Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

‘Kathak queen’ of Kashi wants to be social worker

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion
Clasical dancer Soni Churasiya broke the world record of longest dance marathon with her non-stop dance performance in Varanasi on Sunday. Chaurasia danced continuosouly for 124 hours and broke the five-year old previous record held by Kalamandalam Hemalatha of Kerala in the year 2011 (PTI Photo)
Clasical dancer Soni Churasiya broke the world record of longest dance marathon with her non-stop dance performance in Varanasi on Sunday. Chaurasia danced continuosouly for 124 hours and broke the five-year old previous record held by Kalamandalam Hemalatha of Kerala in the year 2011 (PTI Photo)

As of now, I want to leave on some lone adventure trip to Bali or Hrishikesh, kathak dancer Soni Chaurasia, who claimed to have broken the Guinness world record in longest dance marathon said on Sunday. The ‘kathak queen’ of Kashi said that she plans to engage herself in social work and do something for the society.

“Everything is possible if you have strong will power, determination and dedication. I am out of words to describe how I am feeling. For now, I am happy receiving words of appreciation from everyone around me,” she said.

Soni had begun her dance performance at an auditorium of a school in the city in the evening on April 4. Her trainer and mentor Rajesh Dogra said that she has created a record which would find her a place in Guinness Book of World Records. Soni had performed non-stop for 126 hours and 5 minutes on Saturday midnight against the previous record of 123 hours 20 minutes set by Keralite Kalamandalam Hemalatha.

She is the third person from the city to have sealed a place in the world record book. Others who have set a world record are social activist Jagadeesh Pillai and lyricist Sameer. Pillai holds a world record in film making for having scripted and screened an animation film ‘Elly the Clever’ in 3 hours and 24 minutes while Sameer made his way into the world record book in February this year for writing the highest number of lyrics for Bollywood films.

Soni, who was on her way to Sankat Mochan to seek blessings of the Almighty, said that she is yet to read the greetings conveyed by the PM and is grateful to everyone who had prayed for her. “I was told that the PM had sent his best wishes to me and also lauded my efforts for making the city proud. After visiting some of the temples to seek blessings of Almighty and finishing off my physiotherapy sessions in afternoon, I will see the letter and re-read it,” she smiled and said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / TNN / April 11th, 2016

Cleansed in jail, ex-bandit cleans public places

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features
Suresh Sarvoday is now a Gandhian.
Suresh Sarvoday is now a Gandhian.

Jhansi:

There was a time when he ruled the badlands of Bundelkhand as an outlaw. Charged for over two dozen case, Suresh Sarvoday served over two decades in jail and now, at 64 has transformed completely—into a Gandhian. Originally from Mahoba, Suresh is settled in Mauranipur, a small hamlet of Jhansi. He is seen everyday at railway stations, bus stops, civil hospital and other public places, cleaning up the place voluntarily.

Born in village Supa of Mahoba in 1952, Suresh—then Soni—was highly inspired by freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad and aspired to be the local Robinhood. As a result, after he passed XII he made a gang of over 10 ‘like-minded’ boys and for over a a decade, they executed a number of loots, dacoity and murders. What they always ensured was that no harm was done to the poor or depressed class. “My ideas were anarchist and I was of the opinion that British may have left but the upper-class people were still torturing the poor and I wanted to cut them to size,” says Suresh.

His name spelled terror in districts of Mahoba, Jalaun and Hamirpur where he was famous for extortion and hold-ups. His biggest mistake in life was when he accidentally bumped off a CBI officer who was travelling through jungles of Mahoba with his family. He had over two dozen cases against him until 1973 when he was arrested. Within a couple of years he managed to escape from the jail— for which he got the idea from a book.

He reunited his gang and resumed till he was arrested again in 1977. This time he was treated strictly and was put into a special cell in the Hamirpur district jail with iron rods in his legs so that he could not escape. It was during his second imprisonment that he was transformed after reading books by and on Gandhi and Vivekanand. “I read more than a hundred books including the Gita and Ramayan and was transformed completely. I have been doing social service since 1980 from inside the jail”, Suresh recalls.

