Bihar News, Latest News from Bihar, News of Bihar, Biharprabha News

Bihar flood to be showcased in Chicago exhibition
Scorching heat in the city ups the juice market
Social network brings real feedback to Priyanka
M F Hussain next portrays Mamta Bannerjee
Rajnikanth’s health improving finally
Warne apologizes for insulting RCA secretary
Gandhi Maidan coming soon in a new avatar
Bihar first in implementing The Right to service Act

Bihar flood to be showcased in Chicago exhibition

Posted: 14 May 2011 05:55 PM PDT

PATNA: Rare photographs on floods in Bihar, surviving floods and life in north Bihar would be put on show at an exhibition at the Loyala University’s Museum of Art (LUMA) of Loyala university, Chicago from May 21.

Bihar’s activist and photographer Eklavya Prasad has photographed the lives of people in rural Indiawhile leading his grassroots campaign, Megh Pyne Abhiyan (Cloud Water Campaign), to supply safe drinking water to the flood-prone areas in north Bihar.

The remote areas of north Bihar, and the strength, spirit, determination, valour and vivacity of its people, as demonstrated by the millions surviving the floodwaters; inspired Prasad.

“As I worked alongside and participated in their (people’s) struggle and in their communities, I captured the uniqueness of the region through my Cannon EOS 30D camera,” Prasad told before leaving for US.

For past many years, he has built a portfolio that displays disaster and normalcy – with people braving the gushing waters with a smile — so that the outside world can also appreciate the nature of living in north Bihar.

Eklavya’s experience of working extensively in disparate rural regions, on various issues and among different people for the past 15 years guide his perceptions and actions as an activist and as a photographer.

“A total of 40 photographs under the heads such as ‘Floods in Bihar’, ‘Women of north Bihar’, and ‘Surviving floods and life in north Bihar’ will be exhibited from May 21 to July 31,” he told.

Prasad will be making a presentation at a conference – ‘The Global Crisis: Through the Lens of Class, Race and Gender’ — organized by the Global Studies Conference, on May 21, on the issue of ‘rural development trajectory, challenges and potential of Bihar’.

On May 25, a conversation between Prasad and assistant professor, School of Social Work, Shweta Singh has been organized in which they explain development work in Bihar. They will discuss the role of grassroots organizations like ‘Megh Pyne Abhiyan’ that focus on women and rural communities.

The whole initiative has been supported by LUMA and School of Social Work, Loyola University, Chicago.

Scorching heat in the city ups the juice market

Posted: 14 May 2011 07:53 AM PDT

The scorching heat is on, but so are the ways to combat it. Ice cream and cold drink parlours are there, but the instant hits are the traditional beverages available in the roadside stalls.

Aam panna, jaljeera, thandai, sattu, lemon water andbel juice (wood apple) are the flavour of the season.

Almost every visitor to the Mahendru market has a glass of such roadside beverage. Most people preferlassi and jaljeera as they leave a cooling effect on hot summer afternoons.

Even at the railway station, the beverage stalls are almost always crowded. The price of the drinks has gone up, and so has the demand as fluids are the best source to quench thirst and beat the heat when the sun is blazing right overhead.

People say the roadside drinks also give them some much-required energy under trying circumstances.

Outside the Patna Junction, a number of people were seen drinking glass after glass of cool drinks.

Pankaj Kumar, who took a lassi break, told The Telegraph: "Drinking lassi is good in summer. Thy are serving both sweet and salted lassi, but I prefer salted lassi as it helps combat sweat. I think the best way to keep the body cool during summer is to drink lots of fluids like water, lemon water, lassi, fruit juice and of course sattu."

Another customer at a roadside shop, Nandan Bhelari, said: "Not only are beverages better in summer, but they are also cheaper than junk food like pizza and chowmein."

The price of traditional drinks is affordable and every common man can enjoy it. While lassi costs Rs 15, mango lassi is available for Rs 25 and lassi with malai is Rs 20.Aam panna is available for Rs 5, jaljeera for Rs 7, sattu for Rs 6, lemon water for Rs 3 and bel juice for Rs 10.

"Today there are a number of drinks available that refill the body in this scorching heat. But traditional drink is still a favourite among customers. They are best for our health in summer. Lemon water is good for refreshment purpose, it not only quenches our thirst, but also makes our body cool in hot summer days," said Yogendra Paswan, owner of a shop on Boring Road.

