Vinod Bansal is national spokesperson of the Vishwa Hindu ParishadWho rules or doesn’t is unimportantDavinder Singh RanaIn the backdrop of the gory incident in which seven innocent Amarnath pilgrims were killed and many others wounded, I strongly feel this is not the time to find fault in others or speak about security lapses.There were definitely serious lapses in the security arrangements. Governments come and go. The Amarnath yatra is a symbol of a built-in feature of Jammu and Kashmir’s composite culture and ethos.No matter which political party is running the government in J&K, if that government cannot protect Amarnath yatris and provide security, then it has no right to continue.

Politics is just for electoral gains — one may win or lose an election, but everything should not be looked from the prism of electoral politics.The attack on the yatris was carried out as part of the gameplan to threaten the pilgrims.It’s high time that a fitting response be given to those who play politics over such issues. That should be our prime responsibility.We all know that it is the Army that has provided security cover to some of the police stations in the region. I have no doubt in my mind that the July 10 act was a deliberate attempt to spread communal disharmony. We had very specifically wholesale Beige Indian Leopard Print Faux Fur Fabrics demanded that the entire route be sanitised and the security should be beefed up. Hence, the foremost thing we did the other day was to declare a bandh and get all communities together for a peaceful demonstration against violence.

It is time for all of us to get together irrespective of our politics, faith or region.Unless and until we join hands to make an effort to resolve the issue of Kashmir we will be standing nowhere.All of us in Jammu are feeling the pain like the people in the Valley and the rest of the country. I am myself going there next week.Why has no firm action been taken against these separatists? Why are they being given security cover?Why are they even allowed to enjoy facilities that are for citizens of this country, when separatists are nurturing anti-India elements?Actions should also be taken against those who sympathise with the separatists and stone-pelters, who run a systematic campaign against the use of pellet guns and who in the name of secularism try to give a communal colour to everything in the Valley. In this blind alley, I feel there is, however, an opportunity for motivation. We all are deeply hurt.Whether it is the PDP, Congress or any other party, we all must join hands to defeat the evil. They have suffered themselves but never went against the pilgrims or the pilgrimage. This has been their genuine longing.Even the media, specially the local media, which indulges in one-sided reporting, needs to be banned.Everyone knows how separatists are getting support from across the border.

Now when this gruesome incident has happened, we have to ensure that the secular fabric of J&K is not disturbed. It has brought people from all faiths and regions together. But if these thugs think that they can scare us, they are wrong. I think there is no match of such a secular activity when Hindu devotees are going to have darshan of a natural shivling in a cave and seek the blessings of Lord Shiva, and Muslims are facilitating their journey. We also know how they are grooming stone-pelters in the Valley and supporting terrorists, but the government has failed to check that. Yatris have been visiting the Amarnath cave even when terrorism was at its peak in the state, and they will continue to do so no matter how difficult the situation. Who rules or doesn’t rule is not important.Given the current volatile situation in J&K, the VHP had specifically requested that the Indian Army should be given charge of the overall security arrangements of the yatra and not the state police.How can J&K police be trusted?Vinod BansalIt was due to the failure of the Jammu and Kashmir government that terrorists managed to carry out such a dastardly attack on the Amarnath yatris. If we do that, it would be the greatest disservice done to the nation and J&K. Let us not try to point fingers at each other, instead let’s give politics a break and evolve a consensus. Already there is an effort on to create the narrative that J&K will be trifurcated. The state will disintegrate. Even right-thinking people in the BJP who genuinely feel for J&K think along the same lines.A very sad incident has taken place. The civil society and other groups in the Valley came out on the streets to protest and express solidarity with the victims. We should not try to cast aspersions on a particular religion or community.Terrorism has no religion.

