Ram-Leela * * *

Sanjay Leela Bhansai has grown so much today and that seems to be the high point of this movie. In his earlier romantic ventures all we could connect to were the ubiquitous shades of blue. There was such colossal and conspicuous use of the color 'Blue' in his earlier romantic escapades that children had stopped asking the question why the sky looked blue? In Ram-Leela, he has apparently moved on and has given screen space to all the other colors. Chromatic secularism, one might say!

Long before the release, the word had already spread that this is a adaptation of the bible of love, Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. And those who had no idea, the initial credits indicate the influence. This in a way gives the whole theme and climax out at least for those who know the tragic love story. Nevertheless, it turns out to be a little different and of course colored with the Bollywood masala and songs. Now one of the things with love stories is that, the audience needs to bond with both the protagonists and the love should grow gradually and not within a span of three screens. Only then, we connect to their love, their pain and their agony. But unfortunately that would not happen here, you would find yourself more fascinated by other supporting characters.

The movie is based in a vintage Rann of Kachch village where there are two clans having bad blood between them and have been fighting since the last 500 years and desperately waiting for some cross couple to fall in love to that the hatred could subside. The village's economy is entirely based on the selling of guns and ammunition and everyone in the villages keeps a ghoda with them irrespective of age and gender. You feel like you are wandering in the imagination of Mao Zedong where power flows from the barrel of the gun. Ranveer Singh (Ram) belongs to the head family of one clan and is the Hugh Hefner of the clan not indulging in any gun action and more into the hot chikkas of the countryside. Our playboy believes that the bad blood between the clans should end so that they could have access to the ultra-hot gals of the other clan.

And this is how he meets Leela when he trespasses into the rival zone on the colorful day of Holi. No prizes for guessing who she is! Of course she would be the gorgeous single and available daughter of the head family of rival clan. And then, instant impact! They fall in love and start making out at the blink of an eye. Gosh, I have seen forward people but this was supposed to be a vintage setup for crying out loud. Anyways, Deepika (Leela) is getting hotter by the day, a sure sign of global warming! Then rest of the plot is anybody's guess. The climax is little different then what you would presume and the formula of unrequited love is kindda evergreen.

Talking of performances, Ranveer's six packs have put up a firm performance, rest of him not so much. Surprisingly Deepika has delivered a flawless performance as a chulbuli hottie at first and then a firm lover later on and the transformation she brings is fabulous. But for me its the support cast that shines brighter with mind blowing performances from mainly Supriya Pathak and also Richa Chadda. They shape the real leela  of the movie. The songs are not that great barring the happening item from our heartthrob Priyanka but the background score and cinematography is commendable. SLB definitely has potential but here that could not be transformed into frames. And also SLB, it would have been better to cast someone else for Ram, someone who does not look like Hanuman!

Nothing new, watch it for unrequited love, Deepika and Supriya!

Being on the other side

When I try to remember my student days way back in Kharagpur and even in Delhi, all I can recollect is an image of a quite boy who would not perhaps ask that many questions in middle of the class but surely would not miss a single class and would be all ears with 100 per cent attention. I always had that appetite for accumulating more and more knowledge. May be some of the faculties where not that good in their delivery but I always believed that even those had so much to offer to me. I was more an admirer of their passion for the subject rather than their flawless presentations with literal arabesque. I am still all ears but perhaps only to people who do not talk gibberish.

Back in those engineering days, one thing intrigued me a lot. In a batch of more than 100 people, half came for the class usually, most placing themselves in the backbenches so that they could nap to make up for the night out they did playing Counter Strike or watching some Korean movies as they had already exhausted the English and Hindi ones, others where busy discussing the hall politics and other jazz, and thus only a handful front benches gave a damn to what the teacher was trying to sell. And it is hard to believe that the teacher had no clue of what was going on in the class. Perhaps he preferred the numbers physically present rather than the ones who were present mentally as well. I wondered, even with all this, how does he get the motivation for the lecture. From where all this energy erupted within him?

I got the answer to that very recently when I got the opportunity to be on the other side of the bench. Not that this was the first time but since I had a larger quantum to deal with this time, it gave me the opportunity to understand the dynamics of the other side. I was given the job to deal with Public Policy and Personnel Administration. Perhaps nobody's favorite chapters but then I took it as a challenge. And there were two different batches at two different places. One small and other relatively large. Prima Facie, I thought it would be more fun to deal with the larger one as it would motivate me more. But I was proved wrong pretty soon.

The smaller one proved to be way way better and I had the best time teaching there. Those students were very keen and very responsive. And it was their body language that kept me going. I felt that they played a big role in bringing out the best in me. I felt full of energy during those three hours everyday as if on Red Bull throughout. I felt happy and convinced that I had done a fair job at the end. It was not that the other batch was not attentive but there some things did bother me a lot. There were some faces which were apparently pressurized to take up this venture and clearly had no inclination towards the subject. Apparently their cellphones were much more interesting than what I had to offer. They made faces apparently as if they were ready to vomit on my face. I wondered why they came to the class at all.

