Pak army court sentences Indian spy to death - Shilong Times E

THE SHILLONG TIMES, SHILLONG, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2017
(EIGHT)
‘Half Girlfriend might start debate
on knowing one’s language’
B
Ryan Phillippe rubbishes
Katy Perry dating rumours
A
ctor Ryan Phillippe
has refuted reports
of him romancing
pop star Katy Perry by
tweeting that he is "not dating" her. His tweet came after a few tabloid reports
claimed that the actor and
pop star were spotted getting cozy at Elton John's
birthday bash. Phillippe
slammed the reports, saying
that he "barely knows" the
songstress. "I AM NOT DATING KATY PERRY.
BARELY KNOW HER. PLEASE STOP FLYING HELICOPTERS OVER MY HOUSE. SHE IS NOT HERE," he
tweeted in all caps. (PTI)
Bradley Cooper, Irina Shayk
welcome their first child
A
ctor Bradley Cooper
and his girlfriend Iri
na Shayk have welcomed their first baby. The
31-year-old Russian supermodel, who has been dating
Cooper, 42, since spring
2015, gave birth two weeks
ago, reported a magazine.
However, no other details
were made available.
Shayk's pregnancy news came out in November after
she showcased a baby bump while walking the runway
at the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.(PTI)
Mariah Carey, Bryan Tanaka
part ways
S
inger Mariah Carey
has reportedly split
from her boyfriend
Bryan Tanaka, who earlier
worked as a backup dancer
for her. According to
sources, Carey and Tanaka
have parted ways over his
"insane jealousy" and her
"shutting the cash register
drawer" on Tanaka's fingers, reported a website. The
website claimed that Tanaka was in "unbridled fury"
over Carey's relationship with her former husband Nick
Cannon. "She's been chummy with him for sure, mostly
for the benefit of their twins. They vacation as a family
and go to dinner and parties together, sometimes without the kids," the source said. As per sources, Tanaka
felt "disrespected" when Carey and Cannon came together to the Kids' Choice Awards last month. (IANS)
Kylie Jenner attends high school
prom as student’s date
R
eality TV personality
Kylie Jenner sur
prised students at
Rio Americano High School
in Sacramento when she unexpectedly arrived at their
prom. The 19-year-old reality star accompanied junior
Albert Ochoa to the school
prom, bringing along her
longtime pal Jordyn Woods
for the festivities, reported
a magazine. Kylie took to
Snapchat to post a photo of the two in their dresses,
sitting inside a private jet. (PTI)
ollywood actor Arjun
Kapoor says after his
upcoming film Half
Girlfriend, based on an
eponymous novel, people
might start debating on the
importance of knowing
one's native language over
English.
The actor who was
present here on Monday at
the trailer launch of the film
with director Mohit Suri,
writer Chetan Bhagat and
co-star Shraddha Kapoor,
said: "Since the character
goes through the trouble of
speaking in English language, I think after watching the film, people will start
talking about the importance
of knowing one's native lan-
guage over English."
"In our country, no matter how intelligent you are,
if your English language is
not fluent, people look
down upon you. It is a
shame."
He added: "Knowing
English is good, but why do
we feel embarrassed to
speak in our native language? Why do people start
judging you based on that?"
The novel divulges the
sentiments and linguistic
struggles of a backward rural Bhojpuri-laced Hindispeaking boy from Bihar as
Rihanna to
design a
jewellery
collection
Salman Khan
shares poster of
Sairat actor’s
next project
R
B
ollywood superstar
Salman Khan has
shared a poster of
Sairat actor Aakash Thosar's next film FU. The movie
has been directed by Salman's friend, actor-filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar.
"Sairat
throb
#AakashThosar is back
with @manjrekarmahesh's
#FU," Salman posted on
Twitter, alongside the poster
which reads "He Is Back."
"FU" will release on June 2.
This is Aakash's second
film. The actor's debut Marathi film Sairat, directed by
Nagraj Manjule, was a superhit. (PTI)
Brooklyn
Beckham gets
second tattoo
B
rooklyn Beckham is
clearly following in
the footsteps of his
father David Beckham, especially in the art of body
tattoo.
