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Doddaballapura: Festivals are an occasion when the artists let loose their creativity. While the Ganesh festival is known for the huge idols of Lord Ganesh, an artist is drawing attention for making idols that are just a little more than a centimetre long. Jyoti Shantaraju can create beautiful Ganesh idols in various shapes and sizes, with the miniature size bringing in a unique charm. The smallest idol made by her is just 1.2 cm in size, which she claims has found a place in the Universal Book of World Records. Hailing from Dwaralu village of Shira taluka of Tumkur district, Jyoti is a devotee of the art. Married and mother of three children, she currently lives in Batarayanapura in Bengaluru, where she trains children and enthusiasts in pottery. It was her thirst to create something unique in pottery that led her to initially make small-sized Ganesh idols from clay. She first made an idol measuring 2.2 cm that received the Karnataka Achiever Book of Records honour. In 2023, she attracted attention by making five musical Ganesh idols measuring just 2 cm each. The Dolu Ganapati, Veena Ganapati, Tabla Ganapati, Olaga Ganapati, and Harmonium Ganapati idols shaped by her hands also received the India Book of Records honour. After the centimetre Ganesha idol, she started making millimetre Ganesha idols. In this process, she made an idol measuring just 1.2 cm that was just the size of a drumstick flower.
GURGAON: The investigation into the murder of a 25-year-old former international tennis player, allegedly by her father, has revealed a sudden deterioration in their relationship. The apparent reason was a disagreement over the academy she ran near their house, but the roots clearly run deeper. The father, who claims to have spent Rs 2 crore on his daughter's tennis career, told interrogators he was troubled by questions about her "character" that some of his associates had raised.Deepak Yadav, who shot Radhika at their house Thursday morning, had allegedly been insisting for two weeks on her ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) As Tesla announced its foray into the Indian market on Tuesday, Liberty General Insurance and ACKO said they have become insurance partners for the American electric carmaker in India. Liberty General Insurance said it has developed a suite of finely tuned protection plans that complement Tesla's engineering and performance excellence while anticipating the distinct needs of EV users. Also Read | Ganeshotsav 2025: MSRTC To Run 5,000 Special Buses to Konkan From August 23 to September 7, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik Announces; Group Bookings Start July 22. "At Li ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 16 (ANI): The Indian government expressed regret on Tuesday over the reported demolition of the ancestral property of celebrated filmmaker and writer Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, Bangladesh and expressed its willingness to extend cooperation in its restoration. "We note with profound regret that the ancestral property of noted filmmaker and litterateur Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, belonging to his grandfather and eminent litterateur, Upendra Kishor Ray Chowdhury, is being demolished," the Ministry of External Affairs said. Also Read | India Urges Bangladesh ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Days after Russian woman Nina Kutina was taken into custody for living in a cave inside the forest near Gokarna with her two daughters, her ex-husband, an Israeli citizen, is demanding shared custody of their daughters."I just want to be able to see my daughters a few times a week and take care of them. My concern is that if they go to Russia now, it will be tougher to keep in touch with them. I wish they could stay in India," Goldstein said on Wednesday.Dror Goldstein, 38, who lives f ...Read More >
Hyderabad: Over 50,000 police personnel will be deployed to oversee the smooth immersion of nearly two lakh Ganesh idols on Saturday, marking the culmination of the 11-day Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, Telangana Director General of Police Jitender said. Elaborate security arrangements have been made in and around Hyderabad, with multiple departments coordinating to manage the immersion, officials added. "As many as 50,000 police will be deployed. Around two lakh Ganesh idols will be immersed," the DGP told PTI on Friday. Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand said all arrangements for the ...Read More >
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Monday sought three more weeks to finalise its policy on the immersion of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols, prompting the Bombay High Court to ask it not to delay further given the upcoming festival season. A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne was hearing a batch of petitions filed by Ganesh idol makers' associations challenging the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) guidelines that prohibited both the manufacture and immersion of PoP idols. Earlier this month, the High Court had permitted the manufacture and sale of such idol ...Read More >
