Shammi Kapoor

Bollywood’s legendary actor passed away at the Breach Candy Hospital at 5.50 a.m. He had been suffering from chronic renal failure. 

The funeral for the Bollywood legend will be held today, August 15th. at 11 am at Ban Ganga crematorium, Mumbai. Shammi Kapoor’s son stated that they were awaiting the arrival of the icon’s grand-son Vishwapratap Raj Kapoor. 

Twitter  was the first to catch the sad news and  has again emerged as the fastest media.

Amitabh Bachchan was one of the first among all the Bollywood celebs to tweet about Shammi Kapoor’s death. He tweeted, “@SrBachann – Shammi Kapoor ji passed away this morning at 5:15 am .. Rushing there now .. the flamboyance and joi de verve of the Industry lost !” 

 This news caught the attention of @ikaveri, another tweeple, who tweeted – [@ikaveri - Shammi Kapoor is no more - #RIPShammiKapoor.], and then it spread like wild fire. 

Immediately the world new about it and it became a world-wide ‘trending topic’ on @twitter. Shammi Kapoor himself was very popular on twitter and used to tweet under the name/handle @shamsheraj. 

He was given the name Shamsher Raj Kapoor at his birth in Mumbai to film and theatre actor Prithviraj Kapoor. Shammi was the second of the three sons born to Prithviraj, the other two being Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor, both of whom were successful Bollywood actors. He spent a major portion of his childhood in Kolkata, where his father was involved with New Theatres Studios, acting in films.

 It was in Kolkata only that he did his Montessory and Kindergarten. After coming back to Mumbai, he first went toSt. Joseph’s Convent (Wadala) and then, toDonBoscoSchool. Shammi Kapoor finished his schooling fromNewEraSchool, atHughes Road. 

Shammi Kapoor had a short stint at the Ruia College, after which he joined his father’s theatrical company “Prithvi Theatres”. He entered the world of cinema in 1948, as a junior artiste, at a salary of Rs. 50 per month. Kapoor stayed with Prithvi Theatres for the next four years and collected his last paycheck, Rs. 300, in 1952. He made his debut in Bollywood in the year 1953, when the film Jeevan Jyoti was released. It was directed by Mr. Mahesh Kaul and Chand Usmani was Kapoor’s first heroine. 

Shammi Kapoor was one of the most versatile actors of Hindi cinema and will be fondly remembered for his brilliant work in movies like ‘An Evening in Paris’, ‘Junglee’, ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’, ‘Teesri Manzil’ and many more. 

Even before the birth of internet, ‘Yahoo’ was the word shouted on the streets of India after the release of his movie ‘Junglee’ in the early ‘60s. 

Immediately after his death, actors Amitabh Bachan, Imran Khan, Anupam Kher, Farah Khan and industrialist Anil Ambani reached his residence, Blue Haven Society in Malabar Hill South Bombay, to pay their respects to the departed soul. 

Shammi Kapoor has always been active and has a final performance yet – in grand-nephew Ranbir Kapoor’s Rockstar. 

The legendary actor was due to jam with Ranbir Kapoor in Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar. Latest reports say Ranbir was obviously excited and had been rehearsing. In my younger days, I used to play the shehnai or would enact it to perfection. I think I can do it today, also,” Shammi Kapoor had said, of the scene in which he was to play the shehnai and Ranbir the guitar. 

Many Bollywood stars and filmmakers have expressed their profound grief on the demise of the veteran actor. Twitter was abug with tweets from many Bollywood celebs who said :-

Shabana Azmi – “Shammiji u will b remembered always. Thanku for d grt joy n entertainment u gave millions.seems like a grammatical error 2use past tense 4 u (sic).” 

Anupam Kher– “Shammi Kapoor ji was one of d 1st Youth Icons from Cinema. He liberated actors from being stereo types. Will miss his STYLE and SUBSTANCE (sic).” 

Priyanka Chopra– “sometimes no amount of kind words can compensate for a loss! bhole baba ki jai shammi maharajji.. he was our guruji..im at a loss (sic).” 

Deepika Padukone– “He was an inspiration not just for his style and the films he did, but also his attitude towards life…we will miss you Shammi uncle…#RIP.” 

Shekhar Kapoor– “The great iconic Shammi Kapoor who defined an era n influenced music, dance n song even today has passed away, leaving a hollow void (sic).” 

Karan Johar– “One of finest and strongest men I knew…we will truly miss you shammi uncle….RIP….” 

