Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Mean machines deck up city roads at vintage car rally in Kanpur

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

The car rally witnessed participation from Kanpur as well as Lucknow and Allahabad.
Juhi poses with her Hillman vinatge car
Juhi poses with her Hillman vinatge car

The 9th annual vintage car rally organised by the Vintage and Classic Car Club of Cawnpore on Sunday was a big success from the word go. Vintage cars, bikes and even scooters lined up early in the morning at the Green Park Stadium with proud owners from Allahabad and Lucknow also participating in the event. “This vintage car rally is very popular among vintage vehicle owners and its popularity can be judged by the fact that we have participants from outside the city also showing their vehicles,” said Tariq Ibrahim, the president of the club. The rally was flagged off by ADM Avinash Singh and normal traffic on the road, from the stadium till Mall Road, came to a halt as people stood and looked in awe at the Rolls Royce, Austin, Morris Cowley and Hillmans drive past.
A few of the cars that have made history were also part of the rally including a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Convertible Sports, owned by Yasser Ibrahim, is the winner of the 1st Formula One Race that took place in Spain in 1913.

Visitors at the rally were given much gyaan of the technical specifications of the vehicles by their respective owners.

Also finding an enviable spot at the rally was a Rolls Royce Double Limousine Silver Ghost 1913 and Rolls Royce Silver Ghost convertible sports of 1913 owned by Yasser Ibrahim. “The Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Convertible Sports has features like 7500 CC engine, four-gears, semi-automatic transmission with cruise control. My great-great grandfather Hafiz Halim Saheb bought it from London in the year 1913. I am the fifth generation driving this car. We sent this car to England to the Rolls Royce company last year, for its restoration. These cars are one of their own kinds in the world. I feel so proud when people driving fancy modern cars on the roads, stop and inquire about my old beauties,” said Ibrahim.

Vintage two-wheelers attracted just as much attention at the rally as did the four wheelers. Ruchika showed off her Lambretta 1945 scooter while TS Johar displayed his vintage BSA motorcycle. Tahir’s 1945 manufactured Ford Jeep had many automobile enthusiasts lining up to see the vehicle. But the biggest draw at the rally was businessman Shahid Mirza’s Ford Anglia manufactured in 1938 which was also used in the film Gadar-Ek Prem Katha.

We spotted Juhi Nigam, Umama, Kajri and Saif displaying their vintage cars. “I have brought my Hillman and two other vintage cars for the rally. These were owned by my grandparents and we are carrying forward the family tradition of maintaining them,” said Juhi. Dr Aditya Mohan Jain and wife Neeta also participated in rally along with three of their Morris cars.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kanpur / by Sumit Jha, TNN / February 21st, 2015

Scot’s search for his roots

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

Nicholas Graves looking at one of the photos inside the carriage used by the Nizam State Guaranteed Railways at Lallaguda on Tuesday.– Photo: By Arrangement
Nicholas Graves looking at one of the photos inside the carriage used by the Nizam State Guaranteed Railways at Lallaguda on Tuesday.– Photo: By Arrangement

With just pension saving details dating to the era of last Nizam, Scottish national Nicholas Graves embarked on a search for his maternal ancestors at Lallaguda Railway Carriage Workshop.

On Tuesday, Mr. Graves looked for anything that could reveal information about his great grandfather from his maternal side, James Theodre, who worked for the Nizam State Guaranteed Railways (NSGR) as a loco fitter in 1932 at Lallaguda.

Mr. Graves has his ancestor’s pension saving details, couple of photographs of his maternal grandmother and grandfather who were married at a church in Lucknow, along with their marriage certificate.

“It started eight years ago when I developed interest in my ancestry. Researching my paternal ancestry, I have been able to track it back to four centuries. But I know very little about my maternal side,” Mr. Graves said during his tour of the workshop.

His ancestor James Theodre was born in India in 1897. The pension book with Mr. Graves shows that James earned Rs. 52 in 1932. His daughter and Mr. Graves’s maternal grandmother, Phyllis Margret Champion, was also born in India and later married an army man from England in Lucknow.

“After they got married in 1938, there is no record of my maternal grandparents visiting India or any clues about their parents, including James Theodre,” he said, pointing to an incomplete family tree he has put together.

