Shiv Sena protests in Delhi ahead of
Valentine's Day
New
Delhi: Shiv Sena today took to the streets of New Delhi
to protest Valentine's Day celebrations, saying it goes
against the Indian culture. Sena activists raised slogans
against multinationals blaming them for misleading the youth
in the country and burnt Valentine's Day cards. Shiv Sena's
Delhi unit chief Jai Bhagwan Goyal asked the youth to celebrate
love through traditional Indian festivals instead of embracing
western customs. "It is a big conspiracy by the multinational
companies who are misleading the young generation of India.
Shiv Sena says that if this is considered as festival of
love, then there are so many Indian festivals like Eid,
Holi, Diwali, Lohri and others which are celebrated to express
love and affection towards each other," he said. Shiv Sena
and other organisations condemn Valentine's Day as a day
of shame and lust. But the growing popularity of the day
in officially secular, but in the recent years India has
experienced countrywide protests, which have sometimes turned
violent. The vandalism has become an annual affair to prevent
which unprecedented security arrangements are made. Activists
regard the festivities as running counter to the cultural
ethos of their societies. Saint Valentine's Day has become
increasingly popular in India in recent years, led by retailers
selling red balloons, velvet pillows and teddy bears to
mark the festival. The protesting groups say Valentine's
Day celebrations are a symbol of "cultural corruption" but
that has not dampened the enthusiasm of youngsters who throng
stores to buy Valentine's Day gifts and cards. The day is
celebrated on February 14 every year.
Veteran
actress Nadira passes away (Go
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Mumbai:
Veteran actor of films like 'Shri 420', Nadira died
after a cardiac seizure at Tardeo's Bhatia Hospital, this
morning. Nadira, seventy four-year-old, was hospitalized
on January 2 after a paralytic stroke preceded by a lung
infection. Doctors said she was also suffering from other
complications and had been in coma. The funeral will be
held this evening, former president of Cine Artistes Association
and fellow actor Chandrashekhar said. 'Mud, Mud Ke Na Dekh'
Nadira was not married and was staying alone in a flat in
south Mumbai. Nadira alias Farhat Ezekiel Nadira, is best
remembered for her memorable portrayal of the Hindi cinema's
vamp during the 1950s and 60s. She was a Jew from Baghdad
who hit the Bollywood big-time with remarkable performances
in such films like 'Hanste Zakhm', 'Amar Akbar Anthony'
and 'Pakeezah' among others.
She first appeared on screen opposite Dilip Kumar in Mehboob
Khan's 'Aan' (1950), and then went on to act in more than
50 films in a career spanning close to five decades. Of
course, her role as the villainous 'Maya' in Raj Kapoor's
'Shri 420' where she wooed Kapoor with the evergreen club-dance
number 'Mud Mud Ke NA Dekh' is the most memorable performance.
The song 'Ajeeb Daastan He Yeh' picturised on the trio of
Nadira, Rajkumar and Meena Kumari in 'Dil Apna Preet Parayi'
is another evergreen favourite. She reigned supreme in the
1950s and 1960s and was one of the busiest actresses of
her time. Although by the 1970s lead roles dried up, Nadira
continued to play character roles, but with a difference.
Even when she played the mother, Nadira was rarely the crying,
helpless woman in white. She added rare dignity and spirit
to the various roles of the mother, aunt or other older
woman roles. Nadira's role in 'Julie' (1975) as the heroine
Lakshmi's mother - an Anglo-Indian housewife keeping her
brood together and facing crises with poise - fetched her
a 'Best Supporting Actress Award'. 'Pakeezah' (1972), 'Sagar'
(1985), 'Tamanna' (1997) and more recently 'Josh' (2000)
are some of the movies that featured her. Her role as the
wronged wife of veteran actor Shriram Lagoo in the serial
'Thoda Sa Aasmaan' is rated as one of the best television
performances ever. Her closest ally in Bollywood was actress
'Nimmi' with whom she always shared a warm relationship.
TV actress commits suicide (Go
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Mumbai:
Kuljeet Randhawa, a model and television actress, committed
suicide by hanging herself at her residence on Wednesday
evening. A maid discovered her body late at night and alerted
the watchman. "It was around 8'o' clock. The maid was shouting
watchman...watchman. When I went up. I found her hanging
right near the front of the door. So, the next thing I did
was to inform the secretary and they informed the police,"
said Santosh, the watchman of the society. In a suicide
note, Kuljeet said she was ending her life as she was unable
to cope with life's pressures. Kuljeet, a well-known face
in advertising, had worked in the commercials of a large
number of companies like Pepsi, Whirlpool etc. After making
a name for herself in advertising, she turned to acting
and hit the small screen with hit serials like Special Squad,
Kohinoor etc. She became extremely popular through her role
as Shaina in Special Squad and as 'Irawati Kohli' in the
serial Kohinoor. Her sudden death has brought back the sad
memories of the suicide by model Nafisa Joseph last year
for personal reasons.
Afghanistan cartoon riot toll rises to
12 (Go
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Kabul
(Afghanistan): At least four people have been killed
and up to 20 injured in a violent protest in Afghanistan
over cartoons satirising Prophet Muhammad. According to
the BBC, Afghan Police shot into a crowd of rioters in the
town of Qalat as they tried to march on a nearby U.S. military
base, bringing the number of people killed in Afghan protests
over the cartoons in recent days to twelve. The Ulema Council,
Afghanistan's top religious body, has issued an appeal to
end the rioting, saying the cartoons do not justify violence.
"We condemn violence anywhere. If a non-Muslim country has
mistaken or insulted Islam we should talk to them peacefully,"
Ulema Council member Mawli Osmani Haqtalab was quoted by
the BBC, as saying.
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