Sulabh Swachh Bharat - Vol 1 Issue 21 January, 2017 by Sulabh International Social Service Organisation

Vol-1 | Issue-2 | 1 January, 2017

Delhi No. F. 2 (S-45) Press/ 2016

EMPOWERING THE NATION

PHOTO FEATURE

sHaH at sulabH

Amit Shah launches Sulabh Swachh Bharat

INTERVIEW

POOnaMben MadaM

Swachh Bharat is every Indian’s responsibility

clean railways clean india The Indian Railways, which has made Dr Bindeshwar Pathak the brand ambassador for its Swachh Rail Mission, is looking at diverse and creative ways for achieving its target

Invita Price ` tion

5/-

sulabhswachhbharat.com

QUARTZ

GOssiP JunctiOn

Jennifer Aniston nostalgic about the yesteryears

Snapshot It was Mahatma Gandhi who almost a century ago raised the issue of clean trains The Indian Railways has extended Modi’s Swachh Bharat Mission to Swachh Rail Mission The target is to have 1,000 trains with on board house keeping and bio-toilets

Prasann Pranjal

CENTURY ago the idea of sanitation was advocated by ‘cleanliness crusader’ Mahatma Gandhi. One of his letters, about the conditions in third class railway compartment read: “The service of these filthy and dirty train coaches must be discontinued because it is a threat to physical and moral well being of the people.” He also wrote at length on measures to clean these up. But to our disappointment, railways have remained, by and large, in the same conditions even after a century. Think of train travel and pictures of utterly dirty platforms, littered railway tracks, walls splashed with spitting of paan-gutkha and tobacco, dirty rail compartments with peanut shells, wrappers of chips, biscuits lying here and there and stinking toilets pop up in your mind. It was almost impossible to visualise a spick and span railways.

chAnging PicTure But of late, clean railway stations like Gandhi Dham, Surat and Nasik are incredibly replacing that repulsive image. And all this is happening under the ‘Swachh Rail Mission.’ Indian Railways has gone a step ahead of the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ initiated by Illustration: Dinesh Patel

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...Continued from Page 1

PM Modi by launching Swachh Rail Mission. It is doing a commendable job in this direction. Union Minister of Railways, Suresh Prabhu is determined to fulfill Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a clean railways. Under the mission, 35,000 bio-toilets have been installed (till March 2016) and 30,000 more will be installed by the end of this year. All 45,000 coaches will get bio-toilets by 2019. Dustbins have been kept in every compartment under ‘Clean My Coach’ service. Along with that, cleanliness at railway platforms and beautification of railway stations are also on the agenda. Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, social reformer, educationist and founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, has been designated as brand ambassador of ‘Swachh Rail Mission’ to attain the goal of ‘Swachh Rail, Swachh Bharat’. Along with the declaration, he was also felicitated by Prabhu. His organisation has a long experience in the field of sanitation, therefore it can contribute hugely to a clean railways in achieving the desirable results.

TrAck recorD Indian Railways has benefitted from Dr. Pathak’s efforts even before he was chosen brand ambassador. A week dedicated to sanitation in railways was observed under ‘Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat’ mission, in which stations were cleaned and programmes were organised to raise awareness about sanitation habits. The mission was initiated at New Delhi Railway station and five other railway stations, including Gorakhpur, Old Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Gwalior. The Ministry of Railways keeps organising various sanitation drives to move closer towards achieving their cleanliness goals. It observed ‘Swachh Saptah’ from 17 to 26 September. Previously, it had organised ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’ or ‘cleanliness fortnight; and ran a themebased cleanliness drive from December 2015 to March 2016 in order to spread awareness in offices, hospitals and factories. Sardar Patel United Clean India Drive was organised from 11 to 31 October in the year 2015. People were encouraged to

INDIAN RAILWAYS AT A GLANCE

Ministry of railways keeps organising various sanitation drives

23 million people travel everyday 13,000 trains run everyday 3,300 long distance express trains More than 8,000 Railway Stations 75 A1 Category Railway Stations 332 A Category Railway Stations 594 Model Railway Stations 637Modern Stations Constructed 1252 Ideal Stations across India Modern stations started in 2006 and implemented in 2009

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Cleanest Railway Stations in india 1. Beas (Punjab) 2. Gandhidham (Gujarat) 3. Vasco-da-Gama (Goa) 4. Jamnagar (Gujarat) 5. Kumbakonam (Tamil Nadu) 6. Surat (Gujarat) 7. Nasik Road (Maharashtra) 8. Rajkot (Gujarat) 9. Salem (Tamil Nadu) 10. Ankaleshwar (Gujarat)

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RAILWAY CLEANLINESS PROJECTS

cover Story

inTervieW Dr BinDeShWAr PAThAk

35,000

bio-toilets installed in trains, 30,000 yet to be installed

Dustbins in over 5,000 passenger coaches

On-board housekeeping in

1,000 trains 3,00,000 bed rolls are used every day

1,831 trains to have ‘Clean My Coach’ service

give their opinion during ‘Railyatri Upbhokta Pakhwada’, a fortnightly programme for consumers.

BuDgeTing cleAnlineSS Railway minister Suresh Prabhu announced Swachh Rail in the rail budget 2016-17. He specially mentioned that clean rail is extremely important to achieve the prospect of clean India. He, in this budget, laid a lot of emphasis on clean stations, dustbins in the coaches and installation of advanced quality toilets in the trains. He also said that portable toilets would be installed at a few platforms in order to meet the requirements of ladies, senior citizens and differently-abled people. Major railway stations will be equipped with waste segregation and recycling centres. Awareness campaign will also be conducted among people living near railway stations and colonies. Advance technology vacuum bio toilet has been inducted in Dibrugadh Rajdhani. Seventy-four trains have been put into the category of onboard housekeeping service and additional 400 are in the pipeline. The target is 1,000 trains with onboard housekeeping service under this scheme. Even general coaches are proposed to have vacuum bio toilets, dustbins, water level indicators. Five thousand General Coaches already have these facilities and more will be included in this category. Customer feedback and third party surveys are other schemes to keep the

Dr Bindeshwar Pathak with Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu (second from right) at a ceremony in Rail Bhawan

“Gandagi failaenge to ‘Prabhu Ji’ dekh lenge” Prasann Pranjal speaks exclusively to DR BINDESHWAR PATHAK, social reformer and brand ambassador of ‘Swachh Rail Mission’ and founder of Sulabh International How do you see this responsibility? It is huge. Brand ambassador is similar to an envoy. It makes you realise the severity of the responsibility. We will do our best in achieving the Swachh Bharat dream of Prime Minister. We will carry out the responsibilities Railway Minister has entrusted upon us. We will create a cleanliness model, which will inspire the world. The stations will be so clean that people would think twice before littering. They should think, “Gandagi failayenge to ‘Prabhu Ji’ dekh lenge”(He puns Prabhu to mean both God and railways minister Suresh Prabhu). How challenging it would be to clean the railways? Railways is the lifeline of the country. We have more than eight thousand railway stations across the country. It’s certainly a big challenge to clean and maintain that cleanliness. But we accept this challenge with an open heart. Our team of 50,000 devoted volunteers will do this work whole heartedly. How will you clean the stations? With our volunteers, we will also need the help of local residents in cleaning the railway stations. Our plan is to clean the stations and surroundings with 300-400 school children, local residents and our volunteers with the help of the station master. We want children’s participation to motivate them towards cleanliness while inspiring other people. The

children will get certificates for their participation that will help them in the future. When will the cleanliness campaign start? We have already started the campaign with cleaning railway stations. During the Rail Week this September, we were given the responsibility of cleaning five railway stations - Old Delhi, Gwalior, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Gorakhpur, and we are working on them. Now that we are responsible for such a large number of stations, we will work on them in multiple phases, targeting to finish in six months. What is the role of technology in this drive by Sulabh? With the importance of technology in mind, we developed Two-Pit- Pour-Flush toilets five decades ago. We will also consider better techniques for cleaning railway lines. We are working on new techniques for cleanliness. According to you, how much does the mindset of people matter? We can only sustain hygiene and sanitation if people follow it. People need to change their mindset. Cleaning our surroundings is as important as cleaning our own house. We are trying our best to improve the public mindset on such topics. We are working to develop a culture of cleanliness and we are positive that we will achieve the ‘Swachh Bharat, Sundar Bharat’ dream very soon.

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Beautiful Railway Stations abroad

1. Grand Central Terminal, New York, USA 2. Liege-Guillemins, Belgium 3. St. Pancras International, UK 4. Dunedin Station, New Zealand 5. Milano Centrale, Italy

6. Haydarpasa Terminal, Istanbul

7. Atocha Station, Spain 8. Kuala Lumpur Station, Malaysia 9. Luz Station, Brazil 10. Caminho De Ferro De Mocambique, Mozambique

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Profile

Dr BinDeShWAr PAThAk

The MAven of cleAnlineSS

He is also a pioneer in social reform of great moment, liberating thousands of manual scavengers and lighting up the lives of Vrindvan widows

he railway ministry chose social reformer and Padma Bhushan recipient Dr Bindeshwar Pathak to become the brand ambassador for their cleanliness programme because of the exceptional work he has done in the field of cleanliness. He established Sulabh International Social Service Organisation in 1970. Today, Sulabh is working in 26 states, four union territories and 534 districts and it has 1,687 branches across the country. Dr Pathak invented the ecofriendly and economically affordable Two-Pit- Pour-Flush toilet. It made the impossible job of extending toilets in every household easier. Sulabh has constructed personal toilets in more than 1.5 million rural households. Another 54 million toilets have been constructed on the lines of Sulabh’s technology so far. More than 8,500 community Sulabh toilets have been constructed across the country. With the remarkable efforts of Dr Pathak and Sulabh International, now over 15 million people use Sulabh toilets every day. Six hundred forty villages have been declared scavenging free and the scavengers

h ave been re-established in mainstreams society. Bringing revolutionary changes in society, Dr Pathak has been felicitated with many national and global awards. The government of India awarded him Padma Bhushan, the country’s third highest civilian award, way back in 2003. He was also awarded with ‘Indra Gandhi Priyadarshani Puraskar’ for promoting national unity, integration and brotherhood, ‘Energy Globe Award’, ‘The Dubai International Award’, ‘Stockhome Water Prize’ in 2009 and ‘The Legend of Planet Award’ by French senate in 2013. The New York City mayor declared 14 April 2016 as ‘Dr Bindeshwar Pathak day’ to appreciate his contributions to the society. Working as a social reformer since 1968, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak has over five decades of experience in the field. He will most certainly make the dream of ‘Swachh Rail – Swachh Bharat’ a reality. Sulabh International is taking care of the widows of Vrindavan, Varanasi and some in Uttarakhad, bringing some joy back to their otherwise gloomy lives.

Dr Pathak invented the economically affordable TwoPit- Pour-flush toilet

sanitation level at par among various railway stations. A separate department of ‘Environment and Housekeeping Management’ has been rolled out. Several other measures have been on this front and the results are gradually showing up.

on DeMAnD Clean My Coach Service has been initiated this year primarily in 1,831 trains. You can make a request onboard for cleaning the coach and toilets simply by sending SMS to 58888 or logging on to www.cleanmycoach.com. One can download an app on android phones and send the request. No separate charges will be levied for this service.

Creativity has been at the forefront to transforming railway stations. Various NGOs have been transforming the paan-stained walls with graffiti. This idea is having a dual effect. These street art pieces not only add to the beauty of the stations but also spread awareness among people on different social issues. Sawai Madhopur is the best example of this experiment. The walls of the station have been beautified by painting pictures of wildlife conservation. And soon, Hazaribagh, Udaipur and Bikaner stations, along with Borivali and Khar stations on the Mumbai city train service will be dazzling with illustrated walls.

