Category Archives: National

1st Constitution Day couldn’t have arrived at a more ironical time

By: Keyur Seta

Earlier this year, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced November 26 to be celebrated as India’s Constitution Day this year onwards. This was the day in 1949 when the Constitution of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly for an independent India.

Unfortunately, the first Constitution Day of India has arrived at a time when the basic Constitutional value – Democracy – is under grave threat. It has come at a time when a person expressing his fear of intolerance is being targeted as if he is a dangerous criminal.

Picture: Historydiscussion.net

You have every right to be disappointed with Aamir’s statement about his wife Kiran Rao considering relocating to another country fearing intolerance. Even I didn’t like what he said. But does that give you a right to burn his effigies, blacken his posters publicly (violence) and, worst of all, write and share the most vulgar posts about him on social media? Some of the things said are not even fit to post here (check yourself).

By doing this, these so-called nationalists have only managed to prove Aamir right. I always thought there is growing intolerance in the country. But the disgraceful manner in which people have reacted has increased my fears manifolds. In fact, even Ajmal Kasab, who carried out the terrorist attack on Mumbai on the same day in 2008, wasn’t ridiculed in this way.

But Aamir is not the only one at the receiving end. Almost anybody who criticizes the government or any of its leaders is attributed titles like ‘anti-national’, ‘anti-Indian’, ‘Pakistani’, ‘leftist’, etc. Many are ordered to migrate to Pakistan. Even a polite criticism is met with filthy abuses.

Another important feature of our Constitution is Secularism (I know people following a ‘certain’ ideology get panic attacks at its mention). Sadly, this aspect too is now limited to school books. Ruling party leaders, including elected MPs, have been openly giving communal statements. The Dadri Lynching episode, where they even justified the ghastly incident, made things worse.

It has been almost a year and a half of such statements from those who are elected to govern us. But so far, no action has been taken against them, not even a mere suspension. The atmosphere right now is such that the mere mention of the word ‘Secular’ literally generates verbal violence. The scene is vulgarly worse on social media.

Hence, the first Constitution Day wouldn’t have come at a more ironical time. This gives rise to some simple questions – Is merely celebrating Constitution Day enough to respect it? What is the point of celebrating when we can’t implement the most basic rights it provides?

8 possible reasons for BJP’s loss in Bihar

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By: Keyur Seta

The Bihar Election results have surprised many of us. While Nitish Kumar’s Janata Parivar always had an edge over NDA, very few expected the alliance to win with such a huge margin of 178 to 59. Although the result is only confined to a state, it is a warning to the Central government because the election was fought by its seniormost national leaders.

Nitish’s good work in developing Bihar, which was once labeled as a backward state, has been instrumental in his alliance’s victory. But we can’t ignore the mistakes or, in some cases, blunders from the part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to be a major case for such a defeat.

Here are 8 possible reasons for BJP’s drubbing in Bihar:-

Unfulfilled Promises: One of the biggest promises the BJP offered during the Lok Sabha polls was the bringing back of black money stashed abroad. But they not only failed in doing so, but the party head Amit Shah, during an interview, openly stated that the promise was nothing but a ‘Chunavi Jumla’. In other words, it was just a ploy to attract voters.

Communal Card: The party leadership had said time and again that their agenda is only development. But their leaders, including some MPs, have been continuously giving communal statements since more than a year.

Picture: Oneindia.com

Dadri Demon: This incident turned out to be the biggest turning point. BJP’s Sakshi Maharaj, Sadhvi Prachi and Sangeet Som gave shocking statements in support of the lynching. Yogi Adityanath even assured Dadri villagers of providing guns!

Silence is not Golden: After such horrific statements, anybody would expect India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take strict action against the offenders. However, not only there was no action taken but there was no condemnation or suspension either.

Negative Campaign: One of the major reasons for BJP’s shocking loss in the Delhi Election earlier this year was the negative campaign they ran against their opponents. People expected them to not repeat the mistake in Bihar. However, there were no lessons learnt as their campaign mostly contained mudslinging against JP leaders.

No Local Faces: Like every other state elections, the party relied only on famous faces like Modi and Amit Shah to get them votes. But to win state elections, you got to have known local faces that have a good following. The BJP lagged behind in this department again which forced the PM, party head and a lot of senior leaders and ministers to leave aside their task and head to Bihar.

Beef Politics: The party used Beef as one of the important issues. Its leaders made sweeping statements that the election is between Beef eaters and non-Beef eaters, and those who wish to eat it should go to Pakistan. They also used Cow in their newspaper advertisements. This tactic backfired badly as it turned out to be a polarizing idea.

