Friendship Day: A Special Day for Friends



By : Md Mudassir Alam

Friendship is one of the most pious relationships in the world. Since time immemorial, apart from the internal bond amongst the family members, friendship has had its own distinct value.

FIRST SUNDAY of August is celebrated all over the world as Friendship Day. Today people across the world celebrate this day with great enthusiasm. People across all age groups be it children, youngsters or even the old greet their friends and share good moments with each other.

In fact, friendship is the only relationship in the world which, if one is lucky, is nonjudgmental, a pillar of support where people can share each others feelings, and good and bad moments of their lives. Friendship Day is a special day dedicated to those people who make the lives of their friend merrier and provide support when needed, laugh and cry with their friend and be there, no matter what.

According to legends, folk stories and mythological stories, friendship has been regarded as an important relationship since the beginning of the civilized society across the world. As per the records in the year 1935, first Sunday of August was declared as the Friendship Day in United States of America. Since then Friendship Day became a regular annual event in United States, which was marked by a number of joyful celebrations. With the progress of the time the tradition of Friendship Day spread to other parts of the world and now it is celebrated in almost all the countries. In the year 1997, for the first time the United States took a major step related to Friendship Day and appointed Winnie – the Pooh as the Friendship’s world ambassador.

Besides real life, in reel life too, friendship has been shown in so many ways. Satyen Bose’s Dosti (1964) is one of the ultimate examples of friendship. The plot of film is based on the friendship of two boys, one blind and the other is a cripple, but they help each other through ups and downs. Ramesh Sippy’s blockbuster Sholay (1975) is known for the friendship between Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Viru (Dharmendra). Other notable Hindi films made on friendship include Saathi, Sangam, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Zanjeer etc.

However, I think that bond of friendship is so strong that it doesn’t require a special day for celebration. For true friends, each and every moment remains a day of celebration. However in today’s fast moving world where people remain busy in their day-to-day activities, jobs, business deals and so on, atleast Friendship Day provides an excellent opportunity to catch up with each other. Apart from that, this special day allows us to give due recognition to the sweet bond of friendship that we share with our friends.

As they say, one can choose friends but not relatives, so to have a good a friend and to be a good friend is the message that this day carries. That’s what makes life a wee bit happier, comfortable and beautiful. Happy Friendship Day!

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Sanjay Dutt: Deserved the RI or has paid enough?

By : Md Mudassir Alam

After 14-years of long wait Sanjay Dutt was punished under the Arms Act by the special TADA court. He was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for six years and fined Rs 25,000. But the question here is, is it a harsh sentence or did he deserve it?

AFTER A LONG wait of 14 years, finally TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act) court has given its verdict on 1993 Mumbai blast case. During this long-drawn trial 100 accused were held guilty, 12 sentenced to death and 20 to life. The cine star, Sanjay Dutt whose fate was decided on Tuesday was also waiting for the verdict. He was sentenced to six years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 25,000 by the special court for illegal possession of an automatic AK-56 rifle in 1993.

Besides Sanjay Dutt, three of his close associates were also sentenced by the special court. Russi Mulla (64 yrs) was released under the Probation of Offenders Act (POA), while Kersi Adjania (77 yrs) was granted bail and Yusuf Nulwalla was sentenced to five-year rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 25,000 for possessing the illegal weapon and attempting to destroy the evidence.

According to prosecution case, in January 1993 Sanjay Dutt had acquired an AK- 56 from gangster Abu Salem. Sanjay was in close touch with Anees Ibrahim, brother of underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim, the mastermind behind the Mumbai serial bomb-blasts.

Now let us take a look what happened in the year 1993. A series of thirteen bomb blasts took place on the black day of March 12, 1993 in Bombay (now Mumbai). The series of bomb blasts are considered the most destructive bomb explosions in the history of India. In a single-day due to bomb blasts around 250 civilians lost their lives and more than 700 were injured. According to sources the attacks were coordinated by underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim in retaliation for the destruction of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya on 6th December1992. After the blasts when the police was investigating, Sanjay Dutt’s was also found involved. Meanwhile Sanjay Dutt went to Mauritius for shooting a film and he got to know about the arrest of his friends, Hanif Kadawala and Hingora. On his arrival from Mauritius, Sanjay Dutt was arrested on April 19, 1993 and subsequently spent 16 months behind the bars before getting bail.

As the court verdict came on Tuesday, Sanjay Dutt was totally shocked and begged for mercy. With folded hands Dutt went to the witness box and sought permission to speak something in the court. After getting the permission from the judge, Sanjay said, “Sir, I made a mistake 14 years ago. Please give me some time to surrender.” But the special TADA court judge rejected the actor’s emotional plea and told I have already given you much relaxation and you have to obey the judgment. Hours after sentencing Sanjay, Judge P.D. Kode told that the actor not to lose faith in himself as he was at number one position in the film industry and he liked the actor’s performance very much in Munnabhai MBBS. “In the film, your father looked much better than you,” added Justice Kode. Further the special TADA court Judge told the actor, “Act till you are 100, I have taken away only six years.” In an informal conversation with Sanjay, Judge Kode said that, “Don’t get perturbed for you have many years to go and work like ‘Mackenna’s Gold’ actor Gregory Peck.”

After meeting with his relatives Sanjay Dutt was taken into custody. Sanjay’s arrest was heartbreaking news for his relatives, film fraternity as well as for his fans. News channels also came up with the special stories about the actor and asked several senior lawyers about the possibilities of bail for the actors. Some lawyers said that Supreme Court can grant bail to the actor as charges are weak, while some said that getting bail could be tough.

We all know that after his release in 1994, Sanjay has proved himself as a good human being and countryman too. But the biggest hurdle in the actor’s way is his bitter past. Most importantly law is same for all so he was punished according to his crime. However, Sanjay’s lawyers will be approaching the Supreme Court for bail.

What will happen to him we don’t know, we can only pray for him and expect mercy from the Apex Court. Don’t worry Sanju, you are a brave man, just stand up and keep faith in the God. We are sure that you will get bail very soon.

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Mohammed Rafi: Mujhko mere baad zamana dhoondega...

By : Md Mudassir Alam

When we talk about the legends of Hindi cinema, we have to mention the name of king of melody, Mohammed Rafi. In fact, Mohammed Rafi is one of the few names in playback singing who will always be remembered for his magical voice.

Even today after so many years we like to listen to Mohammed Rafi’s evergreen songs and they echo in our ears for a long time. Today is the 27th death anniversary of Rafi Sahab, who left this world on 31st July 1980 for his heavenly abode. Being a music lover and big fan of Mohammed Rafi I pay my heartfelt tribute to the great singer and a nice human being.

With a God-gifted natural, macho and clear voice, Mohammed Rafi is considered the best amongst the singers of his era. In his career which spanned over 35 years, Mohammed Rafi has left behind a rich legacy of songs. Mohammed Rafi has sung above 7000 Hindi film songs and more than 26,000 songs in almost all national languages. It was only the greatness of Rafi Sahab that he sung varied genre of songs such as sad, romantic, fast, classical, bhajan, ghazal, qawalli, parody etc.

