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Headley
deserved no mercy Bottom
line |
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Banning
Arya Samaj temples
BJP
faces a crisis
All in a
day
A race
to nowhere Overdose
of love
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Bottom line
We
have enjoyed the lowest telecom rates in the world. More so, since late 2009, when various telecom operators slashed their rates heavily. However, this may no longer be the case. The recent announcement by some operators about slashing freebies will lead to mobile phone users having to pay more at the end of their billing cycles. The most affected will be those using their phones to make voice calls which account for about 85 per cent of the telecom sector’s revenues. Data use is still very low in the nation, and thus data charges are not likely to go up. While the case of the rising rates is easy to understand, it will surely be difficult to swallow, and, therefore, a certain amount of discontent is to be expected from customers. The telecom companies have been under pressure, having paid premium prices for spectrum allocation, among other things, and thus such a raise in the rates has been expected for some time now. The large number of telecom providers ensures that Indian customers have a choice. The companies compete aggressively for a customer base which is difficult since there is the propensity of customers to shift in large numbers, something that number portability has made easier. The companies are under pressure to maintain low rates. However, rising energy costs and other increasing input costs have added to the pressure on the bottom line, which explains the price rise. While, theoretically, market forces should be allowed to play their role, it is for the telecom regulator TRAI to ensure that there is no cartelisation by telecom players. Indeed TRAI Chairman Rahul Khullar has issued a statement that shows that he is keeping an eye on the matter. As for the companies, they will have to perform the difficult balancing act of keeping their shareholders happy even as they ensure customer loyalty in the face of an increase in call rates.
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Banning Arya Samaj temples
The
caste-based social structure is among one of the biggest hurdles in the process of modernisation of India. The castebased, self-appointed panchayats are now taking their regressive caste obsession a step further. They are trying to finetune their absolute control over society, especially for the young, who, they fear, will bring about a change in the social structure. To justify their mindless violence born out of narrow-minded considerations of caste and clan loyalty, now, the Haryana Maha Khap is trying to bring about all caste groups under one umbrella for a unified crusade against ‘sagotra’ marriage. In the past, many khaps have socially ostracised couples who married in the same gotra and treated their families as outcasts. In many cases, the young couples were murdered ruthlessly under the diktat of the khaps to save the so-called collective “honour” of the community. Going a step further, now they have demanded banning of Arya Samaj temples from solemnising ‘sagotra’ and inter-caste marriages, the only refuge young couples have to get their union solemnised. The step is shocking for two reasons. One, Haryana has had a long history of the Arya Samaj movement that brought in a lot of social reforms. So, by banning Arya Samaj temples, the khaps will be able to whitewash historical evidences of social reforms the state had had. Two, the same Dalits and backwards who were not allowed any space or voice in these khaps, and killed for marrying the high-caste are roped in to show solidarity before the Supreme Court, where a debate is going to take place over honour killings and ‘sagotra’ marriages. The khaps had appealed to the supreme court to amend the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, under which ‘sagotra’ marriage is legalised. Their next demand would be to ban inter-caste marriages, as is done under their diktat. The khaps have been challenging the Constitution for their own narrow- minded vested interests. Their illogical demands that are supposed to keep society in medieval ages should be ignored.
