The Observer Volume 19, Issue 2

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The Observer An IIJNM publication

Residents of Bannerghatta Road and JP Nagar suffer due to bad roads; there’s garbage menace too | P2

Vol 19, Issue 2

Website: http://www. theweeklyobserver.in

Open drains on Mysuru Road; residents complain of stink, Panchayat takes no steps | P2

Reasons: Poor enforcement and old habits Shoby Krishna

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Akshay Heblikar, director and trustee of Ecowatch, an NGO, says that the community has to take steps to protect the environment | Credit: Shoby Krishna

easy availability and management. Even though there is a proper waste- segregation bin set up by BBMP near my shop, people still use the bin with plastic bin liners,” B.M. Bharath Bushan, a shopkeeper on Nrupathunga Road who has used plastic bin liners for the past 18 years, said.

“I have used plastic bin liners only for the past six years. Previously, a BBMP truck collected waste directly from dustbins, but now since we use plastic bin liners, it is easy to clean dustbins,” P. Kumarswamy, who has run a

Epaper:https://issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver/docs

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Despite BBMP ban on plastics, shopkeepers use bin liners lastic bin liners, banned by BBMP in 2016, are still used by shopkeepers in Bengaluru because of weak enforcement.

The BBMP’s health department has focused on banning plastic because it is harmful to people and animals. “We have been telling street vendors for the past one month to use alternatives and have placards asking customers to bring their own bags,” Dr Balasundar A.S., BBMP’s chief health officer (west zone), informed The Observer.

Ahead of the strict enforcement of the ban, BBMP launched an awareness campaign on July 15 against the use of plastics. But, interestingly, Bengaluru mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun paid a Rs 500 fine on August 3 for giving chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa gifts wrapped in a plastic cover, according to news reports.

Data from the BBMP health department shows that till August 29, 2.5 lakh kg of plastics had been seized from the city’s 198 wards.

“Using paper bags for commercial waste disposal is difficult. We use plastic bin liners because of

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shop on the same road for 25 years, said.

The BBMP circular clearly mentions the banned items and exemptions. Penalties are imposed under Section 431(A) of the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Act, 2013.

The circular also mentions that the penalty for commercial users of plastic covers is Rs 25, 000 for the first offence.

Though they are aware of the penalty and waste segregation guidelines, shopkeepers continue to use plastic bin liners.

Sunil Kumar, manager of Sri

Manjunatha Silk Udyog, Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road, said: “We are aware of the penalty which is why we don’t give shoppers plastic bags; we offer cloth bags. We use plastic bin liners only for external use waste disposal.”

The Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2018, specify that it is the responsibility of waste generators, be it individuals or commercial establishments, to segregate waste and hand it over to the local bodies.

Akshay Heblikar, director and trustee of Ecowatch, an NGO, said: “Ultimately, it is the people, the community, which has to take steps... to protect the environment. The government agencies and bodies are there to regulate and not all the time implement.”

According to BBMP website, Bengaluru generates 3,500 tonnes of solid waste every day.

Of this, 12% is plastic waste.

Shopkeepers use plastic bin liners to dispose of waste without segregating it.

The BBMP circular says it is necessary to ban plastics as they damage the environment and people’s health. Enforcement, on the other hand is influenced by a variety of factors such as the will of the people to follow the rules.

Plastics have been banned not only in Karnataka, but also in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Telangana. This is in line with the national goal of banning all single-use plastics by 2022. shoby.k@iijnm.org

News briefs National l The IAF inducted eight USmade Apache AH-64E attack helicopters on Tuesday, which will give a major boost to its combat capabilities, officials said. l Pressure groups in the states near Assam have stepped up vigil to ensure “doubtful citizens” excluded from the updated National Register of Citizens do not sneak into their areas.

Local l BMRCL plans to induct more six-car metro trains on the Green Line from October.

International l Hong Leader leader Carrie Lam has said that she has never asked the Chinese government to let her resign to end the city's political crisis, responding to a Reuters report about a voice recording of her saying she would step down if she could.

Sports l India completed an 2-0 series sweep against West Indies when they won the second test by 257 runs in Jamaica on Monday after the hosts' batsman Darren Bravo was replaced by a concussion substitute after retiring hurt l Belinda Bencic stunned topranked defending champion Naomi Osaka on Monday to reach a U.S. Open quarter-final against Donna Vekic, who rescued a match point to advance.

