|
|
|
|
|
Securing civilians Letter from Centre |
|
|
Quit growing rice in Punjab
Use with caution
Hail Mary Kom A visually splendid affair Understated drama
|
Securing civilians The
understanding, to avoid firing at civilians, arrived at a brigade commander-level flag meeting of Indian and Pakistani forces in Poonch district is a basic step towards ensuring peace along the border with Pakistan. The intensity of firing between troops deployed along the Line of Control (LoC) had dramatically increased recently, and there was a marked increase in death and destruction along the border. When Brigadier Sanjay Thakran and Brigadier Atiq Dar met at Chakan-Da-Bagh post, both sides traded charges over the firing incidents. However, at the end of a three-hour meeting, both officers agreed that such violations must stop. India has been particularly perturbed by the intensive firing and shelling by Pakistani troops in Jammu, Samba, Rajouri and Poonch districts. There has been retaliatory fire from the Indian side too, as the Pakistanis pointed out. The life and property of civilians is particularly endangered during such incidents. Indeed, there have been numerous reports of how people were killed in the shelling, and of how property was destroyed. Now that this step has been taken to de-escalate the situation, people whose houses and fields are near the border will heave a sigh of relief, even as they will dread the next time shells come across the border or the guns start firing. The issue of civilians and their livestock crossing the Line of Control inadvertently was also discussed. When such incidents occur, a humanitarian approach is needed. On the other hand, care would have to be taken and vigilance exercised over the infiltration of militants through the border, a continuing issue that Indian security forces face. The venue of the recent meeting at Chakan-Da-Bagh is also where the Trade Facilitation Centre is located. Trucks from India and Pakistan carry goods worth crores so that these can be traded across the border. Now that the two armies have worked out a settlement, the peace that should follow would provide the impetus for more trade and better economic ties. It is, surely, a much more desirable prospect than the destructive cycle of mutual shelling.
|
|
Letter from Centre Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley has responded to Punjab’s request for a special economic package with a package of advice. Some may read politics in this in view of Jaitley’s loss from
Amritsar. But what he has said is only simple finance, the kind that was also espoused earlier by then Finance Minister Pranab
Mukherjee. It had led to the expulsion of Manpreet Badal from SAD for his appreciation of the suggestions. Jaitley has also advised the state to bring its infrastructure and rural development funds under the consolidated fund, which will also facilitate their auditing. At the moment a lot of the state government’s profligacy is financed from these funds. The Finance Minister has listed the occasions on which the state received extra funds over the past decade, which indicates it is not a matter of who is in power at the
Centre. The SAD-BJP government should therefore stop fooling people by alleging the state is suffering because of step-motherly treatment from the
Centre. Punjab indeed passed through extremely tough two decades, socially as well financially, but that cannot be used to perpetuate bad practices, which would land a state in soup in any case. One simple fact pointed out is that the power subsidy being given is more than the state’s revenue deficit. Giving free power to the admittedly stressed farmers is political expediency, a populist measure aimed at telling them the government cares about them. If it really did, more thought, time and money would have been given to agricultural research, extension services, and promoting fruit and vegetable farming, which give far more returns but need intensive market support. Punjab as well as farmers should demand restructuring of the subsidy regime, which comes to them through fertiliser and power producers. Instead, the farmers should be supplied the inputs at full cost, but paid subsidy in the form of higher price for their produce. This will require educating farmers, besides political courage. Unfortunately, even the Opposition in Punjab lacks that courage, and has never spoken on this single most crucial reform the state desperately needs.
