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| Maha Shiv Ratri celebrated with religious fervour | | | | Munish Gupta
JAMMU, Feb 23
Even the rain in the early morning and day time has not dampen the spirits of the devotees started crowding the temples to offer prayers, milk, flowers, fruit and incense to the Shivlingam right from the wee hours. The chants like "Har Har Mahadev" Bam Bam Bole, Om Namoh Shivai in praise of Lord Shiva, reverberated the premises of the temples.
Maha Shiv Ratri—the great night of Lord Shiva—was celebrated as most important and auspicious festival by the Hindus all over Jammu and Kashmir in particular with devotion and religious fervour.
Generally every 14th day of the dark fortnight is called Shiv Ratri. But the one that falls in the dark fortnight is known as Maha Shiv Ratri since the Jyotir Lingam is said to have appeared on the earth at midnight to remove darkness and ignorance from the planet.
Maha Shivratri—a very extra ordinary and auspicious night— was celebrated as a great divine birth night of the God Shiva as a radiant light of all lights.
All the temples were flocked with devotees, but there was a heavy rush at Ranbirashveer Temple at ... | |
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FRONT PAGE STORIES |
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| NC-Congress coalition unlikely to have a CMP | | | | EARLY TIMES
Jammu, Feb 23: A week from today it will be almost two months since the National Conference and the Congress entered into a alliance but they are yet to come up with a Common Minimum Program of Governance. Given the intricacies of Jammu and Kashmir politics, its repercussions for rest of country, and the complex stands of both parties, political observers believe that the NC-Congress coalition would rather prefer to pull through the working arrangement instead of declaring any shared agenda for Jammu and Kashmir.
National Conference and Congress are a post poll alliance and they contested elections on their own planks. Long before the elections it was almost certain for peop... | |
| | | | It’s Just Jai Ho… | | Slumdog does India proud | | |
Los Angeles/Mumbai, Feb 23: From the slums of Mumbai to the glamorous world of Los Angeles, the world went 'Jai Ho' as India's sound magicians A.R. Rahman and Resul Pokutty made history along with lyricist Gulzar bagging three Oscars for 'Slumdog Millionaire' that won eight of its 10 nominations in a ceremony that had India written all over.
It was India's day at the Oscars, one of the year's most watched events on world television, with Indian music, Indian dance and Indian colours sweeping the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.
India dominated the mind as British director Danny Boyle's hit film won the big ticket Oscars for best picture and best director at the 81st annual Academy Award... | |
| | | | Booked for drug peddling, 80-yr old man, wife walk free after 12-yr trial | | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 23: An octogenarian man and his septuagenarian wife facing charges of drug peddling were saved from the ten years prison by intervention of the High Court almost 12 years after they were booked by the Police and put to a prolonged trial.
Justice Virender Singh of J&K High Court Jammu Wing allowed an appeal filed by Sudarshan Bakaya age 80 years and his wife Pushpa Devi aged 70 years who were convicted under the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic substances Act to undergo rigorous imprisonment for 10 years and fine Rs 1 lac each, acquitted them of the charges and set-aside the judgment impugned with the direction to release the accused persons from the custody i... | |
| | | | Indian peaceniks in Pak | | I had achieved breakthrough with Vajpayee, says Nawaz | | |
Lahore, Feb 23: As an Indian delegation of peace-making activists reached Pakistan, the Opposition PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif on Monday claimed that there was a major breakthrough to resolve the Kashmir issue with India during his premiership but the gains were "turned upside down" by the subsequent military regime of Pervez Musharraf.
Sharif made the claim during a meeting with an Indian peace delegation led by veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt at his residence at Raiwind in Lahore.
He did not give details of the breakthrough on the vexed Kashmir issue.
The former premier also described the signing of the Lahore Declaration during then Indian Prime Minist... | |
| | | | Sopore continues to simmer | | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar: Curfew was today lifted from the restive township of Sopore but people continued to vent anger against the killing of two students, allegedly by counter insurgency 22 Rashtriya Rifles of army on Saturday evening.
Meanwhile, entire Sopore and its adjoining areas including main town Baramullla observed complete strike against the "cold blooded" killings.
"We lifted the curfew from entire town late last night," Assistant Superintendent of Police, BS Tuti said.
District administration Sunday imposed curfew in entire Sopore town of the north Kashmir's Baramulla district to prevent the situation from escalation.
Even if the there was no curfew in plac... | |
| | | | Crucial EC meeting on elections today | | | |
AGENCIES
New Delhi, Feb 23: The Election Commission will have discussions with Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta on Tuesday amid indications that the Lok Sabha poll schedule may be announced by the first week of March.
The three-member Commission will hold discussions with the Home Secretary on the law and order situation across the country and availability of Central paramilitary forces to decide on the number of phases.
Assembly polls in Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Sikkim will also be held along with the Lok Sabha polls.
The Commission will also hold discussions with Defence Secretary Vijay Singh, EC sources said.
Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami and two other Electio... | |
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