Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 17: Kabir Jayanti was celebrated today at Kabir Kalayan Kendra, Sama Chak near Jhiri, with great pomp and show.
Thousands of devotees from all walks of life paid rich tributes to the great saint, Kabir Ji Maharaj.
President, All J&K Sadguru Kabir Sabha, FC Bhagat, was the chief guest.
President, Kabir Kalayan Kendra, Sama Chak, Pardeep Kumar Bhagat felicitated FC Bhagat on the occasion.
Various prominent members of the Kabir Kalayan Kendra threw light on the life of the great saint, Kabir. Speaking on the occasion, FC Bhagat appealed all the members to adopt the real path shown by Kabir Ji Maharaj and urged them to unite for the welfare of the Biradri.
Kabir Jayanti celebrated with fervour
Police foils Eidgah Chalo prog
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 17: Police today foiled the Eidgah Chalo programme of Hurriyat Conference hardliner leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani by arresting him outside his residence here.
However, a group of Peoples Freedom League (PFL), a constituent of Hurriyat Conference (Geelani), activists managed to reach Eidgah and offered tributes to the buried there at the graveyard.
Some leaders of the hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference including Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai were either placed under house-arrest or taken into custody by the police in order to prevent them from going to Eidgah.
This morning a posse of police personnel of the Humhama police post laid a siege on the main road leading towards the residence of Geelani at Rehmatabad-Hyderpora. As soon as Geelani appeared on the road the police personnel asked him to accompany and abort his programme of Eidgah saying that this cannot be allowed since prohibitory orders are in place in the Srinagar city. Later, he was taken to the Humhama Police Post along with some of his associates.
However, some activists of Peoples Freedom League (PFL), managed to reach the Eidgah graveyard where they offered Fatah to the persons buried there. The PFL activists led by their chairman, Rafiq Ahmad Ganai managed to give police and CRPF personnel slip and reached Eidgah.
The PFL activists raised slogans in favour of the persons killed during the 2010 summer agitation and demanded action against the personnel involved in different firing incidents.
Army’s Northern Command celebrates Raising Day
Excelsior Correspondent
UDHAMPUR, June 17: Army’s Northern Command popularly known as Dhruva Command, which has the unique responsibility of guarding the nation’s borders with both Pakistan and China, in addition to effectively countering the proxy war, celebrated its 41st anniversary here today.
Raised after the Indo-Pak war of 1971, it has the responsibility of guarding the nation’s borders with both Pakistan and China.
The ‘Dhruva’ Command has lived up to the faith reposed on it by the Nation, be it combating Pakistan sponsored terrorism or the Kargil intrusion in 1999 and in doing this, many Officers, JCO and OR of the Command have sacrificed their lives.
The raising day celebrations were conducted in a befitting manner, commencing with a solemn ceremony at ‘Dhruva’ war memorial, where General Officer Commanding Northern Command, Lt Gen KT Parnaik, paid homage by laying a wreath as a mark of respect to the martyrs.
Other functions which marked the celebration included breathtaking performance by the Army bikers team, aptly called ‘Dare Devils’, a dog show where the canines demonstrated their proficiency in army related tasks and a melodious rendition by the Army Symphonic Orchestra.
Lt Gen KT Parnaik extended his good wishes to all ranks and their families.
Complimenting the rank and file of the ‘Dhruva’ Command for demonstrating extra ordinary endurance, stead fastness, self sacrifice and an exemplary sense of duty during counter terrorist operations with a ‘people friendly’ approach, he exhorted them to continue maintaining the exalted standards through professionalism, dedication and devotion to duty.
Governor, CM greet people on Shab-i-Miraj
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 17: Governor N N Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today greeted the people on Shab-i-Miraj.
In his message, the Governor expressed the hope that the celebration of this auspicious occasion would further strengthen the bonds of amity, harmony and brotherhood and be a harbinger of sustained peace, progress and prosperity in the State.
In a message on the occasion, Omar Abdullah said that this holy night provides us opportunity to pray and seek forgiveness and blessings from Almighty. He prayed for peace and prosperity of the State and the country.
Natrang stages ‘Maa Mujhe Tagore Bana Do’
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 17: ‘Maa Mujhe Tagore Bana Do’, a play based on a Punjabi story. written by Mohan Bhandari and designed and directed by Lucky Gupta was presented in Natrang’s Sunday Theatre Series in its studio theatre here today.
