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Empowering
babus Posts as
bribe |
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Rights
violated globally
Equipping
today's military
Another
way to fight the onion tears
CINEMA:
NEW Releases Deceptive
game
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Posts as bribe
The
high court gave the Punjab Government sufficient opportunity to seek Moga MLA Joginder Pal Jain's resignation from the post of Chairman of the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation. The state Advocate-General at one stage even told the court that Jain had submitted his resignation. Jain, however, subsequently declared he had neither resigned nor intended to. That, admittedly, was a very honest statement from Jain, who has focused on gain from the 'profession' of politics. First the SAD condemned him as corrupt when he contested and won the Assembly election on the Congress ticket. Then the Congress did the same when he quit as MLA to be re-elected on the SAD ticket, for it was the party that had come to power. In the process, Jain made both the parties look equally 'corrupt', having fielded him. Finally ordering the quashing of Jain's appointment, the court observed that it had been made for 'considerations other than bona fide'. These 'considerations' are plain for anyone to see. The SAD wanted to embarrass the Congress by engineering a defection, and the bait was the post and re-election on the party ticket. Besides being convicted in a passport case, Jain is also facing charges in other cases. He perhaps also expected leniency in the prosecution. All this amounted to nothing but bribe by the SAD to get Jain in its fold. Earlier, Harish Rai Dhanda's appointment as PPSC Chairman was set aside by the court, now Jain. In both cases, the court also raised the question of eligibility of the candidates. If that criterion were to be applied, very few heads of state boards and corporations would qualify for the posts. This is a question that needs to be debated further. Such crucial posts cannot be allowed to be 'consolatory prizes' for the ruling party's losing candidates. Though Jain was a victory for the SAD, it must now be hurting more than a defeat — or perhaps not, given the currency of power that MLAs are reduced to being.
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Rights violated globally
When
violations of human rights take place in a poor, developing country, these hog media attention worldwide. After a spurt in the number of rape and molestation cases in India, many developed countries released travel advisories for their citizens, warning them to be wary of visiting India. However, when a 44-year-old disabled man Bijan Ebrahimi, originally from Iran, was burnt alive in Bristol, UK, for taking live pictures of his tormentors, Amnesty International did not swing into action. The crime did not hog media attention despite the lack of alertness on the part of the local police that failed to protect the life of a man with a learning disability. Is it because British democracy has earned credence in its close to 300-year-old history? After the December 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape case, the US State Department travel advisory on India included a long warning to women tourists, urging them to "observe stringent security precautions, including avoiding use of public transport after dark…, and avoiding isolated areas when alone at any time of day." It affected the Indian tourism industry adversely. The fact is, one out of six US women has experienced an attempted or completed rape. More than a quarter of college-going women in the US report having experienced rape or rape attempt since age 14, according to the statstics of the US Bureau of Justice. When crimes like rape, molestation and abduction take place in developing countries like India and Pakistan, they are portrayed as a norm in the foreign media rather than an exception. The developed countries too have their share of violations of human rights. Visitors or migrants from the less developed countries do not get justice and fair treatment in countries celebrated for their democratic credentials. Crimes of racial prejudice abound, targeting migrants from the poor countries. The violent attacks on the Indian students in Australia, fatal attacks on Sikhs in USA and brutal attacks on migrants in the UK are common. Yet, these countries remain advocates of human rights globally, ignoring the reality in their own backyard.
