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Still divided over Lokpal
Right education |
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India-Bangladesh accords
Tracking violence and terror
Twisted tongues
The mystery mastery
A mid-way safari
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Still divided over Lokpal
Although the Union Cabinet has accepted 14 of the 16 amendments to the Lokpal Bill proposed by the select committee of the Rajya Sabha, the much awaited anti-corruption legislation is unlikely to have a smooth sailing. The government, no doubt, has gone an extra mile to meet objections raised by opposition parties and incorporate suggestions made by civil society members. It has dropped the section pertaining to Lokayuktas which was considered in violation of the federal principle. The office of Prime Minister stays under the ambit of the Lokpal. The clause that allowed the government to have a fifth member of the Lokpal selection committee has been removed. However, the two suggestions that have been rejected may provoke protests. The select committee wanted that the power of transfer of CBI officials taking up high-profile corruption cases should vest with the Lokpal. Secondly, the committee felt a public servant need not be given a hearing before an inquiry is ordered into charges against him/her. The government has ignored both suggestions. Taking a hard line, the BJP has demanded that the process of appointment of Lokpal should be transparent and the CBI should become autonomous. Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare insists that the CBI and the Central Vigilance Commission should be given absolute autonomy on the lines of the Election Commission. Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal also finds the new Bill “toothless” even though his former colleague, Kiran Bedi, has welcomed the changes. Autonomy for the CBI appears to be the most contentious of all issues. No government is likely to give up easily control over the premier investigating agency, which, at times, is used for achieving political goals. The issue will have to be discussed threadbare in Parliament. It seems impossible to have a Lokpal Bill acceptable to all. But differences should not stall indefinitely the process of having Lokpal. At the same time, the UPA must realise that public anger over corruption is widespread, the country needs a strong Lokpal Bill and it cannot be delayed any further. |
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Right education
Punjab is well on the way to meeting the requirements of the Right to Education Act by March 31, the deadline set under the law. Beginning with a drastic shortage of teachers and school buildings only a couple of years back, there has been a fair progress, with funds pooled by both the Centre and state. The initial targets of the RTE Act, however, are focused more on putting in place the basic school infrastructure, such as boundary walls, classrooms and toilets. Quality of education does not necessarily come as a consequence, which is a major complaint against government schools. The result is only the poorest in the state send their children to these, even as the education quality in economy private schools is questionable. Nationally as well as in Punjab and Haryana, there are issues about the learning outcomes under the ‘Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation’ system that has replaced the single-shot annual exams. Surveys have shown a drop in reading and mathematical skills. This calls for a review of the system, or at least the manner in which it is implemented, as the existing set of teachers may require training in the concept. Punjab, ever since the implementation of the Act, has recruited a large number of teachers in a short time. There was indeed a grave shortage, but the quick recruitment has left the quality in doubt. Ensuring motivation levels among the teaching staff in government schools is another concern. Being a relatively well-off state, people’s expectations in Punjab are more than basic. To make education in the public sector meaningful, it will have to meet the aspirations of the majority, or the tag of ‘schools for the marginalised’ will stay. One factor the state has to pay particular attention to is the teaching of English, which is crucial in all higher education and employment, and has been the undoing of many an aspirant from the region. Once the infrastructure is set up, it will be time to move to learning. |
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India-Bangladesh accords
