Surat Diamond Merchant’s Little Daughter becomes A Jain Monk
Devanshi, a nine-year-old daughter of a wealthy Surat diamond merchant embraced Jain monkhood on Wednesday, renouncing material comforts. The minor girl took “diksha”—vow of renunciation—in the presence of Jain monk Acharya Vijay Kirtiyashsuri and hundreds of devotees in Vesu colony of Surat. She is the eldest of the two daughters of Dhanesh and Ami Sanghvi. Her father is the owner of Sanghvi and Sons, a nearly three-decade old diamond polishing and export firm. Devanshi’s family told The Sunday Guardian that she was inclined towards spiritual life since early childhood and had walked about 700 km with other monks and embraced their life before formally being initiated into monkhood.She reportedly knows five languages.
CEC Uses Poetry To Silence Mayawati’s Attack on EVMs
At a press conference for the announcement of the poll dates for the three north-eastern states, Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, was asked to respond to BSP chief Mayawati’s latest attack on the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). First he talked about court rulings, election laws and then took to poetry. EVMs had given all parties victories, even those who had challenged their use, Kumar said, adding that “If the EVM could speak, it would say: ‘Jisne tere sar par tohmat rakhi hai, maine uss ke bhi ghar ki laaj rakhi hai’ (We have even kept the honour of the one who has raised allegations against me).”
‘Arranged’ marriage of two dogs
A unique “marriage” took place in Sukhrawali village of Aligarh District in Uttar Pradesh on the auspicious day ofMakar Sankranti. It was an “arranged” marriage of two dogs.There was “Band, Baja and Baraat”, and, of course, lavish food cooked in “desi ghee”. Guests were dancing to filmy songs. About Rs one lakh was reportedly spent on the gala event. A pandit performed all the rituals with ‘mantras’.The “bride and groom”—Jellyand Tommy—took the “seven pheras” (like humans’ traditional wedding rounds of the fire).A tent was erected for the ceremony.
The organizer of Jelly’s ‘shadi’, Devesh Chaudhary, says that this wedding idea came from his nephew who has eight-months-old male dog Tommy.“Jelly’s owner is my father-in-law, Dr Ram Prakash Singh, a resident of Tikri Raipur in the Atrauli area of Aligarh. When we gave him the idea of Jelly’s marriage, he readily accepted it,” says Chaudhary.“With this marriage,” Chaudhary says, “we also tried to give a message against animal cruelty. The marriage might appear symbolic but our purpose to give the message was served.”
Hyderabad-Born Aruna Miller is Lt. Governor of Maryland
Aruna Miller (58) on Wednesday became the first Indian-American to be elected as the 10thLieutenant Governor of the State of Maryland in America.Taking her oath on the Bhagwat Gita Miller said, “As a woman of colour, I spent most of my life trying to fit into a space that didn’t have her in mind as an immigrant or a woman of colour.” Hyderabad-born Miller had migrated to America with her parents in 1972 as a seven-year-old. Miller became a US citizen in her 30s, and in 2000, she voted for the first time in the US Presidential election. Miller was a part of a historic Democratic ticket that stood victorious in November last year, which also gave Maryland its first Black governor, its first Black Attorney General, and its first woman Comptroller. Miller’s victory has also been attributed because of her popularity among Indian Americans. Several Republicans and pro-Trump supporters backed her.Thanking her parents and siblings, Miller said, “To my mom and dad who took a leap of faith to come to this country because they believed in the promise of America.”
British-Indian Conferred London City honour
Manish Tiwari, a British-Indian entrepreneur and founder of an ethnic minority-focused marketing agency, has been conferred the Freedom of the City of London honour for his contributions to the financial hub of the United Kingdom’s Capital. A previous Indian recipient of the honour is the first PM of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and other prominent recipients include South African leader Nelson Mandela and Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Founder of Here and Now 365, Tiwari read the “Declaration of a Freeman” and signed the Freeman’s Declaration Book recently, when he was presented with the Copy of the Freedom—a parchment document inscribed by a calligrapher, along with a copy of the “Rules for the Conduct of Life” which date from the mid-eighteenth century.Tiwari said: “On the strength of its multi-cultural legacy, London continues to grow and prosper. It remains at the forefront of global finance by leveraging its past and embracing change and I am honoured to be a part of this legacy”.