Winning themes celebrate culture, sport

NEW DELHI: As Delhi prepares to bid farewell to the goddess , the festive spirit lingers on . The past four days saw communities from all parts of the capital come together to celebrate Maa Durga's victory over evil .

Durga Puja festivities this year coincide with renowned Bengali painter Jamini Roy's 125th birth anniversary , and organizers of the Milani Cultural and Welfare Association , Mayur Vihar , chose to pay tribute to him through their pandal .

A majority of Jamini Roy's works , inspired by the Kalighat patachitra style of painting , have been replicated inside the pandal ; these include women figures with children , animals , excerpts from Ramayana , Mahabharata and many other mythological stories . Some of the paintings have been made on sara (earthen plates ) and the idol too has been depicted on a sara . The pandal is a replica of his residence at Beliatore in Bankura which has now been converted into a museum .

"It took us about a month to do the paintings . We chose this theme because even though Jamini Roy's paintings reflect the real spirit of rural Bengal , his birth anniversary has not been celebrated widely . We have tried to emulate his signature style of making large eyes that almost seem to come out of the frame on both human and animal figures ," said Aniruddha Sarkar , one of the artists , adding that it took six professional painters to make the pandal and idol. Organizers also said the pandal is one of two in the country that are dedicated to Jamini Roy , the other one being in Kolkata .

The end result is a vibrant pandal that celebrates Bengali culture , and judges for TOI's best pandal contest , Durga Devi Namastute , awarded it the first prize after visiting 21 of the city's best pandals over Saptami and Ashtami . The judges - artist Sudip Roy and cartoonist Udayshankar - gave the second prize to Matri Mandir (Sarbojanin Durga Puja Samity ) in Safdarjung Enclave , and the third prize to Sarbojanin Puja Samiti in D Block, CR Park . The winner got a prize of Rs 1 lakh , first runner up Rs 31,000, and second runner up Rs 21,000.

The Matri Mandir pandal has adopted a theme which is based on 2012 London Olympics ,and celebrates India's best-ever Olympic performance . At the entrance are models of the five winners with their medals , and inside are cutouts of Olympic sports and the five rings , and a mini version of Tower Bridge . The D block pandal themed theirs on the interiors of Bengal and Tripura , and used material like wicker , ice cream spoons , and eco friendly paints to decorate .

Apart from naming the three best overall pandals , the contest also awarded the best zonal idols - Vasundhara Enclave Puja Samiti from east zone including Ghaziabad and Noida , Bangiya Parishad from Gurgaon , Paschim Vihar Bengali Association from west zone, Suraj Kund Bagiya Samaj from south zone including Faridabad , and Delhi Rohini Puja Samiti from north zone .

Amid big and elaborate idols, the ones at Gurgaon stood out for their minimalism . Since the entire pandal was inspired by a village setting , the organizers said they wanted to extend that simplicity to the idols as well. On the contrary , the Surajkund idols stood out for the 3D effect they had created .

The prize for the best green pandal went to Co-operative Ground Durga Puja Samity in CR Park , which was based on the primitive art of bamboo painting from Bankura . Organizers brought in artists from the region to paint men in turbans , and women figures on bamboo , who took about 25 days to complete . All the zonal idols winners , and the green pandal winner received a prize of Rs 11,000. Many smaller pandals recreated the warm atmosphere of a home puja (barir pujo ) and had traditional idols in Ek chala with sholar saaj (thermocol decoration ) and daker saaj (silver foil decoration ).

There is, however , more to Durga Puja than the beautifully decorated pandals , and like any festival , it is incomplete without food. Apart from the bhog offered at pandals , they all had a separate area where many food chains set up their stalls - Mughlai dishes like biryani, tikkas, and kebabs; mutton , chicken , paneer , and egg kathi rolls ; sweets like kulfi and kala khatta; pakodas and fish cutlets; and even simpler fare like dal and chholey could be found at the pandals . People were seen eating phuchkas (golgappas), jhalmuri (puffed rice ) and gorging on traditional Bengali sweets like rosogolla and sandesh.

Adding to the festivities were cultural programmes , competitions for children , and games like charades and antakshari .

