Noted film and theatre actor Paresh Rawal created storm in Pune saying that he sometimes wants to become naxalite and criticized the politicians as very substandard people. Rawal was felicitated in the city on Monday with ‘Pu La Sanman’. After the ceremony, he vented his ire through an open interview. When asked what does he think about today politics, he minced no words in venting his anger. “What should I say? They are very third-rate people, mean creatures with no morality. After watching corruption around me, I sometimes want to join naxalites...
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Bad Omen : Sharad Pawar Praises R R Patil
Notwithstanding his criticism from opposition, Maharashtra’s home minister R R Patil was praised by his party boss. This comes within a month of his criticism for losing control over the former’s ministry. However, given the history of his praise, it bodes bad for the home minister.
Sharad Pawar, Union Agriculture Minister and president of Nationalist Congress Party, supported Patil for his handling the August 11 violence in Mumbai. Pawar...
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
City Congress Pays Tribute To Vilasrao Deshmukh
The city’s Congress workers and leaders offered their condolences to the demised leader, Vilasrao Deshmukh, on Wednesday after the flag hoisting ceremony. His close associates in the city remembered the departed leader’s quality as a bankable friend who made great contributions to the development of the city.
Deshmukh had a special affinity with Pune and it was during his tenure as CM that the city got three Minisers of State....
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
Kite Festival Comes To Maharashtra
Giving a boost to the agri-tourism and
trying to take advantage of the experiences elsewhere, the state is to emulate
the Kite Festival way. For the first time ever, a Kite Festival will take place
next month thanks to Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), the
cultural department of the state and Agri Tourism Development Company (ATDC) at
Baramati.
The kite festivals are organised in states
like Gujarat and Kerala and it has brought
windfall for those states. Taking a cue from those experiences, the same
festival is to take...
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Frustrated Fort Lovers Start Repairing Fort Themselves
Frustrated
over the inaction by authorities, the fort lovers and history enthusiasts took
the repairs of the Sinhgad fort into their hands. They claimed that parts
of the fort’s Kalyan Gate were collapsing continuously putting a question mark
on the stability of the fort. That is why a group of the volunteers went up the
fort and carried out the repairs of about 2 feet of the wall.
About
50 members of Sahyadri Pratishtan had warned...
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Least Rains In This June
It is official now. As the June comes to end, it recorded lowest rainfall in this month during the last decade. The city has recorded only 34.5 mm of rainfall since June 1 which is only one third of the average rainfall for the month.
As per the India Meteorological Department, The average rainfall for the city in June is 116.1 mm. However, the rainfall recorded at Pune station of IMD since the start of this month was only 34.5 mm, at Lohegaon it was 25.1 mm while at Pashan station it was 34.4 mm. This trend is in line with other districts...
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Can LPG Diversion Stop in India?
The government of India has embarked upon an ambitious project to check the pilfering of the LPG cylinders, a major component of the domestic fuel in the country. Recently, S. Jaipal Reddy, Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas, launched a unique initiative - the 'LPG Portal' - that will host data on the last mile delivery of domestic LPG cylinders, supplied by PSU Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to nearly 10.4 millions households in the country....
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Fire In Secretariat Arises Suscpicion
An unprecedented major fire which broke out in the Mantralaya (secretariat) in Mumbai has given birth to suspicions that it is part of cover-up. The fire took place in the urban development department on second floor which had most of the files pertaining to Adarsh scam. Even as this post is being written, the fire fighters are trying to douse fire which has engulfed 4th, 5th and 6th floor. According to reports on news channels, most of the offices on these floors were gutted in the fire.
All the employees working in the building...
Friday, June 15, 2012
GE Lights Maharashtra's Hope With $200 Million Promise
CM Prithviraj Chavan and GE officials inspecting the plan of the proposed plant at Chakan.
US major General Electric on Friday announced that it will invest $ 200 million (INR 1,100 crores) in Maharashtra, India to set up a new manufacturing facility in Pune for developing products for the energy sector. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)was signed between the state government and GE at Chakan.
The MoU was signed at Hotel Hyatt Regency...
Saturday, May 05, 2012
Professor of English Sues Publisher For Infringing Copyright
A former reader of Goa University, who is settled in the city, has filed lawsuits against two publishers and claimed Rs 25 lakh each in damages over copyright infringement after he allegedly found books written by him being sold without his permission at high prices.
Prof Anand Patil, former head of the English Department, Goa University, claims that he has not received the royalty amount for his books Western Influence on Marathi Drama published by Rajhauns Vitaran, 1993 and The Whirligig of Taste: Essays in Comparative Literature published...
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Maharashtra Day Without Fervour
The usual fervour which accompanies Maharashtra Day on May 1 was absent this time. The state has been mired in problems ranging from lawlessness to drought and there is no remedy in sight. The ruling politicians have put up a brave face being a developed state but that does not take away the limelight away from the serious problems the public is facing here. Just a couple of days before the celebrations for the 52nd foundation day for the state began, the local media reported about the demand or wish by villagers in Jat division of the Sangli...
