Student protesters in Mumbai welcomed the Union education minister’s resignation

MUMBAI: Student protesters in Mumbai welcomed the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union education minister on Saturday but felt his exit addresses only a fraction of their concerns.“The resignation will only be counted as a 30% victory because students still lost their lives,” said Samyak Maske, 18, a Kirti College student who is preparing for NEET this year while choosing to protest.He was referring to the death by suicide of some students after the NEET paper leak.Demonstration sites in Bandra and Kalyan briefly erupted in cheers and celebration as news of the minister’s resignation spread across the internet, but Maske’s reaction reflected the general mood of youth across the city.

“There must be greater security for major exams. I don’t know about the future, who the ministers are going to be, how they’re going to be, but this has to stop now. A fair decision has to be taken,” said Prachi Gholap, 19, of B K Birla College.“This is just a marginal victory. The system needs to be fixed. Pradhan should have resigned much earlier. His resignation has emboldened all those who believe in peaceful protests to further their genuine grievances. The time to fool people and loot their resources is over,” said Kallis Miranda, an undergraduate student.Delhi’s Akash, 20, in Mumbai for work, said, “The move feels like it was for public consolation and to make students feel like their job is done.”For others, the political development has encouraged students to have a greater voice on broader issues.“For so long we weren’t able to say anything. There was fear of speaking against the govt,” said Diya Bahenwal, 18.Social media creators who have been circulating information about student demonstrations and galvanising them to hit the streets, also said the movement’s objectives remain unfinished.Influencer Omkaar said: “This is a win that we should snowball into more.”He demanded a “to-do list,” including accountability for police violence for July 20 at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, E20 petrol, the economy and the freefall of the rupee, petrol prices and the media. Influencer Arnav Shahare said, “It is a victory for all of us but we still have to demand compensation for the families that lost their kids.We still have to demand accountability from Delhi police for what they did on July 20. Now we should ask for resignations of all those incompetent ministers.”Wilson College’s Ameya Ghadiankar, 18, said, “I feel proud because it feels like we as a generation have achieved something.” (With Mohammed Wajihuddin & Pradeep Gupta)

Among the AAIB’s safety recommendations were strengthening controller handover procedures, reinforcing training and supervision in procedural air traffic contro

Mumbai: A chain of air traffic control lapses, including failure to assign a different flight level, inadequate shift handovers and non-updating of aircraft estimates in the automated system, have been listed as the probable causes that led to a serious air proximity (Airprox) incident involving a Qatar Airways and an EL AL Israel Airlines Boeing 777 over the Mumbai airspace in March 2024, according to a report released by Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday. The aircraft came close to each other seriously at a point over the Arabian Sea, in the airspace manned by the Mumbai air traffic control’s oceanic control centre.The incident that occurred at 7.36 am (IST) on March 24, 2024, involved Qatar Airways flight QTR8E, a Boeing 777-300ER operating from Doha to Male, and EL AL Israel Airlines flight ELY081, a Boeing 777-200 flying from Tel Aviv to Bangkok. Both aircraft were cruising at 35,000 feet on intersecting airways that crossed at a certain point.

Under the laid-down procedural control standards, controllers were required to maintain either 10 minutes (approximately 80 nautical miles) of longitudinal separation or 1,000 feet of vertical separation. “The minimum longitudinal and vertical separation recorded between the two flights was 9.1 NM (approximately one minute) and zero feet at 0206 UTC (7.36 am),” the report said. “The standard minimum separation was reduced to its lowest value, that is, 1 minute, at flight level 35,000,” it said.The report said the first air traffic controller on duty noticed the developing conflict after reviewing the flight progress strips but decided to wait for updated pilot position reports before issuing a level change. Although both aircraft later reported their estimates, the controller assigned no revised flight level and the estimates were not entered into the Controller Coordination Work Station (CCWS), which assists controllers by generating synthetic tracks and conflict alerts, it said. When the first controller handed over duties at 7 am, the specific conflict was not communicated to the relieving controller. The second controller remained occupied resolving another traffic conflict and did not detect the loss of separation. A second handover at 7.30 am also omitted any briefing about the developing conflict. The third controller recognised the situation only around 7.36 am, by which time the two aircraft had already breached the prescribed separation minima at 35,000 feet. The controller then instructed the EL AL flight to descend to 33,000 feet, after which separation increased as the aircraft continued on diverging routes.Among the safety recommendations were strengthening controller handover procedures, reinforcing training and supervision in procedural air traffic control, ensuring timely updating of aircraft estimates in automated systems, and reviewing the performance and reliability of conflict detection tools used in the Mumbai Oceanic Control Centre.

