Regional

New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) India's largest multidisciplinary arts event, Serendipity Arts Festival, will be held from December 15-23 in Goa.

The festival brings together diverse creative expressions from the region of South Asia and promotes its cultural heritage through varied projects. The performance segment will see curation by Bickram Ghosh, Ehsaan Noorani, Quasar Thakore Padamsee, Mayuri Upadhya and Geeta Chandran. The music performances with multi-genre and unique performances will celebrate the coming together of traditional and contemporary forms.

Bickram Ghosh and Ehsaan Noorani will curate the Music section with a series of concerts covering diverse genres from classical, fusion, folk, indie pop, rock, and more.

Innovators like Sanjay Mondal will be leading a group of children through instruments made from scrap and waste material.

Bickram Ghosh will also be paying tribute to ace music composer RD Burman through his project titled 'The World of Pancham: An RD Burman Tribute'.

Celebrating India's 75th year of independence, the festival will offer artists a platform to perform and showcase their art.

The programming this year will give weightage to Interdisciplinarity, which will be further explored by Quasar Thakore Padamsee and Geeta Chandran through their projects intersecting dance, drama, music and storytelling.

Speaking about the curation, Geeta Chandran said, "I am energized by my curatorial assignment for the 2022 Serendipity Fest. Reclaiming performance after a pandemic hiatus got my juices flowing again! This is indeed a unique opportunity for me to bring to the festival truly inter-disciplinary work since the festival gives curators complete freedom to explore the creative forms of expression. Puppeteers with dancers, theatre artists with dancers, different dance forms dialoging with each other, all very exciting and fresh... ."

The fifth edition of the festival will explore ways to enhance public engagement with the arts and boost the soft power of the nation by making art and culture a part of everyday conversations.

Exploring the post-pandemic transition from the virtual to the physical, choreographer, educationist and creative entrepreneur Mayuri Upadhya will focus on engaging and immersive nature of the arts that delves deeper in the culture and its stories. The range of projects will celebrate the socio-cultural milieu of the region through traditional and contemporary dance and choreographic practices.

A confluence of artists from diverse backgrounds will underline the Goan spirit of SAF. Curated by Goa-based classical guitarist Shayamant Behal, 'Music in the Park' features some of Goa's finest musicians who will regale audiences with daily performances.

--IANS
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Patna, Dec 11 (IANS) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday revealed that he had broken alliance with the BJP on the advice of two persons - JD-U national President Lalan Singh and cabinet minister Bijendra Yadav.

"When the things went wrong while we were in NDA, Lalan Singh and Bijendra Yadav suggested to me to break the alliance. We have taken the suggestions from our party workers from the entire country and they have suggested that I break the alliance with BJP and go with the seven party alliance to form the government," he said, while addressing the gathering of JD-U workers on the second day of the open session of the party in Sri Krishna Memorial Hall at the Gandhi Maidan.

"Now, we have a seven party government in Bihar and we will jointly develop the state. Lalan Singh is the national President of the party and I ask all of you to support him," Nitish Kumar said.

Nitish Kumar's statement came soon after the defeat of his candidate in Kurhani bypoll, and its timing is important for the RJD and other parties from the Mahagathbandhan's point of view.

The JD-U candidate lost despite having support of 7 parties and political pundits believe that is why Nitish Kumar made such a statement three months after the formation of the Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar.

There is buzz that Nitish Kumar wants to open the gate of dialogue with the BJP by blaming Lalan Singh and Bijendra Yadav for breaking the NDA in Bihar.

After the formation of a new government in Bihar, the Mahagathbandhan contested three bypolls and lost two, and Nitish Kumar may not be pleased with its performance.

The Nitish Kumar-led government is also facing criticism of rising incidents of crime and he may not want that his government gets a tag of letting "Jungle Raj" return to Bihar.

--IANS
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Gandhinagar, Dec 11 (IANS) Just three days after the Gujarat Assembly elections were out, there were rumours that one of the AAP MLAs is joining the ruling BJP on Sunday.

There were also claims that three independents MLAS too may extend support to the BJP.

