Grief is a Common Emotion for Military Caregivers
Written By: Mary Brintnall-Peterson, Ph.D., MBP Consulting, LLC, Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin – ExtensionCaregivers experience grief from the losses experienced when their service member or veteran has a chronic illness or severe injury. Examples of these losses are, a spouse is no longer able to manage finances because of post-traumatic stress disorder, or the loss of intimacy due to injuries or the loss of a military career. I often hear caregivers say, “I wish my life could go back to the way it was before the illness or injury.” “I never thought my life would end up the way it has.” Grieving over losses can lead to depression or other health problems if the caregiver doesn’t find a way to accept the new reality of their current life. Many military families refer to the acceptance of their losses as their “new normal.”Adjusting to their “new normal” takes time and can be easier if the caregiver understands the grieving process. They may physically react to grief by crying more, not sleeping well, eating a lot or nothing, having more headaches or other physical reactions. Grief is also exhibited emotionally when the caregiver is more aggressive or passive, they feel as if their life is out of control or they are sad or depressed. Some caregivers question their faith and are angry with God while others return to their faith for support and become more spiritual. Many experience feelings of being alone, they isolate themselves, or become envious of others and their life. Since every person shows grief in different ways it’s helpful to talk about how caregivers are feeling and how these feelings are different since their service member became ill or injured.Stages of GriefThe differences can also happen as the caregiver moves through the grief stages. The grief stages are not linear and the caregiver may skip around them. They may find themselves going back and forth between the stages of the grief process multiple times. Grief comes and goes and often takes the caregiver by surprise when its least expected.Grief starts when the caregiver first learns about the medical condition of their service member or veteran and do not want to accept what they are hearing. Denial includes shock, which is the body’s way of helping the caregiver with what is happening to them. The caregiver is in disbelief, thinking they are living a nightmare and hoping to wake up and find out what they heard isn’t true. It is during this time that the caregiver is uncertain about what to do but manages to get through each day. Denial will eventually go away and for many the next stage is anger.Anger can be felt as helplessness, powerlessness, rage, hurt, fear, irritation, or frustration. The caregiver may ask questions such as why me? Why us? Feelings of anger should be expected as it’s a normal part of the grief process and helps caregivers with their pain. Caregivers begin to ask more questions to learn about the injury or illness, they often make changes and even become an advocate for themselves, their service member and others in similar situations. What isn’t healthy, when experiencing anger, is keeping it inside and expressing it in unhealthy ways by turning to drugs, alcohol or hurting themselves or others. Since anger takes a lot of energy and emotion, caregivers often move next into the bargaining stage of grief.Bargaining is when the caregiver tries to change their situation by making “deals” with God or friends with hopes of making the situation go away. They ask questions of what could have been or what should have been done differently. Sometimes caregivers get stuck in this phase. When caregivers share the deals, they want to make with “God” with friends or a counselor, reality begins to set in and they realize they can’t change what has happened. This moves the caregiver into the stage of depression. The reality of their situation overwhelms them as they experience sadness, fear, anxiety and lost. This stage of grief is necessary in order for the reality of their situation to “sink in” and be understood. By experiencing feelings of hopelessness and sorrow, they move into the last phase of grief, which is acceptance. Acceptance does not mean they like their situation but they realize it’s their “new normal” and begin to think and find ways of adjusting and moving forward. The caregiver may even begin to think about ways to do the best he/she can in their situation and may reach out to help others. Caregivers who go through the five stages of grief come out a different person. They are stronger, have a better understanding of themselves and their situation, and are wiser on how to deal with other life losses (Family Caregiver Alliance).Tips for ProfessionalsAs professionals there are numerous ways we can assist caregivers through their grieving process including:Listening to their stories without judgement. Asking probing questions to encourage caregivers to clarify what they are feeling.Encouraging them to journal their thoughts and feelings. Asking them to think about