1 JANUARY, 2017

nGo

ngo rObin HOOd arMY

roBinhooD fooD!

Like the legendary messiah of the underdogs, this group of volunteers ‘take from the rich’ all the food they waste and feed the hungry, destitute millions Puneet Dubey

N a rapidly developing country like India, it’s hard to imagine around twenty crore of its population going to sleep hungry every night. The country is crippled under this large scale starvation but ideas to tackle it seem scarce. Millions of people go hungry for days, leading to malnutrition and poor health, which becomes a burden on the economy. Among all this, there is one organisation that just may have found a part of the answer. It is the ‘Robin Hood’ way, perhaps the key to resolve food capitalism around the world. A voluntary organisation, Robin Hood Army, (RHA) is a group of people that serves food to the poor and hungry. Named after the heroic outlaw of history, RHA is modelled on the ReFood International, a social service organisation in Portugal. Both their works are similar to the legend of Robinhood, “Take from the rich, give to the poor”. Calling themselves ‘Robins’, the RHA volunteers roam across the city at night to collect leftover or unsold food from hotels, restaurants, food-chains and events like marriages, parties, etc., to distribute it among the needy. They usually feed the homeless, slum dwellers and roadside squatters.

Self-SuSTAineD Cofounders of the Robin Hood Amy, Neel Ghoshe and Anand Sinha explain their vision is to “create self-sustained chapters to look after their local community”. Ghoshe believes, in the process it will inspire people around to help those who need it most. Majority of the volunteers in the organisation are young professionals. These local chapters of the organisation are run by friends and families who hope to make a difference. RHA is the least bureaucratic and has virtually no ‘managers’. While they do enroll every volunteer, they also urge public participation in the good work without any association,

Happy faces, both, of the poor and hungry & the volunteers

rhA is

now working in Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries rnourish Unde ed e Th WorlD

794.6 mn inDiA 194.6 mn chinA 133.8 mn PAkiSTAn 41.4 mn

BAnglADeSh 24.9 mn Source: UN

neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh, actively serving the hungry in their most affected cities of Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi (Pakistan) and Dhaka (Bangladesh). And, of course, there is Delhi, RHA’s base.

inSPiring

be it by an individual, group or community. Contributors join the organisation by active volunteer work or by becoming a food source. These volunteers coordinate with other members in the area and work collectively. They together move around and talk to local restaurants, hotels and event halls, requesting them to donate the leftover food to be distribute among the poor. There are many hotel and restaurant owners who have willingly joined the RHA themselves and donated food regularly. Surprisingly, and pleasantly, there are also some who especially prepare food for donation. Started as a Boy Scout kind of organisation, the ‘army’ is everexpanding. It has members in

A mere idea at first, Robin Hood Army is an inspiration for society. Positive media coverage and social media boost became the key to their rise. Within months, the group of six people that hit the roads of Delhi to feed the hungry, turned into a chain of 200 volunteers spread across eight cities. Despite them filling millions of hungry stomachs within cities, many more still sleep hungry at night. India has some 20 crore undernourished people. Over 800 million people sleep hungry around the world, despite the fact that a third of the total prepared food is never consumed. The richer 10 per cent accounts for 31 per cent consumption expenses; the economically lower 10 per cent of the population only contributes to 3.6 per cent. RHA is working to close that gap. To join or donate food, register on robinhoodarmy.com

06 Feature Story

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reliving rAilWAyS Prasann Pranjal

For the first time in its history, the Indian Railways asked its staffers for ideas on reforms. The result is a staggering 1.25 lakh ideas

Snapshot The PM had initiated the Rail Vikas Shivir, asking for ideas on reformation The employes from all levels handed over about 1.25 lakh such ideas on their own These ideas include everything, from wifi to railways’ own television channel at stations

MAGINE you are getting late for the train, going on a family trip and you feel relaxed as you receive a message saying, train is delayed by an hour. On your way, your wife suggests you to hire a porter as soon as you get to the station. That will help put the luggage into the train faster. So, you take out your phone and book a porter on your mobile immediately. At the station you start watching the railway news channel on the platform and your kids change the channel to watch cartoons. And finally when you board the train, there are CCTV cameras in the coaches, along with many other facilities you might need during the journey. Now, listening to all this you might figure we are talking about train systems in some foreign countries like Japan or US. But that is where you get it wrong. Because we are not talking about any of those, instead we are talking about the Indian Railways. Huh!, you say? Well, these services are not yet available in the train coaches. However, they are in the innovative ideas’ room and may soon find their way into reality. These are just some of those ideas that will surely amaze you. The Indian Railways, usually associated with stink, bribery, chaos and delays, have received around 1.25 lakh more such ideas which are going to change its face soon. Moreover, this excellent idea itself is not copied from anywhere in the world. Nor did any railway specialist suggest these; rather these are the ideas that rail employees have recommended to their ministry. From the lowest level in the chain-of- command to the higher zonal managers, everyone has suggested these innovative ideas. The ideas were discussed in the ‘Rail Vikas Shivir’ with the Prime Minister on November 18 to 20. It was all under the Prime Minister’s idea itself, ‘Idea Box’.

iDeA BoX The Prime Minister has been trying to reinvent the railways ever since he came to power. But there is a still lot to do in the sector, despite the Prime Minister and Rail Minister’s collective efforts. In the light of these events, the Railway Minister Suresh

Feature Story

1 JANUARY, 2017

Recent Factsheet 8 themes focused upon, discussed over 1,400 ideas 3X infrastructure expansion Acknowledged 3 teams for their innovative ideas South-Central, Kolkata Metro and North-East Frontier railways were awarded for their ideas

Discussion Over Expand infrastructure 3X Minimise the fund allotment Increase railway revenue Facilitate travel

Simply Amazing! 13,00,000 railway employees 1,25,000 ideas

Modernize railway

Ideas submitted by rail

Adopting technology Promote porters Receive zero fatality within ﬁve years

employees online

1,400 ideas discussed with PM Employees asked for ideas over: “What would you do if you were Rail Minister for one day?”

Innovative Ideas Develop railway stations as city hubs Railway TV for public welfare and awareness Dry food packs in railway coaches Boost revenue with rail banking, courier, telecom and e-commerce Increasing train speed on all levels Initiation of Dynamic Performance Appraisal System Smart card for rail ticket purchase Better coach design, more dustbins Improve Nation Train Enquiry System mobile app Smart card for railway healthcare

Prabhu asked his employees for some innovative ideas on the PM’s initiative. Over the past few months, the employees of Indian Railway were asked, ‘What They Would Do, If They Were To Be The Rail Minister For One Day’. Numerous employees of the Indian railway suggested around 1.25 lakh ideas for the ministry to mull over. These ideas were then shortlisted and discussed for implementation. According to the Railway Ministry, this is the first time in history that an event is taking place at such scale involving all its employees. The Prime Minister awarded three teams for their ideas in the ‘Rail Vikas Shivir’.All the chosen ideas were regarding the 3X expansion of railway. How the railway can be expanded 3X with a working business plan over the next five years was the issue. The three awarded teams focused on this expansion alone.

The three teams, South-Central Railway, Metro Railway Kolkata and Northeast frontier Railways were awarded by the Prime Minister for their ideas. The PM said, “With these ideas, we will take the progress of Indian Railways to greate new heights.” He also said that the people of the country have told them what they couldn’t have even imagined in decades. Which is why, a three month Idea Generation Camp is has been mooted and is soon likely to commence. But the government is not stopping there, and it now wants the common people to come out their very own innovattive ideas. Which is why it has been proposed thata n online portal be started by the Indian Railways in which the general public will be able to post their new and innovative ideas.

08 Events

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Why Sulabh Swachh Bharat ?

The launch that was... Sulabh Swachh Bharat and Cashless Banega India are two major initiatives, both aligned to PM Modi’s vision of a progressive society Sfoorti Mishra

haratiya Janata Party national president Amit Shah today launched Sulabh Swachh Bharat, a weekly tabloid devoted to developmental and positive news, as well as an energizing bouquet from the Sulabh house of publications, “Cashless Banega India”. Shah launched Sulabh Swachh Bharat weekly and its website sulabhswachhbharat.

com as well as Cashless Banega India from the Sulabh International headquarters in Delhi. He was welcomed with auspicious blowing of conch shells and recitation of Vedic mantras. He was felicitated by the educationist, social reformer and founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak and his wife Amola Pathak. Later he met the liberated scavengers of Alwar, Tonk, Ghaziabad,

Shah visited

Sulabh Museum of Toilets, Biogas Plant and Water ATM

as well as the widows of Varanasi and Vrindavan, who are now under the care of Sulabh International and have returned from the dungeons of the society to the mainstream. During his visit, he also inaugurated SBI Buddy, the mobile wallet, at the Sulabh Campus, which can be used at all the Sulabh toilets under the cashless programme initiated by the organisation. The organisation has tied up with the e-wallet facility of SBI and wishes to go cash less in the field of sanitation and hygiene. Shah later visited Sulabh Museum of Toilets, Biogas plant and Sulabh

The rationale behind the weekly

ulabh Swachh Bharat is not a run-of-the-mill newspaper. A progressive society is built on the idea of positivity and that’s what this weekly aims to promote. Sulabh Swachh Bharat weekly, published in both Hindi and English, is committed to bring out positive news from all over India and world. The speciality of the publication is that it encompasses such news even from remote villages that have positive impact on the society but seldom make headlines in the mainstream media. It includes interesting news categories pertaining to sanitation, hygiene, health, water, environment, agriculture, banking, skill development, renewable energy, gender equity, etc. The purpose of the news paper is to breathe freshness and positivity in people which is full of gloomy and mucky stories all around.

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Events

Sulabh toilets to go cashless At the time when almost every field is in the process of going cashless, it is an incredible initiative by the sanitation crusader of the country, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak

he BJP National President Amit of sanitation and hygiene. Shah today inaugurated the This facility will enable the SBI Buddy mobile wallet facility at users of Sulabh toilets to go the Sulabh Headquarters in Delhi, cashless by using the SBI Buddy under the landmark initiative taken app. One can pay the amount as by Sulabh International Social low as Rs 2 for using the toilet Service Organisation. facility. At the time, when almost The facility is soon to be used every field is in the process of at all Sulabh Public going cashless, it is an Toilet complexes across incredible initiative by Sulabh toilets the sanitation crusader the country after the to go cashless of the country, Dr association of SBI Buddy and Sulabh Bindeshwar Pathak, by using the International, the SBI Buddy app founder of Sulabh pioneer NGO in the field International.

Dr. Pathak speaks

The social reformer sees cleaning toilets as a matter of socially important work and fails to understand why people tend to look down upon this

he booklet ‘Cashless Banega India’ is inspired by PM Modi’s vision of a cashless economy. It is one of the measures taken by our organization to spread awareness amongst the masses regarding using e-wallets and mobile wallet facility. The idea of going cashless will curb black money and corruption to a large extent and our agenda is to distribute 10 lakh copies of this booklet at all the centres of Sulabh toilet complex. The web portal will enable the user to understand the basics of cashless transactions. We are entering in a new chapter of a brighter India where people are well informed, happy and have positive attitudes in the similar way as we have liberated the women who were once the victims of manual scavenging and brought about changes in the lives the widows of Varanasi and Vrindavan. These widows now walk on ramp and wear make-up which was considered as taboo in the Indian society. I wonder why they can’t

lead their lives as per their own choices and preferences. We have also encouraged people and local administration to join us in the efforts of building, maintaining and using toilets and develop attitudinal change towards personal and public hygiene. Children and teachers clean the toilets in the Sulabh campus by themselves, nobody comes from outside for the cleaning work. We have kept it exactly the way Mahatma Gandhi taught us.