Some evergreen popular numbers from Rafi Sahab include Aaj Mousam Bada (Loafer), Aaj Purani Raahon Se (Aadmi), Aane Se Uske Aaye Bahar (Jeene Ki Raah), Baharon Phool Barsao (Suraj), Chahoonga Mein Tujhe (Dosti), Chaudvin Ka Chand (Chaudvin Ka Chand), Choo Lene De Nazuk Honto Ko (Kaajal), Dard – E – Dil (Karz), Din Dhal Jaye (Guide), Ehsaan Tera Hoga (Junglee), Gulabee Ankhen (The Train), Hum to Chale Pardes (Sargam), Hum Tum Se Juda Hoke (Ek Sapera Ek Lutera), Khoya Khoya Chand (Kaala Bazaar), Kya Hua Tera Wada (Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin), Likhe Jo Khat Tujhe (Kanyadaan), Maanena Yeh Mera Dil Deewana (Tere Ghar Ke Samne), Meri Awaz Suno (Naunihal), Na Aadmi Ka Koi Bharosa (Aadmi), Na Tu Zameen Ke Liye (Daastan), Pardesiyon Se Na Ankhiyan Milana (Jab Jab Phool Khile), Pathar ke Sanam (Pathar ke Sanam), Teri Bindiya Re (Abhimaan), Teri Galiyon Mein (Hawas), Woh Jab Yaad Aaye (Paarasmani), Yaad Na Jaaye (Dil Ek Mandir), Yeh Wadiyan Yeh Fizayen Bula Rahin Hai Tumhe (Aaj Aur Kal), Zindagi Bhar Nahin (Barsaar Ki Raat) and list goes on.

Mohammed Rafi was born on December 24, 1924 at Kotla Sultan Singh, a town near Amritsar in undivided Punjab. Hajji Ali Mohammed was Rafi’s father and his pet name was Pheeko. Rafi started singing by imitating chants of a fakir (beggar) and gave his first public performance at the age of 13. Later he learnt Hindustani classical music from Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, Firoze Nizami and Pandit Jiwanlal Matto. In 1942 noted composer Shyam Sunder gave Rafi a chance to sing a song ‘Soniye nee, Heeriyee nee’ in the Punjabi film Gul Baloch.

In the year 1944, Mohammed Rafi moved to Bombay (Mumbai) in search of a break in Hindi films. In the same year Rafi got a break in A.R. Kardar’s Pehle Aap(1944) and recorded the first song with Naushad, Hindustan Ke Hum Hain and another song of the film Gaon Ki Gori. Rafi got the recognition for the song Tere Khilona Toota Balak from Mehboob Khan’s noted film Anmol Ghadi (1946). From Vijay Bhatt’s Baiju Bawra (1952), Mohammed Rafi established himself as the number one playback singer in Hindi cinema. Baiju Bawra’s songs like O Duniya Ke Rakhwale and Man Tarpat Hari Darshan Ko Aaj, are popular till now. From Baiju Bawra (1952) to Karz (1980) there was no looking back for Rafi and he ruled in the world of playback singing for several years.

Mohammed Rafi worked with almost all the noted music composers of that time namely Naushad, O. P. Nayyar, Shankar-Jaikishen, S. D. Burman, C Ramchandra, Madan Mohan, Roshan, R. D. Burman, Kalyanji – Anandji and Laxmikant – Pyarelal. During fifties, sixties and seventies Mohammed Rafi sang for famous heroes like Dilip Kumar, Gurudutt, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Dharmendra and Shashi Kapoor. In fact, Rafi was so genius in his singing that while watching the movie; it appeared that the hero himself is singing and not any playback singer in the background.

During his playback singing days Rafi won a number of awards for Male Playback Singer. Mohammed Rafi was awarded the Filmfare Best Male Playback Singer Award six times for songs Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho (Chaudvin Ka Chand - 1960), Teri Pyaari Pyaari Surat Ko (Sasural - 1961), Chahunga Mein Tujhe (Dosti – 1964), Baharon Phool Barsao (Suraj – 1966), Dil Ke Jharokhe Mein (Brahamchari – 1968) and Kya Hua Tera Vaada (Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin – 1977). Rafi also won the prestigious National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 1968 (Babul Ki Duayein Leti Ja, Film – Neel Kamal) and 1977 (Kya Hua Tera Wada, Film – Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin). In addition to these, in the year 1948 Mohammed Rafi received a silver medal from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Indian Prime Minister, on the first anniversary of the Indian Independence Day.

Rafi Sahab has rightly said, "Dil Ka Suna Saaz Tarana Dhoondega, Tere Nighae Aaj Nishana Dhoondega, Mujh Ko Mere Baad Zamana Dhoondega." Now 27 years have passed after Mohammed Rafi’s death, but we always remember this great singer. Both the old as well as the young generation love and appreciate the evergreen songs of Rafi Sahab and this will remain forever. I salute the legend of Indian playback singing.

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Mistakes and trauma mark Haneef’s release

By : Md Mudassir Alam

DOCTOR MOHAMMED HANEEF, who was working in Gold Coast Hospital in Southport was arrested on 2nd July at Brisbane airport before he was about to board a flight to India. Twelve days later Haneef was charged with providing support to a terrorist organisation. Haneef was alleged that he had given his mobile-phone SIM card to a relative who was responsible for the failed London terror attacks.

After failing to prove any terrorism-related charges against Mohammed Haneef, the prosecution admitted to having made mistakes. According to public prosecutor the first mistake in the case made against Mohammed Haneef was related to the exact location of the SIM card that was earlier claimed to have been found in the burning jeep used in Glasgow airport attack. Later it was revealed that the SIM card was obtained from Haneef’s cousin, around 300 kms away in Liverpool. Second mistake made in the case was related to Haneef’s residence in the UK, which was based on incorrect evidence provided by the AFP.

Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Damian Bugg said, “On my view of this matter a mistake has been made. I withdrew the charges because I was satisfied and there was no reasonable prospect of conviction.” While talking with reporters in Canberra, Mr. Bugg described the mistake as “upsetting.” “Mistakes are embarrassing. You’re embarrassed if you do something wrong. I am disappointed that it’s happened and I will first thing next week try and obtain a better understanding of how it came about.”

On Haneef’s release, his wife Firdous Ashiya looked quite happy and told that her husband’s honour is restored now and it has been proved that he in not a terrorist. Speaking to media, Firdous said, "We are waiting for a bridging visa because I don’t want him to get deported. I want him to come back in a regular manner.”

In the meantime, the Indian External Affairs Ministry has also sought a fresh visa for Mohammed Haneef in a statement which also welcomed the dropping of charges against him.

Now 27 yrs old, Mohammed Haneef is free and cleared of the terrorism charges. But who is responsible for the trauma he has faced during his custody and he had been treated like a terrorist. Australian Police tried a lot to prove Haneef as a terrorist, even they reached his residence in Bangalore to question his relatives. Everything that belonged to Haneef like mobile phone, computer, documents etc. came under the scan of Australian Police, but they didn’t find any evidence to establish Haneef’s link with any terrorist organisation.

Meanwhile, I would strongly criticize BJP’s especially L.K.Advani’s comment against Mohammed Haneef. After seeing Haneef’s mother in a traumatic condition, our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh came in support of Haneef. Mr. Advani strongly came against Prime Minister and compared Haneef’s mother’s trauma with Kashmiri women whose sons die in terrorist attacks. However, after Haneef’s acquittal news, BJP President Rajnath Singh said, “Haneef was suspected as a terrorist because he is Muslim, it is wrong, all the Muslims can’t be suspected as terrorists.”

