World Rivers Day is celebrated on every fourth Sunday of September. This year, the World Rivers Day will be celebrated on September 25.
As we know the ancient civilisation started from the Indus river flowing through the hills of the Himalays, each river in India holds a beautiful story as it flows across the country singing wonderful lullabies of its pride and beauty.
Here, we share stories of three important rivers of India…
Ganges: It is considered as the most sacred river to Hindus and is also personified as Godess Ganga. The river originated from Gangotri of Himalayas and flows 2,525 km through Patliputra, Kashi, Allahbad, Varanasi, Kolkata, Badrinath, Haridwar, Kanpur, Patna, Farrukhabad, Fatehgarh, Kannauj, Chakeri with a depth of 17 m.
Indus River: This river is credited with giving rise to the largest ancient human civilisation, Indus Valley civilisation, It holds a great historical value. In fact, the word India has also been derived from Indus.
Originating through Tibetan Plateau and flowing through Ladakh Leh, Sukur, Hyderabad (Pakistan), it travels for 3,180 km. The river merges into Arabian Sea which makes 93 per cent of its share to Pakistan, five percent to India and two percent tp China. It is also known as Sindhu river.
Godavari: The second largest river after the Ganga is Godavari which has been revered in Hindu scriptures since last many centuries. It continues to hold rich cultural heritage and is the longest river in Southern India and also known as Dakshina Ganga which originated from Tryambakeshwar, Maharashtra. The river travels 1,465 km through the major towns along the river Rajahmundry, Nashik, Nanded, and Nizamabad.
Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA) is a role model for other states owing to its work in conservation and restoration of forts and havelis in Rajasthan. It has played a huge role in preserving the heritage of the state. A fort federation has also been formed in Maharashtra to preserve the heritage and history of the state. The federation has created its own funds and seeks the involvement of IHHA as stakeholders in restoring and conserving the historic forts in Maharashtra. This was stated by Yuvraj Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati on the second day of the 2-day Indian Heritage Hotels Association’s 9th Annual Convention where he was the Guest of Honour.
The convention was organized at the Alila Fort in Bishangarh and was themed on ‘Reincarnation of IHHA to Conserve and Protect Indian Heritage’.
Yuvraj Sambhaji Raje further said that a big advantage that Rajasthan has over Maharashtra is that most of the forts here are privately owned. Thus, it makes it is easier to get the restoration works done at such sites. It is worth noting that Yuvraj Sambhaji Raje is the descendant of Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj and has played a pivotal role in restoring his capital fort and is also actively working towards conservation of more such forts in the state.
Several other interesting panel discussions, interactive sessions and presentations were held throughout the day. The investment opportunities and incentives for heritage hoteliers in the states of Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh were also discussed.
On the occasion, Mr. Ravi Shankar, IAS, Government of Uttarakhand, highlighted the key initiatives taken in the State to promote tourism. These include railway connectivity, helicopter connectivity, air ambulances. He also threw light on the investment opportunities in terms of development of 5-star hotels, pilgrimage circuits etc.
Similarly, Joint Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, Mr. Suresh Jharya shared the investment opportunities in the state of Madhya Pradesh. He gave detailed insights on the tourism policy of the state and said that the accessible, comprehensive and transparent nature of the policy makes it an incentive for investors. He also highlighted the land allotment process, opportunities for wildlife resorts and wellness resorts in the state.
Hospitality expert, Veer Vijay Singh made an elaborate presentation on various styles of hotel management options for owners which would be ideal for them. He shared detailed insights on the various styles such as – Family Management, Fixed Lease, Variable Lease, Franchise, Manchise etc.
Later sessions on various relevant topics such as ‘New Trends of Tourism’, ‘Heritage Architecture – a major driver of Tourism’ and ‘Family Contribution in Business’, among others were also held.
Bollywood’s Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan recently got engaged to her boyfriend Nupur Shikhare. Since the engagement, people are trying to know more about Nupur. Meanwhile, a nude photoshoot of Nupur has surfaced. Since then, he is being compared to Ranveer Singh.
This is not the latest photoshoot of Nupur Shikhar but it is three years old. In 2019, he shared two pictures on his Instagram. In these photos, Nupur is seen running in a field without wearing any clothes. One of them is a monochrome photo, while the other is colourful. While sharing the pictures, he wrote a long caption on running.
Now people are reacting to this photoshoot of Nupur and comparing her with Ranveer Singh’s photoshoot.
Some social media users say that Nupur defeated Ranveer Singh in 2019 itself. At the same time, some people reacted and asked whether Nupur Shikhar’s photoshoot like Ranveer Singh’s photoshoot will hurt people’s sentiments? Will Nupur also get caught in legal disputes now?
In needs to be mentioned here that Ranveer Singh got a nude photoshoot done for Paper magazine, on which there was a lot of controversy.
