Let’s hear the rest of it in Amit’s own words.

20^th Feb. 2011, I can still remember it as clearly as yesterday. I was chatting with my friend Swaroop at around 10:30 pm, who had ignited my initial interest in photography.
That time, we were visiting various photography pages on Facebook. I was amazed at the photographs and also the 900+, 1,000+ “likes” the pages seemed to generate. We were talking if these people were really popular to get so many hits.
Suddenly I wrote in the chat box: “Hey, let’s create our own pages.”
Swaroop: “Are you serious?”
Me: “Yup, I am.”
Swaroop: “Are we ready for it?”
Me: “Let’s give it a shot.”
First part was the toughest — naming our pages. We didn’t want to name our pages on our own names. Amit Sahoo’s Photography Page? Naaaah!
Finally, after lots of thoughts and talks, Lens & Light was born. (Swaroop had decided to call his page Megapixel.)
Within a few minutes, the page was created, launched, published. Now came the time for uploading pictures. We started with a few, in the meantime clicked a lot, upload the bests and some even amazed the masters of this field.
The journey from 1+ like to 1,400+ likes was long but our interest and our love for doing it helped us to thread along easily.

As Amit completes his first year as an amateur photographer even as he struggles with his final year school load, Howzzit takes a look at some of his choicest clicks. We prefer to call them “choicest” and not his “best”, since we, at Howzzit, have always been eager to pick up his best ones and share with our readers! So here we go.

Damselfly (not to be confused with a dragonfly) is common in Kolkata, especially during the spring, given number of ponds and other such water bodies in and around it. But this one is special. It is one of my finest macros.

The Asian Pied Starling or the Pied Mynah. I captured this usual guest puffing up its feathers on my terrace on a chilly winter morning.

When God played with the colors on his canvas…

Forget the air-conditioners, this is still the surest way to beat the heat for Kolkata's millions.

Ei akashe aamar mukti alloy aalo… The famous Rabindrasangeet, translated loosely means My deliverance is in the lighted firmament. The young boy, free and resilient against the grey-blue sky of the City of Joy is nothing but Tagore's song personified.

A Walk towards light. I caught this solitary boy on the beaches of Puri last year. The setting sun formed the perfect background.

Tobacco kills? Don’t tell him that. Done to death a hundred times by the travails of life, he would rather have the little peace and puff away on the grand old meaning of life.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched; they must be felt with the heart, so said Helen Keller. Love and books, should we say?

Time ticks and life fades away. As Mumbai survived yet another attack on its bruised and battered self on the July 13, 2011, dead bodies, torn limbs lay on the road along with what The Telegraph called "the incredible sight of diamonds lying on the road". Angry and troubled in faraway Kolkata, this is how I could capture it.

More than one Bengalis, a pleasant day, a low wall to rest your backside… what else do you need for that perfect adda?

Related posts:

• Carrying the Lens through the Lanes and Veins of Kolkata
• Capturing Paris, the City of Love, Lights and History
• Mumbai: Shorn of the Glitz and Glam, a City of Guts and Glory
• Perception of Thanatos: A Portrait of Death
• Dilli Meri Jaan: A Stroll at Capital’s Famous Lodi Garden

Of course we are not talking at the level of high priests here. We are talking about the mundane, the humdrum and the everyday affairs that we often miss as we go about work every day with clockwork precision. And zooming in on those ordinary aspects of life.

Yes, it’s luck, as the guru said, and a bit extra that the lens, when properly focused, sends out. So take a bow, Swaroop Singha Roy, whose photographs Howzzit has earlier run, as his photography page MegapicXel turned one year today. Here we carry a selection of his best pics over the last year, the theme being Kolkata, The City of Joy, and its neighbourhood.

Budding bloom: Spring is in the air, as the blooming flower shows off.

Raindrops keep fallin’ on my head: This was taken during the monsoons last year, showing the majesty of the city, and its ever-busy residents.

Labour of life: Taken near the metropolis, a shot of ‘life’ starting young.

When solitary is an army: One for sorrow… or so goes the saying among children. But sometimes you need that solitude to gather your wits before the day’s toil for food begins.

Dawn of dusk: Sunset at Massanjore dam on the Mayurakshi River.

Honey, I got it again! A dash of black on white on colour.

Pray, where’s my prey? The look of a predator.

Colour contrast: Zooming in on the bloom as the buds shoot out.

Another day end: A view of the Vidyasagar Setu from Princep Ghat.

A face in the crowd: Perched on shoulders, she looks out for the new, amid the setting of the old. Welcome, life.

Related posts:

• The City of Joy: Whatever I See Around in Kolkata
• Rainwashed: Kolkata At a Standstill
• When the Rain Rains All Around in Kolkata
• Pujo in Kolkata: The Beautiful Idols, Innovative Pandals and the Crowd
• The Final Goodbye to Maa Durga, and a Year-long Wait

Imagine a situation: Rogue elements from several countries have sat down for a meeting at an undisclosed location, brainstorming for breakthrough ideas on how to deal with the current standoff between Israel, US and a section of uber-animated Indian TV media on one hand and Iran on the other. Those present in the summit are complete rogues, and any similarity with any other complete, incomplete, semi-complete or non-rogue is purely coincidental. So read with a pinch of salt:

Israeli rogue:  Now that Tal Yehoshua (the Israeli woman diplomat who suffered spine and liver injuries in the bomb attack Delhi on February 13) has reached home, I think we should attack Tehran and do away with Hezbollah and such outfits. It would also take care of Iran’s nuclear programmes.

US rogue (thinks oil): Yeah, man.

Indian Rascala: No, why Yemen? Let us not drag other nations into it.

