Women inmates of Tihar Jail experience Euphonic Yoga

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Shabina Akhtar

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February 13, 2017

Women inmates of Tihar Jail experience Euphonic Yoga

New Delhi/Kolkata: About a hundred of women, their faces covered with dupatta or shawls were seen squatting on the ground of Jail No 6, the women section of Tihar Jail, New Delhi, with their eyes brimming with excitement. After all, it’s not every day that they have something special to do, let alone meeting people from the outside world, interacting with them. On the other hand, four young women Shruti ChaturLal, Suman Kanawat, Garima Arya and Rajnandini, with a unique concept of yoga – Euphonic Yoga, were having last minutes jitter, with regards, to pulling off the specially designed session that they going to conduct for the women inmates of the Tihar Jail.

Euphonic Yoga is a new concept or style of healing, spiritually. It is a concept that has integrated classical dance, classical music and Yoga to vitalise and activate the energy flow in a person.

Speaking to eNewsroom, Shruti Chaturlal, brain behind this unique form of yoga says, “Our team symbolises women power at its best. The idea of taking Euphonic Yoga to Jail No. 6 was to celebrate womanhood. The idea was to give a healing touch to these troubled souls. Also, we wanted to know them so that we would conduct these healing workshops on a regular basis with them.”

Describing the journey of the four friends, Shruti, says, “This initiative is our effort to bring back people to their roots.” She then adds, “If Euphonic Yoga is done in the correct way then right vibrations are generated in right combination. This has deep and profound effects on our body, physically, emotionally and spiritually.”

“Initially, we were really worried about, how to initiate talks, how introduce the session to them, as we didn’t want to hurt the emotions of any inmate. But once we were there, and got to meet them, we were astounded by the kind of love and affection that they showered on us,” recounts Shruti. She added, “They shared their feelings, their anguish and helpless state, their struggle with the system and their fear, their parting relations and broken families. These conversations moved use tremendously. Our heart wept for them, when we heard their side of the story.”

This interaction made them connect, think, design and come up with a power packed session of Euphonic Yoga that left the inmates rejuvenated. Explaining what did the trick, was Suman, she said, “We had a discussion with them, to know their issues following which we explained various ragas, compositions, mudras and asanas and the concept of Euphonic Yoga to them. We made them understand how this form of yoga, could be used to gain inner peace. We knew exactly where we could contribute for their better, but the real challenge was to motivate them, to make them join the ongoing session.”

This session was a precursor to a month long celebration that the Tihar Jail officials want to host on the jail premise to celebrate the International Women’s Day for their inmates. “This experience of Euphonic Yoga session was a unique one and we are looking forward for our performance on February 15, for them,” said Shruti.

Muezza and Babyjaan: ABC of love, peace and tolerance

Let There Be Light

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February 12, 2017

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Muezza and Babyjaan: ABC of love, peace and tolerance

Kolkata: It’s not everyday that an author chooses to narrate stories from the Quran to children. But then, that is exactly what Anita Nair’s children’s book, Muezza and Babyjaan: Stories from the Quran, is all about. Nair, author The Better Man, Ladies Coupe and Mistress, has her book beautifully complimented with Harshad Marathe’s illustrations. The novel has Muezza, Prophet Muhammad’s cat, narrating Islamic fables to a baby camel called Baby Jaan. Nair, a 2013, central Sahitya Akademi Award winner, engages in a bare-it-all conversation with eNewsroom about her writings, Baby Jaan, Islam and more. Following are the edited excerpts of the conversation:

eN: At a time when people want to stay away from things related to Islam, you have come up with this book. Why?

Anita: That is precisely the reason why. I have been noticing a rising intolerance in our country and the world. It is a worrying kind of intolerance, there seems to be no inclusiveness offered to the members of the Islamic faith. There seems to a lot of misunderstanding surrounding Islam, people don’t disassociate between the religion and the fundamentalist elements manipulating the tenets of the religion for ulterior motives.

It was also surprising how little people know about Islam. We all have some general information about all other religions except Islam. I am hoping that these stories will bring to light how similar all religions are.

eN: Was it a conscious choice?

Anita: Yes. It was a very conscious and very carefully thought out decision.

eN: Your book has reference to the Prophet. Did it ever come to your mind that it could create a controversy?

