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Strengthen ties
Strike unwarranted |
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Carrot and stick
The endgame in Afghanistan
A pleasant change
CINEMA: NEW Releases
A crude social drama
Less than fearsome
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Strengthen ties
Prime
Minister David Cameron's visit to India has brought cheer to New Delhi. He has supported India on a number of international issues, including a permanent presence for India in the UN Security Council. Although the statement was made during an interaction with students in Kolkata and not on an official forum, it will surely sound nice to Indian ears. Cameron also said he respected Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's decision to not attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka. Cameron, however, is attending the meeting, and is also expected to raise the issue of abuse of Tamils' rights by Sri Lankan forces. The focus of the talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his British counterpart remained on bilateral issues, with the British PM saying that the countries should be "partners of choice". He also went out of his way to clarify that the immigration policies of his country would not have any limit on the number of Indian students going to the UK. Indian students in the UK have a significant presence, and are particularly attractive to cash-strapped educational institutions for their talent and also since, as foreign students, they often pay high fees. However, the tough interpretation of British immigration laws has dampened the enthusiasm of potential Indian students. British immigration policies have rightly attracted flak, especially the recently withdrawn move that sought to impose a £3,000 visa bond on some 'high-risk' visitors from selected Commonwealth nations, including India. Naturally, trade figured high on the agenda of the British Prime Minister. The UK continues to be a favoured destination for Indian companies, with more than 900 of them operating in that country. Trade between the two nations has grown, although there is a feeling that it can be much more than it has been till now. There are outstanding issues like the problems that Vodafone Group Plc is facing on the tax issues as well the Department of Telecommunications' rejection of its application to renew the 2G licence. However, there seems to be a new determination to sort out issues, something that bodes well for the two counties that share a long history.
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Strike unwarranted
Commuting
between small towns in Haryana is a nightmare for people, especially women and students, which was made worse by the two-day strike by state roadways employees that crippled bus services even on trunk routes. The strike was against a move aimed at improving bus services in the state - in fact, introducing buses on many routes that currently have none. The state has virtually no private bus service worth the name, which the government now plans to bring in. What little is there is on non-profitable routes, with major routes monopolised by the state-run Haryana Roadways. Rural roads are served essentially by unregulated 'maxi-cabs', which overload, are unsafe, and charge at will. As a result, women find it difficult to travel in dignity, and students struggle to reach schools and colleges. The government under a new transport policy intends to give permits to 3,500 private buses. This, obviously, will give competition to the state-run service, even if not immediately. And that is a scary thought to Haryana Roadways employees, who are used to showing good results under monopolistic conditions. The rationale behind the government running any business or industry is to either fulfil a need that the private sector cannot or provide services in a non-profitable area for social reasons, neither of which is applicable in this case. As elections approach, every interest group sees an opportunity to pressure the government into accepting its demands, justified or not. Employee unions and the rivalry between them also find play during such periods, hoping to score brownie points within their constituencies. Governments also encourage the practice when they succumb to the pressure, which must be avoided at all cost even as heed should be paid to genuine grievances. Employees working in essential services such as transport, health, electricity and water supply cannot be allowed to use the criticality of their role as a tool to blackmail the government by holding the public to ransom. There are forums such as courts and administrative tribunals that can be approached for justice. Halting a service cannot be an option.
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Carrot and stick
It
is easy to impose taxes, cumbersome to collect them and hard to check evasion in Punjab's leaky system. Tax officials and traders/businessmen often join hands to deny revenue to the state with a coalition partner providing them political protection. For better tax collection, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal is trying every available tool: voluntary disclosure scheme for chronic evaders, threat of instant dismissal from service to tax officials and relief to small traders. Since tax evasion is rampant due to official laxity and political protection, the honest bear the brunt. Governments end up taxing them frequently for raising revenue for development and infrastructure. People tend to avoid paying taxes if their money is misspent, say on funding political and bureaucratic profligacy. Honouring the biggest taxpayers is commendable, but the evaders need to be dealt with sternly. Sukhbir Badal has spoken about frauds, including a dealer making fake exports of Maruti cars to Bangladesh and claiming huge VAT refunds and a metal dealer seeking tax refund for a business he is not engaged in. They should be given exemplary punishment and shamed by making their identities public. The problem is that such rogue elements resort to litigation, knowing that the dilatory judicial system would take years before delivering justice. And then within a few years comes a voluntary disclosure scheme to bail them out. Traders and industrialists, who lobby for changes in government policies, should also expose the black sheep among them since they raise the costs for everyone else. A revenue-starved government cannot provide them the quality infrastructure they desperately need to grow. Whistleblowers should also be publicly feted so that systemic leakages are detected. The introduction of the value added tax (VAT) has eased tax collection but it is the goods and services tax (GST) that will ultimately make the system foolproof. For this the Shiromani Akali Dal, the BJP and other parties need to cooperate with the UPA at the national level.