Amit Shah speaks

“I want to congratulate Dr. Pathak for his incessant efforts because he not only took the challenge of completing this difficult task but made it the main purpose of his life”

am very glad to be here in this programme and special thanks to respected Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, Smt. Amola Pathak, Manu Ghosh ji, Sh. Somendra Ghosh, Smt. Usha Chaumar for inviting me in this event. Today I am standing and addressing to all of you at a platform where people are doing the most sacred work in the world. Although this program looks small from the surface but the work that Dr. Pathak and his organization is doing is actually subtle and profound and I think this work should have been accomplished way before. I am a social and political worker who is not afraid of impediments. In fact I feel that I fight for the rights of common man. I have inherited cleanliness habits from my mother. She was a staunch believer of Gandhi’s philosophy of sanitation. The visionary movement initiated by Dr. Pathak is a difficult task and the results of his efforts are quite conspicuous. There are three kinds of movements, religious, political and visionary. The last one is the most difficult as initiating a visionary movement is full of challenges because the aim is blurred in it and there are limited gains in short run. Therefore on the behalf of my party I want to

congratulate Dr. Pathak for his incessant efforts because he not only took the challenge of completing this difficult task but made it the main purpose of his life. Gandhi Ji travelled across the country on the advice of Gokhale. Sanitation, toilet or Khadi had nothing much to do with Independence but he wanted us to be liberated in true sense from all evils. When Narendra Modi was sworn in as Prime Minister ,there were innumerable problems like LOC, the declining rates of GDP, unemployment etc. PM is not only determined to make the country fully open defecation free but has made it the top most agenda in the government policies. We have decided to build 29 crore toilets in the country. It is due to his commitment with cleanliness that 2502 villages, 67 districts and 3 states have become free from the evil of manual scavenging and are fully open defecation free today. Dr. Pathak has set examples before the whole world . He is totally devoted to this work since 1968. He has brought changes in the lives of thousands of people . The organization is doing a great job in this field and I once again congratulate Dr. Pathak and his organization for all the endeavors

Dr. Pathak has set examples before the whole world

10 Photo Feature Amit Shah at Sulabh Gram 1 JANUARY, 2017

Photographs by JAirAM & MonTu

1. Dr Pathak presenting a copy of Ramcharitmanas to Amit Shah 2. Widows of Vrindavan and Varanasi welcoming Shah 3. Checking the biogas fuelled mantle lamp 4. Amit Shah inspecting Sulabh Swachh Rath

5. Inaugration of the SBI Buddy payment system for Sulabh toilets 6. Amit Shah at the Sulabh Water ATM 7. Amit Shah on a visit to Sulabh Museum of Toilets 8. Amit Shah and Dr Pathak at the Sulabh Public School 9. Launch of the weekly tabloid Sulabh Swachh Bharat 10. Amit Shah launching the Sulabh Swachh Bharat website

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Photo Feature

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12 Gender

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issue acid attack

Through Priya’s Mirror

Women who have suffered acid attacks need not be seen as ‘victims’. As this comic book Priya’s Mirror portrays, their scarred faces do not take away their intrinsic worth Anupama Yadav

he looked herself in the mirror and screamed in horror. Scarred and swollen to twice its size, her face bore no resemblance to the girl whose face carried a perpetual smile just a few months ago. This is the poignant story of Monica Singh that will evoke anguish and anger at the same time. An agitated, rebuffed man poured acid on her as a revenge for her rejection of his marriage proposal.

It was around half past four on a November evening when Monica’s life turned upside down. The psychopath entered her house and before she could react, he threw a pale yellow liquid all over her. The liquid ate through her skin and facial tissue, half of her body was burned, completely altering her appearance forever.

Monica is not alone. There are hundreds like her who have been targeted when they refused the advances of men. More than a decade after acid attack on Singh, her story and that of several other acid attack survivors has inspired a comic book titled Priya’s Mirror. For the character of Priya, one of the book’s main protagonists, Singh

Priya’s unusual

weapon, her mirror, is an allegory for “the mirror of love”

was the main inspiration. “I used mirror as a kind of therapy to overcome the trauma and accept the reality, even if it is atrocious,” says Singh. Monica’s mirror brought her closer to her own self. In the comic book, Priya (which means ‘beloved’) rides on the back of her ferocious tiger Sahas (or ‘courage’ and metaphorically symbolises Goddess Durga) into “The Castle”. There, she confronts the villainous Ahankar (Ego or Arrogance), a demon disguised as a

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Priya riding on her tiger and entering “The Castle” to fight evil

Gender

“Why should we hide because of our wounds,

sisters? Someone reduced you to only your face. But you are other things too” – Priya

benevolent man, and liberates the acid attack victims who are trapped there. In her endeavour, Priya is joined by a group of acid attack survivors to fight against the demon king ahankar.

Inspiration: Michelangelo The comic book was created by producer Ram Devineni and artist Dan Goldman to highlight the stigma and dangers around gender violence. It uses augmented reality and image recognition technologies to bring its characters to life. The 36-page comic was unveiled at the New York Film Festival’s Lincoln Center. It is available in five languages - English, Hindi, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, and can be downloaded free from their website. Priya’s Mirror is the second in a five-book series; the next comic will focus on sex

trafficking. It was during his visit to the see Michelangelo’s masterpiece murals on the ceilings of the Sistine Chapel that Ram got the idea of presenting comic books in an illustrative way. He narrates his experience, “Each fresco panel told a distinct story. I wanted to go deeper into each painting but was limited by the limits of my senses. That’s when the idea of using augmented reality came to me.” Ram wanted to create interactive component in the comic book. Priya series uses modern technology thereby creating an enthralling experience for readers. Augmented reality is a significant part of the comic book, and by scanning the comic book with the augmented reality app Blippar, one can view animation, reallife stories, and other interactive elements

We need to

change the patriarchal prism through which we look at women

too. This makes the readers’ experience more holistic and pushes them to see the whole issue from a different angle altogether. In the book Priya says: “Why should we hide our wounds? And why should we hide because of our wounds, sisters? Someone reduced you to only your face. But you are other things too. Look into this mirror and you will see.” Paromita Vohra, who co-authored Priya’s Mirror with Devineni, says: “Priya’s weapon is rather unusual. Priya’s mirror is an allegory for the “mirror of love”. Priya encourages the women to peep into it and look beyond their scars, to see what they were originally, like singers, carpenters and painters.” Dan Goldman, the artist, says he looked at pictures of survivors from across the globe before he began drawing and similarities with some real-life women made his work vibrant and real.

Challenging Patriarchy The first Priya book was inspired by the murderous gang rape of a 23-yearold student in a bus in the capital, Delhi, in December 2012. After a massive global outrage, India fastened its laws

dealing with gender crimes, including the introduction of death penalty. However, punishment is not a panacea: the need is to change the attitudes, as the roots of gender violence goes deep down patriarchal gender identities. “The language of crime is always the same. You read about the victim and the perpetrator, but we need to think of these people as more than victims, their indomitable characters, their courage, their beauty and struggle to remake their lives. And we need a fresh look at the villain since he is also a product of patriarchy,” opines Vohra. Teenage boys are one of the main target audiences of this comic book. Existing patriarchal mindset has taught them that a man’s will is superior to a woman’s. When a woman spurns a man, his ego is hurt and when that ego is put through the acid of patriarchal thinking, it corrodes society. In a way the villain is a victim too. The need of the hour is to start looking at villains and victims differently. When the real life issues are as bleak as rape and acid attacks, perhaps a comic book character fighting back is an effective way of delivering a message through technology, with real stories to bring massive change. As a society, we need to change the patriarchal prism through which we look first, at women, and then the rape survivor or the acid attack survivor. They are not really the ‘victims’. They are the real heroes of truth and activism.

14 Oﬀbeat

1 JANUARY, 2017

kiDS’ cr eA Ti viTy TAlenT POetrY

Delhi-based NGO Slam Out Loud is helping reboot creativity, the victim of a world cluttered with information too readily available on the net and in social media

Robin Keshaw

“M

USLIM is the sky and Hindu is the crust. But, they fail to realise that only together they can make the earth.” Nitish, an 11 year old brims with pride as he recites a selfcomposed poem. Nitish studies in Class 7 in a government-run school. His father sells ginger at Azadpur Sabzi Mandi. He lives with his family in Bharolla, an urban village in Delhi. As one enters Bharolla, the perennial noise in the community puzzles an outsider. A group of children playing with marbles, youngsters smoking and passing comments on passers-by, elders are busy playing cards... familiar village scenes greet you. Nitish lives here in a 100 sft room kitchen, bedroom, all in one with his

parents and three siblings. “My mind is constantly filled with thoughts,” Nitish confesses. “When I am at home, while I am walking to school, playing with friends or even watching TV, I keep observing things around me and thinking about them. Sometimes, I think about the reasons behind people’s quarrels, the plight of farmers in our country and various other things. But I don’t always find a suitable channel to express myself. Poetry gives me that power. I can write on anything and everything.” Poetry, especially serious, issue-based poetry has always been considered a forte of adults. On September 17 this year, Nitish along with 11 other budding poets from Delhi performed at the National Youth Poetry Slam, Bangalore. The event was graced by Sarah Kay, the poster girl for slam

“Muslim is the

sky and hindu the crust and together they make the earth”

the ‘slam kids’ reciting at the poets’ meet in bengaluru

RE DEAD A U O Y N E WH not something Being dead is too much I think about ie what, people d w o n k u o y t, u B ion, caste and relig In the fight of es nimal sometim a n a e er w I h I wis my own ld take care of u o w I st a le t A g their caste. Without askin d the mosque The temple an our soul Have become s, dead idol And the bodie be alive Pretending to l will be beautifu d rl o w e th s p a Perh humans and have real a fire uran jump into Q e th d n a a n it When the G ife and childre w d n a m o m s oz’ Remember Fer died ; and they died too en Cried wh he the last ext, or may be n e th e b n ca e You e will be no on In the end, ther dead! when you are , u o y er b em To rem

- Anjali, 7th g

rade

1 JANUARY, 2017

Oﬀbeat

W HO A M

I lie down and alw keep thinkin ays g Who am I? Why do I exist? Wh at’s my purpose? A n d w hat’s my life? I neve r get an an swer, even if I cry Wh y do I feel w hat I feel Why do I th in k w h a t Who can g I think ive m Where do I e all these answers? go? And wh at do I do? I lie down and alway s k e e p thinking Who am I? Why do I e xist? - Sup

riya, 7th gr

ade

poetry, whose piece “If I should have a daughter” had gone viral. There were scores of college teams from across India, like Hindu College, Jadavpur University, Symbiosis Institute, etc. It was these ‘Goliaths’, so to say, that the 12 ‘Davids’ performed and were greeted with with a standing ovation. Gaurav Singh, who accompanied these kids to Bangalore, reminisces, “This platform made the children realise the the power they wield as poets. It inspired them to think bigger and understand the issues in depth. These children don’t write to please a certain audience, a trap most adult poets fall into. Their poetry reflects their pure thoughts and oozes innocence. And that is why their poetry received such adulation.”

orgAniSing creATiviTy Gaurav, along with Jigyasa Labroo, have mentored, trained and supported these kids for over a year now. The twosome is founders of ‘Slam Out Loud’, an organisation which works to bring out the voices of kids, mostly from under-privileged communities. Both were ‘Teach For India’ fellows in a government girls school. It was while teaching these kids; they realised the unbound potential poetry has in transforming the lives of kids. Jigyasa sees poetry as an essential component of our education system. “In our society, classrooms are centered on mastering the skill of memorisation and

