Mumbai Weekly

Run by the students of Udaan

MumbaiWeekly Volume 01 Issue 06

people

FRIDAY, 27 JANUARY 2012

metro

feature

sports

India celebrates Republic Day Republic Day marks India's adoption of a republic constitution on January 26, 1950, after gaining of independence from British rule in 1947. Understandably, this makes it an occasion that's close to the hearts of all Indians. Republic Day is a national holiday in the country. Republic day is celebrated all over the country in all states, government offices, educational institutions and even private societies.

Republic Day celebrations are usually started with the hoisting of Indian flag followed by singing of the National an-

them. Most programs will follow with some entertainment and refreshments.

The country‟s capital Delhi witnesses the largest Republic day celebration with contingents and displays from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The parade also includes colorful floats from each of India's states. Smaller parades are held in each state as well.

Most people show their support for the celebration by displaying some form of the National flag in their homes, vehicles and even on their clothing. Children and

street vendors are seen selling Republic Day merchandise ahead of the day in most cities.

India is the largest democracy in the world with a large percentage of young people. The country needs to tap in this resource of new thinking and young energy it has available. We also need rethinking on our education, health and food distribution policies keeping in stride with the fast changing global scenario and conditions aiming to make India a super power.

Above: School children and faculty salute the Indian national flag at a flag hoisting ceremony in Mumbai 26 January, 2012.

Chirag Suttar / Mumbai Weekly. Right: A girl selling paper flags on the streets smiles for the camera. Saarthak Aurora / Mumbai Weekly.

Bikers tribute to nation on R‟Day

Above: A convoy of riders ride their Bullet motorcycles, a iconic classic motorcycle across Mumbai 26 January 2012. Five hundred riders joined the ride to express their love for the iconic Bullet motorcycle on the occasion of India‟s Republic Day. Above Right: A masked rider rides along in the convoy. Below right: a woman rides her motorcycle with the convoy. Shailesh Andrade / Mumbai Weekly.

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people

Model Dreams This yearâ€&#x;s Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Summer/ Resort 2012 Model auditions saw an overwhelming response from male and female models from across India and other countries. After a four season hiatus, LFW re-introduced male model auditions and received over 200 applicants to walk the ramp. Fashion modelling is a competitive business but the glamour associated with the work attracts hundreds of aspirants every year.

LFW is known to mentor new talent and introduce some of the most promising faces in the industry. This season the models were assessed based on their confidence, poise and their ability to bring to life a designerâ€&#x;s creation on the ramp while maintaining excellent standards in the quality of models selected.

The atmosphere in the auditorium was tense and a nervous energy filled the room. At the end of the day eleven new models were chosen to participate in the event, seven female and four male models. Mumbai Weekly photographer Abhinav Reddy was in the middle of all the action bringing back the moments of the day.

Mumbai Weekly

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metro

FRIDAY 27 JANUARY 2012

Mumbai Weekly

Migratory seagulls visit Mumbai

People row a boat through a flock of seagulls in Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai on 24 January 2012. Sea gulls are migratory birds and visit the city during the winter months. Seagulls mostly migrate to India, from Australia and Siberia. Shailesh Andrade / Mumbai Weekly.

Flash Mob dance by Mumbai's Gays and Lesbians

Members belonging to the LGBT community and their supporters participate in a flash mob dance sequence in Mumbai on 24 January 2012. The event was organized as part of a week-long series of events involving the LGBT community, ending with a pride rally in the city. Shailesh Andrade / Mumbai Weekly

Over hundred couples tie the knot during Mass Marriage The Sant Nirankari Mission, a voluntary organization, organized a mass marriage ceremony on 23rd January in the outskirts of Mumbai. According to a volunteer at the event venue, 136 couples tied the knot that day. In a simple ceremony couples solemnized their marriage by exchanging garlands. The brides and grooms were of no particular community and the the cere-

mony was open prospective brides and grooms from all religions and communities.

In the times of recession and high living costs mass marriages help young couples start their lives together with minimal financial costs, said a organizer of the event. The married couples were cheered by thousands of members of the Nirankari trust, during an ongoing four day program.

