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New shape of NCTC
Rustam-e-Hind |
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Education not on board
Electing the President
Telecom revolution, Jai Ho!
CINEMA: NEW Releases
Cheers for male camaraderie
Avoidable hunt
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New shape of NCTC
THE Central government seems to have come round to the view that the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) should not be allowed to acquire a controversial image like that of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) and the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), which led to these laws ultimately getting repealed. The proposal by the Central government to keep the NCTC out of the ambit of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and not to accord it powers to arrest anyone suspected of being involved in terrorism without taking into confidence the police of the state concerned should be viewed against this backdrop. Many chief ministers had objected to the idea of allowing sweeping powers to the NCTC perhaps because of the fear that its officials in their over-enthusiasm might start behaving as if representing some supranational authority. Some states which wanted the NCTC to have a mechanism so that it could not be misused to harass any section of society mentioned particularly Section 43(A) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) which empowered a designated official to arrest any individual on suspicion of being a terrorist. This would land the much-needed NCTC in the thick of a controversy resulting in the defeat of the very purpose for which it is being created. The Congress-led UPA government might have succumbed to pressure from the states and other critics of the NCTC in its earlier form because of another reason. The NCTC issue could have been used to wean away minority (read Muslim) voters from the Congress in the coming elections in 2014. Whatever the factors behind the proposal to have a redesigned NCTC, nothing should be done to dilute its powers as this may make it incapable of serving the purpose for which it has been conceived. Terrorism continues to pose a major challenge to peace and security in the country. Terrorist outfits having their umbilical cord in Pakistan are yet to be destroyed root and branch. One study has brought out the ugly reality that the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) has grown more powerful than even Al-Qaida. And India has been on top of its list of targets.
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Rustam-e-Hind
A
person who was seen as a paradigm of strength in the nation, Dara Singh Randhawa was no ordinary mortal. His 6.2-foot height and the build of a wrestler made him stand out wherever he went. Yet, what really set him apart was his wrestling ability. He fought over 500 bouts and won many titles, including the Commonwealth Championship in 1959 and the World Wrestling Championship in 1968. His bouts with Australia’s King Kong and Pakistan’s Gama Pehalwan were dramatic confrontations that left spectators awe-struck. He introduced freestyle wrestling in India and titles like Rustam-e-Punjab and Rustam-e-Hind were bestowed on him. He inspired many Indians, and most of today’s wrestlers say they drew from his example. The original He-Man of India made a smooth transition to the silver screen with ‘Sangdil’ in 1952. In time he was to act in over 100 films, including one named after him: ‘Dara Singh: Ironman’. He also directed and produced films, including those in Punjabi. However, what brought him to every home that could get a TV set in the 1980s was the TV series ‘Ramayana’, in which Dara Singh played Hanuman. He became a member of the Rajya Sabha in August 2003 but his dalliance with politics was brief, and soon he was back in Mumbai that had become his home ever since he moved out of Dharmuchak village in Amritsar district. They say the measure of a man is how people look at him after he is dead. The outpouring of tributes announced after the death of this gentle giant from Punjab is a fair indication of respect he earned from Indians. The man who epitomised strength in a nation that looked up to his physical prowess also obviously touched an emotional chord in Indians, effortlessly spanning regions and generations, like a true Rustam-e-Hind that he was.
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Education not on board
Amidst all the talk of keeping education tuned to global competition and requirements of the job market, the Punjab School Education Board is continuing with language books for children that their parents studied nearly three decades back. The reason given is they do not have sufficient subject experts for revision of the syllabi. What they would not say is that many of the “experts” the board does have are there because of their expertise in developing the right contacts. The board has been revising much of its syllabus and books by copying from the NCERT books and the CBSE recommendations. While there is nothing wrong with this per se, it cannot work for all subjects. Maths, science and certain humanities subjects may be the same everywhere, but languages and ‘cultural’ subjects like history have to be designed to regional requirements. English is a subject that has been neglected by the board as well as the state government. For good or bad, it is the language for all higher learning, and jobs. Miss it, and you miss the bus. As things stand today, the board has been reduced to merely conducting exams, in which too there is chaos owing to lack of vision. In May this year, it gave a full-page advertisement in newspapers claiming credit for introducing the semester system in board exams. A month later, it announced the system was being abolished owing to various drawbacks. There are notices put up all over the board office advising visitors not to pay any bribe. This is a sign not of integrity but rampant corruption there. The board — and the government — take pride in it being financially self-sufficient, but that comes at a cost. One, the finances are not sufficient for research in the development of education, hence the outdated syllabus. Two, it also promotes ‘business interests’ such as publishing textbooks. If certain NCERT books are better, why not just prescribe those, rather than reinvent the wheel? Appointment of a full-time chairman of the board is due. Let the government show its commitment to merit in doing that.
