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A blow to
black money Country
stunned |
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India
rises on Asian landscape
How to
boost word power
CINEMA: NEW
Releases Nonika Singh Make no mistake, this is a Salman Khan film…. Hence it showcases him as his fans love him — as a one-man-army fighting a battle against the system that is corrupt and uncaring. So, there he is standing up for the common man. Dear Kejriwal and his men alone do not have the copyright over aam aadmi. Our heroes have been taking up cudgels on their behalf since ages.
History
comes alive Racy
plot
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Country stunned Pay
Rs 50,000 or get gang-raped! This unheard-of punishment for a 19-year-old tribal girl for falling in love with a boy from a different caste was carried out on the order of a kangaroo court in West Bengal's Birbhum district. The 13 alleged rapists of the girl were her neighbours whom she addressed as "kaka" (uncle) and "dada" (elder brother). The fact that she is unable to recall how many times she was sexually assaulted throughout the day and night of Monday when the head of the
"shalisi sabha" asked men to "enjoy the girl" after her family failed to shell out Rs 50,000 reflects the brutality the girl had to bear. Such perversion in the name of "punishment" could come from a village gram
panchayat, now controlled by the ruling Trinamool Congress, has stunned the civilised world. The village head kept the girl's parents captive, but the family somehow managed to flee on Wednesday evening and reached the Labpur healthcare
centre. The "being-in-the-dark" plea of the district police for two days has led to the removal of the Birbhum SP by Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee. But it reflects the usual too-little-too-late approach in crimes against women in the state. Although the police have arrested all the 13 men the woman named in her complaint, a local court sent the accused to 14-day judicial custody after the police did not seek their custody nor any public prosecutor pursued the case. Coming days after the gang rape of a 16-year-old girl who was later burnt alive in
Kolkata, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the tribal girl's gang rape on Friday, calling it "disturbing." The apex court bench, headed by Chief Justice P.
Sathasivam, directed the Birbhum district magistrate to inquire into the matter and submit a report in one week. West Bengal recorded the highest number of gender crimes in the country at 30,942 in 2012.
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I buy expensive suits. They just look cheap on
me.
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Research work in malaria
BEFORE the All-India Sanitary Conference on Wednesday Sir Pardey Lukis gave an interesting account of the research work in malaria conducted at Nagina and Saharanpur. Malaria is doubtless the greatest scourge in India. Major Robertson and Captain White were engaged in carrying out certain experiments. They were based on the result of work at Meerut which at one time was malaria ridden. It has undergone a thorough change since the broad drainage operations were undertaken. On this basis Major Robertson proposed certain experiments to be carried out which would considerably reduce malaria, though not completely extinguish it. He drew up his reports on the improvement of Nagina and Saharanpur and the Government have sanctioned his schemes. The success or failure of the experiments will be seen in a few years. If Meerut has been saved from malaria by these works, there is good reason to expect similar success in other towns similarly situated. High rate of interest in co-operative societies
ONE of the chief objects of starting co-operative societies in rural areas is to afford the agriculturists cheap capital and to free them from the ruinous rates of interest charged by usurous money-lenders. In Madras and Bombay the rates of interest are prevailing in most of the co-operative Societies are seldom over 12 per cent and in many cases are 9 per cent. But in the United Provinces and the Punjab the rates of interest are as high as 15 and 18 per cent. Even these rates are favourable as compared with 24 and 36 per cent charged by the money-lenders, but it is worth the efforts of the authorities to reduce the rate of interest. On this subject the latest report on the working of the Co-operatives Societies in the United Provinces gives some interesting facts. It appears the rural societies have to borrow money from Central Societies at a high rate and have to pay for managing expenses in most cases.