Anita: No. Just because the book has several references to the Prophet, I don’t think it would stir up any controversy. In fact, everything in the book are only positive inferences about Islam.

eN: How much time did it take you to write this book?

Anita: It took me about two years to complete the book.

eN: Was penning this book, difficult?

Anita: Not more so than any other book. You do have to change your tone while writing for children; you can’t come off as being instructive or sound didactic. The most arduous part of the writing was the research, of course.

eN: Your book is out, it has illustrations and also reference to The Quran, still no controversy?

Anita: Sometimes an author’s interpretations of a particular scripture may not be palatable to the right-wing elements of that particular religion. Just as in the game of Chinese whispers, certain references by the time they percolate down to the mass can be blown out of proportions and thereafter used by the right wing elements to further their own cause. This leads to friction and attacking the author for perhaps something they never intended in the first place.

eN: Did you have to put in a lot of time researching on the subject?

Anita: The research was very extensive and drawn from various sources. The primary source was a book by 13th century scholar Ibn Khathir’sAl-BidayahWan-Nihayah (The Beginning and the End).

eN: Why did you choose this book to be a children’s book?

Anita: I just feel like children are a great place to start. Besides, what better way to introduce a religion than through a simple re-telling of its stories?

eN: Do you need to have a different set of skill, to pen a children’s book?

Anita: Not really. But what matters is your tone of writing. To be children author, you need to be very friendly. The narration should be humourous and simple. Also, the book needs to interesting from page one, if they find the start boring, they will just leave it.

Fair At Naxal Hot-bed Gets A Thumbs Up

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February 11, 2017

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Giridih: Sixty-year-old Mahavir Mahto, a resident of Ambagarha, is happily returning home from the Poor Welfare Fair cum Night Stay. Not only has Mahto got his medical check up done at the fair but has also accepted the free medicines given to him.

It’s not just Mahto who reaped the dividends from the first of its kind community event organised by the government in these many year, there were thousands. Take the example of 22-year-old Devki Kumari of Baradih, a major in chemistry. She has not only filled the government employment form. She has been assured to be bagging a government job at the right time.

“It’s a lifetime experience for me. For the first time that such an event has been organised by the administration here,” recalls Mahto.

Giridih was carved out of Hazaribagh in 1972. However, even before getting a separate status, Pirtand was a backward area and hence it became a stronghold of naxals. Its political vacuum coupled with absence of government activity, a lot of naxal activities used to take place here. So, this fair was the first major intervention at Harladih, Pirtand, targeting villagers of 21 villages. The villager also embraced this opportunity with open heart.

The large number of people at the Poor Welfare Fair cum Night Stay

The humongous turnout at the fair, made the organisers go tizzy. Stalls related to health, employment, pension and LED bulb distribution witnessed the maximum footfall. Around 4501 applications were submitted to stalls set up by various admistrative departments, of which 3881 applications have been addressed on the spot.

However, keeping into account the huge turnout and the chaos that followed it, not every visitor was pleased with the fair’s arrangement. “I have been moving from one stall to another, ever since I have reached the fair. The help desk has also not been helpful. I had approached them seeking their help to locate the stall, from where I could get an employment form? But despite running to many stall, I am yet to get one. No one is providing correct information,” complained Sapna Murmu, who had come from Palma to attend the fair. Murmu has completed Post Graduation (PG) in Hindi from PK Roy college, Dhanbad and looking for job. Her sister-in-law has also done her PG in political Science. However, despite being tribals from an extremely backward area, have not been able to get a job so far.

“The fair should not become a place for visiting purpose. There should be facilities to resolve issues on the spot,” rued Murmu.

Pirtand, being the hub of naxal activities in Giridih, was a place where no officials preferred getting posted or staying there. So, when this fair was being planned, it faced a lot of apprehensions. And because of security concerns, officials chose to keep the event site adjacent to Harladih police picket.

“We had not expected that this many people would turn up. But, we will try to entertain each person. We have instructed official in every stall to cater to each visitor, they need to address maximum people,” claimed Deputy Commissioner Uma Shankar Singh.
The list of Maoist leaders and the reward for informers displayed at the fair

Significantly, there was a stall set up by Giridih police, which had put up a banner listing a dozen of most wanted CPI-Maoist leaders. In other words, the police was using the opportunity to seek help from the villagers to hunt down the naxal leaders, they even were offering huge cash prize to the informers. One Turuk Manjhi has Rs one crore reward on him, was also listed there.