R Madhavan– “RIP Shammi Ji.  End of a legend” 

Celina Jaitley– “Shammi ji no one can take the place of all the “Yahoos” of our indian hearts who loved u .. u will be missed deeply by us all.” 

Dia Mirza – “The happiest, caring, kind and considerate man…You leave with us memories that are precious…@shamsheraj RIP Shammi Kapoor love u forever (sic).” 

Shamsher Raj Kapoor, widely known by his screen name Shammi Kapoor, was a flamboyant dancing star and it was in 1955 that he met Geeta Bali on the sets of ‘Rangeeen Rateen’ and later married her. They had a son Aditya and a daughter named Kanchan. 

While working on the sets of ‘Teesri Manzil’ he lost his wife who died of small pox in 1965. That was a very bad patch in his life and it took him 3 months to recompose himself and started working again on the sets, never giving away a glimpse of his hurted feelings. 

Awards won By Shammi Kapoor: 

* 1962 – Filmfare Nomination as Best Actor–Professor

* 1968 – Filmfare Best Actor Award, Brahmachari 

* 1982 – Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, Vidhata

* 1995 – Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award 

* 1998 – Kalakar Awards – Special Award for “contribution in Indian Cinema” 

* 1999 – Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement 

* 2001 – Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award 

* 2001 – Anandalok Awards Lifetime Achievement Award 

* 2002 – Invaluable Contribution To Indian Cinema at the IIFA. 

* 2005 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bollywood Movie Awards 

* 2008 – Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Indian cinema at the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF). 

* 2009 – Phalke Legend Actor Award by theDadasahebPhalkeAcademy 

* Recipient of the prestigious Living Legend Award by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Indian entertainment industry. 

* Rashtriya Gaurav Award 

A tribute to Shammi Kapoor is incomplete if I don’t mention here that the songs of his movies became so popular that they were enjoyed and sung by one and all throughout the length and breadth of this country. Shammi Kapoor had a glorious association with Mohd. Rafi ji who sang his songs to perfection and ensured that the voice also matched the star’s dance moves on the screen. Though all his songs became very popular but today I would like to quote here – ‘Tum mujhe yoon bhulaa na paaoge’.

Very true Sir Shammiji, it is very difficult to forget you. 

And to sum it up in the end – ‘taareef karoon kya uski, jisne tujhe banaaya’ – RIP – Shammi Kapoor.

Ravi Matah.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

The coffin of the 84-year-old was lowered in a grave during the nearly two-hour private ceremony at Sai Kulwant Hall, where the godman used to give “darshan” to his devotees and deliver discourses. The burial was in accordance with the practice for Hindu spiritual gurus.

A select gathering, including family members of the Baba, members and officials of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, politicians and top bureaucrats was present in the hall.
Thousands of devotees watched the last rites on giant screens outside while millions of devotees in India and abroad watched it live over television.

The Sai Kulwant Hall in Prashanti Nilayam, the Ashram from which Sai Baba ran a spiritual empire reverberated with hyma from the Vedas and Chants of “Om Sai Ram” as the last rites were performed.

Baba’s nephew R.J. Ratnakar performed rituals like the sprinkling of holy water on the mortal remains under the guidance of a priest. Later, the godman was laid to rest in a deep pit at a private ceremony behind curtains.

Half of the ceremony  was open to those present in the hall among chanting of mantras and the burial was performed by only a handful of close relatives and disciples in the presence of a group of priests.

The Battalion of Andhra Pradesh Special Police presented a 21-gun salute as mark of respect to the spiritual leader in whose respect the Chief Minister had declared a State funeral & four days of mourning.

Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Jewish priests read out their respective scriptures before the rituals began around 9 a.m. A group of disciples of Tibetan Buddhist leader Dalai Lama also attended the last rites, which were performed with full state honours.

A guard of honour was given by policemen who came in slow march and draped the national flag on the transparent casket, before the body was moved for the burial.

The buglers sounded the Last Post and policemen fired shots in a gun salute outside the hall. A general salute was also offered by the men in uniform.

After an hour-long burial ceremony, the curtains were moved to enable VIPs to sprinkle sacred ash on the grave and pay their respects.

Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and several ministers from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka were also present and sprinkled ash and paid their last respects.

The devotees were allowed into the hall in the afternoon after the “samadhi” was ready.

Thousands of devotes had last darshan of Baba till Tuesday midnight. The spiritual guru died Sunday, 28 days after he was admitted to hospital with multi-organ dysfunction. The body was kept in Prashanti Nilayam to enable people to pay their last respects.

