Category Archives: Travel

Rare artifacts on display at museum

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel

Allahabad :

The Allahabad Museum celebrated Janmasthami by displaying rare exhibits of Lord Krishna and episodes from his life at the Central Hall. 68 artifacts and paintings depicting Krishna and incidences from his life, stories related with him, were on display.

The exhibition titled ‘Krishna in Indian Art’ included a collection of Rajasthani, Pahari and Deccan style miniature paintings ranging from 18 to 20th century. The exhibition was inaugurated by ex-governor, Rajasthan, Anshuman Singh.

Rajesh Purohit, director, Allahabad Museum said, “Rajasthani or Rajput syle of painting evolved in royal court and are known for their distinct features with Lord Krishna as one of the main themes. The exhibits including ‘Bal Krishnaleela’, ‘episode from Bhagwad’, ‘Krishna as a milkman’, ‘Krishna on Yamuna Bank’, ‘Krishnaleela’ and ‘Krishna rearing cows’ are among the most the possession of the museum. The Deccan style paintings included ‘dancing Krishna’ and ‘Krishna playing flute’.”

“Pahari style is known for its unique strokes. The stories included ‘Krishna and Brahma’, ‘Krishna and cowherd’, ‘Yashoda holding infant Krishna’ among others. The artifacts from 19th and 20th century were the centre of attraction,” he added.

Meanwhile, a seminar on Lord Krishna was organised at Nirala auditorium of Allahabad University as part of Janmasthami celebrations.

Addressing the ceremony, vice-chancellor, AU, professor A Sathyanarayan highlighted the three features of Lord Krishna. He said, “Lord Krishna’s character can be divided into three parts wherein first his act reflects innocence during his childhood when he was caught stealing butter, secondly his political thoughts during the treaty between Kaurava and Pandwa. Thirdly, he is adored as a guide to mankind during the battle between them.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / TNN / September 07th, 2015

Lucknow to host the country’s first Mahabharat festival

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Travel

Cultural performances, art exhibition, interactive sessions and a Mahabharatthemed food festival will be part of the event.

After capturing the imagination of TV and filmmakers, the Ma habharat is coming to Lucknow, thanks to a first-of-its-kind festival on the epic. Scheduled for October 2 and 3, the event is being organised by UP Tourism in association with the Draupadi Trust, and will showcase the Mahabharat era and also give people a peek into the characters of the epic through exhibitions, interactive sessions, quiz, cultural programmes and also a food festival!

Why a Mahabharat festival

“Our plan is to highlight and bring people’s attention to this place called Kampil in UP , which was a prominent place in the tale of Mahabharat. But despite the epic being so well-known in the state, places like Kampil are yet to be explored for tourism. We want to attract tourists to destinations like these and also educate our own people about our rich heritage,” says Amrit Abhijat, DG UP Tourism. “We expect a lot of school kids, college students and people who must know about the relevance of the Mahabharat, to be there,” he adds.

Neera Misra, who has collaborated with the government on the initiative, says there is still a lot to be done, but that they will make sure that people love this festival. “It comes as a surprise to most people that the maximum characters of the Mahabharat were from places that come under the present day Uttar Pradesh. Panchali, or Draupadi was born in Kampil, which is near Farukkhabad. There are still remnants of the palace that used to be there during that time, which was discovered a few years ago. Then there’s Mathura, the Krishna Janmbhumi, Hastinapur, Kashi where Amba, Ambe and Ambalika belonged to, Naimisharanya, where Mahabharat was narrated to the rishis and Allahabad which was then the Kaushambi region. South Panchal used to be where you have present day Kampil, near Farrukhabad, and North Panchal was where we have present day Bareilly , Amla and other places. So the purpose of having this festival is to let people know about all these places and to inform tourists across the world that UP has a big part to play in the history of the world and to mark these places on the tourist map,” adds Misra.

