Phalke’s 142nd Anniversary: Overshadowed National Event!
Over the decades, movies have become an integral part of the lives of Indians. People of all ages, gender, religion, caste, language and class have been regularly thronging movie theatres ever since cinema arrived in India 99 years ago. The choice of movies among people might differ but visiting cinema halls and getting amazed, inspired and influenced by movies and its actors has become very common. Therefore, it won’t be an overstatement to say that cinema has become a part of Indian culture.
For making this possible, we all movie buffs should be thankful or even indebted to the Father of Indian Cinema Dhundiraj Govind Phalke aka Dadasaheb Phalke. It was his strong dedication and belief that made cinema possible in India. But when Phalke decided to make India’s first film Raja Harishchandra in 1912, there were many who tried to discourage him. There were some who even considered him a mad man.
Dadasaheb Phalke (Picture courtesy - Wikipedia)
But his dedication and passion was so strong that it had no effect on him. This was also because his wife Saraswati and his two kids too joined him in the mission. So, it won’t be wrong to say that the first Indian movie was made by the whole Phalke family.
After that, he could have easily settled in England and made films for the English. Financiers from London were ready to shell out huge amounts of money to produce his films. But he chose to stay in India so that the film industry develops and flourishes in our country.
It was filmmaker Paresh Mokashi and his team that enlightened the cinegoers about Phalke through his first film Harishchandrachi Factory (2009). Personally speaking, I will always be thankful to Mokashi for giving this hugely needed tribute to the great man. Without going overboard, the filmmaker presented Phalke’s struggle and the subsequent achievement by just using the visual medium.
However, from the huge number of movie buffs, how many are truly aware about Phalke? And from those who know about him, how many are there who truly think about him? I am sure a lot of people from the Indian film industry might not know about him.
I think even the mass media hasn’t given much importance to Phalke in all these 99 years. It wouldn’t cost much to our filmmakers to give tribute to Phalke at the start of their movie. After all, they are able to make movies only because he brought the medium to India. Apart from Harishchandrachi Factory, the only movie I remember doing this was Swarajya (2011).
I would like to give special mention to Fame Nakshatra (Dadar) for honoring Phalke by putting his picture with a garland inside their theatre (See below picture). I haven’t seen any other theatre doing this.
Monday April 30, 2012 marks the 142nd birth anniversary of Phalke. As expected, there is just no excitement or even awareness about it. But that is not going to stop me from rejoicing for the Father of Indian Cinema since it's a day every cinema lover should be proud of!
Watch the 11 minute footage from Raja Harishchandra (1913), the very first film of India!
Nandu Madhav and Vibhawari Deshpande in a still from Harishchandrachi Factory
Picture of Dadasaheb Phalke inside Fame Nakshatra theatre, Dadar.
Bhagat Singh, Sukdev, Rajguru 81st Death Anniversary… Same old story!
Like every year, this year too there is hardly any uproar about Martyrdom Day, i.e March 23, the day when Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru happily accepted death at the hands of the British 81 years ago (1931). Terrible is a small way of describing this situation where the biggest sacrifice for the independence of India hasn’t received the notice it deserves. Over the years our government and even media has failed in honoring the greatest of revolutionaries.
This, however, isn’t going to lower the spirits of all of us who heartily admire the trio for their unmatchable service for India. We will continue to worship them!
Talking of the trio, I would like to point out something about Bhagat Singh which is not known to everyone, especially those who don’t admire him. By doing this, I am also trying to rubbish-off a myth related to Singh and his comrades who have been a part of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA).
There has been a wrong widespread belief that the members of HSRA were violent. Time and again, they have been accused of endorsing violence. However, all those who have done an in depth study on their life would highly disagree with it. These revolutionaries had always believed in achieving their mission in a non-violent manner.
There have been instances where they have used violence but it’s only as a means of self defense or when there isn’t any hope of achieving the goal through non-violent methods.
To prove their non-violent nature, I would like to point out few instances from their revolutionary life:-
* On April 8, 1929, when Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt exploded bombs in the Central Assembly in Dehli to oppose Public Safety Bill and Trade Disputes Bill, they purposely used bombs which don’t hurt anyone even a bit. Plus, they exploded the bombs in vacant areas. Their only motto was to create sound.