Right now, putting the blame on the PDP is not going to ameliorate the situation.This is also a fact that the Kashmir Valley’s Muslims have always protected the yatra even in hostile situations. But there is light at the end of the tunnel.Davinder Singh Rana is an MLA and a senior National Conference leader. And the Army should take over the security arrangements 15 days ahead of the commencement of the yatra. Now it is time for Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and other leaders across the political spectrum to come together. Nothing one can stop us, and such incidents cannot scare us.Nobody in Kashmir wanted the yatra to be attacked.How can we trust the state police when we all know that it harbours many supporters of terrorists and separatists in the Kashmir Valley? There have been many incidents when local policemen had joined the forces which have been waging war against our country. The Supreme Court and the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board also recommended this, as this route requires less time and pilgrims can return the same day in the evening after the darshan. It was not a usual condemnation but a genuine outpouring. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad had raised these issues with the Mehbooba Mufti government in May itself.We had also requested that the alternative Kargil-Drass route to be opened

In that case how can you allow consensual sex at 16 when girls can only marry, legally, in this country at 18 years of age The government says that you can have sex with our daughters once they are 16 years of age but cannot marry them. Within this cultural framework, it is a struggle to award adolescents the right to space, identity and respect. Globalisation introduces new information and communication technologies, increases urban migration and the dissolution of the traditional family — all of this affects adolescent sexual behaviour as well.Recent discussions about the age of sexual consent that stemmed from the Union government’s decision to lower the age of consent from 18 to 16 have been highly influenced by traditional and patriarchal social norms that associate women’s sexual desire with marriage. What kind of contradiction is this On one hand you talk of giving better education and professional opportunities to girls and then you try to give legal support for indulging in sexual activities with them at 16.

Teenage is considered an age where children need education to ensure a better future for the country. As a society we must decide what age this is. It is obvious that the real concern is controlling women’s sexuality. Throughout the world, marriages often take place later, while sexual activity starts earlier.

Arguments have been made that if the age of consent is lowered, the age of marriage for women must also be lowered. In our society, where customs/traditions and religious dictates are interpreted to a woman’s disadvantage, a society where still a huge number of women are kept in pardah, a society where even the expression of a woman’s desire is considered a sin, the government has to be very careful in enacting laws because law is the only strength a woman has in such a society. Traditionally, the body and being of a child is the preserve of the family.Laws concerning adolescents’ sexuality in India, as in many other parts of the world, tend to have a paternalistic approach, based on the assumption that persons below a certain age (mainly 18) are unable to make their own decisions. Furthermore, women’s decision to engage in consensual sex should not be conflated with the moral fabric of Indian society. If at 16, an 11th class school-going girl becomes pregnant, will there not be large-scale school dropouts Think of teenage pregnancies and the mental, physical and emotional transformation teenagers go through in such an event. If you argue that teenagers today are advanced in every field as compared to their parents at their age, agreed. Consensual sexual intercourse between two young adults occurs throughout rural and urban India and should not be connected to, or confused with, the institution of marriage. But even now child marriages are rampant in certain regions mainly because of orthodox, patriarchal society. While enacting the Child Marriage Act, our policy and lawmakers took into consideration the fact that a girl below the age of 18 is physically and mentally not fit to tie the nuptial knot. Laws are formulated as per the society in question and not by what is going on in other countries. In India, the words “child” and “adult” are loaded with deep-rooted cultural connotations. Those arguing for 16 years as the age of consent probably don’t count women as part of the country’s future! The child marriage law was a big reformational step in modern India.The age of consent for sexual intercourse and the legal age of marriage are two separate issues.

As per the existing law, a rapist who is below 18 years of age is considered minor, but the victim below 18 should be considered adult Is this the formula of justice you are offering to women’s struggle for dignity Consent is the only basis for determining the offence of rape and the whole trial in rape cases revolve only around proving and disproving “consent”. Therefore, “consent” has to be very carefully defined. The increasing number of habeas corpus petitions filed in various Indian high courts by young persons seeking the right to exercise their choice in personal relationships reflects this trend.There is a growing demand, especially after the Delhi gangrape case, that a rapist of 16 years of age should not be considered a minor. As the formation and proliferation of the family is of extreme importance, there is little attention paid to the needs and desires of the adolescents. We must break free of arguments that aim to reinforce traditional social structures Beige rabbit fur faux fur fabric that control women’s sexuality and restrict women’s sexual freedom.

