Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Give AAP ample time to fulfill its promises' that was published in Newsband

Give AAP ample time to fulfill its promises

The Aam Aadmi Party has made an ambitious leap from the anti-corruption movement of Anna Hazare. This party has promised political renewal and transformation.

Arvind Kejriwal has been provided the opportunity to put in practice a major manifesto promise: to get the people’s feedback on issues of importance. Many feel sure that he can bring about substantive changes in governance. The real test of the AAP’s commitment to clean politics and transparent governance begins now.

The transformation of Indian politics is possible by AAP considering the type of members this party possesses. They appear to be capable of clearing the wastes from the society. The initial process might start from the capital and next reach all the corners of our country within a short span of time.

People of India should give AAP not just one, but few chances. The country has been rotting for 66+ years. AAP has a herculean task of setting right the severe wrong done to the country. For the first time in 66 years there is an opportunity for a change. Transformation of politics is a task that will never end. All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But if any party can minimize corruption in India considerably, it is AAP.

AAP should get cracking without worrying too much about when Congress or BJP will pull the rug from under their carpet. AAP has the potential to emerge as a saviour of not only Delhi but the entire nation from poor governance and corruption.

It is clear that AAP is riding the wave to be main competitor to BJP. AAP has done everything correct so far. Neither the media nor the public has found any fault in them. They should now go ahead and implement their 18 point agenda. Even if they succeed in implementing some of their agenda items, they will get huge mileage to compete directly with BJP during Loksabha elections.

Transparency, connect with people, honesty, quick decisions, no VIP culture, true Swaraj are a few of many assets that AAP has.

The recent election has brought a hope in common man and they feel sure that AAP can fulfill the need of National Leadership. It obviously has much better vision than any of the other political party. It cleverly started from the water and electricity issue of Delhi and succeeded in winning the recent state election in Delhi.

The path ahead is tougher than winning election in Delhi for AAP but they can do it. They have good team which can work out the failure of National and regional parties in India and win over their failures to meet the hope of common man. Most of the people in India want to live in peace and harmony. They want justice for their hard work. AAP can certainly help these people to achieve their goal. The biggest job, however, for AAP is to awaken the Aam Aadmi (common man) and make him or her aware of his or her rights and fight for them. This will prove to be a good beginning in this New Year. Happy New Year!

Video: Dinesh Kamath tells Marathi jokes

Video: Dinesh Kamath tells Hindi jokes

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'AAP with Congress form govt – no harm!' that was published in Newsband

AAP with Congress form govt – no harm!

Aam Aadmi Party has at last agreed to accept the support of Congress to form the government in Delhi. No harm. It is true that before the election AAP had promised to expose all the black deeds of Congress. They can still expose the corrupt practices of Congress. What is the worst that will happen? Congress will withdraw its support. Next there will be a reelection. If AAP had not accepted the support of Congress and gone for reelection, even then the result would be the same. So there is no harm for AAP in the matter of forming government with the help of Congress.  

The fact that AAP won so many seats in Delhi proves that India has lot of well thinking people and just not people who are dumb and fall easily to popular gimmicks. But the thing is many political parties were free of corrupt persons to start with. AAP will be put to severe test in this regard in the months/years to come.

AAP has been voted to fulfill the promises made to the people. The AAP represents a hope for a most desirable future of politics, governance etc. of this country. But the fact is that their success in Delhi was beyond even their own expectations because Delhi is representative of only a few metropolitan cities in India, where the electorate is, educationally and socially, extremely long way ahead of the rest of the country. AAP should therefore concentrate on repeating their performance in the large cities in the next general elections while keeping in limelight the issue of corruption which is of far more importance to the people and of which all present political parties are guilty of. After all, the AAP was born out of a social movement that tapped into public impatience with the politics of corruption and compromise. For AAP, the battle is won but the war is still not yet over.

This performance of AAP augurs well for the country because we now have a third viable and more preferable honest alternative to the Congress and the BJP.

If AAP had not formed the government with Congress, there would be many people who would say that AAP is not able to handle this quick new found surprising responsibilities and  that it’s easy to be in opposition and point fingers on other for their mistakes in governance.

Now that they have entered politics and won also, they have taken full responsibility of the trust which people have placed on them. All the best to AAP for setting a corruption free India. AAP has indeed made a grand entry into the Indian Politics at a time when it was much required to cleanse the corruption in India. What happened in Delhi seems to be the impact of the 'Broom Revolution' or a tactic aiming the forthcoming Lok Sabha election.

