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Hans India
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Chhattisgarh: Jug controversy spills over into political blame game
Raipur: As political tempers flared and social media lit up with images and memes of the so-called golden jug, which was allegedly purchased at a whopping Rs 32,000 per piece. The Chhattigarh government has not only issued a clarification but also flayed the main Opposition Congress for creating false news and misleading the public. The Tribal Development Department of Chhattisgarh has come up with a rebuttal. Assistant Commissioner clarified that the proposal for 160 jugs was submitted through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) by the then-officer but was promptly cancelled in February 2025 due to inflated pricing. He labelled the viral content "misleading" and stressed that no such procurement had taken place. The stir began not with a policy announcement or a budget line, but with a jug. In Chhattisgarh's Baloda-Bazar district, what appeared to be a routine hostel purchase morphed into a political flashpoint after claims surfaced that a water jug had been procured for an astonishing Rs 32,000. The figure, nearly a hundred times the average market rate, sent shockwaves through the state's political corridors, drawing sharp criticism from the opposition and sparking a wave of public scepticism. State Congress President Deepak Baij was quick to pounce, ridiculing the alleged expenditure with biting sarcasm. 'Is this jug made of gold or capable of miracles?' he asked, condemning the BJP-led government for what he described as unchecked corruption. Baij's demands extended beyond Baloda-bazar, calling for a sweeping audit of purchases in hostels and ashrams across the state to expose what he claimed were endemic procurement irregularities. Not one to back down, the BJP responded with online counterclaims, accusing Congress of deliberately stoking misinformation. Party posts framed the episode as a strategic distraction timed to tarnish the government's image ahead of political milestones, asserting that the public was well aware of Congress's own questionable financial legacy. Whether the jug ever left the portal or not, it has stirred up debate around the quality of oversight, the transparency of e-governance systems, and the larger narrative of accountability that continues to shape electoral discourse in the state.
Hindustan Times
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
India's tryst with Cubism
MUMBAI: The Poet is unlike any Rabindranath Tagore sculpture there is. It has hollowed eyes, sunken cheeks, a lifeless beard and an excavated, hollowed brain. The composition is fragmented, distorted, yet vaguely familiar. In the work, sculptor Ramkinkar Baij (1906-1980) has rendered the Nobel Laureate in Cubist style. India's tryst with Cubism Pioneered by French artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, Cubism was influenced by the industrialization of the 1900s, when machines, factories, trains, buildings and geometric and structured shapes mushroomed rapidly and everywhere. Like Baij, many Indian artists, especially the modernists, experimented with the art form. They broke away from traditional Indian styles and created new ways to express Indian identity by experimenting with western styles. They, however, introduced Indian motifs, subjects and philosophies, to create their art, which resonated with the nationalist sentiment of the time, and yet was modern. About hundred such works, by 40 artists, produced from the 1920s until about 1960s, are on display at Colaba's DAG gallery, in an exhibition titled Deconstructed Realms: India's Tryst with Cubism. These include the works of Gaganendranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Laxman Pai, Jyoti Bhatt, George Keyt and others. 'Artists have always examined any art movement—whether in India or abroad—to see if it suits their particular needs, and assimilated those that help them compose in ways that are meaningful for their audiences,' says Ashish Anand, CEO and managing director, DAG. Accordingly, Baij in his work tries to examine Tagore's inner world. Not as a poet, composer and a scholar but a man weighed down by personal and professional anxieties, grief and the burdens of the world. 'The most interesting aspect of Cubism in India is its gentle lyricism that imbues it with an Indian aesthetic… it was its flowing lines and poetic pace that set it apart from the harshness or anxiety reflected in Western art,' adds Anand. The exhibition traces the introduction of Cubism among Bengal artists, its refinement by those who studied or moved abroad, the blending of Cubism with regional motifs post-Independence, and the evolution of Cubist abstraction in Indian modernism. It also highlights the art style's influence on Indian modernists and how it transcended the canvas, extending into materials such as metal, wood, lacquer and cement. Gaganendranath Tagore (1867–1938) was at the forefront of this movement. He started experimenting with Cubist techniques around 1922, after an exhibition from Germany's art school Bauhaus in Calcutta. He created several ink and wash drawings and monochrome watercolours by creating fragmented, angular forms, layering planes and geometric shapes with Indian imagery, including Indian houses and temples and everyday scenes from Bengali life. His works influenced his student Prosanto Roy, as well as Nandalal Bose, who collectively helped shape the evolution of Cubism in India. One of the most striking works of the exhibition is Gaganendranath's black and white painting. It shows four ghost-like figures on a staircase surrounded by crammed buildings. The composition of this painting and other similar works are inspired by his experience in theatre design. He created stage-like compositions with contrasting light and dark areas populated by flat, ethereal figures. Another noteworthy work is GR Santosh's Aspiration. Set in Kashmir, it depicts a group of women against a backdrop dotted with village huts. Their clothes and jewellery are reminiscent in their sketchy details even though the landscape is far from what one associates with the Valley. Santosh's deliberate use of non-realist colours and his rendering of the figures and landscapes in panels reflect his brief tryst with cubism. Then there is the untitled 1952 painting by Paritosh Sen, a profile of a flautist, which was made sometime after Sen met Picasso while living in Europe. The works he produced there were simple, averse as he was to anything extraneous or superfluous, to which his interest in cubism greatly contributed. Using lines to divide the structure of the composition's subject into linear grids, Sen was mindful of his Indian heritage. The exhibition shows how Indian artists adapted Cubism, experimented with it and used the visual style to create a new vocabulary over the years to express Indian ideas. Where: DAG gallery, inside Taj Mahal Palace hotel, Colaba When: On till September 6, 11am to 7 pm. Closed on Sunday Entry is free
Time of India
