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TOI : In yet another exciting development for the talented filmmakers from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), four students’ films have won prestigious awards, including the best film during the recently concluded 10th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) of Documentary, Short and Animation films.

Kramasha , a diploma film directed by Amit Dutta, has won the Golden Conch and a cash award of Rs 2,50,000 for the Best Film of the Festival in International Competition, besides an award of Rs 1 lakh for the producer, in this case, the FTII.

Undertakers , a second year project directed by Philippines student Emmanuel Palo, has won the Silver Conch plus an award of Rs 50,000 while The Lost Rainbow (Marathi, Harvilele Indradhanushy ) directed by Dhiraj Meshram has won a Silver Conch and a cash award of Rs 75,000 in the National Competition.

It is also an outstanding achievement that as many as 10 FTII student films were screened during various sections of the MIFF.

Palo, who hails from Manila, Phillippines, is studying film direction at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). A B.Sc. biology graduate from the University of Phillippines, he has worked as a scriptwriter and assistant director in feature films in Manila.

The Undertakers takes a hands on look at the business side of death. It presents a vignette on the daily struggle of a family of Christian coffin-makers living in a small Indian city with a predominantly Hindu and Muslim population. Print Save EMail Write to Editor Get personalised news s…More

TOI : PUNE: After hosting a large flock of foreign students over the years, the city is now seeing an increasing number of foreign visitors who are not students.

Records show that foreigners who come to the city for non-academic purposes are growing in the last five years.

Known as the Oxford of the East, the city boasts of a large number of foreign-national students. The number has been on the rise. Yet, the growth seems to be downwards on percentage basis as records show increasing number of non-student foreign national visiting the city.

Every foreign national residing in the city for more than 180 days has to register at the Foreigners’ Registration Branch in the Police Commisionerate. The records available with Foreigners’ Registration Branch show that 4,214 students registered in the last year as compared to 3,445 students in 2006, which shows a growth of 22 per cent.

In 2005, the number of students registered was 3,784, while in 2004, the number was 2,900. This shows that number of foreign student dropped in 2006 while 2005 had witnessed a growth of almost 30 per cent.

At the same period, overall foreign visitors have increased relatively. In 2007, there have been 6,153 visitors compared to 5,024 in the previous year. That amounts to a growth of 22.5 per cent. The growth in the preceding year was 9 per cent. The exception was in 2006, when there was a decline.

The registration at the Foreigners’ Registration Branch is categorised on the basis of visa. They are put in student, tourist and others categories. “The number of students is large but the overall visitors are growing.

At times, the manpower in our office seems inadequate,” says inspector S.V. Gadgil, who is in charge of the registration office.

As most foreign tourists leave the…More

TOI : PUNE: Slogans like “Valentine, Valentine - Earth is our valentine !” - “There is only one solution. No pollution, no pollution” resonated the surroundings of shivajinagar in the late morning hours on Thursday, when around 2,000 students of Indira Group Of Institutes lined up both sides of the Fergusson College road and pervaded the atmosphere with echos voicing concern for preserving the Earth.

Generating curiosity among commuters and passersby with their novel ‘valentine’ approach, the students gathered at Sambhaji Park from where they dispersed in all directions distributing leaflets in industrial areas, schools and pertrol pumps across the city.

Taking stock of the current lifestyle, noted environmentalist and former union minister Mohan Dhariya gave the message ‘High thinking and moderate living’ to the students and exhbited great faith that the youths can make a difference.

“It is in our favour to save the planet as it would eventually save our lives. Depleting groundwater level and ozone layer, if remain unattended, will lead us to our doom.

It is high time, we must wake up to the needs of the earth,” said Dhariya while addressing all the eight unites of Indira group gathered at Sambhaji Park.

Tarita Mehandale director of Indira Group touched upon the all-embracing aspect of love. Exhorting students to come out of their shells, she asked them to soar high and embrace the planet with love strewn for all its animate and inanimate objects.

Ex-mayor advocate Vandana Chavan commended students for their innovative approach and expressed confidence that the message would “cut through boundaries and encompass all and sundry in its trail.”

ALERT (Association for leadership education, research and training) extended its support. Print Save EMail Write to Editor Get personalised news s…More

TOI : PUNE: Eight-year-old Karan Kumar collects polythene bags and recycled waste around the city and as the clock hits 2 pm, he stops doing his work. Soon, a van wheels in bringing a smile on his face. A host of other kids join him as they run towards it.

The ‘Manoranjan Shala’ van, a mobile school initiative, is a sliver of hope for kids like Karan from their daily grind at slums, pavements, construction sites and even traffic signals where they sell newspapers, flowers and other things.

An initiative of Sarva Seva Sangh (SSS), a non- governmental organisation (NGO), the Manoranjan Shala van steers away from the monotonous educational methods and instead teaches street children through fun-filled methods.

As many as 150 kids benefit from this school-on-wheels programme, which was started a year ago, Father Richard Quadros, assistant director of SSS, told TOI.

“Initially, it was very difficult for us to formulate this programme because the parents of the kids didn’t understand what was happening inside the van,” Fr Quadros said. Since these kids are working and bring home the much-needed money, they were scared that school and education would snatch away a breadwinner of the family.

“We had to think of something that would help the children without putting their families into jeopardy. The kids are not interested in mainstream education, so we decided to provide education in a different way.”

The SSS came up with the idea of organizing a van service with teachers who would go to eight spots including pavements, slums, traffic signals and construction sites and teach the children who work there.

“We have decided to devise modules like telling them stories that have messages on the importance of health and hygiene,” Pushpalata Salunke, a teacher who travels with the van every day, said.

The…More

TOI : PUNE: Prompt action by the workers of two Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) workshops in Dapodi averted a major loss when a fire broke out in the scrap yard on Thursday.

Two truckloads of scrap material was gutted in the fire. As many as 20 workers received minor burn injuries and were given treatment at a nearby hospital.

Speaking to TOI Uddhav Kate, mechanical engineer operations, admitted that the workers played a major role in averting big losses. The incident took place when tyres among the scrap material, stored in the divisional workshop’s backyard, caught fire. It was brought under control within two hours with the help of various fire brigades from nearby areas.

V.M. Shejwal, a worker in spring department of central workshop said, “As there was no power, today being Thursday, most of the workers were resting. Some of them spotted smoke emanating from the scrap yard around 10.45 am.

They immediately alerted other workers and around 1,000 workers of both divisional and central workshops swung into action.”

Shejwal added that MSRTC had parked around 15 to 20 scrapped buses near the heap of scrap. There were also oil barrels stored near them. Without giving a thought to their safety, the workers started pushing the vehicles away from the areas under fire.

“It was a difficult job, as some of the buses did not have steering wheels while others did not have proper tyres. But still around 80 to 100 workers pushed the buses and took them to the nearby open space,” he said, adding that some workers shifted 35 oil barrels and 150 to 200 tyres away from the raging fire.

Shejwal said, the fire did not spread to other places and did not cause major damage due to the prompt action taken by the workers. In…More