Archive for the 'THINGS ODISHA N ODIA' Category

Vote for Rajasmita to win the Dance India Danace 3 competition; voting open until April 21st 2012 (saturday) 7 PM. [Update: She wins it.]

Odisha dances, Odisha personalities 3 Comments »

She has been consistently good taking on tougher and tougher challenges every week. Pointers to all her performances are at http://www.orissalinks.com/orissagrowth/archives/5646. Please watch and judge for yourselves.

Update: Her performance in the finale starts from 5 minutes http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xqa82w_dance-india-dance-3-21st-april-2012-part-5_shortfilms.

Rajasmita Kar of Rourkela on the verge of making to the finals of Dance India Dance 3; update: She makes it to the finals with number 1 ranking. [Update 2: She wins it.]

Odisha personalities, Rourkela- Kansbahal Comments Off on Rajasmita Kar of Rourkela on the verge of making to the finals of Dance India Dance 3; update: She makes it to the finals with number 1 ranking. [Update 2: She wins it.]
  • Dec 25th Kolkata auditions: From 5:40 minutes at http://www.indianpad.in/video/3793/DID-Season-3-25th-Dec-part4 . Also at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS5i7uY-p2I . She gets selected to top 36.
  • Jan 7th auditions: Around 15 minutes at http://www.indianpad.in/video/3803/DID-Season-3-7th-Jan-part2 she gets selected to top 18. See also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5ebC99xlAI .
  • Jan 14th (with Shafeer) : From 11:40 minutes at http://www.indianpad.in/video/3811/DID-Season-3-14th-Jan-part2 . See also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRkDijF5yZ4 . (Contemporary style on the song "Halka Halka Sa")
  • Jan 21st (with Paul)  : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlkqYztH76Q (performed Lyrical Hip Hop on the song "Teri Meri Prem Kahani")
  • Jan 22nd: From 18:20 minute onwards http://www.indianpad.in/video/3823/DID-Season-3-22nd-Jan-part2( Contemporary style on the song  "Roundhe Hai Mujhko Tera Pyaar" )
  • Jan 28th  (with Shafeer and Riddhika Singhhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usVKA4MYfSo (performed on the song "Maula Mere" using India Flag colors.)
  • Feb 4th (with Abhik): From 1:40 minutes at http://www.indianpad.in/video/3836/DID-Season-3-4th-Feb-part3  (Aerial act on a ring on the song "Bol na halke halke")
  • Feb 18thhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6t2ZEgz_Gs (Semi classical on the song "More piyaa")
  • Feb 19th (with Abhik):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4RwiWLNXpw (She plays the role of Radha, Rukmani, Satyabhama and Meera dancing with Krishna)
  • Feb 25thhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy3-WFz3wAI (Dances with gas cylinder like props on the song "Gun gun guna re".)
  • Feb 26th (with Abhik)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wByEPDsCW2M (Lindy Hop and quickstep; acts like a school kind with a candy on the song "Tumse mili najar to asar")
  • March 3rdhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aBOGU4uinY (Freestyle on the song "sajna ve soniya ve")
  • March 4th (with Abhik)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eGVN8FFU38 (Freestyle using a bench as a prop on the song "Tu jahan main wonhan")
  • March 4th (with Paul): Judged the best of that day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeervS2j2co (On ice on the song "Jaaane do naa, paaas aaao naa")
  • March 10th (Ranked 3): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=725jGtNk_gY (freestyle on the song "Main lagti hoon Sridevi lagti hoon")
  • March 11th (with Paul): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wblW1U_into (Bachata dance on the song "Jaanam I love you" done on a pool table.)
  • March 11th (with Abhik): Performance was ranked the best of that day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWh7Ru_btvc (Free style and acrobatics on a camera trolley track on the song "Ye hasin wadiyaan" from Roja.)
  • March 17th (Ranked 1)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygaNdndqwUs   (Freestyle on the song "Kal ho na ho" on a circus prop looking like rings on a stand on the floor.) See also 5:55 onwards at http://www.indianpad.in/video/3888/DID-Season-3-17th-March-part1
  • March 18th (with Pradeep):  http://www.indianpad.in/video/3892/DID-Season-3-18th-March-part1 starting at 3:30 minutes. (Breaking and Hip-hop)
  • March 24th (Ranked 2): From 8:30 minutes at http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpnsr2_dance-india-dance-3-24th-march-2012-part-2_videogames (Freestyle with the dancing doll prop on the song "Na me smjha .. Senorita" )
  • March 25th (With Siddhesh and Dharmesh Sir): From 12:50 minutes at http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpofvp_dance-india-dance-3-25th-march-2012-part-4_shortfilms  (Bollywood style dance on the song "Aankh maare o ladka")
  • March 31st (Ranked 1): From 5:45 minutes at http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xptdw2_dance-india-dance-3-31st-march-2012-part-3_videogames  (Contemporary style challenge by Terrance Lewis on the song "Oore peeya" with candles on teh stage)
  • April 1st (Dance ki takkar with Mohena)http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpu0jo_dance-india-dance-season-3-episode-21-1st-april-2012-pt8_shortfilms (Breaking style on the song "Karzy kia re" wearing army fatigues)
  • April 1st (with Abhik): From 12 minute onwards at http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xptypj_dance-india-dance-3-1st-april-2012-part-1_shortfilms.  (Karakattam, an ancient folk dance of Tamil Nadu, style.) 
  • April 7th (Ranked 2)http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpz3ek_dance-india-dance-7th-april-2012-part-6_school ( Freestyle dance dressed like a Arab but acting like a ninja on the song "Marhabba O Marhabba") 
  • April 8th (emotional duet with Abhik): From 9:45 minute onwards at  http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpznut_dance-india-dance-3-8th-april-2012-part-1_school#rel-page-under-2  (Contemporary on the song "Jag soona soona laage" dressed up as an old lady) 
  • April 8th (with Abhik): From 5 minute onwards at http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpzowk_dance-india-dance-3-8th-april-2012-part-4_videogames (Freestyle with a bit of magic showing the feminine side of her in a saree  on the Mr. India song "I love you" with light effects.)
  • April 14th (Ranked 1): http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xq4o98_dance-india-dance-season-3-14th-april-2012-pt7_shortfilms. (Danced on the song "Jiya Jale").
  • April 15th: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xq5ap0_dance-india-dance-season-3-15th-april-2012-part-3_shortfilms. (A very difficult and challenging performance on the song "Aaaja Naachle" performed on top of matkaas making the shape DID.)
  • April 15th: From 1:30 minutes at http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xq5b8t_dance-india-dance-season-3-15th-april-2012-video-watch-pt10_shortfilms. (Her dance ki takkar short performance that shows off her strong points. No one, even the boys, in the whole competition could make some of the moves she showed here.)
  • April 21st – Finale (Winner – ranked 1): From 5 minutes at http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xqa82w_dance-india-dance-3-21st-april-2012-part-5_shortfilms.

