Thursday, May 31, 2018

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'How long will the coalition government last?' that was published in Newsband


How long will the coalition government last?
The Congress and the JD(S) have differences over portfolio sharing. The two are unable to reach an understanding on Cabinet berths and portfolios. The two earlier had agreed to having H.D. Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) as the Chief Minister and G. Parameshwara of the Congress as the Deputy Chief Minister. The Congress conceded considerable ground to the JD(S) just to prevent Bharatiya Janata Party from forming the government. The party has twice as many members as the JD(S) in the Assembly, and hence demands ministries such as finance, home, public works and energy. The JD(S) appears willing to concede more berths to the Congress, but would like to have some of the key portfolios, especially finance, for itself.
The finance portfolio in a State will prove useful during the presentation of the budget in the Assembly to announce schemes and major policy initiatives. The home portfolio is important for the control of the police force, and its intelligence wing. Another sought-after portfolio allows the minister in charge control over construction of government buildings and road works with huge outlays.
After having thwarted the BJP by offering unconditional support to the JD(S), the Congress cannot afford to get into an unseemly scramble for portfolios now. But neither can it allow the JD(S) to run the government as its own show.
Right from beginning the JD(S)-Congress alliance is under a threat of discontent and dissidence. Karnataka’s chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has perhaps realised that it is not easy to run JD(S)-Congress coalition government as there are so many unhappy MLAs within his party and of course the Congress party. If in every situation of possible conflict between the coalition partners differences are to be resolved by respective top leadership of both parties, (that is by Congress ‘high command’, meaning Shri Rahul Gandhi, and HD Deve Gowda, JD(S) patriarch), then running coalition government in Karnataka will be pretty difficult.
Coalition governments have been major failures in the past and so it will be now or in the future. There won’t be any minute level of cooperation, unity between the coalition parties as they will fight for each other’s share in corruption. Ultimately the public will have to suffer and bear the consequences and will not get anything useful even though such governments last the entire term. MLAs of coalition will loot as much as possible during the term rather than serve the people and they can easily blame the other coalition partners for any failures.
The best thing is let the government of an unstable coalition fall and the natural legatee take over. The very fact that the two parties are unable to sort out their differences even two weeks after the "deal on a post-poll coalition even before the counting of votes drew to a close", suggests that the cleavages are deep and the wound is festering. Clearly, Congress had a devious plan, that of squeezing JD(S) very hard after Kumaraswamy assumed Chief Ministership because they believed that he would concede to every hard demand in order to stick to the CM's chair. This power sharing crisis must be resolved by the coalition parties failing which the quality of polity will not be carrying out the state to the next level. JD(S) will never go back in getting the key folios. Disturbed polity and unresolved power sharing problems will sharpen BJP to play its cards.
If Congress tries its own past games in Karnataka, the party cannot be trusted to head a coalition government in 2019 in the unlikely event of getting substantial numbers and therefore will give a golden chance to BJP to come back by sheer trickery and smartness of Modi-Shah combine. Then Congress will have no one to blame.

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Under the Title 'Goud Saraswat Brahmins', in Image Section, Dinesh Kamath is placed in the Top Row by Google Authorities on 30 May 2018



Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'In Pakistan, Military is always the Winner' that was published in Newsband


In Pakistan, Military is always the Winner
A caretaker Prime Minister has been chosen in Pakistan. That means it’s time for election. The general elections will be on July 25 in Pakistan. There will be a transfer of power from one civilian government to another. Nasirul Mulk, a former Chief Justice, has been chosen as caretaker Prime Minister. The outgoing Pakistan Muslim League (N) Prime Minister is Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
Justice Mulk is the one who heard the case of a sitting Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, who was summoned on contempt charges in 2012. He was also on the seven-judge bench that issued a restraining order against the then all-powerful President, Pervez Musharraf, in 2007. In 2013-14 he served as the acting Chief Election Commissioner,
However, Justice Mulk and his caretaker Cabinet will have crises to deal with over the next two months. The issues are related to International and internal terrorism. As caretaker Prime Minister, Justice Mulk, will be also required to steady the economy. The outgoing government has reportedly asked Beijing for a loan of $1 billion to $2 billion, which will add to Pakistan’s burgeoning debt on account of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The Country has lost its zest due to terrorism and other acts of fanaticism. Looking at the debts they hold, country is getting downstream deeply year after year. People, Government, Terrorists and Fanatics should discuss together first to raise the country.
It is worthwhile recalling Perico, Duke of Amalfi, who said so presciently about Pakistan almost sixty years back, ". . . this country will drift from crisis to calamity, from calamity to catastrophe, and from catastrophe to disaster". Therefore, an interim Prime Minister should neither take any blame nor should he have to address the issues. Pakistan's problems are humongous in every front and stem from its single-minded obsession to destroy India. Its structural problems cannot be solved unless it sees light but countries such as the US and China (and lately Russia) see utility for themselves in egging on Pakistan along its chosen trajectory with the result that Pakistan is made to believe that its objective vis-a-vis India is just around the corner and one more heave, it would be there. It is because of these powerful sponsors who encourage & support Pakistan’s megalomania and above-weight-punching, that it suffers immeasurably, apart, of course, from its obsession against us.
This is rare occasion when Pakistan has completed the full term despite military and terrorism dominance over its politics and society. Hopefully peaceful elections would give way to democratic government with progress as its goal and secular intent. But no matter to which party Pakistan's people cast their votes, winner will be military.
The care taker Prime Minister has the onus to conduct the election peacefully and hold the charge until an elected Government takes charge. Taking into account that the terror groups is vital for peaceful election, he has also to look into the financial commitment on the CPEC and for other constructive purposes. Anyhow the rise of democratic governments in Pakistan is good for solving geo political problems in West Asia.
But one thing is clear. Democracy is weak in Pakistan and is for ceremonial purposes only. The army and ISI are the real rulers and any Civilian Government going against the wishes of the Pak army is quickly deposed in a coup. "A stable, peaceful, prosperous Pakistan", continuously sponsoring terror strikes against India – is that what the Pakistan military government wants?

