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PAGES: 68 VOL.4 | ISSUE: 12 | JANUARY 2017

EDITORIAL

The News You Like | January, 2017

VOL:4 I SSUE:12 I JANUARY, 2017 `30

Editor SUDHAKAR

Special Correspondent D Bal Reddy

Senior Correspondent Mallesh Babu

Reporters M.Praveen Kumar, P Vishnuvardhan Reddy

Photographers M Vijay S Sridhar, Shair Ali Baig

Cover & Layout T. Srinivasa Rao

General Manager Mohd Nizamuddin

Chief Executive (Marketing) Venkata K Ganjam (GK) Aravind K Balan (OSD, Delhi)

Chief - Business & LifeStyle K. Bharath Reddy

Marketing Associate M. Akhil Raj Shaker

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Any legal disputes comes under the jurisdiction of courts in Hyderabad

Meanwhile, they stood in queues

nd yet another year has just gone by. Nothing remarkable has happened, other than the two long months of suffering of people from across the nation due to demonetisation of high value currencies. Millions of people have been standing in long queues for getting back their own hard earned money, outside the banks and ATMs, cursing and cussing the sudden decision by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi. No explanation is sufficient to mitigate the common man’s agony. Modi, addressing the nation on radio as part of his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on Christmas day, though said the government would ease some restrictions, in an attempt to save his face, admitted that ‘people had some inconvenience’ due to his efforts to curb black money in the country . However, he aggressively defended demonetisation. He came down heavily on his critics, telling that it was the corrupt and black money hoarders who were finding fault with his government’s November 8 surprise move. He also justified the frequent changes in note ban rules saying it was being done only because the government was sensitive to the problems of the people. Since note ban, the Modi government’s has been reiterating that demonetisation is meant for short-term pain and long-term gain. But, none of these excuses would suffice to justify the gross inconvenience caused to people from all walks of life owing to the cash crunch that isn’t over even now. Even after a month and a half, people are allowed withdrawals of only Rs 24,000 per week from their banks and Rs 2,500 per ATM. India isn’t facing an economic emergency to face such prolonged restrictions on normal banking transactions. Even by the current limits, banks are unable to honour it simply because there is not enough cash in the banking system despite the repeated assurances from the Reserve Bank of India and Finance Ministry. Therefore, the Prime Minister’s argument that only the corrupt and fraud opposed demonetisation isn’t fair. Modi’s 50-day deadline has almost come to an end. That’s the time he sought to end the ‘temporary’ pain of the people on account of demonetisation-induced artificial cash crunch. But, it is likely that the Modi will fail to make good of his promise in its entirety. People will not forget the pain. The way a Prime Minister gambled with lives of million’s Indian people will ever remain fresh in their memories. The damage is done. And there is no cure.

(Sudhakar)

CONTENTS

Modi cAlls for cAshless society

The News You Like | January, 2017

In his address to the nation on the day of Christmas, the Prime Minister acknowledges inconvenience caused to people due to the ban of ` 500 and `1,000 currency bills

AutuMn of the MAtriArch: 10 puzzles unsolved Several questions are being raised over the cause of ill-health that resulted in former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister late J Jayalalitha hospitalisation and over 75 days of treatment that was shrouded with mysteries

ts cM ‘no’ to cbi probe into gAngster’ s links AboriginAls’ Agony goes unnoticed

CONTENTS

The News You Like | January, 2017

A peep into rAhul gAndhi's slAMbook

PM Modi has drawn ﬂak from all corners of the country ever since he announced the decision of demonetising Rs 500 and 1000 notes. Even a united opposition was formed to slam Modi over his decision and highlight the problems of the people post demonetisation.

right to regulAte fertility 60

Women should not be bound to use a method due to lack of contraceptive choices. If it is so, it would be a direct violation of rights. An expansion in the basket of contraceptive options is an eﬀort to ensure that family planning doesn't become coercive due to lack of choices

relAx tense Muscles without pAin killers

Change in bylaws is said to be the cause of frictions between the duo

rAtAn tAtA × cyrus Mistry

HAPPY TIDINGS

The News You Like | January, 2017

sccl to oﬀer 30k jobs through hereditary recruitment

Applications for recruitment in the SCCL will be received from January 1

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here are all reasons for the family members of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) to rejoice! The coal giant’s Chairman N Sridhar on December 20 announced that applications for recruitment on hereditary basis in the SCCL will be received from January 1 to fill 30,000-odd jobs in the collieries. In a release, he said that the recruitment on hereditary basis is being held on instructions of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. With the Chief Minister’s initiative, the hereditary jobs are being filled after a lapse of 18 years. A board of directors’ meeting has been convened immediately to seek its ap-

proval soon after the Chief Minister’s directions. A committee has been constituted to frame the guidelines, which are framed within 45 days. As per the SCCL directive, workers in the age group 48-59 are eligible to seek jobs for their wards on the hereditary basis. The CMD thanked the Chief Minister on behalf of the SCCL family for the decision on hereditary appointments, which the workers are waiting eagerly for nearly two decades. Such appointments are beneficial to the senior workers, their wards, the SCCL and the State. He said that centers to disseminate information on hereditary appointments would be set up in all

areas of the SCCL mining activities. In the absence of recruitment for the past several years, the average age of the workers of the SCCL is 53 years. However, by dint of hard work the workers are reaching the annual targets. The Chief Minister took the current decision to take the SCCL to the number one position. The SCCL filled 2,500 posts with youth issuing three notifications. Later, through internal recruitment process 1,000 more vacancies were filled. During the past two years, jobs were given away to 3000 dependents, he said adding that the latest decision paved the way for filling 30,000 jobs on hereditary basis.

CROSS BORDER TIES

The News You Like | January, 2017

foreign officials visit ts to study land record model

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elegates from over a dozen countries visited some villages in Telangana to study the unique community driven land records verification, updation and dispute resolution model in the third week of December. This model had been developed by NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad in collaboration with Landesa, an international organisation for rural development. The delegates were from Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Russia, Ghana, Tanzania, Fiji, Timor, Nigeria and Sudan and working in the Rural Development Departments of their respective countries.

The model was piloted in six selected villages of Mahabubabad, Warangal and Jangoan districts. In these villages, the community trained by NALSAR verified all the land records and submitted applications before the concerned authorities. All the land issues in one village have already been resolved, said NALSAR. This model was appreciated by the Union and State governments and they are actively considering replicating it under the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme. Interacting with the foreign delegates, V Balakista Reddy, Registrar, NALSAR University of Law highlighted the several good community models developed by NALSAR including the paralegal

programme, village land clinics, land rights centres in district courts and revenue offices and various legal literacy initiatives. These projects have helped more than a million households in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in securing land rights. The Registrar also mentioned about the participatory land laws review undertaken by the University for both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Sunil Kumar, Director, Land Laws and Policies, Landesa informed that the Indian government recently announced the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Project with a budget estimate of Rs 15,000 crore to be spent over four years with an objective to upgrade and modernise of land records.

DIGITAL INDIA

The News You Like | January, 2017

Modi calls for cashless society

in his address to the nation on the day of christmas, the prime Minister acknowledges inconvenience caused to people due to the ban of r 500 and rs 1,000 currency bills

AGENCIES

rime Minister Narendra Modi played a Santa on the Christmas Day and announced two schemes to promote digital transactions and banking to make India a cashless economy.

For the next 100 days from Sunday, he said, some 15,000 people making e-payments will get Rs 1,000 cash back in a daily lucky draw. And a weekly draw can win cashless transactions prize money running into lakhs of rupees, Modi

said in the year’s last edition of his monthly radio broadcast ‘Mann Ki Baat’. “On the day of Christmas, Indians will get the benefit of two schemes -- Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana and Lucky Grahak Yojana. It will last for 100 days. As such,

DIGITAL INDIA

The News You Like | January, 2017

crores of rupees will be distributed to lakhs of people,” Modi said. Traders going cashless with online payments would get an exemption in Income Tax, he announced. And the lure doesn’t stop here. “On the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti (B R Ambedkar's birthday) - April 14, 2017, we will be conducting a bumper draw in which the winning prize will be in crores (of rupees).” Strongly defending his widely criticised November 8 demonetisation decision, which has led to an unprecedented cash crunch across the country, Modi acknowledged inconvenience caused to people due to the ban of R 500 and Rs 1,000 currency bills. “People are going through pain, hardship. Who won’t feel the pain? I am also feeling the pain as much as people are,” Modi said. Modi has been severely criticised by the Opposition at home and renowned economists abroad over the disruptive move to recall 86 per cent of the total currency in circulation, ostensibly aimed at curbing corruption and black

money in the country. The decision has caused economic upheaval and forced people in large numbers across India to wait for hours in serpentine queues outside banks and ATMs to withdraw new currency or deposit the spiked notes. More than six weeks after the move, people are still struggling to manage even their daily expenses because the Reserve Bank of India has been able to supply enough new notes of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 to replace the now invalid currency notes. Modi took a dig at the opponents and thanked the people for not heeding to the ‘rumours’. “I congratulate people for not only enduring pain but also for giving appropriate answers to those who tried to mislead them.” Modi said he had received an overwhelming response over demonetisation. There were three kinds of suggestions, he noted, he got from the people. “Some people have written about the problems, inconvenience citizens were facing. In the second category, people have stressed on

the good work, (which is) in the interest of the nation. They also spoke about irregularities in some parts and how new ways of corruption are being devised.” “In the third category, people have supported (the move). In addition, they have asked to continue the war against black money, corruption. They have asked for stricter steps to weed out corruption, black money,” Modi said. He also took a note of parliamentary disruptions that led to the entire winter session washed away in noisy protests by both opposition as well as treasury benches. He said he wanted a debate in Parliament on donations being given to political parties but it could not take place. “I wish there was a discussion in Parliament on funding for political parties,” he said, scoffing at rumours that there were different rules for funding of political parties. “Law is the same for everyone, whether it is individual, organisation or a party,” he said.

MIND MATTERS

The News You Like | January, 2017

OK or NOT OK?

A majority of Indian women prefer husbands who just support them in their careers and not the ones who go by mama’s directives

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A survey was conducted to find out young people’s opinions on certain issues post marriage that concluded that women want to be with men who support their career and passions. In an attempt to unravel the things young Indians are not okay within a marriage, leading matchmaking brand, BharatMatrimony, launched a social media campaign “Ok Not Ok” in which over 1100 responses were received. The audience was asked 10 questions ranging from “Are you ok or not okay with someone 1) “who compares you with his mother?” 2) “Who is not keen to help you in household chores?” and “who supports your career aspirations?” The social media study found that more than 95 per cent of young Indian women are not okay with their husband comparing them to their mother-in-law or

not helping them in household chores. When asked about a partner who does not communicate his/her problems, 95 per cent of them said they are Not Ok with it. Majority also said that they did not like partners to bring up the past. The women said they were perfectly ok with someone who supports their career and their passions. While a majority of the men were okay with women who were willing to quit jobs and move to another city if a need arose and were happy if partners understood and supported their occasional late work hours. Kaushik Tiwari, head, marketing at Matrimony.com, said, “We undertook this campaign to find out young people’s opinions on certain issues post marriage so that BharatMatrimony could help them prepare better through guidance on happymarriages.com, our guide to a happy marriage.”