Access to magazines, movies, TV and the Internet provides contact to an increasingly globalised and sexualised youth culture that leaks into what may already be a confusing milieu of expectations and ideologies. Knowledge of an act is not enough to make a person wise enough to “consent” for that act.Fourteen to 18 years is an impressionable and gullible age. But how many Ours is a country of 1. However, we must ensure that these decisions are not influenced by traditional connections between sex and marriage. The expanding horizons of young adolescents are filled with explicit and implicit messages about sex and gender — some clear and consistent, some ambiguous or conflicting.2 billion people and, even so, information of sex is different than handling the responsibility and consequences of indulging in sexual activities.Don’t mix sex and marriage Ranjana Kumari***In India, where the legal age of marriage is 18 years for a girl, how can you enact a law which makes 16 to be the age of consent for sex A great deal of thought and study went into fixing the age of valid marriage at 18.Define ‘consent’ carefullyRanjana Shahi***. For God’s sake use cohesive and holistic approach while formulating a law.Discussions regarding the age of sexual consent must focus on women and men’s biological and emotional maturity to engage in sexual intercourse and to fully consent to intercourse

And its illuminations were designed with great flair and sophistication. H. In Cities of Light: Two Centuries of Urban Illumination, Sandy Isenstadt, Margaret Maile Petty and Dietrich Neumann write that, “The first Bombay cinemas like the Gaiety, Edward and Alexander had consumed so much electricity that BEST gave them discounted rates. Sidhwa and K. The auditorium lights came up gradually, creating an artificial sunrise for the audience.Colaba is one of the most storied corners of Mumbai. Meanwhile, Czechoslovakian artist Karl Schara worked on the interiors, splattering the walls with Cubist sunburst motifs in pale orange and jade green. The best of Western cinema was screened here.Regal also rang in a new age of illumination by introducing Mumbai to neon lighting. “Regal was a cinema we went to regularly, or, I should say, more often than any other,” he wrote on Busybee Forever. In 1933, it was finally thrown open to the public. But the Regal set a new standard for electrical consumption with its elevators, air conditioning and extensive lighting program for its facade and interiors.Busybee (Behram Contractor) wrote that Regal was one of his favourite theatres. A rich cultural mosaic chequered with the footprints of the Muslims, Sindhis, Parsis, Christians, Maharashtrians etc, it refuses to be flattened by dull consumerism.

“A neighbour, Homi Tata, was in charge of its air-conditioning plant, probably the first such plant in the city, and, when my aunt visited the cinema, because she was elderly and could not bear too much cold, he lowered the air-conditioning a little for her. One of the city’s few remaining single screen theatres showing English movies, it has recently been dredged out of difficulties by partnering with the Jio MAMI film festival; an affiliation that we hope helps the cinema script a happy ending for itself. Throngs of tourists ribbon through its streets every day, gawping at its colourful bazaars that sit cheek by jowl with grand Colonial architecture.

To watch a movie at Regal meant dressing up in one’s best; one could not just turn up in tattered, every day clothes. Art dekho. The Internet is thick with articles telling us that it was the first building in India (perhaps in Asia) to bask in that new-fangled luxury — central air conditioning. Lo and behold art.— By arrangement with TheCityStory.. sunburst motifs.The glamorous Regal has several firsts to its name. The land was leased by the government to Globe Theatre’s F. Even the design of the lighting fixtures and wall decorations celebrated the theme of illumination with. And on the itinerary of every tourist is Regal Cinema, the glorious pioneer of the Art Deco movement in Mumbai.”Today, the dun coloured building has faded and softened, a tired husk of its former glory. It battles falling numbers, high taxes and stiff competition from shiny, new multiplexes. A. Neon accentuated the clean Art Deco lines on the exterior.

