Latching onto the CAG’s adverse remarks about the ‘Jalyukt Shivar’ scheme rolled out by the previous Devendra Fadnavis government, the ruling Shiv Sena on Thursday asked whether he will introspect now. The ‘Jalyukt Shivar’ scheme had little impact in achieving water neutrality and increasing groundwater level, and its execution was characterized by lack of transparency, the CAG said in its report tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
A sum of Rs 9,633.75 crore was spent on the scheme, a flagship program of the Fadnavis government (2014-19) that sought to make Maharashtra a drought-free state, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said. The now-scrapped project involved deepening and widening of streams, construction of cement and earthen stop dams, undertaking work on nullahs, and digging of farm ponds.
Referring to the findings, the Shiv Sena said any scheme is good on paper, but the real question is about its transparent and effective implementation. “When there is a problem (with such implementation of a scheme), then the rant about it (the scheme) turns out to be hollow and expenses superfluous,” the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.
“Precisely this is what happened in the case of Jalyukt Shivar scheme,” the Shiv Sena, which was part of the Fadnavis government, said. Had the implementation of the scheme been effective, water sufficiency would have been achieved in parts of the state in the real sense. But it did not happen, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.
“The real question is whether those who released high the balloon of the ‘Jalyukt (Shivar)’ will introspect now as to why it burst,” the party said, without naming Fadnavis. Experts had criticized the scheme during the previous regime. But Fadnavis and others dismissed the criticism terming it as political and wrong, it added.
“Now the CAG itself has put a question mark on the success of the scheme. What do those who tom-tommed about the scheme have to say about it now?” the Sena asked.
The government of Maharashtra has directed passengers to book connecting flights with a time gap of at least 8-12 hours, as an RT-PCR test takes 7 to 8 hours to generate the report. The charges for the RT-PCR tests have been capped at Rs 2,200 and will be borne by passengers. Currently, the testing facility is available only for transit passengers who want to take an onward connecting flight and do not have Covid-19 test reports with them.
fresh guidelines issued by the state government states that the “International passengers, who have to take connecting flights from Mumbai, will have to undergo reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for Covid-19 at the airport on arrival. The passengers can get tested and will be allowed to take connecting flights on having a negative test report,” the guideline states. Those found positive may not be allowed to take the connecting flight and sent for institutional quarantine in Mumbai, it further reads.
The process of collecting samples for RT-PCR tests began at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, officials said. Mumbai airport is the second in the country to announce Covid-19 testing facilities after the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. On September 2, the Civil Aviation Ministry had allowed international passengers to take onward flights after landing in India and issued guidelines for entry airports to conduct RT-PCR tests for passengers who did not have Covid-19 negative test reports.
Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Sunday revoked its decision on mandatory institutional quarantine for Covid-19 patients aged above 50 years. The decision was taken at a review meeting headed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
On August 20, BMC’s executive health officer, Dr Mangala Gomare, had issued guidelines to all assistant commissioners stating “no home isolation should be allowed” for Covid-19 patients aged above 50 years, irrespective of their symptoms and co-morbidities. The guideline was later revised and stated only “asymptomatic patients with comorbidity and above the age of 50 years will be persuaded not to observe home quarantine in the interest of their own well-being”. It further said asymptomatic patients above 50 years would be allowed to observe quarantine at home “if they wish to” do so.
Now the civic body has directed all ward officials to keep a track of Covid-19 patients aged above 50 and consult family physicians to ensure that such patients got immediate medical attention when needed. “The decision to admit all patients above 50 years was taken to monitor them from the beginning and screen them daily. There are several patients who are seeking admission when their condition turns critical,” a health official said.
