Mouse couple gets monumental welcome at the Taj

Agra, Nov 1 (UNI) They entered the monument of love, not furtively like their other rodent cousins, but strode in to a tumultuous welcome from cheering kids who had gathered at the Taj Mahal to see their favourite cartoon characters, Mickey Mouse and his girlfriend Minnie.

While Mickey wore a sparkling mustard yellow sherwani with lace and gota with feet shod in not-so-small golden 'jootis', gorgeous Minnie was draped in a multi-coloured saree with elegant stone jewellery. As they entered the alleyway leading to the Taj
yesterday, they were mobbed by fans who also gave them a cheerful round of applause. With camera bulbs flashing all around, they posed for a while, kissing and hugging each other.

"The experience was unique and I still can't believe that I was standing with real Mickey," eight-year-old Simone from Ajmer said blinking her eyes in excitement. She had a chance to pose with the endearing characters created by Walt Disney.

Disney India fans will experience some real Disney magic as Mickey Mouse comes straight from the dazzling world of Hollywood into their lives with his own talk show on stage. A special live event titled 'The Mickey Mouse Show' will be held in New Delhi and Mumbai in November. That is not all as Mickey's friends Donald Duck,
Goofy, Pluto and sweetheart Minnie will accompany him in filling the auditorium with music, laughter and fun-filled vigor.

Mr Mahesh Samat, Country Head, Walt Disney Company, India, said, "We continue to build relevance and reach in the country through our loved characters and stories in our vision to build a family entertainment brand in the country. We are happy to celebrate this festival season with a special treat for Disney fans."

They will entertain the admirers with their lovable antics and all-round fun that families can participate in. "Mickey has a special Bollywood surprise planned for his fans too that will have you singing and dancing on the aisles," added Mr K Seshasaye, Director Corporate Communication and Outreach, Walt Disney Company,
India.

Referring to the designers who created the beautiful dresses for the characters, Mr Seshasaye said, "The costumes have been designed by the designers at Disneyland. Moreover, Mickey and Minnie have their own taste and get involved personally. They love Indian costumes and especially Minnie loves her saree."

Asked if there was any specific reason to choose the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, as their inaugural spot, he noted that Mickey and Minnie were known for their friendship over the years and no other site could have suited best for the reason that Mickey takes his beloved on a holiday to enjoy the festive
season.

He said tickets for the show can be booked at website htttp://www.bookmyshow.com/Disney.

Nine shows with three per day will be held in New Delhi at Siri Fort Auditorium from November four to six. The show will then go to Mumbai in the later part of the month.

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a diversified, international family entertainment and media enterprise which includes Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, The Walt Disney Studios, ABC, Inc, ESPN, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Consumer Products, television, radio stations and websites.

Terrorists do realise their mistakes : Lt Gen Sabharwal

New Delhi, Jan 25 (UNI) Although terrorism is an act of violence that spreads threat and fear among citizens, terrorists are human beings and they do realise their mistakes, Lt General Mukesh Sabharwal, Adjutant General of Indian Army, has stated.

''Today, there are cases when the arrested terrorists approach us requesting to admit their children in schools for general studies and development inclusively in the mainstream of the society,'' he said.

''This is because they had realised their mistake,'' he added.

Delivering the third Silver Jubilee Lecture at Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) here recently, Lt Gen Sabharwal also emphasised on the importance of internal security and said strengthening of local responders was necessary for it.

''Local responders, who involve capacity-building of the state police, para-military and civil forces, inclusive education and effort to change hearts, played a major role in maintaining the internal security of a State,'' he said.

He stressed that presence of mainstream media was also significant.

''The local media people have many kinds of slants and favours, and their reports are not conducive enough to ensure inclusive growth of the society,'' Lt Gen Sabharwal said.

Asked if the Army was doing anything to establish the country’s mainstream media houses in the State and protect them enough to function freely, a brigadier who accompanied the Lt Gen said such possibilities might be realised in gradual process.

Peace is possible through development measures and the Indian Army has taken a number of steps to empower the unemployed youth, women, ensure justice in the civil administration, he asserted.

''The Army believes that the fulcrum of all operations being the populace, all operations must aim at isolating the terrorists from the populace through people-friendly operations,'' he said.

Referring to the two bus services started between India and Pakistan from Uri to Muzaffarabad and Poonch to Rawalkote, he claimed that the feedback received from the passengers revealed that the grass was definitely greener at the India side.

