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Quiet burial for NCTC? |
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A toll on patience
Shame in Tamil Nadu
The Tehran NAM summit
The cart before the horse
CINEMA: NEW Releases
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Quiet burial for NCTC?
With
the issue of coal allocations occupying the national centre-stage, terror seems to have been pushed down on the list of national priorities. When the Home Ministry tried to set up an anti-terror body, popularly called the NCTC (National Counter Terrorism Centre), states like Odisha, Gujarat, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu vociferously opposed it. Now even the Home Ministry seems to have put it in cold storage. The new Home Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde, did not think it proper to talk about its future at the three-day conference of DGPs that began in Delhi on Thursday. He has recalled the revised NCTC proposal submitted for consideration of the Cabinet Committee on Security. While states’ federal concerns may be addressed, the importance of having a nodal organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act should not be lost sight of. The online hate campaign launched on social networking sites and blogs targeting people from the North-East is a recent example of intelligence failure. Though objectionable matter and motivated rumours were posted on the Internet 20 days before people started fleeing cities like Bangalore, Mumbai and Hyderabad, the police and intelligence agencies had failed to notice this and, therefore, act in time. National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon has rightly called for a better monitoring system to keep watch on objectionable material on Internet sites. It is expected of the DGPs, therefore, to wrestle with the challenge from cyberspace. Central-state cooperation is key to the battle against terror. The third important issue that figured at the police conference was that terrorist groups getting external support were still posing a threat to Punjab and the neighbouring states. This is the assessment of Intelligence Bureau chief Nehchal Sandhu. A similar observation was made by P. Chidambaram as Home Minister during his visit to Chandigarh earlier this year. While it is necessary to keep watch on the activities of disruptive elements, the threat should not be played up or discussed at public platforms as negative publicity can undermine Punjab’s efforts to attract industry. Peace is a precondition for private investment.
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A toll on patience
The
load at the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway toll plaza has far surpassed the capacity for which it was designed. Therein also lies a case that is in the high court, but is as much a matter of natural justice. The concessionaire, as per the contract, was to collect the toll for 20 years, or till the time the traffic reached 1.7 lakh ‘passenger car units’ per day for 180 consecutive days. It has practically been so for much more than the stipulated period, but there have been holidays with less traffic that ensure the 180 days have not been ‘consecutive’. Such and other fine print in the contract have allowed this particular concessionaire as well as those at other toll booths all over the country to fleece commuters without providing the service being charged for. The very idea of a paid road is high convenience — of quality, safety and time. While on many highways the maintenance is not up to the mark, safety and time are the first fatalities at plazas that have queues kilometres long. There have been certain innovations in collecting toll, such as electronic smart tags (which act as debit cards), but these have not had the desired result because of mismanagement and even commuters’ lack of discipline. Provision of service lanes, and deployment of adequate number of traffic marshals is often avoided at plazas to maximise profits. The fact that these violations are not acted upon raises the suspicion that there are considerations other than the contract that are at work. Under no circumstances can people be made to pay for inconvenience. That has to be an overriding clause to the concept of toll roads. At the same time, wherever possible, old roads should be maintained as toll free, even if slow, and toll roads should come up parallel to those. There is a lot of anger against the very idea of toll roads too. This has to be addressed by making the award of contract and the terms agreed upon absolutely transparent — and public. In any case, as long as people get what they pay for, they won’t mind it.
