NEW DELHI, June 30:
Indian classical musician Ustad Amjad Ali Khan’s sarod, which he has been playing for the last 45 years, has gone missing while he was returning to Delhi from London by a British Airways flight.
The Padma Vibhushan sarod maestro had gone to London along with his wife Subhalaxmi for a performance at Dartington College to celebrate the life of Rabindranth Tagore on June 21 and returned on the night of June 28.
He and his wife were travelling first class on British Airways flight (BA-143) on their return journey from London.
“But when we arrived at Delhi airport on June 28, I could not find my priceless sarod. We waited there for 4-5 hours while airline people tried to trace the instrument.But they were not able to trace it, and they said most likely it would come by the next flight,” Khan told PTI.
“But now its more than 48 hours and still I am waiting for some news. How can such a big airline be so irresponsible,” Khan said.
When contacted, British Airways said, “There have been intermittent problems with Heathrow Airport’s baggage system in Terminal 5. We are working round-the-clock to make sure we reunite all of our customers with their baggage as quickly as possible”.
“This process has taken longer than anticipated and we apologise for the inconvenience caused,” an airline spokesperson said.
The maestro said he has lodged a complaint with the airlines but he does not want a compensation.
“I want the airlines to trace my sarod and give it back to me as it is priceless and I don’t want any compensation,” said Khan.
The maestro said that he had told the airlines in London “to handle it with care as it is my life, but now this has happened.”
“Being an artist I communicate through my sarod, which was with me for last 45 years, but if it is lost now, then how will I communicate,” he asked.
According to sources, Khan’s sarod was packed at London as per procedure carried out for packaging of such precious instruments, before they are being sent as check-in luggage. (PTI)
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan’s sarod goes missing on BA flight
Poultry Association against non residents establishing poultry farming
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 30: Some companies whose owners are not permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir State are running Contract Farming in Poultry Section, which is a component of Agriculture sector in Jammu division, particularly in the districts of Kathua, Samba, Jammu and Udhampur. These owners are doing Contract Farming through their companies namely Star Foods Pvt Limited, Phagwara; Amrit Hatcheries Pvt Limited, Kolkata; Venkey’s India Limited, Pune and Chick Chick Traders, Pathankot.
This was stated by Ravinder Singh, president J&K Poultry Association while addressing media persons in Jammu today.
He said these companies have no registered office in the State of Jammu and Kashmir and have not been registered as Contract Companies in Agriculture sector in Jammu and Kashmir till date.
He further said that State Govt had imposed Rs 8 per kg as an entry fee on live chickens brought from outside the State to safe guard the interest of poor farmers and make them at par with the farmers of the other states, adding that these companies are indulging in malpractices by taking blank cheques from the poor farmers in the name of security indemnity bonds, land record which is totally illegal.
Mr Ravinder said that these companies give Rs 4 per kg to farmers for rearing the birds for 40 days including electricity charges, water charges, heating and cooling charges.
The Association alleged that these persons who are not permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir are befooling the Govt by rearing Poultry birds in Jammu and Kashmir through poor farmers, thus resulting in huge loss to the State exchequer.
The members said that if these companies are not stopped from doing Contract Farming in Agriculture sector, all the poultry farms, agriculture fields and orchids will also be taken by these Companies in the form of Contract Farming, thus will make poultry farmers, agriculture farmers and orchid owners as bonded labourers.
3 bodies recovered
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 30: Three bodies were recovered at different places in the Valley.
A police spokesman said a male body of Nanak Singh son of Gareeb Singh of Mattan was recovered from Lidder rivulet at Peth Nambal in Mattan.
An un-identified male body, aged 43 years was recovered from Zojilla canal. The body was brought to Sonamarg Hospital for identification.
Police has recovered the body of 30-year-old mentally disabled man, Mushtaq Ahmad Wani son of Ghulam Hassan Wani of Nadigam from a filtration plant at Habdipora.
The spokesman said investigations have been taken up.
NC set a positive political discourse to achieve peace, prosperity: Sadhotra, Rana
Excelsior Correspondent
KALAKOTE, June 30: Senior National Conference leaders Devender Singh Rana and Mr Ajay Sadhotra have lauded Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for giving new dimension to development and setting a positive political discourse to steer the sensitive state of Jammu and Kashmir to a new era of peace, progress and prosperity.
