BE "SANE"

“First they came for the Communists & I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist,
Then they came for the Jews & I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew, Then they came for the Catholics & I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant, Then they came for me & by that time there was nobody left to speak up”



The trajectory of Dr.Binayak Sen’s life sojourns you through the hallowed boulevards of a medical college, fora felicitating him with awards of humanitarian excellence & finally halting in a cramped & solitary cell of the Raipur (Chhattisgarh) Central Jail. In May 2007, Dr. Sen was detained for his

alleged involvement with the outlawed Naxalites, thereby violating the provisions of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act & Unlawful Activities Act. Hitherto Sen’s quests for a modicum of justice through his bail petition have been refuted & on the 24th Dec 2010,Raipur’s Session court sentenced him a life imprisonment.

An MBBS & MD (Pediatrics) Sen’s incarceration has showcased the trilogical nexus of the Bureaucracies, echelons of Politics & the Executive. His academic acumen provided him with lucrative offers but he never succumbed to such materialistic temptations rather channelized his philanthropy to bolster the underprivileged. The only Asian to receive the prestigious Jonathan Mann Award, plethora of mobile hospital, schools & rural employment schemes were the brainchild of Dr.Sen.It is undoubtedly heart rending to see that a state that has been the very background of Sen’s achievement in the field of Rural Health Care Schemes has hunted him down with its draconian laws.

But what made Binayak Sen the “marked man” within the Chhattisgarh polity?. Sen is the National Vice-President of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and General Secretary of its Chhattisgarh unit. In this capacity, he helped organize numerous investigations into alleged human rights violations carried out during anti-Naxalite operations. The alleged violations included the murder of unarmed and innocent civilians by the anti-Naxalite movement “Salwa Judum”. Thus, the state governance had its own vendetta to quell Sen’s chutzpah & an unfortunate turn of episodes including fabrication of key evidences & propagating conjectures by the State police was triggered against Sen. Amid such ignominy, there is sea shift in the way the society views such social activists. Nobel Laureates have rallied behind Dr. Sen’s acquittal.”The Argumentative Indian” Dr. Amartya Sen in a letter to the Prime Minister described the jurisdiction as being “unjust”. The Amnesty International & National Human Rights Commission has appealed to the judiciary for a judicial review of the verdict. Spouse Illina Sen says, “There is support both at home & abroad but not in the Chhattisgarh administration."

Even after such a “miscarriage” of justice went unnoticed,Illina Sen still invests her trust in the Indian Judiciary by taking further litigation's to the Supreme Court. In a world were individual eyes stars that glitter & talk glibly, cricketers who can hit the ball hard, integrity, austerity & truth remains endangered”. It is no coincidence that men like Julian Assange, Binayak Sen & many more are facing trials because they mustered the audacity to uphold the baton of truth. A deaf ear to their appeals would churn in sedating societal equity.

LAJJA

A controversial literary composition by the Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin brings the bigotry, fundamentalism & communalism that perpetuated around the Hindus of Bangladesh during the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition.The story revolves around the life of the Duttas who get entwined to the entire chronology of events conceptualized by mindless bloodthirsty fanatics in Bangladesh. An atheist Suranjan who finds solace in the mighty hands of communalism, his father Sudhamoy, a patriot who detests defecting from Bangladesh to India amidst the communal riots, his sister Maya who falls prey to the lustful jaws of human barbarism & his mother Kironmoyee who keeps the photographs of Radha-Krishna close to her & pray for the save arrival of her daughter.

The novel encompasses the entire phase of how Bangladesh was conceived & the advent of its religious fanatism. The dark corners of religious dogmas have been widely highlighted throughout Taslima’s writing. She dauntlessly essays a complete list of attacks on the Hindu Temples, large scale confiscation of lands owned by Hindus, molestation of women etc. Certain Muslim association in Bangladesh highlighted such writings as antisocial & “communal”, thus banning the book & issuing a FATWA against Taslima.

A Chinese proverb says “My Religion is Simple,
My Religion is Kindness”. Lajja demands a rationale outlook by every human regardless of caste, creed or religion to outweigh Religion through the basic tenets of Humanism. The Masjid dispute was complimented by genocides of Hindus by Muslims & Muslims by Hindus. What Lajja highlights is amidst an environment of religious extremism have humans relinquished the ability to introspect. Lajja is definitely a must read for everyone who wishes to read about the savage indictment of religious extremism & how to curb man’s inhumanity to man.

