Kamal Haasan & Gautami

In a development that is bound to shock their many fans, actress Gautami Tadimalla confirmed that she has separated from her partner, superstar Kamal Haasan, ending their relationship of 13 years.

The TOI and IBT reports stated that Gautami put up a post titled "Life and Decisions" in which she shared the reasons for her separation from Kamal Haasan.

"It is heartbreaking for me to have to say today that Mr Haasan and I are no longer together. After almost 13 years together, it has been one of the most devastating decisions that I have ever had to make in my life. It is never easy for anyone in a committed relationship to realise that their paths have irreversibly diverged and that the only choices in front of them are to either compromise with their dreams for life or to accept the truth of their solitude and move ahead. It has taken me a very long time, a couple of years at the very least, to accept this heartbreaking truth and come to this decision," Gautami wrote in her blog post.

Gautami said that she seeking neither sympathy nor assigning blame, in going public about the end of her relationship.

"I have understood through my life that change is inevitable and human nature will define that change for each individual. Not all of these changes might be what we expect or anticipate but that does not, in any way, negate the very real impact of these diverging priorities in a relationship. This decision to set forth on my own at this stage in my life is perhaps one of the most difficult decisions any woman will ever have to make but it is a necessary one for me. For I am a mother first and foremost and I have a responsibility to my child to be the best mother that I can be. And to do that, it is essential that I am at peace within myself," she wrote.

Gautami also alluded to how her relationship with Kamal Haasan started, back in 2005. The star had just divorced his second wife Sarika at the time.

"It is no secret that I have always been a fan of Mr Haasan's since before I came to the film industry and I continue to admire and cheer on his monumental talent and achievements. I have stood by him through all his challenges and they have been precious moments for me. I have also learned a great deal from working with him as costume designer on his films and I'm proud that I was able to do justice to his creative vision in those films. Along with all of his accomplishments to date, I know that there is much more to come from him for his audience and I look forward to applauding those successes," Gautami said.

She added: "I would like to say that I am sharing this monumental happening in my life because I have always lived my life in your midst, with dignity and grace to the best of my ability at all times, and all of you have been a part of my life's journey in so many ways. I have received so much of love and support from you through the past 29 years and I would like to thank you for the many ways in which you kept me going through the darkest and most painful times in my life."

Recently, Gautami was in the news when reports emerged of an argument between her and Kamal Haasan's daughter Shruti on the sets of Sabaash Naidu. The comedy, being simultaneously made in three languages, features Kamal and Shruti, while Gautami was in charge of the styling. Shruti and Gautami apparently didn't agree on the 'look' the latter had come up with. Shruti's spokesperson issued a statement denying any disagreement had taken place.

An industry source had commented on Shruti's relationship with Gautami at the time: "Shruti and Gautami have always shared a good equation. Shruti and her dad share a very lovely and open relationship thanks to which Shruti has been very welcoming of Gautami into their little family. Gautami was present in Chennai for Shruti's birthday bash as well and their comfortable chemistry was there for all to see."

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Five things you didn't know about India's Independence Day

Indian independence on August 15, 1947, freed a fifth of the world’s population from colonial rule and heralded the end of imperialism.  While reams have been written about the day, here are five things that you might not have known about the event.

1. The date of independence was chosen to satisfy Mountbatten’s vanity

What is often forgotten in the nationalistic histories of the day is just how chaotic independence was. After 200 years of holding on to India any way they could, the British, wrecked by World War II, wanted to get out as fast as possible. Important decisions – such as the exact date of transfer of power – were chosen using less than ideal methods. When the last British Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, was asked why he chose August 15 as the day to hand over power to Indians, this was his reply:

“The date I chose came out of the blue. I chose it in reply to a question. I was determined to show I was the master of the whole event. When they asked: had I set a date, I knew it had to be soon. I hadn’t worked it out exactly then – I thought it had to be about August or September and then I went to the 15th of August. Why? Because it was the second anniversary of Japan’s surrender.”

August 15, 1945, was when Japan surrendered after it was pulverised by two nuclear bombs. The date had a personal appeal for Mountbatten as he had been Supreme Allied Commander of South-East Asia Command and had accepted the Japanese surrender himself in Singapore.

South Korea – at the time colonised by Japan – also celebrates this day as their Independence Day. In an improbable coincidence, both countries reference the same event: Japan’s surrender.

