News

TOI : PUNE: Be it on friendship, patriotism, ‘ishq-mijazi’ (love) or ‘ishq-e-haqiqi’ (divine love), Hakim Raazi Adeebi’s ’shayari’ or Urdu poetry is par excellence.

For Pune’s senior most and popular poet, shayari is an inseparable part of life. “Life is a poetry,” says the 88-year-old Unani practitioner in his 4×4 shop near Shivaji market in Pune camp.

So, what is it that brought out the shayar in you? Prompt came the reply: “Sukoone dil ka sahara mila na jab Raazi, to ikhtiyar ki ghabra ke shayari meine (On failing to find contentment of heart Raazi, so nervously I delved into shayari).

Recovering from his shayari mood, he says, “I have been fond of shayari since my school days at Yeola in Nashik district, where I was born in 1920. However, a chance meeting with my Ustad, Shaer-e-Hayat Hazrat Adeeb Malegaonvi, was a turning point in my life.”

Is Urdu Shayari losing popularity. Not at all, says he. In fact, Urdu Shayari is gaining popularity.

“It’s a wrong assumption that today’s generation is not interested in Urdu poetry. Shayari is being printed in the Devnagari script for those who can’t read Urdu. This itself goes to prove that it is becoming more popular.”

For Raazi, writing or saying a sher (couplet) only depends upon his mood and that there is no fixed time for that. Give him a subject and there he is ready with a sher.

“Sometimes, it is ‘ilhami’ (natural). He again gets poetic: “Tadbeer wa amal dono zaroori to hai Raazi lekin; padta hai muqaddar pay duaon ka asar.” The poet has also received ‘khilafat’ from the late spiritual leader Hazrat Peer Abdul Ghafoor Bakhshullah Shah Ashrafi.

Known for his penchant for writing ’sehra’ (for bride and groom), friends and acquaintances throng to him with an invitation for marriage and a request for…More

TOI : PUNE: Be it on friendship, patriotism, ‘ishq-mijazi’ (love) or ‘ishq-e-haqiqi’ (divine love), Hakim Raazi Adeebi’s ’shayari’ or Urdu poetry is par excellence.

For Pune’s senior most and popular poet, shayari is an inseparable part of life. “Life is a poetry,” says the 88-year-old Unani practitioner in his 4×4 shop near Shivaji market in Pune camp.

So, what is it that brought out the shayar in you? Prompt came the reply: “Sukoone dil ka sahara mila na jab Raazi, to ikhtiyar ki ghabra ke shayari meine (On failing to find contentment of heart Raazi, so nervously I delved into shayari).

Recovering from his shayari mood, he says, “I have been fond of shayari since my school days at Yeola in Nashik district, where I was born in 1920. However, a chance meeting with my Ustad, Shaer-e-Hayat Hazrat Adeeb Malegaonvi, was a turning point in my life.”

Is Urdu Shayari losing popularity. Not at all, says he. In fact, Urdu Shayari is gaining popularity.

“It’s a wrong assumption that today’s generation is not interested in Urdu poetry. Shayari is being printed in the Devnagari script for those who can’t read Urdu. This itself goes to prove that it is becoming more popular.”

For Raazi, writing or saying a sher (couplet) only depends upon his mood and that there is no fixed time for that. Give him a subject and there he is ready with a sher.

“Sometimes, it is ‘ilhami’ (natural). He again gets poetic: “Tadbeer wa amal dono zaroori to hai Raazi lekin; padta hai muqaddar pay duaon ka asar.” The poet has also received ‘khilafat’ from the late spiritual leader Hazrat Peer Abdul Ghafoor Bakhshullah Shah Ashrafi.

Known for his penchant for writing ’sehra’ (for bride and groom), friends and acquaintances throng to him with an invitation for marriage and a request for…More

TOI : PUNE: Be it on friendship, patriotism, ‘ishq-mijazi’ (love) or ‘ishq-e-haqiqi’ (divine love), Hakim Raazi Adeebi’s ’shayari’ or Urdu poetry is par excellence.

For Pune’s senior most and popular poet, shayari is an inseparable part of life. “Life is a poetry,” says the 88-year-old Unani practitioner in his 4×4 shop near Shivaji market in Pune camp.

So, what is it that brought out the shayar in you? Prompt came the reply: “Sukoone dil ka sahara mila na jab Raazi, to ikhtiyar ki ghabra ke shayari meine (On failing to find contentment of heart Raazi, so nervously I delved into shayari).

Recovering from his shayari mood, he says, “I have been fond of shayari since my school days at Yeola in Nashik district, where I was born in 1920. However, a chance meeting with my Ustad, Shaer-e-Hayat Hazrat Adeeb Malegaonvi, was a turning point in my life.”

