Sunday 22 June 2014

Bahot Pyaar Karte Hain Tumko Sanam

Bahot pyaar karte hain tumko sanam
 Kasam chaahe le lo khuda kee kasam

 Hamaaree gajal hain, tasawwur tumhaara
 Tumhaare bina abb naa jina ganwaara
 Tumhe yu hee chaahenge jab tak hain dam

 Saagar kee baaho me mauje hain jitanee
 Hamko bhee tumse mohabbat hain utanee


 Ke yeh bekararee naa abb hogee kam

O sathi re tere bina bhi kya jina

O sathi re tere bina bhi kya jina

Her Love Story

Her Love Story is a 1935 American drama film directed by William K. Howard of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, starring Robert Montgomery, Helen Hayes and May Robson.[1] It is based on the novel Vanessa by Hugh Walpole.[2] The film premiered on 1 March 1935.

My love story

My Love Story is the second album by Linda Chung and was released on 12 November 2009. It consists of 12 tracks, of which 2 are Mandarin while the rest are Cantonese. It also contains an adaptation of Bart Howard's famous song, Fly me to the moon. "I heard you love me" is a remake of a song from the artist Sandy Lam.

Saturday 21 June 2014

Dard Dilon ky Kam men or tum gar ham ho jate

Dard Dilon ky Kam men or tum gar ham ho jate

Tragic Love Story

Tragic love stories such as those of Romeo and Juliet, Lancelot and Guinevere, Orpheus and Eurydice and Mark Anthony and Cleopatra are world famous. We have grown up to these tales and still live to those that are made into movies. No matter how old these stories are, they still make us sad for the lovers who were not destined to meet. Such epic love stories can be found in form of books. You will be engrossed while reading them and feel the pain that they went through. Many of the tragic love tales are made into historical plays.

Modern day tragic love stories too are not far behind with their emotional endings. Some of such tales are made into movies such as the tragic love story of Peter Parker; the Spiderman and Gwen Stacy. Suffering in the hands of destiny, Peter never gets his beloved Gwen, but what makes matters worse is her death. How can we forget the tragic tale in Titanic. The love story ended in a tragedy with Rose DeWitt Bukater losing her beloved Jack Dawson. There are many more of such modern day stories, which are known for their tragic endings. A lover may lose his/her beloved to the twists and turns of fate, but love thus conceived is immortal.

A tragedy by fate:

Several love stories may suffer a sad ending but tragedy strikes only few. One such story is that of a young girl named Maria. She was the only daughter in the family. At a tender age she lost her father in an accident. She had always been her daddy’s girl until the unfortunate incident at the age of 14. Her father was a businessman and had left a business set up to be taken care of. But she was too young to know anything about business. Fortunately, she had her cousin’s friend who knew a lot about business and volunteered to work for the company. The love story begins here.

John as he was called by all was an intelligent guy. He was a meritorious student though lacked financial support from his family. His family had shifted from the countryside to the town recently and was struggling to manage their expenses in the city. John and Maria were quite fond of each other. He cared for her needs and loved her from heart and soul. Maria on the other hand had found her support in John that she had lost after losing her father. She loved him more than she had ever imagined loving anyone else. John made her finish school and start college while he strengthened the business with every passing day. He taught her the lessons and helped her with the tasks. Maria too learnt about her father’s business as John always said that “If I am gone, you will have to handle it yourself”, hearing which she got angry. The thought of losing John was too painful for her to bear.

Both were shadows to each other. They were happy to be in love. Maria’s mother saw the love growing and decided to announce their marriage. They got engaged to each other in a private ceremony. Everybody was waiting for their wedding to take place when misfortune struck. Two days before the wedding, there was an urgent assignment. The assignment was to be picked up by the manager who failed to appear on the day. Being the acting head, John himself offered to go and receive it personally. He drove fast to the place so that he could return on time for the bachelor’s party at his place.

While driving on the highway, his car was run over by a speeding semi trailer. The sad news reached the lady when she was in her prayer room. Her whole world collapsed. The man she loved so dearly and was getting married to was dead just like her father. The love story that had matured over the years now lay in graves of John. Now, she remembered everything that he had said. The thought that made her tremble had come true. She had lost her beloved in the same way that she had lost her father. His love was all she was left with. A love that was immortal.

Love Story (2006 film)

Love Story is a documentary film about the music band Love. It covers the band's journey from their creation to present day and details the bands albums. The film premiered at the 50th London Film Festival in October 2006. It features interviews from Arthur Lee shortly before he died as well as other band members Johnny Echols and Alban "Snoopy" Pfisterer. It also has archive interview footage of Bryan Maclean. The film was released on DVD in June 2008.

Historical romance

Historical romance is set before World War II. Many historical romances include contemporary attitudes, such as heroines with far more education than was the norm in their time period.

This subgenre includes a wide variety of other subgenres, including Regency romance.

The following subgenres are commonly seen within historical romance.
Viking

These books feature Vikings during the Dark Ages or Middle Ages. Heroes in Viking romances are typical alpha males who are tamed by their heroines. Most heroes are described as "tall, blonde, and strikingly handsome." Using the Viking culture allows novels set in these time periods to include some travel, as the Vikings were "adventurers, founding and conquering colonies all over the globe." In a 1997 poll of over 200 readers of Viking romances, Johanna Lindsey's Fires of Winter was considered the best of the subgenre. The subgenre has fallen out of style, and few novels in this vein have been published since the mid-1990s.
Medieval

These romances are typically set between 938-1485. Women in the medieval time periods were often considered as no more than property who were forced to live at the mercy of their father, guardian, or the king. Always a lady, the heroine must use her wits and will and find a husband who will accept her need to be independent, yet still protect her from the dangers of the times. The hero is almost always a knight who first learns to respect her and her uncommon ideas and then falls in love. Heroes are always strong and dominant, and the heroine, despite the gains she has made, is usually still in a subordinate position. However, that position is her choice, made "for the sake of and with protection from an adoring lover, whose main purpose in life is to fulfill his beloved's wishes."

Love Story (novel)

Love Story is a 1970 romance novel by American writer Erich Segal. The book's origins were in that of a screenplay Segal wrote and was subsequently approved for production by Paramount Pictures. Paramount requested that Segal adapt the story into novel form as a preview of sorts for the film. The novel was released on February 14, 1970, Valentine's Day. Portions of the story originally appeared in The Ladies' Home Journal.[clarification needed] Love Story became the top-selling work of fiction for all of 1970 in the United States, and was translated into more than 20 languages. The novel stayed for 41 weeks in The New York Times Best Seller list, reaching the top spot. A sequel, Oliver's Story, was published in 1977. The film (Love Story) was released on December 16, 1970. Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se, a 1978 Hindi film was based on this novel.