Mumbai Weekly photographer Gitartha Goswami captures the moments of a mass marriage ceremony in Mumbai on 23 January 2012.

Flash mob dance sequences have become a new trend in the city and getting on the bandwagon were lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans gender (LGBT) community in the city. In a run up to the annual pride rally, a series of events were organized by the members and their supporters - one of them being a flash mob.

Around 100 members and supporters of the LGBT community, gathered along a promenade off Arabian Sea in South Mumbai and broke out into a dance last Tuesday 24 January 2012 shaking their feet to popular Bollywood film songs. The dance sequence was followed with slogan shouting in which the participants communicated the sentiments of the LGBT group.

Daily walkers and curious bystanders looked on amused at witnessing the sudden entertainment, in the heart of Mumbaiâ€&#x;s financial district.

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EDITORIAL

FRIDAY 27 JANUARY 2012

Mumbai Weekly

OPINION An idea called India

A tiffin courier boy buys a flag from his meager earnings, on his way to delivering food parcel in Mumbai on 26 January 2012 . Mumbai Weekly photographer Pratham Gokhale followed the boy around.

I was shooting off-beat pictures on Republic day in Mumbai. As I walked around, I saw a few cheerful children, holding flags and roaming the streets. Some accompanied by their grand-father and others walking with their mother. They held the hands of their parents, while the other hand held an India flag. An endearing picture, I thought, looking at the little hands holding the flag. I continued to walk, camera in hand,

and I saw children selling flags at the traffic signals – another reality that I see every year. As I kept walking, I saw a young boy carrying two tiffin-boxes with his hands, and a bundle on his head. I walked behind him, a little absentmindedly. Suddenly, he stopped near a flagseller and stood there to purchase the Indian flag. The first thought that crossed my mind, was "goodness, this is the real patriot." People usually complain about

India‟s population, politicians and corruption.

But here was this young lad, may be with little knowledge of the country‟s sorry state of affairs – black money stashed away in overseas banks, failing infrastructure and corrupt systems. For this young lad, all that mattered was it was, it was Republic Day and he loved his country, which he showed by buying a little flag. All this came together in my mind as I watched the boy and the

photojournalist in me reacted. I picked-up my camera and started capturing the boy, training my lens on him. After he purchased a flag from that roadside vendor, he had difficulties in holding the flag in his hand, as his both the hands were occupied with holding tiffin boxes. He then held the flag in his mouth and managed to give money to the vendor. I don‟t know what he earns.

But looking at him, you can see the boy and his

family must be finding it difficult to make both ends meet. Despite the meager income, the love for his country seemed to compel him to buy the flag. He then took that flag and held it in one hand with a tiffin. I started following him. He walked through the lanes, bare feet. As he kept walking, I kept following and shooting him. He walked from one area, that looked like a demolished construction site and entered a lane over-

flowing with gutter water. There were some offices there too, and the boy entered a house in that lane. I too went after him. There were few men in that room.

After a short interaction with them, I came to know that this boy delivers tiffin boxes in that area. The food is cooked in his house and he delivers it to some of the workers who work in that industrial area. I came out from that house, though the boy was still inside. I waited

for him outside to capture him again. And some moments later he came out and started walking back. I also started capturing him again and went a little ahead of him to get his pictures from the front.

As I continued to shoot him, people gathered around seemed to notice him and me. So I walked up ahead to gain a distance and capture his pictures, to avoid any interference by local people. But when I turned around, the boy

POINT OF VIEW Is Global Warming freezing Mumbai ?

Just as the winters seemed to be receding, Mumbai witnessed the coldest day in 10 years with temperatures falling to 10 degrees Celsius in Santacruz on Sunday, 29 January, 2012.

V K Rajeev, director of weather forecast at IMD, Mumbai said that the minimum temperature fell drastically from 16 degrees on Saturday to 10 degrees on Sunday.

While some people believe that it is just the winters extending their stay, the truth of the matter might be that these are not just random variations, but side effects of the global warming phenomenon.

According to researchers and scientists, global warming maybe be the cause of the

excess cooling and snow in many parts of the world.

Be it unfounded fears or a real threat, this is a situation that we all collectively need to look into, before its too late.

