Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'AAP lives up to its principles' that was published in Newsband

AAP lives up to its principles

The Aam Aadmi Party has refused to accept support from the major political parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, to form the next government in Delhi. Thus AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal has shown himself to be a person of principles.

He has promised clean and principled politics and he is indeed living up to his promise. The fight against corruption was started by Anna Hazare and he was supported by Kejriwal. Team Anna crumbled in the face of the UPA Government’s intransigence on the Jan Lokpal Bill. It appeared that the movement had failed. But then Kejriwal made a fantastic move that of parting ways with Anna Hazare and leading the AAP. Kejriwal managed to change that moment of despair into one of hope.

The voters’ interest in the AAP was on account of its perceived idealism and hence it is important that the AAP sticks to its principled platform.

The AAP has said that it would sit in the opposition in the Delhi Assembly and not indulge in any “horse-trading” and it is indeed living up to its promise. Now Kejriwal should keep himself busy making strategies for the Lok Sabha election.

The people who voted for AAP are from that section of society which is fed up of corruption and extremism. Even those who support secularism expect AAP to achieve their dream.

Not budging from its principled stance of neither taking nor giving support to BJP or Congress, Kejriwal deserves our unequivocal appreciation and encomiums for this politically ethical as well as well thought out strategy vis a vis Delhi's hung assembly because many political experts are sure that if Delhi goes for a re-poll AAP may obtain a much larger mandate than its present 28 out of 70 seats and may be able to form a stable government on its own.

A full mandate was not given to AAP only because of those undecided fence sitters who gamble and place their bets on the likely winner, rather than on any principles. If the second ballot does not give AAP a clear mandate it will mean people do not want a clean government and are happy with the way things are. Then they should not complain.

It is clear that Kejriwal and his team are now focusing on expansion of AAP. Their main focus now is on 2014 Lok Sabha election. They would not like to disappoint their fans by budging from the principled stand.

Taking principled stand is welcome. But what about the cost of conducting another election? The constitution should be written in such away that, in case of hung assembly, an all-party government should be formed. Largest party will nominate a suitable CM or PM. The ministries can be proportionate to their seats.

Anyway, one thing is absolutely sure. AAP's principled stand will be appreciated by Indians while casting their votes during the next election.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Stop air pollution to prevent cancer' that was published in Newsband

Stop air pollution to prevent cancer

The International Agency for Research on Cancer considers outdoor air pollution as a cause of lung cancer.

Rapidly industrialising countries including India have significant levels of air pollution. The burden of cancers, including lung cancer, in the country is staggering. Cancer leads to staggering costs both to the citizen and the economy.

air pollution has been known to have a definite impact on respiratory and heart disease, but now it’s linked to cancer even. Mitigation of air pollution from key sources such as transport, coal-based power generation, industrial emissions, and cooking using biomass needs sustained policy action.

Developing countries are encountering increasing vehicular traffic, which is concentrated in urban areas. This has led to higher exposure to large particulates and sulphur dioxide for millions.

A replacement policy for older vehicles and also the expansion of public transport and options such as cycling can minimize air pollution. On the question of reducing the harm caused by open burning of biomass for cooking, the Centre has a plan to distribute improved cookstoves during the Twelfth Plan. That’s a good move.

Moderate and efficient use of everything is necessary in life. Though we have vehicles, is it possible that we can minimize their use. Streamline the flow of traffic in existing roads and obey traffic rules, you will save time in travel and that way reduce the pollution the vehicles release. Have clean air and avoid cancer.

Air pollution has taken a giant stride in the past few years posing all kinds of threats and troubles to sustainable environment. Proper strategies and measures have to be implemented by the government especially in the industrial sector which is the largest contributor towards increased pollution-levels.

For engineers and scientists, it is a known fact that the particulate matter in the air is increasing at an alarming rate due to various reasons, particularly the increased dry spells between the monsoons, automobile explosion, increased reliance on coal based thermal power plants, urbanization, etc. It is also common sense that the particulate matter which is harmful to plant and machinery in industries will also be harmful to our respiratory system, which is much more sensitive. Persistent irritation to a tissue is one of the causes of cancer is also a known fact. The particles siting on the sensitive organs like lungs obviously cause cancer. Cancer can be prevented by advocating the reduction in reliance on coal power by relying more on hydel power and nuclear power. Also there should be complete black topping of the roads without leaving the soil on either side of the roads in urban areas. Particulate matter (PM) is the new villain in causing the new type of cancer to the lungs.

