Latest news with #MarkAntony
The Hindu
2 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
For urban lung space
It is refreshing to learn from time to time that civic bodies across cities are taking steps to nurture urban parks by renovating existing spaces, especially those affected by metro and other projects, and developing new ones. Parks, which are compact green spaces, have been consistently playing a vital role in societies from time immemorial. During the different periods of Indian history, groves and gardens were set apart by rulers for public enjoyment. Mark Antony successfully whipped up the emotions of the Roman mob soon after the assassination of Julius Caesar when he announced dramatically that Caesar had 'left you all his walks, his private arbours and new-planted orchards on this side of Tiber'. However, the concept of public parks in Indian urban areas, as we know it, was introduced only during the colonial period on the lines of parks in the West. The People's Park (1859-61), for example, was one of the oldest parks established in Chennai. Considered the 'lungs' of a city, parks are indispensable in metropolitan areas. Peace park Talking of the status of a typical public park today, it is disappointing that its sparse vegetation fails to invest the city with nostalgic rural charm. Though one must not expect placid calm in public parks situated amid the din and bustle of a city, a fairly peaceful place is necessary for citizens. The scene in a park varies with the hours of the day. In the mornings, one can see the superannuated gentility taking the morning constitutional. A few people trudge stertorously around the park as if it is a ritual. Parks become very noisy in the evenings with children playing all around. The balloon vendor produces the usual irritable noise to attract them. Vendors selling groundnuts and ice cream ply a brisk trade. Soon the place gets littered with fruit rinds and bits of paper. Most of the parks have only a minimum supervision by a part-time guard. Lack of cleanliness is a common issue. The growth of grass goes unchecked giving rise to mosquito menace. As the night falls, everything is quiet again in the parks. Early in the morning, one finds some men who have chosen the park for their nocturnal sojourn, unwillingly rising from the cement benches, cursing the sun that disturbed their night-long slumber. Winding down For the common person who does not have the advantage of a beach near his home, a park is the only place where he hopes to find relaxation and respite. In the country as a whole, there is a significant shortage of public parks and green spaces due to rapid urbanisation. It is important to regulate encroachment on lands earmarked for parks and also ensure that parks are evenly distributed over a city. Regular maintenance of public parks will doubtless go a long way in contributing to public health and environmental well-being. Local administrations must allocate adequate funds in their annual budgets for this purpose. They should remember that a park is not a luxury, but a necessity. On the lighter side, I recall an incident related to a park of my school days. My classmate Mani used to be marked absent for a number of days. When he had lost his term days, his class teacher referred the matter to his parents. They were told that the boy was regularly leaving for the school with his books and tiffin box and returning home in the evening. On investigation, it transpired that the boy spent the school hours playing hide and seek with street children in the park adjacent to our school. He used to have his lunch and his siesta under the umbrageous banyan trees in the park and leave for home on hearing the school bell. The parents acted quickly to correct the boy's behaviour. His mother accompanied him to the school, waited for the whole day in the park and ensured that the boy attended the classes. When I met Mani after a long time, I enquired about his profession. 'I graduated with a degree in botany, and I am now the supervisor of public gardens and parks in the city,' he said proudly. ramaraon2014@
Hans India
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Vishal's ‘Vishal-35' pooja ceremony held
