Collapse of the 19th century pedestrian suspension bridge over the Machchu River in Gujarat kills 141, toll could rise

The pedestrian suspension bridge in Morbi reopened just a week ago after repairs. Officials say the bridge collapsed probably due to overcrowding as people celebrated the Diwali festival. The British built the 754ft bridge on the Machchu River in the 19th Century. At least 141 people died in the accident and the dead included women, children or elderly. The death toll could rise further. Police, military and disaster response teams have rescued 177 people and the rescue effort is continuing. An eyewitness revealed to a section of the media - "Many children were enjoying holidays for Diwali and they came here as tourists. All of them fell one on top of another. The bridge collapsed due to overloading." India bridge collapse: Death toll rises to 141, many still missing. Videos on social media showed people struggling for survival by clinging onto the wreckage or clambering up the bridge's broken netting. Some managed to swim to the riverbanks.

According to reports, several hundred people were on the bridge when it collapsed at around 18:40 India time (13:10 GMT) on Sunday. A video shot before the collapse showed it packed with people and swaying and many gripping the netting on its sides. The tragedy happened in Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said he was "deeply saddened by the tragedy." He also announced compensation for the families of victims. The authorities have promised a full investigation into the accident of a popular tourist attraction known locally as Julto Pul (swinging bridge).

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Curd based delicious foods like mishit doi, boondi raita and lassi

Milk and milk products have a good balance of protein, fat and carbohydrate and are a very important source of essential nutrients. In some places, milk is taken in the raw and children hate the very thought of gulping it down. They need to be coaxed into drinking it and for this, the parents resort to various tactics. These include use of additives like chocolate. In order to do this effectively, ad agencies come into the picture and introduce children who boast about various after effects like become taller, stronger and more energetic than others. When it comes to elders in the family, milk and milk products take a different shape. Very few of them drink milk in the original form unless they fall sick and the doctor prescribes something like a ‘glass of warm milk’ at bedtime. Yogurt (or dahi or mishti doi) is an important byproduct of milk and it lends itself easily to a number of tasty food items. 11 Things You Can Make With Yogurt. Raita and lassi are easy to prepare and very popular.

Raita is usually a side dish and ingredients can vary. Ingredients for a vegetable raita are usually finely chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onion and chili. These are mixed in the bowl of curd with salt and sugar to create a heavenly taste. The combination is served in small containers for consumption on as required basis. Their addition to normal dishes helps to improve the overall taste. Another raita is of boondi. These are small roundals made of a mixture of besan (powdered chana dal) and water to make a batter. This batter is then passed through a sieve so that drops fall into hot oil and get fried. These end up as crisp roundals that are slightly larger in size than homeopathic globules. The process of making raita with this boondi is simple. Take a bowl of beaten curd along with additives like chopped green chili, coriander leaves, salt, powdered black pepper and a pinch of sugar. Once the mixture is ready, add a fistful of boondi and stir them to create a dish fit for the King. Some add pink pomegranate seeds to make the raita more colorful.

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Prince William and Kate shifting from Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage with their children

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge plan to move their family from Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage. William and Kate want their children to enjoy a "normal" family life. Kensington Palace has made this announcement. They will now relocate to Adelaide Cottage. This is a four-bedroom house in the grounds of Windsor Castle, Berkshire. It is located about 25 miles from London and this relocation will bring them closer to Queen Elizabeth II. She resides in Windsor Castle and will now live in the same county. However, the current residence of William and Kate in Kensington Palace will continue to be their family's principal residence. Right now, they do not have plans for any live-in help. William and Kate to move family out of London to give children 'normal' life. The couple's children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, will all move to Lambrook School.

This is a prestigious fee-paying school near Windsor. It is a coeducational Prep School located in the beautiful Berkshire countryside and caters to around 600 children in the age group 3 to 13. The headmaster of the school said they are looking forward to welcome them along with all other new pupils into the school community. Their former school in London, Thomas's Battersea, expressed their gratitude for the "happy start" it gave George and Charlotte. The new school will provide an opportunity to William and Kate to be "active parents in a busy school." They want to be “as normal a family as possible." Moreover, the relocation will give the family greater privacy at home due to the high security presence on the Queen's estate. Incidentally, the family used to stay in Norfolk and moved to London in 2017.

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Durga Puja and a trip to the sea beach of Digha

One of the favorite festivals of Bengalis is the Durga Puja. The festivities go on for four days and many Bengalis take the opportunity to visit the sea beach of Digha. There are any number of hotels and Digha tourism tries to cater to a whole range of visitors. These provide the visitors with innumerable options. A few tips worth following are to reserve a hotel in advance suitable to your pocket. There are any number of websites that are loaded with options. There are packages for making local trips to enjoy the holidays to the maximum. West Bengal Tourism department provides an insight into places to see and enjoy in Digha, a seaside place to spend some time with family and friends.