The report proposes a stakeholder action matrix that maps the most common issues affecting parks and open spaces, assigns responsibility to the govt agency concerned and tracks resolution

Mumbai: Days after the BMC launched a dedicated WhatsApp helpline for citizens to report open manholes following the death of a 55-year-old man who fell into an uncovered manhole on Khairani Road in Kurla, a report by the Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI) and NAGAR has proposed a similar digital platform to safeguard the city’s parks and public open spaces.The report titled ‘Public Open Space Mapping and Management Strategy for Mumbai’ by Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI) and NAGAR (NGO Alliance for Governance and Renewal) recommends a city-wide app through which citizens can report encroachments, damaged infrastructure, poor maintenance and other issues affecting public open spaces, enabling real-time monitoring and quicker civic response. It forms part of a proposed public open space strategy—the first of its kind in India—which would complement Mumbai’s Development Plan (DP) by creating a long-term framework for protecting, managing and monitoring open spaces.

The report proposes a stakeholder action matrix that maps the most common issues affecting parks and open spaces, assigns responsibility to the govt agency concerned and tracks resolution, thereby creating a closed-loop grievance redressal system.It further recommends using citizen feedback to identify improvement projects and link them to dedicated funding streams, including Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributions and MP/MLA development funds, allowing investments to be directed where they are needed most. The report identifies the public open space strategy, stakeholder action matrix and a project prioritisation and funding framework as the three pillars of an effective city-wide open space management system.The researchers argue that while the DP identifies land reserved for parks and recreation, it does not provide a comprehensive framework for protecting, managing and monitoring these spaces over time. “Mumbai’s public open spaces are governed by a complex web of planning regulations, government agencies and ownership structures,” the report states, adding that a city-wide strategy would bring multiple land-owning agencies under a common governance framework.The report also recommends setting up a multi-disciplinary Oversight Cell to manage public open spaces measuring more than 4,000 sq m. The proposed body would be responsible for long-term stewardship, ecological management, maintenance and i mplementation of the city’s open space strategy.Anuradha Parmar, executive director, UDRI, said, “The DP and the BMC alone cannot deliver well-managed open spaces. Mumbai needs an integrated open space management strategy, backed by accurate data, to enable decentralised citizen stewardship and a clear framework for directing resources towards projects that communities value. We also need a platform to imagine a larger vision for Mumbai’s public spaces, so that individual open spaces are no longer planned in isolation but are connected through a cohesive strategy aligned with the city’s environmental and development goals.”

Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress said its agitation over the NEET paper leak would continue as it demanded criminal action against Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan after his resignation from the post on Saturday. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis defended Pradhan, praising his education reforms, including the National Education Policy.Congress state-chief Harshwardhan Sapkal made serious allegations against Pradhan after stating that “152 examination paper leaks were reported during Pradhan’s tenure; they were part of an organised racket designed to benefit a particular class and BJP affiliates in exams for their admission while facilitating corrupt financial gains over several years.”Sapkal alleged that during Dharmendra Pradhan’s tenure, he established control over the examination system and, through the “One Nation, One Examination” policy, leaked papers 152 times, benefiting a particular class and BJP affiliates and enabling corrupt financial gains.