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Shame in Tamil Nadu
Life
is not easy for Tamils in Sri Lanka, looked upon as they are with suspicion. Purportedly raising their cause in Tamil Nadu, local political parties have only made it more difficult for the community in Lanka. MDMK activists heckled and threw stones at Lankan tourists visiting churches in Tamil Nadu. Before that, AIADMK general secretary and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had herself ordered two football teams from Lanka visiting the state sent back, setting off a kind of competition among various parties to be more sincere than her to the Tamil cause. DMK president M. Karunanidhi subsequently has spoken against the attacks, but not before doing his bit of Lanka bashing. Tamils have certain genuine grievances in Sri Lanka that the country’s government has to address. And it is natural for members of the community in Tamil Nadu to take up their issues and bring pressure upon the Lankan government to pay heed. But whipping up passions can only send things back into turmoil that has ended after decades of untold misery — even if the end was the most gruesome. Suspicion in the Lankan society is deep, as a whole generation of youth has grown up during the war the LTTE waged. Reconciliation is the word, but it is easier said than achieved. As people in Tamil-dominated northern Lanka strive for a ‘normal’ they have long forgotten, it is the political leadership’s responsibility in both countries to ensure nothing is said or done to inflame passions that are just below the surface. What happened on Tuesday was unbecoming the least because most of the visiting Lankans were Tamils. India — together with countries around it — is a rich amalgamation of innumerable tribes and communities that have had ages of interaction in trade and politics. The vast shared history has its baggage too. Unfortunately, even as countries in the region have embarked upon democracy, or are experimenting with it, communities are finding it hard to get over the ‘tribal’ instincts, which are easily exploited by politicians looking for immediate gains. The trouble in Assam and Maharashtra was no different. The answer to one violation is not more violation.
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Bad weather always looks worse through a window. — Tom Lehrer
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The Tehran NAM summit The
almost derelict Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was once again in the limelight not because it had something significant to say or do on the global arena but primarily because the incoherence of the grouping as a whole was once again on display for the outside world. At a time when non-alignment is back in vogue in India as a guiding framework for Indian foreign policy, it is important to assess the recent NAM summit and the dearth of ideas that the grouping has come to represent. Iran hosted the 16th summit of NAM which was also the beginning of a three-year turn for Tehran as the group's Chair. The NAM meeting in Tehran was the largest international gathering in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the Iranian regime used it to full effect. At a time when Iran is facing international opprobrium and multitude of sanctions, it wanted to establish that it was not as isolated as many might believe. And it succeeded when the 120-odd nations of NAM in the group's final declaration expressed their unanimous support for the controversial Iranian nuclear energy programme and berated the US-led western sanctions regime aimed at throttling the Iranian nuclear ambitions. Iran used the NAM summit to showcase the diplomatic support it still enjoys in some parts of the world. In a week during which a new report by the IAEA underscored once again Iran's attempt in recent months to rapidly accelerate its uranium enrichment capacity, it was extraordinary to see a large body of international community taking Iran defence of its nuclear ambitions at face value. The United Nations Security Council has been asking Iran to cease all uranium enrichment and allay suspicions that it is seeking the ability to make nuclear weapons. In an attempt to force Iran's hand, the Security Council and the West have imposed stringent sanctions though it has had little impact on Iranian behaviour. The nuclear issue has become a symbol of Iranian nationalism and the political class in Iran have been using it to mobilise political support. Yet even as Iran was able to secure the backing of NAM for its nuclear programme, no such support was forthcoming for Bashar al-Assad's government in Syria, Iran's main ally in West Asia. Rebels backed by pro-Western powers in West Asia, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, have been battling the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, for control of towns and cities across the country. Syria has made it clear that it blames Turkey and the Arab countries of West Asia for recent rebel advances. Iran not only views Turkey as a competitor for regional influence but is also alarmed at renewed ties between Egypt and Saudi Arabia which constitute, at least in part, a thinly-veiled alliance of "moderate Sunni Islam" against Shia Iran. Iran views Syria was an essential part of an "axis of resistance." "Axis of resistance" refers to Iran, Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza. As such, the fall of the Assad regime would leave Iran completely isolated in the region and this is making Tehran nervous. Egypt's new President, Mohamed Morsi, was categorical in his speech at the NAM meeting in decrying the Syrian government's attempt to brutally crush the rebellion, thereby reflecting broad Arab support for insurgency in Syria. A majority of NAM members had already voted to condemn the Syrian regime at the United Nations. The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, also ended up vitiating the climate for Tehran by asking Ayatollah Khamenei to release all political prisoners. The NAM summit was merely an attempt by Iran to garner legitimacy for a