“At a time when the state was grappling with a horrendous situation hoised by communal and divisive political entities, National Conference plunged into action with a reconcilatory approach which got positive response from the people of Kashmir and Jammu who helped decisively in restoring peace and order”, Provincial President said while referring to the situation created by Bharatiya Janata Party and People’s Democratic party in 2008.
Mr Rana and Mr Sadhotra were addressing party workers and functionaries at Kalakote while winding up their four-day tour of the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch.
He urged the people to maintain vigil against attempts of polarising the situation ahead of ensuing Assembly elections, saying BJP and PDP had nothing to except inciting passions by exploiting communal and regional sentiments. He said the recent Parliamentary elections have proved this beyond any doubt while expressing satisfaction that majority of people refused to toe their line. “These elections exposed those pretending to be adversaries on ideological plank but actually worked together under a clandestine strategy to weaken secular forces”, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Planning, Ajay Sadhotra exposed PDP-BJP nexus, saying these parties worked in tandem to create wedge between the people on communal and regional lines. “Their modus operandi has been the same which they put into practice during 2008 Amarnath land row agitation”, he said and warned that National Conference will stand like a rock against the machinations of these parties in the ensuing Assembly elections.
“Ours is not just a political party; it is a great resurgence movement that brought about a political revolution in Jammu and Kashmir by making people masters of their destiny”, Mr Sadhotra said while vowing that National Conference cadre will foil any attempt of sowing seeds of disaffection and mistrust in the society. He said the long drawn battle to maintain the glorious ethos of pluralistic character of Jammu and Kashmir will not be allowed to be trampled by elements inimical to peace.
Mr Sadhotra called upon the people, especially youth to come forward and fight negative forces whose main aim is to grab power by whatever means they can.
Mr Rana and Mr Sadhotra asked the party workers to rejuvenate grass roots level units and gear up for the Assembly elections in a big way. They said the report card of Omar led Government during the past over five and half years is replete of achievements registered in different sectors of development and economy. They said focused attention has been laid on upgrading infrastructure, improving utility services and ensure implementation of various welfare schemes for overall benefit of the people, especially those living in remote and far off areas.
MLA Kalakote, Rachpal Singh, listed various problems confronted to the people of this far off constituency and hoped that Omar led Government will give priority attention to solving these on immediate basis.
Govt committed to upgrade sports infra: Bhalla
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 30: Re-iterating Governments’ commitment of boosting and upgrading sports infrastructure across the State, the Minister for Housing Horticulture, Culture and Sports, Raman Bhalla today said that every effort is being taken for development, rejuvenation and promotion of Sports activities and providing suitable platform for the youth of State to exhibit their talent.
The Minister was speaking at the 4-day 33rd boys and 17th girls Sub-Junior National Wrestling Championship organized by J&K Wrestling Association in collaboration with J&K State Sports Council at Indoor Stadium Srinagar here today.
As many as 900 wrestlers from 28 States and 2 boards from all over India besides 250 officials are participating in the event.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Bhalla said that sports activities plays pivotal role in the physical and mental development of a person, besides, inculcates character of team spirit among the players.
He said Government has prioritized the sports sector and has launched number of programmes and projects for its upliftment.
Earlier, Mr. Bhalla was introduced with the participants and he extended his wishes to them.
Secretary State J&K Sports Council Dalip Thassu Brij Bhushan Sharma and Dushyant Sharma President J&K Wrestling Association, were present on the occasion.
Kingpin of drug racket arrested
Excelsior Correspondent
RAJOURI, June 30: The lady kingpin of a drug racket, which was operative from a house at village Dhani Dhar was arrested today. However, some of the members of the drug racket including women are still at large and manhunt has been intensified to arrest them.
As per police sources, on inputs, police team from Rajouri police station led by SHO Yash Jamwal arrested the lady kingpin of a drug racket namely Shamshada Begum, wife of Naseer Ahmad from village Dhani Dhar.
The arrested woman was among the group of persons, who attacked police team yesterday when the latter was conducting raid in the house of the kingpin on some reliable inputs that some undesirable activities were going in the house, they added.
During raid, four drug peddlers namely Ajay Kumar, son of Chander Parkash of Dhangri, husband of kingpin Naseer Ahmed, son of Lal Hussain of Challas, at present Dhani Dhar, Azeem Ahmed, son of Gulzar Hussain of Gujjar Mandi and Rajan Gupta, son of Raj Kumar Gupta, a resident of Kalakote were arrested, while the lady kingpin along with her women associates and three more drug peddlers managed to escape.
