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Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Ram Kapoor recalls financial struggles and how wife Gautami supported him; says ‘I lived off her income for a year'
Popular actor Ram Kapoor, who was recently in the spotlight for personal reasons, walked down memory lane as he candidly recalled the financial struggles he faced early in his acting career. Speaking to Moneycontrol, Ram opened up about how his wife, actress Gautami Kapoor, supported him during those challenging times. 'When I married Gautami, I lived off her income for the first year. She used to film for a show called Lipstick, and I had no employment. I would get up, make her coffee, and she would leave for work while I stayed at home for a complete year,' he revealed. Ram, who began his journey with Doordarshan earning just Rs 1,000 per day, described the uncertainty that marked his initial years in the industry. 'There were good years when I was earning well, and then there were years when there was no work at all. I started at Rs 1,500 per day. It was challenging. But Gautami stood by me. And look where we are now,' he shared with gratitude. His fortunes changed with the success of the iconic TV show Kasamh Se. He recalled, 'Just when the show started, my daughter was born and I never looked back. The minute she came, everything changed.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Global Indices Are on the Move — Time to Trade! IC Markets Learn More Undo On the personal front, Ram and Gautami's relationship is often seen as one of the strongest bonds in the television world. The couple, who met on the sets of Ghar Ek Mandir, tied the knot in 2003 and have a daughter together. Despite professional ups and downs, their partnership has remained steady and inspiring. Professionally, Ram Kapoor has established himself as one of Indian television's most versatile actors, with shows like Bade Achhe Lagte Hain and Kasamh Se cementing his place in viewers' hearts. His journey from financial instability to stardom is a testament to perseverance and the power of unwavering support.


Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Controversy over the policy to pair schools in the state
The year was 2001-02 and a video on then Prime Minister Atal Bihari's Vajpayee flagship national scheme 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan' was shot in scenic locations showing happy students going to school through different terrain, some even taking a ride on bullock cart or camel. It was aired on Doordarshan. The National Education Policy (NEP) was launched in 2020 aiming to achieve 100 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio in school education by 2030 (Representational image) The video opened with Vajpayee holding the hands of two students in uniform and couple of meaningful lines, which essentially urged children to go to school, ' aao school chale hum.' The video ended with the late President Abdul Kalam asking children to repeat after him the following words, 'I go to school to learn, Learning gives creativity, Creativity teaches to think, thinking provides knowledge, Knowledge makes me great.' The appearance of both the Prime Minister and the President had given a fillip to the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, as state governments and schools joined hands to make the dream project successful. The ambitious scheme offered free education to children in the age group of 6-14 years. A constitutional amendment was also made in 2002 to provide free and compulsory education to all children in the age group of 6-14 years as a fundamental right. The states had to play an active role. In 2009, the focus continued on education as the Congress government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh introduced the 'Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) law envisaging that every child had a right to full- time elementary education of 'satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school, conforming to certain norms and standards. It provided for accessibility of schools as well as for rational deployment of teachers by ensuring specified pupil ratio is maintained for each school, rather than just as an average for the state or district or block, thus ensuring that there is no urban-rural imbalance in teacher postings.' Two years later, the Uttar Pradesh government decided to open primary and upper primary schools in areas where no school existed within a 1 km radius and a minimum population of 300 and within a 3 km radius with a minimum population of 800 respectively. Thereafter, the National Education Policy (NEP) was launched in 2020 aiming to achieve 100 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio in school education by 2030. Successive government's top agenda was Education for All. The policy noted, 'Various governmental, as well as non-governmental surveys, indicate that we are currently in a learning crisis: a large proportion of students currently in elementary school - estimated to be over 5 crore in number- have not attained foundational literacy and numeracy, i.e., the ability to read and comprehend basic text and the ability to carry out basic addition and subtraction with Indian numerals.' Several steps were announced to improve accessibility of schools for basic education, containing drop-out rate besides schemes like mid-day meals and provisions of free school bags, uniform and shoes to attract the students. As per the government document, not much was achieved despite initiatives taken by successive governments and thus an accelerated thrust was needed to achieve the target. In this background, the UP government's decision to pair primary schools with less than 50 students is being criticised by many academicians, parents and teachers. The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has upheld the decision, which has been challenged in the Supreme Court. Many educationists say that the government took the decision in a haste without following due process and is thus facing opposition. The argument is that the state's population has increased manifold since the primary schools were set up within