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Shehnai maestro ill and broke

          Varanasi, June 15: Come to think of any auspicious event and it is incomplete without the sonorous music of Shehnai and that too the one played by Ustad Bismillah Khan. Khan, a man known for his tenderness and simple living, is ill and needs immediate financial help. The maestro who has written to the Prime Minister twice (Contd)

SRK to remain out of action

          Mumbai, June 15: Shah Rukh Khan is likely to be out of action for another two months. The actor is currently undergoing physiotherapy for his back surgery in London. Meanwhile, his latest flick to hit the theatres, 'Chalte Chalte', with Rani Mukherjee has received good opening. This is good news for Dreamz Unlimited productions considering that their earlier two productions, 'Asoka' and 'Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani' had proved to duds at the box-office.

BJP for simultaneous elections ?

          Ranchi, June 15: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday said it was in favour of simultaneous elections for both the parliamentary and state elections. The general elections are due in 2004 and five states, including Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, are to go to polls later this year. Main opposition Congress party rules four of the five states and analysts say the BJP is hoping to cash in on the anti-incumbency factor.

           "The BJP is of the view that the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections should be held simultaneously on the same day ... so that the administration can focus its attention on development and the political parties can also focus its attention on development rather than frequent interruptions and diversions," said party President Venkaiah Naidu. Naidu said the BJP would continue with the alliance even after it secured majority in general elections. "We will fight under the leadership of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. We will fight on the basis of his name and work. And even after we get a majority we want to continue with the coalition system," he said. Analysts say, sobered by recent defeat in elections in Himachal Pradesh by the Congress, the BJP plans to firm up strategies for the assembly elections scheduled later in the year.

Vajpayee for consensus on troops to Iraq (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, June 15: The government on Sunday said it would take a decision on sending troop to Iraq after a consensus was evolved on the issue. This was stated by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during a meeting he had with leader of the Opposition and Congress president Sonia Gandhi here on Sunday evening. The government has taken no decision so far on sending troops to Iraq, senior Congress leader Natwar Singh told reporters after the nearly 70-minute long meeting between Vajpayee and Sonia Gandhi. External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh and National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister Brajesh Mishra were present at the meeting. Congress leader Manmohan Singh was also with Ms Gandhi. She suggested that the government should consult important political parties before taking any decision on the deployment of troops in Iraq.

Advani arrives in London for crucial talks (Go To Top)

          London, June 15: Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani arrived in London early on Sunday on a four-day visit. During his stay here, Advani is expected to meet, among others, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, his deputy John Prescott, foreign secretary Jack Straw and home secretary David Blunkett. Sources said the focus of talks will be on Pak-sponsored infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir and whether Pakistan will create an atmosphere conducive to talks on Kashmir. On Iraq, sources said, "there is no reason why we should bring it up". However, it's unlikely Advani will leave London without further pressure from Blair, a leading member of the Anglo- American coalition, to despatch Indian troops for an Iraqi "stabilisation force".

BJP on verge of collapse in UP, says Ajit Singh (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, June 15: Rashtriya Lok Dal president Ajit Singh said on Sunday the BJP dissidents realised that the party had no bright political prospects in the state. "Elected representatives of the people have to take popular sentiments into account. With Uttar Pradesh under shadow, the tide is turning against the Mayawati government and the BJP, its coalition partner."

           Ajit Singh was talking to newspersons after addressing a meeting of RLD's central and western UP office-bearers, district presidents and MLAs. He said the RLD, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, Rashtriya Kranti Party leader Kalyan Singh and the Congress have come together for a common cause - to oust Mayawati from power. While the Chief Minister claims the support of 213 MLAs in a House of 402, the RLD leader said Mayawati does not have the requisite number.

Kathmandu meet stress on CBMs for early Indo-Pak summit (Go To Top)

          Kathmandu, June 15: A two-day conference on improving ties between India and Pakistan concluded on Saturday in Nepal's capital Kathmandu. Attended by 25 retired diplomats, military officials and media personalities from both the countries, the conference aimed at creating an atmosphere to pave the way for early resumption of talks between the two countries. "It's on the basis of that friendship (Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's hand of friendship) that we have got this conference going between India and Pakistan, so that we can create confidence-building measures and create an atmosphere through which the political leaders of the two countries can sit together and start or rather restart a dialogue," said India's military analyst Gen Ashok Mehta (Retd).

