The Hindu Future India Club (TH-FIC), in collaboration with Krishna Pradeep’s 21st Century IAS Academy, is organising career guidance seminars, titled ‘Unlock Your Future’, in colleges across Hyderabad. The next seminar in the series will take place at Keshav Memorial Institute of Technology (KMIT-Narayanguda) in Hyderabad on Monday (December 23) at 3 p.m.

These seminars are designed to spread awareness among undergraduate students about the diverse career opportunities available after graduation. Students will receive guidance on career paths such as government examinations, defence, law, research and more, with advice on how to select the right path and tips for preparation.

Director of KP’s 21st Century IAS Academy Bhavani Shankar, along with his team, will lead these sessions at colleges and universities.

Colleges interested in hosting these seminars for their students are encouraged to contact Madhu Mohan Chakravarthy at 9182974964.

East Godavari district public representatives during the erstwhile East Godavari Zilla Parishad general body meeting in Kakinada on Saturday.

The Kakinada Rural MLA Pantam venkateswara Rao, commonly known as Pantam Nanaji, sought action to prevent the air pollution caused due to various industries located in the Kakinada rural mandal during the erstwhile East Godavari Zilla Parishad general body meeting held in Kakinada on Saturday. 

The public representatives representing East Godavari, Kakinada, Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema districts discussed on the issues of erstwhile East Godavari district at the general body meeting. The meeting was chaired by Zilla Parishad Chairman Vipparthi Venu Gopala Rao and district Collector S. Shan Mohan. 

Raising concern over the air pollution in the Kakinada Rural Assembly constituency, Mr. Nanji appealed to the officials concerned to prevent air pollution by monitoring the industrial operations and activities around Kakinada city and the coastline. 

Meanwhile, Rajamahendravaram Rural MLA G. Butchaih Chowdary directed the officials concerned to inspect the existing lift irrigation schemes in order to utilise these facilities. Zilla Parishad Chairman V. Venugopala Rao claimed that the government was preparing to supply seed and fertilizers to meet the need in the Rabi season.

Pilgrims waiting for darshan at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: Leju Kamal

In an effort to manage the influx of devotees at Sabarimala during the Mandala Puja, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has reduced the daily cap on virtual queue and spot bookings.

Under the latest arrangement, 50,000 pilgrims will be allowed entry via the virtual queue on December 25, coinciding with the Tanka Angi procession’s arrival at the Sabarimala. An additional 10,000 slots will be opened the next day for the Mandala Puja, taking the total slots to 60,000. Spot booking entries, meanwhile, will be capped at 5,000 on both days.

Official sources said similar restrictions were being planned for the days leading up to the Makaravilakku ceremony on January 14. A final announcement regarding these arrangements will be made later.

The hill shrine has seen a significant surge in pilgrim arrivals over the past few days. Estimates show that 96,853 devotees reached the Sannidhanam on Friday, with over 22,000 entering through spot bookings. The temple witnessed heavy footfall on Saturday too, with 31,507 pilgrims visiting by 8 a.m., including 7,718 through spot entries.

Till December 20, a total of 27.04 lakh devotees visited the Sabarimala, compared to 22.54 lakh during the same period last year.

Emergency medical centre

In view of the growing numbers, authorities have decided to establish an additional emergency medical centre on the Chandranandan Road between Marakuttam and the Sannidhanam. The TDB has been tasked with identifying a suitable location for the centre to cater to the increasing number of pilgrims.

The Duty Magistrate has been directed to oversee the operation of 300 stretcher units in the pilgrimage zone, while the Sannidhanam Station House Officer has been instructed to secure buildings and prevent unsafe trespassing.

Further, restrictions will be enforced at the Nadapanthal stage to address overcrowding. This measure follows complaints that many announcements made at the Sannidhanam are inaudible due to the crowd and noise levels.

A man under Bhavani Deeksha, with his children, walking to the Kanaka Durga temple in Vijayawada on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: G.N. RAO

Thousands of Bhavani devotees relinquished their deeksha and had darshan of Goddess Kanaka Durga atop Indrakeeladri on the first day of the relinquishment on Saturday.

Police Commissioner S.V. Rajashekar Babu, VMC Commissioner H.M. Dhyanachandra at the control room in Vijayawada on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
G.N. RAO

Bhavanis from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and other States performed pujas at ‘homagundams’ and offered special pujas to the deity. Serpentine queues of devotees were witnessed since the dawn.

NTR District Collector G. Lakshmisha said that an App has been created to explain the Bhavanis on the arrangements made for Bhavani Deeksha relinquishment. Devotees can download the App to know the facilities regarding darshanam, prasadam, parking places and other information, the Collector who reviewed the arrangements along with Vijayawada Municipal Corporation Commissioner H.M. Dhyanachandra, Police Commissioner S.V. Rajashekar Babu, Durga temple Executive Officer K.S. Rama Rao and other officers.

