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Saturday, April 20, 2013

HINDU UNDIVIDED FAMILY

Though every body is interested in this question and this question has been asked by many and generally not have any answer in text book also ,why it so ?


The answer is very Interesting that the above question is wrong the correct question is

"how we can create capital for Huf '
Read more from Huf - tax implication benefits
we can not create Huf but can arrange capital for it
"Till the time the HUF has an empty kitty,it is like a balloon that no one has yet blown air into. A balloon can rightfully be called a "ball"oon only when it swells up with air inside it. Without the air the balloon is inert,dormant. An HUF too is inert and dormant without funds."...
"The million-dollar question indeed is: How to blow funds into the HUF and turn it into a balloon that floats?
  • A member of the HUF throwing his money into the common pool, or to use that overused cliché' the family hotchpot, is out of the question, thanks to Section 64(2) which would tax the income earned by the HUF on that money in the individual member's hands only.
  • But the clubbing provisions can be bypassed if the HUF invests the money in instruments yielding tax-free income. The tax-free income can then be reinvested to earn even taxable income--income on income is out of the clubbing provisions.
  • Strangers can make gifts but only up to Rs 50000 (Section 56).
  • A way-out is to receive gifts from members of bigger HUFs, who though your relatives, aren't members of your smaller HUF.
  • A father may make a gift of money to his son's newly-created HUF, clearly specifying in the Gift Deed that the gift is to his son's smaller HUF and not to the son himself. This will keep both Section 64(2)and Section 56(2) at bay.
  • After the HUF has a nucleus of its own and gets going, care has to be taken to keep the HUF's affairs completely distinct from the individual members' affairs. Where the members of the HUF carry ontheir individual businesses, as they normally do, the distinction between what constitutes the individual's income and what is HUF'sincome may get blurred.
  • Some other people, who aren't members ofthe HUF but are relatives in terms of Section 56(2) can also be found out.
Read more from Huf - tax implication benefits
Now every body comfortable with the question because creating a capital by transfer ,gift and all like stuff as hinted by Sanjeev we all know to some extent .

so to have capital in huf account we should take following steps
  1. we should have opened a bank account first (not must) but it is advisable so that we can have transaction by cheques .
  2. Apply for permanent account number (pan)
  3. Formation of capital of huf,Transfer money by gifts etc to HUF capital keeping in view the clubbing provisions and tax on gifts under Income tax act,Remember there is no Tax on gifts in kind though they may attract clubbing provisions in some cases.

Regarding Huf an Interesting and detailed reply has been given by our group star contributor CA Sanjeev Bedi we are giving abstract of the answer.