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India rises on Asian landscape
Park
Geun-hye, South Korea's first woman President, was in India on a three-day state visit last week, providing a valuable opportunity to New Delhi and Seoul to impart new dynamism to their bilateral relations and underscoring the success of India’s ‘Look-East’ policy. Signalling its intent to take India-South Korea ties to new heights, days before the South Korean President's visit, Indian Environment Ministry gave its go-ahead to POSCO's proposed 12 million-tonnes-per-year steel plant in Odisha which has been stuck for more than eight years due to delays in getting various clearances and acquiring land. The first phase of the plant is likely to be commissioned in 2018. By signing nine pacts during the recent visit, including the Agreement on the Protection of Classified Military Information, concluding negotiations for the revision of the existing Double Taxation Avoidance Convention, agreement to hold annual interactions between the national security structures of the two countries, launching of a cyber affairs dialogue, stepping up collaboration in the peaceful uses of space science and technology, and India extending a 'tourist visa on arrival facility' to South Korean nationals, New Delhi and Seoul have signalled that they are intent on imparting a new momentum to their bilateral relations. After ignoring each other for years, India and South Korea are also now beginning to recognise the importance of tighter ties. The resulting courtship was highlighted by the then South Korean President, Lee Myung-Bak's state visit to New Delhi in January 2010, when he was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations. During his stay, New Delhi and Seoul decided to elevate their bilateral relationship to a “strategic partnership”. Despite this, economic ties need rejuvenation even as defence ties need a sense of direction. India’s ‘Look-East’ policy will not really mean anything if Delhi is not able to cement its ties with South Korea further. As they carefully assess the evolving strategic environment in the Asia-Pacific region, New Delhi and Seoul need to advance their political ties so that a mutually beneficial and long-term partnership can evolve between the two sides. The resulting relationship could be as important for greater regional stability as it is for Indian and South Korean national interests. The China factor in India-South Korea ties cannot be underestimated. At a time when India’s tensions with China have become more manifest, there are signs that South Korea, too, is re-evaluating its ties with China. In recent years, China could count on South Korea as a friend in the region-a cultural admirer, with residual memories of the close political and cultural ties that existed in the Ming times. For its part, Seoul counted on Beijing to help stabilise the situation on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea has become China's largest trading partner in the region and has been hospitable to Chinese visits. But strategically, Seoul is getting disenchanted with Beijing's support for the North Korean regime's provocations as well as China's own aggressive claims on contested territory. India is emerging as a serious player in the Asian strategic landscape as smaller states in East Asia reach out to it for trade, diplomacy and, potentially, as a key regional balancer. The “Look-East” policy, initiated by one of the most visionary of India’s prime ministers, P.V. Narasimha Rao, is now the cornerstone of India’s engagement with the world's most economically dynamic region. States in South and South-East Asia also remain keen on a more proactive Indian role in the region. At the broader regional level, India continues to make a strong case for its growing relevance in the East Asian regional security and economic architecture with greater urgency than ever before. China is too big and too powerful to be ignored by the regional states. But the states in China's vicinity are now seeking to expand their strategic space by reaching out to other regional and global powers. Smaller states in the region are now looking to India to act as a balancer in view of China's growing influence and America's anticipated retrenchment from the region in the near future. Larger states see India as an attractive engine for regional growth. To live up to its full potential and meet the region's expectations, India must do a more convincing job of emerging as a credible strategic partner of the region. Neither India nor the regional states in East Asia have incentive to define their relationship in opposition to China. But they are certainly interested in leveraging their ties with other states to gain benefits from China and bring a semblance of equality in their relationships. Great power politics in the region have only just begun. The rupture in China-ASEAN ties over the last two years has also provided India with a key opening in the region to underline its credentials as a responsible regional stakeholder. On the one hand, China's aggressive pursuit of its territorial claims has aggravated regional tensions. On the other, despite the Obama Administration’s famous ‘pivot’ towards the Asia-Pacific, there are doubts about the ability of Washington to manage regional tensions effectively. India's proximity to the region and its growing capabilities make it a natural partner of most states in South-East Asia. It is not without significance that the vision document released at the summit talks of promoting maritime cooperation and “strengthening cooperation to ensure maritime security and freedom of navigation, and safety of sea lanes of communication for unfettered movement of trade in accordance with international law.” New Delhi has been reiterating its commitment to not only supporting the freedom of navigation and the right of passage but also access to resources in accordance with the accepted principles of international law and practice. The rapid rise of China in Asia and beyond is the main pivot even as Delhi seeks to expand economic integration and interdependence with the region. India is also developing strong security linkages with the region and trying to actively promote and participate in regional and multilateral initiatives. New Delhi's ambitious policy in East and South-East Asia is aimed at significantly increasing its regional profile.
