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Years ago in Rajasthan, a baby girl called Dhanvantari was buried alive by the females of her community, because she was the 7th girl born to her mother. They all desired a boy, and without letting the mother know, those women took that little soul to the jungle and buried her in a pit! Hours later when the mother didn’t find her child, she asked, pleaded, and cried. 

The little girl laid covered beneath the earth, breathing only hope, until her mother and aunt threw the shackles of generations-old traditions aside, to dig her out and hold her until she arose. The very same child who was criticised, was reborn as Gulabo Sapera, and ended up being an epitome of pride! She became the worldwide ambassador of Indian folk dance, and a living example of how to be as strong.

Who is Gulabo Sapera?

Gulabo was born in the 1973 snake charmer clan of Kalbaliya in Ajmer, Rajasthan. The memories started at an early age relating to the seductive music of the “been” and the smooth movement of snakes. Her father, ostracized for saving his daughter, took little Gulabo everywhere in a straw basket. She was fed with milk meant for snakes and was always under the shadow of danger. But it was in these moments, as she watched and mimicked the serpents’ graceful movements, that the seeds of her legendary dance were sown. The girl then became a sensational figure for all. 

At the age of eight, Gulabo already gave performances at local fairs. Her fate changed at the Pushkar Mela, where she was noticed by the tourism officials at the Rajasthan tourism department after being overwhelmed by her boneless, liquid dance which resembled snakes her community worshipped. Shortly Gulabo was playing on big stages, and at only 13 years old her life was changed when she gave a performance in Washington DC.

Award and Honors: Dancing Against the Odds

The path of Gulabo Sapera is also the history of novelties and successes. She did not merely popularise the Kalbelia dance, she formed the worldwide identity of it, designing its now legendary costumes and teaching the rhythms to generations of girls. Her shows have thrilled people of more than 165 countries and her academy of dance in Pushkar and Denmark keeps producing new talents.

She has received numerous awards, the most noteworthy being the Padma Shri in 2016 in recognition of her exceptional contribution to the Indian folk arts. In addition, she has been recognized with the Bharat Gaurav Award(2021) and the Genius Indian Achiever (2025). But her most crowning success is a cultural one: she made sure that in her society female infanticide was no longer practiced and urged thousands of endangered girls to take the stage and pursue their own dreams.

Gulabo Sapera Is An Inspiration 

The story of Gulabo is not simply about surviving but a well learned lesson of how to transform pain into power. Years before the ‘malkin trend’, she demonstrated her ‘malkin core.’ Today, as headlines are filled with stories of student suicides, depression, and the crushing weight of expectations, her life offers a vital lesson. Not everyone is born with Gulabo’s strength or finds a hand to pull them from the darkness. But knowing her story can plant a seed of hope giving the youth and students the path (though foggy) towards a life they can create. 

If a girl who was once considered a burden, buried and forgotten, can rise to become a Padma Shri awardee, a global icon, and an inspiring lady, then every student struggling with failure, rejection, or self-doubt can rewrite their story. Just as Gulabo, you can find your unique side and pave your way out of a gloomy life. 

Gulabo Sapera’s journey is an anthem of all Indian students who are struggling with stress, doubt, and hopelessness. The lessons we learn from her are how strong a person can be, despite the lack of any light. Determination can indeed illuminate your world. So, don’t give up on yourself just because others gave up on you. Have faith in yourself, turn to those that can help you when you need it and never forget your future can be as bright as you are willing to believe it can be.  

Think big, because you have the potential to achieve it! 

Uttar Pradesh celebrated its first convocation ceremony of AIIMS-Gorakhpur, to be held later in the day, as a watershed moment in health education of the "new Uttar Pradesh of a new India" by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday.

President Droupadi Murmu will be the chief guest on All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Gorakhpur's first convocation day.

She will also be the chief guest of the 11th convocation day of the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly.

Tweet of Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath

On X, Adityanath posted on Twitter in Hindi, "Today in the auspicious presence of Hon'ble President Smt. Droupadi Murmu ji, the first AIIMS, Gorakhpur convocation is to be held. I shall be on duty on this day of glory." "This is a golden feather of the health education of new Uttar Pradesh of new India. This institute, which is being developed under the visionary leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, is being built as a center of quality medical education and service in North India," Adityanath posted.

