Gwalior: Tumultuous Changes

When going back for my holidays this last summer I could imagine my hometown, quiet and simple. But things had changed, everything was not how I remembered it.

Gwalior for me is home, its family and memories. It’s also, in encyclopedic words a second tier city in Madhya Pradesh with a recorded history going back centuries where it has played small roles in important historical events across time.

As a child I have always been given immense freedom, with limitations of course, I was allowed to go anywhere as long as to put in my in my mothers words, “ghar se 100 feet se jyada nahi,” but again that was expendable because I claimed to never know how much 100 feet was. And every time I dared to cross that limit with my bicycle I would look back to make sure that mother was not there and make the fastest round with my cycle across the colony. Ah, the joy of breaking rules!

But things have changed now, Gwalior has changed. No more would you let your child out without making sure someone is keeping an eye on him/her. Kidnappings and people getting murdered are just a few of the things that have increased in the city. And among the biggest change is the drive for development.

Gwalior used to be the home of the Scindias and Gwalior Fort. Now it is home to the biggest mall in M.P. The family picnics in the park are replaced by window shopping in the mall. I’m not saying that a mall coming up is a bad thing; instead I was amazed to see people from all walks of life enjoying the novelty of it. But when I compare it with my own childhood it just pales in comparison. There can never really be a modern day building or a product to replace the outdoors.

So before the holidays, like everybody else I was busy looking at the CWG scam or some other going-ons in Delhi or Mumbai, but events as important as these were happening in Gwalior. Much of Gwalior was being pulled down by bulldozers and the Nagar Nigam (Municipal Corporation). Their claim was that the land these shops or houses were built on is owned by the government. And as proof they flayed around some document from 1924.

I had no idea about all this happening. So I was quite surprised to see the familiar roads did not exist anymore, there was rubble from the demolished houses and shops everywhere.

When did this happen? And how could the government just go ahead and clear out a whole market and areas and not just one, five to six of them. There was no more Chawla Chicken my favourite eating place, no more computer guy who I have known forever and would just have to call and he would provide personal service at home. Half of Gwalior was cut down and why? My only source of information was my mother and some online Hindi articles who and which told me that the houses and shops were on government land and after some 50 odd years when people were settled on it they finally realised it and wanted it back.

And as they went ahead with the demolition, they declared on a side note their purpose that Gwalior is turning over a new leaf under collector Akash Tripathi. And it was time to make the city beautiful. They wanted to make the roads wider, build parks, and convert the land to provide car-parking. In the process it didn’t matter what the human or emotional cost of the fiasco was, it should just look good, you know. And apparently even buildings more than a hundred years old didn’t qualify as beautiful, Sarafa Bazaar which is home to many such old buildings looked as if a tornado had passed through wrecking much havoc on its way.

My mother told me stories about how the merchants and shop owners ended up in hospitals with heart attacks not being able to deal with their sudden loss of livelihood. Did they get a chance to clear out? Every time a building or a house or shop is to be build it goes through clearance with the Nagar Nigam, why did municipality not object then? And while the rest of India is demanding compensation there can be no such talk here because what compensation can they expect as the land they have lived on for years was never theirs to begin with. People agitated and went out on the streets but had nobody to talk to.

While many people saw their life savings crash around them some made money out of it. A man on realising that his shop was going to be demolished put the land on the market for sale, land which apparently did not or never belong to him. He put it at a price much lower than the going rate and someone did pick it up thinking how lucky he was. And so the poor chap who probably spent all his life savings on it, realised the next day that the land was never his to be bought. He had just been conned. And all he could do was stand while they pulled the place apart.

Gwalior is not the only city where things are changing rapidly in the name of ‘development for the better’, but development for whom, some people living 500 km away? I have never really been up for encroachment by hawkers or small shops or even bigger ones for that matter, but is it encroachment when they have been there for over half a century and build their lives around that little piece of land that they have always known as home? 

What's in a fast?

