Film director Karan Johar on Wednesday posted yet another video of his twins entertaining him in the most adorable manner during the lockdown. In the latest video, Johar is seen flaunting the singing skills of his little munchkins - Roohi and Yash.

The twins are seen sitting on a sofa with a guitar in their hand and trying really hard to sing in their adorable voices but are only able to hum "La La La La La," in chorus. The video begins with Karan introducing the two little musicians saying, "We have two very talented musicians in the house, ladies, and gentlemen give it up for Roohi and Yash."

 

 

 

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A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) onApr 22, 2020 at 12:19am PDT

As the two began with their 'singing,' Karan takes a minute and then briefly interrupts them asking, "Excuse me! Can you please sing something more melodious?" Accepting that singing is something that the Johar family is not good at, the 47-year-old director wrote in the caption, "Clearly singing is not in our genes! Apologies in advance! #lockdownwiththejohars #toodles."

The 'Student of the Year' director has been spending time with his children and has been posting such video ever since the lockdown was imposed across the country.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha on Wednesday paid homage to legendary late filmmaker BR Chopra on the occasion of his birth anniversary. The 74-year-old actor took to Twitter to pay tributes to the late creator of iconic TV series 'Mahabharat.'

"Homages, tributes & prayers for the great filmmaker, par excellence legend in the true sense, producer, director, late & great, pioneer, #BRChopra on his birth anniversary," Sinha tweeted. The 'Naseeb' actor also remembered some of the classic films that the legendary filmmaker has given to the Indian cinema industry.

Sharing an emotional video, on the last day of the shoot of Mahabharata, with his late & great son#RaviChopra who had co directed the serial. Profound regards to his family. Birth anniversary 🕉💐 pic.twitter.com/x2cjTCXBCM

— Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) April 22, 2020

"He has left behind an enormous legacy of several hit films & immortal gems for us to cherish for a lifetime Naya Daur, Ek hi Raasta, Waqt, the first song less, film Kanoon, Ittefaq, to name a few His films mostly dealt with concepts well ahead of the times," he tweeted.

"He worked with mostly all the leading artists of his time. He was a rarest of rare human being & was equally successful with his most watched & popular tv serial the epic 'Mahabharat', written by the famous intellectual, writer, late & great #Dr.RahiMasoomRaza," the tweet further read.

BR Chopra was an iconic figure in the Indian cinema industry and was also a recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Some of his most successful movies include 'Naya Daur,' 'Humraaz,' and 'Sadhna.'

He is best known for his iconic TV series 'Mahabharat'.

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Radhika Madan was heartbroken when Angrezi Medium — a film that she had dedicated the past four months to — ran in theatres for only a day, before the shutdown of cinemas came into effect from March 14. But good things come to those who wait. The Irrfan-starrer was recently released on Disney+Hotstar and has been winning viewers' hearts.

"I feel the movie is getting its due finally," says the actor, relieved that their labour of love has reached the audience. Though producer Dinesh Vijan initially toyed with the idea of releasing the comedy again after the situation returns to normalcy, the makers did a rethink. "We understood that the pandemic and its repercussions were far bigger than our individual interests. As a team, we reflected that we had made the film because we wanted to share the story and make people smile. So, it didn't make sense to delay the digital release. We did not want to wait and re-release the movie because there [is a backlog of] too many films."

Madan believes that viewers are able to identify with the father-daughter story more strongly today because the current scenario has made them value their relationships more than ever before. "People have written to me about the scenes they liked in the film. It was adorable to see fathers and daughters watching the film together and bonding over it. People are re-evaluating their priorities because of the lockdown. Now that I am away from my parents, I value them so much more, and the film highlights that emotion."

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Abhay Deol is not only one of the most versatile actors but also a fantastic artist. He has often shared his work of art on his Instagram account and the latest one is probably the best. He shared a painting of a woman and it was a reflection and representation of the Coronavirus pandemic the world is suffering from. His fans were in awe after seeing this!

This is what he wrote about it- "Trying to get back into drawing/painting. Couldn't help but draw the people most affected by the pandemic. I should try and work on happier themes! But living in a country that fans communal hatred even through a pandemic, with a media that is itself biased and divisive, where there is active disinformation everywhere manipulating people, where your nationalism is more important than your humanity, I guess this woman is appropriate." (sic)

Have a look right here:

 

 

 

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Trying to get back into drawing/painting. Couldn’t help but draw the people most affected by the pandemic. I should try and work on happier themes! But living in a country that fans communal hatred even through a pandemic, with a media that is itself biased and divisive, where there is active disinformation everywhere manipulating people, where your nationalism is more important than your humanity, I guess this woman is appropriate.

A post shared by Abhay Deol (@abhaydeol) onApr 21, 2020 at 1:45am PDT

A user wrote- "This is so beautiful." Another one wrote- "Heartbreaking! ....my artist extraordinaire...." (sic) And another one stated- "This world needs more humans like you." The actor posted another picture where he said he's stepping out after a long time but only to buy essentials. Have a look right here:

 

 

 

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1st time out in a looooong time! Only to buy essentials (yes sometimes I do my own shopping 🙄). What’s essential to you?

A post shared by Abhay Deol (@abhaydeol) onApr 22, 2020 at 12:45am PDT

It seems it's time to keep a tab on his Instagram account more often since he's one of the most interesting celebrities on social media and also a very honest one!

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Neha Kakkar has seen a lot of highs and lows in her personal and professional life. Talking about the former, she was in a relationship, and a rather strong one, with Bollywood actor Himansh Kohli, but fate had other plans and they broke up. After her relationship with the actor ended, she declared publicly that she was depressed.

She even broke down multiple times on Indian Idol every time she saw a singer perform on stage with all heart. It reminded her of those magical moments she spent with Kohli. But now, it seems she's not going to weep or cry anymore, she has now come up with something called the Move On Challenge and it's for all the girls out there and not just her.

In a video that she uploaded on Instagram, she urged all the girls not to cry over their exes. The video starts with her breaking down and suddenly transforming into a bold, confident lady flashing her contagious smile. This moment suggests she's happy being independent and herself. The video has a montage of multiple girls doing the same.

Watch it right here:

 

 

 

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Feat. My Beautiful Girls @tashakapoor @suyesha_savant @ritikavatsmakeupandhair @deepikasdeepclicks @vibhagusain 😍ðŸ¤Â— . Video's Concept: Neha Kakkar Video's Editing: Neha Kakkar Song Name: Jinke Liye Lyricist/Composer: @jaani777 Music Production: @bpraak Singer: Neha Kakkar Label: @tseries.official . #NehaKakkar #JaaniVe #Jaani #NehaKakkarSong #DesiGirls

A post shared by Neha Kakkar (@nehakakkar) onApr 21, 2020 at 11:05pm PDT

This is indeed an innovative and imaginative initiative the singer has come up with. Now the one thing that will be exciting to see is whether any other Bollywood or Television celebrity uploads such a video or becomes an active part of this challenge or not.

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It was the second week of March when the entire world was asked to remain inside their houses till the Coronavirus pandemic was over. And now, it's no news that the lockdown has been extended till May 3. But Bollywood being Bollywood, cannot escape from the clutches of rumours and false news. There were reports recently that suggested how Vicky Kaushal broke the lockdown and was pulled up by the cops. The actor, however, begs to differ.

Taking to his Twitter Account, he cleared the air that no such thing had happened. He wrote- "There are baseless rumours suggesting that I broke the lockdown and got pulled up by the cops. I've not stepped out of my house since the lockdown started. I request people not to heed the rumours." (sic)

Have a look at the tweet right here:

There are baseless rumours suggesting that I broke the lockdown and got pulled up by the cops. I've not stepped out of my house since the lockdown started. I request people not to heed the rumours. @MumbaiPolice

— Vicky Kaushal (@vickykaushal09) April 23, 2020

He may not have broken the lockdown but almost broke the Internet with his Quarantine cut he shared with all his fans and followers on Instagram. And just like everyone else, he is also busy doing the basic household chores and sharing random and candid selfies. Watch them all if you haven't. On the work front, the URI star is now gearing up for films like Takht, Sardar Udham Singh, Ashwatthama, and a film on the life of Sam Manekshaw.

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Amitabh Bachchan's social media feed is filled with moments and memories from his life. The superstar is known to dig out old photographs of himself and Bachchan family. His social media account is a treat for all the Bollywood buffs and especially people who are their fans and admirers. With the country undergoing lockdown due to coronavirus, the actor has taken up the task to fill smiles in this gloomy times through his adorable pictures.

Continuing the trend, Amitabh Bachchan posted another throwback picture of himself on his Instagram account. This picture is a collage of four images from his earlier years. The first picture is of the superstar in his youthful days, while the other three are just one picture, repeated thrice which shows off his "angry young man" look. Sharing the picture, the Piku actor wrote, "The age of innocence is over (sic)."

 

 

 

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The age of innocence is over ..

A post shared by Amitabh Bachchan (@amitabhbachchan) onApr 22, 2020 at 12:48pm PDT

Earlier, the superstar had shared a throwback picture of the premiere of his cult classic film Sholay. In the picture, he can be seen along with his co-star and wife Jaya Bachchan and Ramesh Sippy. "At the Premiere of SHOLAY .. 15th August 1975, at the Minerva .. Ma, Babuji, Jaya and a bow tied moi .. how pretty Jaya looks .. This was the 35 mm print at the Premiere .. the 70mm Stereo sound print , first time in India was stuck in Customs.. but after the Premiere got over by midnight, we got news that the 70mm print was out of Customs .. we told Ramesh ji to get it to the Minerva .. it came .. the first Indian film on 70mm Stereo .. and I sat on the floor of the Balcony with Vinod Khanna and finished seeing this amazing result till 3 in the morning (sic)", he captioned it.

 

 

 

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A post shared by Amitabh Bachchan (@amitabhbachchan) onApr 17, 2020 at 3:26am PDT

This was followed by a never-seen-before picture of himself from his younger days. "My very first photoshoot for a film magazine after joining the Industry in 1969 .. it was for the ‘Star & Style’ the only other prominent film mag., along with Filmfare at the time .. I was pushed and goaded into - a most reticent reluctant and very self-conscious shy me - by the most famed and feared journalist of the times - Devayani Chaubal .. obviously there was no ‘star’ or ‘style’ in the project .. but Devyani thought so .. a strong-minded lady, ever dressed in a shining white sari .. always !!! (sic)", he captioned it.

 

 

 

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My very first photo shoot for a film magazine after joining the Industry in 1969 .. it was for the ‘Star & Style’ the only other prominent film mag., along with Filmfare at the time .. I was pushed and goaded into - a most reticent reluctant and very self conscious shy me - by the most famed and feared journalist of the times - Devayani Chaubal .. obviously there was no ‘star’ or ‘style’ in the project .. but Devyani thought so .. a strong minded lady , ever dressed in a shining white sari .. always !!!

A post shared by Amitabh Bachchan (@amitabhbachchan) onApr 14, 2020 at 11:14am PDT

On the work front, Amitabh Bachchan will next be seen in Chehre alongside Emraan Hashmi, and Ayan Mukerji's Brahmastra with Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor. He recently wrapped up shooting for Gulabo Sitabo where he will be seen alongside Ayushmann Khurrana for the first time.

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Veteran actors Neena Gupta and Sanjay Mishra gorge on "puris" in a throwback video during their shoot for the upcoming film "Gwalior".

In the clip, shared by Neena on Instagram, the two actors can be seen feasting on hot puris in a restaurant and singing their funny version of "Do deewane sheher mein". In between bites, they updated the song thus: "Do chatore sheher main". "Just to make you smile 'Gwalior' film with @imsanjaimishracoming soon!"

 

 

 

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A post shared by Neena Gupta (@neena_gupta) onApr 22, 2020 at 9:54pm PDT

"Gwalior", a thriller, is co-directed by Rajeev Barnwal and Jaspal Singh Sandhu. Neena also shared a new photograph of herself flaunting a new hairband. "My new hair band look," she wrote.

