domadia, a Cyber security expert from Gujarat said, “The base technology of cryptocurrency, the blockchain, and also the concept of a decentralised currency is definitely a concept of the 21st century. In fact, from economic evolution point of view, we have moved from barter to currency age, and have been doing so for over 5 centuries now. It is time to upgrade that and fill the gap of foreign exchange because the businesses have gone global. However, the implementation of a very promising BitCoin, ETH and every other crypto was wrong, it lacked global regulatory authority or a way to prove how their currency creates value. Without regulation, it is not at all a secured form of investment or a legal transaction tender. Eventually, it has turned out to be a Forex style gambling concept that thrives on marketing and pure speculation. Forex, however, returns something tangible, is recommended.”
Amandeep Singh, a farmer in the Tech domain said, “Cryptocurrency, like every other trend in technology, looks very lucrative at this time however we must keep in mind that it is not yet regulated. Indian youth should not look for and become habitual to make easy money from it.”
Ajit Hatti a cyber security expert said, “Money is the power which drives the world. Just like any other power source, money is regulated by the government and government authorized institutions. Cryptocurrencies make transactions anonymous and free from the control and regulations of government or institutions. This feature of cryptocurrency has been majorly (ab)used by bad actors, criminal syndicates to evade regulations, trace and accountability to carry out overwhelmingly large globally coordinated illegal activities. Ransomware attacks, Silk Road darknet are a few such examples. Common people in India are seeing Bitcoins and cryptocurrencies as investment avenues and assets as we have seen insane growth in the price of Bitcoins from a few pennies to 60K USD in a decade. People also see them as a reliable alternative to Swiss Bank accounts, which is not a viable option after the Indian government works out new disclosure agreements with the European countries.”
Bhavesh Parmar a Chartered Accountant said, “Most popular investment tools in India, higher profit in short term and more crypto exchange choices are attracting youth. High volatility in crypto exchange India platforms like WazirX, coinDCX, etc get more investors to make a user-friendly app.”
Anett Kontaveit put aside losing to Spain’s Garbine Muguruza in the championship match of the WTA Finals in Guadalajara on Wednesday, saying the momentum from her memorable end-of-season run would hold her in good stead next year.
The Supreme Court on Thursday quashed the Bombay High Court verdict which had held that no offence of sexual assault under the POCSO Act is made out if there is no direct skin-to-skin contact between an accused and victim.
A magistrate’s court on Wednesday declared former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh a “proclaimed offender” in an extortion case registered against him and other police officers in the city.
Singer-actor Harry Styles recently announced his foray into the beauty industry with the launch of his brand Pleasing, and his ladylove and actor Olivia Wilde showed support for her beau by sharing his brand reveal post. Taking to her Instagram Story, she cleverly captioned the black-and-white clip, “I find this very pleasing.”
The Supreme Court Collegium has approved the proposal for the elevation of senior advocate Saurabh Kirpal as a judge of the Delhi High Court. If appointed, Kirpal would be the first openly gay judge in the country. The matter had been stuck since India’s central intelligence agency, which reports to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raised a red flag about Kirpal’s foreign life partner.
Laxmi Narayan Tripathi is a transgender/Hijra rights activist told Afternoon Voice, “There are many advocates and judges in India who are married to foreign women and many female advocates to foreign men. Saurabh’s sexuality should not be the reason why his candidature has not been considered for elevation as a judge. The government has to come out of their myopic vision.”
Pranam Seth (Gay Beautician) said, “Look at our skills are merits, we are no less than straight people. Saurabh Kripal is a very successful lawyer of India; he argued the case that led to the reading down of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, by giving us the right to live with dignity. If this time the government does not consider his candidature for judge of the Delhi High Court, then they are displaying their bigotry.”
Navya Singh, Brand Ambassador of Miss Transqueen India told us, “The NDA government is very conservative and anti-people government. If Kirpal’s sexual orientation is the reason why his elevation is pending, then these political parties should keep in mind, we too are the voters of this nation, and we have every right to reserve our vote against such prejudice.”
Aryan Pasha, India’s first trans man bodybuilder said, “Had he (Saurabh Kripal) been a straight person by now he would have got all the favours and perks. Our society and government still have this reservation for the LGBT community. We are in the 21st century, what message this government is giving to the common public, that one should not promote or encourage a Gay professional? This is dangerous.”