Love Story is romantic and funny yet tragic. It is the tale of two college students whose love enables them to overcome the adversities they encounter in life: Oliver Barrett IV, a Harvard jock and heir to the Barrett fortune and legacy, and Jennifer Cavilleri, the quick-witted daughter of a Rhode Island baker. Oliver (Ollie) was expected to assume control of his father's business empire, while Jennifer (Jenny), a music major studying at Radcliffe College planned to study in Paris. From very different worlds, Oliver and Jenny immediately attracted each other and their love deepened. The story of Jenny and Ollie is a story of two young people who come from two separate worlds and are joined together in the unlikeliest of ways.

Upon graduation from college, the 2 decide to marry against the wishes of Oliver's father, who promptly severs all ties with his son. Without financial support, the couple struggles to pay Oliver's way through Harvard Law School, with Jenny working as a private school teacher. Graduating third in his class, Oliver gets several job offers and takes up a position at a respectable New York law firm. Jenny promises to follow Oliver anywhere on the East Coast. The couple moves to New York City, excited to spend more time together, rather than in working and studying. With Oliver's new income, the pair of 24-year-olds decide to have a child. After Jenny fails to conceive, they consult a medical specialist, who after repeated tests, informs Oliver and Jenny that Jenny is suffering from leukemia and will soon die.

Love Story (Taylor Swift song)

Love Story" is a country pop song performed by American singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift. The song was written by Swift and produced by Nathan Chapman, alongside Swift. It was released on September 12, 2008 by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from Swift's second studio album Fearless (2008). The song was written about a love interest of Swift's who was not popular among Swift's family and friends. Because of the scenario, Swift related to the plot of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1597) and used it as a source of inspiration to compose the song. However, she replaced Romeo and Juliet's original tragic conclusion with a happy ending. It is a midtempo song with a dreamy tenor, while the melody continually builds. The lyrics are from the perspective of Juliet.

The song was a critical success with critics complimenting Swift's writing style and the song's plot. It was also a commercial success, selling over 8 million copies worldwide, therefore establishing itself among the best-selling singles of all time. In the United States, the song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over 5,673,000 paid digital downloads, becoming Swift's best-selling single to date and the best-selling download by a female country solo artist. It is also one of the best-selling singles in the United States and was once the best-selling digital country single of all time there. The single was certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Internationally, "Love Story" became Swift's first number one single in Australia, followed by "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" in 2012. The song has been certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).

The song's accompanying music video was directed by Trey Fanjoy, who directed the majority of Swift's prior videos. The video is a period piece that drew influences from the Medieval, Renaissance, and British Regency (1813) eras. It follows Swift and model Justin Gaston as they meet in a university campus and imagine themselves in a prior era. "Love Story" was promoted through numerous live performances. The song was included on Swift's first, second, and third headlining tours, the Fearless Tour (2009–10), the Speak Now World Tour (2011–12), and the Red Tour (2013–14) respectively. "Love Story" has been covered by several artists, including Joe McElderry and Forever the Sickest Kids.

Alexandra Federovna and Czar Nicholas II

The wedding of Nicholas II of Russia to Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse) occurred on November 14/26, 1894 at the Grand Church of the Winter Palace.

Plans for the wedding, which had been set for the spring of 1895, had been in the works since Nicholas's engagement, and it ordinarily would have included a week of public celebrations and parades.[4] However, the death of Alexander III put an end to such extravagant plans. Nicholas had initially expressed his wish to be married at Livadia before his father's funeral, which Nicholas's mother had agreed with.However, his uncles, Grand Dukes Vladimir, Alexei, Sergei and Paul argued that, as Nicholas was tsar, the wedding should be held in St. Petersburg with some pomp. With Nicholas unwilling to wait until the end of official mourning to marry, it was decided to hold the wedding on his mother's birthday, which would have allowed for court mourning to be somewhat relaxed. Nicholas had also intended to keep the wedding a private family affair, but his uncles had persuaded their nephew to invite the diplomatic corps to watch the procession to and from the cathedral.

Invitations had been sent out, along with a dress code: Russian gentlemen were to wear full regimental dress, bureaucrats were to wear the appropriate uniforms as stipulated in Peter the Great's Great Table of Ranks; Russian ladies were to come in full court dress, foreign women in evening gowns, with full jewels and awards.

At 11:30 am, on the morning of the wedding, Nicholas departed the Anichkov Palace in an open landau to the Winter Palace, in the company of his sixteen year-old brother, Grand Duke Michael. Soon after, Nicholas's mother departed for the Sergeivsky Palace in a closed coach, the St. Petersburg resident of Grand Duke Sergei and Grand Duchess Elizabeth, to bring Alexandra to the Winter Palace.

At the Winter Palace, Alexandra was dressed in her wedding gown and imperial mantle. Her Honiton lace veil had been designed by her maternal grandfather Prince Albert and had been worn at the weddings of her mother, Princess Alice (who died in 1878 when Alexandra was six) and her sisters.[12] She also wore the traditional Romanov nuptial crown, a 475 carat necklace and matching earrings that had belonged to Catherine the Great. Across her body, she wore the star and sash of the Order of St. Andrei.

At 12:10, the procession into the Great Church began, with canons of the Peter and Paul Fortress announcing the beginning of the ceremonies. Marie Feodorovna led the procession accompanied her daughter-in-law to be, with Nicholas walking behind them in his Hussar's uniform, complete with his medals and the orange sash of the Order of Hesse und Bei Rhein.[14] Along with the Romanov Grand Dukes and Duchess, foreign royal relatives processed into the church, headed up by Nicholas's maternal grandfather, King Christian IX of Denmark. Other relatives included King George I and Queen Olga of Greece (uncle and aunt of Nicholas), and their son, George, the Prince and Princess of Wales (uncle and aunt to both Nicholas and Alexandra), and their eldest surviving son, George, the Duke of York, the Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (uncle and aunt of both Nicholas & Alexandra). Alexandra's brother, Ernest Louis had come from Germany, as had one of her sisters, Princess Irene and her husband, Prince Heinrich of Prussia.

