An anti-pollution helmet developed by a Delhi-based startup can help two-wheeler riders breathe clean air. The helmet developed by Shellios Technolabs has a Bluetooth-enabled app that lets the rider know when the helmet requires cleaning.
The product, at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) level 9 has been granted a utility patent and is now being sold in all parts of the country priced at Rs. 4,500, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The end-users of the product include individual riders all over India and for the next version, Shellios has partnered with Royal Enfield Motorcycles to commercialize the product.
The startup received seed funding from the Department of Science and Technology and was incubated at Science and Technology Entrepreneur Park (JSSATE-STEP) Noida. The startup has signed commercialization deals with leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for the helmet.
Following all mandatory standards stipulated by the government, the 1.5 Kg helmet ensures exposure reduction by more than 80% as measured using a controlled environment.
The founders of Shellios Technolabs hit upon the idea on realizing the challenges faced by bikers during the air quality crisis that Delhi faces in the winter months
“We were disturbed by the health impacts of the air quality situation on the people on the roads, especially the millions of two wheeler riders who were having prolonged daily exposures and that too, to a double whammy of particulate matter and vehicular emissions in the air that they breathe,” said Amit Pathak, one of the founders.
The helmet titled PUROS is integrated with air purifying accessories which include the patented innovations of the startup — a Brushless DC blower fan, High-Efficiency Particulate Air filter membrane, electronic circuit, and microUSB charging port integrated into the helmet. The purifying system set at the back of the helmet picks up all particulate matter coming from outside and cleans the air before it reaches the biker.
(The story has been published via a syndicated feed.)
It has been over a week since 15-year-old Ankita Singh was charred to death after being doused in petrol and set ablaze by Shahrukh Hussain. Ankita was a Hindu minor from Jharkhand and was a victim of Love Jihad, also known as Grooming Jihad globally.
While Dumka DSP Noor Mustafa allegedly tried to water down the case against the Islamist by recording the victim’s age as 19 instead of 15, media, social personalities, influencers, and celebrities have also failed the victim.
The most startling aftermath is the deafening silence of the Bollywood biggies. The self-styled social activists, influencers, preachers, and feminists have been completely quiet about the gruesome killing of the Hindu teen. The notorious placard gang is also absent.
Kareena Kapoor Khan, a Bollywood A-lister who married into a family that rose to Nawabi by betraying the Marathas and aiding the British in pre-Independent Bharat, has named both sons after Islamist tyrants responsible for the massacre of countless Hindus and rapes of Hindu women.
She was one of the pioneers of the placard campaign during the alleged rape of the Kathua girl in 2018. She held a placard that dragged entire “Hindustan” into the alleged crime and maligned the honour of a Hindu Temple. Her placard didn’t accuse any “rapist,” but it was meant to shame and chastise the entire Hindu community and their deities.
As ironical as it gets for a woman who names her children after mass rapists to hold a placard as a sign of “outrage” against an alleged rape, it soon became evident that Khan had pulled that stunt to promote her upcoming movie, Veere Di Wedding. The offensive words slandering the entire Hindu community were soon seen on similar placards held by the other actresses in the movie.
Gradually, every small-time entertainer of Bollywood who wanted to project themselves as liberal secular posted pictures with this derogatory placard. The list also includes “has been” hosts like Shruti Seth and Mini Mathur, married to Muslim movie makers. Hence, their loyalty to the anti-Hindu propaganda is self-explanatory.
Again, it will be erroneous to say that only Kareena Kapoor Khan or other Bollywood small-timers married to Muslim men are Hinduphobic. Every Bollywood personality exploited the Kathua case to defame Hindus and Hindu temples, highlighting the extreme Hindu hate of the industry. As the Hindus were neither as united nor awakened as they are today helped this coterie further their ugly narrative.
Bollywood couldn’t care less about the rape or death of any girl unless they can use that unfortunate incident for their Hinduphobic agenda. They even refuse to acknowledge tragic incidents like that of Ankita because the criminal is an Islamist.
The industry has spent over a century whitewashing Islamist crimes and projecting the Hindus on the wrong side. When Islamist terrorists bombed Mumbai, Bollywood made films like Kurbaan, and My Name is Khan to project a fabricated victimhood of this commuity.
For decades, these Bollywood personalities have promoted Love Jihad through their films and their personal choices. Hence, this indifference of this vicious cabal to the spine-chilling episode which should ideally have been the most discussed subject in the country.
Not one placard has gone up for Ankita. The pseudo-feminists of Bollywood have not come on the streets demanding the death penalty for Shahrukh. These social activists have not organized any national or international protest rallies. With Ankita’s death, Bollywood has exposed its true Islamist self. And with this, they have justified the call of Hindus to Boycott Bollywood and their propaganda-infested movies.
Pakistan is now moving to salvage the 4,500-year-old Mohenjo Daro, after devastating floods damaged the world heritage site. The likely visit to the Indus Valley civilization site by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on September 11, has imparted to urgency to restore the UNESCO protected site.
The government has banned the entry of tourists to Mohenjo Daro in a bid to conserve it.
Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported that Pakistan’s Department of Archaeology warned the government that Mohenjo Daro might be dropped from the world heritage list, if it is not urgently protected from the devastating rains.
