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The benefits of practising Yoga

June 19, 2019

Yoga plays a very important role in our lives. It makes us fit and healthy. However, very few people know about it.

Yoga is a panacea for all types of physical, mental, emotional, psychic, and psychological imbalances. In the famous documentary on mediation ‘Spiritual Reality: Journey Within’, many benefits of yoga have been enumerated upon. The documentary reveals how yoga replenishes and rejuvenates a yogi physically, mentally, and spiritually. In the state of perfect yoga, one receives abundant cosmic energy, which heals, energizes, and rejuvenates each and every cell, nerve, and organ of the physical, mental and spiritual body of a human. It cleanses the body of all its ills and toxins that might develop into some fatal ailments.

Yoga is very easy to do; basic yoga can be done anywhere. However, advanced yoga must be done under the care of an expert.

Many organisations such as Patanjali under the aegis of Baba Ramdev in India have contributed to its spread in recent times.

Yoga has become quite popular in the entire world today, especially in the western countries because of its wholesomeness.

We must practice yoga for a healthy, happy and fulfilling life. It is a wonderful alternative healing therapy for any disease.

The practice of yoga is something that has the power to heal the entire body. It is the best medicine that any doctor can ever give you and that for any kind of disease that you are suffering from. In India, yoga day is celebrated every year on June 21, which came into being in the year 2015 with the genuine effort made by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. This tradition is 5000 years old. It embodies the unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help in well being. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day.” — Narendra Modi, UN General Assembly, September 2014.

To promote this important day and to help people know the significance of this day, every school and college organises for essay-writing competitions on Yoga day. Students prepare for the best essay on their part and it also helps in a way to spread awareness about the significance of including yoga in their everyday life.

Yoga is more than just burning your calories and toning your muscles. It is a mind-body workout where you have strengthening and stretching poses along with deep breathing techniques to relax your mind and body. There are more than a hundred different forms of yoga. Some are fast paced and intense. Others are gentle and relaxing. Yoga is an invaluable gift of ancient Indian tradition. It embodies the unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and well-being. The word ‘yoga’ literally means ‘union’. Through yoga, you can explore profoundly the very mechanics of life.

Yogic exercises recharge the body with cosmic energy and facilitate:

Attainment of perfect equilibrium and harmony
Promotes self- healing.
Removes negative blocks from the mind and toxins from the body
Enhances personal power
Yoga to live with greater awareness
Helps in attention, focus, and concentration, especially important for children
Reduces stress and tension in the physical body by activating the parasympathetic nervous system

An open letter to the Prime Minister of India

Dr Anshuman Manaswi

June 19, 2019

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

I am told you are awake 20 hours in a day of 24 hours. If it is a fact, I am sure the recent developments in our health care arena would have made your 56-inch chest swell to 65 inches!

With each incidence of violence on doctors, your rib cage must have expanded by a millimetre at least!

I am a doctor with big degrees who does some charitable work of my own will as a part of my duty towards society. Nobody tells me to do so. I do it of my own, as most of my fellow doctors do so. I am so relieved today that I am not in a government job. I am so relieved to be without any broken bones or skull or any stab. My wife, children, and my parents are equally relieved to see me alive in this country where you are forced to be a martyr because of system failures.

It happens with Armed Forces, Police, CRPF regularly. We doctors are no exceptions. We are bound to be bonded to sacrifice on the line of duty. Fair enough! Alas, we are made a martyr in the hands of our own countrymen! The correct word for this coward act of violence by the hooligans (or Rakshaks of the society, as they would want themselves to be called) would be backstabbing if not Harakiri!

Please understand Mr. Prime Minister that we doctors have more wisdom regarding the lacunae in the health care systems than your Bureaucrats or the Legislators who are busy playing politics in the 100+ Dead bodies of children who have died due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. The ever so well-dressed Sushashan babu takes seven days to get ready to visit the devastated families. Muzaffarpur is only 70 kms from Patna. The distance is almost the distance between Noida and Gurugram or between Churchgate to Virar, just in case, anybody’s geography is very bad.