Taken into consideration the basic source of air pollution, it implies to the heavy use of fossil fuels. The more we curtail the use of fossil fuel, the cleaner we keep air healthy. India, instead of using fossil fuel for maintaining the power need, should utilize modern technology. We should use unconventional energy sources like Solar energy, wind energy and tidal energy. Also giving of licenses for the manufacture of two-wheelers and four-wheelers need controlling.

It is high time our government took drastic steps to minimize air pollution and prevent cancer. 

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Pak army needs to be reformed' that was published in Newsband

Pak army needs to be reformed

How can India-Pakistan relations improve? The meetings between the political leaders of the two countries should be held regularly even if nothing comes out of them only for the reason that they convey the leadership’s commitment to peaceful engagement.

Normalisation is not going to be achieved over a single summit. Both sides have leaders with a grand vision of India-Pakistan relations, but neither has the courage or the appetite for a grand bargain. But uninterrupted dialogue at high levels might lead to improvements.

It is entirely commendable that in the recent meetings the two sides reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire. The Line of Control ceasefire has been the most dramatic achievement of India-Pakistan relations in this century.

But the unsoldierly incidents on the LoC emanating from the Pakistani side, terrorism directed against India from Pakistan, the Taliban’s ascendant in north-west Pakistan etc has been things of concern for India.

The best hope for better relations between South Asia’s two big countries lies in the strengthening of Pakistan’s democracy. The Indian Prime Minister should keep his hand of friendship toward the democratically elected government in Islamabad firmly extended. But India must send a strong signal not to take the hand of friendship as a sign of weakness. We have had numerous high profile meetings about ceasefires and terrorism. It is time to tell Pakistan that next time they come charging towards us they will be dealt sternly with.

We have fought four wars, including Kargil, and the mindset of Pak Military, if not the people, is not for reconciliation and to accept Kashmir an integral part of India. With part of Kashmir still in occupation by Pakistan, the Kashmiris, a number of them, if not all, are torn between emotional attachments and compulsions of the regions, they live in, and they are disillusioned in the matter of their loyalty to either of the Nations.

Another thing is the Pak Army is able to manipulate the disillusioned Muslim

youth to view 'terrorism' as sacred 'Jihadism'; a territorial dispute is converted into a holy movement, an emotional issue that requires a messiah to comeforth to reform.

We may keep extending arm of friendship, but Pak Army is not going to relent. It is rightly said "To kill the fire first cut the fuel". India's demand to suppress militants first is the right step; Further there are many things that can be done, like cricket diplomacy.

The back-channel meetings should take place on regular basis by both political heads which will galvanize steps towards good relations at all levels; the process will enhance our diplomatic and strategic relations.

Time and again Nawaz Sharif has reiterated his views on renewing friendly contacts with India. It was not only important for showing our good intentions to the world but also to put a moral pressure on Pakistan to deliver whatever its democratic regime could, on ground. But the problem is Pakistan army is ruling the roost there. The civil government, in spite of its best intentions, can't move forward without the Army's support.

Any negotiation can succeed only if their is an implicit trust between countries and also there is an attitude of "give and take". Once this trust and attitude are developed, the rest is easy.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Nobody underestimates AAP anymore' that was published in Newsband

Nobody underestimates AAP anymore

Aam Aadmi Party’s rise in Delhi gives both BJP, Congress much to think about. What is fascinating is that the leader of AAP Arvind Kejriwal fought the battle from scratch and yet was able to achieve so much success. The spectacular debut of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — winning 28 of 70 seats — has not only changed the political dynamics of Delhi but has also stunned the two big national parties. The most stunning happening was when chief minister Sheila Dikshit received crushing defeat from AAP`s Arvind Kejriwal by around 25,000 votes. It`s clear that Congress paid for its complacency and making light of AAP as a new third force.

Full credit must go to AAP for running an innovative campaign. It humbly chose broom as the poll symbol. The party successfully channelled the angst of people against corruption and price rise under the Congress. It won in both middle class areas — a hitherto ignored constituency — and in relatively poor boroughs. This reflects AAP`s inclusive appeal. Impressively, in one short year it was able to translate the momentum generated during the Anna Hazare anti-corruption movement into a vibrant political formation.

While AAP`s emphasis on clean politics and impeccable integrity is welcome, it must now learn the ropes of governance. Now it is left to be seen whether it will extend support to BJP — which has emerged as the single largest party — or play the role of a responsible opposition.

Kejriwal was certain of victory even before the results were announced. One must admire his confidence. Other parties are so worried about AAP’s performance that they have already started sending feelers to its candidates. The fact that these candidates were approached by other parties proves the fear that Kejriwal and AAP have managed to instill in the hearts of the members of other parties.

