KHATANA NEWS

Life After Ramadan

All praise is due to Allaah. We thank Him, we seek for His help and forgiveness. We also seek His refuge against the evils of our souls and that of our deeds. Whoever Allaah guides.

Eid Etiquette and Rulings for Muslims

Praise be to Allaah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all

End of Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr Islamic Holiday

The end of Ramadan is marked by all Muslims going to Morning Prayer services and then the Islamic Holiday Eid Al-Fitr begins.

LUDHIANA: This Ganesh Chaturthi the city would have something to trumpet about -- a 90 ft tall idol of Lord Ganesha, which has been in the making for the past two years. And it will be a gift to the city by Rajesh Rudra, a resident of Model Town and an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. With the pedestal the idol stands 100 ft tall and is one of the tallest in the country.

Rudra, who owns a chain of schools in the city, had specially brought 10 artists from Orissa for the construction of the idol that is now all set for its pran pratishtha on Thursday on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi. "I have spent Rs 25 lakh on the idol and am quite excited now that finishing touches are being given to it," he said.

Owing to his devotion and love for the deity Rudra, who in the daytime is busy in his schools' activities, spends his time in the evening sitting and watching the idol being made on National Highway No 1 outside his school. There are many more who stop by to watch it being made, as it is visible to all passers by even from a long distance because of its height and size.
Recollecting the time when he dreamt of getting such a huge idol made, Rudra said he was not such an ardent devotee of Lord Ganesha earlier and it was only on June 20, 1998, that he underwent a supernatural experience that brought him very close to the deity.

Rajesh Rudra said: "I was in Delhi and was really feeling exhausted as the project of my school had gone into a limbo because of certain hurdles and was virtually in a mindset where I could even have committed suicide. In the morning at around 4 I saw Ganesha. I was seated near his feet with my head on his thigh. I gained consciousness only when I received a call from my wife, who was also worried about me."

He said after this experience he felt very light, all his work got done and he decided about getting a big Ganesha idol made. "I did not have the resources at that time, but now I am quite comfortable and thus I did not delay it any further," he added.

Located at Lalbaug market, Lalbaugcha Raja is one of the oldest sarvajanik (public) Ganesh festivals of Mumbai established in 1934.

During the pre-Independence era, the festival was used as a platform by the prominent leaders to generate opinion against the British empire.

Lalbaugcha Raja is truly a King in all respects and it pays to seek his audience.

A mere glance of the deity which is labeled as mukh darshantakes about two-and-a-half-hours wait in the queue during weekdays and eight to nine hours during weekends.

Yes, Bodyguard is a remake but it's very different as far as characters are concerned. The only character that the director has retained is that of Bebo's. A lot has changed. The whole feel of the movie is altered. I had heard of the Bodyguard script

Any actor who thinks he is a sex symbol has got a serious problem. He's the Bandra lad whose good looks and deadpan delivery has made him one of Indian Film Industry's biggest and the most bankable star at the box office. Then there are those who take Salman seriously and those who don't. The truth is that he does the same - he takes you in for a ride or he leaves you midway stranded. Then there is his illness and the entire country praying for him. The truth is that he doesn't care and in his trademark style quotes, "I'm alright. I'm fine. It's just that I had some short circuit in my head". That's when you start to respect the man for not being a star but Salman Khan. He still has the noticeable 'bhai' burr and a slight roughness around the edges but everything else about him screams 'superstar'. I meet the actor at Mehboob studio just hours before he was supposed to travel to the U.S. for his treatment. With his black polo neck t-shirt with 'Bodyguard' printed on it and his favourite denim and black boots, Khan looked as if he cared the least about who is on the other side interviewing him. I come to know that because he stared at me with unnerving focus, and after a brief pause he smiles but doesn't make an eye contact with you. He then gets up, lights his cigarette, chats with few of his friends who've accompanied him at Mehboob while his bodyguards make sure that no stranger enters his domain. All said but beneath the shiny varnish of his fame and wealth and super power status, there is something appealing about Salman's belief that he could just as easily have turned out doing something altogether more normal. There goes his humour again, "I still haven't figured that out because I'm just normal". UK's Harrow Observer columnist and Bollywood Hungama's London correspondent brings you a quick Q n A with Salman Khan on pain, gain and Bodyguard.

"My earlier two films with Kareena didn't work so hope this time the chemistry changes"
I don't know how my chemistry with Kareena is. Actually she can tell you much better (laughs). But honestly, we've worked together on two films earlier Kyun Ki and Main Aur Mrs Khanna

"I had heard of the Bodyguard script when the film was in the making down South"
Yes, Bodyguard is a remake but it's very different as far as characters are concerned. The only character that the director has retained is that of Bebo's. A lot has changed. The whole feel of the movie is altered. I had heard of the Bodyguard script when the film was in the making down South. Atul narrated me the story and he wanted to take the rights.