Mr. Graves’s grandparents died when he was a child and there isn’t much he knows of them.

His mother and his aunt could only offer him the artefacts he has with him. But he knows it’s not much to go on.

His resolve to uncover his ancestry was motivated by Londoner Duncan Hart, who posted a video detailing his visit to Hyderabad to learn about his grandfather’s past more than two years ago. Though he did not meet Mr. Hart’s success at the workshop on Tuesday, Mr. Graves is optimistic.

Should he decide to persist with his search, Mr. Graves’s next stop would be St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Lucknow, where he hopes to get details about his grandfather and grandmother, which would later help build a bigger picture of his maternal ancestry.

Nicholas Graves, a Scottish national, is in the city in search of his maternal ancestor who worked for the Nizam State Guaranteed Railways in 1932 at Lallaguda

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Rohit P S / Hyderabad – February 18th, 2015

Municipal Corporation to light up memorial of 257 freedom fighters

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

Bareilly :

The Bareilly Municipal Corporation is all set to light up the memorial of 257 freedom fighters who laid down their lives during the country’s first war of independence in 1857.

The tower built in their memory is situated in the compound housing the office of divisional commissioner.

Though the memorial was built in 2006, there are no lights at the venue, plunging the place into darkness after evening hours.

The municipal authorities will install high mast lights around the memorial so that the venue is well lit and easily visible to commuters on the road running in front of the park during late evening hours.

After divisional commissioner Pradyuman Yadav took over as Bareilly commissioner, he asked municipal authorities to light up the park where the memorial is situated

“It was disappointing to learn that the tower built in the memory of 257 freedom fighters is lying in darkness. A majority of the locals are unaware about the importance and historical significance of this place,” said Sheeldhar Yadav, municipal commissioner.

Teams of municipal corporation visited the park where the memorial tower is situated on Sunday to survey the area. “We will install white or cream-colour high mast lights around the memorial so that it is able to grab the attraction of commuters moving on the opposite side of roads,” said the commissioner, adding that the work will be completed in the next 10 days.

Explaining the significance of this memorial, Yadav said these 257 freedom fighters were hanged to death on the branches of the banyan tree situated next to tower. During the first revolt of Independence against the British, Bareilly was the headquarter of Rohilkhand region, which included districts of Bareilly, Moradabad, Badaun, Pilibhit, Bijnor, Rampur and Shahjahanpur. On May 31, 1857, the freedom fighters killed British officials, including the principal of Bareilly College, during the revolt.

After their victory, the freedom fighters had made Khan Bahadur Khan, who was the grandson of Hafiz Rehmat Khan, the ruler of Rohilkhand region. Khan formed his own government and ruled the region till May 5, 1858. However, on the morning of May 5, the army of British forces gheraoed the city from all four corners. The British forces defeated the freedom fighters the next day by bombarding the city.

“Khan, along with his trustworthy 257 sepoys, fled to Nepal but British forces, with the help of Nepalese, captured them,” said Abhay Singh, associate professor, department of ancient history and culture at Mahatma Jyotiba Phule (MJP) Rohilkhand University.

On March 25, 1860, Khan was sentenced in the district jail of Bareilly, but 257 freedom fighters, who fought with him, were hanged to death with rope on the branches of the banyan tree in the presence of locals. The state government had constructed the tower next to the banyan tree in 2006 in memory of these freedom fighters.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bareilly / by Priyangi Agarwal, TNN / February 16th, 2015

79 tour operators from 27 countries to give global touch to UP’s first Travel Mart

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

Lucknow :

The four-day long UP’s first Travel Mart, which would begin on February 22 is likely to witness participation of as many as 79 tour operators from 27 countries. This also includes 25 tour operators from India. Director general of tourism Amrit Abhijat said that the Travel Mart would be inaugurated by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, and would be held at La Martiniere Boys College ground.

He further stated that earlier the event used to be held in Jaipur under the name of ‘great Indian Travel Bazaar’, but under an agreement between FICCI and UP Tourism, the event has been slated for Lucknow, and for the next five years, it would be held in Lucknow.

