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Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Delhiwale: Paradise is in Sector 14, see!
Washed laundry is drying in the porch. The bungalow truly looks ordinary, here in Gurugram's Sector 14. A jaali door opens into a corridor illumined in the afternoon light. Spotting the staircase inside gives the first jolt. It is littered with neat stacks of books. Up the stairs, the veranda is wholly crammed with books. So is the drawing room. So are the two bedrooms. The kitchen, too. Books claim beds, sofas, tables and chairs. This private library is the work of a lifetime. At 84, the antiquarian bookseller Vijay Kumar Jain is warming up to the theme of retirement. His long relationship with 'old, rare books on South Asia in general and India in particular' had begun in the 1960s. Gradually, the collection became renowned. Bibliophiles from across the world would visit his ancestral mansion in the town's Sadar Bazar to view the prized editions. After the family sold the old house a decade ago, Vijay Kumar moved the collection to his current address. Today, the books inhabit the bungalow's first floor. He, with wife, Nisha, and their family, inhabit the more navigable ground-floor rooms. Attentively waving an arm towards his precious piles of hardbounds, the mild-mannered host murmurs softly: 'This section is all partition, Punjab is over there… that's Bengal… here is Gandhiana…' The first editions include several, but not all, of the 100 volumes of 'The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi.' A first edition Nehru is stacked tight in a shelf — its opening page bears the seal of 'Kitabistan, Allahabad.' 'The Jews of India' lies close to 'The Aryans in Iran and India.' Smiling under his bushy moustache, the book collector recalls the cross-country tours of his youth, visiting collectors and sellers in various cities, plus the weekly excursions to Delhi's legendary Sunday Book Bazar. During the early days of struggles and uncertainties, he would spent hours preparing the catalogues of his new acquisitions, the copies posted to college libraries and research scholars worldwide. Then came the day when young Vijay received his 'first fat order.' It had arrived from Germany's Heidelberg University. The excitement propelled him to cycle to elder brother Satya Prakash's residence in distant Delhi. He had felt an urgent urge to share the news with his beloved 'bhai saheb,' who had initiated him into books. Vijay Kumar had five brothers. All have passed—one was Ansari Road bookseller Ramesh Chandra, who operated independently. Strolling slowly from one room to another, the elderly gent pauses to gush over handsome bindings. He picks up the yellowed front page of the 3 April, 1924 edition of 'Young India,' a journal that Gandhi edited. Finally, settling down into a chair, he grows sentimental. 'When I hold an old book, I feel ajeeb sa anand, a kind of mental sakoon.'
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
The Hindu Huddle 2025: Not against delimitation but south India should get 33% representation, says Telangana CM Revanth Reddy
The southern States in India stand to lose in the delimitation exercise initiated by the BJP government at the Centre according to Revanth Reddy, the Chief Minister of Telangana. Responding to a question by The Hindu Group's Director N. Ram at The Hindu Huddle thought conclave, the CM said the exercise appears to be a punishment for Southern States which implemented family planning. Also Read | The Hindu Huddle 2025 Day 1 live updates 'We are fundamentally not against it but we need to know the terms of reference. If it's based on population or pro rata, the southern States would lose as they strictly implemented family planning. Instead of appreciation, they are punished for the initiative. And such a scenario would widen the gap between the southern and northern states,' Mr. Reddy said. When asked about the solution for the issue, the CM suggested that there should be 33% seats to southern States. Taking up the case of these States, he said, 'We've been contributing a lot in terms of tax but what we get in return is much less compared to the BIMARU States. So the best solution is to give 33% seats to the south. BJP apparently wants to deny political opportunity to the south with just one policy.' He further opined that there should be wider consultation with the stakeholders on the terms of reference and other issues. Speaking about social justice and bold experiments and branding the caste census as a Congress party mark initiative (taken up by the BJP), he said, the survey would be an answer to the next generation over the result of welfare taken up past 70 and odd years. 'We've taken up several parameters, health, education, backwardness etc, and included all sections, SC, ST, Minority, EWS for the census across Telangana to ensure justice to the poorest of the poor. This is Telangana model and Government of India is implementing it,' he claimed. Speaking about the liberal steps taken up in government residential schools, he said that all the residential schools, SC, ST, Minority and others, are being merged to help the students from deprivation and social isolation. 'Taking inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi's Young India, I asked officials to include everyone and name the schools as Young India Residential Schools. We are allocating 25 acres to each of the school,' he stated. He spoke at length about the farming community in Telangana, which forms 60% of population, and said Rs 21,000 crore debts cleared and another ₹18,000 crore input subsidy per annum was provided to farmers. 'Besides free power, farmers in Telangana get bonus and MSP and their paddy production was the highest in the country. My idea is to facilitate a farmer, a businessman and an employee in each family,' Mr. Revanth claimed. Women in Telangana were given free ride in over 1,000 RTC buses. For women Self Help Groups, a host of projects, solar etc, skilling through tie ups with corporates such as Tata and entities in Japan and Singapore are in place. And there are incentives for SHGs to market their products abroad according to Mr. Revanth. The CM said the State of Telangana could secure ₹3 lakh crore investment through Davos platform and they are being facilitated through a single window clearance system. 'There are a bunch of countries such as Taiwan where the investment is overflowing. I want to propose Telangana a preferred alternative in the world for foreign investment. Infrastructure, manufacturing and green technologies are being encouraged. And there is zero tax on electronic and other segments,' he said. Giving details about the proposed fourth city around Hyderabad, which is planned in 30,000 acres, he said, it will cater to investments in a bouquet of sectors medical tourism, education, sports and sustainable living with zero emissions. Telangana being land locked, the State is developing a dedicated export corridor/ highway to access Machilipatnam port in Andhra Pradesh according to him. 'We want to create the best infrastructure here to give competition to global cities such as New York,' he said. The Hindu Huddle 2025 is presented by Sami-Sabinsa Group Co-powered by: Government of Karnataka, Government of Telangana Associate Partners: ONGC, Presidency University, TAFE, Akshayakalpa Organic Energy Partner : Indian Oil Corporation Limited Realty partner: Casagrand Knowledge partner: Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham State partner: Meghalaya tourism and Haryana government Luxury car partner: Toyota Radio partner: Radio City Gift partner: Anand Prakash Broadcast partner: Times Now Outdoor media partner: Signpost India
The Hindu
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
From The Hindu, May 1, 1925: Gandhiji on personal expenses
Ahmedabad, April 30: Mr. Gandhi answers in to-day's Young India, the correspondent who asks him if he takes anything from the All-India Congress Committee or the Gujarat Congress Committee, for his living and touring expenses. Mr. Gandhi says: 'I draw nothing from the All-India Congress Committee or the Gujarat Committee but friends fund my travelling expenses including food and clothing.'
The Hindu
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
From The Hindu, April 24, 1925: The Vaikom Pact
Ahmedabad, April 23: Mr. Gandhi writes in today's Young India saying that the Travancore Government is giving full effect to the agreement arrived at between the Commissioner of Police and himself. He hopes that before long the prohibition against the use by the Untouchables of the public roads surrounding the temples will be a thing of the past. He points out to the Satyagrahis the absolute need for the scrupulous observance of their part of the compact.
