Behind the viral photo of an Andhra Pradesh cop pleading with a family on bike

Seeing the photo above, you may be wondering why a policeman is standing with his hands folded before people who are clearly breaking traffic rules. The family of five is seated precariously on a two-wheeler and none of them is wearing a helmet.

Clicked in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district on Monday 2017-10-09, the above photo has been going viral due to the bizarre juxtaposition of a law enforcer apparently pleading with law breakers.

The policeman in the photo, B Shubh Kumar, the Circle Inspector of Madakasira circle, was on his way to work around 10 am when saw K Hanumantharayudu, the man riding the bike. His sons were perched on the fuel tank, Hanumantharayudu’s wife sat behind him and a woman relative was precariously balanced behind her.

What prompted Shubh Kumar into this expression was the frustration and helplessness of seeing such a gross traffic violation before him right after he had finished an hour and a half-long session on road safety and how not adhering to traffic safety rules could have consequences for one’s family.
Shubh Kumar said that it was frustrating, knowing that we put so much effort into creating awareness and yet people pay no heed to it at all. While I was frustrated, I couldn’t scold or shout at him. I didn’t want to make police evil in the minds of his children, given that the police are already seen by some as harassers of the public.

He also said that Hanumantharayudu was a repeat offender and had been given warning multiple times before.
I somehow had to convey that what he did was wrong! His children were sitting on the petrol tank, there was no chance of maneuvering the vehicle. It was so dangerous! He had put the lives of his wife and children at such danger. So, my immediate reaction was to fold hands and humbly request him to follow road safety.

Shubh Kumar said that he didn't fine the family, and also went the extra mile to ensure their safety when he found out that Hanumantharayudu didn’t have his driving license.

“I was really annoyed,” Shubh Kumar admits, “But they had told us that they were going to a temple. So, didn’t want to ruin their day. I hired an auto rickshaw and sent his wife and children to the temple in that.”

(This article was first originally published in The News Minute and has been republished with permission.)

Source: https://www.thequint.com/news/india/photo-andhra-policeman-pleading-family-viral

Clerics rally for child marriage after Supreme Court of India ruling on 2017-10-11

Sex with a minor wife below 18 yrs of age will henceforth be considered as rape.
Clerics rally for child marriage after Supreme Court of India ruling on 2017-10-11.

Mukul Roy is "Kanchrapara's 'kanchra' boy" according to Partha Chatterjee

Mukul Roy is "Kanchrapara's 'kanchra' boy" according to Partha Chatterjee.
Dr. PaCha's language stinks!

Damayanti Sen (IPS) unceremoniously removed for cracking the infamous Park Street rape case

Breaking news of 3rd April 2012 !!
The 'democratically' elected Govt of Waste Bengal has rewarded the honest and effective Mrs.Damayanti Sen, Dy CP - Detective, Kolkata Police who cracked the Park Street rape case of Feb 2012.
Our lady CM and her loyal Transport Minister had stressed that 'no rape had taken place'. The victim's character / 'izzat' was questioned by them.
Ms.Mamata 'Sajano' Banerjee's 'gorrment' (sic!) is unceremoniously removing Ms.Sen into oblivion from her present responsibility.
Friends, please join me in saluting Ms.Damayanti Sen and congratulating her with your honest comments.
Yongsters who still dream of cracking the IAS/ IPS should think twice, thrice, .... .

Deepika Padukone at MTV EMA, 2016

This was definitely a brave choice, but we can’t help but think it looks a bit like that scandalous meme-inspiring dress Angelina Jolie wore. What do you think? Was this a good choice or did Deepika go too far?

Five year old boy dies after falling in a vessel of hot sambar

A five year old boy died after falling in a vessel of hot sambar which was being prepared for midday meal at a government primary school in Telangana's Nalgonda district on 2016-12-23.

The Class I student was standing in a queue along with other students when someone allegedly pushed him from behind.

Twitter abuzz over name choice Taimur - Saifeena's newborn son has namesake raked up

Hashtag on social media replaced the traditional five-gun salute from the top of Bhopal's Fatehgarh Fort in welcoming a new prince -Taimur Ali Khan, the newborn son of Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan on 2016-12-20.

