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Significant verdict
Bhagat Singh’s legacy |
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Stop-gap health
Mamata’s unceremonious exit
‘Intelligent guess’
In the name of God
Leave these monsters alone
No kamaal, little dhamaal
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Significant verdict
The Supreme Court has provided a major relief to the UPA government by giving a ruling that how to allocate natural resources of the country is a matter of “policy decision and the means adopted for the same are thus executive prerogatives.” The government too had been hammering the point that policy decisions should be left to the wisdom of the executive, particularly after it came under attack from the Opposition following a report by the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) revealing that the policy of coal block allocations had led to private companies making massive gains at the cost of the national exchequer because the process of competitive bidding was not adopted. The Opposition’s viewpoint was that the nation’s interest could best be served through the auctioning of natural resources. The latest verdict of the five-judge Bench of the apex court has, however, made it clear that adopting the course of auction for the allocation of natural resources for commercial purposes was not the only option available to the government. “Auction is just one of the several price discovery mechanisms.” How the government does it is a matter of “economic policy” which it has to formulate keeping in view the larger good of the nation. The court does not deem it proper to go into the process of evaluating the “efficacy of auctions vis-à-vis other methods of disposal of natural resources.” The Supreme Court gave its ruling following a presidential reference seeking clarification over its February 2 verdict on the 2G spectrum allocation. The previous judgement had it that natural resources should be allocated through auctions. The government wanted to know if the court directive was meant for only spectrum allocation or for other kinds of natural resources too. The 2G spectrum case had nothing to do with the modes of allocation of resources, as the judgement points out. Those who believed that auctioning of resources was the best way to protect the interests of the nation will have to revise their opinion. The Opposition will now have a lot of explaining to do with regard to its role affecting two sessions of Parliament. |
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Bhagat Singh’s legacy
Shaheed Bhagat Singh is remembered in India and Pakistan as the well-known freedom fighter who inspired the movement to free India from the yoke of British colonialism. It is, therefore, befitting that the birth anniversary of the man who did not get to celebrate his 24th birthday is marked with ceremonies on both sides of the border. He truly transcends the India-Pak divide. Bhagat Singh was a Punjabi who was born in, and was martyred in, the area that falls in Pakistan. He is remembered as one of the most charismatic Indian freedom fighters. Punjab was in a nationalistic flux during Bhagat Singh’s childhood. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the Nankana Sahib agitation, the Jaito Morcha, all challenged the might of the British empire. The empire retaliated with harsh coercive power. Bhagat Singh chose to be a revolutionary freedom fighter and thus eventually took up arms against the might of the British. He and his compatriots were arrested in the Kakori Train Robbery Case. Later, they killed a British police officer to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai and threw a bomb in the Central Assembly, Lahore, to protest against the Defence of India Act which gave more power to the police. Bhagat Singh paid the ultimate price for the courage of his conviction and actions. He fired the imagination of many generations of Indians. It is, indeed, unfortunate that the Indian delegation which was to travel to Lahore to celebrate the 105th birth anniversary of the freedom fighter could not get visas in time. Something that could have been sorted out with more coordination and less bureaucratic red tape has come in the way of marking the first joint celebration of the birth anniversary of this great martyr. Of the many freedom fighters who were martyred, Bhagat Singh stands out because he shaped the history of his time with both his thoughts and deeds. He wrote against imperialism, rallied people across the nation to stand up to their convictions and fight for freedom which was their birthright. He left a legacy that is as alive as it is inspiring. |
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Stop-gap health