Rupesh Ranjan, while enjoying a glass of aam panna, said: "It is a popular cold drink and a lovely refreshing drink that helps fight the heat during such a heat wave. Raw mango, fresh mint and some spices are used to make this healthy beverage and I enjoy all that."

The ingredients of these drinks are simple and anyone can make it. For sattu, all that one needs to do is mix the powder with water and it is ready.

However, many sellers love to add a pinch of black salt, pepper, a bit of garlic, lemon juice and chilly to enhance its taste.

Similarly, to prepare wood apple bel juice, all that needs to be done is extract the pulp, remove the seeds and other gummy material and then mix it with water, followed by addition of some sugar and a pinch of peppered salt.

The drink is ready.

The sellers are overjoyed.

Ram Prasad, who sells bel juice near the old secretariat, said: "People going to their offices always drink the beljuice that I prepare. The price of these drinks is at Rs 10 per glass. Thus, it is no big deal," he adds.

Social network brings real feedback to Priyanka

Posted: 14 May 2011 06:29 AM PDT

New Delhi, May 13 (IANS) With over a million followers on Twitter, and over two million on Facebook, Bollywood’s social-networking queen Priyanka Chopra says she feels loved and that these platforms not just bring her a step closer to her fans, but also helps her in getting direct feedback.

‘Social-networking is a great way to stay in touch with what’s happening in the world, to understand what people are thinking, discussing, doing etc. It’s also a great way to get real feedback about my work,’ Priyanka told IANS.

The 28-year-old former beauty queen is quite a hit on the web, and says it’s a ‘great feeling’.

‘I feel very loved. I don’t see it as some sort of feat that has been achieved… it’s not about the numbers for me, it’s about connecting with people from all over the globe, from all walks of life. I like to interact on these platforms and I’m just glad that I have such a large circle of people that I can connect with on a regular basis… with no one in between,’ she said.

Priyanka, who is busy shooting for Karan Johar’s remake of ‘Agneepath’, also feels a strong connect with some of those who regularly post to her.

‘I now actually know the names and faces of so many people who have reached out to me on these platforms. Many of them are regularly in touch with their viewpoints, questions and sometimes just lovely words of encouragement. It’s my way of seeing their faces and hearing their voices, which I would not have been able to do otherwise,’ she said.

Priyanka feels these websites are like a fridge, which we keep opening every now and then to check if there is something new. But she updates her posts only when she really wants to.

‘I access both very regularly, if not to connect but simply to read about what everyone is up to. But I tweet and post when I feel like sharing something…there are no rules that I follow. Also, sometimes I have nothing much to say and don’t believe in spamming anyone’s timelines with random posts or tweets just for the sake of posting,’ she said.

Lately, Priyanka has not been tweeting too often – and a lot of it is to do with her busy schedule.

After shooting the ‘Agneepath’ remake, she will move immediately into shooting for Kunal Kohli’s next venture, in which she will feature with Shahid Kapoor. She also has ‘Don 2′, ‘Krrish 2′ and ‘Barfee’ in the pipeline. Quite a range, isn’t it?

‘I can’t speak for others but when it comes to me and my choices, I have always liked

to push the boundaries, try new things, and to challenge myself. There are no set rules and guidelines… it’s each to their own.

‘I think the audience is accepting and appreciative of anything you do as long as you do it well,’ said the national award winning actress, who successfully carried 12 different avatars in ‘What’s Your Rashee??’ and seven different looks in ‘Saat Khoon Maaf’.

Thanks to her choc-a-block schedule, a relaxing summer vacation seems like a distant dream for Priyanka.

‘All my films are being shot back to back. If I’m lucky, I may get a few days off on my birthday (July 18)! But I’m not complaining. When I think I really need a vacation, I will make the time for it. Right now, I’m enjoying every moment of the work I’m doing,’ she said.

M F Hussain next portrays Mamta Bannerjee

Posted: 14 May 2011 06:27 AM PDT

New Delhi, May 14 (IANS) Depicting her as ‘essence of Indian womanhood’, Doha-based Indian artist M.F. Husain has sketched Trinamool Congress chief and soon to be chief minister Mamata Banerjee in a black-and-white graffiti for a leading daily.