Mr. Rajashekar Babu explained that tight security has been arranged with 6,000 police personnel in and around Indrakeeladri for Bhavani Deeksha Viramana, which will continue up to December 25. “Vigil stepped up atop Indrakeeladri and in the vicinity with 1,900 CCTVs. Round-the-clock security has been arranged for the event,” the Police Commissioner said.

Women Development and Child Welfare (WD&CW) Project Director G. Uma Devi tied tags to the children to prevent missing of children during the deeksha viramana.

Child Missing System App

“Devotees are requested to download the Child Missing System App, launched by the Collector. A team of WD&CW officials will give tags to the children visiting the temple to trace the missing children,” Ms. Uma Devi said.

The temple Executive Officer, who started the deeksha viramana’ by offering special pujas, said that about three lakh laddu prasadams were kept ready for the devotees on the first day on Saturday.

The Police Commissioner and Mr. Rama Rao, visited the queue lines, prasadam counters, bathing ghats and other places and enquired the Bhavanis about the arrangements.

The District Central Library will be conducting model tests of Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) Group II-A Mains and Group IV competitive exams on its West Boulevard Road premises on December 23 from 10 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. According to a release, the free tests will be held in association with N.R. I.A.S Academy and Rotary Phoenix Club. Portions covered for the Group IV model test will be General Science (Chapter 1), Tamil Grammar (Chapter 1), July 2024 Current Affairs and Mathematical problems on work and time. Students will be required to answer questions through the Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) method.

The Mysuru Palace annual Flower Show 2024 was inaugurated by District in-charge Minister H.C. Mahadevappa here on Saturday in an initiative that will draw both tourists and locals alike.

It is being conducted by the Mysuru Palace Board and will be on till December 31. Apart from the flower show, there is a photo expo and dolls show as well. The organizers have arranged 25,000 flower pots containing roses, sunflowers, chrysanthemums, etc. sourced from various places.

Flower replicas of well-known monuments and places of tourist interest such as Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple in New Delhi, Mysuru Palace, Nandi atop Chamundi Hills, flower model of Srikanteshwara or Nanjuandeshwara temple at Nanjangud, statue of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, Gandabherunda, which was the insignia of the Wadiyars, were on display.

The photo expo depicts the cultural practices of the Mysuru Maharajas. Wrestling bouts will be held near the Varaha Gate of the palace fort. The flower show also featured other cultural events with a musical evening on Saturday by Madhu Balakrishna and his troupe.

The authorities have fixed an entry fee for the flower show which is Rs. 30 for adults, including Indian and foreign tourists, and Rs. 20 for those in the age group of 10 to 18 years and is free of cost for children below 10 years of age. The flower show will be open to visitors daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. while there will be palace illumination from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Minister also released the calendar for the new year 2025 on the occasion. State Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, MLAs T.S. Srivatsa, G.T. Deve Gowda, and K.Harish Gowda, and Commissioner of Police Seema Latkar, Mysuru ZP CEO K.M. Gayatri, Commissioner of Department of Archaeology, Museums, and Heritage Mr. Devaraj, Deputy Director of Palace Board T.S. Subramanya, and others were present.

नई दिल्ली. बॉलीवुड स्टार वरुण धवन इन दिनों अपनी अपमकिंग फिल्म ‘बेबी जॉन’ के प्रमोशन में बिजी हैं. इसमें वह फुल एक्शन अवतार में नजर आएंगे, जिसकी झलक ट्रेलर में देखने को मिल चुकी है. इस बीच वरुण धवन ने अपनी एक क्रेजी फैन से मुलाकात का किस्सा सुनाया, जो उनके लिए बहुत डरावना अनुभव था. वरुण धवन ने बताया कि महिला किसी पावरफुल आदमी की पत्नी थी, जो बिना परमिशन उनके घर के अंदर घुस गई थी.

रणवीर अल्लाहबादिया के साथ बातचीत के दौरान बताया कि उस महिला को किसी ने उनका नाम का इस्तेमाल करके धोखा दिया था. एक्टर ने बताया, ‘वह महिला एक बहुत ही प्रभावशाली व्यक्ति की पत्नी थी. मैं उसका पॉजिशन नहीं बता सकता, लेकिन वह बहुत प्रभावशाली आदमी था और उसे धोखा दिया जा रहा था. कोई मेरे नाम का इस्तेमाल करके उससे बात कर रहा था.’

बुलानी पड़ी थी पुलिस
वरुण धवन ने आगे कहा, ‘उसे मेरे घर के बारे में सब कुछ पता था और वह सोच रही थी कि मैं अपने परिवार को छोड़ दूंगा और उसके चला जाऊंगा. यह बहुत डरावना हो गया था.’ वरुण धवन ने बताया कि वह महिला किसी के साथ आई थी और यह एक पारिवारिक मामला बन गया था. इसके बाद उन्हें पुलिस बुलानी पड़ी थी. महिला कांस्टेबल आई और उन्होंने इस मामले को संभाला था.