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Trekkers Paradise Under Development Threat
The trekking community in Pune and Mumbai are enraged over the possible destruction of one their favourite destination. The trekkers and fort lovers are worried over a plan by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) to build a resort at Harishchandragad, a fort on the south-east of Pune at about 160 kms. Harishchandragad is a hill fort in south east of Pune. It has played a major role in guarding and controlling the surrounding region. Konkan Kada, the cliff is the most fascinating point for those who go up the fort because besides...
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Can Intellectual Property Rights Save Pune's Heritage?
In a unique development, the pride of Pune’s may be protected by the Itellectual Property Rights, if all comes out as planned. Following in the footsteps of other cities, the Maharatta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) is finding the ways to protect city’s heritage with IPR.
MCCIA and Janwani, recently held a workshop on the subject. It was a part of the ongoing Heritage Week celebrations under Virasat Pune initiative...
Japanese Comes Calling To Marathi
Going beyond the Okamyoma garden and Origami classes, the city’s relations with Japan are getting a boost now in the form of a Marathi-Japanese online dictionary. As a part of the celebrations of 60 years of diplomatic relations between India-Japan, the government there has funded a project to build online Marathi-Japanese dictionary. About 30-35 volunteers from the city are contributing in this project.
The Online Verb Handbook will be...
Thursday, April 19, 2012
We, The Indians, Need This
German voters are more and more inclining towards those political parties which favour more internet freedom. With the present United Progressive Alliance government in New Delhi pressing for bringing more restrictions on internet use, we also need to adopt this trend.
Internet freedom becomes German political catalyst
As per this report, Germany's Pirate Party, a party devoted to Internet freedom, gained backing in a weekly poll that showed it siphoning off support from opposition parties. The Pirates climbed 1 percentage point to...
Monday, April 16, 2012
Nilu Phule Gets Tribute From Mother Organisation
Rashtra Seva Dal, an arm of the socialist organisations, paid tribute to one of its illustrious members on Sunday by opening an art academy in his name. The academy, named after actor Nilu Phule, will conduct classes in acting, dance and singing. Nilu Phule, a thespian of the Marathi and Hindi theatre and movies, was a member of the Rashtra Seva Dal before he rose to prominence. Till his death in July 2009, he was a dedicated worker of the organisation....
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Pune Gets Hotter
The summer has arrived with a bang. The city's temperature is getting warmer. On Saturday, the city recorded maximum temperature of 37 degrees Celsius. It is still only the beginning and the season is promised to make us swea...
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Intercaste Marriages Get Life Support
With the incidences of honour killing on the rise in the state, the activists pressing for inter-caste marriages are also gearing up for a fight back. Those who are helping the couples from different communities coming together are themselves coming together in the city to discuss the hideous crimes in recent past and ways to prevent them.
The state has seen two such incidences in the last two months both of which were in Satara district. In the first instance, a Dalit woman was dragged and beaten, also allegedly paraded naked in the village in...
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Meghalaya To Follow In Maharashtra's Strawberry Path
Impressed by the rapid strides Maharashtra has made in the strawberry plantations, farmers from Meghalaya are looking to recreate the success in their own state.
A 25 member delegation from the Meghalaya was at Mahabaleshwar studying various aspects of the strawberry farming. According to the members of the delegation, the Meghalaya is leading in the tea plantation owing to a very conducive climate. However, the state is not so successful in having the production of starwberry in same measure. He compares the climate of his state to Mahabaleshwar...
Monday, February 13, 2012
Pune's Blackberry Experiment To Go Global
After having won accolades from the government and people alike, the traff-i-cop experiment started in the city is set to reach to international level. The designers of the Blackberry-based system presented it to a conference in Orlando and countries like Bermuda are looking at it for the implementation.
"Right now Kolkata and states like Assam, Punjab and Gujarat have asked us for the implementation of this system. In a conference at Orlando, US, the company officials had a presentation on this system to which Bermuda has responded positively,”...
Mark Of A Controversy
The jewellery professionals in the city are now up into arms agaisnt a recent directive by the central government to make the hallmark certification mandatory. The professionals have termed this order as an impractical one and say that it will create more problems for the sarafi pedhis.The Union Cabinet had decided in January that all the gold jewelleries sold in the country should bear the Hallmark stamp. Apparently, the decision was taken to ensure the quality and authenticity of the gold jewelleries. A large part of the jewellery sold in the...
Bio-Diversity Map Of India Ready : Kasturirangan
The
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Department of
Bio-technology (DBT) has prepared a biodiversity map of the country
on the landscape level. It has also prepared digitized inventories
of important bio-resources which includes medicinal plants, other
economically important plants, animal, marine and microbial
resources. This map will be instrumental for strategic planning, said
Dr. K. Kasturiranga, member of the planning commission and former
chairman of ISRO.
Dr.
Kasturirangan was speaking after inaugurating the National...
