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Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ajit Pawar meets Chhava Sanghatna activists, assures decision about Minister Kokate
Pune, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said he would speak to NCP leader and cabinet colleague Manikrao Kokate, who is in the eye of the storm after a video purportedly showed him playing a card game on his mobile phone in the state legislature, and will take an appropriate decision. Ajit Pawar meets Chhava Sanghatna activists, assures decision about Minister Kokate Activists of the Chhava Sanghatna, who were assaulted by NCP workers last week, met Pawar and demanded Kokate's ouster. Workers of Ajit Pawar-led NCP had on July 20 assaulted Chhava Sanghatna activists in Latur, where the latter confronted party leader Sunil Tatkare over a video purportedly showing state agriculture minister Kokate playing a game of rummy on his mobile phone during the recently concluded monsoon session of the state legislature. Chhava Sanghatna leader Vijay Ghadge, who was severely beaten up in the clash, and other activists of the Maratha outfit met Pawar at the government guesthouse in Pune. Speaking to the reporters, the deputy chief minister said, "During the meeting, I told him that whatever happened was wrong and those who were responsible for the incident were asked to resign from the post." Pawar was referring to NCP leader Suraj Chavan, who was asked to step down as the party's youth wing president after the attack in Latur. "I will talk to Minister Manikrao Kokate on Monday and will take an appropriate decision," he said. Following the meeting, Ghadge said Pawar spoke to the Latur superintendent of police and instructed him to take strict action against those who assaulted the activists. "We asked Ajit Dada about the attack that took place when we went to give a memorandum to the party's state president, Tatkare. We asked him what our mistake was. He condemned the incident and told us that he had initiated an action the same day against the persons involved," he told reporters. Ghadge further said that they have sought the removal of Kokate as the state agriculture minister. "We told him the state has got a most insensitive agriculture minister and he should be removed from the cabinet. He sought time till Tuesday and assured that he would make a decision," he claimed. He further warned that if no action is taken against Kokate by Tuesday, the Chhava Sanghatana and farmers will stage a protest against Pawar. Senior NCP Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who was in Pune, said both sides were at fault. PIT SPK ARU This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Science
- Indian Express
MIT wanted him, so did Vikram Sarabhai: how EV Chitnis, who turns 100 today, was crucial to India's space programme
The responsibility of handling all official communication during the period of the Maratha Empire was assigned to the Chitres of Kolhapur in Maharashtra. It was none other than Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the iconic Maratha king, who had appointed this family for such an important role sometime in the mid-1600s. Several centuries down the line, Professor Eknath Vasant Chitnis – a descendent of the Chitres – kept alive the family legacy of being involved in the field of communication and played a pioneering role in India's space programme. EV Chitnis, as he was later known, went on to become one of the key titans who laid the early foundation of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro). 'My family has a long history dating back to Shivaji Maharaj's times in the 1630s… Our family got its name Chitnis from Shivaji Maharaj, but the family name was originally Chitre. My ancestors were appointed as Shivaji's Chitnis (a title responsible for handling all official communication and correspondence). The Chitres remained associated throughout the Maratha empire's reign,' Chitnis said. Born in Kolhapur in pre-Independent India, Chitnis did his schooling and higher education in Poona (now Pune), spending his formative years living in the peth areas (old Pune city) and in Pune Camp locality. Both these worlds gave Chitnis the right mix of traditional and cosmopolitan upbringing and outlook. His father was a medical doctor and would often have to treat patients from other nationalities, including the Englishmen who resided in the region back then. 'My father was fond of horse racing and horses. He often took me along to the Poona race course,' Chitnis said, pulling out a fond memory in this connection. Once, an Arab patient had consulted his father and was cured from his prolonged illness. 'In return, the Arab patient visited our home in Pune camp and offered my father a white pony as a gift. I was too elated with the thought of finally getting a horse at home, but my dream shattered in no time. After thanking the patient for the gift, my father politely declined the offer. He remarked that accepting it would be like having a 'white elephant' at home!' recalled Chitnis. He added that his childhood years growing up in the peth areas and Pune Camp during the 1930s allowed him to grow and learn important lessons on communication, society, food and culture early on through his interactions with friends from the Parsi, Muslim, Christian, and Hindu communities, besides the Arabs and the British. After horses, young Chitnis enjoyed cricket and would not miss tuning in to the radio commentary during every match. 'I learned to speak English, especially the numbers, even before formally learning the language in school… All thanks to the cricket commentary relayed on the radio,' he said. At the peak of India's freedom movement, Chitnis and his friends would attend study classes organised by all political parties after college hours. The Isro veteran said, 'We were all living in tumultuous times, and India's freedom uprising was gaining momentum. As college students, we would attend study classes during evenings. This helped us to stay updated about what Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru and other freedom fighters were doing to oust the British Raj.' An alumnus of Sir Parashurambhau College, Wadia College and the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, Chitnis married Kumud Samarth. She was a cancer researcher who was training in the US before their wedding and continued to pursue her research post-marriage and during their stay in Ahmedabad. 