The Beat, March 2013 by The Beat

The Beat

March 2013

s n e t t o r A March 2013 | The Beat

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March 2013 | The Beat

Created by: Robin Sinha

Content Threats circle India’s vultures

Nature’s scavengers lie on the verge of extinction.

Education This section gives an insight into the country’s education sector and the problems associated with it.

Cover Story: A Rotten State

The ever-hot topic of the country, politics, and how the very term has become synonymous with corruption.

Dystopian Vision The section looks into how some children flee their homes and later turn to crime.

March 2013 | The Beat

Got an iPhone 3GS? You might as well trash it

As Apple launches the iPhone 5, the users of older versions of the smartphone face software problems.

The sinking ship of the single screen An in-depth look at how the multiplex culture is acting as a threat to conventional movie theaters.

31 With a shy smile... A day in the life of pourakarmika.

34 We review... ...a recent Bollywood film and a restaurant in the city.

The Beat is a publication by magazine students of Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media. All rights are reserved by IIJNM. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or transmitted, in any form or any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than in which it is published.

March 2013 | The Beat

The Beat Editor Udita Chaturvedi Subeditor Mark Austin Page designers Debanti Roy Nijhum Rudra Nupur Gour Pyusha Chatterjee Reshma Tarwani Sidharth Shekhar Proofreaders: Amrita Ray Pushkar Banakar Sumit Vintu Augustine Logo designer Robin Sinha Cover photo: Krishnaprasad S. Email your feedback: magazine@iijnm.org March 2013 | The Beat

From the editor’s desk... Since India gained independence in 1947, political parties have been making a mess of the country in the name of corruption, and Karnataka has been one of the worst offenders. Though Karnataka claims to be one of the most advanced states in the country, with major IT industries and educational institutions having their base in its capital city, Bangalore, the levels of corruption in the state are shockingly high. Karnataka’s political leaders have dragged a fine and civilized state into the gutter and tarnished the image of the state. They have been pillaging the state’s wealth and property to make their own bank balances grow. When one thinks of Karnataka political leaders, one thinks of unnecessary cash transfers into personal pockets, illegal land acquisitions and breaking of promises made during election campaigns. In the last few years, several ministers have been disgraced in the media and some of their number have been jailed. Corruption, inefficiency, ignorance, in-fighting, defections and misgovernance are ruining the state. With elections just round the corner, we at The Beat decided to dedicate this month’s issue to Karnataka politics, along with stories on various other topics. This issue is a result of efforts put in by my entire team and we hope our readers will be satisfied with our efforts. Happy reading!

Udita Chaturvedi

WILDLIFE

Threats circle India’s vultures Long-Billed Indian Vulture

Photo: Aasif Wadia

Vultures,

with their large wingspan, like a creature from some bygone age, soar high in the sky. No primeval forest, no cage. Elegant and magnificent, this phantom of the cliffs has talons, feathers and beak as gray as lead. This omnivorous bird is endemic to India and the few other Asian countries. For most of us, the vulture is an “ugly” bird that we have always avoided looking at, as we superstitiously see it as a bad omen. Being ugly, they naturally do not attract our attention, like the beautifully iridescent peacock or kingfisher for instance. Still, vultures play a subtle yet extremely important ecological role in the environment

as a primary carrion feeders and disposers of carcasses. They clean up carcasses of domestic and wild animals and also human corpses in certain communities which otherwise would have been left to rot in the open, thus posing a threat to the health of the native populace. In the last decade, the vulture population has declined by more than 95 percent in India, Nepal and Pakistan—the very same countries where the distribution of the vulture population was once high. The birds in the northern part of its range, once considered a subspecies, are now considered a separate species, the Slenderbilled Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris).

Three species of Gyps vultures, namely, the Oriental White-backed Vulture (Gyps bengalensis), the Long-billed Vulture (Gyps indicus), and the Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris), are now listed as critically endangered species.

Ramadevarabetta State Forest Ramanagara, also known as Closepet, is located approximately 50 kilometers southwest of Bangalore. It’s famous for its rocky outcrops and was one of the film-shoot locations for Amitabh Bacchan’s Sholay and David Lean’s A Passage to India. The hills of Ramanagara have also been home to the critically and globally endangered Longbilled vultures for a long time.

March 2013 | The Beat

Ramadevarabetta State Forest

Photo: Sidharth Shekhar These vultures, according to the Bombay Natural History Society, appears to be the only known and last surviving population of the species in inland southern India. The Long-billed Vulture has showed a shocking decline over the last 15 years. Vulture populations have dropped by over 90 percent with population loss of more than 98 percent reported in many areas. Bird conservationists blame their disappearance on the sharp increase in the use of chemicals for agriculture and livestock in India. The use of the anti-inflammatory drug Diclofenac in domestic cattle is behind the catastrophic decline in the vulture population as it causes kidney failure in the birds. Ramadevarabetta State Forest is spread over 33 square kilometers and comprises three hill complexes. The largest is the Ramadevarabetta complex, with six peaks of varying heights (the highest 934 meters). This is also an important Hindu pilgrimage site, with a temple on top of the hill that is frequented by devotees from surrounding villages and towns and distant cities.

At the brink of extinction Illegal activities like deforestation, poaching, and mining in the Ramadevara state forest haven’t stopped in spite of all the security measures undertaken by the forest department. Iruliga community people who have been

March 2013 | The Beat

living around this area for decades have many stories to tell. Sitting with them and hearing their stories was like a journey into the past and a peak into their lives and times. Keshavan, one of the members from the community said, “Vultures were found in abundance all over this area 15 to 20 years before, but with the rise in tourism, trekking activities and illegal stone-quarrying, their population has seen a steep decline.” He also said that forest officials and rangers are often bribed to allow illegal poaching of birds and many people from the nearby villages are engaged in this activity. These vultures live mainly on crags in the hills of Sind in Pakistan and Central and Peninsular India; and breed mainly on cliffs.

Wildlife photography a lifeline? Wildlife photography is important to conserve wildlife, but when it reaches a stage where it is meant to satisfy one’s ego, does wildlife stands a chance? Is there a need for every other photographer to disturb these birds to get a good shot? Is publicity so very important compared with the survival of these species that it is worth endangering their lives at the cost of photography? So far, however, it’s not the big-spending luxury travellers but rather the off-beat travellers, tourists and of course wildlife photographers who frequent this place out

of curiosity to scan these hilly terrains for adventure and fun. But ironically this one sided “fun” for adrenalin-flushed adventurers is a nightmare for the vultures who have nowhere else to go and whose only home has already been breached by these unwelcome souls. Aasif Wadia, a freelance photographer and wildlife enthusiast, has been visiting Ramadevarabetta State Forest for the past few years. “Wildlife photography is all about patience, which is the most important requirement for getting the best shot,” he said. “A telephoto zoom lens should be used for taking pictures of subjects which are far away, but due to its bulky size many photographers don’t use it.” Lack of awareness among the people and the photographers have left no stone unturned to infiltrate the lives of these vultures who are already finding it hard to survive in these highly testing times.

Illegal stone quarrying a menace Many mining companies have been operating in this area for stone quarrying. Locals claim, some have legally acquired a mining license while others operate illegally with the support from some local politicians are also involved in this illicit business. The continuous sound of drilling and the vibration generated from it disturbs the natural habitat of these species, which once upon

Brown Rock Thrush, another vulnerable speicies of the area

Photo: Sidharth Shekhar

Solace

forestation” which few lumber companies use to quell the criticism of their activities in Ramadevara State Forest is designed to mislead.

This vibrant treasure trove of many species is under considerable threat from humans who have used every arrow in their quiver to dislodge vultures from their abode. Illegal deforestation is also a matter of concern, and the phrase “selective de-

Sitting on the other side of the cliff it’s easy to get a good view of the forest. It’s high time that we should initiate an effective program in coordination with the government and the local communities to help the biodiversity in the area thrive.

a time were living their lives free from any unwanted invasion.

It’s not only about the vultures, it is about the other flora and fauna that are a part of the biodiversity there. Quite a few species of birds are in a vulnerable state due to human activities in and around the region. These vultures can sustain and thrive only if the forest area is controlled from the maddening influx of tourists and people who are legally or illegally connected with the forest, economically. Across the hills, plumes of smoke rise up from the huts. Only the wind and the perpetual sound of the tress can be heard. The view from up here seems like a journey back in time. A view that may also hold promise for the future. A future for these species, which is the last remaining vagrant in the valley.

By Sidharth Shekhar Photo: Sidharth Shekhar

March 2013 | The Beat

EDUCATION Bangalore: The next educational capital?

