For hands that build Durga idols, nothing has changed
NAT1National/Religion/SocietyFor hands that build Durga idols, nothing has changedBy Soudhriti BhabaniKolkata, Oct 11 IANS Narrow, murky lanes, leaking roofs and filth are their daily companions. For some, the houses are so dingy that even a few rays of the sun are hard to come by. Nothing has changed for the artisans of Kumartuli even though another Durga Puja has come and gone.At the three-century-old potters' town in the northern part of Kolkata, the artisans toil day and night to make the idols of gods and goddesses. These very idols are at the centre of many celebrations and much merriment across the country, but for the artisans life continues amid abysmal conditions.A rehabilitation project announced by West Bengal more than three years ago has missed several deadlines and is yet to take off."The rehabilitation package has been stuck in the files for over four years. Nothing's been done so far for the Kumartuli artisans," Mintu Pal, general secretary of the Kumartuli Mrit Shilpi Association Kumartuli Potters Association, told IANS.The term 'kumar' denotes potter and 'tuli' means locality in Bengali. More than 4,000 artisans live in Kumartuli."We are still facing the same problems and getting only a mouthful of assurances from government officials and the political leaders," said Pal.For instance, the idols are made in sheds that are not concrete structures. And with leaking roofs in the rainy season, the job takes that much longer."Every year we have to brave incessant rain during the pre-puja season and for that we face a lot of trouble like late delivery of idols, high labour and raw material costs," said Pal.The Kumartuli rehabilitation plan, worth Rs.260 million, is funded by the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission JNURM. The entire work is expected to take one-and-a-half years for completion once it starts.The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority KMDA will implement the project, 35 percent of its cost to be borne by the centre, 15 percent by the state government, and the remaining 50 percent to be raised through loans.The KMDA will construct houses for the artisans over five acres of land at Kumartuli on the ground-plus-three-floor pattern. It will also build an art gallery for artisans to showcase their creations."The project got delayed because of some administrative procedures. Earlier we identified a piece of land at Kashipore further north of the city to rehabilitate the artisans but there were some litigations pending for that ground," said Sudhanshu Seal, an MP of the state's ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist CPI-M who is heading the committee constituted for Kumartuli's makeover."Now we'll temporarily rehabilitate all the artisans in a nearby place and again shift them to the potters' town once the project is over." He said the plan was conceptualised in 2005 and was supposed to be implemented last year.When asked why several deadlines were missed, Seal told IANS: "This time we're hopeful of starting the process just after the festive season and will complete it in the next two years.""The area where we've decided to accommodate the artisans is owned by the state health department and public health department," he added.The history of Kumartuli, the haven of clay model-makers, dates back to the 17th century when potters in search of a better livelihood came from Krishnanagar to Gobindapore, a prosperous village on the banks of the river Hooghly, to make a living by making pots, clay toys and cooking utensils for household use.Later, when the land at Gobindapore was required by the British East India Company to build Fort William, the inhabitants migrated further up the river to Sutanuti. The potters moved on to the new destination, started living there and named it Kumartuli.The Bengal Consultations, a journal published in 1707 AD, gives an account of the presence of Kumartuli's artisans who occupied 75 acres of land at Sutanuti, which is part of present-day north Calcutta."All the three associations of Kumartuli artisans are jointly fighting for the project so that it would be implemented shortly. The earlier our state government kickstarts the project, the more helpful it'll be to all of us to continue our tradition of idol making," Kumartuli artisan Panchanan Rudra Pal told IANS."The project will help us revitalise this craftsmanship of ancient Bengal and will create huge employment opportunities for the future generation of artisans."Soudhriti Bhabani can be contacted at soudhriti.b@ians.in-Indo-Asian News Servicesb/ssp/pg/tb794 Words**11100821
2008-10-11 00:04:10Virgin, 105, says celibacy is the key to long life
