Dinesh Kamath's Editorials (Put an end to noise pollution) hat were published in Newsband

Put an end to noise pollution
Noise pollution is unwanted sound. It is a form of environmental disturbance. Noise pollution is very dangerous for human life as it affects the brains and prolonged exposure to noise may cause blood vessels to contract, sometimes resulting in hypertension. In fact pollution of any kind can cause serious damage to man, animals, birds, aquatic life, crops and vegetation. Noise pollution can affect the brain and make people lose composure and this can lead to heart attacks and strokes in the affected people.
Noise pollution in Navi Mumbai is high especially during festival times. But, however, the city police did a wonderful job in controlling noise pollution during Ganesh Chaturthi. But during Navratri, pandals were berserk with DJs and speaker systems that rattled windowpanes of adjoining building, with not a care for the elderly and sick. In fact, before closing time at 10 pm and 12 midnight, the noise levels were at their peak.
Diwali witnesses unprecedented levels of air and noise pollution. Noise pollution, on account of ever jarring speakers and the over abuse of fire crackers, has become the cause of concern for many, as it is the root cause of various health ailments and unrest. Navi Mumbai especially witnesses high level of noise pollution.
The noise level in some parts of Navi Mumbai is already high due to heavy vehicular traffic, industrial operations and commercial activities. This increases during Diwal. It is important that noise pollution is controlled during Diwali season as due to bursting of fire crackers, the pollution levels go up all time high.
Voluntary organizations should come forward and spread awareness about the noise pollution during Diwali. Children should be taught in school to limit the use of crackers that cause noise pollution. There is a law made by Central government for control of noise pollution but it has been found that the law is rarely enforced. So it is high time this law is applied. Police of Navi Mumbai should stop selling of fire crackers that has sound levels beyond certain specified decibel levels. Also there should be helpline number made available to report high level of noise pollution. Noise pollution can be controlled if the concerned authorities have the will to do so.

Kamothe urgently needs CIDCO's attention
A visit to Kamothe will make you aware of the plight of the residents over here. Kamothe is full of neglected open spots. At one particular spot in Kamothe you will find a large open plot of land surrounded by posh buildings on all sides. This space was once an undeveloped part which later became a dumping ground and now it is a stinking lake with large volume of garbage floating. This lake is now used to throw debris and household waste.
The existence of such a place not only endangers the health of the residents living around it but also it affects the business of the developers who find Kamothe a place where many outsiders want to come and reside or settle down because the residences over there are sold at affordable prices. Many have already come and resided over there. There are residents who have taken big loans and purchased flats over here. These people have no choice but to quietly face the dangers posed by such dirty open spaces.
Kamothe is considered as paradise for builders who are developing multi-crore projects over here. These builders even approached CIDCO's authorities and pleaded to them to do something drastic about these severe problems existing in Kamothe. These builders even pay infrastructure development funds to CIDCO at the time of sanction of any project. What are CIDCO's authorities doing with all these funds? Why don't they utilize these funds to provide all the necessary facilities and amenities to Kamothe region? They are not even bothered about the fact that many parts of Kamothe have become a hell that gives birth to infectious diseases.
As far as Kamothe is concerned, it is high time CIDCO made use of its waste management and health department to get rid of garbage menace and gave relief to the residents over there. At some places in Kamothe the stink is unbearable. The residents keep their windows closed and don't allow their children to play outside lest they fall sick owing to unhygienic surroundings. During monsoon, the situation over here is horrible since the level of accumulated water rises to an extent where it becomes dangerous for residents residing on the ground floors of their buildings. Kamothe also needs proper transport facilities and also medical centers since at present the chances of residents catching malaria or dengue are very high owing to the existence of many open filthy spots over there.
So the residents of Kamothe can do nothing but hope that very soon CIDCO's authorities will feel pity for them and come to their rescue like Gods.



