RIVANCH

I have been a free speech absolutist. I detested Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) the same way hard-core Nehruvians abhorred Article 44 of the Constitution. Section 295A defines and prescribes punishment for “deliberate and malicious” acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs. As for Article 44, it lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for the citizens throughout the territory of India. However, in the wake of the Nupur Sharma episode, and especially after the killing of at least six people just for supporting the former BJP spokesperson, the fallacy of the idea of free speech was too evident to miss. Though such incidents have occurred several times in the past too, the fact that this time it has taken place when there is a strong, nationalist government at the Centre, has been an eye-opener on the challenges facing the nation. Free speech absolutism requires absolute an

If you are in trouble, want to vent about a bad day or just share your joy at achieving something, who are you going to call? A friend, right? Friendship is one of the most beautiful relationships ever created. A good friend is someone who is always present in times of need. They are true companions who always support and guide you through tough times. Every year the first Sunday of August is celebrated in the country as Friendship Day. And this year, it will be celebrated on 7 August. The United Nations (UN) has declared 30 July as International Friendship Day, but India also celebrates it on the first Sunday of August. Friendship Day is said to be very special for people because it is entirely dedicated to the relationship which is not given by blood but chosen by love. In order to celebrate this day, friends share gifts, flowers, and some even tie wristbands to each other to cherish the bond forever. History and Significance: The origin of Friendship Day dates back to the 1930s.

National Handloom Day is celebrated annually on 7 August, the very same day that the Swadeshi Movement was started in 1905. This day is observed annually to create awareness among the public about the handloom industry and the role played by it in India's socio-economic development. The day highlights how the handloom industry is a part of our heritage and empowers people who are working in this sector. The majority of the weavers in this industry are women, so the day becomes an important opportunity to give recognition and appreciation to them. History: In July 2015, the Union government decided to celebrate 7 August as National Handloom Day. The day is commemorated to make the people aware about the importance of the handloom industry. The first National Handloom Day was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centenary Hall of Madras University in Chennai on 7 August 2015. About the Swadeshi Movement: The Swadeshi movement started in Calcutta Town Hall as a way o

Rabindranath Tagore, a beacon of Bengali literature, was a great scholar, poet, novelist, musician, playwright and artist. Today, 7 August, marks the 81st death anniversary of the person who made the nation proud by becoming the first Indian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. He bagged the prestigious award in 1913 for the English translation of his poetry collection, ‘Gitanjali’, meaning 'Song Offerings'. Tagore, son of Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi was born at Calcutta’s Jorasanko on 7 May 1861. He went to England at the age of 17 to study at a public school in East Sussex. He also enrolled as a law student at the University College London. But soon, he left his college and moved back to India in 1880 to solely dedicate himself to Bengali literature. Among his numerous creations, the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh come at the top of the list. Some of his other note-worthy works are Gora, Gitabitan, Sanchayita, Ghare Baire and more. Apart from his gre

National Handloom Day is observed on 7 August every year across India. It is a day to acknowledge the handloom weaving community for their huge contribution to the socio-economic development of the country. The handloom sector is one of the foremost symbols of the rich cultural heritage of India. This special day also reaffirms India’s commitment to protect traditional handloom industries as well as help weavers to ensure a stable livelihood. For those who are unaware, National Handloom Day is celebrated on the same day the Swadeshi Movement was launched in the year 1905. The day is to create awareness about the handloom industry and its contribution to India's socio-economic development among the general public. In 2015, the first National Handloom Day was organised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centenary Hall of Madras University, Chennai. The aim behind it was to empower the workers in this sector. Below are a few wishes, messages, and greetings to share on National

Kuldeep Bishnoi, son of Haryana’s former chief minister Bhajan Lal, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday, before going over to party chief JP Nadda’s residence for a cup of tea and sandwiches. Interestingly, BJP leaders believe Bishnoi will be more helpful electorally in Rajasthan than in his state Haryana. In an exclusive interview with News18.com , Bishnoi opens up on Rahul Gandhi, his reasons for leaving the Congress and joining the BJP, as well as his plans for the future. Edited excerpts: What prompted you to join BJP? I was influenced by PM Narendra Modi’s policies. As I had been a Congress person throughout my life, I wanted to give myself another shot at being the Congress leader and wanted to mend things with Rahul Gandhi. It is no longer Indira and Sonia Gandhi’s Congress. They kept on repeating the mistakes, and this despite the fact that I kept warning them about the

