A leader of the Madhya Pradesh Congress named Girriraj Sharma Aichwada (45) has been booked by police for allegedly raping a law officer while promising to marry her and further extorting money from the victim.
A case was instituted against Aichwada at Kotwali police station of Shivpuri district under Section 376 (rape), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 384 (punishment for extortion) of the IPC following the written complaint of the 32-year-old victim. The lawyer is posted as the assistant district public prosecution officer of the Madhya Pradesh government.
“The case was lodged on November 4 under three sections of IPC. We are carrying raids to arrest him. He is a married man and native of Aichwada,” officer in charge of Kotwali police station Sunil Khemaria told OpIndia over the phone. When the police team raided his house, it found the main gate locked from the outside whereas his wife and three children were inside. The wife told the police that Aichwada locked the gate and left the house without any information.
The accused Girriraj Sharma Aichwada has a previous history of sexual exploitation and cheating. He had come into contact with the lawyer in 2019 in connection with a case related to sand mining. Two years ago he was arrested by Chhatarpur district police for cheating Rs 67 lakh from one Abhay Bhadauria on the name sand mining.
Hiding his marital status, he had trapped the lawyer in a love relationship. He raped her on the pretext of marriage and later started blackmailing and extorting her. The accused threaded to defame her by leaking WhatsApp chats as a few months back the victim refused to meet his demand for money. The victim said that he had raped her in an unconscious condition by mixing sedatives in her tea.
It is quite evident that something had gone wrong between them and the victim was exploited sexually, emotionally and financially. About eight days back Aichwada had lodged an FIR against the lawyer and some others for creating disturbances at his residence. However, the police investigation could not substantiate his allegations. The victim also lodged the FIR and said to have submitted evidence. “We are examining the evidence provided by the victim,” said the officer in charge.
In the past also he had trapped the daughter of a senior Congress leader in a false love affair. Shivpuri Congress district president Shriprakash Sharma told the media that that Giriraj was a member of the Congress party but his present status was not known.
On Saturday (November 6), prominent Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee sought help from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an extremely serious problem. In a tweet, the actor had drawn the attention of the Prime Minister of the country to complain about his ‘undelivered’ food from Swiggy.
Prosenjit Chatterjee wrote, “On 3rd November, I placed an order on food delivery app Swiggy. After some time the status of the order changed to delivered but I never received the food. After raising the issue with Swiggy, they refunded me the money since the order was prepaid. However, I wanted to draw your attention because I feel anybody can face this issue.”
Screengrab of the tweet by Prosenjit Chatterjee
The Bengali actor asked CM Banerjee and PM Modi to look into the inconveniences that one might face while ordering food from a delivery app. “What if someone relies on a food app to get food delivered for their guests and the food never arrives? What if someone is depending on these food apps for their dinner? Will they stay hungry? There can be many such situations. Thus, I felt it was necessary to talk about it,” Prasenjit Chatterjee inquired.
Netizens were quick to slam the actor for drawing the attention of the State Chief Minister and the Indian Prime Minister for irrelevant things. A Twitter user named Rajib Das pointed out, “Really a national problem Bumba da !! When Hindu’s were attacked in Bangladesh, it is such a minor problem to raise your voice than this problem…Good…now a consumer court issue is to be resolved by Hon PM. Slow claps……
Screengrab of the tweet
Another Twitter user took potshots at Chatterjee and suggested involving the United Nations. “Shame to those who are mocking you for tagging cm and PM. I further want to say that this is not a national problem but an international one. UN should take note,” he wrote sarcastically.
Screengrab of the tweet
Another Twitter user wondered whether the Bengali actor ended up tagging Mamata Banerjee and Narendra Modi instead of Swiggy and Zomato. “Early Saturday night effect (suggesting intoxication). He might involve Joe Biden at night. On a serious note, these are delivery apps and such issues can happen as they don’t generate the order. They only deliver.”
Screengrab of the tweet
Earlier in January this year, Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee was in the news again for comical reasons. In a bid to mock President Ramnath Kovind, opposition parties and liberal ‘journalists’ had claimed that the Indian president had inaugurated the painting of actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, who had played the character of Netaji in the movie ‘Gumnami.’ However, it was more than evident that the portrait, the work of Padma Shree awardee Paresh Maity, was based on the photograph of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
It was confirmed by the fact that the legendary freedom fighter’s grand-nephew had shared the same photograph in January 2020. Later, Prosenjit Chatterjee congratulated the artist and said that he was elated as an actor that people believed that the painting of Netaji resembled his character in Gumnami.