Form a strong auto-passengers' unionThere is no authority or force to control auto-men who refuse to ply according to meters. Why are meter-readers installed in all autorickshaws? They are installed to ensure that passengers are not cheated. Installing of meter-reader was a brainy move on the part of whoever invented it. Meter system was the best thing to happen for auto-passengers.
But auto-men in Navi Mumbai seem to have taken law into their own hands. Many of them don't charge passengers as per meter. They make the passengers pay whatever amount they demand. They are not afraid of Law. That's because they have strong unions which protect and support them. This gives rise to the question as to whether these unions are meant to encourage their members to do whatever they like even criminal things?
RTO officials have launched a crackdown on errant auto-drivers many times. But these actions have failed to bring under control these auto-drivers whose unions are so strong that even political parties have to bow down before them.
In Navi Mumbai many auto-drivers don't care to refer to the meters. They demand any amount they want. Despite several meetings and representations with the authorities no effective steps have been taken to force the driver to use meters. As a result the commuters are forced to travel paying higher fares. Some drivers don't even care to install meters meters in their autos. They settle the fare according to their will. If the passengers question them they use their organizational strength to intimidate passengers. Neither RTO nor policemen seem to have the courage to prevent them from being so high-handed.
What is the solution to this problem relating to these auto-drivers? There is only one solution. It is high-time all the auto-passengers united and formed a union which is much stronger than all the autorickshaw drivers' unions put together. This is the only way to teach these autocratic auto-men a lesson.

Two sides of our world
On one side, the world is a rather nice place to live in - and only becoming better. Despite current economic woes, the world has never been a sunnier place. Rewind 100 years; newspapers were few and far between, accessed largely by privileged men, TV and the internet nowhere in sight, electricity and running water matters of marvel, travel from India to Britain taking months, populations threatened by starvation, epidemics or wars, the world beset with divisions of race, caste, gender and creed - it can't have been too nice. Today, wars have waned, colonialism is firmly contained within the pages of history books, global wealth is far more equitably shared, major diseases stand eradicated, mobiles and social networking sites enable people to communicate thoroughly, international travel takes some hours - and we're all living many years longer to enjoy these developments. Today people harbour a powerful belief in what's possible; leaving behind the dark ages of superstition, myth and discrimination, millions now enjoy a 'can-do' spirit science, rationality and philosophy have bestowed. We live in vibrantly liberal times; Scientists, states and citizens alike are countering global warming with innovation. We live in times where there is freedom and equality, creativity excelled at, the human spirit better-fed and more driven to share resources and solve problems than ever before.
But on the other side life is still nasty and brutish. Just look around you. All you find is a surfeit of urban squalor, traffic chaos, air pollution, raging conflicts over land, water, and so on. For many rural and urban people, life is still an inescapable daily grind. Dwindling farmlands and reduced yields are driving more farmers to cities, themselves bursting at the seams. Behind their glitzy veneer lie sprawling urban slums. The expanding urban poor, living in cheek-by-jowl slums, next to open drains, do not even have proper sanitation facilities. True, they may have mobile phones. But they still can't access decent healthcare. Children and adults continue to fall prey to preventable killer diseases like malaria, diarrhoea, tuberculosis.
Morality and ethics have become passe in a world ruled by profits rather than any lofty credo. We hear about protesting farmers, driven off their lands by powerful political and corporate lobbies; or sweatshop workers agitating for decent wages and work conditions. The world can't be a better place when nations are scrambling for more sophisticated weaponry to kill with greater precision. The threat of terrorism, civilian deaths in war-torn countries have made human lives more dispensable.
Thus these are the two sides of modern world.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorials that were published in Newsband

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Government has dug its own grave

Government’s high-handed way of dealing with Anna Hazare will only give boost to his movement. The government is suffering from bankruptcy of ideas, otherwise they would not deal with Anna in such a manner. This was no way to quell Anna’s campaign against corruption. The way government responded gives an indication as to how desperate it is. It is clear that the government is trying to reclaim all that it has lost but has absolutely no clue how to go about it. The method they adopted to tackle Anna has only resulted in Anna becoming an even larger than life persona. There is no doubt about the fact that even the fence sitters will move into Anna’s camp.

It’s true that some of Anna’s demands are not practical. But with proper discussions with right people, Anna can come up with a practical bill that can be presented to the parliament.