* Of course, they did avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai by killing British officer Saunders but they did that as there was no hope of getting justice from the British government. They had to take the step as a last resort. A pamphlet distributed by HSRA said, “We regret to have had to kill a person but he was part and parcel of that inhuman and unjust order that has to be destroyed.”
* Instead of fleeing from the spot, Singh and Dutt court arrested themselves. They could have escaped as the HSRA had weapons at their disposal but they didn’t even think of doing such a thing.
* After being sentenced, Bhagat Singh, along with other members of HSRA, started a hunger strike as the Indian prisoners were debarred of basic amenities unlike the British prisoners. This was akin to Gandhi’s mode of Satyagraha.
If the members of HSRA really believed in violence, the above mentioned incidents wouldn’t have taken place.
Coming back to the first point, I would like to offer the highest tribute to the trio of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. We will never be able to repay the biggest sacrifice ever to the nation.
Have a look at some of the original photos of Bhagat Singh and his comrades: -
Bhagat Singh (Picture Courtesy - unp.co.in. Click to enlarge)
News of the hanging of the three martyrs (Picture Courtesy - commons.wikipedia.org. Click to enlarge)
Bhagat Singh's mother with a wellwisher (Picture Courtesy - unp.co.in. Click to enlarge)
Bhagat Singh as a student in National College, Lahore (Picture Courtesy - unp.co.in. Click to enlarge)
Sudkhdev (Picture Courtesy - india.targetgenx.com. Click to enlarge)
Rajguru (Picture Courtesy - india.targetgenx.com. Click to enlarge)
Where’s Diggi? Hiding?
It is said ‘Taali Do Haathon Se Bajti Hai, Ek Haath Se Nahin.’ It seems the Congress party has realized the meaning of this proverb after the results of the Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Punjab elections. Their ‘Hand’ hasn’t found enough support to bajao a taali in the two states!
Not-so-long-ago, Congress tried everything to sabotage Anna Hazare’s movement against corruption. They used power and when that didn’t seem feasible; they started accusing members of Team Anna in a silly way. Now, it gives me a sense of satisfaction to see the same Congress party tasting such a sour defeat in UP and Punjab. It would be an understatement to say they deserved it!
While all this is happening, I would like to know where the ruling party’s big-mouthed Digvijay Singh is! Almost every other day this chap used to insult Team Anna and also used to boast that their anti-government campaign will have no effect on their chances in the elections.
I very well remember one such interview of Diggi where he said they are not at all bothered about Anna’s movement as he is sure it will have no effect in the UP election results. Well, here are the results Diggi but where are you? Hiding maybe along with the fallen yuvraaj Rahul Gandhi. But I doubt you will find a place even for that!
Congress might have succeeded in reducing the euphoria of Anna’s movement. However, they will have to bear the consequences of the movement for a long time to come. Yes, I mean the 2014 elections or hopefully the mid-term elections before that! Get ready to be stripped off power!
BMC Elections 2012 Results!
So, the much awaited results of the 2012 BMC Elections are out! However, one cannot say that the whole of Mumbai is responsible for the results since more than half of them turned a blind eye to voting and instead preferred to chill on a holiday!
Results:
Congress - 46
NCP - 21
Shiv Sena - 65
BJP - 32
MNS - 27
RPI - 1
Others - 22
More than 50% Mumbaikars lose their right to complain!
Since time immemorial, people of Mumbai have been complaining about poor governance, poor roads, water and electricity shortage, dumping of garbage, lack of civic amenities, etc. But do you really have a right to complain if you fail to exercise your basic right of voting and selecting appropriate people for governing?
Likewise, more than 50% Mumbaikars have lost their right to complain as they were too lazy to carry out an exercise as simple as voting! In other words, these people should not raise eyebrows when there is water-logging in their locality during the next monsoons. What else can one say when the voting percentage in Mumbai for the BMC elections yesterday turned out to be as low as 44%?
Anyways, the results will be out shortly. One can just hope that whichever party wins, turns out to be people-friendly! And a hearty GET WELL SOON to all those who didn't vote yesterday.
Will South Mumbai vote this time?
