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Oscars to be boycotted?

The much awaited Oscar awards night is getting darker with controversies. Noted film maker Spike Lee and actress Jada Pinkett Smith in separate messages on Monday said that they would not be attending the February 28 awards ceremony. A few more celebrities might join the list in the coming days. Reason! Not even one black was nominated in any of the four acting categories. Though actors like Idris Elba and Will Smith delivered great performances this year, they were completely ignored. Critics cry a foul in the process of nominations. Because, for the second year in a row, no black actor was nominated for acting category! In a video posted on her Facebook actress Jada Pinkett Smith went harsh against the Oscar awards. Though Jada Smith herself is a popular actress and singer, she is much known as wife of Will Smith.  "Begging for acknowledgement, or even asking, diminishes dignity and diminishes power. And we are a dignified people, and we are powerful," said Jada in her post. The members of the ‘The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ were often criticized for being partial towards male white actors. Recently a twitter account named #OscarsSoWhite was getting viral in the social media for shedding some light on such bias!

Modi should sack Dattatreya- Kejriwal

  The suicide of Dalit Research scholar Rohit is snowballing over the central government. As Rahul Gandhi was on the way to Hyderabad to console Rohit’s mother, Kejriwal also comes forward to protest against the incident. “It's not suicide. It's murder. It's murder of democracy, social justice n equality.Modi ji shd sack ministers n aplogoize to the nation” was the exact tweet of Kejriwal this morning. In an earlier tweet he blamed the Modi government of being discriminative against the Dalits ‘“Modi government is constitutionally duty bound to uplift Dalits. Instead Modiji’s ministers got five Dalit students ostracised and suspended,” said Kejriwal. Meanwhile the union minister Bandaru Dattatreya finds himself in the biggest crisis in his political career. It was in the August of 2015 that Dattanna has written a letter to the Human Resource minister Smriti Irani that the University of Hyderabad has become a “den of casteist, extremist and anti-national politics”. This letter is said to have prompted the Vice Chancellor Appa Rao to take drastic steps against the Dalit students. Now as the cases of atrocity and abetment of suicide getting filed against Dattanna, he might face some political as well as legal consequences.

Geeta Chopra award for a Telugu kid

The prestigious Geeta Chopra award for bravery was conferred to ‘Shivampet Ruchita’ of Telangana. The award would be presented by the Prime Minister on the eve of Republic Day. Geeta Chopra award is given to kids under the age of 16 years for the display of bravery. Ruchita has shown the glimpse of her bravery as she saved two of her friends from a mishap. On 24th July 2014, Ruchita was travelling in her school bus along with 40 other students. As the bus reached an unmanned level crossing near Masaipet village in Medak district, a passenger train has collided with the bus. This has resulted in the death of 20 students along with the driver. Earlier, Ruchita who saw the train speeding on the track has shouted to driver for a halt. But, the driver who was in a hurry to be on schedule has ignored the shouts and leapt forward. Ruchita expecting the inevitable has pushed two of her friends before leaping out of the bus. The Masaipeta bus mishap has once more evoked a debate on the safety at the unmanned level crossings. Ruchita was now selected for the Geeta Chopra award for her presence of mind. If the driver of the bus had such presence of mind, he could have saved the lives of 20 kids!

Rohit’s suicide letter!

