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Working with Bachchan NEW DELHI, July 19: Quiz Master Siddhartha Basu is in complete awe of Amitabh Bacchan for his impeccable manner of hosting the quiz show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ (KBC). ......more
Shabana Azmi inaugurates photo exhibition on Bhuj MUMBAI, July 19: Would archaeologists be able to restore historic monuments that have been turned into rubble by the January 26 killer earthquake in Bhuj ?......more DMK
files petitions CHENNAI, July 19: In a new dimension to the alleged suicide of Chennai Mayor M K Stalin’s close associate Ramesh....more TN
Cong faces ire CHENNAI, July 19: The Congress in Tamil Nadu is facing wrath and ridicule from the ruling AIADMK on the one hand and the party high command in Delhi........more |
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Punjab Lok Morcha CHANDIGARH, July 19: The newly formed political front, ‘Punjab Lok Morcha’ (PLM), has decided to broaden this.....more Contribution
of eco DEHRA DUN, July 19: Large-scale planting of tree made by the eco task force and the NCC headquarters in Doon over the years have ensured maintainence of balance in the ecology of the Valley.....more TN
PWD Engineers CHENNAI, July 19: Considering the ever-increasing drinking water problem in this metropolis, the Tamil Nadu PWD Senior Engineers Association (TANSEA) has urged the State Government to revive the Pallipalayam project drafted 18 years ago. ....more Punjab
Govt bans CHANDIGARH, July 19: The Punjab Government has banned and forfeited the publication, sale and possession of the Punjabi book titled "Satguru Nanak Dev Ji (Sampuran Jeevan) Ate Mukti Marg" with immediate effect. .......more |
Working with Bachchan is like driving a rolls royce: Basu NEW DELHI, July 19: Quiz Master Siddhartha Basu is in complete awe of Amitabh Bacchan for his impeccable manner of hosting the quiz show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ (KBC). Working with Amitabh Bachchan is like driving a rolls royce, responsive to the slightest suggestion. He does not take his talent, charisma and affability for granted, he told UNI. He’s a highly conscious and committed performer, and meticulous in his preparation. He takes so much pain and trouble to understand even the minute details. He comes to the sets fully prepared, he added. "It is these characteristics that stand him apart. He is always brimming with confidence, Effervescence and Joi De Vivre. He has hooked the audience to the small screen like never before in the entertainment history of India," Basu said. When Sameer Nair, whose brainchild this show is and who has recently won best programming executive Indian Telly Awards, 2001, told me that Mr Bachchan could host the show, I lapped up the idea. I told him that if you could manage to convince him, nothing can beat the mass appeal, charisma and eloquence of Mr Bachchan, he said. "Though it took around two to three months to convince Mr Bachchan to do the show, once he assented he was like a diligent schoolboy and cooperation personified. He would try to do the same thing 20 times in different styles. That was the level of his commitment," Basu said. Basu’s wife Anita Kaul, who assists him in his TV production, is the producer of KBC. On his not anchoring the show, Mr Basu said, basically, I am not bilingual. I can’t speak Hindi fluently. KBC was the flagship programme of the channel which was transforming into a complete Hindi channel, so we needed a host who had mass appeal, enormous personal magnetism and who at the same time could speak both English and Hindi. Amitabh Bachchan perfectly fitted the bill, he said. Needless to say, life has not been the same for him after KBC, however, Mr Basu, who hails from a middle class Bengali family, feels that he is proud to be part of the show which is of world class quality. It means a ceaseless shuttling between Delhi and Mumbai, but it is good and a constant high regardless of the busy schedule. Working with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan and Sameer Nair and his team at Star (TV) gives me great satisfaction, the Director of the show said. On the viewers’ response, he said, nothing succeeds like success in the show biz and the response from viewers has been overwhelming and congratulatory, crediting KBC with making general knowledge a national passion. They have also appreciated the world class production quality of the show. KBC is a game of skill, not a game of chance. Those who take too many a chance, soon lose. You have to know how to win. It is not gambling, he said, referring to various public interest litigations filed in court against the show. And court after court in the country has ruled in its favour, he pointed out. He has many an unforgettable memory linked with the show. "Excitement was so palpable when Ramesh Arora, Ramesh Dubey and Harshvardhan Nawathe were about to answer the questions for Rs 25 lakh, 50 lakh and one crore respectively. It was a nerve-wracking experience which I would never forget in my life," he added. On the competition from Sawaal Dus Crore Ka and Chappar Phaad Ke, Basu said , "I was only appalled that such unabashed take-offs were being attempted by rival channels. Both the shows were fundamentally flawed and abject failures. They just did minor cosmetic changes which proved to be the undoing of both the shows. Matching content with the host is important for a successful show and both of them lacked it." "With due respect to him, Govinda would have been better in any dance and song programme than in a quiz show. This way, we have been lucky. We have a host who looks knowledgeable. He mixes his mass appeal with style and eloquence. And the best