If you ever plan to stay at Poonthottam Ayurvedasram in Kerala, be prepared for a unique cannabis experience for the first time in India and Asia!

Poonthottam is a Malayalam word, meaning a flower garden and this Ayurveda ashram is situated amid the green landscape of Kulakkad hill region in Kerala. However, this is not the only reason why the place is gaining popularity. The prime reason people are talking about this ashram is that it has become Asias first cannabis wellness retreat!

What to expect at the ashram?

When here, be ready for some cannabis-infused Ayurvedic treatments and food. There are guided yoga and mindfulness sessions along with tantric psychology and not to forget some cannabis counselling sessions too.

What is AyurCann?

The retreat serves cannabis infused food which is approved by Ayurvedic experts at the resort. The food here is prepared using hemp seeds, oil and powder, such as salad dressing, in vegetable stir-fries, and while steaming idlis. In addition to this, there are hemp toiletries too.

Location

This 28-room Ayurvedic ashram is around a three-hour drive from Kochi airport.

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Kerala is now home to Asias first cannabis Ayurvedic retreat! - Times of India

The Aurangabad Bench of Bombay High Court recently directed the state government to extend the pay scale of watchmen in government Ashram Schools to temporary watchmen in private aided Ashram Schools, relying on the principle of equal pay for equal work.

"Considering the sound exposition of law on principle of equal pay for equal work to temporary employees in Jagjit Singh (supra), we have no hesitation in holding that the petitioners are required to be granted minimum pay in the pay scale admissible for the post of Watchmen/Security Guards/Multi-Tasking Staff engaged in the Government Ashram Schools", the court held.

A division bench of Justices Mangesh S. Patil and Sandeep V. Marne was dealing with a writ petition filed by watchmen of private aided Ashram Schools demanding equal pay as that of watchmen in government Ashram Schools.

Petitioner no. 1 is a union of teaching and non-teaching staff in Ashram Schools of the Tribal Development Department. The rest of the petitioners are security guards in various private aided Ashram Schools. The post of Watchmen/Security Guards for aided private Ashram Schools had a monthly honorarium of 3200/-, which was subsequently increased to 5000/-.

A Government Resolution dated December 12 2019, prescribed a pay band of 15000 47600 Rs for watchmen of government Ashram Schools. The petitioners approached the court demanding equal pay as the watchmen in government Ashram Schools.

Advocate A. D. Pawar for the petitioners invoked the principle of equal pay for equal work and submitted that the petitioners perform the same duties as the security guards posted in the government ashram schools. The eligibility criteria for both posts is also the same.

Assistant Government Pleader A. S. Shinde for the state contended that the petitioners knew and accepted the terms and conditions of the appointments. They cannot now demand regular pay scales. The posts are temporary; hence regular pay scales cannot be given.

The court examined various judgements on equal pay for equal work to temporary employees. The Apex Court in State of Punjab v. Jagjit Singh has held that in a welfare state, an employee cannot be paid less than another who performs the same duties.

The court observed that the state government has clearly discriminated watchmen in aided private Ashram Schools compared to those in government Ashram Schools. While it is true that the posts were conditional on payment of monthly consolidated honorarium, the question is whether the state government was justified in doing this in the first place.

The court said that it doesn't matter whether the post is temporary or permanent as the watchmen are performing the same duties. The state government is obliged to extend the same pay scales to temporary employees on par with regular employees.

The principle that teachers in aided private schools cannot be discriminated compared to their counterparts in Government schools applies in case of Watchmen also, the court said.

The Court further observed that in the present case issue is not about equation of pay scales of two different posts. It is about the extension of pay scales to temporary employees being paid honorarium in the light of the law laid down in Jagjit Singh.

The court held that the petitioners are required to be granted minimum pay in the pay scale admissible for the post of Watchmen/security guards/multitasking staff engaged in the government ashram schools.

Case no. Writ Petition No. 4300 of 2021

Case title Swabhimani Shikshak Va Shikshaketar Sanghatana Maharashtra Rajya v. State of Maharashtra and Ors.

