logo
MP CM to inaugurate Kshipra Tirtha Parikrama on June 4

MP CM to inaugurate Kshipra Tirtha Parikrama on June 4

Bhopal, June 3 (UNI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will inaugurate the Kshipra Tirtha Parikrama, organised under the Jal Ganga Samvardhan Abhiyan, at Ramghat in Ujjain, on Wednesday .
On June 5, the occasion of Ganga Dussehra, the Chief Minister will offer a 351-foot-long sacred chunri to Mother Kshipra.
The two-day event, dedicated to faith, culture, and water conservation, will feature the participation of thousands of devotees, saints, historians, litterateurs, and subject experts.
The Kshipra Lok Sanskriti Samiti is organising the parikrama, which will include visits to ancient and historical sites, as well as religious events.
The parikrama (circumambulation) will begin at Ramghat on June 4 and will cover various sites, including Narasimha Ghat, Karkraj Temple, Nanakheda, Triveni, Shani Temple, and Gurukul School. The journey will resume on June 5 with flag worship at Datt Akhara Ghat and will conclude at Ramghat in the evening.
On June 5, CM Yadav will offer the sacred 'chunri' (shawl) to Mother Kshipra at Datt Akhara Ghat. The event will feature performances by the Indian Army's Symphony Band, renowned Harikatha exponent Pandit Dholibua Maharaj, and Mumbai-based bhajan singer Swasti Mehul. Several dignitaries, including MPs, MLAs, and social workers, are expected to attend the event.
UNI XC AKT PRS

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Texas man suffers burns on 40 percent of his body after saving dog from house fire
Texas man suffers burns on 40 percent of his body after saving dog from house fire

Hindustan Times

time3 hours ago

  • Hindustan Times

Texas man suffers burns on 40 percent of his body after saving dog from house fire

A Texas man has endured a harrowing ordeal after suffering third-degree burns to nearly half of his body while saving his dog from a house fire. The blaze, which was caused by a fuel leak, occurred at Zain Cano's San Antonio home on May 22, as reported by The People. A Texas man was left hospitalised for a month after a gas leak caused a fire; he ran inside to rescue his dog.(Reddit) (Also read: 'Struggle with English, cut lines, litter': Texas-based founder slams Gujaratis) According to Cano's detailed post on Reddit, the incident began when he had been working on his motorcycle and failed to secure the fuel line. The leaked petrol seeped into the carpet and ignited, triggering the house fire. 'Luckily I was the only one home at the time,' he wrote. 'But I realised my dog was in the house and ran in to get him.' Though Cano initially managed to escape the fire with minimal injuries, he rushed back into the flames upon realising that his dog, Clarence, was still inside. That act of bravery cost him dearly. Third-degree burns and prolonged hospital stay By the time Cano emerged with Clarence, the fire had engulfed the house. His girlfriend, Jenna Carter, later revealed through a GoFundMe appeal that Cano suffered third-degree burns covering 40% of his body and required an extended hospital stay lasting over a month. 'He's going to need multiple weeks of continuous medical care and help from me,' Carter wrote. 'He has to use a walker and cannot use his hands.' She added that the couple is now homeless and seeking donations to secure a temporary, accessible place to live during Cano's recovery. Community support and ongoing challenges Carter's fundraising page describes the couple's urgent need for a 'stable environment' where Cano can heal. 'Anything that's able to be contributed will help immensely and go straight into finding an affordable, handicap-friendly place to stay to make this transition for Zain as painless and worry-free as possible,' she explained. Cano, meanwhile, continues to grapple with the emotional and physical toll of the incident. 'The recovery process has been literally the worst experience of my life,' he shared on Reddit. 'I feel horrible because my family is now homeless because of my mistake. We're staying at a motel for the time being but it's expensive, and I can't work and probably won't be able to for at least another month or more.'