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Fanatacism consists in redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your aim. — George Santayana
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Equipping today's military
In
a belated response to the killing of five Indian soldiers on the Line of Control (LoC) near Poonch, Defence Minister AK Antony says he has given the Army a free hand to counter Pakistani adventurism. It is important to consider what options the Army has to retaliate with. There are few options other than so-called "fire assaults," in which heavy artillery barrages are directed at enemy posts. This measure dates back about a century to World War I, and uses guns from that era, albeit with better accuracy. The outcome would be little, other than the deaths of civilians along the LoC, and perhaps the odd Pakistani soldier who had no direct role in the Poonch incident. Is this what modern India would term a "befitting reply"? Since we know the implications of physically crossing the LoC, what is required is a contemporary menu of hi-tech weapons that can strike with pinpoint precision at targets from distances, allowing Indian posts to retaliate at a local level against local Pakistani forces at the site of an incident, without collateral damage to civilians. Armies that never fire a shot in anger have these modern hi-tech weapons, but the Indian Army — deployed eyeball-to-eyeball with Pakistan on the LoC — makes do with vintage equipment. Astonishingly, not one out of a plethora of elected leaders and long-serving bureaucrats and generals is held accountable for this hollowness in capability. While hollow promises and chest-thumping fills the public space, nobody — not the Defence Minister, the National Security Adviser, the Defence Secretary nor the Army Chief — have ever had to explain why an incident has taken place and why the Indian Army has come off second best. Nor has anyone had to explain why the systematic process of capability creation has failed to create the military instruments needed to deal with the security challenges that are so evident every day. Instead, there is a blame game. The military, diminished by excessive political and civilian bureaucratic domination since Independence, has been systematically deprived of the decision-making and financial powers needed for replenishing its capabilities. The generals, admirals and air marshals, unsurprisingly, blame the politicians and babus for the mess they are in, specifically the tardy progress of modernisation proposals. Across the military spectrum, the belief is that crucial projects are delayed by infructuous observations by unaccountable bureaucrats, with the military's operational preparedness being the loser. Indigenisation of defence equipment has been a long-standing national objective.While we understandably wish to reduce our vulnerability to interruption in the supply of equipment, defence indigenisation has simply not taken off. The longest-serving Defence Minister since Independence, Mr AK Antony, has talked consistently in Parliament, defence functions and in defence seminars (which is a growth industry in India) about the need to reverse India's equipment ratio of 70 per cent imported and 30 per cent indigenous. He is never forced to answer why not a single factory has been established to produce high-technology weapons and equipment; or why nothing is in the pipeline. Instead, he gets away with statements of grandiose intent. India, with its major requirement of expenditure on social sectors, needs to spend smart. During the next five years, some $80-100 billion will be spent on capital acquisitions. A coherent strategy is needed to achieve our vision of indigenisation. Our Defence Minister, whose party clout occupies him with organisational matters, must spend more time within the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Firstly, Mr Antony must abandon his endless refinement of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP), which has already been taken through six editions without any semblance of a big idea behind it. With procedure more important than outcome, piecemeal changes of procurement rules have solved no problems; instead they have rendered even more impassable a bureaucratic thicket of rules. What the stakeholders — the military, foreign vendors and Indian industry — want is a clear over-arching procurement strategy, not an unhealthy focus on procedures that are merely tactical. The MoD seems to have forgotten: "Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory, Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." Along with an overarching aim and procedures, we need a procurement road map that specifies clear timelines. Delays must be investigated and accountability fixed for all delays, whether in overseas procurement or in indigenous development. It is revealing that not a single bureaucrat, military officer, scientist, technologist, industrialist or political leader has ever been held accountable for delays in acquiring defence equipment. On the other hand, Mr Antony's MoD views with suspicion any official who pursues a procurement with any degree of urgency. The question that time-conscious bureaucrats immediately face is: "Do you have a personal interest in rushing this through?" We also need to be more pragmatic about our desire to quickly indigenise the defence industry. Shortcomings that are severely damaging our operational capabilities need to be made up through purchases from the international market. This must be treated as a necessary evil, since the development cycle of an indigenous platform is normally eight to 10 years. It has been seen that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) route alone cannot be relied upon; we need to systematically develop indigenous design and