17th World Book Fair opens in New Delhi
by Sutirtha Sanyal

    New Delhi: Union Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh today inaugurated the 17th New Delhi World Book Fair. He cited India's rich heritage both in the written and spoken words, and also lamented that in modern life, people were not able to give due priority to reading. He urged children to develop the habit of reading books Inaugurating the fair he said: "A bookstall represents every shade of mind and reading is the only addiction, which totally possesses human being." Addressing the gathering, eminent author, Mahasweta Devi, called for more book fairs at district levels so that books in vernacular languages reach the people. Distinguished historian, Professor Romila Thapar in her speech suggested the revival of library movement. Welcoming the guests, Professor Bipan Chandra, Chairman, National Book Trust (NBT) said that the fair was being organized to fulfil the mandate encouraging book reading and book publishing.

    The 17th New Delhi World Book Fair would be on for nine days till February 4, 2006 at the Pragati Maidan. The fair this year will see the direct participation of 18 countries and several other countries, bringing the total number to around 30. "In all, there are 18 countries participating directly in the fair, and other countries are participating in collaboration with their Indian subsidiaries. Hence, the effective participation would go upto 30 countries," said Nuzhat Hassan, Director, National Book Trust (NBT). "In terms of participation, there will be 1,294 participants and almost 2,300 stalls," she added. The international book fair provides a glimpse of the multi- lingual publishing industry in India bringing together publishers, booksellers, book distributors on one hand and professionals, intellectuals, academicians and writers on the other. This year's theme is Composite Culture In A Multicultural Society, on which a two-day international seminar is being organized. There is also an exclusive pavilion for children and a specially designed youth pavilion. The youth pavilion will organise interactions with youth icons like cricketers Kapil Dev and K.Srikanth, and politicians like Rahul Gandhi and Omar Abdullah. This year's fair has an assortment of varied activities, ranging from cultural shows, poetry sessions, roadside plays and several other events. Over the years, the World Book Fair has grown in size. From a mere participation of 152 publishers and book sellers in 1972, to 1240 publishers in 2004. The fair will be open from 11.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. everyday and have an entry fee of Rs. 5 only.

Amritsar-Nankana Sahib bus crosses Wagah border  (Go To Top)
by Ravinder Singh Robin

     Wagah Border: The much awaited trial run of the Amritsar-Nankana Sahib bus service commenced on Friday by crossing the Wagah border checkpost at 11 a.m. The 45-seater Volvo super luxury bus is carrying a delegation of Punjab and Central Government officials and will reach Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, the first spiritual leader of the Sikhs. The trial run of the new bus service is being undertaken after Sikh community leaders on both sides of the Indian subcontinent made a demand for it, saying it would facilitate improved people- to-people contact between Western and Eastern Punjab. The bus service between Amritsar and Nankana Sahib is set to begin on February 27, which means there will be four bus links between India and Pakistan.

   The distance between the two points is a little over 50 kilometres. India and Pakistan have fixed the one way fare of the bus at Rs.700 (15.84 dollars) and Rs.900 (15.04 dollars) respectively. Children between the ages of 2 to 12 years will be charged the fare, while children below two years would be allowed to travel free. The bus service is operated by Punjab Roadways in Amritsar for the journey on the Indian side. The Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) will operate the bus service from Nankana Sahib.The return trail run will be conducted on January 29. The bus service has been under active consideration of the Indian and Pakistani Governments in the wake of a technical-level meeting that was held between officials of the two sides at Islamabad on December 20-21, 2005. According to PTDC Managing Director, Hashim Khan, the Nankana Sahib-Amritsar bus service would largely facilitate Sikh yatris on the pilgrimage to their respective holy spots.

    On January 20, long awaited first bus from Lahore to Amritsar had started and the returned from Amritsar to Lahore on January 24. The service to Lahore will leave every Friday and return on Saturday and the bus to Amritsar will run on Tuesday and return the next day. The fare for the one-hour drive is 740 Indian rupees and RS 900 Pakistan rupees. Both sides have completed trial runs on the 45 km route. Transport links have been one of the most visible signs of the slowly improving relations between India and Pakistan. In April last year, the two sides had started a bus service across Kashmir- Srinagar-Muzaffarabad-with a twice-a-month service. The two sides resumed a bus service between Lahore and New Delhi, in January 2004, shortly after they agreed to a cease-fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir in November 2003.

