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Felicitating the tainted Respect the verdict |
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Sexual harassment at the workplace
How to be word friendly
Sincere, not epical
Cute but forgettable
Magic of ageing icons
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Felicitating the tainted If ever there was a doubt about the BJP and the Samajwadi Party patronising the shady characters involved in instigating the communal riots in Muzaffarnagar in August this year, the honouring of some of the key suspects has dispelled that effectively. Some 20,000 riot victims are still lodged in relief camps. Instead of rehabilitating all the sufferers, regardless of their caste, and giving them a sense of justice by swiftly and firmly acting against the accused, the Samajwadi Party government has been playing caste politics with an eye on Muslim votes. The government has got a sharp rebuke from the Supreme Court for its notification which provided for “biased” relief to a particular section of society. Moreover, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav shared the stage at a function in Bareilly on Thursday with controversial cleric Taukeer Raza Khan, who has reportedly played a dubious role in the riots. While the SP is a regional party known for its petty politics, one expected a little more responsible behaviour from the BJP, a national party. Two of the party MLAs — Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana — have been charged with inciting riots. Instead of expelling or sidelining them for their role in the riots, the party chose to “honour” them at a public rally in Agra on Thursday shortly before BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi addressed it. On the one hand the party engages in such irresponsible acts, on the other it tries to woo Muslims. The party’s strategy is to reach out to ordinary Muslims directly unlike others who operate through maulvis and ulema. The UP government constituted in September a commission of inquiry headed by Justice Vishnu Sahai to look into the riots with a two-month deadline for the report. The commission, however, has sought six months more to complete its work. It will be quite some time before the guilty are put behind bars, if ever. The UPA, on its part, is sitting on a Bill that puts the legal responsibility of preventing riots on the states. Despite the sympathetic noises the Congress has made for the riot victims, it does not seem serious about a long-term legal remedy as the Bill would lapse if not tabled in the winter session of Parliament. |
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Respect the verdict Elections in Nepal were free and fair, says everyone, except those who fared badly. Early results have indicated that the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) lost many seats, including Kathmandu constituency No.10. This is where the party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, popularly known as Prachanda, was trounced by a local activist. For the party that held a majority in the first Constituent Assembly which was formed in 2008, this has come as a major shock, and it has alleged the elections were rigged. However, foreign observers from the Carter Centre and the European Union Election Observation Mission differ. They maintain that the elections were fair. Nepalese people came out in large numbers for the polls, with over 70 per cent voting. In fact, even UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailed the peaceful and successful conduct of the elections. Given the overwhelming evidence that people's opinion has been reflected in the polls, it is now for the political parties to accept it gracefully. Many observers are worried about the future role of the
UCPN-M, which has threatened to revert to its rebellious state several times in the past few years. On November 21, after negative results started pouring in, it announced that it would “stay away” from the new Assembly unless counting was suspended. It should realise that its credibility is at stake. Democracy has taken firm root in Nepal, and now the
UCPN-M must join other parties in providing a stable government. The people have given the political parties — the Nepali Congress (NC), CPN
(UML) and the Maoists — a chance to shape the future of the nation for which the transition from a monarchy to a real democracy has been hard. Nepal needs political parties that can rise to the challenges that this transition has thrown up. The ball is in the court of those who claim to represent people. They must prove that they are worthy of the confidence that the people of Nepal have reposed in them. |
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The South African Fund
A Punjabi gentleman who does not want to disclose his identity has sent us a cheque for Rs. 25 in aid of the South African Fund. He hates publicity and does not want his name to be published. But he feels most intensely for the suffering men and women, and has no doubt in stating that the country should give “a practical expression of the sympathy towards the brave men and women who at this moment are undergoing untold misery for the vindication of a principle of righteousness.” While urging that the rich and the poor alike should contribute, he says that if the rich can give their thousands, there are certainly men and women “who would be content with their 'widow's mite' expressed in terms of annas and pies.”
