Family of Sunil Tripathi, misidentified in the Boston bombing, can finally mourn him - India

28 apr 2013

Family of Sunil Tripathi, misidentified in the Boston bombing, can finally mourn him

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Sunil Tripathi. REUTERS/Brown University/Handout

Officials confirmed on Thursday that a body found submerged in a Rhode Island river was that of Sunil Tripathi, a former Brown University student that had been very publicly and very incorrectly named as a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing.

Tripathi’s identity was confirmed by dental records and, according to the Christian Science Monitor, he was believed to have been dead for some time. It was a tragic end for the Tripathi family, who had been seeking the missing student since he dropped out of school in a depressed state of mind in mid-March.

"This last month has changed our lives forever, and we hope it will change yours too," the Tripathi family said in a Facebook post. "Take care of one another. Be gentle, be compassionate. Be open to letting someone in when it is you who is faltering. Lend your hand. We need it. The world needs it."

Somehow, one month after his disappearance, Tripathi managed to be implicated in a terrorist attack in another state, identified online as a suspect being sought by police and, just as quickly, forgotten when two Chechen brothers were confirmed to be the actual suspects at the heart of a terrorist manhunt.

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Sunil Tripathi.REUTERS/Brown University/Handout 

The Tripathis suffered first as 22-year-old Sunil was publicly identified as one of the bombing suspects. First by members of Reddit, an online forum often credited with being the new, immediate face of journalism. Later, he was named by the old guards of journalism as well.

He was not the terror suspect. He was a young man who had dropped out of school and went missing.
The Tripathis had refused to believe Sunil was connected in any way to the Boston bombing, even as members of the public demonized him and attacked his family name. They were right not to believe.


For the Tripathis, their public suffering is over, and private mourning can begin.
Erik Martin, general manager of Reddit, apologized to the family in a blog post this week, expressing sadness in the roll the site played in causing the family pain.
Martin wrote:

[S]ome of the activity on reddit fueled online witch hunts and dangerous speculation which spiraled into very negative consequences for innocent parties. The reddit staff and the millions of people on reddit around the world deeply regret that this happened. We have apologized privately to the family of missing college student Sunil Tripathi, as have various users and moderators. We want to take this opportunity to apologize publicly for the pain they have had to endure.

In the rush to understand the understandable, to come to grips with what happened in Boston that day, the eyes of the world stumbled and fell. And they took Sunil Tripathi with them.
Is it any wonder he is being called the "other victim" of the Boston bombing?

A bride who rode up to the groom's house - India

27  apr  2013

A bride who rode up to the groom's house

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

New Delhi: Breaking convention to spread a strong message on women empowerment, a young bride rode a horse to her marriage ceremony in Satwara village of Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh.

The unique tradition which was practiced by the Patidar community centuries ago was brought alive by the young woman.

She rode the horse to the groom's house with her family and friends dancing around in the hour-long marriage procession.

In recent months, India has been incensed over crimes against women with protests being held all over the country.

Aamir Khan is one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People - India

18  apr  2013

Aamir Khan is one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Aamir Khan has been named as a "pioneer" on Time magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People of 2013. Image by Mark Seliger, courtesy:

Actor Aamir Khan has made Time magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People of 2013. Aamir, who created an international presence with his 2012 TV series Satyamev Jayate, is named as a "pioneer" on the list. Satyamev Jayate examined social and economic issues like female foeticide and medical malpractices and had wide-ranging impact across the country, including promises from state governments to set up fast track courts and Aamir being invited to be part of discussion on medical FDI by a Parliamentary committee.

Composer A R Rahman writes on Time.com : He uses his gifts as a charmer to give his audience the most bitter medicine. Hypnotized, we take it without complaint. That's Aamir's magic at work. Satyamev Jayate was not intended to provide solutions but to ask hard questions, the kind society is often reluctant to address. By showing the courage to ask those questions, Aamir has started a movement that will help change the world in which Indians live. Jai ho!