COVER STORY

The News You Like | January, 2017

Autumn of the matriarch: puzzles unsolved

Several questions are being raised over the cause of ill-health that resulted in former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister late J Jayalalitha hospitalisation and over 75 days of treatment that was shrouded with mysteries

COVER STORY

The News You Like | January, 2017

SIDDHARTHA K NAMBIAR

hen the doctors in Chennai’s renowned Apollo Hospital announced at the midnight of December 5, after prolonged suspense, that Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was no more, millions of Tamilians broke down, several died of shock and the whole State wailed inconsolably. And then, the enticing pinupturned-fiery politico, got one of the most respectable funerals Tamil Nadu has ever witnessed, on Marina Beach along with two other legends in Tamil political history, Annadurai and M G Ramachandran. But everything was not fine with her during the last days of Amma – as Jayalalithaa was popularly known as – with rumours of her demise being spread time and

again. The formidable leader’s long journey from a movie star to the Chief Minister was full of mysteries. A studious girl who passed her 10th class in the first rank and wanted to make it big, however, landed in the world of glamour, lies and one-upmanship, apparently under pressure from her mother. In her biography Amma: Jayalalithaa’s Journey from Movie Star to Political Queen – Vaasathi writes: Jayalalithaa often told Srimathi that she did not like the film-world atmosphere, and that the men there were crude and stared at her lustfully. ‘Jaya would say, ‘‘When I go home these rascals will be sitting there. I get so annoyed seeing them – all kinds of men, tall, short, dark, fair, thin and fat and oily! Mother asks me to sit with them and talk. I hate it.”’ She said this with a vehemence that Srimathi still remembers. It was obvious that

COVER STORY

Jayalalithaa felt she was being forced into doing things that went against her nature. Perhaps she also yearned for a normal family life like her other classmates had. Then her tryst with the matinee idol, mighty M G Ramachandran, became a turning point in Jayalaltihaa’s life. Her life, after the demise

The News You Like | January, 2017

of MGR, took another turn that pushed her into a political turmoil. But she was resolved, ready to face anything that came her way and above all, she knew what she was doing. Though there were several rumours about Jayalalithaa’s health conditions ever since she

was admitted to Apollo Hospital on September 22, everyone was afraid to talk aloud. But a leaked email from a senior journalist that quotes the Apollo management as saying the late Chief Minister was on ‘wrong diabetes medicines’ before being hospitalised in September, is raising many an eyebrows over the reasons behind Amma’s ill health. The apprehensions that were not publicly expressed until recently are out in the open now. Severeal questions are being raised over Jayalalithaa's illness, treatment and her death on 5 December. Jayalalithaa was rushed to the hospital on September 22 and she spent over 75 days there, with little information being given out by the hospital and the State government, until she succumbed to a cardiac arrest on December 5. But when Opposition leader

COVER STORY

The News You Like | January, 2017

MK Stalin demanded that the State government release a white paper on the treatment meted out to Jayalalithaa, many others, including Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) chief S Ramadoss, followed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and issued a statement with similar demands. What has added grist to conspiracy theories surrounding Jaya’s illness and death, is an email, allegedly written by senior journalist and NDTV consulting editor Barkha Dutt, to various email addresses within the private news channel. The email written by Dutt passes on information to the channel on ‘off record’ details given to her by ‘one of the Apollo Reddy sisters’ who form part of the management of the hospital, along with their father Pratap C Reddy. In the email, Dutt is alleged to have written – “she was being given wrong medicine for diabetes… before she was brought to them…” – the ‘she’ being referred to in the email is Jayalalithaa, who suffered a cardiac arrest on the intervening night of 4-5 December, a few hours before this email was purportedly written. Reports say that on cross verifying with staffers at NDTV, they did confirm that the email had indeed been sent by Dutt – a couple of staffers received the email in their inboxes. Emails to the NDTV management, including Dr Prannoy Roy, co-founder of the channel went unanswered. A Chennai-based reporter reached out to Barkha Dutt, Prannoy Roy as well as to various other senior journalists in NDTV via Twitter, requesting a response on this email, but none were forthcoming. On 11 December, NDTV’s official Twitter handle tweeted that “Email, Twitter accounts of senior

NDTV journalists have been hacked. Attempts being made to use emails out of context. We are asking relevant authorities, including courts, to take strong action.” Following this, the ‘leaked email’ from Dutt’s account was made available online by anonymous hacker group Legion which claimed responsibility for the hacking. In an interview to Washington Post, a member of Legion is reported to have stated to the publication that “his group had access to servers like that of India's biggest private hospital chain, Apollo. He said they were unsure

about releasing data from those servers because it might cause “chaos.” A reporter of Firstpost writes that when she contacted on this intrigue, Apollo Hospitals did not have any comment to make. An email questionnaire to Chairman Pratap Reddy went unanswered. Now all fingers are pointed at Jayalalithaa’s heir apparent V K Sasikala who was with the departed soul through thick and thin. Questions are being raised by voters and cadre of the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) as to why

COVER STORY

the admission, ailment and treatment of the late Chief Minister was shrouded in such mystery. Earlier too, there were several unanswered questions being asked of Jayalalithaa’s close confidante VK Sasikala who was by her side throughout her last 75 days at the hospital. Now as Sasikala is all set to take over leadership of the third largest party in Parliament, the AIADMK, Opposition parties are demanding that a while paper be released on the entire episode of Amma’s treatment and subsequent demsie. “Chinnamma (Sasikala’s nickname, meaning little mother in Tamil) will unanimously be elected as the next general secretary of the party,” said AIADMK spokesperson C Ponnaiyan, while speaking to reporters at a brief press meet at Jayalalithaa’s memorial at the Marina Beach last week. “It is the desire of the entire party that Chinnamma should take over the leader’s mantle. Chinnamma has functioned as the conscience of Amma (Jayalalithaa). Chinnamma

The News You Like | January, 2017

has played a large part in the glory attained by our Amma,” he said. He added that the general body and the working committee of the party would meet soon to make the announcement of her elevation formal. According to reports, when contacted about the ‘leaked email’, a senior party source who did not wish to be named, stated that if true, the charges were ‘serious’. “Please send me the copy of the email and I will get back to you,” he was quotes as saying by a website. The leader was not available for comment since. Other senior party functionaries did not wish to speak on the issue. In the meanwhile, as a constructed event plays out at Poes Garden, residence of late Jayalalithaa as well as that of Sasikala, party leaders and cadre line up every day to greet ‘Chinnamma’ and urge her to take charge of the party. Party mouthpiece Jaya TV airs daily, an embarrassed-looking Sasikala nodding her head vigorously, seemingly declining the

leaders’ request for her to take over. In the districts as well as in Chennai, posters sprang up since December 10, when leaders, for the first time, openly urged Sasikala to take over. These posters showed photos of Sasikala and Jayalalithaa, hailing the new leader of the party, some urging her to take over Amma’s mantle. Many posters showed a pictorial succession – former Chief Minister CN Annadurai, party founder and former Chief Minister MG Ramachandran, the late Jayalalithaa, followed by Sasikala’s mugshot. But in the dead of night, across districts and Chennai city, the images of Sasikala alone in these posters have been defaced or torn. In Trichy’s Manapparai, cow dung was hurled onto a large banner put up for Sasikala at night, allegedly by disgruntled AIADMK cadre. Loyalists who put up the banner, went to work next day morning, cleaning out the dung. In other parts of the State, Sasikala’s face on these banners are smeared with tar, black paint or ripped off. But outside the hallowed halls of power at Poes Garden in Chennai, a chorus is growing for enquiries into the illness, treatment and death of Jayalalithaa. “Why was no information given to the public about the Chief Minister’s illness and treatment?” asked C Lakshmanan, political analyst and Associate Professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies. Speaking to CNN News18 on 13 December, S Gurumurthy, Editor of Tamil magazine Tughlaq and an RSS ideologue demanded a probe into treatment given to Jayalalithaa. “Jayalalitha was in hospital for 50 days, she was ailing for months and in these cases let us assume you have to administer

COVER STORY

The News You Like | January, 2017

medicine to her which is risky. Who will you consider, you should consult a relative or somebody. If there is no relative who did they

consider? It’s an issue because it’s an issue concerning medical discipline. We need to go into who did the wrong thing or something.

Whether the medical discipline was observed or not is a matter of enquiry,” he said. Retired bureaucrat MG Devasahayam too echoed the growing concerns. “A white paper is done by the government, so we need a Supreme Court monitored judicial probe into how Jayalalithaa died,” he told a website. “What was the mystery all about? Why did the State government not issue a single statement about the Chief Minister’s health and treatment? It is also evident from the beginning that Apollo was lying and giving out misleading information. The first press release said that Jayalalithaa was brought in for treating fever and dehydration. Now it has come to light that she was brought in a collapsed state. The Centre must also answer on why they have been silent. Is the Centre party to this deceit of the people of Tamil Nadu?” he said. As Sasikala gets set to take over from her ‘sister’ Jayalalithaa, questions are many. And the party, the hospital as well as the State government must give some answers soon.

CHANGE OF GUARD

The News You Like | January, 2017

Chinnamma takes over Amma’s mantle A

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mid chants of ‘Chinnamma Vazhagai’ by thousands of supporters, V K Sasikala on December 31 took charge as All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary, the top party post. “Amma is always in my heart,” an emotionally charged Sasikala said after assuming charge, adding she had been with Jayalalithaa for party meetings for over 33 years and that the AIADMK will continue to rule for many years. The close aide of late Jayalalithaa first garlanded the statue of party founder M G Ramachandran at the AIADMK headquarters in Chennai after she arrived in the midst of tight security. She then proceeded to pay floral tributes to the portrait of Jayalalithaa. Sasikala formally assumed charge by signing papers after which she proceeded to address the gathering outside. En route to the party office, she was given a rousing welcome by party leaders, functionaries and cadres who had gathered in large numbers.

Party activists had lined up on both sides of the road from the Poes Garden residence to the party headquarters at Royapettah to welcome her. AIADMK presidium chairman E Madusudanan, party treasurer and Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, veteran party leader and Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai, received Sasikala and accompanied her to the party office. Party leaders led her to the office of the general secretary where she held discussions with Panneerselvam, who is also party treasurer, Madusudanan, Thambidurai, and others. The AIADMK headquarters at Royapettah was spruced up for the occasion. A platform was set up near the MGR statue to facilitate Sasikala to pay tributes to the party founder before taking charge. Ministers, party MPs, MLAs also participated. On 29 December, a meeting of AIADMK’s top decision making body, the general council, which was attended by all top leaders including Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, took the decision to appoint her as part general secretary by adopting a resolution unanimously.

Delhi gets new Lt. Governor

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ormer Union Home Secretary Anil Baijal on December 31 took oath as the Lt. Governor of Delhi. Baijal was administered the oath by Delhi High Court Chief Justice G Rohini at the Lt Governor’s office. Baijal, a 1969-batch Indian Administrative Service officer, retired from service in 2006. He succeeds Najeeb Jung, who resigned earlier last week. In his long career of 37 years, the former senior bureaucrat held several eminent positions, including Union Home Secretary, Chairman and Managing

Director of Indian Airlines, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and Joint Secretary and Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

REVIEW

The News You Like | January, 2017

VANGAVEETI:

A ‘bloody’ saga of revenge HARICHARAN PUDIPEDDI

filM director cAst

n ‘Vangaveeti’, based on the gang rAting warfare of the 1980s in Vijayawada, Ram Gopal Varma has spilt more blood than ever, leaving this partly fictionalised story of true events so gory that it looked like the actors were dipped in a pool of blood. This depiction of gang rivalry for power and revenge is nothing but a bloodbath; it’s about a series of murders, and the precision and planning that went behind each one, and how gruesomely they are portrayed on screen. There’s nothing more to this story even though it’s one with a lot of potential. In one of the murders, the victim is stabbed over 70 times and Varma captures the whole chase leading up to this scene with flair, and in another scene, as a group of men gear up for an ambush, he focuses on the weapons they throw in slow motion into the back of an empty lorry. Throughout the film, the spotlight remains on the murders; it remains on the weapons - on a knife attached to a cycle’s stand but rarely on the faces of his actors

: : : :

does a decent job of reciting the story when it isn’t actually moving - and crooning at important junctures. Featuring mostly newcomers who are just watchable, wish Varma had invested in more seasoned actors. It’s the actors who made ‘Rakht Charitra’ - based on the life of rowdy-turned-politician Paritala Ravi stand out and far more engaging. Although Sandeep Kumar as Vangaveeti Radha is a great find, the rest of the ensemble cast doesn’t shine. The lip sync of most actors is way out of place and watching them mouth dialogues in close-ups becomes a tad tedious after a point. Perhaps, this is precisely why Varma does’'t focus on his actors but mostly on everything that happens around them. Varmas films are no longer about great stories; they are about great moments which are plenty in ‘Vangaveeti’, and these assure that the filmmaker hasn’t lost his mojo. One of the best scenes involves the murder of Radha, and though exceedingly violent, the way it is shot in slow motion draws you into the world of rowdyism.

vAngAveeti rAM gopAl vArMA sAndeep kuMAr, vAMsi nAkkAnti, vAMsi chAgAnti And nAinA gAnguly ***1/2

except for some awkward close-up shots. The film, in a way, is a ‘bloody’ tribute to rowdyism, and Varma succeeds in making his viewers cringe, yet make them stare in awe as he presents each murder in shocking detail. There’s beauty in the way he depicts the murders and no other filmmaker in his shoes could have done justice to this kind of presentation. This time, Varma doubles up as a singer and a narrator, and he

20 CRIME & PUNISHMENT

The News You Like | January, 2017

Crooks get capital PUNISHMENT Five IM operatives were sentenced to death in Hyderabad twin blasts case where 18 killed and 131 injured

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fter almost four years of the deadly blasts that tore apart 18 persons to sheer pieces of flesh that smells of nauseating terror, a special NIA court in Hyderabad finally sentenced to death five convicts, including the

banned Indian Mujahideen's (IM) co-founder Yaseen Bhatkal and a Pakistani national, in the 2013 Hyderabad bomb blasts. Apart from Bhatkal alias Ahmed Siddibappa Zaraar and Pakistani national Zia ur Rehman alias Waqas, Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi, Tahseen Akhtar alias Monu,

and Aizaz Saeed Shaik alias Aijaz Shaikh were convicted by the court on December 13 for offences including waging war against the nation, criminal conspiracy and murder. The twin blasts at Dilsukhnagar area in Hyderabad on February 21, 2013, killed 18 persons, including