There is a shortage of around 10 lakh doctors in India, which is more than the total number available (7 lakh). After struggling with various plans to increase the count, the Union Health Ministry has finally given approval to a three-and-a-half-year BSc course in community health (CH) to prepare an army of public health providers to be deployed at sub-centre clinics. The need was felt particularly because rural areas are just not able to find doctors willing to serve there. A lot of investment under the National Rural Health Mission goes waste as many primary health centres (PHCs) have no doctor. The country begets the situation because of two main reasons — there is not enough investment in medical education, and the education costs too much in comparison to what a simple MBBS doctor earns from rural service. The BSc (CH) would be able to address the problem to a great extent, as a large number of cases that come to PHCs are of common ailments. It would also prevent simple medical problems from turning into complicated cases. The government should also consider backing the health providers by a set of doctors available on phone for guidance, which could be a force multiplier. However, equal caution is also needed in the BSc initiative. Several safeguards have been provided to prevent any unauthorised use of the qualification. But in a country where quacks freely masquerade as RMPs (registered medical practitioners), it would be hard to prevent people with BSc (CH), topped with experience in public health facilities, from taking to private practice. Health care in rural areas and specialist care in government hospitals are two particularly intractable problems. In Punjab, such is the state that anyone with an MD can virtually walk in and get a job in a government hospital, as the vacancies are far greater than applicants. The situation is also exploited by doctors in the private sector, with some indulging in unscrupulous practices. The only answer to this is to vastly increase the number of seats in government medical colleges (private education is too expensive). Of course, that is not something that can happen overnight. |
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We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from life. — William Osler |
Mamata’s unceremonious exit
Good riddance is the least one can say about Mamata Banerjee’s unceremonious and unsung exit from the Union Government which she sought to sabotage at every step through low politics. Her heroics over and contradictions exposed, she will now have to grapple with reality. This has brought “pariborton” by promoting the government’s graduation to UPA-3. The Prime Minister has reaffirmed the government’s stand. The reforms must continue. Emerging with only a little less egg on its face is the BJP which has practised unscrupulous and dishonest politics at the cost of the national interest. With its Left partners and a maverick Mulayam Singh Yadav, this triple alliance stand for a day held the country to ransom with a bandh. This has cost the poor, in whose name it was called by the combined Opposition, a burden larger than what they will bear in a whole year on account of the unavoidable diesel and LPG cylinder price hike. With Mulayam coming around immediately thereafter, stating he is firmly opposed to giving a handle to communal elements — read the BJP — the UPA has the numbers. Commentators make a fundamental error in counting heads and talking of a “minority government”. The Constitution does not recognise that term but stipulates that the government shall enjoy “the confidence of the (lower) House”. A muddled Advani said Parliament must be immediately convened by the President to compel the government to prove its majority. However, Nitin Gadkari contradicted him and declared the BJP would not seek a vote of confidence as it did not wish to force an election. This suggests that the BJP is worried that the electorate will hold it accountable if it brings down the government. Having stalled Parliament over two and a half sessions, demanding the Prime Minister’s resignation — and what is that if not trying to bring down the government? — for it now to insist that Parliament must meet and yet not oust the government through a vote of confidence is a remarkable feat of convoluted political logic and doublespeak. But too many, too frequently underrate the BJP’s folly. Not to be outdone, Nitish Kumar made the extraordinary statement that he would support anybody who grants Bihar special category status. This is unprincipled and suggests the JD(U) in Bihar is up for sale. Moreover, it must be asked why well into his second term, Bihar should claim special category status which means it gets Central subventions on the basis of 90 per cent grant and only 10 per cent loan. What does this imply other than prolonged mis-governance and failure to deal with the endemic rot of the state’s caste-based land relations that constitute a powerful agricultural depressor and are a hallmark of outstanding social injustice. The DMK, knowing on which side its bread is buttered, played safe by combining displeasure with support. It must, however, be sternly disabused, as all other Indian Tamil groups, that Tamil Nadu cannot run India’s foreign policy vis-à-vis Sri Lanka on the basis of “Tamil sentiment”. The attempt to block President Rajapaksa’s visits to Delhi, where he met Dr Manmohan Singh, and then on to Sanchi to lay the foundations of a Buddhist-Indic university, are crude antics best left to fringe elements like Vaiko’s MDMK. To return to Mamata Banerjee, her charge of non-consultation on FDI and the diesel-LPG cylinder price hike is doublespeak. Mukul Roy, her absentee Railway Minister failed to attend Cabinet meetings, while she herself refused to respond to repeated calls and messages from the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister. Her party’s 2009 manifesto supported FDI in retail but she turned away from that later. No formal “consensus” on FDI in retail was possible in the last aborted