|
|||||
|
Thought for the Day
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the
|
|||||
FOR the first time in human history a battle has been fought neither on land nor on sea, but in the air on the 3rd instant over Paris. Readers of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana were familiar with the accounts of some of the ancient kings having flown in the air long distances on Vimanas, the mechanism of which, however, was not explained. But even then an air battle was not recorded. But the conflict between two French and a German aeroplanes over Paris shows the possibility of more encounters of the kind in the course of the warfare. The French aeroplanes attacked the Germans who were dropping bombs, but the latter flew so high that they escaped. But later the French hit another German aeroplane and killed two Germans. These accounts are of particular interest to mankind as showing how the wonderful invention of the mechanism of human flight has been reserved for military activities and for destructive purposes. New Indian industries during the war
THE Bengal Government has been the first to appoint a special officer to find out what prospects there are for promoting new industries under the conditions created by the war. The other provincial Governments may also adopt a similar action as it is most necessary to the country to provide as far as possible some of the imported articles from Germany and Austria. We have already pointed out what appears to be the nature of the direction that Government should give to people. The growth of oil-seeds and non-food crops hitherto exported to foreign countries should for the present be reduced, the food crops being grown instead. The cultivation of sugarcane should be extended as much as possible so as to supply all the sugar required in India.
|
Quit growing rice in Punjab Most farmers in Punjab face a major challenge to their agriculture practices, their prosperity and their lifestyles. Heavy mechanisation, underwritten by loans, has sapped the economic viability of Punjab’s farmers and most are heavily indebted. Farmer suicides are not unknown in this granary of the north which feeds the buffer stocks of the country and the subsidised food schemes like the public distribution system (PDS). On the other hand, agriculture is showing ever-decreasing returns as input costs rise disproportionately and the water table sinks so low as to have practically vanished. One of the most perverse developments in Punjab farming has been establishing rice as one of the two principal crops of the state which lies in a semi-arid region. Rice was not cultivated here till well after Independence because the area simply did not have enough water. Rice is essentially a crop of the more moist Eastern India, which is also the birthplace of this cereal, its centre of origin. Then, came the Green Revolution with its high-yielding varieties and the Punjab farmer moved to make the most of this opportunity. Misled by their scientists who should have known better and by their politicians, all of whom were the sons of the soil and should certainly have known their agricultural history, Punjab adopted rice and cultivated it with ground water. Its political leaders negotiated with Delhi that Punjab’s grain would be lifted for the central pool, thus ensuring a market for
the produce. Punjab, which has less than 2 per cent of India’s arable land, now produces almost 15 per cent of the country’s foodgrain. This is achieved through a relentless wheat-rice double cropping pattern, with no rest for the fields to recover. There is a high, almost staggering level of chemical inputs which the Punjab farmer pours into his fields in every crop cycle. This includes fertilisers, pesticides and water. The use of water in this essentially semi-arid region has been a recipe for disaster but nobody in policy making seems to notice or to have the gumption to tell the Punjab farmer that the rice crop has got to go. The water-guzzling rice, which should never have been allowed to become a key crop, has become Punjab’s major kharif crop, soaking up groundwater at unsustainable rates. Several studies show that Punjab is overdrawing its ground water by almost 50 per cent every year. The groundwater is depleting rapidly, by as much as one metre every year in some areas. It is not just the kharif rice crop, Punjab has for years cultivated the Garma Dhan or summer paddy which was planted in the blistering heat of summer much before the monsoons came. This crop could only be cultivated with an almost criminal level of groundwater use. Not surprisingly, this led to several blocks of groundwater in the Punjab being declared ‘black’ or irretrievably exhausted. It is only in the last few years that the cultivation of summer paddy was banned in Punjab. It might have been done
too late. Punjab farmers will have to understand the trap they have created by committing themselves to the rice-wheat-rice-wheat cropping pattern. They must work together with scientists, policymakers and farmers from other parts of India, to find solutions to the situation they find themselves in. Global warming and climate change are all set to seriously damage the wheat crop over the next decades. Wheat, being an extremely temperature sensitive crop, is particularly vulnerable to temperature rise. Its productivity will decline unless temperature tolerant cultivars are developed and deployed soon. This does not appear to be happening. Diversifying the crop base and the kinds of varieties deployed must assume urgency. There should be no further cultivation of rice in Punjab, not at least in the current manner. Biodiverse agriculture resting on a broad genetic base and investment in improving the severely degraded natural resource base must assume priority. Punjab farmers will have to step back from the intensive, ‘without-a-pause’ type of agriculture they have practiced these last 50 years and allow their land and water to recover. If they can scale back and build a new model of agriculture that is sustainable, they can enjoy a new lease of productive farming. The writer is a scientist and founder of the research and advocacy organisation Gene Campaign. She can be reached at www.genecampaign.org
|
|||||||||
Use with caution “They cut down elms to build asylums for people driven mad by the cutting down of elms.”