This etching, typical of Husain’s Bharat Mata and Gajagamini style of figurative drawing, shows Mamata Banerjee in a slimmer and more glamorous avatar.

The artist posted the fetching graffiti portraying Banerjee — flying a dove of peace with a Royal Bengal tiger as a mascot by her side, in a posture akin to the Bengali goddess of strength Durga, poised over the globe for Hindustan Times here.

Banerjee, a mass leader and a union minister, is also an accomplished artist.

During the election campaign, she sold several of her paintings to raise money for the party. She, unlike Husain’s evolved figurative forms and abstract and cubist horses, paints colourful naturescapes. Banerjee is also a music aficionado.

In the 1990s, artist M.F. Husain shot to fame with his female figurative series of artwork, ‘Gajagamini’, inspired by Bollywood superstar Madhuri Dixit. Later, he made an eponymous movie starring the actress.

Husain, one of India’s most prolific and respected painters left the country in 2006 after the right-wing Hindutva groups protested his depiction of ‘Bharat Mata and Indian goddesses in the nude’, saying that his portrayal had hurt their sentiments. It triggered a legal debate following which the artist went in self-exile to London. He worked between Dubai and London.

Last year, he accepted an offer of citizenship from Doha.

Rajnikanth’s health improving finally

Posted: 14 May 2011 06:26 AM PDT

Chennai, May 13(ANI): Rajinikanth’s wife, Latha, on Friday confirmed that the Tamil superstar’s health condition is improving.

Addressing the media in Chennai, Latha said that Rajnikanth has been advised to take rest.

“He had a viral infection and dehydration. He has undergone a good treatment and now he requires rest. We are really scared of disturbances, there is nothing else. Without such disturbances, crowd disturbance and other such things, he needs rest for his body as well as mind,” Latha said.

Thousands of fans from across the state have poured into the capital to show their support to the veteran actor who was hospitalized a week ago due to fever and allergic bronchitis.

“His health should improve. I wish he should again act in a lot of movies and make people happy,” said Selvaraj, a Rajnikanth fan.

The 60-year-old actor is largely considered as India’s highest-paid actor and an icon in southernIndia.

Rajnikanth’s last film “Robot” was India’s most expensive film to date, with a budget of more than 1.5 billion rupees, which made more than double the business, according to industry estimates.

His latest venture, “Rana” is a mythological tale in which the actor has a triple role and stars opposite Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone. (ANI)

Warne apologizes for insulting RCA secretary

Posted: 14 May 2011 06:24 AM PDT

Jaipur, May 14 (PTI) Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne has apologised for publicly insulting state Cricket Association (RCA) secretary Sanjay Dixit after an IPL match here following an internal disciplinary inquiry by the franchise.

RR Chief Executive Sean Morris said in an e-mail to RCA secretary Sanjay Dixit that the franchise had decided to take disciplinary action against Warne and the Australian has accepted it.

“An internal disciplinary panel was convened at earliest opportunity and met with Shane Warne to review his comments made to yourself post the prize giving. Following submissions from the player and other management staff who were present at the incident we have decided to take disciplinary action against the player,” Morris said in the e-mail, the contents of which were posted by Dixit on his Twitter page.

“The player has accepted the action that we have taken and apologised for any distress caused,” added Morris.

The ugly incident took place just after the prize distribution ceremony of the IPL match between RR and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Sawai Mansingh stadium here on May 11.

Disappointed at not acceding to his request for a favourable pitch for the match against Bangalore, Warne allegedly walked up to Dixit and abused him for not replying to his messages.

He called Dixit a liar, egoistic and asked him to go away, forcing Rajasthan Royals owner Shilpa Shetty to intervene and apologise for the incident.

Morris asserted that the franchise will not tolerate such incidents in future.

“As a franchise we have told all our players that we will not tolerate colourful language towards anyone and in particular not a senior officer such as yourself,” Morris said.

“On behalf of everyone at Rajasthan Royals please accept my apologies for any distress that this might have caused you personally. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you and the entire RCA for all their hard work and support they have given to us throughout the IPL,” he said.

RCA has already lodged a complaint against Warne with the BCCI and the IPL for publicly abusing Dixit for not acceding to his request of a suitable pitch.

The association has also called a meeting of its Legal Affairs Committee to discuss the incident and to investigate the Jaipur outfit”s claim that they always got the wickets it wanted.