Tag: mumbai

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Patrakar types

Can you keep a secret?

You’d think you couldn’t keep a secret in the public realm, in a city like ours. You’d be somewhat right.
by Vrushali Lad | vrushali@themetrognome.in

Nothing remains a secret between people, at least not for long. In a city as populous as ours, where even a scuffle on a public street attracts gawping crowds from five streets away, where the whiff of a possible dead body in an abandoned warehouse brings people to the scene within minutes, where something told in confidence by one person to a friend and an acquaintance becomes news in a day, can anybody really keep a secret?

Turns out, they can. At least, for a little while.

Last month, an artist held a top secret showing of her works at Project 88, a well-known gallery in Colaba. The showing was a secret because it contained some photographs and videos of a sexually explicit nature. I had an invite to it, because a friend of mine had assisted in putting it up. I had been invited with the rider that “You cannot write anything about it, because given the nature of the work, it will be shut down in no time if anybody finds out.” The invite was non-transferable, and I couldn’t bring a plus one.

When I went there, two guard-type guys meticulously checked my name in a list of invitees. When they didn’t find any Vrushali on there (of course they didn’t: one was looking for Vaishali, the other scanned the list for Burshal), they looked at me coldly and were about to remark when I found my name on the list myself and pointed it to them. They duly crossed it out – this meant I could not visit again. I saw the work and proceeded to speak with the artist, who promptly hit the roof on knowing that I was from the Press (never mind that several mediapersons had attended the opening, since they were her friends and I was not). I assured her, despite my mounting irritation at her rudeness, that I wasn’t there to write about the work and thus bring about a speedy shutdown of the exhibition from right-wing nuts (a genuine fear for artists today), and that I had only dropped by because my friend had told me about the exhibition months ago, and I was very curious to see a secret exhibition in a public place.

After I left the gallery, I was still mad at the artist for unreasonably slotting all journalists into the same troublemakers’ box. For fully five minutes, I toyed with the idea of writing about the exhibition and getting her into the kind of trouble she was fully anticipating anyway.

Then better sense prevailed. I guess all artists, in fact, all creative individuals, are so attached to their work that anything disquieting – by way of a negative critique or a downright shutdown – must really cut them to the quick. After months of hard work, I suppose this artist also had the right to be touchy about who saw her work and who didn’t. So I wrote nothing.

A few days later, Mumbai Mirror carried a vague reference to the exhibition, and specifically mentioned that it was still on at Project 88. Within hours, the artist pulled the exhibition down. I learnt later that the Mirror columnist had been at the showing and was one of the artists’ friends from the Press.

You never know who can really keep your secret safe, huh?

Last week, I read a curious little item, also in the Mumbai Mirror, about a dessert queen in the city. The woman keeps her identity so secret, everyone only knows her via her brand name – Sweetish House Mafia. To sample her cakes, cookies and other goodies, you have to place an order on her FB page or tweet to her, and she lets you know when a car will come around next in a designated area on a designated date and deliver the order.

I really wonder how long the proprietor of this establishment can keep her identity a secret. Somebody must know her, right? And going by that, somebody’s got to spill the beans some time, right? I love the secrecy of the project, though. It reminds me in a weird way of the shoemaker and the elves.

My point is: how does one do something in a public place and keep it a secret? I suppose one could opt for a pen name when writing a salacious blog or book, for example. Or one could say that they are only the face of a project, while the actual creator would not like any publicity, thank you very much. But still – how long can you keep it up? You could probably swear your family and close friends to secrecy, but what about those outside your immediate circle, who might somehow learn who you are and that you’ve closeted yourself behind a secret all along?

Besides, there is a delicious thrill to unmasking someone, isn’t there? Is that why most things don’t remain a secret?

Vrushali Lad is a freelance journalist who has spent several years pitching story ideas to reluctant editors. Once, she even got hired while doing so. 

(Picture courtesy www.moneywithflo.com) 

Categories
Learn

“In Mumbai Region, 40% of us are living in ‘Campa Cola'”

Ramesh Prabhu, Chairman of the Maharashtra Societies Welfare Association, writes to the Maharashtra Government on the Campa Cola building society demolition issue.

“As Mumbai awaits with bated breath for some kind of miraculous intervention to save the 94 families of Campa Cola Compound from being dis-housed, these middle-class families are like the administration’s scapegoats. They represent all of us. As they wait for the raised axe to fall on their necks, my heart goes out to them with sympathy, and I am filled with worry with what will befall the rest of us. I am not competent to comment on the legality or the judicial wisdom of this decision; surely, the Supreme Court knows best. But I would like to ask some questions to no one in particular.

Why only Campa Cola Compound? What about the rest of Mumbai, where over 40 per cent of occupied residential buildings don’t have BMC’s mandatory Occupation Certificates? It is reckoned that at least  6,000 buildings are paying double for municipal water, which means they are not authorised. Many unauthorised structures are routinely regularised on payment of penalties… but there are many more that are not yet regularised for various reasons. Will this axe fall on them also?