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Storm brings down effigies before D-Day

NEW DELHI: It will take some serious shelling to slay the Dussehra demons today . While Tuesday's storm and rain weakened the newly hoisted rakshasa warriors - discolouring , disfiguring and even maiming them - they also made them proof against the fiery attacks of Rama and Lakshmana . Worried Ramlila organizers had to call in firepower reserves - dry grass and more crackers - to ensure that the Dussehra finale does not turn into a washout .

"We have increased the number of firecracker bombs used to burn the effigies from 6,000 to 10,000. Also, lots of dry grass is being stuffed into the giant structures so that they burn easily . There will be no problem at all ," said Arjun Kumar , president of the Luv-Kush Ramlila Committee near Red Fort .

The storm brought down giant effigies of Ravana at many places on Tuesday . In some cases , embellishments , including crown , armour and dress , of the 80-90 feet tall 10-headed demon were lost.

Kumar said Ravana's nose blew off during the dust storm , and his clothes made of cardboard , colorful paper and sacks got disfigured at some points . "There are still 24 hours left for the final celebrations and we are confident that things will be in order by then ," he said .

Ravi Jain , press secretary of Dharmik Lila Committee in Subhash Park , where the finale will be attended by the President and PM, among others , said one of the effigies had tilted in the dust storm . "It's a minor problem . We will sort it out."

In Subhash Nagar , west Delhi, also an effigy listed and cranes had to be called in to provide support . Rajiv Behel, head of the puja committee in Subhash Nagar , said the storm tore off the arms of the effigy .

"The bamboo scaffolding of the 90-foot structure also tilted completely and we had to provide it support . Despite that , it fell down and now we are waging a war to get it up for Wednesday's celebration ," he said .

Similar problems were reported from scores of other committees planning grand Dussehra celebrations .

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Squall hits traffic, more jams today

NEW DELHI: Massive jams were reported from many areas on Tuesday evening after a brief squall enveloped the city, followed by heavy rain. Vehicles crawled on waterlogged roads in south Delhi and other places. More congestion is expected on Dussehra because of Ramlila and Durga Puja processions.

Office goers took longer to reach home on Monday evening as vehicular movement was affected at major intersections. Traffic cops advised commuters to avoid Outer Ring Road stretches near CR Park and Greater Kailash due to the large number of devotees visiting these areas. Jams lasting three hours were reported from East of Kailash, Kailash Colony, towards Modi Mill, Ashram, CR Park, Greater Kailash and Mool Chand in south Delhi. Even Nigambodh Ghat area, ISBT, Karol Bagh and New Delhi railway station area witnessed snarls.

On Wednesday, traffic congestion is expected around Red Fort grounds, Parade grounds, near Old Delhi Railway Station, Wazirabad Sur Ghat, Chhath Puja Ghat at IP Estate and the eastern side of Yamuna pustas and thokars. "Several traffic diversions will be in place when the processions are heading towards Yamuna ghats," said JCP (traffic) Satyendra Garg.

Shri Ram Lila Committee of Ramlila Maidan will start the procession around 4pm from Ram Mandir at Ramchandra Dehlvi Marg to Ramlila ground via Dariba Kalan, Gurdwara Sisganj, Chandni Chowk Nai Sarak, Chawri Bazar, Ajmeri Gate and Asaf Ali Road. The Joint Durga Puja Procession Committee of Kali Bari Mandir will take idols for immersion to Qudsia Ghat on the Yamuna near Kashmere Gate ISBT. The procession will pass through places in central Delhi.

Processions from CR Park, RK Puram, GK-II and other south Delhi colonies will assemble at Nehru Place and move towards Kalindi Kunj via CR Park, Okhla flyover, Mathura Road, Apollo Hospital and Sarita Vihar. Other vehicles will not be allowed to use Netaji Subhash Marg, Nishad Raj Marg, JLN Marg and Turkman Gate during this time, said cops.

"No goods vehicles will be permitted to ply on Ring Road between Wazirabad and Nizamuddin Bridge from 11am to 10pm," said Garg.

