Ice Cream Fails to Break Akashvani Bhavan Standoff
In Short
Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi continued their symbolic protest inside Akashvani Bhavan premises, alleging loss of faith in the Election Commission, while the BJP countered the opposition’s claims on voter roll revisions and missing voters.
The standoff continues inside the Akashvani Bhavan premises, where Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka are sitting under a banyan tree, and the drama continues.
A large number of Congress workers came to Sansad Marg, and some even managed to enter the premises, but police struggled to push them out and put them on the waiting buses. Sitting on dharna in the hot weather requires lot of energy and Congress leaders brought some ice cream and eatables. Rahul and Priyanka, however, did not take them. A lot of water bottles for policemen have also been brought in.
It appears that they will be here now for more time. Someone from the Akashvani Bhavan sent a message to PCR saying that it was illegal entry. Rahul is waiting to be forcibly picked up. The opposition wants to convey the message that they have lost faith in the ECI. It is more of a symbolic protest.
As Congress activists raised Murdabad slogans, Rahul and Priyanka told them not to raise Murdabad slogans. But activists continued to raise slogans from inside the Akashvani Bhavan gate.
Meanwhile, the BJP tore into the Congress dharna, saying that the opposition alleges 13 crore voters had gone missing, but they need to explain if this includes the 2.8 crore voters who died and another 1 crore who are duplicates in it or not. They said it was Congress which wanted cleansing of votes, and when it is being done, they are opposing. He asked Congress to show one state where Rahul Gandhi camped at a stretch for 15 days for the campaign.
A Journey of Three Decades Time passes faster than we realise. What feels like a journey that began only yesterday has today grown into more than three decades of a meaningful and fulfilling life devoted to education, journalism, and the empowerment of young minds. My professional journey began with journalism training in New Delhi in 1979. I went on to work as an independent journalist, drawing on my fluency in both English and Telugu. Over the years, I have edited and worked on Telugu articles in both languages, an experience that strengthened my command of language and sharpened my understanding of society, people, and contemporary issues. Yet, my principal profession and enduring passion have always been teaching. My decision to become a teacher was not merely a career choice—it was a calling. Teaching offered me the rare privilege of inspiring young minds, guiding them through their formative years, and making a lasting difference in their lives. I found immense satisfaction in simplifying complex concepts, nurturing curiosity, encouraging independent thought, and building confidence among students. Every moment in the classroom—every question, every moment of discovery, and every spark of understanding—reminded me why I had chosen this path: to empower young people through knowledge, values, and essential life skills. My teaching career began at the grassroots level as a Montessori teacher and gradually progressed to the position of Vice Principal. I had the opportunity to work in reputed educational institutions, including Dilsukhnagar Public School in Hyderabad, where I shouldered both teaching and administrative responsibilities. Although I have always considered myself, at heart, a teacher, my administrative experience enabled me to understand and contribute to the education system from a much broader perspective. For my students, I have always tried to be an approachable and dependable presence—someone they could turn to not only for academic support, but also for guidance and emotional encouragement. At the same time, I developed a reputation as a firm disciplinarian who believed that integrity, fairness, responsibility, and discipline were fundamental to education. I was also consistently appreciated for maintaining clear communication with parents and staff and for ensuring that examinations and other academic processes were conducted with transparency, fairness, and efficiency. As my career progressed, however, I began to feel that academic education alone was not enough. This realization led me to work more closely with students following the SSC and CBSE curricula, while consciously bringing life-skills education into my teaching. I came to understand that education becomes truly meaningful when it prepares children not merely to pass examinations, but to face life. Teaching emotional resilience, self-reliance, social awareness, communication, decision-making, and other practical life skills often had a deeper and more lasting impact than academic achievement alone. I saw how these skills could help students navigate challenges with greater confidence, maturity, and responsibility. My academic background provided a strong foundation for this approach. My degree in Psychology from the University of Madras helped me develop a deeper understanding of young people's minds, their emotional needs, and the influence of their family and social environments. My M.A. in Telugu with First Class from Osmania University.