Son born to Manchthaya Sreedhara Bhatt and Padmavathi Amma in 1940, Kesavananda Bharati took Sanyasa at the age of 19 and headed the Edneer Mutt as the Peetadhipathi until his death in 2020. He belonged to the Parampara of Thotakacharya, one of the first four disciples of Adi Shankara. He was a follower of the Smartha Bhagawatha tradition of Advaitha Pantha. As the head of the Mutt, he was referred by the honorific title, Srimad Jagadguru Sri Sri Sankaracharya Thotakacharya Kesavananda Bharathi Sripadangalavaru. He was one among the most significant contemporary seers in the Advaita Vedanta lineage and died early on Sunday at his ashram in north Kerala’s Kasaragod. The Mutt follows the unique Smartha Bhagawatha tradition of Advaitha Tradition which has more than 1200 years of the glorious history of religion, culture, art, music, and social service.
However, Swami Keasavananda Bharati was famous as a revolutionary leader who fought against then prime minister Indira Gandhi in the Supreme Court whose property rights case in the Supreme Court in 1973 helped define basic rights under the Constitution. Bharati had filed a case challenging the Constitution (29th Amendment) Act, 1972, questioning the Kerala government move to take over the mutt property. It came at a time when the Indira Gandhi-led government had made changes to the 24th, 25th, 26th, and 29th amendments of the Constitution to get the court to rule in favor of the government in bank nationalization and privy purses cases. Kesavananda Bharati’s case is known as a landmark case and many legal luminaries hailed him as the savior of the Constitution. Senior lawyer Nani Palkhivala fought the case for Bharati, an ardent follower of Advaita philosophy, in which the then chief justice of India Sarv Mitra Sikri formed a 12-judge panel to preside over the case. The Constitution bench ruled a wafer-thin 7-6 verdict that Parliament cannot alter the basic structure of the Constitution. He was the only Shankaracharya to have publicly issued a statement saying that it was a mistake for the government to open the vaults of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The case was heard for 68 days, the arguments commencing on October 31, 1972, and ending on March 23, 1973, by the largest ever Constitutional Bench consisting of 13 judges. There were 11 separate judgments. Upholding the validity of clause (4) of Article 13 and a corresponding provision in article 368(3), inserted by the 24th Amendment, the Court settled in favour of the view that Parliament has the power to amend the fundamental rights also. However, the Court affirmed another proposition also asserted in the Golaknath case, by ruling that the expression “amendment” of this Constitution in article 368 means any addition or change in any of the provisions of the Constitution within the broad contours of the Preamble and the Constitution to carry out the objectives in the Preamble and the Directive Principles. Applied to fundamental rights, it would be that while fundamental rights cannot be abrogated, a reasonable abridgement of fundamental rights could be affected in the public interest. The true position is that every provision of the Constitution can be amended provided the basic foundation and structure of the Constitution remain the same.
The significance of the judgment was that the Parliament had the power to amend the Constitution and it cannot delegate its power to some State Assembly, Therefore the State Government of Kerala headed by Achutha Menon had to eat the humble pie. Indira Gandhi did not take the judgment simply and chose the dissenting judge A N Ray for the top job in April 2013 superseding three of his seniors.
He stated that all the assets found in the temple’s vault were indeed the assets of the temple and the responsibility of managing assets should be handed over to the temple’s trust. This decision in the Kesavananda Bharati case changed the complete nature of the amending power in the Indian Constitution. The fundamental rights could now be said to be amendable, except, of course, those fundamental rights which could be considered by the court to be part of the basic features of the Constitution. Moreover, all provisions of the Constitution were now within the reach of the amending power, but subject to the condition that the basic features of the Constitution could not be amended. And, the question as to what are these basic features of the Constitution is left for the court to decide as and when a particular amendment is challenged before the court. This, of course, led to a lot of uncertainties, as the Parliament would now not know before amending the Constitution as to whether the amended provisions were going to survive the test of the basic features theory when challenged in the court.