regime that is getting increasingly unpopular at home and isolated globally. As is typical of many autocracies, the Islamic Republic has grown addicted to grandiose international gatherings to reclaim some of its lost sheen and prestige. This is unlikely to work as foreign approbation is never a substitute for legitimacy at home. The Indian performance at the NAM summit was particularly disturbing. The UN Secretary-General and the Egyptian President stood up for their convictions but the Indian Prime Minister failed to even articulate a coherent position based on the imperatives of Indian national interest. This was not really surprising as increasingly Indian domestic political demands have imposing significant costs on the management of India's external relations. India has very little in common with the majority of the members of NAM, and New Delhi is forced to extol the virtues of NAM. The world has changed, Indian foreign policy priorities have changed and yet some of the best and brightest in the Indian foreign policy establishment want to resurrect non-alignment. Despite what some might suggest, NAM was only of limited utility to India even during the heydays of the Cold War. It became overtly hostile to the West as it lined up to support Moscow on issue after issue during the Cold War. For India, this much touted Third World solidarity was of little use during major times of crises. Yet New Delhi persists with its fascination with NAM even as the leaders of Venezuela, Zimbabwe and Sudan continue to add lustre to the glowing credentials of NAM. An organisation that was founded to rail against the establishment now finds itself in a unique situation where some of its long-standing members like India are being touted as the ones likely to shape the new global order. It is this contradiction that New Delhi will have to deal with in the coming years. Given its performance in Tehran, it is difficult to be confident about India's ability to transcend its fascination with non-alignment. Manmohan Singh went to Tehran with a 250-member delegation but had very little show for it in the end. After suggesting that a nuclear Iran is not in India's national interest, the Indian Prime Minister seemed to be going backwards at the NAM summit in addressing the question of Iranian nuclear weapons. On Syria, he continued to peddle the nonsensical idea of a Syria-led solution. What Syrian led solution can emerge in an environment where the ruling regime is fighting for its survival and has lost all credibility with the rebels? Once again post-Tehran, India has emerged as a weak, defensive power unable to articulate its vital interests and, therefore, in no way ready or able to shape the emerging global balance of
power.
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The cart before the horse I, an ex-IPS officer, sought counsel from an ex-IAS: “ What if I name an article: ‘The IPS versus the IAS?” Pat came the reply: “Why put the cart before the horse?” He had said it! The cart, an inanimate object with no motive power, and the horse with the legendry horse sense and repository of the imperial unit of power,the In the usual tug of war, however, between the two, be it in the district between the DM and the SP or at the state level, between the HS (Home Secretary) and the DGP, it is often difficult to divine as to which side would win; both have the political clout and the money power, the police, additionally, the muscle power. The Chief Minister/Home Minister may rather like to use both or sometimes, even pit one against the other, albeit secretly, to reap the harvest for himself or for his party. The Police Act, 1861 (now abandoned by many states in favour of their own Police Acts) and Police Rules framed there under notwithstanding, giving supremacy to the magistracy over the police, the ‘real’ power came to be vested in and wrested by the police, for what could be more heady than the ( legal) powers to detain, arrest, search and question and the( illegal)ones,to thrash,maim and ‘encounter’. In my initial years of service,I often wondered why,in meetings of district officers, the SP sat with the DM at the head of the table, the others being seated lower in no pecking order. It gradually dawned upon me that the SP’s physical proximity to the DM made the state representative in the district (the DM) feel powerful to enable him to wield his authority over others.The arrangement also gave an added importance to the SP. This is besides the more serious matter of the life and liberty — the two precious rights guaranteed by Article 21 of our Constitution –being dependent, in the daily life of a citizen, on what the SP and his subordinates did or failed to do. The row between the DM and the SP, however, may be on myriad matters, some of which may be weighty like the posting of the SHO of a police station where the approval of the DM is required but SPs seldom take the same, and some may be as trivial as the SP not attending personally many meetings convened by the DM where police interests may only be peripherally involved. Thus in one district where the SP did not attend one such meeting and sent his Dy SP to represent him, the DM arranged to convey his displeasure to the SP informally through common contacts. The SP then sent back to the DM a bunch of red-cross tickets received from the latter for sale through the police department, quoting government instructions prohibiting any such sale with the help of government servants. One crafty SP, not willing to provide gun-men to the DM for security, sent a couple of them with the latter, who would speak ill of the DM at his back. The DM got the lot changed. When the ‘malady’ continued even after three turnovers, the DM gave up. An indomitable state police chief challenged in the court the authority of the Home Secretary to report upon his working. He won the case. However, the government amended the Confidential Rolls rules to say that it could lay down as to who would be the reporting authority. No wonder, it is aptly (or inaptly?) said : “The IAS makes the rules and others follow
them.”