The play was a solo performance and had many dramatic elements in it so that it could hold the attention of the audience from the very beginning till the end. It was presented in intimate style and in unconventional setting which also was novelity to experience.
The story of the play revolves around a boy ‘Saleem’ who strives hard to get education and wants to be like Tagore despite his poverty. He talked about his childhood days, when he used to go to school every day and get praises from his teachers for his intelligence. But due to poverty, he had to assist his father in a brick kiln. He feels bad about leaving his studies but takes pledge to complete it by studying in the evenings. He sadly remembers the day when he came back from his school after appearing in 10th class examination but fears to find a large gathering outside his house. He inquires and finds that his father is dead and mother is crying. Later, his mother falls ill and he has to sell all his household items for her treatment. After sometime, her mother recuperates and starts working as a domestic servant but is expelled without any salary which added much to their misery. Saleem believes that if education does not make him rich it will definitely turn him a good human being. ‘Maa Mujhe Tagore Bana Do” is a deep philosophical journey of a child whose craving for writing the poetry and to become Rabinder Nath Tagore is broken because of the circumstances.
Saleem’s character was ably played by Lucky Gupta. Costume and props were designed by Happy Gupta and Deepak Singh Jamwal. Mohd. Yaseen coordinated the show and the presentations were done by Sumeet Sharma.
Candidates for guest lecturers’ positions seek VC’s intervention
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 17: Candidates who had applied for the position of guest lecturers in the different divisions of Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K) at Shalimar here, have urged Vice-Chancellor, SKUAST-K, Dr. Tej Partap to step in and ensure that merit holders are given due consideration while finalizing the list.
A delegation of the candidates while talking to the Excelsior alleged that tussle between some of the top officials for accommodating their own wards is likely to impact the final selection list. They said that last year merit was not given due consideration and in-experienced candidates were appointed as guest lecturers in different divisions.
“We fear like last year this year too the pick and chose method would be adopted and merit will not be given due consideration. Some of the officials want to accommodate their blue-eyed candidates and for this they can go to any extent including no weightage for factors like teaching experience and publications to the credit of the merit holders,” said the members of delegation.
The candidates said “if merit is not given due consideration then anarchy would rule the roost at the varsity,” adding the people having experience of teaching and expertise of research should be preferred over those falling short with respect to the required criteria.
Saina lifts Indonesia Open trophy
JAKARTA, June 17: Raising hopes for a medal in next month’s London Olympics, Indian badminton ace Saina Nehwal today won the Indonesia Open Super Series title after beating world number three Xuerui Li of China in a hard-fought summit clash here.
The fifth-seeded Indian, who had won the Thailand Open last week, defeated Li 13-21 22-20 21-19 in an hour and four minutes to lift her third title of the year — the first being the Swiss Open.
Today’s title triumph — her third of the same tournament — also served a warning to the formidable Chinese shuttlers ahead of the Olympics as Saina is expected to face stiff challenge from them in her quest for a medal in the London Games.
Saina, 22, is expected to take a break to recharge herself for the gruelling contest ahead of the July 27 to August 12 mega sporting event.
“It was a really, really tough and I love the crowd here. It’s really nice here. Whenever I enter the court, I feel like a champion here,” said Saina, who had earlier clinched this title in 2009 and 2010 and was a runner-up last year.
It was a battle of attrition for Saina against an opponent to whom she had lost four times and won just once — that too way back in 2010 — previously.
“It is a very good victory for Saina. It was a tricky situation because we had a very tough schedule. There were many tight matches and it has been a very tough week and what was good is that she kept pushing,” national coach Pullela Gopichand said from Jakarta. (PTI)
“The mental tenacity that she showed all through the last two weeks is commendable because even when she lost a game, she was mentally stubborn,” he said.
The start was ominous for Saina as she conceded four successive points. The two players seemed engaged in a battle of smashes and were at par with each other when it came to baseline rallies.
But it was the netplay in which Li enjoyed the upper-hand with her delicate winners that Saina found hard to counter in the opening game.
Li took an 11-6 lead with her seventh smash winner of the game leaving Saina with a lot of catching up to do. The Chinese girl’s strategy was to engage Saina in aggressive baseline rallies before forcing her to commit errors from close range.