The Punjab Government Gazette dated November 21st contains the following notification: - In exercise of the powers conferred by section 4 of the Punjab Alienation of Land Act, 1900, as amended by section 5 of the Punjab Alienation of Land Amendment Act, 1907, the Lieutenant Governor is pleased to determine that for the purposes of the said Act: - (1) All Native Christians who either hold land in or reside in the Gujranwala or Lyallpur districts shall be deemed to be an agriculture tribe. (2) Notwithstanding the orders contained in paragraph 2 of Punjab Government notification No. 63, dated 18th April 1904, the said tribe shall form a separate group, and shall not be included in any other group or groups of agricultural tribes in the said district. |
Sexual harassment at the workplace
The recent days have brought to the centre stage two distressing incidents. First, as a nation we were appalled by the news of a young woman law intern having been sexually harassed by none other than a former judge of the Supreme Court. This was soon followed by reports of a woman journalist having been sexually assaulted by her senior colleague, the editor of a magazine, Tarun Tejpal. What is disheartening is that both these cases have been reported from two sections of our society upon which rests a great part of the moral responsibility to ensure that women are safe at places of work. The media has played a huge role in directing attention to issues related to gender-based prejudice and harassment at workplaces. Looked at closely, virtually every case that occurred, saw the light of day and drew the nation's attention because the media, both print and electronic, sustained the deserved follow-up and pressure. There have been exceptions but on the whole the judicial system has played a fairly proactive role in such issues and has lived up to expectations. In fact, it was the proactive role of the apex court that ensured the framing of the guidelines in the Vishaka judgment for the prevention of sexual harassment of women at the workplace in the absence of a specific law. The government had dilly-dallied for a long time but was finally forced to put in place the Act in question i.e. the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. But the irony is that even after it has been gazetted, the government is yet to formally notify it. I have been associated with inquiry committees for sexual harassment in educational institutions as well public sector undertakings from the time the Vishaka guidelines came into being. Even though it is an extremely well-drafted document, its implementation has not been easy. We conducted a study to see how many educational institutions across the country have implemented the Vishaka guidelines and have internal complaints committees in place. We were shocked to find that a mere 25 per cent of the institutions had actually put in the mandatory committees in place. It is also important to know, and as is generally agreed, that only one in ten cases of sexual harassment of women at places of work actually gets reported. With regard to the working of such committees in many cases we found that even when committees were in place, the members who took tough decisions on merit were usually disinclined to be associated with subsequent enquiries because of threats, intimidation or the simple reason —why make enemies? It is important to understand that while constituting such committees the role of the head of the institution or organisation is crucial because on his perception depends how seriously the issue is perceived. The most critical part in the working of these internal committees is the role of the third party - namely the external members of the committee concerned that conducts the inquiry. It is required to be ensured that such committees are constituted carefully and include people who are gender sensitive and non-partisan. It was also found that in several cases even after a committee had submitted its report, the authorities delayed the requisite action on some pretext or the other. In the case of Tarun Tejpal it is surprising that a publishing house such as his appears not to have such a committee in place even though it is mandatory. As I followed the story of Tarun Tejpal, I was rather surprised to note his reported clarification. Obviously, he has not yet read the norms of the Vishaka guidelines. It is important to look at the issue from the viewpoint of the aggrieved. As Shobha De has put it, the journalist who has dared to take on her boss is truly the heroine of the incident. By no extent of imagination could it have been easy for this woman journalist to draw attention to the affront, more so keeping in mind the influence and status of the person she was confronting. It is also amusing to note as reported that Tejpal has recused himself from office for six months — is he a Gandhi or a Vinoba Bhave? What is the nation to take him to be — surely not a law unto himself? He needs to understand that whatever his explanation, however ridiculous it may be, the fact is he has seriously harmed the cause for which he has stood. We must understand that appropriate action in such cases is absolutely essential. Not only does such action send a correct no-nonsense message but it also warns other affronting elements waiting in the wings. It is even more important to appreciate that women at workplaces are more vulnerable to sexual harassment when placed lower in a hierarchical situation, a subordinate, a student, a research scholar or an intern. Finally, there is yet another dimension indeed of equal importance. By viewing sexual harassment as gender-specific discrimination, the Supreme Court has creatively expanded the scope and understanding of human rights within workplaces. The shift thus is at two levels. First, it is a shift in the focus from a criminal wrong committed by an individual to systemic discriminatory conduct that needs to be eliminated through a change in attitudes, thereby shifting the onus on the institution. Secondly, there is a change in perspective from an earlier thinking which linked sexual violence with arcane notions of female sexual morality such as "outraging the modesty" of women to violation of human rights of women workers. The apex court has also held that each incident of sexual harassment of women at workplace violates the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution such as the right to life and livelihood. It calls upon its own power for enforcement of fundamental rights and the role of the State to meet the challenge to protect the working women from sexual harassment and to make their fundamental rights meaningful. The writer is Professor and Director, Women's Studies Research Centre, Kurukshetra University. |
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How to be word friendly “You shall know a word by the company it keeps.”
