Run by the students of Udaan
MumbaiWeekly Volume 01 Issue 07
people
TO BE BORN A GIRL
FRIDAY, 3 FEBUARY 2012
feature
sports
arts
INDIA WORST PLACE FOR A GIRL CHILD: UN REPORT
Arkadripta Chakraborty / Mumbai Weekly
Gitartha Goswami / Mumbai Weekly
A girl sits next to a work site in Mumbai 2 Feburary 2012. According to a UN report India is one of the worst places for a girl child. Gitartha Goswami / Mumbai Weekly
Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly
India is now officially the most dangerous place to be a girl child. A report from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) has revealed that an Indian girl child aged 1-5 years is 75% more likely to die than an Indian boy, making India the country with the worst gender-based discrepancy in child mortality rates in the world. This ratio has progressively got worse since the 1970s in India, even as Pakistan, Sri
Lanka, Egypt and Iraq improved. Data collected for 150 countries over 40 years shows that India and China are the only two countries in the world where female infant (0-1 years) mortality is higher than male infant mortality in the 2000s. In China, there are 76 male infant deaths for every 100 female infant deaths compared with 122 male infant deaths for every 100 female infant deaths in the developing world as a whole. The released data has found that
India has a better infant mortality sex ratio than China, with 97 male infant deaths for every 100 female, but this is still not in tune with the global trend, or with its neighbours Sri Lanka (125) or Pakistan (120). According to an Indian newspaper, the UN report is clear that high girl child mortality is explained by socio -cultural values. So strong is the biological advantage for girls in early childhood that higher mor-
Supreme court cancels telecom licenses
Arkadripta Chakraborty / Mumbai Weekly tality among girls should be seen as "a powerful warning that differential treatment or
access to resources is putting girls at a disadvantage", the report says.
Civil Elections in Mumbai
Cutout of Indian politicians and other election campaign material are displayed on a table as part of a political party's election campaign in Mumbai on 2 February 2012. .Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly A man speaks on a mobile phone in Mumbai 3 February 2012. In a ruling that concluded the 2G Spectrum case, the Supreme Court cancelled 122 telecom licenses of companies alleged to have procured these licenses through wrong means. Gitartha Goswami / Mumbai Weekly. (More images and detailed report on page 6)
Mumbai goes to its civic polls on 16 February 2012. A lot of parties have aligned with each other to fight these elections caus-
ing a rush for constituency seats and party tickets. All eyes are on the ruling Shiv Sena government as they try to maintain their hold
on the civic polls. 2233 candidates will fight this elections for the 227 corporator wards. Campaigning for the elections has started
actively with most parties opting for a door to door adhering to a strict election code maintained in the country.
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FRIDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2012
people
Mumbai Weekly
Out of the closet, with Pride It was an extravaganza of vibrant hues and joyous celebration at the fourth Queer Azaadi (freedom) Mumbai march which was held on Saturday, 28 February. Around 2,500 marchers turned out and danced their way from central Mumbai to the beachside. The march was the final event of a week of varied celebrations of LGBT (Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and life in Mumbai with dancing, stand-up con-
fessions, films and music all part of Queer Azaadi Mumbai march. Angels emerged as the unplanned theme this year with many people sporting fluffy wings and halos. This year, the number of faces hidden behind masks reduced drastically and the attitude of the police was much kinder towards the participants, highlighting the growing acceptance of LGBT life amongst Indian society.
Participants in the rally distributed flyers and shouted slogans supporting the community and advocating gay rights. The streets were lined with curious onlookers who were confused yet amused with the colourful entourage passing by. Mumbai Weekly
Shailesh Andrade walked along the rally capturing images of the carnival that unfolded
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FRIDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2012
metro
Mumbai Weekly
Taj Mahal built using Rubik cubes
A girl photographs an image of the iconic Taj Mahal, created out of Rubik Cubes (a popular 3 dimensional puzzle) during a college festival in Mumbai 3 February 2012. The 7 x 11 foot image was created by 11 students in 20 hours using 5011 Rubik Cubes as part of a student's festival in Mumbai's VJTI college. Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly
Plastic waste to be turned into fuel
A man sleeps on sacks containing plastic scrap. An Indian company is researching ways to convert plastic into fuel. Abhinav Reddy / Mumbai Weekly
City-based Sustainable Technologies & Environmental Projects (STEPS) plans to set up a plant to convert plastic waste into light diesel, calorific value combustible gas and carbon pellets. The company has also succeeded in generating diesel from algae, for which it won the Lockheed Martin Innovations Award three times. Light diesel oil made from this process will be able to run a diesel electric generator and
can also be refined further into petrol, kerosene and diesel according to company officials. The city generates 8000 tones of waste on a daily basis out of which 5 percent is plastic according to a Municipal report. Currently the city dumps its garbage in open dumping grounds. If this venture succeeds a lot of the cityâ€&#x;s waste will be recycled in a unique form of waste management.
Sculptor builds sand castle for cancer patients
Above: Sand sculptor Simon Smith works on a sand castle at a mall in Mumbai 1 February 2012. Smith created the castle aiming to increase cancer awareness. Left: A man looks at the completed sand castle. Saartak Aurora / Mumbai Weekly
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EDITORIAL
FRIDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2012
Mumbai Weekly
OPINION : Need for education reform ?