The doctors have not failed the society, the society and system have failed the healthcare professionals.

A meager 1.4 per cent of the GDP you are allotting to health in the budget and you wish to have a fantastic system in place! Great thoughts, great Wisdom! All the better healthcare system countries are actually wasting their money when they are spending 5-6 per cent on Health!

Our TB, Filaria, Malaria, etc. programme have taken more than 50 years to be just as incomplete and they had begun! We Nation should take pride in that!

The privatization of medical colleges to increase the number of medical colleges has been a brilliant idea to rehabilitate the young millionaires and billionaires who otherwise would have been the last rank holders in a fair system. The lateral entry I guess! I am sure this word will resonate in the corridors of power.

And despite all these, you have a shortage of doctors. Actually, there is hardly a health policy worth its name in the country.

You say that the doctors don’t want to serve in rural areas. Yes! Correct! They don’t want. Why should they? When you don’t have a rural posting compulsory for an engineer, lawyer, and lecturers or for that matter of fact, any profession, why force it to the doctors!

Moreover, the Doctors should serve the villages without any facilities and infrastructure from the government, to attain martyrdom!

“Aa Bail Mujhe Maar” When the system is not able to protect the lives of doctors in big cities, how does the government do the magic of turnaround in the villages? As I said, the system fails us. Sir, please remember that every young doctor is some parent’s precious child, not just a scapegoat!

Many times in your speeches, you have said that the Gujaratis have inborn business sense. You come from Gujarat. I ask you, Sir, suppose there is a doctor resource crunch in the villages, what you should be doing!

Think Sir, the answers will stare at your face.

You want to provide cheap healthcare. Very nice! However, the government thinks that the patients are not patients. They are consumers and we are service providers. The consumer protection forum treats the relationship between the doctors and the patients as such. India has just copied the concept from western countries. The result, high healthcare cost! Where is the trust and purity of the relationship? This is one of the root causes of the present day abyss. Increased litigations mean increased blackmail and thus increased insecurities in the minds of the doctors! Incidentally, I just wonder why we do not have political and bureaucratic negligence, railways, and transport negligence, lawyers and CAs negligence and very importantly judicial negligence!

By the way, belonging to the medical fraternity, I want to share a secret with you. Today, most of the doctors are afraid of taking up serious cases and have started referring to higher centres (Who wants to be blind or in a coma or paralysed in case the patient is not doing well!). The other secret is much more open. People don’t want their children to become Doctors after seeing the uncertainty in the profession and brutality ushered on to them, as they see it in the media.

Incidentally, for the society, this means Harakiri!

Regards,

Dr. Anshuman Manaswi
Plastic Surgeon, Mumbai

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

Letters to the Editor: 19 June, 2019

Web Team

June 19, 2019

Yuvraj: A match winner in real life too

Six 6’s in a Stuart Broad over in T-20 World Cup is what Yuvraj Singh is remembered the world over but fighting cancer in real life is close to my heart. Yuvraj is a warrior not just on the cricket field but real life battles as well. He was coughing with blood on the cricket pitch in the 2011 World Cup but overlooked his fatal ailment to help India win the World Cup for which he was named the ‘Player of the Tournament’. Debonair looking Yuvraj Singh is today the poster boy of not the modelling or cricketing world but for ‘fight against cancer’.

Retired prematurely in today’s world where you can earn crores out of cricket but Yuvi has decided to devote more time for his charity that helps cancer patients in fighting the dreadful ailment. Yuvraj was a match winner not just in cricket but a winner in real life as well. Wishing Yuvi good health and hope his second innings after retirement is more memorable than his exploits in the cricket field and good luck to him.