The service was presided over by the Father John Yanishev, the private imperial confessor, along with various archbishop, bishops, archimandites and court priests. After Nicholas mounted the dais, Marie Feodorovna led Alexandra to the dais, and the court priest brought rings on a tray. After blessing them, Yanishev announced the betrothal of Nicholas to Alexandra to the congregation, and then handed them their rings.After exchanging them three times, Nicholas and Alexandra knelt and exchanged formal wedding vows, with Nicholas's best men, Grand Dukes Michael, Cyril Vladimirovich, Sergei Mikhailovich and Prince George of Greece holding the nuptial crowns above their heads. Following being led around the lectern, they knelt and kissed a gold cross, and following a final prayer, Nicholas and Alexandra were pronounced man and wife, at which point the church bells across St. Petersburg rung and guns were fired from the Peter and Paul Fortress.
Due to court mourning, there was no reception, nor honeymoon, with Nicholas and Alexandra going to reside with his mother and brother at the Anichkov Palace. In time, however, Nicholas and Alexandra would move to the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo.

The blind love

Martha was frustrated and angry when the doctor told her that she will not be able to see the beautiful world again. The car wreck hasn’t only wrecked her car but also wrecked her life. She is now sightless and of course, helpless. Before becoming blind she was working in an office and was efficient. She slipped into depression and stopped living. On one such frustrating day she was sitting in a bench in the park near her house when a man came to her and started talking. Initially she panicked but eventually she befriended with the man. After that day everyday the man used to come and sit beside her and talk. Martha suddenly realized that she now looks forward for her evening walks to the park. Suddenly she isn’t all bitter towards her life. She opened her heart to the man she can’t see. Finally, one day she finds herself saying to the man that she likes him. When she finished, however, she found the man being quite. She felt herself panicking. Of course which man will like a blind girl? Nonetheless she urged the man to say something .The man took her hand into her and quietly said-‘I want you to know that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. But if you know the truth about me you’ll hate me. I am the cause of your blindness. I was drunk driving the day I hit you. But I also want you to know that I loved you since the day I met you. I want to be with you and protect you and love you I want to compensate for my mistake by giving you all the happiness of life.’

Martha was outrageous at this confession. She was amazed at the bluntness of that man. It is because of him she is now blind. How could she allow tender feelings for him? She took her hand from his and started shouting at him; tears leaking from her blind eyes. She blamed him; called him names. The man said nothing. When she was about to go he said-‘Martha, I’ll wait for you tomorrow here at the same time.’

That night Martha couldn’t sleep. She was too angry to think. However, at the small hours of the night she dreamt about that man. She felt his warm hands upon hers. That day she returned to the park to find him waiting for her. She started to walk towards him-her heart content and full of love. She has now realized that the greatest treasure of life is love and she can get it only by forgiving the man.


Inspirational love stories teach you about the strength of love. They inspire you to look beyond the limitations of the other person. If you are facing difficulties in your love relation take time in reading inspirational love stories. May be you will find a new enthusiasm in working out your love affair.

Krishna and Radha

Radha Krishna  rādhā-kṛṣṇa, Sanskrit राधा कृष्ण are collectively known within Hinduism as the combination of both the feminine as well as the masculine aspects of God. Krishna is often referred as svayam bhagavan in Gaudiya
Vaishnavism theology and Radha is Krishna's supreme beloved. With Krishna, Radha is acknowledged as the Supreme Goddess, for it is said that she controls Krishna with Her love. It is believed that Krishna enchants the world, but Radha "enchants even Him. Therefore She is the supreme goddess of all. Radha Krishna".

While there are much earlier references to the worship of this form of God, it is since Jayadeva Goswami wrote a famous poem Gita Govinda in the twelfth century of the Common Era, that the topic of the spiritual love affair between the divine Krishna and his devotee Radha, became a theme celebrated throughout India. It is believed that Krishna has left the circle of the rasa dance to search for Radha. The Chaitanya school believes that the name and identity of Radha are both revealed and concealed in the verse describing this incident in Bhagavata Purana. It is also believed that Radha is not just one cowherd maiden, but is the origin of all the gopis, or divine personalities that participate in the rasa dance.

Temples of Sri Sri Radha Krsna are prevalent throughout India and the world though Braja Mandala including Vrindavan and Mathura are considered to be the centers of Radha-Krishna worship. The most important temples of Vrindavana are

Prem Mandir Vrindavan, Madan-mohan, Govindadev, Radha-Raman, Radha-Gokulananda, Radha-Damodar, Banki-behari, Jugal Kishor, Radha-Gopinath, Radha Shyamasundar, and Iskcon temple.

Shree RadhaVallabh Temple Vrindavan

Shree Radha Ras Bihari Ashta Sakhi Mandir

Outside India There are number of traditions that spread the worship of Radha-Krishna in many countries, be it associated with migration or preaching activities of sadhus. One such prominent adept, Prabhupada opened a number of centers himself wherein he could train mleccha-turned-brahmin students to worship Radha-Krishna murtis and become "devoted to the service of Godhead"

Devdas and Parvati

Devdas is a young man from a wealthy Bengali Brahmin family in India in the early 1900s. Paro (Parvati) is a young woman from a middle class Bengali family belonging to the “merchant” caste. The two families lived in a village in Bengal, and Devdas and Paro were childhood friends. Devdas goes away for thirteen years to live and study in a boarding school in the city of Calcutta (now Kolkata). When, after finishing school, he returns to his village, Paro looks forward to their childhood love blossoming into their lifelong journey together in marriage. Of course, according to the prevailing social custom, Paro's parents would have to approach Devdas' parents and propose marriage of Paro to Devdas as Paro longed for. When Paro's mother makes the proposal to Devdas' mother, the latter insults her, plainly saying that the marriage is not possible in view of her own higher caste and financial status. To demonstrate her own social status, Paro's mother then finds an even richer husband for Paro. When Paro learns of her planned marriage, she stealthily meets Devdas at night, desperately believing that Devdas will quickly accept her hand in marriage. Devdas meekly seeks his parents' permission to marry Paro, but Devdas' father agrees with his wife. In a weak-minded state, Devdas then flees to Calcutta, and from there, he writes a letter to Paro, saying that they were only friends. Within days, however, he realizes that he should have been bolder. He goes back to his village and tells Paro that he is ready to do anything needed to save their love. By now, Paro's marriage plans are in an advanced stage, and she declines going back to Devdas and chides him for his cowardice and vacillation. She makes, however, one request to Devdas that he would return to her before he dies. Devdas vows to do so. Devdas goes back to Calcutta and Paro is married off to the betrothed widower with children, who is still in love with his previous wife and is therefore not interested in an amatory relationship with Paro.


In Calcutta, Devdas' carousing friend, Chunnilal, introduces him to a courtesan named Chandramukhi. Devdas takes to heavy drinking at Chandramukhi's place, but the courtesan falls in love with him, and looks after him. His health deteriorates because of a combination of excessive drinking and despair of life—a drawn-out form of suicide. Within him, he frequently compares Paro and Chandramukhi, remaining ambivalent as to whom he really loves. Sensing his fast-approaching death, Devdas returns to meet Paro to fulfill his vow. He dies at her doorstep on a dark, cold night. On hearing of the death of Devdas, Paro runs towards the door, but her family members prevent her from stepping out of the door.