Ahmedabad plane crash: When an island loses its people
Ahmedabad plane crash: When an island loses its people

Indian Express

time9 hours ago

  • Indian Express

Ahmedabad plane crash: When an island loses its people

A fleck of land in the Gulf of Khambhat off Gujarat's coast, Diu stretches about 4.6 km from north to south. That is only slightly longer than the runway at the Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport in Ahmedabad, from where the ill-fated Boeing 787 took off and crashed under a minute on June 12. The two factoids are meshed in the miraculous story of Vishwas Kumar, the only survivor of India's worst air disaster in three decades, out of the 242 on board. Vishwas, 32, is a British citizen but spends almost as much time in the Union Territory of Diu, running a fishing business here – like many others who live such dual, intertwined lives in this former Portuguese colony. Among those who died in the Ahmedabad-Gatwick flight crash were 14 with roots in Diu – four of them British (including Vishwas's brother Ajay, 30) and seven Portuguese. On this tiny island of about 51,000 people, that means many have lost someone they knew – the white caps and dark saris, a mark of mourning, now dot Diu. Having lost one son and seen another survive, Ramesh Kumar Bhalaiya, 52, is swinging between grief and relief. 'My sons were the four parts of my body,' he tells a visitor at their spacious, two-storey home in Patelwadi village. Bhalaiya flew down from Leicester, with wife Jayaben and their sons Nayan, 26, and Sunny, 29, after the crash – stopping first at Ahmedabad to identify and collect Ajay's body. Bhalaiya talks about his shock when Vishwas called to tell them of the crash. It was seconds after he informed them that they were taking off. 'Vishwas was breathing heavily and told me that Ajay was nowhere to be seen, that there was smoke everywhere. The phone then got disconnected,' Bhalaiya told The Indian Express earlier. Ajay's wife collapsed on hearing the news and had to be hospitalised; the couple lost two young daughters to an illness earlier. On Wednesday the family performed Ajay's last rites. Vishwas is too 'shaken' to talk to anybody, says a relative. The canopy in the house's courtyard where the mourners collected has not been taken down yet. The plastic chairs underneath are vacant, while the sheet spread on the ground for the mourners was blown away by the strong winds that swept Diu Thursday. On a tree, hangs a fishing net. It was the fishing season that had brought Vishwas and Ajay to Diu. The family flew down in September last year at the start of the season, and when the rest left in January, the brothers stayed back. It was an annual trip, with the Leicester-based family's primary source of income still the fish brought in by the boats it owns and operates here. Back in Leicester, the Bhalaiya sons work at a garment store. The story is the same across homes in Diu, where fishing remains the few viable sources of income besides the liquor business. The liquor draws tourists from dry Gujarat, leading to the mushrooming of bars and resorts, with fewer numbers coming for Diu's beaches, a fort, its Portuguese-style buildings, and a 17th-century church. Chhaganbhai Bhikhubhai Bhalaiya (65), of Bucharwada village close to Patelwadi, holds a Portuguese passport but lives mostly in Diu with wife Ratnaben. His sons Mahesh, 42, and Rohit, 40, are British citizens, who work at a garment factory in London. Chhaganbhai used to be in fishing too, before he got a job as a contractual driver with the Forest Department. He is now retired. Just back from attending the funeral of a relative who died in the Ahmedabad crash, Chhaganbhai says he borrowed money to send his sons, who had studied only till Class 10, in Gujarati medium, to England 15 years ago. They held Portuguese passports, allowing them to stay and work in the UK at the time, as it was part of the European Union then. Over time, they acquired British citizenship. 'First, they faced problems conversing in English, but they managed and are now proficient. They got married here, to locals, and their wives later joined them. They are happy there, and I am happy here. The two of them send 100 pounds (about Rs 11,700) each every month, and it is sufficient for my wife and me.' He has no regrets, Chhaganbhai says. 'We lived in a mud house earlier, but now have a concrete home, with all the facilities… If my sons had stayed here, we would be leading the same life… they would be fishing, putting their lives at risk, or doing some labour work.' The sons and their families visit every December, during the winter vacations, while Chhaganbhai and his wife have been to London at least 10 times in the last five years. 