The AAP success in Delhi represents that the middle class and urban elite have recognized it as a political polity. The AAP access to the common man is limited to the urban and urban agglomeration of middle class and the elite. But it has to travel a very, very long distance in our democracy, as the parliament is a place where rural people represent their presence through their representatives. All political parties access the rural masses through their cost free welfare measures at the cost of the share of the middle class. The middle class share was looted by the high index inflation due to UPA’s II fiscal reforms. The AAP should review their policy and give relief to the neglected urban middle class.

Dinesh Kamath’s column on ‘New movie releases in Navi Mumbai’ (Walking with Dinosaurs, Mahabharat, Bhadaas, Mokssh and Rangkarmi) that was published in Newsband

New movie releases in Navi Mumbai

Walking with Dinosaurs

Walking with Dinosaurs is a 2013 family adventure film about dinosaurs in the Late Cretaceous period 70 million years ago. The production features computer-animated dinosaurs in live-action settings with actors John Leguizamo, Justin Long, Tiya Sircar, and Skyler Stone providing voiceovers for the main characters. The film is produced by BBC Earth and named after BBC's 1999 television documentary miniseries. It is directed by Neil Nightingale and Barry Cook from a screenplay by John Collee. The crew filmed footage on location in the U.S. state of Alaska and in New Zealand, which were chosen for their similarities to the dinosaurs' surroundings millions of years ago. Computer-animated dinosaurs were then created and added to the live-action backdrop.

During the Late Cretaceous period 70 million years ago, the Alexornis bird Alex narrates about three Pachyrhinosaurus named Patchi, Scowler, and Juniper who grow from infants into adulthood. Alex has a symbiotic relationship with Pachyrhinosaurus. Patchi leads the herd in migrating, and they also encounter the predator Gorgon the Gorgosaurus.

The movie narrates a CGI dinosaur adventure for Christmas. A palaeontologist shows his niece and nephew a dino tooth that apparently broke free from its owner's mouth; they ponder what might have led up to that moment. And from there we whoosh back in time to when cute dinosaurs with Disney-American accents interacted cartoonishly with each other. The storyline is about dinosaurs discovering the meaning of family and love in the course of a huge herd migration.

The following actors gave their voiceovers for prehistoric creatures: John Leguizamo ... Alex, Justin Long ... Patchi, Tiya Sircar ... Juniper, Skyler Stone ... Scowler. For modern-day humans: Karl Urban ... Uncle Zack, Charlie Rowe ... Ricky and Angourie Rice ... Jade.

Mahabharat

Mahabharat is an animated Indian mythological drama film, directed by Amaan Khan. The film is produced by Kushal Kantilal Gada and Dhaval Jayantilal Gada. Several actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Ajay Devgn, Vidya Balan, Sunny Deol, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Manoj Bajpayee, Deepti Naval have been signed up for the characters in the film. Mahabharat is touted as most expensive animated film in Bollywood.

Ganesha wrote the Mahabharata. The core story of the work is that of a dynastic struggle for the throne of Hastinapura, the kingdom ruled by the Kuru clan. The two collateral branches of the family that participate in the struggle are the Kaurava and the Pandava. Although the Kaurava is the senior branch of the family, Duryodhana, the eldest Kaurava, is younger than Yudhisthira, the eldest Pandava. Both Duryodhana and Yudhisthira claim to be first in line to inherit the throne.

The struggle culminates in the great battle of Kurukshetra, in which the Pandavas are ultimately victorious. The battle produces complex conflicts of kinship and friendship, instances of family loyalty and duty taking precedence over what is right, as well as the converse.

The Mahabharata itself ends with the death of Krishna, and the subsequent end of his dynasty and ascent of the Pandava brothers to heaven. It also marks the beginning of the Hindu age of Kali Yuga, the fourth and final age of mankind, in which great values and noble ideas have crumbled, and man is heading towards the complete dissolution of right action, morality and virtue.

The following are the voice cast: Amitabh Bachchan as Bhishma, Shatrughan Sinha as Krishna, Sunny Deol as Bheem, Ajay Devgan as Arjun, Anil Kapoor as Karna, Madhuri Dixit as Durga or Adi Shakti, Vidya Balan as Draupadi, Manoj Bajpayee as Yudhisthira, Anupam Kher as Shakuni, Deepti Naval as Kunti and Jackie Shroff as Duryodhan.