their feeling. Are they different than before their “new normal”? Why? How?Supporting the caregiver where they are at in the grief process. Don’t force them to share feelings if they don’t want to. Be patient with them as it may be difficult for them to name what they are feeling.Recognizing that the grief process isn’t linear and helping the caregiver realize that acceptance doesn’t happen overnight.Allowing the caregiver to experience their pain and helping them recognize it. If they have trouble naming it try to have them describe it. See if the caregiver can’t give it a name as naming it could give the caregiver a sense of control.Helping them realize how other life events are affecting their current reactions to their situation. It could include values from their family, culture influences, or religious training.Allowing the caregiver to express their anger, frustration, or bitterness as they try to make sense of what has happened to them and their family.Suggesting positive coping strategies for caregivers that they might want to explore such as a support group, an educational class on grief, or reading resources on the topic.Sharing with the caregiver the grief stages and discuss where they are in the grief process.Sharing resources, the caregiver can utilize as needed. Some potential sources include:Center for Loss and Life TransitionCaregiver Resource DirectoryHidden Heroes Library: Books for Military Caregivers By helping caregivers understand their grief, professionals can guide them to creating their own “new normal” and accepting the reality of how it will shape their life.Resources:Center for Loss and Life Transition. Grief Feelings. Retrieved on August 1, 2018Family Caregiver Alliance. Grief and Loss. Retrieved on August 1, 2018
Get started with AE expressions! Wiggle is one of the fundamental AE expressions and can be used to quickly add random movement to your After Effects animations.After Effects expressions can be intimidating. After all, we’re video editors and motion designers – not coders. In reality though, many AE expressions can be broken down simply. Applying expressions in your AE project can add some really dynamic features (random motion, auto animating to sound, etc), so it’s worthwhile to give them a shot. You can also use expressions to speed up your workflow, sparing you from having to keyframe all the animation in your project. So where do you start? With wiggle.Wiggle is one of the more versatile After Effects expressions. You can apply it to a layer in your AE project to add movement to position, rotation and scale. By modifying the parameters in the expression you can set limits on the magnitude and frequency of the animation.The video tutorial below, by motion designer Jens Uttikal, provides a nice overall tutorial on the capabilities of Wiggle and how to integrate it into your After Effects project. It’s a worthwhile 6 minute viewing for all AE users.If you’d rather read than watch, check out our previous article “Using Wiggle to Create Random Movement in Adobe After Effects” or this post which several wiggle expressions written out (copy and paste them into your project).Don’t be intimidated. Start with wiggle and give After Effects expressions a try. If have any questions or thoughts please leave them in the comments below!
1Create a new composition. Create the letter “U” and lock. 3Scale up to fill in bottom of the “U”. 6Create a new point light. 13Pre compose. 10Duplicate the letter so that each triangle layer has a duplicated letter under it. 2Create a new polygon shape layer, set stroke to 0, points to 3 and toggle 3d on. 7Duplicate triangle layers and parent each duplicate to the original. 11Parent each letter to it’s corresponding triangle (after you move the playhead to the end). 8Easy Ease and offset layers by 4 frames. 14Duplicate and flip horizontally. 12Select all letter layers and set to alpha matte. Change the transfer mode to alpha. Add and change the strokes from 0 to 2. Fold and unfold elements in your After Effects project! In this tutorial we show you how to create this visually impressive effect.In this Premiumbeat exclusive tutorial, you’ll learn how to fold (and unfold) objects in After Effects. The tutorial specifically covers folding/unfolding a letter, but you can certainly use this technique for any number of elements. We’ll cover a few advanced AE fundamentals, including:Position snappingParentingUsing the Graph EditorPrefer reading to watching? Check out the full step-by-step tutorial below.It is very easy to get overwhelmed when working with an After Effects project with many layers, such as this one. Be sure to label all your layers so you don’t get confused!See our blog for more informative tutorials in Adobe After Effects, as well as other professional video editing and motion graphics applications.Step-by-Step: Unfolding After Effects Tutorial 4Duplicate the root and snap to the center of the triangle vertex. 5Set 1 second rotation keyframes to the top layer over the X axis. 9Continue duplicating until the entire right side of the letter is covered by triangles.
