raiseyourvoice

ASCO SUMMERS: Beginning of a new voyage

2010-08-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

Here I am beginning from where I left behind.

I wondered whether I had entered an all girl's class. That was so silly of me in believing it; not realizing that in college there is no such thing as separate classes for boys and girls. Suddenly a tall boy came towards me. I wondered whether I was going to be ragged. But the chap shook hands with me and said" Hi, Me Shashank." And this chap is Shashank Mehra, one of my very good friends that I have in this institution.

As I begin to pen down my experience in these two years, I am reminded of a lot of memories which are continuously hitting my brain at the moment. I entered ASCO as a student totally puzzled, confused about my future in this cruel and competitive world. However, these two years have moulded me to some extent to bravely face the world. Now coming back to the school of "gems", I would say BJMC III C. I have deliberately chosen the word gems because I have learnt a lot from them since when I met all of them.

Many people ask me as to how is it that from being a low ranked student in school and failing to even score a pass mark in my subjects, I have transformed myself to a good level of academic level. Without hesitating for a moment, I reply- that is because of the support which I have got from my classmates. This class is full of extremely talented and humble people who have a great career waiting for them ahead. Honestly speaking, the numerical equation has also contributed to a bit of my academic turnaround. When you have an astounding majority of 30 something pretty faces around you, it becomes very significant for any ordinary guy like me to make a mark in this class( I fear I might have offended many of them by my naive statement. sorry). However, I have some of the great friends in this class who have brought about a great change in my life. And inshallah, if I do something big in life these people will also have their share of credit.

An interesting incident comes into my mind while I am talking about my class at this moment. It was way back in 2008 during the initial weeks in ASCO. As I am very fond of News & Current Affairs ever since class 5, it was the presentation day in my class. Our teacher Nipunika Mam had asked us for a group presentation on the latest news personalities. Ours was the last group to present. I was very nervous as all the five groups had performed really well before me. To add to the woes, I was asked to present on behalf of my group. I was really nervous which was evident in my fumbling during speaking. After I finished speaking, I saw the class in dead silence. I was scared thinking whether I had messed everything up. But to my surprise Mam gave me a perfect 10.

That's where my story started.

( Next: People who have changed my life.)

Prelude...Prequel.....Whatever...:P

2010-08-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

" Mass Comm!!! What's that?"

" Why go to Noida? It’s too far."

" Why change stream after schooling in Science?"

These were the questions being asked to an 18 year old student who had just finished his schooling and was ready to face the big fierce competitive world. These questions were a part of a daily routine for this boy possessing a skeletal-like physique who had dreamt of entering the world of media ever since he was in his tenth standard. The skinny boy used to love writing stories right from the age of nine. Instead of comic books, he was made to read magazines and newspapers by his parents. Never had he imagined that a time will come exactly after ten years when he will get an opportunity to join the profession of journalism which mostly catered to newspapers and magazines.

Fast Forward. Cut to 2008. Sorry for making you all to wait so long to know who the skeletal boy is. That’s me. It was a time when I finally cleared my Class XII Board Exams successfully with a “whopping” 76%. I deliberately used this term as I hadn’t expected that I would even pass this time. As the inspirational speeches by great leaders fascinated me more than Faraday’s Laws of Electromagnetic Induction and the Ketones and Ethers failed to inspire me at all. Finally, I decided to pursue Bachelors in Journalism and Mass Communication from Amity University, Noida. The reason why I chose Amity was mainly because of its huge infrastructure and the brand status which it had attained at that time, thanks to the colossal ads in the prominent national dailies.

Finally, the day came. I left my cozy home in Dhanbad, Jharkhand to head towards a place entirely stranger to me. Noida, a city famous for IT companies, glitzy malls and the most important thing which mattered to me, Amity University.

Fast Forward. August 11, 2008. It was my first day in ASCO or in expanded notation, Amity School of Communication. I only knew what I had read about this institution on the website. I still remember I was tensed about the incidents of ragging in the colleges in recent years and being late for a week made me bite my nails in fear.