AAP is also gearing up for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The party was formed with the ultimate agenda of sitting in Parliament. It had in fact done a lot of work on the national level before starting work for Delhi elections. It had also set up 309 district committees which were also largely instrumental in sending volunteers to Delhi. Now that the results are declared, Kejriwal and the members of his party will now sit down and brainstorm for the next elections.

Before the elections, most exit polls had speculated that AAP may win about 10-12 seats though the party was confident of a clear majority. It’s true that AAP didn’t get majority in Delhi but it won much more seats that anybody expected. Thus it is proved that AAP has, in a matter of single year, managed to significantly change the rules of political warfare at least in the capital. Till now, the major parties had refused to even acknowledge AAP's presence, but its mass appeal and fresh take on politics has forced them to finally take a note.

The contest in Delhi was triangular but the fiercest battle was between BJP and AAP, and Congress was a weak third. Kejriwal managed to bring about the worst upset for Congress by winning in the New Delhi constituency against chief minister Sheila Dikshit.

Now it is left to bee seen whether AAP will live up to its words that they will not take support from anyone nor give support to anyone. But one thing is clear: nobody underestimates AAP anymore. 

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'An attempt to prevent communal violence' that was published in Newsband

An attempt to prevent communal violence

India certainly needs a specific law to prevent communal violence. The present revised draft of the Prevention of Communal Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill seeks to address some of the problems associated with communal violence in India

Communal clashes are engineered and sustained by chauvinist and anti-social elements in both the majority and minority communities. Instead of a sharp focus on communal violence, the bill proposes to target “hate propaganda” too. Those who promote or incite hatred could attract the penal provisions of this law. Preventing communal violence requires better policing and administrative precautions rather than just prosecuting people who indulge in propaganda with the “intention” to promote hatred.

However, this Bill provides scope for misuse by subordinate law enforcers. Any draft addressing sensitive issue like communal violence will obviously call for phrases requiring subjective interpretations. Communal violence itself is subjective in nature.

We have seen the communal riots start by speeches of instigation and hatred. If this factor only stopped, than Law and Order can be implemented effectively. Congress is not interested to pass such bill or the bill what they are proposing because there are many communal people in Congress itself who do not want to get it passed. In fact, all political parties are to be blamed for propagating hatred among various communities.

India is a land of spirituality and masters and has shown the way in resolving problems related to faiths through mutual understanding. People belonging to different religions and caste coexist here with full acceptance of the right of others. Enacting a law is good, resolving the issues through mutual acceptance would be better.

Legislation related to communal violence might never be passed as then the political parties and their leaders will be the first to be prosecuted. Sectarian politics, cheap politics towards getting votes from caste and religious divides are norms of the day. Aam Aadmi Party is the only party which consciously keeps religion, caste and other sectarianism out of national politics.

One positive aspect of the bill is that it gives the center the power to encroach on the states. The state police themselves belong to some group or another and may not deal with the situation objectively while a central police force that is geographically separated from the state can be of help in this situation.

The thing is the mindset should change and perception towards communal violence is the key rather than any legislation or law. The government should not give this bill vote bank color. It should be passed with good intention and after rigorous discussion. 

Video: Dinesh Kamath speaks about five old romantic Bollywood films which he liked

Dinesh Kamath’s column ‘New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai’ (Jackpot, Lucky Kabootar, What the Fish, Inside Llewyn Davis, Oldboy and The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug) which was published in Newsband

New movie-releases in Navi Mumbai

By Dinesh Kamath

Jackpot

Jackpot is a 2013 Hindi comedy thriller directed by Kaizad Gustad starring Sunny Leone, Naseeruddin Shah and Sachiin Joshi. The film has Naseeruddin Shah playing the main role, Sunny Leone as Maya, Sachiin J Joshi as Francis, Makrand Deshpande, Bharath, Manish Wadhwa, Sumit Kumar and Daniel Weber (cameo).

Jackpot is a fast-paced thriller con, with sharp comic one-liners and crazy characters, set entirely in Goa against the backdrop of casino boats.

The film goes back and forth in time, capturing one Goan monsoon. It's a card game between the players in the con. Who will come out Aces and who will end up being the Joker?

An amateur gang of young Goans plan the perfect con - no nuksaan, no pareshan. However, all good plans often...

It doesn't take long for them to discover that a reverse con has been played back on them - by the very people they were trying to con.

In doing so, the five members of the gang split and start suspecting each other. After all, when there is cash in a briefcase, and a beautiful woman with a gun, things tend to go horribly wrong.

