| 2010-11-27 | Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrated in suburbs
Guru Nanak’s 542nd birthday was celebrated with great pomp among the suburban Sikh community. The festival started with Prabhat Pheri nine days before the actual festival. On, Sunday, November 21, the great guru’s birthday was observed. Festivities were in the air. For the Sikhs, Sindhis and the Punjabis – largely concentrated in Dombivli, Kalyan and Ulhasnagar – it was a period of sacred rituals.
“This is a very good time of the year when people get together for celebrations. Preparations begin a fortnight before. For full nine days, Prabhat Pheris are taken out on the streets in which maximum number of Sikhs and non-Sikhs participate.
Holding the flag of the guru and chanting the prayers, the believers go round the town singing kirtans,” explains Sarabjeet Kaur Bindra,a business-woman of Kalyan.
“People wake up early at 6 in the morning and perform pooja and read Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikh community.
And then they visit the Gurudwara for bowing their heads and kirtans are sung and information about gurus is given to them,” informs Manjeet Kaur, a home-maker.
“The best part of this day is the langar (common meal) given by the Gurudwara where all the people sit together and have the community meal. And in the night, display of fire-works takes place,” says Narendra Pal Singh Bindra, a businessman of Kalyan.
“Here in Dombivli also, morning- procession is taken out for nine days. It starts before 4 am from the gurudwara. The devotees in the procession visit their Gursikh’s house later, where they are served with tea. Then they go back to the gurudwara for the prayers and kirtaans.
A langar is organized and served to the people, irrespective of caste or creed,” says Parminder Kaur Heer, a research scholar from Dombivli. “Guru Nanak Jayanti was commemorated in Kalyan’s Gurudwara where Kirtan-Jatha was specially called in from Amritsar, Punjab. A kavi-sammelan was also held.
The priest read the message of Guru-Nanak to the people gathered there and also preached the words of this great saint. The prasad was served which consisted of vegetables, dal that was given to all,” says Sardar Bhaktawar Singh, president, Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Kalyan.
It was celebrated with same fervour at Ulhasnagar’s Thahiriya Singh Darbar Gurudwara, Ulhasnagar 3. “For 43 continuous days, devotees performed Tera Jagin Sahib ki Pooja, penned by Guru Nanak himself. Langars and sangats were on for 24 hours throughout the forty days – from October 10 to November 21.
An estimated 1500 people were present every day. The Prabhat Pheris were taken out on thirteen days with 1.5 – 2 lakh people participating in them. This time, two helicopters were booked for floral display on the Gurudwara. However, due to the bad weather, only one could be used,” informs Tillu Singh, one of the managers at the Gurudwara. |  | | 2010-11-22 | Bloodbath over elevator goodbyes
Lingering over a goodbye while you're holding back the elevator is not only impolite but could also prove dangerous in a city always on the verge of a rage attack.
Residents of Ulhasnagar paid with an arm and a leg when an idiosyncratically long farewell led to a melee on Friday. Two of them landed in hospital.
Ashok Bajaj immediately after the incident. Right: The elevator at Kanchan Tower which led to the fight
Late on Thursday night, Ashok Bajaj, 36, who owns a cellphone store, visited his sister Bhavika Wadhwani's house in Kanchan Tower along with a few friends.
They called the lift to the fourth floor when they were leaving. However, instead of getting in immediately, Bajaj continued a conversation with his sister and brother-in-law.
While they chatted, a group of doctors was waiting on the ground floor. By the time the elevator descended, this group had worked up quite a rage.
“As soon as we stepped out, Dr Nandkishore Nagpal, who lives on the same floor as my sister, started shouting at us for keeping the lift on hold for so long,” said Bajaj.
The groups gradually moved from exchanging angry words to exchanging blows. The altercation turned into a full-blown fistfight that lasted ten minutes and left two people on either side severely injured.
Bajaj was rushed to Central hospital with grave wounds to his head.
Dr Raj Dasani, a friend of Dr Nagpal's, was also hospitalised. Dr Nagpal, who is the secretary of the building, sustained minor injuries.
Both sides alleged their opponents were drunk. "The doctors were drunk and simply wanted to pick a fight with us. They beat us up mindlessly over such a small issue," said Prakash Bajaj, Ashok's brother.
Dr Nagpal said, "The lift was not the cause of the brawl. They came down and started hurling abusive language at us. They were drunk and fight got out of hand."
Bajaj and his friends were the first to reach Central police station and lodge a complaint of rioting and assault against the three doctors, among others.
Late on Friday, the doctors also filed a case of rioting and assault against Bajaj and his friends. The groups gave conflicting information about the number of people involved in the fracas.
The police confirmed the fight took place over the elevator delay. "We are investigating the matter. For now we have registered a case against both sides," said sub inspector D H Badane. |  | | 2010-11-21 | Youth drowns in Ulhas river
ULHASNAGAR: A picnic turned tragic when one of four picnickers drowned in the Ulhas river where they had gone for a swim. The deceased, identified as Mohan Satdive (25), had gone to swim with his three friends.
According to Central police, on Saturday when Mohan did not return home, his elder brother Rajesh tried to contact him, but failed. On Sunday morning, Rajesh filed a missing complaint with the Central police station. Rajesh was aware that his brother had gone to swim with his friends.
Officials from the Central police station along with a team from Titwala police, under whose jurisdiction the river falls, started searching for the body of the deceased. It was later found in the river near Vitava village.
According to senior police inspector A J Worlikar, "We have filed an accidental death report and sent the body for post-mortem." |
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