By IANS,
New Delhi : Jaswant Singh's "Jinnah - India, Partition and Independence", "The Essence of Buddha" by Japanese spiritual master Ryuho Okawa, "The Dhammapada" by Eknath Easwaran, "The Idea of Justice" by Amartya Sen and literature from northeastern India - the 15th edition of the Delhi Book Fair offers book buffs all that's new in Indian and world literature.
The fair was inaugurated by Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Salman Khursheed at the Pragati Maidan here Saturday. It will end Sep 6. It is hosted jointly by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) and the Federation of Indian Publishers.
"The focus this year is literature from northeastern India, which still needs vigorous promotion to join the mainstream. The Asom Sahitya Parishad will organise seminars about literary activity in the state and the latest publications - both fiction and non-fiction - are on display. All the seven states have been adequately represented," Naseem Ishaq of ITPO told IANS.
The fair also has delegations from Abu Dhabi, Iran, China, Pakistan and the US, along with representatives from the Frankfurt Book Fair, Ishaq said.
According to R.C. Govil, president of the Federation of Indian Publishers, over 230 publishers from India and abroad are taking part in the event.
"The display profile of the fair covers fiction, non-fiction and academic books besides children's literature and classics," Govil said.
The exhibition is spread across four halls in the sprawling venue that wears a festive look with banners, hoardings and colourful posters put up by publishers listing their "highlights and best-sellers of the year".
India, says Ishaq, publishes nearly 90,000 books annually in 24 languages.
According to estimates by the Federation of Indian Publishers and ITPO, 25 percent of the books are published in Hindi followed by 20 percent in English. The rest consists of vernacular literature, foreign literature and translations. The estimated annual turnover of the Indian publishing industry is Rs.100,000 million.
"The fair has planned several seminars around the latest publication and education trends in the country. It includes panel discussions on writing, illustrating, publishing and promoting children's books, copyrights issues, a round table on the state of Indian school textbooks, scientific stories in Indian literature and the publication scenario in northeastern states," she said.
Apart from promoting reading habits, especially among the youth, the fair is a platform for co-publishing agreements, translation copyrights and reprin arrangements, the organisers said.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Rijiju apologises to Arunachalees
ITANAGAR, Aug 28 – Amid the unprecedented strong wave of criticism stirred up in this politically nascent State of Arunachal Pradesh following his abrupt desertion from BJP, shattering the hopes of thousands of people, the former BJP MP Kiren Rijiju has begged apology from the people with a plea to understand the reasons forcing him to leave the saffron brigade.
In a statement here, Rijiju said, “I am obliged to share the agony of thousands of people across Arunachal and the unprecedented enormous political palpitation caused due to my resignation from BJP. I am aware that thousands of youths looked up to me, intellectuals kept faith in me and villagers laid hope on me and apparently it has been shattered. I sincerely tender my deep sense of apology for causing such a political quiver but with a plea to understand my feeling and reasons to leave BJP.”
In a bid to assuage those aggrieved minds, especially youths who had assisted him during the last Parliamentary election which he lost to Congress’ nominee Takam Sanjoy, Rijiju, once tagged as “youth icon” of Arunachal, said, “Remember my expressive statements that I was not in politics to serve a political party (BJP) but to serve the society through a political party. Parties in themselves are nothing as it is made good or bad by the people who run them.
In a statement here, Rijiju said, “I am obliged to share the agony of thousands of people across Arunachal and the unprecedented enormous political palpitation caused due to my resignation from BJP. I am aware that thousands of youths looked up to me, intellectuals kept faith in me and villagers laid hope on me and apparently it has been shattered. I sincerely tender my deep sense of apology for causing such a political quiver but with a plea to understand my feeling and reasons to leave BJP.”
In a bid to assuage those aggrieved minds, especially youths who had assisted him during the last Parliamentary election which he lost to Congress’ nominee Takam Sanjoy, Rijiju, once tagged as “youth icon” of Arunachal, said, “Remember my expressive statements that I was not in politics to serve a political party (BJP) but to serve the society through a political party. Parties in themselves are nothing as it is made good or bad by the people who run them.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Indian jailed in Bangladesh for gun-running
By IANS,
Dhaka : Indian national Russel Sangma has been sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for gun-running by a court in Sherpur in northern Bangladesh.
Sangma, 25, belongs to Battala village in Assam's Goalpara district. He is an operative of India's separatist United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA).
He is also facing a case for entering Bangladesh illegally, the Daily Star said Friday.
Acting on a tip off, a Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) team Sep 13, 2007 raided Sangma's rented house at Bakakura village under Jhinaigati upazila in Sherpur. The team recovered 29,096 bullets of 7.62mm pistol after digging up the concrete floor of the house.
ULFA is banned in India.