The thing is government is too cunning while Anna is just a simpleton. Hence Anna should be careful. One can’t trust the government when it promises that it will work together with the civil society on a credible Lokpal bill because the government has far too many people who stand to lose if Lokpal bill becomes a reality. The way the government has acted during past two days shows desperation is creeping in. Anna had rightly chosen the day after the Independence Day to go on fast. This day was bound to instill a feeling of extreme patriotism within the people and that would surely make them support Anna’s movement. Also people are shaken by the recent bomb blast and they realize that the country is living under constant terror threat. This is another factor that will make them join hands with Anna in raising the voice against corruption.

This is a mass protest and it is well planned. It was not suddenly decided. The date was announced months in advance. The government had enough time to give a thought to it. Its senseless attack on Anna will only fuel the angst against the government. The government should have realized that this was a golden opportunity to end the days of dirty tricks and control the cancer of corruption. They could have used Anna’s move as a means to give boost to nation-building process. But by crushing the movement and acting tyrannical the government has only succeeded in alienating themselves more and digging its own grave.

To excel in cricket, discipline your mind
To be an excellent cricketer you have to be a regular meditator. You should rise early in the morning and then meditate. This way you can cultivate mental clarity and focus. The practice provides not only the foundation of your personal and spiritual life, but also you achieve success as a batsman due to the concentration you have developed as a meditator. Success is a result of persistent application: sustained effort. Practice not only in the nets, but also in developing concentration.
Without mindfulness success just isn't possible. The greatest challenge is to understand that, when the game is in full swing, you must live for the moment, to concentrate on that ball. When the pressure is turned on, if you are to fulfil your potential then you must focus on the present. At that one moment in time, what has happened in the past does not really matter because it has already been, while what may happen in the future is yet to come.
As a batsman, you must be mentally alert right from the time when the bowler lets go of the ball. Your mind must be completely focused on that ball and nothing else. You must not be thinking about what your hands are doing, what your feet or shoulders are doing, what could happen in five deliveries time, what the media have been saying about you, your desire to score a century - nothing but that ball.'
This way you achieve a state where the mind is clear and concentration is at its peak. This is called 'tightening of the mind'. It is a state where all the energy of both body and mind is concentrated on one specific target or goal at a time.
This state of mind is important not only at moments of peak performance, but also in daily life. You have to work hard and only then you will be able to enjoy powerful and wide-ranging benefits of mindfulness practice. These include dramatically improved performance in innovation and creativity, a greater capacity for 'reading' people and understanding where they are coming from, and a vastly enriched appreciation of the here and now. These are abilities from which all of us can surely benefit. Mindfulness also helps to manage more effectively both stress and pain.
Mindfulness is so powerful because it gives us the ability to take charge of our thoughts and feelings. If we do not fully attend to these - if we live our lives in a state of constant distraction - we are condemned to keep experiencing whatever thoughts, interpretations and emotions habitually recur. So if you want to be a good cricketer you have to first and foremost discipline your mind.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorials ('Indo-US versus Sino-Paikstan' and "India needs sincere leaders)) that were published in Newsband

Indo-US versus Sino-Pakistan
Hillary Clinton's visit to India is taking place at a crucial time. She came at a time when the Mumbai blasts and jihadi juggernaut were worrying India. Both India and America face the threat from the Islamic world. The first objective of the India-US dialogue, therefore, was to firm up the mutual ties because they face a common enemy.
Washington is considering renewing its currently suspended $800 million aid to Pakistan. America should realize that no amount of dollars will make Paklistan change their pro-jihadi stance because of their anti-India paranoia. Only an unequivocal reaffirmation of the ties between the world's largest and oldest democracies will tell Pakistan, as well as China, that their plans targeting India will not succeed. The strengthening of strategic relations between the two countries is absolutely necessary so that the threat posed by Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and Chinese military expansionism can be effectively countered. It is now India's and America's turn to be all-weather friends.
One must congratulate Hillary Clinton for the bravery she displayed. Hours after the Mumbai blasts, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had made it clear that she would go ahead with her visit to New Delhi for the security dialogue saying it was more important than ever to stand with India in the struggle against terrorism. She condemned the despicable act of violence designed to provoke fear and division. She expressed her belief that it was more important than ever that America stood with India, deepened their partnership and reiterated their commitment to the shared struggle against terrorism. Clinton is aware of the way the Indian people have suffered from acts of terrorism before and the way they have responded with courage and resilience.
Just recently one of the spokesman of White House reiterated America's commitment towards the bilateral relationship and stressed that America will stand "shoulder to shoulder" with India in combating terrorism. The US has already offered every possible assistance to India in the wake of Wednesday's terror attacks.
American President Obama himself expressed his strong with to have true global and strategic ties with India. In fact he pledged to build a "true global, strategic partnership" with India. He also emphasized upon advancing bilateral economic ties and making progress on nuclear security efforts. Ever since Obama has come to power he has remained focused on strengthening the relationship between India and the US. He has been trying to build new platforms for collaboration with our country. Americans do realize India's role as an important actor on the international stage. That's a good sign for India.