Actor Vishal, one of the leading stars of South cinema, recently scored a massive blockbuster hit with the film 'Madha Gaja Raja', which was well-received by audiences and critics alike. Following the success of that film, Vishal is now set to star in his 35th movie, which is being produced by veteran producer Mr. RB Choudhary under the prestigious banner Super Good Films. Mr. RB Choudhary started Super Good Films in 1990 with the film 'Pudhu Vasantham'. Since then, the banner has delivered numerous successful films and has played a significant role in introducing many new directors to Tamil and Telugu cinema. This upcoming project marks the 99th film under the Super Good Films banner. This new movie will be directed by Ravi Arasu, with acclaimed cinematographer Richard M. Nathan handling the camera. This marks the first collaboration between actor Vishal and director Ravi Arasu. Notably, after the grand success of 'Madha Gaja Raja', Vishal is once again teaming up with cinematographer Richard M. Nathan. Editing will be handled by NB Srikanth, with Durairaj serving as the art director. Following the success of 'Mark Antony', music composer G.V. Prakash Kumar is once again collaborating with Vishal for this film. Actress Dushara Vijayan will play the female lead opposite Vishal. The casting for other supporting roles is currently underway. The film's grand pooja ceremony was held this morning in Chennai with much fanfare. Eminent personalities from the industry like Director Vetrimaaran, Saravana Subbaiah ('Citizen'), Manimaran ('NH4'), Venkat Mohan ('Ayogya'), Saravanan ('Engeyum Eppodhum'), actors Karthi and Jiiva, DOP Arthur A. Wilson, and distributor Tiruppur Subramaniam graced the occasion and conveyed their heartfelt wishes for a huge success. Filming will begin in Chennai and is scheduled to be completed in a single stretch over 45 days. This new project has generated high expectations among fans and cinema lovers, thanks to the promising team and powerful collaborations behind it.
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
"Here we go!" – Vishal kickstarts #Vishal35 with Dushara Vijayan and GV Prakash; Read more
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook) Actor Vishal has officially announced his 35th film as a lead. The upcoming movie, currently referred to as #Vishal35, is likely to be his first theatrical release after his wedding to actress Sai Dhanshika, which is scheduled for August 29, 2025 will be coinciding with his 48th birthday. The actor, known for his work in 'Madha Gaja Raja', shared the exciting update on social media on last day. Vishal teams up with Dushara Vijayan and Raviarasu The Vishal starrer is directed by Raviarasu, making it the first collaboration between the two. Sharing the screen with Vishal for the first time is Dushara Vijayan, who has been gaining attention for her powerful performances in Tamil cinema. Actress Sai Dhanshika kickstarts 2021 with an interesting challenge 'Here we go, finally starting my next film #Vishal35... Post #MarkAntony, joining hands again with my darling GV Prakash as the music composer. Lovely cast and crew. Full on positivity. With all your blessings and support, we start the first schedule of 45 days in Chennai,' Vishal posted. Wedding bells for Vishal and Sai Dhanshika As Vishal gears up for this project, he's also preparing for a major personal milestone — his wedding with actress Sai Dhanshika, which was recently confirmed during an event for her film Yogi Da. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Đây có thể là thời điểm tốt nhất để giao dịch vàng trong 5 năm qua IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo The couple has been in a relationship for some time and will tie the knot on August 29. What's next for Vishal? Besides Vishal 35, the actor is also set to direct and star in Thupparivaalan 2, the sequel to his 2017 detective thriller. Originally helmed by Mysskin, the sequel will now be directed by Vishal himself following creative differences — marking his directorial debut. On the other hand, Vishal's recent outing was 'Madha Gaja Raja' which hit the big screens after a long gap. The movie was directed by Sundar C and received good responses from the audiences.