Kooka who, in turn, commissioned architect Charles Stevens to build this grand paean to the movies.Casting off the city’s wearied Victorian character, the hip Art Deco movement swept through the city and became so entrenched in its fabric that Salman Rushdie, in The Ground Beneath Her China Beige Indian Leopard Print Faux Fur Fabrics Manufacturers Feet, wrote (through the voice of the protagonist), “I actually grew up believing Art Deco to be a Bombay style, a local invention, its name derived, in all probability, from the imperative of the verb ‘to see’. It ushered in Cinemascope to adoring film fans and offered basement car parking to its patrons. A soda fountain was installed, ice cream was eaten out of wine-shaped glasses and the posh balcony audiences had their own pantry.”Not only is Regal an exemplar of art deco, it is also a fine distillation of Mumbai’s hybrid character; it enfolds influences from around the world.”The public was suitably stupefied by all this grandeur

I don’t think the designers have copied it from a label; it’s just a coincidence. So, something cannot look identical unless it’s a copy,” she concludes.But Amy, however, feels that copying is intentional and not something that happens by mistake. Also, you can’t trademark such coinages, unless a big label has come up with it and the coinage is unique. Pattern making is something that is unique to a designer,” adds Tanya. The fashion police at Diet Sabya was quick to point out that the sweatshirt bore an uncanny resemblance to a sweatshirt sold by the brand The Laundry Room. “Silhouettes cannot be plagiarised, like a unique collar or a jumpsuit saree.

 Even if you’re inspired, you can change the words or write it differently. The account, which has over a 100,000 followers, is infamous for pulling up the biggest names in the business for instances of plagiarism. The end product will come out differently. But something like ‘Airplane Mode’ cannot be considered plagiarism. All one can do is be careful not to repeat a mistake like that in the future,” she says. “I don’t think this can be called copying,” she says, “There are so many such generic words or coinages out there. “Only when you see a design can you copy it because two minds cannot create an identical design.

However, just days after the star-studded launch, the designers have been accused of plagiarism by Diet Sabya, an Instagram account. The brand retails out of @nordstromnyc, and is known for its cool girl vibe, comfy sweats and chill silhouettes.Shweta Bachchan Nanda was the talk of fashion circles as she recently launched her fashion label, MxS, in association with designer Monisha Jaising. Since someone has already done an identical thing earlier, the idea credit should go to the original creators. Highlighting the proliferation of Gen Z-friendly slang, she says, “Airplane Mode is a coinage anybody can come up with.”While instances of plagiarism aren’t rare in the fashion world, with even bigwigs like Christian Dior and Michael Kors being accused of being too heavily “inspired” by the works of other designers, especially lesser-known ones, stylist Aastha Sharma explains why this happens.

The post said, “When you google ‘Airplane Mode Sweatshirt’ - the first search that pops-up is a little known loungewear brand called, @tlroom. “There are so many upcoming designers who sell their works on e-commerce websites. It’s like the words ‘swag’ or ‘selfie’, these are terms that are trending right now, and many make use of them to connect with youngsters. Then you know it is being copied.. For instance, Christian Dior came up with ‘J’adore Dior’; now, this is unique. We do our best to stay updated, and plagiarism is wrong, but sometimes, you can slip. Stylist Tanya Ghavri too agrees that using generic coinages doesn’t fall into the realm of plagiarism.”Designer Tanya Sharma, however, feels that the accusation is absurd. But over here, the two designs are very similar.” The designer, however, feels that silhouettes cannot be replicated. While designers often face the account’s wrath, stylists and actresses too find themselves being shamed with the hashtags Rabbit fur with white print faux fur fabricgandi #copyThe MxS outfit in question is a grey sweatshirt with the words ‘Airplane Mode’ emblazoned on it. And, now @monishajaising and @shwetabachchan’s new brand - @mxsworld - has the same sweatshirt with # the exact same slogan. If somebody is inspired by street fashion and uses it as a styling, then that is not called copying. It becomes hard to keep track of all the styles out there. So, who do we blame the mess on? (sic)”Monisha Jaising and Shweta Bachchan NandaCommenting on the fashion faux pas, designer Amy Billimoria says, “Getting inspired and absolutely replicating are two different things

