“Lucknow produces some of the finest talent,” said Anubhav Sinha Rishi Kapoor photographed in Mumbai.
Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha has cast 12 actors from Lucknow in his upcoming movie Mulk. Actors Ashok Lal, Ekram Khan, Jitendra Awasthi, Mahendra, Narendra Panjwani, Padam Kirti, Prafulla Pandey, Naval Shukla, Raju Pandey, Rubal Jain, Dayveer Singh Yadav and Vinay Ghoshal will be joining the existing cast and crew of the film. “I was always inclined towards giving back to the place that I call home. I understand the road blocks one faces when you are trying to break through into the metros when you hail from a smaller city,” Anubhav Sinha, who is from Uttar Pradesh, said in a statement.
“I faced a lot of struggle when I was new to Mumbai and wanted to make a foray into the entertainment industry. Bharat Jha, the casting director of Mulk, showed me some screen tests and I was blown by what I saw. Lucknow has an effervescent theatre industry and produces some of the finest talent, and it’s only fair to give everyone a chance,” he added.
He will commence shooting on October 12, which also happens to be the 16th birthday of his son Shlok.
“The day Shlok came into my life I bagged Dus and that film was a game changer for me. Just like Mulk, it was a multi-starrer. My son will always be my lucky mascot and Mulk is a project that is very close to my heart so, everything is done keeping in mind auspicious aspects. Since I belong to a small town, this film’s content is relatable to my childhood days of growing up in Benaras,” said Anubhav Sinha.
The film, a social thriller, is based on true life events.
Mulk also features Rishi Kapoor, Taapsee Pannu, Prateik Babbar, Ashutosh Rana and Neena Gupta.
The film will be shot in Varanasi and Lucknow and is scheduled to release early next year.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source: http://www.ndtv.com / NDTV / Home> Entertainment / Indo-Asian News Service / October 04th, 2017
Kushal Tandon posed for us with his pet dog outside his home on Ashok Marg, Lucknow (BCCL/ Aditya Yadav)
Like every year, actor Kushal Tandon took a day off from his shooting schedule to be with his family in Lucknow on Diwali. Kushal, whose show ‘Beyhadh’ went off air recently, celebrated Diwali with his parents and sisters. “I am in Lucknow on every Diwali and Bhaiya Dooj. So this year was no exception. While I don’t like bursting crackers, I had to do it since I had my nephews over at home who are really fond of bursting crackers,” said Kushal.
Quite happy with the appreciation that he received for his show ‘Beyhadh’, Kushal says, “We were never after TRPs; our show was meant for the urban class. Thankfully it did get good TRPs and will always be remembered as a cult show. It had been a beautiful journey for all the team members. Before ‘Beyhadh’ happened, I had just done one fiction show, which was ‘Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai’. This show showed my real acting talent. My work was really appreciated and I got calls from a lot of people in the industry for my acting. So it really felt nice. It was really hectic too as ever since the show went on air, we had been shooting continuously and we didn’t have a bank of episodes. In that sense, it was a roller coaster ride.”
Now that the show has gone off air, Kushal is working on a web series. “Ever since it was announced that ‘Beyhadh’ is going off air, I have been getting a lot of offers for everything — movies, serials and web series. All I want to do is the best. So finally, I have said yes to a 20-episode web series produced by Ekta Kapoor. I can’t discuss the concept as of now, but just like my previous two shows, this too will be different,” he said.
Web series is the future for entertainment feels Kushal. “Gone are the days when actors used to be a part of web series just for creative satisfaction and not money. I am getting paid double the amount of what I was being paid for TV. So of course there is money involved too,” said he, adding, “And as far as watching paid content on the internet is concerned, people are paying and watching good content — whether it is Hindi or English shows. In times to come, television will be dead. Everything is now on the internet. People are always on the internet. A single episode of Beyhadh used to have million views in just one night on the internet. That’s crazy! The younger generation doesn’t have time to sit at home in front of the TV and watch shows. They prefer watching it on their mobiles now.”
