Chandigarh : Indo-Pak relations need a fresh renewal to nourish the bonds of neighbourhood as much as to reignite the spirit of cultural and social affinity, said Rahul Singh, director of the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival here today.

Talking to the media persons to deliver his curtain-raiser address for the 13th edition of the Litfest that takes off from Oct 18 in Kasauli, Rahul said there was an urgent need to revive people-to-people contact between the two Punjabs.

Recalling an epic novel, Train to Pakistan, that his father Khuswant Singh wrote, Rahul said the thaw between India and Pakistan can be broken by rebuilding cultural and social ties.

The 13th Edition of the Khushwant Singh Litfest takes off from Oct 18 to 20, 2024 to celebrate the ideas and values that celebrated writer, litterateur and journalist, Khushwant Singh, cherished.

This time the theme of the Litfest is ‘Resilience and Renewal’   which  resonates deeply with the times we live in. The last few years, as we all know, have been a tribute to the enduring human spirit, its ability to adapt,overcome and flourish among challenges, said Rahul Singh.

The KSLF is basically a celebration of literature with a niche for Punjab and Punjabi ethos to pay tribute to the values and vision of accomplished writer Khushwant Singh.

As usual this year’s Litfest also promises to have a remarkable gathering of literary minds, cultural voices, and thought leaders.

The galaxy of speakers taking part in the Litfest would include William Dalrymple, Imtiaz Ali,Arundhathi Subramaniam ( one of the finest poets writing in India today), L. Subramaniuam (God of Indian violin),Amitabh Kant, Anindya Roy, Devdutt Pattanai, and Manish Tiwari., MP.

Since this can only flourish with  corporate assistance, Rahul expressed gratitude to the Vianaar group, which is into eco-friendly homes, much keeping in tune with the green fest, would be an integral part of the Litfest. It’s an outstanding group that has excelled in redefining the eco friendly second home concept across the country.

He underlined that the corporate assistance was very integral to carry forward the flavour of art and literature in the society

Sheetal Chadha, Director (Sales), Vianaar group echoed the thematic similarities that the KSLF and the Vianaar group shares for eco-friendly commitment and child education.

Background

The Khushwant Singh literary festival (KSLF) began 13 years ago in the tiny hill station of Kasauli, where Khushwant Singh would articulate his ideas and vision in his villa here.

Khushwant Singh was the most widely read English columnist in India, with several of his newspaper columns syndicated across some twenty publications all over India, translated into 17 Indian languages, as well as a hundred and fifty books, fiction and non-fiction.

The Litfest  has been  a meeting of minds to celebrate the power of ideas that can transform our lives. And raise awareness for causes he believed in. Ranging from women’s roles in society to improving Indo-Pak ties and saving the environment.

The KSLF is a not-for-profit as earnings from the Festival are ploughed back into preservation of Kasauli and its environs, as well as education of the girl child.

The Khushwant Singh Litfest London began as a pop-up in 2018 when we were invited there by the Indian High Commission. Subsequently King’s College invited us over to their campus in 2019 as Khushwant Singh was an alumnus there. Over the last couple of years SOAS has had us over.

Congress leader Rashid Alvi, commenting on the exit polls for the Haryana Assembly elections, said on Sunday that a wave of support for Congress is sweeping through the state and the public is against BJP. 

“If Congress wins 70 to 75 seats, I wouldn’t be surprised,” said the Congress leader further adding that wherever the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comes to power, it exploits religion and plays the Hindu-Muslim card.

“The BJP has no concern for development or addressing public issues, it has ruled Haryana for 10 years, but they haven’t done any significant work,” alleged the Congress leader.

Regarding the Chief Ministerial candidate for Haryana, Rashid Alvi said, “Congress never decides on a CM face before the elections. The elected members will give their recommendations, and based on their input, the party will decide who will become the Chief Minister.”

Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of Prime Minister Modi, the Congress leader remarked, “The BJP’s Chief Ministers and Governors continuously undermine the Constitution. One Governor claims that secularism is a foreign concept, yet they take an oath on this very Constitution. In Gujarat, bulldozers are used in defiance of Supreme Court orders. Is this not tampering with the Constitution? The BJP shows no respect for the country or the Constitution.”

On the ‘One Nation, One Election’ initiative and former President Ram Nath Kovind’s comments, Alvi stated, “Former President said it would not violate the Constitution. If that’s the case, why is there a need to amend the Constitution? The government is already talking about making amendments in the upcoming winter session. If an amendment is required, it implies that the Constitution needs to be altered to accommodate this.”

“The government has no clear blueprint for this initiative; it’s all guesswork. Such moves are a mockery of both the Constitution and democracy,” he added.