session of Parliament and so the government accepted Mamata and other Opposition leaders’ plea that its introduction under a Central enabling law be left to each state to determine. This precisely is what has been done. For her to say her phone was being tapped and she was being spied on and that some media houses are planting stories about her is all worn theatrics that will fool nobody. Mamata’s latest is that though she may not be in a position to bite, she will “hiss”. Likening herself to a snake in the grass is apt. The BJP/NDA had similarly advocated 100 per cent FDI in retail in a note it discussed in 2002. The BJP’s problem is that it has to learn to put national interest above petty partisan interest — a failing that is sadly more or less true across the board, the Congress not excepted. The other event of the past week, if a damp squib spluttering and fragmenting is an event at all, was the splintering of the Anna movement as a result of its own contradictions and conflicting egos. Kejriwal and Friends have been left to try pursue their luck in electoral politics which they vehemently denounced not so long ago. Santosh Hegde and Kiran Bedi are not with them but are with Anna who wishes to remain non-political but is with the BJP and the RSS with whom he has been in highly secret midnight parleys. The coyness is interesting. Even more interesting is the fact that Baba Ramdev was the intermediary. Also present at the secret confabulations was none other than the former Army Chief, Gen V.K Singh, whose dubious role even while he was in uniform is unravelling. These murky ramifications need to be carefully monitored September 20 also saw Ajmal Kasab’s mercy petition reach the President. The matter now needs to be speedily settled. There are no extenuating factors and there is absolutely nothing that calls for months and years of agonising reappraisal and consideration. Here is an open and shut case. The fact that Indo-Pakistan talks are in progress on a broad front and that Islamabad has been permitted to send a second legal team to Mumbai to revisit the Kasab investigations and trial within a given framework is no reason to delay a decision on the mercy petition. Procrastination will only politicise the matter and embroil the government and the country in international complications. The President’s decision can be communicated in 10 days — even less — and Kasab must hang. Simultaneously, pressure must remain on Pakistan to conclude without further delay the secret and lackadaisically conducted trial in Rawalpindi’s high security prison of Lakhvi and others arrested for their role in the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai. Kasab’s hanging now can have no bearing on that case. The evidence is with Pakistan. Meanwhile, the countdown to the commissioning of Unit-I of the Koodankulam nuclear power plant must not be allowed to be impeded. All questions have been reasonably answered. The nation has to move on. Finally, Karnataka’s tireless MLAs who spared no pains to complete a punishing study tour of Latin America and Northern Europe have returned home triumphantly. The state may be suffering from acute drought as stated at the just-concluded Cauvery hearings; but some MLAs are rumoured to have learnt the samba. At least someone can now dance before the rain gods!n |
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‘Intelligent guess’
It was the budget day. As soon as I occupied my seat in the Press Gallery of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, two-three leaders came there and whispered that the budget had already been leaked. They repeated this three-four times and then slipped away. They were followed by two journalists, who also repeated the same thing. This was an indication to a story which was published in The Tribune on that day when the Finance Minister was to present his budget. The story had indicated the possibility of one new tax to be announced and also that the rates of certain taxes might be increased. A story has also appeared, though slightly different, in a vernacular newspaper. The budget is considered to be sacrosanct not only at the Centre but also in the states. Still speculative stories about the budget normally start appearing in newspapers. In Himachal Pradesh it has become a tradition that the Finance portfolio is always with the Chief Minister. This had been my experience since 1972. Hence, just after question hour, the Speaker called the Chief Minister to present the budget. Dr Y.S. Parmar, known as Himachal Nirmata and whose statue has now been installed at The Ridge, Shimla, rose to present his budget. In his hour-long speech in which he presented the financial position of the state and the steps taken by the government to improve it, he also announced one or two new taxes to be levied and also an increase in the rate of other taxes. As these steps were almost the same which my story had mentioned in the morning paper, whispers again started about the leakage of the budget. Some legislators, perhaps, had given notice about this to the Chief Minister. I was also perplexed. On that very evening when I was strolling on the famous Mall, a senior officer was standing near the Police Reporting Room there. I knew him very well. He called me and took me to his room in the Reporting Room. After a while, he came to the subject and wanted to know about the source of the