Dinesh Kamath's News 'Golmaal - The Play, a Hindi Drama will be played in Vashi' that was published in Newsband


Golmaal - The Play, a Hindi Drama will be played in Vashi
By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: Vindu Dara Singh, the favorite actor of all time, is now coming to meet audiences in new role as a drama producer with “Golamal - The play” a comedy drama. Recently premiere show was conducted in Mumbai, which was attended by various dignitaries. Comedy King Johnny Lever, actor Parmit Sethi, actress Archana Puran Singh, among other dignitaries, praised the play very much.
Now, the same play is being organized at the Vishnudas Bhave Auditorium in Vashi on Sunday, 17th June, at 8:30 pm. The prominent actors of this play are, Vindu Dara Singh himself along with actors Shiba, Rajesh Puri, Payal Goga Kapoor, Lakhbir Lahiri, Surin Kaur and Akashdeep. This play is two hours long which will keep you spellbound. The play 'Golmal the Play' is a manifestation of the reality of today's education system.
 In this satire comedy play, you will experience how people struggle to get their children into a good school today and what they have to do. Most of the actors in this play are renowned in the cinema and TV industry. Lakhbir Lahiri is one of the leading comedians in Punjab. He is going to work himself in this play, while another director Lucky Hans is also very famous on theater.
 Producer Vindu Dara Singh says, "We have made this light-hearted comedy drama. Our full endeavor is that the money of the audience's ticket will be fully recovered. They should leave the theater laughing. Nowadays, so much worries are in the life that, if they get rid of these from their mind for at least two hours, then it will be a big honor for us. "

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'CSK is the most formidable squad' that was published in Newsband


CSK is the most formidable squad
In the Indian Premier League, the victory of Chennai Super Kings was appreciated by one and all. Since the IPL’s inception in 2008, CSK has played seven finals. M.S. Dhoni’s men triumphed in three. All credit to skipper Dhoni.
Dhoni was undemonstrative even as he let his players display a gamut of emotions. The captain’s icy demeanour was worth watching. Dhoni and company did well to last the distance and get past Sunrisers Hyderabad, the team with the best bowling unit. Shane Watson’s pulse-pounding unbeaten 57-ball 117 in the final was impressive. Dhoni, Faf du Plessis, Lungi Ngidi, Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo and Suresh Raina had their moments during the tournament.
Skipper David Warner’s role in the ball-tampering crisis was stood down, but the good thing for SRH was that his replacement in the hot seat, Kane Williamson, led well besides striking in tandem with Shikhar Dhawan. Rashid Khan baggd 21 wickets, and he gave an excellent display of agility on the field. Afghanistan’s 19-year-old leg-spinner is one of the brightest talents in cricket today. The sudden retirement of South African A.B. de Villiers from international cricket came as a shock to his fans.  
CSK proved that they are the most consistent team in IPL. Watson's century knock made the final one sided. A brutal assault by Shane Watson proved sunset for Sunrises who failed to defend a winning total to help CSK emerge Super Kings at this year’s IPL. Brilliant undefeated 117 from Watson was perhaps this IPL edition’s best knock as his team sailed through in a one-sided final when it looked it would be a close contest at the start of the run chase. Maturity comes with age and the oldies won it for CSK led by M S Dhoni.
A tinge of luck always favours MS. Batting has more weightage than bowling in IPL. An overperforming batsman can continuously do so until he is out. But a performing bowler on the other hand has only limited overs to play with. That is what happened with all matches between CSK and SRH. Rayudu scored on 2 occasions, du plessis in qualifier and Watson in the final. As SRH is not a good batting side as compared to CSK; they couldn't triumph.
It is a shame that the final of IPL 2018 was not so nail biting. Anyway, kudos to MS and his team. CSK once again proved that age is only a number. As Dhoni rightly said that as long as a player is fit, no problem with the age. Fantastic performance by CSK. The roaring victory of CSK is laudable and Dhoni deserves every credit for his cool captaincy
It is strange that the names of teams in IPL have nothing to do with the places mentioned. Further while royals have been abolished long back, many teams carry a tag related to kings. It is more like baseball with the bat replacing club and ball of different make. It is more an entertainer than cricket in its pristine form. The short duration and the time of play suits people who cannot afford to be absent from their work for days.

