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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Tidbits of the 15th edition of TATA IPL 2022

Today is the 19th March and on 26th March, the Indian Premier League IPL will enter the 15th year. There will be two new teams to make up the total of 10 teams. They will compete in the Indian Premier League. This is a professional Twenty20 cricket league established in 2007 by the Board of Control for Cricket in India BCCI. TATA will be the main sponsor and the venue of the opening match will be the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The date will be 26th March 2022. Mumbai Indians have won the title five times in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Chennai Super Kings have taken the trophy four times in 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2021. Obviously, there is a tough competition between these two teams. This time all eyes will be on the two newcomers Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans. Their captains are KL Rahul (c/wk) and Hardik Pandya. Both have played in IPL earlier and their fans would love to see them do something outstanding for their teams.

Over the years, the format of IPL has remained the same with teams having their share of foreign players. They are well versed in the art of T20 cricket and many of them have become indispensable to their teams. The conceit of cheerleaders had brought an additional attraction to the game in the initial stages but at present, there are no cheerleaders.... KEEP READING FOR MORE ON IPL2022


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West Bengal’s industry-friendliness at a low

In the latest analysis of industrial friendliness in the country, Gujarat stands at the No 1 position while West Bengal languishes at the 11th position. This, in spite of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s trips to Singapore and London to woo investors apart from holding Bengal Leads events. Needless to say, she did have crowds but not the investments.
It is a fact that the industrial climate in the state had soured up over a period of time because of problems like load shedding and labor unrest and, while the load shedding did come within control, industries, unable to cope up with regular agitation by labor unions, fled from the state. The fingers of accusation were pointed towards the left front which was in power in the state for over three decades. Bandhs were the order of the day and, coupled with the pathetic condition of infrastructure and commination, investors avoided West Bengal.

However, finally, West Bengal decided to make a new start and bring back industries to the state. It was expected that Tata Motors, with its Nano small car project, would be the magic wand to revive industrialization in West Bengal. And – for a project of such a huge magnitude, the important factor was land.
Well – that was also done in Singur and it was felt that the factory, along with ancillary industries, would help the state to recover. Tata Motors had arranged to train the youth so that they could get absorbed in the factory once production started. The locals also were hopeful that the factory would allow them to prosper in their own ways – like small time shopkeepers, tea stalls, and markets.
Their needs were not much but Mamata Banerjee, the firebrand leader, put a spoke in the wheels of change – as a result Nano, like other industries, fled to Gujarat and, today Gujarat has captured the top spot that could have been Bengal’s. (to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Dhokla - the lovely fluffy besan product

Apart from boondi and sweets made out of boondi, besan is used to make many other eatables to soothe the Indian palate – and, one of these is the fluffy dhokla. Once restricted to Gujarat, it is now common fare all over the country and, like snacks like idli, dosa, uthappam of the south, dhokla has won over Indians in all corners.
Dhokla is a sort of snack unique to Gujarat and its lightness is a matter of mystery – when laid out on display in the shops with a sprinkling of chopped coriander leaves and a splattering of mustard seeds it beckons with its fluffy yellow color and porosity.

It is not too difficult to prepare and it involves mixing besan with yoghurt in proper proportions with addition of water and a pinch of salt. The mixture is to be kept for sufficient time (3 to 4 hours) in order to allow the fermentation to take place. Once that is done, a bit of turmeric is added to bring the yellow color and the mixture is ready to be cooked. Some would add green chili and ginger paste to bring in a different taste apart from lemon juice, sodium bicarbonate and a tiny bit of oil.
Now comes the cooking part. Put the mixture in a greased container and then in the steamer – dhokla has to be steam cooked. This should not take more than ten minutes. Then cut it into suitable size fluffy cubes and allow it to cool.
The last step is the garnishing with coriander leaves, ground coconut and whole mustard seeds. The mustard seeds are put in a kadai of boiling oil and as it starts to splutter, pour it over the dhokla and finish off with the white and green garnishing of coriander leaves and grated coconut. (to be continued …)
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If anyone was asked to name the truly Indian food item loved from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, the answer would invariably be ‘papad’ – a product that is truly Indian in nature. Papad (or papadum) as described in Wikipedia is ‘a thin, crisp disc-shaped Indian and Pakistani food typically based on a seasoned dough made from black gram, fried or cooked with dry heat’.
Papads are usually taken in either baked condition or fried – both taste divine. In olden days, the fried papads were an integral part of village fairs. The shopkeepers would keep frying the papads while his customers, the young and old alike, waited to grab their papad bhjaja and munch it as they moved from one stall to another.
In order to make papad, different ingredients and methods are used and, the most popular one uses urad dal or blackgram. Its flour is mixed with spices like black pepper, salt and kneaded into a dough – this dough is then made into tiny roundels, flattened and dried in the sun. Once fully dry, they are stored in airtight containers for future use.

There are other types of papad that are made from sabudana, and potato, and, of course, the masala papad where dried spices like red chilli are added. Papad making is a sort of cottage industry and, in the place where I live in Nashik, the women of the locality get together and pool their labor resources to prepare the annual requirement. And, believe it or not, they make much more than their normal requirement. The excess they sell off to others. Some of them, who have good contacts, make good money out of their abilities.
Incidentally, in Gujarat, women have taken up this papad manufacture in a big way through cooperatives and are now owners of a multimillion dollar enterprise with their products being exported. (to be continued …)
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Person goes missing on Temporary Duty – police come to the rescue

Temporary Duty is a part of life in organization like HAL Nashik where the aircraft it produces are in use in different Air Force bases and the customers want some serious problems to be attended to by specialists on topmost priority. Air Force has its own personnel to handle day-to-day problems but when it comes to specific cases like accidents or incidents, they seek specialist technicians from the factory.
These technicians can be from any discipline and, at times, there are many willing candidates who are ready to undertake an assignment to proceed on Temporary Duty.
One such case was the deputation of a technician to Air Force base in Bhuj. It was a simple assignment. He had to carry with him certain special equipment and some chemicals for a repair team that was already there. The individual was new to such work but had volunteered. Therefore, he was given necessary instructions and, once he had left, a message was sent to the Air Force base to keep them updated.

But, he did not reach the destination even on the third day. We did not give it much importance because there have been instances of delays in transit due to non-availability of railway reservations. However, when he did not reach even after a week, there was panic – a police report was made and they began investigation.
We could provide the police with only his file photograph, the date he left and his destination. We had no idea of which train he had taken and when. The police had a tough time and had to co-ordinate with the railway police as well as the police of Gujarat and, finally, managed to locate him.
He had been found wandering aimlessly on a railway platform and could not tell the police anything about himself. He had lost his memory. And – the items that he had been carrying were missing as were his belongings.
He had been a victim of thieves who had given him some foodstuff to eat in the train and had made him get down at an in-between station, robbed him and left him asleep at the station. (to be continued …)


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