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I believe in God, only I spell it Nature. —
Frank Lloyd Wright
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The endgame in Afghanistan The land of the historical Great Games and the "graveyard of many empires", now according to many analysts, is inexorably heading for another Great Game, not between any imperial powers but two of Afghanistan's important neighbours, India and Pakistan. After the ill-timed, premature 2014 slated drawdown of all US and NATO forces from this continuing fratricidal violence-afflicted country, both India and Pakistan naturally have their own, largely disparate, strategic interests. However, what is glaring is that Pakistan's myopic, self-defeating agendas in Afghanistan are hardly conducive to peace in Afghanistan or the region for it is merely reducing Indo-Pakistan relations in Afghanistan unnecessarily to a zero-sum game, which can be a win-win situation for both nations as also a confidence-building measure between them. An analysis of Pakistan's strategy and multiple interests in Afghanistan, as followed by the former for a couple of decades, largely stems from its stubborn adherence to its antiquated "strategic depth" obsession, a desire to have a pliant regime in Kabul and keeping, unwisely though, Indian influence totally out of the land of the Hindu Kush. Further, Pakistan seeks safe havens for its trained extremists, keeping the contentious Durand Line (never ever recognised by any Afghan regime) tranquil and endeavours to discourage the ever-present latent Pashtun unity along the border regions with Afghanistan, besides looking for Afghanistan to be its gateway to the energy-rich Central Asian Republics (CARs). Importantly, Pakistan had made itself indispensable, at least logistically, to the US and NATO forces for the two critical supply routes to Afghanistan pass through Pakistan and thus it has been getting its financial succour from the US, thanks to the US presence in Afghanistan since 2001. Pakistan, economically in alarmingly dire straits, has, by conservative estimates, obtained a largesse of $20 billion from the US during this period. On the other hand, India apart from cementing its old civilisational and friendly links with Afghanistan, primarily seeks to ensuring Afghanistan not becoming a major safe haven and training ground for anti-India terrorists - a natural fallout with a radical regime in Kabul. Afghanistan also provides much needed access for both Indian imports and exports to the CARs. India, also seeking political and economic influence in Afghanistan, has thus invested over $2 billion in various humanitarian developmental projects, is providing military training to the Afghanistan Security Forces and overall desires Afghanistan, under a secular regime, becoming an important and independent partner in the security architecture of South Asia. There is a strong possibility that with the withdrawal of the US forces next year, Pakistan's ISI may already be working on contingency plans to divert then many out-of-work terrorists to up the ante in the Indian state of J&K and current indicators in the region all point to the ISI's machinations in this regard. Meanwhile, Afghanistan, under outgoing President Hamid Karzai, though largely suspicious of Pakistan, has been navigating carefully with both "friendly India" and "brotherly Pakistan" -- though not very successfully. With India, Afghanistan had concluded in October 2011 a strategic agreement and managed to obtain additional financial aid and an increased Indian commitment to train its army and police. However, what is currently worrisome for Afghan security and stability is the yet-to-be-agreed upon bilateral security deal between President Karzai and the US government, which, if not signed, will, in the ultimate analysis, only assist radical forces like the Taliban and the Haqqani network in Afghanistan once the Americans depart next year. Pakistan, as current indications point out, would like its pliant 'strategic assets' comprising the conglomerate of fundamentalist elements to get into power in Kabul after the US departs next year. Pakistan must understand that a democratic, stable Afghanistan is equally important for both India and Pakistan and thus both nations must make a concerted effort to have a constructive and cooperative policy for it. Afghanistan is not considered by India as a region of competing national interests and its economic assistance to Afghanistan is contributing to the latter's economic development, which, in turn, supports its political stability and security. Thus Pakistan must rid itself of a mere anti- India centric approach in Afghanistan. Pakistan's allegations that the existence of Indian consulates in Afghanistan