It's not that I have a number fetish and people leaving the class would turn me down or something. I always believed that one should never be pressurized to learn. It should come from within. And there is no point making someone stay against their will. The only thing that bothered me was that their behavior somehow impacted mine. And I suddenly realized that I was not apparently at my best and that too because of some people who are not interested at the first place. Why was I letting them to manipulate me? And this is precisely when i got the answer to that question. Among the mediocre crowd, there were a bunch of people who listened with all the attention, who nodded along when a significant point came across and I could feel that all this is making sense to them. And then suddenly, I was only seeing these people and ergo pulled myself up again.

So at the end, I feel happy for having helped them in whatsoever little way I could. Especially those who came up to me at the end, have to admit, that meant a lot to me. May be I disappointed few who like the gyan to be delivered with a pinch of laughter. But I felt it was more important to utilize every second for their benefit. Always there for you guys, all the best!

What's in a name

It was during college days that I came across a blog. It was from the bylanes of someone's life. It was intriguing, powerful and novel. And the way feelings were expressed aroused my interest in writing. I told myself that I need to try this out and I did. And after writing the first one, it felt wonderful. It clicked from the first instant. And with time I realized that it was not about letting others know, having a large fan following of readers eagerly waiting form your next blog post. It was about something else. It was about the feeling of freedom to express. It was about the magic of words. The interplay and the streamline flow. They created beauty to me, sheer magic!

There are some things you instantly fall in love with. You get a feeling that they belong to you and were waiting all the way to be discovered by you. And then they stay with you forever. And ergo I am grateful to that blog.

It is strange that even from the words someone writes, you can make out what that person would be like in person. So after all these years, I finally met her. It was like that blog coming live in front of me. And I am surprised that it didn't feel like meeting someone for the first time. I guess the thoughts which flow with your words actually define you, not your appearance.

After catching up onto things and appreciating the delicious prawn toasts, we were talking about minority rights and the pseudo secularism in India that she narrated her own experience. When she moved to Delhi and rented a place, all seemed fine at the first place. But when the time came to do the paper works and she wrote her full name, it occurred to the landowners that her religion is problematic for them and they cannot allow her to stay anymore. So on some other pretext, they asked her to leave. Then she tells me that often some people advice her that her name is "difficult" and she should change it. Available rooms suddenly become full when she tells her full name.

I was so disgusted to hear this. I was so disgusted that I somehow belong to the same breed of people who are so damn prejudiced about people from the Muslim community. They have all these notions and apprehensions that make no sense to me. Why can't we see people as they are and not by what religion they follow or come from? Such people and such cruel behavior is the only reason for the existing distance between these communities. If Hindutva is about being prejudiced towards the Muslim community, then I do not want to be associated with it. I feel that there should be only one religion in this world. That of humanity and nothing else.

"What's in a name"(that's her blog nick), those who judge you on your name are utter fools and should be exiled to hell. May they rot in hell. I am sorry that you had to face that. I know this won't make any difference to the pain you have suffered but just felt like saying. You are wonderful, stay blessed!

The Game of Diplomacy

The pre-independence era witnessed the political brass of India divided over the degree of radicalism to be shown towards our British rulers. After we achieved independence, the moderates and the extremists had a different question in front of them. What stance to take against rest of the world? What principles to behold to while interacting with the comity of nations? And how India should play it’s part towards achieving international peace and cooperation?

The genesis of our foreign policy was on the idealistic front and was corner stoned on certain principles which we also preached to the world. Our first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was the pioneer of this era as he held the foreign affairs portfolio and unleashed a framework formulated with his vision of a Peaceful world and which eventually shaped our foreign policy for years to come. One of the most celebrated principles was that of Non-Alignment which meant that nations should not indulge in groupings which had the potential to polarize the whole world. This surfaced in the light of the cold war and when it was a bipolar world and countries were facing the choice of joining one of the two groups.

Nehru along with other world leaders like Josip Tito, Sukarno and Nasser founded the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) in 1961 which advocated a middle path for the developing nations between the western and eastern blocks during the cold war era. Among the other principles were Anti-colonialism, Anti-imperialism, opposition to racialism, faith in the United Nations, disarmament and peaceful use of Nuclear Energy. In the initial years, under Nehru, our foreign policy was guided by idealism and he firmly stood by all these principles. In the later year, several events like the collapse of Soviet Union, economic liberalization, the rise of terrorism and the coming of coalition politics seems to have altered our idealistic foreign policy and has transformed into a more realistic one. But this certainly does not mean that we have abandoned idealism. We are still inclined to promote democracy, nuclear disarmament, strengthening of United Nation etc.