  • The Hindu Undivided Family has its roots in the ancient Hindu law like the Manu Smriti, compiled by a male chauvinist Hindu "Scholar"called Manu, who lived around 200 BC; the Yajnavalikya Smriti compiled by Yajnavalikya and Narada in 100 and 200AD (it merely embellished what had already been laid down by Manu); and Mitakshara codified by a guy called Vijneshwara somewhere around the year 1100AD. Mulla, the foremost authority on Hindu law, has described the Mitakshara as "the quintessence of the Smriti law,its precepts and injunctions".
  • Later in the 12th century, there came along another variation of the Hindu law called the Dayabhaga written by one Jimutavahana.
  • The Dayabhaga challenged and deviated from the Mitakshara law in some ways, particularly in relation to succession and inheritance.
    • Under the Dayabhaga system,the father is the sole owner and the exclusive possessor of the joint family property. No member can enforce the partition of the HUF so long as the father lives.
    • But the Mitakshara law stipulates that the property vests in the HUF itself and not in any individual member of the family and therefore can be partitioned within the lifetime of the father.
    • The Dayabhaga law is prevalent in West Bengal and Assam.
    • Hindus in the rest of the country are governed by the Mitakshara law.
  • Manusmriti completely forbade women to have a share in the family property.
  • The modern Indian government embarrassed by these antediluvian,anachronistic laws has sought to bring them inline from time to time with the egalitarian values of 21st century.On 9th September 2005, the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 was amended to provide that
    • daughter too could be a coparcener i.e. joint heir,like her brother to the joint family's assets and
    • she too could enforce the partition of the family property to claim her individual share.
    • She continues to be the coparcener in her father's HUF evenafter she gets married and forms another HUF with her husband.So gender bias has largely been taken outof the HUF laws.
  • A coparcener is one who has a right to demand that the family property be divided and they be handed over their share in the property (or whatever assets the HUF has) in case he or she decides to part ways with the HUF.
  • Not all members of the HUF are its coparceners. The coparcenery extends to four degrees down the family hierarchy in the following manner:
    • 1st degree :Holder of ancestral property for the first time.
    • 2nd degree : Sons and daughters(09.09.2005).
    • 3rd degree: Grandsons.
    • 4th degree : Great grandsons.
  • The most frequently asked question about HUF is: How does it come into being? To form an HUF, all you have to do is Get Married. The HUF gets created as soon as you complete the seven (or four,whatever) circles round the holy fire and become Man and Wife.
  • There have to be a minimum of two people to constitute a family. The husband and wife together make up a family. They don't have to wait till they have a baby to constitute their HUF.
  • Someone asked "Can an unmarried man create an HUF?" No, he cannot,if you mean an HUF of which he seeks to be the Karta himself. He can very well be the member of the HUF of his father or grandfather, but to create his own HUF he has to wait till he ties the nuptials.Come to think of it, "Creation of an HUF" is an oxymoron—-acontradiction in terms. Only orphan-and-unmarried Hindus don'tbelong to an HUF. Every Hindu becomes a member of an HUF the moment she ejects out of her mother's womb, mode of delivery--C-section or Normal--notwithstanding.
  • Till the time the HUF has an empty kitty,it is like a balloon that no one has yet blown air into. A balloon can rightfully be called a "ball"oon only when it swells up with air inside it. Without the air the balloon is inert,dormant. An HUF too is inert and dormant without funds.
  • The Karta, which in Hindi means the Doer, is usually the Father, the pater familias of the family. He has immense powers over the affairs of the family, more than any other coparcener can wield.
  • Can a female be the Karta? The answer can't be No in the light of the amendment in the HS Act in 2005.An unmarried daughter, in the unfortunate event of her father passing away, will become the Karta of the HUF if she has no brother.
  • Can there be an all-female HUF? Yes, there can be. Where a couple has only one issue—-a daughter—-and the husband passes away,the mother-daughter duo can continue the HUF (although a problem mayarise after she gets married and becomes a member of her husband'sHUF). It has been held by the Allahabad High Court in CIT v. Sarwan Kumar 13 ITR 361 (All) that there can be an HUF consisting of female members only
  • The Karta can enter into partnership with a firm on behalf of the HUF. But the HUF itself, being not a legal person, can never be a partner in a firm. The fact that Income Tax law grants a PAN to itand treats it as an assessable entity does not bestow upon it the status of a person under the general laws. This has been held to be so in numerous cases. In Ram Laxman Sugar Mills v. CIT 66 ITR 613(SC), the Supreme Court said that "an HUF is undoubtedly a person within the meaning of the Indian Income Tax Act, It is however,not a juristic person for all purposes and cannot enter into an agreement of partnership either with another undivided family or individual".
  • So while conducting bank audit, in case you come across a loan filewhere the HUF is shown to be the partner, raise an objection.
  • There have been cases where the courts have held that businesses started by individual members after borrowing funds from the HUF were assessable in the HUF's hands, especially where the HUF is already engaged in the same business. So think twice before letting the HUF lend any money to its members and viceversa.
    • In CIT v. Gopal Bansilal Inani (2000) 245 ITR 2 (SC),theSupreme Court disallowed the interest paid to coparceners on the loan the HUF had taken from them as a business expenditure u/s 37(1).
  • Can an HUF pay remuneration to its Karta? Yes, in Jugal KishoreBaldev Sahai v. CIT 63 ITR 238 (SC), the Supreme Court held that "ifa remuneration is paid to a Karta of the family under a valid agreement which is bona fide in the interest of and expedient forthe business of the family and the payment is genuine and not excessive, such a remuneration must be held to be an expenditure laid out wholly and exclusively, for the purpose of the business and must be allowed as an expenditure under section 10(2)(xv)[corresponding to the present-day Section 37(1)] of theAct".
  • There is also the issue of Partition of the HUF. Al though the Mitakshara and other Hindu laws do not forbid partial partition ofthe HUF, the Income Tax law frowns upon it. Under the Hindu law,you may have eliminated the HUF by partioning the property (or what ever assets) of the HUF, but the taxation authorities have invested themselves with powers u/s 171 of the I T Act to continue to treat the defunct HUF as an assessee liable to pay tax unless the partition is effected in strict keeping with the manner laid downinthat section. The law wants to dissuade assessees to smash up their bigger HUFs into smaller ones just to create more files to bring down their tax liabilities.Total partition in the context of theI T Act means partition by metes and bounds. "Metes and Bounds", anAnglo-French term, means the boundaries or limits of a tract of land.If the HUF property is physical, it isn't difficult to divide it up,delineating the shareof each member. But a non-physical property will have to be divvied up amongst the members in such a manner as to comply with Explanation (b) below Section 171(9). Care must be taken that erst while coparceners don't simply end up becoming co-owners in the property. For example an FD held by the HUF being partitioned can't be converted into a joint FD of members after partition; if itis,interest on it will continue to be assessed in the HUF's hands.The FD can continue only in one member's name; he can cough up some cash to the other members to compensate them for loss of FD.What ametes and bounds partition does is deflate the balloon of the HUF. The Income Tax law will recognize its demise (for want of a better word,since a divided Hindu family can be reunited again),only when the HUF is stripped naked of each and every layer of the clothing of property—-tangible or intangible, movable or immovable--it had. It has to get back into its birthday suit again to be truly partitioned.