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We must all make peace so that we can all live in peace. — Jean-Bertrand Aristide
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BJP faces a crisis The
last-minute drama that saw Mr Nitin Gadkari replaced by Mr Rajnath Singh as president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is only the proverbial tip of the iceberg. At the heart of the crisis facing the party even as it prepares for the next general election due in 2014 is the unresolved future of the umbilical chord that ties the traditional mentor of the BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), to the political formation. There is no simple formula for resolving the crisis because not only has the RSS exercised the whip in ordering the party's affairs but it has also consistently farmed out its trusted members to man the party's political offices in New Delhi and in the states. The veteran BJP leader, Mr L.K. Advani, was forced to resign the BJP presidency after his controversial remarks on Jinnah and the RSS routinely exercised its veto over the party's affairs when the sensibilities of its chief were hurt. The bargain was mutually beneficial because RSS cadres provided essential workers to prime the party at election time. Signs of the compact breaking up have been apparent for some time. Senior party leaders chafed at the unaccountable authority enjoyed by the RSS leadership and some of the utterances of the RSS chief were entirely inappropriate, if not downright silly. Although the BJP spokesmen valiantly tried to defend Mr Mohan Bhagwat's suggestion that the woman's place was in the home and her husband has the right to throw her out if she does not perform her wifely duties, strains between the RSS and the party are growing each day. Perhaps the most spectacular nature of the clash between the RSS and the party has been over the Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi. The irony is that he was a trusted RSS functionary sent from Delhi to Gujarat to take the organisation's interests forward. But he carved out his own autonomous field even as he led the BJP to successive electoral victories in the state and presented it as a role model for development for the rest of the country. It is, of course, anathema to the organisation that any individual is greater than the RSS. Yet Mr Modi believed that he had made himself indispensable to the party's electoral fortunes and was a worthy candidate for the country's top job in the 2014 election. This crucial round was won by Mr Modi because the RSS came to the conclusion that he was indeed a possible winner. This diminution of the RSS's thus far unchallenged clout in running the BJP's affairs was still muted because, apart from the cognoscenti, the RSS's defeat at the hands of one individual was still under wraps. Mr Gadkari's retention of the BJP presidency for a second term was a very public affair. The party's constitution had been altered to allow a second term for him, and even as opposition to Mr Gadkari was building up as events moved to a climax, the RSS seemed unmoved. Mr Advani proposed the name of Ms Sushma Swaraj, leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, for the post. Mr Ram Jethmalani, the gadfly of the BJP, had broadcast his opposition far and wide, with his son Mahesh saying he had been denied nomination form to contest the presidency. Tension built up further in the party even as nomination forms were collected for Mr Jaswant Sinha the day before the election. As party leaders went into a huddle on the eve of the election, the outcome remained uncertain. At the eleventh hour, the RSS leadership blinked and a compromise was struck to replace Mr Gadkari by another RSS faithful, Mr Rajnath Singh. The BJP leadership was rightly concerned by the continuance of Mr Gadkari because he was an attractive target for the ruling coalition led by the Congress for the apparently shady dealings of his many companies that have been under the lens of investigators. It is something of a mystery how a business entrepreneur wearing a bush-shirt and trousers and holding an ostentatious wedding reception for his progeny should be the RSS's favourite. What does the defeat of the RSS in its role of an overseer and mentor of the BJP denote for the future? The RSS leadership will remain resentful and will seek to reclaim lost ground. But dissent in the ranks of the Sangh Parivar, the larger community, is rife. The BJP is facing a major revolt in Karnataka at the hands of the once faithful and now stridently adversarial Mr B.S. Yaddyurappa, who has formed a separate party and has virtually reduced the BJP government , the first in a southern state, to a minority. A second problem of the rift between the BJP and the RSS arises out of the clashing ambitions of the second rung of the party leadership at the Centre. With Mr Modi having hijacked the party to assume the virtual certainty of being fielded as the BJP candidate for the Prime Minister's office, where do leaders such as Ms Swaraj and the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mr Arun Jaitlely, and Mr Yashwant Sinha go from here? Ms Swaraj has been trying to guard her political flank by publicly suggesting that Mr Modi would be a suitable candidate for the country's top job, but such declarations fool no one. A sulking RSS is bad news for the BJP's electoral fortunes because its cadres provide the party with essential inputs to win elections. But with the organisation humbled twice at the hands of the party's veterans, how enthusiastic will it be to provide the sinews to win elections? In the end, the leadership of the mentor might still decide to throw its weight behind the party because of its larger ideological objectives, but the resentment of the RSS cadres will still make a difference in the outcome of elections. The Congress party will, of course, cheer the fact that given its less than stellar performance during the tenure of the United Progressive Alliance II, the principal opposition party is wallowing in its own
mess.