Aamir also features on one of the seven special edition covers of the 2013 Time 100 issue.

Aamir, described by Time as a film star and activist, is not the only Indian on the list. Also named as a "pioneer," is lawyer Vrinda Grover, one of the leading voices calling for change and justice after the fatal gang-rape of a medical student on board a Delhi bus.

The Time 100 list also includes "leaders" Barack Obama and Pope Francis, "pioneer" Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, "titans" Jay-Z and Sheryl Sandberg, "icons" Malala Yousafzai, Aung San Suu Kyi, Michelle Obama, Daniel Day-Lewis, Justin Timberlake and Kate Middleton, and "artists" Jennifer Lawrence and Steven Spielberg.

Historic Rama temple cries for attention - India

17  apr  2013

Historic Rama temple cries for attention

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

A view of the Rama temple covered by sand dunes at Kanaparthi, a silpakala Kshetram in Prakasam district. 

 

A Rama temple replete with history in this coastal village, covered by sand dunes, will vanish from public view forever unless urgent steps are taken to protect it.

Located some 100 to 150 metres from the sea tide level, only the temple tower is visible now.

The sleepy village is full of artefacts of both pre-historic and historic periods throwing light on the rich culture of the Andhra Pradesh people down the ages.

“The temple seems to belong to the period of Chalukyas or Telugu Cholas and calls for a detailed study,” said State Archaeology and Museums in-charge Director G.V. Ramakrishna Rao told The Hindu.

'Worthy of protection'

“The site is worthy of protection,” said Mr. Rao, who recently visited the village to take stock of the condition of the State Archaeological Museum, named after Andhra Pradesh’s first Chief Minister T. Prakasam Pantulu in the village.

“I have instructed the Assistant Director [Museums] to send proposals and necessary information,” he added.

“The museum’s caretaker has been asked to liaise with local revenue officials and get boundary and other particulars after perusing the revenue records for us to go ahead with preparation of a historical note,” explained Assistant Director [Museums] S. Bangaraiah.

“Once they are ready we will go ahead with preparation of a detailed project report for consideration by a State-level committee,” he added.

Collection of artefacts

The museum in the village with a wonderful collection of stone inscriptions in Prakrit and Brahmi and other artefacts would be expanded and renovated to showcase the political, socio-economic and cultural aspects of the life of Andhra people for several centuries, Mr. Rao added.

Centre of Buddhism

The archaeological evidence found in and around Kanaparthi show that it was a flourishing centre of Buddhism and also Jainism and could be put on the international tourism circuit, felt social activist Komatla Trinatha Reddy, national Gram Ratan awardee.

“The flat beach is an ideal one for sea bathing,” added the former MPTC member and Bharat Nirmal Volunteer.

The museum houses statues of Ganesh, Kumaraswamy, Narayani, Brahmini, Surya, Parasurama, and Varahini, besides numerous Sivalingas of different sizes and shapes, including a finely chiselled “Dhara sivalinga,” with 32 dimensions. Non-indigenous stones were imported for making attractive Sivalingas by expert sculptors at the Yelleswara temple before exporting them to different destinations in south-east Asian countries.

With 123 crores, this is the richest couple in Karnataka elections - India

16  apr  2013

With 123 crores, this is the richest couple in Karnataka elections

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Bangalore: JDS Karnataka unit President and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and his wife Anita, contesting the May 5 Assembly elections, have together declared assets worth Rs. 123 crore.

With assets of Rs. 150.58 crore, the list of rich candidates is topped by T N Javarayi Gowda, also from JDS headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, who filed his nominations from Yeshvanthpur in Bangalore yesterday.

Mr Kumaraswamy, Deve Gowda's son, and his wife are contesting from Ramanagaram and Channapatna respectively.

Many multi-millionaires are in the field from BJP, JDS and Congress, asset declarations, filed along with nomination papers by candidates as part of their affidavits, show.

Close to Javarayi Gowda is Tourism Minister Anand Singh of the BJP who has assets worth over Rs. 104 crore.