After debuting his first
tattoo last weekend, the 18year-old aspiring photographer has already got his second inking as he has taken
to social media to show it
off. In the snap, which was
shared on Instagram,
Brooklyn can be seen pulling back the sleeve of his Tshirt to reveal the tattoo of
a Fujitsu camera inked on
his left bicep. This time, the
oldest son of David and Victoria went to famed tattoo
artist Dr. Woo. He was apparently satisfied with the
result as he captioned the
shot, "Great second tattoo
by @_dr_woo_." Previously, Brooklyn got a Native
American tattoo on his forearm which was inspired by
his former soccer player father. (PTI)
he enrolls himself at an English-medium college and
falls in love with a "high
class English-speaking rich
Delhi girl".
Sharing his experience
on this, Bhagat said: "During the launch of the book
‘Half Girlfriend' I did a survey and while I asked a girl
if she would make a boy her
boyfriend if he does not
know English, she replied,
‘No way, never'. In a country like India, I felt very
strange and at times guilty,
as an English language
writer."
Directed by Mohit Suri,
produced by Ekta Kapoor,
the film Half Girlfriend will
release on May 19. (IANS)
Actress Shilpa Shetty during a promotional event
in Mumbai on Monday. (PTI)
&B star Rihanna is all
set to debut as a jew
ellery designer this
May. The music diva will be
launching a fine jewellery
collection with hi-end brand
Chopard, which will premiere at this year's Cannes
Film Festival, reported a
magazine.
The collection is titled
"Rihanna Loves Chopard",
which draws its inspiration
from the landscape and Carnival celebrations of the
songstress' native island
Barbados. Rihanna has codesigned nine pieces with
Chopard creative director
Caroline Scheufele.
"With her unique style,
she redefines the way people see and wear jewellery,"
Scheufele said in a statement. (PTI)
People don’t want to marry
these days, says Shraddha
B
ollywood actress
Shraddha Kapoor,
who is playing the
lead role in Mohit Suris upcoming film "Half Girlfriend",
says these days while parents are quite open about
the idea of love marriages
and live-in relationships,
there are many youngsters
who are commitment-phobic.
Half Girlfriend is a film
based on an eponymous
novel by writer Chetan
Bhagat, who had once explained that the term is for a
phenomenon where boys
and girls are not clear about
their relationship status with
each other. Asked about her
opinion on becoming a 'half
girlfriend', Shraddha said
here on Monday: "Well,
there are relationships in all
our lives that you cannot
name. Like in this film, I also
believe there are relationships we have sometimes in
life, where you have someone who is more than just a
By Pandit Ajai Bhambi
'Birthday Forecast'
Full Moon on your solar return chart ensures an excellent year ahead. This
is a year of sociability. It is a friendly time, when it is easy to enjoy life and
other people. Focus is on personal freedom, reaching out to others, making
new friends, and exploration. You are more enthusiastic and ready for
adventure. It is likely to be a rather lighthearted year, when opportunities for
"play" time are greater than usual. It's also a good year for expressing your
creativity. There will be less struggles and more success.
'Forecast for Today'
Aries : (March 21 - April 20) A new energy will now begin to work in your life. You
will suddenly find that balancing family and career issues have now become
extremely easy. All your hesitations will disappear and your actions are marked by
an unprecedented level of confidence. You will also be able to resolve any
ambivalent feeling towards those near to you both in workplace and in the family.
Taurus : (April 21 - May 21) Sudden increase of stress at your workplace may lead
to health related complications like migraine, tension headache and hypertension.
In order to prepare for this, you should start the day with meditation, breathing
exercise and other relaxation techniques. Be sure to drink plenty of water and stay
away from the junk foods as they only add to your stress.
Gemini : (May 22 - June 21) Both you and your partner have been super busy
lately. So, today, make sure to spend time in each other's company. Plan a romantic
dinner and spoil your partner with your attention. This gesture of appreciation will
go a long way. Single persons are likely to have a great date which may inspire them
to take the relationship to the next level.