Sathya Sai Baba

The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condoled Sathya Sai Baba’s death and said – “I express my sincere condolences to the millions of his followers, disciples and well wishers. His teachings were rooted in the universal ideals of truth, right conduct, peace, love and non-violence”.   

The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N.Kiran Kumar Reddy announced that the last rites of Sri Sathya Sai Baba will be performed on Wednesday with full State honors. He has also announced a full state mourning period of four days. 

According to sources close to Sathya Sai Trust, The President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are also expected to arrive to pay their respects to Baba. 

Lakhs of devotees continued to pour in the ashram of Sri Sathya Sai Baba at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh. Among them were top politicians including the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, Karnataka Chief Minister B Yeddyurappa, BJP President Nitin Gadkari, TDP president Chandrababu Naidu and Prajarajyam chief Chiranjeevi.

Sathya Sai Baba

Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was there to pay his respects as well. Sachin Tendulkar is expected to reach Puttaparthi later on Monday morning. Sai Baba’s body has been wrapped in a saffron-coloured cloth and kept in a glass casket in the ashram’s central hall.

Sathya Sai Baba had millions of followers all over the world. From ordinary believers to the President of India, his clout spread far and wide. 

Satya Sai Baba also became controversial for the miracles he performed. India had several god men but none could match his name and fame. 

He became famous by producing objects from thin air. He was often challenged by critics and rationalists who campaigned against him for his magic shows. 

Top-ranking politicians including prime minister, union ministers, governors, chief ministers, film stars, sportspersons, industrialists and virtually the ‘who’s who’ of the country rank among the high-profile devotees of the Baba. In fact, Satya Sai Baba’s influence had no barriers as his millions of followers spanned the globe. 

Born into an ordinary family as Satyanarayana Raju in the sleepy Puttaparthi village in the dry Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, on November 23, 1926, he was to later become Satya Sai Baba, the reincarnation of the saintly Sai Baba of Shirdi. 

As a child he was very intelligent and at the age of 14 he declared himself as the reincarnation of Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi. He later emerged as the most popular godmen of modern times. 

In 1944, a small temple was built for Satya Sai Baba’s devotees at Puttaparthi and in 1950 a huge ashram was constructed there, called the ‘Prasanthi Nilayam’, making it his permanent abode. 

Few reports had also taken rounds about some scandals in his Ashram but were dismissed by him and his followers. In 1993 an atttempt was also made on his his life by his close aides in which six inmates were killed. 

His divine preaching apart, Satya Sai Baba pioneered many social service activities beginning with a tiny general hospital at Puttaparthi which has now transformed into the Satya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, a 220-bedded super-speciality hospital. 

The Satya Sai Central Trust manages all the service activities and also runs the Satya Sai University (formerly Satya Sai Institute of Higher Learning) at Puttaparthi. Besides, the trust also runs many schools and dispensaries in different states while it has also completed large water supply projects in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. 

Volunteers from the Satya Sai Seva Organisation are always found in the forefront carrying out relief and rehabilitation work during natural calamities not only in AP but also in other states. 

Satya Sai Baba established three primary mandirs (spiritual centres) in India – Dharmakshetra in Mumbai, Shivam in Hyderabad and Sundaram in Chennai. 

Since 2005, Baba used a wheelchair and his failing health forced him to make fewer public appearances. 

The Sai Baba Trust runs a state-of-the-art Hospital, University and several other institutions to serve the poor in over 160 countries. However, he himself reportedly visited only two countries – Uganda and Kenya.

His departure to his heavenly abode has left a question mark on the future of his Rs. 40,000 Crore (US $9 billion) empire. The Trust Board has high profile members like Ex Chief Justice P.N.Bhagwati and it is most likely that it will run smooothly. However some doubts are being expressed that the government might take over the Trust if there is a rift amongst it’s members.

Ravi Matah.

The victim, Lakhvindar Singh, had migrated to Australia in 2007 and was working as a helper in a farm near Melbourne. 

His family in Punjab states that – “We got a call and they told us that he died in his room. A man came from outside and when he opened his room door somebody hit him with a knife on his neck,” said Lakhvinder’s brother, Kulvinder Singh. They still don’t understand what really happened. 

“We just want that the murderer should be punished and the dead body should reach us as soon as possible,” said Lakhvinder’s grandfather, Balbir Singh. 

The Australian Police have arrested 37-year-old Thy Sok and charged him with Lakhwinder’s murder but they still can’t establish a motive. Sok is still being questioned. 