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Immersion of idols continues on choking Yamuna

Statistics say at least 200 idols are immersed from Kalindi Kunj.

NEW DELHI: Hundreds of idols of Goddess Durga were Wednesday immersed in Yamuna river from a bank near a bird sanctuary and park in the national capital, choking the dying river further and raising concerns over upsetting the area's ecological balance.

Since afternoon of Mahadashami -- the final day of the five-day Durga Puja -- more than 100 trucks, packed with devotees, had lined up along the riverbank in Kalindi Kunj to immerse idols of Goddesses Durga, Laxmi and Saraswati and Lords Ganesha and Kartik.

The clay idols were being towed towards the river by three cranes at strategic locations on the river's edge. Beats of drums and cries of "Jai Mata Di" rented the air. Throngs of devotees smeared with coloured powder were dancing in a frenzy.

Several checks such as recycling projects and removal of polluting waste from the clay idols had been put in place to stop the flow of effluents into the river. But nothing seemed enough.

Kalindi Kunj is near a bird sanctuary and a park full of trees overlooking a river choking with chemical foam and sedimented islets.

Statistics say at least 200 idols are immersed from Kalindi Kunj.

The capital has three more such immersion sites for 760 registered Durga idols -- Geeta Ghat, Kudsia Ghat and Jagatpur.

"Multiply the 760 with four idols of Goddess Durga's children and you have nearly 3,000 idols going into the river in a day," said Madhumita Puri, who collects ceremonial flowers from the sites under a 'Trash to Cash' recycling project.

"This year, the administration has erected two enclosures to collect floral and non-biodegradable waste for recycling. We have thrown all the flowers, pots, textiles clothing and accessories of the idols there," Arun Chowdhury Thakur, a member of the Mayur Vihar Phase III Durga Puja committee, told IANS.

He pointed to a red marquee along an elevated ledge on the bank littered with rotting flowers and ritual waste.

Chowdhury Thakur is alarmed by the sight of the frothing river and its toxic overload.

"We are not eco-friendly. We immerse the idol as it is with the bamboo frame. This has been the tradition for 13 years," he said.

N.K. Thakur of the Palam Vihar Durga Puja committee, said: "Something must be done to save the river. We do not want to immerse the bamboo frames henceforth".

Shankar Roy Chowdhury from Dakshin Puri said the immersion points have to be relocated further down the river outside the city limits.

"We have approached the government for new immersion points, but it is sitting on the demand," he told IANS.

A government estimate says 19 sewer channels drain urban waste into the river at various points in the capital and NCR.

A study of The Energy and Resources Institute says toxins from the river have entered the groundwater along the riverbank and affected vegetation.

This year, the environment ministry and irrigation ministry have told the municipal corporations to clean up Kalindi Kunj within a week of immersion, Assistant Commissioner of Police Vipin Kumar Nayyar said.

"There are four rescue boats, 300 policemen and four watch-towers to monitor activity at the immersion point," he told IANS.

But it is a tough task to clean up the river, he said, looking at the polluted river amid the show of faith.

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New age Ravana wired up to meet fiery end at finale

In the end , Ravana always goes out like an oil depot on fire - bam , bam , bam - without a show of suffering. But this time , the demon's end will be markedly more human , and satisfying, with cries , shrieks and a frame writhing in the agony of death . Some of the bigger Ramlilas in town have managed to turn the traditional 'effigy' of the last few thousand years into a robot fit for the 21st century using electronics and some mechanical engineering .

"As soon as the arrow hits Ravana's stomach , flames will burst out of his mouth , his eyes will spin and drip tears of milk . Both ears will also move ," says Arjun Kumar , president of the Luv-Kush Ramlila Committee , adding , "The sword in his hand will also move with the arm and the gemstones around his neck will change colour . All these effects will be accompanied with a loud screaming ." To produce the special effects, the 120-foot effigy has been wired up to a computer and an audio player while ball bearings have been used in the construction for the first time . Some gizmos have also been used in the effigies of Kumbhkarna and Meghnad that stand 100 and 80 feet tall .

