Latest news with #Prabhat
Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Sadar hosp starts liver, pancreas and biliary treatment services
Ranchi: Sadar hospital in the state capital launched its new liver, pancreas, and biliary system OPD on Sunday. Liver specialist Dr Praveen Kumar from Kolkata conducted his first outpatient service, advising three patients on issues related to fatty liver and other hepatic ailments. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to experts, the initiative is part of a health campaign titled Fatty Liver Free Ranchi, which aims to raise awareness and ensure early detection and treatment of liver-related diseases, particularly fatty liver, which is increasingly being diagnosed even in children. During the consultations, Dr Praveen advised patients to undergo specific diagnostic tests and adopt dietary changes as preventive measures. "Early detection and timely lifestyle correction can prevent liver disease from escalating," said Dr Praveen. His consultation is completely free, with only a Rs 10 registration fee. Civil surgeon Dr Prabhat Kumar emphasised the importance of such specialist services at the district level. He said, "Dr Praveen is an expert in treating diseases of the liver, pancreas, and biliary system. Most liver conditions, if diagnosed early, can be managed at home through appropriate treatment. Around 10 to 20 percent of patients, however, reach the stage of acute or chronic liver failure and may require ICU-level care. We are preparing to offer such advanced support at Sadar hospital itself," he said. "Children are becoming increasingly vulnerable due to sedentary lifestyles. This condition, earlier seen only in adults, is now being detected in school-age kids," added Dr Prabhat. The hospital is also working in collaboration with schools to spread awareness. Dr Prabhat said, "We recently held discussions with school principals to educate students about liver health. The goal is to promote healthier habits early in life. "
United News of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- United News of India
DGP reviews south Kashmir security
Srinagar, July 11 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP), Nalin Prabhat, today conducted a focused security review in south Kashmir region. Prabhat reiterated the critical importance of continuous rehearsals of contingency drills to deal dynamically with evolving threats. The DGP also emphasized the need for relentless counter-terror operations in the hinterland. A police statement said the DGP, conducted a a focussed security review, with Deputy Inspector General, south Kashmir Range, Javed Mattoo; SSPs of South Kashmir and senior officers of Indian Army, CRPF and BSF. The DGP recognised and commended the unflagging commitment of all security forces in securing the ongoing Shri Amarnathji Yatra. He reiterated the need for continuous rehearsal of contingency drills and the imperative requirement for assessing and plugging grey areas, besides refining drills to deal dynamically with evolving threats. He also stressed on relentless operations in the hinterland. This year's annual Amarnath Yatra started on July 3 from the twin tracks- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district. So far over 1.25 lakh yatris have paid obeisance at Amarnath cave. UNI MJR RKM
Hindustan Times
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Guru Dutt at 100: A Wknd tribute to a tortured artist and his enduring art
On the morning of October 10, 1964, Guru Dutt was found dead in his flat in Bombay, lying on his bed in a crumpled kurta-pyjama. He had drunk a glass of pink liquid, sleeping pills crushed and dissolved in water. He had turned 39 in July. This was his third suicide attempt. His first was at the peak of his career, while directing and starring in Pyaasa (1957), a classic that is considered his greatest film. What was it that haunted this young man? Biographers have been trying to answer that question for decades. It was as if success drew him deeper into himself. In her book Guru Dutt: A Life in Cinema, Nasreen Munni Kabir quotes his brother, the filmmaker Atma Ram, as saying: 'He was quite social in his early days… had a very pleasant nature… Whether it was the success or his filmmaking, he became increasingly enclosed, more and more cut off.' His movies changed too. After early light-hearted releases such as Aar Paar (1954) and Mr & Mrs '55 (1955), both romantic comedies, came Pyaasa, a dark masterpiece about a poet rejected at every turn, who finds solace with a prostitute. This was followed by the even bleaker Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), about a successful film director whose anguished personal life leads to his