(Everyone ignores Rascala, who, used to being ignored anyway, does not bat an eyelid)

Israeli rogue: We knew it beforehand that Iran was behind it. In fact, we could anticipate even before the rider on that motorcycle put up that sticky bomb on that Toyota Innova near that junction in New Delhi — that Hezbollah, and by proxy Iran, was behind it.

Indian Rascala: Red motorcycle; you should mention red motorcycle. Our police and intelligence sources have figured out the colour. It’s a red motorcycle, though reports are now emerging that it could even have been black — both the bike and the bomber’s gear. So let us not be colour blind and start a war.

(Everyone ignores Rascala)

Pakistani rogue (breaking his wicked silence): We believe India’s RAW did it. They want war to break out in the region so that Pakistan gets affected. In fact, we have always believed RAW was responsible for all those human bombs, and explosives in all sorts of vehicles exploding all over Pakistan, so often that even our government has lost count.

(Everyone ignores the Pak rogue, known to forever foment hostility against his Indian counterpart for all sorts of issues, including Pak President Zardari’s unknown/alleged/unconfirmed illness, and Islamabad’s troubles with the army)

Israeli rogue: Let’s not digress, bro. We knew the Hezbs would retaliate even before they did so. We knew it would be a red-letter week, for it was the fourth anniversary week since Hezbollah’s operations chief Imad Mughniyeh was bumped off…

Iranian rogue (jumps up): I strongly object. I want a motion passed against my good friend from Israel, to keep him silent till this meeting is over/till we complete our nuke achievements/whichever comes first. Hezbollah has always blamed Israel for Mughniyeh’s assassination…

Israeli rogue (jumps up with equal alacrity): …and which Israel has always refuted.

Iranian rogue (tries to jump up but realises he was jumping up and down anyway, so gives up attempt): But even Hezbollah has denied its role behind the attack in Delhi. So how can you take one denial, which is your own, at face value and deny the right to other denials? This is not fair. We won’t play this (proceeds to leave the rogues’ summit)

UN Security Council rogue: Order, order. Why don’t we invite a Hezbollah rogue to clarify the situation, and their stand?

US rogue (dreamily dreams of oil): Yeah, man.

Israeli rogue (frustrated): They are all rogues. They refused to sit for this august summit.

Georgian rogue: Whatever be it, we foiled the attack in our country. I think our law enforcement is better than New Delhi’s.

Indian Rascala (offended): What rot is that? Our media was the first to ape the Israelis and point the finger at Hezbollah and Iran even before the Western media took up the cudgels. You can check with the our representative from the Indian TV media sitting in the last row.

The Indian TV media representative (yet to graduate to rogue status, invited as special guest with express orders not to ape his boss in the channel and keep silent): That’s true, Sir. But India wants an answer whether we have reached any closer to a decision on war. You see…

Indian Rascala (cuts him off): Besides, we have always maintained that the terrorists were very well-trained. After all, as our  home minister and the Delhi Police commissioner have pointed out, they all managed to escape alive after the attack! Isn’t that cool? I mean… ahem.. doesn’t that prove they were trained abroad?

Pak rogue: No. It could mean they were trained by RAW, and India wants war against Iran, which has been a friendly country to Pakistan since 1979. Our mobs attacked and damaged the US Embassy in Islamabad following only a radio address. We did not need any concrete proof about anything.

Indian Rascala: You always run out to back anything and anyone, without concrete evidence. You backed the US war on Saddam’s Iraq, though Washington never came up with evidence of Weapons of Mass Destruction. But Iran is our friend, as our Home Minister P. Chidambaram said.

UN rogue: Order, order…

US rogue (sitting up and clearly sighting oil, and sunbathing on the Persian Gulf): Damn the order business. Who wants to go to war? Raise your hands. We got an election to hold later this year and no to waste on such inane summits…

(The Indian TV media representative raises his hand before statement ends. Rogues’ Summit called off for now, with resolution to get in touch with the Indian news channel that is perpetually at war, with anyone ready to go to war, and share the experience of its top boss, who barks live on the channel every night at 9).

Related posts:

• Afridi Backs Shoaib on Sachin Shaking, Indian Media all Over
• In Defence of George W. Bush
• Bill hai ke Manta Nehin: Govt, Team Anna Talk the Talks after 8 Days
• Is there a Tihar Connection to Dope Dead Gorgeous Performance of Indian Athletes?
• The Farce Over the Great Indian Fast

Most of the cell phones that are sold today come with a 30-day, no-questions-asked guarantee that ensures that any remorseful buyer will be able to get his money refunded to him if he changes his mind within that window. While this policy certainly encourages more would-be buyers to leap out and take the step of becoming actual buyers, it also has the side effect of sending a good number of cell phones back out into the market that aren’t exactly used but can’t exactly be classified as new either.

These phones are known as refurbished phones. Refurbished phones can be used exactly like new phones. The same providers that offer great mobile broadband deals for new phones will probably have those same deals available to refurbished phones.

Some providers offer plans for unlimited talk, text, and mobile broadband deals, and these are sure to be available as well to any refurbished phone you buy. Here are a few tips on how to know the difference between when you should buy a refurbished phone and when you shouldn’t.

When a refurbished phone is right for you

If you like saving money or saving the planet, a refurbished phone may be right for you. Almost all refurbished phones are considerably cheaper than new cell phones. If you are craving for a device that is almost new yet not as expensive as those that are completely new, look into buying yourself a refurbished phone.

Another great reason to invest in a refurbished phone is the planet. Buying a refurbished phone means that it will end up in your pocket instead of on a festering garbage dump in the middle of what was once a beautiful forest.

You may also be interested in a refurbished phone if you are looking to replace an older cell phone model that you finally got used to right before the poor old thing died. Go ahead and treat yourself by buying the same model at a low, refurbished price.

