Bihari girl Shreyasi Singh has left a mark, literally, at Barry Buddon Shooting Centre in Glasgow on a sunny Sunday morning.

Shreyasi Singh exults during the women’s double trap shooting final at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, 
Scotland, on Sunday. (PTI) 

GLASGOW: Young markswoman Shreyasi Singh was the best performer of the day for India with her silver- medal winning feat even as shooter Mohammed Asab and weightlifter Punam Yadav added a bronze each to India's collection on the fourth day of competitions in the 20th Commonwealth Games

22 year-old Shreyasi Singh brought laurels to Bihar and the country as she clinched a silver medal in women's double trap event at the 20th Commonwealth Games (CWG) at Glasgow, Scotland, on Sunday.

Daughter of former Union minister late Digvijay Singh and former Banka MP Putul Devi, Shreyasi is probably the only sportsperson having roots in Bihar who's representing the country at the CWG this year. "We're all very happy and friends and family will be coming over to celebrate Shreyasi's success," her elder sister Mansi Singh told TOI over phone on Sunday evening. Delhi-born Shreyasi has done her schooling from Delhi Public School, R K Puram, and graduation from Hansraj College, Delhi.

Shreyasi, whose ancestral home is at village Gidhaur in Jamui district, was preparing for the event for the last six months and qualified in the trials in April. "She trained in Patiala and Italy for the CWG and her coaches have helped her a lot," Mansi said, adding Shreyasi shot 76 in the finals to finish second in the event at the Barry Buddon Shooting Range. She is accompanied by her mother Putul Devi and the duo will return to India on August 3.

The silver medallist's friends and relatives were not just praying for her success but also confident of her chances at the CWG. "She took up shooting in 2006 and forayed into professional trapshooting from 2007, after which she won gold medal in the junior single trap event in national shooting competition in 2008. Shreyasi is currently ranked 18 in the world-ranking in women's trap," Mansi told TOI. She had also reached the finals in the New Delhi CWG in 2010 but could not win.

Shreyasi shot down a total target of 92 to bag the silver, two shots behind gold winner Charlotte Kerwood of England. Another Englishwoman Rachel Parish won the bronze with 91 points, after a shoot-off with Cynthia Meyer of Canada.

A not-so-impressive first round of 22 points saw Shreyasi trailing at the third spot after the third and penultimate round but the Delhi shooter recovered some lost ground in the final round. to win the silver at the Barry Buddon Centre at Dundee near here.

With Kerwood, in whose name the Commonwealth Games record of 106 points (at 2006 Melbourne) stands, struggling in the final round, Shreyasi was in with a chance to go for a shoot-off for the gold but missed the double target twice to settle for the white metal. Shreyasi had rounds of 22, 24, 23, 23.

Bihar too, was proud of Shreyasi, said DGP P K Thakur, the ex-officio president of Bihar State Rifle Association. "She has not just brought laurels to the state but also carried on with the family tradition. I knew her father since the university days," Thakur told TOI, hoping that more talents will emerge from Bihar. Shreyasi's father late Digvijay Singh was the president of National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

Shreyasi will again aim for a medallion on Monday as she will represent the country in the women's single trap event at the Games.

Sports organisations also praised Shreyasi’s achievement. Bihar Players’ Association president Mritunjay Tiwari said: “The success and achievement of Shreyasi will boost the morale of sportsperson in Bihar. The state has talent but lacks government support.”

source : TOI

Menka Mishra opened a center named Interactive Autism Centre in the city.

She is a woman of grit and determination. An advocate of autism research and education, she is also the parent of a five-year-old autistic child.

Soon after the birth of her son, Menka Mishra realized he was unlike a normal child. Her husband Prakash Mishra, a doctor (rehabilitation medicine expert), also realized that their child was different and needed special care. It was actually around age 3 when he started reacting poorly to other kids around him. He was bothered by the noise, wouldn't play on the playground and had problems with certain activities. He was also poor in eye contact, resistant to new clothes and had poor gross motor skills.

"I started with his paediatrician and progressed quickly to an occupational therapist, who diagnosed him with sensory integration disorder, and a physical therapist who diagnosed him with hypotonia (low muscle tone) and delayed gross motor skills. He has been in one therapy or another since then. In fact, I travelled right from Mumbai to Bangalore for treatment of my child and then slowly learnt the skills of how to groom an autistic child," says Menka.

"My son's autism inspired me to help and groom other autistic children, especially those coming from the underprivileged section of society free of cost. Soon I opened a centre named Interactive Autism Centre in the city for such kids with the active support of my husband. Initially, there were six kids. But now I groom 24 autistic children who come from different strata of society," she added.

Financially, I had to face many challenges, but with the active support of my husband and some of the parents I managed to overcome all the hurdles, said Menka. She also has six experienced trainers trained in various aspects like speech therapy, occupational therapy, sensory integration therapy and pre-skill learning therapy.

When asked which parental qualities work best with an autistic child, she quickly said that acceptance is the most important quality that parents of an autistic child need to have.

