Latest news with #Rashmi
Hindustan Times
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Jharkhand tribal girl Rashmi meets Prez Murmu after historical educational milestone
Ranchi, Tribal girl Rasmi Birhor stood quietly among the crowd in a small hamlet in Ramgarh back in 2016 when then Jharkhand Governor Droupadi Murmu visited the hamlet. Though their interaction was brief, it ignited a dream in the girl that would change her life. Jharkhand tribal girl Rashmi meets Prez Murmu after historical educational milestone Now in 2025, Rashmi has emerged as the first matriculate and graduate from the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group community in Ramgarh. When the news reached Murmu, the current President, it culminated as a 'dream-come-true' for Rashmi. Rashmi got a special invitation from Raj Bhavan during the President's two-day visit to Jharkhand, which ended on August 1. The meeting was a deeply emotional one, not only for Rashmi and her family, but also for the community and institutions that supported her along the way. "Meeting her again — this time as the President of India — felt like a dream," Rashmi said, according to a statement from the Tata Steel Foundation. She was accompanied by Deepak Kumar Srivastava, assistant manager of community development at the Tata Steel Foundation , West Bokaro, whose team had played a pivotal role in her academic journey through the Akansha Project — TSF's flagship initiative supporting first-generation learners from PVTG communities. During the meeting, Rashmi expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the President, who made her feel welcome and comfortable by conversing with her in Santhali. Rashmi joined the Akansha Project in 2017. With support for residential schooling, financial aid, and consistent mentorship, she completed her schooling from St. Robert's Girls' School, Hazaribagh, and later graduated from GM Evening College, Hazaribagh. "Her achievement is a testament to the long-term impact of the Akansha Project and reflects the power of inclusive education to uplift marginalised communities. Rashmi's interaction with the Hon'ble President today not only celebrates her personal milestones but also highlights the growing aspirations of PVTG youth," the Tata Steel Foundation said. Anurag Dixit, general manager, West Bokaro Division, Tata Steel, shared: "This is a moment of immense pride for Tata Steel and the entire PVTG community. Rashmi's meeting with the Hon'ble President is not just symbolic; it is historic. Her journey reflects the very purpose of the Akansha Project: breaking systemic barriers and enabling transformation through education." The Akansha Project, launched in FY 2013 by the Tata Steel Foundation, works to bridge educational gaps for students from PVTG communities by providing access to residential and non-residential schooling, financial assistance, and holistic academic support. Over 80 Birhor students have benefited from the initiative so far. Rashmi's family - her father Sudhanshu Birhor, mother Sava Devi, and younger brother Manish Kumar are proud of her achievements. For their village and community, Rashmi has become a beacon of hope and a living example that education can rewrite destinies. Her meeting with President Murmu - the same woman who once inspired her as governor - is not just a personal victory but a milestone for hundreds of children across tribal regions of the country who now know that dreams, however distant, are within reach. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Time of India
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
First PVTG grad's story draws Rashtrapati Bhavan's attention
1 2 Ramgarh: The success story of Rashmi Birhor, a member of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), has drawn the attention of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and President Murmu met the girl from Ramgarh at the Raj Bhavan in Ranchi on Thursday evening during her stay here. Rashmi, daughter of Sudhanshu Birhor and Sayan Devi, is the first tribal girl from the Birhor community, a PVTG, from the Birhor Tola under the Basantpur panchayat of Ramgarh district. In TOI's story on Rashmi titled 'Inspired by Prez Murmu, PVTG girl becomes first grad in community' published on May 27, 2025, the tribal girl said she was inspired by the president who visited her hamlet in 2019 when she was the governor of the state. Speaking to TOI over the phone from Ranchi after she and her mother met President Murmu, Rashmi said that during her struggle for education, she received support from the Akanksha Project of Tata Steel, West Bokaro Division in Ramgarh district. She said, "We spoke to President Murmuji in Santali and told me that I have become a celebrity and should inspire more children, including from tribal communities, to pursue their dreams." Notably, the Birhor community faces significant socio-economic challenges, including low literacy rates, limited access to education and widespread poverty. These barriers hinder the community's younger generation's ability to break free from the cycle of deprivation. This is where the Tata Steel Foundation comes in to fill in the gaps by taking up the Akansha Project to provide comprehensive financial support, covering tuition fees, uniforms, books and other educational needs.