India needs sincere leaders
Terror again wreaked bloodbath in the financial capital of India. Serial bomb blasts on Tuesday rocked Mumbai. Indian government is unable to check the audacity of the terrorists. The government finds itself helpless regarding tackling the terrorism. Investigative agencies are still groping in the dark for any headway into the terror trail even few hours after terror hit Mumbai. The unabated bomb blasts in the financial capital of the country has established the city as a soft target for terror groups. What happened to the mighty claims of the Union Home Minister of putting in place a foolproof security apparatus after terror descended on Mumbai through the sea on 26/11?
This particular terror attack has shaken the conscience of Mumbai as well as the nation. The failure of the government has shattered the morale of the countrymen. The Central government has failed to display even the minimum pro-activeness in fighting terrorism. The government has been shying away from taking necessary action to curb terrorism and many a times it appears that it is contented by merely making hollow statements. The political parties are just busy compromising with the internal security of the country for political gains.
Even as the investigating agencies and cops are making back-breaking efforts to piece together the triple blasts in Mumbai, killing 18 and injuring more than 100, the political melodrama of passing buck has kicked off, which is no less than rubbing salts on the wounds of people. Our politicians stoop for personal aggrandizement when there is a need of sensitive hands to wipe the teary faces.
Some Congress leaders have gone to the extent of maligning the image of RSS and cooking up the menace of Hindu terror. This is just an attempt to woo Muslims. The Congress seems to be of firm opinion that Muslim vote bank could be boosted only by making rhetorics on Hindu terror. Thus Congress has parted with moral values and principles for the sake of consolidating its vote bank. They are trying this new stunt of linking terror activities with Hindu outfits.
It is clear the India is in need of leaders who are sincere and honest and not the types who keep passing bucks when an extremely serious incident like bomb-blast occurs.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorials ('The future of American investments in India' and other editorials)) that were published in Newsband

The future of American investments in IndiaWhen Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President George Bush announced the nuclear deal, there was almost no chance of its passage as the Bill necessitated a change in an important law, the 1954 Atomic Energy Act. Only congressional action could enable this change. A major obstacle to making this change was that Bush was quite weak at the time this Bill was presented to the Congress. Some Indians then formed a virtual organisation, the US-India Friendship Council, made up of community leaders from various states, for the sole purpose of lobbying for this deal. The members of this council visited senators and congressmen, held rallies and events in the capital, engaged the media, reached out to other Indians and so on. It was the first time the Indian-American community demonstrated that it now not only had economic power but was also able to influence policy in the US.
The council is geared towards how India can take advantage of the Indian diaspora. The first generation of Indians in the US grew up in India with Indian values. India gave them their lives and the US their livelihood. While you can take a person out of India, you cannot take India out of him. So this generation genuinely wants to give back to India what they received from their motherland. Their attempt to engage second-generation Indians in the US who do not have that emotive bonding with India as the first generation does is laudable.
The future of American investments in India is bright. It was a defining moment in India-US bilateral relations when President Obama came to India in November 2010 and addressed Parliament. Till then Indians were not quite sure what his opinion on bilateral issues was. But his visit to India was a major event and he even got Indian deals. However, after his visit, India has been hit by scandals. But the equation between Obama and Singh is excellent. US FDI will surely come to India but India must demonstrate its ability to be transparent so as to not scare away foreign investors weary of corruption. Regarding outsourcing, it's made out to be a bigger issue than it is. A very influential American has assured that outsourcing is the US's problem and it will look into that, let India take care of infrastructure and other issues which are needed for attracting FDI. There are American-Indians who will continue to lobby for American investments in India, but it's important that the Indian government resolve the corruption issue, otherwise India's great potential may be lost.