budget story. I impressed upon him that if the Press releases of the government issued in the last one month are carefully gone through, many of these facts could be found out. I told him that I had nothing else to tell him. After that we parted. After two days there was some uneasiness in the Press Gallery. I came to know that the Chief Minister was to give a reply to the notices received from certain members about the leakage of the budget. I held my breath as the Chief Minister was to speak after question hour. Dr Parmar gave a small explanation and asserted that there was no leakage of the budget as alleged by certain members. He said: “There was no leakage whatsoever. It can only be said that it was ‘intelligent guess’ of the correspondents and nothing else.” With this, he finished his reply and, as no member raised any question on this, the matter was closed. It could be that the members felt
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In the name of God
Film:
Oh My God (OMG) In the land of faithful….can anyone challenge god, let alone slap a case against his being? Well, this film does, actually not god per se but the rituals that have begun to define him. Oh My God whose lead protagonist is no superstar but hugely talented Paresh Rawal treads a ground few Hindi films dare to. But once there, it doesn’t quite become as path breaking as it ought to have. Based on a famous Gujarati play Kanji Virrudh Kanji by Bhavesh Mandalia, surely the script takes on the decadent religious customs and practices by the horn. Lest we forget, it reminds us emphatically enough that these have made India a bagful of blind followers of religion. Expectedly, who else but an atheist can tell us this? So there it is a small-time Gujarati businessman Kanjilal Mehta (Paresh Rawal) who doesn’t believe in the existence of god and rather makes fun of all those who do. What is worse, he makes money by exploiting the sentiments of the devoted. So, it can be nothing but providence, actually hand of god, that in a mild earthquake his shop is destroyed. Insurance company refuses to pay up and he hauls up the religious gurus to answer why they, who claim to be representing god, shouldn’t. In this entire hullabaloo, god has to make his presence felt and so he appears on mortal earth as Akshay Kumar. An interesting premise, no doubt. Yet the film doesn’t really perk up till Akshay Kumar makes an entry. The first half that rides on the shoulders of Paresh Rawal at points becomes laborious. In fact, the film follows an inverse graph. Most Hindi films plummet after the first half. Only this one begins to take a real shape post interval. Where the film succeeds is in the way it manages the tightrope balance between religion and its practices. God exists but not in temples. Nor can be attained by wish fulfilment or as Akshay says in the movie, through exchange offers. Much that film advocates makes sense and is thought-provoking. Without a doubt it’s out and out Rawal’s film but Akshay is no less endearing. And Mithun Chakraborty as one of the dharma gurus proves how stylised mannerisms need not necessarily mean over the top histrionics. On stage the religious hypocrisy has been the leitmotif often enough but not so much in films. However, the movie is as much for the believers as those who don’t abide by any religion. But if you are looking for mindless entertainment, stay away. Akshay Kumar claims to have been a changed man after essaying the part of god in this movie. Will it transform god-fearing not god-loving Indians who would do anything in the name of religion? Unlikely, but it will certainly make you think twice next time you try to negotiate a deal with god. And that’s no mean achievement for a film that otherwise falls a trifle short of its ‘divine’ intent. |
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Leave these monsters alone
Film: Resident Evil 5: Retribution Imagine going into the fifth edition and it surely doesn’t look like the last. On the contrary but Resident Evil: Retribution is yet another bang bang action-packed, high-decibel encounter with all kinds of weird monsters coming and going but the one constant is Mila Jovovich as Alice the one-woman army that is indestructible. This time she has more buddies like Jill (Sienna Guillroy) and others to strike a blow for the fairer sex, so much so the men play second fiddle. What’s more, her daughter Claire (Ali Larter) is given a meaty role and among others things is recovered from the body of a dead monster. Scriptwriter Paul WS Anderson continues from where he left off in the fourth version with his fertile imagination running riot and as director he has to visualise the drama. You have a surprise every 10 minutes but by then it is no longer a surprise. Humans turning monsters with forked tongues and other such innovations. One is jaded with the mumbo-jumbo that passes for entertainment. But one must give credit where it is due, some of the sets are quite impeccable. Umbrella Corporation acts as the main antagonist in a series bioengineering pharmaceutical company responsible for the zombie apocalypse as a result of creating the T-virus. Alice, who began as a security operative in the Corporation, is now its ultimate enemy and targeting its chairman Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts) but there are many slips before getting to him. The FX folks work overtime but the performances are mediocre. Millo Jovovich has precious little emoting to do and Sienna Mullroy has the looks. The men are also-rans as for Resident Evil: Retribution it is like flogging a long dead monster. |