Another important element of our foreign policy has been the principle of peaceful coexistence, especially with our neighbors, and we have proved time and again that New Delhi is willing to walk the extra mile to achieve this objective. With Pakistan, despite provocation, we have always reiterated that India wants a stable, friendly and progressive neighbor in Pakistan and a stable, free from terror Afghan-Pak region would do wonders for the Indian sub-continent. The recent vibes of stabilization of democracy of Pakistan is a good sign for India to carry forward its policy of going back to the negotiation table and expanding collaboration in trade and industry.

On the other front, even with the unresolved boundary issues with China, New Delhi is constantly practicing the policy of engagement. India welcomed the statement of former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on the growing confrontations between the two nations when he said that there is enough space for India and China to grow and develop together. Besides the boundary conflict, other irritants include the Tibetan government in exile been allowed in India, the stapled visa given by China to people of Arunachal Pradesh and the disputed dam-building exercises on Bramhaputra in China. Moreover, recently there were some tense moments in the Sino-Indian relations with the Chinese incursion into the Indian Territory. But that was urgently taken up by the leaderships and sorted out soon enough.

India is also engaged in the reconstruction efforts of Afghanistan with the aim of bringing peace and stability in that country. That would eventually mean that the strategic backyards for the jihadist forces in Pakistan would not have a free hand in that region and in turn that would make India more secure. India has also pledged large sums for as development aids to this region. More importantly, India needs to play a bigger role now as the US forces gear up for withdrawal next year. With Sri Lanka, the end of the civil war presented historic new opportunities for reconciliation between the two sides in conflict and India has been offering all the help which is needed to reconstruct and rejuvenate the war-torn country but the process has been terribly slow and India going against Sri Lanka in the resolutions pertaining to human rights violations has taken the relationship to a rocky patch.

India has articulated a policy in our neighborhood that emphasizes the advantages of building networks, of inter-connectivity, trade and investment so that prosperity can be shared and the region can benefit from India’s rapid economic growth and rising prosperity. The world today is increasingly multivalent marked by considerable political cooperation amongst the major powers. The recent economic crisis and the response to it by major powers have clearly demonstrated that big powers are more than willing to cooperate in today’s world. India’s relationship with USA has transformed substantially after the nuclear deal, we have also developed a strong partnership with the European Union (EU) covering wide range of areas including space, education etc. and our traditional relationship with Russia continues to be strong especially in the area of defence. Thus, India’s relationship with great powers has improved substantially and the most heartening fact is that we managed to achieve this without antagonizing others.

Apart of these diplomatic ties, India is pursuing a comprehensive convention on International Terrorism in UN. Also, India is fully committed to global anti-piracy efforts and India is a founder member of the Contact Group on Piracy off the coast of Somalia (CGPCS). India is for determined action against the kingpins, financiers and facilitators of piracy through tracking of financial flows as it obstructs the trade process in the Indian Ocean which is central to Indian participation in the world trade.

Talking of doctrines, Gujral’s Doctrine has been one of the important facets of our foreign policy. Initiated by I.K.Gujral when he was foreign minister in 1996, this doctrine is pertaining to India’s smaller neighbors who viewed India as a bullying big brother. They were not happy with the assertions of India. Gujral talked about unilateral concessions to smaller neighbors without expecting any reciprocity. Under this we signed the ‘Ganga’ water sharing agreement with Bangladesh and ‘Maha kali treaty’ with Nepal.  India has always aspired to promote and develop cooperative regionalism under this doctrine.

With the rise of South East Asia and the opening up of new market opportunities for India in these countries, our Look East Policy has again been at the centre of debate in the diplomatic circles. Created and nurtured by former Prime Minister P.V.Narsimha Rao, it talked about improving India’s relationship with South East Asian countries and today it is extended to far east and even Australia and New Zealand, Japan etc. Initially the focus was on energy requirement but later on political and strategic dimensions were attached. In line with this policy, India became a dialogue partner to ASEAN and also inked a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to enhance trade. Although in the initial years, the economic relations could not move forward because of the bottlenecks in India but soon after the economic reforms, things have finally started to tick and the future offers bright promises.

So, given India’s cordial relationships with almost all power centers of this multi-polar world, India’s growing military might and the soft power that is has by virtue of its cultural diversity, India has a genuine claim at the core of world affairs. But at the same time, India needs to stand by the principles of Justice and Peace and should not indulge in alliances for petty benefits. India needs to play a more active role in the events happening across the globe and should move forward with a vision taking everyone along. India must also work hard to maintain peace and order in the sub-continent as it is quintessential for sustained growth. The largest democracy of the world must share its experiences with those struggling to establish corridors of democratic institutions. And for all this to happen, India must become assertive, accommodative and a team player by changing the way it plays the game of diplomacy!

Published in Pardesi Pulse

http://www.pardesipulse.com/flipbooks/August-2013/august-2013.html

Doctor Venus!

Hospitals are not the same any more. From a distance they look like 5-star hotels with sky-scrapers and from inside they are no less a fancy mall in a metropolitan conglomeration. They have all the facilities one wants in a hospital like a CCD, a gift shop and multi-cuisine restaurant. For a 10 minute visit to your doctor, they charge you an amount which used to cover all your treatment expenses earlier. I had always believed that medical profession is closest to social service. What better than relieving people off their pain. But today, it has been reduced to just another business avenue. And that makes me hate hospitals like anything. So, if I have to go to one, I like to settle things as fast as possible.