जबरदस्ती कर लिया था किस
इसके अलावा वरुण धवन ने बताया कि किस-किस तरह से फैंस से उनका सामना हो चुका है. उन्होंने कहा, ‘लोग अपने घरों से भागकर आ गए और तीन-तीन रातों तक बीच पर सोएं और फिर हमें पुलिस बुलानी पड़ी. एक फैन ने जबरदस्ती मुझे किस कर लिया था, जो मुझे बिल्कुल भी पसंद नहीं आया.’ वरुण धवन ने यह भी बताया कि कुछ फैंस उन्हें गलत तरीके से छूने की कोशिश कर चुके हैं.

54 साल पुरानी फिल्म, DISASTER होने के बाद कहलाई कल्ट क्लासिक, बाप-बेटे की मूवी ने जीत लिए थे 11 अवॉर्ड्स

इस दिन रिलीज होगी ‘बेबी जॉन’
बता दें कि वरुण जल्द ही ‘बेबी जॉन’ में नजर आएंगे. इस एक्शन ड्रामा फिल्म का निर्देशन कलीस ने किया है और यह 25 दिसंबर को रिलीज होने वाली है. फिल्म में वरुण धवन के अलावा जैकी श्रॉफ, कीर्ति सुरेश, वामिका गब्बी, सान्या मल्होत्रा और राजपाल यादव भी महत्वपूर्ण भूमिकाओं में नजर आएंगे.

Tags: Bollywood news, Entertainment news., Varun Dhawan

Avanthi Engineering College students showing a multi-purpose agricultural robot developed by them at the Gyan-2k24 tech fest held at the Cherukupalli college campus in Vizianagaram district on Saturday.

Former Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, K. Ramji, on Saturday said that engineering students will continue to have bright future in spite of the tough competition for jobs due to slowdown in IT and other sectors. The former V-C was speaking as the chief guest during the Gyan-2k24 tech festival organised at Avanthi Engineering College in Cherukupalli in Vizianagaram district.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that the tech fests provide a great opportunity for students to showcase their talent, while also helping them to get jobs in reputed firms. Avanthi Group chairperson Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao congratulated and handed over certificates to the students who proved their mettle at the tech fest. More than 100 exhibits were displayed at the event.

Dancers from Sri Priyalaya Arts Academy, enacting stories from the Hindu epics as part of the ‘Navavidha Bhakti’ Bharatanayam recital, to showcase the nine forms of devotion to God, as part of the ‘Margazhi Manghala Utsavam’ programme in Tiruvanaikoil, Tiruchi, on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: M. MOORTHY

Navavidha Bhakti, a Bharatanatyam recital by artists of Sri Priyalaya Arts Academy based in Tiruchi and Delhi explained the nine ways of devotion during Margazhi Manghala Utsavam in Tiruchi on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
M. MOORTHY

Under the mentorship of Supriya Ravikumar, artists did a stellar job in portraying different characters from legends as part of the dance drama ‘Navavidha Bhakti’ during the annual Margazhi Manghala Utsavam, hosted by Manghalam Group, in Tiruchi on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
M. MOORTHY

The rasikas watched with rapt attention as the dance drama, Navavidha Bhakti, unfolded on stage as part of the annual Margazhi Manghala Utsavam hosted by Manghalam Group in Tiruchi on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
M. MOORTHY

Theatre, music, and dance festivals have been entertaining Tiruchi residents for the past few days as the season brings culture aficionados out to different venues in the city.

This week, the sixth edition of ‘Margazhi Manghala Utsavam’, a three-day programme dedicated to showcasing Carnatic music and classical dance performances, began on Friday at Tiruvanaikoil, with a concert by nadaswaram exponents S. Kasim and S. Babu, harikatha by young exponent V. Kathyayani and a recital by the Carnatic band Indradhanush.

On Saturday, audiences were treated to Navavidha Bhakti, a Bharatanatyam recital by Sri Priyalaya Arts Academy based out of Tiruchi and Delhi that explained the nine ways of devotion to God.

Performed under the mentorship of Supriya Ravikumar, the dance drama made skilful use of the stage, with the women cast doing a stellar job in portraying different characters from legends.

Saturday’s line-up included Radhika Shurajit’s Mannavan Vandanadi, a dance tribute to actor Sivaji Ganesan, a solo performance by danseuse Idhaya Herald of Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society, and a presentation by students of Bala Kala Vidhanam.

The festival will conclude on Sunday with a vocal concert by Srikrishna Mohan and Ramkumar Mohan, popularly known as the ‘Trichur Brothers’.