Commenting on the Shimla High Court’s decision to demolish parts of a mosque deemed unauthorised, the Congress leader remarked, “If the mosque is unauthorised and has not been regularised, then the court’s decision should be accepted. However, if regularisation is possible, it would be better to go that route. The mosque’s representatives have already expressed willingness to comply with the court’s order.”

On Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s proposal to include Kannada as a business language, Rashid Alvi said, “Every language deserves respect, and the entire nation should honour that. India is a vast country with diverse languages and religions. It is our collective responsibility to keep India united. Unfortunately, the BJP neither respects other religions nor other languages. They are on a path that seeks to divide the country.”

Reacting to the tragic incident in West Bengal where a 4-year-old girl was raped and murdered, the Congress leader called it “extremely unfortunate.” He added, “Such incidents cause immense pain, but this is not limited to Bengal. In Amethi, people are being attacked in their own homes. Why doesn’t the BJP discuss those incidents? There is no law and order in the state where the BJP governs. However, if such a crime has occurred in Bengal, strict action must be taken against the culprits.”

Lastly, responding to RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comments on Hindu unity, Alvi expressed surprise, saying, “On one hand, the RSS chief claims that everyone in the country is a Hindu, but on the other hand, they talk about religious unity. What exactly is their ideology? What do they want? They say everyone in India has the same DNA but then issue statements like this.”

He further added that it reveals their true intentions, using religion for political gain, consolidating one community to keep power in the BJP’s hands. Which is against the Constitution. AGENCIES

The fast-unto-death of six junior doctors at Esplanade in Kolkata, to protest the rape and murder of their colleague in the state-run R. G. Kar Medical College Hospital entered the second day on Sunday.

The protest is unique as while these six junior doctors, three female and three male, are protesting, their colleagues have resumed duties for the patients at their respective medical colleges and hospitals.

“We have withdrawn our cease-work agitation keeping in mind the interest of the patients. But at the same time six of us have started the hunger strike agitation to send a message to the state government of not succumbing unless our demands are fulfilled,” said a representative of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front, the umbrella body spearheading the movement of the junior doctors against the heinous crime.

Meanwhile, Pulastya Acharya, one of the six fasting doctors, told media persons on Sunday that they have sought permission from the Kolkata Police to set up a bio-toilet near the hunger-strike venue.

“We have made it clear that the bio-toilet will be used only by those participating in the hunger strike. However, the police did not reply to our application. On Saturday only, we tried to arrange for the same. But the police did not allow us,” Acharya said.

Besides Acharya, who is from N.R.S Medical College & Hospital, the other five fasting junior doctors are Tanaya Panja, Snighdha Hazra and Anustup Mukhopadhyay from Calcutta Medical College & Hospital, Sayantani Ghosh Hazra from K.P.C Medical College & Hospital and Arnab Mukhopadhyay from S.S.K.M Medical College & Hospital.

“We have never thought setting up a simple bio-toilet would lead to so much complication. Now we are using the public toilet at a distance from the hunger-strike venue. Come what may, we will continue with our protests,” Arnab Mukhopadhyay said.

AGENCIES

In Rajasthan’s Ajmer a team of Muslim artisans from Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur Sikri is working day and night to construct the effigies of Ravana, Meghnath, and Kumbhkaran for the grand Ravana Dahan event to take place on October 12.

Like every year the Ajmer Municipal Corporation in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district will celebrate Dussehra with the grand Ravana Dahan event at the city’s Patel Ground, where Ravana’s effigy will be burned.

With Dussehra approaching, preparations are in full swing.

Shabbir Ahmed Farooqui, a resident of Fatehpur Sikri in Agra, has been creating these effigies for the last 30 years. He first came to Ajmer in 1993 to make Ravana’s effigy and has been doing so ever since.

Farooqui mentioned that a team of 15 artisans, including his family members, are involved in building the effigies.

“This year, Ravana’s effigy will stand at 65 feet, while those of Kumbhkaran and Meghnath will be 45 feet tall. A replica of Lanka is also being constructed,” he told IANS.

For the creation of these effigies, materials such as bamboo, waste paper pulp, rope, fabric, colours, coconut husk, jute, and crackers for the explosions are being used.

Shabbir Ahmed further informed that this year’s Ravana will feature special effects: it will blink its eyes, wave a sword with its hands, emit flames from its mouth, and have a spinning chakra in its navel. Moreover, Ravana’s 10 heads will fly off one by one, controlled by a remote.”

Shabbir’s brother, Shakeel Ahmed Farooqui, added that the Ajmer Municipal Corporation has allotted them Rs 4 lakh to make the effigies of Ravana, Meghnath, and Kumbhkaran. Due to the late issuance of the contract by the corporation, the team has been working around the clock to complete the effigies on time.

