Sonu Sood is a man on mission to spread positivity and help as many people possible in these difficult times of Covid - 19. The actor has truly been unstoppable in doing his bit. Right from feeding thousands of under privileged families and strays across Mumbai to giving out his Juhu hotel for medical forces and even providing meal kits to over 25,000 migrants during the month of Ramadan - he's making sure to contribute to the society in every way possible in these trying times.

All we need is a united stand! #BharatEkSaathHai, out now : https://t.co/fWtLpWxV1A@itsBhushanKumar @SonuSood pic.twitter.com/Thdn5qQS0v

— TSeries (@TSeries) April 24, 2020

The ace actor has yet again managed to make a lot of noise with his recent gesture. Sonu Sood has now penned and sung an emotional poem and created an anthem of hope for all coronavirus warriors. Some lines of the beautiful poem read as, "Maana Ki Ghani Raat Hai, Iss Raat Se Ladne Ke Liye, Pura Bharat Ek Sath Hai... Teri Koshish Meri Koshish Rang Layegi, Fir Ussi Bheed Ka Hissa Hongey, Bas sirf kuch he dino ki baat hai... Maana Ki Ghani Raat Hai, Magar Pura Bharat Ek Sath Hai...."

Opening up about the anthem, Sonu Sood in a statement, "This is something really close to my heart, something I really wanted to do for all Indians out there, especially our Corona warriors. I hope with my poem, I'm able to motivate people to stay positive and make them believe that we will come out of this stronger than ever. It's my tribute to all the heroes fighting this deadly battle.

A source informs that when Sonu reached out to T-Series & Bhushan Kumar with the poem, they immediately agreed to be on board as the main intention is to spread positivity & hope in difficult times.

Sood's special anthem is a reminder for each one of us to know and believe that the good old days will be back soon and it's just a matter of time. One look at the video and it won't be wrong to say that Sonu's contribution in making this world a better place is here to go a long way.

The poem is being presented by T-Series.

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Palash Kothari. Pic Courtesy/Fahama Sawant

It's a hot, toasty afternoon in Mumbai. We can see bits of the pumpkin-coloured sky through the window blinds. The phone rings once, twice. On the other end is 21-year-old Palash Kothari aka Sparkle and Fade. "I really don't know what to expect," Kothari admits, speaking about his upcoming gig with Bengaluru-based producer-drummer duo Nikhil Narendra and Shreyas Dipali.

The Fringe is a new gig series to be launched in the city, which will feature artistes who create hybrid music. "Hybrid is very open. It can be analogue or digital, classical or jazz, acoustic or electronic, basically the coming together of conventional and non-conventional methods," explains Sainath Bhagwat, programmer at Mixtape, a Mumbai-based artist and event management company.

Nikhil Narendra + Shreyas Dipali. Pic courtesy/Mayuresh Vartak

"In the current scenario, there's a bulk of electronic and live music being made, which cannot be performed/consumed in a traditional club space. The idea for this night was born out of a collective desire to create a platform to showcase these artists in the right environment," Sainath adds.

Unsure of what to call Kothari's music, we dawdle between electronic and bedroom producer (a term used for musicians making and producing experimental music in their bedrooms) hoping to understand the use of Hindustani classical samples in his older EPs. "I am not sure what to call my music either. I began playing the synth when I was three and then, I trained in Hindustani classical. That was my first step into music, so the influence comes from wanting to put a little bit of me as a child into the music I make now," he elaborates.

"I was listening to pop and EDM in high school. Swedish House Mafia's concert in India inspired me to finally put my music out. Then I got bored, because it wasn't satisfying. So, I started making music that I felt right about. I mellowed down a little as a person and I guess that comes through in the sound, which is more solitary now," he says.

For Kothari, while the influences are aplenty, not mimicking takes conscious effort. "I am working on something now. So, I am going to stop listening to other music because it's difficult not to emulate them. I don't see any point in making music that already exists. In effect, this will probably also be my last gig before my new stuff is out," he signs off.

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Amidst the general gloom of these days, we should never forget all the stories of courage and hope. One such uplifting account has lessons for all of us.

A teacher of a BMC school, came up with the idea to hold classes for students during the lockdown period. She has been holding conference telephone calls with students, who are now getting lessons via these telephone calls.

It must be remembered that these are kids that do not have access to the Internet or computers. There is a section of children in the city who are logging on to the Internet every day and have regular school online. While that is one of the upsides of our hi-tech lives these days, those that do not have this lifestyle must also be encouraged and be able to continue with their studies.