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No Country For These Men

The Galaxy of events that surround our countries “7 sisters” along with regions of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand & Orissa are inceptions towards a civil war wherein the gladiatorial Adivasis take on the constitutional “abiding” Government. Here we have the poorest, most malnourished “people” waging a war against what in our history book was referred as the “people’s rule”. The year has witnessed Naxalism as being the burning topic within the corridors of our Home Minister’s chamber. The sketch up till now puts “our” Government on one side, the Maoists on the other & “our” civil society activists in the middle. With Arundhati Roy advocating for the Maoists on International podiums & Mr.Chidambaram urging the extremists to abjure violence, a healthy bargain seems to be a tough proposition.

The genesis of this conflict can be traced back to the emergence of communist movement in India.The formation of CPI-Maoists led to the mobilization of  tribals from Remote Villages of West Bengal such as Naxalbari (coining the term Naxalites). Annihilation of the Landlord Class & strict military formation were the precursors of the entire rebellion. The region of Naxal militant activity came to be known as the Red Corridor. The entire CPI-Maoists regime were a messiah to the hundreds of unheard cries who had lost their lands to the Zamindar’s through title deed riddles. Demanding stiff reformation in such Remote Villages, the CPI-Maoists were harbingers to the upheavals that would result when MOUs were signed by the Jindals,Tatas,Birlas to extract unexploited minerals from the “Red Corridor”.

The seeds of enmity which got sowed from now led to phases of genocides on both sides of the fence. In a meticulous plan,the Naxals of  Chattisgarh ambushed  & killed  75 CRPF soldiers, a mastermind of a plan which goes down as amongst the deadliest of acts amidst the insurgencies. Killing 75 CRPF soldiers was a heinous display of barbarism & pomp by the Maoists & taints every single iota of  the Tribal development. The other side of the coin bears similar episodes drenched in blood. Contemptuous atrocities inflicted upon the petty peasantry during such rebellious uprising. Taking advantage of such acts Maoists leaders probes the minds of the innocent tribals  & thus a Maoist is born. The government appeals for a ceasefire from the Maoists but itself pours down new army formations within the “Red Corridor”. ”Mujhe ek CRPF jawan maarne ka 500 rs milta hai in logon se….ghar pe bachon ko khilana hai….hamein aur  kuch nhi pata”,says Kashi Naxal throwing  light on how the Maoists leaders are prejudicing the minds of  the innocent  peasants. Arundhati Roy said in a meeting”

The question we need to ask the Indian Government is that Can they leave the bauxite in the  mountains ? “.In some spheres Ms Roy blatantly asks, Is the Indian Republic run by a democratic governance or a corporate enterprise? The Naxal prone area has significant resources - in particular large unexploited mineral, forestry and potential hydroelectric generation capacity. Orissa for example

"...has 60 percent of India’s bauxite reserves, 25 percent of coal, 28 percent of iron ore, 92 percent of nickel and 28 percent of manganese reserves....”.  

What the government calls Maoists corridor, is in fact MoU-ist corridor. You have an MoU on every mountain, river...MoUs signed by biggest corporations in the world who are waiting to gain hold of the resources.Such a pursuit of economic totalitarianism can only have effective results when these MOUs are made public & the  tribals get a clear idea of rehabilation programme by having  people at public forums discuss these issues and take up opinion of those present at the Ground Zero level.The Media should  rise above the biasness & appeasment policy & broadcast transparent coverage of the events at the Ground Zero.It can aid in making the 2 ends meet through better communcation between the confronts.        

                                                 

The Government on the other side tries to increase the Human Development Index (HDI) through development in these areas, but when they build roads the Naxals blow them up, when schools are built the Naxals blow them up, they mine everything and they do not allow development to take place.One violence does not justify others,Be it a Naxal or a CRPF or a Innocent person ultimately more than 900 people are killed in 7 months due to this issue.Thus,  violence which stalks this region may never let development enter its premises.     

Events such as Bhopal Gas Tragedy,Narmada Issue have mocked at our countries judicial  machinery & tainted its authencity.If given similar treatment the complex issue will soon turn into a civil war .The point that needs to be understood by the government is that in fuelling the indusrites with bauxite they should not set the hearts of thousands ablaze & on the other hand the maoists should reach out to the Government not in a spirit of confrontation but in the hope to reach out to a solution..  

                            

My Guardian Angel

Relaxing on the Sofa,relishing the taste of my favourite “bun-tikki’s” & enjoying the semifinal of IPL with my father,I gazed at DRDO’s yearly calender,the bottomline of which says,”HOME SWEET HOME”. For the next 3 days ,their was No waking up early in order to grab the last piece of stale brown bread from the mess, No “dynamics of machines” interfering with the daily dynamics of my life & escaping the scorching heat of Patiala. Luxuriate in using high speed internet & in my Dad’s Sony cybershot which always sparked the photographer in me, made me a busy person even on holidays. My mother, who gives me a “‘V’VIP” stature during such visits, was engrossed in preparing the necessary “masala’s” for tomorrow’s South Indian breakfast—(presumed to be a surprise by her but thanks to my father who likes to disclose every such surprises my mom wishes to keep). Everything was going hunky-dory just like any other day just when..…...