Bhadaas

Bhadaas is a Hindi thriller film directed and produced by Ajay Yadav. The film features Meera, Aryeman Ramsay, Shree Rajput and Anant Mahadevan as main characters.

The story of the movie revolves around three principal characters: a young girl called Daisy, Police inspector Vijay and Assistant Commissioner’s daughter Neha. The plot of the story theme develops with the sudden disappearance of men every full-moon night, leaving in its wake panic and terror. The mystery in the whodunit deepens as the cops set a trap to nab the perpetrator.

The movie is basically a story about a young girl Daisy. By profession Daisy is a writer. However, every night of full Moon she gets influenced by it. Something happens to her and she goes out in search of a man. She would ask for a lift and what happens later is a mystery. Men start disappearing, creating a panic.

Vijay is a police inspector, specializing in solving murder crime who is called in to solve this case. Neha, the daughter of A.C.P. Saxena, loves Vijay. In a party when Vijay meets Daisy, he falls in love with her. But during the investigations, what come through, shocks everybody. A trap is laid to catch the killer red handed.

Mokssh

Mokssh is a film belonging to Drama ‘genre’ with star cast consisting of Chinmay Mandlekar, Sukhada Yash, Edward Sonnenblick, Suhas Shirsat and Umesh Jagtap.

The movie is directed and written by Ajit Bhairavkar. Music Director is Shailendra Barve. Lyricist is Abhilash. Cinematography is by Amol Gole.

Mokssh which means ‘Journey of the Soul’ is a unique cinematic experience and the story of self-discovery and transformation of Parth during his 18 days Journey of pilgrimage (Waari). Warkaris’ nonstop chanting and musical celebration in the name of God Mauli [mother of the Universe] leads to moksha. Parth, a young, ambitious and egoistic film director from Mumbai, is in a live-in relationship with his love Geetali. Eric, an Anthropology PhD student from US, and Parth come together to make a path-breaking international film on Waari, wherein millions of devotees walk together for 250 kms in 18 days, just to meet their beloved lord Vithoba. Parth undertakes the challenge to capture this eventful journey of millions in a contemporary manner and to capture the grandeur and soul of Waari. The 18 Chapters of the Dyaneshwari (a household religious book followed by Warkaris as a key to bliss and happy living) unfold very interestingly with real life characters in the pilgrimage

Rangkarmi

Rangkarmi is a Marathi film produced by Sumeet H. Mittal, Shashi Mittal, directed by Sanjiv Kolte and has star cast consisting of Mohan Joshi, Dr. Amol Kolhe, Sheetal Dabholkar and Sharmishtha Raut. Screenplay is by Sumeet H. Mittal and Sanjiv Kolte. The movie is written by Sanjiv Kolte.

The movie Rangkarmi is a tribute to the Marathi theatre. Rangkarmi is a film defining the journey of an amateur actor, Keshav whose dream is to become a renowned stage actor and his unique relationship with his mentor and makeup man, Dwarkanath.

Rangkarmi means a person associated with theater since generations but behind the stage - makeup man, light man etc. The film is a story of such persons who never come in the light. Rangkarmi is loyal to theater, have passion for work. They work for theater for whole life.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Great steps taken by NMMC to prevent water misuse' that was published in Newsband

Great steps taken by NMMC to prevent water misuse

It is good to see Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) water supply department gearing up to check leaks and curb misuse of drinking water in the city and even penalize those found guilty of wasting or misusing potable water. NMMC is planning to intensify monitoring. They have asked their officials to report wastage or illegal use of water in their respective jurisdiction.

NMMC took this step after receiving complaints about potable water which was being used for watering gardens and cleaning vehicles by some residents. There are some people who use drinking water to wash vehicles.

CIDCO was kind enough to build chawls for economically backward residents of the city but it ignored the water aspect. These residents of the chawls receive two-hour water supply daily in a day unlike the people living in row houses who receive plenty of water and hence can afford to misuse drinking water to wash vehicles or water gardens.

Constant monitoring on the supply network and installation of bulk domestic meters in CIDCO colonies are good steps that have been taken by the authorities and this indeed is helping in controlling water wastage to quite a great extent.

The civic body has made arrangements to check the misuse of water. They are able to gauge the actual quantity of water loss and misuse. NMMC is also verifying the complaints about water misuse received from the residents and are taking penal action against those concerned.