A report in this paper highlighted how this teacher is telling her students to come together via telephone calls and imparting lessons.

It is true, as she said, that too long a break results in children forgetting what they have learnt, or in extreme but real scenarios, dropping out of school altogether.

Students must be on our radar in these times. They face tough questions, about exams, their future and stress over what the next academic year will bring for them.
Teachers must be creative in bringing lessons to children. Parents must try to ensure that children re-learn and refresh what they had learnt in the past. Extra effort and pain are needed from all stakeholders in these times.

Clear communication by the school principal or management at regular intervals may dispel some uncertainty. Let efforts towards academics be full-on and let us take care of young minds and hearts which may be filled with confusion and trepidation.

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Arjun Kapoor has always appreciated eclectic content. The actor, who runs his own digital property Arjun Recommends through which suggests great content for people to binge on, is currently gorging on yesteryears acclaimed TV show Byomkesh Bakshi played by actor Rajit Kapur.

For Arjun, this show is like a whiff of nostalgia from his childhood. He says, "Whenever I could catch Byomkesh Bakshi as a kid, I remember I enjoyed it thoroughly. For me, Byomkesh was what a hero should be. Slick, super-intelligent, and charismatic, he is one of the best sleuths that I have seen on screen! I have been watching Byomkesh on TV again and it is pure nostalgia for me!"

Arjun lists his reasons why he loves this indigenous super-detective. "The best thing about Byomkesh was that he solved intelligent crimes and that really hooked me on. The writing, the cleverness of the cases really got me interested. The show still hooks you thoroughly and that’s what great writing, great acting can do. Great content has the ability to become timeless and universal," he adds.

Arjun secretly wishes to play a detective on screen. "Since then, I had always wanted to play a detective who saves the day and saves lives. I got to live my childhood dream by playing an undercover agent and saving the country in India’s Most Wanted! I still hope I get to play a detective on-screen one day!" says Arjun.

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While many of us are enjoying the quarantine time with our family, it has somewhere directly impacted the Indian television. There have been no streaming of the latest episodes from our favourite shows on TV anymore. However, this has helped in the comeback of iconic shows like Ramayana and Mahabharat on Doordarshan. The government-run channel may have lost its magic along the way but no amount of time spent on Netflix or Hotstar can replace the nostalgia! Right?

As part of its #StayHomeIndia campaign during the lockdown, Doordarshan is telecasting its popular shows of the 1980s, which include Ramayan, Mahabharat, Circus, Dekh Bhai Dekh and Chanakya. Fans of shows of that era have been active on social media telling DD which other shows it needs to re-run. Here are some of the popular shows that Doordarshan should re-telecast.

Flop Show

The sitcom first aired in 1989. Written and directed by Jaspal Bhatti, who also played as the main character, was a satire on the socio-cultural problems faced by the common man in India at the time. Flop Show was highly popular among the masses, with the satire of late Jaspal Bhatti keeping us entertained.

Bharat Ek Khoj

A stellar series based on Jawaharlal Nehru's book 'The Discovery of India', Bharat Ek Khoj depicted the history of India, from its origin till Independence. Directed by Shyam Benegal, Roshan Seth played Nehru, and also doubled up as the storyteller. Stalwarts like Om Puri, Tom Alter and Sadashiv Amrapurkar were also part of the show.

Surabhi

A hugely popular cultural magazine show of the 90s, Surabhi was delightfully anchored by Renuka Shahane and Siddharth Kak. The show became hugely popular among audiences as it invited viewer participation, and people sent in postcards in big numbers in an era before mobiles and the internet.

Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan

This was the first talk show of Indian television, and arguably one of the most popular ones ever. It was hosted by Tabassum, who was once a popular child star. Her affable demeanour towards the celebrity guests made the show a worthy watch. The format wherein chat was mixed with film scenes was also much-liked by the audiences.

Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi

As one of the first hit sitcoms on Indian television, the show, which aired on Doordarshan in 1984, helped established actors Shafi Inamdar, Satish Shah, Rakesh Bedi and Swaroop Sampat as household names. A trademark of the Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi were the characters played by Satish Shah. In each episode, Shah played a different character who used to be a key element in the plot.