Noida: The National Commission for Women on Saturday said that they have taken cognizance of the incident involving a politician who allegedly assaulted a woman after a spat at a housing society in Noida. Chairperson of the commission Rekha Sharma has written to the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh seeking the arrest of the accused and a fair and speedy inquiry into the matter. @NCWIndia has taken cognizance of the incident. Chairperson @sharmarekha has written to @dgpup to ensure fair and speedy investigation in the matter. NCW has also sought FIR and arrest of the accused for assaulting a woman. https://t.co/yoYVZlbTxl — NCW (@NCWIndia) August 6, 2022 On Friday, the Noida Police had booked the politician Shrikant Tyagi in the case. While the politician stressed that he is a member of the BJP's Kisan Morcha and his pictures with senior leaders surfaced on social media, the party's local unit said he is not associated with them. The spat took place durin

New Delhi:  As many as eight students were injured after a mini bus they were travelling in skidded off the road and fell into a gorge near Massora in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. J&K | 8 students injured after a mini bus in which they were travelling skidded off the road and fell into a gorge near Massora in Udhampur district. The bus was enroute to Udhampur from Barmeen village. Injured shifted to a district hospital. Further details shall follow pic.twitter.com/K5oguxh3I5 — ANI (@ANI) August 6, 2022 According to the reports, the bus was enroute to Udhampur from Barmeen village. The incident created a lot of panic in the area and a large number of people gathered at the accident site, some of them even volunteering in the rescue operations.  Udhampur, J&K | Visuals from the accident site near Massora in Udhampur where a minibus carrying several students fell into a gorge. 8 reportedly injured & shifted to a district hospital pic.twitter.com/

09:23 (IST) Vice Presidential Polls Live How many members will vote in the vice presidential election? The electoral college in the vice presidential election comprises a total of 788 members of both Houses of Parliament. Since all the electors are members of both Houses of Parliament, the value of vote of each MP would be the same, one, according to the Election Commission. The election is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote and the voting at such election is by secret ballot. 09:03 (IST) Vice Presidential Polls Live Telugu Desam, BSP, BJD to vote for Jagdeep Dhankhar Telugu Desam Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, and Biju Janta Dal will vote for NDA's candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar today. 08:55 (IST) Vice Presidential Polls Live ‘Like Odisha stood behind Murmu,’ an appeal from Karnataka Congress Karnataka Congress said as Odisha stood behind Droupadi Murmu who became the President of India last month, al

08:23 (IST) Vice Presidential Polls Live Mayawati announces support for Jagdeep Dhankhar Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has announced her party's support for NDA's Vice-Presidential candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar. 08:07 (IST) Vice Presidential Polls Live BJP organises VP poll mock drill for NDA MPs The BJP on Friday organised a mock voting drill for NDA coalition MPs ahead of the vice-presidential election. BJP president J P Nadda and several Union ministers were present during the exercise. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and Union Minister Bhupender Yadav oversaw it. After the exercise, NDA's vice-presidential nominee Jagdeep Dhankar reached Parliament and thanked the MPs of the ruling alliance for nominating him as their candidate. PTI 08:03 (IST) Vice Presidential Polls Live Electoral fate of Dhankhar, Alva to be decided today The 80-year-old Margaret Alva is a Congress veteran and has served as governor of Rajasthan and Uttarakhand

When the times are rough, it is a friend who can calm you down. Even if your friends may not be capable of helping you, they will try their best to bring some comfort to your soul. This is what a friend does. Friends are one of the most beautiful gifts from God. To appreciate such precious people, Friendship Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of August in India. This is the day when friends appreciate and commemorate their precious bond with each other. They can mark the bond by tying friendship bands on each other’s hand. They can also celebrate their closeness by sending gifts to each other. While some of your buddies will be too far away for you to send any gift at the last moment, a thoughtful message is always appreciated. Here are some of the amazing messages you can send to your bestie and make your relationship even stronger: “Happy Friendship Day to you, my dear friend. God bless our relationship and fill our lives with happy memories." “I just wanted to let you kno

