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March 2014
P11A
Bewakoofian
Sonam Kapoor’s next to be called ‘Bewakoofian’
INDIAN TIMES
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CONTENTS
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March 2014
INDIAN TIMES
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Photo source: PTI
Farmers’ groups give wish list to parties
M
ore than 100 farmers’ organisations from about 14 states on Thursday presented a charter of demands to political parties for their considering while preparing the manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections. The groups demanded guarantee of minimum income for farm households, ecologically sustainable farming, shift to
March 2014 Edition
organic farming and control of rural communities over agricultural resources, including land, water, forests and seeds. They also demanded that open-air release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the garb of field trials be stopped. Farmers’ representatives spoke out against land acquisation for industries. “We are not against industry, but we don’t want farmers
to give away their fertile land, as it is possible to establish an industry elsewhere but impossible to make a barren land fertile,” said Rohtas Rathee, national secretary of Bharat Kisan Union. Citing census data, farmers’ representatives said on an average, one farmer commits suicide every half an hour. Everyday, hundreds of farmers are quitting agriculture.
“The average monthly income of an overwhelming majority of Indian farmers is far less than what their average monthly expenditure is, making it difficult for most farm households to make their ends meet,” said Kavita Kuruganti, convenor for Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture. “What is the point of increasing the food grain production if the
farmers are not benefiting from it,” Kuruganti said. The members also stressed on the formation of a farm income commission to ensure minimum living income for the farmers. “There should be a farm income commission to oversee and ensure minimum living income to all farm households, through assessment and focused recommendation,” said Rathee.
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head of implementation of model code of conduct, State Government left no chance to woo the voters and in a hurry, deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal inaugurated and laid foundation stones of projects worth Rs 3280.74 crores in just 16 days and out of these projects worth Rs 3135.74 crores were announced in just 12 days only. Deputy CM was seen in a hurry to lay foundation stones in almost every city of the state and for a change he was seen reaching before time in the functions as he had to rush to the other spots. Interestingly, deputy CM inaugurated a bus stand in Fatehgarh Sahib costing Rs 3 crores and about 3 substations were also inaugurated and the rest projects were just the promises of the state government in which deadline of majority of the projects is for 18 months. The details revealed that deputy CM laid foundation stones of an ultra modern auditorium costing Rs 55 crores in SAS Nagar, Rs 450 crores housing project in Bathinda, Rs 580 crores metro
bus project in Amritsar, Infosys development centre costing Rs 425 crores in Mohali, Cargill dairy feed unit costing Rs 70 crores in Bathinda and so on. Majority of the rest of the promised projects include up gradation of water and sewer system in Khanna, Bathinda, Moga, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Fazilka, Faridkot etc areas. Road widening, four laning of roads in Bathinda were the other promised projects. Deputy CM laid the last foundation stone in Ludhiana yesterday which was regarding a Rs 135 crores common effluent treatment plant for dyeing units. This project is already running behind the schedule and hence it was yet another announcement of the already announced project. Rival party Congress had been accusing the ruling alliance of wasting money on laying foundation stones and also spending huge money just on advertisements only. Today itself, Simarjeet Singh Bains, MLA from Atam Nagar constituency of Ludhiana said,” for laying foundation stone of a project
Photo source: PTI
Deputy CM promised projects worth Rs 3280.74 crores in just 16 days A
worth Rs 3 crores, the state government had spent Rs 65 lakhs only on advertisement. Still
the dream project of deputy CM – the expressway along Sidhwan canal has not met the deadline,
so what can one expect from the foundation stones which have been laid now.”
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Kejriwal’s detention in Gujarat sparks AAP-BJP clashes across cities
ujarat police detained Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday for all of half-an-hour in Radhanpur town, halting his four-day tour of the state to expose BJP’s PM nominee Narendra Modi’s claim of model state. It triggered massive AAP protests outside BJP offices and violent clashes between their cadres. Kejriwal was stopped apparently for questioning by authorities about the number of vehicles in his convoy, and over a possible violation of the model code of conduct. However, that was provocation enough for Kejriwal’s frenzied volunteers to gherao BJP offices in Delhi, Lucknow, Jhansi, Kanpur and Allahabad, resulting in ugly clashes with dozens of people wounded on the very day the election dates were announced. A day meant to be a celebration of democracy thus sent out grim portents. The clashes began after AAP supporters, led by Shazia Ilmi and Ashutosh, gathered outside the BJP office in Delhi protesting against Kejriwal’s detention in Gujarat. Missiles flew with both sides hurling chairs and sticks at each other. Police intervened and unleashed water cannons to disperse the crowd but not before an-
gry AAP workers had vandalised BJP’s hoardings. In Lucknow, the capital of UP which sends maximum 80 members to the Lok Sabha, vicious street fights occurred between AAP and BJP supporters, with TV channels showing images of BJP workers beating up AAP volunteers with lathis. AAP leader Prashant Bhushan later said, “This is the end of democracy and the beginning of fascism.” Kejriwal later said he was detained although his convoy did not have any AAP sticker or poster. “My detention shows Modi is rattled,” Kejriwal said. The detention orders “came from the top”, he said. Late in the evening in Bhuj, Kejriwal apologized for the violence while speaking to a TV reporter and said there won’t be any protest demonstrations from tomorrow. Kejriwal tweeted, “I urge all volunteers not to raise their hand n to stay calm n non-violent. U shud be prepared to lay down ur life but never raise hand.” An angry BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad asked, “Do they believe in Maoism?” Another BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said, “No one should indulge in such destructive politics. What’s happening is completely unwarranted, highly condemnable.” After
Photo source: PTI
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images of AAP-BJP clashes were beamed on TV channels, Kejriwal’s car was damaged near Kharoi village, some six km from Bhachau in Kutch. He was there for a meeting in Kharoi but a villager hurled a stone at his car, smashing its windscreen. Later, DSP Parikshita Rathod, Patan, trying to soothe frayed nerves, said, “He (Kejriwal) did not
violate the model code of conduct. He had gone to Gayatri temple in the town and there was traffic jam due to massive crowd. Being the former chief minister of Delhi, he was taken to the police station for security reasons.” “He also clarified using only two cars; the remaining cars were of media and local people. As he had just two cars, there as no violation
of the model code,” she said. EC’s model code of conduct under the head ‘Meetings’ clearly states, “The party or candidate shall inform the local police authorities of the venue and time any proposed meeting well in time so as to enable the police to make necessary arrangements for controlling traffic and maintaining peace and order.”
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Women should be home by 8pm: LSR students
Photo source: PTI
Lok Sabha polls: Nine days that could shape or shake India
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he gong’s been sounded for one of the most exciting battles in Indian elections . It will be a longdrawn out contest, to be held in nine phases, spread over 36 days from April 7 to May 12. The votes will be counted on May 16 and on that day or in the next few days it will become apparent who will form the next government — Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi or a surprise Third Front satrap. Along with the Lok Sabha election, three states — Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim — will also go to the polls. Assembly elections in Delhi will have to wait till a new government at the Centre has been formed. The nine days when polling will be held are April 7, 9, 10, 12, 17, 24 and 30 and May 7 and 12. The model code of conduct has kicked in with immediate effect. Indian elections have been essays in uncertainty since 1967 when Congress’s hegemony faced its first serious challenge. However, indications are that the coming election may be even more exciting. While Congress and BJP are locked in a gladiatorial contest, the entry of AAP has inserted an X factor in the battle. Going by opinion polls, Congress seems to be heading for its worst-ever performance with some estimates indicating that its tally may shrink to double digits. If that were to happen, the transition of the Congress leadership to Rahul Gandhi could become a wrench-
ing process. BJP appears poised to make big gains this time. Narendra Modi’s arrival has energized the party’s base and triggered hopes of a comeback after a decade-long power drought at the Centre . Unless BJP falls victim to its historical inability to live up to its promise, this Modi-led resurgence, coupled with a deep disenchantment with Congress, raise the possibility of his rightwing, growth-centric political model spreading to new constituencies. The Aam Aadmi Party’s stunning debut in Delhi has been a testimony to its success in tapping into the popular resentment against established parties in a remarkably short time. The coming election will show to what extent this fledgling party led by Arvind Kejriwal can convert its appeal into votes in other states. What’s , however, already apparent is that AAP is fast becoming a thorn in BJP’s flesh — the party it is now targeting after having routed Congress in Delhi.
Soon-to-be-born states, FB, Twitter add zing to 2014 polls
It has been reported that Kejriwal will contest from Varanasi if Modi fights from there. And on Wednesday, he was in Gujarat , queering Modi’s pitch in his home state. This election will also be different because of the spread of social media as a political tool. If the 2004 polls saw parties using mobile phones to reach out to voters, this poll will see Facebook,
$15 million now available for smart local water projects Living Victoria Fund Round Two
Twitter and various apps being used to mobilize the techsavvy among 149.5 million new voters. The assembly election in Andhra Pradesh carries the possibility of two new parties forming governments in the aboutto-be-born states of Seemandhra and Telangana. YSR Congress and Telangana Rashtra Samiti respectively are regarded as the frontrunners for the two states which will come into being after June. Among the states, UP and Bihar will vote on six days; West Bengal and Jammu & Kashmir on five; Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra on three; and Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Odisha , Rajasthan and Tripura on two days. There will be a single-day poll in Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Goa, a majority of northeastern states and Union territories including Delhi. Announcing the schedule, chief election commissioner V S Sampath, flanked by election commissioners V S Brahma and Nasim Zaidi, appealed to all political parties and candidates to “uphold the peerless democratic traditions by maintaining high standards of political discourse and fair play in the course of their election campaigns”. Sampath said, “We appeal to the leaders of all political parties, especially their star campaigners , to refrain from using language that is against decorum and decency”.
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tudents of Lady Shri Ram College for Women, one of the most progressive colleges in the country, think that women should be inside their homes by 8pm. This is irrespective of whether they live with their parents or on their own. This, along with various other findings, have been thrown up by a survey carried out by the institution, released at the college’s academic congress on gender. More than 1,000 respondents took part in the survey. All the respondents were from LSR but from varied regions and backgrounds. The time interval, considered safe to travel at night, is determined by the diktat issued by parents and self-imposed by the respondents. The respondents were re-categorized into students staying with parents and students not staying with parents. As per parents’ expectations, daughters should be home by 8pm. The pattern of responses in both the categories is similar. “Hence, it may be deduced that denial of access to public spaces meets with the tacit approval of young women, as they impose restrictions upon themselves” the report says. The survey asked respondents
The Victorian Government is delivering a smarter, more sustainable and affordable approach to managing Victoria’s urban water needs. This involves introducing whole-of-water-cycle management and making much greater use of rainwater, stormwater and recycled water for non-drinking purposes. To drive the transformation of our urban water systems the Victorian Government is opening Round Two of the Living Victoria Fund.
what their most significant identity was. According to 63% of the respondents, profession was the most significant identity, followed by 27% choosing gender. Only 1% women identified themselves on the basis of caste, 4% on the basis of religion and 5% on the basis of region. The correlation between gender and profession, however, is a deeper one, the survey shows. “It is interesting to note that when mothers are home-makers, 64% daughters prefer to take up teaching as a career. This may be attributed to the fact that though young women want to be financially independent, they continue to associate women with the role of home-maker,” the report says. Fathers, too, affect the choice of their daughters’ profession. “About 50.3% daughters are motivated to work in the IT sector, banking etc if their fathers are professionals (in similar fields),” the report states. The freedom in choosing their profession, then the report counters, is not very simple and depends on a number of other factors including gender. The data reveals that for young women, career-choices are explored from the vantage of the impending familial roles.
Through the Fund, up to $15 million is available to assist community organisations, education institutions, sporting groups, local councils and the private sector to deliver whole-of-water-cycle projects. This investment is designed to enhance Victoria’s liveability by making better use of local water. The Office of Living Victoria administers the Living Victoria Fund and funding guidelines can be found at livingvictoria.vic.gov.au Applications close 17 March 2014.
To apply for funding visit livingvictoria.vic.gov.au
olv00297
March 2014 Edition
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Uphaar tragedy: SC split over length of prison term for Ansals T
he Supreme Court on Wednesday held the Ansal brothers — Sushil and Gopal — guilty of negligence which contributed to the Uphaar theatre fire which killed 59, but they will not be taken into custody as the judges gave a split verdict on the quantum of sentence. Making the victims’ families await justice even 17 years after the incident, a bench of Justices T S Thakur and Gyan Sudha Misra differed on the quantum of sentence for the ageing Ansal brothers after concurring on their guilt under Section 304A of Indian Penal Code for negligent acts which impeded speedy evacuation of patrons from the theatre after fire engulfed it on June 13, 2007. The bench referred determination of sentence to a three-judge bench and directed the registry to place the case files before the Chief Justice of India. Justice Thakur agreed with the judgment of Delhi high court which convicted the Ansals but reduced the trial court imposed sentence of two years imprisonment to one year. He also wrote, what senior advocate K T S Tulsi termed as authoritative, on the theory of culpability of the person in charge of the premises where accidents occur. Justice Thakur said it was evident that the Ansal brothers
not only showed scant regard for the safety of patrons by putting up extra seats, crowding the aisle for some extra money, but also endangered their safety by making structural changes in the theatre. In propounding the theory of culpability for managers of premises visited by public, Justice Thakur said, “The higher the number and frequency of visitors to a place, the greater is the responsibility of the owner/ manager of the premises to ensure the safety of the patrons till they exit from there.” He said the victims mostly died of asphyxia caused by the smoke than from the fire. Though there could not have been so much smoke without a fire, it was mainly because of the inability of patrons to escape the theatre which caused the deaths. The inability to escape was also because of the extra seats and closure of exits, Justice Thakur said but the Ansals could not be said to have prior knowledge that their action could lead to death of patrons. Both the judges - Justices Thakur and Misra - lamented the long judicial delay in giving finality to the case. Justice Misra took into account the enormity of the tragedy and said two years imprisonment to the Ansal brothers would serve
the ends of justice. Though Justice Misra said the ailing Sushil Ansal need not undergo further imprisonment because of his ill health, she agreed to set off the additional one year sentence imposed by her if the Ansals agreed to pay Rs 50 crore each as compensation
to set up a Rs 100 crore trauma centre in Dwarka in south-west Delhi, terming the area as accident prone. She directed the government to allot a five-acre plot for the purpose and even constituted a committee to oversee construction of the trauma centre in memory of
the Uphaar tragedy victims. But all these failed to give any concrete result to years of effort by the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy, spearheaded by Neelam Krishnamurthy. The association will now have to await the decision of the three-judge bench.
After 3 months, Snoopgate panel remains headless
T
he Centre seems to have put in cold storage the decision to set up a judicial inquiry commission to look into allegations of illegal surveillance of a woman in
March 2014 Edition
Gujarat and other such instances in Himachal Pradesh and the national capital. The cabinet in December last year had cleared a proposal to set up a judicial commission of
inquiry which was to be headed by a sitting or retired Supreme Court judge. But three months after the decision, the government is yet to find a suitable candidate to head the panel.