India and Bangladesh have come out with two very significant arrangements for improving their relations. One is the long-awaited extradition treaty and the other a new visa regime. Both became operational after Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and his Bangladesh counterpart Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir put their signatures in Dhaka on Monday. The extradition treaty will help both countries in keeping a check on the elements involved in destabilising activities. India can now hope to get deported from Bangladesh a founder-member of the United Liberation Front of Asom, Anup Chetia, who has been in a Dhaka jail since 1997 after he crossed over to Bangladesh illegally. His extradition to India will prove how sincere the Sheikh Hasina government is in honouring its commitments made to New Delhi. He has been trying for political asylum in Bangladesh. The government has rejected his petition for this purpose, but he is too smart and has approached the Bangladesh Supreme Court against the decision. How Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina handles the situation remains to be seen. There are some other insurgent leaders also who are hiding in Bangladesh and India has been pressing for their extradition. Now accepting India’s demand should not be a problem for the government in Dhaka. The extradition treaty can go a long way in eliminating the anti-India forces active in the Northeast as Bangladesh will become out of bounds for them. Bangladesh will be the gainer in the sense that India will help in tracking those Bangladeshi army personnel who are charged with being involved in the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, the founder of the country, and hiding in this country. The “revised travel arrangement” between the two countries will be of considerable help to primarily two categories of people --- businessmen and those looking for better health care facilities. India will be benefited in the sense that its businessmen can now get multiple-entry visas for a year, which will make travel to Bangladesh less cumbersome. But the real gainers will be the people of Bangladesh who prefer India for better treatment of their ailments. This can push up the growth of the Indian health sector also. |
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It is what we know already that often prevents us from learning. —Claude Bernard |
Tracking violence and terror
Justice Verma and his two colleagues on the commission set up to examine laws dealing with sexual abuse and terror have served the nation well in making a thorough examination of the subject in its widest amplitude and coming up with a range of pertinent observations and recommendations. This elaborate report was prepared in just 29 days with exemplary speed without falling short on data, analysis and findings. It now remains for the government and Parliament to match this dedication and legislate a new legal framework without the endless delays and side-interventions that have marked the working of the commissions headed by Liberhan and Nanavaty. The main recommendations have been widely discussed and one should now expect the Centre to take counsel with the states and introduce and pass a new framework law in one or more enactments that honours and protects the girl child and women of India from rape, molestation, neglect and patriarchal discrimination. The legislation should, hopefully, find backing from all parties and social groups and be enacted not later than in the monsoon session. Among the matters examined by the commission are police reforms which are fundamental to every aspect of law and order and criminal justice. Evidence of the police's participation in the recent Dhule riot in which Muslims were targeted by them, shows how deep the rot has spread. Unfortunately, there has been limited progress in implementing police reform despite the Supreme Court's directive on the subject. The opposition comes from across the political spectrum. All political parties are determined to retain the police and intelligence agencies as handmaids to serve their partisan agendas rather than as efficient and effective instruments for ensuring a safe and orderly society, and as the bedrock of the criminal justice system.This aspect of the Verma report should not be fobbed off yet another time as parties continue to play their dirty little games. One other matter merits emphasis. There are a plethora of laws on the statute book and many matters could be ameliorated or resolved if only they were strictly and promptly implemented. Delay leads to evasion, immunity and impunity. Influential and moneyed persons are differentially treated. A lecherous politician like Narayan Dutt Tiwari or a convicted criminal like O.P. Chautala have sought consideration on grounds of age and status. These demands are accepted only at the cost of the hallowed principle of equality before law. Unequal justice is an injustice and justifies criminality in angry young minds because of the outrage it breeds as some are placed above and beyond the rigours of the law. The Trinamool Congress is fast becoming addicted to violence and bluster against all dissidents, internal or external. A de-horsed Nitin Gadkari, charged with financial misconduct, has claimed that the income tax investigations against the Purthi group of companies with which he is associated was timed to sabotage his re-election as BJP president! Further, he has warned the officials who have merely done their duty to beware the wrath of the BJP when it is returned to power in 2014.This is taking resort to threats and blackmail. Meanwhile, the Home