Content plays
a crucial role in Indian films and character plays a pivotal role. A screenplay
or content carries more weight in films. These screenplays can be original
works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement,
actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated. Films are an expression of creativity and
money has nothing to do with them. Cinematic history is strife with stories where many low budget films
have created a shift in the market trends while many big budget films have
bombed.
While the
industry churns out close to 1,000 films every year, their differentiation is
not significant, and the last few years have been a period of slow growth with
the declining quality of content and increased competition from cable and
satellite television and international films. While the industry has progressed
from hand painted posters and hoardings to Internet marketing and targeted
promotions, filmmakers are also faced with more competition, not just from
other films, but also other forms of entertainment and spending options for the
consumer.
So, just as
in any other business, an understanding of the consumer, his spending habits
and demands of the product are critical to targeting the right consumer base
with the right product and the right pitch. Technology will help deliver
content in several forms, and that will change the kind of films people go out
to see and stay at home to watch. But the draw of the big screen will not go
away. The story is constructed to take advantage of the considerable power of
cinema. The visual experience happens to us. It can be grand, perhaps in the
films from South have more technicalities, the movies from Bollywood have
melodious songs and Bhojpuri films are entertainers and we as cine goers look
for content in the quality of the films.
Some
examples of low budget films that did well include Mr. and Mrs. Iyer and
Hyderabad Blues in the past succeeded well at the Box office. Some big banner
films that flopped include Kites and Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag. In fact, Bollywood
itself is a brand, as it has a culture and a system that is unlike any other
film industries. The most successful projects are family films: be it a Rajshri
Films or a Disney, so this is an area that can still be developed in a big way.
All of the above-mentioned films, in fact, had a great star cast, with crores
of rupees being pumped into them, but they failed to make a mark. The reason
for this is a mental shift in the thinking of the audience. Gone are the days
when audiences would fill up cinema halls just because a movie had been filmed
in a good location.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Often
termed as the largest democracy on Earth, India has gone for national elections
since April 11, 2019, and the biggest electoral exercise through electronic
voting machines (EVM) will continue till May 19. Over 900 million voters will
participate in the seven-phase general elections to elect 543 representatives
to 17th Lok Sabha, the powerful lower house of Indian Parliament in New Delhi.
Conducted
by the Election Commission of India (ECI), world’s most
powerful electoral institution, the unique
experience for the human race will unveil the winner on May 23 counting day who
would rule the one billion-plus nation for next five years.
After
completion of its term in office, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA)
led by Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking a fresh mandate from the
electorate. The NDA nominees in the polls are primarily facing candidates
belonged to the opposition Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). The
third front, a loose coalition of some regional political parties across the
country, named Maha Gathbandhan, is also expected to put challenges to both NDA
and UPA candidates in selective Parliamentary constituencies.
In
the last general elections, projected Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi
did almost a magic that helped the nationalist party to win an absolute
majority with 282 seats in the Lok Sabha (LS). NDA’s total tally increased up
to 336 (out of the 545, where two members are nominated) in the 2014
national polls. On the other hand, the oldest party (Congress) shrank to 44
seats in the house of people’s representatives.
BJP’s
aggression to the once disturbed northeastern region of the country simply
routed the Congress from any government in eight provinces (commonly known as
State). Till 2014, the Congress used to have province governments in Assam,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh. Now all the States
including Tripura and Nagaland are ruled by ether BJP or its allies. The
region, surrounded by Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet (China), Myanmar and Bangladesh,
sends 25 members to the LS, but this time BJP leadership has taken the share
very seriously. BJP president Amit Shah claims that his saffron party along
with allies will win over 20 seats from the region. The Congress has not made
any claim but maintained their candidates will do fairly well in the
forthcoming polls.
Prime
Minister Modi, the star poll-campaigner of BJP, keeps seeking votes for
his developmental activities along with non-corrupt governance and
security to the nation. Besides pledging for more roads, airports, and other
infrastructures, he promised more jobs for the youths. At the same time, Modi
maintained that they would continue various welfare programs like providing
toilets, houses, cooking gas, crop insurance, loans for small businesses and
also electricity connections.