Notices are issued to the concerned meter holder if water had overflowed from the safety tank or potable water was used for gardening or cleaning vehicles. The ward officer has been given the powers to decide the course of action including the amount of penalty to be recovered from the errant meter holders. NMMC staff has also been asked to promptly plug or repair any leaking pipeline.

NMMC should be lauded for taking good steps to prevent water misuse. These steps taken by NMMC are bound to do a lot of good to the residents of the city.  

Dinesh Kamath, Editor of Newsband, at RMC Plant (at Ulwe) belonging to Kailash Gindodia, owner of K D Constructions Pvt. Ltd and Publisher of newspaper Newsband

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Slow to respond' that was published in Newsband

Slow to respond

Indian sailors Sunil James and Vijayan were released by the authorities in Togo. Both sailors were arrested in July this year. They had simply disembarked in Togo to report a pirate attack on their oil tanker. The Togo police charged them with the grave offence of aiding piracy. Criminal proceedings were initiated against both. They were released after the Indian High Commissioner in neighbouring Ghana met the President of Togo to present their case.

Meanwhile, Mr. James’s son, who was just 11 months old, died of illness earlier this month. The plight of the jailed men was taken up in earnest only after the death of Mr. James’s son came to the attention of the media and public.

Indian diplomacy has been too slow to respond to crises. The Ministry of External Affairs had intervened in Khobragade’s case at once. Why did they show laxity in resolving the open-and-shut case involving the sailors?

As the global and business profile of India increases, it is only natural that more Indians find themselves in legal and diplomatic crosshairs around the world. It is high time our government resolved their concerns effectively and promptly.

The case of the two sailors is a clear example of the Indian administration's operating methodology which is filled with apathy and inefficiency. To have waited six long months before the case of the two sailors were taken up shows the External Affairs in a very bad light. As the world has globalized and Indians are moving out to different corners of the globe, it is vital to have a responsive and efficient methodology to deal with such concerns.

Probably our strategy of behaving like the 'Good Guy' by internationalizing issues and not stepping in aggressively to solve them time and again is taking its toll on a bunch of innocent Indians. No nation would have dared to do such a thing like this with China or even Pakistan.

Indian bureaucracy is famous for apathy, lethargy and lack of involvement. Ask anyone who has had to deal with our babus. They will have an unpleasant story to narrate.

With the modern world transforming at breakneck speed, there is a crying need for Indian administration reforms. The media and general public are very vocal about corruption and inefficiency in political system but hidden cozily deep down in this din is the equally corrupt and inefficient administrative system.

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Celebrate this Christmas with Inorbit Malls till 29 December' that was published in Newsband

Celebrate this Christmas with Inorbit Malls till 29 December

By Dinesh Kamath

(Above) Picture of Inorbit Mall at Vashi

NAVI MUMBAI: The clock is ticking to get cracking for the season of joy and giving – the most awaited festival of Christmas. Inorbit Malls is all set to double the festivities this season by captivating the city through love, magic and treats. The festivities has kick started at Inorbit Malls and will go on till 29 December in all 6 malls Malad, Vashi, Pune, Cyderabad, Vadodara and Whitefield.

This time around Inorbit Malls has planned a huge surprise for the kids in the catchment area.  A unique Santa parade has been organized, wherein Santa Claus and his elves will ride around the catchment area meeting people and distributing candies.  Inorbit will also give an opportunity to the parents who want to surprise their kids by delivering their Christmas gifts through Santa. All they have to do is buy a gift from Inorbit Malls and hand it over to the event crew who will ensure that the gift is delivered to their kids.  Santa will also visit 5 lucky ones at their home to give away gifts on 25 December. Moreover Inorbit Malls is also designing an online application which will allow parents to book gifts online and pay when they are at the mall.

The mall will be decked up with huge candies, donuts, wreaths, stars and tassels along with 10 feet tall Christmas tree made of candies donned with lots of gifts. A large “Treat House” will be placed in the center of atrium of all the malls and a lot of games will be organized for the kids around the same. The winner of these games will get a chance to enter the “Treat House” and pick up hands full of candies. In addition to this a 30ft Christmas tree will be placed outside the malls to enhance the Christmas décor.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Kishore Bhatija, Managing Director and Chief Executing Officer, Inorbit Malls Pvt. Ltd, said, “Christmas is a season of joy and giving. So, this year we decided to spread magic and treat our patrons with lots of surprises across the malls. All our malls are dipped in the spirit of festivity with the décor and the fun activities. With some exclusive activities, Inorbit Mall will definitely gratify its customers this season.”