What’s in store

The festival as it is planned, will have an exhibition of paintings made on the Mahabharat through centuries. “For art lovers this will be a visual treat as we have planned an exhibition of the timeline of the Mahabharat through art. We have found references of the epic in Mohenjodaro where a plaque was discovered of Krishna and Balram picking up a tree.Then there’s also a book on Mahabharat written by Persian artists commissioned by Mughal Emperor Akbar. We will be putting up paintings from that book and also paintings by Raja Ravi Verma made on the epic,” shares Neera Misra. There will also be manuscripts which talk about the Mahabharata. “Students of the Government College of Arts and Crafts and the Dr.Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University will be making other paintings based on their interpretations of the epic and its characters. We will also have the war strategies or the Vyuhas like the Matsya Vyuha, Chandra Vyuha, and the Ardh Chandra Vyuha, depicted through sketches for people to understand what advanced level of planning went into fighting the war,” informs Neera.

Apart from interactive sessions with guests and school children, there will also be a small section on Draupadi as the empowered woman with a pictorial depiction of key episodes in her life and how she took the decisions which changed the history of the world. The scene of Draupadi’s swayamvar with Arjun piercing the fish eye will be depicted through live models dressed as courtiers and a life-size model of Arjun.

The evenings, meanwhile, will be reserved for cultural programmes. “These too will be centred around the theme, with Teejan Bai, the famous Pandvani, performing at the festival and also a dance ballet by renowned dancer Sharon Lowen,” informs Amrit Abhijat.

For more involvement of the people from the city, a play based on students interpretation of the characters of the epic is also being prepared by the students of Bhatkhande Music University .

“With the purpose of having something for everyone a food festival is also being planned based on the theme with dishes we can only imagine were eaten by people of that era,” says Abhijat. “The food festival will also focus on the food typical to that area. So from Varanasi or Kashi we will have chiwda, aloo papad and Bheem laddoo. From Mathura we will have fresh makkhan and peda. The Panchal region will have a Panchal thaal serving five dishes and from Hastinapur the Vidur Ki Thali with daalbaati and chokha,” informs Neera.

The handicrafts of these regions will also be displayed at the festival with brocade and zardozi and wooden toys from Varanasi, block printed cloth and zardozi and also Draupadi ka lehenga from Kampil, Gangajal and Geeta Saar from Naimishranya and Allahabad and Banaras. We have also called artisans from these places to put up their stuff too,” says Neera.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Itishree Misra, TNN / September 05th, 2015

Woman IPS officer scales Europe’s highest peak

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports, Travel

Aparna Kumar, a 2002-batch IPS officer added another feather in her cap on August 4 when she scaled Europe’s highest peak Mount Elbrus (18,510 feet) in Russia. She hoisted the Indian and UP Police flags there.

Aparna Kumar is the first officer of the All India Services (IAS/IPS/ IFS) to scale this summit, according to inspector general of police (law and order) A Satish Ganesh.

No stranger to success as a mountaineer, she received the Rani Laxmi Bai award from chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in March this year after having scaled Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak of South America.

Earlier, she had successfully scaled Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia and Mount Kilimanjaro i n Tanzania. Recounting her experience, Aparna says, “I was part of the 14-member expedition team that scaled Mount Elbrus. I was afflicted with diarrohea when our team arrived at the base camp for the expedition. The weather also turned inclement when we started climbing. But I did not lose confidence and decided to move ahead. Hoisting the national and state police flags on the highest peak of Europe was a moment to cherish.”

Expressing concern over the dumping of garbage near mountain peaks by tourists, Aparna said it would make an adverse impact on the environment. “We carry bags to pick up plastic bottles and other material left by tourists at the base camp. An Indian Army team visited Nepal to collect the garbage dumped near Mount Everest,” she said.

A graduate of the National Law College-Bengaluru, Aparna said, “My next expedition will be to Antarctica to scale Mount Vison Massif, the highest mountain peak (on the icy continent).”

Aparna was on an expedition to scale Mount Everest in April when an earthquake rocked Nepal. “We had scaled 23,000 feet and were told to return. After completing the Antarctica expedition, I will try to scale Mount Everest again next year.”