On
the other hand, the leadership of Congress party that ruled the populous south
Asian country for over five decades since 1947 promised to make India a poverty-free
nation by 2030 with provisions of minimum income guarantee scheme, waving of
peasant’s bank loan and creation of sustainable jobs. He continues
targeting PM Modi for failure in various aspects including in realizing the saffron
leader’s earlier promise to create 10 million jobs every year for Indian
nationals.
The
young party president Rahul Gandhi has drawn attention from the citizens with
his promise that if voted to power they would provide a minimum guaranteed
income of Indian rupees 72,000 per year to every poor family. Asian Human
Rights Commission also issued as a statement praising Gandhi for his
proposed initiative that would enhance the international mission for sustainable
development goals by 2030. In the eastern region, the Congress is expecting
electoral benefits out of the ruling party’s much-debated citizenship amendment
bill (CAB), which sparked massive reactions among northeastern ethnic groups.
Most of the people in northeast India opposed the saffron plan to welcome persecuted
religious asylum seekers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, who had
already entered the country before December 31,
2014.
CAB
was successfully passed in the LS on January 8 and was soon
scheduled for Rajya Sabha, the upper house of
Indian Parliament so that it could be sent to the President of India for
necessary endorsements. However, it was not pushed forward by the Union
(federal) government as the ruling party had no majority in the Council of States.
Thus, the initiative to amend the law lapsed with an embarrassment to the Hindu
nationalist party.
The
socio-political scenario of the country had changed dramatically with
the February 14 Pulwama terror attack that
killed over 40 paramilitary soldiers. Pakistan-based Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed
(JeM) claimed responsibility for the assault sending a massive wave of pain and
anger among millions of patriotic Indians!
Public
sentiments against JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his promoter the Islamic Republic
of Pakistan were fully materialized by Modi and the hardliner Prime Minister
launched a verbal war over Islamabad. His assertion was followed by sudden
aerial attacks in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
Province (PKP) locality on February 26, where the Indian air-forces claimed to
hit many JeM terror bases.
Need
not to mention that any major elections in northeast India were synonymous to
violence perpetrated by insurgents, who had been fighting the Centre (New Delhi) for decades demanding
self-rule to sovereignty. The separatist militant outfits even earlier dictated
the people to avoid the electoral process as they asserted it as being a symbol
of suppression by the colonial Indian forces. However, the northeastern
electorate valiantly defied their diktat.
Influential
and dreaded armed groups like United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) made
it a habit to issue press statements threatening the electorate of dire
consequences if they prefer to cast their votes and later the same militants
secretly supported poll-candidates of their choices. This time two Manipur
based insurgent groups namely Zomi Re-unification Organisation and Kuki
National Organization came out with covert supports to saffron candidates.
However, both factions of Ulfa have shown reluctance in intervening over the polls. When the pro-talk faction led by Arabindra Rajkhowa recently made it clear that they would not be a part of the electoral process, the other faction led by Paresh Barua maintained silence over their involvement. Rather Barua, while talking to local media from his secret shelter somewhere in Myanmar-China border, disclosed that they did a pre-poll survey where he saw BJP as a probable gainer.
By Nava Thakuria
(The author of the article is a journalist based in northeast India.)
(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.)
Narendra
Modi’s time is up. Soon he will start selling tea once again in his hometown,
Gujarat. The lotus flower, a symbol of the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) will
soon stop blooming. The hand that rocks the cradle (Congress) will soon be able
to rule the nation with Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Minister.
The BJP had
lost the elections in some of its strongholds states of Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. The results are seen as a clear setback to the
incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi under whose command, the country has
only seen rising tide of extremism and intolerance especially against Muslims
and Christians.
We have to
use our brains and vote for the right candidate in 2019 with eyes wide open.
Jubel
D’Cruz
SSC paper
leak for vested interests
Bhiwandi
police arrested a 40-year-old coaching class owner and now a parent is also
involved in the paper leak as question papers of the SSC examination were
leaked on social messaging application and it created a stir in education
circle in Mumbai. However, Mumbai divisional board have refused to call it a
leak and thus given a twist to the case. It is reliable learnt that the racket
involves teachers, private tutors, schools, and students were involved in this mysterious
leak in the social media. It was a case of vested interest as the person
involved wanted to his daughter to score high marks and hence, all the more
reason for the leak.