Read more: http://www.simpletaxindia.net/2008/05/how-one-can-create-hufhindu-undivided.html#ixzz2R0NYuX5F 

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Friday, March 29, 2013

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Gloomy picture, a passing phase: Ratan Tata

Ratan Tata. File photo

 

Saying a quiet good-bye to Tata Group employees, Ratan Tata said he felt proud to have belonged to the Group. In a letter to colleagues, his last as group chairman, he gave them all the credit for whatever was achieved during his tenure as chairman.

He also called upon the employees to provide all support to new chairman Cyrus Mistry.

“Whatever has been achieved has only been possible because of the amazing spirit, the dedication of each one of you and the enormous support and faith reposed in me, for which I am deeply grateful and appreciative,” Mr. Tata said in the letter.

Praising employees for facing crises together, he said the memories of personal sacrifices, loyalty and individual acts of heroism would always remain in his memory.

“We, today, are a $100 billion group in revenues. Over the past 20 years, our revenues have grown about 20 times and today 58 per cent come from overseas operations... We therefore have every reason to feel proud and feel confident in facing the challenges ahead”.

However, he said the group companies might see continued constraints in consumer demand, over-capacity and increased competition from imports. “This seemingly gloomy picture will be a passing phase. The Tata Group will undoubtedly play an important role in the continued development of our country, providing leadership and living by the value systems and ethical standards on which our group was founded,” Mr. Tata said.

In his last lines, Mr. Tata wrote, “Tatas are a group where I feel proud to have belonged and proud to have been associated through the years. I wish the group, Cyrus Mistry and each of you great success in the years ahead. I hope the group grows and shines in the coming years”
.

Delhi gang-rape victim succumbs to injuries

  • In this file photo people display placards during a silent march against Delhi gang-rape case in Mumbai.
    PTIIn this file photo people display placards during a silent march against Delhi gang-rape case in Mumbai.
  • The Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore where the 23-year-old girl was admitted on Thursday morning.
    APThe Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore where the 23-year-old girl was admitted on Thursday morning.

The 23-year-old girl, who put up a brave battle for life after she was gang-raped and brutally assaulted in a Delhi bus a fortnight ago that had created a nationwide outrage, died at a hospital in Singapore early Saturday.

The girl who was admitted on Thursday morning at the multi-organ speciality facility, Mount Elizabeth Hospital, in an extremely critical condition here, died at 4:45 AM local time (2:15 AM Indian time), the hospital said in a statement. She was earlier treated at the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi.

“We are very sad to report that the patient passed away peacefully at 4.45 a.m. on 29 Dec. 2012 (Singapore time),” the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer Dr. Kelvin Loh said in a statement.

“Her family and officials from the High Commission of India were by her side. The Mount Elizabeth Hospital team of doctors, nurses and staff join her family in mourning her loss,” the statement said.

The body has been moved to the mortuary in the Singapore General Hospital for completion of some formalities since she is a foreigner, sources said.

The family of the girl wants the body to be taken to India, Indian High Commissioner T C A Raghavan told reporters.

He said the girl, who was conscious, fought a brave battle till the end. She was brought to Singapore for being provided good medical treatment.

“The family is shattered by this development. At the same time, they realised that best possible medical attention was given. And in the end it was the scale of injuries that proved too much for the medical attention provided to her,” the envoy said.

He said the final few hours was a trying time for the girl’s family and they bore the entire process with a great deal of fortitude and courage.

Mr. Raghavan said the family has requested that their privacy be respected in their hour of grief.

The girl, accompanied by her parents, was flown in an air ambulance in a critical condition on Wednesday night, after her health had suffered a setback that morning in the Delhi hospital following a government decision over which experts were divided.

The six-hour journey itself was said to have been eventful with her blood pressure having dipped alarmingly.

The patient had remained in an extremely critical condition since admission to Hospital in the morning of 27 Dec. (Singapore time), the Mount Elizabeth hospital statement said.

“Despite all efforts by a team of eight specialists in Mount Elizabeth Hospital to keep her stable, her condition continued to deteriorate over these two days.” the hospital statement said, adding, “She had suffered from severe organ failure following serious injuries to her body and brain. She was courageous in fighting for her life for so long against the odds but the trauma to her body was too severe for her to overcome.”

