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India rising

panktibindal — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:19:45 +0000

Wednesday, the 3rd of December 2008 saw a mass of humanity gathered at various cities. We want our country back, these citizens exclaimed. The people have finally risen. The ‘chalta hai’ attitude no-longer works. As I passed from IIM-Ahmedabad on my way home, I saw people standing with candles and banners. ‘We want to be safe’, the banners exclaimed. Here are some touching and heartwarming pictures from the rally at the Gateway of India.

India finally says enough is enough. We won’t take it anymore.

A beautiful poem….

panktibindal — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:09:35 +0000

Lyricist Prasoon Joshi has penned a beautiful poem on the recent terror attacks. We all identify with it.

Is baar nahin

Is baar jab woh choti si bachchi mere paas apni kharonch le kar aayegi
Main usey phoo phoo kar nahin behlaoonga
Panapney doonga uski tees ko
Is baar nahin

Is baar jab main chehron par dard likha dekhoonga
Nahin gaoonga geet peeda bhula dene wale
Dard ko risney doonga,utarney doonga andar gehrey
Is baar nahin

Is baar main na marham lagaoonga
Na hi uthaoonga rui ke phahey
Aur na hi kahoonga ki tum aankein band karlo,gardan udhar kar lo main dawa lagata hoon
Dekhney doonga sabko hum sabko khuley nangey ghaav
Is baar nahin

Is baar jab uljhaney dekhoonga,chatpatahat dekhoonga
Nahin daudoonga uljhee door lapetney
Uljhaney doonga jab tak ulajh sake
Is baar nahin

Is baar karm ka hawala de kar nahin uthaoonga auzaar
Nahin karoonga phir se ek nayee shuruaat
Nahin banoonga misaal ek karmyogi ki
Nahin aaney doonga zindagi ko aasani se patri par
Utarney doonga usey keechad main,tedhey medhey raston pe
Nahin sookhney doonga deewaron par laga khoon
Halka nahin padney doonga uska rang
Is baar nahin banney doonga usey itna laachaar
Ki paan ki peek aur khoon ka fark hi khatm ho jaye
Is baar nahin

Is baar ghawon ko dekhna hai
Gaur se
Thoda lambe wakt tak
Kuch faisley
Aur uskey baad hausley
Kahin toh shuruat karni hi hogi
Is baar yahi tay kiya hai

… Prasoon Joshi

If not now, when?

“Salaam Mumbai” is not enough!

panktibindal — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:52:47 +0000

The last 59 hours have been extremely traumatic for not only the kin of the hostages and the victims of the terrible terror attacks but for the whole country. The only people who felt safe perhaps were the useless politicians who were comfortable watching the drama unfold from their cushioned homes with their Z-Plus Security. Mr RR Patil commented that ‘small things keep happening in big cities‘. Would it just have been just as small had your son/daughter been inside the hotel? I am sure it would not.

Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh was big enough to visit the blast site today. However, he did not forget to take laadla beta along with him so that poor baby boy could act in a movie made on the topic. Did you not feel any shame for it Mr Deshmukh? Could your spoilt brat not have waited for a few days before looking for profit in the horrifying incident?

Oh .. and let’s not forget the great marathi leader, Mr Raj Thackerey. Mr Thackerey, where were you when your Mumbai was attacked? Sitting comfortably at home? You would have been disappointed to see that the whole country has come together in support of the victims. We all salute the brave soldiers who went in and did their job which the politicians could not. They were not North Indians or South Indians, they were Indians. Indians who went to save the lives of their fellow Indians.

What we need now is a drastic change. A revolution. And now we cannot depend on the politicians for it any longer. So lets get together and make a difference. ‘Salaam Mumbai’ is just not enough any longer. And last but not the least, heartfelt condolences to the family of the soldiers who have lost their sons, husbands and fathers. It is for your sacrifice that many people were able to rejoin their families.

Justice delayed is not justice denied!!

panktibindal — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:47:43 +0000

The recent verdicts in the Bijal Joshi and Nitish Katara have restored my faith in the Indian Judiciary System. No doubt, the verdicts could have come a lot earlier.. but needless to say, their long wait for justice is over. Although it is often said that justice delayed is justice denied but I am sure that the sense of triumph felt by the families of the victims, they felt that the wait was definitely worth it.

Being a local, I had followed the Bijal Joshi with the kind of self-righteousness which is often felt by teenagers of that age. Today, I feel as if a small part of me too has been vindicated. Hats off Vaishali Joshi, who put all her time and energy for seven years into the case. She was not deterred by threats or bribes.

Thank you, Indian Judiciary for making me believe that justice still exists. That money and power does not get you off the hook any more. And for those people who call these cases trials by media; if they are then I would pray that more such cases would get media attention so that more innocent people could obtain justice.