#Taimur was among the top 10 Twitter trends through the day with critics questioning the couple why they had named their son after the 14th century invader Tamerlane, who had attacked northern India and killed lakhs of people.

Taimur's birth was announced through a statement released by the couple. "We are very pleased to share with you all the wonderful news about the birth of our son: Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi, on the 20th of December 2016. We would like to thank the media for the understanding and support they have given us over the last 9 months, and of course especially our fans and wellwishers for their continued affection. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all...With love, Saif and Kareena," the statement said.

Filmmaker Karan Johar tweeted: "My Bebo had a baby boy!!!!!!! Am so so happy!!!!!!! #TaimurAliKhan". Taimur could one day become the custodian of royal properties and assets of the erstwhile Bhopal State, currently estimated to be around Rs 5,000 crore. They include some 1,000 acres of land in the heart of Bhopal, where stands the Flag Staff House, the ancestral home which was once a part of the Ahmedabad Palace. "In the last couple of years, the Pataudi family has kept a very low profile in Bhopal. It has been speculated that Kareena stalled the sale of Flag Staff house," said a Pataudi family insider. Taimur is also the name of Saif's nephew.

The Pataudi family is the custodian of the Rs 1,000-crore Auqaf-e-Shahi (royal waqf properties), which, among other things, has rubaat or guest house in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

Saif 's sister Saba Sultan is the Mutawalli (custodian) of Auqaf-e-Shahi. In the event of Saba stepping down, Saif can become the Mutawalli. Experts hint that for any of Saif 's children to become the custodian, both the parents should have adopted Islam.

Saif has two children, Sara and Ibrahim from his divorced wife, Amrita Singh.

Old-timers reminisced about the news of Tiger Pataudi's birth when cannons roared from the top of Fatehgarh Fort, now known as Gandhi Medical College. "Sadda miyan jagirdaar was entrusted with the task of firing five times," said Sarfaraz Khan, a resident of Fatehgarh. For little Taimur, cannons did not boom, but a city awaits.

(Source: Toi Kolkata dated 2016-12-21)

Swach Bharat Public Toilet kept neat and clean

Swach Bharat Public Toilet saaf rakhne ke liye bharat sarkar ne socha ki locks laga kar rakhein, so that it would always remain neat and clean!

Noticed at Company Bagh, Amritsar.

(Content & photo courtesy: Harsimran Singh Nagpal on Facebook)

Drunk dad doesn't notice daughter falling off the rickshaw

A drunken father and two associates were arrested on 2016-10-31 for abandoning his five-year-old daughter while visiting Kali Puja pandals at Habra in North-24 Parganas (West Bengal).
The girl was rescued by Habra police after a woman noticed her lying unaccompanied on Habra-Ashokenagar Road and crying.

The father returned home Ashokenagar's Maniktala on Monday (2016-10-31) afternoon.

He then took his younger daughter, a Class I student, to visit Kali Puja pandals near their locality. His wife had gone to visit her maternal home with their elder daughter.

On the way, he met two of his friends and they planned to drink.

The trio went to a liquor shop and started drinking in front of the daughter. Later they hired a van-rickshaw to visit other pandals and took the girl with them. They had also been drinking on the rickshaw when things took an ugly turn. An altercation broke out and the girl fell from the van-rickshaw but her father didn't notice her missing from the vehicle. The rickshaw continued moving forward while the trio continued to fight.

A woman noticed the girl lying beside the road and raised an alarm. The Habra - Ashokenagar Road is a busy one with heavy traffic. Fortunately, no accident happened when the girl was lying alone on the road. The passersby immediately informed the cops.

The police rescued the girl and handed her over to Bandhab Corner, a child care institute in Barasat.

Her father and his two friends were arrested. Later, the mother went to the police station and appealed to the child care institute to get her back.

Police from Habra police station arrested the accused men to teach them a lesson.

K Chandrasekhar Rao, CM, Telengana moves into palatial house on 2016-11-24

Newtown in Kolkata gets its first smart pole

Kolkata restaurant Mocambo refuses to serve dinner to a Mumbai based corporate executive and her driver

Kolkata restaurant Mocambo refuses to serve dinner to a Mumbai based corporate executive and her driver!