Weather Forecast: Light showers Maximum: 25 degrees Celsius Minimum: 21 degrees Celsius Humidity: 80% Precipitation: 71%

Citizens struggle on roads, BBMP says wait till 2022 Tamanna Yasmin

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igging of roads is causing misery to citizens in parts of Bengaluru’s Mahadevapura zone. The affected areas include Horamavu, Varanasi Main Road, Kalkere, Babusabpalya, TC Palya, and NRI Layout. The onset of monsoon has worsened the situation.

The residents say they have not seen good roads for the past two years. BBMP, BWSSB, Bescom and GAIL have dug up roads and left them damaged. Commuters

BBMP, BWSSB, Bescom and GAIL have dug up roads and left them damaged | Credit: Tamanna Yasmin

meet with accidents.

No early resolution is in sight.

The BBMP says the roads will be repaired by 2022.

Residents, particularly children and senior citizens, suffer breathing problems due to dust emitted during the civic works. They say BBMP has taken little action despite numerous complaints.

Bheemappa Bandikeri, a resident of Kalkere, informed The Observer: “They have been digging the roads from almost two years. They don’t seem to have any deadline to complete the

work. We see people falling on roads almost every day. I’ve filed many complaints using the BBMP Sahaya App. They are least bothered. The app shows ‘complaint resolved’ without the problem even being attended to.”

VVS Rao, another resident, said: “Roads in Horamavu are very dangerous for commuters.

My wife drops my kid every day to school using this road. I’m worried about their safety. Contractors who dig the roads are least bothered about the public.”

Protests go unheeded, P 2

CITY

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The Observer Tuesday, Septmber 3, 2019

Damaged roads cause Open drains on drivers, pedestrians pain Mysuru Road pose a health hazard

Garbage plaints in JP Nagar, Bannerghatta Rd are unheeded

Are clogged with trash, spew dirty water on road

Shivani Priyam

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esidents of JP Nagar and Bannerghatta Road are facing trouble due to lack of proper roads. They say their demand for a permanent solution to their woes has gone unheard.

Guru Prasad, who lives close to Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, Bannerghatta Road, informed The Observer: “I travel to my office and home daily. Mid-way I get stuck in traffic. If I wish to travel from JP Nagar to Silk Board, I have to plan an hour in advance to make it on time.”

Manjunath B Basapur, an autorickshaw driver, said: “Tunnel construction on the Brigade Millennium Road, JP Nagar 7th Phase, has been going on for days.

It blocks our vehicles.”

Manoj Kumar, who runs a small shop in JP Nagar 6th Phase, said: “The garbage dump next to my shop has not been cleared for days. My fellow shopkeepers, a few days ago, complained to BBMP, but nothing has been done. We are tired of repeatedly calling officials for help, but to no avail. Shopkeepers in the neighbourhood complained to the local councillor, but no action has been taken yet.”

The road leading to Anjaneya Temple in J.P. Nagar, 1st Phase has for potholes which have not been filled properly. Shopkeepers in the area complained to BBMP officials, but no action was taken.

Shekhar, who runs a shop close by, said: “The potholes are in the same broken state, as our complaints go unheard. We had recently complained of the same to our MLA, but nothing has been done as yet.”

R. Venugopal, who lives in JP Nagar 7th Phase, informed The Observer: “In my area, I see heaps of garbage lying around for

Citizen’s voice Will bribe-taking rise with steeper penalties?

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, which came into effect on September 1, will bring into force steep fines for violation of traffic rules. With steeper penalties, bribe-taking by the law-enforcers is likely to increase.

Vivek Kumar

Broken footpaths force people to walk on road

There are a lot of broken footpaths around Bengaluru, forcing pedestrians to jaywalk. Footpaths in crowded areas like Lalbagh, Mysuru Road and Cubbon Park, cause problems for pedestrians and force them to walk on the road, endangering their lives.

Arghyadeep Dutta

Meghna Das Chowdhury

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“The garbage dump next to my shop has not been cleared for days,”says Manoj Kumar, a shop owner in JP Nagar | Credit: Shivani Priyam the past 4-5 months. But I have refused to file a complaint in the BBMP office as the authority concerned is highly unresponsive.

The accumulation of dumped garbage not only blocks the way but produces bad odour which makes breathing difficult for us and every night. We also face a problem of mosquitoes.”

Pramod Kumar, BBMP assistant executive engineer, ward number 195, claimed that the municipal body repairs damaged roads after rains.

“We go through the procedure and look into issues of illegal constructions around the area.

Around Rs 50 lakh has been allotted for the clearance of potholes,”Kumar said.

