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A bold
move Rising
suicide cases |
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Hospitals
sans doctors
Handling
the nation’s problems
The
morning stalker!
Delightfully
delectable Jungle
lure Worth
one more watch…
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Rising suicide cases
The
shocking case of suicide by a family of five in Yamunanagar, who jumped before a train, is a reminder of failing familial ties. While the young parents took their three minor children along in their pursuit of death, they accused their family members of abetment of suicide in a note. According to the Centre for Suicide Research, Oxford University, UK, there are more than 800,000 suicides per year worldwide. But such a major cause for “deliberate self- harm”, a term coined by the Centre, receives very little attention on the public sphere. Reasons are simple; the ones left behind suffer from shame and guilt to address the issue objectively. But some statistics that shocked social scientists is forcing different agencies to address the issue, medically. Data collected by emergency-related services in Himachal Pradesh has proved that more women commit suicide in the state than men. Worldwide, it is believed that 75 per cent men and only 25 per cent women commit suicide, but in HP, the figures reflect 52 per cent men and 48 per cent women take this extreme step. In a state that claims to be peaceful and prosperous, such a high rate of suicides among women may seem misleading. The reason could be that HP has the highest number of single women — 16.5 per cent of the total population — and they are mostly widows and deserted women, which worsens their plight in a taboo-ridden patriarchal society. In the 2011 census, the figure of single women was 2.25 lakh which has touched three lakh since. Loneliness, failure of relationships and, as the Yamunanagar case has pointed out, financial problems leading to social embarrassment are a major cause for suicides. Though efforts are made by some NGOs like Sutra in HP for organising single women of the state to help them articulate their concerns, the state needs to improve these women’s lot, work out suicide prevention strategies and monitor the trends in attempted suicides. Prevention of suicidal behaviour should be a major health care target for the government in all states.
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Hospitals sans doctors
The
Punjab Government is considering the creation of a separate cadre for medical specialists. The proposal comes not a day too early, for the government’s repeated attempts since 2008 at hiring specialists for its hospitals have failed. The reason is poor remuneration and tough locations — rural or away from major cities. There is strong competition from private hospitals too, which pay anything from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh a month against the Rs 40,000-45,000 offered by the government. India is a country with a great shortage of doctors, whether general practitioners or specialists. Under the circumstances, the government will have to come up with attractive incentives for them, especially given the tough conditions under which they have to function in the overburdened hospitals. Services in civil hospitals, meanwhile, leave patients to recover more from prayer than treatment. The problems are essentially the same all over. Shortage of staff at all levels — specialists, junior doctors, technicians, nurses. Equipment and medical supplies are in perpetual deficiency. A lot of the equipment that exists is also lying unutilised as there are no doctors or technicians to use it. Many districts have surgeons — though short of the requirement — but they can’t operate as anaesthetists are hard to find. Deficiency of staff beyond a certain level has a cascading effect, as the existing staff also find it hard to operate. Under pressure from the rush of patients, doctors are liable to go wrong in the treatment they give, often leading to violent reaction from the families of patients. The pressure on infrastructure also breeds corruption, as was alleged in the Jalandhar hospital incident in which an infant died. The availability of hospital buildings is not as much an issue as their maintenance and running of services. While making any plan to fill the vacancies in hospitals, the government has to bear in mind the ground realities, which are not in its favour where doctors are concerned. Minor improvement over current contract rates won’t do. The poor have an equal right to life-saving and emergency treatments and surgeries. That won’t happen till the government is prepared to pay.