After enquiring with some people, I entered my class BJMC 1 C which was just opposite our Head of Department’s office. As soon as I entered the class bustling with the people who were my classmates, I stood still. There were girls and only girls everywhere. I wondered whether there were separate classes for girls and unknowingly I had entered an all girls…….

Reaching New Milestones of Friendship

2010-07-03T00:50:00.000-07:00

The Indo- Canada nuclear deal might be seen as another milestone in the relations between the two countries.

On 28th June, India signed a civilian nuclear agreement with Canada here in Toronto during the G-20 summit. The agreement signed between Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh and his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper hopes to revive the old friendship which the two countries had before the 1974 nuclear test. The agreement will enable India to import the atomic equipments and technology from Canada. In return, India will provide the Canadian nuclear companies an industrial access to its growing nuclear market.

The relations between the two countries have been cordial since India gained freedom from its British colonizers. The deal is very much significant as it will help to break some ice in the aftermath of the sanctions posed by Canada after the latter conducted its first ever nuclear test in 1974.However, the Nuclear Suppliers Group lifted the ban from India in the late 2008 owing to the signing of the India-US civilian nuclear deal. The relations between the two countries were cordial in the 1940’s, thanks to the personal ties between erstwhile Indian premier Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru and his Canadian counterparts, Louis St. Laurent and Lester B-Pearson. There was a mutual consent between the two states on various issues, which was reflected in various summits. Canada even helped India in 1951 when the latter was facing a severe drought in many of its provinces by providing food aid, project financing and technical assistance under the Colombo Plan.

However, the relations hit a new low as India conducted its first nuclear test at Pokharan in 1974.As a result; Canada imposed strict sanctions on India in the aftermath of a public outcry in its country. It also went to an extent of severing ties with India in 1976. However, the relations began to be normal as the erstwhile Canadian premier Jean Chretien visited India in 1996 with his two Cabinet colleagues and 300 businessmen. In return, Indian External Affairs Minister I K Gujaral paid an official visit to the North American country in the same year. Since then India and Canada have exchanged many official visits in the recent years.

On the development front, the two signed an agreement known as Canada India agreement for Scientific and Cultural Cooperation to enhance greater collaboration in the fields of science such as nanoscience, nanomedicine, biotechnology, sustainable and alternative energy technologies and earth sciences and disaster management. In order to seek vital inputs from shareholders, non-governmental organizations and municipalities, the Government of Canada has set up a group ‘Focus India’ under the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada(DFAIT), which conducts various meetings to help the DFAIT to coordinate the bilateral relations with India .The Canada India Forum for Environmental Collaboration has been working together in order to work together on key global environmental issues, the prominent one being the climate change. Currently, India is the second largest source country of immigrants to Canada. However, it is expected that it will be the main source to Canada in another few years. In 2005, Canada opened nine new visa application centers across India.

However, considering India’s rise as a global economic superpower, this agreement will help the sub continental giant in expanding its role on a global stage. Canada is the eighth country which has signed a nuclear deal with India. It must be however noted that India is being regarded as a potent emerging nuclear technology market, thanks to the Indo –US nuclear deal in 2008.In the recent years, Canada and India have pledged to work together to combat global terrorism of which India is a victim. The strengthening of bilateral relations with the world powers such as Canada, France, US will be of great help for India to voice its grievances on a global stage on various issues ranging from economic disparities to terrorism. The key issue in terms of national security for India has been terrorism, especially after the 26/11 Mumbai attack. It would be interesting to see how Canada helps India in applying pressure on its neighbor Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the attack to book.

The Canada-India relations have indeed reached a new milestone in terms of India’s foreign policy. It would be interesting to see whether this relation turns out to be a symbiotic partnership or not.

The Catastrophe In- Waiting

2010-06-25T04:55:00.000-07:00

The incidents like the Gulf of Mexico oil spill are bound to have severe disastrous effects on the environment in the years to come.

On April 30, 2010, US President Barack Obama released a statement barely seven days after an explosion in the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig one mile below the Gulf of Mexico, which triggered off a massive oil spill into the Gulf. The oil spill soon began to affect the shores of the coasts of US states of Louisiana, Mississippi.