Need to save a still image out of After Effects? Just follow these quick steps.From pre-visualization to concept mockups, there are an infinite number of reasons why you may want to save a still out of After Effects. So if you’re trying to quickly save a still (or maybe you’re just curious about how this process is done), follow these quick tips.Step One: Select Your FrameWith your composition selected, navigate to the frame you want to export. Note: you can repeat the process (steps 1 – 3) and select multiple frames to save as long as you do it before exporting.Step Two: Move Frame to Render QueuePhotoshop documents: If you do want to save a Photoshop document, simply navigate to Composition>Save Frame As> Photoshop Layers. Just follow the prompts and hit save.Everything Else (JPEG, PNG, TIFF, Etc.): Naviagate to Composition>Save Frame As> File… if you want to save your frame with any format other than a Photoshop Ddocument. Your frame will now be added to the render queue. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Option+Command+S to move a frame to the render queue.Step Three: Adjust SettingsYou will see your frame at the bottom of the render queue. Click the blue text next to the output module. It will probably say Lossless by default. In the popup window, change the format from Quicktime to your desired image settings. We’re going to export JPEG for our purposes, so we will select JPEG Sequence. Click OK.If you anticipate that you will save a lot of frames in the future, I would go ahead and make an Output Module template so you can quickly select your image settings in the future. To do this, simply hit the dropdown arrow next to Output Module and hit Make Template. You can now name the preset and click OK.The final step is to name your video. Simply click the text next to Output To. You will now be asked to give your frame a name and a home. When you’re done, click Save.Step Four: ExportWith all of your settings adjusted, all you have to do now is hit the Render button.You should now see your still in the save location you selected in the previous step. In general, After Effects images won’t be as high quality as those saved out of Photoshop, so it’s not a great idea to use After Effects as an alternative for print work. But if you’re trying to share your work with a client or collaborate with other creatives, this method should work great.Have any other tips for saving stills in After Effects? Share in the comments below.
Got a video project looming, but you’re just not feeling it? Get out of that rut with these ten sources of video inspiration!Every now and again, we need a little inspiration to stoke the fires of our creative genius. This inspiration can come from many different places. There are a vast number of amazing resources out there — below, you’ll find ten of our favorites. This list isn’t the be all, end all for video inspiration, but it’s a great place to start next time you find yourself needing a little push!1. Film RiotFirst up on our list is Film Riot. We mention Ryan Connolly and his crew at Film Riot a lot, simply because their work is solid and they give great information for both videographers and filmmakers. Through their YouTube channel, viewers learn an incredible amount of professional knowledge, from DIY tips to advanced techniques. If you aren’t following them on YouTube, you should.Video via Film Riot2. Video CopilotNext up is everyone’s favorite, Video Copilot. Through this site, Andrew Kramer has created an incredible resource for filmmakers, motion graphic artists, and videographers. Here you can purchase a host of After Effects plugins and tools to help you streamline your workflow. Plus, the site also offers a wide range of tutorials for post-production effects techniques.Video via Video Copilot3. Filmmaker IQNeed a refresher course in cinematography, learn how to chroma key, or maybe even gain extra knowledge on technique? Then Filmmaker IQ might be the resource you’ve been looking for. This site is essentially an online film school that runs through the basics of film and video production while also presenting you with knowledge on theory. If you’re new to the industry or, as we said, just need to freshen up your base knowledge, then Filmmaker IQ can be a great resource.Video via Filmmaker IQ4. Shane’s Inner CircleShane Hurlbut is a long-time Hollywood cinematographer who just so happens to run an amazing site for film and video professionals. His Inner Circle site allows users access to tutorials, theory, techniques, podcasts, and so on. Shane has taken his years of experience and offered it to other professionals in order to help them improve their craft.Video via Shane Hurlbut5. Phillip BloomLike Shane, Phillip Bloom is a long-time professional and teacher. Through his blog, Bloom goes through a wide variety of topics that pertain to film and video professionals. Since we’re talking about inspiration, then all you really need to do is head over to Bloom’s website, hover over the Films tab, pick a category, and begin watching. If you can’t find inspiration here, then you won’t find it anywhere.Video via Phillip Bloom6. John BrawleyAgain, with Brawley we have a professional filmmaker/videographer that shares his experience and knowledge with other professionals. Everything from lenses to composition to lighting to gear is covered on this blog. You’ll find great information and, without question, inspiration. 7. Learning VideoOur good friend Dave Dugdale first began his venture as Learning DSLR Video. He has since changed the name to simply Learning Video — though there is nothing simple about Dugdale’s work. Through his video content, Dugdale is able to give the rundown on specific tips or techniques he’s learned out on location or while running his business. Be sure to make quality use of this resource.Video via Dave Dugdale8. VimeoAnother great place to find inspiration for your work is Vimeo. While YouTube has a massive following and loads of content, Vimeo seems to always have a much better selection of inspirational options for film and video professionals. The best way to go about finding content is to browse or search for keywords. Just be sure to that you budget your time appropriately — you will lose track of time when browsing this site.Video via Rustad Media9. Roger Deakins ForumIf you’re a PremiumBeat reader, then you most likely know who Roger Deakins is. If you’re still unsure, then do yourself a favor and head over to his personal website and forum. This is an incredible resource for any filmmaker or videographer, and the community there is very helpful and engaging.Video via Eyes On Cinema10. PremiumBeatLast, but definitely not least, is PremiumBeat. We truly strive to bring you worthwhile news, insight into the industry, and solid tips and techniques to help you in your career. Through the articles we write or the video content we release on YouTube, we’re working hard to make sure you’re covered!Was the list successful? Did we increase your list of inspirational sources? Are there other sources you can suggest? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments below!