INT14International/Health/SocietyVirgin, 105, says celibacy is the key to long lifeLondon, Oct 10 IANS A British woman who will celebrate her 105th birthday Saturday said that her celibate life has been the key to her longevity. Clara Meadmore, who was born in Glasgow, and lived in Canada and New Zealand, before settling in the southwest British county of Cornwall some 40 years ago, said she never had time for a family and lived alone until going into care, the Daily Telegraph has reported."I've always had lots of platonic friendships with men but never felt the need to go further than that or marry," she said, adding that she had never had any interest in sex. "I imagine there is a lot of hassle involved and I have always been busy doing other things," she said, underlining that the sex-less life perhaps is the key to her long life."When I was a girl you only had sex with your husband and I never married. I grew up in an era where little girls were to be seen and not heard so I had to learn to stand up for myself and earn my own living," she said. "Some men don't like that in a woman and before long I was too old to marry anyway." said Meadmore, who lives in Perran Bay nursing home in Perranporth, Cornwall.Meadmore, a retired secretary, who enjoys cooking, gardening and reading, saved up her salary and spent the money on walking tours in many parts of Britain in the 1920s and 1930s.Josie Harvey, who knows Meadmore for 30 years, said: "She was fiercely independent and believed in doing things her own way, and that allowed her to live a long life. "She has kept a great interest in what is going on in the world and she is a wonderful source of information." Meadmore is due to celebrate her 105th birthday Saturday at a party at the care where she stays. --Indo-Asian News Service skp/jg352 Words10100853
2008-10-10 00:03:04McCartney slams McDonald's for using his photo to sell hamburgers
ENT8Entertainment/Lifestyle/Showbiz/InternationalMcCartney slams McDonald's for using his photo to sell hamburgersLondon, Oct 8 IANS Beatles legend Paul McCartney has slammed fast food chain McDonald's for using his picture to sell hamburgers.According to thesun.co.uk, McCartney has been a vegetarian for almost 30 years and was upset when he heard about his picture being used. His picture appears alongside his band mates - the late John Lennon and George Harrison. His spokesperson Geoff Baker said: "What sort of morons do McDonald's think Beatles fans are It's ridiculous and insulting to use images to peddle hamburgers. Fans should boycott McDonald's - and not just in Liverpool."McCartney's first wife Linda Louise introduced him to vegetarianism in 1975. She promoted a vegetarian diet through her cookbooks - "Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking", "Linda’s Kitchen" and "Simple and Inspiring Recipes for Meatless Meals". She died in 1998. "He became a vegetarian after watching lambs play in a field outside his home and surely would not want anyone to use his likeness to help promote meat. We hope anyone who sees his picture on the wall will be reminded that he's a vegetarian and skip the Big Mac for a veggie burger," said a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals PETA spokesperson.--Indo-Asian News Servicesev/ar/jg221 Words08101209
2008-10-08 04:05:10Ex 'attacked by human flesh chef'
A chef accused of stabbing a man to death before cooking a piece of flesh once attacked an ex-partner with a meat cleaver, a court hears....
2008-10-07 11:44:18British gay contest winner accused of cannibalism
INT18International/CrimeBritish gay contest winner accused of cannibalismLondon, Oct 7 IANS The man who won the first Mr. Gay UK award is now on trial for reportedly killing a man and cooking, even chewing, parts of his body flesh.Anthony Morley, who worked as a chef, was arrested last April for the murder of his friend Damian Oldsfield, whose flesh was recovered by the police from Morley's kitchen.The Leeds Crown Court heard that the two men arranged to meet at Morley's house in the evening of April 23. Morley apparently cooked a meal they both ate and retired to the bedroom. Police said sexual activity ensued, following which Morley allegedly stabbed his friend until he died. He then carved his flesh, The Telegraph reported.The court heard six pieces of cooked human flesh, identified as being from Oldfield's body, were found on a chopping board, while a further piece of flesh, which appeared to have been chewed, was found in a bin bag.Andrew Stubbs, prosecutor in the case, said: "From a chopping board on one of the kitchen units, six pieces of cooked flesh, which had been seasoned with fresh herbs and fried in olive oil were recovered. The flesh was human in origin. A further piece of cooked flesh, which appears to have been chewed, was recovered from a bin bag in the kitchen." "Having killed the victim upstairs, the defendant carved away a piece of flesh, took it downstairs to his kitchen, where he seasoned it, fried it and tried to eat it," he added.Morley denies murdering Oldfield and told the police when he was arrested that someone had tried to rape him. The trial continues.--Indo-Asian News Serviceven/sh/jg302 Words07101023
2008-10-07 02:05:10Secret BBC script from 1970s for nuclear apocalypse announcement released