Former CBI officer Sanjay Singh, who had earlier investigated the Commonwealth Scam and the CRPF recruitment scam, will take charge of the investigation in the Mumbai cruise ship drug case involving Aryan Khan and others. IPS officer Sanjay Singh, who is the Deputy Director-General of NCB, will lead the Special Investigation Team that would probe into the Aryan Khan case after the NCB had transferred six cases from Mumbai Zone to the SIT formed by the NCB. The case was handed over to the SIT after NCB Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede, who was heading the case, had requested to transfer the case to NCB central office.
“We’ve taken over a group of 6 cases. He (Sameer Wankhede) is the zonal director of Mumbai, we’ll definitely take his assistance in the investigation,” said Narcotics Control Bureau’s DDG Sanjay Kumar Singh in Mumbai pic.twitter.com/egkhfHQFhf
While media was reporting yesterday that Sameer Wankhede has been dropped from the case because of allegations against him, NCB has denied it. The central probe body had informed earlier that the SIT has been formed to take over 6 cases with national and international ramifications, and no officer has been removed from their present roles. The NCB in a press release had said that the existing officials working in the six cases will continue to assist in the investigations.
This was reiterated by Sanjay Singh today, who said that his team will ‘definitely take the assistance of Sameer Wankhade. “We’ve taken over a group of 6 cases. He (Sameer Wankhede) is the zonal director of Mumbai, we’ll definitely take his assistance in the investigation,” Sanjay Kumar Singh told media today.
Talking about the latest development in the Aryan Khan investigation, Sameer Wankhede had also said, “I have not been removed from investigation. It was my writ petition in court that the matter be probed by a central agency. So the Aryan (Khan) case and Sameer Khan case are being probed by the Delhi NCB’s special investigation team. It’s a coordination between NCB teams of Delhi and Mumbai”.
Sanjay Singh was a 1996 batch IPS officer who had handled several sensitive cases in his career including the Commonwealth Games scam, one of India’s biggest scams and CRPF recruitment scam. Singh is also the current Deputy Director General (Operations) of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and to serve at the post till January 31, 2025. According to a batchmate of the former CBI officer, Sanjay Singh had once refused security cover and did not put three stars on the number plate of his car.
The Odisha cadre officer Sanjay Singh had served at different positions with the Odisha police and the CBI in the past. Singh led the drug task force (DTF) with the Odisha Police as ADG (additional director general) and launched several anti-drug drives in the state. Singh had also busted several drug trafficking rackets in Bhubaneswar.
Sanjay Singh handled several high-profile cases during his period with the CBI including the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam, CRPF Scam and Medical Council of India scam among others.
Anti-cracker activist Roshni Ali on Saturday responded to a prominent Twitter user after he made a ‘Bloodless Eid’ jibe at her. The user, Ramnik Singh Mann, said, “After the failed attempt at a cracker less Diwali, I pledge my support to Roshni Ali for a #BloodlessEid.”
Roshni Ali responded the user by sharing a 34 second video on the platform. She said in the video, “Few months back when we weren’t getting oxygen, when people were dying on the road without oxygen, then did Covid ask you if you are Hindu, Muslim, Christian or Buddhist? Yeh nahi puchha na? Hum log sab lungs ke saath saans leta hai (Did not ask you right? We all breath through our lungs). This is the basic truth.”
She continued, “Please don’t make this matter political or communal. Please think for everyone., how do we progress to a new India where there will be clean, renewable energy and modern ways of thinking.”
Earlier, the activist had become a subject of mockery online after she broke out into an impromptu spell of ‘Naagin Dance‘ during a debate on Republic Bangla. Ali while speaking during a debate on Republic Bangla started to dance when she did not get a chance to speak. As multiple panellists voiced their opinions together, Ali began performing the ‘Naagin dance’ to grab attention.
The Calcutta High Court had ordered a blanket ban on firecrackers during Diwali based on a petition by Ali, which was later overturned by the Supreme Court.
Fires and untoward mishaps at hospitals in Maharashtra has become a dangerously common occurrence. After a spate of accidents was reported at several hospitals earlier this year, another such unfortunate incident has been reported from Ahmednagar where a major fire broke out at the District Hospital on November 6, killing at least 10 coronavirus patients and leaving scores of others injured.
