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Low spenders Unsafe trains |
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Myth of woman’s
frailty
Changing scene in
South Asia
Bears, bulls and
the blues
Not
so heavenly Movies on TV
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Unsafe trains The
death of Frank Wilfred, a 23-year-old French citizen, under mysterious circumstances underscores the need to ensure safety of passengers on trains. An injured Wilfred was found at Karnal station. He was travelling the by Amritsar-bound Sachkhand Express train when there was an altercation while he was on the train. As the train pulled out of the station, he was found on the tracks with multiple injuries, to which he succumbed, without regaining consciousness. The police has already arrested a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) and the law will take its course, but the incident again underlines how unsafe the trains are for the over 18 million Indians who travel by train every day. Passengers suffer both on account of the lack of safety on the whole as well as criminal incidents which lead to loss of property, injuries and death. Most of the effort focuses on safety within the system. Recently, a high-level safety review committee, headed by nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar, made a series of recommendations to ensure the general safety of the Railways, and identified operational gaps that pose safety risks. The panel’s recommendations need to be implemented sooner rather than later. General security apart, it is the lack of safety of train passengers that poses another set of problems. "Security of passengers has been of prime concern (to us)," the former Railway Minister, Mr Dinesh Trivedi, had said in Parliament when he presented the budget for his ministry. He had brought in a proposal for an integrated security system to ensure passenger safety and stressed on the need to augment the protection provided by the Railway Protection Force and the Government Railway Police to about 3,500 trains. The government needs to identify the vulnerable areas and urgently take measures that will provide police protection to passengers on all trains.
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Myth of woman’s frailty
If
Shakespeare were to return to this age, he would have to re-phrase the line “Frailty, thy name is woman” for “Hamlet.” Two BSF( Border Security Force) constables, Aarti and Reena Kaur, would make him do that. The two young Punjabi girls gunned down two well-built Pakistani intruders on their patrolling duty in the Dera Baba Nanak sector on the volatile 550-km Indo-Pak fenced border. Both girls are receiving accolades, gifts and felicitations from their male bosses and colleagues. But, being there, to be assigned the job of guarding the border itself has not been a cakewalk. Now, after this rather early confirmation of their valour (it was only in September 2011 that 118 women constables were deployed on the border for the first time) perhaps other forces will follow suit. Their feat is more remarkable, for the BSF, like all paramilitary forces, is a predominantly male organisation — for a force of about 2,40,000 men, there are only 1,146 women personnel. Unlike the three forces, it has prepared its women after a 38-month-long rigorous training in tactical and weapon training, creating a kind of history. The CISF( Central Industrial Security Force) is the only other organisation that has a sizeable presence of women — of its 4000-strong women ranks, about 90 per cent are in combat duties at airports and metro rail stations. The same cannot be said of the three forces- the Indian Army accounts for only 2.44 per cent women in its ranks, the Navy 3 per cent and the Air Force 6.7 per cent. In the 21th century, the Indian Army has reiterated that permanent commission to women officers should be “restricted” to only legal and education wings, as of now. But the two brave BSF constables may bring about a change of mind by forcing the forces to change the phrase “manning the border” by prefixing a “w” to it.