“Margazhi Manghala Utsavam is committed to nurturing young talent. It provides a platform for aspiring artistes to showcase their skills alongside seasoned professionals. Given the enthusiastic response of artistes wanting to participate in our programme, we introduced daytime slots as well, to accommodate everyone. We are happy to see the public turnout for all the events,” Prabhu Venkatramani of Manghalam Group told The Hindu.

Drama festival

The annual Tamil drama festival at Rasika Ranjana Sabha which began last week has been attracting over 150 persons per show, said organisers.

“We have brought in at least a dozen drama troupes from Chennai this year, with contemporary and engaging stories in different genre, which add to the novelty of watching a play. As a result, we are seeing a good response from family audiences,” said sabha secretary N. Sekar.

Saturday’s play Kaatchi Pizhaigalo by the Three troupe, featured the story of a visually challenged person and the mission to restore eyesight. On Sunday, the drama Ambi Mama about mismatched horoscopes, produced by Prasidhdhi Creations, will take centre stage. The festival will end on December 25 with PMG Mayurapriya’s Big Boss. The play has been acclaimed for its focus on the state of higher education.

Admission to all the shows is free.

The number of domestic migrants is estimated to have lowered by around 12% to 40.20 crore between 2011 and 2023, indicating increased economic opportunities across the country, said a report by the Prime Minister’s economic advisory panel EAC-PM.

According to a working paper by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), the number of domestic migrants stood at 40,20,90,396 in 2023, which was 11.78% lower compared to the figure registered as per Census 2011.

The paper titled ‘400 Million Dreams! Examining volume and directions of domestic migration in India using novel high frequency data’, said as per Census 2011, the total number of migrants stood at 45,57,87,621.

“Overall domestic migration in India is slowing. We estimate the overall number of migrants in the country, as of 2023, to be 40,20,90,396. This is about 11.78% lower as compared to the number of migrants enumerated as per Census 2011 (45,57,87,621),” it said.

Consequently, the paper said, the migration rate which stood at 37.64% of total population as per Census 2011, is estimated to have reduced to 28.88%.

“We hypothesise that this is on account of availability of improved services such as education, health, infrastructure and connectivity as well as improved economic opportunities in or near in major sources of migration and is an indicator of overall economic growth,” noted the paper authored by former EAC-PM chairman Bibek Debroy.

The paper used three high-frequency and granular data sets – Indian Railway Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) data on passenger volumes; mobile telephone subscribers roaming data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), and district level banking data to understand the likely impact of migration at the places of origin.

Looking at the spatial dimensions of travel, the paper said, the top origin districts are coalesced around major urban agglomerations viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata etc.

Not only is this in line with gravity models of migration but perhaps also is a tentative confirmation of priors i.e. short distance migration accounts for the largest share of migrants and that distance has a negative effect on labour flows, it added.

The report also noted that the composition of the top five States that attract maximum number of migrants (including intra-State migrants) has changed.

“West Bengal and Rajasthan are the new entrants and while Andhra Pradesh and Bihar are now ranked a notch lower,” it said.

While pointing out that West Bengal, Rajasthan and Karnataka are the States showing the maximum growth in percentage share of the arriving passengers, the report said Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are the States where the percentage share of total migrants has reduced.

“Mumbai, Bengaluru Urban, Howrah, Central Delhi, Hyderabad are the districts attracting most migrant arrivals, while Valsad, Chittoor, Paschim Bardhaman, Agra, Guntur, Villupuram and Saharsa are the top origin districts,” it said.

As per the paper, at the State level, Uttar Pradesh-Delhi; Gujarat-Maharashtra; Telangana-Andhra Pradesh, and Bihar-Delhi emerge as the primary dyads of movement.

“At the district level, Murshidabad-Kolkata; Paschim Bardhaman-Howrah; Valsad -Mumbai; Chittoor-Bengaluru Urban, and Surat-Mumbai are the most popular routes for migration between districts,” the paper said, adding that this has implications for urban planning as well as for planning of transportation networks.

Using TRAI’s mobile phone roaming data, the report finds that April-June is the high months for movement with November-December witnessing secondary highs.

A secondary high in winter time is perhaps indicative of travel around the festival/marriage season. January, on the other hand, appears to be the month of lowest travel, it said.

As per Census 2011, just five States – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal – together account for about 48% of the total outbound migrants, which includes within-State migrants as well.

Similarly, just five States – Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu – together account for about 48% of all incoming migrants. This includes within-State migrants as well.

In the period from 1991 to 2001, the compounded annual growth rate of the number of migrants was 2.7%. This increased to 3.7% during 2001 to 2011.

Interestingly, in the period from 1991 to 2001, India’s workforce grew from 3.17 crore to 4.02 crore (an annual average growth of 2.6%), whereas from 2001 to 2011, the workforce grew from 4.02 crore to 4.82 crore (an annual average growth of 1.99%).