I would not be around when you read this letter. Don’t get angry on me. I know some of you truly cared for me, loved me and treated me very well. I have no complaints on anyone. It was always with myself I had problems. I feel a growing gap between my soul and my body. And I have become a monster. I always wanted to be a writer. A writer of science, like Carl Sagan. At last, this is the only letter I am getting to write. I loved Science, Stars, Nature, but then I loved people without knowing that people have long since divorced from nature. Our feelings are second handed. Our love is constructed. Our beliefs colored. Our originality valid through artificial art. It has become truly difficult to love without getting hurt. The value of a man was reduced to his immediate identity and nearest possibility. To a vote. To a number. To a thing. Never was a man treated as a mind. As a glorious thing made up of star dust. In very field, in studies, in streets, in politics, and in dying and living. I am writing this kind of letter for the first time. My first time of a final letter. Forgive me if I fail to make sense. May be I was wrong, all the while, in understanding world. In understanding love, pain, life, death. There was no urgency. But I always was rushing. Desperate to start a life. All the while, some people, for them, life itself is curse. My birth is my fatal accident. I can never recover from my childhood loneliness. The unappreciated child from my past. I am not hurt at this moment. I am not sad. I am just empty. Unconcerned about myself. That’s pathetic. And that’s why I am doing this. People may dub me as a coward. And selfish, or stupid once I am gone. I am not bothered about what I am called. I don’t believe in after-death stories, ghosts, or spirits. If there is anything at all I believe, I believe that I can travel to the stars. And know about the other worlds. Let my funeral be silent and smooth. Behave like I just appeared and gone. Do not shed tears for me. Know that I am happy dead than being alive. I forgot to write the formalities. No one is responsible for my this act of killing myself. No one has instigated me, whether by their acts or by their words to this act. This is my decision and I am the only one responsible for this.Do not trouble my friends and enemies on this after I am gone. (Extracts from the suicide letter of Vemula Rohit)

A Church in the shape of a Shoe

In modern architecture- every shape could be a possibility. But it’s hard to imagine building a church in the shape of high-heeled shoe. Weird but true! A blue glass structure was built in Taiwan to serve as a church. The 80 feet tall and 36 feet height church was brought up by the local authorities to attract the female worshippers. It was completed in just a few months, but did cost a lot. More than 4 crores of rupees were spent on the construction. The church is situated at the Ocean View Park in Budai town, on the east coast of Taiwan. However, the purpose of the church is only to host the wedding rituals. The daily services done in a church won’t be performed in this building. But, won’t the shoe structure hurt the believers? ‘NO’ seems to be answer. Because, the structure has a heart melting story behind it! The shoe was inspired by a tragic story of a girl named Wang. She suffered from Blackfoot disease and her legs had to be amputated. This has led to the cancellation of her wedding. Since then, Wang has spent her entire life in a local church. Thus, this shoe shaped church was supposed to honour her memory!

Are our Universities safe!

  Our universities would never rank in the best among the world. But they always seem to create news for all the wrong reasons. This is how! V.Rohit dreamt of becoming a popular science writer like Carl Sagan. He probably could have reached his dream if he wasn’t dead now! This Sunday, Rohit was found hanging to death in his friend’s room. His suicide has sparked yet another debate about the DEADLY politics that were prevailing in our ‘prestigious’ universities. Rohit was a bright student. He loved science and was pursuing his PhD in the Hyderabad Central University. By winning the CSIR scholarship twice, he made it sure to complete his PhD successfully. But something happened in the life of Rohit that changed his fate forever. Rohit belonged to a student union that opposed the hanging of noted terrorist Yakub Memon. This along with a few more such incidents has created riffle between the students unions. The petty issues took an ugly turn as Rohit along with four other students were alleged of assaulting the rival union leader. It was the time when the administration of University should have restored peace among the campus. But they have worsened the situation by boycotting Rohit along with his four friends. The five research scholars were almost socially boycotted in the university. They were neither allowed to stay in the University nor could they participate in the student elections. The access of these five students was limited to their class rooms and the library. Such a weird decision by the University administration has attracted much criticism. Rohit was of course devastated, and might have decided to take a drastic step. Rohit’s suicide might be the breaking news for a few days before it dies out. But his death would certainly leave many concerns to be pacified. The encouragement of caste politics among the students; the role of political leaders in fueling such politics for their benefit; the administration of Universities getting either biased or blind… would be few of many issues that should be dealt seriously!

300 killed and 400 abducted by ISIS

In what is considered to be the worst toll in the Syrian war against ISIS, the ISIS forces have killed at least 300 people in the Deir ez-Zor city in Syria. ISIS was trying to regain its power on Deir ez-Zor. As ISIS faced stiff resistance from the Syrian army along with the residents, the war took a bloody turn. Most of the people who died were thought to be civilians, many of them being women and children. Further, ISIS took 400 civilians under its captivity. Deir ez-Zor plays a key role in the geography of Syria. It is rich in oil and gas fields which provide a good source of income for the militant group. It is closer to the Iraq border which allows the terrorists to spread their forces. Deir ez-Zor is even closer to Raqqa which is the de facto capital of ISIS. Now with the present attack on the city, ISIS was supposed to have 60% of the city under its control. But the victory of ISIS seems to be a worry for the Syrian government. ISIS was able to capture the city despite the resistance from the civilians, army and the Russian Air force. So the question would be… Who can stop ISIS?