— George Barker
These words in ‘-ing forms’ can be used in similar ways to infinitives and at times can even change places with them without distorting the form or the meaning of the sentence. For instance, “pacifying” can easily be substituted with the ‘to infinitive’ to read as, “Bob hates to pacify Sue”. But the ‘-ing forms’ and the ‘infinitives’ also appear in mutually exclusive environments. Often, the main verb in the sentence decides whether an ‘-ing form’ or an ‘infinitive’ is to be allowed. Some instances are discussed below: a. Anna remembered dropping the bags. b. Anna remembered to drop
the bags. Despite being correct in form, the options “dropping” and “to drop” cannot switch places because they derive distinct interpretations. In the first one of the pair, Anna carried out the task of dropping the bags and later remembered the act. But in the second option, Anna remembered that she had to carry out the task of dropping the bags and she did it. The officer suggested buying a new vehicle. The sentence uses the ‘-ing form’ in “buying” to follow the verb “suggested”. If the sentence is rewritten as, “The officer suggested (us) (to us) to buy a new vehicle”, it will not be acceptable. In the same way, “Raja enjoys driving” is the version to use, not “Raja enjoys to drive”. Verbs like “face, mention, delay, resist” and a few others normally take the ‘-ing form’ and not ‘infinitives’. Masooma wants to apply for a loan. Some verbs show a strong preference for the ‘to infinitive’ and will not take the ‘-ing form’, as in the sentence above. The sentence will be considered grammatically wrong if it is written with an ‘-ing form’ as, “Masooma wants applying for the car loan”. Words like “wish, promise, hope” and “want” belong to this class of verbs. I look forward to hearing
from you. In sentence 3 “to” is an infinitive marker in the infinitive “to apply” but in sentence 4 “to” is a preposition in “look forward to hearing”. The word “hearing”, a gerund, functions like a noun in the prepositional phrase “to hearing”. Therefore “to hear” with “look forward to” will be grammatically inappropriate. We hear the usage “I object to working from home” and “I prefer driving to flying” with the preposition “to” followed by
the ‘-ing form’. At times it is somewhat difficult to determine what is better suited in a linguistic environment: an ‘infinitive’ or an ‘-ing form’. Exposure to language and reference to a good book of grammar strengthens one’s intuitive sense.
|
|||||||||
Hail Mary Kom Motherhood vs career…. now which woman has not faced this dilemma? So, what makes you think five-time World Amateur Boxing champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships Mary Kom and the mother of twins wouldn’t have passed through this litmus test. Taking this quandary as one of the pegs—the first shot itself shows a heavily pregnant Mary Kom about to go into labor—the film takes you enroute the journey of one of India’s greatest sportswomen.
