Latest news with #Kailash
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Widow's act of love, adventure lover's high — first batch ready as Kailash yatra resumes
Ghaziabad: Tara Kshatriya always travelled with her husband. This year, the 66-year-old will undertake the most daunting travel of her life, and alone. Among the first batch of travellers to Kailash Mansarovar, the Gujarat resident decided to undertake the pilgrimage — resuming after a pause of five years as India-China relations went through turbulence — in memory of her husband, who passed away in 2020 during Covid. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "We went on every yatra together, and Kailash was our shared dream," she said. The couple visited Char Dham, Rameshwaram, Vaishno Devi and eight Jyotirlingams together. Also part of the first batch is a couple from Maharashtra, 61-year-old Deviprasad Chandrakant Ketkar and his wife Pradnya. For Deviprasad, a retired aviation engineer and adventure enthusiast who has biked across Ladakh, the is another high-altitude challenge. Pradnya, however, sees it differently. A devout follower of Shiva, this is the ultimate spiritual journey for her. "It's the ultimate trek. I have been yearning to visit Tibet for the last 15 years and could never put together enough money for an expedition. This pilgrimage gives me a chance to go to the other side and experience adventure in divinity," Deviprasad said. A total 750 travellers are to take the yatra in batches of 50 till Aug 25 via two different routes. Ten batches will proceed via the Sikkim route through Nathu La Pass, and five through Uttarakhand's Lipulekh Pass. On Wednesday, marigolds, bhajans and a video montage of previous yatras welcomed the first batch of 50 pilgrims as they arrived at Kailash Mansarovar Bhavan here, the centre from where the yatra officially begins for Indian pilgrims. After completing visa paperwork and medical tests over the next four days, one group of travellers will leave for Gangtok on June 15, by air from T3 at IGI Airport. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now After a journey of 10 days via Nathu La Pass, they will reach Kailash Mansarovar base Darchen, following which they will embark on a 12 km trek via Yamdwar, and a 19 km circumambulating trek via Dolma La Pass. On Day 12, they will be taken via bus to Mansarovar lake, 80 km from their halting place at Darchen, the base of Mount Kailash. On Day 13, the group will start its return journey. Pilgrims who are to take the Uttarakhand route will depart for Tanakpur by bus later this month. Over the next week, they will ascend through the Himalayas, reaching Taklakot in Tibet via the high-altitude Lipulekh pass on Day 7. By Day 9, they arrive at Darchen and begin the circumambulation from Yamdwar on Day 10. On Day 12, pilgrims visit Mansarovar Lake at Qugu. The descent to Taklakot begins on Day 14. Rajindra Kumar Gupta (68) and his wife Rani (63), who finally began their Kailash yatra, boarding an overnight train from Chitrakoot to reach Ghaziabad, said they have waited to undertake the journey for a decade. "Since 2020, we have been getting anxious as we are getting older. Now, it feels like I can finally tick it off my bucket list," Rajindra said. Among the youngest pilgrims is 21-year-old gemologist Utkarsh Bhujia from Lucknow, accompanying his mother Megha. "My father did the yatra in 2017, and ever since, it's been a dream," Utkarsh said. "When I asked my son to come with me, he agreed instantly," Megha added. A 66-year-old astrologer from Jamnagar said he spent years saving for the pilgrimage. "The energy at Kailash is transformative," he said. "I believe it gives you a new life." The Kailash Mansarovar Bhawan, which was completed in 2020, is being used for the first time to provide accommodation to pilgrims as the complete formalities before the yatra. "Before this, Delhi govt would rent Gujarat Bhawan for pilgrims," said Uday Kaushik of Kailash Mansarovar Nishkam Seva Samiti, a voluntary organisation that is helping with arrangements at the Indirapuram facility.
Time of India
04-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
5 men get 5-year jail terms in acid attack case
Kendrapada: A court in Jagatsinghpur district's Kujang has sentenced five persons, including a father and son, to five years of rigorous imprisonment in a 2009 acid attack case . The court also imposed a fine of Rs 3,000 each on the convicts, with an additional six months of imprisonment if they default. The convicted individuals — Magu Roul (54), his son, Tapas Roul (28), Manas Roul (30), Akshya Sethi (32) and Suresh Sethi (30) — were found guilty of attacking Kailash Sethi on Aug 20, 2009. Attackers had suspected Sethi, then 57, a farmer, of practising witchcraft, allegedly causing illness among residents in Kothiasahi village. According to the FIR filed by the victim's daughter, Sujata Sethi, the accused hurled acid and attacked her father with sharp weapons while he was cycling home from Kujang. The police subsequently arrested all five accused under sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC. Assistant public prosecutor Debashis Kantha said the additional district and sessions judge Dipti Prakash Brahma's verdict was based on testimonies from Kailash and 14 witnesses, along with medical reports. Despite Odisha enacting the Odisha Prevention of Witch-Hunting Act, 2013, becoming the fourth state after Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand to do so, human rights activist Amarbara Biswal said that witchcraft-related violence continues to plague rural areas. "Uneducated people still attack and kill many suspected witches each year," Biswal said. Kailash and his family expressed satisfaction with the court's decision, marking the end of their 16-year wait for justice.