“The Travel Mart would prove to be useful both for domestic and international tour operators, and at the same time, it would add another dimension to the different tourist places of the state,” Abhijat said, and added that it will also help the foreign tour operators to design better tour packages keeping in mind the historical monuments of the state.

A meeting was also held recently to formalise the preparations of the Travel Mart. The meeting was attended by Amit Gupta (of FICCI), ASI director PK Mishra, head of Heritage Hotel Association PND Singh and Salim Ali and Tariq Khan (of Roomi Foundation). A meeting was also held under the chairmanship of Mahesh Kumar Gupta, divisional commissioner of Lucknow, which was also attended by Amrit Abhijat and other senior officials.

The meeting which is jointly organised by FICCI and UP Tourism is likely to see maximum participation of 8 tour operators from United Kingdom, followed by 7 each from China and Australia, 6 each from Germany and Thailand, and 5 from the USA.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Arunav Sinha, TNN / February 17th, 2015

Mirasis threatened by obsolescence

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Lucknow :

The predicament of the Mirasi community comprising Awadhi folk singers since ages is pathetic and they are bordering on extinction. Using the cultural platform at the on-going Lucknow Literary Festival, a group of five Mirasan’s hailing from Bada Gaon of Barabanki district who were invited to perform their local folkfare moaned that the government has never taken any concrete measures to save the traditional folklore of Awadh.

The musicians who were once considered an integral part of Awadh, invited to auspicious occasions like weddings, baby-shower, as well as during the mourning period of Muharram to recite soz, salam and nauhas (dirge) find no patrons in this day and age.

At present there are only around 15 mirasans left in Uttar Pradesh who despite all odds still practice the ancestral art of singing on different occasions when invited. Like every ethnic group Mirasis are a mix of Sunni and Shia sects and have their unique characteristics and social roles. They share common values as they are interrelated through marriages.

Rafia Khatoon, part of a group including four other females, said, “Our ancestors were pampered with sufficient clothing, food, residential facilities from the royal families of Awadh so the need for a permanent house was never felt but today we are struggling for survival and expect state government to recognize our talent and make arrangements for some kind of social security.”

She added that with no fixed allowance, housing or medical insurance or any kind of support from the government the community and the art may not sustain for long.

Blaming rapid advancement of technology in the field of entertainment and music industry marring the traditional roles played by Mirasans in nearly every house of Awadh, including both Muslim and Hindu families, another mirasan Firoza said, “It is difficult to generate income from our ancestral profession as now nobody invites us and our children have no option but to switch over to different professions.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Uzma Talha, TNN / February 15th, 2015

Akhilesh honours 56 achievers with Yash Bharti

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

Lucknow :

Classical singer Shubha Mudgal, Bollywood playback singers Rekha Bhardwaj and Kailash Kher, journalist Vinod Mehta, theatre artists Urmil Kumar Thapiyal, poet Khushbir Singh ‘Shaad’, kathak exponent Kum Kum Dhar, as well as actors Jimmy Shergill and Nawazuddin Siddiqui were among 56 achievers who on Monday received the Yash Bharti Award for 2013-14 & 2014-15 at a grand ceremony held at Ram Manohar Lohia Park.

The award, given by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, carried a cash prize of Rs 11 lakh, a citation and a shawl. The Yash Bharti Award is one of the highest state-level awards conferred for excellence in literature, fine arts, classical music, folk music and sports. The awards were instituted in 1994 by Mulayam Singh Yadav to honor achievers in different fields. Addressing the awardees, Akhilesh said, “As these awards are given to generate social awareness in the society, I consider each of the recipients ‘real’ ambassadors of Uttar Pradesh, representing the state across the globe.”

Among the awardees, bhajan maestro Anoop Jalota donated his award to a city-based trust to promote Bhagwad Gita through spiritual concert ‘Ram Bhi Rahim Bhi’. Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui said his joy of receiving the award doubled as he also got a chance to visit the city which taught him the basics of acting and theatre at Bhartendu Natya Akademi

Kathak exponent Kumkum Dhar, said, “It certainly feels great when the government and people of your own state not only recognize your work but applaud you in such a grand way.” “Besides the support of my family, it is actually the blessings of my guru Lacchhu Maharaj that helped me sail through these 40 years of my career with such ease,” she added.