  • Kalahandi – a pot of art ( a nice op-ed piece from Dharitri)

    Kalahandi, Odisha Culture, Odisha dances 3 Comments »

    Odia literary writing should use more local “kathita” words to enrich Odia

    Odia language resources, Odia literature Comments Off on Odia literary writing should use more local “kathita” words to enrich Odia

    Following is an op-ed from Samaja. (Thanks to S. Karmee for the pointer.)

    I personally feel that Odia has become too sanskritized and writings in Odia often do not use the words that are used by people in normal conversations. The Odia speaking people use a rich vocabulary of  words, which if used in the written literature will enrich Odia. In that regard I came across and bought the following two books published by the Odisha Sahitya Academy.

    • Dakshina Odishara kathita Odia bhasha. By Dr. Satya Prakash Das.
    • Paschima Odishara kathita odia bhasha. By Shri Gopabandhu Ratha.

    Both make wonderful reading.

     

    The Lalitgiri-Ratnagiri-Udaygiri ancient Buddhist knowledge center in Odisha; has been compared with Nalanda in the art history and archaeology literature

    APPEAL to readers, CENTER & ODISHA, Historical places, Jajpur, Kalinganagar- Chandikhol- Paradip, Lalitgiri-Ratnagiri-Udaygiri, Odisha history, Universities: existing and upcoming Comments Off on The Lalitgiri-Ratnagiri-Udaygiri ancient Buddhist knowledge center in Odisha; has been compared with Nalanda in the art history and archaeology literature

    (Appeal to readers: I would appreciate any additional pointers to literature where the knowledge center aspects of the Odisha buddhist monuments have been discussed and/or they have been compared with the well-known buddhist sites in India such as Nalanda, Bodhgaya, Sanchi, etc.)

    We all have read about Nalanda and Taxila as ancient learning centers and they are often referred to the as precursor of the present day universities. In Odisha the yet to be identified Puspagiri mahavihara as well as the Lalitgiri-Ratnagiri-Udaygiri  have been compared with Nalanda in the art history and Buddhist literature. Following are some slides (in facebook) which compiles that information. In these slides we quote extensively from Mrs. Debala Mitra’s two books. Mrs. Mitra was the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (1975-1983) [Page 448 of this book] and has written extensively on various Monuments of India.

     

    The above slides do not have any pictures. As is mentioned in some of the slides, the Lalitgiri-Ratnagiri-Udaygiri Mahaviharas are also comparable to Bodhgaya in certain respects and one slide mentioned how none of the monasteries in Nalanda can compare with the embellishment in one of the monastery found in Ratnagiri. The following pictures, again from facebook, gives one the idea of what has been found in Lalitgiri-Ratnagiri-Udaygiri and the beauty and significance of them.

    In 2010 the Indian Parliament passed the Nalanda International University Bill. This university is in the making now and this wikipedia page has information on it. We hope that some day more people in Odisha and India will know about Lalitgiri-Ratnagiri-Udaygiri and a similar university (perhaps called Puspagiri University, the yet to be identified Mahavihara about which Hiuen Tsang wrote glowingly) will be established in Odisha. Towards that effort some background information has been compiled in a facebook page and a facebook account. Following is a glimpse of the information that has been collected.

