life in general: (part 2) the myth of rehabiliation

In November last year I had blogged about how I felt that rehabilation in development projects was nothing but a myth. I had visited some villages in the Narmada valley in December 2005 and in my few interactions with the villagers I was pretty much sure that the so-called rehab of people getting displaced by the mighty Narmada Dam was only on paper.

Imagine this: There are, say, 15 planets like Earth in our universe where there is life form similar to humans. Now, say, 2-3 of them have become very powerful and they can do inter-galactical travel fairly easily. Now, suppose that these 2-3 find their existing habitats very restricting -- they want to grow and develop further and believe it is only good for other living planets also that such growth and development takes place. But for that they would want some large companies that have massive industrial complexes to vacate their lands because these lands would be needed for that inter-galactic development project. So, say, they select the Surat-Hazira industrial belt in India where you have major industrial houses like Essar, Reliance, ONGC, Kripco, Gujarat Fertilser, L&T and others. Say, they also select some areas in the US where Dupont and Exxon have their factories.

Now, how would these companies feel? Say, those planets' rulers create some rules concerning rehab and tell the companies that they will be given some alternate land in the Sahara Desert and for some even on the Moon. When they find it difficult to even do that they will just give some piddly few dollars and tell these companies 'Thats it, now the chapter is closed." How would these massive industrial houses react? No doubt, they will be furious about it and tell in a court in those planets that their property rights should be respected and they should not be forced out of their lands. But the judges in those inter-galactic planets' courts won't be sympathetic to their arguments.

I would like the big industrialists to think about how they would feel if they are on the receiving end of the same thing they inflict on others.

Anyway, back here in our country, a current court case initiated by the Narmada Bachao Andolan highlights the issues of myth of rehab and brings out the massive corruption involved.

See this press release:

NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN
62 Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Badwani, M.P. Ph. 07290-222464, 09424855042,
nba.badwani@gmail.com
Maitri Niwas, Tembewadi, Dhadgaon, Nandurbar, Maharashtra. Ph: 02595-220620

Press Release: 8th May 2008

CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE HIGH COURT OF MADHYA PRADESH, AT JABALPUR, TO HEAR CASE OF CORRUPTION WORTH CRORES OF RUPEES IN REHABILITATION OF FAMILIES AFFECTED BY THE SARDAR SAROVAR PROJECT ON THE 13TH OF MAY, 2008

The Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court, at Jabalpur would hear the case of corruption worth crores of rupees in the rehabilitation of the families affected by the Sardar Sarovar Project on the 13th of May, 2008, in which notices and interim orders were issued by the Chief Justice on March 3rd 2008 and was yet to come for hearing. The Govt. of M.P. is yet to file a reply petition and documents.

On behalf of NBA, it was, therefore, pleaded that the matter was very urgent as lakhs of rupees worth rehabilitation funds are being misappropriated by the officers of the NVDA and their touts. The corruption is also rampant through manipulated records of oustees and in allotment of house plots.

The Govt. of M.P., NVDA, NCA and none of the other respondents, seven in all, submitted reply within 4 weeks, the time stipulated by the Chief Justice, while issuing the notices in March.

Yesterday on May 7th, NBA urged for an early hearing and in spite of the Deputy Advocate General, M.P. requesting for further time and hearing after the May vacation, upon submission of few more documents, and describing the fiery situation, NBA, through Medha Patkar, stated the fear of the affected persons cheated, yet recorded as rehabilitated and submergence of thousands of families would be imposed, if an early hearing is not held.

The CJ fixed the hearing of the case on May 13th, 2008 at Madhya Pradesh High Court, at Jabalpur.

FOR FURTHER DETAILED READING:

The Public Interest Litigation filed by NBA, Writ Petition No: 14765/2007 filed on 15th October 2007 in Jabalpur High Court, was again heard on 7th May 2008. The Case is regarding the huge and unprecedented Corruption in all aspects of Rehabilitation process of Sardar Sarovar Dam affected families in Madhya Pradesh.

During the last hearing on March 3rd, the bench consisting of Chief Justice A K Patnaik and Justice Prakash Shrivastava had heard the plea by Medha Patkar and gave the order, issuing notices to the respondents which included Chief Secretary, State of Madhya Pradesh, Chairman, Narmada Valley Development Authority, Chairman, Narmada Control Authority (NCA) (who is also Secretary to the Ministry of Water Resources, Secretary, Revenue Department, GoMP, Director General of Police, M.P., Inspector General, Stamps and Registration, M.P., District collectors of 5 districts such as Badwani, Dhar, Jhabua, Khargone and Dewas, to file their replies within a month.