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Time of India
Couple found dead, suicide suspected; kin blame blade mafia
Kottayam: A 36-year-old building contractor, Vishnu S Nair of Ramapuram, and his wife, Rashmi (34), a nursing superintendent at a private hospital, were found dead at their rented house in Panakkapalam near Erattupetta on Monday. Syringes were found lodged in their bodies. Police suspect the couple died by suicide due to financial liabilities. Relatives have blamed blade mafia gangs based in Kaduthuruthy for their deaths. They claimed that staff from private moneylenders had visited their rented house and Vishnu's family home in Koodappulam on Sunday. Some men had threatened and assaulted Vishnu, who had been facing severe financial difficulties following the Covid pandemic, they said. Police are verifying the call records of the deceased to ascertain if they faced such threats. Vishnu was active in public life and had served as president of the Congress Party's Ramapuram mandalam committee earlier. He was the general secretary of the committee now, but he had taken a break from political activities due to financial issues. The couple, who had no children, had been living on the ground floor of a two-storey building in Panakkapalam. On Monday morning, Rashmi's mother tried calling her but received no response. She then asked the upstairs residents to check on them. The residents found the main door open and the bedroom locked. The house owner was alerted and the door was forcibly opened. The couple were found dead inside the room, lying in an embrace. Forensic and fingerprint experts arrived at the house and examined the scene. The bodies were handed over to the relatives after post-mortem. The funeral will be held at the family residence in Koodappulam at 2pm on Tuesday.
Scroll.in
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scroll.in
Fiction: Abandoned by everyone she has ever known, Monica rediscovers her first love, photography
Three months ago: Powder Room. The Royal Bombay Yacht Club, Colaba. Monica looked at her reflection and did not like it. A drawn face, tired from insomnia. Sunken eyes on the verge of tears. The best foundation and concealer could not hide the dark, bulging bags underneath. Putting her hand on her lower abdomen, she then moved it up to her solar plexus and pressed it firmly. There it was, a gnawing gut, as if aware of impending doom but uncertain as to what exactly the problem was. Monica then stared at her face, pursed her lips and whispered, 'Baanjh.' Blood curdled in her veins as tears welled up in her sunken eyes. 'Baanjh.' The blasphemous word for women who cannot conceive quivered through yet again. 'Baanjh,' she repeated as Rashmi, aka Mrs Nunu, walked in tok-tok, her Louboutin heels clacking on the marble floor of the club. 'Eeew! What did you just say?' 'I just repeated what I overheard this morning. Raghu's phone was in speaker mode when he was talking to his mother. She said it. He put the phone off speaker mode just as I entered the room. But the cursed word did not escape me.' 'Really?' 'I could not get the entire phone conversation, but it seemed as if she was agreeing with him. It seemed like he was asking for approval.' Rashmi looked into the mirror to check on her red lipstick. It had smudged a bit at the corners. 'These men are such idiots. Balding, ageing, but no, they still need Mummy-ji's approval. Nunu is the same.' Hearing the secret nickname for Rashmi's husband (coined by a sexually frustrated Rashmi herself), a small smile flitted across Monica's sad face. 'So glad the mention of Nunu made you smile. He is of no use otherwise. And c'mon now, we have work to do. This club serves the best dhansak–rice in the world, damn it, but I just Googled. Mutton dhansak has 415 calories. Plus, we had brown rice. That is another 396. We don't want to be getting fat now.' Saying this, she headed to the loo, pulling Monica by her skeletal arm. Next, both the lunching ladies dug their acrylic talons deep into their mouths and expunged the world-famous mutton dhansak from the Royal Bombay Yacht Club. 'I feel something terrible is going to happen,' Monica mumbled as they walked down the imperial corridors towards her car. Rashmi asked, 'You have been feeling this for long, na? Is it that same one, that sales girl Raghu is screwing?' 