Meet The 46-Year-Old Actress-Singer Whose Great-Grandfather Was Prime Minister; Kept First Marriage Secret, Divorced, Now Married To…, Her Name Is…
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She is the granddaughter of Sir Akbar Hydari, who was a Prime Minister in the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad from March 1937 to September 1941. He was reportedly the last British-appointed governor of the Hyderabad province. Her other grandfather, Janumpally Rameshwar Rao, was one of the most influential politicians of his time. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for three consecutive Lok Sabha terms from 1957 to 1977. He also served as a commissioner for the Government of India in various African nations.
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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
From revolution to wars: The history of Harvard, America's oldest university
It's a challenging time for America's oldest university, as it stands embroiled in a legal battle with President Donald Trump's government. And yet, Harvard has been holding its own; a reflection of the values that have marked its long and prestigious history, one that was marked by resilience and rebellion. 'The debut of Harvard College,' according to Bainbridge Bunting in Harvard: An Architectural History (1985), 'was not auspicious.' Established in October 1636, Harvard had neither the finances nor the faculty needed to operate a university. But what it did have was the vision of a group of cultivators and artisans who fled the tyranny of British occupants in Old England and moved to a region in the northeastern United States called New England. This group, according to Bunting, 'had the advantage of the best education available in England in the seventeenth century.' Comprising the alumni of both Oxford and Cambridge universities, they hoped to give their sons a comparable education. The absence of an institution of repute in New England led to the genesis of Harvard, the oldest of America's Ivy League schools. 'Yale, Princeton, Harvard, Brown are all plugged in the northeast, in New England. Harvard has played a major role in building this geographical cluster,' says Mohit Sinha, an alumnus of Harvard, in an interview with An eight-acre house comprising a one-acre cow yard was quickly purchased to build the College. By 1637, Harvard had its first Master, Cambridge alumnus Nathaniel Eaton. Interestingly, the university was not always called Harvard. 'When it was set up, it was called New College. It was renamed Harvard College after its biggest benefactor, John Harvard,' remarks Sinha. Harvard, on his deathbed, gave to the university his library and estate. Eaton, however, was quickly dismissed on charges of brutality and physical abuse. The arrival of Cambridge graduate Henry Dunster as the president in 1640 offered a glimmer of hope. 'The youngest in the long line of Harvard presidents, he proved to be one of the greatest,' writes alumnus and author Samuel Eliot Morison in Three Centuries of Harvard (1636-1936). His effort was particularly concentrated on completing the college buildings. By the 1650s, Harvard had about 60 students enrolled. Boys had come from Bermuda, Virginia, New Amsterdam, and even England, where Harvard degrees were now accepted by Oxford and Cambridge as equivalent to their own. A dispute with the administration, unfortunately, led Dunster to resign in 1654. 'Harvard University grew out of the Liberal Arts college as Dunster left it,' remarks Morison. Academic and student life in the seventeenth-century Harvard was guided by the Catholic Church. A college pamphlet from 1643 states the vision of the College: 'To advance learning and perpetuate it to Posterity; dreading to leave an illiterate ministry to the churches.' In other words, a learned clergy was what Harvard was expected to supply. An average day for a Harvard student began and ended with prayer, which included the recitation of a chapter of Scripture by the President. Saturdays were dedicated to preparations for the Sabbath, which included worship and meditation. Students, according to Morison, were reminded that the focus of their academic pursuit was the greater knowledge of God. It was thus no surprise that Harvard, at the time, was known as the 'School of Prophets,' and its men as the 'Sons of Prophets.' The 1700s were a period of prosperity for Harvard. The decade began with the Presidency of John Leverett. His first concern was to refurbish the dilapidated college buildings. Tables, chairs, feather beds, and looking glasses were supplied in abundance. While no major changes were made to the curriculum, the number of student enrollments increased. French was also introduced as a subject. Interestingly, the French tutor was the only staff member without a Harvard degree. Expulsion was a particularly dreadful process. After assembling the entire college in the hall, the President would announce the crime and sentence. The butler would then strike off the name of the offenders from the bulletin board, which contained the names of all members of the College. However, the