ruin. Stills from Dutt's first film, Baazi (1951; above) and his dark masterpiece, Pyaasa (1957; below). . The melancholy of his movies made him something of an outlier in the world of 1950s Hindi cinema, when directors such as Raj Kapoor and Mehboob Khan were telling hopeful stories that reflected the exuberance-amid-hardship of a newly independent India. Filmmakers such as Bimal Roy spotlit the darker side, with tales of systemic injustice, exploitation and caste. But Guru Dutt's stories didn't fit in here either. Because the despair he sketched with such artistry wasn't systemic, it was deeply personal. The descents into insomnia, depression and drink were the story of his life, told in real time. *** Guru Dutt was born in 1925, into a family from Mangalore. His father, Shivashankar Padukone, moved cities and jobs frequently, before settling in Calcutta in 1929, where he found work as a clerk. (Incidentally, Dutt's given name was Vasanth Padukone. His parents changed it, after a childhood accident, hoping to accord him better luck.) After his matriculation exam, Dutt stopped studying and began to work, to help keep the family afloat. At 16, he found a job as a telephone operator. The following year, hope dawned. Knowing how much he loved to dance, a relative helped him join Uday Shankar's academy, in 1942. Two years later, when the school shut, the relative, BB Benegal, an artist and his mother's cousin, stepped in again. He took Dutt to Poona and introduced him to Baburao Pai, chief executive at the pioneering Prabhat Film Company. Dutt was hired as a dance director. A still from Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959). It is hard to tell if fate was smiling or scheming at this point, but this is where he met Dev Anand, who was acting in the Prabhat film Hum Ek Hain in 1945. A dhobi mixed up their shirts, which is how the two met and became friends, the story goes. They grew so close that they made a promise to each other: Dev Anand would take Guru Dutt on as director in the first film he produced, and Dutt would sign the actor for the first movie he directed. Both would keep these promises. As Dev Anand wrote in his autobiography, Romancing with Life (2007): 'Guru Dutt and I were on the same wavelength. He wanted to make some great films, and I wanted to be a great actor, a great star... We saw masterpieces of outstanding filmmakers together… We were inseparable. Together we tramped and cycled the streets of Poona…' *** When his contract with Pai ended, in 1947, Dutt moved to Bombay. He would find no work of significance for almost a year. In those difficult days, he began to write a story titled Kashmakash (Conflict). This would later become Pyaasa. In 1950, he finally got a break, as filmmaker Gyan Mukherjee's assistant on the crime thriller Sangram (1950). In Mukherjee, an educated, talented man, Dutt also found a mentor. He would eventually dedicate Pyaasa to Mukherjee, who had died aged 47, the year before its release. Meanwhile, Dev Anand had not forgotten his promise. He invited his friend to direct a movie for his banner, Navketan. Dutt's first film, Baazi (1951) — starring Dev Anand, Kalpana Kartik and Geeta Bali, in a tale about an expert card player embroiled in the murky dealings of a nightclub that runs an illegal gambling den — was a hit. In his cap, scarf and cigarette, Dev Anand cut a rakish figure. As he wrote in his autobiography: 'I became a phenomenon after the release of Baazi…' In his next movie, Jaal (1952), true to his word, he signed Dev Anand to play the lead role: that of a ruthless smuggler who ensnares a perky young woman in Goa. Baaz (1953), Dutt's third film as director, was interesting for three reasons. It was his first starring role (he would go on to star in all his own films, and was in demand by other directors too). It was his first and only period drama. Set in 16th-century Malabar, he played a young prince who falls in love with a daring anti-Portuguese rebel (Geeta Bali). The film was also his first box-office failure; he never attempted the genre again. Instead, he stuck to urban stories about crime and love in Bombay. His next two, Aar Paar (1954) and Mr & Mrs '55 (1955), were runaway hits. A year later came CID, produced by Guru Dutt but helmed by his former assistant director, Raj Khosla. That too was a hit. With these three films, he and Khosla more or less invented Bombay noir, a genre in which the action shifts from plush nightclubs with cabaret dancers and cigarette girls to lamplit city streets and dingy eating houses. Crime is everywhere. The heroes are rakish rogues; the heroines are luminously beautiful. The sultry 'other woman' propels the plot: Geeta Bali as a club dancer in Baazi, Shakila in Aar Paar, and