Recently, she shared a video of herself holding a lawn mower and cutting the grass. On the work front, Neena will be seen sharing screen space with her daughter Masaba in her Netflix's show "Masaba Masaba".

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Gorgeous Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar, who is set to debut in Akshay Kumar's Prithviraj, has always championed the cause of women. She backs Project Shakti, a non-profit programme, that has joined hands with local women across India and has empowered them to make a living by educating them to make biodegradable sanitary pads. The initiative works towards raising the awareness on menstrual hygiene among women in the local communities of these women.

Manushi lauds the government's decision to include sanitary pads as essential commodity amid coronavirus crisis. However, she explains that underprivileged women have become prone to severe risks due to shortage of funds in the hands of daily wage earners because of SARS-CoV-2 – the terminology now being used by medical fraternity to describe coronavirus globally. Manushi has an appeal to make to the all the government authorities.

"I'm hugely thankful that sanitary pads have been listed as an essential commodity by the government of India during SARS-CoV-2 crisis. However, we need to focus on how women, especially from the economically handicapped strata, can get pads free of cost. I also urge the governments of various states to kindly look into distributing sanitary pads along with daily rations to the underprivileged," she says.

Manushi adds, "The issue is that due to the shortage of funds, particularly among the daily wage earners, most would be looking to spend their money on just food and women's sanitation might not be a top priority for many families. This would increase the health hazard for millions of women in India as sanitary pads come at a certain cost and the financial crisis is definitely going to push women to be at risk. I have spoken to organizations who are working non-stop in ensuring pads are distributed free of cost but it would be great if administration, from a district level to city to state-level comes forward to help the needy."

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In 3 idiots, Boman Irani claimed that nobody remembered the man who came second. Birthday boy Arijit Singh could counter that. He participated in the singing reality show, Fame Gurukul, but was eliminated rather early. Today, over 15 years later, his voice has transcended boundaries and borders and the man has been charming one and all with his sensational and soothing singing skills.

His birthday would be the aptest occasion to revisit some of his best and most memorable songs that not only got permanently etched in people's minds but also showcased his unfairly overlooked versatility. Contrary to the memes and opinions, there's a lot more to his voice than pain and anguish. He has nearly nailed all possible kinds of songs in all genres that need to be highlighted and quick.

Here we go:

Love

1. Phir Mohabbat- Murder 2 (2011)

Emraan Hashmi and chartbuster music seem to be a match made in heaven. Music directors and singers always reserve their best, or at least one of their best works, for this star. Murder 2 was the first time the nation heard of Arijit Singh, and the way the song was crooned and captured, there was something haunting about his voice and the titillating chemistry between the actors. Always trust the Bhatts to pull off both!

2. Tum Hi Ho (2013)

What Aashiqui was to Kumar Sanu, the sequel was to Singh. Both Sanu and Singh became overnight stars and sensations post the historic success of these two films. Mahesh Bhatt and Mohit Suri's Aashiquis weren't as much about the plot and performances as much as they were about their iconic soundtrack. So if 1990 gave us Saanson Ki Zaroorat, 2013 gave us the love anthem of that year- Tum Hi Ho. Again, a deep melody that can hardly fade away. Couples that love to revel in their PDA would unabashedly embrace the track and romanticise about its melody, making it one of the most celebrated songs of the decade. A star was born!

Longing

Kabira- Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013)

Kabir aka Bunny from Ayan Mukerji's Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani wasn't exactly a likeable character. His ambitions and aspirations may have been relatable and contagious, his callousness wasn't. Kabir wasn't exactly a loner, but preferred to stay in his own world that comprises of everything and anything that gives him an adrenaline rush, or as Salman Khan said- Kick! In a film where everyone around him wants him to come back and be with people who love him, there couldn't have been a better song than Kabira to perfectly describe this protagonist. The lyrics were- "Ae Kabira Yun Na Jaa", and rightly so since all the characters in the film, right from his parents to friends to Naina, wanted him to stay. The song sums up how the feeling of longing looks and feels like.

Loneliness

1. Tum Saath Ho- Tamasha (2015)

Imtiaz Ali knows how to create a moment between his hero and heroine, especially with a good script and on a good day. Tamasha must have happened in his life during the best phase of his life. Just like Bunny, it was difficult to understand Ved, and his unpredictable outbursts were both shocking and scary. Tara begins to feel she has lost him forever and wants him back, but his stubbornness won't just allow him to hold her hand. In the filmmaker's own words, the emotions were real, and so were Arijit Singh and Alka Yagnik's enchanting vocals that powered what is one of the best songs to describe and depict loneliness.

2. Channa Mereya- Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016)

Is there any other actor who can show sadness as seamlessly as Ranbir Kapoor? Even he has begun to joke about it now. And Singh's voice, often described as solemn and sombre, perfectly fits Kapoor's on-screen demeanour. Channa Mereya is what you call a song that's been made for people who have been through the feeling of one-sided love. It still is the unlikeliest wedding song ever to exist in a Dharma Production film. And very similar to Tum Hi Ho, this made musical history too!

Lounges

1. Palat- Main Tera Hero (2014)

There are certain songs that can arouse the dancer inside you once you play them, especially in lounges. Palat from Main Tera Hero gave us a very different side of the singer. For someone who was always called to make people cry, was making us dance to his voice. This title track was infectiously choreographed and energetically crooned by the singer that it is a personal favourite even today!

2. Sooraj Dooba Hai- Roy (2015)

Not many people have seen Roy, and those who have, may not remember what exactly they saw. But they do remember what they heard. They heard the song Sooraj Dooba Hai, which became a rage when it came out. Singh's voice can hook and hypnotise you, both. And it's very rare to find a voice as versatile as his. So why don't we just end those jokes and memes that suggest Arijit Singh does not smile and nor do his songs?

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Amid the coronavirus outbreak, Bollywood celebrities have taken up the responsibility to appeal to everyone to stay safe, take precautions, stop panicking and refrain from spreading rumours. Ajay Devgn too joined the bandwagon and made an emotional appeal to his fans to stay at home by launching a special song titled Thahar Ja.

Watch the song here:

The video has been sung and composed by Mehul Vyas and penned by Anil Verma. In the video, an emotional Devgn appeals to people to stay inside their homes and take a break from their regular activities for the sake of their families. His son Yug also makes an appearance at the end of the music video.

Sharing the video on his Instagram handle, the Singham actor wrote, "Pause. Reflect. Pray. We will weather this storm together. Stay safe, Stay Happy. Apno ke liye #ThaharJa #IndiaFightsCorona (sic)."

 

 

 

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A post shared by Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) onApr 25, 2020 at 12:31am PDT

Before this, Akshay Kumar came up with a special version of the song Teri Mitti, from his film Kesari, to show his gratitude to the doctors and policemen working selflessly during these testing times.

 

 

 

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सà¥Âà¤¨à¤¾ था डà¥Â‰à¤Â•à¥Âà¤ÂŸà¤°à¥Âà¤¸ भà¤Â—वन à¤Â•à¤¾ रà¥Â‚प हà¥Â‹à¤¤à¥Â‡ हà¥Âˆ लà¥Â‡à¤Â•à¤¿à¤¨ à¤Â•à¥Â‹à¤°à¥Â‹à¤¨à¤¾ वायरस à¤Â•à¥Â€ à¤Â‡à¤¸ लà¥Âœà¤¾à¤Âˆ मà¥Â‡à¤Â‚ दà¥Â‡à¤Â– भà¥Â€ लिया l #TeriMitti Tribute - an ode to our heroes in white, out now @ParineetiChopra @anurag_singh_films @karanjohar @apoorva1972 @SunirKheterpal @bpraak @arko.pravo.mukherjee @manojmuntashir @azeemdayani @adityadevmusic @ericpillai @dharmamovies #CapeOfGoodFilms #AzureEntertainment @zeestudiosofficial @ZeeMusicCompany @dainikjagrannews

A post shared by Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) onApr 24, 2020 at 12:04am PDT

Salman Khan too gave us a spirited 'Pyar Karona' song that encourages us to fight the Coronavirus pandemic together. This was the superstar's first solo music album.

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The pandemic has truly bought the world to a standstill and staying at home is the need of the hour. However, some people are still working outside the comfort of their homes in order to fight against Covid-19. Sanya Malhotra expresses her gratitude towards them.

Sanya shares, "All those frontline workers, doctors, nurses and essential service professionals who are putting their lives at stake for us, I salute your efforts and determination towards the citizen and the nation."

Adding a social message for one and all Sanya further adds, "This only goes on to bring us a message that we must cooperate with all these workers and stay at home, until this pandemic is eradicated".

During these tough times, we need to work as one and fight together to eradicate the problem from its roots. This is the time where the the quote "United we stand, divided we fall" fits the situation and we must be one. Sanya Malhotra is putting out a strong message and using her influence in a positive manner.

On the work front, Sanya has a stellar line ups of projects being 'Shakuntala Devi' where the actress will be playing Anupama Banerjee while sharing the screen with Vidya Balan, Guneet Monga's Pagglait and Anurag Basu's Ludo.

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Bollywood's chirpy beauty Sara Ali Khan and brother Ibrahim, are keeping up with their fitness regime during the coronavirus lockdown period by working out at home. However, on Saturday, they were joined by a new friend -- Fuffy Singh, their pet dog.

The 'Love Aaj Kal' actor took to Instagram to share a picture during their workout session. In the shared picture, the 24-year-old actor can be seen posing for the camera with her 'Pilates Girl' tee. On the other hand, Ibrahim is lying on the floor shirtless in his shorts and shoes.

 

 

 

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Knock knock 👊🏻👊🏻 Who’s there? Not us- we’re working out 💪🏻 🙌🏻 Yes, us includes Fuffy Singh 🐕 🐶 @fuffy07 #happyweekend #stayhome #staysafe #staypositive

A post shared by Sara Ali Khan (@saraalikhan95) onApr 25, 2020 at 11:10am PDT

Meanwhile, their adorable pet dog, Fluffy, can be seen watching the brother-sister duo. Taking it to the captions with another 'Knock Knock' reference, she wrote: "Knock knock Who's there?Not us- we're working out Yes, us includes Fuffy Singh @fuffy07#happyweekend #stayhome #staysafe #staypositive"

On Friday, the brother-sister pair tried to beat the lockdown blues and shared an adorably sweet video shot while playing 'Knock Knock joke.' Meanwhile, the 'Simmba' star keeps on sharing glimpses of her quarantine time to keep her fans updated on her social media.

 

 

 

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For now, we all live under a rock 🏡 All of us- the nerd 🤓the jock ⚽️ In the meantime Ibrahim and sister you can mock 👫🙊🙈 While we do our favourite Knock Knock🐣🤷‍♀️🚪👊🏻👊🏻 #knockout

A post shared by Sara Ali Khan (@saraalikhan95) onApr 24, 2020 at 6:01am PDT

Ahead of the Earth Day, Khan shared her love for mother Earth through a collage of beautiful throwback pictures with exotic natural beauty forming the backdrop.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

The lockdown may have played havoc with the schedule of their next, but Rajkummar Rao and Kriti Sanon are seeking comfort in the small progress they have made. For months, the team had been on the hunt for a suitable title for the comedy that also features Paresh Rawal and Dimple Kapadia. Now, the makers have finally christened it Second Innings. "The title fits our story seamlessly," says director Abhishek Jain about his maiden Hindi venture.

The production house has previously tackled diverse social issues with their offerings Bala (2019), Luka Chuppi (2019) and the recent Angrezi Medium. Second Innings explores the idea of adopting parents through Rao and Sanon's characters, who feel a vacuum in their lives and decide to bring an older couple home to complete the family.

Dimple Kapadia and Paresh Rawal

"We were supposed to begin shooting in Delhi in March, but now everything has been pushed due to the pandemic," says Jain, indicating that the schedules will have to reworked when normalcy returns.

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Sharing a video which he termed as 'a small step towards humanity', megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Sunday urged people to stay compassionate and inclusive in the testing times of coronavirus crisis.

Bachchan took to Twitter to share the initiative of spreading love and compassion across the country.

