Are We Independent? I Think ‘No.’ What Do You Think?

Another 15th August, another Independence Day. The nation is all decked up in the try color to celebrate the most remarkable day in the history of India. TV channels are too busy scheduling the top 10 patriotic films (like Border, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Rang De Basanti etc), FM stations cannot think of anything else but playing “Bharat Humko Jaan Se Pyara Hai”, “Bande Mataram” (Rehman’s version), “Sandeshe Aatein Hain” etc throughout the day. You can see families sitting in front of the TV set, watching the spectacular march past by Indian army and paramilitary forces. But amidst all these festivities where is the Independence? Can you see it? Can you feel it? Can you touch it? Can you decipher it?

Independence means “Freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others.” On 15 August, 1945, India, as a country, acquired freedom from the control of British rulers. We all knew how the brave-hearts broke the shackle of dominance and snatched away the liberty from the firm clench of those Britons. So I’m not going to repeat that tale once again here. But the question is, after 66 years of independence, can I call myself independent? Can you call yourself so? Can I freely express my thoughts about anything and everything? Can you ask the government to show you how they utilize the taxes you pay or how you are being benefited from that? Can you stand up and spit out your anger against the social and political injustice? Above all, what about your collective individual independence?

pic source: Munna Kumar Photos(picasa)

When a country becomes independent that does not only mean that the country is free from any foreign oppression or injustice; that also signifies the fact that the common citizenry of that country is also free from any injustice, oppression, hardship etc.

India, the largest democratic sovereign country, ensures justice, liberty, equality and fraternity to her every citizen.

But –

• Can those little boys and girls working as labors free themselves and ask for equality?
• Can those millions of common people demand an answer from the government using their Right to Information?
• Can you or I stop paying the taxes until the government gives us a detailed account of those each and every paisa we have paid from our own pockets?
• Can an adult person of this country choose ‘No Vote’ during election? After all, if we are independent then we should have the power to choose no one as our candidate to the upper or lower house of the Parliament.
• When a court violates the laws it has set for itself, a victim is left with a no other choice than to accept it as his or her own misfortune.
• From presidential election to Rajya Sabha election, we are just puppets in the hands of the politicians or better say, our representatives. What a sarcasm it is!

And regarding India’s independence as a country - it still cannot decide its own nuclear deals, it cannot prohibit the intruders from crossing the LOC and it cannot make its own choice when it comes to purchasing arms & ammunitions from a foreign trader. And the list goes on…

Still we hoist the national flag; still the school children sing patriotic songs with folded hands; still all the TV reality shows bring their exclusive themed programs on air; and still we proudly call ourselves Independent. 

About the Author- 

Durba Sengupta is a Content Writer by profession. A student of Journalism and Mass Communication, she is a complete bookworm and a movie buff. Being an optimist, she dreams of a day when a few words like poverty and corruption will no longer be in use.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and they do not reflect in any way those of the Dispassionate Observer.

The Olympic Dream

Curtains have fallen on the Olympic Games in London, 2012. A spectacular Ending ceremony was the crowning glory of the greatest sporting event on Earth. Indian contingent fought, ended up getting six medals (two silver and four bronze medals) and showed promise of getting few more medals in the near future. The country went the Hero way, "Hero Go, India Go". Like many others I also eagerly followed the developments and posted in facebook when one of our athletes won a medal. Suddenly we were finding wrestling interesting and badminton enjoyable.

pic source: Sameer Ahmed Photos (Picasa)

However, this euphoria is short lived. India loves its cricketers. They are our national heroes and all corporate support is for them. A good show in national and international circuit ensures a number of advertisements across television channels ranging from fairness creams to motorbikes. Sushil Kumar, Vijay Kumar or a Yogeshwar Dutt, getting a lot of cash reward after their achievement in Olympics, will go into oblivion after sometime. We as a nation love to listent to pulsating music during the cricket matches in IPL and enjoy the game! We like to watch all the antics of film stars like Shahrukh Khan and cheer wildly for cricketers like Saurav Ganguly (whether performing or non performing), Sachin Tendulkar (no more what he used to be), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (all smiles and all luck) and a number of other stars. Media in the country love to report over days on the Harvajan-Sreesanth slap-gate.