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Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.
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Electing the President AT present politics surrounding the Presidential election is occupying the attention of the country. But no one seems to be thinking much about the constitutional scheme of the election of the President or the elaborate procedures laid down in the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952, and the rules. Article 55 of the Constitution lays out the scheme of election of the President. The Article has it that the President is elected by an electoral college consisting of the elected Members of both Houses of Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies. The nominated members or the members of the state Legislative Councils are not a part of the electoral college. Thus, the President of India is elected by the elected representatives of the people and not by the people directly. Even after the adoption of the Constitution there have been demands from some quarters that the President should be elected directly by the people. Pandit Nehru, while reacting to such a demand made in the Constituent Assembly, said, “If we had the President elected on adult franchise and it did not give him any real powers it might become a little anomalous.” The Constitution makers preferred an indirectly elected President and vested the real powers in the Council of Ministers which is responsible to the House of the People. Nevertheless, the indirectly elected Presidents at times tried to openly explore the real dimension of their powers. The confrontational postures adopted by Dr. Rajendra Prasad and later by Giani Zail Singh on the question of the presidential powers had sparked off a serious debate in the country. We cannot claim that this controversy has been finally put at rest. However, though elected indirectly, the President secures a much wider support base in the country under the formula laid down in the Constitution for choosing him. Each elected MLA and each elected MP votes for him. Then, the system of computing the ‘vote value’ of the MLAs of each state by dividing the population by the total number of elected members of the Assembly and further divided by 1000, makes it a rational method to secure the widest support. As a matter of fact, the elected MLAs in their collectivity do not represent the majority of the population because of the defective first-past-thepost system practiced here under which a candidate often gets elected with much less than 50 per cent votes. However, the proportional representation system with a value fixed in respect of a vote would reflect more correctly the elector’s choice. Similarly, the value of the vote of an MP is arrived at by dividing the total votes of the Members of the Legislative Assemblies of all the states by the total number of elected members of Parliament. Thus computed, the value of the vote of an MP is 708. The vote value of the MLAs differs from state to state. Article 55(2) of the Constitution makes it clear that there will be parity between the states as a whole and the Union in the matter of votes. Thus, we find that the total votes assigned to the states and the Union are 549474 and 549408, respectively, which make a total of 1098882. It may be noted that the population, which is taken into consideration for computing the value of votes of the Members of the Legislative Assemblies, is that of 1971. This situation will change only after 2026. This, of course, is an anomalous situation. But the Constitution was amended in 2001 to provide that until the relevant figure for the first census taken after 2026 are published, the 1971 census shall be the basis for computing the value of votes, etc. The Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952, and the rules made under it deal with all aspects of election of the President and the Vice-President. There is a single vote, but it is transferable through what is generally known as ‘preference votes’ which are given when a candidate gets surplus votes in excess of the quota fixed for winning the election. Our Constitution adopted this system of voting from the Constitution of the Republic of Eire. The purpose of introducing this system was explained by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar in the Constituent Assembly in the following words: “Obviously, no member of the House would like the President to be elected by a bare majority or by a system of election in which the minorities had no part to play. The only method, therefore that remained was to have a system of election in which the minorities will have some hand and play and that is undoubtedly the system of proportional representation.” This system of voting makes the presidential election at times very exciting. V.V. Giri’s election in 1969 is often quoted in this context. It must be remembered that in order to win, a presidential candidate should obtain 50 per cent plus one vote. In a contest involving a number of candidates, sometimes no candidate may secure the quota at the end of the first count. Then, the candidate who has secured the lowest number of votes up to that stage is eliminated and his votes are distributed among the continuing candidates as per the preferences recorded in his ballot papers. This process of elimination can sometimes lead to a situation where there may be just one candidate left in the field and yet he may not have secured the quota. In that event he will be declared elected even if he has not secured the quota. The presidential election at times provides some comic interludes. A number of non-serious candidates file nominations mainly for the fun of it or to create a record of sorts. “Dhartipakar” was almost a permanent fixture in presidential elections. Some of them come