T 3513 - A small step towards #Humanity pic.twitter.com/dHu6ZE7aMd

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) April 26, 2020

The video message for which Bachchan has given his voice talks about different times when humans need a helping hand from several professionals and how during times of crisis people should not forget that humans are interdependent on each other. "A doctor held me in his arms when I came out of my mother's womb. A nurse bathed me with her gentle hands when I was a little baby. My teacher held my finger with her fingers when she taught me to write the first alphabet 'A.' My safety was in the hands of our driver when I went to school," Bachchan is heard saying in the video.

"When I ate, I always knew that it was prepared by the loving hands of our cook. We always needed those hands, we still need them, those safe hands, those protective arms, those guiding fingers," he further said.

He then correlated the message to the current scenario of the coronavirus crisis and said that social distancing should not distance people from humanity.

"Today, handwashing and social distancing have become paramount for our safety. So, hands folded I implore you, let us not wash our hands of humanity," the 'Sholay' actor said.

"Let us not suspicious of people around us, let us not shun people around us, let us not shame people around us. Let us be aware, let us be compassionate, let us be benevolent, let us be inclusive, let us be human," he added.

The 77-year-old actor has been associated with different campaigns and has also been raising awareness about coronavirus for a long time.

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It seems Hrithik Roshan was always destined to be a Superstar. They call him the last Superstar of Hindi Cinema. And even before the release of his blockbuster debut, Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, he was working on films like Mission Kashmir, Yaadein, and Fiza. Talking of this film that was made by film critic turned filmmaker Khalid Mohamed, it showed a very different side of the star and was just his second film.

Instead of tapping into his aura and smoldering persona, the filmmaker portrayed his human and vulnerable side, thus proving he not only has a solid screen presence but the ability to emote too. Sharing an unseen picture from the sets of the film, Mohamed showed all of us a very young Hrithik Roshan and the actor was truly overwhelmed seeing it.

First, take a look at the picture:

PIYA HAJI ALI.. was first day of shoot with HRITHIK ROSHAN as AMAAN in FIZA, now streaming on NETFLIX. Do have a look. pic.twitter.com/5LoaGitb7J

— khalid mohamed (@Jhajhajha) April 26, 2020

And this is what Roshan tweeted to him- "Wow . Overwhelmed looking at this . KNPH hadn’t released. Thanks for treating me so kindly on set." (sic) Have a look right here:

Wow . Overwhelmed looking at this . KNPH hadn’t released. Thanks for treating me so kindly on set @Jhajhajha https://t.co/oZrtEQJbp3

— Hrithik Roshan (@iHrithik) April 26, 2020

Fiza will be completing 2 decades this year and still remains of his most nuanced performances as an actor. And of course, Karisma Kapoor’s best till date!

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Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti's Tiger Baby Films has one of the most intriguing pages on social media. The page has the most evocative artistic narrations, orated to viewers by eminent personalities from the industry.

They recently brought into play their new series on social media called 'Off the record' where the most prominent actors of the Indian film industry describe one of their most exemplary scenes from one of their movies.

This time around, it was Anushka Sharma on the mike as the actress spoke about her introduction scene as Farah in Dil Dhadakne Do and everything that makes the scene unique and special while giving some unknown sneak peeks into how the shooting went down.

Earlier, Farhan Akhtar and Ranveer Singh have also shared similar stories from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Dil Dhadakne Do respectively. Tiger Baby films shared the post on social media with the caption, "Off The Record with Anushka Sharma | Dil Dhadakne Do."

"We make films for the silver screen but the little stories that make the big picture don't always come through.
Here's introducing our 'Off The Record' series where cast and crew from the Tiger Baby clan let us in on what went into creating some of their best scenes, what their psychology was in that moment and why this particular scene will always remain unforgettable to them. #nowrolling #storybehindthescene #offtherecordwithtigerbaby." (sic)

Off The Record with Anushka Sharma
Film: Dil Dhadakne Do
Scene: Farah's introduction scene", have a look right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

We make films for the silver screen but the little stories that make the big picture don't always come through. Here's introducing our 'Off The Record' series where cast and crew from the Tiger Baby clan let us in on what went into creating some of their best scenes, what their psychology was in that moment and why this particular scene will always remain unforgettable to them. #nowrolling #storybehindthescene #offtherecordwithtigerbaby Off The Record with Anushka Sharma Film: Dil Dhadakne Do Scene : Farah's introduction scene

A post shared by Tiger Baby (@tigerbabyfilms) onApr 26, 2020 at 11:26pm PDT

The film was mounted on a huge scale but also highlighted the importance of staying together and how a family comes first. And Anushka, as always, delivered a layered and nuanced performance. 

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Pic courtesy/YouTube

Consuming a ketogenic diet not only helps to lose weight but also helps maintain vision in patients with glaucoma, a study conducted over mice has found. Ketogenic diet is a diet which has high fat, low protein and low carbohydrates.

Glaucoma is a progressive disease in which damage to the cells that transmit visual information to the brain leads to vision loss and, in some cases, blindness. Higher rates of glaucoma in people with diabetes suggests a potential connection between this eye disease and metabolic stress.

The findings led by Denise Inman from the Northeast Ohio Medical University in the US showed that a low carb and high-fat diet protects retina cells and their connections to the brain from degeneration.

Switching mice destined to develop glaucoma to a low carbohydrate, high fat diet protects the cells of the retina and their connections to the brain from degeneration.

The results, published in the journal JNeurosci, found that feeding mice, genetically modified to develop glaucoma, a ketogenic diet composed of nearly 90 per cent fat for two months protected retinal cells from degeneration by increasing energy availability.

Although further research into this intervention is required, these findings suggest that a ketogenic diet may help to maintain vision in patients with glaucoma, the researchers said.

(Edited by mid-day online desk, with inputs from IANS)

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Acupuncture may not boost chances of IVF success

Undergoing acupuncture treatment during in vitro fertilisation (IVF) might not increase a woman's chances of conceiving, finds a study. The study, however, showed that acupuncture is no better than placebo for improving IVF success.

Acupuncture, a traditional Chinese medicine in which thin needles are inserted into the body, has become a widely used treatment prior to and during IVF.

It showed no significant benefit from IVF when compared with a short course of acupuncture using dummy needles placed away from "true" acupuncture points.

"Our findings do not support acupuncture as an efficacious treatment compared to sham," lead investigator Caroline Smith, Professor at the Western Sydney University in Australia.

For the study, published in the journal JAMA, the team included over 800 Australian and New Zealand women to examine the effects of acupuncture administered prior to and following an embryo transfer (ET).

The participants were given either acupuncture or a sham acupuncture control (a non-insertive needle placed away from the true acupuncture points).

The results showed the rate of live birth was 18.3 per cent among participants who received acupuncture versus 17.8 per cent who received the sham acupuncture control, a non-significant difference.

While a short course of acupuncture may statistically be no better than sham at improving live birth and pregnancy outcomes, a psycho-social benefit from acupuncture was reported by women undergoing IVF, the researchers said.

"Some studies suggest reproductive outcomes maybe improved when acupuncture is compared with no treatment," Smith said.

"Feeling relaxed and reporting relief from stress and women feeling good about themselves is to be welcomed for women as they undergo an IVF cycle," explained co-author Michael Chapman, Professor at the University of New South Wales, Sydney.

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Too busy or lazy to exercise? Men and women take note. Living without physical activity for six years during their middle age could be at an increased risk of suffering heart failure, researchers have warned.

The findings, described in the journal Circulation, suggest that consistently participating in the recommended 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity each week, such as brisk walking or biking, in middle age can reduce the heart failure risk by 31 per cent.

While it is known that people who are more physically active have lower risks of heart failure than those who are less active, but little is known about the impact of changes in exercise levels over time on heart failure risk.

"Going from no exercise to recommended activity levels over six years in middle age may reduce heart failure risk by 23 per cent," said Chiadi Ndumele, Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, US.

For the study, the team included 11,351 participants, with an average age 60, monitored annually for an average of 19 years.

According to the American Heart Association, the "recommended" amount is at least 75 minutes per week of vigorous intensity or at least 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity exercise.

Heart failure risk decreased by about 12 per cent in the participants who increased their physical activity category from poor to intermediate or recommended, or from intermediate to recommended, compared with those with consistently poor or intermediate activity ratings.

Conversely, heart failure risk increased by 18 per cent in the participants who reported decreased physical activity from visit one to visit three, compared with those with consistently recommended or intermediate activity levels.

Unlike heart attack, in which heart muscle dies, heart failure is marked by a long-term, chronic inability of the heart to pump enough blood, or pump it hard enough, to bring needed oxygen to the body.

The leading cause of hospitalisations in those over 65, the disorder's risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking and a family history.

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Summer is one of the hardest seasons for skin care. Scorching heat, pollution and sweat make it impossible for one to keep their skin clean and glowing. So, activated bamboo charcoal comes as a rescue during the summer.

During the hot summer days, your skin also absorbs impurities from surroundings. This, in turn, results in blemishes and blackheads. In order to prevent your skin from these damages, Vanlalmuanpuii from green trends Unisex Hair & Style Salon and Bina NG, Salon Director from Page 3 Luxury Salon & Makeover Studio, shares ways in which activated charcoal can be infused into your everyday skin care routine:

1. Scrub: Developing a skin care routine is important because it helps the skin maintain the elasticity while strengthening and paving way to clear, beautiful and smooth skin. With a plethora of products available in the market, it is important to add a basic face wash and scrub with activate charcoal to cleanse and exfoliate one's face regularly. Activated charcoal scrub helps to remove impurities, gently exfoliates, balances oily skin and shrinks appearance of pores.

2. Facial: A bi-monthly facial infused with activated bamboo charcoal will keep your skin free from toxins, impurities, dirt and blemishes. The creams and peel off masks used as part of facials, help in keeping one's skin well hydrated and reduce the puffiness.

3 Mask: Activated charcoal draws bacteria, poisons, chemicals, impurities and other micro-particles to the surface of skin, helping you achieve flawless complexion. A DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Charcoal mask by blending activated bamboo charcoal, aloe vera gel, jojoba oil, tea tree oil and fuller's earth is the perfect anti-aging solution that your skin deserves.

4. Deep cleansing: With your skin exposed to harsh sun rays and pollution, pores in your skin get clogged with toxins leaving your skin dull and lifeless. This in turn affects the overall complexion of the skin during summer. A strong remedy for this is infusing activated bamboo charcoal in a deep cleansing technique, which opens the pores and clears toxins, dirt and protects the skin for acne breakouts as well.

5. Peel off mask: Activated bamboo charcoal peel off masks is one of the soothing ways to help beautify and better one's skin. The mask is one of the powerful ways to clear the skin of toxins, dirt, impurities and blemishes. Not to forget, charcoal peel off mask is also one of the quickest ways to see immediate results.

(Edited by mid-day online desk, with inputs from IANS)

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Melatonin is a hormone known to promote sleep. But, have you ever wondered how melatonin helps to promote sleep? Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine have discovered how melatonin suppresses the neurons in the brain that keeps you awake and alert. The findings of the study, which is published in the Journal of Pineal Research, could lead to new therapies for those who suffer from insomnia.

"We as a society are losing sleep because we are working too hard, and it's causing a variety of health concerns," said Mahesh Thakkar, lead author of the study. "We often don't even think about sleep or consider it important. However, there is nothing more important than sleep. We need to focus on therapies that can help you have quality sleep, not just sleep."

Using a mouse model, Thakkar's research found that melatonin infused in the brain at dark -- when the mice are awake and active -- increased sleep and reduced wakefulness by suppressing specific neurons that stimulate the brain to wake up.

Thakkar also discovered that blocking melatonin receptors in the brain at bedtime significantly increased wakefulness. The experiments singled out one receptor, MT1, as the mechanism via which melatonin acts to inhibit the specific orexin neurons that wake you up. This discovery could help lead to medications that target only the MT1 receptor instead of multiple receptors, which could lead to fewer side effects for those who take sleep-promoting drugs.