The Deepwater Horizon, which was considered as one of the most technologically advanced drilling platforms in the world, became a victim of an explosion on April 20.The explosion gave rise to one of the greatest oil spills in the American history. The drill had already drilled a well in the sea floor and was working in one of the last stages of the operation, and was building a cement casing to reinforce the well. The oil spill was estimated to be below 5,000 barrels a day by the US Government officials on 28 April .However, barely a month later the government scientists came up with estimation of between 12,000 and 25,000 barrels a day of oil into the sea.

Apart from economy, the oil spill has had drastic effects on wildlife and the environment. The worst affected from this spill has been the US state of Louisiana. The $4.2 billion seafood industry of the state, which accounts for about 40 per cent of the US seafood supply, has been severely affected by the spill. The state is the second biggest seafood harvester and is also the leading provider of shrimps, oysters, crabs and crawfish. Moreover, the US government has declared a “fishery disaster” in the seafood producing states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Oil, some of it in thick sheets has begun to come on the shores of Louisiana wildlife reserves. The oil sleek has started threatening hundreds of species of fish, birds and other wildlife along the Gulf Coast.

The incidents like this are bound to have severe effects on the ecosystem and marine life of our planet. The spill might trigger off environmental disasters due to petroleum toxicity and environmental disasters. As the oil spill in large amounts are a potent threat to underwater flora and fauna. The immediate effects of oil contamination are toxicity of fish and other food species. However, in case of the Mexico oil spill, the marine life has been affected as the shellfish face a bigger threat as they need surface air to breathe and in this process they might ingest the toxic oil. Similarly, those birds and animals which prey on the shellfish are also in a bigger risk of being poisoned.

Whatever the reasons might be, the ultimate bottom-line is that the incident will have a long-lasting effect on our ecosystem.

Globalization:The Pros

2010-06-12T04:16:00.001-07:00

Globalization in simple words , can be rightly defined as the exchange of ideas, goods or services beyond any geographical constraint. Wikipedia, a world renowned search engine defines it as,” a process by which regional economies, societies and cultures have become integrated through a global network of communication, transportation and trade.”Both the definitions clearly state that the aim of globalization is to bring the whole world under a single roof, hence termed as a “global village”.

When we talk about the benefits which have come along with globalization, the first thing which strikes our mind is the concept of “free trade”. In simple words, Free Trade as its name suggests, refers to the exchange of monetary trade between traders without any geographical constraints. Free Trade is facilitated by the help of a trade treaty known as Free Trade Agreements(FTA), which have helped in reducing or completely removing tariffs on trade. According to the World Trade Organization, more than 200 FTAs are in force at present. Some of the most popular FTAs are Asia Pacific Trade Agreement(APTA),North American Free Trade Agreement(NAFTA), South Asia Free Trade Agreement(SAFTA) etc.

Another positive impact of globalization has been in the field of media. In the early 90’s, there was an unprecedented boom in the field of media. Previously, the leading media organizations of that era were confined to the boundaries of the countries in which they were operating.But with the globalization creeping in, these media giants began to cross their borders and look towards expanding their area of operations on an international level. Many leading global media giants like News Corp., Warner Bros. Entertainment, and NBC Universal are a classic example of the globalization in the field of media.

When we talk of culture, globalization has indeed revolutionized this seven letter word.With the advent of the technology, globalization has helped to bring together people on a common platform to share their views on a common subject. The internet, which is the brainchild of this era, has connected people across the seas and reduced the communication gap between two or more individuals living maybe thousands of kilometers away from each other. Through the marvels of technology, say mobile phones, internet, cinema and television we are now globally more connected than we were ever before.

Globalization has indeed revolutionized the way we see the world. It is absolutely necessary that we should strive unitedly to make this world a better place to live in.

The Great Indian Garland Saga.......

2010-03-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

March 24. The recent saga surrounding Mayawati's Rs 5 crore garland has become a burning issue around the country. The garland offered to the BSP chief on Kanshi Ram Jayanti on 15th March in Lucknow has ceased to be a mere publicity stunt by the ruling party and its chief. Rather it has shown that the BSP can go to any extent to win back its support base in the state.