But since that has not happened even after two months, Medha Patkar raised a question regarding this. Mr. Shukla, the Deputy Advocate General of Madhya Pradesh, who pleaded for the respondents informed the court that the government will soon file the reply petition!

Meanwhile NBA has submitted more documents to substantiate the lack of rehabilitation as well as the unprecedented corruption by officials and dalals, on the rehabilitation front. This includes the Report of the Public Hearing by Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, S M Mushrif and Anand Kothadia during February 2008, the latest Minutes of the NCA and R&R Subgroup and other materials.

Though the Madhya Pradesh Government pleaded to postpone the next hearing till after the vacation, the Court has ordered to have the next hearing on May 13th, admitting the plea from Medha Patkar that the issue demands urgency and cannot be postponed that long.

The nexus between the Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA) officials and contractors in the establishment of the rehabilitation sites has resulted in shoddy and uninhabitable preparation of R&R sites, thousands of eligible PAFs are left undeclared where as a few fraudulent persons got declared, the nexus between officials, agents and advocates leading to huge corruption and swindling of Public money meant for rehabilitation were pertinent issues raised by NBA.

The Madhya Pradesh government policy has twisted and subverted the land and house based rehabilitation directives of the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal Award (NWDTA) and made room for huge corruption. While there is no formal approval from Narmada Control Authority for the so called SRP, the NVDA proceeded with absolute neglect and contempt for legal and constitutional norms and rights of the PAFs.

The case was filed through Senior Adv. N S Kale, who is the same person who pleaded the case of the illegal arrest of the Taloon Satyagrahis, where on 25th September 2007, the Jabalpur High court ordered the Govt. of M.P. to pay compensation of Rs.10,000/each to all the 91 activists arrested. Till date the government has not obeyed that order. In the current case, Medha Patkar herself is standing, pleading for Justice.

The SRP-induced fake registries, where PAFs who were given cash for buying lands actually ended up giving commission to officials and dalals (middlemen), signing fake registries, facilitated a process where crores of rupees were amassed by officials and agents as commission, depriving PAFs of basic resource security and a better living condition after resettlement. The alarming fact is that all this money is from public exchequer and hence this illegal enrichment of government officials is not just a matter of routine corruption, but crime against the People and State both.

While FIRs were filed against PAFs and about 35 of them were arrested and later bailed out, except one, no action was taken against officials and their stooges, though notices were issued to 30 NVDA officials early on, but no action taken till date.

Out of a total of 2600 land registries claimed by NVDA as part of SRP, 758 are already officially accepted by the government as fake registries, after preliminary enquiry by special departmental officers. NBA has demanded a CBI enquiry into the same.

However both NCA and NVDA have not yet understood the gravity of the situation as hundreds of fake registries are yet to see light. Out of the 2600 plus claims of land registries by NVDA only a few hundred are factually correct and legally valid ones. This means that SRP was an absolute failure with only a few hundred PAFs actually purchasing land with SRP. This is the reason why NBA always opposed SRP and demand land for land rehabilitation.

There are more stories of corruption in House Plot distribution as well as in the procedure of declaring PAFs. Thousands of genuine PAFs are still not declared while some illegal and fraud persons were declared and got PAF benefits.

This huge and unprecedented corruption is deplorable and is in utter violation of the Article 21 of the Constitution as also the NWDTA and Supreme Court orders. We pledge to continue to expose and tackle any form of corruption or misappropriation of public funds earmarked for rehabilitation of the PAFs.

Ashish Mandloi, Clifton Rozario, Kamla Yadav

life in general: enough bushism among indians

The US president George Bush Jr has attracted a lot of flak here in India for his statement the other day that India's middle class is responsible for rising food prices.

There are many Bushisms that are outrageous and this one too at first sight seems to be the same. But except for the fact that only India and only middle class has been targetted and that only food prices are being shown concern about I agree with the underlying thrust. Many of blog posts here have talked about the mindless and excessive consumerism but I recognise the fact that it is a global phenonmenon.

All countries' affluent people (that would cover the rich and the middle class) are responsible for so many things -- forced displacement of rural/remote/tribal communities from their habitats, ecological devastation, excessive industralisation's pollution of air, water and soil etc.

