National

The Subcontinental Menu

Animal rights activists in Tamil Nadu are wary of protesting openly; the price of breathing at the Siachen Glacier; the only school for transgenders in any Islamic country in the world. Read all the juicy gossip here...

The Subcontinental Menu
info_icon

A Gory Tale

Blood sports take their toll. Thirty people and 12 bulls have been killed and 3,000 people injured since Jallikkattu was resumed in Tamil Nadu in January 2017, when the state government used legislation to get around a Supreme Court-imposed ban. At least one young man was killed by a rampaging bull and more than 40 were injured in events held in Perambalur and Ariyalur districts earlier this month.  PETA says the events are still taking place months later although supporters claim Jallikkattu is traditionally held in conjunction with the Pongal festival. It바카라s likely that this will continue through May, pushing fatalities up even higher. Animal rights activists are increasingly wary of protesting openly, as they fear being attacked by Jallikkattu supporters바카라many have left the state as a result.

info_icon

Lakhs For Lungs

Rs 1.10 crore is the price of breathing at the Siachen Glacier, where panting Indian soldiers patrol the highest battleground on the pla­net. This amount is what is needed to construct an oxygen generation plant that would make the soldiers바카라 lives easier바카라and a Pune couple, parents of a serving officer, have taken the initiative by setting up a charitable trust and selling their jewellery to make a Rs 1,25,000 donation.  At present, oxygen cylinders must be delivered by helicopter from Chandigarh, and there is paucity of choppers. Oxygen generated at a plant close by would reduce transport cost and time.  Schoolteacher Sumeedha Chithade was quoted as saying, 바카라I haven바카라t sold every ornament, but made a start. I will contribute more if required.바카라 Her husband Yogesh said, 바카라Other families should contribute too, at least Re 1.바카라

info_icon

Thirsting Gods

The presiding deities of Puri바카라s Jagannath temple바카라lords Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra바카라have been missing their meals as the temple administration is locked in a faceoff with the cooks. A servitor who was to serve the 바카라mahaprasad바카라 became 바카라unfit for duty바카라 following the death of a relative, causing the temple administration to scramble in vain for a replacement. The gods had been dressed up in anticipation, but missed their breakfast and lunch as the food prepared for the maha­pra­sad was disposed of바카라and this caused the 바카라supakaras바카라 (temple cooks) to protest and demand compensation of Rs 30 lakh for the wasted food. A meeting with the administration got nowhere, as the latter maintained that it wasn바카라t responsi­ble for mahaprasad cooked for commercial purposes.  Hopefully someone will resolve the dispute soon.

info_icon

Pachyderm Polyglots

The immersion method of language learning wasn바카라t meant for elephants. When three jumbos바카라a tusker, a female and the latter바카라s calf바카라were brought to Jharkhand바카라s Palamu Tiger Reserve from Karnataka in March, they were used to the commands of their Kannada-speaking mahouts. The sudden imposition of Hindi has caused confusion, as the local mahouts were unable to communicate with their new charges. The reserve바카라s director, M.P. Singh, said the different phonetic pattern was 바카라impeding their understanding.바카라 This wasn바카라t entirely unan­ticipated, so a couple of mahouts did accompany the elephants from Karnataka. The plan is for these mahouts to teach their local counterparts the Kannada commands, so that they can use those at first before getting the elephants used to Hindi.

info_icon

Change Channel For Darshan

An Indian icon that has been on the airwaves since Republic Day 1967 is moving to a more specialised venue, marking the end of an epoch. Krishi Darshan, which has always been broadcast on the national channel until now, will shift to DD Kisan, a new channel launched by the PM in 2015. It will also be bankrolled by the agriculture ministry rather than the information and broadcasting ministry. The move was prompted by low viewership figures for the analogue broadcast, and it is believed that the Kisan channel will give the programme a wider reach. The show will have a dedicated two-hour slot five days a week on the new channel.

Trans School In Lahore

The only school for transgender pupils in any Islamic country in the world (so it바카라s claimed) has just been opened in Pakistan. Located in Lahore, which is estimated to have a transgender population of about 30,000, the Gender Guardian school aims to furnish both a traditional education with a full 12-year academic curriculum (covering primary and secondary education), and vocational skills courses in fields such as cooking, fashion des­ign and cosmetics. Forty pupils have enrolled thus far, and there are 15 faculty members, three of whom are transgender themselves.

Entrapment Embarrassment

The police set up a meeting with a pair of investigative reporters at a restaurant, where they hand over some 바카라secret documents바카라. Shortly afterwards, the reporters are arrested and brought to trial바카라a classic case of entrapment. Or so it would be, if a police officer appearing as a prosecution witness hadn바카라t revealed the whole scheme in court. Captain Moe Yan Naing testified that a police chief had ordered officers to 바카라trap바카라 Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who had been investigating the deaths of ten Rohingya men and boys in Rakhine state. The captain바카라s family soon paid the price바카라they were evicted from police housing less than a day after his testimony.

info_icon

Hiccup At The Counter

Street food owners in Karachi are fighting a losing battle against the powerful Pakistani defence establishment and high-end Chinese investors to keep their business along the city바카라s famous coastline, Do Darya. The food street set up along the city바카라s coastline may soon be closed to make way for some upcoming high-end, seafront residential and commercial projects in Defence Phase VIII.

A major campaign is on in the social media with hashtags #Do Darya# and #SaveDoDarya# doing the rounds to build an opinion in favour of this attractive food street.

Unlike food streets in other parts of the city, the 1.5-km-long food street offers a fine dining experience along with cooling sea breeze and scenic views. It not only attracts visitors from all over Karachi but is also a major tourist draw and 바카라must see바카라 stops for foreigners.

According to a report in Dawn, around a decade ago, this barren area was notorious for drugs and other crimes. Most people living in the city would fear to venture on this side and those who had bought plots in Phase VIII often regretted their decision, says the Pakistani English daily.

However, investors who leased the spots at Do Darya took the risk and set up their food outlets in an outdoor setting. The concept took off and after that there was no looking back.

A Do Darya restaurateur was reported to have said: 바카라This place was barren. We were given a lease for five years (by the Defence Housing Authority). We were given the assurance that it would be extended for another 20-25 years. We made sure to set up the place, bring value to the area and have thousands of people coming in every weekend.

바카라DHA had informed us that the lease would not be renewed, so we filed a case against them in 2014 and got a stay order...the tenure of that stay order is set to finish in about two months,바카라 he said, requesting anonymity.

But the owners of the street food outlets say it will not be easy fight for them. 바카라DHA hopes we will vacate the area in about two months, but we are resisting. It바카라s not an easy fight, but we are trying,바카라 a restaurant owner said. 바카라On an average, Rs 250 million has been spent on the property and this investment is not coming back,바카라 he added.

The area offers employment to around 5,000 workers that include cooks, guards, waiters and valets.

The plots belong to the Army Sports Club and Navy Sports Club, while the other pieces of land have been earmarked for Chinese realtors.

Illustrations by Sajith Kumar

×