Dances of Punjab : Jhumar

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Jhoomer is the liveliest music and dance form that originated in the Punjab region in Pakistan, mainly in Balochistan (Pakistan) & Sandalbar areas. It is slower and more rhythmic form of bhangra. Jhumar comes from Jhum – which means swaying. The songs evoke a quality which reminds of swaying. Though the content of these songs is varied- they are usually love with emotional songs too. The Jhummar is a dance of ecstasy.

Jhumar is a folk dance performed during the harvest season in Punjab. It is a living demonstration of the happiness of men. The dance is mostly performed by the tribal Sikh (like Labanas) professional acrobats and has yet not been taken to heart by all Punjabis.

Originally a Baluchi tribal dance which was carried to India by traders. It has become very much a part of Punjab folk heritage. It is a dance of graceful gait, based on specific Jhumar rhythm. The Jhummar is a dance of ecstasy. It is a living testimony of the happiness of men. Any time is Jhummar time especially during Melas, weddings and other major functions and celebrations. Performed almost exclusively by men, it is a common sight to see three generations – father, son and grandson – dancing all together. There are three main types of jhummar, each of which has a different mood, and is therefore suited to different occasions.

Jhoomer at International Dance Fastival at Kullu
The costumes are the same as that of the Bhangra. It is danced to the tune of emotional songs without any acrobatics. The dancers dance around a single drummer who stands in the center. The movement of the arms only is considered the dance’s main forte. The dancers’ feet are moved forwards and then backwards, in unison, while turning to the left and to the right to the beat of the singers and drummer, sometimes the dancers place their left hand below their ribs on their left hip as they gesticulate with their raised right hands while circling the drummer in a wide circle keeping up a soft, sibilant chorus as they dance. From time to time a soloist will move toward the center of the circle and showcase his skills. Or two or three dancers will move to the center and mimic planting seeds – bending forward and then straightening up and throwing their left arm in an arc over their head and in the next move they mime thrashing grain, The dancers of this dance let-off a sound, “chzi chzi” (which sounds very much like a tamborine being shaken) in tune with the beat of the dance which adds to its grace. This dance has also been integrated into Bhangra.

This dance does not tire out its performers and it is normally danced on moonlit nights in the villages away from the houses and homes. Today it is danced mostly by tribal Sikh professional acrobats having not yet being adopted by all Punjabis.

Dances Of Punjab : Luddi

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Luddi Folk Dance

Luddi Dance

This is also a male dance of Punjab. It is danced to celebrate a victory in any field. Usually performed by the males in the folk culture, the Luddi dance is performed as a celebratory dance that celebrates victory of any Punjabi in any field. The dance movements in this dance form are slow and are often integrated with the traditional Bhangra.

Though these are performed at all auspicious events, the highlight of this dance is that it is performed in all events in a marriage, like baraat, mehendi etc. Being a very high energy, and high enthusiastic dance performance, this just takes the crowd around to the bliss of happiness. Ludi dance is also performed when people want to celebrate their victory – in sports or life and also at times of certain festivals, like the beginning of the harvest season.

The Punjabis celebrate their success with the ludi dance and there is no gender difference as they have a good time at a round of this dance. Though the Punjabis are generally very famous for their colorful dress materials, Ludi in particular has no dress format. A loose top or shirt is sometimes just the dress of that the Ludi dancers wear. The loose dressing pattern just goes to prove that there are no hard and fast rules and it is just about enjoyment of the dance.

While the dance is definitely fast and entertaining, on careful watch, we can see a very rhythmic pattern to it. It is lithe and supple and very graceful and a treat to the eyes to watch this dance. So, the more professional the dancer is the more graceful the Ludi dance turns out to be. We can see a very snake like systematic movement all through the dance.

There are groups of people who participate in this dance and the main attraction is the specific head movements that they practice. So in Punjabi marriage functions like the arrival of the groom’s group or in the bride’s party where the mehendi functions happen, it is very likely that there will be a Ludi performance going on. Every time there is happiness and celebration, then there will be a group of Punjabis doing the Ludi dance as well.

