Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'PM delivers an inspiring, pragmatic and passionate speech' that was published in Newsband

PM delivers an inspiring, pragmatic and passionate speech

In his first Independence Day address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized on a dirt-free India and Digital India. He promised changes in governance and a sharper and swifter government. He was of the view that small steps taken quickly and taken across the country could have a greater impact than big schemes implemented slowly and patchily. Within one year, he intended to ensure separate toilets for girls and boys in all schools in the country.

Thus good governance and development were PM’s buzzwords for progress. The best thing about Modi was unlike the Prime Ministers in the past, he did not belittle the achievements of his predecessors, and he gave credit to the contribution of all previous prime ministers and past governments to the growth of the country since Independence. Also, Modi supported functioning of the government by consensus rather than on the basis of his party’s majority in Parliament.

Modi did prove once again that he is a very skilled political orator and his fans are eager to see him prove his prowess as an administrator. He does appear to be more of a statesman than a philosopher. It is clear that he believes in realism and practicality which is undoubtedly the need of the nation. He obviously belongs to the type who are simple, hard working and no nonsense type.

Modi also appealed to all SAARC countries to forge a united effort to fight common problems. Communal harmony for 10 years is a good vision statement. The scheme for the rural population to be within the banking system covered with an insurance is a very important step.

One does wonder as to what Modi thinks about corruption and inflation. However, it would be far on the part of Indians if they gave him time to fulfill his ideas.

On the whole Modi’s speech was pragmatic and inspiring. But Indians have learnt by experience not to judge a leader by his speeches alone but by his actions too. So the real test for Modi will be when he attempts to put all his word into practice.  

The biggest contribution from Modi on the national scale so far is to lift the mood of the nation. The national mood had slipped to deep gloom in the past few years of non-governance and it is a refreshing change to see a mood of optimism now. India's business community particularly hopes that Modi will be able to fulfill his campaign promises to jump-start the economy, create jobs and restart stalled infrastructure projects, but he faces steep challenges. In recent years, the country's growth rate and job creation have dipped, inflation has skyrocketed, and investors stymied by the country's sluggish bureaucracy have either sat on their money or taken it elsewhere.

Modi has undoubtedly put a new hope in the minds of Indians by his inspiring and passionate speech. Nobody can doubt the good intentions of the PM. But in Gujarat, Modi was a de facto monarch who could get things done easily and quickly. In Delhi he will have to carry along the bloated bureaucracy and his council of ministers. He will have to use all his human resource management skills.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration if one said that the speech was right from the heart and not from the paper. This indicates the commitment to each of the words spoken. Remember that Government can take only one step but as Modi said, the remaining 125 crore steps are to be taken by each one of us to achieve this.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Does Juvenile Justice Act need to be amended?' that was published in Newsband

Does Juvenile Justice Act need to be amended?

Is there a need to amend the Juvenile Justice Act for children between the ages of 16 and 18 when they are accused of rape, murder, and other serious offences? Should the cases involving children of this age-group be transferred to a criminal court? Is this an inappropriate remedy for the problem of juveniles committing grave offences?

It is commonly believed that everyone should be treated as a child until the age of 18. The age has been fixed in law based on studies on child and adolescent behaviour and the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. Hence instead of making juvenile offenders face an adult criminal court they are sent to rehabilitation centres.

These preferences given to the juveniles are many a times used by hooligans to entrap the young offenders as they easily manipulate them asserting the less severe punishment for any heinous act which in turn convert those children after they finish their punishment into a big mafia.

Courts, governments and activists have noted that the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000, though laudable in intent, had not fully achieved its objectives. The government’s intention to introduce a fresh, comprehensive law that covers both children in conflict with the law and those in need of care and protection may be quite an appropriate response.

But how can we expect those at the bottom of social class to be virtuous and reasonable. The children living in such condition doesn't even get to acquire food, clothes and education, let alone noble values. What government should do is to revamp the Right To Education Act, ensure that the states should be quick on its feet to implement it, improvise the teacher's quality, among other things. Changing the age limit won't create a peaceful and prosperous society, it's just the temporary and futile change to the grave and entrenched problem.

There is logic in objecting to placing juveniles in the same category as adults where the punishments can carry even Death or Life Imprisonment.

The right thing to do is that the gravity of the crime needs to be considered first, irrespective of age of the criminal. The question of improvement by way of counseling does not arise when dealing with brutes. They are to be severely punished not to improve them but as a deterrent to the society.

Underpinned by the welfare philosophy, many juvenile justice measures in many countries are designed to address juveniles’ criminogenic needs. Outcomes of juveniles’ contacts with the police, youth justice conferencing and/or the children’s courts often aim to address needs related to juveniles’ drug use, mental health problems and/or educational, employment or family problems. Youth policing programs, for example, often focus on increasing juvenile offenders’ engagement with education, family or leisure pursuits. India should try and follow these countries.

