Tag: India

  • ‘One Indian is enough for your thousands,’ Dhawan tells Afridi, gets trolled with Abhinandan pictures

    ‘One Indian is enough for your thousands,’ Dhawan tells Afridi, gets trolled with Abhinandan pictures

    Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan, who hit out at former Pakistani skipper Shahid Afridi for his comments on Kashmir during a recent visit to the Pakistan-administered side of the valley, is being trolled by Pakistanis for saying that “Kashmir belongs to India” and “one Indian is enough for 125,000 Pakistanis”.

    As per the details, a video clip of Afridi speaking to the people of the Azad Kashmir village went viral on social media, which showed the former Pakistani cricketing star criticising Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi for deploying forces in Kashmir and making it a living hell for Muslims.

    “At a time when the whole world is fighting corona[virus], you are concerned about Kashmir. Kashmir is ours and will remain ours. Bring your 220 million, one [Indian] is enough for 125,000. You do the math,” Dhawan tweeted while tagging Afridi.

    It wasn’t later that Pakistanis started trolling the Indian batsman, reminding him of what happened last year when an Indian Air Force (IAF) jet violated Pakistani airspace.

    The jet was shot down by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and the pilot captured. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was released a day later by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan as a goodwill gesture to promote peace between the two countries.

    While Afridi himself is yet to respond, here are some other responses to Dhawan’s tweet:

    What do you think of the Indian cricketer’s tweet? Let The Current know in the comments.

  • Fans spot ‘Virat Kohli’, ‘Usman Shinwari’ in Ertuğrul

    Fans spot ‘Virat Kohli’, ‘Usman Shinwari’ in Ertuğrul

    As Diriliş: Ertuğrul fever continues to grip Pakistanis, fans have now started pointing out how two of the show’s characters look a bit too much like two South Asian cricketing stars… and to be honest, the resemblance is truly uncanny!

    READ: Pakistanis lose it over ‘un-Islamic’ Instagram of ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ star

    While many took to Twitter to point out how much a character from the show resembled Pakistan’s left-arm fast bowler Usman Shinwari…

    …another cricketing star, Mohammad Amir, cannot seem to help but wonder if Indian skipper Virat Kohli is also there in the series.

    While the Indian batsman is yet to respond, here’s what Twitterati are saying:

    Turkish historic drama series Diriliş: Ertuğrul has been trending ever since its first episode aired on PTV Home. Pakistanis are loving the drama series and it has become a sensation in the country to the point that PTV is now aiming to set a new record with the series.

    In an exclusive interview with The Current, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed Khan revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had gifted the drama series to Pakistan as a goodwill gesture.

  • Village panchayat hires Bollywood inspired ghost to make people stay at home

    Village panchayat hires Bollywood inspired ghost to make people stay at home

    After the coronavirus outbreak, India is also under strict lockdown to control the spread of the virus. Amid all this when people do not follow the social distancing rules, Odisha village panchayat in India has come up with a new idea.

    It has hired a Bollywood inspired ghost to keep people stay at their homes.

    Apparently, hired by the village panchayat, a sari-clad woman with chalk-white skin roams around at night to ensure that people follow the lockdown. Her payal makes sound ‘chhan chhan’ when she walks. Villagers get scared and retreat as soon as they see her.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM56Jkm3AWc

    On 24 March 2020, the Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21 days. Later the lockdown was extended. India has reported almost 70700 coronavirus cases so far.

  • India’s Shami opens up about having suicidal thoughts before comeback

    India’s Shami opens up about having suicidal thoughts before comeback

    India fast bowler Mohammed Shami has revealed how he thought of committing suicide while struggling with personal problems before making a spectacular comeback to the national side.

    Shami battled weight issues, injury and a legal quarrel with his estranged wife before a stellar performance at the World Cup last year re-established the 29-year-old as a key player.

    With cricket and sports halted in the coronavirus lockdown, Shami opened up about his own and his family’s fears to teammate Rohit Sharma during an exchange on Instagram.

    “I think if my family had not supported me back then I would have lost my cricket. I thought of committing suicide three times during that period due to severe stress,” said Shami.

    “I was not thinking about cricket at all. We were living on the 24th floor. They were scared I might jump from the balcony.”

    With Virat Kohli

    Shami’s contract with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was withheld in 2018 because of allegations of domestic violence, only to be reinstated later.