Amritsar: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey from Jharkhand has claimed that Britain assisted India in executing the 1984 Operation Bluestar at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, stoking a new controversy.In a post on X on Monday, Dubey alleged that then PM Indira Gandhi "launched an attack on the Golden Temple in collaboration with Britain", with British Army officers present in Amritsar.He uploaded a classified British document, "Sikh Community", claiming that on Feb 23, 1984, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office mentioned in a letter that the Indian govt had sought British advice over a plan to remove Si ...Read More >
Coimbatore: It's that of the year when artists making Ganesh idols dot the city, displaying different types of idols that come in various sizes and colours. Artists making the idols said they were flooded with orders as Ganesh Chaturthi was around the corner.Ganesh Chaturthi will be celebrated across the country on August 27. The Hindu Munnani, BJP and other right-wing outfits usually celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in a grand manner in the city and rural areas. They have started visiting artists to place orders for Ganesh idols. Artists at Rajavalli Shanmugam Arts on Sundakkamuthur Road in the cit ...Read More >
Manoj Jarange declined the Maharashtra government's request to postpone the Maratha quota demonstration in Mumbai despite the Ganesh festival. He insisted on a 10% reservation for Marathas under the OBC category, threatening a peaceful march to Mumbai if the demand isn't met. Jarange emphasized the Marathas' dwindling patience and readiness for action, urging the government to grant their rights. The Maharashtra government's bid to dissuade Manoj Jarange from demonstrating in Mumbai seems to hav ...Read More >
Upcoming Stock Market Holiday: NSE and BSE will be closed on August 27, 2025, for Ganesh Chaturthi. Markets reopen August 28. Upcoming Stock Market Holiday: The Indian stock market -- including both the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) -- will remain closed on Wednesday, August 27, on account of Ganesh Chaturthi, one of the most cherished Hindu festivals marking the birth of Lord Ganesha. According to the official NSE trading holiday calendar, August 27 is designate ...Read More >
Mumbai, Aug 26 (PTI) The BJP has requested Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange to join discussions with the Maharashtra government and reconsider his plan to hold demonstrations in Mumbai during the Ganesh festival. Jarange has refused to relent even after an Officer on Special Duty from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's office met him in Antarwali Sarathi to conciliate him on Tuesday. He has been demanding that all Marathas be recognised as Kunbis -- an agrarian caste included in the OBC category -- which will make them eligible for reservations. The quota leader had announced he would s ...Read More >
New Delhi, Aug 28 (PTI) India's gains from importing discounted Russian oil are estimated to be just USD 2.5 billion per annum, significantly lower than the previously speculated range of USD 10-25 billion, a research report said on Thursday. Stopping Russian oil imports would force India, the world's third-largest oil importer and consumer, to rely on limited alternatives, potentially driving global crude prices up to USD 100 per barrel amid rising demand and tight supply. "Benefit from Russian oil imports is way less than exaggerated media numbers," brokerage CLSA said in a report. While ...Read More >
BENGALURU -- Police in India are trying to piece together the story of a Russian woman who was found living in a cave in the southern state of Karnataka with her two young daughters. Nina Kutina was rescued on 9 July by policemen who were on a routine patrol near Ramteertha hills in the Gokarna forest, which borders the tourist paradise of Goa. Authorities say the 40-year-old and her daughters - six and five years old - do not have valid documents to stay in India. They have been lodged in a detention centre for foreigners near Bengaluru, the state capital, and will be deported soon. Kutina ...Read More >
Ranchi: The ongoing monsoon, marked by above average downpour this year so far, is giving tough time to idol makers in the state capital ahead of the upcoming Ganesh puja later this month. With few days left for the festival, idol makers are running against time to ensure their creations take shape to meet the deadline.With moisture refusing to let the clay or paint settle, artisans have now resorted to an unusual but effective solution: fire sprays to dry their creations."For the eight-foot heavy idols, a full gas cylinder is consumed just in the drying process. The time varies depending on t ...Read More >