Of course, India’s much acclaimed pugilist Mary Kom needs no introduction and those who have been following her sporting career must be fully aware of her trials and tribulations. But for the uninitiated the film puts on record her passion for the sport, her achievements and the odds she fought against to make it to the top. At one level it is the story of an ordinary woman, daughter of a rice farmer in this case, for whom it could never have been easy to follow her dream let alone in an unconventional sport like boxing. Then it is also a story of someone who lives in the north eastern part of the country that often remains out of the national radar and hence out of national consciousness. Petty politics that invariably mars our sporting culture and stalls the chances of sporting champions runs through as one of the threads. But be it the romantic angle or other tracks, none of it is distracting from the main theme. Like the unswerving resolve of its lead protagonist, the film doesn’t lose its focus. And thus intrinsically remains the story of a champion boxer Mary Kom, of her grit, dedication and indefatigable spirit. To put it in a few words Mary Kom is a great story told simply, beautifully and of course poignantly. Unlike other sports films it lacks commercial razzmatazz. There are no overtly melodramatic moments, no naach gaana except for few songs playing in the background to take the tale forward. As for other key players…well for one you really want to hug the ever-supportive husband Onler played self-effacingly well by Darshan Kumar. The dedicated coach (Sunil Thapa) and even the stubborn father who finally comes around add to the warm glow of relationships in which Mary Kom shines. In fact, the narrative looks at human ties with subtle beauty making it all so believable and relatable. It doesn’t go over the top even when hubby dearest gives a new twist to the time honoured adage, “Behind every successful man there is a woman.” Success stories of many a woman could be (and perhaps are being) rewritten if there were more men like him standing solidly behind their spouses. No wonder at the emotional level too the film tugs at your heartstrings ever so gently and tenderly. Finally as the movie climaxes on an unusual note with the National Anthem playing during one of her emphatic victories, with one master stroke the director makes you realise what it takes for the Jan gan man to be played at the world sporting arena. Simultaneously, it makes you immensely proud of Mary Kom. And that is the biggest triumph of the film that might have been suitably fictionalised for some dramatic effect, might not always be scintillating. Yet, it is a befitting tribute to the Magnificent Mary. Hail Mary Kom with no crosses counted… Watch it for sure, even if sports biopics are not your cup of tea. The woman of substance in real life and Priyanka in reel will make your day.
|
|||||||||
|
A visually splendid affair Based
on Frank Miller's epic graphic novels, and co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, the movie boasts of a star-studded cast and superb cinematic graphic art. Weaving together two of Miller's classic stories with original tales, written especially for the sequel, we see Dwight McCarthy (Josh Brolin) struggle as he is wrapped up in the thralls of femme fatale Ava (Eva Green) and Johnny (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a cocky gambler; disguise a darker mission to destroy the biggest villain in Sin City, Senator Roark (Powers Boothe). Then there’s Marv (Mickey Rourke), who regains consciousness on a highway overlooking the Projects, surrounded by several dead young men, and is determined to remember how he got there while exotic dancer Nancy Callahan (Jessica Alba) struggling to cope with John Hartigan's (Bruce Willis) selfless suicide goes black haired and scarred, all-out for blood.
|
|||||||||
|
Understated drama Paying
homage to popular films and writers is never easy, especially when you have nothing new to show for it. Daniel Schechter, nevertheless, attempts to fashion a befitting memorial to Elmore Leonard’s 1978 novel The Switch with script adaptation by Schechter himself. Though eye-pleasing, this one doesn’t have the wherewithal to stir your senses. Frankly, you won’t be much disappointed if you don’t expect the smart humour of Leonard driven successes like Get Shorty or Jackie Brown.
It’s depression in Motor City of the 70s and Ordell Robbie (Bey) has just discovered a new vein of hope in successful suburban businessman Frank Dawson (Tim Robbins)’s less-than-legal additional assets secreted away in the Bahamas, along with much younger mistress Melanie (Isla Fisher). His trophy wife Mickey (Aniston), who Ordell and team-mates, Louis (John Hawkes), Richard (Mark Boone Jr) kidnap for the booty, has absolutely no knowledge of her boorish husband’s illicit activities. Once she discovers the truth, there comes the switch.