Click Here To Read/Download Judgment

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Watchmen In Aided Private Ashram Schools Entitled To Equal Pay Scale As Those In Govt Ashram Schools: Bombay High Court - Live Law - Indian Legal News

Mysore/Mysuru: Avadhoota Datta Peetham Seer Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji said that we should remember the contributions made by great personalities of Mysuru such as H.C. Dasappa and Sahukar Chennaiah, as this will help inspire the people to follow their ideals and principles.

He was speaking after releasing journalist -author S. Prakash Babus book titled Mysuru Gandhi H.C. Dasappa and King Maker Sahukar Chennaiah at a programme organised under the joint aegis of District Kannada Sahitya Parishat and H.C. Dasaappa Vichara Samsthe at the Ashram on Nanjangud road here on Thursday.

Noting that it is the responsibility of everyone to remember our elders, Sri Swamiji regretted that our younger generation has been failing to do so citing lack of time in this era of mechanical life. He opined that we should take time to remember our elders. H.C.Dasappa, a well-known freedom fighter and Sahukar Chennaiah were two great personalities who are a source of inspiration for the younger generation, he added.

Recalling his association with Sahukar Chennaiah, Swamiji remembered an instance when his car had broken down near Mandya while he was on way to Bengaluru decades ago. Sahukar Chennaiah happened to pass by on the road and came to his help by getting water for filling the cars radiator.

Sahukar Chennaiah asked me whether I was Ganapathy Swamiji. When I said yes, he offered me a big site at Nazarbad as donation. Though I declined the site, Chennaiah simply transferred the site to my name, saying that I can give it to anyone I wanted. Later, the Ganapathy Ashram was established on Nanjangud road, when the Nazarbad site, which was donated by Chennaiah, was sold for a good price at that time. Since then, Ganapathy Ashram has been hosting programmes under his name. At one point of time, I told Chennaiah that I was leaving for Andhra, when he advised me to stay put in Mysuru and I have done so, the Seer recounted adding that he still remembers seeing the children of freedom fighter H.C. Dasappa once.

Veteran litterateur Dr. C.P. Krishnakumar (CPK), who is also the Asthana Vidwan of Ganapathy Ashram, said that the book author Prakash Babu has explained in detail the life and times of Dasappa and the generosity of Sahukar Chennaiah.

Pointing out that the book highlights Mahatma Gandhi calling Dasappa, whom he knew, as an honest and humble person, he said that the book also sheds light on the lesser known fact that Dasappa was one among the few who got an opportunity to offer Gangajal to Gandhiji during his last moments.

The book also makes a detailed mention of the life of Dasappas wife Yashodhara Dasappa, who was the first woman Cabinet Minister of Karnataka, CPK added.

Former Karnataka Sanskrit University Vice-Chancellor Dr. Padma Shekar too spoke.

Former MLC D. Madegowda, Vidyavardhaka Educational Institutions Secretary and former Mayor P. Vishwanath, H.C. Dasappa Vichara Samsthe Secretary Saroja Tulasidas, District Kannada Sahitya Parishat President Maddikere Gopal, Secretary Latha Mohan, former President M. Chandrashekar, author Prakash Babu, senior theatre personality Rajashekar Kadamba and others were present.

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Inspiration can be drawn by remembering great personalities: Seer - Star of Mysore

A 2018 photograph of the Jakhan river site in Dehadun . Members of the Beatles band took a halt here during their trip to Dehradun. A 1968 photograph of Paul McCartney at the site is available on social media. Image courtesy Raju Gusain

Strawberry fields could be forever, but sometimes Haldu trees dont last. The iconic Haldu tree (scientific name Adina cordifolia) which was the backdrop for a rare picture of music legend Paul McCartney during his tour to Dehradun in 1968 has been uprooted by the recent flooding in the Jakhan river. Paul and other members of the famous Beatles band visited the Himalayas to learn transcendental meditation from their Guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Paul McCartney sitting on the roadside with a coal tar barrel/drum near him in Dehradun. Image from Pinterest

In the 60s, Rishikesh was tiny compared to what it is now, and the Beatles and their friends would have to come to Dehradun for shopping. The environs of the city took George Harrison under its spell and he even composed a song on Dehradun city.

