On Sunday noon (27 August), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) released the first set of data regarding the Moon’s thermophysical properties. The current set of data has been obtained from the ChaSTE (Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment) payload which is onboard the Vikram lander.
As per the official information shared by ISRO, the ChaSTE payload is being used to understand the thermal behaviour of the lunar surface. Evidently, ChaSTE measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole. For this purpose, it has 10 individual temperature sensors mounted on it.
Notably, the ChaSTE payload is developed by a team led by the Space Physics Laboratory (SPL), VSSC in collaboration with Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad.
Taking to X, ISRO shared the information along with a graph. The post states, “ChaSTE (Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment) measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole, to understand the thermal behaviour of the moon’s surface. It has a temperature probe equipped with a controlled penetration mechanism capable of reaching a depth of 10 cm beneath the surface. The probe is fitted with 10 individual temperature sensors.”
Chandrayaan-3 Mission: Here are the first observations from the ChaSTE payload onboard Vikram Lander.
ChaSTE (Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment) measures the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the pole, to understand the thermal behaviour of the moon's… pic.twitter.com/VZ1cjWHTnd
The graph attached in the post displays the temperature variations of the lunar surface or near-surface at various depths with temperature extremes ranging from -10°C at a depth of 8 cm (-80 mm) below the surface to 60°C above the surface.
As per the measurement taken by ChaSTE, the temperature on the surface is 50°C, and it goes up sharply with the increase in altitude, which is 60°C just 2 cm above the surface. It is notable that the south pole on the moon is having a lunar day now, which is equivalent to 14 Earth days. As the region is getting sunlight at present, its temperature is high.
As per ISRO, this is the first temperature profile for the lunar south pole. The space agency added that further detailed observations are underway.
Following the successful soft landing at the designated landing site later named ShivShakti Point, all five ISRO payloads on the lander and rover have begun in-situ experiments. ISRO has stated that their performance so far has been normal.
Earlier in the day, the chairman of ISRO, S Somanath confirmed that the lander and rover of Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft are very healthy and all five instruments of the spacecraft have been switched on.
He conveyed that all the desired experiments will be completed before the 3rd of September. He added that the spacecraft has to be tested for different modes in order to have the “best picture ever of the Moon”.
As per reports, data from the payload on the propulsion module has started to arrive at the ground stations. It is expected that ISRO will constantly make announcements regarding its lunar explorations once it completes the initial analysis of the data.
Meanwhile, commenting on the new names of the landing site, the ISRO chief said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi explained the meaning of ‘Shiv Shakti’ in a manner that suits everybody. He added that the Prime Minister also named the Chandrayaan-2 touchdown point as ‘Tiranga’ and that both ‘Tiranga’ and ‘Shiv Shakti’ are Indian-sounding names.
He added that PM Modi has a prerogative of naming these points given the office he holds.
A case of love jihad has come to light from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh where a man named Zaheer posed as Rahul to lure a minor Hindu girl into a love trap and went on to rape the girl. The victim girl came to know about the original identity of the culprit when his wife Rukhsar Bano contacted the victim and told her about Zaheer being the real name of Rahul. The accused then pressurised the victim girl to convert to Islam. He threatened to make the obscene photographs of the victim minor girl viral if she did not convert. The accused Zaheer was arrested after a complaint was lodged with the police.
The 17-year-old victim had lodged a complaint at the Panki police station in Kanpur. She told the police that she used to work in a factory in Govind Nagar. A boy named ‘Rahul’, a resident of Hamirpur also worked there and she became friends with him.
The victim further said that ‘Rahul’ took her to his room one day. There he mixed something in a cold drink and gave her to drink before raping her. He assured the victim that he loved her and would marry her.
According to the victim, one day she received a call from a woman named Rukhsar Bano. According to the victim girl, Rukhsar Bano said, “The real name of the person you think of as Rahul is Zaheer and he is married. I am his wife.”
The victim reported the matter to her family members and cut off contact with Rahul alias Zaheer. Zaheer became displeased when the victim ceased communication. In response, he initiated contact with the victim using various phone numbers.
The victim said in her complaint, “Zaheer is threatening me to change my religion. He said that four marriages are allowed in Islam, so you convert and marry me. If you don’t marry me, I will make your videos viral on social media.” Due to this threat by Zaheer, the victim stopped going to work.