    The bowler also struggled with injury that saw him spend nearly a year on the sidelines, leading to weight gain. He said his family and friends helped him bounce back.

    “My two or three friends used to stay with me for 24 hours (during my days of depression). My parents asked me to focus on cricket to recover from that phase and not think about anything else,” he said.

    “I started training then and sweated it out a lot at an academy in Dehradun.

    “Then my family explained that every problem has a solution no matter how big the problem. My brother supported me a lot.”

    A lean and hungry Shami made a strong comeback in the Indian team at the 50-over World Cup. He took 14 wickets in four games including a match-winning hat-trick.

    Shami has claimed 180 wickets in 49 Tests and 144 scalps in 77 one-day internationals since making his debut for India in 2013.

    Last year Shami led the pace pack in the absence of yorker king Jasprit Bumrah and claimed 13 wickets during India’s 3-0 home Test sweep of South Africa.

    Skipper Virat Kohli heaped praise on the fast bowler, saying, “he is someone who can change the complexion of the match totally when you don’t see it coming”.

  • VIDEO: Indian police sing, clap for couple who got married at home without violating any lockdown rules

    VIDEO: Indian police sing, clap for couple who got married at home without violating any lockdown rules

    Indian police congratulated a couple by playing a Bollywood song and clapping who got married at home without violating any lockdown rules.

    A video, doing the rounds on social media, shows a group of policemen in Nashik city giving a heart-warming reception to a newlywed couple. Cops can be seen congratulating the newlyweds on a loudspeaker. Dressed in traditional wedding attire, the couple is standing in the balcony of their house looking down at the celebration.

    The policemen then play a song from a Bollywood movie as a group of policemen clap for the newlyweds.

    The couple even received a shoutout from the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

    https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_sBGqdJLG5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Social media users congratulated the couple and appreciated the gesture by the police.

  • Mother sends son to buy groceries, he returns with bride

    Mother sends son to buy groceries, he returns with bride

    The police in India’s Sahibabad was stunned when a woman came to the police station complaining that she had sent her son to buy groceries but he returned with a wife instead.

    “I had sent my son to do the grocery shopping today, but when he returned, he came back with his wife. I am not ready to accept this marriage,” said the mother.

    Meanwhile, the 26-year-old groom, Guddu, said: “I got married to Savita two months ago at an Arya Samaj Mandir in Haridwar.”

    “However, we could not get the marriage certificate at that time due to lack of witnesses. I had decided to visit Haridwar again for my marriage certificate but could not do so as the lockdown was imposed,” he added.

    Read More: Groom takes bride on motorbike amid lockdown

    “After returning from Haridwar, Savita stayed at a rented house in Delhi. However, today I decided to bring her to my mother’s house as she was told to leave the rented accommodation due to lockdown,” said Guddu.

    Giving a solution to the family dispute, the Sahibabad Police have asked Savita’s house owner in Delhi to let the couple stay there during the lockdown period.

  • White House unfollows Modi on Twitter amid concerns over India’s treatment of minorities

    White House unfollows Modi on Twitter amid concerns over India’s treatment of minorities

    The White House has unfollowed Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Twitter, leaving Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi ‘dismayed’ at the American administration’s decision.

    Indian media reported on Wednesday that The White House, which has 22 million followers on Twitter, followed the Indian premier till April 11, unfollowed him recently.

    “The official Twitter account of White House, the residence and workplace of the president of the US, doesn’t follow Indian PM Narendra Modi anymore on the micro-blogging site,” reported Outlook India.

    Modi was the only world leader followed by The White House on Twitter till April 11. Other Indian Twitter accounts unfollowed were those of the president of India, the Indian PM’s Office and the Indian Embassy in Washington D.C.

    The move ‘dismayed’ Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, who urged India’s External Affairs Ministry to take note of the incident.

    “I’m dismayed by the “unfollowing” of our President & PM by the White House. I urge the Ministry of External Affairs to take note,” tweeted Gandhi.

    The development took place as a US commission recommended India be placed on a list of countries that violate religious freedom.

    The US Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended that India be re-designated as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ because of the Modi government’s policies and treatment towards the Muslim population.

    “Perhaps the steepest, and most alarming deterioration in religious freedom conditions is in India,” the vice-chair of the USCIRF vice had said after the release of the Commission’s annual report.