It's the 9th month of the Islamic Lunar calendar, which is not only of much significance to my fellow Muslim friends, but also to me. It's Ramadan, or popularly known as Ramzan, one of my favorite festivals of the year, solely for gastronomical reasons.

Enter Mohammad Ali Road post daylight, and what you see is a feast for your eyes, literally. The shimmering reds of Chicken Reshmi Kababs, Chicken 65s, Shawarmas, and Chicken Lahoris will sweep you off your feet. And if you suffer from a sweet tooth like me, you've landed at the right spot where pure cow’s milk and sugar come together to form a beautiful union in the form of Malpuwa, Barfis, Faloodas and the milkiest of Firnis. And the ageing Kulfi-walla who sells Kulfi in flavours like Strawberry, Pista, Mango Raspberry, Banana and of course Badam-Kesar in his little square-shaped tin containers.

Enough has been seen and written about the fantastic banquet of food that we all get to tuck into during the holy festival. But what not too many people are aware about is the Ramadan is so much more than just fasting.

Apart from food, Muslims must abstain also from drinking. They cannot even drink a drop of water from dawn to dusk. And you thought not eating was hard enough. Also, they avoid overindulgences of any kind like sex and cigarettes.

The idea behind this is that every part of the body must attain complete reticence or be restrained. The tongue must be restrained be bitching, back-biting or gossip, the eyes must be restrained from looking at wanton activities, the hand must not take anything that does not belong to it, the feet must not enter sinful places. So in this manner, the entire body observes the fast.

Dates, which are traditionally the first item eaten after breaking the fast have and the best ones are given catchy names by vendors in order to help market them during this month. In 2006, after Israel's war against Lebanon, the best dates were called Hassan Nasrallah, after the leader of Lebanon's Hizballah. In 2009, after the U.S. resident made a visit to Cairo, the best dates were called Obama. This year, the most prized dates are called ‘Martyrs of the Revolution.’ ‘Tahir Square’ is another popular variety.

The rules of the fast are not as stringent as it is believed to be. There are some instances in which one may take leave of the fast. According to the holy Koran, people who are sick, elderly, traveling, pregnant or breast-feeding, as well as children under the age of puberty, can forgo fasting if it will negatively affect their health. Also, a fast can become nullified for reasons such as menstruation, postpartum bleeding, intentional vomiting and, of course, breaking a fast to eat or drink. In all these cases, the Koran requires that believers take a qada fast, which is essentially fast one day for one day to make up for the missed days of fasting.

The two sects of Islam, Sunni and Shi’ites follow different methodologies of when to end their fast. The former may break their fast as soon as the daily maghrib prayer begins, which is when the sun is no longer visible on the horizon. The latter wait longer, believing that their fast cannot be broken until the last rays of light have vanished from the sky. However, this is not an absolute distinction.

During summer, the days are much longer and hotter, making fasting that much more difficult. Late in the holy month, Muslims celebrate the Laylat al-Qadr, or Night of Power. This is the anniversary of the night on which Allah first revealed the Koran to the Prophet Muhammad. So, the 27th night is the most widely celebrated date, when the Koran says, "The grand night is better than a thousand months."

Ramadan is a highly anticipated season for TV producers and advertisers as this time for family bonding and people stay indoors and watch a lot of television. It has been found in the Bible that Queen Esther asks the Jews to fast for three days before she visits her husband, the king, to ask him not to kill them. And in the New Testament, Jesus fasts in the desert for 40 days, which is why to this day certain Christian denominations observe Lenten fasts.

Historically, fasting did not start with the advent of Islam. Its origins date back to mentions of it in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament.

Ramzan brings out the philanthropic side of the Muslims. Donations to charities see a significant rise during the month of Ramadan, as many choose to give their charity for the year during the holy month as it is considered the most auspicious time for good deeds.

Mosques and religious organizations offer free iftar meals to the poor every evening. It's also common for the more wealthier Muslims to give poor families Ramadan baskets containing basic cooking items like tea, oil, and sugar before the first day of the month.