Is Urdu Shayari losing popularity. Not at all, says he. In fact, Urdu Shayari is gaining popularity.

“It’s a wrong assumption that today’s generation is not interested in Urdu poetry. Shayari is being printed in the Devnagari script for those who can’t read Urdu. This itself goes to prove that it is becoming more popular.”

For Raazi, writing or saying a sher (couplet) only depends upon his mood and that there is no fixed time for that. Give him a subject and there he is ready with a sher.

“Sometimes, it is ‘ilhami’ (natural). He again gets poetic: “Tadbeer wa amal dono zaroori to hai Raazi lekin; padta hai muqaddar pay duaon ka asar.” The poet has also received ‘khilafat’ from the late spiritual leader Hazrat Peer Abdul Ghafoor Bakhshullah Shah Ashrafi.

Known for his penchant for writing ’sehra’ (for bride and groom), friends and acquaintances throng to him with an invitation for marriage and a request for…More

TOI : PUNE: The irrigation department on Wednesday stated that the current 20% water cut for Pune city will continue till the water storage in the dams supplying water to the city touches a level of 18 TMC. At present, the dams have 12.23 TMC of water. The decision on a decrease in the water cuts will be taken only after the dams reach the 18 TMC mark.

An official also stated that the 20% water cut for Pimpri-Chinchwad and Talegoan areas will continue as the dams supplying water to these areas are short of the required storage level.

S L Patil, chief engineer, water resources, Pune, said that the demand for Pune city for an entire year is 18 TMC.

“The water levels in the four dams remain critical with only 45% live water storage,” he said. “Of the four, only Temghar dam has water storage above 50%. It has 63% water storage, followed by Varasgoan (45%), Panshet (40%) and Khadakwasla (32%). Pavana dam has 56% water storage.

The level at the dams supplying water to the Pune has gone up by 4 TMC in last three days with the moderate and heavy rains in the catchment areas. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC) officials have alleged that the Government Railway Police (GRP) is shielding unauthorised hawkers doing business in trains in the Pune division.

The IRCTC officials further alleged that unauthorised hawkers had beaten up members of the pantry car crew of the Rajkot-Secundarabad Express during a scuffle that occurred in Pune division on Monday evening.

The Government Railway Police (GRP), instead of acting against the hawkers, had arrested all members of the pantry car crew at Pune station after the incident, the officials said.

Speaking about the arrest of the pantry car members, N. Stephens, joint general manager, IRCTC, said that the move comes as a shock. “This is the first time that pantry car members of a train have been arrested in such an incident. The crew members were thrashed by the unauthorised hawkers between Lonavala and Karjat stations. However, the GRP arrested all crew members on Tuesday when the train reached Pune station. As a result, the train travelled to Secundarabad with the pantry car locked.”

Stephens informed that the IRCTC has taken up the issue of unauthorised hawkers with the railways ministry and has demanded quick action in the matter.

Meanwhile, Viththal Jadhav, SP, GRP, countering the IRCTC officials claim, he asserted that the GRP has arrested both the hawkers as well as the crew members.

He also said that cross-complaints have been lodged by both parties with the GRP in the matter.
Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: In view of the forthcoming Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG), city MP Suresh Kalmadi has told the railway authorities to complete all development works at the Pune railway station and make the services at the station on par with international standards.

Speaking at a special meeting held at the Pune station on Wednesday, Kalmadi said, “Keeping the station premises and trains clean and providing services of international standards were among the top priorities for the railway authorities.” Necessary steps were being mooted to provide additional services at the station, he added. Kalmadi said a special train will be introduced between Pune and New Delhi for CYG.

Kalmadi has instructed the railways to sort out issues pertaining to land acquisitions, encroachment and management of traffic around the station along with Pune Municipal Corporation and the traffic department. He told them to complete formalities for additional supply of water and electricity and to ensure that all developmental works are completed before September.

A meeting was conducted on Wednesday in the presence of Kalmadi at the railway station. The meeting was attended by V K Jain, divisional railway manager, M G Dhamangoankar, additional divisional railway manager, departmental heads, officials from city police, PMC and MSEDCL.
Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: Nearly 7,000 small-scale industries (SSI) in Pimpri-Chinchwad and neighbouring areas, already affected severely by load-shedding, will now remain closed for two days a week — on Thursday and Friday.

The decision was announced by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Small-Scale Industries Association on Wednesday.

Starting on Thursday morning, power supply to the industrial belt comprising Bhosari, Akurdi, sector numbers seven to 10, Pavana Industrial complex, Chikhli, Kudalwadi, Talawade, Dehu and Alandi will remain closed for nearly 34 hours. According to the association, load-shedding on Thursday will be from 6 am to 10 pm, and on Friday from 1 am to 3 am, and again from 6 am to 10 pm.