Giving certain facts, he said the statistics between 1985 and 2005 spoke for themselves. ''The per capita income in Kashmir has increased by six times from Rs 2,874 to Rs 17,174. The people below poverty line (BPL) in the state have lessened by eight to 12 times. The imports and industry have increased in the state several times with taxable export value improved from Rs 89,000 lakh to Rs
6,33,000 lakh.''

Korea's First Lady presents Tagore Literature Awards 2009

New Delhi, Jan 25 (UNI) Honouring excellence in fields of art, literature and culture, the First Lady of the Republic of Korea Kim Yoon-ok presented the first Tagore Literature Awards to eight Indian luminaries here today.

In a glittering ceremony, the experts were awarded for their contributions in eight Indian languages -- Bengali, Bodo, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Punjabi and Telugu.

In the poetry genre, Bengali poet Alok Sarkar won the award for his book 'Apapabhumi' and Kashmiri poetess Naseem Shafai won for her collection of poems 'Na Tshay Na Akas', while in the autobiography section, Gujarati author Bhagwandas Patel won for 'Mari Lokyatra' and Punjabi writer Jaswant Singh Kanwal
won for 'Punya Da Chanan'.

Similarly, there were two winners in the essay section, namely Bodo writer Brajendra Kumar Brahma, who won for his book 'Raithai Hala', and Telugu writer Kovela Suprasannacharya, who won for his book 'Antharangam'.

In the genres of short stories and novel, there was single winner each. Hindi writer Rajee Seth won for her collection of short stories 'Ghame-Hayat Ne Mara', while Kannada novelist Chandrasekhar Kambar won the award for his novel 'Shikara Soorya'.

The awards have been instituted by Sahitya Akademi in collaboration with Samsung Electronics.

Asserting that the awardees had been selected in a much democratic manner, president of Sahitya Akademi Sunil Gangopadhyaya explained the selection procedure to all present in the gathering.

''Altogether 188 scholars from different languages constituted the selection committee who chose the winners after a three-stage procedure,'' Mr Gangopadhyaya said.

The awards will recognise the best literary contributions in eight different Indian languages every year, with 24 languages being covered by the end of the third year.

The same cycle of eight languages being rewarded every year will continue thereafter.

Replying to a question that why the winners did not include any young poets and writers, Mr Gangopadhyaya stated that since it was the first year of the awards, it was decided to honour the veterans first.

''However, if any other country or a big business house offers us to give award to more poets and writers, then they are welcome,'' he quipped.

He noted that the initiative taken by the two countries was a fine gesture leading to promotion of Indian literature as well as cultural and literary bonds between the two.

Speaking on the occasion, president and CEO of Samsung South-west Asia Headquarters J S Shin said, ''The awards are celebrating the power of literature to unify people across, regions and cultures.''

The awardees were honoured with a trophy, a cash prize of Rs 91,000 and a shawl.

The ceremony was followed by a recitation of Tagore's poetry by an Indian child, Somoshree Mahapatra, and a Korean child, Jihun.

Noted actress Sharmila Tagore was also present on the occasion. As the children recited the poem, she was so overwhelmed by their performance that she ran up to the stage to kiss the 12-year-old Korean boy.

However, Jihun much later came to know that he had got a peck on his cheek by a veteran Indian actress.

The evening had a fitting finale with the rendition of a collection of Tagore music on 'sarod' by the famous duo and sons of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Aman Ali Khan and Ayan Ali Khan.

Mr Yoo In Chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Government of Korea; Mr Jawhar Sircar, Secretary, Indian Ministry of Culture, Prof Pabitra Sarkar, former vice-chancellor of Rabindra Bharati University and Dr Reba Som, Director, Rabindranath Tagore Center, Kolkata, also graced the function.

Flight delay angers passengers at IGIA; refuse to deplane

New Delhi, Jan 23 (UNI) Passengers of a Delhi-Ahmedabad flight created much chaos at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the wee hours today after they spent the night inside the plane that was delayed last night and later cancelled due to dense fog.

About 200 passengers of Delhi-Ahmedabad bound SpiceJet flight, SG117, remained inside the plane for about five hours after it was delayed and then cancelled, a Spicejet spokesperson said.

The flight was cancelled due to dense fog resulting in below minimum operating visibility conditions, he noted.

''The flight was first rescheduled at 2355 hrs last night and then later cancelled at 0030 hrs due to inappropriate weather conditions. The passengers were informed at 0115 hrs,'' the spokesperson informed.

He stated that passengers were offered hotel accommodation, along with refreshments, but most of them chose to stay onboard till 0330 hrs.

The spokesperson added that a special flight to the destination was arranged this morning to depart at 0725 hrs. ''Reboarding of passengers had started at 0615 hrs and flight left on time this morning,'' he said.

