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TOI : PUNE: He was a judge on one of the many reality shows on television. So, when he says reality shows are scripted, you know there’s some truth in it. “What is there not to script?” music director Lalit Pandit asks. In the same breath, he admits that reality shows are a great experience. It is a place where you get to meet a lot of talented people. “But again, you cannot comment on the authenticity of the results since it’s all based on votes and eventually is counted by the producers of the show,” he adds.
More popularly known as one half of the music director duo Jatin-Lalit, who have to their credit quite a few chartbuster albums, the duo split some time back with each doing individual projects now.

Coming back to the talent in the reality shows, Pandit, who has given chances to quite a few of the budding singers, says the potential is great but these singers need to work even harder. “It’s easy to sing an old and much heard song. But when they are given a new song and a tune that only the director knows, it’s a huge challenge. But I’m sure that given time and experience, they will do well.”

After being part of the industry for almost two decades, Pandit agrees that there has been a visible change in our approach to music. “Now, everyone looks for that one hit item number. This holds true with most directors and producers. But yes, there are also quite a few good slow numbers being composed,” he says.

Calling Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosale as his favourite singers, Pandit says he admires Majrooh Sultanpuri as a lyricist and music directors S D and R D Burman, whom he grew up listening to.

Referring to his split with his brother Jatin, Pandit says it was something they both decided upon….More

TOI : PUNE: Imagine a chemist who keeps track of all your past medications, makes you understand the doctor’s prescription, counsels you, suggests changes if the prescribed drugs are likely to react adversely with each other and makes your drug record accessible anywhere in the state. Welcome to the new-age medicine shop.

With the launch of 250 organised retail medical stores (ORMS) due by the end of this month, your neighbourhood medicine shop is set undergo a 360 degree change, setting new standards of professionalism in customer care.

The ORMS is a concept stimulated by the Maharashtra Chemists and Druggists Association (MCDA) under the Maharashtra Safe Chemists and Distributors Alliance Ltd (MSCDAL). The outlets will be started across the state in phases and Pune will benefit from as many as 50 stores in the first phase.

“Our major thrust is on patient counselling and keeping a track record of their past medications for effective treatment and rehabilitation,” Jagannath Shinde, president of MCDA and chairman of MSCDAL told TOI.

“Since all the ORMS will be inter-connected, our customer need not carry his prescription wherever he goes. For example, an ORMS customer from Pune can get his past drug records at any ORMS across the state. The records, along with his family medical history, allergies, reaction to any drug or injection will be maintained,” said Nitin Dev, secretary of the city chapter of MCDA.

Vaijanath Jaguste, managing director of MSCDAL said, “All patients, who avail of our services, will be counselled on how to take medicines, follow a schedule and correct storage. Besides, patients battling diabetes, blood pressure, asthma etc. will be given extra time and counselling. These patients will also be trained in correct handling of medical devices at home, like using pre-filled insulin pens (syringes), asthma inhalers, blood pressure and glucose monitoring devices etc.”

“There are around 45,000 chemists registered with MCDA. We have decided…More

TOI : PUNE: The General Body (GB) of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Wednesday approved Rs 152.46 crore for the school board budget for 2009-10.

With only 35 corporators present for the special GB meeting, the budget was approved unanimously, but not without severe criticism of the school board.

Of the total budget, Rs 37 crore 50 lakh have been allotted for expenditure on primary schools, while a major portion of the remaining amount will be used for salaries, office expenditure and pension of teachers.

Interestingly, despite repeated controversy surrounding the purchase of school uniforms, the school board continues to hold the rights to purchase the same. “Following the controversy, the rights to purchase the uniforms should have been given to the municipal commissioner, with the school board concentrating on enhancing the quality of education,” said Congress corporator Arvind Shinde.

It may be noted that though the current academic year is half-way through, students of municipal schools are yet to get uniforms and education material. The delay is due to the PMC’s failure to reach a conclusion over alleged corruption in the uniform tendering process. The civic administration had recommended a departmental enquiry against the accused, which found the school board chief guilty for not showing due diligence in conducting the tender procedure. Besides, school board members were also found guilty. Following this, the PMC cancelled tenders for purchasing uniforms, shoes and socks leaving the students in a lurch.

Despite this, the school board has been permitted to deal with the process of providing uniforms in 2009-10. In fact, an allotment of Rs 6 crore has been approved for uniform purchases.

Standing committee chairman Sham Deshpande said the school board should function in a transparent way, leaving no room for allegations.
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TOI : PUNE: There is no hike in the ready reckoner rates of properties in Pimpri-Chinchwad township for 2009.

Pimpri-Chinchwad mayor Aparna Doke said that the proposed five per cent hike in ready reckoner rates of the properties in the township has been scrapped and there will be no hike in 2009.