But what is more hypocritical about Indians criticising Bush for this statement are two things:

1) There are enough affluent Indians themselves who think that the poor people of India are getting prosperous and so the foodgrain production is being consumed more by such peope. I can vouch for this myself – a month ago, at the end of a seminar on Indian financial markets I was speaking with a senior official of the Forward Markets Commission (the regulatory for the commodity spot and derivative exchanges in the country) and I posed before him the fact how excessive use of chemical-fertilisers and chemical-pesticides have depleted the soil and caused a decline in agriculture yields.

I also asked him the potential future effect on agricultural production in the country of the land grab in rural India going on by a politician-company nexus in the implementation of the farcical Special Economic Zones Act. He evaded these issues and instad told me that he believed that it as the income levels of non-affluent people were going up they were eating more food. I was shocked to hear this. He was actually touting the views of mainstream economists and government officials. Now, how much different are these from what Bush said? What is middle class of India to Bush is lower-middle class for Indian economists and government officials.

So, it is hypocritical for Indians to go hammer and tongs at Bush on this particular issue.

2) And where they should go hammer and tongs at Bush these very Indians are cowardly silent. And that is on the issue of the dubious and illegal war on Iraq and Afghanistan by Bush and his cronies.

life in general: keeping head cool!

It is not only some of the negative things happening around us that raises the temperature in my head but come summertime in Bombay from late March to mid-June it is our star Sun's rays that roasts the head. While the former's solution depends on external factors and how I intepret them the latter problem can be handled to an extent by just removing all the hair from the head. And that is what I did 2 weeks ago!

Check the end result alongside as clicked by my colleague during an editorial meeting in office.

Going bald once or twice a year (the second time in a city like Bombay can be during the hot autumn months of September and October) can keep your head cool as otherwise the hair traps the heat and makes you perspire heavily on both the sides of the head above the ears. There are fringe benefits too -- (i) the hair grows back fully in 2 months time, but for a month I do not even to worry about using a comb and (ii) if you have a recurring dandruff problem then it is significantly kept in check when there is less or no hair on the head.

life in financial markets: two-facedness of capitalists

The farce that is seen in any ism (capitalism, communism, socialism, religionism etc) is always visible more easily during times of crises. The current inflation in food prices, oil prices and prices of industrial commodities like metals is bringing out the two-facedness of capitalists more clearly. Some measures were announced yesterday by the finance minister of India, P Chidambaram -- here, here and here. (the image to your right was taken from http://www.jewishworldreview.com/images/two_faced_cover.jpg)

There are contradictions. While export duty for steel has been raised from 0% to 15% the tax concessions on exports by software services companies continue shamelessly. Software companies' export earnings has not been taxed by the Indian government since the last about 10 years.

It has been a regressive thing if you consider one of the core tenets of capitalism that would kind of say 'let all the different businesses run themselves without bestowing special favours to any one." This tax holiday was supposed to end in March 2009. In yesterday's announcement, it has been extended to March 2010. A similar tax holiday for companies operating in areas designated as software technology parks that was to end in March 2009 has now been extended to 2010. The new 2010 deadline is of no use as the software companies will move to SEZs and continue to pay zero tax.

The concessions and favours in the form concessions in corporate income tax, excise duty, import (customs) duty, etc make the claims of capitalism of being based on free and fair competition so very hollow. In fact, 6-8 out of 10 times, the concessions are used a ruse by politicians (policy makers) and industrialists to grab the land of government and rural/non-affluent people. The land grab seen in the implementation of the Special Economic Zones Act in India is a prime example where we are seeing the commerce minister of India, Kamal Nath, acting almost like a goon in favouring companies to grab land from the rural people of India. The land grab is also seen in phoney development projects like the Sardar Sarovar Dam project in the Narmada river valley.

Exporters are a pampered lot in India. Even when things like rupee appreciation against dollar or domestic raw material price spurts (that are nothing but a natural corollary of free global trade) hit them the so-called capitalists start cribbing.

Chidambaram said yesterday "short-term pain is the price you have to pay for long-term gain." He asked companies to consider sacrificing profits to help contain inflation. Now now! Look who's talking! And look what's he talking! Where were all these bright tips and suggestions when human rights activists and ecologists advise governments and companies not to bull doze their way in their obsession with business growth at the cost of basic democratic rights of non-affluent people and at the cost of severe damage done to ecology by the industries' excesses? These fake capitalists like Chidambaram ridicule environmentalists and human rights activists when they say the same thing of sacrificing profits now and bearing short-term pain for long-term gain. Now look who is speaking in the same language!