S.N. Kabra

Footpath giving way

It was pathetic to see a portion of a footpath in Wagle Estate caved in damaging three vehicles parked there. Thus the safety of vehicles parked outside is in danger. This is a new way of damage. Previously vehicle threat and stealing of items from the car was posing problem and now a new development. BMC and TMC always talk about rain readiness but nothing is done to avoid such mishaps. It is dangerous to go out during monsoon season with potholes and craters adding to the road users’ misery. To add that tree falls and electrocution are causing deaths during rains. It is high time we address all these issues before the full time monsoon season and save human lives in rain related problems.

Chitra Rugmini

Simplified GST return-forms to be introduced

It refers to prototype of new simplified return filing system for Goods and Service Tax GST put in public domain on May 22, 2019 considering problems faced in existing GST system. But multiple types of forms will further confuse and complicate the system. Otherwise also, complete GST system including rate-structure and Input-Tax-Credit system for voluntary tearless compliance and preventing existing large-scale tax-evasion. System should be for tax-deposit on monthly basis but return-filing should be made on quarterly basis. Only other return should be an annual return. In case experiment is not successful, then it can be reverted back for monthly filing.

There should be just two GST-rates of 10 and 30 per cent. Rates of 0, 3, 5, 12 and 18 per cent should be clubbed in a slab of 10-per cent. Abolition of lower rates clubbed with abolition of slabs of 12 and 18 per cent in a uniform 10-per cent slab will be of ultimate advantage to consumers. Higher slab of 30-perecent can be there for commodities of long-lasting use irrespective of price-structure. Cess-system on luxury items should be replaced by additional slabs in multiples of 50 or 100 per cent.

Input-Tax-Credit (ITC) is most misused way of GST-evasion by manufacturers. With suggested lowered uniform 10-per cent slab, ITC system may be retained only for traders and abolishing it altogether from manufacturing and service sector. Presently manufacturers purchase left-out GST bills for falsely claiming ITC. Such reforms if implemented in consolidated manner will relieve all concerned and provide much more revenue to public-exchequers.

Madhu Agrawal

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Uncertainty looms over Fadnavis’s new Cabinet

Suraj Chandran

June 18, 2019

Former Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, former NCP leader Jaydutt Kshirsagar, and RPI leader Avinash Mahatekar have been allotted cabinet ministerial berth in the Fadnavis-led BJP government in Maharashtra. The state government has undertaken the cabinet expansion a day prior to the commencement of the legislature’s monsoon session and four months ahead of the assembly polls. A petition has been filed by Advocate Satish Talekar in the Bombay High Court against the induction of these leaders as they are not the members of the legislative assembly or the legislative council.

When AV spoke to BJP spokesperson Avdhut Wagh, he said, “There is no provision as per the law that it is mandatory to be an MLA or MLC to become a minister. However, after becoming a minister, a candidate will have to get elected as MLA or MLC. Six months are remaining and everything will be finalised within this period. You will have to wait and watch. The government has taken the right step to induct these leaders as ministers and the party welcomes their decision.”

In the petition, it has been mentioned that the state government has flouted norms while allocating ministerial berths to Vikhe-Patil, Kshirsagar, and Mahatekar. The verdict of the high court is eagerly awaited. In the petition, it has been wondered how Vikhe-Patil, Kshirsagar, and Mahatekar can take an oath when they are not members of the legislative assembly or legislative council!

NCP IT cell National President Bindu Bhosale stated, “It is a wrong decision taken by the government to induct these leaders in the cabinet. Earlier Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil was the leader of the opposition from Congress party. He suddenly had switched loyalties towards the BJP. The government has inducted these leaders by sidelining their own party leaders just for the sake of gaining an upper hand over Congress-NCP.”

Moreover, the ministerial berths have been allotted to these leaders at a time when the tenure of the Fadnavis government is coming to an end. Assembly polls will be held in the state in October. Since the tenure of the state government will end after three months and these leaders can’t become members of the legislative assembly or legislative council within six months.

Shiv Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar said, “The government has taken the right step to allocate ministerial berth to Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Jaydutt Kshirsagar, and Avinash Mahatekar. One can be a minister without being an MLC or MLA for a period of six months.”