It is a tourist spot that gathers a lot of crowd. Pink embossed rabbit hair faux fur fabric Shah Jahan’s mother was from the royal family of Marwar. The land belonged to Raja Jai Singh, who happens to be Shah Jahan’s cousin. Also, its resemblance to the description in the Quran proves the theory otherwise. This move is hideous and dangerous for the country’s progress as a secular nation. It is a pity to see that we are fighting over the authorship of a structure, which contributes majorly towards India’s tourism income. The move is unnecessary. Political parties should recollect the recognition that the monument has received worldwide. It is doubtful that Taj Mahal is Tejo Mahalya since anyone who knowledge of vaastu shastra can tell that a double dome structure cannot be associated with ancient temple architecture. The Taj Mahal isn’t a symbol of religion, it is a symbol of heritage; all monuments are.K. I have worked behind the revival of more than 100 temples and have a good idea about Shiva, Ganapati and Vishnu.

I have seen the insides of Taj Mahal, and there are just a lot of empty rooms inside it, which were constructed to elevate the height of the structure. Anil Dharker,columnist and writer ‘people have been claiming that every monument in India is a Hindu temple’ I doubt Vinay Katiyar’s credentials. This is an unnecessary controversy.. It has become synonymous to India for many foreign tourists. He sold the land to Mughals for a handsome price. We need to take examples from progressive nations like France, where religion isn’t a priority. Had it been an important temple, he would have never attempted this blasphemy.

I feel that the security should be doubled so that the beautiful monument doesn’t get vandalised. Such debates not only disturb the communal harmony of the nation, but also affect the overall fabric of society. Muhammed, Former Regional Director (North), Archaeological Survey of India ‘This is an unnecessary controversy’This is a most unfortunate development.Araathu R.Vikramjit Singh Rooprai, Founder, Heritageshaala ‘The claim has several loopholes’The claim has several loopholes.Anuradha Reddy, co-convenor, Intach Telangana ‘One should celebrate the heritage that the structure comes with’ It is absolute foolish to drag a historical monument down like this. K. Also, another scary thing is vandalism. Time and again people have been claiming that every monument in India is a Hindu temple. The monument generates income for the state and the country. Even if the Taj Mahal wasn’t a UNESCO world heritage site, we must not forget that it has been a part of our history and heritage.

We have been known and recognised as a secular nation and this move seems to break tag. The Taj Mahal is the climax of every Mughal architectural inheritance. The Taj Mahal has got every record, for the construction, the land grant and even for the marble. One should celebrate the heritage that the structure comes with. Taj Mahal was built by Indian craftsmen for the Indians. We must protect it from getting dragged into controversies.,riter ‘The Taj Mahal isn’t a symbol of religion, it is a symbol of heritage’ Removing the Taj Mahal from the list of seven wonders isn’t going to change the number of tourists visiting the attraction. Besides, the land on which the Taj Mahal stands belonged to Raja Jai Singh. The facilities for the tourists who visit the monument can be bettered and renovated. But I have not heard of Tejo Mahalaya, which is supposedly a Shiva Temple

Could this trip be as productive as ever? I’m about to find out. My previous tours to Costa Rica have been spectacular.We take a breather from all the frenzy, and in the lap of the induced calm, I cannot help but rave about the beauty of the Costa Rican wilderness. A male, attired in his long green tail, red belly and green ‘jacket’ on a picturesque perch sits supreme. And it occurs to me that the tour that has reached its zenith with this sight of nature at the apogee of design. And when the snakes have been slothful and not always slithered away, and the little adorable frogs have stayed and not leaped off, they’ve been a boundless joy to watch and photograph. In the Central Volcanic Range Cloud Forest, I have always loved photographing macaws in flight against the lush-green forest backgrounds as well as on attractive perches. I return with their soul-stirring innocence, their formidable beauty, and the trust that exists between my reverence and their power to enchant having grown my love for it a bit more. For the quetzal is a bird that makes you fall in love with it at the very first sight, and I’m anxious to see if my group will get to be in love. After all, the cloud forests of this country, whose name is a somewhat-understated geographical description (Costa Rica literally translates to ‘rich coast’), host a dizzying 500,000 species.

