by anilrajput

Sankar Gompa , Leh , Ladakh

Sankar Gompa the official residence of the head of Gelukpa Sect of Buddhists in Ladakh The Kushok Bakula Renpoche  he died in 2004  , this monastery is branch of Spituk Monastery

Sankar Gompa official residence Head of Gelugpa Sect. in Leh


 
The main entrance of Courtyard attracts the visitors for its beautiful  decorations. The left wall  is having a “Wheel of Life”, held by Yama. The other side  is the Dukhang, decorated  with paintings of Guardian of the Four Directions, a throne reserved for the head monk of monastery.  This Buddhist monastery have fabulous collection of exquisite paintings and murals of the Guardian divinities of the Four Quarters of Heaven, the Old Man of Longevity, the Wheel of Life and Sakyamuni Buddha with his sixteen sages and thirty-five benevolent Buddhas. There is also statue of Avalokiteshwara Padmahari with 1,000 heads and arms and Yamantaka (God of Death). Sankar Gompa also treasures Kanshur, 108 volumes of Buddha’s teaching and idols of three Buddhas – Sakyamuni, the Present Buddha and Maitreya (Future Buddha).

Inside the Sankar Gompa


 
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by anilrajput

Hemis Gompa, Leh , Ladakh

Hemis Gompa in Hemis town 40 km from Leh city , it is a famous monastery founded by King Senge Nampar Gyalva  in 1672 AD , every year in the month of July a colorful festival is held in the compound attended by not only the locals but people from all over the world. Hemis gompa is also believed to have been established in 1630 by Lama Tagstang Raspa and built by Palden Sara under the patronage of King Sengge Namgyal on a site previously sanctified by the construction of a cave hermitage dating from the 12th century. This monastery is the oldest one in the area belonging to the Kargyu school .

Hemis Gompa main compound


This two-day festival depicts a dance-homage to the birth anniversary of Lord Padmasambhava or Guru Rinpoche. The festival is the largest and biggest of the Tibetan Buddhist Gompa festivals in Ladakh. It is celebrated across three days from the 9th to the 11th day of the fifth month of the lunar Tibetan calendar, vibrant and endless dances are accompanied by discordant sounds of cymbals, large-pan drums, small trumpets and large  size wind instruments . The lamas  get transformed into demons and gods , bang on drums and crash symbols together as others gyrate and leap to fight off demons.
 

Hemis information display at entrance


The predominantly practiced religion in Ladakh is the Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism is based on the eighth tenet of the concept of the eight fold part as propagated by Lord Buddha. This form of Buddhism stresses on meditation and concentration. One of the most innovative concepts introduced by the Mahayanists is that of the bodhisattvas. 
As one enters the courtyard, to the right are two large temples up small flight of stone steps. The fronts have a wooden verandah of Kashmiri style, rising two storeys. As one faces them, the temple on the left is the Tshogs-khang and on the right is the Dukhang. The Dukhang contains the throne of the Rimpoche and seating areas for the lamas.  Tall wooden pillars rise in the center to a square cupola with windows that supply light to the throne. The walls also have paintings of Sakyamuni (the Historical Buddha) with the blue hair, other Buddha figures and paintings of Tantric deities such as Hevajra and Samvara. In the Tshogs-khang is a large gilded statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha with blue hair surrounded by several silver chortens decorated with semi-precious stones. In front of the Buddha is a throne made of painted and lacquered wood, a present from the former Maharaja of Kashmir to a former Incarnate Lama of Hemis

Pehar Gyalpo the protective Deity of Hemis


Pehar Gyalpo, revered as the protective deity of Hemis. It is said that Pehar was once the lord protector of Sam-Yas monastery and a monk from there by hiding the spirit of this deity inside a cymbal had brought it to Hemis. Each day sacred rituals are performed to evoke Pehar’s blessings.
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by anilrajput

Zoji – la, Ladakh

Zoji – La is a high altitude pass  11575 ft from sea level on Indian National Highway NH-1D , connecting Kashmir valley from Sonmarg to Ladakh Valley , it is 9 km long the second highest pass on Srinagar – Leh highway always covered with snow it is closed in winters due to heavy snow fall.

