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TOI : PUNE: “To know the purpose and essence of a performance, watch Kishori sing,” said theatre doyenne Vijaya Mehta about Gaan Sarawasti Kishori Amonkar. She felicitated Amonkar with the Pu La Smruti Sanman’ during Pulotsav at Tilak Smarak Mandir on Wednesday evening. The award comprises a citation, Rs 1 lakh and a shawl.

“She goes into a world of her own but sings for every person in the audience. It’s a heart-to-heart connect that she has always established through her singing. That’s why she too, like Pu La, is a phenomenon,” said Mehta about her long-time friend Kishori Amonkar.

Recalling an old incident, Mehta said, “During the practise sessions of theatre group Rangayan, a young Amonkar walked in with a sore throat. She wanted to speak but could not, so she wrote down her feelings. This is the real Kishori that I have seen and known.”

A 60-minute documentary on Amonkar’s vocalist mother and guru, Gaan Tapasvini Mogubai Kurdikar, was a reminder of Amonkar’s meticulous tutelage. The documentary features an exceptionally humble and pleasant Kurdikar happily explaining the finer nuances of classical singing and music. She is shown correcting her young daughter during riyaaz,’ and her rememberances of her guru, Gaan Samrat Alladiya Khan Saheb, founder of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana.’

To Amonkar, Pulotsav was like home-coming. “P L bhaiyya’, (as she calls Pu La), lived the sur’ in the true and complete sense of the word. Even the unique laughter that emanated from his performances had a sur’ of its own,” said Amonkar.

Mehta, who has acted in plays written by Pu La, considered him and his late wife, Sunitabai, as family. “Pu La was known to share his happiness with others around him. Like a five-year-old, he would lap up the performances of other people on stage,” recollected Mehta.

Mehta gave the example of Pu La’s acclaimed play, Tujha Ahe Tujhapashi.’ “That play…More

TOI : PUNE: Continuous rainfall in the catchment areas of dams during the last 28 hours has pushed the overall water storage up by 0.21 TMC. While Temghar, Panshet and Varasgaon dams together registered over 65 mm rainfall, Khadakwasla dam registered 130 mm rainfall in the last 28 hours.

According to irrigation department officials, the total water storage at the four dams has reached 22.41 TMC (80.27%). On Tuesday, the water storage was 22.20 TMC (79.51%).

The officials said on Wednesday said that with the continuing rainfall in the catchment areas, more water is expected to flow in to the dam reservoir.

An official said, “The water storage has gone above 80 per cent of the total collective capacity on Wednesday. This is a rare occasion when dam levels rise in the month of November.”

S N Bolbhat, executive engineer of the Khadakwasla irrigation division, said: “The catchment areas have registered good rainfall on the second consecutive day.”

The Temghar dam registered a rainfall of around 125 mm, while Panshet and Varasgaon registered 81 mm and 64 mm, respectively. The Khadakwasla dam registered 59 mm rainfall during 8 am to 5 pm on Wednesday. The water storage at Khadakwasla dam increased from 0.75 TMC to 0.90 TMC.

An official said that rainwater is still flowing into reservoirs. This would continue for the next two days. The water storage would go up at least as much as expected.

The dams that supply water to the city have been holding less water compared to last year. As a result, the city is facing 15 per cent cut in the daily water supply. Topics: TMC Dam More Stories from this section Train derails near Pune, five injured Deccan Queen’s run reduced by 5 mins Plan to let colleges hold 1st, 2nd year exams postponed Goods worth Rs 1.87 lakh looted from three shops Trees …More

TOI : PUNE: Wednesday’s unseasonal downpour, could not dampen the festive mood in Ambegaon, hometown of senior NCP leader Dilip Walse-Patil, who was been elected as the Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. Although celebrations were toned down, many of his supporters were keen to leave for Mumbai to personally congratulate Patil.

While Patil’s name was proposed by the ruling Democratic Front on Monday, the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance had fielded city MLA from Kasba Peth, Girish Bapat, for the post. But on Wednesday morning, Bapat withdrew his name from the fray, thus allowing Patil to win unopposed. However, Patil’s was faced with some uncertainties as former speaker Babasaheb Kupekar, also of the NCP, had expressed his resentment over not being considered either for a ministerial berth or for the post of the Speaker.

Though Wednesday brought with it some cheer for Walse-Patil’s supporters, the mood was not quite the same some days back. The first damper had come last Saturday when Patil’s name did not figure in the list of ministers. Though Patil has earlier held key portfolios like finance and energy, he was kept out of the state cabinet this time. It was only after Patil’s election as the Speaker on Wednesday that his men finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, many of Patil’s supporters feel that the new assignment will limit’ the minister’s public life.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one of Patil’s close supporters said that if he would have become a minister it would have given him more chances to be in the lime light. “His election as the speaker will put lot of limitations on his participation in various public programmes. We feel that he has been sidelined,” the supporter said.

Though many more of Patil’s supporters are of the same opinion, they are positive that the NCP leader will make a come back.

Shivajirao Dhoble, director…More

TOI : PUNE: In a four-day drive against drunk driving, the traffic branch of the city police arrested 277 motorists found to be in an inebriated state.