Simple, inexpensive ways to cut back on two major pollutants - soot and methane could slow climate change for years to come and significantly reduce premature deaths, particularly in South Asian countries like India, Nepal and Bangladesh, according to a latest NASA study.

Its time to bring the threat of global warming into our agenda and take corrective measures, before mankind starts feeling it‟s irreversible heat.

A train passes through a cloud of smoke caused by burning debris in Mumbai . Twisha Deb / Mumbai Weekly

had disappeared....he seemed to have walked away and merged into the sea of people to whom Mumbai is home.

The boy (may be a child labourer), his innocence and love for the country and the flag seemingly untainted by his tough life, touched my heart.

For all those corrupt people who do not respect their responsibilities towards society – here was lesson in patriotism from a little boy who delivers dabbas to Mumbai‟s working class.

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feature

Mumbai Weekly

A woman shoots images using a tablet computing device. Saarthak Aurora / Mumbai Weekly

Car show enthralls city Motor enthusiasts in the city were in for a pleasant surprise with the SCC, Super Car Club and magazine Auto car India organizing the “Parx Super Car Show” on Sunday 22 January 2012. Over 200 hi -end cars participated in the show.

The vehicles were kept for display at the Race Course in the heart of the city. Crowds flocked to admire these vehicles which in-

cluded a large number of European Sports and Luxury Cars among others. The vehicles were then driven through the city but unfortunately couldn‟t make a clean run as people kept blocking them for a better view. The event concluded successfully leaving automobile enthusiasts satisfied.

Pratham Gokale / Mumbai Weekly

Above: A reflection of a girl is seen on a luxury car. Saarthak Aurora / Mumbai Weekly.

Left: A security guard watches over the cars displayed. Shailesh Andrade / Mumbai Weekly

A car on display at the Super Car Show in Mumbai 22 January 2012. Pratham Gokale / Mumbai Weekly

A boy stands next to sports cars on display at the car show in Mumbai 22 January 2012.

Shailesh Andrade / Mumbai Weekly

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FRIDAY 27 JANUARY 2012

economy

A man sleeps in a taxi at a parking lot in Mumbai on 24 January 2012 Abhinav Reddy / Mumbai Weekly

Mumbai Weekly

A man walks past scrapped Maruti vehicles in Mumbai 24 January 2012 Gitartha Goswami / Mumbai Weekly

India‟s Maruti quarterly profit slumps

People walk past vehicles in a junkyard in Mumbai 24 January 2012 .Gitartha Goswami / Mumbai Weekly

Vodafone wins landmark tax battle

A group of men sit in front of a Vodafone shop in Mumbai 24 January 2012.

India's Supreme Court on Friday ruled in favor of Vodafone Group‟s appeal against a $2.2 billion tax bill on its purchase of a 67% stake in India's Hutchison Essar Ltd. Shankar Narayan / Mumbai Weekly

India's biggest carmaker Maruti Suzuki on Monday reported a fall of nearly 64 percent in quarterly profit as high fuel prices, strikes at a major factory and higher interest rates hit operations.

Maruti, majority-owned by Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp, said net profit fell to 2.05 billion rupees ($40 million) in the three months to December, from 5.65 billion rupees a year earlier.

The result from the New Delhibased company, which is battling rising competition from South Korea's Hyundai and other rivals, missed analyst forecasts of a 2.5

billion rupee profit.

Total sales fell 28 percent to 239,528 cars in the quarter, from a year earlier, the company said.

"Production of cars was impacted by labour unrest, which has since been resolved. Sales were also sluggish due to higher fuel prices and interest rates," the company said in a statement.

Maruti spent much of 2011 battling a series of crippling labour disputes at its plants in the northern Indian state of Haryana, where workers were demanding that management recognise a new labour union.

It’s been a hard days night

A worker takes rest at a construction site in Mumbai 27 January 2012. Indian workers make around Rupees 100 to 200 per day (around $2 to $4). Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly

Air India hits turbulence National air carrier Air India has hit financial turbulence.