The Beatles came to Rishikesh in mid-February 1968 and the trip created worldwide media hype. Among the Beatles, Ringo stayed for 10 days, Paul McCartney for five weeks, George Harrison and John Lennon each for eight weeks.

The bungalow where members of the Beatles band stayed in Rishikesh. The campus is now managed by the Rajaji Tiger Reserve of the Uttarakhand forest department. Image courtesy Raju Gusain

Not many photographs of the Beatles visiting Dehradun are available online and in published books, magazines and newspapers. A photograph available on social media shows Paul McCartney sitting on the roadside with a coal tar barrel/drum near him. Paul possibly got hooked on the sight of an old tree standing lonely right in the middle of the rain-fed Jakhan river, near Ranipokhri. It exhibited the determination and strength of a tree of surviving in tough conditions. Paul wasnt the only one; many people using the Dehradun-Ranipokhri highway used to get a similar feeling and they would click photographs of and with the old Haldu tree.

Ajeet Singh, the late owner of Pratap Music Shop in Dehradun, used to say that the Beatles band members and their friends came to Dehradun two or three times. Ajeet had played Vichitra Veena at the 25th birthday bash of George Harrison in Rishikesh.

The trip of the Fab Four to Dehradun was sudden and local photographers failed to click their snaps in the city. The Paul McCartney snap at Ranipokhri is the only photograph of the Beatles near Dehradun and was probably clicked by British film producer Denis ODell.

The 1968 photographs of Paul McCartney in the backdrop of dry Jakhan River also show two similar trees on the right side, but they got uprooted long back. The river becomes active during monsoon and is usually dry the rest of the year. The lone standing Haldu survived a major scare last year when flooding caused damage in the riverside area of Ranipokhri. A portion of the old Ranipokhri bridge got washed away in 2021. Last month, flooding created havoc and washed away the temporary road and also washed the iconic Haldu tree into history forever.

Ali Murtaza, monitoring the whitewash of the new Ranipokhri bridge, said, The 20 August flood washed away the electric poles and the temporary road. The tree also got uprooted this time.

The uprooted Haldu tree, which formed the backdrop for a photograph of music icon Paul McCartey in 1968 near Dehradun. Image courtesy Raju Gusain

George Harrison was highly motivated by the Dehradun visit and his song captures the road journey Many roads can take you there many different ways/One direction takes you years, another takes you days. The Dehradun composition was recorded during the recording of All Things Must Pass -his first solo album after breakup with the Beatles band- but it was never officially released. The song is available online (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4RN0masLO8). In those days, commuters had to wait for long hours for public transport on Dehradun-Rishikesh highway; Harrisons lyrics mirror this: Many people on the roads looking at the sides/ Many others with their troubles looking for their rights.

The uprooted tree is still lying on one side ofthe Jakhan River. The exposed and upturned roots present a sad picture. The Haldu tree had even caught the fancy of Bollywood filmmakers in the 70s. Sudhir Raturi, village Pradhan (head) of Ranipokhri, says, It is sad. I saw the tree at that position from my childhood. It was unique. Old villagers used to say that the shooting of a Hindi film also took place there in the 70s, but we have failed to track the name and other details of the movie. The construction work of the old Ranipokhri bridge started in the early 60s and was near completion in 1968. The coal tar barrel featured on the photograph also hints that the blacktopping of the road was taking place at that time.

Wall painting of the Beatles with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at Chaurasi Kutiya Ashram in Rishikesh. The erstwhile Ashram of Maharishi is now famous as Beatles Ashram among tourists. Image courtesy Raju Gusain

The tour of the boys from Liverpool played a key role in boosting foreign tourist arrivals to Rishikesh. Western media came and covered the spiritual journey of the Beatles at Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram. Positive media coverage in the international media made the town located on the bank of Ganga emerge as a hot destination among Western tourists. The camp was located in the outskirts of the Rishikesh town and Ringo, John, George and Paul loved every moment spent in the holy township. The Beatles composed 48 songs, including a major part of the White Album, during their brief stay at the Ashram. The stay in the Himalayas is considered one of the most creative periods of the Liverpool boys in their career.

