Celebrating Diwali in Delhi

Celebrating Diwali in Delhi, the capital city of India has a unique charm of its own. With traditional and classy neon lights brightly lit throughout the shops, houses and other establishments, the city seem to wear a new glittery garb to celebrate Diwali. With a cosmopolitan population, Diwali celebrations in Delhi represents the festival of lights with a special Indian flavor.

Diwali celebrations in Delhi represents the festival of lights with a special Indian flavor. The 'Diwali fever' in Delhi commences days before the actual Diwali day. Just after Dussehra festival, people in Delhi start making preparations for Diwali. Renovations, whitewashing a nd spring-cleaning both at personal and commercial establishments are carried out at full swing for the Diwali day.

On Diwali day, shops in Delhi remain open till the afternoon, believing that good sales on Diwali day predict a prosperous year ahead. In the corporate sector, the process of buying and distributing Diwali gifts begins several days before the big day, and slowly picks up pace. Sweets and dry fruits are the most common gifts, as are silver coins. But gifts also range from silver dishes and other household gifts to suit pieces.
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Diwali Celebrations Defy Delhi Bombers

The sound of firecrackers greeted the dawn in Delhi today as the city began the Hindu festival of Diwali in the wake of bomb attacks at the weekend that killed 59 people. Defiant shopkeepers decorated their stalls with glowing lights and shiny tinsel to mark the festival of lights -...

The sound of firecrackers greeted the dawn in Delhi today as the city began the Hindu festival of Diwali in the wake of bomb attacks at the weekend that killed 59 people.

Defiant shopkeepers decorated their stalls with glowing lights and shiny tinsel to mark the festival of lights - representing the triumph of good over evil - but security was tight as investigators continued their hunt for the bombers.

Police sifted through millions of mobile telephone call records, trying to uncover who had carried out the attacks, and checkpoints were set up around the city.

Anguished and weary relatives continued to look for loved ones among rows of bodies charred in the deadliest terrorist attack on the Indian capital.

The atmosphere was sombre. Sonia Gandhi, the head of India's ruling alliance, and the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, both cancelled celebrations.

Randeep Ramesh, Guardian correspondent in New Delhi, reported that the streets were much quieter than in previous years.

India remains on high alert. More than 2,500 police were drafted in to bolster the city's 70,000-strong force ahead of the holiday season, which begins with Diwali and ends with the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr on Friday or Saturday, depending on the sighting of the moon.

Apart from the fear of more attacks, there are concerns the bombings, at such a sensitive religious time, could trigger communal violence.

In Mumbai, India's financial and entertainment capital, Reuters reported offices and houses illuminated and decorated with sweet-smelling garlands and traditional clay lamps. "The Delhi blasts have slightly dampened the spirits and people are scared of going into crowded areas," resident Rajesh Didwania told the news agency. "But one has to get on with life."

Three blasts, all within an hour, ripped through a bus and two crowded markets on Saturday in an attack claimed by a group called Islami Inqilabi Mahaz (Islamic Revolutionary Group).

Analysts said it had ties with or was a front for the Pakistan-based Lashkar-i-Taiba, an Islamic group fighting Indian rule in Kashmir. India blamed Lashkar for an attack on the country's parliament in December 2001 which left 15 dead, including five attackers.

India prepared for war after the 2001 attacks but relations between the two neighbours are now much improved. General Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president, yesterday condemned the bombings as a "dastardly terrorist attack" and said his country would cooperate in any investigation.

However, a spokesman for Mr Singh said the prime minister had told Mr Musharraf by telephone that he "continued to be disturbed and dismayed at indications of external linkages of terrorist groups with the October 29 bombing".

Two banned Pakistani militant groups today denied Mr Singh's claims that Pakistani-based insurgents had been behind the blasts. Spokesmen for Jaish-i-Mohammed and Jamiat-ul-Ansar both insisted that India-based militants had carried out the attacks.


© Guardian News & Media 2008
Published: 11/1/2005
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CNN-IBN's brings special programming to celebrate the spirit of Durga Puja & Dussera

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MUMBAI: Capturing the festive spirit of the vibrant Durga Puja, CNN-IBN is bringing special shows and daily stories on Dusshera and Puja that reflect the festive fervor in its full splendor. From the traditional Bengali dishes to showcasing the faces behind the Puja & Ramlilas and to even digging out the traditions and age old rituals, these shows celebrates the spirit of Durga Puja. The Dussehra Special 'Hey Drama' will be telecast on Oct 9th at 8:30 pm while the Durga Puja Special is on Oct 10th, 8:30 pm. CNN-IBN's flagship food show Secret Kitchen will further spice up the celebration by exploring special Durga Puja delicacies across Kolkata on Oct 9th, 11:30 am & 6:30 pm.

