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Times Top News

Maha Kumbh 2025: Spiritual Guru Jaya Kishori Takes Dip In Prayagraj, Shares “Happiness” Mantra

by | Jan 18, 2025 | top-stories




New Delhi:

Spiritual orator and motivational speaker Jaya Kishori has appealed to the youth to experience the Maha Kumbh at Sangam to “achieve peace, happiness and bliss”. In an exclusive interview with NDTV on the sidelines of Maha Kumbh 2025 in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, Ms Kishori shared her “surreal” experience of taking a dip in the Sangam for the first time. She believes she is “blessed” to do “Amrit Snan”.

Before the Snan (bath), Ms Kishori experienced a mix of nervousness and excitement but tension vanished as soon as she took the dip, she said, and added, “You feel calmness from within. You feel a different kind of energy within you, a positive one, and I think this is what every youth is struggling towards.”

Ms Kishori said that today’s youth want permanent happiness. “What we call in our shastras, anand; not maza or masti, anand. If you want that, please attend these kinds of things … You will find something very different, but a very positive and enriching experience.”

Maha Kumbh, the world’s largest gathering of humanity, began on January 13 and will culminate on February 26. Held once every 12 years, people attend Maha Kumbh to take a dip in the sacred waters, believed to wash away sins and purify the soul. This year, Maha Kumbh is expected to host around 45 crore people over the 45 days celebration.

In October last year, Ms Kishori received huge backlash for carrying a custom Dior “Book Tote” worth over Rs. 2 lakh. Known for her teachings on non-materialism and spiritual growth, Ms Kishori spoke about blending materialism with spirituality and gave an example of Arjuna.

“In Bhagavad Gita, not once Arjuna said that you have to leave everything or you have to leave the kingdom. He was taught to fight and live up to his dharma (religion). And, his dharma was to fight. If you are a student, your dharma is to study. Not that you don’t have to earn money through that. Everybody is working towards money,” she said.

Ms Kishori further explained that one has two options after student life – grihastha (householder) and vairagya (detachment). “If you are opting for grihastha, you should have a materialistic life. Buying something is not a problem. It is when things buy you. With money, you can take your country forward. But keep spirituality with you.”

In March 2024, the spiritual orator received the ‘Best Creator Award for Social Change’ from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She was praised for blending modernism with spirituality.




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Saif Ali Khan's Attacker Seen In New Video, Climbing Staircase With Face Covered

by | Jan 17, 2025 | top-stories




Mumbai:

A new CCTV footage has emerged showing the man who stabbed Saif Ali Khan climbing the stairs before entering the actor’s house yesterday. The footage – time-stamped 1:37 am – shows the intruder advancing cautiously so as not to alert any of the residents of the 12-story building. He had his face covered and was carrying a bag.

In another footage from the building’s sixth floor, which emerged yesterday, the intruder was seen taking the stairs while fleeing after the incident. He was not seen thereafter. It is suspected he had used the fire shaft to escape after that, the same way he had come upstairs.

There was no sign of the intruder in the CCTV footage in the lobby area, suggesting he did not use the main gate to enter and exit the building. Sources said he had scaled the wall of an adjacent building to enter ‘Satguru Sharan’ compound. The actor’s home spreads over four floors in the building in the posh Bandra locality.

The cops suspect he may have changed clothes to avoid being caught while fleeing the scene. Sources said he was spotted near the Bandra railway station after the incident.

Read: “If Knife Was 2 mm Deeper…”: Doctors Say Saif Ali Khan Out Of ICU

The intruder was first spotted in Mr Khan’s younger son Jeh’s room by his nanny. She confronted him, but couldn’t stop him, while another house help alerted Mr Khan. The actor then tried to fight off the intruder but was attacked with a knife. With six stab injuries, including one on his neck and another near his spine, he was rushed to the nearby Lilavati Hospital and was operated on.

A senior doctor at the hospital told reporters today that the actor is recovering well and has been shifted out of the ICU. He would have sustained a severe injury if the knife had gone in 2 mm deeper, said Dr Niraj Uttamani, the Chief Operating Officer at Lilavati.

Read: “Don’t Make Noise”: Intruder Who Stabbed Saif Ali Khan Told Nannies Before Attack

The police have detained a suspect for questioning. Not much is known about the suspect despite a facial similarity between him and the suspect caught on the CCTV.