a radius of one kilometre. Second, it could be the department, as well as the teacher's failure, in not getting enough students in schools. Then, there are other issues like the demand for the English language or the lack of facilities to teach English in upper primary schools. Experts feel the government should engage with all the stakeholders. Notices should have been issued to school teachers to enroll students or face closure, instead of taking a random decision. The teachers' leaders quote several bottlenecks like mandatory Aadhaar card for admission in government schools. It was in June 2022 when the UP government had made Aadhaar card mandatory for students seeking admission in primary and upper primary schools. Though the Centre had clarified in September 2023 that no child would be denied admission for want of an Aadhaar card, confusion persists. President of Teachers Association Dinesh Chandra Sharma tweeted , ' Students are not going to schools leading to a drop out, teachers are being pressurrised to bring them to school, they have been appointed to teach and not go door to door to get students and do multiple duties other than teaching. Letters are being issued to withhold salaries if attendance less than 75 percent.' They also feel the decision would negatively impact the primary education system creating logistical challenges. One of the leaders said the real impact would be known in six months to one year's time as generally information travels late to remote villages. They also feel the other reason could be financial constraints of the state government whose priorities are different. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has tried to pacify the protestors announcing the plan to shift anganwadis in the schools that were paired with another primary or upper primary school. A government order has been issued for the same. About 10,827 schools have been merged so far. The pairing of schools is a hot topic in UP political circles. It is an issue served on the platter to the opposition. The BJP would want to settle the issue with least political damage.


Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'Dadi' of Indian screens: Sushma Seth reflects on a career playing the matriarch in shows and movies
It almost felt like a prophecy for a 13-something Sushma Seth to essay the role of a "Haryanvi old biddy" in a play written by her uncle, Maheshwar Dayal as the role would foreshadow her future as one of the most beloved Dadis of Indian screens, in both television and cinema. Seth, who has been a regular on TV screens, theatre, and cinema - mostly in a matronly role since her debut in "Junoon" (1978) as Shashi Kapoor's aunt, remembered playing a 75-year-old nawab in another production by Dayal. "In one of the plays, I played a Haryanvi old biddy, and she ruled her household and was called Tai. It was very similar to what I did in 'Hum Log'. That was my first play. "In another one, I played a 75 year old Nawab sahab. There was no beard but I wore a topee and an achkan and churidar and I spoke like an old nawab sahab," the 89-year-old said at a session at India Habitat Centre on Friday. As she acted professionally in plays after growing up, it became destiny for her to play roles of elderly women, something that she took in her stride by adding her "own shades" to the characters. By the end of the shoot of "Junoon", which was directed by late filmmaker Shyam Benegal, Seth received offers from Raj Kapoor for "Prem Rog", Yash Chopra for "Silsila", and Benegal for "Kalyug", all the roles of women in their senior years. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas Prices In Dubai Might Be More Affordable Than You Think Villas In Dubai | Search Ads Get Quote Undo "So for my own self I would give them a couple of shades depending on how their children behaved. If it were an indulgent mother or a mother who had a wayward son like Sanjay Dutt in his first film ('Rocky'). "He was a spoiled brat and I felt he was spoiled because his mother didn't take care of him and put him on the right path. So I had to be a little uncertain of how I should treat the child or be indulgent or overpampering him or overlooking all his faults," the veteran actor said. Seth added that the shades made her characters feel different, even when they looked similar in the script. "That way for my own self I would give different shades to the character depending on the children whose parent I played. And hoped to god that audience also saw that little bit of difference," she said. Even though Seth first appeared on the silver screen, it was her role as "Dadi" in family drama "Hum Log" (1984) on Doordarshan that immortalised her. Directed by P Kumar Vasudev, "Hum Log" followed the struggles and aspirations of a middle-class family. In her late 40s at the time, Seth was not an ideal candidate to play the role of the matriarch but the "spoiled brat" of a character felt too irresistible to her. "Kumar told me I was too young to play dadi. I said, just give me the script and we will see. When I read the script, I felt this is the only character I want to do. I just loved the dadi of 'Hum Log'. She was a spoiled brat, indulgent by her husband and her son, and she ill treated her daughter in law and pampered one daughter and didn't pamper the uglier one. "She was a typical character and I loved doing that character that one could go to town with such a character which you can't do otherwise," she said. With limited resources in makeup and dresses, Seth improvised using her mother's old clothes, a wig from Mumbai and an inimitable accent. 62-year-old actress Rita Bhaduri is no more "I ordered a wig from Bombay, I pulled out old jumpers from my mother's trunk that they used to wear in the 1920s and for wedding scenes I pulled out those old sarees of that time. And for the first day's shoot I did my own makeup, I put the dress with that seedha palla and I said, 'Ab batao, kahan baithna hai, ka karna hai?'" she recalled with an accent that became unique to her role. Seth, whose last commercial role was in "Kal Ho Na Ho" as Preity Zinta's grandmother, currently works with NGO Arpana, directing plays and dance dramas with children.


Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
July 19, 1985, Forty Years Ago: Gujarat Accord
The anti-reservation agitation in Gujarat is likely to be withdrawn following an agreement between the government and anti-reservation leaders. The Amarsinh Chaudhary government has agreed not to implement the Solanki cabinet's decision to increase the reservation quota of non-Harijan and non-Adivasi backward-class students for admission in medical and technical institutions to 28 per cent. Pakistan is coordinating its military activities with China in a bid to capture the strategic Siachen Glacier in Ladakh. Pakistani and Chinese air force jet fighters recently conducted joint reconnaissance missions over the glacier and the Indian Nubra Valley. Defence experts say Pakistan is trying to secure advantageous positions in the glacier to secure a common border with China to facilitate a closer military link-up in the event of a war with India. Safarnama, the new TV serial presented at the initiative of the railway ministry, has been derailed. Doordarshan authorities have decided to suspend it on the ground that the third episode was 'not only below standard but vulgar in dialogue at places'. The move has caused surprise in Rail Bhavan, where officials point out that Doordarshan brought the alleged vulgarity to their attention only after the telecast. The ongoing tussle between the Congress (I) and Congress (S) for office accommodation in Parliament House took a serious turn when the former made an unsuccessful bid to 'capture' the adjoining Congress (S) office. After removing all sign boards of the Congress (S) office, Congress (I) men allegedly broke open the connecting door between the two party offices and took away some files and papers.


Indian Express
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Bollywood icon got ‘married' at 13 to man three decades her senior, watched her infant daughter die, converted to Islam after seeing dreams
Song-and-dance sequences are a staple in Indian cinema, but there was a time when these sequences were choreographed very simply. One of the first people who made Bollywood-style choreography her profession, and succeeded at it, was the late Saroj Khan. She was born a year after India gained Independence, but she was cursed to live a life where she'd constantly seek the support of older men. The death of her father at a young age, she said, influenced her psychology. Saroj was born a Hindu, but would convert to Islam after being struck with a huge tragedy. She lost two of her children before passing away herself in 2020. Her work left a massive impact on dance, but her life was marked by several setbacks. Saroj wasn't born when her family was forced to flee Pakistan and move to India, but she had to grow up around tremendous hardship. She said that there were days when her family didn't have food to eat. 'My mother would put pots and pans on the stove, and pretend to cook, hoping that we would fall asleep first,' she said in an interview with the BBC, with a smile on her face. She would soon become the sole breadwinner of the family, before she'd even hit adulthood. She was always in a vulnerable position, which made her a target for men who'd exploit her. Also read – Patriarch of iconic Bollywood family abandoned his son, forced second family to live in secrecy for decades, went blind in his final days When she first showed signs of being interested in dance as an art form, her mother thought that she was mentally unwell. A young Saroj would dance along with her own shadow for company, and make expressions with her face, much to her parents' concern. 'My mother took me to the doctor. He said, 'Nothing is wrong with her. She wants to dance, let her dance',' she told the BBC in a 2000 interview. It was the same doctor who suggested that Saroj be put to work in the film industry, especially since the family needed funds. 'Don't worry, a lot of people come to us, looking for child artistes,' he told Saroj's mother. She was just three years old at the time, looking at a career as a child star in the films. 'I worked mostly with Balraj Sahni,' she recalled. Saroj had no choice but to work, because her father died when she was just a child. 'I had my brothers and sisters to look after, I had to earn, I had to send them to school, to get them married. I had to do everything,' she said on the Doordarshan show Koshish Se Kaamyaabi Tak in 2016. But, as things were for child artistes back in the day, she was discarded when she turned 10. 