    Newspaper reports and pictures on the 2011 Gotipua festival

    Gotipua, Gotipua Festival, Odisha govt. action Comments Off on Newspaper reports and pictures on the 2011 Gotipua festival


     

    Shekhar Gupta on the Jan Lokpal bill (April 23, 2011)

    Uncategorized 9 Comments »

    I somehow missed this article where Shekhar Gupta has thoroughly analyzed and listed all that is wrong with the then Jan Lokpal Bill. (I think the Jan Lokpal Bill has since been modified. The version at http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/downloads.html is dated June 21, 2011. So some of the issues pointed out by Shekhar Gupta may no longer hold. Nevertheless, it gives an idea of the mindset of and (dis)ability of the Jan Lokpal bill drafters in drafting such an important bill.) Following are some excerpts:

    … The Musharraf reference is also tempting because the standard answer from this group of civil society leaders to the question if their bill violates the basic spirit of the Constitution is, so what, the Constitution can be amended as it has been so many times. But the kind, and number of Constitutional amendments this draft will require, will need a Musharraf.

    … Where will the rest come from? Your guess is as good as mine. All of these will have to be people of “unimpeachable integrity” and also “should have demonstrated their resolve to fight corruption in the past.” From where will you find these people, particularly as you are working on the presumption that a large number of judges of the Supreme Court and high courts do not pass that test of unimpeachable integrity. And who will choose them? A committee headed by the prime minister who, in turn, will be under the jurisdiction of the Lokpal he chooses. But, wait, it is more complicated than that. This committee shall include the two youngest judges of our high courts and Supreme Court respectively, the presumption being that the young are cleaner (Clause 6, 5 c and d). But, if a Lokpal has to be fired for misdemeanour, the case will be heard by a bench consisting of the five seniormost judges of the Supreme Court? Confused? Why are the youngest virtuous while hiring, and the seniormost equally so while firing?

    … If this is not sounding impossible already, this search committee has to recommend at least “three times the names as there are vacancies” (Clause 6, 10 f). So if you thought it is hard enough to find so many perfect men and women, you now know that you have to find thrice as many. And, of course, when the selection committee’s choice is finally forwarded to the president, she “shall” sign it within a month.

    … If the idea of this bill is to take away all discretion, and strike terror in the hearts of the bad guys, it does that very effectively.

    Except, so many of the rest, generally innocent Indians, may live in that terror as well. The bill, for example, entitles the Lokpal to collect 10 per cent of all the fines collected, stolen wealth recovered, or even national wealth saved from being stolen, in its own corpus for its own use, thereby creating extortionist incentive: the more you value, the more you collect.

    … If you report on another citizen and he is caught and convicted, you would similarly earn 10 per cent of the money recovered, and/ or the money saved from being swindled as your reward. We will, therefore, be incentivised by law to become a nation of cops and spies, sneaking on neighbours and family for pecuniary gain. Such things happen in North Korea and if it is your argument that its people are happier than us Indians, we will need some convincing.

    … the Lokpal members will be deemed police officers, have the powers of seizure and search without going to a magistrate — precisely the question with Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act) — have protection of contempt of court law, will function as civil courts, be investigators and prosecutors, throwing out the very principle of separation of powers, checks and balances (Clauses 8-19, 21, 24, 25, 27, 32).

    … This bill, in this form, is designed to match the dictum of “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It also presumes all Indians are thieves, unless proven otherwise, and can only be governed in a police state. Further, that a society of a billion-plus thieves can be cleansed by barely a dozen individuals armed with the most undemocratic law drafted in a democracy outside its Parliament. That is why this needs greater, cooler discussion.

    Odia movies in the Internet: work in progress.

    Odia movies 1 Comment »

    Following are some of the Odia movies that I found in the Internet (mostly in youtube).  As I see them, I will add some comments.

    1. Agnishikha.
    2. Allo mo kandhei.
    3. Bhukha.
    4. Chaka chaka bhaunri.
    5. Dhanre rakhibu sapatha mora.
    6. Dhire dhire prema hela. (Barsha and Sabyasachi. So so. First half is tolerable. Second half is atrocious.)
    7. Dil tote deichhi. (another link)
    8. I love you. (another link) (Remake of a 1999 Tamil movie) [Highest grossing Odia film in Box office]
    9. Jajabara
    10. Kandhei akhire luha.
    11. Kau duniyaru asila bandhu.
    12. Lakhye siba puji paichi pua.
    13. Laksmana Rekha
    14. Laxmi Pratima.
    15. Love Dot Com.
    16. Manini
    17. Mate anidela lakhya faguna.
    18. Megha sabarire asiba pheri.
    19. Mita re mita. (another link)
    20. Mu Sapanara soudagara.
    21. Nandini I love you.
    22. Neijare megha mote. (Barsha and Anubhav.)( Loved it.)
    23. Pagala karichhi paunji tora.
    24. Pagala Premi.
    25. Prem rogi. (another link)
    26. Priya mo priya.
    27. Sahara Jaluchi. (another link)
    28. Samaya hatare dori.
    29. Sanju aou Sanjana. (Babusan.) (Just saw a few minutes. Looks like a remake of the Telugu film Parugu.)
    30. Sasura ghara zindabad.
    31. Sathi re.
    32. Satru Sanghar.
    33. Subha bibaha. (Barsha, Akash, et al. Did not like it. Badly edited.)
    34. Suna chadhei mo rupa chadhei, 2009. (another link) (Watched this. It is a remake of a  2005 Telugu hit. The actress Barsha has done well, even when compared to Trisha in the Telugu original. Anubhav is not impressive, especially when one compares to Siddharth in the Telugu one. Siddhant has done ok, but Srihari in the Telugu one is better. Finally, Prakash Raj in the Telugu one is unmatchable.)
    35. Tate mo rana. (another link)
    36. To akhire mo akase ki ranga lagile.
    37. To bina bhala lagena. (another link)
    38. Topae sindura ditopa luha.
    39. To paeen.
    40. Tora mora jodi sundara.
    41. Tu eka ama saha bharasha.
    42. Tu mo akhira tara.
    43. Tu mo girlfriend.