Keeping public safety into account, a huge number of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) had been deployed in and around Pirtand. Senior commanders, with experience of having worked in naxal area, but who were now posted in Jammu & Kashmir were also present on duty at this fair to assist local police officials to safely conduct the event.

“We will not reveal the exact number, how much force has been deployed, but they are sufficient in number,” said CRPF commandant Nisheet Kumar.

While superintendent of police Akhilesh Variar said that, adequate security arrangements have made around the fair area.

Member of Parliament from Giridih Ravindra Pandey also reached the fair, late in the evening and will be staying overnight along with the administration officials.

There will be late night cultural activities also at the site.

Lack of occupational safety makes six widows under one roof

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February 10, 2017

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Lack of occupational safety makes six widows under one roof

Giridih: What Asha Devi, Gulbi Devi, Shohgi Devi, Kaushalya Devi, Suniyo and Basanti Devi have more in common than just their surnames. The six women are widows, and two among them have not only lost their husbands but sons too.

They hail from a single family, and based in Ranginiya village of Gorhar block, Hazaribagh district.

Sanichar Mahto had five sons — Bada Buddhan, Kanshi, Chota Buddhan, Hira Lal and Teklal Mahto. Asha, Gulbi, Shohgi and Kuashalaya were married to four of the brothers of the Sanichar family.

The brothers were workers who used to install electrical towers and help transmit cables. Despite this being a job with severe occupational hazards, workers of such nature rarely get an opportunity to work near their native place or state.

Among the six deaths, three members of the family died outside Jharkhand and two on foreign shores.

“There is not much opportunity to find work here. So, we couldn’t even force them to stay back or not take up such jobs. We had a dream of a better life, instead we lost our husbands and sons, one after another,” rues Asha.

Kaushalaya and Gulbi are the ones whose tragedies did not stop there, as Kaushalaya’s son Taleshwar and Gulbi’s Prayag also died while working outside and in same work, leaving behind Basanti and Suniyo as other two widows in the family.

The oldest of the men to have died thus was 55 years old, while the younger ones were only 26 and 25 years of age.

Asha was widowed in April 2016, when her husband Teklal died in Saudi Arabia. Just eight days before Teklal’s death, their daughter, Reena Kumari had got married.

While Basanti, now 20, was nursing a three months baby, when her husband Taleshwar had died in Congo in 2014.

Prayag had died in Mumbai, and only two years back he had got married. He had no kids, and his wife Suniyo now lives with her parents.

In 2011-12, the mineral rich Jharkhand state was reported to be having the second highest unemployment rate in India, which tells the story why people migrate outside state to eke-out-a-living.

A report published in the International Journal of Engineering Innovations & Research, volume 5, mentioned that over 1000 electrical workers die each year due to workplace accidents.

There are several laws for workers’ safety in India including the Factory Act. Yet non implementations of the laws are resulting in such deaths on a regular basis and most of them go unreported.There are compensatory acts as well such as the Employees State Insurance Act and the Workmen’s Compensation Act. But to no avail.

The tragedy of this family goes beyond the loss of lives. These women are struggling to live with dignity. Only two of them could manage to get some amount as compensation. One was made possible because the local CPI-ML leaders had stepped in. And the other one got lucky because her husband worked for the Indian Railways who not only give pension but also gave her son a job.

The rest of them are barely able to manage even a single meal a day. “Most of us are not getting widow pension by the government,” complains Shohgi Devi. Fortunately, being physically challenged she has managed to get Rs 300 per month through the disability pension scheme.

“I had no such luck. I neither got any compensation, nor any kind of pension. My parents are supporting me financially. Now my daughter has reached marriageable age. I don’t know what to do,” shares a very worried Asha.

When contacted Barkattha MLA, Janaki Yadav, he told eNewsroom, “We had some knowledge about the deaths in the family, though not in much detail. But, how they are not getting widow pension remains a mystery. These days, the formalities get done in just five days, and recently, five hundred women from Bharkatta block alone have been added to the widow pension list.” He promised to look into all such cases and come up with concrete steps for their wellbeing.

But the question remains, will it be enough?

A Fair To Conquer Fear At Naxal Hot-bed

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February 10, 2017

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Giridih: From the night of February 11, the officials of Giridih district administration will add a new chapter to their history, by spending night at the Harladih village, in Pirtand block.