Of course, the fact that Independence Day for one-fifth of humanity was chosen to flatter the vanity of our erstwhile Viceroy should give you a small indication as to why things went so wrong.

2. August 15 was Independence Day but Partition actually took place two days later

It was well known that the Punjab was a tinderbox and splitting it would almost certainly exacerbate the situation. One way to keep things under control was to announce Partition before Independence, thus giving advance warning in case anyone wanted to migrate. Thus, we have Evan Jenkins, the Governor of the Punjab writing frantic letters to Mountbatten to have the Boundary Award published before August 15.

Given this urgency, Sir Cyril Radcliffe, working in record time, actually had the boundary ready by August 9. Shockingly, Mountbatten refused to publish the award till August 17. On the morning of August 15, while Punjabis had ceased being subjects of the Raj, surreally, they did not know whether they were citizens of India or Pakistan.

The reason for this delay was to make sure that the British did not have to bear any responsibility for the Punjab holocaust, since now the killings would take place after the Raj had ceased to exist. In a report to the Secretary of State for India on 16 August, Mountbatten writes:

“…it had been obvious all along that the later we postponed publication [of the Punjab boundary award], the less would be the inevitable odium react upon the British”.

As expected, this criminal delay played its part in greatly increasing the panic in the Punjab, especially since any minority population transfers would now need take place under “hostile” governments rather than under the Raj, which was seen to be largely neutral. Thus, when the boundaries were finally announced, the Punjab simply exploded into violence. The raula that followed was unprecedented and saw both halves of the province empty themselves of their minorities.

3. Pakistan changed its Independence Day to August 14

Even though Pakistan observes its Independence Day on August 14, technically, the day it achieved freedom is the same as India. The Independence of India Act is quite clear when its states that “as from the fifteenth day of August, nineteen hundred and forty-seven, two independent Dominions shall be set up in India, to be known respectively as India and Pakistan”. In fact, the first postage stamps that Pakistan printed have on them “15 August 1947” as the date of independence.

In Pakistan, however, this date was changed to August 14 in 1948. Some think this was because Mountbatten delivered the King’s message of independence in Karachi on August 14, 1947. Others postulate that it was because August 14, 1948, was extremely holy in Islam (it was the 27th day of Ramzan). Or maybe, Pakistan just wanted to be a day ahead of India.

Whatever the reason, it lead to an incongruous situation where twins ended up with different birth dates.

4. India didn’t achieve purna swaraj till 1950

In the Congress’ iconography, its Purna  Swaraj resolution of 1930 occupies a special place. It was the first time the party had declared complete independence as its goal, moving on from dominion status.

Therefore, it is somewhat ironic that when India eventually acquired freedom on August 15, 1947, it actually became a dominion: a constitutional monarchy with King George VI (styled the “King of India”) as its head of state in much the same mould as Australia or Canada today.

Unlike those two countries, though, India abolished the monarchy, becoming a republic on January 26, 1950. Pakistan remained a dominion right till 1956. Consequently, in 1953 when Elizabeth II was sworn in, one of her titles was "Queen of Pakistan.

5. Independence Day, inexplicably, saw an outpouring of affection for our departing colonisers

Massive crowds thronged Delhi on August 15 for the ceremonies relating to the transfer of power. The people hailed Gandhi and Nehru, as would be expected, but also, puzzlingly, cheered on Mountbatten as well. This was described by the Indian Army’s journal, Fauji Akhbar, in its account of the day’s events:

“On both occasions the Governor-General, when he drove in his State coach, was acclaimed as no other Governor-General of India within living memory has been greeted. Cries of ‘Mountbatten Zindabad’ and ‘Lord Sahib Zindabad’ were heard.”

The day’s programme originally included a ceremonial lowering of the Union Jack. On a request from Mountbatten, however, Nehru agreed to skip this since it could “offended British sensibilities”.

Overwhelmed by this reception, Mountbatten writes, “The 15th of August has certainly turned out to be the most remarkable and inspiring day of my life.”

As the cherry on the cake, British troops departing for the UK were given a very warm send off in Mumbai as well. Mountbatten estimates that there were “several hundreds of thousands” in reception with chants of "England Zindabad" and "Jai England" for, what was till the previous day, a colonial army of occupation.