It was my maternal uncle’s phone call who broke the news to my father that my grandmother was dead. The demise of my granny came as a shock for every member of my family, grief stricken faces of everyone around made me recall all the time I had spent with my “Nanni ji”. The ecstasy in her eyes when she opened the doors of her House in Delhi evanesce every iota of fatigue of our journey. My Mother had lost her “guardian angel” & seeing her dissolving in tears made it hard to console her. The series of phone calls & the weeping acoustics that followed made me feel nostalgic. Times of me & granny having hours of conversations flashed in my memory. Till date, I treasure the collections of old & post independence coins which she gifted me.”Nanni ji” used to take joy in showing me black & white photographs of Grandpa & satisfied my inquisitiveness by answering every single question I asked her about the former days. Asking about my mom’s childhood days was the fun part, which gave me enough opportunities to blackmail my mother later at home. My Birthday was never complete till a “Janamdin Mubarak” call came from my Grandma. Spending here life at Delhi she was a witness to the series of changes which took place in the city, the nearby super-market shop owners greeted her & people in the locality seeked her advice & respected the generosity of this old but young at heart lady. She never liked asking for help but was always ready to lend a helping hand to others. An embodiment of a devoted wife, an adorable mother & an affectionate grandmother.

True,the next time I visit my “nanni ji’s” house in Delhi the “ecstasy” which welcomed me would be absent.Agreed that Death might be a reality of Life still Love overpowers it & today as I sit down writing this post I sense the presence of my “guardian angel” waiting for yet another conversation to begin…....

The Chimerian Lady Awards 2010-Part 1

They say that images on the celluloid are mouthpieces to a director’s creativity, an actor’s workmanship & a viewer’s entertainment diet . Right from its advent , when a person intending to watch a movie had to look through a slit made in a motion picture camera to its current ubiquitous 3d PVRs ,movies have survived as one of the most trusted accompaniment of man. Be it the end of a semester paper for Rahul & his college friends or the start of the married life of Mr & Mrs Jacob, watching movies is a default stressbuster & a perfect merriment for all. Some prefer watching “Raj” & “Simran” dancing in the scenic beauty of Switzerland , Some find Quentin Tarantino’s cinematic geniuses appealing to purchase a movie ticket & for many in the crowd movies give them a joyful ride to the 3^rd world. It gives Sanjana,a mere receptionist, to explore the interiors of “Titanic”, It presents the hardship’s of the American soldiers in Iraq through the “HURT LOCKER” & gives a Rizwan a platform to say,”My name is Khan & I am not a Terrorist”….They say,”India mein do he cheeze sabse jyada pyaari hoti hai ek MAA aur doosri CINEMA”.

The last season witnessed some of the most varied works in the art of film-making.With distinguished film geniuses such as James Cameroon giving the world a stupendous blend of technical asset’s & an appaling direction through his 3-d movie,”AVATAR”.This was followed by Cameroon’s ex-wife directorial venture , “HURT LOCKER” where she gives the life of a regular bomb-squad to the silver screen .An enterprise for which the movie grabbed 6 Oscars this year.Tarantino’s endeavour to replicate the times of Hitler’s regime & the Jews vengeance in his movie,“THE INGLORIOUS BASTERDS” was a grand success.Jeff Bridges & Morgan Freeman gave their career best performances in “CRAZY HEART” & “INVICTUS” respectively, for which Bridges got this year’s Best Actor at the Oscars.Some spectacular adapted screenplay were written in Sandra Bullock starrer “BLIND SIDE” & “PRECIOUS”.Merly Streeps again proved her mettle by showcasing her brilliant acting in “JULIE & JULIA”.Regarded as amongst the most versatile actors across the globe Robert Downey Jr. pulled a great feat by playing the protagonist in “SHERLOCK HOLMES”……

For such gifted chimerians, “Chimera” comes up with the CHIMERIAN LADY AWARDS which acknowledges achivements in the field of film-making.The arena of movie-making being vast , a proper reviewing analysis was done & user ratings for different ratings was compared along with the box-office turnovers.The awards are authentic & serious effort’s have gone into selecting the best amongst the best……..Her are our gifted chimerian lady bearers:

a)THE CHIMERIAN LADY FOR BEST PICTURE>>>

“THE HURT LOCKER”

b) THE CHIMERIAN LADY FOR BEST DIRECTION>>>

JAMES CAMEROON FOR “AVATAR”

c) THE CHIMERIAN LADY FOR BEST ACTOR>>>

JEFF BRIDGES FOR “CRAZY HEART”

d) THE CHIMERIAN LADY FOR BEST ACTRESS >>>

MERYL STREEP for “JULIE & JULIA”

e)THE CHIMERIAN LADY FOR BEST SCREENPLAY>>

QUENTIN TARANTINO FOR “THE INGLORIOUS BASTERDS”

