Latest news with #NDTVIndia
NDTV
4 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Spiritual Leader Aniruddhacharya Reacts To His Viral Video, Says Saints Are Being Opposed
Famous spiritual leader and Katha Vachak Aniruddhacharya, in an exclusive conversation with NDTV, addressed the controversy surrounding his viral video. He claimed the uproar was sparked by presenting only a small, edited portion of his full statement. "The original video is six minutes long, but only a 30-second clip is being circulated," he said. Aniruddhacharya emphasised that his remarks must be understood in proper context, not twisted for controversy. Acknowledging that his choice of words, particularly the village expression "mukh maarna", may have been inappropriate, he argued that the core message remained valid. Watch the video here: #NDTVExclusive | 'गांव की आम भाषा में चरित्रहीनता को मुंह मारना ही कहा जाता है' कथावाचक अनिरुद्धाचार्य से NDTV की Exclusive बातचीत @ranveer_sh | #Aniruddhacharya — NDTV India (@ndtvindia) August 8, 2025 Hindu Saints Are Being Opposed He further questioned why other spiritual leaders like Premanand Ji Maharaj, whose words were respectful, also faced backlash. "This shows the opposition is not against language but against Hindu saints," he stated. Aniruddhacharya further said, "My video was shown in an incomplete manner, which led to the controversy. If the full video is watched, my message will become clear. I had urged both men and women to be of good character. Whatever I said in the vernacular dialect was meant to convey 'characterlessness'." Aniruddhacharya said that there is a conspiracy to defame Sanatan Dharma. He questioned why live-in relationships are being glorified and added, "My words hit the right target." He further said, "I am not educated at all. In Sanatan Dharma, daughters were never suppressed. All social evils entered India during the Mughal era." When asked about Akhilesh Yadav's displeasure, he responded, "He should explain how saints are expected to stay happy. It's not my words being opposed; it's the saints." Aniruddhacharya added that he is speaking based on scriptures, and those who oppose him should attend Changur Baba's satsang. He also claimed that respected saints like Rambhadracharya and Premanand Maharaj are not against him. #NDTVExclusive | 'बॉलीवुड के लोग बड़े हैं जो गुटखे का प्रचार कर रहे हैं... दाने-दाने में है केसर का दम' - कथावाचक अनिरुद्धाचार्य से NDTV की Exclusive बातचीत @ranveer_sh | #Aniruddhacharya — NDTV India (@ndtvindia) August 8, 2025 Scathing attack on Bollywood Responding to questions about his controversial remarks, Aniruddhacharya criticised Bollywood, questioning whether the film industry has not disrespected Lord Krishna. Referring to a popular dialogue, "Tum karo to Rasleela, hum karein to character dheela", he accused Bollywood of hypocrisy. He also slammed film stars for endorsing products like pan masala and gutkha, saying, "They say 'daane-daane mein hai kesar ka dum', but these harmful products should be banned by the government." He added, "No one objects to them promoting gutkha, but I'm being targeted for speaking my truth."
NDTV
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
NDTV Wins Big At BCS Ratna Award, NDTV 24x7 Named Best English News Channel
Team NDTV won four awards at the 11th edition of the BCS Ratna Award, 2025, in yet another recognition of NDTV's legacy of trust. NDTV's CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Rahul Kanwal, has won the News Icon of the Year award. While NDTV 24x7 won the Best English News Channel of the Year, NDTV India bagged the Best Election Coverage Award. The Best News Channel Debut of the year award has gone to NDTV Marathi.
