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Artillery woes Cellphone towers |
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Stop this outrage
Andhra Pradesh on
the ventilator
A
small step that is a big leap
CINEMA:
NEW Releases A ‘true to
life’ drama Escape from this
one
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Cellphone towers Whether
radiation coming from telecom towers is harmful to human beings still remains to be ascertained. In the absence of any conclusive study on the issue, a lot of arguments from the sufferers of ailments like brain tumour caused allegedly by radiation and the cellular operators have been doing the rounds. In Rajasthan, the much-talked-about case of Sudhir Kasliwal, whose case led to a petition filed by a retired Justice, I S Irani and Nirmala Singh, led to an order issued by the division bench of the court, directing relocation of mobile towers away from educational institutions, hospitals and playgrounds in the state. Kesliwal himself suffers from brain tumour and lost his brother and a pet dog to the same. Contrary to this, in Mumbai, in response to a similar complaint, a pilot study was conducted this year by The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, on the impact of electro-magnetic radiation on people living in close proximity to mobile towers. The DoT study did not come up with any conclusive evidence on the carcinogenic effects of radiation from mobile towers. Contradictory stands taken by the same agencies in different locations cause much anxiety to people who feel they have clinching evidence of ill-effects on their health caused by radiation. Cellular companies are supposed to follow self regulation. India’s current radiation exposure limit for mobile towers is 0.45 W/m2, which is claimed to be lesser than countries like USA, Canada and Japan, where the exposure limit is 9 W/m2. Mobile phones are called the cigarettes of the 21 st century, in terms of the confusion they create over human health. It took 20 years of legal battles and public campaigns before statutory warning against smoking was printed by the tobacco companies on cigarette packs. Till a free and fair nationwide study is conducted on the effects of radiation on human health, mobile towers should be removed from schools, creches, hospitals and dense localities, as was done in
Jaipur.
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Stop this outrage
Really, we Indians must learn to go a bit slow with this business of getting outraged, especially when the issue concerns Sachin Tendulkar, and when the issue has been flogged to death. Ricky Ponting has become the latest Australian cricketer to write in his memoirs that Tendulkar played a very dubious role during the infamous Monkeygate affair in the Sydney Test of January 2008. India had lost that match; worse, the match referee, Mike Procter, suspended Harbhajan Singh for allegedly calling Andrew Symonds a monkey during an on-field confrontation. In his autobiography
At The Close of Play, released recently, Ponting writes that Tendulkar’s initial testimony stated that he hadn’t heard anything because he was too far at the time of the incident; Ponting adds that he was amazed when Tendulkar, in a second hearing, stated that Harbhajan used an Indian cuss-word which may sound like the word ‘monkey’. Now, this version of the events has been recounted by at least three Australian players in their books – Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist and Michael Hussey. Each time excerpts from these books reached India, they caused anger and outrage for three reasons. One, the Australian version raises doubts over the veracity of India’s favourite son; two, India had lost that match in bitter circumstances, with anger over sloppy umpiring and “unfair” play by the Australians; three, attacks on Indian students in Australia in the last few years had raised a general anti-Australian sentiment in India. This must pass. Indians must cease to believe that they are victims. Monkeygate is past, Sydney is past. We must also realise that Tendulkar’s infallibility and integrity rest on his being a great cricketer. Off the field, he may be even capable of being economical with the truth for his friend and team – we don’t know. Each retiring Australian will write about that incident in his book because they were very angry with their cricket board for forcing them to back off from the allegation of racism against Harbhajan. Each time, we must stop reacting as if the sky has fallen. We must try to accept the possibility that our team and our icons could be wrong, too.