Sources added that that the arrested lady kingpin operates a drug racket from her house at village Dhani Dhar, adding two more ladies and three drug peddlers are also involved in the racket and will be behind the bars soon.
A case under FIR number 331/14 under Section 353, 332, 336, 506, 147 and 148 RPC stands registered against the accused at police station Rajouri and manhunt has been launched to nab the absconding drug peddlers.
As reported, four drug peddlers were arrested for attacking a police party yesterday at village Dhani Dhar. In the incident, a police cop namely Mohammad Vakil also received injuries in his finger.
Vedic Sansthan for inclusion of Sanskrit language in JKBOSE syllabus
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 30: Shri Kailash Jyotish Avim Vedic Sansthan Trust today asserted for inclusion of Sanskrit language as a compulsory subject in Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) syllabus.
While addressing the people’s outstretched importance and heritage value of Sanskrit language, on the occasion of a cultural festival organized by the Trust, its president, Mahant Rohit Shastri said that Sanskrit language should be made compulsory from 6th standard in JKBOSE syllabus.
He also outstretched the issue of establishment of the Sanskrit University in Kashmir. While outlining that there are approximately 15 Sanskrit universities in all over India having strength of more than lakhs of students, he appealed the State and Central Government to work for establishment of the next Sanskrit university in Kashmir.
He also appealed the State Government to work for the development of Sanskrit language in the State just like Rajasthan Government, which had formed separate Ministry and Department for the development of Sanskrit language.
He also advocated separate scholarship and reservation quotas in University lecturership and teaching assistantship for Sanskrit scholars and teachers.
Meanwhile, Shastri revealed that he has also written a letter to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in this regard besides sending a copy of the same to Union HRD Ministry, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah and Governor, NN Vohra.
“The Languages of J&K” presented to Governor
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 30: Prof. G.N. Devy, Chairperson, The People’s Linguistic Survey of India (PLSI) and Dr. Omkar N. Koul, member, National Editorial Collective, PLSI called on N.N. Vohra, Governor, here at the Raj Bhavan today.
Prof. Devy and Dr. Koul presented the first copy of “The Languages of Jammu and Kashmir” to the Governor. Prof. Devy is the Chief Editor of this volume and Dr. Koul is the Editor. This important book, based on enormous research, is part of a 50 volume series titled “The People’s Linguistic Survey of India”. This volume, focusing entirely on the languages of Jammu and Kashmir, is the result of the outstanding initiative of Bhasha Research Centre, Baroda, and is based on the survey and researches on all living languages of India.
The Governor congratulated Prof. Devy and Dr. Koul for the monumental work done by them and the Bhasha Research Centre and hoped that this volume on the languages of J&K would be acquired and closely studied by all the educational institutions in the State, particularly the University, and by the various concerned departments and agencies of the State Government. The Governor suggested to Prof. Devy and Dr. Koul to urge the Kashmir University to organize a seminar, involving all concerned, to make the “Languages of J&K” known to the people of J&K.
Meanwhile, ‘The Languages of Jammu & Kashmir’ (People’s Linguistic Survey of India Vol. 12) was released at Kashmir University’s auditorium.
The book as per the speakers has been divided into three sections, with each section devoted to Dogri and Kashmiri, Balti, Bhadarwahi, Brokskat Burushaski, Gojri, Kishtwari, Kohistani, Ladakhi, Pashto, Poguli, Punchi, Sheikh Gal, Shina, and Siraji and the third section is devoted to other languages namely Sanskrit, Persian, Hindi and Urdu, which have a prominent place in the State for various reasons.
BSNL Miss Call Alert now at Rs 30 per month
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 30: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL Miss Call Alert is now chargeable at Rs 30 per month with effect from July 1 for both Prepaid and Postpaid customers.
According to the spokesman of the BSNL, the interested customers may activate/deactivate this facility through SMS only. For Activation, the customers are required to type SUB MCA and send it to 17010 and for deactivation they need to type UNSUB MCA and send it to 17010.
Shawetica elected Treasurer of Mountaineering Association
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 30: Shawetica Khajuria of Tawi Trekkers J&K was unanimously elected as Treasurer of Mountaineering Association of J&K in a Special General Body Meeting of the Association held here.
The election was necessitated due to the death of Shamsher Singh, former Treasurer of the Association.
It may be mentioned here that Shawetica Khajuria, a senior member of Tawi Trekkers J&K is a veteran sport climber, a trained mountaineer and a national judge in sport climbing.
She is also a senior member of Indian Mountaineering Foundation North Zone Committee.