The BBMP guidelines for construction and demolition waste

management, dated March 3, 2016, say: “No waste of any kind shall be deposited at any time by occupiers on streets/besides the streets, pavements, drains, public spaces or vacant sites, or any location which will lead to nuisance to the public.”

Dr T.P.N. Hari Prasad, an assistant professor at Bangalore University, said: “The condition of roads is very poor. This is the major cause of traffic jams. The presence of a large number of vehicles on roads leads to air pollution, which results in smog....

Carbon dioxide emissions gradually increase, leading to the accumulation of particulate matter in the air. This causes dizziness, headaches and respiratory illnesses. shivani.p@iijnm.org

pen drains in front of the Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI), Mysuru Road have become waste dumps. The stinking drains have become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Garbage dumped in the drain clogs it and creates a stink, forcing passersby to cover their noses.

Rain has made the situation worse. Dirty water from the clogged drains has flooded the road, affecting the business of restaurants and food stalls in the vicinity.

“We have complained to the BBMP and the local panchayat, but they take zero initiative. We are forced to clear the garbage ourselves sometimes,” Niranjan, a local resident, informed The Ob› server.

Manjay Ray, a local shopkeeper, said: “The drains have been kept open like this…. I have been here for five months and seen no improvement.”

A resident of the area said that ever since the time the drains were built, they have been kept open. Earlier, the problem was not so severe because the drains were not clogged.

The Kumbalgodu gram panchayat, which has jurisdiction over the area, says it does not get enough support from the government for the upkeep of civic infrastructure.

Panchayat secretary Manju told The Observer: “We have a lot of projects in hand; open drainage is one of them. We do not get enough funds. As a result, we cannot use solve problems fast. In

Protests fall on deaf ears Continued from page 1 hanshyam, a resident of Horamavu, said: “300 km of major roads have been dug by BWSSB for laying water pipelines since April 2017; for underground drainage, they have dug around 60 km since January 2019. Owing to this, roads of Horamavu and its surrounding areas are in a very bad state.”

Venkatesh Murthy, executive engineer of BBMP’s Horamavu sub-division, said: “Due to excessive traffic congestion and nonavailability of alternative roads, it is becoming very difficult to complete constructions within the stipulated time. Moreover, rain is also becoming a hurdle. BBMP intends to complete all the work and restore the roads to good con-

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dition by 2022.”

The affected areas were previously under gram panchayat.

BBMP and other agencies began their work last year. It will take considerable time to complete the works, Murthy added.

On August 24, residents of Horamavu organized a protest. They invited residents from surrounding areas who were aggrieved as well. The protesters carried placards that read: “BBMP: Yes Papa!

COLLECTING TAX: Yes Papa, DEVELOPMENT: Hahaha!” and “EAST OR WEST, ROADS ARE THE WORST”.

A month before that, over 100 residents of Horamavu protested in front of the BBMP office. Tarun Chhabra, a protester who lives on Varanasi Main Road, said: “The

condition of roads is so poor that one can’t imagine walking or driving on them. Every resident is fed up and tired of complaining.

We… were promised quick action, but there is no relief yet.”

After the protest, residents of Horamavu and adjacent areas wrote a letter to the chief engineer of the BBMP Mahadevapura zone seeking restoration of roads in ward numbers 25, 26, 51 ,52, 54, 55 and 56.

Many residents of the affected areas have taken to Twitter to seek remedies from BBMP. Babusapalya Rising, a citizens’ organization, has launched an online campaign.VoiceOfHoramavu, another body, repeatedly tweets citizens’ grievances. tamanna.y@iijnm.org

An open drain clogged due to garbage dumping | Credit: Meghna Das Chowdhury spite of this, we have started cleaning drains and garbage in many places. Next year we plan to cover up and clean open drains in many places, including the ones near FPI.” Ramesh V, head of the civil engineering department, Rajarajeshwari College of Engineering, said: “The problem here is not only about the open drains, but about the entire drainage system.”

Since the drains are open, garbage can be taken out. Closing the drains would lead to contamination of groundwater, Ramesh added.

Open drains are not the only problem. Work on the Namma Metro is under way, making it tough for pedestrians to walk on the road.