When a refurbished phone is not right for you

If keeping up with the next-door neighbors is supremely important to you, you may not want to invest in a refurbished phone. That is, of course, unless refurbished phones have suddenly and mysteriously become all the rage.

If you need your phone to be able to hit the ground running with a 100 per cent guaranteed success rate, you may not want to take the risk that buying a refurbished phone could pose. In this case, stick with a new phone.

What to look for in a refurbished phone

Make sure the refurbished phone you are considering buying has been refurbished by a reputable company with good reviews. Only buy from vendors who are willing to disclose their refurbishing process.

Although your refurbished phone may not come with as stellar a warranty as a new phone, it should still come with some kind of guarantee. Make sure that the product you buy is at least covered for a short period of time.

Where to find your refurbished phone

Many wireless providers have a steady stock of refurbished phones that they are constantly trying to unload. Other companies that specialise in refurbished phones include recellular.com, phonedog.com, cellularcountry.com, wirelessgalaxy.com, and refurbdepot.com. Each of these sites has received great reviews and sells generally quality product.

Left to right: Google Chairman Eric Schmidt with Founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

‘Don’t be Evil.’ That’s the motto Google claims to live by. And while many may not agree with its diverse business approaches, the fact remains that all its inventions have gone on to immensely help the general public. In the process, they also made billions for the company, but that is beside the point.

Solve for X, brainchild of CEO Eric Schmidt, is one such novel attempt by Google. The project, which has also seen involvement of Founder Sergey Brin, is a platform for solving “insurmountable” problems by radical thinking and cutting­edge technology.

In its own words, “Solve for X is a place to hear and discuss radical technology ideas for solving global problems. Radical in the sense that the solutions could help billions of people. Radical in the sense that the audacity of the proposals makes them sound like science fiction. And radical in the sense that there is some real technology breakthrough on the horizon to give us all hope that these ideas could really be brought to life.”

Typically, for Solve for X, X is any problem (seemingly unsolvable) on which the multi­disciplinary luminaries are putting their heads together to solve them radically. There are hoards of problem they are working on are the global water scarcity, cancer treatment, agricultural productivity, carbon emission, to just name a few.

The core “We Solve for X” team has been hand-picked from other major technology companies and universities such as Microsoft, Nokia Labs, Carnegie Mellon, MIT,New York University, and Stanford. The project is in no way related to the core search business of Google, and this is a huge risk for a publicly traded company to invest so much in a diversified word which does not show immediate results to its return-hungry share holders.

But then, the huge success of its core business allows Google to subsidise initiatives like this. Also, the percentage of corporate funding to technology research has increased over the years as compared to state funding in relative terms at least. The global corporate houses, especially the blue ­chip ones, have been aggressive in spending their billions towards new product development, partly because they have seen the returns from a successful technology or a product.

Moreover, Google has been always true to its stated commitment to innovation and out­of the­box thinking. It has always motivated employees to allot 20 per cent of their work schedule to projects which are outside their normal official projects — some of these out-­of-­work thinking and research has resulted in products such Gmail and Reader.

Solve for X is a place to hear and discuss radical technology ideas for solving global problems.

Essentially, Google intends Solve for X to be a forum to encourage and amplify technology-based moonshot thinking and teamwork. As the site says, “This forum started with a small face-to-face event co-hosted by Astro Teller, Megan Smith, and Eric Schmidt — the Solve for X talks are now being posted here on this site.” It also encourages general readers to watch the Solve for X talks, take part in the Google+ conversations and post their own Solve for X talks.

Perhaps not many would know that the Advanced Research Projects Agency’s — the research and development organisation for the US Department of Defense — greatest gift to mankind, the Internet, was in direct response to the launching of Sputnik by the former USSR. (Read: Happy Birthday, Sputnik! Thanks for the Internet). A shocked US suddenly realised that the Soviet Union had developed the ability to successfully launch orbiting earth satellites and thereby exploit the regions of space for scientific and military purposes. The immediate response from the US stable was the Internet. So, the most influential invention in the last century has its roots in military interests.

However, Solve for X, because of its sheer non-business and non-competitive motto, has been a commendable step. In this world waged by ever-increasing war and political tension, it would not be prudent to expect the states to fulfill their duty of investing adequately in long-term research for solely future good of nations. With its ‘We Solve for X’ vision, Google once again lives up to its commitment of ‘Don’t be Evil’.

Related posts:

• Android Money is Not for Google Only
• New-look Gmail is Smart and Trendy, Google Has Done its Homework Well
• Netizens of the World Unite, You Have Nothing to Lose but Your Voice
• Of Android and Social Good: Why Gosling Quit Oracle to Join Google
• Google+ — First Impressions & Commentary

Sajid Khan's directorial debut

I love the Khan siblings — Farah and Sajid. Motor-mouthed both of them, rarely do they realise where their mouths are leading them. And, in the process, coming out with a gem, like this one above, at the launch of Sajid’s first trailer of his film forthcoming film (sorry, “blockbuster”) Housefull 2, in Mumbai on February 9. (Read: Sajid Khan: Hindi films are not made for critics)

While their chutzpah in rattling off their love for the kitsch is admirable (heck! who am I to pan them if the janta likes their duds; though even that I questionable), I always find it funny the way they go whacking, all out, at the “critics”.

So who, pray, are these ‘critics’ whom so many Bollywood types with sterile ideas, hackneyed plots, and déjà vu-esque end products love to hate?

“A person who expresses an unfavourable opinion of something,” according to Oxford Dictionary. And also: “A person who judges the merits of literary or artistic works, especially one who does so professionally.”

Now Sajid, whose film Housefull 2 is set for an April 5 release, here of course means the latter, though his tone and tenor, I am sure (since I was 1,400-odd km away when he mouthed his quirks in Mumbai), meant the former.

