Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday dubbed the Congress a vine which has no roots or branches and sucks dry those who support it, and asked people to be wary of the opposition alliance in realising the goals of 'Viksit Bharat' and 'Viksit Maharashtra'. Modi, who addressed two election rallies in Maharashtra on Saturday - first in Nanded, followed by Parbhani - also said the Congress has accepted its defeat even before the Lok Sabha poll results are out, and took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, saying that just as he lost from Amethi in 2019, the "Congress' sahabzade" will lose the Wayanad parliamentary seat this time. Both Nanded and Parbhani are located in Marathwada region of the state. At the Parbhani rally, the PM said the 2024 polls were not just to form the government, but to make India developed and self-reliant. "Congress is a vine which doesn't have roots or branches. It sucks dry those who lend support to it," Modi said, hitting out at the opposition. He accused the Congress of partitioning the country and claimed it did not allow the Constitution to be implemented in Kashmir under the pretext of Article 370. Hitting out at the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra, he said the Congress and the "fake Shiv Sena", a reference to Shiv Sena (UBT), were busy decorating Yakub Memon's grave. Memon, a convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, was hanged in 2015 "When the INDI alliance (opposition grouping) was in power, they did not make (people) feel that the Nizam rule had ended, the Razakar mentality was overwhelming here. Their priority was (to decorate) Yakub Memon's grave," he said. Modi urged people to be wary of the INDI alliance in realising the goal of 'Viksit Bharat' and 'Viksit Maharashtra'. He said the 2024 Lok Sabha polls were all about making India the third-largest economy in the world. In the last term of his government, Modi said, people saw the success of Chandrayaan mission and in the next term, 140 crore Indians will witness Gaganyaan's success. This is the first election where people are talking about the success of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', from anti-coronavirus vaccine to weapons for the armed forces, he said. "In only 10 years, the country has traversed a long journey of development," Modi said. The PM said when he first contested the Lok Sabha polls in 2014, the talk in the country was about the fear of terror attacks and blasts and the pain of the death of soldiers. "However, the talk was about surgical strikes in the next five years in 2019," he said. Modi said he had lived a life of poverty, understood the pains of the poor and stressed that no poor should go through what he had experienced. At the Nanded rally, he accused the Congress of being a barrier in the path of development and said it it cannot be trusted to work for the country's progress. Apparently targeting former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Modi said some INDIA bloc leaders who have been members of the Lok Sabha for several years, have left the Lower House of Parliament and found a seat in the Rajya Sabha as they lack confidence to fight elections. Referring to Rahul Gandhi, he said, "The Congress' sahabzade sees a problem in Wayanad. He is waiting for the voting on April 26, after which he and his gang will look for a safe seat because after Amethi, he will have to leave Wayanad as well." "Will any voters waste their vote for such people? They will instead vote for 'Viksit Bharat'. Congress has been a barrier in the development of farmers, poor and women...Can't trust that the party will work for the country's progress," he said. Modi referred to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's recent remarks against Rahul Gandhi, and said, "Even I can't make such comments." Holding Congress-led governments' flawed policies for the agriculture crisis and farmers' problems, he said the NDA government was committed to work for their welfare.The PM said he has been fixing the problems created by the erstwhile Congress governments in the last 10 years. "Now, we have to work even harder," he said. "Congress survives on one family. But now that family can't vote for the party candidate. For the first time, the family will have to vote for a non-Congress candidate in the constituency where they live because they don't have a candidate," Modi added. Describing the INDIA bloc as a grouping of selfish parties that have come together to protect their corrupt practices, he said the alliance has been rejected by voters in the first phase. The INDI alliance does not have a face to project whom the people see to entrust the country's future to, he said. They may claim anything, but the reality is that Congress leaders have accepted defeat even before announcement of poll results, he added. The INDIA bloc parties are contesting the Lok Sabha polls against each other in 25 per cent seats. "Can you trust such people?" he asked people at the rally. "After June 4, an all-out fight will break out among the INDIA bloc members. You need to teach them a lesson in elections," Modi said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