Overall, Haneef will be really happy now and next he will try to overcome from his four week long turmoil. At last I would like to thank Indian Government and the Indian External Affairs Ministry too as they came in support of innocent Haneef and saved him from false allegations of terrorism. In future too, all Indians who are living abroad should remain cautious enough to avoid such unpleasant circumstances.

http://merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=125775

Freedom at last for Monica Bedi


By : Md Mudassir Alam

AFTER SERVING 18 months rigorous imprisonment in two different fake passport cases, Monica was finally released. On Monday the Supreme Court ordered to release Monica Bedi and relaxed her bail conditions as she agreed to the cancellation of her passport. Following the order of the Supreme Court, a special CBI court on Tuesday granted bail to Monica Bedi.

CBI had charge sheeted Monica for having a passport from Hyderabad on the basis of forged documents in the name of Sana Malik Kamal. In addition to this, the Madhya Pradesh police have also registered a case against Monica for procuring a passport on forged documents in the name of Fauzia.

Monica was convicted under sections 420, 120 B and section 12 of the Passport Act for having a passport on a fictitious name and address in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh in 2001. The special CBI court in Hyderabad sentenced Monica Bedi to five year of rigorous imprisonment on 29th September 2006. Later the High Court reduced the trial’s court order of five – year imprisonment to three years. Monica Bedi was granted bail by the Supereme Court in May last in the Hyderabad passport forgery case.

Last week the Bhopal Court in Madhya Pradesh acquitted her where she faced a similar charge of passport forgery. After the order of Bhopal Court Monica approached the apex court and pleaded for relaxing of the bail conditions as she had lost her passport in Portugal. The Supreme Court accepted Monica’s plea and ordered her release without having to surrender her original passport.

On her release while coming out of the jail Monica looked very happy. Monica’s father and uncle were there to receive her. Last week following the acquittal order from the Bhopal Court Monica became sure that she would get bail. While talking with media persons Monica said that she is willing to work in films again. Few producers have also approached her to work in their films, Monica added.

On 11th November, 2005 after prolonged extradition proceedings, Monica Bedi and gangster Abu Salem wanted in connection with the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts were brought to India. But Monica was framed only in two cases, forged passport cases in Hyderabad and Bhopal. Apart from this, the police couldn’t frame or file any case against Monica for her alleged connections with Abu Salem.

Now Monica is out and looking for a better tomorrow, but the hue and cry that arose due to her connection with Abu Salem seems to have died down. My question is why police were claiming Monica’s arrest as a big triumph. At last police couldn’t engrave any fact which could prove connection between Monica and Abu Salem. If there was any connection between Monica and Salem, then why wasn’t she framed under MACOCA? Bottom-line is that, Monica’s arrest was nothing but just a tall claim from the Indian police who wasted valuable time and money on Monica.

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Team India fails to shine at Lord's

By : Md Mudassir Alam

SO, THE FIRST cricket test between India and England ended in a draw. As England was one wicket away from victory, Indians were trying to save their pride. Thanks to rain god who came at the right time to save the match for India. Once again the test match has raised a finger on the ability of Indian top players.

With a strong team including four world-class batsmen, Indian team landed on the historic Lord’s cricket ground. But in the very first innings these players disappointed the cricket fans. Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar couldn’t transform his innings into a big one, Rahul Dravid couldn’t become the wall, Sourav Ganguly couldn’t play his off-side stroke and there was nothing special in very very special VVS Laxman. See the runs scored by our top players in both the innings—Sachin Tendulkar (37, 16), Rahul Dravid (2, 9) Sourav Ganguly (34, 40) and Laxman (15, 39). None of these players could score 50 in any innings. In total they scored 192 in both the innings, which was not enough to make India’s dominance in the match or bring the victory for India.

Altogether these four players have played around 400 test matches and have scored more than 80 centuries, but in cricket’s Mecca, Lord’s none of them came up with a big score. Do you expect such type of performances from these players? I say a big NO, we can’t expect or accept such disastrous performances from Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman.

Before the start of Lord’s test India’s captain as well as senior players were making tall claims that they will perform very well there. But only bowlers performed well and bowled out England within 300 runs in both the innings. Amongst the bowlers young R.P. Singh and experienced Zaheer Khan were special.

In Lord’s cricket ground fans were expecting much from Tendulkar. Some were even expecting that the little master will break the jinx here and score his first century here. But he couldn’t create the magic and fell miserably against Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar. On the other hand Dravid, who had earlier played several memorable innings in England, was not himself. Scoring 11 runs in two innings defines it very well that burden of captaincy is affecting his performance. After the match Dravid gave a surprising statement that ‘our bowlers didn’t bowl well.’ Oh! What an irresponsible statement? Everyone knows that bowlers did their job very well, in fact, the batsmen are responsible for such a poor performance.

Cricket is a game of professionals, here one bad shot makes a huge difference and you never get the chance to make up for the mistake. Most of the time we find that Indian players make several mistakes, and don’t perform up to their level, that’s why we lose matches. Indian players should take lessons from the England players Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen. Both of these players took their team to a good total and bowlers did rest of the job very well.

Moreover, it was the first test match for India and weather became a protective shield and saved India from defeat. Now in the rest two test matches Indian players especially the senior players should play their part very well to bring triumph to India.

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Ouch! Male Casting Couch!

By : Md Mudassir Alam

COUPLE OF DAYS back Sonu Nigam, one of the leading singers of Bollywood broke out a sensational story of ‘Male Casting Couch’ in a newspaper. Sonu Nigam alleged sexual harassment charges against senior film journalist Subhash K Jha. As he broke the news it spread like fire and several news channels unveiled story of ‘Male Casting Couch.’

During the telecast, news channels contacted Sonu Nigam in which he admitted that Subhash K Jha had been harassing him for a long time. On the other hand, Subhash K Jha said that he will go to court and file a case against the singer. According to Sonu Nigam, Subhash K Jha humiliates him every fortnight in his articles. In fact not only Sonu Nigam other celebrities are also on his hit list who include Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Asha Bhonsle, Anu Malik, Ismail Darbar, Alka Yagnik, Adnaan Sami and so on.

Further Sonu mentioned that Subhash K Jha is a homosexual and the latter had asked him several times to indulge in a relation with him. Sonu said that Subhash used to send him many messages and called him several times. I have his "I miss you and Love you Sonu" and "I am sorry" messages saved in various phones of mine and today I thank God that I never erased them, Sonu added. Just two days after the allegations, someone called the singer who is presently in New Jersey for his show and threatened to kill him. As per Sonu the caller told him, "What you are doing is not good for you; whenever you come back to Mumbai we will kill you." After getting the threatening call Sonu Nigam called his father in Mumbai, who filed an FIR at a police station for safety.

Now the question is, does casting couch exist in Bollywood? Broadly speaking, it exists and most of the newcomers face such situations and they have to compromise for their career. In fact, earlier only female stars were the victims of such practices, but the story of Sonu Nigam has brought another aspect of casting couch to the fore that is ‘Male Casting Couch.’

