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

Video: Just an excerpt of Dinesh Kamath's lecture on 'Positive and Negative Emo...

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Improve air quality' that was published in Newsband

Improve air quality

Indian government should do something drastic to improve air quality in our country. Dust, caused by a wide range of natural and man-made activities, can have a deeply damaging impact on the respiratory tract. But at the levels at which they are being experienced, gaseous pollutants have equally detrimental effects. The government’s own website is clearly showing that a number of Indian cities are experiencing what should be health emergencies on a daily basis.

Local governments must clamp down on the specific pollutants that are pushing their respective cities into the danger zone, whether it means moving polluting industries outside city limits or curbing the number of private vehicles by making available better public transport systems. They must also make it a habit to monitor pollution levels more closely. The Union government, meanwhile, must come out with an action plan for ‘severe’, ‘very poor’ and ‘poor’ air quality regions.

In cognisance with the spirit of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan it's essential for all of us to realize that it is high time to change our lifestyle. Otherwise, the dire consequences will not only harm us but our future generations as well. As an informed citizenry, we should not be waiting for the state to take actions via their policies and start working towards a greener and a cleaner country

We can fast track the metro work and get it available to maximum public and also bring in some electric autos for commuting from metro stations to people's places. The day when metro and only metro will become the mode of the transportation for general public the pollution will come down. Metros can be a great way of connectivity. It can be run in the city as well as places outside the city.

The rising level of pollution in cities is largely proportional to government's policies of transport as well on policing system. Even in metros we do not have proper connectivity of public transports. Neither we have the transportation for late hours nor do we have any security on the roads. So in the process of making a safe and comfortable journey people of all ages and economy group are now using their own vehicles. This not only creates traffic but also impose a heavy health hazard. With the increasing number of commuters there is also an increase in number of personal vehicles. Personal as well as public goods vehicles together are making a great contribution in life threatening gasses in environment.

The quality of air that we breathe in the city and suburbs is largely controlled by the transports on the road. There seem to be no regulation on the exhaust quality of these vehicles. The buses that ply in the towns and villages are of the worst quality. To the extent the state implemented the helmet rule, it should also look into the exhaust quality of the public transport. The silence of environmental activists is equally worrisome.

Clean air is very much a part of our dream of Clean India. Monitoring of the air quality, national index based on data collected and color coded indexes to create awareness are steps towards recognizing the problem. However, what needs to be done is much more. Steps towards reducing pollution at individual, family and community levels have to be taken along with policy measures by government. 

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Why death penalty should be abolished' that was published in Newsband

Why death penalty should be abolished

According to the Law Commission of India, the abolition of the death penalty must become a goal for India. It wants the scrapping of the death penalty for all crimes except terrorism-related offences and those that amount to waging war against the state. It has sought a return to the notions of restorative and reformative justice. Thus the Commission has put the ball in Parliament’s court.

Death penalty is nothing but giving the guilty a very undeserved easy way out. Taking into consideration the theory of reformative, the death penalty serves no purpose rather than emancipating the perpetrator of the crime from all sufferings and penance. For the crimes such as rape, corruption, murder, the convict must be allowed to suffer in inhumane conditions for the certain period and must be given a chance to reform himself and to remorse for the heinous crimes.

Miscarriage of justice is one thing while abolition of death penalty is different perspective. The recommendation by the LCI indicates sympathy towards less heinous crime.

Death penalty is costly. It diverts resources from honest crime control measures. Crime fighting resources can be used more efficiently. An innocent person should not go to gallows due to the inadequacy of criminal justice system. Mistakes in the form of inadequate legal representation, prosecutorial delinquency, shoddy police investigations and misconduct, prejudice, and falsified evidence can contribute to wrongful convictions.

International Commission against death penalty has this to say:

1)    The risk of executing innocent people exists in any justice system. There have been and always will be cases of executions of innocent people. No matter how developed a justice system is, it will always remain susceptible to human failure. Unlike prison sentences, the death penalty is irreversible and irreparable.

2)    The arbitrary application of the death penalty can never be ruled out. The death penalty is often used in a disproportional manner against the poor, minorities and members of racial, ethnic, political and religious groups.