Minister, Sushilkumar Shinde, has stirred an avoidable controversy by charging the RSS and the BJP with training and unleashing Hindu terror. He was referring to bombing incidents in Malegaon, Ajmer, Hyderabad and elsewhere in 2007 when people like Swami Asseemanand, Sunil Joshi, Sandeep Dange and others bearing "Hindu" names were apprehended. The cases are pending and nothing has been conclusively proven though strong circumstantial evidence has surfaced.The RSS and the BJP have reacted strongly against the use of the phrase "Hindu terror", arguing that terrorists cannot be labelled by faith. This is true, though "saffron" is more commonly used to denote Hindu right-wing connections. The BJP has threatened to prevent Parliament's functioning unless Shinde apologises or is sacked. The Congress has dissociated itself from the phrase "Hindu terror" but has otherwise defended Shinde. The fact is that it was the Parivar that first used the phrase "Muslim terror" with glee. Men like Narendra Modi openly spoke of "Miah" misdeeds and declared that while not all Muslims were not terrorists, all terrorists so far apprehended were Muslim. The RSS and the BJP, therefore, protest too much, though it is true that all sides should eschew associating terrorism with faith. Be that as it may, obstructing Parliament yet again would be irresponsibly to punish the nation for Shinde's faux pas and once again stall important and urgent legislation and hold the country to ransom. The marked communal tendencies that are surfacing in the country are most worrying, The Sachar Committee's recommendations have been tardily implemented and open discrimination against the community persists. After being given a state funeral out of fear of Shiv Sena hooliganism, permission to build a memorial to him in Shivaji Park in Mumbai is being mooted after a first refusal. Communal elements of all hues once again targeted the Jaipur Literary Festival on frivolous grounds while in Chennai, the release of Kamal Haasan's new film, "Viswaroopam", has been stayed on the ground of alleged anti-Muslim bias that could cause law and order problems. Once again, a film passed by the Film Censor Board is being censored by groups alleging hurt sentiment though it has been released elsewhere without disturbing the peace. Appeasement of communalism only encourages the same. Externally, the sentencing of David Coleman Headley, a US-Pakistan double agent, to only 35 years in prison in the US for his central role in staking the killing fields for the 26/11 attack in Mumbai in close collaboration with the Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hafiz Saeed has come as a grave disappointment. Even the trial judge stated that Headley deserved the death sentence but was saved from that only because of his plea bargain with the US authorities who milked him for some very damaging information of the sequence of events but not fully shared with India. Requests by Delhi for his further interrogation by Indian sleuths or extradition to India have been turned down by Washington. The US war on terror is obviously selective at the expense of Indian lives. And now comes another confession by a Pakistani Corps Commander, Lt-Gen Shahid Aziz, in 1998 that it was Musharraf who planned and pushed the utterly deceitful Kargil war that resulted in "total disaster". No Mujahideen were involved but only Pakistani troops who crossed the LoC. This is no new revelation but only a further confirmation of the history of malicious lies and crass denials that Pakistan has repeatedly lived off since 1947. No wonder that President Mukherjee said in his Republic Day address that while India seeks friendship with Pakistan, Islamabad should not take this friendship for granted. Let the Pakistan government respond to this latest piece of "literature" as the Pakistan High Commissioner, Salman Bashir, would so elegantly phrase
it. |
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Twisted tongues
How much wood would a wood-chuck chuck if a wood-chuck could chuck wood?” The fun is not in the answer, but in the asking of the question. Or in the repetition of it, as you fumble at the third ‘wood’. Try this variant: “How much ground could a ground hog grind if a ground hog could grind ground?” Growing up on a diet of “Betty Botter bought some butter” and progressing to the capabilities of ground hogs and wood chucks, tongue-twisters were serious business during my school days. New ones were rapturously welcomed into the collective repertoire; old ones resurrected fondly after lapse of time. Our cosmopolitan classroom made place for “Pakhi paka pepe khai" (Bengali for 'the bird eats a ripe papaya') and “Ja re bava Bareja” (Gujarati for ‘Sanyasi, go to Bareja town’). The last is a palindrome in addition to being a deceptively simple tongue-twister. My father contributed one from his own childhood cache: “Bhasmakshasmaapsi”. This one is allegedly Sanskrit, but nobody knows for sure. School picnics were incomplete without chorused attempts at “Chandu ke chacha ne Chandu ki chachi ko Chandni Chowk mein chandni raat ko chaandi ki chammach se chatni chataee.” Very