manufacturing capability in the private sector as well. The private sector can be extremely useful in bringing foreign investment and technology into the defence sector. The MoD must facilitate, not frustrate, private Indian companies that wish to enter foreign partnerships in order to bring in proven, state-of-the-art technologies. The technology competence of Indian defence industry is at least 25 years, if not more, behind advanced defence industries. Since the defence business requires huge investments in state-of-the-art equipment, technologies and human skills, with gestation periods of up to a decade before profits start accruing, foreign manufacturers need to be incentivised with larger stakes in the joint ventures that are set up. The FDI cap in defence needs to be raised immediately to at least 49 per cent, with 74 per cent likely to provide quicker technology returns. All of this will only work if private industry is clearly and specifically informed about on the military's requirements of state-of-the-art technologies that India requires in the short, medium and long terms. This would enable private corporations to deploy resources in military research and development with the confidence that these investments are directed towards a specific goal. The MoD's recently released "Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap", or TPCR, fulfils this requirement only in name. It must spell out the military's technology and equipment requirements in far greater detail. And the MoD must be prepared to fund at least 80 per cent of the cost that private corporations will incur; this is not a change of direction, since it funds 100 per cent of the cost that the DRDO incurs in developing military equipment. The MoD must think seriously about other essential reforms. Among these are the need for a roll-over policy that allows unspent modernisation funds from one year to be rolled over to the next; and the need to do away with no-cost, no-commitment trials, which places an unfair onus on the vendors that is duly passed on to the MoD. Finally, the military must abandon its long-standing practice of raising unrealistic and technically flawed requirements for procuring new equipment. This has become one of the biggest causes of delay, with tenders having been cancelled since no vendor builds or sells equipment that the Indian military considers
essential. The author retired as Deputy Chief of the Army, after having commanded a strike corps
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Another way to fight the onion tears As
usual, the sabziwala of our locality shouted the names of various vegetables with a synchronising tone, along with their prices. In the end, he named onions but at a much lower tone and scale. Perhaps the price tag could not be highlighted. As I entered my house with a bagful of vegetables, my nephew, a school-going Class IX student, in a taunting tone asked me: “Can't we do without onions?” “Where is the need? We can afford it even at a higher price,” I replied with a somewhat broadened chest trying to project my financial muscle. “No, you have easily fallen prey to the filthy machinations of hoarders and black marketeers, the national enemies,” was the prompt reaction of the younger one to my uttering. “They have robbed you and you as a coward have allowed them to do so. You did not even try to use the most accessible and effective weapon with you,” continued the young man as if I was the only person to be blamed for sky-rocketing onion prices. I could not get him initially but just in a couple of minutes the words spoken by him lent the spark to the hidden meaning. The young man, perhaps annoyed and perturbed by the otherwise legitimate furore, strategically amplified by political parties was trying to remind me the importance of self control. The young boy trying to implement the contents of the lesson of his text book very innocently asked me “Why is there such a hue and cry over onion prices when the remedy preached by mahatmas, yogis and saints is a panacea in such a scenario?” He was hinting towards the therapy of self-control, as preached by Mahatama Gandhi. I was forced to give a serious thought to the therapy advocated by yogis and saints. My academic brain asked me If the hoarders and black marketeers could regulate supply in tune with their illegitimate desires, can’t we the consumers regulate and control demand for a legitimate cause? Let us send signals to the masses that consumer is the king and would not bow to the nefarious designs of “national enemies”. Khomchawalas, chaat vendors and the poor do it in a natural way when they smartly use radish cut in small pieces to cosmetically represent onions in their servings. (Smart, strategic substitution). The age-old principle of demand and supply still regulates the market. Supply is controlled by the suppliers and the demand is in the hands of consumers. If we had the guts and courage to boycott foreign goods to defeat the designs of Englishmen, at least we can suspend the use of onions to defeat the intent of hoarders, black marketeers or politicians? Let us show them the might of the consumers and force them to mend their ways. The new concept of “boycott price” floated in my mind on which a fresh model needs to be developed. This is sure to give a zor ka jhatka to people who have caused this crisis. The question raised and the point of view presented by the young boy, at least, forced me to ponder over for a few minutes and ultimately decided in favour of that. Irrespective of my purchasing power, we decided to boycott the use of onions at the super-duper market prices. I find myself the gainer not only economically but also morally and psychologically. I feel that I have done the minimum I could do to counter or combat the nefarious designs of national
enemies.
