An Ashtadhatu idol of Lord Adinath has turned the Kamla Market police station into a pilgrimage site. The God-fearing SHO has kept the recovered idol next to pictures of Sikh Gurus in her cupboard

Faith manifests itself in strange ways and places.
A Delhi police station has become a prominent stopover for Jain pilgrims from Delhi and Udaipur, owing to a stolen idol of Lord Adinath - also known as Lord Rishabhdev.

The ashtadhatu idol, which is kept in the room of the Kamla Market Station House Officer Surender Jeet Kaur, is attracting hundreds of devotees from the Khuldari village in Udaipur, from where it was taken away.
The idol was stolen on January 29 and was recovered by the Delhi police on May 29.
"It's a matter of faith. Daily 100-150 people come to my office to pay their obeisance to the idol," Kaur told MiD DAY.

Kaur, herself a very religious person, never raises an eyebrow over so many people visiting her office daily. In fact, photographs of the nine Sikh gurus, Amritsar's Golden Temple, Lord Hanuman adorn a shelf in the office of the SHO.

Colleagues of Kaur were all praise for their boss and the benevolence shown towards the pilgrims visiting her office daily. "She even offers food to those coming from Udaipur," said a constable attached to the police station, requesting anonymity.

Interestingly, the police station building stands just 500 metres away from Delhi's only red-light area GB Road.
Kaur said the idol would be taken back to Udaipur on Friday evening. She also confirmed that a number of people from the village had started keeping fasts for the recovery of the idol and a number of them travel from Udaipur to Delhi without eating or even drinking water on their way. "We offer them whatever we can. Their faith is commendable," she said.
What's Ashtadhatu
Ashtadhatu is a combination of eight metals. The metals used are gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, tin, iron and mercury. There are also Ashtadatu Yantras.
 

Another constable attached to the central Delhi police station said even regular visitors take off their shoes before entering the SHO's office due to the presence of so many religious idols and photographs.
 

(malathi)

 Jun 4, 2010

WASHINGTON: Pledging that he will make history with India and "progress that will be treasured not just by this generation but by generations to come," US President Barack Obama on Thursday announced he will visit the country early November this year.

In brief, witty, and eventually rousing remarks at an elegant reception Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hosted for her Indian counterpart S M Krishna at the State Department, Obama, rising to counter the perception that he has sidelined New Delhi, repeatedly spoke of how central and important India was in the US, and his, scheme of things.

"It's rising power and a responsible global power. That's why I firmly believe that the relationship between the United States and India will be a defining partnership in the 21st century," he said in a statement that has now become a signature tune in Washington, repeated by officials high and middling.

Describing the relationship between the United States and India as "fundamentally unique" because of their common interests and common values, Obama said Washington values the partnership "not because of where India is on a map, but because of what we share and where we can go together," a sly dig at countries that sell their geographic importance.

"India is indispensable to the future that we seek – a future of security and prosperity for all nations," Obama said, joking, "That's why a third of my Cabinet has already visited India -- not only for the chapatis."

As first reported in this newspaper, Obama made the special gesture of turning up at the State Department – and then turned on the charm offensive. His sideways banter during the speech included a dig at Hillary Clinton about a food platter named after her in a New Delhi restaurant; he was going to India to ensure there is an "Obama platter."

The President was in a particularly jokey mood with his Secretary of State (Washington scuttlebutt is they still have their differences), subtly challenging her hold on the India portfolio and trumping her Mark Twain quote rhapsodizing about India with a Max Mueller observation he dug up about the glory of India.

"So when it comes to the sphere of our work -- building a future of greater prosperity, opportunity and security for our people, there is no doubt: I have to go to India. But even more, I am proud to go to India," Obama, who has visited Pakistan as a student but never come to India, said.

Obama, when he makes the trip, will be the sixth American President to visit India after Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and George Bush (43).

Skeptics, including some former Indian diplomats, remained underwhelmed by the President’s soaring rhetoric, wanting to know what specific deliverables US had for India. They pointed to the still limited engagement on counter-terrorism, the fact that some Indian science and defense entities are still under sanctions, and Washington’s reluctance to explicitly endorse India for a permanent U.N Security Council seat.

"All in good time," counselled a senior administration official, on the margins of the event, insisting that there were more than just fine sentiments about India now. Another official, waving his hand around the stately Benjamin Franklin Room, laden with treasures such as the desk used by John Quincy Adams to draft the Declaration of Independence and portraits of the Founding Fathers, said, "With which other country do you think we can celebrate our common values here? China? This is the real stuff. The rest is detail."