is directed against Pakistan's interests are all ill-founded and unsubstantiated misapprehensions. Pakistan must fully comprehend, in its own interest, that the real threat to the security and stability of Afghanistan and ultimately to itself comes from violent and extremist groups like the Afghan Taliban, elements of the al-Qaida, the Haqqani network and the anti-Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for the latter's linkages with the Afghan Taliban are only increasing by the day. That after TTP supremo Hakimuulah Mehsud's elimination by a US drone last fortnight in North Waziristan, the TTP has vowed to take serious revenge should send warning signals to the Pakistani government. To both India and Pakistan, an objective analysis of the current dynamics and also in the foreseeable future of Afghanistan will clearly bring out the benefits which can accrue if relationships are based on a trilateral cooperative approach. A stable, peaceful Afghanistan, acting as a hub of trade and transit and as a corridor for both India and Pakistan to the energy-rich CARs will be of immense economic benefit to the three nations. This shared interest thus calls for a serious Indo-Pak dialogue on Afghanistan to address any mutual apprehensions and develop a cooperative framework, which contributes to the security and stability of a currently hapless Afghanistan and thus benefits both India and Pakistan. Indeed, this was a unanimous recommendation of the German think tank, the globally acclaimed FES-sponsored Track 2 Dialogue between renowned Indian and Pakistani participants discussing the vexed Indo-Pak issues. It was strongly felt that there was no requirement for differences on Afghanistan to be added to the already overflowing plate of growing Indo-Pak tensions. On the other hand, a sincere, mutually accommodating trilateral dialogue could be in the interest of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and South Asia as a
whole.
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A pleasant change It was towards the end of 1980 that I was transferred from the field and posted at Chandigarh in the Secretariat for the first time. Life in Chandigarh was entirely different. It was a unique experience. All the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution were available on the platter, to be enjoyed and relished to the utmost. No restriction. No distinction. No discrimination. No inhibition. No tension. Complete anonymity! I was allotted a spacious house in Sector 16 with the Rose Garden as its backyard. One day we stepped out of our house for a stroll in the evening. My wife purchased some groundnuts from a vendor sitting on the footpath and started munching them, one by one. I kept on looking and waiting for her to share with me. When my patience was exhausted, I asked her to give a few pods to me. She gave a strange look and said, " You …you will eat groundnuts while walking on the roadside!" I said, " Do not get ruffled. It is Chandigarh. Nobody knows me here. Nobody will notice me taking groundnuts at a public place." We rarely went to see a movie while we were in the field for fear of being the object of public gaze. The manager of the cinema hall will not permit us to purchase tickets. He would send us tea and snacks during the intermission and the viewers sitting around would give a queerish look. It was always quite embarrassing. Here, we would purchase our tickets in advance, park our car in the authorised parking place, take our seats and enjoy our movie with a coke and a bag of popcorn in hand. Life at the workplace was also different. The office timings were the same for all. In the field the week was of 24x7 hours while here it was of 8x7 hours except, perhaps, when the assembly was in session. No distinction between a Burra Sahib , a sahib and a sewadar. All were to pass through the metal detector. A hallmark of the right to equality! No howling! No growling! No shouting by anyone, at anyone. Working in the Secretariat was notoriously known for 'meeting, eating and cheating'. Three-four meetings in a day, on an average, were the routine and no meeting was over without a round of tea, coffee and "samosas". In between also, if there was no file on the table you might ring up some colleague on the RAX and ask him, "Hey, are you quite busy?" The expected reply would be "No, not really". You may the ask him to come over for a cup of tea and he will not hesitate to oblige you. At times, you could also go for gossip to some colleague and leave instructions with your P.A. to remain in his seat during your absence, to attend to all telephone calls and tell the callers, according to the exigency of the situation, that the sahib has either gone to the washroom or to attend a
meeting.
