Column

Of the gift of noon’s stillness

By Vijay Phanshikar : “Expanding circles on noon waters ... ... A white bird’s plunge ! ”- Self IN THE noon’s stillness, the placid water in the pond mirrors the world -- the green trees that look grey, the blue sk..

HC DECLINES INTERVENTION

 BY ADV. R. S. AGRAWAL  While considering the situation of the agitation over Maratha reservation, the Division Bench has pointed out that considering the factual situation as has emerged before the High Court, it finds that at present, the enti..

Of the story of a failed governance ... !

Let US accept, for the sake of positive argument, that there is no point in opposing the construction of cement roads in Nagpur -- since the authorities are hell bent upon the project, no matter what. Let us, therefore, also accept that there is no point in opposing the attendant parts of road-architecture, like pavements and other accessories that the civic authorities deem fit to build. By the same token, let us also accept that the city requires all the fly-overs, all the bridges, all the public ..

Eyesight Damaged In Surgery

Director of the Regional Institute of Opthalmology, Kolkata had admitted that the unfortunate incident with regard to serious complications in the eye sight of several patients who had undergone surgery was either due to contamination and presence of micro-organisms in the operative devices or in the solutions or for a faulty method of sterilisation of the instruments. ...

We can still check thesocial damage of overuse of technology

FINALLY, slowly but surely, the world is getting to know ill-effects and side-effects of overuse, misuse and abuse of technology -- particularly in regard to young generations that are named variously such as Gen Z(ee) or Gen Alpha. Research is coming out..

Of a silent but troublesome malady

 By  Vijay Phanshikar : FOOTPATHS have an uncanny tendency to be encroached upon. Or, in other words, people find it easier to keep encroaching upon footpaths. For, all over the city, countless thousands of structures -- residential or co..

Of Father’s rain-wet stories

 By Vijay Phanshikar :  “Powdery rain, Hazy hill in distance ... ... Father’s stories ! ”- SelfEVERY child has this memory -- etched indelibly on the mind. Father’s stories -- and mother’s and grandmother&..

Gangsters Law Stillborn!

On a complaint raised by one individual regarding the conduct of elections, the Bar Council of UP issued a communication on September 7, 2018 directing the elections to be conducted in accordance with the Rules and applicable Law. On allegations raised regarding the conduct of elections, five advocates were debarred from practicing for a period of ten years, including the appellant by proceedings dated February 9, 2019...

When democracy is on a long vacation

THE question is not of just one road of less than a kilometer in length. The question is about the shoddy, faulty, short-sighted planning. The question is of the great inconvenience to the people, the great loss of the tax-paying people’s money, and the sick feeling that every citizen suffers from when he/she sees such pathetic and chaotic project..

Of the artist’s motivation

THIS is what the creator of arts, does. Countless definitions are available -- of the art and of the artist. Each definition is rich in every which the way. In sum and substance, however, granting one’s emotion a persona, a presence, is art. Is this an oversimplification ? May be ! Yet, come to think of the process -- of granting emotions their persona, their physical presence, their signature. It is very complex, to say the least. For, offering emotions their persona, in other words, means binding ..

SARFAESI Act Provision

In this petition, the petitioners have raised a challenge to the legality and correctness of the order of February 23, 2026, passed by the District Magistrate, Nagpur, directing the Tahsildar, Saoner to handover possession of the mortgaged property to the respondent –Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC), instead of the respondent – HDFC Bank...

Of the promises made but never met

SO, THE civic officials who fail to restore dug-up roads as per norms are going to be suspended. This clear directive from Union Minister Mr. Nitin Gadkari (who is also Member of Parliament from Nagpur) has been met with a mix of gratitude and some skepticism from the common people of Nagpur. The loosefooter got a number of calls from ‘The Hitavada’ readers some of whom said that they felt happy that the honourable Minister has made up his mind to take stern action against defaulting officials who ..

Not Only Uncle Sam...

The Mecca Pact has telling lessons for all the US allies. In this constantly changing geopolitical picture, controlled mostly by an unpredictable leader sitting in the White House, diversification and new alliances remain the most potent weapon for countries dependent on the US. The three signatories have shown that US’ deterrence capabilities during a military conflict cannot be counted upon...

Spokenwords’unspokenrule

How much bad is really bad? Who draws the line? Should the line be drawn at bad or at very bad? Should it only be a line or a full circle covering the slightlybad, about-to-be-bad and notas-bad as well? It is about time the Indian society, which witnessed a churn of sorts recently, prepare itself to answer these questions. The agitation at Jantar Mantar and events that followed, were primarily political in nature. But they also exposed the society in many different ways. Class and crass were open ..

Thank You My Lords !

THE whole city of Nagpur will always express its utmost gratitude to a Division Bench of Bombay High Court at Nagpur for asking the most serious question: Who will serve the taxpayers? The reference was the serious problem of water-logging in Nagpur in general and the two Somalwar schools in Khamla area. When flood waters gushed into the premises of these schools, students and teachers and staff had to be evacuated with the help of ropes etc with much effort. The honourable High Court heard the matter ..