Landlords inserted pipes & given cuts to canals & roads to release water into Mohenjo Daro’s channel. It is sheer negligence on the part of irrigation, roads & forest departments, the rainwater from nearby agriculture lands had filled disposal channel, the site has faced damage. pic.twitter.com/a7ZBsFFdIo
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is expected to visit Mohenjo Daro once he arrives in Pakistan on a three-day visit on September 9 to assess the situation caused by the worst-ever floods. He is likely to visit the historical site on September 11, says The Nation.
Dawn had said on Monday that heavy rains from August 16-26 resulted in considerable damage to the site and the “partial falling of several walls, including the protection wall of the stupa dome”. Besides the rains, the historical site also faced man-made damage. Local landlords and farmers had inserted pipes and breached “canals and roads to release water into Mohenjo Daro’s channel”.
The Pakistani media had reported widely that the Sindh government had overlooked the protection of the heritage site during the rains.
The nearly 4,500-year-old site that lies on the banks of the river Indus in Sindh is considered to be one of the oldest cities of the world. It is one part of the two Indus Valley Civilisation sites which lie in Pakistan–the other being Harappa in Punjab.
Highlighting the importance of the world heritage site, UNESCO says: “Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro are the best preserved urban settlement in South Asia dating back to the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC, and exercised a considerable influence on the subsequent development of urbanization”.
UNESCO also says that the archaeological ruins, “…represents the metropolis of Indus civilization, which flourished between 2,500-1,500 BC in the Indus valley and is one of the world’s three great ancient civilizations”.
The UNESCO website adds: “The well planned city mostly built with baked bricks and having public baths; a college of priests; an elaborate drainage system; wells, soak pits for disposal of sewage, and a large granary, bears testimony that it was a metropolis of great importance, enjoying a well-organized civic, economic, social and cultural system”.
After the Partition of India, the numerous sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation lie scattered across the Indian subcontinent, between Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
Pakistan, which was carved out of India in 1947 as a separate homeland for Muslims, shares an uneasy history with its ancient past. Its influential generals and politicians have uncomfortably grappled with and sought to play down the pre-Islamic history of the country. The country has attempted to portray the Indus Valley Civilisation as non-Hindu with emphasis that both cities Harappa and Mohenjo Daro were non-Hindu—a thought that brings solace to Pakistan about its historical moorings and acceptance of its identity in global geo-politics.
(The story has been published via a syndicated feed.)
The top officers of the Punjab Wildlife and Forest Department are at loggerheads, adversely impacting its functioning, while the AAP government seems utterly clueless about how to handle the mess.
The controversy revolves around the posting of the Chief Conservator of Forests (Hills) for which two Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers are fighting to stake their claim, with eight other officers joining in to support one of them, creating bad blood in the cadres. Orders issued by one group are being rejected by the other.
The office has under its charge the issue of licenses for eco-tourism and the main forest cover of the state also comes in this area where it is important to check illegal tree felling. The Forest Department has also been hit at a time when the country has set key targets to fight climate change by increasing the forest cover across states.
The tussle to occupy the plum post of CCF(Hills) started when the Congress government led by Captain Amarinder Singh transferred Harsh Kumar IFS on January 30, 2018, to the post of CCF, Information Extension. Saurabh Gupta IFS replaced him and assumed charge of CCF (Hills) on the same day.
But Harsh Kumar refused to relinquish the charge and filed a complaint with the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which ordered a status quo on February 2, 2018. The Government, on February 9, 2018, issued a clarification saying that Saurabh Gupta who assumed charge in the afternoon of January 30th, much before the time when the status quo was ordered by CAT, continues to be legally the CCF (Hills).
After this, on November 21, 2021, and May 31, 2022, two other officers were transferred in routine to occupy the post of CCF (Hills).
As per records, nobody challenged the government’s clarification dated February 9, 2018, or the subsequent postings of other officers to the post of CCF (Hills).
On May 31, 2022, Harsh Kumar was posted as the Director, State Forest Research Institute (SFRI), Ladhowal. The problem started when this officer refused to discontinue performing duties of CCF (Hills) even after taking charge as Director, SFRI, Ladhowal.
The orders passed by Harsh granting permission to people using the stamp of CCF (HIlls) to set up several eco-tourism projects in Mohali and Ropar districts were revoked by the then Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Jatinder Kumar (now retired), PCCF Parveen Kumar, and the present PCCF R.K. Mishra.
Besides, Harsh’s orders were also rejected by Basanta Raj Kumar, present CCF(Hills), and Kanwardeep Singh, District Forest Officer, Mohali. Many reports about “illegal orders” being passed by Harsh Kumar were sent to the government, but it did not suggest any remedy and allowed the confusion to persist.
On the other hand, Harsh Kumar takes shelter under the orders of CAT, which according to him, grants a status quo permitting him to continue as CCF (Hills). Hence, the government had no power to replace him.
Refusing to accept PCCF as his boss, he further said that his reporting authority was the government as the present PCCF Mishra was his junior, and he had no lawful authority to revoke the orders passed by him.
Indianarrative.com contacted Raji P Srivastava, the Additional Special Chief Secretary, in-charge of the department, to clarify the government’s current stand on the issue. She said that she did not want to comment on the issue.
