.
At The Oscars Four Years Ago - Now A Sex Worker
25 Feb 2009, 0601 hrs IST
.
KOLKATA: When A R Rahman walked up to receive the golden Oscar statuette, her eyes misted over. Preeti Mukherjee knows exactly how it feels. Four
years ago, she was on the same stage at Los Angeles’ Kodak Theatre, where she, too, had hugged the statuette and cried tears of joy. She hasn’t missed a single awards ceremony since. On Monday, she woke up in the wee hours to catch the live telecast — before starting the day’s grind at Sonagachhi.
Preeti, who goes by the name Puja in Asia’s largest red light district, had got sucked into the sex trade just a year after her brush with the Oscars.
In 2005, Preeti was part of the Oscar-winning documentary Born Into Brothels, directed by Zana Briski. The child cast of nine had cheered so loud that it still rings in her ears. And she still remembers the warmth of the hug Zana gave her as the award was announced.
“It seems like a fairy tale now. I still see it in my dreams. I get goosebumps when I remember the heart-stopping moment when the award was announced. All of us kept screaming with joy. Zana aunty made sure we, too, went along to collect the statuette. My head was swimming, there were so many eyes on us, the deafening applause, so many cameras flashing...” Preeti recalls.
In 2002, when not yet into her teens, Briski and Ross Kauffman chose her in the cast of nine to teach them photography and get a close-up view of their world and that of their mothers. The film was completed in 2004 and went on to win about 20 international awards, capped by the Oscar.
When the film was nominated, the directors flew the kids to Los Angeles. Life was happy for some time and the directors tried their best to rehabilitate the kids. Preeti, who was in high school, and the rest got an offer to stay back in the US and study. Some did. She backed out.
“Aunty (Zana) gave a lot of money by cheque to my mother and asked her to release me, but she was unwilling. I am a girl and an only child and my mother wouldn’t let go. Call it family pressure if you will. It’s quite simple, really,” Preeti said, with a dismissive shrug and a short laugh. “So, you see me here.”
Abhijit, one of the kids in the film, now studies in New York University. Another girl goes to school there. Preeti is in touch with both of them. Two others are studying at Future Hope, run by a charitable trust. One has got married while another girl, who was with an internationally funded NGO, has disappeared.
Dressed in jeans and a trendy shirt, Preeti could pass for any other collegegoer, until the whiff of smoke and alcohol in her breath hits you. And you look at her eyes — beautiful, aggressive and defiant.
“At this age, I have a flat in Salt Lake, a laptop, costly phones and plenty of money. What do I lack?” she looks you square in the eye. “Zana aunty and I are in touch by email. She was upset that I, too, had joined the trade like my mother, something she wanted to save me from. But this trade has really paid off for me.” A sign of her ‘prosperity’ — she has hired rooms in Prem Kamal, one of the most expensive Sonagachhi buildings.
Mother Rakhi lives in the opposite building. Preeti pays for her living expenses. Rakhi says she wanted a “normal” life for Preeti. She still has a fading photo of Preeti with the Oscar statuette stuck on a wall. “That is all I have left of her..,” she says, tears in her eyes.
There is no clear answer as to how and why Preeti became a sex worker. Police records say she was rescued from a racket while a minor, sent to a juvenile home from where she was handed to her mother by the state child welfare committee.
Police say she’s now part of a major sex racket that involves extremely powerful people, who will never let her escape into a sunnier world. Behind the I-care-a-damn stare, you can see a fleeting longing in her eyes — a longing for freedom.
.
.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Muslim Parents Marry Hindu Girl
.
Muslim parents marry adopted Hindu girl to Hindu groom
.
GHAZIABAD: A childless 55-year-old Muslim furniture shop owner adopted a Hindu Brahmin’s daughter 18 years ago, brought her up as a Hindu, and Gudiya's Muslim parents married off their only 'child' with full Hindu rites. (TOI)
on Thursday night, married Gudiya off to a Brahmin business executive from South Delhi.
In what may sound as a fairy tale, Gudiya’s Muslim parents married off their only ‘child’ with full Hindu rites, in a ceremony as grand as they could afford.
And, as they bid a tearful farewell to Gudiya, now called Rakhi, who hung on to the couple as though she would never leave, the neighbors and invitees were amazed at the intensity of the bond between parents and child.
Gudiya left with her husband, a multi-national corporation executive, Ranjit Sharma, leaving her ‘father’, Shabir Khan, behind. “Who will we now celebrate Holi with? No Eid will be the same without her. She is more our child than a natural one would be,” he said.
It all started 18 years ago, when Shabir Khan used to live in Vinod Nagar in East Delhi. The couple had no child of their own. And, one Sharma, a neighbor and close friend, had 6 daughters. Sharma agreed that Khan could adopt one of his daughters, which Khan did.
Then, some years later, Khan moved to Rahul Vihar in Ghaziabad, where his shop in Pratap Vihar was doing well.
“I thought it was my daughter’s arrival that brought us luck. And, since she joined us, she has been a sort of reason for our existence. “Aaj mujhe lagta hai jaise mere dil ka ek tukra chala gaya (Today, I feel like a peace of my heart has departed from me.)
When Khan adopted Gudiya, he had a separate pooja ghar (prayer room) for her, where she could pray to the Hindu deities. The family celebrated Diwali with as much gusto as they did Eid.
Gudiya completed her 10+2 examination from a Central Board of Secondary Education affiliated school. “We are a little conservative, as is the groom’s family. And, they thought that, to be a housewife, she needed only to have passed school,” the father said.
Muslim parents marry adopted Hindu girl to Hindu groom
.
GHAZIABAD: A childless 55-year-old Muslim furniture shop owner adopted a Hindu Brahmin’s daughter 18 years ago, brought her up as a Hindu, and Gudiya's Muslim parents married off their only 'child' with full Hindu rites. (TOI)
on Thursday night, married Gudiya off to a Brahmin business executive from South Delhi.
In what may sound as a fairy tale, Gudiya’s Muslim parents married off their only ‘child’ with full Hindu rites, in a ceremony as grand as they could afford.
And, as they bid a tearful farewell to Gudiya, now called Rakhi, who hung on to the couple as though she would never leave, the neighbors and invitees were amazed at the intensity of the bond between parents and child.
Gudiya left with her husband, a multi-national corporation executive, Ranjit Sharma, leaving her ‘father’, Shabir Khan, behind. “Who will we now celebrate Holi with? No Eid will be the same without her. She is more our child than a natural one would be,” he said.
It all started 18 years ago, when Shabir Khan used to live in Vinod Nagar in East Delhi. The couple had no child of their own. And, one Sharma, a neighbor and close friend, had 6 daughters. Sharma agreed that Khan could adopt one of his daughters, which Khan did.
Then, some years later, Khan moved to Rahul Vihar in Ghaziabad, where his shop in Pratap Vihar was doing well.
“I thought it was my daughter’s arrival that brought us luck. And, since she joined us, she has been a sort of reason for our existence. “Aaj mujhe lagta hai jaise mere dil ka ek tukra chala gaya (Today, I feel like a peace of my heart has departed from me.)
When Khan adopted Gudiya, he had a separate pooja ghar (prayer room) for her, where she could pray to the Hindu deities. The family celebrated Diwali with as much gusto as they did Eid.
Gudiya completed her 10+2 examination from a Central Board of Secondary Education affiliated school. “We are a little conservative, as is the groom’s family. And, they thought that, to be a housewife, she needed only to have passed school,” the father said.
Ajay Devgan's Bike Among 70 Picked
.
Actor's bike among 70 picked for ducking duty
MUMBAI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has "detained'' about 70 superbikes from Mumbai and Pune, including the one being used by actor Ajay
Devgan, for alleged duty evasion. Superbikes are not manufactured in India; these bikes were not imported in one piece, but as parts over several years, and then assembled.
While the newly imported bikes attract 60% duty, old bikes attract 100% duty. The parts, on the other hand, are brought in at 24% duty.
