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Time of India
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Tamil back on AIR after backlash over Hindi programmes
Trichy: All India Radio's (AIR) Trichy FM station 102.1 has withdrawn its recently introduced Hindi programmes during night hours following public and political backlash, restoring Tamil content instead. The move has come as a relief to the station's traditional listener base, many of whom urged AIR not to make unilateral language changes in the future. AIR sources said since August 2024, the Trichy station had been relaying Tamil programmes at night (11 pm to 5.45 am) via Chennai FM 101.4. However, from April 9, the station began airing Hindi content during those hours—reportedly under instructions from national headquarters. The sudden switch prompted petitions from listeners, who demanded the return of Tamil programming. The issue also drew the attention of Trichy MP Durai Vaiko, who condemned the language change and urged AIR to restore Tamil broadcasts. "Following public opposition and the MP's representation, we resumed the Tamil relay through Chennai FM from May 31," a Trichy AIR official told TOI. As a majority of the local audience is not fluent in Hindi, listeners insisted that night broadcasts should remain in Tamil or feature Carnatic music. "We need a permanent directive to ensure AIR stations in Tamil Nadu prioritise Tamil programming," said N Periyasamy, a long-time listener from KK Nagar.
NDTV
a day ago
- Health
- NDTV
Over 19,000 People Affected, 3,300 Houses Damaged In Manipur Floods
Imphal: More than 19,000 people have been affected by floods in Manipur caused by overflowing rivers and breaches in embankments, officials said on Monday. They said 3,365 houses have been damaged and 19,811 people affected by floods triggered by incessant torrential rains during the last four days. Thirty-one relief camps have been opened mostly in Imphal East district to mitigate the hardships of the people who have been evacuated from their homes and localities. Heingang, Wangkhei and Khurai assembly constituencies in Imphal East district are worst affected along with Senapati district. Forty-seven landslides too have been reported in different parts of the state during the last four days. Several localities in the state's capital Imphal, and many parts of Imphal East district have been inundated after a swollen river breached embankments and overflowed in Khurai, Heingang and Checkon areas, they said. Waterlogging was reported on the premises of several offices, health facilities, and establishments, including All India Radio Imphal complex, and state-run Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, after the Imphal river overflowed in the Checkon area, one of the officials said. Several patients, who have been undergoing treatment at Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences at Porompat in Imphal East district, were shifted to other hospitals on Sunday evening as floodwaters entered the premises of the health facility, he said. Local clubs, volunteers, SDRF and NDRF personnel joined hands to shift the patients after floodwaters entered the female orthopaedic and surgery wards, located on the ground floor, the official said. Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla visited several inundated areas of Imphal town even as the army and Assam Rifles personnel rescued nearly 800 people from submerged localities in Imphal East, the worst-affected district, they said. Bhalla, accompanied by Chief Secretary PK Singh and other senior officials, visited Kangla Nongpok Thong, Lairikyengbam Leikai, and Singjamei Bridge in Imphal and assessed the overall situation, a Raj Bhavan statement said. The water level of the Iril river in Imphal East district crossed the danger mark on Sunday but is yet to breach the embankments, he said. In view of the incessant rain, the governor announced the extension of the summer vacation in schools in Imphal East and West districts and the Senapati sub-division of Senapati district until further orders. Parts of the Senapati district have been affected after the Senapati river overflowed near Viewland colony, the officials said. The Indian army and Assam Rifles rescued approximately 800 civilians on Saturday, a statement said. Troops of Assam Rifles were deployed with quick reaction teams to the most affected locations in Porompat, Wankhei , Sanjenthong, Palace Compound, New Checkon, Khurai Heikrumakhong Heinang, Soibam Leikai, Wangkhei Angom Leikai, Nongmeibung Raj Bari in Imphal East district and adjoining areas. "The total number of people rescued reached approximately 800 people, including 10 to 20 differently abled and aged individuals," the statement said. The authorities are coordinating with all relevant departments and agencies to ensure timely relief and rehabilitation efforts, another statement said. Meanwhile, Lok Sabha MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam has urged the governor to declare the flood situation a "state calamity". In a letter to Bhalla, Akoijam said the declaration would enable the activation of institutional measures to deal with the present situation. Manipur Congress President Keisham Meghachandra Singh on Sunday alleged that the water resources department has failed to control floods in various vulnerable areas of the state. He made the remarks during a visit to flood-affected areas of the Heingang constituency of former chief minister N Birren Singh. The Congress leader stressed that residential and agricultural areas have been submerged by overflowing rivers as the construction of various retaining walls remained incomplete. PTI COR RG