CRIME & PUNISHMENT 21

The News You Like | January, 2017

one unborn child in mother's womb, and injured 131 others. Public Prosecutor V Surender Rao told reporters that based on the peculiar facts and circumstantial evidence, the judge concluded that the case fell in the category of ‘rarest of rare’ case and the convicts deserve capital punishment. The convicts said they would challenge the NIA court’s order in the High Court and sought a copy of the judgement, the prosecutor said. The death sentence was pronounced under Sections 302 A and 121 of Indian Penal Code, Section 3B Explosive Substance Act and section 16 of Unlawful Activities Act. Rao said the court would send the record to the High Court and after it confirmed the death sentence, it would be implemented. The convicts, however, will still have option to challenge it in Supreme Court and even seek President’s pardon. Tight security arrangements were made since morning on December 19 at Cherlapally Jail, where the special court pronounced the judgement. The public prosecutor said the court asked the convicts if they had anything to say but they just asked the judge to pronounce his sen-

tence. After the sentence was pronounced, the convicts showed no emotion. “They were absolutely normal. They were not angry or showed any remorse or repentance,” he said. Earlier, the convicts submitted letters to the court stating that they had no confidence as the trial was conducted in a hasty manner. After taking the letters into consideration, the judge pronounced the sentence. He found that the cruel act of the convicts fell in the ‘rarest of rare’ case. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) sought death penalty on the ground that the accused planned and executed bomb blasts, killing many people and later went on to carry out another bombing. According to NIA, this is the first case in which any operative of the Indian Mujahideen have been convicted and sentenced. The NIA counsel termed the verdict as a victory for investigations and for people who came out as witnesses. They include witnesses who recorded their statements regarding the stay of the accused in Mangaluru, their visit to Hyderabad, stay in Qutbullapur on the city outskirts, purchase of pressure cookers and cycles. Bhatkal is brother of Riyaz

Bhatkal, the brain behind the blasts, who is absconding and suspected to be hiding in Pakistan. The NIA has already issued Interpol Red Corner notice for him. The public prosecutor said NIA had collected evidence against Riyaz and once he was arrested, the record would be produced before the court. Bhatkal brothers are from Bhatkal town of Karnataka, while Rehman is a resident of Mustafabad of Pakistan's Punjab province, Asadullah Akhtar from Uttar Pradesh while Tahseen Akhtar and Aizaz Saeed are residents of Bihar and Maharashtra respectively. All five were convicted for offences including waging war against nation, criminal conspiracy and murder. The investigating agency filed three charge sheets in the case. Charges were framed against the five accused on July 16, 2015 and the trial commenced on August 24 the same year. The NIA said during the trial, the prosecution examined a total of 157 witnesses. The twin blasts occurred within a distance of 100 metres at crowded places in shopping area Dilsukhnagar on the evening of February 21, 2013.

22 CRIME & PUNISHMENT

The News You Like | January, 2017

TS CM ‘no’ to CBI probe into gangster’s links telangana chief Minister k chandrashekar rao says the special investigation team (sit) of the state police is doing is job efficiently and in an impartial manner

D BAL REDDY

elangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on December 19 rejected the Opposition demand for a CBI probe into the case relating to slain gangster Nayeem, who allegedly had links with top politicians and police officials. Though he assured the State Assembly that those found involved in the activities would not be spared, irrespective of the positions they hold and the parties they come from, many an eyebrows are raising as many ruling TRS leaders were allegedly involved in the case. Stating that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the State police is doing is job efficiently and in an impartial manner, Rao said there was no need for handing over

CRIME & PUNISHMENT 23

The News You Like | January, 2017

the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The Chief Minister made a statement in the Assembly on the activities of Nayeem and his associates. Renegade Maoist-turnedgangster Nayeem was gunned down by the police in an alleged exchange of fire on August 8 in Shadnagar town near Hyderabad. An AK47, a 9mm pistol and ammunition were recovered. Rao said for the last two and half decades, Nayeem gang committed heinous crimes in Telangana and was carrying out its activities without any hindrance under the rule of the previous governments. He said soon after the formation of the TRS government, it decided to contain Nayeem gang's activities with iron hand. After the death of Nayeem, people living in fear had a sigh of relief and his victims came out to lodge complaints, he said. The

police registered 174 cases. It examined 741 witnesses and arrested 124 accused. The Chief Minister said during the raids on the gang’s hideouts, police seized 21 firearms, 21 cars, 26 motorcycles and Rs 2.95 lakh cash. The police also seized documents of properties registered in the name of the family and friends of the gangster. The registered value properties including over 1,000 acres of land, 27 houses and 1.67 square yard residential plots is estimated to be over Rs 143 crore. He said the gang’s involvement was established in 27 murder cases and it was suspected to be involved in 25 other murder cases. Rao said the police had filed two charge sheets and 15 more charge sheets were ready to be filed. During the debate, Congress legislator Jeevan Reddy said CBI probe was necessary for an impartial probe as politicians from all po-

litical parties were suspected to have links with Nayeem. He wanted the government to produce Nayeem's diary and other material in the court. Targetting the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party, Rao said it was no secret which parties created the monster and allowed it to have free run. He reminded Jeevan Reddy that it was during Congress rule that Nayeem escaped from a court. As a Maoist, Nayeem had killed an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, K L Vyas in 1993. After being expelled from the People’s War Group (PWG) for indulging in extortion, he turned a police spy to help them effectively counter Leftwing extremism, which was then at its peak. Nayeem had close links with politicians and top police officials and eliminated some top Maoists and their sympathisers in the then united Andhra Pradesh.

24 CRIME & PUNISHMENT

Capital’s rape saga continues

The News You Like | January, 2017

Just hours before the fourth anniversary of a 23-year-old student’s fatal gang rape on the roads of New Delhi in a moving bus, a 23-year-old girl was raped in a moving car by the driver on December 15

THE NEWS NETWORK

ust hours before the fourth anniversary of a 23-year-old student’s fatal gang rape in the national capital that prompted nationwide revulsion and hit international headlines, a young woman was allegedly raped in a car belonging to a CISF cop in south Delhi, much to the shock of the entire country. The 20-year-old Noida resident came to Delhi in search of a job was reportedly raped by a cab driver when she was waiting for

public transport near AIIMS around 11 pm on December 15. After a fruitless day of job hunt, the woman was waiting for a public transport, when man driving a Maruti SX4 sedan bearing the stickers of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) offered her a lift. “When the victim boarded the car, Aman (the driver) took a route towards Dhaula Kuan. He stopped the vehicle near South Campus and attacked her. He threatened her with dire consequences and raped her inside the car,” said Ishwar Singh, DCP of south district.

The woman tried her best to escape, but the accused managed to hold her captive till 1.30 am on Friday. She finally managed to kick him and get out of the car. The woman found some policemen patrolling nearby, who immediately called the emergency response vehicle of the local police station. A team comprising of female constables also reached the spot within 15 minutes and searched the entire area, but failed to find the car or its driver. The incident sparked anger on a day remembered for the brutal

CRIME & PUNISHMENT 25

The News You Like | January, 2017

gang rape of a woman by six assailants aboard a moving bus on December 16, 2012. The 23-year-old, who came to be known as Nirbhaya, died 13 days later. The case and the ensuing protests drew national and international scrutiny, prodding lawmakers to toughen punishments and set up fast-track courts. “We took the victim to the AIIMS trauma center and conducted a medical examination on her which confirms rape,” DCP Ishwar Singh said. “The police team accompanied by the victim resumed the search in the morning hours and managed to find the suspected car just 100m away from the incident spot,” Singh added. The police said the vehicle got an MHA sticker, as a relative of the CISF head constable worked in the

Home Ministry. Police discovered that the car belonged to a CISF personnel from south Delhi's Kotla Mubarakpur area.

He told the police that his son had given the car to the accused a week ago on rent. He also helped cops locate the man’s home at a slum cluster in Moti Bagh. “Since the accused man’s phone was switched off, the police took help of technical analysts,” said the DCP. “We rounded up his friends and acquaintances for questioning to get a lead on his whereabouts. The efforts finally paid off when the accused was located in a slum in Moti Bagh where he was about to begin a drinking session with a friend. He was brought to the police station and arrested after a brief interrogation,” Singh briefed media personnel. The police team searched the car for forensic and biological evidence and seized several articles including the woman’s cell phone that she had left behind.

GROUND REALITY

The News You Like | January, 2017

Aboriginalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; agony goes unnoticed

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veryone is talking about digital revolution, cashless economy and graft-free society and social media is abuzz with how the country is marching ahead with Vision 2020. Even as the Telangana government is making tall claims about the giant strides it has made during its almost three years of governance, those who are in the know are annoyed over the state of affairs in the remote tribal hamlets in the infant State. There are two Girijan hamlets, Talamala and Manneguda, in Luxettipet mandal of Adilabad district in Telangana that do not even have drinking water, power supply, cell phones, CC roads and hospitals. Sixty families reside in the hamlets in utter misery, but unnoticed by the corridors of power which are busy making world tours to find ways and means to make Telangana a golden State. These poor

tribal hamlets in telangana are still facing umpteen hardships, thanks to the lethargic attitude of the officials and the government

tribals have been denied facilities like motorcycle, LPG connection, bathrooms, toilets, even bed-sheets and cots. Residents of the hamlets

undergo worst conditions during the monsoon season. With no drainage canals the sewage flows onto roads, they are forced to live in grime and sticky grunge. Offi-

GROUND REALITY

The News You Like | January, 2017

cials of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) set up to give a boost to their development don’t bother to visit the two villages. Girijans in Talamala prepare ‘tadakalu’ while those in Manneguda ‘kolamlu buttalu’, after bringing the required material from forests. They sell these items in the town once a month and return home after purchasing required essential commodities. They are forced to go to Luxettipet mandal, 15 km away from the village, for meeting any need. These Girijans have to travel to Jendavenkatapur, 10 km from, for securing PDS commodities and pensions. They are forced to return empty handed if officials concerned are absent. None of the residents of the villages has received Indiramma house, as the dwellings launched 15 years back have been left incomplete. The tribals continue to live in such houses.

There is only one primary school for the two hamlets, with a few students attending. There s no access to healthcare. Even in an emergency, they depend on quacks, with trust in gods. Although there are PHCs, no health camps have been conducted so far. One has to travel via a stream to

reach the two hamlets, as transport facilities have been paralysed after a culvert was washed away four years ago following heavy rain. Although Rs 90 lakh has been sanctioned for the culvert seven months back the work is yet to start allegedly because there is no permission from the Forest department.

polavaram to put bhadrachalam in peril?

experts are of the opinion that if the polavaram project becomes a reality, bhadrachalam, Manuguru, dummugudem and eturunagaram would face threat from the project’s backwaters

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ven as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is gung-ho about the proposed Polavaram Irrigation Project with the blessings of the Central government, the residents of Bhadrachalam, known as Ayodhya of the South are under the grip of fear.

The big question that haunts the people is: Does the Polavaram project pose a threat to the temple town the Centre and the Andhra Pradesh government taking up the project’s execution as a matter of prestige? Meanwhile, the project spillway works are under way from December 10. Chandrababu Naidu has been going on record stating that the

project would be ready by 2018 at any cost. Two lakh cubic meters of sand has been dug. Meanwhile, the Nabard sanctioned Rs 2,900 crore for the project as if to speed up the execution. If the project were to be built as per the existing design, Bhadrachalam, Manuguru, Dummugudem and Eturunagaram would face threat from the project’s

GROUND REALITY

backwaters. It is apprehended that the threat to Bhadrachalam would be worse than any other region. The people are worried about the perceived threat to the temple town and expressing doubts whether the flood banks are strong enough to protect the town in case the River Godavari touches the danger mark of 52 feet. The flood banks were built up to a height of 80 feet when the flood level in Godavari touched 75.6 feet in 1986. If the government version on project height (150 feet) were to be believed, the water level in Godavari will not recede

below the first danger mark of 43 feet once the project is executed. The Government of Telangana is not taking any remedial measures to offset the problem. Talking to media, former CPM MP Dr Midiam Babu Rao demanded an immediate halt to the project works. How could the Andhra government of Pradesh Government go ahead with the project without submitting a detailed project report to the Government of Telangana, he questioned. He apprehended that the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s height would exceed the proposed height of 150 up to 186 feet posing threat to the temple town. The relief and rehabilitation package to 12 villages displaced by the project has not been implemented even 12 years after identifying the villages as the project-displaced villages. The package has not been implemented for 400 other villages that are facing the threat of submergence. He expressed concern over development taking a back seat in eight

mandals merged with Andhra Pradesh. He demanded that the government of AP stop executing the project. Gondwana Sankshema Parishad regional convener Sonde Veeraiah questioned the rationale of going ahead with the Polavaram project despite perceiving threat to the temple town. He advised the AP government to execute the project on the lines of the Pattiseema project. Congress deputy leader in the legislative council Ponguleti Sudhakar said the peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s representatives in the Legislative Council as well as the Legislative Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution seeking redesign of the project to avoid the threat of inundation. The State government had lodged a petition with the Green Tribunal, but failed to mount pressure on the Center, he said. Sudhakar made it clear that the Congress was not averse to the Polavaram project and maintained that the project should be redesigned reducing its height.