Cancer : (June 22 - July 22) There may be a difference of opinion today at the
office. It may occur with a colleague, a subordinate or with your boss. No matter with
whom it happens, the stress is going to affect your health. So, you need to keep a
cool head today and avoid all possible confrontations. You will be able to significantly
reduce the level of stress if you start the day with some physically testing activities
like running.
Leo : (July 23 - August 23) It is a great day for you! There will be loads of people
offering hands to bring you out of the pitiful situation you are stuck up currently! You
have landed there due to somebody else's fault; just avoid such dangerous people
next time! Right now you must celebrate your victory like never before. The day is
favorable for outdoor activities and exercises.
Virgo : (August 24 - September 22) All the stress will be draining away today and
you will end up feeling amazingly energetic and refreshed. This will bring a flood
of optimism and you will be able to tackle any task even those which you have been
putting off. Your enthusiasm is likely to infect others in your family or friend circle and
you can all end up organizing an impromptu outdoor game or picnic.
Libra : (September 23 - October 23) Today you may meet someone whom you
have been dreaming of. The person will be interesting and adventurous like you.
You have been hoping to meet someone like this for quite some time. Sparks will flow
today and you may find yourself thinking about that person. Do not forget to subtly
give a hint about your liking for that person.
Scorpio : (October 24 - November 22) You have spent somewhat more than what
you are accustomed to in the last few days. Today, a mood of caution will descend
upon you. You will tighten up your budget and emphasize savings a marked shift in
approach of the last few days. However, you need to actively work at getting rid of
the groundless fear that all your money will run out.
Sagittarius : (November 23 - December 21) This is an ideal time to get back to
your creative dreams. There can be new developments in romantic relationships.
Full moons are all about sensitive feelings, so, you may get into certain situations
where you see everything in a heightened emotional perspective. You will rethink
about your hobbies and creative ventures. You will think about your perspective
about children and youth group settings.
Capricorn : (December 22 - January 20) There are possibilities of collaboration
and team work to finish an important assignment. You will find many opportunities
to be in a new group. It can be a new friend as well. You may try to start a new long
term project. There can be activities with children and youth group too. You may
need to take long distance travels for spirituality and charity.
Aquarius : (January 21 - February 18) Today you may realize the need of being
in a fun-filled environment. You can have concerns about children and youth group
settings. You will try to start a new venture with your creative skills. This is a good time
to plan for a speculative venture as well. You will try to finish a creative project. You
will have a lot of memories, but you have to be very careful in dealing with the matters
of finances.
Pisces : (February 19 - March 20) This may not be the right time to take new
decisions or execute them, especially related to your love life. You have to only
analyze your decisions and research on how to make them great in the future. You
have to be very calculative in your moves. Otherwise, you can have issues in your
relationships. You may get opportunities to create new agreements and contracts.
SUDOKU
ISLAMABAD: In a provocative move, Pakistan's powerful army chief on Monday
approved Indian national
Kulbhushan Jadhav's execution after a military court
sentenced him to death in a
secret trial for alleged involvement in "espionage
and sabotage activities" in
restive Balochistan and Karachi.
The death sentence to
Jadhav, 46, was confirmed
by army chief Gen Qamar
Javed Bajwa after the Field
General Court Martial
(FGCM) found him guilty of
"all the charges", said the
military's media wing InterServices Public Relations
(ISPR).
"The spy was tried
through Field General Court
Martial (FGCM) under the
Pakistan Army Act (PAA)
and awarded the death sentence. Today Chief of Army
Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa confirmed his death
sentence awarded by
FGCM," it said.
The development could
further strain the India-Pakistan ties which were hit
after attacks in Pathankot
and Uri by Pakistan-based
terrorists last year.
According to the army
statement, Jadhav, a commander in the Indian Navy,
"confessed" before a Magistrate and the court that he
was "tasked by RAW to
plan, coordinate and organise espionage/sabotage activities aiming to destabilise
and wage war against Pakistan by impeding the efforts
of Law Enforcement Agencies for restoring peace in
Balochistan and Karachi."