“Some former judges were asked to head the panel but all of them have declined the offer so far. The move seems to have been put on the back-burner now. The Election Commission
has announced the poll schedule on Wednesday. Though there is no bar on the government to announce the appointment as the cabinet had cleared the proposal three months back but now the possibility looks bleak,” said a home ministry official requesting anonymity. When another senior MHA official was asked about the status of the judicial commission, he just brushed aside the question and said it is poll time. The BJP has accused the government of a witch-hunt for trying to set up the commission. Though, the government tried to show that it was not targeting the Narendra Modi-led Gujarat government and added cases of illegal procurement of call details of BJP leader Arun Jaitley in the capital and alleged snooping of Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh in the mandate of the commission of inquiry, but it failed to convince the BJP. Arun Jaitley referred to the refusal of several former SC judges to head the commission to argue that the “moral isolation” of the “arrogant” government is complete. “What happened to that commission? One after the other retired SC judges were approached to head the commission. They all declined for this politically motivated exercise,” said Jaitley.
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Ayushmann Khurrana and Sonam Kapoor’s next to be called ‘Bewakoofian’
Ayushmann Khurrana and Sonam Kapoor starrer next has final got an appropriate title for itself. The film will be called, Bewakoofian. On this, director of the flick Nupur Asthana has said, “We started shooting for the film without a title. It was only when the music composer, Raghu Dixit made us hear the song, Bewakoofian, which is written by Amrita Datt, we came to the conclusion that this word goes well with the plot of our film.” Bewakoofian will be of romantic genre. The movie is coming March 2014 release. The maker further quoted, “People make mistakes, and certain relationships are incomplete without ‘ Bewakoofian ‘, isn’t it?” It is being reported that Ayushmann has completed shooting for his part while some parts of Sonam are still left to be shot. The film will feature Ayushmann Khurrana, Sonam Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor in the lead roles.
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Photo source: PTI
Air India sacks 7 more airhostesses for coming late
C
racking the whip on erring cabin crew members who report late to airports and delay flights, Air India sacked seven more airhostesses on Tuesday — taking the number of those terminated to 17 in just nine days from February 24 to March 4. While 16 of these sacked personnel are airhost-
esses, one is a flight purser. The top management warns this number could grow unless everyone in the airline does their bit to ensure planes take off on time. “Factors beyond our control like technical glitches delaying flights can be understood, they have to be minimized too. But crew walking in when the like and
keeping passengers waiting is unacceptable,” said an official. Air India (domestic) flights have among the lowest on time performance (DGCA) month after month in the figures released by the DGCA. Alarm bells started ringing in AI last month when the OTP of even the international flights fell to a mere 35% — which
meant that 65% of the overseas flights were delayed — for some time. Among other reasons, instances of rampant crew indiscipline and crew reporting late for work figured high when an analysis for the unusually poorer-thanusual OTP last few months was done recently. The other OTP killer is the
Dreamliners’ unending technical glitches on which the aviation ministry has so far refused to take any tough stand. “AI has to join Star Alliance which has acclaimed airlines like Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa. Passengers transferring to or from these airlines expect a similar level of punctuality and service from us. We have no option but to be on time and delight the passenger with our services,” said an official. AI had on February 20 issued a general notice warning crew that if they do not reach airport in time to operate flights on time, the airline will take penal action against them — including terminating their services. Four airhostesses lost their jobs just days after this warning was issued. AI has 3,600 cabin crew. This is the second time ever that the airline management has acted tough with its employees in a bid to improve performance. In 2002, the aviation ministry backed the management move to sack 99 pilots of Air India (erstwhile AI that operated wide body planes overseas) when they went on strike. It later took back all but 13 pilots despite all types of pressure on the management. Of these 13, two went back to Air India Express on contract (instead of the regular employment they had earlier); eight went to AirAsia India; two to a new regional airline in south and one is still fighting to get his AI job back, said one of the sacked pilots.
nited Sikhs, a world wide organization based in New York, USA, has announced scholarships for 39 Sikh students living in Pakistan. The move by united Sikhs comes after many Sikh families in Pakistan have been forcefully displaced due to on-going conflicts between the Pakistan government, and the Taliban. With its “STARAE” (Scholarships as a Tool to Accelerate and Revive Academic Excellence) Project, United Sikhs is aiming to boost education, and literacy rate, among Sikh students of Pakistan. A United Sikhs Project Coordinator, was quoted in the press release as stating that “the literacy rate among Sikhs, and other minority communities, in Peshawar, especially for girls, is very poor. Girls in the tribal areas seldom get the opportunity to go to school due to the war against terrorism, and poor socio-economic status of the community in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Federal Administrator Tribal Areas (FATA). The STARAE scholarship project will make a difference to the lives of the needy, especially those who belong to the FATA region.” This project of United Sikhs has also helped the children of martyred
March 2014 Edition
Photo source: PTI
US Sikh organization Offers scholarships to Sikh students in Pak U
Shaheed Jaspal Singh who was beheaded by the Taliban in 2010. Sikhs like Jaspal Singh have been targeted by Taliban
seeking ransom money in form of Jazia Tax (Islamic tax imposed on non-Muslims for their protection).
The cost for United Sikhs to sponsor one student per month is £20 GBP / $30 USD. With its STARAE scholarship, United
Sikhs seeks to help Sikh students in Peshawar attain high school degrees.
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unjab Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Sunil Jakhar on Wednesday said in the Vidhan Sabha that in his opinion revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia was not involved in the shady deals of the recently busted drug racket. The CLP leader’s surprising move on the floor of the House is contrary to the stand of Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa who had been raising the pitch for a CBI-led probe into this racket while demanding resignation of revenue and public relations minister Majithia, who is a brother-inlaw of deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. After the arrested wrestler-turneddruglord Jagdish Singh Bhola on January 6 had alleged that Majithia was the kingpin of the drug racket, prompting the Congress to demand a CBI probe, former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh had also taken a diametrically opposite stand. On January 10, Capt Amarinder while opposing the Congress’ demand to transfer this case from the state police to the central agency had said it would mean playing into the hands of criminals and vested interests. “Those who have vested interests are demanding shifting of the probe of this case to the CBI…,” the Captain had said in a signed statement, endorsing the ongoing Punjab Police investigation into an unfolding,
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multi-layered drug mafia that has raised the political temperature in the border state. Now, Jakhar’s statement is also set to further blunt the Congress’s attack on the ruling Akali Dal on the issue in the run-up to forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. Not this, Jakhar’s stand brings to the fore the sharp differences within the factionridden Congress’s strategy to corner the ruling SAD-BJP on the issue. On Wednesday, the attempts of the opposition Congress to strike deep inside the ruling Akali Dal-BJP regime by using the recently busted multi-crore drug racket as an ammunition lacked the firepower, precision and the much-needed punch during the Vidhan Sabha proceedings. Instead of causing embarrassment to revenue and public relations minister Majithia, the CLP leader said he hoped the minister was not involved. The opposition also attempted to corner another Akali minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur on the drug issue and BJP minister Anil Joshi for having made votes in two different constituencies. As the Congress was unable to put the government on the back foot, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal responded, saying: “The planning of the CLP leader has failed. He should seek my advice…” Leading the party’s attack during the Zero Hour, Jakhar said: “I hope and believe Majithia is not involved.”
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Jakhar gives clean chit to Majithia
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The statement brought cheers on the faces of the ruling party members and the revenue minister who was finding himself in the dock so far and he quickly applauded Jakhar for giving the “clean chit”. “If somebody does anything wrong he will pay for it,” Majithia said, responding to Jakhar’s contention that Youth Akali Dal activists could be involved in the wrong doings. Later, during the debate on the motion of thanks on the governor’s address, the CLP leader again attempted to strike within the government on the drug racket issue
while cautioning Majithia that he was under attack from within the SAD. “I definitely have a soft corner for Majithia,” Jakhar said. “There is something fishy. There is somebody in this establishment (SADBJP government)…not happy with your (Majithia’s) performance,” the CLP leader said, indirectly saying that Bhola accusing Majithia was stage-managed. Jakhar wondered why and who in advance had tipped off the media that Bhola would say something while being produced before the court at SAS Nagar. “Punjab police are fixing people…
This is why we are seeking a CBI probe,” Jakhar said. Earlier, the CLP leader said the government had failed to keep its promise of adopting zero tolerance to drug menace. This prompted the chief minister who challenged the opposition: “Let there be a debate. Let the Congress field its specialists on drugs, who are aware of this trade. We will prove our point.” At this the deputy CM interjected, saying: “No one can match our efforts and the scale and size of the war we have waged against drugs.”
Supreme Court slams Subrata Roy
he Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Sahara group chief Subrata Roy’s proposal to pay Rs 22,500 crore through sale of assets and furnishing bank guarantee and sent him to jail in judicial custody till March 11 accusing him of lying to the court at every step for the last one-anda-half years. A bench of Justices K S Radhakrishnan and J S Khehar ordered detention of Roy and two other Sahara directors - Ashok Roychaudhury and Ravishankar Dubey - and sent them to judicial custody in Delhi. It did not send another contemnor, Sahara director Vandana Bhargava, to custody and said she would coordinate with the detained persons to come out with a better refund proposal. The bench permitted the contemnors to mention the matter for advancing the date of hearing if they had a “concrete and acceptable proposal to offer”. Trashing Roy’s claim that vast majority of investors had been paid back their money, the bench said, “Documents and affidavits produced by the contemnors themselves would apparently falsify their refund theory and cast serious doubts about the existence of so-called investors. All the fact finding authorities have opined that majority of investors do not exist.” Explaining the harsh step it was forced to take, the court said, “Preservation of market integrity is extremely important for economic growth of this country for national interest. Maintaining investors’ confidence requires market integrity and control of market abuse.
March 2014 Edition
Market abuse is a serious financial crime which undermines the very financial structure of this country and will make imbalance in wealth between haves and have nots.” It said despite numerous opportunities for refund, the Saharas adopted dilatory tactics. “Non-compliance of the orders passed by this court shakes the very foundation of our judicial system and undermines the rule of law, which we are bound to honour and protect. This is essential to maintain faith and confidence of the people of this country in judiciary,” it said. Roy was produced before the court by UP Police, which arrested him pursuant to the non-bailable arrest warrant issued against him for non-appearance in court on February 26. He stood up before Justices Radhakrishnan and Khehar and said, “Unconditionally I tender apology. Believe me, my reasons (for absence) were very genuine. I am very sorry for my absence on February 26.” The bench said it accepted the apology for absence but persisted with its question throughout the hearing about compliance with its August 31, 2012 judgment directing Sahara Housing and Sahara Real Estate to refund Rs 24,000 crore with 15% interest to nearly 3 crore investors. Roy added to what his counsel senior advocates Ram Jethmalani, Rajeev Dhavan, Ravishankar Prasad and C A Sundaram - argued. He said, “We were facing a bad situation. This kind of liquidity (cash in hand) is not there even with the banks. We are ready to sell the assets starting from tomorrow. Money
will come. Whatever shortfall, we will make good by giving irrevocable bank guarantee. Be sympathetic to us. We will give bank guarantee for Rs 22,500 crore.” Jethmalani argued that justice should be accompanied with compassion. But the bench said when people did not pay up dues of Rs 2,000, they were sent to civil prison. “Should we allow every litigant to behave like this (like Roy) towards the court? Every statement in affidavits for last two years has been false. All wrong affidavits were filed before the court and they were absolutely incorrect and false statements were made in it. We are extremely sorry to say false affidavits were filed by you at every stage and that in itself is contempt of court,” it said. Justices Radhakrishnan and Khehar clarified that the Supreme Court would no longer involve itself in finding the modalities to recover the money. Either the Saharas pay up or they face consequences, the bench said. “You sell your assets, mortgage them or take loans. That is your headache. You do whatever to comply with the order. For the last one and half years, we had tried to accommodate you. You said go to hell. What can we do? The court was forced to bring the hammer on you. Now you have to implement the order. You put the court in a corner and brought the situation on yourself,” they said. The bench said the Saharas have to deposit the money and prove that they had returned the money to investors. “Whatever is proved to be returned,
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the Saharas will get that much money back. The rest will go to the government,” the bench said. Jethmalani said, “Please save Sahara from this tragedy of paying again to an investor to whom money had already been refunded.” Roy said, “It is a bad cash flow situation. We have already paid Rs 5,120 crore. It is a business which has many other constraints. There are 9-10 crore small investors. The group has to maintain steady cash flow. There are 12 lakh persons directly or indirectly employed in the group.” He added, “Please understand our position. We have given all receipts about refund to Sebi. If I am not able to refund the money (through sale of assets and bank gurantee), I will come back before
the court to face punishment. We have paid Rs 137 lakh crore to investors in last 37 years. My folded hand request to you is please allow us to sell our assets and pay and furnish bank guarantee for rest of the amount.” Roy reiterated that every small investor was paid back. “A rickshaw puller after getting back his money would not waste a Rs 2 stamp to write back to Sebi. With folded hands, on behalf of the 12 lakh people in Sahara group, I am requesting you to direct the Sebi to verify the documents. Everything will be clear.” But the bench said the earnestness in providing bank guarantee should have been shown a year and half ago when the judgment was passed.
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Photo source: PTI
Mamata made more ‘sacrifices’ than Kejriwal: Anna
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ormer head of Intelligence Bureau’s Gujarat wing and three of his serving colleagues were on Thursday charged with murder and conspiracy in the extra-judicial killing of Ishrat Jahan and three others 10 years ago. However, in a morale booster for the BJP ahead of Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi’s confidante Amit Shah was not named in the second chargesheet filed by the CBI on Thursday.
Shah was last year quizzed after some of the accused alleged he had been aware of the police’s actions all along.Sources had reported on December 2 and 17 that Shah might escape unscathed because he was not present in Ahmedabad on the day of the encounter and there was no evidence against him. The chargesheet says former Gujarat wing head of IB Rajendra Kumar is the main accused who
generated a false intelligence alert that the four persons were terrorists on a mission to kill Modi. Not only that, he also provided arms to the accused a day before the encounter. Besides Kumar, three serving IB officials -- P Mittal, MK Sinha and Rajiv Wankhede -- who helped him carry out his plan have also been charged with murder, criminal conspiracy, wrongful confinement, kidnapping, wrongful concealment. Kumar has addition-
ally been charged under Arms Act. This is for the first time a topranking officer of the country’s premier intelligence agency has been chargesheeted in extra-judicial killing. Ishrat Jahan, a 19-year-old college student, was killed along with Pranesh Pillai, Amjad Ali and Zeeshan Johar on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004 by a team of the Gujarat Police’s Crime Branch.
oreign secretary Sujatha Singh on Wednesday asked visiting US assistant secretary of state for South Asia Nisha Biswal to address the issue of diplomat Devyani Khobragade to help bring the strategic relations back on track. As reported earlier, US energy secretary Ernest Moniz is expected to visit India later this month for the next round of energy dialogue. The dialogue will kick-start high level engagement between the two countries after the strife over Khobragade, who has been booked by US authorities for visa fraud. “Foreign secretary underlined in this context the need for officials on both sides to expeditiously resolve outstanding issues, to enable both sides to focus their energies on the substantive and strategic issues that underpin this vital partnership,” official sources said. The two sides discussed the current state of the bilateral relationship, and considered measures to achieve progress in resolving to mutual satisfaction issues that have emerged on either side in recent months. “Both sides reaffirmed the priority attached to the India-US stra-
tegic partnership, and discussed ways in which existing dialogue mechanisms could be energized
to generate fresh momentum over the next few months,” sources said.
