India counts minutes for milestone Mars mission launch

PSLV after heat shield closure (Pic: ISRO)

MUMBAI (AA) – At 6.08am on Sunday, four minutes after the sunrise, the 3,390-minute official countdown for the launch of India’s first inter-planetary satellite Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) began at Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, a barrier island off the coast of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

"The countdown started as per schedule and it is running smoothly," an official with the Indian Space Research Organization of (ISRO), India’s space agency, told Anadolu Agency, refusing to be named.

At 2.38pm on Tuesday November 5, the 1350-kilogram MOM - an unmanned spacecraft - will be launched from an Indian-made Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C25) to Mars, when the red planet will be closest to the earth.

ISRO sources told AA that it is expected to take about 40 minutes to inject the satellite into Earth’s orbit after the take-off.

If successfully launched, MOM, or Mangalyaan as it is called in India, is expected to go around the Earth for 25 days before embarking on a nine-month space travel to Mars on December 1.

It is expected to reach the red planet orbit on September 24, 2014.

The closest distance between Mars and Earth is 56.4 million kilometers.

On November 1, decks were cleared for the launch after a successful launch rehearsal a day earlier.

Mangalyaan has a launch window between October 28 and November 19.

ISRO earlier scrapped the scheduled date of launch on October 28 because of bad weather in the Bay of Bengal.

Milestone

In 2008, India launched a mission to Moon Chandrayaan-1.

That mission encountered a number of technical difficulties and operated for less than one year, instead of the planned two years. 

Chandrayaan-1 had scientific instruments from a number of countries, including the US, one of which – NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper -- detected water on the lunar surface. 

The MOM instruments are all from India.

It carries a color camera, a thermal infrared spectrometer, the Mars exospheric neutral composition analyzer and a lyman alpha photometer.

If Mangalyaan is successful, India will join the elite club of space powers to have explored the Red Planet.

Out of total 51 missions to Mars, only 21 have been successful.

In 1999, Japan’s Nozomi Mars spacecraft failed in its bid to orbit the planet while in 2011 China’s Yinghuo-1 Mars orbiter was destroyed when its carrier spacecraft — Russia’s Phobos-Grunt — failed to leave Earth orbit.

Indian's Mars Mission is being done in collaboration with NASA, which will provide tracking assistance to ISRO using the Deep Space Network.

"This is just a revolutionary step towards space invention," Professor Upendra Lad, Head, Department of Physics at Associate Professor Studied at MSG Arts Commerce and Science College, told AA.

When asked about the amount of money India is spending on this mission – estimated at $70 million - given the abject poverty in India and the number of Indians living under the below poverty line, he dismissed the comparison.

"It’s foolhardy to evaluate this mission in terms of extravagant space spending and growing poverty. One never knows the impact and future gain of the mission," he asserted.

Mujahid Ansari, assistant professor at the department of chemistry, AIT College of Arts, Commerce and Science, agrees.

"There may not be any immediate gain of Mars mission as space exploration is a time-consuming process," he told AA, dismissing the unwarranted criticism of the space mission.

"Bringing in the poverty politics into science, technology and space exploration is a reflection of a sick and hypocritical mind," Ansari insisted.

He cited the recent coal allocation scam in India where the Comptroller and Auditor General put the loss to public exchequer at $28 billion.

"Did anybody raise and compare India’s poverty when CAG tabled its report in Indian parliament stating $28 billion loss?" Ansari fumed.

When asked whether India’s mission to Mars is a desire to beat China, Ansari dismissed the suggestions.

"It is purely driven by science and nothing else. If in doing so, India overtakes China in space exploration, why make a fuss about it?" he said.

Some experts believe that MOM focuses more on technological than scientific objectives but Ansari disagrees.

"It is harmonious balance between technology and science. MOM will not only demonstrate the capability to enter Mars orbit but it will also search for methane in the Martian atmosphere," he argued.

Presence or detection of methane is potential sign that life may have once existed on Mars.