India

is often considered to be the land where scholars originate. The term ‘originate’ fits just right for all practical purposes; the bright minds of the country choose foreign lands to continue with their research. They cannot be blamed for this as they desperately feel the lack of research institutes and facilities in their homeland. Taking into account these issues, the government has started commissioning research institutes across the length and breadth of the country. But, on closer examination it is seen that out of the 147 institutes cleared by the government and the University Grants Commission (UGC) in the past 9 years, 39 have been cleared for setting up in Bangalore alone. The cleared institutes are in various stages of being set up. Some of them have become fully operational and some are partly operational. So why Bangalore is the centre for setting up these institutes and why is Bangalore being preferred over other major cities of the country? Examinations show that there are a lot of reasons as to why Bangalore is being preferred to other cities. The most important reason is that the land required for setting up these institutes is being provided by the government at throwaway prices. H. Sidaiah, Commissioner of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), said: “We are privileged that so many institutes have come up in the city. We would like to see more research conducted in the city, so, we offer our lands at highly subsidized prices for these institutes to be set up.” Elaborating on the subsidies, he continued to say that the lands are being offered at subsidies between 60-75 percent. On the other hand, in cities like Hyderabad and Delhi, the land given is only subsidized to

March 2013 | The Beat

around 20 percent. Not even half of what is given in Bangalore.

notch metros of the country is the climate of the city.

M.T. Krishna Babu, Commissioner of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, in a dejected tone told The Beat that due to the financial set up of the state and various other reasons, the state can offer rebates only to the tune of 15-20 percent and this costs them some major educational projects. The stories are similar in other metros as well.

M. Sai Prasad, of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) Bangalore, said: “The climate of the city is a perfect blend of hot and cold. It is in many ways similar to the climate of many other foreign countries so that makes it that much easier for foreign students to adjust to the city.”

The planning of the residential complexes in the city can also be attributed to the setting up of these institutes. The town planning department of the BBMP can be credited with the brisk increase in the setting up of research institutes in the city. Sidaiah, who also heads the town planning division, said: “As the residential complexes are planned to perfection, the issuing of lands is not much of an issue and we hardly need to relocate people and change our plans regarding the residential areas when lands are allocated.” The academicians in the institutes based in the city are on a high. Indian Institute of Science (IISc), often considered to be the pioneer research institute in the country has professors gleaming with happiness as Bangalore is slowly turning into the research capital of India. Prof. Nambiar of IISc’s Genetics’ department, said: “I started off as a student in IISc and to see the city’s academic scenario grow to this extent is very heartening.” Bangalore, as a city, is very cosmopolitan. It is living up to its reputation of being cosmopolitan even in the kind of research institutes that it boasts of being home to. There are research institutes which cater to subjects ranging from human health, animal health to agricultural research and research in the field of information technology.

There are over 5000 foreign students in various research institutes in the city, giving ample proof of the climate and the city being adjustable to the foreign students. Sai Prasad further added: “Even nature is like God’s gift for the city. I am glad that the city’s weather is another reason for the institutes being set up.” The foreign students of these institutes are very glad too. Kaushik Vijaykumar, a research associate in IISc from Bahrain said: “I am glad I am in Bangalore. In my three years of stay in India I have visited many places but I found Bangalore to the best place.” The local students take pride in the fact they are part of such reputed institutes and also get to live in their hometown. Another research associate, Shanti Kumari, said: “I take immense pride in the fact that I am a student of this institute (Indian Veterinary Research Institute) and that I hail from Bangalore.” The setting up of over 30 percent of the newly commissioned institutes in Bangalore is a collaborative effort of the government, nature and the demographics of the city. All the factors are helping Bangalore emerge as the next educational capital of India.

By Pushkar Banakar

Another very peculiar reason as to why Bangalore is being chosen over other top

EDUCATION Students training to preserve life end up bullied to death Despite being outlawed, ragging is rampant in the country’s medical colleges

Doctors

are considered to be in the noblest profession all over the world. The nobility is enhanced in a country like India, where doctors are treated like demigods and are often referred to as the incarnations of gods in this part of the world. To become these demigods, the doctors first must undergo training and overcome severe pressure. The pressure, if academic, is very understandable as this gets them to hone their medical skills and trains them to be some of the best doctors in future.

cumbing to the pressure of almost inhuman bullying. A recent report by the Aman Satya Kachroo Trust, a group that helps bullied students, states that the highest number of ragging cases is reported from medical colleges in India. The data provided by their helpline system reveals that the total number of cases registered last year was 375, of which 153 cases were from medical institutes from acrossthe country. D r .

But underneath this healthy pressure there exists another pressure that almost all medical students need to overcome— the pressure to overcome the abusive and mentally harassing system of ragging.

The menace of ragging in medical colleges comes to the fore as ragging in these colleges reaches the pinnacle of disgust and often has resulted in many students suc-

She pointed out that there have been cases of permanent injuries to medicos due to the harassment they incur. A cloud fell over her smiling face as she said: “If these people, who call themselves the future doctors of the country, resort to such heinous ways of ragging merely for their entertainment then I am really worried about the medical future of this country.” Pulling a strand of her waist-length braided hair off her face, she said: “I have had cases where the anus of the student has been damaged by thrusting a broken bottle into it. There have also been cases where severe cuts were inf licted on the s t u dents’ genitals.”

The system of ragging was banned in all educational institutions quite a few years ago. In spite of the ban, ragging is prevalent today in almost all the top educational institutions across the country. The menace of ragging is very common in medical colleges in the country.

medical colleges.”

Geeta Laxmikanth, a counselor for depression patients for the past 13 years, told The Beat in an interview in Jaipur: “I have had numerous cases of students who come to me for counseling for depression due to ragging. Most of these students are from noted professional colleges, and the majority of them are from

It is very difficult even for renowned psychologists to help these students overcome the trauma of ragging. “The trauma for the student as well as the family is huge. It takes several months for them to recover and then it becomes very difficult for the student to catch up with the intense pressure of academics,” Laxmikanth said. “I have seen very few students cope with academics in college after recov-

March 2013 | The Beat

ering from severe ragging issues.” One of the many unlucky pupils who lost his life to ragging was George Verghese. He was a bright student since childhood and had toiled hard to realize his childhood dream of becoming a doctor. His hard work was rewarded, and he successfully made it into one of a reputed medical college. Little did he know that the happiest moment of his life was about to turn into a devilish nightmare. Suzanne Verghese, George’s mother, a beautiful lady in her mid 30s, told The Beat: “I still recall the day George came up to me almost jumping with joy for his dream was about to be realized. It seems to be like yesterday that he hanged himself in his hostel room and a suicide note lay on a table beside.” The suicide note said he could not handle the shameful things his seniors made him do on the pretext of ragging. He had also mentioned how embarrassing it would be for him to return back home leaving his dream course incomplete and how his seniors had warned him against complaining ti the authorities. With her teary blue eyes fixed on her son’s photograph, which adorned a wall of her apartment in Ahmedabad, she angrily said: “The culprits haven’t been found till date and the college has no regrets whatsoever about what happened to my son.” Emotions got the better of her and she began sobbing. Calming herself with much effort, she said: “It’s not about only my son—how can our country afford to lose future doctors like George for petty reasons like these?” The death of this medico created a furor in the local media. But like all other news, the sensationalism fizzed out in a few weeks. In the few weeks that this news created a stir, the Medical Council of India, the college authorities and the government took stern measures to curb the act of ragging. Ragging was made a criminal offence and anti-ragging committees were set up all

March 2013 | The Beat

over the country after complains started pouring in against ragging incidents.

lege does not permit such cheap acts of ragging.”

Sadly, like most laws and committees in the country, even this one failed to live up to its potential. Ragging, although momentarily curbed, continues to flourish like ever before all over the country and mainly medical colleges.

He flatly denied the allegations and said the student who claims to have ragged his juniors is spreading rumors and is doing so to malign the image of the college. It was beyond understanding as to why a student would want to malign the image of his own college. Chandra said.

One of the successful committee which heeded to the ragging victims was the Aman Satya Kachroo Trust. It was set up in 2009 following government directives. It has a 24-hour helpline number for students, which addresses all ragging issues. They have received a total of 1,776 complaints in the past four years, and Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 379 complaints alone. Abhishek Podaturi, a postgraduate student in the same medical college as George, said: “The anti-ragging committees are constituted by the students themselves and the ragging goes on as usual. When we were juniors we were ragged and we think of it as a right to rag our juniors.” He continued: “Even the principal is aware of the ragging that takes place in the college, but then he cannot do anything about it.”

In a nutshell, it is shameful that a menace like ragging is claiming the mental peace and sometimes the lives of some of the most brilliant brains of the country. Neither the government and the college officials nor the senior students who have borne the brunt of ragging seem to be taking notice of it. For a brighter future in terms of good health care, India’s medical colleges surely need a revamp in terms of measures taken to curb the ever-present menace of ragging.