Panki ACP Tej Bahadur Singh said, “An FIR was lodged against the accused Zaheer. Taking immediate action, the accused has been arrested. A case was registered against him under relevant sections and he was presented in the court. Further action is being taken in the case.”
Following the recent war of words in Delhi, the rift between I.N.D.I.A. alliance partners Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has now come to the fore in the state of Punjab. The divide is not only between Congress and AAP over the alliance but within the Congress party as well.
Leader of Opposition in Punjab, veteran leader Partap Singh Bajwa, while addressing a party event in the state, said that Congress members in Punjab do not accept the alliance. Bajwa said, “Congress ke log, ye jo nayi jamaat aayi hai inka chehra dekhne ko raazi nahi hain … Reluctant friendship jo hoti hai, reluctant shaadi jab aap karwate ho toh woh reluctant shaadi dono parivaron ko phir nuksaan pahuncha deti hai. Hamare log aise anti-Punjab jamaaten ke saath koi dur dur ka rishta nahi rakhna chaahte (Congressmen are not willing to see the faces of leaders of this new party … When there is a reluctant friendship, when you solemnise a reluctant marriage, it harms both the families. Our party workers do not want to be even remotely associated with people who are anti-Punjab).”
Bajwa was addressing a Youth Congress programme on Thursday (24th August) in the presence of Youth Congress chief BV Srinivas. Bajwa asked him to convey his views to the Congress leadership in Delhi. Bajwa also equated Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to Adolf Hitler in his speech. He said Mann and the AAP leadership will be subjected to “special trials for the excesses they were committing” and said, “We will arrange to finish the termites (when in power).”
Earlier, on the 10th of August, Partap Singh Bajwa had announced that the Congress party is set to independently contest all 13 Lok Sabha seats in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. He highlighted that there won’t be any collaboration with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is its alliance partner in I.N.D.I.A. alliance.
Earlier in June, when talks about the Opposition alliance were ongoing, Bajwa had expressed his reservations to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. The Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring reportedly said that he had conveyed the state unit’s views to the Gandhis and was hopeful that they would be considered.
However, state Congress leaders reportedly agree that the larger cause is to keep the BJP out of power. Yet they feel that an alliance with the AAP in Punjab will pose challenges.
Congress MLA from Bholath, Sukhpal Singh Khaira said that the alliance does not hold much water in Punjab where the BJP is “irrelevant”. “The INDIA alliance is to stop the BJP from coming to power. But the BJP cadre in Punjab is irrelevant. The BJP cannot win a single seat here. So, there is no point in having an alliance. So, where is the threat to I.N.D.I.A. in this state?” Khaira asked.
He added that allying with the AAP would go against the party cadre as workers are against the “vindictive policies” Mann has implemented in the last 18 months in the state.
A close confidante of former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Congress MLA Rajinder Singh said that the party will not be able to mobilise its cadre because of the “vendetta” against its leaders. A senior party leader also said that the alliance was not possible as CM Mann had used humiliating language for them in the Assembly.
Punjab is not the first state to see friction between the two alliance partners. Earlier, on 17th August, Congress leader from Delhi, Alka Lamba, had claimed that the party would fight all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. Her claim was backed by leader Sandeep Dikshit who called AAP “a party of fools”.
On Sunday (27 August), Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a keynote address at the Business 20 (B20) Summit 2023 which is organised by CII. Notably, B20 is the official G20 dialogue forum with the global business community. Through his address, PM Modi laid a strong pitch for inviting business leaders and investors to become a part of India’s development story. He asserted that India has the largest youth talent and has become the face of the digital revolution at the time of Industry 4.0.
In his address, PM Modi emphasised that India is the solution for all problems and it holds an important place in building an efficient and trusted global supply chain.
PM Modi began his 30-minute-long address by lauding ISRO’s successful Chandrayaan-3 mission. He radiantly stated that the success of Chandrayaan-3 has preponed the long festive season in the country. He pointed out that during our festive season, not only our people but also our businesses are immersed in celebrations.