The ouT-SMArTS Kids who stole the show

a never-ending race for marks, ruining the desire to create. But childhood is about expression and emotion, and everything in between dreams and reality. The challenges we face in the real world (globalisation, changed nature of identities, sexism, etc.) are far from what’s taught in schools. Our children are no longer able to empathise, observe or reflect,” she observes. At Slam Out Loud, poetry is not only seen as a powerful tool of expression, but also as a medium to bring joy and critical thinking in the lives of kids. There is a lot of focus on creating a space for the kids where they can engage in a dialogue with the outside world as well as their inner self. They conduct workshops and events for children of age group nine to 16, where poetry is used as a tool to empower the kids. Starting from Delhi and covering five states, Slam Out Loud has impacted more than 2,000 children in one year, most of them from impoverished families. Their ‘Jijivisha Fellowship’ is for practicing poets to enter classrooms of government and low-income private schools and introduce the art of poetry.

bailiwick only. But when Chanda recites her composition: “Jo chale gaye wo mere the” about the pain of separation, or Khushboo renders “Aaj kal ka rog hai, log!” one is forced to question the conventional perception about poetry. Chanda recounts: “I saw news on farmer suicides and kept contemplating about how it pains the farmers when they see their crops getting ruined. They can’t do anything about it. This motivated me to write this piece.” Khushboo drew her inspiration for her poem from her neighbour’s story. “A kinnar (hermaphrodite) was born in my neighbour’s house. The parents were extremely happy and loved the child like anything,” she narrates with a lump in her throat. “But the other family members and neighbours started pestering them. Finally, after a full year, they had to hand over the child to a group of eunuchs. This event shocked me. I kept wondering how most of us take our everyday decisions based on the way society perceives it; rather than examining the decision on the parameter of right and wrong.” Both Chanda and Khushboo are merely 13 years old. That is the difference Slam Out Loud is making in our society, especially amongst the ‘Wretched of the Earth’, as Franz Fanon put it.

At Slam out

loud, poetry is seen as a powerful tool to generate critical thinking

ADulT kiDS! Serious poetry is perceived as adults’

1 JANUARY, 2017 For to be free is not “ merely to cast off one’s

chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

”

-Nelson Mandela Long Walk to Freedom, 1995

ShArAD guPTA

A journalist with 30 years experience, working as a Senior Editor with ‘Parliamentarian’ Parliamentarian’

vieW PoinT

MOVING TOWARDS A CASHLESS SYSTEM Despite the temporary hiccups that have irked the common man, on the streets or the farms, there are positive aspects of demonetisation

SUPREME CONCERN

inculcating nationalism It is sad that respect for the National Anthem did not come from within us

UPREME Court verdict in playing the National Anthem before start of a movie is a welcome move. It is a reflection of our society’s changing value that it needed the apex court to remind us what should have been a routine exercise. The call should have come from within ourselves to respect our National Flag and National Anthem. First, it required an SC verdict to allow the common man to fly the national flag on non-governmental buildings as well. Now again the Supreme Court had to step in for the cause of the National Anthem. The tradition of playing National Anthem at the end of a film in cinema halls was discontinued because people never used to pay respect to it. Either they would keep sitting, or would start going out of the cinema hall or would start chattering. That is why Supreme Court has laid down strict guidelines to be followed while playing National Anthem before start of a film. When they can wait for advertisements and trailers to be over, why can’t they wait for the Anthem too? The SC decision has also triggered demands about occasions on which the National Anthem can be played.The decision will inculcate patriotism among people. Nobody misses the pride on face of players when their National Anthem is played during medal ceremony during Olympics or before start of a football or cricket match.

Editor-in-Chief

KUMAR DILIP Edited, Printed and Published by: Monika Jain on behalf of Sulabh Sanitation Mission Foundation, owned by Sulabh Sanitation Mission Foundation Printed at: The Indian Express Limited A - 8, Sector -7, NOIDA (UP) Published at: RZ - 83, Mahavir Enclave, Palam - Dabri Road, New Delhi - 110045 (India) Corporate Ofﬁce: 819, Wave Silver Tower, Sector - 18, NOIDA (UP) Phone: +91-120-6500425 Email: editor@sulabhswachhbharat.com, ssbweekly@gmail.com

EMONETISING high currency bills and introduction of GST are the most radical decisions taken by a Prime Minister after PV Narasimha Rao, who unleashed economic reforms in early ‘90s - fruits of which we are seeing today. People are bound to have similar sentiments for Narendra Modi, not much long later but only a year down the line. Was demonetisation aimed only at wiping out black money, as is being pointed out by almost all quarters? Even the government initially claimed that only 70-80 per cent of the demonetised currency (approx Rs 14 lakh crore) would be deposited in banks or exchanged. The remaining 20-30 per cent would not return. That means approximately three to four lakh crore currency notes would go out of circulation. Although as per RBI figures, people deposited more than Rs eight lakh crore within the first 15 days - 65 per cent of the demonetised currency - and the deposits are expected to exceed the government’s expectation of 80 per cent, the real story lies elsewhere. When the PM took almost entire Rs 14 lakh crore out of

circulation at just three and a half hours notice, people were taken aback. With almost no liquid cash in hand for two days - when both ATMs and banks were shut down - people didn’t know who to turn to. That’s when they turned to plastic and digital money. Yes, demonetisation has longer and well defined goals. First and foremost being making people adopt to digital money. As per available figures, with no money in hand and business transactions having come to near naught, people took to digital money vigourously. In the first 15 days, digital money users grew by 15 times - that is 23 crore digital wallets. There were 80 crore credit and debit cards in the country at the time of demonetisation, a large number of them lying unused. The government had opened Jan Dhan accounts but they could hardly become operational. But within the first 15 days, 45 crore debit and credit cards started functioning. Indeed, everyone, especially in rural areas, don’t have access to plastic or digital money. But the currency crunch made people familiar with these things within a week or two - something

currency

crunch has made people familiar with plastic money

1 JANUARY, 2017 which the government would not have been able to achieve in years altogether. Now you can find a lot of people, from a rickshawpuller to road side tea vendor, using digital wallets. The country in all has just bout 25 crore families and they among them have 85 crore credit and debit cards besides 23 crore digital wallets. So, who wants to go back to using paper currency again? Only those who have circumvented this round of test by hook or by crook. But, the Government is already on the look out of such people. And it won’t be much difficult to catch the defaulters. The Government has already had a robust investigation system. All bank accounts and IT returns will automatically go through income tax department servers. The system has been programmed to red ﬂag the defaulters and suspects - those which received a slew of high deposits post-November 10. And then the pay will be asked to explain the source of such funds. An unsatisfactory answer will lead to heavy penalty. In fact, government was bracing itself to turn tovfwards a cashless society for a long time. Reserve Bank of India had already begun the groundwork a few months ago. In June, it had released a vision document titled “Payment and Settlement Systems in India: Vision – 2018” laying the roadmap. The report clearly mentioned that the RBI’s efforts will be to ensure a “continued decrease in the share of paper-based clearing instruments and a consistent growth in individual segments of retail electronic payment systems.” RBI knew well that in order to make people use cashless services it needs to provide the necessary infrastructure for transactions to take place. That was why banks had been pushing customers to using net banking as much a possible. It gave people ease of business as well. They could transfer money though RTGS or NEFT or IMPS instantly from the confines of their homes or office. They need not have to rush to bank branches for every little work. As a result, RTGS and NEFT volumes increased almost threefold between 2013 and 2016. Despite the increased use of electronic transaction, cash as a percentage of GDP is around the 12-13 percent mark. The current size of digital commerce is around Rs 1.2 lakh crore. This number needs to increase substantially if government intends to bring down cash in circulation. Reports say that government intends to bring down cash in circulation by a third to get the cash to GDP ratio at around 8. For this work special institutions could be formulated for speedy implementation.

After the ban,

45 per cent of the credit cards, lying idle so far, came into use

roBin keSheW

The author is a graduate in Computer Science from BITS, Pilani. He is presently helping to settle a migrant community, focusing on their education needs

uPfronT

HE image of an arrogant Adolf Hitler at Palais de Chaillot, Paris, in the summer of 1940, after France’s surrender during World War 2, is quite ironic. It was in this very palace, after the war was over, that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948, was signed. The United Nation’s members created the Commission of Human Rights to form a universal consensus around human rights. The reason, too was Hitler and his generals, whose barbarity and atrocities on human beings had reached a nadir during the war. The tales of Auschwitz concentration camps even now makes normal humna beings tremble. The UN wanted that such barbarity is never repeated in the world. Almost seven decades later, as

oped

reAl righTS, noT JuST clichÉ

After World War 2, UN Human Rights Declaration was signed to stop atrocities on humans

the world population is nearing 7.5 billion and the ethnic mosaic becomes more diverse, the need for a collective consciousness on human rights has becomes more pertinent. The Syrian refugee crisis has drawn global attention towards the outright violations of these inalienable rights. The image of a dead Alan Kurdi had shaken public conscience worldwide. Back home, we are grappling with key questions around restrictions on free speech, rights of women, children, disabled, LGBT, etc; atrocities on minority and dalit communities, etc. But one can still see some light at the end of the tunnel. As progressive individuals,

we need to keep questioning, our own selves more than others and come up with the right solutions. The theme for this year’s Human Rights Day is “Stand up for someone’s rights today”. Vsalues of empathy, compassion and courage to speak out needs to be driven on a social scale

leTTerS To The eDiTor River Thames was beyond hope before it was brought it back to life. With our ongoing river cleaning campaigns we too can save our rivers following London’s footsteps. Mridul Negi, Noida, UP

Dear Sir, This newspaper is unique, the only one in the market that focuses on developmental and positive news. Along with spreading the positive news, it can also become an ‘idea bank’. Just like expressed in the article River Thames and the Great Stink, India can learn a lot from the London experiment.

Dear Sir, Your newspaper is one of its kind. When corruption, politics and crime has generated negativity among the public, this newspaper, hopefully, will come out as a ray of hope. In a special reference to Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak’s editorial, the article is not only informative but also very relevant in the current scenario. He didn’t just paint a pleasant picture of the country; he has also drawn similarities between Mahatma Gandhi’s Janjagran Abhiyan and Prime Minister Modi’s cleanliness campaign. It’s a noble effort to raise issues that change the social dynamic of the country. Rakesh Kaushik, New Delhi

Dear Sir, Let me congratulate the team for bringing out such motivational stories. Although it is good to know the shortcomings of the society we live in, but if negative stories about the country are read on a regular basis then it certainly distorts the perception.What PM Modi has started with his ‘swachhta’ campaign might not yield massive results in the short term, but it will create a future which will be clean and healthy. Prashant Srivastava, Delhi Dear Editor, Sulabh Swachh Bharat is a fresh breeze of air when all newspapers are filled with gloomy stories of crime, corruption, political failure etc. I especially liked the story titled ‘Rural India shows the way.’ It depicts the victory of human efforts. Rituparna Dasgupta, Delhi

Please mail your opinion to - ssbweekly@gmail.com or Whatsapp at 9868807712

18 In-conversation

1 JANUARY, 2017

inTervieW POOnaMben MadaM, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, LOK SABHA

“

Photographs by Jairam

SWAchh BhArAT iS every inDiAn’S reSPonSiBiliTy

The first time MP from Khambhalia speaks of her leader, her work, her constituency and of course, her favourite activities in a candid interview with Sharad Gupta How did you join the politics in the first place? Did you inherit it from your family? Yes my grandfather, my father and my dad’s elder brother, they have all been into public life. But, I would say, not only to be elected members, but to fight for the downtrodden, I think they have given a lot of such suppressed people a strong voice. My father represented Khambhalia (Gujarat) for four consecutive terms as an independent MLA and as a daughter I would say it has been my privilege to represent the same constituency. Was BJP your first choice? Yes, because I believed in the leadership of the then CM Narendra Bhai Modi. He was a very, very strong leader and

the kind of decisions he took were great. That way he changed Gujarat. He took it to another level. He gave a new definition to development. You know earlier, in development we couldn’t think beyond ‘roti kapda aur makan’. Narendra Bhai gave a different outlook, different meaning to development as such in form of electricity, road connectivity, water, houses, education, healthcare, job creation. So I think I am lucky. I think I’m privileged to have a leader like him and get an opportunity to work under such leadership.