And why only Mumbai? What about Thane, Mumbra, Ulhasnagar etc. where thousands of unauthorised (and often unsafe) structures are standing — a disaster waiting to happen?

In all these places, builders have have sold the flats, made off with the life savings of crores of families, worth several thousand crore rupees. Dozens of MPs, MLAs and Corporators from all political parties are routinely the accomplices of these builders, as are the bureaucrats.

As it happened with the three builders of the seven buildings of Campa Cola Compound, developers perpetrate the crime and usually go scot-free. Thousands of architects and contractors who mastermind such unauthorised buildings will also never be caught.

The municipal officials, State Government bureaucrats and police officials who turned a blind eye to the goings on are unlikely to be punished.

Needless to say, no one may point a finger at the judiciary, which willy-nilly allowed cases to drag on for decades and created a perfect window of opportunity for all the illegalities to build up.

When the time comes to for buildings to be demolished, it will be you and me — the common man — who will be running helplessly from pillar to post like the residents of Campa Cola Compound are doing today.

I have no easy solutions to offer. Major surgery is required in the entire MMR region, and that will not be a bloodless and painless process.

But may I humbly urge the State Government and Legislature to frame a humane policy to deal with unsafe buildings first, before demolishing sound structures like the Campa Cola buildings? May I humbly urge Maharashtra Government to avoid shirking its responsibility, and letting municipalities take their own decisions?

If a comprehensive and humane “demolition policy” is not framed, a humanitarian crisis looms large before at least 40 per cent of us in the years to come. Until such a policy is framed, I cannot help feeling that we all are Campa Cola building residents, waiting for our houses to be demolished for one reason or another.

Yours sincerely,
Ramesh Prabhu
Chairman
Maharashtra Societies Welfare Association

The Supreme Court today stayed the demolition notice and gave the affected building residents five months to vacate the premises. The threat of demolition still looms, however.

(Pictures courtesy chandivali.com, mid-day.com)

Categories
Trends

Your office could be checking you out

Companies have started verifying employees’ credentials in the wake of several crimes –  existing employees are included in the checks.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The recent spurt of crimes, both economic offenses or otherwise, is spurring several companies to quietly check out the antecedents of those in their employment. And it’s not just the ones that companies are hoping to employ that are being given the once-over, a lot of companies are conducting background checks on those working for them already.

Details such as education, residence and personal information are being cross-verified to see if employees have given wrong data on any of these counts. Any misinformation is a potential red flag – companies then probe if the person has a past criminal record.

Employee verification is a routine practice among corporations in the West. Our country has only recently woken up to the threat that a ‘wrong’ employee can pose to the company, in the wake of several crimes being committed by supposedly ‘suitable’ individuals.

A recent survey by the Associated Chamber of Commerce (ASSOCHAM) found that nearly 52 per cent corporates in Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Pune, Dehradun and Hyderabad have been verifying their current and prospective employees at all levels. The verification was conducted by the Human Resource departments of small, medium and large businesses, the survey found. “Companies are fast realising the benefit of doing background checks of prospective employees or risk hurting their brand image in a fraud case. Screening of job candidates at all levels, and even vendors and contract staff is preferred. Previous employment details, academic and professional certificates, identity, criminal records, and credit risk, among other information, are checked thoroughly for authenticity and veracity,” the survey says.

Corporates are certainly becoming more careful and cautious when they are recruiting for the junior, middle and senior level positions, highlights the ASSOCHAM survey. “Many companies hadn’t done any background checks before hiring an employee, mainly at junior levels. The horrendous rape case in Delhi has certainly led to the need for carrying out a comprehensive scrutiny of employees at all levels.”

The survey majorly focused on broad sectors such as BPO, IT/ITes sector, financial and other services, construction, real estate, hospitality, tourism, FMCG and infrastructure, media and advertising, manufacturing and textiles, logistics, transport operators etc. Those companies that cannot conduct checks on their own are outsourcing the work – nearly 25 per cent of the companies surveyed had outsourced the verification work to specialised third party agencies. Under the most intense scanner were jobs that entailed working with children, or in healthcare.

(Picture courtesy www.eharmony.co.uk)

Categories
Big story

Have you got counterfeit currency?

Mumbai Police bust major currency counterfeiting operation, but about Rs 1,25,000 in fake notes is already out in the market. If you have a fake note, do alert the cops.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The counterfeit currency racket in the country is still going strong, going by the latest arrests of four men from different parts of Mumbai, who were involved in printing and circulating fake notes of Rs 100 denomination. The police fear that at least Rs 1,25,000 worth of fake Rs 100 notes are currently in the market (see below for serial numbers). Interestingly, it was a group of vegetable vendors in Mankhurd who put the cops on to the track of the gang.

A few days days ago, a 19-year-old vegetable vendor at the PMGP colony, Zainab Sheikh, thought that the Rs 100 note that a customer had just given him in payment for one kilogram of chillies, looked suspicious. He asked a woman vendor next to him, from whom the same man had purchased other vegetables, to show him the money the man had paid. When the woman, Rajashree Bankur and Zainab compared the two Rs 100 notes, they found that their serial numbers were identical.