I’ve always wondered how my friends control their appetites through out the day. But a recent study has revealed that contrary to popular belief, Ramzan is actually the month where Muslims gain most weight. So, no, it’s not your best diet plan. This is because fasting and low levels of activity during the day give rise to some major binge eating at night. Such behavior results in slower metabolism that forces the body to store fat instead of burning it. And the iftar meals, which are served during the late evenings, are high in carbohydrates, oil, fat, thereby low nutritional sustenance.

But who can blame them? One stop at Mohammad Ali Road on an August evening and you’re sure to surrender to all its glories.

Going Gaga over Google?

I recently read a hard-hitting article on how Google was making us stupid by Nicholas Carr a popular columnist for The Atlantic magazine based in the US. And it really got me thinking. Are we being fooled into believing that Google has revolutionized the way we think for the better?
It’s true that the search engine has taken over our lives in more ways than one. I for one can shamelessly admit to the fact that it’s made me sound so much more intelligent, when someone senior talks to me about a company or an allegedly important person that I have no clue about. It takes me only less than 4 seconds to give a detailed bio-data on that person by quickly typing his/her name on the magic toggle-bar and tadaa. I feel good about myself again ( Don't you dare snort at this. I'm sure each and everyone of us have been there and done that.)
Nicholas claims that receiving information on the click of a button has slowed down our process for retaining information and our capacity to sit down and digest copious amounts of text at one go. We get fidgety, distracted and worse, simply skim through the data, thereby skipping relevant information is a high possibility.
Marshall McLuhan’s theory of technological determinism; something I studied in theory for my exams last year is suddenly making sense to me now. In a nutshell, he stated that the medium of the message determines the way we perceive this message. So in this case, we perceive our message in nuggets that we are most likely to forget sooner or later rather than a thorough understanding of the subject. Similarly, when Google spoon-feeds exactly what we want to research on, then where is the question of research? The whole purpose of research is defeated.

It is also likely that our attention span has reduced to 4 seconds. That’s right. That same amount of time that it takes to ‘google’ a word.
Yes, it saves a hell of a lot of time. But don’t you think the time you spend in a library or looking at hundreds of journals, archives and documentaries is much more self-satisfying than the instant gratification we get when we see 12 pages of hits on our specific subject of study?
So when McLuhan claims that the a change in the technological medium( in this contaxt, Google) will not only supply to our thoughts, but change the entire thought process by itself. Carr puts it so well, “Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski.’’
This trend is also reflected in today’s contemporary news media where it is becoming an increasingly common sight of newspapers giving out quick bites of news items by giving them a choice to read further only if they want by continuing the story in a supplementary page and summarising complex scams or social issues into little boxes on the side. It’s safe to blame this trend on the advent of the internet as it has chipped our threshold for contemplation and concentration.
This effect really hit me when I went to the Center for Education and Documentation(CED) for a project I was doing on how the Indian media covered the Godhra Riots of 2002 which required me to look at their archives. I walked in there and felt lost. The entire idea of manually looking for hardcopies of old newspaper clippings seemed so alien, so archaic to me. That’s when my respect for the yester-year journalists took a quantum leap. This place must have been their relic. And today, you’ll be surprised if you see more than a handful of people here.
This doesn’t take away from the enormous credibility of Mr. Sergey Brin and Larry page, the geniuses behind Google. I’m no luddite or nostalgist, but I long to go back to those days when it was so easy for me to read back to back Jeffrey Archer novels in a single sitting on those lovely Sundays.