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
AIR's FM channel replaces Tamil night show with Hindi, gets earful
TIRUCHY: A change in All India Radio (AIR)'s Tiruchy FM 102.1 programme replacing its Tamil night broadcast with Hindi content since April has drawn criticism from listeners and political leaders more recently Tiruchy MP Durai Vaiko alike who term it a back-door imposition of Hindi in a predominantly Tamil-speaking region. Since April 9, AIR Tiruchy has been broadcasting in Tamil from 5.50 am to 11 pm, and switching to Hindi from 11 pm to 5.50 am -- a decision taken under the aegis of Prasar Bharati, the central public broadcaster. A similar pattern was introduced in Chennai's FM Rainbow 101.4 from July 2024. The move has prompted criticism from political leaders, who urged the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to immediately restore full-time Tamil programming.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Branded as ‘obscene' 60 years ago, Shyama stages a comeback
MUMBAI: In the summer of 2018, Pankaj Bhosale, 44, a young researcher fascinated by classic Marathi suspense literature, stumbled upon Shyama (1964), a novel considered a racy romance for its time. Once buried under court cases and censorship debates, the novel had faded from public memory for more than 60 years. Now it is poised for a revival. Written by Mumbai-based author Chandrakant Kakodkar, Shyama revolves around Nishikant Kadam, a poet and teacher drawn to Shyama Shinde, a progressive art teacher at the same school. Nishikant encourages Shyama to overcome the conservative resistance she faces and she evolves into a successful singer on All India Radio. Their journey is layered with emotional complexity, misunderstandings, and the tension between love and ambition. Beyond its romantic core, Shyama captures the social mindset of its time—especially in its portrayal of a strong, modern woman navigating a traditional world. Shyama was originally published as a story in 1963, in Rambha, a magazine traditionally brought out during Diwali. The story caught the attention of a Pune reader, who disturbed by its content filed a complaint against Kakodkar, alleging obscenity. He also wanted Rambha to be declared as a magazine with 'adult content'. What followed was a six-year legal battle, which started in a Pune court in December in 1963. A few months later, Kakodkar published Shyama as a novel, even though the case was being heard. On August 25, 1969, the Supreme Court finally ruled in Kakodkar's favour, upholding his right to creative freedom. The verdict didn't just clear his name; it brought relief to several other authors whose works had been dragged into similar legal disputes. 'Many people told me to just pay the ₹25 fine imposed by the (Bombay) High Court and walk away,' wrote Kakodkar, in the preface to Shyama's second edition in 1971. 'But that was not acceptable to me. I had to defend what I believed in.' Kakodkar's literary journey started very early. He translated several stories of Bengali writer Sarat Chandra Chatterjee while he was still in school. Driven by an unstoppable creative force, he went on to write more than 300 novels in his lifetime. Kakodkar's influence also stretched into the world of cinema. His novel Neelambari was adapted into the Bollywood hit film Do Raaste (1969), starring Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz. Kakodkar received a Filmfare award for Best Story, becoming one of the few Marathi authors to be honoured in mainstream Hindi cinema. Likewise, the movie Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978), directed by Raj Khosla and Sudesh Issar, was an adaptation of Kakodkar's Marathi novel Ashi Tujhi Preet. It too was a super-hit at the box office. Kakodkar died in 1988, leaving a rich creative legacy that lingered for a while before it slipped into obscurity. However, in 2018, driven by a curiosity for forgotten voices in Marathi literature, Bhosale began hunting for a copy of Shyama. His search took him from Mumbai's dusty second-hand bookstores to junkyards in Thane and Badlapur, from roadside stalls in Pune to libraries in Kolhapur and Nashik. A resident of Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, Bhosale also scoured old Marathi libraries in Goa, Kakodkar's home state. 'Eventually, I found one copy of the second edition at Shinde Book Stall at Fort in Mumbai. That changed everything,' says Bhosale, an author himself and a collector of classic and rare Marathi literature. Encouraged by this find, Bhosale began researching Kakodkar's life and the cultural impact of the Shyama case. He met professors, fellow writers, and people who had known Kakodkar. Surprisingly, many had no idea about the novel or the court battle behind it. Bhosale also spoke with Kakodkar's son, Shwetank, now in his 80s. 'I watched my father write with dedication for years. But, to be honest, I don't have a copy of Shyama, such an important work in its time. Now, thanks to the efforts of the younger generation, this novel is coming back to life.' In 2023, Bhosale approached Pradeep Champanerkar of Pune-based Rohan Prakashan, hoping to reprint Shyama. 