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No kamaal, little dhamaal
Film: Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal How can a movie not convey a message? No matter how subtle it is, we do come back with some kind of an impression. Following the line, Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal sends a clear message within the first hour of the movie— eat, fight and dig. Keep eating and keep fighting. The rest of the messages are left for the audiences to decipher. Don't be a coward, fight for love or don't be over excited about Priyadarshan's movies. The director, known to exude various shades of humour in his earlier films like Hera Pheri, Malaamal Weekly and Hulchul, doesn't come closer to creating a dhamaal or any kamaal. Nevertheless, it's a comic package— Shreyas Talpade, Nana Patekar, Om Puri, Paresh Rawal and loads of other character actors. The movie doesn't move an inch outside the village setting. Priyadarshan has neatly carved out all his characters in his film. So, here there are--a coward protagonist called Bakri by all and sundry, protective brothers, shrewd father and the robust hero who only eats and fights and a lurking mystery that builds-up with time. And then suddenly you sit up because of the ‘prahaar’ Nana Patekar does on you. While he only eats, fights and digs land outside his so-called house, you want to know what brings him here in the first place! Priyadarshan, known to play with various characters, couldn't bring them together clearly on the story board. If there is someone who can manage to rake up some comedy, it is Om Puri. The actor has probably the best dialogues. If you are wondering we haven't spoken about the actress of the film, Madhhurima Banerjee, she was hardly seen except for in some song sequences. The same holds true for Paresh Rawal. In fact, we see more of Asrani in the Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal than Paresh. The camera handled by R Ganesh is lazy and doesn't go zip, zap and zoom. The movie moves slowly as you figure out your own reasons to laugh. Just a slight mention of the fight scenes, Nana Patekar scores a brownie point on this. As for the music, you can avoid wasting your money on the CD. |
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Movies on tv
Saturday SEPTEMBER 29 Kung Fu Panda 2 is a 3D American animated action film, directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, produced by DreamWorks Animation. It's about Po and his friends who fight to stop a peacock villain from conquering China with a deadly new weapon, but first the Dragon Warrior must come to terms with his past. The film was nominated for the 2011 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 84th Academy Awards. ZEE CINEMA 7:20AM One Two Three 2:20PM Bulandi 5:40PM God Tussi Great Ho STAR GOLD 6:00AM Bardaasht 9:15AM Action Replayy 12:05PM Housefull 2 3:25PM Krrish 7:10PM Dhamkee 9:00PM Meri Taaqat STAR MOVIES 7:41AM Home Alone 9:53AM The Front Row with Anupama Chopra 10:23AM MOVIES OK 6:00AM Jodi No. 1 9:25AM I Hate Luv Storys 12:15PM Akhiyon Se Goli Maare 3:00PM Thank You 5:55PM Bhagawat Ek Jung 9:00PM Dabangg HBO 8:20AM Getting Even with Dad 10:30AM The School Of Rock 12:45PM Sucker Punch 3:00PM Final Destination 2 4:55PM Paranormal Activity 3 7:00PM License to Wed 9:00PM Kung Fu Panda 2 11:20PM Thor B4U MOVIES 8:00AM Pyar Ke Kabil 12:00PM Hote Hote Pyaar Ho Gaya 4:00PM Anamika 7:30PM Don: The Chase Begins AXN 1:00PM Anacondas: Trail of Blood 10:00PM Norbit SET MAX 10:25 AM TereNaal Love Ho Gaya 1:30 PM Risehtey 5:10 PM Chandni 8:30 PM Main Hoon Khatarnak (Dub) Sunday SEPTEMBER 30 ZEE CINEMA 7:20AM Naag Devta 10:40AM Ishq 6:00PM Hum Saath Saath Hain STAR GOLD 6:30AM Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaye 10:00AM Vroom 12:10PM Sivaji: The Boss 3:05PM Bagawat Ek Jung 6:10PM Jaan 9:00PM Kahaani 11:45PM Kahaani STAR MOVIES 7:27AM The Game Plan 9:45AM Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 11:45AM Speed 1:42PM Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End 4:50PM Salt 7:03PM The Spy Next Door 9:00PM Ong Bak 11:04PM City Hunter MOVIES OK 6:00AM Agneepath 9:40AM Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! 12:15PM Style 3:15PM Tere Naam 6:10PM Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai 9:00PM Ready HBO 8:00AM The School Of Rock 10:15AM Spy Kids 12:10PM Thor 2:40PM Kung Fu Panda 2 4:40PM Hop 6:45PM Ip Man 9:00PM Captain America: The First Avenger 11:55PM Rango SET MAX 9:30 AM Pratighat - A Revenge (Dub) 12:30 PM Dirty Khabar 4:00 PM Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge 9:00PM Robot AXN 1:00PM Norbit 10:00PM Stardust WB 6:00AM City of Angels 8:00AM Batman: Gotham Knight 9:25AM Ghosts of Girlfriends Past 11:25AM Madagascar 2 1:10PM Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 4:15PM 10,000 BC 6:20PM The Matrix 9:00PM The Matrix Reloaded 11:35PM The Matrix Revolutions |
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HBO 9:00PM
Ready is a 2011 Indian romantic comedy film directed by Anees Bazmee. Set in Thailand and India, a case of mistaken identity leads to love; and Prem (Salman Khan and his family concoct a grand scheme to win over the heart