'I was neither here nor there, not wanted as a child, and not wanted as an adult,' she told BBC. It was then that she devoted herself to her first love, dance. Saroj became a background dancer, and the first project she worked on was the film Howrah Bridge, starring Madhubala. She appeared as a part of the group in the song 'Aaiye Meherban,' performed by Asha Bhosle. Read more – Bollywood director lost entire life's savings after one flop; daughter was forced to dance, son performed for money at beach to repay debts But just as she was taking her first steps into the world of choreography, she came across the man who would shape her life forever. The man was S Sohanlal, a renowned 'dance master' from the South. He was 30 years older than her, married with four children. And yet, he preyed on the young Saroj, and they 'got married' when she was just 13. She was just 12 when she first met Sohanlal, and was groomed by him. She was only 14 when she gave birth to their first child, a son. She also gave birth to a daughter, who died at eight months old. Her death would influence Saroj's decision to convert to Islam many years later. In the DD interview, Saroj tried to explain what might have led her to 'marry' Sohanlal. 'When you don't have a parent, your mind is often bothered about filling that void. It was like loving my father, although it turned out to be a romance. He was like a father figure. I felt very secure. Plus, when he used to dance, he was the most handsome man in the world. I became crazy about him because of his dance.' They parted amicably after he refused to legally marry her. Saroj said that she did it for her children, because Sohanlal refused to accept them as his. He also lied to her about being married. She told 'I did not know what marriage meant at that time. He just put a black thread around my neck one day and I thought I was married. He didn't tell me that he was already married with four kids. I learned about his first wife only when I gave birth to my first child.' Read more – Amitabh Bachchan's Don ruined producer financially; he ran out of money for food, died before movie's premiere, profits were used to pay off his debts Saroj had another daughter with Sohanlal, Kuku, who died in 2011. The circumstances of her birth were also unusual. After separating from Sohanlal, they were united for one night only when he suffered a heart attack. 'I went to see him and there was that one night when I was with him. I conceived my daughter, Kuku. After that he completely disappeared from my life and settled in Madras,' she said. But her life continued down an unconventional path. She married Sardar Roshan Khan in 1975, but he was already married, and had children. She told DD, 'He had four children, I had two. He asked me to marry him. I agreed, but on the condition that he adopts my children.' When she got married to Khan, she converted to Islam. 'I was a Hindu. My name name was Saroj Kishan Chand Sadhu Singh Nagpal. We are Sindhi Punjabis. I met my husband, fell in love, and converted. I love Islam. I myself went to a mosque and changed my religion and became a Muslim. People have asked me if I was forced. And I told them that I lost a baby girl, and she would come to me in my dreams, and call for me from inside a mosque…' she said in a separate interview with DD. Also read – Mughal-E-Azam actor worked in over 500 films, but lived in a house without electricity, could never afford a car Saroj said that she never hid any details about the identity of her children's father from them. She told them that she wouldn't marry Khan if they were opposed to the idea, but also stressed that they would live life feeling illegitimate if she didn't marry him. 'My second husband never let my children feel like outsiders, or like he wasn't their father. They both loved him very much, and would tell Kuku, who was four at the time, that he is her father,' she told DD. Saroj Khan died in 2o2o, in the early phase of the pandemic. The entire film industry paid tribute to her for her contributions to Hindi cinema. Her work has become an integral part of Hindi films, and will continue to live on and inspire future generations. She choreographed multiple generations of actors, including Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Shah Rukh Khan, Govinds, Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Raveena Tandon and many others.