Latest news with #Ganges
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Digital library, vintage café and more in store for State Museum visitors
Visitors to the State Museum in the state capital will soon have access to a digital library offering research materials and reference books, to be set up in the Old Kothi building located behind the museum on the Lucknow Zoo premises. The auditorium conceptualised after renovation. (Sourced) Complementing the library, a vintage-themed café will be developed nearby, allowing readers to enjoy a cup of coffee while they browse. 'The work for both library and café is set to begin soon and is expected to be completed in a couple of years' time at a cost of ₹ 4.87 crore. The vintage café will showcase Lucknow's heritage and culture. Besides, the rich reserve collection in the museum will also be revamped at a cost of ₹ 4.85 crore. Once renovated, the objects will be tagged in such a way that one can find them at the click of a button. The process will be completed within two years,' museum director Srishti Dhaon said. Several other upgrades have also been planned at the State Museum to provide a better experience for visitors by the end of July. Among them is the transformation of the existing Foreign Art Gallery into an open gallery. The 23 stone sculptures preserved in the indoor gallery will be showcased in landscaped gardens where visitors can sit and view them at leisure. The work of making pedestals and garden landscaping in the Foreign Art Open Gallery is being carried out at a cost of ₹ 1.59 crore. Besides, the Folk Art Museum is also undergoing an infrastructural upgrade for ₹ 3.03 crore, Dhaon said. She said that the museum is also set to receive a revamped auditorium with a seating capacity of 120 people at a time. 'The work to renovate the auditorium by including all modern technology like Dolby Atmos sound and projector is underway at a cost of ₹ 1.72 crore. It will be in the form of a proscenium,' she added. The museum is also set to receive a new augmented reality and virtual reality room where the visitors will be able to watch documentaries like the origin of Ganges, story of Kumbh, and virtual tours of Mathura, Jhansi, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar and State Museum. 'The 360-degree view of the museum will also be available on the official website by the end of July. These developments are being carried out with the support of culture minister Jaiveer Singh and principal secretary Mukesh Meshram,' Dhaon said.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
F1 the Movie to Squid Game: the week in rave reviews
Disney+; full series available now Summed up in a sentence The Bear isn't the chaotic 'Yes, chef!' drama it used to be – but that's no bad thing, as it is beautiful to watch this urban family grow. What our reviewer said 'Payoffs big and small ping in every scene as narrative seeds carefully sown – including in that bad third season! – burst into bloom and these people we have come to adore are rewarded.' Jack Seale Read the full review Further reading 'Shh, chef!' The agonising, joyful power of silent TV episodes Netflix; full series available now Summed up in a sentence The Korean dystopian thriller is now much less pointed than its first stellar series, and it has become ludicrous even by its own standards – but fans simply must know how it all ends! What our reviewer said 'If you can get on board with the new contestant twist – and that is a big if – then the final two episodes have a nicely grand and operatic feel to them, and ultimately, Squid Game does its job. But it leaves the impression, too, that it has become a more traditional action-thriller than it once was.' Rebecca Nicholson Read the full review Further reading 'People like happy endings. Sorry!' Squid Game's brutal finale ramps up the barbarity BBC One/iPlayer; available now Summed up in a sentence As he grieves his beloved father, the atheist broadcaster sets off on a pilgrimage that takes him on a surprisingly glorious spiritual adventure. What our reviewer said 'What Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges expresses most powerfully of all, certainly to this fellow bereaved Hindu, are the irresolvable particularities, and commonalities, of second-generation grief.' Chitra Ramaswamy Read the full review Channel 4; both series available now Summed up in a sentence The second series of Bridget Christie's whimsical and wonderful menopause story is life-affirming – with cracking comedy moments. What our reviewer said 'The Change is ambitious, surreal, moving, and above all hysterically funny. It is unlike anything else on TV.' Chitra Ramaswamy Read the full review Further reading Bridget Christie on brain fog, flirting, and why she won't be taking a lover: 'My heart is full. I am open to it, but I'm not looking for it' In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Brad Pitt stars as a supercool old-school driver returning 30 years after a near fatal crash to break all the rules of Formula One racing. What our reviewer said 'Motor racing is a sport in which constituent team members seem to be competing against each other as much as against the opposition, and so it ought to be an ideal subject for a movie treatment. There's a fair bit of macho silliness here, but the panache with which director Joseph Kosinski puts it together is very entertaining.