Early detection and intervention has a positive impact on children with autism. Unfortunately, there is still very little awareness about autism in our society. Similarly, there are very few places where these children can be managed, she sad.

"Learn as much as possible about autism and the different kinds of treatments, so you can see what works for your child. Make sure that the school is able to provide appropriate education. Parents must be their child's advocate in this area. I would advise families to use whatever funds are available to them to get care at home. One-on-one attention for autistic children not only helps them progress, but also gives family members a break," said Dr Prakash Mishra.





















source :TOI

Astro - Tourism will be Develop very soon In BIHAR.

The state government has formulated an 'Astro-Tourism Project' to preserve and develop the historical locations associated with renowned astronomer and mathematician Aryabhata, namely Khagaul, Taregna and Taregna Top, barely 35km from Patna.

Replying to a question of Neeraj Kumar (JD-U) and Harendra Prasad Pandey (BJP), science and technology minister Shahid Ali Khan informed the legislative council that the department was looking for a consultant for developing a master plan for this project. An expert team of Kolkata has also been contacted to make a blueprint of this project, he said.

Under the project, a museum, research centre and observatory will be set up. These would showcase various concepts, theories and models formulated by Aryabhata. One of the locations will be equipped with facilities and latest equipments to facilitate further studies in the field of astronomy, he said.

Aryabhata, incidentally, was born in Pataliputra (then Kusumpur) in AD 476, and at the age of 23 wrote his monumental work 'Aryabhatiyam'.

Taregna (meaning calculating stars) village had suddenly come alive with scientists, students and urban enthusiasts flocking it to view the total solar eclipse on July 20, 2009. In 2009, the then CM, Nitish Kumar, had announced to develop this region as an astro-tourism circuit.

Light & sound show: Minister of art and culture Vinay Bihari on Friday said the government was ready to start a light and sound show on the life and times of Mahatma Gandhi at Motihari in East Champaran district. He was replying to a question of Satish Kumar (JD-U).

The minister said the government had given Rs 1.50 crore in the last financial year to a registered society, headed by East Champaran DM, to protect and preserve the places associated with Gandhiji and his personal belongings. The government would be happy to provide additional amount, if required, he said.

Stadiums in blocks: Sports minister Vinay Bihari said in the council the government would construct a stadium at each of the 534 block headquarters, of which 77 have been completed. Replying to a question of Ram Chandra Bharati (BJP), he said funds had been sanctioned to construct an additional 202 stadiums in block headquarters.

Fake degrees: Education minister Brishen Patel on Friday said 1,000 school teachers in different parts of the state were found to have been appointed on the basis of fake degrees. He was replying to a question of Sanjay Prasad (RJD). Intervening during the minister's reply, leader of opposition in the council Sushil Kumar Modi sought to know how many FIRs were lodged against the erring officials.

source :TOI

Bihar Got Six new trains in Rail Budget 2014-2015.

      

Unlike the earlier years, the rail budget 2014-2015 has failed to enthuse people of Bihar which has given the maximum number of railway ministers namely Jagjiwan Ram, Ram Subhag Singh, L N Mishra, Kedar Pandey, Ram Vilas Paswan, Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad and Digvijay Singh (minister of state). The funds allocation for Bihar projects is also all-time low.

In the name of new trains, Bihar has got four Jansadharan Express proposed to be run on Darbhanga-Ahmedabad, Jayanagar-Mumbai, Saharsa-Anand Vihar (Delhi) and Saharsa-Amritsar routes. New weekly trains on the Patna-Ahmedabad and Chhapra-Lucknow routes have also been announced. Besides, Anand Vihar-Sasaram Garib Rath has been extended up to Gaya. Otherwise, Bihar has got nothing in this rail budget.

The state used to get a bundle of new trains during the period of former railway ministers Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad. Lalu had once given about 27 new trains to Bihar. During his tenure, Bihar had got all major railway factories, except for coach manufacturing. Railway projects worth over Rs 35,000 crore were allocated to Bihar during Lalu's period.

In 1996-97, the then railway minister, Ram Vilas Paswan, had introduced Hajipur railway zone while ECR was created during Nitish's regime. He was also instrumental in modernizing railways. Funds for safety were also raised during his tenure. The superfast Sampoorna Kranti Express was his brain child whereas AC Garib Rath was Lalu's baby as a gift to common people to travel in AC. During the past 10 to 12 years, rail budget was known as Bihar's budget in railway parlance. But now Bihar is no more the main beneficiary.

Patna Junction has not been given any superfast train for Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. About one lakh passengers travel daily from Patna Junction to different destinations. Yet, Patna was denied any Duronto or Premium train. This rail budget is also silent on the issue of starting electric loco manufacturing factory at Madhepura and diesel loco manufacturing factory at Marhaura in Saran district. More funds were expected to complete Digha-Sonepur rail-cum-road bridge, but it is not even mentioned.

source : TOI

The Supreme Court ruling on imposing Section 498A without investigation has come as a great relief for many a husband and even senior citizens.