Love Stories

Love Stories (Polish: Historie miłosne) is a 1997 Polish film about four men with unresolved romances. Jerzy Stuhr plays all four characters and wrote and directed the film.

The film is dedicated to Krzysztof Kieślowski, who gave Stuhr important roles in his films.

The four characters played by Jerzy Stuhr all arrive at the same place at different times in different vehicles: a college professor in his own car, a priest in a taxicab, an army officer in a government vehicle and a prisoner in a police van accompanied by two police officers. As the opening credits roll, the four characters walk about the same building.

The professor collects the written exams of his students, and is surprised that one, Ewa Bielska, has written on hers, "I love you." He resists her advances but eventually gives in. For a crucial oral exam with the dean, Ewa asks for the professor's help, because she doesn't know anything at all. When the time comes, Ewa decides to resign, and the dean jokes with the professor that this is Poland, not America, and he wouldn't have been kicked out for having an affair with a student.

The priest is at the confessional when a young girl shows up claiming to be his daughter. Her story checks out: he knows her mother from Radom, 11 years ago. The mother died six years ago, the girl says. The girl returns to the orphanage she escaped from. Soon the parish learns but wants the priest to stay on. At the end, he decides to quit the church to be a father to his daughter.

The army officer, Colonel Matałowski of the Polish Land Forces, goes home to a house where almost everything is under lock and key, even the fridge and he is estranged from his wife. An old love shows up, Tamara. They have drinks and talk about their love letters. His superiors disapprove of the affair because she's Russian. Matałowski sees her one last time, driving her to the train station.

Thursday 19 June 2014

Aaho jay Chal Nashely Ke Resan Ketia Moran

Aaho jay Chal Nashely Ke Resan Ketia Moran

Tere bina yun ghariyan beeti jese sadiyan beet

Dil ke zakhm jalaaey thay bhi dard ke saaye kam bhi na huwey

uss aaney se kiya haasil hai tum aaye aur hum na huwey
majboori deewar bani hai koi bhi mann ka meet nehin
teray bina youn ghariyan beeti jaisey sadiyaan beet gehi

Katie Piper


Katie Piper,(born 12th October 1983) is a former model and television presenter from Andover, Hampshire in England. Piper had hoped to have a full-time career in the media, but in March 2008 in North London, sulfuric
acid was thrown at her face by Stefan Sylvestre. The acid attack, which blinded Piper in one eye, was arranged by Piper's ex-boyfriend, Daniel Lynch. Both Sylvestre and Lynch were sentenced to prison for the crime, and are incarcerated.
Piper was treated in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where the surgeons removed all the skin from her face, before rebuilding it with a skin substitute and then a skin graft. The procedure was the first of its kind to be completed in a single operation.
In 2009, Piper chose to give up her anonymity to try and increase awareness about burn victims. The Channel 4 documentary, Katie: My Beautiful Face, was aired on 29 October 2009 as part of the Cutting Edge series, and repeated on Christmas Day 2009.

Biography



'It's amazing to feel like a model again!' Acid attack victim Katie Piper poses for glamorous magazine,




Early life
Katie Piper was born in Andover, Hampshire, and attended Harrow Way School as a child.
After leaving school, Piper trained as a beautician, aiming to build on her fondness for fashion and beauty, and to follow in the footsteps of her father, who worked as a barber.
Modelling and media career prior to attack
Piper subsequently began a career in modelling; she took part in various fashion, glamour and promotional photoshoots during her career, including modelling for national newspapers.
Piper also entered competitive beauty pageants and contests; she was the 2nd runner-up in the Miss Winchester 2006 beauty pageant., and took part in Maxim magazine's Little Black Book contest in 2006.
Piper also appeared as a promotions model - a branch of modelling which involves modelling and related duties within live events, such as working as a ring-card girl at martial arts events. It was through her work as a ring-girl that Piper became known within the MMA community.
Piper also conducted a career as a digital television presenter, working principally on web-TV shows and features, and on small digital television channels, primarily in the shopping and live-chat fields.
Assault and acid attack
Daniel Lynch, a martial arts enthusiast who had been tracking Piper's career, met her through the online social site Facebook. Unknown to her, Lynch had previously been jailed for throwing boiling water into a man's face. The two first physically met each other in Reading, Berkshire, where Piper had been working, and initially Piper was pleased with the relationship.
Two weeks into their relationship, the couple booked into a hotel in Bayswater, following a meal out. In the hotel room, Lynch viciously raped and beat Piper, and threatened to cut her with a razor and hang her before stabbing her several times in the arms. After eight hours at the hotel, they drove back to Golders Green, where Piper had a flat. Piper was treated for her wounds at Royal Free Hospital, but withheld the nature of the incident from the doctors and police, because she was afraid of Lynch.
Piper received numerous phone calls and apologies from Lynch. Two days after the attack, Lynch persuaded Piper to go to an internet cafe to read an email he had sent to her Facebook account.Lynch gave her details to Stefan Sylvestre, who identified her on Golders Green Road. Sylvestre approached Piper, who thought he was going to ask for money, and then threw sulfuric acid at her face. The attack was caught on CCTV, and both Lynch and Sylvestre were later arrested. Lynch received two life sentences to be served in the HM Prison Service, and will serve minimum of 16 years imprisonment. Sylvestre received a 12 year sentence, and will serve a minimum of 6 years imprisonment. As a pre-trial inmate Lynch was held in the Pentonville Prison.
Post-attack: medical treatment and recovery
Following the attack, Piper ran into a local café, where an ambulance was called for. Crews had to wait an hour before being able to treat Piper, because of the risk presented by the acid, which was still unidentified at that point, and Sylvestre, who could still have been nearby. Piper was treated in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where her pioneering and revolutionary treatment was led by Dr. Mohammad Ali Jawad. The acid, some of which Piper had swallowed, blinded her in her left eye, and caused third-degree burns. The surgeons completely removed the skin of Piper's face, and replaced it with a skin substitute, Matriderm, to build the foundations for a skin graft.This procedure was the first of its kind to be done in a single operation. Piper was put into an induced coma for 12 days, during which her weight dropped to 38 kg. She has been through a total of 40 surgical operations to treat her injuries, and wears a plastic face mask for 23 hours a day, which flattens the scar and helps retain moisture. As part of her care from the National Health Service, Piper was treated at a clinic in southern France. The treatment she received there was designed to break down scar tissue, and prevent skin contraction.
Following the acid attack, Katie Piper moved out of her London flat and returned to Hampshire to live with her parents and younger sister Susy. Her mother, Diane Piper, who was a classroom assistant in a primary school, gave up her job so she could look after her daughter following the attack. Her father, David Piper, is a businessman.
Publicity