Monday, May 28, 2018

Publisher Kailash Gindodia and Late Former Editor K R Bhat - The Two Men Who Gave Dinesh Kamath The Big Break In The Field Of Journalism




Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Water management is very important' that was published in Newsband


Water management is very important
Several arid States are hoping to revive their rivers and reservoirs with bountiful rain. One of them is Gujarat. The State government has embarked on a labour-intensive programme to desilt rivers and waterbodies ahead of the rains. Water scarcity is caused by heat waves and significant rain deficits in different regions. There is need to prioritise drinking water needs over farming. Urgent water management reforms must be undertaken to help citizens and avoid losses to the economy.
The monsoon itself is highly variable. This underscores the need for comprehensive reforms at the level of States, with the Centre helping to conserve hydrological resources. Farmers will get relief from the monsoon vagaries. Farmers need to be helped with the latest technologies to cut water use. The State government is thinking of going in for desalination. Decentralised water storage too will help.
Water management is never taken seriously in our rain deficit nation. Water conservation should be taught in schools to teach small children about importance of cutting water use. Water bodies must be dredged and be kept ready to serve as reservoirs with more space and depth. First drinking water must be given priority and then water for agriculture. Water bodies in the urban areas are converted into dwelling areas and flooded at the time of flood.
Gujarat has about 63 rivers, with some of them flooding during rainy season - whatever shortfalls and rainfall levels occur. The average rainfall in Gujarat is just about 800 mm - far greater than Israel, whose average rainfall is just about 100 mm. Yet, Israel manages there available water in a most scientific manner, and produces vegetables and flowers, exported to Europe. Gujarat is supposed to be a state where entrepreneurs are vibrant. It is time they come up with solutions to water problems, through appropriate water management.
The demand of irrigation for water-guzzling crops like paddy can be cut by 40% by adopting the well-established SRI technology, which can even produce heavier crops. This is true even for sugarcane. The system, which some agri-historians say was first developed in Tamilnadu centuries ago, and has shown farmers that plants actually prefer it to flood irrigation. A new understanding of plant physiology is needed. Dr MS Swaminathan has been campaigning for a 'brown revolution' to increase production of rain-fed crops through better management. The late Dr T. Hanumantha Rao, consultant to the United Nations, demonstrated in several countries that micro watershed development was a cost-effective superior alternative to larger irrigation projects that cost huge sums of money and gave poorer results. The government needs to integrate national water management policies with properly managed farming systems and supportive forestry.
A comprehensive policy is needed for management of water in the country to overcome the challenges thrown by erratic monsoons and ever shrinking glaciers. A few years ago there was talk of linking of major rivers in the country to preserve the river water and use it as per requirement. The linking of rivers requires huge investments and also political consensus. The sharing of river waters have been a cause of major discord between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Haryana, Haryana and Dehli, etc. The union government should take urgent measures for building consensus and formulate an integrated plan for linking of major rivers which seems to be only course to overcome ever increasing demand of water for drinking and agricultural purposes.
It's a serious problem for everyone in India that people is facing water scarcity despite many efforts by government. We need to look deeply and come up with permanent solution to this problem.

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Only Congress minus Gandhi Family can challenge BJP' that was published in Newsband


Only Congress minus Gandhi Family can challenge BJP
What tactics will the Opposition parties use against the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election? How will they try to stop the BJP from getting a second consecutive term? The post-poll alliance stitched together by the Congress with the Janata Dal (Secular) allowed for the swearing-in of JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy as Chief Minister in Karnataka. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi is getting on very well with Mayawati. Anyway, the coming together of the Congress and the BSP was set much earlier. An SP-BSP-Congress-RLD alliance is being speculated in Uttar Pradesh. Thus the Opposition parties elsewhere have found a way to make the most of any anti-BJP sentiment.
But the real test for a Congress-led Opposition is to generate an agreed policy programme that will have the support of all the disparate groups. These parties have an antipathy to the BJP, while others have allied with the BJP in the past. In many cases, electoral rivalry, and not ideological dissimilitude with the BJP, is the reason for fighting it.
Congress should drop its big brother role as it is headed by immature and less experienced leader like Rahul Gandhi and be prepared to accept secondary role in large states with a more senior and matured leaders like Shared Pawar, Mamata, Mayawati, Mulayam and others. A mixture of regional parties and Congress, if they agree on a common agenda against BJP, might be accepted during 2019 Parliament Election. But this reminds the print media, television media and Indian People those days of Deve Gowda and Gujral government and UPA I and UPA II wherein the growth of country in all fields went 25 years back economy was immobile and standstill, corruption flourished in geometrical ratio.
Indeed now economy is progressing not leaps and bounds but step by step and there is certainly less corruption. A viable alternative for BJP is not a bunch of regional parties but Congress Party alone should revive itself all over India by freeing themselves from Gandhi family. The Congress Party should realize that though they may have all India presence their influence is minimal.
One could only liken the alliance to a sack of sour berries that would all run away in various directions once unbundled. Any trivial trigger can be its undoing. People know this and would not vote for an unstable patch-work of 'colourful' political parties that are constantly at each other's throat and are only interested in amassing wealth through corruption. For the very first time in over a decade and half we have had five years of clean governance, most especially after a decade of unusually humongous and blatant display of malfeasance all the way from the PMO that included many of the cabinet ministers. People do not want to go back to those levels and know what would be in store if this medley of muddled parties is allowed to regain governance. Any number of articles, op-eds, or edits would not change this ground reality. One is indeed amused at the flagrant spectacle to convert defeat into victory in Karnataka and extrapolate it to general elections.
Political parties work for their political gains. Whether BJP wins again in 2019 or Congress-led front or any third front is emerging. One thing is clear, our country is facing severe leadership crisis. What we need today is visionary leaders who will guide citizens towards growth and development. Other countries like Germany, Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia etc., all have tremendously progressed today. But where is India? In spite of the fact, we enjoy all potentials, still we are far behind. At least, we can say, we did not progress up to the optimum level. Just look into the contribution of these countries into international GDP and what is our share? If India has to grow then every single citizen should start working without least bothering about political trends.

