The Subcontinental Menu

Thriller Cop

It바카라�s time to stop the traffic바카라�and Ranjeet Singh proceeds to take a drastic step. And another. And one more. All backwards. That바카라�s right, this is the Indore traffic policeman who바카라�s achieved celebr­ity status with his Michael Jackson-inspired moonwalking. The sunglass-wearing cop decided, after the death of a friend in an accident years ago, that he had to do something special to make drivers sit up and pay attention바카라� and he바카라�s succeeded beyond his wildest dreams thanks to social media, with many thousands of Instagram followers. But this fame seems to have become a burden for him. 바카라�At times when I am extremely tired while doing my duty in scorching heat, some vehicle drivers ask me to show the moonwalking moves바카라�I also experience the unn­ecessary burden of expectations of the people due to social media,바카라� he was quoted as saying.

The Bloody Present

Kamakhya temple is a famous Shakti Peetha in Guwahati, and the presiding deity is revered as 바카라�the bleeding goddess바카라�바카라�a reference to menstruation, but that바카라�s not the only bleeding that goes on here; worshippers bring animals to be sacrificed every day. Temple authorities were ill pleased when Zubeen Garg, an Assamese singer, spoke out against this recently. He voiced his protest at a Bihu function at the temple on May 28 when actor Govinda had brought a buffalo for sacrifice, saying, 바카라�Govinda should have sacrificed himself, not a buffalo. Maa Kamakhya doesn바카라�t want the blood of animals. Stop sacrificing animals here.바카라� The priests have demanded an apology for the 바카라�unwarranted바카라� remarks, threatening to bar the singer from the temple otherwise. But this has earned Garg plaudits from PETA, which announced that he would receive its 바카라�Hero to Animals Award바카라�.

No Cup Of Tea

To go from tea seller to prime minister is impressive; to run a school using a tea stall바카라�s proceeds is admirable. The two men in question, Narendra Modi and Devarapalli Prakash Rao, met briefly before the PM바카라�s rally in Cuttack recently; the PM mentioned Rao on his Mann Ki Baat programme the next day and tweeted a picture of him with 바카라�some of the students whose life he is transforming,바카라� catapulting him to instant fame. Rao바카라�s school is a small building in an area of Cuttack largely populated by Telugu-speaking migrants, as well as a few Muslim and Christian families. Its 74 students, mostly from nearby slums, are taught by six teachers in a 150 sq ft classroom. Despite the financial burden, he continues to contribute about half the money he earns from his tea stall (about Rs 700 a day).

Sati바카라�s Long Shadow

A widow rushes toward her husband바카라�s funeral pyre and leaps into it in a frenzy as hundreds of onlookers scream and shout. It sickened Ibn Battuta when he had to witness it nearly 700 years ago바카라�and it casts a grisly pall over parts of the country still. Kuttu Bai, 87, was driven to commit 바카라�sati바카라� upon her nonagenarian husband바카라�s death 16 years ago in Patna Tamola in Madhya Pradesh바카라�s Panna district. Several people were prosecuted and four were given life sentences, while the memory of the scene has been immortalised by negative publicity. These days, villagers are trying to atone with 바카라�community-based welfare measures바카라� to arrange marri­ages for women who are widowed at a young age or are deserted by their husbands; for example, a 21-year-old 바카라�deserted wife바카라� was recently wed to a village youth under the initiative.

The Hinglish Patient

It바카라�s the thin end of the wedge, I see the river Tiber foaming with much blood, and so forth바카라�medical students in Madhya Pradesh now have the option of writing their examination answers in Hinglish, as the tendency to mix Hindi and English is called. According to a circular issued on May 26, Madhya Pradesh Medical University has included the option alongside English and Hindi for MBBS students as well as those in other programmes such as nursing, dentistry and ayurveda.  This will also be extended to oral and practical exams; the circular states, 바카라�If a technical or scientific word is not available in Hindi, a student can use that word in English.바카라�

Lanka바카라�s Channel Discord

President Maithripala Sirisena came to power in Sri Lanka riding a wave of opposition to the draconian policies of Mahinda Rajapakse, including censorship of the media. Sirisena began by lifting many of these controls. After Telshan Network, owned by the family of Sirisena바카라�s coalition partner, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, criticised Sirisena recently, Lanka바카라�s telecom regulator suspended it, claiming it had defaulted on licence fees. This follows the blocking of a London-based website, Lanka E News, in November after it had published an expose alleging corruption in Sirisena바카라�s office.

Dame-Errant바카라�s Quest

Whosoever weds 25-year-old Geeta must swear an oath in addition to the usual vows: to aid her in her quest to find her parents. The mute woman whose story was dramatised in Salman Khan바카라�s Bajrangi Bhaijaan is yet to recover the identity that was lost after she inadvertently ended up in Pakistan aboard the Samjhauta Express 15 years ago.  Now at an Indore orphanage, she has struggled to cope with her predicament. Off­icials feel marriage could help her get past and have launched a cam­­paign to find a groom. Many responded to the MEA바카라�s Facebook ad, and a few바카라�including an engi­neering graduate and a priest바카라�have been selected for individual meetings with Geeta.

A Favourite바카라�s Millions

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan, widely bel­ie­ved to be the Army바카라�s choice for taking on the Sharifs in the impending July elections, seems to be a magnet for controversies. Barely has the dust settled down over a former Imran lover바카라�s biography, the cricket icon-turned-politician has created a furore over his latest trip to Madina.

By convention, South Asian politicians often turn religious before a crucial election. Imran and his PTI hope to take on Nawaz Sharif바카라�s Pakistan Muslim League (N) in the parliamentary elections scheduled for July-end. Though believed to be the generals바카라� favourite candidate, a bit of divine blessings always comes in handy. This perhaps, was the logic behind Imran바카라�s decision to perform the Umra in Saudi Arabia, especially when Id-ul-Fitr was round the corner.

But according to a recent report in the daily Dawn, a special flight to Madina바카라�in which Imran, his wife Bushra, PTI leaders Aleem Khan and his wife and Zulfiqar Hussain Bukhari, aka Zulfi Bukhari, were travelling바카라�was delayed by an hour because Bukhari바카라�s name was on the exit control list.

He was not initially allowed to travel by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and immigration staff at Benazir Bhutto International Airport, which has recently been closed down after the new Islamabad International Airport became functional.

Later, the flight was allowed to leave with Bukhari on board.

According to the report, Bukhari바카라�s departure to Saudi Arabia on June 11 shocked the National Accountability Bureau, as the anti-corruption watchdog was not informed why an accused on the Exit Control List (ECL) was allowed to leave the country.

According to a letter issued by the interior ministry, one-time 바카라�permission바카라� was given to Mr Bukhari for six days for performing Umra, the report added.

Bukhari was accused of owning an offshore company and having assets beyond his known sources of income바카라� the reason why he was forbidden to leave Pakistan.

But apart from Bukhari, the money being spent by Imran for his Saudi trip has also raised many eyebrows. According to Geo News, the special chartered aircraft hired by Imran costs Pakistani rupees Rs 8,00,000 per hour.

According to the channel, the total duration of his flight was 13 hours, with an estimated expense of around Rs 10 million. It certainly was a costly Umra before the elections.

Illustrations by Sajith Kumar