Aishwarya Rai comes calling to Amritsar for shooting

AMRITSAR, Oct 4: Bollywood actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai came to this holy city last evening amid tight security arrangements for the shooting of Gurinder Chaddha’s film ‘bride and prejudice’.

Accompanied by Nadira Babbar, Anupam Kher, Namrata Shirodkar and her private security guards, Aishwarya Rai landed at Raja Sansi airport from a chartered flight from where she was whisked away to M K hotel where she will be staying for a couple of days.

According to sources, Gurinder Chaddha has booked the entire hotel for a few days and Aishwarya Rai is staying in the same suite where Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had stayed during his visit to this city.

Security has been beefed up at the hotel and a strict watch is being kept on the visitors. DSP J S Sodhi, who has been asked to make security arrangements for the actress at the hotel, said nobody would be allowed to meet Ms Rai.

Fans of Aishwarya, who had gathered outside the hotel to have a ‘Dekko’ of the actress, were a disappointed lot, but the faces of some of them brightened up when actor Anupam Kher came down to have a drink at the bar with Piya Rai Chaudhary of serial ‘Hip Hip Hurray’ fame.

Aishwarya Rai is playing the daughter of a Bakshi family in the film who falls in love with Darcy from the US, played by New Zealander Matin henderson of ‘the ring’ fame.

Earlier, speculations had been rife of Aishwarya Rai’s arrival in this ‘Guru Ki Nagari’ for a few days, but no one from the film unit was willing to confirm it and , last evening, all of a sudden, the actress, clad in black, landed here.

The sources say the scenes of Aishwarya Rai’s marriage in the film will be shot tomorrow and for this ‘Pandaal’ has been erected in the Bakshi house in the Jamun Wali road. The shooting will also take place in Jandiala Guru and Chiddan village in a couple of days.

From here, the crew of the movie will move to Mumbai and Goa to shoot some parts of the film. The film is almost 70 per cent complete and a major portion of the film has already been shot in London.

The film tells the story of a family with four daughters and how their parents find it difficult to find grooms for them because they cannot afford to pay huge sums as dowry.

The film, based on Jane Austen’s eighteenth century novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’, also stars Namrata Shirodkar, Daniel Gillies, Navin Andrews, Indira Varma, Nadira Babbar, Anupam Kher and Meghna Kothari. Anu Malik will score the music for the film, which has lyrics by Farhan Akhtar and his sister Zoya. There are seven or eight songs of which one will be in Punjabi. (UNI)

RSS attacks NHRC over Best Bakery case, Digvijay Singh

NAGPUR, Oct 4: RSS today launched a scathing attack on National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for raking up Best Bakery case and also denounced Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digivjay Singh for his call to Dalits to come out of Hindu fold.

Questioning the propriety of NHRC to approach Supreme Court when the accused were set free because the main eye-witnesses turned hostile, RSS chief K Sudarshan, in his annual address to the Swayayamsewaks on the occasion of Vijayadashmi, blamed the NHRC for raking up the issue.

Stating that the human rights body also asked the Apex Court to conduct retrial of cases outside Gujarat in apprehension that Justice cannot be rendered to the victims in that state, Sudarshan asked "why had the NHRC kept mum to take cases to Apex Court of incidents of burning down the whole of Radhabai Chawl in Mumbai on February 1, 1993?"

"In that case too, the accused were set free by lower Court for want of evidence. Why did not NHRC come forward to take that case also to the apex court. Is it because those killed in the Radhabai Chawl episode were all Hindus?" Sudarshan asked.

He also flayed NHRC’s role during 1984 riots in Delhi.

"After the assisination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, thousands of Sikhs were killed by mobs, led by Congress leaders but almost all the accused were set free, because the prime witness had changed her statement," he said adding, "why did NHRC fail to take note of it. Will not the extreme concern for Muslims and Christians and utter disregard for Hindus by NHRC, make people question its impartiality?"

Sudarshan denounced Madhay Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh for his reported call "unless the Dalits completely come out of Hindu fold, no struggle for emancipation can ever be won. The ideal of Dalit movement should be carried out under the leadership of Christians."