Was it your decision to contest the Lok Sabha polls soon after you had been elected to Gujarat Assembly? I am very grateful to my constituents, the citizens of Khambhaliya, who believed in me, voted for me and gave me that responsibility. I hope I have lived up to their expectations. But I had to fight another election in a year and a half. The party found me worthy. I think that step ahead was given to me because of my work in Khambhaliya. And the same happened when I fought Lok Sabha. Voters gave me the kind of margin Jamnagar had

i’m privileged

to have a leader like narendra Bhai Modi.

never seen before. Narendra Bhai’s leadership also played a very-very important role and that happened in the entire country as we all know. And in Jamnagar you defeated your uncle? The party might have decided to field me because I was his relative. But people also should decide to vote for me. And yes, he is my distant relative and he was a sitting MP for two terms, but ultimately it’s the people’s decision. What difference you felt during your transition from Assembly to Parliament? Assembly is like a smallest state setup. You are just addressing your state and basically your constituency. Issues are localized. Not only platform, the issues in Assembly are not as large as you have here, because it about the entire nation.

1 JANUARY, 2017

In-conversation

personal touch Favourite Sport My favorite sports are jogging and playing badminton. Favourite Sportsperson These days it’s Virat Kohli of course and our Olympians who got us medals, be it Sakshi or Sindhu. Favourite Actor I always feel like sometime an actor is not justified or not done. But I have always respected Amitabh Bacchan as such.

What are the issues you have raised in Parliament so far? Issues that are dear to my heart. In my constituency we have small traders, MSME and farmers. The brass scrap, which is imported into India, 80 per cent of it is consumed in my constituency. What help have you received from the Centre? We’ve had a 50 per cent waiver in excise in the brass sector. It was earlier four per cent, but the government has made it two per cent in the last budget. Import duty on the brass scrap as well as customs duty has also been reduced by 50 per cent. So I am really grateful to our finance minister because this sector was going through a lot of problems because there was drought. This sector was facing competition

from other countries like China, Malaysia and so forth. So this sector itself employs at least four lakh people in my constituency. We got new trains, we got a lot of funds from the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna. How are these national programmes implemented in your constituency? Our Prime Minister always says that we need to get more and more people aware about the government programmes and schemes. So, that is exactly what we are doing through lot of awareness programmes of state and central government. Apart from that, we do it through our karyakartas, we do it through Gram Sabhas. But we make it a point to go there, during Gram Sabhas and create awareness in

Favourite Actress

It’s a Gujarati dish called Lapsi, it’s a desert actually.

place for me where I go when I want to take a break. And I like the entire field there, I like the atmosphere. Apart from being very spiritual, there is something about being there that I like.

Favourite Holiday Destination

Favourite Hobby

Dwarka. Yes I spend 2-3 days in a month in Dwarka. And I am fortunate enough that this is a part of my constituency. It’s a getaway

Reading. I am not into sort of fictions and all or serious reading but I read every article I come across in a magazine or a News paper.

Vidya Balan Favourite Food

people because ultimately whatever the government does, it’s for the people. And if it doesn’t reach to them, there is no point of doing all this. How are you focusing on rural development? We have given many incentives to Gram Panchayats. From my MPLADS funds, I give special funds to Gram Panchayats for their development works. We have given incentives to the villages where there is a unanimous Gram Panchayat, there are no elections. This prevents the division of villagers into groups. We have a lot of villages where the people and the local leaders are very positive in their approach. They always look at the bigger picture and look for way to benefit their village. We are supporting them wholeheartedly.

What’s the progress of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in your constituency? We have achieved almost 70 per cent of toilet blocks. The day is not far when we will, at least my constituency will achieve almost 90-95 per cent of it. Jamnagar city is 100 per cent open defecation free. There are two Nagar Palikas which have achieved this and the others are also following soon. It’s a very healthy competition in a way. The state government, along with the Centre, has sort of given a lot of encouragement to Sarpanches and other NGOs in the form of acknowledging them on public platforms with awards. We give incentives to any gram Panchayat that achieves the target. But I think Swachh Bharat is every Indian’s responsibility.

20 Good News

1 JANUARY, 2017

news in brief

suresh Prabhu’s Clean dream

ndian Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu’s environmental concerns are very well spread and comprehensive. Earlier, he had kicked off the cleaning campaign, “Swachh Rail Mission.” Now he has turned his attention to power consumption. Prabhu has recently emphasised the need to identify options to

achieve and realise an energy system with least environmental impact. “Railways being a significant consumer of energy, identifying cost-effective options to achieve an energy system with least environmental impacts is essential,” adding that the Railways’ “Vision 2020” document states that the key target is to utilise at least 10 per cent of its energy requirement from renewable sources.“As a part of this, Indian Railways has planned to set up 1,000 MW solar power plants and about 200 MW of wind power plants by 2020,” he added.

COMMITMENT WHO

Death Reduction Puneet Dubey

he World Health Organization along with United Nation Environment Programme have said that health and environment officials from over 24 countries have expressed their commitment to reducing the annual 12.6 million deaths across the globe due to dangerous levels of pollution. The Minister for Environment of Morocco, Hakima El Haite said in a statement: “This landmark declaration has raised consensus for better articulation of our efforts to find a solution to major health, environmental and climate challenges.” According to WHO, around 12.6 million deaths every year are associated with environmental pollution. Of these, an estimated 6.5 million deaths, or 11.6 per cent of all these deaths globally are due to the

menace of air pollution. Most pollution-related deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. However, outdoor air pollution remains prevalent in highincome countries as well, with nine out of 10 people worldwide exposed to air pollution that exceeds WHO’s air quality guidelines for the problematic fine particulate matter. The declaration encourages the health and environment sectors to exchange experiences, technical expertise and best practices.

esearchers at the University of East Anglia and the Global Carbon Project said that carbon emissions did not grow last year and may rise only 0.2 per cent in 2016, marking a clear break from the past. The analysis by a group of scientists who measure how much carbon dioxide (CO2) humans emit every year, and how much is absorbed by plants, land surfaces and oceans, showed emissions growth remained below one per cent despite GDP growth exceeding three per cent.They also identified a significant decrease in coal use in China and the US is the main reason behind the fall.

sweet killer

1.6 mn die annually

due to pollution, 11.6 per cent of which are due to air pollution energy renewables

Dalmia Greens

The cement major is planning to go 100 per cent renewable by 2030

CO2 Slides

Most pollution-related deaths are in poor countries but richer countries also suffer outdoor pollution

U’khand’s 8,000 in 20 days

onstructing 8,000 toilets within 20 days, Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand has created a new record under the Swachh Bharat Mission. It was enlisted in Limca Book of records for the largest number of toilets constructed within so little time. The district requires 76,016 rural toilets in order to be declared Open Defecation Free, of which 64,613 have already been constructed. ‘Swajal Pariyojna’, a World Bank funded project, executed the construction work. Rudrapur, Jaspur, Kashipur and Gadarpur, are already ODF. Khatima, Sitarganj and Bazpur blocks are also expected to be declared ODF soon.

news in brief

Manas Mittal

ndustry giant Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd is committed to go big on renewable energy. It is the first cement company to join the RE100, a global collaborative initiative of the world’s most influential companies committed to 100 per cent renewable power. Currently, seven per cent of the company’s electricity source is from renewable energy. It’s the third Indian business to join the RE100 initiative, following Infosys and Tata Motors.

A company statement said, after adding 8 MW solar PV capacity for its captive use, Dalmia Cement has set an ambitious interim target to increase fourfold its percentage of renewable energy consumption by 2030 compared to 2015. “Being one of the greenest cement companies in the world, we are committed to decarbonising our operations in a way that makes business sense,” Dalmia Cement’s CEO Mahendra Singhi said. “We are scaling up our ambition to double our energy productivity and make a long-term transition to 100 percent renewable power by 2030.”

cientists have discovered a new method to eliminate bacteria found in contaminated water. A team of Indian origin scientists have developed a paper strip laced with sugar that can kill the E. coli in contaminated water. York University researcher Sushanta Mitra has developed what he terms as the ‘DipTreat’. Mitra says this discovery will be key to developing a new generation of inexpensive water treatment devices, with human health benefits in Canada and around the world. “We removed almost 90 per cent of bacteria in the contaminated water samples by dipping the special paper strip. We have learned that it will take less than two hours to fish, trap and kill E. coli in water.” So, if it works, it will be huge boon for the countless millions who are forced to drink contaminated water around the globe.

1 JANUARY, 2017

Carbon dioxide was

tuurned into ethanol, which is a very safe and green fuel

RESEARCH usa

Pollutant Fuel

An ‘accident’ in a chemistry lab in the US has made the pollutant CO2 into the green fuel ethanol Kavya Khandelwal

ccidentally but thankfully, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA, have discovered a way to reverse the combustion process, turning pollution back into fuel. Researchers at the lab used

complex nanotechnology to turn dissolved CO2 gas into ethanol. Since the materials used are relatively cheap, they believe the process could be used in industrial processes, for example, to store excess electricity generated by wind and solar power. Experiment’s lead author, Dr Rondinone said, “We discovered

somewhat by accident that this material worked. We were trying to study the first step of a proposed reaction when we realised that the catalyst was doing the entire reaction on its own. Ethanol was a surprise. It’s extremely difficult to go straight from carbon dioxide to ethanol with a single catalyst.” The solution of CO2 dissolved in water was turned into ethanol, with a yield of 63 to 70 per cent, which means that of all the CO2 and electricity generating pollutants that is going into it majorly ends up converted into the fuel ethanol. The researchers are now working to improve the efficiency of the process and find out more about the catalyst’s properties. A process like this would allow consuming extra electricity when available to store as ethanol which could prove really helpful. This is a significant development in the global fight against highly polluting energy sources, especially coal, though it remains to be seen how much this can help generate energy at a mass scale, experts opine. And if it happens, India could become one of the major beneficiaries.

Good News

news in brief

Kerry’s Praise

he US Secretary of State John Kerry has praised India, Brazil and China in his speech at the UN Climate Conference. Kerry said: “Now, significantly, the renewable energy boom isn’t limited to industrialised countries. In fact, emerging economies like China, India, and Brazil invested even more in renewable technologies last year than the developed world. Despite China’s coal-fired power plants for pollution, Kerry defended China saying the country alone invested more than $100 billion on clean energy sources. Ultimately, clean energy is expected to be a multitrillion dollar market, the largest market the world has ever known.

Disabled Enabled

pollution breathless

Stubble Fuel The Supreme Court lambasted the states where stubble was being burnt, but now there is a solution in hand

Puneet Dubey

n an effort to counter air pollution, the Centre and Punjab governments will sign an MoU to produce ethanol fuel from crop stubble, which was being burned, resulting in large-scale air pollution. The project seeks to stop this practice. The first such project would come up at Bathinda and cost Rs 500 crore. After launching the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Union Minister of Petroleum, Dharmendra Pradhan, said the ethanol units would also reduce dependence on coal.

