'We have tried to get in touch with the embassy as well as the Ministry of External Affairs. We have not heard from them yet but I am confident that the government must be putting efforts for our safe and quick evacuationfrom Kabul'
The education ministry released guidelines last week for the reopening of schools, including for thorough cleaning and disinfection of the premises, flexibility in attendance, no assessment for up to three weeks and ensuring a smooth transition from home-based schooling during the coronavirus-induced lockdown to formal schooling.
With the 'bhoomi pujan' for a temple at the spot where many devout Hindus believe Lord Ram was born, priests are enlivened with the hope that their Badhi Devkaali Mandir too will get footfalls from far and wide.
Some jewellery shops in the famous Shringaar Haat area turned into places for community television spots as passers-by and even some security personnel and mediapersons joined shopkeepers to watch the live telecast of 'bhoomi poojan' by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the temple and his speech. Many recalled that these scenes were similar to ones quite common in late 1980s when 'Ramayana' serial was telecast on Doordarshan and people used to gather at few houses and shops having TV sets.
VHP national working president Alok Kumar also rejected questions about the muhurta of the event, saying the 'best advice' has been taken including from the Head of the Jyotish Department of the Banaras Hindu University on timing of the ceremony.
Khan, a local politician and social worker, has been openly pro-temple during the bitter temple-mosque dispute. But there are other signs that his community wants to move on, beyond the dispute that many Hindus and Muslims feel held Ayodhya back.
Ayodhya is decked up for the bhoomi pujan that will be attended at the Ram Janmabhoomi by 175 people, who figure in a select guest list of seers and politicians topped by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The clothes are made using soft material such as 'makhmal' (velvet). After all, they are for Ram Lalla who is a child. The green dress has been made keeping in mind the day-specific colour, while orange is considered auspicious
Maan Kunwar, from the historic city of Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, is being hailed as the "Rani of Jhansi" because of her indomitable spirit.
The policemen, most of whom are deployed on daily shifts, were sitting on wooden beds under a Neem tree, watching a steady stream of mediapersons arriving with a variety of questions.
The smudges were blood stains that had changed colour, perhaps due to the rain and the forensic examination. For part of the day, an overturned SUV could be seen on the highway to Kanpur. It was later towed away.
Deserted streets, limited customers, no revenue generation, huge rentals and restricted operations have forced many outlets to put their shutters down permanently while many others are struggling to survive by retrenching staff and tightening their purse strings on several other expenses.
From early graduation to flexible grading, Gunjan Sharma reports on how the IITs will help their graduating students.
Kumar had registered for the Shramik Special train. Everyday, he hoped his phone will ring and he will be asked to come to the station. But, only his landlord's call came everyday asking when he would pay the due rent. Dejected with the wait, Kumar decided to go to the Gurgaon Railway Station where he was refused an entry.
He quit his job in Dubai and returned to India to spend time with his ailing mother but life doesn't always go according to plan -- and news of her death came shortly before his 14-day quarantine in Delhi was ending. A heartbroken Aamir Khan said his mother died on Saturday and he could not even attend his mother's last rites at their home in Rampur on Sunday. His quarantine would end soon but he wasn't allowed to leave.
'I like it when my daughter talks in English fluently. She is smarter in maths too than her village friends'
'They say government is doing so much but ham to ab bhi yahi hain'
Several protests and mass movements across Delhi and the country were at their peak when the coronavirus threat slowly crept in, throwing normal life out of gear and pushing everyone indoors to ensure social distancing.
IIT Delhi is the first academic institute to have obtained the ICMR approval for a real-time PCR- based diagnostic assay. The development also comes against the backdrop of the Indian Council of Medical Research halting the testing for COVID-19 cases through China-made test kits because of massive variation in test results, compounding the challenge to check and contain the pandemic.
Special infection proof fabric for usage in hospitals, low-cost corona virus testing kits, isolation pods for coronavirus infected patients, bubble helmets which can be an alternative for traditional oxygen masks and pendant to raise alarm on breach of social distancing, are also among the innovative ideas that have been given shape since the coronavirus outbreak in the country.