A

oasual visitor to Wost Bongal will bo orgivon or not

boing mindul that this is tho samo Stato whoro tho
CP(M)-lod Lot Front oxoroisod a stranglohold ovor
politioal powor or an inordinatoly long poriod rom 1977 to
2011. Although thoro aro wall writings announoing a mass
rally at tho Brigado Parado Ground on Sunday atornoon,
and thoro aro rows o rod lags luttoring lazily at important
road |unotions, tho hypor ovor-prosonoo o tho Lot that
was a oaturo o tho Stato until baroly throo yoars ago is
notiooably absont. Tho namos o Lot loadors aro absont
rom pooplo's lips and thoro aro no whispors o tho
aotivitios o tho Looal Committoos o tho CP(M). t almost
sooms that all that bolongod to a vory distant past.
Tho oxtont to whioh tho Lot has boon dooimatod in
Wost Bongal sooms unboliovablo. Last Friday, throo MLAs
bolonging to tho smallor allios o tho CP(M) doiod tho
party whip and votod or a Trinamool Congross oandidato
in tho Pa|ya Sabha olootions. This would havo boon
inoonooivablo a ow yoars ago. To oompound tho
probloms, ormor Chio Ministor Buddhadob Bhattaohar|oo
admittod at a publio mooting in South Midnaporo distriot
that tho CP(M) had orrod griovously in allowing thoir
supportors to opon iro at protosting villagors during tho
Nandigram agitation o 2010. Although Bhattaohar|oo is
too important a loador to havo boon oonsurod by tho
loadorship, tho modia roportod that tho Stato CP(M) was
vory unhappy ovor this sol-oritioism. t would sorvo, thoy
muttorod privatoly, to urthor domoraliso an alroady
domoralisod party.
Tho oonoorns o tho loadorship aro undorstandablo. n
tho past, tho Lot bankod disproportionatoly on its hold
ovor rural Bongal. Evon
ator tho 2011 rout, thoro
was a bolio that tho doop
roots o tho party in tho
oountrysido would sorvo as
a springboard or tho ro-
oonquost o Bongal onoo
tho Mamata Banor|oo
Govornmont had run out o
stoam. Last yoar's
panohayat olootion put paid
to tho stratogy o pationt
waiting. Mamata may havo
booomo oontrovorsial in tho
urban aroas ator hor
insonsitivo approaoh to
assaults on womon, but sho
has usod tho throo yoars in
powor to mako signiioant
advanoos in rural aroas.
Tho politioal
transormation was
managod through a
oombination o patronago
and oooroion. n many
ways it was a toxtbook
roplioa o tho approaoh
ollowod by tho Lot ator
1977. Tho Lot still rotains
its hold in many o tho
outlying aroas o tho Stato
but in tho hoartland o
Bongal rod lags havo boon
roplaood by tho Trinamool
Congross trioolour. Oton, tho vory samo pooplo who
providod musolo to tho Lot havo simply ohangod sidos
oortlossly. Tho CP(M) is |ustiiod in pointing to tho vast
numbors o thoir supportors who havo boon orood to
loavo thoir homos in oar o rotribution. But lot us not orgot
that this spiral o politioal violonoo was bogun by tho Lot
itsol whon it was dominant. This doos not |ustiy tho
mothods usod by tho TMC but it undorlinos tho undorlying
violonoo o oompotitivo politios in Bongal.
For Mamata, tho task o ostablishing hor dominanoo
has boon mado oasior by tho signiioant support sho has
roooivod rom tho Muslim oommunity, a proooss that
bogan in tho last yoars o Lot Front rulo. Tho prosonoo o
tho irobrand mam o Kolkata's Tipu Sultan mosquo at tho
TMC rally on January 31 only sorvod to undorlino tho
Muslim oonsolidation bohind tho Chio Ministor. At ono
timo, tho Congross too had a hold ovor tho Muslim
oommunity in tho bordor distriots, partioularly in North
Bongal. But ovor tho yoars this too has woakonod, as
ovidont rom tho doootion o many mombors o ABA
Ghani Khan Choudhury's amily to tho TMC.
Tho ovorall impaot o thoso dovolopmonts is that
Mamata is no longor araid o multi-oornorod oontosts as
sho was in 2009 and 2011. n tho past, tho oar was o
anti-Lot votos boing dividod botwoon tho TMC, Congross
and, to a lossor oxtont, tho BJP. Howovor, sinoo 2011 tho
Lot is no longor tho dominant party and politios is no
longor a tusslo botwoon tho Lot and tho anti-Lot. t is now
a dominant TMC vorsus a splintorod anti-TMC. No wondor
tho politioal pundits in Bongal aro talking o Mamata
sonding a oontingont o somo 35 MPs to tho noxt Lok
Sabha a tally that is oortain to aoquiro monumontal
signiioanoo in tho ovont tho oountry roturns a raoturod
mandato.
For tho Lot, this is a distrossing prospoot. For vory
long, tho CP(M) has usod its tally rom Wost Bongal to
box abovo its woight in national politios and, oooasionally,
to ovon sot tho torms o tho politioal disoourso. t is onoo
again playing tho samo gamo with yot anothor bid to
roorgo a Third Front, riding piggybaok on tho shouldors o
J Jayalalithaa and Mulayam Singh Yadav. Howovor, this
timo tho ontorpriso oarrios ovon loss oonviotion than
booro booauso tho Lot will not bo in a position to tako
advantago o a rapidly shrinking Congross. nothing olso,
Mamata whoso politios is basod on a visooral antipathy
to tho Lot will onsuro that tho Comrados aro baok to
whoro thoy should all along havo romainod: on tho ringos.
Yot, what should worry Wost Bongal is not that
Mamata is a rising oroo in national politios. Tho oonoorns
stom rom tho aot that hor sooial baso makos it almost
impossiblo or Wost Bongal to uso its rogional olout to play
a moaningul rolo in national aairs. Mamata is oaught in a
sootarian bind rom whioh sho oan't got out o.
CPM sinking but
is Bongal rising?
USUALACA>31BA
SwAFAh 0AS0uFTA
What should worry
West Bengal is not
that Mamata is a
rising force in
national politics. The
concerns stem from
the fact that her
social base makes it
almost impossible
for Bengal to use its
regional clout to play
a meaningful role in
national affairs
8TkII EFTE Q hEw 0ELh
P
eoples ire engulfed the
national Capital on
Saturday as the report of the
rape of a 14-year-old Manipuri
girl by the son of her landlord
in South Delhis Munirka area
spread like wildfire.
Incidentally, the ghastly act
has happened within a week of
the murderous attack on
Arunachal student Nido Tania
in Lajpat Nagar market.
The accused, identified as
18-year-old Ashish Tokas, alias
Vicky, has been arrested after
an FIR was registered under
Sections 376 (rape), 323 (caus-
ing hurt), 342 (illegal confine-
ment), 506 (criminal intimi-
dation) of IPC and several sec-
tions of Protection Of Children
from Sexual Offences
(POCSO) Act at Vasant Vihar
Police Station, police said.
According to the police, the
incident took place on Friday
around 10.30 pm when the vic-
tim stepped out of her house in
Munirka to purchase a house-
hold cleaner from a nearby
market. Spotting her walking
alone on the road, Vicky
accosted her in front of a hos-
pital in the area, gagged her and
then took her to his house
where he raped her for two
hours. He then dumped the
injured minor near a juice
shop in the locality around
12.30 am. The victim was beat-
en up badly for resisting Vicky.
The victim was screaming
for help. Hearing her cries, a local
shopkeeper rushed to help her.
But as he could not communi-
cate with her due to language
problem, he called other people
from N-E, a police officer said.
She was taken to her aunts
place. At 3 am, the victim
reached home and narrated
the ordeal to her relatives and
the police was approached,
said a cop. Police identified the
accused by scanning the CCTV
footage of the area. Then a
police team raided Vickys res-
idence on Saturday morning
and nabbed him. CCTV
footage showed the accused
was forcibly dragging the vic-
tim. The victim helped us
identify the accused.
Turn to Page 4
Related report on P3
k1E8h kMk Q hEw 0ELh
A
day after Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal slammed
Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb
Jung for attempting to stall the
Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill 2014 at
the behest of the Congress,
Chief Secretary SK Srivastava
on Saturday shot off a letter to
Union Home Secretary Anil
Goswami, urging him to
withdraw Rule 55 (1) of the
Transaction of Business Rules
(TBR). The rules makes it
mandatory for the Delhi
Government to send all Bills to
the Central Government before
their introduction in the State
Assembly.
Meanwhile, the Arvind
Kejriwal Government made it
clear that legal experts and a
former judge of High Court
were consulted only on the
validity of rules relating to
Assemblys powers and not on
the legislation per se. The
Governments clarification
came against the backdrop of
some news reports which stat-
ed that Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal had sought the opin-
ion of three lawyers
and a former judge on the
Jan Lokpal Bill.
Top sources told The
Pioneer that Chief Secretary SK
Srivastava has written to the
Union Home Secretary, urging
him to withdraw Rule 55 (1) of
the TBR which makes it
Turn to Page 4
khI kTTk Q hEw 0ELh
T
hanks to Hollywood, auto-
matic weapons like Uzi, AK-
47, Walther and Beretta are big
hit among visitors both
youngsters and professional sol-
diers to the stalls displaying
these sleek weapons at the ongo-
ing international defence exhi-
bition DefExpo 2014.
While the youngsters posed
with the rifles, soldiers made
discreet enquiries about the
quality of weapons. Incidentally,
the Army has floated a global
tender to replace its standard-
issue infantry rifle and the
global giants are now vying for
the C10,000-crore contract for
multi-calibre rifle.
Among other attractions at
the four-day exhibition ending
Sunday, the Israeli through-the-
wall radar is hogging much
limelight. It enables the secu-
rity forces to identify the target
behind the wall in multi-
dimensional mode and take
necessary action in neutralising
it without causing collateral
damage.
While more than 624 com-
panies, including 256 Indian
and 368 foreign companies are
displaying state-of-the-art
weapon systems ranging from
tanks, submarines and elec-
tronic warfare, the stalls
exhibiting automatic rifles and
sub-machine guns are drawing
the maximum crowds.
Youngsters got a chance to
have a feel of these weapons,
which they had so far only seen
in Hollywood films, and they
merrily posed with Russian
made Dragunov sniper rifle
capable of hitting a target at
more than 1,000 metres, Israeli
Uzi sub-machine gun and
Walther and Beretta pistols.
These pistols are exclu-
sively used by Special Forces
commandos the world over
and Arpit Bhalla, a student of
documentary film making
course run by YMCA,
remarked that it was a dream-
come-true for him to hold
such a weapon in his hand.
Another college student
while taking aim with the
sniper rifle, urged his friend to
take a photograph and said
Sylvester Rambo Stallone used
to fire these weapons in his run-
away hit film in the 1980s.
On a more serious note, a
stream of professional soldiers
are visiting these small arms
stalls put up by Russia, Israel,
Germany, Bulgaria and US
amongst others to make criti-
cal assessment. Israel Weapon
Industry (IWI) officials said
many officers from the Army
and paramilitary forces showed
interest in Uzi Pro sub-machine
gun, Galil sniper rifle and
Tavor assault rifle.
At present, Indian securi-
ty forces are using some of
these Israeli made weapons
but they one generation old and
Israel has now unveiled its lat-
est series of Uzi and Galil.
Turn to Page 4
FIhEE hEW8 8EVI6E Q hEw 0ELh
N
otwithstanding CBI chief Ranjit Sinhas denial of
having remarked that the UPA would have been
happy if Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modis close
aide Amit Shah was named as an accused in the Ishrat
Jahan fake encounter case chargesheet, it has triggered
a controversy with the BJP on Saturday showcasing it
to point out that the agency never had any prosecutable
evidence but was still charging and attacking Shah to
oblige the Congress-led UPA.
It is a very impor-
tant statement coming
from the Director CBI.
There was no prose-
cutable evidence even
three years ago in
Sohrabuddins case. The
CBI obliged Congress-
led UPA in its attempt to
target the PM candidate
of the BJP, the Chief
Minister of Gujarat by
charging and targeting
Amit Shah, BJP
spokesperson Nirmala
Sitharaman said.
In September last
year, senior BJP leader
Arun Jaitley had
accused CBI of colluding with the Congress in the
Ishrat Jahan encounter probe and other fake encoun-
ters of Gujarat and demanded a Commission of Inquiry
by Supreme Court. There were political expectations...
The UPA Government would have been very happy if
we had charged Amit Shah...But we went strictly by evi-
dence and found there was no prosecutable evidence
against Shah, Sinha was quoted by an English business
newspaper as saying.
A CBI spokesperson issued a statement that he was
quoted out of context and unfairly. Director CBI has
been quoted unfairly and completely out of context. CBI
is an impartial and an apolitical organisation.
Turn to Page 4
khF 8hkMk Q 0uwAhAT
A
iming to make inroads into
Congress North-East bastion,
the BJPs prime ministerial candi-
date Narendra Modi on Saturday
kickstarted the partys campaigning
in Assam and Manipur for the
forthcoming Lok Sabha polls by
espousing the developmental cause
of the region and slamming Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh for
doing nothing for the development
of the States.
Interestingly, he utilised the
opportunity to refer to his special
relation with tea in his early days to
connect with the masses in Assam.
Assam energises millions of people
in India every day with her tea, the
beverage that I once brewed for a
living. But the State is one of
Indias most impoverished,
besides being scarred by violence
and bloodshed.
Both in Guwahati and Imphal,
Modis attack was directed at the
Prime Minister, who is a Rajya
Sabha member from Assam for the
last 23 years, besides the Congress.
He held them responsible for the
backwardness of the region.
He also blamed the Congress-
led Governments faulty policies
for the emergence of divisive forces
in the region and alleged that the
Congress felt the only solution to
insurgency was fake encounters.
(But) The Congress does not know
that such steps will further vitiate the
atmosphere, he said on one of the
most emotive issues in the region.
Turn to Page 4
Related report on P5
hkYkh kVE Q BAR00L
A
t a time when the BJPs prime
ministerial candidate was
busy holding fort in North-East,
Congress vice-president Rahul
Gandhi on Saturday launched
his fiercest-yet attack on Narendra
Modi from the Gujarat strong-
mans own turf. From attacking
Modi for his RSS roots to debunk-
ing his developmental claims;
from hitting out over staking
claim to Sardar Patel to finally tak-
ing a dig at him for projecting his
tea-seller image, Rahul said one
should respect the work of a
chaiwala but not the one who
fools others.
As many as 13,000
Government schools have been
shut down and 55,000 small and
medium-scale businesses have
stopped operation. I ask why the
Gujarat Government works only
for the privileged? The develop-
ment in Gujarat was due to the
hard work of the people and not
because of one single person,
Rahul said, adding while his
grandmother worked towards
eradicating poverty from the
country, the Gujarat Government
was working towards eliminating
the poor from the country in an
apparent reference to the State
Governments new BPL yardstick.
Turn to Page 4
8F IrI's rae earaes 0eIhI
Scra manoatory
noo from Centre,
AAP asls MHA
B1P, Cu| p+| u1|
CBl |i| u|u|| u|
plu] ++i|| |uJi
'8esect tea vea40rs, a0t cheat'
Hollywooo flicls introouce visitors to !efIxo
|u|||+|||| +|J 1|u |uJ|| p|u|| uu|iJ V++|| Vi|+| puli |+|iu|
++i|| || |+p u| + |i|u| |+|ipu|i i|l +| |u|i||+, u| S+|u|J+] Pll
B1P P| +|JiJ+| |+||J|+ |uJi Ju|i| ||
|+|+|++|+| R+ll] i| uW+|+|i u| S+|u|J+] Pll
Cu|| 1ip|iJ|| R+|ul
+|J|i +| Vi|+ ||u| Y+||+ i|
B+|Juli u| S+|u|J+] Pll
A 1ii|u| |+| + lu| luu| +| + u||+|i| |uJl +| + p+1iliu| +| || 8|| |E/pu
i| |W l|i u| S+|u|J+] Pll
Gujarat CM ras
Cong for leaving
N-I in tle lurcl
we believe ormer
Assam Chie
Minisler 0oinalh
Bordoloi should
have been
conerred lhe
Bharal Ralna. Bul
i lhe Congress
couldn'l remember
a greal man like
Sardar Falel aler
ndeendence,
how will il
remember
Bordoloi?
harendra Modi
Modi isn'l all he is
brewed u lo be,
says Rahul 0andhi
JANLOKPALBLL
kTTk6TIVE Ik6T8
Ondigenous 0eence induslry has
inally arrived as was evidenl during
lhe 0eExo. Comanies like Tala,
Larsen & Toubro and Kalyani roudly
dislayed lhe 155/52 mm mounled
arlillery gun besides 0hanush gun o
lhe same calibre roduced by
0rdnance Faclory Board
OThese lhree rivale cororale
gianls have roduced lhese guns
along wilh 0FB roducl in a bid lo
bag lhe conlracl or long range
arlillery guns whenever lhe Army
loals lhe global lender. The Army
has nol boughl an arlillery gun o
lhis calibre or lhe lasl 25 years since
lhe Boors conlroversy and now
deseralely needs more lhan 1,OOO
such lalorms
Ol was hearlening lo see lhal lhe
domeslic induslry is delermined lo
make lhe besl o lhe 0overnmenl's
drive lo indigenise. Several oreign
delegales were seen discussing lhe
nillygrilly o lhe syslems wilh
oicials o lhese comanies
f Government
sends the
Lokpal Bill to
the Centre,
we know that
the Bill would get
stuck there; that's
why we are first
going to table the
Bill in the Assembly
Prashant Bhushan
S| +|J |u |il
|+|u |pu|| u|
+ i| l+| 4 ]|
New Delhi: Facing flak over
spate of crimes against people
from North-East in the
Capital, Delhi Polices top
brass has directed all Station
House Officers (SHOs) to
submit status reports on
cases pertaining to crimes
against North-easterners in
the last four years.
Detailed report on P3
Son o viclim's
landlord arresled
"The Fk overnmenI
WouId have been very
happy iI We had
rharged kmiI
8hah...8uI We WenI
sIrirIIy by evidenre
and Iound Ihere Was
no proseruIabIe
evidenre
againsI 8hah, anjiI
8inha had said in an
inIervieW Whirh he
IaIer reIrarIed
Assam is not PM's cup of tea: Modi
'60jaratIs WIII aever
emhrace 00a f0r
caIIIa them 0II0s'
Chennai: Addressing a mammoth
rally in Chennai which drew a
record crowd of more than 3 lakh
supporters, BJPs prime minister-
ial candidate Narendra Modi said
people of Gujarat would never
accept the Congress because a
senior leader of that party (Rahul
Gandhi) described Gujaratis as
ullus. Three generations of
Congress tried to spread lies in
Gujarat. But the people of that State
never accepted it, said Modi.
Detailed report on P6
Published From
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h0A SET TAR0ET 0F
4O7 T0 wh 1ST TEST
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@ThoDailyPionoor aoobook.oom/dailypionoor
F0II0W 0s 0a:
NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2014 films & tv 02
Director's Cut -Vasantkunj: HaseeTohPhasee: 10:00
am, 11:40 am, 1:20 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:40 pm, 6:20 pm, 8:00
pm, 9:40 pm, 11:20 pm, Lone Survivor
(Uninterrupted): 11:00 am, 3:05 pm, 10:45 pm, (3d)
The Lego Movie (Uninterrupted): 10:00 am, 5:45 pm,
Saving Mr. Banks (Uninterrupted): 12:20 pm, 8:05 pm,
Heartless: 1:40 pm, AmericanHustle (Uninterrupted):
4:40 pm, Ya Rab: 7:40 pm, 12 Years A Slave
(Uninterrupted): 10:20 pm
PVRAnupam- Saket: HaseeTohPhasee: 9:05 am, 9:40
am, 10:40 am, 12:45 pm, 1:45 pm, 3:50 pm, 4:50 pm,
6:55 pm, 7:55 pm, 9:55 pm, 10:55 pm, Lone Survivor:
9:10 am, 12:10 pm, 6:00 pm, 11:20 pm, Jai Ho: 2:55 pm,
Ya Rab: 8:40 pm, Heartless: 11:50 am, 5:10 pm, Babloo
Happy Hai: 2:40 pm, 12 Years A Slave: 8:00 pm, The
Wolf Of Wall Street: 10:45 pm
PVR Select City Walk: Hasee Toh Phasee: 10:00 am,
11:15 am, 1:05 pm, 2:20 pm, 4:10 pm, 5:25 pm, 7:15
pm, 8:30 pm, 10:20 pm, 11:30 pm, Lone Survivor: 10:00
am, 3:30 pm, 9:00 pm, Saving Mr. Banks: 12:40 pm,
6:10 pm, 11:35 pm, (3d) The LegoMovie: 10:00 am, 5:40
pm, BablooHappy Hai: 12:20 pm, Heartless: 2:50 pm,
Ya Rab: 8:00 pm, American Hustle: 10:40 pm
PVRPriya: HaseeTohPhasee: 10:30 am, 1:35 pm, 4:40
pm, 7:45 pm, 10:45 pm
PVRRivoli: HaseeTohPhasee: 10:00 am, 1:05 pm, 4:10
pm, 7:15 pm, 10:15 pm
PVRPlaza: HaseeTohPhasee: 10:30 am, 1:35 pm, 4:40
pm, 7:45 pm, 10:45 pm
PVR 3c's: Hasee Toh Phasee: 10:15 am, 1:20 pm, 4:25
pm, 7:30 pm, 10:30 pm
PVR Naraina: Hasee Toh Phasee: 9:05 am, 9:40 am,
10:40 am, 12:45 pm, 1:45 pm, 3:50 pm, 4:50 pm, 6:55
pm, 7:55 pm, 9:55 pm, 10:55 pm, 11:30 pm, Lone
Survivor: 12:15 pm, 6:00 pm, 11:20 pm, Jai Ho: 2:55 pm,
Ya Rab: 8:40 pm, Heartless: 9:20 am, 5:50 pm, Paisaa
(Telugu): 12:10 pm, Babloo Happy Hai: 3:00 pm,
Kirpaan The Sword Of Honour (Punjabi): 8:40 pm
PVRVikaspuri: HaseeTohPhasee: 9:20 am, 10:00 am,
10:40 am, 12:25 pm, 1:45 pm, 4:50 pm, 6:35 pm, 7:55
pm, 9:40 pm, 10:55 pm, Heartless: 1:05 pm, 10:20 pm,
Babloo Happy Hai: 4:10 pm, Ya Rab: 7:15 pm, Jai Ho:
3:30 pm
PVRPrashantVihar: HaseeTohPhasee: 9:20 am, 10:00
am, 10:40 am, 12:25 pm, 1:45 pm, 4:50 pm, 6:35 pm,
7:55 pm, 9:40 pm, 10:55 pm, Heartless: 1:05 pm, 10:20
pm, Babloo Happy Hai: 4:10 pm, Ya Rab: 7:15 pm, Jai
Ho: 3:30 pm
PVR Ambience Gold Class - Gurgaon: Hasee Toh
Phasee: 10:40 am, 12:45 pm, 1:45 pm, 4:50 pm, 7:55
pm, 9:55 pm, 11:00 pm, Lone Survivor: 10:05 am, 3:50
pm, Saving Mr. Banks: 6:55 pm
F80I8FM
8FF I0 F8FF
*Ia: 8I4harth MaIh0tra, FarIaeetI
0h0ra, 4ah 8harma
8ate4: 6.5/10
T
here is nothing usual about this
love story it is neither overly
cute, nor overly romantic, nor
even a cohesive tale of two hearts. By
normal romcom standards too, this
might just as well been recommended
to a correctional facility.
Yet, it is a delightful tale of two
strange people meeting each other in
stranger circumstances, and then
meeting again after seven years in much
more bizarre circumstances.
A regular but good looking guy not
wanting to do anything right with his
life (like becoming an IPS officer as his
father would have wanted), is marrying
a pretty Gujju babe but comes across
the brides crazy runaway sister who has
l08F 808I08
*Ia: Mark wahIher, IayI0r kItsch,
FmIIe Irsch, 8ea F0ster, FrIc 8aaa
8ate4: 6/10
R
eality shows from intense war
zones are usually moving
propositions. After all, real things
have happened to real people and they
are mostly blood-curdling something
which the audience savour.
This one all the way from
Afghanistan is no different. It holds you
tight and leads you on to the blood
splashing zone with a strange kind of
8I86 M8 88k8
*Ia: Fmma Ih0ms0a, I0m aaks,
00IIa FarreII
8ate4: 5.5/10
T
his is Emma Thompsons movie
and thats quite something for an
achiever whos co-star is none less
than Tom Hanks, that too playing Walt
Disney himself in a Walt Disney movie!
88l00 FFI I
*Ia: 8ahII aaa4, FrIca
Feraaa4es, 80mIt 80rI, m0I
Farashar, Freet kamaI, a0
0h004h0ry, FarvIa 0ahas
8ate4: 5.5/10
I
t is very difficult to understand why
a movie that talks about AIDS will
have a title like Babloo Happy Hai
unless it is to drive home the fact that
Sumit Suri finally scores is not a
virgin any more. Also director Nila
Madhab Panda should have stuck to
the seriousness of the issue. But instead
Panda decided to make a love story in
the backdrop of how one should
practise safe sex and how an HIV
positive person needs love and not be
treated like an outcast.
The intentions behind making the
film may be very noble, the truth is that
the subtle message that the director
wants to convey looses its essence. The
gay context the lead protagonists
friend is a gay also gets lost.
While the first half is entertaining
with songs that may have many takers,
the second half becomes somber. The
good part is that since there are no long
speeches, it means that it doesnt
become preachy and it is able to retain
its fun element. The dialogue delivery is
fluid and the snow covered Manali on
the 70 mm screen looks awesome. The
performance by the actors is passable.
So, if a fraand aks you to go see
this one, dont say no.
S|+li|i S+||+
Printed and pubIished by Chandan Mitra for and on behaIf of CMYK Printech Ltd., 2nd FIoor, Link House, 3 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New DeIhi-110 002, and printed at Jagran Prakashan Ltd, D 210,211 Sector-63, Noida (U.P.). Editor: Chandan Mitra. AIR SURCHARGE of C 2.00 East: CaIcutta, North: Leh West: Mumbai & Ahmedabad
South: BangaIore & Chennai. CentraI : Khajuraho, DeIhi TeIephones: EPABX-40754100, 23755271-74, 9871234271. Lucknow Office: 4th FIoor, Sahara Shopping Centre, Faizabad Road, Lucknow-226 016. TeIephones: 0522-2346443, 2346444, 2346445.
Altlougl every ossille care ano caution las leen talen to avoio errors or omissions, tlis ullication is leing solo on tle conoition ano unoerstanoing tlat information given in tlis ullication is merely for reference ano must not le talen as laving autlority of or linoing in any way on tle writers, eoitors, ullislers, ano rinters ano sellers
wlo oo not owe any resonsilility for any oamage or loss to any erson, a urclaser of tlis ullication or not for tle result of any action talen on tle lasis of tlis worl. All oisutes are sulject to tle exclusive jurisoiction of cometent court ano forums in !elli/New !elli only.
craty I0ve st0ry
returned to script another heist on her
beloved father. And when things
happen, they happen as haphazardly as
they should, coming from a girl who is
a top physics scientist with a drug
addiction, speaking in Chinese and
going into staccato trances as and when.
Yes, it is crazy but it is also all about
Parineeti Chopras excellent histrionics
and her vivacious presence. Sidharth is
good too but only as a side dish in a
mount by an equally chalk-and-cheese
pair of producers. Anything from an
Anurag Kashyap-Karan Johar get-
together has to be hilarious and
unsettling. And this one is exactly that,
hence a must-see.
80w IIMF
wTh MEEhAKSh RA0
Griing war
zone orama
Imma all tle
way in tlis one
Message film
for youngsters
hypnotism not hindered by intrusive
background scores or even too many
dialogues.
Basing his premise on a botched up
operation deep into the Afghan
mountains which ended with one
survivor and four casualties, the director
has done well to stick to basics and keep
it as real as cinematically positive. Mark
Wahlberg who plays Marcus Luttrell, the
man who survived it all in real life, does
well on screen to keep you engaged with
his journey.
This war zone is captivating, it is
meticulously strewn together and it has
kept all its fact stark and correct. Thats
where lies its USP.
Hanks, known for easily
monopolising a film much like Aamir
Khan on our side of the world, has little
to do in this one and excels in what he
does, only as a side-dish to Thompson
who plays Mrs P L Travers, the eccentric,
introverted and meticulous writer of the
unforgettable Mary Poppins.
Having turned down Walt Disney
for more than 20 years, Mrs Travers
finally succumbs to financial pressures to
sell the rights of her book to Disney, but
with a lot of riders.
The film which leaps out of a cherry
blossomed apartment in London to the
Walt Disney Studio in Beverly Hills, is a
delightful journey of tussle between a
stiff English writer and the scriptwriters
artistic licence. Travers, however, will
have none of it and mostly has her way.
She will not have her characters
animated and definitely will not allow
non-existent English words to serenade
the lyrics.
Thompson is at her best here
countering the much too languid pace of
the film. Her quirks, her eccentricities
and her stiff upper lip are delightfully
displayed. As is the pathos in her life,
stemming from her daddy issues. A slow
burner this one.
'||i| |+||iJ |u p|J || || u| |] li|
Wi|| u| pi+l u|u| |u|1|
QHow is it to be a part of on-screen and
off-screen marriage simultaneously?
Shooting for on-screen marriage
and preparing for my marriage in real life
is like a dress rehearsal for me. When I
am shooting for the marriage scene in
Kehta Hai Dil Jee Le Zara it feels as if I
am preparing for the real wedding and
when I am shopping and planning for my
real wedding I am rehearsing for the soap.
So, its very hectic. There is a lot of
pressure. I have to handle two ladies in
my life right now. My real-life fiance,
Nirali Mehta and on-screen reel life love
lady Saanchi aka Sangeeta Ghosh. This
last week, we shot the wedding scene for
the serial continuously for three nights.
It was very chaotic and tiring. Hopefully,
the real wedding, which will be over in
one night will not be so hectic.
QWhy did you decide to marry in real
life while you were busy shooting with
a wedding scene in Zee Le Zara?
The shooting schedule for the past
few weeks was so hectic that I would get
free very late at night. This meant that I
got to spent less time with my fiancee. I
realised that if I wanted to see her every
day, I should get married. I am hoping
that I will prove to be a good husband for
her. The same goes for my role as a
husband on the small screen. Im not
getting married because of my parents
but because of the thought that I want to
spent the rest of my life making someone
special happy for the rest of their live. I
believe that I have the capability to
bring a smile on Niralis face. Its start
to start a new phase of my life.
QIs it going to be a nikah or a
Hindu style wedding?
I would prefer a court marriage
instead of nikah or a traditional
Hindu marriage. But in India,
functions are very important and
But Nirali is a Gujarati who wants
to get married as per traditions and
rituals. When I suggested court
marriage to her, she told me that I
could go and find another girl.
Going for a traditional wedding
and a nikah meant too many
functions which I didnt want. So,
its a typical Gujarati marriage. Also, I
would rather come dancing with the
baratis instead of arriving at the venue
sitting on a horse or a car.
QWhat about the upbringing the two of
you have had?
We both have been brought up in a
middle class family. And like any other
family with a similar background, we
were taught to save money and adjust in
any circumstances. This is the one
common feature that helps us to
understand each other better and bond.
The fact that we both love to travel, dance
and are big foodies is an added advantage.
QAny differences between the two of
you?
Nirali loves to go out clubbing and
partying in crowded areas which I dont
like. She is very punctual whereas Im
very laid-back. She is well-prepared for
every moment whereas I need to be
reminded time and again. I am sure that
one week before our wedding Nirali will
have all her stuff dresses, jewellery etc,
all packed up. Ill still be running around
givi ng measurements or
shopping.
QYour definition of a
perfect date?
A perfect
romantic date
would be to
watch a good
movie, have
a ni ce
dinner in a
restaurant
and have
l ots of
laughs.
Ruslaan Mumla/ aka 0hruv o Kehla hai 0il Jee lee Zara lalks lo SAh0EETA YA0Av aboul his on
screen as well as real wedding lans which are haening simullaneously. The res are liring him oul
as he has lo kee his lwo ladies - lhe real lie iancee o nine years and reel lie love - hay
080F k 008F
Tonighl's eisode o 5ccic Wccic will
see Krushna Abhishek, Kryslle 0'sou/a,
Shakli Mohan, Ravi 0ubey and hosl Sargun
Mehla sel lhe slage on ire wilh some
scinlillaling erormances. Freeljyol aired
wilh Krushna will be in or a surrise when
lhe laller romises lo lake him on sels o
0cmcJy 0ircus. So, gel ready or
enlerlainmenl ka ullimale dose loday,
February O al 8:8O m only on Sony
Enlerlainmenl Television.
kFIl wII 6080I
walch lhe casl o 6unJay -Ranveer Singh,
Friyanka Chora and Arjun Kaoor - on lhe
sels o 0cmcJy |i|ts wit| Kapi| who will
seen in his usual unny, lirly mood, while
0adi couldn'l conlrol hersel rom lirling wilh
Ranveer and Arjun and giving lhem s|aun
ki pappi. Ranveer, Friyanka and Arjun shared
some unny momenls wilh lhe wacko
Sharma amily and lheir neighbour Falak who
came dressed as a cabarel dancer.
l0F I0 FlI 100
Adili Sajwan, who lays halkhal Fari in
5aa|vccr on SAB Tv recenlly said lhal she
would love lo essay lhe role o Jodha in
JcJ|a Ak|ar. " lhink could have given a
dierenl slreak lo Sandhya's characler in Liya
Aur 5ati |um. Since have never done realily
shows, would like lo exlore lhe
advenlurous me. wish could be a arl o
K|atrcn Kc K|i|aJi, " lhe aclress said.