After serving 22 years and 8 months in jail, he was released for good conduct in 1999. Right from the day he came out, he resolved to follow the Gandhian thoughts and to change the society the way Gandhi had visualised. “Today, I neither follow any religion nor believe in caste system and that is why I have adopted the name of Sarvoday”, says Suresh who calls himself a wanderer of the world, all of which is his family. One can find all kinds of cleaning materials in his khadi bag which he uses daily at public places for at least three hours. He cleans public toilets, corridors and gardens on his own. He has done it in Delhi, Kolkata, Gorakhpur, Allahabad and Varanasi and enjoys a fan following among youths who volunteer their services in his mission of cleanliness.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / Arindam Ghosh, TNN / April 14th, 2016

Kanpur-based young business entrepreneur meets Princess Kate

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Education, World Opinion

Kanpur:

A city-based young business entrepreneur got a chance of meeting Prince Williams and Princess Kate at a party hosted by the British high commissioner in India on Monday evening. The party had been thrown at the official residence of British High Commissioner in Delhi to celebrate the upcoming 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II.

Utsav Kasera, an alumnus of University of Edinburgh, was one among very few alumni of the UK-based universities who had been invited to take part in the pompous party. Utsav not only got a chance to shake hands with both Prince Williams and Princess Kate but also was lucky when the Princess interacted with him.

“I started off the conversation by mentioning before Princess Kate that I am your neighbour to which she asked me how. I then told her that while I had studied in University of Edinburgh and she had studied in University of St Andrews both of which are situated in Scotland,” said Utsav while talking to TOI.

He said that Princess Kate replied that Edinburgh is a beautiful city and further questioned him that how many times he had been there. “I replied that I had been to Edinburgh city many times,” said Utsav, a 34-year-old young entrepreneur.

He also mentioned that Princess said that she really miss her university days.

“I could not interact with Prince Williams but we shook hands. It was a pleasant meeting them both,” said Utsav, who is a resident of Vishnupuri locality in the city and runs his family business of chemicals.

He said that Prince Williams recalled that his grandmother had visited India thrice and emphasized how important India is for them.

The party which started off at 5.15pm lasted for about three hours. The party was attended by a small but decent gathering of politicians, diplomats and alumni of UK-based universities. Utsav also got a chance to meet Dr Farooq Abdullah, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

SK Kasera, Utsav’s father was also an excited lot that his son had met the Prince and the Princess and that he was among very few who could attend the party.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kanpur / by Abhinvan Malhatra / TNN / April 13th, 2016

Rail expo: Sneak peek into era long gone

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

Allahabad:

A railway exhibition is on in the city to transport people to the era of early trains.
North Central Railway has organised the exhibition which contains rare photos and old models right upto the present times.

As one enters the exhibition, there is an old photograph of Mahatma Gandhi in a railway coach being welcomed by people. The Father of the Nation toured the entire country on the instructions of Gopal Krishna Gokhale. History was created through this journey as he laid the foundation of our freedom struggle.

There are other rare photos of a special train carrying the urn containing his ashes when it halted at Tundla and Kanpur stations.

In another photograph, first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru can be seen laying the foundation of Allahabad junction.

It also has a rare photograph of the old Kanpur station whose foundation was laid in 1928 and the structure was completed in 1929. The cost of the building and other structures came to about Rs 20lakh.

The foundation of Indian Railways in the year 1853 made headlines in British newspapers. The exhibition also showcases some of the important bridges of North Central Railway including the completion of about 150 years of Naini bridge on river Yamuna in Allahabad.

The fastest train, Gatimaan Express, which runs between Hazrat Nizamuddin station ( Delhi) and Agra stations, finds place at the exhibition. Its speed is 160 km/hr which is the highest in Indian railways till now.

The exhibition also attempts a look into the future with Talgo coaches. These coaches run at about 200 km/hr and their trial run is expected to be in June. About nine Talgo coaches are arriving on April 21 by a special ship at Mumbai seaport.

These coaches also consume 30 per cent less electricity.

The exhibition will remain open for general public till Wednesday.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / TNN / April 13th, 2016

Day-long revelry marks Subah-e-Banaras milestone

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Varanasi:

The 24-hour ‘Panchshatkotsav’ to mark the completion of 501 days of ‘Subah-e-Banaras’, organized by district administration and culture department began before the crack of dawn at Anand Kanan in Assi ghat on Thursday.