unromantic, in hindsight — wasting a moonlit night on chutney-tasting sessions with your wife - but great fun on the picnic bus. “Mix, Miss, mix!”was relatively easy, until you missed the mix or mixed the misses into gibberish. A phonetic challenge like “Kachcha Papad, Pakka Papad” - four times, fast and fumble-free --- takes truck-loads of practice. Demonstrate your prowess before a gladiatorial crowd waiting with bated breath and razor-sharp comments when you go, “Kacchakapad” instead! A good tongue-twister should be difficult to articulate and be full of phonetic pitfalls. It kills a tendency to stutter and promotes concentration. An English language teaching expert told me that teachers now employ tongue-twisters in the classroom to aid pronunciation and build confidence. They also find their way into language proficiency tests. A sample: “Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?” Clever and tough, but awfully contrived, if you ask me. But condense this to “imaginary menagerie” and I was back in school all over again, chanting “Selfish shellfish” or “drip-drape, ship-shape” along with a horde of 10-year-olds practising “good blood, bad blood”. I conjured up "tungsten, sten-gun" and "pantomime, man, no time" which I realise now are half-spoonerisms. I christened these paired wonders “tongue-tip twisters” - which is so alliterative as to be a tongue-twister in itself. You need to concentrate really hard and ignore all the commotion around you to be able to get this right: “I cannot bear to see a bear Bear down upon a hare. When bare of hair he strips the hare, Right there, I cry, ‘Forbear!’ “Animal rights activists would get their knickers into a twist over that one! The next time our economists goof up, you can laugh your blues away with ‘muttered utterances’ like ‘comical economists’ - and hope that the twist in your tongue will heal the hole in your heart — or the wallop to your
wallet! |
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CINEMA: NEW Releases RATINGS: ***** Excellent **** Very Good Jasmine Singh
Towards the end, the one name that you want to either be addressed as or even go back with is undoubtedly… David. It is David in the beginning, in the middle and in the end. Bejoy Nambiar criss-crosses the lives of three people in his movie David, which after a long time will give you a reason to sit glued to your seat. The director, Bejoy, known for his penchant for exposing the dark side of people, definitely has a cutting edge with David. To a layman who would definitely like the play David Kaun, it definitely has an element of mystery. So, it is lives of three people, three Davids, which make the story of the film. The storyline, pretty unusual, doesn't loosen up even once. It is crunched and packed well, which means you can digest it well. Three protagonists—Neil Nitin Mukesh, Vinay Virmani and Vikram — share the same name, David. You might even want to pull out your i-Phone to draw the pedigree chart of the three Davids, but once you put them in their place (of course mentally) you will realise the director has done a smart thing. David can be a little heavy, a little dark, especially if you haven't moved out from the Race course, with sultry beauties dancing on a yacht! Apart from weaving the plot flexibly and not putting unnecessary knots, Bejoy has roped-in an interesting assortment of characters. The David from the lower middle class Christain family, Vinay Virmani, with his dreadlocks manages to make a place for himself amidst a fleet of actors. And then of course, the third David from Goa, Vikram—the South-Indian hero looks equally in sync with the film. He was always meant to be a part of the film! Bejoy, known to play the mush subtly, has done the same with David. An Isha Sherwani who can't listen or speak will bring stars in your eyes, and the Tabu, Frenny, is a pack of bindaas talent. A smooth transition from one David story to another escalates the 'what next' factor. The film has been tastefully garnished on the editing table. Multi-star cast or multi-character films seem to be the new rule in Bollywood; David falls in line. A Saurabh Shukla, Milind Soman, who does nothing more than whispering prayers, Rohini Hattangadi and Lara Dutta calls for a bold mention. The music of the film is something that will again strike a chord with you, but definitely not on your feet! Damadam Mast Kalander sways you in a soothing Sufi space. The Goan number by Remo Fenandes pumps in much fun. Some mystery, good acting, engaging storyline, soothing numbers, good direction….what else are we looking for in a movie? |
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A mid-way safari
