VSK TN
When Chennai hearts melted for a brave Odisha kid
Over 200 persons, men women and kids , all hailing from Odisha and living in Chennai, happily celebrated ‘pana sankranti’ or ‘vishu pa sankranti’, as the Odisha new year is called, at the holy precincts of Sri Jagannath temple near the Defence Colony off Avadi, Chennai on April 14. Painting competition and cultural quiz were conducted for the kids and families respectively. The entire gathering listened attentively to a talk by an RSS worker who narrated a good news anecdote as follows: ” Tiki Dalai, the 6-year-old girl and her friend Basanti Dalai were bathing in Bankuala village in Kendrapara district of Odisha on April 4 when a crocodile that had sneaked into the pond attacked Basanti. Reacting quickly, Tiki picked up a bamboo stick and dealt a blow on animal’s head. The reptile that had caught Basanti in its jaws was jolted by the sudden attack, the girls’ relatives said. Basanti escaped with injuries in her hand. Tiki’s father Abhaya Dalai, a daily wage-earner, said he was proud of what his daughter has done. “She was named Tiki meaning small. But act of bravery has made her great,” Dalai said.” The brave Tiki caught the imagination of one and all. Then and there the brothers and sisters of Odisha decided to formally congratulate Tiki through a representation to Orisha Governor Smt Draupadi Murmu. Some in the new-year gathering expressed a desire to monetarily help families of Tiki and Basanti.
Chidambaram not in the same boat as Baalu?
Hereafter, speeches would be delivered only in Hindi by all dignitaries, including the President and ministers, if they can read and speak the language, mandates a recommendation of the Committee of Parliament on Official Languages that President Pranab Mukherjee has accepted last week. The idea to promote Hindi was that of a man from Karaikudi, P. Chidambaram to be precise, who presided over the Committee when he was the Home Minister. The Presidential decision comes six years after the committee made 117 recommendations on how to make Hindi more popular. Shri Mukherjee’s term ends in July and the next President could be making his speeches in Hindi alone. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Cabinet almost invariably speak in Hindi. Other recommendations accepted by Mukherjee include usage of Hindi on Air India tickets and having Hindi magazines and newspapers on board for passengers. Hope P. Chidambaram will not duck responsibility for his Hindi promotion as did former Central minister T.R.Baalu of DMK who, during his tenure, had ordered names of places in Hindi to be displayed on mile stones including in states like Tamilnadu and later went on his back foot when the fact was out.
Left gangs of Pondy Central Varsity snubbed by nationalist assertion
In 2016, the magazine of the Pondicherry Central University Students’ Council condemned the Centre by printing political expressions of the Left like “the democratic nation has turned into a fascist one” in one year. The university administration immediately issued a statement saying that it had no role in publishing the magazine. However, Union Territory Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi sought an explanation on how the varsity allowed the publication of such a magazine. That rendered the Left leaning gang among the students cornered. So, when ABVP in Pondicherry University invited BJP’s Tarun Vijay to participate in a function to commemorate the anniversary of Bharat Ratna B R Ambedkar on April 20, 2017 in the School of Management on the campus, SFI, AISF and ASA strongly objected to his visit under the pretext of opposing his alleged racist remarks. The university administration denied permission sensing trouble. But when ABVP threatened to stage a protest, the university granted permission for his programme. During the lecture programme, the Left gangs tried to disrupt it by shouting. They were promptly whisked away by the police. It was in this lecture that Tarun vijay said “Like red beacons, residual red politicos too will disappear soon”. At last, the changed varsity ambience has successfully knocked off the Left dominance thanks to the assertion of the nationalist section among the students led by ABVP.