Samajwadi Party MP Kamal Akhtar is under the mistaken belief that reality TV promotes obscenity and family values. The typical beeped cuss words reality shows are something that is not totally new, we have all heard it sometime or the other. There is no Indian who has not heard colorful language. So the question of bad words used is totally uncalled for; it is a part of our culture too. Is. Akhtar unaware about bawdy, boisterous, 'naughty' songs sung in full public in north Indian weddings? That is also a part of our culture. Let’s face it; we are talking reality television, so you cannot have the participants being la-di-dah and using poetic language. That does not happen in reality, does it?
Moral policing is not required. If at all, you feel some content is objectionable, switch off the television; it is as simple as that. Do not care about how it will affect other people; they are smart enough to mind their own business. The youth is finally returning to television. Believe it or not, the youth bade bye to television long ago from the time Nukkad, Buniyaad and Hum Log went off the air. These were shows of real people that connected with everyone. With the deluge of saas-bahu serials, the youth went back to movies which had something to look forward too. Thankfully, for the first time in 20 years, television has made movies look regressive.
It is not the question of vulgarity; it is the question of quality content in your programs. Saas-bahu serials were plain stupid, with women wearing expensive sarees to bed, having their second husband resurrected thanks to dropping TRPs and melodrama that would put many to bed early. Okay, we credit them with the last bit; they did promote a good habit.
Smita Mathai a contestant in Sach Ka Saamna,whose reference is taken up by Kamal Akhtar, when citing about denigrating family values through reality shows; has herself said that her family had been fully aware of her emotions and have supported her. Since she said nothing wrong has happened between her husband and her, why are we so concerned? We are concerned because as a nation we are voyeuristic. Reality has always turned India on. Movies like Satya, A Wednesday, Shoot out at Lokhandwala and Mumbai Meri Jaan have clicked because we identify with reality.
Reality television has given people so much fame and recognition that many secretly vie for. People like Sambhavana Seth, Raja Chaudhary, Marc Robinson, Ishq Bector become so much popular after Big Boss and Iss Jungle se Mujhe Bachao. Guys like Nauman Sait, Ashutosh Kaushik and Alina Wadiwala are now household names. People like Ranvijay and Palak have come from nowhere and are now doing movies. Reality shows have made people carve their own niche and become popular. Rakhi ka Swayamvar, the show which everyone has something to comment, on has more than 5000 fans on Facebook.
It is sad that politicians target reality shows when a fact is that someone from their clan, a politician like Sanjay Nirupam received so much popularity, support and love after he appeared in Big Boss. Not many know that the concept of reality show was started by the sacred daddy of all channels, Doordarshan, when it would telecast live parliament proceeding 15 years ago in the morning from 8:30 to 9 every morning. That one had MPs behaving in the most uncouth manner, swearing and insulting mercilessly.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Sach Ka Saamna: Reality TV makes television hotter than Bollywood
Sunday, April 19, 2009
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Thursday, April 2, 2009
Is the media changing the way elections are held?
- Varun Gandhi slapped by National Security Act for saying rude things and threatening the minority community. The proceedings were caught on camera.
- Jaswant Singh, senior BJP leader accused of distribution of currency notes in public, violating moral code of conduct. The proceedings were caught on camera.
- Mulayam Singh Yadav under scanner for sexist remark against senior Manipuri lady leader. He said "Since you are a woman, I am restraining myself. Had you not been a woman, you would've faced the consequences."
- Govinda in trouble, caught on camera distributing notes during Holi.
All of the above incidents remind me of the Tehelka 'sting operation' where a hidden camera would sneak in and record the hideous, nasty ways of celebrities and politicians. Here, the media has it all laid bare, the camera just has to catch them with a 'take-away' phrase. In the Decision 09 debate in Times Now, I saw BJP leader Jayanti Natarajan and a Congress leader ganging up together against the press! This is really an opener, where two parties which dont see eye to eye, actually agreeing on one agenda that the press does not know its limits and magnifies everything. Politicians should realize that the days have gone where they could say nasty or communally inciting statements to influence public opinion. Now the might of the press is so big, is that if it is a deliberate statement or a goof up, just say 'sorry' gracefully and leave.