(JR Firth, 1890-1960)
Nidhi chopped her hair last month. (Verb+Noun) The noun “hair” is the node or the main word here and the verb "chopped" the collocate. The collocate “cut” or “trimmed” would go better with “hair”. On the other hand, “chopped” would go well with vegetables which can take in the harshness the word “chopped” connotes. “Nidhi cut/ trimmed her hair” is a better usage. To use the phrase “chop off” in the context of cutting one's hair would hint at violence added to the act. Aman's father expired yesterday. (Noun+Verb) A “guarantee” or a “licence” expires. Human beings simply “die” or “pass away”, so it would be more appropriate to say “Aman's father passed away yesterday”. A sensitive situation becomes a little comic with the unacceptable collocational choice. I got a golden chance to visit Shillong last month. (Adjective +Noun) In this context, the user seems to consider the nouns “chance” and “opportunity” as synonyms and does not hesitate in using whichever noun comes to his mind. The user needs to replace the phrase “golden chance” with “golden opportunity” to relieve the adjective “golden” of the discomfort. Three Idiots is different than other movies. (Adjective +Preposition) The Adjective “different”, the node here, would prefer “from” not “than” as its collocate. "Three Idiots is different from other movies" is what we say. The other day he made me wait for hours. (Fixed Expression) “Kept me waiting”, a sequence of Verb+Pronoun+Complement is a fixed expression and should be used in place of “made me wait”, a sequence of Verb+Pronoun+Complement. Though the expression “made me wait” conveys the meaning clearly, “kept me waiting” is the more natural expression here. He is as cross as four sticks with everyone today. (Idiom) "As cross as two sticks" which means being very upset about something is an idiom and we cannot take liberties with idioms. Therefore "four" needs to be replaced with "two" even if the user is twice as angry. "He is as cross as two sticks with everyone today" is the correct usage. Inappropriate or less appropriate collocational choices occur due to lack of understanding of how the language functions and also due to the transfer of mother tongue habits. Often, the two overlap. Sentence 1 and 2 are typical examples of overgeneralization. Sentence 3 reflects careless behaviour. Sentence 4 exhibits insufficient practice in grammar while Sentence 5 and 6 illustrate violation of conventions. The writer is the Director, Regional Institute of English, Chandigarh |
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CINEMA: NEW Releases Ratings: ***** Excellent | **** very good | *** good | ** Average | * poor
Sincere, not epical
It’s a Sunny Deol movie and so there will have to be that dhai kilo ka haat (read three-and-a-half now) going dishoom
dishoom! Yeah three-and-a-half kilos, not because it’s become saggy and fleshy but because he’s risen in stature, at least in filmi terms, and goes on to become a game-changer through peace activism and diplomacy. He is not a Gandhi follower but does one better by going the Vivekananda way. So don’t expect
badla, look out for badlaav instead! The story goes that this Singh is an idealistic, incorruptible collector with a loving wife
(Urvashi Rautela) and chulbuli sister, who wants to change the system in his usual push and shove way before having to face the consequences - his wife’s death and a consequent seven-year jail term, conspired by Bhoodev
(Prakash Raj), a villainous landowner in rural Punjab. In comes journalist Sahiba (Amrita Singh); she is in fact telling us the great man’s story in flashback and how following his wife’s death she was more than willing to step into the gap (that’s the impression we get). Whatever happened to impartial, objective reportage!