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Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words best of all. — Winston Churchill
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Changing scene in South Asia After
visiting Siachen, where over 120 Pakistani soldiers were killed after getting entrapped by an avalanche, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said something very different for the first time in many years. Kayani expressed the view that all issues between India and Pakistan should be resolved to ensure co-existence which would allow the two countries to focus on development and public welfare. Speaking to reporters at Skardu, Kayani explained that the issue of Siachen was to be resolved through negotiations. Former Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif, too, agreed with the view when he said that Pakistan should take the initiative for resolving the Siachen issue. Kayani’s reference to peaceful co-existence and resolution of all outstanding issues through dialogue was something remarkable and showed a welcome change in the thinking of the Pakistan Army. Soon Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also supported the opinion expressed by Kayani. Addressing a conference on the role of NGOs in the development of Pakistan at Islamabad on April 23, Gilani said the era of wars was over and Pakistan was ready to resolve through talks all the outstanding issues with India, including the Kashmir dispute and terrorism. He referred to the hand of friendship extended by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said that Pakistan was ready to reciprocate it fully. Gilani pointed out that the basic issues, apart from terrorism and extremism, which plagued Pakistan were illiteracy and poverty. Pakistan President Zardari’s pilgrimage to India on April 8 was to seek the blessings of the Khwaja of Ajmer. Yet Dr Manmohan Singh hosted a lunch when they also held talks on the outstanding issues involing the two countries. Nawaz Sharif praised Zardari for his initiative in meeting the Indian Prime Minister and trying to normalise his country’s relations with India. Pakistan encouraged the opening of a second trade gate at the Wagah-Attari border with a network of motorways constructed around Lahore from Wagah to reach the south-bound national highway and the north and west-bound motorways to Peshawar and Faisalabad, the textile capital of Pakistan’s Punjab. Pakistan has also completed an eight-lane highway to the Ganda Singh Wala border near Kasur, 40 km southeast of Lahore and across the Sutlej to Ferozepur in India. Pakistanis are happy over the offer of Dr Manmohan Singh to supply 5000 MW of power to energy-starved Punjab in Pakistan. It is a matter of achievement for President Zardari. Elections are due in Pakistan next year. The Pakistan Army has shown its willingness to be on the same page with President Zardari. The million-dollar bounty announced on the head of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed coincidentally came on the eve of Zardari’s visit to Delhi and Ajmer. This has convinced Zardari on the need to be strict in tackling the issue of terrorism. Hillary Clinton had said earlier that Pakistan’s policy of keeping snakes in the backyard and expecting them to bite only the enemies chosen by Pakistan but not themeselves should come to Zardari as a reminder. Whether he would take the initiative in taking strong action against Hafiz Saeed and his LeT jihadis remains to be seen. It was agreed during the Zardari-Manmohan Singh meeting on April 8 that secondary-level meetings should be held as scheduled to tackle all the outstanding issues, including terrorism. Meanwhile, Pakistan is going ahead with seeking assistance from India in various fields of expertise. Pakistan Railway officials will hold a meeting with officers of Indian Railways for technical assistance when Pakistan would make formal requests for building what is described as a dozen “decent” railway systems in Pakistan. Pakistan is also seeking a large number of broad gauge diesel locomotives. India has expressed its willingness to extend technical assistance for improving infrastructure in Pakistan. Sooner or later Pakistan is bound to realise that holding on to terrorism as an instrument of State policy would not be in its interests as Pakistan would be the real sufferers in the long run. External Affairs Minister SM Krishna made a sue motu statement in the Lok Sabha on April 25 when he said that Dr Manmohan Singh accepted the invitation of President Asif Zardari, extended at the lunch hosted by Dr Singh on April 8, to visit Pakistan at an appropriate time. Diplomatic channels will be used to work out mutually acceptable dates and make substantive preparations for the visit. Krishna said that during the 40-minute meeting with Zardari, Dr Singh told him that Hafiz Saeed’s activities apparently had the support of the security agencies of Pakistan which did not augur well for the relations between the two countries. Dr Singh emphasised that there was need for taking firm action to curb terrorism and bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks to justice. Krishna also told the Lok Sabha that the two leaders discussed developments in the region which included Afghanistan and the cooperation between India and Afghanistan for economic development. It may be recalled that India and Afghanistan signed a strategic pact in October 2011 when President Hamid Karzai made an official visit to New Delhi. Pakistan is playing a dubious game in its relations with Afghanistan which was exposed by a series of attacks carried out in Afghanistan by the Taliban militants of the Haqqani faction, which is apparently enjoying the patronage of the ISI . The United States has announced that though in 2014 its armed forces will be withdrawn from Afghanistan, it will retain a sizeable number of troops for training purposes. Economic assistance would also be continued to Afghanistan indefinitely. These days Imran Khan, leader of the Tehreek-e-Insaf Party of Pakistan, is drawing huge crowds for his rallies. He hopes to win the next election. In his various speeches, Khan has said that India and Pakistan should have cordial relations as is the case between the US and Canada. There is also further news on the prospects of improvement in the economic ties between India and Pakistan. It may be recalled that in May 2010, there was a significant trade conference which led to the joint peace initiative by India and Pakistan for the improvement of trade relations between the two countries. The same organisers have planned a second Indo-Pak economic conference on May 7 and 8 in Lahore in collaboration with the CII and the Pakistan Business Council. The conference will be presided over by CII President Adi Godrej of India and inaugurated by the Pakistan Prime Minister. It is hoped the meeting of trade and industry leaders from India and Pakistan would lead to substantial progress in their economic
relations.
