Celina Jaitley 'abused' by Pakistani cricketers

Mumbai: This certainly isn't cricket. Actress Celina Jaitley alleged that cricketers from across the border abused her after she performed at the Indian Cricket League (ICL) match between Lahore Badshahs and Delhi Giants.

On Sunday, Celina had finished her performance and was taking what she calls a "glory round" with her security personnel around the stadium, when she heard loud abuses in Hindi coming out of the players' enclosure.

"At first I couldn't believe where it was coming from. I still want to give them the benefit of doubt because it's so hard to believe they could behave this way," she said with a shudder, recalling that she wanted to rush back to her car and drive away from the nightmare.

"But I couldn't because the security guys wouldn't let me pass. So I was stuck listening to myself being described in the most colourful language," Celina, who was seen in films like No Entryand Shakalaka Boom Boom, told IANS.

The ex-Miss India refuses to lay the blame on anyone for the abusive incident, but she does admit that she recognises the Pakistani players because she had participated in a TV interview with them for a sports channel.

She said: "But what hurts and offends me more is the fact that people from our own country have chosen to speak on behalf of those who abused me. As they say, I am 'just another Bollywood actress'. Fine. Does that mean I don't command even the respect that other woman get?"

All in all it hasn't been a very pleasant Easter and Holi weekend for Celina.

"I attended my producer Kumar Mangatji's Holi bash Saturday and then having ensured that I wasn't required for shooting Sunday, I left for Delhi for the ICL, tired and irritable. I had no clue what was waiting for me. And to top it all, I had observed Lent this Easter and was very weak and depleted. This wasn't what I expected,” Celina added.

Celina is a child of a mixed marriage. Her father is a Punjabi and her mother is an Afghan.

So what’s your excuse to this Holi ?????

Holi is round the corner and while everybody seems to be gung-ho about this colourful festival, there are a few who have an aversion to the gulals and the toxic colours. While the latter should be left in peace , in most cases, this doesn’t happen .They are constantly surrounded by pesky friends who do anything to make sure that their friends have some colours on them. They are often tricked and dragged out of their room by their friends to play Holi.

Rohini kapoor , a home maker , loathes playing Holi. She says , “ I’ve never played Holi because I don’t like it and irritates me. Luckily my husband also is not too keen on playing Holi. So ,we generally make plans with other friends who don’t enjoy playing the same and go to some resort on the day Holi is played.”

While Rohini ensures she’s safe and untouched by colour on Holi , there are also others like Rajat , a freelancer Disk Jockey , who understands exactly how it feels to get stranded in such situations. “I don’t play Holi and my friends know that . They still managed to fool me a couple of times,” says Rajat adding, “Sometimes, I go off to my grandma’s place on Holi and when my friends call, I tell them I’m at the factory or busy with work.

Even Aditya Gautam , a final year B.A. student , wants to be left alone in peace. He says , “ I don’t like colours and have a phobia towards them. To avoid people from smearing me with colours , I lock myself in my room”. Also, he often tells his friends that he is allergic to colours. So what’s your excuse to this Holi.

BY: RISHI

Spirit of Holi unites all at Jaipur temple

Saturday, March 22, 2008 (Jaipur)
Holi celebrates the divine love of Krishna and Radha and at Jaipur's most famous Krishna temple, Holi is played with flowers.

All the colours of Holi are being reflected at the Phag-Utsav in the historic Govind Devji temple. But instead of colours people play Holi with flowers.

''We shower petals on Lord Krishna. We use only flowers to play Holi to ensure that Lord Krishna does not get injured,'' said Sudhir Kumar, secretary, Govind Devji Mandir.

The Phag Utsav has been celebrated at the Govindevji temple for over 300 years. Artistes from across Rajasthan vie to perform here without charging a penny. And those who do get a chance feel truly blessed.

''What art can we show to our god who is the greatest artist in the world ? We perform here not to show our art but to seek Lord Krishna's blessings,'' said Rekha Saini, Kathak Artist.

''As we play divine roles here we feel united with God. With Radha being playful, I begin to feel as if we ourselves are Krishna and Radha,'' said Roop Singh, Bhavayi artist.

Besides showering petals, the Latthmaar Holi, played for centuries in Barsaana - the birthplace of Radha - is also enacted. And in a sign of India's composite culture even Muslim artists come to pay homage to the spiritual love of Radha and Krishna.

''I think all religions are basically one. We may be Muslims but artists from our family have been coming here for generations to sing bhajans and play the Shehnai during Artees at this temple,'' said Mohammed Hanif, Muslim artist.

The vibrant folk songs and dances of Holi will continue at the Phag festival for a whole week and all shades of the Radha-Krishna legend will be showcased here.