Essential Reading! Get my 3rd book: Eat Their Lunch “The first ever playbook for B2B salespeople on how to win clients and customers who are already being serviced by your competition.” Buy Now This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. I’ve been compensated to contribute to this program, but the opinions expressed in this post are my own and don’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies or opinions.Some prospects are just too small. They’re too small for you to create any real value, so you can’t make an enormous difference in their results. Since you can’t really create a lot of value for them, there isn’t a lot of value available for you to capture much. Even rolling up a bunch of these small prospects won’t allow you to reach your goals; you can’t make your number.When a prospect is too small for you to create any value, capture any value, and help you reach your sales goals, you have to throw them back.It’s nice that they spend in your category. It’s nice that they’re receptive.But it takes time to work a too-small prospect through their buying cycle and your sales process. Sometimes it takes even longer than it does to win a larger prospect. The time you spend working with too-small prospects is time you could spend with larger prospects. Time is the one commodity that, once spent, can’t be recovered.It can also take just as much effort to take care of a too-small client after you win their business. Just like any other client, they have questions, concerns, service issues, and new needs. Your effort is better spent on larger prospects where you can create greater value, where you can make a difference.There are two reasons you are working on these small clients. First, they’re often more receptive than larger prospects, so they’re easier to get in front of. Second, your pipeline isn’t full of real opportunities, and these too-small prospects demonstrate that you have activity. But they aren’t going to be enough.Go and look at the top 20% of producers on your sales leader board. Is their client portfolio made up of dozens and dozens of too-small clients? Or do the top 20% have the top 20% of your company’s client portfolio?It’s too small. Throw it back.QuestionsWhat is your company’s sweet spot? For what size clients can you create the most value?What size client is too small? Why can’t you create any real value for them?Does it take too long to win small clients? Or can you help them without spending any real time or effort?What would your results look like if you moved your average deal size up by 25%?
There are many ways to learn.We make a guess based on a hunch or intuition. We take some action to test our hypothesis. The results tell us whether or not we guessed correctly. We learn whether or not what we believed was true or whether it was false. Either way, we learn.Sometimes instead of taking an educated guess, we just go ahead and take some action with absolutely no idea whether or not what we are doing is right or if it will work. We throw something at the wall and see if anything sticks. Something happens, and sometimes that something is nothing. If we’re smart enough to pay attention, we make some observations about what happened (or didn’t), and we learn from this experience.Often something happens and we just happen to be there when it does. We recognize that something happened and we learn from that observation without having to experience it for ourselves.This is where insights come from. Sometimes we have enough experience and situational knowledge to come up with a theory and test it. Sometimes we just need to throw something against the wall. And sometimes we pay close enough attention to what is going on around us to notice some novelty.This is how we learn.QuestionsWhat hypothesis should you be testing right now?What kind of result should you try to get by taking different actions even when you have no idea what to expect?What have you observed in the last 14 days that gave you some new idea or insight you can use? Essential Reading! Get my 2nd book: The Lost Art of Closing “In The Lost Art of Closing, Anthony proves that the final commitment can actually be one of the easiest parts of the sales process—if you’ve set it up properly with other commitments that have to happen long before the close. The key is to lead customers through a series of necessary steps designed to prevent a purchase stall.” Buy Now
Today, Andy points us to this idea.And my inbox today contains an email that says, “I am one of four salesmen in an organization that hates the thought that we might come close to coming across as ‘salesy.’ As a result of these good intentions, we neutered the sales-team to a passive, customer-service oriented team that has seen no revenue growth in two years.”No one wants to sell. No one wants to be a salesman. Or a saleswoman. Everyone is frightened to death of being perceived as “salesy.” (The word “salesy” isn’t even a real word. I checked.) No one wants to ask anyone for anything, least of all a commitment to buy.Neutered. Passive. Conflict averse. Order-takers. Flat lines.What Selling Is NotI might know three salespeople with the knowledge, experience, and chops to successfully pull off a hard sell. And there is a reason why this skill set is now so rare: it is unnecessary and it hasn’t been effective for decades.Selling doesn’t require that you manipulate others. It doesn’t require that you ask anybody to buy anything that doesn’t benefit them. Selling doesn’t require pressure tactics or closing techniques. It does requires influence, but only the influence that comes from being known and being known as someone who can be counted on to create value.What Selling IsSelling is helping someone achieve an outcome that they cannot easily obtain without you.Selling is helping someone come to the decision to buy by helping them with your experience, your ideas, and your recommendations.Selling is helping someone through their decision-making process.All of these ideas represent one part of selling, the collaborative part. But selling also comes with conflict.Selling is asking people to make a series of commitments that help both of you to come to a good decision. People that you can—and should help—sometimes resist making these commitments.Selling is asking people to make certain investments. Many of the people you can help will resist making the necessary investments, and some will make no decision because they are afraid.You don’t have to make people uncomfortable or trick them into making commitments. But you do have to gain those commitments. And you may have to make them uncomfortable with the status quo. You don’t have to “separate people from their wallets.” In fact, doing so will only make you something less than a salesperson. But you do have to help them spend enough money to get what they really need.Your intentions matter most of all. If you are self-oriented, you will make selling more difficult than it has to be, and you won’t be as successful as you might be otherwise.But if you are willing to be a salesperson, if you are willing to call yourself a salesperson, if you are willing to embrace and wear that mantle, if you are willing to acquire the chops necessary to help other people get an outcome they can’t get without you, and if your intentions are good, you are becoming more valuable by the day.Your skill set is growing more rare. But your willingness to be what you are is becoming something so rare as to be considered precious.QuestionsWhy do some people resist the idea of selling?Why do some people have trouble calling themselves a salesperson?What do salespeople really do?Why do your intentions matter? Get the Free eBook! Want to master cold calling? Download my free eBook! Many would have you believe that cold calling is dead, but the successful have no fear of the phone; they use it to outproduce their competitors. Download Now
Essential Reading! Get my 2nd book: The Lost Art of Closing “In The Lost Art of Closing, Anthony proves that the final commitment can actually be one of the easiest parts of the sales process—if you’ve set it up properly with other commitments that have to happen long before the close. The key is to lead customers through a series of necessary steps designed to prevent a purchase stall.” Buy Now Results only come when you take action.Don’t Talk About ItA lot of people talk about what they want to do. They talk about their goals, their visions, their dreams. They talk about the business they want to start. They spend a lot of time talking.Talking is easy. But it doesn’t do anything to move you closer to your goals, visions, and dreams. You are better off taking massive action than spending your time talking. All talk and no action will get you nowhere.Don’t Get ReadyYou don’t need to get ready. You’re already ready. You are good enough now. You know enough now. What you don’t know you will learn along the way.Most of the time when people feel they need to get ready, they are only avoiding what they need to do. And the root of that avoidance is fear. They fear they will fail. They fear they will be embarrassed. They fear that they aren’t good enough.“Failure” is an event that leads to learning. You have nothing to be embarrassed about, even if you fail miserably. And you are enough now.Don’t Overthink ItYou need to plan. You need a strategy. You need to know what your end result will look like. You don’t need to spend countless hours over thinking things.Wars are won on battlefields. Strategies are necessary, and tactics are important. Without taking action on the strategies and tactics nothing happens.Don’t get wrapped around the axle over thinking what you need to do. Start taking action so you can capture some feedback and make adjustments.Don’t WaitThe single, nonrenewable resource in your life is time. You don’t know how much you have left. If you’re going to do something you have to act now.The biggest regret you will have later in life is not taking the actions you know you should take. You won’t regret having tried. You won’t regret having failed. You won’t even regret being embarrassed beyond belief, in fact, you’ll be proud of it.You get to choose your future regrets now. Don’t regret having waited while time passed you by. The power is an action.The only thing that produces results is action. If results don’t come, experience comes faster. And then the results follow.
You are either going to be super-transactional or super-relational. There are prospects who want an arm’s length relationship and those that want to be close enough to hug you.