The uprooted Haldu tree, which formed the backdrop for a photograph of music icon Paul McCartey in 1968 near Dehradun. Image courtesy Raju Gusain

The Beatles and their friends adopted a simple lifestyle in Rishikesh. Pure vegetarian food was the norm, and lots of time was devoted to meditation, interacting with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, composing music and visiting nearby places. The spiritual camp where the Beatles came is presently under the control of Rajaji Tiger Reserve. The land lease of Ashram ended in the 90s and it is now managed by the forest department. Tourists visiting Rishikesh can see the bungalow where the Beatles had stayed, at Chaurasi Kutiya in Rishikesh. Though the official name of the erstwhile campus of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram is Chaurasi Kutiya, but it is more famous as the Beatles Ashram.

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Monsoon flooding washes away Iconic Haldu tree on Jakhan river near Dehradun that Paul McCartney took a picture with - Firstpost

Navapalli Natya Sanstha (NNS), a leading amateur Bengali theatre group in the capital, brought to stage Anandamath, a play based on a novel by Rishi Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. Navapalli always tries to furbish their productions with new theatrical innovations and experimentations and the play Anandamath(written in 1882) is again one such bold attempt. Directed by Biswajit Sinha and scripted by Soma Sinha and Biswajit.

The play, patriotism in nature, was presented at Bipin Chandra Pal Auditorium on 18 September. This mega venture coincides with Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of Independence.

The director explained to The Statesman that the play scriptis based on the most powerful and significant novel by Rishi Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, written in the background ofthe lesser known Sanyasi Rebellion of the 18th century and 1770s great famine of Bengal during the period of Company Rule in India. It depicts the untrained yet disciplined Sanyasi soldiers fighting and trying to beat the experienced East India Company forces.

He said, Anandamath is an apt production in this milieu of a festival of an awakening of the nation, the elixir of inspirations of the warriors of freedom struggle, their sacrifice, martyrdom, and elixir of new pledges and a rich tribute by bringing alive stories of unsung heroes who sacrifices have made freedom a reality.

The dramatic version is in ten acts, it takes us back to the glorious past and reignites patriotism. The sanyasi of Anandamath are not true sanyasis, but common people who take the symbol of sanyasi and leave their household so as to rebel against the British forces, he added.

The main protagonists are Satyananda Maharaj, the role played by Prodip Ganguly, the head of Anandamath, and his two disciples, namely Jibananda by Palash Das and Bhavananda by Seshadri Mitra.

The storyline begins with Jibananda and Bhavananda discussing the current scenario of devastating famine and planning to capture the ammunition of the British army.

Mahendra Thakur, a landlord of villagePadachinhastuck without food and water, was forced to leave his village with his wife Kalyani by Mousumi Acharya. He came in contact with the sanyasis of the Ashram and his wife Kalyani lost on way is, concurrently saved by Bhavananda Maharaj who takes her to the Ashram.

Satyananda Maharaj invokes the patriotic feelings in the mind of Mahendra who was earlier not reluctant but finally, he decides to serve the Mother Nation. Meanwhile, Kalyani attempts suicide so as to clear the path of her husband Mahendra for joining the Order. The Guru orders Mahendra to use his wealth to manufacture ammunition for the Anandamath.

Jibananda, the most accomplished and loyal disciple of Mahatma Satyananda, and later his wife Shanti, the role played by Soma Sinha,who is the only woman to join the Ashram and fight alongside her brave husband. Her appearance on stage becomes the turning point of the storyline. The joining of Shanti to the Order is very dramatic, who comes in the guise of a man. Shanti alias Nabinananda walks hand in hand with her husband and together reciting and singing Vande Mataram.

Meanwhile, Bhavananda who once rescued Kalyani gets attracted by her beauty and is ready to leave the Order.

At the close of the play, the decisive battle between the British and the Order is depicted. The East India Company attacks Anandamath, Company artillery opens fire inflicting several casualties, including the death of Bhavananda.Focused light falls in succession on the characters to give a glimpse into each of them, and is well-conceived and executed.