The programme began with chanting of vedic mantras and Ganga aarti followed by a vocal recital by Sucharita Gupta. Those who have been working relentlessly to make Subah-e-Banaras were also felicitated on the occasion. This was followed by a painting competition themed around the programme and was clubbed with a folk song performance by Vishnu Yadav. A Sunderkaand paath by Pt. Dharmraj and Kakku was also part of the event.

With the sun beginning to set in the evening, an array of cultural performances began with a musical presentation by school children.

This was followed by the higlight of the evening, a presentation of a band by a ‘robot’ under the supervision of Sandeep Gupta.

Ranjeeta Prajapati presented a Kathak performance which was followed by sitar recital by K G Westman and group. The night-long celebration featuring classical and semi-classical music will end on the first day of the Hindi new year on Friday morning.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Varanasi / TNN / April 08th, 2016

Agra resident wants to present rare photos of Elizabeth visit to Will-Kat

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

Agra:

An Agra resident who has a rare collection of pictures of the visit by Britiain’s Queen Elizabeth II to Taj Mahal in 1961 wants to meet Prince William and Princess Kate and present the collection to them as a gift during their visit on April 16.

Surendra Sharma, 70, president of Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, in a letter to the British High Commission has sought a two-minute meeting with the royal dignitaries on April 16 to present an album containing pictures of William’s grandmother during her visit.

Sharma informed TOI that the pictures were taken by his uncle Kailash Nath Sharma. “During that time, there were just two photo studios in Agra and one of them was owned by our family. My uncle, who is now no more, had clicked pictures of Queen Elizabeth from close quarters. There were not so many restrictions in place at Taj Mahal back then. Even vehicles were allowed inside the premises of the monument,” he said.

“It will be a historical and emotional moment when the royal couple visit the Taj. William’s will be the third generation to tread the footsteps of their predecessors at the monument, and our intention is to make it more memorable. I hope the British High Commission will pay heed to my request and allow a two-minute meeting,” Sharma said.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, had visited the 17th century marble monument during their six-week long royal visit to India in 1961.

Later Lady Diana, mother of Prince William, visited the Taj Mahal in 1992. It will be the first time after the Diana visit that someone from the British royal family will be visiting the monument of love.

It is also being anticipated that William and his wife would hopefully re-create Diana’s famous photo taken at the monument’s central tank’s bench.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / by Aditya Dev / TNN / April 11th, 2016

History department of Allahabad University celebrates 60th anniversary

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All

Allahabad :

The department of Ancient History, Culture & Archaeology of Allahabad University celebrated the completion of 60 years of its foundation, on Saturday. Former DG of ASI (archeological survey of India), Prof Professor Gautam Sengupta of Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan was the chief guest of the function.

The function, attended by retired teachers, faculty members, research and PG students of the department and scholars from colleges and other departments, was presided over by AU VC, Prof RL Hangloo who also inaugurated the Kausambi Uddyan, at the department.

The special feature of this celebration was an invited lecture delivered by Prof Sengupta, a renowned archaeologist and art historian, who also served the Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi as Director General (2010-13).

His lecture, titled, Raja Rajendralal Mitra and his ideas of archaeology highlighted his untiring contestation with empiricist approach to Indian history and culture, especially James Fergusson’s biased projection of Indian art.
The programme was introduced by Prof UC Chattopadhyaya, the head of the department.

Earlier, Prof Hangloo, after welcoming the chief guest, mentioned the importance of Prof Sengupta’s theme of presentation. He also described department’s museum as one of the best museums in India. He encouraged students to make use of the opportunities being provided to them.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / Rajeev Mani / TNN / April 09th, 2016

Kathak dancer aims to set Guinness record

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, World Opinion

Varanasi:

The 30-year old Kathak dancer Soni Chaurasia, who had failed to break the 124-hour Guinness world record in dance in November last year, again took to stage at a school on the outskirts of the city on Monday evening.

