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Fast-tracking growth
Varsities’ unfair means |
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Tackling hate
Brotherhood makes its move
Unhelpful helplines
Tech high adventure
Up in smoke
Horror for
horror's sake
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Fast-tracking growth
Of the three important decisions the Union Cabinet took on Thursday – the setting up of the Cabinet Committee on Investment, a go-ahead to the land acquisition Bill and a 30 per cent cut in the reserve price of second-generation spectrum in four zones – the first two are important for pushing infrastructure and other projects. Running against time to show some tangible results before the coming general election, the UPA government has set up a Cabinet Committee on Investment on the suggestion of Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, who had favoured a National Investment Board. All efforts to attract foreign investment will come to naught if industrial, commercial or other projects are held up by red tape or on extraneous grounds. The newly set up CCI, headed by the Prime Minister, is supposed to take swift decisions on projects involving an investment of Rs 1,000 crore or more. It is no secret that projects are inordinately delayed by various ministries. Ratan Tata of the Tata empire spoke about slow decision-making in the government in an interview with a foreign financial daily recently. His group is making large investments abroad, partly driven by a not-so-congenial business environment here. Complaints about delays in environmental clearances at the Central level are frequently voiced in the media. The land Bill has gone through numerous reviews at various levels and is set to be introduced in Parliament next week. The latest version of the Bill makes it mandatory for private developers to take the consent of 80 per cent of the land owners for private projects. In case of projects under public-private partnership the consent requirement applies to 70 per cent of the owners. Industry representatives are unhappy with this condition. Realty developers are also apprehensive about the new Bill and expect prices – and project costs — to go up since the new law will apply retrospectively. The Bill, however, provides for a fair compensation not only to the land owners but also to sharecroppers and labourers wherever applicable. This is a welcome change. |
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Varsities’ unfair means
The Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission set up by Himachal is off to a good start. Its latest order has asked various universities and technical colleges to refund fees to students who left courses midway, something not many institutes are wont to do. A relatively new phenomenon, most private universities have remained in the news for wrong reasons, essentially because money — of which a lot is required in such initiatives — is a major concern with them. As they cannot survive if the balance sheets do not even out early in the business, several promoters are forced to adapt short-sighted or unfair means. To begin with, Himachal was liberal in granting sanction to private universities, and seeing an opportunity, many opened up without the required resources or competence. The result was there were not enough takers for the vast number of seats created in the state, largely in technical subjects like engineering and management. A shortage of faculty was another shortcoming, which the universities sought to be overcome by hiring fresh pass-outs. All this led to financial exploitation of both students and teachers, with the latter not being paid the salaries they were signed up at. The regulatory commission, by checking such malpractices, could prove to be a saviour particularly for the students, who are the ultimate sufferers. There are, however, certain aspects that the government has to look into before granting permission to new universities. Some of the ones set up did not have the wherewithal as per UGC guidelines; others have been fudging their data to get by. The commission can address specific irregularities, but not problems arising from unsound foundations of certain institutions. In a country where less than 14 per cent students have access to higher education, allowing private universities is a good initiative, but it has generated negative opinion too for want of proper regulation. That needs to be addressed by Central as well as state regulatory authorities, lest the huge potential for education infrastructure should get a bad name for good. |
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Tackling hate
