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Hans India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
A moving tale of belonging in a shifting world!
What happens when life changes in an instant—but the real damage is invisible? In 'Finding Home Again – Our Quest To Belong', debut author Richa Sharma explores that quiet heartbreak with honesty and grace. Set against the backdrop of a train derailment in flood-hit Assam, the novel gently unfolds the emotional journeys of three women—Mridula, Maya, and Kranti—as they deal with loss, memory, and the deeper meaning of home. Mridula is trapped in a relationship she's grown numb to. Maya hides behind denial, afraid of her own grief. Kranti, drawn to Maya, searches for anchoring in uncertain ground. Their paths cross during a shared tragedy, but what truly connects them is an inner ache that many readers will recognise: the feeling of being unmoored, in life and in identity. The three women don't know each other at first. But the tragedy connects their journeys. As they search for loved ones after the accident, each of them begins another kind of search—a personal one. They face old wounds, hard truths, and unspoken emotions. Richa Sharma, an alumna of the Department of Communication, SN School, University of Hyderabad, brings an emotional clarity to her writing. The storytelling allows each character to reveal themselves fully to the reader. The fictional towns of Maajorghat and Sigo Dolung are lovingly crafted, rich in detail and atmosphere. They give the story a grounded, almost timeless feel—rooted in the Northeast yet open enough for every reader to connect. The emotional themes in the book—displacement, belonging, silence, trauma—are heavy. But Richa never lets the story feel weighed down. There are moments of warmth, connection, even humour. The relationships are tender and complicated, especially between the women. There is no forced redemption or perfect ending. But there is hope. And a sense that even small steps forward matter. 'Finding Home Again – Our Quest To Belong' is a novel for readers who appreciate stories that breathe. It's for those who value characters, emotions, and truth. And once you finish the last page, you don't feel like you've just read a novel. You feel like you've been through something. You feel like you've been spoken to—not in grand speeches, but in a voice that's calm, careful, and kind.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
History Headline: Far from politics, journey of Hindi in southern states
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu recently waded into the language row, stating that former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, a scholar, knew 17 languages. Without mentioning any of the states that have been alleging Hindi imposition by the Centre, Naidu said on July 15 in Delhi, 'Now we are asking — why should we learn Hindi?' The governments of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala have in the past called the three-language formula proposed by the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, a covert move to impose Hindi on the southern states. They allege that the Centre's Hindi push goes against the idea of a federal polity. While the debate goes on, with the southern states often pitted as anti-Hindi, away from the noise of political debates, the language and its speakers have had a long history in the region. Scholars say Hindi actively began to make its presence felt in the South around the Independence movement, with Mahatma Gandhi establishing the first Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha in Madras (now Chennai) in 1918. The objective was to teach Hindi to a non-Hindi-speaking populace as a link language for the freedom movement. 'Learning Hindi was one way of feeling that one is participating in the Indian national freedom movement,' says Prof J Atmaram of the University of Hyderabad's Hindi Department. In 1922, the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha conducted its first preliminary exam to test basic Hindi proficiency. The first undergraduate examination, Rashtrabhasha Visharad, was conducted in 1931. In the other southern states where the Sabha had its regional centres — Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Kochi and Gulbarga — Hindi learning gained in popularity. 'For example, Andhra Pradesh acted as a corridor between Hindi and other southern languages. The state welcomed Hindi learning, be it in Hyderabad or Vijayawada,' says Atmaram. In Karnataka and Kerala too, there wasn't much opposition to Hindi. 'Tucked away in Ernakulam south stands the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, active since the 1930s,' he said. Hindi grew more organically with the advent of mass media — radio and TV. 'At radio stations in Madras and Trichy, Hindi programming, along with regional languages, continued in independent India,' said Atmaram. By the 1970s, Doordarshan had reached homes in the South with its Satellite Instruction Television Experiment (SITE). The experiment, which began in 1975, focused on Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, where instructional programming with shows dedicated to agriculture and education would have one visual component and two language components. For instance, a person in Andhra watching one of these programmes could opt to do so in Telugu. 'But while instructional programming had a language option, mass media programming, including news and entertainment which were aired through SITE, were mainly in Hindi,' says Prof B P Sanjay, who worked on SITE and was former director of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. The popularity of Doordarshan's blockbuster TV shows — Ramayana, Mahabharata, Chitrahaar, etc — meant that while few homes spoke Hindi, the language wafted uninterrupted into their homes and hearts. In the 1970s and '80s, another phenomenon contributed to the spread of Hindi — magazines published in Hindi. For instance, Dakshinanchal Hindi Samiti translated Bhakti literature into southern languages and vice versa. 'Also, there were famous Hindi language magazines, Kalpna and Golconda Darpan, which were being published from Hyderabad. These magazines were popular even in the North,' says Atmaram. These magazines gave writing in Hindi a push. The focus was on schooling students in Hindi and the NEP of 1968 paved the way with its recommendation of a three-language policy which foregrounded Hindi and English along with the regional languages. Except for Tamil Nadu, which followed the two-language (English and Tamil) policy in government- and aided-schools, all other southern Indian states had adopted the three-language policy. In recent times, with migration, the language and its dialects spread faster. In certain Kerala districts, there are bus boards displayed in Hindi to cater to migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. Operating out of Erode's Periyar Nagar — a neighbourhood named after Tamil Nadu's social reformer E V Ramasamy, who spearheaded the anti-Hindi agitations of the1930s — is the Tamil Nadu Hindi Prachara Sabha, an NGO run by M Krishnamurthy, 60, which conducts spoken Hindi classes. 'In Tamil Nadu, no one will stop you from teaching or learning Hindi. We have been running the institution from 2009 onwards,' he said. His institution caters not just to school students and civil service aspirants but also to Erode's turmeric traders. 'They need to converse in Hindi for their business interests and we help them,' he says. The writer is Assistant Editor, The Indian Express
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Business Standard
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Explained: What is the new Rohith Vemula Bill 2025 proposed in Karnataka?