    The report also recommended 13 other countries to the State Department for designation as “countries of particular concern” because their governments engage in or tolerate “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom”.

    These include nine that the State Department designated as CPCs in December last year, which were Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The five others include India, Nigeria, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam.

    WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

    According to reports, the White House has explained that its Twitter handle typically follows the accounts of officials from host countries for a brief period during a presidential trip to retweet their messages in support of the visit.

    “The White House Twitter account normally follows senior US government Twitter accounts, and others as appropriate. For example, during the time of a presidential visit, the account typically follows for a short time, the host country’s officials to retweet their messages in support of the visit,” a senior administration official told the Press Trust of India.

  • Veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor passes away

    Veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor passes away

    Bollywood legend Rishi Kapoor passed away in Mumbai on Thursday morning. The 67-year-old actor had been taken to H N Reliance Hospital by his family on Wednesday morning.

    The Kapoor family has also confirmed the news in a heartfelt message shared by renowned Indian photographer Viral Bhayani.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_l7JuaHVMp/?igshid=7kelhuz604bi

    The Bollywood actor returned to India last September after undergoing treatment for cancer in the United States (US) for almost a year.

    In February, Kapoor was hospitalised twice due to his health issues.

    After his return to Mumbai, he was once again admitted to a hospital with viral fever. He was discharged soon afterward.

    Kapoor, who was quite active on social media, hadn’t posted anything on his Twitter account since April 2 amid reports that he was sick.

    The actor recently announced his next project, a remake of Hollywood film ‘The Intern’, also featuring Deepika Padukone.

    Tributes are pouring in on social media for Rishi Kapoor from actors, members of the film industry, prominent personalities and politicians.

    https://twitter.com/SrBachchan/status/1255709029336322048

    The news comes a day after Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan passed away.

  • Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan passes away

    Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan passes away

    Award-winning Indian actor and cancer survivor Irrfan Khan on Wednesday died in Mumbai after battling a medical complication arising from colon infection, his publicist confirmed.

    He was 53 and is survived by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and two sons Babil and Ayan.

    “‘I trust, I have surrendered’, these were some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heartfelt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer. And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen,” Khan’s spokesperson stated.

    “It’s saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it. Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heaven, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, ‘As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it’,” the spokesperson added.

    News of Khan’s death was also confirmed by director and his close friend Shoojit Sircar.

    “My dear friend Irrfan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you. We shall meet again,” he tweeted.

    https://twitter.com/ShoojitSircar/status/1255377784773410818

    The two worked together in the Bollywood blockbuster ‘Piku’.

    Khan, who spent most of 2018 and 2019 battling high-grade neuroendocrine tumour in London, is one of India’s finest actors who understood the syntax and grammar of Hollywood films.

    The Indian National School Of Drama graduate was last seen in director Homi Adjania’s ‘Angrezi Medium’, a heart-warming father-daughter tale in March this year. But the film couldn’t enjoy an uninterrupted screening at cinemas worldwide because of the coronavirus outbreak. Even though his last film wasn’t allowed to blossom, Khan, who has appeared in over 100 Hindi and foreign language films, has charted a fruitful career filled with cinematic gems.

  • PM’s first official visit to Presidency for ‘most important’ meeting with Dr Alvi, ISI chief

    PM’s first official visit to Presidency for ‘most important’ meeting with Dr Alvi, ISI chief

    In what is being called the “most important” meeting, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has called on President Dr Arif Alvi in his maiden official trip to the Presidency, and the two were later joined by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General (DG) Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed.

    While an official press release says that the three discussed various domestic and international issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, precautionary arrangements for the forthcoming holy month of Ramzan and Indian aggression against people of held Kashmir, a report has quoted political quarters as terming it a meeting of the big three.

    The report that emphasised on the most important aspect of the gathering, did not drop any hint regarding it.

    The president appreciated the government steps to curb the spread of coronavirus in the country and the PM’s measures for seeking relief in the debt to be paid by the developing countries, the official version maintained.

    Later, the ISI chief also joined the meeting that condemned unprovoked Indian firing along the Line of Control (LoC). They also denounced the usurping of rights of Kashmiris in the garb of coronavirus in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK).

    The premier reportedly thanked the president and lauded his efforts to evolve a consensus among religious quarters regarding prayers and Taraweeh at mosques during Ramzan.