Five swanky bikes, mainly of Honda make, are "detained'' the Marine Lines office of the DRI. One of them is a Suzuki Hayabusa. Some of these can attain a speed of 200 kmph. On Thursday, 22 premises, including some automobile showrooms, were searched. Some bikes were picked up from the homes of owners, like that of Devgan. Film-maker Sanjay Gupta's bike is also under the scanner. He, however, denied that it had been "detained''.
The DRI worked backwards on the information that customs data in Mumbai did not show any imports of bikes, but they were being used all over, specially in suburbs like Bandra and Andheri and even in south Mumbai. The RTO registrations of these bikes led the DRI to the documents of sale and import, including the bills of entry, which turned out to be forged.
The parts were imported from Singapore. The DRI is still checking whether they were imported as misdeclared cargo. The superbikes are sold for anything between Rs 7 lakh and Rs 15 lakh. The number of bikes "detained'' will go up substantially, as the agency is still on the job. Sources said neither Devgan nor the other owners might have known about the way the bikes were imported.
.
.
Actor's bike among 70 picked for ducking duty
MUMBAI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has "detained'' about 70 superbikes from Mumbai and Pune, including the one being used by actor Ajay
Devgan, for alleged duty evasion. Superbikes are not manufactured in India; these bikes were not imported in one piece, but as parts over several years, and then assembled.
While the newly imported bikes attract 60% duty, old bikes attract 100% duty. The parts, on the other hand, are brought in at 24% duty.
Five swanky bikes, mainly of Honda make, are "detained'' the Marine Lines office of the DRI. One of them is a Suzuki Hayabusa. Some of these can attain a speed of 200 kmph. On Thursday, 22 premises, including some automobile showrooms, were searched. Some bikes were picked up from the homes of owners, like that of Devgan. Film-maker Sanjay Gupta's bike is also under the scanner. He, however, denied that it had been "detained''.
The DRI worked backwards on the information that customs data in Mumbai did not show any imports of bikes, but they were being used all over, specially in suburbs like Bandra and Andheri and even in south Mumbai. The RTO registrations of these bikes led the DRI to the documents of sale and import, including the bills of entry, which turned out to be forged.
The parts were imported from Singapore. The DRI is still checking whether they were imported as misdeclared cargo. The superbikes are sold for anything between Rs 7 lakh and Rs 15 lakh. The number of bikes "detained'' will go up substantially, as the agency is still on the job. Sources said neither Devgan nor the other owners might have known about the way the bikes were imported.
.
.
BSNL Launches 3G Services in 11 Cities
.
.
DELHI: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), said on Friday it had launched third-generation (3G) services in 11 cities and planned to expand Smartphones
services to other areas in the country.
BSNL said in a statement it had invested Rs 2,700 crore ($530 million) on rolling out 3G infrastructure and would cover all district headquarters and important commercial towns.
India will hold an auction of 3G spectrum later this year, but state-run firms have already been given one slot in each service area, and will have to match the highest bid from private operators.
Third-generation services give users a chance to enjoy fast Internet access, games and a host of multimedia content from maps to music on their cellphones.
BSNL provides telecoms services across the country except in the major cities of New Delhi and Mumbai, which are covered by another state-run firm, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam.
.
.
.
DELHI: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), said on Friday it had launched third-generation (3G) services in 11 cities and planned to expand Smartphones
services to other areas in the country.
BSNL said in a statement it had invested Rs 2,700 crore ($530 million) on rolling out 3G infrastructure and would cover all district headquarters and important commercial towns.
India will hold an auction of 3G spectrum later this year, but state-run firms have already been given one slot in each service area, and will have to match the highest bid from private operators.
Third-generation services give users a chance to enjoy fast Internet access, games and a host of multimedia content from maps to music on their cellphones.
BSNL provides telecoms services across the country except in the major cities of New Delhi and Mumbai, which are covered by another state-run firm, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam.
.
.
Elizabeth Taylor
.
.
Born on 27th February 1932
Film star, born in London, UK. In 1939 she moved with her family to Los Angeles, where her charm took the eye of the Hollywood film world, and she made her screen debut in 1942 at the age of 10. As a child star she made a number of films, including National Velvet (1944).
She was first seen as an adult in Father of the Bride (1950). Her later films included Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Butterfield 8 (1960, Oscar), and Cleopatra (1962), which provided the background to her well-publicized romance with Richard Burton. With Burton she made several more films, including Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966, Oscar). Later films include The Mirror Crack'd (1980) and Zeffirelli's Young Toscanini (1988).
There was a break in her acting career in the 1980s, while she received treatment for alcohol addiction, and in the 1990s her private life has continued to capture the headlines. In 1985 she founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research.
She has been married EIGHT TIMES: Nicky Hilton Jr (1950–1), actor Michael Wilding (1952–7), film producer Mike Todd (1957–8), Eddie Fisher (1959–64), Richard Burton (Twice : 1964–74, 1975–6), US senator John W Warner (1976–82), and Larry Fortensky (1991–6). In 1999 she received a BAFTA Fellowship award for her lifetime achievements in film, and in 2003 announced her retirement. She became a dame in 1999.
.
.
.
Born on 27th February 1932
Film star, born in London, UK. In 1939 she moved with her family to Los Angeles, where her charm took the eye of the Hollywood film world, and she made her screen debut in 1942 at the age of 10. As a child star she made a number of films, including National Velvet (1944).
She was first seen as an adult in Father of the Bride (1950). Her later films included Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Butterfield 8 (1960, Oscar), and Cleopatra (1962), which provided the background to her well-publicized romance with Richard Burton. With Burton she made several more films, including Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966, Oscar). Later films include The Mirror Crack'd (1980) and Zeffirelli's Young Toscanini (1988).
There was a break in her acting career in the 1980s, while she received treatment for alcohol addiction, and in the 1990s her private life has continued to capture the headlines. In 1985 she founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research.
She has been married EIGHT TIMES: Nicky Hilton Jr (1950–1), actor Michael Wilding (1952–7), film producer Mike Todd (1957–8), Eddie Fisher (1959–64), Richard Burton (Twice : 1964–74, 1975–6), US senator John W Warner (1976–82), and Larry Fortensky (1991–6). In 1999 she received a BAFTA Fellowship award for her lifetime achievements in film, and in 2003 announced her retirement. She became a dame in 1999.
.
.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
India's Real Slumdog Billionaire
.
.
Kalpana Saroj :
MUMBAI: You could call her India's real life slumdog billionaire. Kalpana Saroj, a Dalit woman who broke social shackles and left her ramshackle home in the poorest part of her village 26 years ago to begin life afresh, today heads a Rs 3,000 crore business enterprise.
On Monday, state Forests Minister Babbanrao Pachpute inaugurated the new plant of her company Kamani Tubes in Wada, around 75 km from Mumbai.
For the 48-year-old Saroj, it was a dream come true. Standing outside the factory premises with her husband Shubhkaran, pilot son Amar, 24, and daughter Seema, 22, she smiled radiantly -- and remembered her painful past.
"Born in a poor Dalit family, I was married off forcibly at the age of 12 to a man more than 10 years older to me," Saroj told IANS. "A year later, I came back to my parents' home. The following year, I tried to join the police force like my father, but I was rejected."
Her attempts to rebuild her broken life were thwarted by other residents of her village, Roparkheda in Maharashtra's Akola district. They accused her of "overstepping social norms and boundaries". She bore the insults for 10 years before leaving the rural slum in which her family stayed to come to Mumbai.
Saroj moved into Ghatkopar here, met a man and married him, but he died in 1989, leaving her to fend for their two minor children.
Undeterred, she began managing her husband's small steel almirah manufacturing unit, launched a construction company and with the realty sector booming, made profits. She ploughed this money into small steel and sugar units.
Her biggest challenge came in March 2006 when her firm, Kalpana Saroj and Associates, took over the ailing Kamani Tubes and turned it around to a profitable enterprise.