Mumbai: The number of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols being installed across the city has decreased significantly. While authorities are assessing the numbers, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) chairman Siddhesh Kadam, while speaking to TOI, confirmed the minimum 15% decrease in PoP idols. Ganesh mandals committee, on the other hand, pegged the reduction at 40%. Ganesh mandals said following Bombay high court guidelines and the subsequent BMC campaign to promote eco-friendly idols, not only households but also several public mandals have switched to shadu, pulp and fibre idols.The demand ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Former head of Air India and chairman of the Railway Board Ashwani Lohani is the new Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) director. The official order for his appointment was issued on Wednesday. A 1980-batch officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME), Lohani is known for turning around various organisations during his illustrious career. Following his retirement from IRSME service, he joined the GMR Group as the CEO. According to the order dated June 4, his appointment to the post of director, Prime Ministers Museum and Library in the rank and pa ...Read More >
MADURAI: Likening the custodial murder of Ajith Kumar in Tiruppuvanam to an 'organised crime by police where the state kills its own citizens,' Madras high court lambasted the Tamil Nadu police and said the action against the perpetrators should be more stringent than in normal murder cases.A division bench of Justice S M Subramaniam and Justice A D Maria Clete pointed to 44 external injuries on the person of Ajith Kumar and said no part of the body was spared by the delinquent cops. "Even an ordinary murderer would not have inflicted such kind of injuries," the bench said on Tuesday.The natur ...Read More >
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 9 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being conferred with Brazil highest national honour, The Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross. Adityanath called the award a proud moment for all Indians, describing it as a symbol of Bharat growing global stature. Congratulations to Hon. PM Shri @narendramodiJi on being conferred with Brazil highest national honour, The Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross, Adityanath wrote in a post on X. He further a ...Read More >
Fadnavis instructed the administration to take measures to ensure that devotees face no inconvenience during the festival, beginning August 27. "He also expressed the expectation that tableaux based on Operation Sindoor be dedicated to the soldiers," an official statement said. The chief minister instructed the grant of continuous five-year permissions to idol makers, similar to public Ganesh mandals. He said idol makers should renew these permits every year. They should also take advantage of ...Read More >
New Delhi: The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki has announced the rollout of its first made-in-India electric vehicle - the e-Vitara SUV - in a major boost to the green segment from its upgraded Gujarat plant, which is now set to become one of the world's largest automotive manufacturing hubs with a projected annual capacity of one million units. Crucially, this facility will serve as Suzuki's global production base for electric vehicles (EVs), exporting to over 100 countries, including advanced markets in Japan and Europe, which is aligned with India's vision of becoming a global aut ...Read More >
Hyderabad, Aug 28 (PTI) Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh objected to installation of a Ganesh idol that was allegedly resembling Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, even as it was removed and replaced with Lord Ganesha's idol. On the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, which began on Wednesday, the idol was installed by Congress leader Mettu Sai Kumar, Chairman of the Fisheries Federation of Telangana, at a pandal in the city under the limits of Habeebnagar Police Station. Raja Singh, in a letter addressed to Hyderabad Police Commissioner, said he came across the pandal where the Ganesh idol was ...Read More >
Pune: Police on Wednesday invoked stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) provisions against gangster Suryakant alias Bandu Andekar and 12 others named in the revenge killing of Ayush Komkar (18) in Nana Peth on Sept 5. So far, eight out the 13 accused have been arrested. Ayush was shot dead by two assailants in the basement parking of his building in Nana Peth to avenge his uncle and former NCP corporator Vanraj Andekar's murder on Sept 1, 2024, in which Ayush's father, Gane ...Read More >