Friday, May 25, 2018

Under the title 'Kamath', in the image section, Dinesh Kamath has been placed in the Top Row by Google Authorities on 26 May 2018




Under the title 'Best Journalist in Navi Mumbai', in the image section, Dinesh Kamath has been placed in the Top Row by Google Authorities on 26 May 2018



Under the title 'Best Journalist in Mumbai', in the image section, Dinesh Kamath has been placed in the Top Row by Google Authorities on 26 May 2018



Under the title 'Best Indian Journalist', in the image section, Dinesh Kamath has been placed in the Top Row by Google Authorities on 26 May 2018





Under the title 'Best Journalist', in the image section, Dinesh Kamath has been placed in the Top Row by Google Authorities on 26 May 2018



Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'India is torn between US and Russia' that was published in Newsband


India is torn between US and Russia
PM Modi’s visit to Sochi to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for a day-long “informal summit”, his Wuhan meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, are all aimed at resetting and rebalancing bilateral ties that have weakened over the past few years. It is clear that India is drifting closer to the U.S. and Russia to China. Modi wanted to ensure that India’s existing dependence on Russian military hardware, with orders for about $12 billion more in the pipeline, must not be jeopardised at any cost. These have been made more difficult by a new U.S. law that would hit India. Modi would want Putin that India will not bow to such pressure. Russia’s recent military exercises and helicopter sales to Pakistan as well as its outreach to the Afghan Taliban have been viewed with deep concern by India. But one doesn’t understand the need to create global instability by Donald Trump administration. India is obviously disturbed by this fact.
India is contemplating a turnaround from its earlier postures with world powers. The secrecy surrounding Modi’s dashing to Wuhan and Sochi is intriguing since he is already scheduled to meet both Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin at least twice in the next two months. India and China will cooperate in Afghanistan, while India and Russia will coordinate on the Indo-Pacific. But in the recent years, India’s ties with the U.S. and its allies, Europe, Japan and Australia, have strengthened considerably. With so much intricate foreign policies involved, it is doubtful whether aspirational PM waiting Rahul Gandhi can measure up to the standards of Modi?
The efforts of Modi are really very appreciable, even though there are issues between US and Russia, still India is patching up with both the countries and trying to satisfy both. This relationship will be very beneficial to India in long run. In the 50s, we tried to ride our own boat (NAM) along with a few other oarsmen, but it sprang big leaks though we continued to pretend riding that boat. Then, in the 60s thro' 80s, we also travelled the Soviet boat, a boat we were comfortable with because of our ideological leanings, though we had to board desperately that shunned American boat at a time of great crisis in 1962. Thus, until the 90s we had been on twin boats, NAM (though it was a sham) & Soviet, when both boats sank and we barely survived to swim ashore. On the other hand, our arch enemy, Pakistan, successfully demonstrated the twin-boat art when it continued its close relationship with China even while enjoying all the benefits of a US ally against Communism! Diplomacy is precisely such an art. In a completely disrupted world, an aspiring India should not be dogmatic but flexible. Our only aims are security and poverty-elimination, not high moral ground.
It is a timely warning to policymakers in South Block, whether in the MEA or the PMO. The US tilt in our foreign policy, visible from the earlier UPA years, was given an extra push by the Modi led NDA government. Sadly, it was out of touch with the changing global power dynamics. Challenging China's rise was our policy anchor to which US, QUAD and other subordinate formations were sought to be added. Trump coming on stage altered the whole scenario, given his behavior. Meanwhile we misread the growing newer relations between China, Russia and Pakistan and the significance of OBOR or BRI which unites them. Dependence on Russia draws the ire of Trump's sanctions. We seem to have hit a road block. It calls not for recalibration, but a fresh look at all aspects of the policy.
From the early fifties, under Jawaharlal Nehru, when entire European Nations and America shunned India, often expressing doubts about stability in India, it was Soviet Union whose leaders unconditionally offered full Support to India. That continued right throughout Nehru's period and later under Indira Gandhi, who initiated an excellent friendship treaty with the Soviets. The "problem" between India and Russia began when Rajeev Gandhi entered center stage, increasing during Narasimha Rao's time, becoming almost worst under Modi regime. This is because it had become clear that Russia was not supporting India but the Nehru-Gandhi family. Now that NAM to India has become rather irrelevant, India feels safer to be with US.