PM Modi said, “This time the festive season in India started from 23rd August. This celebration is Chandrayaan-3’s landing on the surface of the moon. ISRO played an important role in the success of India’s lunar mission. Along with this India’s industries have also played an important role. This celebration is to accelerate India’s growth. This celebration is about innovation. This celebration is about bringing in sustainability & equality with the help of space technology.”
He stressed that there is an urgent need to create an equal market for all. PM Modi argued that yesteryear’s theory of treating other countries as a market will never work and a profitable market can only be sustained when there is a balance in the interest of producers and consumers.
Urging business leaders to make everyone equal partners in progress, he asked, “Can we all give more thought to how to make business more consumer-centric?”
Going further, the Prime Minister also called for observing ‘International Consumer Care Day’ once a year. He urged everyone to switch over to ‘green credit’ from the current practice of carbon credit trading. He also called for the establishment of a global framework for cryptocurrencies and the ethical application of artificial intelligence (AI).
Prime Minister said, “There is a challenge associated with cryptocurrencies. In this matter maximum integrated approach is needed. I think there is a need for preparing a global framework which should take care of the interests of all stakeholders.”
Highlighting the dark period of the Covid pandemic, PM Modi highlighted that back then it was India that gave mutual trust to the world and provided medicines to more than 150 countries.
He said, “When the world needed medicines, during the Covid pandemic, India, as the ‘Pharmacy of the World’, provided life-saving drugs to more than 150 countries. When the world needed a Covid drug, India enhanced production of its own vaccines to save the precious lives of millions across the globe.”
What is the B20 summit?
The Business 20 (B20) serves as the official dialogue forum within the G20 for the global business community. Since its establishment in 2010, B20 has been one of the most prominent Engagement Groups in G20, with companies and business organisations as its participants. It aims to deliver concrete actionable policy recommendations to accelerate economic growth and development.
This year’s B20 summit started on August 25 in India and it continued for three days. This year’s theme is ‘R.A.I.S.E – Responsible, Accelerated, Innovative, Sustainable and Equitable Businesses’. Over 1,500 delegates from 55 countries participated in B20 Summit 2023.
On the third day, the summit culminated with India handing over the B20 presidency to Brazil to host next year’s G20 Presidency in 2024.
It is pertinent to note that B20 Summit India brought policymakers, business leaders, and experts from across the world to deliberate and discuss the B20 India Communique. The B20 India Communique includes 54 recommendations and 172 policy actions to be presented to the G20.
On Sunday (27 August), at least 8 people lost their lives and several people sustained serious injuries after an explosion took place in an alleged firecracker factory in West Bengal.
The blast occurred in the Duttapukur area of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Sunday morning, fire brigade officials said. As per preliminary media reports, the explosion occurred in a residential area, reducing it to smithereens.
The cause of the explosion is still unknown but the explosion was so powerful that it caused substantive damage to several buildings in the area. Following the incident, the authorities rushed to the site which is only a few kilometres away from the state capital Kolkata.
The police recovered five bodies from the explosion site, while two other people are said to have died at a hospital, Republic Bangla reported. The authorities are carrying out rescue operations as some people might still be trapped under debris.
The state food minister and legislator from the area, Rathin Ghosh confirmed that the police officers told him that seven or eight people died and around six people were injured in the explosion.
While speaking with the media, the state minister claimed that the building was being used for stocking firecrackers and police have shut down all illegal cracker units at Narayanpur.
Ghosh said, “District police officials told me that seven or eight people died and five to six people were injured. I will visit the spot. Firecrackers were stocked in the building in which the explosion took place. This is not an area where crackers were made. The main manufacturing hub was the Narayanpur area of Nilgunj which is far away from here. Police had shut down all the cracker units at Narayanpur.”
However, locals told media persons that the factory was being run from a house illegally. They stated that the explosion took place inside a two-story house around 10:40 a.m. in the Nilgunj area of Duttapukar.
Notably, this explosion in an allegedly illegal firecracker factory is not an isolated case in the state. In fact, West Bengal has been rocked with several similar incidents in the recent past. Evidently, in May, around nine people lost their lives while seven people were injured in an explosion in a firecracker factory at Egra in Midnapore district.
In May, another explosion took place at an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in a residential area in South 24 Parganas district. At least three people were killed in that explosion.
Prior to that, in December last year, an explosion occurred at a firecracker factory at Mohanpur village in the Nodakhali area of South 24 Parganas district. That explosion claimed the lives of at least three people and left two people severely injured.