NCP leader Ajit Pawar has already raised this issue in the state legislature. On the other hand, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the rules have been followed while inducting these leaders in the cabinet. Vikhe-Patil, Kshirsagar, and Mahatekar have been allotted cabinet ministerial berths at a time when there is no emergency situation is prevalent. All these leaders will have to get elected as MLA or MLC within six months or else their ministerial berth will become void. This was the third expansion of the state cabinet.

Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh said, “The government can allocate ministerial berth to Vikhe-Patil, Kshirsagar, and Mahatekar but they will have to get elected as MLA or MLC within six months.”

The Devendra Fadnavis government took charge in November 2014 but Shiv Sena did not join the government at that time. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party joined the government in December that year during the first cabinet expansion. The second expansion of the cabinet was held in July 2016.

Step into your shoes and hit the floor

Vaidehi Taman

June 18, 2019

Rains have arrived so the season of dance; however, Mumbai lands in a pothole, the city gets stalled but there is a good side of the season. People go out on the beaches just to get soaked in water; they enjoy pours with Garam Chai and Vada Pav. Love in the air becomes visible and with that the music and dance too. These days the urban woman is pursuing music for various reasons, they dance in the wedding sangeets to shows. Music has no boundaries. In the rainy season, Flamenco has its own charm.

Originally Flamenco dance has no set of music; it was only singing and clapping of hands called “toque de palmas”. Some Flamenco dancing still follows an ancient tradition, but the use of guitars and other musical instruments has become more popular in modern Flamenco.

Traditional Flamenco dancers rarely received any formal training. Instead, Flamenco was passed down from friends, relatives, and neighbours. These days there are Flamenco dance classes, people pay lump sum amount to learn and perceive their fantasies.

Mumbai is one great city where classical to contemporary dances have its place and audiences. Dance reality shows have actually survived on all such forms. Experts have explored and modified the styles but the culture of dance still remained most adorable.

While some Flamenco musicians and dancers still learn the Flamenco on their own, most modern Flamenco artists are professionally trained. Flamenco dancing can have many different purposes. Whether the dance is intended to be entertaining, romantic, or comforting, Flamenco is a very emotional style of dance. Flamenco dancers try to express their deepest emotions by using body movements and facial expressions. As the dancers perform, they may also clap their hands or kick their feet. Many dancers also snap small percussion handheld instruments called “castanets.”

With roots in Indian, Arabic, Spanish cultures, Flamenco dance is known for its sweeping arm movements and rhythmic feet stomping. Flamenco dancers spend a great deal of time practising and perfecting the often difficult dance. Flamenco is a Spanish art form made up of three parts: Guitar playing (“guitarra”), Song (“cante”), and Dance (“baile”).

Flamenco originated in the southern regions of Spain, but it’s thought to be influenced by many world cultures, including Latin American, Cuban, and Jewish traditions. Although there is no single Flamenco dance, dancers must follow a strict framework of rhythmic patterns. The steps a dancer performs are dependent on the traditions of the song being played. Perhaps the greatest joy of Flamenco dancing is watching the personal expressions and emotions of the dancer which change many times during a single performance.

Flamenco dancers, known as bailaores and bailaoras, are serious and passionate. Typical of Flamenco dance, a dancer will often stand motionless and free of expression for the first few moments of a song. As he or she begins to feel the music, the dancer might begin a steady beat of loud hand clapping. Then, as emotion builds, the dancer will begin a passionate dance. The dancing often involves fierce stomping, sometimes made louder with percussion attachments on the shoes, and graceful arm movements. Castanets are sometimes held in the hands for clicking, and folding fans are occasionally used for visual impact.

Probably the most important thing you will need to start Flamenco dancing is patience. The art of Flamenco dance is often difficult to master. Besides learning intricate steps and movements, you will also need to learn how to nonverbally communicate with a musician or a singer. You will be taught how to properly display your innermost emotions and feelings to an audience. However, with a good instructor and a bit of patience, even an inexperienced dancer can learn.