"How shallow and inhuman have we become ?

Last night being my last day in Kolkata decided to try out this popular restraunt called Mocambo' at Park Street .I decided to go with my driver -Manish bhaiya here whose great service and care throughout my stay in Kolkata for a week was excellent . ( Also yesterday afternoon he missed his lunch because I forgot to tell him to go for lunch - uncertain about the time it would take me to finish the meeting -he missed his lunch )
Guilty of my mistake . I decided to go out for dinner with him .
As soon as I reached Mocambo at around 8:40 PM . I asked the staff to give me a table for 2.

Staff : There is a waiting of 15 minutes .

Me : *as excited I was to try out this popular joint *happily agreed

Staff :* by this time they observed I was with Manish bhaiya * walked up to me and said it will take 45 minutes for the table to get ready .

Me : *little confused by time communicated *earlier ...now eagerly asked but you said 15 minutes

Staff : yes the table was going to get empty but they ordered for more food

Me : *peeping through the glass windows *but I can see some empty tables inside .

Staff : they are four seaters.. today is Friday we cannot give that table .

Me: ok

After waiting for 10-15 minutes . When I see people who came after me getting the table .

Me : why are you not giving me the table ?

Staff : Maam we can't give you a table

Me : But why ?

Staff : who are you with

Me : subtly pointing towards Manish bhaiya .

Staff : aahhh....Maam he is not properly dressed .

Me : * he was cleanly dressed in a cream trouser and a shirt tucked out .. And floaters *

I asked what is your dress code ?
Staff : we don't have a dress code .

Me : then ??

Staff :No No he is not properly dressed it's a fine dine restraunt

Me : *agitated by now *what's wrong with his dressing tell me and is there a written dress code he is not following ?

By this time Manish bhaiya understood parts of the conversation in English and by the daunting looks of the staff -walks up to me and says - 'Didi hum Nahi Khaenge aap Khana Kha lijiyega na '

Me : * hurt with his innocence and inhuman inconsiderate behaviour of the staff at Mocambo *

Me : call your manager give me a valid reason why he cannot come in .

Staff : goes and calls another person

Me : sir why can't he come in ?

Staff : because he is drunk

Me : *furious and baffled with the audacity of the staff *How do you know he is drunk ?

Staff : because my other colleague told me he is so

Me : on what basis due you make such assumptions . Did he drink in front of you or did you even go near him * they were standing 2-3 meters apart *He is driving me around since 8 o clock in the morning leave apart being drunk he is not even had food

Staff : but I know he is drunk

Me : prove it then

Me : what's your name

Staff : I can't tell you my name

Me : why ?

Staff : No No I can't it's just I can't let you in with him

Me : I Don't want to get in to your racist restraunt walks away with Manish bhaiya with deep grief in my heart on how Inhuman and shallow the world has become :(

Manish bhaiya is one of the finest human beings I have met in a long time he took good care of me and did his duty with all his heart. He is a simple man make 275 Rs a day for 12 hours of driving and sends more then half of the money back home . he has a difficult life Still he laughs a lot shares a lot of stories and is more human and empathetic then any I know .
To Mocambo staff and restraunt at Park Street Kolkata Which doesn't consider human as human and differentiates, discriminates and stratifies them into classes just because he doesn't fit into your description of a perfect customer. (doesn't own a iPhone maybe doesn't talk in English) I m sorry you don't deserve a fine human like Manish bhaiya sitting and eating in your racist restraunt .
(Disclaimer : This is entirely based on my personal experience and has no relation with my organisation / profession)"


Copied verbatim from a Facebook post by Marketing Manager of Tata Motors, "Dilashi Hemnani on September 10, 2016 at 12:08pm, Kolkata"

Weblink of her Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/dilashi.hemnani/posts/1204126152972589

Verdict: Mocambo owners, management, staff deserves Stick!
Dilashi Hemnani deserves Carrot.

Is there anybody who's unmoved and have no qualms about dining at Mocambo, Park Street, Kolkata in future?
Will you boycott Mocambo?

Bangalore's toxic snowy foam from Bellandur Lake

Bangalore's toxic snowy and flaming foam from Bellandur Lake in 2015.