Time of India
03-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Doomed On Day 1: Height Barriers At Buldi Flyover ‘Inaugurated' With Three Mishaps
1 2 3 Nagpur: Probably no structure in the city has a fate more twisted than the height barriers installed on the ever-busy Adivasi Gowari aka Sitabuldi flyover, as they keep getting knocked over faster than they can be put up. New barriers were installed on Monday night, and three trucks ran into the barriers on Tuesday. At the Rahate Colony end, one carrying LPG cylinders rammed it in the morning, and a petrol tanker in the evening. Another truck had rammed the barrier at the Zero Mile end the same morning. This is the second time in the past 10 months that the barriers were damaged, with more incidents earlier. The petrol truck driver, identified as Kailash, was on his way to deliver fuel to a city petrol pump from a depot at Khapri at around 4pm. According to preliminary investigations, Kailash was driving at high speed while talking on his mobile phone. Unaware that new height barriers had been erected at the entry point of the Adivasi Gowari flyover, he attempted to ascend it as usual. As the truck surged forward, the top of the tanker collided with the steel barrier. The barrier ripped through the roof of the petrol tanker, causing severe structural damage. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The collision tore open all four bin-holes — circular vents on the top of the tanker — leaving the highly flammable petrol exposed to open air. Fire officer Bhagwan Wagh told TOI that their control room had initially received a distress call reporting that a petrol tanker had overturned. Two fire tenders, one each from Civil Line and Cotton Market fire zone, were immediately dispatched. "When we reached the scene," Wagh explained, "we discovered that the vehicle hadn't overturned. But all the top bin-holes were torn open, and petrol was exposed to the air. " Wagh, emphasising the close call, said, "It was pure luck that there was no sparking during the collision. If there had been even a small spark due to friction, the resulting fire could have been catastrophic." In response, the fire department took no chances. As a precautionary measure, on-site police officers and nearby locals were instructed to switch off mobile phones and avoid using any handheld transceivers (HT sets) near the tanker. Even the smallest electronic signal could have proved fatal. To safely extract the vehicle, the fire department and city police worked out a coordinated plan. Technicians were brought in to loosen one end of the flyover's upper barrier, which was then tied to a crane using a metal chain. Once partially lifted, this created just enough clearance for police officials to carefully reverse the damaged tanker from beneath the barrier. The police have booked the driver under multiple sections of the Motor Vehicles Act and BNS, including negligent driving and damage to public property said inspector Surendra Aher. Inspector Anirudh Puri of Sitabuldi Traffic Zone also ordered the seizure of the vehicle and the remaining petrol, treating it as evidence pending further investigation.
Indian Express
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
From Manusmriti to British Empire: what history tells us about the practice of manual scavenging in India
Manual scavenging remains a harsh reality in India. 'I studied commerce and banking, but I couldn't find work. Even though I am educated, the panchayat hired me to clean toilets because I am from this community,' said Kailash, a man from Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, as cited in a 2014 Human Rights Watch report. Kailash belongs to one of Maharashtra's lower castes, historically associated with the occupation of manual scavenging. His wife, Bimla, added, 'We have farming and labour work, but then if I go for farming work I get threats from the panchayat…I am afraid to lose my house.' Threats from the panchayat compel certain castes to remain in menial occupations, with even the police refusing to register their complaints. It is the lowest in the hierarchy who are left to adopt 'least desirable and defiling occupations', as explained by B N Srivastava in Manual Scavenging in India: A Disgrace to the Country (1997). Ironically, the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993, declared the hiring of manual scavengers and building of dry toilets to be a punishable offence. The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, however, acknowledges a constitutional obligation to correct the historical injustice and indignity endured by manual scavenging communities, aiming to provide alternate livelihoods and comprehensive support, the report notes. But how rigid is this occupational hierarchy? Who decides the fate of scavengers, and what does ancient Indian literature tell us about the practice of manual scavenging? From ancient India to the Empire The International Labour Organization (ILO) describes manual scavenging as the act of cleaning of septic tanks, gutters and sewage lines, and the removal of human waste from public streets and dry latrines. Scholars Nihal Raj, Manish Tiwari and Suyasha Singh Isser (2024), in their journal article From Shadows to Spotlight: Unveiling the Saga of Manual Scavenging in India, argue that the majority of those who engage in manual scavenging are Dalits, of whom women account for 95-98 per cent. B R Ambedkar, a strong opponent of caste-based discrimination, traced the origins of manual scavenging to 600 BC. One of the earliest references is found in the Naradasamhita, which lists the removal of human excreta as one of the 15 duties for slaves. In Vajasaneyi Samhita, as cited by Srivastava, the Chandals and Paulkasa have been referred to as slaves for the disposal of night-soil or human faeces. In addition to the Samhitas, scholars have also found the Manusmriti endorsing the practice. 