GROUND REALITY

The News You Like | January, 2017

A peep into rahul gandhi's slambook I

pM Modi has drawn flak from all corners of the country ever since he announced the decision of demonetising rs 500 and 1000 notes. even a united opposition was formed to slam Modi over his decision and highlight the problems of the people post demonetisation.

RAZA NAQVI

t seems that Congress vicepresident Rahul Gandhi feels that repeating his old statements would help him in making a mark in the Indian politics. Rahul who has so far ‘failed’ to revive the floundering fortunes of the grand old party of India, was in Rajasthan for addressing a public rally in Baran. During the rally, he continued his tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, what he forgot to add was new points in his speech. PM Modi has drawn flak from all corners of the country ever since he announced the decision of demonetising Rs 500 and 1000 notes. Even a united opposition was formed to slam Modi over his decision and highlight the problems of the people post demonetisation. Though there is no denying that Rahul Gandhi did everything to slam the Prime Minister, one thing that has been observed is that he

keeps on repeating his statements. Ever since the rise of social media, it is naive to assume that anything will go unnoticed by the media or the public for that matter. So if Rahul is saying something in any part of the country, it will reach to the masses without even any publicity. Despite all of this, Rahul Gandhi’s strategy is completely different. He keeps on repeating the same statements whenever he goes for a public rally in a State. It seems either he has a limited set of statements or he doesn’t want to speak anything new. In Rajasthan, Rahul said things which he has been saying from a long time. Here’s a look at his repetitive statements:

‘pAytM MeAns pAy to Modi’

While addressing the public rally and continuing his tirade against the Prime Minister, Rahul spoke about Paytm (e-wallet) and said that the company’s full-form is

GROUND REALITY

The News You Like | January, 2017

“Pay to Modi (Paytm)”. While, maybe Rahul thinks that the people were left awestruck after his statement, didn’t he say the same thing on December 8? On December 8, Rahul Gandhi had dubbed demonetisation as a foolish decision by the PM and had said that Modi urges nation to focus on cashless transactions because Paytm means “paying to Modi”.

you hAd proMised to bring blAck Money froM AbroAd’

Speaking about the saffron brigade’s promise to bring back black money from abroad accounts, Rahul said “Earlier, Modi ji said we’ll bring back black money and distribute the money to the poor but later he changed his narrative. His decision has only caused trouble to the poor”. Four days ago, Rahul had demanded the same as above and questioned the prime minister over his promise of bringing black money from abroad. While slamming the PM over demonetisation, Rahul had said that the BJP had promised to bring back the money from foreign accounts and distribute that money to the poor, but instead they have taken the money of the poor and middle-class section of the society.

‘Modi is working for the cApitAlists’

Gandhi said that the Modi government is working for the capitalists. He said that the rich class doesn’t keep cash with them and their black money is either in Swiss Bank accounts or they have invested it in real estate or other things. He accused the BJP government of not acting against the black money hoarders. On December 20, Rahul had said the same thing. He had said

that PM Modi’s decision has only affected the poor and middle-class and that the rich class is still enjoying after the demonetisation. The Congress vice president said 94% black money is either stashed away in foreign accounts or is parked in gold and real estate. “But the PM is running after six percent black money. Not all cash is black money and not all black money is in cash,” he said.

‘lAnd Acquisition bill And bJp’s indifference towArds fArMers’

The Amethi MP while addressing the rally said it was his party which introduced Land Acquisition Bill for farmers to get right price of their land, but Modi Ji tried to stop it thrice by ordinance. “Now, Farmers commit suicide every day in the country but still government did not pay heed to their demands put forward by us,” he said. This is not for the first time when Rahul brought up this issue, earlier he had said that the Narendra Modi government is trying to weaken the economic base of farmers. “This government does not care for farmers. Rural wages have also decreased. Allocations for MGNREGA have been cut down,” he had said. Rahul Gandhi’s image has surely taken a beating, for now. But, he should remember that notso-long-ago, he was the youth icon of the nation. Gandhi’s line of attack is very clear; he wants to position himself as the leader of the common man. But, he surely needs to change himself a bit. By reiterating what he said earlier will definitely not help him make a mark, today’s voters are different than what they were back in the 80s and the 90s.

GROUND REALITY

The News You Like | January, 2017

Curious case of ‘dog’ worship in what can be termed as a classic example of superstition, an illiterate couple worships their pet dog, which was killed by stray dogs 16 years ago, like a deity, attributing all their prosperity to the canine

PARUVELLA SATYANARAYANA

og is the oldest friend of man and their bond is still going on strong. Who doesn’t love the wonderful canines with typical long snout, an acute sense of smell, non-retractile claws, and a barking, howling, or whining voice! We pamper them, care them and are proud of them too! But, for Marripelli Mallayya, a farmer in Kannepalli village of Dandepalli mandal in Mancherial district, his pet dog Ramu that died some 16 years ago, is more than an animal. Nay, it’s his guardian angel, the godsend and the reason for all his prosperity. Unlike other dog lovers, Mallayya did not stop just being sad about his loss. He, who strongly believed that his family prospered from abject poverty to possessing his own land, only after he brought the puppy home, worshipped the dog like God’s messenger. Silly it sounds, but strange are the beliefs of people. Treating the dog as their family deity, Mallayya, his wife and their two daughters worship the dog, which died in an attack by street dogs. Out of sheer reverence for the dog, Mallayya performed the last rites of the dog treating it as a

human being and buried it in his land and built a grave for it and placed the statue of a dog on it. Even 16 years after the dog’s death, they worship it as their family deity. Mallayya’s daughters regard the dog as their own brother and tie rakhi to it on Rakhi Pournami day. The family performs puja to the dog on Wednesdays and Sundays. Going nostalgic about the dog, Mallayya said that one day while he was returning from forest on his cart along with firewood, a puppy followed the cart’s trail. He brought it home against the wishes of his wife. Afterwards, the family began to regard the dog as their

son. They served it as a baby. The couple gave it the name Ramu. Mallayya’s wife, who did not conceive even 10 years after the marriage gave birth to two daughters subsequently. Also, their economic condition improved. He purchased lands and practiced agriculture. They attribute everything to the time when the dog was brought home. When the street dogs killed Ramu, Mallayya wept inconsolably. Though this is a case of sheer superstition, nowadays, when even human relations are strained, the love and affection showered by the couple on the dog is worth appreciating.

GROUND REALITY

The News You Like | January, 2017

Hell hath no fury...

THE NEWS NETWORK

re women in the newlycarved State happy and content? Though promises galore made the women use their universal adult franchise during the last elections to elect the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in the State and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Centre, things do not seem to be all fine at the grass root level. In a meeting held at CPI district office in Khammam last week, Telangana Women Federation (TWF) chief Potu Kalavathi alleged that the ruling parties were deceiving women by making false promises. Speaking in the meeting, Kalavathi said it had become a habit for the political parties to make promises before going to elections and later deceive the people.

women in telangana seem to be getting hot under their collars as both the state and the central government conveniently forgot the promises they showered before the elections

The government which introduced the schemes like Kalyana Lakshmi and Shadi Mubarak prestigiously in the State forgot to implement them with the same enthusiasm. Out of hundred of applications received, only one or two applicants were benefitted with schemes, that too with the help of the middlemen, she alleged. Before coming into power, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao praised the women of Telangana for showing courage for participating in the Telangana movement and inspiring many other people for achieving of separate statehood. But after coming to power, he did not accommodate even a single woman representative in his Cabinet, she criticised. Even the Prime Minister Narendra Modi too did many promises before going to elections which he did not fulfill after coming to power. Attacks on women increased

after Modi came into the power, she alleged. Due to demonetisation, many women who are surviving on small businesses were facing severe problems to feed their families, she pointed out. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many women in villages are not getting daily wage works and are living in miserable conditions. The decision of ban on high value currency is only to safeguard the interests of the rich people but not for the welfare of the poor and middle class people, she said. For the perfect implementation of the schemes along with women rights, all must fight united against the government to teach a fitting lesson, she said. The State leaders of TWF Srujana, Sada Lakshmi, Avuri Latha Devi, district leaders Mekala Veramma, Kanneboina Vijayamma, Mandadapu Rani, Sarojanamma, Mellacheruvu Lalitha and Nalini were present along with others.

GROUND REALITY

The News You Like | January, 2017

norwAy child row

EAM demands family reunion

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nd none could fathom the happiness and bliss of an elderly couple from Hyderabad when they got their grandchildren back after a prolonged legal tussle with offshore authorities. In a fresh such case, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on December 27 demanded that the five-year-old child, who was separated by Norwegian authorities from his Indian origin parents who have been accused of beating him up, be reunited with his mother and father. “We want restoration of Aryan to his natural parents. This is our firm stand and Indian Ambassador will convey this to the Norwegian authorities,” Swaraj said in a series of tweets.

“Our Ambassador in Norway is meeting the Norwegian authorities today regarding Aryan,” she said on December 27. “I refuse to accept that foster parents can take better care of the child than the natural parents. The foster parents are totally ignorant of the Indian culture and our food habits. Aryan was taken from his kindergarten school on December 13 without the parents being informed and was kept at a children's welfare home some 150 km away from Oslo. His mother Gurvinderjit Kaur was also taken into custody and was subjected to interrogation. The child's father, Anil Kumar, who runs an Indian restaurant, denied all the allegations and said that his son was asthmatic. While the father and son are

Norwegian nationals, the mother is an Indian passport holder. With India saying that it will help if approached, Gurvinderjit Kaur contacted the External Affairs Ministry for support in the case. This is the third such case in Norway involving Indian children. In 2011, a three-year-old and and a one-year-old were separated from their parents but were later reunited when the UPA government took up the issue with Norwegian authorities. In another case of alleged child abuse in December 2012, a sevenyear-old and a two-year-old were separated from their parents. The mother got a 15-month prison term and the father was jailed for 18 months. The two children were sent to the custody of their grandparents in Hyderabad.

The News You Like | January, 2017

PLANE CRAZY

Anything for a drink!

etwork Rail worker Matthew Worrall’s behaviour forced the pilot of the Boeing 757 from Manchester to Tenerife to hand controls over to colleagues during landing as he went to reprimand him. The Jet 2 captain was preparing to descend from 30,000 feet when the 28-year-old got through to him on his headphones while he was in the cockpit. But when asked for his passport, Worrall – who claims to be pals with Coronation Street actress Brooke Vincent and two TOWIE girls – began showing off to his friends and said sarcastically: “It’s in the overhead locker and I can’t get it – because the seatbelt signs are on.”

A drunk holiday jet passenger asked its captain: “What’s it take to get a f***ing drink?” after grabbing the crew intercom

The Spanish Police were called to Tenerife Sur airport as the aircraft touched down. It emerged Worrall – who was on a lads holiday – had earlier been trying to flirt with one of the air hostesses aboard the aircraft as she carried out safety checks on the aircraft. Although cabin crew had limited the amount of alcohol given during the journey Worrall continued asking for more alcohol and was “constantly pressing the bell”. At Manchester magistrates’ court, Worrall, of Crewe, Cheshire, apologised as he admitted intentionally interfering with the performance of aircraft crew member’s duty. But he now faces jail after JPs said their powers were not sufficient to sentence him. The incident occurred last August during a four-and-a-half-hour flight to the Canary Islands. In mitigation for Worrall, defence lawyer Mr Ravi Sethi, said: “Having spoken to him he realises how serious this offence is and tells me he’s very apologetic for his behaviour on that day. He has handed in a letter of apology that he hopes could reach the crew and captain.” Worrall himself said: “I’d just like to apologise, I think it was a misunderstanding. I didn’t pick the phone up myself it was knocked off but I did insinuate that we should order some drinks over the phone. I

know if I would have put the phone back the matter would have been forgotten. I’d just like to apologise.” But JP Alison Edwards sent Worrall to sentencing before a judge at crown court and told him: “Have you any idea how other passengers would have felt? “People that are perhaps not that good flying having to see the captain coming out to deal with someone like you. The awareness of other people seems to have lost you all because of alcohol. We have thought long and hard about this and decided our sentencing powers are not sufficient.” Worrall be dealt with in the new year. The trial comes as a drunken yob who wrestled cabin crew after stealing a bottle of champagne on a flight back from Ibiza was jailed. A female passenger was recently filmed yelling ‘do you think it’s f***ing funny’ at other travellers as her partner was escorted from a flight by cops. While a drunken mum with a baby and a lad aged two were kicked off a British Airways flight last month after she demanded more alcohol. (www.thesun.co.uk)

