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Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Thackerays’ ‘Taandav’ for trees, tigers

AI generated image Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray launched a sharp attack on the government for the systematic degradation of the state’s environment under the garb of development, even as the climate change poses a direct threat to the environment, economy, agriculture, public health and the future of both rural and urban centres. Questioning the state government’s claims of having planted millions of trees, he rued how the World Environment Day has been...

Thackerays’ ‘Taandav’ for trees, tigers

AI generated image Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray launched a sharp attack on the government for the systematic degradation of the state’s environment under the garb of development, even as the climate change poses a direct threat to the environment, economy, agriculture, public health and the future of both rural and urban centres. Questioning the state government’s claims of having planted millions of trees, he rued how the World Environment Day has been reduced to an annual ritual of tree-planting drives and clicking selfies for social media, though 90 pc of the saplings don’t survive even a day. “Only the government knows where those trees really are,” said Raj sternly. He recalled a "Blueprint of Maharashtra’s Development" he had proposed in 2015, in which he advocated how development without environmental sensitivity is hollow. Justifying, he said that the consequences are visible where roads, bridges and infrastructure projects are hailed as achievements, but even a short spell of rainfall can paralyze entire cities. Referring to recent reports on farmers returning from the fields after 10 am due to the scorching heat, Raj said that the worsening climate crisis has become an everyday reality. Citing official statistics, Raj claimed that extreme heat has caused productivity losses of nearly USD 159 billion and slashing of 160 billion work-hours annually in recent years. He mentioned the World Bank estimates that India’s GDP could plummet by 2.5-4.5 pc while 57 pc of the country’s districts sheltering 76 pc of the population stare at serious climate-related crises. Taking a swipe, he said while the governments boast about growth figures and economical rankings, they are silent on the staggering costs of environmental destruction. He questioned the development model “whether flooded cities, washed-away crops and unbearable summers” genuinely indicate progress. Claiming that Maharashtra was increasingly becoming unliveable for upto 8 months in a year, he said excessive monsoon rains disrupt rural life and urban floods cripple cities, while extreme heat make normal life a torture in summers in both urban-rural areas. Targeting the Centre, Raj alleged that nearly 173,984 hectares of forest lands were diverted in the past 11 years for mining and infrastructure projects to benefit the PM’s single favourite Adani Group. He said that these lands amount to 1,730 sqkm, or equivalent to the area of 16 Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) that is spread over barely 104 sqkm. Dissolve state wildlife board: Aaditya Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray has accused the Maharashtra government for issuing a permit to carry out mining activity in the sensitive tiger corridor between the Tadoba-Andhari and Indravati sanctuaries housing the big striped cats. In a strongly-worded letter to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Member-Secretary Sanjay Kumar, Thackeray sought his immediate personal intervention, sacking the Maharashtra State Board for Wild-Life (SBWL), revoking the permit, and probe against the Chief Wildlife Warden & Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) M. Srinivasa Reddy for the alleged lacunae. Aditya’s two-pager says the permit has been granted for “scientific exploration and excavation/systematic recovery of low-grade iron ore in existing mines in villages Hedri, Bande, Parsalgondi and Round Parsalgondi, in the Etapalli taluka of Gadchiroli district”. Last January, Aditya – MLA from Worli – had first raised the issue saying that the proposed mine would create only 120 jobs, including 32 permanent, and the estimated output is pegged at 1.1 million tons in a year. Referring to two letters of Reddy – on April 28 and May 21 – the SS (UBT) leader claimed that in communications to the state government, the PCCF had changed his stance on the issue. Aditya said that in the first letter, Reddy had effectively opposed the government plans for mining activity but in the second letter, he took a somersault, ostensibly due to government pressures or some commercial interests, “the U-turn is disgraceful and detrimental to India’s national interest” – and this abrupt shift in stance must be investigated thoroughly. In view of the contrary stance of the PCCF Reddy, entrusted with protecting the wildlife but failing to defend the NTCA and NBWL, point to serious malfunctioning of the SBWL, and hence it must be dissolved, besides reviewing all its decisions in the past three years, particularly those pertaining to hazardous activities in sensitive areas, demanded Aditya. 444 tigers roam in 11,000 sq.km As per the Status of Tiger Report (2002), and the Maharashtra Economic Survey 2025-2026, the state boasts of 444 tigers prowling in the wild along with other menacing creatures. The state’s total protected wildlife network of 88 Notified Areas of National Parks, Sanctuaries, and Conservation Reserves - including 6 dedicated to the striped big cats – is spread over 11,092 sq. kms as per current data.

Evergreen Asha becomes immortal

Legendary singer Asha Bhosle dies at the age of 92 following chest pain

Mumbai: With the passing of Asha Bhosle, Indian music’s daring and rebellious diva – the country has not merely lost a singer, but a symbol of sound, emotions, reinvention of a voice that conveyed mischief, sensuality, passions that will haunt listeners for generations.


If Asha could sing a frolicking and timeless qawwali, “Nigahen milan ko jee chahta hai…” (Dil Hi To Hai – 1963), she could croon a velvety “Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko…” (Yaadon Ki Barat, 1973), or a lilting “Ankho se jo utri hai dil me…” (Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, 1963) to the rocking “Dum Maro Dum…” (Hare Rama Hare Krishna, 1971), with equal ease and poise, winning heartbeats all over.