We all know very well that casting couch has been flourishing in Bollywood for a long time and people from film fraternity themselves have come up with such stories in their films. In 2005 noted director Madhur Bhandarkar made the super-hit film ‘Page 3’, which brought the harsh truth of life of celebrities before the common people. The plot of the film revolved around the celebrities and it also portrayed various types of relations that include homosexual relation between a make-up man and a struggling actor. In a particular scene when Tara Sharma an aspiring actress goes to meet a director for getting a role in his film, she is asked to sleep with the director.

Recently Anurag Basu’s ‘Life in a Metro’ was based on extra-marital affairs, pre-marital sex and many other relations. So we can’t deny the fact that a number of producers, directors and other people from glamour world of Bollywood indulge in such appalling acts. Whether Sonu Nigam is correct or not, it has not been proven yet and we have to wait for the truth.

On the whole, common people can’t help them or understand what is going on behind the glitter of this glamour world. Now, it’s for the film fraternity to cope with cases as weird as this. Next it depends on the aspiring actors or actresses whether they compromise for their career or go strongly against the people who exploit them.

http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=125697

RNG Excellence in Journalism Awards

By : Md Mudassir Alam

PRESS, the fourth pillar of India’s democracy has always remained an essential part of our society. Since its origin, press has been performing its role very diligently by bringing the various issues before the common people.

Now let us take a look on history of press in India. Hickey’s Bengal Gazette or the Calcutta General Advertiser was the first English newspaper of India. A weekly newspaper, Bengal Gazette was founded in the year 1779 in Calcutta by British East India Company. It was just a beginning, gradually the publication of newspapers started at various places of the country in different languages.

Nowadays a number of newspapers have been published in various languages that bring day-to-day happenings of the world to us. Though the invention of television brought the viewer even more closer to other parts of the world, print journalism has still maintained its credibility and has a different approach. In fact, it has become an integral part of our daily lives.

We all know that running a newspaper or TV channel is not an easy job. A number of stringers, reporters, writers etc. work 24x7 to gather news from different parts of the world. They work hard so we the people remain informed and make informed choices. Hence, praising and rewarding the journalists for their great work is very important.

Yesterday Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards were given to journalists for excellence in work in their respective fields. President of India, A P J Abdul Kalam was present at the ceremony, he said, "there is no room for sensationalism in it (journalism) even if in the short run it might sell. It will be sheer sacrilege. True journalism is courageous, truthful, inspiring and exalting." During the speech, Kalam also said that, "the media should focus more on positive, empowering information,” and recalled his 1999 visit to Tel Aviv where he noticed how newspapers had ignored bombings and featured the story of an agricultural success in a desert. Further he mentioned, "Probably, people look for and they deserve such type of news, which I consider is indeed excellence in journalism and has a market."

Viveck Goenka, Chairman, The India Express explained the concept behind the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards. Goenka also the chairman of the RNG Foundation said that "the 24 winners of the award reaffirm our faith in journalism as an act of character and values." Amongst the winners, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor- in- Chief, CNN-IBN was given the Journalist of the Year (Broadcast) Award for monitoring the coverage of all important news events of the year and giving a distinct edge to a news channel with sharp reportage on political events. While Ritu Sarin of ‘The Indian Express’ won the Journalist of the Year (Print) award for her series of investigative stories on the CBI’s lapses, the Bofors trial, the breach in the national security establishment and the allegations in the Paul Volker report. Apart from these awards, 22 other awards were given to stories that met the highest standards of journalism that include:

-Reporting on HIV/AIDS (Print, English): Sadhna Mohan, AIDS Buzz.
-Reporting on HIV/AIDS (Print), Marathi: Shekhar Vasant Deshmukh, Loksatta
-Business and Economic Journalism (Broadcast): Hiral Sachde and Khusboo Narayan, CNBC
-Journalism Award for Books (Nonfiction): Dionne Bunsha, Frontline
-Films and Television (Print): Mayank Shekhar, Mumbai Mirror
-Foreign Correspondent Covering India (Print): Amelia Gentleman, International Herald Tribune
-Uncovering India Invisible (Broadcast): Nilanjana Bose, CNN-IBN
-Uncovering India Invisible (Print): Vivek Madhao Deshpande, The Indian Express
-Environmental Reporting (Print): Dionne Bunsha, Frontline
-Environmental Reporting (Broadcast): Bahar Dutt, CNN-IBN
-Political Reporting (Broadcast): Rohit Khanna, CNN
-Political Reporting (Print): Manini Chatterjee, The Indian Express
-Regional Award, Indian Language (Broadcast): MV Nikesh Kumar, Indiavision
-Regional Award, Indian language (Print): Reji Joseph, Rashtra Deepika
-Regional Award, Northeast (Broadcast): Kishalay Bhattacharjee, NDTV
-Regional Award, Northeast (Print): David Buhril, Northeast Sun
-Regional Award, Jammu and Kashmir (Broadcast): Zaffar Iqbal, NDTV
-Regional Award, Jammu and Kashmir (Print): Syed Nazakat, Sahara Times
-Sports Journalism (Broadcast): Gautam Bhimani, ESPN/Star Sports
-Sports Journalism (Print): Shivani Naik, The Indian Express
-Regional Award, Hindi (Broadcast): Ravish Kumar, NDTV

Of course, an award can’t be compared with the pain that a journalist takes while covering news but at least by the great efforts of the organizations like Indian Express the are given their due recognition and appreciation. Moreover, such awards certainly motivate them further to perform even better in their respective fields. Well done journos, keep up the good work, we are proud of you.

http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=125672

New Seven Wonders named amid controversy

By : Md Mudassir Alam

AS THE RESULTS were declared in Portugal’s capital, Lisbon Indians started to celebrate the triumph in various ways. New list of Seven Wonders of the World features Taj Mahal (India), Great Wall of China (China), Petra (Jordan), Christ the Redeemer (Brazil), Chichen Itza Pyramid (Mexico) and Colosseum (Italy) and Machu Picchu (Peru). However, the Great Pyramid of Egypt was an honorary candidate and not featured in the voting list.

History of seven wonders dates back to ancient period when the historian Herodotus (484 BC – 425 BC) and the noted scholar Callimachus (305 BC – 240 BC), made lists of Seven Wonders of the World. Their list included the Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Mausoleum of Masussollos at Halicarnassus, Colossus of Rhodes and Lighthouse of Alexandra. Amongst these wonders only Great Pyramid of Giza is standing even today, while other six were destructed by earthquake, fire or other reasons.

Further in the middle age a number of lists for ‘Seven Wonders of the World’ had been created, but those lists were not created by modern-medieval historians, so they are not authentic. In the modern age wonders of the world had been grouped into various categories namely Modern Wonders, Natural Wonders, Underwater Wonders and Tourist Travel Wonders which were sub-divided into man-made travel wonders and natural travel-wonders. Then, the Wonders of the World were designated according to the research and suggestions of scholars and historians. For New Seven Wonders of the World, first time the online voting and SMS system were used and around 10 crore people around the world exercised their vote.

Now let’s have a look how the initiative for the new seven wonders began. Promotion for the new seven wonders started way back in 2000. In the year 2001 a Swiss Corporation – New Open World Corporation took an initiative to choose the New Seven Wonders of the World. Finally on January 1, 2006 after taking into consideration several criteria it announced 21 finalists. Eventually on July 7, 2007 seven new wonders of the world were announced in a grand ceremony in Lisbon.