National Nuggets
Mamata bats for use of ballot
paper in upcoming polls
NEW DELHI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee today called for the replacement of EVMs with
ballot paper, saying "old is always gold". "EVMs can be
tampered with, so let's go back to the old system,"
Mamata said here in an informal interaction with media.
The TMC is part of the 13-party delegation meeting the
Election Commission to demand that upcoming polls be
held with 50 per cent use of paper trail of EVM voting
and ballot paper. "If there is any doubt (on EVMs) then
let's opt for ballot paper," the TMC supremo said. Opposition parties are unitedly taking up with the EC the issue of alleged EVM tampering in the recently held elections. She said in a democracy the EC cannot be immune
to the demand of the majority of political parties. "The
EC has to abide by the democratic process...when so
many political parties are raising it. The EC has to increase its staff strength for counting," she said. (PTI)
UP minister asks officials to
come out of holiday hangover
LUCKNOW: UP minister Surya Pratap Shahi today
rapped the govt officials over low punctuality and poor
attendance and asked them to come out of the "holiday
hangover" of the previous government. While conducting a surprise inspection at Krishi Bhawan, Shahi said:
"The quantum of laxity in the office is very high. It is
absolutely unjustified. The attendance in the office was
very low. Those who have been marked absent on Monday would face a pay cut of one day." He said warnings
have been issued to the officials who were found absent. "The ground reality is indeed disturbing, and we
will take stringent action against the habitual offenders.
There should be no pendency of work, and all works
must be completed within the stipulated deadline," he
added. (PTI)
Pakistan claims its security forces had arrested Jadhav from the restive Balochistan province on March
3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran.
It also claimed that he
was "a serving officer in the
Indian Navy."
The Pakistan Army had
also released a "confessional video" of Jadhav.
India had acknowledged
that Jadhav had served with
the navy but denied that he
has any connection with
the government.
"The individual has no
link with government since
his premature retirement
from Indian Navy," the External Affairs Ministry had
said in a statement in March
last year.
India had demanded
Consular access to Jadhav,
young professionals from Kerala, with the support of
state Tourism Department, is all set to explore live streaming as a major campaign tool for the upcoming second
edition of International Conference on Tourism Technology (ICTT) in Kochi. Association of Tourism Trade
Organisation (ATTOI), with the support of Kerala Tourism, will organise the three-day event at the Le Meridien
Hotel here from June 8 to 10. "Technology has become
an essential part of tourism industry. Unlike other social
media tools, we have noticed that the live feeds are getting more traction. "It is intimate, engaging, bespoke
and authentic than any other form of tourism destination promotions," ATTOI President Anish Kumar P K,
who is a winner of the Kerala State Tourism Award for
best use of IT in tourism, said. (PTI)
CROSSWORD
1
2
3
7
4
5
6
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
20
Two held for robbing tourist
MATHURA: Two persons have been arrested for allegedly robbing a Greek national on board the Mangala
Lakshadweep Express a fortnight back, police said here
on Monday. On March 27, Angelica Elene was travelling to Delhi when the two accused, Faizan and Vinod
Gupta, both residents of Ghaziabad, looted her purse
after the train crossed Kosi Kalan station, Government
Railway Police (GRP) inspector Vijay Singh said. The
duo escaped after pulling an alarm chain of the train, the
officer said. Upon reaching Nizamuddin railway station
in Delhi, the woman lodged a complaint there and mentioned that the purse contained Rs 10,000 in cash, two
mobile phones and her passport.The case was later
transferred to Mathura GRP, he said. The two accused
were arrested on Sunday from Mathura railway station
(PTI)
19
21
YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS
L
E
T
O
F
F
S
T
E
A
M
CR A C KO F
A O U
X P L O I T
I
L F
DD S D I V
N T
AMOU S Z
A I
L
UNGS T E N
S A S
V I A N S T
O C E
ONC EOR T
D
E
P
R
I
V
E
D
B
R
O
W
AWN
A D
E S T O
P W
S I ON
S T
P H Y R
O
S P E D
A D
A NGE
I N
I C E
A fleet of ‘Pink Hoyasala’ police cars, especially for
women safety in Bengaluru on Monday. (PTI)
but Pakistan repeatedly denied it. The ISPR statement,
however, said Jadhav alias
Hussein Mubarak Patel was
"provided with defending
officer as per legal provisions".
