Author: The Metrognome

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Bal Thackeray is critical

Amid swirling rumours, thousands of Shiv Sainiks and general public flock to Matoshree; all cops’ holidays cancelled till further notice.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray (86), who has been battling a pancreatic ailment for a long while now, has been in a critical condition since late evening yesterday. His condition is said to have worsened over the night.

Thackeray’s son and party executive president Uddhav appealed to the assembled party workers to keep calm and not spread or listen to rumours. “I am confident that he will pull out of this, his willpower remains as strong as ever,” Uddhav said in a 2.15 am personal appeal made from outside Matoshree. “I appeal to you with folded hands to keep calm. I have not yet lost hope and neither should you. I don’t want to hear any news of any of you misbehaving (in the light of his father’s condition),” he added. Balasaheb’s estranged nephew and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray also exhorted party workers to await news of further developments and to keep calm.

Rumours swirled all over the city and country as crowds waited to hear about the exact status of Thackeray’s health. Media personnel and police were seen in large numbers outside Matoshree; however Shiv Sainiks asked the waiting cameramen to switch off their cameras. At about midnight, the cordon around Matoshree was further increased by the cops.

Meanwhile, President Pranab Mukherjee cancelled his two-day visit to Maharashtra.

 (Picture courtesy www.deccanchronicle.com)

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Illegal Bangladeshis working on infrastructure projects

1,121 illegal Bangladeshis arrested this year; Special I Branch has carried out drives at major Mumbai construction sites and malls.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Where are the necessary security checks when they are needed the most? Though terror attacks keep striking the city with alarming regularity, and even as the Mumbai police and State Government admitting that the illegal entry of Bangladeshi migrants into India poses a major security hazard for the state and country, the police have rounded up Bangladeshi migrants illegally working in the city from – surprise! – two big-ticket infrastructure project sites in Mumbai.

In a special drive conducted by the I Branch of the Mumbai police last week on November 8, the cops raided the monorail project site undertaken by L&T, a site where beams for an MMRDA flyover were being made by the J Kumar company, and a 50-acre project being developed by L&T and Lodha Builders in Wadala. Of the 2,200 workers rounded up and questioned, 48 were found to be illegal Bangladeshi migrants.

The four contractors working on these sites and who had hired these migrants have been arrested. The incident raises concerns about valid security checks that major companies are supposed to undertake before hiring help on their projects – such as issuing ID cards after verifying the workers’ credentials, checking their antecedents, etc. With such lapses occurring on major infra projects, it is little wonder then, that the city’s housing societies are often guilty of not verifying security personnel’s credentials before hiring them.

A question of security

The I Branch had, earlier this year, identified the problem of Bangladeshis entering the country illegally and taking up work on construction sites, factories and malls, and started conducting regular drives from June this year. In the period from June 2012 to November 8, the Branch picked up 734 illegal migrants from various spots in BKC, Ghatkopar, Kurla, Pant Nagar, Byculla, Parel, Dadar, Worli and Vikhroli. Till date, 1,121 such illegal migrants have been arrested in 2012, and 250 more have been deported to Bangladesh.

As per a press release issued by the Branch, “India’s security is at stake with the entry of illegal Bangladeshis. These migrants have also been found to part of several fake currency rackets operating in the country, and in helping terror outfits.” The release adds, “Bangladeshis enter the country via West Bengal, and the contractors over there send them for work purposes to Mumbai. They are paid very little wages, and since they are here illegally, they cannot complain about the low wages they are paid.”

(Picture courtesy www.hollypickett-com.photoshelter.com. Image used for representational purpose only)

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A cracker of a song

We wish you a Happy Diwali and present to you 9XM’s firecracker jugalbandi song – and how it was created.
by Prashant Shankarnarayan | prashant@themetrognome.in

Artists have used their voices, daily items and even trash to create music, but have you ever heard of creating music by bursting firecrackers? This Diwali, 9XM came out with an innovative classical jugalbandi – one between Konnakol and firecrackers. The music channel’s in-house team came up with the concept of juxtaposing bursting fireworks with vocal percussions in the Carnatic style, called ‘Konnakol’. The music video’s plot revolves around a strict TamBrahm music teacher forcefully teaching his disinterested students on Diwali, even as people burst firecrackers outside their homes.

Jugalbandi, also referred to as ‘Sawaal-Jawaab’ in Indian classical music, is when two or more musicians challenge each other to a musical duel by singing or playing instruments. While embarking on this project, the team did face three major challenges – to find clean sound samples of fire crackers, to interpret the sounds musically, and lastly shoot it within city limits.