Rabri Devi laughs at RSS dress code

It’s not just Lalu that offers news with his controversial statements. His better half Rabri too desires to share some space in the headlines. This time she ridiculed the dress code of RSS. Speaking at the RJD’s national council in Patna, she has critisised the half pants worn by the RSS sevaks. ‘Even the elders of the RSS wear knickers. Are they not ashamed to come in the public wearing them!’ asked Rabri. Rabri, who is known to be the first women chief minister of Bihar, might have gained much confidence after her party has won the state elections of Bihar. Her younger son has become the youngest person to hold the post of Deputy Chief Minister, while her elder son Tej Pratap Yadav occupies the post of Bihar Health Minister. Now with such a backing… who can stop her to make bold statements!

Hindu Sena Chief arrested

The New Delhi police have arrested Vishnu Gupta, the chief of Hindu Sena for vandalizing the Pakistan Airlines office in New Delhi. On Thursday, four members of Hindu Sena has entered the Airlines Office and ransacked the workplace. The computers and furniture of the office is said to be severely damaged. The activists pitched anti-Pakistan slogans and left several pamphlets before they left the place. “India should not have any talks with Pakistan till it stops terrorist activities and should hand over criminals like Dawood Ibrahim and terrorist Hafiz Muhammad Saeed to India,” was the statement in those pamphlets. The incident has clearly strained the weak relations of Indo-Pak. Vishnu Gupta has taken the responsibility for the incident and had indicated that it was in reaction to the Pathankot airbase attack. However, getting arrested is not new for Vishnu Gupta. Vishnu who claims himself to be the only nationalist in the country, often messes with the law. Recently, he was arrested for making a false complaint that Beef is being served in Kerala House. A few over enthusiastic police has not verified the claim and raided the Kerala House in New Delhi. As the complaint proved to be false, the raid of police has created huge controversy in the country. It has even strained the relations between the Kerala state and the central government. This time, Vishnu Gupta seems to strain the relations between two countries!

A farmer invites for his funeral

In what is seemed to reflect the pathetic state of farmers in our country, a 40 year old farmer has openly invited the villagers to attend his last rites. Sheshrao Shejul of Maharashtra hanged himself the day after inviting the villagers to attend his funeral. People have initially taken his words as a weird joke, but were shocked to watch it being realized. Sheshrao belongs to the Jalna Distrcit of Marathwada region. The Marathwada region has been experiencing severe drought for a third consecutive year. The yearly rainfall has diminished to just 1/3rd of the average. Even the ground water has gone down, forcing the farmers to bore the earth for more than 1500 feet. Sheshrao too has been the victim of the famine. The soybean crop planted by Sheshrao in his two acre land has failed. He is left with 80,000 debt and a daughter to be married. Unable to find a solution, he has chosen to hang himself! Though the Marathwada region is experiencing low rainfall, the government doesn’t seem to take any precautionary measures. Last year, more than 600 farmers have committed suicide in Marathwada alone. But the administration seems to be helpless in finding a plausible solution. Would the invitation of Sheshrao be a wake up call for the government?

Controversy around Shani Shinganapur temple

Shani shinganapur might be well-known for its unlocked doors, but this pilgrim centre is now in news for different reasons. Pilgrims from all over the country reach Shani Shinganapur of Maharashtra to offer their prayers for Shani. Devotees step over an open platform to worship the statue of Shani. BUT… here lies a restriction! Only men are allowed to step on the platform and touch the statue. In the month of November 2015, a lady has climbed the platform and touched the statue. Though she has clarified of her ignorance regarding the restriction and apologized, her act was strictly condemned. A purification ritual was performed immediately at the temple. But this incident has raised a question. Why should women be restricted to touch the Shani statue? A voluntary organization for women called the Bhumata Brigade took up the challenge! It has announced that 400 women of Bhumata Brigade would break the tradition on the Republic Day by touching the statue. The Hindutva groups were quick to react against the challenge. Outfits such as ‘Hindu Janjagruti Samiti’ have stated that they would protect the tradition of the temple, by forming a protective circle with 2000 women. ‘Anita Shetye’ who has recently created a record by becoming the first lady chair person of Shani Shingnapur Temple Trust, also took her stand on the Hindutva side. So! Something is going to happen on January 26th.