By Nupur Gour

The principal, Dr. Raman Chandra, seemed amused and puzzled when asked about the incidents of ragging in his college. He said: “I think you are gravely mistaken—my col-

EDUCATION

Paranormal moving into mainstream

While

I was doing an MSc in cognitive science at the Centre of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences in Allahabad University, I thought I would do a PhD in parapsychology. Not because I believed in paranormal experiences, but because I wanted to investigate whether paranormal experiences, which many people claim to have experienced, are true. Though I shifted to journalism after that but the question still haunts me. I asked my head of department, Prof. Narayanan Srinivasan, his views on the relevance of parapsychology for this article. I wanted to know what he thought about it and whether it should be taught in colleges and does it hold any relevance in today’s world. He said in an email: “I do not believe in parapsychology or I should say I am a sceptic when it comes to parapsychology. Normal psychology itself is difficult enough to understand and I think this is a diversion of our efforts and resources. The evidence for paranormal phenomena is sketchy at best. Also the explanations are not clear cut and it is not clear how explanations of paranormal phenomena and explanations of so called normal phenomena are supposed to gel.” The president of the Indian Rationalist Association, Sanal Edamaruku said in an email: “Parapsychology is based on unestablished presumptions. Most of the claims made by interested parties are proved fraudulent. There is no scientific evidence for these claims. It can be categorized as an occult belief or pseudo-science.”

you believe in god?” I do not know why I firmly believe in the existence of god, but cast a doubtful eye on the people who tell me “real” ghost stories. I do not know why I believe in the sixth sense and intuition, but doubt people who prophesize about me. Dr. Dean Radin, former president of Parapsychological Association, is currently a senior scientist in the Institute of Noetic Sciences, has a different view about parapsychology. He said in an email: “Parapsychology as regarded by the general public, and the media, is about spooky “paranormal” things like psychic powers, telepathy and mind over matter. But that's not what the scientific study of these phenomena is focused on. Parapsychology is the study of the role of consciousness in the physical world and the nature of the brain-mind r e l a t i o n s h i p.” H e is of the view that parapsychology is relevant and should be taught in colleges not only as an elective, but as a core course because it is socially and scientifically important. He supported his view by saying: “In my view it is highly relevant to issues within many academic disciplines, and especially in psychology, physics, philosophy, neuroscience, and religious studies. The accumulated empirical evidence in favour of these phenomena is now overwhelmingly positive, leaving little doubt that some of today's scientific assumptions about the capacities of consciousness, and about the brain-mind relationship, are wrong.”

He added: “If there is any verifiable evidence, I am open to hear about it.”

He added: “When those assumptions are replaced by a more comprehensive understanding that accommodates psychic phenomena, I suspect that our view of who and what we are, and what we are capable of, will have gone through a radical transformation.”

Even I am a sceptic and cannot answer the question—“Do you believe people are telling the truth when they say they see ghosts?” with a “yes,” but I definitely say yes when people ask me—“Do

A clinical psychologist and a faculty member at the Psychology Department of Christ University, Ginni K. Gopinath, wants parapsychology to be taught extensively in colleges as a separate course

March 2013 | The Beat

and not as a chapter. He is also a hypnotherapist and claims to have experienced patients going back to their past life during therapy. He said reincarnation definitely takes place and people remember about their past lives although not consciously, but unconsciously. He also shared that he has seen cases of premonitions or when dreams have turned out to be true.

ogy, has a much brighter future.” In an interview with VideoJug (a short-form online video content website), he explains anomalistic psychology as follows: “Anomalistic Psychology is essentially the psychology of paranormal beliefs and ostensibly paranormal experiences. So, most of the research is directed towards coming up with non-paranormal explanations for ostensibly paranormal experiences, and then finding evidence to support those explanations.”

He said: “Parapsychology is another discipline like attention, perception and it is a part of psychology then why teachers of parapsychology are shifting to psychology, saying that it is not relevant and people do not want to study.”

In India, it is difficult to find a department of parapsychology, but there are places where parapsychology is not treated as an elective but provided as a core course for interested students and researchers.

I myself have come across research papers that show scientific evidence that people have gut feelings, intuitions, premonitions and these have come out to be true.

There is a different unit in the Psychology Department of Edinburgh UniverThe evidence not sity called the Koesonly comes from tler Parapsychology behavioural studUnit which gives ies but also from From top left: Prof Narayanan Srinivasan; Sanal Edamaruku; opportunity to acadeelectroencephaloDr. Dean Radin; Dr. Christopher French micians and students graph (EEG) studto teach and research ies and eye-tracking on the existence of paranormal, psychic abilities and other similar studies. subjects. Ram Vivekananda, who teaches the philosophy of psychology in Christ University, believes that parapsychology is embedded in our In my opinion parapsychology should be a part of mainstream culture like other traditions. According to him, like people pray, academics and should be taught in colleges as a separate course. value each other’s norms and perform rituals; they also believe in Apart from interested people, people who do not agree that it life after death among, other things. He said: “There are various should be taught should also sit in the classes and find out answers phenomena that can’t be explained, but that does not mean they to the question—is it relevant? And if there answer is no, then they don’t exist.” I think that we should not block our minds and argue only about whether parapsychology is relevant or not but also think of other alternatives to it for example anomalistic psychology. Christopher French, professor of psychology at Goldsmiths College of London University and also coordinator of the college’s Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit, said in an email: “Personally, I have no objections whatsoever to parapsychology being taught in colleges, but I think that its sister discipline, anomalistic psychol-

March 2013 | The Beat

should find out why.

By Pyusha Chatterjee

A ROTTEN STATE

Karnataka going down the drain under BJP’s rule The Austrian writer Karl Kraus once said: “Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter might endanger the morals of an individual; the former invariably endangers the morals of the entire country.” In India, corruption is widely tolerated as millions of Indian families bribe public servants for access to basic services. Nowadays, corruption can be seen everywhere. It is like a cancer in public life, which has not become widespread suddenly, but over the course of time.

The chief minister; along with Janardhan Reddy, a member of the BJP; and his brothers were all involved in this scam.

aware of what his cabinet ministers are doing. Whenever any corruption charges were put forward he denied everything.”

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had earlier mentioned that the scam involved around Rs.50 billion, but recent investigations in 2012 revealed that scam involved around Rs.70 billion.

He added: “Under the BJP, the agricultural sector got ruined. There has been a major water crisis, the garbage issue became a big problem and the government took no action to improve it. People are totally steamed up with this government, and immediately want it out immediately.”

Yeddyurappa and Reddy were jailed after the scam came to light, but Yedddyurappa was also released after a few days due to lack

Reddy cheated the government by illegally exporting iron ore. He acquired a permit from Andhra Pradesh, but used it in Karnataka, so he was charged under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code.

Political corruption, the unlawful exercise of authority by government officials for illegal profit, is the worst of all forms of corruption. In India, political corruption is massive, and it is increasing day by day. Many politicians and political parties are corrupt, yet they are ruling states and the country. Almost all Indian states are seriously corrupt. In the case of Karnataka, political corruption has been especially severe since 2008, when the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power. Before 2008 only 14.8 percent of criminal cases in Karnataka involved corruption, but this figure stood at 77.8 percent in Nov. 2012, the highest in India, according to the Lokayukta Department of Karnataka. It all started when B.S. Yeddyurappa became the chief minister of Karnataka in 2008. During his regime the state witnessed the biggest scam in India—the iron-oremining scam in the Bellary region.

Some of the corruption charges against Janardhan Reddy were put forward by Bose Raju.

He was also charged under Sections 468 and 471 of the IPC for using forged documents to carry out mining. of evidence. Yeddyurappa has also been involved in several land scams in the state. He allegedly grabbed around 200 acres of land from poor farmers and gave it away to his sons and other family members. The Lokayukta filed a case against him in the Karnataka High Court in 2011 that is still being fought in the Supreme Court. N.S. Bose Raju, general secretary of Karnataka Congress Committee, said: “The BJP government has been responsible for massive corruption in Karnataka. Before the rule of BJP the corruption level was very low, but now Karnataka has became the most corrupt state in India. One of the most important reasons for this is Yeddyurappa’s illiteracy. Neither has he been

In spite of all these charges nothing stopped him from contesting another election this year. Several raids were conducted against officers of the Tax Commission in 2009 and at least three of them were charged with corruption. In 2009, 15 BJP MLAs were charged with corruption by the Karnataka police, who found huge amounts of cash in their office. These BJP MLAs were charged for illegally grabbing land from the poor. The Lokayukta filed cases against them in the Karnataka High Court in January 2010, and 10 of the MLAs were forced to resign.

March 2013 | The Beat

V.Y. Gorpade, secretary of Karnataka Congress Committee, said: “Many corruption cases are still pending against some BJP MLAs in the Karnataka High Court. Citizens complain that nothing has improved under the rule of BJP.” The BJP Politicians ruined everything from electricity to the beauty of Bangalore. It is a great shame for India that in spite of so many corruption charges, the party is still in power in the state.” Mr. Gorpade added: “Since 2008, 16 BJP ministers have been forced to resign. Some of them are Katta Subhramaniam Naidu, Holappa, and B.S. Yeddyurappa.”

taka election the influence of money power has shocked the top leadership of political parties and the office of the chief election commissioner. Illegal mining scamsters the Reddy brothers and B. Sriramulu are known for their money power and clout in BJP. Citizens claim that they have distributed money and clothes to win people’s votes.

In Nov. 2012, Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Eswarappa was charged with corruption after Lokayukta officials raided his house and seized gold, silver and diamond jewelry worth Rs.3 million.