Sajid, who used to (I don’t watch much telly any more, so wouldn’t know if it’s still on) host a show called Ikke Pe Ikka on Zee Movies (or was it Zee TV?). I remember the show (it not because it was good, great or anything on those lines, but because the half-hour show had perhaps 12 minutes of adverts, as many minutes of the anchor giving his gyaan and one-liners and the rest on which they showed the songs. Perhaps ten of them, but I could be wrong. Again.

I watched it off and on with a thumping heart (Sajid would reappear), a praying mind (that they would show more songs, at least this time), and a probing head (why is he such a hit?)

Years went by, Yamuna turning from gray to black under the ITO bridge in Delhi, and Sajid, now portlier (like me) but still as opinionated and a motormouth (unlike me), made Heyy Babyy and Housefull — two full-length feature films. I remember watching bits of the first — it was a pirated DVD from the neighbourhood pirate, who gave Heyy Babyy by mistake when I had asked for another film (which shall go unnamed here). Of course, the pirate being a pirate, he did not make a mistake of charging me. Sajid’s art cost me Rs 40.

I cursed.

And then I cried, well almost, after watching bits of the film. Here, Sajid thinks this is funny.

I find the idea that he thinks this is funny is funny.

The film left me with such aftershock that I refuse to watch any Akshay Kumar films till date. The rest of the cast, crew and director are not even within my peripheral vision.

Now, I am sure the film made good money, did good business, was liked by hundreds across the world, but for the life of me it cannot be called a good film. I am sure even Sajid, sitting quietly on the pot, with the bathroom lights switched off and with all honesty in his heart and bowels would agree with that.

And neither of us, Sajid, are critics/reviewers.

So what is wrong if a reviewer gives you bad marks? No film is made for a critic, not here, neither in Papua New Guinea. And if you still mean the art house/NFDC-produced films made certain directors in the ’70s and ’80s, please wake up. That distinction is long gone.

Films are made for the audience — here or anywhere, and even in Jupiter, if they make motion pictures there. The difference is not the by-now-clichéd art versus commercial; it is between good and bad films, both kinds being made primarily for public consumption, which in effect means a commercial venture.

It’s about the hackneyed plotted, sleep-inducing, frustration-dawning films like Heyy Babyy or Tees Maar Khan and well-crafted, intelligently scripted and edited ventures such as A Wednesday, Wake Up Sid, Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year or 3 Idiots (there are examples aplenty but these are some I just recalled offhand).

But in deriding everything the ‘critics’ say about their films, in an apparent effort to appear nonchalant about what those critics in effect say, I am afraid Sajid and Farah appear to be taking those very critics a jot too seriously than they perhaps deserve. I have a stinking feeling that in panning them without waiting to be panned, Sajid, Farah and the likes of such gung-ho ‘mass filmmakers’ take the opinion of these reviewers far more seriously than even the critics themselves. And certainly far more seriously than the poor masses think of the reviews.

Related posts:

• Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara: a Dud(e?) Flick
• Bodyguard Raked in the Moolah, But Was Sholay or HAHK More Watched?
• Two Super Scenes, a Hamming SRK and One Headache Called Ra.One
• Casting Ouch: Ramu Casts Plotter, Fails to Net Plot
• As Sandip Ray Readies Another Feluda Flick, a Fan Fears Another Horror Show

The infamous trio

After the furore over iPads, Karnataka legislators have found a new way to entertain themselves. On Tuesday, February 7, as the state Assembly was discussing a pro-Hindu group allegedly hoisting a Pakistani flag in North Karnataka recently, two of our ministers — Laxman Savadi and C.C. Patil — were caught on camera by a local news channel watching porn clips on cellphones.

On Tuesday, the duo — minister for cooperation Laxman Savadi, minister for women and child development C.C. Patil — claimed that it was a video clip of a rave party in a foreign land and the cellphone in question belonged minister for ports and science and technology J. Krishna Palemar. They claimed they were watching the video to understand what happens in a rave party in view of the protests over such a party held at the temple town Udupi recently.

However, on Tuesday itself, Savadi’s defence changed. “I was watching how a woman was raped by four people to… prepare for a discussion on the ill effects of a rave party in Udupi recently,” he was quoted by Hindustan Times.

On Wednesday, their versions changed further. They told our honorable chief minister that they received an MMS on the phone and only after opening it did they realise what it was all about.

Seems perfectly reasonable. But if they did realise what the content of the MMS was, why did they continue watching it as the camera caught them doing? That too in the middle of a discussion in the assembly?

What is shocking in the whole incident is the audacity of the ministers. Not only did they do something very shameful, there has been not an iota of remorse or embarrassment on their faces or their words, and the sheer nonchalant way they are behaving — attending the Assembly, telling the media they have done nothing wrong and even submitting their resignations on the ground that “they do not want the party and the government to face further embarrassment“.

Do they expect us to thank them for doing us a favour by resigning?

The trio even went to the extent of calling for an enquiry commission saying they expect to get a clean chit. Unbelievable!

For the past 44 months, Karnataka has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.

First, there were reports of then chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa having an extra marital affair with one of his Cabinet colleagues. This was followed by the scandal involving excise minister Renukacharya forcefully kissing a nurse, who also claimed the minister had raped and threatened her. Former BJP legislator H. Halappa was chargesheeted for raping a close aide’s wife. Halappa was arrested but, is currently out on bail.

And on February 4, the god’s residing in Udupi must be aghast at what happened. The holy temple city was desecrated by a rave party held at St Mary’s island in which several foreigners were caught on camera taking drugs and many were nude or partially nude. This event was apparently conducted by a private company to promote tourism.

Oops!