(for more information on movies>>>http://www.imdb.com/)

The Chimerian Lady Awards 2010-Part 2

With the hollywood scaling new heights in the art of movie making, the Indian film industry was also not far behind.With Anurag Kashyap’s contemporary Devdas storyline in “DevD” was termed as a mind-bogling effort by film gurus.Regarded as India’s answer to Tarantino, Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminey opened doors to a totally new & unconventional form of Indian cinema.These guys earlier planted Gandhigiri in the minds of every Munaa-Circuit duo fan,for Hirani & Chopra it was now “Aal Ezz Well” that every person was found humming after watching “3 IDIOTS”.Ranbir Kapoor breathe new life into the character of SID in “WAKE-UP SID” & managed to entertain us as a young Sikh aspiring employee in “ROCKET SINGH”. The trio of Karan,Kajol & SRK yet again spelled their charm making “MY NAME IS KHAN” ,a cornerstone in Indian Cinema.Apart from the showbizz limelight realistic cinema also flourished,With movies like,”YEH MERA INDIA” & “FIRAAQ” pulling decent recognition from the movie pundits.The season ended with Indian cinema’s most unprecented piece of work,”PAA”, which won accolades from every corner,be it Auro played by Amitabh or the direction of Balki,”Paa” goes down as Indian Cinema’s most innovative acts ever picturized.”Chimera” salutes the pool of such talented geniuses & awaits many more such endeavours..

Gustaakhi Maaf

Apart from the Chimerian Lady awards for excellence in the art of film-making, “Chimera” also comes up with an allround different set of awards for artists who contributed to Cinema in their own way.The categories to these awards cater to the unnoticed & conceled efforts that went into the making of many production in the last season.Thus,”Chimera” proudly announces the “Gustaakhi Maaf” awards:

1) “Shut Up….Its Original” award:=> This Honour goes to Vidhu Vinod Chopra for shutting the mouth of every person who thinks that “3 IDIOTS” was adapted from Chetan Bhagat’s “5 point Some1”.The echoing of his voice at the film’s post release press conference proved to everyone that if you have not read the book then the movie is surely an original 1…Vidhu Is Aal Welll!!!!!

2) “Wear your Seatbelt” award:=>The movie was undoubtedly gazab,but it seems that Santoshi’s fast written dialogues to Ranbir fast dance mooves & rapid changing scenes all made,”AJAB PREM KI GAZAB KAHANI”,a ride to watch for…..

3) “Bijli ka Bill Nahi Bhara …”award:=>Dark,Dark,Dark,more Dark & the movie ends….yes its KAMINEY’s Director Vishal Bhardwaj who forgot to pay the electricity bills & thus ended up shooting the movie in darkness.His frustration for the electricity board is visible from the film’s title…..

4) “Baap ka bhi Baap….”award:=>The proud recipient of this honour is the Junior B for playing the character of the father of his offscreen father in T.Balki’s “Paa”……Waat en Idea Sir ji!!!

5) “ Best Chemistry of the year” award:=>The award is given to Abhishek Chaubey ,director of “ISHQIA”, for formulating a totally new chemical compound->ch**ium sulphate<- ,derivable product from sodium sulphate which has found extensive application in the field of describing exotica & other day to day proceeding of a college student…

6) “Did you only made it” award:=>This award incorporates the year’s most unthinkable undertaking by an oscar nominated movie’s director,the “Did you only made it” award 2010 goes to Ashutosh Gowariker for “What ur rashee”....12 “types” of Priyanka Chopra,accepted,3:30 hrs of a movie,accepted,....but Harman Baweja is where the slag lies..Ashu, did you actually made the movie because unlike all other DVDs of your movies, “Whats Ur Rashee” has no “Making of the Movie” section.......

7) “Khatrein mein Khiladi” award:=>The real action hero of Bollywood might not have got any award nomination this year but the “Khatrein mein Khiladi” award 2010 goes to Akshay Kumar for his continous failure at the Box office this year.Blue, 8x10 tasveer & de dana dan all fall flat....

8) “Best Distributor/Promotors” award:=>The Thackeray regime are year’s best promotors of movies this year, by promoting “My Name Is Khan”,”Wake Up Sid” through their official mouthpiece,”Saamna”,through rallies & TV interviews......For such effective promotion contact the thackeray's or try using words such as “Bombay”,”Khan”,”Terrorism” etc. anywhere & in any form in your movie & enjoy the T-Company’s distribuitional assests.....

These were this year’s Gustaakhi Maaf award....do send your suggestions for more categories & updates.