Beyond borders: Pakistanis show concern for Indian minority

New Delhi, Jan 22 (UNI) Even though the relation between India and Pakistan has touched a new low after 26/11, people from the neighbouring country work as a binding force as they share views on minority and education in India.

Recently, a group of 30 students from a management institute in Pakistan visited Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) here to interact with the university students on a variety of issues, including the status of minorities in India.

The team from Lahore University of Management Studies (LUMS), often called as the Harvard of the East, was led by professor Rafiq Ahmed.

In an interactive session with Prof Shambhu Nath Singh, Director of School of Journalism and New Media Studies, IGNOU, the Pakistani students showed concern regarding the treatment given to minority population in India.

Replying to their questions, Prof Singh asserted that the concept of minority in India was different from that in Pakistan and said in Pakistan, minority or majority was decided in terms of faith, unlike in India.

''India has various minority communities. The concept is not according to religion, but according to castes, sub-castes, languages and cultures,'' the professor explained citing an example.

A Muslim from Kerala, Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal would differ from one another fundamentally and would hardly be able to even communicate with one another, he said.

''India is the unique success story in diversity in habits and lifestyles. The Indian Constitution has not allowed religion to play the main role here,'' Prof Singh said.

The team was also inquisitive about what draws Indian students to developed countries for professional education and not developing nations, including Pakistan.

Subsiding their anxiety, IGNOU students asked how many world-class institutes Pakistan had at present and whether the social ethos were conducive enough to pursue career studies there in peace without tension and worries.

Replying to another question raised by the Pakistani professor on the issue of proportional representation of Muslims in public services in India, Prof Singh said there was no discrimination.

''Most of the Muslims fall in the workers' group and they earn just as other Indian workers do. As there are not many Muslim middle class families in India, their representation is also low comparative to other middle-class groups,'' he stated.

Delhi Gate BRT corridor ready for commissioning: Sheila

New Delhi, Jan 20 (UNI) The remaining portion of the Delhi BRT corridor from Moolchand to Delhi Gate is ready for commissioning, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said here today.

''The first stretch of the Delhi BRT corridor from Ambedkar Nagar to Moolchand has been operational since April 2008. The remaining portion of this 14.5-km-corridor from Moolchand to Delhi Gate is ready for commissioning,'' Ms Dikshit said.

She asserted that the corridor carried maximum number of passengers and ''is bound to cater to the local needs.''

''The next BRT corridor in the capital, will be constructed keeping in view the experiences and feedback received from all concerned sections,'' she stated while referring to the new route chalked out in east Delhi, linking Shastri Park Metro Station to Karawal Nagar.

The Chief Minister was addressing a two-day symposium on Public Transportation in Indian cities with a special focus on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) organised by the Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System (DIMTS) Limited here.

Transport Commissioner R K Verma, CMD Naresh Kumar, MD (DIMTS) SN Sahai, Bhure Lal, Director UITP (International Association of Public Transport) Brussels, Tony Dufays and Youth Project Coordinator, UITP Brussels Alessandra Gorini were also present at
the inaugural session.

Emphasising that an effective green transport system played a crucial role in economic development, she said the government was keen to overcome incidents of traffic jams by providing a quick, safe, pollution-free, comfortable public transport system to discourage use of private vehicles.

''The government is going to double its green bus fleet from current strength of 5,500 to 11,000, with all of them being low floor, including air-conditioned,'' she said.

Bus stops were also being made wheelchair accessible, opening up travel opportunity for the differently-able and those travelling with young children, she said.

Delhi Metro would also be one of the largest systems in the world by 2020 with the route network extending to 413 km, she added.

Indo-Italian firm to develop trade fair infrastructure

New Delhi, Jan 20 (UNI) Aiming to improve India's trade fair infrastructure, especially in secondary cities, an Italian company has joined hands with an Indian firm to develop the same, focussing on growth of small and medium scale industries.

An Italian exhibition organiser, VeronaFiere, has joined hands with Lotus exhibitions and Marketing Services (Lems) in India, to develop the trade fair sector in India emphasising on promotion in various sectors, especially food and agriculture.

''Central government, through the Ministry dedicated to small-medium enterprises, ensures every support for joint ventures between small-medium businesses. There are many forms of finance, even by regional governments, to enhance the development
of certain sectors and international collaboration,'' Rajiv Malhotra, Chief Executive Officer of Lems, told UNI today.

However, he noted that the talks with the government have not yet been initiated by the company.

