Matunga railway station is not the same since Sunday. Regular commuters will find that the foot over bridge on the southern end at the station has undergone a colourful and bright makeover.

If you are delighted, thank 47-year-old teacher Haresh Shah and his group of 30 volunteers. Shah’s Make A Difference (MAD) Foundation now plans to give the entire station a complete makeover.

It was in April this year that MAD approached Western Railway to adopt the station and it received the permission by September.

I have been running coaching classes for 20 years and several of my students are studying architecture. Together, we made a presentation for the makeover of the station and we started off was with the foot over bridge,” shares Shah.

While painting the bridge, they also started cleaning all the grime and muck, from October 10.

Shah informs after the initial painting, they decided to use bright red, yellow, blue and green for the stairs. On Sunday, they managed to complete the task giving the bland bridge a lively look.

“We used bright colours to create a positive mood at the station for those heading to work, college or returning home. Next, we plan to take up the ramp on the Borivli end. That too will be completely painted bright and the cement sheets on the sides will adorn butterflies, which will glow in the dark,” added Shah. The work is carried out using funds from donors.

As per the foundation’s plans, the area around the station’s booking windows on the Borivli end will also be painted and there will be murals depicting places of interests in Matunga.

“The murals will consist of iconic places like Ruparel College, Kashi Vishveshwar Temple, Sandesh Hotel and other places. At another location, we will put up vinyl, above the ramp, depicting seven Indian festivals – Navratri, Diwali, Eid, Christmas, Dahi Handi, Holi and Baishakhi,” said Shah.

While all this will give the station a new look, they will also concentrate on the basics like providing dustbins and even plantations between tracks and boundary wall, where currently garbage is dumped.

Members of the foundation informed that they plan to finish all these within a week as they plan to hold the inauguration ceremony by inviting Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Shailendra Kumar as well as some celebrities.

“I have been working with youngsters in the age group of 18 to 25 and it was my aim to use their enormous energy to bring about a change. Hence, I initiated this MAD Foundation and the entire work of Matunga station is being done by the youth. In fact, within two days, we have started getting a phenomenal response on social media as students and several other commuters are seen taking selfies and pictures on the bridge,” stated Shah.

Since the bridge was painted bright, littering and spitting have reduced, he said.

A railway official from WR stated: “Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has encouraged more people and foundations to adopt railway stations. The work at Matunga is eye-catching and we hope more people to get inspired to adopt stations and help us encourage commuters to keep the premises clean and beautiful.”

As the calendar steps into its twelfth year, the quest to find the flawless face leaps a notch higher. NDTV Good Times HUNT FOR THE KINGFISHER CALENDAR “SUPERMODEL” 2014, starts November 9, every Saturday and Sunday at 10pm. This dramatic battle promises to be bigger in principle and simpler in thought as we embark on a journey to discover that picture-perfect model that has the look, figure and attitude to compete with the rest of the supermodels on the calendar.

Giving the hardcore reality and screaming girls a miss, KFC 2014 promises to highlight the lives and personalities of ten extraordinary models over thirteen episodes. Every episode will have a competition for which industry stalwarts will groom the girls and judge them on the final outcome. So every episode is a contest in itself other than the final winning glory. There will be a gratification at the end of each episode resulting in the girl winning: a magazine cover, digital contract with a brand etc.

With unconventional photo-shoots and top celebrities as mentors, the pressure to win the coveted title is soaring high. So fasten your seat belts as we swim through the waves with Lisa Haydon to unveil the ultimate supermodel.

‘Muharram’ means ‘Forbidden’ in English. This is the first of the twelve months according to the Islamic lunar calendar. It also marks the beginning of the period of mourning for Shia Muslims, because it coincides with the incidents that led to the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD. Some Muslims fast during daylight hours on the 9th and 10th, or 10th and 11th days of the month. This year, it falls on Saturday, October 24, 2015.

Here is all you need to know about Muharram –

1. Battle of Karbala was fought between followers of Hazrat Husain ibn Ali and a grand army of Yazid, when Husain refused to pledge an oath of allegiance and recognise him as Caliph.

