Showing posts with label Gaya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gaya. Show all posts
Auditorium in Gaya to be named after Sanjay Dutt’s grandmother
10:22 AM
Abdul Qadir (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 13, 2026)
Gaya: In a move that reconnects Gaya with a chapter of Indian cinema and classical music history, the auditorium-cum-academic building coming up at Daulat Bagh in Gaya — the address once associated with Jaddan Bai, grandmother of film actor Sanjay Dutt — is set to be named after her.
The old-style, sprawling house at the site originally belonged to Mir Abu Barkat Ali alias Zafar Nawab of the Kada estate, the then zamindar and a patron of art and music. The palace-like, two-storeyed airy structure had been earmarked by the Nawab for Jaddan Bai, who lived there for several years before settling in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and later moving to the then Bombay (now Mumbai) to pursue a career in films. Even after leaving Gaya, she is said to have frequently visited the residence.
Originally from Allahabad (now Prayagraj), Jaddan Bai was an acclaimed exponent of thumri and other forms of Indian classical music. She is also regarded as one of the pioneers of Indian cinema. In her early years, she found patronage under the Nawab. Her daughter, Nargis — the iconic actor of ‘Mother India’ fame — and her (Nargis’) husband, actor and former Union minister Sunil Dutt, maintained their Gaya connection during the lifetime of Zafar Nawab’s son, Muzaffar Nawab.
Sanjay Dutt, during a political visit to Gaya a few years ago in connection with a Samajwadi Party meeting, had turned nostalgic and described Gaya as his ‘nanihal’ (maternal home).
According to Nawab Iqbal Sayeed Quadri alias Humayun and Nawab Fareed Quadri, surviving members of Zafar Nawab’s extended family, the Daulat Bagh premises were acquired by the govt in the 1950s.
Several years after the acquisition, the state govt constructed the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) with an annual intake of 200 within the Daulat Bagh complex, leaving aside the building associated with the thumri exponent.
A resident of the Daulat Bagh neighbourhood expressed regret that the structure was not preserved as a heritage building, considering its architectural and historical significance.
Justifying the demolition, principal of the District Institute of Education and Training, Ajay Kumar, said the building had become thoroughly dilapidated and could have collapsed at any moment, posing danger to life and limb in the vicinity. “Reports of past casualties due to collapse of some part of the building are also there,” he said.
The DIET principal said an auditorium and academic building would be constructed at the site. There is a proposal to name the new structure after Jaddan Bai, the iconic exponent of Indian classical music.
Ek closure toh chahiye yaar, says Rajesh Kumar on a possible new season of Sarabhai
8:22 AM
Soumitra Das (BOMBAY TIMES; January 1, 2024)
During her trip to Ahmedabad a few months ago, Rupali Ganguly had told us, “When we did season 2 of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai in 2017, Monisha Sahil ko chhod ke chali gayi thi. So, I feel there has to be a closure, at least a special one-off episode like Friends.”
During his recent trip to Vadodara, we asked Rajesh Kumar (he played Rosesh in the iconic show), who was recently seen in the Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer OTT film Haddi and has done OTT shows like Kota Factory (season 2), about this and he told us, “Ek closure toh chahiye yaar! I feel it will be nice to have another independent season of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, and there should be no comparisons with the first two seasons.”
Kumar, who was in town to attend the annual concert of a city-based school, added, “It was such a beautiful show and it continues to be popular with the current generation. I think it was way ahead of its time and the fantastic writing, satire and banter made it a winner.”
‘I really enjoy farming; it has taught me a lot’
In 2017, Kumar went back to his village in Gaya and started pursuing farming. While he faced challenges (a flood washed out the trees he had planted and he used up his savings), the actor, whose social media account bio describes him as ‘actor by profession, farmer by choice’, says that it has been a “great learning experience.”
He shares, “I was hosting a few rallies (for a movement about saving India’s rivers) and I was inspired by Sadhguru’s thoughts on changing the face of agriculture. I really enjoy farming; it has taught me a lot and changed my outlook towards life. When you stop thinking just about yourself and think about others, others also think about you. I now appreciate the efforts of our farmers even more. There have been challenges, lekin aap life mein agar risk lete ho, and then bounce back after setbacks, fun toh ussi mein hain na? Now, I love both (farming and acting). I have some interesting films and web series that will be released next year. I have shoots lined up till July 2024 and so, I am eagerly looking forward to the new year.”
‘Enjoyed my first trip to Vadodara’
It was my first trip to Vadodara, and I loved visiting MSU’S Faculty of Performing Arts near Sursagar Lake. Coming to Gujarat is always fun and I have even watched Gujarati films like Chal Man Jeetva Jaiye.
‘Television will always have its own audience’
Earlier, actors would easily get typecast based on their looks. There was a phase when I was regularly being offered the role of a police inspector. But with the OTT boom, only your performance matters and now, I enjoy doing films and web shows more (over TV). There are so many challenging roles to choose from, and you get more time to prepare too. However, television will always have its own audience, especially in smaller cities.
Bihar Police use Prem Ratan Dhan Payo to spread awareness
3:05 PM
THE TIMES OF INDIA
Sooraj Barjatya and Salman Khan's Prem Ratan Dhan Payo is packed with values and traditions. Taking advantage of the same, Bihar Police had organised a screening of the film for children in a bid to dissuade them from joining the violent movement, reports Indiatoday.in. According to a report, majority of the kids who were shown the film, are orphans who had lost their parents to the Maoist violence over the years and are considered as soft targets of the ultra-left extremist groups. Aspiring to spread the message that knowledge is more powerful than bullets, Gaya police organised a screening of Salman Khan's film for about 100 children and their guardians and interacted with them at a local theatre, the report concluded.
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Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's latest blockbuster Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, which is based on good, old family values, appears to be helping the Bihar Police win over the children from the Maoist-hit villages in a bid to dissuade them from joining the violent movement.
Aspiring to spread the message that knowledge is more powerful than bullets in the dozens of remote villages in the densely-forested areas, Gaya police oraganised a screening of Salman Khan's film for 100-odd children and their guardians and interacted with them at a local theatre on Sunday.
Majority of the children are orphans who lost their parents to the Maoist violence over the years and are considered soft targets of the ultra-left extremist groups.
Gaya's Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manu Maharaj, who took the initiative under the 'Operation Vishwas (Trust)' launched as a confidence-building measure, said it was a bid to prevent kids from taking up arms. "We will raise the awareness about the importance of education in order to stamp out the influence of Maoists in the area," he said.
Children, who enjoyed the movie at a theatre in Gaya, had come to the city for the first time. "We wanted to show them that there was a life beyond the forests too," he said.
Police officials told the kids that Gaya has been the land of knowledge and nonviolence where violence had no role. He said that the policemen were always there to help the villagers and there was no need to fear them.
Gaya police officials, who also distributed books and other study material among the children, believed that such measures would go a long way in building bridges between the law enforcement agencies and the residents of the Maoist-infested villages. They said that the image of the police was invariably projected in a negative manner in these villages but such meetings and interactive sessions might help dispel such notions. The SSP said that the police would extend all the help to those who would shun the path of violence and return to the mainstream. "But those resorting to violence would be sternly dealt with," he added.
INDIA TODAY
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