The stay will be of great significance, as for more than three decades naxals or CPI-Maoists ruled from the lowland of Parasnath Hills. Leave aside doing over night duty, the officials were reluctant to be posted there.

Pirtand, connecting Giridih, Dhanbad and Bokaro districts, is the place, where Jharkhand’s naxal movement began in the late 70s.

Post 80s, Pirtand graduated to not only being the focal point of the movement but also to serve as a training centre for the naxalites. It also served as a safe red corridor for the leaders of the banned outfit.

Till recent times, Pirtand Police Station had the least number of first information report (FIR) registered. Despite being one of the oldest blocks in Jharkhand, there has been minuscule development in this area.

In order to initiate a fresh beginning for the villagers of this area officials have clubbed their stay with a fair, called the Garib Kalyan Mela Sah Ratri Vishram (Poor Welfare Fair cum Night Stay). This fair is being organised for 21 villages, belonging to six panchayats. Twenty stalls will be set up by different departments like health, education and agriculture, to name a few, during this fair. Along with a night chaupal, a football match will be organised in the following morning.

“We want to send a message to the people living in these areas that, the administration is available for them, just like for others. Also, that we can go to any extent for them,” elaborated Uma Shankar Singh, Deputy Commissioner, Giridih, while briefing media persons about this stay.

Around 300 officials of district administration will be posted there for 24 hours. The duty of these officials begins from 9 am on February 11 and ends next day, around same time in the morning.

“We have been working on this for few months now. Normally, in such a fair, we opt for on the spot applications, and provide its benefits later. However, in this case, we have already identified most of the beneficiaries. We have plans of accommodating around 550 local youths in government and private jobs,” Singh informed.

However, the biggest challenge for the superintendent of police Akhilesh Variar, who has to conduct everything safely, said, “We have come to know that people of these villages feel that we don’t visit these areas because of the Naxalites. Organising such a fair, is our way of sending across a message that we can go anywhere, anytime.”

On being asked how fruitful will be such an exercise be when many officials do not stay there during their term. The deputy commissioner replied, “From now onwards, we are going to make officials mark their address and send it to Chief Secretary, to start off an inspection, with regards, to officials who don’t stay posted there.”

Last December, the administrative officials of Lohardaga had also stayed overnight at the Panchayat Bhavan. Given that, Giridih is a naxal hot bed, and Harladih, a place where only police have been able to do Long Range Patrolling (LRP). Even the government schemes do not reach there. This initiative will thereby, mark the beginning of a new chapter.

Irada Director: Directing Naseeruddin Shah sir, was like a dream

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February 10, 2017

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Irada Director: Directing Naseeruddin Shah sir, was like a dream

Kolkata: It’s just a week for Aparnaa Singh’s directorial debut Irada to release. Her schedule is chock-a-bloc, but that doesn’t stop her from taking out some time to talk exclusively to eNewsroom, about her directing Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi for her big Bollywood break. Following are excerpts from a freewheeling chat with her.

eN: Why did you choose a film like Irada to be your Bollywood debut, as a director?

Aparnaa: I have always been part of films that are thought provoking, be it co-scripting for Anuraag Kashyap’s Gulaal or doing the research for Black Friday. So, choosing Irada, as my directorial debut for Hindi mainstream cinema, is just an extension of my choice of doing films that connects with the audience and educates them and yet not preaches. The film belongs to the noir thriller genre, with a strong resonance of environmental terrorism that we experience daily.

We all know what’s happening to Punjab. It was the centre of green movement and look where it is today. It’s now a cancer belt. The crop it produces are often are labelled as food items than can cause cancer. It’s scary, isn’t it we all have rice grown in Punjab. There was a need to make a film like this, which would wake us up to certain extent.

However, it’s not a gory dark film. It has a lot more to it. It’s a perfect balance between facts and drama. It has a lot to do with water.

eN: Well, was the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, on your mind when you were scripting the film?

Aparnaa: Well, definitely. Given the fact that I hail from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh and have spent considerable amount of time in Bhopal, so somewhere deep down it was on my mind while scripting the film. You, know the Badi Talaab of Bhopal, is a very popular place, where people assemble late in the evening, catching up with friends, indulging in a bit of the delicious roadside food available round the clock. However, if you think deeply, the truth is that there is something poisonous about that water, post Bhopal Gas Tragedy (BGT). No matter what the Union Carbide officials say, some amount of toxicity has definitely seeped down the soil, into the water. The changes that it (BGT) has brought about to the ecosystem of Bhopal will remain irreversible.

eN: How difficult was it for you to co-script this film?