My idea of a perfect
romantic date is to
watch a good
movie, have a nice
dinner at a fancy
restaurant and have
lots of laughs with
the love of my life
TELLYTALE
NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2014
townhall 0S
MkhEhE 8Ihh MkhkI Q
hEw 0ELh
F
acing flak over deteriorat-
ing law and order in the
Capital, Delhi Police top brass
has directed all Station House
Officers (SHOs) to submit sta-
tus reports on cases pertaining
to crimes against people from
the N-E registered in the last
four years. The order has come
in the aftermath of Nido Tanias
death. He was beaten up by a
group of men in Lajpat Nagar
area for protesting a racial slur.
The Delhi High Court had also
questioned Delhi Police for
inefficiency in stemming
crimes against people from
this region.
Sources said that after the
courts rap, all SHOs have been
directed to prepare a status
update as well as draw up a data-
base on the kinds of crime
committed against them since
2009. We are analysing data
from police stations since we
want to study the profile of cases.
After analysing crimes against
people from North-East in
Delhi, we will deploy North-East
constables as beat constables,
increase patrolling by
PCR vehicles and monthly
meetings with joint commis-
sioner of police/chief coordina-
tor with the representatives
from eight North-East States,
informed police sources.
Sources further said Delhi
Police has decided to maintain
a separate dossier for crimes
against people from the North-
East. Complaints would be
lodged in a separate register to
keep a close watch on the
progress of individual com-
plaints. All SHOs have been
asked to maintain a separate log
for cases related to people from
the North-East and every week,
the in-charge of concerned
police station will file a
report to his district head as
well as police HQs, sources
further added.
Meanwhile, senior police
officers said they are also plan-
ning to introduce emergency
response vehicles (ERVs) for
assistance in crime-prone areas
and special training to the beat
staff of north and south districts
where a majority of North-
Easterners reside. Some nodal
officers in the rank of addition-
al commissioners and deputy
commissioners of police would
be appointed for the seven dis-
tricts to monitor work relating
to security of people from the
Seven Sister States.
8WETk 8WkMI Q hEw 0ELh
T
he recent incidents of
molestation-rape of
Manipuri girls coupled with the
barbaric killing of 19-year-old
Nido Tania in the Capital have
given way to scores of North-
Easterners to open up and speak
about the harassment they face
on a daily basis. For many
women from the North-East,
commuting in Delhi is one of
their biggest fears, while for oth-
ers it is the exploitation they face
at the workplace.
Tenzing Yutso, a 24-year-
old woman from Arunachal
Pradesh has been staying in the
Capital for the past three years,
but she never travels in an auto
after narrowly escaping a
molestation attempt by an
autorickshaw driver. I was new
to the city and didnt know the
routes. I had to go to the North
Campus and had flagged an
autorickshaw from Connaught
Place. But after travelling for
nearly two hours, he stopped the
vehicle at a deserted stretch
which in no way resembled a
university area. He then turned,
called me a chink and asked me
to accompany him to some
place. I got panicky and screa-
med. Luckily an elderly woman
came to my rescue and later my
friend came and picked me up,
said Yutso. On many occasions,
autorickshaw drivers have called
us sex workers and what not,
said Ilui, a student of sociology
at Miranda House.
Many have complained of
facing harassment at their work-
places. Is it to do with our looks,
dressing sense or even our patois?
Many of us know only English;
locals tend to take advantage of
that, said Raya Hazarika, a
lawyer from Guwahati
practicing in the Capital.
8TkII EFTE Q hEw 0ELh
T
he rape of a 14-year old
Manipuri girl in Munirka
on Friday, once again, trig-
gered anger in the Capital.
Being the third such incident
within a week where North-
Easterners have been the vic-
tims, hundreds of agitated
Nort h-Eastern students,
including members of JNU
students union gathered out-
side Vasant Vihar police sta-
tion on Saturday.
The i nci dent, whi ch
comes close on the heels of
the death of an Arunachal
Pradesh youth Nido Tania,
sparked off protests outside
the police station. While sev-
eral students were engaged in
frequent scuffle with police,
ot hers bl ocked Nel son
Mandela Marg leading to tony
shopping malls for the entire
afternoon, causing traffic
gridlock on Outer Ring Road.
The demonstrators raised
anti-police slogans and also
t ri ed to barge i nto t he
police station.
While all the protesters
demanded stri ct acti on
against the accused, there
were several who questioned
pol i ce rol e i n ensuri ng
womens safety si nce
the barbaric December 16,
2012 gang-rape.
Nothing has changed
after Nirbhayas death. Rapes
continue to happen and there
is no fear in the minds of men
committing such crimes. The
pol ice, the Government,
everything seems a farce now,
said Ningthojam, a political
science student in JNU.
We have been asking for
a copy of the FIR from police
but they have not given it to
us yet. We demand strict
action against the culprit,
said Lenin, president of JNU
Students Union. The agitators
also blamed Delhi Police for
inadequate security for the
people from the North-East.
Later in the day, Delhi
Commission for Women
(DCW) chairperson Barkha
Singh reached the spot and
spoke to protesters. She also
hel d a meet i ng wit h
senior police officials in
this regard.
We are looking into the
case and we will go to any
extent to make sure that the
perpetrators in this case are
hanged. It is very shameful
and unfortunate that she was
raped i n t he same area
where she l i ved by
her l andl ords son,
said Singh.
80 F80 I8 8I6I F08 0FIIl'8 80Il MI0FI
Hate crimes reacl
tiing oint
Poally, Dolhi? 'A ohink
in tho armour'?
SHOs asked
to file status
reports on cases
in last 4 yrs
S
lamming 0elhi Folice over lhe
rae o a Maniuri girl, lhe
Aam Aadmi Farly on Salurday
demanded susension o lhe Sh0
o lhe area and said such
condemnable incidenls are leading
lo a growing oulrage among
eole. "Such condemnable acls
are leading lo a growing oulrage
among eole who are agilaled
over lhe ailure o law enorcemenl
agencies in lheir duly lo rovide a
sae environmenl or women lo
move reely and wilhoul ear in
lhe cily," lhe arly said, in a
slalemenl. "This shameul incidenl
o rae again brings back lhe
basic queslion lhal are lhe eole
and 0overnmenl o 0elhi helless
in dealing wilh issues o women's
saely since lhe Cenlral
0overnmenl which enjoys conlrol
over 0elhi Folice conlinues lo
ignore such a serious issue?"
il said. The arly also asked
whelher il was nol jusliied lo
susend lhe Sh0 o lhe area
under whose jurisdiclion lhe
crime look lace.
kkF T I 8h 86kIF
S|uJ|| ||u| || |u|||E+| +|J 1|u p|u|| uu|iJ V++|| Vi|+| puli |+|iu| ++i|| || |+p u| + |i|u| |+|ipu|i
i|l +| |u|i||+, i| |W l|i u| S+|u|J+] Pll
8IsIa rae aaIast raes, racIsm
Police, Govt a
'farce`, say
rotesters
City seems an
apology for its
much-vaunted
cultural pluralism
Metr0 a0t 4eraIIe4 hy
c0It0raI c0mIaceace
8TkII EFTE Q
hEw 0ELh
N
ot just for those hailing
from the North-East,
the well-policed Delhi Metro
provides a safe travel option
for female commuters, who
are routinely groped on
buses. A separate womens
coach provides a safe journey
option to women who work
the graveyard shift.
The Metro has come to
the rescue of women pas-
sengers who until the Metros
arrival, had to take an unsafe
auto or taxi ride home.
Delhi Metro premises
are safer since not only are
t he st at i ons and t he
platforms well lit but every
passenger entering the sta-
tion has to pass through
metal detectors and get their
baggage screened. The sense
of security also emanates
from the strong presence of
t he Cent ral Indust ri al
Security Force (CISF)
personnel, who are respon-
sible to secure the premises
of the Metro.
Women passengers also
feel that the spic-and-span
coaches and penalties levied
for littering the premises,
also has a civilising effect
on ot her wi se cal l ous
passengers.
Womon ind it
sao to rido tho
Motro ator dark
s it to do with
our looks,
dressing sense
or even
our _Pc^Xb?
nation 04
NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2014
FTI Q hEw 0ELh
D
elhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal on Saturday
threatened to go to any extent
over his pet anti-graft legisla-
tion, the Jan Lokpal Bill, which
is opposed both by the
Congress, whose continued
support is essential for the sur-
vival of his Government, as
well as the BJP.
Corruption is extremely
important issue and I will go to
any extent, he told PTI. Asked
if he would resign, the Aam
Aadmi Party leader responded
by affirming that he
could go to any extent over the
huge issue of corruption.
That (resignation) you inter-
pret, he added.
Asserting that both
Congress and BJP will never
allow passage of the Bill,
Kejriwal said since the
Government has decided to
probe the alleged corruption in
Commonwealth Games pro-
jects, Congress pitch has
become more shrill in this
regard and also there are alle-
gations against BJP,
which is in power in MCD for
past seven years.
They (Congress) realise
that if there is a strong Lokpal
then many of these people
will get into trouble. For seven
years BJP is in power in MCD
and they may also get into
trouble. If the bill is passed
then all these CWG cases will
go to Lokpal, the 45-year-old
Chief Minister said.
Kejriwal also said, We
have written to Home Minister
to withdraw the (2002) order
which directs Del hi
Government to take approval
of the ministry before passage
of any Bill in the Assembly
and asserted that the city gov-
ernment cannot follow these
unconstitutional rules. That
was only an order and which
is completely against the
Constitution. How can an
order by the Home Ministry
curtail law making powers of
Delhi Assembly. It is a very
very serious issue...I have taken
oath of the Constitution and
not Home Ministrys order. I
will uphold the Constitution.
He added that, When I
saw the order after becoming
Chief Minister, I was com-
pletely flabbergasted. How can
they do that. Then I told my
officials to show me the histo-
ry. I have a list of 13 legislations
in which they did not take any
approval. The legislations are
held back in Home Ministry
for six-seven years. If this is the
case, then how can the
Assembly make law. Sheila
Dikshit used to pass law before
taking Centres approval.
Kejriwal had on Friday
asked Lt Governor Najeeb Jung
not to protect the interest of
Congress and the Home
Ministry, which were keen on
stalling his Governments Jan
Lokpal Bill. We have written
to Home Minister to withdraw
the (2002) order which directs
Delhi Government to take
approval of the Ministry before
passage of any Bill in the
Assembly, he said.
Questioning the validity of
the MHA order, Kejriwal said
Government will not send the
bill to the Home Ministry for
approval. The Constitution
says Delhi Government has
power to make law except in
three subjects. But they cannot
make any law which is repug-
nant to any central law. If they
are, and if President grants
assent after the passage of the
law, then that also can be
done. That means we do not
have to take approval before
introduction of a Bill. That is
the power given by the
Constitution to Delhi.
Constitution is supreme.
Law-making powers of an
assembly have to defined by
the Constitution and not by
anybody else, he said.
Referring to provisions in
the Government of National
Territory of Delhi Act, he said
it stated that if there is a law
which is a money bill or which
is repugnant to any central law,
then LGs recommendation
would be taken before intro-
ducing it. But Section 26 of
that law says, even if the rec-
ommendation is not taken
before, it can be taken later.
There is no problem in that.
But, Home Ministry has passed
an order saying, if Delhi
Government brings any law,
then it has to get
approval of the Central
Government, he said.
8TkII EFTE Q hEw 0ELh
I
n a major relief to small plot
owners, the Delhi BJP-ruled
municipal corporations on
Saturday decided to waive the
need to get building construc-
tion plans approved for plots up
to 100 sq metre.
The decision was taken
here following a meeting of all
municipal councillors of the
BJP and those who contested
on party ticket in all three cor-
porations. The owners of the
plot up to 100 sqm will just
have to give an affidavit to the
corporation that they would
follow all municipal rules and
they can construct without
hindrance, said Delhi BJP
president Vijay Goel. Residents
have been demanding for the
past several years that there
should be relaxation from
building bylaws for up to 100
sq m plot in the city.
The meeting also deliber-
ated on raising the issue of
municipal councillors being
not allowed to spend money
from the councillor fund in
unauthorised colonies where
more than 40 lakh people live.
The Delhi Government is
stalling the development work
in unauthorised colonies by not
allowing councillors to spend
their funds in these colonies.
More than 40 lakh people
reside in unauthorised colonies.
If councillors are not permitted
to spend money, we will stage
a dharna and even
approach High Court. We will
also take up the issue
with the Lieutenant-Governor,
said Goel.
8TkII EFTE Q hEw 0ELh
W
ith the maximum tem-
perature dipping a good
six notches below normal set-
tling at 16.5 degrees Celsius,
Saturday marked the coldest
February for Delhi in a decade.
Saturdays weather conditions
came as a sudden change for
Delhiites as temperatures
plummeted by over 10 degrees
in the Capital from Fridays
26.4 degrees Celsius. The Met
department has predicted sim-
ilar weather on Sunday.
There was a sudden
change in temperature because
of the clouds remained low
throughout the day and cov-
ered all of Delhi. Adding to the
chill were strong Northerly
winds of 16-24 kmph blowing
from the snow capped moun-
tains. This brought down the
day significantly from yester-
days 26.4 degress C. It is now
the coldest February since
2005, said RK Jenamani, direc-
tor, Met department, IGI
Airport. The minimum tem-
perature was recorded at 14.2
degrees Celsius which was six
degrees above normal for this
time of the year. Humidity
levels oscillated between 93
per cent and 74 per cent.
With the moving away of
the current Western
Disturbance today, the tem-
perature has fallen by over 10
degrees. Last it was 14.7 degree
Celsius on February 2, 2004,
after which this year it has been
the coldest, he informed.
Sundays weather conditons
are likely to remain the same
with the maximum hovering
around 16.5 degrees and the
minimum being 14.
l|i C| A|1i|J |||iW+l |+l|i| |u Pll
Ji|u| +| || +|] |+J(u+||| i|
|W l|i u| S+|u|J+] Pll
When saw the
order after
becoming CM,
was completely
flabbergasted. How
can they do that.
Then told my
officials to show
me the history.
have a list of 1S
legislations in
which they did not
take any approval
Civic bodies waive construction
'approval' on plots up to 100 sqm
l|i Wi||
ulJ| S+|u|J+]
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From Page 1
Addressing a huge rally at
tribal-dominated Bardoli, a his-
toric town known for Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patels civil disobe-
dience revolt against British Raj
in 1928, Rahul sought to take the
ownership of Sardars legacy
saying that the great son of
Gujarat remained a Congre-
ssman throughout his life.
Criticising Modis initiative
to build a Statue of Unity, he
said without understanding
Sardar and his ideology - love,
brotherhood and taking every-
one along - a leader (Modi) in
Gujarat is trying to build a stat-
ue of Sardar.
In a more personal attack,
he said Sardar Patel was of the
opinion to ban RSS after the
assassination of Mahatma
Gandhi and cautioned it would
destroy our nation. Now a
man who spent his entire life
with RSS is trying to construct
the statue of Sardar. He wants
Congress-free India. Congress
is not an organisation, its an
ideology. And Sardar and
Gandhi gave their life for this
ideology. On the one hand he
wants to eliminate Sardars ide-
ology and on the other he
wants to build a statue.
On Modi referring to his
past as a tea seller, Rahul said,
The entire country does some
work. Some make tea, some
drive taxis, some are farmers.
We need to respect everyone
but someone who made a
fool of people was not worthy
of being revered.
Rahul tried to strike a
chord with the tribals saying
the Congress Government gave
Rs 55,000 crore for the devel-
opment of tribal area and asked
the audience, Did you see the
money?
He also raised the issue of
the Lokayukta controversy in
the State besides the lack of
information commissioners
even as he sought to highlight
the UPA Governments initia-
tives like RTI Act and Food
Security Act, among others.
From Page 1
mandatory for the Delhi
Government to send any bill
to the Central Government
before its introduction in the
State Assembly is constitu-
tional. After getting opinion
from legal experts like Justice
Mukul Mudgal, PV Kapoor,
KN Bhatt and Pinaki Misra
regarding Rule 55 (1) of the
Transaction of Business Rules,
Delhi Cabinet on February 3,
passed a resolution recom-
mending that the Union
Home Ministry should with-
draw its order and till such
time decided not to accept it,
the letter said. The entire ref-
erence was to the Transaction
of Business Rules for the
Delhi Assembly, 1993, pre-
pared by the Union Home
Ministry and sent to the Delhi
Government with the direc-
tion to implement them.
On the other hand, alleg-
ing that BJP and Congress
have joined hands to stall
the Jan Lokpal Bill, the AAP
leader and senior advocate
Prashant Bhushan said its
Government would ensure
passage of the proposed leg-
islation in the Assemblys spe-
cial session without prior
approval of the Centre.
Without prior approval
of t he Presi dent
and the Centre, passing Jan
Lokpal Bill in Assembly wont
be unconst itut i onal as
the BJP and the Congress are
claiming.
Reacting to the AAP
Government having written
to the MHA urging with-
drawal of TBR, the Delhi
Congress president Arvinder
Singh Lovely said, If the
Chief Secretary has written a
letter to the Union Home
Secretary on withdrawal of
rul es, its means t he
Government has realised that
they were on the wrong foot.
Lovely said that only the
Parliament is empowered to
change the business rule.
Kejriwal had sought opin-
ion from former Solicitor
General Sol i Sorabj ee,
Additional Solicitor General
KN Bhatt, senior advocate
Pinaki Misra and VP Kapoor
on TBR. However, Sorabjee in
his opinion stated that the
Rule framed is ultra vires the
Constitution and GNCTD
Act. Bhatt in his opinion has
also specified that the require-
ment of a prior reference to
the L-G Central Government
under rule 55 is outside the
provisions of the Act, includ-
ing S22 thereof hence, it is
ultra vires. On the other hand,
senior advocate Pinaki Misra
stated in his opinion that his
observation in conclusion
that rule 55(1) does not
require every legislative pro-
posal of Delhi Assembly man-
dates a prior reference by the
L-G to t he Cent ral
Government whi l e VP
Kapoor also gave his opinion
on somewhat similar lines.
Responding to a query as
to why the AAP Government
doesnt want to get approval of
the President and Centre
before tabling the Bill in the
Assembly, senior advocate
and AAP leader Prashant
Bhushan said, If Government
sends the Lokpal Bill to the
Centre, we know that the Bill
would get stuck there; thats
why we are first going to
table the Bill in the Assembly.
There is nothing written
in the Constitution that the
Delhi Government needs to
get prior approval. Hence,
tabling the Bill without prior
approval of the President and
the Centre in the Assembly
would not be unconstitution-
al, he said.
Scra manoatory noo from Centre, AAP asls MHA
'8esect tea
vea40rs, a0t cheat'
From Page 1
This company along with
Colt, Beretta, Sig Sauer and
Ceska are in the race for the con-
tract to replace more than ten
lakh 5.56 mm INSAS rifles now
used by the Indian Army.
Claiming to be better that its
competitors, Beretta officials
said their multi-caliber gun is
lighter in weight and more effec-
tive in close quarter battle and
standard infantry moves. While
the officials were explaining the
finer aspects of the gun to this
reporter, some Indian Special
Forces personnel were also keen-
ly following the demonstration.
As regards through the wall
radar, the IWI officials said they
have sold some units to Indian
para-military forces over the
last three to four years for
counter-insurgency and counter-
terrorist operations but refused
to quantify the numbers.
The compact radar can
make out the number of people
behind the wall and whether
they are standing or sitting. The
configurations are displayed in 3-
D mode and the operational
commanders on ground then
take suitable action based on
these images.
Hollywooo...
From Page 1
She also gave the exact loca-
tion where she was taken by the
accused. The arrest was made
within a few hours of the filing
of the report, a said a senior
police official.
The incident sparked a fresh
protest as scores of JNU students
belonging to N-E thronged the
Vasant Vihar police station on
Saturday afternoon to register
their protest. Peeved over rising
incidents of crimes against peo-
ple from N-E, they blocked the
Nelson Mandela road leading to
posh shopping malls for entire
afternoon. The demonstration
caused traffic snarls on Outer
Ring Road.
The victims parents stay in
Manipur and she had been stay-
ing with her aunt for the past one
year in Munirka. She was assist-
ing her aunt at her shop of
indigenous N-E ornaments in
Rama Market in Munirka. She
came here to earn a livelihood,
said the sources. In her com-
plaint, the girl told the police that
the accused punched in her
face. We have also informed her
parents in Manipur. A TIP will
be conducted and investigation
is on, police said.
8F IrI's rae...
From Page 1
Attacking the PM, Modi said
among all North-Eastern States,
the condition of Assam is the
worst. For 23 years you have been
sending Prime Ministers from
here. You tell me, you made such
a big investment but what did you
get in return? Had even an ordi-
nary worker from Assam repre-
sented the State for so many years,
he would have changed the face of
the State but Singh failed to do so.
He owes an explanation to the peo-
ple for it, he said. He wondered
what the nation can hope for itself
from such a leader.
Seeking to woo the educated
with better job opportunities, he
said, I dont understand why the
North-East cant be an IT hub?
They speak fluent English but the
people of Manipur have been
forced to look for employment out-
side. Why do they have to go to
Bangalore and Hyderabad?
While he took a jibe at the
Congress for waking up to install
a statue of Maratha king
Chhatrapati Shivaji in the Arabian
Sea, he raked the issue of the stat-
ue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in
Gujarat. I am often asked by
Congress leaders as to why I am
building such a big statue of Sardar
Patel when I belong to the RSS and
the BJP. Let me assert that to the
Congress leaders, Vallabhbhai was
a leader and a politician but to us
he was a leader of the nation. The
Congress wont understand this
sentiment of mine, Modi said.
They (Congress) forgot him
for 60 long years. But our efforts
have now made them recall him
albeit reluctantly, Modi said, while
referring to former Assam Chief
Minister Gopinath Bordoloi, who
along with Sardar Patel opposed
the grouping and saved Assam
from being merged with Pakistan.
We believe Bordoloi should
have been conferred the Bharat
Ratna. But if the Congress couldnt
remember a great man like Sardar
Patel after Independence, how will
it remember Bordoloi? he asked.
He yet again termed the death
of Arunachal Pradesh student Nido
Tania in Delhi a national shame
and said he hoped the Delhi
Government and the Centre
shunned the blame game and
ensured justice in the matter. People
from the North-East are being
looked down on in Delhi because of
the Central Governments lack of
attention for them, he added.
Assam is not PM's
cup of tea: Modi
From Page 1
In the Ishrat Jahan case, CBI has done a fair inves-
tigation to the best of its ability, the statement said.
For his part, denying that he was pressured by the
UPA Government, Sinha told a television news chan-
nel: We conducted a fair probe and pleased no one,
the CBI was under no pressure. No evidence was found
against Amit Shah.
While the JD (U) said it seems Sinha has some polit-
ical plans post-retirement, the Gujarat Congress
termed it unfortunate that the CBI let off the main con-
spirator.
Taking a jibe at Sinhas purported statement,
Janata Dal (United) leader Ali Anwar said, The
Director CBI should resign first. If chief of big agency
of this country like CBI speaks in such a manner, he
should resign first and a case should be filed against
him. It should come out how many accused he let off
and how many were booked for pleasing his masters.
An FIR should be filed and case should be run against
him.
It is likely that he (Sinha) is doing this to provide
some benefits to the BJP. Perhaps he has plans of join-
ing politics after his retirement, Ali added.
Reacting to the development, Gujarat Congress
leader Arjun Modhwadia said, It is unfortunate that
CBI Director who enjoys so much of autonomy that his
files cannot be seen by the officers of the UPA
Government, leave aside the Ministers, is making such
a statement.
Shah was questioned twice in connection with the
fake encounter by the agency but he was not named in
the chargesheet as accused.
B1P, Cu| p+| u1|
CBl |i| u|u||...
Fh8 QRAFuR
R
eaching out to every section
of Chhattisgarhs 2.55-crore
population, Chhattisgarh Chief
Minister Raman Singh on
Saturday presented C54,710
crore tax-free Budget in the State
Assembly for the fiscal 2014-15.
Singh holds finance portfo-
lio, unveiled a series of tax relief
policies for the local industries
and cottage industries to revive
them from recession. In one of
the major decisions for the
farmers community, which
makes up roughly 80 per cent of
States total population, Singh
has made a budgetary provision
of C140 crore for interest free
short-term crop loans.
The key trade bodies and
the business personalities in
the State have hailed the budget
as balanced and growth-ori-
ented while the Opposition
Congress termed it, disap-
pointing, directionless, anti-
farmers and anti-poor.
Highlighting the priorities
of his Government, Singh said
that he was committed to over-
come poverty, hunger and mal-
nutrition. He emphasised on
strengthening of human
resources, specially the margin-
alised sections of society and
prosperity of farmers which
will lead to better development
of the State and this will be
achieved through people-ori-
ented, transparent and account-
able administration.
The Budget has made a
provision of C3,900 crore for
providing rice at Re 1 per Kg to
85 per cent families of the
State under Mukhya Mantri
Khaddyanna Suraksha Yojana
towards implementation of the
Food and Nutrition Security
Act. A provision of C8,459
crore has been made for the
agriculture and allied sectors
and the Chief Minister
announced in the House about
providing the incentive to the
farmers at the rate of C300 per
Quintal for paddy procure-
ment of 2013 Kharif. And he
has provisioned C2,400 crore for
the same in the Budget.
Raman woos all witl
C54K-cr tax-free Buoget
B1P |u |u]u||
BuJ| J|+|
i| |P A||l]
Shimla: After staging the first
ever boycott of the Budget, the
Opposition BJP in Himachal
Pradesh has now decided not
to participate in the Budget
debate to register their protest
against the humiliating bond-
ed labourer remarks
of CM Virbhadra Singh on
party MLAs.
Budget debate will start
from Monday and would con-
tinue till Wednesday. It will be
passed on February 19.
Opposition BJP has also boy-
cotted the debate on vote of
thanks motion of Governor
address. The BJPs general
secretary and MLA Randhir
Sharma announced that party
had taken a tough stand and
decided that MLAs would
not participate in the Budget
debate. PNS
wIII 0 t0 aay exteat f0r l0kaI: kejrI
I, Suchitra Joneja D/o Sh.
Mulkh Raj Joneja R/o
B-8/103, Sector-3, Rohini,
Delhi-110085, hereby declare
that Husband Name is Col.
Bal Mukund Prasad &
Suchitra/Suchitra Prasad
W/o Col Bal Mukund Prasad
and me are one and the same
person.
PD(5833)C
3(5621$/
landmark 05
NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2014
Fh8 Q hEw 0ELh
W
ith Narendra Modi
blaming the Centre for
not ensuring development of
North-Eastern States, the
Congress retaliated saying the
BJP leader should stop wor-
rying about the region and
challenged him for an open
debate on Gujarats develop-
ment during his tenure.
The basic question is what
development has taken place in
Gujarat during the last 11
years. The development of
Gujarat from 1947 till the time
BJP came to power was done by
the Congress. Why does he
avoid an open discussion on
the facts related to development
under the Gujarat model that
he talks about, Union Minister
Manish Tewari said.
Tewari said that Modi is
ready to have discussions over
tea but avoids a debate on the
Gujarat model of develop-
ment. So before him worrying
over the development of the
North East, we give him an
open challenge for a debate on
Gujarats development under
his tenure, Tewari said.
Modi on Saturday attacked
Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh in his speech in Imphal,
saying he had failed to ensure
the development of the North
East region despite represent-
ing it for the last 23 years in the
Rajya Sabha. The Congress
Chief Ministers invite the
Prime Minister for
laying foundation stone or
cutting ribbons for projects
but it ends there and
nothing happens afterwards,
Modi claimed.
Meanwhile, Tewari con-
demned the incident in which
a 14-year-old girl, hailing from
a North-Eastern State, was
allegedly raped by her land-
lords son in South Delhis
Munirka area. Tewari said that
violence of any sort is extreme-
ly reprehensible and hoped
that the police act and all those
who are responsible are caught
and brought to justice.
FTI Q hEw 0ELh
T
he Attorney General has
told the CBI that a prior
nod f rom t he Home
Ministry is required before
prosecut i ng Intel l i gence
Bureau officers in the Ishrat
Jahan encounter case.
Attorney General GE
Vahanvatis opinion came on
Friday a day after CBI
charged former IB Special
Director Rajinder Kumar with
murder in the Ishrat Jahan
encounter case while accusing
three other serving officers of
criminal conspiracy and other
offences.
The AG said in his legal
opinion that prior sanction for
prosecution is a must under
Section 197 of the CrPC with-
out which the serving IB offi-
cials cannot be put to trial.
He said prior sanction is
also required for Kumar
notwithstanding his retirement.
Vahanvati has cited at
least two Supreme Court ver-
dicts of the recent past to say
IB men were acting or pur-
porting to act in the dis-
charge of their official duty,
therefore, they were covered
under Section 197 of the
CrPC. The Union Home
Ministry is the administrative
Ministry for IB.
Section 197 states that
when any person who is or
was a Judge or Magistrate or
a public servant not removable
from his office save by or with
t he sancti on of t he
Government is accused of
any offence alleged to have
been committed by him while
acting or purporting to act in
the discharge of his official
duty, no court shall take cog-
nisance of such offence except
with the previous sanction...
Nearly a decade after
Ishrat was murdered along
with her friend Javed Sheikh
alias Parnesh Pillai in Gujarat
and two others believed to be
Pakistani nationals, the CBI
f i l ed a suppl ement ar y
chargesheet in a Gujarat court
naming Kumar, who was the
then Joint Director of IB and
posted in Gujarat.
He was charged with 120-
B (criminal conspiracy) for
302 (murder) and other
Sections of Indian Penal Code
besides various provisions of
the Arms Act.
Besides Kumar, those
named in the chargesheet are
serving officers P Mittal, MK
Sinha and Rajiv Wankhede
who have been booked for
cri mi nal conspi racy,
wrongful confinement, kid-
napping and wrongful con-
cealment and various sec-
tions of the Arms Act.
MkYk8h8hkh Q FAhAJ
F
ormer Goa Chief Minister
Digambar Kamat, who by
virtue of the fact that he was
Mines Minister for 12 continu-
ous years, is accused of lording
over a massive C35,000 crore
mining scam in the State, appea-
red before the State-appointed
Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Kamat, however, refused to
entertain queries from the media
regarding his one-and-a-half-
hour long quizzing.
Kamat, now a Congress
MLA, former director mines and
geology Arvind Lolienkar and
former secretary Law VP Shetye
were among others summoned
by the Crime Branch and who
visited the office responding to
summons issued to them as
part of the probe into the scam
exposed by the Justice MB Shah
Commission. The case registered
by the police is being tackled by
a specially constituted SIT. The
case was filed long after the Shah
Commission report was tabled
in Parliament in autumn 2012
Politicians, bureaucrats, both
the State and Central Govern-
ments and even mining compa-
nies have been indicated by
Shah Commission in the report.
Patna: Taking an apparent
swipe at JD(U), Leader of the
Opposition in the Rajya Sabha
Arun Jaitley on Saturday said
that those who had parted ways
with BJP would regret their
decision following the General
Elections later this year.
They will regret the deci-
sion to part ways with us and
ask themselves as to why they
had done so, Jaitley told BJP
workers at a State-level function
here without naming any party.
The event had been organ-
ised as part of the drive to col-
lect iron and related material
for construction of a statue of
independent Indias first Home
Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai
Patel, in Gujarat. The statue is
the brainchild of Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi.
We did not walk away
from our alliance (with JD(U)),
but the decision (leading to the
ending of the partnership) will
nonetheless benefit us and we
will perform impressively in
Bihar, Jaitley said.
Senior BJP MLA in the
Bihar Assembly Ashwani
Chaube will not have to carry
out his threat to resign from the
House as the BJP will do well
in the General Elections on 40
seats in Bihar, Jaitey added.
Jaitley sought to downplay
the threat to the BJP from the
Congress or a likely Third Front
configuration, saying that the
Congress does not inspire con-
fidence among the people while
the Third Front was a losers
front.
The General Elections
will prove whether the
Congress has more votes or
hoardings, he said. As to the
Third Front, the senior BJP
leader has said earlier that
JD(U) would be squeezed
out in Bihar while the
Samajwadi Party faced a simi-
lar position in Uttar Pradesh.
The designs for the creation
of a Third Front would not suc-
ceed, he said, adding that the
Third Front is a failed idea. He
was referring to JD(U) leader
Nitish Kumars bid to cobble
together a formation of 11
regional and Left parties as an
alternative to BJP and
Congress-led alliances at the
national level.
Any experiment with a
Third Front would not be in the
national interest and could
instead prove to be detrimen-
tal to the economy and securi-
ty of the country, Jaitley said.
He claimed that the people
were keen to elect the BJP-led
NDA at the Centre under the
leadership of Modi.
Exuding confidence about
his partys prospects in the
upcoming general elections, he
said that the outcome of the exer-
cise would be unprecedented and
beyond the expectations of all.