Scenes of sexual oďŹ&#x20AC;ences order of day Entertainment industries world over seem to be taking a wild pleasure in depicting scenes of sexual violence on films and television shows

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f youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve followed movies or television at all for the past few years, you may have noticed a common complaint: scenes depicting sexual assault have become seemingly ubiquitous in pop culture. While depictions of violence against women, in particular, have

been an issue in the feminist consciousness for decades, it seems to have become a much larger phenomenon in recent years. With so many channels on TV and so many series available to binge-watch, showrunners seem to be greenlighting increasingly shocking material in an attempt to hook viewers. But there are some showrunners at major networks fighting back

against this trend. Maureen Ryan of Variety sat down with several of them this week to discuss their thoughts on the industry and their efforts to take a stand against rape culture. Many critics have complained over the years that rape is often treated as a shortcut for character development in female characters. (Sexual violence against male char-

TINSEL TALES Girl” and “Killjoys,” calls sexual violence “the cinematic equivalent of a cheap sugar rush.” She doesn’t blame writers for falling back on rape as a trope in their work, explaining the reasons creators might find it tempting to include in their fiction: “It’s a fast-hitting combo of a lot of powerful inputs — titillation, taboo, character conflict, deep betrayal. In one scene, you could change the narrative arcs of a whole swath of your characters, and that kind of bomb can be pretty tempting for storytellers.” While it’s easy to understand why writers find it alluring it include rape as a plot point, the fact that it’s become so ubiquitous in our culture’s fiction raises other problems. Sure, it’s a quick and easy way to raise the stakes in a story. But when an estimated one in six women in the U.S. has been a victim of a rape or attempted rape, it’s worth stopping to consider whether a violent story arc is in the best interest of a story or character. Is it worth potentially alienating or triggering millions of viewers in order to avoid developing a deep and complex back story? A growing number of Hollywood showrunners, directors and

acters, in contrast, is either treated as a joke or a complete non-issue.) In Ryan’s article, one unnamed female television writer explained, “It’s become shorthand for back story and drama. Everyone knows rape is awful and an horrific violation, so it’s easy for an audience to grasp.” Michelle Lovretta, executive producer and showrunner of “Lost

producers are beginning to draw a line in the sand. Jeremy Slater, executive producer of Fox’s revival of “The Exorcist,” told Ryan he’d started simply throwing out spec scripts that included rape merely for shock value and without a deeper narrative purpose. Out of 200 scripts, he said 30 or 40 alone were scrapped for this reason. He calls the trend “a plague on the industry.” It’s worth noting what all of these shows have in common: female showrunners and writers. While many of the male creators Ryan spoke to preferred to avoid rape storylines entirely, these women prefer to dig in and offer painful, but realistic depictions of sexual assault and the fallout it has on victims. They don’t attempt to wrap up these traumatic storylines within a single episode or sugarcoat the long-term effects of trauma on its victims – instead, they’re using the subject to fight back against rape culture. And in doing so, they’re making a very important point: that being assaulted is traumatic, but that there is also life after trauma. In a world that still often sees victims as “damaged goods,” this is a powerful statement indeed.

TECH OF THE TRADE

NISHANT ARORA

ith the country logging into the digital world to become a cashless economy, the threat of data breach loomed over both public and private enterprises, with several such cases being reported through the year -- forcing the government to wake up from its slumber and prepare for digital war. In one of the financial sector’s biggest cyber threats, millions of debit cards were compromised after a malware-related security breach was detected in a particular ATM network in October. The State Bank of India (SBI), HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and YES Bank were among those which reported several of their customers' debit cards being compromised. India was also listed among the top five in the world to be attacked by ransomware -- malware that forces its victims to pay a ransom through certain online payment methods to regain their data -- as reported by Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab, a leading software security group operating in almost 200 countries and territories worldwide. In September, Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in security software and solutions, reported that over 180 Indian companies were victims of ransomware in the first six months of 2016. Indian businesses lost over $1 million from data losses and downtime in the last 12 months, a survey by EMC Corporation - the world's largest data storage multinational revealed in July. According to EMC, 46 per cent of organisations in India suffered unplanned system downtime and/or data loss due to external or internal security

Beware, hack The News You Like | January, 2017

The Union government’s ‘Go Digital’ drive aiming to bring in a cashless economy poses a serious concern over the cyber security in the country

breaches. Amid this, Pavan Duggal, the country’s leading cyber law expert, lamented that Indian Cyber law did not have adequate provisions to deal with the growing cyber threats. “The Information Technology Act, 2000, amended in 2008, still does not comprehensively deal with all relevant issues in the cyber security ecosystem. India not being a signatory to any international treaty on cyber crime complicates the intrinsic ability of the immense

law and legal frameworks to provide effective remedies against cyber crimes which are committed from abroad,” Duggal said. With increased 4G and 3G penetration, the internet user-base in India is expected to double to 600 million users by 2020 from the current 343 million - so the threat will only grow. “With the surge in digital transactions via e-wallets and other online payment gateways, mobile frauds are expected to grow to 6065 per cent in the country by

ers on prowl! The News You Like | January, 2017

2017,” warned leading industry body Assocham and global research firm EY in December. According to Oracle India Managing Director Shailender Kumar, security breaches have moved information security from a hidden corner of the IT function to a topic of strategic importance to both business and society. “Towards the beginning of 2016, cyber security had started to become a boardroom discussion. It has emerged to be a key concern for IT and business managers alike

this year. In 2017, if security is not attended to, it will negatively impact not only the brand reputation but also the shareholders' trust, revenue loss and result in higher risks for organisation,” Kumar said.

With more and more Indians buying phones, enhanced security for the devices became another concern this year. India is the second-largest mobile phone market globally, with over one billion mobile subscriptions. Of this, smart phone users account for

TECH OF THE TRADE approximately 240 million subscriptions, which is expected to grow to 520 million by 2020, said a joint study by Assocham and Deloitte released in December. The threat gets bigger with more and more people embracing mobile digital payments in the wake of demonetisation. “Mobile continues to be an area of exposure. As we get more and more used to transactions with mobile banking or e-commerce, mobile becomes more of a financial gateway and the implications are huge,” said Anand Ramamoorthy, Managing Director, South Asia, Intel Security. Keeping this in mind, the IT industry’s apex body Nasscom and the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) launched a detailed road map for the next 10 years. Titled ‘Growing Cyber Security Industry, Road Map for India,’ the report identifies Managed Security Service (MSS), Security and Vulnerability Management (SVM) and Network Security (NS) as attractive emerging opportunities globally. Nasscom-DSCI have also established the Cyber Security Task Force (CSTF) initiative that aims to create one million cyber security jobs and 1,000 cyber security startups by 2025. As the year drew to an end, the hacker group ‘Legion’ broke into the Twitter accounts of the Congress, its Vice President Rahul Gandhi, controversial liquor baron Vijay Mallya and TV journalists Barkha Dutt and Ravish Kumar, threatening to leak data that will create ‘chaos’ in India. The government later asked the micro-blogging website to strengthen its security and announced measures like audit of the Indian IT infrastructure and setting up a task force to quicken action on cyber security.

LIFE’S LIKE THAT

The News You Like | January, 2017

THE HAPPY-GOA handicapped youth in Hanamkonda is making heads turn for his envious lifestyle – not of food, fashion and films – but for his love of dogs, birds, plants and yes, happy living

PAYAM SUDHAKARAN

espite having all the wealth and fortune, people still bemoan of not having peace of mind while some others try to find solace in spirituality. Some go around pilgrim centres seeking happiness, some go to Bangkok or Malaysia hunting for carnal bliss, yet some others head for clubs or taverns to bask in the Bacchus delight. But, there is a living example of how to be happy and content with whatever one has in Hanamkonda of Warangal (Urban) district. For the residents of the nondescript Reddy Colony and the surrounding Subhash Nagar, Durga Colony and Lotus Colony, 28-

LIFE’S LIKE THAT

The News You Like | January, 2017

-LUCKY....

year-old Sandip Komakula is the showstopper. When he zooms past in his scooter with natural ease and suppleness, the onlookers smile - a sign of appreciation. For, Sandip’s left hand is stunted and unusable. Yet, he has no regrets. With ‘long beard’ and unkempt hair, Sandip looks like a vagabond, but looks can be deceptive. His love for dogs and trees is evident once you step into his dingy old house. With a pack of dogs and a lot of plants and trees in the vicinity, Sandip, in fact, lives a saintly life. “I love my dogs. In fact, they sometimes turn to be breadwinners. I cross-breed the canines and sell the puppies to pet lovers. I want to start a real big ‘dog farm’, but it’s okay. As long as I don’t have the

required capital, I’m just happy with my dogs,” smiles Sandip. But this income is unstable. Sandip mainly depends upon Rs 1,500 he gets as the monthly pension for the physically handicapped. His father Komakula Ravinder has been struggling to make his both ends meet in faraway South Africa while his mother Shyamala is a homemaker. After passing SSC, Sandip worked with Vijaya Dairy as a milk supplier. But then, he left the job to take care his dogs, plants, rare birds, rabbits and myriad plants. Sandip can drive any vehicle with dexterity, be it a bike, car, auto or anything. Cool, calm and composed, Sandip’s dream of an ‘animal farm’ reflects in his ‘glittering’ eyes.

His elder sister got married and younger brother is a student. Apparently no help in the near sight, Sandip has been waiting for some sort of monetary help from the government so that he can start a ‘dog farm’. However, with no leaders and local authorities coming forward to guide him, Sandip just lives his life – all happy and content. “I feed my dogs, water my plants and take care of my rabbits and birds. That’s my world. And it is such a beautiful world that you have no room for worries. The moment I am with my fellowbeings (read animals and birds) I realise the meaning of life,” says Sandip like an ascetic. While driving back from Warangal to the concrete jungle of the megalopolis through narrow and damaged road, braving the chopped logs on either side as part of the road-widening works and sudden craters in a nippy December morning, Sandip’s smiling face has been reflecting this writer’s mind, just like the merry blackguard in John Hay’s popular ballad The Enchanted Shirt’.

RING OUT THE OLD

The News You Like | January, 2017

A bizArre yeAr thAt the year that has just gone by was marked by a series of weird events, from a youth putting his wife ‘for sale’ on a social network site in Mp to an airplane coming crashing down on hyderabad street

n over enthusiastic devotee biting the ear of another to jump the queue at a temple, a man putting his wife for sale on Facebook and believe it or not an Air India plane falling off a crane on to a busy road — 2016 had all the mix of the ridiculous, the outlandish or downright ludicrous incidents. The year was witness to incidents of all types being played out which made the readers sit up and take note of, some of them kooky and some tragic-comic. Even serious crimes like murder seemed to have

RING OUT THE OLD

The News You Like | January, 2017

wAs... spawned by weird reasons like that of an 85-year-old man allegedly killing his wife and ailing son in their house in Kerala for using the air conditioner disregarding his diktat against it to bring down the power bill. After the incident, Paul Painadathu allegedly tried to kill himself by hanging from the roof but could

not climb the ladder due to his old age, police said. Weird status updates on Facebook continued with a 30-year-old man from Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone district allegedly posting a ‘status update’ on social networking site Facebook seeking to sell his wife for Rs 1 lakh, in order to clear his debts. The woman lodged a police complaint over the objectionable post, following which a case was registered against her husband Dilip Mali. In his Facebook post in Hindi, the man had also uploaded a photo of his wife and two-year-old daughter and mentioned his mobile number for ‘interested’ people to ‘contact me’. Some freak mishaps also ended in tragedy as a 21-year-old youth died of an electric shock after he spat on a high tension wire. Mohammed Yasin was chewing gutka and received shock from a high tension wire as he spat gutka on it from window of the room on the first floor. Hyderabad took the cake when it came to a freak incident in which an Air India aircraft collapsed during road transport! The training aircraft, Airbus A-320, collapsed

and suffered partial damage while being shifted by a crane from Begumpet airport to a training institute in Hyderabad. The aircraft was being transported by road from Begumpet airport to Central Training Establishment at Ferozguda in Balanagar when the crane bars got bent down and the aircraft suddenly fell on a nearby compound wall. Goof-ups galore put many people in unpleasant situations like Manmohan Singh, a 54-year-old farmer of Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit village. Singh does not even know who Vijay Mallya is, but his banking facilities have been terminated for standing as ‘guarantor’ for the liquor baron, who has defaulted on loan repayment and is facing money laundering charges. Singh, a resident of Khajuria Naviram village under Bilsanda police station, was informed by Naand branch of Bank of Baroda that his two accounts were being frozen for standing as ‘guarantor’ for Mallya. Acting on instructions of BOB regional office, Mumbai, Manager Mange Lal froze Singh’s accounts, one having a deposit of Rs 12,000 and the other Rs 4,000. Singh says he does not even