20 April,2024 05:42 PM IST | Nanded/Parbhani | PTIA court in Delhi on Saturday reserved its order on the bail pleas of AAP leader Manish Sisodia in corruption and money laundering cases, lodged by the CBI and the ED in the alleged Delhi excise policy case. Special judge for CBI and ED, Kaveri Baweja, reserved the order for April 30 after hearing arguments from the central probe agencies as well as the counsel appearing for Sisodia. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader had also moved interim bail pleas in both cases to campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. However, Sisodia's counsel told the court today that the plea has become infructuous as the regular bail plea is being reserved. The CBI as well as the ED have alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi Excise Policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, licence fee was waived or reduced and licences were extended without the competent authority's approval. The beneficiaries allegedly diverted "illegal" gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection, the probe agencies have alleged. Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26, 2023, for his alleged role in the "scam". The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested the former deputy chief minister in a money-laundering case stemming from the CBI FIR on March 9, 2023.Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
20 April,2024 02:00 PM IST | New Delhi | PTITwenty-one police and Home Guard personnel were injured when the bus carrying them overturned in Madhya Pradesh's Betul district in the wee hours of Saturday, an official said. These jawans were returning to their home district Rajgarh in the state after performing their election duty when the accident occurred near Baretha Ghat on the Bhopal-Betul highway, the official said. The incident took place around 4 am, Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Shalini Paraste said. "It happened when the bus carrying a total of 40 jawans, including five policemen and remaining home guard, was on its way to Rajgarh after their election duty in Chhindwara," she said. Eight of the personnel who received serious injuries are being treated in the district hospital at Betul, while those with minor injuries are being treated in Shahpur hospital, the police official said. The incident took place when the bus swerved to avoid a truck that crossed its path, she said. Polling for the Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat was held on Friday. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
20 April,2024 01:55 PM IST | Betul | PTIThe Congress on Saturday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking whether he would deliver on his promise to put the BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan in jail. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed a few questions for Prime Minister Modi ahead of his rally in Nanded and Parbhani. "Today's questions for PM Modi as he heads to Nanded and Parbhani: Will the PM deliver on his promise to put BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan in jail? What is the BJP's plan to deal with Marathwada's worsening drought and water scarcity? Why has the Indian Railways performed so poorly in Nanded division," Ramesh said in a post on 'X'. Elaborating on what he dubbed as "jumla details", the Congress leader said the prime minister should revisit his words from his campaign in Nanded on March 30, 2014, when he launched a ferocious attack on Chavan -- "now the latest labaarthi of the 'BJP Washing Machine Yojana'". "The PM declared Chavan an 'Adarsh candidate', and said that 'the Congress is shameless' for having given him a ticket while he was under investigation," Ramesh said. He said PM Modi had announced that he would send Chavan to jail "within six months" if he became the prime minister. "A decade later, Chavan is not in jail, continues to be under investigation, and is a Rajya Sabha MP from the BJP. Does PM Modi hold the BJP to be 'shameless' as well? Will he conspire to get Mr Chavan a clean chit soon? Will he deliver on his promise to put the BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan in jail," Ramesh asked. After suffering from drought conditions over the last four months, the Marathwada region has now been hit by unseasonal rains and hailstorms, which have caused severe crop losses, he said. "The ruling BJP government has not declared this event a national disaster or announced any relief measures. This is no surprise from a government that has also failed to care for the lifeline of Marathwada, the Godavari river," Ramesh added. Although Rs 88 crore were allocated for the cleaning of the river in 2022, there has been no tangible improvement, he said. "Why has PM Modi ignored the plight of Marathwada's farmers? Does his government have any plans to protect the river that is so crucial to the environmental and economic health of this drought prone area," Ramesh further asked. He also claimed that the railway infrastructure in the Nanded division, which serves many areas in Marathwada, has collapsed under the Modi government's supervision. According to data furnished by the South Central Railway (SCR) in 2021, Nanded has only 35 kilometres of route electrification and 83 kilometres of track-doubling, he said. "This puts it at the bottom in terms of electrification and only marginally ahead of the bottom in track doubling compared to other SCR divisions. "Additionally, it is the only division in its zone that still has 130km of colonial-era meter-gauge tracks," Ramesh said. Why has crucial railway infrastructure been neglected in Nanded, he asked. "Does the PM have any real vision for bringing development to the Marathwada region," Ramesh said and asked the prime minister to break his "silence" on these issues.
