Saira Banu Tells How ‘Life Can Be Measured In Many Ways’

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Veteran actress Saira Banu, who celebrated her 80th birthday recently, has shared how “life can be measured in many ways.”

Mumbai, Aug 25: Veteran actress Saira Banu, who celebrated her 80th birthday recently, has shared how “life can be measured in many ways.”

Taking to Instagram on Sunday afternoon, Saira shared a string of pictures from her birthday celebrations.

She captioned it: “How do we truly measure a life? Is it measured in the milestones or those fleeting moments that quietly slip by, only to be remembered later? Maybe it’s in the anniversaries that come around each year, like an old friend who never fails to visit you.”

“If you ask me, life can be measured in many ways. I believe it’s in the company of your own people, people who love you. I consider myself blessed, graced by the affection and support of my family and friends.”

“I’m grateful to my son @rehanahmed_bjp, who is the son of my eldest brother, Sultan Bhai, and his daughter Shaheen, who made a special effort to be in Mumbai, as she keeps commuting between Chennai and Mumbai most of the time.”

She went on to thank her “grandnieces Anaiya and Ansharah, especially Anaiya, who masterminded the whole event by filling my house with beautiful decorations and glowing happiness.”

“Both of them insisted that I step out for the meal, knowing that I don’t leave my house much and have comforted myself within. But my family, who are my rock of Gibraltar, made my 80th birthday a day to treasure. Their mere presence was enough to fill my home with light.”

She then spoke about her friends including actress Fareeda Jalal.

“I’m also grateful for my friends who bring joy to my life - Dr. Meera Agarwal, Farida Jalal (the exceptionally wonderful actor and my great friend), her son Yaseen, my dear friends Mani Talati and Mehfooza, her daughter Shaista, Azra Lokhandwala Ji, and @moinbeg (who conceptualised the marvelous Heeramandi). Blessed to have them all around to make my day and life a happening one.”

She said that there are many ways to measure life.

“So, how does one measure life? While there are many ways, I believe the truest measure is found in a room filled with family and friends, a table set with lots of food, and an invisible thread called love. Thank goodness for family and friends!”

--IANS

Will Be Exciting To Watch Kohli, Smith Go Head-To-Head: Maxwell

by Utkalika Mohanty

New Delhi, Sep 13: Australia's big-hitting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell said seeing premier batters Steve Smith and Virat Kohli go head-to-head in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy will make for a pretty exciting watch.

Smith has amassed 2042 runs in 19 Tests against India, averaging an incredible 65.87 with nine centuries and five fifties against his name. On the other hand, Kohli has also made the same number of runs in 25 Tests against Australia at a remarkable average of 47.48, including hitting eight tons.

In 13 Test matches Kohli has played in Australia, the right-handed batter has amassed 1,352 runs, including six centuries and four fifties, at an average of 54.08. "I think probably the way that the two superstar batters, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli, probably head-to-head, seeing how their dominance, I suppose, is asserted in the series and how much of an influence that has on who takes home the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

"One of those two is going to make a lot of runs, if not both of them, and it's going to be pretty exciting to watch the two of the finest players of our generation go head-to-head," said Maxwell to Star Sports.

The 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy will see India and Australia play Test matches in Perth, Adelaide (pink-ball match), Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney from November 22 to January 7, 2025. India has won Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia the last two times it was played here in 2018/19 and 2020/21.

It will also be the first five-match Test series between India and Australia since 1991/92. Before the marquee series starts on November 22 in Perth, India will also have its A team play two four-day matches against Australia A at Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay (October 31 Oct to November 3) and the MCG (November 7-10), followed by an intra-squad India match to take place at the WACA Ground, Perth from November 15-17.

--IANS

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Chandipur: DRDO, Indian Navy Conduct 2nd Test of VL-SRSAM From ITR

by Shambhu Datta Mishra

Chandipur, Sept 13: After successfully conduting the Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) Thursday afternoon, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy conducted a second testing of the VL-SRSAM, this morning.

The testing was conducted at 10.45 am from Launchpad No.3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha, officials said.