Aparnaa: To dish this story as a palatable one, which could entertain and educate the audience at the same time, was indeed a difficult task. To be honest this was the most difficult story to script.

eN: What was it like directing Naseerudin Shah?

Aparnaa: It was an experience, rather a dream come true for me. No other could have done justice to the character he plays in the film. He has reached such a state, where he gives the perfect shot, even without having to give an extra effort.

eN: Your first shot with him?

Aparnaa: I went to his van to discuss the scene with it, as that’s the norm while shooting. He made the environment so conducive that I forgot that I was talking to “the Naseeruddin Shah”. He listened to me, gave his inputs. Indeed it was a great learning experience for me.

eN: What was it like working with Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi, together?

Aparnaa: Both are legends in their own right. Their performances are powerful and when they work together, its sheer magic. I mean, they share a great onscreen chemistry. While Naseer saab, gets into his character the moment you say “action”. Arshad sir, is more spontaneous. He is so amazing and also helps in improvising the shots. It was a learning experience for me to have directed them together in a single film.

eN: What genre of films do you enjoy, personally?

Aparnaa: It’s drama, thrillers and really emotional stories that appeal to me. I also like films that have been researched well.

eN: Given that, you have worked with exceptionally good filmmakers, Anurag Kashyap and Tigmanshu Dhulia. Are you influenced by them?

Aparnaa: Well, I have learnt so much from Anuraag and Tigmanshu. They are quite knowledgeable and well-read. They are the finest that we have today. So, yes, they definitely are the torch bearers for me.

A dead body reaches India after 195 days

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February 7, 2017

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A dead body reaches India after 195 days

Giridih: The dead body of Nunuchand Mahto, which was lying in Saudi Arabia for 194 days, reached Bagoder, Giridih, Jharkhand on the intervening night of February 6-7.

eNewsroom, which had done a detailed report after meeting the wife and children of the deceased on February 4. And, had also used social media to highlight the issue in front of the concerning minister.

Nunuchand had gone to work in Saudi, on July 6, 2016 and had died from from cardiac arrest, within 20 days of joining. Thereafter began a long exchange of letters between the concerned departments of the two countries, which in a way delayed the arrival of the dead body back to his native village.

Nunuchand is survived by three children and wife, for whom every passing day was bringing unbearable pain.

Soon after the news of Nunuchand’s death had broken out, Bagoder legislator Nagendra Mahto had written to the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who had created a grievance id at the Madad portal.

While, former MLA Vinod Singh had met the grieved family and had also talked to the Arabian Teams Contracting (ATC) Establishment regarding compensation, following which they agreed to pay 10,000 Riyal or 1.7 lakh in Indian rupee.

However, as it happens in most of such cases, because of several formalities get done, it delays the arrival of the dead body from international shores. And when it get delayed for over six months, matter was raised inside the Jharkhand assembly also.

But, when the news was tweeted to Sushma Swaraj, it got attention outside India too, and Manik CD tagging enewsroom mentioned that his uncle’s dead body is also lying at Kuwait embassy for four days. We also tracked that development and today Manik tweeted that his uncle’s body is being dispatched.

While back in Jharkhand, a Whatsapp group specially meant for non-resident Indian (NRI)s created by Sikander Ali kept informing the concerned people for six mont

Digitalisation is a Double-edged Weapon

Opinion

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February 6, 2017

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Digitalisation, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is touting as the panacea for the country’s ills, is a double-edged weapon. If it can help solve problems, it can also make the job of the rogues easier. It was the digitalisation that turned small examination frauds into what has now come to be known as Vyapam scam of Madhya Pradesh, the country’s biggest examination and recruitment racket, having affected careers of thousands of young girls and boys. There is no record of how many of them must have ended their lives in sheer frustration.

Vyavsayik Pareeksha Mandal (Vyapam) or Professional Examinations Board (PEB) was constituted, initially, to conduct tests for admission to medical colleges (PMT). Later on, the tests for admission to engineering colleges (PET) were also entrusted to the Vyapam. In 2007, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan entrusted to Vyapam the responsibility of making recruitments for some government departments, public sector undertakings and semi-government bodies also, which was till then handled by the State Public Service Commission. The avenues of earning money and obliging important persons thus widened further with the recruitments being made for various departments such as the police, education, transport, civil supplies and weight and measures.