'The Manusmriti delineates the obligation of those belonging to the untouchable caste to provide service to those of higher castes, without having the right to voice complaints,' opine Raj, Tiwari and Isser. They note that scavengers were typically granted land to build houses as compensation for their services; however, this land could be forfeited if those services were not provided. The practice persisted, and was observed in the Mauryan Empire as well. Records indicate the presence of scavengers in one of the ancient towns of Pataliputra (now Patna in Bihar). Interestingly, several scholars trace the institutionalisation of 'sweeping and scavenging' as a profession to the advent of Muslim rule in India. The lack of sanitation infrastructure for women observing the purdah compelled them to seek out secluded locations for defecation, necessitating the disposal of waste. This, in turn, led to the employment of war captives to clean latrines, bucket privies, and dispose of night-soil at distant places. These captives, when freed, were not accepted back into society and formed a separate caste – the Bhangis, which continued to practice manual scavenging. This caste, according to sociologist Bindeshwar Pathak in Road to Freedom: A Sociological Study on Abolition of Scavenging in India (1999), was renamed as Mehtar by Emperor Akbar. According to the 1960 Enquiry Committee on Scavengers, led by N R Malkani, families belonging to the untouchable caste in Hindu society continued to engage in scavenging work despite converting to Islam. 'This argument,' according to social activist and writer Gita Ramaswamy in India Stinking: Manual Scavengers in Andhra Pradesh and Their Work (2005), 'fits neatly into the Hindutva theory that all social evils emanate from Muslim rule…a narrative [which] consequently downplays the role that caste has played in India.' The British administration further institutionalised the profession of scavenging in India. Official posts for manual scavenging were created across institutions of the empire, including the railways, military, courts, and industries. The lack of waterborne sewage systems necessitated the hiring of scavengers. At the same time, industrialisation and commercialisation of land had rendered traditional artisan and farming communities unemployed, leading many to take up scavenging. According to the 1931 Census, as cited by Pathak, the total number of scavengers was estimated at 19,57,460, including 10,38,678 males and 9,18,782 females in India. 'This is not to say that the British invented caste or manual scavengers; rather they intervened specifically to institutionalise it,' concludes Ramaswamy. Further reading: 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
Time of India
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
CPI functionary held for raising pro-Pak slogan
Patna: A CPI functionary was arrested in Lakhisarai district on Sunday for raising slogans in support of Pakistan during a Grand Alliance candle march. An FIR was registered against him after a video showing the incident went viral on social media. The march, organised to protest against the terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, saw slogans of 'Pakistan Zindabad' being raised, prompting action from police. District RJD netas, however, said the slogan was raised in "error". According to police, the incident took place during the Grand Alliance's candle march in the Suryagarha locality of Lakhisarai, organised to mourn the 26 victims killed in the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. During the event, Kailash Prasad Singh, a circle secretary of the CPI, was heard chanting 'Pakistan Zindabad'. Lakhisarai SP Ajay Kumar said, "The political parties had not obtained permission from the authorities for the candle march. A pro-Pakistan slogan was raised during the march. A video of the incident went viral. In the viral video, Kailash was heard raising the slogan. Kailash has been arrested." SP Ajay Kumar and SDPO Shivam Kumar conducted inquiries with members of the political parties involved at the town police station. Following the investigation, Kailash was arrested. "Those who participated in the event have been questioned. The original video of the event has been reviewed. During the candle march, slogans against Pakistan were chanted throughout. In the viral video, there is one instance where a pro-Pakistan slogan was mistakenly chanted. After being corrected by other members of the coalition, the anti-Pakistan slogan was resumed," SP Ajay Kumar said. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo He added that the original video indicated no deliberate intent to support Pakistan. "It was a one-time mistake that has been edited and repeatedly shown in the viral video," he added. An investigation is underway to determine who edited and circulated the video. The SP added that no prior administrative permission had been sought for the protest and confirmed that a formal complaint had been filed. The CPI's Lakhisarai district secretary, Harshit Yadav, immediately expelled Kailash, also known as Engineer, from the party. In a press statement, the CPI said the march was organised to pay tribute to the tourists killed in the Pahalgam terrorist attack. During the march, due to "a moment of carelessness or anger", the slogan 'Pakistan Zindabad' was mistakenly raised instead of 'Pakistan Murdabad'. The party described the error as serious and unfortunate. "No patriot could raise such a slogan, but it is a significant error," Harshit Yadav said. "Kailash, a member of the CPI, was part of the crowd where this slogan was chanted, and therefore, he is being expelled from the party with immediate effect," he added.