Crime Rate Increasing In India

Rape cases have long attracted debate for their low conviction rates, and questions over how the police and prosecutors deal with victims and bring cases through the courts. One of the most serious problems remains the initial handling of rape complaints by the police. It is probable that out of the rape cases we come across everyday happening in one or the other city the cases do not proceed beyond the investigation stage. Punishment for the rape attempters should be not only excessive but also in way that no one can dare easily because it is like a charge of murder. We are a moral society living in democratic country and still creeping towards immorality. I believe in “nabbing the evil from the bud.” If we want our mother and sister to be safe we have to get hold on the collars of the wrathful men of the society. If the law isn't working we should appeal to change it. The constitution is for the people, people are not for constitution.

The government starts pointing one party to other but the question arises “will there be any security for we women? “The number of rape cases is growing day by day. Do these rape attempters don’t have heart? “Recently we have come across so many rape attempts done on minors. The height of cruelty has gone to such an extent that on a girl was molested and blinded.

And with respect to the same case two more cases are mentioned bringing to light of readers that there are so many crimes taking place in our country and the government is still blindfolded.

Where does government vanish when these cases are required to be sorted and the criminals need to be hanged? Why the local police people can’t help the victims? Why is there a need for CBI to enter into these matters? Are the police sold in the hands of the government and ministers? Will ever the time of Kiran Bedi come back? And will we be able to fly like a free bird in this independent country. Why has the performance of government gone so low? There are thousands of hearts and soul broken into pieces upon number of rape cases taking place.

We need our leaders /politicians /Government to highlight this on a top banner and announce a very Incredible and horrifying punishment to such cruelty!!!!!!!!!!!

The time has passed for leaders in this country to assign women the exact same protections and status as any man. However, many of our leaders are no different than sexual predators for putting savage rapists at ease and forcing women to prove they are victims instead of “accusers.”

Revenge is not a sufficient justification for invoking a system of capital punishment, with all its accompanying problems and risks. Our laws and criminal justice system should lead us to higher principles that demonstrate a complete respect for life. We women need to fly with a fresh breeze and clean surroundings around and with no fright in our hearts …where children/teenagers will be freely going to schools and colleges and offices …and the infants will be saved with their lives and horrifying death…We women are not weak and need the support of our country to fight against the rapist and we need our government to give them the true punishment.

Give us the HOPE…..Give us a NEW LIFE….Give us a TRUE JUSTICE.

Did the Slut walk work?

Come home before it gets dark, dress appropriately, do not wear revealing clothes etc are just some of the few things that we Indian girls are told almost all our lives. It is embedded in us in a way that it becomes habitual that we actually begin thinking how much are we going to get stared at if we wore something. Be it from our family, friends or even husbands/boyfriends dress decently are the two words most of us girls hear very frequently. “It gives cause to inappropriate behavior from men” is the very justifiable reason for it.

 Slut walk dubbed as Besharmi Morcha in India managed to give out the right message, but did it actually manage to be impactful?  Slut walk that became a worldwide phenomenon after the snide remark made by a police officer in Toronto, Canada that women should not dress skimpily so as to avoid getting victimized. The slut walk that first took place in Bhopal was recently also held in Delhi. The Delhi slut walk had a larger gathering and also had a god amount of male supporters involved. However merely 50 people decide to show up to the slut walk that was held in Bhopal, in spite of the thousands of people that had registered for it. Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh is one of the places that witness the largest number of rapes every year. Fear of harassment might have been one of the reasons that very few supporters turned up.

The people that participated in the Delhi held Besharmi Morcha did not take to the streets in skimpy clothing like their counterparts did in Toronto and other places around the world. It hardly matters because irrespective of what is worn men will stare.

Be it a saree or a salwar kameez, men will still find a reason to stare. The sari is considered to be India’s traditional garb that when worn bears a considerable amount of skin. How that is then not considered to be vulgar? Are women who wear this traditional attire never raped? Infact most of the women are those who wear the saree or a salwar kameez. It is wrong to state that skimpy clothing only leads to such behavior in men.

But is conservative India ready for something like the slutwalk?  How many men will actually stop gaping? How many women will not be assaulted? In my opinion the numbers will still be the same. In a country where rape or even eve-teasing is still not given the appropriate punishment. Or where the perpetrators of rape are bailed out of jail after a few days, or that eve-teasing is still not considered sexual harassment but simple teasing, the slutwalk will not make much of a difference.