Instances of hate crime have risen in the US, and various media headlines continue to bring home that message painfully. New data has now revealed that almost 20 per cent of the hate crimes are due to religious bias, which is something that has risen after 2011. Anti-Jewish and anti-Islamic prejudice dominates such crimes, although Sikhs too have been victims, as the recent shooting in the Wisconsin gurdwara showed. Since various US law enforcement agencies collect data on hate crime incidents, we can see a drop of 6 per cent in such cases, included offences like vandalism, intimidation, assault, rape and murder, on a yearly basis. Yet the total number of 6,222 is still too high, and much more needs to be done to address the situation. As we all know, hate crimes are no preserve of any community, and even Indian-Americans have been charged with such crimes, though most often they have been victims. While the US politicians have been largely prompt in focusing their attention on such crimes, they have also not been able to provide the necessary support on a cultural basis to people who need to be educated about the diversity of various races that call the United States of America their home. In an increasingly flat and multicultural world, various nations and peoples have to mingle together. It may not always be harmonious; however, we need to remember that just as the music that emanated from the masterful strumming of the sitar strings of a maestro, various rhythms of life come together at a sublimal level. Hate crimes reflect a failure of the civilisational forces of humanity; they bring out the worst in man. By acknowledging them and taking steps to tackle such crimes, the US is taking important steps to combat hateful effects of such crimes. It, however, needs to do more. |
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Success is simple. Do what’s right, the right way, at the right time. —Arnold H. Glasow |
Brotherhood makes its move
Egypt today faces a crisis, sparked by the move by the Muslim Brotherhood (the Ikhwan al Muslimeen) to determine the future shape of that ancient country. Decades ago, when millions of tourists still flocked to see the wonders that were Egypt, when Egyptians prided themselves for having regained from Beirut the cultural and intellectual centrality to the Arab and indeed the North African-West Asian world and Egypt was acknowledged as a leader of developing countries in international forums, a wise old man —there were such people in those days – said: “ We Egyptians have been too arrogant to be able to acknowledge the shifts of power, the power of the petrodollar and the insidious power of religious emotions. But we are Egyptians. We will deal with this in an Egyptian way.” Osama el Baz, the eminence grise behind the today reviled but then respected President Mobarak, was musing over the creeping Wahabism that was pitting Egyptian against Egyptian, Muslim against Muslim in his country, with Egyptians reared in the culture of a riverine environment taken aback by the ferocity of attacks on their moulids and pirs, facing the strict Wahabism learnt by many rural Egyptians who had flocked to find work in newly-rich Saudi Arabia, and who had returned to a country which could offer them little in terms of jobs or respect. The Brotherhood met some of their needs, organising meetings in makeshift mosques, giving the returnees a forum to exchange their grievances and vent their rage. The Muslim Brotherhood, repeatedly banned in Egypt, had developed an approach that has become fairly well known in the subcontinent, preaching the tenets of the faith coupled with charitable works — schools, hospitals and moral help. The Brotherhood’s methods and ideology were followed by other Islamist groups such as Ennahda led by Rashid Ghanouchi, in power today in Tunisia. The Brotherhood also spread its teachings in universities, thus building up cadres of young, educated and committed professionals. Students from Sudan, for instance, brought the Brotherhood’s message to their country, led by the redoubtable Hassan al Tourabi. The Brotherhood spread to Syria, where in 1982 they were brutally suppressed by the elder Assad at the massacre in Hama, and where today, in the wake of the failing Arab Spring, it forms the most organised of the rebel groups baying for the younger Assad’s ouster. It is not my intention to demonise the Brotherhood; while they are Islamists, somewhat coyly claiming that their objective is to “promote development, progress and advancement based on Islamic references”, they are not the Wahabis or Salafis, who believe in a much stricter interpretation of Islam, nor are they the jihadi extremists rampaging across the world with loyalty to no one country. The purpose here is to identify the organisational and methodical approach of the Brotherhood, their reasoning and tactical skills, their focus on gaining the reins of power. The Brotherhood re-emerged from years of suppression — in Egypt, in Syria and elsewhere — with the tide that had its well-springs in the toppling of Saddam and the Ba’ath Party in Iraq, as the ‘Arab Street’ demanded the removal of the rulers of the secular but oppressive dictators who governed their countries. Today, the Brotherhood has emerged even in chaotic Libya and in Jordan, bringing a degree of organisation and order into the