Sunanda Pushkar was poisoned

It’s been almost a year since Sunanda, wife of Shashi Tharoor was dead in mysterious circumstances. On 17th January 2014 Sunanda was found dead in her hotel room. Initial autopsy report has claimed of her being assaulted before death. But none could conclude the ultimate reason that led to her demise. Some felt it to be a suicide and others thought it to be a case of poisoning. Between the divided opinions, the samples of Sunanda were sent to FBI for further examination. The report sent by FBI to the AIIMS medical board has indicated that Sunanda was indeed poisoned to death. An anti anxiety drug called Alprax seems to have led to her death. Alprax if taken in normal dosage would act as a tranquilizer, but it could prove fatal if the dosage exceeds the limit. Now the question would be- whether Sunanda has overdosed herself in a bid to die or whether someone administered Alprax to her without her knowledge? Sunanda has been the eye of many controversies since her relation with Shashi Tharoor. The Kochi IPL team has conferred her with huge amount of equity shares without any valid consideration. She was suspected to be a proxy for Shasi Tharoor in receiving such huge benefits. This incident has triggered a huge outrage and Shasi Tharoor had to resign from the central cabinet. The couple broke the headlines again in January 2014, when Shasi was alleged to develop an intimate relation with a Pakistani journalist named Mehr Tarar. Sunanda has come out openly that her husband was cheating her for Mehr Tarar. And that was that! A few days later, Sunanda was found dead in her apartment! No one might now be sure of the culprit but everyone seems to have a clue about the cause!

INDO-PAK talks suspended

The foreign secretary level talks between India and Pakistan that were scheduled to take place on this Friday were put off. After the Pathankot attacks, a lot of speculations were made regarding the talks. But now it’s almost official that the talks would be rescheduled. The move is seemed to represent the dissatisfaction of India against the actions taken by Pakistan to curb JeM. Earlier this week, India has shared heaps of evidence that Pak based JeM has perpetrated the Pathankot attacks. Though the Pakistan police have detained a few members of JeM, it has not yet confirmed the detention of its leader Masood Azhar or his key aides. There were only unofficial reports that Masood Azhar was taken into custody, which means that he is neither arrested nor charged with an F.I.R. Meanwhile Masood Azhar goes viral again to express his views. In an article that’s published online, Azhar sees the crackdown of JeM by Pakistani police as “very dangerous for this country”. He assures that his followers would carry on his ambitions despite his absence- “With my killing, neither will my friends will miss me nor will my enemies…an army…which loves death has been prepared.” Azhar’s statement certainly looks like an open challenge for both India and Pakistan.

Sania Mirza to set world record

The Hyderabadi Tennis star Sania Mirza is all set to break a world record. Ever since Sania has teamed up with Martina Hingis in 2015 for doubles, she seems to be unstoppable. The duo has equaled a 20 year old record for most number of consecutive wins. By defeating the China’s Chen Liang and Shuai Peng duo on 13th January, Sania has won her 28th match in row. The Sania and Martina pair has won 10 WTA titles together since last year. The duo has captured the prestigious tournaments such as Wimbledon and US open and stood at no.1 in world doubles ranking. One more win and they would go further the record set by Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva in 1994. Let’s hope that our Hyderabad’s brand ambassador would achieve this feat.

Noted Telugu poet ADDEPALLI is no more

Renowned Telugu poet and critic Addepalli Rama Mohana Rao is no more. Addepalli who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer has succumbed to it on Wednesday. Known for his undaunted poetry against globalization, Addepalli was rightly honored with the title ‘Praja Kavi’. Addepalli has brought 13 compilations of poetry and 25 books on literary criticism in his name. His works such as ‘Poga choorina Aakasam’ were considered to be classics in Telugu literature. His analysis on SriSri ‘Maha prasthanam’ was published under the name ‘Sri Sri Kavita Prasthanam’. This book was thought to be one of the best analytical works on literature. Addepalli was born in a small village called Chintaguntapalem which is in the outskirts of Machilipatnam. He has completed his formal education in Machilipatnam and later moved to Kakinada where he lived till his last breath. On September 6th 2015, his 80th birthday was grandly celebrated by the literary circles. But no one felt the hint of a loss that is on the way. With the demise of Addepalli, Telugu literature has lost one of its stalwarts.