On this introductory visit, Biswal also met senior MEA officers to obtain a broader briefing of
The police had claimed the IB had alerted them about the assassination plans of the four persons. But in a row that pitted IB and home ministry with the CBI, the former defended Kumar saying he had only passed on the intelligence but didn’t authorise or participate in the killings. The CBI last year said that Kumar, a 1979 batch IPS officer, actively participated in the conspiracy to kill Ishrat and others. His juniors in Ahmedabad IB office picked Ishrat and her former employer Javed from a toll plaza and illegally confined them, while Kumar interrogated them. The CBI did not wait for home ministry’s formal consent of sanction for prosecuting Kumar. The ministry had said its sanction was required to prosecute Kumar because he was a serving officer when the encounter took place. In its primary charge sheet, the CBI had described the encounter as joint operation by Gujarat police and central IB. The CBI while sharing the details of evidence implicating Kumar with the ministry officials, had contended that without including Kumar as a prime accused, the case would collapse. It argued that Kumar’s role is crucial in getting custody of the two persons who were killed along with Ishrat and Javed, supplying weapons and generating false IB alert when the four persons were already in the custody of the police.
March 2014 Edition
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Resolve Devyani Khobragade issue to revive ties, India tells US F
India’s perspective of the region and beyond. She will be engaged in further meetings on Thursday.
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UP doctors call off strike after meeting Mulayam
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octors in Uttar Pradesh, who had been on strike for the past five days, finally agreed to call it off after
out to their colleagues at GSVM Medical College, Kanpur. Faculty members of some colleges had joined the strike, too. In Kanpur
alone, more than 8,000 patients were affected due to non-availability of medical services. Trouble started after a clash
Century later, WW1 Sikhs toast of France
n a proud moment for Sikhs worldwide, France will remember their exemplary valour and sacrifices on its soil during World War 1. Their heroics against the German invaders will be the focus of the conflict’s centenary events that are to start in April and end in 2018. Sikh soldiers were part of a large Indian Corps component called to France during the war, and in more than 1,000 initiatives, the grateful republic will try to pay back. During his last visit to Punjab in February, French ambassador Francois Richler wrote to Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to seek meeting to discuss ideas on projecting the Sikh contribution. More than 1.38 lakh Indian troops, including many Sikhs, fought in Belgium and France during World War 1, and more than a quarter became casualties. After the bloody battle of NeuveChapelle in France in March 1915, different regiments of Sikhs had lost 80% of their men, while three regiments stood at only 15% of their original compliment. Ypres, La Bassée, Neuve Chapelle, Festubert, Loos and Givenchy are some of the French battlefields where Sikh soldiers showed their courage in the war. In that war, 9th Bhopal Infantry, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs, 47th Sikhs, 57th Frontier Force, 58th Frontier Force, 59th Frontier Force, 89th
March 2014 Edition
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meeting Samajwadi Party supreme Mulayam Singh Yadav, . These doctors were agitating against the treatment meted
between supporters of SP MLA Irfan Solanki and junior doctors of GSV Medical College, Kanpur, over a petty dispute and subsequent cane-charging by the police. Over two dozen junior doctors were also booked but later released on bail. Though chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has assured to probe the matter, striking junior doctors are demanding the withdrawal of cases against those arrested and action against Kanpur police chief and SP MLA. Allahabad high court had asked the doctors to call off their strike on Tuesday. An indicator of the impact that the ongoing medical strike has had on health services is that around 200 surgical procedures have been cancelled in five days of strike. Touts from private hospitals were seen taking advantage of the situation by guiding patients to their centres in lieu of treatment. City hospitals are flooded with patients. Balrampur Hospital, for example, saw more than 100% bed occupancy on Wednesday. Chief medical officer of Lucknow, Dr SNS Yadav, directed hospital heads to add more beds and accommodate patients.
Punjabis, 107th Pioneers, apart from cavalry, were some of the Sikh infantry regiments. The French government documentary film, “100 Years”, will highlight the sacrifice of legendary subedar Manta Singh, who saved his
English friend Henderson at the cost of own life. Born in Jalandhar district in 1870, Manta Singh of Second Sikh Royal Infantry pushed Henderson into a wheelbarrow in no man’s land under gunfire but was injured
carrying out this selfless rescue. Using rare photographs, film footages, and press clippings, the film will illustrate how the Sikh soldiers won the hearts of the French people and press and struck terror into the hearts of the
German army. The film written and directed by Paris-based Punjabi writer Vijay Singh, a PPS-Nabha alumnus, is sponsored by France Television, the French embassy in India, and Indian Television.
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How lawyers are Helping the Indian Community
wo prominent and highly experienced lawyers of Indian background practising have merged their law firms and will come together to practise under one firm, RRR Lawyers. Mr Prakash Raniga and Mr Angpal Singh have over 50 years of experience as lawyers, practising in Victoria. Being former overseas residents and from an ethnic background, both Prakash and Angpal are only too aware of the difficulties being faced by migrants when they are attempting to establish themselves in Australia. These difficulties may arise due to the differences in laws and processes in Australia compared to the home countries of many migrants. Prakash and Angpal are also sensitive to and understand the cultures of the wide Indian community and are able to handle cases with these issues in mind. Being aware of the cultural complexities, Prakash and Angpal are able to relay this to a Court should it be required. This is especially relevant in Family Law matters where matters are dealt with delicately and cultural aspects understood and respected. RRR Lawyers understands that awareness needs to be created within the community regarding the various types of laws that affect everyday people as well as businesses. In order to assist the community and keep the public informed of legal issues, RRR Lawyers will be conducting various free seminars on topics covering family law, wills and estates and other topics that affect the
community, which will be useful in their everyday lives. Prakash says “The Indian community has been ignored for too long as there were restrictions in terms of professional lawyers from Indian background who were able to communicate in their language and also cater for their interest without significant compromises”. RRR Lawyers is now one of the largest firms catering for the Indian community in Melbourne. The firm enjoys an enviable reputation with proven record for over 20-30 years. The firm is not as large as some of the city based firms and not too small in the mode of sole practitioners operating from home or smaller offices. RRR Lawyers is able to provide affordable legal services and at the same time deals with the issues in an effective and practical way. By way of background, Prakash was born in Fiji of Gujarati parents and completed his schooling in Queensland and completed a double degree in Law and Arts at Melbourne University in 1983. He was admitted into practice as a Barrister and Solicitor to practise in Victoria in 1984 and is also admitted to practise in Fiji. Apart from English, Prakash can speak in Hindi and Gujarati. In 1988 Prakash became a partner of the firm, Rossi Ryan and Raniga operating from East Brunswick. For the last five years, Prakash has been operating under the brand RRR Lawyers from 805 Nicholson Street, Carlton North. Angpal was born in Punjab and migrated to Australia in 1991 after completing his degrees in Sci-
ence and Law in India. Prior to migrating to Australia, Angpal briefly practised with his father who also had a legal practise in Punjab. Angpal was admitted as a Lawyer in 1993 in Victoria after he had undertaken studies at Melbourne University to secure recognition. Since his admission, Angpal has been practicing at the firm Verduci Lawyers in Footscray for the last 20 years. Angpal speaks Punjabi, Hindi and some Urdu. Angpal and Prakash are assisted by a young lawyer, Cecil Fernandes. Cecil was born in Australia but his parents are from Goa India. Cecil has extensive banking experience prior to join-
ing RRR Lawyers. Cecil worked for ANZ bank for approximately 6 years and prior to joining RRR Lawyers, he was in the dispute resolution team. Cecil specialises in commercial business transactions. Both Prakash’s and Angpal’s extensive experience in law has enabled them to establish themselves and carry on their practise for such a substantial amount of time. Both Prakash and Angpal practise in the following areas of law: • Family Law and Intervention Orders • Property law and Conveyancing
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Business Law and Commercial matters • Litigation and Disputes • Wills and Estates • Employment Law • Criminal Law RRR Lawyers operate from North Carlton and also have a branch office in Dandenong. People wanting to know more about the free seminars should contact the office on 9387 2424. With further support of the community RRR Lawyers intend to grow the firm further and establish branch offices in other parts of Victoria namely, the Western suburbs covering Hoppers Crossing/Werribee.
Carlton office : (03) 9387 2424 Dandenong office : (03) 9701 3186 Mobile: 0407 510 853
Conveyancing
Buying and Selling Property
Family Law
Family disputes, divorces, custody
Commercial Litigation
Business Disputes, Debt Recovery, Tax Matters
Commercial Leases Sale and Purchase of Buisness
Employment Law
Job Matters, Problems at Work
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Criminal Matters, Police Matters March 2014 Edition
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First Phone Consultation (20 minutes) We speak your language.
Principal Prakash Raniga
B.A., LL.B. (Melb.)
Memberships Law Institute of Victoria
Law Council of Australia (Family Law Section)
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technology
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Apple accused of moving billions offshore to avoid Australia tax
Photo source: PTI
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The report follows last month’s G20 finance ministers meeting in Sydney that agreed to new measures to crack down on international tax evasion, including the automatic exchange of information between member nations. It came as concern mounts that companies, particularly those involved in the digital and internet sectors, can reduce their tax bills by shifting profits around the world to areas where rates are lowest Ahead of the meeting, IMF chief Christine Lagarde said accounting for revenues from global digitised businesses like Apple and Google was a “big ongoing problem and process”. She urged governments to radically rethink international tax arrangements to deal with it. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is expected to present a report looking at the increasingly digitalised global environment to another G20 meeting in Cairns, in northern Australia, in September.
The ring that can rule all your gadgets
Photo source: PTI
Device knows when brain is overloaded
S tech giant Apple has been accused of shifting nearly Aus$9 billion (US$8.1 billion) in untaxed profits from its Australian operations to Ireland over the past decade. An investigation by the Australian Financial Review obtained 10 years worth of financial accounts for Apple Sales International - an arm of the organisation it called the “secretive” Irish company at the heart of the group’s international tax arrangements. It claimed an estimated Aus$8.9 billion in untaxed profits from Australia had been moved to a tax haven structure in Ireland, paying just 0.7% of its turnover in tax. Last year, Apple reported pretax earnings in Australia of only Aus$88.5 million after sending an estimated Aus$2 billion from its Australian sales to Ireland via Singapore, it reported. Apple in Australia declined to comment to AFP, but it has previously said it has complied with the law and done everything required by the tax office.
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he Boston Globe reports that the technology, in development at Tufts University’s Human-Computer Interaction Lab by computer scientist Robert Jacob and biomedical engineer Sergio Fantini, will enable the headband to read brain activity and enable a computer to determine whether the wearer is bored, fatigued, or sharp. The project has been developed with air traffic controllers in mind due to the rigorous and highly stressful nature of their work. But the possibilities of the brain scanner can be extended to other areas. The researchers and their students also have used the device to generate movie recommendations for wearers, based on how their brains respond to other films. In another experiment, pianists practised on an electronic keyboard while wearing the head-
March 2014 Edition
band. As their brain signals indicated mastery of a melody, a computer added complexity to the songs by playing harmonies. The technique for analysing and acting upon brain activity is called functional near infra-red spectroscopy, or NIRS. A row of small red lights embedded in the headband beams light waves through the skull and onto the prefrontal cortex of the brain. A computer connected to the headband cannot actually read minds but it can gauge the person’s level of mental exertion by measuring the amount of light absorbed by the brain. A tired brain draws more blood than one working easily, and therefore absorbs more light. That tells the computer the wearer may be overwhelmed. As every brain is different baseline testing of each individual is required to determine the point at
which performance begins to suffer. There is also capacity to modify the headband to allow electrical stimulation to improve mental awareness. The developers say the headband causes no pain and is not dangerous. “The level of light we’re sending is comparable to the level of light your brain would be exposed to on a sunny day,” Fantini said. The developers say they have no plans at this stage to bring the product to market but are open to businesses taking the headband further. “We’re basic researchers,” Jacob said. “It would be delightful if these things do filter into the world, but I’d like to believe that’s not our mission. Our mission is to invent new scientific ideas and spread them, and hope they are useful to someone.”
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ust pop this device on your index finger and trace “TV” in the air. You’ve just turned on the television. Now trace out a sentence. Voila - there it is on your smartphone screen. Japanese startup Logbar says the Bluetooth gadget - simply called “Ring” - is ready for mass production after six prototypes helped to reduce its bulk and finetune the gesture recognition technology at its heart. A campaign to cover production costs on crowdfunding website Kickstarter blew past the original $US250,000 ($A280,946) within
Photo source: PTI days. With a month remaining, the campaign has raised $US417,000 from more than 2,500 backers. Australians who pledge at least $US165 plus $US15 for shipping can expect one in the mail as soon as July. In addition to controlling home appliances and writing text messages, the gadget will allow wearers to verify mobile payments with the flick of a finger. Vibrations and an LED light will also notify wearers when, for instance, their phone receives a text, Logbar says.
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ndia is projected to be home to the fourth highest number of billionaires in the world by 2023, according to a report which said wealth creation will accelerate in the country over the next decade. The 2014 Wealth Report, an annual
Photo source: PTI
India to have 4th highest number of billionaires by 2023
global perspective on prime property and wealth by property management firm Knight Frank, projected that the number of billionaires in India will grow by an exponential 98% to 119 in the year 2023 from 60 billionaires last year.
India will rank fourth after US, China and Russia in 2023 and will have more billionaires than the UK, Germany and France, according to the report. “Wealth creation in India, the world’s third-biggest economy, is also expected to accelerate, with the number of Ultra
High Networth Individuals (UHNWIs) forecast to nearly double over the next decade,” the report said. “This reflects the more positive outlook for India’s economy after 2013 was marked by capital outflows and a sharp devaluation of the rupee. This
tough environment for wealth creation and preservation was reflected in the 1% decline in the number of UHNWIs in the country during the year,” it said. The report said the number of centamillionaires (those with $100 million in disposable assets) in India is also projected to grow 99% to 761 in 2023 from 383 last year. The country will further see an increase of 99% in the number of UHNWIs to 3130 in 2023 from 1576 last year. The growth of UHNWIs in China and India, coupled with a whopping 144% increase in Indonesia and 166% hike in Vietnam, will help push the total number of UHNWIs in Asia up by 43% to 58,588 by 2023, overtaking the total number in North America. The number of billionaires in Asia is also forecast to overtake the number in Europe over the next decade. Asian cities are also expected to see the fastest growth in the number of ultra wealthy individuals over the next decade. Mumbai will see the fourth highest rate of growth in its UHNWI population between 2013 and 2023, with this number increasing 126% to 1302 in 2023 from 577 last year. Delhi will closely follow Mumbai and will record the fifth highest growth in its UHNWIs population, which will increase 118% from 147 last year to 321 in the next decade, according to the report. By 2024, Mumbai is also projected to figure in the top 10 global cities, a ranking which it does not currently have, the report said.