RING OUT THE OLD

know Mallya or anything about his company. “Leave alone Mallya or Kingfisher, I have never travelled to Mumbai or even Lucknow,” he said. The farmer said he had taken a loan of Rs four lakh some two years ago for which he had submitted documents relating to his land with the bank. Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines has been accused of defaulting on bank loans of over Rs 9,400 crore. In Thane, a 40-year-old man bit a devotee's ear in his bid to enter into core area of a temple to offer prayer following which he was arrested. Shivaji Nana Salunke alias Yuvraj was one among scores of devotees who had queued up at the Swayambhu Amarnath in New Delhi on festival Mahashivratri to offer prayer. Demonetisation move of the Centre also landed some persons in strange situations. It was an experience that a 35year-old man waiting in a queue outside a bank in Nashik must have wished he never had. As he was standing outside a bank, he was spotted by his exlover, a 23-year-old woman. However, what followed was not reunion of old lovers, but set-

The News You Like | January, 2017

tling of an old score as the woman claimed that he had walked out of the relationship four years back. The woman immediately informed her brother and father who came to the spot and allegedly thrashed him in full view of public and bank staffers and later, on her complaint, a case was registered against the man. On the medical front, there was some good news for people suffering from unique problems. A needle which got embedded into the body of a 12-year-old while he was playing, was removed by doctors in Thiruvananthapuram 22 years later. The man, now aged 34, had approached doctors complaining of severe pain and swelling on his back side. A scan revealed the presence of a needle on his left buttock. The needle had penetrated his body accidentally when he was playing as a child. Though he was rushed to a hospital, doctors could not trace it bank then and the family eventually forgot about it. However, when Kiran Kumar developed pain and swelling, he was referred to the Medical College Hospital where a thorough examination revealed a rusted

needle, which was then removed after a two hour-long surgery, they said. In Nagpur, an 18-year-old boy had been living with a 18-cm long tail as his family did not see a doctor due to the social stigma and superstition attached to it. A team of neurosurgeons at a government Super Specialty Hospital (SSH) successfully removed the tail, apparently the longest recorded so far, from the back of the boy after its abnormal growth turned painful for him. But the parents as well as the child hid the fact all these years. The defect can be surgically corrected within few months of birth, the doctors said. “When the size of the tail grew and a bone developed inside it, the tail began to press on the boy's back. It was cosmetically and psychologically disturbing for him. Hence the parents approached us,” a doctor explained. The patient was unable to sleep or sit properly. Human tail generally manifests into problems related to bladder functioning — like lack of control of bowel. It can also result in pain and loss of function in lower limbs or legs.

HEALTH BUZZ

The News You Like | January, 2017

Cancer drug has a booster hitherto unknown though, but a study reveals that a brainboosting protein can improve the eﬀectiveness of chemotherapy because depression negatively aﬀects response to cancer drugs

THE NEWS NETWORK

brain-boosting protein can improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy because depression negatively affects response to cancer drugs, says a study. Cancer patients suffering from depression have decreased amounts of brain-derived neurotophic factor (BDNF) in their blood. Low levels make people less responsive to cancer drugs and less tolerant of their side-effects. “It’s crucial that doctors pay more attention to the mood and emotional state of patients. Depression can reduce the effects of chemotherapy and BDNF plays an important role in this process,” said lead author Yufeng Wu from Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, China. Low mood is common among cancer patients, especially the terminally ill. BDNF is essential for healthy brain function and low levels have already been linked with mental illness. This study aimed to discover how depression influenced outcomes for people with advanced lung cancer. Researchers recruited 186

newlydiagnosed patients receiving chemotherapy. To assess their state of mind, they were asked to rate their depression levels the day before treatment began. Quality of life details, overall survival and other data were also collected. This allowed researchers to compare this information with the patients’ mood scores. Results showed that those whose cancer had spread to other organs were the most depressed and this severely decreased their tolerance to chemotherapy. It was associated with vomiting, a reduction in white blood cells, and prolonged hospital stays. The impact of severe depression was even greater. It reduced the length of time that patients lived with the disease without it getting worse. Researchers found that BDNF clearly boosted the number of tumour cells killed by chemother-

apy, acording to the study presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Asia 2016 Congress in Singapore. Patients with severe depression had lower levels of the protein in the blood so their bodies were not as effective at fighting cancer. This reduced their chance of surviving the disease. “Our aim now is to prescribe drugs such as fluoxetine to depressed patients and study their sensitivity to chemotherapy,” added Wu. “This finding can perhaps lead to new ways to treat depression in these patients which in turn may prolong their lives. Further research is needed to establish the effects of different anti-depressant drugs on BDNF levels,” Ravindran Kanesvaran, Assistant Professor at DukeNUS Medical School in Singapore, said.

HEALTH & FITNESS

The News You Like | January, 2017

Relax tense muscles without pain killers

THE NEWS NETWORK

etâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face it: tense muscles during the holiday season are probably fairly commonplace but that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean we should accept the tension and tightness as normal. The stress of the

season often sits in our neck and shoulders, in the muscles of our back, or in our calves. So, what can we do for all those tight and achy muscles without resorting to painkillers and their many nasty sideeffects? Here are some of my favorite natural ways to relax tense muscles:

spray them with magnesium oil

drink some fresh ginger tea

hile it is called an oil, it is actually a combination of the mineral magnesium chloride diluted in distilled water. Since muscle tightness is often a sign of a magnesium deficiency addressing the deficiency is arguably the best way to deal with the tension. According to research in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, the average woman gets only 68 percent of the magnesium she actually needs. And, the amount for men would likely be comparable. In my personal and clinical experience, the best and fastest way to absorb magnesium is to apply it topically to the skin. You can rub a drop or two onto the areas that are tense or spray it on the affected area. Leg cramps, foot spasms, and even tight shoulders often significantly relax within 10 to 20 minutes. Magnesium oil is found in most health food stores. You can also take an epsom salt bath for a magnesium boost.

inger is one of the best herbs for muscle pain, inflammation and tightness. Ginger contains compounds that have anti-spasmodic properties, helping to alleviate the spasm underlying tense muscles. Coarsely chop a 2 inch piece of ginger and boil in a quart or two of water for 45 minutes. Strain and drink three cups daily. Alternatively, you can supplement with ginger capsules or tincture. Follow package instructions for the specific product you choose. Consult with your physician if you are taking blood thinning drugs.

HEALTH & FITNESS

The News You Like | January, 2017

Acupress your way to relief F

ind the belly of the muscle and hold the area firmly with finger pressure. It may take a minute or two but the muscle will often relax significantly with acupressure— the needle-free form of acupuncture. There are many excellent books that show many of the best acupressure points for addressing muscle pain and tightness, but even without them, if you just hold the tightest, sorest spot on the muscles you’ll often feel improvement, usually quite quickly. You may need to hold the affected area a few times for maximum results. Of course, avoid this approach if you have any open wounds in the area or injured muscles, soft tissues, or bone in the affected area.

stretch it out

requently, stretching out tense muscles will help them to release. Ideally, hold the muscle in the stretched position. Repeat. Even if you’re unable to do yoga, some basic stretches can go a long way toward easing the tension in muscles.

breath in fresh oxygen

eep breathing can help slow the body’s production of stress hormones that are often involved in keeping muscles overly tense. It also helps to deliver oxygen-rich blood that improves the circulation in tight areas. Even a minute or two of deep (but not forced) breathing can help release tension. Breathe through your nose and into your abdomen. Your belly should raise on the in-breath. Then, exhale completely.

SPORTS & GAMES

The News You Like | January, 2017

Women’s rugby gains ground in K’taka

however, lack of infrastructure and funds also hamper the sport’s growth in the state

THEJA RAM

itara Indramohan started playing rugby eight years ago, giving the sport a go on her friend’s recommendation. “It is not a very popular sport among women and not even most men understand the basics of the sport. People have a lot of misconceptions about the game. They think it has no rules and that people just fall on top of each other. It is portrayed as a very violent sport. If you ask someone on the road what

rugby is, most of them wouldn’t know. But rugby is a game with very strict rules,” Sitara says. Sitara, a player in the Indian Women’s Rugby team, who has also played at the Asian Games, says that the game is not popular among women mostly because they think it is difficult and do not want to try it. “Most women think that they are not strong enough to play the game but with practise, anyone can play it. It is one of the games with a great structure and a lot of rules,” she adds. There is just

one national level tournament in India for rugby, which usually takes place around July and August. She says that the game is, however, slowly gaining popularity. This year, Karnataka formed its first under-18 girls’ and boys’ rugby team. “The team was formed in September and in October they participated in the tournament held in Maharashtra. Most of the girls, who had a history of playing some sport, were roped in for the team

SPORTS & GAMES

The News You Like | January, 2017

this year. They had only one month’s time to practice but for a team that is nascent they contested against some seasoned teams and they fared well. With practise, they will do better,” said the team’s assistant coach, Tejas N. Sitara also says that the cricket craze in India overshadows the drive to fund other sports. “The facilities for rugby in Bengaluru is also not that great. The government is not ready to sponsor the game,” she adds. Rugby requires a grass field and players in the city have a tough time finding a ground to play on. “’Our practice grounds keep changing. Most recently it has been the CMP Army ground off Hosur Road. Earlier we were using the Adugodi Police grounds, but we need to get permission to play every time the Police Commis-

The boys’ rugby team in Bengaluru was always strong especially when it started off in 1997. There were no kids who were trained after that and the older crowd is now trying to hold the game. sioner changes. Getting permission in Kanteerava Stadium is also difficult as the grounds are reserved for football practice,” Sitara says. The problem is because there has been no grassroots programme where rugby has been taught in schools or children have been trained in the sport, says Zaffar Khan from Khelo Rugby, an organisation which promotes the game. The boys’ rugby team in Bengaluru was always strong espe-

cially when it started off in 1997. There were no kids who were trained after that and the older crowd is now trying to hold the game. Around 300 kids and mostly girls are trained every weekend in the game. In December, there is a five-day winter camp conducted in Sarjapur Road and HSR Layout,” Zaffar adds. Around 180 children turned up for the camp on the first day, which took place on December 26. The idea is to get more children interested in the game and in turn spread the word. “India does have a good women’s team. They are not doing well at the international level but are progressing slowly at the Asian level,” he said. The lack of infrastructure and finance aside, the sport’s popularity has been low because most schools do not have it in their curriculum.

SPORTS & GAMES

The News You Like | January, 2017

playing to the guinness

two youngsters from vijayawada - husna sameera (16) and Allada pavana (22) – made their state pride by creating a new guinness world record for the ‘longest Marathon carrom playing’

THE NEWS NETWORK

wo youngsters in Vijayawada created another world record for Andhra Pradesh. Husna Sameera (16) and Allada Pavana (22) created a new Guinness World Record for the ‘Longest Marathon Carrom Playing’ by playing for 34 hours 45 minutes and 56 seconds at the Dandamudi Rajagopal Rao Indoor Stadium (DRRMC). The stadium in Vijayawada erupted in celebrations when the duo achieved the new Guinness World Record. The earlier world record timing registered was of 32 hours and 45 minutes by Atul Kharecha, Narayan Paranjape, Prakash Kagal and Pramod Shah at the Indian Association Office in the USA on 31 July

2005. Sameera and Pavana reportedly started playing from 8 am on December 25 and played till 6.45pm the next day, with just seven official breaks, creating a new record. The game was monitored by two witnessing judges for every four hours while the event was coordinated by Chief Coordinator of Guinness World Records, Squadron Leader Jayasimha. Thanking her coach and parents for their support, 16-year-old Sameera said the game had tested her concentration, physical fitness, endurance and willpower, and when finally they made the new mark, the moment was fulfilling for her. “It is a dream come true for both the players and the event will ignite passion among youngsters to take up the indoor game in a big away.

One who is good in sports will automatically be good in academics,” All India Carrom Federation president Neeraj Kumar told reporters. However, Sameera had previously achieved several medals in the field of carrom. It was reported that she has won bronze medal in sub Junior nationals in 2012 and 3rd place in South Zone in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Earlier, she had also played nonstop carrom for 18 hours, 18 minutes and 18 seconds with 18 players, and another stint of nonstop carrom for 20 hours, 20 Minutes and 20 seconds with 20 players. She also mentioned that the aim of the event was to create more popularity for the game, while she intend to inspire others to take up sports also as a career option.

CAUGHT IN THE WEB

The News You Like | January, 2017

Mohammed Shami: Latest victim of bigotry

THE NEWS NETWORK

ndian cricketer Mohammed Shami became the latest victim of religious bigotry when trolls on social media attacked him after he posted a picture showing his wife in a sleeveless dress. Shami was bashed by religious fanatics on social media accusing him of being ‘shameless’ and ‘fearless of god.’On December 23, the Indian fast bowler posted a photo on his official Facebook page with wife Hasin jahan. In the photo, Shami's wife is seen wearing a red sleeveless gown which seemed enough for the religious fanatics on social media to flood the comment section and lambast him for 'forgetting his religion' and further attacking him over her wife's attire on the internet. The post garnered over 33,000 shares and approximately 11,000 comments. Shami, who is currently out of the Indian team after undergoing rehabilitation for a knee injury, could not have imagined that the photo would be subjected to such outrage and moral policing. To his surprise, the UP-born cricketer was criticised and trolled by fanatics for posting ‘anti-Islamic images of his wife. Shami took to Twitter, on Monday morning to share a piece of his mind and shut his trolls up for good. He said (in Hindi), “Not everyone can achieve something big in life. Only a few chosen ones have it in their destinies. Keep feeling jealous.”