The results for Bengali No. 1, CNN-IBN's nationwide poll this Durga Puja also declared Sourav Ganguly as the Greatest Living Bengali. The poll witnessed a huge response from over 1 lakh voters across the country, and a whopping 59% selected Sourav Ganguly as their favorite Bengali.

Commenting on this special festive line-up, Mr. Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in Chief, IBN Network said, "The special programming captures the flavor of Durga Puja & Dussehra celebrations from across the country and from Kolkata. The programming also focuses on the food delicacies of Kolkata popular during the festival without which the celebrations are incomplete."

The Dusshera daily stories and special show on Oct 9th will cover unexplored sides of Dusshera and the Ramlilas. The show travels to various places across the country like Ayodhya and Varanasi to uncover the untold stories of faith and tradition passed on for generations. The show also brings out stories of ordinary people who irrespective of the religion have been a part of this festival. The program also attempts to de-mystify some classic characters from the Ramayan and shed light on many untold and interesting aspects of Dusshera celebrations.

Shot in the heart of Kolkata, the Durga Puja special on Oct 10th brings to light the exhilarating elements that constitute the Puja. It looks at the changes that have come about in the celebrations and the rituals that are still holding strong. The show will peep into the life of people behind the Pujas - like a 'dhanki' responsible for swaying Kolkata on his beats to 'special pandal lights' to light up your senses and the famous 'theme pandals' ranging from the controversial Nano to being inspired by the 'Olympic gold of Abhinav Bindra'.

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Angry Sikhs demand Dera Chief's arrest

Angry Sikh protesters took to the streets in Mumbai and clashed with the police after violent protests hit the city following the death of 50-year-old Sikh man, who was killed by the body guard of Dera Sccha Sauda Chief -- Ram Rahim Singh. Angry Sikh protesters staged rail rokko and attacked buses on Saturday (June 21) in Mulund, Mumbai. Several trains were also disrupted following the protesters demand to arrest controversial leader Ram Rahim Singh. The situation went out of hand, as the Sikh protesters continued vicious attacks, blocking the train services at Mulund station, disrupting normalcy in the central railways lines in Mumbai.

The angry crowd also forced shops to be shut in the locality, as they went on with their swords and knives all around the area, hampering peace in the suburban area of Mulund in the city. These protesters demanded the arrest of Ram Rahim Singh after the incident on Friday night. There was a huge cloud of tension hovering around the area, as these protesters had massive clashes with the police personnel in the same area. However, the DCP Zone 7, Mumbai said that the situation is under control and the police officials are ensuring that the agitation is curbed. "Efforts are being made to control the rising protests by the Sikhs in the city," he added.Security was stepped up at the Nirmal Lifestyle mall, the Mulund police station and other spots in the vicinity. The Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, and the Eastern Express Highway, both important arterial roads, were blocked by protestors from the Sikh community. Security efforts were implied, but looked paralysed, as the agitation continued in the city, causing immense issues for the people in the Mulund area. A group of Sikhs had raised anti-Dera slogans inside the Nirmal Lifestyles mall in suburban Mulund during a visit by the Dera head to the place last evening (Friday, June 20), which led to an altercation between Singh's supporters and the Sikh group, that later turned violent. Sikhs have been enraged at Singh after he was seen at a public function dressed as Sikh Guru Gobind Singh in Haryana's Sirsa where a religious commune started by him is located.

Three arrested in connection with firing Three persons were arrested in connection with the firing by the body guard. "Three persons of the group, who are suspected to have fired, have been arrested and the revolver used in the crime has also been recovered from them," KN Prasad -- Mumbai's Jt. Commissioner of Police said. Asked if any action would be taken against the sect head, the officer said it will depend only upon the progress made during investigations and on the statements of arrested people as well as the witnesses. A case of murder, attempt to murder and unlawful assembly under the provisions of Arms Act has been registered in connection with the incident, which left one dead and two others injured. Prasad went on to add that the entire probe into the case has been now handed over to the city police's crime branch for investigation. The body of the deceased, Balkar Singh Thakur Singh has been, meanwhile, sent for postmortem and security has been beefed up across the city to avert any possibility of road blockades by the Sikh community to protest against the incident.

Ram Rahim Singh left Khopoli last night itself (Friday, June 20) and is reported to have reached Pune airport from where he will take a flight for a north Indian destination, police sources said.
"A mob of over hundered persons were stopped on their way to Khopoli at Airoli junction on the Eastern Express highway resulting in a traffic blockade. We had reports that the mob was on its way to take action ....against Singh and his followers, who were held near Khopoli," the officer added.
(With inputs from PTI) Source: http://www.panthic.org/news/126/ARTICLE/4184/2008-06-20.html