    Air India introduces Delhi-Portblair flight with stopover in Bhubaneswar;

    Air India/Indian, Bhubaneswar, Bringing International Connectivity, Uncategorized 12 Comments »

    Update on 10th October 2011: The Delhi – Bhubaneswar – Port Blair Air India (6 days a week) flight will allow boarding and deplaning of passengers at Bhubaneswar. This will not only provide Bhubaneswar – Port Blair connectivity; it will also incraese connectivity between Bhubaneswar and Delhi. Air India also plans to have another daily Bhubaneswar – Delhi flight taking the total number of daily AI flights between these cities to (almost) three   and taking the total number of daily Bhubaneswar – Delhi flights to almost eight – 7 dailies and one 6 days a week. Following is a screen copy from http://www.cleartrip.com/ on the dates Nov 2 2011 and Nov 3 2011.


    Following is an excerpt from a report in Deccan Herald.

    Keeping in mind the high tourist potential, Air India subsidiary Alliance Air has introduced a direct flight to Port Blair from here via Bhubaneswar and would operate a new 70-seater jet plane.

    Giving holiday makers another reason to cheer, Air India’s direct flight AI 9603/9604 would be operated with Bombardier’s CRJ-700 on all days of the week, except Saturday, a spokesperson said.

    The above news item is confirmed from the Air India web site. See the screen capture below.

    As the following map shows Bhubaneswar is very close to the straight line between Delhi and Port Blair. The stop-over in Bhubaneswar allows Air India to use a smaller aircraft that can be refueled in Bhubaneswar. I hope Air India will allow people to get on and off at Bhubaneswar.

    As the map above shows Bhubaneswar is also very close to the straight line connecting Delhi to Jakarta, Delhi to Singapore and Delhi to Kwalalumpur. I hope  some of the airlines take note of that and introduce flights between those places with a stopover in Bhubaneswar.

    Update: Mumbai to Hongkong and Mumbai to Taipei also passes very close to Bhubaneswar. Updated the map above to illustrate that.

    Nine of the 23 players of the Indian national women’s soccer team are from Odisha: Dharitri; Update: 5 of them are from Aali in Kendrapada district

    Women's footbal Comments Off on Nine of the 23 players of the Indian national women’s soccer team are from Odisha: Dharitri; Update: 5 of them are from Aali in Kendrapada district

    Following is from Dharitri.

    Following is from Sambada.

    Sasmita Mallick, captain of the national Women’s soccer team, is the seventh Odia player to lead a national team: Sambada

    Kendrapada, Men's hockey, Women's footbal, Women's hockey Comments Off on Sasmita Mallick, captain of the national Women’s soccer team, is the seventh Odia player to lead a national team: Sambada

    The others are:

    1. Dilip Tirkey (Men’s Hockey)
    2. Prabodh Tirkey (Men’s Hockey)
    3. Ignace Tirkey (Men’s Hockey)
    4. Subhadra Pradhan (Women’s Hockey)
    5. Jyoti Sunita Kullu (Women’s Hockey)
    6. Shradhanjali Samantaray (Women’s Soccer)

    Tata Steel to establish a Hockey Academy in Odisha: Dharitri

    Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Khordha, Men's hockey, Odisha sports, Tatas, Women's footbal, Women's hockey 1 Comment »

    A few points and recap of similar news:

    1. TATA Steel has a football academy in Jamshedpur.
    2. Hockey: SAIL has a hockey academy in Rourkela which serves the tribal belt around Sundergarh well.  The proposed Hockey academy in Bhubaneswar will be a good plus. I think KISS with its large tribal students could and would be one of the top recruiting ground for the proposed hockey academy.
    3. Women’s footbal (soccer): As per the news item at http://www.dailypioneer.com/321111/FAO-glad-to-host-SAFF-Championship-in-December.html the Football Academy of Odisha (FAO) is setting up a woman football academy in Cuttack or Kendrapada.
    4. Sports, Hockey: The above article also mentions that the State government is spending 20 crores for an Odisha Hockey Academy and astroturf hockey stadium in the Kalinga stadium complex. (See news item below.)
       
    5. American Football: Bhubaneswar to be one of the eight teams in the Elite Football League that will start in 2012.
    6. Indoor games: ECOR making an indoor stadium in Bhubaneswar.
    7. Tennis Academy: Being established in Bhubaneswar.
    8. Cricket Academy: Odisha Cricket academy has been established in Cuttack.
    9. Cricket: ECOR has made a cricket stadium in Bhubaneswar and aims to make it of international standards.

    Comments on Arvind Kejriwal’s statement “Beware of the Government Lokpal Bill”

    Uncategorized Comments Off on Comments on Arvind Kejriwal’s statement “Beware of the Government Lokpal Bill”

    As I mention in http://www.orissalinks.com/orissagrowth/archives/5193, I support the bigger goals of the Jan Lokpal movement, which I will call the "True Democracy movement". However, in the following I give some comments and ask some questions to the statement "Beware of the Government Lokpal Bill" by Arvind Kejriwal. I got his statement from  http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150744895270714.