But fancy this, I go to a hospital and for the first time in my life, I wanted to stay there. I wanted the damn time to stop running so freaking fast. Since then, I have been trying to relive it, closing my eyes and imagining, but it ain't the same. So, I was told to go to the Physiotherapy department to learn some strengthening exercises for my perpetual back pain. Aha, the "physio" I wondered. Been there, done that. Always found some indifferent guy who would ask me to do some weird stretches and then hand over to me a chart of exercises. Just plain business as usual.

Not this time though. I enter the department  and find that this isn't like the average dull boring workout room with even more boring people. It was spacious and had zillion tools and machines with people on them stretching and some just staring at them trying to understand the mechanical dynamics of it. Interestingly some people have the job of motivating the patients throughout the workout. It is a challenging job I would say as most of the patients are on wheelchairs. But the helpers seemed motivated and happy to help.

So lost was I in the uniqueness of the place that I didn't notice that someone had come up to me and was already talking. I turned to her. And I went blank. I always wondered what its like to forget everything and to concentrate only on one thing. I tried meditating many times but never achieved this isolation from everything. Now I knew how it was like. I only saw her. Everything else vanished as if somebody had spread a white sheet over all of it. She was that beautiful.

Then it occurred to me perhaps she is saying something to me. Asking my name perhaps. Damn it, what the hell. For the love of God, I cannot recollect my own name. I mean I have seen people who forget their cell numbers all the time but holy shit, how can I forget my own name? Come on, don't be a Ghajni, she might think you are a complete dumb ass. Aha, Swapnil it is. I told her. She told me hers. Doesn't matter, I had already named her Goddess Venus. And she was like that. Every bit of her.

She asked me to tell her everything. From beginning till now. 'Everything?' I wondered. I obliged although her eyes were constantly interrupting and  making it all the more difficult for me. But soon I gathered the strength to face them and the restrain to tell exactly what she asked me too. She was so patient with the details. She had so many questions. Not like the usual doctors who would love to fast-track everything as they have a long list of people waiting outside. I liked her attention and the capacity to anticipate. She also had this feature which I really envy. She had this cute little smile throughout. I love people who can do that in spite of whatever shit they face in life. I think it makes a huge difference to your life and to the lives of people you come across.

Anyway, after a lot of monitoring and analysis, she prescribed a long routine of exercises. She explained them with all the precautions one needs to take and kept reminding me the order like a Kindergarten teacher. I was blushing like a kindergarten kid anyway. I was so lost that I was sure to forget everything except her. I told her that I would forget. She started making a list on a piece of paper and also drew figures besides them. I felt like that kid in the class who sits on the last bench and the teacher has to do extra effort to make him understand simple things. Couldn't help it.

And then the heartbreak, it was all over. I thanked her  for all the extra effort she put in. She smiled and boy oh boy I would never forget that smile. She is an excellent doctor. I wish all doctors were like her, if not that beautiful. Such was her aura, I felt healed from a distance, within moments. God bless Doctor Venus!

वो मासूम बारिश !

जाने कितने दिनों से,
तेरे लिए तरसा हूँ मैं ।
जाने कितने पलो में,
मैंने तुझे याद किया ,
और आज जाके जब,
तेरी इन छोटी छोटी बूंदों ने,
इन प्यारी मीठी बूंदों ने,
जब मेरा स्पर्श किया,
तो कही जाके इस दिल को चैन मिला ।

तेरे आने पे,
इस हवा में जो ताजगी हैं,
मौसम में जो मदहोशी हैं,
इन चेहरों पे जो मुस्कान हैं ,
वो अप्रतिम हैं ।

पर जाने क्यूँ, ये दिल उदास भी हैं ,
शायद तेरी ये  तेज हवाए ,
तेरी मगरूर अदाए ,
पानी से लतपत ये मैदान ,
मुझे याद दिलाते हैं, उन लोगो की ,
जो चले थे देव दर्शन पर, उन पहाड़ो में,
जिन्हें तूने अपने आलाप में ले लिया,
उन्हें उनके परिवारों से अलग कर।

मैं जानता हूँ दोष हमारा है,
हमने तू झे नकारा हैं,
स्वार्थी हो गए है हम सब,
पर सच तो यही हैं,
ये संसार कल भी तुम्हारा था ,
और आज भी तुम्हारा है।

The Heart of Incredible India: Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh is often referred to as the Heart of India not only for its geographical position but also for its unique cultural history and rich natural resources. It is arguably the most diverse among the Indian States with vast forests, ancient temples and rich wildlife.