for filing nominations wearing crowns on their heads and ringing bells. Many come in fancy dresses. In fact, most of them look like clowns. In my experience (I was the Returning Officer in the 2007 election), all of them take advantage of a loophole in the Act and thus survive up to the stage of scrutiny. According to the Act, a nomination should contain 50 proposers and 50 seconders who should be members of the electoral college. The candidate is also required to deposit a sum of Rs. 15000. None of them deposits the money. However, a nomination can be rejected at the time of filing it only if it is presented after 3 pm on the last day of nominations or if it is not accompanied by a certified copy of the electoral roll containing the candidate’s name. This would mean that a nomination will survive up to the stage of scrutiny even if it does not have proposers and seconders or the candidate has not deposited the money. At the time of scrutiny, they or their representatives indulge in sterile but strident arguments and cause tremendous waste of time. The presidential election is a serious matter where there is no scope for clownish antics. The names of their proposers and seconders are often mythological characters. In 2007, I found Ravan, Sita and Ram together proposing one particular candidate. Such a comic diversion in this otherwise serious business could be avoided if the relevant provision in the law is amended to provide that a nomination not accompanied by a receipt for the deposit shall also be rejected by the Returning Officer at the time of filing it. The presidential election of 2012 is notable for one thing. For the first time a claim is being made that there should be a ‘tribal President’. P.A. Sangma is presenting himself as a tribal presidential candidature. To lend substance and credibility to this claim, he hung a huge drum around his neck and did quite a good ‘drum-beating’ after filing his nomination. Sangma has as much claim as any other citizen of the country to stand for President, but only as a citizen of India who has attained the age of 35 years and who is eligible to be elected to the House of the People (Ariticle 58) and not merely as a
tribal.
The writer is a former Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha.
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Telecom revolution, Jai Ho!
In telecommunications, India has made spectacular progress. Imagine more Indians today own cell phones than have access to toilets! From the humble dhobi, to the mali to the poor rickshaw-puller, they all own cellular phones. What a contrast it is when we look at the past —then there were only a few in the neighborhood who owned a telephone and one phone used to serve as ‘PP number’ to the whole lot of people living in the vicinity. Today almost everyone in the family owns a mobile. Even the domestic help comes equipped with a mobile phone. Gone are the days when possessing a mobile phone used to be a status symbol. What a celebration it was when we acquired our first cellular phone in the mid-90s! The handset, purchased for a huge sum, was quite big and heavy in comparison to the small and sleek phones with umpteen features which are now flooding the market. Back then, the mobile set had ornamental value — a prized possession to be flaunted but rarely to be used. Unlike today when people are spending hours on mobiles, chatting on cell phones was unthinkable during those days. At Rs16 per minute call rates were exorbitant. No wonder, we were hesitant to make calls. Even the incoming calls were avoided because of the hefty charges on receiving calls. Going back to the 80’s when the mobile phones had not made entry into the Indian market, having a fixed line itself was a luxury. For getting a telephone connection, there was a long wait stretching up to years. Only the rich and the privileged could boast of a telephone connection. Of course, it was another matter that quite often the dial tone was conspicuous by its absence and for days together the telephone could be ‘dead’. Even when the telephone was operational, there was no guarantee that one would be connected to the desired dialed number. Cross connections were quite common. Instead of being greeted by a ‘polite hello’, one could always expect to hear a curt ‘wrong number’ from the other end. At that time making a long distance call was no less than an ordeal which required a lot of patience and persistent reminders to the telephone operator to get the call through. The ‘trunk call’, which had to be booked for making out-station calls, could take hours to materialise. One was lucky if one could get the call through, but any time, mid -way through the conversation the link could be snapped and the call would end unceremoniously. Where was the scope for leisurely talk? Most of the out-station calls resulted in a hurried telephonic conversation amidst audio disturbance. What a remarkable progress has been made since then! Today connectivity is instant. There is no agonising wait. Voice quality is amazing. Call rates are down, just a fraction of rates in the past. Now even national roaming is set to become free. Telecom revolution, Jai
Ho!
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CINEMA: NEW Releases Nonika Singh Love triangles which have been the eternal leitmotif of Hindi cinema have given birth to some immortal classics. So what new can Cocktail that treads the same path offer? Well, first and foremost it places love triangles, ahem relationships, in 21st century world of Gen Next for whom the line between buddyhood and romance is rather thin. So friends can be lovers and lovers can be friends….. all very well. But what happens when someone else comes in between a no strings attached relationship. Expectedly hearts break and a cocktail of emotions good, bad and somewhat ugly are unleashed.
