Latest news with #Kamala
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
The Bitter Half
Homely ramifications of an exposé at a Coldplay concert Kamala is not talking to me. Because of some Kiss Cam catching a cheating husband at a Coldplay concert. What does that have to do with me? I asked her in my usual whiny voice. I'm used to being blamed for everything. But not international affairs. I thought MEA was dealing with that. But these international issues have national ramifications. Think Global Act Local is not just a slogan for Indian housewives. It's a way of life. If Trump is claiming there is no Epstein file, Kamala is convinced I'm hiding something here. I tried to counter her with a generic Not All Men! but that was not acceptable defence apparently. She was convinced that all men were making a concerted effort to cheat on their bitter halves. I tried mentioning the husband of the lady in the picture. But Kamala was not discussing Cuckold Play. She was focused on the couple in the camera only. 'Shee! The way he ducked down when the camera caught him. That's a sign of sure guilt.' I assured her that I would smile and wave at the camera if I was ever caught at the neighbourhood Ganesh pandal. 'Did you know that 78.5 % of Indian husbands have cheated on their wives at least once in their lives. Socialite Saroja said that NASA has done research on this.' The statistics sounded as authentic as voter-turnouts in the Maharashtra elections. But I was not going to counter the fake news forward from her Kitty WhatsApp group. Shubhanshu Shukla may have gone to space, but even he didn't take his wife with him. I want to know with which lady he shared his gajar ka halwa. No space or any other trips for me. I was grounded. I knew I had to cancel my All Boys Bangkok break planned next month. I'm not sure whether they have jumbotrons in those massage parlours. Imagine if that was replayed on social media. I'm only worried the neighbours will know I have a paunch. Meanwhile the lady who shop-lifted in Target has been forgotten. I was about to use that exposé to curtail Kamala's shopping trips. But the latest scandal has checkmated me. I'm shifting from astronomy to astrology – but still seeing a sky full of stars. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Inclusive classrooms on the rise in Chennai colleges
Saravanan Umapathy will open a new chapter in his career on July 21 when classes begin at Dhanraj Baid Jain College in Thoraipakkam. The 23-year-old special needs student is on the spectrum and non-verbal but exhibits strengths in visual thinking and processing that led his mother to enrol him for a course in (Visual Communication). 'I know my son will face challenges with social interaction and communication, but he will not disappoint in academics, and I want him to surmount those barriers,' says S. Kamala, adding that Saravanan communicates by writing or typing on the Awaaz app. Brought up in Abu Dubai, where he completed his studies in a mainstream school, Saravanan did not take the help of a shadow teacher and is good in sports as well. Over the last one year he was pursuing a data entry course at NIEPMD from where he also picked up Tamil and the confidence to apply for higher studies. 'He is currently getting trained to cycle on Chennai's busy road, so that he can get to college from his home in Pallikaranai,' says a determined Kamala. Many city colleges in Chennai are taking baby steps towards making their classrooms inclusive, a mandate under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. In the last academic year, Welfare of the Differently-Abled Persons Department issued a circular to 19 universities in Tamil Nadu reminding them that they have to reserve five per cent of the seats in higher education for persons with benchmark disabilities. As per data from National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (NIEPMD), 18 of their students with intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, special learning disability and multiple disabilities enrolled in various city colleges in the academic year 2024-25 for higher education. These include courses in hotel management, arts and science and polytechnic. 'Our programmes offered here act as a bridge to integrate those with special needs into higher education,' says K. Balabaskar, lecturer-AIL, NIEPMD. He says the Institute has an exclusive coordinator, R. Dhakshnamoorthy, to support parents to select the right institute and courses. Higher education plays a transformative role in the lives of persons with disabilities, which contributes to their personal growth, employability and social inclusion. 'Although some city colleges have exclusive batches for PwD or inclusive classrooms, it is the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 that mandates a 4% reservation for persons with benchmark disabilities in direct recruitment to government jobs, that has come as a big encouragement for parents to find appropriate career courses in higher education institutions,' says Balabaskar. Parents have to do their homework about institutions and career paths that best suit their child. B. Sumathy, whose son S. Muralidhar is pursuing his second year of (visual communication) from A.M. Jain College in Meenambakkam, says many parents of children with special needs do not make an effort to place their ward in a mainstream college fearing the environment. Or, they think of distance education. She herself was planning to enrol Muralidhar in a course through distance education as it is difficult for him to sit in one place for long. 