The 2014 General Elections
will turn out to be BJPs best-
ever performance and the worst
in Congresss history, Jaitley
added. PTI
V 1kYkk1 Q K0Ch
T
he Kerala BJP is expecting
NDAs prime ministerial
candidate Narendra Modis
visit to Kerala on Sunday to
participate in a party rally
and a Dalit meet and to hold
discussions with various
Christian church heads may
work wonders for it in the Lok
Sabha election and in the
efforts to broad-base the party
in Gods Own Country.
Modi had visited Kerala
twice since April last year but
this will be his first political
visit to the State. In April last,
he had participated in a spiri-
tual conclave organised by the
Sivagiri Mutt at Varkala in
Thiruvananthapuram. In
September, he had visited
Vallikkavu, Kollam to partici-
pate in the birthday
celebrations of Mata
Amritanandamayi.
The Kerala BJP is upbeat
about the visit as it is hap-
pening just when the party is
riding a wave nationally on
the wings of Modis popular-
ity ahead of the Lok Sabha
election. This has given a
new confidence to the State
party unit, as it is kick-start-
ing the poll campaign with
this visit, to hope for making
the Lotus bloom in a major
election in Kerala for the first
time in history.
The rally Modi is attending
is being held in
Thiruvananthapuram, which
is also the Lok Sabha con-
stituency where the BJPs poll
prospects are the brightest in
the State. Senior leader and for-
mer Union minister O
Rajagopal, who had in 2004
bagged almost 30 percent votes
when the winner had got only
37 percent votes from this seat,
is the party candidate here
this time also.
The BJP is yet to draw up
its list of candidates for the 20
Lok Sabha seats in the State
and this exercise would be
completed soon, sources say.
The party hopes to raise its
vote percentage in the State in
the Lok Sabha election con-
siderably this time in the con-
text of the Modi wave. The
partys vote share in Kerala
had plummeted to 6.31 per-
cent in 2009 from 10.39 per-
cent in 2004.
Arrangements for Modis
rally on the
Shankhummukham beach in
Thiruvananthapuram, in which
about five lakh party workers
from all over the State are
expected to take part, have
already been completed,
according to organisers. One of
the biggest attractions at the
rally grounds at
Shankhummukham will be the
several NaMo tea stalls.
The State BJP thinks that
there is every possibility for
Modi to create great enthusi-
asm among the electorate in
favour of the party and that
this could translate into pro-
BJP votes in the election. It
need not be impossible for
the party to wi n
Thiruvananthapuram amidst
this Modi wave if Rajagopal
could bag 30 per cent votes in
2004, said a top State BJP
functionary.
Thiruvananthapuram city
has already been decked up
with over 3,000 banners and
boards and over 100,000 party
flags to welcome the NDAs
prime ministerial candidate.
We are sure that this public
meeting would be known as an
unprecedented event in polit-
ical Keralas history in terms of
attendance as well as impact,
said the BJP leader.
Modi, who is arriving in
Kochi by 1.30 pm on Sunday,
will at 3.30 pm inaugurate a
Dalit meet being organized by
the Kerala Pulayar Maha Sabha
(KPMS) to commemorate the
historic Kayal Sammelanam of
1913 held on a platform built
over several country boats
berthed in the Kochi backwa-
ters to assert the backward
Pulaya communitys rights in
the then Kerala society.
While the BJP hopes that
the meet and participation of
Modi, himself a backward
community man, in it would
help it make inroads into the
Dalit and other backward com-
munities, the KPMS thinks
that his presence would give
the Dalits, who have never
been taken seriously by the
Congress or the Communists,
a new hope and direction.
Modi is also expected to
meet the heads of various
Christian churches Roma
Catholic, Orthodox Syrian,
Chaldean Syrian and Latin
Catholic churches and dis-
cuss with them the problems
they are facing in Kerala. Heads
of some of these churches have
been full of praise for Modi for
the development he had
brought into Gujarat and his
governance record.
FTI Q MFhAL
A
n Assam Rifles jawan was
killed and three others
were seriously injured when
insurgents ambushed a para-
mi l it ar y force party at
Lambisa in Manipurs Ukhrul
district on Saturday.
Insurgents exploded a
powerful bomb and opened fire
at the road opening party of
44th Assam Rifles battalion,
killing one jawan and injuring
three others, officials said.
When the security forces
returned fire, an encounter
ensued lasting about an hour,
they said. The injured jawans
were taken to hospital.
Insurgents ambushed the
security patrol minutes before
the arrival of BJPs prime
mi ni steri al candi date
Narendra Modi to address a
rally in Imphal.
Charging that people of
the State were being sup-
pressed by Central forces in
the name of dealing with
insurgents, militant outfit
United Revolutionary Front
had given a call for boycotting
Modis visit.
New Delhi: Releasing a commemorative stamp in
honour of late ghazal singer Jagjit Singh, Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said he was
a unique artiste whose music will always contin-
ue to have an impact on people. In the musical his-
tory of our country, Jagjit Singh has a special place.
He is not among us today but his magical voice and
music will continue to always have an impact on us,
he said on the occasion of release of a stamp in the
memory of the late singer.
The ghazal singer passed away in October 2011.
The Prime Minister noted that Jagjit Singh sang
classical, devotional and folk songs but he would
probably be most remembered for his ghazals. It
would not be wrong to say that the style of ghazal
singing adopted by him in India gave a new life to
the art in the country, Singh said. The Prime Minister
said Jagjit Singh was behind the experiment to use
western musical instruments in ghazal singing and
was ably supported in this by his wife Chitra Singh.
Artistes such as Jagjit Singh are born once in sev-
eral centuries. He is not among us today but his music
will always keep touching our hearts and I
congratulate the postal department for releasing
a stamp in his memory, he said. PTI
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JD(U) will rogrot parting
ways with BJP, says Jaitloy
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Mooi sloulo sto worrying alout N-I: Cong
Challenges CM
for open debate
on Gujarat's
development
1aWaa kIIIe4, 3
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1ajIt 8Iah's maIcaI
v0Ice WIII aIWays have
Imact 0a 0s, says FM
|A|lS| lEwARl
The development of
Gujarat from 1947 till
the time BJP came to
power was done by
the Congress. Why
does he avoid an
open discussion on
the facts related to
development under
the Gujarat model
that he talks about
Tho onoountor
lastod or an hour
The State BJP
thinks that there is
every possibility
for Modi to create
great enthusiasm
among the
electorate in
favour of the party
and that this could
translate into
pro-BJP votes
in the election
nation 06
NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2014
kE8T Vk8kI Q BAh0AL0RE
S
enior BJP leader from Delhi
Harsh Vardhan accused the
AAP Government in Delhi
headed by Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal of doing noth-
ing and said its survival was
deeply rooted in lies.
Addressing a Press confer-
ence in Bangalore on Saturday,
he said, AAP is rooted in lies
and it is doing nothing except
insulting the Constitution
and misleading the people.
People, especially in Delhi,
are beginning to understand
AAPs conduct. They have been
exposed before the country
because they have failed to ful-
fil their promises of bringing
transparency and rooting out
corruption, he said.
For specific questions on
Kejriwal evading answers
under RTI, Vardhan said it is
unfortunate that an important
RTI activist himself is refusing
to answer queries on
Governments expenses on cer-
tain constructions. If some-
body wants to know how much
has been spent on sprucing up
the bungalow, why is this
Government refusing to give
answers? The country wants to
know, Vardhan added.
He was refereeing to the
RTI query related to the
amount the Delhi Govern-
ment spent on the swearing-
i n ceremony at Raml i l a
Maidan and on the sprucing
up of Bhagwan Das Road res-
idence allocated to Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Meanwhile, the BJP was
critical of the AAP for its stand
on passing of Jan Lokpal and
called the AAP a drama com-
pany. BJP spokesperson
Meenakshi Lekhi told the media
that the AAP has become a
drama company for its stand
over passing of Jan Lokpal Bill
in the Delhi Assembly.
She said, When they
(Arvind Kejriwal and others)
had not formed the party, they
sat with Arun Jaitley and
Sushma Swaraj to incorporate
their suggestions in the Jan
Lokpal Bill. Now they have
started a new drama. They
belong to a drama company.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal has threatened to go
to any extent on the issue of
Jan Lokpal Bill.
Lekhi who has been calling
the AAP as the plan B of the
Congress alleged the AAP
always comes to the rescue of
the Congress by diverting
issues whenever the national
party is in trouble.
Let me give an example.
When people wanted to know
the reason behind Union
Minister Shashi Tharoors wife
Sunanda Pushkars death, AAP
leaders went on a dharna,
demanding action against police-
men who refused to carry out a
raid on an alleged drug and pros-
titution ring on a Delhi Ministers
directive recently, she said.
kh8hEE WkhI QSRhA0AR
P
olice in Kashmir have begun
pursuit to arrest legislator
Shabir Ahmad Khan, who
resigned from the Council of
Ministers, on Friday after a
woman doctor filed a sexual
assault case against him.
Speaker Mubarak Gul has
has given his nod for the arrest
of the disgraced legislator after
the Chief Judicial Magistrate in
Srinagar issued a formal arrest
warrant. Khan held indepen-
dent charge of health portfolio
as Minister of State and was
considered as a powerful
leader of the Congress in
Jammus Rajouri region.
Soon after the expose of his
sexual escapade, the Congress
High Command asked Khan to
put in his papers. Governor NN
Vohra accepted his resignation
late on Friday.
The woman doctor alleged
that the Minister summoned her
to his office in Srinagar on
January 28 afternoon through his
staff and made livid remarks after
forcing her to meet him in
a cabin annexed to his office
chambers. The doctor described
the Minister as sexual predator.
A case was registered
under Section 354 of Ranbir
Panel Code (assault or crimi-
nal force on a woman with the
intention to outrage her chasti-
ty) and Section 509 RPC (word,
gesture or act intended to out-
rage the modesty of a woman)
against him.
Police said that Khan has
gone in hiding and they have
sent special teams to Jammu
and Delhi to track him down.
Khans counsel attempted to
seek bail from the High Court
in Jammu on Friday but the
plea was rejected.
Meanwhile, doctors in
Kashmir observed a
day-long strike demanding arrest
of Khan. The resignation of
Minister is not enough. He
should be immediately arrested.
He has not spared an officer level
doctor. It explains what could
have been his treatment with
other women doctors, a veiled
lady doctor who participated in
a demonstration at Sri Maharaja
Hari Singh Hospital said.
The doctors have threatened
to suspend work in hospitals
completely if the former Minister
was not arrested immediately.
Patna: With Bihar Minister
Shahid Ali Khan under SSBs
scanner for suspected links with
Indian Mujahideen activists,
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on
Saturday questioned the Central
agencys handling of the matter,
especially as to why he was not
informed, and has directed a
probe into it.
What is the source of the
information of the SSB which it
has taken note of suo motu and
sent the same to the STF in Bihar
for verification? Kumar told
reporters today while replying to
a query on the issue.
Bihar Police had on Friday
said that it received a letter from
the the Shashtra Seema Bal
(SSB) last month seeking verifi-
cation of charge about Khan
allegedly having links with the
two IM operatives Jameel Akhtar
and Mansoor Sai.
The Special Task Force had
asked Motihari and Sitamarhi
SPs to probe the matter and they
had found the allegation as false,
it said. The information with the
SSB about the Minority Welfare
Ministers alleged links with the
IM operatives must be probed in
view of seriousness of the mat-
ter, Kumar said.
The information should be
processed thoroughly, the Chief
Minister said. Taking strong
exception to the manner in
which the SSB had sent the
information to the STF in Bihar
for verification of charge against
his Minister, he said that the
matter should have been probed
by higher agency in the first
place and then he should have
been informed about it as well
as the presiding officer of the
house of which the said person
is a member. PTI
|Ji+l +|J p+|+|Ji+l |+|| u| S||S |upi|+l |uu| lu+| Ju|i| + p|u|| ++i|| |u||| 1+||u & |+||i| |+l||
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l| |u| |||u| li||, C|
(u|iu| SSB +|iu|
AAP survival is rooteo in
lies, says Harsl Varolan
II 8ME8Y WkhT8
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hk8 8EEh 8FEhT h
8F6Ih F ThE
8hkIW, WhY I8
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kMk 6hEIIkFFkh QChEhhA
B
JPs prime ministerial can-
didate Narendra Modi on
Saturday tore apart the criti-
cism levelled against him by
Congress vice-president Rahul
Gandhi and Union Finance
Minister P Chidambaram.
Addressing a mammoth
rally at Chennai which drew a
record crowd of more than
three lakh people, Modi said
people of Gujarat would never
accept Congress because a
senior party leader (Rahul
Gandhi) described Gujaratis as
Ullus. Three generations of
Congress tried to spread lies in
Gujarat. But the people never
accepted it, said Modi.
Modi asked the people of
Tamil Nadu to cast their votes for
development. He chose Chennai
to demolish the claims and argu-
ments made by P Chidambaram.
With facts and figures Modi,
who is also the Chief Minister of
Gujarat, proved that his State was
far ahead in growth and devel-
opment when compared to other
States in the country.
When I took up the reins of
Gujarat in 2001, the State had a
GDP growth of - 4.8 per cent. By
2012-13 our GDP was 10.1 per
cent. Recount Minister, I may not
have Harvard education. But I
came up through hard work,
said Modi. He described
Chidambaram as Recount
Minister because of the charge
levelled by the latters oppo-
nents that he won the 2009 elec-
tion from Sivaganga in a dubi-
ous recounting. Initially, the
authorities had declared that
Chidambaram had lost the elec-
tion.
The BJP leader blasted the
Union Government on a num-
ber of charges. Last 10 years of
UPA rule has destroyed the
country. All constitutional and
democratic institutions in India
have been destroyed by the UPA
rule. Though the Supreme Court
gave a directive to the
Government to distribute the
millions of tonnes of grains
under its disposal free of cost to
the poor, the Government sold
it at a price of 80 paisa per kg to
liquor manufacturers.
The Planning Commission
has become a scarecrow while
the National Advisory Council
calls the shots. The Prime
Ministers Office has been
degraded and there is a discon-
nect between the party and the
Government. A Congress leader
had the audacity to tore apart the
decision taken by the Union
Cabinet, said Modi.
Modi chose not to person-
ally attack any of his opponents.
But failures of the Government
at the Centre came under severe
criticism from him. The
National Sample Survey
Organisations latest study says
that unemployment rate in India
is 2.2 per cent. But in Gujarat it
is just 0.5 per cent. Gujarat has
the lowest unemployment rate
and highest growth rate in the
country, he said.
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V+|J+lu| |+| C|||+i u| S+|u|J+] Pll
'00a WIII ay f0r caIIIa 60jaratIs 0II0s'
|+|u |+|| R+|ul,
PC i| C|||+i
world 07 NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2014
GLOBE
TROTTNG TROTTNG
TkII8kh8 T MEET
MIIITkhT 6MMkhE8
IsIamabad: Two members o a
Talibannominaled commillee on
Salurday lew in a governmenl
helicoler lo lhe lawless lribal bell
lo inorm mililanl commanders
aboul lheir irsl meeling wilh
Fakislani slale negolialors.
ME 6hIIEh YIh
Ih kIhkh VIIEh6E
kabuI: The number o children
killed and wounded in
Aghanislan's war jumed by 84
er cenl lasl year as lhe Taliban
sleed u allacks across lhe
counlry and conlinued lo lay
lhousands o roadside bombs.
79 6F8 kIIIE Ih
kkk6hI FEkTIh8
kararhi: hearly 8O olice
oicers have been killed in lhe
asl six monlh in lhis Fakislani
orl cily during oeralions
againsl mililanls and criminals.
k IMMIkTIh
MIhI8TE E8Ih8
Iondon: uK's mmigralion
Minisler, lied as a ulure
Frime Minisler, was loday orced
lo resigned aler il emerged lhal
his cleaner was working illegally
in lhe counlry.
8khkIh FF kMkF
I hkTIhkI IkIE
ubai: Bahrain's oosilion
unveiled a roadma or
reslarling nalional dialogue lalks
susended lasl monlh, and
renewed demands or a
conslilulional monarchy.
Z Ek, 9 hT k8 TkIh
EkII8 Ih Ikh6E
igneIes8ains: Two eole
died and nine olhers were
injured when a lrain derailed in
lhe soulhern French Als.
kF Q FALMA 0E MALL0RCA
S
pain's Princess Cristina
headed into court on
Saturday to testify in a historic
judicial hearing aimed at help-
ing determine whether she
and her husband illegally used
company funds for personal
expenses, including lavish par-
ties at their modernist
Barcelona mansion.
Hundreds of protesters blew
shrieking whistles, revved
motorcycle engines, honked car
horns and chanted "Out with
the Spanish crown" just 100
metres from the side entrance of
the courthouse where Cristina
was dropped off and filmed by
a media horde.
A mystery over whether
she would decide to walk about
50 paces down an alley leading
to the entrance in a Spanish
version of a "perp walk" ended
when the car drove down the
alley instead. Cristina took a
dozen steps to get inside, look-
ing briefly toward the cameras
with a smile and giving a two-
word greeting: "Buenos dias"
("good morning").
Cristina, the first Spanish
royal to be questioned in court
since the monarchy was
restored in 1975, faced Judge
Jose Castro, who has sum-
moned her as a fraud and
money laundering suspect.
Sp+i| p|i|
i| Ju| u1|
||+uJ l+i|
Kiev: Ukraines embattled Pre-
sident Viktor Yanukovych ret-
urned to protest-hit Kiev on Sat-
urday after holding crisis talks
with Russian counterpart and
ally Vladimir Putin about a su-
spended Moscow bail out loan.
The chat late on Friday on
the sidelines of the opening cer-
emony of the Winter Olympic
Games in Russias Black Sea
resort of Sochi came amid
growing pressure from the
opposition on Yanukovych to
cede some of his broad powers
and appoint a new pro-Western
government.
Neither Russian nor
Ukrainian officials disclosed
the details of the two leaders
conversation except to say that
it was brief and held at Sochis
Fisht stadium where the
Games opening ceremony was
held. They had a conversation
at the stadium, a Ukrainian
administration spokesman said
by telephone. There was no
official bilateral meeting. That
was not a part of (the presi-
dents) programme, the
spokesman said.
Yanukovych had been
expected to discuss with Putin
the fate of a $15-billion Russian
bailout whose delivery has been
effectively frozen pending his
decision on a new government.
The ex-Soviet country of
46 million was thrown into its
worst crisis since indepen-
dence in November
when Yanukovych ditched an
historic EU pact under
Russian pressure in a stunning
reversal that sparked violent
protests that have claimed sev-
eral lives. AFP
!lraine
leaoer meets
Putin in Socli
kIF Q 0AMASCuS
A
convoy delivering aid to civilians trapped in the
Syrian city of Homs was hit and a driver wounded
on Saturday, as the regime and rebels accused each other
of breaking a humanitarian truce.
The violence comes a day after 83 children, women
and elderly people who survived more than 600 days of
a choking army siege were evacuated in a UN-supervised
operation. Clashes erupted in the morning in rebel-held
areas of Homs' Old City, delaying the delivery of aid.
Hours later a Syrian Red Crescent convoy came
under attack. "Shots fired targeting aid trucks and the
team," the Red Crescent said on Twitter. "Mortar shells
falling in close proximity near the team and aid trucks
that moved into Old City," it added, saying a driver
was wounded.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for
the attack, and it was unclear if the violence will stop a
hard-won deal for the United Nations to deliver aid much-
needed aid to civilians in Homs. The evacuation and aid
delivery were made possible by a surprise UN-brokered
deal between the government and rebels to observe a
three-day "humanitarian pause" in hostilities.
Meanwhile, Syrian activists say government military
aircraft dropped barrel bombs on a rebel-held area in
Aleppo, killing at least 20. The activist collectives, the
Local Coordination Committees and the Aleppo Media
Centre, reported today bombings in Masaken Hanano.
|u| +iJ Jl+]J + u|
u|1u] |i| |] |u||+| |i|
London: Pakistani teenage
rights activist Malala Yousafzai,
who survived a Taliban assas-
sination attempt in 2012, is
among three persons nomi-
nated for an
a w a r d
known as
t h e
Childrens
Nobel Prize.
The 16-
year-old has
been nomi-
nated for the 2014 Worlds
Childrens Prize with John
Wood from the US, who has
given millions of children in 10
countries access to libraries
and education, and Nepalese
child rights worker Indira
Ranamagar.
Every year, the Worlds
Childrens Prize Child Jury, com-
prising around 15 children from
across the globe, selects three
final candidates for the award.
The award is given by a Sweden-
based organisation. PTI
Malala nominaled
or Children's
hobel Fri/e
8 k1kFkIkh Q
wAShh0T0h
A
top Obama administration
official has voiced confi-
dence that US-India relations
and strategic partnership will
continue to grow, regardless of
the outcome in the upcoming
Indian elections.
Speaking at a Washington
event, US National Security
Advisor Susan Rice recalled how
different Presidents, Prime
Ministers and political parties
have worked together to heal old
rifts and take the relationship for-
ward. For almost two decades,
in both India and the United
States, Presidents and Prime
Ministers and political parties
have come together and worked
to overcome old schisms, Rice
said, adding: Piece by piece,
were establishing a lasting part-
nership thats equipped to tack-
le todays global challenges.
Rice, who was addressing
delegates attending the Aspen
Institute US-India dialogue, did
not attempt any crystal-ball gaz-
ing on the Indian polls, but aff-
irmed: The United States is con-
fident whatever the outcome of
Indias upcoming national elec-
tions, the cooperation and strate-
gic partnership between our
nations will continue to grow.
In her remarks, Rice
refrained from making any
explicit reference to the recent
diplomatic spat over the con-
troversial Devyani Khobragade
episode, but noted that whenever
the bilateral ties are impacted by
difficulties, the two counties
must deal with the differences in
a constructive manner.
Every meaningful partner-
ship between powerful nations
encounters setbacks. And, obvi-
ously, recent events have drawn
more attention to our disagree-
ments than to our cooperative
efforts, she said, noting: But,
those difficulties should be
minor compared to the breadth
of our relationship and the mag-
nitude of what we can accom-
plish together.
While making the case for
dealing with differences in a con-
structive manner, given the
importance of the relationship
between the two countries, Rice
pointedly stated: We cannot
a l l o w
s u c h
c h a l -
lenges to
d e r a i l
t h e
f ut ur e
we are working diligently to
build a future of greater pros-
perity, greater security, and con-
sistent adherence to our shared
values.
As India continues to take
on greater responsibilities, we
must work even harder to make
sure this partnership lives up to
its potential, she commented.
She delved into commercial
relations and the rift on some key
aspects as she brought up the
issue of American concern over
Indias local content policies
and state of protection of intel-
lectual property rights.
Making the case for con-
cluding the long-pending Bila-
teral Investment Treaty, Rice felt
it would mark a major step for-
ward that would help attract
more capital to India and also
benefit Indians investing in
industries across United States.
kIF Q T0KY0
T
he heaviest snow in two decades struck
Tokyo and other areas across Japan on
Saturday, leaving three dead and nearly 500
others injured, reports said.
More than 740 flights were grounded
as the weather agency issued a severe storm
warning for the capital, while more than
40,000 households lost power.
As much as 22 centimetres (8.7 inch-
es) of snow was recorded today in Tokyo,
topping 20 centimetres for the first time
since 1994, the meteorological agency and
news reports said.
Two female passengers, aged 88 and 90,
died on Saturday in a car accident on their
way to a nursing home in Ishikawa, central
Japan, NHK said. Police suspect one of the
cars skidded on the icy road and caused the
head-on clash.
A man was also killed in Nagano as a
train smashed into his car at a railroad cross-
ing, the broadcaster said, adding that 3,200
other accidents occurred across the nation
caused by vehicles skidding in the icy con-
ditions. Public broadcaster NHK said at
least 494 people were injured in snow-relat-
ed accidents across the nation.
Further snowfall is expected Saturday
night and early Sunday in Tokyo, the weath-
er agency said. The agency issued a heavy
snow warning for the capital, the first such
warning for the capital in 13 years, calling
on residents not to go out unless necessary.
The agency also warned of strong winds
and high waves in eastern Japan as a rapid-
ly developing low pressure front was head-
ing toward eastern Japan, it said.
Ihree 4ea4, 500 h0rt as
heavy sa0W hIts 1aaa
Mubarak relrial
resumes in Egyl
Cairo: An Egyptian court resumed
the retrial of deposed president
Hosni Mubarak on charges of
killing protesters during the coun-
trys revolution in 2011. Mubarak,
his former interior minister Habib
Al-Adly and six security aides were
acquitted of the charges in January
last year on procedural grounds af-
ter being convicted in June 2012 fol-
lowing his first trial. The retrial is
scheduled to include testimony by
the former head of the military po-
lice. Omar Badawi, chief executive
of the national telecommunicatio-
ns regulatory authority, has been ca-
lled for his testimony on the com-
munications blackout imposed dur-
ing days of the revolution. PTI
!ifferences must
le oealt witl
constructively: Rice
The United States
is confident
whatever the
outcome of ndia's
upcoming elections,
the cooperation
and strategic
partnership
between our
nations will
continue to grow
'08Ia4Ia tIes WIII kee
r0WIa evea after 0IIs'
moneywise 08 NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2014
Fh8 Q hEw 0ELh
A
fter the end of the sixth day
of auction, the
Government has received bids
over C 56,000 crore from tele-
com companies. In all 42
rounds of bidding have been
finished by the sixth day of the
ongoing spectrum auction for
900 Mhz and 1800 Mhz bands.
"A total of 40 rounds are over.
Bids worth around C32,833.72
crore are received for 1800
Mhz and C23,356.18 crore for
900 Mhz. A total of C56,189.90
crore," Telecom Secretary M F
Farooqui said.
The auction started off
with the 36th round on
Saturday. At the end of 35
rounds, bids worth around Rs
54,600 crore had been received
by the Government. Sources
said there was bidding for all
the 16 blocks put up for sale in
Delhi, in 5 out of 16 blocks in
Mumbai and in 12 out of 14
blocks in Kolkata for the pre-
mium 900 Mhz band in 41st
round.
Delhi, UP (West), Assam,
Gujarat and Maharashtra are
witnessing excess demand for
1800 Mhz. The auction for the
two bands, which have been
used for 2G services so far, have
received a strong response.
The auction in November 2012
lasted for 2 days and March
auction last year lasted only one
day.
In November 2012, bids
worth Rs 9,407 crore were
received for spectrum worth
C28,000 on offer. In March
2013, no GSM operator bid at
the auction and only CDMA
operator Sistema Shyam
bought spectrum for about
C3,600 crore in eight of the 21
service areas.
There is no time limit for
the sale of spectrum and the
duration of the current auction
will depend on the appetite of
the eight companies in the
fray Bharti Airtel, Vodafone,
Idea Cellular, Reliance Jio
Infocomm, Aircel, Tata
Teleservices, Telewings
(Uninor) and Reliance
Communications.
A|u| A||+] |u|+| Wi|| ||Sl P|iJ|| +|J CE |i|+ |u|+|+|u +| || |u|J+ |+ll +| !2|| Au|u E/pu i| |+|| |uiJ+ u| S+|u|J+]
kIF Q TAFE
T
aiwan's smartphone maker
HTC on Saturday said it
has signed a patent and tech-
nology collaboration agree-
ment with Finnish phone giant
Nokia to end all pending patent
litigation between them.
Under the deal, HTC will
make payments to Nokia and
the collaboration will involve
HTC's LTE patent portfolio to
further strengthen Nokia's
licensing offering, a company
statement said.
The companies will also
explore future technology col-
laboration opportunities, HTC
said, adding that the full terms
of the agreement are confi-
dential.
"Nokia has one of the most
preeminent patent portfolios in
the industry," said Grace Lei,
general counsel of HTC. "As an
industry pioneer in smart-
phones with a strong patent
portfolio, HTC is pleased to
come to this agreement, which
will enable us to stay focused
on innovation for consumers."
Nokia said it was "very
pleased" to have reached the
settlement and collaboration
agreement with the Taiwanese
company.
"This agreement validates
Nokia' s implementation
patents and enables us to focus
on further licensing opportu-
nities," said Paul Melin, chief
intellectual property officer at
Nokia.
Nokia started its patent
litigation against HTC in 2012
and filed more than 50 lawsuits
worldwide. HTC was found to
be in violation of four Nokia
patents.
HJC, Nolia reacl
settlement on atent lawsuits
kIF QSAh FRAhCSC0
U
S Department of Justice
officials on Saturday
dropped an anti-trust investiga-
tion into whether Samsung
abused essential mobile gadget
patents in its ongoing battle
with Apple.
At issue was whether the
South Korean consumer elec-
tronics giant tried to gain advan-
tage using "standards-essential
patents" on technology that con-
sidered a basic requirement in
smartphones or tablets.Since
such technology is needed to
make devices viable based on
industry standards, rights to use
it are to be made available at fair
market rates, according to mar-
ketplace rules.
The DoJ antitrust division
began investigating last year
when Samsung convinced the
US International Trade
Commission to ban certain
iPhone and iPad models from
the US based on SEPs.
08 4r0s
aatItr0st r0he
Iat0 8ams0a
ateat ah0se
8ectr0m hI4s cr0ss
C56,000 cr after 4Z r00a4s
H
er day starts at 6 am. At 6:15 sharp,
she reports on the ground, runs
around the approximately 25 acres,
does jumps and other warm-up exercises.
She then undergoes a thorough physical
examination before training starts. First,
she learns how to follow her handlers
commands. This means learn how to walk
at the handlers heels and not get distracted.
This is how a typical day kicks-off for
Binny aka Bali, one-year-old female
German Shepherd, at The National
Training Centre for Dogs (NTCD), Border
Security Forces premier dog training
institute in Tekanpur, Gwalior.
Bali is not the only dog undergoing
rigorous training of four to five hours daily.
The centre, established in 1970, trains
around 200 dogs a year. These dogs are
then sent to various Central, State Police
and other law enforcement agencies.
We are the largest training centre in
India. There are other institutes where dogs
are trained in various fields like explosives
detection, narcotics detection, search and
rescue dog training, tracker dog training,
infantry patrolling, poison detection train-
ing and vigil duties but ours is the oldest
and largest. We provide refresher training
courses as and when the dogs need it, or
if new explosives or narcotics come into
the country. Many handlers and dogs from
Nepal and Bangladesh come here for
refresher courses, Dr Raj Mahesh, assis-
tant commandant, training officer at
NTCD, says.
He is quick to point out that the lat-
est star at the centre is Bali, the only dog
to be trained in detecting poison
insecticide, pesticide and common poisons
that have Organophosphate (OP) com-
pounds used by poachers in national parks
and sanctuaries to kill wild animals. Bali,
Mahesh tells you, is very good at her job.
She is so well-trained that she can sniff
poison even if it is less that 0.0062 per cent.
In other words, if the dead animal has the
minutest level of poison in its body, Bali
detects it, Mahesh states. At present, Balis
services are being used by rangers in
Orissas national parks and she has, so far,
located a couple of poison dens deep in the
forest.
While Bali is busy in Orissa, life for
other dogs at the centre is no cakewalk.
Over a 100 Labradors, Dobermans
Pinschers, German Shepherds, Cocker
Spaniels and Golden Retrievers are always
in training at various stages. Sub-Inspector
Bhim Singh Rawal of infantry patrolling
tells you that Labs, Retrievers and German
Shepherds are the best for patrolling
duties.
They are mid-sized and, therefore,
easy to handle as opposed to big dogs.
Second, they have cone-shaped ears at
45 degrees angle. This means their hear-
ing is razor sharp, a must in Maoist areas
or where there is danger of foot soldiers
being ambushed. Third, their eyesight is
brilliant and finally, these dogs can walk
up to 5 km without getting tired. These
breeds are physically very fit, Rawal
explains. Another reason for using mid-
sized dogs is, they are people-friendly.
Training these dogs is not easy. It is one
handler to one dog. When the pup is six
months old, the trainer introduces himself
to him. This is what they call a marry peri-
od which means that the handler has to
put his bed in the cage where the dog stays
for 15 days. During this period, the ani-
mal is taught control and sense of timing.
He is taught when he can go relieve him-
self, where and how many times a day.
While animal lovers may feel we are tor-
turing them, in times of emergency, we
cant have a dog wanting to relieve itself.
After all, lives of hundreds of people hangs
in balance. An early detection of ambush
can save lives of many soldiers. Also, the
15-day period helps develop a bond, the
most crucial aspect in the training period
of 24 weeks, Rawal says.
The dog is also taught house manners.
Once he is in his kennel, he cant invade
the handlers space. He is taught to heed
the handlers commands and walk at his
heel. Once the basic training is complet-
ed, the dogs are segregated. Some are
trained in narcotics search, some as track-
ers and others as explosives detectors. For
every category, the training is different.
In infantry patrolling, the dog is
taught not to bark, sit in one place and turn
its head in the direction from where he is
getting human smell other than those in
the platoon. The animal is also taught to
look at his handler and crook his ear in the
direction from where he is getting the
smell. But to catch this signal, the handler
has to be just as good. A little indication
from the dog should be enough warning
for the person to pick it up and take nec-
essary action, Rawal says.
Agrees Mahesh. The training of the
handler has to be just as good. We cant
have a handler who will hit the dog. If he
does that, it will ruin weeks of training that
has been put in. The dog has to be cajoled
into enjoying the work assigned to him. He
should get excited when he is on the job
and not get distracted. For this, his han-
dler has to ensure that the training is per-
fect. The dog should know that if a job has
been well done, he will be rewarded. Three
pats on the back or a small treat is
enough to keep him interested. He knows
that if he does find explosives or narcotics
or fish out people under a debris, he will
be rewarded. He shouldnt find the work
a boring chore and a lot depends on his
handler, Raj says.
