Political honesty, the definitive example of oxymoron

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November 17, 2015

When a group of young people were asked what came to their mind when they heard the word “politics”, they said: “It’s just scandals and accusations”, “Lies and manipulations – all they want is your vote”, “Long speeches, rehearsed and unfeeling – it’s not about you” ….. In short: “political dishonesty”. One moment….. Is honesty still, nay, ever a part of politics?

We want honesty, yet we don’t behave that way because we want our candidates to be winners. Our judgements are coloured by perceptual bias, especially with whom we disagree. We see their failures as a reflection of personal limitations and downplay the context. So, whether the issue is, say, slow economic recovery or failure to curb the rape culture or delay in exposing the list of black money account holders, or whatever, we attribute it to a person, say, the Prime Minister. No matter how difficult the situation the leader inherited, failure is ascribed to him. The challenger’s job is to make the failure as stark as possible. To borrow from a philosophical wit, “we have met the enemy and he is us”.

No one holds politicians accountable. Ideally, this responsibility could be held with the media outlets, but the majority diluted their “objectivity” decades ago. Opinion pieces that favour one politician/party over the other, albeit subtly, are the new form of lies. They appear in the format of “news”, and provide some factual data to appear more truthful, yet delicately push the author’s/editor’s opinions.

Are there honest politicians? Most would say “No”. But were there any before? A handful of famous historical figures like Dr. Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi etc. come to mind. Could these people have become dishonest if they were involved in politics for a long period? Some may agree in line with the saying “Tell me your friends and I will tell who you are”, while these legends and the likes could still be historical exceptions.

What is the benefit of being honest? Many cannot give a right answer, but most politicians believe it is definitely more gainful to be dishonest than honest, unmindful of the long-term consequences. Since time immemorial, greed has prevailed, particularly when there is an accessible trough of public money provided by hapless taxpayers. In a democracy, when society attempts to elect the “honest” politician, difficulties that arise are, therefore, inevitable. In an ideal system, honesty is the backbone, but we are settling with elbows. Change is needed to improve the hinges of democracy.

Honesty in politics is myth for two reasons. The “political system” is a power, influence and control game, which enjoins manipulation. Secondly, the “system” is too inept to mandate personal honesty. For those lacking character, politics provides a platform. To climb the ladder of success, they lie to the point where, in order to convince others, end up believing their own lies. Failure of our politicians and political systems are primarily a product of our failure to embrace responsibility for our decisions. Dishonesty in politics demerits the people from going to polls. Charlie Chaplin succinctly said: “I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician”.

C.S. Krishnamurthy

Salman Khan says no to Hollywood?

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Afternoon Voice

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November 17, 2015

Salman Khan said that he is not keen on trying for Hollywood because of the language factor and the fact that it will take time to build a reputation there.

“I like to work in India a lot and I like to deliver dialogues in Hindi. Suddenly after Hindi dialogues for so many years if I say dialogues in English, it would look a bit weird. I’m very happy here,” Salman said when asked if he would be interested in Hollywood.

“They (Hollywood) work extremely hard but we don’t need to work that hard here. I’ll have to establish respect again and when I’m already receiving so much respect here then why? We work for respect; it’s taken so many years to earn respect here; so I don’t see any point,” the Dabangg actor said.

The question was prompted by the filmmakers’ claims that the movie’s opening collections in the US were better than Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie’s By the Sea.

Salman feels that the Indian film industry still needs to grow a lot.

“The Hindi film industry should grow so much that there should not be any comparison between them and us. Our film has broken the records of films there and that is a moment of joy for everyone. And that’s what we want that everyone should be happy,” he said.

“If it’s a film related to us (Indians), I might do it but I don’t have any interest or craze for it,” Salman added.

Initially I thought I had failed as an anchor: Sushant Singh

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Afternoon Voice

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November 17, 2015

He has gained immense popularity as the host of crime TV show “Savdhaan India”, but actor Sushant Singh says there was a time when he thought he had failed as an anchor.