It was certainly impressive and engaging. As Obama worked the short ropeline holding back some 400 guests after his address, he had many Indian-Americans eating out of his hands – not surprising after his platter jokes and chapatti references – as they jostled to greet him. Momentarily at least, the idea that he had sidelined India seemed preposterous.

After his motorcade sped away amid a thunderstorm outside, it turned out that he dropped by at his daughter Malia’s school. Later in the night, White House officials said he telephoned Indonesia’s President Yudhodhana and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to tell them that he was having to again postpone (for the third time) his visit to their countries scheduled for middle of this month.

It’s a scheduling wrinkle New Delhi may have to watch out for. On the other hand, it is possible he will segue visits to Indonesia and Australia to the India trip.

Hillary Clinton quoting Mark Twain on India: "India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great-grandmother of tradition." "And I love the fact that it's mothers," Clinton added.

President Obama quoting Max Mueller on India: "Whatever sphere of the human mind you may select for your special study, whether it be language, or religion, or mythology, or philosophy, whether it be law or customs, primitive art or science, you have to go to India." Because, he said, "some of the most valuable and instructive material of the history of man are treasured up in India and India only."

City designer Paresh Lamba fashions new look for CM with two light wool Italian cut suits along with a Nehru suit and a classic bandhgala

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, daughter BY Umadevi and son BY Vijayendra convinced him to follow the time-honoured practice of being Roman when in Rome.
 
Yesterday, all thanks to the siblings' prodding, he discarded his trademark all-white safari for a sharp Italian-cut suit at the two-day Global Investors Meet (GIM) that began yesterday, and asked his ministers to do likewise.

The CM, who is not known to appear in anything other than his beloved white safaris, finally got two Indian, a bandhgala and a Nehru suit and as many western suits stitched because his old ones do not fit him anymore.

 
The suits that Lamba has created for the  CM are fashioned from lightweight wool. They are in dark colours as well as shades of cream that suit his skin tone
 

"He has an all new look, and importantly, he is as comfortable as he is used to being," Umadevi told MiD DAY.
 
"He needed this look. I worked with Vijayendra to get him these suits and we were extremely happy to see how he turned out."

Paresh Lamba, the designer, who created the suits for the CM, said the suits fashioned from lightweight wool are in dark colours as well as shades of cream that suit his skin tone.

"I have ensured that he wears shirts and ties that match the colour of the new suits, and have taken particular care to use material that breathe so he is comfortable wearing them for long hours," said Lamba (see box).

The CM's daughter is so happy with the results of the makeover that she hopes he will continue to try the new designs more often.
 
"He looks very good," said Umadevi. "We want him to use these suits as often as the situation demands."

3
Number of basic operative ideas seriousness of look, a businesslike touch and smart design that Paresh Lamba kept in mind while designing suits for the CM

2,000
Number of investors expected to be present at the two-day Meet in Bangalore

400
Number of MoUs the Karnataka government expects to sign during the meet

Industrialists at GIM
A galaxy of big ticket investors led by ArcelorMittal founder Lakshmi N Mittal, Aditya Birla Group Head Kumaramangalam Birla, Essar Group Chairman Sashi Ruia, UB Group Chief Vijay Mallya, former Confederation of Indian Industries President Venu Srinivasan, Infosys CEO Kris Gopalakrishnan and Wipro Chairman Azim Premji, Baba Kalyani of Bharat Forge and Sajjan Jindal of JSW steels, are attending the meet.
 

(malathi)

UNGUARDED: Farid Tanasha's home at Tilak Nagar where two unidentified men entered the building from the back door and fired eight rounds, killing him. PIC/BIPIN KOKATE
 
The Farid Tanasha killing has brought back unhappy memories of the underworld to a city that thought it had managed to rid itself of the menace. While the police would have you believe that the underworld is no longer active, the recent spate of incidents tells a different story.

Chhote Miya, a Chotta Shakeel aide, and his associate, were shot dead on July 30, 2009; on February 9 this year, three people killed Shahid Azmi in his office; Irfan Chindi, an informer from Nagpada, was stabbed to death in April; and Tanasha was shot dead at his residence on Wednesday. Meanwhile, gangster Ravi Pujari is very active and has been giving extortion threats to builders, politicians and actors.

There have also been a number of encounters recently -- at Opera house, Antop Hill, Borivali and Malad among others -- a clear indication of gangster activity in the city.

While Chotta Rajan is no longer active, Tanasha the only person active from his gang, was shot dead. But notorious gangsters like Bunty Pandey and Bharat Nepali have all split and started their own operation.

