JAMIA NAGAR
As he flew to Delhi for his latest phase of Satyagraha, police arrested JKLF leader Yasin Malik at the airport and sent him back. But that did not prevent people from having a symbolic protest. There were scores of people including APDP functionaries and more importantly the aged mother of Front founder Maqbool Bhat who protested in Jamia Nagar. Police did not allow them to conduct the programme as planned but it somehow made to the newspaper front-pages. A number of individuals who have been following Kashmir for a long time were also there. While one part of the story is that Kashmir is getting out of the Vale, as Tibetans, Dalits and other “condemned” classes caught in political and class wars are, the other part of the story is that they face same shrinkage of space, everywhere.
PUNE
The Social Security Cell of the Pune police crime branch is reported to have rescued a Kashmiri girl last week who was allegedly forced into prostitution in Kalyani Nagar. The police arrested an alleged sex racketeer, Amar Govind Ingle, 23, of Latur, in this connection. Police said they were acting on a tip-off and raided an apartment in Fort Lisa, Kalyani Nagar, and rescued the girl. Ingle is believed to be an ‘agent’ of kingpin Nisar Chand Shaikh who is still at large. The rescued girl had came in contact with the alleged sex racketeers through her friend in Kashmir. She came to Mumbai with her friend and the racketeers lured her to Pune on a promise to pay her Rs 2 lakh. The racketeers got their customers through escort services advertisements in newspapers, the newspaper quoted police saying. The young lady was in Mumbai since last year and was brought to Pune about a month ago on a contract of Rs 2 lakh per month.
DELHI
Actor-director Aamir Bashir received national award for his film Harud. President Pranab Mukherjee presented him the award at 60th film award function at Vighyan Bhawan. Aamir started acting with a small role in Bhanwar, a TV serial, and then he went to various ad films. He debut film was Split Wide Open in 1999. In 2003, he appeared in Armaan and later in 2008 in A Wednesday in which he was a police officer. His film Harud, the autumn, was declared as best Urdu film for the 60th National Film Awards. It depicts the ruins brought about by the turmoil in J&K.
JAMMU
Private schools in the temple city of Jammu denied admissions to two transgenders, Komal and Shammiu. They were in shock for not being permitted to study. The result: a PIL was filed by Mian Haji Saria seeking direction to private educational institutions not to discriminate with transgenders. Now a Division Bench of High Court directed respondents to file status report before May 20, 2013. Under the laws in vogue, every human being has right to education.
LONDON
It is getting into a cross-country campaign. After the UK and Pakistan helped them get a multi-country route, the Bradford based Kashmiris are coming into a convoy of vehicles from UK and would travel 5,000 miles to reach Muzzafarabad. This is in solidarity with the people of the war-torn region. Plan is to mobilise 59 vehicles to start from Bradford on September 29, picking up more en route with up to 200 finally crossing the Channel on the first leg. The convoy will travel through many countries to reach Muzaffarabad. The idea is to bring attention towards Kashmir and not bring any aid.
SRINAGAR
RBI Central Board had its meeting in Srinagar after eight years. Governor D Subbarao presided over a meeting of the banking sector only to find that banks are unwilling to oblige him. Against a target of increasing the CDR by 5 percent set last year, they could achieve only 2.93 percent. He could not do much other than asking them to appreciate it by 5 percent this fiscal. At the end of it, Subbarao ended up defending banks for lacking enabling legal infrastructure and credit absorption capacity of the state. The best part of his visit was appreciating the J&K Bank that solely has 63 percent share in the Rs 23542 crore credit in the state. He delivered a lecture in the corporate headquarters of the bank that is celebrating its platinum jubilee this year.
MUMBAI
Toral Rasputra who replaced Pratyusha Mukherjee’s in soup Balika Vadhu as Anandi was in Kashmir shooting for the serial. Shooting apart, she tried her best to ski around and spent a good time in Shikaras and houseboats. But the better part of her was when in Chashmeshahi Botanical Garden, she was mobbed by people who wanted to click with her. This forced her producers to have a second thought. Earlier she was termed unpopular and after the Kashmir experience, she is termed to have improved her popularity. But does Bollywood know, Kashmir is no place to check anybody’s popularity, in politics or otherwise.
Against earning Rs 83 crore in 2011-12, the SRTC earned Rs 90 crore in 2012-13, the highest ever, so far.
The ticket earning for Tulip Garden this year were at Rs 56 lakh