Pakistan Hangover: Statements asking someone or the other to go to Pakistan have almost became a standard response. What hurt them the most is Shah’s comment that if they lose the election, crackers will burst in Pakistan. But what took the cake was the attack on actor Shah Rukh Khan and comparing him with the most wanted terrorist Hafiz Saeed.

Bihar Election Results: Whose Happy Diwali will it be?

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By: Keyur Seta

The Bihar Election results are keenly awaited in the whole of India. The political scenario in the country has changed so drastically over the last few years that the excitement for the result of a state election is not limited to that state alone.

Politics, which was once a loathed word, has now become a topic for debate, discussion and, even, fights across people of all age groups, including teenagers. This has largely to do with the advent of social media, where politics is discussed 24/7, even when there are no elections taking place anywhere in India.

The scenario during the 2015 Bihar Elections isn’t any different. After months of non-stop campaigning, attacking speeches with insults and name-calling and innumerable fights on social media among the supporters of various parties, it will all finally boil down to the result day on November 8, 2015.

The D-Day will answer few questions that have been lurking in our minds lately. Will Nitish Kumar be able to retain his seat as the Chief Minister? Will Modi magic work in Bihar as well? Who will win Bihar?

Here is a short analysis of where the two biggest alliances, BJP led NDA and Janata Dal-United led Janata Parivar aka Mahagathbandhan, stand:-

NDA:

Plusses: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi still continues to be quite popular among the masses. BJP is banking on his name. His good work as the Chief Minister of Gujarat is still fresh in people’s minds. His promise of spending a humongous amount for the development of Bihar might also attract voters.

Minuses: Inability to fulfill Lok Sabha poll promises, including the failure to control rising prices and the return of Black Money within 100 days, has affected the BJP. But what has hurt the party the most is the continuous dose of hateful and communal statements by some key BJP figures and the PM’s failure of stopping them. It goes completely against the major promise of the party, which is development. Plus, Amit Shah’s Jumla statement has made things worse.

One of the major reasons for BJP’s loss in the Delhi Elections is been attributed to the fact that their leaders, especially Modi, resorted to a lot of personal attacks and mudslinging during their speeches. Unfortunately, they have continued it during this election as well.

Janata Parivar:

Plusses: The biggest plus point for JPU is the way Nitish Kumar has developed Bihar in the last ten years from the Lalu mess. He has made sure that the backward stigma attached with Bihar and Biharis is slowly diminishing. His clean image and the fact that he is educated are also advantages.

Minuses: The tactic of joining hands with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD and the Congress can go against Nitish as it goes against his non-corrupt. Lalu, as we all know, is a convict under the Chara Ghotala. He is even barred from contesting elections for the next six years.

Not to forget, Nitish and Lalu were enemies at one point of time. In fact, they had openly attacked each other during the Lok Sabha Polls last year. The theory of compromise also stems from the recent leaked video where Nitish is seen meeting a taantrik, who is heard raising slogans “Nitish zindabad. Lalu murdabad.”

The same can be said about Nitish’s alliance with the Congress. It’s a party in shatters after the humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha Polls and the complete whitewash in Delhi Elections, thanks to the numerous scams during its regime at the Center. Hence, this alliance appears more like a compromise to satiate the hunger for power and to keep Modi and BJP away from Bihar at all costs.

Prediction of Bihar Elections:

(This prediction is not based on any exit poll and neither am I a political expert. This is just a calculation of a common citizen of India based on the recent political developments.)

No alliance will be getting a clear majority. The pluses and minuses of both camps are almost equal. From the look of things, the votes would be strongly divided between NDA and JP. Therefore, the final results for both alliances would either be too close or close to equal, if not properly equal.

Whose Happy Diwali will it be? There is a lot at stake.

Netaji Files: Never too late to rewrite history & repay our debts

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By: Keyur Seta

After studying History in school, me, and many others, believed that the highest credit for India’s freedom should go to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. But as I grew up and read various books on revolutionaries like Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, etc., doubts started cropping up in my mind on whether we were taught real history in school.

Later on, with the advent of the internet, I found more information on these uncelebrated great figures. Naturally, this further increased my doubts. Why a man who succeeded in the mammoth task of creating a huge army, called Azad Hind Fauj, and frightening the British was given such minor footage in History books? Why was there just a small paragraph about Bhagat Singh and his group’s activities and that too with false information, which made them look like criminals?

Picture: Theindianawaaz.com

But yesterday, on September 18, 2015, all doubts were put to rest after Mamata Bannerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, declassified 64 secret files related to Subhash Chandra Bose. Now, it is clear that the entire nation in the post-independence era is been fed with false and fabricated version of Indian History.