The relatives of Awadhesh Pathak, a retired schoolteacher, felt elated after coming to know about the Supreme Court guidelines on Wednesday. Pathak, 67, was arrested and lodged in the Barh sub-divisional jail about three months ago after his daughter-in-law Ragini (27) accused him along with seven other members of the family of harassing her for dowry.

The apex court’s ruling has restrained the police from mechanically arresting the accused merely on the basis of lodging of complaints under Section 498A (harassing women for dowry) of the IPC.

Pathak’s relatives have been running from pillar to post to secure bail for the retired teacher and his 62-year-old wife Sunita Devi. The couple, originally hailing from Mahua in Vaishali district, had settled in Patna after their son Manoj Kumar, a software engineer, got a job in a telecommunication company. Manoj was married to Rajini, daughter of an engineer of Barh, about three years ago.

Ragini lodged a complaint with the Barh police station accusing her husband, in-laws, their two married daughters and their husbands. The police conducted a raid at their rented accommodation at Rajeev Nagar in April this year and took Pathak and his wife into custody. The couple were booked under Section 498A of the IPC and Section 3/4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.

Pathak’s daughter Anamika, whose name also figured in the FIR, said she and her husband had nothing to do with the case but they have been accused of harassing Ragini for more dowry. “We don’t stay in Patna and have not visited my parents’ house after my brother’s wedding. How can we torture her?” she said.

Pathak’s bail petition was rejected from the sub-divisional court and is pending with the high court. “Now it’s our turn to seek bail. Our anticipatory bail has already been rejected,” she said.

Pathak’s son, Manoj had to lose job as he was behind bars for six months.

The story of Shivaji Pandey, a retired engineer of the irrigation department, is more pathetic. Pandey, a resident of Ashiana Nagar, was recently arrested with his wife by a Delhi police team. The couple were charged with harassing their daughter-in-law, Meenaxi. She lodged a complaint against her husband Vivek and other relatives under Section 498A of the IPC.

The couple had to spend about two weeks in a high security jail in Delhi despite the fact that their daughter-in-law had hardly stayed with them in Patna. “Vivek, a software engineer, is working with a telecommunication company in US. He used to send money from there. Yet he has been made accused in the case,” a close relative of Pandey said.

The relative, who requested anonymity, said the couple would hardly forget the humiliation they had to face in the court.

The complainant’s relative is an IPS officer, who allegedly used his influence to get the couple arrested at the earliest. The marriage of Meenaxi was solemnised in 2006.

The family members of Sudarshan Mahto, who too are facing dowry charges, are all praise for the Supreme Court for issuing new guidelines. “We hope that the court would grant bail to us in the wake of the recent directive of the apex court. A complaint has been lodged against Mahto, an employee of a nationalised bank, with the Bihta police station,” he added.

source :THE TELEGRAPH

'Biharism' Anti feature film Made by Bihari.

Engineer Vishnu Sharma shifts to Delhi where he has got a job, and is treated with the worst form of contempt just because he is a native of Bihar. Frustrated, he returns home in a huff and decides not to confide even in his parents.
Impatto Films' feature film 'Biharism' depicts the issue of discrimination against Biharis in different states and metros of the country. Protagonist Vishnu eventually chooses to fight back when his sister too is subjected to the same ignominy.

"The movies will establish a quick connect with every such Bihari, and there are scores of them, who has faced tough times outside the state and was humiliated in one or another manner," said Jai Singh Rathore, the lead actor in the movie, while addressing a press meet here on Thursday. The anti-Biharism leaves such a strong impact on the psyche of the protagonist that he starts believing that his country does not want him in.

Written and directed by Rajesh Udhwani, a Rajasthan native and Rathore's college mate in Delhi, the movie "seeks to portray the problem without diluting the truth". "We are not branding Biharis as the ones with golden hearts, but we have attempted to show that Biharis are not even what others believe and, at the end of the day, they are also Indians like other Indians," said Rathore.

The movie cast includes 22 artistes and almost all of them belong to Bihar. Vishnu's love interest, Jyoti, is played by Bihari girl Shreya Vinod and his sister Parul is played by Shanti Priya, a professional theatre actor from Kalidas Rangalay in Patna. Jobless Vishnu is offered a lucrative job in Delhi by his friend Deepu. Deepu is played by Yuvraj Kumar.

Other actors include Pranav Kumar, Mrigank and Barun Sharma, all from Patna. Though the 85-minute was canned after shoots in Patna and Delhi for 25 days, it took three months to complete it. The film's DVDs will be releasing internationally on July 7. However, it won't hit the big screens due to financial constraints. "We cannot afford to release it on big screen as every penny invested in making of the film was either our pocket money or salary," said Rathore, who was into making documentary and short movies before conceptualizing ?Biharism'. The film has been given ?A' certification from the censor board.

The music of the movie, produced by Jairaj Alani, has been composed by Saurabh Verma and Dhanesh Raj and edited by Sanjeev Sharma.

source TOI