Of course, all this is made possible, because urban consumers in India and all over the world are blinded to the perils and back-to-back consequences of their greed and excessive consumption. There is hardly any endeavour by them to become sober and moderate in their fulfilment of their desires to make their lives more and more comfortable/luxurious. A reasonably comfortable life can be lived at one-fourth the consumption volume of the urban affluent. It is the very least they can do but barring a very few they aren't doing it.

life in general: cool it!

About 10-15 years ago, I stopped having carbonated soft drinks like Coca Cola etc. The harm they do is so much more than the temporary tasty/nice feeling you may get for those few seconds when you gulp them down that it is really a crime we do to our own bodies in drinking them. What even makes it a crime on Mother Nature and humanity is the severe depletion of groundwater in all the villages and areas where these soft beverage companies have their manufacturing plants.

More often that not, and this is often done subtly and cleverly to disguise their true deeds, they bribe the local governments and pay dirt cheap rates for the water they pump out from their deep borewells and use it in their colas and other drinks. Further, the affluents from these factories, like in the case of other manufacturing industries, are generally discharged in the local ecological landscape thereby polluting it dangerously. The villagers and local residents are forced to suffer because the groundwater table is almost exhausted from the never-ending pumping of water by the beverage companies. Also, the villagers' local rivers/streams/waterbodies/soil gets polluted from these companies affluents leading to loss of livelihood for them because they are generall dependent on a delicately functioning local ecological system.

As urban consumers we have a choice and must exercise it. In the last 8-10 years, I have taken in a big way to drinking juices made fresh from seasonal fruits and vegetables. It is not that you have to always juice a fruit or a vegetable. Eating them as it is or in a cooked form is as beneficial if not a bit more.

Anyway, 2-3 weeks back, I contributed, to the magazine I write for, a write-up on cool drinks for its lifestyle section. I share it below.

Cool it

There is no dearth of food and drink items to keep your body warm during winter chills. A vast majority of Indian food—veg or non-veg—are cooked primarily to cater to your taste buds. That translates into food made using spices and oils which then raises your internal body heat considerably.

In the hot summer heat of April and May this kind of food could only make your discomfort worsen. It is possible to keep the heat levels down in your system under control by tweaking your dietary habits in the next 2-3 months. In essence, you need to stick to local and seasonal varieties in food and you will be fine.

Chilled beverages—whether aerated soft drinks or hard drinks like beer—are deceptively cool. The chemicals and preservatives in them not only raise the heat internally but are also damaging to your health. So, stay away from them.

Instead, go for tender coconut water, the most effective cooling drink. Musk melons and water melons are effective too. "Even ripe mangoes will help contrary to myths about it being heaty," says Kavita Mukhi, a Bombay-based eco-nutritionist and CEO of Conscious Foods, an organic-food company. "Just ensure that mangoes are consumed on its own in between meals, and not with meals."

Orange fruit juice is another effective coolant except for those having acidity problems. The same applies to nimbu-paani.

Among vegetables, the most effective cooling drinks are juices of vegetables like bottle gourd (dudhi), cucumber and carrot in which mint or coriander leaves have been added. Make these at home or else have it at fresh juice stalls outside some gardens and parks in your city.

Don't forget leafy vegetables in your solid diet. "Chaulai-ka-saag (Amaranth) is the coolest leafy vegetable on Earth," says Dr. Raj Merchant, a Bombay-based naturopath specialising in leaf therapy. Wheat and jowar are the two non-heaty grains to make rotis from.

Non-vegetarians need to be more careful. "It is better not to have heaty food such as eggs; your body is already hot due to the summer temperatures and does not require high-energy stuff," says Mukhi.

Coffee-addicts have no choice but to cut down on their intake if they want to stay away from the heat-generating caffeine, but tea-addicts have an option. They can brew their regular teas with mint leaves, or alternatively go for green non-fermented tea without milk.

Go slow on your meals and focus more on naturally cool drinks and food.

life in general: (part 4) left's modi on rampage again...