Unlike most other Indian States, the history of Madhya Pradesh (MP) dates back to pre-historic times. This region was primarily inhabited by the Gond tribes and hence this region came to be known as the Gondwana Land and even today the modern MP is majorly inhabited by various tribal groups. In fact, MP has the highest population of tribal people in the country. The proofs of pre-historic civilization in these regions can be found in various areas of Bhopal, Raisen, Panchmarhi, Bhimbetka and Hoshangabad in the form of rocks and cave paintings. The famous Historian Brewer asserted that the Aryans were well acquainted with the valley of Narmada and its surrounding areas and it was in these times that regions of MP gradually became thickly populated especially those near the banks of river Narmada. Subsequently the influence of the Mauryas, Guptas and the Mughals shaped the dimensions of the civilization of this region. They influenced the art, culture and lifestyle of the region which can be seen and felt even today. During the revolt of 1857 many of the significant contributions came from the central province in the name of Rani of Jhansi, Tatya Tope and Nana Saheb. After achieving independence various provinces were merged creating MP but the Marathi speaking southern regions were ceded to Maharashtra. And thus was born the modern state of Madhya Pradesh.

Madhya Pradesh is a confluence of many cultures, religions and traditions. It is often seen as a melting pot of cultures coming from all four cardinal directions and creating a unique combination in itself. Since ages, the music and dances are the most common ways of humans to recreate themselves. The folk music and dance has a cultural connect with the common men, which is a true expression of his emotions and feelings. The folk dances and music of MP are very colorful and beautiful. There are more than twenty tribes found in the State and hence in terms of tribal folk culture, the State has a lot to offer. One of the famous dance forms is called the ‘Rai Dance’ which is the traditional dance form of Beria tribe. This dance is performed in group with a single female dancer in the center. This dance is to celebrate the beauty of womanhood. The dancer at the center is called berani. As far as the Folk Music is concerned, the major ones are the Phaag Songs which are devotional songs based on Lord Krishna and Radha and Garba Songs which are sung at Navratri and are accompanied by claps of hands. Talking of contemporaries, various artists well-known and respected throughout the length and breadth of the country belong to MP. Ashok Kumar, Annu Kapoor, Birju Maharaj and M.F Hussain are just few names from a plethora of national artistic figures.

The land-locked state of MP was the largest state till recently when Chhattisgarh was carved out of MP making it the second largest state behind Rajasthan. Geographically MP can be seen as a confluence of central highlands, Satpura Range and the eastern plateau region. The climate of the state is sub-tropical monsoon type but due to large geographical variations, it may differ at various places. The state of MP has an extensive network of rivers having great river basins and watersheds of a number of rivers. Ten major rivers of India originate here which includes Narmada, Tapti, Chambal, Sone and Betwa among others. The numero uno state of India in terms of the area under forests is also a pioneer in field of conservation and prevention of these forests and flora-fauna in them. The Bandhavgarh National Park, Kanha National Park and Satpura region are among the major National Parks in the country. MP also has a significant Tiger population spanning across the five major Tiger Reserves in the State viz. Pench, Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Panna and Sanjay –Dubri.

In terms of tourism as well, MP has variety to offer right from rich biodiversity and wildlife to spiritual and religious sculptures and monuments. Moreover, the Ghats and valleys of River Narmada create a picturesque outlining along the banks. Every year MP attracts lakhs of tourists both domestic and international and tourism forms an essential component of the State revenues. One of the famous must visit city is Amarkantak which is situated in Shahdol district in Maikal ranges and is considered to be holy among the Hindus. It is the point of origination of rivers Narmada and Sone. It is well known for the 24 temples of Amarkantak and the Kapildhara falls. Then comes the beautiful Khajuraho which if famous for its beautiful artifacts inscribed on stones. The famous temples of Khajuraho were built by the Chandel rulers around 950 AD. Majorly the stone art and paintings of Khajuraho are the unique example of love and sensuality in Indian culture. Among these the places of must visit are the Kandariya Mahadev, Chausath Yogini and Beni Sagar Dam.

The capital city Bhopal apart from being the administrative centre is also a well known tourist destination of MP. Bhopal was established in the 11^th century by King Bhoj and today sports both new and old sections of the city and thus becomes a unique feature of architectural brilliance. It is situated over five hills and has two beautiful lakes.  Among various destinations to choose from, one cannot miss the Jama Masjid, Sadar Manjil and Bharat Bhawan. Moreover, Sanchi known majorly for its Buddha Stupas is situated on the outskirts of Bhopal itself. Over the years it has become a major tourist destination for Buddhists all over the world. On the entrance gates of these stupas one can find inscribed various Jataka Kathas i.e. the stories related to the birth of Buddha. Besides the stupas, the place has other attractions like Bodh Vihar, Ashok Stambh and the temples of the Gupta dynasty which are the epitome of temple building in India. And for those who enjoy the spiritual side more, there is the city of Ujjain which is considered to be a major pilgrimage centre for Hindus. This is a place of mythological significance and has appeared in various Hindu Texts. Ujjain is the city of temples and to name a few we have the Mahakal Temple, Kal bhairav, Jyotirlinga Mahakaleshwer and many more.