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CINEMA: NEW Releases
A technical treat
Great
expectations are often met with…well, to be honest, the much-awaited and most expensive Bollywood film Krrish 3 doesn’t disappoint outright. Not the least in the special effects department, which are spectacular and in sync with the Hollywood’s exemplary high standards. But when the tale of a superhero marries sci-fi elements in the grand old Indian tradition of Bollywood the net result isn't always entrancing. It begins well, juxtaposing the good and evil sides of not just humanity but more importantly
Simultaneously he creates mutants (mixing DNAs of humans and animals) to find the right bone marrow that can make him get rid of his wheel-chair. Only by the time he does stand-up the film has already begun to fall. The mishmash of emotions, sci-fi and superhuman abilities finally takes its toll on your patience and time. As it is, songs have already wasted precious time. Considering that the music by Rajesh Roshan is mediocre, it should have had no place in the film. Besides, the novelty factor (for the uninitiated oblivious to Hollywood viewers of course) of mutants too begins to wane in the post-interval section of the film. Sure Kangana Ranaut as the Kaaya who flits from one body to another is impressive and oozes just the right amount of negative energy. But the twist in her role is on the expected lines. Indeed, superhuman films are not really about great surprises or greatest storylines. Only here when it comes served with dollops of overt sentimentality, the director's attempt at making you feel good does cost the film's aesthetic and even emotive appeal. Director Rakesh Roshan has failed to cut out unnecessary frills and used every card known to Bollywood and films of same feather to make this one click. Nevertheless, it's not a film that you can dismiss or be totally dismissive about. Coming as it does in a genre in which Bollywood has yet to find its idiom, it may not be path-breaking but it does open the doors for more to follow. Of course, the film itself keeps the possibility of yet another sequel alive…whether that's good news or not…it sure is an indicator that Krrish franchise is here to stay. You will love it or hate it…depends on how many marks you give to technical skill and visual competency the two counts on which film scores high. Our advice on whether to see it or not….it's certainly not great cinema, not at its exhilarating best either but despite the flaws can be watched once.
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Deceptive game
The
sci-fi genre today seems to be coming out of our ears, each trying to be different for different's sake and most of them missing the bus, or should we say, spaceship. Ender's Game is the latest in this line and is set in 2086 after an alien race called Farmies which attacks the earth. So, the International Fleet prepares for the next invasion by training the best young children to find an able leader. They believe in evolution and put it into practice. Ender Wiggan (Asa Butterfield) is the shy but strategically brilliant youth selected for the purpose of some intense tests. He is supposed to love the enemies he is to attack. This means separation from his family and under the ageing Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford). His immediate boss is Paul Arbeman (Paul Steinfield) and Major Gwen Anderson (Viola Davis). Further in this mire is Maori warrior Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley), duly painted like an Indian. It is Ender's effort to mould this gang of seeming misfits and the challenges that confront him that is easily the best part of the film. Gavin Hood's screenplay is fair in that it keeps the viewer going till much after the halfway mark and provides substance to surfeit of FX (Donald McAlpine's fluid camerawork is impressive) but it is in the latter half that the story loses its way. Young Asa Butterfield is promising but the others are merely caricatures (the fate of yesteryear stars like Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley). The talented Abigail Breslin is wasted as Valentina, Ender's sister. Ender's Game may flatter but it surely deceives.