“We are humbled by the privilege of being tasked to care for her in her final struggle. We acknowledge the faith the Indian Government and the patient’s family have placed with us to ensure the best care possible was indeed provided to her at Mount Elizabeth Hospital,” it said.

“We share their huge sadness at her passing and will work with the High Commission of India to provide the family support in this time of grief,” said Dr. Loh.

Late on Friday night, the hospital said the condition of the rape victim had taken a “turn for the worse”.

“As of 9 p.m. (6:30 p.m. IST), the patient’s condition has taken a turn for the worse. Her vital signs are deteriorating with signs of severe organ failure,” Dr. Loh had said in a statement.

“This is despite doctors fighting for her life including putting her on maximum artificial ventilation support, optimal antibiotic doses as well as stimulants which maximize her body’s capability to fight infections,” the CEO had said.

During her treatment in Safdarjung Hospital, the girl’s condition had recorded several ups and downs. Three days after the attack, her gangrenous intestine was removed.

The bestial attack on the girl and her male friend in the bus had sparked off protests by students and women activists which took a violent turn in the capital last Saturday and Sunday.

Death for rapists was one of the demands of the protesters and the victim’s demise could trigger fresh display of emotions on the streets.

One of the Delhi police constables, Subhash Chand Tomar, died in a government hospital on Tuesday and the post-mortem report had said that he had suffered a cardiac arrest from complications arising out of injuries on his chest and neck.

Shaken by the public outrage, the government constituted a Commission of Inquiry into the incident and also set up a three-member Committee under former Supreme Court Chief Justice A.S. Anand to look into the possibility of rewriting the laws relating to aggravated sexual assault and enhancing penalty for it.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi had on Friday demanded speedy action against the perpetrators of the “barbarous” attack, while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the government was committed to bringing the guilty to justice as soon as possible.

Monday, December 10, 2012

WalMart lobbying episode: Opposition demands independent probe, PM's statement in Parliament Read more at: www.umapratap.info

WalmartWalmart

 

The WalMart lobbying issue triggered a political storm with the BJP today demanding a statement from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament and the CPI-M and SP joining it in seeking an independent probe into the "serious allegations" of bribery.

BJP said the Prime Minister should make a statement on the issue in Parliament as the reports coming out on Monday were "serious" and raised questions on the country's image.

As per the lobbying disclosure reports filed by WalMart with the US Senate, the company has spent close to $25 million (aboutRs.125 crore) since 2008 on its various lobbying activities, including on the issues related to "enhanced market access for investment in India".

"BJP would like the PM to explain why he did not initiate inquiry and what he proposed to do now when it has become evident that multi-brand retail FDI has come on the shoulders of lobbying and bribery," BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

His party colleague Venkaiah Naidu said, "We demand that Prime Minister should come to the House and make a statement on the issue. It should also be followed up with an independent inquiry."

"The disclosure in US senate about Wal-Mart that they had spentRs.125 cr in lobbying including India for creating new market is official confirmation that Wal-Mart has done lobbying in India. Lobbying is banned in India," Prasad said.

Naidu said, "Government cannot keep quiet and Parliament cannnot remain silent into these serious allegations...It has raised many questions. It is a question of India's image and the image of its Parliament."

Also demanding an inquiry into the issue, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said, ""We are not saying who has taken money or not. What we are saying is that Wal-Mart itself is saying that it has spent the money. There are cases of corruption in the court. So government should inquire into it."

SP leader Mohan Singh also said, "government should inquire into it as who are responsible for it or involved in it."


BJP said the Prime Minister should explain how lobbying for Wal-Mart was allowed in India despite a ban on it. The BJP also said that it will continue to raise the issue in Parliament and demand the government's response.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day after repeated disruptions over reports of Wal-Mart spending huge money to lobby for entry into the Indian market.

Naidu said, "It is a shocking news on India and it is a sad commentary on the state of affairs. This has raised many questions. The country wants to know who have taken the money and what is the government's response."

He alleged that the party has been raising the issue of western influence there on India's policy and the reports have proved this point further. "We have raised an issue that concern the image of Parliament," he said.

Prasad said, "the lobbying fact cannot be denied as US Senate has accepted it. Lobbying in India is prohibited.

Bribery is a crime. People of the country would like to know if lobbying was going on for the last four years then what action had been taken by the government and who were the middlemen in the transaction."

SP leader Mohan Singh also said that it is known that when a foreign company enters the country they spent huge money for it.