Enjoying the high in his professional life, Kushal says he is in no mood to make his personal life happening by getting committed. “I am happily single now and everybody is my friend now. It’s been three years that I have been single and I am enjoying my life a lot now. Love is definitely beautiful but life besides love is also very beautiful. Right now I am working on myself and I don’t have time to fall in love,” he says.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Akash Wadhwa / TNN / October 28th, 2017
About five years back, environment crusader Ajay Krantikari has launched ‘cycling campaign’ in a small village of Patti block of Pratapgarh district to spread message that cycling keeps one healthy and fit and also protects environment. Now, more than 10,000 people, particularly students, have joined his cycle campaign club in Patti, Mandhata, Belha, Shivgarh, Sadar, Laxmanpur and Gaura blocks of the district.
As on daily routine, Krantikari visits government offices, commercial establishments, educational institutes and other public places, urging people to be a part of cycle campaign to protect the environment from vehicular pollution. He interacts with people and apprise them about the benefits of cycling.
Krantikari said, “In 2012, I and some students had started cycling campaign at Ram Raj Inter College in Patti. Within a short span of time, hundreds of youngsters joined my club named it Green Transporting Club (GTC).”
In next two years, around 3,000 people, mainly students became the members of the club. They encourage their friends, relatives and neighbours for cycling at least once a week.
On every Sunday, young members of the club go out for cycling mission in villages and mohallahs, appealing people to adopt cycling at least one day in a week. They said that it it would help in saving petrol and diesel and also protect environment from vehicular pollution.
The campaign got a boost when the authorities of nagar palika, Behla decided to turn the nagar palika area into green zone and encouraged its employees to come on bicycles.
Executive officer, Behla nagar palika, Awadesh Kumar said, “I have urged the employees to spread the message of environment protection and come to office on bicycles. Many employees have started to come on bicycles.
Krantikari said that the rising number of vehicles are increasing air pollution even in small towns. He claimed that people from neighbouring districts like Allahabad, Jaunpur Kaushambi and Sultanpur have joined the club in order to protect environment.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Allahabad News / by Kapil Dixit / October 29th, 2017
Varanasi akhara breaks its 450-yr tradition, lets girls in | Varanasi News – Times of India
Highlights
Tulsidas akhara will now hold fights featuring women from Diwali.
The mahant of Sankant Mochan, Vishwambar Nath Mishra, too, believes the decision will go long way to empower women here.
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Varanasi :
Clad in body-hugging lowers and sporty tees, Nandini Sarkar and Aastha Verma collect a fistful of mud at the Tulsidas akhara on the Ganga banks here, rub it on their foreheads and let out a fullthroated cry of “Jai Shri Ram”.That chant has just shattered a 450-year-old glass ceiling at this medieval wrestling ring.
In a major break from tradition, the akhara that’s managed by the Sankat Mochan temple trust has permitted girls to practise and wrestle at its hallowed mud pit, dedicated to the bachelor god, Hanuman.
It took the two feisty 20-yearold girls, who are still pursuing their bachelor courses, almost a decade to convince the trust’s mahant to be allowed to practice and spar at the akhara. Aptly, their freedom to enter the mud pit came on August 15 this year, which coincided with the Nagpanchami festival.
The akhara will now hold fights featuring women from Diwali. “The training of tradi tional wrestlers remains incomplete till they touch the mud of an akhara. We have finally achieved that dream,” says Nandini. “Our coaches, Surendra Yadav and Gorakhnath Yadav, approached the mahant this year and convinced him that if the country can have a Prime Minister representing Varanasi for the first time, why can’t women achieve a first of their own?” she said.
Of course, getting the permission was far from easy. “We were shown texts on Hanuman’s vow of bachelorhood and told that girls are impure and their presence is a sin for the god. But it’s the same god who gave us the strength to fight,” Nandini reasoned.
The mahant of Sankant Mochan, Vishwambar Nath Mishra, too, believes the decision will go long way to empower women here. “People are surprised when they learn that I am a professor at IIT as well as the mahant of this temple. I believe I can contribute to society in both ways. So why not take a decision that’s in keeping with gender equality and restores the faith of people in the divine?” said mahant Mishra, who teaches electronics at IIT BHU.