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CINEMA: NEW Releases Nonika Singh
Love
in the backdrop of violence and love as an antidote to its horrific ways…. None of it is new to cinema. Yet when maverick filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, master of spectacles, brings this theme to life nay to larger than life, you know the result would be a visual feat and a feast. So this love ballad inspired after William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is every inch of the way. Set in vibrant Gujarat, in the heart of Rann of Kutch, here colours and locales tell their own story and are much more than just a backdrop. With almost every scene Bhansali makes a visual statement. Not to say that he doesn't have a story to tell. In between the drama of deceit, rivalry, one upmanship and of course unrequited love Bhansali does pay a tribute to Shakespeare through rhyming titbits, though not even half as profound as what the Bard wrote. Then there is an ultimate take on his eternal oft repeated quote "what's in a name." It comes by way of agar gulab ka naam angoor hota to khaa lete kya." Shorn off overt sentimentality and emotional melodrama, the film does make for compelling cinema if not through and through, in parts for sure. Music that is already rocking, rocks in the film too. Only other sounds in the film become too shrill at times. Visual opulence too takes the better of the subject at many junctures. Yet finally the love ballad touches your heart even if it doesn't pierce through it. Riveting, benumbing, excessive or artistic.... choose your own description for it. But beyond controversies and hype this one merits your attention. Go for it. This may not be a heart-warming love story but the irony of the love fable and of the famous Shakespearean lines, "The course of true love never did run smooth" does come across.
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A crude social drama
Vishwas
Patil, a renowned name in Marathi film circles, has written several novels, biographies, screenplays and been bestowed with several awards. Therefore, much was expected from his maiden venture in Bollywood, but Rajjo. Patil's concentrated attempt, comes nowhere close to achieving anything worthwhile. Rajjo, as a child of eight or so, gets conveniently transported to the big, bad city of Mumbai and sold by her own sister and brother-in-law for just Rs 1,000. Eventually, the little girl grows up to become this seductive courtesan (Kangna Ranaut) who performs mujras at Roohi Manzil, situated in a red light district of Mumbai. She is much sought after by criminals and has a eunuch named Begum (Mahesh Manjrekar) controlling her every move. The crudely engineered script may have sincerity as its basis, but logic and drama are completely missing. Unfinished sub-plots and several loose ends leave too much to be desired. Kangna wears skimpy cholis, low-on-the-hip short skirts and prances about heaving her bosom. It's an offensive, excessively crude and bawdy display that leaves a bad taste. And the dance steps are not a good match for the music. Patil uses traditional stereotypes to engender menace, but the lack of substance in the story and the half-baked representation of crucial characters make the going very difficult. In fact, as a viewer you never can empathise with Rajjo's character. The dance and music is quite forgettable; dialogues lack sting and the performances conviction. The editing is shabby and cinematography quite unremarkable. Paras Arora is not competent enough to evoke the right kind of adulation. Even Mahesh Manjrekar, who essays a character similar to Maharani in Sadak, looks and sounds quite clueless.
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Less than fearsome
This
supernatural horror film directed by James Wan is a sequel to the 2011 film. Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne reprise their roles as Josh and Renai Lambert, a husband and wife who seek to uncover the secret that has left them dangerously connected to the world of spirits. The story takes us into their past and explains their predicament in a little more detail. In 1986, a medium named Carl calls upon his friend Elise to help discover what's haunting Lorraine Lambert's son Josh.
This film starts off directly where the original left and the story tries to get more in-depth with Josh's past. Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell have proven their winning credentials, so this one, on paper at least, seemed like a good bet. The film starts off as a haunted house story and then veers into personal possession mode. Going back and forth into the real world and that of spirits, the movie does get a tad confusing and confounding. Far too many shortcomings are obvious in the script and character development.