He further added, “The roots of this racket run deep. We will not sit quietly until these issues are fully investigated. The movement launched by the Congress will not stop with Pradhan’s resignation; there will also be a candle march.”Congress’ Vijay Wadettiwar said on X, “This is a Gen Z victory. Kokarocha organisation is victorious. It is the victory of Sonam Wangchuk’s fast. Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi stood behind the students. The blaze of this movement reached the Prime Minister’s chair, and therefore Pradhan resigned.”Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis came out in support of Pradhan and posted a message on X, stating that “Dharmendra Pradhan ji has undertaken several important reforms in the country’s education sector. He played a pivotal role in implementing the National Education Policy. The PM Shri Schools, the expansion of IITs abroad, and the extension of entrance exams to 19 languages are among the many reforms he has carried out. Demonstrating his commitment to the broader societal good, he submitted his resignation today. He placed the nation’s interest above personal gain, which is the hallmark of a true BJP worker.”While Congress Mumbai-chief and MP Varsha Gaikwad saluted the youth power of the country after stating, “Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation is a victory for the youth, a victory for India’s democracy…”

Following Meena Kumari’s death on March 31, 1972, her contemporary and close friend Nargis wrote a poignant open letter. Titled “Maut Mubarak Ho (congratulations on your death),” the letter published in now defunct Urdu magazine Shama, recalls Kumari once confiding in Nargis: “Baji (elder sister), resting is not in my destiny. I will rest just one time.”The legendary film actor Meena Kumari or Mehjabeen Bano (1933–1972) rests at Rahmatabad, the Shia cemetery at Mazgaon. And city-based playback singer Sanjeevni Bhelande will lead the legend’s commemoration by National Gallery of Modern Art, Fort with a free and non-commercial show on July 27.In a short life of 39, Kumari packed a panorama of events: forced by parents to become child artiste , solitude, romance, marriage with and separation from filmmaker Kamal Amrohi, stardom with classics like Sahab Biwi Aur Ghulam and Pakeezah, her battle with alcoholism-caused liver cirrhosis which eventually claimed her life.

Some of these episodes from her eventful life feature in Bhelande’s show. “Meenaji’s photograph at an exhibition at NGMA drew me to to this great actor. I began researching her life. As I dug deep, a fascinating figure emerged. I decided to do a show combining anecdotes associated with some of the songs from her landmark films and the times which shaped her,” says Bhelande, famous for hit numbers like Chori chori nazrein mili and Nikamma kiya iss dilne in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s film Kareeb.Giving context to some of the songs from Kumari’s films, celebrated as part of Hindi cinema’s golden age, Bhelande also discusses the sur and taal, their intrinsic qualities as well as reasons for their popularity.Take the song Ajeeb dastan hai yeh in the classic romantic drama Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960). Penned by Shailendra and sung by Lata Mangeshkar, the song beautifully captures the unexplained tension and complex relationship between Dr. Sushil Verma (Raj Kumar) and nurse Karuna (Meena Kumari). “I quote Lataji on the show saying that this song is an honour to her own sur or musical notes,” says the singer.She also discusses the song Inhi logon ne… from Pakeezah (1972), Kumari’s final masterpiece. A poignant portrayal of the courtesan Sahibjaan (Meena Kumari), the film crystallised her status as Bollywood’s Tragedy Queen and the song Inhi logon ne…acquired became an emblem for the portrayal of courtesans in popular culture.“Though from the Sunni background, she was buried at Rahmatabad in Mazgaon according to her husband Kamal Amrohi’s wish. Amrohi too is buried beside her. I remember Shia scholar Maulana Abbas Rizvi talking fondly about her,” says businessman Javed Shroff.