As Nirmal Shekar opines in The Hindu, "Let’s look forward to another wild parade through the streets of Mumbai with the boys peacocking from an open-top bus. Let’s unabashedly hail their heroics, throw fresh flowers and encomiums at them even as my fellow professionals try to pull out every adjective in their vocabulary to celebrate the great achievement.

Meanwhile, Mary Kom would probably be running from pillar to post to find a cooking gas cylinder in Manipur, Yogeshwar Dutt would be walking to the nearest tea stall in his hometown, unmolested, his stellar achievement long forgotten.

The peerless Viswanathan Anand’s fifth world chess title would be a distant memory and he would be preparing for yet another tournament that nobody cares about even as Jeev Milka Singh tees off somewhere that nobody has heard of. Birdie and eagles…well, we haven’t been to a bird sanctuary in a while; should make it a point to visit one."¹

The sad reality of our country is that we concentrate too much on cricket as other sports get neglected. I was listening to one anchor in a regional news channel as she expressed her displeasure on the small number of medals for a country with such a big population. She was arguing that poor infrastructure on the part of the government is the main roadblock. Agreeing with the fact that politics have ruined the prospects of the country and infrastructure has been poor there is also one big concern. The Indian mindset has to change. How can we expect great results from our athletes when we just brush them aside as non entities? Only during Olympics we find a lot of national spirit and feel disappointed when Abhinav Bindra fails to qualify. While Virat Kohli finds a problem of plenty to choose from advertisements, Mary Kom knows she cannot expect the same.

It is easy to point fingers at politicians and lament at the present conditions or results. Politicians are part of the society and it is the reflection of the society itself on their deeds. What do we do to cheer our athletes all the year round? We choose to avoid national hockey matches when they are telecast on television for the excitement of cricket. If a badminton match of Saina Nehwal can generate TRP's to the level of a cricket match then gradually corporates will pour in money because they understand business. Now where from will the TRP come if we choose to ignore her matches most of the time?

The governmental fund outlay has improved over what it used to be in the past and the results are showing in the increasing medal tally. However, for a nation to compete with giants like U.S.A and China there needs to be strong public backing behind national athletes. Media can serve a better purpose if they give these athletes good coverage throughout the year. Media also have to look into infrastructural deficiencies and form public opinion for their fast overhaul. They need to report about new talents and raise voice for more and more corporate involvement. Cricket is a beautiful game and the power structure revolves round it, however, it is time that we stop getting disappointed finding ourselves in 55th spot in the final medal tally and look within ourselves to feel whether we are doing justice to other sports apart from cricket in the country. Playing hockey is not encouraged in schools; badminton, table tennis, chess, wrestling or other sports are always considered secondary to academics. Talents are lost when parents pursue a promising badminton player to leave the game for better prospects in engineering. Cricket, though, is in a different league because mothers flock with their would be Sachin's, Sourav's, Dravid's, Dhoni's to cricket coaching centres. They are adamant to see their children making a century at Lords and soon become the sought after advertising model. We cannot expect the good when we ourselves deliver the worst. It is commendable that in spite of being pushed aside these athletes spring up from nowhere and produce good results. They are aware that all their valiant deeds for the nation will be forgotten when Shahrukh Khan will dance to the tunes of a popular Hindi film number with his Knights, post an IPL match.