Ready reckoner rates or the market value rates are used to calculate stamp duty charges for the transfer of immobile properties. Doke said that the decision not to hike the rates was taken at the meeting of MLAs, mayor and officials.

District collector Chandrakant Dalvi presided over the meeting attended by Doke, MLA Kamal Dhole-Patil, Digambar Bhegde and other peoples’ representatives from the district. Doke and other elected representatives had demanded that the ready reckoner rates of 2008 be made applicable for 2009 due to the market slow down.
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TOI : PUNE: Kasurdi village in Daund taluka is a classic example of how a strong initiative from a medical college can positively impact health care of the villagers and turn the place into a model village. This is exactly what the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, achieved when it adopted Kasurdi and supplemented the existing health services, a few years ago.

“Besides uplifting the health-care facilities in the village, we made it a point to utilise the base of the village as a ‘rural health practise area’, to give medical students a rural orientation which would help them understand the actual needs of a village,” said lieutenant colonel Abhijit Rudra, spokesperson of AFMC.

This unique health-care initiative is being undertaken by the department of preventive and social medicine (DPSM), AFMC. It involves active participation by undergraduate medical cadets and postgraduate residents.

To being with, a survey was conducted in the village to put together details about the population and prevailing diseases. “Based on these findings, DPSM has been conducting a morbidity (disease treatment) clinic in the village at weekly intervals since 2005,” said Rudra. Specialist referral services, as and when required, have been provided by other departments of the AFMC through civil OPD, Command Hospital, Pune.

“So far, around 76 patients have benefited from the specialist and super specialist services of AFMC,” he said.

Speaking about other health measures initiated at Kasurdi, Rudra said, ” A medical-cum-eye camp was conducted here in collaboration with the staff of the Primary Health Centre (PHC), Yavat. Besides providing OPD services, medical examination of children, knowledge about vitamin A supplements and health education was incorporated as components of the camp.”

“Around 22 patients were later operated upon for cataract, with introduction of intra-ocular lens, free of cost. This was jointly sponsored by Lion’s Club and Deep Griha Society which runs an orphanage at Kasurdi,” said Rudra. Deep Griha…More

TOI : PUNE: With a view to expand the educational initiative for its members’ children, the city’s Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP) or the Ragpicker’s Association will give out cycles to 50 children of rag pickers on January 4 at the Mahatma Phule’s house in Ganj peth to ensure that the children, who are all studying in std VIII and upwards, do not drop out of school at that crucial stage.

Speaking to TOI, Maitreyi Shankar, educational co-ordinator of the association, said, “Till standard VII, going to school is not a problem because Pune Municipal Corporation schools are usually located close to the slums. However, beyond standard VIII, the schools are usually some distance away from the slums and it is difficult for the children to get there. This leads to an increased drop-out rate. Since girls are usually the first casualties, 35 of the recipients will be girls.”

The cycles have been funded by the Tech Mahindra Foundation and the Rotary Club of Pune (north). Also, the children were chosen on the basis of their individual need, said Shankar. “This is the first year of the initiative and, next year, we would be giving cycles to more children,” she said.

The 6,500-member strong KKPKP was registered in 1993. It sought to organise rapickers of the city for the first time, to ensure dignified working conditions and better life prospects for them. So far, the educational programme for its members’ children have included scholarships and distribution of free notebooks to 2,500 children every year, Shankar said.

Purnima Chikarmane, founder of the Ragpickers’ Association, has also appealed to citizens’ to donate cycles. “It does not matter if the cycles are used. It will make a difference to the child,” she said.
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TOI : PUNE: As the ten-day mourning period (the Muharram) begins, playwright Sayyed Saeed Ahmed sits back and take stock of the tradition. “Traditionally, this period is observed in memory of the martyrs of Karbala, namely, the slain grandson of the prophet, Hazrat Emam-e-Hussein (a.s.) and his family and followers.

But, Muharram is as important for its symbolism; the unwavering stance of truth against falsehood,” Ahmed explains, adding, “It’s time for some deep self-assessment. Is the manner in which we live our lives beneficial to those around us? Does it stand for the best principles of humanity?”

Ahmed is happy that it is precisely this mood of self-introspection that marks the beginning of the Islamic new year (1430).

Islamic history says the year 680 was witness to the massacre of Hazrat Emam-e-Hussein (a.s.), grandson of the Prophet Muhammed, his family and followers in Karbala (modern-day Iraq) by the army of Y’zid, who deprived them of food and water. One by one the defenders fell, and on the last day of ‘Ashura’, Hussein was killed. Slated as the greatest atrocity of all-times, Muharram seeks to remind the faithful of the values that Hussein stood for, and the uncompromising manner in which he fought for his belief.

Munawwar Qureshi, president of the Indian Muslim Front, says Muharram is marked by processions, savaris, and majlis, or the reading of the Islamic history at gatherings. “The last three days upto the tenth day of ‘Ashura’ are marked by fasts,” he adds.