How to contribute towards Nana Patekar’s cause for farmers?

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Nana Patekar has turned out to be a Godsend angel for Indian farmers, who are forced to end their lives due to rising debts and draught. This year alone has seen more than 600 farmer suicides. He started off his mission by paying Rs 15 thousand each to families of around 60 farmers.

Now, he has started a full-fledged mission to help the poor and needy farmers through his foundation called Naam. He has been ably supported by fellow actor Makarand Anaspure and recently Akshay Kumar, who has donated Rs 90 lakh for the farmers’ families.

Picture: Indiawest.com

While this also proves the amazing humanistic quality of these actors, it also points out the terrible attitude of those ruling us. It is the responsibility of our governments to be there for our farmers during such dire circumstances. It is not possible to believe that they lack funds. They are spending thousands of crores on statues but not ready to spend even half the amount on those who are providing us with food.

There is also no lack of water as we all saw how the government of Maharashtra released 1000 cubic meters of water for Kumbh Mela’s Shahi Snan. If you feel making statues and pleasing religious fanatics is more important than dying farmers, you don’t even qualify for an admission in IIN.

This whole issue also brings to light the selfishness of the super-rich and wealthy of India. We have been witnessing mindless spending of money for personal enjoyment, which lasts just for few moments. This is a new benchmark of selfishness, which doesn’t let you feel even a bit for the dying farmers.

With the situation as it is, it is absolutely clear that we, the common citizens of India, must come forward to serve our annadatas. Nana and Anaspure have shown us the way. Let us follow it by contributing whatever possible towards this super noble cause.

You can contribute in the following way:-

Send in your amount to “NAM Foundation”

SBI Current account no. 35226127148

IFSC Code no. SBIN0006319

SWIFT Code no. SBININBB238

What happens the day after Aug 15?

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Picture: Jagohindu.wordpress.com

The Indian flag is seen fluttering in every nook and corner of the country on Independence Day (August 15) and Republic Day (January 26). But do you know what happens to these flags the following day? I guess we well know and have seen how our beloved tricolor lies like an unwanted item on the roads and, worst, in garbage. (The picture is posted only to create awareness and not insult the Indian flag.)

In order to spread awareness against this practice and to motivate people to pick up our flags from such condition, a group of youngsters from Mumbai have come up with a beautifully moving non-verbal short film. It is called ‘The Day After 15th August’ and it is created by Chaitanya Bahul and Sowmitra Desai under their banner Lukkha Production.

You would be surprised to know that the whole film is shot from a mobile phone camera.

This is it:-

Abdul Kalam: The man without opponents (His inspiring quotes included)

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By: Keyur Seta

The sad demise of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, India’s ex-President, brought the nation to a standstill. Facebook newsfeed and Twitter timeline started flooding with condolences posts in no time. In fact, it has been more than 18 hours, but the scene is the same on both social networking sites. People are still continuing to post tributary messages and share articles about him.

Any regular FB and Twitter used would agree that such scenes are never-seen-before. This only shows the unthinkable amount of love and respect Kalam shares among his fellow countrymen.

This makes me wonder whether there has been any other well-known Indian in the post-independence era to enjoy such massive respect. Not just this. After digging deep into history, we realize that Kalam is the only Indian in the modern era without any enemies or haters. Seriously, ask yourself, can you recall any one person speaking against Kalam or opposing him?

Kalam, whose full name is Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen “APJ” Abdul Kalam, was a renowned scientist, teacher, and, lastly, the most successful and respected President of India. Among other achievements, he played a major role in launching Pokhran – II nuclear test and making Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) self-sufficient. This rightfully earned him the title ‘Missile Man’.

But these are not the only achievements that made him what he was. Academic and professional credentials are not enough to be so greatly loved. Dr Kalam achieved God-like status because he possesses all good qualities one would wish to find in a person. The most significant one is his humility. Despite being such super achiever, he lived and behaved like any other Common Man. This is what made him ‘The’ Abdul Kalam.

May his soul Rest In peace because he deserves so. But an ideal tribute to him would be to live life according to the principles laid down by him.

Here are 10 motivational and inspiring quotes from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam:

If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.

You have to dream before your dreams can come true.

We will be remembered only if we give to our younger generation a prosperous and safe India, resulting out of economic prosperity coupled with civilizational heritage.

Picture: Behsong.in

Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success.My message, especially to young people is to have courage to think differently, courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed. These are great qualities that they must work towards. This is my message to the young people.

If you want to shine like a sun. First burn like a sun.

It is very easy to defeat someone, but it is very hard to win someone.

