& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Far from formalities

Clinton revels in Indian holiday delight
JAIPUR. Mar 23: First tourist President Bill Clinton revelled In Indian holiday delights Thursday in this desert state of fairy-tale palaces, tiger reserves and elephant rides, reports AFP
In a bit of official business, Clinton began the day in the village of Nayla, where he heard inspiring stories of how rural women had surmounted crushing poverty and prejudice.
Hundreds of villagers turned out to cheer his motorcade as he arrived at Nayla. some 18 kilometres (11 miles) from Jaipur, the capital of the desert state of Rajasthan.
Clinton was garlanded with a chain of marigolds and white chrysanthemums, and showered with petals by women who sang folk songs as the men of the village beat drums.
Clinton is on a six-day tour of South Asia with his daughter Chelsea, who visited India with her mother Hillary Clinton In 1995 to discuss ways of empowering women in the developing world.
Staying in Nayla village for two hours, twice as long as planned. Clinton shunned tight security to shake hands with hundreds of people including policemen before leaving in his black limousine.
Clinton was then Joined by
Chelsea as he toured the 16th century Amber fort, some 10 kilometres from Jaipur.
Hundreds of reporters and cameramen had gathered outside the main gate of the fort, but were prevented from following the Clintons Inside for what the White House had Insisted should be a private visit.
Mahouts with brightly coloured turbans paraded more than a dozen elephants. I heir faces painted and sides cloaked with embroidered silk, outside the main gate as a tribute to the president.
“It’s nice to be around some friendly elephants." Joked the Democrat president, referring to the symbol of the Republican party.
Officials said Clinton had decided to forgo an elephant ride due to the security concerns that have plagued his visit. Clinton was forced to bypass planned visits to a village and a monument In Bangladesh Monday because of safety issues.
The Amber fort was refined and added to over several hundred years by three rulers, making it a unique blend of Rajput and Moghul architecture.
Inside, Clinton toured the Chamber of Mirrors, the Palace of Pleasure and the gracious courtyards with formal gardens
and an octagonal pool. An ancient fortress stands guard at the crest of the hill, where vast vaults still hide the treasures of Jaipur, according to local legend.
The highlight of the day came next as Clinton began a visit to the dense forests of Ranthambhore National Park, where Indians are working to protect tigers threatened by poaching and deforestation.
But a carefully-timed report from the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (E1A) blasted New Delhi for doing too little to protect Its big cats.
The report released in London on Wednesday said a huge haul of leopard skins as well as tiger and leopard bones had been found in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh in January but the Indian government had failed to acf.
Conservationists believe there were about 40.000 tigers in India at the start of the last century. Government estimates put today's figure at around 3,750.
The environment also figured in Clinton's first tourist day Wednesday, when he visited the Taj Mahal and launched initiatives to fight the pollution threatening the white marble walls of the tomb.