Katie: My Beautiful Face
Although Piper had the right to remain anonymous because of the sexual assault, she chose to waive her anonymity, in an attempt to increase public awareness of the situation for burn victims, and also the treatment they go through. Piper also took part in a documentary about her experience, Katie: My Beautiful Face, which was aired by Channel 4 on 29 October 2009, and, according to figures from Attentional, gained over 3.3 million viewers. The programme was repeated three times during 2009: once on Christmas Day 2009 on Channel 4 (to tie in with Piper giving the Alternative Christmas Message) and twice on More4 (in early November and late December, each a few days after a C4 screening).
The documentary has been made available for global sale by Mentorn International and has been picked up for broadcast in a number of territories.
Alternative Christmas Message 2009
On 25 December 2009, Katie Piper read out the 'Alternative Christmas Message 2009' on Channel 4. The message was about Piper's own experiences, family, and not judging people by their appearance. The Message was produced by Mentorn Media, the firm which also produced "Katie: My Beautiful Face".
20/20
On 8 January 2010, the ABC (US)'s news-magazine television series 20/20 featured Katie Piper as its primary subject. The programme consisted of a new interview with Piper, conducted by Elizabeth Vargas, and footage of Piper at home, including material which had appeared in "Katie: My Beautiful Face".
Other appearances
Katie Piper has appeared on a number of television and radio programmes to talk about her experience; the Australian series 60 Minutes featured Piper in November 2009. In the same month, she appeared on Channel 4's Krishnan Guru-Murthy-hosted television-led debate The TV Show to discuss the reaction to the original documentary.
Piper has also appeared as a guest on a number of British magazine and news programmes including Live From Studio Five, Woman's Hour, BBC Breakfast and This Morning. Outside the UK, Piper has appeared on broadcasters including CNN.
On 28 April 2010, she spoke (in a non-party political manner) at a Labour Party election press conference, where she described how CCTV cameras had been instrumental in convicting her attackers. Piper also attended the Glam in the City event, which took place in Glasgow in June 2010.
Awards and nominations
Katie: My Beautiful Face was nominated for "Best Single Documentary" at the BAFTA Television Awards in June 2010, but did not win - the trophy was awarded to BBC One's Wounded.
The previous month, director Jessie Versluys had won the Breakthrough Talent prize at the 2010 Craft BAFTA ceremony, for her credits including Katie: My Beautiful Face and The Hospital.
Katie Piper attended both BAFTA ceremonies, accompanying Versluys to the Craft event.
2011 series
In May 2010 it was confirmed that Piper would be involved in a new series for Channel 4. Likely to be broadcast in 2011, the series will again see Piper working with Mentorn Media. The series will feature people who have been disfigured, disabled or physically altered as a result of illness, injury, assault, accident or surgery. A call for potential interview subjects appeared on Channel 4's 'Take Part' website in May 2010.. The series is being worked on under the title Katie: My Beautiful Friends, though as with other working-titles, the programme's makers or broadcaster may decide to change that ahead of the broadcast.
Katie Piper Foundation

In late 2009, Katie Piper established a charity, The Katie Piper Foundation, aimed at raising awareness of the plight of victims of burns and other disfigurement injuries: the charity also campaigns for the specialist treatment Piper received - such as the after-care scheme undertaken in France - to be more widely available to patients in Britain. Simon Cowell is a patron of the foundation.

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Heer Ranjha

Heer Ranjha ਹੀਰ ਰਾਂਝਾ, ہیر رانجھا, hīr rāñjhā) is one of several popular tragic romances of Punjab. The others are Mirza Sahiba, and Sohni Mahiwal. There are several poetic narrations of the story, the most famous being 'Heer' by
Waris Shah written in 1766. It tells the story of the love of Heer and her lover Ranjha. Well-known poetic narrations have also been written by Damodar Das Arora, Mukbaz and Ahmed Gujjar, among others. Heer Ranjha, Qabar (tomb) location
The invocation at the beginning
(The Legends of the Panjab by RC Temple, Rupa and Company, Volume two, page 606) Rag Hir Ranjha

Awal-akhir naam Allah da lena, duja dos Muhammad Miran
Tija naun mat pita da lena, unha da chunga dudh sariran
Chautha naun an pani da lena, jis khave man banhe dhiran
Panjman naun Dharti Mata da lena, jis par kadam takiman
Chhewan naun Khwaja Pir da lena, jhul pilave thande niran
Satwan naun Guru Gorakhnath de lena, patal puje bhojan
Athwan naun lalanwale da lena, bande bande de tabaq zanjiran

Translation
First and last, take the name of God; second, of the Great Muhammad, the prophet (of God)
Third, take the name of father and mother, on whose milk my body thrived
Fourth, take the name of bread and water, by eating which my heart is gladdened
Fifth, take the name of Mother Earth, on whom I place my feet.
Sixth, take the name of Khwaja (Khazir, the Saint), who gives me cold water to drink
Seventh, take the name of Guru Gorakh Nath who is worshiped with a platter of milk and rice
Eighth, take the name of Lalanwala who breaks the bonds and the chains of captives