The fun will continue at Inorbit as exclusive line up of workshops and fulfilled activities will be organized for all. Carol singing, storytelling sessions, fancy dress, magic show by Santa, dance performance by Elves and workshops on  wreath making, paper craft and interesting home decor ideas for Christmas will add sparkles to the festivities . Apart from all this Inorbit has also invited children from NGO to spend a day at the mall.

Celebrate the magical moments of Christmas with power packed events at Inorbit Mall till 29 December 2013.

Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Jalnawala’s 3rd International Martial Arts Championship 2013' that was published in Newsband

Jalnawala’s 3rd International Martial Arts Championship 2013

By Dinesh Kamath and Ashok Dhamija

NAVI MUMBAI: Taekwondo is considered to be the world’s most popular martial art in terms of practitioners – around 70 million across the world – and South Korea’s national sport is finally beginning to make waves in the second most popular nation – India, according to Grand Master Ahn Huk-Sun, who founded the world famous demonstration team K-Tigers.

Grand Master Huk-Sun will be coming soon to the city along with the famous stars of the movie “Kick” – Tae-Mi & Tae-Joo for Jalnawala’s IMAC 2013. Jalnawala’s sports training and research centre (JSTARC) is organizing “Jalnawala’s 3rd International Martial Arts Championship (IMAC2013)” between 24th December’2013 to 29th December’2013 at Ramsheth Thakur International Sports Complex, Ulwe, Navi Mumbai.

The CEO & Technical Director of JSTARC - Mr. Nilesh Jalnawala - said that Indians are becoming more health conscious and are accepting and exploring new fitness regimes. This is the right time to take the sport to new and better levels and repeat the success story of the Jalanawala’s International Martial Arts Championship which is 3rd in the series.

This event is proven to be the much desired platform for the budding sports talent in India and keeping its legacy this year also, Jalnawala’s IMAC 2013 brings combination of Open National Martial Arts Championship and Special Workshops where mentoring will be by Legendary Korean Grand Masters. Also have special business development programs for coaches. It’s the first martial arts event in India to introduce PSS (Electronic Protector Scoring System). The main attraction of this event would be “Launch of Hapkido Federation of India”, which is to popularize the martial form across all corners of Indian republic.

Among special guests are renowned “K-Tigers”, Korean Superstars of the movie “Kick” – “Tae-Mi” & “Tae-joo”, Koream Masters & Grand Masters from the field of Taekwondo, Hapkido & extreme Martial Arts. Master Nilesh Jalnawala who trains regularly with the K-Tigers core team in South Korea, insisted that the mind-set of Indians towards taekwondo had to change in order for the sport to develop further, hence IMAC 13 comes with special programs not only for the participants but also for the coaches to take this to next level.

Inspire – International Standard Basic 2 Advance workshop on Taekwondo and Hapkido (6 sessions of 3 hours directly with Korean Grand Masters and Champions) covers Taekwondo and Hapkido Techniques. Extreme – These are the extreme taekwondo workshops with K-tigers. Poomsae & Sparring Championships along with Impact – Black belt exam of Hapkido & Taekwondo. Not just this, Jalnawla’s IMAC ’13 brings rocking parties, celebration, taekwondo rally and grand awards & prizes for the winners.

This 3rd in the series event is the biggest event of this nature in the country which will be followed by Korean Tours for enthusiast in July next year. Winners & Participants will get a special discount for this Korea Tour. The final day of the event will witness a spectacle that has been experience by millions of people around the world, a live act by the K-tigers. For any further enquiries you can contact: +91 9819 283828 or 022 2781 4824, Email ID: imac@jalnawala.com

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Kejriwal should go for re-election' that was published in Newsband

Kejriwal should go for re-election

The Aam Aadmi Party is now the second largest party in a hung Assembly in Delhi. AAP has grown without the traditional building blocks of caste and communal vote banks and won support in the election on the basis of a campaign against both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. With the BJP expressing its inability to form a government, it is the turn of the AAP now to explore the possibilities of giving Delhi a government with a difference. Kejriwal is justified in wanting to keep a distance from both the BJP and the Congress.