"Melatonin has been used as a sleep drug for many years, but people didn't know how it worked," Thakkar said. "Our research suggests that if you target the melatonin MT1 receptor, you will get the most sleep with minimal side effects."

(Edited by mid-day online desk, with inputs from PTI)

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Want to stay young for long? If so, start exercising four to five times a day as it may help keep your heart stay healthy and slow down ageing, according to researchers. Research showed that different sizes of arteries are affected differently by varying amounts of exercise.

While exercising for about two to three days a week for about 30 minutes may be sufficient to minimise stiffening of middle-sized arteries, exercising for about four to five days a week is required to keep the larger central arteries youthful.

The study would help "develop exercise programmes to keep the heart youthful and even turn back time on older hearts and blood vessels", said one of the study authors, Benjamin Levine from the University of Texas.

With age, arteries -- which transport blood in and out of the heart -- become prone to stiffening, increasing the risk of heart diseases.

For the study, published in The Journal of Physiology, the team examined 102 people over 60 years old, with a consistent lifelong exercise history.

The participants were divided into four groups depending on their exercise history -- Sedentary: less than 2 exercise sessions per week; Casual Exercisers: 2-3 exercise sessions per week; Committed Exercisers: 4-5 exercise sessions per week and Masters Athletes: 6-7 exercise sessions per week.

A lifelong history of casual exercise (two-three times a week) resulted in more youthful middle-sized arteries, which supply oxygenated blood to the head and neck.

However, committed exercisers (4-5 times per week) also had more youthful large central arteries, which provide blood to the chest and abdomen, in addition to healthier middle-sized ones.

Larger arteries need more frequent exercise to slow down ageing, the researchers said.

The findings will help see "if we can reverse the ageing of a heart and blood vessels by using the right amount of exercise at the right time", Levine explained.

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The bus met with an accident soon after the accused drove it out from the depot

Unable to get a rail ticket for his native place Uttar Pradesh, a mentally unstable man decided to drive a state transport (ST) bus to his destination on Tuesday morning. However, his attempt failed when he banged into a roadside tree, soon after driving the vehicle out of the depot in Palghar.

According to the Boisar police, accused Sabir Ali Mansori, who is a Palghar resident, works as a scrap dealer. Around 10 am on Tuesday, he went to the ST bus depot and found a Boisar-Palghar bus parked in one of the slots. He immediately got into it and started the vehicle. The moment he left the depot, the bus collided head on with a roadside tree.

Accused Sabir Ali Mansori. Pics/Hanif Patel

The bus driver Amolsingh Rajput mentioned in his complaint that after parking the bus, he had gone to the control room to inform the officials that he would take the vehicle out on its route. On hearing a lot of commotion outside, he rushed back to see that the bus had met with an accident.

Police sources said that soon after the incident, the people who had gathered at the spot, beat up Mansori and handed him over to the police. The Boisar cops have booked him under sections 379 and 511 of IPC. Speaking to mid-day, Prakash Birajdar, senior inspector, said, "Following his arrest, the accused was produced in court and later sent to police custody. Even he was in a state of shock after the incident. We have received his medical reports, which will be verified before the next course of action."

Also Read: Aadhaar Scheme Helps 31-Year-Old Mentally Ill Woman Reunite With Family

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Santosh Kumar Shah

Virar resident and former film distributor Santosh Kumar Shah, 48, has lived through what can only be described as a tragic Bollywood plot, thanks to a landlord and policeman from hell.

Trouble began in January 2013, when he decided to move from Andheri to Virar. Shah had been a distributor for films such as Mahasangram (1990) and Insaaf (1997). He got a 1BHK apartment on a rent of Rs 2,700 and Rs 15,000 deposit, owned by one Ravikant Patil in Virar East.

No amenities
Shah was assured of every possible amenity in the house. But when he moved in, he found out that there was neither electricity nor any water supply. Shah said he complained to Patil about this and was assured it would be sorted out in a few days, but that never happened. He realised Patil had cheated others in the same flat, so he registered a complaint at the Virar police station. Patil was served a notice under Section 149 of the CrPC.

Soon after, Shah alleges Patil verbally threatened and abused him, asking him to withdraw the complaint and vacate the house. Patil then came to the flat with a woman and builder Bhushan Patil. Shah called the cops and went to the police station, when he saw Patil and the builder there. Shah said he was slapped by PSI Asif Baig. Shah's case was transferred to API DF Patil, following a robbery attempt in his flat.

PSI denies allegations
Baig denied all the charges. In fact, he said he would receive complaints against Shah from other society members, as he never paid his utility bills on time, resulting in the disconnection of his electricity and water. He would also call senior officers now and then for every problem.

Meanwhile, Shah alleged that in June 2014, he was assaulted by the accused and some more people. He called the cops, but nobody turned up. Shah attempted to meet Thane SP Rajesh Pradhan, but fainted before he could do so. The SP ordered his team to take Shah to the hospital and file an FIR against the accused.

Framed and locked up
When Shah came back to the police station to register the plaint, the cops ended up arresting him under charges of molestation and the POCSO Act. He ended up spending 20 months in prison for a crime he didn't commit. A court acquitted him and he was released on January 13, 2016. All cases against him were dropped in June 2017.

Shah then went back to the flat to collect his belongings but found nothing there. To his surprise, another tenant was residing there. His car was also missing.

Currently, Shah has no job and little money. He eats food at religious shrines and sleeps at railway stations. Last month, he approached current Thane SP Manjunath Shinde, who has asked Virar police to look into the matter. Palghar district PRO said, "We have received an application from Shah and ordered Virar police to investigate."

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The heavy showers on Tuesday caused severe waterlogging on the tracks of Kelwe and Nalasopara railway stations, stranding long distance trains. The Gujarat Duronto Express was halted at Kelwe while the Vadodara Express and Shatabdi Express were also stopped at Nalasopara early in the morning.

Passengers of the trains were stranded, with no way to reach their destinations. But Palghar police stepped in and helped by arranging transport for them to Mumbai in Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) and private vehicles.

"Around 700-800 passengers were stuck at Nalasopara station when the Tulinj police provided them food and shelter at Kutchi Hall and helped them reach their destinations beyond Borivali in buses and private vehicles," said PRO Hemant Katkar from Palghar district police. Around 100 passengers stuck at Kelwe station were sent to their destination, Borivali, in three buses, he added.

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Local fishermen yesterday rescued three teenagers who had got stranded in the sea off Uttan while taking selfies. Sources said the three, residents of Bhayander, had gone for a picnic to Bhati Bandar village beach near Uttan last morning and got engrossed clicking selfies on the rocks.

They'd failed to pay attention to the high tide, and before any one of them realised, they were surrounded by water from all sides. Scared, they'd then started screaming for help.

Fishermen rescued the three teenagers who had got stranded near Uttan while taking selfies. Pics/Azim Tamboli

The fisherfolk from the village heard their cries and rushed to their aid, while a villager called up the fire brigade. By the time fire officials reached the spot, the fishermen had rescued the boys — Sachin Waghmare, 16, Vishal Minde, 19, and Sumit Fatpara, 18 — studying in Stds XI and XII.

Chief Fire Officer Prakash Borade from Mira-Bhayander fire station said, "We received the call and rushed to the spot around 11.30 am. But when we reached, we saw that the local fishermen had already helped the youngsters out. Later, we called their parents and handed them over."

Also Read: Travel: Go camping to tranquil Uttan in Bhayander

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After months of stiff resistance to the high-speed train, villagers in Palghar finally took the bullet for their community. In return for their land, the bullet train authorities have not only promised the residents of 73 hamlets handsome compensation, but will also give them long-pending basic facilities, such as hospitals, schools and water supply.

This is the first time the authorities are using such a tactic to acquire land for government projects. Since June, the villagers have rebuffed all attempts to persuade them to get on board with the project, despite promises of hefty compensation. But when the authorities decided to ask individual land owners what they wanted, most of them demanded basic facilities that would benefit the entire community, which they had long been deprived of.

Authorities built a medical centre and school in pre-fabricated pods

Basic needs met
The locals' needs were simple enough - hospitals, schools, water - and easy to address. The National High Speed Railway Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) used shipping containers and train coaches set up the first two requirements at a cost of just R5 lakh per container, and around R4 lakh per year for salaries. The team is also looking at providing schools. The existing school at Dahanu is being upgraded, and the NHSRCL will ensure that it is staffed.

At Virathan Khurd, a medical facility was built in one of these pre-fabricated pods. At Silte village, the dilapidated health centre is being upgraded and converted into a permanent hospital. Dahanu's civic body will supply doctors and nurses who will visit the villages twice a week.

"Another health centre will be set up in a container at Silte. We are also planning to deploy a mobile health unit once a week in every village with the help of the local  civic body," said Dhananjay Kumar, NHSRCL spokesperson.

On Saturday, Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani will visit the villages to inaugurate the facilities. As for the water supply, the authorities will explore the possibility of tapping groundwater. If it is not feasible, then alternative arrangements will be made, said sources.

Everyone wins
This novel approach to appeasing project-affected people (PAPs) was born out of equal parts necessity and empathy. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project requires a total of 350 hectares of land in Maharashtra alone, and the lion's share of this land is in Palghar (221 ha). Of the 104 affected villages in the state, 73 are in Palghar tehsil. The resistance from these villagers threatened to derail the project from its 2022 deadline.

"The village sarpanchs have now authorised only a select set of people whose land is actually affected, and only they and the representatives of the sarpanch's office can deal with the land issues. No outsiders are allowed to deal with the NHSRCL teams," said Kumar.

"During conversations with the villagers and the sarpanch, they showed us a new road and other developmental projects for which the authorities had taken land from them. They said that despite these new projects, their village's condition had not improved. They lamented that they did not even have a hospital, and they had to travel far for medical attention," said the official.

"Our teams held extended discussions with the locals and made a list of all their requirements. We prioritised their needs and fixed them one by one, after which the villagers realised that we were serious about their welfare," he added.

All this is in addition to the compensation to be given to the land owners. "We are giving compensation at five times the value of the land, and an additional 25 per cent of the value to those who have willingly consented to the land acquisition in Maharashtra and Gujarat," said Kumar.

Sarpanchspeak
Speaking to mid-day, Dilip Bhoir, sarpanch of Silte village, confirmed: "The bullet train officials have indeed been working for our welfare. We gave them a list of our needs, and accordingly, they are upgrading the medical units. We have strictly told them not to get in touch with anybody except the affected land owners. This way, there will be no political interference or unnecessary activism."

Also Read: NHRCL: Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train fares likely between Rs 250 and Rs 3000

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In the seventh-floor auditorium of the YWCA in Andheri, familiar tunes of Boney M's Brown Girl In The Ring and MJ's smash-hit Black or White fill the air. But when you listen in carefully, the lyrics turn out to be, "Rules of the Animal School/ Tra la la la la.../All must do all things." Five women, seated in a circle, are being instructed about whether the squirrel enters before the elephant and when the lion steps in. Once the stage marking is done, they pick up animal marionettes, ready to bring them to life with a pull of strings.

"They have learnt how to manoeuvre the puppets well. We are now working towards helping them internalise their character and the story," Ritika Sahni tells us, as she takes a break from the rehearsal of The Learning Factory, a puppet theatre production by the NGO Trinayani, of which the singer is a founder-trustee. The play marks the organisation's foray into projects around inclusive education; creating awareness about disability being its core area of work. To be staged this Friday, the play revisits George Reavis's classic, The Animal School, which was written as an allegory in 1940, and highlights the plight of children who have unjustly suffered the fate of standardised tests and curricula.

(from right) Shubhada Pawar, Chitra Shirke, Shaifa Mobin Sheikh, Shaikh Saba and Yojana Wavikar have been trained as puppeteers

"We wanted to use a creative medium to start a conversation around education, and that the idea of one size fits all does not work. Puppetry, when used as an educational tool, has done wonders. So we thought why not rope in those individuals as puppeteers who can gain from learning the art?" shares Sahni, who invited educators and professional puppeteers Charu Prasad and Sudipta Mukherjee-Mandal to come on board to teach the art to five women from different walks of life, many of them being community workers with the YWCA.