Ranjha becomes Chuchaks Cowherd
So Heer pledged her faith and Ranjha trusting her, stood before Mihr Chuchak. Heer went into the presence of her father and made Ranjha stand beside her. Heer said, 'My father, hail. My father, I have found a servant who can tend our buffaloes.'
Chuchak said, 'He seems to be a mere lad, but he has wise eyes and a kindly disposition. You are championing his cause with zeal. We will see how the boy turns out. We accept what you say; the boy can be given charge of the buffaloes, but bid him take care, as it is no easy task to tend buffaloes in the Bar.'
Thus it came to pass that after a while Heer came to Ranjha and consoled him with sweet talk. Heer said, 'I will bring you butter and sugar and sweat bread. Go and drive the buffaloes into the forest and trust in God. I and my sixty maids will accompany you and together we will track the footprints of the lost cattle.'
Ranjha meets the Five Pirs in the forest.
Ranjha took upon himself the task of a herdsman. Good fortune however came to him and he met the Five Pirs on the way. Ranjha saw by their countenances that they were holy men and besought their help.
The Pirs replied, 'Child, eat your fill and drink grey buffaloes milk and live on fat of the land. Dismiss all sadness from your mind. God himself will set your affairs right.' Ranjha replied, 'Sirs, I am in great distress. I beseech you bestow the girl Heer upon me, for the fire of love is devouring me.'
The holy Pirs answered and said, 'Child, all your wishes will be fulfiled; your arrow will hit the target, and yourboat will reach the shore. Heer has been bestowed on you by the Darbar of God.' Thus by the grace fo God and the kindness of the Five Pirs, Heer, the Jatt girl, was bestowed on Ranjha.
Heer and Ranjha meet in the forest
Heer Jatti set out from the Jhang Sial. She came to fulfill the eagerness of her heart, for she was possessed with love for Ranjha. She brought him boile rice, sugar, butter and milk, and she said, with weeping eyes, 'I have been searching for you all over the forest.' Ranjha said, 'God himself hath said in the holy Koran, Verily your deceit is great. Satan is the lord of evil spirits and women. Women falsify the truth and feel no shame. Only if you intend to keep your word, Heer, can the son of Mauju endure the humiliation of being a servant.'
Heer comforted Ranjha with sweet words and poured out all her sould to him. She said, 'We shall be surrounded by enemies and you must confront all troubles with patience. But beware of Kaidu, my wicked uncle. The world will reproach us and those who are ignorant will cast taunts at us, but the true lover sacrifices his life for his beloved. Lovers have no support but God.
Thus everyday Heer used to take a bowl of rice and pudding to Ranjha in the forest, and she swore to be true to him. She gave up her spinning and no longer sat with her girl friends. She was with Ranjha all the day. She set aside the blanket of beholding her wantonness.
The news spread over the whole of Jhang that Heer had fallen in love with a shepherd and that she went to visit him every day in the forest.
Heer's mother is angry with her and Kaidu finds her in the forest with Ranjha
When Heer came back from the forest, her mother rebuked her, saying, 'The taunts of the village folk have consumed us utterly. If you cease not from wickedness your father Chuchak and your brother Sultan will cut you in pieces.'
Heer replied, 'Listen Milki, my mother, as long as breath remains in my body I will not leave Ranjha.' Heer would not listen to her mother and continued to visit Ranjha in the forest.
Meanwhile Kaidu the cripple, Heer's uncle, constantly urged Chuchak to Chastise Heer. He kept watch over her footsteps as a spy.
Heer had gone to the river to fetch water, and Ranjha was sitting alone, so Kaidu, in the guise of a mendicant faqir, came to him and begged for alms in the name of God, and retired towards the village.
When Heer came back from the river she asked Ranjha where the other half of the pastry was, and he told her that a crippled faqir had come and begged in God's name. Heer replied, 'Ranjha, where have your wits gone? That was no saintly faqir but my Satanic uncle Kaidu who goes about to destroy me.
The heart of Heer was scorched with anger against Kaidu. So she ran and overtook him in the way and fell upon him in her wrath like a tigress. Half of the pastry fell on the ground, and the other half Kaidu snatched from Heer, and having secured his prize, the cripple ran off as fast as his crooked legs would carry him to the village.
Kaidu came before the council of village elders and said, 'See, here are the pieces of pastry which Heer gave to Ranjha. Will you now believe when I tell you she is a shameless hussy?' The elders came and told Chuchak what Kaidu had been saying in the assembly of the elders. Chuchak was wroth and said, 'Kaidu is a talebearer and a liar; he chases moths all day.
Kaidu said to Milki, 'For god's sake get your daughter married.' Heer withstood her parents to their faces and refused to give up Ranjha.
Scandal Spreads in the village and Chuchak dismisses Ranjha and then recalls him
When Ranjha brought the cows back that night Chuchak was wroth, and he called Ranjha and in the presence of all his kinsfolk rebuked him saying, 'Friend, give up the buffaloes and go away.'
Thereupon Ranjha threw down his shepherds crook and blanket and quit Chuchak's herd of cattle, even as a thief leaves the hole in the wall when he hears the watchman's footsteps. And he spoke to Chuchak in his anger, 'For twelve years I have been grazing your buffaloes and now you turn me away without wages.' Ranjha in a rage shook the dust of the Sials off his feet and gave up the service of Chuchak.
Milki said to Chuchak, 'All the people curse us for having turned the cowherd out without paying him his wages. Go and beseech him to come back. Tell him Heer is disquieted by his absense.' Chuchak said to Milki, 'Go you and pacify him.'
Milki having found him, she entreated him saying, 'Do not fret over much about the quarrel you had with Chuchak. Parents and children often fall out in such small matters. Come back and milk our buffaloes and spread Heer's couch. Since you have gone she has been much displeased with us. Our cattle, our wealth, the Sials and heer are all yours.' So Ranjha Hearkened to the words of Heer's mother, and once more became Chuchak's herdsman.

Tere bina yun ghariyan beeti

Dil ke zakhm jalaaey thay bhi dard ke saaye kam bhi na huwey

uss aaney se kiya haasil hai tum aaye aur hum na huwey
majboori deewar bani hai koi bhi mann ka meet nehin
teray bina youn ghariyan beeti jaisey sadiyaan beet gehi

Matlab nikal gaya hai toh pehchante nahin

Matlab nikal gaya hai toh pehchante nahin
yun ja rahe hain jaise hamen jaante nahin
apni garz thi jab toh lipatna qabool tha
baahon ke daayare mein simatna qabool tha
ab hum mana rahe hain magar maante nahi
humne tumhe pasand kiya .. kya bura kiya

rutba hi kuch buland kiya .. kya bura kiya
har ek gali ki khaak toh hum chaante nahin

muh pher ke na jaao hamare qareeb se
milta hai koi chahne wala naseeb se
is tarah aashiqon pe kamaan taante hain
matlab nikal gaya hai toh pehchante nahin
yun ja rahe hain jaise hamen jaante nahin....

Naraz na ho to arz karoon dil tum se mohabbat karta hei

Naraz na ho to arz karoon dil tum se mohabbat karta hei

Koi hath kadia nay landa aanan sonay choran

Koi hath kadia nay landa aanan sonay choran

Romance of the West Chamber 西厢记

Romance of the West Chamber is a Chinese dramatic work written by the Yuan Dynasty playwright Wang Shifu. It tells the story of a secret love affair between Zhang Sheng, a young scholar, and Cui Yingying, the daughter of a chief minister who had passed away.

Zhang Sheng met Cui Yingying when he stayed in a temple and soon fell in love with her. However, Yingying’s beauty became known by a local bandit. He dispatches ruffians to besiege them, in the hopes of taking her as his consort. Yingying’s mother declared that she would marry her daughter to whoever could save her. Zhang Sheng managed to save Yingying with his friend’s help. But her mother refused to fulfil her promise because he was poor. With the help of Hong Niang, Yingying’s maid, they broke the traditional barrier and finally married.