Kumar said around 10,000 crackers will have to be fitted in the effigy to make it burn completely . Former President Pratibha Patil and human resources development minister Kapil Sibal are likely to attend the Luv-Kush Ramlila Committee's celebrations .

Ravi Jain , press secretary of the Shri Dharmik Lila Committee that organizes a Ramlila opposite Red Fort grounds said President Pranab Mukherjee , PM Manmohan Singh and UPA chief Sonia Gandhi are likely to attend their celebrations .

Satyadev Goyal , president of Shri Ramlila Committee , Punjabi Bagh said the burning of effigies in their area will be preceded by a procession in which actors playing Rama , Ravana and Sita will participate . Ten music bands , horses and elephants will accompany them .

"When the procession reaches the main ground around 4pm, there will be a Rama-R avana battle . After that , we will burn the effigies . Lord Rama will aim his arrow at Ravana , and when he pulls the bowstring , a button will switch on . Ravana will burn on being hit by the electric arrow ," he said .

Preparations across the city were hit by rain and strong winds on Tuesday . Some of the effigies required serious repairs . But the organizers claimed everything will be in order on Wednesday .

At IP Extension , the organizers have selected conspicuous consumption as the fourth demon by voting . "From FDI in retail , corruption , showing off and electricity bills, most respondents (32%) picked showing off as a new age Ravana ," said an organizer

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West Delhi businessman's son kidnapped, cops suspect help

NEW DELHI: The eight-year-old son of a west Delhi businessman was reported kidnapped on Sunday afternoon. Police said the family had received six ransom calls by Monday noon, and the kidnappers were demanding Rs 50 lakh for the child's safe release.

The businessman's domestic help (name withheld), who is also missing, is the prime suspect, police say. A male friend of the help is also suspected. The man is learnt to have a criminal record and met the help at her sister's residence in Noida. The maid has two children but is reportedly separated from her husband.

Several teams are working in tandem, raiding places in Uttar Pradesh to rescue the child. Senior officers have refused to comment on the case.

Sources said the businessman had employed a maid without police verification a few weeks ago to take care of the child, a student of Class III in a private school. As the child warmed to the maid, the family also came to trust her. Her verification was not done as her mother had earlier worked with the family.

A source said the businessman's son threw a tantrum for a carrom board on Sunday morning and the maid took him out with his parents' permission to the market but never returned. By afternoon, the worried parents started a search around the house and in the market with the help of their relatives and neighbours. All attempts to call the maid were in vain. The police were informed and they launched a search on the basis of information provided by the businessman.

Later, the businessman received a call from an unidentified man who claimed to be holding the child and demanded Rs 50 lakh for his safe release. He threatened to kill the child if police were informed.

A case of kidnapping has been registered at the Janakpuri police station and 12 teams have been formed for the search. Police have asked the parents to buy time and negotiate with the kidnapper so that the location of the phone can be pinpointed. The cell phone's location has been determined as a town in Uttar Pradesh and several police teams have rushed there.

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RWAs: Not much to gain from move

NEW DELHI: The power regulator's attempt to appease consumers by slashing the 0-400 unit slab has failed to impress many. Unhappy with the new order, many RWAs continued to demand a complete rollback of the tariff hike and a CAG audit into discoms' accounts.

Terming DERC's decision ridiculous, an activist from Greater Kailash, M K Gupta, said it would only bring relief to a handful of consumers. "Only a small section of people who consume between 201and 350 units of electricity will be benefitted. For those with more usage, the the percentage decrease in bills will be too insignificant," he said.

Akriti Anand from East of Kailash said that by increasing the slab rate for the 201-400 unit category from Rs 4.8 to Rs 5.5, DERC has nullified the benefit that consumers would have gained with the restoration of the original slab system. "This looks like a conciliatory move. There is not much to gain," she said.

Social groups and RWAs have been demanding a rollback in the power tariff hike since it was announced in June. GK-I RWA member Rajiv Kakria called the move DERC's "clumsy attempt to rectify its mistake". "It's time to wind up DERC. Money thus saved, alone, will give more relief to the consumers reeling under the impact of arbitrarily hiked tariffs over the past 10 months," said Kakria.