Elaborating further on the concept of ‘majlis,’ Maulana Mohammed Farooq says it basically means the recounting of the history and the shahadat (or martyrdom of Hussein) at large gatherings.

Flower shops are full of sehras or veils of rose and jasmine, which are offered to the ‘alams’ or the flag/insignia of the martyrs of Karbala. For public relations professional Zubair Poonawalla, Muharram is best associated with ’sabils’ or…More

TOI : PUNE: Around 2,750 landline connections of Bharatiya Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) are out of order in Pimpri-Chinchwad as a result of cable thefts and the ongoing civic development works.

S T Gaikwad, deputy general manager, BSNL (Chinchwad), said, “The PCMC was conducting road development works from Bhosari to Landewadi, KSB Pumps to Chinchwad station and on Pimpri-Chinchwad link road. Telephone cables suffered damages while these roads were being dug, disrupting landline connections.”

He said that the BSNL conducted regular repairs of the damaged cables. “We also hold meetings with the PCMC officials to prevent the telephone lines from being damaged during road works,” said Gaikwad.

“Thefts of telephone cables occur when they are exposed due to the road works. We have deployed our security guards to prevent thefts and there has been a reduction in the number of such incidents,” said Gaikwad.

Rashmi Panicker, a resident of Tanajinagar in Chinchwad, said that her BSNL landline connection has been disrupted for the past three days. The BSNL officials informed us that the service was disrupted due to the ongoing roadwork on Pimpri-Chinchwad link road. She said that BSNL landline connections of another three families, living in the same housing colony, were also not working.
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TOI : PUNE: Nearly half of the 27,710 applications regarding regularisation of gunthewari houses in Pimpri-Chinchwad, are still waiting for approval by the municipal corporation. A lack of interest on the part of house owners in submitting the necessary documents is cited as the main reason for this.

According to civic officials, nearly 12,500 applications, submitted by house owners to the corporation, have been pending for several months. Civic officials have made it clear that no new applications will be accepted now. However, those who have already submitted their applications can submit the necessary documents and follow up their cases individually to get their gunthewari houses regularised.

The properties in question pertain to small plots of half, one or two gunthas, bought by industrial workers from farmers. Subsequently the industrial workers built houses on the land, but these houses were unplanned and considered unauthorised.

In 2001, the state government issued the Gunthewari ordinance, in order to regularise these constructions and provide basic amenities to the residents living there. The time limit to submit these applications was extended repeatedly, and the last deadline was March 31, 2007. However, despite this, the residents have been lethargic in submitting the necessary documents and fees.

The PCMC charges Rs 30 per sq m for constructed area and Rs 10 per sq m for open land as charges to regularise the gunthewari plots.

The highest number of applications regarding gunthewari houses were received in zone D. Of the 10,121 applications received by this office, 4,291 have been approved. The revenue collected in this zone is Rs 1.49 crore.

Zone A received 9,360 applications, of which 3,851 have been approved. The PCMC was able to get a revenue of Rs 1.49 crore in this zone. In zone B, of the 5,675 applications received, 3,200 have been approved and the revenue earned was Rs 63 lakh. In zone C, of the 1,793…More

TOI : PUNE: “To force the pace and never to be still is not the way of those who study birds…” wrote poet Nissim Ezekiel. And this is a fact. To be a birdwatcher, you need time, and enormous patience.

As the winter finally sets in the city, it’s time to bring out those binoculars and that high-resolution camera, as migratory birds return to make Pune their home for the next few months.

“There’s no specific time to go birdwatching, since birds can be seen anywhere at any given point of the day,” says city-based ornithologist Satish Pande. But yes, if it’s the multitude of migratory birds you want to visit, it’s the best time of the year. “The migratory birds start arriving in the city from as early as the end of October. They do not come together in hordes. Different varieties arrive at different times till March,” he explains.

Of the over 1,100 species of birds that can be found in India, around 15 per cent of them are migratory. “In Pune, on the other hand, we can find over 500 species with about 15 per cent of them being migratory,” says Pande. While the early migrants are the seabirds like gulls and terns who comes to the coastal areas like Alibaug, waders and ducks follow them. Cranes and raptors are the latecomers.

In the city, these birds have several hotspots, including Pashan lake, Kawdi, Bhigwan Veer dam on the Nira river, Khadakwasla, Saswad, Purandar, Alandi, Sinhagad valley, Tamhini ghat, and Lonavla-Khandala.

“Right now, most of these areas are filled with the birds. You can see flamingos at Bhigwan and the bar-headed geese, who arrived from the Tibetan highlands, at the Veer dam,” says birdwatcher Rahul Rao.

Apart from the regular birds, even some rare birds can be seen in and around Pune, says Pande. “The rough-legged buzzard, the Japanese buzzard and the…More