Thy Sok who has been remanded in custody until Wednesday, will be produced at Melbourne Magistrates Court. 

Lakhwinder is among the many Indians attacked in Australia in the past two years. Though some of the attacks were for robbery, in some cases the motive is believed to be racial. However he is the second person to be killed after Nitin Garg who was killed while walking through Park towards his place of work. 

The Deputy High Commissioner of Australia to India, Lachlan Strahan, on Saturday said that the killing of another Indian in Australia is a “tragic incident”. 

The 28 year old Lakhwindar Singh, who was stabbed to death in Rushworth, Victoria is a native of Rajpura city in Punjab. 

“We are satisfied that the law enforcement agencies acted swiftly and did what it is supposed to do,” Strahan told ANI. 

According to diplomatic sources, Australian authorities have contacted Lakhwinder’s wife, who is in India. 

“The victim was not a student. The Consulate has been in contact with the victim’s relatives and is providing assistance with funeral and other arrangements. Body is with coroner now,” a source said.

Ravi Matah.

“The student who came in good faith, they should not be victimised, and it is necessary they should be absorbed into other universities in the United States and allowed to pursue their studies,” he said.

According to a federal complaint filed in a California court in January, the university helped foreign nationals illegally acquire immigration status. The university is said to have 1,555 students. As many as 95 per cent of these students are Indian nationals, the complaint said.

Investigations by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have found that while students were admitted to various residential and online courses of the university and on paper lived in California, but in reality they “illegally” worked in various parts of the country as far as Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Mr Krishna underlined the fact that the students came on valid visas and were “cheated by dubious promises made by education providers” and he called on the US Government “to bring to justice the bogus institutions”.

ICE has called it as a “Sham University”, a charge denied by the university. In fact it should be the University authorities who should be penalised and not the Indian students.

According to available information, 18 students in California were radio-tagged by ICE as part of its investigation against Tri Valley University.

Ankle monitors send a radio frequency signal containing location and other information to a receiver. US immigration authorities have removed radio tags from the ankles of two Indian students.

Mr Krishna, who has previously called the tagging as “inhuman”, said that he had expressed his “resentment” against the practice.

Later today, the Indian Ambassador to the US, Ms Meera Shankar, and the Consul General at the Indian Consulate San Francisco, Ms Susmita Gongulee Thomas, will meet the minister and are expected to brief him on the matter before he leaves New York.
Ravi Matah.

Indian Government has now issued an advisory on travel of Indian journalists to Egypt.

Egyptian regulations require foreign journalists to obtain accreditation with the State Information Service, a procedure which normally takes 2 to 3 weeks.

It is understood that around 3000 foreign and Egyptian correspondents are currently in Cairo to file / film stories and a number of them are WITHOUT SUITABLE accreditation. A number of journalists, including some Indian journalists, have got into trouble as a result.

Even though the resources of the Embassy of India Cairo, are under pressure, they have been extending assistance and facilitation to the Indian journalists. However to avoid being detained or being sent back by Egyptian authorities, it is requested that the following may please be borne in mind:

• Carry your identity card and or passport at all times. Keep a copy of your documents safely in the hotel room.

• Ensure that you have valid visa and equipment clearance* papers. (*Our Embassy in Cairo can help with equipment clearance provided at least 48 hour advance intimation is given with to them with complete details by fax + 202 2736 1972 or email: ambassador@indembcairo.com .)

• Carry sufficient amount of foreign currency of various denomination particularly in US dollars, as ATMs are working sporadically only and currency exchange counters are closed.

• In view of the extreme shortage of hotel accommodation please settle for anything suitable that is readily available. Please ensure that you have confirmed reservations before setting off for Cairo.

• Please take care of your personal safety while reporting.

• Embassy of India has set up a round the clock Control Room. Telephone numbers +202 2736 0556 or +202 2736 0052 or +202 2735 6168

• In case of EMERGENCY please contact Mr. Dinesh Setia on his mobile number + 2018 349 776.

Ravi Matah

The Tri-valley University in the US has been found to be dud then how can the Indian students be penalised for no wrong-doing on their part? They have been radio-tagged like criminals on parole. These people had gone to US on valid visas and had the status of a ‘student’ and suddenly they are being termed as ‘illegal visitors’ for  no fault? Actually it is the racket conducted by the Americans who are running a fake uaniversity and the Indians are being held to take over the responsibility for this mess. Why?