Barack Obama praises Manmohan Singh at the G-20 summit
Obama said that Manmohan Singh is a very good leader and a decent human being. He said Singh was reponsible for guiding India even before he became the prime minister of India. Regarding the issue of terrorism, Obama said that while poverty should have been the major concern for Pakistan and India, terrorism has become a priority. Obama said that he did speak with Manmohan Singh on terrorism, but more than that they had discussion on energy conservation. Obama looked like he was deviating from the topic of terrorism, as he continually spoke on energy conservation and carbon footprint. He said if India and China had wasted energy like an average American, there would have been a global melt-down. He also added that the US has been left behind in this issue as even the European nations have braced energy conservation methods.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Three captains for KKR! Ganguly asked to share captaincy
Saurav Ganguly, captain of Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL Season 1 got a shocker when he came to know through newspaper that he is no more the 'fixed' captain of KKR for IPL edition 2. The coach of Kolkata Knight Riders coach John Buchanan has dropped Sourav Ganguly as the fixed skipper and instead declared that there will be three captains in the KKR team. Kolkata Knight Riders seems to be in trouble, with politics brewing in even before the IPL 2 kicks in. Conveying to Ganguly that he is no more a fixed skipper through a newspaper is blasphemous.
The coach says that the choice of multiple captains has nothing to do with the performance or the fitness of Ganguly. One can definitely smell something fishy in John Buchanan's statement and we can make out that he wanted Ganguly to be axed as the captain. In a press conference, Buchanan said that the manager or the coach is more important than a captain because IPL is more about strategizing.
However, there was no reason to totally axe Ganguly. His face registered displeasure though he put a brave front in front of the press reporters. About the four captain formula, Ganguly said, " It is new and I think we will have to access it. John has all the right to make the decision, he is the coach of the team...He has been pretty open about his views and we will stick to it. I have nothing to say about this." From the interview here from TimesNow and the facial expression at the press conference, Ganguly looks clearly dejected of being kicked out of IPL captaincy.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
South Africa will host IPL matches
South Africa will be hosting the IPL -Second Edition. The matches will be held between April 18 and May 24, a delay of about one week from the original schedule of April 10, 2009. The matches will commence at 4 pm IST and 8 pm IST to make it easy for Indian television viewers back home. England lost out as the IPL venue to South Africa because of the wet weather between April and May. Also the steady assurance from South Africa government and CSA officials that the tournament pitted the deal in its favor. Also the cost of running the tournament turns out to be cheaper in South Africa compared to England.
Manmohan Singh-Advani face/off: Manmohan Singh questions Advani's ability to run the country
Manmohan Singh vehemently criticized BJP Prime minister candidate for calling him the weakest prime minister ever in India. Manmohan Singh in his first public speech, since his heart operation, why he is prime minister material for years to come through his speech that targetted BJP, CPM and the Varun Gandhi.
Manmohan Singh said that Advani, in his tenure as a Home Minister, failed to control western Gujarat riots and could not prevent military attacks on Parliament and Red Fort.
This is the verbatim of Manmohan Singh's speech ""When Advani was the Home Minister of the country, the attack on parliament took place. His government mobilized Indian troops for 12 months without getting any result, they rolled them back with thousands and thousands of crores of loss. Parliament was attacked, Lal Qila (Red Fort) was attacked, Indian Airlines plane was hijacked and the terrorists were rewarded by being made the honoured guests. This is the record of Advani. He was the home minister, who presided over the massacre that took place in Gujarat. The country must reflect whether this is a person who is 'fit' to hold the office of the Prime Minister. Advani's only achievement is the razing of the Babri Masjid.