Strange but true, Karnataka has always been part of moral policing. Recently, K.K. Seethamma, Bangalore University’s former head of the department for women’s studies, wanted to introduce a dress code for women. Her statement was immediately endorsed by several people, including C.C. Patil, who is now part of the porngate controversy. (Read: Dress Code no Answer to Crimes against Women)

In 2009, Mangalore made the headlines when right-wing activists went on a rampage and thrashed weekend revellers, including girls, accusing them of behaving in an obscene manner. However, the right-wing moral police of Karnataka, infamous for demanding bans on Valentine’s Day celebrations and targeting women for going to pubs, has not commented on the controversy this time.

On Wednesday, as the Opposition demanded immediate dismissal of the three ministers involved in the porngate, chief Minister Sadananda Gowda defended the trio saying that there could not be any action without a probe. “Only the Speaker will decide on action against the three,” he said.

Interestingly, Speaker K.G. Bopaiah is facing charges of corruption and illegal land deals. In fact, at least 15 of 120 legislators of the ruling BJP in Karnataka are facing various charges of wrong doing — from rape to corruption and illegal land deals, to now viewing porn in the Assembly. It has already seen one chief minister — Yeddyurappa — resigning on charges of corruption. The others facing controversy are party spokesperson C.T. Ravi, Yeddyurappa’s elder son and MP B.Y. Raghavendra, industries minister Murugesh Nirani and housing minister V. Somanna. (Read: BJP’s roll of dishonour in Karnataka keeps growing).

In view of such a sorry state affairs among our lawmakers, who will watch the watchers?

Related posts:

• Whining Karnataka MLAs want iPod 3
• Second Letter to All Indians from a Spanish Tomato
• Winter of Discontent Giving Way to Spring of Politics in UP

Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra with President Pratibha Patil at the Republic Day function.

Yingluck Shinawatra, the Prime Minister of Thailand, was the chief guest at the Republic Day parade in 2012. Last year, it was Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Things just don’t end here. In the last four years, the chief guests for the Republic Day functions have been all South Asian leaders. Given the current global economic situation, especially the turmoil in the West, India’s Look East Policy perhaps has never been more relevant in furthering the country’s interests.

Back in history

Almost two decades have elapsed since then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao authored India’s Look East Policy (LEP) in 1991. However, it didn’t quite start from there. India, in fact, looked towards its eastern neighbours since the historical times. ‘Sadhava’ merchants from ancient Kalinga (now Orissa) used to sail their ‘boitas‘ across “the seven seas and thirteen rivers”. This was during pre-Christian era. This tradition is still celebrated in Orissa in the form of ‘Baliyatra’ to commemorate the maritime exchanges with ‘Suvarnadwipas’ and ‘Swarnabhumis’. During 11th and 12th century AD, the Chola kings like Raja Raja Chola and Rajendra Chola established maritime relationship with the East Asian countries. These maritime, political, economic and cultural exchanges continued unabated during the medieval period when Muslim merchants often traded with the East.

With the expansionist policy of the British, the scope and contours of ‘India-East’ relationship received a fillip. Co-habitation got a start during the late 19th century and it was only in 1936 when Burma (today’s Myanmar) was separated from India through the Government of India Act, 1935.

Jawaharlal Nehru pioneered some magnanimous acts like the ‘Asia-African solidarity’, ‘Pan-Asian vision’ and the ‘Non-Aligned Movement’, inter alia, during the climacteric period of Cold War. However, his efforts received a major setback twice — first time in 1962, when China attacked India and the second time when Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Philippines joined hands to form the South East Asian Treaty Organisation (Seato), a US-led military organisation in 1965.

The Association of South East Asian Nation (Asean) was founded two years later in 1967 and since then it has become the foremost front in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

Indo-Asean relations

Asean was formed on August 8, 1967 by five nation-states — Indonesia,Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Singapore. With time, five more states joined in and now it has 10 member states covering an area of 4.46 million sq km, 600 million people and gross domestic product (GDP) of $1.8 trillion. It was formed mainly to augment economic development, regional co-operation and socio-cultural development and is the mainstay of India’s LEP.

In the initial years, India’s response towards the Asean was mute. A tectonic change in terms of foreign policy came into vogue in the watershed year of 1991 which experienced the end of the Cold War and concomitant collapse of the USSR. Narasima Rao and his close confidant Manmohan Singh, in order to forge a strong and sustainable relationship with East Asian states, initiated LEP. It, has, long been argued by the Indian scholars and diplomats to deepen relationship with East Asian states, mainly because of the geo-strategic importance of the region, vacuum created in the aftermath of the cold war and China’s increasing engagement with these nations.

In order to intensify people-to-people contacts, an Asean India Media Exchange Programme was initiated. The passage of the Nalanda University Bill, 2010 opened the floodgates of multinational interaction and exchanges. Renowned economist, Amartya Sen is the chairman of this project.

What are the mainstays?

In today’s world, defence and terrorism add another dimension to all types of cooperation.Indiaand Asean had signed a Joint Declaration on Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism in October 2003 in Bali. Our first threats from the South Eastern waters were when Indonesia threatened to open a battle front on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands during the 1965 Indo-Pak war. The war with Bangladesh in 1971 also witnessed US threats in the waters of Bay of Bengal. It is also alleged that China is deploying a “policy of encirclement” or weaving a “string of pearls” “to increase access to foreign ports and airfields, develop special diplomatic relationships, and modernise military forces that extend from the South China Sea through the Strait of Malacca, across the Indian Ocean, and on to the Persian Gulf“.

Therefore, China’s threatening military presence cemented the idea of bolstering maritime defence cooperation. India holds regular naval exercises with the Asean countries in the Indian Ocean and Pacific waters. But China is already far ahead and we need to work overtime to reach a competitive level. National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon is of the opinion that China is trying to unify all Northeastern terrorist organisations in Myanmar. India’s recent bonhomie with Bangladesh forced all the terror outfits to find a safe haven in Myanmar and China is allegedly helping them to work against India.