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Every failure is a step to success. — William Whewell
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Handling the nation’s problems Outgoing
Chief Justice of India S.H. Kapadia was in a candidly aggressive mood the other day when he took the judges to task for pronouncing verdicts which sounded as if they had come from the country’s rulers. Indeed, the judges are to blame but not as much as the rulers who have stopped governing. In certain cases, the judges have had no option except to intervene because the executive was indecisive. Obviously, matters could not have been left at that stage because they related to urgent problems in the country. However, one condition which must be attached to the judgments given by the judges encroaching upon the executive’s territory: they should be held accountable for the verdict they have given. It has been found that the executive purposely lets the judiciary to be the arbiter because the government at times is not sure which path to take. No doubt, it speaks poorly of the rulers who represent the people. But the judges have little option except to deal with the matter when it is put on their plate. I would, however, like to see some bold judge returning the matter to the executive while stating that it does not come under the purview of the judiciary. That the executive is trusted less and less as the days go by is a matter of concern. This is because what has come to be known as policy paralysis. The rulers have to govern to sustain people’s faith in the parliamentary democracy. The fact remains that but for the judiciary, even the limited confidence in the system would have gone away by now. Take, for instance, the 2G spectrum scam. The Supreme Court had to intervene to send the then Communications Minister, A. Raja, to jail. The coal scandal once again shows that the government has mixed up the matter. Again, the Supreme Court will have to come in at some stage to dig out the real facts. It is not surprising that the Samajwadi Party and the Left have demanded a probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge, not by any government agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation or the Central Vigilance Commission. The government’s attack on the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) is misplaced and meant to divert the people’s attention. Not that many institutions have remained untainted. Still by pointing a finger of suspicion at the CAG, the government has questioned his credibility, something seldom done. The CAG has been proved right in the case of 2G spectrum and I have no doubt that he would be proved correct if and when the coal scam matter is sorted out. Chief Justice Kapadia’s principled stand to keep the elected representatives at the top of the ladder, above the judiciary, is laudable. But what can one do when one-fifth of members in Parliament and assemblies are corrupt? It is difficult to improve matters until some movement for cleansing the public life triumphs. The Anna Hazare protest gave some hope, but he seems to have entrusted the task to such team members as do not evoke confidence. Anna himself has to occupy the centre-stage because only his name has come to be associated with honesty. Present at the meeting of Chief Justice Kapadia was former Chief Justice of India P.N. Bhagwati whom Justice Kapadia hailed for delivering “constructive” judgments. Justice Bhagwati is the same judge who sided with the government when the suspension of the Constitution was challenged in the Supreme Court. At that time, everyone presumed that he, known for liberal views, would oppose the government. But he shocked the nation by casting his vote in favour of Indira Gandhi’s authoritarian rule during the Emergency. He did not even tender an apology afterwards. What do other judgments of his, however laudable, mean if he falters at the time when the polity is challenged by undemocratic elements? One other point which I liked in Chief Justice Kapadia’s address was the confidence he expressed in Parliament, the apex of the democratic structure. All protesters and demonstrators have every right to articulate their point of view even on the streets. But for them to run down the institution of Parliament and suggest as if they are the arbitrators of the country’s affairs is to betray their ignorance in the basic understanding of what democracy is. Chief Justice Kapadia was right in chiding the activists. They have to get elected to a state assembly or Parliament to prove that their support is solid and that it springs from the public’s confidence in them. People’s power can no doubt be demonstrated through dharnas and fasts and these cannot be minimised in their importance. But, ultimately, Parliament is the last word in a democracy and it should remain so. The activists should never consider that their movement is the end by itself. In fact, it is the beginning. The movement is only a method to awaken people to corruption, injustice and human rights violations. The end is the victory achieved in an assembly chamber or Parliament House because they alone give the stamp of people’s support to
a measure.