India has condemned US authorities for tagging Indian students who, it says, were duped by a fake university. The Embassy of India in Washington, DC has taken up with the US State Department the issue of Tri Valley University in California, so as to ensure that Indian students are not subjected to any kind of discrimination or victimisation.

When the MEA approached their counterpart in the US, they (MEA) have been told that radio-tagging of students is ‘as per the law of their land’.  

The United States (USA) has justified the use of radio ankle monitors on some students of a sham university in California, 95 percent of them from India, saying it takes charges of visa fraud “very seriously”.

Justifying the use of ankle bracelets that track a wearer’s movements with radio frequency signals on a few students, Crowley said: “Those who are involved in this investigation have been issued ankle monitors.”

The students who have been in touch with the Embassy and the Consulate General in San Francisco and New York have requested that they be permitted to apply for transfer to other university and be given sufficient time for this. Alternatively they may be permitted to go back to India, without prejudice, and not be deported and also be allowed in normal course to reapply for studies in the US at authorised universities.

External Affairs Minister SM Krishan said Indian students were “not criminals” and that radio collars put around their ankles must be removed.

US authorities have shut down the Tri-Valley University near San Francisco, accusing it of an immigration fraud. .

“We take these allegations of immigration and visa fraud very seriously,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters on Monday when asked about India’s objection to the use of ankle bracelets on the duped students of Tri Valley University.

It’s correct, the visa and immigration laws should take their own course but radio-tagging students like criminals? No, not done. What would Obama government have done if similar incident would have occured with Americans in India?

Valayar Ravi, the Minister of Indian Affairs has said the students should not be radio tagged as they are heavy and are difficult to carry? What? It is  not a question of whether they are heavy or light, the point here is that radio-tagging is done of criminals who are on parole and not of students who are there to study on legal visas.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has told media that a criminal investigation is underway into visa fraud at Tri-Valley University. ICE says all visa holders will be treated fairly under the laws of the United States, with a full range of procedural protections.

The best tha US government can do in this situation to maintain harmonious relations with India is to send the students back here and ask the University to refund their fees as the fault lies purely with their Education system.

Ravi Matah

Happy New Year 2011

The best part was that we have excelled in the areas of sports, athletics and Cricket to make us cheerful. The medals tally in the CWG and the Asiad tops the list of this year’s crowning achievements. Sachin Tendulkar’s double ton in an ODI was the best thing that could have happened to India followed by the Opening ceremony of the Common Wealth Games followed by the 101 medals at the CWG games.

In the disappointments India was challenged by the spiraling prices, the 2G scam and the PMs inaction to take the corrupt to task.

A.R.Rehman, who got an Oscar for his song ‘Jai Ho’ earlier, was a disappointment for the music he had composed for the opening ceremony. Add to this, the public by and large are disappointed with the numbers of scams they  read daily in the newspapers and the PMs inaction against corruption.

It was a year of scams – CWG, IPL, 2G spectrum, Adarsh, Karnataka land grab & UP food scam. The CWG still figures prominently in the list of scams of 2010 despite Adarsh and 2G dominating the news after it; as CWG was a very important event in the minds of the Indian psyche. But the anti-hero of the scams is not Suresh Kalmadi, the architect of the CWG games, but the Raja of the 2G scam who has become more popular hogging the lime-light daily.

The country was then shaken by the news of the Mangalore plane crash where the pilot almost over-shot the runway.

Somehow people react a lot on issues of national pride and have taken CWG issue more closely to heart than the 2G scams. On the bollywood news the Ranbir-Deepika and Kat-Salman split evoked more response that the Rakhi Sawant’s reality show ‘Rakhi ka insaaf’  was voted down by one and all. After the huge success of Kajrare kajrare it was the year of Munni budnaam hui which became seemingly popular.

Then Jullian Assange has been in the news for his big exposures in Wikileaks.

Barrack Obama’s visit to Mumbai and Delhi had taken away our attention from scams and brought our focus to his visit. Obama’s address to the Joint session of Parliament which was telecast live, was probably viewed the world over. Even though Nitish Kumar became the Indian of the year it was Saina Nehwal who stole the lime-light with her three consecutive international victories.

It was a year of revelations – the Ayodhya verdict and the Bhopal gas tragedy verdict.

Things that bring bad memories is the no-ball bowled to Sehwag by the Sri Lanka depriving him of a well deserved 100. Sehwag was on 99 and India needed one run for victory and Randiv bowled a big no-ball. This was a deliberate attempt to deprive a cricketer of international stature, of a well-deserved century and Sehwag had hit a six in the very next ball but his century was not entered in the record books.