chaos of the ‘revolutions’. The outlines of the Brotherhood’s emergence in the region are seen most clearly in Egypt. The rise of Morsi and the current crisis can be best understood if one recalls that he, Morsi, was only the Brotherhood’s second choice — the first choice had been disqualified, and that he, Morsi, had been elected by a majority of about 52 per cent — meaning that almost half of the electorate had voted for the other non-Brotherhood candidates. It should also be remembered that the Muslim Brotherhood is a quintessentially Egyptian Group — with a pride in the country’s unique destiny as a centre of learning, culture and wisdom. Yet its philosophy and approach have found supporters elsewhere in the region, and while the Brotherhood denies any centralisation of authority over the groups in other countries, its website speaks of the “special and amicable bond which unites (these groups) theoretically, emotionally and intellectually… in accordance to the community in which (each) exists…experiences, information and ideas are exchanged… (and there is a) sharing of ideologies.” While the Brotherhood appears to have, formally at least, abjured violence as a means of achieving its ends, there is no doubt that these objectives include the imposition of Sharia as the law of the State. It would appear that the Brotherhood strategists saw the international praise for the role played by Morsi’s Egypt in resolving the recent dangerous face-off between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, as an opportunity to strengthen its position within the country: therefore, the authoritarian directive issued by Morsi, the over night pushing through of a draft Constitution by a panel from which 25%, mainly Copts and secularists, had walked out, and the referendum slated for this Saturday. The size of the opposition and its quick organisation behind a leader was perhaps unexpected, and the violence unplanned. This would explain why the army has been called on to play a role to oversee law and order during the referendum process, the army which had been party to the suppression of the Brotherhood and the imprisonment of Morsi himself in the not too distant past. The first move by the Brotherhood was perhaps a gamble; even if the flawed Constitution goes through, as it is likely to, the violence and dissension in Egyptian society will continue, affecting Egypt not only domestically but with international consequences as well. It was a saying, in the old Egypt, that the Brotherhood’s interpretation of democracy was ‘one man, one vote, one time’. Given the Brotherhood’s regional affiliations, the entire region will be watching the playing out of the Egyptian experience. Hopefully, Egypt will, as el Baz had hoped,
overcome. |
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Unhelpful helplines
She was an eight year old with an angelic face. She stayed in the house next to mine. No, she was not my neighbour’s daughter but their domestic help. In between doing the menial chores around the house, she put up with verbal abuse from her employers. Unable to put up with it, I called up a child helpline. Their response: Can you bring the child out? We would like to talk to her. “Not possible,” I said. “Then monitor her movements and inform us when she goes out,” they continued. “Listen I can’t get involved. They are my neighbours. Now, it’s up to you. This is a case of child labour. You can barge in and rescue her,” I pleaded. “We can’t do that. For that, we will have to involve the police. But first, we would like to talk to her,” they persisted. “I can’t help you with that. I have informed you. Do whatever you can,” I put the receiver down — frustrated. If I had been so gutsy, I would have called the police long time back, I thought. I would not be pleading with these people thus to help out the girl. This was my first, but definitely not the last, experience when I ventured out to help somebody in distress. Once I called up an NGO working for stray dogs when a pup born to a stray bitch had got crushed under a car and was whining in pain. No response. Another time, two bats got caught in a kite string outside my house. As I dialed a few numbers of NGOs working in this field, either nobody answered or the listener excused himself saying the area didn’t come under their jurisdiction. Then a miracle happened. Before giving up, I made one last call. A God-sent angel from a little known organisation answered. He heard me with concern and sent his team within an hour. Why can’t we have people like him at places where it matters — people who are sensitive to the cause their organisation is working for? Being the head of an NGO, one may genuinely be concerned, but that awareness has to percolate to the very bottom of the organisation, only then will it translate into effective action. What kind of message are you giving if you brush away — indifferently — the desperate pleas of a caller? The caller may be a concerned individual who got moved by the situation at hand and contacted you for expert help. He probably had taken time out from his busy schedule to make that call. And with your lukewarm response, he may never try again. I shudder to think about the functioning of suicide helplines where such a lackadaisical attitude could cost many a precious