Delay in Munabao-Khokrapar rail service  (Go To Top)
by Vikram Vishal

    New Delhi: The much-awaited train service 'Thar Express' between Munabao in Rajasthan and Khokrapar in Pakistan's Sindh Province is likely to be deferred by about two weeks as talks between India and Pakistan on finalising the modalities to reopen the rail link have been rescheduled. The high-level delegations from India and Pakistan will now meet on January 30 and 31 in Islamabad to discuss and finalise the agreement instead of January 23 and 24 as originally planned. The ten-member Indian delegation will be led by Ashok Gupta, Advisor (Traffic), Railway Board. The service was slated to commence on February 1, but now it is likely to take at least two weeks before the rail service is reopened after a gap of about 40 years. The rail link between the two countries was snapped almost 40 years ago when Pakistani fighter jets bombed the tracks during the 1965 war between India and Pakistan. But as part of as part of a slow peace process the passenger train has been proposed to be rerun. Both countries are putting the finishing touches to a new rail link. At Munabao, a small town in western Rajasthan, known mainly as the last stop for the train to Pakistan, India has built a gleaming new station and workers are rushing to spruce up the terminal ahead of the inauguration. Indian security officials say that the train will be heavily guarded. And, in an effort in this direction, a 12-ft (three- metre) high fence is being erected parallel to the tracks from Munabao to the frontier, a few miles away. Security posts have been built around the station and Border Security Force (BSF) jeeps would accompany the train from Munabao to the frontier to prevent smuggling or attacks en route.

Amitabh Bachchan prays at Akshardham Temple (Go To Top)
by Ashok Sah

    New Delhi: Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan today accompanied by close friend and Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh prayed at the recently inaugurated Akshardham Temple here on the occasion of Singh's 50th birthday. Bachchan was accompanied by his wife Jaya Bachchan, son Abhishek and daughter Shweta. It was a rare public appearance for the Bollywood star, as he is still recovering from a recent intestinal surgery. Bachchan did not communicate with the press or the public during his short visit to the temple. Singh, however, said, "I have offered prayers on my 50th birthday. I haven't asked for anything special." In reply to a query over ongoing telephone tapping row, Singh said, "The government is baying for our blood but still I have prayed for the well-being of the government." Amar Singh made a donation of RS 50 lakh to the temple on the occasion. Amar Singh's wife and his two daughters, a close family friend and wife of business man Anil Ambani, Tina Ambani were also present on the occasion. In view of the visit by the high-profile devotees, there was tight security at the temple.

   The Swaminarayan Akshardham temple situated on the banks of the River Yamuna in Delhi was inaugurated by President APJ Abdul Kalam on November 6, 2005. The 141-foot-high temple, patterned on the Akshardham complex in Gujarat's capital Gandhinagar, has been built in a 100-acre complex at a cost of around Rs.2 billion ($44 million). The main temple dome rises majestically over the two-storied sandstone colonnade of 1,160 pillars. It has 148 stone elephants depicting ancient tales from the Indian scriptures. Designed by architect Virendra Sompura and conceptualised by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, it took over 7,000 master craftsmen and thousands of volunteers from all over the world almost five years to complete this modern day marvel. The main temple houses an 11-foot statue of Lord Swaminarayan, an 18th century Hindu social reformer, whose disciples formed the Swaminarayan sect that has an estimated 100,000 followers worldwide. Guarded by two magnificent gates, Bhakti Dwar or devotion gate and Mayur Dwar or peacock gate, the prime spot of the complex has 234 carved ornate pillars with over 20,000 statues, decorative arches and domes. The temple complex has exhibition halls, an Imax theatre and a musical fountain, surrounded by a garden, and is much more than a mere place of pilgrimage. For visitors, entry to the complex is free. However, for exhibition halls and theatres an entry fee of Rs.125 is to be paid and for children and senior citizens the charges are Rs.75.

Pak to seek mediation on Kishan-Ganga project too (Go To Top)

    Islamabad: Pakistan has decided to involve the World Bank to appoint a neutral expert against Kishan-Ganga hydropower project undertaken by India on the River Jhelum, the country's Water and Power Minister Liaqat Ali Jatoi said. He said that the decision was taken after drawing a cue from the World Bank expert, Raymond Lafitte appointed for the Baglihar Dam. "The government will raise the case of the Kishan-Ganga hydro power project at international level on the pattern of the Baglihar dam," The News quoted Jatoi as saying. He added that the Pakistan government had decided to raise the issue at the World Bank after talks between the experts of the two countries had failed.

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