"Puppetry is a sensory experience, and so little of what we do today is sensory. It tends to calm the body and the soul. It sparks the imagination, boosts confidence, and can even be used as a language learning tool, as was the case with some of the women here, who were not too familiar with English," explains Prasad, referring to the motley group, which includes a Class 10 student, a make-up artiste, a mother who is doing her graduation with her son, and a special educator.

"I have used finger puppets in the past as part of my workshops. But using string puppets at a professional level is a first," says Yojana Wavikar, who acquired her degree in special education after her daughter was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. She adds, "It is easy to capture children's attention with puppets. The message gets through without being preachy." Another puppeteer, Shaifa Mobin Sheikh, tells us that handling 13 puppets among the five of them was a challenging task, while homemaker Chitra Shirke adds how manoeuvring the marionettes was also a lesson in teamwork.

Teamwork is also what has helped bring the production together. Mukherjee-Mandal, for instance, who is also the creative resource person for Trinayani, is behind the aesthetically designed puppets. "Creativity is therapeutic," she tells us, as she gives finishing touches to the bear puppet, for which actor Ashish Vidyarthi has lent his voice. Reavis's story has been adapted for the play by Pune-based Deepak Morris, who has also reworked the lyrics of the popular songs. The songs have been sung by Sahni, some of which she will perform live tomorrow.

"After this public performance, our aim is to take The Learning Factory to as many schools as we can," Sahni shares, "a step closer to our dream of an inclusive education system that celebrates diversity."

ON Tomorrow, 6 pm AT Godrej Dance Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point.
Log on to bookmyshow.com
Entry Rs 250

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Explore the hidden village of Chuim, a small settlement in Bandra. The former farming hamlet is mostly populated by the East Indian community, the city’s original inhabitants. Lesser known than the popular settlements of Pali and Ranwar, Chuim village offers a new and relatively unseen face of the city. Walk 221: ChuimChronicles, the 90-minute tour, involves a deep dive into Chuim and covers interactive sessions about East Indian culture, stories, traditions and the heritage of the settlement.

ON March 16, 5 pm
MEETING POINT St Vincent De Paul Church, Chuim Village, Khar West
CALL 8828100111
COST Rs 499

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Going to a new restaurant is no longer about discovering what it has to offer on arrival. An online recce of the place is now part of the eating-out ritual. So, when we spot bhutte ki kees on the menu of The Culture House in Girgaum, we know we are ordering the much-loved dish from Indore's Sarafa Bazaar to satiate our Madhya Pradeshi palate — and to employ it as a litmus test to gauge the attention the recently opened restaurant pays to the vegetarian flavours of northern and western India it promises to bring to Mumbaikars.

We head to the eatery with a friend on a crisp Wednesday night, where we are welcomed by a hospitable staff. The spacious dining area has a haveli-like feel with chandeliers and wooden engravings. Located on a slightly raised level, it even has a vintage elevator for guests; a thoughtful addition, the friend points out.

Bhutte ki kees

As planned, we call for the bhutte ki kees (Rs 279) from the starters right away. "It will be made of sweet corn, though," the server tells us. Important information, considering the original recipe features desi corn, a monsoon crop, which isn't as sweet. But we are used to this jugaad at home, too, and are keen on seeing how the chef finds his way around it. The dish arrives in quick time, but is of a runnier consistency than it should be, and the mild use of spices does little to combat the extra sweetness. Disappointed, we move on to the one-plate meals, from which we pick the khichu khau suey (Rs 379) and Delhi stuff chilla (Rs 279).

Khichyu khausuey

The chilla, or besan pancake, is a staple on winter shaadi menus up north, served sizzling hot. We like the twist of stuffing it with paneer bhurji, but in the process, the chilla seems to have stayed on the tava a tad too long. The khau suey, a Gujarati twist on the Burmese dish, is what has got us all excited. And digging into the cotton-soft rice flour balls swimming in a coconut milk and curd broth leaves us reaching for more. The fried onions, peanuts and soya sticks make for the perfect accompaniments. But we do agree with our fellow diner when she remarks that the broth could have been thicker.

From the plethora of mains, we go for green Gujarat with bhakri (Rs 449). The undhiyo-like sabzi made with fewer winter veggies tastes just fine, as does the accompanying kadhi, but there is little on the platter that justifies the steep price.

Strawberry phirni

It's time for dessert, and from the seasonal options, we pick their strawberry phirni (Rs 349), which is a regular phirni topped with slices of the fruit. The moongdal sheera (Rs 299), when had later at home, reminds us of another winter shaadi indulgence, but we have tasted better versions. We'll return another day. But only because there is still much left to be tried from the vast menu.

AT The Culture House, Soni Building, opposite Bharati Vidya Bhavan, Girgaum
Time 11 am to 11.30 pm
CALL 30151598

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We're instantly intrigued by the images of coloured burgers topped with motifs from superhero fiction, posted by a new café in Kemps Corner whose opening we spotted while on an errand. We share the image with a friend, an avid comics fan, who aptly responds, "What the hell is that?" And that's the sort of bait it takes to convince someone from Central Mumbai to come to town.

The badges around the menu

We make a trip to the newly opened Pop Culture Cafe (PCC) on a Saturday afternoon. On entering the space we feel it is a true reflection of the city's real estate crunch. With keychains and baubles put up for sale, there are four high stools — good luck if you're vertically challenged like us — and a ledge that can accommodate about three people. If you plan on bringing a big group of friends and if you love them all, invite only one and let them breathe.

The menu includes pasta, pizza, burgers, shakes and waffles — all vegetarian and named after popular movies and TV shows.

Keychains available for sale

So, we pick the Hulk smaash pasta (Rs 250), the Hogwartz pizza (Rs 350), and a watermelon cooler (Rs 170). While we try to make conversation, the soundtrack of The Dark Knight by Hans Zimmer plays in the background. And even though we are fans, the vibe is a bit too weird. While we grumble about how there is no room for a quiet bite, let alone privacy, the food is literally handed over to us from the counter a few inches behind our backs.

Hulk smaash pasta

The cooler tastes more like a party punch with no trace of watermelon. One glance at the four-cheese pizza is enough to tell you it's unappetising; one bite, and you are convinced it is. You can only taste the mozarella and cheddar, and you'll be able to find a similar and tasteful variant at local food chains for a two-digit amount. Our last hope is the pasta. While we click a picture of the dish blended in pesto sauce with mozzarella sprinkles, the staff places a piggy bank shaped like the clenched fist of the Hulk next to it (resembling our fists at the moment). Our friend has the first go, and we nervously watch him drop his spoon in disappointment. It's bland, as is the presentation. He's kind to sum up the experience as average, but we sure as hell want our money back.

Watermelon cooler

Even though the place might appeal to the die-hard fan, it doesn't do justice to its price point. And it is also situated in a building that houses a popular coffee chain, a brewery and a Neapolitan restaurant. If you happen to get lost in the narrow alleyways in search of PCC and land up at any one of these, you can thank your stars.

Coloured burgers 

AT Pop Culture Cafe, Kwality House, Kemps Corner.
TIME 12 pm to 11 pm
CALL 8452928428

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Pop Culture Cafe didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals

A foot over bridge (FOB) connecting the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) platform 1 north end with BT Lane near Times of India building has collapsed. Around 23 people have been injured in the incident until now. The injured persons are being treated at St George Hospital, Fort. The commuters have been asked to use alternate routes. Senior officers are on spot.

Here's what the Mumbai Police tweeted on the incident:

Foot over bridge connecting CST platform 1 north end with B T Lane near Times of India building has collapsed. Injured persons are being shifted to hospitals. Traffic affected. Commuters to use alternate routes. Senior officers are on spot.

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) March 14, 2019

Mumbai police have diverted the traffic. Commuters have been asked to avoid JJ flyover, Fort, Crawford Market. Traffic has come to a standstill. Many people are feared to be trapped under debris. No official count as yet. A huge crowd has gathered at the site of the accident.

Here's what ANI tweeted:

#WATCH Mumbai: A foot over bridge near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) railway station has collapsed. Multiple injuries have been reported. pic.twitter.com/r43zS5eA0l

— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2019

Latest update: Two people have died, and 23 injured people have been injured so far.

#SpotVisuals: Two people died, 23 injured when part of a foot over bridge near CSMT station in Mumbai collapsed earlier this evening. (Pic source: NDRF) pic.twitter.com/LjI1qvRqlE

— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2019

Both the lady who died in the incident today are staff of GT HOSPITAL #MumbaiBridgeCollapse via @journofaizan

— mid-day (@mid_day) March 14, 2019

Latest Update: Four people have died in the incident so far. According to BMC, 17 injured people have been admitted at St George Hospital with 2 people dead. While 11 injured have been rushed to G T Hospital, two feared dead.

#UPDATE Disaster Management Unit (DMU) of BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation): Four people have died in the incident where part of a foot over bridge near CSMT railway station collapsed. #Mumbai pic.twitter.com/3hojDGKrbL

— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2019

Here's what the Ministry of Railways said about the incident:

Ministry of Railways on part of foot over bridge in Mumbai collapse incident: The bridge was of BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation). However, we're extending all our supports to the victims. Railway doctors & personnel are cooperating with BMC in relief & rescue operations. pic.twitter.com/Ut6jQkSFVi

— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2019

Here's the helpline number to St George Hospital:

4 people dead and several injured. As the rescue operations are underway here is the helpline for
St George 022-22620242. #MumbaiBridgeCollapse #cstbridgecollapse @journofaizan @AnuragANK @patel_bhupen @Swathirishi @rajtoday @AdityaGonsalves

— mid-day (@mid_day) March 14, 2019

Maharashtra minister Vinod Tawde reacts to the CSTM bridge collapse. Here's what he had to say:

Maha Min Vinod Tawde: A slab of the bridge had collapsed. Railways&BMC will conduct an inquiry into its maintenance. Bridge wasn't in a bad condition, it required minor repairs for which work was underway. Why was it not closed until the work was completed, it'll also be probed. pic.twitter.com/kkPYIMtNug

— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2019

Latest update: Five people feared dead, reports ANI.

#UPDATE Disaster Management Unit (DMU) of BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation): Five people have died in the incident where part of a foot over bridge near CSMT railway station collapsed. #Mumbai pic.twitter.com/juiLAQZOvk

— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2019

Here's how Maharasthra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reacted to the incident.

Pained to hear about the FOB incident near TOI building in Mumbai.
Spoke to BMC Commissioner and @MumbaiPolice officials and instructed to ensure speedy relief efforts in coordination with @RailMinIndia officials.

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) March 14, 2019

Maharashtra Minister Vinod Tawde announced that the state will provide for the treatment of the injured...We will give further update to you as and when we get information.

Mumbai police: The number of injured has risen to 36, including 2 people critically injured.

Here's the list of the number of injured people who are taken to St. George hospital.

List of injured people who are taken to St. George hospital. Have a look and help family. @mid_day @rpfcr @RailwaySeva @Central_Railway @CMOMaharashtra @Dev_Fadnavis #MumbaiBridgeCollapse pic.twitter.com/iiBuOgN23Q

— Suraj Ojha (@surajojhaa) March 14, 2019

Here's how Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted to the CSTM bridge collapse:

Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to the foot overbridge accident in Mumbai. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. Wishing that the injured recover at the earliest. The Maharashtra Government is providing all possible assistance to those affected.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 14, 2019

The rescue operation is underway. NDRF and Mumbai police team along with the dog squad is also present at the spot. The toll is likely to rise:

Mumbai: A team of NDRF and dog squad also present at the spot where portion of a foot over bridge near CSMT railways station collapsed earlier this evening. 5 people have died, 36 injured. Toll is likely to rise. pic.twitter.com/KxR4uxQ7BC

— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2019

Around five people have lost their lives in the incident so far. Here's a list of the names of the people who have lost their lives in the CST bridge collapse:

Update on #MumbaiBridgeCollapse via @AnuragANK -

36 injured (02 serious), Names of the 5 deceased people are as follows:
Apoorva Prabhu F/35
Ranjana Tambe F/40
Zahid Shiraj Khan M/32
Sarika Kulkarni F/35
Tapendra Singh M/35

May their souls RIP.