However, the selection has been dogged with controversy. I question it too. In fact, thousands of people across the world are asking the same question. Is the selection of Seven Wonders of the World fair and authentic? As not a single International body was involved in the selection procedure, so on a broad spectrum I think it’s unfair. UNESCO which takes care of almost all the heritage sites of the world declared that it has no link with the initiative and the result would be the opinions of those who have access to the Internet and not the entire world. Meanwhile, about 6.6 billion people live around the world out of which only 10 crore voted for new Seven Wonders of the World.

Hence, if we take UNESCO’s statement and people’s vote under consideration then the list of new Seven Wonders of the World was just a business motive not an authentic selection. Of course, New Open World Corporation has said that it will spend 50 per cent the collected amount in the maintenance of selected wonders, but those which couldn’t make into last seven, the people of those countries will always remain suspicious and unhappy on the selection procedure. But who cares, our Taj is clear winner, let’s celebrate and salute the eternal love of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal.

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Rajesh or American scientist: Rebirth or something else?

By : Md Mudassir Alam

DO YOU BELIEVE in rebirth? Do you believe in transfer of memory from one body to another body? I think majority of the people across the world will say NO. Yes, you are also right upto a certain extent as we are living in ultra-modern world of Science and Technology, so we can’t believe on such things. Like many, I too don’t believe in any such thing. But, what I saw yesterday on television, compelled me to think about the phenomenon of rebirth.

Last night as per my daily schedule I was scanning news on television. When I switched over to IBN7, suddenly I stopped as an interesting and a mind-boggling story of a 14 yr old boy Rajesh was being telecast live. In addition to IBN7, INDIA TV was also telecasting the same story at that time. IBN7 had aptly named the show "Bheja Fry" (Brain Fry), while INDIA TV called it "Bharat Mein Ameriki Vaigyanik ka Punarjanma" (American Scientist takes rebirth in India).

Perhaps many of you have watched that puzzling story and a number of questions had surely arisen in your mind. For last two years outside Saharanpur no one was aware about the extraordinary qualities of Rajesh. By chance the reporters of the IBN7 and INDIA TV got to know about the interesting story of Rajesh and disclosed it before the world. Rajesh, a 14 year old boy from Bilaspur village of Saharanpur is studying in ninth class. His mother is a labour while his father is mentally sick. About two years back, due to some reason he hit on his father’s head with a stone, the incident caused a major setback in Rajesh’s life and he confined himself in a room for three months.

Surprisingly when Rajesh came out of that room, he was no more the same simple village boy. Everything had changed in his life, he was not able to speak or understand Hindi and no one could understand what he was saying. Rajesh was able to speak only in English with 150 yrs old American accent that he could have never possibly learnt. Villagers thought he had either gone mad or a bad spirit had entered his body. After some time his school teachers started to understand him and told the villagers as well as students that Rajesh is normal and that his IQ is higher than others. His teachers have also provided all the possible facilities to Rajesh for research as that is what he wants to do.

Rajesh’s teachers were also present in the show, who said that he is normal and shows lots of interest in studies. His teachers said that Rajesh can solve difficult questions related to Science and Mathematics. Rajesh displayed his knowledge by delivering lectures to his teachers and Engineering students. Not only studies, his way of living has also changed and he behaves like a 35-40 yrs old man.

S.P. Sinha, Principal, William Jefferson Clinton Science Centre said, he knows Rajesh for last one year and found that what he was saying was true. According to S.P. Sinha, the soul of famous American Scientist Wallace Regart has possibly entered his body, who died in 1966 under unusual circumstances. S.P. Sinha mentioned, "Rajesh has written three books in which he has kept his name Wallace Regart, we came to know about the scientist after surfing the Internet."

At the beginning of the show Rajesh looked a little hesitant, but later he seemed happy as a number of viewers came forth with support. Even the ISRO Director, Rangarajan himself called Rajesh and said, "You have to be brave, you have to be stand up, whenever you face any difficulty always feel free to contact me.” To this Rajesh replied that "I have many plans in my mind, I want to do extensive research." Later he mentioned "I want to see entire world move in a new direction and make a good place for myself in the country."

With the efforts of IBN7 and INDIA TV finally Rajesh came in front of the world. During the show viewers and the experts raised a number of questions against his qualities. Some people said that he is hiding his identity, his English is not clear; he is unable to answer the questions related to science etc. But the truth behind such questions is that "Science can never accept miracles." Of course, we have developed ourselves in the field of Science and Technology, but we cannot deny the fact that one supreme power runs the whole world. Even today we are unaware about so many facts related to the universe; it includes the phenomenon of rebirth.

Whether Rajesh has taken rebirth in the form of American Scientist "Wallace Regart" or not, it doesn’t matter, on humanitarian grounds we should help this 14 yrs old boy who now has an extraordinary mind, rather than making him a victim of controversies. Lastly, I leave it upto the readers, you have to judge yourself, whether Rajesh is a miracle of nature or something else.

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Killer Bluelines: Law should be made stringent

By : Md Mudassir Alam

BLUELINE BUSES, COMMONLY referred as ‘lifeline of Delhi’, have once again created horror in the minds of Delhiites. Two days back a Blueline bus crushed an 11-year-old boy and damaged seven other vehicles at a traffic signal in Rajouri Garden area. However, the driver Sukhiwinder Singh has been arrested under Section 304 A of the India Penal Code for causing death due to negligence. Most importantly, accused Sukhwinder will be released on bail as this offence is bailable and maximum punishment is jail for only two years.

In fact, the unfortunate incident is nothing new for us; often we come across news of such incidents in Delhi. According to the records, Blueline buses are found responsible for most of the fatal accidents taking place on Delhi roads. In the year 2006, Blueline buses were involved in around 100 fatal accidents. Most of the time victims don’t get justice in the form of compensation and the accused gets bail within few weeks by taking advantage of the absence of stringent laws.

Buses are the principle mode of commuting for middle and lower class residing in the national capital. As Delhi is inhabited mostly by people of these classes, so it is the prime duty of Delhi Government to assure a safe commute for them. The fact is that common people of Delhi are facing many transport related problems. Travelling in Blueline buses is nothing less than a nightmare. Usually the buses remain jam-packed and you cannot even move your feet. Most of the Blueline buses plying in the national capital are in bad condition and their seats are torn and tattered. In addition, the drivers as well as the conductors of Blueline buses are known for their rude behaviour. If you are travelling in a bus of 534 or 507 or 34 route, there are maximum chances of pick-pocketing and losing your mobile and it’s true that the drivers and conductors also remain involved in such acts. Apart from that, the traffic police of Delhi are not honest. They leave the accused drivers and conductors by taking a small amount of one or two hundred rupees. On the other hand, Delhi Government has provided only few DTC buses, that’s why people are compelled to travel in the Blueline buses that are not safe at all. The big question here is, who is responsible for such horrible incidents or rash driving and bribing? From my point drivers alone are not culprits. Traffic officials of Delhi and Delhi Government are equally responsible.

It’s a harsh truth that Delhi Government is doing nothing in this direction. Whenever such unfortunate incidents happen, the concerned minister comes and makes false promises and announces some compensation for the victims. This time too, following the accident at Raja Garden Delhi Transport Minister Haroon Yusuf said, "We will tighten the system and ensure the buses comply with all the rules and regulations before fitness certificates are given." He also mentioned, “We launch (traffic) drives at regular intervals to rein in Blueline buses. Due to individual ownership of buses, instead of cooperatives or corporate houses, there are some problems."