Hailing from the illustrious Mangeshkar family, Asha’s musical journey was hardly a bed of roses. A favorite of her dad Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, she often faced the brunt of her own rebellious nature, was uncharitably compared with her sister, Lata Mangeshkar’s singing style.


Though she eloped with an aide, Ganpatrao Bhosle in 1949, at the age of 16 and married him, she did not abandon music but developed her own unique style - blessed with her husky, expressive, versatile and nasal timbred voice – to jostle for an identity among the legends like Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt and Mubarak Begum.


Creative Boost

Her persistence, with a creative boost from the masters Ghulam Mohammed, O. P. Nayyar and later R. D. Burman, paid off and hoisted her firmly on an equal but independent pedestal among the top female singers of that era.


“Asha Bhosle’s voice was refreshing and unique … I built my entire musical career on unconventional voices. I never asked Lata to sing for me as my music was also very different and her voice did not suit my composition styles,” Nayyar had once told this correspondent.


Under the batons of Nayyar, Burman father-son duo, and many other great composers, Asha blossomed and grew, singing silky melodies to powerful crescendos, pop, disco, rock, classical and adapting easily to diverse genres. Her repertoire spanned soft songs, romantic melodies, peppy cabarets to exhilarating qawwalis, soulful ghazals, divine bhajans and classical compositions. She crooned under the batons of masters like Ghulam Mohammed to young geniuses like A. R. Rahman and many more.


Groomed, guided by different ‘Gurus’, Asha radiated energy from “Piya Tu Ab To Aaja…”, “O Mere Sona Re Sona Re…”, captured the rebellious spirit of the 1970s generation with “Dum Maro Dum” (1971), “Ek Main Aur Ek Tu” (1975), musical depth in ghazals of “Umrao Jaan” (1981) that earned her a National Award with “In Ankhon Ki Masti Me…” and a bhajan “Tora Man Darpan Kehlaye…” (Kaajal – 1965) or the vivacious “Tanha, Tanha, Yahan Pe Jeena…” (Rangeela, 1995) and “Sun Sun Didi Tere Liye…” (Khoobsurat, 1980).


Musical Genius

In a chat with this correspondent, Lata Mangeshkar once grudgingly acknowledged Asha charting her own musical journey to emerge from the elder sister’s shadows. “In many ways, she is even better than me,” Lata laughed and said.


Bollywood composers said that Asha’s musical genius was understanding the mood of the song, the situation in the film and the final audiences, and make an effort not just to ‘sing’ the lyrics but ‘perform’ them, swinging and gliding silently from the sensuous to the sublime. Some examples: “Aiye Meherbaan…” (Howrah Bridge, 1958), “Aage Bhi, Jaane Na Tu…” (Waqt, 1965), “Jhumka Gira Re…” (Mera Saaya, 1966) , “Aao Huzur Tumko…” (Kismat, 1968), “Saiya Le Gayi Jiya…” (Ek Phool Do Maali – 1969), “Reshmi Ujala Hai…” (Sharmilee, 1971).


Besides Nayyar who gave Asha a strong foundation and Ravi who explored the heights and depths of her voice, her second husband R D Burman’s musical creations were the most iconic and redefine film music from the 1960-1980s. They offered a cocktail of Indian melodies, jazz, rock, Arabian and Latin influences, experimenting with the Indian listeners and laid the foundation of the future of Bollywood music.


“Piya Tu Ab To Aaja…”, “Parde Me Rehne Do…” “Rakkasa Mera Naam…”, “Sapna Mera Toot Gaya…” “Ye Ladka, Hai Allah, Kaisa Hai Deewana…”, “Jaane Jaan, Dhoondhta Fir Raha…”, et al, were some masterpieces.


Across Genres

After the music directors of the golden era faded or passed away, Asha seamlessly adapted to the contemporary generation of creators like Anu Malik, Jatin-Lalit and A. R. Rahman, shattering myths about musical evolution across generational gaps. She continued delivering the same, and more, with her staggering range of songs across genres that left even the afficionados breathless.


Inspired by Elvis Presley and Bill Haley who influenced her pacy singing style, Asha set eyes on wooing the global audiences with experimentation, remixes and fusion, turning ears long before such collaborations became a rage. Asha joined hands with artists like Boy George, Stephen Lauscombe, Leslee Peter Lewis, Michael Stipe, and bands like Code Red, Cornershop, Kronos Quartet among other similar ventures.


Over seven decades of a crooning career for heroines or vamps, emotional and defiant, romantic and spiritual, traditions and rebellions, she notched over 12,000 songs and a Guinness World Record, top honours, awards and accolades, with her passion for singing equalling that of cooking to found her global chain of restaurants, “Asha’s”.


Despite Asha’s running feud with Lata, the duo showed none of it and sang scores of memorable numbers together. “Mere Mebooh Me Kya Nahin, Kya Nahin”, “Main Chali Main Chali, Dekho Pyar Ki Gali”, “Chaap Tilak Sab Cheeni Re, Tose Naina Milayke”, “Man Kyun Behka Re Behka, Aadhi Raat Ko”, plus more.


However, over the years, the two sisters buried old bitterness and rivalry, both professional and personal, and Asha paid glowing, tongue-in-cheek tributes to Lata after her demise at a public function graced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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