BSF killed 2,040 militants and lost 668 soldiers in Kashmir

SRINAGAR, Nov 9: The Border Security Force (BSF) which is being replaced by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) from November 15 in north of Jhelum in Jammu and Kashmir State and killed 2,040 militants since it was given the job of counter insurgency in 1989, said a senior BSF official.

"The force apprehended 9,525 militants, including some top Commanders of different outfits in the Valley," Inspector General of BSF Kashmir range, Vijay Raman said.

The BSF also motivated 918 militants to surrendered alongwith their arms and ammunition during the same period, Mr Raman said.

BSF recovered 5,495 weapons of all types, seven lakhs rounds of assorted ammunition, 785 wireless sets, 6,950 Kg of explosives, including deadly RDX and 986 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

The force lost 668 personnel and 3,191 soldiers were injured in the counter insurgency operations, he said.

The BSF would be celebrating its 38th anniversary, on 1st December 2003. The force was initially raised to guard the international border but was gradually drafted into various other duties like internal security, disaster management, election, riot control and counter insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and north east.

The force with committed team of officers and men and strong leadership created history by eliminating dreaded terrorist Gazi Baba, who struck at the foundation of Indian Democratic Institution and his associate, the master-mind of Akshardham attack, the brain behind Nadimarg carnage and the chief of the HM in the Valley and several other senior commanders of various outfits, he said.

Beside containing militancy, BSF organised several civic action programmes like free medical camps and education. (UNI)

Kangri under threat of extinction: Artisans

SRINAGAR, Nov 9: Mindless deforestation and the apathy of Jammu and Kashmir Government towards the plight of wicker work artisans, who produce the the world famous Kangri, earthen fire pot used by Kashmiris to keep themselves warm during winter, has brought Rs 40 crore annual industry on the brink of extinction, claim Kangri artisans.

Between 30 to 40 lakh Kangris are being produced every year to meet the demand within and outside the state, says Assadullah Bhat, a wicker work artisan from Charar-e-Sharief town in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.

Bhat says mindless deforestation had threatened the industry as wicker, the raw material for Kangris, was short in supply.

This has raised the prices of wicker and hence the final product as well. We had approached the Government to take remedial measures but seems that it has fallen on deaf ears, he claims. Today, a Kangri costs anything between Rs 50 to Rs 1500.

Though not an organised sector, Bhat is seen as the unofficial leader of the artisans of the area. He said he went to the Government for providing soft loans to the artisans so that they can expand their operations.

This plea also got cold response from the Government. This industry is dying. The artisans are taking to other trades as wicker work does no fetch them enough money to feed their families, he added.

Giving details of the wicker work setor in the Valley, Bhat says although our town produces only 2.5 to three lakh Kangris every year, the bulk of Kangris come from Anantnag district in south Kashmir.

The Kangris from Charar-e-Sharief are famed for their beauty and stregnth as they are made from superior wicker. That is why ‘Chrar Kangri’, as known locally, is expensive, Bhat says.

He says besides customers within the Valley, the ‘Chrar Kangri’ is sold in Jammu and Delhi. We also take occasional orders from abroad, he adds.

Bashir Ahmad Wani, another Kangri worker says this industry provides employment to lakhs. An artisan hires many labourers who help him in making the product, he says.

He says the sale of Kangris picks up from October, when the the power supply becomes erratic. We have good business between October and February of every winter. On an average, I sell around 50,000 Kangris each season.

Ghulam Mohammad Shiekh, who used to be a wicker artisan, has converted his shop at Hazratbal in Srinagar into a general store.

"There is no point being in this trade. Human habitation has penetrated deep into what used to be forest area. It is not easy to find good raw material now," the 60-year-old says.

Shiekh says in good old days we used to make a host of furniture from wicker but now it is restrcited to Kangri, bask ets and trays.

Walter R Lawrence, the British settlement Commissioner in Kashmir, in his book wrote: what Laila was on Majnoon’s bossom so is Kangri to a Kashmiri. But this art imported from Italy and perfected in Kashmir may not survive for too long. (PTI)

Kerala witnesses upsurge in tourist arrivals, bookings

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Nov 9: The tourist season in God’s own country has started with a bang, with arrivals and bookings going up by more than 30 per cent, say industry sources.

Compared to a lukewarm tourist season last year, popular destinations in Kerala are already being thronged by visitors this time, heralding a good beginning for the season, which lasts from October to March.

Describing 2003 as the "best season in the past four to five years," industry watchers say that besides an increase in foreign arrivals, there was also an upsurge in domestic tourists, particularly from north India and Gujarat.

"The bookings have boomed from November. Hotels have full bookings till January-end. We are finding it difficult to find rooms for group tours," Mr Sanjeev Kumar, manager, products and tours, Jayasree travels, told UNI here.