NDTV
6 days ago
- Climate
- NDTV
River Course Change, Unplanned Development Led To Uttarkashi Tragedy: Expert
New Delhi: The mudslide in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district, which razed a village and buried scores of people, may not have been triggered by a cloudburst caused by heavy rain. Several experts have indicated that the area near Dharali village did not receive heavy rain in the hours preceding the calamity. Instead, a glacial pond burst could be behind the deluge that has left five people dead and scores missing, 11 soldiers among them, the experts have said. Area Of Glacial Ponds Dr DD Chauniyal, who teaches geography at Doon University's Nityanand Himalayan Research and Study Center and has extensively studied the Himalayan region, has said there are several glacial ponds in the snow-covered mountain areas north of Dharali village. "The river, Kheer Ganga, originates in this snow-covered area at a steep altitude. There are several glacial ponds in this area. Due to heavy rain and the melting of snow, these ponds had filled up. I think one of these ponds burst, and caused others to burst. And then water and debris flowed downstream with great force. The gradient is also very high. And then it hit Dharali," he explained. धराली में ऐसे आया सैलाब! प्रोफेसर ने पूरा मंजर समझाया प्रोफेसर डीडी चुनियाल, दून यूनिवर्सिटी में भूविज्ञान के विजिटिंग प्रोफेसर हैं. #Dharali | #Uttarkashi | #UttarakhandFlashFlood — NDTV India (@ndtvindia) August 6, 2025 River Course Change He added that the Kheer Ganga river flows downstream to merge with the Bhagirathi and Dharali is located near the confluence. Over the years, buildings have been constructed on both sides of Kheer Ganga's course. Dr Chauniyal said the river had a different route earlier. "With time, the course changed and the river started flowing upstream. Yesterday, the debris-laden river flowed along its previous course where settlements had come up, razing hotels, homes and markets." Unplanned Construction's Impact The senior professor also pointed out that the old Dharali village, located to the right of the river flowing downstream, is safe even though the area on its left was wiped out. "Earlier, people carefully chose the safe area to build their homes. The new settlements, built without planning for natural disasters, were razed. Earlier, this area was an agricultural land, then hotels came up, roads were built," he said. Dr Chauniyal said the devastation occurred within seconds, indicating that it may have been caused by a glacial pond burst. "Within seconds, the flow stopped. The same thing happened during the 2013 Kedarnath disaster," he said. The Cloudburst Theory In the hours that followed the mudslide, many attributed the tragedy to a cloudburst. A cloudburst refers to very heavy rainfall within a short period over a small area. Such a downpour in mountainous regions can lead to flash floods and landslides. But the weather officer's data raises questions about the cloudburst theory. Harsil received just 6.5 mm of rainfall yesterday. The cumulative rainfall in Harsil and Bhatwari over 24 hours was 9 mm and 11 mm, respectively, much lower than the threshold of 100 mm of rain within an hour that is known to trigger flash floods. Rescuers Race Against Time The mudslide razed homes, hotels and every construction in its wake. Scores of people are missing; these include 11 soldiers who were first responders after the calamity. Five bodies have been recovered so far as personnel of the Army, paramilitary forces and disaster response teams work tirelessly to locate those missing. Many of those missing are tourists and their relatives have been trying to track them down. Mohsen Shahedi, NDRF's Deputy Inspector General (Operations), said more rescue teams can't reach Dharali due to continuous landslides blocking the Rishikesh-Uttarkashi highway. He said about 150 people have been rescued so far. Development vs Environment The Dharali tragedy has yet again brought to the spotlight the perils of unplanned construction in the ecologically sensitive Himalayan region. The argument in favour of development is the economic boost tourism brings to the hills, but recent calamities have shown the risks of rapid and unplanned construction in these fragile areas. Speaking to the media, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra advocated long-term preventive planning. "Every year, whether it's Himachal, Uttarakhand, or Wayanad, we are witnessing such disasters. We need a comprehensive strategy for prevention," she said. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said it was time to revive socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia's call to save the Himalayas and its rivers. "Not just Uttarakhand, but the entire hill region is repeatedly witnessing such large-scale destruction. We all need to come together and work in that direction," he said, according to a PTI report. Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan called it a "man-made calamity". "In the last session, we raised concerns with Defence and Environment ministers over the widening of roads for the Char Dham Yatra in vulnerable zones like Dharali. This is an eco-sensitive region near the Bhagirathi River. Bringing concrete into landslide-prone zones is a recipe for disaster. This is a man-made calamity," she told PTI Videos.
NDTV
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Watch: Devotees Carry Snakes During 'Nag Panchami' Fair In Bihar
Hundreds of devotees gathered at Singhia Ghat in Bihar's Samastipur this week to participate in the Nag Panchami fair, a traditional event where people carry snakes as part of religious rituals. The annual fair began with prayers at the Maa Bhagwati temple in Singhia Bazaar. The devotees then proceeded to the banks of the Budhi Gandak river. From children to the elderly, nearly every participant was seen carrying a snake, either draped around their necks, wound around their arms, balanced on their heads, or in their hands. Videos circulating online captured the unusual spectacle in detail. Families were seen moving through the crowd with snakes slung casually around their bodies. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pradeep Yadav (@br_vlogger17) In some clips, people carry wooden sticks coiled with snakes, treating the reptiles more like sacred objects than dangerous creatures. खिलौने की तरह सांप को गले में लटकाते हैं लोग बिहार के समस्तीपुर जिले के विभूतिपुर प्रखंड के सिंघिया घाट में नागपंचमी के अवसर पर एक अनोखा और अद्भुत सांपों का मेला लगता है. इस मेले में बच्चे से लेकर बूढ़े तक सभी लोग सांपों के साथ खेलते हुए नजर आते हैं, जो उनके गले और शरीर में… — NDTV India (@ndtvindia) July 15, 2025 As part of the rituals, devotees chanted the name of Mata Vishhari, a local snake goddess, and offered prayers. Some devotees also reportedly performed feats such as catching snakes in their mouths. After worshipping them, the snakes were released into nearby forested areas. The fair attracts people from across the Mithila region, including districts of Khagaria, Saharsa, Begusarai, and Muzaffarpur. Locals say it's an over-a-century-old tradition passed down through generations. Apart from the public procession, women perform special worship inside Gahvars (sacred groves or enclosures), praying to Nag Devta for fertility, family health, and protection. Upon the fulfilment of their wishes, they return on Nag Panchami to offer Jhaap (offerings) and prasad in gratitude. According to local reports, no snakebite incidents or injuries have so far been recorded from this fair.