Tanasha killing
Before Tansha was killed, he and his associates were seen at Sunil bar in Ghatkopar (East). Tanasha had whisky and then came to his house in Tilak Nagar by rickshaw, said his associates. While he had people guarding him during the day, he used to be without any bodyguards at night.

On reaching home, Tanasha had dinner while watching a serial.

Acoording to the police, seven men came to Tanasha's residence in a vehicle around 9.40 pm. The watchman of the building was on the other side and two men entered his house from the back door, as there were three dogs guarding the front.

The door was open and they got into the bedroom where Tanasha's second wife, Reshma, was giving him a foot massage and his three-year-old daughter was sitting on the floor. The duo fired eight rounds, of which five hit Tanasha. He was declared dead on admission at Rajawadi hospital.

'Well planned'
Police sources said the operation was meticulously planned and the shooters knew he would be alone at his residence. They also seemed to know that the back door would be unguarded.
 
"Police reached the spot and took him to the hospital. We have made his wife Reshma a complainant in the case. The matter is under investigation," said Dilip Sawant, deputy commissioner of police, Zone VI.

"We haven't recorded Reshma's statement yet as she is very disturbed by the incident. We will try and record her statement and make sketches of the accused after Tanasha's burial," added Sawant.

A senior crime branch officer said, "Tanasha was shot with a 7.65 mm bullet and the same kind of ammunition was used in Shahid Azmi's killing as well. So, the chances of Bharat Nepali's involvement are high."
 

(malathi)

India and the United States will hold their first strategic dialogue today in Washington. Foreign Minister SM Krishna will meet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton later today, against the backdrop of several prickly issues straining ties between the two countries.

In a rare gesture, President Obama plans to attend a reception for Krishna at the State Department. But what New Delhi will be hoping is that these talks go beyond symbolism.

"We will discuss many areas in which we have shared interests, ranging from countering terrorism and extremism, advancing nuclear security, working to secure the global commons, seeking to build a developed and cooperative Asia, and succeeding in Afghanistan to dialogues for co-operation in science and technology, research for clean energy and monsoon prediction, health and education, and a dialogue on women empowerment. That will be an important occasion for us to reflect on the remarkable journey that our two great democracies have embarked upon, and to set our sights on new milestones," said Krishna.

On the eve of the first-ever Indo-US Strategic Dialogue, India said it would be an important occasion for both the countries to set their sights on "new milestones" as they share interests ranging from counter-terrorism to nuclear security to Afghanistan.

Krishna also said the country was committed to putting in place a nuclear liability regime by getting the Nuclear Liability Bill passed in Parliament.

"I have received some feedback on areas of particular interest to members present here - foremost is the implementation of the historic Civil Nuclear Agreement between our two countries signed in 2008," he said.

"We are well within the agreed timelines, of course. The Government is committed to put in place a nuclear liability regime. We look forward to US companies investing in India. Many of you are in dialogue with our companies already. We would like it to be as robust a partnership as we have both envisioned," he added.

The Nuclear Liability Bill, which is crucial in the implementation of the Indo-US nuclear deal, is being strongly opposed by parties like BJP and Left. They are opposed to the bill in the present form and had even disrupted Parliament when it was introduced last month.

Pitching for a robust two-way trade in advanced technology products with the US, Krishna said it has offered guarantees that sensitive technology would not be diverted in contravention of US regulations.

He sought strengthening of bilateral cooperation in the field of innovation and advanced technology.

"We have given a number of written assurances that US technology will enjoy the level of security stipulated by the relevant US laws and not be diverted in contravention of US regulations," Krishna said.

When asked about the inability or unwillingness of Pakistan to bring 26/11 to book, Krishna told NDTV, "We are trying to build bridges with Pakistan also. I am due to go to Islamabad in July and we are hoping to be able to eliminate the trust deficit that we feel there is between the two countries. And high level visits are a very important part of trying to do that."

Thursday June 3, 2010, Panaji  

Goa's Tourism Minister Mickey Pacheco is in the middle of a controversy after the death of one of his friends.

The Goa crime branch has been asked to investigate the case after women's rights groups alleged the minister may be involved in the death of 27-year-old Nadia Toreado.

Toreado died on May 30 after consuming rat poison. On May 15, she was taken first to a local hospital in Goa. A few days later, she was moved to Mumbai and finally to Chennai, where she died.

"She consumed it or whether she was fed poison, it has something to do with Mickey Pacheco. This is my contention," alleges a women's group activist.
.
With public pressure mounting, the police have conducted a second post-mortem on Nadia, but the family maintains she died accidentally.

"We gave a statement that there is no criminal offence and there is no foul play. My brother, Nadia's husband Vincent and me, all three of us gave a statement yesterday," said Nadia's brother Rommel Toreado.