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How to boost word power But words are things, and a small drop of ink,/Falling like dew, upon a thought, produces/That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think. 1. The scientist prepared for the study with rabbits in his lab to test the most recent entrant's communicability/ adaptability; he wanted to see how the rabbit attuned to the conditions it was placed in. (A) resilience (B) adaptability (C) sociability (D) reactions (E) visibility (F) communicability While the learner’s selection “adaptability” is correct, the option “communicability” is wrong. Either “communicability” has been wrongly interpreted as “being able to communicate” or the context clues have been misinterpreted and linked with lab/ rabbits/ test and study. A closer reading will show “attuned” as the context clue, ruling out option (A), (D), (E) and (F). “Sociability” and “adaptability” get the closest to “attuned”. 2. John Greene was not a regal/ an iconoclastic person and therefore made few public speeches; but those he made were remarkable, carrying noble thoughts on environmental reforms. (A) an insightful (B) an articulate (C) an iconoclastic (D) a regal (E) an expansive (F) an introvert The learner misses out on “not” and gets misled by the option “regal”, connecting it with “noble” and “iconoclastic”, connecting it with “reforms”. Option (A) and (F) do not form a pair as per expectations. The sentence actually hinges on the keyword “not”, which justifies “but those he made”. Therefore, “articulate” and “expansive” are well-suited. 2. In contrast with the previous evening’s revelry and partying, the following day, the reception was a dignified/ an ingenious affair. (A) an exuberant (B) a dignified (C) a decorous (D) an ingenious (E) a euphoric (F) a fervent When selecting options, terms indicating contrast, such as “although” and those indicating support, such as “likewise” serve well as signals. Due to use of the word “contrast”, the options should be the opposite of “revelry”, which stands for celebrations. It further gets linked with (A), (E) and (F), triggering their exclusion. Since “ingenious” has no supporting evidence, we are left with “dignified”, which is in sync with “decorous”. 4. Earlier, lack of medical facilities led plague and other epidemics/ demises to decimate the population from vast areas. (A) epidemics (B) demises (C) indispositions (D) propensities (E) immunizations (F) pandemics Word Lists by Frequency may not include the uncommon words among these options. Breaking them down into prefixes, roots and suffixes can assist in interpretation, for instance, immune-immunize-immunization-immunizations. Apart from this, guess work can be employed too. The learner has selected "epidemics" and "demises", perhaps having heard them in association. While the first guess is right, the next best choice left is "pandemics". Balanced use of the dictionary and puzzling out words in one's head with context clues and signal words can boost one's word power.
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CINEMA: NEW Releases
Salman juggernaut rolls on So, with no surprises counted, meet our darling do-gooder Jai, an ex-army officer, ready to take on battles small and big on behalf of the underdog. And guess what... he is not alone. Not only is he suitably supported by well-meaning friends played by Yash Tonk and Ashmit Patel, but more importantly his philosophy. Put simply, it goes like this: “If you want to return a good deed, help out three more persons and ask them to reach out to three more each, thus making a chain of humanity.” Without a doubt, like the hero, the film has its heart in the rightplace. Who can disagree with its basic mantra of goodness and its call to start a mass movement. But before you think, it reinforces the power of collective strength. Don’t be silly, awakening among the masses is reserved for the climax …. Throughout the narrative, Khan has the exclusive prerogative to lord over. No wonder the heart-warming message is lost in the overdose of melodrama and conjectures. Reason goes out for a toss and attention to detail is a cinematic nicety as always unheard of when Sallu Bhai takes over. Sure he has you teary eyed for a minute or two, touching a chord here and there. Director, Sohail Khan does manage to build up the emotional moments, albeit in a simplistic fashion. For none of the seriousness is meant to be taken seriously. So there are mediocre songs galore, cheap humour too and of course action unlimited. Expectedly, the action juggernaut rolls on… from start to finish as the invincible hero continues to take gundas by their horns. Strangely for a film in which action is the king there is no nauseating violence per se. For, action here is meant to be savoured and more pertinently to laud our superhero. Surprisingly but for briefly that too close to the anti-climax— there are no guns really. But the armoury of actors for sure is unleashed with full force. Well, in a Salman film you don’t really need other actors but here you name them and they are there. From Mahesh Manjerkar to Mohnish Behl to Suniel Shetty to Genelia D’Souza… actually right from known faces to not-so-well known to newcomers ( including the not so scintillating heroine Daizy Shah) all have been roped in for the star effect. There is Tabu lending dignity to the part of the sister, veteran theatre personality Nadira Babbar as the irrepressible boisterous maa. The negative club is equally crowded with Sana Khan, Aditya Pancholi and not to forget Danny Denzongpa. Danny, despite his menacing presence, is kind of wasted. So is the film’s fine message. But then we all know a Salman film is not about messages but to pay a cinematic ode to the superstar. Should you…well depends entirely on whether you are his fan or not. But even if you do fall in the rare tribe of not being a Salman aficionado you won’t be bored to death. The film moves at a fine pace and packs so many plots and subplots that it doesn’t really leave you time to gasp and gape and wonder about the logic of it all. In short like most Salman films this one is a time pass too.