The fire broke out at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the District Hospital, where at least 25 patients were admitted, according to a report published by India Today. Six of them suffered serious burn injuries in the incident.
Prima facie reports suggest that an electrical short-circuit may have started the fire. However, the exact cause of conflagration can only be determined after a thorough probe into the matter is completed. According to the sources, the fire broke out at the COVID ward in the new building of the hospital at around 11 am today morning.
The state government announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the next of kin of those who died in the fire at Maharashtra hospital.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has expressed his condolences over the deaths and has also ordered a probe into the incident. The district collector Rajendra Bhosale has reportedly been asked to conduct an inquiry into the incident and submit the report within a week.
The tragedy is another incident in the growing list of hospital mishaps witnessed in Maharashtra this year, which is a reflection of the crumbling health infrastructure in the state. Here are some of the accidents that have taken place in hospitals across Maharashtra this year:-
Major conflagration at Thane hospital
A major fire broke out at Mumbra’s Prime Criticare Hospital in the wee hours of April 28, leaving at least four patients dead. The hospital, located in Mumbra’s Kausa was a non-Covid hospital, and had more than 20 patients admitted when a fire erupted.
Preliminary reports suggested the fire broke out in the meter room of the hospital due to a short circuit. Within no time the fire spread to other areas of the two-floored hospital being run in a residential building.
Fire breaks out at Vijay Vallabh Covid Care hospital in Mumbai’s Virar, 13 dead
Earlier this year, a fire broke out at the ICU unit of the Vijay Vallabh Covid Care hospital in Virar West, Mumbai. At least 13 Covid-19 patients died after inhaling toxic fumes.
The fire reportedly started at 3 am in the morning on April 23 in the air conditioning unit of the hospital’s ICU, where, as many as 17 patients were being treated for the infection. After the fire broke, the Vasai Virar Corporation fire brigade reached the spot and doused the fire. However, until then, 13 people have lost their lives to the fire.
Oxygen leak from a tanker in Nasik left 24 patients dead
The hospitals and COVID care centres across the country are grappling with the scarcity of medicinal oxygen as the number of coronavirus cases surge. Amidst acute shortages of oxygen, an oxygen tanker leaked while being filled at Dr Zakir Hussain Hospital, Nashik.
Ventilators in the hospital were stopped for at least 30 minutes due to the oxygen deprivation caused by the tank leak. This temporary suspension of ventilators led to the death of 24 people, who had died because of oxygen deprivation.
10 COVID-19 patients reportedly die after fire breaks out at Bhandup mall in Mumbai which had COVID-19 hospital on the top floor
In March 2021, a massive fire broke out at a mall in Mumbai’s Bhandup area, which also accommodated a COVID-19 hospital, Sunrise Hospital, on its top floor. At the time the fire broke out as many as 76 COVID-19 patients were admitted to the hospital, which was located on the third floor of a mall. 10 people, all coronavirus patients, had reportedly died in the incident.
CNN News 18 accessed documents that showed Dreams Mall, Bhandup, the mall where the hospital was located had flouted fire safety norms. There were no fire safety norms at the mall. Earlier, BMC had carried out an assessment on Mumbai malls regarding the fire safety norms, and Dream Mall was amongst the 29 malls which were declared unsafe as it did not comply with the fire safety norms.
Blaze at a District General Hospital in Maharashtra claims the lives of 10 infants
Earlier in January, 10 newborn babies aged between 1 to 2 months lost their lives in a fire that broke out at Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) at Bhandara District General Hospital. There were a total of seventeen babies kept in the Unit, but only seven of them could be rescued.
Most newborns died due to suffocation. One baby had fatal injuries, and two others had minor burn injuries. The rest inhaled a lot of smoke, a doctor at the hospital later said.
Over a hundred Twitter accounts have been booked by the Tripura Police under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for spreading misinformation regarding the violence at Panisagar. The Police are now trying to trace the people behind the accounts. The case has been transferred to the crime branch of the Tripura Police.
The case which was earlier investigated by police is now transferred to the Crime Branch division of Tripura police. The police have been trying to trace the handlers of the accounts: PRO of Tripura police, Jyotishman Das Choudhary
Earlier, four Supreme Court lawyers were booked under UAPA and other sections of the Indian Penal code for spreading communal hatred through social media. A case was registered against the lawyers and they have been asked to appear before the Police by November 10.