Both girls have represented UP in wrestling. Even as they try out traditional practice equipment at the akhara, such as bhala and gadha, for the first time, the girls have already mastered their favourite manoeuvres by watching the men here for the past 10 years. For Nandini, its dhobi paat (shoulder throw) while Aastha swears by kalajang (squat punch).
The girls come from humble backgrounds. Nandini’s father sells sweets to pilgrims at Assi Ghat, earning around Rs 7,000 a month. Aastha’s father is no more. Her mother Madhu Verma sells flowers on the stairs of Kedar Ghat to support her daughter’s wrestling dreams.
“We derive our strength and determination from our parents who keep the faith of devotees alive by providing them accessories to complete their pooja. That’s why God was kind to us,” says Aastha.
However, the girls’ struggles are far from over. With their modest means, it’s getting increasingly difficult for to afford a protein rich diet and top-notch training to progress in the sport. To support their needs, the girls frequently travel as far as Patna, Madehpura and Begusarai in Bihar for dangal contests.Each match earns them Rs 2,500.
“Ghee, milk, almonds, protein and personal gym costs us Rs 15,000 a month. Sometimes we can afford it. When we can’t, we just hop on to a night train and reach Bihar. It takes one day to reach the venue, two days to play and another day to return to Varanasi,” says Aastha. Being women wrestlers in a patriarchal society is tough. The girls have many horror stories on their wrestling visits to Bihar. “There are times when men would try to pat us just to feel us. We usually answer such touches with a punch and tackle,” said Nandini, laughing.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Varanasi News / by Rohan Dua / TNN / October 08th, 2017
The declaration was made at the eleventh hour as the State Election Commission announced civic polls in three phases from November 22.
Mathura-Vrindavan Nagar Nigam was constituted recently along with Ayodhya Nagar Nigam.
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Lucknow :
The Uttar Pradesh government today declared Vrindavan Nagar Palika Parishad and Barsana Nagar Panchayat in Mathura district as “pavitra tirth sthal” (holy pilgrim place).
The declaration was made at the eleventh hour as the State Election Commission announced civic polls in three phases from November 22.
“Vrindavan area in Mathura is the birth place of Lord Krishna and his elder brother Balram, and is world famous. Barsana is Radha’s birthplace. Lakhs of tourists visit these places to pay obeisance. Keeping in mind their importance and in view of tourism, these are declared as holy pilgrimage places,” an official release issued here said.
Special attention will be paid to these areas for development of facilities for locals and tourists, it said.
Mathura-Vrindavan Nagar Nigam was constituted recently along with Ayodhya Nagar Nigam.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News> Civic Issue / PTI / October 27th, 2017
SIDBI’s chairman and managing director Mohammad Mustafa (in blue) and IIML director Ajit Prasad (in black) at the launch of SIDBI Centre for Innovation in Financial Inclusion
Lucknow :
The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) on Friday launched a technology business incubator at the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow for nurturing high impact technologies for achieving, expanding and furthering the financial inclusion. Named as SIDBI Centre for Innovations in Financial Inclusion (Sci-Fi), the centre aims at fostering innovation, research and entrepreneurial activities in financial technology (FinTech).
The Sci-Fi seeks to explore and understand FinTech and financial inclusion by turning ideas into reality through the incubation process. IIML will provide required managerial and technological resources and support to make the incubation process successful. The center will develop research artifacts, promote research collaboration, and serve as a resource center to unlock entrepreneurial potential, and will follow three objectives — capacity building to and spearheading research on FinTech and financial inclusion, promoting discussion on Fintech and financial inclusions among stakeholders, and mentoring FinTech start-ups that will create products and services for financial inclusion.
The incubator at IIML, said SIDBI chairman and managing director Mohammad Mustafa has endeavored to bring together three great national development missions of Start Up India, Universal Financial Inclusion and Digital India under one roof. The centre, fully funded by SIDBI, will be guided by a governing board consisting of eminent representatives from financial inclusion, FinTech and venture capital domains, and headed by IIML director Ajit Prasad.
Prasad during his address recounted how the UP chief minister lauded IIML as a jewel in the crown of UP but at the same time also sought IIML’s contributions to the state of UP. “I was short of words then. I am glad now that SIDBI Centre will generate hundreds of jobs,” Prasad told the audience.