"Some Church-sponsored elements, who had attended the Dalit conference in Bhopal on January 12-13, 2002, have been running a similar campaign for long," the RSS head said and added it has been their sinister motive to alienate the so-called Dalit section from the Hindu society "so as to facilitate their conversion to Christianity."

"What is significant is the open support of Madhya Pradesh Goverment to these elements. It highlights the fact that the Government is least bothered about the looming terrible consequences for the society in its petty political gamble for mean electoral gains," he said.

Sudarshan also ridiculed the Chief Minister for his knowledge of history with reference to Singh’s preface to ‘the strategy for 21st century to build up future Dalits,’ published by his Government as ‘Bhopal declaration’ last year.

Singh had claimed in it "Dalits do no have any written history of theirs. Both Dalits and Vanavasis who together constitute 25 crore of population in the country, are in search of their history."

Taking a strong exception, Sudarshan said, he (Singh) should atleast know how Rani Durgavati (the Gond queen from the region) had fought Mughals and attained martyrdom? (PTI)

Waterfalls form subject of commemorative stamps on tourism

NEW DELHI, Oct 4: For the first time since Independence, an attempt has been made to popularise tourist spots in the country through the issue of a set of four commemorative postage stamps and a miniature sheet on the waterfalls of India.

Released by the department of posts, the stamps depicting athirapally falls, Kakolat falls and the Kempty falls are in the denomination of Rs 5 each and the stamp on Jog falls is in the denomination of Rs 15.

The Athirapally waterfall as depicted in the first stamp is located on the fringes of the famous Sholayar forest ranges of Kerala. About 80 feet high, it crashes through gorges into the Chalakkudy river.

The second stamp depicts the world famous Jog or Gerusoppa waterfall which is located northwest of Shimoga city of Karnataka in a hamlet called Jog. The Sharavati river flowing over a rocky bed takes a leap from a height of 292 metres and divides into four smaller distinct falls known as the Raja , the roarer , the rocket and the rani .

The Kempty falls, the third in the series, is located about 15 Km from mussorie and 50 Km from Dehradun on the Mussorie-Yamunotri road in Uttaranchal. With water cascading down from an altitude of 4500 feet and splitting into five smaller falls, the Kempty waterfall offers a panoramic view. The name Kempty is probably derived from camp-tea as the British would organise their tea parties there.

The fourth stamp is on Kakolat waterfall which is located about 33.6 Km from Nawada on the Ranchi road in Bihar. The fall is about 150-160 feet and just below it, there is a deep reservoir natural in character.

The first day cover alongwith the information sheet will be available on sale at all philatelic bureaux/counters and at selected post offices, according to an official release. (UNI)

Goenka foundation launches initiative in water management

NEW DELHI, Oct 4: In a bid to promote projects related to Water Conservation and Management, Ram Nath Goenka foundation today launched a major public initiative which will focus on educating the masses on the issue.

The initiative is part of the ongoing series of activities to commemorate the birth centenary of Indian express group founder Ram Nath Goenka, including an official biography to be authored by eminent journalist B G Verghese.

"Water scarcity is now acknowledged to be one of the greatest global challenges of our times. It is also emerging as a major source of conflict between nations, regions and even local communities", foundation’s head and chairman of the Indian Express group Vivek Goenka said while launching the multi-pronged initiative.

He said the projects will play a key role in action as well as advocacy and education in an entire gamut of activities related to water resources including water harvesting.

The foundation will work with the Government, NGOs and individuals who will directly oversee the projects, he said adding it was a tribute to the group’s founder and like-minded people must be part of the effort.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and leader of opposition Sonia Gandhi were among those who attended the function.

Ram Nath Goenka’s birth centenary falls on April 8, next year. Goenka said media attention so far has been too much centred on politics and crises of the day while public awareness on such a vital issue as water was low.

He said the Delhi-based R N Goenka foundation would endeavour to correct this anomanly.

"The centenary is as good a time as any to reaffirm our commitment to principles of free speech and responsible journalism Ram Nathji stood and fought for", Goenka said.