The party through its grandeur on March 15 has tried to show that it is not behind other parties when it comes to showing the money power.Despite Opposition's hue and cry over the drain of money on the celebration, the party workers did not stop from presenting another garland worth Rs 18 lakhs, a few days later.

This clearly shows that Mayawati is in no mood to let the Dalit votes slip away from her hands amidst the resurgent Congress and a fuming Mulayam Singh Yadav. However, the garland will not improve the state which has deteriorated in terms of basic resources. The state government, in a bid to immortalise the Chief Minister has spent lavishly on erecting memorials even as the state is in dismal state. The misrule of the ruling government has given teeth to the armour of the Opposition, which is leaving no stone unturned to target the CM.

It would be interesting to see whether the government policies or the garland will benefit the state and the government or not.

Times at Connaught Place

2010-02-23T08:03:00.000-08:00

Feb 22."bhaiya, zara golgappe toh chakh lo"(Brother, please taste my golgappas?) I turned back to see an old man of 50 something looking at me with anticipation.Actually, golgappas are balls made out of flour with mashed potatoes and water containing spices are filled into them.It is a popular snack item in India. I couldn’t resist the temptation of the spicy golgappas and pounced upon them. With watering eyes and soaring throat, I managed to eat 10 of them. I paid the vendor and set out for my next destination, the Kaventer’s.

Flashback. It was a bright sunny Sunday morning when I decided that I would not let this day go wasted. Actually, Sunday is the only day I get to sleep late till 10 in the morning.As none of my friends were willing to sacrifice their slumber for a sunny afternoon walk amidst crowded lanes of CP, I had to make up my mind to go alone.The Connaught Place was bustling with activity, as usual. Moreover, today was Sunday and many people had come to enjoy with their families. After a long spell of chilly winter, everyone was relieved that they wont have to cover themselves with sweaters.

As I was lost in my flashback, I collided with a Mercedes Benz standing in front of the Kaventer’s in the parking lot.I managed to support myself . The driver of the car stared at me scornfully. I apologized to him and felt it wise to move away from the place. Kaventer’s is a famous eating outlet in Delhi , known for its milk shakes. I had a cup full of butter scotch flavor and then advanced towards the Wenger’s just at a stone throw’s distance. Wenger’s is famous for its pastries.

It was going to get dark and I felt it necessary to go back. With a heavy heart I left the CP for the Metro station for my hostel. That was the end of myholiday.

GenNext Politicos: Should the youth take over the affairs?

2009-12-31T23:44:00.000-08:00

Jan 1. The previous year 2009 saw a major turnaround in the Indian political scenario. The most significant event being the 15th Lok Sabha Elections which gave the Grand Old Party of India, the Congress its highest number of seats since 1989 and enabled it to return to power for the second time in succession.

But the change which the nation witnessed was the role which the youth brigade played in deciding the political course during the elections. The young leaders, especially Rahul Gandhi, the scion of India's first political family smilingly stole the show as political stalwarts like L K Advani and Mayawati watched in utter silence. The tireless effort by Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders propelled the party to 206 seats as compared to 145 in the 2004 polls. The elections saw 79 MPs under 40 from all the parties altogether making their way to the symbol of India's largest democracy.

Now, talking about the youth, the Congress was able to use the youth factor successfully as compared to other parties. Though, almost all of the young MPs of the Congress belong to various dynasties , but it cannot be ruled out that the people, of whom 75% are below 40 , now prefer young, dynamic leaders instead of old leaders accused of caste ,religion and regional politics. Young Turks like Sachin Pilot, Jitin Prasada , Jyotiraditya Scindia ,Priya Dutt and many others were not only able to re-elect themselves to the 543 MPs strong House of the People but also managed to catch the voter's attention and support.

The upcoming decade might see a number of young , dynamic leaders shaping the outlook of the country. But the major concern is that almost all of the prominent young politicians have inherited their fathers legacy. As a result, many aspiring youth feel themselves handicapped due to the absence of any political background with them. Also because of the corruption and criminalisation of politics, the youth are reluctant to join the system.