Apart from the head movements, we can also see another important style – this time with respect to their positioning of the hands. Very different yet agile – one hand is placed on the back and the other hand comes in front of their faces. This is a very different and very unambiguous style of Ludi and gives it so much grace and vibrancy at the same time.

We can also see a drummer amidst all the Ludi dancers. When the group of dancers is performing, there is a drummer in the middle of the group – who gives the necessary energy and drum beats for the exciting and rapid dance. In a way these drum beats also give us a feel that the entire Ludi dance is based on this drum beat of the drummer, making it more aligned and rhythmic. The dancers generally dance as pairs. This a beauty of the Punjabi culture, where in every woman in encouraged to dance with her man – quite unlike other patterns of any folk dance form.
In an attempt of copying the movement of a snake, the performers keep one hand on the face and the other on their backs. The dance is often accompanied in the traditional form by a drummer who is usually in the centre and is rarely used as a part of the core dance itself. Across Sutlej, this is a fairly popular dance from Punjab, much more popular than Bhangra. The dance also boasts of a huge historical background and refers to a historical moment in the journey when the Punjabi Sardars began the rescue of the women of India who were forced to sell their bodies in the markets of Basra.
The costumes of the dance form are fairly simple. A Loincloth is usually the main thing that is worn by an exaggerated Kurta. Another accessory that is often used by men is the traditional Turban and the Patka. This dance is performed majorly by the men of Punjab.

Pregnant goat dies after being gang-raped by 8 men in Haryana

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Aslu, owner of the goat courtesy ANI

 

Mewat (Haryana) [India], July 29 (ANI): A complaint has been registered against eight men in Haryana‘s Mewat district for allegedly gang-raping a pregnant goat, who later died.
The incident took place on the night of July 25 while the complaint was filed the next day in Mewat‘s Nagina police station.
“One person, Aslu registered a complaint on July 26 that his goat was gang-raped on the night of July 25 by Savakar, Haroon, Jaffar and five others whose identities are yet to be ascertained. All the accused are currently absconding,” said Nagina police station in charge (SI) Rajbir Singh.
Meanwhile, the owner of the goat, Aslu said: “They took my goat to an old home in the evening. One of the accused is mental. When I told them that I will file a complaint against them, they said you can do anything that you want, we will continue to do this. They don’t fear getting jailed as they claim to having contacts with big people.”
A medical of the goat will soon be conducted after which the police will take an action against those accused.

 

News Curtsy ANI 

Home » Science Average sea levels may rise by up to 30 ft on global warming, says study

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The sea level along India’s long coastline of nearly 7,516km is rising at an average 1.6-1.7 mm a year, show studies

New Delhi:

 Average sea levels may rise by up to 30 feet around the world if humans continue to burn fossil and fuels causing temperatures to breach the threshold of 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in the next few thousand years, says new research.

The Paris Agreement requires countries to limit their carbon emissions to keep the overall warming of Earth to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

With over a billion people living in coastal zones around the world, the impact of rising sea levels on human population along the coast could be larger than expected, especially in poor and developing countries, where millions are directly or indirectly depended on the oceans for their livelihood.

Demonstrating the co-relation between the cumulative carbon emissions and future sea-levels over time, the new study published in Nature Climate Change also raises concerns over the impending economic losses in the world’s largest coastal cities due to coastal flooding.

“The sea level rise we have seen thus far is just the tip of a very large iceberg. The big question is whether we can stabilize the system and find new energy sources. If not, we are on the way to a slow-motion catastrophe,” said co-author of the study Alan Mix from Oregon State University.

Researchers highlight that at present, over 10 billion tonnes of carbon is being emitted globally, which would mean that the 2-degree threshold would probably be reached within next 60 years.

According to oceanographers, among South-Asian countries, Bangladesh is most-vulnerable, but India with its vast coastline of nearly 7,516 km on the east and west also needs to be proactive, considering the vast numbers of people who are dependent on the oceans for their livelihood.

According to studies conducted, the sea-level is rising at an average rate of 1.6-1.7 mm per year along the Indian coast, but it is not uniform.