Manmohan Singh also lashed out at Varun Gandhi's inflammatory speech""The BJP is dividing our people on the basis of the communal lines and the most recent shameful instance of this is their endorsement of the line that its young leader Varun Gandhi has taken with regard to his speeches that he made in Pilibhit"
Rubbishing allegation by NDA that the UPA govt bought economy to its knees, Manmohan Singh pointed out that despite the global economic melt-down, India was the second fastest growing economy.
Monday, March 23, 2009
IPL: Indian Premier League or International Premiere League
India's proud offering to world cricket-Indian Premier League can now be dubbed as 'International Premiere League' or NRIPL. The Indian government has exposed its weakness by announcing its decision to host the IPL outside India. As Narendra Modi puts it, the international community will attach itself to the perception that India like Pakistan, is a terrorist state. If the government starts incapacitated enough to give protection to 11 people, how will it be able to protect the lives of 100 crore people? Citing the elections clashing with IPL as the reason for the govt to do so, has only exposed India's inadequacy to the outside world. What remains to be seen is will India behave in the same manner when it comes to hosting the forthcoming World Cup Cricket matches and Commonwealth Games?
India suffering from suicidal epidemic, law regarding abetment of suicides
I even have a personal experience to share when a friend of mine committed suicide couple of years ago. Though the reason is not known, it is believed that his mother would often blame him for being not good enough in academics. Though he has found a seat in a hotel management college, he did not have the fees to pay. The boy hung himself from a fan in a fit of despair and disappointment of being compared unfairly to other boys.
In the media, of late we have seen incidents that reek of suicidal deaths or attempted suicides in the past few weeks. India contributes to 10 percent of suicide rates in the country. Over 100,000 people die by suicide in India every year.
According to a news report, highest numbers of suicides are in Mumbai and parts of Maharashtra. People who attempt suicides are students, housewives, jobless youth and pensioners according to the Crime Bureau data. Do you know that for every student who commits suicide, there are 13 people who attempt it?
Usually suicides happen due to these three reasons(not in an order):
• Relationship failures
• Financial downfall
• Academic disappointments
Each of the above encompasses unrealistic expectations. The blame lies on the “done to dogs” flawed educational system that pressurizes on academics being a benchmark to future success. Pressure by parents and teachers are hugely responsible for rising suicide incidents. As Aamir Khan said in Taare Zameen Par “the pressure of academics is so much...94 percent, 95 percent-anything less than this is equal to a “gaali”(abuse).
Families and friends should look for the following symptoms in a person to take note of him/her doing the unexpected:
• Total withdrawal from interaction
• A change or intervention in day to day activity pattern
• General feeling of paleness in the person. If he or she rushes to an isolated place to cry often or looks continually lost or depressed in thoughts, there is a hint of something going terribly wrong
• Incessant claims of having an urge to commit suicide
Also in India, each of us have to fight out own demons. Abroad, people who are stressed out or in despair readily go to a psychologist for counseling. For every small thing, like shopping stress, there is counseling. Here, the thought of going to a psychologist is looked down upon, you are branded as ‘mad’ if you tell someone that you want to seek the help of a psychologist. Schools, colleges and offices should be proactive in counseling their members. Most of the colleges in India have counseling centers just for name-sake. Also most people do not go for counseling for the fear of being looked down upon, or inflicting their own ego. Also teachers and invigilators should not be overtly strict with children who are caught copying. Why does our education system look at copying as an unpardonable sin and treat the child as an outcaste? Cant you imagine the shock that the child has to go through, the embarrassment, the fear of being taken to task by their parents, the fear of being not allowed to sit in exams, and the massive stress of the ‘make or break’ board examinations which hangs like the Damocles sword over the heads? Debt counseling centers should be set up in India in a large manner, so that they can adequately represent people who are caught in a debt trap, offer counseling to them.
About crimes of abetting suicide
Section 306 of IPC states that If any person commits suicide, whoever abets the commission of such suicide shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to a fine.