He was spreading the Hindu religion and culture in equal solemnity. He also rendered all possible support to literature, culture, and art. He is a Carnatic and Hindustani vocalist and master of all sections of Yakshagana, the renowned art form, and also has penned many devotional songs and dramas. Kesavananda Bharati was a Carnatic and Hindustani vocalist, and master of Yakshagana, an Indian art and theater form. He supported the use of the Kannada language in the border district of Kasaragod Kerala. Under his guidance, the mutt had instituted a Kannada-medium school, an English-medium school, junior college, and a Sanskrit Veda Patashala. Kesavananda Bharati was awarded the Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer Award, in 2018 by the Governor of Kerala for his contribution to the social and spiritual welfare of people. He advocated Hinduism but showed people a correct path, without being communal or hater for others, he kept humanity above all. Such spiritual leaders are rare these days, in spite of having so much significance, wisdom, and huge existence he never indulged in petty politics or showed any inclination towards political parties. He left his body on 6 September 2020 at the age of 79. Such spiritual leaders are rare in today’s time.
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The unplanned lockdown implemented by the Centre failed to stop COVID-19 spread and also destroyed the country’s economy said Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Monday.
“The unplanned and un-thought (sic) lockdown implemented by Prime Minister Modi with three hours notice utterly failed to stop COVID-19 on one hand and destroyed the economy as also lives and livelihoods of people on the other hand. In India’s history, this would be remembered ‘Tughlaqi blunder’ of Modiji’s failure of leadership,” Surjewala said at a press conference.
The Congress leader also pointed out what he termed were the “eight points of corona chronology” in the country and said that the recent doubling in cases from 20 to 40 lakh mark, had taken place in just 29 days.
“Experts believe that if the pandemic continues to increase with the same speed, by November 30, the total coronavirus cases would touch one crore. By December 30, the total cases could increase to 1.40 crore. It is feared that the deaths due to the pandemic could reach as high as 1,75,000,” Surjewala said.
The Congress leader further questioned the Prime Minister and sought answers for “his failed leadership” and how does he propose to control the further spread of infection.
“How will the government stop the corona infection from spreading to crores of people? How will Centre check the spurt in corona deaths? How will you restore the sinking economy? Does Modi government have a solution or will it blame God?” Surjewala said.
India’s COVID-19 case tally crossed the 42 lakh-mark with a spike of 90,802 new cases in the last 24 hours.
“A total of 1,016 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. The total case tally stands at 42,04,614 including 8,82,542 active cases, 32,50,429 cured/discharged/migrated and 71,642 deaths,” the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.
Putting an end to speculation about him joining the Congress after being released from jail recently, Dr Kafeel Khan said that he is a doctor and would like to remain so. He was recently released from Mathura jail after the Allahabad High Court quashed his detention under the stringent National Security Act (NSA). The court had ordered his immediate release, asserting that his speech at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) didn’t promote hatred or violence, rather gave a call for national integrity.
Dr Khan, who is presently in Rajasthan, told a news agency over the phone that he will “not join any political party”. “I am a doctor and would like to remain the same,” he said and expressed a desire to visit flood-hit areas of Bihar and help the victims.
He said that when his release was delayed after the Allahabad High Court order on September 1, it was feared that the Uttar Pradesh government was preparing to implicate him again in a case. “Because of the apprehension that I could be implicated in any other case by the Uttar Pradesh government, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had helped me on humanitarian grounds,” he said but made it clear that it should not be construed as he is going to join the Congress.
Dr Khan said there has been no discussion regarding politics with Priyanka Gandhi, nor has he got any indication as such from the Congress leader. “As there is a Congress government in Rajasthan and the distance from Mathura to Bharatpur is of just 20 minutes, Priyanka Gandhi offered me to come to Bharatpur”.
He thanked the Congress general secretary saying it was due to her he got “security” in Rajasthan. Dr Kafeel said that he has written a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath urging him to reinstate him to his post at Gorakhpur Medical College so that he can serve the people.
Khan, who worked as a paediatrician at Gorakhpur’s BRD Medical College, first hit headlines in 2017 after several children died at the hospital due to the lack of oxygen cylinders. Initially, he was hailed as a saviour for the children for arranging emergency oxygen cylinders. However, later, he faced action along with nine other doctors and staff members of the hospital, all of whom were released on bail.
A state government probe had cleared Khan of all major charges, prompting him to seek an apology from the Yogi Adityanath government. The doctor had alleged that an institutional failure had led to the deaths of the children. Khan was again arrested in January this year on the charge of delivering a provocative speech at the AMU during the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests. After the Allahabad High Court ordered his release on September 1, he walked out of Mathura jail late in the night.
