Latest news with #KapilKumar
IOL News
08-07-2025
- General
- IOL News
Professor Kapil Kumar to discuss book 'Revealing Suppressed Realities' at Durban workshop on Girmitiya diaspora
Professor Kapil Kumar from New Delhi will be discussing his book 'Colonial Plantations & Indian Indenturers: Revealing Suppressed Realities' Image: Supplied Professor Kapil Kumar from New Delhi will be discussing his book 'Colonial Plantations & Indian Indenturers: Revealing Suppressed Realities' virtually at the 'The Girmitiya Diaspora in 2025: Identity, challenges and shaping our future' workshop this Saturday. The Global Girmitiya Centre of South Africa is inviting the public to attend the workshop which is set to take place on July 12 at L'Aperitivo - The Auroras, 9 Aurora Dr, Umhlanga Ridge, Durban. The workshop will include participation from: Shri Ravindra Dev (Guyana) – Identity & cohesion, Professor (Dr) Sandili Ramdial- Maharaj (Trinidad) – The psyche of the oppressed & oppressor: Girmitiya experience Professor Kapil Kumar (New Delhi) – Revealing suppressed realities Professor Ganesh Chand (Fiji) – The way forward Bugsy Singh (South Africa) – Girmitiya in SA & facilitation The Global Girmitiya Centre of SA (affiliated to the Global Girmitiya Institute) was established to highlight the South African Girmitiya's history, challenges, heroes and role in the pursuit of social cohesion and nation-building – and to liaise with Girmitiya populations in the diaspora. The book, which Professor Kumar co-edited with fellow participant, Dr Sandili Ramdial-Maharaj from Trinidad, seeks to provide an alternative to the established colonial narrative on Indenture labour history. The book highlights how the plantation economies, to save themselves from ruin after the abolition of slavery, re-packaged it in the form of indentured labour. Professor Kapil Kumar from New Delhi will be discussing his book 'Colonial Plantations & Indian Indenturers: Revealing Suppressed Realities' virtually. Image: Professor Kapil Kumar/Facebook 'To procure it, India was converted into the biggest market. Oppressive practices, deceit, manipulations, false promises and allurements - the established colonial tools were operationalised to facilitate smooth flow of labour under the garb of agreements, converting India into the biggest labour-recruiting nation. 'The agonies of this new human trading were not confined to economic aspects alone. It generated wider and serious social, religious and psychological implications for the Indian community in alien lands, which has been described as the trauma of the Indenturers by Dr. Sandili Maharaj-Ramdial,' a book summary reads. 'This trauma emerged from the recruitment methods, long hard ship journeys, betrayals of so-called agreements, separations from loved ones and the toiling conditions in plantations spread over in Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, Mauritius and Fijil etc.' Professor Kumar said the reason why he argues that indentured labourers were the same as slaves is that the working conditions did not change. He mentioned that the restrictions placed on them at the colony plantations were the same as that of the slaves. 'A labourer from one plantation could not move to the other plantation without permission. 'And also, the way that families were parted - The husband would go to another plantation while the wife would go to another plantation, and the children would likely be sent to some other place. 'So all these kinds of things, among others, were suppressed in colonial history and geography,' Kumar said. He later added that one of the worst things was how, after its abolishment, when the indentured labourers wanted India to help them, 'they were denied it' and that they were told they 'are not the citizens of India, we can't help you.' 'And the question there is, none of them had given up their Indian citizenship when they went to the other countries, and none had gone on passports or anything. They were refused help.' He added that history is not just the study of the past or the dead, but that it shows how the present has evolved. 'The idea is to let the present generations also know their ancestors toiled to make them what they are today. It is not that the present diaspora, and all its descendants, fell from the sky.'
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Final review conducted for 1857 revolution martyrs' memorial museum content by eminent historians
AMBALA: In a step forward towards the development of an '1857 Shaheedi Smarak' (Martyrdom Memorial) dedicated to the '1857 First War of Independence', a panel of historians conducted the final review of films and other content set to be displayed at the upcoming museum. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The memorial is being built along the Ambala-Delhi National Highway (NH) 44 at Ambala Cantonment and aims to showcase a detailed and accurate representation of the events related to the 1857 uprising. As part of the ongoing preparations, the historians' committee, including Prof Udayvir Singh, Prof Kapil Kumar, and Colonel Yogendra Singh, carefully examined the content to ensure historical accuracy and narrative integrity. The review included a detailed evaluation of the chronological sequencing, associated visuals, costumes, weapons, and other period-specific elements to maintain authenticity in every aspect of the museum's displays. Kuldeep Saini, Director of 1857 Shaheedi Smarak, informed that nearly 100 documentary-style films and around 400 digital panels have been prepared. After thorough vetting by the committee, the content has now been approved for final panel printing and installation. The goal is to make each displayed incident both historically precise and engaging for visitors. 'The memorial is designed to be grand and world-class,' said the historians during their visit. 'Every effort is being made to ensure that visitors receive an accurate and comprehensive understanding of the 1857 Revolution through films, panels, and other interactive exhibits.' The visiting historians also toured the museum premises and inspected the locations where the digital panels will be installed. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The initiative underscores the government's commitment to preserving and showcasing India's rich history through state-of-the-art storytelling and scholarly diligence. Other officials and stakeholders involved in the memorial's development were also present during the inspection. It is the dream project of Haryana cabinet minister Anil Vij, who is MLA from Ambala Cantonment. As per the Haryana government, earlier, 'it was believed that 1857 revolt started from Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) but as per the facts and historians, it has been established that the spark of freedom struggle arose in Ambala Cantonment 10 hours before Meerut.' Due to this history, a memorial was planned in Ambala.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Time of India
HC grants bail to teen rape-accused after minor survivor admits friendship
Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court has granted bail to a 19-year-old from Haridwar who was arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl, after the survivor admitted they were friends and the defence questioned her actual age. The court noted that the chargesheet had already been filed, the accused was young, and there was no further need for custodial interrogation. Kapil Kumar was booked on July 4, 2024, under IPC sections 376(2)(n) (repeated rape), 376(3) (rape of a minor below 16 years), and 506 (criminal intimidation), as well as under relevant provisions of the Pocso Act. The defence counsel told the court that the accused had been wrongly implicated. He said the relationship between Kumar and the survivor began on a social media platform, a fact she confirmed in her statement. The lawyer also argued that Kumar was just 19 years old at the time of the alleged offence and raised doubts over the survivor's exact age. He contended that there was no requirement for continued custody since the chargesheet had been filed. He added that the accused had no prior criminal record. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Justice Rakesh Thapliyal, who presided over the single bench hearing, said, "This court is of the view that the applicant deserves bail. Accordingly, without expressing any opinion on the merit of the case, the present bail application is allowed." The bail was granted after the govt counsel did not raise any objection to the defence's claims.