 

To tackle the first challenge, the team decided to record real firecrackers for the project as clear sound samples  of crackers were not available easily. So, armed with a stash of rassi bombs, lavangis, Red Forts, laars, anars, sparklers, whistling rockets, etc. the team headed for an isolated bungalow in Khandala where they burst crackers till their palms turned silver. Every cracker was recorded in mono, stereo and with a lapel as well as a boom mike.

Then came the next challenge, of musically interpreting these crackers and creating a music piece out of it. A responsibility that was handled with utter ease by a Mumbai-based percussion band named ‘Dipesh Verma’s Indian Beaters’. The artists created rhythmic patters with the firecracker sounds in sync with their Konnakol, and later added percussion instruments to the track. Says Dipesh Verma, whose band composed the track, “Initially when we got the brief from 9XM, we were a bit skeptical. But when we started mixing the firecracker sounds to create music, we realised that we were onto something utterly fresh, wild and fantastic.”

As for the music video, the programming team converted the Saraswati Vidyalaya in Chembur into a housing colony. There were many safety concerns raised as the plot involved children and firecrackers, and was being shot in a residential area. But timely police permissions, crowd control and apt handling of the fireworks saved the day. The team considers itself plain lucky to pack up the shoot without any complaints from nearby residents.

Says Sunder Venketraman, Content Head, 9XM, “Other than interpreting noisy crackers musically for the first time, the music video also highlights the idea of going back to our roots and celebrating festivals with our near and dear ones, something that seems like a lost trait in our times.”  The music video went on air on November 7 and is already being shared as a viral on the Internet.

Prashant Shankarnarayan was a part of the creative team at 9XM that conceptualised and created this music video.

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Rakhi Sawant’s hilarious letter to Mumbai CP

Incensed over Digvijay Singh’s slur on her ‘noble character’, item girl wants Rs 50 crore compensation for his defamatory remarks.

Item girl and occasional actor Rakhi Sawant has not taken kindly to Congress leader Digvijay Singh’s tweet that “Arvind Kejriwal and Rakhi Sawant are quite similar…they both try to expose but without any substance”. But instead of getting into a war of words with Singh, who Rakhi feels has cast a slur on her “noble character” by “lovering the image of a Hindu woman”, she has dashed off a complaint letter to Mumbai Police Commissioner Dr Satyapal Singh.

In her letter, reproduced verbatim below, Rakhi has alleged that Singh has passed a “lewd, indecent and outrageous remark” on her by “the said accused Digvijay Singh of Congress Party.” Rakhi has also objected to Singh comparing her “with masculine gender Kejriwal and thus raised question mark on my feminist.”

Read the full letter below (courtesy www.ibnlive.com). All punctuation and grammatical errors have been left intact.

Mrs. Rakhi Anant Sawant,

4001, Imperial Height, B Tower, Best Colony, behind Oshiwara Depot, Goregaon, west, Mumbai-104, Dated -12/11/12 To, 1). Commissioner of Police, 2). Home Secretary, State of Maharashtra, 3). Sr. P.I., Goregaon Police Station,

Subject;- Complaint for taking cognizance on the lewd and indecent remark on me by One Digvijay Singh General Secretary of Congress Party.

Dear Sir,

I, the undersigned and as mentioned above, respectfully bring to your information my grievances with a hope to get justice, as under :-

1) I am a professional and artist and world known stage performer, famine activist, social worker and cultural Maharashtrian Maratha girl.

2) I have been hearing many news channels playing news on me and calling on and reporting about lewd indecent, outrageous remark on me by the said accused Digvijay Singh of congress Party. Whatever I heard about my self and my person, which is said by the said digvijay singh a as… arvind kejarival and rakhi sawant are quit similar…they tried to expose but no substance…”

3) He said that I am a female and cultural activist. I say that said accused has lowered my image and reputation by comparing with masculine gender Kejarival and thus raised question mark on my feminist. I say that accused Digvijay has compared me with political activistwho has no specific base and character.

4) I say that who told Digvijay singh that I have no substabce. I say that I do not know Digavijay singh personally and neither I have entered into any contractual obligation to claim expose to show. Neither I feel that any such elderly person of such old age shall inter into private life and profession in any manner. For the same I have already issued instruction to my lawyer Ejaz Naqvi to issue notice for claim against defamation for damage of Rs. 50 Crore to said accused Digavijay Singh at his address for loss etc. and further calling on him to stop such comment in further future.