Prior to the notice, the lawyers had addressed a press conference which was streamed through Facebook live, in order to release a so-called fact-finding report titled “Humanity under Attack in Tripura #MuslimsLivesMatter”. The lawyers alleged that 12 masjids, 9 shops and 3 homes belonging to Muslims were attacked during the recent protests by Hindu groups against attacks on minority Hindus in Bangladesh.
However, the Tripura govt has denied these allegations. The govt maintains that while some minor scuffles did take place, there was no attack on any mosque in Tripura, as being alleged by many.
The Modi government had given a huge relief to the middle class by slashing fuel price as part of a “Diwali gift.’ While reducing excise duty on petrol and diesel, the centre had also urged the state governments to cut VAT on the same so that the prices come down even further. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) had informed that a total of 22 States and Union Territories, mostly run by the BJP or the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners, have given relief to the masses. The Centre had made the first move by reducing the Central Excise Duty on diesel by 10% and on petrol by 5%. This was followed by the relief on local taxes granted by the BJP/NDA run States, with Karnataka and Union territories of Ladakh and Puducherry being the largest beneficiaries.
Despite the hue and cry of the Congress party over the soaring prices of fuel in the country, none of the States ruled by it including Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Punjab and Chhattisgarh have reduced the local tax on petrol/diesel. It seems that the Congress party is in a huge dilemma to decide whether to cut VAT on fuel in states run by it. While the NDA-ruled states have already cut the tax, the Congress party seems to be unwilling to follow the advice of the Modi govt to reduce VAT. But this makes it appear hypocritical and insensitive to the consumers, as the party continues to attack the central govt over price rise, but refuses to cut the fuel price on its own.
The Congress leadership, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, have been attacking the Modi govt over price rise. Here are some notable instances when they did so.
Sonia Gandhi wrote letter to PM Modi, accused govt of making profits
Earlier this year in February, Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accused the government of ‘profiting from people’s misery. “I fail to understand how any government can justify such thoughtless and insensitive measures directly at the cost of our people. Your Government has increased excise duty on Diesel by 820% & on Petrol by 258% over and collected upwards of ₹21 lakh crore in the last six and a half years. This unaccounted-for windfall is yet to be passed to the people for whose benefit it was ostensibly collected,” Gandhi had accused the Central government.
Screengrab of the HT report from February 2021
Congress sets car on fire in Punjab, held demonstratiosns in Haryana
In June this year, the Congress party organised protests at petrol pumps in Punjab and Haryana against the incumbent BJP government. They had demanded rollback of the hike in fuel prices, along with prices of cooking oil and gas. The large-scale demonstrations were held in Mohali, Kurali, Patiala, Bathinda, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Gurgaon, Ambalana, Panipatand Rohtak. The Congress protestors had even resorted to arson in Amritsar, where they doused a vehicle on fire to send out a message that people were not able to buy cars.
While speaking about the protest, Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar had alleged, “The arrogant government at the Centre has constantly been increasing fuel prices instead of providing relief to the people during the current crisis. During the Congress-led UPA regime, despite international crude oil prices being very high, diesel prices hovered around ₹50, which is now near ₹90 per litre, while petrol is touching ₹100 per litre.”
Congress workers set car on fire in Amritsar, image via Hindustan Times
Congress protested in Maharashtra, Chattisgarh against fuel price hike
Later in July this year, Congress workers continued their protest against the Union government in the Congress-ruled State of Chattisgarh. In order to grab media attention and public eyeballs, Congress chief Mohan Makram toured the Kondagaon area in an auto rickshaw. He claimed that it was a means to protest against the ‘anti-people’ policites of the Modi.
“The prices of essential commodities have also risen due to the hike in fuel prices, causing problems for the common man,” he added. In Raipur, Congress leader Vikas Upadhyay and his group of protestors disrupted traffic and carried empty LPG gas cylinders on their back. They even tried to ambush the BJP office but were stopped by the police near the Lalganaga Mall.
Screengrab of the news report by the Daily Pioneer
In the following month, the grand-old-party organised cycle rallies in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra against hike in diesel and petrol prices. The Congress rally, which began from Hanging Gardens to Raj Bhavan, was led by State Chief Nana Patole. The party, which is an ally in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, met the Governor and handed out a amemorandum about issues faced by people. Patole had claimed, “People of the country are getting no respite from rising prices. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders are advising States to reduce taxes. States do not get their rightful GST compensation, but the Centre is happily collecting taxes,” Mr. Patole said
Screengrab of the news report by The Hindu
Rahul Gandhi and his social media activism
In October, Congress scion Rahul Gandhi came out as the frontrunner in the party’s crusade against the fuel price hike, although his activism was limited to social media mostly. In a tweet on October 14, he wrote, “The old folk stories tells us about the tales of greed and misgovernance and the indiscriminate collection of taxes. Initially, the people would become dissilusioned but later they would bring an end to such a misgovernance.”