Asean Regional Forum and East Asian Summit

The Asean Regional Forum (ARF) was formed in 1993 for mainly three reasons: evolving confidence building measures, evolution of “preventive diplomacy”, and for conflict management among the member states (currently it has 27 members). It has three-tiered processes — Track-I (governmental activities), Track I ½ (scholars and officials from member states in their personal capacity) and Track-II (completely nongovernmental forum for academics, scholars, researchers to interact in their private capacity). Since its genesis, it has been useful forum for regional development and multi-faceted cooperation.

India became a member of the ARF in 1995 and is currently engaged with ARF in many aspects — peacekeeping, maritime security, cyber security, piracy, counter-terrorism, nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

The first East Asian Summit (EAS) was held in Kuala Lumpur on December 14, 2005. A brainchild of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, the EAS aims to promote free trade and commerce among the member countries, energy security, climate change issues, capacity building, disaster management, cultural exchanges, and joint studies among others. India has prioritised the EAS forum after its formation and participated in each summit.

The Northeast and Asean

The Northeast has always been a trouble zone for New Delhi owing to continuous insurgencies in the region. Imposition of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 is resented by the people. Irom Sharmila’s hunger strike demanding repeal of the Act since November 2000 is a telling example. Under-development, inability to penetrate the zone, misunderstanding the local people, unemployment, and governmental actions are primary causes for the resentment.

LEP can have a wider impact on integrating the Northeast to the rest of India. Geographically, East Asian states and the Northeast states of India are very closely related. In fact, Northeast is the bridge on the way to East Asia. Several projects have already been initiated. The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation is in operation since November 2000. India and Myanmar signed an agreement for the $120-million Kaladan multi-modal transit-cum-transport project in April 2008. This is a highly ambitious project and envisages upgrading Sittwe port of Myanmar; development of a 225-km waterway between Sittwe and Setpyitpyin (Kaletwa) in Myanmar along the Kaladan, which flows from Mizoram; construction of a 62-km road network from Setpyitpyin to Lawngtlai (a district in southwestern Mizoram), where the road will merge with the National Highway 54. Completion of the project can transform the economics of the whole of Northeast.

Do we need LEP reforms?

The government definitely needs to reform our LEP. It is, unarguably, a successful policy so far. But there are several areas where we need to either initiate or prioritise.

• To accelerate in implementing all ongoing projects. This is of paramount importance to expedite the processes involved in carrying out the work.
• The Northeast people need to be directly involved in formulating policy as well as in the implementation, thus bringing a feeling of belongingness. A political awareness among the people is to be created that LEP is for the people of Northeast.
• Currently the world is experiencing a “double-dip” recession, which is mostly concentrated in the West. East Asia, in this scenario, will be, ever than before, a zone of opportunity for all Indian entrepreneurs. The LEP should focus mainly on this economic prospect.
• High-level political visits need to be regularised. The political leaders should be accompanied by a band of economists, businessmen and people of letters.
• China has already ahead of India in many aspects. We need to broad-base all of our baskets — economic, political and cultural — and need to have a competitive mindset in this regard.
• LEP should be reformed to allow spending more diplomatic effort for the east. Currently, maximum diplomatic efforts are being spent for out western neighbours. This trend has to be changed.
• India’s aspiration for global power and concomitant wish of a permanent seat in United Nations Security Council needs to be an essentially important part of the LEP, which should focus on garnering necessary support of East Asia.
• As already mentioned, India has a rich history of engaging herself with the East. All channels of history need to be reopened and refreshed. The Nalanda University project is a great initiative in this regard. Others like reinvigorating ancient ports, religious expeditions to East Asia, exchanges of religious leaders, funding in projects which has links with India’s history could be taken into account.

A new enhanced and reformed LEP is the chief mainstay of India’s international aspiration. To become a superpower, we need to leverage all available opportunities. We have a young demography, which most advanced economies, including China– the fastest growing economy in the world — lacks. But a UN-backed and Oxford-led study reveals that India has more poor people than that of entire Africa. The eastern and Northeastern states are mainly the poor states and LEP has the potential to change the economy of this region.

A new LEP, will, in many ways, can contribute making India a superpower as well as attaining inclusive and sustainable growth.

Related posts:

• Pakistan on Wall Street Journal and Why India Needs to be There Too
• Kicking off India vs England in India
• Guardian Take Note: It’s Scary, Very Scary, Being a Woman in India
• Training in Thailand: A Rail Journey from Bangkok to Hua Hin
• East Bengal Let Down by Controversial Refereeing as Mohun Bagan Prevail 1-0

I knew Karan Johar’s Agneepath isn’t just a remake; it is another version with some crucial elements removed from the previous one. But by the time I was out of the cinema hall, I could not stop thinking about comparing the two and the manner in which screenplay has taken its course.

In the end, just like we write or view it differently, director Karan Malhotra also tries doing the same — different from the previous.

The details and the way sets have been erected is a commendable job. Just goes on to show that Bollywood is improving by the day in matters related to sets detailing.

Overall, the movie had more Indianness to it than the previous one where Westernisation had just started taking roots in the country. Hrithik’s stubbled, sherwani-clad look is a far cry from the clean-shaven well-tailored Amitabh, giving the impression that our hero isn’t bothered with the trendy elements of life but nevertheless manages to look good with the outfits he chooses.

Now comes the part where I feel the remake was a let down. There are huge gaps in the new version which I fail to understand and as I write this, I am still unable to fathom a few scenarios that are presented as they are. In fact, more than a remake, it would be apt to call the new Agneepath a heavily inspired movie where the characters lack depth and sense of purpose. If Mukul Anand’s cult version is the benchmark, then it has not done justice in keeping the soul of the movie alive in important moments.