Zoji-la , frozen river and Leh – Srinagar highway


The pass links a Valley of Kashmir with Ladakh. For many centenaries various trade routes took merchants to China, Tibet, and Central Asia. Renchen Shah of Leh moved into Kashmir via this pass and was the ruler of the territory in the 14th century. Mirza Haider Doughlat also marched on through this pass to raid Kashmir. The previous name of the pass was Shurji La, which stands for the mountain of Lord Shiva.

Rock called the India Gate , entrance to Kashmir valley Zoji-la


Zoji-la , at a height of 3,528 meters, which  is the lowest drivable pass on the Great Himalayan Mountain Range. It witnesses violent winds  because of the conical shape and severe snowfall. Over 60 risky landslide spots have been identified on this route. Every year the young enthusiast  motor cyclist from all over India cross this pass with a high adventure spirit to visit the Ladakh from Kashmir side.
Historically this pass till 1815 was in control of Amir of Afghanistan as Punjab Hill States, it came under Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Flag of a Sikh state , in 1846 after the Anglo-Sikh war the East India Company and Sikh Empire had a Treaty of  Lahore , as an indemnity the Sikh State could not pay then Rs.1.2 Million , the Dogra King  was allowed to take Kashmir by paying Rs. 750 Thousand to East India Company , Gulab Singh became the first Maharaja of a new state of Jamu & Kashmir. After the partition in 1947 India signed the accession document with Maharaja Hari Singh to be part of India.
It was here in 1947 when Pakistani army who had reached till Srinagar had a surprise to see the Indian army’s Battle Tanks and artillery guns , had to withdraw from this area , since then the Zojii-la pass is under the controls of  India .
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by anilrajput

Zanskar , Ladakh

Zanskar is located in the Great Himalayan range on the banks of  the Zanskar River formed by the confluence of its two Himalayan tributaries, the Stod/Doda and the Lingti-Tsarap rivers,  the most isolated of all the trans-Himalayan valleys, it is a remote, ancient kingdom in the northwest Indian Himalaya in Ladakh region of Jammu & Kashmir State. It remains inaccessible for nearly 8 months in a year due to heavy winter snowfall resulting in closure of all access passes, This geographical isolation and the esoteric nature of Buddhism practiced here have enabled its inhabitants to preserve their identity in a chain of far- flung monasteries, most of which occupy spectacular fortified locations, high on rocky ridges in isolated valleys. These isolated valleys are linked across high passes by a number of long established pathways.

Reaching Zanskar the only  240 km road connection is from Kargil Suru Valley crossing the Pensi – la Pass at a height of 4400 meters from sea . Padum also called Padam the main village or town on the Doda river in the center of Zanskar valley and there are several small villages scattered around it.

Gateway to Zanskar Pensi-La (4400 meters) connects Suru and Zanskar valley


Access to Zanskar is difficult from all sides as it is located sandwiched between High mountain ridges on both sides of the Doda and Lingti–kargyag valleys, which run north-west to south-east. On the south-west is the Great Himalaya range it separates Zanskar from the Kisthwar and Chamba valley . On  the north-east is  the Zanskar Range, it  separates Zanskar from Ladakh. The only way out for the whole Zanskar valley is the Zanskar river, which cuts a deep and narrow gorge through the Zanskar range. In winters the commuting to this area is maintained across mountain passes or along the Zanskar river when frozen. Walking on Frozen river of Zanskar is an ultimate experience,  it had been trade route for centuries for Zanskari valley. Now the route is also famous as winter trekking among adventure lovers. Kargyag river which originates from Shingo – la and  Tsarap river which originates from Baralacha – la joins near village Purne  to form the Lungnak river (  Lingti or Tsarap) this river flows towards the Zanskar central and meets the Doda river at  Gzhung Khor  to form the Zanskar river . From Lahul Valley one can reach here by crossing the The Shingo- La  at a height of 17000 feet from sea level .
New road is being built from Darcha to Padum and then to Nimmo meeting at Kargil-Leh highway after its making Manali-Leh an all season road bypassing Barlacha la, Nakee la, Lachung-la and Tanglang-la along with building up of Rohtang Tunnel to bypass Rohtang,  until that would be operational only motor able approach to Zanskar is  from Kargil.