Though Salman Rushdie gained notoriety for his latter day novel Satanic Verses and a fatwa to boot, he was always a controversial writer and it took Indian-origin director Deepa Mehta years to get down to filming Midnight's Children under a veil of secrecy for obvious reasons. But it stays true to the original novel even if the first half tends to plod on quite laboriously. It is the story of a group of children born at the stroke of midnight on India’s Independence Day, the most prominent of them being Saleem (Darsheel Safari), the central figure in our story. That he is exchanged by the nurse Mary (Seema Biswas) adds to the drama and a dramatic change in fortunes in the storyline. That Saleem experiences all sort of strange dreams is also part of the plot and in the latter half Parvati (Shriya Sareen) finally materialises and he marries her. But it is scarcely the end of his problems. They keep on assuming alarming proportions but the later half is more racy and gains tempo with 'twist kare' or the Hindi version of 'let's twist again'. The story shifts to Pakistan and we have Army colonel Zulfi (Rahul Bose) and Naseem (Shabani Azmi), Saleem's mother, who have brief cameos. But Darsheel Safari does an excellent job in the lead role and living through a whole gamut of emotions and is ably supported by Shriya Sareen in a supporting role. Rajat Kapoor and Seema Biswas too are good in their respective cameos. Midnight's Children may not be an exceptional film, but it is still worth taking a look at. It is history re-written on screen in a thought-provoking manner. |
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movies on tv
Saturday FEBRUARY 2 MOVIE NOW 11:30PM ZEE CINEMA 7:15AM Naag Lok 9:50AM Viewers Choice 1:55PM Journey Bombay to Goa 5:15PM Mr. India 9:00PM Hum Aapke Hain Kaun...! STAR GOLD 6:00AM Daraar 10:00AM Vinashak 12:50PM Housefull 2 4:30PM Kaalo 6:25PM Phas Gaye Re Obama 9:00PM Sapoot SET MAX 7:00AM Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar 11:00AM King No. 1 2:00PM Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya 5:00PM Munnabhai M.B.B.S. 9:00PM Raaz 3: The Third Dimension STAR MOVIES 7:13AM The Front Row with Anupama Chopra 7:43AM Rio 9:50AM Fast & Furious 11:46AM Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End 3:00PM Police Story 5:14PM King Kong 9:00PM War Horse 11:52PM The Medallion SONY PIX 6:35AM Desperado 8:00AM Step Up 3D 10:00AM Transporter: General's Daughter 11:00AM Transporter: Harvest 12:00PM Monsters Vs. Aliens 1:50PM Slumdog Millionaire 4:00PM The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 5:55PM Snake in the Eagle's Shadow 8:00PM Transporter: Dead Drop 9:00PM War of the Worlds 11:20PM Return of the Dragon MOVIE NOW 7:45AM The Marine 9:45AM Rush Hour 2 11:45AM Anaconda 1:30PM S.W.A.T. 4:00PM Ghost Ship 6:00PM Blood Diamond 9:00PM Predator 11:30PM Tomorrow Never Dies sunday FEBRUARY 3 SET MAX 9:00PM 3 Idiots is a 2009 Indian comedy-drama film directed by Rajkumar Hirani, with a screenplay by Abhijat Joshi. The film has been produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It was loosely adapted from the novel Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat. 3 Idiots stars Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Omi Vaidya, Parikshit Sahni and Boman Irani. ZEE CINEMA 7:15AM Gundaraj 10:25AM Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon 1:50PM Hum Saath Saath Hain 5:40PM Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani 9:00PM Phir Hera Pheri STAR GOLD 6:00AM Yes Boss 9:25AM Bal Ganesh 11:55AM Ghar Ho To Aisa 2:55PM Gangaajal 6:25PM Do Dooni Chaar 9:00PM Ek Tha Soldier SET MAX 7:00AM Sainik 11:00AM Spider-Man 2 2:00PM Main Hoon Wanted 5:00PM Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya 9:00PM 3 Idiots STAR MOVIES 7:05AM Gulliver's Travels 9:05AM War Horse 11:59AM The Avengers (2012) 2:17PM The Medallion 4:18PM Police Story II 6:51PM Tremors 9:00PM The Scorpion King 11:08PM Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer SONY PIX 7:20AM Seven Years in Tibet 9:55AM Transporter: Harvest 10:55AM Transporter: Dead Drop 11:55AM War of the Worlds 2:00PM Mission: Impossible 4:00PM Return of the Dragon 6:00PM Kung Fu Panda 8:00PM Transporter: Hot Ice 9:00PM Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London 11:15PM Once Upon a Time in China B4U MOVIES 8:00AM Phaagun 12:00PM Gurudev 4:00PM Uttar Dakshin 7:30PM Ek Aur Ek Gyarah FIRANGI 7:00AM Samundar Ka Aatank 10:00AM Special Event - World Magic Awards 1:00PM Dragon Returns 4:00PM Ninja Ka Badla 7:00PM Khatarnak Khel 10:00PM Janbaaz Police Officer |
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Neil Nitin Mukesh not only looks fabulous, he does a great job of the David based in London. Flashbacks of something like 'I-have-seen-that-before' might be a coincidence or maybe you are a great fan of Vishal Bhardwaj's Maqbool! Just a coincidence, we repeat. This side of David's lady love played by Monica Dogra (remember her from Dhobi Ghat and the musical show The Dewarist) is unexpectedly good. Monica as Noor has hidden her accent well under her fine acting. A hot number between Neil and Monica deserves a mention for being shot in an aesthetically refreshing manner. 
Historical events like the two Indo-Pakistani wars, 1965 and 1971, also find enough coverage though Mrs Indira Gandhi is made to look much younger, sans that white streak of hair. May be Ms Mehta could have reduced the number of cameos whose role is minscule. Rahul Bose barely gets into the stiff emotions reminiscent of his off-screen self, arrogance et al.
Tomorrow Never Dies