Waheeda Rehman as a gangster's moll in her first Hindi film, CID. *** Based on his later films, Dutt is perhaps the only filmmaker of his generation who can be called an auteur. His distinctive personal style reflected in his stories of unhappy and troubled artists, and in the intense visuals he created onscreen. These included the stunning shots of the Ajanta Studios, dominated by the towering garuda, in Kaagaz Ke Phool; and the black-and-white frames of Pyaasa, particularly the haunting Christ-like pose of the poet in the song Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye. From the start, Dutt did marvellous and unexpected things with music too. Think of Waqt Ne Kiya from Kaagaz Ke Phool, with its panoramic shots of a studio floor complete with cranes, catwalks and cameras; the sequence remains a landmark in Hindi cinema. The songs in his films were used unusually, often as an extension of the dialogue, beginning without prelude or introductory music (as with Johnny Walker's Jane Kahan Mera Jigar Gaya Ji in Mr & Mrs '55). They moved the story forward, lifted the mood, and reflected sweeping emotion. Yet not even Mohammed Rafi's Sar Jo Tera Chakraye could lift the mood of Pyaasa. Dutt played Vijay, a disillusioned poet belittled by his brothers, spurned by publishers and cast aside by the woman he loves in favour of a rich husband. Perennially broke, he wanders the city aimlessly, finally finding solace in the love of a prostitute named Gulabo (Waheeda Rehman) who never stops believing in him. If the poet was devastated by failure, Dutt seemed living proof that success wasn't the answer either. The filmmaker was well-off, had moved into a larger flat in Bombay and bought farm land in Lonavala. None of it made him happy. A turbulent personal life may have contributed to his despondency. In 1953, he married the beautiful singer Geeta Roy, whom he met during the making of Baazi. By all accounts they were very much in love, but their marriage soon soured. She hated the rumours of a great love between him and Waheeda Rehman, and hated even more the idea that they might be true. *** Amid the turmoil, Dutt's next film, Kaagaz Ke Phool, with its tale of a successful film director's self-destructive slide into penury and alcoholism, was so dark and defeatist, it crashed at the box office. Even Waheeda Rehman didn't believe in it. In an interview with Nasreen Munni Kabir, she said: 'I thought the film was too sad… too heavy… I know there are many good moments in Kaagaz Ke Phool, but as a whole I don't think it worked.' Dutt, who set great store by commercial success, lost a little more of himself with this failure. He never directed a film again. *** Still, he had great hits. His production company, Guru Dutt Films, produced Chaudhvin Ka Chand in 1960, directed by M Sadiq. Set in Lucknow, it was a story of misunderstandings, sacrifice, duty and love, set in Muslim households. It swept the box office and was, by the numbers, the biggest hit of Dutt's career. Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), the last major film he produced, was directed by his long-time writer Abrar Alvi and, for many Guru Dutt fans, is second only to Pyaasa. The tale of the decay of a feudal zamindari family in turn-of-the-century Bengal features Dutt alongside Meena Kumari, who is magnificent in the role of a chhoti bahu who turns to alcohol in an attempt to win over her indifferent husband (Rehman). In 1963-64 alone, he played the lead in three family dramas made by other production houses: Bharosa, Bahurani and Sanjh Aur Savera. He had already tried to kill himself a second time by this point, swallowing 38 sleeping pills during the making of Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam in 1962. *** Through it all, he continued to love movie-making. Even after he stopped directing, in films such as Chaudhvin Ka Chand and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, he shot the songs. Waheeda Rehman has never been filmed more beautifully than in the song Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho. *** What was it that haunted this young man? All these years on, his tormented genius remains an enigma. As Yasser Usman, author of the 2020 biography Guru Dutt: An Unfinished Story, puts it, 'He never gave interviews. No magazines ran cover stories on him. Whatever we know about him is through what others have said.' And yet, in a way, he had been telling his story all along; he had built his life, legacy and fandom around it. One can't help but think of Vijay's words in Pyaasa: 'Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaye toh kya hai?' (Poonam Saxena is a writer and translator whose works include Dharmvir Bharati's iconic Gunahon ka Devta, Rahi Masoom Raza's Scene: 75 and Aleph's Greatest Hindi Stories Ever Told)