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All in a day A
DAY sometimes dawns to continue till dusk as if nothing will change ever. But some other times it dawns like there are numerous experiences to come by. At the end of the day, when you look back, it is as if your entire life’s experience is put in a capsule. And you sleep over to let another sun rise. Recently, I bumped into a person who I intended to seek a favour from. A common friend, introducing me to him, brought on his face a smile, more dreadful than meaningful. “Yes I ‘know’ him!” He said, when I, reading the expression on his face, sought to enquire from him, if it was an unpleasant happenstance between the two of us in the past. He again smiled and tried to gloss it over when I insisted he should tell me the grievance which he might have nursed against me all through. He laughed loudly this time and got prepared to instrumentalities of entertaining me for his favour to be extended. I remained numb all through and lamb like. He ordered for tea, when I said that I would not touch the cup unless he warmed up to me, to let me know the sin I had committed, if at all I had. “Leave it, sir! It’s long time now!” He melted when I entreated him with another imploration. “Sir, you had once turned me out of your office!” He concluded and stood silent while I got a shock of my life. I walked over my entire professional life afresh and recalled only two faces who I had (ill)-treated asking them to leave my office. Those two faces appeared in pure flesh and blood before me. I argued on the strength of my conviction, belief and my entire memory coming to my rescue, saying that it could not happen since I am not disposed to treatment of people like that. “But, sir, you turned me out; probably your staff had misinformed you about me and my circumstances then!” He wasn’t being clever by half but just sparing in his accusation of me. Sheepishly and apologising, I took leave of him, but not without suffering badly as if more sinned against than sinning. I reached my office with a heavy heart. With a dulled day seeming ahead of me, an old Sardarji was ushered in my office. Making him reverently sit, I looked at him askance, admiring the sartorial deck-up of him in a business suit, though not going so very well with his scant and sparse white beard. He had come to seek a favour from me. He had retired as a very senior bureaucrat. He stayed extra humble with folded hands. He unmindfully, unintentionally and unconsciously dropped a hint that he was once Deputy Commissioner of a district which happened to be mine own. I was thrilled. I summoned the concerned staff members to complete the job which he wanted us to. I offered him tea but he politely declined and profusely thanked me enough. In his estimation, the present-day system entertained either people only throwing their weight around or who were too powerful and affluent, or goons. The parting shot that he made confirmed that there was no respect left for even the “Ahlakaars” — workers, whose bonhomie once used to be the mainstay of bureaucratic fraternity. He left my office making me purged of my sin which was almost issued as an edict against me early morning that day. I am reminded of a couplet: “Gul khile, gunche bane, bikhre, pareshan ho gaye; Ek shab aur itne saare inqilab-e-zindagi” (Buds blossomed into flowers and bunches and withered away. O’ is just one night good enough for so many revolutions of life). I am waiting for another sun to rise
tomorrow.