No biopic on Amy Amy Winehouse father Mitch has admitted that he will never allow a Hollywood biopic to be made out of his daughter's tragic life. He said that finding the appropriate tribute to the soul was extremely difficult.
Travel guide to B-town Bollywood filmmaker Imtiaz Ali launched the first ever travel guide on the magical shooting locations of Indian Cinema here. The book collates India's travel destinations.
Saif Ali Khan to encourage youth to vote Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan is all set to participate in a bike rally here to encourage youth to vote during the coming December assembly elections. The mix-and-match narrative does little to involve or engage the viewer. Through the hysterical twists, turns and flashbacks, we are treated to filmy romance, eternal love and sibling affection as part of the engine that drives this great man to do great things. The smattering of Punjabi in the dialogues makes it clear that this film is targetted at the North Indian crowd. It’s a smart enough move considering that Sunny Deol’s pan-India following has dried down to a trickle and only his fans from Punjab, Delhi and Chandigarh belt continue to venerate the once ‘big’ action hero of
Bollywood. Anil Sharma gets Dharmendra and Bobby to sway to the beat alongside Sunny in an item song at the beginning, but, unfortunately, after YPD 2, the three of them are just not happening anymore. Anand Raj Anand and Sonu Nigam’s combined efforts in the music department are quite unremarkable. The narrative ebbs and flows, going back and forth in time, trying hard to gain depth and weightage in content, but that’s also not quite happening. Anil Sharma combines with Shaktimaan on the screenplay and makes a royal mess of everything. Prakash Raj can do little to make things interesting though his stature as a villain is now all-encompassing. Amrita Rao and Urvashi Rautela do not have substantial roles. The only thing worth watching in this movie is Sunny Deol – his sincerity and restrained expressiveness temper the melodrama to a certain extent. He looks believable in the action sequences and oozes humility while enacting the peace-trick. His trademark affability as well as shy reticence continues to endure and endear.
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Cute but forgettable
Ek Main Aur Ek Tu established Kareena and Imran as a bankable pair, so it doesn’t come as any surprise that they have been cast again by the same banner (Karan Johar) in yet another ‘romedy’ of sorts. This light-weight saga of love traverses between Delhi, Karnataka and interior Gujarat before it fulfills its ‘happily-ever-after’ promise. Dilli kudi Dia (Kareena) works in an NGO and Sriram Venkat (Imran Khan) is an architect educated in the US, settled in Bangalore, who has his father’s mall development business to fall back upon. They bump into each other at a traffic snarl and soon enough sparks begin to fly. It’s of course predictable and a little too artificially poised to be comforting. The comedy is a little too light and mostly ineffective to be entertaining. The pair looks good together, but the fragile threadbare narrative does not help. The songs and dances are performed with casual engagement. The music is as lightweight and frothy as the film is forgettable. Even the eye-pleasing playful chemistry between the lead pair, Kareena and Imran, fails to lift the narrative. In fact, the film is entirely dependent on the Kareena-Imran chemistry, which is palpable but not one that can catch fire altogether. This film is certainly, cute but nowhere close to memorable. |
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Magic of ageing icons