• 01) National flag was hoisted for the first on August 7, 1906 at the Parsee Bagan Square in Calcutta. The flag was composed of horizontal strips of red, yellow and green. The red strip at the top had eight white lotuses embossed on it in a row. The green strip had a white sun on the left and a white crescent and star on the right.
• 02) It is said that the first version of the current national flag was made by Pingali Venkayya at Bezwada in 1921. It was made up of two colours-red and green-representing the two major communities. Gandhiji suggested the addition of a white strip to represent the remaining communities of India and the spinning wheel to symbolize progress of the Nation.
• 03) Mountbatten chose the day of August 15 as the day to hand over power to Indians because it was the second anniversary of Japan’s surrender. The date had a personal appeal for Mountbatten as he had been Supreme Allied Commander of South-East Asia Command and had accepted the Japanese surrender himself in Singapore.
• 04) South Korea, Bahrain and Republic of the Congo also share their independence day with India.
• 06) The day’s programme originally included a ceremonial lowering of the Union Jack. As the cherry on the cake, British troops departing for the UK were given a very warm send off in Mumbai as well. According to estimates there were “several hundreds of thousands” in reception with chants of “England Zindabad” and “Jai England” for, what was till the previous day, a colonial army of occupation.
• 07) The Bengali invocation of Jana Gana Mana was originally written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1911 but it was not considered as our national anthem until 1950.
• 08) When India attained freedom on August 15, 1947, Mahatma Gandhi was in Calcutta. When the rest of the country was celebrating the spirit of independence, Mahatma Gandhi dedicated his day to prayers, fasting and protesting against communal hatred.
• 09) Interestingly, Gandhiji wanted the Congress to be disbanded immediately after the independence. Hence, he drafted a resolution saying “India having attained political independence through means devised by the INC, the Congress in its present shape and form, i.e., as a propaganda vehicle and parliamentary machine had outlived its use.

Putin Create New National Guards

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the creation of a new National Guard, which he said would fight terrorism and organised crime.

The force will be formed of interior ministry troops and led by Mr Putin's former bodyguard, Viktor Zolotov, who will report directly to the president.

Mr Putin's spokesman said the force could be used to maintain public order.

But Dmitry Peskov denied its creation was linked to elections in September. Some critics say Mr Putin fears unrest.

Mr Putin made the announcement during a meeting with key security officials at the Kremlin. "The decisions have been taken, we are creating a new federal body of executive power," he said.

He also announced that Russia's drug control agency and federal migration service would become part of the interior ministry's remit.

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Why now?

The creation of a National Guard has been talked about for years. Mr Peskov said he "could not explain" the timing but denied it had anything to do with upcoming elections or any mistrust of other law-enforcement agencies.

But there are suggestions that President Putin is concerned about possible unrest in the run-up to parliamentary elections in September.

Liberal Yabloko party leader Emilia Slabunova said it was an "attempt by the authorities to protect themselves from protests" while independent military analyst Alexander Golts said Russian authorities were concerned by "colour revolutions" in neighbouring countries such as Ukraine and Georgia.

Who's in favour and who's against?

Pro-Kremlin officials have welcomed the change, but opposition figures and commentators fear a further strengthening of security structures.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said the new force would "enhance units' operational capability". The head of the State Duma's defence and anti-corruption committee, Irina Yarovaya, said it was "an absolutely timely, adequate and systemic answer to modern challenges and threats".

But Communist MP Vladimir Rodin said the reshuffle was "a dangerous path" and influential cultural figure Marat Gelman called it a "step towards a police state".

What happens next?

The National Guard looks set to become a powerful force. Its proposed powers include the right to shoot or use force without warning and enter private premises while on duty when there is a threat to the lives of civilians or National Guard personnel.

Some unconfirmed reports suggest it could number up to 400,000 people and havetanks, heavy artillery and attack helicopters. What is not clear is how the new force will work with the interior ministry and other security agencies.

Analysis by BBC Monitoring

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As commander-in-chief of the National Guard, Mr Zolotov has been given a seat on Russia's Security Council. This means he will report directly to President Putin, bypassing the interior minister.

Mr Putin warned in February that Russia's "foes abroad" were preparing to interfere with the 18 September election, and told the country's security services that such attempts must be thwarted.

Moscow has long accused the West of trying to influence Russian elections through encouraging mass protests - a claim denied by US and European officials.

Thousands of protestors took to the streets in Moscow and other cities after the 2011 parliamentary elections amid allegations of ballot-rigging and electoral fraud. Dozens of opposition figures were arrested and jailed.