This year, Dussehra will be celebrated on October 12. As Saturday marks the fourth day of the Navratri festival, with limited time remaining for Dussehra, artisans are racing to complete the effigy before the deadline.

AGENCIES

Army said on Sunday that it seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district.

Officials said that the Army’s Romeo Force seized a huge cache of weapons and explosives in the Jhullas area of the district late Saturday evening.

“Based on specific intelligence inputs, a search was launched in the Jhullas area of Poonch district by the army. Weapons and explosives were recovered from a suspected terrorist’s bag. The recovered items included AK-47, pistol rounds of Pakistani origin and sophisticated explosives like RCIED (radio-controlled improvised explosive device), Timed destruction IED, Stove IED, explosives for IEDs and Chinese Grenades. The search operation was launched yesterday evening,” officials said here.

It must be mentioned that terrorists believed to be hardcore foreign mercenaries, have carried out hit-and-run attacks against the Army, local police and civilians in the hilly districts of Doda, Kathua, Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi of Jammu division during the last three to four months.

After carrying out ambushes against the Army and others in the hilly areas, the terrorists would escape into the densely foliaged and forested areas of these hilly districts.

To thwart the tactics of the terrorists, over 4,000 soldiers drawn from the elite Para Commandos and those trained in mountain warfare were deployed in the high and densely forested areas of the Jammu division. After this revised strategy by the security forces, terrorist attacks in these districts have drastically come down.

With their ubiquitous presence in these areas, the security forces have been able to establish contact (engage terrorists in gunfights) in these areas.

Eight terrorists have been killed so far after the security forces revisited their strategy to meet the challenge posed by the foreign mercenaries.

In order to protect villages from the terrorists, who seek inhabited places for food and shelter, J&K Police have issued automatic weapons and imparted basic weapon handling training to the village defence committees (VDCs) in all the hilly districts of Jammu division.

AGENCIES

 Rajya Sabha MP Kiran Choudhary on Sunday dismissed the Haryana exit polls and said that the BJP will again form government in the state. 

The BJP leader compared the situation to previous exit polls during the Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Himachal Pradesh elections, where despite predictions, the government was hardly formed. “We will form the government in Haryana, I assure you,” she declared confidently.

She further added that every party worker from Tosham in Haryana worked tirelessly, waging a battle for truth during the elections.

The BJP MP also claimed victory for her daughter, Shruti Choudhary.

Kiran Choudhary further stated that while elections were usually peaceful, this time outsiders were brought in. She alleged that a former Sarpanch was caught distributing money.

“Workers were assaulted, and such actions must be condemned. People must understand this and boycott those who are doing this,” she emphasised.

Soon after the culmination of voting in the Haryana Assembly polls on Sunday, exit poll forecasts started pouring in. Most have forecast a clear mandate for the Congress in Haryana and a big setback for the ruling BJP.

Multiple exit polls have predicted a landslide majority for the Congress in Haryana and a near washout for the BJP, which ruled the state for two consecutive terms.

According to Republic Bharat-Matrize, the Congress is likely to fetch anywhere between 55-62 seats while the BJP is seen getting reduced to a mere 18-24 seats. The Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) is projected to fetch 0-3 seats, however, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) is seen doing fairly better than its offshoot with 3-6 seats. The AAP is expected to draw a blank.

People’s Pulse has forecast 49-61 seats for Congress and 20-32 seats for the BJP. It sees the INLD bagging about 1-3 seats while the JJP will fail to open its account.

AGENCIES

At least five persons burned in their sleep and two others were injured in a major fire fire that broke out in a shop in North Mumbai’s Chembur suburb, the BMC Disaster Control said here on Sunday.

The gruesome tragedy occurred around 5.15 a.m. As per reports, the locals noticed the flames and informed the Fire Brigade which immediately responded.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade said the fire was at the Sidharth Colony. Two more persons were reported to be critically injured in the fire.

The major blaze triggered by unknown reasons engulfed the ground floor shop and spread to the electrical wiring and installations, household articles and other stuff.

The flames quickly engulfed the upper floor where the family was living>At least five of them due to asphyxiation.

The victims were rushed to the Rajawadi Hospital where they were declared dead on admission by the medical authorities.

They are identified as Anita Gupta, 39, Prem Gupta 30, Manju Prem Gupta, 30, Paras Gupta, 07 and Narendra Gupta, 10.

The causes of the blaze are being probed and further details are awaited.