The vengeance is clear but I have issues with the way script has been narrated. Agneepath was meant to be displaying the path of fire — the fire inside a child that gave birth to a rebellious youth who is all out to fulfill his childhood ambition. In the new version, the fire is there in short bursts and the path is devious with unnecessary murder plots, completely irrelevant to the main goal of the movie. These little breakaways from the highway make it incomplete to say the least.

By this time it is clear about who I am favoring and it isn’t Karan Malhotra. The stories about how Vijay taking to crime isn’t convincing in spite of the dark hanging scene shown. The killing of Rauf Lala’s son and Shantaram could have been avoided; there could have been a better way of highlighting the circumstances behind Vijay’s determination to get back his village, Mandwa, his relationship with the cop Gaitonde isn’t clear and lacks dialogue and screen presence emphasising the clash of ideologies. The only thing that is obvious is Vijay wants to kill Kancha and just goes about it without thinking much.

Now, I am in a mood for comparison, as the soul of the story and purpose were supposed to be same, with variation just in the manner of interpretation. But Let me warn readers, this is my personal interpretation after some hard thinking (which included bashing up a friend for taking us to this movie!). The story leading to the death of Master Deenanath is very poorly scripted; a person with such revered status cannot be eliminated in a flash. The faulty police system isn’t well highlighted and the very purpose of making Vijay taking to crime isn’t convincing. Suhasini Chauhan makes an appearance to the police station towards the end in panic; revealing her identity isn’t exactly the way you hand in the most important part of the movie. You need an eye-to eye scene to capture the range of emotions Kancha would have displayed knowing the hidden face of ‘Vijay’. This direct confrontation is badly missed.

Priyanka Chopra is pretty, but there is little scope for her to show her acting prowess. Alongside Chikni Chameli Katrina Kaif, Priyanka playing Kaali is just a character added. Bulk of her scenes isn’t consequential to the movie and the more I think, her character is just a requirement to increase the glam quotient.

Sanjay Dutt as Kancha plays more of a dark magician whose sole purpose is to keep the power and make money. Though the modern Kancha has some witty lines straight out of the Holy Hindu texts in spite of the character lacking the charisma, it is acceptable as he does justice to his role and has a significant presence throughout. Rishi Kapoor’s character Rauf Lala impressed me. Zarina Wahab as Suhasini Chauhan has lesser presence than Rohini Hattangadi, who had some of the best lines in the previous version.

Now comes the part where you would want to compare Hrithik and Amitabh, for obvious reasons. Thankfully, there is a clear demarcation with respect to age and timing of the revenge. In the earlier version, the bulk of the story took place 25 years after Master Deenanath’s demise. In the new one, it is 15 years. This gap of 10 years helped me to live with the fact of the way the modern Vijay goes about his approach — in 10 years even a character matures a lot. While Amitabh’s voice did justice to those power filled lines, Hrithik’s strength is in his innocence and the way he uses his physical prowess. I stopped comparing keeping in mind the 10-year gap seen in both the movies.

So what are our takeways?

I can’t remember any line from the Karan Malhotra version. Sorry, you could have nailed it here if only emphasis were given on dialogues, especially that of Vijay’s. Where are the punch lines expected out of a rebel who is on a mission? Is a great body a better substitute to the way you use your mouth to make your presence felt?

But by this logic, if Amitabh’s Vijay was to be 10 years younger, he would have faltered too, would have struggled to protect his family, would be ambiguous but physically more agile. So it is only fair to say, the latest Agneepath takes a detour and accelerates in accompanying the mission — to kill Kancha in order to get Mandwa.

While you start looking at it like that, you get the feeling that may be Karan Malhotra thought on similar lines.

But, the important part of any movie is to have some sort of intellect driving its characters, and with all due respect, the latest offering misses some key moments that could have bolstered it better. To a great extent, Rishi Kapoor’s was the only character whose role is appealing and to a lesser extent that of Sanjay Dutt, mainly because he has a few good lines.

I wonder how the original Agneepath would fare if it were to be re-released with minor changes keeping with the latest technological trends. Would it have been a hit unlike previously when it was released in 1990?

It is difficult to comprehend if today’s youth would have identified with Amitabh’s Vijay. But one thing is for sure — the characters used in the Mukul Anand’s version had a solid reasoning and it seemed the flow of the story to be well connected. It is another matter why the movie flopped. But then that happened to Swades too. So let’s not get into the mysteries of the Indian box-office.

Irrespective of the box-office collections, the 1990 version of Agneepath to me was a cult-classic, one of the very rare crime- and gangster-based movies Bollywood has produced. Amitabh Bachchan won his first National award for this and his performance as Vijay Deenanath Chauhan will be remembered for a long time to come.

Related posts:

• Agneepath: Remake Lacks Fire and Vijay Still Needs More Work to be Done
• Bodyguard Raked in the Moolah, But Was Sholay or HAHK More Watched?
• Don 2: The King Returns with a Bang, but Movie Leaves Much to be Desired
• Two Super Scenes, a Hamming SRK and One Headache Called Ra.One
• Delhi Belly: Toilet Humour Raises a Stink

Agneepath looks nothing like a Karan Johar production — the westernised sophistication and oh-so-urbane “chic”ness of K-Jo’s style factory is totally absent, and instead, the movie celebrates unabashedly a loud return to the glory days of masala Bollywood flicks. The younger Johar’s conscious decision to keep alive the feel and look of his father’s original (it was the Johars who produced the original back in 1990) is evident in every frame. With larger than life storylines, over-the-top drama, can-do-no bad heroes, monstrous villains and heroines that are no better than a pretty portrait in the background — the famous “formula” of filmi fantasy is back in director Karan Malhotra’s movie. And if the cat calls and whistles of the audience in the theatre I watched the movie in is any sign of the popular national mood, then Salman and his front bench-pleasing South remakes are in for some serious competition.