The cricketer is criticised and trolled by fanatics for posting ‘anti-Islamic’ images of his wife; the post garners over 33,000 shares and approximately 11,000 comments He followed up that tweet with a second one which came out as a knockout punch to the trollers, “My wife and my child are my life. I know very well what should be done and what shouldn’t. We should look within ourselves to see how good we are.” Even though many users joined in to troll Shami over the issue, some quickly came to his defence as well. The most notable of the lot was Mohammad Kaif, who tweeted that the comments were “really really

shameful” and that he will “support Mohammed Shami fully.” This sort of trolling, however, is not something new. Tennis star Sania Mirza has also been at the receiving end of such religious bigotry. She has often been trolled and criticised over her sporting attire and in 2005, a fatwa was issued against her demanding that she stops wearing “such short clothes” and that she should “cover herself from head to toe” while on the tennis court.

SOUL SEARCH

The News You Like | January, 2017

Chakra Beej KriyaSwadhishthan Chakra

YOGI ASWINI

n this series we have been discussing the asans and beej mantras for the various chakras and how one can activate them and strengthen the corresponding body parts. Last time we discussed the mooladhar chakra that is present at the base of the spine. Now, we move to the Swadhishthan chakra. Swadhishthan (Sacral Chakra): This chakra is located two inches over the Mooladhar at the pubic area. It controls the sexual and

urinary system. It is primarily the seat of lower creativity, i.e. a duplication of the self or the body at the pranic level. Its base element is

water. The beej mantra for this chakra is VAM. Take your awareness to your breath at the tip of the nostrils. Watch the rhythmic pattern of breath at this point and with every subsequent inhalation, make your breath longer and deeper. Maintaining the awareness of Swadhishthan chakra, start with the chant of VAM. Keep the chant deep and slow. Continue with the chant as we graduate into the asans for Swadhishthan. Chakki Chalana: Sit with your legs stretched out in front. The

SOUL SEARCH

The News You Like | January, 2017

soles of the feet meet such that the legs make a diamond shape. Keep the arms straight out in front of the chest with your fingers interlocked. Now swivel from the waist, bending forward and reclining back as much comfortable in a circular fashion, so as to replicate the movement of the traditional grinding mill made of stone. Maintain ujjai breath, awareness of Swadhishthan chakraand the chant of VAM. Make seven circles clockwise and seven anti-clockwise, inhaling in half circle and exhaling in the other half. This asan massages the pelvic and abdominal region and helps regulate menstrual cycle. Parivritti Janu Sirshasan: ‘Janu’ means ‘knee’ and ‘sirsha’ means ‘head’. Sit on the floor with your spine straight and your legs stretched wide. Maintain ujjai breath. Gently, bend the left knee, pressing the heel into the perineum/vagina, while your right leg

is stretched sideways, adjacent to the torso and not in front of it such that it forms a perpendicular with the other leg. Maintaining the awareness of Swadhishthan chakra and the chant of VAM, inhaling gently raise your left arm straight up pointing towards the ceiling, and then exhaling bring it down to the right side of your body such that your left arm is right above

your left ear, keeping spine straight. Take hold of the right toe. Simultaneously stretch your right hand and clasp the middle of the right foot. Touch your head to the knee laterally and hold. Then gently inhale and come back to an upright position. Repeat these steps with the other side holding for the same duration. The asan must not be practiced in case of recent or chronic injury to the knees, hips, arms or shoulders. Gaumukh Asan: Relax your body and fold your left leg diagonally in such a way that your left heel touches your right buttock. Now place your right leg over the left leg and touch the left buttock on the side with the right heel. After that, lift the right hand and bend it back and take the left hand to the back and hold the right hand. Your back and neck should be straight. Maintain ujjai breath. If practiced for ten minutes or more it will release tension and anxiety. This asan straightens your spine and improves posture. It stimulates kidneys and alleviates diabetes. It relieves backache, sciatica and rheumatism. Makes leg muscles supple and burns the fat off your thighs. In the next article we will discuss the asans for activating the Manipoorak chakra.

54 TRADITION & CULTURE

wedding gowns traditional saris

CITHARA PAUL

erala-based churches are facing a sartorial crisis of sorts. With more brides shedding the traditional white sari for the wedding gown, they cannot seem to decide whether the western wedding gowns are Indian enough. Though there is a general ban on wearing wedding gowns, various churches are independently issuing diktats against wearing gowns for weddings asking the brides to keep ‘propriety in mind’ while choosing a wedding dress. The ecclesiastical orders generally ask the brides to keep the cultural aspect in mind. One prominent church among them is the Malankara Orthodox Church in Parumala. The church has made it mandatory that the brides should wear sari for the wedding. “We do not allow brides to wear western gowns for weddings here. We expect them to wear a sari and this ban has been on for quite some time,” Fr M C Kuriakose, manager of the Parumala seminary, told a magazine. He insisted that this decision should be seen in a cultural context. The priest said that the managing committee decided to ban wedding gowns as it created a lot of unnecessary controversies. “Sari suits our cultural ethos and it is liked by everyone,”' he said. Another Jacobite priest, Fr George C Kurian, felt that by wearing a deep neck or see through gown, the sanctity of marriage is being questioned. “It is disrespectful to both the church and Indian culture,” he said.

The News You Like | January, 2017

churches down south in god’s own country are in a crisis of sorts. with new brides opting western wedding gowns over traditional saris, the clergy seems to be a confused lot over the bridal wear

But, he insisted that the church is not against modernity. “It is just that we do not see western gown as a sign of modernity or sari as a sign of regressiveness. It is all about propriety,” added the priest. It is learnt that the wedding gown became controversial when a priest admonished a bride who was apparently wearing a “gown with a deep neckline” for her wedding. He refused to conduct the wedding ceremony until the bride shed her gown and wore a traditional sari. The bride who had invested a fortune in the designer wedding gown was left with no option but to do what the priest had told her and the ceremony ended on a happy note. This stand by the churches has nipped many a sartorial dreams in the bud. “It was my long-time dream to see my bride in a gown. But she had to wear a sari to avoid any kind of uneasiness,” said Jatheesh Joy from Alappuzha. But, not all are willing to budge. “I have already bought a wedding gown at a very high rate. I am not going to buy a sari

just because a few priests have failed to adapt to the changing times,” said Neha Sara, who is getting married in January. There are some who feel the real issue is not the gown but its provocativeness. “If the bride wears a western gown with decent necklines and cut, no priest would stop her,” said Susan Bobby, who wore a gown for her wedding. Some see the whole issue as symbolic of the Jacobite Church, which is caught in between the ‘Indian ethos’ and western influences. “Jacobite and Orthodox churches are extremely conscious of its Indian identity. They are keener to retain their Brahminical lineage and Indian identity than the Catholics who look up to the Pope in Rome,” said Geevarghese Mathew, an academician who has studied about the Indianisation of Christianity. Interestingly, the dress of the groom, which is normally a threepiece suit or the traditional kurta and mundu (dhoti), has not raised any eyebrows.

FOCUS

The News You Like | January, 2017

biodiversity for future generations

Villagers of Pinakota Grama Panchayat in Anantagiri Mandal of Visakhapatnam district in AP take lead in promoting biodiversity conservation

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illagers of Pinakota Grama Panchayat in Anantagiri Mandal, Visakhapatnam, in Andhra Pradesh has struck the delicate balance between benefiting from their rich biodiversity, while also ensuring its sustainability for future generations. The 732 residents of Pinakota Grama Panchayat village in Visakhapatnam district depend for their livelihoods on collecting medicinal plants and non-timber forest products like cashew, tamarind, soap nuts and

brooms. The village is surrounded by tropical deciduous forest ecosystems. One important source of income in Pinakota is medicinal plants andrographis paniculata (kalmegh) and tinospora cordifolia (guduchi) used for curing malaria, typhoid, and all kinds of fever. Guduchi can control ringworm in the intestines of small children, so demand for it is high. Hidden among the rich local flora is andrographis paniculata. Locals call itmaha-tikta (king of bitter). It is used for treating infections. Throughout Andhra Pradesh State, about 50 tons

of andrographis paniculata is collected annually. Villagers and tribal communities in Pinakota and elsewhere in Andhra Pradesh collect kalmegh from forest areas; some is grown by farmers. Pinakota produces about two tons a year. Another medicinal plant currently being cultivated in the area is Madhunashini (gymnema sylvestre). Cashew is the main cash crop at present. The village operates a crop rotation system whereby a piece of land is cultivated for three to four years and then left fallow for several years to restore its fertility.

THE PROBLEM How to manage these valuable bio-resources in a sustainable way so that people can receive meaningful incomes without wiping out these resources through excessive demand is a tricky balancing act. Not enough is known about these resources or how best to manage them. The local villagers are vulnerable to unscrupulous business people and traders who come to the village, buy up medicinal plants and sell them on at relatively large margins to pharmaceutical companies. SOLUTIONS Pinakota is just one of several villages benefiting from a biodiversity

FOCUS

The News You Like | January, 2017 conservation project being jointly implemented by UN Environment and the Government of India. Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the project, titled ‘Strengthening the Implementation of the Biological Diversity Act and Rules with a Focus on its Access and Benefit Sharing Provisions,’ has been up and running since 2011, and is funded till December, 2017. The project brings together villagers who collect the bioresources, traders, and business people who arrange transport and process the plants before selling them on to pharmaceutical companies. Krupa Shanthi, a 37-year-old mother of two and head of the village, chairs Pinakota’s new Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC), which is responsible for conserving, documenting and sustainably sharing the benefits of the area’s diverse flora and fauna. It was set up in line with India’s Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and has an office in the village. “Due to the interventions of the project and implementation of the Act, we are able to get benefits from the resources available in our village, and the livelihoods of the people have increased,” says Shanthi. “Key aims of the project are to establish national, state and local level databases on biodiversity with economic potential, help to exploit the country’s diversity in a sustainable way, and get a better deal for local producers,” says Ishwar C Poojar, the project’s manager in India. BMC levies charges from individuals in the area who access and collect biological resources for commercial

Mr rAMesh kuMAr suMAn, Member Secretary, APSBDB

r Ramesh Kumar Suman, IFS, Chief Conservator of Forests, Coastal Zone, has been appointed as the Management Authority with full additional charge as Member Secretary, APSBDB. He said that he started his career as Divisional Forest Officer, Kadapa, Warangal in the united Andhra Pradesh earlier. He also served as Joint Secretary, Education Department, Head, Research Wing of A.P. Forest Department, Conservator of Forests in Audit & Stamp, Accounts wing of APFD and in the National Security Division of NHA in the Centre besides, as MD, INCAP. Mr Suman informed that about 13,000 local bodies are functional in AP. So far more than 2,000 BMCs have been constituted, prepared 25 PBRs and another 89 PBRs are in the process. It aims at constituting BMCs by 2019. Awareness drives will come up for Ayurveda, Pharmacy companies, traders of medicinal plants, BMC members, research departments, universities and colleges, he said. If a biological resource is to be utilized for commercial purposes, the concerned industry/trader has to get permission from the board concerned through the requisite form-1 application and has to enter into an Access Benefit Sharing Agreement. They are expected to share benefits on exfactory sale of the products excluding taxes. The amount will be utilised for conservation of resources used by the companies/traders and also for socio-economic development in the BMCs.

purposes. The fees collected (5,000 rupees so far) are ploughed back into the Local Biodiversity Fund which promotes conservation activities. One example of this is seedling distribution: In 2015, 250 mango seedlings and 240 teak seedlings were distributed to families. “By knowing the powers of the BMC we were able to avoid middlemen in resource transactions and earn more income. The benefits accrued by way of levy fee helped us to think

towards biodiversity conservation,” says Shanthi. “By implementing the Access and Benefit Sharing mechanism, we were able to generate resources for the tribal community by way of fees,” says Member Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board. “This helped us motivate people towards biodiversity conservation. Manufacturing companies who are instrumental in implementing the Access and Benefit Sharing mechanism have also benefited. At the outset, we were able to improve the livelihoods of the local community by implementing this mechanism,” the Member Secretary added. This is the first time GEF has funded a project in India which aims to improve access to biological resources, assess their economic value and better share of benefits among local people.