    Beware of the Government Lokpal Bill

    My dear friend,

    I reviewed the Government.s Lokpal bill in great detail. I am deeply concerned and not to mention alarmed with what I learned from it. Government has completely ignored the wishes of the common man and made a mockery of our hard fought struggle for strong anti-corruption laws. I have summarized the most troubling aspects of the government version here and suggested possible steps that everyone of you can take to help in this movement.

    We had been demanding that an institution called Lokpal should be set up for central government and a Lokayukta should be set up for each state government through the same Bill. Lokpal would receive and investigate corruption complaints against central government employees and politicians. Lokayukta would do that job in respective states. However, the Cabinet has rejected our demand. Only a few senior-most officers in central government have been brought within the jurisdiction of Lokpal. All officials and politicians in state governments have been left out.

    What does that mean?

    • It means that rampant corruption in Panchayat works would continue as it is. Through the use of RTI Act, many people across the country have revealed how payments are routinely made for ghost works. Check dams exist only on paper. List of beneficiaries of various government schemes contain bogus names. Wages of poorest people are denied and siphoned off under NREGA. Social audits in several states have exposed corruption running into thousands of crores in NREGA. Medicines are routinely diverted to black market from government hospitals. Teachers do not turn up in government schools. They pay a part of their salaries to Basic Shiksha Adhikari to mark their attendance. 80% of Rs 30,000 crores of ration subsidy is siphoned off. People living below poverty line are turned away by ration shopkeepers because their rations are diverted to black market. Much of this money reaches the party coffers or the senior-most politicians. All this will continue even after the enactment of government.s Lokpal Bill because all of this is outside its jurisdiction.

    My Comment: Are not the above covered by existing mechanisms such as Police, Vigilance, CBI, Higher level officials, etc. If Mr. Kejriwal’s response is that they are all controlled by governments, then do we want a Lokpal who goes down to that much low level stuff. I find it ridiculous that the above seem to imply that Lokpal will be taking care of "Teachers do not turn up in government schools." What next?

    • In cities, roads would continue to break after a few months of being constructed. Flyovers would continue to collapse. Streetlights will still not light up. Parks would continue to remain dilapidated. The builders would continue to fleece ordinary consumers. You would still need to pay bribes to get your passport or income tax refund. Building plan will not be passed without a bribe. Government.s Lokpal Bill does not cover any of this.

    My above comment is also applicable to the above bullet point too.

    • Adarsh Housing scam is not covered under Government’s Lokpal. Reddy brothers will continue to loot our mines and minerals. Commonwealth Games, Fodder scam, Taj Corridor Scam, Yamuna Expressway scam, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha scam, Cash for vote scam. none of these scams are covered under Government’s Lokpal Bill.
    Here he may have a point.
    • Members of Parliament and MLAs would continue to take bribes to ask questions or vote in Parliament and legislative assemblies because Lokpal would not have the powers to investigate them.

    This is a point with nuances. Current mechanisms cover bribes no matter for what.

    • Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, MPs, MLAs, municipal councilors, sarpanches, judges, all state government employees, all Group B, Group C and group D employees of the central government. all are out of the jurisdiction of Government’s Lokpal Bill.

    One needs to go through the above one by one:  I think one needs to wait to see how the Lokpal institution is used or misused before bringing the PM (while he/she is the PM) under its gambit. I can envision frivolous politically motivated complains being made against the PM and the fear of that preventing the PM taking important timely actions. But CM should be brought under its ambit or under the ambit of Lokpal of the state. (In India many of the CMs have been corrupt while the PMs have not generally been corrupt.) Similarly, MPs (including central ministers) and MLAs should come under the gambit of the Lokpal.

    I think it is too much for the Lokpal to go down to Group B, Group C and group D employees of the central government. Let the Group A officers and others existing mechanisms (CBI, Vigilalnce, etc.) take care of them. If a complaint is filed and the supervising Group A officer does not take timely action then a complaint against that Group A officer can be made to the Lokpal. So I don’t see a need to include the  Group B, Group C and group D employees of the central government uner the ambit of the Lokpal.

    • Interestingly, if any citizen makes a complaint of corruption against any official to Lokpal and if it lacks adequate evidence, then as per government’s bill, the citizen would face two years of minimum imprisonment. And the government would provide a free advocate to the corrupt official to file a case against the citizen. But if the citizen is able to prove that the official has indeed indulged in corruption, there is just six months of minimum imprisonment. Therefore, rather than the corrupt and corruption, the government bill is targeted against those who dare raise their voice against corruption. In short, it discourages people from reporting acts of corruption!

    Question: I partly agree with the above point. But there should be a mechanism to discourage people from filing frivolous charges.

    • 13 people, who had dared to raise their voice against corruption, were murdered in the last one year. We had demanded that Lokpal should have the powers and duty to provide protection to such people. Government Bill does not have any such provision.

    Comment: Lokpal bill or not, the government has the duty to protect all people.  With millions of complaints that is expected be made, it is not feasible to ask that the government provide special protection to all of them. May be there can be a mechanism to provide protection on a case by case basis.

    • Government has retained its control over CBI. So, CBI would continue to avoid taking action against a future Raja until Supreme Court admonished them. Accounts of Quattrochis would continue to be defrozen in secrecy against national interests. CBI would continue to be used to arm twist Mayawatis, Laloo Yadavs, Jayalalithas and Mulayam Singhs into submission. Corruption money would continue to be siphoned off to Swiss accounts.