In another tweet, Adityanath tweeted, "Today, in hallowed city of 'Nath Nagri, Bareilly, will be addressing convocation of Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in sacred presence of Hon'ble President Smt. Droupadi Murmu ji." "It's a source of inspiration that provides guidance to newly initiated students of rural development, cow protection, and organic research toward national service," he added.

Uttar Pradesh government has renamed five state government engineering colleges after national and historical personalities with a view to changing the technical education scenario with focus on cultural as well as moral values, officials told on Saturday.

The move, made on a proposal by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and cleared by Governor Anandiben Patel, seeks to integrate technical education with values such as social awareness, justice, harmony and nation-building, the state government said in a release.

Terming the step as a "historic step to transfer values to the new generation", Technical Education Minister Ashish Patel said that the reconstituted institutions of the country would inspire students towards technical excellence and social leadership.

According to the notification, Rajkiya Engineering College, Pratapgarh shall be renamed as Bharat Ratna Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Rajkiya Engineering College; Rajkiya Engineering College, Mirzapur as Samrat Ashoka Rajkiya Engineering College and Rajkiya Engineering College, Basti as Bharat Ratna Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rajkiya Engineering College.

It also added that Rajkiya Engineering College, Gonda has been named Maa Pateshwari Devi Rajkiya Engineering College and Rajkiya Engineering College, Mainpuri will be known henceris as Lokmata Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Rajkiya Engineering College.

"These names will be an inspiration, and the students will be encouraged to adopt the values of these great personalities," Patel said.

He added the step is symbolic but beyond that and would make students confident and accountable.

These colleges will provide the youth of Uttar Pradesh with technical expertise in the next few years and even for social leadership positions, he added.

When sunbeams cut through the drifting mist, tea-stained fingers had already gained their working rhythm. Glimpses were snatched from the group of strangers who had walked into hills whose brows were furrowed with lush green estates, hidden within rich hues of Nilgiris blue.

The visiting students from Madras Christian College for the field visit were greeted with curious glances from the villagers, all of them except one young woman in the village. Her questioning eyes, which beckoned the team to sit beside her, were rewarded with a fresh spark of hope that surpassed the horizon of her small village. The chemistry class students and their motivational stories of education in a faraway world were etched in M Seetha's memory.

For the 120 Kurumba families living in the Katachanakolli village, higher education is a far-off fantasy since they can hardly afford to purchase a square meal a day. The majority of the residents were tea plantation laborers, and a majority of the children discontinued their studies after primary or secondary school because of poverty, as well as inadequate infrastructure. But Seetha, a resident of the Adivasi hamlet village, would not put her dreams to sleep.

She was 23 when she became the village's first postgraduate. Having completed her Master's in Social Work from the Madras Christian College this year, more than a personal achievement — it was a milestone for her people of Katachanakolli. Seetha says the village is vulnerable to human-wildlife conflict, and the nearest government higher secondary school (GHSS) is 12 km away at Devarshola.

"For primary level, we have a panchayat school, but from Class 8 onwards, we have to attend the GHSS in Devarshola. I was able to pursue my studies as an NGO had given me free accommodation, in a hostel they were operating," said Seetha.

It wasn't easy. My mother, a daily wage labourer in a tea garden, is the only breadwinner for the family of six. My father suffers from TB. At times, we even didn't have food to eat. While I was on holidays, whenever I returned home, I used to work as a labourer in the tea gardens to help my family," Seetha said.

After Class 12, she enrolled herself into a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) course in Government Arts and Science College, Gudalur.

"By the time I was able to convince my parents to permit me to go to college, the admissions for most of the courses had already closed down, except for BSW," she mentioned. It was at the time of her graduation that the student community from Madras Christian College came to the village to conduct their field study and thus opened a window for her to learn about MCC.

"Persuading my parents to let me pursue a master's in Chennai was an uphill task as it was exhausting both of them financially and emotionally," Seetha revealed. But her resolve not to quit overpowered the fears of her family. Once in Chennai, she threw herself into studying and working to sustain herself.

"Having come to know about Seetha, we gave her full support to finish the course. We have a tribal and differently abled cell to motivate them to study higher education in our college," MCC principal Paul Wilson said. Seetha is a living example of Paulo Coelho's lines — "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

Having returned to her village, Seetha is keen to give back as she currently works with village children and challenges parents to place value in education. "With my project, I am creating an awareness among my people of the importance of education. I want to make them realize that one can dream big, even for children of a small village like ours," she said. A master's degree, an entry into the world, was the start of more hope for her village for this twenty-three-year-old.