Pakistan army's decision
on Monday is expected to
further strain the ties between India and Pakistan.
The two countries have
been at loggerheads over
several issues, including on
Pakistan's support to terrorism, since the terror attack
on an Indian army base in
Uri in Kashmir in September
last year by Pakistan-based
militants killed 18 Indian soldiers.
Ten days later, India
launched "surgical strikes"
against militant "launchpads" in Pakistan-occupied
Kashmir.
The two sides were also
engaged in a war of words
last year over Pakistan's
provocative statements on
the turmoil in Kashmir following the killing of Hizbul
Mujahideen commander
Burhan Wani in July last
year.
Leading Pakistani experts
viewed the announcement
about Jadhav's death sentence as an unprecedented
move, saying it will send a
strong message to foreign
countries engaging in spying activities in the country.
"Pakistan has sent a message that if somebody does
such activities here, it will
hand them severe punishment. Those operating
against the state will face a
similar fate," Defence analyst Ikram Sehgal told Dawn
newspaper. (PTI)
If Pakistan executes Jadhav, it’ll be a
premeditated murder: India
NEW DELHI: Reacting
strongly, India on Monday
said it will regard as "premeditated murder" if Pakistan carries out the death
sentence, awarded to its
national Kulbhushan Jadhav "without observing basic norms of law and justice".
Foreign Secretary S
Jaishankar summoned Pakistan High Commissioner to
India Abdul Basit and gave
a
strongly-worded
demarche, which said the
proceedings that have led
to the sentence against
Jadhav were "farcical" as
there were no "credible evidence" against him.
Reacting to a press re-
lease by Pakistan military's
media wing Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR) on
Jadhav, India said he was
kidnapped last year from
Iran and his subsequent
presence in Pakistan has
never been explained credibly.
India, through its High
Commission in Islamabad,
has repeatedly sought consular access to him, as provided for by international
law and 13 such requests
were formally made between
25 March 2016 and 31 March
2017, the demarche said.
"This was not permitted
by the Pakistani authorities," it said. The proceedings that have led to the
sentence against Jadhav
are "farcical in the absence
of any credible evidence"
against him, it said, adding
it is significant that Indian
High Commission was not
even informed that Jadhav
was being brought to trial.
Senior Pakistani figures
have themselves cast doubt
about the adequacy of evidence. The claim in the ISPR
release that Jadhav was provided with a defending officer during the so-called
trial is clearly absurd in the
circumstances.
Jadhav was "arrested" on
March 3 last year by Pakistani security forces in the
restive Balochistan province. (PTI)
India, Australia ink six pacts; to boost
counter-terror cooperation
NEW DELHI: A pact to significantly expand counterterror cooperation was
among six agreements India
and Australia inked today
as the two countries called
for strong action against
those financing and providing sanctuary to terror
groups.
However, no breakthrough was achieved on a
comprehensive economic
cooperation
agreement
(CECA) during talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Malcolm
Turnbull who merely decided to direct their respective
officials to hold an early
round of negotiations for
the free trade deal.
During their talks, the
two leaders decided to significantly expand their ties
in several key areas including defence, trade, energy
and education.
While Modi thanked
Turnbull for passage of a
legislation by the Australian
parliament with bi-partisan
support paving way for the
Kerala govt to use live streaming Bill introduced
tech for tourism promotion
in Lok Sabha
KOCHI: The Kerala government is planning to use its
own live streaming technology to tap tourists’ experiento amend
tial accounts of the destinations they visit. Considering
RTE Act
its potential for tourism promotion in India, a group of
CLUES
Down
1 Pole for use in walking (5)
2 Submissive (8)
3 Allay (6)
4 Successfully and effortlessly (4,1,5)
5 Horse’s moderate pace (4)
6 Brief account (7)
9 Dispose of curtly (5,5)
11 Shared (2,6)
12 Hitherto (2,2,3)
14 Manually (2,4)
16 Closely fought (5)
17 Divert (4)
(FIVE)
Pak army court sentences Indian spy to death
STAR GAZING
friend but not exactly a boyfriend... It's somewhere in
the middle."