NDTV
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
"I Lost My iPhone, Someone Could Have Lost Life": Man Seen Sobbing In Jaipur Viral Video
Jaipur: It's a video that has gone viral on social media - a young man lost his iPhone after his two-wheeler hit a pothole on a waterlogged street in Jaipur and skidded. The man is seen looking for the phone desperately in the water and then sobbing uncontrollably. For Bonnie Haldar, however, the newfound fame doesn't matter; the problems caused by the loss of the phone do. He had saved up to buy the iPhone on instalments to help expand the costume jewellery business he and his father run in Jaipur's Chameli Market area. From putting costume jewellery photos online to carrying out billing and creating a database of clients, Mr Haldar said the new phone helped him immensely in his business. Mr Haldar had bought the phone on 24 instalments of Rs 3,000 per month and he would have paid off the loan in just two more months. He gave up on finding the phone after looking for two hours, putting his hands in the water and desperately hoping that he would pull it up each time he tried. It turned up, coincidentally, when he was helping someone else, but it was damaged beyond repair. "I took it to a phone repair shop. Just see how damaged it is. There is no hope, and I don't think I can afford to buy another phone now," Mr Haldar told NDTV at Ramniwas Bagh, where he had lost the phone. He said he was returning to his father's costume jewellery unit at Mirza Ismail Road when the accident happened. Saw Many Skidding, Falling With a new parking lot constructed opposite Ramniwas Bagh theatre, the drains have been clogged and the road has been waterlogged. Little did Mr Haldar know when he took his Activa through the waterlogged road that he would drive right into a massive pothole, the size of a crater, right in the middle of the street. The two-wheeler skidded and he almost fell into the water. When he regained his balance, he realised that his iPhone had fallen out. सड़क पर पानी में गिरा फोन, ढूंढता रह गया युवक राजधानी जयपुर के रामनिवास बाग़ में हलधर नाम का युवक बारिश में सड़क पर भरे पानी में अपना मोबाइल गिर जाने के बाद फूट-फूट कर रोने लगा. युवक की एक्टिवा फिसल गई और मोबाइल पानी में गिर गया, जिसे वह काफी देर तक ढूंढता रहा. जब मोबाइल नहीं… — NDTV India (@ndtvindia) July 10, 2025 "As I sat here," he said, "I saw many people almost skidding or falling, or their cars getting stuck due to that huge crater in the middle of the road. I am glad the government has repaired it. I only lost my phone, someone could have lost their life." Mr Haldar recalled seeing a car with an elderly driver getting stuck in the same pothole. He got into the car to help the driver when he suddenly saw his phone floating by and reached out and grabbed it. Many people have offered to help Mr Haldar online by buying a cellphone for him, but since he cannot access his phone, he says he hasn't been able to accept. "Sometimes there is hope in the world, and sometimes you feel overwhelmed," he said with a smile. 'I Got Stuck Too' Jaipur is a UNESCO World Heritage City, but waterlogging has been a major problem, exacerbated by the fact that it has rained much more than normal this year. Local resident Jaideep Sharma, who saw the NDTV team speaking to Haldar, stopped to tell us about what he went through at the exact same spot. "This is where I got stuck too, in this big pothole. The axle of my car was damaged and the alignment went awry. It took me a long time to get the car out of the flooded road. The government should immediately take action and repair potholes." After Bonnie Haldar's video went viral, the pothole has been filled with gravel and sand, and some sandbags have been used to line the road so that water from the parking lot and ground does not flow onto it and cause waterlogging. The bigger problem, though, needs to be addressed. The Urban Development Department had come up with a Rs 400-crore plan to renovate the city's drainage system, but budget constraints came in the way of its implementation.