Suresh Mhetre, president of the association, said that the decision to take an additional holiday had been taken at a meeting held in Mumbai to discuss the power crisis last week.

During the meeting, government officials and the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) had agreed to provide uninterrupted power supply to the industrial belt on remaining days of the week. Pointing out that there were power breakdowns for nearly three to five hours every day, Mhetre has made a demand that the MSEDCL inspect the power supply lines on Thursday and Friday to ensure that there is uninterrupted power supply on other days of the week.

According to Mhetre, SSIs have already suffered losses worth crores and this will have impact on their turnover. The shortage of diesel supply has affected the supply of raw material and transport of finished goods. The forging industry, heat treatment units and industries which require diesel have been largely affected due to diesel shortage.

“The two-day closure is likely to remain for the next 2 weeks. Workers in some industries have agreed to work for additional day when supply improves,” he said. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: A high-level inspection team of the Medical Council of India (MCI) will visit the city on August 1 to check if the medical colleges in the city are meeting the set norms. The visit assumes significance in the light of reports that medical colleges “borrow teachers” to conceal vacancies during regular MCI visits.

As per sources, a prominent medical college in the city has borrowed around eight teachers of the category of professor, assistant professor and lecturer on ‘Usanavari’ from a medical college in Aurangabad.

“This is exactly what the state government is doing— temporarily shift teachers to colleges lacking required strength and infrastructure until MCI inspection is over,” said an associate professor at a medical college on the condition of anonymity.

The eight teachers who are reported to have been “borrowed” include a professor in gynaecology, orthopaedic, medicine, preventive care, associate professors of physiology, paediatrics and radiology, and a lecturer of orthopaedics from a medical college in Aurangabad.

When contacted, Vasudevrao Tayade, director of department of medical education and research (DMER) said that he is clueless about any such juggling of teachers.

“As per the orders of the state minister for medical education Dilip Walse-Patil, all the vacant posts comprising technical and non-technical staff of all the medical colleges across the state would be duly filled in the next six months,” said Tayade. It should be recalled that members of the Maharashtra State Medical Teachers’ Association (MSMTA) had resigned en-masse in October 2007 to raise issues like ‘usanvari’ system.
Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: Aamir Khan has developed a sound rapport with schoolchildren all over the country, all thanks to his hit movie Taare Zameen Par .

On Tuesday morning, on the occasion of Dada J.P. Vaswani’s 90th birthday celebrations, the actor interacted with 6,000 students from 15 schools in Pune at the B.J. Medical Ground.

The programme was a hit from the moment Aamir stepped onto the dais along with Dadaji. They were joined by other heavyweight dignitaries including opposition leader L.K. Advani’s wife Kamla Advani and daughter Pratibha and former deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, Najma Heptullah, who happens to be Aamir’s aunt.

Earlier in the day, the students had enthusiastically participated in a painting competition Taare Zameen Par , on the Earth ’s actual precious gems.

According to Dadaji, however, the children are the real gems. “In order to build a nation, you have to build yourself first. For this you must follow three principles - always speak the truth, never yield to anger and share the good things of life with those in need,” said Dadaji.

No one could agree more than Aamir. Busy with his forthcoming film Ghajini , Aamir is also deliberating ways to reach out to students. The superstar will soon be teaching at a school in Bandra under Times of India’s ‘Teach India’ campaign. His determination to connect with the young and ambitious was evident throughout the programme.

“I feel the need to be involved with the students’ problems. It is something I’m doing outside of my work. But it’s going be an enriching experience for me,” said Aamir, who asked the children present to join him in wishing Dadaji. And zestfully they all sang, ‘Happy Birthday to You, Dadaji…’

Aamir also launched the book, Dada JP Vaswani: A Living Legend on the occasion. A token of appreciation gifted…More

TOI : PUNE: A hoax SMS doing rounds in the city put police in a spot as it “warned” people to keep away from crowded and busy areas following the Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts.

The message which asked the receivers on Sunday to forward it to as many people as possible, said “16 blasts in Ahmedabad. Don’t go to central areas like FC road, MG road, Appa Balwant Chowk and Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati Mandir–warning issue by Pune police”.

The Dagdusheth Ganesh temple in the heart of the city always sees a beeline of devotees.

Coming as it did in the wake of the Bangalore and Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts, anxious people, including school going children, kept forwarding the SMS the whole day, causing scare in all parts of the city.

As many kept inquiring with police control room also about the “warning”, senior police officials realised the unwarranted panic it had created in the absence of any such official communication.

A spokesman of police issued statement, which was also aired of local radio stations, late evening describing the SMS as a hoax by miscreants and asking people not to heed rumours.

Police said the authorities had taken necessary measures by stepping up vigil at sensitive spots in the city but there was no cause for panic. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More