20 April,2024 01:49 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentCongress leader Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over electoral bonds on Saturday, alleging that he is running a "school of corruption" in the country and teaching all chapters in the subject of "entire corruption science", reported news agency PTI. On the social media platform 'X', Gandhi shared a video of a new Congress advertisement that takes a swipe at the BJP over the electoral bonds issue. "Narendra Modi is running a 'school of corruption' in the country, where under the subject 'entire corruption science', he is teaching every chapter in detail including 'donation business'," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi. The former Congress chief claimed that the prime minister was teaching chapters on how the collection of donations is done through raids and how contracts are distributed after taking donations. "How does the washing machine that washes the corrupt work? How is the game of 'bail and jail' played by turning agencies into recovery agents," he said. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also shared the same advertisement on 'X' and said, "Don't choose 'hafta vasuli' government, choose change. Vote for the Congress." Gandhi alleged that the BJP, which has become a "den of corrupt people", has made this "crash course" mandatory for its leaders, and the country is paying the price for it. An INDIA bloc government will shut this 'school of corruption' and close this course forever, he asserted. In February, the Supreme Court delivered a judgment striking down the electoral bonds scheme. Following a directive from the apex court, the State Bank of India, which was the authorised seller of electoral bonds, shared data on electoral bonds which was then made public. The Congress has alleged that the electoral bonds data has exposed "corrupt tactics" of the BJP such as quid pro quo and grant of "protection" to companies against donations. (With inputs from PTI)
20 April,2024 01:44 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentHome Minister Amit Shah held a roadshow in Rajasthan's Udaipur on Friday evening, hours after voting for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections concluded. During the roadshow, Shah couldn't resist a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, mocking him over his past predictions of turmoil in Kashmir. "In Kashmir, (Peoples Democratic Party chief) Mehbooba Mufti and (Congress leader) Rahul Baba (Gandhi) used to say there would be bloodbath here once Article 370 is removed," he said while addressing a gathering. "Rahul Baba, five years have passed (since the abrogation of Article 370). This is the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Leave alone the talk of the bloodbath, no one has the guts to throw a stone there," Amit Shah said. Earlier in the day, Amit Shah also addressed a public meeting in Rajasthan's Pali. The 25 parliamentary constituencies of Rajasthan are polling in two phases. While polling for 12 seats concluded on Friday in the first phase, the remaining 13 seats in the state will be contested in the second phase on April 26. In 2019, the BJP registered a sweeping victory, winning 24 out of 25 seats, while the remaining one seat was won by Rashtriya Loktrantrik Party candidate Hanuman Beniwal. Earlier in the day, Amit Shah filed his nomination for the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat. He was accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. Shah, who is eyeing a second consecutive term, is pitted against Sonal Patel, fielded by the Congress party. The former BJP president won the 2019 elections with a huge margin of 5.55 lakh votes, defeating Congress' CJ Chavda, who later joined the BJP. All 26 seats in Gujarat go to the polls in a single phase on May 7. The BJP whitewashed the 2014 and 2019 general elections by winning all 26 constituencies in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The first phase of voting for 102 parliamentary constituencies spread over 21 states and Union Territories was held on Friday. The Lok Sabha polls will be held in India in seven phases to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha. The results will be announced on June 4. The second phase will be held on April 26, and the remaining phases will be on May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1, accordingly. The last general elections in 2019 were also held in seven phases. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 April,2024 08:30 AM IST | Udaipur (Rajasthan) | ANIAccusing the Enforcement Directorate of being “petty” and “politicising” what he ate in jail, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday asserted before a court that the food he consumed was in conformity with the diet chart prepared by his doctor. The ED had on Thursday claimed before the court that Kejriwal was eating food high in sugar like mangoes and sweets every day, despite having type 2 diabetes, to create grounds for medical bail. Kejriwal’s counsel launched a spirited assault on the federal anti-money agency over its claim that the AAP national convenor was eating food laden with sugar so he can fall ill and seek bail on medical grounds. “ED claimed that I want to increase my blood sugar levels to get bail. Am I going to risk paralysis to get bail? Whatever food I have is as per the diet chart prepared by my doctor prior to arrest,” Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi told the court. Referring to the ED’s claim about the politician eating mangoes, sweets, aalo-poori etc regularly, he said these were provided to him only a few times. Anything can happen to Kejri in jail: Sanjay Singh AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh Friday reiterated his party’s allegation that a deep conspiracy is being hatched against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and anything can happen with him in prison. At a press conference here, Singh charged that the BJP’s “modus operandi” can stoop to the level of even killing someone. No immediate reaction was available from the BJP over Singh’s accusations. The MP also slammed BJP leaders for “making fun” of an ailment suffered by Kejriwal and added that “misleading” news about the Delhi CM was being spread through the media. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 April,2024 07:38 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesAn aggregate 62.37 per cent voter turnout was recorded in phase one of the Lok Sabha polls on Friday, the Election Commission (EC) said. While the figures were issued after the conclusion of polls, the commission said people who were in the queue when voting ended at 6 pm were allowed to exercise their franchise. “The voting percentage is likely to go upwards when reports from all polling stations are obtained as polling is scheduled till 6 pm in many constituencies. Final figures will be known on Saturday after the scrutiny of form 17A,” the EC said. Polling took place in 102 constituencies across 21 states and Union Territories in the first of the seven-phase elections. The commission described the turnout as “high”, noting that voting remained “largely peaceful” while an accidental explosion of a grenade launcher shell in Chhattisgarh left a CRPF jawan dead. In the first phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the voter turnout was recorded at 69.43 per cent. Some of the constituencies were different then and the total number of seats which went to polls were 91. States, including Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territories of Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep completed their voting process on Friday in the single-phase election. For the first time, people in 56 villages in Bastar in Chhattisgarh cast their vote in polling booths set up in their own villages. The poll authority pointed out that in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, voters belonging to the tribal communities came out in large numbers. The Shompen tribe of Great Nicobar made history by casting vote for the first time. Voters braved the heat in most parts of the country while, at others, they waited patiently in pouring rain. Minor EVM glitches were reported at some booths in Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Assam. Election officials said the turnout in West Bengal was 77.57 per cent till 5 pm, Assam 70.77 per cent and Meghalaya 69.91 per cent while voters in six districts of eastern Nagaland stayed indoors following an indefinite shutdown call by an apex body of tribal organisations to press for its demand for a separate state. In West Bengal, polling was marred by violence in the Cooch Behar seat. TMC and BJP workers clashed with each other and lodged 80 and 39 complaints respectively related to poll violence, voter intimidation, and assault on poll agents, sources from both parties said. In strife-torn Manipur, around an impressive turnout of 67.46 per cent till 5 pm was recorded. An altercation broke out between locals and unidentified persons in Thongju assembly constituency under the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat. In Chhattisgarh, 63.41 per cent voters cast their votes in the Naxal-hit Bastar Lok Sabha constituency where the CRPF jawan after the grenade accidentally went off while an officer was injured in an IED blast in another incident. In Tamil Nadu, where polling is spread over 39 constituencies, a voting percentage of over 63.20 was recorded. Voting was delayed by an hour in some polling booths in the state such as the one near Tambaram due to technical glitches in the electronic voting machines. Arunachal Pradesh saw over 60 per cent of the total 8,92,694 voters exercising their franchise.Though the turnout was moderate in the morning hours due to inclement weather, it gathered momentum with weather conditions improving. In a few polling stations in the state, polling was delayed as the electronic voting machines (EVMs) developed technical snags which were later replaced, Chief