3)    The death penalty is incompatible with human rights and human dignity. The death penalty violates the right to life which happens to be the most basic of all human rights. It also violates the right not to be subjected to torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment. Furthermore, the death penalty undermines human dignity which is inherent to every human being.

4)    The death penalty does not deter crime effectively. The death penalty lacks the deterrent effect which is commonly referred to by its advocates. As recently stated by the General Assembly of the United Nations, “there is no conclusive evidence of the deterrent value of the death penalty” (UNGA Resolution 65/206). It is noteworthy that in many retentionist states, the effectiveness of the death penalty in order to prevent crime is being seriously questioned by a continuously increasing number of law enforcement professionals.

5)    Public opinion is not a major stumbling block for abolition. Public support for the death penalty does not necessarily mean that taking away the life of a human being by the state is right. There are undisputed historical precedences where gross human rights violations had had the support of a majority of the people, but which were condemned vigorously later on. It is the job of leading figures and politicians to underline the incompatibility of capital punishment with human rights and human dignity.

It needs to be pointed out that public support for the death penalty is inextricably linked to the desire of the people to be free from crime. However, there exist more effective ways to prevent crime.

Dinesh Kamath’s column ‘New movies released in Navi Mumbai’ (Hero, The Perfect Girl and We are your friend) that was published in Newsband

New movies released in Navi Mumbai

By Dinesh Kamath

Hero

Hero is an Indian romantic action film directed by Nikhil Advani and co-written by Umesh Bist, a remake of Subhash Ghai's directed 1983 film of the same name, which starred Jackie Shroff. The film marks the debut of Sooraj Pancholi, son of Aditya Pancholi, and for Athiya Shetty, the daughter of Sunil Shetty.

Sooraj (Sooraj Pancholi) is a gangster of Mumbai who meets Radha (Athiya Shetty), daughter of the city's Chief of Police. One day, Sooraj takes Radha, telling her that he got instructions from the police to take her away from city for some time. Later Radha finds out she was kidnapped by Sooraj. After a series of events, Sooraj leaves Radha. But by then, they have fallen in love. Thereafter, comes the part where they have to face problems.

To be more exact, the leading hero (Sooraj Pancholi) is a best man of a popular goon who is arrested by the police. The goon asks the hero to warn the Chief of Police Shrikanth Mathur (Tigmanshu Dhulia). Sooraj not only warns Mathur, but also kidnaps his daughter Radha (Athiya Shetty). The heroine falls for the hero who himself is a goon. However, he hides this fact, and the two fall in love.

She then realizes the reality and asks him to surrender. He surrenders after which he is imprisoned for two years, and returns as an improved man. However, Radha’s family disapproves him. Meanwhile, Radha is forced to marry another man Jimmy. This man initially appears good but later people realize that he is a smuggler. On the other hand, the villain returns from jail and kidnaps the Mathur family. However, the hero rescues them all, giving us a happy ending.

The film has Sooraj Pancholi as Sooraj, Athiya Shetty as Radha, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Kader Khan, Aditya Pancholi, Imran Hasnee, Sharad Kelkar, Sakthivel and Salman Khan.

The music for Hero is composed by Amaal Mallik, Meet Bros Anjjan and Sachin-Jigar while lyrics are by Kumaar and Niranjan Iyengar. The film has songs like "Main Hoon Hero Tera (Salman Khan Version)", "Jab We Met", "Main Hoon Hero Tera (Armaan Malik version)", "Khoya Khoya", "Yadaan Teriyaan (Version 1)", "Yadaan Teriyaan (Version 2)", "Dance Ke Legend" and "O Khuda".

The Perfect Girl

The Perfect Girl is a 2015 Hindi-language Indian feature film written and directed by Prakash Nambiar. 'The Perfect Girl' is a film written & directed by Prakash Nambiar, produced by Udit Shivraj Pathak under the banner Creative Ocean Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. in association with Kathaa Animations.

The film has an interesting plot. In the tourist town of Goa, a young girl is waiting for a bus which has been delayed by an hour. A young boy catches fancy of her and tries to spark of a conversation. Initially cold to each other, both of them go for a little walk before the delayed bus arrives. What happens when two strangers meet for just over an hour and realise they are perfect for each other? What if life has other plans? Would you wait for your destined perfect other, or would you move on?