The no-holds-barred fight between the forest officers has also given rise to many other controversies. One of them is regarding “unauthorised” inquiry conducted by Harsh Kumar into the felling of 25,000 trees on Bist Doab Canal (BDC) against the spirit of the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) order dated August 16, 2018. The NGT had ordered that inquiry be conducted by an officer not ‘below the rank of Additional Special Chief Secretary (ASCS).
Interestingly, Anirudh Tiwari, former Chief Secretary, confirmed that he had already submitted his inquiry report on the tree-felling issue to the state government about 8 months ago. This was much before the recent overlapping inquiry report submitted by Harsh Kumar.
Harsh Kumar says that in his capacity as CCF(Hills), it becomes his duty to act on complaints about tree-felling. So, he took “suo-motu” action and sent an in-depth report to the government and the vigilance bureau.
He discredits the report of Anirudh Tiwari on the ground that the latter has no scientific knowledge of forestry. “Tiwari’s conclusion allows the guilty officers to go scot-free, but my report nails 2 IAS officers and 6 IFS officers, who are responsible for tree-felling,” he claims.
Jatinder Kumar, a former PCCF who is one of the accused in Harsh’s report says, “Harsh is settling his personal scores by conducting an overlapping inquiry into tree-felling when he is not even a regular CCF,” adding, “I rightly revoked his orders on eco-tourism projects as they were violative of the law.”
Jatinder Kumar lamented that the state government, for reasons best known to it, was not taking any disciplinary action against Harsh Kumar, who was not only a hardened litigant but also had a long history of insubordination.
(The story has been published via a syndicated feed.)
जहाँ एक ओर करण जौहर एवं उनकी टीम अपनी आने वाली फिल्म ब्रह्मास्त्र को लेकर आम लोगों पर हमला करती जा रही है और उनकी बौखलाहट दिखती रहती है जब आलिया भट ने कहा था कि इस बॉयकाट ट्रेंड का असर नहीं पड़ता है। वहीं रणबीर कपूर का बीफ वाला वीडियो भी वायरल हो रहा है। लोगों के दिल में गुस्सा है क्योंकि रणबीर अभी तक पेशावरी पहचान लेकर चल रहे हैं। वह खुद को भारतीय नहीं मानते हैं। अर्थात अपनी पहचान वहीं की रखे हुए हैं! परन्तु क्या यदि पहचान वही है तो वहीं के लोगों के लिए फिल्म नहीं बनानी चाहिए?
A beef eater like #RanbirKapoor, after self-declaring that he enjoys eating 'beef' like Peshawar,should not be allowed in places of worship that R sacred 2 us Hindus. Nor does RK have any right 2 make a film on our God. How dare he go to the temple wearing 👞😡 #BoycottBrahmastrapic.twitter.com/FF73iYS2oN
— Unique SSR'S Team🔥(INACTIVE) (@PureLove4SSR) August 29, 2022
ऐसा ही एक प्रश्न ऋषि कपूर ने भी किया था कि वह भी गौमांस खाने वाले हिन्दू हैं, उनका कहना था कि खाने को धर्म से क्यों जोड़ा जाता है? मैं क्या खाता हूँ, किसकी पूजा करता हूँ, इससे किसी को क्या मतलब है?
यहाँ तक कि सोशल मीडिया इस बात से भी भरा पड़ा है कि ऐसे ऋषि कपूर को दाऊद इब्राहिम से कोई समस्या नहीं थी और उन्हें उससे मिलने में कोई समस्या नहीं थी और वह उससे प्रेरणा लिया करते थे
Ranbir Kapoor's Father Rishi Kapoor Met Teππorist Dawood Ibrahim And Happy And Said He Doesn't Regret Meeting Him And And Takes Inspiration From Him
सोशल मीडिया के आने से लोगों के सामने इन लोगों की सच्चाई आ गयी है, जो अब तक सामने नहीं आ पाती थी। यह लोग मीडिया आदि को अपने पक्ष में करके फिल्म सुपर हिट कराते हुए रहते थे। इनकी सत्यता सामने नहीं पा पाती थी। जो एजेंडा वह चलाया करते थे, वह चलता रहता था। जब तक विरोध होता था, तब तक फिल्म सुपरहिट हो ही जाती थी।
लोग अंडरवर्ल्ड के लोगों से मिलते थे, हिन्दुओं के विरुद्ध फ़िल्में बनाया करते थे, और सबसे मजे की बात कि वह पैसा भी हिन्दुओं की ही जेब से जाता था। बीफ अर्थात गौमांस को खाना भी सहज बनाया जाता था। जैसा कि अभी भी हम देखते हैं कि एक बड़ा वर्ग गौ मांस को सहज बना रहा है। सेक्युलर मीडिया अब यह कहते हुए हिन्दू संगठनों को घेर रहा है कि बीफ विरोधी लोग अब बॉलीवुड को घेर रहे हैं। लोग कह रहे हैं कि महाकाल अर्थात शिव तो देव एवं दानवों दोनों के हैं, इसलिए गौ मांस खाने के आधार पर भेदभाव क्यों करना?
