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Aarey says ‘Bachao!’

An RJ with Radio City writes about her station’s ongoing campaign to save Mumbai’s prized green lung – Aarey colony.
Archana Paniaby Archana Pania

Mumbai has two sacrosanct areas that are green covers of the city, Mahim Nature Park and Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The third could have would have been Äarey Forest, but too many have settled in, tried to make it a residential area, while forest retreat hotels have been built therein and very little has been done to maintain the sanctity of the park.

Since its high connectivity to the western suburbs and Powai, the idea of making it pivotal to the real estate agents who look for lands like vultures look for rodents, Aarey is being eyed as the next hub for commercial office space generation, a large residential base and the Metro Phase III shed to be built into!

At the Radio City morning show ‘Kasa kai Mumbai’, we are huge supporters of progress in Mumbai and we want the city to converted into a world class city – but not at the cost of losing the green lungs of the city! “If Aarey colony’s 2,000+ trees are cut, I am going to leave Mumbai!” said one of our listeners! Hence, if we don’t raise our voices in support of  the trees now, we shall lose the most bio-diverse green cover Mumbai has.

Jackie Shroff, singer Shaan, Dia Mirza and many eminent personalities are all for green cover in Mumbai, and it’s time we show respect to nature, as opposed to ‘development’ in the name of progress and take the green cover away. Singer, lyricist, actor, composer Piyush Misra said “A sign of a progressive city is their parks…closer to home, there is Chandigarh or Hyde Park in London…”

Yes, we lost parts of Mulund and the Powai forest to builders, but the least we can do is save whatever is left and help make a clean and green Mumbai – but this seems only to be a text on hoardings, rather than a movement in action!|

Hence, ‘Radio City ki Treety’ is a campaign where a lot of commoner, where our radio jockeys, Sucharita, Sudarshan, Rohitvir and Gaurav, apart from others, extended their audio signatures on our TREEty!

Join in today, Mumbai. Log on to www.saveaarey.org or simply go to their Facebook page (saveaarey) and make your intent heard. We want our children to carry school bags to school, not oxygen cylinders!

Archana Pania hosts the morning show ‘Kasa kai Mumbai with Salil and Archana’ on Radio City 91.1 along with RJ Salil Acharya. She has been actively campaigning for the cause of saving Aarey. 

What do you want to do to save Aarey? Tell us in the comments section below.

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Tech

Review: InFocus’s M2 phone

The US firm launches its new device, M2, in the Indian phone market; the device is good at the price.
by Manik Kakra | @Manik_K on Twitter

InFocus, the US-based firm has entered the Indian phone market with the new M2. The company gets its device manufactured from Foxconn and aims at providing a good smartphone at an even lower price point than what’s been available. At Rs 4,999, the price and specifications are tempting, but does it actually deliver?

The looks. InFocus’ M2 follows a plain and run-of-the-mill design. The phone has glass all over the front and its rear cover, and which also covers the sides. As soon as you hold the device, you will notice its thick bezel and curve around the back, making it comfortable to hold. On the front, below the 4.2-inch TFT screen are the three touch keys – Menu, Options, Home and Back button – neither of these keys lit up when tapped. While on the top of the screen you have the 8 MP front-facing camera with flash, speaker grill, notification LED and sensors. The back has the 8 MP camera and flash near the top-middle, and loudspeaker placed near the bottom.

On the sides, the volume rocker is placed on the left, and the Power/Lock key on right; these keys feel quite sharp and don’t give a tactile feedback when pressed. The microUSB port and primary mic at the bottom and 3.5mm headset jack and secondary mic are at the top. Removing the back cover gives you access to the two micro SIM card slots and microSD card slot, next to the immovable battery. The phone is not large by today’s standards and is not difficult to carry around. While I won’t call it ‘premium’, it definitely doesn’t appear as a cheap knock-off.

Display. The M2 boasts a 4.2-inch (1280 x 768) LCD, same resolution as on the Nexus 4. The display is to be its biggest selling point. It shows text and images well and isn’t bad for watching HD videos either. Text appears good enough, but struggles a little under direct sunlight. From what other screens I have used from phones under 7,000 bucks, this one seems to be right up there among the brightest and best in terms of colour reproduction. You even get three colour temperature options for the screen, something we have seen on Samsung smartphones for a while.

Audio. Talking about the phone’s audio performance, it didn’t leave as good an impression as the screen quality did. The loudspeaker on the back distorts quite a lot and struggles when used for a video or game. You may feel you’re missing out on sound even after using one hand for coupling the speakers. The bundled headset is okay and better for watching videos. Don’t expect a very good output. InFocus will hopefully give audio more attention next time and put better sound drivers in place. The M2’s call quality and network reception didn’t show any issues. WiFi, Bluetooth, USB OTG function just fine and I didn’t notice any bug against any of them.