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The morning stalker! Morning
walk is a pleasure in all seasons. But it is a double pleasure during this season of the year when you see raindrops on tree leaves, blooming flowers and butterflies. The cuckoo song adds to this charm. While I enjoy my morning cup of tea, I equally fancy going out for a morning walk that sets one’s mood for the day. It has become almost a ritual for me since the time I studied in a school and we stayed in a government house at Panchkula. One early morning, as I went out for the ritual, the streetlight was missing. My mother dissuaded me from venturing out, telling me that there have been several cases of petty criminals roaming in the streets at night and before dawn. I too had read of many instances of people being looted during night. But, brave heart as I am, mustering courage, I went ahead with my morning walk mission. Soon I felt someone stalking me. So I hastened the speed. The stalker still followed. The words of wisdom and forewarning given by my intuitive mom appeared coming true. Fearing the worst, I did not look back and started almost running. Soon I felt exhausted and unable to run further. As I do not carry my mobile phone during walk, I could not call cops for help. Light emanating from a house gave me a ray of hope to escape. I pushed the door-bell of the house. The old lady let me in as I pleaded for help. As all hell loosened on me, the stalker too reached the house and, before I could step in, entered the house. It was then that I realised that it was a black dog that I had once fed that was following me. The old lady and I had a hearty laugh at the discovery. After that it became a daily routine that whenever I stepped out of the house for the morning walk, the black beauty would religiously follow me. The love affair continued till we stayed in Panchkula and she continued stalking me. As habits die hard, even after we bought our own house in Chandigarh and shifted to this city, I resumed my morning routine. But I genuinely missed her. A few days later, when I was having brisk walk, I again felt the stalker. I looked back in amazement and found the black beauty that I had given the name “Blackey”. How she had found her way to our house was a big mystery for me. However, I soon realised her loyalty and love. This made me imbibe the truth in Shakespeare’s lines that “in thy face I see the map of honour, truth, and loyalty”. Now when I go out for my morning walk, the stalker still follows me. We do brisk walking, indulge in some exercises and have fun running around. When I relax on a bench on the way back for deep breathing, she sits at my feet while I move my fingers in her hair. On reaching home, when I savour my cup of tea, she eats the bread loaf soaked in milk. The best part is that she often shares milk with my pet cats. Over the years, our love has grown and the stalker has turned a
friend!
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CINEMA: NEW Releases RATINGS:
Delightfully delectable
Silence
is not only the language of love but can also be the language of a film. Silently and emphatically, beautifully and evocatively…. so proves Anurag Basu with his ace directorial venture Barfi. Of course, lest you are mistaken, Barfi is not a silent film, only about a young man Barfi (Ranbir Kapoor) whose life may be soundless but certainly not colourless. No wonder, the joy of life in its many splendoured hues unfolds, touches you and embraces you in its fold with a grip that is not easy to shake. Like a jigsaw puzzle, Basu connects the narrative that is essentially a love story but also incorporates a mystery of sorts. Going back and forth in time it brings alive the world of those whom the normal among us may not consider normal. But Basu's gaze into the lives of deaf and mute Barfi and Jhilmil (Priyanka Chopra), an autistic girl, is as sensitive as human. Sympathy please take a walk…. Barfi's duniya is as normal and far more beautiful than anyone of us could ever envision. So, there he goes full of beans and love, offering his heart to a beautiful girl Shruti (Illeana D'Cruz ) the moment he lays his eyes on her. In fact, the way he proposes to her is as touchingly romantic as funnily interesting. Expectedly, the movie has its moments of fun. Mirth and laughter in typical Chaplinesque fashion too, especially in the chase sequences between Barfi and the policeman essayed remarkably well by who else but the ever talented Saurabh Shukla. However, beyond the celebratory mood, the movie's real strength lies in its strong emotive appeal. While the first half is almost flawless with visuals unveiling like paintings, in the second half the pace does flounder somewhat as one tries to keep up with the lost and found tale of Jhilmil. How's and why's are fitted back in the final climax but leave you perplexed in between. Nevertheless, the emotional tug of the movie doesn't leave you for a moment. Watchable for more reasons that one, least of all for stellar performances. While Ranbir Kapoor strides the screen almost like a colossus yet without overshadowing any of the other characters and not just his heroines. Priyanka Chopra as the deglamourised Jhilmil gets the nuances of her character right with the requisite degree of diffidence and innocence. Illeana D'Cruz looks ethereal and waiflike giving Barfi all the reasons to fall in love with her. And Basu makes you fall in love with the very idea of love. His dexterity lies in the way he first builds the romance between Barfi and Shruti and later plays on the bond between the children of the lesser god. But are they really different? Or, is it the other way around… aren't they blessed to be oblivious to the guiles of this world? The movie's storyline may not be picture perfect yet it touches the deepest recesses of your heart. Taking you into the world of love where dreams are simple and its inhabitants even simpler, here is a film that brings both a smile and tear. Delightful and delectable, the taste of this Barfi will linger for a long time to come.