“It varies from 5mm in Sunderbans to less than a 1 mm per year in some of the areas in the west coast. Sunderbans are most vulnerable, not only because its low-lying, but also because the land is also sinking,” said S C Shenoi, director, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad.

Scientists and researchers have prepared a vulnerability index of the entire coast of India, which not only covers threats due to sea level rise but also Tsunamis.

“Rising sea levels have not really alarmed people yet because their response time is much longer than temperature. Smart countries will use that to their advantage and begin adaptation strategies over time,” said Peter Clark, lead author from Oregon State University, emphasizing the need to consider the rise in sea levels as important factor while making future policy decisions on limiting carbon emissions.

“The sea levels are the highest ever globally. Though it is expected to rise by less than a metre by the end of this century, but even that is crucial, especially for India where places like Mumbai, could face consequences as happened in 2005,” said S W A Naqvi, former director, National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa.

However, Naqvi highlights that the climate change will not just lead to rise in sea-levels, but is set to affect storminess in the seas, which is a significant concern. “Most importantly, it is not just the rise in sea levels, but when coupled with storm surges, rising tides which can cause maximum damage in terms of inundation of low-lying areas. There are areas which are not very high above the sea level, which are at maximum risk,” he said.

Researchers point to the urgent need to prepare the coastal cities for the looming threat, especially considering the important role they play in powering the country’s economy. According to researchers, global economic losses from flooding in 2005 in the world’s largest coastal cities had reached $6 billion, which is estimated to grow to $1 trillion by 2050.

A recent study conducted by researchers from Indian institute of Technology Bombay, ‘Effect of climate change on shoreline shifts at a straight and continuous coast’, throws light on these concerns, while analysing the impacts of climate change on India’s coasts in terms of coastal sediment transport, shoreline erosion and overall coastal vulnerability. The study takes into consideration the coast of Udupi in Karnataka along India’s western coastline which is one of the rapidly changing coastal stretches, and highlights that the effects of climate change could be worse than expected in terms of erosion along the coastline. “In future, higher waves may occur more frequently with corresponding reduction in the frequency of lower waves,” states the research paper.

According to the research, recent analysis of satellite images indicates that the shoreline under consideration is undergoing continuous erosion with an annual average rate of 1.46 m/yr, that the trend of significant erosion noticed in the past will continue in the future as well and that such rate over the next 35 years would go up to 2.21 m/yr. This could be because of the increase in wave forcing in future.

“There are definitely going to be effects on storms due to climate change. We are now focussing on gathering more data and constructing models which can give us accurate projections of estimate sea level rise along the Indian coast. The aim is to prepare maps which can show how much land we will lose. The topography is very important to make that assessment and we are working on that,” added Shenoi.

Scientists are also concerned about the fact that the Indian ocean is warming up faster than other oceans. The increased heat content can fuel stronger storms along the coasts, which could be drastic and more areas can face the risk of inundation. Higher waves could occur more frequently.

Even as sea level rise takes a lot longer to respond to global warming, researchers emphasize that the most evident impact could be expected on the coastlines and countries should take that into consideration during policymaking on climate change to safeguard their coasts.

“Keeping sea level rise to 3-9 meters or roughly 10 to 30 feet over several thousand years is likely too optimistic unless society finds ways to quickly reach zero emissions and lower the CO2 in the atmosphere,” says the research paper published in Nature Climate Change.

“We now know how much more carbon we can emit to keep below a certain temperature. One way to begin looking at it from a policy standpoint is to ask the question, ‘how much sea level rise can we tolerate?’” Clark said.

Massive Lake found under Martian Ice

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A study published Wednesday in the journal Science suggests a huge lake of salty water appears

Located under a layer of Martian ice, the lake is about 12 miles wide, said the report led by Italian researchers in the US journal ‘Science’

Tampa: A massive underground lake has been detected for the first time on Mars, raising the possibility that more water—and maybe even life—exists there, international astronomers said Wednesday. Located under a layer of Martian ice, the lake is about 12 miles (20 kilometers) wide, said the report led by Italian researchers in the US journal Science. It is the largest body of liquid water ever found on the Red Planet.