'My friends would tease me that I am marrying a foreign-returned lady!' he said, laughing. Kumud Chitnis passed away in June 2020. Chitnis was Vikram Sarabhai's right-hand man. To date, he has fond memories of his first interaction with Sarabhai, the father of India's space programme, sometime in October 1952. It was during Chitnis' job interview for a post at the Textile Research Association in Ahmedabad that the two met. 'I wanted to work as a researcher at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) and to do so, I needed the job. During the final round of the interview, for which Sarabhai was also present, I asked him up front whether he was Vikram Sarabhai. To which, he responded, 'I am Vikram'.' Chitnis worked as a lecturer at a college in Gujarat's Anand till Sarabhai managed to get him funded through a scholarship. Chitnis finally joined Sarabhai's team on March 16, 1953. Their association grew stronger as India's space programme took shape. Team Sarabhai established the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in 1962 and later ISRO in 1969. Sarabhai kept Chitnis busy at Kodaikanal over the next two years on a cosmic ray project carried out in collaboration with MIT. Impressed with his work, MIT offered Chitnis a researcher's job but he flatly declined the offer. Surprised, MIT wrote to Sarabhai, who then insisted that the young Chitnis take up the bright opportunity. 'There was a lot of data which was analysed at MIT, and remarkable work was later published. It took three months for the news of the Indo-China war of 1962 to trickle down to a large Indian population. That was when Sarabhai decided to initiate the space programme in India, with a vision for laying the country's satellite communication and using it effectively to improve education, meteorology, environment and agriculture,' Chitnis told. In July 1961, Sarabhai recalled Chitnis from the US and gave him the responsibility of planning India's space programme and coming up with a definite roadmap. This, while Sarabhai was simultaneously working with the government on this idea. India had no prior experience of making rockets or propellants till then. Sarabhai first tasked Chitnis with the location hunt for a suitable rocket-launching site. And Chitnis was aware that his role and inputs were crucial. 'I visited Cape Canaveral in the US. It gave me an idea of what a space port should look like,' he said. Cape Canaveral, home to the Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, is a key rocket launching site in the US. Back in India, Chitnis and a handful of young colleagues made multiple trips to Kerala, scouting for a rocket launch site. They took several chopper rides between the Ashtamudi kayal (backwaters) in Quilon (present day Kollam district) and Thiruvananthapuram – looking for an ideal land to set up rocket launch pads for performing sounding rocket experiments. He shared an interesting story of one of his visits to the Kerala coastal site. 'Since there was no official car owned by PRL till then, I decided to first take a bus from the quarters, then an autorickshaw and reach Ahmedabad airport. A little before I set out, Sarabhai rang me up enquiring about the journey. Upon learning my plans to get to the airport, he asked to stay back, and he personally drove me to the airport. Seeing me with Sarabhai, many at the airport were surprised. Thereafter, every flight I took out of Ahmedabad airport, I would be given celebrity-like treatment by the airport staff,' remembered Chitnis. It was in November 1962 that Thumba, a small fishing island near Thiruvananthapuram, was finally chosen for the establishment of India's Equatorial Rocket Launching Station. Thumba was an ideal location, closer to the magnetic equator, thus permitting the budding space scientists to take up early experiments with the atmosphere and ionosphere. 'We were mostly in Quilon and Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala is a beautiful and green state,' he said, adding that the then governor of Kerala, V V Giri, had generously hosted the Isro team during some of their visits. When Sarabhai wished to expand the rocket launches and space programme, Chitnis and company were once again roped in and sent to study India's east coast for setting up a full-fledged space port. In the 1970s, India's space journey took off from Sriharikota. Cut to February 2025, when Isro yet again tasted success following its 100th launch and Chitnis said, 'I remember first going to Sriharikota… Almost a barren land, a big island off the Andhra Pradesh coast. But it was good for rocket launches.' India may not have known its Missile Man Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, the former scientist with Isro and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), if it were not for Chitnis. He said, 'I, along with Sarabhai, and two others, were on the interview panel to select candidates for a training programme organised by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Sarabhai asked me to review Kalam's application, and impressed by his qualifications, I recommended him for the programme.' Many decades later, when Kalam was serving as the 11th President of India, Chitnis and his family paid him a visit at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. 'I always remember Prof E V Chitnis as a father figure in Physical Research Laboratory, integrating scientists and technologists and as one of the pioneers of the SITE (Satellite Instructional Television Experiment ) programme…,' Dr Kalam had spoken in his address at the World Space Vision 2050 and India, a programme organised to dedicate the Insat-4B satellite to the nation at Hassan, Karnataka, in June 2007. Chitnis was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1985. Four decades later, his son, Dr Chetan Chitnis, was awarded the Padma Shri in 2025. The junior Chitnis studies malaria parasites and is currently at the Institut Pasteur, France. Post-superannuation as the director of the Space Application Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad, Chitnis moved to Pune, where he continues to reside. 