And when I speak of  no-balls, how can I forget the spot-fixing incident by Pakistani cricketers at UK? Third over last ball will be a no-ball, eh? Think big – think dirty, appears to be the motto of some of the players.

Back home the terminal 3 opened at IGI airport but India is yet to contain the Naxalite threat and still to decide the Telengana issue. The stone-peltings at Kashmir is far from over, even though Bihar had had a peaceful election which was fought on a developmental agenda.

It was also a year of catastrophes – the Haiti quake and the Cambodia stampede and a possibility of military aggression between North Korea and South Korea during the military exercise.

Floods in  Pakistan and protests in Thailand were also gaining wide-spread concern. In this year only Obama was shaken but not stirred by the Gulf oil spill and Mukesh Ambani had a chance to boast about his massive residential complex.

The major break-through this year was that US has backed India for a permanent seat in the UNSC and India will have a wide range of nations to engage to secure it’s security needs.

Here’s wishing all my readers a very Happy New Year 2011. May it bring happiness and good health to your lives.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) witnessed a failure when India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) blew up shortly after lift-off. This is perhaps the biggest failure for ISRO so far.

GSLV-F06, powered by Russian cryogenic engine, lifted off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 4:04 PM on Saturday evening after the 29-hour countdown.

But the rocket deviated from its intended path and exploded mid-air destroying the Rs 125 crore communication satellite GSAT-5P.

ISRO sources said the rocket failed due to a technical glitch in the first stage of the lift-off.

GSAT-5P with 24 C-band transponders and 12 extended C-band transponders was to ensure continuity of telecom, television and weather services.

“When destruct command was given, the vehicle was at a distance of 2.5 km from Sriharikota coastline. The debris has fallen into the sea,” ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan said during a press briefing.

“When we looked at the initial data, the control command signal from onboard computer failed to reach the launch vehicle during first stage. What caused this interruption after 47 seconds after take-off has to be studied in detail,” he added.

Radhakrishnan said, “We hope to get an assessment of what triggered this.”

The satellite, GSAT-5P, was expected to fulfill telecommunication and weather needs and was built at a cost of Rs. 150 crore. It was eventually expected to replace INSAT-2E that was sent up in 1999.

The satellite, developed by ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore, was the fifth in the GSAT series. It had a designed mission life of 12 years. This is GSLV’s third unsuccessful mission.

The launch of the satellite, which was originally scheduled for December 20, had been postponed after a leak in the Russian cryogenic engine on board the launch vehicle.

An earlier attempt, powered by a Russian cryogenic engine, failed in July 2006 while a more recent attempt in April this year with India’s first indigenous cryogenic engine deviated after take-off.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) suffered a major setback on Saturday when the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-F06 launch vehicle failed to put communication satellite GSAT-5P in orbit.

This is the second failure this year for ISRO after the previous GSLV mission with the country’s maiden cryogenic engine hit a snag and the rocket plunged into the Bay of Bengal on April 15 this year.

The failure of the GSLV has given a message for the scientists in the ISRO. It surely is not a financial loss to the nation . By this loss the scientists will know their mistakes and rectify their faults to ensure that the next launch of this kind goes off smoothly. There is nothing to feel sorry about this GSLV failure. India will be surely successful in its next attempt later.

Ravi Matah.

534  Gentlemen Cadets including 4 Gentlemen Cadets from neighbourhood Bhutan passed out at IMA DehraDun.

Amd tight security as many as 534 cadets passed out of thee prestigious Indian Military Acadmey after a two hour parade at the ground outside the Chetwood Hall building. Out of these 518 became the officers of the Indian Army, twelve of them joined the para-military force viz. Assam Rifles. Out of these 102 officers were from Uttar Pradesh, 58 from Uttarakhand and 47 from Haryana.

The Chief of the Army Staff took the salute of the Gentlemen Cadets before inspecting the Guard of Honour by the GCs. Army helicopters showered petals from the sky and thereafter piping ceremony was held in the sprawling IMA lawns.

Congratulating all the young officers for choosing this noble profession, Gen Singh asked officers to keep abreast with latest technology and warfare and be vigilant to face all types of challenges. The coveted ‘Sword of honour’ was presented to Gajendra Kumawat for being the best all-round cadet. Jaidev Dangi was awarded the Gold Medal for standing first in the order of merit in the regular course.

Ravi Matah.