जो लोग यह कहते हैं कि देव एवं दानवों दोनों के ही महादेव हैं, तो वह यह भी ध्यान रखें कि महादेव की आराधना करने वाले दैत्य जब महादेव की तपस्या करते थे, उस समय वह तप करते हुए एवंऐसे खानपान का पालन करते थे, जो तामसिक नहीं होता था। एवं जैसे ही वह वरदान लेकर पुरानी शैली अर्थात हिंसा, गौ हत्या अदि में वापस जाता था, वैसे ही उसके विनाश के लिए प्रक्रिया आरम्भ हो जाती थी।
यह ऐसा ही कहना है जैसे कि महादेव को गौभक्षकों का समर्थक घोषित कर देना! जबकि गौ ह्त्या हिन्दुओं के हर ग्रन्थ में पाप माना गया है। इतना ही नहीं यह भी शोध में प्रमाणित हुआ है कि गाय की हत्या ही कहीं न कहीं उस पेशावर की जलवायु परिवर्तन का कारण है, जहां से रणबीर खुद को बताते हैं।
क्या कहता है इतिहास?
रणबीर खुद को बीफ ईटर गर्व से बताते हैं, तो वहीं आखिर इतिहास क्या कहता है? क्या है बीफईटर्स अर्थात गौ मांस खाने वालों एवं जलवायु बर्बाद करने वालों के मध्य सम्बन्ध? आइये जानते हैं!
एक रिपोर्ट है वर्ष 1915 में प्रकाशित नोट्स ऑन द एंशीएंट ज्योग्राफी ऑफ गांधार, (अ कमेंट्री ऑन अ चैप्टर ऑफ ह्वेन सांग), ए फाउचर, अनुवाद एच हार्ग्रीव्स, सुपेरिटेनडेंट, हिन्दू एंड बुद्धिस्ट मोन्यूमेंट, नोर्दर्न सर्कल, इसमें गांधार (कंधार) के इतिहास पर बात की गयी है। इसमें फाउचर ने गांधार क्षेत्र में हुए जलवायु परिवर्तन, हिन्दुओं की हत्याओं आदि के ऐतिहासिक सन्दर्भों पर बात की है। इसमें उन्होंने लिखा है कि जब उनके अर्थात अंग्रेजों के शासन में गांधार फिर से भारत का हिस्सा बना, उस समय उस संस्कृति के चिन्ह खोजना अत्यंत दुर्लभ हो गया था, जो एक समय में व्याप्त थी। अब वहां पर प्राकृत के स्थान पर पश्तु बोली जाती है, जो “पाणिनि” का जन्मस्थान था।
इसमें बाबर द्वारा पेशावर के हरे भरे बगीचों का उल्लेख है, जिसमें बाबर ने कहा था कि “बसंत में पेशावर के बगीचों से सुन्दर कुछ नहीं हो सकता!” फिर उससे पहले ह्वेनसांग द्वारा उस क्षेत्र की जलवायु का वर्णन करते हुए लिखा है कि ह्वेनसांग ने इस क्षेत्र में गन्नों की खेती की बात की थी, वह अब गायब हो चुकी है और साथ ही लिखा है कि पेशावर और मरदान में कई प्रकार के फूल और फल पैदा होते हैं।
जहाँ एक समय में नदियाँ उन्मुक्त होकर बहा करती थीं, अब वहां पर पानी के लिए लोग तरसते हैं! और ऐसा क्यों हुआ तो यहाँ के लोगों का कहना है कि बुतपरस्तों के कारण ऐसा हुआ है! उनका कहना है कि यह देश छोड़ते समय बुतपरस्त लोग जल के स्रोत बंद करके चले गए हैं!
गाय के कंडे जलाने वालों के गायब होने से परिवर्तित हुई जलवायु?
फिर इस रिपोर्ट में लिखा है कि “क्या हमें पूरे मध्य एशिया में हुए जलवायु परिवर्तन पर दृष्टि डालनी होगी और यह विश्वास करना होगा कि यह पूरे मध्य एशिया में बदली? यदि कोई अवलोकन करता है तो पाएगा कि मुसलमान जो लकड़ी जलाने वाले थे, उन्होंने अपनी जियारत बचाने के लिए हर जगह उन वृक्षों को जला दिया, जिनकी पूजा गाय के कंडे जलाने वाले हिन्दू करते थे, यही मेरे विचार से देश में वनों के तेजी से कटने के लिए और वृक्षों के तेजी से गायब होने में वर्तमान आद्रता की सबसे सरल और स्पष्ट व्याख्या है!
अर्थात जहां का बीफईटर या गौ मांस खाने को लेकर रनबीर गर्व का अनुभव करते हैं, ऐतिहासिक तथ्य इस बात को प्रमाणित करते हैं, कि वहां की जलवायु का नाश इसलिए हुआ क्योंकि “गाय की पूजा करने वाले हिन्दू नहीं रहे और पेड़ों को काटने वाले बढ़ गए थे!”
यही सत्य है कि जब तक “गाय की पूजा करने वाले हिन्दू थे, तब तक भारत ज्ञान का केंद्र था, आर्थिक उन्नति का केंद्र था, परन्तु आज ऐसे लोग कथित पढ़ेलिखों में सम्मान पाते हैं, जो गर्व से गौ मांस खाते हैं!”