"I have seen many of my
friends who do not want to
fully commit in a relationship. At times do not want
to settle down... As in, marry the person. On the other
hand, our earlier generation
-- our parents -- are becoming more accepting towards
respecting our choice, even
if it is a live-in relation, keeping our happiness in mind. I
talk to my parents about it
openly," she added.
Shraddha spoke at the
trailer launch of the film,
which also features Arjun
Kapoor and is directed by
Mohit Suri.
The film is releasing on
May 19. (IANS)
Across
1 Remainder (7)
4 A water lily (5)
7 In addition (4)
8 Very keen reader (8)
10 Merely nominal leader (10)
12 Apprehensive (6)
13 A distilled alcoholic spirit (6)
15 Soft option (4,3,3)
18 Maritime (8)
19 Self-satisfied (4)
20 Shrink back in pain (5)
21 No longer existing (7)
THE SHILLONG TIMES, SHILLONG, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2017
NEW DELHI: The government on Monday introduced in the Lok Sabha a
bill seeking to amend the
Right to Education Act to
allow elementary teachers
time till 2019 to get acquire
minimum qualifications as
mandated under the 2010
law.
As per the existing Act
which came into effect from
April 1, 2010, these teachers were to acquire minimum qualifications within
five years by March 31,
2015.
To bring in the required
changes, HRD Minister
Prakash Javadekar introduced the 'The Right of
Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017'. The new
bill has been brought as the
state governments were not
able to continue the training process for in-service
untrained teachers. (PTI)
country to export uranium to
India, Turnbull said he was
looking forward to starting
the supply "as soon as possible". Both the prime ministers felt that commercial
export of Australian uranium could begin soon, opening up a new avenue for
Australia to support India's
energy requirement.
The entire expanse of bilateral ties was reviewed at
the talks including issues
relating to Indian students
studying in Australia and
ways to deepen maritime
security in the Indo-Pacific
region.
"We took a number of
forward-looking decisions
to further strengthen our
partnership, including the
decision to soon hold the
next round of negotiations
on a CECA," Modi said at a
joint media event with Turnbull.
Referring to martime issues, the joint statement
said both leaders recognised the importance of
freedom of navigation and
overflight, unimpeded law-
Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with his
Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull after their
joint statement at Hyderabad House in
New Delhi on Monday. (PTI)
ful commerce, as well as re- and deepened" trilateral cosolving maritime disputes operation and dialogue
by peaceful means, in ac- among Australia, India and
cordance with the interna- Japan. In the talks.
tional law. It is seen as a
Turnbull noted Australreference to China's grow- ia's strong support for Ining assertiveness in South dia's membership of the NuChina. Modi and Turnbull clear Suppliers Group.
also welcomed "continued
He also said Australia
supports India's entry into
the Australia Group and the
Wassenaar Arrangement,
the two key export control
groups. On CECA, Turnbull
did not give a timeline for
the deal but said, "I think it's
fair to say that progress has
not been as fast as either of
us would have liked."
The two prime ministers
have now asked negotiators
on both sides to find a way
out and list their priorities
soon so that talks on it can
move forward. T
here were indications
that sticking points on the
pact included issues relating to agriculture. On the
threat of terrorism, the two
leaders asserted that the
fight against terrorists, terror organisations and networks should also identify,
hold accountable and take
strong measures against
those who encourage, support and finance terror, provide sanctuary to terrorists
and terror groups, and falsely extol their virtues.
"They emphasised the
need for urgent measures to
counter and prevent the
spread of terrorism and violent extremism and radicalisation and expressed their
determination to take concrete measures to step up
cooperation and coordination among the law enforcement, intelligence and security organisations," a joint
statement said.
The MoUs signed provided for deeper cooperation in areas of health and
medicine, sports, environment, climate and wildlife,
civil aviation security and
cooperation in space technology.