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'It was an avoidable incident' that was published in Newsband


It was an avoidable incident
A thorough inquiry is required into the deaths in Thoothukudi. The protest against the copper smelter plant of Sterlite Copper in Thoothukudi became so violent that 12 people died in police firing. On May 22, it was the 100th day of this phase of protests.
Reason for deaths: The government’s failure to drive its point home forcefully is one reason. Doubt about the real intent of some of the protesters, possibly a small section, comprising hardline groups, could be another. The immediate task is to compensate the public for its losses and end the alienation of the affected communities through talks. The commission of inquiry headed by retired judge Aruna Jagadeesan is examining why 12 lives were brutally snuffed out. The inquiry must establish who gave the orders to fire and on what basis. Also, why the police failed to intervene well before the protest developed an angry head of steam.
Sterlite stakes claim to be India’s largest copper producer and is a major presence in Tamil Nadu’s industrial mix. But it has had mixed fortunes over the two decades of its production. Now an urgent process, such as an all-party meeting, is needed to heal the wounds, and infuse confidence in the community.
The Police forces in India do not appear to follow standardised crowd and riot control techniques. They seem to employ different levels of force depending on variables such as: 1: STATE: Pellet guns and shoot to kill are employed in Kashmir but not in other states; 2: RELIGION: Hindu demonstrators can expect to be met with less violence than say Muslim ones, cf. the way the Babri Masjid rioters got away with their violence; 3: POLITICAL INFLUENCE: Violence from outfits like Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Sena, BJP, ABVP etc. are seldom curbed by the police. It is about time that the state response to crowd disturbances such as this tragedy gets standardised. The demonstrators and police should know their rights and restrictions. Shoot to kill, blind or maim must not be a tactic in the arsenal of the police forces. Earl Warren, former Governor of California apty said: “The police must obey the law while enforcing the law”.
Firing live ammunition at rioters and with the explicit intention of killing them is a line the police must seldom cross. Using snipers and assault rifles on your own citizens is not the hallmark of a mature democracy but of a state lurching towards totalitarianism. The incident mirrors the inefficiency of the Government.
But a few glaring facts need pointing out. The visuals telecast on channels clearly show the following: the police were pathetically outnumbered by the protestors everywhere; the police were ill-equipped (mere lathis, no shin guards & BPJs, very little shields, no water-canon, no non-lethal bullets, not enough tear-gas dispensers, just a lone Vajra vehicle etc.); either the police-intelligence totally failed or there was failure at the top-level or both; the protestors chased the police who ran for their dear lives; the protestors indulged in large-scale arson, violence & vandalism; they even roughed-up journalists to destroy evidence; the police resorted to firing from the roof of their vehicle lastly even as they were retreating. While many stakeholders can be blamed for several failures, the crux of the blame must fall on those extremist leaders who hijacked a genuine protest into a violent one. The same was sought to be done by likely the same elements during Jallikattu stir also.
It was an avoidable incident; that the protest was being kept alive by interested parties to embarrass ADMK Govt was obvious. Or else why continue the protest when the Plant was shut down, had been refused "consent to operate by the State Govt" and the Courts were seized of the matter of permission for expansion? That Sterlite had chosen TN for the plant in the nineties was because it was considered a soft State. There was no specific advantage for the plant except that it was a Port to which ores could be brought in from any part of the world and copper could then be exported to the world or into the hinterland in India. Why did the company set it up in Ratnagiri coast or the Gujarat coast, both Agarwal's favourites? Thoothukkudi was unlikely to make national headlines in the nineties and a Govt which wanted to showcase industrial inflow and employment was compliant and complicit.
In these deaths both police and government are responsible. Even after the court mandate they fail to take precautions. So government needs to come further and address the solution for the issue or alternative for their problem either livelihood or peaceful collaboration with protesting leaders for permanent solution.

Dinesh Kamath’s column ‘New movies released in Navi Mumbai’ (Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran and Book Club) that was published in Newsband



New movies released in Navi Mumbai
By Dinesh Kamath
Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran

Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran is an Indian historical action drama film directed by Abhishek Sharma and produced by Zee Studios and JA Entertainment. The film is written by Saiwyn Quadras, Sanyuktha Chawla Sheikh and Abhishek Sharma. The film is based on the nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by the Indian Army at Pokhran in 1998. It features John Abraham, Diana Penty and Boman Irani.
The movie is based on the nuclear test conducted by Indian Army in Pokhran, Rajasthan in 1998. The film provides a look at India's first confidential nuclear test series at Pokhran led by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, during the time of PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure. The film is touted as an edge-of-the-seat thriller and Diana Penty plays one among the group who successfully conducted the nuclear test at Pokhran in 1998. Many sanctions were imposed on India after the test. Most people do not know how India went about becoming a nuclear superpower which included the entire process and the obstacles the country had to face. The fact that CIA was watching and yet Indians had to do it when they were not watching which was a task in itself. Abhishek Sharma, the director, is a walking talking encyclopedia on India’s nuclear tests. His research on the subject is highly commendable. Ask him anything from '74 and '98 and he has all the answers. He has taken great pains to stick to the facts. Almost 24 years after Smiling Buddha -- the code name for India’s first nuclear tests -- the country was ready to test its mettle again. The venue where the nuclear tests were to be carried out remained the same -- Pokhran in Rajasthan, about 350 km from New Delhi -- as was the secrecy that surrounded the tests. The entire operation was top secret as there was a massive international pressure on the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government not to carry out the tests and the US’ satellites were mapping every move in India. Nonetheless, the tests were carried out successfully in May 1998 and termed a logistical victory. It is this operation that John Abraham-starrer Parmanu – The Story Of Pokhran attempts to present on the big screen; John Abraham is playing an army officer named Ashwat Rana, in charge of the entire operation. He handpicks his team that includes specialists of different fields. The onus of keeping everything secretive lies with John. The film is inspired by true events -- the subterfuge used by the team to keep the operation top secret. The tests were carried out by the Vajpayee government, and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was the scientific advisor for the project. It was called Operation Shakti and five nuclear explosions took place -- three on May 11, 1998 and two on May 13. The entire operation was divided into three phases. The thermonuclear device was placed in a shaft code named ‘White House’, which was over 200 m deep, the fission bomb was placed in a 150 m deep shaft code named ‘Taj Mahal’, and the first sub-kiloton device in ‘Kumbhkaran’. The first three devices were placed in their respective shafts on 10 May, and the first device to be placed was the sub-kiloton device in the ‘Kumbhkaran’ shaft, which was sealed by the army engineers by 8:30 pm. Indian agencies used many methods to hide their operations from the prying American satellites. Most of the work was carried out during the day time and as desert of Pokhran provided no cover, artificial sand dunes were created to give everything a natural feel. The bombs were flown to Jaisalmer from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai. From there, they were taken to Pokhran on trucks. Scientists wore army uniform to stay under the radar. The attempt was to show that the Indian Army was going about its business in the usual manner. India had shown the willingness to conduct nuclear tests before 1998 as well, but the news travelled to the west faster than their expectations, and the country had to deal with enormous diplomatic pressure resulting in the operations being halted. Work was mostly done during the night, and equipment was returned to the original place to give the impression that it was never moved. Bomb shafts were dug under camouflage netting and the dug out sand was shaped like dunes, a natural sand formation in the Thar. Cables for sensors were covered with sand and concealed using native vegetation. Scientists would not depart for Pokhran in groups of two or three. They travelled to destinations other than Pokhran under pseudonyms, and were then transported by the army. India joined the Big 5 states after these tests. The country had to face some problems initially, but in due time, everybody accepted that India is no longer a state that will play by the rules set by others.
The film has John Abraham as Capt. Ashwat Rana, Diana Penty as Capt. Ambalika, Boman Irani, Vikas Kumar, Yogendra Tiku, Darshan Pandya, Zachary Coffin as Stephen, Mark Bennington1, Abhiroy Singh, Ajay Shanker and Anuja Sathe.
The music of the film is composed by Sachin-Jigar and Jeet Gannguli while lyrics are penned by Vayu, Rashmi Virag, Sachin Sanghvi and Kumar Vishwas . The songs featured in the film are sung by Arijit Singh, Divya Kumar, Yasser Desai, Keerthi Sagathia and Jyotica Tangri. The film has songs like "Shubh Din", "Jitni Dafa", "Thare Vaaste", "Kasumbi", "Sapna" and "De De Jagah".

Book Club

Book Club is a 2018 American romantic comedy film directed by Bill Holderman, in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Holderman and Erin Simms. It stars Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen as four friends in their 60s who read Fifty Shades of Grey as part of their monthly book club, and it begins to change how they view their personal relationships.
Four older women spend their lives attending a book club where they bond over the typical suggested literature. One day, they end up reading Fifty Shades of Grey and are turned on by the content. Viewing it as a wake up call, they decide to expand their lives and chase pleasures that have eluded them. Diane (Diane Keaton) is recently widowed after 40 years of marriage, Vivian (Jane Fonda) enjoys her men with no strings attached, Sharon (Candice Bergen) is still working through her decades-old divorce, and Carol's (Mary Steenburgen) marriage is in a slump after 35 years. The lives of these four lifelong friends are turned upside down after reading the infamous "50 Shades of Grey," catapulting them into a series of outrageous life choices.
The film has Diane Keaton as Diane, Jane Fonda as Vivian, Candice Bergen as Sharon, Mary Steenburgen as Carol, Andy García as Mitchell, Don Johnson as Arthur, Richard Dreyfuss as George, Craig T. Nelson as Bruce, Alicia Silverstone as Jill, Katie Aselton as Adrianne, Wallace Shawn as Derek, Tommy Dewey as Scott, Ed Begley Jr. as Tom and Mircea Monroe as Cheryl.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Rahul Gandhi avenges Amit Shah' that was published in Newsband