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Saturday,
November 16 Bhaag Milkha Bhaag ZEE CINEMA 8:17AM Aatish: Feel the Fire 11:40AM All the Best 2:36PM Seeta Aur Geeta 6:06PM Kasam Hindustan Ki 9:00PM Tirangaa MOVIES NOW 8:25AM Entrapment 10:45AM A Man Apart 12:55PM Transporter 2 2:40PM The Last Airbender 4:45PM Ocean's Eleven 7:10PM Final Destination 3 9:00PM G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra 11:25PM X2 MOVIES OK 9:05AM Beta 12:00PM Golmaal: Fun Unlimited 3:05PM Judwaa No.1 5:30PM Maa Tujhhe Salaam 8:00PM Bhaag Milkha Bhaag ZEE STUDIO 8:00AM Sister Act 10:05AM Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit 1:00PM The Hitcher 2:40PM My Bloody Valentine 4:40PM The Waterboy 6:25PM X-men (Season 1) 6:55PM Problem Child 8:30PM Reality Bites 10:30PM The Constant Gardener STAR GOLD 9:00AM Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? 12:10PM Ek Aur Ek Gyarah: By Hook or by Crook 3:05PM Ajnabee 5:40PM Coolie No. 1 8:00PM Mai Insaaf Karoonga 10:45PM Garv: Pride and Honour FILMY 9:00AM My Name is Anthony Gonsalves 11:30AM Infomercial 12:00PM Heer Ranjha 3:00PM Kanoon Ki Awaaz 6:00PM Lajja ZEE ACTION 7:00AM Zakhmi Aurat 10:30AM Ek Vardaan Nagina 1:30PM Tada 5:30PM Jeeo Shaan Se 8:30PM Ek Dulaara SONY PIX 8:31AM The Fog 10:35AM Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa 12:21PM Slumdog Millionaire 2:32PM The Forbidden Kingdom 4:26PM The Tower 7:01PM Shrek Forever After 9:00PM Anaconda 3: Offspring 11:00PM The Amazing Spider-Man SET MAX 7:00AM F.A.L.T.U 10:30AM Bhoothnath 1:00PM Mujhse Dosti Karoge 5:30PM Policewala Gunda 9:00PM Rowdy Rathore Sunday, November 17 The Lion King ZEE CINEMA 8:28AM Khiladi 11:27AM Loafer 1:49PM Hum Aapke Hain Kaun...! 5:54PM Laadla 9:00PM Phir Hera Pheri MOVIES OK 9:00AM Chillar Party 11:45AM Fukrey 2:40PM Kaalo 4:25PM Agneepath 8:00PM Bol Bachchan 11:10PM Ek Ziddi ZEE STUDIO 8:30AM Reality Bites 10:35AM Happy Gilmore 1:00PM Casper 3:00PM The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas 4:45PM The Lion King 6:30PM The Stepfather 8:30PM Fear 10:30PM Pirate Radio STAR GOLD 9:05AM Main Krishna Hoon 11:45AM Sivaji: The Boss 2:35PM Janbaaz Ki Jung 4:45PM Baadshah 8:00PM Indian 11:25PM Jigar Kaleja ZEE ACTION 7:00AM Meri Izzat 10:30AM Ankush 1:30PM Officer 5:30PM Bhai: The Lion 8:30PM Zakhmi Sipahi FILMY 9:00AM Main Aisa Hi Hoon 11:30AM Infomercial 12:00PM Pataal Bhairavi 3:00PM Mohabbat 6:00PM Sandwich 9:00PM Indra: The Tiger SET MAX 7:00AM Tezz 10:30AM Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum 1:00PM Munnabhai M.B.B.S. 5:30PM Ek Tha Tiger 9:00PM Horror Story
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In comes Chandu (Paras Arora), a cricketer, who wants to explore a brothel. He immediately falls for the charm of Rajjo, who is also fascinated by the boy's devotion and is willing to elope with the immature groom — as prompted by an NGO working to rehabilitate soiled doves. But the world outside the kotha is completely different from the one Rajjo expected. 
After hypnotising Josh, Elise attempts to find the location of Josh's 'friend' (an old woman who appears in photographs of Josh). Once the friend is found, it's decided by the trio Lorraine, Carl and Elise that Josh should be made to forget all of his astral projection abilities. Elise does the job. 
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is a biographical sports drama film based on the life of "The Flying Sikh" Milkha Singh, an Indian athlete a national champion runner and an Olympian. The film has been produced and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra on a script written by Prasoon Joshi, with sports action by Rob Miller of Reel Sports. The film stars Farhan Akhtar, Sonam Kapoor, Divya Dutta, Pavan Malhotra, Meesha Shafi and Yograj Singh.
The Lion King is an animated epic musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. The story takes place in a kingdom of lions in Africa, and was influenced by the biblical tales of Joseph and Moses, and the Shakespeare plays Hamlet and Macbeth.