Flashback
A diary for the month gone by

First, the good news
Monsoon has arrived in India before time, providing a silver lining to the common man at a time when price rise is breaking his back. Delhi, which usually gets its first monsoon showers as late as July, was pleasantly surprised as it got monsoon rains in mid June, 14 days ahead of schedule. This is a 108-year-old record. As it is, the city experienced a cool summer, with rains in May and June. In Punjab too, early monsoon has meant a good beginning for paddy farmers, as they begin sowing in June. The met department has said the country will witness a prolonged monsoon this year.

PM’s last-ditch effort for N-deal
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is making an all-out effort to revive the Nuclear Deal with the US, notwithstanding a firm ‘no’ from the Left allies. According to media reports, he has conveyed to UPA leader Sonia Gandhi that the government should go ahead with the deal in spite of opposition from the Left. According to rediff.com, the Prime Minister is ready to resign if the deal does not go ahead. The Prime Minister is facing opposition from some members within the Congress on the issue of pushing the party into elections. But AICC media cell chairperson Veerappa Moily has emphasised that one party’s ideological opposition to a particular country should not mean that it can hijack the nation’s interests. External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee is also trying to rally the allies’ support in this matter.

US won’t get a lady Prez this year
For months, the world has eagerly speculated whether the US is poised to get its first woman President or the first Black President. Well, the country will have to wait for some more years to get a lady President. Senator Hillary Clinton has lost to Barack Obama in the primaries, in a tightly-contested round. Despite the bitter accusations between the two over the last few months, Clinton was graceful in defeat, and urged her supporters to back Obama. Obama is now pitted against Republican John McCain. .

Finally, green signal
Government’s machinery grinds slow but sure. The 54th National Awards for the year 2006 have been announced. Madhur Bhandarkar has won the best director award for his movie Traffic Signal. Bhandarkar won the National Award earlier for Page 3 (2005) and Chandni bar (2001). Malyalam film Pulijanmam has been declared the best feature film, while Lage Raho Munnabhai has been adjudged the best popular film providing wholesome entertainment. Khosla Ka Ghosla has been declared the best feature film in Hindi.

Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee has got the best actor award for his role in Podokkhep. This is his first national award. Tamil actress Priyamani gets the best actress award for her performance in Ameer Sulthan’s Paruthiveeran. Konkana Sen Sharma has bagged the best actress in supporting role award for Omkara. Dilip Prabhavalkar, who rendered the role of Gandhi in Lage Raho, got the best supporting actor award. Kabir Khan’s Kabul Express got the Indira Gandhi Award for the best first film by a director, and Aditya Chopra got the best producer title for the same film. Best lyrics award has gone to Swanand Kirkire for Bande mein tha dum.

Monarchy is history now
King Gyanendra of Nepal has vacated the Royal Palace, signaling an end to the 240-year-old dynasty. With this, Nepal is also no more the ‘last Hindu kingdom of the world’. The Constituent Assembly in May this year voted to end monarchy (560 to 4 votes) and declared Nepal a Federal Republic. The palace, which saw a bloody chapter in 2001 when the then king and his family was assassinated, will now be turned into a museum.