V.Y. Ghorpade, Secretary, KPCC

The Karnataka Congress Committee provides some of the details of the corruption charges against some MLAs. Deputy Chief Minister R. Ashok, was charged with illegally grabbing about 100 acres of land from different parts of Karnataka. Lokayukta had filed corruption cases against him in 2011 in the Karnataka High Court. N. Viswanath, BJP MLA from Yalahanka, was charged with stealing Rs.5 million from his Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) office. He Photo: Nijhum Rudra was also charged with land acquisition on the outskirts of Bangalore which involved Between 2008 and 2012, the BJP’s wealth money worth Rs.3 billion. A case was filed has increased by Rs.60 billion. against him in September 2011 under section 120b of the Indian Penal Code for the During the 2009 elections, the Election Commission confiscated from the candisame. dates Rs.400 million in cash, Rs.250 million M. Srinivas, a BJP MLA from Rajarajeswar- worth of alcohol and Rs.150 million worth inagar, allegedly acquired several plots of of clothes. In India, luring the common land from the BDA for his family mem- public with freebies usually starts after the bers under false pretences and also falsely nominations are announced, but in Karnatacquired money from the BJP by claiming aka the scenario is completely different and it was for city development, while instead it starts even before the nominations. using it for his personal benefits. A senior member of BJP, Manjunathan, With the commencement of the Karna- said: “Corruption is everywhere in all po-

March 2013 | The Beat

litical parties. In the case of BJP we are trying to tackle this issue. I believe the present situation of Karnataka is far better than before and in the upcoming elections we are introducing training schemes for all MLAs.”

The Lokayukata also found a note-counting machine in his home along with several papers hinting at illegal land acquisitions. Anekal N. Narayanswamy, another member of the BJP said: “The opposition is talking negatively of us deliberately to present a bad image of our party. The Lokayukta is also working with the Congress Party members. Congress should remember one thing that corruption started from the Congress Party. Congress has ruined the entire country in terms of corruption.”

He added: “One cannot blame the BJP government alone for corruption. Once we come to power in Delhi, we will prevent corruption.. BJP is the only party in India which so few corruption charges.” The BJP members are optimistic about coming back to power after the upcoming elections as they claim that most of the corruption charges filed against them are baseless and instigated by opposition party to jeopardize the image of BJP.

By Nijhum Rudra

A ROTTEN STATE

Karnatakaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation undermined by mining scam

March 2013 | The Beat

Karnataka

was once considered to be a well-governed state and the most developed state in India in every possible way. The state has long been known as an IT hub and for its high-profile, influential political leaders. The political scenario in Karnataka is always full of controversies. These controversies could be based on anything from language, caste, creed to wrongdoing by members of the dominant Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Thanks to the BJP government, the political set-up in Karnataka has become more corrupt than ever before. Besides being the nation’s tech capital, Bangalore is also home to multibillion-dollar steel and mining industries producing 16 million tons of iron and steel in a year, which is 25 percent of the country’s total output. In 2008, mining and steel industries became a part of the biggest political corruption scandal ever to emerge in the state. The BJP government, which has a reputation for being the most corrupt party, was found to have been involved in widespread illegal mining operations within Karnataka.

Last year, the issue became a political hot potato when G. Janardhana Reddy, the richest politician in the BJP, was convicted in connection with the mining scam. Corruption is so deep-rooted in Karnataka that not one of the mining industries in the three districts of Bellary, Hospet and Chikmagalur is clean of corruption. Though Reddy was arrested by the CBI, he still claims to be a member of the BJP.

Widespread fallout The scam has become the BJP’s tragedy and Karnataka’s misfortune. It has affected over a million lives. The government had to ban mining industries in the state and laborers had to migrate to other states to make a living. These laborers have yet to receive compensation from the Karnataka state government. Majunatha, a senior official of the BJP, said: “We have given work to these laborers and their families. Most of them are working under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme and are earning Rs.100 a day. “They will be compensated after the upcoming elections.”

Light thrown on corruption in 2008

The scam, which cost nearly Rs.150 billion, has affected the growth of industries, and production of ores and mines has been badly affected by this scam and disrupted the financial economy.

In December 2008, with the help of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Karnataka Lokayukta threw light on corrupt practices in the form of illegal licensing of mineral and ore operations including underpayment of royalties to the government, specifically to the BJP government.

This statement is questionable because even though Reddy is in jail, he is still a member of the BJP and the party has been blamed for various corruption charges because of him. Based on their recent financial reports, the party doesn’t have enough funds to provide jobs to the mine labors.

Based on investigations carried out over the last few years, the Lokayukta reports clearly state that illegal mining has been carried out in the forest areas and also in areas of Bellary, Hospet and Chikmagalur. Accusations against the government also include nonpayment of production of over 57 million tons.

To this, Manjunatha replied: “Our party is not waiting for Janardhan Reddy. He is in jail, and we have already suffered a lot because of him. After this election, we plan to start some mining and steel industries in Bellary.”

In 2010, former Chief Minister, B.S. Yeddyurappa, further tarnished the reputation of the political party by bluntly admitting that 3.5 million metric tons of iron ore was unaccounted for.

March 2013 | The Beat

He said: “This will help us reduce unemployment. We have already got government approval for our plans.”

ister, Yeddyurappa, and other politicians has affected the steel owners and small scale industries in Bangalore as well. N.S. Bose Raju, former political secretary of the Congress Party, said: “The scam resulted in the loss of Rs.150 billion, but industries alone have faced a loss of over Rs.6 billion, which will probably take years to recover.”

State government trying to undo damage The government plans to push the steel industry along with the small-scale industries to the outskirts of the city. It has already started building basic infrastructure for steel and mining industries in Bellary and Chikmagalur. Also, royalties have been taken away from the steel owners and miners to renovate the new industries and different kinds of training and education schemes have been implemented for laborers. However, the government will be unable to start all the steel industries together due to the shortage of iron ore and other resource minerals.

By ReshmaTarwani

Misgovernance of the BJP government, headed by the then chief min

A ROTTEN STATE

All roads Lead to the legislative assembly The

political scenario in the state is in jeopardy right now with ministers, MLAs and other loyalists of the ruling party shifting their loyalties at will to attain political supremacy in the forthcoming assembly elections.

With a gleam of hope in his eyes, he stressed on the fact that although his party is a new political outfit, his party hopes to form the next government. He said: “If not forming the government, we at least hope to be kingmakers in the next government.” Al-

The government was left in peril when some very powerful leaders within the government, who held coveted positions, decided to quit their top ministerial posts and flagged a new political outfit along with many of their supporters. The government barely managed to stay in power by the skin of their teeth. The jeopardized condition left the floodgates open for the top brains of various political outfits to plot and plan for the upcoming assembly elections. As soon as the government started to wobble under charges of corruption and its own infighting, the Ulyssess of the political outfits got down to work to device foolproof strategies to attain supremacy over their rivals and prove their worth in times to come. “The devising of the plans is a strenuous task as we have to take everything and everyone into account,” said Mr. Mohammad Naseer, State Secretary of the newly formed Karnataka Janatha Paksha (KJP).

ing for the upcoming election. With a firm voice he stated on how his party was more inclined to form a voter base in the state as his outfit was relatively new. “Forming a base for us should not be difficult at all as we have strong, renowned leaders who are known to be more than efficient crowd pullers,” Naseer added. Another distinct strategy the KJP is employing is the promise of various incentives to the downtrodden class of society. Similar aspirations and similar strategies are being seen in the major opposition party’s top brains. The Congress Media Coordinator, Mr. Srikanta Murthy said: “We have been working for the people and will continue to work for the people.” He continued saying that although their strategy is similar to that of KJP, they are sure of “faring better than the new party in the elections.”

most immediately, with a wind of caution he elaborated the fact that the kingmakers tag would be very judiciously used and no unruly alliance, which would harm the interests of the people, would be forged. As though expecting the next question, with utmost ease he divulged details about the strategies his party would be employ-

Divulging details on their strategies he said: “We are not going to commit the same mistake what the ruling party has committed. We are targeting the educated class who know the nuances of governance and who will understand the details of our election manifesto.” He was also of the opinion that the Congress, being an old party, does not need to establish their voter base as the

March 2013 | The Beat

newer political parties, in the fray, needed to do. Another established party, Janata Dal (Secular), JD(S) is employing a completely different strategy for the upcoming elections. On condition of anonymity, a party worker was ready to divulge the details of their election manifesto. He said: “The crux of the state’s economy is agriculture and the present government has overlooked the farmers. The result is the numerous farmer suicides.” He affirmed that the party was solely focusing on farmers and their issues. He said: “The party strongly believes that the farmers make the economy of the state and we will, as a party, do everything in our power to empower them and in turn empower the state.” In spite of the various parties in the fray today, the onus is on the ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has, in spite of many obstacles, managed to almost complete its first tenure in a South Indian state. The BJP has been a target of tremendous infighting and a number of corruption charges have been leveled against top notch leaders of this party. In spite of all these hurdles, the party still seems very confident of regaining power in the state. The spokesperson of the party in the state, Eshwarappa, said: “All allegations leveled against us are simply baseless. After repeated attempts of maligning our image, we still have managed to govern the state in a fair and just way and I am sure the people of the state will re-elect us so that we can serve them again to the best of our capabilities.” Eshwarappa emphasized on the fact that their strategy was plain and simple. He believes that the details of the party manifesto and the strategy will come in the people’s view as and when needed and refused to

March 2013 | The Beat

divulge any further details on the same.

ency or a section of people.