2. Husain and his 71 followers achieved martyrdom on the battlefield of Karbala, including his six-month-old son. Azadaari marks their martyrdom

3. The 10th day of Muharram is considered most sacred. It is referred as Ashura and on this day, Husain was killed.

4. The mourning rituals include self-flagellation, beating the chest, congregations and public processions. Tabarrukh is distributed after the congregation. It can be traditional food, cash or some other items.

5. Tazia, a mausoleum-like structure is set up in establishments and is later buried after the congregation symbolising the funeral of Imam Husain because he never received one.

The German government said on Wednesday that responsibility for the Holocaust lay with the Germans, after Israel’s prime minister sparked controversy before a visit to Berlin by saying a Muslim elder had convinced Adolf Hitler to exterminate Jews. “All Germans know the history of the murderous race mania of the Nazis that led to the break with civilisation that was the Holocaust,” Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said when asked about Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks.

“This is taught in German schools for good reason, it must never be forgotten. And I see no reason to change our view of history in any way. We know that responsibility for this crime against humanity is German and very much our own.” Hours before leaving for Berlin, Netanyahu referred in a speech to a series of attacks by Muslims against Jews in Palestine during the 1920s that he said were instigated by the then Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini. “Hitler didn’t want to exterminate the Jews at the time, he wanted to expel the Jews,” Netanyahu said in the speech. “And Haj Amin al-Husseini went to Hitler and said, ‘If you expel them, they’ll all come here.’

Following the decision by Delhi High Court in July 2015, Madras High Court has allowed condoms to be kept out of the medicine category and thus ruled that a maximum price for the same can’t be fixed under Drug Price Control Order (DPCO).

Decided by the first bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T S Sivagnanam, Madras High Court’s judgement favoured the petition filed by TTK Protective Devices Ltd, reported a leading daily.

In July, the Delhi High Court had cancelled orders of the National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority (NPPA) to mark condom under medicine category. NPPA’s orders were challenged by the condom manufacturers in the court.

Arguing that manufacturers make advanced versions of pleasure condoms which are different from basic/utility condoms, companies had reasoned that such a fixed price cap will have a negative impact on production and on measures of population control.

With an increasing number of cars taking over the Delhi roads and the deteriorating state of public transport, Delhiites could do with some change.

With this in mind, the Delhi Government is organising its first car-free day campaign ‘Ab Bus Karein’ on Thursday.

While it is a voluntary effort, the government has urged the people of Delhi to refrain from travelling between Red Fort and Bhagwan Dass Road in their personal cars and two-wheelers between 7 a.m. and 12 noon and rather use public transport. The government has announced that there will be more DTC buses and three-wheelers available along the stretch to ensure that commuters face no difficulty.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his colleagues in the cabinet and other legislators will take part in a cycle rally to encourage people to use public transport. ‘Ab Bus Karein’ campaign will be organised on the 22{+n}{+d}of every month on different and pre-decided stretches of roads. Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Muktesh Chander said the traffic police would create a special cycle lane along the route to facilitate the cycle rally.

The traffic police are expecting between 200 and 500 cycles as part of the rally. Senior officers said they are not too concerned about motorists encroaching the cycle lane as few vehicles are expected to be on the road at 7 a.m. when the cycle rally is planned. However, the traffic police personnel will step in if need be.

While the concept is gaining popularity in congested cities across the world, government agencies and organisations working in the field of mobility experimented with the concept first in Hyderabad and then in neighbouring Gurgaon, where car-free day is observed on some roads every Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the Delhi police announced Rs 25,000 reward to anyone who would provide audio or video evidence against corrupt policemen. The order was issued by police commissioner BS Bassi, after CM Arvind Kejriwal took a dig at Delhi police for being corrupt. The order would be applicable to other government servants as well for which the complainant would be given Rs 10,000 for every actionable clip sent to the Delhi Police’s anti-corruption helpline 9910641064.

Bassi was quoted saying: “I would quit if anyone can show that I am involved in corruption.” An officer also said: “We will analyse the footage sent and check its veracity after which the complainant would be called and awarded. If the complaint is against someone from a government department, the file would be forwarded to the anti-corruption branch.”