          The conference debated issues like cost of Indo-Pak confrontation, coercive diplomacy and military dimension of the Indo-Pak stand-off. At the end of the meet, the delegates adopted a ten-point resolution suggesting more dialogue at government and non- governmental levels, exchange of civil delegations, reducing tension in border areas and relaxing visa procedures. Sartaz Aziz, Pakistan's former finance and foreign minister, said the recommendations were to be used as input for policy makers but warned people not to expect quick solutions.

          Lauding Vajpayee's initiatives, former Indian high commissioner to Pakistan G.Parthasarthy said what was required now was to confront past tribulations and solve them before moving onto newer ones. "Yes, I think you have to debate the past. Unless you analyse the past you go wrong in future. So, I don't see any harm in that, to have a candid discussion on the past, where we stand, and then look ahead to how we are going to deal with the future," said Parthasarthy.

Five more J-K cops held for Lone murder (Go To Top)

          Srinagar, June 15: Jammu and Kashmir police chief on Sunday said five more policemen were arrested in connection with the killing of a former state minister in September last year. Former law minister Mushtaq Ahmed Lone was shot dead when militants belonging to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba stormed a local school where he was addressing an election rally. The five policemen, who include two officers, are believed to have given information about Lone's whereabouts to the militants. Earlier this week, two policemen were arrested for having links with terrorists. Police also arrested four militants in this connection.

10 killed in Mecca police clash with terror suspects (Go To Top)

          Riyadh, June 15: Ten people, including five security personnel, were killed in overnight clashes between police and suspected terrorists in the holy town of Mecca, a Saudi daily reported Sunday. Five other security officers were injured in the fighting in Micca's Khaldiya district and seven people on the authorities' wanted list were arrested, the paper said. The London-based Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia (MIRA), citing "diverse sources" in Saudi Arabia, said that eight security officers and three civilians were killed in the clash.

Shehnai maestro ill and broke (Go To Top)

          (Contd) requesting him for some assistance has not yet received any response. "I have asked the government to give me some financial help so that when I am not able to perform, there will be some money to look after myself and my grandchild, but the government has not done anything", said Ustad Bismillah Khan. "I have asked Atal Behari Vajpayee twice and not once. But he has not done anything", he added.

          The 90-year old Shehnai player lives on the top floor of a small house in a crowded lane in Varanasi. He lives like any other man in the locality with no luxury, except for a small bed, a telephone and a lantern that one can see in his room. The temperature of Varanasi which hovered around 45 degree Celsius for the last few days has affected the health of the maestro making him weak and fragile. Lack of proper treatment together with the scorching heat has not deterred the confidence of the Ustad. "Pray to God so that I can regain my strength and come back to my normal self. I will sing for you then and I will charge quarter of the amount that I charge now", said Khan. Neighbours have been persuading him to buy himself an air cooler, but Khan says since was brought up in a poor family, such luxury does not fit in his way of living. "I come from a poor family, we did not have any such thing then. Why should I buy all these now?", said Khan.

          He was born on 21 March 1916. His ancestors were court musicians in the princely state of Dumraon in Bihar and he was trained under his uncle, the late Ali Bux . Ali Bux was a shehnai player attached to Varanasi's Vishwanath Temple. "I played Shehnai in Balaji's temple for 18 years. So 18 years of practice is bound to bring some fruit", he adds. Ustad Bismillah Khan Sahib poured his heart out into Raga Kafi from the Red Fort on the eve of India's first Republic Day parade. Bismillah Khan sees only a divine unity between his music and his religion. Music, sur, namaaz is the same thing. His namaaz is the seven shuddh and five komal surs. Even as a devout Shia, Khan Sahib is also a staunch devotee of Saraswati, the goddess of music. His honorary doctorate from the Benares Hindu University and Shantiniketan speaks of his fame. Apart from Bharat Ratna he has been honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the Tansen Award of the Madhya Pradesh government and also the prestigious Padma Vibhushan. He has played in Afghanistan, Europe, Iran, Iraq, Canada, West Africa, USA, USSR, Japan, Hong Kong and almost every capital city across the world. His music is an ocean and he feels that he has barely reached the shore after 90 years of his life and his search is still incomplete.