In the first phase, 10 ethanol units would be set up, which would play an important role to address the issue of air pollution and smog. The problem originating in Punjab and Haryana, had become a menace, triggering a health crisis. Children, the aged and those with pre-existing cardiopulmonary problems suffered immensely. the ques at hospitals were crushing and the sick were forced to lie on the grounds

in hospitals. The issue caused such a scare that the Supreme Court had to order the burning of stuble in the states of Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana. Yet, there was no solution, as the farmers had no option but to burn stuble to prepare the fields for the next sowing season. But now it seems that one ot the very states responsible will become the hub of this new green technology.

esearchers at IIT Kharagpur are using technology to provide web access to the people who have difficulty accessing it through conventional means. The application converts interfaces of social media platforms such as Facebook and re-organises them in a way that can be used by those with impairments, to experience social networking via access switches. “For those with neuro-motor disorders, we have developed the interface by which they can access web and carry out social networking activities,”; Anupam Basu, lead researcher and Head and Chairman, Centre for Education Technology, IIT Kharagpur, said. “Using software application, Facebook interface can reorganised and accessed,” Basu added with some legitimate pride.

22 International

1 JANUARY, 2017

restoring the rivers elbe river

clean energy

River Cleaning epitome

The river that was once considered the most polluted is now in the arclight of cleanliness in the entire world

Space for Caption Here

Water Is Fuel!

Scientists have split water, using an ultra thin catalyst, into oxygen and hydrogen, which latter could become a green fuel

Shivaji Dubey

ermany’s Elbe river was so polluted till a few years ago that fishes in it suffered ulcers. Plastic packets and other pollutants had swamped the river, as is known, till a few years ago. But today, the Elbe has not only been cleansed, it has become an example of river cleansing projects around the world, holding out a beacon to our very own Yamuna. The Elbe is a river corridor to the North Sea from the very important town of Hamburg, a major German industrial hub, and here there are parallels with India.

Just like Kanpur, a city located on the banks of the holy Ganga, Hamburg was the prime curse for the Elbe, because all its industrial effluents was dumped in it. The polluted waters of the Elbe would originate from Czech Republic and cross through Hamburg and empty themselves out into the North Sea. Research shows that the highly toxic pentachlorophenol had invaded the Sea. The other pollutants were phosphorus and lead generated by mills. The trauma of the citizens of Hamburg due to this pollution made some voluntary organisations to come forward to cleanse it. Heeding their voices, the government not only

Dumping waste

into the river was banned & sewage systems vastly improved

Elb-owing out pollution: The health of Hamburg’s lifeline has been restored

responded with listing these NGOs as partners in the cleansing drive, but also passed several laws deterring further polluting of the river. These included the shutting down of some highly polluting industrial units that emptied its effluents into the Elbe, and taking strides to clean it up. The citizens also participated in the effort with enthusiasm. The results came to shore in 2013, when many species of fishes and other aquatic species were found returned to the river. This combined effort of the government of Germany and the people of Hamburg has led to the Elbe taking the podium stand amongst the cleanest rivers in the world today.

ustralian researchers have reported the use of a new ultra-thin catalyst to split water into its two components, oxygen and hydrogen, to be converted and used as fuel. The researchers at the Griffith University used the sheet-like, highly efficient catalyst that has long-term stability and helps spur the process to create economically viable clean fuel. The latest research was published in the Nature Energy journal. Just as sunlight generates electricity, the water-splitting process could do the same via the generation of clean chemical fuel such as hydrogen, a report quoted Professor Huijin Zhao, the director of Griffith’s Centre. Hydrogen could become a promising clean fuel over petrol in the foreseeable future, Zhao said. Space for Cap“Scientifically it has been tion Here already demonstrated, it’s already working, but to do this in a way that’s economically viable, there’s still a bit of work to be done and we need government policy push as well as the general public’s support,” he said.

1 JANUARY, 2017

public hygiene

Health & Sanitation

himachal & kerala

no Open Defecation

The two states have achieved the target and have been lauded, with the CMs congratulating ‘people’s effort’ Prasann Pranjal

fter Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala have become open defecation free under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Mission. The states have successfully achieved rural sanitation coverage of 100 per cent, with all 12 districts in Himachal declared as well as verified as ODF, according to an official statement. Notably, the states will receive World Bank funding worth Rs 9,000 crore for projects to sustain the sanitation campaign. The declaration was made at a public event by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in the presence of Union Health Minister JP Nadda

and Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. “The hill state of Himachal Pradesh has become the first large state to become completely ODF”, the CM said at the event. He lauded the people of the state for supplementing the efforts of the government to achieve ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ and said that “such a feat was not possible without the support of the people”. So far, the central government has also said that urban areas in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat are also free of open defecation could not have been fulfilled but for a ‘people’s movement Tomar said the state achieved ODF status, thanks to the people of Himachal Pradesh who made it a

health

Pneumonia Under Government Attack! Along with diarrhea, pneumonia is one of the biggest health problems in India

mass movement and added: “I am confident that we would be able to sustain it in the future as well.” The CM added that the state would be very happy to share lessons that they have learnt in this journey with other states to help realise the vision of a Swachh Bharat. Making this announcement jointly with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Union Minister for Health J P Nadda, Minister for Rural Development Narendra Singh Tomar said: “It was heartening to note how the state has achieved the ODF target, at least five months in advance by taking up the task for construction of toilets in a campaign mode.” Apparently, Himachal Pradesh has

shown the way to the country and the experience about the strategy adopted for the mission, not only within the country but also internationally. Singh asserted that government will not lag behind in implementation of central schemes for public welfare It was his desire that HimachalPradesh should overtake Kerala and thus steps were taken to meet the targets. Nadda said it has been observed that a lot of diseases are caused by lack of sanitation facilities and malnutrition. But once the sanitation issue is handled, the occurrence of several diseases is bound to come down. The Ministry of Health will draw up a joint strategy with the Ministry of Rural Development.

Anupama Yadav

he Union Health Ministry has approved the introduction of pneumonia vaccines in Himachal Pradesh along with four other states under the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). The pneumonia vaccines will be introduced in a planned manner from 2017 in Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Union Health Minister J P Nadda stated that with its introduction, a new milestone will be achieved in expanding the coverage of full immunisation in these states. The Health Ministry had approved introduction of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) under the country’s Universal Immunisation Programme. Nadda said this will give a unique opportunity to the states to check out the combined effect of Diarrohea Vaccine (Rotavirus) and Pneumonia Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) reduction intervention on the overall child mortality and morbidity in the state. There are currently two types of pneumococcal vaccines: pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13 or Prevnar 13) and pneumococcal polysaccharide

vaccine (PPSV23 or Pneumovax). PCV13 is recommended for all children younger than five years old, all adults 65 years or older, and people six years or older with certain risk factors. The Health Ministry had earlier this year introduced Rotavirus Vaccine to combat diarrhoea in the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha. Adding life-saving vaccines such as PCV and Rotavirus to the immunisation programme will not only improve the health of our children but will also reduce hospitalisation and other conditions associated with diarrohea and pneumonia such as malnutrition as well as delayed physical and mental development among children. “Reduced hospitalisation reduces the economic burden on the family and the health cost burden on the country,” Nadda added. The pneumonia bacteria kills more children under age of five than any other disease. Pneumonia is the leading cause of death and illness among children under five years of age in the world. There are reported nearly 120 million cases a year. In India pneumonia caused nearly 1,75,000 child deaths in 2013.

24 newsmakers

1 JANUARY, 2017

aniruddHa raJPut

rAJPuT neW ilc MeMBer In a rare achievement, a 33-year-old Indian lawyer was elected to the ILC, bagging the highest votes in the Asia-Pacific group

NIRUDDHA RAJPUT is among the 34 lawyers elected by the UN General Assembly as members of the ILC. This commission is tasked with the progressive development of international law and its codification. Indian lawyer Aniruddha Rajput has also came out as the youngest member of the Commission. He received the largest number of votes in

N EWSMAKERS the Asia-Pacific group. He is also the first to get in the International Law Commission without being a part of the Foreign Ministry legal panel. Anirudhha is to commence his fiveyear term from January 2017 along with 34 other elected members at the commission. The United Nation established the International Law Commission in 1947. The members of this commission are selected through five different geographical groups of Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Caribbean and Eastern & Western Europe countries. In the Asia-Pacific group, Rajput collected the most, 160 votes in the secret ballot voting. A practicing lawyer of Indian Supreme Court, he has been a student of London School of Economics and Political Science. He has also been a member of the group constituted to study the Indian Model.

rOsHan sOdHi

voTeD for kAlAM PriZe He is too young to vote, but this Chhattisgarh lad is not too young to suggest systems to stop electoral fraud

GE is not a bar for a great idea. Grade sixth student Roshan Sodhi has proved it to be true. Roshan may have a few more years before he can vote but his ideas can change the course of elections. Listening to election fraud over news, Roshan made some suggestions that can help direct the voting count at the polling station to the control room immediately. The young innovator of Chhattisgarh has been selected in the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Ignite Competition-2016 for his innovative idea. According to Roshan, his idea is to immediately send the voting counts on the voting centre EVM machines to the District Election Headquarter. He says we have to develop a system that can immediately send all the voting details to the Election Commission under an emergency. His idea has been widely appreciated so far. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Ignite Competition is a national competition organised to appreciate the imagination and creativity among the new generation.

OB I T UARY

DeMiSe of A gooD SAMAriTAn

anuPaM MisHra

India lost one of its greatest yet humble environmentalist. His simple, idealistic life has been an inspiration to many, writes Sanjeev

(1948 – 2016)

nupam Mishra, a man who was Gandhian from his heart, environmentalist par excellence and the pioneer in water conservation, passed away on December 19. He was 68 years old and was suffering from prostate cancer. Simple living and high thinking was his lifestyle. He was a detached person with right kind of attitude. His book ‘Aaj Bhi Khade Hain Talab’ was published in year 1993. It was one of the most read books in the world. Including Braille script, this book is translated in almost all the languages of the world. He was born in the famous Gandhian sevagram, Vardha in

Maharashta in the year 1948. He worked in Gandhi Shanti Pratishthan and used to stay in Raj Ghat’s residential premises in New Delhi. He used to visit the Jai Prakash Narayan Shanti Pratisthan regularly. That is where he had first met Jai Prakash Narayan. Once, he had to drop a letter from Jai Prakash Narayan to Rajasthan. There he saw, due to the scarcity of water, the host had conserved rainwater in a reservoir. He tasted this water and found it sweet. Since then, he started campaigning for water conservation, management and rainwater harvesting. Mishra was a great photographer

too. Most of his photographs were based on environment. His photographs of the villages of Rajasthan became quite popular. In one of his photographs he had captured 12-13 people trying to collect water from just one water pot. This photograph had captured the attention of the entire world. Anupam Mishra used to write in very simple language. He was a great writer and a skilled editor. Since childhood itself he was inclined towards environment protection. He wrote a book named ‘Mitti Bachao’ in 1972. Later, he wrote books like ‘Rajasthan Ki Rajat Boondein’ and ‘Humara Paryavaran’. None of his books

are covered under copy right law. His books were free for everyone, to be published and read. His book ‘Aaj Bhi Khade Hain Talab’ was translated into French also. In France this book is included in the syllabus of students. Motivated by his books many ponds were revived in Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat and Maharashtra. He never had his own house, he never had any temptation towards materialistic things and he lived his entire life like a fakir. On his demise almost all the dignitaries have sent their tributes. Now, the big question arises who will fill the place he has vacated.