Anadolu Agency, November 3, 2013

10 mowed down by speeding train in South India

File photo (Pic: India TV)

NEW DELHI (AA) – At least ten people were killed and eight others injured on Saturday when a speeding train mowed down passengers who had alighted from another train on the adjacent railway track at Gotlam station, 10kms from Vizianagaram in the eastern part of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh (AP).

Sources in Indian Railways told Andolu Agency that some passengers on Allepey-Dhanbad Express had pulled the emergency alarm chain following a rumor that some of the train’s coaches had caught fire, thus bringing the train to make an unscheduled stop at Gotlam station.

As some passengers got down from the train on the adjacent track, Raigada-Vijaywada, a fast passenger train, came from the opposite direction and ran over the passengers.

Railway authorities are trying to ascertain why the passengers of Allepey-Dhanbad Express had pulled down the emergency chain and got down on the railway tracks.

English language news channel NDTV suggested that since the Gotlam station is on a curve, the driver of the speeding passenger train may not have seen the crowd on the tracks.

AP Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has expressed shock and conveyed his condolences to the victims and their families.

He has directed government officials from the Fire and Emergency Department to rush to the scene to supervise rescue operations.

Anadolu Agency, November 2, 2013

6 Indians killed in cracker factory fire

File photo of an earlier fire at a cracker factory (Pic: NDTV)

NEW DELHI (AA) – At least six people were killed on Friday in a fire at a cracker factory in southern India.

Ten people suffered burns in the fire that gutted the factory near Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu state, according to IBNLive news channel.

Reports suggest that crackers exploded suddenly Friday afternoon when employees at the factory were at work.

Crackers are in high demand as Diwali, a Hindu festival of light, is round the corner.

Anadolu Agency, November 1, 2013

Three Indian Muslims killed in fresh Muzaffarnagar communal violence

Communal violence in UP (File photo: Anadolu Agency)

NEW DELHI (AA) – At least three Muslims were killed late Wednesday in a fresh outbreak of communal violence between Hindus and Muslims in the Muzaffarnagar city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP).

The three victims - Afroze (20), Meherban (21), and Ajmal - were beaten to death in clashes in the Muhammad Purraisingh village, the Press Trust of India quoted district magistrate Kaushal Raj as saying.

They were residents of a makeshift relief camp set up in the aftermath of a communal riot which killed at least 60 people and displaced 45,000 others last month.

Sources told Anadolu Agency that the clashes started with a verbal spat between members of two communities.

In a bout of violence that broke out on September 7, at least 60 people were killed in Muzaffarnagar and neighboring towns and villages after a Muslim man was killed by the brother and cousin of a Hindu girl for allegedly harassing her.

The two killers - from the Hindu Jat community - were reportedly lynched by the family of the slain Muslim.

The riot came high on the agenda of the National Integration Council (NIC), a government’s advisory body headed by the Prime Minister of India, during its annual meeting on September 23.

"The Muzaffarnagar violence led to a huge loss of lives and property," Premier Manmohan Singh had told the 148-member NIC.

Three UP lawmakers, including two from the right-wing opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have been arrested on charges of making "inflammatory" speeches.

One lawmaker allegedly shared a fabricated video on YouTube that served stoke communal tension.

Anadolu Agency, October 30, 2013

Blasts hit Indian state before opposition rally

Gandhi Ground in Patna (Pic: Caravandaily.com)

NEW DELHI (AA) – A series of low-intensity bombs hit Patna, the capital city of the northern state of Bihar, killing one and injuring 20 others minutes before the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) premiership candidate Narendra Modi arrived to address the party’s supporters.

Bihar DGP (Director General of Police) GP Abhyanand has confirmed 8 explosions in Patna.

Eight blasts took place in and around Gandhi Ground, the venue of the BJP's biggest rally in the northern state.

The first blast exploded at Patna railway station, critically injuring one person who later died of his injuries.

A series of low-intensity explosions followed near the rally’s venue.

Fear and panic struck thousands of BJP members and supporters when the fifth low-intensity blast rocked the Gandhi Ground itself.

The blast was caught on camera by the English-language news channel NDTV.

Several unexploded bombs were reportedly defused by the police at the venue, said Upendra Kumar Sinha, railway superintendent of police.