Law says innocent till proven guilty but it seems the media is above the law these days. The news channels like “Times Now” and “Republic TV” have already decided the offender all though the investigating agencies like CBI, ED and NCB are yet to draw conclusions. Definition of law has been changed by the TRP starving media channels and our legal system is watching it all as voiceless bystanders. People have failed to understand the plight of family; it’s very easy to hold a high moral position when you don’t face the situation. Imagine yourself being handled by police officials when you have done no wrong. Similar is Rhea’s father Indrajit Chakraborty’s state of mind when the whole media and different investigating agencies are after him and his family by pronouncing his children guilty without any trial. God save this country from corrupt politicians and sold out media houses. No drugs have been found on Showik Chakraborty yet and the NCB’s case so far has hinged on the discovery of 59 grams of curated marijuana from two men identified as Abbas Lakhani and Karan Arora and the links they allegedly had with those close to Sushant Singh. Indrajit Chakraborty issued a statement condemning the arrest of his 24-year-old son Showik Chakraborty. He spoke his heart out and requested people to wait, but we all are in a hurry to punish them. We have become judas of the judiciary.
I am part of this very own Indian media as an accredited journalist of Maharashtra and follow this case very closely, I myself feel scared as to how safe am I being a woman of this country. Look at the way they are dealing with Rhea. In 2020, look at the mindset people possess. All of it that was hidden is out. Just read what all they have written about her on social media, watch the news that is twisted every day, look at that madness and mobbing by reporters. She is just an ordinary girl, who loved one mentally ill guy. The guy who committed suicide for his own reasons, and some believe he was murdered; finally the case is hardcovered to the CBI. Instead of waiting for the CBI verdict, the social media and TV trials are intensified. Don’t you think, she deserves to present her side, which is her legal right. Just because she was silent about all the theories and assumptions people created; we are seeing it every day. Please Mind it, she has NOT been proven guilty. I am not sure who is involved exactly but, false accusation is as much a big crime as actual indictment. What if she isn’t found guilty? People were screaming CBI investigation for the case, now they got it and they are still screaming? Why can’t they wait? Let the authorities do their work and present a report. Same people who were screaming about mental health are now mutilating someone else’s mental health? This is just sick.
After a long wait and silence Rhea gave interviews to a few channels and after that people are asking why she isn’t going to Republic TV for an interview. Why don’t you ask Arnab Goswami to call her? That guy spoke in a different manner to Kangana and Ankita and in a completely different manner to Sidharth Pithani. Even, Pithani hasn’t been found guilty till now. Who is Arnab Goswami to do biased reporting and declare someone guilty? He can’t be intimidating to the one he doesn’t approve while being careful talking to the ones he approves. His kind of reporting as journalism is a shame. When his approach is completely biased why should one expect Rhea to talk to him? He has already taken a supari (contract) to prove her guilty, then there is no point in going to his TV Channel and offer him sadistic pleasures.
Rhea should have been given a platform by the media to speak long back, an equal platform as Kangana was given (who never met Sushant) and Ankita was given (who hadn’t met him since the last four years and dumped him long back). Rhea, in fact, was the one who was close to Sushant. These Tv channels should have the guts to call Sushant’s sister who was with him in his final days and bombard her with questions for his death. Why weren’t people he actually was in contact with interviewed first? Honestly and how come no one is questioning Sushant’s sister who has been active on all social media sites since the incident happened. I guess the way people grieve is personal and different. Some might stay away from social media while some might post every single thing on it! She has been deleting a couple of old posts too. The way they started the investigation was good but they didn’t know where to stop. Shweta Singh Kirti and Ankita Lokhande are going on giving clarifications with proof about every single thing. What’s the hurry to take to social media? why can’t they wait and let the actual authorities do their work? And why Sushant’s sister totally refusing to listen to Rhea’s side? They are just being over smart now.
