FirstUp: Ram temple opens to public, PM at Red Fort... Today's big stories

It’s Tuesday. And there are some mega events set to occur today. The Ram temple in Ayodhya, which witnessed its consecration ceremony on Monday, will be thrown open to devotees. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to attend the ‘Parakram Diwas’ celebrations at the Red Fort on Tuesday. After Florida governor Ron DeSantis dropped out of the 2024 race for the Republican nomination, Donald Trump and Nikki Haley are set to fight a one-on-one battle in the New Hampshire primary. And the nominations for the 96th Annual Academy Awards – better known as the Oscars – are set to be announced today. Let’s take a look at today’s big-ticket items: Ram temple opens to public Starting today, the general public can visit the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The authorities are expecting thousands of devotees to visit today – the day after the ‘Pran Pratishta’ ceremony – and lakhs upon lakhs of devotees to descend on the temple town immediately.

Visiting hours are from 7 am to 11.30 am and from 2 pm to 7 pm.

Doordarshan will conduct a LIVE broadcast of the aarti and opening  of the temple to the public. Modi on Monday said said Lord Ram will no longer live in a tent but will now reside in a magnificent temple. “Today, our Ram has arrived. After a long wait for ages, our Ram has arrived,” The prime minister said he could still feel the divine vibrations he experienced during the consecration ceremony inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram temple. “Our Ram Lalla will no longer live in a tent. Our Ram Lalla will stay in a magnificent temple,” Modi said. People will remember this date, this moment even after thousands of years from now, he said. “It is Ram’s supreme blessings that we are witnessing it,” Modi said. “I seek forgiveness from Lord Ram, there would have been some shortcomings in our penance that we could not complete this work for so long. That shortcoming has been overcome. I am confident Lord Ram would forgive us,” Modi concluded. PM Modi attends Parakram Diwas at Red Fort Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the ‘Parakram Diwas’ celebrations at the Red Fort to mark the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose. The celebrations, which will continue till 31 January, are being organised by the Archaeological Survey of India, National School of Drama, Sahitya Akademi, and the National Archives of India.

The events are slated to ‘delve into the profound legacy’ of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and the Azad Hind Fauj.

The PMO said this year’s programme will be a multifaceted celebration seamlessly weaving together historical reflections and vibrant cultural expressions. [caption id=“attachment_13630892” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the event in the evening. PTI[/caption] The prime minister’s office (PMO) said Modi will also launch ‘Bharat Parv’, which will be held between  23 and  31 January to showcase the country’s rich diversity with Republic Day tableaux and cultural exhibits featuring efforts of 26 ministries and departments, highlighting citizen centric initiatives, vocal for local, diverse tourist attractions, among others. It will take place at the Ram Leela Maidan and the Madhav Das Park in front of the Red Fort, the PMO said. Trump vs Haley in New Hampshire For the Republican Party, it all comes down to this. Can Nikki Haley knock off Donald Trump in New Hampshire? The odds seem against it – particularly with the former president leading his ex-ambassador to the United Nations by double digits. Even worse news for Haley is polls uniformly show that Ron DeSantis voters are far more likely to support Trump. In 2016, Republicans blamed a wide and fractured field for Trump’s nomination. [caption id=“attachment_13578652” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Nikki Haley is trailling Donald Trump in her home state of New Hampshire. AP[/caption] The thinking went that any ‘normal Republican’ could have beaten Trump in a mano-e-mano battle. Will Haley do it? Time will tell. 96th Academy Award nominations The Oscar nominations will be announced today. The ceremony will be hosted by Zazie Beetz of Deadpool 2 fame and Jack Quaid of Oppenheimer and The Boys. Will Oppenheimer continue its critical and cultural dominance?

 Will Barbie be nominated for Best Picture?

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Will the academy throw up any surprises? All will be revealed today. Jimmy Kimmel is set to host the Oscars this year. The gala will be broadcast live around the world from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on 10 March. On this day…. Bal Thackeray was born on 23 January, 1926. Thackeray began as cartoonist alongside RK Laxman in the Free Press Journal in the 1950s. He founded the Shiv Sena in 1966 on the plank of job security for the Marathi manoos (sons of the soil) which translated into attacks on South Indians whom he had blamed for taking away the opportunities from the locals. [caption id=“attachment_13644382” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Bal Thackeray began as cartoonist alongside RK Laxman in the Free Press Journal in the 1950s.[/caption] The party would later turn to Hindu nationalism. Known for his strong views and speaking his mind, Thackeray passed away of cardiac arrest in November 2012 at his residence Matoshree in Mumbai’s Bandra With inputs from agencies