Google launches indoor maps in India SC restrain TN govt from
releasing Rajiv killers
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echnology giant Google has launched indoor maps in India that will help users browse through and locate specific locations inside venues like malls and museums. The service, available as part of Google Maps, is already available in countries like the US, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Netherlands. “Using indoor maps, users will find it easy to locate stores, especially in an unfamiliar shopping mall or when they plan a visit to a museum like Salar jung in Hyderabad. “With Indoor Google Maps in India, people can access detailed floor plans for 75 popular indoor venues with a few easy swipes,” Google India Director and Product Manager (Maps)
March 2014 Edition
Suren Ruhela said. The service will be available free to Android and iOS users, he added. Some of the major locations include Ambience Mall in Gurgaon and Select City Walk in Delhi. “To date, we’ve worked with 75 partners across 22 cities in India to bring indoor maps,” he said, adding that the list will be expanded in the coming days. Apart from the metros, indoor maps will cover locations in cities like Bhopal, Coimbatore, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Jaipur, Kochi, Lucknow, Ludhiana and Moradabad. Apart from malls, indoor maps would be available for National Gallery Of Modern Art in Delhi, Salar Jung museum in Hyderabad and Hyderabad International Convention Centre.
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he Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned till March 26 the Centre’s plea on restraining the Tamil Nadu government from releasing all the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The top court deferred the plea as the Centre sought time to bring more facts on record Earlier, the court had restrained the Tamil Nadu government from releasing three of the seven convicts, whose death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment as it agreed to examine if
the state had complied with procedure when it decided to remit their sentence. Admitting a petition by the Centre, a bench led by Chief Justice P Sathasivam had ordered the state government to “maintain status quo prevailing as on date” in respect of convicts Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan until March 6. While issuing notices to the Tamil Nadu government and the three convicts, the bench had turned down Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran’s plea to also stay the state’s decision to free the other four convicts in the case.
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I am as good as any prime ministerial candidate, says Nitish Kumar
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ihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday said he was as good a prime ministerial candidate as others who are being promoted in the country adding that parties, that have already declared candidates for the post, may find they
have lost the plot when the results of the Lok Sabha elections are declared. “What is wrong with me?” Kumar quipped, while talking to the media in Bettiah, 150 km northwest of the state capital, during his Sankalp Yatra in Champaran.
“I think most candidates for the post, in the ring already, may not be as suitable as me. Many never have had parliamentary experience. I have experience of working both at the Centre and in the state. Yes, the only qualification I do not have is of talking big.
I am a doer and do not tom-tom achievements as some do all the time,” he added. Kumar’s change of stand from ruling out his candidature for the PM’s post last year and putting himself firmly back in the ring, seems to have been triggered off by the BJP’s aggressive campaign mantra suggesting that “then why vote for him” and lose a chance to elect Modi at the Centre. A miffed Kumar had himself raised this point at a media conference asking,”If the same pollsters and psephologists say that 63% of Bihar people rate my administration to be good, why would not they vote for me?” He had condemned the BJP’s “negative campaign” over his “non-availability” for the PM’s post too. Kumar, tried to wipe clean the state on the issue on Thursday, saying, “The parties tom-tomming that they are already there (winning the elections) would see how and where they fall.” He said he was sure the Third Front would turn out to be the First Front and all that is in store is a hung Parliament. “I do not see, how could any one party win it. There is no way,” he emphasised. He also answered a question about whether prime ministerial aspirants within the Third Front would play spoilsport and wheth-
er he sees himself as a candidate in a split-mandate scenario. “Yes, there are candidates and candidates. Every person running a state is a candidate. Every nonBJP, non-Congress chief minister has a strategy in place and everybody interprets the political scenario in their own context and variously. Our understanding is, that we all fight singly in our own states to the best of our abilities and post poll, we will unite our strength to strengthen India. That is when, a programme based agenda and the leader would be finalised,” he said. “If the people of Bihar can understand that no outsider can strengthen Bihar and get them the special state status and strengthen the JD(U)’s hands, then anything can happen,” Kumar said. He also trashed poll surveys, which have predicted a huge BJP show, saying, “If that were so, why have the polls. One can just declare the results”. He added: “I can say that all poll surveys will be proved wrong. We have a mass base here. There can be no sweep for any ambitious party for in Bihar, it is work that matters”. He also firmly ruled out the suggestion that should the BJPled NDA win the polls, he may opt to support it, while adding, that the JD(U) would not join the Congress-led grouping either.
Photo source: PTI
Communalism will be major Punjab govt knee deep in corruption, says AAP issue in polls: Congress
C
ongress said communalism will be a principal issue in the Lok Sabha elections, a statement that points to the possibility of a focused attack on BJP and Narendra Modi in the campaign field. A spokesman questioned why Modi had not spoken a word on the Muzaffarnagar riots in Uttar Pradesh and had sent his confidant Amit Shah, jailed on the orders of the Supreme Court, to manage party affairs in the state. “What is the message he has been giving,” Jha said. “Communalism will be a big issue in the polls,” he added.
March 2014 Edition
Congress also dismissed Modi’s chances of becoming prime minister. Taking a swipe at his repeated comments that he had the 56-inch chest to achieve big tasks, Jha said, “India does not need a leader with a 56inch chest but needs one with a heart, who can empathize with people. BJP is overrated, overhyped and over the hill.” Congress said it would go to the polls on the achievements of UPA, exuding confidence that the inclusive growth pursued by the government over ten years would have a strong pull with the electorate.
A
am Aadmi Party (AAP) held a rally at Rupnagar on Wednesday. Former Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer Swaran Singh was the main speaker at the AAP rally. Speaking on the occasion, Swaran Singh said, “The Punjab government is knee deep in corruption and top leaders of the ruling Akali Dal are looting the state with both hands.”IAS also said that the bureaucracy was being pressurised to do illegal works in the state.
Swaran Singh said that Aam Aadmi Party led by party convener Arvind Kejriwal had taken up the task to clean up the system and expressed the hope that the party would succeed in its mission. Party’s Runagar district conveners Bhag Singh Madan, Kamal Kishor Sharma, Gurmukh Singh Laungia, Gurmail Singh Bara also spoke on the occasion. The youth wing and kisan morcha of the party were also formed on the occasion.
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TELEVISION
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Photo source: PTI
Why women’s empowerment is a bad idea on Indian TV
While there is a deluge of TV shows revolving around female protagonists preoccupied with household, husband, family and kitchen politics, a career-oriented and independent Indian woman is hard to find on television soaps that provide daily entertainment staples and are social influencers for millions of women around the country. The portrayal of female protagonists on Hindi general entertainment channels on Indian television, which reaches out to over 130 million households, is sadly regressive, say industry veterans and experts. Veteran actress and former
Censor Board chief Sharmila Tagore, who believes in promoting strong female-oriented parts on the big screen, feels the TV medium needs to step out of its stereotypical portrayal of women. “Content of TV is stereotypical. The shows still revolve around a preference for a son and kitchen dynamics. No women go to work. There is a complete absence of working women on the TV and that is not the case in real life,” Sharmila recently stated. It wasn’t always so. From independence to regression Indian television got one of its first soap opera in Tara that focussed
Zain-Aaliya in a new avatar
March 2014 Edition
CID cops turn into dabbawalas
Photo source: PTI
Z
ain (Harshad Arora) and Aaliya (Preetika Rao) will be seen in a totally different avatar in the upcoming episodes of COLORS Beintehaa. As per the track of the show, Zain’s brother Fahad keeps the papers of Barjat Royale with a don named Raghu as a collatrel for the money he borrowed from him. When Fahad returns the borrowed money, Raghu don refuses to give back the papers and he demands for more Rs. 5 crores
in watching housewife sagas. We love seeing planning and plotting, and the truth remains that we don’t enjoy other’s happiness,” Sabir said. Actress Neha Marda, whose show Doli Armaanon Ki portrays the journey of small-town bride Urmi and her struggle to get love from her workaholic husband, believes TV shows merely “reflect the reality in Indian households”. “People like to come home and connect to stories or tracks that they too have experienced in their lives... Our target audience is women and they connect to the characters we portray on screen,” Marda added. Agrees Madhura Naik, who plays a key role in Tumhari Paakhi, a story of a down-to-earth girl whose positive nature turns away negative situations. “TV is medieval with its approach towards women and that’s mainly because the target audiences of such shows are housewives. I believe that to catch more such eyeballs, it’s necessary that such target audiences can relate to such dramas to get hooked,” she said. Their observations may be right. However, the same audiences had connected with shows like Dard, Shanti and Saans. The big question here is: will the hope of again watching career-driven women, who can set an example for the society via TV, die a silent death?
as interest to release the papers. Zain and Aaliya go to meet the don and try taking the papers back, but they get thrown out of the house. Zain and Aaliya decide to get the papers back by hook or crook and they devise a plan. They decide to go to don’s daughter’s wedding party in disguise. They reach the room where the papers are kept, but will they be successful in getting the papers back or will get caught? Keep watching Beintehaa on Colors.
M
umbai’s dabbawalas recently saw the CID cops, Inspector Abhijeet and Daya, joining them as part of a special episode. Getting into the skin of their fresh avatar, the duo will be seen living the life of dabbawalas. From loading lunch boxes to travelling on cycles and mingling with their new ‘colleagues’, the cops will do it all. Aditya Srivastava, who plays
Photo source: PTI
T
he heroine in our soaps is a martyr. Whether it is abusive husbands, manipulative inlaws, regressive social mores or the demands of a male child -- she takes it all with a smile. Be it Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Sasural Simar Ka, Uttaran, Doli Armaanno Ki, Pavitra Rishta or Gustakh Dil, the stories focus more on how girls forgo their career goals and objectives in an attempt to make everyone happy. Why do our small screens heroines have to do only regressive roles which mostly don’t even find any resonance with the woman of today?
on modern, educated and working women. The long-running soap ended in 1997. In 2000, Tulsi and Parvati entered the scene and changed the depiction of women as homely, who stood up and spoke out for the right, but mostly within the parapets of their house. Of course, there have been recent shows like Desh Ki Beti Nandini, Tumhari Paakhi and Ekk Nayi Pehchaan, which have tried to bring in an element of women’s empowerment. But the results aren’t impressive. In most cases, whenever a few shows tried something different, the result was not positive. The latest case in point is Desh Ki Beti Nandini, a socio-political drama about a girl who becomes a political leader, which is soon to go off air. It reportedly failed to entice the audiences enough. Are audiences to be blamed Who is to be blamed - audiences who are accustomed to emotional family dramas or the show’s makers who find it risky to experiment? Director Waseem Sabir, associated with shows like Ek Veer Ki Ardaas Veera, Maryada: Lekin Kab Tak? and Phir Subah Hogi, believes the TV industry is unable to go beyond a particular zone as housewives dominate the pan-Indian audience that watches the shows. “The audience is more interested
Abhijeet, says, “It was a great experience working with the dabbawalas. They were really confident and shot effortlessly.” Dayanand Shetty aka Daya says, “It was a delightful experience. The dabbawalas are genuinely humble and sincere in their work. Till date, they have never been late in delivering their service. In fact, I feel our government should learn from them how to deliver things on time.”
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Food & Wine
indiantimes
Paneer Sausage pastry rollCapsicum Sabji • • • • •
Ingredients
Leek 1 medium, halved and sliced Carrot 1 medium, peeled and diced Sunflower oil 1 tsp Eating apple 1, peeped, cored and diced Dried mixed herbs a good
• • • • •
pinch High meat-content sausages 400g, skinned Fresh white breadcrumbs 50g Puff pastry 250g Poppy seeds ¼ tsp Salt to taste
Method:
Fry the leek and carrot oil until softened. Add the apple and cook for 2 minutes. Tip into a bowl, add the dried herbs, season and cool. Season to taste. Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. mix the sausage and breadcrumbs with the veg. Roll out the pastry to a 35*30cm rectangle and put on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. From the meat mixture into a long sausage shape and put in the centre of the pastry, leaving 2cm at each end. Cut 1.5cm strips away from the sausage meat along the length of the pastry. Fold in the ends and then alternate strips of the pastry up and over the sausage meat, crossing over each other neatly. Trim the excess pastry and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake for 35 minutes until crisp and golden.
Photo source: PTI
Gastroduodenal damage due to drugs, alcohol and smoking
I
n man, convincing data have been obtained in short-term observations that some drugs can cause acute gastroduodenal damage including gastritis and erosions. Useful clinical and epidemiological studies on the relationship between these acute lesions and peptic ulceration, and between the chronic ingestion of these drugs and peptic ulceration or massive upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage are, however, rare. Even for the most widely used and studied greatest offender-acetylsalicylic acid (ASA)-
March 2014 Edition
-an association with major bleeding or gastric ulceration could only be established for frequent and heavy ASA intake. The percentage of those ASA users who will experience such a serious event each year is about 0.01 to 0.05 per cent. By the use of special (e.g. entericcoated) ASA formulations and other precautions, this low rate may be further reduced. Although for most of the other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), anecdotal reports on putative drug-related major gastric bleeding or peptic
ulceration exist, the ulcerogenicity of these drugs has not yet been conclusively proven in controlled studies. Some of the newer NSAIDs seem at normal dosage to be far less damaging than traditional ASA or indomethacin. Glucocorticoids might enhance ulcer risk to a minor extent when administered at high dosage for prolonged periods to susceptible individuals. Chronic moderate alcohol consumption by itself does not seem to increase the liability to peptic ulceration. With highly concentrated alcoholic beverages, gastric bleeding from
acute lesions may, however, be occasionally precipitated under certain circumstances, such as when unbuffered ASA is taken concomitantly. Smoking of cigarettes is associated, and perhaps causally related, with an increased incidence of gastric and duodenal ulcerations, impaired ulcer healing, and more frequent ulcer recurrences. Duodenal ulcer patients in particular should be advised to stop smoking.
Drugs and peptic ulcer
Drug stomach
damage provides
to the a model
for study of the development of peptic ulcer, gastritis, and duodenitis in man. Aspirin damage is the best understood. Pathophysiologically, aspirin alters the gastric mucosal barrier to hydrogen ions and lowers gastric potential difference. Ultrastructurally, aspirin damage to surface epithelial cells leads to microerosions. Macroscopically, acute hemorrhage and erosions are seen in both the stomach and duodenum by endoscopy after ingestion of a large dose of aspirin. Patients with chronic rheumatic diseases taking aspirin have a 50% incidence of gastric erosions and 20% incidence of gastric ulcer, suggesting an association between erosions and chronic ulcer formation. Acute gastric damage is lessened by neutralizing acid with bicarbonate, reducing acid secretion with cimetidine, or administering aspirin in entericcoated form. Rheumatic patients on enteric-coated aspirin have a significantly lower incidence of gastric ulcer (5%) than those taking regular aspirin. Damage may also be prevented by increasing mucosal resistance; acute damage can be prevented by exogenous prostaglandins, regardless of their effect on acid secretion (cytoprotection). Other commonly used drugs, such as alcohol, acetaminophen, and indomethacin, reported to have paradoxical effects with respect to erosions and peptic ulcer, provide additional information on the development of gastric erosions and ulcers.