A car freak, Anand Singh contesting from Vijaynagar from mine-rich Bellary district is stated to possess 25 vehicles including Bentleys, Mercedes Benzes and Tatra trucks.

Mr Singh wears two hats, that of an editor of a newspaper, Ananda Karnataka Daily and a mining baron.

Congress treasurer Shamanur Shivashankarappa, who runs a string of educational institutions in Davanagere and is contesting from Davangere South, has assets worth over Rs. 67 crore in contrast to his party president G Parameshwara whose total assets declared are worth Rs. 3.87 crore.

K J George, also of Congress contesting from Sarvagnanagar, has assets worth Rs. 26.82 crore. Congress has also fielded its councillor from city corporation B Basavarju, from Hoodi ward in K R Puram constituency whose total worth is also over Rs. 26 crore.

As against this, former Chief Minister and Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) founder, B S Yeddyurappa has declared his assets to be Rs. 5.96 crore, which is about Rs. three crore more than the assets declared by him in 2008 assembly polls.

Mr Yeddyurappa, who had to resign as Chief Minister after the Karnataka Lokayukta indicted him in illegal mining, had to spend some time in jail in a graft case.

The lingayat strongman's man on Friday, Haratalu Hallappa, (KJP) contesting from Sorab in Shimoga district, has declared his assets to be worth Rs. 3.52 crore.

Industries Minister Murgesh Nirani, facing corruption cases before Lokayukta court, has declared his assets at Rs. 28.14 crore. Nirani is contesting from Bilagi constituency in Raichur district.

No Playboy club in Goa as beach shack: Manohar Parrikar - India

15  apr  2013

No Playboy club in Goa as beach shack: Manohar Parrikar

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said Monday his government will not permit Playboy club to open in Goa as a beach shack.

Speaking in the assembly, Mr Parrikar said that according to the Goa government's beach shack policy, shacks could not be allotted in the name of branded chains international but in names of individuals.

"I am assuring the house that Playboy Club will not be allowed as a shack. We give permissions only to individuals and not to global chains," Mr Parrikar said.

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It is not clear whether the club will be allowed permission to function as a conventional city club, rather than as a beach shack.

The issue of granting permission to Playboy club, promoted by the Mumbai-based PB Lifestyle, has triggered a revolt within the BJP.

IPL 6: Rajasthan Royals beat Kings XI Punjab by 6 wickets - India

14  apr 2013

IPL 6: Rajasthan Royals beat Kings XI Punjab by 6 wickets

Chasing a paltry 125-run target, Rajasthan were off to a rollicking start with Shane Watson smashing 32 off just 19 balls.

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

It was a low-scoring match that never quite reached great heights at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday (April 14) evening. Rajasthan Royals hosted Kings XI Punjab, chose to field after winning the toss, and restricted Punjab to 124. But it took until the last over for Rajasthan to go past the target, the win taking them from sixth place to third in the Indian Premier League 2013 points table.

By the fourth over, Punjab were stuttering at 10 for 3. Superbly as S Sreesanth and Ajit Chandila bowled, it has to be said that both Adam Gilchrist and Mandeep Singh, the opening batsmen, got out to injudicious strokes and Manan Vohra tried to sneak in a run that wasn't there.

It's not often that a team can recover from such a poor start but David Hussey was on song. If it hadn't been for Hussey's enterprise, things would have gone completely pear shaped for Punjab. Hussey hit four fours and a six in his 31-ball 41 even as Gurkeerat Singh Mann and R Sathish became wickets four and five for Rajasthan.

Once Hussey was dismissed, caught by Rahul Dravid on the second attempt off Siddharth Trivedi, it was over to Azhar Mahmood to take the score towards respectability. Mahmood played his part with a 20-ball 23, but the late impetus was provided by Praveen Kumar, who hit two fours and a six in his 15 from seven balls.