The British won the final battle. The story ends with Mahendra being returned back to his village, building a home again. Jibananda is grievously injured in battle. At nightfall, after the battle is over, Shanti discovers the seemingly lifeless body and grieves for him but revives him. They decide to go on a pilgrimage and live as ascetics. Satyananda Maharaj goes to the Himalayas for penances.

In terms of acting Palash DasandSeshadri Mitrasatisfy their directors brief, etching out their respective characters with creditable flair.Soma SinhaasShanti, who is always quite effective, shows the performative potential of her characters transformative moment, with her voice through and body projecting the climactic import of each scene. Other supporting characters performed well. It is worthwhile to mention thatDebabarta Sarkar and Tushar Chanda played the role of Captain He and singer Dhirananda respectively does their job withbrilliance.

Anandamathis an exhilarating and stirring play that will leave one inspired by the bravery of its characters.. The patriotic song ofVande Mataram(I revere thee mother) originated from the pages of this masterpiece, sung by the novels idealistic and nationalist saints fighting for their motherlands freedom.

The play is a well-knit version of a classical novel in Indian Literature, presented by a band of gifted actors, aesthetically executed, heightened by the spectacular presentation alongside skillful utilization of the plays main hymn Vande Mataram in different Indian ragas and instruments, imbued with the spirit of nationalism and selfless patriotism.

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'Anandamath' brings alive the freedom days of India - The Statesman

New Delhi: Crucial transport infrastructure projects, such as the Ashram flyover extension and Barapullah Phase 3, will be exempted from construction bans unless air pollution levels reach into the highest band, according to the revised Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) released by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Wednesday.

Also Read: In revamped Grap, ban on diesel car when air severe+

The decision is likely to give significant relief to commuters. In the past, projects like the Ashram underpass, the Pragati Maidan corridor and the RTR Marg flyover were delayed for months, if not years, when construction had to be halted due to bad air quality.

While such work will be stopped under the new mechanism as well, the threshold is set higher for projects that are part of emergent and essential projects such as road works, railways, metros and airports. These will be halted only in the fourth stage, when air quality index (AQI) breaches 450, compared to all other kinds of construction work that will need to be stopped if the AQI goes above 401.

Stage IV is assigned for what is classified as severe plus pollution days, which Delhi recorded on four instances in 2021.

Also Read: Delhi's arsenal for pollution fight retooled

A senior PWD official said extended construction bans had become an annual phenomenon in the city and contractors overseeing several of the projects cite these for repeated delays. We will be able to enforce timelines more stringently if there are no long government-mandated bans. The construction ban in 2019 ran into several months and it was followed by pandemic lockdown. Many projects which were expected to decongest the city were derailed, the official added, asking not to be named.

Another senior project manager with PWD said long construction bans also led to migration of labourers. The rhythm of the projects was frequently disrupted and idle labour migrates during these bans. Once a ban is lifted, it takes 1-1.5 months to bring back heavy machinery and labour force to return and for work to return to normal. Contractors sought extensions and then went into arbitration citing the governments construction ban, the official added.

Over the last few years, transportation sector experts and engineers have contended that such projects have a significant impact in terms of decongestion and reduction in vehicular emissions and should therefore be exempted from pollution control curbs.

A 2018 study conducted by The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri), a Delhi-based research institute, showed that vehicle emissions account for 24%-28% of the citys pollution while the contribution from dust was 18%-38% to the citys overall pollution levels.

S Velmurugan, chief scientist, Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), welcome the new approach. The key infrastructure projects may contribute a little dust in the environment but in overall larger context, the construction ban leads to delays in meeting deadlines and more contribution to pollution due to pending decongestion projects. This will help road-owning agencies keep tab on contractors executing the projects, he added.

Velmurugan added that the construction agencies should adopt more stringent conditions in terms of dust control and watering of the site, and contracts should incorporate parallel simultaneous constructions at multiple points to meet completion targets.

Delhi witnessed a 38-day long construction embargo last year. A year prior to that, construction work was completely halted from November 4, 2019 till February 14.