Battery. Powered by a 2,010 mAh battery unit, the phone has a decent standby time, but struggles under heavy usage. More often than not, when used for Email, Twitter, a bit of music and calls, you would have to charge it again under 17 hours, keeping one SIM card inserted (even less on 3G) and the brightness level at 30 per cent.

Camera. Here are a few sample images.

The phone’s camera actually takes good shots when in bright light. It does a good job at colour contrast, though when used in low-light, no surprise it struggles and is clearly not meant for clicking subjects in motion. It can shoot full HD videos at 30FPS. The front-facing camera is good enough for your selfie needs with its selfie smile detection and detailed shots. The camera app is simple and smooth to use. Only the usual settings are available.

Software and performance. The device runs on Android 4.4.2 with the company’s own InLife UI on top. Under the hood, there is MediaTek’s MTK6582 (1.3 GHz quad-core processor, Mali 400 GPU) and 1 GB of RAM. The user gets about 5 GB of available space, which you can expand using a microSD card.

The phone handles basic tasks like scrolling or swiping through Home screens and having a single Chrome tab open in background without breaking a sweat. But when you close and open a few apps, open multiple tabs and try scrolling through the OS, the phone clearly struggles and stutters. The notification and toggle buttons can be accessed from the same screen by swiping down. All the icons, Settings and pre-loaded apps are themed around white, pink and blue colours. These look just okay, but certainly not ugly like a few other low-priced Chinese phones do. The pre-loaded apps also work well and should cater to most users using their first Android smartphone. With your Home screens having all the icons and widgets, there’s no separate app launcher.

The lock screen allows you to keep four shortcut icons (similar to HTC phones) and even widgets in place to open them directly from the Lock screen. There’s also a launcher option with large tiles and bigger font size called EZ Launcher. It would be correct to say the phone doesn’t perform very smoothly but just satisfactorily. There’s also InFocus services Account in place, though we couldn’t find any utility for it.

InFocus seems to have done most things well with the M2, considering its price point. It has a good screen, camera and design, but its audio is clearly its shortcoming. It is still to be seen whether the company has provided any service support so far given that even the official website doesn’t mention any service centres or support number. If InFocus can get this after-sale part correct from here on, the M2 can give them a great start and make its presence felt in the online retail space.

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Watch

Film screening: ‘My name is Salt’

Watch the critically acclaimed and multiple award winning documentary ‘My name is Salt’ this evening; being screened at the NCPA.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

A powerful story well told, has an impact like no other.

This evening, the critically-acclaimed and much-feted documentary film, My Name Is Salt, will be screened at the NCPA in collaboration with the Indian Documentary Producers’ Assocation (IDPA). The film is a sensitive, searing look at the many families who come to Kutch to extract salt, for a long eight months with the harsh sun beating down on them.

Describes a blurb on the film’s website, ‘The desert extends endlessly – flat, grey, relentless. There is not a tree or blade of grass or rock. But there is one thing in abundance: salt. Salt is everywhere, lying just beneath the cracked, baked surface of the earth. This is the Little Rann of Kutch, 5000 sq kms of saline desert. And for eight months of the year, the salt people live here – laboriously extracting salt from this desolate landscape. They have been doing this for generations.

Year after year, they migrate from their villages, 40,000 of them, to live on this bleak land without water, electricity or provisions. Arriving just after the monsoon, Sanabhai and his family will live here from September until April. Their nearest neighbour is a kilometre away. They communicate by flashing mirrors in the sunlight. Sanabhai’s wife Devuben walks across the bare, trackless desert to chop firewood. They buy the family’s water supply from a private tanker that comes once a week…’

Watch the trailer of the film here:

 

The film is the journey of Chhanabhai and his family who live without water, electricity or provisions for eight months of the year – tirelessly extracting salt from this desolate landscape. Under the blinding glare of the sun, they work on the salt fields until large crystals have formed. Their labour is rhythmic, a dance that mirrors the dance of the mirages on the burning horizon.

Written and directed by Farida Pacha, the film has won several awards at international film festivals.

Admission is on a first-come-first-served basis. NCPA members will get preferential seating till 6.20 pm. The film begins at 6.30 pm and is 92 minutes long.

(Picture courtesy mynameissalt.com)

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Tech

This just in: two tabs for children

Eddy launches two new tablets for kids; both the new infotainment based tabs include games based on Cartoon Network characters.
by Manik Kakra | @Manik_K on Twitter

Eddy has recently launched two new tablets for kids. Metis Learning, the start-up behind Eddy, has collaborated with Cartoon Network to come up with Ben 10 and Creativity Tablets. Equipped with a 7-inch (1024 x 600) screens, the tablets are successors to Eddy’s first Learning tablet that was launched last year.