This is because if the handler doesnt
know how to take charge of a dog, the pro-
fessional life of the animal, which is 10
years, gets ruined. Over 150 novices who
are trained every year, are first given the-
ory lessons on dog behaviour, taught basic
first aid and told how a dog reacts in cer-
tain situations. Once the theory classes are
over, a major part of the training is about
practicals. New handlers are put under a
master trainer. Usually, a master trainer
has four to five people in his charge. The
training is imparted to a trained dog to
encourage the trainee, Raj states.
Encouraging the dog and rewarding it
for a job well-done is crucial. Every time
a dog trained in sniffing out explosives
finds them, the handler has to give him an
indication that he has done a good job,
constable Bhagat Singh who trains dogs in
explosives detection, tells you.
The dogs are trained in sniffing out lat-
est explosives and this type of training is
the most intense. This, because it is nat-
ural for a dog to bark and paw when it
finds something.
In explosives detection, the first lesson
he has to learn is how to not bark or paw.
This is because many modern-day explo-
sives just need a small sound to get trig-
gered. Making them recognise the smell
of each and every explosive is the next step.
This done, they are taught to sniff out the
explosive from various objects. Then
comes the training of finding an explosive
buried in the ground.
Usually a well-trained dog can sniff
out 100 gm explosive buried nine inches
into the ground. He is trained in five types
of search areas like vehicle search, human
body, market search, aircraft and ground,
Singh explains, adding that a relationship
between a handler and his dog is beauti-
ful. We treat them like family. The way
he greets us when he sees us and responds
to our command is humbling. The love
they shower and them wanting to please
the handlers moves us, Singh states.
Does this mean that the trainers have
the same relationship with his dog as an
individual has with a pet? Yes. In some
ways, our bond is much stronger. Our dog
will not take food or listen to a command
given by anybody else. So, in case the han-
dler has to go on leave, a person who will
look after him during his absence has to
be introduced to the dog. This takes 15
days. Only then can the handler go on
leave. After all, the services of the dog can
be required any time day or night, assis-
tant sub-inspector Balwant Singh, who
trains dogs for tracking operations, says.
In tracking, again breeds like Labs,
Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds
are the preferred lot. Their fitness is
paramount. Their brilliant ability of
smell helps in tracking a thief or a mur-
derer by sniffing their footprints or any
other object they may have left behind,
Balwant says. Since spot finding is vital,
much of the training centres around this.
The dog is trained to walk long distances
(5 km) without getting distracted. He is
taught to walk ahead of the handler 21
feet in front. He is trained to sniff out crim-
inals even with blood in case of a murder.
In case he looses the scent trail, he is made
to go back from where he made the diver-
sion and pick up the smell again. In such
cases, the dog is reprimanded by words like
bad dog. Probably, the most challenging
part of the training is to be able to smell
out the loot in case of a robbery. In most
cases, the stash is well hidden elsewhere.
So the dog, after catching the thief, has to
lead us to spot where the loot is, Balwant
says.
For this, the dog has to trace the loot
by not only finding out where all the thief
had been but also the stolen articles from
various other things. During training, we
have to first ensure that he is able to pick
the correct person (dummy thief) from 50-
odd people. Once that part is tackled, then
comes searching out the loot. This is a bit
complicated as the dog has to smell out the
exact location.
But why is it that only mid-sized
breeds are used? Why not go for smaller
breeds? The problem is that smaller dogs
dont have the stamina for long hours of
work. They cant walk long distances, they
get tired easily. But we have found that
Cocker Spaniels are best placed to find nar-
cotics. In fact, we have had good success
with this breed. In sniffing out drugs, the
main requirement is a long snout. Cocker
Spaniels are used where one has to sniff
out narcotics in tight and small places.
Here a Lab or German Shepherd will be
of little use simply because he cant reach
the crevices? This doesnt mean that we
dont train Labs or Retrievers. We do. They
have an excellent sense of smell. But since
the work is not so strenuous, smaller dogs
with long snouts can also be trained, assis-
tant sub inspector Rajnath Singh says.
Cocaine, opium, heroin, morphine and
other local drugs are the easiest for these
dogs to sniff out. Training in smelling out
drugs on a person is also given. They are
trained to be on high alert for flights com-
ing in late at night and when drug smug-
gling is more frequent. They are trained
specifically to sniff out drugs even if they
are camouflaged or hidden among eatables.
Their handlers are trained to understand
the pattern of a bark to find out what kind
of drug the person may be carrying.
While, the dogs are not paid a salary
for services rendered, they are given spe-
cific diet of freshly prepared meat, dog
food, eggs and milk which approximate-
ly costs C3,000 per dog per month. They
are also given sufficient rest and kept in
kennels that are cleaned daily. Besides the
dog training, NTCD has other courses like
veterinary, nursing assistant and dog han-
dling and management courses for officers
and sub-ordinates. Till date, 3,215 dogs
have been trained in the institute.
The institute has also been declared as
Centre of Excellency by MHA and award-
ed with ISO certification 9001: 2000 in
2006 and further upgraded 9001: 2008 in
2009. The dogs trained at the NTCD have
won 141 medals during All India Police
Duty Meet Competitions, including 58
gold and 35 silver medals.
special 09 NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2014
ho maller how
good lechnology
becomes, you can'l beal
inslincl, esecially i il is
o an 11monlhold
canine resh oul o
lraining. Take lhe case
o Anny. l was rouline
rancing around al
Mumbai Airorl or her
when she suddenly
snied somelhing lhal
made her sil u. n
seconds, she was
running lowards a
woman wilh such orce
lhal her handler ell.
The woman on Anny's
radar was a Soulh
Arican nalional who
had jusl alighled rom
an Elhioian Airlines
lighl al 4 am.
The haul amounled lo
C8.2 crore. The drugs
were concealed in
cardboard boxes
wraed so well in
embroidered lace lhal
lhey would never have
aeared susicious bul
or Anny's sense o
smell. This was Anny's
irsl calch aler a lhree
monlh lraining al lhe
BSF inslilule near
0walior. ShALh
SAKSEhA caughl u
wilh Anny's coworkers
and handlers al lhis
remier acilily
khhY: works or Airorl Cusloms,
Mumbai. n 0ecember 2O18, nabbed a
drug smuggler carrying 1G kg Ehedrine
worlh C8.2 crore.
hE: heled sei/e drugs over C1OO crore
or Bombay Cusloms in 1O8788.
8hIkhk: Recovered 11 kg high grade
heroin eslimaled al C2 crore rom a
Sanish woman or Cusloms al lhe ndira
0andhi nlernalional Airorl, hew 0elhi, in
1OO5.
8h: Sei/ed 22 kg highgrade hashish
worlh C2.2 crore al 0elhi airorl and
oreign currency o various counlries
valued C8.8 lakh in 1OO7.
IkhTk: nslrumenlal in delecling 1O kg
R0X during Amarnalh yalra, averling whal
could have led lo a major lragedy in 1OO8.
8kkk: Sei/ed 14 kg highgrade hashish
worlh C1.4 crore or 0elhi Cusloms in
1OO7.
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QLabs, Relrievers and 0erman Sheherds
are lhe besl when il comes lo alrolling
because o lheir ra/or shar hearing
Qn lracking, again breeds like Labs,
Relrievers and 0erman Sheherds are
ressed inlo service because lhe ilness o
lhe animal is aramounl
Q0ogs wilh a long snoul are reerred in
deleclion o exlosives. Labs, Relrievers
and 0erman Sheherds have an excellenl
sense o smell
Qn narcolics, deleclion services o
smaller dogs like a Cocker Saniel are
used. This is because lhe work is nol
slrenuous and smaller dogs can make
lheir way inlo lighl laces
Talktime
- %5$1'21 +,//
The bad boy of Bollywood who has worked in over 20 films like
Bunty Aur Babli, Desi Boyz, Agent Vinod, Dum Maaro
Dum, Double Dhamaal, Raaz 2, Yaariyan and others, is back
with his next film The Dark Secrets of Tonhi. He talks to
SANGEETA YADAV about his role & how he landed in
Bollywood
QDid you always dream of a Bollywood career?
I was actively involved in theatre in America before
coming to India in 2004. I had always wanted to visit India
as a tourist. I had no plans to start a career here. One day,
as I was walking on the streets of Colaba in Mumbai, I
bumped into the director of Bunty aur Babli. He introduced
himself and asked me to be a part of his upcoming film. I
was stunned. I had no clue about how the film industry
worked but I did know that deals were not done like this.
But I went for the audition and to my utter surprise, I was
selected for a cameo in the initial rounds. The director said
he was fascinated with my beard and that I was a perfect
fit for the role of a foreigner.
QHow has your journey panned out?
Its been a roller-coaster ride full of surprises and
rewards. It has been a great learning experience. From being
a theatre actor to an actor in the film industry, its the biggest
transition in my life.
QYour thoughts on Mumbai.
Although there is so much new in this metropolis, still
there is an old world charm to it. For me, Mumbai is like
New York it will take just one minute for you to either
like or dislike it. There is no lingering feeling here.
QHow did working with biggies in Bollywood go?
When I met Abhishek Bachchan, he never made me feel
that he is a superstar. He helped me a lot with his advice
and friendly calls. When I was shooting for Crook with
Emraan Hashmi, he always took time out to help me with
dialogue delivery. He is a very down-to-earth person. We
have done four films together but never shared screen space.
I would love to work with him again and again.
QDid you attend any acting workshop before foraying
into the Bollywood industry?
No I didnt. I am a spontaneous actor. Even when I start-
ed doing theatre, I didnt feel the need to learn acting. The
only thing I have ever done to hone up my skills is to read
a book authored by Michal Chin on film-making. I find
theatre a greater challenge than the big screen.
QHow comfortable are you with the Hindi language?
Hindi will be a lifelong battle for me. I have taken up
Hindi learning classes in Mussourie but there is still a long
way to go. I am fine with the basics but the nitty grities are
difficult. I need someone who can communicate with me
in Hindi on a regular basis so that I get due practice.
The problem is that when people realise Im a foreigner,
they start speaking to me in English. I met a guy in
Mussourie who started rattling off broken English that did-
nt make sense. I dont understand why people in India have
this urge to impress people by speaking in English. Hindi
is a beautiful language and they should be proud of their
mother tongue. I would love to learn different languages
in this country.
QDo you ever feel stereotyped as a bad man of
Bollywood?
Its fun to be a bad guy on screen. I used to get roles
which required me to talk rubbish about Indians and my
sole job used to be to kill Indians. Most times, this would
be enough for the viewers to hate me. But I would like to
act in a romantic comedy one day.
QTell us about The Dark Secrets of Tonhi?
Im play the lead as an American doctor who comes to
India to find out the reason why children from a remote
village in Chhattisgarh were dying without any serious ail-
ment. He is shocked to know that the tribe feels it is the
witch Tonhi who is behind these untimely death.
NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2014
Im used only for
India-bashing
H
e is young and happening but
Arjun Kapoor wants to be
known as a wise man. The
model wali image is not for this 23-
year-old actor. I like it when people
say I am good looking and have a great
body. I have trained hard to get all that
so the compliments are most welcome.
But I dont wish to be sidelined as just
another good-looking person who
can act and dance. I want to be more
than that. I have always cherished an
intelligent guy-next-door image,
Kapoor tells you candidly.
The star who left an impression
with Ishaqzaade, says he is open to all
kinds of roles but prefers action movies
to comedy because he is more com-
fortable hurtling abuses than romanc-
ing around trees. I dont say it is unbe-
lievable and sounds very cliche but
jhaad ke pheechhey romance ka time
is over. Now its time more in-your-
face kinda love affairs. Audience
wants more sizzle, more sex and
more chemistry, filmmakers are
simply giving them what they
asked for, says Kapoor, whose
latest film Gunday is about two
spoilt BFFs falling for the
same girl.
Although he is adamant
that the film is not a love tri-
angle as is being portrayed by
the media. Its a pure action
flick with elements of
romance. The actress plays a
pivotal role in Gunday but it
is more about dirty street
politics and how two friends
take things into their hand
and solve matters their way.
We (Ranveer and I) are born
fighters in this flick, Kapoor
says.
His camaraderie with
Ranveer Singh has been doing
the rounds ever since the duo
signed up for this film but
Kapoor feels he connects with
Singh on a different level. He is
a brilliant actor. One of the
finest we have. But he is also a big-time
prankster. There was no competition.
For us, Gunday was a film that required
us to work closely with each other.
Thankfully, we became buddies,
Kapoor says.
Why cant two male actors be
good friends in Bollywood? Why cant
we have a stag party? Why cant we call
each other at 3 am to discuss stuff? This
kind of thinking needs to change, the
actors asks, adding that he has also
become a fan of Priyanka Chopra, his
co-star in this film.
She is the ultimate diva! She is a
charmer, is effortless when she goes
about her scene, she is disciplined and
is also bindaas in her own quirky way.
During shoots, PC would disappear
from the sets. After a short while she
would reappear with homemade
coconut ice creams for everyone, he
recalls. For him, both the Chopra sis-
ters (PC and Parineeti) have an infec-
tious laughter. Their laughter rings
in your ears even days after the
incident is over, he tells you.
Ask him about his plans for
2014 and he gets into a serious
mode. There are seven films
that the actor has signed up for.
I cant talk about the films but
each one has a different sto-
ryline. So there is a lot of
excitement and truck loads of
work that awaits, he says. He
is happy with the way his
career has shaped up but
Kapoor feels he has not reached
his peak yet.
The actor has given himself
another two years by which time
he wants to have carved a niche
for himself. Its risky business and
theres no saying quits after you
have entered the Bollywood band
wagon. My gut tells me that I will
be a superstar soon. Mere ragon mein
khoon nahin acting daudti hai,
Kapoor says, of course, adding how
this is the the cheesiest end line ever
by me.
'More action tlan romance`
8hkIIhI 8kk8Ehk Q hEw 0ELh
K
eeping a timeline of health
records is important especially if
one has a history of ailments. With
more and more lifestyle diseases hit-
ting us, it has become imperative that
records are in place and up-to-date.
Keeping records from the time one
was born from x-rays to scans to
dental records, the task can be
daunting. But rxvault.in, by Delhi-
based Smart Square Technologies Pvt
Ltd, is an initiative which will help
the consumer digitise his or her med-
ical records and enable them to
access the records through a one-
time password and e-mail ID.
The premise behind this portal
is to ensure that the doctor treating
the patient has all the past medical
history of the patient at a click of a
button. There has been a lot of
advancement in technology and
medicine but when it comes to digi-
tised health records, we have hit a
roadblock. Most doctors dont keep
a patient record and every visit
means that the person has to carry
the papers of the last visit. What we
are offering is a simple solution
scan all the medical records that are
available and upload them on our
website. The next time one visits the
doctor all he has to do is log on to
our website and enter the password.
At once, the records are available,
Raghav Sehgal, co-founder of
RxVaults.in says.
This is not all. The documents so
scanned can be put in a folder for-
mat. So, instead of getting a timeline
scan of medical history, one can
access specific files as well. There is
a small fee that comes for this ser-
vice if one wants to do everything on
their own. If an individual can scan
and upload the documents on his
own, we charge C150 for the card
only. However, if the person wants
one of our sales representative to do
the same, he will come to your home
with a portable scanner and do the
needful in a timeline fashion. For this
we charge a fee of C500 and C1500
for a family of four, Sehgal tells you.
All this is possible through a bar-
coded card that the consumer needs
to carry with him at all times. In case
of emergency, especially accidents or
patients who have a heart condition,
the card is a lifesaver. In these cases
each second counts. If the doctor or
the para-medic has quick access to
the information, a patients life can
be saved. All that the doctor has to
do is swipe the card and an emer-
gency number appears where a call
can be made. Once the identity of the
doctor has been established, records
are made available, Sehgal explains.
For those who are scared that the
website may be hacked into and
information misused, they can take
a breather.
The portal is virtually hack
proof. With elaborate security mea-
sures, the information stored is safe.
The portal complies with 256-bit SSL
and perhaps the only website that fol-
lows the standards that have been
laid down by e-health Records
Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare in the country.
QNow that your book Lone Survivor
has become a movie, how does it feel?
Most of my closest friends and my
family wont watch the movie. As far as
myself, it plays over in my head every-
day because I went through it in real life,
so when I watched it on screen, basically
I would say to myself, I remember that
happening. I remember it being worse
than that, or, You missed something
here, but what Peter Berg (the director)
did from what happened to me in real
life to what he put on the screen, Im
absolutely overjoyed. You have to realise,
in real life, the gun battle lasted for over
three hours and the movies only two
hours long. My hats off to all those
stuntmen who laid it on the line and
hurt themselves doing what they had to
do to get that done because in real life,
we all died and the only reason Im sit-
ting here is because of modern medi-
cine. Im basically all titanium.
QHow was the responses from the
people after knowing about your
experience in Navy SEAL mission in
Afghanistan?
People always ask me, I dont
know how you could watch that, how
that effects you, and I just tell them, I
went through it in real life, so its like
pilots watching cyclists watching a
bicycle movie, something like that.
You know that that was as close as you
could get, but you want me to take my
shirt off and show you what it really
looks like? But its movie. Its entertain-
ment and thats what its supposed to be.
In real life its war and wars not
entertainment. War is old men
lying and young men dying kind
of deal. Thats a saying; I didnt
make that up.
QHow true-to-life is the movie
adaptation?
We could obviously only
take so much from real life and
put it into a book and you can
only take so much from a book
and put it into a movie. They had
to condense that down to where
they had theres so much to deal
with in Hollywood, budgets, the time
constraints, the locations etc.
QIs there any classified information?
Yes, some parts were classified. The
same with the book. The SEAL team just
said that we needed to put the story out
to squash any rumours that were going
around about what happened on the
mountain that day. Because they
believed that the families would call me
and say, Hey, why didnt you tell me
about this? I didnt know this had hap-
pened. It happened so much that our
higher commander actually said, Hey,
were gonna declassify this.
I was out there for five days and to
make a movie like that would have been
probably a mini-series or two-part
series. So the director did a great job
with taking all the information that he
had, condensing it and then putting it
on the film.
QWere you involved in training Mark
Wahlberg and other actors for the
movie?
We made the actors work together
as a SEAL team. We worked them from
sunup to sundown like a SEAL team.
Thats how you create a brotherhood,
through blood, pain and sweat. The
SEAL teams from the time we start to
the time that we either get out or we die,
were training everyday or were fight-
ing everyday, and that's the difference
between our unit and the other branch-
es of the military.
QDid you have a call on who will be
cast in the movie to play your character
and that of your colleagues/friends
whom you lost back in 2005?
Yes, I thought about everyone else,
but the guy who was going to play me.
Everybody was coming at me from all
different directions like, You need to
have Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and my
reply to them was, Okay, if I have some-
body like that playing me, and you go
and watch a movie called Lone Survivor,
who do you think is going to make it off
the mountain? Because in real life, when
the parents were at home just sitting by
the phone waiting to see which one of
us made it off the mountain alive,
nobody knew. I wasnt special. I wasnt
the best frogman out there. I told Pete
that he needed to blend the cast with all
actors on the same level, so when it goes
down and the last guys standing, the
audience should be like, wow, I didnt
see that coming. He picked Mark
Wahlberg. I didnt have a problem
with that.
QWhat about the rest of the star-
cast?
Ben Foster was the guy I really
liked. That guy is probably one of
the best actors in Hollywood in my
opinion. Nothing against the other
actors Taylor and Emile, I love
those guys like brothers for what
they did but theres something
about Foster. Hes good. I would
have loved him to play my part but
I let Pete decide.
This chhokra is nol jusl jawaan bul a cool dude loo. Along wilh olilics and arl,
ARJuh KAF00R loves lo read ndian hislory. his camaraderie wilh Ranveer Singh is
much lalked aboul bul Kaoor says his besl riend can never be rom lhe induslry.
0EEBAShREE M0hAhTY chals him u aboul 0unday
T
he latest entrants into the Indian
gaming industry are social mes-
saging applications like WeChat for-
aying into the gaming sector with
their latest 5.1 version. The aim is to
tap the one million mobile phone
users in India. Like WeChat, many
more gaming software companies are
coming up with tailormade games to
keep the youth interested.
Till now, WeChat has rolled out
four games in India GunZ Dash,
2Days Match, Craz3 Match and
Pencil Pilot. Though Pencil Pilot is in-
built in the latest version, the other
three games need to be installed from
the Play Store for free. Users can play
the games, share their scores, post
their achievements, invite and chal-
lenge their friends through this appli-
cation.
Gaming on mobile phones is
getting bigger and better with analysts
forecasting that by 2017, the mobile
gaming sector will generate more
than $100 billion revenue.
The trend of social mobile
gaming is on a rise. The biggest trend
of 2014 which will rule the coming
years is the increasing number of
mobile application games that would
ensure social connection. Gaming on
mobile phones is driven by social
behaviour of the people playing
games with friends and enjoying
experiences on the go, says Nilay
Arora, vice-president, marketing and
business development, 10c India
Internet Private Ltd, a gaming soft-
ware firm.
Agrees Annie Mathew, director,
alliances and business development,
BlackBerry, India. There is no age
bar attached to these games. There is
a trial run available for free. If users
like it, they buy it, Mathew says.
Even Line App has recently
launched Line Go! Go! Go! , a free rac-
ing action game for iPhone and
Android phones. Players can see how
they rank against their friends,
exchange tyres necessary for play and
boast about new high scores on
each others timelines. Both WeChat
and Line App games offers paid items
like stickers and coins, through their
in-app purchases to bolster their in-
game capabilities.
Line GoGoGo! is our first racing
title across platforms and the game
is getting remarkable traction.
According to App Annie, in May
2013, Line was ranked 3rd in the Top
Grossing Gaming App Publisher in
the World on Google Play. In 2014,
we see strategy, augmented reality and
motion sense-based games gaining
popularity and scoring downloads,
Damandeep Singh Soni, India busi-
ness development head, LINE, says.
Blackberry has also launched 3D
games with Blackberry 10 OS. Both
Angry Birds Go! and Pocket Bowling
3D has been upgraded to the 3D ver-
sion. Asphalt 8: Airborne which is an
action racing game, has also been
launched recently for C50.
Blackberry 10 OS has good
bluetooth and wifi facility which
enables the gamer to sync your
updates with your gaming consoles
and PC games. Mobile developers are
coming up with heavy games that can
be run on the mobile platform.
This kind of gaming is closing the gap
with PCs and consoles, Mathew
adds.
Your heallh echronicle
'Folt as i it was
unolding again'
backpack 10
0eralion Red wings o
2OO5 in Aghanislan is
elched in MARCuS
LuTTRELL's memory
orever because he was
lhe lone survivor o lhis
bolchedu American
oeralion. Three o his
havy SEAL leammales
were killed, and Lullrell,
barely survived -
ound unconscious wilh
a number o raclures, a
broken back, numerous
shranel and gunshol
wounds. Bul loday he is
glad lhis incidenl is
being broughl lo ublic
domain in lhe orm o a
hollywood ilm.
Excerls rom lhe
inlerview
these ames
Gaming on social messaging as lave lecome a fao
witl tle launcl of new games on WeClat ano Line
A. By 2017, molile gaming will generate more tlan
$100 lillion in revenues. SANGIIJA YA!AV
reorts
QkbsoIuIeIy Iree Io pIay: The reelo
lay models is making ils resence ell
in lhe console and FC business already.
0ames like 0ee 0own, warrame and
0C universe 0nline, are reelolay
games on lhe FS4. Foular FC lilles
like war Thunder, world o Tanks and
warrame are downloadable or ree on
lhe Xbox 0ne and FlaySlalion 4
consoles. l remains lo be seen whelher
lhis addilion will make a dierence lo
mobile gaming. Analysls lell you lhal in
lhe nexl decade or so lhis ealure will
surely make a oray inlo lhe gaming
lalorms.
QVirIuaI eaIiIy rherk: The virlual
Realily (vR) by 0culus Ril headsel is
execled lo hil lhe markels beore lhe
end o 2O14 and olher comanies will
be exloring olions or releasing lheir
own vR solulions. For inslance;
oular games like Eve: valkyrie is
being designed or vR seciically.
There have been olher games which
have lhe vR headsels -
SkyrimandMirror's Edge is a case in
oinl. Sony, valve and 0ameFace are
also making a bu// or lheir virlual
realily gears and devices lhal can
comlemenl lhe gaming exerience.
Qaming on rIoud nine: n 2O18,
bolh lhe FS4 and Xbox 0ne have had
lheir own versions o cloud gaming.
wilh lhis one can oload game iles
onlo lhe cloud or easy relrieval. This
will allow you lo have access lo your
own games.
whelher lhe advenl o lhis
lechnology will have a serious imacl
on mobile gaming remains lo be seen
bul analysls believe lhal cloud gaming
is lhe nexl big lhing.
kMIh TEh8 Z014
|+|u |u|||ll
NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2014
sport 11
FTI Sh0AF0RE
T
he ICC on Saturday approved its
radical reform plans aimed at
bringing about improved gover-
nance, a move that will give India
significant control over revenue
and power structure of the world's
governing body.
Despite strong resentment from
Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South
Africa, the controversial proposals
related to the restructuring of the
ICC was passed at the Executive
Board meeting after gaining the sup-
port of eight of the ICC's 10 full
members with Sri Lanka and
Pakistan who have both been
vocally opposed abstaining from
the meeting.
The key elements of the reso-
lution are the establishment of an
Executive Committee (ExCo) and
Financial and Commercial Affairs
Committee (F&CA) to provide
leadership at an operational level,
with five members, including
BCCI, Cricket Australia and
England and Wales Cricket Board
representatives.
As per the resolution passed at
the meeting, current BCCI president
N Srinivasan will chair the ICC
Board from mid-2014 which will be
the primary decision-making body,
the world body said in a statement.
A new Executive Committee
will be formed to report to the
board. The initial chair of this
Executive Committee (ExCo) will be
Wally Edwards from Cricket
Australia while the chair of the
Finance and Commercial Affairs
Committee (F&CA) will continue to
be Giles Clarke from the ECB.
These roles will be for an initial two
year transitional period to 2016 only,
the statement further said.
Once this transitional period is
completed, the chair of the ICC
Board will be elected from within
the ICC board with all Full Member
Directors entitled to stand for elec-
tion, it said, adding that BCCI, CA
and ECB - will be represented on
both sub-committees, along with
two representatives of the other Full
Members (who will be elected by the
Board).
The relevant resolutions will
now be drafted through the appro-
priate committees, including the
Governance Committee and the
board before being submitted for
approval to Full Council. Among
other key elements of the resolution
are the creation of Test Cricket Fund
to protect the traditional format of
the game, providing opportunities
to associate members to play Test
cricket, a new financial model for
Full Members and enhanced sup-
port for the leading Associate
Members.
The ICC also said that that there
was confirmation that all Full
Members will enter into a series of
contractually binding bi-lateral
agreements as a matter of urgency
so that they can confirm a compre-
hensive schedule of matches in a
Future Tours Programme that will
now be extended to 2023.
In the new resolution, the ICC
has replaced the World Test
Championship with the Champions
Trophy in 2017 and 2021. "It proved
impossible to come up with a for-
mat for a four-team finals event in
Test cricket that fits the culture of
Test cricket and preserves the
integrity of the format," the state-
ment.
"With the ICC Champions
Trophy alongside the ICC Cricket
World Cup and ICC World
Twenty20 and the formats and
venues already confirmed for all of
these events the ICC has a really
attractive package for 2015-23 to
take to the market."
The reform plan also provides
enhanced support for the leading
Associate Members. The ICC claims
that funds that will be directly dis-
tributed to Associate and Affiliate
Members (AMs) will continue to
grow, building on a dramatic
increase in the previous cycle (2007-
15) if revenue targets are achieved.
There is also a commitment to con-
tinue to support tournaments for all
of the AMs and a range of cen-
tralised services.
The reform plan will now pro-
vide Associate Members a clear
pathway to play Test cricket. The
winner of the next ICC
Intercontinental Cup will be enti-
tled to take part in a play-off
against the bottom-ranked Full
Member and, if successful, obtain
Test status.
This complements the pathways
that are already in place for any
member to be able to qualify for the
major events in ODI and T20I
cricket.
ICC President Alan Isaac hailed
the move and said: "The Board has
made some significant decisions
today which provide us with long-
term certainty in relation to the
future governance, competition and
financial models of the ICC.
"This decision comes after
extensive discussions between mem-
bers that I helped initiate and were
given impetus through a position
paper presented by the BCCI,
Cricket Australia and ECB in early
January."
"Since this time a set of resolu-
tions have been drafted, negotiated
and modified - based on a set of
principles agreed by the ICC Board
on January 28 - and finalised at the
meeting today. There were eight Full
Members who were in a position to
support the resolution today and the
two who abstained have pledged to
further discuss the issues with an
aim to reaching unanimous
approval over the coming weeks," he
said.
ICC Chief Executive David
Richardson added: "We now have
clear direction from the Board and
it is our job to implement the
approved resolution."
The ICC stated that a set of pro-
posals was initially developed by the
respective chairs of BCCI, CA and
ECB -- Srinivasan, Edwards and
Clarke before being presented to a
meeting of the Full Members on
January 9.
"These proposals were then
discussed, negotiated and modified
at two subsequent ICC Board
meetings. A resolution was put to
a vote today and supported by the
required majority of the ICC
Board, i ncludi ng ei ght Ful l
Members. Two of t he Ful l
Members Pakistan Cricket
Board and Sri Lanka Cricket
abstained in the vote as they felt
they needed more time to discuss
the amended resolution with their
respective Boards," it said.
In the passed resolution, there
is a new financial model for the Full
Members who will gain greater
financial recognition based on the
contribution they have made to the
game, particularly in terms of
finance, their ICC history and their
on-field performances in the three
formats.
This decision is the outcome of
a negotiation between members
that has been required to provide
long-term certainty of participation
of all members in both ICC events
and bilateral series against other
members.
The ICC claims that the struc-
ture of the model will ensure that
none of the Full Members will be
worse off than they are at present
and - if forecasts of revenue gener-
ation prove to be correct - all will be
significantly better off. The agree-
ment of the model has been an
important part of a wider negotia-
tion that will now provide long-term
certainty of participation in ICC
events by all of the Full Member
teams.
BCC gots its way, Srinivasan to ohair CC board rom July
8hk11I, kTI Ik6E k6I TE8T V8 k'Tkkk
Bangalore: velerans harbhajan Singh and 0aulam
0ambhir ace a slern lesl as lhe duo will aim al
resurrecling lheir inlernalional careers when Resl o
ndia lake on Ranji Trohy chamions Karnalaka in lhe
rani Cu, here on Sunday. All eyes will be on
harbhajan and 0ambhir as lhey would be ilching lo
show lhe nalional seleclors lhal lhey are slill good
enough lo erorm al lhe highesl level. wilh
Ravichandran Ashwin's lack o skills while bowling in
unamiliar condilions againsl beller balling sides being
lhoroughly exosed, ils lime lhal harbhajan ulls u
all lhe 'lweaker's lricks' u his sleeves againsl a qualily
balling lineu. harbhajan will be ilching lo erorm
againsl a side lhal boasls o domeslic heavyweighls
like Robin ulhaa, Manish Fandey along wilh lalesl
balling sensalion Lokesh Rahul and young Karun hair.
Similarly or 0ambhir, Shikhar 0hawan and Murali
vijay's inconsislenl erormances means lhal he is
very much in lhe mix. A solid knock againsl lhe hosls'
ace lrio will boosl his conidence.
k1k, EMIIhE 8W T I ZkE8
Zagreb (Croatia): Furav Raja's hoes o winning his
second ATF world Tour lille crashed aler a semiinal
deeal along wilh Bra/ilian arlner Marcelo 0emoliner
al lhe Zagreb evenl, here. The unseeded ndoBra/ilian
air losl G7(4) G8 G1O lo second seeds JeanJulien
Rojer rom lhe helherlands and horia Tecau rom
Romania. Raja and 0emoliner layed lhroughoul well
in lhe malch bul were oullayed in lhe Suer Tie
breaker. They saved as many as our break chances
oul o ive lhey aced. Raja had won his irsl ATF level
lille lasl year wilh comalriol 0ivij Sharan al Bogola,
Colombia in July. They also won numerous Challenger
level lilles in a successul 2O18 season.
MEET, kh8h8I EIEh TITIE8
Kochi: 0eending chamions 0urmeel Singh and
Khushbir Kaur won lhe men's and women's 2Okm lille
reseclively, al lhe second halional 0en Race
walking Chamionshis lhal commenced here on
Salurday. 0urmeel look 1 hour 22 minules 58 seconds
lo comlele 1O las on lhe 2km loo course marked
on Brislow Road here, and Khushbir, reresenling
0h0C, clocked 1:8G:25 hours lo bag lhe women's
crown. Kerala's K T ran had lo be salisied wilh
second osilion, inishing lhe course in 1:28:28 hours
while Tamil hadu's K 0anaalhi (1:28:84) slood lhird
lo comlele lhe odium. n lhe women's seclion,
Railway walker Rani Yadav (1:41:24) inished second
while her leammale and ormer nalional chamion L
0eemala 0evi (1:42:84) was lhird.