I’ve been blessed in the past to have enjoyed multiple and leisurely views of it, and have come to believe that living without seeing and photographing it is one of life’s great losses. I amuse myself thinking that in the verdant fabric of the forest, these white threads exist to complete the wreaths of green. Later, we set out in the Atlantic Lowland Rainforest Range to make images of monkeys, aracaris and Montezuma oropendolas.

There’s more species per unit area here than in any other country on the planet.It’s a Sunday noon. Hummingbirds flit about swiftly, teasing and taunting our vision and our reflexes. It’s as if my vision helps me transcend my own unclear understanding of what nature means, and a singular tranquillity settles upon my mind like the mist enveloping the waterfall before us.The sight slowly sinks in and seeps through all the crevices of my heart, and as I look back at the tour, I see all the snakes and the frogs we’ve seen and photographed; all the variety of wildlife that lives and thrives on this blessed land. I’m at the San José airport, looking out of the massive glass façade awaiting my flight.Now, the white-naped jakobin is another bird I’ve been expecting to photograph, and next day, it turns out we haven’t exhausted all our luck, and are fortunate enough to encounter this avian beauty as well.

In certain parts of this wonderland, the forest rumble becomes a roar – in the magnificent waterfalls that descend with dignity and gravitas. Light and water meet and a rainbow graces the sky — as though in an implicit promise of the bounty to come, like a bridge between ground reality and lofty dreams. Perhaps disregarding gravity and owning its share of the sky makes a bird relatable to those of us who wish to outdo limitations and seek what lies beyond them. Watching birds in the wild has always made me understand better why they symbolise freedom in the world of humans: their simple act of flying means boundlessness to us. But we’re now approaching the most critical part of the tour — up in the Talamanca Range Cloud Forest in pursuit of one of Earth’s rarest and most spectacular birds: the resplendent quetzal.Halfway down the tour and we have arrived at the highly enjoyable task of photographing hummingbirds, with our multi-flash set-ups right on the lodge premises.The next day we see a magnificent toucan in action. As we see it hover in the air, it feels like time itself has learned some stillness. They are like little uprisings on their own as, in their infinite innocence; they challenge us to record the marvel of their surreality. The set-up includes some attractive native flowers that entice the birds with their nectar, which allows us to make some stunning images that depict their glorious details.— The writer is a wildlife photographer. Amid all the fervent shouting out of settings for the tour participants to nail the pictures, I take a quiet moment to admire it and notice how in the silence of the changing greens of the forest, it’s perched with its bright colours in a defiant devotion to its habitat. They are a riot of colours!

I’ve also made images of them when it was raining and it was as though different elements were in conversation with the vivacious hues of this bird — in the soft wetness and a gentle touch of the drizzle.I’m stunned! His beauty is all-pervasive, and despite having seen and photographed the bird on several occasions in the past, I find it hard to believe that something as lovely as this can possibly exist. I can almost feel the textures of the numerous different trees, growing riotously densely, etching themselves on my memory. No two days are the same in the wild; let along any two years. With its outlandishly beautiful bill and vividly contrasting colours, it’s a gorgeous avian subject to photograph, and I’m thrilled the group’s been this fortunate. I know it is a steadfast love that will keep me returning time and again in search of good light, and in its wake, a glimpse of the world beyond. It’s an ever-shifting, ever-transiting universe — where wonder is the only constant. We check in to our first destination, and the raw beauty takes me aback as though I were here for the first time. Indeed, if we really look with the heart, photographing wildlife carries with it an inherent promise of uniqueness. And yet again I return with Bright feather blue alpaca faux fur fabric great memories, memories birthed by the womb of this great country with its myriad life forms. We arrive at the site, and hit pay dirt with such startling ease; I’m taken aback with a paroxysm of pleasure. Now, as I do every year, I’ve brought with me an eager group of photography enthusiasts, excited by the promise of a bounteous land, stoked by the prospect of portraying its abundance. This exquisite allure then hauntingly hurtles through my memory space and contends for my attention