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities / HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times,Lucknow / August 13th, 2015

Relic of finesse, hub of intellect buried in neglect

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Travel

Lucknow :

Famous as ‘Shahji ki Deodhi’ or ‘Saat Aangan ki Kothi’ (mansion of seven courtyards), the residence of Amritlal Nagar is now in a dreadful state. Today, the kothi with a significant history is shadowed by past and broken with time. Not just family members, artists, neighbours and culturati want the mansion restored and declared heritage building.

The mansion is facing legal problems over property rights and encroachment issues. Put up for sale, a precious piece of history is on the verge of being lost. Daughter of the writer, Dr Deeksha Nagar said, “Government can transform the mansion into a live cultural museum.” In the maze of Old Lucknow there is a subtle presence of shredded memories woven by Nagar’s writings. “The mansion can be transformed into a place where literature can be created, reworked and performed as theatre,” she added.

When TOI contacted principal secretary culture Anita Meshram, she expressed inability to talk on the issue and said, “I cannot comment on this particular problem.” On tracing the forgotten house that Nagar lived in, it found to be actually a rented part of the kothi which originally belonged to Sharf-ud-Daula. It is said to have been the place where once Shahji had given refuge to Begum Hazrat Mahal, the night before she escaped to Nepal. The part of the kothi in which Nagar lived was the mardana (men’s) area of the Kothi’s original structure.

Saat Aangan ki Kothi may be lying in neglect but has not lost the resonance of beauty. Filmmaker Muzaffar Ali remarked, “Amritlal Nagar’s residence should be protected and marked as heritage of the City of Nawabs.” Some extensions of the kothi which earlier included a Thakurdwara, wooden doors and jharokhas with flawless filigree have slowly worn out over time, added Laavi Tikkha, neighbour of Amritlal Nagar from 1964-89.

Residence of Amritlal Nagar in those times used to attract lots of personalities from the Hindi film industry. “Shashi Kapoor, Shyam Benegal, Raj Babbar and K P Saxena were among the visitors and Junoon (1978) was shot here,” recalled Manoj Kumar Mehrotra, who resided in the house opposite Amritlal Nagar’s.

Though Nagar did not own any property, the kothi used to be an evening attraction of Mirza Mandi till a couple of decades ago. “The evening of courtly entertainment of poetry was part of his life in this kothi,” his neighbour Rahul Seth told TOI. Envisaging the past of 1980’s five and eighty years old Munendra Nath Mehrotra recalls that, “Amritlal Nagar’s kothi used to be a charm of this place but now it is surrounded by buildings on all sides.”

Blended with Lucknowi Tehzeeb and Nazakat, Amritlal Nagar was one of the renowned artistes of Lucknow’s literary repertoire. Former MP of Lucknow Lalji Tandon told TOI, “We tried to restore Nagar ji’s place a few years ago but didn’t make a headway. Government spending crores of rupees on development can easily restore this invaluable piece of history.”

Standing very differently from today’s world the work of Amritlal Nagar have transcended all boundaries compelling the reader to think. Made from ‘lakhauri’ and organic paste with Mughal architecture the mansion exudes an arresting aura of uniqueness. Wild grass growing on the 400-year-old building shrouds this relic of visual and oral arts of Old Lucknow.

(Compiled by Ashutosh Agarwal)

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / August 23rd, 2015

Ikka Daud: 200-year-old tradition in Shrawan

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Sports, Travel

Allahabad :

The holy month of Shrawan brings along several traditions unique to a particular area. Sangam City too has a unique tradition of organizing age-old ‘Ghehre Baazi’ (‘Ghehre’ means steps and ‘Baazi’ means bet) or Ikka Daud (horse cart race) on Yamuna Bank Road on every Monday of the holy month.

The race has a 200-year-old history. The tradition was started by pandas of the city and they have continued to patronize it. Around 1940s, zamindars of Allahabad and neighbouring areas started participating in this unique race.