A brand leader in non-ferrous tubes, the company was started by Mumbai's well-known industrialist Ramji Kamani, a close associate of the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who visited the Kurla factory twice.
However, a family discord affected the firm adversely. By 1975, it was on a downslide and was declared "sick" after the owners abandoned it.
Later, a court allowed the workers' union to run the company.
The experiment failed. By 1997, the company had run into debts of over Rs.1.6 billion (Rs.160 crore).
Almost a decade later, in March 2006, as per a court directive, Kalpana Saroj and Associates were given charge of the company, its 560 employees and the total debt burden.
Saroj took up the challenge.
According to Kamani Tubes Managing Director M.K. Gore, in an effort to boost employees' morale, she cleared in one go Rs 85 crore in salary arrears totted up over 17 years.
"I was born, grew up and lived in poverty for the first two decades of my life. I know what a worker undergoes when salaries are not paid on time - the bills, the creditors, the fees and other expenses. So it was very important for me to gain my workers' confidence," Saroj said.
Gradually, production resumed and touched 3,000 tonnes of non-ferrous tubes and pipes.
Owing to disputes over the ownership of the 1.8 acre property in Kurla, Saroj withdrew from a long court battle and began scouting for another location outside Mumbai.
"With an investment of around Rs.3 billion, we decided to shift the plant to Wada. We are the first in the country to install two giant-sized Pilger machines of Germany, costing Rs.1 billion," Gore said.
Her next targets are taking up the Kamani production to 10,000 tonnes, diversifying to manufacturing 100 different alloys, and catering to defence and communications requirements.
"Since my son is not interested in managing my business, I may even launch a private airline for him," she laughed.
.
.
.
Kalpana Saroj :
MUMBAI: You could call her India's real life slumdog billionaire. Kalpana Saroj, a Dalit woman who broke social shackles and left her ramshackle home in the poorest part of her village 26 years ago to begin life afresh, today heads a Rs 3,000 crore business enterprise.
On Monday, state Forests Minister Babbanrao Pachpute inaugurated the new plant of her company Kamani Tubes in Wada, around 75 km from Mumbai.
For the 48-year-old Saroj, it was a dream come true. Standing outside the factory premises with her husband Shubhkaran, pilot son Amar, 24, and daughter Seema, 22, she smiled radiantly -- and remembered her painful past.
"Born in a poor Dalit family, I was married off forcibly at the age of 12 to a man more than 10 years older to me," Saroj told IANS. "A year later, I came back to my parents' home. The following year, I tried to join the police force like my father, but I was rejected."
Her attempts to rebuild her broken life were thwarted by other residents of her village, Roparkheda in Maharashtra's Akola district. They accused her of "overstepping social norms and boundaries". She bore the insults for 10 years before leaving the rural slum in which her family stayed to come to Mumbai.
Saroj moved into Ghatkopar here, met a man and married him, but he died in 1989, leaving her to fend for their two minor children.
Undeterred, she began managing her husband's small steel almirah manufacturing unit, launched a construction company and with the realty sector booming, made profits. She ploughed this money into small steel and sugar units.
Her biggest challenge came in March 2006 when her firm, Kalpana Saroj and Associates, took over the ailing Kamani Tubes and turned it around to a profitable enterprise.
A brand leader in non-ferrous tubes, the company was started by Mumbai's well-known industrialist Ramji Kamani, a close associate of the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who visited the Kurla factory twice.
However, a family discord affected the firm adversely. By 1975, it was on a downslide and was declared "sick" after the owners abandoned it.
Later, a court allowed the workers' union to run the company.
The experiment failed. By 1997, the company had run into debts of over Rs.1.6 billion (Rs.160 crore).
Almost a decade later, in March 2006, as per a court directive, Kalpana Saroj and Associates were given charge of the company, its 560 employees and the total debt burden.
Saroj took up the challenge.
According to Kamani Tubes Managing Director M.K. Gore, in an effort to boost employees' morale, she cleared in one go Rs 85 crore in salary arrears totted up over 17 years.
"I was born, grew up and lived in poverty for the first two decades of my life. I know what a worker undergoes when salaries are not paid on time - the bills, the creditors, the fees and other expenses. So it was very important for me to gain my workers' confidence," Saroj said.
Gradually, production resumed and touched 3,000 tonnes of non-ferrous tubes and pipes.
Owing to disputes over the ownership of the 1.8 acre property in Kurla, Saroj withdrew from a long court battle and began scouting for another location outside Mumbai.
"With an investment of around Rs.3 billion, we decided to shift the plant to Wada. We are the first in the country to install two giant-sized Pilger machines of Germany, costing Rs.1 billion," Gore said.
Her next targets are taking up the Kamani production to 10,000 tonnes, diversifying to manufacturing 100 different alloys, and catering to defence and communications requirements.
"Since my son is not interested in managing my business, I may even launch a private airline for him," she laughed.
.
.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Aamir Cannot Play A Young Boy
.
.
Mumbai: Actor-turned filmmaker Sanjay Kapoor, who is busy with his film It's My Life, says he roped in Hurman Baweja for the lead role instead of Aamir Khan because the senior actor would not have fitted the character of a young boy.
"You should be looking at what is your story trying to tell. For It's My Life', the role required a young boy. Now obviously Aamir Khan wouldn't have fitted in there. Similarly for the role of a father, I needed someone whose mere presence bears a commanding authority. Of course there was no other choice but Nana Patekar," Sanjay told IANS.
It's My Life is a remake of Siddharth and Genelia D'Souza starrer superhit Telugu film Bommarillu.
Considering Hurman has seen back-to-back failures in Victory and Love Story 2050, does Sanjay have a sense of regret for his choice of leading actor in the film?
"Not at all!. There are two reasons for that. First, you have to be confident about your guy. When I signed him on, Love Story 2050 had not yet been released but I still believed in him. Second, always remember that your product is more important than a star. A good product can work without a known name but a bad product with the biggest of superstars won't work."
Why didn't he think about any actress other than Genelia for female lead?
"Why should I have looked elsewhere when Genelia was just so perfect in the original film Bommarillu. The moment I saw her in the film, I didn't look elsewhere and decided there and then that she would be my leading lady in It's My Life too", Sanjay said.
Speaking about the diminishing boundary between main lead, parallel lead and the next lead in Hindi cinema Sanjay said actors like Aamir and Shah Rukh Khan helped in removing that.
"Look at Aamir Khan in Rang De Basanti. How many actors would have dared to be one of the leads in the film that had so many other prominent characters. Still, he took up the challenge in spite of the director going ahead with almost equal footage to everyone."
He goes on to narrate other examples, "It's not just Rang De Basantibecause even in Dil Chahta Hai he shared frames with other actors. He is now doing the same in Three Idiots as well.
"I must also acknowledge the other actors who are no more insecure about their part in a mega starrer. Saif Ali Khan did what he had never before in Dil Chahta Hai. Now Sharman Joshi isn't worried when he is asked to be a part of Three Idiots."
Sanjay also feels that times have changed for the good.
"Now it's not the footage which matters; it's the importance of the role and an impact it is going to create that holds center stage. It's fun to make movies in the current times," he says.
.
.
.
Mumbai: Actor-turned filmmaker Sanjay Kapoor, who is busy with his film It's My Life, says he roped in Hurman Baweja for the lead role instead of Aamir Khan because the senior actor would not have fitted the character of a young boy.
"You should be looking at what is your story trying to tell. For It's My Life', the role required a young boy. Now obviously Aamir Khan wouldn't have fitted in there. Similarly for the role of a father, I needed someone whose mere presence bears a commanding authority. Of course there was no other choice but Nana Patekar," Sanjay told IANS.
It's My Life is a remake of Siddharth and Genelia D'Souza starrer superhit Telugu film Bommarillu.
Considering Hurman has seen back-to-back failures in Victory and Love Story 2050, does Sanjay have a sense of regret for his choice of leading actor in the film?