Village near Padum, Zanskar, Ladakh


The Great Himalyan range acts as a barrier for protecting Ladakh and Zanskar from most of the monsoon,  May to September it is warm  and dry hardly any rainfall or snow in this period , water comes from the melting glaciers,  winter snowfalls are of vital importance, since they feed the glaciers which melt in the summer and provide most of the irrigation water,  barley, lentils, and potatoes are grown by farmers at the lower heights.
People of Zanskar have origin from  an Indo-European the Mon and the Dard who came from Baltistan , the Buddhism came here from Kashmir about 2200 years ago,  in the 7th century  the Tibetans introduced Bon ,  8-10th centenaries  the monasteries of Karsha and Phugtal  were built. Zanskar existed as a more or less independent Buddhist Kingdom ruled by between  related royal families till 15 th centenary. Since the 15th century, Zanskar has been subordinate to Ladakh .
Two main branches of Tibetan Buddhism are practiced  here , the Drugpa , Sani Monastry ,Dzongkhul Monastry , Stagrimo and Bardan Monastery  affiliated with Stakna . The Gelugpa control monastries are  Rangdum , Karsha , Stongde  and Phugtal under the Ngari Rinpoche,  his main seat is Likir Monastery  in Ladakh,  the Ngari Rinpoche is the younger brother of the His Holiness Dalai Lama.
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by anilrajput

Yatra Chardham – Sri Badrinath

Sri Badrinath Dham is situated at a height of 3415 meters from the sea level on the right banks of river Alaknanda between Nar and Narayan mountains , in the back drop is the Neelkanth peak , this place was re established by Adi Shankarcharya in Eight Centenary , legend is that the black Shaligram stone idol was lying in the bed of Alaknanda river and was taken out by the Shankaracharya to establish it in the cave near the Tapt Kund .

Main Entrance Sri Badrinath Temple


The present temple  was built by King of Garhwal afterwards there were changes and renovations done because of the earthquake and rebuilt in the year 1803, it is a 50 ft tall stone structure with top covered with gold gilt roof , there is a tall arched gate after the flights of stairs the walls are painted blue, red and yellow giving a view of a Buddhist Mut , the Garbha griha is having the main idol of Lord Badrinath sitting in a Padmasan mudra under a gold canopy Badri tree , surrounded by the idols of Nar and Narayan, Narad , Ganesha, Udhava, Narsimaha ( the forth incarnation of lord Vishnu) Ma Lakshmi , Kuber and Garuda Nav Durga ( nine incarnations of Ma Durga ) , before entering the temple pilgrims consider to have bath in the Tapt Kund just next to the main entrance .
Legend
When Lord Badri was meditating here the Ma Lakshmi was standing next to him sheltering the Lord from the harsh weather and turned into a Badri tree .
It is said once Lord Shiva and Ma Parvati were in deep meditation here , a small child came crying disturbing the  Lord , Ma Parvati asked the child what he wanted , the child replied that he wanted the Badrinath for meditation, they discovered that this child was none other than Lord Narayan they left the place and moved to Kedarnath.
In Bhagvat Puran it is said that Lord Vishnu in his incarnation as Rishi Nar and Narayan are in deep meditation for the welfare of all the living beings , according to Skandha Puran there is no better palace in this universe than Badrinath , according to Padma Puran this place is full of unlimited spiritual treasures.
 
It is also said that the person born with Birth Sun Sign ( Rashi ) Sagittarius ( Dhanu), Leo (Shimha) and Taurus (Maesh) must pay a visit once in their life time at Sri Badrinath Dham.
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by anilrajput

Yatra Chardham – Sri Kedarnath

Sri Kedarnath Dham  is situated at a height of 3584 meters above the sea level on the head of river Mandakini surrounded by snow capped mountains , it is a plateu having the most popular Hindu pilgrimage in the Chardham. The temple here is dedicated to Lord Shiva and worshiped here of his back which is conical  in shape. This place is accessible from April till October , rest of the year the idol is kept and worshiped at Ukhimath near Guptkashi . Out side the main entrance there is a big stone statue of Nandi Bull facing the temple , upon entering the hall there are statues of five Pandava brothers , Lord Sri Krishna , Vidharba the guard of Lord Shiva. It is said that one who pays the visit here and bows his head is relived of Sorrows , it was from here onward towards the Swargarohan the Pandwa were blessed and relived of guilt and sorrow of killing their relatives in the Mahabharata war.