Both Arvind Kejriwal and AAP have impressed the Indians by their principled stand. Now if Kejriwal chooses to accept support of either Congress or BJP to form the government in Delhi, then their clean image will be affected and this can affect their chances considerably in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Kejriwal and his men should now make a decision by keeping 2014 election in mind.

Kejriwal is an honest man and he naturally is appearing too demanding and not very intent on forming a government. The AAP leader seems bent on seeking a fresh mandate without trying his best to make the present mandate work.

How can AAP join hands with Congress when it was the UPA's corruption that dethroned it in Delhi in the first place? Bharatiya Janata Party too is no saint. They have proved it when they were the rulers in the past. Hence accepting support from either of these two parties will affect AAP’s image.  

There are people who say that the re-election will cost a lot of money. Election/Re-Election expenses are trivial when compared to the amount of money we lose in corrupt practices. So, Re-Election costs are the price we should not mind paying to get a honest government to rule us.  

Re-election is the best option and people need to elect AAP with more majority which they will. Joining hands with BJP and Congress will make AAP appear as if they too are become corrupt and the hopes of the Indians of getting a clean government will be dashed.

Both Congress and BJP are full of seasoned politicians. They are too clever and would do anything to defame Kejriwal and his party once his party forms the government with the help of either of them. It is possible that these two parties just want to nip the bud in initial stages. Hence Kejriwal should seek a fresh mandate from people who are showing all the likelihood of electing his party if there is a re-election. Giving 'unconditional' support could be a strategy devised by both the traditional parties BJP and Congress so as to make AAP weak on principles while going for Lok Sabha polls.

Kejriwal is not a politician. He has yet to become one. AAP exists for its principles, not for petty political gains. Kejriwal has been challenging the standard political styles. He should live up to this image at least till the 2014 election.

Dinesh Kamath answers the question: Why Hillary Rodham Clinton deserves to be the next American President?

Why Hillary Rodham Clinton deserves to be the next American President?

By Dinesh Kamath

Hillary Rodham Clinton has been the 67th United States Secretary of State, United States Senator, First Lady of the United States and First Lady of Arkansas. She is well-known across the globe as an American politician. Hillary Rodham Clinton was the Secretary of State for the US from 2009-2013. She served under President Barack Obama. She went to Wellesley College and was a commencement speaker which is where she first attracted national attention.

Twice, Hillary Clinton has been listed in the list of the 100 most influential American lawyers. When she was the First lady of Arkansas while her husband served as the governor she was successful in leading the task force that reformed the education system in Arkansas. During her time as First Lady the Whitewater controversy and the Lewinski scandal were highly publicized in the media. The public's opinion of her increased sizably during the Lewinski scandal and many speculated it was because of the poise with which she carried herself during the time.

Hillary Clinton is regarded as the First Lady that has been most empowered, except Eleanor Roosevelt. She has served two terms as a US Senator and ran for the presidential office. The American general public considers her a liberal. She has worked in favor of universal health care. No other First ladies held a post-graduate degree before Hillary Rodham Clinton. She has been a strong advocate for a revamping of society morally, stating that America was suffering from a 'sleeping sickness of the soul.'

Hillary Clinton’s service as first lady, New York senator and secretary of state were all exemplary. She has already met and dealt with most country leaders on our planet. She has a solid resume.

She agrees that overhauling the health care system is urgent. She supports the Affordable Care Act. She will continue Bill's policy of keeping America out of wars.

Hillary Clinton is pro-India. She was the one who had lauded India's "Look East" policy, and said that America supports New Delhi's move to weave it into the fabric of Asia Pacific region. She said this at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) when she was the Secretary of State. She also referred to India as another big democracy. India stands to benefit immensely if Hillary Clinton is elected as the next American President.

These are the reasons why I would like to see Hillary Clinton become the next American President. 

Dinesh Kamath would like Hillary Clinton to be the next American President

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial "Unlike India, US believes in ‘Justice for all’" that was published in Newsband

Unlike India, US believes in ‘Justice for all’

An Indian diplomat in New York was arrested for giving false information to obtain a visa for her domestic worker, and paying her less than the local minimum wage. Devyani Khobragade is not the first Foreign Service officer caught on the wrong end of the law in the host country.