Winner gets accolades and appreciation of the cheering crowd as a reward for winning the strenuous race. No money is given out. “This public appreciation provides an unexplainable satisfaction for the ‘saais’ (horse keeper),” says Badre Alam, who has participated in at least 30 races and won 10 of them.

Alam’s forefathers were zamindars of Katra. He has continued his family tradition of participating in the race, which he feels “is an example of the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of the region. It is held on Monday of Shrawan. Both Hindus and Muslims participate enthusiastically in this race.” Continuing in the same vein he says, “Shiva signifies ‘shakti’ (power). Horse too symbolizes power. Hence, the race is held in Shrawan.”

“The race is unique in many ways. As per the rule, horses used in commercial activities are banned. Only racing horses can canter (movement of horse wherein it moves in fast steps) and not gallop,” says Badre and adds this race helps horse cart owners prepare for the 14-km-long competitive race held in October-November held on the route between Hanumanganj and Shashtri bridge or Sahson and Phaphamau. “This race too is quite prestigious and witnesses participants from Lucknow, Kanpur, Mirzapur, Pratapgarh etc,” he said.

Badre Alam relies on Sindhi horses for Ikka Daud. “Sindhi horses brought from the Sindh province of Pakistan are the best for the purpose. They have inborn talent for moving fast on sand and not gallop. We bring these horses from the famous animal fair of Barmer,” said Alam.

Even the cart of this unique race is equally special and manufactured in Delhi. The huge wooden wheel and the riding platform are made of Shisham wood and best ball bearings are used to give it required speed.

“Two persons sit on a cart. One handles the horse through leash and another, sitting in the rear, navigates the cart by informing the location of other competitors,” he said Alam.

Another regular participant Lalji Yadav, who has named his horse ‘Bhaiya’, said, “It is a pity that no one cares about offering prize money for the horse. Even pigeons are more fortunate as they at least get a prize after winning tournaments held for them.” He also wants proper security during race. “The district administration should see to it that people don’t jump on the road and no vehicles should be allowed on the track,” he demanded.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / by Rajeev Mani, TNN / August 18th, 2015

World War I weapons on display in centenary year in Allahabad

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Allahabad :

To mark the centenary year of the World War I, the Allahabad Museum will set up a gallery displaying arms and armours, including light machine guns and pistols, used in both world wars by August end. Renowned poet William Cowper’s quote, “War lays a burden on the reeling state, And peace does nothing to relieve the weight,” will be the theme of the gallery.

Museum director Rajesh Purohit said, “A light machine gun having a number on the outer side as MG 08/15 and manufactured in 1917 was used during the World War I. Another machine gun maxim MG 08/15 manufactured in 1918, pepper box revolver with six barrels and a six cartridge belonging to the 19th Century are prominent displays which were used during the World War-I. Their advanced versions were used in WW II.”

The other weapons to be displayed in the gallery are a muzzle loading, percussion cap firing system pistol and a smooth bore pistol with ram rod having a size 31cm and 1.6 cm belonging to early decades of 19th Century. Apart from the arms used in the two World Wars, the gallery would also exhibit pistols, swords, khukhri, bayonet and chest plates used by freedom fighters. Dumped in museum’s reserve collection along with 3,000 objects and antiquities, these arms and armours were away from public eye till 2011. After four years of classification, cataloguing and preservation, the objects classified under ‘arms and armours’ are ready to be displayed for visitors. These include various types of pistols, rifles and light machine guns. At present the museum has catalogued 211 weapons. However, the rifles that were in vogue during the WW II are yet to be displayed.

Most of these weapons are in good condition and could be used even after 100 years. The museum had roped in Allahabad University’s department of Defence Studies for cataloguing the guns and other arms. “A brigadier was also consulted to ascertain the present condition of the weapon. AU’s RK Tandon and Onkar Wankhede of the museum toiled hard towards restoration and preservation of arms. A total of 211 weapons are in the gallery,” said Purohit.