'Vice president sales,' corrected Monica. The valet opened the door of the Bentley and Monica took the driver's seat. She rolled down the window and, giving him a currency note, looked at him and said a quick thank-you. Strapping her seat belt she added, 'From Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management.' She then tapped her finger on her temple. 'The woman has brains. She tripled business for him in the two years that she has been with the company. Raghu is smitten by her. Calls her his Luckshmi. L-U-C-K-shmi.' Saying this, she rolled her Bentley into the crowded roads and the cacophony of Mumbai. As her car drove down Haji Bunder, Rashmi asked Monica, 'Do you think you and Raghu have fallen apart because you don't have kids?' Monica heaved as she pointed to a looming gate that gradually came into view: Suri Charities. It belonged to Monica, from her parents and forefathers. It was a sprawling ancestral estate which housed several aids. An adoption home, a home for the destitute, a cancer hospice for the terminally ill, an experimental theatre and a free primary school for the underprivileged – it was a haven of goodness. A green seafacing oasis bang in the heart of Mumbai, it had been her great grandfather's land. In 1932 the governor of Bombay Presidency had inaugurated the property for the welfare of the poor and destitute. 'I mentioned adopting a child from the adoption agency on our estate. But no. Some crap called 'humara khoon'. And it is not just Raghu or his mother. My parents also think that a child must be borne of bloodline.' 'Do you miss having a child, Monica?' 'Not at all. I am absolutely okay not having one. But the constant pressure of my family's unfulfilled expectations of me is choking my life. Yaar, I have done all the things everyone asked of me. Now if I can't have a child, is it my bloody fault? Am I no longer good enough for my people? I am fed up yaar!' A beat. The car rumbled on. Rashmi touched Monica's arm and she took a deep breath. 'All I want is to be accepted for who I am. That's it. Just the way I am. Is that asking for too much?' Rashmi stared at Monica. Such existential crises were not her cup of tea.
Hans India
23-06-2025
- Hans India
'Stitch slippers' row at IndiGo: Airline refutes ‘baseless' claims
New Delhi, June 23 : After a controversy erupted over claims by a trainee pilot of alleged caste-based discrimination and verbal abuse, low-cost carrier IndiGo on Monday denied such allegations. A 35-year-old trainee pilot with IndiGo filed a police complaint alleging caste-based discrimination and verbal abuse by three senior officials. The FIR was registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The complainant accused the officials of allegedly humiliating him during a meeting on April 28 at IndiGo's headquarters in Gurugram. 'You are not fit to fly an aircraft, go back and stitch slippers. You are not even worthy of being a watchman here,' he quoted the officials as saying in his complaint. IndiGo said in a statement that it upholds a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of discrimination, harassment, or bias and remains firmly committed to being an inclusive and respectful workplace. 'IndiGo strongly refutes these baseless claims and stands by its values of fairness, integrity, and accountability and will extend its support to the law enforcement agencies as required,' an airline spokesperson said. The trainee pilot initially approached the police in Bengaluru where a 'zero FIR' was registered, which was later transferred to Gurugram, where the alleged incident occurred. The trainee pilot, in his complaint, also cited 'professional victimisation,' including unjustified salary cuts, forced re-training, revocation of travel privileges, and unwarranted warning letters. He also alleged that the harassment began the moment he arrived at the airline's Emaar Capital Tower 2 office. Gurugram Police said they were verifying his claims, by collecting evidence and will soon record the statements of all parties involved. Meanwhile, last week an IndiGo flight carrying 168 passengers issued a 'Fuel Mayday' call mid-air and made an emergency landing at Bengaluru International Airport. Speaking to IANS on Saturday, IndiGo spokesperson Rashmi said that no official statement has been released so far. She added, 'The pilot declared a 'Fuel Mayday' after the flight was rerouted from Chennai to Bengaluru due to air traffic congestion.'