This is horrific. I refer to the gang rape by Communist Party of India (Marxist) goons of a Nandigram-woman-activist who has been among those opposing the SEZ (special economic zones) policies of party's government in the state of West Bengal at Nandigram. I share below an email I just got from Narmada Bachao Andolan. Some newsreports on the horrendous incident are here and here.

The world ought to tell India "What is the point in your bragging about being the largest democracy on Earth when you have no honest intent in honouring it?" My earlier blog posts on this issue are at part 1, part 2 and part 3.
(in the map alongside Nandigram is marked out in a yellow circle...Calcutta or Kolkata is also seen...)


From: medha@narmada.org
Date: 20 Apr 2008 21:59
Subject: [nbapresslist] Condemn the Gangrape of Radharani Ari in Nandigram
To: nbapresslist@lists.riseup.net

National Alliance of People's Movements
News Update/Action Alert
20 April 2008

CPI(M) GOONS GANG-RAPE RADHARANI ARI AGAIN IN NANDIGRAM
OTHER WOMEN AND MEN TOO INJURED, HOUSES ATTACKED AND LOOTED

The shocking news from Nandigram where the battle is still on, is of the gang
rape of Radharani Ari from the village of Gokulnagar and the attack of three
other women, all of whom are hospitalized at the Nandigram Public Hospital. The
men are said to be missing. In a fresh attack around midnight and beyond April
18th , known CPI (M) members and Hamad Vahini Party’s armed force from
Khejuri, who are like goons attacked the house of Radha Rani and Pratap Ari,
threw Pratap Ari in the tank nearby and gang-raped Radha Rani Ari for the
second time, in her own house.

Radharani Ari is one of the women at the forefront of the struggle. Coming from
a dalit landless family, supported by Pratap Ari, her husband, Radharani was
always protesting against the SEZ chemical hub project and giving away the
land, houses, nature, and culture of Nandigram. Her heart and soul are in it
and she is one of the most articulate and courageous women and had even toured
the places of struggle in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra,
with us in Nandigram-Narmada- Gorai Jatha.

Narmada Sheet has also been a very committed and outspoken agitator from
Sonachura. Other women attacked, include Mona Pramanik and few men were also
missing when the news reached us early yesterday morning. Till this time, Radha
Rani, Pratap, Ari and Narmada Sheet and some others are in the Nandigram
Hospital and a few in Tamluk. At least 20 houses have been attacked since
yesterday and 100 members of the families, along with houses, much destroyed
and belongings looted, have become homeless, left to be supported by the BUPC
Committee. These atrocious incidents occurred in Gokul Nagar, Sonachura,
Gadhchakrabedia, under the leadership of Nabakumar Samanta and other CPM active
cadres and leaders from Garu Pada, Gokul Nagar, some of whom came from Kejuri.
Reportedly, there were also blasts in some houses, including in the house of
one Kokhon Sheet, who was just released, after months long judicial custody.

Nandigram continues to be one of the worst blot on the face of Indian
democracy. These atrocities continue to happen and recur in Nandigram with the
active involvement of the local CPI(M) cadres and leaders and tacit approval
and blessings of the party leadership at various levels. With most of the
victims for earlier incidents of violence, not even having received just
compensation for atrocities perpetrated against them, and in fact false cases
foisted against the victims of violence, as against the perpetrators, these
fresh blows in their already scarred lives is nothing short of a death blow to
the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the valiant residents of Nandigram

Condemning the continuing violence in Nandigram in the strongest possible
terms, we immediately demand the following:
1. All the accused must be immediately identified, charged and arrested
for gang rape, grievous hurt, intimidation, assault, illegal confinement and
wrongful detention and other relevant penal provisions.
2. The National Human Rights Commission must take immediate cognizance of
the violations in Nandigram and recommend stringent penal action against all
those involved, including instituting an inquiry into the involvement of the
CPI(M) leadership and cadres in the planning/abetment/execution of the crimes
committed.
3. The National Commission for Women must immediately constitute a
fact-finding delegation that must visit Nandigram and submit its Report to the
NHRC and also direct immediate payment of compensation to all the women raped
and all others injured.
4. Free legal, medical, psycho-social and other aid and support must be
provided to the women and all victims of state and party violence in Nandigram.
5. Compensation to all the affected and attacked, with houses destroyed
and rapes/molestation faced, must be paid immediately as per the High Court
orders.

Debjeet Shrikant Medha Patkar
NAPM,
West Bengal.