Disclaimer: How India Travels do not own any of the photos which depict the pathetic and unhygienic quality of life of Bangalore citizens.

Auto driver in Ahmedabad buys Rs 5 Lakh gun for daughter

Manilal Gohil, an auto driver in Ahmedabad, had painstakingly saved up for his daughter Mittal's marriage. But both father and daughter ended up shooting down stereotypes once Gohil discovered she had a higher goal in her life.

Mittal (27) is a shooter who has won a bronze medal in the national championship. With the money he had set aside for her wedding, Gohil bought her a German rifle worth Rs 5 lakh. When they recently approached the police commissioner's office to renew the gun licence, cops lauded him for encouraging his daughter to pursue her passion.

Mittal's love for rifles developed early when she saw her grandfather wield a 12-bore gun. It got serious four years ago when her father took her to the rifle club in the city. She tried her hand at shooting and scored well. There was no looking back after that. Until recently, Mittal Gohil used to borrow rifles from other shooters.



In 2013, despite having minimal practice, Mittal participated in the 57th All India National Shooting Championships with a rifle lent to her by Brahma, the brother of renowned shooter Lajja Goswami.

She and her teammates, Lajja Goswami and Anju Sharma, bagged the bronze medal. It was then that Gohil realized that his daughter had the potential and the fire to go further. He and son Jainish began saving money to buy a 50 metre range German firearm, coveted by all established national shooters.

German firearms are known for their accuracy and ease in handling. Mittal's new rifle weighs 8 kg and each bullet costs Rs 31. She has to buy at least 1000 rounds to participate in any tournament. After buying such an expensive rifle, her family now faces the hurdle of purchasing these bullets.

Mittal will use her new rifle for the first time at the upcoming national championship, incidentally being held in Ahmedabad in December 2016.

She has started practising. It's her dream to represent India at the highest level and make her family and nation proud.

9 hr ordeal to rescue Japanese from treetop in Kolkata

A 24-year-old Japanese national, in nothing but a pair of shorts, climbed up a 30 foot neem tree on Christopher Road in Topsia on the intervening nights of 1st and 2nd August, 2016 and perched precariously on one of the highest branches for close to nine hours defying desperate attempts by cops, fire brigade and disaster management group personnel to bring him down.

Every time rescuers propped up a ladder and tried to climb up, he would give the ladder a violent shake from his vantage point or throw down branches, dislodging them. He kept asking for a Japanese policeman and was finally rescued after firemen spread a safe ty net around the tree and two of them climbed up to get him.The youth jumped off, hit the net and rolled into an adjacent pond and tried to swim away, but three rescuers jumped in to nab him. He was first taken to a government hospital and later handed over to the Japanese Consulate.

Police identified the youth as Takeru Arima, a resident of Kawaguchi, Saitama, in Japan. He had been touring India with a friend for the past month. He claimed he had lost his passport and other papers and was told by someone that Indian police would arrest him and he would never be allowed to return home. The cops, however, found his passport and other documents from his room at the guest house in Sudder Street where he had checked in along with friend Saita Eiji on July 25.

"Someone had told him that since he had lost his passport, he would never be allowed to go home and would soon be arrested. So he climbed up the tree and wanted to draw the attention of the administration," said a senior officer of Topsia police station.

The police are investigating if he was under the influence of any substance and why he had come to a residential neighbourhood over 5km from Sudder Street to climb a tree. The Japanese consulate confirmed that Takeru held a valid tourist visa. "We have checked his credentials and he is indeed a Japanese national," said Yasuhiko Tanaka, acting consul-general in Kolkata.

Jyoita Das, a resident of 68A Christopher Road, the building that houses the neem tree, said around 10.30pm, she suddenly heard someone down. When a fire officer tried to climb up a ladder, Takeru pushed it. For the next three hours, he kept throwing branches at firemen and police intermittently.

"The rain made the task more difficult. The policemen got a guide who understood Japanese, who then told the cops why Takeru had climbed the tree and that he wanted to speak to a Japanese cop," said Tarun Kumar Sinha, divisional fire officer of south Kolkata division.

The youth had climbed coughing outside her third floor balcony. She flashed the torchlight at the tree and found a bald, bare-bodied man on the tree just five feet away.