After the 26/11 Mumbai attack, the rich and elite South Mumbai-ites formed a candle rally near Gateway Of India where they literally bashed and abused the government. They even declared overpowering the existing Congress government.
However, at the time of the Lok Sabha Elections, that soon followed, hardly anyone from South Mumbai cared to vote. The percentage of vote was as low as 12%! In fact, this has been the sorry tale in South Mumbai since long.
Now, the 2012 BMC elections are just around the corner. So, will there be a better turnout this time in South Mumbai or will it be the same old story?
The people from this part took active part in the Anna Hazare movement mostly in August where they again vowed to overpower the government. This gives an indication that they care for the country. It’s high time they show this concern by lining up to cast their vote since this is the least one can do!
Looking at the way corruption has grown amongst politicians in recent times, I can understand the overall mindset of not trusting a single politician. But it is wrong to say that each and every politician is good for nothing. You can visit myneta.in and get all the information on the candidates from each constituency. On this website, one can also find whether there are any criminal cases on any of the candidates along with their bank balance.
People are anxious to know the winner of the BMC elections out of Congress, NCP, Sena-BJP, MNS, etc. But I am equally anxious to know the percentage of vote in South Mumbai. This is because I firmly believe that if you can’t do a small deed like voting, you have no right to sit back in your drawing room and say, “Is desh ka kuchh nahin ho sakta!”
Twitter first one to bow down! Show protest else…
In one of my earlier posts, I had said India’s democracy is in threat after the Centre gave its approval to prosecute social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter, etc. Just before that, a High Court judge had threatened to go the China way and ban such social networking sites!
Sadly, I am been proved right by Twitter head honchos who have agreed to block Tweets if needed. They have clearly bowed down to the pressure brought upon them by countries that flaunt their democracy!
According to me, in India, this is a clear conspiracy on the part of the Congress Government to fully dissolve the anti-corruption spirit in the country which is instilled by Anna Hazare’s movement. To explain this, have a look at the following points: -
1) Things our government did to sabotage the anti-corruption movement are known to everyone. These include Anna’s arrest, using violence at midnight to end Baba Ramdev’s non-violent protest, silly accusations on Team Anna and lastly bribing even the media to showcase Anna’s Mumbai (MMRDA) fast as a flop show.
(Article continued after Twitter logo.)
2) The movement became largely possible due to social media since awareness about the movement and information regarding all agitations/ demonstrations was spread via Facebook and Twitter.
3) It is not a mere co-incidence that Kapil Sibal cam down heavily on social media sites, compelling them to ‘block’ certain posts or updates saying it could lead to communal riots.
4) Now, Twitter becomes the first site to bow down to block or censor certain posts.
I would like to repeat that one day people will say India ‘was’ a democratic country if we don’t raise our voice and protest!
I would also like to repeat what filmmaker Shekhar Kapur said on this issue - “YouTube, Facebook, Google and Twitter are platforms, not publishers. Can you sue a bookshop for carrying Satanic Verses if not banned? Can you sue the Loudspeaker Company for the lies that politicians tell the electorate? Internet is free source and each of you with a blog is a potential publisher, can government sue a million blogs? Each email forwarded 1000 times is potential ‘objectionable material’. Can courts shut down e-mail?”
What the hell happened to democracy?
Our so-called government and authorities have forced me to ask this question by their silly acts in the last few months or so.
Firstly, in June 2011 when they acted in a Taliban-like manner and used force to end Baba Ramdev’s agitation against India’s black money stashed abroad. Although I don’t fully support Ramdev and his methods, I wonder how justifiable it is to mercilessly beat-up non-violent protestors including women and children!!! Taliban is the apt term for them!
Later on, in August 2011 when the government, in a state of panic, created a huge blunder of arresting Anna Hazare and denying him the right to peaceful protest. Then, telecom minister Kapil Sibal created a hue and cry to monitor content on social networking sites but the move didn’t gain much fuel.
But recently, there has been put forth a big question mark over India’s democracy after the Centre gave its approval to prosecute websites like Facebook, Google and others if they fail to remove offensive content.