Of human experience between covers

THIS is what book -- a book, the book -- is ! This may be described as a universally realised and uncompromisingly simple definition of the book -- pages of human experience between covers ! Of course, intelligent people have spent a lot of their energies in describing what they feel the book is. No matter the content of a book, it is, without doubt, a cumulation of human experience -- essay, poetry, thesis, fiction, memoir, dialogue, monologue, analysis, inquiry, interpretation ... !..

HC Holds Adoption Valid

There is a child who is born as a result of an unplanned pregnancy of the biological parents, who already have two children, a son and a daughter. The girl child was 45 days old, when she was adopted by the adoptive mother, who then was an Indian citizen..

GrandparentingUnder Surveillance

By Aasawari Shenolikar :  T HREEboys, ages ranging between seven and three, two were siblings and the youngest was their cousin, who was visiting them, were totally engrossed playing games. As the clock struck one pm, their mothers emerged like senti..

Of the lessons we refuse to learn

THIS is a continuous story -- of the lessons we, the Nagpurians, steadfastly refuse to learn. That fateful night of September 23 in 2023, the city saw torrential rains and spilling over of its waterways and waterbodies. The next morning, the city was aghast to notice that as many as ten thousand houses were severely damaged in the floods. On the fateful noon-to-afternoon-to evening of July 28, 2026 (Tuesday), the city got lashed by torrential rains -- 180 mms in just a few hours -- and found itself ..

Mind Your Language!

 By Rahul Dixit :   Democracy is about the beauty of language while expressing a different opinion. Political and civil movements have seen impressive oratory from many young and old leaders in the past. Some of those speeches have turne..

Of an engaging perspective about cops

THE very feel of the island at the centre of the Raj Bhavan (West) square is different. Right at the centre of isle is the Police emblem (showcasing the strong hand of the cops). Several statues of policemen at work on different duties, in different gear are positioned in a neat circle along the island’s periphery. Take a look at the central island at this square and you would feel happy...

Under a cosy quilt on a rainy noon

THIS is everybody’s idea of a cosy noon when rains are at play out in the backyard. Tap-tap-tap ! Tip-tip-tip ! Top-top-top ! -- the raindrops dance on. From warm, dry safety of the room, one watches the rain-dance. The mind rejoices this signature of Nature -- wet and endearing. Somehow, it endures in memory far too long. Of course, when the rain is gentlemanly and not unkind and furious, it is always welcome. Then the rains drizzle, wash the surroundings clean, and have the power to wash one’s parched ..

Self-renewal, the secret of continued excellence - IV

 By Vijay Phanshikar : ARGENTINA produced two of football’s greatest superstars whose personalities present very interesting case-studies of the protagonism and antagonism of the process of self-renewal. One of them, most naturally, was Di..

Equality -Conditions apply!

 By Aasawari Shenolikar : T HERE is apeculiar species of men I have encountered over the years - evolved, articulate, well-read, and perpetually on panel discussions (even if only within their own WhatsApp groups). These arethe ProgressiveMen. C..

How can we expect auto-mode to work ?

FOR the Nagpurians, chaotic traffic and chaotic parking around the Main Railway Station is a commonplace experience -- no matter the arrangements the local authorities, including the Police, do to contain the mess. Over time, several plans and schemes have come up to organise the traffic flow and parking around the iconic Nagpur Railway Station with a building of stunning architectural beauty. Everytime some new arrangement is proposed, the authorities claim -- and Nagpurians dream -- that some day, ..

Ode to teenage... ...and to parental odyssey!

 By Biraj Dixit : “YOUR teenagechildren arelike your office crush!,”said the comedian to a loud roar of laughs.“Youfeel as if on the seventh heaven, if they speak with you.” “You knock at their shut-for-all-times do..

Of the meaning of living

THESE very famous, oft-quoted lines from the legendary Firaq Gorakhpuri draw applause every time they are uttered. In just fourteen words, the poet captures and presents the essence of living -- capturing everybody’s imagination, triggering everybody’s comprehension to a new level. Philosophers often speak of the immense possibilities and potentials life holds for everybody. Yet, in the everyday grind of life, what is missed is exactly that immensity of possibilities and potentials. For, habitually, ..

The Indian String

 By Rahul Dixit :   Benefits of the redrawing of the security map in the Indo-Pacific are already on the table. After the Philippines, Indonesia is set to purchase BrahMos missiles from India. Two strategically located countries in the..

Of life without boundaries

  By Vijay Phanshikar : “The only way to lasting peace and clarity is by looking within, taking absolute responsibility of our experience, and embracing life without boundaries.” - SadhguruTHESE words from a great spiritual master ne..

Self-renewal, the secret of continuedexcellence - II

   By Vijay Phanshikar : l “In my humble opinion, renewal isn’t a single act but discipline. A burst of inspiration is easy; metabolising it into a different way of living, day after day, when no one’s watching and t..

Kitchen Crimes: The Haldi Files

 By Aasawari Shenolikar :  I have reached that stage in my life, when I can, without any hesitation, state, “Mere baal dhoop mein safed nahin huye hai,” and mean it too! I can proudly state that I have raised a child, survived tantru..