“This is a stunning result that suggests water on Mars is not a temporary trickle like previous discoveries but a persistent body of water that provides the conditions for life for extended periods of time,” said Alan Duffy, an associate professor at Swinburne University in Australia, who was not involved in the study.

Mars is now cold, barren and dry but used to be warm and wet. It was home to plenty of liquid water and lakes at least 3.6 billion years ago.

Scientists are eager to find signs of contemporary water, because such discoveries are key to unlocking the mystery of whether life ever formed on Mars in its ancient past, or if it might persist today.

Being able to access water sources could also help humans survive on a future crewed mission to Earth’s neighbouring planet.

This particular lake, however, would not be drinkable, and lies almost a mile deep (1.5 kilometers) beneath the icy surface in a harsh and frigid environment.

Whether microbial forms of life lie within is a matter of debate.

Some experts are sceptical of the possibility since the Mars water lake is so cold and briny, and mixed with a heavy dose of dissolved Martian salts and minerals.

The temperature is likely below the freezing point of pure water, but can remain liquid due to the presence of magnesium, calcium, and sodium.

“This is a discovery of extraordinary significance, and is bound to heighten speculation about the presence of living organisms on the Red Planet,” said Fred Watson, of the Australian Astronomical Observatory.

“Caution needs to be exercised, however, as the concentration of salts needed to keep the water liquid could be fatal for any microbial life similar to Earth’s,” added Watson, who was not involved in the research.

The discovery was made using radar instruments on board the European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter, which launched in 2003.

The tool is called the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS), and was designed to find subsurface water by sending radar pulses that penetrate the surface and ice caps. MARSIS “then measures how the radio waves propagate and reflect back to the spacecraft,” said the study.

These reflections “provide scientists with information about what lies beneath the surface.”

Lead author Roberto Orosei of the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica in Bologna, Italy surveyed a region called Planum Australe, located in the southern ice cap of Mars, from May 2012 until December 2015.

A total of 29 sets of radar samplings showed a “very sharp change in its associated radar signal”, allowing scientists to map the outlines of the Mars water lake.

“The radar profile of this area is similar to that of lakes of liquid water found beneath the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets on Earth, suggesting that there is a subglacial lake at this location on Mars,” said the report.

“This is the first body of water it has detected, so it is very exciting,” David Stillman, a senior research scientist in the Department of Space Studies at Southwest Research Institute in Texas, told AFP in an email.

However, Stillman, who was not involved in the research, said another spacecraft, or other instruments, need to be able to confirm the discovery.

He noted that a higher-frequency radar instrument made by the Italian space agency, SHARAD, on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launched in 2005, has been unable to detect subsurface water.

“It is strange that SHARAD cannot confirm this discovery. In fact, SHARAD cannot penetrate through the ice here and no one understands why it can’t,” Stillman said.

“This suggests that something strange is going on here. Thus, I’m sceptical about this discovery.”

But researchers are excited about the potential for future finds, because if liquid water could be found at Mars’ south pole, it might be elsewhere too.

“There’s nothing special about this location other than the MARSIS radar on the Mars Express spacecraft is most sensitive to that region meaning there are likely similar water deposits below the ground all across Mars,” said Duffy.

Gold prices recovered

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Gold prices recovered by ₹40 rises to ₹30,780 per 10 grams at the Delhi bullion market on Saturday, taking positive leads from global market amid fresh buying by local jewellers

New Delhi:

Gold prices recovered by ₹40 rises to ₹30,780 per 10 grams at the Delhi bullion market on Saturday, taking positive leads from global market amid fresh buying by local jewellers.

Marketmen said firm global cues where gold inched up as the US dollar slid lower after strong US economic growth data while concerns remain about trade tensions between the US and Europe, attributed the recovery in gold prices, the agency reported.

Globally, gold rose by 0.07% to $1,223.20 an ounce and silver by 0.75% to $ 15.47 an ounce in New York in yesterday’s trade. In addition, pick-up in buying by local jewellers at domestic spot market also supported the upmove, they said.