The views on the slutwalk are very strong and in your face. I am a through supporter of the slut walk, it is a great way for empowerment for a lot of women both young and old, who have for a long time not spoken openly about violence both physical and emotional. India on the other hand is a country that is still so heavily stuck in its culture system. Not many people are going to speak to the future generation of men about such issues. I think there is still a long way for India to get to a point where fingers will be raised at men for assault, violence, eve-teasing etc. There will be people who will say that the girl was at fault, and hence she got raped or sexually harassed. Using a parade to convey a message that so boldly states that “I am a woman, I have the right to wear what I want, do what I want” might not work or speak to a majority of India’s population

THIS IS NOLLYWOOD

“In the end, the film we made is about more than a fascinating and unheralded movie industry. It’s about people surmounting obstacles to achieve their dreams”­­-Franco Sacchi.

Franco Sacchi, Robert Caputo and Aimee Corrigan are the makers of the film This Is Nollywood, a story of the Nigerian film industry. They decide to tell this story by following the shooting for an action feature film Check Point by Bond Emeruwa. Director Bond decides to shoot the film in 9 days with about $ 20,000, 1 digital camera and 2 lights.

The film is shot in Badagry, a village on the outskirts of Lagos (population, 15 million), the hub of Nigerian film industry. It tells the story of two men who are robbed and shot by rogue cops and are eventually brought to justice. The film was made against the backdrop of a campaign to clean up the notoriously corrupt Nigerian police force. Director Bond says that film making in an economy like Nigeria should be restricted to what they call “edutainment” and not be purely commercial. “So, while we entertain people we should be able to educate them”.

Nollywood is considered the 3^rd largest film industry in the world after Hollywood and Bollywood. It is a $250 million film industry and releases about 2000 films every year. The key aim of these films is to make sure that African stories get to African audiences. “We still have people who live on less than 1$ per day and they are the people who really watch these films” says Peace Fiberesima, a producer and director in Nollywood.

The directors have to face a lot of issues everyday which are unforeseen, unexpected and untimely- prayers from the mosque loudspeakers interfering with the sound of a crucial scene making shooting impossible, electricity going off anytime, lead actor not showing up because of clash of timings with other films, sudden rains on a particular day of shooting hindering continuity, rented properties not available. But, director Bond says “In Nollywood we don’t count the walls. We have learnt ways to climb them.”

The producer and director remain surprisingly calm during all the costly and unforeseen delays. One of the actors, Kevin Books, says that many a time’s directors get harsh on the artists, trying to get out the best in them. But director Bond has his own approach. He takes the actor aside and makes him believe that “your life depends on it man.” The Producer, inspite of all the extra costs he has to incur is very positive and encouraging. One of the instances when the cameraman shows him scenes that they’d shot (till then not even half way through the film), he says with all his excitement “wow wow wow wow wow ...this is going to be the movie of the year”.

In Nollywood they do not have stunt men. They improvise the scenes and all of them act out the stunts themselves. Actress Toyin Alausa, loves acting as it gives her a chance of being someone extremely different from her real self. She can be asked to play a prostitute or a doctor, can pull stunts, carry guns, jump the fence, and climb the trees. She confidently says “In Nollywood the woman virtually can do anything as far as she can do it well.”

A lot of people question the quality of the films, so an actress says “Nobody is perfect and Rome wasn’t built in one day”. Nollywood is still evolving and the people have to be patient.

Director Bond says that there was a time when it was all about trying to talk like an American and behave like an American. But now the people are finding new heros, who are closer to their home. There is a sense of pride in being a Nigerian now. “I cannot tell the white man’s story. He tells me his own story in his movies. But we are telling it our own way, the Nigerian way, the African way.”

For more details log on to http://www.thisisnollywood.com/ J