Calling the order an eyewash, Atul Goel of URJA, a social group, said, "If power thefts have gone down drastically why does tariff have to be increased. We were told that the tariff won't go up after privatization and discoms will make money by recovering losses. But tariff is consistently being increased," rued Geol.

A protest against the tariff hike had turned ugly on October 8, the day DERC decided to hold a public hearing to discuss the matter. While political activists had held DERC chief P D Sudhakar hostage for an hour, RWA members had waived black scarves at members of the Commission.

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Victory 'partial', India Against Corruption not satisfied

NEW DELHI: Terming DERC's power tariff adjustments "nominal" and "cosmetic", Arvind Kejriwal-led India Against Corruption on Monday announced a door-to-door campaign for a complete rollback from November. Although it described the tariff announcement as a "partial victory of the people's agitation", IAC promised to keep up the pressure on the government.

The main opposition party, BJP, too, will hit the roads to intensify its agitation against the government on the issues of power tariff, inflation and corruption.

"People of Delhi have been fighting against the tariff hike. This tariff adjustment is a partial victory for them. The struggle will go on as part of the Bijli Satyagraha till the tariff is rolled back to the old rates," Kejriwal said.

"The tariff adjustment shows the government seems to have given in to the pressure of the people. But at the same time, it seems to be under more pressure from the discoms as the tariff adjustment is best described as nominal and cosmetic," Kejriwal said, adding members of the ward committees being constituted by the IAC will go door-to-door to inform people about tariff related issues.

IAC member Manish Sisodia said the DERC order was just a pacifier. "We want chief minister Sheila Dikshit to order a CAG audit into the power issue. Till the state seeks an audit, CAG cannot take up the matter."

Delhi BJP president Vijender Gupta said the adjustment in tariff is hardly a relief. "We have been protesting against the tariff hike and will now intensify the agitation. On Dussehra, we will burn effigies of power bills, inflation and corruption under the Congress-led governments at the Centre and the state. Our protests on power will continue till November 30."

Former union minister Vijay Goel alleged the CM was using DERC to mislead the people of Delhi. "The tariff adjustment is an eyewash and offers little relief to consumers across the board. The BJP has decided to step up protests, and RWAs and the people of Delhi will join hands to demand a rollback," Goel added.

Distancing herself from the tariff adjustment order, the chief minister said the tariff was decided by the DERC and not Delhi government. "It is always DERC which sets the tariff. Anyone can go to DERC and give their views. Even India Against Corruption could have gone to DERC," said Dikshit, reacting sharply to allegations by BJP and IAC that the state government was the key player in tariff fixation.

Refusing to comment on the contents of the order, she said, "We are still to see the order and will react only after thoroughly examining it. Let us see what DERC has said. The government will take action accordingly."

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Thunderstorm, heavy rains in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Darkness engulfed the capital this afternoon as thunderstorm and squall followed by heavy rains caught commuters, hoping to reach home early, off-guard.

Earlier sun shone brightly during the morning hours, but a little after 2.30 PM it gave way to darkness. Drivers turned on vehicle headlights and people began running for cover from the thunderstorm.

The squall and thunderstorm were followed by rains affecting vehicular movement in major intersections and delayed the departure of many people who were planning to get home early to celebrate Dussehra.

The MeT department attributed the sudden rains and thunderstorm to the western disturbance and said the development was on expected lines.

"This was due to western disturbance and we had forecast the development. There will be rains. This development is not sudden," a MeT department official said.

The Weather office forecast says the western disturbance as an upper air cyclonic circulation over eastern parts of Jammu and Kashmir has moved away northeastwards.

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Juvenile justice in Manipur suspended because of corruption

NEW DELHI: The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) in its latest report, 'Manipur: Juvenile justice suspended' released on Monday claimed that juvenile justice has been suspended in Manipur by the ministry of women and child development because of corruption and misuse of the resources. The State government of Manipur claimed that the Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) have been set up in all nine districts and the project approval board (PAB) for the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) of the ministry of women and child development in its 14 thmeeting on February 22, 2011 approved grants for nine JJBs. However, as the state government failed to establish the JJBs, the PAB in its 35 thMeeting held on January 17, 2012 had no other option but to stop funding to the JJBs for the current Financial Year 2012-2013.

