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A Village Burnt Overnight: Tears, Loss and Survival in Dhamangaon Blaze

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  Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...
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Pawar debunks talk of mid-term polls, says UPA Govt is stable

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  • I do not know about future of Third Front, says Pawar

By Dheeraj Fartode
Rubbishing the talk about instability of Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government in the Centre and mid-term polls, Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said that the Government was stable.

Commenting on the air over emergence of Third Front in the forthcoming general election, Pawar said, “I do not know about future of Third Front, and I do not believe in it. As far as my party is concerned, we have decided to be with UPA.” He was talking to reporters at Sawangi in Wardha district, on Sunday. He was in Sawangi to grace bhoomipujan ceremony of seven-storey Super Speciality Hospital and convocation of Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Science University-Deemed University (DMIMS-DU).

Sharad Pawar interacting with media at Sawangi.

The stalwart politician rejected any possibility of mid-term elections. Asked about Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s recent statements regarding likelihood of mid-term polls, Pawar said that he enjoyed friendly relations with Mulayam. SP chief continued his support to the UPA Government and sometimes he also targeted UPA, he remarked. On the issue of two power centres in UPA, as referred to by AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh, the NCP leader said that there were no conflicts within UPA. “AICC has already cleared its stand on Digvijay Singh’s statement,” he added.

Recently, Union Government honoured Madhya Pradesh for achieving the highest agriculture production. Asked as to why Maharashtra could not receive the award during his tenure as Union Agriculture Minister, Pawar said that Union Government had given many facilities to MP Government to increase agricultural production. “But, Maharashtra has only 17 per cent agricultural land under irrigation,” he rued. However, he ducked the question about so little agricultural area under irrigation despite spending huge money over last several years.

Earlier, while addressing a public meeting after bhoomipujan of seven-storey Super Speciality Hospital of DMIMS-DU, Pawar announced that he would stay in public life but would not contest elections. “After a satisfied political life, now I shall quit political life and will not contest election. We have responsibility to prepare new political leadership,” he added. 
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