1. Nirmal Shekar's Column in The Hindu retrieved from: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/nirmal_shekar/article3758296.ece?textsize=small&test=2

Anand at the top of the World

On 30^th May India achieved a new feat in the world of chess. Viswanathan Anand, 42, secured his fifth World Championship title defeating Boris Gelfand of Israel in the ‘toughest’ title clash at the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. He made India proud by achieving this glory and challenge Russian monopoly in World Chess. It was high tension drama. Intensity of the battle made everyone forget that both the players had played 12- classical games over the past three weeks.

pic source: e Khabar (picasa)

In 1988 Anand became India's first grandmaster. He achieved the distinction of receiving the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 1991-92, India's highest sporting honour and the Padma Vibhushan in 2007, the country's second highest civilian award, making him the first sports person in India's history to receive the award. Anand's strong presence in the international arena started in 1995 with his attempt at the world championship crown where he lost to Russian Gary Kasparov 10.5-7.5 in the PCA world championship match.

This is fourth successive world championship victory for Anand. He is the only player in the history of chess to win the world championship in all the formats- knockout, round- robin tournament and individual matches.

Anand will be the world champion till his next title clash, which will make him the world champion for a cumulative nine years now (2000-2002 and 2007- 2014). He pocketed about USD 1.4 million- 55 percent of the total prize fund of USD 2.55 million- while Gelfand got the remaining amount. No doubt it was a great moment for India.

However, for Indians sports means only cricket. Others hardly find support. We forget that there are sports persons across disciplines who made Indian proud. The athletes had an impressive show in the Commonwealth Games. Proper infrastructure can do wonders for sports in the country. The focus must shift beyond cricket. Three weeks long match between Anand and Gelfand hardly got space and time in media because at that time people were glued to the IPL. Fortunately when Anand won the title IPL was just over so he got proper media attention.

It is a pity that achievers like Indian Kabaddi champions, boxers, weight lifters stayed in darkness and were treated badly by the authorities. They were deprived of the honour which they deserved. Hope things will change for good and India will soon be a super power in the sports arena.

About the Author-

Moon Jana is an announcer at All India Radio, Siliguri, West Bengal, India. She did her Masters in Journalism & Mass Communication from Visva-Bharati University.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and they do not reflect in any way those of the Dispassionate Observer.

On 30^th May India achieved a new feat in the world of chess. Viswanathan Anand, 42, secured his fifth World Championship title defeating Boris Gelfand of Israel in the ‘toughest’ title clash at the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. He made India proud by achieving this glory and challenge Russian monopoly in World Chess. It was high tension drama. Intensity of the battle made everyone forget that both the players had played 12- classical games over the past three weeks.

In 1988 Anand became India's first grandmaster. He achieved the distinction of receiving the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 1991-92, India's highest sporting honour and the Padma Vibhushan in 2007, the country's second highest civilian award, making him the first sports person in India's history to receive the award. Anand's strong presence in the international arena started in 1995 with his attempt at the world championship crown where he lost to Russian Gary Kasparov 10.5-7.5 in the PCA world championship match.

This is fourth successive world championship victory for Anand. He is the only player in the history of chess to win the world championship in all the formats- knockout, round- robin tournament and individual matches.

Anand will be the world champion till his next title clash, which will make him the world champion for a cumulative nine years now (2000-2002 and 2007- 2014). He pocketed approximately USD 1.4 million- 55 percent of the total prize fund of USD 2.55 million- while Gelfand got the remaining amount. No doubt it was a great moment for India.

However, for Indians sports means only cricket. Others hardly find support. We forget that there are sports persons across disciplines who made Indian proud. The athletes had an impressive show in the Commonwealth Games. Proper infrastructure can do wonders for sports in the country. The focus must shift beyond cricket. Three weeks long match between Anand and Gelfand hardly got space and time in media because at that time people were glued to the IPL. Fortunately when Anand won the title IPL was just over so he got proper media attention.

It is a pity that achievers like Indian Kabaddi champions, boxers, weight lifters stayed in darkness and were treated badly by the authorities. They were deprived of the honour which they deserved. Hope things will change for good and India will soon be a super power in the sports arena.