Chitra
Krishnan
Better
voter awareness strategy
The recent
conclusion of Phase I voting for elections in 91 constituencies has resulted in
a skewed voter turn-out ratio. The outcome of such a voter turnout may be now
be known further as the election progresses in the upcoming phases and may
perhaps have an impact with the announcement of results.
The Election
Commission of India (ECI) this time was very proactive to mobilize voters to
the polling booths with various voter awareness drives including Systematic Voters’
Education and Electoral Participation program (SVEEP) with the creation of an
exclusive SVEEP division. The division has striven hard to create voter
awareness programs but the outcome of the voter turnout in the first phase of
elections. It has resulted to conduct further extensive outreach programs and
thus aim to achieve a better voter turnout in the upcoming phases.
Further ECI
should strive to bring about an innovative strategy to find solution to the
missing names and voter lists which may perhaps have impacted voter turnout. It
is ironical to note that despite successive extensive campaigns, some of the
voters are still under confusion related to carrying Voter slips and carrying
identity card to the polling booth. A complete voter turnout could not be
achieved perhaps due to the chances of missing/deleted names from the voter
list and which now needs an immediate and innovative solution. The ECI can
further use the technology to quickly identify the list of missing/deleted
names and thus help ensure to enable voting to achieve a high voter turnout.
The other
outreach factors adopted by ECI such as a dedicated voter express train
carrying the message of voting, providing assistance to Persons with Disability
(PwD) through ‘Matdatha Mitras’ as volunteers, selfie contests encouraged on
social media, extensive awareness drive to use CVIGIL app, 1950 helpline and
NSVP portal etc are also appreciable. Perhaps an overworked ECI was time bound
by too many frameworks to be resolved in the guise of Model Code of Conduct and
thus the attention required for the purpose of voter awareness strategy and
achieve high voter turnout perhaps took a back seat.
Varun SD
Guest
Control Order of 1960 is need of hour
Considering
large-scale wastage of food-items in marriage-celebrations, some legislation
like that of Guest Control Order 1960 should be there. Even Afghanistan took
measures to curb such mega-expenses on marriage-celebrations.
Apart from
preventing huge wastage of food, such steps will automatically check ugly show
of status through money in marriages which in present era is becoming root
cause of aborting female foeticide because of money required to be spent in
marriages of daughters.
Madhu
Agrawal
Timing of
voting
It is quite
but natural that voters have every right to question the candidates about the
nature of work done so far and the future plans if they come back to power.
Voters are the kings and vote bank politics carry most of the weight. People
are educated and knowledgeable and do not want to exercise their right to vote
in a blind way. They would like to exercise their franchise to the right
candidate and as per their conscious. No
one can pressurise them with force or money. That is the real essence of
democracy in this country.
Anandambal
Subbu
Making
most of manifesto
Manifestos
of both BJP and Congress fall short on education sector, though they have tried
to touch upon key issues related to secondary and higher education. It is not a
dream come true manifesto anyway. It will be the most important in the entire
history of India. BJP is likely to come out as the single largest party in the
election. NDA is likely to come back to power. NDA may turn the tables and may
form the government with an absolute majority.
C.K. Jayanthy Maniam
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Political parties adopt various types of tricks to
connect with the voters ahead of the election. They also go to the extent of
changing the background colour of their symbol to attract voters. Shiv Sena and
BJP are known to follow hardcore Hindutva ideology and both the parties
recognise themselves with the colour saffron. Even party workers of both these
parties wear saffron outfits and turban. However, both the parties don’t have
any qualms to change the background colour of their symbol to lure Muslim
voters in Jammu and Kashmir.
All India Mahila Congress General Secretary Shamina
Shafiq told Afternoon Voice, “BJP won’t gain anything by
changing the colour of its symbol. You can fool people only once and not every
time. They have fooled the people for five years. People won’t be fooled this
time and they will show the BJP its place in this election.”
Saffron colour in the background is missing from Shiv
Sena’s official Facebook page. There is no change in the symbol but the colour
of the logo has been turned black and white. Sena’s alliance partner BJP too
has changed the colour of lotus from saffron to green while campaigning in
Jammu & Kashmir. This change has happened amid the voting process for the first
phase of Lok Sabha election across the country including Maharashtra.
J&K National Conference State Secretary Mushtaq
Ahmed Shah Bukhari asserted, “This is colourful
politics. According to me, BJP will stand to benefit out of this and they will
win two seats. This activity is planned from Delhi. Politics vary from state to
state.”