The world of the lazy Goa backwaters is pitted against the world of the non-stop Goa casinos, where night can be day.

This is an ideal breeding ground, where all kind of cons can find a suitable home. This is Jackpot -The Casino. The largest ship in the harbour. And we're open 24x7.

Con artists are most welcome to try...

Thus Jackpot is all about Trust, Greed, Sex, Money, Poker, River etc.

The soundtrack has 9 tracks. Sharib & Toshi, Mika, Remo Fernandes, Gods Robots (Shridevi Keshavan & Janaka Atugoda), Rishi Rich, Juno Reactor, Rahul Bhatt & Javed Jaffri and Itek Bhutani composed each one song. Here is the list of songs and singers: Kabhi Jo Baadal Barse – Arijit Singh, Full Jhol – Mika Singh, Akasa Singh, Bol Bugger Bol – Remo Fernandes, Jackpot Jeetna – Sunidhi Chauhan, Kabhi Jo Baadal Barse (Remix) – Arijit Singh and Rishi Rich, Jackpot – Manish Wadhwa, Eggjactly – Jaaved Jaaferi, Kabhi Jo Baadal Barse (Female) – Shreya Ghoshal, Now You See, Now You Don’t – Ramya Iyer and Kabhi Jo Baadal Barse (Remix) – Arijit Singh.

Lucky Kabootar

Lucky Kabootar is a comic and romantic film produced by Karan Raj Kanwar, directed by Shammi Chhabra and with star cast consisting of Ravi Kissen, Eijaz Khan, Kulraj Randhawa, Shraddha Das, Sanjay Mishra and Madhavi Sharma. Story writer is Shyam Goel, Background Music is by Sunil Singh, Choreographer is Vishnu Deva, Music Director is Santokh Singh and Lyricist is Sameer. Editing is done by Kuldeep Mehan and Cinematographer is Lenin Xavier.

The film has an interesting story. At the funeral of his wife, Eijaz learns that the government is giving out a large sum of money to families whose loved ones have died. To add to the mess, he gets married to his wife's twin sister. What follows is a laugh riot.

Lucky Kabootar should be a fun ride; an irreverent, rueful look at human frailties -about a regular guy who finds it difficult to make ends meet and tries his hand at something unconventional. The movie follows his trials and tribulations and his attempts to bring his life back on track.

What The Fish

What The Fish is a film that belongs to ‘Drama’ genre. It is produced by Kumud Shahi Malik and K R Harish and directed by Gurmeet Singh.

The film has Dimple Kapadia as Sudha Mishra – Maasiji, Manu Rishi Chadha, Manjot Singh, Anand Tiwari and Sheeba Shabnam.

Music Directors are Amartya Rahut, Indraneel Hariharan, Dhruv Dhalla and Sandeep Chatterjee. Singers are Amartya Rahut, Alam Gir Khan, Neuman Pinto, Sarita Vardhan, Brijesh Shandilya, Sonu Kakkar, Altamash Faridi, Rhydun Chatterjee and Sandeep Chatterjee. Lyricists are Manoj Yadav, Rajesh Chawla, Puneet Krishna and Tejpal Singh Rawat.

The film What The Fish has an interesting story. Sudha Mishra (Maasiji) who is a 67 years old, divorced and grumpy woman with enormous energy and the ability to live in the present has just come back to her home in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. She is a mother to a confused and angry young man who has given up a career in television direction and her divorced husband is a playboy in L.A .

While she was away, Sumit, her niece's fiance was given the responsibility to take care of the house and was clearly instructed to feed the fish and water the plants. His marriage was hinging on this.

At the end of the holiday when Sudha reaches her quaint house and starts its inspection with detective accuracy. Had the fish been fed? Had her plants been watered? She reaches the alcove with her beloved crystal fish bowl and collection of money plants. Everything seems to be in order but is it? As she opens her bedroom door she is taken aback by a woman rushing past her.

Sumit had thrown the helluva party for all his friends at Sudha's house and broken all the rules as instructed by her and also handed over the house to an eloping couple, who then handed it over to a miscreant property broker. The house is then taken over by a Haryanvi Jaat who is a cross dressing Kathak Dancer, followed by a tribal family from Mizoram.

What ensues is a recap of the events that took place beginning from when Sudha left her house in Sumit's hands.

Inside Llewyn Davis

Inside Llewyn Davis is a 2013 American comedy-drama film written, directed and edited by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, and John Goodman, and was produced by Scott Rudin, Ethan and Joel Coen. It tells the story of a singer-songwriter who navigates New York's folk music scene in the 1960s.