"I thought he was a thief and shouted for help. Then I realized he was saying something. He kept repeating that he was “Japanese“ and did not know English. He asked for a Japanese policemen," the homemaker said.

She immediately called the police, who arrived with fire department personnel and tried to bring Takeru the tree after swimming across a pond and was completely wet. "He seemed thirsty. He had hung his trousers from a branch and kept wringing it to get some water out to drink. We offered him water but he refused," said Joyita.

Later, policemen zeroed in on his roommate Saita Eiji, who said that Takeru had left the hotel in the afternoon and did not return. After seeing Saita, Takeru got agitated and began to abuse him In the meantime, firemen spread a safety net around the tree to break his fall. Around 7.30am, when fireman reached up to grab him, he jumped off and fell into the adjacent pond. Disaster management group personnel jumped in to nab him before he could get away .

(Source: Times of India, Kolkata dated 2016-08-03. Article courtesy: Tamaghna Banerjee)

Monkey enters Parliament on 2016-07-28

The Parliament House library adjoining the Central Hall had an unusual guest on Thursday (2016-07-28) afternoon. A monkey found his way in and remained in the reading room meant for MPs and journalists for a good half an hour. The monkey roamed around the reading room while only two Kerala MPs ­ N K Premchandran of the RSP and M B Rajesh of CPM were present there.

After failing to discover any other exit from the library for about 30 minutes, the monkey made it's way out the main door and through the green carpeted corridor and finally left by the main gate of the building meant for VIPs. The security staff posted at the Central Hall door quickly shut the gates and prevented the monkey from invading the place where MPs, mini sters and journalists, along with catering staff are always present in good number.

The hapless library staff kept calling Parliament security , not knowing what to do in the situation. There was no help forthcoming as there is no way to catch a monkey in Parliament at present in the absence of the earlier employed langoors who used to deal with the recurring simian menace.

'Dhaba' at Ballygunge Phari, Kolkata downs shutters as owners 'retire'

The Dhaba, the landmark food stop at the Ballygunge Phari crossing and one of the oldest tandoori eateries in south Calcutta, has downed shutters. A notice pasted on the closed entrance announces the "complete and permanent closure" of the dhaba that dates back to pre-Independence.

The reason cited on the notice is "physical inconveniences" of the partners who have become "senior citizens" and "non-availability of any of their next kin in the City". The notice is dated June 28 and the closure, it mentions, became effective from 6am the day after.

"We are three brothers. I am 70 and the youngest among us is 64. We want to retire now," said Avtar Singh, the eldest. "Our next generation has migrated to Canada. Those who are here do not want to join the business."

The family had two other dhabas. The Hindusthan Park one was rented out earlier this month .Another, in Bagha Jatin, is functional but Manjinder Singh, the youngest, says he sits there only for an hour in the morning.

The closure of the Ballygunge Phari landmark came as a bolt from the blue for the 42 permanent employees and seven casual workers. "We worked as usual till Monday (June 27, 2016). Tuesday is our weekly closure. On Wednesday, we found this notice on coming here," said Alok Debnath, who worked for 14 years as a table boy.

Kanai Das, the biryani cook, still has his wallet and mobile phone locked inside. They have been offered settlement of their dues but they want their jobs back.

Customers are surprised too. "The Dhaba is one of the places we regularly order food from for our staff room. Who knew they were planning to shut down!" wondered Neelanjana Dasgupta, a teacher of South Point School. She would miss her favourite Keema Stuffed Kulcha that came with a kebab of choice. "I also used to pick up Sarson Ki Saag and Makki Di Roti sometimes for dinner."

Workers insist that footfall was not lacking. "Daily sales would run upto a lakh or so and double on special occasions," claimed Gour Baidya, a waiter at the eatery since 1978. Top picks included Tandoori Chicken, Reshmi Kebab, Mutton Tikka Onion and Do Pyaza. "No one makes tadka in south Calcutta like we do," said Manjinder, a claim enthusiastically echoed by the workers.

"Customers got our rolls packed for relatives before flying to Singapore or London," Manjinder added.