Be more dedicated to making solid achievements than in running after swift but synthetic happiness.

For great men, religion is a way of making friends; small people make religion a fighting tool.

One of the very important characteristics of students is to question. Let the students ask questions.

I am not a handsome guy, but I can give my hand to someone who needs help. Beauty is in the heart, not in the face.

Baahubali (Hindi) Review

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Director: S S Rajamouli

Writers: S S Rajamouli, Rahul Koda, Madhan Karky and Vijayendra Prasad

Producers: Arka Media Works and Dharma Productions

Cast: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah, Anushka Shetty, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj

Music: M M Keeravani and M M Kreem (for Hindi)

Genre: Action/ Drama

Rating: * * * *

Review By: Keyur Seta

When you have Rs 250 crore riding on your film, the pressure to deliver is enormous. Add to this, the nature of the subject that brings its share of painstaking hard-work. In fact, the stakes are so high for S S Rajamouli’s Bahubali: The Beginning that the overall satisfaction has to be spectacular. Being merely a ‘good film’ isn’t enough at all.

Picture: Trendingonindia.com

So, does Rajamouli fulfill the expectations born out of the costliest Indian film ever? The answer is a loud and energetic ‘Yes!’. He has dreamt super big and has dared to bring it alive on screen through a visual spectacle that just doesn’t cease to amaze you. Bahubali will be remembered as an achievement and landmark for Indian cinema for years to come.

The film takes place in an ancient city named Mahishmati. A drowning lady (Ramya Krishnan) somehow manages to save the infant she is carrying. The child is raised by a tribal couple. He grows up to be the mischievous and strong Shiva (Prabhas). Ever since his childhood, he has been obsessed with climbing the mountain with a huge waterfall.

After several attempts, Shiva finally succeeds. He finds the beautiful Avanthika (Tamannaah), who is a part of a warrior group. She and his group members are hell bent in freeing Devasena (Anushka Shetty), who is held captive by the evil Bhallaladeva (Rana Daggubati) since 25 years. Shiva, who has fallen in love with Avanthika, vows to help her in her mission. Will Shiva succeed? Who exactly is Shiva?

Bahubali: The Beginning is not just a film. It is an experience that stays with you long after you leave the cinema hall. You will notice some visual delight in almost every frame through some colorful visuals, breathtaking locations, high-octane stunts and, lastly, exciting and epic war sequences in the climax. Such a visual spectacle is not seen before in India.

But the film is not only about visuals. There is some smart story and character development in the first half. It was nice to see the love track leading onto the major twist. The script has succeeded in giving a good amount of importance to all major characters.

Picture: Mid-Day.com

However, the romantic track is clumsy and regressive. How long will we sugarcoat harassment and stalking as romance? This is the only negative aspect in Bahubali, apart from few errors and the overall length. But nevertheless, these points don’t lessen your excitement for the part two or the sequel titled Bahubali: The Conclusion, whose release date is January 26, 2016.

National Award Winning cinematographer K K Senthil Kumar also plays a major role in creating such an end result. It is to be noted that his job was one of the toughest for a DoP. The powerful background music adds more life to the proceedings. Songs used in the background suit the content.

Coming to the actors, Prabhas gives a powerhouse performance, both as Shiva and Bahubali. Some sheer hard-work and dedication is on display from this fine actor. This is one performance that will be talked about far and wide. Rana Daggubati makes sure you love to hate Bhallaladeva, which means he is fantastic. Sathyaraj, in the role of Kattappa, is flawless.

Anushka Shetty too shines in a challenging role. Tamannaah does justice to the character of a warrior. But at times she tries too hard to appear tough through her expressions. Ramya Krishnan too chips in with a dedicated act. Nassar, Adivi Sesh, Tanikella Bharani and others provide perfect support. Sudeep is impressive in a cameo.

Overall: Bahubali: The Beginning is an epic visual spectacle. This film is an achievement for Indian cinema! It is going to break all box office records.

Maggi Controversy: 3 important issues need immediate tackling

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By: Keyur Seta

The controversy regarding the presence of high amount of lead and Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) in India’s loved snack Maggi Noodles and its subsequent ban in various states (Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Assam soon all over India) has come as a rude shock to many, including me, for two reasons.

Let’s face it, there are many around us who not just love Maggi but are also dependent on it. I know a lot of people (mostly men) who can cook just one dish – Maggi. The snack is also a messiah for people living in remote areas of Himalayas. Secondly, the controversy is completely out of the blue. Seriously, how many of us had expected something of this magnitude to happen with Maggi? None, actually!