The original story was first told in a literary Chinese short story written by Yuan Zhen during the Tang Dynasty. This version was called The Story of Yingying, or Yingying's Biography. This version differs from the later play in that Zhang Sheng ultimately breaks from Yingying, and does not ask for her hand in marriage. Despite the unhappy ending, the story was popular with later writers, and recitative works based on it began accumulating in the centuries that followed. Perhaps bowing to popular sentiment, the ending gradually changed to the happy one seen in the play. The first example of the modified version is an oral performance by Dong Liang of the Jin Dynasty. Wang Shifu's play was closely modeled on this performance.

Due to scenes that unambiguously described Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying fulfilling their love outside of the bond of marriage, moralists have traditionally considered The Story of the Western Wing to be an indecent, immoral, and licentious work. It was thus placed high on the list of forbidden books. Tang Laihe is reported to have said, "I heard that in the 1590s the performance of the Hsi-hsiang chi...was still forbidden among [good] families." Gui Guang (1613–1673) called the work "a book teaching debauchery." On the other hand, the famous critic Jin Shengtan considered it silly to declare a book containing sex to be immoral, since "If we consider [sex] more carefully, what day is without it? What place is without it? Can we say that because there is [sex] between Heaven and Earth, therefore Heaven and Earth should be abolished?".

The story in The Story of the Western Wing by Wang Shifu of the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) directly came from the prose romance The Story of Yingying by Yuan Zhen of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).The Story of Yingying is a tragedy about the love, union and separation between Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying in the first year of the Zhenyuan reign in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Several episodes in the story have certain influence on The Romance of the Western Chamber in terms of subject matter, dramatis personae and plots as well.

The Story of the Western Wing tells that a young scholar Zhang Sheng went to the capital city to take the highest imperial examination. When he stayed in a temple, he met Cui Yingying, daughter of the then Prime Minister and fell in love with her. At that time, a group of robbers besieged them. Yingying's mother declared that she would marry her daughter to whoever could save them. Zhang Sheng managed to do that with his friend's help. But her mother refused to keep her words because he was poor. However, Yingying and Zhang Sheng loved each other very much. With the help of Hong Niang, Yingying's maid, they broke the traditional barrier.

Song of Everlasting Regret 长恨歌

Song of Everlasting Regret is a long poem by Bai Juyi (772-846), depicting the romance between Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and his beloved concubine Yang Yuhuan.

On prosperous Tang dynasty, Yang Yuhuan first married the son of Emperor Xuanzong and somehow came into Xuanzong’s favor and the emperor finally took her as his consort. Emperor Xuanzhong was indulged in the beauty of Yang Guifei that he did not attend to his court duties and finally led to An’s rebellion in 755. Yang Guifei was blamed for the rebellion and forced to suicide herself. Tang Xuanzong was so upset that he later abdicated and was succeeded by his son.

Their love story is very famous around China and has been recomposed into a live dancing performance show in Xian City.

A long list of literary, political, visual, musical and film works have been based on or referenced the Changhen ge. Influence started almost immediately the poem had been written. Bai Juyi's friend Chen Hong (fl. 810s) created a dramatic version, Changhen zhuan, which later inspired Rain on the Paulownia Tree (Wutong yu) by Bai Pu (1226-after 1306) and The Palace of Eternal Youth (Changsheng dian) by Hong Sheng (洪升, 1645-1704).

Painter Li Yishi (李毅士, 1886-1942) illustrated the poem with a series of thirty paintings. In classical music the poem has been set as a cantata by Huang Zi (1933) and as an orchestral song by Mo Fan (1991).The poem is referenced in the writings of Mao Zedong. Wang Anyi's novel (1996) and Stanley Kwan's film Everlasting Regret take the title of the poem.

Legend of the White Snake 白蛇传

Legend of the White Snake is a popular folklore based in Hangzhou. It tells the love-story of Bai Suzhen (a snake turned lady) and Xu Xian.

Bai Suzhen was a human manifest of a white snake spirit. She fell in love with a scholar Xu Xian. The two married and soon had a child. However, their happiness was short-lived as a monk, Fahai, had discovered the real identity of Bai Suzhen and decided to separate them but failed. Fahai then captured Xu Xian and imprisoned him in Jinshan Temple. In order to rescue Xu Xian, Bai Suzhen and her sisiter Xiaoqing used her powers to flood the temple. However, Bai was eventually captured and imprisoned in the Lei Feng Pagoda.

Lü Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals, disguises himself as a man selling tangyuan at the Broken Bridge (斷橋) near the West Lake in Hangzhou. A boy called Xu Xian (simplified Chinese: 许仙; traditional Chinese: 許仙; pinyin: Xǔ Xiān; Jyutping: Heoi2 Sin1) buys some tangyuan from Lü Dongbin, not knowing that the tangyuan are actually pills of immortality. He does not feel hungry for the next three days after eating the tangyuan, and is so puzzled that he goes back to talk to the seller. Lü Dongbin laughs and carries Xu Xian to the bridge, where he flips him upside down, causing Xu to vomit out the pills into the lake.

There is a white snake spirit in the lake, who has been practising Taoist magical arts in the hope of becoming an immortal after centuries of training and cultivation. The white snake eats the pills vomited out by Xu Xian, and she gains 500 years' worth of magical powers. The white snake is grateful to Xu Xian and their fates became intertwined. There is another terrapin (or tortoise) spirit also training inside the lake who did not manage to consume any of the pills; he then becomes very jealous of the white snake. One day, the white snake sees a beggar on the bridge, who has caught a green snake and wants to dig out the snake's gall to sell it. The white snake transforms into a woman and buys the green snake from the beggar, saving the green snake's life. The green snake is grateful to the white snake and she regards the white snake as an older sister.

Eighteen years later, during the Qingming Festival, the white and green snakes transform themselves into two young women, called Bai Suzhen (simplified Chinese: 白素贞; traditional Chinese: 白素貞; pinyin: Bái Sùzhēn; Jyutping: Baak6 Sou3-zing1) and Xiaoqing (Chinese: 小青; pinyin: Xiǎoqīng; Jyutping: Siu2-cing1) respectively. They travel to Hangzhou and meet Xu Xian at the Broken Bridge, and Xu lends them his umbrella because it is raining. Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen gradually fall in love with each other and are eventually married. They move to Zhenjiang, where they open a medicine shop.