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CINEMA: NEW Releases
RATINGS:
A race to nowhere
In
one of the dialogues in the film rarely seen actor Aditya Pancholi says, "Oh this has not even been ever thought of in a Hollywood film, let alone in real life." And herein lies the rub. Bollywood sure can go where no Hollywood film has ever gone before. For, few Hindi film-makers put their thinking caps in place or even let their imagination soar. Instead ludicrousness is their answer to novelty. So, ingenuity and logic are literally tossed out of the window in this race that is clearly headed nowhere. What's sad about Race 2 is that it has come from the stable of Abbas-Mustan, the duo who has given us many thrillers. And to be fair the film does begin in their trademark signature style promising much excitement. Apparently the writer and the directors used all possible cards of revelation (pun intended) in the first half itself. So, any surprise element in the second half is merely incidental and is no thanks to the writer's acumen. An unwanted fight (lest we forgot to tell you Malik began his career as a street fighter) an implausible heist and some gaana-shaana complete the story. Just in case you are wondering between the two heroes which one is racing ahead? In one of the key scenes in the climax John tells Saif, "You have no idea who is in control of this race." Well, nor do we….but certainly not the writer and the directors who let it meander off to finally nosedive literally and metamorphically. Watch it only if you have a wicked sense of humour. Some scenes in the climax are unintentionally funny. Intentional and injected humour, the adult-rated jokes between Anil Kapoor as ex-cop Robert D'Costa and his hangers on secretary Cherry (Ameesha Patel), is at best crass and not in the least rib-tickling. In fact, that brings us to another query—what is a fine actor like Anil Kapoor doing in a cameo that has no flesh and no substance? He looks good no doubt. But then in this all gloss and glitz movie you can hardly expect performances. So, Saif is at his average best. As for John, who in the avatar of a producer, gave us a fine gem of a film by way of Vicky Donor, here is a gem of advice—better start producing films for yourself for roles like this can hardly take you anywhere. As for the female power, well Deepika sure looks like a million bucks. So does Jacqueline and does a bit of fencing and archery too. But their cleavage-showing dare bare glamorous appearances can hardly pull the film out of the morass. In the finale comes yet another 'master blaster' from John "Race stops exactly where it starts…." If that reeks of a promise (or is it a threat) of another thriller, please spare us. To answer your query whether this one was a sequel to Race….well yes and no. Only if it had the same thrilling quotient!
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Overdose of love
Come
fall in love…the legendary Yash Chopra imbibed this eternal philosophy for his movies. Indeed, love is beautiful and seeing people fall in love is even more beautiful. Okay, but what happens when you are injected with an overdose of love? Wouldn't you want to bite into something bitter, something like a jalapeño? The loving tale of two lovers, Akaash and Vani, is indeed an overdose in the movie AkaashVani. A quick reminder — the film comes from the director of Pyar Ka Punchnama, Luv Ranjan. But that was an interesting one, as it had a balance of love and its after-effects — something digestible. Back to sci-fi flick AkaashVani. We can't take chances with this little joke - just because the name reminds of radio and air waves, it does not mean we are in for a sci-fi film. This falls in the genre of romance or saccharine romance in the superlative degree. Much was being expected from Luv Ranjan. We thought he was giving us a sequel to his earlier movie. Well, well… AkaashVani is on a totally different track- the love track. So all you find is two actors, two pretty faces, in super bright clothes, making plans for their honeymoon. Coming from Kartik Tiwari, who gave good performance in Pyaar ka Punchnama, this wasn't expected. Nevertheless, if you are hoping against hope that on this romance route you would find a twist or a turn…hope keeps the world going. AkaashVani is a deadly mix of almost all the mush stories that you have ever seen. But this one is definitely a good watch for those who believe in ‘ishq wala’ love. Luv Ranjan has given sweet treatment to the movie, which could have been made interesting with some 'punches'. The film actually starts moving once the actress Nushrat Bharucha returns home. This is where the only 'good-turned-bad-turned-good' father Kiran Kumar comes into the scene. Some upheaval now! This means some more energy, which keeps you moving on this track. If only they would have thrown interesting beats and music. The music comes by and goes by without stirring a soul. Did someone forget to add a romantic track to this 'dollops of love-filled' movie? Editing, dialogues can't do much when you have a film like AkaashVani in front of you. This is going to be a treat for those who are appearing in the first semester of love. For those who have been there and gone through the after-effects, make sure you carry jalapenos!