On Saturday, a massive fire burnt to ashes an entire warehouse near Mumbai. The V Logistics warehouse in a village in Bhiwandi taluka, about 40 km from Mumbai, caught fire Friday night. A large quantity of hydraulic oil, cloth, plastic items, and chemicals were stored in the warehouse. No one was injured in the fire incident

AGENCIES

Almost all political leaders except those belonging to Congress have dismissed the exit polls with former J&K Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) vice president, Omar Abdullah calling these “pass time exercises”.

Senior most J&K politician, Dr Farooq Abdullah plainly said, “I don’t trust these exit polls”. His son and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, “I’m amazed channels are bothering with exit polls, especially after the fiasco of the recent general elections. I’m ignoring all the noise on channels, social media, WhatsApp Etc because the only numbers that matter will be revealed on the 8th of Oct. The rest is just time pass”.

Tarun Chugh, national general secretary and BJP in charge of J&K polls said, “Outcome will defy the findings of the exit polls”.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader, Zuhaib Mir said, “As far as we are concerned, exit polls are not a serious activity but time pass activity. PDP is confident that it will be an indispensable and important part of the secular government that will form in J-K. PDP will have an important role in forming any secular government. We had said that we are ready to take any step to save the identity of Kashmir but for this, it is important that we formulate a secular government, a government against BJP not with them.”

Lok Sabha member and president of Awami Itihad Party (AIP), Engineer Rashid said, “Everybody is at liberty to have an exit poll. They know better what was the criteria. Let us wait for October 8, as I’ve never relied on exit polls.”

Interestingly, Congress is the only political party that expressed confidence on the numbers predicted for the party by the exit polls. JKPCC president, Tariq Hameed Karra said, “The projections by various exit polls has vindicated the stand of the Congress and proved the public anger against the BJP.”

It must be mentioned that most polls have shown the Congress-NC staying ahead in the race but failing to cross the magic number, thereby leading to the possibility of a hung House in the 90-member Assembly.

A Poll of polls shows the Congress-NC alliance fetching 43 seats, three less than the majority mark of 46.

According to India Today-C Voter exit polls, the National Congress (NC)-Congress alliance is projected to win between 40-48 seats while the BJP is likely to bag 27-32 seats. Mehbooba Mufti-led People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is seen fetching 6-12 seats while others are seen pocketing another 6-12 seats, an unusually high strike rate for Independent candidates in the valley.

According to Dainik Bhaskar, the Congress-NC combine is expected to emerge as the largest alliance, however, staying short of the halfway mark. The alliance is seen bagging 35-40 seats, the BJP getting 20-25 while the PDP managing with just 4-7 seats. Others including Independents are seen emerging as big players in this exit polls, as they are projected to claim victory in as many as 16 seats.

Peoples Pulse exit poll gives the NC-Congress alliance a clear mandate, with its numbers crossing the halfway mark. It is expected to get 46-50 seats while the BJP will be reduced to 23-27 seats and the PDP will get 7-11 seats. All the polling agencies have predicted a clear majority for the BJP in the Jammu region, however Congress-NC tie-up is also seen posing a challenge in the region.

In the Kashmir Valley, people’s mandate is seen heavily tilted towards the NC-Congress alliance while the PDP is failing to repeat its clout, like earlier. Even in the case of a fractured mandate, the NC-Congress alliance is expected to be way ahead of its closest rival BJP and in a better position to form the government, the first in the UT after abrogation of Article 370. AGENCIES

The CBI officials probing the case of financial irregularities at R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata have got specific clues about how the former principal Sandip Ghosh through his house staff Ashish Pandey used to accept cash by leaking question paper to medical students eager to pay money for easy success.

While CBI is conducting parallel probes against Ghosh in both the cases of financial irregularities and the brutal rape and murder of the junior doctor, the investigating officials have also taken Pandey into custody in the case of financial irregularities.

Sources said that through Pandey’s interrogation, the officials secured information on how Ghosh was dependent on Pandey’s recommendation to decide on the examination success of the medical students.

Ghosh and Pandey’s bank accounts are under the CBI scanner to get further clues about such illegal transactions. Pandey is among the 10 doctors of R.G. Kar who had been expelled by the College authorities as per a notification issued by the latter on Saturday night.

Sources said that besides Pandey, the officials have also been able to track links of Ghosh with a number of influential persons within the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC), all of whom are currently under the scanner of CBI.

The other charges against Ghosh include manipulation in the tendering system, awarding infrastructure-related contracts of R.G. Kar to private agencies instead of the state public works department, smuggling of bio-medical wastes outside and selling of organs of unidentified bodies coming to the R.G. Kar morgue for post-mortem purposes.

Ghosh, Pandey and three others arrested by CBI in the financial irregularities case will be presented at a special court in Kolkata on Monday.

In the meantime, sources said that Ghosh had been investigated several times by CBI officials at a correctional home in South Kolkata where he is housed now.

AGENCIES