In the meantime, the terrapin spirit has accumulated enough powers to take human form, and he transforms into a Buddhist monk called Fahai (Chinese: 法海; pinyin: Fáhǎi; Jyutping: Faat3-hoi2). Fahai is still angry with Bai Suzhen and he plots to break up her relationship with Xu Xian. He approaches Xu Xian and tells Xu to let his wife drink realgar wine (雄黃酒) during the Duanwu Festival. Bai Suzhen unsuspectingly reveals her true form as a large white snake after drinking the wine, and Xu Xian dies of shock after seeing that his wife is not human. Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing travel to Mount Emei, where they brave danger to steal a magical herb that restores Xu Xian to life.

After coming back to life, Xu Xian still maintains his love for Bai Suzhen despite knowing her true identity. Fahai tries to separate them again, capturing Xu Xian and imprisoning him in Jinshan Temple (金山寺). Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing fight with Fahai to rescue Xu Xian, with Bai using her powers to flood the temple, drowning many innocent people in the process as well. However, Bai Suzhen's powers are limited because she is already pregnant with Xu Xian's child, and she fails to save her husband. Xu Xian later manages to escape from Jinshan Temple and he reunites with his wife in Hangzhou, where Bai Suzhen gives birth to their son, Xu Mengjiao (simplified Chinese: 许梦蛟; traditional Chinese: 許夢蛟; pinyin: Xǔ Mèngjiāo; Jyutping: Heoi2 Mung6-gaau1). Fahai soon tracks them down and he defeats Bai Suzhen and imprisons her in Leifeng Pagoda.

Twenty years later, Xu Mengjiao takes first place in the imperial examination and returns home in glory to visit his parents. At the same time, Xiaoqing, who escaped when Bai Suzhen was captured by Fahai, goes to Jinshan Temple to confront Fahai and succeeds in defeating him. Bai Suzhen is freed from Leifeng Pagoda and reunites with her husband and son, while Fahai flees and hides inside the stomach of a crab. There is a saying that a crab's internal fat is orange because it resembles the colour of Fahai's kasaya.

Modifications and alternate versions
The white snake was simply known as the "White Lady" or "White Maiden" (Chinese: 白娘子; pinyin: Bái Niángzǐ; Jyutping: Baak6 Noeng4-zi2) in the original tale in Feng Menglong's Jingshi Tongyan (警世通言). The name "Bai Suzhen" was created only later.

The original story was a story of good and evil, with the Buddhist monk Fahai setting out to save Xu Xian's soul from the white snake spirit, who was depicted as an evil demon. Over the centuries, however, the legend has evolved from a horror tale to a romance story, with Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian genuinely being in love with each other but their relationship being forbidden by the laws of nature.

Some adaptations of the legend in theatre, film, television and other media have made extensive modifications to the original story, including the following:

The green snake (Xiaoqing) is portrayed as a treacherous antagonist who betrays the white snake, as opposed to the traditional depiction of her as the white snake's close friend and confidant.
Fahai is portrayed in a more sympathetic light as opposed to the traditional depiction of him as a vindictive and jealous villain. His background story is also different in some adaptations.
Bai Suzhen is freed from Leifeng Pagoda because her son's filial piety moved the gods of Heaven.
A retcon version of the story, which relates that Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian were actually immortals who fell in love with each other and were banished from Heaven because celestial laws forbid their romance. They are reincarnated as a human man and a female white snake spirit respectively and their story begins.

Butterfly Lovers 梁祝

The Butterfly Lovers is a Chinese legend of a tragic love story of a pair of lovers, Liang Shanbo (梁山伯) and Zhu Yingtai (祝英台), whose names form the title of the story. The title is often abbreviated to Liang Zhu (梁祝) and often regarded as the Chinese equivalent of Romeo and Juliet.


Six cities in China have collaborated in 2004 on a formal application for the Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on the legend at UNESCO, submitted in 2006 through the Chinese Ministry of Culture.

The legend is set in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, about 1600 years ago. In order to pursue her academic success, Zhu Yingtai decided to go to Hangzhou to attend classes in disguise as a young man. During her journey to Hangzhou, she met Liang Shanbo, a scholar from Kuaiji. They studied together for the next three years and Zhu gradually fell in love with Liang. But Zhu is a bookworm and failed to notice it. Later, after being clear about Zhu`s love to him, he headed for the Zhu`s family to propose marriage. Unfortunately, Zhu had been betrothed by her father to another man named Ma Wencai. Liang was so grieved that he suffered decease and finally died. On the day of Ma and Zhu’s marriage, Zhu went to Liang’s tomb to show respect to him. She was very grieved and begged for the grave to open up. After a while, the tomb opened as she wished and Zhu threw herself into it without any hesitation. Later on, the lovers turned into a pair of beautiful butterflies and flied wing to wing and would never to be separated again.

The Sino-Italian love culture festival was held Wednesday in the northern Italian city of Verona, co-sponsored by the municipal governments Verona and east China's Ningbo city. As the fictitious hometown of Romeo and Juliet, leading characters in Shakespeare's famous play Romeo and Juliet, Verona is one of the most ancient and beautiful cities in Italy. Ningbo is also a city in east China's Zhejiang province, where the Chinese classical romantic tragedy Butterfly Lovers, or Liang Zhu, took place. The Butterfly Lovers is also known as China's play of Romeo and Juliet. A white marble statue portraying Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, the two lovers who eventually turned into butterflies, was placed in the square in front of the Juliet Museum in central Verona during the festival. Fifteen couples from Ningbo in Chinese-style costumes held a romantic wedding in Verona, with blessing from the locals. Ningbo and Verona became sister cities in October 2005. A delegation of Verona visited Ningbo in 2007 and presented the city a bronze statue of Juliet.

Niulang (cowherd) and Zhinu (weaver) is one of the most famous Chinese folk love legend. The earliest-known reference to this famous myth dates back to over 2600 years ago.

Niulang was an honest and kind-hearted cowherd and lived by himself herding cattle and farming. One day he came across a beautiful girl – Zhinu, the seventh daughter of the Goddess, who had escaped from the boring heaven to look for fun, Zhinu soon fell in love with him and came down secretly to earth and married him. They lived a happy life and gave birth to two children. Unfortunately, the Goddess soon found out the fact that her daughter married a mortal. She was furious and took Zhinu back to the heaven.

Niulang was very upset after his wife left him. Driven by Niulang’s misery, his ox began to talk and helped him fly to heaven to meet his wife. At the time when he was about to catch up with his wife, the goddess found this and used her hairpin to slash it across the sky creating the Milky Way between them. Zhinu became the star Vega and Niulang the star Altair. They were separated on the two banks and could only feel their tears. Moved by their love and devotion, lots of magpies formed bridge for the couple to meet each other. The Goddess was also touched by their love and finally allowed them to meet each year on the 7th of the 7th lunar month.

On that day Chinese people will look up the sky and see the two stars Altair and Vega on the same side of the Milky Way for the once in a year meeting.