A day before this, a High Court judge Suresh Kait threatened to go the China way and ban websites like Facebook and Google! Well, what bigger proof of India going the undemocratic do you require? From what I have heard, this was the same judge who granted bail to Amar Singh and Sukhram in corruption scandals!!! Any mature grown up will agree that banning such websites is the most cruel as well as foolhardy step!
As filmmaker Shekhar Kapur said on Twitter, “YouTube, Facebook, Google and Twitter are platforms, not publishers. Can you sue a bookshop for carrying Satanic Verses if not banned? Can you sue the Loudspeaker Company for the lies that politicians tell the electorate? Internet is free source and each of you with a blog is a potential publisher, can government sue a million blogs? Each email forwarded 1000 times is potential 'objectionable material'. Can courts shut down e-mail?”
Another example: - Terrorists have used mobile phones to plan our death. Why haven’t you banned mobile phones yet?
I feel the only way to save India from this barbarism is to protest! Protest in every possible way to show the government that we the people won’t take it lying down else, the day isn’t far when people would say that India ‘was’ a democratic country!
Look who’s talking!
Bal Thackeray has said that Anna Hazare’s fast and rally for the amendment of the Jan Lokpal Bill was like a five-star event. There are thousand examples which can prove Hazare’s merit and Thackeray’s demerits for the society.
But for the time being, just have a look at the following points: -
- Majority of the supporters in Shiv Sena rallies regularly and openly mouth words of hatred. Hazare’s supporters, although indulge in anti-government slogans, are peaceful in their attitude. People from all age, religion, caste and society are seen only in Hazare’s rallies.
- Violent speeches and insulting or even abusing words are a regular feature in Shiv Sena’s rally while Hazare never ever endorses such behavior, forget himself indulging in it.
- Hazare’s supporters have always protested in a non-violent manner. Till date, not a single incidence of violence is reported anywhere. On the other hand, Shiv Sena’s violent means of protests are known far and wide. From hundreds of such examples, the one I recall the most is when they set a bus on fire at Shivaji Park in 2006 because few nuisance mongers insulted the statue of Meenatai Thackeray. How justifiable is this?
- Hazare’s non-violent means of protest gave rise to the biggest national movement in India after independence. Has Shiv Sena’s violent methods ever succeeded in achieving this?
- Shiv Sena has never spoken about India as a whole. Their Hindutva card clearly suggests their communal attitude. Their anti-Muslim and anti-Christian speeches are well-known. However, Hazare’s movement has never been pro or anti towards any religion, caste or language. Due to this reason, the whole of ‘India’ participated in the movement. Such national support is a dream for Shiv Sena.
True story of Anna Hazare’s slap comment…
Our dear media has done it once again! They have once again misquoted Anna Hazare in the most horrible of manners, making him appear as someone who endorses violence! On January 25, 2012, all newspapers, TV channels and news websites flashed a news item which said that Anna feels one should start slapping the corrupt if corruption doesn’t end! By reading this article further, you will realize how false were the news.
The entire team of the upcoming movie Gali Gali Chor Hai had organized a screening of the film for Anna at Ralegan Siddhi, since the film is based on a Common Man fighting corruption. After watching the film, Anna, while speaking to the media, explained one of the scenes of the film where the protagonist Akshaye Khanna slaps a corrupt minister. Anna said, “When someone loses patience while fighting for the truth, he feels the only option left is to slap.”
If you wish to see and hear it yourself, here’s the video (skip to 2 minutes 8 seconds):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFeJF9_v2Co&feature=youtu.be
It is clearly visible from the video that he is just speaking about a scene. It’s terrible to see the way he is quoted as an ambassador of violence. Not-so-long-ago, he misinterpreted as someone who wishes to tie all drunkards to a tree and bash them. We all know how true this was. Last month too the media tried hard to prove that his Mumbai fast at MMRDA was a flop. I proved them wrong at that time in my post which you can see here.
Looking at the way our media is trying to misinterpret and sabotage Anna and his movement, I think I will get used to writing such posts to present the true story. It’s such a shame that our strong media is busy promoting falseness while we, the common people of India, are left to spread the true message. But we will do that! Anything for the nation and the movement!
P.S – Anna has himself explained his slap statement on his blog here - http://news.indiaagainstcorruption.org/annahazaresays/?p=128