Although, the state government declared a new policy under which fireworks can be built only in industrial hubs, back-to-back explosions in allegedly illegal firecracker factories have exposed the state government’s work on this issue.
Suvendu Adhikari attacks TMC, accuses them of being involved with illegal firecracker manufacturers
The leader of Opposition in the West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari lambasted the TMC government led by Mamata Banerjee for its recurrent failure in getting rid of illegal firecrackers factories in the state. Taking to X, he reminded that the state government had made promises to crack down on illegal firecracker units following the May 16th explosion. He claimed that it was a bomb-making unit that was operated by TMC’s Bhanu Bag in Purba Medinipur.
He said, “After the explosion in a bomb-making unit operated by TMC’s Bhanu Bag at Khadikul village; Egra; Purba Medinipur, on May 16th, which claimed a dozen lives; the WB Govt made big claims about regulating the firecrackers industry.”
Another day another explosion in WB. This time it's in Duttapukur; North 24 Parganas. The dead bodies are still being counted, most probably would surpass 10.
After the explosion in a bomb-making unit operated by TMC's Bhanu Bag at Khadikul village; Egra; Purba Medinipur, on May… pic.twitter.com/afP21PuBmx
— Suvendu Adhikari • শুভেন্দু অধিকারী (@SuvenduWB) August 27, 2023
Going ahead, he highlighted the government’s stated stance. He said they (the West Bengal government) stated that it would be ensured that such illegal factories do not exist anymore and the state Cabinet decided to set up “Clusters for manufacturing green firecrackers”. Additionally, it claimed to form a committee headed by Chief Secretary Shri Hari Krishna Dwivedi (IAS) to look into the matter.
Claiming that just like in previous instances, no action would be taken in this fatal case, he said that the TMC government’s promises were nothing but a “publicity stunt”.
He alleged that the interests of the TMC party are aligned with these illegal explosive manufacturing units and any regulation or monitoring won’t be tolerated by the TMC goons.
The information about the benami (without any name) holdings of slain gangster Atiq Ahmed continues to emerge after his death. The Benami Property Investigation Branch of the Income Tax Department has come to know that he had also bought the property in the name of a watchman of a close associate who worked with him.
The department has issued attachment orders for several plots of land purchased in the name of Suraj Pal who worked as a watchman for Mohammad Ashraf, a close associate and right-hand man of the dreaded mafia. Surprisingly, the watchman holds a BPL (below the poverty line) card while owning assets worth crores of rupees. There are plots valued at more than Rs 10 crore in his name in different villages of Prayagraj.
Additionally, income tax officials discovered that Suraj Pal recently sold 42 of these properties for huge amounts. The Income Tax Department has also found out that he consistently filed IT returns and disclosed his revenue from real estate rentals.
The police uncovered, throughout the course of the investigation, that Atiq Ahmed had already purchased 23,447 square metres of land in the Kathula Gauspur hamlet of Tehsil Sadar in the name of a poor man. The current value of his benami property is over 12 crores.
Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed were shot dead outside Calvin Hospital on April 15. Police have since declared the wife of Atiq Ahmed, Shaista Parveen, a fugitive. They received information that both she and Ashraf’s wife Zainab Fatima are currently trying to sell the benami property in order to raise money.
Vijay Mishra, the lawyer of the mobster who was killed in Lucknow, was arrested recently which led to significant revelations regarding the benami property. Mishra was staying at Hotel Hyatt in Lucknow to handle these transactions. The police had recovered property papers worth Rs 12 crore from him. However, Zainab Fatima, who was also present with him managed to escape from there.
Notably, most of the illegal property of Atiq Ahmed has either been attached or bulldozers have been used on the illegal structures. According to the data released by the Uttar Pradesh administration, the property worth about Rs 1169 crore has either been bulldozed or confiscated. Out of this, bulldozers have been employed on land valued at roughly 752 crores and the government has already seized custody of property worth 417 crores.
In an incident that seems right out of a movie, a 20-year-old boy was arrested from Vadodara airport for posing as a pilot to impress his girlfriends. Police said on Saturday, 26th August, that he was released after interrogation, wherein the accused was made to send a message to his many girlfriends admitting he is not a real pilot.