Leave aside Flamenco, the season in Mumbai right now says dance with your own moods, be it anything — Hindi film industry has given us many memorable songs, dances which we can’t miss in these rains. Flamenco dance too has many moves on Indian songs; the fusion has made it more interesting. So, step into your shoes and hit the floor.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

Junior doctors keep faith in CM, medical services back to normal in Bengal

Web Team

June 18, 2019

Following the meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday evening, patients heaved a sigh of relief on Tuesday after junior doctors resumed work at all state-run hospitals following their week-long stir that had disrupted healthcare services across West Bengal.

All the 14 medical college and hospitals in the state started functioning, with normal work resuming at outdoor facilities, pathological units, and other departments.

The patient turnout was high at all the hospitals, including the Nil Ratan Sircar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital, which was the epicentre of the junior doctors’ agitation.

“Most of our colleagues have resumed work and they are helping the seniors in delivering regular services in the outpatient departments (OPD) since Tuesday morning,” a spokesperson of a joint forum of junior doctors told PTI.

Since many junior doctors were in Kolkata to take part in the agitation, they could not reach their workplaces in far-off areas on Tuesday morning, he said, adding, “They will resume work as soon as they reach the hospitals.”

“It is a relief for us. We are poor and have no other option but to go to government hospitals. The stir had impacted our treatment. I am happy that it has been called off,” Ariful Haque from Malda district, who regularly visits the NRS hospital for the treatment of his brother’s cardiac ailments, said.

Santanu Hazra, a thalassemia patient undergoing treatment at the SSKM hospital in the city, was also happy with the doctors calling off their agitation and rejoining work.

“It was a terrible experience last week when I had to go back home almost every day due to the agitation. I am financially not that sound to visit private hospitals. I am happy that my treatment has resumed,” he said.

Private hospitals, which witnessed a low patient turnout and most doctors taking leave on Monday owing to a strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), also saw a normal inflow of patients.

The junior doctors called off their week-long strike on Monday night after meeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who assured them of steps to scale up security at the government hospitals in the state.

The medicos were on strike since last Tuesday, protesting against the assault on two of their colleagues by the kin of a patient who died at the NRS Hospital and Medical College.

The principal of NRS hospital Prof (Dr) Saibal Mukherjee said, “Doctors are having a busy time at the OPDs. The patients had come here last week but could not be attended to due to the agitation. We are trying our best to treat most of them as it is our duty to serve them.”

Senior police officials in the rank of assistant commissioners, along with adequate force, are stationed on the hospital premises to keep a check on the situation, as per the demands of the junior doctors.

At an hour-long televised meeting with the representatives of the junior doctors on Monday, Banerjee announced a number of steps, including asking the police to appoint nodal officers for the security of doctors at all government hospitals in the state, following which the doctors agreed to call off the stir.

They had received support from across the country. On the call of the IMA, medicos in Delhi and other states stayed away from providing non-emergency healthcare services on Monday.

No, not joking! Diljit, Kriti, and Varun turn marketing gurus

Web Team

June 18, 2019

Diljit Dosanjh, Kriti Sanon and Varun Sharma has turned marketing gurus for their upcoming spoof comedy ‘Arjun Patiala’.

The makers of the film released a video clip where Kriti is seen teaching Diljit and Varun the essentials to a successful marketing campaign. Nowadays, actors are actively involved in the marketing of the film but the actors of ‘Arjun Patiala’ are taking it up a notch higher!

Gulshan Kumar and Prem Vijan present, A Maddock film production in association with T-Series and Bake My Cake films Arjun Patiala is directed by Rohit Jugraj, produced by Dinesh Vijan, Bhushan Kumar, Sandeep Leyzell and Krishan Kumar.

The video starts with Diljit and Varun deciding to go on vacation in Goa when Kriti interrupts and tells them to focus on the marketing campaign of the film.