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CINEMA: NEW Releases
Chills, thrills & kisses Of course, as with other things in life till the ghostly presence remains an apparition, it scares more. In its full blown avatar not so much! Come to think of it-the human form of the ghost (Manish Chaudhury) is more evil then its computer-generated image. But to give the devil, ahem Vikram Bhatt, his due he does manage to keep you on the edge of the seat in the first half for sure, even though the film is a trifle long. Yet another creditable thing is the way he fuses the glamorous world of stars with the spookiness of the other world. Actually the grandeur of the film sets and the loneliness of an actor's life lend the requisite artifice needed for a story based on supernatural elements. Never mind that the storyline is conveniently tailored—logic be damned—to fit the horror format. Chills and thrills keep pace with the kissing scenes. Only expected with Emraan Hashmi around! He may have ‘threatened’ to put an end to his kissing spree but for now his chemistry with both heroines works. Both actresses look beautiful, Bipasha more sensuous and certainly more competent as an actress. Actually in the part of a woman possessed with an all consuming passion for stardom, the film truly belongs to her. Esha Gupta as Shanaya's bęte noire Sanjana Krishna looks every bit scared and Emraan despite a weak script and a weaker characterisation is apt. Supporting actors do what they are supposed to. By cutting down on the number of characters, Bhatt ensures there are no unnecessary diversions from the basic theme. On the sunny side, the film stays away from the gory, creepy paraphernalia that many horror flicks have become synonymous with. The cockroach attack is handled well and is easily the highpoint of the film. Overall, the movie may not scare you to death but what keeps you engaged is the high tension
that Bhatt builds up despite the dead giveaway story. Indeed, in this Raaz there is no nail-biting mystery. Stay away if you are a rationalist for here even the doctor (Mohan Kapur) is a believer. But if a chill down your spine is what keeps your adrenaline going, go for it. This one has the added advantage of hummable tunes and love bites. Lest we forget the 3D effects are
effective.
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This Rome was built in confusion For one thing it is touristy and not surprisingly as it has been financed by the Italian Government as probably were Roman Holiday (Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn) and "Sabrina," two classic romantic stories (they are now called romcoms) of the 1950s but
then financing never really figured in film reviews. Then it is written by that innuendo sex freak Woody Allen so there's much more about bed and very little of breakfast.
The theme is apparently of fame and accomplishment and how when in the limelight for long one cannot bear the twilight. The four episodes overlap and run into each other at times but not unduly confusingly, though Woody and confusion are almost synonymous. There's a worker who wakes up to find himself a celebrity, an architect who takes a trip back to the street where he lived as a youth and runs into a young gun in the same line and his girl-friend and… no prizes for guessing correctly. Then a young couple on their honeymoon who lose their way and find… you know what, and lastly an undertaker whose passion is singing in the shower. Antonio (Alexandro Tiberi) and Milly are newly- weds who after checking in a hotel go their separate ways as Milly wants to do her hair, but gets lost and who should be helping her but Luca (Antonio Albanese) who is instantly attracted to her. Antonio meanwhile runs into a prostitute named Anna (Penelope Cruz) and they get cozy. The rest isn't hard to figure but it's credibility that nosedives. John (Alec Baldwin), the narrator is an architect who visits his hometown to find the younger professional Jack (Jesse Eisenberg) and they too run into adventure. And like the earlier episode it is musical beds. At least the ending is cute, the best of the four. In the last episode Italian comedian Roberto Benigni is the one who overnight turns into a celebrity and seems to enjoy it, but not the viewers because it is much too far-fetched and a waste of a delightful comedian. Woody Allen takes a minor part as Jerry, newly-wed Milly's dad and Judy Davis as Phyllis, her mother. There are no very special acting performances. Antonio Albanese sort of earns his right for top billing and Penelope Cruz goes through her role as breezily as one would expect. But an added bonus (and one surely needs one) is Darius Khondji's dazzling camerawork on that historical city, the locale of many Hollywood movies. The overall result is good in parts which are few and far between. To say it is not among his better films like Vicky, Christina, Barcelona or Midnight in Paris would be overrating it. Woody Allen fans of course will not want to miss it. But for others it's a clear no-no.
