Latest news with #SaurabhSharma
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Indian lawmakers to review aviation safety weeks after Air India crash
By Saurabh Sharma and Aditya Kalra Indian lawmakers to review aviation safety weeks after Air India crash NEW DELHI, - A panel of Indian lawmakers will review safety in the country's civil aviation sector and has invited several industry and government officials to answer questions on July 9, with topics set to include Air India's recent plane crash. The upper house of India's parliament has asked airport operators, air traffic controllers and airlines including Air India and IndiGo to take part in a comprehensive review of passenger safety, according to a memo drafted for the meeting and seen by Reuters. The gathering comes after the June 12 Air India disaster that killed 260 people, including 241 on board, when a Boeing 787-8 jet crashed within a minute of take-off from India's Ahmedabad. Investigators are still probing what caused the world's worst aviation accident in a decade. Though the memo did not mention the crash, R K Chaudhary, a lawmaker on the panel, told Reuters that it planned to discuss the matter internally and during the meeting. "If we will not raise questions on it, they will not become vigilant about these issues," he said. The Indian government has said data from the front recorder of the crashed plane was accessed by a team led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. Air India has been getting warning notices for compliance lapses in recent days. India's aviation watchdog last month warned the airline over "repeated and serious violations" related to pilot duty scheduling. It has also warned Air India for breaching safety rules after three of its Airbus planes flew despite being overdue checks on escape slides. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Report: The Purusha Prakriti exhibition, Ahmedabad
Devin Gawarvala's two-year-old venue in Ahmedabad, Bespoke Art Gallery, is currently hosting the ambitious Purusha Prakriti art exhibition curated by Uma Nair. Dedicated to artist Himmat Shah, who died in March this year – Head from his London series occupies a place of honour at the entrance of the gallery -- the works on display, according to the curatorial note, 'symbolise the dual principles of nature and consciousness'. Ankon Mitra's A Fleeting Moment of Infinite Bliss and Ram Kumar Manna's Ganeshas (Saurabh Sharma) Visitors to the gallery are sure to be captivated by Simon Max Bannister's Falcon, a bronze-and-stone-sculpture that strangely recalls Helen Macdonald's memoir H Is for Hawk, in the way it exudes both grace and grief alongside a love for birds. Curator Uma Nair (Saurabh Sharma) Three stoneware works by Keshari Nandan Kumar, (Nair reveals the younger artist 'happens to be a great favourite of Shah') titled Bapu, Animal and Owl appear to be inspired by Pablo Picasso. Ahmedabad-based Karl Antao's wooden art forms, Symphony of Breathes and Symphony of Phases, too hark back to Picasso. Nair says their visual grammar 'reminded me of the Africans', adding that one mustn't forget that 'Picasso first studied African art to get into modern art'. Sudip Roy's luminous water colours, Faith and Conversations, celebrate the richness of Banaras. Another piece on the city of death that is absolutely stunning is an untitled Manu Parekh from 1997 that was exclusively for this collection. Nilesh Vede's giant artwork, Enlightenment, Nair notes, is typical 'Purusha Prakriti'. The moon, in this work, she says, belongs to everyone, effusively reminiscent of vintage Bollywood songs. At the Bespoke Art Gallery with Harsh Durugadda's yellow Topo Sculpturein the foreground (Saurabh Sharma) Two pieces from Muzaffar Ali's Calligraphy series recalled, for this viewer at least, Orhan Pamuk's line that 'From tiny experiences we build cathedrals'. Both works demonstrate how several layers of meaning can be hidden beneath a work of art for those willing to engage with it. Gazing at these works, the viewer feels compelled to think about everything from religion, media and history to contemporary politics and modern life. Ankon Mitra's pieces are unmissable. A Fleeting Moment of Infinite Bliss is suspended from the ceiling while The Framed Frame, 'a frame within a frame', that decorates a gallery wall challenges the viewer's perception. Occupying the central spot of the exhibition space is Dhananjay Singh's untitled artwork, which can easily be called The Tree of Life. However, in not naming this tree made of steel wires, which so effortlessly informs viewers of Singh's deep interest in nature and his understanding of botany, he allows art enthusiasts to wonder about the inspiration behind this work. 'Singh has been doing trees for more than 25 years,' states Nair who pointing to the work's microscopic detailing. From nature to divinity is but a small leap and Ram Kumar Manna's two terracotta Ganeshas present the god's fun avatar while also conveying his Vighnaharta aspect – the One who removes obstacles. Rini Dhumal's love for the 'Shakti image' is reflected in her Devi. Poonam Bhatnagar's Buddha and Meerabai convey both the calming meditative vibe of Buddhism and the absolute surrender of Bhakti respectively. Padma Shri-awardee Bhajju Shyam's three artworks demonstrate his control over his craft. The pen on paper work entitled Vriksha 1 and the other two untitled acrylics on canvas show his unmatched ability to centralises the power of nature. The marble eye in Arzan Khambatta's bronze work, Mustang Sally, immediately arrests the viewer's attention. Subrat Kumar Behera's Gandhi challenges the generally-held perception of the Mahatma. Never have his eyes looked as ferocious as they do here. At the bottom are his famous three monkeys that allude to his principles. The bare cloth that covers Gandhi's upper body rises in the shape of wings making the viewer wonder if they, perhaps, signal the work's satirical nature. Harsh Durugadda's yellow Topo Sculpture, Gillie and Marc's They Like Doing Things Differently and Jesús Curia's Construction I signal a queering of nature. Or perhaps they're trying to challenge the conventional understanding and appreciation of nature in fixed categories. The last two works celebrate nature in all its complexity and do not separate desire into normative and non-normative terms as they usually are in India, which is largely a culture hinged on conformity. Adding much joy throughout the exhibition are KG Subramanyan's six untitled works, all of which commemorate natural beauty in both bare strokes and dense forms. They stand out from the rest in a way only trademark Subramanyan pieces can. Gillie and Marc's They Like Doing Things Differently (Saurabh Sharma) Clearly the themes of influence, confluence and connection pulse through the exhibition that includes the work of artists from across generations and geographies who all seem to engage with ideas of the interdependence between 'man and nature'. The exhibition which began in April and will go on until the end of June also coincided with Earth Month making the point that what perhaps really unites humans is their innate and often unconscious desire to (re)produce nature in their own works of art. 'Purusha Prakriti' is on view till 30 June 2025. Saurabh Sharma is a Delhi-based writer and freelance journalist. They can be found on Instagram/X: @writerly_life.