YkI WIh8 8IE6Wh
Chennai: Yuki Bhambri layed some o his besl lennis
in his career lhis week as he annexed double crown
winning bolh singles and doubles evenl al lhe ATF
Challenger lennis lournamenl here lhis evening. The
ndian 0avis Cuer, who is ranked 174 in lhe singles
lisl beal Alexander Kudryavlsev o Russia 4G, G8, 75
in a lhrilling lhreeseller. n lhe deciding sel, Yukli was
lrailing 85 againsl lhe world ho 284 bul won our
games in a row wilh double breaks. Yuki, lhen
arlnered Michael venus o hew Zealand and lhe
second seeds comorlably beal a ighling h Sriram
Balaji and Bla/ Rola o Slovakia G4, 7G (8) in slraighl
sels. n lhe singles inal, Kudryavlsev o Russia
conlinued lo have lhe lag o an underachiever
comared lo lhe enormous lalenl, he has when he lead
58 in lhe inal sel only lo concede lhe nexl 4 games.
8E6h TE8T k kW; Ikhkk WIh 8EIE8
Chittagong: Mominul haque hil an unbealen cenlury
lo sleer Bangladesh lo a draw in lhe inal Tesl againsl
Sri Lanka in Chillagong loday, leaving lhe lourisls
wilh a 1O series win. Bangladesh, who needed lo bal
oul lheir second innings aler being sel an imrobable
viclory largel o 4G7, were 2718 when slums were
drawn on lhe ilh day al lhe Zahur Ahmed
Chowdhury sladium. Mominul, a 22yearold lel
hander, held lhe innings logelher lill bolh sides
acceled lhe draw as soon as he reached 1OO, his
lhird Tesl hundred, lhe osllea session. Shakib Al
hasan relurned unbealen on 48 as he and Mominul
added 12O or lhe ourlh wickel aler Bangladesh were
1518 beore lea. Sri Lanka, who won lhe irsl Tesl,
ailed lo dislodge lhe hosls who aeared delermined.
Brief Scores: 8I: 587 and 8O5/4d drew wilh
8'desh: 42G and 271/8 (Mominul haque 1OO, Shakib
48; 0ilruwan Ferera 2/55).
Ik FII8 TkY
New Delhi: Slammed by lhe sorling ralernily or
bringing shame on lhe counlry, a beleaguered 0A will
hold ils muchawailed eleclions on Sunday which is
execled lo clear lhe decks or ndia's relurn lo lhe
0lymic old aler 14 monlhs o susension. world
Squash Federalion Fresidenl h Ramachandran is sel
lo be elecled unoosed. Kho Kho Federalion o ndia
residenl Rajeev Mehla and All ndia Tennis
Associalion chie Anil Khanna will be elecled
unoosed as secrelary general and lreasurer
reseclively. Fh8lkgenries
8I86lF8
FTI AuCKLAh0
I
ndia face a daunting task of scoring
407 runs to win the first Test against
New Zealand, who suffered a dramatic
batting collapse in the second innings to
be skittled out for 105 to leave the topsy-
turvy match wide open on Saturday.
Resuming at 130 for four, India were
bowled for 202 to concede a first innings
lead of 301 runs as overnight batsmen
Rohit Sharma (72) and Ajinkya Rahane
(26) failed to provide the side a good start.
The hosts did not enforce a follow-
on on the Indians, hoping to bury the vis-
itors under a mountain of runs but the
ploy failed as Indians bounced back bril-
liantly to bundle out the Kiwis for 105
runs in 41.2 overs on an eventful third
day, which saw as many as 17 fall at the
Eden Park.
Ross Taylor was the top scorer for the
hosts with his 41-run knock, which came
off 73 balls with five boundaries, includ-
ing a six. Only three other Kiwi batsmen
could manage a double-digit score.
Pacemen Mohammed Shami (3/38) and
Ishant Sharma (3/28) dismissed three
batsmen each while Zaheer Khan (2/23)
scalped two wickets to bring India back
in the game.
India were 87 for one at close, still-
ing needing 320 runs for a remarkable
victory and with two full days left in the
game, a result is almost certain.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan (49), who
survived an LBW appeal of Ish Sodhi off
the last ball of the day, and Cheteshwar
Pujara (22) were at the crease for the vis-
itors. Indian batsmen have looked mis-
erable on this tour and now the young
batting line up has an unenvious task of
chasing a huge total of 407 runs, which
if overhauled, would be the third high-
est run chase ever in the history of Tests.
West Indies hold the incredible
record of chasing 418 against Australia
in May 2003 at St John's. Only four times
a target in excess of 400 has been chased
till date. India are third in the list with
the successful chase of 406 runs against
the Caribbean side but it was way back
in 1976. South Africa scored 414 for four
to win against Australia in December
2008 while Australia are the fourth
team to record a win while chasing a 400-
plus score when they scored 404 against
England in 1976.
The Indians took four wickets in the
morning session and New Zealand never
recovered from those early jolts. It was
Shami, who triggered the collapse with
wickets of both the openers. He trapped
Hamish Rutherford leg before for a first-
ball duck off the last ball of the very first
over of the innings. And two overs later,
he had Peter Fulton (5) caught driving at
cover, where Jadeja took a regulation catch.
Jadeja was once again in action in the
sixth over, when he took a screamer of
a catch to send back in-form Kane
Williamson, off Zaheer. Jadeja was not
done yet as he ran out the New Zealand
skipper Brendon McCullum (1) in
another brilliant fielding display.
McCullum was given a life in the eighth
over, when Murali Vijay dropped a
dolly at first slip.
New Zealand took lunch at 15 for
four and thereafter Taylor and Corey
Anderson looked to rebuild the innings
but their efforts were thwarted by Shami,
who bowled a fiery spell of six overs.
And he got reward for his efforts as
he bowled Anderson (2) in the sixth over
after play resumed. The Black Caps
were down to 25 for five with Taylor still
at the crease.
Brief Scores
NZ: 503 and 105 in 41.2 overs (Ross
Taylor 41; Mohammed Shami 3/37,
Ishant Sharma 3/28) lead India: 202 and
87/1 in 25 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 49 not
out, Cheteshwar Pujara 22 not out; Tim
Southee 1/18) by 320 runs at stumps on
Day 3.
New Delhi: Delhi Waveriders
continued their impressive run
in the second edition of Hero
Hockey India League (HHIL)
and beat hosts Uttar Pradesh
Wizards 4-3 in a high-scoring
league match to extend their
lead at the top of the points
table at the Major Dhyan
Chand Hockey Stadium in
Lucknow on Saturday.
The match was expected to
a be a exciting affair, especial-
ly after the two teams finished
1-1 in their previous encounter
in New Delhi and it turned out
to be one as it rained goals
throughout the entire 70 min-
utes, much to the delight of the
spectators.
The Sardar Singh-led
Delhi, which finished run-
ners-up in the inaugural HHIL
last year, showed exactly why
they were considered as one of
the pre-tournament favorites
and pumped in as many as four
goals in the opening 20 min-
utes to stun Wizards and their
home fans.
Delhi opened the scoring
in the 8th minute through a
field goal by Talwinder Singh
before Rupinderpal Singh
(14th minute) converted a
penalty corner six minutes
later to take a 2-0 lead in the
first quarter.
The second quarter
unfolded on similar lines as the
Delhi scored two more goals to
extend their advantage.
Simon Child (19th, 20th
minutes) scored two goals in a
span of two minutes to rattle
the home team. While the New
Zealand striker's first goal came
from a field effort, the next
came via penalty corner.
UP, however, did not give
up hope and produced a spir-
ited fight back to found the
opposition net thrice in the last
two quarters and keep their
hopes alive.
Nikkin Thimmaiah (30th
minute) scored the first goal for
the hosts from a field strike
before skipper V R Raghunath
(38th minute) converted a
penalty corner eight minutes
later as the Wizards went into
the final quarter trailing by 2-4.
Teun de Nooijer scored
another field goal for UP to
bring back life into the match.
Thereafter the hosts
pressed hard for the equalizer
with persistent attacks but
Delhi Waveriders defense
stood tall like a rock to ensure
full five points from the game.
The win consolidated Delhi
position at the top of the stand-
ings with 29 points from eight
games, while Wizards contin-
ued to occupy the fourth spot
on 15 points from six matches.
In their next match, Delhi
will host Ranchi Rhinos on
February 12, while Wizards will
host Kalinga Lancers on Sunday.
Fh1k8 8EkT MM8kI 41
In a dominating display of
brilliant counter-attack, Jaypee
Punjab Warriors defeated hosts
Dabur Mumbai Magicians 4-1
to consolidate their second
place by taking their points
tally to 23 from six matches.
SV Sunil found the net to
give a 1-0 lead for the visitors in
the third minute of the match
and later Dharamvir Singh
made 2-0 in the 17th minute.
Inthe second quarter,
Pujab came up with two more
goals as Affan Yousuf scored
one in the 25th minute and set
up a penalty stroke which was
converted by Sandeep Singh.
VS Vinay scored the lone
goal for the Magicians, who are
languishing at the last spot of
the league table with six points.
Mumbai play Ranchi on
Sunday at 8.00 PM.
Ia4Ia 0ea a WIa40W
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Bundlo out Kiwis or 105 in 2nd innings but nood 407 to win; aro 87 or 1
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S
peedster Zaheer Khan on Saturday
lauded his junior team-mate
Mohammad Shami for his fiery spell
on the third day.
"He's a great prospect for Team
India and has had some brilliant per-
formances. There is no doubt in my
mind that he is a match-winner. That
is the way I look at him. A good bowler
has this quality to take wickets in
bunches, that is what defines a good
bowler, and Shami has shown that
quality. With experience he is only
going to get better," Zaheer said at the
post-match presser here.
"It was a brilliant performance
from all the bowlers. As a bowling unit,
we clicked together. The important
thing was that we had some brilliant
catching as well in the slip cordon and
that was very crucial and it really made
the difference," he added.
India face a daunting task of
scoring 407 runs to win the first Test
against the Black Caps, who suffered
a dramatic batting collapse at Eden
Park to leave the match wide open.
With three in the second innings,
Ishant Sharma had match-figures of 9-
162 and the senior pro praised him as
well. "Short bowling was our plan in
the first innings as we wanted to be
aggressive as a bowling unit. Bowling
bouncers was an aggressive plan for us.
In the second innings, we went in with
the approach that we have to focus on
bowling the right areas and it worked
for us," Zaheer said.
Statistically
To win Auckland Tesl, ndia would have
lo beller lheir highesl chase by one run
while lhey will have lo ull o lhe lhird
highesl successul chase in Tesls. They are
chasing 4O7.
0nly our limes a largel in excess o
4OO has been chased lill dale. The wesl
ndies hold lhe incredible record o
chasing 418 or seven againsl Auslralia in
2OO8, lhen Soulh Arica scored 414 or our
againsl Auslralia al Ferlh in 2OO8OO lo win
lhe malch and ndia are lhird wilh lhe
successul chase o 4OG runs or our againsl
lhe Caribbean side in 1O757G. Auslralia
were lhe irsl when lhey chased down 4O4
or lhree England in 1O48.
ndia had hew Zealand lollering al 25
or 5 in lheir second innings. This was
only lhe ilh lime lhal ndia had lheir
oosilion ive down or 25 or less in Tesls.
ndia's asl bowlers look 17 wickels in
lhis malch. l was only lhe sevenlh
inslance o lhem laking 17 or more
wickels in a Tesl. The lasl lime ndia's quicks
nolched so many wickels in a Tesl was
againsl England al Trenl Bridge, hollingham
in 2O11. IaiseI IeaIures
!
$
%
'
Dolhi build on strongth
waveriders beal uF 48 lo consolidale ho. 1 osilion
l|i w+1|iJ| Si|u| C|ilJ u|J |Wu u+l
l|Ji+ |u|+||J S|+|i l||+|
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P+|| i| Au|l+|J u| S+|u|J+] AP
sport 12 NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2014
C
onventional wisdom says that
in crickets longest format,
winning sessions is important
but for Jagadeesh Arun Kumar, its
all about staying one step ahead.
Before the Ranji Trophy season, he
told his players to go for the kill
from the word go. Instead of focus-
ing on winning sessions, he asked
them to go for wins, sessions would
automatically be won.
He was right. Four months and
11 matches later, Karnatakas 15-year
wait for the Ranji Trophy title was
over. JAK, the nickname he goes by,
had outwitted every other coach in
the country to guide his side to their
seventh title.
Sometimes when you go ses-
sion by session, you tend to com-
promise on certain sessions. In
cricket, even one bad session can
take away the game from you. So I
thought the mind set should be like
going for the win instead of winning
session by session. When you go for
win, you dont think about first
innings lead, you are supposed to get
it. There is nothing so great about
first innings. So it works like that,
Arun, Karnatakas batting coach,
said of the change in teams
approach.
I remember when we won the
Ranji Trophy (in late 90s), we used
to go for win straightaway because
once you go for win, you are think-
ing positively. So what we decided
this year was that whichever team
we would play, home or away, we
would go straightaway for win.
That way the mindset was com-
pletely positive. Bowlers were men-
tally prepared to pick up those 20
wickets and the batsmen knew that
they had to score big in the first
innings to go for an outright win.
Half of the job is done when the
players are mentally ready, he
added.
The change in mindset reflect-
ed on the field too. This season,
Karnataka won seven out of eleven
matches, a domination that no
other team has shown in the recent
past. Batsmen scored 15 centuries
the most by any side. Three of
them came from Karun Nair (22),
who made his mid-season debut
against Punjab. 21-year-old Lokesh
Rahul was seasons second-best
scorer with 1033 runs and made
three of his four hundreds in this
season. Medium-pacer HS Sharath,
who made his debut last season,
had 32 scalps, while newcomer leg-
spinner Shreyas Gopal scalped 18
wickets.
That happened because
nobody looked for scoring less than
a double century. I am happy that
the boys understood the importance
of scoring 100s, 200s or 300s.
Everyone started believing that if the
other guy can get a double, why cant
I? So that kind of healthy competi-
tion and cricketing culture has
made our dressing room very com-
petitive.
The boys should know that if
they want to play for India, they
have to win Ranji Trophy. Its not
easy to play for the country if you
dont win. One odd guy may play
but if you want four or five guys to
play for India, like earlier seven play-
ers from Karnataka were in the
Indian team that happened
because we won the Ranji Trophy
the you have to do well in the tour-
nament. You got to constantly
remind the players that you need to
win Ranji Trophy, JAK, who scored
back-to-back hundreds in the Ranji
Trophy finals for the victorious
Karnataka in 1997-98 and 1998-99,
pointed out.
The credit for this success also
goes to Anil Kumble-led Karnataka
Cricket Association (KCA) for their
vision. Ahead of the 2012-13 season,
the KCA decided to divide coach-
ing responsibilities. JAK became the
batting coach and MAK (Mansur
Ali Khan) was given the duty as the
bowling coach. but that doesnt
mean I cant talk to the bowlers. I
talk to the bowlers and tell them the
mindset of a batsman. Same way
Mansur, who was a bowler, tells the
batsmen what the bowlers will be
thinking in a particular situation. So
we shared a lot of things. Certainly
we didnt cross our boundaries but
we both discussed with each other
before talking to a player, Arun said.
They also decided to introduce
more youngsters in the team. As
many as six players made their
debut this season. It was a big risk
since experience matters a lot in
first-class cricket. But for Karnataka,
things werent moving forward for
the last 15 years and changes need-
ed to be made.
They are youngsters but they
were pretty experienced because
they played a lot of junior cricket
together. They played under-25 for
a couple of years and after under-
25, next step is Ranji Trophy. All
of them had performed very con-
sistently before getting their
chances in Ranji Trophy. So we
picked the guys who were in top
form, whose confidence levels
were really high. They carried
their confidence into Ranji Trophy
too, Arun explained.
Having played over a 100 first-
class matches and scoring 7,000
runs, Arun understands the pressure
of first-class cricket and what it can
do to debutantes. His most impor-
tant task was to make youngsters
comfortable in the dressing room
and Aruns easy going nature came
to his aid.
I am not a dictator kind of a
coach. I am pretty easy going with
the boys and I make them feel wel-
comed in the team. And seniors
were also very nice to them. I, as a
coach, am not very demanding. I
kept things simple and gave the guys
confidence because its a coachs job
to take off the pressure from the
players. They already are under a lot
of pressure. Both MAK and I did
that. We kept things simple and gave
them confidence. I was positive that
juniors will do well and they knew
I have confidence in them. That
made a big difference.
The Ranji Trophy champions
next play Irani Trophy match against
Rest of India and JAK has promised
to go with the same go-for-win
approach and said I have a very good
feeling that well win that also.
My aim is to stay
in|ury-roo: Walmiki
Two years back, serious hi and hamslring injuries had almosl inished high
lying YVk1 WkIMIkI'8 young career. Then, lhe 28yearold had said '
almosl eel like giving u hockey' signalling his dismay. Bul, lhe Mumbai lad
is back and looks in good louch while laying or 0elhi waveriders in lhe
ongoing hL. he lalks lo ABhShEK FuR0hT aboul orm, ilness and ulure.
Q How difficult was that
period when you were out of
the team due to injury?
It was a tough phase for
me. I was playing well at that
time when injury let me
down. Later, I got dropped
from the national team as
well and had to go for a ham-
string surgery and rehabilita-
tion after that. But the saddest
and hardest part of it was
missing out on my childhood
dream playing at the
Olympics. Had I been fit, I
know I would have been to on
the flight for London Games.
QTell us more about that
period. Are you totally fit
now?
It was difficult but as a
professionals, I took it in my
stride. I had to fight it back
and that I did. I had to sit out
of the field for almost nine
months. After that I got back
to training. I slowly started
working on regaining my fit-
ness and later started practic-
ing. Then, I played a couple of
domestic tournaments to get
some form.
QWhat kept you going?
I cleared all doubts and
fears from my mind and sup-
port from my family only
helped. I was in constant
touch with my friends who
kept telling me not to lose
focus. The support of my
family and friends boosted my
confidence. At such times,
the support is extremely
important.
QYou had said that you felt
like quitting
Yes, I regret saying that
and now I feel that I should
not have spoken those words.
It was a difficult time took its
toll on me emotionally and
probably thats the reason why
I said those things.
QAfter you were out of the
team, other strikers like
Mandeep Singh, Ramandeep
Si ngh and Nithi n
Thimmaiah have impressed.
So, how do you see the chal-
lenge?
Its good for Indian hock-
ey. All the players who are
playing in the team are good
and with all of us competing
for places, makes for healthy
environment in the camp.
Mandeep, especially is a class
act. He is young and is one for
the future.
QHow will you evaluate your
performance in the HWL
Final and the Hockey India
League?
It feels good to make a
comeback. I was satisfied with
my performance in the HWL
Final. Of course I could have
done better but that was my
first big tournament with all
tough opponents and I was
pleased with the way things
turned out for me. Also, I am
happy with the way I have per-
formed here the HIL. I am
fully fit now and in rhythm. I
really feel like getting there
and it is good to get my name
on the scoresheet.
QHow would you rate your
team, Delhi Waveriders per-
formance this year?
Last year, we had finished
runners-up which was a good
performance and this year as
well, the team is looking good.
We have had some changes
this year but we are confident
of reaching the semifinal this
time as well. We started this
edition slightly slowly unlike
last year but it can happen
with every team as all cont-
eders in the HIL are strong
getting better day by day. We
have been enjoying the com-
pany of our foreign recruits
and are learning and improv-
ing consistently. Last year, we
had peaked and played bril-
liantly in the initial matches
but lost a bit of rhythm later
on to lose the final. We have
learnt from the experience
and this year we have decid-
ed to take it slowly and get
into the semifinal and take it
from there. We really want to
win this season.
QWith so many tournaments
coming up in the year, have
you set any specific goals?
I am now more aware of
my strengths and would want
to stay injury-free and play for
in the upcoming World Cup,
Commonwealth Games and
the Asian Games among other
crucial tournaments.
Yu1|+| w+l|i|i (|i|| ||u| l||) l||+| + u+l Wi|| |+||+| Ju|i| || u|ui| |u|] l|Ji+ |+u
JAK OF WNNNG TRADE
Balsmen o lhe Karnalaka Ranji leam were lold lo go or big scores while lhe bowlers were given lhe greensignal lo go ahead and
lake 2O wickels. n olher words, coach 1kkEE8h kh kMk inculcaled lhe habil o osilive lhinking inlo lhe side and as a
resull lhey became lhe domeslic chamions aler a droughl o 15 years. AMT ChAu0hARY soke lo lhe him
6hkTSh0w
Hockey
The boys should
know that if they
want to play for
ndia, they have to
win Ranji Trophy.
t's not easy to play
for the country if
you don't win
wi||| u| || 2J!J!4 R+||i l|up|], |+||+|+|+, Wi|| || R+||i l|up|]
LAST YEAR, wE hA0
FhShE0 RuhhERS
uF whCh wAS A
0000
FERF0RMAhCE Ah0
ThS YEAR AS wELL,
ThE TEAM S
L00Kh0 0000
F
or better or for worse, we live in an
age of social media. Thanks to
networks like Twitter and Facebook,
we can share our thoughts, our joys
and our disappointments with the
world at large, sharing our innermost
thoughts with an army of strangers who are
often friends in the virtual world.
The recent death of Sunanda Pushkar put
the focus on this fact. Some hyperactive
television anchors were quick to blame social
networks. But despite this ill-will, the fact
remains that Indians have taken to social
media like a fish to water. Facebook is close to
crossing 100 million users in India, if it has
not done so already. India is among the top
five countries with Twitter accounts. The past
two years have seen tens of millions of
Indians sign up for high-speed mobile data.
And a direct by-product of all this has
been the way we interact with those we
love. Relationships are not private anymore,
they have become increasingly public. It is
not as if people did not have one-night
stands and extramarital affairs before the
prominence of social media; but in todays
world an aggrieved party can write a post
and it could potentially go viral on Twitter,
or all of your friends and family can read
the status on Facebook. The potential is
there for not just high levels of
embarrassment but also to damage ones
professional and personal equations.
But, as Narendra Nag, vice-president
Asia-Pacific, Social Media Hive of French
media firm MSL, points out, in todays times
the very concept of love has changed. We
use that word far more liberally nowadays,
and the love that some people show towards
inanimate objects through social media sites
is genuinely surprising.
Facebook has irrevocably changed the
way we look at relationships. A Facebook
spokesperson highlighted the fact that the site
makes no claims towards responsibility to
what people post on the site and that users
need to understand what they are exactly
sharing on the site. There is a complex web of
privacy settings that can help users of
Facebook hide information from the wider
world while still continuing to use the site,
but most users are unaware of this.
Angad Chowdhry, managing partner,
Sphinx, a self-described digital ethnographic
consultancy, has studied reams of data about
modern relationships from Facebook. He
finds Facebooks concept of the Its
Complicated relationship status very
interesting. Looking at photographs of
younger people in India who have tagged
themselves as in a relationship as well as
its complicated throws up some startling
facts about romance in the age of social
media. For people who are in a
relationship, there is an interesting arc.
Before the relationship begins, the female
friend of the girl is always in the photograph,
suggesting that she has been brought for a
date for proprietary reasons. After the
relationship has commenced, we notice that
this friend is no longer present in date
photographs. Instead, the male friend of the
guy in the relationship dominates.
Chowdhry goes on to add, In contrast
to this, for people whose relationship status
is tagged its complicated, the photographs
are totally different. Going on dates, there is
always a third person present (the person
who takes the photograph), but this person
never puts themselves in the picture. They
try to vanish from the public record. This
suggests that younger people are extremely
savvy about their lives being archived
online and, more significantly, whether we
see them or not, there is always a third
person witnessing the romance. You can, of
course, push this claim further and suggest
that this third person real or imagined
is the true audience for the romance
unfolding on the Internet.
So is Chowdhry right? Is the wider world,
which takes the place of the so-called third
person, the real reason for several modern
relationships? Are we advertising the fact that
we are with someone we apparently love to
show something to the world. Not everybody
is convinced. Deepti (name changed), a
committed girl in her late 20s, argues that
she puts her relationship status on Facebook
because she genuinely loves her partner and
sees no reason to hide it. Yet, in saying this
she confirms Chowdhrys point of the third
person which could be the world at large
being the true audience for these status
updates.
But what when one partner is obviously
angry with the other and starts posting
updates that could potentially upset the
other. Infidelity is not new in human
society, it happened before Facebook. But,
yes there is possibly a whole new paradigm
to being exposed now, says Nag. This is
possibly what happened with a well-known
couple in Delhi recently, while there was no
proof of infidelity, the very fact that social
media became a tool to expose people,
particularly those followed by millions on
social media was unprecedented.
We live in an interesting time where
relationships are built and broken on social
networks, Nag says. However, he does add
that this shift challenges older people more
than the younger lot. Younger people who
have grown up with the Internet and
compulsive sharing will adapt to these
changes far better than those in their mid-
30s and older, that is a fact of life.
So complain as one might about social
media, the fact remains that relationships
being advertised on social media are a fact of
life in todays day and age. Whether Facebook
or Twitter survive into the next decade are
moot points, the Internet is here to stay as are
relationships on the Web. Relationship
counsellors and psychiatrists are to get used
to this new reality.
sunday
magazino
F R O M T H E N S D E
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in Ihe IiIms reIeased by major
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Now Dolhi, Fobruary 9, 2014
0
WhiIe modern srhoIars have been
arguing over Ihe naIure oI Ihe Indus
riviIisaIion, h8 ajaram says IhaI Ihe
harappans Were very murh Vedir
Iove
-oeIaI
medIa
n lhis age o social media, we share our lhoughls, joys and disaoinlmenls wilh an
army o slrangers who are olen 'riends' in lhe virlual world. KuShAh MTRA lells us
how lhe concel o love has changed wilh lhe advenl o lhe likes o Facebook and Twiller
In tIe age oI
F A T A L A T T R A C T O N
Social media has quile a ew
unsavoury momenls. There are
inslances such as a alher killing
his ormer wie or sloing lheir
child or 'liking' his online osl,
or a leen killing his girlriend over
a Facebook commenl, or even a
man using - or one musl say
misusing - social media or
luring his ex inlo a dealh lra
n January 2OOO, a erson killed
his wie or as rivolous an issue
as changing her Facebook
relalionshi slalus back lo
'Single' rom 'Married'
n 2OO8, lwo women oughl over
Facebook or monlhs over a man,
and lhen decided lo sellle lhe
ighl once and or all. 0ne o
lhem ursued lhe olher across
lhe cily and ramed her car
when lhe man came oul lo gel
somelhing rom Mc0onald's; lhe
woman survived, bul lhe co
assengers were killed
h0AhS hAvE
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ME0A LKE A FSh
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FACEB00K S CL0SE
T0 CR0SSh0 1OO
MLL0h uSERS h
h0A, F T hAS h0T
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h0A S AM0h0 ThE
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sunday
magazino
||ilJ !
ThE 0ERMAh h00L00ST Ah0 SAhSKRT
SCh0LAR MAX MuELLER wR0TE EXTEhSvELY
AB0uT h0A Ah0 TS AhCEhT vE0C
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ThS C0uhTRY
Now Dolhi, Fobruary 9, 2014
while modern scholars have been arguing over lhe source and nalure o lhe ndus valley civilisalion, whelher il was vedic or
nonvedic, hS RAJARAM says lhal lhe haraans were very much vedic and lheir scril was lhe molher o all ndian scrils
A
hundred years ago, it was widely
believed that there was no civilisation
in India before 1500 BC. History books
claimed that a tribe of people called the
Aryans, originally from Europe, invad-
ed India at that date bringing with them both the
Vedas and the Sanskrit language. The basis for this,
it was claimed, was the similarity of the European
languages with Sanskrit. The date of 1500 BC was
based on the then current Biblical belief that the
world was created on October 23, 4004 BC. This is
the now infamous Aryan invasion theory still
found in many textbooks.
This received a severe jolt in the 1920s when
the British and Indian archaeologists discovered a
vast and advanced civilisation in Punjab and Sindh.
It was found to be more than a thousand years
older than the supposed arrival of the Aryans in
India. This is now famous as the Indus Valley or
the Harappan civilisation. In the face of the contra-
diction it presented to the Aryan invasion theory,
the proper thing for scholars would have been to
go back and re-examine their theory. But they did
not. Instead they argued that the Harappan
remains belonged to a pre-Vedic Dravidian civilisa-
tion that was destroyed by the Aryan invaders.
This implies that great cities like Harappa and
Mohenjodaro, both nearly 5,000 years old, were
built by the Tamil-speaking people from the south.
This makes about as much sense as claiming that
the great south Indian temples of Madurai and
Rameshwaram were built by Sikhs from Punjab.
This absurd view enjoys support in some circles,
especially among the Dravidian parties and the
LTTE. They have even sponsored scholars like
Asko Parpola of Finland to give it a veneer of
respectability. One could laugh it off except that
this Dravidian theory, like the Aryan invasion the-
ory, has been a major obstacle to a scientific study
of ancient India. It reverses the chronology by plac-
ing Harappans before the Vedas and treating the
two as culturally and linguistically unrelated. As a
result, the writing found on the Indus seals and
other artifacts has been declared undecipherable,
without setting any criteria that would make any
reading acceptable. One inflexible rule is the lan-
guage and culture of the Harappans cannot be
related to Sanskrit.
As we shall see, this dogma is false. And in an
unexpected way, an enigmatic figure known as the
Indus Unicorn allows us to break this deadlock and
allows us also to read the writing found on the
Indus seals. While the amount of information con-
tained in these writings is small, the script itself is a
major source for understanding the evolution of
writing in India.
=181281B1D1 1>4 E>93?B>
While modern scholars colonial and post-colo-
nial have been arguing over the source and
nature of the Indus civilisation, whether it was
Vedic or non-Vedic, few noticed that Indus seals
and their icons were described by the compilers of
the Mahabharata 2,500 years ago. The
Mahabharata war took place around 3,000 BC. But
the compilation of the Mahabharata, as we now
have it, was a long drawn affair that was completed
around 500 BC. During the later phases of the
compilation, a good deal of philosophic and didac-
tic material was added on to the epic, especially in
the Shanti Parva, which is the longest of the 18
books making up the epic.
The Shanti Parva contributes nothing to the
Mahabharata story; it is a summary of dharma to
be followed in various situations. What is remark-
able is it describes several Indus seals including
those with the most common icon, the mythical
creature known to scholars as eka-shringa or the
unicorn. Further, the Mahabharata tells us that this
unicorn represents the form assumed by Krishna
as Vishnu when he rescued the world from deluge.
This is the famous Varaha Avatar of Vishnu.
This was brought to light by the brilliant Vedic
scholar, my late colleague and co-author Natwar
Jha (1938-2006). It allowed Jha to approach the
problem of reading the Indus writing by ignoring
modern myths like the Aryan invasion and the
Aryan-Dravidian divide. But there was more: The
same Mahabharata passage also hints that the writ-
ings on the seals contain words taken from the
famous glossary of Vedic words called the
Nighantu, compiled by ancient sage Yaska. It credits
Yaska with the recovery of knowledge that was
adho-nastam or lost in the depths. These means
Yaska had recovered these seals 3,000 years before
archaeologists did in the 1920s.
Yaska is one of the most celebrated of the later
Vedic figures: He is the compiler of a commentary
known as the Nirukta which is still in use. What is
remarkable in all this is that ancient authors of the
Mahabharata as well as Yaska who lived thousands
of years ago had no inkling of any Aryan invasion,
let alone of any Aryan-Dravidian divide, even
though they were familiar with the Harappan civil-
isation. This is further evidence that the Aryan
myth and Harappans as Dravidians are entirely
modern concoctions with no basis in history.
This discovery gives a clear historical and lin-
guistic context for the study of the Indus writing.
Going back to Yaskas time and earlier, people of
the area were part of the Vedic civilisation. This
means the languages they spoke and wrote must
have been related to Sanskrit, just as todays lan-
guages like Hindi, Bengali, Telugu and others are.
This solves half the problem of reading Indus
writing the identity of the language. It was
Sanskritic; our readings suggest that they contain
a high percentage of Sanskrit words just like
Indian languages today.
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It is important to be clear about the Indus writing
and its historical context. The seals come from a
civilisation that at its height covered an area exceed-
ing a million sq km and a period spanning a thou-
sand years. Considering we have only around 4,000
samples of writing averaging less than five charac-
ters in length, the quantum of information con-
tained in them must be meagre. Once the initial
novelty wears off, the writings are found to be high-
ly repetitious with simple invocations like aahave (I
invoke), names like Agni, Indra, Ishvara and so on.
All told the corpus of writing amounts to not more
than 2,000 words that can easily be fitted on to five
pages or less. And this for a civilisation occupying a
million sq km for a thousand years.
This is confirmed by the readings using the
only methodology we have available, proposed by
the late Natwar Jha and I. There is not a single
complete sentence in the whole body with any nar-
rative. What we find instead are isolated words and
phrases drawn from the voluminous literature
from the period Vedic commentaries, names of
Vedic characters like Sudas, Atri, Paila and epic
heroes like Rama and Krishna. All these we already
know from other sources. Their value as a histori-
cal source may be appreciated by comparing them
to the postage stamps of a country like India or the
United States. They relate to history but are hardly
historical records.