At the end, it is left to the political parties to decide whom they want to give the responsibilty of running the country after them

Hard Days Ahead

2009-12-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

Dec 15. It was May 2007, when Ku. Mayawati led Bahujan Samaj Party swept the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections,winning 206 out of 403 seats. The dalit czarina silenced all her critics by taking her party to majority for the first time,becoming the first majority party in the state since 1991.The social engineering agenda of the 52 year politician had reaped huge dividends as Mayawati became centre of all attention in the politics of India. Mulayam Singh Yadav and his Samajwadi Party associates could never understand what had hit them.

Fast Forward,March 2009.Mayawati begins her campaign of becoming the first Dalit Prime Minister of India by initiating her Lok Sabha campaign.She fields 509 out of 543 candidates, most of whom are either rich industrialists or dreaded goons bailed out by the Chief Minister.Two months later, the results are declared. The Manmohan Singh led Indian National Congress wins 206 out of 545 Lok Sabha seats. But the even more shocking is the Congress romping home in UP, winning 21 out of 80 seats in the state.On the other hand ,BSP could just win 2 seats more than its previous tally of 18. The victory of Congress was widely attributed to Congress General Secratery Rahul Gandhi's vigorous campaign in the state.The Gandhi scion's visit to Dalit homes worked wonders as Congress made deep inroads into the BSP's Dalit votebank.

As the recent results of the bye-elections to the 11 assembly constituencies and a Lok Sabha seat is to be taken into account, BSP has won 9 out of 11 seats while the Congress has only won one seat of Lucknow West by Shyam Sharan Shukla. However , Congress won the crucial Firozabad Lok Sabha seat,with SP rebel Raj Babbar defeating Mulayam singh's daughter -in-law, Dimple. The win was crucial as Firozabad seat was vacated by Akhilesh Yadav ,as he had chosen to vacate it over Kannauj.

Now speaking about Mission 2012, BSP has managed to win 9 seats which indicates that the BSP has still not lost touch with its voters. On other hand,its main rival,the Samajwadi Party has shown a degradation both in terms of votes and seats.The Congress may have won 21 seats this time but the party has much to do before it can hope to pull of an upset in 2012 when the state goes for polls. No doubt the Congress leadership has been entrusted upon the responsibility to strengthen the party base in the state. Congress general secy. Rahul Gandhi has instructed its party workers to build up the party base in the state. The NSUI and Youth Congress wings have been instructed to recruit more youths to the party.

It is now left to be seen how much does the Congress succeed in rebuild itself in the journey towards winning back the state which was its stronghold.

Will he repeat it again.....??

2009-12-15T06:11:00.000-08:00

Dec 15. Not less than a year is left when the state of Bihar goes on the electoral floors next year.Post Lalu, the state has batted a numerous eyelids more due to the 'sushasan' claimed by its ruler,Nitish Kumar.The 4 yr and 23 days old BJP-JD(U) government in the state which witnessed a 15 yr old 'jungle raj' by Lalu Yadav and his better half Rabri Devi led RJD government.The state voted for a change during the re-polls in November 2005,which ousted the RJD government out of power and installed JD(U) politician Nitish Kumar as the state's 31st Chief Minister. The JD(U)-BJP alliance then had bagged 147 seats as compared to RJD's tally of 65.

The 55 yr old Kumar began a journey towards his promise of transforming Bihar from a' jungle raj ' to a 'sushaasit pradesh'. this included a massive crackdown on the feisty politicians or the 'baahubalis', mostly fom the RJD. The Bihar government fell heavily on the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats ,who were unable to give up their old habits. The Chief Minister began to hold 'junta durbars' to listen to the grievance of the common people. The Nitish wave reaped rich dividends in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections when BJP-JD(U) combine bagged 32 out of the state's tally of 40.The JD(U) bagged 20 and BJP romped home with 12. On the other hand , it spelt doomsday for RJD and LJP,the other two parties in the state.While the once ruling RJD had its seats tally down from 22 to 04, LJP failed to win a single seat.The greatest shock was the defeat of LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, from his constituency Hajipur,which he had held it unbeaten since 1977.