life. |
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CINEMA: NEW Releases Ratings: ***** Excellent ****Very Good
***Good **Average *Poor Ervell E. Menezes
Film:The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey The chief thing about The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey is that a new technology has been introduced (48 frames per second, as compared to the normal 24) so that images are clearer and like Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings it is a trilogy whose two sequels are due. The fanfare included a late start to the show (may be to heightened expectations) but though the visuals are awesome, the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins' (Martin Freeman) search for the Lonely Mountain in the company of 14 dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenfield (Richard Armitage) and the dubious role of Wizard Gandolf (Ian McKellen), takes a tortuous path strewn with monsters, dragons and some weird unnamed creatures. Baggins is initially not well-received by the dwarves and decides to stay away, but on second thoughts gets a little adventurous. Director Peter Jackson has a large canvas and though he is aided by some good witty lines, these are neutralised by repetitiousness and an overdose of action. The dwarves may not be as cute as Snow White's but they do have their moments. However, why those monsters attack them and whey they stop is only known to director Jackson. That he goes out of his way to pass perilous heights is to take maximum advantage of the 3D facility. But a bit of restraint would have been welcome. It is a case of overkill and stretching to all of 169 minutes brings in an element of tediousness. A sub-plot would have made a world of a difference, so the narrative would be on two fronts. The Dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) too was a bit of a let-down. Elf Galadnel (Cate Blanchett) provided feminine relief, but only too briefly. Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen do their best to look credible but there's precious little acting talent called for. The sets, the FX and visuals take centre-stage. So when all is said and done, one can't help recalling Horace Walpole's lines "in small proportions we just beauty see, in short measures life may perfect be." |
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Up in smoke
Film:Cigarette Ki Tarah Logic be damned…. No doubt many a Hindi film has been hailing this mantra. But often enough the cinema of escapism that thrives on the typical Bollywood formula has given us entertainers that are both heart-warming and engaging. Alas, Cigarette Ki Tarah not only defies all rationale but even a review. As it desperately tries to tread the line of ludicrousness, it goes up in smoke without leaving a trace on mind or heart. When the superhero of our typical films fights the dozen odd baddies despite the incongruity of it all, one can't help but root for him. But here the action antics of Bhoop Yaduvanshi as Nikhil Dabur make you cringe at best. That Bhoop is no Salman Khan is only too evident, but he shows no signs whatsoever of a star in the making either. Even if for a moment one forgets that the hero Bhoop of the film is not star material and relate to its storyline, the results are as disappointing and jarring. Now action, now romance, now thriller, the storyline mixes far too many tracks and fall flats not just between the several stools that it straddles but right on its face. Any which way one looks at the film, it only throws up convoluted rather distorted angles which Goa's picturesque locales too can't straighten up. For the sake of story, you have a goonda-like hero from Kanpur whose errant behaviour owes its origin to a troubled relationship with his father. Yet soon enough he finds himself a job in Goa where he lives with one girl (Yuvika Chaudhry) and sleeps around with another (Madhurima Tuli). And if this triangle of wannabe actors is not enough to bore you to death there is Sudesh Berry as an abusive perverted drug lord and Prashant Narayanan as an equally weird police officer. Song and dance, amateurish acting, insipid dialogues trudge along and take you to the intermission. The twist in the tale that unveils close to the first half, one hopes against hope, would take the movie forward. But no such luck and the murder mystery angle is as bad as the romance. So much so that one could actually walk out of the theatre without bothering to know the killer’s identity. The only redemption in this film is the end and end alone. In fact, like the ticker that keeps reminding in the film smoking is injurious to health the film itself is injurious, to mental health for sure. Watch it at your own peril. Our advice — stay away even if you are a die-hard Hindi movie buff. Unless, as the dialogue in the movie goes, you are a bona fide authentic idiot. |