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Bears, bulls and the blues People
who lead active working life do have adjustment problems after retirement. The first problem is about keeping busy. Those who make the mistake of keeping fit during their working life are the worse off. They feel not unlike the race-horse, all upholstered and rearing to go, but with no track to run on. The second problem is fiscal. While the government pays pension for its employees, its adequacy can be gauged by the incident narrated by a friend. He had to apply for a PAN card and while mentioning the 'source of income' in the application form, he wrote 'government pension'. The clerk at the window refused to admit the form since he considered the indicated source of income inadequate for survival and suspected another hidden source. Any pensioner would agree that the learned clerk could not be considered to be even narrowly off the mark. The authorities that calculated the pension did not have, as the cliché goes, the real feel of the pulse; nor do they know about the pulses one could say. There are many 'incidentals' that are not covered by the experts. For example, the pension does not cater for the Diwali 'bakshish' for the postman, the lineman, the electrician, the plumber, the locality watchman, the gardener looking after the municipality park and others. Most of them you see only once a year, and may be it is for the better. If you do not give the 'bakshish' you are quite likely to spend your days cut off from the world with your taps dry and your bulbs cold. My wife had hired a maidservant to do our cooking. She stays on the premises while her resident husband works as a night-shift tailor in a garment factory. She is good with her work. After she completed one year, she asked for a bonus. My wife passed on her demand to me. "No problem," I said cheerily, "the moment I get my bonus from the government, I will pass on your share." I do not suppose she grasped the irony in the humour. But since that day the morning tea hasn't been as steaming hot. On wifely urging and on a friend's advice to create additional income, I played the stock market. I started reading business news ardently. I even entertained experts who advertised their respective investment empires in eloquent terms. I was taken in by the most glib and handed over my meagre savings to him. I have never seen him since. I only see the monthly statements that show that I am left with only 45 per cent of what I had invested at the beginning of last year. I have to take some hard decisions. The house whitewashing necessitated by massive seepage marks of the last monsoons will have to wait. 'In any case, these will reappear during the next rains', I console myself. We had bought a small second-hand car before I retired. It creaks and groans and needs to be changed urgently. But with the fuel prices having more than doubled since its purchase, we don't trouble it much these days. And walking is always healthy as every health guru
says.
