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Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Anushka Sharma once said she is proud of being an 'army officer's daughter'; recalled chats with her father during the Kargil War: 'I was scared of seeing...'
Anushka Sharma , one of Bollywood's well-known stars, was born in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. She spent most of her childhood in Margherita (Assam) and later in Bengaluru (Karnataka), as her father was an army officer. Her father, Colonel (Retired) Ajay Kumar Sharma, often had to move due to his military postings. She once said being raised in a military family played a big role in shaping who she is. Her father served during Kargil Anushka's father has served in every war since 1982, including Operation Bluestar and the Kargil War . When the Kargil War broke out in 1999 between India and Pakistan, Anushka was just 11 years old. She didn't fully understand what was happening, but she knew her father had gone to fight in the war. In a 2012 chat with ETimes, she opened up about that time, saying, 'Kargil was a tough one. I was too young at that time but I was scared of seeing my mother. She would always have the news channel switched on throughout the day and would get upset when casualties were announced.' Back then, Anushka didn't realise the seriousness of the war. She would simply chat away on the phone with her father about school, friends, and even boyfriends. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Jatimakmur: Unsold Sofas Prices May Surprise You (Prices May Surprise You) Sofas | Search Ads Search Now Undo She added, 'When my dad called, he could not say much but I would go on talking about my school, boyfriends and everything else without realising that he was fighting a war.' Her bond with father is special Anushka said she has always been very close to her father. She shared, "I am extremely close to my father. I can talk to him about things I can't talk to anyone else about." This bond has remained strong over the years, and she proudly said, "I take pride in saying that I am an army officer's daughter even more than being an actor." Now focused on family life On the work front, Anushka was last seen in a small cameo in the OTT film 'Qala'. These days, she seems to be enjoying time away from the screen and focusing more on her family and motherhood. Reports suggest that Anushka is currently living in London with her husband, cricketer Virat Kohli , and their children.
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Punjab needs a hero, not a leader
Exactly 40 years to the day, the country gave itself a chance to revive its dead and putrid moral spirit and give its politics a new ray of hope to flourish beyond petty politicking. Eleven months after the catastrophic Operation Bluestar and anti-Sikh pogrom, then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi signed a rather extraordinary Memorandum of Settlement with then president of Punjab's only regional and predominantly Sikh religious party, Shiromani Akali Dal. The Punjab accord, inked on July 24 in 1985, marked a break from the past as this was probably the first time ever since Independence that a constitutionally elected Government of India had entered into a formal accord for the resolution of a conflict in a strife- torn state, not with the government of the province but with just a political party, and that too one which at that time did not have a formal mandate of the people of the state to represent them. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Akali Dal president Harcharan Singh Longowal in New Delhi. (KK Chawla/HT) A daring political approach SAD was not in government at that time and even the legislative assembly of the state stood dissolved. This fact was and is extremely significant as it heralded a new daring in political approach to go beyond the constitution in order to find a solution to issues which were far more than political, economic or geographical. They had a strong psychological and emotional dimension which had remained un-addressed for over 37 years since 1947. It also signaled an acknowledgement by the then government that the country was not just a constitutional entity but was an offspring of covenant based on the diverse sentiments and aspirations of people who had little in common except a shared national sentiment – and needed an emotional leaven to bind together a people with a staggering diversity of religions, languages, regional cultures and even the political history of their respective regions. That such a path-breaking effort was made was a tribute to what appeared at that time to be a daring vision of the national and regional leadership. Alas, that was to prove just idealistic day dreaming by the lovers of an emotional togetherness of a potentially great nation. The accord had two clearly demarcated zones of relevance: its Letter on the one hand and its Spirit on the other. That the accord was fundamentally flawed in letter was proved by strong opposition to its terms by the more popular segment in one of the two signatories, the SAD. Led by the two stalwarts of Panthic politics, Parkash Singh Badal and Gurcharan Singh Tohra, the opposition to the written clauses on two key aspects of the complex Punjab tangle --- the religious and the riparian aspects --- was entirely understandable as the its clauses seemed to compromise on the very basis on which Punjab's and Alkalis' agitation till then had stood. Lost opportunity And yet, tough as it was, this was a hurdle that may still have been transcended if the major signatory to the document, the prime minister, had allowed his nationalistic and democratic instinct to sidestep political considerations of his party in Haryana. His failure to do that was a disastrous blunder which led not only to the non-implementation of the accord but also to a long trail of blood in Punjab and to the tragic dissipation of the constructive nationalistic impulse which the accord had generated. In retrospect, the country paid a huge price for petty gains of the Congress party in Haryana elections. A great emotional national landmark was erased just to preserve an electoral scribble in a small state. None of the issues that the accord set out to resolve was even seriously addressed. Even that may have been a manageable and retrievable failure. What was lost – and will take a long time to recover, recreate and grasp – was an opportunity for emotional integration of the people of the country along an approach based on