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Horror for horror's sake Film:The Possession It looks like a horror week and after The Hobbit we have one even worse— The Possession. For, while the former had fetching visuals, the latter meanders along dark, endless corridors, gloomy indoors, red trunks and of course gory mangled corpses, grist for the vampire's mill, not expectant viewers. It is a sequel to The Collector. Arkin (Josh Stewart), who was in the original film and captured by the Collector, is in the know of labyrinthine prison, so that when Elena (Emma Fitzpatrick) is missing when out at a party her rich dad hires Lucello (Turgesen), a mercenary of sorts to find her. Arkin has already been arrested by the police for his shady activities but will be allowed to join the hunt for the collector. It is a weak screenplay which imbues the film with horror for horror's sake. Gates keep shutting, nailing folks in the process. One has to be in the right spot at the right time for the door to open. When, that is only director Dunstan knows. After a brief spell of the outdoors, the viewer is sent underground. Arkin leads the search and it does not take long to spot but she is pursued by a masked figure, who appears out of nowhere and then vanishes. If Dustin Hoffman was a running hero in The Marathon Man, Emma Fitzpatrick now qualifies for that title but down dark eerie corridors. Her blouse is off the left shoulder showing her inner garments almost like a trademark but stays put despite all she goes through. But the action slips off attention span much before the halfway mark and just as one is about to give up hope, the blanks are filled at the now-or-never stage. |
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movies on tv
Saturday december 15 Bank robbers, diamond thieves, the homicide of a minister, a hyper wife are just some of the challenges faced by a bumbling senior police officer played by Anil Kapoor in the movie, No Problem. The film also stars Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, Sushmita Sen, Paresh Rawal, Kangna Ranaut, Neetu Chandra and Suniel Shetty. ZEE CINEMA 7:20AM Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap 10:25AM Viewers Choice 1:40PM Dhol 5:00PM Maine Pyar Kiya 9:00PM Dhamaal FILMY 9:00AM Main Aisa Hi Hoon 12:00PM Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam 3:00PM No Entry 6:00PM Waqt Ki Deewaar 9:45PM Dil Maange More SET MAX 8:00AM Zamaane Ko Dikhana Hai 11:00AM Main Hoon Wanted 2:00PM Sainik 5:00PM Naksha: Unlock the Mystery 9:00PM Koi... Mil Gaya STAR MOVIES 7:07AM Scream 4 9:24AM The Front Row with Anupama Chopra 9:54AM The Transporter 2 11:52AM X-Men: The Last Stand 1:20PM Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl 4:08PM Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian 6:23PM Real Steel 9:00PM Conan: The Barbarian 11:18PM X-Men: First Class INDIA TALKIES 9:30AM Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam 1:00PM Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya 4:30PM Pyaar Diwana Hota Hai 8:00PM No Problem MOVIE NOW 7:45AM Shrek 9:45AM True Lies 12:45PM Titanic 5:00PM Aliens in the Attic 7:00PM Return to the 36th Chamber 9:00PM Die Another Day 11:45PM The Day After Tomorrow Sunday december 16 MOVIES OK 9:00 Pm The film opens with a suicide attempt by Agnel Wilson (Randeep Hooda) on the pretext of the Bombay Bombings in 1993. Wilson recounts that 18 years ago, when he was posted as the ACP in the Mumbai crime branch, his inability to take the necessary action led to the rise of Shoaib Khan (Emraan Hashmi), who played a central role in the bombings. Wilson narrates the story of 1970s Bombay, when it was ruled by smuggler Sultan Mirza (Ajay Devgn), and how Mirza's downfall led to Shoaib's rise to power. INDIA TALKIES 9:30AM No Problem 1:00PM Mr. White Mr. Black 4:30PM Pinjar 8:00PM Tere Naam SET MAX 8:00AM Khakee 11:00AM Sooryavansham 2:00PM Mujhse Dosti Karoge 5:00PM Godzilla 9:00PM Meri Jung: One Man Army ZEE CINEMA 7:25AM Sher-E-Hindustan 10:00AM Hum Aapke Hain Kaun...! 1:10PM Ram Teri Ganga Maili 4:50PM Hum Aapke Hain Kaun...! 9:00PM Champion: The Winner STAR MOVIES 7:41AM Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian 9:59AM Fantastic Four 12:15PM Conan: The Barbarian 2:04PM X-Men: First Class 4:45PM The Transporter 2 6:41PM Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines 9:00PM You Pick The Flick 11:38PM Rise of the Planet of the Apes MOVIES OK 8:55AM Chillar Party 12:00PM Khatta Meetha 3:35PM Coolie No. 1 6:10PM Kahaani 9:00PM Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai B4U MOVIES 8:00AM Mother India 12:00PM Aastha 4:00PM Life Ki Script 7:30PM Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa FILMY 9:00AM Bhakti Mein Shakti 12:00PM Mr.Badmash 3:00PM Sherni 6:00PM Chhoti Si Baat 9:45PM Gairr |
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