The Hindu
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Blame not the messenger in India's diplomacy
History and literature are replete with references to not 'shooting the messenger' for bringing bad news. In Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen assaults a messenger and threatens to have him 'whipped with wire and stewed in brine, smarting in ling'ring pickle', for bringing her the news that the Roman General Mark Antony has married another. 'I that do bring the news made not the match,' the messenger replies, before making a hasty exit. Over the past two months, India's 'diplomatic messengers' too have faced an ire that is unprecedented — criticised not for the message they bring, but for failing to convey effectively enough, the message New Delhi has sent out after Operation Sindoor (May 7-10, 2025). Criticism of Indian diplomacy Public commentary that is critical of the Ministry of External Affairs and its missions has focused broadly on three counts. First, that India received condolences and statements condemning the Pahalgam terror attack from all quarters, but not the kind of unequivocal support, especially from the neighbourhood, for retaliatory strikes on Pakistan, of the kind seen in 2016 (post-Uri) and 2019 (post-Pulwama). In 2016, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives backed India's decision to stay away from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit in Pakistan after the Uri attack. In 2019, global solidarity with India forced even China to back a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) terror designation for Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar. Earlier, in 2008, there was international consensus in India's favour after the Mumbai attacks, when Hafiz Saeed and a number of Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists were designated by the UNSC, and Pakistan was put on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list for the first time. Instead, this time, unfavourable comparisons have been made to Pakistan for the lines of support it received from China, Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Malaysia and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Second, the perception is that Pakistan has scored some diplomatic wins, despite widespread global understanding that Pakistan uses terrorists as state proxies. In April, Pakistan, a non-permanent member of the UNSC, managed to amend the resolution on Pahalgam to delete any reference to The Resistance Front (TRF), that claimed responsibility for the heinous attack. Earlier this month, Pakistan was chosen as chair of the Taliban Sanctions Committee and vice-Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee at the UNSC, and secured loans from the International Monetary Fund and Asian Development Bank despite New Delhi's opposition. Next was the White House's lunch invitation to Pakistan Army chief (now Field Marshal) General Asim Munir, despite the belief in India that his 'jugular vein' speech was a virtual green signal for the Pahalgam attack. In July, as Security Council President for the month, Pakistan will try to schedule meetings on the India-Pakistan conflict and Kashmir, even as India accelerates efforts to designate the TRF at the UNSC, and place Pakistan on the FATF greylist. India's diplomats will be tested again. The third aspect pertains to United States President Donald Trump, who, despite official denials from India, has chosen to muddy the narrative of how the May 10 ceasefire was achieved, hyphenating India and Pakistan in more than a dozen public statements, and offering to mediate on Kashmir. His latest iteration of the comments this week, just hours after a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and just before his meeting with Gen. Munir, was possibly the most blatant. Thus far, Mr. Trump's statements, post-ceasefire, have not had a single word on the scourge of terrorism itself, showing just far apart the understanding between Delhi and Washington is at this time. A flurry of diplomacy does not seem to have moved the needle on these criticisms. After Operation Sindoor, special delegations of Members of Parliament and former diplomats travelled to 32 countries. The most time (six days) was spent in the United States. After the G-7 meet, Mr. Modi has meetings ahead with BRICS leaders. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is visiting the U.S. for the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting soon, after several visits to European capitals recently. The government had not essayed such a campaign after the 2016 or 2019 actions against Pakistan, indicating that it too feels that diplomatic efforts by the Ministry of External Affairs and missions abroad have been found wanting and need bolstering. But much as the messenger in Shakespeare says, India's diplomats do not decide the message that India wishes to send after Operation Sindoor, and cannot be held responsible for its resonance. It is necessary for the government to study the contents of that message, the shift in geopolitical narratives and in how India is perceived, in order to build a more realistic assessment of how far international diplomacy can ensure the outcomes New Delhi desires vis-à-vis Pakistan. The 'new normal' With reference to the content of the message, Mr. Modi's three-pronged 'New Normal' has raised eyebrows in some capitals. The first prong — 'Any act of terror is an act of war' — lowers the threshold for future conflicts, passing the trigger for Indian strikes into the hands of any terrorist, acting on