Time of India
02-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
TOI EXCLUSIVE: Delhi golfers demand practice rights at DGC, threaten protest at Jantar Mantar protest
NEW DELHI: Two-time Asian Tour winner and several of Delhi's prominent caddie-professional golfers have announced a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar on May 5, as they seek the right to practice at the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) in the Capital. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The golfers planning to join the protest are PGTI regulars from the Capital, including Honey Baisoya, Kapil Kumar, Chetan Baisoya, Pawan Verma, Ajay Baisoya, Shamim Khan, Nikhil Sharma and Wasim Khan, among others, TOI has learnt. This move comes amid a longstanding impasse between the Delhi-based caddie-pros and the DGC. The dispute, ongoing for several years now, has already forced many pros to relocate to other courses or even consider quitting the sport, affecting their livelihoods. A case is currently pending before the Delhi High Court, where the affected golfers seek judicial permission to practise at the DGC. The matter has been listed 30 times since Feb 4, 2020 without any hearing taking place thus far. In September 2012, the government renewed the lease for the DGC until 2050 – eight years prior to the previous contract expiry. It was around this period in 2012 that DGC ceased permitting caddie-pros to practice at the course. The protesting golfers contend that the club stands on a govt land and exists for the 'promotion and advancement' of golf as a sport and therefore believe that they should not be excluded from the premises for practice. The golfers refer to a ministry of urban development (MUD) order from Feb 2020, instructing DGC that '10 percent of the total intake to 'Indian Business' categories may be reserved for memberships to professional golf players of all levels in DGC'. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This directive was issued by the Land & Development officer, Anand Mohan, who stated that 'the selection of eligible candidates for membership under this category will be done by a committee comprising of secretary (urban development) as chairman, director general, Sports Authority of India (SAI) and joint secretary (L&E) as member'. In its response to this publication, DGC informed that the last time membership under this provision was granted was to Arjuna awardee Ali Sher – notably, the first Indian pro to win the India Open in 1991 – in accordance with the Articles of Association of the DGC. Since then, no Delhi-based pro golfers have received membership to practice at the club. 'Golfers have been restricted to practice at the DGC since May 2019. They don't have access to the golf course. I stay in Delhi and the only golf course close to me is DGC. Same is the case with other golfers who have been fighting for their playing rights. The DGC course was leased by the govt for promoting and encouraging the sport of golf, but the course is now merely for the members and not for players. I am just asking for playing rights to go and practice for myself and my fellow golfers,' Rashid told TOI. 'The DGC has a provision to reserve 10 percent of their membership quotas for pro golfers. But they have stopped offering it for years. The club is also situated on govt land and is meant for the promotion of golf. How could they stop the city-based pro golfers from practicing citing their arbitrary rules?' Rashid questioned. In May 2019, Rashid and other local professionals were detained by the Delhi Police after being denied entry to the DGC. They were taken to Tughlaq Road police station before being released hours later. A 2021 Tokyo Games Olympian and 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games silver medallist, Rashid has been practising at the facility since 1999 during his junior years until access was barred in 2019 for him and other caddie-pros. 'The DGC is a private members' club and even a non-member can play golf by paying the green fee and obtaining a casual membership for the day. However, every person, whether member or otherwise, must maintain discipline within the precincts of the DGC. The playing privileges are subject to the MOA & AOA of the DGC,' Lt. Col Rohit Singh (retd), secretary, DGC, stated in response. 'There is no rule that gives Rashid or anyone the right to practice at the DGC. Permission to play at the DGC is the sole discretion of the DGC. The general committee of the DGC vide its resolution passed in its meeting held on 11 Feb 2019 had banned the entry of Arun Baisoya, Rajat Baisoya, Sunny Nagar, Nikhil Sharma, Bharat Sharma and Chetan Baisoya on account of gross indiscipline. It was also decided that all playing rights granted to Rashid be withdrawn with immediate effect,' Singh added. 'Regarding the query whether DGC is situated on a govt land, at the outset, it's submitted that in the judgment dated 19.04.2021 in The DGC Vs The DGC Employees Union, the High Court held that the DGC is a private members recreational club which is governed by its own Memorandum & Articles of Association. There is no funding from the govt nor is there any administrative dominance or control over the affairs of the DGC. The funds are generated through membership and subscription fee and revenue earned from golf and thus there is no financial control of the govt. The mere execution of a lease deed by the government with respect to the land is not enough to confer the status of a State or instrumentality of the State or a public authority. The DGC is neither State nor instrumentality of State nor other authority. Further it has been held that it does not perform any public function,' Singh further stated.
