Huge crowds throng Badrinath as shrine throws open its portals to pilgrims |
Large crowds of devotees began streaming to the temple located in the snow-capped mountains of Chamoli district. The queues were as long as several kms and VIP preference created chaos at the entrance. There have been light rains in the past few days leading to minor landslides and road blocks on the way from Rishikesh.
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BADRINATH, May 12: The portals of Badrinath shrine, one of the Char Dhams in
Uttarakhand, was thrown open to the pilgrims on Sunday morning amidst rituals
and Vedic chants after a six-month winter break. The other three shrines - Yamunotri,
Gangotri and Kedarnath - had opened on May 10.
Large crowds of devotees began streaming to the temple located in the snow-capped
mountains of Chamoli district dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The queues were as long
as several kms. VIP preference created chaos at the entrance.
There have been light rains in the past few days leading to minor landslides
on the way from Rishikesh. There were traffic blocks at Karnaprayag and Joshimath.
Badrinath, unlike the other three dhams, is easily accessible by road, except
for the steep terrain from Joshimath to Badrinath (50 km) taking about two hours.
Buses and cars go up to the temple premises. The distance by road from Haridwar
to Badrinath is 320 km (Haridwar to Rishikesh 30 km and Rishikesh to Badrinath
290 km). The aerial distance from Haridwar to Badrinath is 150 km. Helicopter
is very costly (takes one hour). The cheapest transport is State Roadways. It
takes more than 12 hours by road from Haridwar to Badrinath. Haridwar is one
of the holiest places of the Hindus, situated on the foothills of the Himalayas,
also in the State of Uttarakhand. Here the mighty Ganga hits the plains.
The pilgrimage for Char Dham commences around late April or early May and goes
on till November till the onset of winter.
At Yamunotri there was massive rush of devotees in the past two days and the
pilgrims have to wait for long hours in the serpentine route through the hills
with not enough regulations in place. The police have warned the yatris against
rushing to the top.
On Sunday, the police tweeted, "Today, a sufficient number of devotees have
reached Shri Yamunotri Dham as per its capacity. Now, sending more devotees
is risky." The pilgrims are told to check the situation at the shrine before
attempting to climb.
"The Char Dham Yatra commenced in Uttarakhand on May 10. For the last two days,
the three Dhams - Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri - have been bustling. On
the first day, a record number of more than 29 thousand pilgrims from India
and abroad visited Kedarnath Dham," official sources said.
Four pilgrims have died since the opening of the dhams mainly due to heart-related
problems at high-latitudes. On Sunday, 75-year-old Laxmi Devi from Gujarat died
at Badrinath while Sampatti Bai, 62, from Madhya Pradesh, died in Yamunotri on
Saturday. Vimla Devi (69) from UP and Ramgopal (71) from MP were the other two
who lost their life in similar circumstances.
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SELECTIONS FROM OUR ARCHIVES |
Two shot dead inside salon in south-west Delhi's Najafgarh
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One of them is seen in CCTV being shot at close range. The motive is suspected to be personal enmity.
TAILPIECE: Almost every other day we hear of shootings in one place or other in the country. India will very soon replace the US as the world's No 1 in the incidence of mass shooting. It will eclipse terrorism as a source of concern. Who can help? At least, has it occurred to anyone's mind?
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India shines at Grammys with Best Global for 'Shakti' fusion
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'This Moment' of Shakti fusion won the Best Global Music Album at the Grammys. Zakir Hussain has won two other awards too. In a great victory for Indians, five of them have won the Grammys this time. In other sections, Taylor Swift got her fourth Album of the Year award and Miley Cyrus got an award for the first time.
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Climate protesters attack Mona Lisa in Louvre, spray pumpkin soup
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“Two activists from the environmental movement ‘Riposte Alimentaire’ sprayed pumpkin soup on the armoured glass protecting the Mona Lisa, this Sunday, January 28, 2024, around 10 am (4aET),” a statement from the museum said.