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review Further reading Brad Pitt in the paddock: how F1 the Movie went deep to keep fans coming In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Heart-wrenching true story about anti-Nazi activist Hilde Coppi, a dental assistant who is arrested while pregnant What our reviewer said 'Hilde's story, told here by interspersing scenes of her grim prison life and the first summer of her love affair with Hans, is comparable to that of iconic anti-Hitler activist Sophie Scholl, but this is a more adult, passionate drama.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Documentary that draws on director Hind Meddeb's on-the-spot experience in 2019 as protesters rose against the 30-year rule of Omar al-Bashir. What our reviewer said 'Meddeb finds among the protesters a vivid, vibrant artistic movement: an oral culture of music, poetry and rap which flourishes on the streets. There is also a kind of subversive, surrealist energy: the camera finds a mock traffic roadworks sign reading: 'Sorry for the Delay – Uprooting a Regime'.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Thirtieth anniversary rerelease of Amy Heckerling's high-school romcom coming-of-age classic starring Alicia Silverstone and Brittany Murphy, composed entirely of quotable funny lines, remains a sophisticated pleasure. What our reviewer said 'Silverstone is amazingly innocent and charming and her sublimely weightless screen presence has a kind of serenity and maturity that belongs to an instinctive comedy performer.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review Further reading Alicia Silverstone to reprise Clueless role in TV sequel Prime Video; out now Summed up in a sentence Gory horror franchise returns with a hugely entertaining sixth instalment which sets up an entire family tree for the slaughter. What our reviewer said 'The most entertaining kills, which this time around involve everything from lawn tools to an MRI, have a Buster Keaton-esque flair for physical comedy. These sequences, along with the plot as a whole, tend to include little callbacks to the past: buses, barbecues, ceiling fans and logs make cameo appearances, thrilling little reminders of the havoc they can wreak in a Final Destination.' Radheyan Simonpillai Read the full review Reviewed by Marcel Theroux Summed up in a sentence A black comedy about endangered snails and Ukraine's marriage industry is disrupted, in both narrative and form, by Russia's full-scale invasion. What our reviewer said 'Rather than feeling distracting or tricksy, the author's intervention heightens the impact of the story, giving it a discomfiting intensity and a new, more intimate register. We all have skin in the game at this point.' Read the full review Reviewed by Lara Feigel Summed up in a sentence A flamboyant tale of fakery and forgers that delights in queering the Victorian era. What our reviewer said 'In book after book, Stevens is showing herself to be that rare thing: a writer who we can think alongside, even while she's making things up.' Read the full review Reviewed by Christopher Shrimpton Summed up in a sentence The perfect lives of wealthy New Yorkers are shattered by a violent act on a birthday weekend. What our reviewer said 'A bracingly honest and affectingly intimate depiction of abuse, family dynamics and self-deceit … it upends its characters' lives so ruthlessly and revealingly that it is hard not to take pleasure in a false facade being finally smashed.' Read the full review Reviewed by Joe Moran Summed up in a sentence Behind the scenes at the Guardian, 1986-1995. What our reviewer said 'Few events in these years, from the fatwa on Rushdie to the first Gulf war, failed to provoke fierce disagreements in the newsroom.' Read the full review Reviewed by Kathryn Hughes Summed up in a sentence How animals have shaped British identity. What our reviewer said 'Hedgehogs were reputed to sneak into human settlements at night and steal eggs (true) and suck the udders of sleeping cows (almost certainly false).' Read the full review Reviewed by Alex Clark Summed up in a sentence Life on the women's wards of Iran's infamous prison. What our reviewer said 'It is unclear how many of these dishes are materially realised within the confines of the prison, and how many are acts of fantasy, a dream of what life might be like in the future.' Read the full review Out now Summed up in a sentence After her 2021 album Solar Power embraced switching off, the New Zealand musician returns to pop's fray to revel in chaos and carnality. What our reviewer said 'Virgin is haunted by a very late-20s kind of angst, born of the sense that you're now incontrovertibly an adult, regardless of whether you feel like one – and despite the euphoric choruses, the sound of Virgin is noticeably unsettled and rough.' Alexis Petridis Read the full review Further reading Girl, so inspiring! Lorde's 20 best songs – ranked