The “Hate Story 2” actor, who earlier hosted “Wanted: High Alert”, felt dejected when the show got scrapped after five episodes.

“I was doing a show called ‘Wanted: High Alert’ but it got shut down after five episodes. That was a big setback for me. For whatever reason the show didn’t work, be it the clash with IPL, or bad timing, I was sad. That was a time when I thought I had failed as an anchor,” said Sushant.

The actor, who was last seen in Akshay Kumar-starrer “Baby”, then got a chance to host the Life Ok show, which he took it as a challenge.

“When Savdhaan India came to me, I thought this is my chance to prove it to myself that I can pull this off. I had asked the team if they will be using me as just another character in the show, they assured me that I’ll be myself on the show, narrating the stories. And that’s when I was all game for it.”

The show features dramatised criminal cases from across the country to caution viewers and spread awareness regarding the judicial system.

Sushant, who recently took part in a workshop to spread awareness on national legal service day, is happy that people are appreciating “Savdhaan India”.

“My apprehension was how different the show will be among the barrage of crime shows on every news channel. The team did a fabulous job of not sensationalising anything. I am happy the show is reaching out to people and making a difference.”

Haven’t decided my Bollywood comeback, says Karisma Kapoor

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Afternoon Voice

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November 17, 2015

She put her acting career on the backburner for her family. Karisma Kapoor, who was among the top Bollywood heroines of the 1990s, says she still hasn’t planned her comeback to films.

“I haven’t decided to come back on screen yet. Right now I’m very busy with my family,” she said at an event, where she was present to raise awareness about diabetes.

“I like to be part of such kind of social causes to create awareness. I think it is very important to take care of health as we are too busy in our lives,” she added.

Karisma is a mother of two children, but she has maintained her svelte frame.

Talking about her diet plan, she said: “I don’t follow any strict diet. I am a foodie and I love to eat everything, but in moderation. Not all people like to hit the gym or exercise, but only walking can do wonders for them. But it’s necessary to do whatever they like.”

Its swadeshi Ramdev’s noodles vs videshi Maggi noodles

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Afternoon Voice

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November 16, 2015

The launch of Yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali atta noodles triggered a public debate over locally manufactured product vs international products.

The product launch will give a boost to the Modi government’s Make in India programme. Already some people have decided to buy the locally made Patanjali atta noodles saying that it would be safe for consumption. On the other hand, some others who used to consume Maggi before its ban are likely to retain their loyalty for the brand. Patanjali atta noodles was launched a week after product leader Nestle’s Maggi was relaunched after a ban was imposed on its sale. The product has been priced at Rs 15.

With the launch, Patanjali has entered another major food segment to take on multinational firms — such as Tropicana’s fruit juices, Kellogg’s muesli and cornflakes, Mondelez “Cadbury” India’s Bournvita — not to mention well established cosmetics and home grown ayurvedic brands.

Ramdev said that noodles would cost Rs 15 – with no added lead or monosodium glutamate (MSG). The catchline of the Patanjali noodles is “Jhat pat pakao, aur befikr khao”. The noodles will be sold across 3 lakh outlets in India.

Amar Seth, a Kandivali resident said, “I have already been buying foods, juices and cosmetic products of Patanjali ayurved. Therefore, I will buy the noodles manufactured by them which is safe for consumption.”

Sushil Sharma, a Borivali resident said, “I love eating Maggi and was unhappy when it went off the shelves. I will definitely prefer Maggi over other products as I have been consuming it since my childhood and there is a trust factor associated with it.”

Patanjali officials said the product has been developed by a ‘strong research team’, adding that the noodles are made with rice bran oil using dehydrated vegetables. The noodles are priced at Rs 15 for a 70-gm pack.
“By the end of December, our noodles will hit one million stores. We are ramping our production capacity,” Ramdev said.

“It is Rs 10 cheaper from our rivals noodles, which are selling atta noodles at Rs 25,” he said.