This means that the writing on the Indus seals
tell us nothing about ancient India that we cannot
learn from other more extensive sources like the
Vedas, Puranas and epics. The value of Indus writ-
ing lies in the fact that it tells us how writing
evolved in India. All Indian scripts except imported
ones like Persian and English (Roman) derive from
the Brahmi script used in Ashokas inscriptions. We
found that Ashokan Brahmi itself is based on the
Indus script. In fact, many writings on the seals can
be read as Brahmi.
A point to note is that Indus scribes did not
use a single script but a collection of writing
methods, used in a more or less ad-hoc manner at
various times for various purposes over a period of
not less than a thousand years. Unlike the edicts of
Ashoka which are extensive texts that have a
focused theme and a programme of propagating
his version of dhamma (dharma or proper con-
duct), Indus messages are brief statements of one
or two words that contain little meaningful infor-
mation. They belong to history of writing more
than history proper. It is their structure that is
important, not the content.
Actually, it is the icons in their relationship to
the literature the Vedas, the Upanishads and the
epics and the Puranas that shed light on the era.
These leave no doubt at all that Harappans contin-
ued evolve from the Vedic. They should be seen as
belonging to the Vedantic period that saw the cre-
ation of the Upanishads and the Sutras. We find
their imprint in the iconography as well as the
writing. (Also in the mathematics of the ancient
world from India to Babylon to Egypt and then
Greece, but that is not germane here.)
When we come to Indus writing, what really
held back its reading was the dogmatic position
that Harappans were non-Vedic and possibly even
Dravidian who did not know Sanskrit. This, of
course, was the result of the Aryan invasion myth
which they called theory. If only scholars had
examined Indus writing with an open mind and
compared it to the other ancient script known as
Brahmi used in Ashokas inscriptions, they would
have seen that Ashokan Brahmi borrows heavily
from the Indus writing. The example given pre-
sents Ashokas Lumbini inscription written in the
original Brahmi alongside the Indus. The two are
almost indistinguishable except to the rained eye.
Thus, there is nothing mysterious about the
Indus writing, though it is still technically demand-
ing because it is both primitive and complex. There
is no single decipherment key as with Brahmi or
Linear B (Greek), but most of them can be read as
a primitive form of Brahmi mixed with older signs
(not discussed here). What held back its reading
was not so much this technical difficulty but the
blind attachment by prominent scholars to the
Aryan invasion dogma. Or as the ancient sage
Yaska put it, It is not the fault of the pillar if the
blind man fails to see it.
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|i Wu|| Ju| |ui||l] Wi|| || l+| |+|W+| 1|+ i| ||i| |uu|,
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I
t is that time of the year when
Superman, the Avengers, Chacha
Chaudhary, Flash, Batman, the
Invisible Man, Suppandi, Aladdin, et al,
join you for a symposium of fan conven-
tion. Comic conventions across the world
are turning into a huge trendsetting wave
effectively filtering into the mainstream.
The graphic form is permeating into pub-
lic art and serving several pursuits. Its rad-
ical attributes can generate entertainment
as well as serve as an agency of dissent
against the establishment at the same
time. This debate between vandalism and
art has been revisited in the annual Comic
Convention in Delhi that started on
February 7 and ends today.
This year the event promises a fusion
of dynamic versions of the comic world
across the globe, from graphic novels to
action figures, from costume competitions
to gaming sessions, and so on. Not only
that, experts of international repute have
graced the occasion with their presence.
Eisner Award winner Mark Waid, who
has been a writer of characters such as
Flash, Superman, Captain America and
the Justice League is present along with
the likes of multiple Eisner Award winners
Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon. Also present
is David Llyod, who has been the illustra-
tor of Allan Moores V for Vendetta. Pran
Kumar Sharma, the illustrator of the
famous Chacha Chowdhury, will be
awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award
today. Tinkle comics will also receive an
award for their contribution to the Indian
graphic medium for the last 30 years.
So how does then this event draw a
balance between popular mass culture and
graphic literature? Jatin Varma, founder of
Comic Con India says, I believe its a line
that overlaps a lot, because if you feature a
Spiderman comic, you would also have
Spiderman action figures, other acces-
sories, apparel, DVDs and much more. We
are unabashedly a pop-culture based
entertainment event, which includes
comics, films, television, gaming, anima-
tion, merchandise, toys and a whole host
of things that would resonate in popular
culture. Ask him if those drawn every
year are indeed comic-enthusiasts or
merely subscribe to the modern fad of
consumerism, Varma reasons, I dont
agree with the tag of modern fad of con-
sumerism, its an entertainment event that
celebrates different aspects of popular cul-
ture, everyone who comes in takes away
different things from it. I would put the
number of active comics readers at about
1/3rd the audience.
Various foreign comic publishers and
distributors see a prospective market in
India. More than 100 stalls by Indian pub-
lishers including Amar Chitra Katha,
Random House, HarperCollins, Simon &
Schuster India, Scholastic India, and so on
have set up stalls to exhibit their products.
The 2000AD, Diamond Book
Distributors, Cyanide & Happiness,
Comixology, etc, have opened up their
avenue for prospective Indian enthusiasts
as well. It is at par with its international
counterparts. Maybe a little less cosplay
here but the vibe is similar and the scale s
as big as it is in, say, the UK, says Ben
Smith, an exhibitionist at the 2000AD
stall. The UK-based photographer
Venessa Champion notes, It is a brilliant
cross-section of people; a lovely atmos-
phere as well as the possibility of network-
ing and distribution is assured.
We are just four years into this and
have certainly come up very fast. I am
hoping that with more resonance in the
Indian audience and with better access to
content from within India and from
abroad, well keep growing, adds Varma.
The event will also mark the launch of
some unique book projects. Lalit Sharma,
the artist on the project World War One
1914-1918, says, With the centennial
anniversary of the beginning of WW-I
coming up this summer, 2014 seemed the
ideal time to bring out a book on World
War I. It is a fascinating period of history
and a complicated one. There are lots of
shades of grey and most people really dont
understand why people were fighting. It
was the first truly global and modern war
and with the advent of tanks, planes and
other technological breakthroughs it
makes an ideal subject for a graphic novel.
Our core readership will be high school
kids from 12-16 but as with any good
book, age should not be a boundary.
Books with themes of dystopia, vio-
lence, and the macabre are being increas-
ingly consumed by the youth. At this
event too, most participants are dressed
not as a humorous or upbeat comic char-
acter but essentially as the evasive, myste-
rious anti-social elements. So do events
like this then celebrate what is dark and
gory? What perpetuates this urge to asso-
ciate with and enjoy the evil? Actor Luke
Kenny, whose Zombie Rising Vol 2 will be
launched at the event, says: See, the
young upwardly mobile Indians have their
pop culture sensibilities sorted and are
aware of all the new trends that are preva-
lent within the Western world. And as
content becomes increasingly consumed
on mobile devices, the tribe is growing. So
there is a dedicated Indian audience for
zombie-related products as well as a new
audience that is willing to explore.
Kenny is right, the urban youth of
today celebrates emancipation, at times to
the extent of anarchy, which is why a
comic convention then serves as the per-
fect forum for them to unleash their inher-
ent aspirations on. I am dressed as the
Hawk Girl. This isnt how I could dress in
a normal office day, right? This event
allows me to uncover the child in me. I
can do what I wish, be who I want, says
Ekta Kapoor, a cosplay participant. In this
context I see the evil as a form of art. Its
creative and builds the prospects for more
characters to be created, adds Rhea
Srivastava, another participant. Comic
Con sure is the place to study the interplay
of inner thoughts and actions of people. It
helps one psychoanalyse the others as well
as colour ones own latent imaginations.
Another interesting facet of the event
is that it familiarises the masses with
comics journalism. World Comics India
(WCI), founded by Sharad Sharma, is the
first organisation to present a methodical
curriculum in comics journalism. Sharma
says, Comics journalism is a new phe-
nomenon. Here creators use visual medi-
um to tell the story or disseminate infor-
mation. Comics journalists travel to one
specific area to collects information, doc-
uments and incidents. They draw live
sketches, collect visual information, draw
info-graphics and later weave them all in
one story format. These stories are usually
presented in the same old comics format.
I had designed a project in which 15
comics journalists were assigned to report
on development issue; how these com-
mon people living in 15 different States of
India see development in last 60 years of
independent India. Though none of them
was an artist, they were familiar with the
basics of the comic making. It took four
years to complete this self-funded project.
These 15 stories were developed in several
different languages; later after translation
these were published as an anthology in
both English (Whose Development) and
Hindi (Vikaskaal Vipreet Buddhi) lan-
guages. Recently, we had 13 students from
India, Pakistan and Nepal in the first
batch and 15 in the second. We are still
polishing and fine tuning the course.
Most visitors, at the same time, are
oblivious of the history and contemporary
essence of the graphic medium. While for
many, political graphic novels like
Parsepolis or Maus would be inspiring and
moving, most participants claim to be
non-readers, meaning, they catch the
popular animated shows on the TV and
watch Batman; the Comic Con ensures
masti and prizes and thats why its worth
it. While on one hand, it builds the
groundwork for international marketing,
enhancement of creativity, moments of
merriment and grandeur, who are these
people who are drawn towards the
endeavour? Was Walt Disney a genius or a
perpetrator of the evil, stereotypes and
lies? Is commercialism taking a toll on
art? Is viewership hampering readership?
To find out, either way, you have to attend
the Comic Con!
Of comics, conventions ano coslay
Ashokan (Brahmi) Scril ndus (haraan) Scril
Samo o tho insoriptions writton in Ashokan and ndus soripts aro indistinguishablo to tho untrainod oyo
haraan unicorn
Seal o ive svaslis (anca svasli)
of the Unicorn
The riddle
The riddle
The Fanca Svasli seal reers lo a amous VcJic rayer known as lhe
svasti mantra or s|anti mantra. The wriling may be read as "panca
svasti viJma" which means knower o panca svasti. This is clear
evidence lhe haraans ollowed VcJic raclices and belies
This is by ar lhe mosl commonly ound icon among lhe ndus seals.
l was known lo lhe comilers o lhe Ma|a||arata. The message may
be read as "traanc inJraas|va" which means ower o ndra'a house
of the Unicorn
ThE MAhABhARATA
0ESCRBES SEvERAL
h0uS SEALS
hCLu0h0 Th0SE wTh
ThE M0ST C0MM0h
C0h, ThE MYThCAL
CREATuRE Kh0wh T0
SCh0LARS AS
EKAShRh0A 0R ThE
uhC0Rh, F0uh0 h
hARAFFAh SEALS
As lhe ourlh annual 0elhi Comic Con kicks o, AhAhYA B0R00hAh revisils lhe debale belween vandalism and arl
HDDENSOULS
FRAM00 FAThAK
sunday
magazino
sji|ilJlil; l
MY F0RMuLA F0R Lvh0 S 0uTE
SMFLE. 0ET uF h ThE M0Rhh0 Ah0
00 T0 BE0 AT h0hT. h BETwEEh, 0CCuFY
MYSELF AS BEST CAh.
- CARY 0RAhT
Now Dolhi, Fobruary 9, 2014
T
he Art of War is a popular book written by
Chinese general Sun Tzu over 2,500 years ago
that is supposed to provide useful insights to
students of management on the fine art of strategic
management. I have always wondered if it is only the
art of war that we need to know to learn strategic
decision making. I have realised that more than the
art of war, it is the art of peace that we need to learn.
The scenario today suggests rather clearly that
humanity is on tenterhooks. The rising cases of
dependence and anxiety are grim pointers to the
state of affairs of the present as well as the future. We
are developing guided missiles but unguided human
beings; tall buildings but small people; a world
where coffers are full but souls are empty. There is a
need to ponder, why? We are perhaps not at peace
with ourselves and that is what explains the rise in
neuroticism and stress-related diseases. Lao-Tse had
famously said that if you are depressed then you are
living in the past, if you are anxious then you are liv-
ing in the future, if you are at peace, you are living in
present. It is the calmness of mind that brings peace.
How do we acquire this state of calmness of mind?
We need to know that the nature of the mind
alone determines the type of people we are. As we
think, we form a logical statement because our
thoughts drive our actions. What has to be the strat-
egy? How to train the mind? But before looking for
an answer to these questions, we need to find out
why the mind is so restless? Well, the simplest
answer is that it is the nature of the mind. Thoughts
keep on pandering and pondering. It is the disci-
plining of the mind that has to be done. While we
all look to different techniques of meditation to
train the mind, we find it very difficult to practise
them. But this does not mean that achieving mind
control is not possible. With perseverance and dedi-
cation it can be achieved.
One of the most time-tested means is learning
the art of self-awareness. Look inwards to find your-
self. For this we need to practise silence. The Maitri
Upanishad says that there is something beyond our
mind which lives in silence within our mind. As
Osho says, Silence is the inner health, mind is the
inner disease. Begin with practising silence every-
day. However, the silence of the external world will
not be of any use if the internal noises are not con-
tained. So learn to enjoy the bliss of quietude.
l| W|i|| i p|u|u|, l|Ji+| S|uul u| |i|, |+||+J
(1|+|||+|J). | +| | |+|J +| pp+||+|.i|@|+il.u|
A
new sludy has revealed
lhal gardening, olen con
sidered lo be an aclivily
reserved or adulls, is bene
icial or children as well and
lhey can also rea lhe bene
ils o digging, raking, and
weeding. Researchers Sin
Ae Fark, hoSang Lee,
KwanSuk Lee, KiCheol
Son, and Candice
Shoemaker in Soulh Korea
said lhal lhe dala can inorm
ulure develomenl o gar
denbased rograms lhal
hel engage children in
hysical aclivily and ro
mole heallhy lieslyles. The
research leam sludied 17
children as lhey engaged in
1O gardening lasks: digging,
raking, weeding, mulching,
hoeing, sowing seeds, har
vesling, walering, mixing
growing medium, and lanl
ing lranslanls, lo reach lhe
conclusion.
0
ur immune syslem is
conslanlly working lo
revenl cancer by eliminal
ing cerlain olenlially can
cerous cells in lheir early
slages, a new sludy sug
gesls. mmune cells under
go 'sonlaneous' changes
on a daily basis lhal could
lead lo cancers i nol or lhe
diligenl surveillance o our
immune syslem, scienlisls
have ound. The research
leam rom lhe waller and
Eli/a hall nslilule,
Melbourne ound lhal lhe
immune syslem was
resonsible or eliminaling
olenlially cancerous
immune B cells in lheir
early slages, beore lhey
develoed inlo Bcell lym
homas. This immune sur
veillance accounls or whal
researchers call lhe 'sur
rising rarily' o Bcell lym
homas in lhe oulalion,
given how olen lhese
sonlaneous changes
occur. The sludy was ub
lished in lhe journal |aturc
McJicinc.
0
elling lhe righl amounl o
slee mighl kee deres
sion al bay, according lo
American Academy o Slee
Medicine sludy. Researchers
said lhal subolimal slee
or loo much slee can lrig
ger genes linked wilh lhe
condilion and increase lhe
risk or major deression.
For lhe sludy, lhe
researchers conducled a
genelic sludy o adull lwins
and a communilybased
sludy o adolescenls. Bolh
lhe sludies ound a link
belween slee duralion and
deression. n lhe irsl
sludy, lhe researchers ound
lhal lwins who had a good
nighl slee o seven lo 8.O
hours er nighl, had a 27
ercenl herilabilily o
deressive symloms and
lhis genelic inluence
increased u lo 58 ercenl
in lhose lhal slel or ive
hours er nighl, while il was
4O ercenl among lhose
who gol 1O hours o slee
er nighl.
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L
ove is the four-letter word on
which epics have been
composed, movies based,
songs and poems attributed.
And yet, if you look at any
great love story, you will find that the
end is always tragic; the story ends with
the separation of the lovers. The truth
is that there is no such thing as love,
and realising this is enlightenment.
Every person in the world is
looking for love, yet there is hardly
anyone who is aware of it. Today one
spends a lifetime in the pursuit of the
physical; lust and possession are
mistranslated as love. Love actually is
in letting go of the people you love, to
give them the freedom to live their
own; it lies in sacrifice and being
there for them unconditionally
without expecting anything in return.
In the realm of energy, the colour
pink translates as love. If you look
around you will find that the colour
is always present in minute quantities
particularly in some flowers,
because that small amount is enough
to sustain creation.
Love is a physical emotion too and
it does pertain to physical creation. The
thing about physical creation is that
everything in it is bound by time. Be it
your body, your relationships, your
business or power the day you
receive it, the day of it leaving you is
decided as well. Leave it will, and when
it does, it will lead to pain. And the
dearer the thing is to you, the greater
will be the pain of losing it. Love is not
timeless and ends in grief. It is a
bondage that needs to be done away
with and the way to open this bondage
is through yoga, as only it can take you
beyond physical creation.
The human body and physical life
are controlled by various energy centres
called chakras. It is through these
chakras that one forms connections
with the physical creation and gets tied
to it. There are seven major chakras in
the body, each pertaining to a specific
human desire and state, which are
called bondages in yoga. The emotion
of love is governed by the fourth centre,
called the anahad, its location in the
physical body coinciding with the
centre of the chest cavity. There are two
more chakras after the anahad the
visshuddhi and agya that need to be
transgressed for one to attain
enlightenment, the state depicted (and
clairvoyantly) as golden radial light
around the head of an enlightened soul.
Yoga does not prescribe the
suppression of desires. Everything in
life is an experience, a necessity to go
beyond. The practice of yoga and
Sanatan Kriya takes a practitioner
through love and to enlightenment
which is real and not bound by time. I
detail here a practice from the Sanatan
Kriya; a practice when done under the
guidance of a guru gradually takes the
being to the subtler experiences of the
world of ether.
Sit in any comfortable position
keeping your back absolutely straight.
Pay reverence to the energy of the guru
and take your awareness to the centre
of the chest cavity. Become aware of a
light pink lotus at this point and of soft
baby pink light emanating from this
lotus. Gradually, let this light expand to
fill up your entire body, the
surrounding environment, planet earth
and finally entire creation. Experience
this light and try to understand its
texture, temperature and effect on your
body. Stay with this pink light for as
long as you are comfortable. When you
open your eyes look first at the centre
of palms, then the physical body, then
anywhere else you choose to look at.
Yoga is a subject of energy, which
manifests in various permutations and
combinations of creation. Thousands of
years ago the Vedic rishis had harnessed
this energy to decipher the mysteries of
creation, now rediscovered by modern
science. In 1905, Albert Einstein
propounded the Theory of Relativity
(E=mc
2
or that everything in this
creation is nothing but energy). The
Law of Conservation of Energy states
that energy can neither be created, nor
destroyed; it can only be transformed
from one form to the other. In this
sense, since energy cannot be created,
everything is pre-created. The only
dynamics is then transformation.
What spurs this transformation?
Our ancestors identified this as the
thought. Energy follows thought. The
atom bomb was at first a thought, a
desire to create a device for mass
destruction. Similarly, an aeroplane too
was first conceived as a desire to be
able to fly. In fact the entire creation is
nothing but a manifestation of a single
thought the desire to experience.
This thought led to the emergence of
Mata Adi Shakti from who emerged the
tridev and their three consorts.
A thought is an action unleashed,
what manifests thereupon is an equal
and opposite reaction. Each one of us
through our thoughts and actions
constantly creates ripples and gets tied
into the reactions of those ripples into
more ripples. This was realised by the
Vedic masters as the law of karma.
Newtons law of action and reaction is
no different.
However, thoughts too are not
created; they exist in the space and we
just happen to catch them depending
on our individual frequencies, our
states of being. One cannot expect a
hungry man to think about restoring
peace on earth. His thoughts would be
driven by the desire to procure food.
Our thoughts are thus governed by
desire. The purpose of yoga is to still
the thoughts from desires.
It is the thoughts and desires that
tie one to the individual
consciousness. Once these
disturbances are removed, the being
becomes one with the supreme
consciousness. A yogi is then able to
channellise the energy of the divine
through the self. However a yogi does
not use this energy for personal gains,
his purpose becomes that of higher
creation. Have you ever seen the sun
asking for remuneration for its
services? And conversely so, if the sun
starts rationing its energy according to
an individuals capacity to afford,
would it exude the same brilliance? So
is true for a yogi. If he is in yoga, he
will radiate the same attraction and
definitely not put a fee to spreading
the light of gyan.
l| W|i|| i + Wll||uW| pi|i|u+l |+||
l is lhe desires lhal lie one lo lhe individual consciousness.
0nce lhese are removed, lhe being becomes one wilh lhe
sureme consciousness, wriles Y00 AShwh
!reaming is avoioing our real life
A
piece of rock is God asleep.
Nothing is wrong in the
piece of rock, it has to be
awakened. Hence, I have given you
sannyas. You say, how could you
give me sannyas? Sannyas is noth-
ing but an effort to wake you, an
effort to shake you, an effort to
shock you into awareness. Sannyas
is nothing but an alarm. Even this I
dont dare to realise that I am a
piece of rock in the middle of the
mountain I dream instead.
Thats how the rock avoids its own
growth, the rock avoids its own
future by dreaming. Dreaming is
the barrier. By dreaming we are
avoiding the reality, by dreaming
we avoid the real. It is our escape.
You dont have any other escape
route. This is the only escape route
dreaming.
When you are listening to me,
you can also dream. Sitting here
you can have a thousand and one
thoughts roaming around in your
mind. You can think of the future
or of the past. You can be for and
against what I am saying, you can
argue, you can debate with me
inside yourself. But then you are
missing me. I am a fact here. You
need not dream here, you can just
be here with me. And the result of
it will be tremendous. But we go on
dreaming. People are dreamers, and
that is their way.
When they have gone for a
walk in the morning, the sun is ris-
ing, the day is beautiful, the people
are waking up, life is coming back
again they are dreaming. They
are not looking at anything.
Dreaming functions as a
blindfold, and we go on missing
the reality. But dreaming func-
tions as the barrier. Being a rock is
not a problem: Being too much in
dreams is the problem. Start drop-
ping them. They are futile, mean-
ingless, a wastage and nothing
more. But people keep dreaming,
go on dreaming. By and by people
start thinking that dreaming is
their only life. Life is not a dream
and dreaming is not life.
Dreaming is avoiding life. Let me
tell you an anecdote.
On his 75th birthday,
Turtletaub rushed into a physi-
cians office. Doctor, he exclaimed,
I have got a date tonight with a
22-year-old girl. You have to give
me something to pep me up. The
MD smiled sympathetically and
supplied the old man with a pre-
scription. Later that night, out of
curiosity, the medical man phoned
his elderly patient, Did the medi-
cine help? Its wonderful, replied
Turtletaub. Seven times already.
Thats great, agreed the doctor.
And what about the girl? The
girl? said Turtletaub. She didnt
get here yet! Dont go on dream-
ing, otherwise you will miss life.
Stop dreaming, look at that which
is. And it is already in front of you.
It is already around, it is within
and without.
God is the only presence if you
are not dreaming. If you are dream-
ing, then your dreams occupy your
inner space. They become the hin-
drances for God to enter into you.
This dreaming we call maya.
Maya means a magic show, a
dream show. When you are not
dreaming, when you are in a state
of no-dream, the reality is
revealed. The reality is already
there, you are not to achieve it.
You have only to do one thing: you
have to put aside your dreams.
And you will no longer be a rock,
you can fly with me to the very
end of the sky. Receive my invita-
tion, receive my challenge. Thats
what sannyas is all about.
E/|p| ||u| |u Jiuu|
The art
of peace
Silence is lhe irsl sle lo
lranquilily. wilh erseverance
and dedicalion il can be achieved
Y00A S A SuBJECT
0F EhER0Y, whCh
MAhFESTS h vAR0uS
FERMuTAT0hS Ah0
C0MBhAT0hS 0F
CREAT0h. Th0uSAh0S
0F YEARS A00 ThE
vE0C SAhTS hA0
hARhESSE0 ThS
EhER0Y T0 0ECFhER
ThE MYSTERES 0F
CREAT0h, h0w
RE0SC0vERE0 BY
M00ERh SCEhCE
Lie is nol a dream and dreaming is nol lie. 0reaming unclions as a blindold and we go on missing lhe realily, says 0Sh0
C
onversations at social gather-
ings should be neither
recorded nor reported, not
the least because a lot is said among
friends in a congenial atmosphere
and the banter is often no more
than idle tittle-tattle. There is also
that other reason which we tend to
forget many who confide in you
at such gatherings do so firm in the
belief that what they have said
would not be shared with others.
This is especially true for those who
are given to a political persuasion
different from yours. For example, a
high-ranking office-bearer, Minis-
ter or MP, whose declared loyalty is
to the first family of the Congress,
would baulk at the thought of his or
her no-holds-barred rant against
Sonia Gandhi and bitter bitching
about how Rahul Gandhi has led
the party into a dark and bleak
wilderness being retold with appro-
priate attribution. This would be
equally true for senior journalists
and editors who are in competition
with Mani Shankar Aiyar for the
honour of being appointed chief
khidmatgar at the Palace. People
live up to the aphorism in goes the
liquor, out comes the truth the
wise stick to sipping insipid red
wine but an unwritten code of
honour prohibits retelling of the
truth. If it is to be retold because
the temptation to tattle is too
strong to overcome, the truth
would need to be carefully sanitised
and attribution would be an
absolute no-no. Thats a good
thumb rule to follow without bur-
dening your conscience or falling
foul of friends.
I happened to spend the
evening (actually an evening that
stretched well into the night) at last
weeks most important event on
Delhis social calendar probably
the biggest event this season. The
conversation was great, the food
was even better. The whos who of
Delhi, apart from Indias movers
and shakers, were present in full
measure. As always, it was nice to
see politicians drop their pretences
and succumb to minor vices, the
source of simple human pleasures.
With a general election round the
corner, the conversation invariably
revolved around the main con-
tenders for power and possible out-
comes. I tried to fob off the politi-
cally promiscuous usual suspects
theres no shortage of them in this
city and they come in various
shades of venality since there
was no purpose served in listening
to their cringe-worthy flattery of
the claimants to the masnad of
Delhi. Instead, I flitted from group
to group of known and unwaver-
ing critics of the BJP and its
prime ministerial candidate
Narendra Modi. There were three
common points in what they told
me. First, theres a massive Modi
wave surging from Kashmir to
Kanyakumari. A pollster whose
polling skills are irreproachable
used the adjective unprecedented
in his words, Theres an
unprecedented Modi wave sweep-
ing the country. Second, the BJP
could easily touch a tally of 220 and
even go beyond that provided it
selects its candidates carefully and
deploys all its forces on the ground
before and on polling day. Getting
the voter out would be the clincher
in this election if the BJP fails on
this front, the results could go any
which way and the party would
have only itself to blame. Third, the
Congress is headed for its worst
electoral defeat; the party faces dec-
imation. Yes, the Aam Aadmi Party
was mentioned but in passing refer-
ence. Curiously, or perhaps not,
senior foreign diplomats, among
them Ambassadors and High
Commissioners, were more eager to
talk about AAP than others; most
of them wanted to be reassured that
the upstarts would not score more
than a dozen seats. Its possible such
un-cordial feelings of the expatriate
community of Chanakyapuri
towards the AAP are not shared by
the Americans, but thats a story to
be told another day.
Anecdotal evidence of how well
(or otherwise) a partys election
campaign is taking shape cannot be
a substitute for empirical evidence
culled from the ground. But if pop-
ular perception matters in politics
and if the English-speaking chatter-
ing classes of urban India indeed
wield disproportionate power to
mould voter opinion, then anecdo-
tal evidence gathered that evening
indicates Narendra Modi is riding a
popularity wave whose crest could
be higher than that of the Vajpayee
wave in 1998-1999. If the Vajpayee
wave could propel the BJP to power
in two subsequent general elections,
it could be argued, then theres no
reason to disbelieve that a Modi
wave will sweep the BJP to power
in 2014. The various opinion polls
indicate a similar trend the latest
poll shows Narendra Modis popu-
larity rating is more than thrice that
of a very distant Rahul Gandhi in
the heartland. The counter argu-
ment to such assertions is that in
2004 the BJP lost the general elec-
tion despite Atal Bihari Vajpayee
remaining at the top, and way
ahead of others, in the popularity
charts. Certitude of victory can
make politicians and political par-
ties organisations complacent and,
as we all know, complacence is the
surest, shortest route to snatching
defeat from the jaws of victory. Key
takeaway: The BJP, as an organisa-
tion, cannot afford to rest easy
between now and polling day.
There is no gainsaying that can-
didate selection plays a key role in
determining the outcome of any
election, more so a Lok Sabha poll.
If the candidate does not inspire
confidence then a leaders populari-
ty alone cannot ensure victory. The
mass rejection of sitting MPs in
2004 and 2009 proves this point.
The only exception to the rule was
in 1977 which was a lamp post
election the Janata Partys sym-
bol mattered more than the person
contesting on that symbol. Every
election tends to disprove pundits
and it is entirely possible 2014
could well turn out to be a lamp
post election with voters voting for
Narendra Modi, but that is some-
thing we will get to know only after
the results are declared. Let us not
forget Indira Gandhi did not expect
to lose the 1977 election; its only
after Amethi and Rae Bareli
spurned the Nehru Dynasty did
realisation of the enormity of the
defeat sink in. That the collapse of
the Congress this time will be spec-
tacular is a no-brainer, but the
exact extent of that collapse will be
known after the last of the results is
in. Nevertheless, it would in order
to ask: Is the BJP filling the political
vacuum with the speed with which
it is being created by the collapse of
the Congress?
In 1998 I had interviewed Atal
Bihari Vajpayee which was pub-
lished under the evocative headline
The man India awaits. Sixteen
years later, that same headline
could be used as a slogan for
Narendra Modi he is the man
India awaits. Indeed, it could be
tweaked to The man India needs
to restore confidence in
Government, to resuscitate the
economy, to reinstate faith in our
entrepreneurial spirit, to return to
the trajectory of Indias dazzling
rise during the NDA years, to
remind the world that this great
nation will contribute to the shap-
ing of the 21st century. Nothing
must come between the aspiration
of the masses and the outcome of
this election. The BJP alone can
ensure this.
(The writer is a Delhi-based
senior journalist)
I4eatIty 0IItIcs Is
a c0rse 0a aatI0a
11@ ]UTYQ WY]]YS[
cdUQ\c 4YTYc dXe^TUb
Reader response to
Swapan Dasguptas column,
Usual Suspects, published on
February 2 :
Hyped by media: The Aam
Aadmi Party is essentially a
false product, fuelled by
media-hype and known to be
sympathetic to Maoists. It
will shun governance duties
and indulge in all sorts of
electoral gimmicks. But it
will also fade into oblivion
sooner than we are
anticipating today.
vox populi
Delhi is all that matters:
The medias obsession with
Aam Aadmi Party in particu-
lar and events happening in
the capital in general is dis-
appointing. It is more con-
cerned about the antics of
Arvind Kejriwal than with
the amount of bad blood
over the creation of a new
State of Telangana.
udayaravi
Shiv Sena of the North: The
Aam Aadmi Party appears to
be on its way to becoming
the Shiv Sena of Delhi.
However, while this fledgling
political outfit is close to the
mainstream Press, the Shiv
Sena has always been a whip-
ping boy for the English
language media.
The author is also right
about the mainstream
medias failure to look
beyond Delhi, and focus on
the impact of regional lead-
ers on Lok Sabha results.
Together, these leaders can
deliver 75-plus seats. Then
there is the likely tally of 40-
plus seats that the Left, the
SP, the JD(U) and the JD(S)
together bring to the table.
Jitendra Desai
=_TY `b_]YcUc 9^TYQ Ydc
>QdY_^Q\ GQb =U]_bYQ\
Reader response to
Kanchan Guptas column,
Coffee Break, published on
February 2:
Confused priorities: It is a
shame that Congress-led
regimes have consistently
refused to build a war
memorial. India does not
even celebrate December 16
while Pakistan celebrates the
Defence of Pakistan Day.
Also, the people of India are
rarely reminded about the
win in Kargil or the loss to
China. But politicians cant
stop talking about the 2002
violence in Gujarat or the
1984 Sikh massacre.
Kuppuswamy Ramani
Picnic spot or war memori-
al? The author has correctly
made the case for a war
memorial for Indian soldiers,
sailors and airmen. To illus-
trate the insensitivity of the
establishment (read: ill-
informed politicians and the
bureaucracy which mostly
plays safe but is confronta-
tionist towards defence forces)
one only has to see how the
earlier Delhi Government
stonewalled a proposal for
such a memorial on the
grounds that it would rob the
capital of a picnic spot.
RP Chaturvedi
In memory of the Congress:
For Congress sycophants,
Shantivan, Shakti Sthal and
Vir Bhumi are the national
memorials. Much effort and
money has been spent on
these structures. But wait till
the present-day dynasts
depart. Then, not only the
land but also the money will
be found to build a war
memorial for Indian soldiers.
Rat
3U^dbU Qc ]QYRQQ`
_V \YVU Q^T TUQdX
Reader response to
Rajesh Singhs column,
Plain Talk, published on
February 2:
Harsh punishment only for
grave crimes: In a judge-
ment, the Supreme Court has
commuted the death sen-
tences of 15 death row con-
victs, citing the inordinate
delay in the disposal of their
mercy petitions. Death
penalty is not desirable but
in exceptional cases, like ter-
rorism, it is a must.
Also the same punish-
ment should be meted out to
criminals involved in
heinous crimes, including
rape. A strong message to
such terrorists and criminals
must be sent.