L I F E in converSATion

I S

Book revieW

27 30 AMiTABh The lighT

BAchchAn

Bollywood superstar talks about his fans and his life

WiThin

A photographic journey into an unsee world

S P A R K L I N G

1 JanuarY, 2017

eXcluSive

goSSiP JuncTion

28 celeB

couPleS’ SPliTSville Power couple breakups

32 kAngAnA rAnAuT

Kangana Ranaut is Sone Pe Suhaaga

Bollywood is frequently featuring the country’s favourite travel partner. Writes Aseem Chakraverty

EMEMBER the song ‘Apni to har aah ek toofan hai, uparwala jaan kar bhi anjaan hai’ from Dev Anand’s famous mopvie ‘Kala Bazaar’? Actor Dev Sahab and actress Waheeda Rehman were travelling in the same train coach. Dev Anand is sitting on the lower berth, while Waheeda is resting on the upper one. Dev Anand is actually worshiping god through his singing. At first, Waheeda thought Dev is singing to woo her, but later she realises his true intent and starts listening to his musings carefully. The film’s director Goldie, Dev’s brother, was quite an expert at filming song sequences. There are many more such examples. The mesmeric, long-journey trains have been for long a favourite motif of Bollywood filmmakers.

reAliSM Movies like Anupama, Ganga-Jamuna, Solwa Saal, Aashirvaad, Ajnabi, Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai, Chhoti Si Baat, Baaton Baaton Me, Aaradhna,Chennai Express, etc. have focused exclusively on trains to further their narrative. The Indian Railways have always been a prime element of Bollywood movies. That’s why filmmakers love to shoot in the original location. These locations are also to be widely seen in the upcoming movies. Salman Khan Bollywood directors very often use the train and stations as a is himself a huge fan of these cinematic leitmotif locations. Bodyguard, Kick, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, etc, almost Some of the most memorable all of his movies feature these scenes have been shot on trains, locations. Now he believes even the funky Chhaiya Chhaiya railway to be fortunate for his movies. Railway flourishes with Indian Railways charge celebrity’s acknowledgements, reasonably but gives a wonderful as these feed to the railway’s support as paid hosts huge earnings. Many directors only like to shoot certain scenes

Snapshots

...Continued on Page 26

26 Lead Story

QUARTZ 1 JANUARY, 2017

“railway officials’ special assistance makes our work easier and in railway premises we can shoot as we like” - arbaz khan

Indian directors have a great passion for train shoots, like the shot from the flick ‘Kick’ (top left), Slumdog Millionaire (right) or the song Chhaiyan chhaiyan (top right)

on the original locations in order to give their movies a realistic look. Today’s leading director Kabeer Khan likes to shoot on railways. He says, “Often, I like shooting on real locations like this. It was very important for me to shoot Bajrangi Bhaijaan at an original location. I know it’s quite problematic, but it also eases our work at the same time.”

Profit motive Clearly this affection of filmmaker towards railways brings a new joy to the railway fraternity. Because railway profits double when films like Tees Maar Khan, Ra.One, Dabang, Chennai Express or Bajrangi Bhaijaan feature railway as a key location for their shootings. Passing shots of railways can be spotted in every second movie, but the railway is happy with that as well. Indian Railways receive a hefty price for those shootings as well. But the real fun is when the movies like Wanted and Chennai Express shoot at these locations for days. The railway earns straight upto Rs 10 lakh from two days of shooting time.

earning Usually, railway’s earnings depend on the services they provide. According to a recent estimation, filmmakers have to pay around one or two lakhs per day. These days, filmmakers have to pay up to Rs 50,000 to shoot on a three tier station while the fee goes up to one lakh for a two tier station. Western Railway charges Rs three lakh for shooting in a four coach moving train. Filmmakers receive special concessions in case the shooting continues for more than a few days. They, of course, have to pay a hefty bank deposit and another Rs 25,000 to the CRPF for security,

refundable after the railway officers issue.

railway’s generosity This is the reason why railway has turned soft for the film industry over time. Several stations including CST, Lonavala, Chauk, Apta and Vadibandar are some of the filmmaker’s most favored shooting destination. And they like spending over two lakhs for a day’s shooting. PRO of western railway says, “These days the process of issuing permits for shooting takes a maximum of five days, while earlier it used to take around 10 to 15 days. In certain conditions, the process speeds to provide the permit within three days. On top of it, the railway also provides several additional services to filmmakers in normal charges. ‘There is no doubt that railway officials’ special assistance make our work easier’, says Dabang director Arbaaz Khan. ‘In the railway premises we can shoot as we like.’

Favourite train stations The filmmakers usually chose railway stations depending on their movie’s requirement. But Boribandar, CST, Chouk and Lonavala are the filmmaker’s favourite stations they love shooting at. But Apta, a railway station 11 kms away from Panvel is the directors’ favorite destination. From the yesteryear’s films like Amar Prem to Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Guru, Mohabbatein, Khaki, Slumdog Millionare and TV serials have been shot here (like?). But other than Apta, stations including CST and Navi

Mumbai are some of the other stations in Western Railway that attracts directors. Some other locations are carsheds of Kandiwali and Mahalaxmi, Goregaon, Matunga, Mahalaxmi station platform, Lower Parel workshop, Mumbai Central and the crowded areas of Churchgate station. And that’s not it, movies are also frequently shot at station like Bandra terminal

Remembering BR Chopra Talking about any movie, even remotely related to railway, the discussions of BR Chopra’s movie ‘The Burning Train’ is bound to come up. It was India’s first movie completely focused on trains. In this movie, the first Delhi to Mumbai superfast train starts its journey with engineer Vinod Khanna’s tireless efforts. But midway, the train catches fire and the brakes fail. This was a conspiracy to ‘derail’ the train. The movie follows an exciting plot. Over a dozen stars including Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Vinod Khanna, Parveen Babi, Vinod Mehra, Danny, among others were passangers in this train. Yet, the movie didn’t survive long at the box office. With a 300 per cent collection in the beginning, the movie is still in the averagely successful movies. Despite that, Chopra Sahab’s efforts are believed to be meaningful and are still widely appreciated. He is still admired in the industry for the fact that he was the first to have made a movie on train tragedies. But his inspiration for the film was a Hollywood hit The Towering Inferno.

Scenes to remember The list of scenes shot at railway stations and platforms is long. But there is a series of tragic scenes that have left their mark on the spectators. Remember Hrishi Da’s remarkable movie ‘Anupama’. In the last scene, the timid girl Sharmila Taigore rebels against her father for Dharmendra. She boards the train to leave for his house. Her friends are at the station to see her off. Her father is watching hiding behind a station pillar. The camera freezes on her father and the movie ends. This scene is a landmark for most movie buffs. But Director Ashutosh Gowarikar cannot be praised enough for his work in ‘Swadesh’ with Shahrukh. ‘Bisleri drinker’ Shahrukh is waiting thirsty in a train coach. The train stops at a platform, as he starts looking for a Bisleri seller, he finds a boy selling cups of water for 25 paise. He buys water from him and hands over a five rupee coin. He goes through his coins to return him the change when train starts moving. The boy follows the train to return his change. The way this whole scene turns out is really touching. In the recent film ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, the movie depicts a rather beautiful picture playing around the girl child ‘Munni’. The train shots are constant and grips the audience. The train here becomes symbolic of reunion. The involved talks of film buffs on such scenes is a never ending discussion. It’s just like the railways are a part of our lives, so are these movie scenes and train stations.

QUARTZ

1 JANUARY, 2017

Book Review

Book revieW The light Within

The lens and a mother’s eyes Sipra Das’ book brings out the ‘blinding truths of life’ which she found through her photo tour into the lives of the visually deprived

The lighT WiThin

by Sipra Das Published by niyogi Books Price : rs.795/Anupama Yadav

HE prowls through the early morning, looking for a mirror in the room. She looked all around, but found none. She was quite agitated, until it struck her how futile a mirror would be in thisschool. Lenswoman Sipra Das was at a blind school, where she was having a completely different experience of life. Her book ‘The Light Within: A Different Vision Of Life’ is a journey of her 12year long endeavour to understand the lives of the blind. “We cannot see with our eyes but we can see with our hearts. You can see with your eyes but you cannot see with your heart,” Jawahar Kaul, the visually denied principal of the school had told Das on the very first day of her stay. Das has worked with India Today for more than two decades, covering major political developments. Amidst the hype and hoopla of news photography that has seen her travel to numerous places, she found time to document the lives of the visually challenged all across the country. She has been shooting photographs for the book for over a decade. The book begins with a photograph of blind children walking in a file on a winter morning to their school in the village of Fardagola in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district. The most striking view is each pair of tiny hands leading the other. Another picture narrates the story of Misri Sahani, a sightless fisherman in Buddhanagara village.

simple narratives of now and works as a Hindi Das’ nature as a life. Dimple Wadhwa stenographer. was forced to leave her The most invigorating mother caring husband. However, she feature of Sipra’s book for her less decided not to remarry is the life stories of her fortunate a normal man. “He will subjects show that they children is clear invariably cheat on me,” all have emerged from says the sightless Dimple, their tragedies. Sipra whose father always commented: “They treated her like a normal child and brought me face to face with blinding educated her. She is a post graduate flashes of truth that would have remained outside my ken had their amazing lives not touched mine.” The black and white evocative frames ABouT The AuThor give serenity and depth to the images and manifest the famous saying that a SIPRA DAS picture is worth a thousand words. The idea behind the book was to capture the extraordinary lives of visually impaired through images that would stimulate genuine empathy IPRA DAS has the distinction of being the first and awe rather than the usual mix of woman news photojournalist in India. She is sympathy and pity. as tenacious and hardworking as a photoThe book reveals their tales of struggle and survival, despair, hope, resilience journalist ought to be. Every day, day after day, she and triumphs. is out the in the field from morning to late nights, These people not only lived lives on rubbing shoulders with male photographers. She is witness to many a momentheir own terms but also excelled in tous occasions which are more than a spec in modern Indian political history whatever they chose to do. Says a native which she chronicled mostly for the iconic weekly magazine – India Today. of West Bengal’s Malda District, Nakul, There were times when this diminutive, frail-looking photographer would with a coy smile, “A normal girl will get struggle to get a glimpse at her object because of the bevy of hefty male phopure love from a blind boy, for the latter tographers who would often block her way – sometimes out of jealously and will be a loyal husband; he will never sometimes due to gender bias. But, Sipra never let such hurdles blur her vision look at other women.” and focus. Somehow, she would steal her moment to get one of the best shots, Much has been known about Das’s out of the lot present there. indefatiguable nature and inexhustible Yet, one of the most remarkable quality of this hard-boiled photo-journalist is energy. But seldom has the common fan that she has preserved her sensitivities. And this reflects in her compilation of of her photographs know that she lends photographs in – The Light Within: A different vision of life. a loving mother’s eyes to her work on physically challenged persons.