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Photo source: PTI
The Golden Temple Amritsar No.1 Temple in the World
The Golden Temple Amritsar India (Sri Harimandir Sahib Amritsar) is not only a central religious place of the Sikhs, but also a symbol of human brotherhood and equality. Everybody, irrespective of cast, creed or race can seek spiritual solace and religious fulfilment without any hindrance. It also represents the distinct identity, glory and heritage of the Sikhs. To pen-down the philosophy, ideology, the inner and outer beauty, as well as the historical legacy of Sri Harimandir Sahib is a momentous task. It is a matter of experience rather than a of description.
Photo source: PTI
History
Under instructions from Guru Amar Das Sahib, this city was founded by Guru Ram Das Sahib in 1574, on the land bought by him for an amount of rupees 700 from the owners of the village Tung. (Earlier Guru Ram Das Sahib had begun building Santokhsar Sarovar, near erstwhile village of Sultanwind in 1564 {according to one source in 1570}. It could not be completed before 1588). In 1574, Guru Ram Das Sahib built his residence and moved to this place. At that time, it was known as Guru-Da-Chakk. (Later, it came to be known as Chakk Ram Das). Guru Ram Das Sahib began excavation of the Amritsar Sarovar (tank) in 1577. It was ready by 1581. This tank was renovated by Guru Arjun Sahib in 1586. Since then this city is known as Amritsar (after the name of the Sarovar). The foundation of the Darbar Sahib had been laid by Guru Arjan Sahib on January 3, 1588. (Later, it was propagated that the foundation stone of Darbar Sahib was laid by Sain Mian Mir, a Muslim holy man. Sain Mian Mir was very friendly with Guru Sahib but the foundation of Darbar Sahib was laid by Guru Sahib himself). In 1590, Guru Arjan Sahib moved to village Wadali where Guru Hargobind Sahib was born on June 19, 1590. By 1601, the Darbar Sahib was fully ready. In 1603-04, the first volume of Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scriptures, was prepared in this city and was installed at Darbar Sahib on August 16, 1604.
Photo source: PTI
Art and Architecture of Harimandir Sahib
According to the official list of buildings of interest, published by the Punjab Government in 1875, the design of the temple, as reconstructed by Ranjit Singh, was borrowed from the shrine of Saint Mian Mir, near Lahore. Louis Rousselet, writing in 1882, regarded it as a “handsome style of architecture”. Major Cole described it as an adaptation of Mohammadan styles, flavoured with a good deal of Hindu tradition. The typical art and architectural features of the Golden Temple can be summed up as multiplicity of chhatris which ornament the parapets, angles at every prominence or projection; the invariable use of fluted domes covered with gilded copper; balconised windows thrown out on carved brackets or bay-windows with shallow elliptical cornices; and enrichment of walls, arches and ceilings by various forms of mural art. To roof the temple with sheets of gilded copper, he donated Rs. 500,000 and the work was executed by Mistri Yar Mohammad Khan, under the supervision of Bhai Sand Singh. The ivory inlay work is to be seen only on the doors of the Darshani Deorhi. The gate is made of shisham wood, the front overlaid with silver, the back inlaid with ivory. The silver-plated front is ornamented only with panels. At the back are square and rectangular panels with geometrical and floral designs, in which are introduced birds, lions, tigers and deer.
Rituals of Golden Temple
Golden Temple has fixed Rituals for a day. The day at Amritsar begins very early in the morning at around three o’clock. This pre dawn time is called Amritvela. The inhabitants of the city indulge in the routine action of bathing and getting ready to pay homage to The Golden Temple also called Darbar Sahib. Devotee Sikhs visit this shrine covering the distance on foot. After reaching Golden Temple they take off their shoes and hand them over to the persons performing service (seva) in the Joda Ghar (place to keep footwear before entering the Gurudwara premises). Then they purchase garlands of flowers or Batashe (a kind of sweet offering in the Temple). Cleaning their feet in a trough of running water they enter the Temple premises.
Photo source: PTI
Langar Hall
Located inside many gurdwaras are common kitchens/canteens known as a langar. At the langar, food is served to all visitors regardless of faith or background. Vegetarian food is often served to ensure that all people, even those with dietary restrictions, can eat together as equals. The largest langar is found at the Golden Temple. It typically feeds roughly 40,000 people a day for free. On religious holidays and weekends, the langar can feed upwards of 100,000 people a day. This incredible feat is made possible through donations and volunteers. Below you will learn about the entire process at the Golden Temple from preparation to cleaning. About 90% of the staff is made up of volunteers (known as sewadars) that can help out for as long as they like. Volunteers can assist with food prep such as peeling garlic or hand rolling roti. Large flour grinders located under the kitchen process up to 12,000 kg of flour a day. Large vats of lentils require 1-2 people to stir. On busy holidays, the kitchen will use their automatic roti machine which can produce 25,000 rotis/hour. Once the food is prepared, it is placed into smaller containers so volunteers can carry around the dining hall and serve
Photo source: PTI
Around Golden Temple
March 2014 Edition
There are several places to be visited around Golden Temple in Amritsar. A visit to the holy shrine of Golden Temple is incomplete without a visit to these places. About Golden Temple provides a list of these places for your help: Guru Hargobind Ji, the sixth Guru, creation of Akal Takht in 1609. The weapons used by Guru Hargobind Ji Maharaj, Guru Gobind Singh and other Sikh heroes are preserved at Akal Takht. Baba Atal is built in memory of Atal Rai Ji. Atal Rai was the son of Guru Hargobind Ji. He died at a very early stage (when he was nine). Shri Guru Ram Das Niwas is a place for accommodation of the visitors. 230 rooms and 19 big halls constructed by the Gurudwara Committee. The facilities of bedding, fans, cots are provided free of cost. The visitors are not allowed to stay for more than three days. Guru Nanak Niwas has 66 rooms including 24 rooms with baths. On every floor there are 12 bathrooms. Akal Takht Rest House has 26 rooms with double beds with attached bathrooms on affordable rent.
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The Sikh Festiva
Banasapat Moulee Ihu Manu Moulia
K
nown for their love for life, Sikhs celebrate Holi in their own style and elan. At Punjab, they call it ‘Hola Mohalla’. They shout, and shout their hearts out following a peculiar tradition. Besides, they also exhibit their martial arts specially ‘kushti’ on this day and make merry with the colours in the evening. Mouthwatering halwas, puris, gujias, a preparation of raw jack fruit and malpuas are of course, an essential part of the festivities. The only difference is that they do not light a bonfire. Holla Mohalla is a Sikh festival celebrated in the month of Phalguna , a day after Holi.An annual festival held at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab, Hola Mohalla was started by the tenth Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh, as a gathering of Sikhs for military exercises and mock battles on the day following the festival of Holi. It reminds the people of valour and defence preparedness, concepts dear to the Tenth Guru who was at that time battling the Mughal empire. On this three-day festival mock battles are held followed by music and poetry competitions. The Nihang Singhs (members of the Sikh army that was founded by Guru Govind Singh) carry on the martial tradition with mock battles and displays of swordsmanship and horse riding. They perform daring feats, such as Gatka (mock encounters), tent pegging, bareback horse-riding and standing erect on two speeding horses. There are also a number of durbars where Sri Guru Granth Sahib is present and kirtan and religious lectures take place. Sporting shining swords, long spears, conical turbans, the Nihangs present a fierce picture as they gallop past on horseback spraying colors on people.On the last day a long procession, led by Panj Pyaras, starts from Takth Keshgarh Sahib, one of the five Sikh religious seats, and passes through various important gurdwaras like Qila Anandgarh, Lohgarh Sahib, Mata Jitoji and terminates at the Takth. For people visiting Anandpur Sahib, langars (voluntary community kitchens) are organized by the local people as a part of sewa (community service). Raw materials like wheat flour, rice, vegetables, milk and sugar is provided by the villagers living nearby. Women volunteer to cook and others take part in cleaning the utensils. Traditional cuisine is served to the pilgrim who eat while sitting in rows on the ground The tenth guru Gobind Singh felt that Holi, had lost its original meaning over the years. It was no longer a celebration to reaffirm fraternity and brotherhood. In 1757 AD he decided to
revive the spirit of Holi and weave its essence into a festival created in the Khalsa traditions. Holla Mohalla is celebrated in the month of Phalguna a day after Holi. Early morning prayers at the gurdwaras mark the beginning of the festival. The Guru Grantha Sahib is brought out with ceremony and placed on the dais. It is given a symbolic bath with milk and water. Akhandapathas, Kar seva, Shabads and Kirtans are performed The Karah Prasad is distributed to the congregation, after it has been consecrated by the guru. At noon, men and women from all castes and creed eat together at the guru ka langar. Stories are narrated about the bravery of Guru Govind Singh in prose and verse. Tribute is also accorded to Guru Har Gobind, who led his army to free 52 captive kings from the Gwalior jail in 1612 AD. Colorful processions are organized on Holla Mohalla. Sikhs, especially the Nihangs, dressed in their traditional martial costumes, display their skills in archery, sword fencing, horse riding and shooting. Battles are enacted and ancient cannons fired to focus on the training required for war. Holla Mohalla is an occasion for the Sikhs to reaffirm their commitment to the Khalsa Panth Celebration of Holla Mohalla Holla Mohalla is celebrated to reaffirm fraternity and brotherhood and reminding people of “valour and defence preparedness”, concepts very dear to the Tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh ji. Colorful processions are organized on the occassion of Holla Mohalla, particularly in Anandpur Sahib and Muktsar(both in Indian Punjab). Sikhs, especially the Nihangs, dressed in their traditional martial costumes form part of the pageant. Mock battles are also held followed by music,poetry and other competitions. The Nihang Singhs (members of the Sikh army founded by Guru Govind Singh) portray their skills with mock battles and displays of swordsmanship and horse riding. The Nihang Singhs also perform daring feats, such as Gatka (mock encounters), tent pegging, bareback horseriding and standing erect on two speeding horses. Recently, the Indian Goverment had accorded Holla Mohalla the status of a “ National Festival”.
als: Holla Mohalla
e Charriaa Basant, aa Satguru Sang
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4b Bollywood
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M
adhuri Dixit-Nene has done some heavyduty stunts in her forthcoming Gulaab Gang. The actress plays the protagonist Rajjo, who heads a group of women fighting for their rights in Hindi heartland.
The film, produced by Anubhav Sinha along with associate producer Mushtaq Shiekh, has been directed by Soumik Sen. And, not just Madhuri, even her co-stars Divya Jagdale, Priyanka Bose and Tannishtha Chatterjee performed high-
octane action without taking help from stuntmen or body doubles. Says Madhuri, “I had undergone training in Taekwondo, so it became a little easy for me to do action. But none of us used body doubles; we performed the stunts on our own.”
opening up for Hindi cinema. Earlier, desi films found favour in markets like USA, UK, Canada, UAE and Malaysia. However, in recent times, markets like Australia, New Zealand, Germany, South Africa and several others have also woken up to our cin-
ema. Distributor Girish Johar says, “The overseas market is very lucrative. It is known that Mumbai and Delhi-Uttar Pradesh contributed maximum to the box office of a Hindi film. Now, we can see that in the case of some films like
Picture source: lightscamerabollywood
Picture source: lightscamerabollywood
Madhuri does heavy-duty action
Ranveer Singh turns down 30 cr offer
A
fter two back-to-back hits, Ranveer Singh has become one of Bollywood’s most wanted actors. But surprisingly he hasn’t signed a film after Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do which rolls in May. This film too was accepted by him much before the release of Goliyon Ka Raasleela Ram Leela. After his recovery from a bad attack of dengue, Ranveer has kept busy with shoots and promotions. He is currently racing through a pile of scripts in the hope of finding something interesting, before he leaves for Delhi on March 7 for a
month-long second schedule of an upcoming film. Meanwhile, buzz is that a really tempting offer came his way recently when Eros International approached him with a twofilm, Rs 30-crore deal. Ranveer was reportedly told that he could pick a set-up of his choice including the script, cast, director and even a calendar of dates. But, seems the actor turned down the offer because he did not want to take up a project blindly. When contacted, the Eros spokesperson said, “This is absolutely untrue. Eros has made no such offer to Ranveer.”
Picture source: lightscamerabollywood
SRK more popular abroad than even Tom Cruise
B
ollywood has been flying abroad successfully for two decades. It is wellknown that Shah Rukh Khan is more popular in some foreign regions than even Tom Cruise. What is new, though, is the fact that, newer foreign markets are
March 2014 Edition
3 Idiots, Ram-Leela and Dhoom 3, America is the third largest contributor to the box office of a Hindi film.” A trade source says Dhoom 3’s collection from the US is bigger than the entire domestic box office collections of films like Shud-
dh Desi Romance and Kai Po Che. Also, earlier, films of Yash Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani and Karan Johar found favour overseas. But now even Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rohit Shetty and Ayan Mukerji have found takers across our borders.
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March 2014 Edition
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astrology
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indiantimes
Monthly Astrology - MARCH 2014 Aries – Mesha
Your earnings will improve and you will have gains from various sources. You may be benefited by receiving a windfall quite unexpectedly. You will form new friendships and will become very popular in your friends’ circle. Some of your ambitions may be realised and you may have new acquisitions that will add to your comfort.
Taurus – Vrushabha
You will be very fortunate and will receive special favours from the authorities. You will be successful in all your endeavours and rise to a powerful and lucrative position. Some of your cherished desires will be fulfilled and you may have new acquisitions. Your family-life will be happy with comfortable surroundings and socially you will gain more popularity. Your relationships with relatives and friends will become more cordial. You will be a centre of attraction in social gatherings.
Gemini – Mithuna
You will have success in your endeavors and may have gains from various sources. You may have good gains from a new venture and also from prudent investments. Some of your ambitions will be realized and you may secure a lucrative promotion that offers liberal perquisites as well.
In academic pursuits also you would gain distinction. You will be fortunate in respect of romantic liaisons.
Cancer – Kataka You will have all round success and prosperity in all areas of life. You will gain favours from your superiors and have betterment in career; your earnings will increase and you will have gains from various other sources. A distant journey may prove to be fruitful. Your family-life will be peaceful and comfortable with all it’s members very cordially disposed to one another and remaining in the pink of their health. Time is favourable for forming new relationships, improve the existing ones and also for socializing. Your name and fame will be widespread and popularity will also increase considerably.
