Author: The Metrognome

Categories
Big story

Mumbai clocks in 300% rise in crimes against women

A White paper recently released by the Praja Foundation reveals South Mumbai is perceived most unsafe, conviction rates are dismally low.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Even as the city grapples with rising criminal activity, a very grim picture about crimes against women has surfaced in Mumbai. According to a research paper released by the city-based Praja Foundation, there has been a staggering 390% rise in rapes from the year 2011 to 2014, while molestation cases have gone up by 347% in the same period.

The report analysed data gathered under RTI (Right to Information) and found that Mumbai has lost its ‘safe city’ tag, especially for women. “Within a span of four years (2010-11 to 2014-15), reporting of rape cases has increased to 390% and molestation to 347%. From 2013-14 to 2014-15, the cases of rape and molestation have gone up by 49% and 39% respectively. Conviction for rape was just 27%,” the report states.

Nitai Mehta, Founder and Managing Trustee of Praja Foundation observes, “In serious offence cases, particularly rape, chargesheets are filed under the direction responsibility of a senior officer of the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police, and prosecuted only when there is enough evidence and witnesses to prosecute the accused. Still the conviction rates are low.”

To further understand the issue and find solutions, Praja initiated a study to understand the life cycle of a serious offense case in the first court of trial, various stages that it goes through and its outcome. The study confined it to Sessions Courts of Mumbai with the understanding that as per the law, most of the serious offences are tried in these courts. Of the 550 cases studied so far, only 127 were convicted and even in them the conviction in 34 cases was on a lesser offence; there was no perjury initiated when witness turned hostile; eight months were taken to file charges for rape cases.

Mehta added, “Preliminary findings of the study highlights, a) Failure in investigation, b) Weak prosecution, c)and weak reformative systems. Based on the report, conviction of Class II serious offences (i.e. crime against body) was as low as 9% in 2014.”

On the whole, South Mumbai remains the area where registered crime is most rampant (9,203 cases). Alarmingly, the report shows that South Central Mumbai have registered most number of rape cases for the last five years whereas South Mumbai has the highest number of reported crimes (9,203) in 2014-15.

(Image is used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Tech

Review: OnePlus X

We test the newest OnePlus phone and come away only slightly impressed. It’s a good phone for its price, though.
by Manik Kakra | @Manik_K on Twitter

We have seen quite a lot of smartphones this year that are not priced upwards of Rs 20,000 and still perform pretty well on most tasks. With the likes of Motorola, ASUS, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and a few more heating the battle up, it isn’t a bad situation for buyers. While the mid-to-high range devices are improving, what they still usually lack is premium build quality, a great camera and every feature at a reasonable price. Does the OnePlus X, priced at Rs 16,999, change that?

The looks. The OnePlus X (E1003) follows a considerably different material and design language than anything OnePlus has sold recently. The device has curved glasses on the front and the back, and is a flat slab on both sides with chamfered edges. Weighing under 140 grams and not measuring too tall, the device is not comfortable to grip as the whole body is quite slippery (you get a plastic case in the box, but you might want to get a better one that looks and feels less cheap).

With the 5-inchAMOLED on front, sensors and front-facing camera above it, and three capacitive touch keys (none of which light up), the bottom has the microUSB port surrounded by the loudspeaker and primary mic. The left panel has a three-way alert switcher (same as the OnePlus 2); the right side has SIM cards tray (nano + nano or microSD card) tactile volume and Power/ Lock keys (near the middle); and the top has secondary mic and 3.5mm headset jack. The back, sports the OnePlus logo apart from the 13 MP camera and LED flash on the top left corner.

Screen. OnePlus X is equipped with a 5-inch full HD AMOLED, which most people would find comfortable for most of their tasks. The screen is sharp, usable under sunlight and has deep rich black levels expected of an AMOLED today. The phone has the black theme selected by default for better battery and the screen does justice to it. Full HD videos and images look fine on it, but you may have to wipe the glass every now and then.

Battery. The device features a 2,525 MAh battery unit. The phone almost never lasted a full day with average to high use. With lighter usage, you can expect it to last about a day. Using a single SIM card, brightness level at 30%, don’t expect a lot from this device in terms of battery life. The phone takes a couple of hours to get fully charged.

Camera. The phone boasts a 13 MP (f/2.0) camera on the back, and here are a few sample images.

As you can see, the camera isn’t that great; images sport quite some noise and while the camera app itself is smooth and quick to capture, the results are not good. You can get some good shots with the right lighting and a still subject but the camera disappoints otherwise.