When reminded that SP has bailed out the UPA government in Parliament on FDI issue, he said, "No SP leader knows English. So SP cannot play any role for advocating entry of foreign companies. SP does not have any role in the WalMart deal."

Read more at:http://www.umapratap.info

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Ajmal Kasab hanged

In this Nov. 26, 2008 photo Ajmal Kasab is seen at the Chatrapathi Sivaji Terminal railway station during the Mumbai attacks.
APIn this Nov. 26, 2008 photo Ajmal Kasab is seen at the Chatrapathi Sivaji Terminal railway station during the Mumbai attacks.

Just five days before the fourth anniversary of the brutal terror attacks, Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving Pakistani terrorist of the Nov 26-29 2008 terror siege, was hanged at Pune’s Yerwada Jail on Wednesday morning.

Ajmal Kasab, the sole surviving terrorist from the 26/11 terror attack, was hanged to death at the Yerawada Jail in Pune this morning, Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil today said.

Kasab was hanged at 7.30 am, he said here.

25-year-old Kasab had been lodged in the Arthur Jail Road here ever since he was arrested immediately after the attack in 2008. He was convicted and given capital punishment by the trial court on May 6, 2010 which was upheld by the Bombay High Court on February 21, 2011.

The Supreme Court subsequently upheld the sentence on August 29 this year.

“Due process of law has been followed,” Mr. Patil said adding that hanging came after the President of India rejected his mercy petition on November 8.

“This is a true homage to the innocent victims, including policemen and security personnel, who laid down their lives,” he said.

166 persons had died in the attack. Police had succeeded in capturing Kasab alive after killing the remaining nine terrorists.

“Attack on Mumbai was an attack on the entire country,” Mr. Patil said.

Letter faxed to Pakistan

While stating that Pakistan was informed about the execution of Ajmal Kasab, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said, with this (execution) the judicial procedure of 26/11 case has been completed.

"Indian mission in Islamabad informed the Pakistan government about Kasab’s hanging through letter. Since Pakistan refused to take the letter, same was sent through fax", Mr. Shinde said.

RE

 

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Happy Children's Day

बचपन खुशियों का ढेर होता है, पर शायद यह खुशियां सब के भाग्य में नहीं होती हैं. कुछ बचपन ऐसे भी होते हैं जो इनसे दूर होते हैं और आशा भरी निगाह से देखते रहते हैं.आइये ऐसे बच्चों के हित में सोचे और इनको बढ़ावा दे!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

आज अंतरराष्ट्रीय बाल दिवस है. बचपन खुशियों का ढेर होता है, पर शायद यह खुशियां सब के भाग्य में नहीं होती हैं. कुछ बचपन ऐसे भी होते हैं जो इनसे दूर होते हैं और आशा भरी निगाह से देखते रहते हैं.आइये ऐसे बच्चों के हित में सोचे और इनको बढ़ावा दे!!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Obama Wins New Term as Electoral Advantage Holds

Obama Wins New Term as Electoral Advantage Holds

Doug Mills/The New York Times

President Obama greeted a volunteer during a visit to a local campaign office in Chicago.

 
 

Barack Hussein Obama was re-elected president of the United States on Tuesday, overcoming powerful economic headwinds, a lock-step resistance to his agenda by Republicans in Congress and an unprecedented torrent of advertising as the nation voted to give him a second chance to change Washington.

Multimedia

Related in Opinion

The Election 2012 App

The Election 2012 App

Keep up with live video, analysis and results on election night, all in the palm of your hand.

Damon Winter/The New York Times

Supporters of President Obama reacted to results at an election night watch party in Chicago.

In defeating Mitt Romney, the president carried Wisconsin, Iowa, New Hampshire, Colorado and Virginia and was holding on to a narrow advantage in Ohio and Florida. The path to victory for Mr. Romney narrowed as the night wore along, with Mr. Obama steadily climbing toward the 270 electoral votes needed to win a second term.

A cheer of jubilation sounded at the Obama campaign headquarters in Chicago when the television networks began projecting him as the winner at 11:20 p.m., even as the ballots were still being counted in many states where voters had waited in line well into the night. The victory was far narrower than his historic election four years ago, but it was no less dramatic.

As a succession of states fell away from Mr. Romney, a hush fell over his Boston headquarters on Tuesday night. Two advisers said in interviews that the contest seemed over, but Mr. Romney was not conceding, with the electoral votes from Ohio and Florida still outstanding.

The evening was not without the drama that has come to mark so many recent elections: Even after Fox News Channel projected that Mr. Obama would win Ohio — effectively sealing Mr. Obama’s re-election — its on-air analyst, the Republican strategist Karl Rove, was arguing that it had done so too quickly and that Mr. Romney still had a chance.

