Latest news with #Galav
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Meet Om Prakash Galav, 15th generation potter, who brings his pots to Bangalore Dastkar Bazaar 2025
Om Prakash Galav is a potter from Ramgarh Alwar, Rajasthan. A 15th generation potter, he is born into a family of potters and says it was destiny that decided he tread this path as a career. 'I could not study beyond class 10 as my answer sheets went missing!' Galav says over a call from Rajasthan. Though he tried to rewrite the exam, Galav says something or the other went wrong. 'Financially, the family was struggling and I joined my father, the late Fateh Ram Prajapat, in the family craft.' As he explored pottery, Galav says he did not feel like returning to academics. 'I did try to take up a stable job and applied for the IPS in 2008. I cleared theory, but a couple of days ahead of the physical exam, I met with an accident and could not make it for the exam.' Apart from traditional craft pieces, the 42-year-old Galav also creates pots, pans and lampshades out of clay. 'The aim is to not compromise on tradition and ancient techniques, yet create designs that will appeal to today's users.' Galav works in round forms, and specialises in miniature pottery, a set of 1.2mm vessels including pots, hookahs and bottles, which drew him into the spotlight. 'I started making miniatures in 2011, today it has become a trend.' Today he is the winner of the International Craft Awards (Master Artisan Male of the Year 2017) a Certificate of Participation in the Nantong Contemporary Craft Biennale-China (2014), WCC Award of Excellence for Handicrafts (2014 and 2012), and National Award (2010) by office of the Development Commissioner of Handicrafts, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. Galav is also an advocate for environmental conservation, which he propagates through his creations and also visits educational institutes and conducts workshops, seminars and demonstrations. Galav specialises in Kagazi Alwar pottery. 'We work with very thin clay . People worry about the longevity of the craft, but it is sturdier than one can imagine and will break only if it is dropped.' Kagzi, explains Galav, translates to paper, where the pottery is created with thin, clay moulds. 'Sometimes the clay is as light as paper. This was a dying art and my brothers and I do our best to keep it alive to keep the family legacy going.' One of his largest creations is a huge clay hookah, that depicts the various stages of addiction to tobacco. This was unveiled by the Health Minister of Rajasthan and is installed at the Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur. It is more challenging to be an artisan today, says Galav. 'You are competing with industrialised products, designed by AI, which are utilitarian and artistic. There are those people who look at the craftsmanship . It is a choice each person makes. Things will get better only if everyone, government, craftspeople and the customers work collectively to make art a daily part of life.' Galav's works have found a place in collectors' homes, interior designers and kitchenware with the middle class. 'We hardly get any returns in this, but wanted our work to be accessible to all and make tea lights holders, vases and lamps. Creating cookware, is special for Galav. 'It is a social responsibility as a potter, because cooking in clay is healthy and environmentally sustainable too.' A father of two girls, he says he is educating them and also teaching them craftsmanship. 'One has written her NEET. She is free to pursue her dreams or join the family tradition. Galav will bring his products to Bengaluru as part of Bangalore Dastkar Bazaar 2025. 'I will not be able to stay for more than a day, but my brother, Ishver Singh, also an artisan, will represent the family at bazaar.' Bangalore Dastkar Bazaar 2025 will be held at Freedom Park, Bengaluru from May 28 to June 3, between 11am and 8pm.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Time of India
Jhalawar SC/ST Court convicts wife, lover, two others in IB officer's 2018 murder
Kota: In a significant ruling Wednesday, the SC/ST court in Jhalawar found four people guilty, including a suspended Rajasthan Police officer, for the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Chetan Prakash Galav in 2018. Chetan Prakash Galav, 32, a senior technical officer with IB from Jhalawar city, was found dead beneath a railway pullia in Ralayta, Jhalawar on Feb 14, 2018. Based in New Delhi, Galav used to visit his family in Jhalawar every month. Following Galav's father's suspicions, the court ordered a murder investigation. Four months of police work uncovered a plot involving his wife Anita Meena and her former school sweetheart, Praveen Rathore, then serving as a Rajasthan police constable. They enlisted RTO agent Sharukh Khan for Rs 3 lakh to carry out the killing alongside Santosh Nirmal, Farahan, and a minor. According to public prosecutor Dipesh Bhardwaj's Thursday statement, the SC/ST court sentenced Rathore and Khan to life imprisonment with Rs one lakh fine each for conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder under IPC and SC/ST Act provisions. Anita Meena and Santosh Nirmal received 14-year sentences for conspiracy and murder, while Farahan was cleared due to insufficient evidence. The minor's case continues in Juvenile Justice Court. The four convicted persons were imprisoned Wednesday after their bail ended. Investigations revealed that Sharukh, apprehended four months after the crime, allegedly kidnapped Galav from Jhalawar railway station with two neighbours and administered a fatal Ketamine overdose, provided by Santosh Nirmal. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More The arrest of Anita Meena, 35, currently teaching in Asnawar, revealed startling details. Police learned this was the fifth attempt by Rathore and Meena to kill Galav, stemming from their school-time relationship. After securing govt positions in 2008, both married different partners—Anita was married to Chetan Prakash Galav, and Rathore to another govt school teacher. Anita and Rathore's wife coincidentally became colleagues at an Asnawar school in 2014. This led to Anita reconnecting with Rathore, who began visiting her home during Galav's absence. Opposition from Galav and his father to this relationship ultimately resulted in Galav's murder in February 2018.
Hindustan Times
15-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
IB officer murder: Court holds wife, her lover guilty
Kota May 15 A Jhalawar court on Wednesday sentenced a suspended cop, the wife of a murdered Intelligence Bureau officer and others to varied terms of imprisonment in the case. While the suspended Rajasthan Police official was sentenced to life-term imprisonment and slapped with a ₹1 lakh fine, the wife of the IB officer and another convict were awarded 14 years' rigorous imprisonment. Another accused was acquitted for want of evidence. Notably, the mortal remains of Chetan Prakash Galav, posted as a senior technical officer in IB, New Delhi, was found at a railway station in Ralayta in Jhalawar in February 2018. The police initially lodged a case under Section 174 of CrPC, however, following a court order the plea of the officer's father who suspected murder, the police investigated the case and held it be a case of murder. The police claimed the officer's wife Anita Meena, a government school teacher, her lover Praveen Rathore, the suspended cop, conspired with Sharukh Khan, an RTO agent, who was hired for ₹3 lakh. The trio along with Santosh Nirmal, a private medical nurse and another accused Farhan aside from a minor boy, hatched a plan to kill Galav. The court held Rathore and Khan guilty of conspiracy, kidnap and murder under IPC and SC/ST Act and awarded them life terms with a fine of ₹1 lakh each, public prosecutor Dipesh Bhardwaj on Thursday said. Meena and Nirmal, on the other hand, were held guilty of conspiracy and murder and sentenced to 14 years in jail. While Farhan was acquitted, the minor faces trial in a juvenile court. The mystery behind Galav's murder began to unravel with the arrest of Khan four months after the murder. He had allegedly abducted Galav with the help of two neighbours from the Jhalawar railway station and injected him with a double dose of Ketamine to kill him. The injections were supplied by Nirmal. The arrest of Meena further revealed to the police startling facts, including it was the accused's fifth attempt on Galav.