culprit could publicly confess their misdeeds and be forgiven as per the Christian principle. Another notable aspect was that until 1749, classes at Harvard were placed in order of the presumed social rank of parents. However, as classes grew bigger, the process turned complex. In 1769, the decision was made that arrangements would now be alphabetical. Leverett's leadership helped Harvard grow from a weak institution to one of considerable repute. According to Morison, it was Leverett who founded the liberal tradition of Harvard University. Discussion on the Harvard of the eighteenth century cannot be without the university's response to the American Revolution (1775-1783). Experts and accounts claim that Harvard men played a significant part in carrying through the Revolution. Plato's dialogues and Aristotle's virtues guided their actions of the time. Morison mentions several public speaking clubs, including the Speaking Club, the Mercurian Club, and the Clintonian Club, were established as secret societies in the College. Yet, the American Revolutionary War placed the College under difficult circumstances. Students fell in numbers, supplies fell short, and wartime inflation exacerbated the ongoing financial crisis. The dominant feeling at Harvard during the Civil War (1861-1865) was for the Union, which advocated conciliation as well as the abolition of slavery. 'Harvard very clearly fought for the Union. A lot of constitutional lawmaking, post the Civil War, was done by Harvard scholars, both ex-students as well as faculty,' says Sinha. Harvard, thus, has had a central role in establishing the legal framework of the country. 'And there's always been dissent.' However, college went on as usual, and attendance was normal. President Abraham Lincoln kept his son at Harvard at the time, until his graduation in 1864. This was also the century when Harvard expanded significantly. The Medical School, set up in 1782, introduced entrance examinations, and laboratories for Physiology and Microscopic Anatomy were created. The summer of 1900 also witnessed Harvard open its doors for women. Harvard president Charles William Eliot mentioned the move to make the university gender-inclusive. However, he was cautious to say that Harvard would avoid 'the difficulties involved in common residence of hundreds of young men and women of immature character and marriageable age.' 'There was the Radcliffe College, which was a girls' college that was associated with Harvard, but it was a separate identity,' explains Sinha. It was only in the 1970s that the college was drafted into Harvard University. The 389-year-old journey of Harvard has several lessons to offer. 'What Harvard is doing today in terms of pushing back is not its first,' says Sinha. From the American War of Independence through the Civil War, we see Harvard's resilience in the face of conflict. This, the 'Harvard man,' Sinha, asserts, will be another successful litigation case against the Trump administration. Nikita writes for the Research Section of focusing on the intersections between colonial history and contemporary issues, especially in gender, culture, and sport. For suggestions, feedback, or an insider's guide to exploring Calcutta, feel free to reach out to her at ... Read More
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
A 140-year-old dream gets fulfilled with Kashmir-Kanyakumari rail link
It was 1884 and Maharaja Pratap Singh of the Jammu and Kashmir state asked his Prime Minister, Diwan Anant Ram, to write a letter to the Government of British India. In the letter he would propose a vision to connect his state to the Raj's rail network in the subcontinent. One of his dreams was fulfilled but was lost to the Partition. Another never moved beyond paper. But the third rail route the Maharaja proposed and even started initial surveys on, has finally come to life today, 141 years Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Chenab and Anji Khad bridges, the long-isolated Kashmir rail line was finally integrated into India's national railway network. It also completed the Maharaja's century-old Singh, the great-grandnephew of Maharaja Pratap Singh and grandson of Maharaja Hari Singh, says, "The railway line project was first envisaged and drawn up during Maharaja Pratap Singh's rule. It is a matter of great pride not only for the people of Jammu and Kashmir but for the entire nation that this dream will be realised by our Prime Minister." The journey to this milestone was arduous, delayed by political upheavals, financial constraints, and formidable geographical challenges. Despite the Maharaja's foresight, colonial hesitations, two world wars, the Partition, stalled much progress on this route, until serious efforts were made in the 1980s under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. advertisementTHE MAHARAJA'S PLAN TO CONNECT KASHMIR BY RAILAlong with his proposal to the British through the Diwan, Maharaja Pratap Singh commissioned British engineers to survey the rugged terrain for a railway route to the Kashmir Valley in the early three routes the Maharaja had proposed were: Abbottabad to Srinagar, which never happened, a Jammu to Srinagar route powered by electric traction, and a Jammu to Sialkot route, which has been lying dysfunctional since Partition and line to Jammu was an extension of the North Western Railway (NWR) from Suchetgarh in Sialkot District (now in Pakistan), unlike the Northern Railways' route used now, via Ludhiana and Pathankot. The Sialkot-Jammu route was declared open in March 1890. But five decades later in 1947, the state of Jammu and Kashmir's first railway line was the momentum of the independence movement picked up, then World War I struck, and before the project could progress, Maharaja Pratap Singh passed the remaining projects, including the Jammu-Srinagar railway line, were put on the back burner, partially also due to financial constraints. Maharaja Pratap Singh, determined to connect Kashmir with the broader Indian railway network, backed multiple ambitious proposals, from a light railway between Jammu and Srinagar to a mono-steel-cableway stretching to Doru Shahabad. However, only the Jammu-Sialkot line materialised in 1890. REVIVING A CENTURY-OLD VISION: THE JAMMU-UDHAMPUR-SRINAGAR RAILWAY PROJECTThe idea was revived nearly nine decades later, when the then prime minister Indira Gandhi laid the foundation stone for the Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar railway line in 1983. By then, Jammu had been reconnected to the Indian Railways through Ludhiana and Pathankot, ending the Indian state's isolation after the Sialkot line was lost to Pakistan following 1983, the project was estimated to cost Rs 50 crore and was expected to be completed in five years. However, in 13 years, only 11 km of the rail line could be constructed, comprising 19 tunnels and 11 bridges, at a cost of Rs 300 the Udhampur-Katra-Baramulla railway project, estimated at Rs 2,500 crore, was taken up under prime ministers HD Deve Gowda and IK Gujral. The construction began in 1997 but faced repeated delays due to challenging geological, topographical, and weather the strategic importance of a railway line to the Valley, it was declared a national project in 2005, the 55-km Jammu-Udhampur section, the first major push into the Himalayan foothills, beyond the Jammu plains, was thrown open. Encircled by the towering Himalayas, the Kashmir Valley has long remained an isolated pocket on India's railway map, with its own standalone rail network disconnected from the national grid. (Image: IndiaRailInfo) Meanwhile, work on the Kashmir Valley railway started in isolation, like an island network disconnected from the rest of the Indian 119-km Baramulla-Srinagar-Anantnag-Qazigund section was completed and made operational in 2009, providing intra-Valley connectivity. However, integration with the broader Indian Railways grid remained elusive as the challenging Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL) project progressed July 2014, the Udhampur-Katra section was inaugurated, providing direct rail access to Vaishno Devi pilgrims and marking another crucial step toward linking Kashmir with the rest of wasn't until August 2023, with the opening of the Banihal-Sangaldan section, and then 2024, with the completion of the final Katra-Sangaldan stretch, closing the gap in the Valley's railway with the completion of the engineering marvels -- the Chenab and Anji Khad bridges -- the missing links in the Himalayan route were finally bridged, making the complete integration of the Kashmir rail line with the national network FEATS, CHALLENGES: HOW KASHMIR WAS CONNECTED TO INDIAN RAILWAY NETWORKThe railway line to Kashmir features as many as 38 tunnels and 927 bridges, with the crown jewel being the Chenab Bridge, soaring 359 metres above the riverbed. It stands 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower, earning the title of the world's highest railway arch bridge, officials of the Northern Railways told news agency 215 km of approach roads were built through rugged, terrorism-hit terrain, opening up areas once reachable only by foot or boat. The Anji Bridge is India's first cable-stayed railway bridge, while the Chenab Bridge is the world's highest railway arch bridge, soaring 359 metres above the riverbed. Terrorism also posed serious hurdles to the Kashmir railway project, with several attacks targeting construction sites and workers. In 2004, terrorists attacked a construction site near Anantnag, injuring several such threats, work continued under tight security. The Banihal-Qazigund tunnel, completed in 2013, passed through some of the most sensitive areas, yet the engineers and workers of the Indian Railway Construction International Limited (Ircon) the railway now stretching beyond Srinagar to Baramulla, the much-invoked "duri from Delhi to Kashmir" has finally been bridged with love, and quite literally, by steel and Watch
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Surging jihadist violence in Sahel fuels fears unrest may spread