'We left Ahmedabad in 1988 and thought of spending some time at Pune University. For almost 20 years, I taught there…and I had great fun teaching,' he said. He remained associated with the University of Pune, engaging in lectures on communications and related topics. The last batch he engaged was part of a course on Development Communication at the Department of Communication Studies (now renamed as Department of Media and Communication Studies) during 2012 – 2013. Speaking about his life, Chitnis said recently, 'I eat and sleep well and am enjoying life. I eat normal, home-cooked food but never a heavy meal. I enjoy fish and chicken. Now I am completely relaxed… Unless one is relaxed, one does not live long.' A lover of Indian classical music and an avid reader, Chitnis would, until recent years, spend the late-night hours catching up on the latest developments through books as well as English and Marathi newspapers. But of late, he has been doing limited reading. 'I do read but prefer short pieces on history… see, I'm linked to Maratha history,' he said.
India Today
10 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
Fact Check: SP members thrashed Dalit man during meet? Nope, this claim is bogus
Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav has long been seen batting for Dalits, other backward classes, and minorities through a social engineering formula he calls 'PDA' — Pichda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak. Yadav recently said that the PDA strategy and INDIA bloc's strength will also work in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh did men from the Yadav caste thrash a Dalit leader during a Samajwadi Party meeting because he sat on a sofa? That's what's being claimed alongside a video of a group of people ruthlessly beating a man inside a A Facebook user wrote, 'Yadavs have beaten a Dalit leader because he sat on a sofa. Is this the Samajwadi Party's PDA? Imagine, if this is the status of a Dalit leader in the party, how much injustice must the ordinary Dalit public face under the Samajwadi Party's government?' Its archive can be viewed Today Fact Check found that the video has nothing to do with the Samajwadi Party. This is a recent video from Maharashtra's Latur, and shows a Maratha activist being thrashed by local Nationalist Congress Party workers. There was no caste angle to the ProbeUsing a reverse image search, we found a Times of India report from July 21, which contained a screenshot of the viral video. It said that members of a Maratha outfit called Chhava Sanghatna were protesting at a press meeting by Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) leader Sunil Tatkare in Maharashtra's Latur. The organisation demanded the resignation of Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate for allegedly playing games on his phone during an Assembly the protest, members of Chhava Sanghatna threw playing cards at Sunil Tatkare and shouted slogans against Kokate. This sparked chaos at the meeting as local NCP activists allegedly assaulted some members of the Maratha organisation in the nearby to an India Today report, the state president of Chhava Sanghatna, Vijaykumar Ghadge, was allegedly beaten up in full view of the police, which was even captured on camera. A Lokmat Times report also said the reached out to Vijaykumar Ghadge regarding the claim. He confirmed to India Today Fact Check that neither were the people assaulting him Samajwadi Party workers, nor was he a Dalit. Ghadge belongs to the upper-caste Maratha community. He also said that there were OBC members in his group who were also assaulted during the Today's Maharashtra correspondent, Aniket Jadhav, also confirmed that there was no caste angle to the it's clear that the viral claim is completely false.- Ends Want to send us something for verification? Please share it on our at 73 7000 7000 You can also send us an email at factcheck@
New Indian Express
12 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
JNU to get Shivaji and Kusumagraj centres to promote Marathi culture and language
NEW DELHI: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) will soon host two dedicated centres to promote Marathi culture, language, and heritage. One centre will honour the legacy of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, focusing on Maratha history, governance, and military strategy. The second centre will be named after renowned Marathi poet and writer Kusumagraj, aimed at advancing the study of Marathi as a classical language and conducting research in Marathi literature and linguistics. The two centres were inaugurated on Thursday by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his two deputy chief ministers. Maharashtra's Minister for Marathi Language, Uday Samant, told the media that the initiative seeks to offer students from across India a deeper understanding of Maharashtra's rich cultural and linguistic heritage. He added that JNU has agreed to allocate land on its campus for the centres, with plans to install a statue of Shivaji Maharaj. Samant also revealed that the state government had granted `2 crore 16 years ago for a Marathi Centre of Excellence at JNU, but an additional `3 crore was required to complete the project. He promptly approved the additional funding and insisted that the centre be named after Kusumagraj. In addressing India's linguistic diversity, professor Pandit highlighted the importance of prioritising one's mother tongue while also learning regional and career-related languages. This comes amidst rising tensions in Maharashtra over the promotion of Marathi, particularly in Mumbai. JNU is also working to introduce Marathi at the Master's level and offer certificate courses for non-Hindi speakers, alongside translating prominent Marathi literary works into other Indian languages, the professor added.