From Radha to Krishna, and Gopis to Gwalas, everyone seems to be present here. And while Vrindavan may be hundreds of miles away, the fervour with which the Phag-Utsav is being celebrated gives a definite flavour of Holi festivities in the land of Krishna.

save life of many people" letter from our reader"

IF YOU CAN HELP INDER JINDAL WRITE TO inderjindal@yahoo.co.in

Hi,

I m Inder Jindal. This is with regards to a serious matter that i m noticing from 10 Years as it could cause the lives of a many people in kasturba society, Chembur, Mumbai. There is a man in Chembur who has illegally removed the pillars of a building and has opened multiple shops and is making cores of money in this illegal business. I would also like to remind you a same incident in Borivali last year when the owner of Vardhaman jewellers removed all the pillars of a multi storey building and opened multiple shops and in some time the building collapsed and it caused lives of several people. Even the basement of the building is given on rent and on that he is earning lots of money. From all this illegal matter he is earning cores of rupees.

The same way, this man has opened multiple shops by removing the pillars of the building and earning lacks of Rupees as advance deposits for that small shop. He has also made many changes with the structure of that building which is more than enough to collapse the building. The same issue was raised in front of local media some time ago but was of no avail as he filled their pockets with bribe and he is still continuing the same business.

As a responsible citizen, I m raising this issue in front of you to avoid a dreadful disaster in coming future and i m looking forward from you to show serious attention towards this issue and save the lives of hundreds of people.

Before anything dreadful event occur you please take immediate action on this

I m sending you picture of that area

The address of that building is as follows: Thakkar bappa colony,kasturba society,S.G barve marg,near by kurla Signal,Chembur,Mumbai-400071

I m hopeful that u will take immediate action on this matter before anything dreadful occur

With Regards

Inder Jindal

Paper made of shredded money

New Delhi, March 15: Shredded currency can be turned into wealth again. A handmade paper cluster will soon come up at Radaur, in Haryana’s Karnal district, where shredded currency is to be recycled into handmade paper. The RBI used to burn old and soiled currency notes under strict supervision. The 19 RBI branches in India generate as much as 10,000 tonnes of shredded currency a year.

The whole exercise used to cost a lot in terms of time and energy and had an adverse impact on the environment. Shredded currency work is not handed out to private agencies for reasons of security. Since the Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a government agency, the Reserve Bank of India has given it the work of recycling shredded currency.

The handmade paper cluster project is expected to address the problem of global warming while providing eco-friendly handmade paper. It will also generate employment and income. The Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute (KNHPI), an autonomous body under KVIC, developed the technology to process currency waste paper briquettes into quality handmade paper. Handmade paper is eco-friendly and preferred for its wide variety.

KVIC chairperson Kumudben Joshi explained the process. “Under this programme, the shredded currency waste of the RBI will be utilised as cellulosic raw material for making handmade paper and converted products like handmade paper file-covers, file boards and carry bags. It is based on the technology developed at our subsidiary organisation, KNHPI, Jaipur,” she said.

2 killed, 15 hurt as explosion rocks Pak capital

slamabad, March 15: Two foreigners were killed and around 15 (only two of them Pakistanis) were injured as a bomb exploded on the lawn outside an Italian restaurant near the President’s House in Islamabad late on Saturday evening. “The dead and injured are from the US, the UK and China. We can’t identify them right now,” a police official said.

The restaurant is less than two km from the Presidency, the Prime Minister’s house, Parliament and the diplomatic enclave, where almost all the embassies and foreign missions are located. “There was an explosion at the Luna Caprese Italian restaurant in the centre of the capital,” a police official said.

“Two people were killed and some 15 people have been injured. One wall of the restaurant has partly collapsed,” he said, adding, “Only two of the injured were Pakistanis, the rest are foreigners.” He added, “There are lots of injured people who have lost limbs and legs. Blood and human flesh is scattered around the place.” Meanwhile, the Pakistani interior ministry on Saturday issued a new security advisory in view of threats of more terrorist attacks.

Anil Ambani firm set to launch 20 channels

New Delhi: Reliance Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the media and entertainment arm of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (R-Adag) that has interests in film production, distribution and exhibition, FM radio, Internet businesses and television content is set to enter the broadcasting space, a company official close to the development and who did not wish to be identified said.

The firm will launch two new companies—Reliance Big TV Entertainment Pvt. Ltd and Reliance Big TV News Pvt. Ltd—to launch and operate a bouquet of about 20 channels. The news broadcasting company will launch four channels: two general news channels and two business news channels, one each in Hindi and English in both genres.

The non-news broadcasting company will launch music and movie channels, fivegeneral entertainment channels, and dedicated channels focused on children andlifestyle.

The Hindi general entertainment channel and three regional movie channels are likely to be launched by August. Reliance Entertainment recently approached the ministry of information and broadcasting for mandatory approvals for its channels.

On 8 February, the firm said investor George Soros had picked up a 3% stake in it for Rs395 crore, giving Reliance Entertainment a valuation of Rs13,035 crore.