The Karnataka government is set to introduce a bill named after Rohith Vemula, the Dalit PhD scholar who died by suicide in 2016, to tackle caste-based discrimination in higher educational institutions. The proposed legislation, titled 'The Karnataka Rohith Vemula (Prevention of Exclusion or Injustice)(Right to Education and Dignity) Bill, 2025', is expected to be tabled in the upcoming Monsoon Session of the legislature. What is Karnataka's Rohith Vemula Bill? According to the draft, the Bill seeks to 'prevent exclusion or injustice and to safeguard the right to education and dignity for the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and minorities' across public, private, and deemed universities in Karnataka, The Indian Express reported. What penalties does the Bill propose? The draft legislation makes cast discrimination a non-bailable and cognisable offence. It provides for strict penalties for individuals who commit or abet acts of discrimination. -A first-time offence will attract one year of imprisonment and a ₹10,000 fine, with courts empowered to award compensation up to ₹1 lakh to the victim. -A repeat offence will invite a three-year jail term along with a ₹1 lakh fine. -Institutions found violating inclusivity provisions — such as not being open to all castes, creeds, or genders — may face similar penalties and loss of government grants or financial aid. Why is the Bill named after Rohith Vemula? Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar from the University of Hyderabad, died by suicide in January 2016, alleging caste-based discrimination in his suicide note. His death triggered national outrage and debates on the marginalisation of Dalit students in Indian universities. In April this year, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi wrote to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, urging the state to bring legislation in Vemula's name to combat caste prejudice in educational settings. The proposal was also a promise in the Congress manifesto for the Karnataka Assembly elections. What is the political controversy around the Bill? As Karnataka moves forward with the Bill, political tensions have escalated in neighbouring Telangana. Bharatiya Janata Party's Telangana president N Ramchander Rao has issued a legal notice to state Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka for alleging Rao's involvement in Vemula's suicide. On Tuesday, Rao demanded an unconditional apology within three days and threatened criminal proceedings and a ₹25 lakh defamation suit if the demand is not met. The notice called Vikramarka's remarks 'ex-facie defamatory' and said that Telangana Police had found no evidence of Rao's involvement, having cleared him and others in a closure report filed last year. What are the Congress and BJP saying? The Congress criticised Rao's elevation as Telangana BJP chief on July 1, calling it a reward for those who act against Dalits and Adivasis. On July 11, Deputy CM Vikramarka recalled the 2016 incident, alleging that Rao had visited the university with supporters to pressurise the administration into acting against Dalit students of the Ambedkar Students' Association. The Bharatiya Janata Party, meanwhile, is defending Rao and accusing Congress leaders of false and malicious accusations, pointing to the Telangana Police's clean chit in the case. Rao, a senior advocate and ABVP veteran, has denied all allegations. (With agency inputs)
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao demands apology from Bhatti Vikramarka over Rohith Vemula claim
HYDERABAD: Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao has demanded an unconditional public apology from deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka for allegedly linking him to the 2016 suicide of University of Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula. The BJP Telangana unit also issued a statement on X, saying if the deputy chief minister fails to retract his remarks, the party will go ahead with defamation proceedings seeking Rs 25 crore in damages. The controversy stems from a statement made by Bhatti during a press conference at the AICC headquarters in Delhi last week. Expressing strong objection to Rao's recent appointment as BJP's state president, Bhatti accused him of pressuring police and university authorities in the Vemula case, which he claimed led to the student's expulsion from the hostel and eventual suicide. In response, Rao's legal counsel served a formal notice on Tuesday, demanding a retraction and apology. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad
The Hindu
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Deputy CM Bhatti gets a ₹25 crore defamation notice from BJP president Ramchander Rao
Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao has slammed a ₹25 crore defamation notice on Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and sought an unconditional public apology for his 'illegal' and 'unlawful' acts of making false imputations against him with regard to the suicide of University of Hyderabad (UoH) research scholar Rohith Vemula causing him 'serious agony' and 'Irreversible' damage. Mr. Vikramarka has been given three days to apologise or criminal action will be taken claiming damages of ₹25 crore, said the legal notice sent on Tuesday. The notice sent through Mr. Ramchander Rao's advocate M. Vijayakanth and associates, mentions that the Deputy CM at a press conference held in New Delhi at the AICC headquarters has alleged that Mr. Rao was one of the persons responsible for instigating the suicide of the research scholar. The notice stated that the BJP leader was 'absolved' of any involvement in the final report filed by the police in the Court of Special Sessions Judge for Trial of Cases under the SC/ST Act, Ranga Reddy district 'due to lack of evidence'. The police, after examining 59 witnesses and gathering crucial evidence, has held that Mr. Ramchander Rao has not abetted directly or indirectly in the tragic suicide. Yet, Mr. Vikramarka had made 'false statements' which are 'defamatory in nature' with a 'preconceived motive to tarnish the fame and reputation' of the BJP leader, said the notice. Condemning the Deputy CM's statements, the notice said it has caused 'irreversible' damage to the Telangana BJP president's reputation. The notice has cautioned Mr. Vikramarka against making any more such 'false, malicious and defamatory remarks' or further criminal proceedings will be have to be initiated.