The surface-to-air missile successfully hit a laser target flying near sea level. The VL-SRSAM missile has a target range of 80 km.

In another development, needful steps have been taken by the district and police administrations for the safety and evacuation of the public in the two and a half kilometer radius of the LC-III missile launch pad at Chandipur ITR.

All arrangements have been made by the district administration for the rehabilitation of a total of 3100 people -- 1,093 from Jaydevkasaba and Sahajanagar, 895 from Bhimpur and Tundra, and 1,112 from Khadu and Kusumuli -- from six hamlets.

The evacuation operation started at around 5 am Friday and the people will stay at the temporary camps until the missile test completion.

Earlier, the first testing of the VL-SRSAM missile was conducted at 3.19 pm Thursday from ITR, Chandipur.

According to the Defence Ministry, the flight test was carried out from a land-based vertical launcher, targeting a high-speed aerial target flying at a low altitude. The missile system successfully tracked and engaged the target.

The @DRDO_India and Indian Navy have successfully flight tested Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha today.

RM Shri @rajnathsingh has congratulated DRDO, Indian Navy and associated teams… pic.twitter.com/UezbdnYDgJ — रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) September 12, 2024

This test aimed to validate multiple updated elements of the weapon system, including the Proximity Fuse and Seeker. The performance of the system was meticulously tracked and confirmed by various instruments such as the Radar Electro-Optical Tracking System and telemetry deployed at ITR Chandipur.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised the teams from DRDO and the Indian Navy for their achievement, stating that this test reaffirms the reliability and effectiveness of the VL-SRSAM weapon system.

Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO also congratulated all the teams involved in the successful flight test of VL-SRSAM and said the system will prove to be a force multiplier for the Indian Navy.

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RG Kar Tragedy: Junior Doctors’ Street Protest Enters Fourth Day

by Utkalika Mohanty

Kolkata, Sep 13: The dharna by junior doctors in front of the West Bengal health department headquarters at Salt Lake over the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, entered its fourth day on Friday.

The agitators are determined to continue with their protests for an indefinite period till their demands are fulfilled.

The proposed discussion with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at state secretariat Nabanna on Thursday did not fructify as the administration refused to accept the doctors’ demand for a live-telecast of the meeting.

Following the refusal, the 30-member delegation went back to the dharna venue at Salt Lake and announced the continuation of the protests for an indefinite period.

The demonstration started on the afternoon of Tuesday and is still continuing.

The protesting doctors on Thursday morning reiterated their previous stand of going to the discussion table only if their four conditions are accepted by the state government.

These four conditions are allowing a delegation of 30 representatives, meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, live telecast of the meeting for the sake of transparency among all parties and finally the meeting to be based around the five-point agenda outlined since the beginning.

One of the major demands in the five-point agenda already outlined includes the suspensions of the state health secretary, state director of health services and director of medical education.

Now, it remains to be seen whether in the next hearing at the Supreme Court in the matter on September 17, the counsel for the West Bengal government will highlight these continuing protests as contempt of the apex court’s observation about the doctors re-joining duty.

In the September 9 hearing, the three-judge Bench of the apex court observed that the court will not be able to intervene in any possible state government action against the junior doctors if they do not rejoin duty by 5 P.M. on September 10.

Legal experts are of the opinion that if the state government’s counsel makes any attempt to describe the protests as contempt of the top court’s order, going strictly by legal terms this argument is unlikely to be accepted by the Supreme Court.

According to the senior counsel of Calcutta High Court, Kaushik Gupta, the Supreme Court never gave a direction to the junior doctors to return back to duty by the deadline fixed by it.

“What the apex court observed was that it will not be able to intervene if the state government acts against the junior doctors unless the latter rejoin duty by a specific time and date.

“Legally the ball is now in the court of the state government on what administrative action it will adopt to end the protests and compel the junior doctors to rejoin duty. But in my opinion, the logic of contempt of court will not be applicable," Gupta explained.

--IANS

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Saira Banu Tells How ‘Life Can Be Measured In Many Ways’

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