Leaders cutting across party lines on Monday paid tributes to former Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra who passed away at a Mumbai hospital on Sunday night.Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Ministers Jual Oram, Suresh Prabhu and Dharmendra Pradhan, many Ministers of the State and people from different walks of life paid their last respects to the departed leader at the airport as well as his house in the city.As the mortal remains of Mohapatra arrived here, Mr. Patnaik reached the Biju Patnaik International Airport, and paid floral tributes and placed a wreath on the body.The late leader had created a niche for himself in Odisha politics through his organisational skills and political acumen, said Mr. Patnaik.“I am distressed at the passing away of former MP Pyarimohan Mohapatra. He had a distinguished career as a civil servant and is known for his hard work and calibre. Later, he came to politics and became an MP. In politics too he has proved his mettle,” said Mr. Patnaik in a message.Chanakya of Odisha Mahapatra, who transformed the BJD into a strong regional party, was president of the Odisha Jana Morcha, the party he founded in 2013 in the aftermath of his expulsion from the BJD. He was dubbed as the Chanakya of Odisha politics for his decade-long nursing of the party. It is a different matter that Mr. Patnaik had dubbed Mohapatra a “traitor” while announcing the latter’s suspension from the BJD in June 2012 for making a failed coup against his government on May 29 that year when Mr. Patnaik was in the UK.
Pune: The 40-year-old woman who last week filed a case of rape and unnatural sex against Congress leader Rohit Tilak, the great grandson of Lokmanya Bal Gangadar Tilak, lodged another complaint on Monday with the Vishrambaug police, alleging that she was threatened with dire consequences by unidentified men.The complainant said her car was intercepted by two motorcycle-borne men, who pulled out a bottle of acid and threatened to pour it on her if she did not withdraw her complaint against the Congress leader immediately. “We have written to the Pune Commissioner of Police, Rashmi Shukla, emphasising the seriousness of the matter and requesting immediate police protection for my client,” said Tosif Shaikh, the complainant’s lawyer. Mr. Shaikh said his client was in grave danger as the accused was a politician of great influence.Mr. Tilak (37), was booked last Tuesday under Sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural sex), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) 504, 506 (criminal intimidation) and 507 (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication), and was granted interim anticipatory bail last Friday by a special court.The Congress leader, who is also the nephew of Mayor and senior BJP leader Mukta Tilak, told the court that the complainant worked for an organisation run by him, but was sacked in April, and hence has lodged a false case against him. The next hearing on the bail plea will be held on July 28. The woman had filed her first complaint on July 8. She allegedly had to cancel a press conference earlier this month owing to pressure. The complainant has said she met Mr. Tilak in March 2015 at a social gathering, and later connected with him on a social networking site. She said she was not aware of Mr. Tilak’s marital status at the time of their meeting, and that he allegedly raped her on the pretext of marrying her.
The police have booked Banti Bhangdiya, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Chimur constituency in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, for an alleged attack on Congress party workers on August 15.The police have registered charges under Section 143, 294, 504 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code against the BJP MLA on the complaint of local Congress leader Vilas Mohitkar. Mr. Mohitkar said, “On August 15, over 200 BJP workers led by Mr. Bhangdiya attacked and thrashed us brutally. They also hurled abuses at us when we tried to put up banners against the false promises of BJP government led by Devendra Fadnavis. The MLA was personally involved in the attack and he slapped me many times. He also threatened all the Congress workers present at the spot.”The incident took place when the BJP workers led by Mr. Bhangdia were making preparations for the Chief Minister’s visit to Chimur the following day. The Congress workers have also accused the BJP MLA of disrespecting a photo of Dr. B.R.Ambedkar. No arrest has been made in this case yet. Mr. Bhangdiya could not be reached for comment as his phone was switched off.
Video by Rajeev Bhatt
The 37-year-old businessman from Srinagar, Bilal Ahmad Kawa, on Saturday described his detention by the Delhi Police as his “bad luck”. Mr. Kawa told The Hindu over phone from his Delhi residence, “This episode will not keep me away from Delhi. I have done no wrong. Why should I fear? I will keep coming to do my business here and prosper.” He said, “I am thankful to the Delhi Police for being kind enough during the detention. I am also thankful to the J&K Police for being truthful about my reality.”Mr. Bilal was arrested on January 10 this year from the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, New Delhi, by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police based on inputs from the Gujarat Anti-Terror Squad (ATS). He was accused of having a role in the 2001 Red Fort attack and was declared “wanted for 17 years”. However, a Delhi court granted him bail on February 8.In custody for 29 days, Mr. Kawa was greeted by his children — Mutiya Bilal, a Class 4 student, and Falah Bilal, who is in nursery, on his arrival two days ago. “They hugged me and cried as I stepped home,” said Mr. Bilal.Mr. Bilal’s elder brother Niyaz Ahmad Kawa said the court was convinced about his innocence. “Thankfully, we got our hand on the air tickets from 2010 till 2015, since he travelled to Delhi frequently. We also provided Income Tax returns and sales tax details to prove he was very much in Delhi and doing business all this while,” said Mr. Niyaz Ahmed.The J&K Police, he said, had also been provided in writing that the Delhi Police was “never looking for him between 2000 and 2018 in any case”.For Mr. Kawa’s mother Fatima Begum, he is “born again”. “I am relieved. Truth triumphed,” said Ms. Begum, who held street protests in Srinagar to press the State government to intervene in the case.