thing about Mr Bachchan is that he is a linguist," he said. "A good host must be a fluent communicator. He must have a sense of drama and empathy for both viewers and contestants. He should make everyone feel at ease," he said highlighting the prerequisites for a good anchor. On the new attractions coming up in KBC, he said, soon we will start ‘Kiske Naam Inaam’ - a surprise phone quiz by the host. Around one to two lakh people call every day, so we thought we would start this quiz in which the computer will pick up a caller at random, and the host during the show will pose the question to the caller who will win great prizes if he answers it right. The winner can either get Rs 50,000 cash or a chance to come directly to play fastest fingers first. The first question of KNI will be asked on July 30. KBC is also planning more special shows with bollywood stars Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Ajay Devgan and Kajol have agreed to participate in the show. We just have to finalise the date, he added. For one who has hosted umpteen quiz shows, anchoring these shows just happened to him. I never imagined being anywhere near a quiz show, leave alone anchoring one. It all happened by chance. Some former colleagues and friends asked me to drop by and introduce a pilot. Though I was a fresh entrant, I still managed to give my career-defining performance, and soon they coaxed me into it. But I was fortunate to ride on the power of television when Doordarshan was the only channel in the country. His first quiz show was quiz time in 1985 for Doordarshan and he has never looked back since then. (UNI) |
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Shabana Azmi inaugurates photo exhibition on Bhuj MUMBAI, July 19: Would archaeologists be able to restore historic monuments that have been turned into rubble by the January 26 killer earthquake in Bhuj ? This is the question that arose in the minds of most visitors as they saw some of the unique pictures that city-based lensman Jayanta Saha clicked in Bhuj before and after the fateful 59 seconds on January 26, 2001. "Oh my God....It is really shocking," said noted actress and Rajya Sabha member Shabana Azmi while inaugurating the exhibition titled "splendour and ruins of Bhuj" last night alongwith her husband, noted writer and poet Javed Akhtar. Earlier, Tina Ambani, associated with the Reliance Group as its photo consultant, complimented Saha. "The splendour of the monuments is gone, only the photographs now remain," lamented Saha as the exhibition opened at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) here. A cross section of people from various walks of life, who attended the exhibition, wondered whether the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will be able to restore these monuments which are in ruins. The main attraction of the 61-photograph exhibition are the 18th Century period "Chhatris", which are in rubble now. While the photographs of these Chhatris, taken in 1993, reveal the rich heritage of the hard-working Kutchhis, the photographs of rubble shows what nature has done to it. These Chhatris to the west of Hamirsar lake in Bhuj were polygonal in form and had two galleries with two entrances. The roof was covered with artistic supporting pillars at each corner. The central dome surrounded by a wall, had a door to the west. In this room was a stone image of Maharaoshri Lakhpatiji, the erstwhile ruler on horseback and memorials of his 15 wives around it. "All these memories of the past glory were razed to the ground in the fateful 59 seconds on January 26 when Bhuj witnessed the earth shattering climax of nature’s play," Saha told UNI here adding that the photographs attempt to bring out the ephemeral nature of human civilization and its utter helplessness in the face of nature’s fury. The photo-journalist felt that "efforts should be made to restore such imposing monuments of the past". (UNI) |
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DMK files petitions with NHRC in Ramesh’s suicide case CHENNAI, July 19: In a new dimension to the alleged suicide of Chennai Mayor M K Stalin’s close associate Ramesh and his family. The DMK today filed petitions to the National Human Rights Commission and the SHRC seeking action against "erring" police officials involved in the case. A DMK release said while DMK treasurer Arcot N Veerasamy sent the petition to NHRC in Delhi, a delegation led by party spokesman S Ganesan, personally handed over the petition to SHRC Chairman Justice Samidurai, Justice S Sambandham and Susheela Raj. The release said SHRC Chairman told the DMK delegation that the matter would be enquired into, the release said. In the petition, Veerasamy has charged that the Chennai police had gone to the extreme level of unleashing atrocities and harassments to "please their masters and had intentionally harassed Ramesh thereby creating mental agony and pain". The petitioner charged that police had frequently visited the house of Ramesh, particularly at midnight and had been allegedly threatening his wife Kanchana, "with dire consequences like foisting a case which will defame the image of the family". Veersamy, in his petition, contended that police had allegedly warned Ramesh that they may file a case under the Narcotics Act, "which Ramesh had feared and expressed in his suicide note". "Systematically" Tamil Nadu police were allegedly foisting cases under the Narcotics Act without any valid proof, only as vindictive action, for political reasons. "The police are in possession of heroin and they plant it in the houses of their political enemies under instructions of the ruling bosses. There is no rule of law in Tamil Nadu. There is no guarantee for fundamental rights and human rights in the state", the petitioner contended. Hence, the petition sought the issue of suitable directives and action against errant police officers and whoever was involved in the case, so that "police terrorism" was put to an end and rule of law was reinstated in the state. (PTI) |