However, the bye elections for 18 assembly seats concluded in September have yielded surprising results.the results have come as a shock to the ruling NDA government. JD(U) could win only 3 seats with its ally BJP win 2,while RJD-LJP alliance winning 8 out of 18 seats which had gone for bye-polls.The JD(U) has been riddled with inner party discontent as senior leaders like Digvijay Singh and George Fernandes have left the party due to what they have alleged as Nitish's 'dictatorship'.however,the bye elections shouldnt be taken so seriously as the Bihar government has won accolades from all over the state,and chances are there that he will repeat its victory again in 2010,when the state goes for the polls.

Maharashtra: Who gains from this linguistic chauvinism?

2009-11-22T03:58:00.000-08:00

Nov 22.The ghost of lingual and regional chauvinism has raised his head again.And the habitat is the same,the financial capital of India,Mumbai.Ever since the attack on Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi in the Assembly, the evil spirit of regional violence has woken up after barely a year.The perpetrator is the same,MNS chief Raj Thackeray.Barely a year ago, Raj's goons carried out a month long offensive against North Indians in Maharashtra. Raj's uncle,Shiv Sena supremo and 'parent' of the 'bhumiputra' agenda , Balasaheb Thackeray had indirectly supported the tirade against the migrants.In a bid to outdo his ambitious nephew,Balasaheb had launched a verbal tirade against the North Indians in his party newsletter,Saamna.

Who gains and who loses from this irrational violence?Well, there is nothing wise in violence. But the question still forces us to think.Is it the MNS,Shiv Sena or the state government who is using the MNS to cut the Marathi vote bank from the Sena.Whoever the gainer may be, the clear losers are those migrant workers who come to this "mayanagari" in search of a livelihood.Their mistake is just that they speak Hindi or their mother tongue.

This is not the first time Maharashtra has witnessed violence on regional grounds.If we go back to the 60's, similar onslaught was carried by the Sena who was in the nursery.That time the victims were the south Indians.The Sena cadre workers used to manhandle South Indians,vandalise South Indian restaurants, offices and other properties.This time , the victims are the north Indians from UP, Bihar and other Hindi speaking states.The Sena and MNS allege that the marathi manoos can never prosper unless these outsiders are thrown out of the state.

Now I would like to ask who has given the parties like the Sena to decide who shall reside and who shan't.According to the constitution of India, every Indian citizen has the right to reside and settle in any part of India.I would also like to question those people sitting in constitutionally elected people their unwillingness to protect the migrant's rights. Its high time when we stand up together to prevent such narrow minded people from being successful in their objectives.Otherwise, the day is not far away when our country is broken into several states on baseless grounds.

Maharashtra: Is it the end for the Sena

2009-10-31T21:53:00.000-07:00

Nov 1. I am writing this post barely after two weeks when the Congress led Democratic Front won the Maharashtra Assembly Elections again,thus retaining Mantralaya for the third consecutive time. The Congress improved upon its tally of 69 in 2004 to 82 in this poll and gaining a golden opportunity to dictate over its coalition partner , the NCP. NCP lost 9 seats and bagged 62 seats as compared to 71 in the previous polls.

But the main loser was the Shiv Sena, the self proclaimed champion of the"marathi manoos" in the state.by its chief, Balasaheb Thackeray. Thackeray, who had played the bhumiputra or "sons of soil " card for four decades, was left clueless as he saw his rebel nephew Raj Thackeray's Maharashra Navnirman Sena playing spoilsport in the former's chances of returning to power again.The Sena lost 18 seats and its tally went down to 44 ,whereas its partner BJP lost 08 and bagged 46. Raj Thackeray's MNS bagged 13 seats , but should be credited for eating up a large chunk of Marathi votes from the Shiv Sena-BJP share.

Now talking about Sena's misery , the senior Thackeray must have underestimated Raj's ever increasing popularity among the Marathi voters. On the other hand,Raj fielded Marathi candidates in every constituency where Sena had fielded theirs. This ultimately led to the defeat of many Sena candidates resulting in the gains of both the Congress and the NCP.Thackeray's strategy of projecting his son Uddhav as the next chief minister failed miserably as the voters could not connect themselves with the heir to the throne of Maharashtra's biggest party.Unlike Raj,who has gained immense popularity among the voters which has led to the speculations that he will surely supercede his cousin and become an efficient player in the politics of the state.

