Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav’s claim of organising a “better and more grand Maha Kumbh” in Prayagraj in 2013, when he was the Uttar Pradesh CM, has got a boost from the party’s Lucknow headquarters, which has made available copies of coffee-table books on the event released 12 years ago. The books, carrying the best photographs of the 2013 Maha Kumbh Mela, were published by the state government and various media houses at that time and their copies are archived in the party’s library. The SP is showcasing these books to counter the current BJP government’s claim that the recent Maha Kumbh was the “best organised religious congregation”.
Tech Trouble
Rain played spoilsport on the first day of the three-day Jahan-e- Khusrau festival at Sunder Nursery, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As the PM arrived, the musicians on stage faced technical difficulties with their microphones working intermittently. When it was time for Modi to address the gathering, the staff could be seen wiping the teleprompters and fixing the mics. There was some relief when the PM spoke as the rain had abated and the mics had been restored.
Taste Of India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a lunch in honour of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at Hyderabad House on Friday. The menu included vegetarian items such as samosa kadhi, narangi shorba, amaranth kofta gulbadan, makhmali chhena, subz pulao, parmesan roasted brussel sprouts and asparagus, bharwan aloo, dal doongar, kali gajar ka halwa and kesari yogurt gulab jamun tart. A music programme was also organised on the occasion. The playlist included Sanskrit, Hindi, Kannada and Tamil songs. Notable among them were Vandemataram and Theeratha Vilayattu, a Tamil patriotic song, besides Meerabai’s famous bhajan ‘payoji maine…’
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