Away from all the hustle and bustle of the current scenario is a new party whose ideologies are poles apart from the rest of the conventional parties. The party is the newest member of the political arena in Karnataka and is called the Loksatta Party.

It would be fascinating to see which party sticks to their strategy and does not change with the changing face of the political scenario and it would also be fascinating to see if the various strategies of various political outfits pay off in the soon-to-arrive election.

One of the candidates who is contesting the election from Basavangudi constituency, Shantala Damle, said: “Our goal is not to merely to win the election but is also to change the way the electoral system functions in the present day.” She is of the belief that the party’s main agenda is to change the way Indian politics is thought about. On the party’s strategy she had very few and straight forward things to say. With resentment and a faint ray of hope in her expression she exclaimed that there is no particular section of voters or no specific strategy the party was going to adhere to. She repeatedly stressed on the fact the party was out there to change politics as a whole and not only cater to a particular constitu-

As for now, the political battlefield lies wide open and all the warriors stand an equal chance of gaining political supremacy in the state. The people of the state hang in the balance awaiting which outfit would attain power and work for their welfare.

By Pushkar Banakar

A ROTTEN STATE

Political defection: Political hari-kiri or loyalty test?

Photo: Reshma Tarwani

Defection

is a word you may have come across umpteen numbers of times while going through a political piece in a newspaper or magazine. What exactly is defection? Is it a loyalty test,

a political suicide or a simple change of allegiance?

son or a doctrine to which one adheres to by some tie.

In the political arena, defection is a term used when some one leaves one political party or ideology for another. To put it in another manner, it can be deserting a per-

In a democratic country, defection politics is not an alien concept. And when it involves a democracy like India, political defection becomes a jargon spoken in the

March 2013 | The Beat

corridors of assembly houses, much frequently. The Indian politics saw the first cases of defection after the fourth general elections conducted in 1967. Defection thus became a common occurrence in politics since then. So common were the instances of party defection that a term had to be coined for this new trend. It was called the “Aya ram, gaya ram” culture in Indian politics. During the time phase of 1967-73 around 2,700 cases of defections took place. It had varied impacts on the ruling governments. Several governments were toppled due to the instability resulting from party defections.

Is defection suicide?

political

Why does a politician defect? A party, from which he contests the election, wins it and comes to power, so why would he abandon it? There can be many possible reasons for it. The most prominent one, however, is the vested interests of the concerned person.

Effect of defections on the democratic setup Defection has, sort of, become an illegal trafficking of politicians. This whole affair between politicians and changing loyalties is not a new development. Forging of interparty alliances, trafficking of MLAs and MPs and changing of allegiances came into scene in the late 1960s. Dubious means were involved in the buying and selling of politicians. The 1971 Lok Sabha elections and the state elections of 1972 saw fresh rounds of defections at both national and state level. States like Goa and Karnataka have been hounded by the ghosts of defection. The instability it brings to the government is in itself is a major reason why defection should be completely banned. Dissolved governments and no-confidence motions are the by-products of the act of defection.

The anti-defection law and its impact

Politics, of late, has become a lucrative business in India. Politicians no longer adhere to the ideologies of the party but cling to the policy of self-interest. Self-interest can be in the form of anything from monetary issues to caste factor.

Can a law effectively control defection? To know the answer to this question, one should know why a person changes his loyalty from the parent party. The reasons could be manifold. Ambitions, vested interests, loyalty tests or some another factor can force a person make up his mind to defect. And no constitution framed ever is capable of curbing these reasons.

But isn’t the policy of defection deprecating the level of politics in India? Is it political suicide these politicians are committing by shifting their ideologies? And if it is suicide, why are they committing it? The answer to many such questions lies within the question itself.

A legal procedure was followed to curb the act of defection in 1985, when Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister of India. A new schedule, the 10th schedule was added to the Constitution of India. It dealt with the disqualification of a member of parliament on the grounds of defection.

A candidate elected from any constituency has two factors backing up his election. Either he has an image that goes with his victory or the constituency from which he is fielded is a stronghold of his party. In any of the two cases, it’s the voter who decides the fate of a candidate.

Does the 10th schedule exactly prohibit the defection of politicians? In its implementation, the 10th schedule only makes sure that an elected member remains with his party as long as the party finishes its term. He may give up the position given to him by the party in case he does not want to continue his term.

Now, if a politician changes his loyalty for the party, it’s highly possible that there may be a change in the voter’s loyalty. In such a case, what else could defection be termed as, if not a political kamikaze act.

March 2013 | The Beat

would not be enough for this purpose. What a political democracy essentially needs to stop defection is internal democracy. Centralisation within a party can lead to the creation of dictatorial regimes. Members of the party should be given an equal say in party matters. Dissent should be nipped in the bud by applying a democratic method. The recent high-voltage political drama created in the Karnataka assembly by the defection of 13 MLAs, and their later disqualification, is a live example of how the ghost of defection hounds a government setup. Although elections are round the corner in Karnataka, the loyalty test conducted by B.S. Yeddyurappa had almost hijacked the government. The drama, however, didn’t last long and the defected MLAs were disqualified. That the disqualification came just months before their terms were about to end in no way affects their health (read political career). There would have been no point in dissolving a government when elections were already around the corner. So who did actually gain from this political arm wrestling? Was it a publicity stunt by Yeddyurappa to bring his party to the front or just another politically motivated loyalty test? Only time will tell. Defection, more than being a political problem, has become a social evil. It won’t take long to weaken the foundation of a democratic setup like ours. A more pragmatic approach dealing with cases of defection would definitely strengthen the political setups in India. Defection, at any level, is an unwelcome approach. To cleanse a party from such evils, treatment should start from the rudimentary level. Fair politics is the basis of any democracy and to keep it functioning, vested interests should be avoided.

By: Sumit

In short, the 10th schedule just codifies a moral rule. A law designed to curb defection alone

A ROTTEN STATE

Begging is the only option for Karnataka’s lepers “We

have to beg to fill our stomach,” says Ramanna, a leper of Vinni colony in Bangalore. The colony has 64 lepers living in it and 35 of them have not had their handicapped pension for more than a year. This is not the scene of Vinni colony alone, but for the whole of Karnataka. During my visit to different leprosy colonies in Karnataka, I found this problem prevalent in every corner of the state. Helpless lepers living in miserable conditions are dying of hunger. They live in shacks or often on the streets. The only way for their livelihood is begging as they are denied jobs everywhere. As per the Karnataka government, an individual with 70 percent disability is entitled to disability pension of Rs.1,000 per month, while a person who is certified with 40 percent disability is eligible to receive a

pension of Rs.400 per month. Hundreds of lepers are living in mud houses under unhygienic conditions in Ron leprosy colony in Gadag district. The mud houses are made by the lepers as the government has denied them any permanent shelter. The disease is rapidly spreading among children in that colony who live naked in the middle of pigs and dirt. As per government rules, the state should provide houses to leprosy patients and build a separate colony for them. A national survey found out that there are almost 700 leprosy colonies in India and most of their inhabitants rely on begging for their livelihood.

Makhtum Saheb, a leper of Ron leprosy colony, has lived for 20 years in the same colony. “Whenever I go to the post office to collect my pension, the postmaster sends me back saying that the pension has not arrived,” he said. “I saw my father dying. The disease destroyed my father’s body slowly. Years back we used to have a leprosy hospital in this district, but it got shut and the government hospital’s treatment is pathetic,”, Makhtum said. Makhtum last received his pension of Rs.1,000 a year ago.

Leprosy has affected a lot of poor and illiterate in the country. About 130,000 new cases were reported in India last year.

“Begging is the only source of income for me and my family for last one year. It is not even enough to fill our stomach every day,” he said.

They cannot fight for their cause and are ignorant about their rights.

My children have never been to schools and I cannot help this situation. I am denied job

March 2013 | The Beat

everywhere I go.” To try to get to the bottom of this problem I went to the post office to inquire about the what has been happening to the handicapped pension in the area. C.V Chakraravi, the postmaster of Ron, denied that there had been any irregularities and said the pension has been reaching the patients on time. This year, the state government has released Rs.2.7 million for the development and treatment of lepers in Karnataka, but hardly any of them appear to have got benefited from the earmarked funds. Little or nothing has been done so far for the patients in this state. “The government has allotted a huge sum but the lepers in the state are not getting benefited anyhow,” said Dr. Shivra, Karnataka surveillance medical officer. “The life of leprosy patients in the state is very bad. Most of them do not receive pensions from the government. Corruption exists in the grassroots of our government’s system and the poor people perish because of this,” Shivra said. Similar problems are faced in different parts of India too. Gujarat has the highest rate of GDP growth, but the state government does not give the lepers any pension. The patients staged a protest last year demanding for pension. One leprosy colony in Ahmedabad has 150 lepers and 80 per-

cent of them beg and do not receive proper health care facilities.