— mid-day (@mid_day) March 14, 2019

A taxi driver who was on his way from Churchgate to Mahim along with a customer escaped unhurt, reports Faizan Khan

Taxi driver Mohammed Akhtar Ansari along with a female passenger escape unhurt in #MumbaiBridgeCollapse .Akhtar was on his way from #churchgate to #Mahim, part of bridge fell on his cab. @mid_day @patel_bhupen @MumbaiPolice @CPMumbaiPolice @MCGM_BMC @DisasterMgmtBMC pic.twitter.com/ev4A2nsRIN

— Faizan فÛÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂŒضاÙ† خاÙ† (@journofaizan) March 14, 2019

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis: Ex-gratia of Rs 5 Lakh each will be given to the families of those who died in the incident and compensation of Rs 50,000 each will be given to the injured, state govt will provide for their treatment, reports ANI.

Maharashtra CM: It's unfortunate. I've ordered for a high level inquiry. A structural audit of the bridge had earlier been done&it was found to be fit. Even after that if such incident happened, it raises question on the audit. Inquiry will be done. Strictest action will be taken pic.twitter.com/h7qHQXKWqb

— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2019

Here's the latest update from Disaster Management Unit of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai:

Part of Foot Over Bridge Collapsed, Opp CST Station, near Times of India,Mumbai. @CPMumbaiPolice pic.twitter.com/ZGCgQBKG2T

— Disaster Management Department (MCGM) (@DisasterMgmtBMC) March 14, 2019

Pic/ANI

Mumbai mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar arrives at St George Hospital to meet the people who were injured in the CST station foot over bridge collapse.

Injured people are shifted to the following hospitals, reports Disaster Management Unit of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai.

Disaster Management Department Fire In ESIC Hospital Building,Andheri East Date: 17.12.2018.@CPMumbaiPolice @MCGM_BMC pic.twitter.com/ClKqwHAA09

— Disaster Management Department (MCGM) (@DisasterMgmtBMC) December 17, 2018

Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh calls the CST bridge collapse a 'horrible tragedy'. Here's what Riteish had to say about the CST station foot-over bridge collapse:

What a horrible tragedy.. so sad to know that many have lost lives. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones & prayers for the injured. This #MumbaiBridgeCollapse should have been avoided. This negligence is unpardonable.

— Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) March 14, 2019

Here's what Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had to say about the CST foot-over bridge collapse:

CM @Dev_Fadnavis on #MumbaiBridgeCollapse: “It's unfortunate. I've ordered for a high level inquiry. A structural audit of the bridge found to be fit. Even after that if such incident happened, it raises question on the audit. Inquiry will be done. Strictest action will be taken” pic.twitter.com/FH38lw0EF2

— mid-day (@mid_day) March 14, 2019

Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant reaches St George hospital to meet the people injured in the CST foot-over bridge collapse:

Mumbai: Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant reaches St George hospital to meet the people injured in the incident where part of a foot over bridge near CSMT railway station collapsed earlier this evening. pic.twitter.com/TdKmG5TXwU

— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2019

The collapse of a foot Overbridge in Mumbai is deeply saddening. My thoughts are with the families who lost their loved ones in this accident. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) March 14, 2019

Jahid Siraj Khan, 32, a resident of Nityanand Nagar, Ghatkopar lost his life in the CST foot-over bridge collapse while his father is injured and treated at the hospital, reports Anuraag Kamble.

Jahid Siraj Khan,32, resident of Nityanand Nagar, Ghatkopar. Jahid used to sell waist belts near Ghatkopar railway station. Jahid had gone to Crawford Market for buying belts with his father. Jahid lost his life in #MumbaiBridgeCollapse his father is injured@mid_day pic.twitter.com/uaAxMPT39I

— Anuraag Kamble (@AnuragANK) March 14, 2019

Here is a list of all the 32 people injured in the CST foot-over bridge collapse so far:

LIVE UPDATE on the CST Bridge Collapse.

Here is a list of all the 32 people injured due to the #MumbaiBridgeCollapse. They’ve been admitted in the near by hospitals. Let’s pray for their speedy recovery. @journofaizan @MCGM_BMC @MumbaiPolice @CMOMaharashtra @Dev_Fadnavis pic.twitter.com/Kf9CAyUS4z

— mid-day (@mid_day) March 14, 2019

Congress leader, Milind Deora reacts on Mumbai foot over bridge collapse: If the govt wants to send a message to the common Mumbaikars that this won't happen again then they should immediately lodge an FIR under IPC Section 302 which amounts to murder, against the concerned officers & auditors, reports ANI.

"I convey my deepest condolences to the next of those who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident. I pray for the speedy recovery of all those who have been injured in the incident", says CH. Vidyasagar Rao, Governor, Maharashtra on CST foot-over bridge collapse, reports Anuraag Kamble.

Dr. Ranjit Patil, MoS Home, Maharashtra says, Footover bridge near ToI Mumbai collapsing is a tragic incident. CM has immediately called for a meeting with BMC commissioner and Railway Ministry. Taking the injured to safety is of utmost importance and it is being done at a war-level, reports ANI.

Dr. Mukund Tayade, GT hospital Medical Superintendent gives the latest developments on those injured at the hospital:

Dr Mukund Tayade, GT hospital Medical Superintendent: We have received 2 bodies, both of them were nurses at this hospital. Body of one more nurse is at St George Hospital. 14 injured have been admitted here, 1 of them has been shifted to JJ Hospital for a neurosurgery. pic.twitter.com/0XyuM6Liro

— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2019

Actress Priya Malik reacts on the CST foot-over bridge collapse incident:

Waiting for the day the government takes responsibility for its actions. Apna time aayega?#MumbaiBridgeCollapse

— Priya Sometimes (@PriyaSometimes) March 14, 2019

Here's the latest update from GT hospital by Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan, reports ANI.

Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan after meeting the injured at GT Hospital: There is sufficient no.of doctors here, the experts are here. There is sufficient blood available in the blood bank. Accountability will come next, our priority is to cater to the injured first. #Mumbai pic.twitter.com/CXy1T3C6Zh

— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2019

NDRF team was withdrawn from the accident spot at 10.34 pm after the completion of the rescue operation. 5 people have died and 36 have been injured in the incident where part of a foot overbridge near CSMT railway station collapsed in Mumbai earlier this evening, reports ANI.

Here are a few photos of the incident:

Pic/Sameer Markande

Pic/Sameer Markande

A picture of the collapsed foot-over-bridge.

Pics Ashish Raje

Pic Anurag Kamble

Following the incident, Mumbai Police to register a case in the incident where a portion of a foot overbridge near CSMT railway station collapsed earlier this evening, reports ANI.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he had asked BMC chief Ajoy Mehta to fix "primary responsibility" for Thursday's foot overbridge collapse by Friday evening. The deck of a foot overbridge on DN Road connected to CSMT station collapsed Thursday evening, killing six persons and injuring 31.

Fadnavis was speaking to reporters after meeting the injured in St George's Hospital nearby. "It is shocking that such an accident can take place even after a structural audit. Primary responsibility will be fixed by this evening. I have asked civic chief (Ajoy Mehta) to find out names of those responsible," Fadnavis said.

"A high-level probe into this incident has already been ordered. Those responsible (for the collapse) will be punished," he said. Earlier in the day, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official had said the FOB was found to be structurally safe when it was audited in August 2016, soon after a British-era bridge over Savitri River got washed away in monsoon downpour in Mahad in Raigad district.

During that audit, 354 bridges were checked for their structural soundness. The FOB that collapsed on Thursday was marked C2B. This means it needed minor repairs only. Tenders were floated for the repair but it got held up," the official had said on Friday morning.

Fadnavis also said he had ordered a re-visit of all earlier structural audits carried out on such structures. The Maharashtra CM visited the mishap site post the visit to the hospital.

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation seized four cylinders on Monday which were kept illegally in the eatery below the staircase of CSMT's FOB which collapsed last month.

The civic officials have said that all other items in the shop were also seized because the place was not granted permission from the health department.

The CSMT FOB had collapsed partly on March 14 but the entire bridge was razed post that. The staircase was spared hence the eatery resumed operations in a few days.

Also read: BMC to re-audit 38 bridges in Mumbai

A routine inspection by the civic fire compliance cell on Monday morning revealed that the four gas cylinders in the shop were illegal. A senior BMC official said that the shop owner did not have licenses. An official told The Times of India, "We will have to demolish the shop, we will follow the due process."

Also read: Mumbai: BMC assistant engineer held in connection with CSMT bridge collapse

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The article has been sourced from third-party source and Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. All information provided on this article is for informational purposes only.

The Endgame is near, and we are talking quite literally here about the latest instalment in the Avengers series of superhero movies, which releases on April 26. After this week's brouhaha over Game of Thrones Season 8, it's the next big visual experience that has sent fans in a tizzy. And a pub in Khar is now hosting a pre-launch party of sorts for them, with various activities and F&B offers themed around the film.

"We have collaborated with digital community Things2doinMumbai, and brought ticket sponsors on board for the event. In terms of the activities, there are Avenger- related games and trivia, winners for which will get free tickets and discounted ones when the movie releases. We also have an array of themed cocktails in store," says Pragnesh Rai, owner of SamBar, which will host the evening, adding that there are a number of discounts on the existing menu, too, with drinks starting at Rs 39.

The cocktails include a beer-based one called black wid'wow; iron anna, which has whisky; tha end, which is vodka-based; and a super-potent Long Island iced tea that's aptly named hammered by Thor.

As for the games, these include Ant Man, where a player will be given three soda bottles and raisins. The aim is to drop these raisins from eye level into all three bottles, without bending down. Then there's Black Widow. For this, one person will hold a hula-hoop and another will have a fake spider placed on his head. The latter has to go through the hoop in the shortest possible time, without dropping the spider. All in all, it sounds like an event perfectly suited for fans of the Avengers. And even if you aren't one, you can still gain from the cheap booze, meaning it's a win-win.

ON April 18, 6.30 pm
AT SamBar Pub & Kitchen, Vora Building, 3rd Road, Khar West
Log on to insider.in
FREE

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Perhaps the saddest part of reading books is that at some point, they won't have any more pages to read. However, that isn't true at this art workshop where kids above five years of age will be introduced to the concept of never-ending books.

The session will discuss An Indian Beach, a book by French linocut artist Joelle Jolivet that depicts the changes that go through a day's routine at a beach on a South Indian Coast. Kids will also be taught to create their own never-ending book.

The workshop will be conducted by National Institute of Design alum Dhwani Shah, a regular with kids art workshops, who is also a designer at Chennai-based Tara Books, the organisation behind the event.

ON April 27, 11 am to 12.30 am
AT Kahani Tree, A Marathe Marg, Prabhadevi
CALL 24306780 Register info@kahanitree.com
Cost R650

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Like all responsible parents, Aastha Pashte, 28, took her two-day-old baby to a clinic for vaccinations, never imagining that the life-saving injections could turn life-threatening. It was only three weeks later, when the infant developed a mysterious fever, that Aastha discovered that the clinic had forgotten a 2-cm needle inside her child's bottom.

It took a two-hour surgery to remove the foreign body at the Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children. Once the child is discharged, the family is planning to sue the clinic that forgot the needle.

X-ray shows the needle dangerously close to the hip joint

Scans show needle
The baby boy, who is Aastha's first child, was born in perfect health on June 17. A couple of days later, the Chembur resident's family took the child to a local clinic for vaccination. Everything was normal until the 21st day after birth, when the infant became feverish. "When we took him to a private doctor, she thought it was the flu and prescribed some medicines. But when the baby didn't show any relief, we took him to Wadia hospital, where we were shocked to learn that there was a needle inside his buttock. Suddenly we realised why he cried every time we massaged oil on his buttocks," recalled Aastha, while talking to mid-day from the NICU.