Bareilly (UP), Jul 17 (PTI) A teacher from Bahedi district, who went viral recently after reciting a poem mentioning Kanwar Yatra, approached the police on Thursday stating a threat to his life from anti-social elements. A case has been registered at Bahedi police station based on a complaint from Dr Rajneesh Kumar Gangwar, a teacher at MGM Inter College in the district. According to Circle Officer Arun Kumar Singh, Gangwar's complaint says that ever since his recitation of the poem 'Tum Kanwad Lene Mat Jana, Gyaan Ka Deepak Jalaana' (You don't go get Kavad, light the lamp of knowledge inste ...Read More >
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Mumbai: Ganeshotsav, a festival with a rich 100-year tradition in Maharashtra, has now been accorded the status of a 'Rajya Mahotsav' (State Festival). From this year onwards, the Government of Maharashtra will directly participate in the celebrations and take steps to elevate the festival to national and international prominence. The detailed roadmap for this initiative was announced today in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly by Minister for Cultural Affairs, Adv. Ashish Shelar. In his state ...Read More >
Nagpur: The state government has banned the immersion of Lord Ganesh's Plaster of Paris (POP) idols in natural water bodies. A fresh set of guidelines, issued on August 1, introduces stricter norms. Under the new rules, all POP idols must carry a red circle painted on their back and be immersed only in artificial ponds.The norms aim to curb water pollution and promote eco-conscious rituals for a greener Ganeshotsav. "Every POP idol, big or small, must now have a painted red dot using oil paint. This mark will help citizens and authorities easily identify the material and ensure compliance with ...Read More >
Nagpur: The licences of eight Krishi Seva Kendras (agriculture service centres) have been suspended, and sales at two others were halted due to irregularities in the sale of chemical fertilisers -- urea and DAP. The action followed a probe conducted by the district agricultural superintendent.Inspections carried out by taluka-level quality control inspectors and flying squads revealed violations at several centres, including Om Ganesh, Rohit, Himanshu, Vaibhav, Mauli, and Shri Krishna Krishi Seva Kendras. Sources said the centres failed to provide satisfactory responses to the queries raised b ...Read More >
Bengaluru: For millions of people, the sudden, sharp pain of tooth due to sensitivity can turn a sip of cold water into a jolt. Now, researchers at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), in collaboration with Bengaluru-based deep-tech startup Theranautilus, have engineered "CalBots" - magnetic nanobots that can seal the problem at its source.As per IISc, CalBots are 400-nanometre particles loaded with a calcium silicate-based bioceramic formula, designed to travel 500 micrometres deep inside dentinal tubules, the tiny tunnels in the tooth that lead to nerve endings. Guided by an external magnetic ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 28 (ANI): On the first day of the 2025 Ganesh Chaturthi Festival, the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal began counting the donations received from devotees on Thursday. According to Treasurer Mangesh Dattaram Dalvi, 80 people have been assigned the duty of counting and informed that the previous year's donation of Rs 48 lakh was received from the devotees. Also Read | Patna Shocker: Class 5 Girl Found With Severe Burns in Washroom of Amla Tola Kanya Vidyalaya, Dies; Family Alleges Foul Play. "This is the first day's box. Now the counting is j ...Read More >
Mumbai, July 18: Ganeshotsav, a festival with a rich 100-year tradition in Maharashtra, has now been accorded the status of a 'Rajya Mahotsav' (State Festival). From this year onward, the government of Maharashtra will directly participate in the celebrations and take steps to elevate the festival to national and international prominence. The detailed roadmap for this initiative was announced on Friday in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly by Minister for Cultural Affairs Ashish Shelar. In his statement to the House, Minister Shelar said: "Maharashtra is a land rich in art, culture and tra ...Read More >
Jammu, Jul 18 (PTI) Senior officials of the Jammu and Kashmir government reviewed the arrangements for the smooth conduct of the 13-day-long Budha Amarnath pilgrimage in Poonch district that will begin on July 28. Deputy Inspector General of Police Tejinder Singh reviewed security in Poonch and stressed ensuring the safety of the devotees. "The first batch will depart from the Bhagwati Nagar basecamp in Jammu on July 28, moving towards the Mandi tehsil in Poonch in a regulated convoy amid full security arrangements," a spokesperson said. Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and Inspec ...Read More >