"Not at all!. There are two reasons for that. First, you have to be confident about your guy. When I signed him on, Love Story 2050 had not yet been released but I still believed in him. Second, always remember that your product is more important than a star. A good product can work without a known name but a bad product with the biggest of superstars won't work."
Why didn't he think about any actress other than Genelia for female lead?
"Why should I have looked elsewhere when Genelia was just so perfect in the original film Bommarillu. The moment I saw her in the film, I didn't look elsewhere and decided there and then that she would be my leading lady in It's My Life too", Sanjay said.
Speaking about the diminishing boundary between main lead, parallel lead and the next lead in Hindi cinema Sanjay said actors like Aamir and Shah Rukh Khan helped in removing that.
"Look at Aamir Khan in Rang De Basanti. How many actors would have dared to be one of the leads in the film that had so many other prominent characters. Still, he took up the challenge in spite of the director going ahead with almost equal footage to everyone."
He goes on to narrate other examples, "It's not just Rang De Basantibecause even in Dil Chahta Hai he shared frames with other actors. He is now doing the same in Three Idiots as well.
"I must also acknowledge the other actors who are no more insecure about their part in a mega starrer. Saif Ali Khan did what he had never before in Dil Chahta Hai. Now Sharman Joshi isn't worried when he is asked to be a part of Three Idiots."
Sanjay also feels that times have changed for the good.
"Now it's not the footage which matters; it's the importance of the role and an impact it is going to create that holds center stage. It's fun to make movies in the current times," he says.
.
.
Mother Sells Newborn to Pay Hospital Bill
.
HYDERABAD: In a heart-rending incident, a young poverty-stricken single mother in Andhra Pradesh sold her newborn son to a childless couple for Rs
6,000 rupees so that she could pay her medical bill in a government hospital.
"My financial position is really bad," a distraught looking Rajitha (20) who could not afford the Rs 2,000 hospital fee said from her bed at the government area hospital in Kothagudem in Khammam district today.
She delivered the baby by Caesarean section last week and the infant changed hands within 24 hours.
Police said they would take action against the hospital which also faces an inquiry whether its doctors took any money as bribe from the woman.
"Buying and selling a baby is an offence, so we will be booking cases," Kothagudem revenue division officer P Rajaram said.
According to reports, a rickshaw driver friend gave the single mother Rs 6,000 for the baby, which he planned to bring up with his wife. The couple have no children.
The incident occurred in the parliamentary constituency of Union minister of state for women and child development Renuka Chowdhury.
"At least, she is safe and at least the child is not dead and not killed. I think they are the most important things that we need to look at," Chowdhury said.
.
HYDERABAD: In a heart-rending incident, a young poverty-stricken single mother in Andhra Pradesh sold her newborn son to a childless couple for Rs
6,000 rupees so that she could pay her medical bill in a government hospital.
"My financial position is really bad," a distraught looking Rajitha (20) who could not afford the Rs 2,000 hospital fee said from her bed at the government area hospital in Kothagudem in Khammam district today.
She delivered the baby by Caesarean section last week and the infant changed hands within 24 hours.
Police said they would take action against the hospital which also faces an inquiry whether its doctors took any money as bribe from the woman.
"Buying and selling a baby is an offence, so we will be booking cases," Kothagudem revenue division officer P Rajaram said.
According to reports, a rickshaw driver friend gave the single mother Rs 6,000 for the baby, which he planned to bring up with his wife. The couple have no children.
The incident occurred in the parliamentary constituency of Union minister of state for women and child development Renuka Chowdhury.
"At least, she is safe and at least the child is not dead and not killed. I think they are the most important things that we need to look at," Chowdhury said.
.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
ISIN Code
.
.
International Securities Identification Number (ISIN)- is a unique 12 digit alpha-numeric code assigned to securities like equity shares, preferential shares, debentures, bonds, government securities, warrants, certificate of deposits, commercial papers, deep discount bonds, mutual funds etc. You may find ISIN code for any of the securities by visiting Followings Links :
~ https://nsdl.co.in/
~ http://www.religareonline.com/fundamental.asp?PageType=PROFILE&SearchString=REL&Location=
.
.
.
International Securities Identification Number (ISIN)- is a unique 12 digit alpha-numeric code assigned to securities like equity shares, preferential shares, debentures, bonds, government securities, warrants, certificate of deposits, commercial papers, deep discount bonds, mutual funds etc. You may find ISIN code for any of the securities by visiting Followings Links :
~ https://nsdl.co.in/
~ http://www.religareonline.com/fundamental.asp?PageType=PROFILE&SearchString=REL&Location=
.
.
Positive Thinking…...
.
Every human being is unique and different. Our thought process and personality evolves based on hereditary factors, our own experiences, circumstances and a host of other factors.
While we can be in different parts of the world, belong to different religions, genders, age groups, social strata etc., yet we all have the Power to Think.
•It is possible for all of us to look at the brighter side of things, i.e. to see the ‘Glass Half Full rather than Half Empty’
Let us understand a very simple fact that Positive Thinking leads to Positive Action, an Optimistic State of Mind and a Sense of Well Being.
While some of us are either born optimists or turn out to be so, others tend to be pessimists, nay Sayers, doomsday anticipators, chief critics of every person and event, satirical and Negative Thinkers. We are not happy in this state, but are not able to change it.
What needs to be done ? Some fundamental action points are as under:
1.ACCEPTANCE AND UNDERSTANDING OURSELVES
•Let us dispassionately examine ourselves to understand our own mental make-up, aspirations, strengths, weaknesses etc.
•Why do we think negatively, if at all ?
•Do we feel that others have a better deal than us or are more fortunate ?
•Are they more blessed or handsome ?
•Are they rich or children of rich parents? And so on.
•What are our unfulfilled needs?
This list can be really long but finally we must ask, ARE THEY GENERALLY HAPPY, FULL OF LIFE AND UPBEAT?
Also in comparison in which state do we usually find ourselves.
POSITIVE PEOPLE do not necessarily have any of the above things more than us, but they have a POSITIVE ATTITUDE and see THINGS DIFFERENTLY, i.e. opportunity (brightness) in every situation.
•So if we are Positive Thinkers and generally optimistic, we have to maintain this trait by not allowing negative thoughts into our brain’s sacred memory space. Resentments clog our hard disk.
•If we however find us to be generally pessimistic and critical, we need to acknowledge this without any worry and to start the journey towards training ourselves to Think Positively.
2. PRAYER AND FAITH HAVE IMMENSE POWER
Let us not go into the debate of believers and non-believers, also of rituals and dogmas.
•Let us pray to a HIGHER POWER OR GOD, as we understand him/her.
•This relationship is very personal and individual-essentially meant for a one-to-one sharing.
•There is never any problem between human beings and GOD, as we understand him/her, only the middlemen create the same.
•God is benevolent and always charitable.
•In the most trying circumstances Prayer uplifts us and it seems that the LORD is holding our hand.
•HAVE FAITH. The big decisions of life like the choice of ones life partner, career choices, and job changes though endlessly analyzed and reasoned out are ultimately a LEAP OF FAITH.We have faith in mother’s milk and her kindness, which cannot be belied, but should never be questioned. Whenever we are in distress, her voice and touch sooths and heals. Why? Faith.
Ask any roadside vendor who barely makes two ends meet as how is he that day and the answer would invariably be –Thank God, I am fine or Thanks for your Blessings (in us also he sees God’s handiwork)
MOST OF ALL LET US HAVE FAITH IN OURSELVES AND OUR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS (DIFFICULT? NO. HAVE FAITH AND SEE HOW EASY IT WILL BECOME)
3.INSPIRATIONS ARE POWERFUL - LET THEM WORK
- Life of Mahatma Gandhi is a complete journey of inspirations. The great scientist Einstein remarked that in the coming centuries people will refuse to believe that the Mahatma was merely a man of flesh and blood who walked this earth!
- Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison and still does not hold any rancor in his heart. He is a cheerful 90 years (young) today.