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Jungle lure
Speckles, the Tarbosaurus is probably the South Korean version of Jurassic Park, a long time after the Spielberg sci-fi box-office hit, but not a bad effort nonetheless with all kinds of ancient creatures, reptilian, winged wonders and 70-foot dinosaurs roaming the dense forests much before man came into being. With most of the outdoor locales in New Zealand and also shot in Olive Studio, it is set in a Korea of over 70 million years ago in that part of the land known as Jeonnam Yeosu which was a thick forest land infested with dinosaurs. The visuals are excellent and director Hang Sang-do, who has also scripted the film, has a fair narrative style but could have done with more doses of excitement. The fight sequences are both credible and the heights very nearly breathless. The story is centred on the life of a curious but playful tarbosaurus named Speckles. He is also known as Spotty and along with his two sisters and brother roam along with their mother who takes them hunting. But Speckles waits patiently for the day he can hunt for himself. When it finally arrives it is shocking and destructive. His mother is thrown off the cliff by One-Eye, an oversized dinosaur who continues to plague him all his life. But in due time he finds romance in the shape Yellow Eye and they get along well despite the occasional hurdle. The fare is just about middling to say the least, but one just cannot fault the production values. There is enough of room for improvement and that should happen in good time. It surely strikes a blow for Asian cinema. One sincerely hopes it will prosper.
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Worth one more watch… Film Director Cast Rating It’s the Big Bad Apple again where asset bubbles burst at the slightest provocation and money changes hands in the blink of an eye. Into this breakneck-speed we have 60-year-old bigwig businessman Robert Miller (Richard Gere) having his family give him a surprise birthday party and its all honky-dory. His wife is Ellen (Susan Sarandon, with a facelift and also cleavage), an active society animal and teenage daughter Brooke (Brit Marley), who will soon succeed her father and is already in the company. But the busy and successful businessman has his mind somewhere else. And that somewhere is where he promised to meet his mistress Julie (Laetitia Casto). After waiting for a while she gets into a tizzy and when Robert arrives she has it out with him. But they make up, as most mistresses do, because they have more to lose. The two of them have sex and then drive out of town. Cliff Nartinez music is hauntingly foreboding and their car goes off the road. Julie is struck dead. Richard scrambles out, hurt and bleeding and leaving the wreck behind to phone up Jimmy Grant (Nate Parker), a black and son of his former driver, who rescues him. The next day the car crash becomes headlines and a hunt is on for the missing driver. Not long after NYPD detective Michael Bryer (Tim Roth) shows up at Robert's office asking for his alibi. To add to Robert's problems his company is in huge debts which comes to his daughter Brooke's attention. Bryer is aware of the power of these business tycoons and tries every trick in the trade to meet out justice. But Jimmy is a tough cookie and here Nate Parker's cameo is excellent and shows that Hollywood has come a long way since the time the black was only given token representation as a member of the jury. Another good cameo is Brit Marley as the "astounded" daughter and her meeting with her dad in Central Park is one of the emotional highlights of the film which has a terse screenplay by Nicholas Jarecki who also excels as a director. It is a taut suspense drama which tends to meander a bit in the second half but then the dramatic climax makes up and the viewer leaving the cinema satiated but also largely thought provoked. It surely is a "must see" in these days of Hollywood scarcity. Richard Gere is his usual suave self with his greying hair lending him some dignity but he's had better performances. Susan Sarandon, the talented actress is totally wasted in this purely decorative role. Cinematographer Yorick de Saux also makes his presence felt and thankfully does not pan on the Manhattan skyline.
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Movies on TV Ferrari Ki Sawaari set max 9:00pM ZEE CINEMA Set max Filmy Movies Ok Sunday SEPTEMBER 16 Anjaana Anjaani Anjaana Anjaani is a Hindi romance film directed by Siddharth Anand, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Zayed Khan. The film is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala under his Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment Pvt. Ltd banner. The film's music has been composed by Vishal-Shekhar, who have composed the music for all of Siddharth's three films in the past. The cinematography is handled by Ravi K. Chandran. Zee cinema Set max Filmy Movies OK
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