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Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need. — Khalil Gibran
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Andhra Pradesh on the ventilator In
the 2009 General Election, the people of Andhra Pradesh, the largest state in South India, voted solidly for the Sonia Gandhi-Manmohan Singh-led Congress party, sending 33 MPs, (the highest number for any state in the country), to Parliament. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who had single-handed led the Congress party to power in the state and injected life into the beleaguered Indian National Congress in 2004, owed his return to power in 2009 to the Sonia-Manmohan wave in Andhra Pradesh, as evidenced by the fact that Congress MPs won with huge majorities while the margin of victory for Congress MLAs was narrow, in some cases by just the three-digit mark. Andhras, especially the women, saw in Sonia the leader they had adored most, Indira Gandhi. Today even in remote villages of the 13 districts of Seemandhra docile and illiterate women join in the daily ritual of burning the effigies of Sonia Gandhi shouting abusive epithets. There is neither a party nor a leader whose word is heard, let alone respected, in this unprecedented turmoil and public outrage across Seemandhra. In 2009, Andhra Pradesh appeared well set for a leap on the development scale, following N. Chandrababu Naidu’s IT initiatives during his nine-year rule and Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s welfare measures for the poor and disadvantaged sections of the society which are still remembered with gratitude. Andhra Pradesh’s tale of woe began when Chief Minister YSR Reddy died in a copter crash on September 2, 2009. Why the Congress high command opted the for the soft senior K. Rosaiah from the Andhra region, instead of a leader from Telangana was as baffling as the other steps that followed. Unsurprisingly, the demand for a separate state of Telangana was revived with renewed vigour with its main campaigner KCR going on an indefinite fast. The Congress High Command responded with Home Minister Chidamabaram’s stunning statement before midnight on December 9, Sonia Gandhi’s birthday “that the process for the formation of the Telangana state” would soon begin. A dazed Rosaiah, then hardly three months in office, confessed that he was ignorant and came to know of it only on landing in Hyderabad. Home Minister Chidambaram announced it before midnight as any delay would nullify the sanctity of UPA Chairperson’s birthday gift. Chidambaram backtracking with another statement two weeks later and High Command choosing and rotating interlocutors who are “prophets without honour” in their own land to sort out the issue is too well known to need mention here. The appointment of the Sri Krishna Committee to examine and report on the issue and the four years of time the Congress high command took to decide on Telangana issue lent substance to the theory of conspiracy underlying the entire process. It was converted into a game that political parties and leaders, except the CPM, began to play deftly, each trying to hoodwink the other. The situation in Andhra Pradesh has become so inflammable that anything can happen anytime in the three regions. No one can doubt or question the claims of Telangana, the feelings of the people of Rayalaseema and the concerns of Seemandhra in this dark hour. Veteran analysts see in it a game plan to break up the largest state in South India, reminiscent of the manner in which Andhras were treated in the composite state of Madras. The worst humiliation was then inflicted on the greatest Andhra leader T. Prakasam. Caustically said one nonagenarian that if Chidamabaram is the Cassius of today who stabbed the imperial Caesar of Telugu pride and unity exactly in the centenary year of the Andhra movement, Jairam Ramesh is the Brutus who wants the break-up process to be hastened. The Sri Bagh Pact of 1938 was made to accommodate the interests of Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra and the Gentlemen’s agreement was followed for similar purpose when the Hyderabad state was merged with Andhra. During the violent Andhra agitation launched to break away from Telangana, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s role helped in defusing the crisis. In a reply to this writer dated April 4, 1973, Indira Gandhi wrote: “As you know the present crisis in Andhra Pradesh has a long history. A satisfactory solution has to be evolved by a dispassionate discussion of all its aspects which has now begun.” Today there is no such leader or such ‘dispassionate discussion.’ If Andhra Pradesh has been rendered sick and placed on a ventilator, all parties and leaders are responsible for it and they are like surgeons and their team in the operation theatre is helplessly looking at the seriously ill patient without knowing what to do. Rulers living in Delhi tend to think that Delhi is India. For them, a state on fire is like three or four states burning for the last several decades. The rising, bright, younger generation must, however, be informed that the Indian democracy they have to rebuild had come into being due to the struggle and sacrifice of stalwarts. The four main pillars of democracy were: Mahatma Gandhi, who blended ‘Indian philosophical tradition with Western liberalism’ as Ernest Barker wrote, in laying its foundations; Jawaharlal Nehru who designed its architecture through institution building; Sardar Patel, who played a magnificent role in integrating British India provinces with nearly 600 princely states, and B.R. Ambedkar, the visionary chief craftsman of the Constitution. They were selfless leaders who worked for the welfare of the people and the unity of the nation. They should be the role models for the rising young leaders of tomorrow.