He also announced that verghese, former editor of Indian Express, had accepted the responsibility of writing the official biography of Ram Nath Goenka.

Initiating the centenary celebrations, the express group had organised Tiranga, a musical tribute to the spirit of the national flag on August 31 here. The essence of the Indianness of the tricolour was captured in the poetry of Javed Akhtar and translated into music by Pandit Jasraj, I Subramanyam and U Sriniwas. The function was attended by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and leader of the opposition Sonia Gandhi. (PTI)

Reservation: Cabinet decision welcomed, rubbished in Rajasthan

JAIPUR, Oct 4: With political faultlines already exposed on the issue, reactions to the Union Cabinet’s decision on reservation to Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) were along expected lines in Rajasthan today.

While the Congress reminded people that it was the State Government which had originally recommended 14 per cent reservation to the EBCs, caste associations spearheading agitations on the issue sought to take credit for the decision.

But even as they talked of the "four years of struggle" waged over the issue, the Social Justice Front (SJF) and the Sarv Brahman Mahasabha rubbished the cabinet move, calling it an "eyewash" and a "political stunt" before the year-end assembly elections.

The SJF, which has the Brahmin body’s backing, has decided to contest 150 assembly seats and has set up office right across the state BJP headquarters.

State unit BJP president Vasundhara Raje Scindia, and the Pratap foundation of Rajputs, considered pro-BJP, welcomed the cabinet move and thanked Prime Minister A B Vajpayee for his "far-sighted" decision.

Reservation to the "neglected castes" on economic basis in Panchayats and local self governing bodies could be provided by the State Government itself, Pratap foundation convenor Bhagwan Singh Rolsahabsar claimed.

The Rajasthan Muslim Forum (RMF) convenor Qari Moinuddin too was of the opinion that it was upto the State Government to provide a quota for Muslims in the reserved category. "the Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu Governments have already provided reservation to Muslims," he said.

"Better late than never," said Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. "the Prime Minister should take all political parties into confidence and bring the amendment bill in the next session of parliament itself so that it is passed easily and does not meet the same fate as the women’s reservation bill," he said.

PCC spokesman Raghu Sharma, however, argued that the Centre had been adopting dilatory tactics on the issue. The state cabinet had recommended reservation to EBCs as far back as May 21. The Prime Minister had announced on August 10 that the Centre was ready to bring a bill in just "two days".

"They are delaying the matter once again. Mere announcements do not help solve anything. It is not clear when the reservation will be provided to EBCs, who all will get it," he said.

"Our agitations will continue. We want all benefits that are currently being given to SC, ST and OBCs, not just reservation in jobs," said Sarv Brahman Mahasabha president Suresh Mishra.

"It is yet another attempt to hoodwink the people. The BJP has been promising reservation for the past many years," SJF president Devi Singh Bhati, the expelled BJP MLA from Kolayat, said.

"Where is the need for Constitutional amendment. All we want is a bifurcation of the OBC list and reservation to the neglected castes. They can do it in just four days, just as they had done in the case of Jats," he said.

Mr Bhati argued that reservation benefit would not accrue to EBCs before the assembly elections as the next session of Parliament is not scheduled before the polls.

SJF general secretary Lokendra Kalvi said it was not clear on what basis reservation will be provided to the EBCs. "What is its criteria, who all will get it ... Where is the political will?," he asked.

Mr Kalvi pointed out that the SJF had been seeking implementation of the Rajnath Singh formula. "If they could accord OBC status to Jats in just four days after the Prime Minister made the announcement, why cannot they do it again before the poll code comes into effect in the state".

"We want to get the benefits in education, employment and other public services," Mr Mishra said. "We should get reservation in elections to the post of Pradhan and Sarpanch also."

Both the Congress and the BJP were trying to take credit even as they had so far taken no concrete steps to meet the demand, he added.

The RMF, however, called the cabinet decision a "positive development" and called upon the State Government to allot a quota for Muslims in the OBC category. "representation of Muslims in various fields of life has fallen. Muslims too should get reservation benefit," he said. (UNI)

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