Nupur recently proposed Ira in a filmy style. Ira has given information about this by posting its video on social media.
Nupur Shikre is in a relationship with Ayra Khan for two years. Nupur was born on 17 October 1985 in Pune. Nupur has completed her graduation from RA Podar College of Commerce and Economics. He is a celebrity fitness trainer. Along with this, he has also been a state level tennis player. According to media reports, he has given fitness training to Aamir Khan as well as Sushmita Sen.
The Kolayat Fair is held every year in October and/or November (Kartik month based on the Hindu calendar) in Rajasthan’s Bikaner distrcit.
The fair has a great importance in the life of people of Bikaner. Tourists as well as locals experience a great time as the fair is celebrated on an expansive scale.
This fair is also known as ‘Kapil Muni Fair’. Besides the pomp and show of the fair, it also has a great religious significance. A large number of devotees visit the fair to take a holy dip in the Kolayat Lake. It is believed that a holy dip can provide them respite from all the sins they have done.
The historical significance of the fair also lures a large number of tourists. As per the history, the place of Kolayat is also regarded as Kapilayatan.
During the Kolayat Fair all 52 ghats are beautifully decorated. Attractive lights give a blissful feel at these ghats. Also the various rituals performed by the devotees make other attraction.
The Kolayat Fair Bikaner boasts of a mesmerizing view when all the devotees gather at a common point and leave oil lamps to float in the calm waters of the lake. It will be a great sight for the tourists to see hundreds of lighted lamps floating in the water of the lake.
Each year, Kolayat Fair is celebrated with a tremendous spirit of joy in Bikaner.
Team India captain Rohit Sharma has made a world record in the second match of the India-Australia series. He has become the batsman to hit the most sixes in T20 Internationals.
The 35-year-old Indian captain has left behind New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill. He overtook them as soon as he scored the first six on Friday. Martin Guptill has collected 172 sixes. Rohit hit two sixes off Josh Hazlewood in the very first over of the Indian innings. He hit 4 sixes in his innings of 46 runs.
Team India won this match by 6 wickets. The third and deciding match of the series will be played on September 25 in Hyderabad.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch 5G services in India at an October 1 event, the government’s National Broadband Mission said in a tweet on Saturday.
“Taking India’s digital transformation & connectivity to new heights, Hon’ble PM, @narendramodi, will roll out 5G services in India; at India Mobile Congress; Asia’s largest technology exhibition,” it said.
The government has given a target of 80 per cent coverage of 5G telecom services in the country in the short timeframe, said Union Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The Covid-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for all sectors but the tourism and hospitality industry was the worst hit. The folk arts and artistes also had to face immense losses during the pandemic. When the heritage hotels are recuperating as important tourist destinations across the country, they must proactively promote and preserve the local art and culture around them. The way of life of the local communities, their handicrafts, modes of livelihood, the crops they grow, their traditional ways of entertainment and leisure should be part of the experiences the heritage hotels give to tourists.
This was stated by the Governor of Rajasthan, Kalraj Mishra on Thursday at the inaugural session of the 9th Annual Convention of the Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA) at Alila Fort Bishangarh as the Chief Guest.
The Governor also reminisced about the Former Rajasthan Chief Minister, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat’s efforts in the development of tourism and conservation of heritage in the state. He further said that with a mélange of magnificent forts, palaces and castles, Rajasthan has immense possibilities for tourism.
The Former Governor of Punjab, VP Singh Badnore said that Rajasthan is the first state to declare Tourism as an Industry and this will give a big boost to employment in the state. This will also aid the hoteliers, tour guides, and restaurateurs etc. who suffered a catastrophic blow in the pandemic. He further stressed on the need to preserve not just the tangible heritage assets such as buildings, monuments etc but also the intangible heritage assets like folklore, culture, among others.
Former Deputy Speaker, Government of Rajasthan and Owner of Alila Fort, Bishangarh, Rao Rajendra Singh of Shahpura said that as per the World Travel and Tourism Council Report, in 2019 the hotel and tourism sector’s contribution to the national economy was worth INR 15 trillion. During the covid-19 pandemic, there was a 40% fall and it dropped to INR 9 trillion. Now in 2022, the industry has surpassed pre-covid levels and now stands at INR 15.9 trillion. Highlighting the importance of employment the sector provides, he said that every year it gives 2.4 million jobs. The sector is also gender neutral and provides employment to many women, he added.
President of Honour (Emeritus), IHHA, Maharaja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur said that heritage plays a significant role in reminding people of the social values of the ancestors. Every state has its own unique heritage which needs to be protected, he added.