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Not so heavenly CINEMA: NEW Releases
Illegal arms dealer, police and an informer`85. shake and stir them together and a thriller is born. Jannat 2 may have nothing in common with its prequel, the hit Jannat, except Emraan Hashmi, yet it has all the ingredients that Bhatt films, especially those starring Emraan, have come to be recognised with. Action, drama, a fair dose of crassness and a close interface with the seamier side of life has been the staple diet of Bhatt productions for quite some time. So you have Emraan as the Sonu Dilli, a gaali spewing small time arms dealer, who would rather be a kutti, kameeni cheez, actually his sobriquet, than a coward. There is little doubt that over the years Emraan has developed a penchant for essaying out roles that are an antithesis to sophistication and class. To give him due not only does he slip into these roles with aplomb but whatever his detractors may say he has the potential to carry the film on his shoulders as well. Of course, in the movie he finds equal support from other actors. Randeep Hooda in particular who as the brooding angst- ridden police officer to whom drinking comes as naturally as belting out unadulterated abuses puts up a credible and understated performance as the ACP Pratap. Manish Chaudhary as the chief villain, also seen in another Bhatt film Blood Money, proves his mettle once more and should be seen more often on celluloid screen. The debutant Esha Gupta has a role that may not go way beyond the mandatory song and dance, in this case kissing and lovemaking scenes. Yet her character, a doctor (Jhanvi) with a past, is crucial to the storyline and for a first film her portrayal can't be faulted. The film's faults which lie in its predictability are compensated by caustic humour that works well for most part of the movie. So does the pace of action even though the songs (music by Pritam) otherwise melodious drag it down. Indeed, Jannat 2 may not be a nail-biting racy, edge of the seat thriller but has enough twists and turns to keep you engaged if not engrossed. Of course, you don't have to be a Sherlock Holmes to know what will follow next. The unpredictable slant in the anticlimax lends some gravitas and an emotional zing to the movie that is at best time pass. Watchable provided you are a real movie buff and not allergic to cuss words that the film abounds with. In case you didn't know the movie has adults only certification. And lest we forget the serial kisser in Emraan is alive and kicking. Only the chemistry between him and Esha is nowhere close to scorching the screen. A romantic overdose
Logan Thibault (Zac Efron) is a US marine who has seen action in Iran where he comes upon a picture of a pretty woman who he feels is responsible for saving his life. After much searching he finds the woman Beth Clayton (Taylor Schilling) who runs a dog shelter in a small town and lives with her son Ben (Riley Thomas Stewart) and her nana (Blythe Danner). Reluctant to reveal his reason for coming there, he applies for a job in the dog farm. But he runs into complications because Beth's ex-husband Keith (Jay R. Ferguson) is a cop still hoping to patch up with Beth and finds Logan a new rival. To make matters worse little Ben immediately takes to Logan. Based on a novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks, the plot is too simplistic. Also, death is a common occurrence and there are a good number of coincidences. Director Scott Hicks inherits an implausible story and though Will Fetters imbues it with dashes of humour, the action is both predictable and long drawn out. The best part of the film though is the picturesque rustic setting beautifully shot by cinematographer Alar Kivilo but is hardly the reason for suffering through a mundane love story. The characters are one-dimensional and Zac Efron is at best enthusiastic. Taylor Schilling is pretty to look but not always convincing, especially her angst over her son. But little Riley Thomas Stewart is promising while veteran Blythe Danner is wasted in a small cameo. See it only if you are prepared to overlook the credibility or you are hell-bent on die-hard romance. A salute to cinema
The wait (studio wranglings) was well worth it. Hugo is surely a Martin Scorsese masterpiece and one can trust him to use 3D effectively. But above all, it is his great salute to the movies. The opening shots are indelible --- the sound of trains, the working of a master clock and the overview of Paris with the Eiffel Tower on the horizon. A close-up of the master clock shows a cherubic face behind number 4. He's our little big hero. He is 12-year-old Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) who lives in a labyrinth of giant clock atop Paris railway station after his master clock-master father (Jude Law) dies in a fire. But Hugo inherits his dad's love for fixing things and wants to repair an automaton his dad found at a museum. But Hugo also has a knack of finding trouble. And that he finds when he's caught by the station's shop-keeper Papa Georges (Ben Kingsley) for stealing. Station Inspector Gustave (Sacha Baron Cohen) with a mechanical leg also wants to lock up the orphan. Papa Georges also confiscates Hugo's notebook of key drawings but his god-daughter Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz) helps him. She is looking for adventure and no unexpectedly they form a partnership of sorts. Set in the 1930a (the period authentically recreated) and based on a best-seller The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, the story throws light on the life of silent filmmaker Georges Milies, a contemporary of the Lumiere Brothers, now very nearly in the dustbins of cinema history. And it is this reincarnation of the man that Scorsese sets himself to work on. What a revelation it is. Not, surprisingly, Robert Richardson's caressing camerawork also plays a part and won an Oscar for it It is 126 minutes of pure fascination, from script to each frame, worked out enchantingly by Scorsese. And the cast joining in the repast most effectively. From the cherubic Asa Butterfield and the impish Chloe Grace Moretz (their simple love) to Ben Kingsley, Christopher Lee (losing his Dracula identity magically), Helen McCrory and the wicked Sacha Baron Cohen all pull in their weight for this superlative show. Need one say more ?