It is not understood how undesirable elements are allowed to get so close to her
and play havoc with the artwork. Several times over this has happened in the
past, deranged minds masquerading as tourists and cultists venting their frustration.
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TRAVEL ALERT: Dog attacks on the rise in Delhi-NCR; woman mauled by three strays
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Two days earlier, in a similar incident in the area, a domestic help was bitten by a pet dog in the lift when she was going for work.
Tailpiece: Sometimes appearing to outnumnber men and women on the streets, the stray dogs are turning more and more daring with sections of anti-social elements out there to feed and protect them in order to find a window for their unfulfilled love! There is an all-pervading feeling of lack of authority.
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Tamil Nadu police arrest ED official for accepting Rs 50 lakh bribe
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Ankit Tiwari had told the employee that “instructions had been received
from the Prime Minister’s Office to conduct an enquiry” and reopen the
“already disposed of” case and asked him to appear before the ED office
at Madurai on October 30, DVAC said. The doctor was allegedly
threatened with arrest and told to pay a bribe of Rs 3 cr to avoid the ED
probe, which was later negotiated down to Rs 50 lakh.
Tailpiece: We are made to believe RBI, CBI, ED, Judiciary as sacrosanct
and all others like railways, transport, revenue, education, PWD
departments are composed of us the mortals, absolutely corrupt! As if in
the sacrosanct places the angels descend from the heavens to work in the
night and fly away before day-break! Let's be true to ourselves, we are all
cut from the same cloth. |
Centre blocks Mahadev Book, 21 other online betting apps
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Betting through Dubai-based Mahadev Book in India is conducted through a countrywide network. Probes reveal that the online gambling is worth several millions and top politicians, officials and celebs have been beneficiaries.
TAILPIECE: Polling dates for some States are round the corner. Top
politicians have begun their acrimonious debate who looted more, even as
Mahadev is washing their dirty laundry in the open ghat. Come what may,
one needs to seize power to amass "thy wretched pelf!" One simple
question is, why else one should spend lakhs or crores to get elected! A
question every Indian should ask to oneself at least once a day!
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State Govt-Guv ding-dong reaches Supreme Court's door: Kerala joins
TN... |
His inaction amounts to defeating the rights of the people of the State to
welfare measures sought to be implemented through the Bills, the Kerala
Government's petition submitted, while the State of Tamil Nadu remarked
that its "Governor is acting as a political rival."
Tailpiece: Coming up back to back, the petitions in their totality seem to question the provision of Raj Bhavan, and not motives of a Governor as a
person.
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10, including kids, die of heart failure at Garba dance performances in
Gujarat
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Doctors reasoned how the incidence of heart attacks is spiking over time and
advise the simple way to play safely is to take a break and rehydrate
yourself.
But how come ten people, including children, die of cardiac arrest at
Garba in 24 hours, and that at different places of Gujarat? Garba had been going on
for six days, and every year it is celebrated.
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Retailers ask UK Govt to act against surging cases of shoplifting, assaults
on workers |
Shocking news from the UK: Leading grocers have started bribing policemen with free food and drinks to persuade them to take action against shoplifters.
Shoplifting has risen by about 27 per cent in 10 major cities across the UK
this year. The cost of retail crime last year was $2.15 billion. Besides, “We
are seeing organised gangs threatening staff with weapons and emptying
stores," Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium,
said. Data shows that the police failed to respond to 73 per cent of serious
retail crimes that included assault and abuse of workers, apart from
shoplifting.
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Kamala bopping to rap in pink marks hip-hop anniversary on VP's lawn |
Harris said hip-hop is “the ultimate American art form” that “shapes every
aspect of American popular culture.” “Hip-hop culture is American
culture,” she said in a talk at her official residence at the US Naval
Observatory in Washington, D.C.
The social media had mixed reaction. There was much appreciation that
she dances better than any VP in American history. But some called her
"moves" as “cringe” while others did not like her pink pants - "pink pants
don’t look good.” In fact, her ensembles have always been incongruous.
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