The two quickly asked other vendors at the market if the man had purchased vegetables from any of them, and all of them pulled out the money the man had paid them. Seeing that the man was still in the vicinity, they quickly grabbed him and after a heated altercation, marched him to the PMGP beat chowky.

Based on what the man, Birudev Salgar, told them, the police alerted other police stations about a gang involved in printing and distributing counterfeit currency notes. In a week, four others were rounded up from Vasai, Ghatkopar and Mumbra. One of them was found to have Rs 49,400 worth of fake notes at his residence.

Do you have fake money in your possession?

Based on the gang’s confession, the police suspect that despite the haul they have already apprehended, about Rs 1,25,000 in fake currency is afloat in the market. If you think you have a fake note or if a note(s) in your possession bears the serial number(s) listed below, do contact the nearest police station. The fake notes bear these serial numbers:

3GB 629121    7HA 008134    9QH 920124    3 FM 592462    7RH 025509     JEL 559238    0AL 090801    3QR 078477    1SC 348244    4LL 042058    4LL 042681

3KQ 562018    6DF 017545    JBE 847389      4LL 207150     3FF 786329      5GH 415791    0LL 744211     3GP 283156

(Picture courtesy  Reuters. Image used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Do

Asha Bhosale gives Rs 5 lakh for drought relief

The Maharashtra State Government has already received upwards of Rs 116 crore via donations from within the State and without.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The State of Maharashtra has responded well to the Government’s call for help to supplement its efforts in combating the drought situation that the State is currently facing. Hearteningly, a little over Rs 116 crore has been collected already, via donations from students, artists, businesspersons, banks, NGOs and Trusts, and private individuals.

Today, noted playback singer Asha Bhosale visited Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan at his official residence, Varsha, to hand over a cheque of Rs 5,00,000 towards drought relief. Of this, Rs 1,00,000 was the prize money she won at the recently-held Hridayesh Arts event, which commemorated her contribution to the film industry. The rest was contributed by Bhosale.

“It is our fundamental duty to contribute for those who are affected by the ongoing drought crisis in the State. All of us must help the Government in the relief efforts it is carrying out,” she said while handing over the cheque to Chavan.

The biggest donations thus far – both Rs 25 crore each – have come from the Mumbai-based Siddhivinayak Trust and the Shirdi-based Shri Saibaba Sansthan.

(Picture courtesy DGIPR, Mantralaya, Mumbai)

Categories
Event

Saints and poets at NCPA

Two must-watch events happen in Mumbai today, both at NCPA, and both based on the lives and works of saint-poets.
by Medha Kulkarni

You know what’s so great about some Wednesdays? That you have the choice to attend one of two excellent events. Today is one such Wednesday.

Two great events will take place today in the NCPA premises. The first is a film that will screen at the Dance Theatre Godrej, NCPA, while the other is a talk and poetry session about the lives of Marathi saints and poets, followed by a play by Anahita Uberoi.

Scribbles On Akka, Dance Theatre Godrej, 4 pm

India has a long tradition of strong, fearless female poets who have used their art to push into the mainstream consciousness, with issues they deemed important. Unfortunately, our education system is such that most of us have never heard of them or had the opportunity to even get acquainted with their work.

In this scenario, it becomes important to support the people who work to get society acquainted with them, while we learn of our own wonderful literary heritage. The film Scribbles On Akka is one such effort – directed by filmmaker Madhushree Datta, the film is based on the life and work of the 12th Century Kannada saint-poet Mahadevi Akka, a strong personality who wrote radical poems using the female body as a metaphor. These works have been composed and given a visual form against the backdrop of a contemporary musical narrative. The film is a celebration of rebellion, the meaning of femininity and a legacy that’s over nine centuries old.

Mahadevi left the domestic arena in search of God and abandoned all the norms that society imposes, including that of clothing. The film tries to articulate the meaning of this denial through the work of artists, writers and people who have kept Mahadevi’s image alive and dynamic, whether through folklore or art.

The film screening is free but admission is limited and on a first-come-first-serve basis. Do reach early as NCPA has a strict punctuality policy.

Poetry reading and play, Theatre – Sunken Garden, 5.30 pm

It is known fact that India is home to a rich literary heritage that is centuries old. Each State in the country boasts of several saint-poets who have created stunning works in their quest for God.

A celebration of this very legacy is planned tomorrow evening at the NCPA, through a talk and poetry reading session centred around the works of Marathi saint-poets. Renowned poet Prabodh Parikh will introduce the work of several Marathi saint-poets with a specific reference to Dilip Chitre’s translations of the works of sant Tukaram.

This reading will be followed by an interesting play directed by Anahita Uberoi, in which a group of Mumbai theatre actors will read the English translations of poetry by Tukaram.

(Picture courtesy tedxgateway.com)

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