|
|||||||||
|
ZEE CINEMA 2:31PM Mr. India 6:07PM No Problem 9:00PM Main Tera Hero & PICTURES 11:37AM Kambakkht Ishq 5:02PM Aaj Ka Arjun 8:00PM Shiva: The Super Hero 2 10:59PM Heroine HBO 10:53AM Hummingbird 7:00PM 21 Jump Street 9:00PM The Hangover Part III 10:55PM Shanghai Knights INDIA TALKIES 1:00PM Inspector Dhanush 4:30PM Mahanadi 8:00PM Jyoti MOVIES NOW 10:10AM No Strings Attached 6:55PM Jackie Chan's Drunken Master II 9:00PM Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa 10:50PM Iron Man MOVIES OK 10:45AM Main Hoon Na 5:20PM Dangerous Khiladi 8:00PM Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge 11:20PM The Real Man Hero STAR
GOLD 9:05AM Agneepath 5:05PM Golmaal 3 8:00PM Bobby Jasoos 10:35PM Ghatak STAR MOVIES 9:00AM Unstoppable 11:00AM The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2 1:30PM Gulliver's Travels 3:00PM Die Hard 4.0 5:30PM Avatar 9:00PM The Mummy
& PICTURES 12:00PM Anaconda 4:57PM Chandni Chowk to China 8:02PM Aan: Men At Work 11:06PM Apna Sapna Money Money CINEMA TV 7:00AM Chachi 420 11:30AM Raaz 4:30PM 1947 Earth HBO 11:55AM Shanghai Knights 2:11PM The Hangover Part III 6:44PM Raiders of the Lost Ark 9:00PM Man of Steel 11:53PM The Golden Compass INDIA TALKIES 9:30AM Jyoti 4:30PM Honhaar Bachchey 8:00PM Jagir MOVIES OK 11:40AM Ra.One 2:55PM D-War: Dragon Wars 4:35PM Don 8:00PM Sivaji: The Boss 10:50PM The Fighterman Saleem STAR GOLD 8:45AM Bhagam Bhag 11:55AM Hungama 3:10PM Kaalo 4:50PM Dulhe Raja 8:00PM Dabangg 10:40PM Hukumat Ki Jung STAR
MOVIES 12:30PM Despicable Me 2 4:30PM Jurassic Park III 6:30PM The Wolverine 9:00PM Despicable Me 2 11:00PM Wanted UTV ACTION 3:00PM Ek Tha Mafia: The Under World 5:45PM Saarthi: The Power 9:00PM Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
There are more than four lakh tractors in Punjab for about 10 lakh operational farm holdings. Farmers buy tractors after taking loans and end up selling the machines in the second-hand market after two to three years. There is a large market for second-hand tractors in Punjab. Around 20,000 tractors are transacted annually in these markets which are unorganised and unregulated. So the farmer does not always get a good deal for his machine. The over capitalisation of farms is a crushing economic burden but the tractor is a status symbol to the Punjab farmers much like the pair of buffaloes are to their less mechanised brethren in UP. 
We
Apart from the inspirational quotient, what truly propels the film is Priyanka Chopra who lends heart and soul to her character and plays it with absolute conviction. Sure, even with freckles and other facial changes, she comes nowhere close to looking like the sporting legend Mary, physically that is. However, for most parts Priyanka makes you forget she is the glamorous star. Indeed, she captures the spirit of the Manipuri gal remarkably well. Accent too is almost there, well in place, if not faultless.
The vignettes approach carries forward in this sequel too. Unfortunately, it’s not as satisfying and engrossing as the first, which came over nine years ago and without the 3D too. The first Sin City was a collaboration too, a better one at that, with its dark crime novel core and surreal visual graphics style, which appeared to have been lifted straight out of Frank Miller’s celebrated books. The stylized portrayal of good and evil in monochrome with shades of colour as a signature characteristic of each character was luscious to look at and more satisfying in its essay, mainly because of a tighter script and engaging tempo. It was fresh and pushing the envelope like never before. This one, Sin City 2, is a trifle slack on that score. Visually, there’s no call for criticism but in terms of entertainment value it does appear to be wanting. Robert Rodriguez’s enthusiasm is visible.
The narrative plays on economically, but without much energy or action. Schechter blends in a gritty, realistic feel that appears a little absurdist and a trifle jocular, keeping the atmosphere slow to boil and never really achieving its potential punch. The period design is bang on while the original background score by the Newton Brothers’ manages to rekindle memories from yore. The understated treatment makes the involvement difficult to attain while the performances, though exacting, lack the power to hold your attention. Though the trademark Tarantino fetishes are visible, it does nothing to up the enjoyment or the thrills. Even the action is severely botched-up by the kill-joy editing. The lesson to be learnt here — too much restraint is not always a good thing!
Saturday September 6
Sunday September 7