The BJP won a landslide victory with 156 seats in the 182-strong house, the Congress got just 17, the AAP five, the SP one and there were three Independent MLAs elected.

Since Sunday morning there were rumours in political circles that AAP MLA from Visavadar, Bhupatbhai Bhayani is in Gandhinagar and by afternoon, he is going to join BJP. But, Bhayani dismissed it as just a rumour.

Interacting with local media, Bhayani said: "I have not taken any such decision, will meet workers and discuss with them and decide what to do. Right now I am with the AAP."

There were rumours about other AAP MLAs like Chaitar Vasava from Dediapada too joining the BJP, but Vasava denied such news. "I am fond of money or power, I am with the AAP and will remain with the AAP, I will never betray my voters' trust."

Meanwhile, three BJP rebels and independent MLAs - Mavji Desai (Dhanera), Dhavalsinh Zala (Bayad), and Dharmendrasinh Vaghela (Vaghodia) had met and discussed their plans amid speculation that they will extend support to the BJP. Desai and Zala have so far not announced their stand, but Vaghela has announced his support to the BJP.

Political sources said that the BJP is trying to convince the AAP, the SP and Independents to not support Congress for Leader of Opposition, as the party is short of two MLAs.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has called meeting of party leaders from Karnataka, his home state, on Monday to prepare for the upcoming Assembly polls.

Karnataka goes to polls early next year and Congress has a challenge to defeat the ruling BJP, but has to first overcome internal factionalism, with two groups led by Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and state party chief D.K. Shivakumar present.

Being the home state of Kharge, it is a prestige fight for the Congress.

Kharge was on Saturday on his maiden visit to his home town Kalaburagi after taking over the coveted post.

"It is always a pleasure to get back home. My first visit to my hometown after taking on the responsibility as @INCIndia President was an emotional affair. Thank you for the unbound love and support. Forever indebted to each one of you", he had tweeted.

--IANS
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By Vivek Tripathi
Lucknow, Dec 11 (IANS) The results of the by-elections to Mainpuri Lok Sabha and Khatauli Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh made it apparent that the BJP failed to win Dalit votes, which is being considered a big challenge for the upcoming elections.


The candidates from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress, however did not contest in these elections.

According to the data from political parties, there are around 1.5 Dalit voters in Mainpuri which were dominated by the BSP.

Gradually, the party's hold on the votes weakened, which divided the voters and resulted in the BSP winning only one seat in the 2022 Assembly elections.

The results of the by-elections also made it clear that the party with the Dalit voters' support ends up winning the polls.

According to election data, there are more than 50,000 Dalit voters in Khatauli seat.

Rashtriya Lok Dal's (RLD) Jayant Singh and Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav devised a strategy to gain the Dalit votes in the seat, wherein a combination of Jats, Gurjars and Dalits was seen.

Azad Party Chief Chandrashekhar Azad also contested to focus on the Dalits.

The BJP suffered huge losses with a direct breach in the vote bank after the alliance of the RLD, the SP and Azad's party.

In the by-elections, Azad has been seen several times on SP platforms openly campaigning for the SP and RLD candidates, unlike in the assembly elections.

According to experts, the alliance candidates have secured votes in almost every village of the Khatauli seat. The alliance won 44 booths, while the BJP could win only 25.

Experts believe that the saffron party selected the wrong candidates for the seat whose behaviour harmed its chances of winning.

Many BJP leaders worked to win the Dalit votes but failed due to the alliance's social engineering.

Senior political analyst Rajendra Singh said that due to non-availability of BSP candidates in the seat, the alliance roped in Azad Samaj Party's Chandrashekhar and reached out to every village.

According to a senior SP worker, Mainpuri benefited from sympathy for late SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and development, along with Akhilesh Yadav's strategy and village visits.

Apart from this, a team of Dalit and cadre leaders from the SP was created who reminded the villagers of the Constitution and the work done by Mulayam Singh and got the votes in their favour, resulting in the party's huge victory.

BJP district Presidents could not prevent the SP from winning in their own booths.

Senior political analyst P.N. Dwivedi said that the role of Dalit votes in SP's victory in Mainpuri could not be denied.