Two sides should be presented and heard. Here only one side dominated right from the beginning. Plus, the overnight forensic experts are going on scrutinizing each and every photo, judging each and every sentence and literally even the air I guess that is present in the photos. This is utterly disgraceful. A very strict action must be taken against media trial so that people are just set right. One solid example of the consequences of harmful media trials is very much needed. People are rightly pointing out ‘Even Kasab hadn’t received this much hatred’. First it was suicide due to nepotism, then it was money laundering and now its drug racket, don’t know what would be the next. Let the Law, CBI and Court do their job! Media’s stance to predict things in a decisive manner is against ethos since all people have equal right to live their life with dignity (Article -21 of the Indian Constitution). Hunt should be for the actual culprits; innocent people should not be hurt. I am not saying that Rhea is innocent (she may be or not), we will come to know after the investigation is over. For now please spare her.
There would be five years delay in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project due to low participation by Japanese companies to tenders cancelled because of steep rates quoted by bidders and disturbances caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The prices quoted in many of the 11 tenders meant to be executed by Japanese companies were up to 90% higher than the estimates. Last year, the company had floated nine civil work tenders which could not be opened because of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said. The National High-Speed Rail Corporation has acquired 63% of the land for the project — about 77% land in Gujarat, 80% in Dadra Nagar Haveli and 22% in Maharashtra.
Another hurdle in the path is the percentage of the total cost of the project, the total cost of the project is pegged at Rs 1.08 lakh crore and as per the shareholding pattern, the Government of India is to pay Rs 10,000 crore to the NHSRCL, while the two states involved, Gujarat and Maharashtra, are to pay Rs 5,000 crore each. The rest is to be paid by Japan through a loan at 0.1% interest.
“Because of COVID we had to postpone the opening of a few of the tenders. It is difficult to assess the impact of the pandemic on the project as it is still continuing”. Apart from land acquisition and opening of tenders, a major cause for delay could be cost escalation owing to a fall in the rupee against the Japanese yen. Officials said that to complete the project, the NHSRCL has divided the work in 26 packages, each has to provide a minimum of 30 months’ time for the contractors to finish their work.
“So, even if the land acquisition is completed and tenders are opened, NHSRCL will be unable to finish the work within the deadline. Also, the Japanese who have been allotted land here have not been able to begin any of their works, which is sure to delay the project further,” said the official.
Continuing his attacks on the Central government regarding the economic situation in the country, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that one of the major reason for the “historic decline in Gross Domestic Products (GDP) is the Gabbar Singh Tax (GST) of the Modi government”.
The Congress leader’s remarks came in the third video of his new series titled “how the Modi government has destroyed Indian economy” in which he said that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s Gross Service Tax (GST) is not a tax system but it is an attack on India’s poor.
“Another major reason for the historic decline in GDP is the Gabbar Singh Tax (GST) of the Modi government. It destroyed many things like- Millions of small businesses, the future of millions of jobs and youth and the economic situation of states. GST means economic apocalypse,” he said on Twitter (translated from Hindi) and posted a video along with it.
GDP में ऐतिहासिक गिरावट का एक और बड़ा कारण है- मोदी सरकार का गब्बर सिंह टैक्स (GST)।
इससे बहुत कुछ बर्बाद हुआ जैसे- ▪️लाखों छोटे व्यापार ▪️करोड़ों नौकरियाँ और युवाओं का भविष्य ▪️राज्यों की आर्थिक स्थिति।
India’s GDP growth rate dropped to -23.9 per cent in the first quarter of the current fiscal due to COVID-19 induced lockdown.
Explaining his views in the video, the Congress leader said, “GST is the second attack on the informal sector of the economy. GST was UPA’s idea which professed that there will one tax, least tax, and a simple tax. But NDA’s GST is completely different in which there are four different types of taxes and up to 28 per cent tax. It is complicated and not easy to be understood by many. The small and medium businesses cannot file their taxes under NDA’s GST. But the big companies can easily file it after getting help from 5 to 15 accountants.”
