Bihar family waits for Aamir Khan to tell its 'Mountain Man's' story

February 24, 2014

Aamir_KhanGahlaur, Feb 24: Bhagirath Manjhi and Basanti Devi, son and daughter-in-law of a man who single-handedly carved out a road by cutting through a hill in Bihar, are living in abject poverty. They now hope actor Aamir Khan, who visited their village for his TV show 'Satyamev Jayate', will tell the world the real story of their lives.

Both Bhagirath and Basanti are disabled and live in penury at Dasrathnagar Dalit tola near Gahlaur in Gaya district, about 100 km from state capital Patna.

"I heard that a hero is coming to our village soon. We will tell him the real story of our lives full of misery," Bhagirath said in Magahi, a local dialect, in reference to Aamir Khan's proposed visit to see the road and meet the villagers.

Dasrath Manjhi had single-handedly carved out a 360 feet long, 30 feet high and 30 feet wide passage by cutting through a hill near Gahlaur with a hammer and chisel, working day and night. He died in 2007 after a battle with cancer.

The hill was between Attari and Wazirgunj blocks in Gaya district. Thanks to Manjhi, the village blocks have been brought closer. Manjhi began his uphill work when his wife was injured and he had to go around the mountains to reach the nearest hospital.

Basanti, who said she was proud to be the daughter-in-law of Dasrath - popularly known as "Mountain Man" - said she will request Aamir Khan to telecast their real story to the world.

"We have been left in the lurch, ignored by politicians and officials despite repeated assurances to help us," she said.

"We have been neglected by the state government and the district administration. No one has helped us to ensure a better life for us."

What pains her is that she and her husband beg for money for an annual ritual in memory of Dasrath.

Bhagirath and Basanti work in the village primary school as cooks for preparing the mid-day meal for children. Both of them are paid Rs.1,000 a month.

Aamir Khan reportedly said he will visit Dasrathnagar to dedicate this season's first episode of 'Satyamev Jayate' to Dasrath Manjhi. The episode, set for telecast March 2, will be dedicated to a man who made the impossible possible with his hard work and dedication.

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News Network
March 25,2020

New Delhi, Mar 25: Actor Priyanka Chopra on Tuesday night through an Instagram Live conversation put forward questions about coronavirus to World Health Organisation (WHO) experts and busted some myths about the global pandemic.

WHO General-Director Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's Technical Lead, were part of the live conversation which Priyanka shared on her Instagram. More than 45,000 fans participated in the session.

"There is so much information circulating about Covid-19. And right now we're all searching for clarity. My friends at @WHO and @glblctzn graciously brought the doctors working on the front lines here to give us answers straight from the experts. Please take some time to watch my IG Live with Dr. Tedros (General-Director at W.H.O.) and Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove (Technical Lead for Covid-19) from @WHO, who answered some questions that so many of you sent in," Chopra captioned the post.
Bollywood's 'Desi' girl also asked her fans to spread awareness about the disease and tag their friends and family in the post who are looking for answers and action steps.
PC even posted few questions submitted by the general populace and answers to the same on her Instagram story. The first question came from her husband, Nick Jonas, who also joined in on the conversation.

One of the questions was about the latest 21 day lockdown in India. Priyanka and Nick have been in self-isolation for weeks now.

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News Network
April 21,2020

Mumbai, Apr 21: While the whole country continues to struggle against the COVID-19 crisis, filmmaker Rohit Shetty's name has been added to the list of renowned personalities who have come forward to give the frontline workers a boost to help them in their battle against the deadly infection.

Rohit Shetty has facilitated eight hotels across the city for the on-duty corona warriors to rest, shower and change with arrangements for breakfast and dinner. The Mumbai Police thanked Shetty for this kind gesture in keeping Mumbai safe and tweeted," #RohitShetty has facilitated eight hotels across the city for our on-duty #CovidWarriors to rest, shower & change with arrangements for breakfast & dinner. We thank him for this kind gesture and for helping us in #TakingOnCorona and keeping Mumbai safe."

Meanwhile, scores of celebrities have stepped forward in the fight against coronavirus by supporting different initiatives to help the ones going through the difficult situation due to coronavirus outbreak.

India's count of positive coronavirus cases reached 18,985 after 1,329 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Tuesday.
Out of the total cases, 15,122 are active cases, 3,259 have been cured and discharged and one has migrated. With 44 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the toll stands at 603.

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May 2,2020

Washington, May 2: American singer Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber have teamed up to help others in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grande and Bieber announced on Friday(local time) that they are working on a song, 'Stuck With U,' which will drop next week with all proceeds slated to go to coronavirus relief.

The 26-year-old songstress Ariana tweeted on Friday, "Stuck with u by me and @justinbieber out May 8th. head to my Instagram for more info. thank u to @1strcf and @sb_projects for making this possible."

Grande also announced the news on Instagram, and wrote, "Grateful to announce that my friend and i have partnered with @1strcf and @sb_projects on this release. proceeds from the streams and sales of #stuckwithu will be donated to first responders children's foundation to fund grants and scholarships for children of healthcare workers, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics, police officers and firefighters serving at the front lines during the global pandemic."

The 26-year-old pop-star Bieber, also added in a statement, "More than ever we are seeing the selfless, tireless and amazing work that doctors, nurses and healthcare providers give to the world every day. It is our hope we can lend our voices to raise awareness and give much-needed support for them and their families. It's my honour to come together with my friend Ariana and our SB Projects family to try and do some good."

The two music superstars have also independently been helping people in need. According to sources to Page Six, Grande, who has been communicating her longing to make music during the quarantine, has sent fans between 500 and 1,000 USD using the Venmo app.

One of the Ariana fans told Page Six that the 'Senorita' singer "took care of my salary for the month." She has helped more than 20 fans, said the outlet.

The '7 rings' singer also joined the Disney family singalong in April and sang 'I Won't Say I'm In Love' the animated film 'Hercules.'

Back in February, Bieber cantered his efforts on China, saying at the time that he "couldn't imagine how scary it would be if a new disease was effecting my wife and my family and friends."

The 'Yummy' singer said he made a donation to the country and urged his followers to join in on the conversation.

Bieber also accepted the #AllInChallenge to raise money for COVID relief. The singer said he will fly to your house for a private concert and sing 'One Less Lonely Girl.'

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