Prof Sewa Ram, professor of transport planning in the School of Planning and Architecture, echoed the opinion. We can deploy better regulations to control dust pollution from these sites but the overall impact in terms of reduction in vehicular emissions is significant. We should always keep in mind the background pollution while thinking about such blanket bans, he added

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Grap revamped: Key infra work to be exempt from curbs till last stage - Hindustan Times

Efforts must be made to prevent religious conversions since they take people away from their roots, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said at a gathering of religious leaders from Dalit and backward class communities.

Religious conversions result in exclusivity (and) take people away from their roots and origins. So we must try to prevent conversion, Bhagwat said at the assembly seen as a closed-door outreach event organised at Shri Shivasharan Madara Chennaiah ashram, a Dalit mutt (monastery) in Chitradurga region of Karnataka on Tuesday evening.

The event was presided over by Basavamurthy Madara Chennaiah of Madara Chennaiah ashram.

Bhagwat called for Hindu dharma to be interwoven into the society to remove inequalities that exist in peoples mind. The main problems of Hindu society such as untouchability, differences and inequality exist mainly in the mind. These problems do not exist in the scriptures, he asserted. These problems have existed in our minds for many generations and their solutions will also take time. We have to slowly work to remove them from our mind.

Bhagwats address to religious leaders from the Dalit community comes amid an attack on the caste system, and inequalities it has spawned, as well as on the RSS, by political leaders such as former chief minister Siddaramaiah of the Congress.

The Sangh, Bhagwat said, is more concerned with religion and spirituality than politics. Religious leaders are closer to the RSS than they are to politicians.

In society, some sections tend to be backward due to a loss of connection. It is our responsibility to keep all parts of the Hindu society integrated. Frequent meetings will facilitate this effort. This is what we call harmony the Sangh is trying to do this, Bhagwat said, according to quotes from his speech put out in Kannada by the RSS-linked Samvada website.

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Focus on roots, prevent conversion: Mohan Bhagwat to Dalit religious leaders - The Indian Express

Doja Cat was born in 1995 in Los Angeles, California under the name Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini.

Her mother is Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer a prominent american paintor, while her father's name is Dumisani Dlamini, an actor, composer and film producer from South Africa.

Shortly after her birth, her mother took Doja with her to live to New York City, but five years later they would return to California, specifically to the Oak Park area, before moving back to Los Angeles.

She started dancing once they moved back to California, taking tap, ballet and jazz lessons

When they returned to Los Angeles, Doja practiced hinduism while she lived in an ashram by the mountains with her mother.

During high school she went on to be a member of a professional pop-locking troupe, eventually dropping out as a student to pursue her music career.

Doja Cat's father was absent in her life, during a 2019 interview with the Quicksilver Show, the singer revealed how she's never met her dad and how she doesn't have a relationship with him.

Using the GarageBand application, Dlamini taught herself to sing and rap. Once she made her music, she uploaded it to SoundCloud, an online distribution platform.

Her upload "So High" caught the eye of producer Dr. Luke, who signed her to his record label.

Dlamini would eventually debut in the summer of 2014 under the name "Doja Cat", with the release of her first EP: "Purrr!"

Her biggest break came on 2019 with the release of "Hot Pink", her second studio album.

"Say So" was her first single rated as a top ten son on the Hot 100 list.

Rolling Stone magazine named her 2020's biggest breakthrough artist and she was nominated to three Grammy Awards.

She has an estimated net worth is reported to be $8 million. During the first months of 2021, she purchased a $2.2 million home in Beverly Hills.

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Doja Cat's Net Worth: The fortune of the rapper and influencer - Marca English

Tribune News Service

Barnawa (Baghpat), July 10

Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is out on parole for a month, can be seen reciting bhajans and preaching his followers at Dera Sacha Sauda Ashram, Barnawa, in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh daily. He has reportedly written around 700 bhajans while serving his term in the Sunaria jail, Rohtak.

The dera head, convicted of raping of two women disciples and murdering journalist Ram Chander Chhaterpati, was released on parole on June 17. He was convicted by a special CBI court in August 2017.