The Dhaba counted several celebrities among its patrons. "Orders came from Tollywood superstar Prosenjit's office across the road. Om Puri dropped by whenever he was in town. Suchitra Sen loved our roll and mentioned that in several interviews. There was a time when she would wait in the car for the delivery," said Manjinder.

Among the other famous faces that dropped by over the years are former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farukh Abdullah, actor and columnist Victor Banerjee and Tolly heart-throb Dev. "Victor Banerjee has had tea on our roof-top on several occasions. The restaurant was single-storeyed then," recalled Manjinder.

The Dhaba was started by Sardar Gurbachan Singh, the father of the present owners, in the 1930s. "He got a trade licence from the British in 1938 which still hangs inside the locked premises," said Manjinder. "My father's bus driver friends used to complain of the lack of a tea stall on their route from Jadavpur to Esplanade."

Thus the place started as a tea shop which also sold milk. Gradually the benches in the single-storeyed structure gave way to tables and chairs and in the late 1970s, a floor was added. Air-conditioned seating was introduced about two decades ago. A Punjabi cuisine specialist, The Dhaba added rolls and then Chinese to its menu around 2001-02. Biryani and other north Indian dishes were added about 10 years ago. "Our biryani was favoured for being less oily. In recent years, we innovated with Babycorn Roll and Diet Roll, which used rumali roti in place of paratha," said Manjinder.

The Bagha Jatin Dhaba does not offer all this. "People here care more for good food than good health," he said, from behind the counter on Sunday morning.

The workers, who gather habitually at The Dhaba every day, feel that the Ballygunge restaurant will reopen in a different avatar. But the owners say they have not decided what to do with the property at such a prime location. For now, they have "long vacations" and "trips to Punjab" on their mind.

(Content courtesy: The Telegraph dated 2016-07-11)

India’s first woman Uber driver found dead

Two years ago, Bharati Veerath became the first woman in India to partner with cab aggregator Uber, and left a lasting impression on thousands of passengers with her positive attitude to life.

But in a tragic end to a tale of inspiration, Ms. Veerath (40) was found dead under mysterious circumstances in her Sanjay Nagar residence on Monday, 27th June 2016.

While neighbours remember her for her cheerful disposition, close friends and her sister say that Ms. Veerath had been battling depression. Her sister, Sarala, who hails from Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh, told the police that her depression had been triggered by the death of her parents a few years ago.

While the police suspect it could be a case of suicide, the absence of a suicide note has led them to probe all possibilities.

LGBT activists remember her as a woman who wasn’t afraid to fight conventional social mores. "She was a brave woman who fought many odds to become a taxi driver," said Manohar Elavarthi, member of Sangama, a Bengaluru-based NGO for the LGBT community where Ms. Veerath was a volunteer prior to becoming a taxi driver.

A native of Andhra Pradesh, Ms. Veerath had been living in Bengaluru for many years. News of her success as a driver-partner had spread far and wide, and banks were willing to offer loans to her to purchase a new vehicle.



Uber acknowledged the loss of one of its most well-loved drivers. "We are shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic death of Bharati Veerath. She was an inspiration to many driver partners and riders," an Uber spokesperson said.

(Source: The Hindu)

Gujarat Gramophone in Ahmedabad keeping gramophones alive

Gujarat Gramophone in Ahmedabad keeping gramophones alive in India.

51% students have failed in the Class X exams of Haryana Board in 2016

A whopping 51% students have failed in the Class X exams of 2016 held by the Haryana Board of School Education (HBSE). The result was declared on 2016-05-22.
The overall pass percentage is 48.88%, which is only marginally better (up 3%) than last year's figures. This is despite the tall claims of the BJP government to raise the standard of education, according to reports in the print media. As in the previous year, girls once again outperformed boys with a success rate of 52.62% compared to 45.71% that of boys.
The only silver lining is government schools outperforming private schools, with the pass percentage rising from a mere 30.32% last year to 42.25% this year.
Rural students too performed better than those in cities.
Haryana Board of School Education chairman Dr Jagbir Singh felt that the policy not to fail students up to Class VIII was responsible for the poor show.
Note: ‪#‎EducationAndCareerPundit‬ is an initiative by ‪#‎Marketingpundit‬, virtual space identity of Deep Banerjee.