The modus operandi used in the scam was somewhat like this: the candidates for PMT who had done well will be disqualified and other names (either on the recommendation of some important person or against payment of a heavy amount) will be shown as having qualified, and even put in merit list, for admission to medical colleges. After investigation, the Special Task Force (STF) of Madhya Pradesh police has come across names of doctors working in important government hospitals who had not even appeared in PMT but had been declared qualified against payment of hefty sums. The young boys and girls who had worked hard for their tests were just at a loss to understand what went wrong.

Dr Anand Rai, an Indore-based ophthalmologist who has played an important role in exposing the Vyapam scam, explains the traditional methods of cheating as ‘impersonation’ and ‘engine and bogey system’. In the first the admit card of a candidate is used by replacing the photograph of the candidate with that of the impersonator. In the ‘engine and bogey system’ the person appearing in the test is strategically seated between two candidates by the Board officials and he/she can copy from their sheets. The Board officials, examiners and impersonators are paid hefty amounts.

Then a third method was evolved by Vyapam officials to help the paying candidates; they were asked to leave their answer sheets blank and were given high percentages after the exam. Later on the records were changed or destroyed.

However, this all changed with the digitalisation. There was no need for assembling impersonators or making seating arrangements in the exam hall. Just the name of the candidate who has appeared was replaced with the scam beneficiary with high marks (according to the money paid) in the excel sheets. This turned out to be so simple a method for getting ‘one’s own candidates’ selected that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took the recruitment in several departments out of the jurisdiction of the State Public Service Commission and entrusted it to Vyapam in 2007.

Sunny: A reel to real Slumdog Millionaire

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February 5, 2017

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Sunny: A reel to real Slumdog Millionaire

Kolkata: His is a real life rags to riches story or Slumdog Millionaire. He is the Indian small wonder, who is grabbing all the attention, globally. Well, we are talking about our very own Sunny Pawar, the young Saroo, who is winning hearts across the world with his performance in the highly acclaimed Hollywood film, Lion. The movie has received six Oscar nominations. Sunny plays the role of young Dev Patel in Lion. Dev Patel, had played lead role in much acclaimed Slumdog Millionaire Hollywood movie.

Posters of the Oscar nominated film Lion has Sunny stretching his arms to catch butterflies. Just like little Saroo, the character he plays in the film Slumdog Millionaire, Sunny loves chasing the butterflies. So what if he is yet to come to terms with those chasing him for an interview?

This is a big leap for a child who enjoyed watching television with his younger siblings in the slums of Mumbai’s Kalina area and dreaming of being on television someday. With no acting background and no English-speaking skills, Sunny was only five when he was auditioned for the role.

When Sunny, was quizzed about his selection, over the phone, he said, “We received a brochure in our school about the audition happening for the film in Andheri. A lot of my classmates were going for it, so even I tagged along with my father for the audition. However, we were not asked to do anything special for the audition, just play and run. Well, that’s how I got selected for this role.”

After being chosen over thousands of kids for the movie, Sunny, then barely 6 years old had traveled to Kolkata and Australia to shoot for the film, which is based on a real life story.

But, the cute kid does not hesitate to share that he is tired of all the questions being thrown at him and that he would rather play games than answer being posed at him by journalists. However, on being prompted by his father he is quick to add that he is loving all the attention. Studying in standard 3 at a local school in Mumbai Sunny’s story is what Bollywood dreams are made of. His father has already left his job to manage his now famous son’s career.

Sunny had also made headlines for not being granted the US visa to attend the screening of Lion. He finally went on to share the red carpet with his co-stars including Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Priyanka Bose at the 8th Annual Governors Awards in California.

And all he says about the red carpet moment was that it was a lot of fun and he got to wear a suit. Clearly, stardom is yet to affect his innocence but stars like Nicole Kidman are already his fan. “Sunny is this little light and he makes the huge story leap very believable, from small Saroo to big Saroo,” shares Kidman.

The child artist bonded with Nicole Kidman and David Wenham, his on-screen parents, by playing cricket with them – scenes which eventually made it into the film was guided by director Garth Davis through improvised sign language to communicate. There used to be extensive rehearsals before the shoot. But he brushes aside any suggestion of stage fright or being intimidated by the limelight.