Pacheco was not available for comments but sources say the police may call him to record a statement.

Jun 3, 2010

MUMBAI: It was disaster averted by less than two minutes.

Initial investigations have revealed that the May 26 Air India Express Dubai-Pune flight IX-212 was less than two minutes away from plunging into the Arabian Sea. It had plummeted dangerously from an altitude of 37,000 feet when its commander was away from the cockpit, in the washroom, leaving the first officer to man the controls. The aircraft's nose was down to a minus-23-degree angle because of which its descent rate increased rapidly and went up to 21,000 feet per minute even as the overspeed warning blared loudly in the cockpit.

That was the scene the commander walked into after his loo break. A few minutes before that, the Boeing 737 had entered Indian air space and was cruising over the Arabian Sea. The airplane was on autopilot at 37,000 feet when the commander handed it over to the first officer and walked out closing the cockpit door behind him. According to sources, the commander realized something was wrong when he returned from the washroom and did not get any response after he pressed the cockpit's door-unlock button (it sets off a chime inside the cockpit and the pilot sitting inside responds by pushing a button which opens the door). By this time the commander also realized that the aircraft was at an unusual pitch attitude (a pitching movement is nose up-nose down motion of an aircraft and a nose-down pitch increases air speed). Sensing danger, the commander punched in the emergency code, which opens the cockpit door, but only after 35 seconds.

"On entering the cockpit, he was shocked when he saw the Primary Flight Display, which displays information on altitude, vertical speed (in this case rate of descent) and the air speed. It showed the aircraft's nose was down by minus 23 degrees, due to which it was flying at 0.88 Mach," said the source. Mach One is the speed of sound and therefore 0.88 Mach is 88% the speed of sound, which was well beyond the operating limit speed of most passenger aircraft. The loud aural alarm or the clacker, in aviation parlance, which blares continuously giving an overspeed warning was on. "Such a high speed could lead to structural failure of the aircraft and to recover from such a situation safely requires exceptional pilot skills," he said adding that the commander appeared to have displayed remarkable skill in following the textbook "jet upset recovery procedure".

The incident puts a huge question mark on the training given by Air India Express, especially to its first officers. The first officer had 1,000 hours of flying experience on the Boeing 737 aircraft which, say aviation safety experts, is quite adequate to handle a situation like this.

The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating the incident. "The aircraft plunged at speeds beyond its maximum limit. The recovery would have stressed the structure abnormally. This would require special investigations to be carried out on the aircraft after landing," said an air safety expert. It was not known whether the aircraft was grounded following this incident.
 

He is entitled to only one! Minister of state for Agriculture KV Thomas using cars of central PSUs; says he will ask his official secretary to look into the matter

Even in Delhi, the nation's power centre, few can flaunt a convoy of seven cars.
But, if you are a union minister it is not that difficult a feat, even if you are not entitled to such luxury.
Union minister of state for agriculture KV Thomas has at his disposal seven cars, six of them official ambassadors and a taxi, belonging to different public sector units (PSUs).

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions had sent a memorandum to all union ministries on February 22 stating that officials of the central government cannot access the infrastructure or facilities owned by the central public sector enterprises (CPSEs).

"The ministries /departments are accordingly requested to issue suitable instructions to all concerned for not utilising the infrastructure of any CPSEs by the officers/staff in the government departments and that any such use shall attract suitable action against them," the order read.

Agriculture and Cooperation, Central Warehousing Corporation and Food Corporation of India, exposed how MoS Agriculture was using seven cars in all, three of which belong to the CPSEs.

Thomas is using three ambassador cars, two belonging to the Food Corporation of India and one from Central Warehousing Corporation.

The Food Corporation of India, in its reply to the RTI, said: "One official vehicle has been placed at the disposal of the office of the Hon'ble Minister of State for Agriculture, CAF&PD... Whereas for the office of Hon'ble MoS, we have provided a DLY Taxi from May 2009 for regular usage on  a monthly basis."

The Central Warehousing Corporation also replied in the affirmative that it has provided a car for Thomas.

Apart from three cars belonging to the CPSEs, Thomas has four vehicles belonging to Department of Agriculture, Food, Consumer Affairs and Indian Council for Agricultural Research.
 

(malathi)

Preliminary reports suggest Malathi C S, a Social Welfare Department employee, was conned into believing that she would get a letter from the CM recommending her transfer.

The Vidhana Soudha police are on the lookout for Malathi CS, a Social Welfare Department employee who submitted a letter with a forged signature of Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa recommending her transfer.