On the other hand, the Sena and BJP party workers are
unhappy with the party’s decision to change the background colour of its logo.
According to them, saffron colour is the identity of Sena-BJP and it should not
make changes in it. They added that changing the background will send a wrong
message to party cadre and voters. Many of them proudly flaunt the saffron
colour while campaigning for the party. BJP and Sena might have changed the
background colour of their symbol but whether they will stand to benefit from
this only election results will say. Instead of working for the welfare of the
masses, both the parties are adopting gimmicks to attract voters.
Former BJP minister Umashankar Gupta
said, “We don’t have any issue with the green colour. People are spreading
false rumours about BJP and the party is not indulging in this act and it is
done by others.”
Shiv Sena is having a pre-poll alliance with the BJP
for contesting the Lok Sabha polls. Both the parties have announced a 25-23
seat-sharing pact for the Lok Sabha election. As far as the state election is
concerned, both the parties will contest an equal number of seats. The Shiv
Sena had sought a larger share of seats for contesting the assembly polls
wherein it demanded a return to 1995 seat sharing formula when the Thackeray
led party had contested 169 seats and BJP was allotted 116 seats out of 288
assembly seats in the state. In the 2014 general election, the NDA had won 41
out of 48 seats in the state. BJP and Shiv Sena contested the 2014 Lok Sabha
polls together but fought the assembly election separately.
Even though Shiv Sena is the alliance partner of the
BJP-led state government but often there has been a rift between both the
parties. After winning the state assembly polls, BJP has been trying to play
the role of big brother which has upset Sena. Sena often takes potshots at the
BJP through its mouthpiece Saamana.
Ever
since the Aadhaar card was introduced in India, there is no end to
controversies. The main issue connected with Aadhaar is its security and the
possibility of violation of Right to Privacy. The social activists and
political parties of India have also been raising these. Despite the claim of
full proof security of UIDAI, Aadhaar data’s security is breached. Aadhaar data
of 7.8 crore people are stolen. A private company IT Grids (India) has
illegally obtained Aadhaar data of 7.8 crore voters in Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana. UIDAI has itself lodged an FIR with the Cyberabad police in this
regard. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is the issuing and
managing agency of the Aadhaar Card.
It
is learned that Hyderabad based IT company IT Grids (India) was using these
data to broaden Telugu Desam Party’s Seva Mitra mobile app. TDP is ruling party
in Andhra Pradesh. On the other hand, CM of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu
has denied the allegations and said that the app is meant for only verifying
beneficiaries of government’s welfare schemes. He accused TRS and BJP of
conspiring to help YSR Congress in elections.
Ananda Howal, President of Indian Social Movement said, “There has been an
attempt to hack digital information and other important documents relating to
the people not only in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana but in other states by
ruling and other political parties. The data can be misused by foreign
countries too. This problem is not restricted to Andhra and Telangana but the
entire nation would be affected by it.”
According
to Telangana Police, investigations so far revealed that the IT Company was in
possession of sensitive data. In addition to this, the profiles of voters are
also stolen. These could be used during ongoing Lok Sabha elections. On March 7
this year, TPD had lodged a complaint about this in Andhra Pradesh. Now, both
the cases are handed over to SIT of Telangana.
Vinod Kumar Boinapally, Telangana Rashtra Samiti MP alleged, “The Chief
Minister of Andhra Pradesh is going to lose in Lok Sabha and state assembly
elections. That is why he is making an allegation of conspiracy on TRS. We have
performed well in recently held Telangana Assembly elections, while their
situation is critical. Therefore, they are adopting every maneuvering.”
Earlier,
WikiLeaks had reported that the CIA may have access to Aadhaar data. According
to WikiLeaks, the United States’ top intelligence agency, Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) is using tools devised by US-based technology provider Cross Match
Technologies for cyber spying that may have comprised Aadhaar data. Cross Match
Technologies, a provider of biometric identity solutions received certification
from the UIDAI) in 2011. It was one of the first suppliers of biometric devices
for Aadhaar data collection.