The film has Teeshay, Tara Alisha Berry, Shishir Sharma, Sonali Sachdev, Raju Kher, Smita Hai, Asha Sharma, Vikram Singh Chauhan and Vijay Shetty.

We are your friends

We Are Your Friends is a 2015 American music drama film directed by Max Joseph in his feature film directorial debut, and written by Joseph and Meaghan Oppenheimer, from a story by Richard Silverman. The film stars Zac Efron, Emily Ratajkowski, and Wes Bentley, and follows a young DJ trying to make it in the music industry. Through the obstacles that he encounters and with the influence of a charismatic music producer, the aspiring DJ is ultimately guided onto the path that leads him to success.

The film has an interesting plot. Cole Carter (Zac Efron), a struggling 23-year-old DJ in the electronic dance music (EDM) scene, dreams of becoming a major record producer. When an older DJ, James (Wes Bentley), becomes his mentor, Cole connects with James' girlfriend, Sophie (Emily Ratajkowski). Cole's relationship with Sophie blossoms and breaks the bond with his mentor, which forces Cole into difficult decisions about his future.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'There is nothing wrong if BJP and RSS meet and talk' that was published in Newsband

There is nothing wrong if BJP and RSS meet and talk

There was a samanvay baithak, or coordination meeting, between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Not just senior BJP leaders who were in attendance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and most of his ministerial colleagues from the BJP lined up for the meeting. It became clear that BJP government feels it is accountable to the secretive RSS. Many people criticized and spoke bitterly against this kind of meeting taking place between RSS and BJP government. But the question is: what is wrong with such kind of meeting?  

The BJP is organically tied to the RSS. There is nothing wrong if there is sense of ownership that RSS sanghchalaks feel over this government. What should be appreciated is that ever since BJP has come to power, not once has Modi spoken the language of religious hatred and communal divisiveness, Modi was himself all political correctness.

The egalitarian ethos of our democratic edifice guarantees every one the right to debate, dialogue and discuss. The elitist intellectual class never raised eyebrows when the then PM Dr. Manmohan Singh presented accounts and reports of his government and policies to his mentor and party supremo Mrs. Gandhi. It was seen as something natural, a party leader who is also holding the mantle of central government to discuss and seek advise from the Party President. What is then legitimately wrong when the party in power discusses or debates its internal (Not official) assessment of governance in its organization and seeks suggestions. In a participative democracy, listening to all is never a problem; yielding to unfair and unethical demands is! As long as the central govt. relentlessly pursues its core agenda of development, national progress and rule of the land, there should not be a prejudiced haste to add uncalled impetus to its organisational meetings where it is free to discuss.

The fact of the BJP rulers interacting with their parent organisation RSS is no secret and known to all. The Press is at least able to take exception to it saying that the "RSS is seeking to appropriate for itself the role of an extra-constitutional super-parliament". Extra-constitutionalism as a governing tool was introduced in the country only during Indira/Sanjai Gandhi time and how it reached its zenith during UPA I and II is too well known. When the kind of extra-constitutionalism that was being practised by UPA I and II is compared, the Samanvay baithak of the BJP would pale into insignificance for any unbiased observer.

This baithak is only to take stock of how the ruling party is going about implementing party programmes and whether any course correction is needed etc. It is not for sharing official secrets with the Sangh or such unacceptable purposes. People should not get into controversy regarding who consults whom. We want good governance. The RSS is a national organization and mother of BJP. So, they consult and obey their mother.

What about the government led by Congress for 10 years? Who was their mother? The then PM was accountable to a single person of foreign origin. I think, it is better to work in collaboration with a national level organization than to work at the instance of a single person. Are RSS people not the citizens of India? Every government must share its achievements and future plans with the citizens. That is what government has done. Everybody is a citizen first and member of any organization afterwards. It is good that the present ruling party is overseen and guided by a large organization compared to the previous government which took directions from members of a family. So, let us think rationally, not emotionally. Set aside your cherished prejudices and think in the national interest. 

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