पुरानी लोककथाओं में ऐसे लालची कुशासन की कहानी होती थी जो अंधाधुंध टैक्स वसूली करता था। पहले जनता दुखी हो जाती लेकिन अंत में जनता ही उस कुशासन को ख़त्म करती थी।
Rahul Gandhi had prophesised the end of BJP regime if they did not mend their ways of supposed tax extortion and misgovernance. About 10 days later, the Congress scion tweeted again, “Tax dacoity is increasing in the price of petrol. If there was an election, there might have been some chances of cuts in fuel price. #TaxExtortion”
Priyanka Gandhi follows the footsteps of her brother
“Modi ji’s government has made big records in the matter of giving trouble to the public. Highest unemployment under the Modi government. Most government properties being sold by Modi government. The same government had also increased the petrol rates the most in a year,” Priyanka Vadra had alleged on October 24 in a tweet.
मोदी जी की सरकार ने जनता को कष्ट देने के मामले में बड़े-बड़े रिकॉर्ड बनाए हैं
Congress loyalist cries foul after Centre cuts excise duty on fuel
After the Modi government announced a cut in the excise duty of both petrol and diesel, a baffled Congress spokesperson took to Twitter to call it a ‘Jumla’. In a tweet, he said, “Please see the Jumlas of “Modi-nomics”! In Year 2021, Price of Petrol were hiked by ₹28 & Diesel by ₹26/litre. After losing 14 bye elections & 2 Lok Sabhas, reducing Petrol-Diesel price by ₹5 & ₹10 is tom-tommed as ‘Diwali Gift’ of Modi Ji!Hey Ram…..” Randeep Surjewala had managed to find an ‘election angle’ in the government’s decision.
3/3 Pl see the Jumlas of “Modi-nomics”!
In Year 2021, Price of Petrol were hiked by ₹28 & Diesel by ₹26/litre.
After losing 14 bye elections & 2 Lok Sabhas, reducing Petrol-Diesel price by ₹5 & ₹10 is tom-tommed as ‘Diwali Gift’ of Modi Ji!
Interestingly, non-NDA ruled states like Maharashtra, NCT of Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya, Andaman & Nicobar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Punjab and Rajasthan have not undertaken any reduction in VAT prices in petrol or diesel. Although Congress has been protesting against fuel price hike and their leaders have been tweeting against it in unison, the States ruled by them are yet to see signs of relief.
Congress considers fuel tax cut but delays decision
As the Congress party comes under intense scrutiny and criticism for not reducing VAT on petrol and diesel, like NDA-ruled states have done, reportedly the states ruled by the party will cut the tax soon. According to a report by News18, three Congress-ruled states are going to cut the VAT.
However, there is no official announcement from any of the Congress-ruled states till now. Reports suggest the cabinets in the states are considering the matter, but the delay shows that the Congress party is actually is not in favour of cutting fuel taxes when it is in power. This shows the extreme contrasting behaviours of the party, which demands price cuts as the opposition party at the national level. But in the states where it is in power, it is reluctant to cut VAT.
Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) generated Rs 1.25 trillion worth business during Diwali setting a record trade figure in the last 10 years of festival, according to reports.
CAIT, a body of 70 million traders, noted that such massive scale of shopping has ended the economic slow down that the industry was suffering from for the past 2 years and gave a better hope for the future.
BC Bhartia, the body’s national president, and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said, “In this year’s Diwali festival, there is an estimated business of about Rs 1.25 lakh crore rupees in the entire country which is a record figure ever attained in the last decade,” adding, “In Delhi alone, this business was about Rs 25,000 crore.”
Bhartia and Khandelwal also pointed out that Chinese goods were not at all sold this year in the markets through out the country. Remarkably, it was said that the special emphasis of the customers was on the purchase of Indian goods which resulted in a huge loss of business for China worth more than Rs 50,000 crore.