Just like in case of past incidents, once again Haroon Yusuf has made new promises. But there is no surety about when will these changes be implemented. If Delhi Government is really concerned about the grievances of common people, the laws must be made strict. Only licensed and experienced drivers should be allowed to drive buses and traffic police shouldn’t leave the accused drivers by taking bribe. Meanwhile increasing the number of DTC buses in Delhi and NCR is the need of time to reduce the burden on Blueline buses.

http://merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=125525

UNESCO honour for Red Fort fully justified

By : Md Mudassir Alam

RED FORT is one of the four cultural sites selected by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee; other sites include Japan’s Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, Australia’s Sydney Opera and Turkmenistan’s Parthian Fortresses of Nisa.

Red Fort has a great historical significance and represents a rich cultural heritage of India, so, I think the declaration has come very late. From the very peak of Mughal power, British regime to India’s independence, Red Fort has witnessed a number of historic events. Amongst these historic events, we can’t forget the moment when India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru hoisted the Indian tri-colour on the eve of India’s freedom from the clutches of British.

Traditionally, from 1947 till now, every year India’s Prime Minister hoists India’s national flag atop Red Fort, on Independence Day (15th August). However, the British when they left India caused much damage to the fort and took several costly gems and other artifacts to their country, but they couldn’t steal the charm of this fort.

On December 22nd, 2000 Red Fort was again in the news due to unfortunate reasons. A group of militants belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba stormed the fort and killed three people, which led to a certain amount of insecurity in the minds of visitors and tourists. Eventually the situation was brought back to normal and people again started to visit this imposing fort. Later the army officers who were guarding it round the clock were also sent away.

Today, the red sandstone monument is more than 350 years old, but it has managed to retain its old charm. An architectural masterpiece of Mughals, Red Fort is known for its innovating planning which you can see in the design of gardens and palaces. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built Red Fort between 1638 to 1648, but he couldn’t move his capital from Agra to his new city of Shahjahanbad in Delhi as his son Aurangzeb imprisoned him in Agra Fort. Mughals ruled for a very short time from here, Aurangzeb was the first and last great Mughal emperor to rule from here. Later the British East India Company captured the fort and retained it till India’s independence in 1947.

Now, Red Fort is a major tourist attraction of Delhi, which attracts tourists from all over the world. I was very lucky that I had the opportunity to visit it recently. Right from its entrance Lahore Gate, Red Fort will take you to the great historic past of India. On the walls of the ‘Diwan-i-Khas’ you will see famous Persian couplet "If there is a paradise on earth it is this, it is this, it is this," which is totally justified. There’s no doubt that Red Fort is the principle landmark of India and its pride. More importantly, UNESCO has honoured Red Fort with the status of World Heritage Site, now it depends on us how we maintain its dignity in the future.

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Scoring cent percent in CBSE exams now a reality

By : Md Mudassir Alam

TWO DAYS BACK CBSE declared class X results throughout India. As the result was declared successful students and their parents were seen in celebration mood. Now students with high percentage of marks are looking for admission in good colleges or senior secondary schools across the country. But if we have a look at the figures of the pass percentage and marks scored by students in various subjects it’s quite impressive this year. Some thousands of students across the country have scored perfect 100 in subjects like Mathematics, Social Science, Science and English.

According to figures 5,251 students scored 100 marks in Mathematics and 1,232 scored 100 in Social Science. In Delhi 658 students scored 100 in Mathematics, while 217 students have scored 100 marks in Social Science. Not only Mathematics and Social Science, but hundreds of students all over the country have scored 100 in subjects like English and Science and Technology. If we see the figures of last year there is tremendous increase in the number of students who have scored 100 marks in Mathematics and Social Science. The national figure says that last year 1,167 had scored cent percent marks in Mathematics, similarly in Social Science, 807 students had scored 100 marks. In Delhi too, the figures have raised from last year figure of 212 to 658 in Mathematics and 126 to 217 in Social Science.

Let’s take a look at the toppers of Delhi and NCR region, Ashwini Vaidya, the Delhi’s Topper has scored 98.2per cent marks. Other toppers from NCR are Bharat Munshi (98.6 per cent, Ghaziabad Topper), Anuradha Eswaran (97.2 per cent, Noida Topper) and Rishabh Jain (97.2 per cent, Gurgaon Topper). However the All-India topper is interestingly not from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai or Kolkata, he’s from the state of Bihar. Manish Kumar, a student from Gyan Niketan secured an aggregate of 99.4 per cent marks. Manish is the son of Sanjay Kumar, the Director of Accounts, Postal Services and Sunita Kumari, made Bihar as well as his state proud.

From the above-mentioned figures we come to a conclusion that now scoring 100 out of 100 is not a distant dream for deserving students. Few years back, scoring cent percent marks in subjects apart from Mathematics was not possible, but now the scenario has changed. Not only in Mathematics, in fact, students can now score a perfect hundred in any subject. In general it appears quite surprising that a student can score 100 in subject like English and Sanskrit, where one has to answer with his/her own explanation on any given topic. What an examinee answers certainly differs from the desired criteria of examiner, so logically it’s not possible.

It’s true that today’s students are very intelligent and laborious too, but scoring cent percent marks in language subjects is quite indigestible. I think the examiner makes certain compromises to give 100 out of 100 to an examinee. At the risk of most people thinking it’s an illogical argument, I think it is a hard truth. The examiner should follow some strict criteria before giving hundred percent marks to a student in language subjects to maintain the credibility of the 100 per cent marks.

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World Cup 2007: Sehwag scores over Kaif

By : Md Mudassir Alam

AFTER MUCH EXPERIMENTATION, the selectors have finally chosen the best 15 for upcoming World Cup 2007. The 15 men squad includes Rahul Dravid (Captain), Sachin Tendulkar (Vice-Captain), Sourav Ganguly, Robin Utthapa, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Wicket Keeper), Dinesh Karthik (Wicket Keeper), Virendra Sehwag, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth and Munaf Patel.

As per selectors the team comprises of six batsmen, five medium pace bowlers, two spinners and two wicketkeepers. It is interesting to find players who are out-of-form like Virendra Sehwag and Irfan Pathan, as being selected in the team as all-rounders. Undoubtedly, the Indian selectors know the sport better and also the requirements in the team, but nonetheless there are cricket fans that will for certian be unhappy with this move.

The inclusion of Virendra Sehwag in World Cup team is considered as a big mistake being committed by the selectors. Once again emotions have ruled rather than professionalism. Virendra Sehwag who is continuously failing since last two years is still receiving favours from the selectors. In recent matches the batsman hardly seems to play his natural game and yields to the constant pressures. In most of the matches he has failed to put a good score on the board. His weakness in the slips and the third man region have been well utilized by the opponents and his feet struggle on the pitch.

The aggressive and copious ‘Sultan of Multan’, miscalculates and his timing has been poor. Batsman’s dominance in the field is far from missing. At the same time he is not a regular bowler. The pitch and favourable conditions may however help him in his bowling, as it has on many events.