Wagle Ki Duniya

Anjan Srivastav brought issues of the common man into focus through Wagle Ki Duniya, created by noted cartoonist RK Laxman about the issues of the common middle-class Indian man. It starred Anjan Srivastava as a bumbling sales clerk and Bharati Achrekar played his wife. Wagle Ki Duniya had Shah Rukh Khan making a guest appearance in one of the episodes, courtesy his association with the show’s director, Kundan Shah, with whom he later collaborated in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994).

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Bigg Boss 13 has to be the most popular, memorable, and explosive season of all time. Love stories were born and so were stars. Two of them were Paras Chhabra and Mahira Sharma, and fans have combined their names to Pahira. And for all the Pahira fans, here's something fun. The duo shared a rather unique video where they both could be seen grooving to the Bole Chudiyan song and the actress reminded us of Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Taking to her Instagram account, this is what she wrote, "This is for you all #pahira fans." (sic) Well, this is truly a fantastic gift for all their fans, a fun-filled video that they can watch on loop. And Kareena would be happy after seeing this too.

Have a look right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

This is for you all #pahira fans❤ï¸Â @parasvchhabrra #pahiraourpride

A post shared by Mahira Sharma (mau) 💎 (@officialmahirasharma) onMay 3, 2020 at 3:45pm PDT

Dancing is a part of her soul and makes her happy. This was confirmed by this caption on her next Instagram post. Have a look right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

dancing part of my Soul, makes me Happy ♥ï¸Â

A post shared by Mahira Sharma (mau) 💎 (@officialmahirasharma) onMay 5, 2020 at 5:32am PDT

The lockdown is going to take a while to end, so all we have is their videos to enjoy and cherish! When is the next one coming?

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The hopes of many employees have gone down in the dust as many companies have laid off the employees and fired them due to the coronavirus pandemic. The sole reason for the employees being sacked is the poor financial condition of the companies. The COVID-19 crisis has put many financial operations on hold. In this tough situation, NextGig is helping the candidates find jobs despite the markets getting affected. NextGig, a community-based job action center is empowering people by helping them in such critical times.

Developed by SapienHR Analytics, NextGig is doing an incredible job giving the candidates timely updates about hiring alerts. SapeinHR Analytics has experience of working with almost one lakh candidates and companies from different sectors. The men behind the company are Ravi and Siddeque who are associated with the hiring industry since 2015. Both are alumni of Nottingham University Business School and have rightly created the placement platform for the candidates to apply for the jobs.

SapienHR Analytics came into existence in 2015 and till date, the company has served more than 100 clients. Ravi holds an experience of more than 10 years in strategic and business leadership while Siddeque too has an experience of almost a decade in the field of technology and entertainment. “Many startups which were established recently are at a higher risk with having no inflow of revenue coming in at this time. It is pretty evident with many well-known companies cutting hundreds of jobs to maintain the financial stability in the crisis”, quoted Siddeque.

Besides this, Ravi believes that many firms including grocery delivery, fintech, gaming and logistics and transportation are hunting for human resources during this time. He said, “The tech startups are leaving no stone unturned and are aggressively looking for hiring. Many experienced professionals have lost their jobs due to the company facing losses. This would benefit many startups with having skilled employees.” To know more, check out the website www.nextgig.co.

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At a time when the world is in despair due to the Coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent lockdown, hope is the only thing one can cling on to. Amid the pandemic that has infected millions of people across the globe and claimed scores of lives, people are hoping for a healthy and safe world and a better tomorrow.

The police department is trying hard to keep the spirits of the people high. From witty posts from the Mumbai Police’s social media pages to viral photos of police dressed as Yamraj, the god of death and some cops wearing helmets with spikes resembling the virus, the police department is pulling all stops to make sure you follow the necessary precautions to keep the illness at bay.

The 112 emergency service wing of the UP Police has garnered praises from netizens for spreading the message of hope amid the Coronavirus pandemic. The police department posted a picture on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, of their Police Response Vehicles of the wing arranged in formation of the word, ‘HOPE’ at Rumi Gate in Lucknow. They spell HOPE as Hold On. Pain Ends as an extended version of the acronym.

The caption written in Hindi reads, The world rests on hope, and we stand to our determination. HOPE keeps us going!

The netizens have praised the police department for their message of hope. Their post shared on Wednesday, has garnered more than 893 likes on Facebook and was shared 113 times. In the comments, users have posted praising their drill. Excellent drill, said a user. Another user said, Desh sewa ke liye abhinandan.