Leo – Simha
You may have certain differences with your friends or associates for which you may have to offer explanations. With your spouse or romantic partner also you may have some minor differences for which you might feel irritated. In professional sphere, you will do well and make good progress. You may have gains from trading activities. You may be able to secure a big contract and may have a journey to a distant
place.
Virgo – Kanya
You will be fortunate in respect of romantic liaisons You will form new relationships and make new deals. Journeys to distant places and contacts/ collaborations with foreigners will be fruitful. You will be moving in high circles and become more influential. You will have new acquisitions and precious adornments which will increase your satisfaction. You will have a pleasant time to enjoy the luxury and comforts of life. You will receive favours from your superiors and secure betterment in career.
Libra – Tula
You should take proper care of your health as you will be prone to suffer from minor ailments. Your enemies could ferment some trouble and try to tarnish your image. You should remain alert, avoid all temptations and overcome irritations. You must avoid all conflicts and disputes; being diplomatic and tactful you should handle the situations. The period is not propitious for gaining favours at workplace. In family-life too you should try to avoid disputes and quarrels by retaining your cool.
Scorpio – Vruschika
You may have to face many problems in your home-front and in respect of property-matters. Health problems of the family members may also cause you some concern. There might be loss of property and you may have forced change of residence. You may become tense, worried and pessimistic during this time. Dealing in land, buildings, building construction materials and agricultural implements could fetch you good returns.
Sagittarius – Dhanu
You will have a pleasant time to enjoy the luxury and comforts of life. You may have some costly acquisitions which will increase your satisfaction and raise your social status. All your efforts during the period will bear fruit and contribute to your progress. You will receive favours from your superiors and secure betterment in career. Your family-life will be joyous and comfortable with all it’s members becoming very loving and caring. There could be a happy celebration in the family.
Capricorn – Makara
You will form new relationships. You may have pleasant short-trips and excursions. Your interest in art such as music and dance will increase and you may acquire an object of art or a music system. Your family-life will be joyful
Readers please note that the below predictions are given according to North Indian tradition of Hindu Vedic Astrological methods, using your Lagna as the base. and happy. In professional sphere the goings-on will be smooth and progressing. You may receive favours from a person of aristocratic background. Your earnings will increase as you may have gains from newer avenues as well. Aquarius – Kumbha
You will get an attractive youthful appearance and you will be endowed with an inquisitive intellect. You will be studious, intelligent, quick and restless. You will be fond of writing much and will have many journeys. Socially you will be very popular and enjoy your time merrily. You should try to concentrate more and engage yourself in some creative endeavours which will bring in success and honour for you.
Pisces - Meena
You will be happy and cheerful. You will have many opportunities and will receive favours from superiors. Your career- prospect and your financial position will also be considerably improved. You will have a pleasant and enjoyable time in company of the people of opposite sex. You will socialize more and form new friendships with joyous people. Your family-life will be happy and enjoyable. If you wish to know the difference between Eastern & Western Astrology you are invited to visit http://jyotisha.00it.com/Difference. htm
Monthly Predictions for March 2014 By Lakshman Abeykoon - Noble Park, VIC 3174 - Phone (03) 9548 1613 - http://jyotisha.00it.com
Know That You Have It In You
D
on’t allow contempt to touch your soul. Have we not all experienced it -- being treated with contempt by others? Remarks like: “seeing you, anyone will think they can walk all over you” or “for the last 20 years your life has been like a roller coaster ride” or “all these stories I have been
March 2014 Edition
hearing about you”. We could go on ad infinitum with such remarks and the contempt we have experienced from others. As we grow in maturity and are clearer about the meaning and purpose of our lives, we realise that more likely the positive statements we have heard others make of us, like” “You
have an enormous capacity to give of yourself”; “you have a big heart”; you always reach out to others”; these are more likely closer to the truth. We are uplifted by appreciation and have to learn to not react to put downs by not letting them touch our souls. It may not be easy, but instead of absorbing
negative comments and feeling bitter and resentful about them, we can pick up the kernel of truth that some of these remarks may contain, to self correct and not entertain them in our minds. I have found that those who hold others in contempt do so out of a sense of frustration and their own inadequacy. They consequently think they have the right to be judgemental and join the moral brigade that punishes others. In fact, it creates even greater rifts and divides people. It leads to disharmony because often such statements are accompanied by self-justification and denigration of others. Appreciation heals divisions, it builds bridges, and adds to our strengths; it helps us with self-affirmation, it brings positive forces into play and it also gives us the “feel good” feeling (nothing wrong with that when it does not end with self adulation). So what if we are not invited to parties; so what if we are not counted among the rich and famous; so what if we are ignored; so what if we are treated with hostility; and so what if we are not given the credit due to us? Once we realise that it does not really matter, we will continue to do good wherever we can and
whenever we can. We will learn to become servants of God, who is both loving and merciful and makes the rain to fall and the sun to shine on both good and bad. The trouble starts when we begin to feel that those who humiliate others have the right to be judgmental. We can observe others and merely observe them, not judge them finally. This is not to speak about the laws and institutions that govern our behaviour and which we must adhere to if we are to be good citizens, but the daily treadmill of our lives, in which we walk, talk with and encounter others. Contempt for anybody- the less privileged, the vulnerable, people of other faiths, women, those who live independently, the differently abled, the mentally challenged- these could percolate down to different strata of society. When we challenge those who treat us with contempt, all we are saying is: “I am my own person, with my own weaknesses and strengths, just like you. I will not accept any put downs because they demean both you and me”. Those who show contempt for others may never stop. But to challenge it is something we can do. Go ahead then and do just that.
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Alia Bhatt sports an Indian fusion look in 2 States
First she played a glam girl in Student of The Year, then donned the casual look in Highway and now in 2 States Alia Bhatt says she will sport the Indian fusion look. ”My clothes
in the film has been designed by Manish Malhotra, so I didn’t have to think about it. Manish gets Indian fusion look so well,” Alia told reporters at 2 States trailer launch.
6
“The film moves to different cities, it has different looks, so we have played a lot with the look. Her look is simple yet modern,” she added. Alia is playing a Tamil girl in 2
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States, a big screen adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s bestseller of the same name. Directed by Abhishek Varman, it features Arjun Kapoor as the male lead. When asked whether her
character will be compared to Deepika Padukone’s in Chennai Express, she said: “It’s not the same at all. She is a modern girl and she speaks in Tamil only with her parents.”
When someone thinks bad and bold, they think of me: Sherlyn Chopra
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herlyn Chopra is gearing up for her next film down South, which will be directed by Malayalam filmmaker Shajiyem. Titled ‘Bad Girl’, the film’s muhurat will be held on March 8 (Women’s Day), while shooting will commence only in May. “I play the protagonist, a supermodel. The film is loosely based on Monica Bellucci’s Malena (2000), which is one of my most favourite international films. I’m really glad that the makers have zeroed in on me,” she says. Ask her how she landed up in a South film and she says, “The film’s makers said that language is
never is a barrier. They felt it was apt for someone like me to play the ‘bad girl’. In fact, I’d say when someone thinks bad, bold and vulnerable, they’re compelled to think of me.” The film has two principal male characters and, according to Sherlyn, the story is about whether she chooses one of them or settles for someone completely new. Quiz her if she was a bad girl when she was younger and she says, “I wish I were, but I was an introvert. Over the years, I’ve learnt to express myself without any fear or inhibition.”
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Total Siyappa Director: E. Niwas Producer Neeraj Pandey, Shital Bhatia Cast: Ali Zafar, Yaami Gautam, Anupam Kher (Asha’s Father), Kirron Kher
T
Picture source: lightscamerabollywood
otal Siyapaa is an upcoming Bollywood romantic comedy movie which is scheduled to release on 7th March, 2014. Total Siyapaa is directed by E. Nivas, produced and written by Neeraj Pandey, writer of much-acclaimed films A Wednesday and Special 26 under the banner of Reliance Big Entertainment. Due to expected strong competition from Gulab Gang and Queen releasing in 1,100 theaters, Total Siyappa will be released with a screen count of 1,600. Total Siyapaa stars Ali Zafar as Aman and Yaami Gautam as Asha, in leading roles and Anupam Kher, Kirron Kher, Sarah Khan, Vishwa Mohan Badola and Anuj Pandit in supoorting roles. Total Siyapaa is a story of a Pakistani boy named Aman (Ali Zafar), who lives in London, dreams to marry Asha (Yami Gautam), an Indian girl, also in London. He visits Asha parents’ house to seek their permission to marry her. However, Aman’s plans to impress Asha’s family start failing when they discover that he is a Pakistani. Total Siyapaa is about a series of unfortunate events that befall a good-hearted but hapless Pakistani boy while visiting his girlfriend’s parents, leading to some of the funniest, chaotic and outrageous situations.
Deepika Padukone pockets Rs. 6 crore for endorsement deal
D
e e p i k a Padukone’s purple patch seems to be ongoing. After her good run at the boxoffice — Deepika has four back-to-back big grossers to her credit — it seems she is now raking it in with endorsement deals. The actor, already the face of multiple brands, has now apparently signed what might be the biggest deal of her career. For a leading cola brand, sources tell us, Deepika has been signed on as
The secret to a green garden is right above us
a brand ambassador for more than one year, and is being paid a hefty sum, estimated to be around Rs. 6 crore. An industry insider reveals, “The brand has been very selective in choosing its ambassadors. Among Bollywood heroines, they had Aishwarya Rai Bachchan around eight years ago. At the time, she had a successful run in her acting career. After a long gap, they have now signed Deepika.�
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March 2014 Edition
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I’d love to cast Vidya in my film: Farhan Akhtar
good experience working with her,” says the actor, who made his foray into acting with Rock On!! (2008), adding, “Vidya is a very talented actor, and I would love to cast her when I make a film in future.” Akhtar has won all major awards for his performance last year in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Does he feel flattered? “It was certainly overwhelming, but what’s more encouraging is what comes after that... the praise, love and adulation from everybody around,” he says.
Why these Bollywood stars are saying no to politics
E
ven as the Lok Sabha elections are nearing and political parties are trying to rope in Bollywood glamour to lure voters, not all stars are game for it. A bevy of top Bollywood stars
March 2014 Edition
have recently come on record to make it loud and clear for once and all that they won’t be part of the Great Indian Political Tamasha, rumours notwithstanding. For instance, Aamir Khan,
otherwise known for his social activism, has once again made it clear that he won’t be associated with politics. “People enter politics because they want to serve the country and serve the people.
There are many other ways of doing it,” he said. Our Nayak actor, Anil Kapoor, has also slammed news of him contesting the elections. Then, there’s Madhuri Dixit-Nene
Picture source: lightscamerabollywood
F
ilmmaker-turned-actor Farhan Akhtar is so impressed with co-star Vidya Balan’s acting skills that he now wants to cast her in one of his future projects. “Vidya is such a natural actor. I feel fortunate to have worked with her,” says the 40-year-old actor, who shared space with her in their recent film, Shaadi Ke Side Effects. “When I heard that I have been paired with her, I thought that I will really have to work hard to match her level, and subsequently it was a very
who doesn’t even want to share her political views. She says, “Polling is secret ...let my views also remain a secret.” In the past, actors Govinda and Amitabh Bachchan called it quits after joining the bandwagon.
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I feel scared of female attention: Siddhar th Malhotra
S
Picture source: lightscamerabollywood
idharth Malhotra has been a favourite among fans — especially girls — since his debut film Student Of The Year (2012) released. Recently, the actor was left stunned when a female TV reporter walked into his residence in Delhi without any intimation. “She walked in and told my mom that she wanted to interview her. My mom was taken aback as she was clueless about what was going on,” says Sidharth. He admits that he has been getting “a lot of female attention”. He adds, “And it’s very flattering. I’ve had girls coming up (to my houses in Delhi and Mumbai). In fact, there’s someone who keeps coming to my Delhi house, and my family doesn’t know how to handle her.” But Sidharth admits that such attention can also get “scary” at times. He reveals, “I had a bunch of girls coming to my home in Mumbai and my maid opened the door. But I stayed in my room and was looking through the peephole because I didn’t know them. It feels good (to be admired), but with all the cases and laws now coming up, you also feel scared of it (female attention),” says Sidharth.
Manoj, Tabu reunite after 14 years
Picture source: lightscamerabollywood
F
March 2014 Edition
ourteen years after Ghaath and Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar, Manoj Bajpayee and Tabu will reunite on screen in Vikram Malhotra and Neeraj Pandey’s first joint production which rolls in Mauritius soon. “It’s a psychological thriller,” says Manoj. Are they paired romantically? He says “For that you’ll have to watch the film. It is a story of relationships revolving around Annu Kapoor, Tabu and me.” The film will be directed by debutant Manoj Abhyankar. Manoj points out that he’s worked with many first time directors, including Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra in his first film Aks which was also a psychological thriller. “Although the director is new, the script is fabulous. I had done Special Chabbis with Neeraj and we share a great rapport. I’m waiting for him to direct me again. Meanwhile, I’m working on Saat Uchakkey which he is producing. I play this good-for-nothing bloke in Chandni Chowk who is desperate for money and to get married. It’s directed by another debutant, Sanjeev Sharma.” Then there’s Tigmanshu Dhulia’s multistarrer Yaara but Manoj is tightlipped about the project: “The dates, the finance, the cast is yet to be finalised. All I can say is that I’m committed to a project with Tishu who is an old friend from my theatre days.” When asked about Sanjay Gupta’s upcoming crime drama Mumbai Saga where he reportedly plays a character modelled on gangster Arun Gawli Manoj retorts, “As of now I haven’t signed Mumbai Saga. Gupta is a friend but I don’t have excessive expectations from friends.” Touche!