Durga Puja is the festive season when Bengalis enjoy a long holiday. Hence, many of those who plan to spend it on the seaside opt for Digha. It is accessible by train or by bus or by hired vehicles. The list of dos and don’ts are not many. How can you enjoy Durga Puja at affordably priced hotel in Digha? It is necessary that you book the hotel accommodation in advance, preferably online. In case there are children, it is better to select a hotel that offers facilities for kids’ activity. In case there are elderly persons, it helps if pickup and drop facilities are available from the railway station. As to food, try to avoid street food. They might appear attractive but may not follow the guidelines of hygiene. It would be wise to rely on the lip-smacking seafood served at the hotels.

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For our eyes only – blind man’s bluff

There comes a time in the life of every person when he or she wants to enact a role that is not his original self. One of these is that of a blind person. In fact, this instinct of role reversal begins in childhood. That is when children cover their eyes and play blind man’s bluff. A group of them gets together and one among them has to become ‘blind’ by getting his or her eyes covered. The others then move away and hide in nearby places. When indoors, these could be behind walls, doors, or cupboards. When outdoors, they could opt for trees, shrubs, or any similar object. Once they have sought out apparently safe ‘hideouts’, the blindfolded child has to move around and locate at least one of them and catch or at least touch him or her. The game becomes interesting as the children try to confuse the ‘blind’ kid by giving wrong directions.

Incidentally, this game is not meant only for the children. Even the adults enjoy such activities, especially when they go outdoors. Here the elders have a field day recollecting their childhood. The usual procedure is to blindfold the individual, who has to break an earthen pot. He or she is given a long bamboo stick and the pot is placed at a distance. The ‘blind’ person has to break the pot. Sounds simple enough but the barrage of directions given by the others make it difficult to hit the target. This game is usually scheduled before lunch and provides unbridled fun while it lasts. Incidentally, this is a gradually vanishing game because such outdoor picnics are rare nowadays. Such modes of relaxation are outdated in the age of smartphones because social sites like Facebook provide much more variety.

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For our eyes only – when kids wear glasses

In recent times, a trend appears to be emerging where children are seen wearing glasses. Many of them appear in TV commercials and reality shows. These two mediums influence the thought process of people. From watching these kids, one gets an impression that really bright boys and girls wear glasses. Probably due to over exertion of their eyes while studying. An example is of a brand of salt where the girl is full of questions – even as she goes to bed at night she asks – “where does the Sun go during the night.”

Then there are the kids who appear on TV reality shows. There are any number of such shows and invariably there are participants who wear glasses. Those who organize such shows groom them to ensure that the message goes out. The message is clear – in order to shine in life, wear glasses. They impart a level of sophistication to the character and make him or her stand out in a crowd.

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We have stolen the childhood of our children

There is always nostalgia associated with the good old days. Our fathers and grandfathers used to talk about their good old days, we talk about ours and, when our children grow up, they will also talk about theirs. Only – our children will blame us of stealing their childhoods away from them on several pretexts – most important one being ambition.
Right now, it is ambition that is driving the world – the ambition to be the Number One in whatever sphere he or she chooses. And, the kids are goaded on by their parents who want to see the children not just prosper but remain on top.
In the bargain, there are those painful suicides when the child is unable to come up to the expectation of their parents. When we hear such news, we curse the education plans of today, we curse the load of books that the kids have to carry to school and back, we curse the parents who send their kids to coaching classes expecting them to perform miracles. The subject is heavily debated in TV forums, in kitty parties, in the bus while on the way to office and even during lunch breaks. We shed crocodile tears and, forget about it once the novelty wears off.
It is the children and their childhood that take the beating.

Let us turn to the topic of outdoor games that kids of today play. Cricket will undoubtedly come out on top, thanks to the aggressive promotion of the game through every possible media. The dream of every schoolboy is to become another Sachin Tendulkar who came to the international scene when he was only 14.
Even though there cannot ever be another Sachin, there is no harm in dreaming because dreams are what makes life worth living. Hence, we see cricket being played at all levels in lanes and by lanes hoping that some Achrekar Sir will come across some child and groom him for the future. Al the children cannot participate because only a selected number can play at a time – eleven in each team. Obviously, there is immense competition to get into the team and, over a period of time, graduate in to the league of seniors.
There will be heartbreaks, and disappointments and kids have to learn to live with these factors negatives of life.
(to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Mangoes are forever

Ripe mangoes and mango cakes or amsatta