He added that a strong combination of Muslim, Gurjar, Jat and Dalit votes was responsible for BJP's loss.

The BSP distanced itself from the by-elections and the Dalits turned towards the alliance after it gained Chandrashekhar's support, he added.

Dwivedi said that the BJP would have to devise a new strategy for gaining Dalit votes to achieve success.

--IANS
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Chennai, Dec 11 (IANS) With Cyclone Mandous making landfall on Friday night, the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department has allowed fishermen from Karaikal to venture out into the seas.

It had directed the fishermen not to enter the sea after the Weather Department announced Cyclone Mandous and subsequent rains.

After the directive, fishermen from 11 villages including Karaikalmedu, Pattinacherry, Kilinjalmedu, and Karaikkal had not gone into the sea since December 5.

After the department cleared fishing activities, around 10,000 fishermen ventured into the seas in 300 boats.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has in a statement on Sunday said that the Cyclone Mandous have weakened into a low-pressure area over north interior Tamil Nadu and its neighbourhood.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Dec 11 (IANS) Two policemen in Bengaluru were suspended for allegedly harassing a couple and imposing a fine of Rs 1,000 for roaming on the road after 11 p.m.

A head constable and a constable attached to the Sampigehalli police station were suspended by Deputy Commissioner of Police (North East division) Anoop A. Shetty on Sunday after the incident came to light.

"Two police personnel from Samigehalli police station responsible for the incident have been identified, suspended and departmental action initiated. Bengaluru police will not tolerate deviant behaviour from its staff," the DCP tweeted in response to a series of tweets by one Karthik Patri narrating the harassment meted out to them by the police personnel on Hosyala patrolling duty on the night of December 8.

The victim wrote that he and his wife were walking back home near Manyata Tech Park around 12.30 a.m. after attending a friend's cake-cutting ceremony.

Two men in uniform asked the couple to show identity cards. Though taken aback, the couple showed photos of their Aadhar cards on their mobile phones.

"To our surprise, they took our phones away and started quizzing us about our relationship, place of work, parental details, etc," the victim tweeted.

Not stopping at that, the cops issued a challan saying 'you are not allowed to roam on the road after 11 p.m.'.

Though the couple apologised and assured that they will not venture out at night, the policemen refused to let them go and demanded Rs 3,000 as penalty.

The cops even showed them pictures of convicts and threatened us of dire consequences if they didn't pay up.

"I could barely hold my nerve, while my wife was in tears. Perhaps realising that they had pushed a woman too far and fearing the legal consequences, they changed tack. They said only I would be penalised. The man in the driving seat took me aside and advised that I pay a minimum amount to avoid further trouble."

Karthik said he paid Rs 1,000 by scanning PayTM QR code given by the cops. They allowed the couple to go with a warning that if seen walking on the road at midnight, they would register a strong case.

"We couldn't sleep that night or focus on work the next day. The whole incident has left a deep scar on our minds. It has shaken our faith in the law-enforcement agencies," wrote Karthik and asked Bengaluru police "Is this not terrorism, is this not legalised torture? Is this how honest, law-abiding citizens of this land are meant to be treated?"

--IANS
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Hyderabad, Dec 3 (IANS) Student protests rocked the Hyderabad University on Saturday after a professor tried to sexually assault a foreign student, police said.

The police have arrested Ravi Ranjan, a professor in the Department of Hindi, School of Humanities. He will be produced in the court later in the day, a police officer said.

The professor allegedly called the student to his residence near the campus on Friday evening on the pretext of teaching her Hindi and tried to sexually assault her after offering alcohol.

Deeply traumatised by the sexual assault, the victim narrated the incident to her classmates. As she was unable to communicate properly in English, she used an online app for translation.

The victim, who is from Thailand and recently joined the Masters course, was rushed to the health centre of the university by other students. After the check-up, she lodged a complaint with Gachibowli police station under Cyberabad Police Commissionerate.

The Director of Foreign Exchange Programme of the central university also lodged a complaint.

The police registered a case against the professor under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and took him into custody.

The police recorded the 23-year-old victim's statement with the help of a translator.