BUSINESS

The News You Like | January, 2017

rAtAn tAtA

Change in said to be t of friction the THE NEWS NETWORK

When Ratan Tata retired as chairman of Tata Sons Ltd in 2012, he proposed a change in the laws governing the relationship between India’s largest conglomerate and its key shareholder, according to sources familiar with the situation. Until then, the Tata Trusts public charities owning two-thirds of the company - had easily protected its investment. A Tata family member had for decades held the chairmanship at both the Trusts and the company, whose businesses include cars, software and steel. But an outsider, Cyrus Mistry, had just taken the top job at Tata Sons. Tata wanted to make sure the trusts that rely on Tata Sons for div-

idends to fund their charitable work, could keep having a major say in company decisions, the sources said. Mistry agreed, and in doing so sowed the seeds of his ouster from the company last October, according to interviews with more than half-a-dozen current and former Tata executives and advisors, and a review of meeting minutes, emails and a court petition that Mistry has filed against Tata Sons. Mistry’s departure — and the reinstatement of the 78-year-old Tata as interim chairman — has triggered a bitter, public spat that has contributed to nearly a $10 billion decline in the market value of Tata's many listed companies. Even if the conflict is resolved,

the company could face future governance issues as the structure remains unchanged, which means it could weigh on any new chairman. “It is going to be very difficult for an external person to take the role,” said Shriram Subramanian, founder of proxy advisory firm InGovern Research. Mistry wrote a letter to the Tata Sons board on October 26 that Tata improperly used the change in bylaws to interfere in the affairs of the company and created an alter-

BUSINESS

The News You Like | January, 2017

cyrus Mistry

bylaws is he cause s between duo nate power center at the group, which made it hard for him to do his job. Tata Sons spokesman Debasis Ray said Tata asked Mistry to do only what was in the bylaws and got involved in the company's affairs when he was asked. Tata Sons has cited Mistry's performance as the main reason for firing him, holding him responsible for rising expenses and impairment provisions. Still, interviews with sources on both sides and the review of docu-

ments show that the changes in bylaws helped create the conditions that caused friction between Mistry and Tata and increasingly hindered smooth functioning of the group. Over the past 30 months, Mistry met Tata - often along with fellow trustee Noshir Soonawala - more than two dozen times to update them on deals and other strategic decisions at group companies. In several cases, the meetings and explanations led to disagreements, the sources said. Changes to bylaws The changes in bylaws, which were finalised in 2014 after more than a year of discussions, substantially increased the accountability of the chairman of Tata Sons to the directors nominated by the Trusts.

The Trusts can nominate onethird of Tata Sons' directors. The new bylaws require major decisions, such as deals and changes to the company's capital structure, be approved by a majority of the Trusts' nominees. The chairman was also now required to present five-year and annual business plans to the board and have them approved by a majority of the nominees, the bylaws show. The chairman, though, was not directly accountable to any of the trustees, including Tata. The Trusts' nominees were expected to represent their interests on the Tata Sons board, sources familiar with the rules on both sides of the conflict said.

WOMEN POWER

The News You Like | January, 2017

Right to Regulate feRtility women should not be bound to use a method due to lack of contraceptive choices. if it is so, it would be a direct violation of rights. An expansion in the basket of contraceptive options is an eﬀort to ensure that family planning doesn't become coercive due to lack of choices

THE NEWS NETWORK

ne of the most significant ways to empower women is to give them control of their body. To create an enabling environment for them to make decisions concerning their sexual and reproductive health — including when to have children and how many. Family planning and access to contraception is one of the most effective ways of doing so. Every woman should have the right to have access to these services, including counselling, which will enable her to make an informed choice as well as exercise her right to regulate fertility. Women should not be bound to use a method due to lack of contraceptive choices. If it is so, it would be a direct violation of rights. An expansion in the basket of contraceptive options is an effort to ensure that family planning doesn't become coercive due to lack of choices—it should be able to cater to the needs of individuals across demographics, religions, regions and socio-economic class, keeping in mind the affordability and accessibility, says a report that

appeared in Huffington Post. This provides details of four “interrelated and essential” elements of the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health—availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality. However, availability and accessibility of contraceptive services have been of concern to women in India. Contrary to the general perception, most women in India do want a smaller family. The national data tells us that the desired family size is less than two children (desired fertility rate is 1.9 as per National Family Health Survey, NFHS III) and almost 32 million (3 crore 20 lakhs) women’s need

WOMEN POWER

The News You Like | January, 2017

for family planning is not met, i.e., they want to either delay or stop childbearing but are not using or not able to use any contraception for diverse reasons. Additionally, there has been an unequal share in the use of the modern methods of contraception among women and men in India â&#x20AC;&#x201C; where the larger burden has fallen on women. According to the NFHS III, among the total 48.5% use of modern contraceptive methods, men only contribute 6.2% with women

accounting for the remaining 42.3% through various methods, which is also skewed towards female sterilisation (37.3 %). Due to the insufficient access and limited choice of temporary methods of contraception, few countries in the world rely as much as India on sterilisation as a method of contraception. More than one in three (36%) Indian women resort to it as against one in 20 (5%) in Bangladesh. In 2014, close to 150,000 Indian women underwent

sterilisation as against some 5000 men. In 2005-2006, female sterilisation accounted for 66% of contraceptive use. The majority of women (77%) who underwent this procedure had not used any method before they were sterilised, and more than half were sterilised before they reached 26 years of age. In a word, sterilisation has so far been used as a proxy for contraception. These are â&#x20AC;&#x153;wake-up statisticsâ&#x20AC;? that need to be noted and acted upon.

IN MEMORIAM

The News You Like | January, 2017

Adios! The best and brightest who departed in 2016

BY VIKAS DATTA

uman beings are mortal and know it but still can’t avoid grief over deaths, especially when the person concerned seemed likely to go on forever, had discovered a solution to some mystery of the human condition or something beneficial, or otherwise ensconced themselves in our hearts. And 2016 had no lack of occasions to mourn. The year saw us bid goodbye to a number of personalities, spanning monarchs to mountaineers, statesmen to sportsmen, actors to astronauts, directors to doctors, musicians to mathematicians, philosophers to philanthropists and an array of acclaimed authors. And while the celebrities garnered most attention even in death, the biggest loss was of three Americans who helped to make our world healthier: Donald Henderson, who led the global effort to eradicate smallpox; Denton Cooley, the first to implant an artificial heart; and Henry Heimlich, who developed the technique to help those choking and also a valve to remove blood and air from the chest cavity. Also dying was Pakistan’s Abdul Sattar Edhi, whose sobriquet ‘Father Teresa’ offered a perfect overview of his humanitarian efforts in Karachi. Among statesmen, the foremost was of Cuban revolutionary colossus Fidel Castro, who passed away at the age of 90 on November 25. Another prominent leader who passed on was Israel's Shimon Peres -- in the year marking the 40th anniversary of his greatest triumph: the military operation to successfully rescue passengers of an hijacked Israeli airliner from Idi Amin's Entebbe. Other statesman who died were former Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala; long-time German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, who oversaw German reunification and closer European links; longest-serving Singaporean President S R Nathan; Tajikistan and Uzbekistan's first post-Soviet leaders Qahhor Mahkamov and Islam Karimov; Jamshid Amouzegar, possibly the last effective premier of the Shah of Iran; and US President Richard Nixon's

Defence Secretary Melvin Laird, who began withdrawing American soldiers from Vietnam. Then there was Egyptian diplomat Boutros Boutros-Ghali, whose tenure as UN Secretary General (only one term due to US opposition) saw the world body try to confront the horrific crises in Bosnia and Rwanda, and John Glenn, who after becoming the first

The News You Like | January, 2017

American in space, had a long career as US Senator. Royal deaths included the late Shah of Iran’s twin (and more forceful) sister Princess Ashraf, Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej Rama IX, whose 70-year-reign made him the world's longest-serving head of state, and Japanese Emperor Akhito's paternal uncle, Prince Takahito, who at 100 was the oldest living royal personage.

From journalism, there was Egyptian Mohamed Heikal, a close confidante and speech-writer of President Gamal Abdel Nasser; longtime BBC host Terry Wogan; and American Michael Herr, whose ‘Dispatches’, comprising his reportage of the Vietnam war, was hailed as one of its most profound depictions. The world of showbiz was badly hit. Among

IN MEMORIAM singers who sang their last notes were David Bowie; Glenn ‘The Heat is On’ Frey, late of the Eagles; Prince; Marni Nixon, who sang for the heroines in classics like ‘The King and I’ and ‘My Fair Lady’; Leonard Cohen and George Michael. Also to be mentioned is prolific classical music conductor Neville Mariner. Bowing out were actors Alan Rickman, famous as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies; Frank Finlay; George Kennedy, known for his Oscar-winning performance in ‘Cool Hand Luke’; Carlo Pedersoli alias Bud Spencer; Gene ‘Willy Wonka’ Wilder; Robert Vaughn, the last of ‘The Magnificent Seven’; ‘Star Wars’ actress Carrie Fisher and her mother and Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds, who died a day after her daughter. Directors Guy Hamilton, who helmed four James Bond movies from ‘Goldfinger’ to ‘The Man With the Golden Gun’ as well as some war movies; Michael Cimino, who never again replicated the success of his ‘The Deer Hunter’; Iranian Abbas Kiarostami; and Garry Marshall, known for ‘Pretty Woman’ and ‘The Runaway Bride’ also said adios. From the world of sports, the losses included American boxer Muhammad ‘I'm the Greatest’ Ali; American golfer Arnold Palmer; Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Everest; Russian chess Grandmaster Mark Taimanov, who was also a skilled concert pianist; and discus-thrower Nina Ponomaryova, who became the first Soviet athlete to win an Olympic gold (Helsinki 1952). Then, February 19 was a black day for literature with the passing of both Italian philosopher and literary novelist Umberto Eco and reclusive author Harper Lee, whose sole book ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ brought her lasting fame. Also dying were Nobel winners Imre Kertesz, Elie Wiesel (also an Holocaust survivor), Dario Fo, Alvin Toffler (the first to dwell deeply on the social impact of technology) and Irish short-story writer William Trevor. To be remembered as well are US philosopher and computer scientist Hilary Putnam; Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, the first woman to receive prominent awards in her field; British sociologist Anthony Smith, who did pioneering work on nationalism; and US Nobel laureate Thomas Schelling, who used gaming theory to explain conflict. However, one who will not be missed is Bernardo Provenzano, or ‘Capo di tutti capi’ (boss of all bosses) of the entire Sicilian Mafia, who died a decade into his life term.

GLAMOUR VILLA

The News You Like | January, 2017

For the needy o

ne of indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading management firms, the world consulting & research corporation had organised a special event in Mumbai in the third week of december. the wcrc felicitated the best in the world of fashion and business and also organised a fashion show to support the education of girl children. the fundraiser show saw a host of celebrities walking the ramp.

The News You Like | January, 2017

GLAMOUR VILLA

ON THE RUN

The News You Like | January, 2017

Artful arms dealer flees India?

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rms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, who is under the scanner of multiple investigating agencies, may have fled the country, a media report claimed. According to a report in The New Indian Express, government sources suspect Bhandari might have reached London via Nepal, evading a look-out notice issued against him. If verified, this could invite more embarrassment to the Centre with the Opposition already criticising it for failing to extradite Vijay Mallya and others. Bhandari had, earlier this year in June, been stopped from boarding a London-bound British Airways flight. He was charged under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act by Delhi Police in October after the Income Tax sleuths recovered confidential defence documents during the search operation on his premises in April. Bhandari first showed up on the radar of investigative agencies in 2010 for alleged involvement in a contract for the Indian Air Force. He was the main promoter of Offset India Solutions, a company founded in 2008 to dip into a lucrative market that mandated foreign vendors to invest at least 30% of the value of contracts awarded by India in the domestic manufacturing sector.

if media reports are to believed, arms dealer sanjay bhandari, who is under the scanner of multiple investigating agencies, may have fled the country The I-T investigation wing, during the raids on April 27 this year at his residence, had found emails that allegedly talk about renovation of a costly apartment in London in 2010 which was allegedly owned by Vadra, son-inlaw of Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Vadraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legal firm has denied that he owned the London property directly or indirectly. It also denied Vadra has any business ties with an arms dealer or his aide. According to the Economic Times, e-mails and phone call records scrutinised by investigators revealed that Bhandari was in regular touch with bureaucrats, politicians and private companies, especially those in the defence sector. Officials in the investigative agencies said Bhandari's call details records show he was in

touch with leaders from both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress. The documents seized from his premises also allegedly showed that a number of officials from different foreign defence firms were in touch with him on a regular basis. The ongoing probe is also examining Bhandari's links with Thales group, a French multinational company and European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company that makes commercial and military aircraft, space systems and other defence products, The New Indian Express reported. Bhandari, investigators suspect, is involved in Indian Air Force's basic trainer aircraft purchase for which a deal worth around Rs 4,000 crore was signed during previous UPA regime in 2012.

The News You Like January, 2017

RNI No: APENG/2013/48048 P.R. No. LII/RNP/HD/1187/2017-19 (DOP: 1st of Every Month DOP : 8/9-1-2017)