India says ULFA's top brass is hiding in Bangladesh. Dhaka had earlier denied it, but it has in the last six months been active in locating the fugitives and their hideouts.
Judge S.M. Badrul Islam of Joint Sessions Judge's Court and Special Tribunal-3 in Sherpur delivered the verdict against Sangma.
In another development in Barisal in southern Bangladesh, the police Tuesday arrested Indian national Chandu Bali, 28, from Madargona-Kuwait Mosque in Nalchhity upazila under Jhalakati district.
Bali was produced in Jhalakati Judicial Magistrate's Court Wednesday and the court granted three-days' remand.
S.M. Azizul Huq, officer-in-charge of Nalchhity police station, told The Daily Star that the Hindi-speaking Indian identified himself as son of Ananda Bali of Sreebastan village under Darbhanga district in India's Bihar state.
Chandu claimed that he came to join tablig, a religious congregation, but failed to either show his passport or any document in this regard, the official said.
Dhaka : Indian national Russel Sangma has been sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for gun-running by a court in Sherpur in northern Bangladesh.
Sangma, 25, belongs to Battala village in Assam's Goalpara district. He is an operative of India's separatist United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA).
He is also facing a case for entering Bangladesh illegally, the Daily Star said Friday.
Acting on a tip off, a Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) team Sep 13, 2007 raided Sangma's rented house at Bakakura village under Jhinaigati upazila in Sherpur. The team recovered 29,096 bullets of 7.62mm pistol after digging up the concrete floor of the house.
ULFA is banned in India.
India says ULFA's top brass is hiding in Bangladesh. Dhaka had earlier denied it, but it has in the last six months been active in locating the fugitives and their hideouts.
Judge S.M. Badrul Islam of Joint Sessions Judge's Court and Special Tribunal-3 in Sherpur delivered the verdict against Sangma.
In another development in Barisal in southern Bangladesh, the police Tuesday arrested Indian national Chandu Bali, 28, from Madargona-Kuwait Mosque in Nalchhity upazila under Jhalakati district.
Bali was produced in Jhalakati Judicial Magistrate's Court Wednesday and the court granted three-days' remand.
S.M. Azizul Huq, officer-in-charge of Nalchhity police station, told The Daily Star that the Hindi-speaking Indian identified himself as son of Ananda Bali of Sreebastan village under Darbhanga district in India's Bihar state.
Chandu claimed that he came to join tablig, a religious congregation, but failed to either show his passport or any document in this regard, the official said.
Hindutva had negative impact in northeast: former BJP leader
By Syed Zarir Hussain, IANS,
Itanagar : The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Hindutva ideology had a "very negative" impact in the northeast where its relevance was almost negligible, said Kiren Rijiju, a former national secretary of the party and MP who has left to join the Congress.
Rijiju, a former MP from Arunachal Pradesh who was considered the face of the BJP in the northeast, resigned Monday to join the Congress.
"I would say the BJP's Hindutva campaign had a very negative impact in the northeast, a region with a dominant minority population. Hindutva failed to cut much ice among the people in the region," Rijiju told IANS.
"I realised that the Congress party was the best option to work for the development of the northeast. I am committed to carrying forward my agenda for overall socio-economic progress of Arunachal Pradesh and the whole of the region," the former MP from Arunachal Pradesh West constituency said.
Rijiju lost the last parliamentary elections to the Congress' Takam Sanjay.
Rijiju, 38, was made national secretary by the BJP early in his political career.
"The problems and sentiments of the people of the northeast were not understood by the BJP leadership. I tried my best to make the leadership realise the intricate problems of the region, but then they simply failed to understand," the former BJP leader said.
The Congress is jubilant after the firebrand BJP leader agreed to resign and join the ruling party.
"This is an important political development and we are happy that he is with us now," Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu said.
The development is significant for the ruling Congress as Arunachal Pradesh goes to the polls to elect a 60-member legislature sometime in October.
"I have no intention to fight the assembly elections," Rijiju said.
"I would rather work for the party and do whatever best I can for the welfare of my state and the region."
The BJP, however, had some harsh words to say about Rijiju by terming him a betrayer.
"He betrayed the very party that gave him a solid platform to launch his political career. He made himself a pawn in the hands of the Congress," BJP's general secretary in-charge of northeast, P. Chandrasekhar Rao, told IANS.
Itanagar : The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Hindutva ideology had a "very negative" impact in the northeast where its relevance was almost negligible, said Kiren Rijiju, a former national secretary of the party and MP who has left to join the Congress.
Rijiju, a former MP from Arunachal Pradesh who was considered the face of the BJP in the northeast, resigned Monday to join the Congress.
"I would say the BJP's Hindutva campaign had a very negative impact in the northeast, a region with a dominant minority population. Hindutva failed to cut much ice among the people in the region," Rijiju told IANS.