Also, Jewelers generated sales worth Rs 7,500 crores with 15 tonnes of gold jewellery sold during the Dhanteras festival. According to the joint statement released by CAIT and its jewellery section, All India Jewelers’ and GoldSmith Federation (AIJGF), around Rs 1,500 crore worth jewellery were sold in Maharashtra, Rs 1,000 crore in Delhi, Rs 600 crore in Uttar Pradesh and Rs 2,000 crore in South India.
National President of AIJGF Pankaj Arora stated that jewelers have made large preparations for availability of gold jewellery in number of designs because of the demand created by the festive season and upcoming wedding season. He had also claimed that the drop in COVID-19 cases and the significant vaccination numbers must have contributed to this customer turn around.
This Diwali, Bollywood actor Shraddha Kapoor had a candid interaction with the Big Bull Rakesh Jhunjhunwala as they discussed a panoply of topics including their journeys, life, stock market and each other’s success mantras.
When asked what he wanted from the New Year, Jhunjhunwala’s response was as profound as it was succinct. He said he just needs happiness, contentment, health and satisfaction from this New Year.
“I just pray to God to keep me happy, content, healthy and satisfied. Wealth and success is temporary and transient. What I would like to ask and pray to God is give me contentment and happiness, not to envy others and treat others well,” Jhunjhunwala told the ‘Ek Villain’ actor.
Elaborating on his dream of becoming an ace investor, the Big Bull cited verses from Bhagwad Gita emphasising that one should always put in the efforts without worrying about the end result. He said it is fine to put in right efforts and fail because there is no guarantee of success but labouring to achieve one’s objectives is under the control of the individual.
“Dreams are dreams. Humans should come to terms with the fact that defeat is a part of life. In Gita it is written, the efforts may be ours, but the results are His (God’s). So long as I have made the right efforts and not succeeded, it is fine. I don’t make the pretensions of being the God or of being omniscient to foresee defeat or be certain about results. The world is an ocean and I’m just a small drop in it. My existence is not permanent so I don’t get demotivated if something is denied to me or some results don’t go my way,” Jhunjhunwala said.
Money is something we must value and respect: Shraddha Kapoor
Responding to Jhunjhunwala’s question on what money means to her, Shraddha said she had been taught the value of respecting money by her father. She said that her father told her that regardless of how much one earns, whether Re 1, 50 paisa or Rs 10,000, one should value them equally and not take them for granted.
“I think money is something that is absolutely essential to survival. Money is also something that must be shared. Money is something we must respect and value,” Kapoor said.
Stock market allocation should be on the lines of other investments: Rakesh Jhunjhunwala
Kapoor also sought tips from Rakesh Jhunjhunwala for starting investments in the stock markets. He replied stock investing is a full-time profession as it requires to be monitored more than other investments. He explained one should plan their stock market allocations in the same way they plan other investments such as buying a house or other regular income plans.
On being about opportunity in personal and body care segment, Rakesh said the upside to the market is limitless as spending on make up and grooming has gone through the roof. Kapoor had asked for Rakesh’s opinion on her investment in the personal care company My Glamm.
Rakesh responded saying he could not be specific about the company without driving into its details but given the demand in urban, semi urban and rural areas, the outlook for personal care companies is positive.
The entire country is in awe of the magnificent statue of Adi Shankaracharya that was unveiled by PM Modi during his visit to the holy shrine of Kedarnath on Friday. As pictures of the 12 feet statue started doing the rounds on the internet, the conversation inevitably drifted towards the identity of the person who had sculpted the beautiful idol.
It was Arun Yogiraj, an artist from Mysuru, who is to be credited for the splendid idol of Adi Shankaracharya installed in Kedarnath. He spent nine months of relentless work to build the statue and bring it into its current form.
The ‘Birth’ of the majestic #AdiShankaracharya that was unveiled by our Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji today at Kedarnath is a tale of five generations of sculpting sadhana that @yogiraj_arun from Mysuru inherits.
“It was my privilege to sculpt the statue of Adi Shankaracharya at Kedarnath. The process started in August 2020 and I was selected to make a sculpture by JSW. Before that, I made a model of two feet,” Yogiraj was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
— Ashwini M Sripad/ಅಶ್ವಿನಿ ಎಂ ಶ್ರೀಪಾದ್?? (@AshwiniMS_TNIE) November 5, 2021
“It was presented in front of the prime minister in September 2020. There were four-five models brought from all over India. Among those, my model was selected and I got a call to make a 12 feet statue of Adi Shankaracharya,” he added.