New Delhi : Bhartiya Janata Party(BJP) leaders today attended a special screening of the film 'Rocketry' at the Parliament Union Minister for I&B, Anurag Thakur said, "Godfather was the movie that had a 9.2 rating, Rocketry too has achieved the same feat. Delhi | BJP leaders attend a special screening of film 'Rocketry' at Parliament Godfather was the movie that had a 9.2 rating, Rocketry too has achieved the same feat: Union Minister for I&B, Anurag Thakur pic.twitter.com/HMRCYmmk8P — ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2022 The film is a tale of Nambi Narayanan, an aerospace engineer and an ISRO scientist. It explores the various dimensions of his life. From being a genius scientist to being a self-centered individual, and from getting a fellowship at NASA to choosing the welfare of the country over foreign land, the movie traverses through different time zones in his life. The storytelling revolves around different chapters in the life of Nambi Narayanan. Hi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is undoubtedly the most-followed person in India. And now the Uttarakhand government wants to use that to its advantage. To attract more travellers, it is planning tourist circuits and the one which is creating all the buzz is a “Modi Circuit” , reports The Indian Express . What is the Modi Circuit? The circuit named after the prime minister is a trail that will cover all the places he visited during a special episode of the popular reality show “Man vs Wild”, with Bear Grylls . What better than the lush green jungles of India, in the midst of Mother Nature to throw light on environmental conservation and climate change..Do join at 9 PM tonight! https://t.co/RdndTgUtCF — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 12, 2019 Shot inside the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, the episode which aired in August 2019, saw Modi go on an adventure with Grylls on foot. The two turned a stick into a spear as they traversed through an area in the reserve, w

At least three people died and several others fell ill after consuming spurious liquor in Bihar's Chhapra district. People who are critically ill after allegedly consuming liquor have also lost their eyesight. Following the incident, the Saran District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police met the victims at Sadar hospital. The officials also collected information from the villagers and the families over the incident. "Victims are under medication at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) and a team of doctors and paramedical staff have been sent to the village to ascertain the cause of deaths," said Saran DM Rajesh Meena. #UPDATE | Bihar: The death toll, due to consumption of spurious liquor in Chhapra, rises to 8. — ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2022 Saran SP Santosh Kumar said that some people in the village had consumed alcohol during the Nag Panchami celebrations on 2 August, 2022. He said, “The DSPs of Marhaura and Sonpur are camping in the village. We have st

New Delhi:  The Congress workers on Friday arrived at the party office on Akbar Road and started  their mass protest against price rise, unemployment and GST hike. #WATCH | Congress workers protest over inflation at the party office in Delhi. The party has called a nationwide protest today over unemployment and inflation. pic.twitter.com/M3d18yMFu7 — ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2022 However, according to latest reports, the Delhi Police has denied permission to the Congress for holding a protest in the national capital, citing that prohibitory orders are in place in New Delhi district, officials said. The Delhi Police, in a letter to All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary K C Venugopal, refused permission to the party for holding the protest. "Information has been received through reliable sources that you along with your supporters are going to hold the protest on Friday. In this regard, it is to inform you that Section 144 CrPC is in force in the entire area of Ne

You go girls! Five officers from the Indian Navy made history when they completed the first all-women independent maritime reconnaissance and surveillance mission in the North Arabian Sea onboard a state-of-the-art Dornier 228 aircraft on Wednesday. #IndiaNavy 's women aviators create history carrying out the #FirstEver #AllWomen surveillance & reconnaissance mission over the #ArabianSea , operating from #INAS314 the frontline Naval Air Squadron based at Porbandar #Gujarat (1/2). #NariShakti @PMOIndia @DefenceMinIndia @IN_WNC pic.twitter.com/cmsvgIUIj2 — SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) August 4, 2022 The five officers — Lieutenant Commander Aanchal Sharma, Lt Shivangi and Lt Apurva Gite, and Tactical and Sensor Officers, Lt Pooja Panda and SLt Pooja Shekhawat — are from Navy’s INAS 314, a frontline Naval Air Squadron, based at Naval Air Enclave at Porbandar. INAS 314, the sixth Dornier aircraft squadron, was commissioned at Gujarat’s Porbandar coast in November 20

As military tensions rise in Taiwan Strait, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s high-profile visit to Taiwan has come as a moment of truth for Xi Jinping. The 20th Party Congress, the quinquennial event where China decides on its leaders, is scheduled for autumn. The Chinese president would like nothing more than to maintain political stability at home to ensure a smooth third term at the helm. It is an objective towards which he has been plotting for a long time. Yet events foreseen and unforeseen are queering his pitch, stacking up in a way that Xi might be tempted to take the easy way out by ratcheting up nationalist sentiments, distract an increasingly disgruntled public and tide over present challenges. One way of doing that, is to stir up more trouble over sovereignty disputes along China’s periphery, and along with Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, the Himalayan frontier with India also comes within this ambit. The ripple effect of Taiwan crisis could serve to further intensify t