BOMAN IRANI ON SHYAM BENEGAL 30 MARCH 2025 www.thestatesman.com WHAT'S HAPPENING AT TRIPURA-BANGLADESH BORDER PAGE 14 X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 PAGE 11 IPL 2025: CSK MEET RAJASTHAN ROYALS IN GUWAHATI PAGE 16 SINCE 1818 PAGES 16 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. SURFACE WINDS (SPEED 10-20 KMPH) DURING THE DAY. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 32 AND 16 DEGREE CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 38 % TEMPERATURE Toll over 1000; two naval ships on way to Myanmar, field hospital to be airlifted “ NIKHIL VYAS Brahma is a god of creation, at a time when we are extending a helping hand to the Government of Myanmar, to the people of Myanmar to rebuild their country in the wake of the devastation. This particular name of the operation has a special meaning. NEW DELHI, 29 MARCH Min. 19 % Max: 29.6 °C (+3.0) SUN RISES 06:12 hrs MOON RISES 07:13 hrs PM Modi's visit to RSS founder's India launches ‘Operation Brahma’ to assist Myanmar memorial seen as reaffirmation of ideological commitment Min: 15.5 °C (-2.6) SUN SETS 18:18 hrs MOON SETS 19:49 hrs THUMBNAILS Mamata returns from UK trip: Renowned Chief minister Mamata Banerjee returned to the city after six days of her trip to the UK. Prior to her departure from London, she said that she had set two objectives to achieve. One is to start a campus of Oxford University in the city and the other is to resume direct flights of British Airways from the city at least twice a week. Miss Banerjee also stated in a post on social media before her departure from London, stating “I was not afraid of struggle since my childhood but won’t tolerate should anybody try to belittle the pride of Bengal". I ndia on Saturday launched “Operation Brahma” to assist the people of neighbouring Myanmar, which was rocked by a massive earthquake on Friday. About 15 tonnes of relief material reached Yangon this morning, via an Indian Air Force cargo plane. An IAF C-130 J aircraft carried the first tranche of humanitarian aid, including tents, sleeping bags, food packets, hygiene kits, generators, essential medicines and more. The death toll from the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in jumped to more than 1,000 in Myanmar as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city. The country’s military-led government said in a statement that 1,002 people have now been found dead and another 2,376 injured, with 30 others missing. In a special media briefing on the Indian relief efforts, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said soon after the quake hit the South- RANDHIR JAISWAL MEA SPOKESPERSON east Asian nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern and said India was ready to provide all possible support to the people of Myanmar and the Government of Myanmar in this hour of crisis. “Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Senior General Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar. He conveyed deepest condolences on behalf of the people and the Government of India for the loss of lives. He also conveyed that we stand in solidarity with the government and people of Myanmar and we would do our best to provide relief, rescue and whatever assistance is required to deal with this calamity,” Mr Jaiswal said. Mr Jaiswal said India launched “Operation Brahma” in the early hours today. “Brahma is a god of creation, at a time when we are extending a helping hand to the Government of Myanmar, to the people of Myanmar to rebuild their country in the wake of the devastation. This particular name of the operation has a special meaning,” he said. He said the first aircraft carrying 15 tonnes of relief material took off at around 3 a.m. from Hindon Air Force Base and it reached Yangon at around 8 a.m. IST. “Our ambassador was there to receive the relief material and thereafter, he handed it over to the Chief Minister of Yangon.Thereafter, two aircraft with search and rescue personnel and equipment, along with canines, were left. One of them has left and the other one is in the process of leaving," Jaiswal said. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in the evening stated on social media platform X: “Indian Navy ships INS Satpura and INS Savitri are carrying 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid and headed for the port of Yangon." STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, 29 MARCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir in Nagpur at Reshimbagh on Sunday, 30 March, which happens to be Gudi Padwai, the Hindu New Year, and it is being viewed by observers as a politically significant message. Mr Modi will be the second Prime Minister to visit the Smriti Mandir, which is located in the Reshimbagh area of Nagpur, since Atal Behari Vajpayee was the first PM to visit the venue. PM Modi's visit to the Smriti Mandir coincides with the RSS celebrating 100 years of its foundation. “PM Modi's visit to the Smriti Mandir is being seen as an opportunity to reaffirm his commitment to the RSS ideology," according to a BJP leader. The RSS and the Hindu New Year celebration of Gudi Padwa have a special connection, since as per the Hindu calendar, the birth anniversary of RSS founder late Keshav Balirampant HedgewarfallsonGudiPadwa. PM Modi has visited Nagpur several times, but this is the first time he will visit the RSS headquarters in Reshimbagh after becoming Prime Minister. There is a lot of speculation and curiosity about this in political circles. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, along with the top leadership of the Sangh will be present at the venue. Incidentally, Mr Modi became CM of Gujarat in October 2001, but he has never visited the RSS headquarters since then, though he became an RSS pracharak in 1972 and joined the BJP in 1987.AccordingtoBJPsources, Mr Modi last visited the RSS headquarters long ago when he was an RSS pracharak. According to BJP sources, tight preparations have been made in Nagpur for PM Modi's visit, especially taking into account the recent violence which took place in the Mahal area of the city on 17 March. PM Modi's visit also coincides with the Pratipada programme of the RSS. He will visit the Dr Hedgewar Smriti Mandir at around 9 a.m. Popularly known as "Smriti Mandir", the venue is dedicated to the memory of RSS founder and first sarsanghchalak Dr Keshavrao Balirampant Hedgewar which is a sacred place for millions of RSS swayamsevaks and dignitaries alike who make it a point to visit this place during their Nagpur itinerary. Right opposite is the“SmritiChinha"orsamadhi of the second sarsanghchalak of the RSS, 'Guruji' Madhavrao Sadashiv Golwalkar, in the form of a ‘Yagya Jwala’, an ever-burning fire. Golwalkar too was cremated here in June 1973 after he passed away after heading the RSS for 33 years .