Yet Another Beginning

Wish I could fly like Spiderman and scream with joy, "I am back, I am back!" I know posts in Dispassionate Observer are irregular. I can't help it..Trying to fix this for months though..alas not finding much success..Hope this time Dispassionate Observer will not disappoint. It is now a fact that this blog has been accepted by some readers and hence the page views have swelled. I am happy to see that Dispassionate Observer has gone past 10,000 page views.  I didn't expect this when I started the blog given the long absence of any posts. Thanks a lot to all those who considered it worthwhile to read the articles and thought pieces.

The problems for me compounded when I understood that I am experiencing a writer's block. My mind went blank, devoid of any ideas to work on. I turned to books, read a number of them but still the flow was not there.  Not only my blog, I promised to write for some other websites who really had beautiful plans. I know I have not done justice to them but somehow I was not feeling like writing anything.

Dispassionate Observer will hopefully do justice this time. There will be regular posts from me and a number of other authors who have made this blog what it is today. In this month of London Olympics Dispassionate Observer wishes best of luck to the Indian contingent. Depressing news about events have been the order of the day, an event like Olympics will provide some fresh air and enjoyment worldwide.

Resilient KKR Brings Trophy Home

picture source: Sahil Deewana (picasa)

The wait is finally over. No more anxious moments to touch the beautiful IPL trophy and Shahrukh Khan can now stop wearing his lucky black tees and same jeans to make his team win.

After digesting a lot of controversies the wind finally turned in favour of Khan’s Riders. Already the evening shower brought a bit of relief to the city, but the sweet midnight storm was much more reliving.

Dhoni failed to make a hat trick of wins in the IPL . The way his team performed in last few matches it appeared they will be hard to beat in their own backyard. The credit goes to the Knights specially – Gautam, Bisla, Kallis, Manoj and Narine.

It no more remained just a game. For the emotional people of Kolkata it was like a dream come true. It was their belief that the team could win and finally their belief turned into reality.

Gautam (Gautam Gambhir) proved it was the team spirit that led them to success. King Khan who always believed in "Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo"( we will do it, fight and finally win) kept the flames alive and finally he was rewarded with a grand victory. 

Dada’s (Sourav Ganguly) sixth sense got it right and the night turned out to be lucky for the Knights. Co-owner Juhi’s (Juhi Chawla) promise to Mamtaji (The Chief Minister of West Bengal) to return to Bengal with the cup finally turned out to be true.

After going through all types of experiences in the past years Kolkata Knight Riders finally achieved their desired goal. People of West Bengal had a peaceful sleep as they basked in the glory of being the top team in India. 

‘Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo’ anthem worked out this season. Team spirit, hard work, belief and excellent execution helped them to lift the DLF IPL Cup 2012.

About the Author-

Anwesha Guha Thakurta  is student of Journalism & Mass Communication at Muralidhar Girls College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and they do not reflect in any way those of the Dispassionate Observer.

Why Are We So Wrong To Girl Child, India?

India envisages to become a developed nation. However, due to her so-called superstitious traditional culture she is unable to cope with modern world. Some beliefs and practices are acting as hurdle to her progress. In this country women are not getting the respect which they should get. According to Indian Constitution everyone should get equal opportunity to progress.

picture source: Savio Sebastian (picasa)

India is a land where female gods are worshipped, however, in practice the society is patriarchal. Mother is an important factor but if she gives birth to a female child then she is abused by the family. Through scientific methods it can be detected whether the baby is a boy or a girl when it is inside the womb. So called cultured people irrespective of education are taking the advantage of advanced technologies illegally and are wasting no time in destroying the baby if it turns out to be a girl. Most are happy with male child. According to them their future will be protected by their sons and they will earn lots of money. Even they will also help maintain their lineage and heredity. At times the mother is held responsible for the birth of a female child but those who are aware of medical science know it better that the male chromosome Y can only be given by the male partner. In spite of knowing all this many women are tortured, killed and even compelled to commit suicide. During pregnancy women are subject to brutal torture to kill the female baby which even lead to death of the mother. In India steps were taken against female infanticide which lead to reduced instances of such cases. Now the disturbing trend has again surfaced.