    Comment: Partly agree. I am not sure what are the ramifications of the government not having control over CBI. In this regard, Arvind Kejriwal has made the point about Tax officers having power to investigate prime ministers, etc. But the tax officers are controlled by the government. So, being controlled by the government may not be a blanket disqualification.

    • Government’s Lokpal Bill is also unconstitutional. Prime Minister does not enjoy any immunity from investigations under the constitution. Exclusion of Prime Minister from Lokpal Bill is unconstitutional.

    Comment: I am no constitutional lawyer; but I don’t agree with the above.

     
    • Selection and removal of Lokpal members will be completely in the control of the government. Out of 9 member selection committee, five will be from ruling establishment, thus effectively giving powers in the hands of the government to appoint the most corrupt, pliable and politically loyal people as Lokpal members.

    Comments: This should be negotiated based on various pros and cons.

     
    • High Courts and Supreme Court would continue to take more than 20 years to dispose appeals in corruption cases because our plea to set up special benches to hear such appeals has also been turned down.

    Government says that there are 1.25 crore government employees in the country. Government refuses to bring them under Lokpal Bill because it would need large number of anti-corruption staff to keep a check on them. Isn’t that an absurd excuse? India is a huge country. Obviously, it has large number of employees. Can the government leave them unchecked and allow them to loot the people and the country? Under law, corruption is a crime, as heinous as murder or rape. If tomorrow, the incidence of murders or rapes increases as much as we have corruption now, would the government turn around and say that this country has 120 crore population and since they would need large number of policemen to check crime, they would not do it?

    My comment: Arvind Kejriwal is being unreasonable here.There are other existing mechanisms and systems in place to police the 1.25 crore government employees; including their superiors.

    The country seems to be in the clutches of highly corrupt people. It has been reported that in the Cabinet Meeting, the Prime Minister, including some of his other Cabinet colleagues, kept pleading that PM be included within the Lokpal Bill. However, the corrupt within the Cabinet had the last say. The Prime Minister was rendered helpless, though one wonders the reasons for his helplessness.

    What are our options? Some people feel that Anna is unreasonable. They say that an indefinite fast is a brahmastra and should be used as a last resort. Haven’t we already reached the end of the road?

    Friends, I must confess that the road ahead is extremely challenging. Government is on a path to try and crush the movement at any cost. We need the active participation of every single Indian in order to fight back. If the Government.s bill becomes law we are literally gifting our country to the corrupt people to further plunder our resources.

    Like I have said before its now or never.

    Let every citizen in this country take one week.s off from his normal work from 16th August, the day Anna starts his indefinite fast, and take to the streets . in front of his house or at the crossings or in parks . with a tricolor in his hands shouting slogans against corruption. Let students take off from their schools and colleges. Let everyone take to streets. If this happens, we will achieve our goal within a week. Government can crush one Anna but it cannot crush 120 crore Annas. Government can impose section 144 on one jantar mantar. But it cannot impose a curfew on the whole country.

    Can we count on you support to participate in one final attempt to save our country from the corrupt?

    Arvind Kejriwal

     

    Barnali Hota in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2011 Lil Champs

    Odisha artists, Odisha personalities Comments Off on Barnali Hota in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2011 Lil Champs
    She got the best of the week award for the following performance.


    SaReGaMaPa Little Champs – 20th August 2011 Part 7 by 110043C
    She sang very well in the following performance. But the comments and discussions, especially the comments by Guru Kailash Kher, were obnoxious and brought her to tears.
    SaReGaMaPa Lil Champs – 19th August 2011 Part 2 by 110043C
    SaReGaMaPa Little Champs – 13th August 2011 Part 1 by 110043C
    SRGMP Lil Champs – 6th August 2011 Part 5 by 110043C

    Odisha government’s plan for Buddhist tourism in Jajpur

    Buddhist site, Jajpur, Monuments, Odisha history Comments Off on Odisha government’s plan for Buddhist tourism in Jajpur

    Following is an excerpt from a report  Akshay Rout in Pioneer.

    To attract more tourists to Langudi, Kaima, Neulipur, Tarapur and other hills in Jajpur district, the State Government would spend Rs 14 crore in four years, said Secretary of Tourism and Culture Department Ashok Tripathy while he, along with other senior officials, visited these Buddhist sites on Saturday.

    For an archeological hotspot, Langudi wears the tag of obscurity well. Located in Dharmasala tehsil, it is a sleepy hamlet with a sparse population. But things could change, thanks to the discovery of a Buddhist Stupa along with many images of different postures of Lord Buddha. Langudi hit the headlines eight years ago when several senior historians and archaeologists considered it as the Puspagiri, as described the famous Chinese traveller Huein Tsang. However, few tourists have since ventured into this remote hamlet for a view of the artifacts. But the government would spend money to develop the Buddhist site, said Tripathy.

    Targeting Buddhist tourism in Jajpur, the Government is going to launch a Buddhist Circuit involving primary pilgrimage places associated with the life and teachings of Lord Buddha. Lalitagiri, Ratnagiri, Udayagiri, Langudi, Kaima and Neulipur are the primary pilgrimage places along with numerous other sites, where Buddha and the saints travelled, would be parts of the tourist itinerary, Tripathy said.