Last month, Patanjali — which had a turnover of around Rs.1,200 crore in 2014 with a projection of Rs.2,000 crore this year — had announced a pact with Kishore Biyani-led Future Group to sell its noodles through Big Bazaar and Nilgiri’s supermarkets across 240 cities.

Another product Patanjali plans to introduce sometime soon is Powervita, a health drink for children that will compete with brands like Complan, Horlicks and Bournvita. In order to meet the product demand, Patanjali will set up five manufacturing plants in Delhi NCR, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh within a year. These plants will also make other Patanjali products.

Maggi Vs other Noodles

By

Vaidehi Taman

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November 16, 2015

Baba Ramdev launched the much awaited ‘Patanjali Atta Noodles’, a new range of product in ‘instant noodles’category. Ramdev’s ‘Patanjali Ayurveda’ with its new product hopes to capture the market which was lost by Maggi. Patanjali noodles will use rice-bran oil and not cheap and inferior palm oil as used by others, the company release said. Patanjali noodles will be available at Rs. 15, whereas, other noodles too are available in different prices and sizes. As per my knowledge, none of the branded noodles are manufactured in palm oil. Baba Ramdev has said that the noodles “will be made from whole wheat flour (atta), not like noodles of other companies which are made up of maida and has only 10 per cent atta”. Baba was more interested in attacking other products in the market than launching his own product. However and whatever the ‘health-maker’ in Baba Ramdev’s instant noodles may be but ‘taste-maker’ used in Maggi will never be replaced by any products. Patanjali claims that their noodle does not have lead or taste enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG).

The noodles contain no lead or MSG. “Jhat pat pakao, aur befikr khao” is the catchline of the Patanjali noodles. Baba Ramdev also hinted at a range of baby products, he plans to launch next. Another product Patanjali plans to introduce sometime soon is Powervita, a health drink for children that will compete with brands like Complan, Horlicks and Bournvita. The Baba Ramdev -owned Patanjali group had a turnover of Rs. 1200 crores in 2014 and a projected turnover of Rs. 2000 crores in 2015.

In the meantime, Maggi might be back in the market setting the sales through e-commerce on fire, but the legal troubles for Maggi seem to worsen with the Centre backing the Maharashtra government decision to challenge the Bombay High Court order in the Supreme Court. The Maharashtra government had been mulling over a challenge to lifting of ban on Maggi. After clean chit by HC appointed labs, Nestle re-launched Maggi on Nov 9. Maggi comes back with flash sale on Snapdeal. A question is bound to come up about Government’s motive, intention and if there was a conspiracy behind first raising objection, then banning and then re-launch and then challenging the comeback. All this is happening to give boost to Babaji’s noodles? All laboratories that conducted earlier tests approved the product. According to the test reports, there was no question of doubting veracity of reports on lead, MSG content. Due to fast cooking properties; instant noodles today have occupied an important position in almost every Indian kitchen. Since most of the women in urban India are working, instant noodles and ready-to-eat foods are slowly and steadily replacing the traditional rice and pulses.

Maggi is favourite among all the children in the country; noodles have come a long way since their introduction in 1983. Consumed in almost every Indian household (prior to the lead and MSG controversy), Maggi, which was initially considered as a snack, had taken the place of a staple diet in many Indian homes. Owing to the fast paced lives today, packaged and ready-to-eat foods are gaining quite a formidable share in the Indian food market.

However, according to market experts, Nestle India’s Maggi noodles, which has been dominating the instant noodles market in India for nearly three decades, is currently witnessing tough competition with a number of new entrants such as Sunfeast Yippee!, Hindustan Unilever’s (HUL) Knorr Soupy Noodles, Top Ramen and Ching’s Secret.

Maggi is a product of Nestle India, a subsidiary of the Nestle Group of Switzerland. It goes without saying that Nestle India’s Maggi is still undoubtedly the top noodle brand in India.