On Monday evening, Chaurasia took to stage again and began her dance performance with Ganesh Vandana. Her trainer and mentor Rajesh Dogra said that Soni started at 6pm on Monday and completed 24 hours on Tuesday evening. As there are requirements which need to be followed before claiming for the Guinness world record, so the district administration has made all the arrangements. Supervisors have also been assigned byDM Rajmani Yadav for various sessions to be held during the next couple of days. The dance marathon will end on April 9 at 9pm.

Between every eight-hour, Chaurasia is eligible for a break of 40 minutes. After getting her act of non-stop Kathak dance on roller skates for 24 hours enrolled in Limca Book of Records in 2010, Chaurasia had started a dance marathon at Arya Mahila PG College on the occasion of Children’s Day last year to break the 123 hours and 15 minutes Guinness record in Mohiniattam dance form made by Hemlata Kamandalu of Kerala in 2011. But after performing for 87 hours and 18 minutes, Chaurasia fell unconscious.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Varanasi / TNN / April 06th, 2016

Carpenter gifts Gita carved in wood to PM

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Kanpur:

A 32-year-old carpenter from the city got an opportunity to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and gift him a unique Bhagvad Gita carved on wood.

Sandeep Soni, who took three years in creating the wooden Gita, had long wanted to meet the PM, but was unsuccessful despite several attempts.

After an invitation by the PMO, Sandeep, his mother Saraswati Soni and a friend met Modi and handed him over the Gita, having all 18 chapters and 706 ‘sholakas’, in Delhi yesterday.

Modi later tweeted a picture of him receiving the Gita from Soni on his official Twitter handle.
“Sandeep Soni presented to me a copy of the Gita, carved on wood. I thank him for his kind gesture,” the PM tweeted.

Soni said he was elated after meeting the PM.

“I got emotional after meeting the Prime Minister because I never thought my dream would come true. He was very impressed by the Gita and praised my work in creating it,” he said.

Soni also conveyed to the PM that he wanted to start his own business under the ‘Make in India’ scheme, following which Modi directed officials to provide all the necessary help.

Soni, who earns a meagre Rs 9,000 a month, had been invited by the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) last month to hand over his creation, but was not able to personally meet the PM.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kanpur / TNN / March 10th, 2016

Lucknow: Bureaucrat makes Bollywood debut

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders
Hari Om, 40, currently serving as commissioner consolidation, has made an entry into Bollywood with his first composition. (HT Photo)
Hari Om, 40, currently serving as commissioner consolidation, has made an entry into Bollywood with his first composition. (HT Photo)

His position in office and the workload of the designation don’t deter him from living his passion. And that’s what made him a singer, lyricist and composer in addition to being a bureaucrat.

Hari Om, 40, currently serving as commissioner consolidation, has made an entry into Bollywood with his first composition. The song has already been recorded in Mumbai and the film would be released soon.

“I would not tell much about the song and the film is yet to be named. But the song has been written, composed and sung by me,” said Hari Om.

An IAS of 1997 batch, Hari started learning music after being selected for the services. “Wherever I got posted, I learnt music. But each time due to transfers, my teachers kept changing. However, my passion continued and I made it a point to continue learning music,” he said.

He has been district magistrate of 11 districts, including Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Moradabad, Allahabad, Saharanpur etc.

Already into performances and compositions, Hari Om feels that this is just the beginning. “Film music is a big platform. But this is just the beginning. There are bigger things to come,” he said.

Hari Om has written three books and the fourth one would soon be released. These include ‘Bhoot Ka Parcham’ (a collection of ghazals released in 2002), ‘Amrica Meri Jaan’ (collection of stories released in 2009), ‘Kapaas ke Agley Mausam Mein’ (a collection of poetry released in 2011). The upcoming book is a collection of ghazals.

Om has also sung two songs for Moxx Music Company – ‘Yaara Ve’ and ‘Socha Na Tha Zindagi’. Even in the busy office schedules, the officer makes it a point to do his ‘riyaz’ for at least two hours every day. The rest of the free time is spent in writing and compositions, he added.

A PhD in Hindi, Hari Om isn’t the lone music lover and singer at home. His wife, Malvika is also a singer and their two daughters – students of Class 10 and 6 respectively, also sing

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Lucknow / HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times,Lucknow / March 14th, 2016