"Bodyguard is a beautiful love story that I'm doing after a lot of action films that have kept me busy"
I don't believe that I am doing all the same kinds of movies. Wanted was different than Dabangg. Dabangg was different from Ready and so is Bodyguard different from all the ones I've mentioned. It's just that because the action is the same, people think that I do similar roles but it's not the truth. Bodyguard is a beautiful love story that I'm doing after a lot of action films that have kept me busy.

"Kareena has been promoting the film as this is my best love story since Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam"
Kareena has been promoting the film as this is my best love story since Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. I'm surprised (laughs). I can't comment on that because it's her take. It's a compliment but I think this is way different than that. Kareena is one of the best actresses I've worked with. I've also enjoyed working with her sister Lolo who is a dear friend too.

"I like doing movies that I like to watch as an audience"
I like doing movies that I like to watch as an audience. I will never do a movie that someone else liked it and recommended me. The audience's reaction is all what matters to me. That's my award. Bodyguard was originally from the South but because I thought that I'd like to see this film from an audience's perspective. I always do and I will keep on doing just that.

"I've not asked Shera for any feedback on how I should do my role"
My character of Bodyguard was scripted and not researched. So why would I want Shera to inform me how to look and how to act. Tomorrow if I do a film called 'Driver' I will never ask my driver for tips. I follow scripts and that's it. If the director wishes to change anything then we talk it out and I give my inputs sometime. Like the idea of the bodyguard wearing a Bluetooth was mine. That's how today bodyguards look like, right?

"I'd like to believe that songs are the highlight of this movie too"
The songs are becoming a rage, especially the title track that people are dancing on. Kids too love the song. Then there is 'Teri Meri' that's a beautiful rendition. That's one of my favourites too. Yes, I'd like to believe that songs are the highlight of this movie too.

"I am perfectly fine. It's just that I had a short circuit in my nerve"
If I wasn't fine I wouldn't have been giving you this interview. Yes, I am going to get this treated and by that time my film would've released. I am that didn't do well at the box office. So hope the chemistry changes this time around (smiles). taking precautions and will soon get it cured, don't worry. No pain no gain as they say.

And that's what happened when Lady Gaga stepped out on stage at the MTV Video Music Awards to pay tribute to Britney Spears with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Well, kind of. Gaga took the stage to honor Spears still in character as her male
Matt Sayles / AP LOS ANGELES — Pop star Lady Gaga picked up two awards and Katy Perry won three, including video of the year. But it was Beyonce showing off her new baby bump that stole the show at MTV's Video Music Awards Sunday.
She's a breath of fresh air and she's so exciting and her music is adding another dimension to radio that's so important," Lady Gaga, who is opening the 2011 VMAs, told MTV News. "She's [also] a truly lovely person -- which, to me,

Gaga took the stage to honor Spears still in character as her male alter ego Jo Calderone, which she'd taken on for her show-opening performance earlier in the night. And that made things pretty interesting. Calderone opened by calling Spears an inspiration, saying, "She taught us all how to be fearless, and the industry wouldn't be the same without her."

Calderone then went on to get a little personal about Spears. He told the audience he used to put up posters of the pop star on his bedroom wall and be inspired in non-musical ways. It was a weird moment, but Calderone is a young guy of the right generation — a generation that would indeed have posters of Britney Spears on his/her wall.

There's a reason, after all, she was being awarded the Vanguard Award. The tribute then turned into exactly what any great tribute to this particular diva should be: a dance party. Spears is known as one of the biggest dance pop artists of her generation, and accordingly, dancers wearing Britney's most famous video looks took the stage to get down to her biggest hits, from "Baby One More Time" and "Crazy" to "Toxic" and "Do Somethin'."

By the time the sequence dissolved into a full-stage dance-off to Spears' recent smash "Till The World Ends," children also wearing Spears' myriad costumes popped up on stage alongside their grown-up dancing counterparts. It was a fitting way to show the impact Spears' music has had. From kids to adults, everyone knows and loves Britney. As the performance ended, Gaga-as-Calderone again grabbed the spotlight to introduce the pop star and did so with the kind of bravado that carried him through his monologue earlier in the show. "Everybody, stand the f--- up," Calderone demanded.

Looking better than ever and glowing from all the praise, Spears then took the stage.

Calderone certainly liked what he saw, eying the singer before stepping forward for a semi-awkward stare-down. But Gaga, er, Calderone eventually got what he wanted: a quick kiss from the one and only Britney Spears. He wanted more, however, but alas, it just wasn't going to happen. Being a classy guy, Calderone brushed off Britney's dismissal of his advances with a cool, "I don't want Gaga to get pissed