He had one police official was injured while defusing a bomb.

One suspect was detained at the rally by the police for questioning.

The federal government has immediately dispatched an elite team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and explosive experts to Patna to assist state police in their investigation.

BJP, India's main opposition party, condemned the blasts that seem to target its rally.

"Investigation as to who is behind this must happen," BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters.

BJP’s planned rally went ahead at the venue where Modi slammed the Bihar State's ruling Janata Dal United (JDU) party.

In June, JDU chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ended a 17-yearl political alliance with the BJP when it became clear that Modi would be the right-wing Hindu party's prime ministerial candidate.

Anadolu Agency, October 27, 2013

India arrests ex-Rajasthan minister for alleged rape

Babulal Nagar, former Food minister of Rajasthan (Pic: NDTV)

NEW DELHI (AA) –India’s federal investigating agency on Friday arrested former top official Babulal Nagar for allegedly raping and beating a 35-year-old woman last month at his official residence in the historic city of Jaipur.

Earlier in the day, the CBI grilled Nagar -- who once served as minister of state for dairy and rural industries (food) in the western Rajasthan State -- at a government rest house before formally arresting him.

Talking to reporters before entering the rest house, Nagar said he had given a statement to the CBI in writing in which he had denied the charges leveled against him.

Rajasthan police summoned Nagar for allegedly raping and beating the victim on September 11 after calling her to his official residence in state capital Jaipur, luring her with promises of employment.

The victim filed a lawsuit five days later, forcing the official to tender his resignation after charges were officially brought against him.

"This is my reply to those who have apprehended that as a minister I can influence [the ongoing] investigation," he said.

"I am being framed in a political conspiracy," he asserted. "Through media reports I was told that a woman has alleged that on September 11 she was called by me at my official residence."

He added: "Let me tell you that my house was full of people on that day on which the woman alleged that she was raped."

Nagar also stressed that the ruling Congress Party should not be implicated in the case.

The Congress Party, for its part, has already suspended Nagar's membership until his name is cleared of the allegations.

The case is the second such embarrassment in as many years for the ruling party, which is currently preparing to contest state polls in November.

In 2011, Congress State Cabinet Minister Mahipal Maderna and Congress legislator Malkhan Singh Bishnoi were both accused of the rape and murder of a government nurse.

The case is still being heard in court, while the two accused men remain in police custody.

Anadolu Agency, October 25, 2013

India mourns passing of music legend

Manna Dey: The legendary singer (Pic: Mid-Day)

MUMBAI (AA) – Legendary singer Manna Dey, whose melodious voice reigned over Bollywood for five decades, breathed his last on Thursday morning at a hospital in the southern Indian city of Bangalore. He was 94 years old.

Dey died from a cardiac arrest following a prolonged illness that saw him in and out of the hospital for the last five months.

Dey had been a symbol of India's cinematic golden age, with his inimitable style that distinguished his songs from those of other legendary crooners like Mohammed Rafi, Kishore and Mukesh.

But it was Dey's "unique" voice that stood out most of all.

He has been credited with infusing pop music with classical influences.

Dey sang more than 3,500 songs in several different Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada and Assamese.

He was perhaps the only Indian singer to sing in so many different languages.

Born in 1919 in Kolkata, Dey came to Mumbai in 1942 with his uncle Krishna Chandra Dey, a music composer.

He began working as an assistant music director under his uncle and music composer SD Burman before launching his singing career in 1943.

In 1971, Dey won the National Film Award for best male playback singer for Bengali film 'Nishi Padma' and Hindi film 'Mera Naam Joker.'

In the same year, Dey was awarded India's fourth most prestigious civilian award – the Padma Shri – for his contributions to the arts.

In 2005, Dey was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third most prestigious civilian award, in recognition of his "distinguished service of a high order to the nation."

Legendary Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan tweeted: "Manna Dey, stalwart of the music world, passes away."

Bachchan went on to praise the departed musician's vast corpus of songs.

"Strange how we connect events of our life with his songs," the actor said, going on to offer his prayers and condolences to Dey's family and loved ones.