According to financial reports the airline has a net loss of rupees 40000 crores ($4billion) on its books. It pays an interest of Rupees 9.2 crores daily and worse it has to pay Rupees 20,415 crores to its creditors by March 2012.

The airline accumulated losses of Rupees 20,320 crores between April 2007 to March 2011.

The government is working to bail out the airline. Other than pumping in money the government also accepted a major demand to allow foreign airlines 49 percent stake in Indian carriers. Allowing foreign airlines to pick up stake in Indian carriers would mark a major policy shift. Earlier foreign airlines were not allowed to invest in Indian airlines though foreign direct investment was allowed. The decision of FDI is good news for all other airline companies as the airline sector in general has been through a bad time of late.

An Air India aircraft stands in the Mumbai airport. Air India‟s mounting losses has prompted the government to permit foreign investment into the airline sector giving other cash crunched airline companies some hope. Shailesh Andrade / Mumbai Weekly

While mismanagement has been the primary reason for the airlines loss external factors such as rising fuel costs, higher maintainence costs, taxes and a general lull in the travel segment have also contributed to the building loss. Various restructuring plans are being looked into the government.

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FRIDAY 27 JANUARY 2012

Arts and entertainment

Mumbai Weekly

Dance and photography mix in an unique performance

Contemporary Indian classical dancer Astad Deboo performs at the launch of a calendar by photographer Ritam Banerjee in Mumbai on 22 January 2012. The event was a unique combination of music, dance and photography making it a very special light and sound show for the audience. Saarthak Aurora / Mumbai Weekly

German film orchestra Babelsberg tribute to A.R. Rahman A team of over a hundred musicians from the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg and students of the KM Music Conservatory, Chennai performed the music of A R Rahman. The musical tour was part of the celebrations for the Year of Germany in India.

The tour also coincides with the centenary celebrations of Studio Babelsberg, the world's oldest film studio based in Germany, and the beginning of the moving picture era in India. After this performance in Mumbai the orchestra will travel to Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore. The 100-member orchestra performed some of Rahman's favourites from films such as Bombay, Swades, The Rising, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and others.

Above Left: Oscar winning Indian music composer A.R. Rahman poses for photographers during a function in Mumbai on 20 January 2012. German film orchestra Babelsberg paid tribute to Rehman‟s music during the event.Above Right: A.R. Rahman and composer Matt Dunkley acknowledge the ovation they received from the audience at the end of the show. Chirag Suttar / Mumbai Weekly

Bands that Bind

Members of a traditional Indian wedding band sit at a train station in Mumbai 27 January 2012. A band similar to the one above always leads a traditional Hindu Indian wedding procession also known a „baraat‟ locally. Dressed in bright uniform and armed with instruments like Tuba‟s, Saxophones, Trombones, Trumpets and Dhol‟s, an Indian percussion instrument, the band plays popular hits as they head to the wedding venue. The wedding party dances in procession to the music often giving money to the band members as an incentive to play harder. These bands are associated with weddings and for many the fondest memories of a wedding is dancing on the street to one such band. Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly

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FRIDAY 27 JANUARY 2012

Sports

Mumbai Weekly

City Youngsters take on Uphill task Rock-climbing and bouldering is a new sport in the city becoming popular thanks to the efforts of adventure and mountaineering clubs. Most of these clubs have artificially built climbing walls.

A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with grips for hands and feet, usually used for indoor climbing, but sometimes located outdoors as well.

Some are brick or wooden constructions, but on most modern walls, the material often used is a thick multiplex board with holes drilled into it. The wall may have places to attach belay ropes, but may also be used to practice lead climbing or bouldering.

This is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natu-

ral rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and mentally demanding sport, one that often tests a climber's strength, endurance, agility and balance along with her or his mental control. Rock climbing is dangerous and proper training and knowledge in use of equipment is advised. Although not a Olympic event, rock climbing is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a sport.

Mumbai Weekly photographer Saarthak Aurora spent a day in one such club holding a competition capturing all the drama associated with this sport in Mumbai on 28 January 2011

Published by: Udaan School of Photography. Editor: Shailesh Andrade Photo editor: Saarthak Aurora Chief Photographer: Shankar Narayan Email: editor.mumbaiweekly@gmail.com