In the national capital, gold of 99.9% and 99.5% purity bounced back by ₹40 each to ₹30,780 and ₹30,630 per 10 grams, respectively. It had lost ₹190 in yesterday’s trade. Sovereign, however, remained unaltered at ₹24,700 per piece of eight grams in scattered deals.

Tracking gold, silver ready also recovered by ₹25 to ₹39,225 per kg and weekly-based delivery by ₹130 to ₹38,325 per kg. On the other hand, silver coins continued to be traded at previous level of ₹74,000 for buying and ₹75,000 for selling of 100 pieces.

The Indian rupee on Friday climbed to a two-week high of 68.53 before closing almost flat at 68.65 against the US currency in a roller coaster trading session even as stocks continued their bullish ascent.

The rupee gained just one paisa to end at a fresh one-week high of 68.65 at interbank foreign exchange market here as month-end dollar demand from oil importers trimmed its early sharp gains. The rupee oscillated between a high of 68.53 and a low of 68.76 in day trade. Expectations of buoyant capital inflows along with likely initial public offering-related inflows predominantly outweighed impact of broad overnight dollar gains, helping the rupee touch a two-week high in early trade.

Indian markets extended their gains for the sixth consecutive session, hitting fresh record highs on Friday. Both the benchmark indices gained nearly 1% at closing while the Sensex ended above the 37,000-mark for the first time.

BSE Sensex closed higher closed at 37,336.85, up 352.21 points or 0.95%, while the National Stock Exchange’s 50-share Nifty ended at 11,278.35, up 111.05 points, or 0.99%. The Sensex jumped more than 5.4% in July, poised for its best month since January.

Among its Asian peers, the benchmark Sensex is still one of the best performers, besides the Nikkei. In dollar terms, the Sensex is up 1.91%, while the Nikkei is up 1.05% in this year so far.

Mehbooba Mufti advised PM Modi to hold Imran Khan’s ‘hand of friendship’

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Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti waves at party workers and supporters during a programme organised on the party’s 19th Foundation Day, in Srinagar on July 28, 2018

Speaking on the 19th foundation day of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mufti said that the “Centre should respond positively to the peace talks offer made by Imran Khan”.

Jammu-Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti wants Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accept the “hand of friendship” extended by Pakistani PM-in-waiting Imran Khan to end the cycle of violence in her state.

Speaking on the 19th foundation day of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mufti said that the “Centre should respond positively to the peace talks offer made by Imran Khan”.

“I appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A new government will be formed in Pakistan and there will be a new prime minister, who has extended a hand of friendship towards India. He (Khan) spoke of dialogue. He (Modi) should respond to it positively,” Mufti said referring to the first public address of the cricketer-turned politician in which he said that he will be willing to take “two steps if India takes one” for the sake of peace.

“It is my request that he (Modi) should grab the opportunity and respond positively to the offer of friendship by Imran Khan,” Mufti said at the rally held in Srinagar.

Khan, whose party emerged as the single largest in the recently concluded general elections in Pakistan,  said that he is ready to improve its ties with India and his government would like the leaders of the two sides to resolve all disputes, including the “core issue” of Kashmir, through talks.

In her address, Mufti reminded PM Modi of the actions of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee whose “statesmanship” led to peace between India and Pakistan at the border.

“Elections come and go. (Then Prime Minister) A B Vajpayee extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan and also entered a ceasefire on the borders. This is statesmanship, such leaders do not think about elections but about the people. Jammu and Kashmir is the biggest challenge for the PMs of our country…,” Mufti said.

She said the prime minister who resolves the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and ends bloodshed in the state will have his name written in “golden letters” in the history.

At the same time, Mufti said that Hurriyat leaders arrested by NIA on Eid should be released if the government wanted to bring the separatist leaders on the table for a dialogue.

Mufti claimed that she was not allowed to work peacefully since 8 July 2016, when her party joined hands with BJP to form a government in the state.

“Forming an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was like taking poison out of compulsion. But we took that decision in the larger interest of the state and the country,” she said.