Hispanics made up an important part of Mr. Obama’s winning coalition, preliminary exit poll data showed. And before the night was through, there were already recriminations from Republican moderates who said Mr. Romney had gone too far during the primaries in his statements against those here illegally, including his promise that his get-tough policies would cause some to “self deport.”

Mr. Obama, 51, faces governing in a deeply divided country and a partisan-rich capital, where Republicans retained their majority in the House of Representatives and Democrats kept their control of the Senate. His re-election offers him a second chance that will quickly be tested, given the rapidly-escalating fiscal showdown.

For Mr. Obama, the result brings a ratification of his sweeping health care act, which Mr. Romney had vowed to repeal. The law will now continue on course toward nearly full implementation in 2014, promising to significantly change the way medical services are administrated nationwide.

Confident that the economy is finally on a true path toward stability, Mr. Obama and his aides have hinted that he would seek to tackle some of the grand but unrealized promises of his first campaign, including the sort of immigration overhaul that has eluded presidents of both parties for decades.

But he will be venturing back into a Congressional environment similar to that of his first term, with the Senate under the control of Democrats and the House under the control of Republicans, whose leaders have hinted that they will be no less likely to challenge him than they were during the last four years.

The state-by-state pursuit of 270 electoral votes was being closely tracked by both campaigns, with Mr. Romney winning North Carolina and Indiana, which Mr. Obama carried four years ago. But Mr. Obama won Michigan, the state where Mr. Romney was born, and Minnesota, a pair of states that Republican groups had spent millions trying to make competitive.

Americans delivered a final judgment on a long and bitter campaign that drew so many people to the polls that several key states extended voting for hours. In Virginia and Florida, long lines stretched from polling places, with the Obama campaign sending text messages to supporters in those areas, saying: “You can still vote.”

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UMA PRATAP SINGH

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Amitabh Bachchan, 70: A birthday bash to remember

Its a nice feeling when you know that someone likes you,

someone thinks about you,someone needs you;but it feels much better when you know that someone never ever forgets your birthday.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY”.Sir..................

Amitabh Bachchan, dressed in a black velvet outfit, came with his family -- wife Jaya Bachchan, son Abhishek, daughter Shweta, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

The red carpet at Amitabh Bachchan's 70th birthday party was not just a roster of the who's who of Indian cinema, it was also a walk down memory lane. Rubbing shoulders with today's stars were a roll call of Mr Bachchan's co-stars from his glory days as the Angry Young Man. 



Perfect picture: Big B, Jaya, Abhishek and Aishwarya

The Indian film industry's biggest stars like Dilip Kumar, Yash Chopra, Shah Rukh Khan and southern superstar Rajinikanth to high profile politicians like Samajwadi supremos Mulayam and Akhilesh Singh Yadav, and Union Minister Praful Patel flocked to the big bash organised on Wednesday to usher in Amitabh Bachchan's 70th birthday.

The red carpet was rolled out for as many as 800 guests at the Reliance Media Work, Film City, Goregaon.


SRK with wife Gauri

Mr Bachchan, dressed in a black velvet outfit, came with his family -- wife Jaya Bachchan, son Abhishek, daughter Shweta, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan -- and he too walked the red carpet with a live orchestra playing hit numbers from his films.


Graceful Beauties - Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit with their husbands.

Mr Bachchan, who turns 70 today, told the media, "Thanks for coming", while Aishwarya, lovely in gold, told reporters, "We are so happy that we are all here today celebrating his birthday. Thank you so much."

Leading the Bollywood gang were old-timers and Big B collaborators Hema Malini (Satte Pe Satta, Naseeb), Waheeda Rehman (Kabhi Kabhie, Trishul), Vinod Khanna (Amar Akbar Anthony, Hera Pheri), Pran (Don, Zanjeer), Zeenat Aman (Don, Pukar), Danny Denzongpa (Agneepath, Hum), Neetu and Rishi Kapoor (The Great Gambler, Amar Akbar Anthony, Naseeb) and Shashi Kapoor, with whom Big B made a memorable Jodi in Deewar, Shaan and Namak Halall, who was wheeled in to join the revelries.

From the South, superstars Rajinikanth, who co-starred with Amitabh Bachchan in Hum, Khuda Gawah co-star Nagarjuna and Chiranjeevi with family were early arrivals. Chiranjeevi's son Ram Charan Teja is making his Bollywood debut playing the role that made Amitabh Bachchan famous - inspector Vijay - in a remake of 1973 hit Zanjeer.

Aishwarya and Abhishek played the perfect hosts and escorted 89-year old legend Dilip Kumar inside the venue.

Mr Bachchan's one time competitor Vinod Khanna, who rarely speaks to the media, was in a generous mood and said: "I wish him all the happiness and good luck." 