Above: Two boys study on a railway track in Mumbai. Gitartha Goswami / Mumbai Weekly Left: A boy attends a class in school. Chirag Suttar / Mumbai Weekly As the number of students taking the board exams this year increases, so does the competition. For the ones who make it, the heat is turned on further when the various entrance examinations follow. While some are up for the challenge, for the others, the numbers speak for themselves. According to an Indian newspaper, student suicides have increased 26% from 2006 to 2010, with Ban-
galore, Delhi and Mumbai accounting for most victims, in that order. And this is just the official data. The question that arises here is have we stressed our children with too much pressure to perform? Does our educational system need revamping? Is it right for students to be forced to study subjects that they are not interested in? India has moved ahead in the world of technology, finance and communication but re-
mained behind in the field of education opting to follow an almost century old system of teaching, that sometimes does not keep pace with developments in various fields. Never let your schooling interfere with your education, Mark Twain had said. The Indian system of “learn by heart” needs to be replaced with more interactive sessions in schools, open-book exams and a more holistic evaluation of the child that includes the
child‟s general awareness, extra-curricular activities and sport. . Good grades are not worth giving up a life. If not physically, pressure to perform academically is killing our children. I believe it is time we stand up together to reform education, to improve a child‟s overall development and understanding, and to kill the unnecessary pressure children face.
POINT OF VIEW INDIA : Split Personality If India was a person, then the doctors would have diagnosed the person to be suffering from what is called a split personality. And the two halves of this dichotomy, seem to live in two separate mutually exclusive worlds. One a small world of people prospering and financially growing at over 7% per annum, driving in sedans, updating their Facebooks in their iPhones and „googling‟their next holiday destination. And the other, a much larger yet poorer group of people, for whom a mouse still means an animal that infests their homes, a mail is a postcard and a computer is a nonexistent concept. While internet is commonplace and
available to all in the developed nations, it‟s a luxury not afforded by most in India. Despite India being touted as an IT hub, only a tenth of its population has access to internet and only 5.6 percent of Indians are active internet users. For the rest, its still the good old postcard that helps them to communicate. Compared to shortage of food, water and housing, lack of access to Facebook or email may not seem that serious. But internet is not just about chatting or downloading movies, but its one of the most democratic sources of free knowledge. And its knowledge that is the foundation for a stronger nation. Its said that internet is a great equaliser and
A woman walks past a disposed computer mouse in Mumbai 3 February 2012. / Mumbai Weekly knowledge is free in the virtual world that would make it one of the one most powerful tools of empowerment for the
third world countries. But this power is hardly being utilized by India, despite the country being among the leaders in IT
development. One can learn almost anything on the net. Be it science, languages, arts , music or even cooking. And all
this is available for free, which otherwise could cost a small fortune to learn. With a proper well-directed
vision, the government can use the internet to provide free or very low cost education to the poor across the country. Its in
the interest of the nation that we strive for an equitable distribution of not just wealth but also knowledge.
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FRIDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2012
feature
Mumbai Weekly
Abhinav Reddy / Mumbai Weekly
Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly
Fishing villages: Lost in time
Abhinav Reddy / Mumbai Weekly
Shankar Narayan / Mumbai Weekly
Shankar Narayan / Mumbai Weekly
Mumbai is a natural harbour and its connectivity to the world has made it one of the busiest ports for trade over the centuries. Even-todate Mumbai remains Indiaâ€&#x;s financial capital and a busy city. However, amid this com-
mercialisation co-exists fishermen's hamlets who occupied the natural coves and fished in the calm waters, even before the first port was built. Right next the Mumbai's famous landmark, the Worli Sealink, the fishermen
of one such hamlet live and work in traditional ways and sail into the sea each morning hoping for a good catch. Mumbai Weekly photographers went to the hamlet and witnessed the fishermen at work. Shankar Narayan / Mumbai Weekly
Shankar Narayan / Mumbai Weekly
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FRIDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2012
economy
Mumbai Weekly
India‟s exports likely to fall in 2012 - 2013
A man operates heavy equipment at a port in Mumbai 1 February 2012. According to analysts and economists, while exports are facing severe shortage of demand in developed countries, even new markets would fail to ease the burden, as these also depend heavily on exports to Europe and the US. The order books for the summer of 2012 have already seen drops of 20-30 per cent, and exporters are not very hopeful of orders in the spring or winter as well according to a report issued by the Federation of Indian Exporters Organization. Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly
Supreme court cancels 2G licenses In a major ruling earlier in the week, Supreme Court , India‟s apex court cancelled 122 telecom licences issued during the tenure of former Telecom Minister A. Raja. The court ruled that the 122 telecom licenses allotted under the 2G spectrum were given in a arbitrary and unconstitutional manner by the Telecom Ministry in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government, according to an Indian news channel. The channel stated that the licenses cancelled include 21 of Videocon, 22 of Unitech Wireless
Gold on a High
Ltd (Uninor), nine of Idea, 21 of Loop, six of S-Tel, 21 of Sistema, three of Tata, 13 of Swan and two of Allianz. The court decision saw the stocks of telecom companies that face license cancellation, fall sharply in the Indian stock market. Unitech, one of the promoters of telecom operator Uninor saw a sharp decline of 14.07 percent in its scrip. Penalties ranging from Rs 50 million (around 1 million USD) to Rs 50 Lakhs (around 100000 USD) were imposed on several telecom companies by the court.
