Bhopal
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Erstwhile princely family
Extent of royal properties/ 2016
Jamal Ayub, Saifeena son in line to inherit Rs 5,000cr assets, Dec 21, 2016: The Times of India
Social media `hashtag' replaced the traditional five-gun salute from the top of Bhopal's Fatehgarh Fort in welcoming a new prince -Taimur Ali Khan, the newborn son of Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan.
Taimur is next in line to become the custodian of royal properties of the erstwhile Bhopal State. Saif 's grandmother Sajida Sultan was accepted as Begum of Bhopal by the Centre in 1961 after the demise of Nawab Hamidullah Khan. Sajida married Nawab Iftekhar Ali Khan, the Nawab of Pataudi in 1939.
Taimur could one day be the custodian of royal properties that now cost around Rs 5,000 crore, including some 1,000 acres in the state capital where stands the Flag Staff House, once a part of Ahmedabad Palace.
“In the last couple of years, the Pataudi family has kept a low profile in Bhopal. We could well see young Taimur in the lawns of the palace soon,“ said a family insider. The Pataudi family is also the custodian of the Auqaf-e-Shahi (royal waqf properties), an Rs 1,000-crore worth of princely endowments and properties.
=Curfew Mata Mandir=
1982-2020
March 29, 2020: The Times of India
Curfew Mata Mandir shuts its gates, but hears prayers
Bhopal:
The idol of “Curfew Mata” was established [in 1982] in Peer Gate area during a month-long curfew following riots, hence the name. It was open even during the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, but is now shut for the first time in memory, reports Amarjeet Singh.
In times of [the 2020] corona curfew, Bhopal’s “Curfew Wali Mata Mandir” continues to provide succour though its gates stay locked. People stop by for a few seconds, keeping one eye open for the cops posted in the vicinity, murmur a prayer and hurry on.
2020: The temple is locked but there’s no stopping the devout. On Sunday, the usual crowd of devotees was replaced by half a dozen policemen, tasked with enforcing curfew in letter and spirit — and with a stick, if need be.
People drove or pedalled by, closing eyes in reverence and sending up a silent prayer, before hurrying on lest the cops begin “enforcing”. But here, the cops are lenient, too. Who would stop a prayer in these times?
Those who paused a while longer got a gentle reminder from police to “leave it to Mata and move on”. One of the cops said there is a steady trickle of devotees, but they all pray for a few seconds and move on.