R-Adag, through several affiliates and group companies, holds substantial equity stakes in several media and entertainment firms. These include NDTV Ltd, ETC Networks Ltd, TV Today Network Ltd, Padmalaya Telefilms Ltd and UTV Software Communications Ltd. The market value of R-Adag’s investments in the media and entertainment sector, as on 31 December 2007, the latest quarter for which data is available, was Rs952.09 crore.

The firm is also betting big on the Internet space and plans to launch at least eight new websites this year, including a jobs portal and a classifieds portal. The firm already runs gaming portal Zapak, social networking site BigAdda, and online movie rental business Big Flicks.

Vengsarkar stumps all, says Yuvraj let him down

Team India may have sealed the season of controversies with an incredible win over Australia in the CB series Down Under, but the euphoria is fast wearing off.

Chief Selector Dilip Vengsarkar has said that he is disappointed with the performance of India vice-captain Yuvraj Singh.

In an interview published in the latest edition of news magazine Week Vengsarkar says Yuvraj has to be more consistent in his game and must perform to the potential of his talent.

He also says the flambuoyant cricketer’s performance is key to India becoming world beaters. Vengsarkar's comments come just two days after the Men in Blue reached home to a heroes’ welcome following the victory against Australia.

The chief selector said while Yuvraj has been in the team for about eight years, he has failed to establish himself as a Test player. He added Yuvraj only had himself to blame.

"I am disappointed as I always had expectations from him. Yuvraj needs to be more consistent. He is a great talent but he has to perform to his potential," the Week quotes him as saying.

But he was all praises for India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who he said has “really matured as a skipper”. Vengsarkar says Dhoni believes in his players and that was the most important part of being a skipper.

But Vengsarkar’s comments haven’t cut ice with Team India Assistant coach Lalchand Rajput. “All players have a bad patch. Yuvraj has to work hard to cement his place in this team. I am surprised at Vengsarkar’s comments and people should know what they are speaking against,” Rajput told CNN-IBN.

Oil hits record near $106 on weak dollar

Oil hits a record high near $106 on Thursday, fueled by the weak dollar and OPEC's decision to hold crude output steady.

US oil settled up 95 cents at $105.47 a barrel after hitting a record $105.97 a barrel during the session. London Brent crude rose 97 cents to settle at $102.61 a barrel, after hitting a record $102.95.

The gains followed a $5 jump on Wednesday, after declining US crude inventories and a decision by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to maintain production levels despite consumer-nation calls for more oil.

Speculative buying as investors seek a hedge against inflation and a tumbling dollar also drove oil prices higher.

"The dollar is going down again and hedgers are buying commodities and this is all adding fuel to the fire," said Mark Waggoner, president of Excel Futures.

The dollar extended losses against the euro and the yen on Thursday after US pending home sales were reported unchanged in January, doing little to allay investor worries over the deteriorating US economic outlook.

Wednesday's surge marked oil's single biggest price gain in absolute dollar terms, according to Reuters database EcoWin, although there have been larger daily percentage price gains. "The crude squeeze continues.

The sharp rise in crude was exacerbated by a weak US dollar, OPEC's decision to stand still," Citigroup said in a research note.

OPEC agreed to hold production at current levels on Wednesday, despite calls from the US to increase output to help consumers already battered by the mortgage crisis and the credit crunch.

A US government report Wednesday showed crude stocks in the world's largest consumer fell by 3.1 million barrels last week, against analysts' forecasts for an increase.

Distillate inventories, including heating oil, fell 4.8 million barrels, dropping for the fourth consecutive week, as colder weather hit the U.S. Northeast. Gasoline stocks rose for the 17th straight week.

OPEC will next meet in September to assess production levels and evaluate the market, although ministers could confer informally at a conference between consumers and producers in Rome on April 20-22.

UP bans screening of Jodhaa Akbar

Against the backdrop of Rajput community's protests against the film, Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday banned the screening of Ashutosh Gowarikar's controversial movie Jodhaa Akbar, based on the life of the Mughal Emperor.

A Home Department spokesperson in Lucknow said the decision to ban the screening of the film, starring Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan, had been taken to maintain law and order.

Rajput organisation Kshetriya Mahasabha had protested the screening of the film on the day it was released in local cinema halls alleging the filmmaker had distorted history, which has hurt their sentiments.

Indian prisoner Kashmir Singh walks free

After 35 long years behind bars, Kashmir Singh is finally a free man.

He was released from the Lahore jail late on Monday evening.

The former Indian prisoner will be reunited with his wife and three sons at Wagah border later on Tuesday, but not before he pays his respects at Nankana Sahib.

Kashmir Singh was arrested in Pakistan in 1973 on charges of spying and sentenced to death by an Army court.

President Pervez Musharraf pardoned him, after the Pakistani Human Rights Commission pleaded his case.

''He is 100 per cent fit. He is mentally and physically sound,'' said Ansar Burney, Caretaker Minister for Human Rights.

It has now emerged that Kashmir Singh converted to Islam during his time in jail and is now known as Mohammed Ibrahim.