आम लोगों को यह सब शोध आदि की बातें नहीं पता है क्योंकि इन सभी को छिपा लिया गया है, जिससे गाय खाने वालों की “खाने की भावनाएं” आहत न हों, फिर हिन्दुओं की धार्मिक भावनाएं खूब आहत होती रहें, इससे कि अंतर नहीं पड़ता, तभी कल बाबा महाकाल के मंदिर के बाहर हिन्दुओं पर लाठी चार्ज हो जाता है, और गौ मांस खाने वालों को सम्मान पूर्वक वहां से बाहर भेज दिया जाता है।
और उसके बाद जिनके गौ प्रेम के चलते प्रकृति तक सुरक्षित है, उन्हें ही खलनायक ठहराना आरम्भ हो चुका है! रणबीर कपूर जी, जिस गौ मांस के भक्षण को आप सगर्व कहते हैं, उसके लिए आज भी करोड़ों हिन्दुओं के घर की पहली रोटी निकाली जाती है, वह उस व्यक्ति को कभी माफ नहीं कर सकता है जो उसकी माँ को रोटी देने के स्थान पर रोटी में लपेट कर खाए!
Love for books can be natural or cultivated. In the case of Saanvi Jamalpur, who is just merely 12 years old and a student of Class VIII, it was the former. And today, this student of Don Bosco High School in Bandlaguda Jagir, Hyderabad has made her parents and school proud as she has won several awards for her deft rendering of Bhagavad Gita.
Sharing her love for reading with New Indian Express she said: “My parents were both IT employees and we were living in Bengaluru. They used to leave me at the daycare, where I used to read picture books, children’s books, and as I started growing up, I started reading short stories and fiction novels, in addition to encyclopaedia, mystery, adventure, sci-fi, mythology and books on general knowledge.”
She counts Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, JK Rowling, and Jeff Kinney among her favourite authors.
It was during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown she was drawn to Bhagavad Gita. She was told by her mother Sunitha Jamalpur that as Gita is a revered scripture, one needs to read it after having a bath and also avoid eating meat.
It took her just 12 months to master not a few but all the 701 slokas of the scripture. In fact, in September 2021, she recited 58 slokas in five minutes to make it to the World Book of Records.
She also cleared the Srimad Bhagawad Gita Recitation Exam held by the Avadhoota Datta Peetham in Mysuru in 2021 with distinction. Pradeep her father informed that this exam was really tough. “They would say the first two words and she would be asked to recite the sloka till they asked her to recite another sloka. Sometimes the beginning words can be similar in different slokas, so it was tricky.”
Going beyond books, the youngster has set her aim to become an astrophysicist at the Indian Space Research Organisation. She is keen to do research on the data transmitted by the satellites in space, and eager to see satellites being sent to other galaxies also.
(The story has been published via a syndicated feed.)
Even grass is a weapon in the hands of the skilled. Manju, a native of Roda, located around 35 km from Himachal Pradesh’s summer capital Shimla, just proved it right.
Despite no family support, Manju made herself self-sufficient by creating decorative items using things that most people do not think as worth investing in – Kusha grass, mauli (thread), waste plastic bottles, clay, waste paper and clothes.
“Our financial situation was bad. We had taken land on lease for farming, and I wanted to help my husband,” Manju told 101Reporters.
“My husband and his family did not like the fact that I was making these products and selling them in the streets,” said Manju. She added that her husband felt ashamed of her work and wanted her to work in the fields or contribute more to household chores.
“But this did not stop me. I made several products, which earned me Rs 1,600 for the first time,” she beamed.
That was when Kandaghat block livelihood manager Bhavita Sharma encouraged her to work in the community and provided tips on product marketing.
“This spurred me to form the Jai Maa Durga SHG in 2018, along with some of my friends,” she said. Her traditional skills not only came to her aid but also bettered the lives of over a dozen others.
Today, over 60 women are part of her group. She also finds time to support women SHGs from other villages regarding the marketing of their products.
Going from strength to strength
At first, Manju and her friends received a month-long training on products made from pine needles under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). They also received Rs 30,000 to set up a shop of their own.
Sharma told 101Reporters that Manju and her colleagues were from very poor backgrounds. “But now, their products reach several parts of the country through exhibitions. They get sales orders over the phone from more places,” she said.
The women earn anywhere around Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 a month, by working for two to three hours every day. The amount is sufficient to meet household expenses. They are now able to send their children to private schools as well.
Like Manju, women in Tundal and Kaneti villages have used the Kusha grass to make innovative products and set up shops. Lalita Devi, the secretary of the Jai Jwala SHG, Tundal village said the members of her group earlier sold their products on roadside stalls along the route of Chail, a tourist destination in Solan district.
“The NRLM support helped us set up a tin stall, making it easier to sell products even during monsoons,” she added.
Devi said her SHG has come a long way from solely relying on traditional knowledge to making more beautiful and attractive products after receiving training and watching YouTube videos. “We now use shiny beads as well, which helped in boosting sales.”
A homegrown initiative
Manju Devi, another member of Jai Jwala SHG, said they keep changing the products as per the trends and demands of customers.
Things started to change for the group after the 2017 Doklam standoff. “Earlier, a lot of decorative items and rakhis used to come from China. But after the Doklam dispute, the arrival of Chinese products dipped, which benefited us,” Devi told 101Reporters.