Projecting itself as the land of ‘Unlimited Possibilities,’ Uttar Pradesh has launched a tourism policy aimed at increasing the footfalls of domestic visitors by 15% and foreign tourists by 10%. The BJP government hopes the strategy will help to make the State the topmost tourist destination in the country; it is now at second spot. What is the number of tourists?In 2016, 21.48 crore tourists, including 31.56 lakh foreigners, visited the State, with the sites associated with Hindu culture such as Allahabad, Ayodhya, Vrindavan and Govardhan, and Agra — the land of the Taj — among the most popular. The policy is aimed at not only developing new tourist circuits and infrastructure on the public-private partnership model but also creating livelihood opportunities. The policy will be applicable for the next five years and the government says it will attract an annual investment of ₹5,000 crore and help 5 lakh people find employment, directly or indirectly. Under the 2018-19 budget, ₹70 crore was allotted for the implementation of the new tourism policy.Is focus on religious tourism?Cultural and religious tourism has been the focus of the government ever since the BJP came to power in 2017. The government plans to develop and promote 10 major circuits, like Ramayana, Krishna (Braj), Mahabharat, Shakti Peeth, Jain, Sufi/Kabir, Buddhist, spiritual, Bundelkhand and wildlife and eco-tourism. Various investment opportunities, economic incentives and benefits will be provided within 20 km of these circuits. The Tourism Department also plans to promote a “bread and breakfast” scheme and include ashrams in it. To encourage investment, these houses will be charged domestic water and power taxes. What about Taj Mahal?The government, however, has not revealed any elaborate plan for the Taj Mahal, except for the construction of a walkway to connect the monument with the other Mughal marvel, Agra Fort. Along with expenses occurred on the restoration of Shahjahan Park, the cost of this pathway will be ₹22 crore. In October last year, amid a controversy over the omission of the monument from a tourism booklet, the government said it had allotted ₹370 crore for a tourism development scheme for Agra, of which ₹156 crore was set aside for the Taj Mahal and areas near it. The World Bank will assist the government in this scheme, which has been sent to the Centre for approval. The scheme will also involve the restoration of Agra’s Kachpura and Mehtab Bagh, construction of a sewage treatment plant and a visitors’ centre, and revamp of traffic arrangements on the western entrance to the monument.Why is it not on the list? The latest budget has no special allocation for the Taj Mahal. It is an extension of the BJP government’s first budget released in 2017, in which the monument did not find a place among the sites to be developed and promoted under “cultural tourism.” The list primarily consisted of other religious and cultural sites, with ₹1,240 crore allocated for Swadesh Darshan Yojana through the Ramayana, Buddha and Krishna Circuits in Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura.Besides being an artefact of unmatched splendour, the Taj Mahal is the highest revenue-earning heritage structure in the country, with 7-8 million visitors annually. According to the Union Ministry of Culture, the Taj brought in revenue of ₹75 crore from 2013 to 2016. Last year, during a visit to the Taj Mahal, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath remarked that if the “security and facility” could be upgraded, the number of tourists — Indians and foreigners — visiting Agra could be increased to 2.5-3 lakh daily against the current 40,000-50,000. The government’s next big tourism challenge, however, is the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad in 2019. A budget of ₹1,500 crore has been earmarked for the congregation at the Sangam.
The three Jharkhand policemen who were abducted from Khunti district were released in the early hours of Friday. Subodh Kujur, Vinod Kerketta and Suyom Surin, posted as guards at local BJP MP Karia Munda’s residence at Anigada-Chandih village in Khunti district, were abducted on June 26, allegedly by supporters of Pathalgarhi, a self rule movement that is gathering steam in several villages of Jharkhand. Mounting pressureThe hostages turned up at a police station accompanied by another policeman, Nagendra Singh, whose abduction the Jharkhand police had been unaware of.“They reached Saiko police station by themselves…we’ve not recovered their weapons yet,” said R.K. Mallick, Additional Director General of Jharkhand police. Ashish Batra, Inspector General of Police (Operations), told journalists that mounting police pressure and sustained communication with the tribal villagers, who have been misguided by criminal elements, forced the hand of the abductors.The Jharkhand police had launched a massive operation against Pathalgarhi supporters after the gang rape of five women activists at Kochang village in Khunti on June 19. The police said Pathalgarhi supporters were behind the incident, while Kochang villagers said it was the handiwork of the People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a splinter group of Maoists active in the area. On June 26, hundreds of villagers who had gathered at Khatanga-Ghaghar village for a Pathalgarhi ceremony objected to the police search, forcing them to resort to baton charge. The supporters had then allegedly abducted the three policemen posted at the house of local BJP MP Karia Munda.