London, Oct 3 ANI: A top secret BBC script for an announcement to be broadcast if the UK came under nuclear attack in the early 1970s has been released from files in the National Archives in Kew, west London.According to a report by BBC News, the script has been in a file of documents kept secret for more than 30 years.Drawn up amid secret discussions between the Government and the BBC on how a new Wartime Broadcasting Service would operate in the event of a conflict involving the Soviet Union, the pre-recorded announcement is short on theatrics, with little to offer but a stiff upper lip.A terrified population were to be told simply to "stay calm and stay in your homes". The advice the population would have been offered was simple. Echoing public information leaflets available at the time, people were told to make the most of supplies of tinned food, save water and stay tuned to the BBC.News that British civilisation was facing its great ever threat was to be announced in a few crisp sentences like, "This is the Wartime Broadcasting Service. This country has been attacked with nuclear weapons. Communications have been severely disrupted, and the number of casualties and the extent of the damage are not yet known.""We shall bring you further information as soon as possible. Meanwhile, stay tuned to this wavelength, stay calm and stay in your own homes," it added.The horror of radioactive fall-out is spelt out in with the simple warning: "Remember there is nothing to be gained by running away.""Make sure gas and other fuel supplies are turned off and that all fires are extinguished," the public were then told.They were to use tap water, if it was still running, to fight any fires before filling buckets and containers to store supplies for drinking and cooking."Water must not be used for flushing lavatories: until you are told that lavatories may be used again, other toilet arrangements must be made," the announcement says, opting for the polite term.Without mention of nuclear shelters, people were to be advised to take cover in a "fall-out room" in the middle of their home, away from doors and windows.The script is contained in a file of documents kept secret for more than 30 years discussing arrangements for communicating with the public in the event of a nuclear war. ANI
2008-10-03 23:00:00Burger King switches to trans fat free oil AP
AP - Burger King Corp. said Thursday it is now cooking with trans fat free cooking oils at all of its restaurants nationwide....
2008-10-02 06:24:10AT THE OLYMPICS
SPO1Sports/Education/SportsWhy India fails to win Olympic medals CommentBy Ashis RoyAt the Olympics, India had been known as hockey champions, though the last hockey gold was a devalued one, coming in 1980 when the western bloc of nations boycotted the Moscow Games. Since then there had been a gradual decline, resulting in India failing to even qualify for the first time in 80 years for the Olympics in Beijing.For the first time we won a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 10 metre shooting which does not require any physical fitness.If we analyse the reason for our failure, the glaring fact is we are the most physically unfit people in the world, and International Sport require a high level of physical fitness. The reasons are all too evident.We are the laziest people in the world. We hate to do any physical work. In our home we have servants or helpers to do our cleaning, washing, cooking and all other domestic chores. We do not go to work walking even if it is close by. We do not drive our own cars. We do not even go to the nearby market or shopping centre walking, but use a vehicle.Our children do not do any physical work at home. The rich have servants and the poor have parents. In schools we have no sports or physical activity for children. There are no playfields in most of the schools and sports activity is not compulsory. Our children eat junk food and become lazy without any physical activity and finally become overweight and many of them develop diseases and disabilities.Sports in our life is watching cricket matches on TV for 24 hours as innumerable channels dish out cricket matches live or running tapes of old games describing them as the best-ever. Cricket players are treated as demigods. The corporate world sells their products through ads by cricketers. Front-page sports headlines in newspapers are only on cricket. Politicians, film stars, journalists describe cricket as our religion and Sachin Tendulkar as god. The whole nation is in love with cricket as we think it is the greatest game on earth.Come to think of it, cricket is played among 10 countries, all former British colonies. In comparison football is played by 210 countries and requires the highest level of physical fitness which we do not possess. We do not know that cricket requires the least physical fitness and many overweight, unfit players continue to play for the country.Test matches do not require very high levels of fitness and one-day matches also do not require much fitness. The new T-20 cricket is a 120-balls game shared by 11 batsmen and 5 bowlers and with regular breaks do not require any physical fitness. Our