The film has an interesting plot. The film focuses on one week in the life of a talented but struggling folk singer from Greenwich Village in 1961. There is a cat named Ulysses that is present throughout the film.

Inside Llewyn Davis is about musicians that are only pretty good and, at times, awful. Llewyn Davis, played with brilliantly morose charm by Oscar Isaac, is a folk singer in a neighborhood that's about to be the global epicenter of folk music — early '60s Greenwich Village — and launch the careers of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and others. His odyssey is put in motion by that classic problem of trying to find a cheap place to crash in New York City. If he could just get a good manager, he could make a buck and end the journey.

But Inside Llewyn Davis is unflinchingly and unquestionably the portrait of its title character. Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) is a cash strapped, couch hopping, down on his luck, homeless folk musician clinging to his dream of performing for a living – doing more than “just existing,” as he puts it at one point – despite a lousy manager, worse record sales, and the still-fresh suicide of his former recording partner. The entire movie displays maybe a week of Llewyn’s life, but at the end of that week we’ve seen Llewyn come full circle (literally – the first scene is also the last, but feels like it naturally belongs in both places) going from artistic high to soul-crushing low and back. Isaac comes as advertised in the title role, turning in an excellent performance and shining particularly in the moments the film slows down to showcase nothing but his performance singing and playing the guitar. Llewyn is beat down and pushed to the edge, but has such a passion for music that he simply cannot bear to walk away, and we see every nuance of that. As far as the supporting cast is concerned, Carey Mulligan stands out as Jean, Llewyn’s foul mouthed friend and occasional (though ever repenting of it) lover. But at last, this is a movie about one man, Llewyn Davis, and this is at once the film’s greatest strength and greatest weakness. Despite the decidedly interesting supporting characters, our attention is never diverted from Llewyn’s story. Mostly, the story is about Llewyn learning to cope with the cyclical nature of his life while trying to make plans to move forward.

Oldboy

Oldboy is a 2013 American remake of the 2003 Park Chan-wook South Korean cult film, which is based on the Japanese manga with the same name. The film is directed by Spike Lee and written by Mark Protosevich. It stars Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley and Samuel L. Jackson.

Josh Brolin plays Joe Doucette, a two-bit ad exec who wakes up after an alcoholic bender in a motel room, and remains locked up there for the next 20 years. He has no idea who his captors are, only that they feed him a thoughtful tray of dim-sum and vodka every day, and pay the cable bills on time, so that Joe can watch his wife's murder being pinned on him in his absence, a succession of presidents being sworn in, and — as luck would have it — a series of martial arts programmes. These come in very handy when, one day, he wakes up in a field sporting a new buzzcut, a newly toned body, an iPhone and a headful of vengeance. Game on.

Joe's tormentor (Sharlto Copley) is with him every step of the way, helpfully phoning in clues and questions that will enable him to solve the mystery — "Who I am and why did I imprison you?" — even throwing in an extra hostage for "a little added motivation," when the plot needs a freshener.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a 2013 epic fantasy adventure film co-written, produced and directed by Peter Jackson. It is the second installment of a three-part film series based on J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit, beginning with An Unexpected Journey (2012) and set to conclude with There and Back Again (2014). The three films together act as prequels to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film series.

The storyline continues the events of An Unexpected Journey, in which the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) travels with the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and a company of thirteen dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) into the Kingdom of Erebor, taking them through Mirkwood, Esgaroth, and Dale to combat with the dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch).

Jackson wrote the screenplay with his longtime collaborators and Lord of the Rings co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, and Guillermo del Toro, originally chosen to direct the Hobbit films. The film also stars Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt and Orlando Bloom.

The movie has an interesting plot. Bilbo along with Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield and his twelve companions, leave the Carrock after the events of the previous film. They continue east to the edge of the forest of Mirkwood where they encounter the skin-changer Beorn. Gandalf departs before the others enter Mirkwood where they are attacked by giant spiders and, except for Bilbo, are captured by Wood-elves. Bilbo helps the dwarves escape from the elves and they follow the forest river to Lake-town, where they meet the Master of the town, and Bard, a bowman and the descendant of the original Lord of Dale. After acquiring a boat and supplies from the town, the company travels to the Lonely Mountain. They eventually find the hidden door into the mountain and Bilbo enters and encounters the dragon Smaug.

In the meantime, Gandalf leads the White Council to drive the Necromancer out of Dol Guldur. Gandalf enters Dol Guldur, where he discovers the true identity of the Necromancer. The elves of Mirkwood, led by King Thranduil and his son, Legolas, must battle the orc invasions from Dol Guldur.