But love it or hate it, there is no way you can watch the new without a tinge of nostalgia for the old. Commercial potboilers both, starring some of the biggest names of their times, the two Agneepath stories demand a head on comparison like no remake ever has.

The Story: very little has changed in the actual tale. A revenge drama played out with all guns blazing (and all horns blaring in the background score), the story of Agneepath needs no retelling. Mandava is still the paradise by the sea gone wrong, Mumbai is still the chaotic city of dreams, familywallahs are still as melodramatic and the set pieces as cliché as ever. Karan Johar’s decision to keep the soul of the story intact in its original avatar works wonders and so both movies level out in this particular department.

The older version feels more real what with all its masala and style. Vijay Deenanath Chauhan still rules.

Ironically though, it is the older of the two versions that feels more real — the “sambar” slums when Shiksha gets kidnapped, the sea-side Mandva of Vijay’s childhood and even the crackling dialogues written by the incomparable Kader Khan adds a delicious tadka to the filmi flavor of the story. The gloomy “bargad ka ped” and the dark lair of Kancha in the latest version, however, are a little too obvious as props and not as real places. Dialogues are restricted to some fancy lines by Sanjay Dutt alone while Hrithik decides to sulk his way through most it. The screenplay and the dialogues of the original outshine the remake completely.

The characters: True to Mukul Anand’s inimitable style, the original Agneepath gave us memorable supporting performances by some veteran actors that are remembered till this day. Tinnu Anand’s abusive drunkard, Alok Nath as the masterji, Rohini Hattangidi’s powerful role as the hero’s mother and the fabulous portrayal of a young Vijay by master Manjunath (who can forget him dragging his father’s body on a push cart!) are important parts of the story and leave a mark alongside the lead actors’ brilliant performances.

The remake however, belongs solely to three male characters and all others are converted into insignificant parts. Even the lead actress, Priyanka Chopra , who tries hard to redo her Marathi mulgi act from Kaminey, is reduced to a mere footnote.

The older version scores yet again.

A brilliant performance by Rishi Kapoor as Rauf Lala.

Rauf Lala vs Krishnan Iyer MA: The “nariyal paniwala” of the original tale was a performance by Mithun that could never ever be recreated. Any attempts to do the same would have made a mockery of Krishnana Iyer MA and the simplicity and honesty that he represented. The makers fortunately decided to keep the awesomeness of a lungi-clad, coconut cleaver-wielding, dark-skinned second hero to a side, and instead introduced the utterly evil, kohl-wearing Rauf Lala. The evil slumlord Anna Shetty of the original is replaced by this brilliant performance by Rishi Kapoor and his filth-spewing portrayal of the lord of the ghettos is applause worthy.

As far as secondary roles go, both score high in terms of performances, but I bet that it is Mithun with his swagger, white lungis and Tamil dialogues who will live longer in your memory.

Kancha Cheena: This is where the remake trumps over the original. Danny fans don’t get me wrong; his Kancha Cheena was evil enough and he looked uber cool in his tailored suits, gelled hair and dark shades. But as the makers reinvented the iconic bad guy for the remake, they were able to create something far more evil and primal.

Sanjay Dutta simply re-invents Kancha Cheena.

Sanjay Dutt leaves the goody two shoes of Munnabhai far behind and dons a mask of mindless hatred and psychotic rage right from the early moments. His leering, hairless, black-clad avatar is the real show stealer in the new Agneepath. And with some of the best lines in the story he easily towers above everyone else.

Be sure to watch him in the opening scenes as he drags the noble masterji across the village and then brutally lynches him. A very few villains have left such an impact in Hindi cinema of recent times.

Vijay Deenanath Chauhan: Ah, the million-dollar question. Hrithik or Amitabh? SRK proved through his Don movies that it is impossible to redo what the Big B did, one could only reinterpret it. Hrithik tries to walk down the same path and tries to remold Vijay Deenanath Chauhan in a cast of his own making. The fans of Bachchan in the original would be sorely disappointed by this because even as Hrithik tries and tries real hard, he simply lacks the flair and verve that comes with the character. You end up blaming the screenplay and the direction for this.

We would rather see the suit-clad Big B

Even with Hrithik’s brave efforts, both Rishi Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt have a more dominating presence than him on screen and it is only when he delivers the lines from the original that he brings some credibility to his character. Kudos to Hrithik for exploring greater shades of grey and for creating a new take on the character, but frankly speaking, we much prefer the suit-wearing Bachchan with his kohl-darkened eyes any day.

Verdict: Debutante Karan Malhotra shows immense promise and owns the movie in the opening shots. His storytelling is more brutal and his shots more graphic than what we are used to see in Bollywood and his direction sparkles while the story is in Mandva. But his train loses steam by the middle of the first half and for some unknown reason the story goes around in meaningless circles before he launches the hapless audience into a totally unbelievable climax (I know it’s Bollywood but a man getting stabbed five times and still lynching a dude of Sanju baba‘s size is plain stupid).

Keep it dark and deliciously brutal, you want to tell the director, but all you get is a strange cocktail of Chinese beauty parlors and Chikni Chamelis that do little for the movie. Like the surprising statutory warning in the Katrina item number, the movie comes with a rider of its own: Revisit Mandva to meet the new Kancha Cheena and Rauf Lala alone, Vijay still needs some more work to be done.

Related posts:

• Don 2: The King Returns with a Bang, but Movie Leaves Much to be Desired
• Bodyguard Raked in the Moolah, But Was Sholay or HAHK More Watched?
• Two Super Scenes, a Hamming SRK and One Headache Called Ra.One
• The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn is Super Cool but Lacks Soul
• Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara: a Dud(e?) Flick