20-year-old Rakshit Mangela, who hails from Vile Parle in Mumbai, wanted to become a pilot but couldn’t owing to poor financial conditions. He trained as a ground staff at a private institute in Mumbai. Mangela then donned a pilot’s uniform and told the boarding staff that he was an Air India pilot.
The staff got suspicious and informed airport security about Mangela who failed to answer questions following which he was arrested. The CISF filed a complaint against Mangela at Vadodara’s Harini police station.
He was taken to the police station and questioned there. Mangela revealed that he posed as a pilot and sent photographs to his girlfriends from inside flights, while wearing a pilot’s uniform, to impress them. Police reportedly said that Mangela had girlfriends in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Mumbai, and even the Netherlands.
“When he found out that one of his girlfriends was in Hyderabad, he reached Vadodara airport to board a flight to meet her,” the police said. No suspicious documents or information has been recovered by security officials.
After quizzing him, Mangela was told by cops to send a message to all his girlfriends saying that he is not a real pilot. He was later handed over to his family.
On Sunday, 27th August 2023, PM Modi addressed the nation in the 104th episode of his talk show ‘Mann Ki Baat‘. In his talk, PM Modi talked about various topics ranging from Chandrayaan-3 to the upcoming festival of Raksha Bandhan. PM Modi also emphasised the importance of Indic languages like Telugu and Sanskrit, while also underlining the importance of preserving and revereing one’s mother tongue. PM Modi also discussed various aspects of civilisational tourism and innovative ways to support the logistics related to the dairy business.
Chandrayaan 3
PM Modi started his Mann Ki Baat with praise for the Chandrayaan-3 mission of ISRO which successfully touched down its lander Vikram on the lunar surface on 23rd August 2023. He said, “I don’t recall if it has ever happened that in the month of Sawan, ‘Mann Ki Baat’ program was held twice, but, this time, the same is happening. Sawan means the month of Mahashiv, the month of festivities and fervour. The success of Chandrayaan has enhanced this atmosphere of celebration manifold. It has been more than three days that Chandrayaan has reached the moon. This success is so grand that any amount of discussion about it would be inadequate.”
He added, “Mission Chandrayaan has become a symbol of the spirit of New India, which wants to ensure victory, and also knows how to win in any situation.”
PM Modi praised India’s Women Power
PM Modi also underlined the role of women scientists in the Chandrayaan-3 success. He said, “Friends, there has been one aspect of this mission which I especially want to discuss with all of you today. You might remember this time I expressed from the Red Fort that we have to strengthen women-led development as a national characteristic. Where the might of women’s power is added, the impossible can also be made possible. India’s Mission Chandrayaan is also a live example of woman power. Many women scientists and engineers have been directly involved in this entire mission. They have handled many important responsibilities like project director, and project manager of different systems. The daughters of India are now challenging even the Space which is considered infinite. When the daughters of a country become so ambitious, who can stop that country from becoming developed!”
The G-20 Summit in Delhi
PM Modi also informed the countrymen about the G-20 leaders’ summit scheduled to take place in Delhi in September 2023. He said, “My family members, the month of September is going to be witness to the potential of India. India is fully prepared for the G-20 Leaders Summit to be held next month. Heads of 40 countries and many global organisations are coming to the capital Delhi to participate in this event. This will be the biggest participation ever in the history of the G-20 Summit.”
Further, the Prime Minister added, “During her presidency, India has made G-20 a more inclusive forum. The African Union also joined the G-20 on India’s invitation and the voice of the people of Africa reached this important platform of the world. Friends, since India took over the presidency of the G-20 in Bali last year, so much has happened that it fills us with pride. Moving away from the tradition of holding big events in Delhi, we took them to different cities of the country. About 200 meetings related to this were organized in 60 cities across the country. Wherever the G-20 Delegates went, people warmly welcomed them. These delegates were very impressed, seeing the diversity of our country and our vibrant democracy. They also realised that there are so many possibilities in India.”
People’s Participation in the G-20 Presidency
PM Modi added, “Our Presidency of the G-20 is a People’s Presidency, in which the spirit of public participation is at the forefront. Among the eleven Engagement Groups of G-20, Academia, Civil Society, Youth, Women, our Parliamentarians, Entrepreneurs and people associated with Urban Administration played an important role. In one way or the other, more than 1.5 crore people are associated with the events being organised across the country.
