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,...
Mukta Dabholkar at Vidhan Bhavan premises on Friday. Dr Narendra Dabholkar’s daughter Mukta says that passage of the Bill will strengthen anti-superstition movement in Maharashtra Mukta Dabholkar, daughter of murdered rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar, expressed gratitude towards Maharashtra Government for clearing Anti Black Magic Bill and said that it would strengthen anti-superstition movement in the State. “The Bill, which was pending for 18 years has been passed. It is real tribute to Dr Narendra Dabholkar,” said Mukta. Talking to reporters in Vidhan Bhavan premises after passage of the Bill by Legislative Assembly on Friday, Mukta said that the Opposition had given many recommendations and she respected that right. The Bill would put check on ‘Aghori’ and inhuman practices in the State. Asked about the amendments in the Bill, Mukta replied that she was unaware of them and would speak after detailed study. Replying to query about opposition from Warakaris...