- Abraham Lincoln lost every election from the municipal one upwards but kept contesting at the next higher level till becoming President of the United States. Now that is self-belief.
- President Obama’s message of hope ‘YES WE CAN’ has become a buzzword of inspiration for all. The thinkers are already saying that ‘Obama is an IDEA whose time has come’.
CONCLUSION
We have started building a simple roadmap towards POSIVITISM. Share your views …. Use the comments section….
.
Every human being is unique and different. Our thought process and personality evolves based on hereditary factors, our own experiences, circumstances and a host of other factors.
While we can be in different parts of the world, belong to different religions, genders, age groups, social strata etc., yet we all have the Power to Think.
•It is possible for all of us to look at the brighter side of things, i.e. to see the ‘Glass Half Full rather than Half Empty’
Let us understand a very simple fact that Positive Thinking leads to Positive Action, an Optimistic State of Mind and a Sense of Well Being.
While some of us are either born optimists or turn out to be so, others tend to be pessimists, nay Sayers, doomsday anticipators, chief critics of every person and event, satirical and Negative Thinkers. We are not happy in this state, but are not able to change it.
What needs to be done ? Some fundamental action points are as under:
1.ACCEPTANCE AND UNDERSTANDING OURSELVES
•Let us dispassionately examine ourselves to understand our own mental make-up, aspirations, strengths, weaknesses etc.
•Why do we think negatively, if at all ?
•Do we feel that others have a better deal than us or are more fortunate ?
•Are they more blessed or handsome ?
•Are they rich or children of rich parents? And so on.
•What are our unfulfilled needs?
This list can be really long but finally we must ask, ARE THEY GENERALLY HAPPY, FULL OF LIFE AND UPBEAT?
Also in comparison in which state do we usually find ourselves.
POSITIVE PEOPLE do not necessarily have any of the above things more than us, but they have a POSITIVE ATTITUDE and see THINGS DIFFERENTLY, i.e. opportunity (brightness) in every situation.
•So if we are Positive Thinkers and generally optimistic, we have to maintain this trait by not allowing negative thoughts into our brain’s sacred memory space. Resentments clog our hard disk.
•If we however find us to be generally pessimistic and critical, we need to acknowledge this without any worry and to start the journey towards training ourselves to Think Positively.
2. PRAYER AND FAITH HAVE IMMENSE POWER
Let us not go into the debate of believers and non-believers, also of rituals and dogmas.
•Let us pray to a HIGHER POWER OR GOD, as we understand him/her.
•This relationship is very personal and individual-essentially meant for a one-to-one sharing.
•There is never any problem between human beings and GOD, as we understand him/her, only the middlemen create the same.
•God is benevolent and always charitable.
•In the most trying circumstances Prayer uplifts us and it seems that the LORD is holding our hand.
•HAVE FAITH. The big decisions of life like the choice of ones life partner, career choices, and job changes though endlessly analyzed and reasoned out are ultimately a LEAP OF FAITH.We have faith in mother’s milk and her kindness, which cannot be belied, but should never be questioned. Whenever we are in distress, her voice and touch sooths and heals. Why? Faith.
Ask any roadside vendor who barely makes two ends meet as how is he that day and the answer would invariably be –Thank God, I am fine or Thanks for your Blessings (in us also he sees God’s handiwork)
MOST OF ALL LET US HAVE FAITH IN OURSELVES AND OUR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS (DIFFICULT? NO. HAVE FAITH AND SEE HOW EASY IT WILL BECOME)
3.INSPIRATIONS ARE POWERFUL - LET THEM WORK
- Life of Mahatma Gandhi is a complete journey of inspirations. The great scientist Einstein remarked that in the coming centuries people will refuse to believe that the Mahatma was merely a man of flesh and blood who walked this earth!
- Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison and still does not hold any rancor in his heart. He is a cheerful 90 years (young) today.
- Abraham Lincoln lost every election from the municipal one upwards but kept contesting at the next higher level till becoming President of the United States. Now that is self-belief.
- President Obama’s message of hope ‘YES WE CAN’ has become a buzzword of inspiration for all. The thinkers are already saying that ‘Obama is an IDEA whose time has come’.
CONCLUSION
We have started building a simple roadmap towards POSIVITISM. Share your views …. Use the comments section….
.
Monday, February 23, 2009
BSE / NSE Trading - Holidays for 2009
BSE Holidays
1.
Moharram
8th January, 2009
Thursday
2.
Republic Day
26th January, 2009
Monday
3.
Mahashivratri
23rd February, 2009
Monday
4.
Id-E-Milad
10th March, 2009
Tuesday
5.
Holi
11th March, 2009
Wednesday
6.
Ram Navmi
3rd April, 2009
Friday
7.
Mahavir Jayanti
7th April, 2009
Tuesday
8.
Good Friday
10th April, 2009
Friday
9.
Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti
14th April, 2009
Tuesday
10
Maharashtra Day
1st May, 2009
Friday
11
Ramzan Id
21st September, 2009
Monday
12
Dasera
28th September, 2009
Monday
13
Gandhi Jayanti
2nd October, 2009
Friday
14
Diwali ( Bhaubeez)
19th October, 2009
Monday
15
Gurunanak Jayanti
2nd November, 2009
Monday
16
Christmas
25th December, 2009
Friday
17
Moharram
28th December, 2009
Monday
.
1.
Moharram
8th January, 2009
Thursday
2.
Republic Day
26th January, 2009
Monday
3.
Mahashivratri
23rd February, 2009
Monday
4.
Id-E-Milad
10th March, 2009
Tuesday
5.
Holi
11th March, 2009
Wednesday
6.
Ram Navmi
3rd April, 2009
Friday
7.
Mahavir Jayanti
7th April, 2009
Tuesday
8.
Good Friday
10th April, 2009
Friday
9.
Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti
14th April, 2009
Tuesday
10
Maharashtra Day
1st May, 2009
Friday
11
Ramzan Id
21st September, 2009
Monday
12
Dasera
28th September, 2009
Monday
13
Gandhi Jayanti
2nd October, 2009
Friday
14
Diwali ( Bhaubeez)
19th October, 2009
Monday
15
Gurunanak Jayanti
2nd November, 2009
Monday
16
Christmas
25th December, 2009
Friday
17
Moharram
28th December, 2009
Monday
.
‘Smile Pinky’ brings home Oscar
.
.
81ST ACADEMY AWARDS for ‘Best Documentary’
Los Angeles, Feb 23: The made in India documentary ‘Smile Pinky’ won an Oscar in the ‘Best Short Documentary’ category at the 81st Academy Awards declared in Los Angeles on February 22.
‘Smile Pinky’ is the story of a child with a lip deformity. The film had been nominated along with four other documentaries at the famed Academy Awards.
Residents of Dabai village in Uttar Pradesh’s Ahura district have been praying for the success of the documentary ‘Smile Pinky’ at the Oscars, since it is based on the life of a girl belonging to their village.
The film by Megan Mylan depicts the saga of six-year-old Pinky who becomes a social outcast because of a cleft lip. In the 39-minute documentary, the girl from this obscure village of Uttar Pradesh, undergoes corrective surgery and gets a normal childhood.
.===========================.
.
.
.===========================.
INDIA : Residents of Rampur Dahaba in Mirzapur interiors, been praying for the success of the documentary 'Smile Pinky' at the Oscars, since it is based on the life of a girl with a lip deformity in their village.
"Pinky has gone to America. The documentary has got a nomination for the Oscars. We are praying to God that this film wins an award
and brings glory to our country and our village," said Pradeep Kumar, a villager.
'Smile Pinky' is the story of a child with a lip deformity. It is one of the four films nominated for best short documentary at the famed Academy Awards to be declared at Los Angels.
Megan Mylan's film depicts the saga of six-year-old Pinky who becomes a social outcast because of a cleft lip.
In the 39-minute documentary, the girl from this obscure village of Uttar Pradesh, undergoes corrective surgery and gets a normal childhood.
