Saturday, 26 April 2025
Saturday, 26 April 2025
Student paraglides to exam centre
The proverb "Where there's a will, there's a way" came to life when a Maharashtra student, racing against the clock, paraglided to his exam centre this Tuesday.
Samarth Mahangade, a first-year B.Com student from Pasarani village in Wai taluka, was running his roadside stall serving tourists, unaware that his first-semester exam had been rescheduled—something his hall ticket had not been updated to reflect.
"Where are you? The exam’s already starting," the calm demeanor of the boy selling sugarcane juice changed upon receiving a phone call from his friends.
He had about 15 minutes to reach the exam centre on time. Reaching the base from the cliff through a winding road infamous for slow-moving traffic would take over 15 minutes.
This is when Govind Yewale, an adventure sports expert, came to Samarth’s rescue. He suggested an odd but effective route—the sky.
With a bag on his back and his heart in his mouth, Samarth buckled into the harness. Accompanied by a trained paraglider, he took the leap of faith.
Samarth glided his way to the exam centre in five minutes.
He took two exams that day.
Dead man alive
In a twist straight out of a Bollywood script, Khunti Guru from Prayagraj pulled off the ultimate ghar wapsi that left his family and neighbours speechless. After being presumed dead in the January 29 Maha Kumbh stampede, Guru decided to make a grand entry back home—right in the middle of his own tehrvi (13th-day death ritual).
Residents of Chahchand Gali in Prayagraj's Zero Road area had accepted Guru's fate after he went missing post-stampede. They performed all the customary rituals. But their 'late' neighbor was very much alive, enjoying a spiritual sojourn.
Social worker Abhai Awasthi recounted, "The stampede happened, and we got worried about him. We looked for him everywhere we could, but there was no trace of him. Finally, presuming him dead, we organised prayers for him."
As Guru hopped off an e-rickshaw, he was greeted by faces that looked like they'd seen a ghost. Guru quipped, "What are you all up to?" leaving everyone speechless.
Guru said he had been living it up with Naga sadhus, losing track of time while serving food at various bhandaras and probably chanting 'Har Har Mahadev'. When he returned, the sombre 'tehrvi' turned into an impromptu celebration. The same puri-sabji and sweets intended for mourning were served with a side of laughter and relief.
Man 'attacks' Aurangzeb in Bharuch
A screening of Chhaava in Bharuch turned into an unexpected live-action drama on February 16 when a man, reportedly drunk, decided that history needed a last-minute rewrite—right there in the multiplex.
Jayesh Vasava, too emotionally invested in the film, stormed towards the silver screen at RK Cinemas during the 11:45 pm show, armed with... a fire extinguisher. His mission? To attack Aurangzeb. His strategy? Tearing the screen apart like a warrior on a battlefield, until the multiplex staff dragged him out.
Officials from Bharuch A Division Police Station explained that Vasava got agitated during the scene depicting the decapitation of Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje Maharaj. In his bhaavnaon mein beh gaya moment, he decided that mere watching wasn’t enough—action was required.
RK Cinema general manager RV Sood, shared, “I received a call from the staff of Bluechip cinema that a patron had damaged the screen with a fire extinguisher and torn it apart… I instructed them to remove him from the auditorium to prevent further damage and harm to the others.”
After the unexpected action scene, police were called in, and Vasava was taken into custody. The cinema management estimated damages of around Rs 1.5 lakh.
Other viewers in the hall were given options—continue watching on another screen or take a refund. While 10-15 people chose their money back, others decided that a little vandalism wasn’t going to stop them from finishing the movie.
But Vasava’s tandav wasn’t limited to screen-breaking. The police complaint also notes that he allegedly abused a female staff member and threatened other personnel when they tried to stop him. He has now been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for damaging property and using obscene language. Since he was allegedly drunk, a separate case has been filed under the Prohibition Act as well.
The great battle of papdi-chaat: Four years later..