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Saturday SEPTEMBER 8
Ladies vs Ricky Bahl ZEE CINEMA 7:15AM Aatish: Feel the Fire, 10:55AM Viewers Choice : Bin Bulaye Baraati / No Problem / Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin, 2:15PM Double Dhamaal, 5:25PM Andhaa Kanoon, 9:00PM Vivah STAR GOLD 9:10AM Jodi Breakers, 12:05PM Bhool Bhulaiyaa, 3:20PM Yeh Hai Jalwa, 5:45PM Ra.One, 9:00PM Garv: Pride and Honour SET MAX 10.00am Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl, 02.30pm Dangerous Ishhq, 05.00pm Hadh Kar Di Aapne, 08.00pm Dirty Khabar STAR MOVIES 7:30AM Jumanji, 9:30AM The Front Row with Anupama Chopra, 10:00AM IRobot, 12:30PM Kung Fu Hustle, 2:00PM Rob-B-Hood, 4:30PM The Hot Chick, 7:00PM Knight and Day, 9:00PM Transporter 2, 11:00PM Home Alone HBO 7:30AM An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, 8:55AM Kindergarten Cop, 11:00AM Arthur, 1:05PM Rush Hour 3, 2:55PM Ong Bak 2, 6:55PM No Strings Attached, 9:00PM The Warrior's Way, 11:05PM The Lost Future B4U MOVIES 8:00AM Maalik, 12:00PM Punaah, 4:00PM Surkhiyaan, 7:30PM Bheja Fry SAHARA ONE 9:30AM Waqt Ki Deewar, 1:00PM Jab We Met WB 9:05AM Nikita, 9:55AM The Dark Knight, 12:55PM The Tuxedo, 2:50PM Bulletproof Monk, 4:55PM Cradle 2 the Grave, 6:55PM Get Smart, 9:00PM Minority Report, 11:50PM Deep Blue Sea Sunday SEPTEMBER 9
The Dirty Picture is a 2011 Indian biographical drama film inspired by the life of Silk Smitha, a South Indian actress noted for her erotic roles. It also resembles the personal lives of other women in popular culture, including Hollywood actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe. The film was directed by Milan Luthria and
co-produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor. ZEE CINEMA 7:20AM Chori Chori Chupke Chupke-0.071, 10:40AM Vishwatma, 2:00PM Dhol, 6:00PM Karz Chukana Hai STAR GOLD 6:15AM Don: The Chase Begins, 9:55AM Naya Ajooba, 12:00PM Housefull 2, 2:55PM Krrish, 6:35PM Coolie No. 1, 9:00PM Bodyguard STAR MOVIES 8:00AM Men in Black II, 10:00AM Speed 2: Cruise Control, 12:30PM Transporter 2, 2:00PM Home Alone, 4:00PM Salt, 6:30PM Water For Elephants, 9:00PM Cars, 11:30PM Gulliver's Travels SET MAX 09.30am Tezz, 01.00pm Dirty Picture, 06.30pm Tere Nall Love Ho Gaya, 09.00pm Dirty Picture HBO 7:15AM Lethal Weapon 3, 9:30AM Spy Kids, 11:20AM Yogi Bear, 1:00PM Kung Fu Panda 2, 2:55PM Rush Hour 3, 4:55PM The Warrior's Way, 6:55PM Poseidon, 9:00PM Kung Fu Panda 2, 11:25PM The Mummy Returns WB 7:50AM Over the Hedge, 9:25AM Get Smart, 11:30AM Bulletproof Monk, 1:35PM Deep Blue Sea, 3:40PM Jackie Chan's Who Am I?, 6:10PM Minority Report, 9:00PM Madagascar 2, 10:45PM The Final Destination
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