One interesting question that comes to mind as you go through the list is how Virendra Sehwag got an entry in the team and why Mohammed Kaif was dropped? If we compare the yearly records of Sehwag and Mohammed Kaif, then the latter’s performance comes out to be better. In previous matches Kaif has not only scored valuable runs with a good average but he has also brought many victories for India. If we take fielding even then Kaif is a much-much better fielder than Sehwag. In fact when Kaif remains in the field he saves a lot many runs and has been known for taking wonderful catches.

In some recent matches Kaif did show some poor performance but he is not to be blamed entirely. The selectors as well as captain are responsible to a good extent for his poor performance. Kaif is a middle-order batsman and not a hitter. Most of the times he was made to play at number 5 or 6. Where as number 3 position or 4 slot is an ideal place for such a batsman, where he can settle himself and score runs easily in the slog overs. If you go by the records you will see that whenever Kaif was given the chance to play at number 3, he scored valuable runs and also brought win for the home team.

Moreover, the basis on which the selectors had given priority to Sehwag over Kaif is troubling. Forget all; take the last West Indies tour where Kaif scored more runs than Sehwag and some valuable half-centuries for the team. In the team’s triumph Kaif’s contribution was more than Sehwag. Despite the records, the performances Kaif has not been given a chance, not allowed to play in the World Cup.

The bitter fact is that, Sehwag is in and Kaif is out and it will remain a debatable topic till World Cup 2007 is over. Whether Sehwag will be able to perform the role of an all-rounder or not, he is the expected target. More importantly we hope for the World Cup 2007 trophy and it all depends on ‘Team India’ as how they can bring it home.

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A legend lost in Nayyar Sahab

By : Md Mudassir Alam

DO YOU KNOW who is the man behind all time classics like Babuji Dheere Chalna (Aar Paar), Ye Lo Main Hari Piya (Aar Paar), Maang Ke Saath Tumhara (Naya Daur), Ude Jab Jab Zulfen Teri (Naya Daur), Ek Pardesi Mera Dil Le Gaya (Phagun), Jata Kahan Hai Deewane (CID), Leke Pehla Pehla Pyar (CID), Thandi Hawa Kali Ghata (Mr & Mrs 55), Tumsa Nahin Dekha (Tumsa Nahin Dekha), Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo (Howrah Bridge) and so on?

I think most of you don’t quite remember the composer of these memorable songs. He is none other than the legendary music artist OP Nayyar, who left the world for his heavenly abode. 81-year-old Nayyar Sahab died of cardiac arrest and at the time of his death he was living as a paying guest at Thane with Rani Nakhwa and her family. OP Nayyar was cremated at the civic crematorium close to Thane.

It’s quite surprising and shocking as well, that a man who had contributed so much to the Indian Cinema was given a very brief coverage by the media across the country. Most lamentable part is that not a single prominent Bollywood personality was present during the cremation ceremony of Nayyar Sahab except for the NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) president Sharad Pawar who paid a visit to Nayyar’s residence.

After learning about the legendary composer’s death, Lata Mangeskhar said, “He had a distinctive style, which was completely different from the popular music at any given time.” She never worked with Nayyar, but she had cordial relations with him, Lata added.

So, being a big a big fan of his musical genre, I thought that it’s my duty to bring out some facts and to pay tribute to great Nayyar Sahab. OP Nayyar or Omkar Prasad Nayyar was born on January 16, 1926 in Lahore. Initially he worked as an assistant at the All India Radio in Jalandhar and later moved to Bombay and got his first break in the movie Kaneez in 1949.

His first big success came in the form of Guru Dutt’s Aar Paar in 1954 after which he worked for Dutt’s other notable films including Mr & Mrs 55, Baaz and CID. It was only Nayyar Sahab who gave the Yahoo image to Shammi Kapoor in his super-hit movie Kashmir Ki Kali in 1964.

The decade of 1960 remained a golden period for OP Nayyar when he gave excellent music for several hit movies. But 1970s onwards Nayyar somewhat faded from the Hindi music world. After a gap of two decades OP Nayyar made a comeback with Salman, Vinod Khanna starrer Nishchay in 1992 while Jai Bhavani (2000) was his last film.

Interestingly, in Rajkumar Santoshi’s Andaz Apna Apna in 1994, music composer Tushar Bhatia tried to revise the music of OP Nayyar and he got success too. Songs of Andaz Apna Apna became quite popular and after a long gap music lovers got a feel of OP Nayyar’s unique style.

Today, Nayyar Shahab is no more but his melodious compositions will always remind us of him. Last but not the least, my question here is to the film fraternity and media. Why do they always run after controversial personalities and celebrities? Otherwise how could they have forgotten legends like OP Nayyar and Naushad among others?

Of course, we are now in a developed world where all type of electronic instruments are available for music composition. But we should not forget at any moment that what we are today is all due to the great contributions of our yesteryears’ artists.

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2050 goal: Can India pull it off?

By : Md Mudassir Alam

HOW DO YOU foresee India in the future? It is predicted to be among the strongest economies in the world by 2050. If it attains what is foreseen, there won’t be hopefully the problems of illiteracy, poverty, unemployment and communalism that plague it now.

Today, Tata, Wipro, Infosys, Reliance, Aditya Birla, ONGC and other corporates are helping India find a foothold outside India. The most recent acquisition of Anglo-Dutch steel company Corus by Tata for staggering $12.1 billion is symbolic of the big stride corporate India has taken and gives credence to the predictions of India’s emergence as an economic power.

Tata took over Corus by beating its Brazilian rival Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (CSN). With this biggest-ever Indian company acquisition, Tata became the world’s fifth-largest steelmaker. UK-based Laxmi Narayan Mittal bought Arcelor for $32 billion last year and became the world’s biggest steel producer. While addressing the media, Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata said, “It is a moment of fulfilment for India. Tata Steel will not change any principal locations of Corus group’s business and its headquarters will be in India.”

If we leave inhuman incidents like Nithari, Godhra, Mumbai bomb blast, Babri and Masjid demolition, we find a glimpse of progressive India. Take any field — software, management or medicine — Indians are neck and neck with world competitors and their influence is increasing every day. Over the years, our countrymen have migrated to the US, the UK and several other countries and made their mark in their respective fields.

But the question is: Can the country sustain and improve upon the recent attainments to fulfill the 2050 economic prediction? I have no doubt India will make it provided the government remains sincerely focused on solving the multitude of problems its faces on numerous fronts and ensure uniform growth of all regions of the country. Currently, India is developing only in the metros and big cities. Remote areas and villages are still where they were decades ago.

Even 60 years after independence, the government has failed to fulfil the basic needs of villagers like proper meal, clean drinking water, electricity, communication, education, and so on. It is true, the central as well as state government is trying hard to overcome these problems, but due to financial and many other reasons the conditions are unchanged.

For reaching the 2050 milestone, we need to think about rural India and languishing regions like Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal and North East.

http://merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=124183

Shahrukh comes out winner in KBC

By : Md Mudassir Alam

AS SOON AS the clock struck nine on Monday, families cocooned around the TV sets to watch Bollywood’s badshah on one of the most popular game show of these times, Kaun banega Crorepati. The wait seemed to be endless to find out all sorts of things like- Shahrukh will wear long coat or a shorter one, will he speak pure Hindi or Urdu and so on. All their queries were well answered by King Khan as the first episode of KBC Tritiya rolled out yesterday.