Now talking about Raj, the rebellious nephew left no stone unturned to make his grand old uncle realize his mistake which the former committed 2 yrs ago which had led Raj to quit the Sena and form his MNS. The Shiv Sena lost plot miserably as it failed to make use of the opportunity to weaken Raj during his tirade against the North Indians.Instead the Sena made a half hearted attempt to garner Marathi votes by launching offensive against North Indians in its newsletter Saamna. As a result, it not only lost the Marathi votebank but also the North Indian voters who voted for the Congress to evict the Sena.

Before the 2004 elections, Bal tackeray had declared that he won't shave his beard unless Sena-BJP is voted back to power.Now after the 2009 debacle, it seems that the old tiger will have to remain another 5 years unshaven.

Diwali : Has it really become a festival of pomp and pollution?

2009-10-17T05:21:00.000-07:00

Oct 17. I remember when i was very young , i used to eagerly wait for the festival of lights,Deepawali. The reason for this eagerness was to see the flower pots or "anar" sprouting upwards ,or chakri throwing out fire sparkles. Not to forget the rockets which used to shoot up like missiles into the sky. All this used to fascinate me a lot. Thats why I made sure that i got those crackers before the festival. I along with many of my friends used to enjoy bursting bombs,lighting sparkles and many more. While enjoying the illuminating crackers, we used to forget the children working in a place far away from our home in Tamil Nadu, known as Sivakasi, are working tirelessly for our pleasure. While putting their life and future at risk, many generations of laborours have been working in Sivakasi to ensure that the countrymen never fall short of crackers in any Diwali.

I wonder whether the festival of lights has become the festival of pomp and pollution. Yes, it has . In todays world, Diwali means exchanging precious gifts and bursting crackers which not only pollutes the atmosphere, but also symbolizes futile spending of money.

Sivakasi is a big industrial centre in the Virudhnagar district of Tamil Nadu and is also the fireworks hub of the country.This is because 90% of India’s fireworks are produced here. Most of the workers in the factory are educated and are thus employed with minimum wages. It is pathetic to see that most of the workers are children who work in hazardous conditions. Moreover ,while wasting huge amount of money, we never think of doing something for those labourers in the factory, who have the same right to get educated like us.

In the era where there is a lot of hue and cry about ozone depletion and global warning , shouldn’t we act as responsible citizens and stop the people from polluting the atmosphere.I know its foolish of me of giving sermons about environment protection.

Its high time when we realize the reason of the celebrations of Diwali as a symbol to mark the victory of good over evil. Instead of draining out huge sum of money and polluting Mother Earth,we can use this money to brighten someone’s life.

Can she pull off an upset in '11 Bengal Polls?

2009-10-09T05:54:00.000-07:00

Mamta Banerjee: Very optimistic

The recent Lok Sabha elections in early in the month of May have led to the miserable defeat of the Left Front ,led by the Communist Party of India(Marxist).The Left were humiliated by the Congress-All India trinamool Congress in West Bengal,the state which the Left considered it as an unintruded fortress since 1977.The Trinamool wave created havoc in the Left cadres with Trinamool bagging 19 seats from previous tally of 1 in 2004.Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee is all set to compound the Left's miseries in the next Assembly plls scheduled in 2011.

The Congress and Trinamool agreed to contest elections together to combat the Left forces. Both the parties contested together on 41 out of 42 seats.While Congress won 4 seats out of 14 it contested,Trinamool bagged 19 out of 27.In contrast ,Left seat tally fell from 34 in 2004 to 15 in 2009. The Trinamool -Congress combo gained maximum advantage from the Nandigram and Singur issues. Many senior Left leaders lost in their constituencies like Mohammad Saleem of CPI(M) lost to Sudip Bandopadhyay of Trinamool in his Kolkata Uttar constituency,Lakshman Seth to Adhikari Suvendu of Trinamool from Tamluk ,Sujan Chakraborty to Kabir Suman of Trinamool from Jadavpur and many others.It may be noted that Mohammad Saleem had earlier won from the same constituency in 2004 elections.
It will be interesting to see whether the Left recuperates from the post electoral blues or fails to defend its fortress which it has held since 1977.