People became more aware of homegrown products and started buying them. “Rakhis made from Kusha grass were selling like hot cakes. We managed to sell for over Rs 20,000,” Devi recounted.
She said her group took 20 minutes to make one rakhi, which was sold for Rs 30. “We get a lot of orders by phone for rakhis and other items from places outside Himachal Pradesh. Once we receive bulk orders, all members of our group assemble and start working to deliver the products in time,” Devi said.
The women are making over 40 different types of products using Kusha grass, including earrings, jewellery, pooja items, roti box, pen stand, table lamps, and sweaters and jackets for children.
Kusha grass is very soft, yet long-lasting. Products made from it can last for more than five years and can be washed as well!
Several women associated with the SHGs in villages have stated that the new ventures have boosted their confidence to such a level that they can easily sell their products in the market. They claimed that they make these products in their free time, after completing the day’s work.
A green venture
These women SHGs have contributed immensely towards environment protection and the Swachh Bharat Mission through their businesses, by organising cleanliness drives and using plastic waste like bottles and wrappers in their products. The raw materials used for their products come from grasslands. Shalu Verma, a member of Lakshmi SHG, told 101Reporters that the Kusha grass, which is used for ritual purposes, is rarely found in grasslands.
“That is why we work to conserve these grasslands. We protect them from forest fires and ensure that no SHG member cuts grass when it is raw. If it is cut before the due time, the yield gets affected,” said Verma.
The SHGs have also launched a campaign to save the Kusha grass on panchayat land. They plant it at different locations every year, and make fire lines. They also ensure that the grass variety is cut in time.
According to the women, cutting grass every year ensures that yield increases next time. They also create awareness among the villagers on the need to conserve the grass variety.
(The story has been published via a syndicated feed.)
Bollywood nepo-kids and star couple Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are currently on a temple run to bolster their falling popularity with Hindu masses, whom they desperately want to watch their upcoming movie Brahmastra.
Social media has been rife with multiple reasons for why Brahmastra, despite its Hindu packaging and storyline, should be boycotted by Hindus. The elitist, anti-Hindu comments and positions taken by some of the key personnel involved in the movie have played a large part. We will get into all those reasons in a separate article, but one thing which has especially rankled Hindus is an old clip of Ranbir Kapoor on a food show boasting that he is a “big beef guy”.
“My family used to have paya (dish made from hoofs of animals) for breakfast, that’s a bit hard core, you know. My family is from Peshawar, so a lot of Peshawari influences in food has come with them. I am a mutton, paya, beef, red meat fan…yeah, I am a big beef guy,” Ranbir said on the show.
Before social media, Bollywood celebs and other elites could maintain disdain towards ordinary Hindus in private while appearing congenial in public. Or they could depend on their media friends to bury awkward stories. Not anymore. Thanks to the internet, even things from the past that our deracinated and arrogant celebs would have hoped were long forgotten are being re-discovered by awakening Hindus.
Despite their diversity in customs, culture, food and language, one of the things which binds all Hindus together apart from the fundamentals of Dharma, it is our reverence for the cow and resultant revulsion for beef eating. Hindus bear no ill-will for those countries where eating beef is part of their local tradition, although even those in the West are now realizing that beef is neither good for health nor the climate.
We don’t want to impose our worldview or lifestyle on Europe, for eg., but what we won’t accept is people trying to make it the norm in Bharat, and people who boast about eating beef in public then demanding access to our temples. If you eat beef, don’t call yourself a Hindu and please stay away from our temples.
Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor were in Ujjain on Tuesday to visit Mahakaleshwar temple. But they faced protests from local Hindus, who were upset with Ranbir’s “I am a big beef guy” comment. Police who were on ‘VIP duty’ assaulted the peaceful protestors and even resorted to a lathi charge. Despite this, eyewitnesses said that protesters did not allow the star couple, who got married in April in a pseudo-Hindu ceremony, to enter the temple premises.
Madhya Pradesh Police use force to disperse Bajrang Dal activists protesting against Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor's presence inside Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga of Ujjain. The actor once said, "I am a big beef guy", in a video. pic.twitter.com/AUx4wsvnTO
Such police brutality on peaceful Hindus standing up for their Dharma is de rigueur in the secular Indian state. However, when confronted with a mob of violent Islamists, the same police often surrenders abjectly and starts appeasing those demanding public beheadings, as we saw in Telangana recently when ‘sar tan se juda’ protests broke out for MLA Raja Singh’s arrest.
Besides husband Ranbir, Alia Bhatt too has seen her stocks falling with movie goers due to her flippant “If you don’t like me, don’t watch me” comment, mimicking Kareeena Kapoor Khan’s words (the audience did just what Kareena had dared them to do, by boycotting Laal Singh Chadha). Alia’s father Mahesh Bhatt is a known Hindu hater and pro-Islamist, her mother Soni Razdan has said she would be “happier in Pakistan”, and Alia herself has opposed the humanitarian pro-Hindu CAA law and hobnobbed with Rana Ayyub, a rabid Islamist fraud-accused ‘journalist’ known for manufacturing fake news to defame Hindus and Bharat across the world.