She said she had taken two months to decide whether or not she would continue the alliance because “politics for me had begun with my father and I had decided to end my political career with his death”.

“It was because of continued persuasion by my party workers that I finally agreed to head the coalition government,” she added.

PDP leaders skip rally

Six rebel legislators from the PDP skipped the rally that was organised to mark the day in Srinagar. A dissident leader Abdul Majeed Paddar claiming his faction as the real PDP organised a parallel rally in Kulgam in south Kashmir.

The six legislators conspicuously absent from Mehbooba’s rally were Haseeb Drabu, whom she had sacked as finance minister, Imran Reza Ansari, Majeed Padroo, Abid Ansari, Abbas Wani and Javeed Baig.

The rebels appear to have not reconciled even after Mehbooba’s maternal uncle Sartaj Madni quit his position of vice-president of the party.

Amendment to CrPC has been proposed for NRI marriage issue: Maneka

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Union Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Maneka Gandhi

The problem of women being abandoned in NRI marriages is a grave issue and the government of India has taken steps to provide coordinated support to women facing problems in their marriage to NRIs

Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Friday said that amendment to Code of Criminal Procedure has been proposed for better tackling of issues related to NRI men abandoning wives in India and absconding.

“Amendment to CrPC has also been proposed, wherein in case an erring spouse does not appear after the summons has been uploaded, he will be declared a proclaimed offender,” she tweeted after she attended a seminar on “NRI marriages and trafficking of women and children” here.

“The problem of women being abandoned in NRI marriages is a grave issue. For the first time, the government of India is providing coordinated support to women facing problems in their marriage to NRIs,” she wrote.

Gandhi also said that based on the recommendations by NCW, the Integrated Nodal Agency (INA) has been issuing Look-Out Circulars (LoCs) to absconding husbands in cases of NRI Marriages.

“Till now, 6 LoCs have been issued. MEA has also revoked passports of erring husbands,” she said.

Imran Khan is the ideal puppet, he will follow Army line: Reham Khan

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Journalist and ex-wife of Imran Khan, Reham Khan

Journalist and ex-wife of the Pakistani Prime Ministerial-hopeful says the plot to put him in power was hatched two or three years ago

Calling Imran Khan an “ideal puppet” of the military establishment in Pakistan, ex-wife Reham Khan alleged that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief had benefited from “rigged” elections. In an interview to The Hindu over the telephone from London, Ms. Khan said Mr. Khan would carry out foreign policy, including with India, according to the wishes of the military if he becomes Prime Minister, as he is expected to do after his party won 115 of the 272 seats in the elections held in Pakistan on July 25.

In her book about Mr. Khan, Ms. Khan has pulled no punches, portraying the former cricketer as a libertarian, unstable and power-hungry politician. Rejecting calls to tone down her criticism of Mr. Khan, and unfavourable comparisons to his first wife, British heiress Jemima, who congratulated Mr. Khan on Twitter, Ms. Khan, said she refused to “justify the indefensible”.

What is your reaction to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) performance in the elections, and especially Imran Khan’s success in all five constituencies he contested?

I knew that this would be the result. But I also knew that if elections were fair and free, there is no chance he would have won.

It is impossible that the party did well in so many places, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), where the PTI government was unpopular. In other places like Lahore and Karachi, what is unbelievable is that serious and experienced candidates have been defeated by unknown novices from the PTI.

You have called Imran Khan the military’s candidate … but surely all candidates who come to power in Pakistan have the military’s blessings?

Absolutely. If you remember, in 2013, Imran Khan said that Nawaz Sharif was the establishment’s protege too, so he understands that is what it takes. I think this time the military establishment wanted to show their power … very purposefully in their support for Imran Khan. They were upset when Nawaz Sharif started to assert himself, especially on the India policy and the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, and that is when they let him go. Imran is the ideal puppet. He has no knowledge of a lot of complex issues, and he will be willing to follow their line.

In your book Reham Khan, you suggest that Imran Khan was created by the military, but in 2008 he also boycotted elections under military rule. How do you explain his relationship with the military?