In a positive development for the Tourism Industry, foreign visitors are coming from newer areas such as Russia, east Europe, Australia, Korea and Taiwan besides countries like the United Kingdom and the United States.

In fact, tourist arrivals from the United States are on the lower side, indicating that the Americans are still wary of travelling in the post 9/11 and Iraq war period.

Among the popular destinations are Kumarakom, the famed backwaters spot which had played host to Prime Minister A B Vajpayee a couple of years ago, the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Thekkady, the tea-growing hill station of Munnar and the evergreen Kovalam beach, he said.

"The russians just want ten days on the beach. They don’t want to do much sight seeing. All they want is the sun and the sea," the Jayasree manager said.

Besides the lure of the beaches and the Tranquil backwaters, ayurvedic treatment and rejuvenation therapies continue to be the other big draw for the visitors, particularly foreigners.

"A large part of the traffic from the middle east countries and Germany comes for ayurvedic treatment," Mr Sanjeev Kumar said.

While most hotels offer rejuvenation packages, some visitors prefer to go to specialised treatment centres such as Kottakal.

While continuing with its focus on beaches, backwaters and balms, the State Tourism Department is also pitching up the arts, culture and heritage of Kerala.

"There is definitely a lot more to Kerala than just backwaters and beaches. We are trying to draw up tourist packages showcasing the old and varied culture of this land," State Tourism Secretary T Balakrishnan told UNI.

To this end, the Tourism Department has launched ‘heritage tours’, under which fort Kochi and the Arackal palace in Kannur were thrown open to visitors last year while fort Trivandrum had been opened this year.

A special package entitled "a day with the masters," launched last year, takes visitors to the renowned Kalamandalam in Thrissur district, the living repository of Kerala’s Myriad classical dance forms.

During the day-long tour, visitors are conducted around the Kalamandalam by trained students and are explained the nuances of the various dance forms as they watch budding dancers receive training from the masters in the various "Kalaris" (classrooms) in the sprawling campus, situated close to river Nila.

They also get an opportunity to interact with the masters in their free time.

The Tourism Department, which is focusing on promoting eco-friendly and "green tourism" in Kerala, has also introduced ‘organic farm tours’ in Kumarakom and Peermade areas, Mr Balakrishnan said.

In this, visitors are taken to farms growing paddy or plantation crops using only natural manure and insecticides. "At a later stage, we will like to provide tourists accommodation facilities in the farms so they can get a feel of living close to nature," he added. (UNI)

Parliament has always taken a lenient
view towards scribes

NEW DELHI, Nov 9: As the controversy rages over Tamil Nadu assembly’s action against journalists of ‘The Hindu’ and ‘Murasoli’, precedents show Parliament has generally been Lenient in taking action against journalists on grounds of breach of privilege.

The closest the Lok Sabha came to taking action in the matter of breach of privilege was against Blitz editor R K Karanjia in 1961 when it reprimanded him after calling him to the bar of the House.

The action came on a despatch by the Blitz reporter V Raghavan under the heading ‘the Kripaloony impeachment’ criticising the late Acharya Kripalani.

In his order, the then speaker told Karanjia, the editor of Blitz, that "the house has judged you guilty of committing a gross breach of privilege for publicising the issue dated 15-4-1961 of the Blitz of which you are the editor.

"A libellous despatch under the heading `the Kripaloony impeachment’ that ......In its tenor and content libelled an honourable member of this house and cast reflection on him on account of his speech and conduct in the house and referred to him in a contemptuous and insulting manner.

"As editor, you had a high responsibility to exercise with utmost caution and discretion in commenting on the speech and content of an honourable mp in his capacity as such member. Yet, you published words calculated to bring him ‘odium, contempt and ridicule’. This offence of yours was further aggravated by the type of explanations you chose to give to the committee of privileges," the order said.

"In the name of this house, I accordingly reprimand you for committing a gross breach of privilege and contempt of this house.

"I now direct you to withdraw," the speaker had told Karanjia.

Even in a breach of privilege case in 1972 against the late media Baron Ramnath Goenka, the speaker had taken a lenient view and let him off without any punishment but only remarked that as a former member of the house, he should have been more careful about the proceedings in the house. (PTI)

Bollywood going in for the realistic look

MUMBAI, Nov 9: In the constantly changing face of Bollywood, the new emphasis on reality has assumed huge proportions, with filmstars ready to walk that proverbial extra mile to add authenticity in their performances.

The norm of yesteryears of wigs and false moustaches being used to add colour and authencity to the characters has seen a change in recent times with the movie stars now-a-days don’t hesitate for a minute before undergoing a complete change of look for their roles, be it shaving off their moustaches or their scalp.