A short conversation made it evident that Sunny, who was familiar only with his mother tongue Marathi, is now quite conversant in Hindi. He seems quite relieved that his friends and teachers have not started treating him any differently than before even though they are proud of him.

Talk about shooting at various cities for the film, he says that of the places he had visited while filming he loved Australia the most? And what about Kolkata? He had spent a month in the city, shooting for the film. He reveals that despite having visited all tourist spots in the city, he cant recall much.

The Weinstein Company, which has the distribution rights of Lion, had pitched the child actor for a potential Best Actor Oscar nomination, following strong reviews of his performance at the Toronto and London film festivals . Here’s wishing the rising star all the very best.

192 days, a dead body’s endless wait to return India

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February 4, 2017

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192 days, a dead body’s endless wait to return India

Giridih: Chinta Devi, spends hours wondering if she will get to see the dead body of her husband, Nunuchand Mahto sometime soon. Part in denial, part in remorse, Chinta, is torn apart in a mental turmoil. “I had no idea such a thing (referring to her husband’s death) would happen. I had talked to him on that fateful night.”

Mahto, a 42-year-old, a electrical fitter, and resident of Tirla village of Bagoder block in Giridih district, Jharkhand, had gone to work in Tamra city of Saudi Arabia on July 6, 2016 itself and had unfortunately passed away only twenty days later. Earlier he had worked in Malaysia for two years.

After his sudden death, his colleague, who is also a resident of Bagoder had called the family. Without revealing the death information, he had said that they will take care of the education of Mahto’s kids. The call had surprised the family.

Soon, the family members started contacting other colleagues of Nunuchand to know what exactly had happened. However, nobody was ready to tell the exact reason as there had been no official confirmation about it.

It was only after a fortnight, that the middle man who had sent Nunuchand to Saudi, sent a hand written letter, informing the family members about his death, on July 31.

“After almost a month, we got a letter from a hospital in Tamara, mentioning that when Nunuchand had arrived at the hospital, he was already dead. He had died from a cardiac arrest. Also, if they would permit for a post-mortem to be conducted. But, in hospital’s letter, the date of his death of mentioned was mentioned as July 26,” said Prakash Mahto, brother-in-law of the deceased.

In reply to the hospital letter, Chinta Devi said that they do not want post-mortem of the body.

Mahto is survived by his wife and three children, Poonam Kumari (16), Mukesh Kumar (10) and Khushi Kumari (6). Poonam, a standard eleven student, reacting the situation, where her father’s body is yet to arrive after 191 days of his death, says, “We are still hopeful of getting his mortal remains back, but you people have to help us also.”

Interestingly, the brother of the deceased, Babulal Mahto, also bagged a job with the same company— Arabian Teams Contracting (ATC) Establishment and went to Saudi on August 28.

“While leaving, he had said that soon after reaching there, he would be sending the dead body of his brother, but there has been no contact with him also,” said Chinta.

Whereas Chinta and her family members are furnishing all details to leaders, the embassy and district administration, their wait is getting longer.

Prakash also says that as soon as he got the information over phone, he had met Bagoder”s BJP MLA Nagendra Mahto, and later former MLA Vinod Singh.

Singh even had had a word with the company officials.

“I talked to them, to which they agreed to compensating the family. Later, they transferred Rs 1.7 lakh to his wife’s account. While some immigrated labours have also collected money for the family,” informed the former legislator.

MLA Mahto on the other hand, on August 6, wrote to the Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, bringing the case to her notice. Nunuchand’s case was given a grievance identity number — SB2MTR101010216 on Madad, a website, initiated by the ministry of External Affairs, to file consular grievances online.

Last updated is on January 22, his grievance case, says that NOC for transportation of MTR has been issued. But in it’s December 15, 2016, it has also mentioned that they have not been able to establish contact with the family and that the dead body can be buried by the authorities in Saudi Arabia.

Amidst all, on January 23, CPI-ML MLA Rajkumar Yadav raised this issue in Jharkhand Vidhan Sahba, as to why Nunuchand’s body is lying in Saudi and had not been brought back home?

The government in its reply cited the same reason for the delay— demand of no post-mortem by the family.

When contacted, Mahto told eNewsroom, “One week back I had got a call from the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia informing me that all formalities had been done, but there has been no further update on the issue. I will check to know why the body has not reached yet.”

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