Nitish Kumar speaks in Marathi at Bhar Day in Maharashtra

Marathi is a sweet language, Marathis are such sweet people, so why do some of you trouble Biharis? This query was raised by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar at a mammoth rally in Mumbai on Sunday, which was billed as a cultural event to celebrate 100 years of the formation of Bihar.

But Kumar's message was clearly political, a reference to the MNS leader Raj Thackeray opposing the event andbacking down in the face of tremendous pressure.



Wherever Biharis went and settled down, Kumar said, they made that land their own. He said the Bihari worked hard for his daily bread and did not chreat or tell lies to go ahead in life.

After Nitish Kumar arrived on the stage, he first lit a lamp, and then garlanded a bust of Shivaji and portraits of Babasaheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Phule.

The Maharashtra geet, Garja Maharashtra Maaza was sung followed by the well known playback singer Udit Narayan, who is Bihari origin, singing two songs and speaking in Maithili to the crowds' delight.

8.7 Earthquake strikes Indonesia, India felt tremors too

An 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia on Wednesday, sending residents around the region dashing out of their homes and offices in fear.

A tsunami watch was issued for the whole Indian Ocean. The quake struck 308 miles (500 km) southwest of the city of Banda Aceh, on the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island, at a depth of 20.5 miles (33 km), the U.S. Geological survey said.




Indonesia's disaster management agency said power was down in Aceh province and people were gathering on high ground as sirens warned of the danger.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami watch was in effect for the entire Indian Ocean. The quake was felt as far away as the Thai capital, Bangkok, and in southern India, residents said.

Hundreds of office workers in Bangalore left their buildings, workers there saidIn Bangladesh, where two tremors were felt, authorities also said there appeared to be no threat of a tsunami.