Post a letter to ‘Phulera’

• Remember those evenings spent in Pradhan ji ka ghar, Sachivji ka kamra or Phulera mandir while binging on popcorn? The rustic drama centering the experience of a city-bred in a village is one of the most loved Hindi Web Shows. Kab tak chupoge Phulera ki aad me? Not only the dialogue went viral, netizens went crazy searching for Phulera. And here is the coordinate!
• The maiden season of Amazon Prime Video’s Panchayat was released about a week after the 2020 Covid lockdown gifting the house-arrest with an easy escape from the unprecedented turn of events. For many, what started as a mindless watch eventually topped the binge-watch lists of India.
• The first two seasons, which premiered in 2020 and 2022 respectively, resonated deeply with audiences because the life of hinterland has been captured in the most raw and real way in this series.
• Phulera village had been the epicenter of the entire plot. Where is this village located? Is Phulera for real? Finally, Madhya Pradesh Tourism have shared details that TVF and Amazon’s series was shot in a village named Mahodiya in Sehore District of Madhya Pradesh.
• Slight reveal of behind the scene of the shoot location seems to amp the excitement. While shooting, the crew used one of the schools in the village to have lunch and the entire production team of workers came from Bhopal.
• The by lane children in the village greet you with amiable pride, one of the most hit web series was shot in their very own village. While few say candidly, ‘Pani ki kami hain.’
• Mahodiya is a well-known treasure trove of natural beauty, wildlife, history, and heritage. However, owing to the popularity of Panchayat series, the village is a well-loved mass destination.
• Jeetendra Kumar expressed that R.K.Narayan’s Malgudi days had been a great source of inspiration for the show.

Hit Cast and Crew

• Best known for his role in ‘The Kota Factory’ Jeetendra Kumar went on to carve a spectacular niche for himself with three seasons in his kitty.
• While essaying the role as the secretary to the Village Panchayat, Jeetendra Kumar might have been slightly apprehensive with the audience pull but to the surprise of the team, Panchayat today has rural, urban as well as international viewers.
• An IIT alumnus, Jeetendra always harbored love for acting. It was a chance meeting with Biswapati Sarkar, the creative director and writer at TVF, which landed him his first project, 'Munna Jazbati: The Q-tiya Intern' in 2013. It was followed by the super hit series 'Kota Factory', where he played a teacher at an engineering coaching center turning him to the digital superstar. And the entire season of Panchayat only reinforced the genuineness of the title. Over the last four years, he has also forayed into films, the most mainstream one being 'Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan,’ 'Chaman Bahar' and 'Dry Day' (2023) was released.
• Whether the hindi cinema veteran, Neena Gupta or Jeetendra Kumar whose popularity rocketed with Panchayat expressed that they shot in the unbearable heat when even the locals would stay indoors.

Madhya Pradesh Tourism

• Madhya Pradesh is considered to be the heart of ‘Incredible India’ and the tourism department had undertaken unique initiatives to promote the hinterland.
• Catering to needs of the short haul visits connecting to the primary tourist destination ‘Aas Paas Tourism’ invited travelers from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
• This state had always focused on exploring rural tourism and worked towards uplifting their rural destinations.

Editor’s Note

• When is the season 4 releasing? Though there is no official announcement regarding the release date. But if we go by the trend of the previous seasons, Panchayat-fans might expect season 4 to hit Amazon Prime after a hiatus of two years in mid-2026.

Keywords

• #panchayatseason #amazonseries #jeetendrakumarCatering

NDA goes through changes

• Indian politics witnessed weighty changes in 2024.On 7th June 2024, Narendra Modi confirmed the support of 293 MPs to Droupadi Murmu, the President of India. This marked Modi’s third term as Prime Minister and his first-time heading NDA-led coalition government with the Telugu Desam Party of Andhra Pradesh and Janata Dal (United) of Bihar emerging as two primary alliances.
• A noticeable step taken by the Directorate of Estates (DoE) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) surely makes up for a sweeping swap!
• DoE served a notice to few of the former Union Ministers in Indian Politics to vacate their official accommodation in Delhi’s Lutyens’ by 10 July as requests for accommodation pour in from newly appointed ministers.
• All Union ministers and ministers of state (MoS) in Indian politics are entitled to a ‘Type VIII’ bungalow in Delhi’s Lutyens’. Former ministers have to vacate such an accommodation when they lose their ministerial berth, according to the DoE rules.
• NDA-led coalition government have removed thirty-seven formers ministers in from Narendra Modi’s Union Council of Ministers. Indian politics stands synonymous to shifting gears.
• Significant leaders in Indian politics namely Smriti Irani, Arjun Munda, R.K Singh, Niranjan Jyoti, Sanjeev Balyan, and Rajeev Chandrashekhar, lost in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. Others, such as Anurag Thakur, Narayan Rane, and Parshottam Rupala, won but did not get a ministerial berth this time. Some, such as Meenakshi Lekhi, did not get a ticket to contest the polls as the BJP replaced them with new faces. When the nation asks what is politics, well this is the face of real Indian Politics.
• The DoE notice will be followed by a show cause notice eventually leading to an eviction notice.
• Indian politics is often referred as the dance of democracy! While few ministers might still be showing unwillingness to vacate, there are others who have been upfront in changing their designated accommodation.
• Former Education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, who was served with an eviction notice by the Directorate of Estates recently, has also conveyed that he would be vacating the 27, Safdarjung Road bungalow.

Lutyens-Landmark in Indian Politics

• Spread across an area of 23.60sqkm, The Lutyens Bungalow Zone is home to the luminaries of Indian Politics as well as high-net-worth individuals with about 3000 government-owned bungalows.
• Serving NDA Union ministers were eligible for accommodation as allotted by the DoE. House committees of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats are the competent authorities to allot accommodation to MPs.
• Members are entitled to a licence-fee free flat or hostel accommodation throughout their term of office.
• Members are entitled to water supply without payment of charges up to 4000 kl per annum. They are eligible for electricity up to 50,000 units (25,000 units measure on light meter and 25,000 units on power meter or pooled together) per annum beginning from January 1 every year.
• Other facilities include- washing of sofa covers and curtains every three months. Furniture within the monetary ceiling of Rs 60,000 in respect of durable furniture.
• They are also allowed for a 25 per cent remission in the rent on account of any improvement or addition made to it or any additional service provided thereto by way of furniture, electrical equipment and other services.

Editor’s Note

• Around 50 former union ministers and MPs from the last Lok Sabha have been sent notice by DoE to vacate their official accommodation. Home is always closest to ones heart and when it is in the poshest locality of the capital and earned through valid eligibility, the address caries a myriad of meaning for the resident. Apparently it is just might be a regular governmental procedure but delving deep, slight feeling uprootedness might haunt souls of Indian politics.

Keywords

• #indianpolitics #nda #lutyensdelhi