As the word spread about the sexual assault, students gathered outside the main gate of the campus and staged a protest, demanding stringent action against the professor. They demanded that the university authorities immediately suspend him.

The students also slammed the university authorities for the delay in lodging a police complaint against the accused. They alleged that neither the Vice-Chancellor nor the Registrar met the victim.

The students belonging to various groups said they will continue the protest till the university takes action against him.

--IANS
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Rajkot (Gujarat), Dec 3 (IANS) Five workers suffered burn injuries after a fire broke out in room they were staying in here on Saturday.

Primarily, it seems that the fire broke out due to gas leak from a domestic LPG cylinder.

The workers, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, were employees of Macpower Company situated in Metoda GIDC estate and resided in a rented room near Diamond park society.

After hearing the victims' screams, neighbours rushed them to government hospital.

The injured were identified as Mangli Shakhwat, Mayank, Kamlesh, Rahul and Rohit.

Company's contractor Dinesh Vekariya, who visited the hospital to enquire the victims' well-being, spoke to them and later told media persons that after returning from work on Friday evening, the workers had cooked food and then have forgotten to switch off the knob of the gas stove, leading to gas leak.

When Mayank Shakhwat used a matchstick to lit bidi the next morning, the fire broke out, Vekariya added.

--IANS
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Hyderabad, Dec 3 (IANS) A day after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sought clarifications in the Delhi liquor policy scam, TRS MLC K. Kavitha on Saturday met Telangana Chief Minister and her father K. Chandrashekar Rao.

Kavitha drove to Pragati Bhavan, the residence of CM KCR. They are believed to be discussing the strategy to counter what they believe is political vendetta by the BJP government at the Centre by targeting them through Central agencies.

She is likely to discuss the latest developments with brother and state minister K. T. Rama Rao and other family members.

The TRS leaders are also believed to be discussing the political strategy of the party to counter investigation by Central agencies like the CBI, Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax against state ministers, MPs, state legislators and other leaders.

Meanwhile, a large number of TRS workers reached Kavitha's house to show solidarity with her a day after she confirmed that the CBI has issued a notice to her.

"I've been issued a CBI Notice under Section 160 of Cr.P.C, seeking my clarification. I have informed the authorities that I can meet them at my residence in Hyderabad on Dec 6th as per their request," Kavita said in a statement on Friday.

The CBI notice dated December 2, stated, "During the course of investigation of the subject cited case, certain facts have emerged which you may be acquainted with, hence your examination on such facts is required in the interest of investigation."

On November 30, Kavitha's name had surfaced in the remand report filed by the ED in a Delhi court on Wednesday for remand of businessman Amit Arora in Delhi liquor policy scam.

According to the remand report, businessman Vijay Nair, who has already been arrested in the case, received kickbacks of Rs 100 crore on behalf of AAP leaders from a group, called 'South Group'.

The group is controlled by Sarath Reddy, Kavitha and Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, it added.

Sarath Reddy, one of the directors of pharma major Aurobindo Pharma, has already been arrested.

Srinivasulu Reddy is a member of Parliament belonging to Andhra Pradesh's ruling party YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).

The CBI is likely to seek information from Kavitha based on the remand report. The ED stated in the report that the TRS leader changed 10 phone devices between December 2021 and October 2022.

Kavitha had said on December 1 that she will fully cooperate with the central agency and is not scared of anything.

She alleged that the BJP government at the Centre is playing cheap tricks to damage her reputation through media leaks.

"We have already said we are ready to face any probe. If an agency comes and questions, we will definitely give a reply but if you resort to media leaks to damage the reputation of leaders, people will definitely fight back," she said.

Kavitha, a member of Telangana Legislative Council, also dared the Modi government to put her in jail. "If you want to put me in jail, do it. There is no problem but we will not stop working for the people and we will continue to expose failures of the BJP," she said.

The former MP alleged that the ED, CBI and IT cases against ministers, MLAs and other TRS leaders was BJP's reaction to TRS exposing its conspiracy to topple democratically elected government.

"You conspired to topple the government and since we exposed this before people, as a reaction ED, CBI, IT cases are booked against ministers, MLAs and MLCs," she said.

--IANS
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