He further informed, “In this effort of ours for public participation, not just one, but two world records have also been created. The participation of 1.25 lakh students from 800 schools in the G-20 Quiz held in Varanasi became a new world record. At the same time, the Lambani artisans also did wonders. 450 artisans have showcased their skill and craftsmanship by creating an amazing collection of around 1800 unique patches. Every representative who came to the G-20 was amazed to see the artistic diversity of our country. One such grand program was organised in Surat. 15,000 women from 15 states participated in the ‘Saree Walkathon’ held there. This program not only gave a boost to Surat’s Textile Industry but ‘Vocal for Local’ also got a fillip and paved the way for local to become global. After the G-20 meeting in Srinagar, a huge increase in the number of tourists to Kashmir is being seen.”
World University Games
PM Modi also interacted with four medalists of the World University Games and discussed with them their sources of inspiration, the background they come from and the aims they have in their lives. The medalist students also thanked the Prime Minister for the support they received on the institutional levels and various training programs and facilities in their respective sports.
PM Modi said, “India should bloom a lot in the world of sports but hockey, football, kabaddi, kho-kho, these are games rooted to our land, in these, we should never lag behind. I’m observing that our people are doing well in archery, and they are doing well in shooting.
In every game, wherever our children are going, they return after accomplishing something or the other for the country. And such news is shown prominently in the country today…is also conveyed and also discussed in schools and colleges.”
‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ and ‘Meri Mati, Mera Desh’ campaigns
PM Modi also lauded the participation of the people of India in the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign. He said, “The efforts of all the countrymen turned the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyan’ into a ‘Har Man Tiranga Abhiyan’. Many records were also made during this campaign. The countrymen purchased tricolours in crores. Around 1.5 crore tricolours were sold through 1.5 lakh post offices. Through that, our workers, weavers, and especially women have also earned hundreds of crores of rupees.”
PM Modi also informed about the new garden to be made in New Delhi using the soil of every village in the country. He said, “At present, the campaign to evoke the spirit of patriotism ‘Meri Mati, Mera Desh’ is in full swing in the country. In the month of September, there will be a campaign to collect soil from every house in every village in the country. The holy soil of the country will be deposited in thousands of Amrit Kalash urns. At the end of October, thousands will reach the country’s capital Delhi with the Amrit Kalash Yatra. Amrit Vatika will be built in Delhi from this soil.”
Focus on Sanskrit, Telugu, and mother tongues
PM Narendra Modi mentioned that since the full moon day of the month of Saawan is celebrated as ‘World Sanskrit Day’, he has received many letters written in the Sanskrit language. He wished all the countrymen on this occasion and said, “We all know that Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages in the world. It is also called the mother of many modern languages. Sanskrit is known for its antiquity as well as its scientificity and grammar. Much ancient knowledge of India has been preserved in the Sanskrit language for thousands of years. People doing research on subjects like Yoga, Ayurveda and philosophy are now learning Sanskrit more and more. Many institutes are also doing very good work in this direction. Sanskrit Promotion Foundation runs many courses like Sanskrit for Yog, Sanskrit for Ayurveda and Sanskrit for Buddhism. ‘Sanskrit Bharti’ runs a campaign to teach Sanskrit to people. In this, you can participate in a 10-day ‘Sanskrit Conversation Camp’. I am happy that today awareness and pride in Sanskrit have increased among people.”
Emphasising the importance of the mother tongue, he said, “Friends, you must have often experienced one thing, in order to connect with the roots, to connect with our culture, our tradition, there’s is a very powerful medium – our mother tongue. When we connect with our mother tongue, we naturally connect with our culture. We get connected with our Sanskars, we get connected with our tradition, we get connected with our ancient splendour. Similarly, India has another mother tongue, the glorious Telugu language. 29 August will be celebrated as Telugu Day.”
Exploring his thoughts more about the Telugu language, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Many priceless gems of Indian culture are hidden in the literature and heritage of Telugu language. Many efforts are also being made to ensure that the whole country gets the benefit of this heritage of Telugu.”