Huge amounts of funds are released every year in Karnataka, but before they can reach the targeted people, politicians and corrupt officials take their cut. Change should be brought about soon. It is unfortunate that in a land where Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa worked for the cause of leprosy patients, India today accounts for 60 percent of the world’s leprosy population dying of hunger.

By Debanti Roy

March 2013 | The Beat

DYSTOPIAN VISIONS

Away from home, longing to return Despite

being properly cared and fed at an NGO shelter for a week, Venkatesh Narayannappa looked pale, scrawny and weak when I met him at SATHI (Society for Assistance to Children in Difficult Situation) in Bangalore.

Narayannappa, 14, from Bangarpet in the Kolar district of Karnataka was working in a hotel at Majestic for six months. Because of the absence of his father and presence of an uncaring mother who had a drinking problem, he quit school in fifth grade. Back home, he has an elder brother and two sisters, who work in the fields for daily wages.

Around 10 to 12 children land up in Bangalore Railway Station every day from different parts of India. Most of these children come to Bangalore just to have a taste of the magnificent city they have heard a lot about. The nongovernmental organizations that work for children in difficult situations say there are 40,000-50,000 children living in various pockets of Bangalore having run away from their homes and working at

Asked about how he reached Bangalore, Venkatesh said: “My elder sister’s marriage was arranged and Rs.30,000 was required to marry her off. So my brother told me to work Photo: Vintu Augustine and earn money. I boarded a train discreetly because I did not want to work in some construction sites, factories, hotels or the fields like them.” other places. Hundreds of children who run away from “There were five other children, aged betheir homes and land up in cities share stotween 11 and 14, working at the hotel where ries of a similar kind. I was employed,” Venkatesh said. The number of runaway children hitting Kumar, 15, from Tamil Nadu, who escaped the roads of Bangalore city daily continfrom a construction site in Marthahalli, ues to have not deferred much since years Bangalore, and was later found and rescued despite various schemes and projects initifrom the railway station, said that there are ated by the government for children at risk. many young boys like him employed at the Sixty percent of these children are found site. and rescued from the railway stations, 30 percent from the bus stations and the rest There are seven NGOs in Bangalore workfrom other parts of the city. ing toward the rescue and rehabilitation of

children on the streets. But the fact that there are a lot of such children who go unnoticed and unreached cannot be ignored. About those children who go unreached, Basavaraj Shali, the deputy director of SATHI said: “Those children who go unnoticed by the police or NGOs land up in terrible situations and horrible living conditions of the city. Construction sites and hotels become the haven for such children who come to the town without a penny in their pockets when they can no longer bear the hunger. A good percent of them end up working in different factories.” “Recently there has been an increase in the number of children coming from North Indian states to Bangalore, like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and others,” said Basavaraj, who has been working for runaway children for the last 20 years.

The reasons that lure these children to leave their homes for Bangalore vary. When a good number of them come to the city in search of jobs to support their families, many others land up here just out of the curiosity to get a glance of the garden city of their dreams. “I left my home for Bangalore to search for a job that would fetch me a good regular income. It was necessary because I had to take care of my sick parents and educate my younger ones,” said a boy of 16 from

March 2013 | The Beat

Despite police complaints made by the parents for their missing children, there is no proper linkage between government children homes and police department to enforce immediate reunion of the children rescued with their parents. Said that, there are children forced to stay in government children homes for months, and for years in certain cases due to the failure of the authority to trace them even after the missing complaints are made. “That is a serious concern all over the country to be addressed immediately and effectively. There needs to be a proper linkage between the government children homes and the police departments,” Basavaraj said. Talking about the role of the government, Basavraj said: “There is no single direct intervention by the government in the rehabilitation of runaway children, except paper works, meetings and workshops. Given the huge fund allotted to children’s welfare, if the government were to properly implement its schemes through direct field interventions, there would have been no necessity of any NGOs.”

Photo: Vintu Augustine

Gulbarga, who had completed a diploma course from one of the industrial technical institutes and was working in a small scale company for a meager salary. “I just came to see the city.” This answer, given by a 12-year-old boy from Andhra Pradesh when I asked him why he came to Bangalore, surprised me. Apart from these two reasons, there are children who land up in the streets of Bangalore due to the death of either of their parents, leading to the remarriage of the other, or because of separation between parents.

come home from their hostels for short vacations and under the pretention of going back, leave for Bangalore instead. And the parents are left to think that their children are in the school hostels. Keshav Talwar, 15, from the Bellary district of North Karnataka, ran away from home after a quarrel with his brother over studies. From a well-to-do family and good at his studies, Keshav worked in a hotel for two months. “I made a mistake and want to go back home,” said Keshav when asked about how he felt. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

Nagesh, who lost his mother when he was only 1 year old and was on the streets by the age of 10, has only to speak about the mistreatment of his step mother.

Children who strike the roads of Bangalore thus will be rescued, reunited or rehabilitated if they happen to be spotted by members of NGOs working for such children.

“The number of children landing up in railway stations and bus stands increase during vacations and after the exams,” said Sugandi, a staff member at SATHI.

If not, they land up in construction sites, factories and the like. They receive neither adequate remuneration nor proper food.

We find a lot of children who leave their homes due to disinterest in studies or because of the heavy alcoholic addiction among parents.” There are other children among them, who

March 2013 | The Beat

They lack comfortable accommodation and medical care. Quite a few of them become addicted to alcohol and drugs.

Addressing the issue of missing children Mr. Basuraj, a member of Karnataka Child Welfare Committee, said: “The government is following the public-private partnership policy in rescuing and rehabilitating the missing children. Sixty to sixty-five percent of rescued children were rehabilitated during the last year through a close collaboration with the NGOs.” However he declined to speak about the lack of proper coordination between government children homes and the police departments in rehabilitating the children or sending them back home. “I want to return home and enroll myself back to the school,” Venkatesh said, gazing deep into the empty air and uncertain future before him. Like Venkatesh, many other children long to be reunited with their families and wait for the government to take steps to get them back home.

By Vintu Augustine

According to SATHI, about 400 children leave their homes and end up at railway stations of various major cities, every day.

DYSTOPIAN VISIONS

Crimes by minors spur calls for tweak in law

India

is the largest democratic country in the world, and everyone is said to be equal under the law here. In this country the law provides for equal punishment for all, but in reality there is no equal punishment for offenders. Crimes have increased massively in India since 2008.

According to the Juvenile Department of Bangalore and the NCRB, in 2011 Bangalore witnessed 49 juvenile crimes whereas in 2012 the juvenile crime rate rose to 84 and most of these criminals were released by juvenile houses after six months. Most of the juveniles are charged with double murders and rape.

It is reported by the National Crime Research Bureau (NCRB) that since 2008 crimes increased by 80 percent, and most of them were murders and rape. The NCRB also came up with the shocking news recently that between 2001 and 2010 crimes by juvenile have been on a steep rise. India witnessed 60 percent of the crimes committed by teenage between these years.

B. T. Venkatesh, a criminal lawyer in the Karnataka High Court said: “In India most of the crimes are committed by juveniles. The reason being, if a juvenile commits a crime he is released very early and that is why many criminals hire juveniles to do their work. Most of the juvenile criminals hail from families which are below poverty line. The laws connecting to juveniles have served as a defensive wall from the young criminals to consign any kind of crime.”

Children between 15 and 18 are committing most of the murders and rapes, and ultimately they are not getting any punishment by the law considering them as juvenile. These offenders are sent to the juvenile house where they get released in their mid-20s and most of the time they are released after two months. A juvenile is a person who is below 18. Up to the age of 18, a boy or a girl is considered a juvenile according to the Juvenile Justice Act 2000. Until 1986, the age limit for boys was 21, while for girls it was 18, but the JJA Act of 2000 brought the age of male juveniles on par with females. All boys and girls below the age of 18 enjoy full protection of the Juvenile Law.

Venkatesh added: “In Bangalore many murders and rapes are committed by juvenile. India is the only country where there is no strict punishment for juveniles. When a child is above 14 years he develops the mental ability to decide what is wrong and right and so they are eligible to get strict punishment.” In 2012, when the heinous gang rape took place in Delhi, one of the accused was set free because he was juvenile. According to the law, the accused can get a maximum punishment

March 2013 | The Beat

for three years if the accused is a juvenile, but most of the time accused gets released within six months.

family, and a 17-year-old boy fatally stabbed a woman during a bus hijack.

The central government decided that the age of minority should be reduced from 18 to 16, but there were widespread protests by women activist groups throughout the country. A judicial bench comprising Justice J.S. Verma and Gopal Subhramanium, India’s solicitor general, rejected the central government’s plea and decided there will be strict punishment in case of murder and rape and even the accused to come under the juvenile act would be included in this.

In Japan, the age of criminal responsibility is 14, while those under 20 accused of serious crimes are tried in family courts.

The verdict of the Verma Committee was sent to the Home Department for consideration.

The rehabilitation also provides good mental treatment to the inmates. In India, juveniles are forced to clean juvenile homes; there is no education in Indian juvenile houses.