Yogiraj thought it was a huge responsibility entrusted upon him, as Prime Minister Modi was himself involved with every single aspect of the making and was constantly updated about the progress of the same.
Blessed sculptor @yogiraj_arun who has chiseled the imposing yet graceful image of Jagatguru #AdiShankaracharya. Such are the ‘unknown’ experts who can offer so much of what is ‘true’ India. Namaskaram ?? https://t.co/KJFPVH2bhX
After being chosen to sculpt the statue of Adi Shankaracharya, Yogiraj set about studying statues across the expanse of south India to get a better understanding of the crucial facets and measurements that would help him to make informed judgement about an imposing statue of a key spiritual icon of the nation.
The sculptor revealed that the process started in September 2020 and a team of seven worked continuously for nine months, 14-15 hours a day to create the idol. More than 80 tons of raw material was purchased for sculpting the statue which weighs around 28 tons.
It was a privilege for me to sculpt the statue of Adi Shankaracharya at Kedarnath. I am very happy that PM Modi dedicated the statue to the people of India. We worked for 14-15 hours everyday for 9 months to execute this sculpture: Arun Yogiraj, sculptor from Karnataka’s Mysuru pic.twitter.com/elIHu0SkQa
The idol was carved out of a single rock called ‘Krishna shile’ or the black chlorite schist, which has the strength to withstand all vagaries of the weather.
Yogiraj said that the sculptors concentrated on a 360 degrees view of the statue and gave importance to structure, posture, gesture, realistic part, traditional aspects, the divinity in the face among the rest of the things.
Meet Arun Yogiraj, artist who sculpted #AdiShankaracharya ‘s 12 feet statue set up in Kedarnath
He concentrated on a 360 degrees view of the statue & gave importance to structure, posture, gesture, realistic part, traditional aspects, the divinity in the face with other things. pic.twitter.com/zsskTX70u9
Besides, Yogiraj also sought suggestions from the Shringeri Mutt, the Shankara Mutt in Mysuru and other religious sources. Although, he was given specifications for the statue by the PMO office, he was granted enough liberty to make the changes as per his research findings.
Apart from building the magnificent idol of Adi Shankaracharya installed at Kedarnath, Arun’s other work include the famous 14.5-feet white marble stone sculpture of the Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar in Mysuru. So was the life-size White marble sculpture of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and various statues at the railway station.
Bust of Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar built by Arun Yogiraj
On the occasion of Engineer’s day this year, Mr Arun Yogiraj, also known as Arun Shilpi, created a monolithic stone statue of Sir M V for the Mangalore PWD office.
The sculptor is also known for the creation of an imposing statue of Lord Hanuman. A video of his spectacular creation was shared by him on his Twitter account.
Yogiraj belongs to an illustrious family of sculptors. His father Yogiraj Shilpi, was one among the eight children of B Basavanna Shilpi, a Mysuru palace artist who was appointed to work on the Gayatri Temple, the Bhuvaneshwari Temple and similar other tasks. The idol of Kaveri on the Krishna Raja Sagar Dam was also built by his grandfather.
The revered Shilpa Sri Siddhalinga Swami, a sculptor to the royal family of Mysuru, was the teacher of Basavanna Shilpi. Swami is credited for designing the domes of the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru. Shilpi joined Swami’s gurukul in 1931 and trained for the next 25 years under his guidance.
Speaking about his father, Arun recalls, “He came out of the mutt in 1953 and started independently working on the Gayatri temple as HH Jayachamarajendra gave him an opportunity. Being thankful to the opportunity given to him by PM Modi, Arun says it is a tribute to the legacy he inherits.
The fulfilment of his grandfather’s prophecy and the embracement of the family legacy of sculpting
Although Yogiraj belongs to a family of illustrious sculptors, he did not particularly take interest in the family profession until more than a decade ago. He had completed his MBA and was employed with a private firm till 2008 when his inner calling led him to resign from his job and embrace his family legacy.
Yogiraj says his grandfather’s prophecy turned out to be true as he took up the tools and immersed himself in carving statues. “When I was a toddler, my grandfather prophesised that I would be the one who would pick up the tools and carry the family legacy forward. After 37 years, it is finally coming true.”
Yogiraj’s happiness would have known no bounds had his father been alive today. He passed away two weeks ago and till then he had been telling his son about the making of the Adi Shankaracharya statue, ‘Your voice should reach the rock, then only a good idol can be made.’