भारत इस समय कई तरह की समस्याओं से जूझ रहा है, खालिस्तान अभियान कुछ सबसे कठिन और संवेदनशील समस्याओं में से एक है जो देश के आगे मुँह बाए खड़ी है। पिछले कुछ वर्षों से खालिस्तान एक बार फिर से सिर उठा रहा है, केंद्र सरकार के कृषि कानूनों के विरोध में देशभर में हुए धरने प्रदर्शन का उपयोग कर खालिस्तानियों ने एक बार फिर से अपनी जमीन बनाने की कोशिश की है। खालिस्तानी आतंकवादी संगठनो का एक ही उद्देश्य है, कथित रूप से सिखों के लिए अलग मातृभूमि बनाना, जिसे वह लोग खालिस्तान के नाम से जानते हैं।
हालांकि विडम्बना यह है कि उन्हें मात्र भारत के हिस्से का पंजाब चाहिए, जो पंजाब विभाजन के बाद पाकिस्तान के हिस्से चला गया था, उससे उन्हें कोई मतलब नहीं है। खालिस्तानी आतंकवादी अपने इस सपने के लिए पिछले 30-40 वर्षों से कई आतंकवादी हमले करवा चुके हैं, हजारों लोगो की जान ले चुके हैं। 80 और 90 के दशक में पंजाब और केंद्र सरकार के कड़े क़दमों से खालिस्तान आंदोलन और इसके तत्वों का भारत से सफाया कर दिया गया था, लेकिन खालिस्तानी आंदोलन का समर्थन करने वाले और इसका नेतृत्व करने वाले तत्व कनाडा,इंग्लैंड, और अमेरिका जैसे देशों से इस भारत विरोधी हिंसक आंदोलन को आज तक संचालित करते हैं।
पिछले कुछ समय से खालिस्तानी आतंकवादी और प्रतिबंधित संगठन सिख फॉर जस्टिस (एसएफजे), खालिस्तान नामक देश बनाने के लिए एक जनमत संग्रह करवाने का प्रयास कर रहे हैं। पहले इन्होने इसका नाम रेफेरेंडम-2020 रखा था, लेकिन कोरोना के कारण इनके प्रयास सफल नहीं हो पाए। किसान आंदोलन के समय भी इन्होने जनमत संग्रह कराने की बात करी थी, उसके पश्चात पंजाब और हिमाचल में इस तरह के जनमत संग्रह के पोस्टर और अन्य साहित्य भी देखने को मिले हैं।
अब खालिस्तानियों कनाडा में जनमत संग्रह कराने के लिए एक अभियान शुरू किया है, जिसके कारण ओंटारियो राज्य के ब्रैम्पटन शहर में स्पष्ट तनाव व्याप्त हो गया है। प्रतिबंधित भारत विरोधी आतंकी संगठन सिख फॉर जस्टिस (एसएफजे) के कार्यकर्ता विभिन्न गुरुद्वारों के प्रवेश द्वार पर आने जाने वालों को खालिस्तानी साहित्य और जनमत संग्रह से सम्बंधित पात्र वितरित कर रहे हैं। वह भारतीयों, विशेष रूप से पंजाबियों को ब्रैम्पटन के एक सामुदायिक केंद्र में 18 सितंबर को होने वाले ‘जनमत संग्रह’ में भाग लेने के लिए कह रहे हैं।
स्थानीय पंजाबी समुदाय खालिस्तानियों के विरोध में खड़ा हो गया है
इस कदम का भारत समर्थक कनाडाई समुदाय कड़ा विरोध कर रहा है। वहां के एक स्थापित सामुदायिक अधिवक्ता और राजनेता आजाद सिंह गोयत के नेतृत्व में स्थानीय पंजाबी उठ खड़े हुए हैं, और खालिस्तानियों द्वारा सार्वजनिक संपत्ति के दुरुपयोग पर आपत्ति जताई है जो जनमत संग्रह की तारीख और स्थान को प्रचारित करने के लिए पोस्टर लगा रहे हैं या प्रचार कर रहे हैं।
गोयत ने प्रशासन और पुलिस को चेतावनी देते हुए कहा है कि जल्दी ही जनमत संग्रह अभियान की सामग्री को सार्वजनिक संपत्तियों से हटा दिया जाए, अन्यथा वह इन अवैध संकेतों को हटाने के लिए लोगों के सहयोग से सीधी कार्रवाई अभियान शुरू करेंगे।
वहीं जनमत संग्रह की गतिविधियों में लिप्त खालिस्तानी हरजिंदर सिंह पहरा का कहना है कि गोयत जैसे लोग समुदाय में टकराव पैदा करने का प्रयत्न कर रहे हैं। पहरा कहते हैं कि वह शांतिपूर्वक अपना कार्य कर रहे हैं और उन्हें स्थानीय समुदाय का भारी समर्थन भी मिल रहा है। उनके अनुसार पंजाब समुदाय को मतदान करने के लिए विवश नहीं किया जाएगा।
कनाडा के लोकप्रिय ओमनी टीवी चैनल के लिए कार्य करने वाले पंजाबी पत्रकार जेपी पंढेर का कहना है कि प्रशासन और पुलिस तभी कार्रवाई कर सकती है जब दोनों पक्षों में से किसी की ओर से शांति भंग हो। वह इस बात से सहमत हैं कि खालिस्तानी जनमत संग्रह को प्रचारित करने के लिए कानूनी रूप से सार्वजनिक संपत्ति का उपयोग नहीं कर सकते हैं। वह प्रोपराइटरों की लिखित सहमति लेने के बाद ही मात्र निजी सम्पत्तियो पर ही पोस्टर और साइनबोर्ड चिपका सकते हैं।
विदेशी गुरुद्वारों पर है खालिस्तानियों का प्रभुत्व
यह सर्वविदित है कि विदेशों के लगभग सभी गुरुद्वारों का प्रबंधन धीरे-धीरे कट्टरपंथियों और खालिस्तानियों के नियंत्रण में आ गया है। यह लोग अपने बाहुबल से प्रबंधन समितियों का गठन करने के लिए चुनाव जीतते हैं। यह लोग गुरुद्वारों का उपयोग भारत विरोधी विचारों का प्रचार करने के लिए करते हैं। अधिकांश सिख सशस्त्र खालिस्तानियों के सामने खुद को असहाय पाते हैं, क्योंकि यह तत्व हिंसा में भी लिप्त होते हैं, और इनका विरोध करने वालों को कई तरह के संकटों से दो चार होना पड़ता है।