The Ben 10 tablet comes with a lot of games based on Cartoon Network characters and stories and it’s themed completely on Ben 10, the popular cartoon series. It comes loaded with 1,000 minutes of Ben 10 videos, books and interactive learning games.

CreativityThe Creativity Tablet comes loaded with various art and craft apps, role-playing games, Tabla app, and many more activity apps based on the show M.A.D.

Mr. Bharat Gulia, co-founder of Eddy said, “We build technology for young superstars. In every child there could be a reading superstar, a creativity superstar, a tech superstar, a math superstar or some other inherent talent. Our tablets provide excellent and fun content to bring out and nurture the superstar that lies in every child. Instead of spending thousands of rupees on toys, video games and other merchandise, parents can gift their kids one of these tablets that not only provide unlimited learning and entertainment, but are also much safer compared to any other tablet.”

Based on Android 4.2.2, the tablets come with Eddy’s proprietary Athena OS for better learning experience and parental controls, as per the company. Both these tablets are powered by Intel’s Z2520 Atom chip coupled with 1 GB of RAM. There’s 16 GB of on-board storage, which is expandable up to 32 GB. There’s a 2 MP rear camera and a 2 MP front-facing camera. The tablets come fitted inside removable drop-safe bumpers made of food grade silicone to prevent damage from falls. Equipped with 2,800 mAh battery, the tablets sport Bluetooth, WiFi, and 3G via a supported dongle. While the Ben 10 tablet has been priced at Rs 9,999, the Creativity tablet comes for Rs 8,999, with offers from Amazon.

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Listen

Attend: Chamber music recital at the NCPA

The Arties Festival comes to Mumbai, with world renowned cellist Gauthier Herrmann and the finest chamber music played by young musicians.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Inaugurated in March 2008, the Arties Festival takes place every March and November as a result of a collaboration between the NCPA and cellist Gauthier Herrmann. This association brings to Mumbai the finest chamber music played by the finest young musicians, who are handpicked for the festival. The musicians have three things in common: they can all compare with the finest in Europe; they are all ready to play for a good cause; and they have an uncompromising love for India. Gauthier Hermann has been at the helm of the Arties festival for almost a decade and has brought several chamber music artistes to India in mulitple editions of the bi-yearly festival. Herrmann is also the cellist of the prize-winning Trio con Fuoco.

This year, the Arties Festival returns to Mumbai, but this time with a notable change! For the first time in 15 editions, majority of musicians are females. The festival presents Audrey Vigoureux, great pianist, teacher at the worldwide renown Haute Ecole de Musique in Geneva, Aude Giuliano (accordion) and Marie Chilemme (viola). Violinist Hugues Borsarello, returns to the festival after spending two years, working on the Mozart project. With Hugues, one of the festival highlights definitely will be the Mozart sonatas, as Borsarello has become one of the best Mozart specialists in the world.

Watch Gauthier Herrmann perform in Mumbai 2008:

 

The second highlight this year is the accordion, which will spring many surprises in the Arties mood, and a special mention goes to the performance of Schubert’s Trio No. 2 Op. 100, which is invariably one of the greatest masterpieces of chamber music. The group will play it for the first time for Mumbai audiences.

The recital is on today and tomorrow at the NCPA, Mumbai, at 7 pm.

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Event

Security, rights and civil liberties for women

The US Consulate General, Mumbai, is hosting a panel discussion by women working in security, this evening at Mumbai Central.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Women’s safety, security and the safeguarding of their fundamental rights are all being frequently discussed all over the world currently, given the fact that several incidents that go against these rights are taking place globally.

The US Consulate General, Mumbai, is shining a spotlight on these issues this evening with a panel discussion on ‘Women security in India: Understanding your legal and civil rights’. The talk is being hosted as part of the month-long Women’s History Month being celebrated in the United States, and will be facilitated by writer and activist Aarefa Johari.

Panelists for the talk include Tiffany Williams, acclaimed human trafficking and labour rights specialist for the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), Audrey D’Mello, Programme Director at Majlis, Insia Dariwala, writer, director and child sexual abuse activist, and Shalini Sharma, police inspector with the Mumbai Police.

Be there early to get a seat, and RSVP your presence to MumbaiPublicAffairs@state.gov with your name, contact details and name of your company or education institution.

The talk will be held YMCA International House and Programme Centre, 18, YMCA Road, Mumbai Central, from 5 pm to 7 pm.

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