What do you think about the post?

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Taylor Swift won millions of hearts with her performance of hope at the virtual concert One World: Together At Home where she performed Soon You'll Be Better.

According to E! Online, the Grammy winner musician didn't use words but the lyrics of her song and her music to do the talking while she expressed gratitude towards the frontline workers during the show.

The singer was seen spreading a ray of hope as she sang, "Soon you'll be better, cause you have to."

Over 70 artists and celebrities from across the globe had joined the WHO's initiative of the online concert to thank and celebrate the healthcare workers fighting the pandemic.

Some of the artists that were a part of the show are Elton John, Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Priyanka Chopra, Shah Rukh Khan, Celine Dion, and the Rolling Stone.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the virtual concert raised over USD 127 million for the relief efforts of COVID-19.

The show was hosted by the most popular hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert.

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Arjun Kapoor has always appreciated eclectic content. The actor, who runs his own digital property Arjun Recommends through which suggests great content for people to binge on, is currently gorging on yesteryears acclaimed TV show Byomkesh Bakshi played by actor Rajit Kapur.

For Arjun, this show is like a whiff of nostalgia from his childhood. He says, “Whenever I could catch Byomkesh Bakshi as a kid, I remember I enjoyed it thoroughly. For me, Byomkesh was what a hero should be. Slick, super-intelligent, and charismatic, he is one of the best sleuths that I have seen on screen! I have been watching Byomkesh on TV again and it is pure nostalgia for me!”

Arjun lists his reasons why he loves this indigenous super-detective. “The best thing about Byomkesh was that he solved intelligent crimes and that really hooked me on. The writing, the cleverness of the cases really got me interested. The show still hooks you thoroughly and that’s what great writing, great acting can do. Great content has the ability to become timeless and universal,” he adds.

Arjun secretly wishes to play a detective on screen. “Since then, I had always wanted to play a detective who saves the day and saves lives. I got to live my childhood dream by playing an undercover agent and saving the country in India’s Most Wanted! I still hope I get to play a detective on-screen one day!” says Arjun.

Also Read: An overwhelmed Arjun Kapoor wishes a frontline doctor on her birthday as she pens an emotional note

Italy offered Serie A clubs a glimmer of hope on Sunday after it said footballers could take part in individual training sessions as the strictest coronavirus lockdown measures begin to ease. The interior ministry's go-ahead for players to attend their club's training facilities offered fans in the football mad country the first sign that the 2019-20 season might yet be saved. Matches were abandoned on March 9 in the face of a health crisis that has now officially claimed nearly 29,000 lives in Italy and 245,000 worldwide. Some of the bigger clubs with title aspirations from the less affected regions have been talking about going back to training for weeks.

But Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte only allowed teams to resume organised activities on May 18 -- a date that might push back this season's completion into the start of the next. Several regions that have avoided the worst of the pandemic have taken matters into their own hands and allowed clubs to open their facilities for players to train on their own. Teams such as Napoli and Parma have followed the lead of Lazio -- trailing leaders Juventus by just a point -- and gave the nod for players to return. They insisted that they were not breaking the rules because Conte has allowed all Italians to start exercising in open public places starting Monday. The interior ministry bowed to the seemingly inevitable on Sunday and agreed that teams can open their facilities to players for training. "Athletes, professional or otherwise, of non-individual sports are allowed -- just as every citizen -- to exercise in public or private areas," the interior ministry said. But players must "respect social distancing rules of at least two metres and the ban on public gatherings."

'All together'
Italian media read the statement as an encouraging sign for football. "Serie A clubs (and not only) can return to training," the La Repubblica daily wrote. Yet Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora has noted that the path for football to return was getting "increasingly narrow". And league president Paolo Dal Pino said Serie A "will comply" should Conte decide that it was simply too dangerous to complete the campaign. The teams themselves seem hopelessly divided about what they should do. Those that play in northern regions that were hardest hit by the virus have voiced the gravest concern. Brescia president Massimo Cellino -- whose team is based at the very heart of the outbreak -- said in March that he would rather forfeit games than play in a "plague". The 63-year-old revealed that he had tested positive for the virus a few weeks later. "It would be unfortunate if some teams can start again and others cannot," Fiorentina coach Beppe Iachini said on Saturday. "I think teams like Atalanta, Milan, Inter, Juve and Turino have had more problems than the others," he said of the main northern clubs. "If we do start, we have to do it all together."

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