orders on their own. The second — 'India will not bow to nuclear blackmail' — is not necessarily new, but has been left unarticulated thus far because it gives the appearance of a heightened nuclear risk for the region. The third — India will not distinguish between state and non-state actors henceforth — sends out an escalatory message, indicating that the next terror attack could well invoke 'Armageddon', rather than the controlled four day conflict in Operation Sindoor. While India's partners have not asked for evidence of Pakistan's links to Pahalgam, they look askance at other aspects — like why India has been unable to trace the terrorists responsible yet. Next, it is necessary to note that global shocks in the past few years have changed how the world views India's tough messaging. Take for example, a growing number of statements by Indian Ministers about 'taking back Pakistan occupied Kashmir' by force if necessary. These make many of India's interlocutors uncomfortable, given the current number of conflicts over territorial aggression underway, from West Asia, to Ukraine to the South China Sea. In the light of Israel's retaliation for the October 7, 2023 terror attacks, few wish to give any state a free hand for 'retribution'. New Delhi's refusal to criticise Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and to raise its oil imports from Russia in the face of sanctions, lost it some support in the western world, especially Europe. The Modi government's silence on Israel's devastation of Gaza has also been met with disappointment in the Global South. India, as Mr. Modi told Mr. Trump this week, views terrorism emanating from Pakistan, 'not as a proxy war, but as a war itself'. India's diplomats have been left explaining why their stock responses that 'this is not an era of war' and that 'dialogue and diplomacy' are the only way forward do not apply to India and Pakistan. Thus, it may be necessary for New Delhi to rethink how it frames its message in view of these changes, notwithstanding the global double standards inherent in the expectations from India. Democracy in decline Finally, there is need for introspection over how the Modi government's image itself has altered in the world since 2019, leading to diplomatic challenges on a number of fronts. These range from concerns abroad over laws such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the amendment of Article 370, Internet bans and summary arrests in different parts of the country, and accusations against Indian government agents of involvement in transnational killings in the U.S. and Canada. Questions over the broader decline in democracy and the status of minorities within India have also increased in the past few years. India's delegations abroad (Operation Sindoor) had to field some of those questions during their travels. India's right to defend itself from decades of Pakistan-backed, trained and funded terrorists is unassailable. But carrying a tough message on terror is easier for the diplomats tasked with the role, if in a strife-roiled world, the government plays to India's advantages, and what differentiates it from Pakistan — as a secular, stable, pluralistic, rule-abiding democratic and economic power. suhasini.h@
BBC News
15-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Downham Market coin hoard 'probably lost by a Roman invader'
A hoard of 13 silver coins found in a field was probably lost in the wake of the Roman invasion of Britain in AD43, according to a historian. The discovery was made by a metal detectorist in a field near Downham Market, Norfolk, in September and is the subject of a treasure inquest. The denarii date from the late 2nd Century BC, in the last tumultuous decades of the Roman republic, to the first Roman emperors and could have been a purse loss."Of course, we've no way of knowing whose it was, but it could have been lost by one of the invaders," said coin expert Adrian Marsden. The Roman Republic lasted from 509 to 27BC and a series of unrest and civil wars in the 1st Century BC marked its transition to an empire. "The oldest coin in the hoard dates back to 152BC and has worn smooth over the two centuries it was in use," said Dr Marsden, a numismatist from the Norfolk Historic Environment Service."This reveals they've got a stable economy, without changes to the denominations, so coins like this can remain in circulation for a long, long time."One of denarii was struck by the Roman dictator Sulla (138 to 79BC), who won the first full-scale civil war in Roman history."Another was struck by Julius Caesar [about 100 to 44BC] a couple of years before he was assassinated, a second by Mark Antony [83 to 30BC] and a third by his rival and winner of that civil war, the first Roman emperor Augustus [63BC to AD14]," said Dr Marsden. The most recent coin of the 13 came from the reign of Octavian's stepson, the second emperor Tiberius (AD14 to 37).It was the latter's nephew, the emperor Claudius (10BC to 54AD), who ordered the invasion of Britain in AD43, eventually leading to a Romano-British province which lasted until 5th Century. Dr Marsden described it as "one of the more interesting" hoards to cross his desk in the past year."It is earlier than most of the silver denarii hoards we see and it's got this drum roll of coins from the late republic through to the early empire," he said.A coroner decides if a discovery is treasure and a museum usually gets first refusal over whether to add it to its this case, the Lynn Museum in King's Lynn hopes to be able to acquire it. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