Rahul Gandhi avenges Amit Shah
Recent developments gives an idea about how politics will be played in the run-up to the general elections. In the recent Karnataka election, there were no towering heroes to celebrate. It was complete violation of the people’s mandate. The Congress bowed before the Janata Dal (Secular). The JD(S) seized the chance to install HD Kumaraswamy as Chief Minister despite having lowest ever vote share. The BJP missed a chance at seizing power. Had it succeeded Karnataka would have been the 21st State under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party President Amit Shah’s watch.
The nature of alliance formed in Karnataka was where the Congress plays second fiddle to the regional chieftains. This is the first major election under the newly-elected President Rahul Gandhi who tried to challenge Amit Shah at his own game. BJP President had earlier snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya, where the single largest party was not invited to form the government. But this time, the BJP was caught off guard.  
Karnataka has thus set the tone for the general elections next year. At one end of the pole is the towering Modi and his invincible strategist Shah. At the other end are the provincial strategists and mass leaders — Mamata Banerjee, HD Deve Gowda, N Chandrababu Naidu, K Chandrashekhar Rao, Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejaswai Pratap et al.
This reminds one of 1996 General Elections where Congress led by P V Narasimha Rao, plagued with scams and scandals, lost decisively but then neither of the other political parties had a majority to form a government. BJP was the single largest party with 161 seats but couldn’t cross the halfway mark. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was invited to form the government and asked to prove his majority within two weeks on the floor of the Parliament. While BJP tried to form a post-poll alliance, it could not reach majority. After trying for 13 days, Vajpayee conceded he could not manage more than 200 seats and resigned rather than face the confidence vote. The Congress, despite being the second largest party, declined to form the government. Instead, offered external support to small regional parties, which were full of internal conflicts, and in an unexpected move, JDS’ H D Deve Gowda was made the Prime Minister of India. In less than two years, Congress withdrew support and the government collapsed.
It is fascinating how the ones who scream about ‘democracy being restored’ every time they win by hook or by crook never pause to once ponder about how the democratic mandate of the people is being shamelessly subverted. Yes, in a democracy majority rules. But if one has to uphold the ethos of democracy, one doesn’t elevate a party that has been booted by the people’s franchise to a ruling position. That is exactly what the Congress party did then, and that is exactly what it is doing now. Perhaps for Rahul Gandhi and his band of hollow vessels, democracy can only be restored, when the will of the people can be subverted in order to serve the monarch.
The Congress has sensed that its best chance at crawling back to power in the face of Modi’s charisma is in playing assistant to all the regional giants. This strategy is never good, our country will not progress this way. We just don't have alternatives. Opposition is a collection of tribal chiefs or feudalistic lords. Congress has become a party which has shed all its ideals (whatever it may be), and exchanged it for nepotism and petty politics, they have no vision apart from their flawed vision "Equality for everyone in the process of division."

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Curbs on US chicken imports withdrawn' that was published in Newsband


Curbs on US chicken imports withdrawn
India has withdrawn curbs on US chicken imports. The US continues to press for damages against India on poultry import curbs. Citing avian influenza concerns, India had for years virtually banned poultry imports from the US, prompting the latter to move the World Trade Organisation (WTO). In 2015, the WTO ruled against India. Since then, India has made two rounds of changes in its bird flu regulations.
Now, US poultry imports have started to arrive. Avian influenza concerns aside, US chicken leg imports are not without their problems. The US palate favours chicken breast, while the feet of the bird are exported to China where they find a ready market. The lower part of the bird is believed to contain high concentrations of antibiotics residue. The Food Safety and Standard Association of India (FSSAI) had said that it “will develop a procedure for inspection and monitoring of slaughtering/processing plants before grant of market access.” The order added that exporting countries would have to provide the prescribed certifications to India. However, India should improve its food standards to ensure compliance.
Even if imports are likely to be cheap, it may not find many takers in a country where people largely prefer fresh meat. However, a growing number of urban Indians eat out in fast-food joints, which may use such imported chicken.
Once it reaches India, where would the chicken be kept? Most Indian stores having round the clock freezers are high end ones. Their customers are not looking for cheap chicken legs. In short as usual India doesn’t like to have a dent in its local market. It can also not bring about standards needed to use this chicken safely.
This is a complicated knot and India ought to be patient and with diligence since the ruling of the WTO on the issue of chicken import from US and India's restrictions, in favour of US, gives the exporter an upper hand and a compensatory fine has been imposed by WTO. India could avert the fine if US could withdraw the case with WTO. India has to slowly draw its head from the lock. In future such types of imports on cost factor must be avoided since frozen meat is not good for health.
India has a large population and food contamination by overuse of antibiotics has serious health implications. Indian food regulator has to monitor and ensure the safety and hygiene of such foods. Equally important but glaringly lacking is the food hygiene at the millions of road-side restaurants in India which are poorly monitored by the state authorities. Once contaminated food imports enter the country, it can certainly find ready markets due to various commercial motives often at the cost of serious health risks.