Rise of Viktor Zolotov

Little is known about 62-year-old Viktor Zolotov. He tends to stay out of the media spotlight and usually refrains from making political statements. But most commentators agree that his appointment is the outcome of his close relationship and his loyalty to the Russian president.

Born into a working-class family, Mr Zolotov started his career as a locksmith at a car plant, later joining the KGB. He spent 20 years as a guard with the Soviet security agency.

In 1994, he became bodyguard for then St Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak and deputy mayor Vladimir Putin. That was when he apparently developed a close relationship with the future president, even becoming his judo sparring partner.

When Mr Putin was appointed prime minister in 1999, Mr Zolotov was made head of his security entourage. He held the post until 2013, when he was transferred to the interior ministry and put in charge of interior troops in 2014.

President Vladimir Putin has ordered that a National Guard be created in Russia under the auspices of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The guard will fight terrorism and organized crime.

“We have made a decision to create a new federal executive body within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, namely the National Guard," the president said Tuesday.

The National Guard "will be fighting terrorism, organized crime, all in close cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. They will also continue to perform the functions which are currently carried out by riot police units, SWAT, etc.,” he added.

The National Guard will be formed out of existing Interior Ministry troops.

“We thought about how to improve [the work of law enforcement] in all areas, including those related to fighting terrorism, to organized crime and illicit drug trafficking,” Putin said.

The statement came as Putin met Interior Minister Viktor Kolokoltsev, head of the Federal Drug Control Service Viktor Ivanov, and the commander of the interior troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Viktor Zolotov.

Viktor Zolotov, ex-commander of the Internal Troops and former head of the President's personal security service, has been appointed as the leader of the new structure, with orders to report directly to the president, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Tuesday.

He also drew attention to the fact that Zolotov “has grand experience in [the work of] special forces. This is a very good basis for managing a body such as the National Guard.”

The National Guard will not perform field investigation activities, but they will be involved in fighting terrorism within the country, he added.  It is not yet clear, however, whether these troops will be taking part in counter-terrorism operations abroad, according to the spokesman.

Peskov said that the National Guard will work to protect public safety and order along with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Peskov added that the changes in the structure of internal troops do not mean a loss of confidence in them, stressing that the move is aimed at improving their combat capabilities and increasing their effectiveness.

The creation of the new department will require improving the existing legal regulatory framework, as well as setting up ties with other agencies dealing with state security, especially the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, for coordination, he added.

No increase in staffing will be needed, according to Peskov. Moreover, “a combination of merging the Federal Drug Control Service and the Federal Migration Service with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the allocation of internal troops into the National Guard will optimize the entire structure,” he explained. 

Legislators welcome National Guard

State Duma representatives have welcomed the President’s decision. Michael Starshinov, head of the inter-factional group on the interaction of civil society with law enforcement and intelligence agencies, considers the creation of the National Guard the State’s response to the current challenges.

“I can only support the president's decision, because it corresponds with the logic of reforming the judicial system in general and the Ministry of Interior in particular. This step, of course, is also a response to modern challenges and threats, primarily from the international terrorism” Starshinov told reporters.

The deputy chairman of the Duma committee on security and corruption control, Andrey Lugovoy,  expressed his hope for positive changes from the creation of the new structure. “The fact that the internal forces will obtain new duties – fighting against organized crime and terrorism – I would expect that the effect of this will be positive,” Lugovoy said.

Franz Klintsevich, first Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, noted the National Guard will not have to answer to a long hierarchy of superiors, which will make decision-making easier and faster. “[The National Guard will] possess the maximum resources to fight terrorism, including the best forces from the Interior Ministry troops – the people, as they say, proven in combat. It will be endowed with ample powers laid down by federal law [and] will be able to make decisions quickly, without wasting time on all sorts of coordination.”

State Duma deputy from the party 'Spravedlivaya Rossiya' Tatyana Moskalkova also welcomed the news, predicting great improvement to the effectiveness of internal troops.

“The task of combating crime involves the use of specific tools, which are owned by internal troops. [Internal troops] use this special knowledge and special tools to deal with the most dangerous criminal manifestations, such as terrorism, hostage taking, hijacking and riots. The forming of the National Guard is a step toward strengthening the structure [of security forces] and finding new solutions to these security problems,” she said.