'My sons urge us to stay there,' he says, 'but the weather does not suit us.' The risks involved in fishing, both due to the fickle weather as well as the chances of ending up in Pakistani waters, are another reason families here don't want their children getting into it. An official of the Diu UT administration says that migration has been on the rise, particularly from fishermen communities such as the Kolis and Kharwas, with London the preferred destination. While the main reason is money, the official puts his finger on another factor. 'These communities are used to taking risks, adapting to circumstances and surviving.' The Portuguese link helps. 'After Daman, Diu and Goa were liberated in 1961 from its rule, the Portuguese government offered residents of its former colonies citizenship, if they could prove they lived there at the time. Even successors could get citizenship if they could prove ties to forefathers listed in the Portuguese civil registry. Now, they submit applications to a mamlatdar, and these are forwarded for verification to Portuguese Embassy officials, who visit Diu once every three months.' The official estimates that over 30,000 people from Diu are staying in London currently, many of them with British citizenship. 'While youths settle there, older people come back,' the official says, adding that similar migration patterns can be seen in Daman. In 2020, Diu was merged with the Union Territory of Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and it is now one consolidated UT. Amarjit Singh, a retired IAS officer, talks about the other routes for migration from Gujarat, with the first of them headed for Africa, particularly Mozambique. 'After Mozambique's independence in 1975, the Vanzas and Darjis and the other Gujarati communities, including from Diu, started to migrate again, this time towards Portugal… The Quinta da Holandesa and Quinta da Vitoria neighbourhoods in the heart of Lisbon came to hold big Gujarati settlements.' Later, Singh says, especially due to the failure of a resettlement process, many chose to migrate to Britain. K C Sethi, the author of the coffee table book Daman, Diu, Goa, Dadra, Nagar-Haveli & Portuguese Regime (1510-1961), says many homes in Diu carry hints of the old world in their 'stained glass windows, sacred relics, and black-and-white photographs of weddings with mandolin players'. Patelwadi village sarpanch Deepak Devji says that in their village of about 4,000, at least 40 families have members settled in London. There is not much by way of prospects here, says Devji. In Patelwadi, most students go to private schools or the sole Gujarati-medium government school for primary classes, before moving to the village's Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya that has English-medium instruction for Classes 6 to 12. A government college, offering Arts and Commerce streams, came up in 2013 in Diu. Besides, there is a government polytechnic and an Industrial Training Institute. Says Devji: 'Starting from an early age, children are urged by their parents to learn English so that they can settle in London. Earlier, those who went got jobs at construction sites, factories, shops… But the younger generation is more educated.' Haji Abdul Karim Bidiwala was 14 when Diu was liberated from Portugal. He recalls that till Class 3, he studied in the Portuguese medium. He remembers other things: 'Guzra hua zamana yaad bahut aata hai (We fondly remember the days gone by). The life of the people of Diu was very good… A governor looked after the administration, law and order. We got free medicines, milk, rations, some of it brought by air from Portugal.' The grandson of one of the Portuguese Governors of Diu, Joao Folque, has been visiting Diu every year since 2012, and spends at least three months here. Settled in Lisbon, the 64-year-old says over the phone: 'Diu is our first home, our ancestors' roots are entrenched here. My grandfather died in 1951 in Goa. My father was born in Silvassa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli.' Umesh Patel is the MP of the UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. The first Independent to win the Daman and Diu Lok Sabha seat in nearly 40 years, Patel credits his victory to the 'neglect' of the constituency by the BJP and the 'indifference' of the Congress. 'People were fed up with the working style of the Administrator, who had carried out mass demolitions, laid off government servants like teachers and nurses, and privatised power. Businesses suffered due to his farmaan (orders).' On the rising number of young people leaving Daman and Diu, Patel says he is not surprised. 'Jobs are scarce here, people have to endure hardships… So they avail Portuguese citizenship, start earning good money and see a rise in their living standards,' he says. When that money is sent home, he adds, that affluence draws in others.

