A noble contribution is noble, since it comes straight from his heart. Similarly, Shreyas Shah, who has just passed his standard X has donated Rs 500. He says, ``I am deeply depressed by the death of so many soldiers. To express my gratitude, I am donating a small amount of Rs 500.'' We are moved by your gestures. Hope is there that the future citizens will honour the sacrifices of our brave men. Three Jais nThe city saw thousands of visitors on Thursday and Friday, thanks to the warkaris who are on the annual pilgrimage journey to Pandharpur.

Fluttering the saffron flags and singing kirtans and bhajans as they walk on foot for the odd 250 km, various organisations and individuals in Pune extended hospitality via food and shelter. Vikas Mathkari, BJP corporator of ward no 118 gave room and food to 400 warkaris at the Late V.B.Gogte School. He requested the warkaris to remember the brave soldiers fighting on the Kargil front, while on their spiritual journey. After the usual chanting of Vithoba, he urged them to follow up with `Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan and Jai Vigyan.' The response was overwhelming. Mathkari narrated the tales of Lt. Saurav Kalia, Capt Amit Verma and Major Vishwanathan, who sacrificed their lives. Many women had tears , he says. A blood donation, by the warkaris, on July 23, at Wakhari in Solapur district, is also on.

Tribute to Pamba
In India, the rivers are goddesses. Film maker Lygia Mathew has chosen this reverence as the subject of her documentary film, Light on the Water. The Oxford and Cambridge Alumnii of Pune held a screening of the film at the National Film Archive of India on Saturday. The 30-minute film traced the tradition of paying tribute to the river Pamba in Kerala. ``The traditionally long and elegantly-built snakeboats belonging to each village are put on the river and rowed in a race, with each boat requiring 125 oarsmen. What makes this celebration special is the fact that Kerala is a state that has undergone revolutionary change in the last 50 years.

Communism, migration due to unemployment and education should have wiped out old traditions such as the Boat Festival. But people tell you what it is that makes them unite and support these customs even at the end of the 20th century.'' The 35mm film was selected by the jury of the Indian Panorama for the International film festival of India 1999.

The Posts tough talk
The decrepit red postal vans are getting more attention these days. The reason _ the notice it still carries. Written all over the van is a message that seems simple. But, it is more like a warning to comply or else... It states that people in residential areas should provide the door number and street name, in commercial area, the shop number, street, locality name and city delivery code and in multi-storey buildings post boxes on the ground floor. The last date was May 31. From June 1, the postman will not bother to go out of his way to find out the address and the addressee will have to collect the mail from the Post Office. Gone are the days when the postman trudged all the way up, asking all and sundry for the address.