The writer is a former Professor of Politics, Andhra University
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A small step that is a big leap “A girl is innocence playing in the mud, beauty standing on its head, and motherhood dragging a doll by the foot”
— Alan Beek
Every
parent wants the best for his or her child. The best of opportunities, education, career, company, friends and future. Parents even sacrifice their peace of mind, for the apple of their eyes. Every step of a child’s growth is a mystery which unfolds with time and through experience. Sending your child, for the first day to school is a bitter-sweet experience. It may have led to anxiety attacks and given sleepless nights to many parents. I am no exception. As my little darling turned three years old, we landed in the national capital, Delhi and school hunting for the tiny-tot began. Because of our Army background, the preference, of course, was an Army school. Accommodation was allotted in the civil area, so we opted for the best school nearby. This requirement was fulfilled by one of the most prestigious schools of Delhi, but now the big question was, will she get admission there or not. But, all thanks to the point system, the distance from the school to home played the major role in overcoming this hurdle. Finally our little Miss got admission in the premier institute and with that began the real roller-coaster in my mind. How would she adjust to the new environment? How would she cope with the challenges awaiting her? Whom would she share her initial thoughts and needs at school with? Her hesitation coupled with my apprehensions, ensured that all these thoughts kept on flashing in my mind, giving way to turmoil, day in and day out. I was restless. She was about to enter a whole new world all together, a world away from the safe environs and cosy comfort of home, a world full of strangers, the outside world, a world made of friends as well as foes. I was sure that I would not allow my love and concern to mar her very first step to the this new world. Then came the Big Day, the day when my darling was to enter a new world. The mere thought of parting from her, even for a few hours, gave me goose-bumps. To my surprise, when she got up for school in the morning that day, she was all excited. With great enthusiasm, she got ready and with pride wore her school dress. Her joy knew no boundaries when she saw her new schoolbag, water bottle and her lunch box. Like an obedient child, she folded her hands to pray and seek the blessings of our ancestral goddess. Finally, came the moment when she was to enter her class for the first time. She surprised me yet again as she took to her class as fish does to water and waved at me, much as to say: “All is well, Mama I am a big girl now!” After waiting for three long hours, my princess was out again with us with all cheers and smiles. She wanted to rush back home, so that she could come back to school again, the next morning. Watching her on her first day of school left me wondering how time flies. From a newborn, to a toddler and now as a nursery kid, all by herself in school with no parents around. Her infancy has given way to her magical years; which will soon turn into years for discovery. Let her make most of it. She will always remain a little girl for me, but for her to learn worldly virtues and vices, I must also learn to share her with friends, work and
play.
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CINEMA: NEW Releases Nonika Singh
Alas … as the film gets rolling—lights, camera, action…
guess what, the director forgot to say cut after action. So action
overdose it is from start to finish even though the action king Akhsay
Kumar makes his entry thirty minutes after the film begins. Post his
grand entry one can expect more action. So, welcome to more dishum
dishum.
As for entertainment quotient there is some humour too. Some one-liners are funny...but soon get repetitive. But then novelty never ever is the USP of masala films. It isn't here unless you want to call Ronit Roy's new avatar of the bad man unusual. Or, the fact that the hero Akshay Kumar speaks in Haryanvi dialect. But then Bollywood discovered the virtues of Haryanvi humour some time back. Everything else that the film harps on, including reminders that this is only a film, has been done to death before... So the big question is — what does the film offer?