Why Madhya Pradesh CM's wish to count snakes and rear king cobras is unfeasible
Why Madhya Pradesh CM's wish to count snakes and rear king cobras is unfeasible

Indian Express

time10 hours ago

  • Indian Express

Why Madhya Pradesh CM's wish to count snakes and rear king cobras is unfeasible

A king cobra brought to Bhopal's Van Vihar zoo from Karnataka's Mangalore zoo in exchange for a tiger died in its enclosure on June 18. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav is keen on 'reintroducing' king cobras in Madhya Pradesh as an antidote to spiralling snakebite deaths. He also wants snakes in the state counted in order to assess numbers of the venomous ones. There are two problems with the CM's plans. One, there is no protocol for counting snakes in the wild because nobody ever considered it feasible or necessary. Two, irrespective of the merits of the claim that king cobras once inhabited the hot, dry forests of Madhya Pradesh, the selection of source — Karnataka — did not take into account new research that shows all king cobras are not the same. The king cobra, the world's longest venomous snake, can grow to 15 feet in length. It prefers humid, dark forests with thick undergrowth, cool swamps, and bamboo patches across diverse habitats — from highland evergreen and semi-evergreen forests to estuarine mangroves with high rainfall. In India, the king cobra's range includes the Western Ghats, the North Indian terai belt, Northeast India, the mangrove coastlines of West Bengal and Odisha, Andaman and Nicobar, and parts of the Eastern Ghats. Since 2014, king cobras have been reported in Korba, eastern Chhattisgarh — hundreds of kilometres from Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh or Berhampur in Orissa, the established range of the species. This has raised hopes of finding king cobras in the adjoining forests of Satpura and Sanjay Dubri tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh. That said, there is no reliable historical record of the presence of the king cobra in the dry deciduous forests of central India. 'There is no record of a confirmed sighting of a king cobra in the forests of MP,' a former senior state forest official said. 'We don't have enough perennial sources of water or even extended tracts of dense vegetation to provide cool niches in the summer. There could be occasional edge populations but that does not put MP in the king cobra's range,' the former forest official said. Until recently, king cobras were considered one species, Ophiophagus hannah. However, in 2021, a study led by wildlife biologist Gowri Shankar used genetic and morphometric (shape and size) data for 'a species delimitation analysis', which identified four geographically separate lineages. These are, from west to east, an endemic Western Ghats lineage; a widespread Asian mainland lineage distributed from northern and eastern India to China and Thailand; and two other lineages distributed in the Malay Peninsula, the Greater Sunda Islands, and the Philippines. Subsequently, the small endemic population of king cobras in the hills of Western Ghats — Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, and adjacent areas of Maharashtra — was distinguished as a separate species (Ophiophagus kaalinga), different from the king cobras found in the rest of India, including the Korba population closest to MP. On the one hand, therefore, a king cobra brought from Karnataka to MP would be of a hill-dwelling species unused to central India's dry, bare, and hot forests. On the other hand, any plan to source king cobras endemic to the Western Ghats to raise a wild population in central India is a recipe for eventual hybridisation — something that experts have warned against. A study by an international team of researchers published in the European Journal of Taxonomy last year underlined that the king cobra species endemic to the Western Ghats is 'restricted to relatively small areas and highly threatened habitats', and 'understanding the systematics of the genus' is important for identifying captive stocks for conservation. 'Any captive breeding and reintroduction efforts must ensure that species are not allowed to hybridise, and that only the appropriate local species is released in any reintroduction programme,' the study said. This is worrisome because the collective population of king cobras, viewed as one species until recently, evoked a false sense of security and was placed under the 'vulnerable' category by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global authority on the status of species. But as a separate species endemic to the Western Ghats, the Ophiophagus kaalinga is likely to be highly endangered. 'If at all MP had to source king cobras, they could have adhered to the taxonomic updates and made attempts to bring snakes from the Northeast. Anyway, no state has surplus king cobras to support this ecologically unsound experiment,' Vivek Sharma, a Jabalpur-based herpetologist and founder of the Snakehub app, said. 'When a king cobra slithers on the ground, other snakes flee from their holes, and the king cobra hunts them… Since the king cobra has vanished, districts like Dindori, where I was minister-in-charge, have seen up to 200 snakebite deaths annually,' Chief Minister Yadav told foresters earlier this year. The CM wants to assess the populations of venomous snakes before unleashing king cobras on them. However, king cobras, the only snake species that builds nests for its eggs, do not breed well in captivity. In the best case scenario, 'it may take decades to reasonably populate' a sizable part of MP, a senior scientist at the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) said. 'King cobras tend to stay away from human habitations. So their impact on reducing venomous snakes in human-dominated areas can be felt only when king cobra populations reach a certain level,' the WII scientist said. Experts are also perplexed about the call for a snake census. 'It is not possible to count snakes with any degree of accuracy in the wild. There is no protocol for a snake census anywhere in the world because nobody ever considered it feasible or even necessary from a conservation standpoint,' Jose Louies, CEO, Wildlife Trust of India, and founder, said. Jay Mazoomdaar is an investigative reporter focused on offshore finance, equitable growth, natural resources management and biodiversity conservation. Over two decades, his work has been recognised by the International Press Institute, the Ramnath Goenka Foundation, the Commonwealth Press Union, the Prem Bhatia Memorial Trust, the Asian College of Journalism etc. Mazoomdaar's major investigations include the extirpation of tigers in Sariska, global offshore probes such as Panama Papers, Robert Vadra's land deals in Rajasthan, India's dubious forest cover data, Vyapam deaths in Madhya Pradesh, mega projects flouting clearance conditions, Nitin Gadkari's link to e-rickshaws, India shifting stand on ivory ban to fly in African cheetahs, the loss of indigenous cow breeds, the hydel rush in Arunachal Pradesh, land mafias inside Corbett, the JDY financial inclusion scheme, an iron ore heist in Odisha, highways expansion through the Kanha-Pench landscape etc. ... Read More

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store