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History comes alive Chadwick could easily have reduced the fare by 20 minutes. But the gradual change is both well orchestrated and palpable. We first have two instances to show how white the law was. Mrs DeKock robbery is one and the other is the black beaten to death and pronounced death by syphilis. The scant respect the white cops and judges paid to truth and law has to be seen to be believed. But the picture changes ever so gradually. Nelson Mandela (Idris Elba), called “trouble-maker” by his dad, enters such a scenario. In due time, he is approached by the African National Congress (ANC) who convinces him “together we have power.” It is a partnership that endures throughout his life though differences do crop up now and then. By this time, his first wife has left him and he woos Winnie Madicozela (Naomi Harris), a social worker. A “cute proposal” ensues and before long they are married. The struggle against the Apartheid is now in full swing with Mandela and his colleagues sent to prison in Robben Island where the white officers taunt them relentlessly. There are rare visits by his family, first his wife Winnie and then his daughter Zinzi, both very sensitively handled. Choked with emotion, Zinzi takes time to utter a word but later gains courage to tell the guard she is not talking politics. The imaginative screenplay is dotted with wit like Mandela saying he prefers Sophia Loren to Elizabeth Taylor. There are other asides but when black anger takes over after 1990, Mandela is forced to firmly opt for peace and in the process has to break away from Mandela. It is a chequered path they have to tread and a long walk indeed for our hero which can be compared to that of Polish Solidarity leader Lech Walesa. The ageing of Mandela is beautifully handled by the make-up team. So are the sets. Idris Elba is excellent in the lead role and he is ably supported by Naomi Harris, especially in the latter half. There is also a good cameo by Tony Kgorge as one of the supporters in this compelling drama. It is a real-life experience. Don’t miss it.
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Racy plot Jack is in love with Kathy (Kiera Knightly), a doctor who helped heal his leg during an accident sustained when on duty in Afghanistan who somehow gets involved in the taut action ably handled by director Branagh that is the USP of the film even if it is a tad jingoistic. Chris Pine shows enough promise for the future and Kevin Costner is restrained. Kiera Knightly is as usual as sensitive as ever and Branagh turns in an impressive cameo as Russian in this racy entertainer that’s good while it lasts.
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TV movies Lage Raho Munna Bhai is a comedy film directed by Rajkumar Hirani and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It is the follow-up film to Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. with Sanjay Dutt reprising his role as Munna Bhai, a Mumbai (Bombay) underworld don. ZEE CINEMA SET MAX MOVIES NOW MOVIES OK STAR GOLD ZEE ACTION SONY PIX D-Day
is an action spy thriller co-produced by DAR motion pictures and Emmay Entertainment Private Limited. The movie is directed by Nikhil Advani and stars Arjun Rampal, Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Huma Qureshi, Shruti Haasan and Sandeep Kulkarni in prominent roles. ZEE CINEMA MOVIES OK ZEE ACTION STAR GOLD ZEE CLASSIC FILMY SET MAX
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AS we know that Nelson Mandela is one of the greatest freedom fighters of the 20th Century and that he achieved it against apartheid is even more creditable. Also, director Justin Chadwick does an excellent job of recreating history with its diverse anecdotes that brings one face to face with reality, however harsh it may be.
Saturday January 25