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Act, 1964, states that the authority concerned is required to “to remove any existing drain or other appliance or thing used or intended to be used for drainage which is injurious to health; to provide a closed drain in substitution of an open drain… to carry out any work to improve or re-model an existing drain which is inadequate, insufficient or faulty.” meghna.c@iijnm.org

Around the city 5th Bangalore Business Literature Festival Sat 7 Sep, 9.30 am - 6.00 pm 43, Residency Rd, Shanthala Nagar, Ashok Nagar

Team Observer Editor: Meghna Das Chowdhury Copy editors: Shoby Krishna, Tamanna Yasmin, Nissim Jacob Reporters: Shoby Krishna, Tamanna Yasmin, Shivani Priyam, Meghna Das Chowdhury Photo editor: Shivani Priyam Supplements: Swati Ekka, Shivani Priyam, Nikita Gupta, Ankita Mukherjee

Health

The Observer Tuesday, September 3, 2019

SUPPLEMENT

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Is your Lifestyle Killing You? Self-indulgence is taking its toll on the human race, writes Swati Ekka

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n India today, the number of deaths caused by non-communicable diseases far exceeds that caused by communicable diseases like tuberculosis or malaria. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer are classic examples of non-communicable disease.

Sadly, the fastest growing component of non-communicable diseases are easily preventable ones, those dubbed ‘lifestyle’ diseases. These diseases mainly owe to patterns and habits of our lifestyles and the unhealthy choices we make in our daily lives. Lifestyle diseases are spreading like an epidemic, affecting families across the socioeconomic spectrum and shortening the lives of countless individuals who refuse to heed the warnings of health professionals.

Says Dr. Angelin Priya, professor at People’s College of Medical Science and Research Bhopal, “Today I can see that the line in front of the medical clinic in

longer than the line to enter the gym. One should invest more on fitness rather than on drinking, smoking, and eating fast food.”

“Obesity in young children has become a heredity thing; people should guide their children from the very beginning, how to live healthy,” she adds. “Parents should encourage healthy eating habits among their children, because death due to lifestyle diseases is increasing at an alarming rate.”

Physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, drinking alcohol and smoking are the main culprits, say doctors. They attribute even thyroid disorders, polycystic ovarian disease(PCOD), metabolic disorders and various other hormonal diseases that are common in women to unhealthy lifestyles.

According to the info-graphic report by Times of India 0.95 million people in India die every year from cancer, 1.5 million from strokes, 30 million from chronic respiratory disease, 62.4

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from diabetes-related complications and 72 million from cardiovascular diseases.

The info-graphic report also indicates that death rates by lifestyle diseases are likely to increase by 42% in urban India by the end of 2021.

As Dr. Priya notes,“With the development of technology, new diseases have been added in the list of lifestyle diseases such as nomophobia, selfie disorder and colon cancer”.

Nomophobia stands for ‘no mobile phone phobia’ or an irrational fear of being without your mobile phone. According to the research conducted by National Journal of Community Medicine

says that out of 200 students 27percentage are at risk of developing Nomophobia. According to the American Psychiatric Association, the obsessive desire to take selfies and post them on social media at least six times a day also qualifies as a disorder.

Colon cancer, which affects the lower section of the large intestine is associated with low fibre, high-fat diets. Diabetes, obesity, and heavy consumption of alcohol also increase the risk of colon cancer.

“To escape lifestyle diseases, one should develop healthy eating habits and exercise regularly. This will add years to our lives,” says Dr. Priya. But she points out that eating habits are not the sole cause of such diseases. Many conveniences that we have become accustomed to, such as processed and plasticwrapped food also pose a threat to our health.

For example, chemicals in plastics use to wrap and store food such as bisphenol A, can

Lifestyle diseases are spreading like an epidemic, affecting families across the socio-economic spectrum disrupt biological mechanisms in the human body. A high level of BPA in the human body can result in diabetes and heart disease. It also raises the risk of obesity and infertility in women as high levels of BPA in the body also causes hormonal imbalances.

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he recommends that people should follow a few basic steps to avoid contact with BPA plastic such as by avoiding packed and canned food and using plastic containers for microwave cooking and heating (unless they’re designed for those uses). Alternatives, such as stainless-steel containers, should be used for heating and storing food.

Your lifestyle could be killing you.

The Hazards of Healthy Food Food adulteration poses the single biggest risk to public health in India, says Shivani Priyam

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he Public Health Foundation of India attributes 80% of all premature deaths in the country to contaminated food and water. While that might sound alarming, there’s little doubt everyone one of us is exposed to contaminants in the food we eat. Says Dr. Keya Ghosh, the head of Consumer Unity & Trust Society or CUTS, Kolkata, an NGO, “Food adulteration in India starts from the field itself where fertilizers and pesticides are overused. Therefore, one kind of contaminant that is present across all range of food is very high level of pesticide residues.”