As things stand out, we can’t ignore the serious health hazards posed by the snack due to the enormous level of lead and MSG being found in it; lead is around 17 times more than permissible limit. And when the risk is as high as being attacked by Cancer, you really can’t ignore it. Hence, ban on Maggi is the only way to deal with the situation, no matter how painful it is for many of us.

Pictue: Kairalibazaar.com

But the issue doesn’t end here, at least for me. In fact, it starts here. The whole controversy surrounding Maggi has opened a can of worms as it has given rise to some very serious questions or pointers:-

1) Was FDA sleeping?: The presence of such high amounts of lead was found unknowingly or randomly by a person who got the noodles tested for something else. If he hadn’t tested, we wouldn’t have realized this incredibly serious issue with the snack. So, this completely exposes the functioning of Food & Drug Administration (FDA) with regards to clearing foodstuffs.

How did they allow such a big scam to ever take place right under their nose? What is the point of having FDA if they are unable to detect such enormously dangerous substances in a snack that is consumed by all, including children? Is their responsibility only limited to testing an item during license renewal that happens just once in 6 months or more?

Therefore, if there is anyone in the firing line due to the controversy it is the FDA. With the presence of lead in such high amounts in Maggi, their failure is proved, which calls for some stringent action against the officers responsible.

2) Celebrities’ Responsibility: Celebrities (Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta) endorsing Maggi shouldn’t be held responsible for promoting such a product. All they need to do is check whether the product is legal and has approval from FDA or any such government body. You can’t expect them to check the ingredients themselves in a laboratory when our authorities themselves have easily cleared the product.

Picture: Filmibeat.com

However, this doesn’t give a Clean Chit to our celebrities, at least from me, as they are still guilty of promoting lies in return for crores of rupees. For example, the packet of Maggi says it is high on Vitamins and Proteins. This is a blatant lie as it is junk food. This whole issue should be a wake-up call for our celebs when it comes to endorsing any product and everything that the makers claim.

3) What about other products?: Most importantly, this makes me doubt as to how safe are the thousands of other products that the masses are consuming, right from the time they wake up. As mentioned above, the entire Maggi fiasco came to the surface by fluke after a man got it tested for something else. Who knows? We might be consuming such or similar seriously hazardous products unknowingly.

The need of the hour for our authorities is to check as many products as possible for such dangerous contents and follow it up with regular surprise checks to ensure their safety. Considering the enormous number of products we consume, there is no doubt that this is an almost impossible task. But nothing is more important than the well-being of the citizens.

E-Book Review: Capturing Wildlife Moments In India

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“This post is a part of the book review program of at Saevus Wildlife India in association with The Hemchand Mahindra Foundation for the book Capturing Wildlife Moments in India“

Photographer & Author: Ashok Mahindra

Presented By: Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Oxford Publishers

Rating: * * * *

Review By: Keyur Seta

The main aim of Wildlife Photographers is to make the reader experience a wild safari inside a jungle while sitting miles away. Their task is difficult than video shooters due to the reliance only on still pictures. Ashok Mahindra’s e-book ‘Capturing Wildlife Moments In India’ achieves this aim hands down. This is not the only achievement of the book though.

‘Capturing Wildlife Moments In India’ is a collection of wildlife images, which includes animals, birds, reptiles and also nature, clicked by Mahindra over a period of time at different national parks of India.

The book is a treat not only for wildlife lovers but also for city dwellers trapped in concrete jungles. The well-shot and well thought pictures transport you to the raw interiors of forests. But, as mentioned by Mahindra, wildlife is not only about wild animals. Therefore, he has also given importance to other aspects of jungles. Other impressive feature is the trivia about some species and the back story behind the capturing of a number of pictures.

It is difficult to select few best among the 100 + pictures. But these are the ones that stand out:-

– Images of the Royal Bengal Tiger

– Asiatic Elephants spraying mud over their bodies to combat heat.

– Sal Trees at Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh.

– A spider trying hard to trap a butterfly

– A crocodile, deer and a bird appearing together.

– The picturesque Jogi Mahal below Ranthambhore Fort, Rajasthan.

– A mother elephant trying to convince her kid to get inside a lake.

– A Spotted Deer ready for mating.

But apart from presenting wildlife pictures, the deeper intent here is to encourage sustainability of wildlife habitats that are diminishing rapidly. It is like a wakeup call to the people of today’s times. The photographer-cum-author has also provided a list of solutions for the same.

Coming to the minor negative points, the written matter on some occasions needs to be short since it is a pictorial book. This becomes more problematic due to the very small font as one is required to zoom in and out regularly.

Overall: ‘Capturing Wildlife Moments In India’ is a pleasurable jungle safari.

More pictures from the book:-

(Click to enlarge)