Politics should not be
played on these sensitive
issues. All terrorists in jails
must meet the fate of Ajmal
Kasab and Afzal Guru. Anti-
terror laws must be strength-
ened and no appeal to higher
courts or mercy pleas to the
President should be allowed
for terrorists and rapists. For
existing cases of mercy peti-
tions, a time-limit must be
imposed for disposal.
Mahesh Kumar
Say no to death penalty:
The real issue is not that of
the delays which are taking
place in deciding upon
mercy petitions of death row
convicts. The issue is that we
must oppose the death
penalty itself. Death sen-
tences have no place in a
civilised society. Many coun-
tries have abolished capital
punishment, and India must
too. Life behind bars is harsh
enough punishment for
those who deserve it.
Ravi Gupta
PLANTALK
RAJESh Sh0h
Narenora Mooi: Jle
man noia awaits

l has generally allen uon Janardhan 0wivedi lo issue clariicalions

on slalemenls lhal Congress molormoulhs make, and he has done a
relly good job o il. Bul over lhe lasl ew days, arly leaders have
been busy or a change in 'clariying' lheir senior arly leader's
remarks. The ireighler is now under ire or having loaled lhe idea
lhal lhe longexisling syslem o reservalions on lhe basis o casles
should be scraed and relaced by quolas lhal lake lhe economic sla
lus o lhe beneiciary inlo consideralion. 0n lhe ace o il, lhe sugges
lion has nol croed u or lhe irsl lime; il has been discussed and
debaled on many occasions by various olilical leaders. So, why has
lhere been such a commolion over lhe remark?
Beore we gel lo lhal, 0wivedi musl be comlimenled or nol
reneging on lhe slalemenl, al leasl unlil now. he has neilher laken back
lhe conlroversial remark, nor soughl lo 'clariy' il, and nor has he
claimed lhal lhe media look his commenls 'oul o conlexl'. Thal's a
rare show o sine, esecially in a arly where leaders shamelessly eal
lheir words, even when lhey have soken lhe lrulh, once lhey are
raed by lhe high command. he has so ar slood his ground desile
Congress residenl Sonia 0andhi issuing a slalemenl lhal reileraled
her arly's suorl lo lhe casle and classbased syslem o reservalion
which resenlly exisls.
Since 0wivedi is nol jusl a senior leader and arly unclionary bul
is also considered close lo 1O, Janalh, some olilical analysls believe
lhal his commenls were nol olhecu bul arl o a careully orches
lraled alleml by lhe hehru0andhi amily lo lesl lhe idea ahead o lhe
Lok Sabha eleclion and in lhe rocess rojecl ils 'oen mind' on lhe
issue. There are many roblems in lhis reading. The Congress did nol
have lo engage in such elaborale exercise lo know lhe mood o ils
leaders, allies and riends on lhe issue; lhal lhey are all or lhe exisling
orm o reservalions is welleslablished and nol a secrel.
Moreover, lo accel lhe lheory lhal 0wivedi's remarks were arl o
a redelermined slralegy is lo also accel lhe ollowing: Thal 0wivedi
was asked lo make lhe slalemenl; he was lold lhal il would invile
severe crilicism rom wilhin and oulside lhe Congress; he was warned
lhal he would be verbally assaulled and insinualed againsl, even on lhe
basis o his casle; and inally, il was made clear lo him lhal Sonia
0andhi would unambiguously rubbish his idea. l is diicull lo believe
lhal lhe senior leader would have acquiesced in lhis lol which would
end in his ublic humilialion by lhe high command.
Bul lhere is anolher ossible exlanalion lo his slalemenl. l may
be lhal 0wivedi had gol carried away by Rahul 0andhi's incessanl call
or a 'new kind o olilics' -
olilics lhal laces eole over
and above elly class and casle
inleresls. he may have discussed
his idea wilh cerlain members o
lhe Congress's youlh brigade,
which are ever so eager lo
demonslrale lhal il does nol
idenliy wilh arochialism, and
gol encouraging words in relurn.
Buoyed by lhe resonse and dri
ven by lhe hoe lhal will gel lhe
suorl o some o lhese lead
ers, 0wivedi wenl ublic wilh his
'ersonal' oinion.
he had gravely miscalculaled.
having done - and conlinuing lo
do - casle olilics, Congress
leaders were in no mood lo digesl
lhe senior leader's oinion, more
so when lhey were in lhe midsl o
irming u lheir casle and class
loyallies ahead o lhe general elec
lion. Slaring al deeal, lhe arly
simly could nol aord idealislic
olilics al lhis slage.
Bul 0wivedi is nol naive. he
knows lhal oulils such as lhe
Samajwadi Farly and lhe Bahujan
Samaj Farly, on whose suorl lhe
uFA 0overnmenl survives, are
casleisl al lheir core. Their olilics
deends enlirely on successully
convincing lhe backward classes
and lhe 0alils reseclively lhal lhe
resenl reservalion olicy is lhe
only means or lhem lo have a say
in democralic ndia and roser. 0
course, lhis is humbug, since
desile lhe quola olilics o more
lhan six decades, lhe 0alils and
olher weaker seclions o sociely
remain on lhe ringes. To be air,
lhis reservalion syslem has ailed
in ils lask. The only lhing il has
achieved is lo urlher divide sociely
and exacerbale social acrimony.
Farlies lhal have lhrived on such olilics and lasled blood are nol
conlenl wilh laying wilh casle and class; some o lhem are now
demanding reservalion on religious ailialions. Members o lhe
Congress and lhe Samajwadi Farly, eager lo win over lhe Muslim vole
bank, have al various limes given a call or 'quola or Muslims wilhin
lhe exisling quola or 0lher Backward Classes'. They would have by
now had lheir way bul or lhe inlervenlion o lhe judiciary, which
blocked lheir alenlly unconslilulional roosals. Also, bul or lhe
courlimosed uer ceiling o 5O er cenl, casle and class olilicians
would have reserved even u lo 7O er cenl in 0overnmenl jobs and
educalional inslilulions.
And, such is lheir /eal lo deslroy equalily o oorlunily based on
meril lhal lhey have been lobbying 0overnmenls lo legislale reserva
lions in lhe judiciary and lhe rivale seclor loo. The nexl would be lhe
Armed Forces.
n lhis silualion, how could have 0wivedi ever imagined lhal his
brave words would have been laken wilh lhe seriousness lhey deserved?
Reservalionisls oughl loolh and nail when lhe issue o excluding lhe
'creamy layer' wilhin lhe 0BCs rom quola beneils irsl came u. il has
become so diicull lo undo whal vF Singh did lhree decades ago when
he imlemenled lhe divisive Mandal Commission's recommendalions,
whal chance is lhere or a sixdecade old enlrenched quola syslem or
Scheduled Casles and Scheduled Tribes lo be scraed? 'Zero' is lhe
answer, al leasl or now and in lhe immediale ulure.
The senior Congress leader lhus inds himsel in slendid isola
lion. lhere is a silver lining in lhe cloud, il is lhal lhere are olhers
rom dierenl olilical arlies, who will rivalely agree wilh lhe sland
he has exressed. They are ublicly silenl and nol in a majorily, bul
some day lheir combined eorls will ay o. For lhal lo haen, lhey
will have lo seak oul like 0wivedi did, and shae ublic oinion.
They musl also lake lhe lead lo exose lhe claim o casleisl olili
cians lhal reservalions conlinue lo be good or lhe socially margin
alised. The argumenl may have had relevance when lhe counlry
became indeendenl - lhough even lhen, i we recall, BR Ambedkar,
an icon o loday's reservalionisls like Mayawali, had vehemenlly
oosed caslebased quolas and acquiesced only when olhers assured
him lhal lhere was a rovision lo review lhe decision in 1O years. Facls
and igures abound lo ush or an allernalive orm o reservalion.
ronically, when reservalionisls say lhal lhe 0BC and lhe 0alils are
slill marginalised desile lhe quola beneils, lhey only slrenglhen lhe
argumenl lhal reservalions have ailed in lheir resenl orm.
Certitude of
victory can make
politicians and
political parties
complacent and,
complacence is
the surest,
shortest route to
snatching defeat
from the jaws of
victory. Key
takeaway: The
BJP, can't afford
to rest easy
between now and
polling day
sunday
magazino
jitit
Now Dolhi, Fobruary 9, 2014
F E E D B A C K
0r you could lweak lhe headline lo 'The man ndia needs'. holhing, absolulely nolhing,
musl be allowed lo come in lhe way o lhis nalion's asiralion
Janardhan Dwivedi
finds himself in
splendid isolation. f
there is a silver
lining in the cloud,
it is that there are
others from
different political
parties, who will
privately agree with
the stand he has
expressed. They
are publicly silent
and not in a
majority, but some
day their combined
efforts will pay off
whEh RESERvAT0hSTS SAY ThAT 0BC
Ah0 ThE 0ALTS REMAh MAR0hALSE0
0ESFTE ThE 0u0TA BEhEFTS, ThEY
R0hCALLY STREh0ThEh ThE AR0uMEhT
ThAT RESERvAT0hS hAvE FALE0
COFFEEBREAK
KAhChAh 0uFTA
I
t is to be noted that most of the 22 languages now list-
ed in the Eighth Schedule find territorial expression in
a home State. A notable exception to this is Urdu
which despite its spread across many States finds itself
to be in a condition of homelessness, with all its atten-
dant consequences. Sindhi is in a similar position except for
the fact that the total number of Sindhi speakers is 2.57 mil-
lion. Besides being an officially recognised language, Urdu
also has an official language status for some specified pur-
poses (whose details vary and condition the impact substan-
tively) in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir,
Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. According to the Census of
India 2001, there were a total of 51.5 million Urdu speakers
in the country, amounting to 5.01 per cent of population
and constituting the sixth largest language group. Five States
(Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and
Karnataka) account for 41.5 million of the Urdu speakers. If
you add Jharkhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil
Nadu and Delhi, the figure reaches 48.55 million. Data also
reveals that the percentage of Urdu speakers was 5.25 and
5.18 in the Census of 1981 and 1991 respectively.
This decline, in a framework of overall increase of popu-
lation and more specific demographic data, raises a ques-
tion: Why is the number of Urdu speakers declining when
the areas and groups generally associated with the language
have registered normal increases in population? Does this
suggest a pattern of language abandonment? Why does this
happen? An explanation in a wider context was given by
Prof Abram de Swan in a paper published in the European
Review in October 2004: People who abandon their native
tongue do so because they move elsewhere or take up some-
thing else and in this new existence they have higher expec-
tations of a different language. Or they neglect it because
another language is preferred at school, by public authori-
ties, or in courts of law, and their own language is treated
with disdain. Or they have to stop using it because they are
ruled by another nation that imposes its language on them,
and, having lost heart, they no longer take care to preserve
their own language. He went on to add that since every
language is a product of the collective creativity of people
expressed over hundreds or thousands of years, its disap-
pearance is an irreversible loss of culture.
Where then do we look for an explanation for the
decline of Urdu speakers? Since language is principally a
matter of affiliation and
usage, giving it up is
unlikely to be voluntary
or an act of enlighten-
ment and must necessar-
ily emanate from some
form of compulsion or
necessity. Hence the key
to our primary question
has to be sought amidst
the factors cited by Prof
de Swan and, of the three
possible situations visu-
alised by him, the answer
seems to be in the second
namely, language at
school level and in use by
public authorities.
In a question
answered in the Rajya
Sabha on August 12,
2011, the Ministry of Human Resource Development stated
that Urdu is not being taught in Kendriya Vidyalayas in
various States since in none of them 20 or more students
opted for the language, adding that for the same reason, no
posts of Urdu teachers were sanctioned. The simple conclu-
sion to be drawn is that students who know Urdu do not
make it to Kendriya Vidyalayas in the minimum numbers
prescribed. The data has other implications since these
schools are primarily for transferable Central Government
employees. In a study completed shortly before his death
last year, the late Omar Khalidi of the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology had examined the state of Urdu lit-
eracy in India as gauged through school education and
raised five questions: How many students in primary
schools have Urdu as the language of instruction? How
many learn Urdu as one of the subjects under the three (or
four) language formula? Have the various levels of
Government Central, State, and local facilitated or
obstructed learning of Urdu in various States? To what can
we attribute the uneven levels of Urdu literacy in various
States? What are the other institutions, besides schools run
by the state, involved in promoting Urdu literacy?
Khalidis conclusions on the first two questions, based
on available official data, reveal that Urdu literacy in terms
of Urdu medium enrolment in primary-secondary schools is
highest in Maharashtra and Bihar, less so in Karnataka and
Andhra, and least in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. In terms of
percentages of total enrolment for the year 2007-2008, it was
6.53 in Maharashtra, 5.2 in Bihar, 5.9 in Karnataka, 2.8 in
Andhra, 1.0 in Delhi and 0.40 Uttar Pradesh.
The answer to the third and fourth questions requires
delving into recent history. Here I can do no better than to
recall Jawaharlal Nehrus own assessment. In a confidential
letter to Chief Ministers on July 16, 1953, he spoke of a pet-
tiness in mind, narrowness in outlook and an immaturity
that characterised a deliberate attempt to push out Urdu
which is spoken and written by a large number of people.
American scholar Paul Brass, in his 1974 book
Language, Religion and Politics in North India, shed much
light on the policy and procedural methodology by which
some States succeeded in diverting large number of Urdu
speakers from the path of education in their mother
tongue. Narrow political perceptions and mistaken identifi-
cation of language with a community thus led to a unilin-
gual approach and prevailed over the linguistic diversity of a
plural society and the ethos of the Constitution.
A commentator observed in a newspaper last year:
Urdu has been kept alive by the Hindi cinema, FM radio,
madarsas and occasional recitation of couplets in
Parliament. He drew attention to Prof Gopi Chand Narangs
remark: Urdu is like a patient on oxygen at the fag end of
his life. This is the last generation of Urdu. What, then, is to
be done? An observation by a Senegalese poet is of some rel-
evance to this discussion: In the end we will conserve only
what we love. We love only we understand and we will
understand only what we are taught.
l| W|i|| i || ViP|iJ|| u| l|Ji+. l| +||il i +|
/|p| ||u| |i |uu|, CTPbX]V @dTbcX^]b (|i]ui Buu|)
sunday
magazino
lJ||lt l
ThhK TwCE BEF0RE Y0u SFEAK,
BECAuSE Y0uR w0R0S Ah0 hFLuEhCE
wLL FLAhT ThE SEE0 0F EThER SuCCESS
0R FALuRE h ThE Mh0 0F Ah0ThER.
- hAF0LE0h hLL
Now Dolhi, Fobruary 9, 2014
C
ongress vice-president Rahul
Gandhi will contest from Amethi,
dispersing all speculations about the
other seats he might think of.
Reportedly, some leaders from
Karnataka had recently met Sonia Gandhi. A
probable candidate from the Bellary seat was
also among them; he had even proposed to
leave his seat for Rahul. The Congress presi-
dent, however, clearly instructed that all such
discussions must be stopped henceforth.
Some leaders of the party are of the opinion
that Rahul should fight from a south Indian
seat as this will project him as a leader with a
national image. They believe that this move will
put him ahead of the BJPs prime ministerial
candidate, Narendra Modi, who is seen to be
more popular in northern and western India.
kkF T EhEkTE C300 6E
T
he AAPs financial condition hasnt been
too good, of late. The donations to the party
have been continuously reducing and it could
just collect around C7 crore in the campaign
which started after December 8. Party leaders
worry that it would be quite difficult to fight
elections under these circumstances. Before the
Delhi elections, the party had collected C20
crore. Keeping this figure in mind, if the party
wants to fight on 350 seats then it will have to
collect around C300 crore. But if the present
trend continues, then the figure will hardly
reach the C50 crore mark. That is the reason
why the AAP has decided to collect funds
through mobile services along with the online
donations. With this technology, mobile users
can send the money directly to the partys
account; it, however, remains to be seen if the
AAP would manage to generate the required
amount. It has to opt for corporate donations as
well. But, the corporate world is not said to be
very enthusiastic after the partys policies on
FDI and the ongoing tussle with the power
companies of Delhi.
81F'8 IIIMI 6hhE6TIh
A
s the elections approach, more Bollywood
stars might be joining the BJP. Bappi
Lahiri has recently joined the party, whereas
Manoj Tiwari had joined it before the elections
in Delhi. Film stars like Hema Malini, Vinod
Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha, Smriti Irani and
Kirron Kher are already with the party.
Dharmendra was once an MP on a BJP
ticket. It is now being said that Sunny Deol
may join the party too. Otherwise, he would
probably join the Akali Dal and might fight
from Ludhiana.
Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn are among
the big and active stars of Bollywood who have
been close to Narendra Modi. Both of them
have met the Gujarat Chief Minister several
times recently. The meeting of these stars with
Modi was not for any film promotion. Vivek
Oberoi and Nana Patekar have also met him. It
is being said that they may join the party before
the Lok Sabha elections.
6h'8 Fk8Wkh IIEMMk
W
as the alliance between the Congress and
the RJD in Bihar stuck because of Ram
Vilas Paswan? Sources say that the Congress is
not ready to leave many seats for the LJP,
Paswans Party. In the last elections Lalu Prasad
Yadav had allotted him 12 seats, but this time
the RJD is not ready to leave more than five.
The Congress too has its reservations.
Paswan, however, is adamant for eight to 10
seats. Another problem is that he is repeatedly
meeting with the Congress president and other
leaders of the party, though he has not met Lalu
yet. It is also being said that Paswans son and
brothers want to go with the JD(U). Chirag
Paswan, Pashupati Paras and Ramchandra
Paswan believe that they will gain with an
alliance with Nitish Kumar. Ram Vilas Paswan,
however, doesnt want to leave the Congress at
any cost.
khI'8 8TkTEY I I8hk
T
his time Rahul Gandhi will put all his
efforts in Odisha. The Congress is seeing a
scope in the State (after Karnataka) where there
are 21 Lok Sabha seats. Rahul has also been in
constant touch with the tribals of Odisha. The
decision to stop at Niyamgiri was taken at his
behest wherein he assured the tribals that he
would fight for their cause in Delhi.
Reliable sources say that the party is plan-
ning to hold about a dozen rallies for Rahul in
the State before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress leaders, while ruling out the BJP,
expect direct confrontation with Naveen
Patnaiks BJD. The Congress feels that if this
happens then it can revive itself in the State. Its
primary target is to take its number of seats to
double digits.
IM kIh T kIhMkkE
T
he Congress is worried about the Lok Sabha
elections and thereby making many com-
promises on its tried-and-tested principles.
Earlier the party formed governments with the
help of other parties. There are so many exam-
ples right from Karnataka to Maharashtra
regarding the same. But now it doesnt mind
helping other parties to form their govern-
ments. Sources say that when the four allies
deserted the Congress-led UPA alliance, its
leaders were forced to change their principles.
This explains the Congresss decision to sup-
port the JMM in Jharkhand, the JD(U) in Bihar,
and the AAP in Delhi.
sunday
gupshup
hAR ShAhKAR vYAS
The AAF's inancial
condilion hasn'l been
loo good, o lale. The
donalions lo lhe arly
have been conlinuously
reducing and il could
jusl collecl around C7
crore in lhe camaign
which slarled aler
0ecember 8. Farly
leaders worry lhal il
would be quile diicull
lo ighl eleclions under
lhese circumslances
F
rom Womesh Chandra
Bonnerjee and Mahatma
Gandhi to Jawaharlal
Nehru and Subhas Chandra
Bose, all knew English. The
founder of the Jan Sangh
(later re-christened as the
Bharatiya Janata Party), Syama
Prasad Mookerjee, studied in
English and secured a first
division in English during his
BA at the University of
Calcutta. The main theorists
and founders of the
Communist Party of India
were excellent in English. A
doctor by profession, RSS
founder Keshav Baliram
Hedgewar knew English well
and the father of Indias
Constitution, BR Ambedkar,
was as superb in this language.
Most members of the
Constituent Assembly spoke
English as well.
Moreover, all other Nobel
laureates Rabindranath
Tagore, Sir CVRaman, Har
Gobind Khorana, Mother
Teresa, Subrahmanyan
Chandrasekhar and Amartya
Sen knew English well. Not
only that, cabin crew and
pilots are products of English-
medium schools. Most offi-
cers in Indias armed forces are
products of English-medium
schools. Similarly, most acade-
mics, scientists, doctors, engi-
neers, civil service workers
and IT professionals hail from
English-medium schools.
Government officials,
MPs, MLAs and ministers put
their children in English-
medium schools. Interestingly,
my research reveals that
schoolteachers do not admit
their children in the non-
English schools they teach in.
They prefer to send their kids
to get English education.
Furthermore, in cities like
Delhi, Lucknow, Bangalore,
Mumbai and Chandigarh, for
instance, parents bribe school-
owners/principals of reputed
English-medium schools to
get their kids admitted. Now,
if English does ensure a good
life, then why isnt any party
offering to teach this language
to the students in the country-
side who study in government
schools? Why isnt any politi-
cal party offering English
teachers in these schools?
Visit villages in any part
of the country and you will
find an army of youth with
BA, MA, BEd, BTC degrees
looking for jobs. What are the
jobs that they look for?
School teaching, government
clerks, police constables, army
jawans, nursing, etc. Not that
these professions are inferior
or bad. People in these profes-
sions do serve the nation the
same way as pilots or scien-
tists do. But then why should
the rural youth not dream of
becoming pilots, cabin crew
members, scientists or profes-
sors in American universities?
They do not nurture such
dreams as they dont have a
working knowledge of
English. Some cannot even
properly spell their own
names in English. Call it a
conspiracy, ignorance or
indifference towards the stu-
dents in the countryside, no
political party is addressing
the issue of language inequali-
ty. In most States, learning the
English alphabet becomes
mandatory from classes VI to
VIII, after which, the lan-
guage becomes optional.
Consequently, a division
among students is created.
The students who come
from government primary
schools only begin to learn
the letters when those who
come from private schools
march ahead conveniently.
In fact, since it is no longer
mandatory after Class VIII,
students in the government
primary schools might prefer
dropping it altogether.
The division between the
English and non-English
background students widens
even more as the students
reach the graduation and
post-graduation stages. The
latter turns into a segregated
unit due to their unfamiliarity
with the English language.
The divide only keeps
extending. In spite of a stu-
dent from a non-English
background outdoing a prod-
uct of an English-medium
school for, say, a job, a division
is created between them in the
very first day of their training.
The cycle is repeated with
their respective children as
well. A division is further cre-
ated during the teacher-par-
ents meetings of their kids.
The division gets reflected
even on the stands from
where students board their
buses for schools.
India is a land of multi-
ple inequalities. Caste,
colour, gender, north-south,
urban-rural, et al are
addressed by various move-
ments and Government poli-
cies. But, none promises to
address the question of lan-
guage inequality.
Let us watch if any leader
or party raises this issue dur-
ing the 2014 elections.
DALTDARY
ChAh0RABhAh FRASA0
E|J l+|u+ i|(u+li|]
Pahul won't go south,
to oontost rom Amothi
Casle, gender, region, elc, are addressed by various grous and governmenls.
Bul none romises lo address lhe queslion o language inequalily in lhe counlry
urdu, desile ils sread across many
Slales, inds ilsel lo be in a condilion o
homelessness, says M hAM0 AhSAR
0r40 Is 4yIa
a sI0W 4eath
sunday
magazino
itl|tJlitJl |
Now Dolhi, Fobruary 9, 2014
ThE 00LLAR0EFEh0EhT L0BBY hAS BEEh MAL0hh0
ME wTh LABELS SuCh AS 'TALBAh KhAh', T0 0RAw
ATTEhT0h AwAY FR0M ThE LhK BETwEEh ThE uS
wAR 0h TERR0R Ah0 TERR0RSM h FAKSTAh.
- MRAh KhAh
I
chanced upon a statistic the other day
that made me wonder if Hollywood
studios are really in the business of
making movies any more. Back in
2006, it seems, the six major
Hollywood studios released 204 films
between them. The total last year? 120. Thats
a drop of more than 40 per cent.
What has happened? Obviously the peri-
od of economic austerity, which began in
2008, has played a huge part. Studios, like
companies in so many other fields of busi-
ness, have slashed their spending. And of
course Hollywood is no longer autonomous
in the way it once was: its studios are sub-
sidiaries (and not always major ones) of giant
corporations with other interests.
The tendency now is to create fewer
movies, but vastly expensive ones, conceived
and executed in-house and targeted at
younger audiences.
Yet there has been a cultural shift, too,
and not just behind the ornate gates of movie
studios. The way peopleespecially people
over age 30now consume filmed entertain-
ment has altered radically. In America, of
course, network television had long been the
nations preferred medium, while DVDs
offered a complementary alternative.
But the upsurge of cable TV (with HBO
its aggressive creative spearhead) has diluted
the networks power base, offering a greater
diversity of programming for grown-ups.
And in the past decade, DVD sales (which
once helped many a box-office flop out of the
red and into the black) have waned dramati-
cally. Relatively cheap viewing options such
as Netflix have rushed in to fill the gap.
Weve seen a comparable pattern in this
country, exemplified by the rise of TV series
like Breaking Bad, Borgen and The Wire.
Here, too, DVDs have begun to feel like cul-
tural artefacts from another century.
So where does that leave the studios?
Repurposing themselves, effectivelydivert-
ing their attentions to younger audiences
while marginalising grown-ups. The result?
Much of the adult population here and in the
States now tends to shy away from studio-
made films. The anomaly here is Disney,
with its animation division, overseen by
Pixars John Lasseter, currently in excellent
form. Parents take their kids along to Disney
movies; weirdly, it feels as if, in comparison
with its rivals, Disney is performing a kind of
all-the-family public service.
The phrase public service isnt one
youll hear on Hollywood studio lots, except
as a term of derision. Yet indirectly that was
what major studios used to provide, making
wildly varied films for a broad range of audi-
ences and demographic groups.
Well, we can kiss that era goodbye. Now
its all about brand-name franchises, toys,
superheroes, comic-book adaptationsany-
thing, in other words, thats kid-friendly and
has built-in pre-recognition: even the success
of the previous film in a series.
Some of these matters are currently hot
topics in Hollywood because of a report in
the trade publication Variety that highlighted
the decline of super-producers, who enjoyed
lucrative on the lot agreements that tied
them to a studio by means of first refusal
rights on any project they generated.
Super-producer names who have fallen
by the wayside include Joel Silver (Sherlock
Holmes, Lethal Weapon), who had a long-
standing deal with Warners, and Jerry
Bruckheimer (Bad Boys, Black Hawk Down,
Pearl Harbor), a favourite son at Disney for
20 years, who in recent years has been pro-
ducing more for TV.
The tendency now is for studio execu-
tives to act as de facto producers on these
mega-budget films. The only producer cred-
ited with last years Marvel Studios offerings
Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World is
Kevin Feigewho happens to be president of
Marvel Studios, now a subsidiary of Disney.
Of course, one need not shed too many
tears for the super-producers, all of whom
are vastly wealthy and never need work
again. Yet their passing marks another step
towards the supremacy of corporate think-
ing in Hollywood. I wouldnt call myself a
fan of Silvers or Bruckheimers work (and
the latter, remember, came to produce the
Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which,
based as it is on a Disney theme-park ride,
feels like a very in-house idea).
But theres something about a super-
produceran arrogant, temperamental
shouty type who wins studio bosses over
with his crazed passion for a film idea
that feels preferable to calm, calculating
decisions made by in-house studio execu-
tives poring over algorithms, spread sheets
and feedback surveys.
Joel Silver, remember, first earned his
super-producer stripes with the Lethal
Weapon franchise, which extended over four
films. It began 25 years ago, and we take it
for granted now: but back then that first
movie didnt seem automatic box-office
gold. Pairing a black cop with a suicidal
white cop (Danny Glover and Mel Gibson)
felt like a risky proposition for a potential
blockbuster. It certainly wouldnt pass
muster in todays corporate Hollywood. (For
a start, those suicidal tendencies would sim-
ply have to go.) Yet Silver (who is often
politely described as flamboyant) bullied
and cajoled Warners into getting it made
exactly as he envisaged it. Passion prevailed.
Its not as if the studios policy of betting
the farm on a few, hideously expensive
movies for teens is exactly a foolproof one.
We all know the names of the casualties, the
titles that ran up stratospheric nine-digit
losses: John Carter, Battleship, After Earth,
RIPD, Green Lantern. And they were all
awful. (The Lone Ranger, produced by yes,
Bruckheimer, ran up the biggest losses of the
lot. Yet in its way, its a glorious folly, a rene-
gade movie that doesnt care about hitting its
target audiences, and Im not alone in think-
ing history will treat it kindly.)
Is this a surprise? How can it be?
Consider that some 20 movies of this kind,
with budgets exceeding $100 million, opened
in the States last year. Logic dictates that all of
them cannot be hitsand with this level of
outlay, huge losses were inevitable for some.
But even supposing the studios are right:
that fewer films are better, bigger films make
more sense, that commercially tested and
tried material is the prudent way to go, that
teenagers will always be the most pliable
audienceswheres the victory in that?
Even if current studio thinking is proved
right and in the long term, blockbusters
enable them to rake in revenue and look Wall
Street squarely in the eye, consider whats
been lost. Hollywood will be churning out a
predictable series of dull, monotonous, spe-
cial-effects heavy, dramatically incoherent
movies for a relatively small segment of the
cinema-going audience. The studios may sur-
vive: but what a diminished industry theyll
be presiding over.
l| +il] ll|+p|
8Y MkY 8E Y
hEW Fk88W
R
esearchers are developing a
new biometric technique
that would allow identifica-
tion of people through
their body odour.
Scientists at Universidad
Politecnica de Madrid
in Spain found that
there are recognis-
able patterns of
each persons
body odour that
remain steady.
Therefore, every
person has their
own odour and
this would allow
their identification
within a group of
people at an accuracy
rate of 85 per cent,
researchers said.
The findings lead
the way to improve
personal identification
that is less aggressive
than other biometric
techniques being used
today. Several biometric tech-
niques like the iris recognition
and fingerprint recognition
have a low error rate.
However, these two tech-
niques are usually related to
criminal records and for this
reason when people are
required to identify them-
selves, they are not so willing
to collaborate. (PTI)
6I8I8 hTIIhE8' hEW
8E8T IIEh: TEXTIh
W
hile
coun-
selling by phone
remains far more
prevalent, texting has
become such a funda-
mental way to commu-
nicate, particularly
among people under
20, that crisis groups
have begun to adopt
it as an alternative
way of providing emer-
gency services and coun-
selling. Texting provides
privacy that can be crucial if
a person
feels
threatened
by someone near them. It
also looks more natural if the
teenager is in public.
They can still look cool to their
peers or friends while receiving assis-
tance that they are in desperate need
of, said Jerry Weichman, a clinical psy-
chologist in Newport Beach, California,
who deals with adolescent issues. For
counsellors, texting allows them to deal
with more than one person at a time
and to introduce experts into a conver-
sation without transferring or placing a
caller on hold. Exchanges by text, they
point out, can also resume more seam-
lessly after an interruption, because a
written record of previous conversa-
tions already exists. (NYT)
hIhTMkE FEI6TIh: kT8
6I W k8 8I k8 8hEEF
I
n a prediction which is the stuff of
nightmares, scientists are saying that
rats could easily evolve to the size of
sheep by filling vacant ecological nich-
es. In the days of the dinosaurs, mam-
mals existed, but they were tiny crea-
tures as the dinosaurs filled all the
brackets for larger beings. It was only
after the dinosaurs were
wiped out that mammals
began to evolve into dif-
ferent shapes and sizes. Some of these
were pretty enormous, like horses,
mammoths and rhinoceri. Rats, known
to be super-adaptable, could grow to fit
the niches left by current larger mam-
mals becoming extinct.
Jan Zalasiewicz, from the geology
department at the University of
Leicester, says that all animals are con-
ditioned to adapt to whatever form will
best ensure their survival and allow
them to continue to procreate.
Currently, the largest rodent in the
world is the capybara, that has reached
weights of 80 kg. This is similar to the
weight of a sheep. Rats could easily get
to this size, but if there were empty
ecospace to fill, they could get bigger
still. This is an evolutionary phenome-
na known as gigantism, when smaller
creatures grow into larger versions of
themselves to fill a gap in the ecologi-
cal chain. A good example of this is the
blue whale. Fifty million years ago the
blue whale was the same size
as a wolf. (PTI)
II8hEMkh Wk8hE8 F Ih
I8Ikh8 kITE YEk kIIT
A
fisherman thought to be
from El Salvador who
washed ashore on the
Marshall Islands said he
survived more than a year
adrift in the Pacific Ocean,
drinking turtle blood and
catching fish and birds with
his bare hands. Jose Salvador
Alvarenga, 37, told officials he
set sail on a shark fishing trip
from Mexico in late December
2012 but was blown out to sea. He
was found in a disoriented state
on a remote coral atoll where he
had been washed up over the
weekend in his 22-ft fiberglass boat.
A police patrol boat took him to
Majuro, the capital of the islands.
It was supposed to be a one-
day fishing expedition, but they
were blown off course by the
northern winds, Thomas Armbruster,
the US Ambassador to the Marshall
Islands, said. (Reuters)
k 8YIhE 6kh hEIF 8EkI
h8hT Ih 16 8E6h8
D
ealing with gunshots wounds on
the battlefield is a brutal process.
The only way to stop the bleeding
is to stuff the wound with gauze,
sometimes as deep as five inches
into the body and even then
the treatment can fail, meaning
the gauze has to be removed
and new material put in. Using
this almost medieval process its
no surprise that haemorrhaging
is still the leading cause of death
for soldiers in the field.