"At work but shall keep a minute's silence, in Manna Dey's memory on set before we start," he added.

Filmmaker Pritish Nandy, too, mourned Dey's passing.

"Even when you know someone will soon go, when he actually does, it breaks your heart," he tweeted.

Bollywood producer/director Madhur Bhandarkar described Dey as "a legendary singer with a golden voice that ruled our hearts for decades."

Social activist and actress Shabana Azmi, meanwhile, said she would remember Dey's one-of-a-kind voice.

"He will live on through his songs," Azmi tweeted.

Anadolu Agency, October 24, 2013

'Shahid': Bollywood portrays life, death of real-life hero

A poster of the film 'Shahid' on the late lawyer Shahid Azmi

MUMBAI (AA) - New Bollywood movie "Shahid" is a fictionalized biopic, the true story of gritty Mumbai lawyer Shahid Azmi, who rose to prominence defending young Muslims wrongly-accused of terrorism.

The film depicts his struggles, achievements, triumphs and humiliations during his short, 32-year life before he was gunned down by unknown assailants on February 11, 2010 in his small office in Kurla, a Mumbai suburb.

Directed by Hansal Mehta, the film is a plain and realistic look at a legal system that often makes mistakes, arresting poor and helpless youngsters and throwing them in jail for years without any shred of evidence.

The movie opens in Govandi, a narrow and dingy suburban Mumbai ghetto, amid the raging communal riots of 1993 that followed the demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya in northern India.

The 15-year-old Azmi witnesses one of the worst bouts of communal rioting between Hindus and Muslims in India's post-independence history.

Outraged by the excesses of the State and the communalism of the majority-Hindu community, he crosses into Pakistan-held Kashmir to become a "jihadi" who can answer State injustice with his Kalashnikov rifle.

Disillusioned by the violent streak that characterized most self-styled "jihadis", Azmi flees the training camp only to be arrested by Indian authorities and charged under draconian anti-terror legislation.

Azmi meets two sets of people during his seven-year under-trial detention in Delhi's Tihar Prison, where he shuffles smoothly between militant fundamentalists and secular moderates.

A Kashmiri Muslim businessman and a Hindu professor eventually gain influence over Azmi, persuading him to educate himself.

Thus a non-compromising lawyer with a steely resolve is born inside India's largest jail, destined to eventually take on the State itself.

The movie gets off to a slow start but takes a quick turn when Azmi is acquitted on the basis of "natural justice".

Azmi, the victim, now becomes the hero, launching a formidable defense in a series of terrorism cases.

As he begins taking on high-profile terror-related cases, Azmi starts receiving death threats on his mobile phone.

The movie features only two such high-profile cases: the 2006 Mumbai train blast and the 26/11 terror attack in 2008.

In the train blast case, the accused – one Zaheer Shaikh – is denied bail ten times in the span of two and half years, even though prosecutors have failed to produce any substantive evidence implicating him.

A prosecution lawyer employs delay tactics, stalling the case without any apparent remorse or guilt. The judiciary, meanwhile, swallows the lies – couched in terms such as "terrorism" and "national security" – fed to it by prosecutors.

It is only after Azmi's insistence on seeing tangible evidence that Zaheer is finally acquitted.

Azmi, the truth-seeker, comes to life in a scene in which he tells Shaikh: "Tell me everything truthfully. If I later come to know something you hid from me or lied, then I will leave this case."

In the 2008 attacks case, a suspect named Fahim Ansari is accused of passing "hand-drawn" maps to "Pakistani terrorists" who went on to kill 164 civilians in Mumbai.

A deliberate attempt by a lady prosecution lawyer to produce "tutored" witnesses falls flat when an aggressive Azmi asks who – in this age of Google Maps – still needs to rely on "hand-drawn" maps?

Azmi's cross-examination of the witness eventually exposes the prosecution's lies.

The movie delivers a message against community-profiling when Azmi says, "If this man's name was Donald or Suresh or Matthew, would he have been standing here? He is in jail just because of his name."

He goes on to argue that being in jail does not automatically mean that someone is a criminal or – worse still – a "terrorist".