'When I enquired with Madras University they recommended courses in literature and economics, which I was not keen on as my son would not be able to study theory-related subjects,' says Sumathy. They were discouraged from taking courses that involved lab activity. 'I was told programming would be difficult for him, so I enrolled him in a data entry course in NIEPMD that went on for close to a year,' she says. That brought about a huge change in Muralidhar. 'He started getting more disciplined and his time management skills improved, and this gave me the confidence that he can move to an inclusive setup,' says the resident of East Tambaram. The parents are happy as the college has a supportive environment with a dedicated room where parents can wait, notes are sent on WhatApp and Muralidhar has made many friends. Orienting staff and students To create and maintain inclusive classrooms, colleges are getting their faculty trained to understand the unique needs of students, getting permission from the University to exempt special students from writing language papers and finding scribes if needed. At Agurchand Manmull Jain College, every special need student is attached to a mentor who understands his/her unique needs based on the training they are given to handle such students. 'This academic year, we have five new special needs students on the campus, a slight increase from last year where we had four,' says M. M. Ramya, dean, A.M. Jain College. While most of the infrastructure needs for an inclusive campus are largely met, the college management has been taking up steps to meet other requirements. 'We have a lounge where parents of special needs students can wait while their children attend classes. It is like a crèche; sometimes children want to meet their parents, and on an average five-six parents avail it,' says Ramya. Getting peer support is one challenge and to address this concern this year students were oriented about their specially abled classmates. 'This has to be a continuous process,' says Ramya adding that they recommend students joining courses in visual communication and interior design as they are more hands-on. A programme based on credits The third batch of the programme in Diploma in Office Automation and Assistive Technology (DOAAT) for persons with multiple and neurodevelopmental disabilities will start soon. Initiated by the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (NIEPMD), under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, in collaboration with Bharathidasan University's Centre for Differently Abled Persons, this is a first-of-its-kind credit-based inclusive higher education programme, says a note. The course is structured over two semesters and focuses on digital literacy, office automation, and assistive technologies. It offers a practice-based curriculum aligned with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 and the National Education Policy. It also strengthens employment opportunities through the 4% PwD reservation policy, including 1% for persons with intellectual and multiple disabilities. Ten students are inducted per batch. For details, call R. Dhakshnamoorthy, vocational instructor / coordinator - Higher Education for PwDs (8124862799)/ K. Balabaskar, lecturer-AIL, NIEPMD, Chennai (9382934157); Email Id:
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- New Straits Times
Labourer acquitted of murdering single mother, her male friend
JOHOR BARU: The High Court here today discharged and acquitted a labourer of a charge of murdering a single mother and her male friend at a flat unit in Taman Ungku Aminah, Skudai here, seven years ago. Judge Datuk Abu Bakar Katar made the ruling after finding that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the accused, M. Jaykumar, 39, at the close of its case. In his judgment, Abu Bakar said the prosecution had failed to prove that the deaths of K. Kamala, 51, and S. Silvaraja, 59, were caused by injuries inflicted by the accused. He said the court also took into account that no traces of the victims' blood were found on the accused's clothes or belongings, and that the investigating officer did not seize these items to test for the victims' deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). "The prosecution also failed to prove that the jewellery pawned by the accused belonged to Kamala, as her children could not confirm its ownership during testimony. There is reasonable doubt since some jewellery was still found with Kamala," he said. "The prosecution attempted to rely on the theory that the accused was the last person seen with the victims, setting the timeline between 7pm on Oct 31 and 3am on Nov 1. "However, according to a witness, Kamala was still on the phone at 11.50pm. "How could the prosecution fix 7pm as the starting time when the victim was still alive? "This court finds that without other supporting evidence, it is insufficient to link the accused to the murders," the judge said. M. Jaykumar was charged with the murders of K. Kamala and S. Silvaraja at a flat unit in Jalan Hang Jebat 14, Taman Ungku Aminah, between 7pm and 3am on Oct 31 and Nov 1, 2018. The charge, framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction. A total of 20 witnesses were called by the prosecution, led by deputy public prosecutor Juanita Mohd Said, while Jaykumar was represented by lawyers Datin Freda Sabapathy and K. Sarawanan. – Bernama