Monday, May 21, 2018

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Opportunistic alliance' that was published in Newsband


Opportunistic alliance
The post-poll marriage of convenience between the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) was a setback for Bharatiya Janata Party in spite of it being the single largest party. The BJP took a serious dent to its image at the national level, and was left without both power and the moral authority to attack the political opportunism of the Congress and the JD(S).
The deal-clincher for the Congress now was its readiness to hand over the post of Chief Minister to the JD(S).  In 2004, it formed a post-poll coalition with the JD(S). The Congress-JD(S) government did not last the full term then, and the JD(S) formed a short-lived government with the BJP’s help.
Although, BJPs image took a dent, in no way Congress image has improved. People of Karnataka have ignored the Congress despite they trying to divide the Hindus and making an all-out effort to defeat BJP. CM designate have merely 37 MLAs (thanks to people of one caste) just to be in power. But everyone knows pretty well that the rug under his feet will be pulled any time. This unholy alliance is against the wishes of people of Karnataka. But then, these politicians are busy in fulfilling their desires rather than the wishes of people of Karnataka.
Currently the unifying factor among the opposition parties is their Anti -BJP factor which is due to the overbearing and big brother attitude of BJP. BJP is also ditching its regional allies as Congress did earlier to have a complete control of political space .But history says that in a country like India with many diversities taking complete control of political space will not ultimately succeed. Accommodating the various social and regional groups will only bring strong India.
There are people who condemn BJP but not Congress of JD(S) in spite of the brazen attempt of JDS to form a government although it got very less number of seats. If Congress does everything it is fine, if BJP does, it is wrong. Actually the mandate is against the Congress as many ministers lost and Mr Siddaramaiah lost in one constituency in one seat by large margin and scraped through in other seat by just 1600 votes. All these things are okay but BJP should not come to power. Strange! If the BJP lures MLAs into its fold, it is called undemocratic and money-bag politics. But if the Congress offers all of its MLAs to the JD(S) for the sake of power, it is called democracy. Till the date of elections, the Congress and JD(S) were bitter enemies baying for each other’s blood. But when they realised that the only way to get power is to join hands with a hitherto foe, they quickly changed tactics.
What a tragedy it is that H D Kumaraswamy will be Karnataka’s chief minister? A man with just 37 legislators out of 224 members in the Assembly will rule six and a half crore citizens of this state! Even now, Congress is trying to show its hegemonic tendencies. The sooner it shelves it, the better for the opposition unity in future. JD(S) is not known for its ethics or ethical behavior. Congress supported Deve Gowda in 1996 to keep BJP out. And it resulted in 1998 and 1999 sweep of BJP. Don't expect BJP not to use this in their campaign in LS polls of 2019 in Karnataka. Also there is the SC monitored mechanism of Cauvery dispute resolution with TN. Cauvery board has to be formed now and, local BJP leaders will surely oppose this.
There are, however, two noteworthy fruits of the Karnataka drama. The EVMs and the Judiciary are no longer being blamed and this augurs well for the future. Also how close the BJP came to eclipsing the joint total of the Congress and the JDS in a state where it is not a naturally dominant force - as it is in the Hindi heartland.

Saturday, May 19, 2018

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial "Mumbai’s ‘Development Plan 2034’ is interesting" that was published in Newsband


Mumbai’s ‘Development Plan 2034’ is interesting
Will implementation of Mumbai’s ‘Development Plan 2034’ lead to affordable housing? The Maharashtra government has finally come up with its 20-year development plan for Mumbai. It makes a concerted effort to open up the heart of Mumbai to affordable housing,
In the last round of Development Control Regulations, framed in 1991 for the apportionment of mill lands for commercial use, open spaces and residential use, very little affordable housing was actually created. The present policy incentivises a landowner to part with two-thirds of his property by allowing him a floor space index of three (ratio of built-up area to the size of the plot), instead of the present FSI norm of 0.2 on NDZ land. It remains to be seen whether the new norm serves the stated goal of providing nearly a million affordable dwellings.
The policy has decided to develop the heart of Mumbai further skywards, raising the FSI in commercial and densely populated regions. The creation of housing stock does not necessarily lead to houses becoming more affordable, as prices remain artificially high in urban areas. In trying to pack more housing into Mumbai, the plan should also take infrastructure needs into account, such as the impact of a higher population on traffic congestion and sanitation.
Developing the city requires dedicated effort from the government. Providing better housing facility to the ordinary people within the city is a good idea rather than keeping them far away from the city, by this they can avail the basic facility for example rail, road, food products easily. Providing the affordable housing within the city should also take into consideration the rising infrastructure need to commute. Having the metro rail option is a good idea to deal with traffic congestion. Proper drainage system is the need of the hour to make Mumbai a better city.
It is good to develop new dwelling places inside the city to optimise the utility of space in the urban areas rather than send people to places which are far away from the city for want of space and reducing congestion. The policy makers must take into account the menace of heavy rain dipping Mumbai into water. New construction must come out with proper drainage to dispose the rain water. The new idea ought to increase the prospect for Mumbai to become a top smart city.
Under the new plan, an attempt has been made to make maximum land available for affordable housing. In the past, certain areas were designated as No Development Zone (NDZ). Such areas were designated as NDZ for developing them in the future. Today, some NDZ is being opened up. A part of such land would be used for low-cost housing and social infrastructure. About 330 hectares of salt-pan lands not affected by CRZ would be made available for such housing development.
For years, the precedence was given to housing over the office and commercial property. But in the new development plan, commercial spaces are also given equal importance. In the Mumbai city, job opportunities need to be created for the organised sector, therefore, commercial spaces are important, which has been incentivised in the plan.