Hindustan Times
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Fadnavis inaugurates Marathi centre, strategic security centre at JNU
NEW DELHI: 'People who believe in Shivaji cannot be narrow-minded about languages,' said Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday while speaking at a function in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) convention centre. New Delhi: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis speaks during the inauguration of Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Centre for Security and Strategic Studies and the Kusumagraj Special Centre for Marathi Language, Literature and Culture, at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), in New Delhi, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (PTI Photo)(PTI07_24_2025_000678B) (PTI) Fadnavis was the chief guest at the foundation stone ceremony of the Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Special Centre for Security and Strategic Studies and the inauguration of the Kusumagraj Special Centre for Marathi Language, Literature and Culture. Also present were Maharashtra minister for industries and Marathi language Uday Samant and the current head of the Maratha royal family of Thanjavur Shivaji Rajah Bhonsle Chhatrapati. Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar were, however, missing. 'Marathi is an old language and has contributed to enriching the country. It has played a key role in keeping the legacy of theatre and literature in the country alive,' said Fadnavis, expressing the hope that like JNU, other universities would also take up the initiative of teaching Marathi. The chief minister added that languages ought not to be 'a topic of dispute and discord'. 'The Marathi language is our pride, as it is our mother tongue,' he said. 'Likewise, we respect all Indian languages. However, the English language is sometimes given too much significance. That brings me pain.' The Kusumagraj Special Centre will focus on the Marathi language, literature and cultural traditions and is named after iconic Marathi poet and playwright V V Shirwadkar, better known by his pen name Kusumagraj. The centre will offer postgraduate and certificate-level programmes to promote multilingualism and cultural understanding. The Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Special Centre for Security and Strategic Studies will explore indigenous strategic traditions based on the Maratha empire. The centre is envisioned to become a hub for military history, strategy and future policy development rooted in India's past. Addressing the audience, Fadnavis said, 'The debate is not Marathi versus Hindi or any other language. Just like Tamil is one of the ancient languages in India, so is Marathi. We respect Tamil just as much as Marathi.' The remark could have pertained to the Maharashtra government's decision to introduce a three-language formula in primary schools, which was rolled back following protests against the 'imposition' of Hindi. Fadnavis said that a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji would be installed at the JNU campus, a proposal by his government which vice-chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit had agreed to. 'People who do not respect Shivaji Maharaj can probably be counted on one's fingers,' he said. 'I say time and again that a Marathi person can never be narrow-minded. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj never taught us to be narrow-minded.' Marathi language minister Uday Samant described the establishment of the Marathi Studies Centre at JNU as 'a historic step'. He announced that a village of Marathi books would be established in Kashmir and a Marathi global community would be formed abroad. He also extended an invitation to the World Marathi Conference to be held in Nashik this year and emphasised his efforts to encourage students from Maharashtra to seek admission to JNU. JNU vice-chancellor Pandit said it was indeed 'wonderful to learn languages' and added that the prime minister's Viksit Bharat and Shivaji's ideas of a strong India were aligned. She also announced that a national dialogue programme, 'Sindhudurg Samvad', would be launched. Referring to the efforts under the National Education Policy 2020 to promote the study of 50 Indian languages, she urged Marathi students to seek admission to JNU. Meanwhile, the JNU students' union (JNUSU) called a demonstration in front of the convention centre.