A woman speaks on a mobile phone in Mumbai on 3 February 2012. Saarthak Aurora / Mumbai Weekly
India‟s per capita income rises : govt
Gold bangles on display at a shop in Mumbai on 2 February 2012. Gold prices soared to Rs 2739 per gram last week. Saarthak Aurora / Mumbai Weekly India‟s pre capita income grew by 15.6 per cent in the year 2010-11, according to data released by India‟s central government. For the first, India‟s per capita income crossed the 50K mark to Rs 53,331 (about 1070 USD) in 2010-11 as per the National Income statistics released by Central Statistical Office of the Indian government. Per capita income is calculated by dividing the National Income or Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the country‟s population, which stands around 1.2 billion. According to analysts and Indian media reports, the growth in the per capita is caused by the 8.4 growth in the Indian economy. How-
ever, one of the important contributors to the per capita was from the remuneration of the top management in private sector. According to an Indian newspaper, the the remuneration in this segment grew by over 36 percent. While the per capita is supposed to be an indicator of people‟s overall standard of living, in India, the per capita figures gets a major boost from the income of the rich. While the per capita can be an effective indicator of growth in a developed nation, equitable distribution of income is an important factor in overall prosperity of a developing nation in country like India, said an analyst.
A man walks past a street child begging for alms in Mumbai on 1 February 2012. Shankar Narayan / Mumbai Weekly
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FRIDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2012
Arts and entertainment
Mumbai Weekly
Keeping the ethnic beats alive In the last few years the music industry has seen rapid changes with electronic sound boxes replacing conventional analogue instruments. Classical instruments making way for electronic synthesizers and digital drums. With the advent of new technology, change is inevitable, but it has also dealt a blow to the livelihood of clas-
sical instrumentalists and instrument manufacturers. However, a few traditionalists hidden in the nooks and corners of the country strive to keep Indian classical music alive. Mumbai Weekly photographer Pratham Gokhale spent some time at a „tablaâ€&#x; manufacturing workshop capturing the essence of the place.
Mumbai applauds to a rare dance form Famed Kochi-based Thullal artist Kalamandalam Prabhakaran was in Mumbai for a rare performance as a part of Soorya Festival on January 30, 2012. Seventy-six-year-old Prabhakaran has performed at stages across the world, but his performance in Mumbaiâ€&#x;s suburban Dombivili was his first ever in the city, especially organized for this cultural festival. Thullal, is an art form of South India that mixes story-telling, dancing and singing. However, this art form has not garnered as much appreciation or popularity as Bharatnatyam or Kathakalli. Like
several Indian dance forms, getting ready for a Thullal performance is a time consuming process and can take up to three hours. The dressing-up includes makeup and wearing a specially made dress with frills. The wrist and head gear, made out of coco-nut tree parts, are carefully adorned. Prabhakaran, who is considered as one of the last few exponents of this art form, needless to say, held his audience captive throughout the performance, including Mumbai Weekly Photographer
Chirag Sutar, who captured the event through his lense.
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Sports
FRIDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2012
Mumbai Weekly
Horsing Around One of the most glamorous and richest races in India is slated to take place in Mumbai in early February. Horses and trainers from all over the country will converge into the city with the best and fastest race horses to compete in the much awaited Derby. Derby is a fusion of entertainment, glamour , betting and
thumping hooves. Artists from around the world will perform. More than 30000 people are expected to come for this event. Mumbai Weekly photographer Abhinav Reddy spent some time before the event watching the fabulous horses train for the event.
Left: A stable hand tries to control a race horse at Mumbaiâ€&#x;s racecourse. Above: A horse exercises in a pool on the eve of the derby in Mumbai on 2 February 2012. Right: A horse cools off in water after an exercise session. Abhinav Reddy / Mumbai Weekly
Revival of traditional Indian gymnastics Mallakhamb or Malkhamb is a kind of traditional Indian gymnastics, where the gymnast performs feats and poses in concert with a vertical wooden pole or rope. The sport requires agility, strength and flexibility In a country obsessed with cricket this sport is losing popularity amongst youngsters who opt for more glamorous sports. There are however some organizations trying to revive this sport and popularity, Mumbai Weekly photographer Shailesh Andrade visited one such training facility to pleasantly find a lot of children participating in the training. Children from the ages of three years, train in building strength and slowly graduate upwards to performing the sport itself. The speed and agility in which the gymnasts performs the routine is remarkable and always leaves the spectator in awe.
Published by: Udaan School of Photography. Editor: Shailesh Andrade Photo editor: Saarthak Aurora Chief Photographer: Shankar Narayan Email: editor.mumbaiweekly@gmail.com