Now a company named
RevMedx has designed a device
that they claim can stop a
wound bleeding in just 15 sec-
onds. This is the XStat, a modi-
fied syringe that injects tablet-
sized sponges directly into the
wound and that was inspired by
the design of emergency tire repair
kits. Thats what we pictured as
the perfect solution: Something
you could spray in, it would expand,
and bleeding stops, a US Army
Special Operations medic said.
(The Independent)
T
he movemenl lo boycoll
sraeli goods linked lo
selllemenls has been
boosled by "Scarlell syndrome",
say aclivisls, aler lhe high
roile conlroversy over lhe
ilm slar Scarlell
Johansson's
endorsemenl o
SodaSlream.
Froboycoll
camaigners believe
lhey will beneil rom
lhe celebrily urore,
even lhough
Johansson-aced
wilh lhe incomalibilily
o sonsorshi o
SodaSlream, which
has a aclory in an
illegal selllemenl in
lhe sraelioccuied
wesl Bank, and her
role as a goodwill ambassador
or 0xam-broke links wilh lhe
charily.
The row ollows mounling
ressure, esecially rom
Euroe, where h00s, lrade
unions, churches and olhers
are orcing lheir
governmenls lo lake
aclion.
The number o
Euroean cororalions
who have severed or
reviewed links wilh sraeli
comanies which oerale in
selllemenls is acceleraling;
lhe Euroean union is laking
an increasingly lougher line;
and lhe boycoll movemenl is
gaining lraclion in lhe
uniled Slales, where il has
reviously slruggled lo win
suorl.
M
eg Ryan is direcling her
irsl ealure ilm, It|aca, an
adalalion o lhe 1O48 william
Saroyan novel T|c |uman
0cmcJy. She will also slar
in lhe ilm alongside Sam
Sheard and Melanie
0riilh, while Tom
hanks, who Ryan
memorably slarred
alongside in 5|ccp|css
In 5catt|c and cu'vc
6ct Mai|, will be
execulive roducer.
Also slarring will
be Meg Ryan's
son Jack
0uaid, besl
known or his role as Marvel in
T|c |uncr 6amcs movies.
T|c |uman 0cmcJy,
wrillen or lhe Ryan
version by 5anJ cf
5rct|crs roducer Erik
Jendresen, is aboul a
leenage lelegram
delivery boy in small
lown America during
world war ,
wilnessing lhe imacl o
lhe conlicl on lhose he
delivers messages lo.
Ryan has been
relalively quiel o
lale, ocusing on
amily lie.
0
ne o woody Allen's adoled
children, Moses Farrow, has
oered his suorl lo lhe
emballled ilmmaker, saying in
an inlerview wilh Fccp|c
maga/ine: "0 course woody
did nol molesl my sisler."
Moses, 8G, is one o lwo
children Allen adoled wilh Mia
Farrow-lhe olher being 0ylan,
lhe subjecl o lhe child sex
abuse allegalions-and has
now reacled lo lhe leller 0ylan
ublished accusing Allen.
Seaking o 0ylan and
Allen, Farrow lold Feole:
"(0ylan) loved (Allen) and
looked orward lo seeing him
when he would visil. She never
hid rom him unlil our molher
succeeded in crealing lhe
almoshere o ear and hale
lowards him." he says lhal on
lhe day lhe abuse is alleged lo
have occurred lhere were
several eole resenl in lhe
house lhe whole lime and "no
one, nol my alher or sisler, was
o in any rivale saces". 0ylan
alleges lhe abuse look lace in
an allic.
T
he only work o iclion ever
wrillen by Charlie Chalin, a
dark, noslalgic novella which
was lhe rool o his greal ilm
Limc|i|t and which has lain
unublished or over GO years,
is being made ublic or lhe
irsl lime. |cct|i|ts, which
runs lo 84,OOO words, lraces
lhe same slory as Chalin's
valediclory ilm Limc|i|t -
lhal o an ageing, alcoholic
clown Calvero and lhe ballerina
he saves rom suicide.
The ilm, in which Chalin
layed Calvero and Claire Bloom
lhe ballerina, was lhe inal
American movie Chalin made
beore he was banned rom lhe
counlry or alleged communisl
symalhies. The novella, which
Chalin wrole in 1O48, beore
lhe ilm scril, widens and dee
ens lhe slory, giving an insighl
inlo lhe aulhor's slale o mind al
lhe lime. l has lain in Chalin's
archive or decades, bul has
now been ieced logelher rom
a mix o handwrillen and lyed
scrils by Chalin's biograher
0avid Robinson.
6hkIIE 6hkFIIh'8 hIY hVEI F8II8hE
FLMTME FLMTME
ThE TEh0EhCY
h0w S T0 CREATE
FEwER M0vES, BuT
vASTLY EXFEhSvE
0hES, C0hCEvE0
Ah0 EXECuTE0
hh0uSE Ah0
TAR0ETE0 AT
Y0uh0ER
Au0EhCES. YET
ThERE hAS BEEh A
CuLTuRAL ShFT,
T00, Ah0 h0T JuST
BEhh0 ThE 0RhATE
0ATES 0F M0vE
STu00S
86kIETT 88T8 I8kEII 8ETTIEMEhT I88E
ME Ykh T MkkE hE E8T k8 IE6T
WY kIIEh ET8 IkW'8 8FFT
O D D L Y E N O U G H
whal has haened lo hollywood ilms? Belween 2OOG and 2O18, lhere was a 4O er
cenl dro in lhe ilms released by major hollywood sludios, wriles 0Av0 0RTTEh
sunday
magazino
l|s i
JK R0wLh0 SAYS ShE MAY hAvE 00T T wR0h0 BY
MATChh0 hARRY F0TTER hER0hE hERM0hE 0RAh0ER
wTh FLAMEhARE0 FREh0 R0h wEASLEY, hSTEA0 wTh
ThE FR0TA00hST. ShE C0hFESSES ThAT ThS FARh0
wAS A FERS0hAL RAThER ThAh LTERARY 0ECS0h
Now Dolhi, Fobruary 9, 2014
K
halid Mohameds Faction is a
compilation of 22 short narra-
tives by Hindi film personalities,
majorly exhibiting an autobiographical
tenor. Mohamed himself dons diverse
hats ranging from that of a film director
to a journalist. Hence his attempt to
design a versatile anthology of personal
experiences by equally contrasting
actors and directors of Hindi cinema
does not come as a surprise. The stories
have either been written by the per-
sonas themselves, or have been narrated
to Mohamed who has in turn penned
and coloured them in his own words.
Shyam Benegal, Sai Paranjpye, Ashok
Kumar, Rahul Bose, Ashutosh
Gowariker, Karan Johar, Deepika
Padukone, Basu Chatterjee, Shekhar
Kapur, Om Puri, Rishi Kapoor, Manoj
Bajpayee, Nana Patekar, et al, are the
sources of this edition which begins
with Akshay Kumars chronicle of a love
story which he had witnessed blossom-
ing in a local train in Mumbai. The
story unfolds as the strangers meet, fall
in love, and marry only to find them-
selves soon in a state of utter disarray.
Their conjugal saga is keenly docu-
mented by a young Rajiv (Kumar) who
is otherwise subservient to the plot.
Then, there is the tale, Speaking of
Mr and Mrs Pinto, by Karan Johar, a
strikingly honest account of a young
Karan battling his inner demons that
would prefer playing hopscotch with
the girls to playing gully cricket with the
boys. Mr and Mrs Pinto furnish Karan
with an agency to cope with and refine
his shortcomings and polish his gift of
the gab. They insert in him the self-con-
fidence and endow upon him the
warmth of parental affection.
Ashok Kumars inconclusive story,
A Calcutta Story, which Mohamed col-
lected from his daughter Bharati
Jaffrey, is engaging and depicts the
emotional turbulence in a complicated
relationship between a love-seeking
prostitute and her indifferent and cold-
blooded client, Shubhang. Given Ashok
Kumars penchant for writing and his
association with literary erudite Saadat
Hassan Manto, many of his delightful
stories are said to have remained
unpublished; in Khalid Mohameds
own words, What Manto and
Dadamoni could have done with a film
script adapted from A Calcutta story,
tantalises the imagination.
Both Rishi Kapoor and Manoj
Bajpayees stories reveal how their
respective courses of life would have
been entirely different had they not
been jilted by their lovers and had their
aspirations not crumbled down when
they were both abandoned by their
partners. Bajpayees story is narrated in
the form of an epistolary wherein only
the postcards exchanged between him
and his paramour from Paris have been
published. In contrast, Ashutosh Gowa-
rikers tale puts forth gothic experiences
of horror and evil spirits which his crew
had experienced at a shooting set.
Sonam Kapoors Girls night out
brings back the memories of hostel life
when probably everyone struggled with
disgruntled and troubled relations while
attempting to attune themselves with the
quirks and idiosyncrasies of their room-
mates. Sonams protagonist is a fat
Salonee who is inhibited by a conscious
sense of body-image, an apprehension
which engulfs almost every girl her age,
and the story thus becomes effective as
well as convenient to relate to.
Shyam Benegal, in his quintessential
outlook remembers a poor chai boy
and a technician in his team who
approaches him to read a letter written to
him in Urdu by his newly wedded wife
from their ancestral village. I regarded
Kasim as a friend, someone who shared
his life with me. writes Benegal. The
filmmaker expresses that the experience
of reading a letter from the newly wed-
ded wife stayed with him and the story of
a fictional letter writer in Benegals
Welcome to Sajjanpur evolved from there.
He adds, I havent told Kasim about this
but he must have guessed for sure. He
may be unlettered but hes perceptive. He
wanted to be associated with movies and
also gave birth to one.
Shekhar Kapurs Elizabeth and Paul
is an address to his daughter Kaveri and
is a story of two pigeons camouflaged
under a layer of instilling family values
and strengthening ties.
Two of the most appealing accounts
are drafted by Farah Khan and Bobby
Deol in Guess who came to dinner and
When the rains came respectively. The
former is a humorous reportage of
Khans feisty and eccentric grandmother
who once brought Jesus Christ home
for dinner and on her deathbed asked
the doctor for a chilled mangola and
said bye before passing away. The lat-
ter is Deols emotional tribute to Bhag
Singh, his fathers secretary and the
security blanket of the family. Both the
tales are vivid, sincere and gripping his-
tories of personalities Bhag Singh
and grandma Perin who were con-
scientious, strong willed and devoted
but in bafflingly disparate fashions.
What sets the stories apart from the rest
is their non-condescending approach;
neither attempts to invoke sympathy
nor generate awe in the readers. They
come across as unconditional rhetoric
and memories of a departed dear one.
In a country like India where films
are no less than a religion, curiosity to
invade the personal spaces of the film
stars is almost innate to the people. An
anthology of their write-ups is then an
invigorating and amusing idea.
However, there is no balanced inter-
play of form and content in many of
the accounts. Most of them are exces-
sively romanticised to the extent of
ostensibly coming across as hyperbolic
and attention-seeking. For instance,
Paranjpyes story of a girl running into
a stranger in an alien land has a pre-
dictable twist concerning the real iden-
tity of the stranger it has hardly
anything to uncover about him since
her title The Gigolo in itself is a give-
away! Likewise Arjun Rampals saga of
turmoil and hardship in ruthless New
York could have been much over-
whelming had it not been written in an
inescapably lousy manner. His men-
tion of the wooden armrest of a bench
at the Central Park could have been
put forth in a far more delightful nar-
rative technique. Both Deepika
Padukone and Rahul Boses stories are
too dragging and dull, whereas Basu
Chatterjees tale, although pleasingly
engaging, collapses due to the lack of a
meaningful substance in the plot.
Faction might not be an ideal pick
for a literature enthusiast, but it is read-
er-friendly and apt for the masses
charmed by the glittering stars of
Bollywood. It opens a window into their
hitherto clandestine spaces and is told in
simplistic magnitudes. It demonstrates a
parallel image of the celebrities; an
image that is universal and relatable.
The book may locate loyalty in the non-
reading masses and at the same time the
life-imitating-art-and-vice-versa modus
operandi that the anthology upholds
makes it for an inviting reading as well.
This book allemls lo
comrehensively sludy,
evaluale and inlerrel aclors and evenls
lhal wenl inlo making Fakislan vulnerable
lo Army "lakeover". l lends erseclives
lo evenls and highlighls lhe role o olilical
leaders and army 0enerals during lhe
aleul days exosing consiracies and
illuminaling many grey and dark areas. l
ocuses on lhe regimes o Malik 0hulam
Mohammed, Maj0en skander Mir/a, 0en
Ferve/ Musharra, and so on.
PAKSTAN UNDER
ARMY RULE
MM Khajooria
Gyan Publishing
House, C760
NEW
ARRVALS
This book is a heady
cocklail o inlrigue,
lemlalion and belrayal.
Anjana harendra can'l kee her head
slraighl when il comes lo lhe nalion's
hearllhrob, crickel vicecalain Avinash
Kalagi. he seems smillen loo - laking
her oul or romanlic walks in bolanical
gardens and aearing by her side when
she has a road accidenl. Yel lhe reorler in
Anjana snis oul lhe biggesl scoo o lhe
season which lands her in lhe sordid
world o celebs and sleroids. will she give
u all lhal she has?
DELRUM
Sowmya Aji
HarperCollins, C299
when do we reunile lhe
children back home? whal is
'good qualily' o rehabililalion o lhe child?
whal exlains lhe high relenlion rales?
Can relenlion be an indicalor o good
rehabililalion? The book hoes lo bring lo
lhe ore lhese issues and lheir solulions
evolve deeer lhoughls and beller
raclices, and generale more ocus and
resources or heling lhe large numbers o
children seen on railway lalorms.
RESCUNG
RALWAY
CHLDREN
M Harper & Lalitha yer
Sage, C750
T
hose of us who have grown up
reading and believing that the
integration of Sikkim into the
Indian Union had been driven
by an overwhelming desire of
its people to join this country, will be
rudely jolted by Sunanda K Datta-Rays
narrative in Smash and Grab: Annexation
of Sikkim. In what is perhaps the most
authentic account of the historic event,
the author proceeds to smash the long-
held perception of a benign New Delhi
stepping in to offer relief to the suffer-
ing people of Sikkim, and grab the reality
which the authorities have carefully hid-
den behind the curtains since the annex-
ation this is what Datta-Ray unapolo-
getically terms the manner in which
Sikkim was taken into the Indian fold
happened in April 1975.
His sensational narrative had come
into the open barely 10 years after the
monumental event, but the book had
mysteriously disappeared from the mar-
ket. It is widely believed that the Indian
establishment had moved swiftly to
ensure that nobody or only the least
number of people got to read the
truth. The recent arrival of the book, now
in a revised version, was therefore more
of a re-release, in the hope that this time
around Smash and Grab will remain
accessible to the public at large. In any
case, a repeat of the 1984 clampdown
could not be possible now. With the
advent of information technology and
24x7 television even banned books are
discussed, and accessed surreptitiously.
Indeed, they end up attracting more
readership than they may have without
the accompanying free publicity. One
marketing tool for Datta-Rays book can
be the following: Here is a book that had
been sent underground by the
Government in 1984 because it spoke the
truth. Now, the book is back in the mar-
ket. Read the true story of the annexation
of Sikkim by India!
This may sound sensational for a
book on history, but read it and you will
agree that it deserves to be bracketed
among the raciest accounts written on a
historical (and historic) event. It is not
that Datta-Ray pre-determined that he
would do so, but the material at his dis-
posal must have led him to a narrative
that could not have been otherwise.
Unlike many authors who write on his-
torical events from a distance, not having
had the privilege of living through them,
Datta-Ray was in the thick of things in
Sikkim. He had been reporting from the
former kingdom for The Statesman and
The Observer of London as a journalist,
had developed a network of contacts
within the palace and among officials of
the Government of India who had played
roles in shaping the destiny of Sikkim
for better or worse and was perhaps
the only journalist then to have first-hand
account of the drama that preceded the
annexation and immediately thereafter.
The core of Smash and Grab the
brutish title derives from the exact words
that the Chogyal had uttered more in
shock than in anger when he learnt that
Indian troops had launched an attack
against his tiny kingdom is that the
annexation of Sikkim by India was nei-
ther necessary nor justified. To add here,
neither were the aggressive means,
reserved for enemy nations, appropriate.
As Datta-Ray points out, Sikkim had
maintained excellent relations with New
Delhi since Indias Independence and was
happy being a Protectorate of India. It
had done nothing to invite a takeover by
force. The monarch had warm relations
with Indian leaders, beginning from
Jawaharlal Nehru down to Indira Gandhi.
Yet, the atmosphere was vitiated partly
due to the games that the bureaucracy in
India played, partly because of a phobia
which existed in the minds of the Indian
leadership over the palaces affinity
towards certain sections that New Delhi
believed were inimical to its interests, and
partly due to the shenanigans of promi-
nent political leaders of Sikkim who
worked internally to weaken the
Chogyals authority, sow seeds of distrust
and fuel unrest among the people.
Although it was during Indira
Gandhis tenure that Sikkim got added
or annexed to the Indian Union, the
grounds were laid during Jawaharlal
Nehrus time as the Prime Minister. This
is ironic, because Nehru had said in mid-
June: If we bring a small country within
our fold by using force, it would be like
killing a fly with a bullet. The author,
therefore, rightly devotes a large space to
the relationship between India and
Sikkim throughout Nehrus term. He
explains how things had already begun to
fall apart and how the seeds of mutual
suspicion had begun to be laid. If they
began to sprout soon after, somehow the
differences did not reach a flashpoint.
The political officers who represented the
Government of India in Sikkim during
the Chogyal rule were often busy playing
divide-and-rule games, aided and abetted
by their bosses in New Delhi. Worse,
many of them were imperious in nature
and believed that the palace in Sikkim
should remain subservient to the regions
big brother. They lost no opportunity, as
Datta-Ray relates in instances, in seeking
to humiliate the king, widely respected
and revered as well on matters of spiritual
lineage. It cannot be that Nehru did not
know of the happenings, but he remained
ambivalent at best and irritating at worst.
Indira Gandhi, though, believed that
Sikkim had lived long enough as an inde-
pendent nation.
Interestingly, as the author points out,
both Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
had never seriously believed any mean-
ingful purpose could be served in having
Sikkim as a part of the Indian Union. He
writes, Much was written later about
Nehrus feeling for the mountains. But
romantic attachment to a terrain he had
not even visited when his policy was for-
mulated could not run away with his
political judgement. Patel and (VP)
Menon, both single-minded men
unmoved by sentiment, certainly could
not have succumbed to any such emo-
tion. More plausible is the inference that
while they would have liked to merge
Sikkim, they appreciated that even the
successor government in New Delhi
could not aspire to inherit powers that its
viceregal predecessors had not enjoyed.
Therefore, they sought Gangtoks consent
to continued diplomatic relations.
Here, Datta-Ray points that Gangtok
could have refused the request. But it did
not, and the two entered into a standstill
agreement after it became clear that
India accepted Sikkim as an independent
entity. This act of friendship on Sikkims
part does not seem to have influenced
New Delhis conduct towards the
Himalayan kingdom in later years.
No purpose will be served in
attempting to relate the furious pace of
events that led to the annexation, and the
role that several characters some
colourful, others devious, and several
more opportunistic played in the act.
This is best understood by reading the
book. But Smash and Grab is not just his-
tory; it is a tale of human greed for power
and leverage, and the downfall of a proud
and benign, if somewhat ineffective and
largely trusting, monarch.
Some o lhe rominenl hindi ilm ersonalilies lurn lo lhe en in lhis anlhology lo reveal inlense acels
o and incidenls in lheir lives which have allered lheir basic worldviews, says AhAhYA B0R00hAh
Bollywooo`s factions
Those o us who have grown u reading and believing lhal lhe inlegralion o Sikkim inlo lhe ndian union had been driven by an
overwhelming desire o ils eole lo join lhis counlry, Sunanda K 0allaRay's book will rovide a rude joll, wriles RAJESh Sh0h
8M8 80 688:
88FIII08 0F 8IkkIM
80aaa4a k 0atta8ay
Iraag0ehar, C795
F0II08:
808I 8I08IF8 8I ZZ
FIlM FF8808lIIIF8
khaII4 M0hame4
0m 800ks, C395
Send qualily lime wilh your near and dear
ones. you're wailing or lhe aroval o your
arenls or your exisling relalionshis, you may
gel disaoinled. you are commilled, lhere
are chances lhal lhings are nol moving
smoolhly. l's beller lo move on rom an
unheallhy relalionshi. Kee all your inancial
documenls udaled in order lo be clear in any
kind o inlerrogalion. Medilale lo conlrol
anxiely; il will also hel you in increasing your
eiciency. l's lime lo make decisions regarding
urlher educalion. Your nexl decision is an
irreversible one and il will be crucial or lhe resl
o your lie. Comromising on heallh issues is
nol advisable. Begin a new ilness lan.
Iurky day Tuesday
Iurky number 8, O
Iurky roIour Magenla
8IF8 March 21-April 20
Your will ower lo slay heallhy is slrong.
Rouline exercises, morning walks and lanned
diel creale wonders or you. Timely medical
care will cure you comlelely. Analyse your
relalionshis and slo comromising in lhe
silualions you are nol comorlable in. 0el rid o
uncerlain relalionshis. l's never loo lale lo
change any allern o behaviour. when il comes
lo your career you may eel slagnalion in job.
You may be one in a layo scheme o lhe
comany you are working wilh. 0r i you hale
your job bul because o lhe sleady income you
have nol lanned lo quil, you could be orced
oul. Bul you may beneil mosl rom lhe
comlele change o ield. Make lhe lea!
Iurky day Sunday
Iurky number 1, 8
Iurky roIour Yellow
I0808 April 21-May 21
Your osilive aroach lowards lhings will
bring emolional and hysical wellbeing. you
are wailing or lesl resulls regarding your
heallh, lhen execl lhe news lo be good. You
are likely lo be eeling charged u, ready or
aclion. herbal ingredienls and homemade
remedies lo cure heallh will draw your allenlion;
il is likely lhal you may join some course o lhis
kind. You could eslablish your slrenglh in your
career loo. you are in arlnershi business,
lhere are air chances lhal you all work or lhe
selless molives. Feole will lislen lo you and
resecl your views. You may lan a vacalion
wilh your arlner lo an exolic lace or resenl a
beauliul gil lo him/her.
Iurky day Thursday
Iurky number 7, O
Iurky roIour Turquoise
6FMI8I May 22-June 21
Medilale and gel closer lo your idenlily. You
subscribe lo naluroalhy and believe in
balancing nalure in your lie. Air, waler, ire,
earlh and elher are imorlanl as lhe balance
o lhese ive elemenls in lie will make lie
worlh living. A sudden hike in salary or reu
lalion in oice is quile likely. hew rosecls
will aear in your job. Sludenls who are
asiring or higher sludies could make il and
gel lhe righl break wilh sheer luck. Your anger
lowards your arlner is laking a loll on lhe
relalionshi. You need lo relax and lhink wilh
a cool mind. This is a lemorary hase, very
soon you will ind a loving message or a cule
gil rom your arlner.
Iurky day Salurday
Iurky number 2, 5
Iurky roIour 0reen
080F8 June 22-July 22
You may slo some habils lhal you know are bad
or you and cullivale good habils inslead.
Fhysical exercise is arlicularly imorlanl now,
bul don'l overdo il. This is a lime when you will
sland your ground and deend your ideals in lhe
ace o an adversily. This is lhe eriod lo lake
some lime o rom work lo sel your erseclives.
Things are nol likely lo be going as you would like
lhem lo do; don'l lake lhis ersonally or lry lo
ush harder. Ferhas lhe lime has come lo slarl
looking or anolher osilion. You need lo ully
undersland and ace lhe realily o your inancial
silualion. You will ind slabilily in exisling
relalions. You may ind yoursel alling or
someone who is older lhan you.
Iurky day Monday
Iurky number 5, O
Iurky roIour 0range
I860 Aug 24-Sept 23
You will be in a cheerul mood. You are conscious
on lhe heallh ronl and devole good lime in look
ing aler your wellbeing. There are lhings lhal
you can aclively do lo groom yoursel. Massage,
beauly li, sa and joining gym are on lhe card.
There is a siril o cooeralion lhal works
wonderully lhis week. You share cordial relalions
wilh colleagues, riends and seniors. Those in
business could bring desirable changes i lhey
wanl. Be a good lislener, lrusl your inslincls and
connecl wilh your innermosl desires. Your
arlner will resond lo your geslures. Your dear
ones are eager lo know whal is in your mind, so
seak u. This is a good lime or you when you
may meel someone new lhrough work.
Iurky day Tuesday
Iurky number 1, 4
Iurky roIour havy blue
lI88 Sept 24-Oct 23
You are on lhe alh o selimrovemenl. You
may ollow a new belie syslem lhis week in
search o lhe meaning o lie lo you. Slicking lo
a new diel or workoul rouline is also a
manieslalion o lhis rocess o searching. You
are sarkling wilh new ideas and will lry lo
imrove your social lie. You will send lime in
socialising and making new riends, which shall
rejuvenale you. Your roduclive level will be
high and being eicienl will ay o. Your love
lie is back on lrack. Your anxiely over relalions
lhal concerned you or many weeks comes lo an
end. This is a good lime lo roose lo your
lover or gel a commilmenl or lhe long run
whelher marriage or olherwise.
Iurky day Tuesday
Iurky number G, 8
Iurky roIour Cream while
8008FI0 Oct 24-Nov 22
Fay allenlion lo diel, exercise, resl and eal
heallhy. You may need lo reach oul lo a lrusled
counsellor or riend or heallh advice. A new
conneclion al work lace could be avourable lo
you. You are likely lo be arecialed al your
worklace and should be eeling comorlable
lhere, al leasl lo a large degree even i you don'l
arlicularly like lhe job. looking or
emloymenl, you are going lo ind il soon.
Travel lo a dislanl lace is likely. You ind
reshness in relalionshis. Those who are
looking or a souse or lie arlner, lhis is lhe
righl lime when lheir wish could gel ulilled.
You are assionale and energelic and have lhe
charming ersona. Love is in lhe air.
Iurky day Sunday
Iurky number 2, 8
Iurky roIour Fink
008I08 Jan 21-Feb 19
Living in lhe momenl and lislening lo lhe voice o
your body will enhance good heallh. Temlalions,
conusions and a disorganised lieslyle aear lo
be loo much or you. You need lo reocus. You
have lhe knowledge, slrenglh and insiralion
needed lo meel your challenges. There will be an
imrovemenl in your career. This is an excellenl
lime lo ind new work or lo receive a romolion
in your currenl job. Farlicularly i your work is in
a crealive ield, lhis is a lime when your
suggeslions will be received well. You may lan
lo slarl a joinl venlure wilh your amily members
or gain lhrough anceslral roerly. You may be
involved in a serious conlicl. Feelings o
hellessness, deeal and desair are indicaled.
Iurky day Thursday
Iurky number 4, G
Iurky roIour Lighl blue
FI80F8 Feb 20-March 20
You need seedy changes in your schedule as lhe
silualions have changed. You are al a crossroads,
il is lime lo lil yoursel and lransorm your lie.
You will need lo guard yoursel againsl a eeling
o anxiely. Take a good look al whelher or nol
lhings are under your conlrol. worrying aboul
your job is nol going lo hel you. Focus on whal
you can conlrol, and lry lo leave your anxiely by
lhe wayside. Feel blessed and hay as you gel
lhe suorl o your loved ones. An ausicious
ceremony may be organised, your marriage could
be ixed or romance is likely lo be going well.
These energies will work besl or you i you can
conducl yoursel in whalever way someone in
your shoes is execled lo be.
Iurky day Friday
Iurky number 5, 1
Iurky roIour Feach
0F8I0088 Dec 24-Jan 20
You are likely lo eel good aboul living a
heallhy and balanced lieslyle. Famer
yoursel wilh beauly lrealmenls, sa and
grooming lis. This is lhe lime when many
rojecls are realised, esecially large and big
ones, lhal will be roilable lo you. Business
dealings may be mosl ruilul now and i you
are in a selmade business or job, eole will
evaluale your work and accel your views and
roducls. l is also ossible lhal you may
have lo lravel abroad or your business. you
are single, il's likely lhal a new romance is on
lhe hori/on. n exisling relalions loo, orgiving
and living lie aresh is lhe key or hay
amily and slrenglhening relalionshis.
Iurky day Friday
Iurky number 1, O
Iurky roIour Furle
lF0 July 23-August 23
You live lie on your own condilions and don'l
comromise on heallh issues. You are able lo
lake lime oul rom your heclic schedule, by
careully organising your lhoughls and
maing oul whal needs lo be done lo
imrove your heallh. Try lo be lexible and
sensilive in your aroach. You are caring yel
dominaling al limes. You may be moving lo a
new osilion or a new sel o resonsibililies.
Forlune shall avour you. 0ood inances and
savings call or a good managemenl lan or
roer inveslmenl o your inances. hew
riendshis may lurn inlo loving relalionshis.
Make a deeer commilmenl in love and
slrenglhen lhe bond.
Iurky day Tuesday
Iurky number 7, O
Iurky roIour Red
86III8I08 Nov 23-Dec 23
YOURE339AHEAD
MA0hu K0TYA
H
abits die hard. This phenome-
non restricts the free play of the
mind. In fact, habits forcefully
involve the mind so much into attend-
ing to its musings that it is not left with
the time and space needed to indepen-
dently discharge its functions.
Consequently, mind is unable to put its
exploratory and discriminative faculties
vital to its intelligent functioning to full
use. It has to any way act upon the tar-
geted desires, and also react and
respond to situations coming its way.
And then it allows itself to be mindless-
ly driven by instinct, not caring for due
diligence. Naturally, if proper fore-
thought is not applied, it becomes a
matter of chance and luck, whether one
would succeed, or fail in his/her
endeavour. This chance or luck factor is
usually mistakenly perceived as the
calling of destiny, tempting one to
explore astrologically what is likely to
come about in life.
The truth, however, remains that we
limit the scope of freedom that the mind
is inherently endowed with. It fails to
explore beyond what would be immedi-
ately at sight. If, on the contrary, the
mind is allowed to exercise its freedom
to expand its search-horizon, it will be
able to strike upon more numbers of
options. The mind, thus armed with a
greater number of choices will be able to
discriminate upon and pick up the best
out of them. And then translate that into
fruits. That calls for remaining conscious
about trying to figure out and acknowl-
edge ones limiting habits and address
them, so as to expand ones scope of
vision. Also, identify the inlaid potential,
and then expand it through further
learning and adding skills-set. Astrology,
can work in this respect as a very effec-
tive diagnostic tool. It is in this spirit
that Allen Leo used to say: Wise men
use the stars, and fools obey.
Having in mind the above human
vulnerability, Ancient Indias learned
masters stipulated for holistic learning.
The process involved, character building,
increasing the strength of mind, and
sharpening of intellect. Accordingly, the
disciples were first put to a mind-engi-
neering process before being exposed to
the subjects of study. As a part of the
process, the guru and the disciples used
to develop mutual trust as well. That
made things easier for the guru to reach
out their lessons to the inner realm of the
disciples mind. And the disciples, too,
received their gurus words in all serious-
ness, and then with their sharpened
intelligence could discriminate upon to
grab the true import of the lessons had.
To develop true understanding, they
could put counter questions and also
come up with their own ideas. The learn-
ing was never a one-way traffic from
guru to the disciples. The two explored
truth in togetherness, of course with the
guru in the lead. The young minds were
thus groomed well in time before their
mind would get corrupted to resist fresh
learning. But as the man grows and gets
into complex dynamics of life, their
mind becomes hardened. It then
becomes difficult to receive the lessons if
any with an open mind, even if it per-
tains to getting over habit tendencies.
And in the present days of information
explosion, they mindlessly go searching
for all other alternative options on the
net and either end up confused, or fall
into trap of the marketers.
A case in point is that of someone
who is aware of his frailties and is even
keen to make necessary corrections. But
the process has been very slow because
his hardened and ever doubtful mind
never allows him accept the lessons so
easily. Let us now look into the astrolog-
ical pointers of his habit tendencies. He
is born with Aries, a fiery and movable
sign. Its lord Mars is locked in adverse
formation with the mind-signifier Moon
as well as the expansive Jupiter. That
makes him temperamental, aggressive,
impulsive, irritable, moody, and having
an inflated ego stuck to his self-defined
dos and donts, and usually not open to
listening our counsel. Also, he carries
the tendency to jump into action with-
out applying proper forethought. The
Sun placed opposite its planet of limita-
tion Saturn accounts for his negative ori-
entation of mind that makes him sus-
pect the intent and even reasoning of the
elders and mentors offering their advice
and counsel. The Moon opposite intelli-
gence-signifying Mercury, accounts for
his ever doubtful and worrying mind, at
times even doubting his own strengths.
He lacks patience and focus often tempt-
ing him to impulsively act on his
instinct. His potentials, otherwise quite
immense, often gets compromised, and
with obvious consequences.
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The truth is
that we limit the
scope of freedom
that the mind is
inherently endowed
with. t fails to
explore beyond
what is at sight
sunday
magazino
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F M0hEY hELF A MAh T0 00 0000 T0
0ThERS, T S 0F S0ME vALuE; BuT F h0T, T
S SMFLY A MASS 0F EvL, Ah0 ThE S00hER
T S 00T R0 0F, ThE BETTER.
- SwAM vvEKAhAh0A
Now Dolhi, Fobruary 9, 2014