Civilisational Tourism
PM Modi further said, “Seeing things or places in person, understanding and living them for a few moments, offers a different experience. No matter how much someone describes the ocean, we cannot feel its vastness without seeing the ocean. No matter how much one talks about the Himalayas, we cannot assess its beauty without seeing the Himalayas. That’s why I often urge all of you that whenever we get a chance, we must go to see the beauty and diversity of our country. Often we also see one more thing…despite having searched every corner of the world, we are unaware of many best places and things in our own city or state.”
PM Modi gave two examples to explain his point. One from Bengaluru and the other from Meghalaya. He said, “Many times it happens that people do not know much about the historical places of their own city. Something similar happened with Dhanpal ji. Dhanapal ji used to work as a driver in the Transport Office of Bangalore. About 17 years ago, he was given a responsibility in the Sightseeing wing. Now people know it by the name of Bengaluru Darshini. Dhanpal ji used to take tourists to various tourist places in the city. On one such trip, a tourist asked him why the tank in Bangalore is called Senki Tank. He felt very bad that he did not know the answer. In such a situation, he focused on enhancing his own knowledge. In his passion to know his heritage, he found many stones and inscriptions. Dhanpal ji’s mind was so absorbed in this task that he also did a Diploma in epigraphy i.e. the subject related to inscriptions. Though he is now retired, his passion to explore the history of Bengaluru is still alive.”
Dhanpal Ji (left) with his best friend Sathish Kumar (right) with a stone inscription in Halasuru of Karnataka. Image Source: The New Indian Express
PM Modi further said, “Friends, I am very happy to tell you about Brian D. Kharpran. He is a resident of Meghalaya and has a great interest in speleology. In simple language, it means – the study of caves. Years ago, this interest arose in him when he read several story books. In 1964, he did his first exploration as a schoolboy. In 1990, he, along with his friend, established an association and through this, he started to find out about the unknown caves of Meghalaya. Within no time, he, along with his team, discovered more than 1700 caves in Meghalaya and put the state on the World Cave Map. Some of the longest and deepest caves in India are present in Meghalaya. Brian Ji and his team have also documented the Cave Fauna, which is not found anywhere else in the world. I appreciate the efforts of this entire team, as well as I urge you to make a plan to visit the caves of Meghalaya.”
Meghalaya's Brian D. Kharpran has a great interest in speleology. He along with his team discovered more than 1700 caves and put the state on the World Cave Map. #MannKiBaatpic.twitter.com/HrolSQksOc
In his talk PM Modi also mentioned the importance of the dairy business in India and how people are coming up with innovative solutions for various challenges faced by this sector. He said, “My family members, you all know that the Dairy Sector is one of the most important sectors of our country. It has played a very important role in bringing a big change in the lives of our mothers and sisters. Just a few days ago, I came to know about an interesting initiative of Banas Dairy of Gujarat. Banas Dairy is considered to be the biggest Dairy in Asia. On average, 75 lakh litres of milk is processed here every day. After this, it is also sent to other states. For the timely delivery of milk here to other states, until now the support of tankers or milk trains was availed of. But there were no less challenges in that too. Firstly, loading and unloading used to take a lot of time and often the milk also used to get spoilt.”
He added, “To overcome this problem, Indian Railways did a new experiment. Railways started a Truck-on-Track facility from Palanpur to New Rewari. In this, milk trucks are directly loaded onto the train. That is, the major problem of transportation has been overcome by this. The results of the Truck-on-Track facility have been very satisfactory. Earlier the milk which used to take 30 hours to reach is now reaching in less than half the time. Due to this, whereas the pollution caused by fuel has stopped, the cost of fuel is also saved. Drivers of trucks have also benefited a lot from this, their life has become easier.”
Amanpreet Singh and his team, Kota, Rajasthan. Image Source: The Better India
PM Modi especially mentioned an engineer turned dairy businessman Amanpreet Singh from Kota in Rajasthan. He said, “Friends, today there are many people who are diversifying by adopting dairy. You must also know about Amanpreet Singh, who is running a dairy farm in Kota, Rajasthan. Along with dairy, he also focused on biogas and set up two biogas plants. Due to this, their expenditure on electricity has reduced by about 70 per cent. This effort of his is going to inspire dairy farmers across the country. Today many big dairies are focusing on biogas. This type of community-driven value addition is very exciting. I am sure that such trends will continue throughout the country.”