"I realised that the Congress party was the best option to work for the development of the northeast. I am committed to carrying forward my agenda for overall socio-economic progress of Arunachal Pradesh and the whole of the region," the former MP from Arunachal Pradesh West constituency said.
Rijiju lost the last parliamentary elections to the Congress' Takam Sanjay.
Rijiju, 38, was made national secretary by the BJP early in his political career.
"The problems and sentiments of the people of the northeast were not understood by the BJP leadership. I tried my best to make the leadership realise the intricate problems of the region, but then they simply failed to understand," the former BJP leader said.
The Congress is jubilant after the firebrand BJP leader agreed to resign and join the ruling party.
"This is an important political development and we are happy that he is with us now," Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu said.
The development is significant for the ruling Congress as Arunachal Pradesh goes to the polls to elect a 60-member legislature sometime in October.
"I have no intention to fight the assembly elections," Rijiju said.
"I would rather work for the party and do whatever best I can for the welfare of my state and the region."
The BJP, however, had some harsh words to say about Rijiju by terming him a betrayer.
"He betrayed the very party that gave him a solid platform to launch his political career. He made himself a pawn in the hands of the Congress," BJP's general secretary in-charge of northeast, P. Chandrasekhar Rao, told IANS.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Biggest India-US war game follows China's largest army exercise
By IANS,
New Delhi : Close on the heels of a high-profile war game launched by the Chinese army, the Indian and US armies and air forces will simultaneously conduct their largest joint drill in October that will feature a variety of armoured vehicles, medium and heavy lift aircraft and helicopters, an official said.
The army element of the exercise will be conducted at Babina in Uttar Pradesh, while the two air forces will engage each other at the Taj Mahal town of Agra.
The US Army will move a fleet of of eight-wheeled Stryker armoured combat vehicles from its Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii to Babina for operation "Yudh Abhyas" against which will be deployed the Indian Army's T-72 main battle tanks of the 31 Armoured Division that guards India's scorching desert border with Pakistan.
This will be the largest deployment of Strykers, which can withstand rocket-propelled grenades, outside Iraq and Afghanistan. At least 500 American soldiers, mostly drawn from the 2nd Stryker Brigade will participate in the war games.
The aerial element will see the Indian Air Force (IAF) fielding the Il-76, its largest transport aircraft, as also AN-32 medium lift transports and and Mi-17 helicopters. Ranged against them will be US Air Force (USAF) C-17 Globemasters, C-130 J Super Hercules - of which the IAF has ordered six - and C-130 H transport aircraft.
Nearly 200 IAF and 160 USAF personnel will participate in the exercise.
"The exercise is aimed at evaluating the efficacy of joint operations in the realm of tactics, aero-medical aspects and combat search and rescue (CSAR) missions involving medium and heavy lift transport aircraft," an IAF spokesperson said.
China has deployed close to 50,000 troops in its biggest cross-country tactical mobilisation exercise that has sent alarm bells ringing in India as it is being seen as Beijing's efforts to improve its ability to deploy troops in Tibet whenever reinforcements are required.
New Delhi : Close on the heels of a high-profile war game launched by the Chinese army, the Indian and US armies and air forces will simultaneously conduct their largest joint drill in October that will feature a variety of armoured vehicles, medium and heavy lift aircraft and helicopters, an official said.
The army element of the exercise will be conducted at Babina in Uttar Pradesh, while the two air forces will engage each other at the Taj Mahal town of Agra.
The US Army will move a fleet of of eight-wheeled Stryker armoured combat vehicles from its Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii to Babina for operation "Yudh Abhyas" against which will be deployed the Indian Army's T-72 main battle tanks of the 31 Armoured Division that guards India's scorching desert border with Pakistan.
This will be the largest deployment of Strykers, which can withstand rocket-propelled grenades, outside Iraq and Afghanistan. At least 500 American soldiers, mostly drawn from the 2nd Stryker Brigade will participate in the war games.
The aerial element will see the Indian Air Force (IAF) fielding the Il-76, its largest transport aircraft, as also AN-32 medium lift transports and and Mi-17 helicopters. Ranged against them will be US Air Force (USAF) C-17 Globemasters, C-130 J Super Hercules - of which the IAF has ordered six - and C-130 H transport aircraft.
Nearly 200 IAF and 160 USAF personnel will participate in the exercise.
"The exercise is aimed at evaluating the efficacy of joint operations in the realm of tactics, aero-medical aspects and combat search and rescue (CSAR) missions involving medium and heavy lift transport aircraft," an IAF spokesperson said.
China has deployed close to 50,000 troops in its biggest cross-country tactical mobilisation exercise that has sent alarm bells ringing in India as it is being seen as Beijing's efforts to improve its ability to deploy troops in Tibet whenever reinforcements are required.
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