Apart from pesticide residues, many products used in everyday cooking, such as ghee and paneer, are adulterated. Use of coloring agents in spices is commonplace. A number of fruits we consume use carbide to ripen faster, which is a serious menace to health.

Fruits, vegetables, food grains, even soft drinks and dairy prod-

ucts are routinely diluted or contaminated to save their producers a few rupees. Says Dr. Varinder Garg, officer on special duty atthe Union health ministry, “For the health of the nation, we must create awareness and prevent food adulteration.”

Children and the elderly are the most vulnerable to toxins in food. In a country where nearly 27% of the population lives below the poverty line, there is an understandable emphasis on making food accessible at affordable prices. However, that’s no excuse for selling them substandard or unsafe food, say activists. Of the government’s “midday meal” scheme for primary school children, Dr. Ghoshof CUTS says, “The food is simply not good enough.”

Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 a regulatory body, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India was established to set scientific standards for the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and

import of food.Among food items prone to adulteration, milk is most commonly diluted with water which makes it lose its nutritional value and addition of contaminated water ensures health risks.

In an age with pretty much everything is mass produced and packaged at distant locations and involve processes to ensure

longer shelf life, the worrisome part is we often tend to ignore that we may be risking our lives owing to the plain fact that we don’t very much about what we consume.

A recent study by the Pollution Monitoring Laboratory (PML) at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) to understand whether GM foods are available in the Indian market, conducted tests on 65 imported and domestically produced processed food samples. Overall, 32% of the food products were GM positive, with a whopping 46% of imported food products testing positive.

Speaking about this issue, Dr Priyanka Rohatagi, chief clinical dietician, HOD, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at a city hospital, says, “Though India has resisted GM food production, there have been instances of such food being imported into the country (including corn, baby food and breakfast cereal), which have been introduced without adherence to relevant labeling

laws.”

Parliament on August 6, 2019 passed the new Consumer Protection Bill 2019 piloted by Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, which seeks to establish a Central Consumer Protection Authority to promote, protect and enforce consumer rights.

The Bill further proposes to strengthen the rights of consumers thereby providing a stricter mechanism for redressal of complaints regarding defects in goods and deficient services.

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peaking on the bill, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan said: “If the product is found faulty, instead of earlier individual examination, the entire batch would be examined. The new bill seeks to take care of product liabilities and service, as well as action against publishers and celebrities for misleading advertisements.”

Arts & Culture

The Observer Tuesday, September 3, 2019

SUPPLEMENT

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Sita’s Story, Poorly Told If you must reimagine an epic, please make an effort, says Nikita Gupta

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hitra Banerjee’s latest novel, The Forest of Enchantments, is Sita’s take on the Ramayana or the Sitayama, if you will. It recounts her life and struggles as a queen, a wife, a mother but most importantly, as a woman. The book also brings out the stories of the unsung heroines of the epic, like Urmila and Mandodari, their intertwined lives, their stories and her story, with and without Ram. The Ramayana has always been the story of Ram, the ‘ideal’ man for a recently imagined Hindu society. In the process, Sita became their ideal woman.A patriarchal society taught young girls the virtue of a submissive Sita, a Sita who goes through an Agnipariksha or trial by fire, to prove her chastity to a suspicious husband. But not of the woman who rejects Ram’s offer of returning to his palace, nor of the woman who nurtures her children by herself and most definitely, not of the woman who is a skilled archer and can lift ShivDhanush.

houseof reads.com

So Sita starts writing her story.

She talks about her relationship with mother earth, her adopted parents, the king and queen of Mithila and her sister, Urmila.

She also talks about her life as a healer, about the gift that enables her to know the medicinal prop-

erties of every plant she touches.

People would come to her from lands far away, if not to be healed then to rest in peace.

Later in the book, she comes to realise that in her love for Ram and living by the codes and ethics of the ‘House of Raghu’, she’s let go of everything that was dear to her: her passion, her skills, her independence.

The Forest of Enchantments imagines a not-so-conventional Sita, a woman whose unflinching love for her husband makes her agree to a trial by fire but who takes a stand for her self-respect when asked to repeat the act.

There comes a point in the story when Sita realizes that her love can’t change Ram and she accepts that with grace.

Sita talks about the unspoken side of love that people generally tend to ignore. In the author’s words, “Once mistrust has wounded it mortally, love can’t be fully healed again.” Love, as with all other human sentiments, is founded on reciprocity and trust.

It cannot be taken for granted.