To
give the devil his due there is a storyline or at least the semblance
of it. A morally upright school teacher, his errant son and the
conflict between father and son makes for some dramatic tension. But
all of it finally ends just the way all Hindi flicks of this genre are
meant to, with some more maar kutaai between the hero and the
villain. For effect there is ample peppering of a battery of actors,
right from Parikshit Sahni to Johnny Lever to Govind Namdev and Sanjay
Mishra. Lest we forget there is hero's younger brother (Shiv Pandit)
and his romantic interest Aditi Rao Hydari none of whom really get to
do anything substantial. Sure Mithun Chakraborty as the indignant
father is in fine form. Akshay does what he is best at—mouths inane
dialogues and bashes up a dozen goondas at one go all the while
retaining his perfect smile. Pleasing also is Danny Dengzopa's cameo
of Big Boss who mentors Akshay. By the way popular television serial
Mahadev's Kartikey that is actor Rishiraj Pawar has enough scenes to
make an impact. Best part of the
film…you guessed it right. Sure it is the end. Not merely does it
signal that the assault on your senses is over. More importantly the
remix version of the lilting song Har kissi ko nahi milta that
comes with the film titles at the end sounds good and is well
picturised too. Sonakshi Sinha looks like a breeze (far better than
she does in the items song in the film). Wish the director had shown a
fraction of similar sensibility in the treatment of the film. Watch it
only if you haven't had enough of the Bollywood masala (this one comes
with no special tadka.) Or if Akshay still makes your hearts swoon.
Else stay away from this Boss that is as painful as bosses are
meant to be.
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A ‘true to life’ drama Hansal
Mehta has never scored
well at the box-office even though his films (Haasil, especially) have
been much talked about and appreciated by the critics. Shahid,
hopefully will have a better run because the story itself is immensely
gravitating. Hansal Mehta's Shahid narrates the tale of a man who
paid a heavy price for daring to stand up for the persecuted. The film details
the amazing and tragic life of TADA detainee-turned- human rights lawyer Shahid
Azmi, who was assassinated in cold blood, during early 2010, for defending a
26/11 accused. It's another matter that this same accused was eventually
acquitted two and a half years later. What does that say about our society
which is only. Hansal Mehta's mode
of setting up this story is minimalistic and underwhelming. He does not resort
to aggressive posturing or creating a divide just so that the conflict can
blossom. He seeks empathy for his remarkable protagonist without making him
look overly tragic or idealistic. Neither is the religious/communal aspect
played up for dramatic gains. Shahid, the film and the man is much
larger than what was perceived by a certain section of the press. Hansal Mehta
in fact takes us through this very human journey- giving us an intimate
glimpse of a personality that was framed and flowered by circumstances beyond
belief. Shahid's story is about a fight for human rights- a struggle
that went unheeded and made a victim of the it’s hardy and gutsy champion. Raj
Kumar Gupta lives his role as Shahid making it his greatest performance yet.
It's an enactment that is completely and tellingly immersive and allows no
room for doubt at any level. Hansal's film draws our attention to the
societal malaise that brandished an entire community as anti-national. |
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Escape from this one
What follows is monotonous—prison brawls, masked guards prowling the premises and brutal violence—all passing for entertainment. Mumbling copiously out two one-man armies may keep loyal fans happy but surely not win new ones. Apart from Jim Cavierzel any acting talent must have fallen to the floor of the editing room. Incidentally this film has two other names, Exit Plan and Tomb, but boredom by any name smells as putrid. Period.