"The service delivery for institutional care is an astounding case of total misuse of resources. For the first year grant under the IPCS i.e. for 2009-2010, the complete grant was shown to have been utilized by the government even though no staff has been appointed to State Project Support Unit, State Child Protection Society (SCPS) etc. The officials of the state government informed that 'equipment has been purchased in advance". It is clear that the funds provided for providing services to children have been diverted for equipments! If that was not enough, the entire grant received under ICPS for 2010-11 too has been claimed to be utilised, even though no staff has been appointed to SCPS, district child protection units (DCPU) and State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA)," said Suhas Chakma, director of ACHR.

The Manipur Government claimed that there are more than 3,000 children in the State who are affected by armed conflict, ethnic clashes, orphan children and children living with HIV/AIDS. The situations of the Children Homes are far from being satisfactory. Given that no Inspection Committee has been set up as required under the JJ (C&PC) Act, the situations in the homes established under the Act remain deplorable.

In a press statement, ACHR stated that the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act prevails over any other national security legislation including the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958. However, the Central security forces do not have any knowledge about the JJ(C&PC) Act and children have been regularly apprehended, detained and subjected to torture while many were killed in fake encounters in clear violations of the JJ(C&PC) Act. The report cited 14 cases of extra-judicial execution of children by the Central and the State security forces.

In the entire state, there is only one Government run observation cum special home at Takyelpat in capital Imphal whereas the Army and para-military forces are deployed all over the State. This indicates that children who are apprehended by the Army and para-military forces are not produced before the Juvenile Justice Boards and Observation Homes but detained in their camps and in the best circumstances sent to the police lock up or prisons. NCHR observed that the state government has constituted Special Juvenile Police Units only on paper, as their functioning remained confined to mere notification.

There are reports of ill treatment of children in the Children Homes. On September 15, 2011, eight inmates of Destitute Children Home run by Leprosy Patients' Welfare Society (LEWS) at Chingmeirong Lei-Inkhol in Imphal East district fled after allegedly being subjected to ill treatment by owner of the Home. The inmates, all under 12 years, fled in the wee hours, as they could not bear the ill treatment. The government confirmed to the ACHR that the inmates of this Home were transferred to a government institution due to a complaint lodged against the Home. But no action under the JJ(C&PC) Act was taken against the accused.

Further, in the absence of adequate Homes, children in need of care and protection have to be kept in a building attached to the observation cum special home at Takyelpat in Imphal. Presently, at least 21 children in need of care and protection have been kept in a separate building in the Government Observation cum Special Home at Takyelpat in Imphal until further arrangement is found for them. These children in need of care and protection were shifted from the Children Home in Imphal East district.

ACHR in its report recommended to the state government to issue a direction to the Army and para-military forces who are legally bound to operate in aid of and under the civil administration to ensure full respect and compliance with the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 while dealing with children; operationalise the existing Special Juvenile Police Units, Juvenile Justice Boards and the Inspection Committees in letter and spirit and provide updated information on the website of the Social Welfare Department to ensure transparency, accountability and accessibility; provide adequate human and financial resources to the JJBs and Inspection Committees and the Child Welfare Committees; register a case under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 with respect to ill-treatment of children at Children Homes' including in the Destitute Children Homes run by the Leprosy Patients' Welfare Society (LEWS); establish at least one Juvenile Observation Home and one Special Home in each district of Manipur; and conduct training programme for the judges appointed under the State Judicial Services on the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.

ACHR also recommended to the Ministry of Women and Child Development to conduct an inquiry into the misuse of resources for purposes other than stipulated including non-appointment of the staffs under the IPCS; develop guidelines to provide that the IPCS funds are "not diverted and non-lapsable"; conduct a field investigation following submission of reports by the state government about the constitution of the Juvenile Justice Boards before approval of further grants; direct the state government to establish at least one Juvenile Observation Home and one Special Home in each district of Manipur; and direct the state government to conduct training programme for the judges appointed under the State Judicial Services on the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.

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