As a wife, you see and hear things. Imran always spoke about his links with the military. In 2008, he may have boycotted out of pique, out of feeling upset that they didn’t support him, but when I knew him, he always boasted about their support. He was always so sure that he would become Prime Minister that I think this plan to put Imran Khan in power came two or three years ago.

When it comes to India, Imran Khan said he has engaged more with Indians than any other Pakistani has. What do you think are chances of a reach-out from Imran Khan to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi?

Yes, he has spent a lot of time in India and has many friends in India. This is why I feel he should not have been critical of India in his campaign. It is all so hypocritical. Let us imagine he actually wants healthy relations with India, and means it when he spoke of more trade ties.

But what did he do to the Sharifs when they wanted to increase business ties with India? He called them gaddars (traitors).

He stopped the MFN (Most Favoured Nation) status being given to India. He has no ideology, so you can expect him to do only what he is told to do, whether it is in India or Pakistan.

Many have alleged that you timed your book as part of a politically motivated agenda. Did you at least hope to have an impact on the elections?

Yes, people have said the book was sponsored by the PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz), which is just not true. I only know the Sharifs through my time as a journalist, when I interviewed them. It would be flattering for me to think I could have had any impact on the campaign. I was told very clearly that this would happen in the elections, but I wrote my book anyway. I will not be dictated to by these forces. If people say I should be like Jemima, and be ladylike and graceful, then I don’t agree. I think you have to speak up, especially if you are a woman and you watch other women being treated badly.

I don’t want to be like Jemima for sure. I married Imran Khan when he was not winning elections. I am a Pakistani, a self-made woman, an anti-social nerd, and I am not a socialite like her. I am actually quite relieved that I didn’t have to stand beside Imran Khan while he touted blasphemy laws, and his party targeted minorities. I wouldn’t want to justify the indefensible.

What were the specific challenges you faced in bringing out this book?

I think I need to write another book just about how difficult it was to get my book out and how many people tried to block me. My staff were intimidated, offered bribes and told very clearly that anyone who stood in Imran Khan’s way would be blown up (udaa diye jaayenge). They also called my friends and made them tell me, “You are a woman, you have two daughters, and none of you will be safe.” So I felt it best to leave at that time [in February].

Will you return to Pakistan at some point, though? And would you consider joining politics?

(Laughs) I can’t live without Pakistan; so, yes, I will return. My children have declared me psychotic and crazy as a result, but I do wish to go back.

On politics, I don’t think I have it in me to withstand the kind of targeting one faces and the depths one has to go to.

आज का पांचांग

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🌷🌷🌷पंचांग🌷🌷🌷
29 जुलाई 2018, रविवार

विक्रम संवत – 2075
अयन – दक्षिणायन
गोलार्ध – उत्तर
ऋतु – वर्षा
मास – श्रावण
पक्ष – कृष्ण
तिथि – द्वितीया
नक्षत्र – घनिष्ठा
योग – आयुष्मान
करण – तैतिल

राहुकाल:-
4:30PM – 6:00PM

🌞सूर्योदय – 05:42 (चण्डीगढ)
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🚩व्रत -🚩
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चोघड़िया मुहूर्त- एक दिन में सात प्रकार के चोघड़िया मुहूर्त आते हैं, जिनमें से तीन शुभ और तीन अशुभ व एक तटस्थ माने जाते हैं। इनकी गुजरात में अधिक मान्यता है। नए कार्य शुभ चोघड़िया मुहूर्त में प्रारंभ करने चाहिएः-
दिन का चौघड़िया (दिल्ली)
चौघड़िया प्रारंभ अंत विवरण
लाभ 09:04 10:45 शुभ
अमृत 10:45 12:27 शुभ
शुभ 14:09 15:51 शुभ
रात्रि का चौघड़िया (दिल्ली)
चौघड़िया प्रारंभ अंत विवरण
शुभ 19:14 20:32 शुभ
अमृत 20:32 21:50 शुभ
लाभ 01:47 03:05 शुभ
शुभ 04:23 05:41 शुभ