A quick mention must be made of Sanju Samson, the young Kerala wicketkeeper who, apart from a couple of straightforward catches, pulled off a stunner, diving to where first slip would have been, to send back Sathish off Faulkner and, later, kept his cool to run Praveen out with a direct hit to begin his IPL career on a high note.

A pitch with bounce so true and a lightning quick outfield should have meant a relatively easy time for the Rajasthan batsmen, and while Shane Watson was out there, it was a no-contest. Watson hit seven boundaries - to most parts of the ground - in his 19-ball 32, before being caught by Mandeep at mid-on off Parvinder Awana in the fifth over with the total on 43.

But, with the match getting away from his team, Gilchrist chose to bowl out Praveen, who had bowled his first three overs for just ten runs, and what an over it was. Gilchrist rolled back the years to pull off two almost identical one-handed catches to his right as Dravid first and then Stuart Binny chased outswingers to get healthy edges, and Praveen ended his spell with 2 for 10.

Ryan Harris and Awana were expensive, but Mahmood kept things tight in the middle overs and with Piyush Chawla sending back Brad Hodge, things did start getting tight.

Ajinkya Rahane, however, was still there after having opened the innings, playing a sedate, unhurried knock, and in collaboration with Samson, who was dropped by Harris at first slip when on four, ticked off the runs. Rahane ended not out on 34 from 42 balls while Samson, playing a little gem, hit a boundary to seal the win, remaining unbeaten on 27 from 23 balls.

Shilpa Shetty's son Viaan makes public debut - India

10 apr  2013

Shilpa Shetty's son Viaan makes public debut

 

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Viaan Raj Kundra was born on May 21, 2012. (Image courtesy: BCCI)

Shilpa Shetty brought her son Viaan Raj Kundra out in public for the first time at the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals, which Shilpa owns with husband Raj Kundra, and Kolkata Knight Riders in Jaipur.

Shilpa's little bundle of joy, dressed in team Rajasthan Royals' jersey, was seen sitting in his mother's lap watching the match. And 11-month-old Viaan certainly proved to be a lucky charm for Rajasthan Royals who beat Shah Rukh Khan's KKR by 19 runs.

Viaan definitely looks like a miniature version of his father Raj Kundra, with those chubby, crimson cheeks. His aunt Shamita Shetty sat beside him, ruffling his hair.

Viaan was born on May 21, 2012. It was in September last year that little Viaan was spotted for the first time in Jodhpur, but mommy Shilpa Shetty made sure the waiting photographers were denied a glimpse of her son's face.

Martyr Hemraj's wife duped of Rs. 10 lakh - India

07  apr  2013

Martyr Hemraj's wife duped of Rs. 10 lakh

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Lance Naik Hemraj

Mathura: The wife of soldier Lance Naik Hemraj, who was killed by Pakistani troops near the Line of Control, was duped of Rs. 10 lakh on Friday in the presence of her brother-in-law and a relative near a petrol pump on the outskirts of Kosi town area.

In her complaint, Dharmvati, the widow of Hemraj said that one Amit Kumar, who claimed that he was an Army officer and sent by the Army Headquarters, approached her at her native Shernagar village this morning.

According to the complaint, Amit advised Dharmvati to keep the relief packages provided to her in different banks.

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On his advice, she agreed to withdraw Rs. 20 lakh from SBI Chhatta branch.

Accompanied by brother-in-law Bhagwan Singh, her uncle Gajendra Singh and Amit, Dharmvati reached the SBI Chhatta branch.

"Rs. 20 lakh were withdrawn from the bank, out of which a fixed deposit of Rs. 10 lakh was made in the same branch in favour of my daughter Shivani, whereas we planned to deposit the remaining Rs. 10 lakh in a bank in nearby Bukharari village," she told police.

Dharmvati claimed that she was seated on Amit's motorcycle, whereas her brother-in-law and uncle were on another motorcycle.

In the complaint, she mentioned that Rs. 10 lakh were kept in Amit's bag. Thereafter, all four proceeded towards Bukharari village.