''It is surely a major part of our objective. Currently, we are conducting the market research to select the potential cities and area where the infrastructure should be developed on priority,'' Mr Malhotra, also the Managing Director of the new company, Veronafiere Lems India Private Limited, said.

The company, of which 51 per cent is held by VeronaFiere, will organise exhibition events, conventions, workshops and related initiatives in India.

''There are 13 million small-medium businesses in India, representing 80 per cent of companies as a whole providing work for 41 million people,'' President of VeronaFiere Ettore Riello said here today.

Priority will be given to promotion in sectors like food, production systems for agriculture and animal farming, food technologies, marble-natural stone, quality furnishing, construction, earth moving, building and site machinery and
renewable energy, from photovoltaic systems to bio-masses, Mr Riello said.

Mittal, Birla join hands to make India polio-free

New Delhi, Jan 7 (UNI) Steel baron Laxmi Narayan Mittal, his wife Usha Mittal and Rajashree Birla of Aditya Birla Group today gave a clarion call to all Indians to come together in eradicating the menace of polio from the country.

''Despite having all kinds of facilities and medicines, the children of our country are still becoming victims of this dangerous disease,'' Mr Mittal said.

The trio inaugurated a special free health care camp at a slum, Kusumpur Pahari, in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area to provide complimentary health services to the slum residents.

Ms Mittal also said Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were the two most polio endemic states in India. ''We must bear in mind that every child within the age group of one to five years must be immunised against polio or he or she could become a
potential victim,'' he reminded.

Pointing out that the number of wild polio cases in India has risen to 703 in 2009 from 559 in 2008, Ms Birla urged that every individual should spread the message in his or her areas of influence and beyond, influencing people who work
with them or under them and leveraging their connection to reach out to parents in the slums.

The day-long camp was organised by the South Metropolitan Club of Rotary International, a global NGO. A number of doctors and practitioners, along with lab assistants, including eye specialists, pediatricians, gynaecologists and
physicians, were also present to provide consultation to all the residents and walk-in patients.

Rotary's India National PolioPlus Committee chairman Deepak Kapur said, ''The health care support will further the cause of polio eradication in the country by creating goodwill and acceptance among community.''

In the camp, various Rotarians were also seen volunteering by manning the booths. The club president, Sayantan Sinha, asserted that polio was perhaps one of the
most ambitious projects ever taken by the NGO.

The event was part of an initiative, Integrated Education for Livelihood Project, taken by the club at Kusumpur Pahari that included programmes involving
non-formal education, remedial education, adult education, vocationl education, health camps, self-help groups, women empowerment, homeo clinic, garment production unit, livelihood programme, nutrition project to school children,
among others.

Victim of ragging mostly rags a junior: HC Justice Gambhir

New Delhi, Jan 7 (UNI) Terming ragging a ''venomous practice'', Justice Kailash Gambhir of the Delhi High Court noted that a person who ragged a junior must have been a victim of ragging himself.

''When a person gets ragged, its germs are sown inside him which bounce back when he becomes a senior,'' Justice Gambhir said and added that ragging was violation of human rights that distorted mental balance of the victim to an unimaginable extent.

He was speaking on a launch ceremony of a book entitled ''Ragging - The Red Alert'' held here recently.

He added that ragging was no more a means of interaction but more of teasing and humiliating juniors that distorted the balance of an individual.

Judge of the Delhi Consumer Court Dr Premlata, who was also present on the occasion, asserted that there was a need to go to the root cause of the problem.

''Today's youth is aggressive. They get sadistic pleasure in teasing somebody. We have to be concerned about the emergence of this behaviour,'' she said.

Talking about his inspiration to right the book, its author Gulshan Naveen said the sad demise of Aman Satya Kachroo, who died in March last year due to intense ragging by his seniors in Himachal Pradesh, made him to raise his voice against the evil.

''The character of ragging is becoming downright criminal. Today's raggers are learning from various sources and beginning to indulge in atrocities of the kind inflicted on prisoners confined in Guantanamo Bay!,'' Mr Naveen said.

The country has not been dealing with a simple law-and-order problem but a cancer that was degrading the society, he added.

Father of Aman and head of an NGO, Aman Movement, established to work towards eradication of ragging, Dr Rajendra Kachroo also attended the function.

The book gives various circulars of UGC, AICTE as also deep intervention of courts, including the Supreme Court of India. It refers to the possibility of an increase of virulent events in technology education institutions and suggests that present college education has a deficiency in liberal education.

''Educational institutes need to move in a direction to provide more of practical knowledge to students instead of delivering lectures on morality and good behaviour,'' the book mentions.