Poet-academic Kalim Ajiz captured his reason for penning ghazals in a perceptive couplet:Woh jo shairi ka sabab hua woh mamla bhi ajab hua/Main ghazal sunaun hun isliye ke zamana usko bhula na de(The reason for my becoming a poet was a strange incident/ I say ghazals because people should not forget those painful incidents)Whatever the reason Ajiz or any other poet may have for writing ghazals, the fact is people have not forgotten them. Ghazal, the beautiful form of conveying tender, often romantic feelings, have survived the pulls, distractions and short attention span in our times.Keeping the flame of ghazal’s alive among the connoisseurs are a bunch of young singers.Post–legends like Mehdi Hasan, Jagjit Singh, Pankaj Udhas, pioneering couple Rajendra and Nina Mehta popular as “Musical Mehta’s”, the torch has been passed over to a bunch of young, energetic ghazal singers.

Most of them come from non-Urdu, non-musical backgrounds, yet they have kept the genre alive and flourishing.Take Nihira Joshi. Coming from a traditional Maharashtrian family in Dadar, Joshi first performed solo when she was 16. “It was my urge to express human emotions which attracted me to ghazal singing. Joining legendary musicians Kalyanji-Anandji’s troupe “Little Wonders”, I got a platform which catapulted me to a challenging arena, ghazal singing. Learning Urdu helped in getting the perfect pronunciation and diction,” says Joshi.Singer-composer Tejas Gambhir grew up listening to the legends. His soulful renditions of ghazals, sufi songs and qawwalis have earned him a huge following. His live, immersive “Mehfil-e-Sufi” and qawwali nights, says, Gambhir, are inspired by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Ghulam Ali. He says Khan inspired him to present ghazals as qawwali numbers. “Nusrat sahab’s famous number Tumhein dil lagi bhool Jani paregi is actually a ghazal which he turned into a mesmerizing qawwali. So one kalam can be sung in different formats with the use of varried instruments,” says Gambhir. He places poet Krishna Behari Noor’s “Fursat ghamon se pana hai agar toh aao Noor/Sab ko karein salam chalo maikade chalein” among the ghazals he enjoyed singing.Maikada (tavern), sharab (wine) and saaqi (bartender) are strong metaphors frequently used in Sufi kalam and romantic ghazals. While the literal meaning of saaqi is the bartender, it could mean God too. Sometimes singers explain certain words during live performances,Many are “experimenting” and fusing with different genres in ghazals too. Singer-composer Prithvi Gandharv who became a household name with his participation in “Bandish Bandit”, a musical romantic drama web series, says new experiments are being done in the ghazal singing arena as well.“Jazz Ghazal is a genre gaining popularity today. Unlike the solo performances the past generations patronised in packed venues, now many singers sit on sofas accompanied by half a dozen instruments, including guitar on the stage,” says Gandharv.To some veterans, this fusion is nothing but “confusion”. “I hate words like experiment and fusion. Let ghazal remain ghazal. By blending sounds of different instruments and giving the ghazal mehfil the feel of a rock band, they are killing the soul of ghazal,” protests senior singer, composer and mentor Pandit Somesh Kumar Mathur whose recent creation Achcha Hai, comprising classical shairi of Mir, Ghalib, Momin and Jigar Muradabadi, is in the race for the 69th Grammy Awards to be announced in January 2027. Mathur adds that a singer like Asha Bhosle (he had collaborated with her on a ghazal album) lifted ghazal gaiki to dizzying heights even though she made a name as a playback singer.Despite distractions and short attention spans, the singers do bring the Gen Z to the mehfils. “I have noticed many youngsters busy with their mobile phones and suddenly waking during concerts if a good ghazal comes up,” says Joshi. “It is a challenge to keep a young crowd involved, but we are trying our best.”