Noting that both the
countries have been victims
of terrorism, Modi and Turnbull said the signing of the
MoU on cooperation in
combating international terrorism and transnational organised crime will help both
countries to address global
and regional security
threats. Turnbull said ties
between the two countries
"are strong and will be
stronger" because of this
visit. (PTI)
Opp parties to meet
EC over issue of
EVM tampering
NEW DELHI: Various opposition parties on Monday decided to take up
unitedly with the EC the
issue of alleged EVM
tampering in the recentlyheld elections and put forth
the demand that upcoming
polls be held with 50 per
cent use of VVPAT and
ballot paper.
Leaders of various opposition parties today met
in Parliament and decided
to jointly meet the Election
Commission, demanding
that their concerns on the
issue be addressed.
The opposition leaders
decided to put forth their
demand before the EC for
simultaneous
use
of
VVPAT (paper trail of voting) and ballot paper in 50
per cent constituencies
each for elections in Gujarat
and Himachal Pradesh
slated later this year.
"This will help check the
voting system and dispel all
doubts about their use in
elections," said a leader.
Opposition leaders have
been demanding that
VVPAT be introduced in all
future elections.
The Congress has also
been pushing for use of
ballot papers instead of
EVMs in upcoming elections in view of the alleged
tampering. The parties are
demanding that the EC
dispel the apprehensions
they have and reassure the
people of the country and
voters on the serious issue.
The opposition parties
observed that free and fair
elections are the basic
founding blocks on which
the entire edifice of country has been maintained.
(PTI)
A rescue worker inspects the site after LPG cylinder leak started a fire at
Police Quarter (residence) in Allahabad on Monday. (PTI)
Installation decodes India’s past, present and future
NEW DELHI: India's cultural heritage and ancient
mythological stories have
been strung together with
the country's modern design innovations, in a
unique installation here.
"Chakraview", conceptualised by India Design
Forum (IDF), uses chakras
as a metaphor to represent
several utopian settings
while drawing a connection
between
the
"past",
"present" and "future" of
India.
Delhi-based scenographer Sumant Jayakrishnan
who was taken on board by
IDF to create the installation
says, the work represents
"Utopia in Design" while
portraying "India's multiple
visions of lived consciousness".
"The installation uses
Chakras as a metaphor to
represent myriad utopias
through form, colour, structure, sound and film which
weaves together India's cultural heritage, using traditional textiles," says Jayakrishnan.
The multi-media project
showcases a mirrored floor
along with Delhi-based
graphic designer Hanif
Kureshi's printed text on different fabrics mounted on
walls that seek to conserve
and digitise the vernacular
‘The installation uses Chakras as a
metaphor to represent myriad utopias
through form, colour, structure, sound
and film which weaves together
India's cultural heritage, using
traditional textiles’
street typography of India.
The installation is a
unique collaboration between curators, designers,
artists and thinkers, promoting creativity and innovation in design. Rajshree Pathy, founder of IDF and curator of 'Chakraview', says
the installation forms a mod-
ern day collaboration between India's traditional heritage and evolving technology.
"Our vision at IDF is to
form a modern day collaboration between India's traditional heritage and it's
emerging contemporary design through innovation
and technology," she says.
Pathy has worked with
designer Rutva Trivedi and
design strategist Avinash
Kumar to create a mix of audio-visuals and designs
that collate significant figures from Indian history.
"Avinash created audio
visuals for the piece, in
which video footage of significant figures throughout
Indian history is collated
while Rutva created designs
for the project that portrays
multiple utopias that India
emulates.
"Each in their own way
draw upon the rich cultural
heritage of the country and
effectively place it within the
context of modern technology," says Pathy.
The installation which is
being showcased at the ongoing Serendipity Arts Festival here, tends to represent
the socio-political fabric
that characterises the country. "The work represents a
unique blend of the social,
political and religious climates that will always characterise the country.
We hope the audience
will pause for a while at the
abundance of India that is
conveyed through this
work," she says. The installation has also been showcased at the London Design
Biennale previously. (PTI)