The campaign, which ended Tueday, was undertaken in the jurisdiction of all 28 traffic divisions, deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Manoj Patil said.

Inspector V S Tilekar of the traffic branch told TOI, “The drive was carried out with help from the local police stations. Action was conducted in all parts of the city, including Tilak chowk, J M road, Hadapsar, Fatimanagar and M G road. We made use of 45 breath analysers.”

Although the action began in the morning, it was stepped up between 7 pm and 10 pm, Tilekar said. “We arrested 277 persons, who were later produced in court and granted bail,” he stated.

Among those arrested were government officials and a 70-year-old on a two-wheeler, a traffic branch official pointed out. Stern action against drunk drivers will continue, inspector Vijaykumar Palsule (administration) of traffic branch said.

This year, till November 10, the traffic branch has taken action against 1,208 drunk drivers.

Topics: traffic drivers More Stories from this section Train derails near Pune, five injured Deccan Queen’s run reduced by 5 mins Plan to let colleges hold 1st, 2nd year exams postponed Goods worth Rs 1.87 lakh looted from three shops Trees …More

TOI : PUNE: The incessant rain and strong winds in the city kept Pune fire brigade officials on their toes on Wednesday as 150 cases of fallen trees were reported in several parts of the city.

Traffic also slowed down in several instances where the trees fell on the roads.

According to fire brigade officials, calls started coming in early on Wednesday morning. “We have received some 150 calls from the various parts of the city. We have managed to attend to around 100 of them,” said chief fire officer Prashant Ranpise.

Trees fell in Kothrud, Paud road, Prabhat road, Law College road, Bhandarkar road, Hadapsar, Katraj, Bibvewadi, Sadashiv Peth, Narayan Peth, Rasta Peth and other parts of the city.

Ranpise said, “Ninety firemen and all 13 fire-tenders from nine fire-stations in the city have been working all day. Till late at night our men were busy attending the calls and clearing the roads where the trees were uprooted.”

Pimpri-Chinchwad received 50 calls about uprooted trees.

Topics: Fire Brigade trees More Stories from this section Train derails near Pune, five injured Deccan Queen’s run reduced by 5 mins Plan to let colleges hold 1st, 2nd year exams postponed Goods worth Rs 1.87 lakh looted from three shops Trees …More

TOI : PUNE: Normal life was thrown out of gear after incessant rains inundated several roads in the city on Wednesday morning. Citizens had to battle through water-logged streets and traffic jams as many traffic signals were not functioning since morning.

The Pune Municipal Corporation’s flood control cell received as many as 114 calls complaining about fallen trees obstructing the roads or water-logging. Head of PMC’s flood control cell Pravin Ashtikar said that they had received 114 calls from citizens since morning. “Most calls were regarding obstruction of traffic. We immediately moved resources to clear the spots of fallen tree branches or to pump out water,” he said.

Many stretches of Apte road, J M road, Paud road, Karve road, Law college road, Bhandarkar road, BMCC road, F C road, Baner road, Pashan road, ITI road, Tilak road, Babasaheb Ambedkar road, Raja Bahadur mills road, road leading to railway station, Kondhwa road near Lulla nagar, a stretch near Golibar Maidan and chowks such as Mitramandal chowk, Kala Niketan chowk, Swargate, junction opposite CoEP saw severe water-logging. Traffic snarls were seen at some of these places as motorists used one side of the road as the other half had more than ankle length water.

Potholes made driving difficult at Rohan Corner and Bhusari Colony on Paud road, Bavdhan road, Karishma Housing society chowk on Karve road, Greenpark Hotel chowk on Baner road and Parihar chowk in Aundh.

Topics: Water Traffic jams More Stories from this section Train derails near Pune, five injured Deccan Queen’s run reduced by 5 mins Plan to let colleges hold 1st, 2nd year exams postponed Goods worth Rs 1.87 lakh looted from three shops Trees …More

TOI : SATARA: A 75-year-old woman was killed and five others were injured when a peepal tree collapsed due to incessant rain and strong winds at Yadogopal Peth here on Wednesday.

Traffic on the Satara-Pune highway had to be diverted after a massive tree collapsed near Mahanubhav Muth in Karanj Peth. As many as 100 hoardings were also blown away. Elsewhere in the Jawali taluka, two buffaloes were electrocuted.

Schools in Satary city were closed early due to the cyclone warning and heavy rain, which has been lashing Satara district for the last four days. School administrations have asked parents to take a call on sending their wards to school in the coming two days.

Sub-divisional officer Ramdas Jagtap, who visited Yadogopal Peth, said Parvati Shinde (75) died on the spot when the peepal tree, about 100 years old, fell on her. The five people injured in the incident have been admitted to a private hospital, he added.

“As many as 15 homes were also damaged and the residents have been moved to the Arts and Commerce College. Panchnamas have been ordered to assess the loss,” Jagtap said.

The peepal tree also brought down electricity poles and supply lines, disrupting supply to Yadogopal Peth, Mangalwar Peth and Samartha Mandir areas.