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source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / Isha Jain / TNN / October 27th, 2017
Real estate and infrastructure consultant REPL today said it has bagged a contract for management of the smart city project in Kanpur.
The Kanpur Municipal Corporation has appointed Rudrabhishek Enterprise Pvt Ltd (REPL) as project management consultant to develop and implement the smart city project, the company said in a statement.
Second city in UP
REPL’s CMD Pradeep Misra said it is the company’s second smart city project in Uttar Pradesh after Varanasi. REPL is already working on the Indore smart city project.
“We are sure that we will be able to leverage our experience and learning of our other smart city consultancy works for developing smart city of Kanpur which will enhance the industrial and social growth of city,” he added.
REPL will assist Kanpur Smart City Ltd in various phases of project implementation.
Project implementation
This will include activities such as preparation of detailed project reports, coordination with various appointed consultants, project prioritisation and phasing, preparing capital investment plan, implementation roadmap, conducting feasibility studyetc.
“The retrofitting development will not only improve the core infrastructure and quality of life but also assure a sustainable and inclusive development with the integration of smart ICT solution,” REPL said.
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> News> National / Press Trust of India / October 04th, 2017
Girija Devi, fondly known as Appa ji, passed away in a hospital in Kolkata on Tuesday evening. She was 88.
She worked as a faculty member of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata in the 1980s and of the Banaras Hindu University during the early 1990s
She was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2016
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Varanasi :
Demise of great vocalist and Thumri queen Girija Devi came as a big shocker to the music lovers of Varanasi, the birth place of the eminent singer. Girija Devi, fondly known as Appa ji, passed away in a hospital in Kolkata on Tuesday evening. She was 88.
“It is an irreparable loss to Indian music and Banaras Gharana of music. She was a guiding figure for us,” said noted Sarod player and Yash Bharati recipient Pt. Vikash Maharaj. “She was ailing for some time, and admitted to BM Birla Hospital in Kolkata in the morning. She left for the heavenly abode in the evening,” he said adding that she had been living in Kolkata with her daughter.
“No one can fill the gap. Even at 88 her scintillating voice could leave the audience spell bound. She was perhaps the last exponent of thumri, tappa, chaiti and khayal. I heard her singing in an award ceremony in New Delhi on August 27,” said Ashok Kapoor, founder of a cultural organization Kala Prakash working for the cause of Indian music.
Though settled in Kolkata, she regularly visited Varanasi. She was born in Varanasi in 1929. She took lessons in singing khayal and tappa from vocalist Sarju Prasad Misra in early childhood. She worked as a faculty member of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata in the 1980s and of the Banaras Hindu University during the early 1990s. She was a prominent performer of purabi ang thumri style of Banaras gharana. She was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2016.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> India News / by Binay Singh / TNN / October 25th, 2017
Manav Shrotriya, Bareilly-based sound designer and sounds-effect editor
Bareilly boy Manav Shrotriya, a sound designer, visual effects producer, sound effects editor who has worked for films like Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, Mubarakan, Mom, Saat Uchakkey, Guest In London, Aksar 2, Rocky Mental, Vicky Donor, Agent Vinod and Aashiqui 2 among several others, has carved a niche for himself in the Bollywood music industry.
Manav talks about his memories of Bareilly, his experience of working with Nawazuddin Siddiqui, upcoming projects and more.
‘Grown up being surrounded by music’
Manav, a resident of Prem Nagar and a pass-out from Hartmann College, says, “Since childhood, I had a liking for music; something which I have inherited from my mother, a classical tabla player and who used to sing for All India Radio. I was born and brought up in a family that was musically inclined and my interest in the field further prompted me to pursue a career in the same. I did a three-year course from School of Audio Engineering, Mumbai, and a specialisation in post-production and music production. After that, I also got a chance to work at a well-known studio in Mumbai as sound and mixing engineer. At this level, I developed a rapport with directors and producers and did my first commercial mainstream film -3G- A Killer Connection – with Neil Nitin Mukhesh.”