Keeping
in the view of risks of security of Aadhaar number, last year the Supreme Court
of India in its historic verdict ruled that it is not mandatory to link Aadhaar
Card with existing bank accounts or to open new ones. The Supreme Court also
said that Aadhaar should be mandatory for welfare schemes of government and not
for services like bank accounts, school admissions, mobile connections or any
examinations conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE),
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical entrance and the
University Grants Commission (UGC).
In
spite of so much debate on the security of Aadhaar data, the UIDAI assurances,
and the Supreme Court’s directions, data theft of such huge number came to
light. The anxious citizens of the country want the government of India and
UIDAI to address the concerns as early as possible.
Ambedkar Jayanti also known as
Bhim Ji Jayanti is celebrated by the people of India with great sense of
happiness, devotion and dedication to remember and to pay respect to the one of
the most qualified leaders of India for his selfless contribution towards the
poor, rejected, neglected, downtrodden and boycotted people of India. Dr.
Bhimrao Ambedkar – the father of the Indian Constitution and great human rights
activists was born on 14 April 1891.
Ambedkar established the
“Bahishkrit Hitkarni Sabha” in 1923 to spread the necessity of
education as well as enhancing the economic and social status of Dalits of
India. He initiated a movement for the people using the slogan
“Eradicate-Agitate-Organise” with an aim to eradicate the casteism systems
from India and rebuilding the Indian society by following the rule of equality
of human beings.
He also lead a march in 1927 at
Mahad, Maharashtra to establish the equal rights for the untouchable people of
India who were not allowed to even touch or taste the water of “Public
Chawdar Lake”. He has been marked in the history of India for starting the
social movements like anti-caste, anti-priest and temple free movements.
He led the temple entry movement
in 1930 at Kalam Temple, Nashik, Maharashtra for the human rights and political
justice. He said that the political power is not the only way to solve all the
problems of the depressed class people; they should get the equal right in
every fields of the society. He was seriously and deeply involved in making
legal changes in the Constitution to protect the rights of lower class people
during his Membership of Viceroy’s Executive Council in 1942.
He contributed immensely by
protecting the Fundamental Rights (for the social freedom, equality and
eradication of untouchability for Dalits) and Directive Principles (enhancing
the living standard by securing the fair distribution of wealth) of the State
Policy in Indian Constitution. He kept his social revolution on till the end of
his life. He was honoured with the Bharat Ratna in April 1990 for his greatest
contributions towards the betterment of India.
This festival is celebrated with
great passion across the nation including Banaras, Delhi and other big cities.
In Banaras – to celebrate this day, various types of programmes like painting,
general knowledge quiz competition, debate, dance, essay writing competition,
symposium, sports, and drama are organised by the Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti Samaroh
Samiti in Kutchehri areas. Apart from this, free health check-up camps are also
organised at many places in order to provide free check-up up and medicine to
the poor and needy people.
The United Nations celebrated
Ambedkar Jayanti in 2016, 2017 and in 2018. Indian Post issued stamps dedicated
to Ambedkar’s birthday in 1966, 1973, 1991, 201, and in 2013 as well as
featured him on other stamps in 2009, 2015, 2016 and in 2017. Government of
India issued 10 Rupees and 125 Rupees coins in 2016 to mark the 125th Birth
Anniversary to honour him. A Google Doodle was published for Ambedkar’s 124th
birthday. Twitter launched Dr Ambedkar emoji as a tribute to the legend in 2017
on the occasion of Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti.
Ambedkar Jayanti is celebrated to
acknowledge the noble contribution of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar towards the Dalit
communities. Ambedkar was one of the first Dalits of the country who went in to
seek admission in a collage and received a college degree. Dr. Ambedkar faced
disrespect, discrimination and humiliation at the different stages of his life and
his childhood did not dither him from achieving what he wanted in life
personally as well as professionally. He continued his study with full
dedication, determination and became a successful economist and an Indian
jurist.
Ambedkar Jayanti is a mark of
respect to Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar – apart from working impeccably well in his
professional field he also went on to become a prominent Indian political
leader and philosopher whose dedication and consistent efforts in helping the
Dalits attain their due rights and respect in the Indian society is what has
set him apart from the others so much so that he is one of the very few Indian
leaders whose birthday has been declared as a republic holiday in the country.