    … The Government would build a 150-feet-high Buddha statute at Neulapur hill and a 85-feet Buddha statute at Deuli hill. A 50-feet-high Shiva statute would be built in the Gokarneswat temple. A 500-meter-long ropeway would be connected from Deuli hill to Kaima hill, he added.

    Bhubaneswar Warhawks: One of the eight teams that are part of the new American Football league (called Elight Football League of India) to play in India starting 2012

    American Football - Bhubaneswar Warhawks, Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Khordha 4 Comments »

    The website of this league is http://www.efli.com/. This league is backed by some big names in American Football. Following is an excerpt from the page http://www.efli.com/news/american-football-is-coming-to-india/.

    The Elite Football League of India plans to kick off in the fall of 2012, and Daniel Kaplan of Sports Business Journal reports that its backers include some familiar names to American fans, such as Ron Jaworski, Mike Ditka and Packers linebacker Brandon Chillar (pictured), who is of Indian descent.

    Following is an excerpt from the page http://www.efli.com/news/cowboys-in-india-jaworski-helps-launch-new-football-league/.

    Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, and current ESPN football analyst, Ron Jaworski is an investor and consultant for a new football league being started in India, according to a report in our sister publication Sports Business Journal.

    … Other investors in the proposed eight-team league, which would begin play in November 2012, include Michael Irvin and Mike Ditka, who are both in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

    The eight teams in this league and the tentative week 1 schedule in 2012 is:

    WEEK 1 DATE HOME VISITOR
             
    Game 1 Monday 12-Nov-12 (7) Mumbai Gladiators (8) Pune Black Tigers
    Game 2 Saturday 17-Nov-12 (3) Goa Swarm (4) Hyderabad Skykings
    Game 3 Sunday 1 18-Nov-12 (5) Kolkata Vipers  (6) Punjab Warriors
    Game 4 Sunday 2 18-Nov-12 (1) Bhubaneswar Warhawks  (2) Delhi Defenders

    This is a big deal for Bhubaneswar and if indeed things go as planned Bhubaneswar will get a lot of publicity in the USA.

    The logo of the Bhubaneswar Warhawks is a nice one. See below.

    I was wondering how come Bhubaneswar is one of the eight teams. Its probably because they will try to get some of the rugby players to play American Football and the KISS Bhubaneswar rugby team has won several international championships in recent years. Following are some pointers.

    Life and times of Nandini Satpathy: From Dharitri

    Odisha personalities 3 Comments »

    Odisha women win the National Football Championship; earlier this year they were also the national games champion in football

    Kendrapada, Women's footbal Comments Off on Odisha women win the National Football Championship; earlier this year they were also the national games champion in football

    Following is from a report in ibnlive.com.

    Orissa blanked three-time champions Bengal 5-0 to clinch their maiden title in the 19th edition of the Senior National women’s football championship at Pant Stadium here today. Orissa’s leading goal scorer Sasmita Mallick struck a brace (5th and 80th), while Jabamoni Soren (50th), Pinky Magar (60th) and Shradhanjali Samantaray (71st) fired in one each to complete the rout. With five minutes remaining, Orissa had an unassailable 5-0 lead when heavy showers stopped play yesterday. Orissa completed the formalities when the play resumed this morning. Incidentally, this was the biggest margin defeat suffered by any team in the championship’s final, surpassing Bengal’s 0-4 loss to Manipur in the second edition of the tournament in 1992-93. The reigning National Games champions, Orissa, thus erased the bitter memories in the final of the last edition of the tournament in Imphal where they lost to Manipur who won their record 14th title. "We had beaten Bengal 4-0 in the quarterfinal league…So we were confident of winning against the same team in the final. Had it been Manipur, the girls would have been a little apprehensive. It’s really a proud moment for us," an ecstatic Orissa coach Chitrasen Patra told PTI. Orissa routed former runners-up Kerala 13-0, blanked Haryana and Bengal by identical scorelines of 4-0 to top group B in their quarterfinal league.

    The winning team received a rousing welcome when they returned to Odisha. Following is from Sambada.

    An interesting fact to note is that several of the top Odisha players (including the captain and the top scorer), some of whom play for India, are from a particular district in Odisha; the Kendrapada district. This district has sent so many womens football players to play for Odisha and India that it is sometimes referred to as the women’s football cradle of India. Following are some old links about this.

    • http://www.odishatoday.com/sports/World_Cup_soccer_mania_grips_Kendrapara_120610-976987648465356423563734586.html Excerpts: … backward villages in Aul and Rajkanika region here. The villages shot to fame for contributing a number of emerging women footballers of both State and national repute in the past few years. At least 15 of them are now playing for the country in various age groups while the State women’s football team mostly includes players from this region. Five international players, Sashmita Mallick, Suprava Samal, Sangita Patra, Alochana Senapati and Gayatri Mallik are all from Aul-Rajkanika region of this district while Alochana and Sashmita have emerged as idols in the country.
    • http://expressbuzz.com/States/Orissa/two-kendrapara-girls-bend-it-like-beckham/147378.html
    • http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100916/jsp/orissa/story_12940399.jsp : A cluster of backward villages in Aul teshil region of Kendrapara district continues to dribble past all odds to reach the goal of churning out the best women footballers for the state.

      This success story began about eight years ago when the mini stadium of Aul block hosted a series of exhibition of women’s football matches. Since then, many women footballers from Aul have donned the national jersey.