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Movies on
TV Saturday
January 26 Namastey London is a 2007 Bollywood film. The romantic comedy is directed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah and stars Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. It also stars Rishi Kapoor, Upen Patel and Clive Standen in supporting roles. The film is about Indians born in the Western countries who forget their Indian roots. ZEE CINEMA 7:20AM Namastey London 10:40AM Viewers Choice 2:00PM Karma STAR GOLD 9:10AM Diljale 12:05PM Ra.One 3:30PM Kurukshetra 6:10PM Bodyguard 9:00PM Makkhi 11:50PM Shaadi No. 1 ZEE STUDIO 8:00AM Dead Presidents 10:30AM 10 Things I Hate About You 12:30PM Guthy Renker 1:00PM Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 3:00PM It's Complicated 5:40PM Van Helsing 8:20PM I Now pronounce you Chuck & Larry 10:30PM Inglourious Basterds SET MAX 6:05AM Rakshak 10:10AM Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya 1:15PM Lagaan 5:50PM Ek Tha Tiger 9:00PM Singam: The Fighterman STAR MOVIES 8:19AM The Darkest Hour 10:20AM The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 112:55PM The Avengers 3:54PM X-Men Origins: Wolverine 6:11PM John Carter 9:00PM The Avengers 11:58PM Fast & Furious MOVIE NOW 6:45AM Blue Crush 9:00AM Home Alone 2: Lost in New York 11:30AM Robocop 1:30PM Knight And Day 3:45PM Quantum of Solace6:00PM True Lies 9:00PM Iron Man 11:30PM Demolition Man B4U MOVIES 8:00AM Son of India 12:00PM Mother India 4:00PM 16 December 7:30PM The Legend of Bhagat Singh Sunday
January 27 It's a 2012 Bollywood comedy directed by Ashwni Dhir. The story revolves around two families, whose leaders had killed each other many years ago. Two sons of the family, Jaswinder Randhawa (Ajay Devgan) and Balwinder Singh (Sanjay Dutt) are sworn enemies. Jaswinder has been hiding in London, whereas Balwinder is waiting for him to return so he can take revenge for the death of his father. ZEE CINEMA 7:20AM One Two Three 10:40AM Good Boy, Bad Boy 2:00PM TBA 6:00PM Mera Krodh 9:00PM TBA STAR GOLD 6:00AM Daag: The Fire 9:10AM My Friend Ganesha 12:00PM Sivaji: The Boss 2:55PM Barood: Man on A Mission 5:20PM Mere Baap Pehle Aap 9:00PM Bol Bachchan SET MAX 7:30AM Hum 11:25AM Veertaa: The Power 2:25PM Munnabhai M.B.B.S. 5:55PM Raaz 3: The Third Dimension 9:00PM Singam: The Fighterman 11:40PM F.A.L.T.U STAR MOVIES 7:51AM Real Steel 10:29AM The Karate Kid1:18PM Fast & Furious 3:15PM The Transporter 25:11PM Titanic 9:00PM The Avengers MOVIE OK 6:00AM Duplicate 9:35AM Little Krishna III: The Wonderous Feats 11:45AM Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3:10PM Kushti 6:00PM Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai 9:00PM Force ZEE STUDIO 8:00AM While She Was Out 9:50AM Van Helsing 12:30PM Guthy Renker 1:00PM Land of the Lost 2:50PM Inglourious Basterds 6:15PM I Now pronounce you Chuck & Larry 8:30PM The Bannen Way 10:30PM American Gangster B4U MOVIES 8:00AM Katilon Ke Kaatil12:00PM 4 Times Lucky 4:00PM Jungle 7:30PM Dev D star plus 9:00PM Son of Sardaar
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As it welcomes us into the world of rich and super rich who want to be richer still we are introduced to ace swindler Armaan Malik (John Abraham) and his partner in cheating half-sister Aleena (Deepika Padukone). Enter Ranveer Singh (Saif Ali Khan) with millions in tow and the stand-off between the two appears to heighten the dramatic tension. Till the first half unending twists and turns, not quite astounding yet certainly enough to keep you engaged, drive the plot. The cat and mouse game that the master duo has created does seem to have potential. But post interval, the race simply goes off tangent and off-track. 
Feeding us with the romance are Kartik Tiwari and Nushrat Bharucha, who played Rajat and Neha in Pyaar Ka Punchnama. This is how it goes — boy falls in love with a girl, he showers us with 'God-knows-what-are-they-doing-there' songs; then comes in the universal anti-agent of love…caste. And rest is how the love birds deal with the issue sitting either on a wooden staircase in the house or slowly walking on a lonely road in heavy downpour.
ZEE CINEMA
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