The birth anniversaries of only
few leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru are celebrated
with such a great zeal and energy. Ambedkar holds a stature that is not less
than that of Gandhi or Nehru. He inspired, encouraged and motivated the general
public to support him in the fight for a noble cause. He started many movements
to bring about the reforms for the backward Dalit class in India and led
marches to public drinking water places as the Dalits were not allowed to take
water from there.
He led many other similar
movements for the right of Dalits to admission at different places. People
supported him and still see him as an inspiration. Ambedkar Jayanti is also
celebrated in various schools mostly a day before the Jayanti. The educational
institutions organise various types of events to pay homage to Ambedkar and
also inspire the students to become as knowledgeable, strong-willed and humble
as him.
The events begin with speech by
the public figures or knowledge persons on the life and philosophy of Ambedkar.
The reason to do so is to acquaint the students with the struggles Ambedkar
faced and how did he overcome the same by becoming the winner after all odds.
Apart from speech, debate, competition and inter-house quiz are also organised.
Students belonging to the Dalit class hold special reverence for this day
because they too face the same problems which were faced by Ambedkar throughout
his life and that are what makes this day even more important for them.
In many states, fair is held on
this occasion as well many cultural programmes. The aim of the fair is to
spread the message of love, peace, brotherhood, unity, harmony and humanity.
Ambedkar Jayanti is a day to remember the actions taken for the harmony of the
nation by one of the greatest leaders who was also a historian, teacher,
writer, editor, anthropologist and orator. Above all, he was not just a leader
but like a god for the Dalit community whom he helped them to get what they
deserved.
India has become a banana republic after the BJP with Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of the country came to power in May 2014. Today, there is no safety for women and even children in the country — rapes and murders are taking place almost every day — violence and terrorism are occurring in every nook and corner of the country and there is no justice for the victims at all. B
Jubel D’Cruz
Unemployment and rising population
A high percentage of unemployment in
a country has a direct correlation with the rising population as sex is the
only source of entertainment as well as spending time in a situation of
idleness. The UN report which indicates that India’s population has risen twice
as that of China in percentage terms over the years doesn’t come as a surprise
which is the reason why India is lagging behind our foe nation when it comes to
economic development & progress. Religion sentiments & superstitions
too are responsible for the population explosion in our country which is like a
Time Bomb on the Earth waiting to blast with the excess weight in its surface.
India cannot be a silent spectator and
our govt needs to take stern measures to control population which is the source
of all evils in our country. Even water would become insufficient to feed our
population over the years which can result in a civil war not just in India but
globally as well. Family planning is the need of the hour but left to people
alone, it won’t give the desired results. Couples with 2 kids should be forced
a sterilisation and vasectomy operation irrespective of their financial status
or religion. Reward couples with a single child with tax incentives and
popularise adoption. Test tube babies too should be banned in our country.
Forced measures sound criminal but it seems the only option looking at the
gravity of the situation. Creating jobs for the poor too would help in
population control!
Vishu
is one of the most popular South Indian festivals and it is widely celebrated
in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is the traditional New Year for the residents of
these states. The people living in this region speak Malayalam language, it is
also known as the Malayalam New Year.
In
Kerala, the start of the Zodiac New Year, when the sun enters into Sidereal
Aries, Ashwini Nakshatra—is celebrated as Vishu. It is said that what one sees
when one first opens one’s eyes on Vishu morning is an indication of what one
can expect in the year to come. Thus on Vishu, the effort is made to assure one
opens one’s eyes before an auspicious image—the Vishukkani. While the festival
is called “Vishu” only in Kerala, across India festivals sharing the
same spirit such as Ugadhi in Andhra Pradesh and in Karnataka, Gudi Padwa in
Maharashtra, Bihu in Assam and Baisakhi in Punjab are celebrated around the
same time of year. The Malayalam word Kani literally means that which is seen
first, so Vishukkani means that which is seen first on Vishu day.
Like most parts of India, festivals in
Kerala are an integral part of the social and cultural structure of the state
and festival time is the best time to plan one’s travel to Kerala.
The
heart of this festival of Kerala is the preparation of the Kani, the lucky
sight or gift. The custom of preparing the Kani has been followed for
generations. The women take a large dish made of bell-metal called Uruli,
arrange in it a grantha that is a palm-leaf manuscript, a gold ornament, a new
cloth, some flowers from the Konna Tree, some coins in a silver cup, a split
coconut, a cucumber, some mangoes and a jack-fruit. On either side of the dish
are placed two burning lamps with a chair facing it. Family members are taken
blindfolded and then their blindfolds are removed and they view the Vishu Kani.