Watch the hilarious video:

Coming back with a bang: Director Sanjay Gupta is leading ‘Mumbai Saga’

Web Team

June 18, 2019

With the completion of 25 years in the Hindi Film Industry, filmmaker Sanjay Gupta is ready to helm the director’s seat with ‘Mumbai Saga’ produced by Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series.

Set in the 1980s-’90s and revolving around all that went into transforming Bombay into Mumbai, this gangster-drama, is an ensemble film. Starring John Abraham, Emraan Hashmi, Jackie Shroff, Suniel Shetty, Prateik Babbar, Gulshan Grover, Rohit Roy, Amole Gupte, and others, this film will go on floors next month.

Speaking on the film, producer Bhushan Kumar said, “Mumbai Saga is our first in the gangster-drama genre and who better than Sanjay to direct it. The film is inspired by true events yet makes the characters so larger than life. The entire cast will bring so much to the table.”

Sanjay Gupta adds, “25 years, 17 films later I had to give my audience something bigger and better. ‘Mumbai Saga’ is by far my most ambitious film which needed a visionary producer and I am grateful to Bhushan Kumar for putting his faith and might in it. This is one such story that needs to be said on screen.”

The Director also says that although his 25-year-long career is full of “hits and misses”, but looking back, he feels happy that he has managed to bounce back overcoming every adversity.

The film is likely to release in 2020.

Best known for his films such as “Kaante”, “Musafir”, “Zinda”, the “Shootout” series and the recent “Kaabil” starring Hrithik Roshan, Yami Gautam, Ronit Roy, Rohit Roy, Urvashi Rautela, etc., Gupta tasted success early by 40, he was on the verge of quitting the industry over some “terrible years” in between.

Gupta’s directorial debut was exactly 25 years ago with “Aatish: Feel The Fire”. The film, starring Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Aditya Pancholi among others, was backed by GP Sippy.

Featuring an ensemble of Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Lucky Ali, Mahesh Manjrekar among others, “Kaante” gave him a solid footing in the gangster-thriller genre. However, then came the unspoken boycott from the industry following his fallout with Dutt.

“‘Kaante’ happened and one didn’t have to look back till there was a gap again just before ‘Shootout at Wadala’ of almost four years. Ninety per cent of the film industry wasn’t willing to work with me. They were told to not work with me after my fallout with Sanju,” Gupta told PTI.

The director also said that though Dutt never instructed anyone to stop working with him, there were people around the actor who told others not to collaborate with Gupta.

“That was an exceptionally low phase. I had almost given up. I had started work on a hotel in Khandala and used to go there four days a week. I thought this is my future since I won’t be getting work in the industry,” he said.

Things changed the day his son was born and he reflected on what he had turned into.

“Ekta Kapoor and I had spoken about a sequel of ‘Shootout’. So I picked up the phone and told her, ‘I’m ready’ and that’s it. Later, I met John Abraham and Anil Kapoor and they said yes. But they were also told not to work with me.”

The director credits Kapoor for supporting him at a time when only some were willing to have his back.

Gupta said that he learnt the hard way that there are no friendships in Bollywood.

Amitabh-Emraan’s ‘Chehre’ wraps up

Web Team

June 18, 2019

Anand Pandit’s much-awaited film ‘Chehre’ starring Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi, directed by Rumi Jaffrey has wrapped its shoot!

Due to efficient planning and a strategic shoot schedule spearheaded by the makers, the film has completed its shoot in advance, with the post production stage to begin. The film has already piqued our curiosity with an innovative look of Big B which was revealed on social media.

‘Chehre’ is produced by Anand Pandit Motion Pictures & Saraswati Entertainment Private Limited. Anand Pandit Motion Pictures has been at the forefront of successful cinematic ventures such as ‘Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2’, ‘Sarkar 3’, ‘Satyamev Jayate, ‘Bazaar’, and the recent blockbuster ‘Total Dhamaal’.