Hindustan Times
03-07-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Taste of Life: Encouraging fasting to protect religious traditions
Pune: In early twentieth-century Colonial India, a resurgence of religio-cultural self-awareness that endorsed traditions played a significant role in defining cultural identities. This self-awareness existed alongside the diversities based on caste, ethnicity, and region. The encounter with modernisation sharpened the expressions of cultural identity that differed from traditional religio-cultural conflicts. Movie halls like the Minerva Talkies and Prabhat were known to distribute dates to the fasting audience. Fasting on 'Ekadashi' was considered a tool to bridge the gaps and rifts between different castes and communities. (HT) Keshav V Datye of Shukravar Peth, Pune, wrote a letter to the Marathi daily 'Dnyanaprakash' on July 29, 1940, that began with the criticism of the youth for indulging in frivolity by watching movies on the important festival of 'Ashadhi Ekadashi'. But his bigger consternation was the consumption of 'soda-lemon', tea, and peanuts by a significant section of the audience before, during, and after the screenings, on the day they were supposed to stay away from food. Datye worked at a printing press in Pune. He was also a founding member of an 'Ekadashi Sanghatana'. Members of such organisations fasted on every 'Ekadashi' and donated the money thus saved to funds established for the welfare of Indian political prisoners. Readers of this column would remember an article I wrote last year about these 'Ekadashi Sanghatanas', the fasts on 'Ashadhi Ekadashi' and Muharram, and how they forged a bond between the two communities (Fasting brings people of faith together, July 18, 2024). 'Ekadashi', the eleventh day of the waxing and waning lunar cycles of the Hindu calendar, was a day of fasting for many Hindus. There were two 'Ekadashis', and hence, two fasting days each month. While most men and women fasted for a day, some women kept the 'Ekadashi' fast for three days. They lunched a day before 'Ekadashi' and broke the fast two days later after sunrise. Some chose to fast without water, while some ate only fruits. 'Ashadh Shuddha Ekadashi', also known as 'Devashayani Ekadashi', the eleventh lunar day of the bright fortnight of the Hindu month of 'Ashadh', was one of the most important of the 'Ekadashis'. Fasting was its essential aspect. Since ancient times, fasting has been an expression of piety or penitence towards a deity. In Christianity, fasting was often viewed as a form of penance; while in Islam, it was more about praise and obedience. Fasting to achieve specific results from a deity highlighted a form of thinking where the act of fasting was believed to have direct effects on divine intervention. The reasons given for fasting on an 'Ekadashi' were manifold and depended on which text one referred to. While one was supposed to not touch a single morsel of food on the day, the modern middle-class embraced new ingredients like the potato, sago, peanuts, and chillies and used them to create novel dishes which it decided could be consumed when one was fasting. The housewife, hence, proudly displayed her repertoire of fasting dishes on 'Ashadhi Ekadashi'. Women who ate only once during the entire month of 'Ashadh' were believed to be blessed with prosperity and children. The 'Vaman Purana', one of the eighteen major Puranas in Hinduism, advised donation of footwear, umbrellas, and gooseberry soaked in brine to Brahmins during the holy month. Some vegetable and fruit vendors specially stocked gooseberries during the month. The pressures of modernisation in Colonial India tried to replace and reshape traditional cultures that exhibited resistance and adaptive qualities. The arrival of technology was a sign of emancipation, but it also created anxiety because of the constantly changing personal and social life. The lure of modernity, hence, was perceived as a threat to religious traditions. The anxiety created by Western education and modernity made a section of the Hindu middle class embrace religious rituals with a vigour. The 1930s saw the popularity of the 'Satyanarayana Pooja' soar to new heights. Lord Satyanarayana was considered a form of Lord Vishnu, and hence the ritual was performed with great devotion in the month of 'Ashadh'. Since men had to work during the day, the pooja was organised in the evenings, followed by dinner for guests in some wealthy households. 