"Hindu King Shivaji was jailed. Does that make him a terrorist?" Azmi asks rhetorically.

When he emerges from the courthouse, his face is blackened by members of the Shiv Sena, a Mumbai-based right-wing political party.

Here Mehta, the movie director, is revisiting his past, when his own face was blackened in 2000 by Shiv Sena members for "insulting" Hindu King Shivaji.

Mehta subtly hints at the rise of right-wing Hindu intolerance and the recent arrest of right-wing Hindus in a number of terror cases. But he stops there.

As the movie enters its last leg, the paradox of Azmi's life is marvelously depicted.

On one hand, there is his solidarity with his wrongly-accused clients. On the other, there is intense maternal pressure on Azmi to rejoin his family and abandon his separate residence.

Azmi's wife feels neglected, calling on him to leave his risky and "life-threatening profession."

Azmi, however, remains unperturbed by his familial obligations and remains committed to his cause, even when his wife finally walks out on him.

Three months before Ansari's acquittal, Azmi is shot dead by unknown assailants who, posing as clients, barge into his office in the middle of the night.

Life-like

Actor Raj Kumar Yadav worked extremely hard to get into the skin of the celebrated lawyer.

There is an interrogation scene in the film in which Azmi is humiliated and forced to stand naked before his inquisitors.

To understand and portray the pain and embarrassment of physical and mental torture, Yadav insisted on performing the scene naked himself.

He reportedly cried for three hours after shooting the scene, which left him emotionally drained.

Yadav has left an indelible mark with his fine acting in the movie.

The perfectly-chiseled Urdu dialogue, meanwhile, has come in for praise by moviegoers.

Unlike other Bollywood films – in which courtrooms are always clean and polished and legal arguments sound like a drama – "Shahid" departs from such unrealistic flourishes.

It depicts the courtroom as it really is: dilapidated with cracking walls, plastic chairs and a rickety fan. Arguments between lawyers are well-crafted and don't feel staged.

Renowned critic and filmmaker Khalid Mohamed, for one, was deeply moved by the film's human aspect.

"That rare quality – humanism – is its calling card," he told the Anadolu Agency.

"Whatever its political ramifications or accuracy to reality may be, here's a re-enactment which makes the viewer's heart bleed over the abrupt end of a man's life," he said.

"Hansal Mehta makes sure that he [Azmi] will be missed and admired," the critic added. "They don't make crusaders like Shahid anymore, and the eponymously-titled film does complete justice to the man driven by a cause."

The film is currently playing before packed theaters.

One trade-analyst told the AA that, despite its low budget, "Shahid" was doing better than other big-banner films with star-studded casts.

"Shahid has redefined the very idea of a film's success. A true story sells better than a film writer's imagination," he said.

Lawyer Khalid Azmi, Shahid Azmi's real-life brother, said the family had become very emotional when watching the film.

"It was quite emotional to see him on screen," Khalid told the AA.

"We as family members are with Hansal Mehta," he said. "We are happy with the fact that there is someone who is telling the story of my brother through the medium of film."

Khalid went on to say that the family was pleased with the depiction of Shahid, vouching for the film's authenticity.

"Almost 95 percent of the film is accurate," he asserted.

"We wanted people to know him and his story," the late lawyer's brother explained. "People should be aware of the work he did."

"His spirit to help the poor and the needy who [are] falsely implicated on the wrong side of the law must be known."

Anadolu Agency, October 22, 2013

Indian opposition kickstarts 2014 parliament polls campaign

Narendra Modi at Kanpur rally (Pic: Economic Times)

NEW DELHI (AA) - India's main opposition Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday kickstarted its campaign for the 2014 parliamentary election from Uttar Pradesh (UP), India’s biggest state which elects 80 lawmakers to the 552-member national assembly.

"Those born with silver spoon can’t understand the pain of poverty," Narendra Modi, the three-time Chief Minister of the western Gujarat state and the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, told a roaring crowd in Kanpur City, 500kms east of the capital New Delhi.

He bitterly attacked the ruling Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.

"Listen to Congress’ language. The 'prince' says there is no such thing as poverty, that it is a 'state of mind'," Modi mocked the scion of the prominent Gandhi family, without naming him.