As it brings alive the varying emotions of love and friendship, there are no villains or vamps here. In fact, in the end it’s not even a race between ‘may the best woman win,’ but who is a better person among this awesome threesome. Indeed, Saif Ali Khan, the incorrigible flirt Gautam Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, “a rich bitch,” actually lonely poor rich Veronica, and Diana Penty, the gentle traditional Meera, create an onscreen chemistry that is breezy and fun, more so when they are just friends. Dimple Kapadia, as Saif’s mother, adds to the merriment with her Punjabi accent and desi values. The same can’t be said of Boman Irani and Randeep Hooda, of course, who are at best appendages and lesser actors could have easily slipped into their parts. As far as performances go, Deepika steals the show. Not only does she look hot, haute and ravishing, but also mirrors the angst of her predicament rather well. The new find Diana is good, rather really good considering it is her debut performance. Saif as the over-the-top philanderer, who maaros line on every girl that crosses his path, and even those who don’t, is consummate. Kudos to him, especially for his dance scene attired in lingerie. Music by Pritam, which is hitting the charts already, is a winner in the film too. No doubt the film scores high on the popcorn value of entertainment, and is frothy and bubbly, albeit in parts. Shot on a lavish scale, the treatment finds a match in the picturesque beauty of London and Cape Town and adds to the allure of this love tale with a twist not quite unpredictable yet engaging nevertheless. Of course, we all know love has the power to change both men and women. Only in the second half as the lead protagonists Saif and Deepika turn a new leaf, the film loses its hold. Yet at the same time, it does try to mirror the emotionscape of today’s generation who in their bid to live life at their own terms often end up having it turned upside down. Cocktail sure is a heady mix, though not so intoxicating that you can immerse yourself completely in its flow. And its emotional tug doesn’t become a vice-like grip. At the end of the day it’s not great cinema or a great love story that you would root all the way for. But your heart does go out for Deepika’s forlorn-yet-will-keep-a-brave-face stance. Targeted at Gen Next, in a way, it’s a must watch for them.
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Cheers for male camaraderie Intouchables is an absolutely delightful and heart-warming French drama of an invalid and his caretaker set in romantic Paris but not to be confused with Brian de Palma’s Al Capone story Untouchables in the mid-1980s. “I always feel like a frozen steak in a blazing frying pan,” says Dris, short for Idris, though his English isn’t so fluent. Words like “pragmatic” confuse him but he picks up fast and learns to conceal his amazement, like when he is taken to his posh quarters. Philippe is no less endearing and soon they get along like a house on fire. Speak of male camaraderie, this film is the very epitome of it. Directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, who have also written the screenplay, are as subtle as the “b” in subtle and it is a case of less being more. With two talented players as Cluzet and Sy, the drama glides like a skater on ice. The cameos do not detract from the main story. There’s a spoilt adopted daughter Elisa (Alba Gale Kraghede) and the house helps Yvonne (Anne Le Ny) and Philippe’s woman of his dreams. The laughter is often situational, like Dris attending an opera. There is also a good mix of indoors and Paris by Mathew Vadepied with Dris introducing him joints and rap, not to forget his daredevil driving at the start. Omar Sy is brilliant and grows with every frame. Though there is always an undercurrent of the chalk-and-cheese contrast it does not weigh down heaving on the story and the “what-next” suspense is maintained right to the end. There is literally never a dull moment in its 113-minute duration. A “must” for all, from seven to 70.
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Avoidable hunt
Poor, poor Abe Lincoln, the father of the nation, he must be somersaulting in his grave for the liberties (sounds familiar, isn’t it ?) they have taken with his life in Abraham Lincoln : Vampire Hunter. His prime target is Adam (Rufus Sewell), who killed his mother, Next in line is plantation owner Jack Barty (Martin Csokas), while assisting him is Dominic Cooper (Henry Sturgess) who is an expert on vampires. They cannot kill fellow-vampires, only humans can and silver is lethal to them is the mumbo-jumbo about them. So, Abe after meeting, falling in love and marrying Mary Todd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has all the time to indulge in vampire-hunting. Director Timur Bechmambetov must be commended for his recreation of that period and there’s an excellent shot of a speeding train, billowing smoke et al, by Caleb Deschanel which is out of this world. The rest is very much in it but adds up to zilch. Oh yes, the FX team works overtime, with some speedy action shots avoidable violence which come and go with little rhyme or even less reason.