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Eventograph photographs from latest B-Town Events
Nargis Fakhri on YouTube FanFest 2014
Rajeev Khandelwal at Queen Special Screening
Kangana Ranaut at Queen Special Screening
Varun Dhawan on YouTube FanFest 2014
March 2014 Edition
Urvashi Rautela at Queen Special Screening
Huma Qureshi at Queen Special Screening
Bhushan Kumar at Bhoothnath Returns Trailer Launch
Amitabh Bachchan at Bhoothnath Returns Trailer Launch
Sonam Kapoor at Bewakoofiyaan Press Conference
Nitesh Tiwari at Bhoothnath Returns Trailer Launch
Mahi Sheikh at Dee Saturday Night Premiere
Ayushmann Khurrana at Bewakoofiyaan Press Conference
Usha Jadhav at Bhoothnath Returns Trailer Launch
Bobby Darling at Dee Saturday Night Premiere
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Eventograph photographs from latest B-Town Events
Manisha Pritam at Gang of Ghosts Music Launch
Meera Chopra and Vijay Verma at Gang of Ghosts Music Launch
Shashi Ranjan and Anushka Ranjan at Love Story Again Auditions
Rahul Rawail at Love Story Again Auditions
Anupam Kher at Gang of Ghosts Music Launch
Ali Fazal and Yami Gautam at Love Story Again Auditions
Mahi Gill at Gang of Ghosts Music Launch
Manmeet at Baby Doll Song Promotion
Kanika Kapoor at Baby Doll Song Promotion
Harmeet Baby Doll Song Promotion
Juhi Chawla at Gulaab Gang Film Promotion
Madhuri Dixit at Gulaab Gang Film Promotion
Jaaved Jaaferi at Gulaab Gang Film Promotion
March 2014 Edition
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bollywood music Queen
Music Review :
Amit Trivedi begins well with the folksy ‘London thumakda’ (Labh Janjua-Sonu KakkadNeha Kakkad), which is nicely orchestrated and spiritedly sung. Labh dominates, singing the amusing lyrics of Anvita Dutt with complete abandon as the words liken the heroine with London’s Big Ben, with which the city resonates! Amit’s drawl-like singing lifts the quaintly-worded ‘Badra bahaar’ along with the wonderful strings. The prelude with trumpets (or similar) is simply wonderful. The lyrics (Anvita Dutt) are neat. Shefali’s distinctive nasal intonation sets the tone for the beat-heavy ‘Gujariyav’, and is the mainstay of this catchy hook-based number. Nikhil D’Souza tries hard to catch up with his flat vocals. Arijit Singh nowadays gets a good song in whatever soundtrack he sings on, and ‘Tanke jhaanke’, a simple old-world Western number, is likable even if not in the memorable category. ‘ Jugni’ also rendered by Amit Trivedi, is also a pleasant number but not something of which memories are made. The rock-based presentation and a tune at odds with the mood of the words pull down this average song. ‘Harjaiyan’ (Nandini Srikar) has a typical contemporary orchestration with an attempt at fusion. Nandini invests good energy into what could have been a routine number. Lifting it way above its basic level, she turns the track into something that lingers - at least for a while. Mohan Kanan’s ‘Kinare’ is as humdrum as they come, the
tune and sound is incongruous to the lyrics, where the word ‘kinare’ is forcibly made into a hook. Mohan’s diction could be better too. The instrumentation tends to be a bit noisy in its fusion quotient. Rupesh Kumar Ram’s ‘Ran-
jha’ explores familiar terrain and is a poignant recitation without conventional percussion. Its strength is Rupesh’s razorsharp diction and the haunting melody. The downside? The heavy Punjabi vocals, a negative force in so many recent
“A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.”
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Aishwariya Rai’s photo taken by Guruswamy at Taj Palace New Delhi, 1994
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songs! Once again, we reiterate that lyrics are meant to connect, and they cannot do so unless they are understood. Overall: This is a passable and pleas-
ant album by Amit Trivedi. Here is a man who is slowly but surely learning the ropes of what it means to be a film composer. The time is not far when his music might propel the fortunes of his films - we hope!
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Hindi courses in Australian university
s the number of people wiling to study Hindi and Sanskrit outside India, several universities in Australia are offering courses in Hindi, a national language of India. On the other hand, several scholars have taken lessons from Indian universities such as Varanasi to be able to educate students of their country. The Australian National University (ANU) teaches Hindi via virtual classrooms where students are able to practice pronunciation, chanting, etc. Approximately 30 students are studying Hindi in comparison to 15 students studying Hindi at the university last year. Around one-third of the students hail from South-Asian countries such as Sri Lanka and India. Many Australian universities, such as the University of Sydney, are offering courses in Sanskrit as well. The degree is of three years’ duration and every year a student does some units in Sanskrit. The degree is a bachelor’s with a major in Sanskrit. According to a source, the students are more interested in Sanskrit because of their interest in yoga, Indian philosophy, dance or even heritage. Universities are also teaching some modules on India as part of broader courses such as India-China-Tibet cultural rela-
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A
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tions, Indian philosophy, introductory Asian studies and Bollywood/
Indian films, which always find a number of takers.
The Australian government has also started offering Hindi as an
optional subject in the high school syllabus.
Australia cautions India over processed food exports
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ustralia has said exports of processed food from India have violated its norms. This comes barely six months after Russia lifted a ban on the import of rice and peanut from India. An advisory issued and circulated by Australia’s department of agriculture, through the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda), said Indian exporters of processed food, especially milk products, hadn’t been following the relevant imports regulation into Australia. It added it had detected cases violating such regulations. For April-November 2013-14, India’s food exports to Australia fell 17 per cent in value terms (from Rs 556 crore to Rs 458 crore) and 12 per cent in volume (from 57,877 tonnes to 51,077 tonnes), compared to the year-ago period, according to data from
Apeda. During April-November 2012, India exported 460 tonnes of dairy products to Australia; during the corresponding period last year, this fell to 327 tonnes. One key reason for export rejections by Australia was its new food labelling policy. In 2011, the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council and the Council of Australian Governments commissioned an independent review of the Food Labelling Law and Policy. The review made 61 recommendations covering a wide range of issues. “Australia has upgraded its import norms for food products and, therefore, most rejections are on account of issues such as packaging,” said P C Sunish, partner, Arul Appalam Depot, a processed food exporter to Australia
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The number 1 place to live in the world’s number 1 city! MelbourneONE by Central Equity Grand Opening – 8th to 16th March
M
MEDIA RELEASE
ulti-award winning deve l o p e r, Central Equity is launching MelbourneONE, a new residential tower in Lonsdale St, Melbourne. To celebrate, Central Equity will host a special Grand Opening event from March 8 to 16 that will include free gourmet food, live music, barista fresh coffee and instant prizes! The event is entirely free and will be hosted on site at 618 Lonsdale Street. Located between King and Spencer Streets and rising 47 levels above Lonsdale St, MelbourneONE offers stylish CBD living with easy access to the best the city has to offer, including key employment, education, sports and entertainment hubs. A striking, modern glass exterior is respectfully integrated into the existing ground-level heritage façade, which will open to a variety of retail outlets crowned by the apartment complex. Apartments feature spacious living areas with double-glazed floor-toceiling windows that open to a balcony or terrace and provide abundant light and air, as well as cityscape vistas. Resident comfort is paramount and all apartments incorporate
acoustic engineering, double-glazed windows and concealed reverse cycle air conditioning. Exclusive resident facilities include an indoor heated pool, gymnasium and 24-hour concierge services. Intelligent design and sustainability are a priority and the building’s 7-star energy rating outperforms the industry standard and will help to minimize energy consumption.1 A selection of the state’s leading universities, colleges and secondary schools is a short walk or tram ride away. These include Melbourne Uni, RMIT, Victoria and La Trobe (city campus) universities, the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne Boys Grammar, Mac Robertson’s Girls High School and Wesley Grammar. The arts and theatre precincts are nearby and the local area is home to some of the city’s finest shopping, restaurants, cafes and bars. Residents can walk to Queen Vic market and Flagstaff Gardens are just nearby. Central Equity brings more than 25 years of design and development experience to MelbourneONE. The
company has developed over 70 inner-city projects and has won several major industry awards for its residential towers. MelbourneONE is proving very popular with buyers looking for all the lifestyle benefits
and convenience that central city living has to offer. Apartments are still available in a variety of one, two and three bedroom, or penthouse options, some including a study. Prices start at $399,000 for a one-bedroom apartment.
1
As measured by the Nationwide Energy Rating Scheme. The current BCA requirement is a minimum of 6 stars.
For further information, call Central Equity on 1800 445 520 or go to www.melbourneone.com.au.
Total Siyapaa’s realistic, not melodramatic
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March 2014 Edition
irector Eshvar Niwas returns to the big screen with the Ali Zafar and Yaami Gautam starrer ‘Total Siyapaa’. “It is about two second generation British citizens, who hail from Pakistan and India, respectively. However, it is a realistic film, as there is no melodrama like there was in ‘Gadar — Ek Prem Katha’ or even ‘Veer-Zaara’. Instead, it is a take on what happens when a Pakistani Muslim boy goes to meet his Indian Hindu girlfriend’s parents for the first time,” says Niwas. “When I first got a call from Neeraj Pandey, I was excited as I respect his work. He offered to have me direct ‘Total Siyapaa’, I really took to the script. While the film highlights cross cultural issues and deals with a heavy subject, the story itself is light and breezy. It is about all the siyapaa or chaos that takes place one evening, when the boy goes to meet the girl’s parents,” explains the director, adding, “We set the story in a neutral location like London. We also came across people who could relate to the story there.” Of his lead pair, he says, “Ali fit the bill perfectly, as he is from Pakistan. It was nice to work with someone as dedicated as him. Yaami was on board before I joined the project. She’s lived her character too.” Ask the director, who has had a love marriage, if there was any siyapaa when he met his wife Priyanka’s parents for the first time and he says, “It was rather smooth sailing. But they were apprehensive that I was from the film industry. I’m glad it all worked out fine as I’ve two lovely children.”
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‘I briefed Sunny Leone on how to emote’
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y brief was to create something eerie but not gory. That was the challenge. It meant not just playing on a physical level but more on a psychological one,” says Krishnakant Mishra, the chief visual effects supervisor on Ragini MMS 2. Ask him if he had any reference points for the visuals and he insists that he consciously stayed away from watching any horror films for the two months he was working on the film. “Before coming on board, my team presented the concept artwork and worked on 3D images. They were instantly approved as the visuals were true to the film’s script and its subject,” Mishra points out. He confesses that after I’d read Bhushan Patel’s (the film’s director) script, he had to sleep with the lights on. “And later, although I stayed clear of all horror flicks, subconsciously I had the atmospherics of the Daniel Radcliffe-starrer The Woman in Black in mind,” he reveals. And what about Sunny Leone’s ghostly avatar-a look which has been a closely-guarded secret of the makers? “All I can say is that she hasn’t been made to look scary in a repulsive way. She’s eerie and creepy. I briefed her on how to emote and that helped me during the VFX process,” he maintains.
What was the coordination between the director, producer and the VFX specialist? “I kept Bhushan in loop throughout. At times, we made several changes - as many as 10 over a particular shot - till the desired result was achieved,” he admits. Ekta Kapoor didn’t have any specific instructions for him. “She was only curious to see the
end product,” he says. One of the challenge was to get the actors to express, emote and react in a perfect rhythm as they shot a lot of scenes against a green screen. “We can mechanically create synthetic expressions but they are no match to the authentic ones,” Mishra admits. The team was also very clear that they were not making a
nauseatingly gory film. The idea was to create fear on a mental level. “We see so many zombie films which are full of blood and gore. And after a point, people stop getting scared as the fear gets a distinct face. We didn’t want to go in that zone with Ragini MMS 2 and so we’ve kept the treatment minimalistic,” says Mishra.
He had almost 40 artistes from FutureWorks working on the project. And apart from the dramatic visuals, the team also worked on creating the right sounds. “Right from the heavy breathing to controlled shrieking, the process was closely monitored. On last count, I can say we worked on about 900 shots,” he signs off.
Bollywood is a difficult place: Kangana Ranaut T
his is not something that a leading female actor in Bollywood will admit to easily, but Kangana Ranaut confesses that the film industry does make actors insecure. “It’s natural to be insecure in an industry where hundreds of beautiful, young girls walk in every day. It’s a difficult place,” says Kangana. The 26-year-old adds that it is therefore important to reinvent oneself. “I want to grow and learn as much as I can. I don’t want to limit myself,” says Kangana, who enrolled for a screenplay writing course in New York, but gave it up midway to promote her upcoming film. “I don’t want to be known for just being a pretty little thing. I want to be loved and remembered even when I have grey hair,” she says, explaining why she took up the course. And while achievements make her happy, failures don’t affect her for long. “Failures do affect at that time, but it’s not destiny. It’s a weekend thing that you deal with. In your mind you know where you are headed,” she says.
March 2014 Edition
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Govt gives NSF status to Hockey India I
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n what could finally end the controversy over control of hockey in the country, the sports ministry has made Hockey India (HI) the sole body responsible for the promotion of the sport. “After a careful and detailed examination of the documents on record and keeping in view all the relevant factors, government of India, ministry of youth affairs and sports has reached the conclusion that ‘Hockey India’ may be given recognition as the National Sports Federation for governing the sport of hockey (both men and women) in India,” sports ministry said in a letter to HI secretary Narinder Batra. The ministry’s letter, written on February 28, was released by HI on Monday. “It’s a moment of ecstasy for Hockey India today as we have finally been assigned the responsibility of promoting hockey in India. Government of India through sports ministry recognized Hockey India as the sole body responsible towards promotion of sport in the national and international arenas,” HI said in a release on Monday. The development is a body blow to the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) which has been fighting legal battles against HI over the control of the sport in the country.
Singh Sabha Sports Club Seeking Hockey Players Hockey is great fun for all ages. We are going to make teams for children and adults alike - come along and give it a try Established in 1994, Singh Sabha Sports Club (SSSC) is one of the oldest and proudest Indian sporting clubs in Australia. SSSC has contributed enormously towards helping the Punjabi community to better integrate into Australian sport and culture while still maintaining traditional and cultural values. SSSC is a benchmark and inspiration for many of the Indian community based associations in Australia. The community spirit has always been at the forefront at the club, as many illustrious players were of Sikh, Hindu and Muslim backgrounds.
WHY COME TO SSSC? * Players of all age and levels of experience are welcome * Variety of competitive and social grade teams * We are a Premier League Mens & Women’s Club – with pathways to develop and play in the best competition in Melbourne * Quality coaching and free training sessions * Increase fitness and learn new skills * Family oriented club * Social Club and events through out the year * Learn something different, meet new people and have fun!
All you need to do is simply turn up and have a go March 2014 Edition
For more information: Contact: Raj - Mob:0470 397 474 Email: raj28april@gmail.com
or
ajit.singhsabha@gmail.com Web: www.singhsabhasportsclub.com.au
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Kohli holds his own amid ruins
T
he gloom in the India camp would only have worsened after Pakistan squeezed through to the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka. Shoulders drooped and heads bowed, India players had walked away after the defeat against Pakistan on Sunday. Only Kohli had the presence of mind to
applaud the crowd that had supported the side generously. The team did not train before the Sri Lanka and Pakistan games and the defeats served as a harsh reminder. On Tuesday, it was only an optional session, but every member turned up at the academy ground ahead of the match against Afghanistan on
Wednesday. After a game of football, every player worked on his expertise in the nets. Kohli observed them from a distance. He then asked fielding coach, Trevor Penney, to give him throw-downs, but only briefly. He had other important issues to address. A quick discussion with Varun Aaron, who
had a nightmarish game against Bangladesh, was for starters. That done, he pulled up a chair and sat outside the team’s tent. Dinesh Karthik sat next to him. Kohli spoke animatedly in an intense discussion for close to an hour. Ravindra Jadeja and Shikhar Dhawan came, stood and went.