The book delineates the many

aspects of love that Sita discovers in her journey of life. A hint of the extraordinary challenge ahead comes from her mother’s farewell, from her immortal words, “What you can’t change, you must endure.”

The prologue of the book promises a wonderful tale of love and deceit, told by a woman. But that proves deceptive. Instead of a vividly imagined portrayal of a woman’s inner life, her yearnings and aspirations and delusions, the author ends up explaining (and unwittingly justifies) her husband’s actions. The explanation is the author’s singular lack of imagination. Why would a woman of such extraordinary character suddenly collapse?

Endurance is the acceptance of what we cannot change, a mark of great fortitude and courage in any person. But as the book progresses, Sita’s character seems more defeated, more lost and weaker than she actually is. Her story after Ram, her life spent in Valmiki’s ashram with her children and the influence of sages like Gargi over her, are stories in

A patriarchal society taught young girls the virtue of a submissive Sita, a Sita who goes through an Agnipariksha or trial by fire, to prove her chastity to a suspicious husband themselves, which has been left out of a book that spans 372 pages.

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or the people well versed in mythology or those who have read more critical appreciations of the Ramayana like The Liberation of Sita by Volga (a pseudonym), this novel will prove a terrible disappointment. But it’s an easy read, the author has a pleasant writing style and the book sports a beautiful cover. In these dark days, let us be thankful for the smallest mercies.

The Forest of Enchantments Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Harper Collins, Rs. 599

The Hellfire Awaiting Mumbai Sacred Games is brilliant but requires a sustained suspension of disbelief, writes Ankita Mukherjee

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n the first episode of the webseries Sacred Games, based on a novel by Vikram Chandra and directed by Anurag Kashyap, gangster Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) calls cop Sartaj Singh (Saif Ali Khan) and warns him that some-

thing terrible is going to happen in the next 25days. If his subsequent suicide comes as a shock, it’s nothing close to what he was warning Singh about: an impending nuclear attack on Mumbai!

The villain? Not Pakistan, but a homegrown godman.

Credit: Google Images

To describe the series as over the top wouldn’t do justice to its nuances and great acting. Sacred Games explores the symbiotic relationship between organised crime, the police, politicians and businessmen (and their spiritual advisors) in present-day India.

The story, set against the gritty backdrop of Mumbai, traces the evolution of a street kid in the teeming slums of the city intoits biggest gang boss.Gaitonde, a man of many talents, charms women as easily as he wields a weapon, capable of both compassion for his friends and utter ruthlessness towards those who dare cross him.

But he never forgets his humble origins and,through his tumultuous life,that remains the source of his deepest insecurity.

He fears nothing more than being forgoten,of dying unremembered.Gaitonde learns to turn his fear into his most potent weapon.

He realises that everybody is afraid of something and if he can use that weaknessto his advantage he can manipulate and control anyone. He becomes the leader of a criminal gang, is im-

prisoned and regains his position in the underworld although he’s forced to flee broad.

Gaitonde has ‘father issues’ too.

He is riven by guilt towards his father, who goes to jail for a crime that he (Gaitonde) committed – the lad murdered his mother when he found her in bed with her lover. But it’s the third father figure in his life that turns out to be more than he can handle, Khanna Guruji (Pankaj Triapthi), a spiritual leader who has planted a nuclear device somewhere in Mumbai and that’s set to go off soon. Guruji wants to cleanse the world of sin and Mumbai seems the logical place to begin.

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etflix India has released two seasons of the series, a third is in the works.

Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane have done a great job of directing and editing the episodes. The series owes a lot of its appeal to the clever dialogue and witty lines written by Varun Grover. The soundtrack, composed by Alokananda Dasgupta, is riveting. The cinematography

Sacred Games explores the symbiotic relationship between organised crime, the police, politicians and businessmen (and their spiritual advisors) in present-day India is splendid, with an eye for detail and an appreciation for the kalei doscope that is Mumbai.But the standout is the acting. Siddiqui and Khan are brilliant, ably supported by Radhika Apte, KalkiKochlin and Triapthi. As for Ganesh Gaitonde, it’s almost as if Vikram Chandra had Nawazuddin Siddiqui in mind when he set out to craft this outlandish but thrilling tale.

Director: Anurag Kashyap Cast : Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Saif Ali Khan, Radhika Apte, Pankaj Tripathi, Kalki Kochlin Music Director: Alokananda Dasgupta Release date of 1st Season: 28th June, 2018 Release date of 2nd Season: 15th August, 2019