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TN PWD Engineers want revival of Pallipalayam project CHENNAI, July 19: Considering the ever-increasing drinking water problem in this metropolis, the Tamil Nadu PWD Senior Engineers Association (TANSEA) has urged the State Government to revive the Pallipalayam project drafted 18 years ago. The project, aimed at bringing Cauvery waters to the city, would mitigate the crisis in a more efficient manner than the Veeranam project, now under consideration of the Government, Association president C S Kuppuraj noted today. Submitted to the MGR Government in 1983, the project has remained a non-starter. "It is more viable than the much-talked about Veeranam project to bring drinking water to this megapolis," Mr Kuppuraj, a retired PWD Engineer, told newspersons here. He said the expansion of the city and the rapid growth in population has necessitated an assessment of the state of water supply in the city with regard to its future needs upto the year 2025. In this context the tansea felt that Cauvery was the only reliable source and drawing 10 to 15 tmc of water by utilising the barrage now under construction by the State Electricity Board above Pallipalayam and below the Bhavani confluence in Erode and bringing it by gravity flow lined with cement concrete open canal would be the best solution to mitigate the water problem upto the year 2025, he added. Mr Kuppuraj recalled that the project, originally estimated to cost around Rs 220 crore, was proposed by a former PWD Chief Engineer, but the Government did not follow it up. The scheme, though expected to cost around Rs 900 crore to 1000 crore now (close to the estimates about the Veeranam project), could be modified to suit the present needs and completed in three to four years. This would also not affect the irrigation rights of the agriculturists in the Cauvery system, he noted, adding that the system is also capable of generating hydro power. Stating that there was no chance of getting water from Veeranam, which has a meagre capacity of one TMC, Mr Kuppuraj said: "We have to pump for 143 days to get one tmc of water as against the existing requirement of 12 tmc, which was assured through the Pallipalayam project." He said the Government would get 12 times more water through Pallipalayam scheme without using any power and at the same cost estimated for the Veeranam project. "The Government has not taken into consideration this simple scheme and we want to revive it. We have drawn the attention of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. The Government has sent the files to the metro water authorities for comments," he added. Detailing the scheme, he said about eleven tmc water from the Pallipalayam barrage could be stored in three reservoirs namely, Chembarambakkam which has a capacity of 3.2 tmc, Redhills (3.2 tmc capacity) and Poondi (3.5 tmc capacity). He said the Cauvery-Chembarambakkam Link Canal (CCLC) would take off from one of the seven barrages (four completed and in operation and three under construction) built by the TNEB for low head generation of power. The main advantage was that there was no need for going in for a new barrage across cauvery for this CCLC project. The canal would be a replica of contour canal in Parambikulam Aliyar Project and under this scheme 100 per cent dependable supply was ensured for a maximum and potential supply of 2400 mld as against 180 mld of water conveyed through the Veeranam project. The project would also generate employment opportunities to skilled and unskilled labour all along the distance of 517 km. The canal would pass through arid and undeveloped regions in the districts of Tiruchirapalli, South Arcot and Chengalpattu district, providing drinking water to the villages and towns en route. Mr Kuppuraj said the only bottleneck would be acquisition of land for canals. But the Government could announce incentives by way for guaranteed employment for one member of the family who would part with land for the project. A retired TNEB Engineer, who was present at the conference, said hydro power could be generated since there would be a drop of 130 m. "If we generate for all 365 days seven mw of firm power, which is desirable to have a peaking capacity of 30 to 40 mw could be generated from this scheme. This means it would yield 56 million units of power per year, which is one-and-a-half days’ consumption of the state. This would also earn a revenue of Rs 117 crore." The TANSEA will hold a seminar on ‘augmenting water supply to the city from Cauvery (Pallipalayam)’ on July 21. (UNI) |
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Punjab Govt bans publication, sale of Sampuran Jeevan CHANDIGARH, July 19: The Punjab Government has banned and forfeited the publication, sale and possession of the Punjabi book titled "Satguru Nanak Dev Ji (Sampuran Jeevan) Ate Mukti Marg" with immediate effect. According to a notification issued by the State’s Department of Home Affairs and Justice, the book contained certain derogatory and malacious remarks which intend to arouse the passion of people and hurt the religious sentiments of a particular community. The notification said that the Government has declared every copy of the book and its translation in any language and its reprints to be forfeited to the Government. The book has been authored by one Satnam Singh. (UNI) |
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