Annexure

Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee – Nandigram
B.U.P.C
Nandigram :: Purba Midnapur :: West Bengal

Ref No ............
Date: 19-04-2008

List of the persons injured by CPI(M) goons

Sl. No. Name Village Age
6.Radharani Ari (raped) Gokulnagar 50
7.Mani Pramanik Gokulnagar 35
8.Chabirani Pamanik Gokulnagar 50
9.Pratap Ari Gokulnagar 55
10.Nandu Mandal Gokulnagar 30
11.Phanindranath Mandal Gokulnagar 73
12.Sudarshan Pramanik Gokulnagar 37
13.Gopal Ari Gokulnagar 22
14.Subhendu Ari Gokulnagar 20
15.Sheik Golam Ahmed Nagekirachar 46
16.Sheik Nazrul Islam 7th Part,Jalpai 45
17.Sheik Mafijul Islam 7th Part,Jalpai 58
18.Hafeja Bibi 7th Part, Jalpai 28
19. Najma Bibi 7th Part, Jalpai 30
20.Sheik Rejaul 7th Part,Jalpai 28
21.Sheik Abdul Rashid 7th Part,Jalpai 45

life in financial markets: green investing?

In the global investment funds industry, since the last couple of years, funds dedicated to clean energy or green energy has attracted attention from investors worldwide. Ecologists question the veracity of the claims made by many green technology companies. The global funds too do not bother to check the veracity either. As a result, a lot of the investment in green energy funds do not really go on to save the environment. Anyway, something is better than nothing, and I wrote something on such funds, about a month back.

Green investing

Ecologically-conscious investors will likely give a thumbs up to a new investment avenue expected to come their way soon from Benchmark Asset Management Company, the only mutual fund in the country with specialisation in innovative passively-managed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and the like. Benchmark Mutual Fund is awaiting a green signal from Sebi for four global scheme funds for which it filed a common offer document late last month.

Benchmark Global Clean Energy Fund (BGCEF) is the one that will attract the eco-sensitive investors while the other three, Benchmark Global—Private Equity Fund, Water Fund and Commodities Fund—will be relevant for all those investors wanting an exposure in global niche markets.

These global funds will invest primarily in international ETFs that are linked to indices whose constituents are publicly traded companies involved in their particular sphere of activity. For instance, the ETFs that BGCEF will invest in would be investing in indices such as Wilderhill Clean Energy Index (that is made up by small green technology companies in the US) and Ardour Global Index (that is made up of a mix of small and large companies from US, Europe, China and Japan).

Investing in global companies which work towards independence from polluting energy sources is not a pipe dream anymore. So, go green, go clean.

life in general: khuda ke liye

Ten days ago, a bit by accident and a bit by design, I watched Khuda Ke Liye movie at Regal theatre (my most favorite theatre in Bombay, its in Colaba in southern Bombay).

The movie beautifully showcases the difficult times many Muslims all the world going through due to the regressive attitude of Islamic extremists and the hypocrisies and closed-mindedness of non-Muslims towards Muslims.

I must say that it is among the most powerful and meaningful movies I have ever seen. The script is insightful and powerful, the music is soulful, the acting is good, in fact everything about the movie is worth watching.

I have always respected film makers who have had the courage to question the extremism of any organised religion. Christianity (followed by those who call themselves Christians) has been questioned many times by filmmakers of its faith. With Khuda Ke Liye made by a Muslim filmmaker I think to a reasonable extent Islam (followed by those who call themselves Muslims) has been questioned.

Strangely, though, the regressive tenets of Hinduism (followed by those who call themselves Hindus) have, to the best of my knowledge, not been bought out by any filmmaker in India. Bits and pieces have been covered but the issue as a whole has not been addressed by any Hindi movie made in India. The same, as per my knowledge, applies to the Indian/non-Indian movie industry with regard to Sikhism (followed by those who call themselves Sikhs), Judaism (followed by those who call themselves Jews) and Zoroastrianism (followed by those who call themselves Parsis).

See some excerpts from Khuda Ke Liye on YouTube here, here, and here. If you like the music and the songs in the movie you can download free full mp3 clips here.

Do not miss this movie!

I also particularly took delight in the scenes shot in the tribal region on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan and also the chirpy little girls shown as staying in a family in a village there.

life in journalism: the dark side

There is something about human behaviour in the current age we are living that one keeps on experiencing inflated egos of those who grab positions of power, whether in the workplace or in a family. This is seen in the corporate world, or within the confines of an urban family or even within a village community.