"Amit stopped his motorcycle at a petrol pump near Sonu Monu Dhaba at the outskirt of Kosi town, pretending that he needed petrol for his bike," she said.

As Dharmvati got down from the motorcycle, Amit fled with the amount, the complaint alleged.

"The SOG has been asked to look into the case, the CCTV footage of the bank is being examined to arrest the man at the earliest," Senior Superintendent of Police Pradeep Yadav said.

"Though Dharmvati was asked to inform the police about any major financial transaction she makes in the bank for the safety of amount, she did not do so," SSP Yadav added.

On March 25, an attempt to fraudulently withdraw Rs. 60 lakh, of the relief amount given to her, was made at a bank in Palwal district of Haryana.

A person in Palwal submitted two cheques of Rs. 30 lakh each at a SBI branch to withdraw the money from the account of Dharmvati.

Lance Hemraj was killed and beheaded by Pakistani troops near the Line of Control in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir on January 8.

Narendra Modi set to make first appearance as member of BJP's poll panel - India

04  apr  2013

Narendra Modi set to make first appearance as member of BJP's poll panel

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

File photo

New Delhi: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will make his first appearance as a member of BJP's Central Election Committee which meets in Delhi on Friday to decide on the party candidates for the May 5 Karnataka elections.

This will be Mr Modi's first major participation in the party's affairs at the national level as the committee takes a final call on the candidates it plans to field in Karnataka.

He was appointed as member of the BJP Parliamentary Board, its highest decision-making body, and also a member of the party's Central Election Committee by BJP President Rajnath Singh when he announced his new team on March 31.

The BJP which formed its first government in the southern state has been on the backfoot ever since its former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa quit and formed his own party.

Karnataka will go to polls on May 5 to elect its 224-member Assembly and counting of votes will be held on May 8.

The tenure of current Karnataka assembly expires on June 3. While 36 constituencies are reserved for SCs, 15 are reserved for STs in the state.

The poll process in Karnataka will start on April 10 with the issue of notification when candidates can start filing nominations. The last date for nominations is April 17 and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures is April 20.

There are a total of 4.18 crore voters in Karnataka.

new MRI machine that can detect persistent pain in India

02  apr  2013

New Delhi, April 1 : A new MRI machine that can detect persistent pain in a patient by scanning the body in a standing, sitting and myriad other positions is available in India now.
Doctors at Indrapratha Apollo Hospital - where it was introduced - claimed that the new open-standing MRI machine provides a unique additional diagnostic element for patients who continue to experience pain even after spinal surgeries.

"When lying down, the patient hardly puts weight on the lower limb because of which a conventional MRI scan cannot detect some vital problems and deviations. This technology enables true weight-bearing examination which was not possible before and was one of the greatest challenges to MRI," said S.K. Sogani, senior consultant neurosurgery at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals here.

By allowing scanning in a standing position, the technology also helps doctors diagnose functional alignments of a patient's joints, he said.

Water supply to vacant houses to be shut - India

01  apr   2013

GREATER NOIDA: To prevent wastage of potable water, Greater Noida Authority has decided to disconnect supply to all vacant residences. The department of urban services has been directed to undertake the disconnection drive after conducting a survey in association with RWAs. The survey was ordered after dilapidated water tanks were found in several houses resulting in massive water leakages leading to shortage.

Officials said RWAs can provide first-hand information about houses vacant in their respective sectors. "A number of houses have been found shut for years," said an official.

According to the Authority, the vacant houses are in a state of disrepair with broken water tanks. "With no occupants, the tanks keep overflowing after getting filled from supply lines of the Authority. The decision to disconnect supply has been taken to prevent this loss," added officials.

Most vacant houses are located in Sector 36, Sector 37, Swarn Nagari, Delta-3 and P-3. Officials also say that the step has been taken to prevent accumulation of waste water which form breeding grounds for carriers of vector-borne diseases. Connections will be restored only after representations from owners.