Ofcourse this trend of reinventing one’s looks for the movies is the genesis of new fashion trends and from the roadside barber to the high-end hair dresser, all are laughing their way to the bank.

Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Hritik Roshan and Ajay Devgan, some of the biggest trendsetters of the industry, believe that this is important to make their characters more believable for themselves as well as the audience.

The audience can expect to see some of their favourite stars in new ‘Avataars’ in the coming days. A prime example being Aamir Khan. At the Mahurat shot of Ketan Mehta’s ‘1857, the rising’, Aamir in his British tunic, long wavy hair, ‘Chutiya’ (a hair-knot traditionally used by Brahmins), ‘Chandrashekar Azad’ style Moustache looked totally different for his role as ‘Mangal Pandey’.

He had been growing his hair for the role for a long time. According to Aamir Khan, "I have based my look for the role according to the description provided in the historical documents. This makeover was neccessary to get under the skin of Pandey’s character."

On being asked to comment on the difficulties this new look entailed, he said, "Yes, it was difficult. After all I was not used to keping long hair, to maintain the moustache is a lot of hardwork, but i plan to go back to my old style after the shooting gets over." .

Its not just Aamir but the coming days will see the launch of various films with complete makeovers of many filmstars. Amitabh Bachchan some time back shaved of his famous iconic white French beard for Govind Nihalani’s ‘Dev’. For ‘Aarman’ he even dyed his hair white for the first time.

Ajay Devgan has changed a lot a from his ‘Phool Aur Kaante’ days with his long hair to his look in ‘Bhoot’ and ‘Qayamat’. In ‘Company’ to become the don he had a thin moustache, to ‘the legend of Bhagat Singh’ where he grew a bread, to ‘Khaki’.

Salman Khan for ‘Tere Naam’ first went bald and then grew really long hair. Salman in his forthcoming role in Sajid Nadiadwala’s ‘Mujhse Shaadi Karoge’ has really long sideburns. Sanjay Dutt in Hriday Shetty’s ‘plan’ has gone in for a dyed wayward hairstyle and in totally different looks for his performances in ‘Rudraskh’ and ‘Deewar’. Anil Kapoor who shaved of his moustache for ‘Lamhe’ has now gone and become a blond with a French beard for his role in Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Alvin Kalicharan’.

And thus we see Fardeen Khan in ‘no entry’, Vivek Oberoi in ‘ Masti’ and Saif Ali Khan in ‘Ek Hasina Thi’ going in for completely new look. For ‘Padmashri Laloo Prasad Yadav’ Mahesh Manjrekar is sporting a green hairstyle. Director Farhaan Akhtar’s ‘Laksh’ will see Hritik Roshan in a crew-cut and also instructed him not to reveal the style. Due to which Hritik was seen at all events with a cap on. Sonu Nigam in his next release ‘Love in Nepal’ depicting a corporate image will sport an appropriate hairstyle.

Be it crew-cut or dyed hair, it is important to note that the stars are ready to maintain and live with the style for the sake of maintaining the authenticity of the character. This trend of the stars immersing themselves into the characters they are playing is a drastic change from the days when the stars were famous for their tantrums about their looks. .

In Rakesh Mehra’s ‘Aksh’ Amitabh Bachchan appeared for the first time with a French beard and Manoj Bajpai was sporting a long hair style. But, the real change started with Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, which saw the leading actors of the movie, Aamir Khan with his famous beard on the chin, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna Set Heart fluttering and became a huge craze across the country.

The trends that Rajesh Khanna, Dilip Kumar or Dev Anand created in their heydays are legendary. Amitabh Bachchan’s ear covering hair style found many follwers. In the 80’s Hakim Karanvi gave Amitabh a brand new style. Southern superstar Kamal Hasan is famous for constantly reinventing his style, as is again evident in his next release ‘Sandiyar’.

Film stars usually have their own hair stylists and they are ready to shell out whatever is required for the right look.

Hair designer Aalim Hakim is currently the hot favourite of Bollywood and almost all big stars get their hair sytling done from him and even arrive on time for their hair cut done.

According to Aalim, "one has to constantly keep researching to try and give new looks. I keep the styles in the computer database and when styling for the movies, I even hold discussios with the dress designers."

Normally discounting the super stars, the other movie actors usually frequent the saloons of Andheri, Bandra and Juhu, where a cut can cost anywhere between Rs 250 to Rs 450.

Sunil Rathore, hair stylist for junior artistes on film sets said, "this new phase of putting the emphasis on looks in Bollywood has increased the demand for hair stylists. The youngsters want to copy the filmstars, and if one visits a saloon for styling and the whole range of services including shampooing, dying one can end up paying around Rs 800 to Rs 1000. There was a time when people used to come to us for covering up the greyness of their hair, but now-a-days they come specifically to lighten the colour of their hair." (UNI)

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