Madhya Pradesh has some historical caves in its various mountain ranges significant of early civilizations, ancient history and mythology. Most significant of them are the Bhimbetka caves which is a UNESCO world heritage site. These rock shelters situated in the Raisen district of MP have a number of interesting paintings which depict the lives and times of our predecessors, who lived in these caves including scenes of birth, communal dancing and religious ceremonies and rituals. Besides Bhimbetka, the Bagh Caves situated near Mandu and the Pandav Caves of Panchmarhi are something one should not risk missing. Also, the large number of forts in the State are a testimony of the rich cultural heritage and the major ones are located in Gwalior, Deogarh, Chanderi and Narwar among others.

India is an agrarian economy and the heart land is painted in the same colors throughout. Nearly seventy per cent people of the state are engaged in agriculture or allied activities and they account for nearly 20 per cent of the State’s gross domestic product. The good news is that the agriculture and allied sector has been registering significant growth. A State which was earlier considered as a backward state has shown tremendous character and zeal to register all-round growth and even the capacity for sustaining that kind of momentum. Recently MP was honored as the “fastest emerging state” among other big states moving into double digit growth figures. Besides the socio-economic developments, the focus has also been on tourism, new industrial corridors and development of human capital.

Even with all these efforts, experts feel that still the tourism potential of the state is under-utilized and the rich heritage and diversity which it has to offer is still not reaching masses. Let us hope that in the times to come, we witness an infrastructural overhaul of the State, so that the world can see for itself the jewel facet of Incredible India, the heart of India- Madhya Pradesh!

Published in Pardesi Pulse

http://www.pardesipulse.com/flipbooks/June-2013/june-2013.html

P.S. Had made this video for India day about Madhya Pradesh. Sharing it here.

Police Reforms:The Stubborn Sentinels of India

Even after 65 years of having freed ourselves from the repressive colonial rule, the Indian Police has failed to transform itself amidst the colors of democracy. It is still a symbol of oppression, cruelty and corruption. Let us examine what stops it from becoming an epitome of security, neutrality and integrity.

Change is inevitable and so are the challenges that crop up with the novel conditions. And with these swirling environmental factors, any system must adapt in order to survive and more importantly to perform efficiently. The status of Indian Police today is retrograde and the shortcomings are conspicuous but still surprisingly nothing concrete is being done regarding it. It still carries that repressive outlook that the British painted to help themselves by nipping in the bud any kind of rebellion against them. It was meant to be coercive then, but why the uncanny continuance and the unfair silence of our so called representatives.

The Police administration is no different and like other bureaus it is too plagued with corruption. The corruption is more visible in the lower rungs as those construe the interface with the people. But one cannot confidently deny the possibilities in the top levels. People struggling to make a living in this country often feel that knocking on the doors of Police can prove to be a costly affair and decide otherwise. Justice apparently has also become a commodity. Corruption is though, only one of the numerous problems of the current day policing in India. The police force of the country is heavily overburdened and has one of the worst policeman-population ratio in the world. Moreover, the arbitrary transfers of senior level officers in the Indian Police is a big hurdle before attainment of efficiency and effectiveness. Though the appointments are facilitated by a panel-system, still they do not reflect the consideration of ability over seniority. Also, the reluctance of registering FIRs by the policeman is a big concern. Untrained policemen equipped with age-old rusted arms cannot fight the super equipped militants. 

It is not that efforts have not been made to reform the policing system. Numerous committees have been constituted over the last three-four decades but there recommendations have been lying in the dusty corners of our bureaucracies and thus implementation remains a far off dream. It all started with the constitution of a National Police Commission in 1977 which had many eminent personnel of the government but somehow the reports could not be materialized amidst the political transitions in the country. And as it happens with every other committee, even this one was forgotten over time. The indifference shown by the political leaders was frustrating for those who understood the importance of police reforms in the country. And at precisely this moment, the country witnessed a small step which was to become a major determinant to the fate of police reforms in the country and in fact to shape the instrumentalities of the reforms. Two retired Director General’s of Police (DGPs) in 1996 filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court directing the governments to implement the recommendation of the National Police Commission. It was only in 2006 that the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment requiring the governments to implement the seven directives as listed by the court.

In tune with these directives, the union government constituted various high profile committees like the Ribeiro Committee, Padmanabhaiah Committee and then more recently the Soli Sorabjee Committee. All the recommendations given by these committees headed by erudite people in the field of policing have the potential to overhaul it and make it efficient, transparent and accountable. Throwing some light on these recommendations helps us present a clearer picture of the state of affairs.

First and foremost, the investigation part should be bifurcated and given to investigation agencies which will help the overburdened police to maintain law and order efficiently. The dual burden has been hampering police functioning and both the dimensions are suffering badly. And as the priority lies with Law & Order, the investigation part has always been ignored and thus lacks the institutional support and level of sophistication. Secondly, the tenure of higher officials should be fixed for at least 2-3 years. That would check the political interference. Every other day we hear and read about IPS officers being transferred at the whims of politicians drowned in the tainted waters of nepotism and favoritism, this needs to be curbed.