consensus and mutual respect. In other words, the real blow dealt by Rajiv Gandhi's betrayal of Sant Harchand Singh Longowal's sacrifice lay not in political, economic or geographical detail but in that it created a massive trust deficit in the nation's life. What we are witnessing today in the evaporation of an idealistic and unifying national impulse is merely one of the aftershocks of that historic betrayal of innocent faith. It is history's revenge that Rajiv Gandhi's birthday will always fall on the martyrdom day of the man he betrayed (Sant Longowal) – August 20. The accord and all that it stood for is dead and even the issues it sought to address may have lost some of their practical relevance. But ideological and emotional implications of the approach that the accord symbolised are still intact and will continue to serve as a reminder of the direction our country's politics needs to take in years, decades and centuries to come. Lessons we must learn The modern day cynicism that afflicts the country's political and even social life is the result merely of our contemptuous dismissal of elementary idealism about values in our personal as well as public life: the two can barely be separated. You cannot aspire for values in public life and yet conveniently ignore them in personal life. Yes, the accord is dead and there is no use crying over the milk we have worked so hard to spill. Yet, it is still not too late to go back to the creative and constructive impulse and vision that the accord had come, wittingly or unwittingly, to symbolise. And the centrepiece of that impulse and vision is politics of constructive consensus on vital issues. There is a need to take politics away from its current pathetic plight as an ugly, abusive and utterly personalised street brawl and to create an environment in which political opposition translates into approach to public issues. Politicians owe it to us to ensure that politics is seen as much more than personal interests or fortunes of leaders. The atmosphere in which political opposition becomes coterminous with poisonous personal enmity must be abandoned. Politicians must stop speaking a language which paints them bloodthirsty beasts of prey, out to slice each other's throat: they must appear not as enemies but as alternatives to resolve people's issues. Punjab – or the Punjab of which we used to be so proud – must set an example in this before the rest of the country. That was the spirit of which the Punjab Accord had sparked hopes. Even though the accord died much before its two signatories fell to assassins, its spirit still awaits someone to come and claim it. The politics of unseemly confrontation can produce winners and losers for a day but it can never produce heroes immortalised by history. It can give us a Machiavelli or a Hitler but never a Nelson Mandela. (The author, a long-time adviser to the late chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, is a freelance contributor. Views expressed are personal).
Hindustan Times
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: Head granthi slams call for central security forces at Golden Temple
Golden Temple head granthi and former Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh on Saturday took an exception to the demand for deployment of central security forces in wake of multiple bomb threat e-mails received by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). A Punjab Police SWAT team keeps vigil at Heritage Street in Amritsar on Saturday. (Sameer Sehgal/HT) His statement came after Amritsar member of Parliament (MP) Gurjeet Singh Aujla demanded that central government and state government jointly increase security here and Amritsar be declared a 'no-war zone'. One of the threat e-mails were also copied to the Congress MP. However, Aujla refuted media reports claiming that he had demanded 'deployment of the CISF' at Golden Temple. Responding to a query during the interaction, Giani Raghbir Singh said the demand for central forces was wrong. 'The Congress has the history of committing excesses against Sikhs. Its government sent forces to attack Sri Darbar Sahib and Akal Takht Sahib. Following this, it massacred thousands Sikhs. It seems this was not enough for it.' 'Staff of the SGPC is efficient enough to ensure security inside Sri Darbar Sahib. Outside it, the administration should perform its duty to provide security to the devotees,' he added. Other Sikh segments also took serious note of the demand for deployment of the central forces. SGPC member and former general secretary Kiranjot Kaur said, 'After Operation Bluestar, Sikhs were allowed to enter the Darbar Sahib only after being thoroughly checked. Are political parties trying to create that same atmosphere again? Let the gurdwara remain a gurdwara—keep your politics out of it.' Former SGPC member and Akal Purakh Ki Fauj chief advocate Jaswinder Singh said, 'What new conspiracy is this? With what authority can such a demand be made without consulting the SGPC? If the SGPC calls Sikhs for security of Darbar Sahib, then the entire Panth will stand here in its support, one after the other.' Since July 14, the SGPC has received at least six e-mails threatening to blow up the Golden Temple. The Punjab Police on Friday had detained a 24-year-old software engineer, Shubham Dubey, from Faridabad, Haryana, in connection with the e-mails. Amritsar commissioner of police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said, 'Our investigation is going on. The laptop and other devices recovered from Dubey are full of data. Retrieval of the data is taking time. Secondly, we have got another major lead from another state. Soon we will get a breakthrough in this case.' Investigators said such threat e-mails were landing across different cities in the country, threatening to target worship places, educational institutes, court complexes, etc. Source of threat e-mails traced: CM Chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, while in Barnala on Saturday, said the source of the bomb threat e-mails had been traced and the accused will be given exemplary punishment. Ludhiana MP and Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who visited Golden Temple on Saturday evening, said the Centre and state governments were not taking cognisance of the e-mails threatening to target the shrine. He claimed that an e-mail was received even after detention of the Faridabad software engineer. 'This proves that the sender is closely watching the police activity,' he said while addressing the media.