Out now Summed up in a sentence The mysterious new Sheffield-based artist's thrillingly complete sound world is glitchily complex but beguilingly light on its feet. What our reviewer said 'You can find affinities with other artists and styles here: the bookish but playful minimalism of another Sheffield musician, Mark Fell; Objekt's trickster vision for bass music and techno; the white-tiled cleanliness of some of Sophie's work; Jlin's paradoxically static funk. But the way it's all pulled together is totally NZO's.' Ben Beaumont-Thomas Read the full review Out now Summed up in a sentence The US singer's seventh album takes his meta-theatrical style almost into showtune territory as he confronts being abused by a camp counsellor as a child. What our reviewer said 'Christinzio's inventive, infuriating writing often packs three extra songs into every single track – but this time for good reason. When the chatter falls away on instrumental closer Leaving Camp Four Oaks, he achieves a hard-won, sun-lit sense of peace.' Katie Hawthorne Read the full review Out now Summed up in a sentence The US saxophonist pulls back the vocals of his last record to present a new ensemble and all-original repertoire, resulting in an ideal balance of ingenuity and rapport. What our reviewer said 'He has introduced a terrific new young road band on an all-original repertoire … the result is an album that feels more like an ideal balance of Redman's own ingenuity and his ensemble rapport.' John Fordham Read the full review On tour this week Summed up in a sentence The US singer-songwriter debuts some songs from her long-awaited new album The Right Person Will Stay on her first stadium tour. What our reviewer said 'Lana Del Rey is crying real tears next to plastic weeping willows, momentarily overcome by the size of the audience. This sort of tension, the push-pull between genuine vulnerability and an exploration of aesthetics, has always been there in her music, and her wonderfully ambitious first stadium tour runs on it.' Huw Baines Read the full review
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
F1 the Movie to Squid Game: the week in rave reviews
Disney+; full series available now Summed up in a sentence The Bear isn't the chaotic 'Yes, chef!' drama it used to be – but that's no bad thing, as it is beautiful to watch this urban family grow. What our reviewer said 'Payoffs big and small ping in every scene as narrative seeds carefully sown – including in that bad third season! – burst into bloom and these people we have come to adore are rewarded.' Jack Seale Read the full review Further reading 'Shh, chef!' The agonising, joyful power of silent TV episodes Netflix; full series available now Summed up in a sentence The Korean dystopian thriller is now much less pointed than its first stellar series, and it has become ludicrous even by its own standards – but fans simply must know how it all ends! What our reviewer said 'If you can get on board with the new contestant twist – and that is a big if – then the final two episodes have a nicely grand and operatic feel to them, and ultimately, Squid Game does its job. But it leaves the impression, too, that it has become a more traditional action-thriller than it once was.' Rebecca Nicholson Read the full review Further reading 'People like happy endings. Sorry!' Squid Game's brutal finale ramps up the barbarity BBC One/iPlayer; available now Summed up in a sentence As he grieves his beloved father, the atheist broadcaster sets off on a pilgrimage that takes him on a surprisingly glorious spiritual adventure. What our reviewer said 'What Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges expresses most powerfully of all, certainly to this fellow bereaved Hindu, are the irresolvable particularities, and commonalities, of second-generation grief.' Chitra Ramaswamy Read the full review Channel 4; both series available now Summed up in a sentence The second series of Bridget Christie's whimsical and wonderful menopause story is life-affirming – with cracking comedy moments. What our reviewer said 'The Change is ambitious, surreal, moving, and above all hysterically funny. It is unlike anything else on TV.' Chitra Ramaswamy Read the full review Further reading Bridget Christie on brain fog, flirting, and why she won't be taking a lover: 'My heart is full. I am open to it, but I'm not looking for it' In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Brad Pitt stars as a supercool old-school driver returning 30 years after a near fatal crash to break all the rules of Formula One racing. What our reviewer said 'Motor racing is a sport in which constituent team members seem to be competing against each other as much as against the opposition, and so it ought to be an ideal subject for a movie treatment. There's a fair bit of macho silliness here, but the panache with which director Joseph Kosinski puts it together is very entertaining.