Latest news with #Nikhil
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Untouchable Goa: Dadu Mandrekar's writings return in translation
Translating horror & humanity It's the commitment to truth-telling that gives the book its raw, cutting power. 'The book has a raw and angry voice, but at the same time, it is not brash,' says the translator. 'It is a mixture of rawness with composure, frustration with beauty, and with all the ugliness that is caste. I wanted to keep all of this alive and tried hard to do so by revisiting his work and my translation multiple times.' In one striking description, Dadu describes how Mahars, who eat mutton and chicken proudly in their kitchens, treat fish as a pollutant. He asks, if gods could take the form of a fish (Matsya avatar), why is the actual fish suddenly dirty? Nikhil, who stayed close to Dadu's tone, shares, 'I think a lesser writer, or even a 'lesser human being' would have found it impossible to maintain the balance between horror and humour in such contexts. It is easy to laugh at the expense of others, but these people weren't 'others' for Dadu, nor are they 'others' for me.' You see this balance most clearly in how the rituals for the dead are described: women's corpses buried face-down, surrounded by torn clothes and seeds, so their spirits, if they rise, stay busy stitching or harvesting instead of haunting the living. The writer also shows how women are punished, not just for being born, but for bleeding, for giving birth, for dying in the 'wrong' house. A menstruating woman or a woman postpartum is forced into isolation, her utensils marked, her touch feared. But if she dies during that time, the cruelty multiplies. Her body is buried in secret, turned away from the sky, with needles and shredded clothes meant to trap her spirit. Dadu recalls how a woman who died in her maternal home was hastily buried by her family (so that her spirit wouldn't claim on the living and their possessions), only for dogs to later unearth and 'devour' her body. For Dadu, this brutality reflects a culture where women are molested in life, mutilated in death, and treated as worthless once married.
Hans India
3 days ago
- Hans India
The Man Who Defies Silence: How Nikhil Chandwani Is Rescuing Pakistan's Forgotten Hindus, One Family at a Time
In a world that moves on from tragedy with a swipe, Nikhil Chandwani chose to stay. Not to sympathize from a distance, not to tweet his outrage, but to fight. Quietly, relentlessly, and often alone. He's not a politician. He doesn't run an NGO. And he has never begged for headlines. Yet, since 2017, he's rescued over 2,000 Hindu and Sikh families from the religious hellscape that Pakistan has become for minorities. It began with one desperate message—from a Hindu shopkeeper in Sindh, Pakistan. His daughter was being stalked by local extremists. A forced conversion was imminent. When he went to the police, they laughed. His village turned its back. But Nikhil didn't. He arranged shelter. Paid for passports. Helped them legally cross borders. And in that moment, a movement was born. 'Pakistan Is a Graveyard for Hindus' For the past decade, Chandwani has built a rescue network that runs without press releases or photo ops. And it operates in places most governments wouldn't even acknowledge. 'Pakistan is not a country. For Hindus and Sikhs, it's a rogue land,' he says. 'Girls as young as nine are kidnapped, raped, forcibly converted, and married off to men four times their age. Parents are left with nothing but grief—and silence.' In Sindh's interiors, Hindu children are denied education. Temples are desecrated. Police officers participate in abductions. Those who speak out disappear. This is not a dystopian script. This is daily life for Hindus in Pakistan. And yet, international bodies stay mute. Global newsrooms don't blink. They wait for buzzwords like 'Israel' or 'Gaza' to appear in the headline before they care. A Parallel System of Hope What Nikhil has done in response is extraordinary. He's created a quiet resistance—a parallel support system made up of doctors, lawyers, landlords, and teachers who work on trust, not contracts. They've helped girls heal from rape trauma, guided children back to school, secured Long-Term Visas for families, and found homes where none existed. Every life he rescues is a civilizational victory against erasure. In one case, a father in Sindh had to bury his daughters underground at night to protect them from abductors. That family now lives safely in Punjab, India. The girls chant the Hanuman Chalisa every Saturday—something they were never allowed to do in Pakistan. Funded by Firewood and Dharma Unlike big-budget charities, this movement runs on grit. Almost 90% of the rescue funds come from Chandwani's own business—a biomass pellet factory in Nagpur. The rest comes from small, quiet contributions. No corporate grants. No government subsidies. Just raw belief. His company, Santerra Industries, converts agricultural waste into clean-burning bio coal. The profits? Used to rescue Hindus from across the border. 