In Indian journalism this is reflected in the attitudes and actions of editors of those kind who wield power over other journalists in their respective organisations. Their designations could range from editor-in-chief to executive editor to deputy editor to associate editor.

I present below some unpleasant characteristics in the last 14 years I have observed and also every now and then experienced. To be sure, there are some good and pleasant characteristics too.

1) They will brag about themselves most of the time. They give little importance to listen to their journalists. They will highlight something strong and ethical they have done but fail to acknowledge the same traits in the journalists working for them (even to acknowledge one has to know; these editors do not even try to find out how strong and ethical their journalists even are).

2) Rules made are mostly to be implemented one-way. That is to say the journalists are held accountable (some of them shout at, scream at and verbally abuse their journalists) for some serious non-adherence to a rule, but when the editors do not follow that same spirit of the rule they do not acknowledge it nor is there any one above them to take them to task.
The editors in charge of their journalists will keep harping on how their journalists are not professional. What I find greatly worrisome is their inability or unwillingness to hold the mirror to themselves with the same vigour. It is important that they are professional because their lack of professionalism has an adverse effect on all the journalists working for them. For instance, in a profession where time is precious the top editor will go on his ego trip in meetings with journalists talking on and on about issues that are not relevant or important for the immediate tasks at hand. And since he is the head of the team the others are almost forced to listen to his endless talk. This eats away into the time of the journalists and the editor does not even recognise it.
A good rule is meant to be adhered by all including the top bosses. But a rule should also be framed after adequately and honestly consulting everyone who is affected by that rule. I don't know whether this is widely prevalent in all of Indian print media but the internal rules of operations are heavily biased against the editorial department (reporters and feature writers) and excessively favour the working of the copy desk department and the graphic design department.

3) This is another ugly aspect in Indian journalism. Quite some editors compete with their journalists in stories and story ideas, and then harp about how they have done this or that. I find it a sign of not immaturity but also a sign of insecurity because these editors tend to ride on the shoulders of their journalists. This happens in two ways.
a) Firstly, being editors they have much better access to the top honchos in whatever beat (corporate or political) they cover; this is simply because the hypocritical corporate or political world tends to open doors more faster and easily for the editors then they would for the journalists working for these same editors.
The companies or their PR agencies provide much more information and access to the editors than they would to the others.And the better the circulation figures of the publication the more the pampering. The nature of the business of media is such it is not just PR agencies but also readers when they write to the publications about their various problems or at times give breaking news tips it is always the top editors in that publication to whom this will first go to.
All this means that in any competition between a top editor in a publication and the other editorial writers in that publication the former will always an upper hand based not on his skill sets or abilities but chiefly on the basis of his designation and his publication's reputation.
b) When journalists write some insightful or news-breaking stories they do so on the basis of various kinds of sources. The top editors who have the final authority on the journalist's stories can use or abuse (depending on his/her intent) his/her power by making the journalist disclose the sources. These same sources are then later tapped into by the editors.

4) The passing the buck game, as is seen in other companies, is also very widely prevailing in Indian media. If the circulation figures are faltering or if they get a negative feedback on the quality of their publications, many editors will tend to pass the buck on to the journalists saying they are not doing quality stories. But they forget that they are the ones having the final say on a journalist's stories and many a time they do not encourage or at times even kill good story ideas by the journalist or even make a journalist do stories on ideas that they themselves have come up (and thereby deplete the journalists' time available to work on his/her own story ideas).
It is a simple management principle. The ones who wield the highest power in an organisation are also supposed to be held the most accountable. But the irony is that the ones with the highest power also have powers to sweep their own dirt under the carpet. There is no one to monitor them! Similarly, one of the most important aspect of an editor's job is on how he/she behaves with other journalists on whom he/she wields his/her power. But who is there to check on whether he/she is doing that fairly, ethically and professionally? The answer is no one.

5) If you are a female journalist then you have the additional burden of undergoing subtle sexual harassment too. I have heard horror stories from my female colleagues about the behaviour of some editors in Indian media. But even if the story is not a horror story, subtle forms of sexual discrimination always operates in the workplace. This is not unique to the media industry. It prevails widely in the entire corporate world.

The above 5 are not the only ones. There are more.