एसएफजे ने इससे पहले अमेरिका और ब्रिटेन के कुछ शहरों में भी ‘खालिस्तानी जनमत संग्रह’ कराया था। जैसा कि अपेक्षित था, इनके जनमत संग्रह के घोषित परिणाम बहुसंख्यकों को खालिस्तान के निर्माण के पक्ष में दिखाते हैं। जनमत संग्रह का उद्देश्य खालिस्तान के निर्माण का समर्थन करने वाले मतदाताओं का डेटा एकत्र करना और इसे संयुक्त राष्ट्र में प्रस्तुत कर उनका समर्थन लेने का प्रयास करना है।
Deceased engg. student Apoorva (21), suspected killer Ashish (29) (Image: Star Of Mysore)
An engineering student named Apoorva Shetty (21) was killed at a lodge in the city. Her friend Ashish (29) is the prime suspect. Though he escaped from the crime scene, police tracked his mobile device and arrested him.
Apoorva is a resident of Haralahalli village situated over 100 km north of Mysuru. She was pursuing her final year of engineering at a private college in the city and was staying at a Paying Guest (PG) accommodation. While renting the room at the lodge, the accused had given his name as Ashik of Hinkal village, reportsStar of Mysore. But his real name has been uncovered as Ashish by India Today which spoke with investigating officers handling the case.
The two rented the hotel room on Aug 29. On September 1, at around 7.30 am, Ashish left the hotel alone. Apoorva did not come out for breakfast, and neither did she order lunch. The hotel employees tried calling the room through the intercom, but she did not answer. Suspicious hotel workers informed the Devaraja police station.
Devaraja Inspector Diwakar unlocked the door to the room and discovered that Apoorva was dead. Blood had oozed out of the victim’s nose, and her mouth had foamed with froth. Police suspect that Ashish had either poisoned or strangled her to death. They removed the body to the mortuary for post-mortem procedures.
Senior officials, including Mysore City Crime Branch DCP Pradeep, reached the spot. The victim was identified by checking the identity card found in the room. Based on a complaint filed by Apoorva’s parents, the police registered a case and started an investigation. The forensic team inspected the hotel room.
The accused Ashish was arrested in the wee hours on Friday.
It is believed that Ashish met the victim around three years back. After learning about the relationship, the girl’s parents fought with him and warned Apoorva to stay away from him. However, despite the opposition, the couple continued to meet each other.
Correction/Update
8 September, 7.30 PM: India Today has reported that the accused’s name is Ashish, not Ashik as was reported initially by several sites like Star of Mysore, News18 Kannada, Zee News, TV9 Kannada. It is possible that the accused Ashish did mention his name as ‘Ashik’ while signing in to the hotel where he allegedly killed Apoorva, and this is what several news sites duly reported in their initial coverage of the crime.
India Today carried out a fact check and spoke to ACP MN Shashidhar and Inspector Divakar of the Devaraja police station, under whose jurisdiction this case falls. As per the India Today report –
“They said both the accused and the victim are Hindu….the ACP said, “When rumours started to circulate in the name of the accused’s religion, I personally took a look at his details. The name of the man is Ashish and he belongs to the Okkaliga caste. His father’s name is Ravikumar and his mother is Gowri. He is a 29-year-old graphic designer.”
….the accused is an alcoholic and has a history of engaging in petty fights, adding that he is married and has been staying away from his wife for some time. He has been charged with murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.
HinduPost has updated its story accordingly. The error is regretted.
We understand that this fact check will now be highlighted prominently by English-language media and digital outlets like Wire, Scroll etc. to claim ‘love jihad is an Islamophobic conspiracy theory by Hindu extremists’. We only wish similar energy were invested in fact checking stories of “innocent Muslim man lynched by Hindus” as happened when media morphed a thief Tabrez Ansari into a martyr.
As for those who continue to claim that “Love Jihad/Grooming Jihad does not exist”, here are some cases that they can ‘fact check’ –
