Mumbai: A unique sight was seen on the streets of Mumbai on Sunday morning when hundreds of people rode bicycles and united against drug abuse. Organised by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai and Greater Mumbai Police, the cyclothon gave the message of spreading awareness against drugs.

The “Drugs Free India” campaign started from Bandra Reclamation Bus Station and ended at Juhu Beach.

Big personalities gathered to flag off the cyclothon at 7 am. Naval Bajaj (ADG, ATS), Sharda Nikam (IG, ANTF), Amit Ghavate (Additional Director, NCB Mumbai), Navnath Dhawale (DCP, ANC) and Dr. Deepshikha Birla (Senior Superintendent of India Post) flagged off in the presence of Mumbai North Division and personnel from Narcotics Control Bureau, Mumbai Unit and Anti Narcotics Cell, Mumbai Police.

People of all ages participated in this cyclothon organized by Loha Foundation. From youth to the elderly, everyone raised their voice against drug abuse by riding bicycles. The route was specially chosen keeping in mind traffic and safety, so that the participants do not face any inconvenience.

The walk from Bandra to Juhu was not only good for health but also gave a social message.

The event concluded at Juhu Beach, where common citizens and officials shared their views. Participants said that such events remind us that drug addiction not only ruins the life of one person, but also the entire society. We all have to come together to stop it.

This effort of NCB highlighted the dangers of drug abuse and promoted a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. Officials said that this cyclothon is just a beginning; there will be more such events in the future, which will help in freeing the society from the clutches of drugs.

Mumbai, June 23: Veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur shared his thoughts on the relationship between creativity, mental health, and the nature of artistic genius.

Taking to Instagram, Kapur reflected on Vincent van Gogh’s iconic painting Starry Night, calling it “the world’s most valued painting,” and marveling at how it was created during one of the most turbulent phases in the artist’s life. In his post, he revealed that Gogh painted Starry Night while admitted to a mental asylum, a time marked by severe emotional struggles. He further reflected on the fact that while he can return to his “normal” self after storytelling, many legendary artists like Van Gogh struggled with mental illness, sometimes unable to make that switch.

Calling for a broader understanding of mental health, Shekhar Kapur challenged conventional definitions of normalcy and illness. Sharing photos of Vincent’s paintings, the Mr. India director wrote, “This is the world’s most valued painting. Starry Nights was painted by Van Gogh while he was in the mental asylum and at the height of his ‘mental illness.’ Van Gough’s bold, expressive brush created swirling patterns in the night sky. Physicians have long tried to solve the equations of fluid dynamics. Fluid dynamics represents the true nature of the universe. And according to them, apparently Van Gogh painted a true representation of fluid dynamics!” (sic)

“How does an artist reputed to be suffering from schizophrenia manage to capture the true nature of our universe?? Quite apart from examining the relationship between art and science, what I wonder about a lot is the relationship between schizophrenia and creativity. When I write a story, I am transformed into the world of my characters. To help me transport my readers/listeners to that world, I need to believe in that world myself. I need to transport myself to that world. I need to become my characters…. Am I then experiencing a schizoid state? When I am transported into different worlds, believing I am somewhere else and somebody else?”

His post further read, “Fortunately I am able to switch those characters off. And return to my normal state (whatever normal might be) … and yet artists like Van Gogh, who painted some of the greatest poets/artists in the world, have suffered from mental illness. not being able to switch back to normal (whatever normal might be)”

Shekhar Kapur ended his post adding, “In that case we need to redefine mental illnesses… we need to redefine what normal is… if all creativity happens beyond the normal… in a state that so many artists, dancers, musicians, and actors define as the ‘zone’ they tap into… Where is this zone? What do we tap into when we tell stories we believe in? When do we paint the nature of the universe as we see it? Is it a schizophrenic act? #Art #Schizophrenic #Schizophrenia.”

New Delhi, June 23: The counting of votes is underway for the by-elections to five Assembly seats in four states — Gujarat, Punjab, Kerala and Bengal.

The bypolls were held on June 19 for two Assembly seats in Gujarat — Visavadar and Kadi; and one each in Punjab (Ludhiana West), Bengal (Kaliganj), and Kerala (Nilambur).

In Gujarat, the Visavadar seat recorded 56.89 per cent voter turnout; in Kadi, the turnout was 57.90 per cent.

Kerala’s Nilambur registered a 75.27 per cent voter turnout in the bypoll.

West Bengal recorded 69.85 per cent voting percentage in the Kaliganj seat, and in Punjab’s Ludhiana West constituency, 51.33 per cent voters turned up.

The deaths of the incumbent legislators necessitated the bypolls in one seat each in Gujarat, West Bengal and Punjab, and the resignation of two MLAs led to the polling in Kerala and another seat in Gujarat.

In Gujarat’s Kadi, the BJP has fielded Rajendra Chavda, Congress has Ramesh Chavda, a former MLA from the same seat, and AAP has fielded Jagdish Chavda.

In Visavadar, the BJP nominated former Junagadh district president Kirit Patel against AAP’s Gopal Italia and Congress’ Nitin Ranpariya.

The key contenders in West Bengal’s Kaliganj are Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Sheikh, backed by the Left Front, Trinamool Congress’ Alifa Ahmed, and BJP’s Ashish Ghosh.

In Kerala, the ruling LDF nominated M. Swaraj for Nilambur bypolls, whereas Aryadan Shoukath (Congress-led UDF), Trinamool Congress’ P.V. Anvar, and Mohan George of the BJP-led NDA are the other candidates in the fray. In total, ten candidates are in the fray. The contest is seen as a litmus test for the ruling LDF government and its prospects in next year’s Assembly elections.

Ludhiana West bypoll has a four-cornered battle among Sanjeev Arora from the AAP, Bharat Bhushan Ashu from Congress, Jiwan Gupta from the BJP and Parupkar Singh Ghumman from Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Arora is AAP’s Rajya Sabha candidate, and it is being speculated that Arvind Kejriwal may be nominated for the upper House in case Arora wins. Though the AAP leaders have so far denied this move. The counting of votes for the Ludhiana West Assembly is being held at Khalsa College For Women.