He also lambasted the Planning Commission (PC) headed by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In one of its report on the definition of poverty, the PC argued that if an Indian earns 32 rupees a day he/she will not be categorized as "poor."

The PC later rescinded this position after mass protests.

Modi said he understands and sympathizes with India’s poor because he himself comes from a modest family.

The 62-year-old politician once sold tea in a Gujarat railway station.

Modi thanked the thousands of BJP workers and supporters for the huge election gathering.

"Today this crowd at Kanpur has won me over," he told the cheering audience. "I sense affection in every corner of the country."

The BJP parliamentary board has decided to name Modi its general, meaning that he automatically becomes its candidate for the premiership should the party win the 2014 polls.

The decision triggered euphoria among members of India's main opposition party, which has been out of power since its stunning loss in 2004 parliamentary elections.

Modi started his North Indian election tour with today's rally in UP, India’s biggest state.

He is scheduled to address 8 more public rallies in the state which sends 80 MPs to the 552-member Lok Sabha ("the House of the People"), the lower house of India's parliament.

Unity

Modi lashed out at the federal government over its Pakistan policy.

"Our neighbors taunt us with incursions and the government in Delhi serves chicken biryani meals," he said.

In a bold and clear message to neighboring Pakistan, Indian Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid recently expressed optimism about the ongoing peace process and dialogue between the nuclear arch rivals.

He said his government has confidence in Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who was elected in May 2013 on a "clear mandate" of better relations with India.

Singh recently met Sharif in New York on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly meetings.

Modi, meanwhile, accused the ruling Congress of "wasting" 60 years since India’s independence.

"Divide and rule is in the blood and DNA of Congress party," he claimed.

"Wherever they went, they have followed this principle which they have learned from the British."

The controversial politician claimed that his BJP party wants to unite people.

"We have come here to unite people."

In an apparent reference to Muslims, Modi accused the Congress of indulging in vote-bank politics with India's single largest minority.

"Whenever Congress comes into power, it sticks to one mantra of secularism and vote-bank politics. Congress divides people to rule over them," he argued.

Modi claimed that his party, which many accuse of defining Indian nationality in terms of Hindu religious ideology, treats all communities equally.

"We should all work together to develop mother India," he said, suggesting that the religion of the government should be "India first".

A three-time chief minister, Modi has been seen as a divisive figure since the 2002 Gujarat violence triggered by the killing of 59 Hindu devotees in an attack on an express train. The attack was blamed on a Muslim mob.

Subsequent communal violence claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, and damaged hundreds of places of worship, mostly mosques.

Modi, as chief minister, is accused by federal authorities of failing to protect Muslims and their interests, while Muslims accuse him of inciting violence against them.

He has been accused of complicity in the riots by a number of human rights groups and the case against him remains in court.

Change

Modi exhorted the Indian people to vote for change in the coming 2014 general election.

"Do you want your children to suffer the same hardships you have suffered? Do you want to safeguard the future of the children? If you want a bright future for you children, decide today you won't allow the people who have ruined you lives to ruin the lives of your children," he said.

"It is time to uproot this government and bring the BJP in to give India new hope," he added.

Modi accused the Congress and its government of ruining the Indian economy and that they have failed to stem rising inflation.

"Have they (Congress party) said they have tried to bring down inflation but failed? This is because of their arrogance. They do not want to listen to the people," he said.

"Should you care about those who don't care about you? Teach them a lesson so that no one has the courage to betray the people's trust for years to come," he told his audience.

Modi has led the BJP to three consecutive electoral victories in Gujarat, virtually decimating the ruling Congress in that state.

While conveying the image of a hardliner, Modi is also seen by many – including business leaders – as the chief minister who put Gujarat on the path to sustained development.

His supporters argue that he is a decisive leader who would be useful in countering the ruling coalition, seen by detractors as indecisive and largely responsible for India's current economic mess.

At the same time, Modi's critics see him as a dictatorial personality who does not tolerate dissent and discourages progress by other leaders.

Anadolu Agency, October 19, 2013