From the current lot of young actors, stars like Deepika Padukone, Parineeti Chopra, Anurag Kashyap and his wife Kalki Koechlin, Sonakshi Sinha, Vidya Balan, John Abraham and Arshad Warsi came to wish Mr Bachchan.


Southern spice: Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna

Other guests included Khuda Gawah co-star Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit with her husband Sriram Nene, Shakti co-star Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgn and Kajol, Mahima Chaudhary, Abbas Mastan, Sudhir Mishra, Subhash Ghai, Alka Yagnik, Boman Irani, R Madhavan, Ameesha Patel, Tabu, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Divya Dutta, Ashutosh Gowariker, Juhi Chawla, Preity Zinta, Vipul Shah, Rana Daggubati and Urmila Matondkar.

Main Azad Hoon co-star Shabana Azmi called him an "iconic figure" and added: "I got an opportunity to work with him. He is my favourite."

Madhuri wished him all the "happiness and success", while Juhi said: "I respect him, admire him and I had a great time working with him."

Vidya, who played his mother in Paa, said that "he is an inspiration not only for actors but for everyone".

If glamour was at its peak, the big names from the political corridor including Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Praful Patel, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav also gathered here to wish Mr Bachchan.


Samajwadi Party supremo with his son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group's chairman Anil Ambani.

Not to be left behind was businessman Anil Ambani, an old friend of Amitabh Bachchan.

Watch video

 

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

“CIVIC CENTER DELHI सिविक सेन्टर (दिल्ली की सबसे विशाल इमारत)”

दिल्ली या कहो कि नई दिल्ली, जिसे दुनिया में भारत INDIA की राजधानी के नाम से जाना पहचाना जाता है, दिल्ली को भारत की राजधानी बने सौ साल से ज्यादा हो चुके है। यह भारत की राजधानी दिल्ली वर्तमान में कोई सौ साल पहले 1911 में अंग्रेजों ने इसको अपनी राजधानी बनाया था। दिल्ली को राजधानी बनाने से पहले कलकत्ता भारत की राजधानी हुआ करता था। दिल्ली को राजधानी बनाने के बाद यहाँ पर अंगेजों ने बहुत सारी ईमारते बनवायी थी, उनमें कुछ है, इण्डिया गेट, राष्ट्रपति भवन, कनाट प्लेस, लोहे का पुल, आदि बहुत कुछ बनवाया था। अंग्रेजों ने, अरे हाँ एक बात और दिल्ली तो पहले भी भारत की राजधानी हुआ करती थी। मुगल भी इसके पीछे लगे रहे। महाभारत काल के पांडव भी यही से अपना राजकाज चलाते थे। मुगलों के समय में तो यहाँ कई इमारतों का निर्माण किया गया था। उनमें से लाल किला, जामा मस्जिद प्रमुख है। कुतुब मीनार तो कुतुबदीन ने बनवाई थी। अब आजादी के बाद भारत सरकार ने भी इस शानदार शहर में कुछ बनवाया था या नहीं यह ध्यान देने वाली बात थी। काफ़ी गौर किया तो पाया कि भारत सरकार ने दरियागंज के पीछे यमुना किनारे नेताओं की कब्र या कहे उनके अंतिम संस्कार स्थल पर समाधी बनाने के अलावा और कोई मुख्य कार्य नहीं किया था। अब जाकर दिल्ली में एक ऐसी विशाल इमारत का निर्माण कार्य हुआ है जिस पर दिल्ली वासी गर्व कर सके। दिल्ली में गर्व करने वाली जिस इमारत के बारे में मैं बताने जा रहा हूँ उसका नाम है सिविक सेन्टर, दिल्ली नगर निगम का मुख्यालय “सिविक सेन्टर” मात्र नाम नहीं है, बल्कि एक पहचान है, जिस पर दिल्ली को इसकी शान पर गर्व है। यह वर्तमान में दिल्ली की सबसे विशाल व ऊँची इमारत है। यह इमारत जमीन से ऊपर मात्र अठाईस मंजिल है, व ऊपर आकाश छूती मंजिलों के अलावा तीन मंजिल जमीन के नीचे भी बनाई हुई है, तहखाने में बनी तीनों मंजिलों में केवल पार्किंग है। 101 मी ऊँचीई वाली यह इमारत देखने में भी बहुत सुन्दर है। यह इमारत नई दिल्ली रेलवे व नई दिल्ली मेट्रो स्टेशन के पास ही है।

रामलीला मैदान से लिया गया फ़ोटो है।


सडक पार से लिया गया फ़ोटो है।

 