Barnama
4 days ago
- Barnama
Labourer Acquitted Of Murdering Single Mother, Her Male Friend
JOHOR BAHRU, July 18 (Bernama) -- The High Court here today discharged and acquitted a labourer of a charge of murdering a single mother and her male friend at a flat unit in Taman Ungku Aminah, Skudai here, seven years ago. Judge Datuk Abu Bakar Katar made the ruling after finding that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the accused, M. Jaykumar, 39, at the close of its case. In his judgment, Abu Bakar said the prosecution had failed to prove that the deaths of K. Kamala, 51, and S. Silvaraja, 59, were caused by injuries inflicted by the accused. He said the court also took into account that no traces of the victims' blood were found on the accused's clothes or belongings, and that the investigating officer did not seize these items to test for the victims' deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). 'The prosecution also failed to prove that the jewellery pawned by the accused belonged to Kamala, as her children could not confirm its ownership during testimony. There is reasonable doubt since some jewellery was still found with Kamala,' he said. 'The prosecution attempted to rely on the theory that the accused was the last person seen with the victims, setting the timeline between 7 pm on Oct 31 and 3 am on Nov 1. 'However, according to a witness, Kamala was still on the phone at 11.50 pm. How could the prosecution fix 7 pm as the starting time when the victim was still alive? This court finds that without other supporting evidence, it is insufficient to link the accused to the murders,' the judge said. M. Jaykumar was charged with the murders of K. Kamala and S. Silvaraja at a flat unit in Jalan Hang Jebat 14, Taman Ungku Aminah, between 7 pm and 3 am on Oct 31 and Nov 1, 2018. The charge, framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction.
Time of India
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Skin city
A doc & his Mrs on turning the clock back Antiaging – that's the new buzz word. I lowered my newspaper and smiled intelligently at my wife after providing my Gyaan of the Day. She frowned, 'Not just aunties, uncles are also aging. Even though they dye their hair jet black and refuse to accept their fifty shades of grey.' Kamala makes everything a feminism debate nowadays. But aging is one sphere where there is gender parity. I'm talking about trends…like Botox. She narrowed her eyes: 'If you're going to be vulgar I'm leaving. You don't have to be rude about my burgeoning backside.' Kamala listens to a lot of Shashi Tharoor speeches. I wasn't referring to booty but to beauty treatments – like fillers. These are much needed as we age. I'm sure she understood me, but she decided to throw in a socio-political comment to sound superior: 'Whether it's Delhi or Mumbai or Bengaluru, all cities need their roads repaired and potholes filled. Bridges need to be maintained and checked regularly.' So also the human face and body (I was sticking to my topic). Sometimes it needs a little boost. A little correction. A touch of treatment. So we can look like Gen Z bro. Yolo. Kamala sat back on the armchair and looked deeply philosophical: 'You know, this generation has it all sorted. Now they have a drug for weight loss. Like our 2-minute noodles they can lose weight instantly with minimum effort. Though some of the brand ambassadors are looking a bit like the living dead. Gauntie-aging!' She has a habit of creating words and hoping people make it the Oxford word of the year. It doesn't prevent brain rot, I countered. It's like painting an old dilapidated building while it's crumbling from the foundation. Kamala perked up: 'That's what we should do! Add more layers – cleanser, toner, hyaluronic, glycolic, sunscreen, retinol and finally foundation. Nothing survives without a good foundation.' I smiled at her indulgently. I was about to say something trite like age is just a number. But she beat me to it: 'Your silly sense of humour keeps me laughing. All said and done, together with good healthy food, regular exercise and adequate sleep, laughter is the best medicine.' We have an appointment with a qualified dermatologist tomorrow – I hope he has a sense of humour. I'm not complaining. Maybe that is the anti-aging mantra: Not complaining. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