Dr Minnie B

At first, the baby was diagnosed with osteomyelitis, an infection of the bone. But X-rays and CT scan showed a persistent shadow, indicating a foreign body. The parents then realised that it was the vaccination needle still stuck in their child's bottom, almost deep enough to graze the hip joint. On July 10, a surgery was performed to remove the needle. The baby is now stable and recovering in the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) at Wadia hospital.

Rare case
This was a first-of-its-kind case for the hospital. Dr Pradnya Bendre, paediatric surgeon at Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital, Parel, said, "The baby was taken for intra-operative surgery for removal of the foreign body. It was difficult to find the exact location; hence, multiple X-rays were taken. It took two hours to remove the needle under C-arm guidance localisations. The 2-cm needle was found embedded in the capsule of the left hip joint and the baby has recovered uneventfully without any complications."

"The needle had gone deep inside, and it was extremely challenging to perform the surgery on a newborn without making a big incision. Thankfully, the child was diagnosed without much delay. We want to highlight the issue so that such a blunder is not repeated in the future," said Dr Minnie Bodhanwala CEO Wadia Hospitals.

Also read: Mumbai: 1-month-old baby has narrow escape as maternity ward ceiling crumbles

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It was the dead of night, but when Suraj Gavai, 28, heard his dog growling and whining outside the house, he couldn't resist checking on his pet. But when he opened the door, he found an entirely different animal staring at him — a leopard. The big cat sprang at Suraj and gouged his eye.

Suraj was rushed to hospital, where his condition is stable. Experts are calling the incident an 'accidental attack', as the leopard likely pounced out of fright. A camera trap was put up in the area and patrolling was boosted following the incident.

Suraj was found in a pool of blood by his mother, Baby. Pics/Datta Kumbhar

The incident took place at 2 am on Sunday, when the Gavai family was fast asleep in their room at Mulund's Rahul Nagar slum pocket. The area falls under the Tulsi Range of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), which is home to several leopards.

The spot outside the house where the dog was chained

Blood everywhere
Suraj woke up when he heard his Rottweiler yapping desperately outside the house, where it had been chained. Second after he opened the door to check on the dog, the leopard swiped at his face at him. His parents woke up to see him in pain and blood. They instantly raised the alarm and called Suraj's elder brother Jayesh, who lives nearby. "My wife and I quickly rushed there to see the doorsteps covered with blood. Suraj was in pain. We rushed him to the local hospital. While we are praying for his quick recovery, we are also frightened since the incident," said Jayesh.

Suraj was moved to KEM hospital due to the serious nature of his injuries. Having undergone a surgery on his right eye at the Parel hospital late on Sunday morning, he is currently under observation. The dog suffered a minor injury too, and was taken to a local vet hospital, where his condition is said to be stable.

Hospital report
"The patient was evaluated by ophthalmology, general surgery and plastic surgery departments. He has contused lacerated wounds (CLW) over the right lower eyelid and scalp. The plastic surgeon sutured the CLW in the plastic operation theatre; the wound was sutured too. In the wake of the patient feeling giddy after taking scalp sutures, we have admitted him. His condition is currently stable," said Dr Avinash Supe, dean, KEM hospital.

High leopard activity
Wildlife and human-leopard conflict experts told mid-day that a combination of factors contributed to Sunday's incident. Krishna Tiwari, founder of the Forest and Wildlife Conservation Society (FWCS), said that the area, with its proximity to SGNP, is prone to leopard activity.

"The area is often unkempt and leopards in search for food are frequent visitors. Upon hearing the dog bark, the man should not have opened the door to begin with," Tiwari added.

Nikit Surve, a leopard researcher from Mumbai said, "The leopard and the man caught each other by surprise. In distress and panic, the leopard attacked the man."

Pawan Sharma, honorary wildlife warden with the Forest Department, said, "Just last week, locals had reported a leopard sighting in the area. Citizens need to be vigilant and abide by the dos and don'ts listed by the authorities.

He added that following Sunday's incident, camera traps were installed in the area to track leopard movements. Patrolling is also going to be increased. Despite repeated attempts to contact Jitendra Ramgaonkar, deputy conservator of forest, he remained unavailable for comment.

Also Read: Mumbai: Forest department trains people from Thane society to deal with leopards

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Earlier this year, while performing at a military training centre in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, singer Ameya Dabli recalls receiving a disturbing piece of news from the army chief Lt Ranbir Singh. Four terror attacks had taken place at a nearby hillock on the same day. The hill, as he soon learnt, was located less than a kilometre away from the centre.

"The chief said to me, 'Don't worry. We will protect you'. This one reassuring line was enough to allay our fears in that high tension zone," he says. Dabli and his team of musicians went on to deliver a power-packed two-hour performance regaling the audience with musical compositions of poems penned by Kabirdas, Guru Nanak, Amir Khusro and Tulsidas. "We didn't realise how those two hours flew by. You see, that's the power of music," he says. Since then, Dabli has performed at several other conflict regions of the country, including eight districts of Jammu and Kashmir, and four in the Northeast.

Singing for peace
It was three years ago that Dabli, a Bhandup resident, conceptualised Ekam Satt, which are essentially pro bono concerts curated for the Indian Armed Forces and civilians, in order to not just motivate jawans, but also bring peace. Born in a family of music lovers - his mother Anuradha Dabli is a trained classical and light music exponent - the 38-year-old was inducted into singing from the age of seven. "But, the idea to use music as a peace building tool was something that took shape during my last stint as the marketing head of Ronny and Zarina Screvwala's Swades Foundation. Here, I got the opportunity to interact with a lot of non-profits," he says.

Dabli, who holds a robust 15 years of corporate experience as marketing head with the Tata Group, HSBC and Citibank, now straddles a music career along with a venture where he mentors start-ups and NGOs to start their businesses. Till date, he has performed over 1,500 concerts across 15 countries. "Initially, it took us a good six months to curate the songs for Ekam Satt, because we wanted it to be a good blend of sufi, folk and contemporary music. We even got RS Mani, the music arranger of Veer Zaara to help us. But now, it's seamless," he says.

While Dable's pieces comprise the works of legendary poets such as Mirabai, Narsinh Mehta, Khwaja Garib Nawab and Tukaram, the songs are infused with peppy global music styles like hip hop, reggae and opera to make it livelier. "When we approached the Army headquarters in New Delhi with the concept, they loved it and immediately asked us to come on board," he says.

On the shaadi front
Interestingly, Dabli is also a sought-after name when it comes to weddings and sangeet and has performed at the glitzy wedding of Sasha Rawal - sister of Bollywood's leading fashion designer Kunal Rawal - and Samarth Bajaj, and very recently, the engagement of Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal. He has also organised gigs for Kumar Mangalam Birla, David and Lali Dhawan, Aditya Birla and Adi Godrej. "It's not the typical shaadi scene. My forte is the pheras, something that most people don't pay much attention to," he laughs. "I perform something called the signature wedding chants, where I don't just recite mantras, but also provide explanation of the vidhis or rituals," adds Dabli, who perfected his Sanskrit under the tutelage of his father, Professor PV Dabli, a scholar in the language.

Dabli says juggling his entrepreneurial venture with his musical endeavours does test his ability to multi-task. "Sometimes, I don't know which one to focus on more. But that's what happens when you love whatever you do equally," he smiles.

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Ghatkopar has some great food destinations for vegetarian patrons. So when Vedge XPRS, a new Quick-Service-Restaurant (QSR) opened its shutters at Ghatkopar's R-City Mall, we decided to check it out.

The Vedge XPRS offered a vast menu comprising the best of vegan food, including options for Jain guests.

Vedge XPRS serves some delicious quick bites ranging from soups, street food, pizzas, combos, shakes and much more

Humble beginnings…
We tucked ourselves into one corner of the food court and ordered some fries and signature nachos on the recommendation of manager Prathamesh. The Fully Loaded Nachos (Rs 265), their signature dish was crunchy with a generous amount of cheese topping, which made the dish a delight, especially for a nachos fan. The animal style fries (Rs 199) came next with five types of toppings - Peri Peri, Sriracha Mayo, Orange Garlic to name a few. Spoilt for choice, we opted for Jalapeño cheese. The potato fries were fried until lightly golden to make them crispy and topped with finely chopped Jalapenos.

Off coolers and pizzas
Next up, we tried our hands at Con Le Verdure Arrosto (Rs 285), a thin crust pizza. The piping hot 9-inch thin crust pizza was laden with loads of veggies and cheese. With every bite, the pizza just got crunchier and tastier. We surely recommend this one! The chilled coolers we ordered to compliment the pizzas arrived on our table. The Raw Mango (Rs 105) cooler was a soothing experience after our tryst with the fiery fries and nachos, while the Peach Ice Tea (Rs 185) was a refreshing twist. 

Choose from different combos on offer or opt for some authentic Indian street food, Chinese dumplings, and more to satiate one's hunger pangs

Dealing ‘In’ combos and pasta's
It was time for the main course and we opted for a Soup Noodle Combo (Rs 510) that consisted of Man chow soup and wok tossed noodles cooked in burnt chilli basil sauce. The generous portion good enough for two average eaters was served piping hot. We mopped up the dish quickly and went for a Penne Pasta (Rs 255) in a pink sauce. Along with the pink sauce twist, the outlet also offers two other funky options in pasta, cooked in white and red sauce.

We were put away by the colour of the dish and the taste of the pasta also did not meet up to our expectations. We would not recommend this variation of the Italian pasta.

Shaking with ‘Shakes’
We finished our meal on a 'sweet' note by going for their signature shake, the Chocolate Hazelnut (Rs 190) and an Oreo Cookies (Rs 185) shake from their ‘Shake It Up - Shakes’ section of the menu. 

You can even choose to have some chilled coolers and shakes as you shop till you drop at R City Mall in Ghatkopar (W)

Our view
The restaurant offers mouth-watering quick bites at affordable prices with a variety of choices ranging from soups, street food, pizzas, combos, shakes and other popular food items. If you are a foodie and love delicious vegetarian cuisines, then Vedge Xprs is a fabulous place to be.

Where: 3rd Floor, Food Court, R City Mall, LBS Marg, Ghatkopar West, Mumbai
Meal for two: Rs 600 to Rs 1,000
Alcohol served: No
Contact: 022 25175500

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I guess it happens to everyone at some point," remarks Ranjeet Adkar about mid-life crisis. The 45-year-old mechanical engineer quit his corporate job to pursue his passion for photography in April this year, after working in the profession for two decades. And in May, he started PhotoWorks, an organisation that conducts photography workshops and walks, and provides basic and advanced training to enthusiasts.

a photograph of schoolchildren from the village

This Saturday, Adkare will be conducting a walk around the colourful Asalpha village, a locality situated in Ghatkopar, which has often been compared to Positano, a popular holiday destination and quaint cliff-side village on southern Italy's Amalfi Coast. But Asalpha wasn't always Positano. Some time ago, it was much like any other slum in Mumbai, morbid with its crumbling walls, and homes as weathered as a book left out in the rain for too long. In 2017, an NGO started a campaign inviting volunteers to re-imagine the village and together, they painted close to 175 walls in the area, as well as murals, transforming the erstwhile slum into a vibrant village, and thereby making it an automatic option for photography.

Ranjeet Adkar

Resounding this, Adkare tells us, "I think there are two reasons why Asalpha attracts people. Firstly, the community is extremely open-minded and welcoming unlike some other places where people tend to say,'Please don't take our photograph.' They are chatty and forthcoming, so it's a fun place to be in.

And secondly, from a photography point of view, it's a place that allows you to truly explore street photography."
Elaborating on why Asalpha is a fertile ground for camera addicts, he shares, "There are narrow lanes, so it is apt for wide-angle photographs. The colours are simply brilliant despite being worn out a little. Then there are children on their way back from schools who are eager to pose, as is the rest of the community. So it's great for candid portraits as well."