“There are 4 types of rates because the government wants those who have the reach and resources can manipulate the system. Those who do not have reach and resources can not do anything. Who are resourceful? 15 to 20 corporates and whatever changes they want, they can change under this GST regime,” he added.
Congress leader alleged that the result of NDA’s GST is that for the first time, the Central government is unable to give money to States collected through tax.
“What is the result of NDA’s GST? For the first time, the Central government is unable to give money collected by GST to the States. All state governments are unable to pay to teachers and other employees. So, GST has failed. It is an attack on the poor and MSMEs. GST is not a tax system it is an attack on India’s poor, farmers, shopkeepers. We have to identify the attack and we have to stand up against it,” he said.
In the second video released on September 3, Rahul Gandhi had said that demonetisation was an attack on India’s informal sector which mainly included poor labourers, farmers and small shopkeepers.
In the first video released on August 31, the former Congress chief alleged that the NDA government has been attacking the informal sector over the past 6 years and asserted that the aim of demonetisation, “wrong” Goods and Services Tax (GST) and lockdown is to destroy this sector.
President Donald Trump has refused to condemn Russia over the poisoning of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, saying he has not seen proof.
He said the case was “tragic” but urged reporters to focus instead on China, which he said was a bigger threat to the world than Russia, the BBC reported on Saturday.
Nato and Germany say there is “proof beyond doubt” that Navalny was attacked with a Novichok nerve agent.
His team said he was poisoned on the Kremlin’s orders. Russia denies this.
On Saturday, the Russian foreign ministry suggested that if a Novichok-type nerve agent had indeed been used, it did not necessarily originate in Russia.
Navalny – an anti-corruption campaigner who has long been the most prominent face of opposition to President Vladimir Putin in Russia – is in a coma in a Berlin hospital having been airlifted there from Siberia, where he fell ill.
Speaking at a press event on Friday, he said he had yet to see evidence of poisoning in the case.
“So I don’t know exactly what happened. I think it’s tragic, it’s terrible, it shouldn’t happen. We haven’t had any proof yet but I will take a look,” he said.
He also stopped short of criticising Mr Putin and said Beijing posed a greater threat.
“It is interesting that everybody’s always mentioning Russia and I don’t mind you mentioning Russia but I think probably China at this point is a nation that you should be talking about much more so,” he said.
Tests at a military laboratory in Germany show “beyond doubt” the presence of a Novichok nerve agent, the German government and Nato say.
On Friday Nato called for Russia to disclose its Novichok nerve agent programme to international monitors. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said members were united in condemning the “horrific” attack on Mr Navalny.
Stoltenberg said it required an international response, but gave no further details.
The US National Security Council has pledged to “work with allies and the international community to hold those in Russia accountable”.
The film industry which is known for its glory and glitter, but behind the scenes has many dark edges. From drug abuse to casting couch and nepotism the industry is cursed with many arrays. Meanwhile, one needs to really debate why these film personalities are abused by usage of drugs? Or why they fall into the trap of addiction? First of all, working under deadlines and huge expectations can generate a lot of stress. And then they are driven to succeed and will try no matter what. Also there is peer pressure and loneliness and lots of money available to numb the mind. And this is because a lot of artists are sensitive and emotional and fame is not a substitute for a loving relationship. Normal love and attachment goes out of the window due to bloated egos and careers. Eventually they need something to numb that stress and pain and some take to drugs for solace. Having become addicted to the life of fame and an expectation does not give them the chance to break free from addiction. It takes months and years of reflection and hard work to be free of addiction and requires focused effort.
