TOP STORY OF THE DAY |
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| Umrao Jaan is in news, again | | Her grave has no epitaph, no flowers | | |
B L KAK
NEW DELHI, NOV 19
India's VIPs, including Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, BJP stalwarts, Atal Behari Vajpayee and LK Advani, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav, and Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, have watched the recently-released Bollywood film on Umrao Jaan, a courtesan and a poetess in the 19th century Lucknow.
In life, Umrao Jaan had the whole of Awadh, an Indian province, at her feet. In death, she rests alone. In life, she craved for the love of her life, Nawab Sultan; in death, she seeks peace. Umrao Jaan 'Ada' has spawned a novel, which in turn set off two Bollywood filmmakers to showcase her life on the silver screen. But, in old Lucknow, where she was buried, Umrao Jaan has few visitors. Her grave has no epitaph, no flowers.
Some analysts say that if Lucknow is heart of Awadh, she is its heartbeat. But, now even her tombstone has fallen prey to encroachment. Only a part of it is visible. The rest has been covered by a cemented road that leads to the Imam-e-Ali Rauza, the replica of the tomb of Ali, the eighth Imam of the Shiites.
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FRONT PAGE STORIES |
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| India's China policy in a shambles | | China-India boundary question is in limbo | | |
B L KAK
NEW DELHI, NOV 19
Guiding formula for the setlement of the India-China boundary question is in limbo, with Beijing quibbling over new dates for an 8th round of border negotiations between the two Special Representatives, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister, Dai Bingguo, and Indian National Security Advisor, MK Narayanan. Ahead of the first visit to India by Chinese President, Hu Jintao, this week, some heat has been generated with Beijing and New Delhi engaged in the task of watching each other.
Add that to a steady ratcheting up of rhetoric by the Chinese Ambassador to India, who has publicly laid claim not just to Tawang, but to the entire State of Arunachal Pradesh, and India... | |
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