Spritual Guru and member of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has said that he was deeply pained over the toll of casualties during the Sri Amaranth pilgrimage year after year.
A 100-year-old freedom fighter from Goa, a Dhak player from West Bengal who trained 150 women in the male-dominated field, and India's first woman puppeteers are among 30 unsung heroes who were awarded Padma Shri on Republic Day. Libia Lobo Sardesai, who played an important role in Goa's freedom movement, cofounded an underground radio station -- 'Voz da Liberdabe (Voice of Freedom)' -- in a forested area in 1955 to rally people against the Portuguese rule. She has been awarded the Padma Shri by the President on the occasion of 76th Republic Day. Also among the awardees is Gokul Chandra Dey, a 57-year-old Dhak player from West Bengal who broke the gender stereotype by training 150 women in the male-dominated field. Dey also created a lightweight Dhak type, 1.5 kg less than the conventional instrument, and represented India at various international platforms and performed with Maestros like Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Zakir Hussain. A vocal advocate of woman empowerment, 82-year-old Sally Holkar transformed once dying Maheshwari craft and founded Handloom school in Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, to give training in traditional weaving techniques. Born in America and Inspired by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar's legacy, she devoted five decades of her life to revitalise 300-year-old weaving legacy. She has also been awarded Padma Shri.
Nirmohi Akhara, the main plaintiff in the Ayodhya title suit, wants the mediation of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoban and the national organisation of Muslim ulemas-- Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind -- along with Hindu religious leaders like Baba Ramdev, Shri Shri Ravi Shankar and Murari Bapu.
It is impossible to discuss Asha Bhosle without mentioning the word 'versatility', notes Dinesh Raheja.
Eight years ago, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain had narrated how his father Alla Rakha had welcomed him into this world by putting the musical instrument's rhythms into his ears when asked to recite prayers.
He was a formidable musician but seemed utterly human, a Peter Pan who wore his genius with deceptive lightness. Sandip Roy remembers Ustad Zakir Hussain.
The latest updates from the film industry.
'The BJP should identify those involved in the protest against singing Gandhiji's bhajan and take action against them.' 'Such people should be removed from the party because they harm the BJP's image.'
Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain died at a hospital in San Francisco, his family said on Monday.
President Pranab Mukherjee presented five Padma Vibhushan, eight Padma Bhushan and forty-three Padma Shri awards at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Based on his '12 years of Yamuna activism', he hit out at people 'who believe' that the river can be revived by 'keeping it untouchable'.
The 37-day annual pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath will commence from June 25, the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board which manages the yatra said.
The last Bharat Ratna award was conferred upon Pranab Mukherjee in 2019 and was posthumously awarded to Bhupendra Kumar Hazarika and Nanaji Deshmukh. The award was not given to anyone between 2020 and 2023.
Several Union ministers, including Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar resigned.
The home ministry on Thursday announced the Padma awards which included five Padma Bhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 110 Padma Shri.
Till now, the maximum Bharat Ratnas were awarded in 1999 when four recipients were given the coveted award.
Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav is among six personalities chosen for this year's Padma Vibhushan.
The 'Pran Pratishtha' of the idol of Ram Lalla -- the childhood form of Lord Ram -- will be attended by people from all walks of life, including representatives of major spiritual and religious sects of the country and of various tribal communities and prominent personalities.
Ravi Shankar mulls taking his products, available at 600 outlets, to 2,500 stores by 2017; others have plans, too.
A controversy erupted on Tuesday after the opposition parties tagged a video of DMK leader A Raja purportedly showing him making remarks that India has never been a nation, but a subcontinent with diverse practices and cultures, prompting strong response from the BJP which described the comments as a call for 'balkanisation' of the the country and demanded for his arrest.
The list of the prestigious Padma Awards 2016 awardees is out and superstar Rajnikanth is set to be honoured with the nation's second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan.
'When there was a match, he would be up all night watching it on his laptop with Kishori Amonkarji singing on the side.'
Manohar Parrikar, the chief minister of Goa and former defence minister, died at his son's home in Panaji on Sunday after a long illness. He was 63. Since February 2018, Parrikar had been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, Delhi and New York after he was diagnosed with a pancreatic condition. Following his demise, tributes poured in from all over with political lines being forgotten.
He said India is the biggest democracy in the world and "people wonder how this democracy is functioning so successfully". "India is a responsible and most friendly member of the international community under the stewardship of internationally acclaimed visionary Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi," he said.
The comments assume significance in the backdrop of recent disclosures by messaging giant WhatsApp that said Indian journalists and human rights activists were among those globally spied upon by unnamed entities using an Israeli spyware Pegasus.
'Nevertheless, a victory is a victory, no matter how it is obtained.'
No untoward incident has been reported from the district over the past three days.
Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com traces how the beating up of a man in Ghaziabad went from alleged communal attack to reported regular crime in a matter of days.
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans in Lucknow on Sunday.
BJP sources said Gambhir may be fielded from the New Delhi constituency, currently represented by the party's Meenakshi Lekhi.
The sitarist, considered among the greatest sitar players alongside Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ravi Shankar and Nikhil Banerjee, belonged to Jaipur's Senia Gharana of music started by the descendants of Tansen's family and known for working towards preserving the purity of ragas.
In a major cabinet reshuffle, Arjun Ram Meghwal has replaced Kiren Rijiju as the Union law and justice minister, a communique from the President's Secretariat said on Thursday.
Born in 1924, Vajpayee entered politics during the Quit India movement in 1942. He was also the first external affairs minister to deliver a speech in the UN Assembly in Hindi. Vajpayee was elected to Lok Sabha from Lucknow in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004. He is the first and the only non-Congress leader who completed his full term as prime minister.
Notwithstanding L K Advani's resignation, BJP President Rajnath Singh made it clear that there will be no going back on the decision to appoint Narendra Modi as campaign committee chief.
'My health is fine but I am getting admitted to hospital on advice of doctors,' tweeted Shah after testing positive for COVID-19.
Hardik's calm demeanour on the field as captain reminds many of Captain Cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whom the Baroda all-rounder considers one of his mentors.
The CM was present at the Patna airport to receive body of the LJP founder with whom he spent long time in the politics. The CM and other leaders cutting across party lines paid respect to the septuagenarian leader, who died in Delhi on Thursday, at the airport premises.
All political parties have appeal for peace and harmony.
Modi visited his 97-year-old mother Hiraba in Gandhinagar and took her blessings.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi also expressed hopes of a strong response from India in the wake of the Pulwama attack.
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