Hindustan Times
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Akali workers barge into Congress office over MLA Pargat's remarks in Jalandhar
Tensions prevailed in Jalandhar when the workers of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) barged into the office of the district Congress committee on Thursday after statements of Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh emerged in which he alleged that there was a 'deliberate delay' during the previous Capt Amarinder Singh government in the state in 'providing justice' in sacrilege incidents. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) protesting in Jalandhar. The Akali workers, accompanied by youth Akali Dal activists, burnt effigies of the Congress leaders, alleging that Pargat Singh has exposed Congress' anti-Sikh stance. YAD president Sarabjeet Singh Jhinjer said the Congress has a proven track record of being anti-Sikh from the 1984 riots to Operation Bluestar. 'The Congress has a long history of hurting Sikh sentiments. Now, with Congress MLA Pargat Singh admitting that the Congress government deliberately delayed justice in sacrilege cases for political gain, it reaffirms our stand that the party holds deep-rooted hatred toward the Sikh community,' he said. He added that it is highly shameful that the Congress played politics on such a sensitive issue involving the sacrilege of holy granths. 'During their five years in power, they deliberately stalled justice just for cheap political gains. Pargat Singh must come forward and name those in the Congress government who were responsible for this delay,' the SAD leaders said. Meanwhile, the president of the Jalandhar district Congress committee, Rajinder Beri, condemned the lawlessness created by Akali Dal workers at the party's office. 'They had no right to barge into our party office and hold a protest. Everyone knew the fact that serious sacrilege incidents happened during the SAD-BJP rule, and it was their leaders who orchestrated it with the help of fringe elements,' he said. The party demanded stringent action against the Akali workers for creating a ruckus in the Congress office.
News18
17-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
‘No Choice…': Nishikant Dubey Says BJP Needs PM Modi In 2029 Polls
BJP's Nishikant Dubey sees PM Modi as the party's leader for 15-20 years, claiming BJP won't win 150 seats in 2029 without him. He also spoke on Thackeray brothers and Owaisi. BJP leader Nishikant Dubey has said that he considers Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the party's central leader for the next 15-20 years as the party won't be able to secure a good margin in the 2029 Lok Sabha polls if the latter won't be projected as the party's face. In a two-minute teaser of interview shared by ANI, the Godda MP expressed his views on varied issues and topics, ranging from his controversial remark on Thackeray brothers, Operation Bluestar and his 'love-hate" relationship with AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. BJP Needs PM Modi In the interview with the news agency, the BJP MP said that he only sees Narendra Modi as the central leader for the next 15-20 years. He even claimed that if PM Modi won't be projected as the BJP's face, the saffron camp won't be able to win even 150 seats in the general elections. He said that BJP has no choice other than PM Modi to contest the 2029 Lok Sabha elections in his name. When asked about Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat's recent remarks suggesting that leaders should step aside at the age of 75, Dubey said that this does not apply to PM Modi as the party needs him to be in power rather than PM Modi requiring BJP. The BJP MP further said that a political party functions on the basis of personality cult. Remark on Thackerays The BJP MP also spilled the beans about his recent controversial remark on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray over the ongoing language row in Maharashtra where he dared the 'bahut bade boss' to come out of the state and said, ' Tumko patak patak ke maarenge" (you will be thrashed badly, again and again). Dubey said he being a lawmaker, he won't take the law in his hands, but the people of whichever state the Thackeray brothers will visit, will thrash them. Dubey's comments came in response to Raj Thackeray's comment on the victory rally in Mumbai earlier this month, where he told his party workers to beat those who don't speak Marathi, but not to record videos of such incidents. Love-Hate Relationship With Owaisi Dubey also revealed about the relationship and bond he shares with his arch rival and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. During the interview, he said that he shares a cheerful and friendly bond with Owaisi for a long time. Dubey said that Owaisi is a family friend of him for years. The two firebrand leaders from rival parties were part of a seven-member delegation, headed by BJP MP Baijayant Panda, that travelled to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Algeria as part of India's global outreach in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack and India's response, Operation Sindoor. Before the team-up, Owaisi had slammed Dubey for his remarks on the Supreme Court. Following the apex court's landmark ruling on Tamil Nadu, which effectively imposed a deadline for the President and governors to approve Bills passed twice by the legislature, Dubey had said, 'Parliament and State Assemblies should be shut," noting that the Supreme Court was overstepping its boundaries. Dubey began his political journey in 2009, and has won the Godda Lok Sabha constituency in every election since then. From the Supreme Court and former Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna to, his latest political row challenging the Thackerays—Dubey's diatribes have targeted all and sundry. (With inputs from ANI) About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from More Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