Juvenile offenders are a heterogeneous population themselves. Sex, age and indigenous status, for example, play a part in shaping juveniles’ offending behaviour and criminogenic needs and these characteristics should be considered when responding to juvenile crime.

Dinesh Kamath’s column ‘New movies that’ll get released in Navi Mumbai’ (Singham Returns, The Giver and Shuruhaat Ka Interval) that were published in Newsband

New movies that’ll get released in Navi Mumbai

By Dinesh Kamath

Singham Returns

Singham Returns is an Indian Bollywood action film directed by Rohit Shetty and produced by Reliance Entertainment. The sequel to the 2011 film Singham, actor Ajay Devgn reprises his role from the previous film, as well as co-produces the project, while Kareena Kapoor Khan plays the female lead.

The film has Ajay Devgn as D.C.P. Bajirao Singham, Kareena Kapoor Khan as Avni, Amole Gupte as Swami Ji, Dayanand Shetty as Inspector Daya, Anupam Kher as Guruji, Sameer Dharmadhikari, Zakir Hussain and Sharat Saxena.

The story line of the movie Singham Returns revolves round the Deputy Commissioner of police Bajirao Singham played by Ajay Devgan fighting against corrupt politicians and other evil forces to wipe out the black money market. “Bharat mei 315 lakh crore se bhi zyaada kaala dhan hai” a dialogue by Anupam Kher reveals the vicious power of black money market in India.

This time Kareena is going to play the role of Ajay’s love interest. The surprise package is Amol Gupte who will be seen in a villainous avatar. It is a sequel of 2011 blockbuster Singham, where Ajay is going to play his earlier role of DSP of Mumbai Police Force who stands against all the corruption and injustice. This 15th August India will witness a new wave of patriotism finding its way in the contemporary Indian social context.

The film has main character arriving at new city with the same guts and elegance that he had been shown within his first movie, and the honest, sincere, courageous, brave, defiant and moreover muscular cop Bajirao Singham comes in a new place and finds everything happening wrong and malpractices are common there, so he decides to fight with that evils practices but sought an opposition, who is a saint played by veteran actor Amol Gupte. Amid all this he finds himself in an entangled position and urges his department to come out on roads in against of that devil, who had destructed the functioning of that city. So it is all about the fight between an honest police office and gangsters. This has all the elements in itself like action, thriller, romance, top class music, impressive dialogues, and the hunk body look of lead actor Ajay Devgan in & as Bajirao Singham.

The Giver

The Giver is a social science fiction film directed by Phillip Noyce, based on the 1993 novel of same name by Lois Lowry. The film stars Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites, Alexander Skarsgård, Odeya Rush, Katie Holmes and Taylor Swift.

The movie has an interesting plot. In a perfect world where there is no conflict, racism or sickness, every member of society has a specific role, and 16-year-old Jonas is selected to be the Receiver of Memory. He is transferred with memories of the past from his teacher, The Giver. As Jonas uncovers the truth behind his world's past, he discovers that many years earlier, his forefathers gave up humanity in order to have a stable society.

The film has Jeff Bridges as The Giver, Meryl Streep as The Chief Elder, Brenton Thwaites as Jonas, Alexander Skarsgård as Jonas' father, Odeya Rush as Fiona, Katie Holmes as Jonas' mother, Taylor Swift as Rosemary, Cameron Monaghan as Asher, Emma Tremblay as Lily, Irina Miccoli as Fiona's mother, Jordan Nicholas Smal as Gabriel (3 months old), Saige Fernandes as Gabriel (6 months old) and Alexander and James Jillings as Gabriel (12 months old)

Shuruhaat Ka Interval

Shuruaat Ka Interval is presented by PVR Director’s Rare & Humara Movie and includes 8 shorts from various filmmakers, chosen and mentored by filmmakers Imtiaz Ali, Vikramaditya Motwane, Anand Gandhi and Vikas Bahl. Shortlisted candidates had access to script consultants - Bijesh Jayarajan (Yudh), Ritesh Shah (Kahaani, D Day, City Lights), Rajashree ‘urf’ Raju and Kshiti Nijhawan Agrawal. They also had access to Mukesh Chhabra and his team for casting.

All the films are based on one theme: ‘Interval’, which has been interpreted in a different, unique way by each filmmaker. Here is the synopsis of each short film below:

1. August by Shishir Jha: Good and Evil, Yin and Yang… The continuous dichotomy of life. The path is not always a choice. A subtle interpretation of this paradox. Does the butcher only kill?

2. The Last Audition by Krishan Hooda: Anand Kumar is a struggling actor consumed by the struggle. The attempt to land a role, and the effects of the audition take over his life. He live, breathes, sleeps this process. In this obsessed role, does Anand lands himself the ticket to stardom? Or does this obsession lead to his ruin? A dark tale of one’s life when you cannot differentiate life and camera!

3. No Exit by Ankit Tripathi: Is life a burden? Is memory the only thing which binds us together? Is that the reason for our misery? Cycle of life and death - is there an exit option?