5) Prima facie it looks that Your officer and the concerned state congress machinery is inclined to presume and spread the false contention about my person that I am outrageous. Which is too attracting jurisdiction of state/national Human Right Commission I say that the same contention/presumption of Congress Party and is general Secretary Digvijay Singh is baseless and false and I wanted to prove it by enacting Police investigations. Fore the sake of justice and my right to dignified life under the constitution of India.

In the circumstances and gruesome attack on my noble character and log history of disregarding to lodge proper cognizance despite being informed about such remarks on my person, I finally request you to direct to you subordinate to register an appropriate complaint and F.I.R. of outraging modesty of a woman/female, charges of passing lewd remarks and eve teasing, abusing, mischief, passing defamatory remake and false statement and rumour etc against me and Criminal Conspiracy etc. and further transfer it to C.B.I. against the above mentioned accused under the Relevant provisions of I.P.C. u/s. 354, 427, 500, 511 and also section 67/A and 69 of Information Technology Act 2000 etc. and investigate the matter as disclosed in the Complaint and find out the accused etc. and secure the dignified life & legal interest of the Complainant & in the interest of justice and Right to dignified life as guaranteed of the constitution for all the citizens to get justice.

Yours truly,

Rakhi Arun Sawant Adv. S. Ejaz A. Naqvi

(I have been told all the facts in Marathi before signature),
C.C.-1) DG.P.-Maharashtra 2) Chairman, State Woman Commission, Mumbai/bandra for calling the accused Digvijay Singh for his lewd and anti woman remark and proper action. 3). Sonia Gandhi , President of Congress party, 10 Jan pat for taking appropriate action on the said accused Digvijat Singh for lovering image of a hindu Woman.

(Picture courtesy www.tribune.com.pk) 

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Big story

Nobody’s investing in Mumbai’s mangroves

Current economic state stalls ambitious mangrove centre at Bhandup – the city’s major businesses don’t want to invest in it.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Again and again, especially when rains lash the city and submerge large areas of land, news reports remind us of how the city’s fast-depleting mangrove cover could have partly helped save Mumbai. And then we forget about the rains and, more importantly, the mangroves. If mangroves are to be sustained and protected, citizens must learn more about them, and scholars of the subject need to come up with intensive research on the topic.

Suppose you had a place that let you wander around and look at mangroves up close, stare at animals and birds that live inside them, and sit for a lecture or two? The plans and design for such a place is ready and has the Maharashtra state government’s seal of approval. But don’t get too excited just yet – the project is stalled for a lack of funds. The Mangrove Wetland Centre was conceptualised in 2006, got all the requisite approvals and permissions till date, but given the current economic scenario in the country, nobody’s willing to fund the project.

Says Debi Goenka, conservationist and one of the trustees for CAT, “Permissions were the issue at first (for the project not moving forward), but it is not the issue any more. The problem now is money. In the present financial climate, nobody actually has the money for funding the Centre.”

He says that the estimated project cost of the Centre is Rs 140 crore, spread over five years. “The Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC) chipped in for our field studies and the making of the master plan. But finding a single donor now for the entire project is next to impossible. We’ve approached several major businesses for funds, but nobody’s willing to invest. Besides, the project needs a 100 per cent fund commitment to start, so we can’t scout for a part of the funds and expect that the rest of the money will miraculously appear,” Debi explains.

The problem is, he adds, that hard-headed businessmen will not fund the project purely out of altruistic motives. “People are not sitting around to give money unless there are assured returns,” he says.

The project

Designed on the lines of the Mai Po Marshes Wetland Park in Hong Kong, the project was ideally suited to Mumbai because it is a living example of an island that survives on its mangrove cover. It is to come up at Bhandup, along the western coast of Thane creek. An MoU was signed with the Forests Department; the project is to come up on forest land and is to be non-commercial in nature. “We are not looking for any commercial rights on the project,” Goenka says.

Conceptualised and developed by a team of architects and experts from Singapore, the Centre will allow visitors a walk through forest areas and see various flora and fauna residing there. They can also learn about the importance of mangroves for the city’s ecology and what can be done to prevent their destruction. “The Centre will also provide employment to local communities while being a prime example of green governance,” Goenka added.

Hurdles galore

The project was initially entangled in a lot of bureaucratic red tape. “In 2007, we submitted the project proposal to the state government. The government was totally receptive to the idea, and very happy with the concept because of its tourism potential and because no such Centre exists anywhere in the country,” Debi says.

However, despite receiving verbal approval, the project got stuck in Nagpur for two years. “In 2009, we finally got the approval, and it then went to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) for a final go-ahead,” he says, adding that now the Centre has all the permissions and approvals from all the government agencies.