Sri Kedarnath Temple main entrance


Legend
This land was once ruled by the King Kedar who is also father of Vrinda , she had worshiped for sixty thousand years , to honor him this region was called as Kedarkhand. It is said the  Pandu the Pandva King died here while trying to  love  Madri .
When Bhim tried to stop the Lord Shiva who had disguised as bull had a fight with mace which hit the Lord Shiva , Bhim having guilt of hurting the Lord massaged the body with Ghee , today the pilgrims follow the ritual by applying the Ghee at the triangular Jyotirlinga along with offering of Bel leaves and milk in the puja .
Their existed a temple of Mahabharata time before this temple was constructed  in Eight centenary by the Adi Shankracharya .

Adi Shankarachrya took samadhi at this place in Sri Kedarnath Dham


When to travel
This temple opens along with the other temples of Chardham on Akshya Tritiya and closes on Depawali for winters , mid June till August is monsoon period , there are land slides and roads blocks quite common and during this period journey is not recomended.
What to see
The main place is the Sri Kedarnath temple , just behind it is the Adi Shankaracharya Samadhi , little above at a small distance on the left side of the temple is the Bhairo temple . Chorbari is a crystal clear snow water lake about a kilometer trek from Kedarnath with floating ice in the water. Vasuki Tal  is 6 km at a height of 4150 meters in the snow caped mountains , one can have a beautiful view of Chaukhamba peaks from here.
Where to stay
There are many guest houses and dharamshalas here but all are with basic facilities only.
How to reach here
There are Buses and trains available up to Hardwar or Rishikesh connections from all over India , one can also reach Dehradun by air onward journey could be performed by buses, cars and jeeps , opening of Helicopter service is a big relief for old age people , the helicopter service is available till Kedarnath from Guptkashi ( Phata) and Dehradun . There is a good road till Gaurikund from here the 14 km trek can be done by walking or hiring the mules or palkis .
Delhi to Rishikesh                      230 km
Rishikesh to Guptkashi            201 km
Guptkashi to Gaurikund            32 km
Gaurikund to Sri Kedarnath      14 km
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by anilrajput

Kingfisher Airline summoned by DGCA

DGCA summons KF CEO, says passengers first

The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) summoned the CEO of Kingfisher Airlines, Sanjay Aggarwal, and ordered the airline to accomodate passengers, affected by cancelled flights, with other airlines.
DGCA summons KF CEO, says passengers first

The DGCA response came after Kingfisher cancelled 17 flights on Monday, for a third day in a row, from Bangalore and Mumbai and also rescheduled two flights. The airlines had also cancelled 28 flights on Sunday, February 19.
Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said in response to the crisis that there were no plans to bail out the troubled airline. The airline must talk to the banks and sort the issue out, he added.
Earlier, Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) officials, despite repeated attempts, declined to confirm or deny the developments. Instead, they repeatedly said that “we shall issue a statement when required” and refused to comment on the potential action by the DGCA.
The cancellations have affected incoming or outbound flights in Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore.
The abrupt flight cancellations had created major problems for passengers waiting to travel after having booked their tickets months in advance, an official at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport said.
However, Sunday, the beleaguered carrier reeling under financial losses had claimed that despite flight disruptions since the past couple of days, it has not shut down any stations from its schedules, an official said.
The developments have also worried passengers intending to travel on KFA flights in the next few days or weeks.
“Last minute cancellations jeopardize our travel and onward plans, while other carriers charge heavily for the same sector if we try to cancel and make alternate bookings,” said A.A. Kinariwalla, a manager with a multinational in Mumbai, who is a frequent flier on domestic and international sectors.
A KFA spokesperson blamed the flight disruptions on certain unexpected incidents like ‘bird hits’ which rendered its aircraft out of service.
The flight disruptions are expected to continue for another three to four days with only 208 flights in operations, but the carrier has not shut down nor does it plan to close down any stations, the official said.
‘The speculation that we are reducing our operating schedule from 240 flights a day are ill-founded, as we will operate the full schedule on our booking system within the next four days,’ the spokesperson added.
While admitting that its bank accounts have been attached by the Income Tax Department, KFA said in the past also similar issues have happened and they have been resolved.
‘We have had a good meeting with our consortium of Banks who have accepted, in principle, the viability study prepared by SBI Capital markets and independent consultants. Our request for additional working capital has been acknowledged by the consortium and is subject to individual bank approvals,’ the spokesperson said.
The developments come after high fuel costs and falling revenue resulted in KFA losses in the third quarter of the current fiscal mounting to Rs.444 crore from a net loss of Rs.254 crore suffered in the like quarter of 2010-11.
Source: India Syndicate