'Ashadh Pournima', the full moon day of the month of 'Ashadh', was also celebrated as 'Guru Pournima' as a day to mark reverence to teachers. Many families observed a full-day fast on the occasion. The fast ended after the evening ritual of paying obeisance to the spiritual or religious guru of the family or the deity. Some well-to-do families in Pune organised community feasts in Vishnu temples in the city. Many invited their guru, or a Brahmin for lunch. It was also a day when students bowed before their teachers in schools and colleges. The Hindu unification project, initiated and led by the likes of Mahadevshastri Divekar in the early 1920s, called for the abolition of rituals that encouraged the segregation supported by the caste system. Fasting on 'Ekadashi' was considered a tool to bridge the gaps and rifts between different castes and communities, chiefly owing to the association with the pilgrimage to Pandharpur, where men and women belonging to different castes and communities participated. Those not fasting every 'Ekadashi' were not considered good Hindus. Following religious rituals was deemed necessary to preserve Hinduism in its 'pure' form. As a result, groups like 'Tarun Maharashtra Mandal' organised bhajans and keertans for three days before the 'Ashadhi Ekadashi' in the so-called 'lower caste' localities. People belonging to these castes and communities were urged to fast and follow Hindu rituals. Extra shows of movies and plays, apart from the regular shows at 6 pm and 10 pm, were organised at 3 pm on 'Ashadhi Ekadashi'. Movies like 'Sant Sakhu' and 'Sant Meerabai' were shown, and plays like 'Swargasundari' were staged. The trend probably started in the late 1920s. On the 'Ashadhi Ekadashi' in July 1930, Jagadish Film Company's 'Dwarakadhesh' was screened at Aryan Theatre. The 3 pm show was packed with a large crowd outside the movie hall shouting at the doorkeeper to let them in. In the following years, movie halls in Pune made it a regular custom to organise extra shows on 'Ashadhi Ekadashi'. Movie halls like the Minerva Talkies and Prabhat were known to distribute dates to the fasting audience. According to Datye, 'Ashadhi Ekadashi' was an occasion to cleanse mind and body, and those watching movies and drinking 'soda-lemon' were drifting away from the purpose, and hence, from their religion. The young men, on whom 'future of the country rested', were supposed to take pride in the glorious religious traditions of Hinduism; 'modern education' had corrupted the minds of men and women who were gratified by 'western indulgences', but the least they could do was fast on 'Ashadhi and Kartiki Ekadashis', he wrote. Datye's letter in 'Dnyanaprakash' was a testament to the renewed enthusiasm surrounding Hindu festivals in twentieth-century Maharashtra that emphasised the importance of fasting and prayer as integral to the lifestyle of the community, and that these practices were deeply embedded in their religious identity. It showed how the stress, emotions, and novelty associated with westernisation and modernity collided with challenges from the internal and external world that demanded self-control, orderliness, and homogeneity. Chinmay Damle is a research scientist and food enthusiast. He writes here on Pune's food culture. He can be contacted at
India Today
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
7 must-watch shows on Prime Video
7 must-watch shows on Prime Video Credit: IMDb Panchayat follows the journey of Abhishek who joins as a secretary of a Panchayat office in a remote village in UP. The fourth season of the series will premiere on June 24. Panchayat Gram Chikisalay is also a comedy drama revolving around rural India. The series follows the journey of Dr Prabhat who is on a mission to transform a neglected primary health centre. Gram Chikitsalay For those who prefer to watch a romantic drama, Made In Heaven is the perfect choice. The show revolves around two best friends, who are wedding planners, planning different weddings in each episode. Made in heaven Bandish Bandits is for those who love music and romantic dramas. The show revolves around a couple who represent different worlds of music. The second season of the show released in December 2024. Bandish Bandits Mirzapur is one of the most loved series on Prime Video. The show follows the journey of Akhandanand Kaleen Tripathi and his bid to control power in Mirzapur, which is neck deep into lawlessness. Mirzapur Credit: IMdb The Family Man revolves around an intelligence officer working for Threat Analysis and Surveillance Cell. The high-octane action thriller has received several awards, including 11 Filmfare OTT awards. The Family Man Inside Edge is a perfect pick for sports lovers. The series revolves around a fictional T20 cricket team named Mumbai Mavericks, which finds itself amid a spot fixing syndicate. Inside Edge Which one is your favourite?