‘I miss roaming around cantonment’
Manav, who’s currently working as a post-production head at a studio in Mumbai, shares, “I used to perform with my band, Zero, comprising four to five friends at musical evenings at Bareilly hotels and St Methodist Church; it was a great learning experience. Back in Bareilly going for a bike ride with friends to Cantonment and Civil Lines, gorging on Civil Lines ka street food and mithai is something I really miss.”
‘Working with Nawaz was an enriching experience’
Sharing his experience of working with Nawazuddin in Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, Manav, says, “It was shot in Lucknow and several small places in UP like Maliabad, which I used to visit a lot during my childhood. I could give the right kind of sound for the film to create that feel. It took us four months for its sound post-production. The experience of working with Nawaz was quite enriching.”
He adds, “I’m currently working for a Hollywood film and a Hindi-Punjabi film Raja Abroadia. I’m also in talks for a project with Disha Patani next year.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bareilly News / by Manyaekta Gugliani / BCCL / October 06th, 2017
Buddhist prayer wheels, colourful flags, scriptures and sculptures of monks will greet tourists at the new Leh airport which is being designed by one Australian and two Lucknow-based architects.
The highest commercial airport in the country, the revamped Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, will open doors to those seeking serenity in Leh, soon.
The project has been initiated by the Airports Authority of India and involves three architecture consultants—Paul Mutton from Australia-based Guida Moseley Brown Architects and Vipul and Harsh Varshney from Lucknow-based Sthapati Associates. They have already started work on the airport.
The final designs have been submitted and approved and the Lucknow-based architects recently met the aviation minister in Delhi to take him through the project.
Keeping the philosophy of ancient Buddhist wisdom intertwined with modern ethos, the design closely incorporates Buddhist design elements in the structure.
According to the artist’s impressions shared with TOI, there are Bodhisattvas, mandalas and thangkas (spiritual symbols), Buddhist-Tibetan prayer wheels and prayer flags all around the airport’s interior and exterior. It has been designed to visually stimulate the tourist.
Whether it is the Himalayas- and Buddhist stupa-inspired pitch roof or the 30-foot-high prayer wheel sculpture and colourful Leh-styled giant Buddha, all elements beckon the tourist’s curiosity even before landing on the ground.
It is not just the facade and architecture that promise to wow the tourist, technology has been incorporated in such a way that the terminal is sustainable and environment friendly.
Placed at 3,256 metres above mean sea level, the airport terminal building has been planned across 16,500 square metres. While photo-voltaic cells for roof and external lighting will reduce 60% of electrical load, cavity walls will be built for thermal insulation. Besides, recycled water will be used for landscaping, and multi-function heat pump air-cooled chillers will produce chilled water all the year long. For other sanitary requirements, hot water will be produced with the same technology.
“The desert-like terrain and the harsh cold weather were two most important factors that had to be considered while designing the airport. They presented great difficulty as well, because the ambient temperature goes down to -16 degrees Celsius and freezes water. To prevent this, we had to use 45% of glycol water mixtures in the chillers of air conditioners,” says Vipul Varshney, founder of Sthapati Associates.
The design incorporates the capacity of five aerobridges, Zen landscaping (for dry climate), intricately engraved wooden pagodas and a cluster of eight stupas at the entrance, introducing the passengers to Buddha’s land.
Recounting the experience of designing the project, Varshney says, “Because of site contours and assuring minimum carbon footprint, the whole building has been designed in different levels to minimize cutting and filling of land.
The height difference between the main approach road and the runway was almost 10 meters. This is why four levels with four lounges and two separate security check areas have been designed so that passengers don’t feel any gradient difference.”
The difficulty of approach and climatic constraints propelled the design to be simple yet colourful, using pre-manufactured material to the maximum which will be assembled at the site. The use of glass and other destructible construction materials has been minimized so that airport functioning is not hindered due to their unavailability, owing to difficulty in ferrying material from the main land. The typical vernacular artefacts and landscaping will be produced by local craftsmen.
The current terminal is capable of handling 250 peak-hour domestic passengers with annual handling of 0.2 million people. Its own recorded traffic witnessed a rise of 14.6% passengers in the past five years.
“This called for expansion and revamping of the current saturated terminal to meet increased traffic demands,” she adds.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Yusra Husain / TNN / October 08th, 2017