Meanwhile, a car parked outside Gulbahar hotel was severely damaged when a gulmohar tree fell on it. Another tree fell on the residential quarters of the veterinary hospital in Rajwada, while a portion of a house gave way in Samartha Mandir.

The heavy rain also damaged sweet sorghum (jowar), groundnut and strawberry crops, while grape growers too reported damage to their produce and expressed fears about pest attack on the vines. Topics: woman Yadogopal Peth More Stories from this section Train derails near Pune, five injured Deccan Queen’s run reduced by 5 mins Plan to let colleges hold 1st, 2nd year exams postponed Goods…More

TOI : AURANGABAD: Many parts of Marathwada, particularly Aurangabad, Jalna and Beed districts, have been affected by heavy unseasonal rains for the last three days.

“Interestingly, Hingoli district was almost dry as the district witnessed zero per cent rainfall in the last three days,” said Gulam Dastagir Khan, a senior official at the divisional commissionerate here on Wednesday.

However, other districts of Marathwada have received heavy to average rainfall. All the nine talukas in Aurangabad district received rain and recorded an average of 22.8 mm rainfall in the last three days, followed by Jalna (eight talukas) that recorded 15.2 mm rainfall. Seven out of nine talukas of Parbhani district recorded an average of 2.3 mm rainfall, while just three talukas out of eight in Osmanabad witnessed rains and recorded 3.1 mm rainfall. Out of the 16 talukas in Nanded district just three talukas witnessed the unseasonal rains recording 0.8 mm rainfall.

Beed district recorded 7.9 mm of rain in 10 out of its 11 talukas while all Latur’s 10 talukas received an average of 2 mm rainfall, Khan added.

Meanwhile, thin attendance was recorded in the many city schools as students chose to remain at home following the incessant rains. Markets too wore a deserted looks as the people preferred to remain indoors.

Topics: life Marathwada More Stories from this section Train derails near Pune, five injured Deccan Queen’s run reduced by 5 mins Plan to let colleges hold 1st, 2nd year exams postponed Goods worth Rs 1.87 lakh looted from three shops Trees …More

TOI : PUNE: The price of real estate in the city, which was on a low for most of last year, has stabilised and in fact posted a bit of a rise in select locations, if recent research by real estate advisory firms are any indication.

Importantly, commercial real estate including retail spaces which took a bigger hit in the wake of the economic slowdown, is also showing an upward trend as demonstrated by the plans of some major world bands to enter the city, the reports said.

The trend is in keeping with developments witnessed nationally. The realty scene in major cities in the country has seen higher levels of activity after the early signs of an economic recovery both in India and internationally, said the quarterly report of realty research and advisory firm Cushman & Wakefield (C&W).

The report for the third quarter of the year (July-September) observed that the market was characterised by a positive sentiment and increased activity was witnessed. “The city witnessed the launch of various residential projects in the third quarter across many micro markets in both mid- and high-end segments. Capital and rental values appreciated across the city in the third quarter,” the report observed. However, values are still below their all-time highs by about 10-30 per cent in Pune, the report said.

Aditi Vijayakar, executive director of residential services at C&W said, “The price and the buyer’s sentiment are critical in the current market as key parameters influencing sales. Capital values in select locations in Pune are likely to see growth in the coming months. However, if prices increase too much too soon, there is a likelihood of them correcting again shortly after; the ideal graph representing recovery should be gradual and in line with the demand that calls for a period of considerable stabilisation before the hike.”

According to Vijaykar, the Pune residential market has started to…More

TOI : PUNE: Almost eight years after it was proposed under the Maharashtra biotechnology policy 2001, the state’s first Biotech Resource Centre’, which will be a single-window facilitator for existing and new biotech units, institutes, students and other stakeholders, is set for a phased launch in the city on November 14.

The proposed centre will be run jointly by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and the University of Pune (UoP). Subsequently, it will be put through an expansion mode to involve other agencies including the state government.

Chairman of CII Maharashtra state council Pramod Chaudhari told TOI, “The UoP has agreed to give us some space at its bioinformatics centre to operate the resource facility with a limited staff of three to four people.” Eventually, a bigger full-fledged centre will be established after a year’s time, he said.

The launch will coincide with the Biotech Summit 2009′, which is to be held at the Yashwantrao Chavan Academy for Development Administration (Yashada) on November 14 to mark Maharashtra biotechonology day.

Biotechnology relates to the scientific processes and techniques that use living organisms, parts of organisms and enzymes, proteins etc. derived from living systems to make or modify products, improve plant and animal productivity or develop microorganisms for special use.

Maharashtra has been at the forefront of the country-wide effort to promote biotechnology industry as well as academic institutions offering studies in the field. This is primarily driven by the 2001 biotech policy that envisaged the setting up of the Maharashtra Biotechnology Board and Maharashtra Biotechnology Commission for promoting and regulating the sector.

Chaudhari, who is also executive chairman of biofuels major Praj Industries, said, “The sector was longing for a resource centre, which would be a one-stop source of information and relevant database for entrepreneurial ventures in the varied fields of biotech applications.”

He said, “The focus will be on the processes pertaining to…More