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review Further reading Brad Pitt in the paddock: how F1 the Movie went deep to keep fans coming In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Heart-wrenching true story about anti-Nazi activist Hilde Coppi, a dental assistant who is arrested while pregnant What our reviewer said 'Hilde's story, told here by interspersing scenes of her grim prison life and the first summer of her love affair with Hans, is comparable to that of iconic anti-Hitler activist Sophie Scholl, but this is a more adult, passionate drama.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Documentary that draws on director Hind Meddeb's on-the-spot experience in 2019 as protesters rose against the 30-year rule of Omar al-Bashir. What our reviewer said 'Meddeb finds among the protesters a vivid, vibrant artistic movement: an oral culture of music, poetry and rap which flourishes on the streets. There is also a kind of subversive, surrealist energy: the camera finds a mock traffic roadworks sign reading: 'Sorry for the Delay – Uprooting a Regime'.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Thirtieth anniversary rerelease of Amy Heckerling's high-school romcom coming-of-age classic starring Alicia Silverstone and Brittany Murphy, composed entirely of quotable funny lines, remains a sophisticated pleasure. What our reviewer said 'Silverstone is amazingly innocent and charming and her sublimely weightless screen presence has a kind of serenity and maturity that belongs to an instinctive comedy performer.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review Further reading Alicia Silverstone to reprise Clueless role in TV sequel Prime Video; out now Summed up in a sentence Gory horror franchise returns with a hugely entertaining sixth instalment which sets up an entire family tree for the slaughter. What our reviewer said 'The most entertaining kills, which this time around involve everything from lawn tools to an MRI, have a Buster Keaton-esque flair for physical comedy. These sequences, along with the plot as a whole, tend to include little callbacks to the past: buses, barbecues, ceiling fans and logs make cameo appearances, thrilling little reminders of the havoc they can wreak in a Final Destination.' Radheyan Simonpillai Read the full review Reviewed by Marcel Theroux Summed up in a sentence A black comedy about endangered snails and Ukraine's marriage industry is disrupted, in both narrative and form, by Russia's full-scale invasion. What our reviewer said 'Rather than feeling distracting or tricksy, the author's intervention heightens the impact of the story, giving it a discomfiting intensity and a new, more intimate register. We all have skin in the game at this point.' Read the full review Reviewed by Lara Feigel Summed up in a sentence A flamboyant tale of fakery and forgers that delights in queering the Victorian era. What our reviewer said 'In book after book, Stevens is showing herself to be that rare thing: a writer who we can think alongside, even while she's making things up.' Read the full review Reviewed by Christopher Shrimpton Summed up in a sentence The perfect lives of wealthy New Yorkers are shattered by a violent act on a birthday weekend. What our reviewer said 'A bracingly honest and affectingly intimate depiction of abuse, family dynamics and self-deceit … it upends its characters' lives so ruthlessly and revealingly that it is hard not to take pleasure in a false facade being finally smashed.' Read the full review Reviewed by Joe Moran Summed up in a sentence Behind the scenes at the Guardian, 1986-1995. What our reviewer said 'Few events in these years, from the fatwa on Rushdie to the first Gulf war, failed to provoke fierce disagreements in the newsroom.' Read the full review Reviewed by Kathryn Hughes Summed up in a sentence How animals have shaped British identity. What our reviewer said 'Hedgehogs were reputed to sneak into human settlements at night and steal eggs (true) and suck the udders of sleeping cows (almost certainly false).' Read the full review Reviewed by Alex Clark Summed up in a sentence Life on the women's wards of Iran's infamous prison. What our reviewer said 'It is unclear how many of these dishes are materially realised within the confines of the prison, and how many are acts of fantasy, a dream of what life might be like in the future.' Read the full review Out now Summed up in a sentence After her 2021 album Solar Power embraced switching off, the New Zealand musician returns to pop's fray to revel in chaos and carnality. What our reviewer said 'Virgin is haunted by a very late-20s kind of angst, born of the sense that you're now incontrovertibly an adult, regardless of whether you feel like one – and despite the euphoric choruses, the sound of Virgin is noticeably unsettled and rough.' Alexis Petridis Read the full review Further reading Girl, so inspiring! Lorde's 20 best songs – ranked Out now Summed up in a sentence The mysterious new Sheffield-based artist's thrillingly complete sound world is glitchily complex but beguilingly light on its feet. What our reviewer said 'You can find affinities with other artists and styles here: the bookish but playful minimalism of another Sheffield musician, Mark Fell; Objekt's trickster vision for bass music and techno; the white-tiled cleanliness of some of Sophie's work; Jlin's paradoxically static funk. But