Even the most venerated icons of Hollywood are willing to get down and dirty for a larger share of the box-office pie. Michael Doughlas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline get together to go to Las Vegas for a bachelor party – ostensibly a sort of geriatrics’ take on The Hangover, which scored big at the box-office. The four friends set out in an attempt to corner all the fun before they lose their grip on this world. Their excuse is Slippery Billy (Doughlas), the eternal bachelor among the four, who decides to tie the knot with a 30-something PYT. The four, playing childhood buddies, reunite for his bachelor party at Sin City. Written by Dan Fogelman and directed by Jon Turtletaub, this low-impact comedy is basically a sort of likeable marriage between The Hangover and The Bucket List. Great food, decadent lifestyles, swanky entertainment and plush hotels make it all look good enough. The comedy is light-weight and easy on the senses. The four are irrepressible when they come together and even more interesting when pitted romantically with Diana (Mary Steenburgen), a singer. Their charm and screen presence is all-enveloping. |
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Saturday November 23 ZEE CINEMA 11:59AM Andhaa Kanoon 5:45PM Aan: Men at Work 9:00PM Gadar: Ek Prem Katha ZEE CLASSIC 9:17AM Himmat 12:30PM Padosan 7:00PM Geraftaar 10:08PM Charas MOVIES OK 11:10AM Housefull 2 2:30PM Dhamkee 4:20PM Shola Aur Shabnam 8:00PM Jolly LLB 10:40PM Golimaar STAR GOLD 11:30AM Sabse Bada Khiladi 2:40PM Garam Masala 5:40PM Biwi No. 1 8:00PM I, Me aur Main 10:10PM Surya Jalta Nahi Jalata Hai SET MAX 7:00AM Yamla Pagla Deewana 10:30AM Krrish 1:00PM Aashiqui 2 5:30PM Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum 9:00PM Lootera ZEE ACTION 10:30AM Time Bomb 1:25PM Movie Fare 1:30PM Police Police 5:30PM Cheetah 8:30PM Insaaf Kaun Karega FILMY 11:30AM Infomercial 12:00PM Page 3 6:00PM Gair 9:00PM No Entry Sunday November 24 ZEE CINEMA 9:09AM Krishna Aur Kans 11:43AM Loafer 1:58PM Hum Aapke Hain Kaun...! 6:10PM Dhamaal 9:00PM Nayak MOVIES OK 9:40AM Bhoot Unkle 11:55AM Makkhi 5:05PM Nagin 8:00PM Mar Mitenge 10:50PM Don ZEE STUDIO 11:00AM Look Who's Talking Too 3:00PM Notting Hill 5:20PM American Pie 2 7:00PM Real Steel 9:30PM Marvel Anime X Men (Season 1) 10:30PM Fighting ZEE CLASSIC 9:02AM Johny Mera Naam 12:27PM Naseeb 7:00PM Sanjog 9:44PM Pyar Jhukta Nahin STAR GOLD 9:40AM Little Krishna: The Darling of Vrindavan 11:35AM Bodyguard 2:15PM Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? 4:45PM Bhagam Bhag 8:00PM Meri Taaqat Mera Faisla ZEE ACTION 10:30AM Zahreela 1:30PM IPS Vikram Singh Rathod 5:30PM Ek Joshila 8:30PM Dildaar: The Arya SET MAX 10:30AM Dhoom 2 5:30PM Meri Jung: One Man Army 9:00PM Lootera |
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Thankfully, the script does not allow Singh Saab to reciprocate the journalist’s obvious interest – keeping him busy as the poster boy for NGO campaigns and movements like the People’s Beat. The ‘aam
aadmi’ is integral to the narrative while issues of corruption, criminal misdeeds and injustice have been brought to the fore. Inspiration comes from as diverse sources as Lage raho
Munnabhai, Satyagraha and Rajnikant’s Sivaji to name just a few.
In fact, the sequence where Dia impersonates a pregnant woman about to deliver and gets Sriram to stand-in as the anxious hubby is the most interesting comic thrust of the film. Thereafter, the two bump into each other at the opening of a mall where Dia uses her very own brand of activism to garner attention for the plight of children without playgrounds. Sriram, the Tamilian, who does a fine job with Punjabi, just cannot manage a decent word in Tamil! Never mind that. Soon we see him engaged to another girl, Vasu (Shradha Kapoor), who is in love with a Sikh but doesn’t have the guts to go against her parents’ wishes. So we now have Sriram and Vasu reminiscing about their respective trysts with romance and eventually by half-time they go their separate ways. Vasu disappears from the screen while Sriram follows Dia to the interiors of Gujarat. A bridge is in process of being built, but will the misunderstandings between the two lovers get straightened out by the time it’s done? 
Lootera is a Bollywood period romantic drama film directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and partly based on author O. Henry's 1907 short story The Last Leaf. It is the second film directed by Motwane after his critically acclaimed film Udaan.
Notting Hill is a romantic comedy film set in Notting Hill, London. The screenplay was by Richard Curtis, who had written Four Weddings and a Funeral. It was produced by Duncan Kenworthy and directed by Roger Michell. The film stars Hugh Grant, Julia Roberts, Rhys Ifans, Emma Chambers, Tim McInnerny, Gina McKee and Hugh Bonneville.