Can India surpass China?
In the matter of manufacturing China is number one today. India ranks No.2 among 26 nations. India has a vast, English-speaking workforce and engineering talent. Hence India holds out promise as a global manufacturing hub.
Concerning cost of labour, today we have an edge over China, a traditionally export-led nation now preoccupied with spurring consumption at home. India compared to its neighbour is already buoyed by domestic demand and has an abundance of young, cheap labour. The question is, can we use this fact to our advantage? The answer depends on how much reforms we bring about in the matter of boosting manufacturing and building the skilled manpower it needs.
China has the kind of world-class infrastructure we're still struggling to build. Factories need power, connectivity and distribution chains. We need a new market-oriented policy that trims scope for government ham-handedness in land transactions and links buyers to sellers.
While five out of 10 persons in India's are self-employed, 3.5 are casual labourers, only 1.5 are regular wage-earners or salaried workers. Thus a yawning gap exists between the organised and unorganised sectors. The latter sector provides 90% employment but accounts for less than one-third of manufacturing production.
Labour reform will ensure that employers invest in workers' skills upgrade. This in turn will show up in improved productivity and more globally benchmarked products. That's apart from giving labour market entrants job security and access to social benefits. Without mass-scale absorption of underpaid, underemployed farm labour into factories, we can't match China's success in poverty alleviation.
The answer to the question whether India will surpass China depends on whether our government will take the initiative in bringing about the reforms which are badly needed if we have to give a boost to our manufacturing power.

Hollywood films have solid demand in IndiaIndian fans of western movies will now get to watch some Hollywood releases earlier than US audiences. The upcoming Tintin movie directed by Steven Spielberg The Adventures of the Unicorn - is slated to be released in India in November and in America during December. Similarly, the new James Bond thriller and the action flick, Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol - starring Bollywood's Anil Kapoor alongside Tom Cruise - may also be released earlier in India than elsewhere.
The size and power of the Indian film-viewing public is amazing. Most of the members of our public are passionately in love with cinema, fond of flash and spectacle. Indian viewers are often fine-tuned into originally literary characters like Tintin and Bond. Ian Fleming and Herge's colourful creations have sold like hot cakes for decades.
But side by side there is danger of video piracy flourishing. With early releases in India, audiences flocking to cinemas for that authentic 'big-picture' experience, video pirates could be denied large supplies of illegal DVDs and their scope limited further by tough anti-piracy laws overseas. This could be the beginning to many happy ends.
Hollywood has scored over Kollywood (Tamil Film Industry) and that too on their home ground. A string of Hollywood films have capitalized on the absence of significant competition from Indian films and are raking in the moolah at the box office. While there have been almost half-a-dozen Hollywood films (the fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean movie, The Hangover Part II, Kung Fu Panda 2, Fast & Furious 5, Thor, Priest, Source Code) that have become superhits, there has been only one Tamil film that the trade pundits accept as a superhit Ko. The rest, including star-driven fare have done only from above average to ordinary business. The audiences seem to want to explore movies that have a universal appeal, in addition to their regular choice of films. People come to the movies for entertainment and Hollywood movies have delivered on that. Hollywood films had a far better connect with today's audiences.
Sequels and franchises have an in-built audience, who are familiar with the storytelling and the characters and that helps a film in the current market scenario.
Dubbing films in regional languages, more localized marketing, 3D and other cutting-edge technology, the growth of multiplexes, a more globalised audience these are some of the factors helping Hollywood in India. And now that the Hollywood films are releasing on the same day as their US release it is also helping. Not only does it help combat piracy, but the film also profits locally from the international release buzz.