4. Ayan by Amrit Raj Gupta: In the best traditions of farce- what happens when your main character disappears during the interval of a play. Do you rework the play? Can you rework the play? How do the other characters react? A laugh fest when the characters of Ramayan become real backstage.

5. Interval 3D by Palash Vaswani: What happens when a character from a Ramsay Brothers-style B Grade horror flick meets the audience? Shock, awe, funny - a ridiculous scenario from which you can only laugh your way out!

6. Bubbles and Stars by Rukhshana Tabassum: If the characters of a play were to indulge in their reverie, would their interactions be meaningful? Shot completely in black & white, a beautiful tale which reminds you of films of the silent era and what actually makes us love films

7. Final Interval by Aarti Bagdi: This is the story of a housewife, a mother, a mother-in-law, a grandmother, a superwoman. She binds the extended family together. And she needs a break!

8. Gatekeeper by Atanu Mukherjee: Gatekeeper revolves around the life of a man who guards a railway crossing. His only source of excitement in life is watching the trains passing by. Is there something which intrudes in this monotony? Or can this monotony be enjoyable?

Dinesh Kamath's news 'Ace dancer Amardeep Singh to perform at Inorbit Malls, Vashi on I-Day' that was published in Newsband

Ace dancer Amardeep Singh to perform at Inorbit Malls, Vashi on I-Day

By Dinesh Kamath

At Inorbit malls Vashi, there will be a special I-Day evening, celebrating the talent of ace dancer, Amardeep Singh through an electrifying performance. He promises to thrill the audience with his robotic moves and motivating patrons across all age groups, with his creative dance.

Amardeep Singh is the winner of the ABCD Championship 2013, which is judged by celebrity choreographer Remo Dsouza. Apart from this, as a contestant he has given tough competition to other contestants on the popular reality shows like India's Got Talent and India’s Dancing Superstar, impressing one and all through his Robotic moves. He specializes in Hip-Pop and Robotic dance form,   and as a self-learned dancer, Amardeep Singh has surely come a long way.

Inorbit Malls, Vashi is also offering patrons a chance to participate in a dance workshop put together by the Elevate Dance Institute. The evening will be summed up with exclusive dance performances by the students of Elevate Dance Institute from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. 

So, come celebrate this Independence Day at Inorbit Vashi, and dance up to the tunes of the hearts on this Friday, 15 August.

Date: 15 August

Time: 7:00 pm onwards

Venue: Inorbit Malls, Vashi

Dinesh Kamath's cartoons based on 'Alooramji' that were published in Newsband

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Overhauling of National sports needed' that was published in Newsband

Overhauling of National sports needed

India experienced both highs and lows during the just-concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The discus thrower Vikas Gowda and badminton player Parupalli Kashyap won gold medals and did India proud. But the arrest of two Indian officials was shameful news for India.

During the Delhi Games too the sports administrators had faced corruption charges. Today, the sports administrators are once again the butt of ridicule. Indian officials arrest on the final day depicts their careless attitude towards work culture. However, the arrested officials were released without charge for lack of evidence and hence it appears whether it was just a sensation created by media pronouncing judgments even before a charge. But one thing is true and that is there is a need to enforce discipline among sports administrators.

India slumped to the fifth place in the medals tally from its second spot in the New Delhi Games. The total gold for India this time, at 15, was the poorest since 1998 when it was seven. It was 38 in Delhi, 22 in 2006 and 30 in 2002. What will boost India’s performance in foreign soil are liberal funding for foreign exposure, strict adherence to selection standards and a sense of discipline and commitment among athletes, coaches and administrators.

Look at Australia. Australia's entire population is almost the same as Mumbai's population yet they win so many medals in these games. Indians in general tend to get satisfied with mediocrity in sports and this is just another occasion.

The performance of Indian squad in the Scotland Commonwealth Games was far from satisfactory even from its past performance specially in Delhi CWG. Fifth position in the CWG is a poor reflection on our sporting capabilities even after 65 years of independence. It is high time our government spent its time, money and energy for uplifting sports in India.

There is also a need to stop appointing the officials on the basis of their clout in the government. The political interference is spoiling the whole show, though our athletes struggle hard to keep the country's flag high. These officials chosen by the politicians have less feeling for the sports since they are not from that faculty. Thirdly they are never held responsible for the results, whether India gets more medals or not. Their career is safe. Moreover they are only enamoured of the 'phoren' trips and perceived enjoyment attached to it. This irresponsible position makes them what they are. Instead, we should employ ex-sports persons for administration if the things need to improve.

Need of the hour is not to criticise athletes but administration which is more politicised, bureaucratised and corrupt. There is a need to have overhauling of National sports policy which will have more say for sports experts rather than for politicians. Occasional show of brilliance by any player, a transient and fleeting hope, is not because of but in spite of the system that supports and administers sports.

Video: Dinesh Kamath sings 'Parda Hai Parda'