However, the museum had not documented donors of these weapons. “The museum started functioning with a small collection in 1931. With passage of time, donations started pouring in. We lack accounts of persons who donated various items, including arms and armours to the museum till 1950s,” said Purohit.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / by Vinod Khanal, TNN / August 20th, 2015

Panchala Museum plans gallery for freedom fighters

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel

Bareilly :

With the 69th Independence Day less than a week away, authorities at Panchala Museum are planning to set up a gallery dedicated to the lives of freedom fighters from the Rohilkhand region.

Officials have started collecting pictures, letters and other memorabilia belonging to those who were a part of the freedom struggle.

Abhay Singh, a professor at MJP and the project coordinator, said, “We are requesting families of these bravehearts to provide photographs and texts related to their lives. We are working on a strategy to gather as many belongings of the freedom fighters as we can and we also plan to appeal to the public through newspapers in this connection.”

“Residents aren’t aware of the kind sacrifices freedom fighters from this region made. With the gallery we plan to highlight their glories in our museum. For instance, FR Rahman alias Chunna Miyan who was known as Gandhi of Bareilly worked for creating communal harmony in the city,” Singh added.

However, setting up of the gallery is subject to the availability of required material.

Shyam Bihari Lal, head of the department of ancient history and culture, said, “The gallery will be set up in the museum only after we receive enough material to put things up on display.”

Many people from the Rohilkhand region, including Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, Pilibhit, Rampur, Badaun, Moradabad, Bijnor and Sambhal played an active role in the freedom struggle.

Bareilly was the headquarter of the Rohilkhand region during the revolt of 1857. In fact, on May 31 that year, freedom fighters killed several British officials including the principal of Bareilly College.

The museum is located on the MJP Rohilkhand University campus. Till now, it was only accessible to varsity students but it will be opened to public from this month.

“There will be no entry fee for outsiders but there will be timings for public visits,” said Singh. He added the final touches are being given to the renovation and beautification work at the museum.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India/ News Home> City> Bareilly / by Priyangi Agarwal, TNN / August 10th, 2015

At Aligarh village, shrine to British soldiers killed in 1857

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Shairpur (Aligarh):

In a strange twist of fate, nine British soldiers who died fighting rebels in the 1857 freedom struggle near this village are now worshipped by the descendants of the villagers. The locals, who believe the souls of the nine soldiers protect them from evil spirits, have turned the memorial plaque into a shrine with lit candles, incense sticks and red sacred thread.

Nearly 121 km from Agra, in the Gangiri block of Aligarh district on its border with Kasganj, the memorial plaque at Shairpur village commemorates British cavalrymen from two highly decorated regiments — the 6th Dragoon Guards, also known as the Carabiniers, and the 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers, who for their participation in the events of 1857 came to be called the Delhi Spearmen.

Engraved on the plaque are their names — Captain George Wardlaw, Lieutenant John Hudson, Lieutenant Sydney Vyse, Privates Joseph Barrett, Robert Chapman, Walter Cossar and Allen Eastwood of the Carabiniers, and Privates John Dyson and Henry Frampton of the Delhi Spearmen.

Surrounded by rice fields, tall shrubs and several trees including a peepal, the ramshackle memorial silently narrates the story of a bloody battle fought here on December 14, 1857.

The structure for the nine soldiers, known locally as ‘Kalajar’ since the war was fought near the Kaali river, has shrunk to its current size of 20 sq ft after villagers took up the surrounding land for cultivation.

However, what remains is of occult significance for locals. “On every holy occasion, local villagers, particularly women, worship this stone plaque. They tie sacraments at the peepal tree behind it, light earthen lamps and incense sticks and offer flowers to the dead soldiers’ souls,” said Jai Vir Singh, headmaster of the primary school at the village, just 30m from the grave. “It is certainly ironic that the descendants of the rebels who fought and killed these men offer them prayers today,” Singh added.

