Court gets taste of Cheeni Kum

Delhi High Court got a taste of Cheeni Kum in real life recently when a 26-year-old woman sought to formalise her marriage with a 74-year-old British national.

She approached the court after a marriage officer rejected her plea for registration under the Special Marriage Act on the ground that the couple had concealed their union under the Muslim marriage act.

In his order, Justice B.D. Ahmed said Umme Salma Ahmed had merely invoked the wrong clause in the Special Marriage Act, but fulfilled other conditions. “The couple invoked Chapter 2 of the Special Marriage Act. They should have cited Chapter 3, which relates to the registration of marriages like hers.”

The marriage officer has been asked to waive the mandatory one month’s notice when Salma files her registration plea again.

The lady from Uttar Pradesh had tied the knot in December last year. The officer had given the couple a month’s notice but rejected their application after that.

Pride of place for Rebecca

It’s not easy to get a glimpse of her when the crowds swell. Now, Veiled Rebecca will have an entire gallery to herself.

After all, she is no ordinary princess. Often described as a “melody in marble”, she is the pride of Salar Jung Museum.

A masterpiece of Italian sculptor Giovanni Maria Benzoni, Rebecca is now housed in a congested room on the ground floor.

Her gallery will be air-conditioned, with mirrors all around so that art lovers get a full picture of her charm and grace.

Architect Nawab Qasim Ali designed the gallery at a cost of Rs 20 lakh. The sculpture will be flanked by 10 marble statutes, five on either side.

“We found visitors have to jostle with each other to get an eyeful. Hence, we moved Rebecca to a bigger and better place,” said A. Nagender Reddy, the museum director.

The statue at Salar Jung is one of five kept in museums around the world, such as Berkshire Museum in Massachusetts and High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

Bright results in dark hour

Rahu kaal is the brightest part of the day, but often considered the darkest when it comes to something new or important.

That is the traditional belief. But M. Karunanidhi doesn’t lay great store by that notion. At a rally to celebrate his 84th birthday last Sunday, he told the gathering he had filed his nomination for MLA for the 1967 polls during the inauspicious hour — and still won.

The chief minister was speaking in Saidapet, the constituency in south Chennai he contested from on the orders of DMK founder-leader C.N. Annadurai. This was the first time Karunanidhi had been fielded from a city, after years of fighting elections from villages.

“Many people had taunted me when I filed my papers during rahu kaal, saying it was not the best way to start a new assignment,” Karunanidhi said.

Not only did he prove their election fears unfounded, he went on to become the DMK boss in 1969, when Annadurai passed away.

Leopard safari

Wildlife enthusiasts can catch some action in Maharashtra. The state has planned leopard safaris in districts that are home to the big cats. The trips are planned in Thane, Pune, Ahmednagar and Nashik, forest minister Babanrao Pachpute said last week.

A 2005 census puts the number of leopards in the state at 717, up from 513 in 2001.

However, the tiger count has fallen from 268 to 238. Pachpute also said wild elephants on the rampage in Kolhapur and Sindhudurg, close to the Karnataka border, would be tamed.

Mumbai: If life is a canvas, watch it come alive at the Gallery Art Resources Trust. It is holding an exhibition of works by various artists. The venue is at 9 Tulsiani Chambers (ground floor), Free Press Journal Road, Nariman Point. The event is on till June 18.
Timings: 11 am to 7 pm. Call 22042700 /22855156.