He is the eldest of seven siblings who lost his eyesight at the age of two. He was under treatment for two months but unfortunately, the doctor passed away. His family and neighbors believe he is a victim of black magic. Despite all odds, he never returns home empty handed, and being a competent fisherman, earns something like Rs 5,000 a month. Each story in the book is filled with

India’s first woman photojournalist

28 Exclusive

QUARTZ 1 JANUARY, 2017

celeb I couples’ splitsVille Divorce cases are increasing in India, and though yours and mine do not make it to the headlines, those of the celebs do and stir up the world gossip and scuttlebutt, sometimes even mudslinging. Geeta Singh writes

N Hollywood when stars date the story seems normal. But within few years of live-in or marital bliss, these stars break up, and they hit the headlines, just like Bradd Pitt and Angelina Jolie did recently. Popularly known as ‘Brangelina’, Jolie and Pitt were among the very few Hollywood couples who were together for 14 years, so the news shook the world. The two had been together since 2004 and raised six kids, but only got married in 2014. Throughout their relationship as liveins or married, they expressed their feelings openly. Like in 2013, when Jolie, a cancer patient, underwent double mastectomy, she told the world: “I am fortunate to have a partner, Brad Pitt, who is so loving and supportive. So to anyone who has a wife or girlfriend going through this, know that you are

a very important part of the transition. We knew this would bring us closer. And it has.” But finally, it did not! Well in the US, where half of the ‘nonceleb’ marriages end in divorce, the data shoots up in the case of celebrity couples. Behavioural problems? Well, going back in history, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton divorced on the issue of snoring. Similarly, in the case of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, the latter has been accused of infidelity while Jolie is suffering from anorexia, cancer and stress. Acrimonious argumentation is a big issue too. Research shows argumentative lovers often tie the knot, hoping that their endless arguing will stop over time. In reality, marriage is not a solution to ongoing issues. Most importantly, cheating on the

Liz Taylor divorced from her husband Richard Burton, splitting on the issue of snoring

QUARTZ 1 JANUARY, 2017

Exclusive

bollywood partinGs

F 8 3. Drew Barrymore – Will Kopelman: Recently, the couple announced that they would divorce after reportedly living separately for the past few months. They have been married for three years and have two daughters.

4. Beyonce Knowles – Jay-Z: Even though Beyonce is pregnant with their second child, reports suggest that her relationship with rapper Jay-Z is crumbling after nearly eight years of marriage. With their ugly fights making headlines every other day, it seems as though this couple will head for a divorce soon.

7 partner is the root of 55 per cent of divorces. While Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt might be having a $400 million split, here’s a look at other shocking splits in Hollywood. 1. Arnold Schwarzenegger – Maria Shriver: This split sent shock waves throughout Hollywood as it was revealed that he had fathered a child with the couple’s housekeeper, and had been cheating on her for over a decade. 2. David Beckham – Victoria: They were a craze amongst fans and happily married for 16 years, but news of their split came last month. Sources say they are still trying to work things out for the sake of their four children. But who knows!

5. Jennifer Garner – Ben Affleck: When the two announced their split in June 2015, many people thought it was due to Ben’s infidelity. A day after their 10th wedding anniversary, the couple announced their divorce. However, the estranged couple is still bringing up their kids together and trying to give their wedding another chance. 6. Johnny Depp – Amber Heard: This was a fairytale romance gone awry. After merely 15 months of being married, Amber filed for divorce from Johnny, saying that he had abused her throughout their marriage. To prove her point, Amber stepped out of a courtroom with a bruise on her face to show Johnny’s friends and family. 7. Brad Pitt – Jennifer Aniston: Before Brangelina, there was the hottest Hollywood couple for five years before they announced their divorce in 2005, amidst rumors of Brad dating Angelina while shooting for Mr & Mrs. Smith in 2003. 8. Gwyneth Paltrow – Chris Martin: Their decision of ‘conscious uncoupling’ was mutual, but it still broke hearts of fans, friends, and family. Gwyneth announced her decision to separate from Coldplay frontman Chris in 2014, after 11 years of marriage and two kids, and the divorce was finalised this year.

OR Indians, marriages are supposed to be sacred. Indian cinema depicts this in all the song and dance about saat janam ka phera. But divorce cases have tripled in metros over the past five years. And Bollywood is no exception, where divorces are frequent. The cases of Nadira splitting with Raj Babbar and marrying dusky Smita Patil, or Dharmender converting to Islam to avoid a divorce case, and marrying Hema Malini did not make much noise. 1. Karisma - Sunjay Kapur This has become the biggest draw for newspaper readers: Karisma’s marriage to Delhibased businessman Sunjay Kapur fell apart. They got married in 2003 but Sanajy being an alleged ‘Casanova’, Karishma would have nothing to do with him. 2. Arbaaz Khan – Malaika Arora When Malaika and Arbaaz decided to end their 17 years of wedlock in March this year, the news came as a shock to family and friends. The couple had first met during a coffee ad shoot and instantly fell in love. They got married in 1998 and have a son Arhaan. Arbaaz’s financial instability are being quoted as the reasons for their separation.

3. Farhan Akhtar – Adhuna Farhan and Adhuna’s was the typical ‘love at first sight’. He was struggling to get chance as a director and she was a hairstylist in 1999. They married the next year. Farhan became a big director after the release of ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ and went on to direct and act in other films too. The reason for their separation is being quoted as Farhan’s growing popularity and closeness to some of his female co-stars.

4. Hrithik Roshan - Sussanne Khan Their childhood friendship became a fairytale romance when Hrithik married Sussanne in 2000. Considered as one of the best ‘made for each other’, they split last year. 5. Priyadarshan – Lissy Former Malayalam actress Lissy and director Priyadarshan parted ways in 2014 after 24 years of marriage. The director’s infidelity became the main reason for the popular pair’s breakup.

30 in Conversation

QUARTZ 1 JANUARY, 2017

QUARTZ

1 JANUARY, 2017

in Conversation

fAce To fAce WiTh

Amitabh Bachchan

“My fans’ image of me is the ﬁnal word” He is always there in the headlines of newspapers, not even missing a single day, as if there is no end of things happening around him. Perhaps this makes more challenging to have a conversation with him and that too with relevant and novel questions. Big B spoke exclusively to Sulabh Swachh Bharat’s Gopa C

Have you ever thought of taking retirement from acting? When I will be 75, my body will weaken and hence obviously my stamina will reduce, and then I will do selective work. But if the audiences want to make me to step down before that time, their wish will be my command. I am told you have set up a huge library in your bungalow ‘Jalsa’? It is not really huge, big but you will find a collection of some very good books in my library. I inherited this habit from my father (the legendary poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan). Babuji used to read a lot. I am an avid reader too. However, due to lack of time, I haven’t read many of the books that I have purchased a long time back. But when I start reading a book, I don’t stop till I finish it. In many interviews, you have shared your special sentiments for Calcutta… Well, that is but natural. I remember that the first time when Babuji (father, poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan) and I reached Calcutta, he took me straight to watch a football match. That is when I witnessed Calcutta’s football mania. My first job, too, was in Calcutta, and I still recollect that never ever had I felt like an alien in that city. I grew up in the strict confines of Allahabad, so the sense of freedom that Calcutta offered me cannot be forgotten.

It is there that you also met the cinema maestro Satyajit Ray, isn’t it. True. However, it is a regret that I could not work with him much. He had said he wanted me to play the lead role in his proposed film, ‘Aryaner Deen Ratri’, but that never took shape. However, I am still lucky because I could do the narration for his film, ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi” You have had a ‘never-say-die’ career, where you are still the ‘Badshah’. Does it make you anxious that people might someday forget you? I am absolutely free from such anxieties. It is not only me. Every single actor or actress is well aware of the fact that a time comes when people forget you. Our careers depend on the fact of how long you appear on the screen. The moment you are away from their eyes, people forget you. Once Dharmendra was standing outside a theatre and nobody recognised him. Touched by that incident he wrote a heart broken poem… He was quite honest to express his emotions for not being recognised. Your working capacity really hides your age and ill health? It is like a compliment for me. It is

a wonderful experience. If my body allows me to work how can I sit at home? Doing different roles and acting in front of the camera is what I most adore. I like my profession, so I will certainly work till my health is fine. Do you miss those special friends who are no more in this world, or may be not your friend anymore? It is indispensable to have friends to live this life.But many a times I am happy alone. I miss my friend Rajiv

learned a lot while working with him.I remember while reviewing the film Shakti a critic praised me a lot. I found it odd for the first time. Your popular image of angry young man is still an attraction. In the film ‘Buddha Hoga Tera Baap’, you seemed to relive that image… See, there are a few stereotypes in commercial cinema that cannot be changed. It is not surprising that you find my image of the angry young man

i met Stayajit ray when i was working in calcutta. i regret i did not get the chance to work with him, but i still did the narration in his Shatranj ke khiladi Gandhi quite often. Whenever you work with a serious actor in a particular film, is your presence or acting compared with him? Such comparisons never disappoint me. I know that it is an interesting subject for media, but for us it has no significance, as there are some great actors apart me like Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Nana Patekar and many others. But when I am compared to a legendary actor like Dilip Sahab (Dilip Kumar) I feel embarrassed, as I

in some of my roles these days. In commercial movies the choice of the audience stands above everything else. How much does it satisfy your artistic instincts? Those countless fans who have exalted me to cross such milestone, my satisfaction is in their choice. If they like any particular image of mine it will naturally appear in the script, more or less in all the roles. Moreover how can I forget that it is the audience which has also encouraged me in many different roles.

QUARTZ

1 JANUARY, 2017

Jenni nostalgic

he is as sexy as she is sensible. JENNIFER ANISTON is one actress who is not sold out on Facebook and Instagram or whatever vehicles stars use to publicise themselves constantly. She misses those day unpolluted by social media. “Honestly, I think that period of time was nostalgic. Our faces weren’t stuffed into cell phones, we weren’t checking Facebook We were in a room together, we were in a coffee shop having conversations, we have lost that,” Aniston said on a TV show.

J U N C T I O N

cine-Split for Dips-ranveer This is food for the chatterati, the gossip mongers who insist that Ranveer Singh and beaux Deepika Padukone are splitting. Are they? The fact remains that they will not share a single shot in the upcoming film Padmavati, where Dips will play Padmavati and Shahid Kapooer, her ‘hubby’, Rana Ratan Singh, Ranveer will actually play the role of Emperor Alauddin Khilji who is besotted with the Rajput queen, who actually spurns him. So the duo shall never meet in the film, like Khilji and Padma.

Sone Pe Suhaaga

irector Hansal Mehta says Kangana Ranaut, who features in his new movie “Simran”, is like “sone pe suhaaga”. “Kangana is a fantastic artiste, a wonderful actor and we had a great time. She is very fine actress in addition to being a star. She is like ‘sone pe suhaaga’ -- a wonderful actress and a very big star too,” Mehta said. “Simran” recently completed its US schedule.

kidman’s kids

Toilet: A love Story

nspired by Swachhta movement, the AKSHAY KUMAR-Neeraj Panday duo is making “Toilet : Ek Prem Katha”. Marathi actress Bhumi Pednekar is Akshay’s heroine in this love story. Bhumi made a successful debut with “Dum Laga Ke Haisha” last year. The film set in a small town – Mathura -- just like Dum Laga Ke... was shot in Haridwar. Bhumi says: “This is more of challenge to me. Films set in small towns tell stories about the real Indian families.”

izzling Australian actress Nicole Kidman’s love for kids is fable. Now she will play out something of her own life in Sue Brierley’s forthcoming movie ‘Lion’. She finds an emotional connect to ‘Lion’ because it is on adoption. Nicole has already adopted two kids (Isabella, 23, and Connor, 20) with her former partner Tom Cruise, and has two biological daughters.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Licensing) Delhi No. F. 2 (S-45) Press/ 2016 VOLUME - 1, ISSUE - 2 Printed by Monika Jain, Published by Monika Jain on behalf of SULABH SANITATION MISSION FOUNDATION and Printed at The Indian Express Ltd., A-8, Sector-7, NOIDA (U.P.) and Published from RZ 83, Mahavir Enclave, Palam-Dabri Road, New Delhi – 110 045. Editor Monika Jain