Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhi arrives in Pimpri-Chinchwad to a warm welcome

 

Amidst intermittent rain, the Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhi procession arrived in Pimpri-Chinchwad around 5 pm on Thursday to a warm welcome from hundreds of people who had gathered at Bhakti Shakti Junction in Nigdi. The palkhi procession will take an overnight halt in Akurdi before leaving for Pandharpur on Friday morning.

The Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhi procession took off from Dehu on Wednesday. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was present when the palkhi commenced its annual prilgrimage. After a day’s halt, it started its onward journey on Thursday.

On the other hand, the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj palkhi procession left the temple town of Alandi in the morning. It will stay put at Gandhi Wada Alandi and will leave for Pandharpur on Friday morning.

India will miss Virat’s fighting spirit in England tour’: Ben Stokes

 England skipper and all-rounder Ben Stokes heaped praises on Virat Kohli, saying India will miss his “fighting spirit” when the team take on England for a five-match Test series starting from June 20. The Indian team will be led by a new face, Shubman Gill, after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirement from Test cricket last month.

In a video released by England Cricket, Stokes said on what India will miss after the retirement of Virat Kohli, “I think what India will miss will be his fighting spirit out in the game, his competitiveness, desire to win. He has made number 18 his, hasn’t he? It’ll be a bit weird not seeing number 18 on the back of anyone… of any Indian shirt, but he has been class for them for a long period of time.”

Stokes shared that when he texted Virat after the latter announced to put an end to his illustrious red ball career. Stokes said, “I did text him, saying it’s going to be a shame not to play against him because I love playing against Virat. We both love playing against each other because we have that same mindset when we are out in the field that it’s a battle,”England skipper and all-rounder Ben Stokes heaped praises on Virat Kohli, saying India will miss his “fighting spirit” when the team take on England for a five-match Test series starting from June 20. The Indian team will be led by a new face, Shubman Gill, after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirement from Test cricket last month.

In a video released by England Cricket, Stokes said on what India will miss after the retirement of Virat Kohli, “I think what India will miss will be his fighting spirit out in the game, his competitiveness, desire to win. He has made number 18 his, hasn’t he? It’ll be a bit weird not seeing number 18 on the back of anyone… of any Indian shirt, but he has been class for them for a long period of time.”

Stokes shared that when he texted Virat after the latter announced to put an end to his illustrious red ball career. Stokes said, “I did text him, saying it’s going to be a shame not to play against him because I love playing against Virat. We both love playing

against each other because we have that same mindset when we are out in the field that it’s a battle,”

The making of Shubman Gill the Test captain, through the eyes of coaches and a trainer

 What caught India’s junior coach Abhay Sharma’s attention when he first saw a 14-year-old Shubman Gill was the consistency of his conduct. Shubman had hit eight straight centuries for Punjab but there was nothing about his demeanour to suggest that. “His behaviour remained consistent whether he scored 100 or 10. His mindset was excellent, he knew he was good but always wanted to improve,” Sharma says.

Two years later, Shubman, now 16, was at Dharamshala in the middle of a net session with his talented Punjab junior team of that time. WV Raman, former India opener and reputed coach, was on the sidelines. Shubman was facing a variety of bowlers, one of them an express pacer.

While judging a young batsman, Raman has relied on an old method. “What I look to see is the kind of time that he has when batting and how composed he is when up against real fast bowlers.” Shubman would get the coach’s nod. “He played the fastest bowler like any other bowler, he had a lot of time and he didn’t play the fastest bow

Akshay Kumar believes Hera Pheri 3 can be successful without Paresh Rawal: ‘I hope everything goes well…’

When actor Paresh Rawal announced his exit from Hera Pheri 3, he left his co-stars, director and fans shocked. Although it was initially reported that Rawal decided to quit due to creative differences with Priyadarshan, both the actor and director confirmed that this was not true. In a recent interview, Kumar talked about Rawal’s untimely exit from the project and everything that has followed since then.

In an interview with Pinkvilla, the actor said, “Whatever is happening is happening in front of you. Keeping my fingers crossed. I hope everything goes well, and it will. That I know for sure.”