Software and performance. The OnePlus X runs OxygenOS 2.1.3-x over Android 5.1.1. It sports Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 801 chipset, which was used by a lot Android OEMs for their flagship devices nearly two years back. There’s 3 GB of RAM and about 10.5 GB of storage available to the user. OnePlus’s OxygenOS is close to the look and feel of stock Android, with a few tweaks and features. There aren’t too many additions done since we last used it on the OnePlus 2. The company has stated that the phone will be updated to Android 6.0 in2016’s first quarter. Performance-wise, the OnePlus X is a satisfactory performer. Throughout my usage, I didn’t see too many app crashes or stuttering between Chrome’s tabs. While I wouldn’t say animations and general scrolling are as fluid as, say the Nexus 5X’s, it isn’t bad and definitely as good as phones in this price segment today.

It is quite clear who is this OnePlus X meant for. You can choose it if you want something that looks and feels really nice, has smooth performance and good screen. The OnePlus X sort of makes the mid-range phone segment in the Indian market better and more competitive.

(Pictures courtesy Manik Kakra)

Categories
Deal with it

A helpline for frazzled parents in Mumbai

This unique initiative aims to provide counselling for parents of 2 to 12-year-old children and discuss solutions to behavioural issues.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Raising children in today’s world is nothing short of a challenge. With children more and more entranced by technology and drifting away from their parents, it is becoming impossible to find out if one’s child is battling some private issues or if he needs help in any way.

That’s where a new pilot project aimed at helping such harried parents in Mumbai comes in.

Parisar Asha is a 33 year non-profit registered public trust committed to serve children through a unique learning approach ‘ESAL’- The Environmental Studies Approach to Learning. It was founded by the late Gloria de Souza, an Ashoka fellow with a mission to provide a joyful, holistic and child-centric environment-based quality education to empower children to be creative, sensitive and successful global citizens.

After working in the field of education for the past 33 years, Parisar Asha has realised that parents are also an integral part of the school space and it is also important to look into their well-being for the sustainability of the mission. Numerous close encounters with the parents have helped certain common problems come to the fore, oftne expressed in such terms as “I don’t know how to handle my child”, “I get a lot of complaints from the teacher about his non-performance in the class”, “It is always a tussle to meet our needs but still understanding the importance of education, I somehow manage my resources to send him to a good tuition class”.

These are few of the examples of parental woes that Parisar Asha’s CEO Aarati Savur talks about. She says the list is endless. “So we decided to extend support for these troubled parents by providing them with a helping friend who is always a call away. This will help resolve their problems and provide them with solutions. This unique initiative is known as ‘Positive Parent Helpline’. This is a pilot project, in which Parisar Asha’s expert counsellors provide free and confidential telephonic solutions to all child related issues between 2 to 12 years.

Abnormal behaviour has become a common phenomenon among children who are reared in normal family conditions and this is causing panic among parents. Continuous interaction with children and parents have led counsellors to deduce that often parents’ behaviour towards their children determine the children’s behaviour.   Additionally, environment plays an important part in moulding an individual’s behaviour and one’s personality gets carved based on his/her interaction with his/her physical, social and emotional environment.

The ‘ Positive Parenting Helpline’ is a free and confidential online and telephonic service which can be availed by parents to seek help for their children between age group 2 to 12 years. This service is available between Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Parents can call or send an sms at 8828233443. All queries will be resolved by expert counsellors. Parents can also email their queries at info@parisarasha.org / pahelpline@gmail.com

(Picture courtesy ldforumforschools.in. Image used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Film

Review: Partu

This week’s release is defined by good performances and excellent camera work relating a moving true story about a lost young boy.
by Ravi Shet

Rating: 3 out of 5

This is a true story of a lost boy from Rajasthan who finds his moorings in a remote village in Ahmednagar.

A seven-year-old boy, Prithvi, arrives in Mumbai from Rajasthan with his uncle Prem Singh to enjoy the city for a few days. But on a crowded train station in Mumbai when the child is returning home, Prithvi gets separated from his uncle and ends up taking the wrong train. Soon, he reaches Ahmednagar, where he knows no one and doesn’t know Marathi, the local language.

Laxman (Kishor Kadam), a poor farmer along with his wife Sugandha (Smita Tambe) help Prithvi and take him to their home. Laxman struggles to find Prithvi’s family; however he fails and finally decides to raise Prithvi with his family and names him ‘Partu’. The child soon adapts to his new family and surroundings, and also learns how to speak Marathi and adjust to local rituals and routines.