 
by anilrajput

Rural tourism boost for urbane Delhi

Rural tourism boost for urbane Delhi

If all goes as planned, cosmopolitan citizens as well as tourists will be able to get a glimpse of ‘real India’ in the heart of Delhi.
The Delhi government plans to bring the Indian countryside to the Capital itself. To present the “real India” to foreign tourists, the government has selected 14 villages, each with a water body, across the Capital.
These spots will be redeveloped, restored and offered as a ‘rural tourism destination’ to the foreigners. The project, worth crores of rupees, has already received the necessary clearances.
Once the water bodies in these select villages are restored, the government would start developing basic infrastructure and creating a unique recreational environment with special focus on the visiting tourists.
The environment department officials say once these water bodies are restored, activities such as fishing and boating will be introduced. “At the same time, each village will have its own identity. The culture and infrastructural facilities will be developed accordingly,” an official said, adding that these features would boost the state’s economy and tourism infrastructure.
The prominent villages selected for the project include Goyla Khurd in south-west Delhi, Daulatpur in south Delhi, Hastsal village, Khera Dabur in south Delhi, Bamnoli village, Chhawla village, Dera Mandi village in south Delhi, Hiran Kudna village in west Delhi, Kamruddin Nagar, Doolsiras, Harshvihar and a lake in Madipur village.
Confirming the development, the environment department’s Delhi Parks and Gardens Society CEO Dr S.D. Singh said: “We are hopeful of cleaning and restoring water bodies. We will be using a new process to complete the work.”
“The real problem with these water bodies is that they have become dumping grounds for sewage or other pollutants. With poor oxygen content, these can’t support marine life,” Dr Singh said.
“We are hopeful of cleaning and restoring water bodies. We will be using a new process to complete the work.”
The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) will restore the water bodies and institute scientist Dr Rakesh Kumar will implement the project using the phytorid technology.
This restores the oxygen content in the water, thereby creating conditions to reintroduce marine and aquatic life.
It only involves introduction of certain categories of antipollutant and oxygen-releasing plants to the water bodies.
“It is energy-efficient, requires low maintenance and is aesthetic,” Kumar told Mail Today. The technique positively impacts the nitrogen, phosphorous and other aspects affecting water quality.
Source: www.indiatoday.in
 