Renowned poet Khushbir Singh ‘Shaad’, who is currently settled in Punjab, expressed joy over receiving the award and said, “It is certainly a matter of pride for me that Lucknow still remembers me with the same love and affection.”

The other list of awardees include classical singer Rajan Saajan Mishra and Rita Ganguly, music composer Ravindra Jain, international level judo referee Munawar Anzar, educationist Jagdish Gandhi, Abhishek Yadav for special commando training, wrestler Aka Tomar, ghazal singer Rita Ganguly, lyricist Sameer, poet Bekal Utsahi, writer Maata Prasad Tripathi and Devi Prasad Pandey.

Along with these, two bravery awards were also conferred. While Resham Fatima was awarded Maharani Ahiliyabai Holkar Award, Seema Tiwari was given the Rani Laxmi Bai award.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / February 10th, 2015

Book explores the history of Nagore dargah

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

Chennai :

When the Tanjore king Achuthappa Naik (1560-1614) was bedridden after he suffered a paralytic stroke, many believed it was due to some black magic. The matter was informed to a visiting saint who eventually restored the king to health. Whether one believes in miracles or not, Nagore still thrives on it.

“Nagore is known for its religious harmony for more than 500 years. It is all because of the saint Qadir Wali who is enshrined there in a place widely known as Nagore dargah to which people of all religions throng with faith and problems. The miracle has been happening since 16th century and it still continues,” said A S Mohamed Rafee, author of the recently released book, “The Ocean of Miracles: Life of Qadir Wali”.

Qadir Wali travelled to many parts of the world and stayed in Mecca, Medina, Turkey and Palestine for many years before he came to Nagore where he lived for 28 years. “At a time when the world is facing serious threats in the name of religion, it’s remarkable that Nagore still survives on harmony, a reason why more sandal smeared heads are seen in the Sufi dargah. Wali served the people of all religions with his miraculous powers,” said Rafee, who is associate professor at the Mazharul Uloom College, Ambur.

Qadir Wali was born in 1504 in Manikkappur, a town established by Firoz Sha Tughluq in Uttar Pradesh, some 60 km from today’s Ayodhya. His parents, Hasan Guddus and Fatima, were descendants in the lineage of Prophet Muhammad and Abdul Qadir of Jilan, a great saint of the 12th century in Iraq.

Nagore dargah was built on land donated by king Achuthappa Naik. Many important parts of the dargah were built by the generous donation of non-Muslims, a reason cited why it’s a symbol of religious harmony. “The dargah has five minarets and the tallest one is called Periya Minar. It is 131 feet high with ten storeys. It was built by king Pratap Sing of Tanjore (1739-17633) after his wish for a son was fulfilled by praying to Wali 200 years after his passing away. The Peer Mandapam was built by the Dutch.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of Ibdia / Home> City> Chennai / by M T Saju, TNN / February 09th, 2015

Yoga gets a unique platform

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Allahabad :

At a time when the marriage season is at its peak, the Sangam city witnessed a unique wedding on Wednesday night. Not only the nuptial knot were tied by the couple at the ceremony, it also promoted Yoga as the invitees attended the marriage ceremony and also watched various ‘aasans’ (postures) of Yoga displayed on the two large LCD screens installed at the venue.

Owner of a sweatshop at Baluaghat locality of the city, Ravi Shankar Yadav, propagated Yoga at the marriage ceremony of his daughter Reema, held on Wednesday. The interesting invitation card of the marriage carried a photo of Baba Ramdev. The inside page, besides mentioning the family details also carried the message, “Karen yog, rahen nirog” (stay healthy by practicing yoga).

Likewise, the last page of the card mentioned the message regarding the 1st World Yoga Day which is on June 21. Besides, the venue had several banners mentioning the benefits of practicing Yoga.

“Our guests were not served with mocktail drinks, rather various herbal products like different flavors of candy, juices, ‘churan’ were served,” said Yadav. The boxes of the return gift, having sweets of my shops, also carried the message regarding celebrating the 1st International Yoga Day with participating in the event in a big way.

“It is the inspiration of Ramdev and the execution of our Prime Minister that the entire world would be celebrating and getting benefit by yoga,” said Yadav.