Karthik’s cheeky shots against Sri Lanka and Pakistan cost the side crucial runs. And his missed stumpings in the two matches drilled the nails in India’s Asia Cup coffin. That Karthik needs to get his game in order was clear. While Kohli put his point across, he gave Karthik opportunities to explain. Though India’s chances of progressing have gone, Kohli has continued to impress -- the under-pressure century against Bangladesh and the thoughtful and energetic captaincy. Kohli’s celebrations have toned down. Frustrations are less pronounced. Attempts to keep the team together, be it after an onfield collision or after a missed run out, have been evident. The shuffling of the field and bowling has remained in sync. It was the basics that the team faltered in - fielding, death bowling and holding ground in the middle of an innings. The captain can only explain and keep the morale high. “He’s been learning a lot from Dhoni bhai as you can see in his captaincy. He’s been very proactive and did a fantastic job against Pakistan,” Ambati Rayudu explained. India, though out, would hope to make a statement in their final game against Afghanistan. It will be another test of Kohli’s leadership.
Messi does not need World Cup for greatness: Maradona
March 2014 Edition
Photo source: PTI
L
ionel Messi does not need a World Cup winners’ medal to be considered among soccer’s all-time greats, fellow Argentine Diego Maradona said on Tuesday. “Messi doesn’t need to win the World Cup to be the best player in the world,” Maradona, who inspired Argentina to the title in Mexico in 1986, told La Nacion. “(If he did) it would be great for Argentina, the fans and Lio, but (winning) a World Cup or not won’t take away any of his achievements up to now to be among the greatest.” Twice World Cup winners Argentina face Romania in a friendly in Bucharest on Wednesday as they begin to crank up their preparations for this year’s finals in Brazil. Former captain and coach Maradona said everything appeared in place for Messi to shine although Argentina’s task would be tough with hosts Brazil, title holders Spain and Germany among the sides to beat. Maradona said Messi had had a great World Cup in South Africa in 2010 despite not scoring any goals. The Argentina team coached by Maradona lost 4-0 to Germany in the quarterfinals. “Messi had an exceptional World Cup with me... and no-one said so. (Was it) because he didn’t score? He turned all the goalkeepers into stars,” he said. Maradona said he could not forget Messi’s sobs when Argentina were eliminated. “I approached him and told him he’d have many World Cups to get revenge. I said it with all my heart. While the rest were thinking about our return (home) he was there, head bowed, crying.” Argentina are in Group F with Bosnia, Iran and Nigeria at the finals starting on June 12. “There’s Spain, Germany and there’s Brazil with a tremendous defence. You think of Brazil’s defence and six or seven names come to mind, you think of their attack and there’s only Neymar,” Maradona said. “For Lio it will be a test of character, to bring out all that crying he has in his heart. Brazil can be his great revenge,” added Maradona, who will commentate on the tournament for a Venezuelan television programme.
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Panchakarma & Detox Dr. C.R.S. Kumar Panchakarma and its importance Ayurveda, the science of life or science of longitivity, views human health or body as intimately connected with the environment and with the “panchamahabutas” (Forces of nature). Most of the diseases occur at any stage due to imbalance in these eco-human connections. Ayurveda is one among the oldest scientific medical systems in the world with wealth of clinical knowledge and experience, is structured and formulated to treat or cure the imbalances successfully. Ayurveda accepts the common origin for the cosmos and human body. In the process of creation, Ayurveda believes there were two kinds of substances, which are non material and material. Non material substances are “trigunas” (Satva, Rajo and Tamo gunas), whereas, materialistic substances are Panchamahabutas (Prithvi, ap, thejo, vaju and akasa), earth, water, fire, air and eather. Fire is one among the five panchanmahabuts, which also place major role in the transformation of human body and also in the day to day chemical, physiological and physical activities of human life.
Ayurvedic Treatments Ayurvedic treatment is also called as Chikista in Sanskrit, has been divided in to so many types, Acharya Vaghbhta divided in to two major types followed by 6 subtypes. Which includes Langana (Reduction), Svedana (Sudation), Rookshana (drying), Brihana (Tonification), Snenhana (Oleation) and Sthambhana (Astringent). Acharya Charaka, divided the Ayurvedic Treatment as two major types as, Samana (palliation) and Sodhana (Purification or elimination) Palliation type of treatment mainly involves reduction of aggravated or vitiated doshas (Bio- Humors), this kind of practice, which mainly include taking some supplements or Ayurvedic Medicines is widely used currently. This only gives partial relief to the symptoms. Whereas, treatment which starts with the (Panchakarma) purification or by elimination methods will treats the condition to its roots. So that reoccurrence will be very minimal or sometimes do not recur. Importance of AGNI (Fire)In both kinds of treatment the important factor is “AGNI”. According to ayurvedic medicine, it is the only one we are treating for. In most of the disease the root cause will be simple indigestion, which turns creating toxins in the body also denot-
ed as “AMA”. These toxins will get absorbed by the system (RASA) and accumulated in target organ (DHATHU) and cause disease (ROGA). It is very important to keep the digestive tract free of toxins, by improving AGNI. Keeping healthy digestive tract is only possible through the proper elimination methods (regular Panchakarma). Panchakaram can be done both for preventive and curative purpose. Panchakarma -Types The most confusing point for most of the people is where to start? What to expect? What exactly this will do for us? So many. In order to answer the questions step by step manner, it is important to know what is Panchakarma involves, how many days it takes, what are types and their benefits. Panchakarma is combination of five different therapies. 1. Vamana (Medicated Vomiting) 2. Virechana (Medicated purgation) 3 Anuvasna Vasti ( Medicated oil enema) 4 Niruha vasti (Medicated Herbal decoction Enema) 5 Nasya (Nasal medication). Panchakarma – benefits In order to explain the benefits of Panchakarma, it is very important to know what the Bio humors (Three dhoshas). Three dhosha, Vata, Pitta and kapha are the Bio humors which balance creates health and imbalance results dis-
Beauty benefits of buttermilk
ease. What is Bio – Humors? All activities in the universe as well as human are grouped in to three main basic functions, viz. creation, organization and destruction. These functions are represented in universe by three energies, i.e. moon or rain or principle of cohesion, sun or principle of thermo genesis and wind or principle of propulsion. Ether and air (Akasha and Vayu) combine to form Vata dosha, which is responsible for controlling destruction – Vasti (medicated enema is more suitable Panchakarma type) Pitta is formed by the element of fire and small amount of water. This is also called as thermogenic principle, which is responsible for digestion and metabolism – As the seat of pitta is liver (middle part of body), so the virechana Karma (Downwards elimination is more suitable) Water and Earth combine to form biological water humor or kapha, which is responsible for new growth, strength, protection of all organs and maintaining the creation - As the seat of Kapha is the chest (upper part of the body), so the vamana (Upward elimination) is more suitable procedure. Ayurveda teaches that the balance of three subtle energies,
known as Vata, Pitta and Kapha, maintains health. Kapha is responsible for strength and immunity. It also provides the basic substratum to all the tissues of the body. Biological fire humor or Pitta is responsible for digestion and metabolism and biological air humor or vata is responsible for all the movementsgross and subtle in the body. In order to balance these subtle energies, it is first important to identify the dosha which is in imbalanced, and then accordingly select the Panchakarma therapy to treat the condition from roots. You may ask your personal query to Dr Kumar via Email drkumar@jeevahealth. com.au or by phone 0402 282 745/ 03 9440 5091 or 02 6156 0618 regarding any of your health problems. You will be offered authentic Ayurvedic information and an opinion, as to what best can be done pertaining to your ailment.
AYURVEDA Melbourne CBD, Surrey Hills & Canberra
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Live life...Naturally
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ext time when your mother hands over a glass of buttermilk to you and you sneak out to secretly pour it down the balcony, remember, buttermilk is one of the best natural products and provides various benefits to the skin. Interested already? But the best part is that you need not drink it to reap all these benefits. External use of buttermilk works wonders as well. Besides being a natural pro-biotic, buttermilk is rich in lactic acid that is found in many expensive beauty products and is one of the best facial peels that doctors choose for softening, brightening and exfoliating skin. Because of it’s highly acidic and astringent nature, it treats age spots, freckles and even tightens skin. In fact, legend has it that Cleopatra, the ancient
March 2014 Edition
Queen of the Nile whose beauty was said to be astounding, bathed regularly in buttermilk. It was she who popularized the buttermilk treatment, which is followed by women in various countries till date. You can mix powdered buttermilk with honey and egg, and massage your body with this mixture. It will not only rid you off the stubborn sun tan, but will also give your skin a radiant glow. You can also apply pure ! buttermilk on your face, leave it on and wash off before going to bed. You can also use a butttermilk hair mask. Blend one banana, two tablespoons of honey, one avocado and one cup of buttermilk. Apply the mixture as a mask and leave it on for 45 minutes before washing it off. This is the easiest way to get shiny and healthy mane.
Specialized treatments available for: • Arthritis • Psoriasis • Erectile Dysfunction • Premature ejaculation • Impotency • Depression • Anxiety • Knee pain • Back pain/sciatica • UTI • PMS • Pregnancy care • Weight loss • Paralysis • Haemorrhoids • Fistula-In-Ano • & various ailments
Dr. Kumar CRS BAMS (Gold Medallist), MPH(Deakin), MHP(Deakin). Principal Ayurvedic Physician and Panchakarma Specialist Jeeva Health
Other Services:
Homeopathy Consultations Remedial Massage
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High-fat diet during pregnancy may cause lifelong obesity in kids
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he offspring of obese mothers consuming a high-fat diet during pregnancy are at a higher risk for lifelong obesity and related metabolic disorders, than children of thin mothers, a new study has found. Conducted in mice, the study by researchers at Yale School of Medicine and the University of Cologne, showed that the offspring of mothers who consumed a high-fat diet during lactation had abnormal neuronal circuits in the hypothalamus - a key brain region that regulates metabolism. “Our study suggests that expecting mothers can have major impact on the long-term metabolic health of their children by properly controlling nutrition during this critical developmental period of the offspring,” study’s co-lead author Tamas Horvath, the Jean and David W. Wallace Professor of Biomedical Research and chair of comparative medicine at Yale School of Medicine, said. Horvath and his collaborators at the Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research and at the University of Cologne developed a mouse model of metabolic programming.
They found that mouse mothers fed a high-fat diet during breastfeeding had offspring with abnormal neuronal connections
in the hypothalamus, as well as altered insulin signaling in this brain circuit. As a result, the offspring re-
mained overweight and had abnormalities in glucose metabolism throughout life. Horvath and his colleagues said the study
helps identify the key point in pregnancy when maternal nutrition has the most impact on an offspring’s metabolic health.
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Share your worries, stay stress free
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new research shows that sharing your anxiety with people who may
March 2014 Edition
be feeling the same way, can be an effective coping mechanism to deal with stress.
For the study, published jointly out of the University of California Santa Barbara and the
University of Leuven, Belgium, a group of 52 female students were paired and asked to give
a speech while being video recorded. Before their speech, the students were encouraged to discuss how they felt about the task. Researchers measured their levels of the stress-related hormone, cortisol, before, during and after the speeches. The researchers then created an index of each pair’s emotional similarity as well as how the participants perceived the speech task to be, and found that: “...sharing a threatening situation with a person who is in a similar emotional state, in terms of her overall emotional profile, buffers individuals from experiencing the heightened levels of stress that typically accompany threat.” However, performance-related stage fright or stress isn’t always bad. Another study published last spring found that shaky hands, a pounding heart, and sweaty palms can actually help improve both physical and mental performance. It’s just a matter of reinterpreting these responses as natural and helpful reactions. “The body is marshalling resources, pumping more blood to our major muscle groups and delivering more oxygen to our brains,” said Jeremy Jamieson of the University of Rochester.
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very low carbohydrate diet, seen as a sure shot way to shed weight, may not be good for your mental health, warn researchers. An Australian study published in prestigious medical journal, Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal of America Medical Association, shows that compared to low fat diets the very low carbohydrate diets can cause depression, anxiety and mood swings in the patients. The study says that very low carbohydrate diet takes away all the joys of weight loss. The researchers from University of South Australia and Flinders and University Adelaide, Australia, studied about 106 overweight and obese individuals who were either given a low carbohydrate or a low fat diet for about a year. The people were allowed to consume only 1433-1672 kcal. The researchers observed the changes in body weight, psychological mood and well being. It was observed that both diets achieved a similar reduction in body weight of approximately 14 kg. Compared with the low carb diet, the low fat diet had greater improvements in psychological mood state. Both diets had similar effects on cognitive functioning (working memory and speed of processing information). “These findings suggest that
although dietary macronutrient composition may have little influence on long-term weight loss, some aspects of the low carb diet may have detrimental effects on mood that may negate any positive mood effects following weight loss,” the researchers wrote. Renowned clinical nutritionist and Director of health food chain in Delhi, Whole Foods, Ishi Kosla says carbohydrates are important for brain and taking them out of food completely can cause depression. “Lot of neurotransmitters are carbohydrate dependant and taking carbs out of food can not only cause depression but also manifest in things like lack of stamina. Brain requires a minimum of 100 gm of carbs daily and some crash diets like atkins and others reduce carbs to less than 30 to 40 grams per day which has bad impact on the brain,” she said. Even the psychiatrists agree. “We see a lot of such cases were eliminating or giving less carbs than what the body requires is causing severe reaction in people and the reactions manifest more in the physical functions like in chronic fatigue syndrome, mixed anxiety, restlessness, palpitations and panic attacks,” said Dr Jitendra Nagpal, Delhi based clinical Psychiatrist. “Carbs are fuel of the body
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Low carb diet may land you in depression A
and eliminating them can effect the emotion regulating centers of the brain. It is wrong on part of dieticians or weight loss management experts to even suggest taking carbohydrates out of the diet,” he added. There however are some for
whom the study warrants more study. A number of factors have to be considered. In context of diabetes management low carbohydrates have been seen to have positive impact on disease management but the new study needs to
be further evaluated as if the patients gets depressed not only will it affect diet control but taking medicines as well,” said Dr Anoop Misra, HoD, department of diabetes and metabolism at Fortis Hospitals Noida and Delhi.
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March 2014 Edition
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Ways to fight tooth cavities
een eating too many sweets or is the winter making you indulge into chocolates and candies? Watch out for tooth cavities, mostly caused by sweet foods and beverages. Here’s how to fight the cavities. Brush more often: The most simple and important way to keep the germs at bay is by brushing. Brush carefully, preferably twice a day. Cover both the sides and move your hand in top-to-bottom fashion, so that all your teeth are covered. Brushing should last for atleast 10 minutes. Use a mouthwash: Use a mouthwash with anti-bacterial properties that will help limit the colonisation of bacteria in the mouth. Since salt acts as a disinfectant, you can even rinse your mouth with salt water
once a day or few times a week. This will keep your gums healthy. Drink water: After eating anything sweet, always drink water. “Drinking water can be as effective as flossing. The water helps to get in between the teeth, which stops sugar from doing as much damage as it can,” says aesthetic dentist, Dr Karishma Jaradi. Add calcium to your diet: Eat calciumrich foods that will help re-miniralise your teeth and prevent cavity formation. Believe it or not, according to some researchers, having cheese can help fight cavity and even prevent it. According to research, calcium levels in the mouth increase after eating cheese and as a result, it may help re-mineralise your teeth.
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