U'khand: Child among 4 killed, 23 hurt as bus falls into deep gorge in Bhimtal
Nainital, Dec 25: Four people, including a woman and a child, died and 23 got injured after a roadways bus fell into a 1,500 ft deep gorge in Bhimtal's Saldi area on Wednesday.
The roadways bus with 27 people on board, including the driver and the conductor bus, was coming from Pithoragarh, Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat told reporters.
Four deaths have been confirmed. The injured have been brought in ambulances to Sushila Tiwari Hospital in Haldwani, he said.
Those killed have been identified as Khadak Singh (55), his wife Ganga Dhami (48), Surendra Singh Dharmasattu (58) and Daksh Pant (6), an official said.
They were from Dharchula, Pithoragarh and Berinag respectively.
"The locals were the first to learn about the incident as is often the case. Even I came to know about it from locals," Rawat said.
Most of the injured are in the general ward but some of them are also likely to be shifted to the ICU, he said.
The vehicle plunged into a 1,500 ft deep gorge, Bhowali Circle Officer Sumit Pandey said.
The injured were first rushed to the Community Health Centre in Bhimtal from where they were referred to higher centres. Some of them are in critical condition.
Relief and rescue operations were launched with the help of locals, he said.
It was difficult for the fire department and SDRF teams to pull the bodies and the injured out of the gorge as the dept to which the bus had fallen was 1,500 feet, Pandey said.
They were pulled out of the ditch with the help of ropes, he said.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the accident and instructed the district administration to carry out the relief and rescue operations expeditiously.
He announced a financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased.
An assistance of Rs 3 lakh will be given to the seriously injured and Rs 15,000-25,000 to those who sustained minor injuries, he said.
Out of Rs 10 lakh to be paid to the families of those who died in the accident Rs 5 lakh will be given by Uttarakhand Transport Corporation, Rs 2 lakh from Road Safety Fund and Rs 3 lakh from Chief Minister's Discretionary Fund.
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MT, a legendary Malayalam writer who created timeless classics passes away at 91
Kozhikode (Kerala) (PTI): Noted writer and Jnanpith award winner MT Vasudevan Nair, who died here on Wednesday evening, is known for elevating the art of Malayalam storytelling to a profound level through his works.
Popularly known as MT, Vasudevan Nair is celebrated for his evocative storytelling, exploring human emotions and the complexities of rural life.
The 91-year-old writer had been hospitalised in critical condition with a diagnosis of heart failure and breathed his last on Wednesday.
He was suffering several health issues including respiratory ailments for a while, according to the literary sources.
M T is a celebrated writer, screenwriter, and filmmaker, renowned for his profound contributions to Malayalam literature and cinema.
Born in 1933 in Kudallur, a quaint village in Palakkad district, Kerala, M T, through more than seven decades of writing created a literary world that appealed equally to both ordinary people and intellectuals.
At the time, Kudallur was part of the Malabar district under the Madras Presidency of British India.
He was the youngest of four children born to T Narayanan Nair and Ammalu Amma.
His father worked in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), while M T spent his early years in Kudallur and at his paternal home in Punnayurkulam, a village in present-day Thrissur district.
M T's early life and surroundings deeply influenced his literary sensibilities.
He completed his schooling at Malamakkavu Elementary School and Kumaranelloor High School and graduated with a degree in chemistry from Victoria College, Palakkad, in 1953.
His professional journey began as a teacher and gramasevakan at a block development office in Taliparamba, Kannur, before he joined Mathrubhumi Weekly as a sub-editor in 1957.
Over the course of seven decades, he has authored nine novels, 19 collections of short stories, directed six films, wrote around 54 screenplays and several collections of essays and memoirs.
His novel Naalukettu (The Ancestral House) established him as a literary icon and is considered a classic in Malayalam literature.
Over the years, he authored several acclaimed works, including Asuravithu, Manju, and Kaalam, which earned him the Jnanpith Award in 1995, India's highest literary honour.
At the age of 25, he won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for his second novel, Naalukettu (1959), and a decade later, Kaalam, his fifth novel, earned him the Kendra Sahitya Akademi award.
M T made significant contributions to Malayalam cinema as a screenwriter and director.
His films, including 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha' and 'Kadavu', are regarded as masterpieces, showcasing his ability to merge compelling narratives with visual storytelling.
M T holds the distinction of winning the National Film Award for Best Screenplay a record four times, for 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha' (1989), 'Kadavu' (1991), 'Sadayam' (1992), and 'Parinayam' (1994), the most by any individual in Malayalam in this category.
M T has been married twice.
In 1965, he married writer and translator Prameela, but the couple separated after 11 years of marriage.
They have a daughter, Sithara, who works in the United States.
In 1977, he married Kalamandalam Saraswathy, a noted dance artist. They have a daughter, Aswathy Nair, who is a professional dancer.
His residence on Kottaram Road in Kozhikode is named after his elder daughter, Sithara.