"Earlier, she had a lip deformity and all her schoolmates used to tease her. After she got operated and got rid of her lip deformity, she started going to school again. Now, none teases her any more," said Nirmala Devi, Pinky's mother.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Subodh Kumar Singh, who treated Pinky at no cost, said that the film's Academy Award nomination would help create awareness about the condition of children in rural areas. (ANI)
.
.
81ST ACADEMY AWARDS for ‘Best Documentary’
Los Angeles, Feb 23: The made in India documentary ‘Smile Pinky’ won an Oscar in the ‘Best Short Documentary’ category at the 81st Academy Awards declared in Los Angeles on February 22.
‘Smile Pinky’ is the story of a child with a lip deformity. The film had been nominated along with four other documentaries at the famed Academy Awards.
Residents of Dabai village in Uttar Pradesh’s Ahura district have been praying for the success of the documentary ‘Smile Pinky’ at the Oscars, since it is based on the life of a girl belonging to their village.The film by Megan Mylan depicts the saga of six-year-old Pinky who becomes a social outcast because of a cleft lip. In the 39-minute documentary, the girl from this obscure village of Uttar Pradesh, undergoes corrective surgery and gets a normal childhood.
.===========================.
.
.
.===========================.
INDIA : Residents of Rampur Dahaba in Mirzapur interiors, been praying for the success of the documentary 'Smile Pinky' at the Oscars, since it is based on the life of a girl with a lip deformity in their village.
"Pinky has gone to America. The documentary has got a nomination for the Oscars. We are praying to God that this film wins an award
and brings glory to our country and our village," said Pradeep Kumar, a villager.'Smile Pinky' is the story of a child with a lip deformity. It is one of the four films nominated for best short documentary at the famed Academy Awards to be declared at Los Angels.
Megan Mylan's film depicts the saga of six-year-old Pinky who becomes a social outcast because of a cleft lip.
In the 39-minute documentary, the girl from this obscure village of Uttar Pradesh, undergoes corrective surgery and gets a normal childhood.
"Earlier, she had a lip deformity and all her schoolmates used to tease her. After she got operated and got rid of her lip deformity, she started going to school again. Now, none teases her any more," said Nirmala Devi, Pinky's mother.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Subodh Kumar Singh, who treated Pinky at no cost, said that the film's Academy Award nomination would help create awareness about the condition of children in rural areas. (ANI)
.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saudi Arabia Beheads 2 Convicted Policemen for Rape
.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Saudi authorities have beheaded two traffic policemen convicted of beating a man and sexually assaulting his niece.
An Interior Ministry statement says the two men were executed on Friday in the capital Riyadh.
They were convicted of assaulting a non-Saudi resident of the kingdom and raping the man's niece.
The nationalities of the residents were not disclosed. Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which people convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape and armed robbery can be executed, usually with a sword.
Their deaths bring to 11 the number of beheadings in the kingdom this year, according to an Associated Press count. In 2008, 102 people were beheaded.
.
.
.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Middle-East/Saudi-executes-two-cops-for-raping-expat/articleshow/4167729.cms
.
Saudi Arabia has executed two policemen after they were convicted of raping an expatriate woman, the state news agency SPA reported late on Friday. The two Saudi policemen were executed on Friday in the capital Riyadh, SPA said quoting the interior ministry. The two officers, Shaalan bin Nasser al-Qahtani and Fahd bin Hassan al-Sebeyi, were found guilty of raping the unidentified woman after they stopped a car carrying her and her uncle at a security checkpoint.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Saudi authorities have beheaded two traffic policemen convicted of beating a man and sexually assaulting his niece.
An Interior Ministry statement says the two men were executed on Friday in the capital Riyadh.
They were convicted of assaulting a non-Saudi resident of the kingdom and raping the man's niece.
The nationalities of the residents were not disclosed. Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which people convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape and armed robbery can be executed, usually with a sword.
Their deaths bring to 11 the number of beheadings in the kingdom this year, according to an Associated Press count. In 2008, 102 people were beheaded.
.
.
.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Middle-East/Saudi-executes-two-cops-for-raping-expat/articleshow/4167729.cms
.
Saudi Arabia has executed two policemen after they were convicted of raping an expatriate woman, the state news agency SPA reported late on Friday. The two Saudi policemen were executed on Friday in the capital Riyadh, SPA said quoting the interior ministry. The two officers, Shaalan bin Nasser al-Qahtani and Fahd bin Hassan al-Sebeyi, were found guilty of raping the unidentified woman after they stopped a car carrying her and her uncle at a security checkpoint.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Indians Are Highest Earners in US
.
WASHINGTON: India-born American residents, numbering over 1.5 million, are the best educated among all the foreign born communities in the US and
are also the highest earners in the country, latest census has revealed.
The median household income for US residents born in India is USD 91,195 against a USD 50,740 average for the total population, the data said.
Besides, the overall median household income for foreign-born and native US residents is USD 46,881 and USD 51,249 respectively.
Among all foreign-born residents, a massive 74 per cent of Indians have bachelor's or higher degree, as compared to a 27 per cent average for all foreign-born residents, the US Census Bureau has said drawing on data from the 2007 American Community Survey. The data reveals that only 28 per cent of natives in America have bachelor's degrees.
Overall, about 85 per cent of the total US population -- 68 per cent of the foreign-born and 88 per cent of the native-born -- are high school graduates.
Egypt and Nigeria have rates above 60 percent while about 80 per cent of the US residents born in China are high school graduates.
Numerically, ethnic Indians with 1.5 million population rank fourth after Mexicans (11.7 million), Chinese (1.9 million) and the Philippines (1.7 million).
.
WASHINGTON: India-born American residents, numbering over 1.5 million, are the best educated among all the foreign born communities in the US and
are also the highest earners in the country, latest census has revealed.
The median household income for US residents born in India is USD 91,195 against a USD 50,740 average for the total population, the data said.
Besides, the overall median household income for foreign-born and native US residents is USD 46,881 and USD 51,249 respectively.
Among all foreign-born residents, a massive 74 per cent of Indians have bachelor's or higher degree, as compared to a 27 per cent average for all foreign-born residents, the US Census Bureau has said drawing on data from the 2007 American Community Survey. The data reveals that only 28 per cent of natives in America have bachelor's degrees.
Overall, about 85 per cent of the total US population -- 68 per cent of the foreign-born and 88 per cent of the native-born -- are high school graduates.
Egypt and Nigeria have rates above 60 percent while about 80 per cent of the US residents born in China are high school graduates.
Numerically, ethnic Indians with 1.5 million population rank fourth after Mexicans (11.7 million), Chinese (1.9 million) and the Philippines (1.7 million).
.
CAN YOU READ FOLLOWING /
.
fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid, too. Olny 55 plepoe tuo fo 100 anc.
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.
If you can read this, your brain is 50% faster than those who can't
COPY AND FORWARD TO YOUR FRIENDS ....
.
fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid, too. Olny 55 plepoe tuo fo 100 anc.
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.
If you can read this, your brain is 50% faster than those who can't
COPY AND FORWARD TO YOUR FRIENDS ....
.
Woman Delivers Baby on Bus
.
KANPUR: In a bizarre incident, a woman delivered a baby on a radways bus on Friday. She had been on her way to hospital when the labour pains
started.
As per sources, Seema (28), wife of Dharmendra Pal and a resident of Kannauj, was coming to a city-based nursing home in Arya Nagar for delivery. However, before she could reach the hospital, Seema started having labour pains and delivered a baby boy on the bus. She was then rushed to a nearby private nursing home in Chapera Puliya.
The hospital authorities informed that both the mother and the baby were fine.
.
KANPUR: In a bizarre incident, a woman delivered a baby on a radways bus on Friday. She had been on her way to hospital when the labour pains
started.