Release of the IHHA souvenir by the dignitaries
Conference Chairman and Vice President, IHHA, Steve Borgia introduced the theme of the convention – ‘Reincarnation of IHHA to Conserve and Protect Indian Heritage’. He said that the world is eagerly looking for a different ‘India’ and there is a need to think and do differently and strengthen our destinations and focus on resurrection of all monuments, forts, palaces etc, he added.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, President, IHHA, Randhir Vikram Singh said that heritage hotels face a lot of challenges such as difficult maintenance, high cost of conservation and restoration , lack of infrastructure, among others. The need of the hour is to conserve and restore the heritage in order to be able to preserve this legacy for the future generations.
A souvenir of the Indian Heritage Hotels Association was also released by the dignitaries on the occasion.
The Vote of Thanks was extended by the General Secretary, IHHA, Captain Gaj Singh Alsisar
Moonlighting is the term used to describe an individual taking up a second job or multiple other work assignments besides his full-time job.
it is practice of working for multiple organizations while committing to one primary workplace has been taking place without the employer’s knowledge.
Moonlighting is popular in the IT industry as working from home became a norm during COVID-19 pandemic.
This has been opposed by companies as it might affect the employees’ productivity.
Companies like Infosys warned their employees against this practice without letting them know, failing which could result in the termination of the employment.
However, moonlighting could be considered cheating if the employee’s contract specifically calls for non-compete and single employment. The is mentioned in majority of conventional employment contracts.
Under the Factories Act, 1948, dual employment is banned. However, IT companies are exempt from this rule in several states across India.
There is no specific statute concerning moonlighting in the Indian labour laws.
Women are once again on the streets of Iran tossing hijab in the air and shouting slogans against the moral policing. The reason is the death of 22-year-old Mehsa Amini due to police beating for her only fault was that she was not wearing the hijab properly.
The requirement for Iranian women to wear the hijab came into force after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Before that, Iran was quite independent in the matter of women’s clothing under the rule of Shah Pahlavi. Here, the Supreme Court is hearing the petition of Muslim girls to wear hijab in India.
Let’s learn about the changes in the lives of women in Iran before and after the Islamic Revolution of 1979…
Pahlavi Shah banned wearing hijab
In 1925, the Pahlavi dynasty came to power in Iran. The first ruler Raza Shah was influenced by America and Britain. In 1941, his son Mohammad Reza Shah also understood the manner of western countries and the equal rights of women. These two rulers took many big decisions to improve the condition of women.
On 8 January 1936, Raza Shah implemented Kashf-e-Hijab. That is, if a woman wears a hijab, the police will take her off.
In 1941, Shah Raza’s son Mohammad Reza took over the rule and banned the Kashf-e-Hijab. He allowed women to wear the dress of their choice.
In 1963, Mohammad Reza Shah gave women the right to vote and women were also elected to the Parliament.
In 1967, Iran’s personal law was also reformed in which women got equal rights.
The age of marriage for girls was raised from 13 to 18 years. Also abortion was made a legal right.
Emphasis was laid on increasing the participation of girls in studies. By the 1970s, the share of girls in Iran’s universities was 30%.
Shia religious leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini opposed these policies of Shah. In 1978, under his leadership, two million people gathered at Shahyad Chowk to protest against Shah. This is what is called Islamic Revolution. Women also took an active part in this.
In 1979, Shah Reza Pahlavi had to leave the country and Iran became an Islamic Republic. Khomeini was made the Supreme Leader of Iran. From here Iran became a stronghold of Shia Islam in the world. Khomeini greatly reduced the rights of women…
In 1981, cosmetics were banned with the hijab becoming mandatory. Religious police began removing women’s lipstick with razor blades.
The Islamic government abolished the reforms of the Family Protection Law of 1967, which gave women equal rights.
The age of marriage for girls was reduced from 18 years to 9 years.
However, after Khomeini’s death, Iran’s President Rafsanjani gave some relaxation to those strict laws and kept the focus on women’s education.
Comedian Raju Srivastava’s post-mortem was conducted using virtual autopsy which is a new technique that does not include dissections.
The post-mortem is done with high-tech digital X-rays and CT-scans.
This technique requires lesser time compared to the traditional method and is capable of detecting even minute fractures like hairline or chip fractures in bones along bleeding, which are signs of antemortem injuries (injuries received by body before death).
This is not often possible in the traditional method of autopsy.
Virtopsy also enables the accurate finding of the depth of foreign body.
Currently, AIIMS Delhi is the only institute doing virtual autopsy in Southeast Asia for the past two years.
Who was Raju Srivastav?
Raju Srivastav was an Indian comedian, actor and politician from Uttar Pradesh who passed away after suffering a massive cardiac arrest while on the treadmill.
Cardiac arrests during exercise are caused when the blockages in the blood vessels are ignored or are undiagnosed. Sometimes, workouts can trigger electrical disturbances in the heart, causing cardiac arrests. They can also cause rupturing of fatty plaques, resulting in the heart attack.