(Picture courtesy www.solingcute.blogspot.com) 

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Hum log

‘Make men a part of women empowerment’

He says men’s engagement with women’s issues can bring about empowerment. Harish Sadani is truly an activist for all seasons.
by Vrushali Lad | vrushali@themetrognome.in

An ad in the Indian Express caught Harish Sadani’s eye in 1991. The Mahim resident was intrigued by the ad, an appeal that read, ‘Wanted: Men who believe that wives are not for battering. If you are a man wanting to stop or prevent violence against women, please write to Box No. _____’.

“I responded to that ad, and so did 205 others,” Harish remembers. We are at a bus stop outside Dadar station, but the unceasing traffic does not once break into his thoughts. “The ad had been put there by the Express’ journalist CY Gopinath. He analysed all the letters he received, and all of the letters were personal perceptions of the issue of violence against women and how it must stop. Of these 205 men, 99 were from Mumbai. He called all 99 Mumbai men for a meeting in early 1992.”

That meeting, and the fact that the same issue had been haunting Harish for a long time already, was to change the course of his life. “I was volunteering with a women’s rights organisation, but their manner of ‘punishing’ men who harassed their wives through public humiliation, was not something I agreed with. So this meeting came at the right time. About 25 men came for the meeting, and one of them was a 14-year-old school boy!” The meeting largely focused on the men’s opinions about how to end violence against women, and was the start of many more meetings.

“We would meet periodically to address the felt needs of men, what needed to be done to address the issue in a different, non-threatening way. We spoke to lawyers, doctors and psychiatrists, did research for a year. Then we came together and formed Men Against Violence and Abuse (MAVA) in 1993; there were about nine of us who started it.”

Harish has been MAVA’s secretary from its inception, and is the only person with a Masters in Social Work (MSW) degree from TISS, Mumbai. “What motivated me was that if I could take on the mantle of responsibility, I could be a part of a large movement for the future,” he explains. Today, Harish has won recognition for his efforts in promoting gender equality, and was the recipient of the Ashoka Changemakers award two years ago.

A ‘sissy’ writes to Smita Patil

Harish was brought up in a Mumbai chawl, an ecosystem where everybody’s homes look into your own and where nothing is really ever private. “I was witness to a lot of domestic violence, both in my joint family and in neighbours’ houses,” he remembers. “I would think about it for long, wondering why men hit women at all. My early life was shaped by my paternal aunts, who taught me that there was no shame in doing ‘women’s work’.” So he braved taunts and jibes of being a ‘sissy’ from friends and neighbours when he stood in line at the ration shop to get kerosene, or when he helped the women with their chores at home.

“I was already questioning gender roles in society. In my teens, I was very influenced by Smita Patil’s films, because she played very strong characters. I got her address from the magazine Madhuri, and began writing to her.” The legendary actress was initially taken aback by the young man’s several questions on gender issues, and what she felt about them. “She once wrote to me saying, ‘Your letters are the only fan letters I have to think deeply about before replying to,’” he grins. “She had a huge influence on my life. In fact, I decided to study MSW after watching her in Umbartha, because she also does the same course in the film!”

Involve, don’t isolate men

Throughout his journey as an activist, Harish has been insistent on one ideology – that men need to be a part of the solution. “It is one thing to identify them as perpetrators of violence, but it is wrong to exclude them. Men are not born violent, they are conditioned by patriarchal society to be masculine’ and they are trapped in this image. We must question this image and break out of it.”

MAVA started their work with street plays, counselling and awareness programmes on domestic violence. “But we did our first big job in 1995, when a student Dipti Khanna became the victim of an acid attack. Private donors gave us Rs 75,000 in two months for her plastic surgeries, but the most touching contribution came from prisoners of Nashik Central Jail, who contributed Rs 12,000 of their hard-earned money for Dipti,” Harish smiles, adding that this gesture built a lot of credibility for MAVA.

“We have always taken a stand on issues, be it the Bhanwari Devi case or the series of attacks on women arising from jilted love,” he says. “In 1996, we started the magazine Purush Spandana, a men’s-only magazine that we bring out in Diwali every year. Besides this, we have started various youth initiatives in colleges, Yuva Maitri, plus a helpline for the youth.” Harish has upscaled his efforts in Pune, Satara, Kolhapur, Bhandara, Buldhana and Nagpur as well. “We are encouraged by young boys wanting to engage with gender equality,” he says. “Their involvement and work is a throwback to the time we started MAVA, and when we took ownership of the same issues 20 years ago.”

 

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