by anilrajput

India needs to streamline visa, infrastructure to tap tourism potential: Experts

India needs to streamline visa, infrastructure to tap tourism potential: Experts

As tourism becomes a key driver of the Indian economy with its growing foreign exchange earnings and income generating potential, the government has to streamline infrastructure and visa procedures to tap the segment’s full potential, experts across the industry say.
“Travel and tourism is the second largest employer in India and the second largest revenue earner. It needs no introduction. The country is a continent in itself. But the government has to sort out the visa road blocks and infrastructure loopholes,” Iqbal Mulla, president of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), told IANS on the sidelines of a South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) business forum.
Mulla said: “India gets the second highest tourist traffic from the UK but the new Indian visa regulations stipulate that a visitor from UK cannot return to India within two months of visiting the country”.
“You need easier visa policy so that foreign tourists can stay longer or return on repeat trips. India cannot be seen in a week’s time,” Mulla said. He said TAAI has taken it up with the tourism and civil aviation ministries.
Like other countries in the west, India too must introduce visa on arrival, Harkripal Singh, chief representative of the TAAI said.
“Security threats are all make-belief. People can stand in queues in airports at metros for their visa,” Singh said.
Pointing to a mismatch between inbound and outbound tourism arising from visa controls and poor infrastructure, Mulla said “outbound tourism was growing by 25 per cent and all tourism boards were buying from India”.
The outbound tourism figure from India is expected to touch 50 million by 2020, estimates by leading South Asian tourism monitors say.
“We are losing foreign exchange because of this huge mismatch between footfalls and growth rate in inbound (nearly 6.28 million foreign arrivals last year) and outbound tourism. Issues like multiple taxes and entertainment licenses are slowing down growth of inbound tourism…if you want to host a dinner at a five star property for a group of foreign tourists, the tour operator has to acquire at least 54 licenses,” Mulla explained.
India should do much more to attract foreign tourists to the country, Timmy S. Kandhari, executive director of leader, hospitality and leisure of PricewaterhouseCoopers, said.
“India gets only 6 million tourists while Istanbul alone gets 13 to 15 million tourists. India lacks infrastructure and rooms. We currently have 120,000 rooms and are short of 150,000 rooms. Land acquisition for new properties is a major problem as well as connectivity to smaller cities,” Kandhari told IANS.
The marketing strategy for India as a destination should also shift from a heritage-culture oriented packages to more experiential itineraries. “Today’s traveller likes to eat, experience and shop,” Rajeev Kohli, joint managing director of Creative Travel Pvt Ltd, said.
The government needs to allocate more for tourism, Nawang Rogzin Jora, the tourism minister of Jammu and Kashmir said. “The ministry allocation of Rs.1,000 crore by the government is pathetic. This shows clearly that there is no appreciation for tourism,” Jora said at SATTE on Saturday.
“International tourist arrival in India is expected to grow with a CAGR of 7.9 per cent for a period spanning 2010-2015. Indian outbound departure is expected to reach 20.5 million by 2015,” Sanjeev Khaira, managing director of the exhibition firm UBM India, said.
UBM-India organised the South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE), a buyers-sellers’ forum, Feb 10-12 in the capital.
Addressing a session, “Tourism: A Driver of Indian Economy”, Khaire said “the strong support from the government on the tourism industry front through investments and the Incredible India campaign attracting more than 750 million in the hospitality and tourism sector were definitely signs of growth that need to be nurtured”.
A research note by the auditing and consulting firm Deloitte Touche observes that the sector is expected to generate around USD 42.8 billion (nearly Rs.1,897.7 billion) by 2017.
The ministry of tourism figures suggest that foreign tourist arrival (FTA) is expected to grow to 10 million by 2010-12 while volume of domestic tourism is expected to increase by 15 percent to 20 percent over the next five years.
Estimates say domestic tourism translates into 700 million footfall in destinations across the country.
Source: IANS
 
by anilrajput

EU Green Tax: Global Airlines Warn Of ‘Retaliatory Action’

‘Retaliatory Action’

With European Union facing global flak over imposition of a green tax on all aircraft flying in its skies, world airlines’ body IATA has warned European airlines of “retaliatory action” by non-EU nations if a global solution was not arrived at soo
EU Green Tax: Global Airlines Warn Of 'Retaliatory Action'

“Time is not on our side. Airlines from Europe may face some retaliatory action. And some non-European airlines may have to choose whether to obey the law of their land or that of Europe ?- two more unintended consequences which should convince all states that the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) is the way forward,” IATA chief Tony Tyler said.
He called for a global solution through the ICAO, a UN-body, to break the impasse on Europe’s plans to “unilaterally” include global aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EUETS).
India, Russia, the US, China and several other countries would meet in Moscow later this month to decide on whether to take retaliatory measures against the EU on its “unilateral” decision to impose carbon tax on air travel.
The EU imposed the tax from January, but about 30 countries, including India, Russia, China and the US, opposed the move, saying it was “inconsistent with the international legal regimes”.
In a speech to the European Aviation Club in Brussels yesterday, Tyler said the consequences of the “unilateral and extra-territorial approach go beyond market distortions to states seeing this as an attack on their sovereignty.”
“I am sensing a growing recognition that a global scheme developed through the ICAO would provide a superior solution both for managing aviation’s emissions and to resolving the political problems caused by extending the scheme beyond Europe’s borders,” the IATA Director General and CEO said, adding, “We will do all that we can to promote a pragmatic solution.”
Source: PTI