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Movies on TV Saturday november 2 Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara is a gangster film directed by Milan Luthria and produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor. A sequel to the 2010 film Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, the film stars Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha and Imran Khan in leading roles and Sonali Bendre in a supporting role. ZEE CINEMA 7:30AM Naag Lok 9:27AM Badla Naag Ka 11:45AM Apna Sapna Money Money 2:39PM Raja Hindustani 6:17PM Aar Paar: Judgement Day MOVIES NOW 8:40AM Mr. Popper's Penguins 10:35AM Torque 12:20PM Blood Diamond 3:15PM Swordfish 5:15PM My Super Ex-Girlfriend 7:10PM Terra Nova 9:00PM Payback 11:05PM Rush Hour 2 ZEE CLASSIC 9:35AM Do Phool 12:35PM Sachaa Jhutha 3:47PM Kal Aaj Aur Kal
7:00PM Deewar 10:08PM Woh 7 Din ZEE STUDIO 8:00AM Deep Rising 10:15AM Goal II: Living the Dream 1:00PM Pearl Harbor 4:40PM Bulletproof 6:15PM The Lion King 8:00PM Real Steel 10:30PM Pirates of the Caribbean: on Stranger Tides MOVIES OK 8:10AM Patiala House 11:15AM Partner 1:50PM Housefull 4:45PM Bhagam Bhag 8:00PM Tees Maar Khan 10:45PM Ragada STAR GOLD 9:35AM Golmaal Returns 12:25PM Dabangg 2 3:00PM Surya Jalta Nahi Jalata Hai 4:50PM Bol Bachchan 8:00PM Singham 11:00PM Meri Taaqat Mera Faisla ZEE ACTION 7:00AM Operation Duryodhana 10:30AM Lalkar Ek Jung 1:30PM Heeralal Pannalal 5:30PM Loha: The Ironman 8:30PM Ganga Tere Desh Mein SONY PIX 8:15AM The Tower 12:47PM Iron Man 3:01PM War of the Worlds 5:06PM John Rambo 7:05PM Shrek 9:00PM Piranha 3-D 10:29PM Skyfall SET MAX 10:30AM Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya 1:00PM Yamla Pagla Deewana 5:30PM Mere Hindustan Ki Kasam 9:00PM Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai Dobaara! Sunday november 3 21 Grams is an American drama film directed by Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It stars Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Danny Huston, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Benicio del Toro. Like Arriaga's and González Iñárritu's previous film, Amores perros, 21 Grams interweaves several plot lines, around the consequences of a tragic automobile accident. ZEE CINEMA 8:38AM Bajirao: The Fighter 11:28AM Phata Poster Nikhla Hero 2:28PM Hum Saath Saath Hain 6:06PM Taarzan: The Wonder Car 9:10PM Karma INDIA TALKIES 12:00AM Pyar Ke Kabil 3:00PM Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam 6:00PM Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya 9:30PM Lage Raho Munna Bhai ZEE STUDIO 8:00AM The Lion King 10:05AM Back to the Future Part III 1:00PM Pirates of the Caribbean: on Stranger Tides 3:45PM Real Steel 6:15PM 21 Grams 8:45PM I Am Number Four 10:55PM Fright Night ZEE CLASSIC 9:15AM Bombay To Goa 12:07PM Saagar 3:26PM Geet 7:00PM Raja Jani 9:50PM Hero MOVIES OK 8:40AM Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara 11:50AM Fukrey 2:50PM Ek Ziddi 4:45PM Avtaar 8:00PM Ready 11:00PM The Hero: Love Story of a Spy STAR GOLD 7:10AM Ramayana: The Epic 9:15AM Ra.One 12:30PM Wanted 3:40PM Housefull 2 ZEE ACTION 7:00AM Yeh Hai Jalsa 10:30AM Ilaaka: The Territory 1:30PM Jalladon Ka Jallad 5:30PM Dhartiputra 8:30PM Bhishma SET MAX 7:00AM Ta Ra Rum Pum 10:30AM Aashiqui 2 1:00PM Rowdy Rathore 5:30PM Band Baaja Baaraat 9:00PM Dhoom 2
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science. Till the first half, even those of you grown up on the staple diet of Hollywood superheroes will find yourself rooting for our very own indigenous superman. Like good supermen around the world he wears a dual identity. So there he is a nincompoop who can't keep his job but is a doting husband nevertheless. In the avatar of Krrish 3 he flies around to protect passengers flying in a malfunctioning aeroplane and children stranded on electric cables. All of it is aptly picturised, almost to the point of perfection. Besides, without doubt, if any Indian hero was born to play the part of a superman its Hrithik Roshan. Blessed with exceptional good looks, he looks and acts the part. He is equally delightful as the father, Rohit, the child-like genius whose scientific talent can save the world. You bet if there is a father son duo saviour there is a destroyer too. Here he comes in the shape of Kaal played by Vivek Oberoi who is rather menacing as the wheel-chair borne bad man out to wreak havoc. For a living, he infects the world with lab-grown deadly viruses and then makes a killing by selling its antidotes.
Ender is psyched into this warfare by his elders but later has second thoughts about the correctness of the action. It is here the story takes a U-turn.
Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai
Dobaara!
21 Grams