Congress Prez Kharge, Rahul Gandhi laud 'Naatu Naatu', 'The Elephant Whisperer' for wins at Oscars
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi on Monday hailed the teams behind the song "Naatu Naatu" and the Tamil documentary "The Elephant Whisperers" for their respective wins at the Oscars, saying the achievement have done India proud.
While "Naatu Naatu", the chartbuster from SS Rajamouli's Telugu period action film "RRR", became the first Indian track to win the Academy Award in the Best Original Song category, "The Elephant Whisperers" created history at awards by becoming the maiden Indian production to win in the Documentary Short Subject category.
"We join millions of Indians in rejoicing at the great news of Naatu Naatu from 'RRR' winning the Oscar for Best Original Song. Thank you for bringing so much joy and happiness to India," Kharge said in a tweet.
Many congratulations to the entire team of "RRR", he added.
Lauding the win of "The Elephant Whisperers", Gandhi said the heartwarming story of India's efforts in elephant conservation from the Madumalai Forest Reserve has brought accolades to the country and made every Indian proud.
"Congratulations @guneetm for winning the Oscars for the Best Documentary, short film. Truly, well deserved," he said.
Gandhi congratulated director Kartiki Gonsalves, producer Guneet Monga and the entire team of "The Elephant Whisperers" for winning the Oscar.
"These two women have made India proud with their heart-warming showcase of the beauty and importance of wildlife conservation," the former Congress chief said.
Hailing the Oscars win for 'Naatu Naatu, Gandhi said the song India danced to has truly gone global.
"Congratulations MM Keeravaani, Chandrabose and the entire RRR team for winning the Best Original Song at the Oscars for Naatu Naatu," he said.
In a tweet, Congress general secretary organisation K C Venugopal said, "Superb win for Naatu Naatu at the Oscars 95 Awards, congratulations to the entire RRR team for this global recognition and for bringing pride and happiness to billions of Indians all over the world! Jai Hind."
"Congratulations to Guneet Monga, Kartiki Gonsalves and the entire team of The Elephant Whisperers for bagging the Best Documentary (Short) award at the 2023 Oscar Awards! You have made the whole country proud!" Venugopal said.
The Congress, from its official Twitter handle, congratulated the entire team of "RRR" for winning the award.
The entire country congratulates the "RRR" team on their momentous victory, the party said.
In another tweet, the party said, "Congratulations to Director Kartiki Gonsalves and producer Guneet Monga on winning the first Oscar for India in the 'Best Documentary Short' category. A befitting honour!"
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Govt floats tender for new Shivaji Maharaj statue in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg
Mumbai (PTI): In the wake of collapse of the Shivaji Maharaj statue in Sindhudurg, the Maharashtra government has issued a tender for the construction of a new 60-foot-tall statue there, nearly twice the size of the previous one, officials said on Wednesday.
The statue will be built at a cost of Rs 20 crore and the government has set a six-month timeframe for the completion of the work, they said.
A 35-foot-tall statue of the 17th century Maratha empire founder, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil of Sindhudurg district on December 4 (Navy Day) last year, collapsed on August 26 amid strong winds.
The statue's sculptor, Jaydeep Apte, was later arrested.
The government has faced flak as the opposition parties alleged the decision to install the statue in Sindhudurg was taken haphazardly, which resulted in poor quality of work.
Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD) had flagged concerns over rust gathering on Shivaji Maharaj’s statue and suggested permanent measures in a letter sent to a Naval official just six days before the structure collapsed.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said the statue was designed and constructed by the Indian Navy.
He claimed winds were blowing at 45 km per hour when the statue collapsed.
A tender has been issued for the construction of a new statue and its height would be 60 feet, a PWD official said.
"The total cost would now be Rs 20 crore, including its engineering, installation and maintenance. The government has given six months to complete the work. The height of the statue would be 60 feet," the official said.