एक फ़ोटो यहाँ से भी।


यह कहना तो बेकार सा लगता है कि यह इमारत कहाँ-कहाँ से दिखाई दे जाती है, अगर मौसम साफ़ है तो आप दिल्ली के लगभग सौ किलोमीटर लम्बे रिंग रोड पर बनी किसी भी ऊंची बिल्डिंग के ऊपर खडे होकर इसे देख सकते हो, यह इमारत पूरे पाँच साल में बन कर तैयार हुई है, और केवल 600 सौ करोड रुपये इसको बनाने का बजट था। दिल्ली नगर निगम पहले पूरी दिल्ली में एक ही विभाग हुआ करता था लेकिन अब इसको तीन भागों में विभाजित करने का कार्य प्रगति पर है, उसके बाद देखते है, कि यह स्थल किस निगम का कार्यालय बना रहता है। इस इमारत पर दिल्ली सरकार की नजर लगी हुई है, और भविष्य में सम्भव भी है, कि यह दिल्ली सरकार के मुख्यालय में बदल जाये। इस ईमारत में छोटे-छोटे कमरे ना होकर, बडॆ-बडे विशाल हॉल है, जिनमें बैंक की तरह, कार्य करने के स्थल बनाये हुए है। इमारत की सभी मंजिल पूर्णतय: वातानुकूलित बनायी गयी है, चाहे लिफ़्ट हो या गैलरी, हर कही मौसम की मार से बचे रहते है। दिल्ली नगर निगम में कुल सवा लाख कर्मचारी कार्य करते है, जिस कारण यह विश्व का सबसे बडा/या दूसरा सबसे बडा नगर निगम भी है।

ग्रिल के एकदम पास से लिया गया।


यह रहा प्रवेश द्धार,


अन्दर घुसते ही ये नजारा है।


यहाँ से लालकिला, कुतुबमीनार, कमल का मन्दिर, जामा मस्जिद, कनॉट प्लेस, लोहे का पुराना पुल, इन्डिया गेट, राष्ट्रपति भवन, कमल का मंदिर, बिरला मंदिर आदि सभी इमारते नजर आती है, अगर हम यहाँ की सबसे ऊपर की मंजिल पर खडॆ हो जाये तो। यहाँ की इमारत में एक गजब बात और है कि यहाँ पर मोबाइल में नेटवर्क भी पहाड का यानि कि उतराखण्ड का पकडने लगता है मोबाइल पर sms आने लगते है कि आपका उतराखण्ड में स्वागत है, अगर कोई नया बन्दा यहाँ आये तो वो तो सोच में पड ही जायेगा। अरे हाँ पिछले वर्ष चार जून की आधी रात को दिल्ली पुलिस ने सोते हुए लोगों पर जो कहर बरपाया था यह इमारत उस घटना की मूक गवाह है। बाबा रामदेव पर रात के अंधेरे में किये गये कायरता पूर्ण हमले के कारण प्रसिद्ध रामलीला मैदान तो इस विशाल इमारत के एकदम सामने ही है। इस इमारत और रामलीला मैदान के बीच में सिर्फ़ सडक भर का फ़ासला है। आमतौर पर आजकल के सुखी लोग इतने आलसी हो गये है कि जिस इमारत में लिफ़्ट में लगी हो वे पैदल भी एक मंजिल भी पैदल नहीं चढना चाहते है। यही हाल भी इस इमारत में कार्य करने वाले कर्मचारियों का हो चुका है शायद ही कोई कर्मचारी ऐसा होगा जो लिफ़्ट का प्रयोग किये बिना किसी मंजिल पर आना-जाना करता होगा। साफ़ सफ़ाई व सुरक्षा का अच्छा प्रबंध किया गया है। यहाँ कार्य करने वाले कर्मचारी तो अपना पहचान पत्र दिखाकर प्रवेश कर जाते है, लेकिन बाहरी व्यकित को अपना नाम पता, कार्य उद्धेश्य बता कर ही अन्दर जाने का पास दिया जाता है। बाहरी लोगों का प्रवेश भी अलग द्धार से किया जाता है।

देखते रहो,


भीमकाय इमारत के एकदम पास में जाकर,


ताऊ टोपी पकड, गिर जायेगी।


यह पाताललोक का मार्ग, यानि वाहन ठहराव स्थल का।


लिफ़्ट की ओर जाते हुए।


लिफ़्ट के बाहर।


एक साथ छ: छ: लिफ़्ट।


यह कर्मचारियों की कार्य स्थली है।


ये रहा आपातकालीन निपटने का स्थान।


जीना/सीढियों का।


जीने/सीढियों से नीचे देखते हुए


जीना/सीढियों में ऊपर की ओर


वो सामने कनॉट प्लेस का नजारा


ऊपर से नीचे सडक व रामलीला मैदान का नजा