While concluding the episode of Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi wished the countrymen for the upcoming Raksha Bandhan and the entire festive season. He appealed to the people to focus on “Vocal for Local” during these festivals and keep the holy places including all the temples and surroundings clean.
A protest was organised on Saturday, 26th August, by the Untouched India Foundation, against Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) outside his “Mannat” bungalow in Mumbai. The protest was against a recently released ad wherein the Bollywood actor is seen promoting online gaming. Mumbai police have been deployed outside SRK’s residence.
Shah Rukh Khan recently became the brand ambassador of A23, an online rummy portal, and shot a promo for the app in which he can be heard saying “Chalo Saath Khelein”. The Untouched India Foundation, in an official statement against the same, said, “Famous actors and actresses work in these advertisements and they are working towards misguiding society. The protest will be held outside Shah Rukh Khan’s Mannat bungalow on behalf of Untouched India Foundation.”
President of Untouched India Foundation, Krishnchandra Adal, reportedly said that when someone is found playing Junglee rummy or gambling outside, they are arrested but Bollywood celebrities are promoting online games and misleading the youth. “We make these stars famous by watching their movies and spending our money on them. We demand these advertisements to stop. These apps are illegal, we can not find them on Google, but these apps are uploaded on private websites,” Adal said.
Mumbai police have deployed security outside Shah Rukh Khan’s Bandra residence and reports say that four to five people were detained. A video shared by “digital creator” Viral Bhayani showed a police presence outside Mannat. “Heavy Police Security outside our King Khan”s bungalow Mannat! Few people who came and protested today were arrested by the cops,” a post by Bhayani read.
It is not the first time that a Bollywood actor has promoted online gaming and gambling platforms like Junglee Rummy and such.
On 27th August, Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar said the devotees will be allowed to offer Jalabhishek in the local temples on 28th August, but the permission for Yatra in Mewat has been denied. Speaking to the media on Raahgiri Day, Khattar said, “Looking at the kind of incident that happened there (Nuh) at the beginning of the month, it is the government’s duty to ensure that law and order in the area is maintained. Our Police and administration have taken this decision that instead of carrying out a yatra (Braj Mandal Shobha Yatra), people should go to nearby temples and offer prayers. Permission for Yatra is denied, but people can go and offer prayers in temples as it is Sawan month.”
Looking at the kind of incident that happened there (Nuh) at the beginning of the month, it is the govt’s duty to ensure that law and order in the area is maintained. Our Police and administration have taken this decision that instead of carrying out a yatra(Braj Mandal Shobha… pic.twitter.com/RzQW8o6ILD
Hindu organisations have announced that they do not need permission to conduct Yatra and they will go ahead with the ‘Jal Abhishek Yatra’ in Nuh on Monday (August 28). However, they submitted an application for permission as a courtesy. Vishva Hindu Parishad national spokesperson Vinod Bansal said, “Jal Abhishek Yatra will be taken out at 11 am tomorrow. Since it is a pilgrimage, there is no need to take permission for this.”
VIDEO | "Jal Abhishek Yatra will be taken out at 11 am tomorrow. Since it is a pilgrimage, there is no need to take permission for this," says VHP leader Vinod Bansal as Haryana administration denies permission to hold the procession in Nuh tomorrow.
Notably, the Haryana Government suspended mobile internet services in Nuh till 29th August in view of the Yatra announced by Hindu organisations. The Nuh administration has also ordered rural and town officials to set up patrolling parties in all villages and towns of the Nuh district till 28th August.
Earlier, on 23rd August, the administration denied permission to resume the Jalabhishek Yatra, which Islamist rioters disrupted. On 31st July, Hindu devotees who participated in the Mewat Jalabhishek Yatra on Saawan Somwar were attacked by over 900 Islamists in different parts of Nuh, including the Shiv Temple from where the Yatra started. The rioters came from fields and mountains equipped with batons, sticks, stones and illegal weapons. They attacked Hindu devotees, damaged police stations, burnt public and private vehicles to ashes and caused damages worth crores. At least six persons were killed as a result of Nuh violence.
OpIndia’s complete coverage of the Nuh violence can be checked here.