Electoral Officer Pawan Kumar Sain said. Supporters of two candidates clashed near a polling station in the Bameng constituency in East Kameng district, Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) Chukhu Apa said, adding the situation was brought under control and polling is continuing. Incidents of EVM damage were also reported from three polling stations in some districts, the police officer said. Andaman and Nicobar Islands saw a voting percentage of 56.87 per cent.There were some minor EVM glitches but it was addressed immediately, officials said. (Tentative figures taken from the ECI website at the time of press) This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 April,2024 07:35 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesThe first phase of elections for eight constituencies in western Uttar Pradesh was held on Friday, with around 57. 54 per cent voting till 5 pm. Most voters had a peaceful experience, with the Uttar Pradesh police claiming that the law and order situation was maintained in all eight constituencies. D K Thakur, additional directional general of police, Meerut Division, said a large amount of security and police personnel were deployed to ensure the voting process was peaceful and smooth. “We had extra force for checking along all borders and to keep anti-social elements away from polling stations. No issues were reported,” he said. As per the Election Commission, a total of around 80 candidates were contesting from the eight Lok Sabha constituencies in the first phase of elections. The total number of voters is 1,44,01,543, of which 76,54,658 are men, 67,46,136 are women and 749 are of the third gender. There are around 14,845 polling booths and 7,693 polling centres in the first phase of elections, with around 18,662 EVM control units, 18,734 ballot units and 19,603 VVPATs. Around 50 per cent of polling stations had arrangements for live webcasting via Cvigil. In terms of the number of voters in the first phase, the highest number are in Moradabad and the lowest in Nagina Lok Sabha constituencies. Chief Election Officer of Uttar Pradesh, Navdeep Rinwa said that in order to keep the voting process free and fair, webcasting was arranged at a total of 7,582 polling stations for effective supervision at all three levels…by the District Election Officer, Chief Election Officer and Election Commission of India. Arrangements for videography were also made at 1,510 polling stations. In the first phase of postal ballot voting, 14,264 voters in the eligible categories (viz voters above 85 years of age, Divyang, essential services and polling personnel) cast their postal ballots. Voters above 85 years of age and Divyang voters who had opted for postal ballot were made to vote by the polling team visiting their homes. To make the process free, fair and transparent, a micro observer and videographer were deployed with the polling party and the schedule of the polling party was made available to the candidates to watch the entire process. The list of eligible voters in this category was also made available to the candidates. Complete videography of this polling process has been done. Postal ballots were also sent to a total of 27,938 service voters by the Returning Officer through electronic means (ETPBS). EDC has been issued to 7,943 personnel. To keep a close watch on the polling, the Commission also deployed eight general observers, five police observers and 10 expenditure observers. Additionally, 1,272 sector magistrates, 150 zonal magistrates, 103 static magistrates and 1,861 micro observers were deployed. The Election Commission of India had also deployed one senior general observer, one senior police observer and one senior expenditure observer at the state level, who supervised the entire election process by staying in the field. Meanwhile, some complaints were received through email by political parties on Friday, which were promptly resolved by the district officials after which the complainants were informed via email. During the voting process, till 5.00 pm, a total of 50 BUs, 50 CUs and 152 VVPATs were replaced. 1.44crNo. of voters in eight constituencies
20 April,2024 07:33 AM IST | Mumbai | Faisal TandelThe march of bejeweled tuskers beats of percussionists and a unique experience. When faith and ideologies make way for this grand spectacle at the Thrissur Pooram festival, politicians also try to blend in. The fest, biggest of its kind in Asia, commenced on Friday and will conclude on Saturday. The 36-hour festival held at the Thekkinkadu Maidan is secular, and brings together people from all religions and communities in the festivities. Thrissur constituency has almost 47 percent of its population comprising Christians and Muslims. Candidates join Pooram Thrissur BJP candidate Suresh Gopi, Congress candidate K Murleedharan, and CPM candidate Sunil Kumar, were at the Pooram, since early morning. Shivprasad K B, Thrissur, district committee member of BJP said, “Gopi visited the Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple at 5.30 a.m and made offerings to the divine. He also made arrangements for providing kanji (rice porridge) freely. Besides, 2,000 water bottles were distributed for on duty policemen, through his late daughter Laxmi Suresh Gopi Trust. He then proceeded to the BJP party office in Thrissur to attend an internal organisational meeting.” Bejeweled tuskers march during the Pooram festival “Congress candidate K Murleedharan and his supporters, were at Pooram since morning, and will be there till late in the night,” said his party member Abilash. And so was Sunil Kumar of CPM, who is a popular candidate. Interestingly, local residents in Thrissur, say, “We have three good candidates to contest from this constituency, only on June 4, we will come to know, the real winner and the candidate who makes it to the Parliament in Delhi, until then for every supporter, their candidate is the pre-decided winner” Study on Pooram elephants and mahouts Gopala Krishnan, 68, who is originally from Vadakkencherry, Palakkad, had come all the way from Chennai to take part in Thrissur Pooram. Krishnan, who used to work in Mumbai’s Indira Dock, used to stay in Chembur, and post retirement, he shifted to Chennai. Krishnan has made extensive study about Pooram elephants and the mahouts, across Kerala and even documented the same in a book format. His focus of work was on the elephants and mahouts from the pages of history. Tuskers and their mahouts at the Pooram festival of Thrissur Pooram festival According to Gopala Krishnan, “The Thrissur Pooram is a resplendent festival celebrated with a grand display of bejeweled caparisoned elephants, dazzling parasols, and the sounds and beats of the percussion music. It is a magnificent spectacle merging the spiritual and cultural essence of Kerala. It is celebrated in the Malayalam month of medam (April-May)”. Pooram History “The festival was the idea of then Maharajah of Cochin Santhana Thampuran (1790-1805). The festival has its genesis when incessant rains led to temples in Thrissur unable to participate in the Arattupuzha Pooram—a one-day festival,” he said. “The temple groups complained to Thampuran who, it is said, decided to challenge the ban by starting Thrissur Pooram on the Pooram day in the month of May in the same year. He invited temples with their deities to Thrissur to pay obeisance to Vadakkunnathan/Shiva—the presiding deity of the Vadakkunnathan temple. Deities of 10 temples participate in the Pooram festivities, viz: Thiruvambadi, Paramekkavu, Naithalakkavu, Ayyanthole, Karumukku, Lalur, Choorakkattukara, Chembukkavu, Kanimangalam and Panamukkumpally,” recalled Gopala Krishnan. “Be it left, right, or even left or right of centre political parties, there is no discordant tone during the Pooram festivities. It is the state’s festival—religion and political affiliations don’t have a bearing on the festivities,” he said. But these party differences only emerge and are vibrant in the campaign. Today and tomorrow it is about Thrissur Pooram and its main characters of elephants, percussion instruments and firecrackers. And the grand sadya (traditional feast) given to everyone who wants to partake of it on the temple grounds,” said a local resident. Kids excited “There are so many of them (elephants)here, I love looking at them,” said Antony Tom, five-year-old, who was brought to the temporary elephant enclosure, made in an open ground, on the back side of Paramekkavu Bagavathi temple. My son loves Elephants and spends most of the time watching the National Geographic channel. He is able to differentiate Asian elephants with African Bush Elephants. As it won’t be possible to get him (Antony) on Pooram day (April 19), to watch the elephants from the close proximity, due to large public turn over, we decided to get him to the elephant enclosure, a day before (April 18-Thursday) the Pooram, said his father Tom Antony, a resident of Guruvayur with his son Antony (5), who is fond of Elephants. For ten-year-old Aiyana, 10, a class five student, who was accompanied by her grandmother Seeta Ravindran, said, “The elephants look beautiful, they resemble lord Ganesha and I am fond of them,” she said. Seeta said, “On day of Pooram, the entire entry and exit roads are closed for vehicular moments, as the public participates in the function, and she was insisting on seeing the elephants, so I got her to the elephant enclosure.” Mahout speak On Thursday, Arun M A, 31, from Mullasery, Trisshur and Vipin, from Kottayam both mahouts, were busy giving bath to the elephant named Ganapati in a water tank. When asked about the age of Ganapati, Vipin, the senior mahout, said, “Ganpati is 40-year- old and he is owned by a person named Bharat from Punkunnam, Thrissur district. Ganpati is very calm and is easy to handle and has been a regular participant in the Pooram,” the mahout said. When asked the time that they need to give a bath to Ganapati, they said, “Ganpati likes to be in water for a long time. We usually take two hours to give him a proper bath.”