The dera head reached the Barnawa ashram, which is spread over 100 acres, on June 18. All four gates of the ashram have been closed since July 26. UP Police and dera security personnel are deployed around the ashram.

Dera spokesperson Sandeep Kaur said, Guruji starts his day by playing volleyball and badminton. He can also be seen looking after dogs and horses, besides trying his hand at gardening.

He has written 700 hymns in the jail, which he recites for his followers. The main theme of these hymns is to wean youths away from drugs. He interacts with his followers for hours after 4 pm daily, she said.

#dera sacha sauda #gurmeet ram rahim

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Out on parole, Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim tends to animals, tries hand at gardening - The Tribune India

Rare archival footage, recordings and photographs, eye-witness accounts and expert comments along with location shoots across India, bring alive the fascinating journey of George, John, Paul and Ringo from their high octane celebrity lives in the West to a remote Himalayan ashram in search of spiritual bliss that inspires an unprecedented burst of creative songwriting. It is the first serious exploration of how India shaped the development of the greatest ever rock band and their own pioneering role bridging two vastly different cultures.

Director Ajoy Bose was a teenage rebel in Calcutta in love with the Beatles when they came to India. His long mop and the psychedelic flowers painted on his shirt imitating the Fab Four led to fierce fights with his bureaucrat father. In an interesting quirk of fate half a century later as an established journalist and author, Bose was writing a book, Across the Universe to mark the 50th anniversary of The Beatles historic trip to Rishikesh for the worlds largest publishing house Penguin Random House.

Inspired by Ajoy Boses book, British Indian music entrepreneur Reynold DSilva has now taken the amazing saga of The Beatles and India further by producing Boses directorial debut. Bose and cultural researcher, co-director, Pete Compton, have created an audio-visual presentation that stands apart from the many documentaries on the band, delving deep into the most crucial period of their evolution from the worlds most famous pop stars into multi-faceted pioneering musical artists.

For thoughts on The Beatles and India, please check out our discussions on The Video Attic:

Video Quality

The Beatles and India comes to Blu-Ray with a very lovely high definition master that suits the film as well as you might hope. As is typical with documentaries on subjects from decades ago, the film features a lot of different material in varying degrees of quality. The new interviews look incredibly solid and clear with natural skin tones and some detailed facial features on the subjects. The archival footage features a variety of different sources that seem to be in the best shape possible given the filming limitations. Some footage appears to be authorized within the compound while other is taken from far away as people tried to get a glimpse of the Fab Four. Much of this footage is pretty ragged, but it helps bring a glimpse of history into the modern world. The colors featured in the film have a decent degree of vibrancy to them. The transfer has not fallen victim to any compression artifacts or digital nuisances of the sort. MVD Entertainment has delivered a great presentation for fans.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio and a LPCM 2.0 track which perfectly suits the source material. Since this is a film focused on world famous musicians, you might expect wall-to-wall classic tunes, but most of the music featured in the film comes from Indian musicians rather than The Beatles themselves. Nevertheless, the sound quality is pristine and fills the room in a wonderful way. With this being such an interview showcase with talking heads aplenty, it is nice to note that dialogue comes through flawlessly in the center channel. The archival clips do not feature much in the way of age-related wear, thankfully, but you can tell there were some limitations to recording in certain situations. The surround channel presentation is not pushed to the limits, but it sounds terrific here. There are optional English subtitles provided on this release.

Special Features

Final Thoughts

The Beatles and India is an immensely entertaining documentary detailing a unique period of time in the career of one of the greatest bands of all time. Hardcore fans of the group may already know quite a bit about this period, but even they should find a lot of value in the unique archival footage and the larger context you get from the interview subjects. If you are completely fresh to this information, get ready for a different side of the Fab Four which more clearly defined what exactly mattered to each of them at this point in their lives. MVD Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and a nice array of additional material. If you are a Beatles fan, you are going to have a lot of fun. Recommended

The Beatles and India is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: MVD Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.

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'The Beatles And India' Blu-Ray Review - A Look At The Fab Four's Quest For Enlightenment & Creativity - Geek Vibes Nation