BETRAYED IN AYODHYA

 By RAHUL DIXIT : The anger prevailing among the average Hindu citizens towards those allegedly involved in the embezzlement is obvious. Their affront is totally justified as the Ram Temple involves their innate religious sentiment. The temple i..

Of the administrative paralysis in city !

 By Vijay Phanshikar : The caller was truly irritated -- even angry -- that he had to spend more than three quarters of an hour jammed in a terribly slow-moving evening traffic when moderate to heavy rains were lashing the city on June 23, 2026:..

Of a ‘faraway’ charm

  By Vijay Phanshikar : “The words ‘far, far away’ had always a strange charm.” - Alfred, Lord Tennyson HOW true ! Not just every child, but the child in every adult, too, has often felt charmed by the words ‘far..

Of “A Book of Books” to invite people to read books

 By Vijay Phanshikar: “EVERY time we read a book, we experience personal growth, expand our knowledge, and see cognitive development”. With this assertive statement, actress Sonali Bendre Behl launched her new book titled “A Bo..

Pariksha Pe Charcha

 By Rahul Dixit : The Government has an opportunity to take a relook at the entire system by keeping the NEET and CBSE episodes as case studies. There is too much bureaucratic control on our education system. It is not only stifling the ide..

Under watch!

  By Aasawari Shenolikar : T HERE was a time when children hide report cards from parents.Today,parents hide biscuit wrappers from children. At least that is the situation when Ivisit my daughter. A dedicated fitness enthusiast settled in t..

Of the souls blessed

“Heaven lies about us in our infancy ...” - William Wordsworth, in ‘Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood”...

Of a heat-trapped reality check

ASk any body in Nagpur what he/she thinks is the reason of so much general heat in the city, and the response would be common: Cement roads and cemented paver-block pavements. Factor in also the use of only cement as basic construction material in thousands of buildings now under construction in the city, and the picture becomes dirtier. The other day, some technical units were engaged in some operations on a newly-made cement road (in front of ‘The Hitavada’ office on Wardha Road) in the blazing ..

Of the Divine golden glow

By Vijay Phanshikar : The Golden Light Thy golden Light came down into my brain And the grey rooms of mind sun-touched became A bright reply to Wisdom's occult plane, A calm illumination and a flame. Thy golden Light came down into my throat,..

‘WRITS’ Not For Pvt Parking

 By Adv. R. S. Agrawal : The writ petition was filed by the petitioner and seeking a declaration that the unauthorised parking of vehicles, in front of his showroom, obstructing his private right as illegal and seeking police protection for carr..

Of the need of an Erin Brockovich !

 By Vijay Phanshikar :  AS YOU move around the city of Nagpur in continual throes of so-called development, your eyes are often invaded by stunningly tall buildings coming up in different parts of the city -- of course, on relatively small..

Of Mother’s cocoon of pardon

THIS happens universally -- in every home, in every culture, in every country. In the cocoon of Mother’s pardon, children grow up and flourish. That cocoon of pardon is a world by itself, almost fully blessed by the Divine. For, as is believed the world over, God sent Mother when He could not be present everywhere for the benefit of human beings. In Mother, humans find God, experience the Divine touch, sense the presence of the Almighty, see the human incarnation of the Ultimate. Pardon is Mother’s ..

Licence For Gold Block

The petitioner was seeking a direction to the respondent-1 to resume the second round of the e-auction process for the grant of composite licence for the Bhimsain Killa Gold Block from the stage at which it was allegedly interrupted on account of technical glitches...

Of spending moneyon things we really do not require

   By Vijay Phanshikar : THE issue is really serious -- of moderate (or even lesser) income and the family’s spending habit or culture. The complaint, too, is almost universal -- about not having enough resources to live a good l..

Aesthetics: What are you talking about ?

 By Vijay Phanshikar : THE shamelessly shabby bamboo scaffoldings to support green-net canopies at different intersections of the city afford very apt symbolism of the shabby urban management culture the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has e..

After The Verdict…

West Bengal’s election has once again shown that electoral politics is not always decided by simple arithmetic. It was a decision delivered by the people going beyond linear mathematics of voter percentage, caste factor and religious calculations. The vote was a desperate call from not only the Hindus but also from the marginalised Muslims who decided to finally seek freedom from the communal pogrom unleashed by the TMC machinery across West Bengal...

Of how the Divine reflects itself

Gurudev TagoreBy Vijay Phanshikar : “My soul is alight With your infinitude Of stars. Your world has broken Upon me like a flood; The flowers of your garden Blossom in my body. The joy of life That is eve..

VINDICTIVE SUSPENSION QUASHED

The petitioner fundamentally seeks the relief of quashing of the order of suspension, coupled with a consequential direction commanding the respondent to permit the petitioner to continue to discharging his duties on the post of Police Station Officer, Manpur in the Indore district...

Of the license to mess up with public interest

 By Vijay Phanshikar : WHAT is the most important attribute of civic administration ? Responsiveness ! This is what is taught to students in their course on public administration -- not only in India but also all over the world. Public..