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Movies on TV Saturday MAY 5
The Mummy Returns is a 2001 American adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velásquez and Freddie Boath. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film, The Mummy. It contains less horror attributes than the first film, relying more on action and comedy aspects. The Mummy Returns proved to be even more successful than the first installment. ZEE CINEMA 7:20AM Officer, 10:55AM Viewers Choice : Krantiveer / Bhai / Fight Club 2:20PM Arya Ki Prem Pratigya, 5:35PM Bhrashtachar, 9:00PM Dhol STARMOVIES 7:06AM Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 8:55AM The Front Row with Anupama Chopra, 9:25AM Hard Target, 11:25AM Death Race, 1:32PM The A-Team, 3:52PM The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 6:05PM 2012, 9:00PM Knight and Day, 11:14PM Die Hard 4.0 STAR GOLD 9:35AM Bade Ghar Ki Beti, 12:00PM Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... 4:15PM Kaalo, 6:00PM Ghayal, 9:00PM Hukumat Ki Jung, 11:45PM Hukumat Ki Jung STAR PLUS 12:00PM Rang De Basanti, 4:00PM Gangaajal HBO 6:30AM An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, 9:00AM Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, 11:05AM Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, 1:25PM Final Destination 2, 3:15PM The Mummy Returns, 6:00PM Sex and the City 2, 9:00PM Enter the Dragon, 11:15PM Frozen FILMY 9:00AM Bewafaa, 12:00PM Skystar, 12:30PM Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam 4:00PM Aag Aur Shola, 7:30PM Meri Bhains Ko Anda Kyon Maara?, 8:00PM World's Greatest Magicians, 8:30PM Sandwich SUNDAY MAY 6
Bhool Bhulaiyaa is a 2007 Bollywood psychological thriller comedy horror film directed by Priyadarshan. The film constitutes the official remake of the 1993 Malayalam film, Manichitrathazhu, which was already remade into several Indian films. The film features Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Ameesha Patel and Shiney Ahuja in pivotal roles with Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav in supporting roles. The music of the film was composed by Pritam and the lyrics were written by Sameer. ZEE CINEMA 6:45AM Jannat, 10:15AM Coolie, 2:05PM Mard, 5:40PM Aparichit: The Stranger, 9:00PM Aankhen HBO 8:00AM The Wannabes (Season 1) : All About Drew, 8:30AM The Wannabes (Season 1) : She Drives Me Crazy, 9:00AM Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, 11:05AM Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, 1:25PM Final Destination 2, 3:15PM The Mummy Returns, 6:00PM Sex and the City 2, 9:00PM Enter the Dragon, 11:15PM Frozen STAR MOVIES 8:29AM Ice Age, 10:13AM Die Hard 4.0, 12:44PM Anaconda, 2:38PM Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, 4:39PM Knight and Day, 6:54PM Killers, 9:00PM Home Alone 3, 11:04PM The Fast and the Furious STAR GOLD 8:55AM Paa, 12:00PM Chandni Chowk to China, 3:10PM Naya Ajooba, 5:20PM Krrish, 9:00PM Force FILMY 9:00AM 1947: Earth, 12:00PM Skystar, 12:30PM Hanuman, 3:30PM Meri Bhains Ko Anda Kyon Maara?, 4:00PM Vardaan, 7:30PM Meri Bhains Ko Anda Kyon Maara?, 8:00PM World's Greatest Magicians, 8:30PM Bhool Bhulaiya
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If
Hollywood has been indulging recently in those sci-fi thrillers with
machine-like spaceships roaring overhead or one-man armies like Jason
Statham, we have for a change a die-hard romantic called The Lucky
One which is so lovey-dovey that is quite the other extreme.
The
Mummy Returns HBO 3:15PM
Bhool
Bhulaiyaa FILMY 8:30PM