20 April,2024 07:30 AM IST | Thrissur | Vinod Kumar MenonNo mouth goes unfed during Thrissur Pooram, be it the massive elephants that are part of the festivities or the thousands of devotees that participate in them. Since the run-up to the Pooram celebration, nearly a week ago, over 500 people have been fed breakfast, lunch and dinner daily as part of the Annadhanam programme organised by the Paramekkavu Bagavathi temple Devosam. The 36-hour non-stop spiritual and cultural celebration, along with traditional musical ensembles, will also witness over 25,000 people being fed Annadhanam at the Pushpanjali hall, next to the Paramekkavu Bagavathi temple. The festival started at 10.57 am on April 19 and will end at 2. 04 pm on April 20. P V Subramanyan, food committee convenor of the Paramekkavu Bagavathi temple Devosam holds a mango used for making mambazha pulissery Interestingly, all the Annadhanam programme’s expenses are met by the temple Devosam without taking any donations from devotees. mid-day peeked into the kitchen where meals are cooked four times a day and are served for free to the public. Mammoth task “The mammoth task of cooking for such a large number of gatherers is nothing less than a divine blessing, which the temple Devosam has been handling for centuries. The fact is, no devotee is left without food, as it never falls short or gets wasted,” explained P V Subramanyan, food committee convenor of the temple Devosam. Vijayan K, the main chef associated with the Annadhanam programme at Pushpanjali hall on Thursday. Pics/Atul Kamble “Kerala’s Thrissur Pooram has earned its place as the biggest festival in Asia. The grand temple is a beautiful and colourful spectacle with caparisoned elephants, sparkling parasols and loud percussive music. Not to forget the sound of crackers that go off in the darkness, lighting up the sky in gorgeous ricocheting colours and spectacular designs. Thrissur Pooram is a combination of two words: Thrissur, the name of the city, and Pooram, which refers to a group or a meeting in Malayalam,” Subramanyan said. Traditional caterer services The Sadhya for Annadhanam during the Pooram is prepared by Suresh Ambi Swami Catering Services, run by the son of the late Ambi Swami, who followed in the footsteps of his father and great grandfather by providing the traditional service to the Devosam, pointed out to Subramanyan. Only twenty-plus handpicked cooks working with the caterer prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are assisted by over 100 men and women, who help them chop vegetables and clean utensils. The Annadhanam service started on April 16 and will end on April 20. Mandatory food testing Every staff member of the caterers, including cooks and workers, is screened by the district health department to ensure they are in good health before they start work a week before the Pooram festivities begin. Only those certified fit are allowed by the Devosam to cook. Similarly, the sample food cooked is also tested daily by the health department staff. They also ensure that good hygiene is maintained in cooking areas and kitchen, pointed out Subramanyan. Menu is not the same Vijayan K, the main cook, said, “Cooking actually begins in the wee hours at 1 am. By 8 am, breakfast and lunch is ready. The breakfast may be either idli, sambar and chutney on one day and upma on another day. Similarly, for Sadhya, during Pooram, we prepare only a few items—rice, sambar, rassa, two types of sabji, etc. The food is never wasted and by the end of the day, all of it is over. “The food offered on April 19 is basic fare comprising kanji (rice gruel), chutney and papadom (papad) for around 500 people. On March 20, is the Kudamattam Sadya, a grand food feast served to around 20,000 on the temple premises,” explained Vijayan. Kitchen surveillance “No outsider is allowed to enter the cooking area and even the place where the vegetables are getting chopped. We have CCTV cameras and security guards are deployed at the main entrance point,” said Subramanyan. Asked about the food expenses and contribution for the Annadhanam during Pooram, he said, “All the Annadhanam’s expenses are taken care of by the Devosam and so are the expenses for the Pooram festival, a practice which has been going on for years. All people are welcomed by the Devosam for Annadhanam. Also, with the temperature soaring, especially with humidity on the rise, buttermilk is being offered to the people.” Eco-friendly material Every material used to serve food in the Sadya is eco-friendly, from the banana leaf to biodegradable plates and spoons used for serving kanji. The vegetable waste (from cutting, peeling and scraping skins, seeds etc) is converted into compost for farms. And on an average, tonnes of waste get accumulated daily, explained Subramanyan. Asked if, on the last day, dinner will be served, he promptly gave an affirmation, and with that, the yearly Pooram Annadhanam will also be over. April 20Day Annadhanam service will end Did you know? To make this traditional sweet and sour curry served as Annadhanam, the following ingredients were obtained: . 12,000 pieces of special chandrakaran mango (R200 per kilogram). 1,000 kg of moovandan mango (It takes years for this mango tree to blossom). 1,000 kg of cucumber. 400 litres of curd. Spices
20 April,2024 07:25 AM IST | Thrissur | Vinod Kumar MenonADVERTISEMENT