Paresh Rawal’s character Baburao, who plays a proverbial bridge between Raju (Akshay Kumar) and Shyam (Suniel Sheety

Will stick to Congress ideology, not align with those who embraced BJP to gain power: Sharad Pawar

 NCP SP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday emphasised that his party will not be associated with ‘”those who have aligned with BJP,'” putting to rest speculations about the possible merger or joining hands with Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

”We cannot align with those who have joined hands with BJP. We will take along only those who believe in the ideology of Gandhi, Shahu, Phule and Ambedkar,” Pawar said while addressing a party rally in Pimpri-Chinchwad area.

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Taking a jibe at his nephew, Sharad Pawar said, ‘Some people have joined hands with BJP just for the sake of power…I can never accept anyone who indulged in politics of opportunism.”

”If anyone talks about aligning with the BJP for the sake of power, his thought does not match with ours. If someone is going with BJP, then it is not Congress ideology. You can align with anyone but joining hands with BJP does not fit in Congress ideology. I do not want to encourage politics of opportunism,” said Pawar.

His remarks came even as 38 former corporators, including those from BJP, joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP at an event in Bhosari area of Pimpri-Chinchwad on Tuesday. Several of the former corporators, who were with Sharad Pawar’s party, also joined the NCP. Ajit Pawar himself welcomed the new entrants on Tuesday.

Sharad Pawar’s remarks on Tuesday were a clear and emphatic rejection of any alliance with the BJP or with factions that have aligned with it—namely, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Speaking at a rally in Pimpri-Chinchwad, he reaffirmed his commitment to the ideological legacy of Gandhi, Shahu, Phule, and Ambedkar, and distanced himself from what he called “politics of opportunism”.

This comes amid ongoing speculation about a possible reunion between the two NCP factions, especially after Sharad and Ajit Pawar were seen together at several public events. However, Sharad Pawar’s pointed comments—without naming his nephew directly—seem to shut the door on that possibility for now.

Interestingly, his statements coincided with a political shift in Pimpri-Chinchwad, where 38 former corporators, including some from BJP and his own faction, joined Ajit Pawar’s NCP. Ajit welcomed them personally, signaling his continued consolidation of power ahead of upcoming local elections.

It’s a dramatic moment in Maharashtra politics—ideology versus pragmatism, legacy versus realignment. Curious to see how this plays out in the civic polls? Or want to dive deeper into the history of the NCP split? I’ve got you covered.

trending news : [ air India plane crash ]

•  NEW DELHI: An Air India plane flying to London, which went down shortly after take-off on Thursday, crashed into the residential quarters of doctors from BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad's Meghaninagar area.
• "After the takeoff, the plane crashed here and after a preliminary enquiry, we got to know that the plane crashed into a building, which is a doctors' hostel. After a few minutes of the incident, the concerned authorities reached the spot... We have cleared about 70 per cent to 80 per cent of the area. We urge all the people to cooperate with us so that we can make a green corridor for the ambulance to go to the hospital," an official was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI.
• Meanwhile, quoting eyewitnesses, news agency PTI reported that the plane had lost altitude soon after take-off and hit buildings inside the residential complex, causing damage.
• They also said several people living in the quarters near the airport were injured, though there was no official confirmation of this.
• "The plane was flying very low and it crashed into the residential quarters of doctors of the government-run college," eyewitness Haresh Shah was quoted 

emergency landing in Thailand; passengers

 An Air India flight heading from Thailand to Delhi made an emergency landing on Friday after a bomb threat was received on board, Reuters reported.

Phuket International Airport in Thailand said Air India AI379, with 156 passengers on board, the flight returned after a bomb threat was found on a bathroom wall."Authorities have not found a bomb on Air India aircraft after a preliminary search," Reuters quoted Thailand Airport officials as saying.The plane departed Phuket airport at 9:30 AM (0230) on Friday with New Delhi as its destination. However, it circled extensively over the Andaman Sea before returning to land at the Thai island, as shown by Flightradar24 tracking data.This is a developing story