On: September 22, 8 am
At: Asalpha village, Ghatkopar West.
Log on to: thephoto.works
Cost: Rs 750

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A month after she noticed what looked like an insect bite on her hand, Chanda Verma, 45, mysteriously died, after spending 22 days in the ICU. Before the Verma family could even process what had happened, the hospital handed them a bill of Rs 3 lakh, and refused to release the body until they paid up.

Late August, Chanda noticed a small sore on her hand. As a single mother supporting two kids on a modest income as a vegetable vendor, she brushed it off as an insect bite. But, in a few days, her hand swelled up and the pain became unbearable, and she was admitted to Sai hospital in Chembur, where she underwent surgery.

Mystery illness jolts family
Despite treatment, her condition deteriorated, and her entire body was swollen. She was moved to the ICU, where she spent 22 days in comatose state before succumbing to the infection on Tuesday. The shocked family's ordeal had only begun. When the family said they wanted to perform her last rites, they were handed a bill instead. The hospital held the body for nearly 12 hours, until the Vermas paid a portion of the bill.

"Around 10 am, I was informed that my sister had passed away. The hospital immediately gave us a bill of Rs 3 lakh. When I asked them when I could take the body, they ordered me to pay the pending amount, and threatened that they wouldn't release the body otherwise. We waited and pleaded, to no avail. Then my friends helped me collect Rs 50,000, which we gave before collecting the body," said Chanda's brother Ratan Verma, who runs a small local business. Chanda had died at 4 am, and her body was eventually released at 3 pm. She is survived by two children, aged 16 and 18.

Hospital says
A hospital staffer told mid-day, "The patient had a pending bill, so we couldn't release the body. The family members tried to shrug it off saying they didn't have any money. Later, they paid Rs 50,000 and took the body. What would we have done with the body anyway?"

Administration in-charge Padma Joseph said, "We had given them a lot of time to clear the bills. She was admitted for 20 days and the bill amount rose to above Rs 3 lakh. They paid around R1lakh, so, we asked them to pay the remaining as this is a private hospital and we can't let go of unpaid bills. This does not mean we held back the body. When they informed us that they could pay only Rs 50,000, I told the director who instructed us to give them the discharge file." Dr Abid Sayyed, director of the hospital, said, "We had informed the family about the estimated amount and also asked them to shift the patient to another hospital, but they didn't listen. When the patient died, the doctor had to negotiate the pending amount. We never stopped them from taking the body," he said.

Against apex court, HC ruling
The hospital's alleged insistence on payment before releasing the body is in violation of human rights and a judgment given by the Bombay High Court in January. The HC, while hearing a public interest litigation on bill disputes at hospitals, stated that detaining any patient for an unpaid amount is illegal. Last year, the Delhi High Court had issued a similar judgment, ordering that hospitals cannot hold patients "hostage" to extract money for unpaid bills. A few years earlier, the Supreme Court had also ruled similarly, advising hospitals to recover dues by moving court for legal recourse. In 2016, HC asked the state government to develop a mechanism which would enable the state to take action against hospitals and doctors who detain patients and hold up bodies over non-payment of bills.

Expertspeak
Dr Shivkumar Utture, president of Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC), said as private hospitals do not come under the purview of the council directly, there are no specific rules for that, but under the court rules, it is prohibited. "No hospital can refuse to release a body over unpaid bills. It would be a violation of the court judgment."

The Bombay HC also ordered the Maharashtra government to publish the legal rights of patients online, so that such harassment is not meted out to less privileged patients. However, seven months on, the government is yet to follow the directive. "Patients need to know about their rights so that private hospitals can't harass them. The state government hasn't done anything to spread awareness among people," said Dr Ravindra Singh, a health activist. Advocate Shailesh Sadekar said, "As per a SC ruling, it is illegal to hold a body and deny a chance to carry out the last rites over a bill," he said.

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It's been 35 years since over 2,000 Muslims were killed in the town of Nellie and its surrounding villages in Assam, and 34 years ago, the country was burning in the flames of anti-Sikh violence. In the semblance of the peaceful times we live in, these tragedies have been relegated to the dusty pages of history. But only when lessons are learnt from the past can there be the hope of history not repeating itself. Remembering/Forgetting, a screening of documentaries on the two tragic events, organised by the Godrej India Culture Lab, aims to do that by starting a dialogue between the audience and filmmakers, who will be present at the screening.

"When I visited the Sikh Widows Colony in West Delhi to speak to its residents, I chose to not meet them during October-November, when politicians visit them. It's only when they were sure that I had no political motive, did they start opening up about how they struggled and coped with the loss," recalls Teenaa Kaur Pasricha, whose documentary, 1984, When the Sun Didn't Rise, won the National Award for Best Investigative Film this year.
She adds that the number of cases that stand in court against the perpetrators of the 1984 violence have drastically come down over the years because people have given up hope for any justice to come their way.

Teenaa Kaur Pasricha

For Subasri Krishnan, making her documentary, What the Fields Remember, was an exercise in piecing together her own faint recollection of the word Nellie, which she had heard as an eight-year-old when she lived briefly in Assam. "In 2006, I came across an article on the Nellie massacre.

A still from What the Fields Remember

Later, when I started my research and came across very little material on it, I wanted to know why there is public amnesia about it," says the filmmaker, for whom the idea of citizenship has been an intellectual pursuit. The concern becomes even more relevant with the ramifications of being excluded from the National Register of Citizens, which forms the subject of her next documentary, Shadow Line.

Subasri Krishnan

"The history of minorities, written by the powerful, is always suppressed in the public eye," laments Pasricha — something that is as relevant in the case of the Nellie massacre, where the reality of Bengali-speaking victims in the already-neglected region of the North East only grows more complex.

ON Today, 5 pm
AT Auditorium, Godrej ONE, Vikhroli East 
RSVP indiaculturelab@godrejinds.com
FREE

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Three labourers died after inhaling toxic gas while cleaning a sewage treatment plant of a local civic body in Thane district of Maharashtra, a police official said on Thursday. The deceased were daily wage labourers and had no formal training in sewage cleaning, he said.

The incident took place on Wednesday when the labourers were cleaning a chocked valve in a chamber of the non-operational sewage treatment plant located in Mira Road area, an official at Thane rural police's control room said.

One of the labourers climbed down into the sewage treatment plant to clean it, but felt suffocated and collapsed, he said. Two more labourers later went inside to check their colleague but they also inhaled toxic gas and died, he said. Another 17-year-old labourer, who also inhaled the toxic fumes, was admitted to a hospital where he was undergoing treatment, the official said.

The labourers were hired by a civic contractor from near the Mira Road railway station for the cleaning work but they were not given any protective gear like masks, he said. They were also not trained in such cleaning operations, he said. The deceased were identified as Muzaffar Moulik (24), Rafique Mandal (50) and Mofjum (18). The bodies were sent to a local hospital for post mortem, the official said, adding that a probe was underway.

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Thane: A local court sentenced a man to three years rigorous imprisonment for abetting the suicide of his wife but acquitted his mother for lack of evidence in Maharashtra's Thane. District Judge RV Tamhanekar, in a recent order, also fined Bhiwandi-resident Sanjay Waghmare (26) Rs 7000.

Sanjay and his wife Priyanka had married in 2016 and there were frequent fights between the couple as well as the victim and her mother-in-law Jinsabai, said additional public prosecutor Sandhya Mhatre. After one such quarrel on August 30, 2017, Priyanka set herself ablaze, the APP said, adding that she died in a nearby hospital on September 4.

In his order, the judge said, "The accused has caused cruelty to the victim and his act was of such a nature as was likely to drive Priyanka to commit suicide". Sanjay was found guilty of the charges under sections 498A and 306 of the IPC, the APP said.

In a similar incident, the deposition of two minor siblings was considered as significant evidence by a Thane court which awarded five years imprisonment to their 45-year-old father for abetting the suicide of his wife. Assistant Sessions Judge S A Sinha held the accused, Sunil Martand Gaikwad, guilty under IPC sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 498 A (cruelty) while pronouncing the punishment. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on him.

The prosecution told the court that Gaikwad, a resident of Gorsai village in Thane's Bhiwandi taluka, had married the victim, Vaishali, on May 27, 2005. The couple had a son and a daughter, aged 11 and 10 at present. As per the prosecution, the accused would come home late from work after consuming liquor and then fight with his wife. Fed up with the harassment, the woman hanged herself at her home on June 21, 2017, they said.

In their sworn statements in court, the couple's two children said their father would abuse and beat their mother after consuming liquor. They told the court that on the day of the incident, Gaikwad came home in an inebriated state and abused their mother following which the couple quarrelled. The children then went to sleep. The daughter woke up after some time and saw her mother hanging. She started crying and alerted her brother. On seeing the woman hanging, Gaikwad ran away from the house leaving the children alone, the siblings told the court.

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Bollywood actress Shamita Shetty's driver was bashed up by a motorist and his friends in Majiwada, Thane. The incident took place followed by an accident in Thane on Tuesday afternoon. According to reports, Shetty travelled from Andheri to Thane for some personal work, when a car rammed into her BMW from the rear near Viviana Mall, Majiwada. When her driver got off the vehicle to check for any damages, the motorist and two of his friends started abusing him.

Following the incident, Shamita's driver approached Rabodi police station and filed a complaint against the attackers. The police have already managed to identify the vehicle and are currently working on tracing its owner. Meanwhile, Rabodi police have also registered a case against the trio under Sections 279, 323, 427, 504, 506, and 34 of the Indian Penal code.

Shamita Shetty, sister of actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra, is a Bollywood actress and an interior designer. She made her Bollywood debut in 2000 with the blockbuster Mohabbatein. Her portrayal in the film earned her the IIFA Award for Star Debut of the year.  She also featured in a couple of movies later and her notable work includes Zeher, Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, Bewafa and Cash. She was also a contestant on Bigg Boss, the reality show in 2009.  She is currently a contestant on the reality show season 9 of Colors, Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi. She had endorsed Pantene with her sister Shilpa Shetty Kundra for a year. She has also been associated with brands like Audi, Aldo, IIJAS Jewellery exhibition and many more.

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The Thane sessions court, on Wednesday, convicted a murderer and sentenced him to life imprisonment for killing a 16-year-old girl who had refused to marry him.

The complainant's lawyer Sushma Mishra said, "Her father and our team are very happy with the conviction. The convict, Zahir Sayyed, has also got an additional 10 years for trying to kill the girl's father."

On November 3, 2014, Zahir, a Nashik resident, barged into the house of the minor, after her parents rejected his proposal of marriage, and stabbed her. When her father tried to stop him, he attacked him with the same knife.

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A Maharashtra government official was Thursday sentenced to 16 months rigorous imprisonment by a court in the neighbouring Raigad district for accepting a bribe.

Raigad Additional District Judge BC Kamble convicted Ashik Bharti, a deputy engineer with the Kharbhoomi Sarvekshan and Anveshan Department of Pen, under the Prevention of Corruption Act and fined him Rs 5,000, said a senior Anti-Corruption Bureau official.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (ACB) Mahesh Patil said Bharti had demanded Rs 5 lakh from a contractor to get his bills cleared. The contractor approached the ACB following which a trap was laid on November 6, 2015, and Bharti was nabbed while accepting Rs 1 lakh, Patil said.

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Unidentified persons allegedly tried to withdraw nearly Rs 26 crore through cheques by forging signatures of senior civic and health officials from Thane district in Maharashtra, police said on Sunday. However, their attempts were foiled by alert bank officials, a police spokesperson said.

Two banks informed the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) that some unidentified persons came to their branches in Pune and Chennai in the last few days carrying cheques worth around Rs 26 crore and bearing signatures of civic commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal and health officer R T Kendre, the official said. They informed the TMC that these persons wanted to deposit the cheques in favour of some private organisations.

On cross-checking with the TMC about such high-value cheques, the banks got to know that those were not issued by the civic body, she said. Later, during verification, the cheques were found to be carrying forged signatures and stamps of the senior civic and health officials, she said.

Based on a complaint by the civic body, an offence was registered on Saturday against unidentified persons under various Indian Penal Code sections for forgery and cheating, the police spokesperson said. No arrest was made so far, she said, adding that a probe was underway in the matter.

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