Almost every day if we open any newspaper or news channel we hear or read news about female infanticide. Government has enactments in place against such killings but it is not enough. Before elections all ministers shout they will do for the society but once they are elected they are of no use. In India the president is a woman, there are female ministers and number of entrepreneurs are women. My question to them is what are they are doing? Aren’t they reading newspapers? Why can't they do anything despite being in seats of power? Who will reply to all these questions? Now it’s high time for common women to raise their voice against female infanticide. If this system persists then a situation will arise when female population of India will decline which is alarming for the days to come.

We can not move towards modernisation with our illogical, illegal, unethical, inhuman, immoral and unjustified Hippocratic culture. Detection of sex before birth is illegal and punishable crime but in every part of the country it is happening. Harsh punishments should be imposed on the criminals who indulge in this act. The notion that male child is more likely to ensure well protected future for parents is proving to be useless in modern society. Research has shown that female children are actually taking care of their parents even after their marriage while the male ones are failing to keep their word.

About the Author- 

Nilika Banerjee is student of Journalism & Mass Communication at Rani Birla Girl's College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and they do not reflect in any way those of the Dispassionate Observer.

Satyameva Jayate- Promise of a New Dawn

“Pehle Sunday ko subah aap Mahabharat dekhte the, aab dekhiye aaj ka bharat”- enough to invoke interest to see today’s ‘Bharat’. This is what Satyamev Jayate is all about . Innovative in its advertising campaign, Satyamev Jayate has already succeeded in capturing the mind space of the audience. The campaign, prior to the launch of the serial, had an element of suspense which was built up in a skillful manner. From its first advertisement itself it remained interesting. People became curious to see the next advertisement. One by one, step by step it unfolded its features in a conscious and strategic way.“Entertainment ka matlab sirf hasana nehi, mujhe to lagta hai public ko gussa ana chahiye”, “Sunday subah der se soiye, saat baje tak, aath baje tak, nau baje tak, daas baje tak, fir to main aa hi raha hu aap ko jagane k liye”- this is how Aamir Khan created strong curiosity about this show.

                             picture source:Hammad Hassan (picasa)

                               

 

Satyameva Jayate did not appear as an advertisement of any product or a show. It was just about a person (not a star) who talks with his friends or anyone about a matter. Informal in style but highly focused. “ Sunday subah ghar ka sara kaam jaldi kar lijiye, fir main aa raha hu, kuch baat karni hai”. Its seemed like a person who comes to your doorstep and reminds you about the meeting where you have to be present. It directly addressed the audience and convinced them to be ready for discussion .

In first two or three advertisements people could not figure out whether it’s an advertisement or has something more to it. In first advertisement there was no direct approach or testimonials from the star about the show. So, people had no clue what was going on. This resulted in heightened curiosity.

Another ingredient of this successful ad campaign is ‘Aamir Khan’ himself. People know him as a perfectionist. They have lots of expectation from him. Many are watching this show because of him. They are aware that Amir Khan, of late, has been associated with projects which are classy and not run of the mill. He sums up the objective of the show- ‘Sirf hungama khara karna mera maksad nehi. Meri kosis hai k yeh surat badalni chahiye. Mere sine me nehi to tere sine me sahi. Ho kahi bhi aag, lekin jalni chahiye” A bold step to make positive changes in Indian society by taking on age old evil practices. However, aware of media which believes more on sensational practices rather than actual good, he vows to make this show different in all aspects. A show that can really make some difference. Satyameva Jayate Amir Khan!

About the Author-

Moon Jana is an announcer at All India Radio, Siliguri, West Bengal, India. She did her Masters in Journalism & Mass Communication from Visva-Bharati University.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and they do not reflect in any way those of the Dispassionate Observer.