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ZEE STUDIO 08:00aM Mission to Mars is a science fiction film directed by Brian De Palma from an original screenplay written by Jim Thomas, John Thomas, and Graham Yost. In 2020, a manned Mars exploration mission goes awry. American astronaut Jim McConnell (Gary Sinise) coordinates a rescue mission for a colleague. Principal support actors were Tim Robbins, Don Cheadle, Connie Nielsen, Jerry O'Connell, and Kim Delaney. ZEE CINEMA 8:27AM Aakhree Raasta 11:42AM Dhamaal 2:32PM Gopi Kishan 5:32PM No.1 Businessman 8:00PM Sholay ZEE CLASSIC 7:12AM Romance 10:12AM Woh 7 Din 1:05PM Vidhaata 3:57PM Rocky 7:00PM Naseeb 10:00PM Saagar ZEE STUDIO 8:00AM Mission to Mars 10:40AM Uninhabited 1:00PM Children of Men 3:20PM Cold Creek Manor 6:00PM Marvel Iron Man 7:00PM Out of Sight MOVIES OK 8:25AM Fun2shh 11:20AM Rishtey 2:40PM Judwaa No.1 5:05PM Krodh 8:00PM Shola Aur Shabnam 11:40PM Johnny Gaddaar FILMY 9:00AM Hanuman 11:30AM Infomercial 12:00PM Mulzim 3:00PM Heer Ranjha 6:00PM Ghar Mein Ram Gali Mein Shyam 9:00PM Mohabbat ZEE ACTION 7:00AM Tehkikat 9:55AM Movie Fare 10:00AM Teleshopping 10:30AM Diler: The Daring 1:30PM Muqaddar Ka Badshaah 5:30PM Jaagruti 8:30PM The Don
8:10AM True Legend 10:35AM Drive Angry 12:39PM Iron Man 2 2:52PM Agent Cody Banks 4:51PM Shrek the Third 6:50PM The Vow 9:00PM Spider-Man 3 11:59PM Zombieland SET MAX 7:00AM Don No. 1 10:30AM Jab Tak Hai Jaan 1:00PM Student of the Year 5:30PM Bajatey Raho 9:00PM Aur Ek Ilzam
Om Shanti Om Movies OK 11:30am Om Shanti Om is a romantic-reincarnation film directed and choreographed by Farah Khan. It stars Shah Rukh Khan and Hindi debutant Deepika Padukone in the lead roles while Arjun Rampal, Shreyas Talpade, and Kirron Kher feature in supporting roles. More than forty-two well-known Bollywood stars appear in the course of the film, including thirty of them (not including the stars of the film) in one song alone. The film is set in the 1970s and 2000s; it pays tribute to, and pokes fun at, the Indian film industry of both these eras. ZEE CINEMA 8:29AM Return of Chandramukhi 3 11:24AM Sholay 3:43PM Loafer 6:00PM Akaash Vani 9:00PM Coolie ZEE STUDIO 8:00AM Turner & Hooch 10:00AM Out of Sight 1:00PM Fright Night 3:00PM Cinderella Man 6:00PM Marvel Iron Man (Season 1) 6:30PM Marvel Wolverine (Season 1) 7:00PM Back to the Future Part III 9:30PM The Tudors (Season 2) 10:30PM Fright Night ZEE CLASSIC 7:09AM Deedar 9:41AM Dream Girl 12:52PM Nastik 3:56PM Sachaa Jhutha 7:00PM Sangam 10:00PM Ankush
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Yet, all the director's men (women by the way only
make a token presence here) can't put the film on a winning track.
Come to think of it there is nothing winsome abut the film. Not only
can you predict the climax but even the dialogues. 
The gutsy story of a life gone sour and then being
reinvented to come to the aid of those who are similarly disheartened, had
enough drama to be turned into a sensational film. But Hansal Mehta likes to
keep the narrative a little simplistic and facts based rather than work the
drama for some much needed fervor. Nevertheless it's a gritty and plucky
enough to keep you engrossed throughout. The low-key punctuations about
contemporary India's judgmentally inclined media and people and the manner in
which the Judiciary functions makes for a truly telling commentary sedentary
about Indian systems that eventually end up gobbling up the lives of those
struggling to find justice and meaning in their lives. 
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Mission to Mars
SONY PIX