B. Dayananda, joint commissioner of Bangalore, Crime Department, said: “Many gangsters and rapists in Bangalore are below 18 years and many gangsters are planning to involve children in illegal activities since there is no legal punishment for these young children.” Dayananda added: “Crimes committed by juveniles have increased from 0.9 percent in 2001 to 13.8 percent in 2011. In fact, over 34,000 juveniles in the age group from 16-18 have been imprisoned in India for rape and murder. In Bangalore, 1,200 children were arrested in 2011-2012 for murders and rape.” Dayananda describes some of the cases in Karnataka in which an accused was not convicted on grounds that the accused was a juvenile. •On Aug 6. 2009, a 17-year-boy from Bellary raped his aunt and killed her. In spite of committing rape and murder the boy was released from the juvenile house in March 2010. •On Oct. 30 2010, a 14-year-old boy, Muhammad, resident of Tumkur village, killed two of his cousins along with his aunt Duriya. Muhammad killed his 5-year-old cousins, Shabhana and Fatima. Muhammad was told by his aunt to kill her children as she had no one to feed them. Muhammad is now in a juvenile house in Bangalore and is set to be released in March. •On Sept. 27 2011, a 17-year-boy, Ashok, killed his alcoholic father in a fit of anger as his father used to physically abuse him and his mother. Ashok was sent to juvenile house and in July 2012 he was sent to NIMHANS for mental treatment. Dr. Meena Jain, chairman of the Child Welfare Committee in Bangalore, said: “Neglect, abuse, poor education, poverty are the factors that hamper a child’s development and turn him to commit crimes. Most of the juveniles are victims of poor financial condition. Around 40 to80 percent of sexually abusive youth are themselves sexually abused and 30 to 50 percent have been physically abused.” Japanese juvenile justice system stresses rehabilitation

The juvenile law there stresses rehabilitation. Rehabilitation has more importance in Japan than it seems to in India. There is strong emphasis on education with both academic classes and vocational training. Forty percent of the inmates find work before they leave.

In Japan, the teenage criminal becomes well behaved after rehabilitation, but Indian teenagers commit more crimes when they get released from a juvenile house. Bangladesh juvenile justice system stricter than India’s The situation of juvenile crimes in Bangladesh is an issue of serious concern. In Bangladesh, the law related to juveniles is much stricter than that in India. There, a child at the age of 16 is punished like an adult and he can also be sentenced to life imprisonment for his crimes. In Bangladesh, children of the age of 15-16 are treated as adults. The Children Act is the main law concerning children, but it deals with both the children in need of protection as well as children in clash with the law. In 2004, a new rule was passed in Bangladesh. The age of criminal responsibility was raised from 7 to 9, and children over 16 years of age are always treated as adults. According to the Children Act child and youth offenders are treated as persons under the age of 16. At present in Bangladesh there are three specialized juvenile courts and a decision was taken to establish another four juvenile courts. The best part is that most of the children are dealt with through the regular criminal courts, where they are tried jointly with the adults and have no lawful image. The constitution of Bangladesh provides equal punishment to all. Debasish Basu, criminal advocate at the Kolkatta High Court said: “If the juvenile age is reduced from 18 to 16, a large section of child criminals will be tried under adult law. 75 percent of the criminals from all communities fall in to 16-18 years of age. 65 percent of the juveniles are involved in theft, robbery and other smaller crimes and the rest commit murders and rapes.” Basu added: “There is no strict law against teenage criminals in India; they also deserve same punishment like adults. A child gains his maturity at the age of 14-15 so they deserve strict punishment by the court.”

There is no difference between Japanese juvenile law and Indian Juvenile Act when it comes to juvenile punishment, but there is a huge difference between Japanese juvenile houses and their Indian counterparts. The people of Japan were stunned by a series of terrible crimes committed by teenagers in the 1990s. In 1997 in the city of Kobe, a 14-year-old boy killed a younger boy and chopped off his head. He was eventually arrested and detained for several years in a home for young offenders. In 1998, another teenager murdered an entire

March 2013 | The Beat

By Nijhum Rudra

TECHNOLOGY

Got an iPhone 3GS? You might as well trash it Got

an iPhone 3GS? Bought it for over Rs.30,000 in 2010? Well, why don’t you just throw it in the bin now.

That seems to be the status of the iPhone 3GS. The phone, which cost you a small fortune, has turned out to be a pretty much useless handset thanks to the launch of the iPhone 5. Since the latest Apple iOS was launched, the older versions of the iOS are being rendered ineffective. Quite a few applications are no longer working on iPhone 3GS as these apps now require iOS 4.3 or higher, and 3GS will not upgrade over 4.2, even if it has been hacked. One such problematic app for Apple has been WhatsApp. This app was designed as an alternative to Blackberry’s BBM for non-Blackberry users. It allows free texting and sharing of data in the form of pictures, videos and audio files. In the last couple of years, WhatsApp has become extremely popular. Almost everyone with a smartphone is on WhatsApp. Ruhi Dhawan, a student, said: “I don’t remember when was the last time I used a normal SMS to text someone. Since I got a smartphone, a year and a half ago, I’ve been using WhatsApp. Everyone I know is on WhatsApp and I spend a large part of

my day staying connected with my friends and family through this app.” However, iPhone 3GS users can’t say the same anymore. Ashish Sharma, iPhone 3GS user and an employee in a multinational company, said: “It’s so annoying that my phone will no longer support WhatsApp. What am I supposed to do? Spend Rs.50,000 to buy the latest iPhone just so I can use WhatsApp?” He added: “When I first faced this problem, I took my phone to various stores to get it fixed or upgraded, but unfortunately, my iPhone is close to an obsolete model and cannot be upgraded.” A lot of iPhone 3GS users are facing the same problem. The owner of a phone store on Brigade Road gets about threefour customers coming in every day asking for their iPhones to be upgraded, only to find out, it won’t upgrade beyond 4.0. Faisal Sharif, the store owner, said: “These customers come in with their iPhones, hoping that we will fix them, but they only get disappointed. If you want WhatsApp on your iPhone, it needs to be iPhone 4 or higher. IPhone 3GS is a completely outdated model now—we don’t even keep it in our store

March 2013 | The Beat

anymore.”

Faisal Sharif

He added: “I think there is a collaboration between WhatsApp and Apple. It helps them mint more money because now every Apple customer who has an older version will have to pay another half a lakh to buy the latest model of the Apple iPhone.” If you think an Apple iPhone of that high price (when you bought it) would get you a fair amount of money when you went to sell it off two years later, you are wrong. He added: “We do buy iPhone 3GS if people want to sell it off or want to take another one in an exchange offer. However, the price is really low.” Mobile stores are buying iPhones from disappointed customers at only Rs.2,000, if they have the bill or at Rs.1,500 without the bill. If you are able to sell your iPhone 3GS to a store for more, well, you’re just plain lucky.

Vinay Chandra, a banker, said: “When I put Photo: Udita Chaturvedi in so much money into the Apple company, He added: “There are more free apps on Android Play Store than I deserve to be treated better. Just because Apple plans to come out with iPhone 5, they want every Apple there are on Apple Market and Samsung allows sharing of files customer to shift from older models to the newer one. I put in in an easier manner through Bluetooth, plus there is no issue of iTunes and synchronizing music through it.” thirty grand two years ago and can’t put another fifty. I’d rather shift to SamApple customers are shifting their loyalties to sung, then.” other brands because they are feeling cheated. Satish Raj, employee at Samsung store, Garuda Mall, said: “Since Others, who have enough money and care Samsung came out with the S2 and about the Apple brand name, are, well, just putting then SIII, a lot of Apple customers in half a lakh again into the Apple company. are shifting to Samsung. It has a lot of features and it comes in much cheaper than the iPhone 5.” R. Rajnish, an employee at one of the official Apple Imagine outlets in the city, said: “Upgrading iPhone 3GS has been an incurable issue among customers. They may use Samsung for a while, but soon they’ll realize that Apple is any day better than Samsung.” Officials from Apple head office in Bangalore declined to comment for this story. Is this Apple’s strategy to mint more money or is it a genuine need for the company to put forward such conditions for a simple thing like software upgrades? And what happens when Apple comes out with iPhone 6? Does that mean that half a lakh will go to waste, as well?