Thirdly, an independent commission should be constituted for the appointment of heads of armed forces and higher level appointments in the police. This would help to curtail the preponderance of political interference in the high level decision making process of all such organizations. Another fundamental flaw with the whole arrangement is that in case a civilian has a grievance against Police personnel, he has almost no option to pursue. Apparently there has been an assumption that the police personnel will never err or will never abuse power. In this view, Police Complaint boards need to be established at state and district levels to be headed by retired judges. This would bring accountability and would check the arbitrariness of police working. Lastly, we need to train the policemen in general warfare and provide them with modern arms and ammunition. Consider the growing instances of insurgency and naxalism across the length and breadth of the country. These military outfits have sophisticated arsenal with them and the mildly equipped police forces are no threat to them. Recently there have been numerous instances of our policemen being killed by these outfits. A large part of the blame goes to the government which is clearly not providing them adequate training and the necessary skills and weapons to handle such situations across the red corridor of the country.

Another dimension that needs to be touched is doing away with the repressive image of the Police and replacing it with a friendly & approachable outlook. These are no colonial times anymore and we are a democracy now. People still fear going to the Police for their problems, they have lost faith in them and only think of them as the last resort. One of the classical ways to build up relationship is cooperation and in this reference, many projects of Community Policing have proved to be very effective. Community policing is a platform where the Police cooperates with the local residents and citizens to facilitate maintenance of law and order. Moreover, in some cases the locals are entrusted with a larger responsibility by means of forming an organization. For instance, Delhi Police have initiated various Neighborhood Watchmen Schemes in collaboration with the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) of Delhi. Such models which facilitate locals working with the Police are proving to be excellent avenues of inculcating faith and building effective relationships.

Moreover, the agitations taking place in the country over the State’s inability to protect women have further aggravated the need for police reforms. The women folks are the major victims of the harshness shown by our protectors and most of them fear to go to the Police stations to register complaints. This situation is worse in rural areas which are still eclipsed by the shadows of patriarchy. The percentage of women personnel in Police is nowhere near the global trend and a lot needs to be done in this direction. To start with, we should train the lower rungs of the Police regarding how women victims should be dealt with? This can be done by sensitizing the Police personnel on feminine issues. Another way is to open All-Women Police Stations and Tamil Nadu which has the maximum such stations in the country can be the torch bearer for the other states to follow. As per recent reports, the country only has 442 such stations and 13 States do not have even a single such station which clearly shows the lack of interest by the states. The central government needs to follow up on this in mission-mode so as to ensure security for women throughout the country.  

At the commencement of the Constitution of India, we rechristened the Indian Police force to Indian Police Service (IPS) but unfortunately this transformation has only been on paper and not in spirit. We desperately need to conceptualize a framework to implement this transformation so that these stubborn sentinels realize that they have been inducted to serve the people of this country and not to harass them!

Published in Pardesi Pulse

http://www.pardesipulse.com/flipbooks/June-2013/june-2013.html

Man of Steel * * *

Months ago when that little teaser came out, it became a contagion. It had nothing great. But a soothing background score But a classy vintage outlook. But a bunch of wonderfully written lines. It gave us hope. Hope which the 'S' actually stands for and not for Superman. Not many people know that. Who am I kidding, even I didn't . It gave us hope that another grand trilogy is in the making on the lines of the Dark Knight. The Christopher Nolan connection sure helped to get our hopes high.

To be honest, it is nothing like that. The direction of Zack Snyder is more conspicuous than Christopher Nolan's writing. In fact, the movie is more about the grandeur of action sequences rather than the spurts of super-cool dialogues by dramatic personas. But the symphony of both is such that the narration comes out us gripping and novel. The screenplay ushers in a new era of story telling where you whisper eons worth stuff in a matter of minutes. Its fast, its superficial and its intriguing. Its Generation Y stuff.

The portrayal of how a human couple treats their alien baby is touching How they are always protective of him? How they want him to find the truth even when it means separation for them? How they want him to wait a while, so that when the world is ready, he can embrace them. And how the choices he would make would eventually determine the future of all mankind. Although the masala-movie lovers would find this a collage difficult to unfold. To them it would appear as bad editing.

The action sequences are simply out of this world. May be of Krypton standards. The fight scene with the humanoids from krypton is brilliantly shot and nothing short of breath-taking. The frames move so fast that you cannot even afford to blink in between. Too much of anything though, kills the fun. Same happens here. Awfully long fist-fights, too many collapsing buildings and then their recursive loop makes the whole experience a little dull.

Don't expect much from the plot either. It's just the story we all know. It's just the initiation of Superman. May be the coming parts will offer us more. This one is for die-hard Superman fans or those who had a great time watching Transformers.  Those who are contemplating to watch given the Nolan connect will only find themselves going into the limbo. And there is no DiCaprio to get you out of it!