 

17 years later, Partu (Saurabh Gokhale) is now 24 years old. Completely tied to his home with the love and affection from his adoptive father Laxman and his family, Partu has almost forgotten about his past. But Laxman still hopes that Partu will find his own parents one day. Meanwhile, Partu is married to Gayatri and settled in the same village with Laxman and his family. On a pilgrimage, Laxman manages to find out where Partu’s hometown is in Rajasthan.

Director Nitin Adsul does a commendable job in bringing a true story to the screen, and also uses the real Partu in the end credits of the film. The overall pace of the film is fine, but some scenes go on interminably. Sanjay Khanzode’s camera work is excellent – Rajasthan has been beautifully captured in this film. As far as the performances are concerned, the ever-reliable Kishore Kadam leaves his mark, and so does Smita Tambe. However, Saurabh Gokhale is miscast as Partu and is not at all impressive in the titular role.

(Picture courtesy marathimovieworld.com)

Categories
Little people

Know a brave child? Nominate him for an award

The Ghanshyam Binani Children’s Bravery Award invites nominations for acts of bravery from those aged under 16 years of age.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The 15th Ghanshyam Binani Children’s Bravery Award committee is looking for the year’s bravest little people from around the country. The award felicitates brave acts of deserving children below 16 years of age and recognises the spirit of courage among children who risk their own lives while protecting others.

The nominations are invited from children, who have shown remarkable bravery and fondness for social concern during the period of January 1 to December 31, 2015.

The awards includes the ‘Bravery’, ‘Social cause’ and, the ‘Posthumous’ categories. The awards will be presented to both male and female candidates respectively in all three categories. Deserving  children  from the ‘Bravery’ category  will  be  given  a  public  recognition  and  awarded  with  a  cash  prize  of  Rs. 51,000, a Silver Medal of Courage, a Certificate of Recognition and a Citation each.

The ‘social cause’ category awardees will also  be  given  a  public  recognition  and  awarded  with  a  cash  prize  of  Rs. 25,000, a Silver Medal of Courage, a Certificate of Recognition and a Citation each.

The kin of posthumous awardees be awarded with Silver Medal, Certificate of Recognition and a Citation each.

An eminent panel of judges comprising of distinguished personalities in their respective fields will select the winners. The names of the recipients of the award will be announced in early 2016.

The Eligibility Criteria:

– The child should be below 16 years of age

– The act of bravery should reflect bravery against physical attack/violence or by risking his or her own life by saving a life and social cause should reflect humanity or for welfare of society.

– Nominations should be authenticated by documents, appreciation or coverage of the incident in the media.

– The act of bravery should be within the period of January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015.

Look up www.gbbraveryaward.com for details.

(Picture courtesy www.huffingtonpost.com. Image is used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Film

Review: Creed

‘Creed’ is a spin-off from the beloved ‘Rocky’ series and will knock you out with excellent performances and well-shot action scenes.
by Ravi Shet

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

You will like this film if you’re a fan of the Rocky franchise. Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) is the illegitimate son of former heavyweight boxing champion Apollo Creed. The boy loses his mother at a young age, and he grapples with issues – abandonment, loneliness – which make him an angry youth. He lives in a Los Angeles-based youth facility, until Mary Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad), Apollo’s widow decides to raise him like her own son. Adonis’ life changes – he gets a job at a securities firm; however he wants to follow his dream of becoming a professional boxer. So he quits his job to become a boxer, but Mary is strongly opposed to the idea.

Adonis tries to get in Delphi Boxing Academy at Los Angeles; but is turned down. He moves to Philadelphia with the hope of meeting Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), his father’s old opponent and friend. Adonis meets Rocky at the latter’s restaurant and requests him for lessons. Rocky is reluctant to get back into boxing; but he agrees to train Adonis with the help of his old friends.

 

Adonis soon defeats a local fighter and people find out who his father is. This leads to him getting a call from the World Light Heavyweight Championship; he is informed that Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew) is due to be forced into retirement because of an impending prison term. Adonis is offered the role of Ricky’s final challenger on one condition – he must change his name from Adonis Johnson to Adonis Creed.

Director Ryan Coogler has ensured that Rocky’s persona never overshadows Adonis’. The story is structured well and the action scenes are quite thrilling. Especially impressive is the camerawork by Maryse Alberti. But the performances really lift this film from average to very good – Sylvester Stallone and Michael B Jordan are top notch. If you’re a boxing and Stallone fan, this movie is worth your while.

(Picture courtesy screenrant.com)

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