the way it's all pulled together is totally NZO's.' Ben Beaumont-Thomas Read the full review Out now Summed up in a sentence The US singer's seventh album takes his meta-theatrical style almost into showtune territory as he confronts being abused by a camp counsellor as a child. What our reviewer said 'Christinzio's inventive, infuriating writing often packs three extra songs into every single track – but this time for good reason. When the chatter falls away on instrumental closer Leaving Camp Four Oaks, he achieves a hard-won, sun-lit sense of peace.' Katie Hawthorne Read the full review Out now Summed up in a sentence The US saxophonist pulls back the vocals of his last record to present a new ensemble and all-original repertoire, resulting in an ideal balance of ingenuity and rapport. What our reviewer said 'He has introduced a terrific new young road band on an all-original repertoire … the result is an album that feels more like an ideal balance of Redman's own ingenuity and his ensemble rapport.' John Fordham Read the full review On tour this week Summed up in a sentence The US singer-songwriter debuts some songs from her long-awaited new album The Right Person Will Stay on her first stadium tour. What our reviewer said 'Lana Del Rey is crying real tears next to plastic weeping willows, momentarily overcome by the size of the audience. This sort of tension, the push-pull between genuine vulnerability and an exploration of aesthetics, has always been there in her music, and her wonderfully ambitious first stadium tour runs on it.' Huw Baines Read the full review
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BBC viewers reduced to tears as University Challenge host Amol Rajan sobs over bereavement 'too painful to think about' in emotional new documentary
BBC viewers were reduced to tears as University Challenge host Amol Rajan sobbed over a bereavement 'too painful to think about' in an emotional new documentary. Amol Rajan Goes To The Ganges, released on BBC One last night, followed the journalist and broadcaster, 41, on a life-changing trip to his birth country of India. The hour-long documentary came after the British-Indian presenter lost his father three years ago and struggled to come to terms with it. So, despite being a non-believer, he decided to take a pilgrimage to an important Hindu festival in his birthplace to reconnect with his heritage and process his grief. The Today programme host broke down ahead of his emotional journey, admitting: 'I've avoided thinking about him because it's too painful.' His vulnerable confession resonated with viewers at home, who took to social media to say how much they related to his experience of grief. One wrote on X: 'Eight minutes in, I am sobbing. I hope you find acceptance and healing. Lost my dad two years ago so feel your pain. Grief is a long road.' Another added, during the broadcast: 'May have already shed a tear.' Someone else said: 'Both my parents died over the last five years. Both were highly religious and I'm an atheist now. Getting quite teary myself with the parallels. 'Your mum is lovely. Incredible experience you had.' Amol did not take his emotional journey alone - his mother accompanied him and provided a steadying presence throughout its ups and downs. He noticed on the trip his mother, a practising Hindu, 'seemed to have an emotional toolkit that I lacked'. Viewers were just as enamoured of her, writing on X: 'Your mum is a force of nature and so lovely. Really enjoying the programme.'; 'This is a wonderful programme, I love your sincerity and sensitivity - and your mum is a treasure!'; So, despite being a non-believer, he decided to take a pilgrimage to an important Hindu festival in his birthplace to reconnect with his heritage and process his grief The Today programme host broke down ahead of his emotional journey, admitting: 'I've avoided thinking about him because it's too painful' His vulnerability resonated with viewers at home, who took to social media to say how much they related to his experience of grief 'Your mum is wonderful and loved her advice for you to enjoy and chill on your journey.' Amol was touched by fans' admiration of his mother, posting on X during the broadcast: 'If you're one of the thousands of people watching this on BBC One and thinking my mum is a legend, I confirm you are absolutely correct.' To a suggestion she do the famous Thought For The Day segment on Radio 4's Today programme, which he hosts, he replied: 'My mum is the most extraordinary person. She'd be fantastic.' He had also posted to X ahead of the broadcast: 'This is on BBC iPlayer and BBC One at 9pm and I'd be genuinely honoured if you watched it. Thank you.' The journalist also reposted a large amount of the kind viewer comments to his own page, clearly touched by the outpouring of support. The programme primarily focussed on his pilgrimage to the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu religious festival. Held every 12 years, this year's event was set to be the largest gathering in human history, with Amol joining more than 500million pilgrims from across the globe. It was also due to see a once-in-a-lifetime alignment of