Fire on Tamil Nadu Express; 32 dead, several injured

Coach S-11 of the Chennai-bound Tamil Nadu Express caught fire early this morning, near Nellore in Andhra Pradesh; 32 people have died and 18 have been injured.

The injured have been taken to the Nellore civic hospital.

The fire has been doused and the coach has been detached from the rest of the train. No other coach was affected. But S-11 is so badly burnt that there is nothing but metal frames left inside it. Bodies are charred beyond recognition and identification will be difficult. The number of dead is an estimate - the toll could go up, say authorities.

Post-mortem on the bodies recovered will be held at the Nellore station today. A special train has left Chennai for the relatives of victims and those injured. It is expected to reach Nellore by 1 pm.

The fire started due to a short circuit near a toilet of the coach at about 4:28 am. The coach, that seats 72, was full. There were 17 people in the coach from Delhi, 11 from Bhopal, 11 from Warangal and 28 from Vijayawada.

Twenty six passengers were rescued from the coach which was completely gutted, Nellore District Collector B Sridhar said.

"The fire spread fast and the passengers could not come out through one of the doors because of the fire. So the other edge of the coach was to be used. Some people could come out and others succumbed to death," the Collector said.

Early reports said the doors of the coach were jammed and so many people could not escape as the fire spread. Some were asphyxiated, fell unconscious and were burnt to death. Among those who did was a mother who in death still clutched her little baby.

"There was a short circuit near the toilet and the train was moving at a speed of 110 km per hour. It was going to Chennai from Delhi. All the passengers were asleep when the fire broke out. People were not able to come out immediately," Mr Sridhar said.

In the morning, an alert deputy station master spotted the fire as the train passed Nellore station; it did not have a halt there. The train was stopped and passengers were evacuated immediately.

Railway Minister Mukul Roy has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs. five lakh each to next of kin of deceased.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has expressed shock and anguish at the fire accident. Mr Reddy has left for Nellore and is expected to reach by 1.30 pm to take stock of the situation.

Helpline numbers:

Secunderabad: 040-27786723, 27700868; Vijayawada: 0866-2345863, 2345864 and Nellore: 0861-2331477, 2576924; New Delhi: 011-23342954, 23341072, 23341074; Hazrat Nizamuddin: 011-24359748

Demand grows for Rajesh Khanna DVDs

Superstar Rajesh Khanna's death has renewed interest in his films. DVD wholesalers and retailers say since the actor's demise last week, there's noticeable rise in the sales and rentals of his films across the NCR. Movies such as Aradhana, Amar Prem, Anand and Bawarchi are most in demand.

Pradeep Kumar from Movie Mart's corporate office in Greater Kailash I, says that on an average 10-12 customers ask for Khanna's films every month. "But since last week over 50 customers have enquired about his movies," he said.

Musicland, a DVD rental store in Noida with outlets across Delhi, also maintains that more customers are asking for Rajesh Khanna films since his death due to cancer. "We are stocking up," says cashier Ganesh.

Lalit Sharma, his colleague from the Saket outlet, says as against the earlier demand of "1-2 films in 15 days", at least 5-6 customers every day have been asking about Khanna's films. Which is why the store has kept at least five pieces of his most popular films such as Aradhana, Amar Prem, Bawarchi, Anand and Khamoshi.

Shemaroo Entertainment's director, Hiren Gada, says, "We have seen renewed interest in the films and songs of Rajesh Khanna after his death. There's a 50% increase in enquiries from distributors and retailers. We are working on how to meet the demand and display of his films and songs. The idea is that his huge fan base should not be disappointed."

Dara Singh passes away

Wrestler-turned-actor Dara Singh, who was battling for life since the last five days, passed away early this morning.

84-year-old Singh was taken home from hospital by family members last night so that he could be with them in the last moments of his life.

"He passed away at 7.30 AM peacefully," Dr Ram Narain, COO, Kokilaben Hospital, told PTI.

Singh was brought to the hospital on July 7 after he had suffered a cardiac arrest and since then he was in the ICU.

A wrestling hero to some and a much loved cine artist to others, it was a long and eventful life that triumphed many odds. In his over five-decade long acting journey, he featured in over 140 films, including classics such as "Anand" and "Mera Naam Joker".

It was a many splendoured life.

There was Dara Singh the wrestler, Dara Singh, the hero of 'B' category action films such as "Tarzan Comes to Delhi" and "Samson" in the 1950s and 1960s, Dara Singh, the friendly 'pehelwan' in "Anand", and then Dara Singh who played Hanuman with great effect in the TV blockbusters "Ramayan" and "Mahabharat".

He was last seen in the Kareena Kapoor-Shahid Kapoor starrer "Jab We Met" as the stern, lovable 'Daarji' who ruled over a noisy, close-knit Sikh family. Quite like the real life man, who intimidated people with his 6' 2" frame but soon won them over with outgoing nature and warmth.

Born to Balwant Kaur and Surat Singh Randhawa Nov 19, 1928 in a village in Amritsar, Punjab, Dara Singh was encouraged to take up wrestling due to his imposing physique and trained in 'pehelwani', an Indian style of wrestling. He became a star wrestler - and not just on Indian turf.

Dara Singh took on international wrestlers like Lou Thesz and Stanislaus Zbyszko, and had over 500 professional fights to his credit - all undefeated.

He won the Professional Indian Wrestling Championship in 1953, and took away the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship trophy in 1959 by defeating Canadian champion George Godianko.

A recipient of titles like Rustam-E-Punjab (1966) and Rustam-E-Hind (1978), Dara Singh retired from active wrestling in 1983. In 1989, he published his autobiography "Meri Atmakatha" in Punjabi, and seven years later was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.

And while he was wrestling, he was making a name in cinema - both Hindi and Punjabi.

His first release was the 1952 "Sangdil" and then came a succession of films like "King Kong", "Faulad", "Sher-e-Watan" that earned him the name of Bollywood's action king.

During his hey day as a hero, he teamed up with Mumtaz in 16 Hindi films, including "Jawan Mard", "Raaka", "Aandhi Aur Toofan", "Daku Mangal Singh", "Boxer" and "Veer Bhimsen".

Another successful phase in Dara Singh's acting career came when he bagged the role of Hanuman in Ramanand Sagar's epochal TV series "Ramayan" in 1986. People liked him so much that B.R. Chopra roped him in to play the same role in "Mahabharat".

Dara Singh gave viewers a glimpse of his humorous side through shows like "Hadd Kar Di" and "Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka".
He became a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from August 2003 to August 2009.

Dara Singh also took on the role of a writer, director and producer. In 1978, he launched Dara Studio, a self-contained mini-city with all facilities within the compound, in Punjab's Mohali district.

Dara Singh, who was widowed and got married for the second time, leaves behind his wife, six children - three sons and three daughters. And legions of fans of a man who defined machismo.