March 2013 | The Beat

By Udita Chaturvedi

LIFESTYLE

The sinking ship of the single screen

Dramatic

handmade posters, a big tattered screen, popcorn sellers walking up and down the aisles, men whistling in appreciation—or jeering in disgust—and coziness blooming in the corner seats of the last rows: This was the romance of the single screen. The unending queue for movie tickets that cost peanuts, the invisible competition between the single screen theaters and purchasing of black-market tickets out of desperation to watch a particular film, truly the single screen in India had its own charm. Unfortunately, this charm is slowly diminishing. Today, the single screen cinema portrays a sad picture. The brightly painted walls have become dull and weary. The chairs are in a dilapidated condition, the walls and floors are covered with betel leaf stains and the stench of body odor is unbearable in some cinemas. The end of the romance and charm of these theaters was envisioned when Manmohhan Shetty introduced the first multiplex in Mumbai in 2000, after which the sprawling of multiplexes in cities never stopped, and inevitably Bangalore became a part of that league. Gradually, the first multiplex of Bangalore, Innovative Multiplex, which is located in Marathalli, came into the picture and from then on the roots of multiplexes in the city spread out in all directions. Bangalore had to bid goodbye to several single screen cinemas like Galaxy, Blue Diamond and Prabhat, to name a few. The latest one to breathe its last was Pallavi Cinema near Hudson Church, which was pulled down so a health care center could be built. “The business of single screens is going down due to multiplexes. Today, majority of the population want the leisure and comfort of multiplexes. The single screens are now visited only by the lower middle class population who cannot afford the multiplexes,” said Prakash Narsimiah, owner of Cauvery Cinema. Cauvery Cinema is one of the oldest single screen theaters in the city, dating back to 1972. Back then it was one of the most popular single screen theaters in the city. He added: “Since the past few years we have suffered major loses. Even if we make an effort to upgrade the quality of the cinema it can be done only to a certain extent. Due to the falling business we are unable to afford the facilities provided in multiplexes.” Once you enter the cinema, you realize the fading light of these screens. Out of the 1,300 seats capacity in Cauvery, only one-third are occupied. As you walk out, you see a sad little head enjoying a small siesta and trying to kill some flies flying around his ears in his sleep; that is the person selling refreshments, the list of which ends as soon as it starts.

Another factor that has contributed to the falling business of single screens is pirated DVDs, which are available for as cheap as Rs.30. “Why should I waste my money on a single screen theater when I can buy a DVD for half the price? If I have to watch a specific movie in the theatre, I would rather go to a multiplex that gives me good sound and picture quality which the single screen cinemas fail to provide,” said Surjodeep Bose, a journalism student at Christ University. “The movies screened in such theatres are usually in Kannada and therefore it can be enjoyed only by the locals,” said Natasha Upadhyay, another student. “Besides, imagine watching a movie like Life of Pi or Avatar in such theatres. Firstly, they hardly screen such movies; secondly it will be such a waste to watch them without good audio and visual effects.” The emerging trend of multiplexes has not only affected the business of the proprietors of these cinemas, but the livelihood of many others who are related to them. One of the examples are the artists who make handmade posters for such movie halls. The coming up of multiplexes have directly impacted the livelihood of these artists as most of the multiplexes use digitally made posters. The demands from companies for handmade posters have declined sharply as not many single screen theatres are left in Bangalore. Although, the scenario looks quite bleak for these theatres, there is still some hope left as a few of them are making efforts to be at par with the multiplexes, one of the best examples of which in the city is Urvashi Cinema. It is one of the most popular single screen theaters in Bangalore. It is hygienic, well equipped and comfortable. “We have set up some of the best and latest equipment in our theatre; it is nothing less than a multiplex. People keep saying that the future of single screen cinemas is inevitably bleak and will be gone soon, but I will keep trying to keep my theater going no matter what it takes. I have always thought that single screens are any day better than multiplexes and my love for single screens will never change,” said Amit Gowda, owner of Urvashi Cinema.

By Amrita Ray

March 2013 | The Beat

PHOTO ESSAY

With a shy smile... A day with a pourakarmika

With a shy smile, he reluctantly shook my hand. “Shaheen,” he said. “People call me by this name.” Shaheen is a pourakarmika or contractual garbage collector. He lives in Bellandur and pulls his rickshaw for 25 kilometres to reach the area allotted to him, BTM Layout. His shift lasts until 3 in the morning.

Amid howling dogs and heaps of garbage, Shaheen carries on with his work. He is immune to the barking of dogs, the stench of garbage and the beeps of my camera. It’s quarter past midnight and he has another 15 kilometers to cover. It requires great effort to match the speed of Shaheen’s rickshaw on my 150cc motorbike. Riding in first gear, I strike up a conversation.

March 2013 | The Beat

During our little conversation till we reach the next heap, I learned a lot about the man pulling his rickshaw next to me. He has a family and he has dreams for them. Shaheen is from West Bengal and has been working under the same contractor for about two years now.

With the same shy smile stuck on his face, Shaheen posed for the camera with his daughter Farmeena (yellow frock) and son Javed (bare chest) in front of his shanty, earlier in the day.

March 2013 | The Beat

“I won’t let my son enter this field. He will study once he reaches that age,” affirms Shaheen. This father wants a secure future for his son, alike any other father. The dreams, however, are a bit tough to realise. With the meager income he lives on, it becomes difficult to make the ends meet. But his tone is not that of a complaining or hapless man. There is some conviction when he says, “Javed will not become a labourer.” What about Farmeena. “I’ll get her married off early.”

Javed sits in front of his shanty. It’s fine till the sun is shining but once the weather becomes restless, these tarpaulincovered houses become useless.

A colleague of Shaheen, Channa, returns after the end of his shift. He too hails from Kolkata. He too has a bleak future. These are the unsung heroes of the society who rid you off your rubbish during the nights so that your mornings are fresh.

By Sumit

March 2013 | The Beat

Way to go, Bollywood newbies! Love,

friendship and life sums it up for Kai Po Che.

a famous name on television, Kai Po Che is a debut venture.

A film minus all the glamorous faces of Bollywood had a two films (nobody remembers the first one) old director at the helm. Based on the novel “Three Mistakes of My Life” by Chetan Bhagat, Kai Po Che is director Abhishek Kapoor’s second major Bollywood outing after Rock On!!.

The story revolves around three childhood friends who have different dreams but follow one path to fulfill them. How each one of them nurtures their dream, tackles relationships and overcomes the hurdles is shown beautifully in the film.

Fresh faces and a script that holds to the nerves of the average middle-class Indian makes the film click with the audience. Traversing the lives of three friends (Govind, Om and Ishan) with the Bhuj earthquake and the Godhra riots in the backdrop, Kai Po Che is a sentimental journey nurturing friendship and relations. Raj Kumar Yadav plays the role of Govind with conviction. The other actors, too, have done justice to their roles. However, Sushant Singh steals the show with his stellar performance. For Sushant,

The pace is slightly slow in the first half, but the second half gives an on-the-edge feel. The climax of the film stands out and is to be remembered for some great acting. The film gives numerous moments to the audience to identify themselves with. Be it the camaraderie among the three friends or those awkward moments of guilt-conscious faces, the average moviegoer can attach himself to the film.

The movie is definitely worth your senses and definitely a one time watch.

It’s still the second month of the year and we already have one of Bollywood’s to-beremembered movies released.

By Sumit

The

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rant Review -R tau e es

in every flavor and sauce. cozy and comfortable cafes in Bangalore are R e vi e w ra n t not just about luxurious dining experiu R I ordered my favorite combination of pasta with sta ences. They give you much more than your expectawhite sauce and was pleased when it arrived embeltions. lished in a hot pan, properly cooked with just the right amount of sauce in it. Infinitea, is one of the most sophisticated cafes in Bangalore, best known for its flavored tea. The Two tourists from London were sitting just opcafé welcomes you with warm surroundings filled posite me and eating, with gusto, rice served with with the alluring aroma of tea in the air. fried fish and hot red sauce, baked fish parmigiano, a speciality of Los Angeles. Infinitea café serves 15 Flavored teas from different parts of the world and other delicious fish dishes. tea mugs decorate the cafe. Photographs of people from all over the world with teacups in their hand along Infinitea has exclusive tea products available for sale inside the with the names of their favorite flavor of the tea are attractively café itself. The front wall of the cafe has a shelf stacked with all displayed on the one side of the wall. kinds of teas, from exotic to herbal. Herbal tea is a big favorite So is the unusual history of tea, the names of over 100 flavors of with Indians and foreigners here. tea and how the world relates to these flavors, pasted on the walls 2, Shah Sultan Complex, Cunningham Road of the cafe.

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Apart from this rich kettle of different types of teas, the café has a decent menu of continental dishes, which starts with Indian masala tea and ends with Italian pizza. One of the blazing dishes in the menu is pasta, which is available

Timings: 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Price: Meal for two approx. Rs.800 without alcohol

By Reshma Tarwani March 2013 | The Beat

I am aware that corruption is rampant in politics. The people today use politics and corruption as synonyms and we as politicians of all political outfits are working towards changing the the way politics and politicians are thought about in the country.

Mohammad Naseer, General Secretary, KJP

The politicians are very corrupt today and the political authorities instead of curbing this encourages them to indulge in corruption and hence the country lies in tatters. I am sure if these political parties and the politicians resort to less corrupt ways, the country would develop at the rate of knots.

Bhavana Kasturi Student, Christ University

India talks...

India, politics today is only about corruption and rarely caters to its original job of governance. I have been a victim of the corrupt practices. My stipend is still due for the past Corsix months. I wish the corruption stays ruption is very away and politicians do their jobs rampant in politics and for which they more importantly in bureaucracy. Bureaucracy always has a corrupt are electpolitical angle to it. For a bureaucrat to ed. Shashi Kumar Yadav Scholar, JNU

survive in his job, he or she has to have a political godfather. In government com-

Gireesh Banakar Govt. employee

March 2013 | The Beat

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Photo: Robin Sinha

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