planets in the solar system, which last occurred 144 years ago. Viewers were just as enamoured of her on social media Amol was touched by fans' admiration of his mother, posting on X during the broadcast to echo viewers' praise for her He had also posted to X ahead of the broadcast: 'This is on BBC iPlayer and BBC One at 9pm and I'd be genuinely honoured if you watched it. Thank you' As the synopsis of the programme reads, the pilgrims' goal is 'to bathe in the sacred waters where the Ganges, Yamuna and mystical Saraswati meet, to purify their soals and gain salvation for themselves and their families'. It continues: 'By taking part in this ritual, it's said Amol can release his father's soul from the never-ending cycle of life and death.' But not everything goes to plan in his journey to the Ganges river, due to circumstances beyond his control. It sees Amol 'assess whether to make it to the river at all, and if he can't, what this will mean for his own journey through grief'. It comes just after another new emotional documentary recently hit home for British viewers. Netflix viewers 'broke down in tears after just two minutes' of watching Grenfell: Uncovered - and have insisted 'it's essential viewing'. The documentary, which follows what unfolded as the tower of flats burned down on June 14, 2017, and the devastating aftermath, landed on the streamer last week. In that time, many have already watched the one hour and 40 minutes programme, which has survivors and experts talking about what happened that day. In that time, many have already watched the one hour and 40 minutes programme (pictured, the trailer), which has survivors and experts talking about what happened that day And they have rushed to X to praise it as 'powerful', with one writing: 'To say I enjoyed it isn't really correct but to dig into why it happened and how damning the evidence [is] makes it essential viewing. 'I hope the victims and their loved ones get the justice they deserve.' Another wrote: 'I implore you all the watch the Grenfell: Uncovered documentary on Netflix. 72 deaths. eight years later. Still no justice.' Someone else said: 'Grenfell: Uncovered (Netflix) broke me. Every last bit of this was/is so easily avoidable. Every last bit. 'I can't tell if I'm more angry or heartbroken. How horrific.'
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
How releasing his father's soul left British journalist high as a kite: ROLAND WHITE reviews Amol Rajan Goes To The Ganges
Television people famously worry about working with children and animals. But that's nothing compared with the dangers of a presenter's mum loose in front of the camera. Minutes into Amol Rajan Goes To The Ganges (BBC1), his mother was gleefully recalling: 'You were very chubby, Amol. Pleasantly plump, I would say.' Thanks, Mum. As a child, Amol's role models were all white: people like cricketer Shane Warne and philosopher Bertrand Russell. (Oh come on, which teenager doesn't have a picture of Bertrand on their bedroom wall?) The only Indian who inspired him was his father, a bank official who died three years ago. Since then, the Radio 4 Today presenter and University Challenge host hasn't been quite the same: 'I've been in a bit of a funk.' In part to heal his grief, but mainly because the BBC suggested it, Amol flew to India to attend the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela, a huge gathering of pilgrims on the banks of the Ganges. And I mean huge. During one day, around 70 million people — roughly the population of the UK — squeezed into just 15 square miles. They included what is surely the world's largest collection of thin, old men with very long beards. Not to mention sacred warriors, naked apart from a coating of ash, and lots of people dressed in orange, which represents fire. As Amol pushed his way through crowds, he was greeted with shouts of 'Praise be to the Lord Ram!' and 'Victory to Lord Shiva'. It was like watching a good-natured football crowd heading for the world's biggest cup final. The idea was that Amol would join pilgrims in bathing in the sacred river. He would connect with his religious heritage, even though he describes himself as an atheist, and somehow heal his grief. Unfortunately, events got in the way. He and his party were stopped before they could reach the holiest point of the river, the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna river. There had been a stampede, just 800m away. Ninety people were injured, and 30 were killed. So Amol had to improvise. This might sound odd if you're not a Hindu, but he took part in a ceremony in which oatmeal balls represented the souls of his ancestors. He mixed the balls into a mash, and took this to the river. 'I am now going to release the sacred oatmeal into the water,' he said solemnly. In the river, he ritually released his father's soul before immersing himself in the water. 'I'm as high as a kite,' he admitted. 'I can feel the cosmic energy flowing through me right now.' It was rather moving, but I couldn't help thinking that if anybody had told tough-talking interviewer Amol that they were full of cosmic energy, he would have rolled his eyes to camera.