At the same time, however, when an editor is straight-forward and honest the end result can be beautiful not just for the journalists but for the entire reading public at large. Indian media does have instances of this happening. I have experienced some of them too. I only wish that the number of such good instances increase.

I am also aware that journalists (some or many, I can't say for sure) too, through their weaknesses and dishonesty, add to the problem. But it must be recognised that if the top editors in any publication are themselves fair and straight forward no journalist working for them can get away for long with un-professional or un-ethical behaviour. At times, even I falter in my work with regard to deadlines and quality and I have no right to crib if a straight-forward and professional editor takes me to task for it.

life in general: friendly khadi cotton

I started wearing Khadi-cotton shirts and trousers two years back and am now addicted to this fantastic cool fabric. In the heat and humidity of Bombay it is, in my view, the only sensible option before us for dressing up.

Anyway, 2-3 weeks back, I wrote something on Khadi-cotton in the magazine I work for. It gives further insight into Khadi cotton fabric.

Here it is:

Friendly Khadi

It is not exactly in vogue but definitely has the potential to fire the imagination of ecologically sensitive or practically-oriented corporate executives and managers. Hand-spun and hand-woven cotton fabric, or otherwise popularly known as Khadi fabric, is presently not a hot-selling item as far as office wear or formal wear is concerned. Objectively speaking, it is the lack of marketing of Khadi-cotton as a hep and stylish brand that is causing its absence from fashion-conscious corporate managers. In no small measure is also the association of Khadi fabric with politicians and government bureaucrats that puts off many.

But when current trendy designs and elegant colours are applied to Khadi-cotton fabric the results are so rewarding that it can open up closed minds. In the world of fashion designers who encompas in their work all kinds of wear including informal wear, party wear, ethnic wear and formal wear are very impressed with the results they get when they experiment with Khadi-cotton fabric. "Even in formal wear, Khadi-cotton fabric is elegant, understated and classy and works very well in workplaces where you would want to be very relaxed in your corporate attire," says Sabyasachi Mukherjee, a well-known fashion designer from Calcutta.

Formal trousers tailor-made from Khadi-cotton fabric and formal Khadi-cotton shirts either tailor-made or ready-made are the options before men. Suits, however, are not currently done in Khadi-cotton. "Due to its light weight you will not get the required finishing in suit trousers," says Nikasha Tawadey, an upcoming fashion designer from Bombay. But Bangladeshi designer Bibi Russell, who prefers to work with cottage industries, has already designed pin-striped suits using Khadi-cotton.

Women, for whom formal wear includes the traditional churidaar-kurta attire, have more options. Says Tawade, whose kurtis and chunis for women made from Khadi-cotton fabric are available in high-end boutiques in Bombay, "Considering our hot weather Khadi-cotton fabric is a viable option; in fact, world over, hand-woven fabrics are also a fashion statement."

Khadi-cotton is the coolest fabric one can get since the hand-woven cotton cloth allows easy flow of air through the fabric. Basically, the fabric breathes out the body heat, making the wearer more comfortable. In polyester-based attire the petroleum-chemical element in the fabric blocks the body heat from escaping making the wearer feel hot and uncomfortable.

Government-funded Khadi Gram Udyog Bhavan's Khadi Bhandar line of retail stores all over the country are the most easily accessible stores to purchase Khadi cotton fabric material that can then be stitched to your individual style from your preferred tailor. Boutiques and popular stores like Fab India, Anokhee and Khadiline are the other places where you can go to buy Khadi-cotton fabric.

At the high end, a nice colour Khadi-cotton material for a trouser will cost between Rs 125 and Rs 200 per metre. For 3-4 metres you will pay upto Rs 600-800 and add your tailor's charge of Rs 250-500, your trouser will cost you between Rs 900 and Rs 1,300. Costs for a high-end good-design and nice-colour Khadi-cotton shirt would be between Rs 500 and Rs 800. For women, at the highest range of Rs 175 per metre, the cost for a churidaar-kurta attire using 6-7 metres and factoring in tailor charges would be between Rs 800 and Rs 1,500. More innovative colours and designs will take the price above Rs 2,000 for men and women.

Using Khadi-cotton you avoid petroleum-made polyester fabrice and so you can also implement your sensitivity towards ecology every day in your workplace. Also, since Khadi means hand-woven you also encourage self-employment opportunities for skilled artisans and workers across rural India.