The attack has raised questions over the role of the security guards in the posh area. It has also fuelled Opposition salvo over the law-and-order situation in the city.

Mumbai Police has registered a case of robbery, trespassing, and causing grievous hurt.




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Maid Saw Intruder, Screamed, Saif Confronted Him: What Happened Last Night

by | Jan 16, 2025 | top-stories




Mumbai:

As Saif Ali Khan recovers from a shock knife attack by an intruder last night, police are piecing together the sequence of events at the 54-year-old’s Bandra home before he reached Lilavati hospital, bleeding from six stab injuries, one of them in his spine.

The actor, his wife and actor Kareena Kapoor Khan and their sons live in a 12-storey building in Bandra West, home to many Bollywood actors. Their residence is spread over four floors.

Police have said that the probe so far has found that the attacker entered the actor’s home to commit burglary. According to police sources, the intruder entered the compound next to the building where the actor stays. He then scaled the wall to cross over.

Once inside the compound, the intruder took a flight of stairs on the rear side of the building to reach the floor on which the actor lives. Police have said the intruder gained access to Mr Khan’s apartment through a fire escape. Follow LIVE UPDATES here

According to reports, Mr Khan’s house help Eliyama Phillipes alias Lima was the first to spot the intruder around 2 am last night. She screamed and this alerted Mr Khan. A fight between the actor and the intruder followed. The intruder stabbed Mr Khan six times before escaping the spot. CCTV cameras have captured him entering and exiting the building from the rear side, sources in police said. Police are questioning the house help, among others.

There are glaring questions about the response of the security guards on duty at the high-profile building and how the intruder managed to enter the actor’s home undetected.

Mr Khan has suffered six stab injuries and is currently out of danger, doctors have said. “Mr. Saif Ali Khan was admitted to the hospital around 2AM with alleged history of assault by some unknown person. He sustained severe injuries to the thoracic spinal cord due to a lodged knife in the spine. Emergency surgery was performed to remove the knife and repair leaking spinal fluid. Two other deep wounds on his left hand and one other on his neck were repaired by the plastic surgery team,” Nitin Dange of Lilavati Hospital said.

“I am happy to confirm that Mr. Saif Ali Khan is completely stable now. He is recovering well and out of danger now,” he added.

Police have said they have identified a suspect and multiple teams are trying to arrest him.

Senior police officer Dixit Gedam said, “It has been discovered that the accused used the fire escape to enter their house. So far, the investigation suggests that it was an attempted burglary. We are making every effort to arrest the accused as soon as possible. Once he is arrested, we will be able to disclose further details.”





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Trump's Secretary Of State Pick Goes Ballistic Over China's Global Ascent

by | Jan 15, 2025 | top-stories




Washington DC:

The United States’ incoming Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who keeps a hawkish eye on Beijing, has used the choicest of adjectives to describe China’s ascent to global superpower status. Without mincing his words, Mr Rubio, who will give new direction to the US’ foreign policy outlook, called China a liar, a cheat, and a thief, while blaming it for cyber-crimes and espionage.

Speaking about the goodwill extended by the US to China in a repenting tone, Mr Rubio said, “We welcomed the Chinese Communist Party into this global order. And they took advantage of all its benefits. But they ignored all its obligations and responsibilities,” adding that “Instead, they have lied, cheated, hacked, and stolen their way to global superpower status, at our expense.”

Indicating an abrupt foreign policy shift under Donald Trump, Mr Rubio highlighted that “The postwar global order is not just obsolete; it is now a weapon being used against us.” He went on to reject Joe Biden’s foreign policy stance of having a US-led “liberal world order” which prioritises a rules-based system. Instead he advocated an aggressive US stance under Trump’s leadership, revolving around its core obejective – ‘America First’.

Keeping China at its epicenter, Mr Rubio warned of the dangers of a coming-together of “dictatorships” around the world, saying that besides Beijing, “the dictators of Moscow, Tehran, and Pyongyang sow chaos and instability” in the world.

Speaking about the Russia-Ukraine war, Mr Rubio said that Donald Trump’s incoming administration will take “decisive decisions” and act on “bold diplomacy” in order to end the war in Ukraine on priority.

He also made it clear that from January 20, all foreign policy decisions will be made solely on the basis of one foremost criteria – “Whether decisions make the United States safer, stronger and more prosperous.”