Of course, it all adds up to a story of sorts if one is still awake and counting. But the 105-minhuts duration seems much longer. Got it ? Benjamin Walker looks enthusiastic in the lead role while Mary Elizabeth Winstead is easy on the eye. Anthony Mackie’s cameo as Abe’s black valet William Johnson is probably there to remind viewers of the link with slavery but as you may have guessed by now Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is an out and out No-No. |
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Saturday july 14
Shor in the city FILMY 8:00PM ZEE CINEMA 7:25AM Aakrosh, 2:15PM Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, 5:50PM
Aarya, 9:00PM Desi Boyz SAHARA ONE 9:30AM Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, 12:30PM Qaidi FILMY 9:00AM Pyaar Ke Vaade, 12:30PM Dhan Daulat, 4:00PM Hum Do Hamare Do, 8:00PM Shor In The City, 10:00PM Gehra Paani: Sacred Evil SET MAX 9:25AM Bhoothnath, 12:30PM The Super Khiladi, 3:50PM Narsimha: The Powerful Man, 8:00PM Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge STAR GOLD 8:50AM Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?, 11:20AM Veer, 2:50PM Daag: The Fire, 5:50PM Gangaajal, 9:00PMRa.One INDIAN TALKIES 6:00AM Suno Sasurjee, 9:30AM Ram aur Shyam, 1:00PM Heroes, 4:30PM Aladin, 8:00PM Karan Arjun STAR MOVIES 7:14AM Night at the Museum, 9:24AM The Front Row with Anupama Chopra, 9:54AM The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, 12:32PM Ice Age, 2:16PM Commando, 4:16PM Anaconda, 6:09PM The Karate Kid, 9:00PM Home Alone 3, 11:04PM Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid Sunday july 15 Paan
Singh TomaP SET MAX 8:00PM ZEE CINEMA 7:15AM Bajrangbali, 10:05AM Journey Bombay to Goa, 1:25PM Hum Aapke Hain Kaun...! SAHARA ONE 3:00PM Chhoti Bahoo, 8:30PM Nikaah FILMY 9:00AM Dharti, 12:30PM Shoorveer, 4:00PM Devdas, 7:30PM Yaadon Aur Chaahaton Ke Darmiyaan, 8:00PM Haseena Maan Jaayegi SET MAX 9:15AM Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, 1:00PM Paan Singh Tomar, 4:05PM Dhoom 2, 8:00PM Paan Singh Tomar STAR GOLD 6:15AM International Khiladi, 9:40AM Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi!, 12:15PM Dil Hai Tumhaara, 3:45PM Naya Ajooba, 5:50PM Wanted, 9:00PM Indian INDIA TALKIES 6:00AM Suno Sasurjee, 9:30AM Karan Arjun, 1:00PM Tere Naam, 4:30PM Chalte Chalte, 8:00PM Dhadkan STAR MOVIES 7:48AM Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, 9:49AM Kung Fu Hustle, 11:53AM Goal!, 2:20PM Goal II: Living the Dream, 4:38PM Home Alone 3
Film Director Cast Rating
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Call it the reflection of typical male Indian psyche, the hero falls for the simple sweet girl, the kind men love to take home to seek mommy’s approval. But before you shout regressive thinking…. let’s get it straight and simple…. the movie is certainly not that simplistic. 
Philippe (Francois Cluzet) is the wealthy Frenchman whose paragliding accident has left him invalid and Dris (Omar Sy), a black immigrant hired to look after him. The early shots lucidly bring out the contrast between the two cultures, a subject tackled quite often on celluloid.
Based on a novel of the same name, the author Seth-Graham-Smith has written this weird screenplay. By some quirk of imagination, Graham-Smith gets into the realm of vampires where Abe (Benjamin Walker) is involved in a major battle against vampires who threaten to take-over America before it became the United States.
The film revolves around five central characters in the city of Mumbai. Tilak (Tusshar Kapoor) is a small time publisher of pirated books who along with his friends Mandook (Pitobash Tripathy) and Ramesh (Nikhil Dwivedi) kidnaps a famous author and forces him to give the manuscript of his latest book to them so that they will be the first ones to publish it. Abhay (Sendhil Ramamurthy) and Sawan are the other two boys.
Paan Singh Tomar is an Indian biographical film, based on the true story of an athlete Paan Singh Tomar employed by the Indian Army and who won a gold medal at Indian National Games, but was forced to become a notorious bandit. It is directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia. Irrfan plays the title role, with Mahie Gill, Vipin Sharma and Nawazuddin Siddiqui portraying supporting roles.