Under section 107 of IPC, a person is guilty of abetment of suicide only if instigates someone to do the thing, engages with one or more persons to do the thing, intentionally aids its commitment or facilitates the act. The police cannot arrest the last person the suicide victim spent time with, on the grounds of suspicion. If that is the case, then every psychiatrist, whom the suicide victim talks to before killing himself, should be arrested. Even if there is an argument, it cannot be construed as an act to facilitate suicide. The act of the accused should be intentional before the law to arrest the accused.
Can the police arrest anyone on the grounds of suspicion?
The police can arrest only if the arrest is absolutely necessary to arrive at the truth. The Supreme Court had warned the police in the 1994 Joginder Kumar case that the police must not arrest anyone on the grounds of mere suspicion of participation in an offence. The Bombay Police Act Section 147 can prosecute the police for unnecessarily arresting someone. The police can instead call the suspect for questioning; gather evidence and when there is enough of it (evidence), arrest him.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Varun Gandhi: Pawn of Political conspiracy?
Varun Gandhi, grandson of Nehru and BJP candidate from Pilibhit (UP)has gone on record to say that he is being framed and that his anti-secular speech was doctored by certain parties who do not want to see him progress in the BJP. The EC has slapped notices on him and BJP for inflammatory speech and violating the code of conduct, but Varun Gandhi remains unapologetic. Varun says that he had used 'vote katwao' to refer to anti-social elements, but the tape was doctored to mean 'katwao'. Do you thing this is a well-planned strategy by elements to throw him, an inexperienced rookie out of politics? Or was he really that mean?
Travel Insurance by Indian Railways
Very few know that Indian Railways do have a personal accident policy to cover the accident and death risk of passengers. The policy actually covers the liability of railways towards the passengers in case of accident. The personal accident policy by Indian Railways gives coverage to travel by road, air, water and rail too. You can also take a coverage just for the railways by taking the domestic travel insurance plan. The Travel Insurance can also cover the vehicle of the policy holder.
What the Travel Insurance Policy covers is more than just personal accident, it covers accompanied baggage of the family as well. The cover stars from the supposed place of departure and ends on the actual date of return, or scheduled date of return, whichever is earlier.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Simple tips to save electricity, tips for electricity conservation
Considering the hectic, fast paced life that we lead, we depend on electrical gadgets and equipments to get quick results. The past few years have recorded the warmest surface temperatures ever in global history. Human activity is the biggest factor that has led to global warming. It is now up to individuals and organizations to take collective action to slow down and reverse global warming by using our energy resources cautiously, minimizing fossil fuel usage and conserving electricity.
Conserving electricity is very important because the largest source of carbon-dioxide and other heat-trapping ‘green house’ gases into the atmosphere is electric power generation. Coal and oil constitute more than 80 percent of fuel supply used to generate electricity. Coal combustion leads to the largest amount of CO2 per energy unit of any fossil fuel. So the key is to conserve electricity and reduce electric power usage.
When we restrict electric power use, we not only save money and breathe clean air, but also take concrete steps to reverse global warming. Each kilo-watt hour of electricity saved gets rid of 1.5 to 2 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
In economically challenging times like the present, it is even more important to conserve electricity because of the rising energy costs. It will be beneficial if we as families take the first step in conserving electricity and tackle the problem of climate crisis at the grass-root level. Here are some of the simple things we can do to conserve electricity:
- It is a common practice for us to use the remote control to switch off the TV. But this actually keeps the TV on in a stand-by mode where it can consume 6 watts per hour. Even if you turn the TV off and not switch off at the plug point, the TV still consumes 0 .5 to 1 watt power.
- We should make it a point to switch off cell phone chargers and electrical mosquito repellents from the mains after use, so that they do not consume power. The cell phone charger utilizes 3 watts per hour, when it remains plugged. So once the battery is charged, we should take the charger off the plug point. Mosquito repellents can consume 5 watts per hour.
- Use ceiling fans instead of air conditioners as far as possible. You will also save a lot on electricity bills. Replacing the metal blades of a fan with fiber blades can save twenty percent energy overall.
