Google celebrates birth centenary of poet Amrita Pritam with special doodle
New Delhi: Internet giant Google on Saturday marked the 100th birth anniversary of celebrated poet and author Amrita Pritam with a special doodle tribute that had a touch of Punjabi culture.
Pritam, one of the most prominent writers and poets of the 20th century, is best remembered for her Punjabi poem 'Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu' ('Ode to Warish Shah'), which poignantly captures her anguish over the massacres during the Partition in 1947.
Born on August 31, 1919 in Gujranwala (now in Pakistan) of Punjab province in undivided India, she migrated to India after the Partition.
In the doodle, the poet-author is seen wearing a traditional Punjabi salwar suit, sitting beside a bunch of roses, as she pens something in a diary.
In 'Ode to Warish Shah', an 18th century poet, she captures the pangs and pains of people and the country being cleaved, and one of the moving lines from the poem reads -- "Arise, o friend of the afflicted; arise and see the state of Punjab, Corpses strewn on fields, and the Chenaab flowing with much blood".
Among her plethora of novels, 'Pinjar' (The Skeleton), written against the backdrop of the Partition, is considered to be one of the best literatures written on the subject, with a memorable character 'Puro'.
The novel was later adapted into an award-winning film 'Pinjar' in 2003. In 1947 at the time of the Partition she moved to New Delhi, where she began to write in Hindi, according to the website of SAWNET (South Asian Women's Network).
A number of her works have been translated into English, including her autobiographical works "Black Rose" and "Rasidi Ticket" ('Revenue Stamp'), it said.
She became a published writer in 1936, when she was barely 17 years old. And, she joined the Progressive Writers' Movement to inspire people through her literary works.
Pritam received Sahitya Akademi award and Padma Vibhushan, among many other accolades for here literary contribution, according to Culture India website.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