'We turn farm waste into energy. I use that energy to bring our people back from hell,' Nikhil says. A Dream of a Home, Not a Shelter The rescues are just the beginning. Nikhil's long-term vision is a dedicated settlement for rescued Hindu families—complete with homes, schools, clinics, community halls, and temples. 'A safe place where no one knocks on your door in the middle of the night to take your daughter away. Where your children aren't punished for praying to Ram. That's the dream.' He's already in talks to acquire land for this project. Until then, he continues—one girl, one boy, one family at a time. No Medals, No Megaphones. Just Action. He's faced threats, online hate campaigns, and even fatwas. Pakistan-based accounts often try to discredit his work. Some Indian liberals call it 'politically motivated.' But he doesn't care. 'I don't need awards. I need more people. A teacher for one child. A lawyer for one case. A landlord for one month. Just one. That's all I ever ask.' Look Away, and You Become the Problem What's happening to Hindus in Pakistan is not just persecution. It's cultural annihilation—slow, systematic, and ignored by the same international institutions that scream for every other cause. And yet, in the middle of that silence stands a man—unfunded, uncelebrated, unstoppable. In the end, Nikhil Chandwani's story is not about heroism. It's about responsibility. Because when governments fail, it is people like him who carry civilization forward—with empty pockets, heavy hearts, and an unbreakable spine.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- New Indian Express
Four pose as money exchangers to dupe man of Rs 40 lakh, arrested
NEW DELHI: Four members of a gang were arrested in South Delhi for allegedly duping a man of Rs 40 lakh by posing as money exchangers. The accused reportedly lured the victim, who needed cash for a property purchase, and gave him counterfeit notes of Manoranjan Bank, a police official said on Monday. A complainant stated that on July 4, he met some individuals who claimed to be in the business of exchanging bank-deposited money into cash. They met him at a flat in CR Park. The accused showed him a large amount of cash, following which he transferred Rs 40 lakh to their account through online banking. They handed over a bag containing what was purported to be cash; they counted in front of him using a counting machine, the official added. However, when the complainant opened the bag later, he discovered that it was filled with fake currency notes marked with 'Manoranjan Bank of India'. The alleged people absconded from the location. police said. 'The CCTV footage revealed that the accused person was using WhatsApp calls to contact the complainant. Money trail analysis traced the bank account where the amount was transferred. Acting on a tip-off that the alleged person would come in a flat at Saidulajab, three people identified as Nikhil, Prince Pal, and Parvez were apprehended,' Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ankit Chauhan said.'Police recovered Rs 1.25 crore in dummy notes, Rs 7.5 lakh in cash, Rs 4.5 lakh frozen in a bank account, a cash counting machine,' the DCP added. 'The next day, another accused, Asgar Khan, alias Bunty, was nabbed. Khan said that he learnt the cheat tactic from Nasim, a resident of Bihar, who also committed the money exchange frauds pan India. The role of Khan is to get the client through liners who need fat cash in lieu of their fat money deposited in banks. Parvez's role was to arrange the flat and set up there. Nikhil's role was to manage the bag where the cash bundle is kept after counting. Pal assisted them in the process. Some more people also assisted them in the scam, who are being identified,' the DCP further said.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
Fake notes issued by ‘Manoranjan Bank of India': Four of gang held, racket busted
When a man looking to buy a property in South Delhi came out of an upscale CR Park flat on July 4, a bag of cash was given to him by a group of four persons to complete his purchase. He allegedly did not have immediate access to cash for the transaction, and he transferred Rs 40 lakh online to them from his bank account. As he opened the bag after reaching home, he found fake notes, not issued by the RBI but by 'Manoranjan Bank of India', he told police. He realised that he was duped and went back to the flat to confront the accused, but they had absconded. He filed the complaint on July 6 at the CR Park police station. Following an investigation into the case, the fake currency racket was busted on July 9, the Delhi Police said on Monday, adding that the four persons have been arrested. 