- If air conditioning is something that you have to go for, it is better to go for split air-conditioning rather than centralized air-conditioning. Split air-conditioning will only cool specific areas where cooling is needed. Besides this, cleaning the filter of air conditioners leads to quick cooling while at the same time, ensuring efficient use of electricity.
- It is better to install two 23 watt Compact Fluorescent Lights at opposite sides of the room rather than installing a single 40 watt tube-light. The benefit is you can opt for only one of the CFLs if you do not need bright light all the time.
- If you are a family of four people, you can go for a refrigerator of 80 liters capacity rather than a 165-liter one. A refrigerator consumes 1.3 to 4 units daily depending on its size, make and model
Let us all take a stand in saving our planet from climatic crisis and global warming by participating in the Orkut Earth Hour campaign and/or Facebook Earth Hour campaign (Valid till March 28 2009 only)
Watt about earth hour
For the first time in history, the world will vote as a whole to tackle the biggest problem our Earth faces-global warming. WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) and other NGOs across the globe have joined hands to target 1 billion votes, which will be presented to the world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009. The meeting will devise concrete steps to tackle global warming in the most effective manner.
Earth Hour which kicked off to a resounding success in 2007 at Sydney had 2.2 million homes and businesses switch of their lights for an hour. It reduced the city’s energy consumption by 10.2 percent for one hour. This is equal to having 48,616 vehicles off the road for a year! The move met with a resonating success again in 2008 as well where 50 million people in various parts of the world, switched off their lights for one hour. Earth Hour will next take place on Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 8:30 pm, local time. More than 80 countries and territories including India, have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009. One of the most well-known personalities in India, actor-director Aamir Khan will be spear-heading the campaign in India.
It is expected that a billion people across the world will switch off their lights for one hour from as an endeavor to counter climatic change. Climatic change and global warming is a real problem which requires proactive solutions. It is not a problem of just one country in isolation of other nations; it is a real issue that should elicit a reality check in all of us. It is high time we thought of taking a stand as a planet, rather than looking it from the perspective of a nation. We should all come together and take a call on how we can save the future of the planet. If we do not, the upcoming generation will live in dark, literally speaking and have to make compromises with whatever little resources there is left in the planet.
Let us all take a stand in saving our planet from climatic crisis and global warming. Join Aamir Khan in the Orkut Earth Hour campaign and/or Facebook Earth Hour campaignFriday, March 6, 2009
Your Indian blog just gets better with Blogger Tricks
Will you like to blog about India and make it even more presentable? Blogger Tricks is an amazing blog that talks of just what wonderful things we can do with Blogger. They are having their First contest ever giving away $100 cash in total. The contest is sponsored by HomeImprovementCorner.com and Banner-ad-blog.com . Lying under the simple but user-friendly format of Blogger are many tweaks and tricks that can elevate your blog to one of the most eye-catching wonders online. Blogger Tricks spruces up your blogger blog and even shows you how easy and convenient it is to add a lot of useful and handy tips that can not only increase your reader base but also give the visitor a fantastic viewing and navigating experience. Blogger Tricks has plenty of tips ranging from increasing the search engine rankings of your blog to making use of add-ons that can make your blog appealing and successful.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Sri Lankan cricketers attacked in Pakistan
Pakistan gunmen attacked Sri Lankan cricket team on Tuesday. It is believed that Ajanta Mendes, Samarveera, Sangakkara, Mahela Jayavardene have been been injured by gunshots. There were 12 gun men in all. According to sources, these unknown attackers came riding on motorbikes and shot at the bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team, near Gaddafi stadium at Lahore.
Five security men have been killed and two have been injured. The Sri-Lanka team have been called off.Six members of Sri Lanka's cricket team were wounded in a shooting attack in Pakistan on Tuesday, and two including an assistant coach were still being treated in hospital,.
According to Mahela Jayawardene, the gunmen first attacked the wheels of the bus, and then those 12 people began to fire randomly and aggressively at the bus. The cricketer lay down in the bus to avoid being shot by the bullets. It is a clear case of security lapse as the bus was not bullet-proof.