We advance through the Sahel, weapons ready. A dust cloud rises behind us, and the silhouettes of enemy fighters loom against the setting sun. Abidjan: Jun 06, 2025 -Jihadists have intensified their offensives in the Sahel region in recent weeks, carrying out bloody raids in Mali, incursions into major cities in Burkina Faso and inflicting heavy army losses in Niger. The three Sahel states' military juntas, who had pledged during the coups that brought them to power to make security a priority, are struggling to contain the advance of jihadists, who are threatening more than ever neighbouring countries on the west African coast. The last few weeks have been particularly deadly in the Sahel, the poor, semi-arid region below the Sahara desert. Several hundred soldiers have been killed in various attacks claimed by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) in Mali and Burkina Faso, and the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS) group in Niger. - Why are attacks intensifying? - "The global vision of regional terrorism is changing. There is an ideological aspect, but also an ethnic one," said Lassina Diarra of the International Counter-Terrorism Academy in Jacqueville, Ivory Coast. "Jihadist leaders declared in March their intent to intensify attacks against national armies to prevent a genocide against the Fulani community." Military violence targeting civilians -- particularly the Fulani, often singled out in the Sahel region and accused of feeding the jihadists' ranks -- "has exacerbated grievances and played into jihadist narratives, driving JNIM's expansion", said the Soufan Center think tank in a brief. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like เทรดทองCFDs กับโบรกเกอร์ที่เชื่อถือได้ | เรียนรู้เพิ่มเติม IC Markets สมัคร Undo It also highlighted "a broader strategy to degrade public confidence in state forces, boost recruitment". "There is also a question of competition for territory," Diarra added. "JNIM is accelerating attacks to reduce the influence of EIS, which is making a comeback." - What are jihadists' ambitions? - According to many observers, the goals of JNIM and EIS differ. "EIS aims for a global jihad, with the intention of establishing a caliphate, the strict implementation of sharia law and a brutal approach, including against civilian populations," Diarra said. "JNIM has a more political approach". - Could they topple a government?- The capitals of Mali and Burkina Faso "are surrounded", said Diarra. "Given its increasing operational capabilities, JNIM has the capabilities to occupy a capital. The challenge will be to administer it. It's unclear they have the means and expertise in this area." For Gilles Yabi, founder of the west African think tank Wathi, it is important to remain cautious of "catastrophic" predictions. The jihadists' "main advantage is their mobility and ability to move and blend with populations", he said. "In Burkina Faso, we cannot rule out a Somalia-like scenario, with a capital that resists while the rest of the country is out of control," said a Western military source. - What response? - The juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger came to power through coups between 2020 and 2023 and are now united in a confederation, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). They have been turning their backs on west African bloc ECOWAS and Western powers engaged in anti-jihadist efforts. The military rulers rarely communicate about jihadist attacks, insisting they are reclaiming large portions of territory. "What is concerning and greatly destabilises the military is the use of drones by armed groups, which can reduce or even annihilate the advantage armies seemed to have gained in recent months," said Yabi. "These governments live in isolation and also face financial issues, such as paying soldiers. There is reason to question their capacity to resist in the long run," Diarra said. The Alliance of Sahel States announced at the beginning of the year the formation of a 5,000-soldier joint force, with its three armies conducting operations together. "We can't say there are no results at all, but they are losing many men, which is likely creating concerns regarding soldier mobilisation," Yabi said. The Western military source said he "fears regional collapse" due to a "cocktail of factors: not very solid governments, all sorts of trafficking, demographic explosion, misinformation on social media and the withdrawal of American aid". - Could the threat spread? - The northern parts of Togo and Benin, bordering Sahelian states, are already regularly targeted by violent jihadist incursions. Benin maintains tense relations with neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, which have accused it of harbouring jihadist training bases -- an accusation it denies. "The fact that Benin cannot directly talk with its neighbours and therefore struggles to secure its borders increases its vulnerability," Diarra said. JNIM is also seeking to establish itself in Senegal and Mauritania via Mali, according to a study by the Timbuktu Institute. Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has taken the threat seriously. During a visit to Burkina Faso in May, Sonko said it was "illusory" to think jihadism would remain confined to the Sahel region.