As per sources, Seema (28), wife of Dharmendra Pal and a resident of Kannauj, was coming to a city-based nursing home in Arya Nagar for delivery. However, before she could reach the hospital, Seema started having labour pains and delivered a baby boy on the bus. She was then rushed to a nearby private nursing home in Chapera Puliya.
The hospital authorities informed that both the mother and the baby were fine.
.
13 - Year Old Father to Take DNA Test
.
.
.
Baby-faced "father" Alfie Patten today pledged to take a DNA test after two other boys claimed they had also slept with baby Maisie's teenage mother.
Chantelle Steadman, 15, said 13-year-old Alfie is the father of her one-week-old baby daughter.
The news that such a young boy had fathered a baby prompted a fierce political debate over the high rate of teenage pregnancies in the UK and the sexualisation of children.
But yesterday Richard Goodsell, 16, and Tyler Barker, 14, told the News of the World they had slept with Chantelle at about the time she became pregnant and claimed she also had several other sexual partners.
Alfie today said he would take a DNA test as soon as possible to establish whether he is Maisie's father.
His spokesman Max Clifford said: "They are planning to do a DNA test.
"Alfie believed he was the father but due to reports in the News of the World at the weekend, he wants to make sure by having a DNA test as soon as possible."
Alfie, who lives with his mother Nicola in Hailsham, East Sussex, was just 12 when baby Maisie was conceived but said after her birth that he would stand by and support Chantelle with the baby.
Maisie is believed to be living with Chantelle and the teenager's parents Penny and Steve at their home in Eastbourne.
East Sussex County Council said Chantelle, Alfie and Maisie had received "a package of support".
In a statement released by the council today, Matt Dunkley, the council's director of children's services, said: "We would not normally publicly discuss individual case information and it must be remembered there are three vulnerable young people involved in this case, all of whom are entitled to protection and to have these matters dealt with confidentially.
"However, given the exceptional circumstances of this case, we do understand the need for reassurance.
"It is completely wrong to suggest social workers are doing nothing to support the families and young people involved in this case.
"In cases like this it is normal practice to assess the needs of the parents and the unborn child before the birth and to revisit those assessments once the child has been born to look at what further support might be needed.
"In this case a package of support was agreed before the birth including enhanced involvement from health visitors and family outreach workers."
Mr Dunkley added that social workers and health visitors were due to visit both families again to carry out further detailed assessments of the three children.
"These will further examine issues such as the parenting of Maisie and the support from the wider family, the education of these young parents, and other issues, including the impact of the huge amount of public interest there has been in this situation on both families," he said.
"For each of the young people concerned we will provide the necessary support identified and will continue to monitor the situation closely."
.
.
.
.
.
Baby-faced "father" Alfie Patten today pledged to take a DNA test after two other boys claimed they had also slept with baby Maisie's teenage mother.
Chantelle Steadman, 15, said 13-year-old Alfie is the father of her one-week-old baby daughter.
The news that such a young boy had fathered a baby prompted a fierce political debate over the high rate of teenage pregnancies in the UK and the sexualisation of children.
But yesterday Richard Goodsell, 16, and Tyler Barker, 14, told the News of the World they had slept with Chantelle at about the time she became pregnant and claimed she also had several other sexual partners.
Alfie today said he would take a DNA test as soon as possible to establish whether he is Maisie's father.
His spokesman Max Clifford said: "They are planning to do a DNA test.
"Alfie believed he was the father but due to reports in the News of the World at the weekend, he wants to make sure by having a DNA test as soon as possible."
Alfie, who lives with his mother Nicola in Hailsham, East Sussex, was just 12 when baby Maisie was conceived but said after her birth that he would stand by and support Chantelle with the baby.
Maisie is believed to be living with Chantelle and the teenager's parents Penny and Steve at their home in Eastbourne.
East Sussex County Council said Chantelle, Alfie and Maisie had received "a package of support".
In a statement released by the council today, Matt Dunkley, the council's director of children's services, said: "We would not normally publicly discuss individual case information and it must be remembered there are three vulnerable young people involved in this case, all of whom are entitled to protection and to have these matters dealt with confidentially.
"However, given the exceptional circumstances of this case, we do understand the need for reassurance.
"It is completely wrong to suggest social workers are doing nothing to support the families and young people involved in this case.
"In cases like this it is normal practice to assess the needs of the parents and the unborn child before the birth and to revisit those assessments once the child has been born to look at what further support might be needed.
"In this case a package of support was agreed before the birth including enhanced involvement from health visitors and family outreach workers."
Mr Dunkley added that social workers and health visitors were due to visit both families again to carry out further detailed assessments of the three children.
"These will further examine issues such as the parenting of Maisie and the support from the wider family, the education of these young parents, and other issues, including the impact of the huge amount of public interest there has been in this situation on both families," he said.
"For each of the young people concerned we will provide the necessary support identified and will continue to monitor the situation closely."
.
.
.
From This Year, IIM-C Fees Will Be Rs 9 Lakh
.
.
.
KOLKATA: Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM-C) decided on Friday to hike its fee to Rs 9 lakh for the 2009-11 batch.
This is more than double the fees paid by the batch passing out this year.
Under the revised fee structure, students will have to pay Rs 4 lakh in the first year and Rs 5 lakh in the second year. Current students, who will be promoted to second year in 2009, will need to pay Rs 4 lakh.
In spite of the hike, IIM-C fees are still lower than those of IIM-Ahmedabad (Rs 11 lakh) and IIM-Bangalore (Rs 9.5 lakh).
“In two years, the institute has to spend Rs 8 lakh per student. Now, with the fee raised to Rs 9 lakh, we hope to cover the cost,” said IIM-C chief administrative officer Dinesh Verma.
“The reason behind this fee hike is an increase in expenditure and skyrocketing prices,” said IIM-C director Shekhar Chaudhuri.
“Since our fee was lower than IIM-A and IIM-B, questions were being raised about whether we offer any less facility than the other IIMs. That is not true. Last year, IIM-A and IIM-B went ahead and increased their fees without even consulting us. We had already announced that we were also going to increase fees this time,” said a faculty member of IIM-C.
The fee hike coincides with a rise in the number of seats for the 2009-11 session, from 304 to 407, to accommodate the quota structure. The institute’s board of governors has requested the ministry of human resources development for additional faculty posts.
“We have 88 sanctioned faculty seats but we have to increase it to 120 to ensure that the teacher-student ratio is maintained at 1:10,” Verma said.
The fee for international students has not changed. “Foreign students will continue to pay US $20,000 a year or US $40,000 for the two-year course,” said Verma.
.
.
.
.
.
KOLKATA: Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM-C) decided on Friday to hike its fee to Rs 9 lakh for the 2009-11 batch.
This is more than double the fees paid by the batch passing out this year.
Under the revised fee structure, students will have to pay Rs 4 lakh in the first year and Rs 5 lakh in the second year. Current students, who will be promoted to second year in 2009, will need to pay Rs 4 lakh.
In spite of the hike, IIM-C fees are still lower than those of IIM-Ahmedabad (Rs 11 lakh) and IIM-Bangalore (Rs 9.5 lakh).
“In two years, the institute has to spend Rs 8 lakh per student. Now, with the fee raised to Rs 9 lakh, we hope to cover the cost,” said IIM-C chief administrative officer Dinesh Verma.
“The reason behind this fee hike is an increase in expenditure and skyrocketing prices,” said IIM-C director Shekhar Chaudhuri.
“Since our fee was lower than IIM-A and IIM-B, questions were being raised about whether we offer any less facility than the other IIMs. That is not true. Last year, IIM-A and IIM-B went ahead and increased their fees without even consulting us. We had already announced that we were also going to increase fees this time,” said a faculty member of IIM-C.
The fee hike coincides with a rise in the number of seats for the 2009-11 session, from 304 to 407, to accommodate the quota structure. The institute’s board of governors has requested the ministry of human resources development for additional faculty posts.
“We have 88 sanctioned faculty seats but we have to increase it to 120 to ensure that the teacher-student ratio is maintained at 1:10,” Verma said.