Exploitative practices against domestic workers are rampant in India. In the West, as minimum wages are fixed, and translate into much more than what they would pay back home Indians end up taking “the help” with them on Indian wages, sometimes even showing her as a member of the family for visa purposes. The Ministry of External Affairs should put an end to the practice of its officials taking domestic staff with them abroad.

It is true that the dramatic manner of the arrest, which included handcuffing, is unusual treatment for any person, even if one were to disregard her consular status. But exploitation of human beings, in contravention of the law of the land, needs to be criminally prosecuted, no matter who the offender is. Exploiting another vulnerable human being is a grievous offense.

Bureaucrats representing our country should not violate the law of the land they are posted in and cause embarrassment to parent country. The problem is that bureaucrats in India just do not think that they have to obey rules. They think that these laws are made for the teeming millions for crowd control. We think the whole world will appreciate this. In US it is not that easy to break law, and if caught, to escape punishment.

When in Rome be a Roman. Similarly one has to abide by the laws of the land where one lives. And clearly this diplomat has violated the laws. Hence there's no point reacting to the action that the American authorities took in this case.

Diplomats are to represent their country, its values, honor and dignity. It is shameful reflection on the country when such people represent their country. For as long this kind of behaviour persists, India, sad to say, will not only remain a third world but also a third rate country.

If you commit crime, you face the time. Let the courts decide the quantum of her punishment if any and let the government take some action and avoid future such occurrences.

If the allegation is true then the officer should be dismissed and allowed to serve the punishment awarded to her to serve as a warning for others who not only commit a crime but debase the country too.

Some are of the opinion there is need to educate the diplomats. How can one assume that such senior diplomats are uneducated about the law in a nation? Before passing strictures against Indian Diplomats let the judiciary arrive at a verdict first and don't oppose US action just for the sake of opposing.

Indian diplomats and bureaucrats think they are still living in the British raj. No wonder they are despised as much as our politicians. This lady seems to be getting her just desserts. The Indian government should not interfere and let her fight her own case.

Fully support the action of the US authorities. They upheld the law of country. Actually the people should be outraged that "why the same spirit is not shown by the keepers of Law in our own country".

The consular staff has brought shame, and nothing else, to country in her desire to save money on foreign deputation. This incident should serve as example for others to conduct themselves better as representative of the country.

Dinesh Kamath’s column ‘New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai’ (Dhoom 3 and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2) that was published in Newsband

New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai

By Dinesh Kamath

Dhoom 3

Dhoom 3 is a Hindi action thriller film, written and directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya and produced by Aditya Chopra. It will be the third installment of the popular Dhoom series. Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra will reprise their roles as Jai Dixit and Ali Akbar while Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif form the antagonist duo.

The movie is about a man who is so driven that he exudes an energy that's at once alluring and dangerous, fiery, fierce and unforgiving. Sahir ‘The Clown Thief’ is a force that destroys whatever opposes him.

The film has following characters:

Jai Dixit: The canny cop from Mumbai - determined, analytical, persevering. Jai can go to any lengths to get his adversary and sometimes you have to think like the enemy to trap the enemy.

Ali Akbar: The entertainer. The reluctant cop who's at home anywhere - from Nagpada to Niagra Falls, Ali is always at ease, ready to fall in love with anything that resembles the female form and unswerving in his search to become a 'familywala'.

Aaliya: A fresh faced unassuming girl who transforms once she's on stage. She is a fearless soul who defies gravity in her act in the circus. She is equally fearless in matters of the heart.

Sahir: The villain of Dhoom 3. Sahir is not Amrish Puri kind of negative. He is not actually killing people. He is the guy who has a past and has gone through an emotional trauma. He is a gymnast. He is a circus artist. He is a character who may not make you laugh but he is someone who will entertain you.

Thus the film has Aamir Khan as Sahir, Abhishek Bachchan as A.C.P Jai Dixit, Uday Chopra as Ali Akbar, Katrina Kaif as Aaliya, Jackie Shroff, Tabrett Bethell, Andrew Bicknell as Anderson, Diana Penty as Selina Kapoor and Don Kress as Grandpa.