youth is naturally attracted to cricket as it is an effortless sport. Without much effort players earn millions of dollars. We only see cricket, talk cricket and dream cricket.We do not see what is happening elsewhere in the world and how sports are getting a boost. No wonder we are not good enough to win medals in international sports. If we want to win we must change our mindset and go along with the rest of the world. We must change our lifestyle and involve in more physical activity even in our domestic life, social life and in our professional work.Our children must learn to do their own work and must be encouraged to walk and run. In schools there should be physical activity. Sports must be a compulsory subject. A student should be allowed to choose his sport and he must get expert training. Sports must be treated at par with academic subjects.All educational institutions, including those in villages, must have play fields and sports facilities. If we start now, we will be able to win medals in Olympics in 20 years' time.Finally, we need to change our mindset and look and learn from countries like Jamaica, Ethiopia and Kenya.Ashish Roy, 76, is India's oldest marathon runner. He can be contacted at ashisroy32@yahoo.com--Indo-Asian News Servicear/vs/jg/tb 743 Words**02100951
2008-10-02 00:00:08British chef launches Indian cookery show on YouTube
INT28International/Diaspora/Lifestyle/TechnologyBritish chef launches Indian cookery show on YouTubeLondon, Oct 1 IANS A young British Asian chef has launched his own Indian cookery show on YouTube.Shaan Khan of the Rajput Indian restaurant in Harrogate in North Yorkshire has introduced 11 videos showing him cooking Indian specialities under the heading, Shaan Khan, New Indian cuisine.The videos take the viewer through the process of cooking recipes like Goan prawn curry, Bombay potatoes and bhindi curry, chicken jalfrezi, kadhai fish and chana curry.In each of the mini-programmes, Shaan - whose Rajput Indian in July was one of only two restaurants from Harrogate to appear at the Channel 4 Taste Festival - demonstrates his own unique style of cooking dishes which have made his venue a firm favourite in the town.Shaan told The Asian News: "I love cooking and have done so since the age of 14. I'm always being asked to give cookery demonstrations and YouTube is the perfect medium for me to be able to reach as wide an audience as possible.His mother, Perveen Khan, opened the restaurant in 1992, with a view to introduce home-made Indian food to the people. What started as a four-table family business is now one of the hotspots of Harrogate. For the past nine years it has been the only Indian restaurant in North Yorkshire to be featured in the Hardens Good Food Guide with a maximum rating of two stars.--Indo-Asian News Serviceven/ak/jg253 Words01101238
2008-10-01 04:14:12Aspiring chef dies after eating hot chilly sauce
INT59International/Health/SocietyAspiring chef dies after eating hot chilly sauceLondon, Sep 30 IANS An aspiring British chef has died after eating a bowl of super hot chilli sauce on its own in a challenge with a friend. Andrew Lee, 33, was found dead the morning after betting his girlfriend's brother he could eat the hottest dish. Lee, a fork-lift truck driver from the town of Doncaster who wanted to cook for a living, prepared a tomato sauce made with red chillies grown on his father's allotment. After eating it, he complained of itching all over his body and girlfriend Samantha Bailey discovered him dead in bed beside her the next morning, an inquest heard in Doncaster. The mother of four called paramedics but they could not revive him. Toxicology tests are now being carried out to determine if Lee suffered a fatal reaction to the dish or whether anything else contributed to his death. "Andrew just ate the chillies with a plate of Dolmio pasta sauce," said sister Claire Chadbourne. "It was not a proper meal because he had already eaten lamb chops and potato mash after work. "He apparently got into bed at 2.30 a.m. and started scratching all over. His girlfriend scratched his back until he fell asleep. She woke up and he had gone. It is incredible. Who would have thought he could have died from eating chilli sauce "We don't know of anything else that could have caused his death. The post mortem showed no heart problems. He loved cooking for his friends. He always said he wanted to be a chef but didn't want to start at the bottom," she said. Andrew's mother Pamela said: "He was a strapping lad. We can only put it down to the sauce.” British dieticians advise against eating chillies on their own. In July an Indian chef in London claimed his curry creation, titled the Bollywood Burner, to be the hottest in the world. The lamb dish, inspired by Andhra cuisine, was made with two of the world's hottest chillies, the Dorset Naga and the Scotch Bonnet. The Dorset Naga is over 100 times hotter than the Jalapeno pepper. --Indo-Asian News Servicedds/am/dg412 Words*30091554
2008-09-30 07:00:00
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