Sachin’s near death experience

It’s not a new sight to watch our youngsters crossing the rail tracks. Though everyone seems to be aware of the risk involved in it, people do it either out of haste or laziness. It is estimated that almost 20000 people get killed in India while crossing the tracks. But now! It seems that our nation would have lost Sachin Tendulkar while doing the act. Sachin recalled his experience while speaking at a function organized by the Mumbai Railway Police- "In school, I had gone to Vile Parle to a friend's place. We practiced in the morning and had gone to his place for lunch. Then we decided to watch a movie. After watching the movie, we got late for practice and hence we decided to cross railway tracks and board the train at Dadar," said Tendulkar recalling his childhood, but something happened after that, which gave him the ultimate shock "While crossing the tracks halfway, we realized that trains were coming fast on all the tracks. We ended up crouching on our knees in between the tracks with our kits. That was a scary experience and then onwards we never crossed train tracks." Probably, that experience proved to be an eye opener for Sachin. He urged the commuters not to risk their lives for the sake of a few minutes "Your family and friends are waiting for you back home and if you reach there five minutes later, it really does not matter! It is important to be there safe and sound, rather than to be in hospital,” said Sachin in an urging voice. Hope that the youngsters would hear him!

At last – PAK takes some action

With growing pressure from all over the world, Pakistan has finally made some moves regarding the Pathankot incident. It’s an open secret that the Jaish-e-Mohammed carries its activities with ease in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Since the Indian government has handed tonnes of evidence linking the JeM to the Pathankot attack, Pak had to make a move. From Pakistan branded shoes to Pak made AK-47 rifles… every bit of evidence retained from the militants proved them to be of that country’s origin. Pakistan has released a press note today that it has arrested the members of JeM ‘Based on the initial investigations in Pakistan, and the information provided, several individuals belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammad, have been apprehended. The offices of the organisation are also being traced and sealed. Further investigations are underway,’ says the statement. But security experts feel skeptical about the determination of Pakistan to fight militancy. It often arrests the leaders of militancy, but would either release them soon or would give them enough freedom to function as usual. Would that be the case again?

Racism in STAR WARS posters

Star Wars: The Force Awakens which happens to be the seventh movie in the series of star movies is facing allegations for racism. The Chinese posters of the movie seem to have been deliberately altered to hide the black actors. The British actor John Boyega, who plays the role of Finn in the movie, had been shrunk on the Chinese poster for being a black. Other non white actors such as Lupita Nyong were entirely missed out. Fans were quick to grasp the differences in the American and Chinese posters, which resulted in a huge outrage on the social media. The representatives of Disney which produced the movie were unable to pacify the outrage. However the Chinese state-run newspaper ‘Global Times’ said that it has nothing to do with racism. But news analysts don’t seem to be happy about the incident. It’s been thought to reflect the increasing trend of racism in China.

Luxury tax on SAMOSA

‘Jab tak samosa mein rahega aalu, Bihar mein rahega Lalu’ was the famous statement by Lalu Prasad Yadav. He has often proved it right by getting back to power against all odds. The present Bihar government was indeed formed with the alliance of Lalu’s RJD party. Lalu has even made his 26 year old son Tejashwi Yadav to be the deputy chief minister. But, in what is seen as a mockery towards the Lalu’s golden statement, the present cabinet of Bihar has laid a luxury tax on Samosa. According to the decision taken by cabinet on Tuesday, 13.5 percent of tax will be imposed on sweets priced more than 500 Rs a kg. Briefing about the cabinet decisions, Principal Secretary of Bihar revealed that Luxury tax would also be laid on salty items like samosa, kachauri and branded namkin products. Since the formation of Bihar government in November 2015, Lalu has often irked the government with some critical comments. Now! Everyone is eager to know the reaction of Lalu at the present SAMOSA ISSUE.