“Yes, we have finished our shoot four days earlier than the date we had planned for. It has been an exhilarating experience and I would like to thank the legendary cast and my entire team for the successful completion. Looking forward to the post production and the release! Producer Anand Pandit says.”

The film also stars Kriti Kharbanda, Rhea Chakraborty, Siddhanth Kapoor, Dritman Chakroborthy, Raghubir Yadav, and Annu Kapoor. ‘Chehre’ is set to hit the theatres on February 21, 2020.

Letters to the Editor: 18 June, 2019

Web Team

June 18, 2019

Women-reservation necessary in legislature

The new Lok Sabha will have highest number of women-members with a tally of 78 with ruling BJP having 40 out of them. BJD being amongst very few regional parties getting success in recently held Lok Sabha polls to and state Legislative-Assembly deserves all compliments for having five out of twelve (42-per cent) women amongst its newly elected members of new Lok Sabha. Even TMC sent nine women amongst 22 of its newly elected Lok Sabha members. It is noteworthy that out of 54 women having contested on BJP ticket, 40 were elected to Lok Sabha thus having a strike-rate of 74.1 per cent as compared to male contestants with lower strike-rate of 68.8 per cent.

Now with parties like SP and RJD opposing Women Reservation Bill almost finished in new Lok Sabha, bill to provide 33-per cent reservation to women in legislature should now be dream-come-true. Parties opposing Women reservation Bill cry for reservation on man-made aspects like religion and caste evidently for vote-bank politics, but oppose reservation to women which still remain dominated section of society created by nature in our male-dominated system. Even Islamic world including Pakistan and many other democratic countries have adopted Women-Reservation in legislature.

To prevent wives or other relations being misused as proxy of male politicians, there should be a system whereby name or photo of husband or any other relation may not be permitted in election-campaigns of women candidates. At a time when women-quota in panchayats and local bodies is being increased to 50-per cent from earlier 33-per cent, it is meaningless to resist 33-per cent reservation to women in legislature. Rather there should be uniform 33-per cent reservation for women at all stages from civic bodies to Parliament.

Madhu Agrawal

Gross violation of human rights

It refers to a Jammu court holding accused Vishal Jangotra innocent in the verdict of unfortunate rape-cum-murder case of Kathua (Jammu and Kashmir) on basis of solid evidence of a TV news-channel that Vishal Jangotra was in Muzaffarnagar (UP) on the day of incidence. It is a matter of gross violation of human rights of Vishal Jangotra whose precious one year of study was lost because of torturing in police-custody.

Concerned police-persons of crime branch of Jammu-Kashmir police need to be punished for unlawfully fabricating story of Vishal Jangotra being involved in the incident, and torturing and beating Vishal Jangotra to accept a crime which he never did as now even been established by the Jammu court.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal

Police and reporter getting beaten up!

An incident in which, a reporter who had gone to compile news about derailment of a goods train at Shamali (U.P.) was brutally beaten by GRP police, has been exposed through a video. Police are seen hitting that reporter with blows under his ears and in stomach. It is most disgraceful incident that has happened with a reporter. The reporter could have been seriously injured; leading to some untoward incident. Police machinery is stressed during emergency situations; senior police officers, elected representatives have to answer questions raised. There is chaos at the place of incidence. Police face problem due to inadequate manpower. Even then, is it right to assault a reporter as if he is a thief or criminal? Police machinery has to strive hard for nabbing thief or a criminal while reporters are neither armed nor interested in retaliating.

Police and reporters always come in contact with each other; therefore, attention should be paid to publish information on any incident by helping each other. Area of work is extensive and busy for both the fields. Very few people can maintain restrain in difficult situations but when control is lost, its harmful outcome is spread speedily through videos. Police do carry on their duty at the place of mishap; but everyone sees only incidents like reporter getting beaten up; though police take lot of efforts in managing disaster. They then face inquiry, suspension in service etc i.e. their job could be at risk.

Jayesh Rane

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

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