Pritam has composed the music of the film. The film has songs like Malang sung by Siddharth Mahadevan and Shilpa Rao, Kamli by Sunidhi Chauhan, Tu Hi Junoon by Mohit Chauhan, Dhoom Machale Dhoom by Aditi Singh Sharma, Bande Hain Hum Uske by Shivam Mahadevan and Anish Sharma, Dhoom Tap (Instrumental) by Pritam, Dhoom:3 Overture (Instrumental) by Julius Packiam and Dhoom Machale Dhoom (Arabic) by Naya.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is a 2013 American computer-animated comic science fiction film produced by Sony Pictures Animation and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film is the sequel to the 2009 film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which was loosely based on Judi and Ron Barrett's book of the same name. It was directed by Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn, produced by Kirk Bodyfelt, and executive produced by the directors of the first film, Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

The screenplay is written by John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, and Erica Rivinoja, and it is based on an original idea, and not on Pickles to Pittsburgh, Barrett's follow-up book. Cloudy 2 continues right after the first film, where a food-making machine gets out of control, but its creator, young inventor Flint, and his friends, eventually manage to stop it. In the sequel, Flint and his friends are forced to leave their home town, but when the food machine awakens, this time producing sentient food beasts, they must return to save the world.

Most of the main cast reprised their roles: Bill Hader as Flint Lockwood, Anna Faris as Sam Sparks, James Caan as Tim Lockwood, Andy Samberg as Brent McHale, Neil Patrick Harris as Steve, and Benjamin Bratt as Manny. New cast includes Terry Crews, who replaced Mr. T as Officer Earl; Will Forte, who voiced Joseph Towne in the first film, voices Chester V and Kristen Schaal as orangutan Barb.

The movie has an interesting plot. After Flint Lockwood and his friends save the world from the food storm in the first film, super-inventor Chester V, the CEO of Live Corp, is tasked to clean the island. He relocates Flint, his friends, and the citizens of Swallow Falls to San Franjose, California. Unbeknownst to Flint, the FLDSMDFR survived the explosion and landed in the center of the island, and Chester is determined to find it. Chester invites Flint, his biggest fan, to work at Live Corp, where he meets Chester's assistant Barb, a talking orangutan with human intelligence. Six months later, Flint humiliates himself during a promotion ceremony when his invention "Party-In-A-Box" explodes. Meanwhile, Chester is informed that his search-parties on the island have been attacked by monstrous cheeseburgers which are learning how to swim. Fearing the world's inevitable doom, Chester tasks Flint to find the FLDSMDFR and destroy it once and for all. Despite Chester's demands to keep the mission classified, Flint recruits his girlfriend and meteorologist Sam Sparks, her cameraman Manny, police officer Earl Devereaux, Steve, the monkey who communicates with the device on his head, and "Chicken" Brent. Much to Flint's dismay, his father Tim joins the crew and they travel to Swallow Falls on his fishing boat.

When arriving, they notice that a jungle-like environment has overgrown the island. Tim stays behind while Flint and the others investigate, finding a vast habitat of living food animals. Tim, searching for food at his abandoned tackle shop, encounters a family of humanoid pickles and bonds with them by fishing. Chester discovers that Flint allowed his friends to join on the mission and arrives on the island with Barb, chagrined and determined to separate them. After escaping a Tacodile attack, Sam notices that the foodimal was protecting its family, and begins to suspect Chester is up to no good. Flint finds his former lab and invents a device that can track the FLDSMDFR. Sam attempts to convince Flint to spare the foodimals, but Flint is intent on making Chester proud. Sam leaves in anger, along with the others (including Steve). In the jungle, Sam proves that the foodimals mean no harm by taming a Cheespider. Upon realizing Chester's intentions, the group is then ambushed by Live Corp employees.

Flint finds the FLDSMDFR, but notices a family of cute marshmallows and becomes hesitant to destroy the machine. Chester immediately seizes control of the FLDSMDFR and announces his plot to make his updated line of food bars out of the foodimals. A crushed Flint is knocked into the river but rescued by the marshmallows. Flint is taken to his father, who along with the foodimals, help him infiltrate the Live Corp building that is under construction on the island. Flint frees the trapped Foodimals and confronts Chester, who threatens to make food bars out of his friends. Chester makes several holograms of himself to overwhelm Flint, but Flint uses the "Party-In-A-Box" to expose the real Chester. An army of Foodimals arrive and Flint's friends are freed by Barb, having a change of heart. Chester tries to make off with the FLDSMDFR, but is eaten by a Cheespider. With the island safe from Chester and Live Corp destroyed, Flint returns the FLDSMDFR to its place and the foodimals continue to live in peace as more are born. Flint fishes with his father for the first time, finding it enjoyable.