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Mallikarjun Kharge to address ‘Kisan, Jawan, Samvidhan'; Congress plans massive rally in Raipur to protest BJP policies
RAIPUR: chief Deepak Baij said that the upcoming visit of AICC president to Raipur on July 7 will energize party workers and boost the morale of the cadre ahead of crucial political battles. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Kharge is scheduled to address a rally and chair a meeting of the party's political affairs committee, where a long-term strategy to counter the BJP will be finalised, he stated during a press conference at party office on Saturday. Baij on Saturday announced that the party will organise a 'Kisan, Jawan, Samvidhan' (Farmer, Soldier, Constitution) rally at Science College Ground in Raipur on Monday. Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal will address the gathering. The rally aims to amplify the voices of farmers and soldiers across the country, including Chhattisgarh. It will also highlight the alleged attacks by the Central government on the Constitution and the autonomy of constitutional institutions. Over 25,000 people from across the state are expected to attend the event. Baij stated that the rally in Raipur will be a historic event, organised to empower the deprived sections of society. The rally's objectives are to protest the Central government's alleged continuous attacks on farmers, soldiers, and the Constitution, oppose the alleged assaults on the independence of the country's constitutional institutions, protest the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, the rising crimes against women, and the government's apathy towards women's safety, address the shortage of DAP fertiliser and seeds for farmers in the state, along with alleged government negligence, oppose the alleged atrocities against innocent tribals in the name of Maoist eradication, protest the unannounced power cuts in the state, oppose the alleged plunder of Chhattisgarh's mineral wealth, the allocation of iron ore mines in Bastar to private companies, and the disinvestment of Nagarnar, protest the extensive felling of forests in the name of coal mining, specifically in Hasdeo and Tamnar, oppose the alleged destruction of the education system in the name of rationalisation, including the closure of 10,463 schools, the abolition of over 45,000 teaching positions, and the termination of thousands of cook and watchman posts, and to protest the illegal sale of liquor in the state and the alleged closure of schools while liquor shops remain open. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Baij said that the rally in Raipur will be a milestone for the rights of farmers and soldiers across the state. He added that the party is working diligently to ensure its success. "Our leaders, office-bearers, and workers are directly engaging with the public, urging them to participate in the rally. Our preparations are complete, and with public cooperation, this will be a historic assembly," he said.
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Kisan, Jawan, Samvidhan' rally on July 7 to raise voice of farmers
Raipur: Congress will organise a "Kisan, Jawan, Samvidhan" (Farmer, Soldier, Constitution) rally in Chhattisgarh on July 7. Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge and General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal will address the gathering. Govt Nagarjuna Post Graduate College of Science ground in Raipur will host the rally. Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee President Deepak Baij stated that the rally aims to raise the voice of farmers and soldiers across the country, including Chhattisgarh. It will also highlight the alleged attacks by the central govt on the Constitution and the autonomy of constitutional institutions. Over 25,000 people from across the state are expected to attend the event. Baij stated that the state govt's decision to provide incentives to farmers for cultivating pulses and oilseeds during the Kharif season is a "new betrayal". He said paddy cultivation is the most profitable for farmers in Kharif, considering Chhattisgarh's climate. Baij alleged that the Sai govt is unable to provide seeds and fertilisers for the Kharif crop and is therefore offering incentives to discourage paddy cultivation, so it does not have to purchase paddy at Rs 3,100 per quintal. Baij added that farmers across the state have started sowing, but the govt has failed to ensure an adequate supply of fertilisers and seeds. Farmers are facing a shortage of DAP in most cooperative societies, and seeds for sowing and transplantation are also unavailable in many places, causing distress to farmers. He claimed that the Chief minister's review meetings on fertiliser availability are merely for media consumption, as 90 per cent of societies still lack DAP.
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘ED action taken on behest of BJP': Cong protests attachment of its Sukma office
Raipur: Congress staged a protest across all the district headquarters of the state on Saturday, burning effigies of the BJP govt and the enforcement directorate (ED) to condemn the ED's attachment of the Congress office in Sukma. Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress committee president Deepak Baij criticised the ED attachment of the party office , stating the agency is acting as an 'associate organisation' of the BJP. He made these remarks while addressing media persons on Friday. Baij said the ED's action was taken at the behest of the central govt and the BJP, despite the Congress providing all financial details for the construction of the Sukma office. He termed the move an 'attack on democracy'. In protest, the Congress organised demonstrations and burnt effigies of the ED across all district headquarters in the state on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Shahar Jila Congress committee in Raipur staged a protest at Rajiv Gandhi Chowk here. Congress workers gathered at Rajiv Gandhi Chowk, raising slogans against the BJP govt and the ED. There was a brief scuffle between party workers and the police during the effigy burning. Speaking on the occasion, the party's city president Girish Dubey said that sealing the Congress office in Sukma by the ED is a direct attack on democracy, the Constitution, and the freedom of the opposition. He added that despite all documents related to the construction of the Congress Bhawan being submitted to the ED previously, the attachment of the building shows the central BJP govt is misusing central agencies to intimidate and suppress political opponents. Former MLA Vikas Upadhyay warned that if the Congress Bhawan is not reopened immediately and the ED's politically motivated action is not investigated, the Congress party will protest from 'street to Parliament'. The ED had attached the Congress party office in Sukma district on Friday, along with assets linked to former excise minister MLA Kawasi Lakhma and his son. The action, taken under the PMLA, formed part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged over Rs 2000 crore scam during the previous Congress govt. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