“While America far too often continued to prioritise the ‘global order’ above our core national interests, other nations continued to act the way countries always have and always will, in what they perceive to be in their best interest,” he said, adding that America will now do the same.

Marco Rubio, the son of working-class Cuban immigrants, will become the first Hispanic and first fluent Spanish speaker to become the US Secretary of State.
 




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Man Shoots Daughter In Front Of Cops, Panchayat, Days Before Her Wedding

by | Jan 15, 2025 | top-stories




Gwalior:

Her wedding was four days away. But her father shot her dead because she wanted to marry someone else. This shocking murder took place in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior where a man shot and killed his 20-year-old daughter in front of police officers. The daughter, Tanu Gurjar, had publicly opposed the marriage arranged by her family, expressing her desire to marry a man of her own choice.

The killing unfolded Tuesday evening around 9 PM in the Gola Ka Mandir area of the city. The victim’s father, Mahesh Gurjar, allegedly enraged by a video his daughter posted on social media earlier that day, shot her at close range using a country-made firearm. Tanu’s cousin, Rahul, allegedly acted as an accomplice, firing additional shots that ensured her death.

Just hours before her murder, Tanu recorded and shared a video on social media, accusing her family of pressuring her into a marriage against her will. In the 52-second video, she named her father, Mahesh, and other family members as responsible for her predicament, expressing fears for her life.

“I want to marry Vicky. My family initially agreed but later refused. They beat me daily and threaten to kill me. If something happens to me, my family will be responsible,” Tanu stated in the video.

The man she referred to, Bhikam “Vicky” Mawai, is a resident of Uttar Pradesh’s Agra and had been in a relationship with Tanu for six years.

After the video went viral, police officers led by Superintendent Dharmveer Singh rushed to Tanu’s home to mediate between the conflicting parties. A community panchayat was also in session, attempting to resolve the matter.

During the intervention, Tanu refused to stay at home, requesting to be taken to a One-Stop Centre – a government-run initiative intended to support women affected by violence – for safety. However, her father insisted on speaking to her in private, claiming he could persuade her to comply.

What followed was a horrifying escalation. Mahesh, armed with a country-made firearm, shot his daughter in the chest. Simultaneously, Rahul fired shots that struck Tanu’s forehead, neck, and the area between her eye and nose. Tanu collapsed immediately, dying of her injuries.

The father and cousin then turned their weapons on the police and family members, threatening further violence. Mahesh was subdued and arrested, but Rahul managed to escape with the pistol.

The murder occurred amidst preparations for Tanu’s wedding, which was scheduled for January 18. 

According to the police, Mahesh Gurjar has been arrested and the weapon used in the murder has been seized. Efforts to locate and apprehend Rahul are underway. The police are also reviewing Tanu’s social media accounts.
 




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'No One Can Separate Me From God': Octogenarian Visiting Kumbh Since 1945

by | Jan 14, 2025 | top-stories




New Delhi:

Millions took a dip at the Maha Kumbh 2025 on Tuesday, but an octogenarian woman who has attended the religious festival since 1945 was among the devotees that stood out.

Taramati, who hails from Jharkhand’s Dhanbad, said she boarded a train at 10 pm and was in Prayagraj within 11-12 hours. The elderly lady, who travelled alone to the Kumbh, said no one can separate her from God, not even her own family. “When people ask my son why he lets me travel to the Kumbh alone, he says he can’t do anything about it. He tells people she feels like going, toh nikal jaati hai (so she leaves),” she told NDTV.

The woman said she has an issue in one leg, but that does not stop her from undertaking the rigorous journey to Prayagraj.

Also Read | Steve Jobs’ Wife Falls Ill At Maha Kumbh: “Never Been To Such Crowded Place”

The ‘Amrit Snan’ took place on Makar Sankranti on January 14, where a sequence of 13 Akharas led the holy dip. Rose petals were showered on devotees during the ‘Amrit Snan’, who responded with chants of Jai Shri Ram and Har Har Mahadev.

Maha Kumbh is one of the largest and most significant religious congregation in the world, held every 12 years at one of four locations in India.

The Maha Kumbh-2025, which is Poorna Kumbh will take place till February 26. Key ‘snan’ dates include January 14 (Makar Sankranti – First Snan), January 29 (Mauni Amavasya – Second Snan), February 3 (Basant Panchami – Third Snan), February 12 (Maghi Purnima), and the final day February 26 (Maha Shivaratri).






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