Acid Attacks: Splashes of evil

Life is beautiful, I thought,
as I woke up to the sunshine,
with a breeze embracing me,
coming from my window.
I closed my eyes again,
gave in to that temptation.

And like any other day,
I galloped for work.
Waiting for the bus, I wondered,
what is more painful?
The wait or the lustful stares,
or the lewd comments,
or those obscene gestures?
In the midst of this torture,
I was glad, the bus came.

Among these clowns, was one,
drooling at me all time,
he said he was in love,
and if I don't oblige, I won't live.
What kind of love is this?
Do you even know a little of me?
Go away you sick!

Then one day it all changed,

as I walked down those lanes,

like every other day,

he came out of nowhere,

with Satan in his eyes.

He threw something at me,
splashes of evil perhaps,

and it changed everything.
Everything.

Life was beautiful, I thought.
I look like an alien now,
people avoid coming near,
nobody would even talk,
I lost my job too.
He is still at large,
Police say they have more 'important' cases to solve.
But what was my fault?
What did I do wrong?
Where do I go from here?

Life was beautiful, I thought.

P.S. Hope the future puts an end to the horrifying and unfortunate acid attacks on women.

Special 26 * * *

The name 'Neeraj Pandey' might have slipped off your mind but not his masterpiece 'A Wednesday'. And  I bet that after watching Special 26, the name would always stay with you coupled with utter respect. Special 26 is the super-paced narration of a thriller based on true events in 1980s across the length and breadth of India when some con men disguised as Income Tax officials used to conduct fake raids especially robbing people with black money. There were no FIRs filed as black money is involved and thus the con men got clean sheets every time they conducted such Robinhood styled cons.

The screenplay and cinematography is such that it engages the audience till the very end which is creditable as there was so little to start with. But clearly Neeraj Pandey has succeeded to create a masterpiece from the little bits of information gathered from the true events. But the gem performances are surely the highlight of the movie. Anupam Kher and Akshay Kumar look authentic as smart con men of simple taste. Anupam Kher has definitely portrayed glimpses of sheer brilliance and matched well by the witty and composed Akshay. Manoj Vajapayee is mind blowing as the CBI office, asli wale, and his dialogue delivery and screen presence are intriguing. You might even like Jimmy Shergil for a change.

It would have not been easy to recreate the India of 1980s but as they say, most beautiful things are hard to get. And Neeraj Pandey's hard work has surely paid off. You never doubt the settings as he has left no loopholes for the audience to peek into. Moreover, he never gives you the time to break free from the fluid plot to poke into other dimensions. The authenticity and accuracy of even the minute details through out the movie is commendable. The only loose string here is the unnecessary and boring love angle of Akshay Kumar and the couple of songs that appear just for the sake of having a song or two being a Bollywood product. He could have avoided it saving some screen time and getting rid of the undue and abrupt breaks in a hell of a ride.

The catch of the movie is the fast paced portrayal, sublime performances and super duper climax which is hard to crack. Those who are pissed off post the disappointing 'Midnight's Children' and those who have gathered that Any  Body Can not Act, this is your chance to fall in love with cinema again. A delight to watch. And really Special indeed!

Matru Ki Bijlee ka Mandola * * * *

The king of dark genre is back. This time with a satire based on the age old tussle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. And boy o boy, i bet you would never see a satire like this for ages unless Vishal himself betters upon this one. A superb narrative coupled with gem performances from Pankaj Kapoor and Shabana Azmi.

Though it deals with the same old problem, but there cannot be a more innovative and entertaining way to put this forward. Futile fields, destitute farmers, hungry industrialists and opportunistic politicians. You have surely heard and seen this before. But dude, have you ever seen a bloody pink buffalo smirking all the way? I am sure you have heard of Mao, but ever came across mao mao? This flick has all the weird shit one can imagine and the best part is it still makes freaking sense.

The way Vishal has shown the nexus of the politicians, bureaucrats and the elite class ganging up on the penny less proletariat is commendable. It is insanely comical but at the same time it intrigues you inside out and you can feel the unfairness in this world order. Pankaj Kapoor's performance is mind blowing and is the heart and soul of the movie. His transformation from the uptight bourgeoisie to a drunken Robin hood of the proletariat is flawless and marvelous. Shabana Azmi as the politician stands up to match Pankaj Kapoor and leaves a bitching impression. In one of the scenes where she explains to her son the necessity of her rise, she sets new standards of satirical performances. Amazing, would be an understatement.

Vishal Bhardwaj has stepped into a new territory and has hit home run in the very first strike. This wonderfully weird satire is for those who do not like the story to be told in a simple and straight way. This is for those who love symbolism. This is for those who like performances and not chessy item numbers. So if you are into Vishal Bhardwaj or satire, you will be rewarded. If you want entertainment, you won't be disappointed. Vishal, after seeing this, saat kya, dus khoon maaf. Benc** Benc** :D