The racket came to light on May 17, when the Director of Social Welfare Department Dr S Iqbal noticed the signature and sent it to the CM's office for confirmation.

 
It is believed that the person who promised to get Malathi a recommendation letter had actually forged B S Yeddyurappa's signature and asked her to submit it to the HOD.
 

Malathi CS, a native of Yadgiri, was working in Ponnampet in the Social Welfare Department of the state government.

She approached the director on May 17 with a letter from the CM that recommended she be offered the post of supervisor at the department's head office.

His suspicions aroused, Dr Iqbal decided to get the CM's office to check the document for authenticity.

The CM's secretariat confirmed Iqbal's suspicions that the letter was bogus. They asked Dr Iqbal to file a complaint of forgery and cheating against Malathi.

The Vidhana Soudha police launched investigations into the case.

It was discovered that Malathi had approached a local political leader for assistance in getting her transferred. She had reportedly expected that he would use his political clout to get the job done.
 
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the person who promised to get her a recommendation letter forged the CM's signature and asked her to submit it to the head of her department.

 "We are yet to verify how Malathi is linked to the leader. We have not ascertained the leader's background either.

Malathi had applied for leave, which was granted to her before the fraud was discovered.

We await her return so we can question her and also understand how the so-called leader is involved in the forgery" said Ashok, inspector, Vidhana Soudha police.
 

(malathi)

Alleges flouting of rules and babus conniving with senior BJP leaders for a dubious deal

It would be tough for the BJP, at the helm of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), to flush this one down the toilet.  The latest row is the ambitious plan of building spanking new toilets ahead of the Commonwealth Games by the MCD.

Loo and behold: MCD had asked corporates to build and operate the
state-of-the-art public conveniences

Everything was a smooth sailing till now, right from floating of tenders to negotiating with prospective constructors. The MCD was treading really fast, but perhaps not cautiously. And that is when the Opposition Congress Party in the MCD intervened and alleged that the civic body floated the tender without complying with rules and didn't even bother to discuss such a big plan in the standing committee.

"It could be the biggest scam. Every MCD project above Rs 5,000 is executed only after the approval from standing committee and MCD House. But for this mega project, in which crores are involved, the MCD babus didn't care to place the matter before the committee," alleged Jai Kishen Sharma, Leader of Opposition, MCD.
"The role of the civic body officials should be investigated and strict action should be taken against them," added Sharma, and demanded a CBI inquiry.

On May 2, the civic body had floated tenders for the construction of 216 toilets in posh markets, involving two lakh square feet of land in different parts of the city. These toilets are to be constructed before Commonwealth Games and the MCD officials say MNCs will be roped in for the project. Earlier, companies like McDonald's and Wimpy's were rumoured to be part of the project. As per the plan, MNCs will be given the land on lease for a period of thirty years.
 
"They will have to pay an amount of Rs 10 crore (onetime payment) and an annual fee of Rs 20 lakh. They will construct the toilets and bathrooms and will also run them," said an official.

"To make the project successful, 70 per cent of the ground floor space in each toilet will be used as loo and 30 per cent will be for commercial use for the MNC operator. On the first floor, they will be constructing offices and shops and would lease them out. Apart from that, the MNCs will get advertisement rights for it," explained a senior official.

The MCD official claims that due to the Standing Committee elections, the matter could not be placed before the committee. "The department had taken permission from former standing committee chairman, Ram Kishen Singhal. The toilets have to be constructed before CWG and we were running short of time," said a senior The Other Side
All the laid down procedures have been followed in the project.
-MCD commissioner, KS Mehra 
 
official associated with the project.

However, the Opposition Congress Party is not ready to buy the argument.
"As per current estimates, 100 square yards of land in Greater Kailash or South Extension market costs around Rs 10 crore.  Then how can MCD give land worth crores of rupees without taking permission from the standing committee? Everything is not as hunky dory as they are claiming," alleged Safe and sound
The project will be completed before Commonwealth Games (CWG) and the new toilets would be constructed with pre-fabricated material. The modern public conveniences designed and constructed by the MCD could not achieve desired results, as the agency lost almost all the inventory due to no security on the premises.
 
Newly appointed standing committee chairman, Yogendra Chandolia said, "I do not see anything fishy in the deal. All the records pertaining to this will be placed before the committee. I have just taken over the charge. I believe the concerned department would have taken the permission of competent authority before arriving at a decision."

26 lakh sq ft Land earmarked for construction of high-end toilet complexes
55 Percentage of Indians who still defecate in the open
Rs 12 billion Cost to the Indian economy due to poor sanitation and related illnesses

(malathi)