'Reprinting the novel is about reconnecting with an era. I believe even today's young readers will find something meaningful in it,' says Champanerkar. He reached out to Shwetank Kakodkar and secured the rights to publishing the book. The proofs are ready and the third edition will be published in mid-June, he adds. On the tendency to ban certain kinds of literature, Marathi author and critic Vinay Hardikar says, 'There has always been a push and pull between what is considered acceptable in our culture and what people actually enjoy reading. Shyama got caught in the middle and paid the price.' Hardikar adds, 'What is even more disheartening is that even after Kakodkar won the case, there wasn't much celebration. It came and went quietly.' Hopefully, that's about to change.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Raj Khosla At 100 - Meet The Man Behind Sadhana's 'Mystery Woman'
There's a Hindi proverb which translates in English to "Behind every successful man, there's a woman". In the case of Raj Khosla and Sadhana, this saying proved to be true, both ways. In his 30-year career, Raj Khosla made a name for himself as a director with star-studded movies such as Dev Anand's CID; Mera Gaon Mera Desh, starring Dharmendra and Asha Parekh; and Dostana with Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha. Advertisement - Scroll to continue But what made him stand apart from his contemporaries was his mystery trilogy -- Woh Kaun Thi? (1964), Mera Saaya (1966), and Anita (1967) - all three with Sadhana in the centre. While women characters in Raj Khosla's films were hardly just an arm candy or a mute spectator, his collaboration with Sadhana in the genre holds special importance. According to Raj Khosla: The Authorized Biography, a book penned by Amborish Roychoudhury in association with the director's daughters Anita Khosla and Uma Khosla Kapur, these three films were "all primarily love stories neatly wrapped in a thrilling exterior. At the heart of the mysteries were a man and a woman (actually two women - Sadhana had double roles in all three films) in love." Raj Khosla: The Authorized Biography Photo Credit: Cover designed by Pia Alizé Hazarika Raj Khosla Kaun The? Born in Punjab in 1925, Raj Khosla was one of the most prominent filmmakers and screenwriters in Hindi film industry between the 1950s to1980s. May 31 (Saturday) marks the birth centenary of the director. He cut his teeth in films as an assistant to master filmmaker Guru Dutt before flying solo. Whether it was experimenting with opening credits, film editing techniques, staying true to genre without compromising on the emotional quotient, or his handling of musical sequences, the filmmaker was a cinematic visionary. He trained in Indian classical music and came to Bombay, erstwhile Mumbai, looking for work as a singer: he was part of the All India Radio's music staff. Sadhana As 'The Hero' And Fashion Icon In Raj Khosla's Films Before embarking on the suspense trilogy, Raj Khosla and Sadhana first collaborated on 1962's Ek Musafir Ek Hasina. The Hindi cinema of the 1960s and 1970s was dominated by the hero, especially in musical romance films. So to take a female actor and make her the driving force of the story, along with internalised acting and all the song-and-dance (Remember Lag Ja Gale from Woh Kaun Thi? and Jhumka Gira Re from Mera Saaya?), in genres such as mystery and suspense thriller, was almost avant-garde. (1966) Raj Khosla and Sadhana during the shoot of song 'Jhumka Gira Re', for film 'Mera Saaya'. — Film History Pics (@FilmHistoryPic) February 20, 2018 Sadhana's status as a fashion icon -- the first Hindi film female actor to have a hairstyle famously named after her -- was also a bonus for Raj Khosla's films. Whether it was the floral saree and pearl jewellery in the haunting Lag Ja Gale or an embroidered powder blue saree against the backdrop of a palace in Udaipur in the love ballad Nainon Mein Badra Chhaye (Mera Saaya), the Raj Khosla and Sadhana duo was a winning sartorial combination too. Raj Khosla, Sadhana And Mystery According to the book, filmmaker and historian Karan Bali highlighted how the late filmmaker worked with his cinematographer KH Kapadia to get just the right low-key lighting to add to "Sadhana's mystery" in Woh Kaun Thi?, also starring Manoj Kumar. "... It adds to the confusion that Manoj Kumar is going through, and the way he Khosla makes Sadhana walk so that her face is always within light..." Raj engaged in an intense conversation with Sadhana, one of his closest friends in the industry. Photo Credit: Personal collection of Raj Khosla's family The book, recently published by Hachette India, also states that Mera Saaya had "a better ending" than Woh Kaun Thi? "While the latter had a series of mysteries and red herrings built into the script, in the end it all boiled down to one explanation: that the heroine had a humshakal, a twin (Bollywood's favourite buzzword till well into the 1990s). However, in Mera Saaya, we already know that there's someone who looks like the heroine. Yet, till the denouement occurs, even seasoned thriller buffs are left scratching their head and wondering what really could have happened. If keeping the audience guessing till the end is a Hitchcockian trait, Raj Khosla was the finest Hitchcockian director India had seen." Raj Khosla and Sadhana collaborated on four films - Ek Musafir Ek Hasina and the mystery woman trilogy. Why we never got another film remains a mystery.