In an ambitious decision, the government of Karnataka has placed plans for raising engineering seats from two big private colleges — BMS College of Engineering and New Horizon College of Engineering — both under scrutiny for their suspected role in a seat blocking scandal for high-end seats in the 2024-25 academic year.

Even after being approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to raise their intake by a combined 1,020 engineering seats in the 2025-26 academic session, the colleges have run into a roadblock. The state government has not provided the mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC), and thus the expansion is, as good as, being kept on the backburner.

The outrage is over a complaint made by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), which led to the filing of a First Information Report (FIR) against BMS College, New Horizon College, and Akash College of Engineering. The complainant is about allegations of "seat blocking" — an act that thwarts rightful admissions by reserving seats without any intention of filling them up. Investigation has now fast-tracked, with the police having filed a charge sheet in court.

Other grievances of the colleges are the recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on all three campuses in the current investigation. The raids brought to the fore more about the supposed rigging of engineering course admissions.

In all this upheaval, BMS College had applied for the addition of 120 seats in Computer Science, while New Horizon College had applied for sanctioning 240 seats in Artificial Intelligence and 660 additional seats in Computer Science. While AICTE approved it based on online applications and documents, the final clearance is with the state — now stuck due to legal issues.

Technical Education department officials made it clear that proposals based on infrastructure and institutional compliance are considered by AICTE and Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU). "AICTE and VTU are not concerned with criminal cases and legal matters of scams. But the state government has to scrutinize all this before giving an NOC," clarified a senior officer.

Higher Education Minister Dr. M.C. Sudhakar, speaking to The Hindu, stated that the state is carefully examining the police charge sheet. "We are looking into the facts and will seek legal advice before deciding seat enhancement applications made by these colleges," he said.

The minister also expressed general apprehensions about unregulated growth in Computer Science and associated courses, particularly urban areas. "Private colleges are concentrated on expanding CS seats, and it's causing saturation of engineering colleges in tier-1 cities. This trend can lead to a higher percentage of unemployment of graduates," he cautioned.

To rectify the imbalance, the government plans to enact fresh legislation imbued with Telangana's regulatory mindset. "We are drafting a law to check indiscriminate expansion of seats and attain more balanced growth in technical training," Dr. Sudhakar said.

What was otherwise a celebratory celebration of Fête de la Musique—France's national World Music Day—turned sinister on Saturday night as a minimum of 145 victims, including teen girls, reported having been pricked by syringes at packed events throughout the nation.

Law enforcement officials were caught off guard as millions flooded city squares, parks, and streets to attend the national music festival. The Paris officials referred to the attendance as attracting "unprecedented crowds," France 24 stated. But festivities turned to pandemonium as reports of needle stabbings and attacks spread, many of which seemed to target women specifically.

On Sunday, the French Interior Ministry confirmed the alarming figure, noting 13 of the cases took place in Paris. Although toxicology results are still pending, the ministry stated that several victims were taken to hospitals for testing to ascertain if they were injected with incapacitating substances such as GHB or Rohypnol that lead to drug-facilitated sexual assault.

Social media was flooded with threats and warnings ahead of the event, some suggesting coordinated spiking attacks on women. The spike in reports has sparked new concerns about public safety at crowded events and the vulnerability of participants, most especially young women.

Paris prosecutors opened three individual investigations, after complaints were made by a 15-year-old girl, an 18-year-old man, and a third person—all of whom became ill after being pricked in various locations around the capital.

At the same time, 12 individuals have been detained across the country over the incidents. In the south-west city of Angoulême, four suspects were held who were suspected of spiking up to 50 victims in one of the most clustered spiking cases reported.

A total of more than 400 individuals were arrested for several offences under the cover of the night, while almost 90 were arrested in Paris itself. The authorities confirmed that 14 individuals were left seriously injured, with a 17-year-old being stabbed in the abdomen and sent to hospital in an immediate response.

The inquiries continue, with authorities calling on anyone who was affected to report. The events have placed a cloud over one of France's most venerated cultural festivals, and there are demands for improved crowd monitoring and public security.