As soon as Star Network had announced Shahrukh’s name for KBC, people took it as a virtual Bachchan vs Shahrukh battle. Even much before the start of the show critics, and people in general, started speculating whether Shahrukh would create the same magic as Bachchan. Responding to people’s awesome response, Synergy CEO Siddartha Basu said, “If Amitabh Bachchan was Bhisma Pitamah, then Shahrukh will be the playful Krishna.”

From the announcement of the show to its telecast, the ambience smelled quite fresh and renewed. The change was seen in the promos, the well- composed title song and later on during the arrival of Shahrukh in the first episode. Khan began the show by greeting the audience in his own style and spoke in non-stop Hindi.

The viewers were found calling it worth the wait and they had got much more than what they had expected. KBC Tritiya started with the last contestant of KBC Dwitiya, Kolkata’s Prasenjit. Prasenjit’s game remained unfinished in the last run so he was invited to sit on the hot seat as the first contestant in this series. The changes in the new show were explained by Shahrukh to the viewers in the most lucid way. He said that instead of ‘Lock kiya jaye’ as was the lingo till last series ‘Freeze kiya jaye’ will be used and also that ‘Computer ji’ is replaced by ‘Compaq ji’. In the latest show when any one wishes to quit the show, he has to say Shahrukh main apse gale milna chahta hoon.

The frenzy did not get over with the one-hour show. As soon as the maiden episode got over, news channels triggered off poll questions like: Who is best? Shahrukh or Bachchan. News Channels like NDTV India, Aaj Tak etc got a fetching issue and the results were quite interesting too. Public opinion kept fluctuating from 50-50 to sometimes Shahrukh being voted the better one. The Shahenshah vs Badshah poll once again proved that both of them have their own distinct charm and style and they have fans in different genres.

Comparison between Shahrukh and Bachchan has become rampant these days. The status Amitabh has achieved in the present time is all due to his hard labour and steel grit but one cannot forget Shahrukh’s achievements as well. In fact, Big B and King Khan always appreciate each other. Shahrukh always acknowledges Amitabh as a great actor as Bachchan appreciates the work of Khan.

Shahrukh has been quite lucky as he got back-to-back chances to step in the shoes of the Millennium Star, Amitabh Bachchan. First it was in Don, the remake of Amitabh bachchan starrer Don and now in Kaun Banega Crorepati. In Don, Shahrukh fell on some points but in KBC he is looking quite confident and hopefully he will set new standards on the small screen.

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Nitish Kumar: Miles to go

By : Md Mudassir Alam

WHAT’S MOST RIVETING in Bihar today is the wordy duel between chief minister Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav. Instead of being the serious kind of one-up battle, the verbal wrangling between the two, with a common political ancestry, often comes peppered with wit and humour. It is fun to see Laloo refer to Nitish as his “younger brother” — to score a point over him — and Nitish ungrudgingly accepting the compliment to make a return-point in humility.

Nitish and Laloo have been seen together on occasions, hugging and praising each other. On few occasions, Laloo has referred to Nitish as a soundless (damp) bomb and himself as a high-power bomb. And, when Nitish blames Laloo for RJD’s poor 15-year governance, Laloo shoots, “I have given Nitish a chance. If he is really good, then he should prove himself.”

Few days back, while addressing the media, Nitish said, “Laloo is a big entertainer. But he did not do justice to the chief minister’s job. He did everything to gain popularity, like dancing and singing with the common people, but never thought of Bihar’s development.” Surprisingly, the very next day, Nitish himself was seen in Laloo’s shoes at an unofficial tribal get-together held at speaker Uday Narayan Chowdahry’s residence. Enthusiastic Nitish was warmly welcomed by the tribals and the womenfolk washed his feet and tied a turban around his head. After the turban-tying function, Nitish hanged a drum around his neck and danced on the beat with the others. Nitish did what Laloo is known for.

Nitish, like Laloo, also didn’t forget to put out the political message and declared how much concerned he was to improve the plight of tribals, especially women. Nitish promised to provide all facilities, rights and full participation in governance.

Having been in power for more than year, the Nitish-led NDA government is trying hard to bring Bihar back on the path of development, portraying himself as a progressive chief minister. As claimed by Nitish, Bihar has certainly moved beyond the Lalu’s lantern regime. But there is so much to be done still that the impact of Nitish’s “good governance” is barely visible. He will have to do a mighty lot in the balance four years of his tenure to justify the boasts. In truth, Nitish seems to have got influenced by Laloo’s ways and has begun trumpeting development works as his achievement in just one year.

The high-decibel PR offensive launched by Nitish is visible at every nook and corner of capital Patna. You will see big hoardings and banners that proclaim the achievements of Nitish and the NDA government’s one-year rule. If Nitish is really concerned about the people of Bihar, he should focus more on development works instead of wasting scarce financial resources of the state on publicity campaigns and advertisements. Bihar has just come out from its worst nightmare. Nitish, the only hope, must be wary of falling into the footsteps of Laloo.

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Kashmiris at the receiving end

By : Md Mudassir Alam

AS PART OF my daily routine, this past week I had my dinner, walked on the terrace for few minutes and eventually entered my bedroom to explore the world on television. After switching on the TV, I settled down to watch news on my favourite NDTV India channel. It was 11 and NDTV anchor Naghma was talking to someone in her live show. I fixed the channel and slipped under the blanket to beat the cold. The ongoing discussion made me sad, and even uncomfortable. The man on the show was a Kashmiri boy Shafqat Maqbool, who had been badly tortured by Army officials.

According to Shafqat, he boarded the Army coach of in a train by mistake, between Gwalior and Jhansi. But what happened next to him is horrible. The Army officials, travelling in that boggy, asked Shafqat if he was an Armyman. Shafqat replied no! When angry armymen asked him to detrain, Shafqat said, “Sir, by mistake I am here. I will get down at the next station.” During the course of argument, Shafqat introduced himself as a wildlife research student hailing from Baramullah in Kashmir.

Being a Kashmiri and a Muslim were reasons enough to bring Shafqat under suspicion of being a “terrorist”. His efforts to convince the Armymen made no difference. He even told them that his bag is in the next boggy in which he has his identity proof and degrees he has taken from Agra University and Bundelkhand University. But they refused to listen to him.

Shafqat was beaten badly all through the route. No one was there to help him or listen to his pleas. When his station came, he told the officials: “I will complain about your behaviour to J&K Chief Minister, President and the Railway Minister.” But there was no any sign of fear on the face of the Army officials and with a big laugh they said, “Aaj to mazaa aa gaya, safar acche se kat gayi, tujhe jo karna hai kar le, hamara koi kuch nahi bigaad sakta.”

Shafqat, being an educated person, raked up the issue in the media. During the show Shafqat said he loves to accept challenges and during his childhood days had dreamt of becoming an Armyman. But now with his bad experience he is happy that he has not chosen that career.

Shafqat’s story is not a surprising one, because Army officials frequently harass common people across the country, especially in BIMARU (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh) states as well as Haryana and Punjab. All over India, Kashmiris are seen with suspicion.

Shafqat’s story is a matter of great concern for our country. As the central and state governments are trying hard to bring Kashmir into the national mainstream and are offering various facilities, some Army officials are undoing these efforts.

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