      “It’s an amazing story. Although the girls are mostly from poor economic background, patronage of the Aul Athletics Association has resulted in many of them entering the soccer arena,” said Raj Kamal Mandal, a former coach of women’s football and district sports officer of Kendrapara.

      At present, nine girls from Aul are international players representing the country at various levels.

      “While three local girls are part of senior national team, the junior (under-19) squad includes two players from the Aul belt. Five footballers from this area represent the country in the sub-junior (under-16) team,” Mandal said.

      The state women’s football team is virtually packed with girls from Aul. Thirty-six girls have found their place in Orissa’s senior, junior and sub-junior women’s football teams. It is a matter of pride that they have overcome poverty and social stigma to achieve success.

      Most of these emerging stars are from far-flung and unknown villages such as Malapatana, Giribandha, Goudpatana, Mulasahi, Niala, Kanteipur, Telepatana, Dhanamandal and Adheikana.

      … “After a few exhibition matches in 2008, we invited the girls of Aul to take part in a training camp. The response was amazing. Over 40 girls eagerly waited for the training session to commence. Since then, they never looked back. At present, we have a reserve pool of around 50 girls who undergo training at the Aul stadium,” Sharma said.

    Ethnologue report for Odia

    Odia language resources, Odia literature Comments Off on Ethnologue report for Odia

    The following is from http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=1299-16.

    Indo-European  (439)

    Indo-Iranian  (310)

    Indo-Aryan  (221)

    Eastern zone  (45)

    Oriya (8)

    Bhatri  [bgw] (India)

    Bhunjia  [bhu] (India)

    Bodo Parja  [bdv] (India)

    Desiya  [dso] (India)

    Kupia  [key] (India)

    Oriya  [ori] (India)

    Oriya, Adivasi  [ort] (India)

    Reli  [rei] (India)

    Many young Odias shine nationally in dance, music, literature, fashion designing and glamor areas

    Odisha personalities, THINGS ODISHA N ODIA 3 Comments »

    (UNFINISHED POST – work in progress; please suggest names and pointers that I am missing)

    In recent years several young Odias have attracted national attention and exposure in dance, music, fashion design and glamor areas, and many of them are graduates from engineering and management schools. Following are some names that come to mind.

    Sona Mohapatra: CET Bhubaneswar

    Sniti Mishra: IMIS (Institute of Management and Information Science) Bhubaneswar

    Pitobash Tripathy: Govt. College of Engineering and Leather Technology, Kolkata

    Ankita Mohapatra: Silicon Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar; MBA from Symbiosis Pune

    Harihar Dash: BPUT (GIET Gunupur ?)


    Bibhu Mohapatra: http://expressbuzz.com/entertainment/fashion/who-is-bibhu-mohapatra/268002.html

    Krishna Beura:

    Chandrahas Choudhury: Author of Arzee the Dwarf which was shortlisted for Commonwealth writer’s prize for best first book.

    Bhavna Pani: http://www.starswelove.com/scriptsphp/biography.php?artistid=80

    But when I secured 83 percent in my SSC exam, and was preparing to take up science, Abha Dharampal, the principal of Utpal Sanghvi School where I studied insisted I take up arts.

    Prince Dance Group:

    Manas Kumar Sahoo and group

    Manas Dash: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-06/shows/28685296_1_collection-painting-young-designer

     

    ASI plans a new museum at Lalitgiri; one exists at Ratnagiri

    Heritage sites, Historical places, Jajpur, Museums, Odisha history Comments Off on ASI plans a new museum at Lalitgiri; one exists at Ratnagiri

    Following is from http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=71775.

    The Buddhist relics found during an excavation at Lalitgiri in Orissa are proposed to be housed in a museum. The Excavated Buddhist Site, Lalitgiri was notified as Centrally Protected in the year 1937. The site has been extensively excavated by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) during the year 1985-1992. The remains of a massive Stupa including a relic caskets consisting of four containers made of Khondalite, Steatite, Silver and Gold containing corporal remains have been recovered during the excavation, besides other important structure and archeological remains. At present, the relic caskets are in the safe custody of Superintending Archaeologist, Bhubaneswar Circle, ASI, Bhubaneswar, Orissa. Further, In order to set up a site museum at Lalitgiri the site has been inspected and preparation of detailed drawing (Plan, Elevation, Design) of the proposed museum building have been initiated by the Bhubaneswar Circle, ASI.

    The relic –caskets containing Buddhist bone relics would be housed and displayed for the public under adequate security and surveillance

    Note that a similar museum exists at Ratnagiri. See http://asi.nic.in/asi_museums_ratnagiri.asp.


    In the facebook note http://on.fb.me/puspagiri-links we have collected various links about Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri, Udaygiri and Langudi hills. We are trying to find out  what archaeologists and historians think regarding the  existence of ancient Buddhist Universities in Odisha. The information about Madhavapura Mahavihara (in Udaygiri) at http://asi.nic.in/asi_exca_2005_orissa.asp looks interesting in that regard.

    The new police commissionerate building in Bhubaneswar

    Uncategorized 14 Comments »

    Sambad’s 1st April take on Odisha’s formation

    Sambada (in Odia), THINGS ODISHA N ODIA Comments Off on Sambad’s 1st April take on Odisha’s formation

    Following is from http://sambadepaper.com/.