Assam Chief Secretary T.Y. Das and Director-General of Police Kuladhar Saikia on Monday reviewed the law and order and internal security situation of four Barak Valley districts ahead the publication of the final draft of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the State.An Assam police spokesperson said a high-level team comprising Mr. Das, Mr. Saikia and other senior officials visited Cachar district and took stock of the law and order and internal security situation in Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi and Dima Hasao districts.High-level discussions“Various issues relating to internal security and the emerging law and order situation were discussed threadbare.“This is the fifth meeting of the high-power team before publication of the draft NRC,” the official said. The District Collectors, the Superintendents of Police and senior officers of the police, the Army, the Central police forces and the Indian Air Force engaged in the districts took part in the discussion, he added.Senior officials, including Special DGP (SB) Pallab Bhattacharyya and Additional DGP (Law and Order) Mukesh Agrawal were present.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday said the government was not considering any changes to the Act governing the process of issuing Permanent Resident Certificates (PRCs). “It is an integral part of the legal structure of Jammu and Kashmir and there is no attempt whatsoever to tamper with this law,” he said.He was responding to a letter from National Conference leader Omar Abdullah which said, “You are mulling changes to the permanent resident certificate rules… this is an attempt to distort the demography of the State and is detrimental to J&K’s special status.” The People’s Democratic Party, People’s Conference and the Congress also expressed concern over moves to change the PRC process and warned of protests.
The suspense over the Chief Minister’s face in Rajasthan will continue for one more day, as the newly elected Congress Legislature Party (CLP) failed to reach a consensus after adopting a one-line resolution in its first meeting convened here on Wednesday. Congress president Rahul Gandhi is likely to take a decision in the matter on Thursday.A delegation of senior Congress leaders drove to Raj Bhawan late on Wednesday evening and staked claim before the Governor, Kalyan Singh, to form the government in the State. AICC general secretary in charge of Rajasthan, Avinash Pande, told reporters that a list of the party’s elected legislators as well as others supporting the Congress was handed over to the Governor.“Some independent MLAs have given us the support in writing… We have absolute majority in the Assembly,” Mr. Pande said. He said the next step for the government’s formation would be taken after getting “guidance” from Mr. Gandhi, to whom the AICC observer would submit his report.The Congress has won 99 of the 199 Assembly seats, for which the polls were held on December 7, and has attained majority with the support of its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal. The front-runners for the post of Chief Minister are senior leader Ashok Gehlot and Pradesh Congress president Sachin Pilot, while former Union Minister C.P. Joshi is also stated to be in the reckoning.In a one-line resolution adopted at the CLP meeting, the legislators authorised Mr. Gandhi to take a decision on the Chief Minister’s appointment. The atmosphere outside the Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters here was tense, as the supporters of Mr. Gehlot and Mr. Pilot raised loud slogans to outdo each other. The police force was deployed to manage the crowd.Mr. Pande and AICC observer K.C. Venugopal were present at the series of meetings which remained inconclusive. Mr. Venugopal later sought the opinion of each legislator separately, amid reports that the individual opinions would also be referred to Mr. Gandhi as the feedback.Pradesh Congress spokesperson Satyendra Raghav said the name of the CLP leader, who would also be the Chief Minister, would be conveyed to the Governor when the party receives the invitation from Raj Bhawan to form the government. “The Chief Minister’s name will be announced in Delhi tomorrow,” he said.A six-member delegation of Congress leaders, which did not include Mr. Gehlot and Mr. Pilot, left for Delhi late in the night.The Congress has regained its lost ground in the State in a way by defeating the incumbent BJP. In its triumph in the desert land, the grand old party has retained the trend of the two parties alternately coming to power.After a high-voltage campaign, the State had recorded 74.21% polling on December 7. Most of the exit polls predicted a clear majority for the Congress over the BJP, but the seats won by the party on Tuesday were far below the projected numbers. A total of 2,274 candidates contested the polls in 199 of the 200 Assembly seats, as the election Alwar’s Ramgarh constituency was postponed.
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