The lifestyle of the rich and famous does not provide that. They do not have time to cure their addiction because their absence from work affects their chances and some other actor fills the space. They have to run away from all that and rediscover themselves to cure addiction. A lot of them strike a deal with the devil and they learn to live with the addiction. The devil slowly spreads to their entire being and they battle it every day. With addiction either you win the battle or the addiction wins over you. There is no middle ground with addiction. Also there is no such thing as “one slip” with addiction. You slip once and you will be right there on top. Some get lucky and will manage to overcome and stay away. A lot of them however will not be able to. This all will end in some kind of error or an overdose because not all days are good. Some days are very bad and when coupled with bad luck, it results in a mishap. And a life ends. When it comes to addiction it does not discriminate – it strikes everybody with the same force. As difficult as it is to imagine, celebrities lead rather stressful lives. Don’t get me wrong, they make considerable amounts of money, take frequent extended vacations all over the world, live in palatial estates, attend galas and red carpet awards shows, travel the world shooting films on location, and get paid to do what they love and what most of us would kill for. They are extremely entitled, spoiled, and relatively disconnected from us regular folk. And that’s where the actual problem lies.
Becoming a celebrity is an extremely difficult and lonely journey. Drastically everyone you knew changes and all of a sudden, everyone’s your friend and you don’t know whom to trust. Everyone wants a loan, a job, a car, a limo ride, etc. You begin to pull away and find you can only trust a very small group of people, perhaps your immediate family. Members of your extended family by this time are contacting you for favors. As everyone’s motives you suspect, its difficult to have faith and you gradually begin to pull away from everyone you know. Your hometown becomes difficult to travel in and as you get more famous and recognized, it becomes impossible to go out in public. You are hounded by autograph seekers and everyone wants their picture taken with you. Of course you’re flattered at first, and as they do pay your paycheck, you owe it to them. Over time, this gets to you. You can no longer go out to the bars and your hometown or visit places you once normally could. And so, you begin to spend all your time in house parties, boozes and drugs. For the famous in Bollywood it’s not easier to move freely and not get bothered. Since you are no longer close to your old friends or family, you begin to spend all of your time with other celebrities. They know what you’re going through, and can always relate. However, you begin to find yourself living in a tighter and tighter bubble. Even though it’s the industry and metro city, you still feel stifled as you can’t go out like you used to. You begin to fall in with the wrong crowd. Like many people in the arts, you suffer from some mental health problems. People with these disorders are frequently drawn to the arts, acting especially is at statistically higher rate than those who don’t suffer. Your depression and medicines make drug use risky, but you need to relax and escape the stress of the fame. It starts out with pot, but within a month or two, you’re shooting heroin, and finding yourself doing it nearly every day. The crowd of dealers got bored, and they haven’t come back for weeks. Now it’s just you shooting up by yourself.
The other big stress of the job is the constant threat you could lose it tomorrow. There is absolutely no job security as with a couple of bad movies in a row and you are history. You will realize that the phone doesn’t ring any more. Even with the fame that you have, you constantly have to hustle to get your agent to get you auditions for the latest films. The roles aren’t coming like they used to. Back when you got famous on that hit television show. Now you’re nearing 40, and the roles are drying up. You want to get rid of your manager, but you’re nervous about jumping ship. You’ve already been in multiple love affairs or in failed marriage and pay through the nose in alimony. The reviews for your last film were horrible and you knew that the role wasn’t right for you. You can’t help but fear your career going down the drain, and then what? You realize you’re spinning out of control, and the drugs are the only thing keeping you together. You take more and more and stop taking auditions. You order everything in now and rarely leave the house. One night, you nod off in the hot tub and nearly drown to death. But sadly, you still don’t learn.
Son born to Manchthaya Sreedhara Bhatt and Padmavathi Amma in 1940, Kesavananda Bharati took Sanyasa at the age of 19 and headed the Edneer Mutt as the Peetadhipathi until his death in 2020. He belonged to the Parampara of Thotakacharya, one of the first four disciples of Adi Shankara. He was a follower of the Smartha Bhagawatha tradition of Advaitha Pantha. As the head of the Mutt, he was referred by the honorific title, Srimad Jagadguru Sri Sri Sankaracharya Thotakacharya Kesavananda Bharathi Sripadangalavaru. He was one among the most significant contemporary seers in the Advaita Vedanta lineage and died early on Sunday at his ashram in north Kerala’s Kasaragod. The Mutt follows the unique Smartha Bhagawatha tradition of Advaitha Tradition which has more than 1200 years of the glorious history of religion, culture, art, music, and social service.