February 22 marked the fourth anniversary of the Great Battle of Papdi-Chaat, a battle so fierce, so unforgettable, that it has since entered the hallowed halls of modern Indian folklore.
Also known as the Battle of Bhagpat had started as a heated dispute between two rival chaat vendors and ended up as an epic clash that social media refuses to forget.
It all began on Atithi Bhawan street, where Shiv Chaat Bhandar and Nav Durga Chaat Bhandar had been locked in a silent war for customer loyalty. But on that fateful day, the rivalry turned into an all-out brawl, complete with sticks, chairs, and even bare hands. In the middle of this battlefield, as samosas trembled and golgappa pani spilled, one man emerged as an unexpected star—Harendra, aka 'Einstein Chacha'. With his unmistakable henna-dyed hair and unwavering enthusiasm, he fought not just for chaat supremacy but for something greater—viral immortality.
A local journalist, caught in the crossfire (and hit with a rod on the right hand for his troubles), managed to capture the entire mahayudh on video. The footage exploded on social media, and eight people were arrested on serious charges, including attempt to murder.
On its fourth anniversary, one X user said, "Even Star Wars can't match this vibe of Battle of Baghpat. Remembering the greatest battle fought 4 years back."
Another X user wrote, "We are all joking and making memes now, but a few centuries later, this will be true history and not just a meme. Einstein Chacha will be remembered as a great revolutionary who changed the course of history, and Shiv Aroor (the journalist) will be revered as the greatest contemporary historian who documented the war."
When life gives you no water, use IV fluid
Desperate times call for desperate measures, but one man in Bihar took things a little too far. In a display of jugaad, he decided to swap out water or soda for something a little more... IV fluid.
In the now-viral clip, the man claimed that he couldn’t find water, so he reached for the medical solution to dilute his drink before downing it from a glass.
The act has triggered a flurry of reactions online, with social media users questioning not just his creativity but also his access to alcohol — especially in Bihar, a state where liquor is banned.
Many users speculated whether the man was a hospital worker or had stolen the IV solution, while others simply marvelled at the sheer audacity of the act.
Some further quipped that he had ‘discovered a new way to stay drunk and hydrated at the same time,’ while others warned that such stunts could have serious medical consequences.
Jhansi auto defies physics
A viral video from Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, has left the internet in stitches after 19 people were seen squeezing out of a single auto-rickshaw—one by one, like an endless stream of passengers from a bottomless vehicle.
Captured during a routine police check on February 15, the clip shows what seems like an auto, until it suddenly turns into a mobile hostel. As passengers kept emerging, social media users couldn’t believe their eyes. "Auto wala: ‘Bhaiya aur jagah hai, thoda adjust ho jaiye,’” one user joked. Another wrote, "Bro thought he was driving a school bus.”
The Jhansi Police, however, wasn’t as amused. Taking to social media, they confirmed that the driver had been caught and action had been taken.
One thing’s for sure—this auto-rickshaw deserves an award for “Best Use of Limited Space.”
A cock-a-doodle court case
Kerala’s Radhakrishna Kurup, chose to fight for his right to sleep through legal channels and lodged a case against his neighbor’s rooster.
Unlike normal, respectable roosters that wait for dawn, this particular bird had a habit of screaming at 3 AM.
Kurup, an elderly man in poor health, found his peaceful nights shattered by this feathery menace. After enduring one too many ungodly wake-up calls, he filed an official complaint.
The Adoor Revenue Divisional Office took the case with all the seriousness of a high-profile land dispute. They sent investigators. Reports were filed. Witnesses (humans) were called.
It was determined that the rooster’s living arrangements, on the upper floor of its owner Anil Kumar’s house, gave it a stage for its nightly opera.
After much deliberation, officials reached a compromise: Kumar was ordered to relocate his roosters to the southern side of the property.
(Compiled by Subharup Das Sharma, Sriroopa Dutta, Payel Das, and Sohini Paul)