As in other Indian festivals, a great feast at home is the high point of
celebrating Vishu in Kerala.
After
visit to the family, a feast is arranged with all the Kerala delicacies, Kootu,
Kari, Avial, Olan, Payasam, etc etc. Thus, the ‘Vishukkani’ has over the years
become a ritual arrangement of auspicious articles like raw rice, fresh linen,
golden cucumber, betel leaves, areca nut, metal mirror, the yellow flowers Konna,
and a holy text and coins, in a bell metal vessel called ‘Uruli’. A lighted
bell metal lamp called nilavilakku is also placed alongside. As Vishu ushers in
a New Year dawn, people wake up to behold the ritualistic arrangement. Giving
off handsel to the younger members of the family is part of the celebrations.
Arranged
in the family puja room the night before by the mother in the family, the
Vishukkani is a panorama of auspicious items, including images of Lord Vishnu,
flowers, fruits and vegetables, clothes and gold coins. The Vishukkani will also
be laden with gold-coloured fruits and vegetables, such as bananas, jack fruit,
golden cucumber, etc. The Akshatam, as it is full of turmeric, also is gold in
colour and the reflection can be seen in the mirror. Last but not least, a
spiritual book, such as the Bhagavad-Gita, should be made part of the
arrangement.
The
grandmother or mother who arranges the Vishukkani will sleep in the puja room
after she is finished and then, waking during the auspicious hour of the Brahma
Muhurata between 4:00 to 6:00 a.m., she will light the oil-lamp wicks and take
in the auspicious sight. She will then walk to the rooms where the rest of the
family is sleeping and wake them. Covering their eyes, she will then lead them
to the puja room, where she will allow them to take in the auspicious sight.
The
auspicious start of the year, which has come to us due to the grace of
beginning it with a divine vision, is not for us alone. It is up to us to
spread this love, happiness, and hope to the rest of society. All South Indian Festivals
end with a big feast and Vishu is not an exception to this way of celebrations.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Transparency
and Accountability are the major measuring rods for any pillar of democracy.
The more transparent a body is the more confidence people will have in it. It
has been a long-standing demand from several civil society groups and also from
the government itself to have audio and video recording of the court
proceedings. However, the judiciary has been reluctant in making itself open
for public scrutiny. However, the recent decision of the government to allow
CCTV cameras inside the courtrooms is a move in the right direction. However,
if the trust on the judiciary has to improve, then a few landmark judgments
will not suffice. The whole system has to become transparent.
The recent
decision of judiciary can be summed up in the following way:
No audio recording, but an only video
recording of the court proceedings through Closed Circuit Television Vision
(CCTV) Cameras.
At least two districts in each state
to have CCTV cameras in courts and in court complexes
High courts to have cameras installed
within three months
These video recordings are not
accessible through RTI without the order of the High Court.
This
eventually means that the opacity still remains in the judiciary because no one
will get to know what has been told in the court as there is no audio
recording. They are not accessible through RTI and the decision of the High
Court may take longer time. Later on,
the same issue itself may become a burden to the courts which are already
having a lot of cases pending with them. This will result in both delay and
denial of justice.
The
judiciary has kept itself opaque from people as well as other organs of
democracy like legislation and executive. That is why, despite being passed, the
National Judicial Appointment Commission (NJAC) Act was quashed by the
honorable Supreme Court. I agree that some judges are favouring NJAC and they
have to be considered as an exception. NJAC would have given more transparency
in the appointment of judges. However, the collegiums system has overpowered
NJAC.
While we are talking about self-disclosure by the governments to maintain transparency and accountability, while we are forcing the political parties to come under RTI and disclose about the sources of their funds, it is important for the judiciary to introspect its views and decisions. All expenditures that are incurred on judiciary comes from public money and the public should have the right to know the proceedings of the courts. It will not only improve trust on the judiciary, but also speed up the proceedings of the cases as judges can access the recordings of the previous proceedings which will help them to move ahead faster with the case.
(The author of the article is a Psychologist and the Founder of Mano Samvaada.)
By Akshara Damle
(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.)