Mumbai: Prabha wants just one thing: a rented home for herself and her 9-year-old daughter. Unable to afford one, the 29-year-old beautician from Ulhasnagar travelled nearly two hours by train and bus to a doctor’s clinic in central Mumbai for 11 consecutive days to take hormone injections to stimulate her ovaries before doctors retrieved her eggs for another woman’s IVF treatment.For Prabha, the decision to donate had little to do with altruism, though Indian law permits egg donation only on an altruistic basis.She was promised Rs 85,000. Sitting in the clinic’s waiting room, she explains why she believes she is being paid more than other women there. “I’m a graduate. I’m fair and tall,” she says.Around her sit nearly 15 women, waiting either for health screening or their daily injections.Each has a reason. None admit to knowing that the law permits only one egg donation between 23 and 35 years of age.

Siya, a divorcee from Mankhurd, lives with her brother and young son. “My brother is getting married. Why will his wife tolerate me?” she asks. A friend connected her to an agent. “The agent asked me to WhatsApp my photograph and Aadhaar card before recruiting me.” She has never met the agent, who paid her Rs 30,000 twice, but says she now wants more.Twenty-six-year-old Shaheen from Bhiwandi lost her call centre job two years ago and has a 5-year-old son. “My friend told me about egg donation. I’ve donated a few times, earning Rs 35,000 each time. I’ve even travelled to Hyderabad and Chennai,” she says.Chembur-resident Triveni, 27, says egg donation has become her means of survival. “My husband doesn’t earn regularly. He told me to take care of my own expenses.”These women who don’t know one another form the invisible workforce powering India’s booming IVF industry.Most have little understanding of science. Over 10-12 days, they undergo hormone injections, repeated scans and blood tests before eggs are retrieved under anaesthesia through a needle passed through the vaginal wall. Though most recover within a day, the procedure carries risks, including bleeding, infection and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.The biggest exploitation, experts say, is financial. An IVF cycle using donor eggs can cost up to Rs 2 lakh, but the women whose eggs make those pregnancies possible get less than 20% of the sum.IVF specialists estimate donor eggs are required in nearly 10% of the 2.5-3 lakh IVF cycles performed annually in India. “So, India needs at least 20,000 egg donors a year,” says a Bandra-based fertility specialist. But, as IVF specialist Dr Kedar Ganla puts it, the demand has outstripped supply: “There is a shortage of egg donors today because women are delaying childbirth and ovarian reserves in Indian women begin declining around 32.”Three months ago, Maharashtra Police unearthed an alleged illegal egg donation racket in Badlapur and arrested eight. Investigators said more than 250 illegal egg retrievals were carried out using 30 women, with one woman allegedly undergoing the procedure 37 times.Police say the racket preyed on poverty.Female agents approached women during suburban train journeys or in their neighbourhoods, striking up conversations about debt, alcoholism and family problems before offering what appeared to be an easy Rs 30,000-40,000.Investigators allege the women were taken not to authorised clinics but to residential flats for hormone injections. Forged Aadhaar cards and fabricated affidavits were allegedly used to bypass safeguards under the ART Act. Police also claim the women were not paid every time, with the racket coming to light after one donor complained at a Badlapur primary health centre that she had not been paid.The case has reignited debate within India’s fertility community.Dr Ganla points out that the law permits retrieval of only seven eggs from a donor. “However, studies show 15 eggs may be needed for a successful IVF cycle. Fewer eggs mean fewer embryos and reduced success rates.”Others believe the controversy is temporary. A senior IVF specialist said nearly 90% of ART clinics have now been registered under the ART Act. “Soon, every donor’s Aadhaar details will be on a central database. If a woman attempts to donate a second time, AI tools will flag it.”But a senior fertility expert believes India must confront an uncomfortable reality.“In the UK, egg donation is altruistic, but donors receive a fixed compensation of £900 for their time, travel and inconvenience,” he said. “In the US, women may receive up to $15,000 per donation and can donate up to six times,” he said, adding India should fix a compensation for women.In the fertility clinic waiting room, Prabha isn’t thinking about policy, regulations or the economics of IVF. She is thinking about giving her daughter a place to call home.(Names of donors have been changed)