Another interesting aspect of the family was the banners put up at the marriage venue which will mention ‘no-smoking’ as a message. “As we promote the idea of staying healthy, we also asked people to not only refraining from smoking in the function, but also quit smoking altogether,” said Yadav.

Similarly, the function did not had ‘pan’ (betel leaf) for the invites, informed Amit the eldest son of Yadav.

“As there were many invitation for today, my family was a bit confused as to where to go but after seeing the invitation card and the unique idea of promoting yoga, we made sure to attend this marriage,” said Sammer Jaiswal, an invitee.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / by Rajeev Mani, TNN / February 05th, 2015

HBTI launches community newsletter

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All

Kanpur :

In a bid to bridge the gap with teachers and alumni, Harcourt Butler Technological Institute (HBTI) students have come up with their first in-house newsletter – HBTI Akhbaar. The newsletter will provide a platform to students’ creative skills.

The newsletter will include stories focusing on topics ranging from features, sports activity within the community along with sketches and cartoons made by engineering students. The newsletter is a joint initiative of HBTI Alumni Association HBTI and Literary Sub Council (LSC) of the college. Appreciating the efforts, director in-charge Prof A K Nagpal said, “It is an innovative initiative by students and will motivate them to come up with creative ideas and work on it. The initiative is first of its kind.”

LSC secretary and third-year student of Civil Engineering Rohit Rajput said that the paper also contained interviews of successful alumni and Gate rankers. “It is a 14-page newsletter that will be published quarterly. We were planning it for the last two years. Lots of efforts went into the launch of the newsletter. It will be distributed free-of-cost among students and faculty and keep them updated about happenings on the campus. The newspaper contains a number of inspiring interviews by alumni as well as toppers of the college and other successful people. It also has placement records and academic calendar,” he said.

Rajput said that till now they have distributed 2,000 copies on the campus. “It took a lot of hard work, and a bit of fun to produce the newsletter. It is an activity that keeps all students united,” he added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kanpur / TNN / February 03rd, 2015

Saints perform Dhuni tap at Sangam

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Dense smoke covered the Jhunsi side of Sangam as saints performed ‘panchagni tap’ on Basant Panchmi on Saturday. The saints performed the oldest form of penance surrounded by huge mounds of burning cow dung cakes. Through out the ritual, saints observed fast with limited intake of fruits and performed meditation while sitting in yogasans for hours.

Also referred as ‘Dhuni tap’, it also finds mention in ancient scriptures like Padma Puran and Shiv Puran. “Initially it involved sitting under hot mid-day Sun surrounded by a ring of burning cow dung. The Sun acted as the fifth fire. Nowadays, the penance is performed with varying numbers of fires. It starts with five and the number continues to increase for the next 18 years till it becomes a ‘circle of fire.’ The saint also carried a fire pot on his head,” explained a saint practicing ‘Dhuni Tap’ for the last 15 years. At Magh Mela, dhuni tap was executed for a fixed length of time per session and most observe the same for four to five hour session, he added.

Making offerings to smoldering cow dung heaps – holy fire – amidst chanting of mantras is an integral part of the excise. “After making the offerings, the saint blows his conch-shell to invoke the deity. This concludes the preliminary rituals, and now he can sit in meditation,” explained another saint Baba Ram Karan Das, who has been performing the ritual for the last 16 years.

He said that Panch-agni-tapasya must be done for 18 consecutive years. The first stage involves surrounding oneself with five fires. In the next stages the numbers increases to seven, twelve and 84 fires, culminating in ‘innumerable’, i.e. a circle of fire. In the final stage a pot with fire is balanced on the head. Each stage is performed for three consecutive summers.

Explaining the ritual, a saint from Chitrakoot said that each session of the fire-austerity usually concludes with some hath-yoga exercises. Preparing for his fire-austerity, a saint purifies the place with fresh cow-dung, arranges the heaps of fuel and the ritual paraphernalia and takes a bath. He then sanctifies his body by applying tilak. The final stage of the fire-austerity is called kapal-dhuni that is the fire (dhuni) in the bowl (kapal) on the skull (kapal), he added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / by Rajeev Mani, TNN / January 24th, 2015