Globe and Mail
12-05-2025
- General
- Globe and Mail
India and Pakistan delay talks to discuss next steps after ceasefire
Aftab Ahmed and Shivam Patel and Abhijith Ganapavaram and Saurabh Sharma Reuters to view this content.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Villagers evacuated from line of fire along India-Pakistan border fear going back
By Aftab Ahmed, Saurabh Sharma and Tariq Maqbool JAMMU, India (Reuters) - After spending days in temporary homes and with relatives, people from both sides of the Indian and Pakistani border are sceptical about this weekend's ceasefire and in no hurry to return to their villages. Indian cites like Jammu and Amritsar, which were spooked by the sounds of explosions after the truce was agreed, remained quieter than normal on Sunday with many shops choosing to close and people preferring to stay indoors. Indian and Pakistani authorities advised people who had left border areas not to return to frontline villages just yet. After four days of fighting, India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday under U.S. pressure, but within hours explosions rang out in border towns and India accused Pakistan of violating the pact. The arch rivals had been involved in the worst fighting in nearly three decades, firing missiles and drones at each other's military installations and killing almost 70 people. "URGENT APPEAL: Do not return to frontline villages. Lives are at risk. Unexploded munitions remain after Pakistani shelling," said a police notice in Indian Kashmir. Hundreds of people were shifted to temporary homes, while others left to stay with relatives far from the border as fighting intensified earlier in the week. "I want to go back to my village in Bihar. Do not want to go back there (to the border) and die," said Asha Devi, a 22-year- old farm labourer in the Akhnoor region, one of the areas worst affected by shelling in recent days. Kabal Singh, head of a village close to the border, said people were scared to return home after they heard the blasts following the ceasefire announcement. On the Pakistan side of the border, some residents displaced from villages were advised to wait until Monday midday before returning. "Many of them are waiting to see how the situation develops before making a decision about returning," said Akhtar Ayoub, a local administration official in Pakistan's Neelum Valley.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fragile ceasefire holds between India, Pakistan as Trump offers more help
By Saurabh Sharma, Tariq Maqbool and Aftab Ahmed AMRITSAR, India/ MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - A fragile ceasefire was holding between India and Pakistan on Sunday, after hours of overnight fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours, as U.S. President Donald Trump said he will work to provide a solution regarding Kashmir. The arch rivals were involved in intense firing for four days, the worst in nearly three decades, with missiles and drones being fired at each other's military installations and dozens of people killed. A ceasefire agreement was reached after diplomacy and pressure from the United States, but within hours, artillery fire was witnessed in Indian Kashmir, the centre of much of the fighting. Blasts from air-defence systems boomed in cities near the border under blackout, similar to the previous two evenings, according to authorities, residents and Reuters witnesses. Late on Saturday, India said Pakistan had violated the understanding arrived to stop firing and that the Indian armed forces had been instructed to "deal strongly" with any repetition. In response, Pakistan said it was committed to the ceasefire and blamed India for the violations. By dawn, the fighting and explosions reported overnight had died down on both sides of the border, according to Reuters witnesses. Power was restored in most areas along India's border towns after a blackout the previous night. Trump praised leaders of both countries for agreeing to halt the aggression. "While not even discussed, I am going to increase trade, substantially, with both of these great nations. Additionally, I will work with you both to see if... a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. In the border city of Amritsar, home to the Golden Temple revered by Sikhs, a siren sounded in the morning to resume normal activities brought a sense of relief and people were seen out on the roads. The fighting started on Wednesday, two weeks after 26 men were killed in an attack targeting Hindus in Pahalgam in Indian Kashmir. "Ever since the day terrorists attacked people in Pahalgam we have been shutting our shops very early and there was an uncertainty. I am happy that at least there will be no bloodshed on both sides," Satvir Singh Alhuwalia, 48, a shopkeeper in Amritsar told Reuters. Officials in Pakistan said there was some firing in Bhimber in Pakistani Kashmir overnight but nowhere else, and there were no casualties. The two countries, born out of British colonial rule in 1947, have gone to war three times - twice over the region of Kashmir. Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan both rule part of Kashmir but claim it in full. India blames Pakistan for an insurgency in its part of Kashmir that began in 1989 and has killed tens of thousands. It also blames Pakistani Islamist militant groups for attacks elsewhere in India. Pakistan says it provides only moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiri separatists. The combined death toll in the recent skirmishes has reached nearly 70, officials have said. "More than me, my family is happy because my children and wife have been calling me every hour to check on me. Thank God the ceasefire happened," Guruman Singh, a security guard in Amritsar told Reuters.