Others assign specific powers to the dead men. “We offer prayers here as we believe the souls of these men protect our village from evil spirits. Every year, the families of these soldiers also visit our village from Britain to pay homage to their ancestors who were buried here,” said Pushpender, a local villager.

BD Rana, son of the former local MLA Netram Singh, believes that the place is of historical importance and the government should take steps to conserve it. “During the Raj, this entire area was part of the Gungeree cantonment. Some five kilometres away, there is another tombstone protected by the ASI, but not much information is available on it,” Rana said.

Experts, however, play down the historical significance of the site. “As the tombstone indicates, there must be a graveyard of British soldiers in the area, but that doesn’t mean it is of historical significance. Scores of Britishers were killed by Indians and their bodies were buried at several places during the events of 1857,” remarked MK Pundhir, medieval archaeologist from the Centre of Advance Studies in History, Aligarh Muslim University.

“Worship of the tomb is a mere superstition. Since there is a peepal tree behind it, villagers over the years must have started worshipping the tombstone as well,” he added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / by Arvind Chawhan, TNN / August 09th, 2015

Kukrail gets ‘parijat vatika’

Agriculture, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel

Lucknow :

Apart from a ‘gulab vatika’ (rose garden) and ‘aushadhi vatika’ (medicinal garden), Kukrail now boasts of a ‘parijat vatika’.

Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav inaugurated the Van Mahotsava on Wednesday and 21 parijat (Adansonia digitata) trees were planted at the spot. All trees were more than eight feet in height and the one planted by the CM was about 17 feet high.

“Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) had planted a parijat tree at Lohia park. Now, I can see a depression in the earth around the tree which shows that people have started paying obeisance to the tree. We are planting it on a large scale so that more people may know of the mythologically significant but long-forgotten tree varieties,” said the CM.

At least 21 parijat trees were also planted in Jhansi on the same day.

The Ramayana and Mahabharata mention around 156 tree varieties and some of the prominent ones have been selected by the forest department for plantation across the state depending on soil and weather conditions.

Parijat is an exotic tree and remains green for almost six months. It is said to be one of the gems from the ‘samudra-manthan’. Believed to have been brought to earth by the Pandavas, it is also called ‘kalp vriksha’ as it helped them win the battle of Mahabharata.

Similarly, Kadamb (Anthocephalus cadamba) is mentioned in the Mahabharata as a tree dear to Lord Krishna who played the flute under a ‘kadamb’ tree on the banks of the Yamuna.

Apart from parijat and kadamb, trees like ‘Sita ashok’, ‘tamaal’, ‘maulshree’, ‘tulsi’, ‘harsingar’, banyan and peepal that are mentioned in folklore will be planted extensively at religious ‘parikramas’ and on government land. The chosen tree varieties have huge environmental and medicinal significance as well.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / July 02nd, 2015

Katarniaghat tourist houses getting spruced up

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Travel

Bahraich :

Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuary is going to be developed into an eco-tourism hub and state tourism department would announce a special package soon. Those touring the International Buddhist pilgrimage Shravasti would also get to see the Dudhwa national park while visiting Katarniaghat. Work is on for renovating the tourist houses in the core zone of the forest and Rs 12 crore would be spent on it.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav reached Katarniaghat directly from the residence of Balha MLA to inspect work already started on Tuesday.

There are seven ranges under the reserved forest area. Motipur and Kakraha range come under buffer zone which has already been developed into an eco-tourism hub at a cost of Rs 5 crore.

Katarniaghat, Nishangara, Murtiha, Dharmapur and Sujauli ranges located in core zone of the reserved forest area are being developed. Tigers and leopards have their habitat in these ranges.

The government has allocated a budget of Rs 12 crore to develop these ranges into an eco-tourism hub. CM Akhilesh Yadav inspected the alligator reproduction centre and Gerwa River and told TOI that the rare wild animals and birds of Royal Berdia National Park of Nepal keep moving in and out of Katarniaghat reserved forest area, which makes it different from other sanctuaries.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kanpur / by Bipin Chand Agarwal, TNN / June 19th, 2015