'The four men met him at the flat in CR Park, where several other people were also present. The accused showed him a large amount of cash, following which the complainant transferred a sum of Rs 40 lakh through online banking. In return, they handed over the bag, and counted a portion of the cash in front of him using a machine,' DCP (South) Ankit Chauhan said. After the complaint was filed, a team under Inspector Girish Chandra of the Special Staff assessed the details of the bank account in which the money was transferred. A tip-off was received on July 9 that the accused would be coming to another flat in the Saidulajab area to execute a similar fraud. 'The team then laid a trap, and a raid was conducted at the flat. Three persons were held.' DCP Chauhan said. The three arrested accused were identified as Nikhil, Prince Pal, and Parvez. On their instance, the fourth member of the gang, Asgar Khan, was also arrested the next day. As the gang was busted, police seized fake currency notes with a face value of Rs 1.25 crore, a cash counting machine, and Rs 7.5 lakh in cash. The bank account used by the gang had Rs 4.5 lakh, which was allegedly duped from one of the victims. The probe, officers said, revealed a coordinated pan-India operation to print and distribute counterfeit notes. 'The role of Asgar was to get the client through lenders who needed immediate cash in exchange for the amount they had deposited in banks. Parvez was to arrange the flat for meetings. Nikhil's role was to manage the bag of cash while Prince Pal assisted them in the counting process,' DCP Chauhan said. The gang had executed similar frauds — two in Tughlakabad to the tune of Rs 1 crore and Rs 18 lakhs respectively, and another in Chattarpur. On the modus operandi of the gang, DCP Chauhan said, 'Before bringing the client, a setup was prepared inside a well-maintained flat — one room had a trunk filled with dummy cash bundles, and another had a cash counting machine placed on a table.' A bundle of Rs 500 notes, which were not fake, would be counted by the machine and handed over to the client to win their trust. Once they would stop checking the other bundles, the fraudsters would then start counting the fake notes at a faster speed and pack them up in a bag, the police said.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Rs 40 lakh gone in minutes! How a Delhi man got tricked with 'Manoranjan Bank' notes in elaborate 'money exchange' fraud
In Delhi, a man lost Rs 40 lakh to fraudsters posing as money exchangers. The gang, operating from a rented flat, used dummy notes from 'Manoranjan Bank.' After the victim reported the crime, police arrested Nikhil, Prince, Parvez, and Asgar. Authorities seized over Rs 1.2 crore in fake notes, Rs 7.5 lakh in real cash, and a cash-counting machine. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Delhi Police bust gang, recover fake money Over Rs 1.2 crore in dummy 'Manoranjan Bank' notes Rs 7.5 lakh in real cash Rs 4.5 lakh frozen in a bank account A cash-counting machine Mobile phones used in the fraud How the scam worked Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Who was involved? Asgar found potential victims Parvez arranged rented flats Nikhil managed the display cash Prince assisted in operations Police also linked them to three other big frauds: Rs 1 crore scam in Tughlaqabad Rs 30 lakh case in Chhatarpur Rs 18 lakh fraud, also in Tughlaqabad Case registered, probe continues A man in Delhi was duped of Rs 40 lakh by a gang posing as money exchangers. The group set up a fake currency exchange in a rented flat and handed the man a bag full of dummy notes labelled 'Manoranjan Bank'.According to a TOI report, the man met the group on July 4 in a flat at CR Park. He had arranged Rs 40 lakh to buy property and was offered a cash deal by the accused. They showed him a trunk of notes and even used a cash-counting machine to make the scene look counted a real bundle of Rs 500 notes in front of him, convincing him to transfer the money online. But after the deal, the man realised the bag was full of fake July 6, the victim reported the case to the CR Park police station. A team led by DCP (South) Ankit Chauhan began a probe and arrested three suspects, Nikhil (24), Prince (20), and Parvez (43), on July 9 from Saidulajab, IGNOU Road. The next day, a fourth accused, Asgar (39), was included:The accused used clever tricks to fool victims. The flat was staged to look like a legitimate money exchange point. A real Rs 500 bundle was counted in front of the victim. Then, using a hole in the bed, it was secretly swapped with fake bundles by a person hiding victim was handed the fake cash while the gang one of the accused, said he learned the scam from Nasim, a man from Bihar, who ran similar rackets across India. Each gang member had a specific role:A case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS. Police are still investigating and looking for other gang members involved in similar from TOI