The exhaustion of a couple of hard-fought matches in the previous rounds also showed on Saina’s on-court movement and her returns seemed sluggish.
Magical Virtul steels show as JKCA Reds script emphatic win
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, June 17: Young right-arm leg spinner and skipper Virtul Bakshi displayed his skill and class by spinning, drifting and bowling in the right areas to help JKCA Reds team thrash Samba XI by 8 wickets and advance in the ongoing Under-16 Boys Cricket Tournament, being organized by the Jammu wing of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) at GGM Science College, here.
Earlier, electing to bat first after winning the toss, Samba XI bundled out for a paltry total of 91 runs in 25.3 overs as Virtul and left-arm spinner Rishab Gupta wrecked havoc in the rival camp by bowling 16 overs between them to take all ten wickets and plot their collapse at a meagre total. Virtul conceded 31 runs in his 8 overs and took 6 important wickets, while Rishab claimed 4 wickets in his 8 overs by giving away 21 runs. Kanav and Baljeet were the only two batsmen for Samba XI to cross double figure mark, scoring 12 runs each.
JKCA Reds chased the target easily in 11 overs by losing 2 wickets to win the match by 8 wickets. Pushpinder Singh Manhas scored power-packed 43 runs, which included 7 boundaries, while Nipun Verma contributed valuable 22 runs with the help of 3 boundaries. For Samba XI Sidharth Khajuria took 2 wickets by conceding just 7 runs in his 4 overs.
The match was officiated by Sandeep Singh and Deepak Dogra as umpires, while Anil maintained the scorebook.
Meanwhile, JKCA Blues would face JK Public School in the next match tomorrow.
Garner XI lifts Gurah Premier League title
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
SAMBA, June 17: Garner XI, Gurah Salathia scripted a narrow win by 2 wickets over Bipi XI and lifted the title trophy in the Gurah Premier League T20 Cricket Cup, here today.
District Development Commissioner (DDC) Samba, Mubarak Singh was the chief guest on the valedictory function, while Sarpanch Raman Singh Salathia was also present on the occasion.
Earlier, Bipi XI scored 140 runs in 15 overs, which Garner XI chased in a thrilling contest on the penultimate ball of the match by losing 8 wickets to win the match by 2 wickets. Puneet Salathia was adjudged as man of the match, while Aman Singh Salathia was declared as man of the series.
The winners were presented a trophy alongwith a cash prize of rupees 1000 by the chief guest, while the runners-up team received a cash prize of rupees 5000 and a trophy.
Singh Challenger drubs Mahajan CC by 102 runs
4th Pawan Memorial Cricket Tournament
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
AKHNOOR, June 17: Sailing on a superb all-round show by Sonu and a fabulous display of batting by Avinash Verma, Singh Challenger Cricket Club, Akhnoor thrashed Mahajan Cricket Club by a huge margin of 102 runs to move into the next round of the 4th Pawan Memorial Cricket Tournament, which got underway at Government Higher Secondary School ground, here today.
Mahesh Sharma, SHO Akhnoor was the chief guest in the inaugural ceremony, while the organizers Sham Singh Langeh, Vikas Bali and Rajinder Sharma were also present on the occasion.
Electing to bat first, Singh Challenger Club scored a formidable total of 188 runs in the stipulated 20 overs, losing 3 wickets in the process. Sonu played a quick-fire innings of 83 runs off just 47 balls, which included 11 boundaries and 3 sixes, while Avinash contributed 60 runs in 51 balls with the help of 8 fours and 2 sixes. Sunil Ray also chipped in 19 runs. Arush and Rahul claimed one wicket each for Mahajan CC.
In reply, Mahajan CC collapsed at a meagre total of 86 runs in 17 overs, thus lost the match by a huge margin of 102 runs. Armaan (16), Kanaya (14) and Shubam (14) were the main contributors. For Singh Challenger Akhnoor, Sonu scalped 3 wickets, while Vinod captured 2 wickets. Sanjay Kumar, Sunil Ray and Lucky claimed one wicket each. Sonu of Singh Challenger Club Akhnoor was adjudged man of the match for his swashbuckling knock of 83 runs and 3 important wickets.
The match was officiated by Sunny Kumar, Pankaj Verma as umpired, while Atul Sudan maintained scorebook.