The fee for international students has not changed. “Foreign students will continue to pay US $20,000 a year or US $40,000 for the two-year course,” said Verma.
.
.
.
Mystery About Origin of Life Solved
.
.
.
Canadian scientists claim to have solved a major mystery about the origins of life on earth. The claims come at a time when the world is
celebrating the bicentennial anniversary of the Father of Evolution, Charles Darwin. Two Montreal University scientists have proposed a new theory to show how a universal molecular machine, called ribosome, self-assembled or self-organized itself to become a critical step in generating all life on earth.
``While the ribosome is a complex structure, it features a clear hierarchy that emerged based on basic chemical principles,'' said biochemistry professor Sergey Steinberg, who made the discovery with student Konstantin Bokov, in a university statement. He said his theory explains what people imagine as ``unseen forces at work when such complex structures emerge in nature.''
The Canadian scientist said the ribosome is an enormous molecule responsible for translating the messages (carried in the genetic code of all organisms) into proteins that carry out all functions, including replicating the genome itself. Compared to biological molecules, he said, ribosomes are immense and very complex.
``Though visible only through lenses of the most powerful microscopes, comparing most other biological molecules to this behemoth (ribosome) is like comparing a tricycle to a jumbo jet,'' said Steinberg. He said he spent years pondering how a complex ribosome could have assembled itself from smaller building blocks that existed on the early earth.
His work, he said, led to the discovery that the ribosome must have assembled itself from basic building blocks ``in a very specific order; otherwise it would have fallen apart.'' “Though chemists have observed examples of self-organizing behavior in simple molecules, there has been no such explanation about the complex self-assembly of ribosomes to this date,” he said.
``Thanks to the research of Sergey Steinberg and Konstantin Bokov, scientists now have a glimpse of one key event that emerged spontaneously out of the primordial chemical soup of the early earth,'' the university statement quoted Stephen Michnick, who is Canada Research Chair in Integrative Genomics, as saying.
```Perhaps in the near future we may look forward to more discoveries that will take us beyond the world of Darwin into an understanding of the basic chemical principles that drove the emergence of life on our planet and perhaps beyond.''
.
.
.
.
.
Canadian scientists claim to have solved a major mystery about the origins of life on earth. The claims come at a time when the world is
celebrating the bicentennial anniversary of the Father of Evolution, Charles Darwin. Two Montreal University scientists have proposed a new theory to show how a universal molecular machine, called ribosome, self-assembled or self-organized itself to become a critical step in generating all life on earth.
``While the ribosome is a complex structure, it features a clear hierarchy that emerged based on basic chemical principles,'' said biochemistry professor Sergey Steinberg, who made the discovery with student Konstantin Bokov, in a university statement. He said his theory explains what people imagine as ``unseen forces at work when such complex structures emerge in nature.''
The Canadian scientist said the ribosome is an enormous molecule responsible for translating the messages (carried in the genetic code of all organisms) into proteins that carry out all functions, including replicating the genome itself. Compared to biological molecules, he said, ribosomes are immense and very complex.
``Though visible only through lenses of the most powerful microscopes, comparing most other biological molecules to this behemoth (ribosome) is like comparing a tricycle to a jumbo jet,'' said Steinberg. He said he spent years pondering how a complex ribosome could have assembled itself from smaller building blocks that existed on the early earth.
His work, he said, led to the discovery that the ribosome must have assembled itself from basic building blocks ``in a very specific order; otherwise it would have fallen apart.'' “Though chemists have observed examples of self-organizing behavior in simple molecules, there has been no such explanation about the complex self-assembly of ribosomes to this date,” he said.
``Thanks to the research of Sergey Steinberg and Konstantin Bokov, scientists now have a glimpse of one key event that emerged spontaneously out of the primordial chemical soup of the early earth,'' the university statement quoted Stephen Michnick, who is Canada Research Chair in Integrative Genomics, as saying.
```Perhaps in the near future we may look forward to more discoveries that will take us beyond the world of Darwin into an understanding of the basic chemical principles that drove the emergence of life on our planet and perhaps beyond.''
.
.
.
Jeddah Housewife Wins IGNOU Gold
.
.
.
JEDDAH: Juveria Hashmi, a Jeddah housewife with two children, has made history by winning a gold medal for her masters in English literature at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).
“IGNOU Saudi Arabia is proud that it has struck gold in its masters program in English literature for the third time,” Dr. Shahnaz Patel, director of ATEICO-IGNOU Saudi Arabia announced yesterday.
“Thus IGNOU Saudi Arabia becomes the first international center to win consecutively three gold medals in M.A. English literature,” she added.
Aside from Juveria, three other students from IGNOU’s overseas centers have won gold medals — from Oman, Mauritius and Nepal.
Juveria, a former student of International Indian School-Jeddah and daughter of Arab News staffer Muhammad Mujahid Syed, will receive her medal from professor R. Natarajan, former chairman of All-India Council for Technical Education and director of Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, at IGNOU’s 20th convocation at the IGNOU headquarters in New Delhi on Feb. 28.
Juveria, who hails from Lucknow, is pursuing her studies here. She has been a meritorious student throughout her academic career.
“It is remarkable for a student who never initially studied English,” Patel said.
“I developed interest in English literature and have deep interest in it,” said Juveria who secured 69.5 percent in masters program in English literature.
In 2000, Juveria was a topper in Urdu in her class 10 exam and in 2002 she secured highest marks in history in class 12 exam. The New Delhi-based Central Board of Secondary Education conducted both exams and she won medals in both.
When she finished schooling, she got herself registered in Delhi University and completed her B.A. honors in English through its correspondence course.
“Now I want to continue my education further with a research work in English novels,” Juveria said.
“Juveria’s achievement has become possible due to her own hard work, dedication and determination, as well as the support she received from the faculty, the management team of ATEICO Communication headed by General Manager Riaz Mulla, which represents IGNOU in Saudi Arabia, and, above all, the Indian diplomatic mission’s offices in Riyadh and Jeddah,” Shahnaz said.
.
.
.
.
.
JEDDAH: Juveria Hashmi, a Jeddah housewife with two children, has made history by winning a gold medal for her masters in English literature at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).
“IGNOU Saudi Arabia is proud that it has struck gold in its masters program in English literature for the third time,” Dr. Shahnaz Patel, director of ATEICO-IGNOU Saudi Arabia announced yesterday.
“Thus IGNOU Saudi Arabia becomes the first international center to win consecutively three gold medals in M.A. English literature,” she added.
Aside from Juveria, three other students from IGNOU’s overseas centers have won gold medals — from Oman, Mauritius and Nepal.
Juveria, a former student of International Indian School-Jeddah and daughter of Arab News staffer Muhammad Mujahid Syed, will receive her medal from professor R. Natarajan, former chairman of All-India Council for Technical Education and director of Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, at IGNOU’s 20th convocation at the IGNOU headquarters in New Delhi on Feb. 28.
Juveria, who hails from Lucknow, is pursuing her studies here. She has been a meritorious student throughout her academic career.
“It is remarkable for a student who never initially studied English,” Patel said.
“I developed interest in English literature and have deep interest in it,” said Juveria who secured 69.5 percent in masters program in English literature.
In 2000, Juveria was a topper in Urdu in her class 10 exam and in 2002 she secured highest marks in history in class 12 exam. The New Delhi-based Central Board of Secondary Education conducted both exams and she won medals in both.
When she finished schooling, she got herself registered in Delhi University and completed her B.A. honors in English through its correspondence course.
“Now I want to continue my education further with a research work in English novels,” Juveria said.
“Juveria’s achievement has become possible due to her own hard work, dedication and determination, as well as the support she received from the faculty, the management team of ATEICO Communication headed by General Manager Riaz Mulla, which represents IGNOU in Saudi Arabia, and, above all, the Indian diplomatic mission’s offices in Riyadh and Jeddah,” Shahnaz said.
.
.
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)