Review – Guru

panktibindal — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 06:18:17 +0000

Needless to say, Mani Ratnam excels once again. Gurukant Desai draws you into his world and keeps you hooked till the end. Interspersed with AR Rahman’s fabulous music, we follow Guru’s journey from a small village to heading up India’s biggest company with his ‘bijness’ ventures. He kicks and salutes his way to the top but never stops dreaming.

With Guru, Abhishek Bachchan has arrived. There is no doubt about the fact that the movie belongs to him one hundred percent. Mani Ratnam has extracted his best performance yet. Aishwarya manages to look like an unwanted prop. Vidya Balan excels in her short role. All in all, the movie is definitely a must watch. Catch the return of the angry young man.

Review – Casino Royale

panktibindal — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 13:14:41 +0000

Daniel Craig as the new Bond is a hit. Gone are all the doubts and criticisms that he won’t be able to carry it off. He does carry it off, and oh my, does he do it with panache.

The movie holds your attention for the two hour above span, although it does tend to stretch at times. Five minutes into the movie, we have a chase sequence which could definitely have been cut short. So could the final poker game. Because it does get a little boring for someone like me who doesn’t understand poker. Although I guess, with casino royale being the title of the movie, it was required.

Judi Dench as M is fabulous. No wonder the cast mentions Daniel Craig and Judi Dench. Eva Green needs to look a little more convincing. All in all, its a good watch in spite of the many bloopers.

If nothing else, watch it for Daniel Craig. James Bond rocks!!

Jessica – Your wait for justice is over

panktibindal — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 10:02:05 +0000

It was on April 30, 1999 that model Jessica Lall was shot dead in the Tamarind Court Restaurant in New Delhi, when she refused to serve another drink to Manu Sharma. Manu Sharma fled the spot even though Bina Ramani, eyewitness and owner of the restaurant tried to stop him. The case dragged on for six long years. In May 2001, three key witnesses Shiv Das, Karan Rajput and Shayan Munshi turned hostile. A sting operation by one of the private news channels revealed that all three of the witnesses had been bribed and/or threatened. Then came the shocker. On Feb 21, 2006, all the accused were acquitted. But thankfully, this time the case did not die down in the dust as numerous others. The media and the public raised a hue and cry, and the case was re-opened. Many officers of the Delhi police were brought into the loop. Finally on the 18th of December, Manu Sharma and his co-accused were found guilty of murder of Jessica Lall. Hats off to Bina Ramani, who in spite of harassments and threats stuck to her testimony and did not let Jessica fail.The court proclaimed Shayan Munshi a liar and declared that he had been ‘won over’ by Manu Sharma. It looks like the Indian Judiciary is finally waking up. This verdict gives me hope for the Nitish Katara case. Will Neelam Katara too be vindicated like Sabrina Lall? We’ll just have to wait and watch.

Justice has been a long time in the coming. But, as they say, better late than never. The sentencing is expected tomorrow. Jessica, hope you are watching.

In another verdict, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife, Rabri Devi were aquitted in a disproportionate assets case filed in 1998. The verdict was nothing unexpected. Although we might not be inclined to agree with the verdict, but as Mr Somnath Chatterjee remarked, “Mangoes are sweet, so is Lalu.”

The Messed Up Tale of the BMC Workers

panktibindal — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 16:45:56 +0000

A prequel-Read this first

Having read the article in the Times , I learnt that the world is a very cruel place. These people have to earn their living by cleaning up our spoils and yet they have no support. Aren’t they human beings? Don’t they have basic fundamental rights to hygiene and health care? And you’ll be appalled to learn that these figures only apply to the permanent employees. The on-contract employees are not even considered in this fact-finding.

Most of the articles that Anuj and I went through show that it is the Dalits who are performing this great humanitarian service. But what are they getting in return? They get only death, disease and extreme humiliation from their fellow human beings. I am sure none of us can even imagine tasks like picking up filth from gutters, cleaning up the public toilets or sweeping the garbage of the streets. But these things have to be done. Have we ever given a thought to actually who does them?

These conservancy workers do them. Because they have no other option. Maybe, they have no option, but the government sure does. They can provide them with better hygiene facilities and better equipment. Their healthcare options are the same as applicable to any other municipal employees. The consultation is free at municipal hospitals. But medication is almost unavailable since the civic stores are always out of stock and they cannot afford private chemists at their meager salaries.

Sudharak Olwe has done a photo feature “In Search Of Dignity And Justice: The Untold Story Of Mumbai’s Conservancy Workers” and you can find it here.This photo essay has fetched him the award of National Geography Society’s 2005 All Roads Photography Program.

Maybe its time to stop harking after the Abhisheks and the Aishwaryas and pay more attention to serious issues like these. The Safai Kamgar Parivartan Sangh is a body representing the conservancy staff of the BMC. You can contact them at +91-22-24102694.