In 2015, Maggi got entangled in a major controversy when a few samples of Maggi were tested and found ‘unsafe and hazardous’ for human consumption. The tests concluded that Maggi contained much higher levels of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and lead than what was permissible. The findings of the tests were followed by bans on Maggi in many states across and outside India. Though, Nestle denied the allegations that Maggi was ‘unsafe and hazardous’ to human health, it pulled back all the stocks from across the country.

Another popular noodle brand in India is Sunfeast Yippee!, which belongs to the Indian conglomerate ITC. Yippee made its way into the Indian market in the first decade of the 2000s and gradually made a considerable presence. By the early 2010s, Yippee! had started giving market leader Maggi some sort of competition. Yippee! Noodles are available in five different variants; namely, Classic Masala, Magic Masala, Chinese Masala, Tricolor Pasta (Creamy Corn) and Tricolor Pasta (Masala).

Top Ramen, by Nissin, is another leading noodle brand in India. Nissin is a Japanese company that introduced its first noodle product in 1958 but entered the Indian market 30 years later in 1988. It took a while for Top Ramen to become one of the leading noodle brands in India. Different variants of Top Ramen noodles in India include Atta Noodles, Cup Noodles, Curry Veg Noodles, Oats Noodles, Scoopies Short Noodles and Super Noodles.

Ching’s Secret is a product of Capital Food Indian Limited. Another brand of noodles in India produced by Capital Food India Limited is Smith & Jones. But Ching’s Secret is the more popular one and is giving stiff competition to the top noodle brands in India. Ching’s Secret offers a vast range of products to its customers that include Schezwan Instant Noodles, Singapore Curry Instant Noodles, Hot Garlic Instant Noodles, Egg Hakka Noodles and Veg Hakka Noodles.

Knorr Soupy Noodles is a product of Hindustan Unilever and has turned out to be a popular brand in India of late. Knorr is famous for its unique range of soups in India and is the leading brand for the same but has earned accolades for its unique combination of noodles and soup, that is, Knorr Soupy Noodles. Knorr noodles range consists of Mast Masala Soupy Noodles, Knorr Chinese Noodle Hot Spicy, Knorr Chinese Noodle Schezwan, Chinese Noodles and Fried Rice.

Now, it’s interesting to see who will be the actual buyers of Baba’s product and how those noodles gonna make its way in the market.

Amitabh Bachchan rides Mumbai local, sings for commuters

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Afternoon Voice

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November 16, 2015

Local train commuters in Mumbai were in for a surprise as megastar Amitabh Bachchan was spotted singing during a ride on Sunday to raise money for cancer patients.

The 73-year-old actor accompanied Saurabh Nimbkar on the train from VT (Victoria Terminus) to Bhandup. Saurabh sings in the locals to raise money and was also featured on “Aaj Ki Raat Zindagi”, a show hosted by Bachchan.

Big B’s appearance came as a “surprise” for Nimbkar and for those who travel daily on the local train as the whole exercise was “executed without his knowledge”.

Saurabh plays guitar and sings on local trains and distributes the meagre amount he gets from co-passengers to the less fortunate cancer patients and their families in the city.

“… his story was heart breaking… I felt I would want to sit by him and travel the distance he does, do what he does, in a show of support and spirit for his incredible thinking.

“The idea is not to create a splash among the media, or to create credible content for them, or for the subsequent promotion of the show #Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi… The idea is to let him know that he is not alone… That he is appreciated that our support runs even after he departs from the show,” Bachchan further wrote in his blog.

“To hope that many others would feel the same way as we did when we heard his story… And perhaps that it may sufficiently light a small flame of hope for many other deeds that need to be done.”

NCP keen to ally with Cong for polls

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Afternoon Voice

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November 16, 2015

After the resounding success of Grand Alliance in Bihar, Maharashtra NCP said that it proposes to contest the upcoming biennial Legislative Council and local bodies polls in alliance with the Congress.

State NCP President Sunil Tatkare told reporters that party chief Sharad Pawar had asked the state leaders to forge an alliance with Congress and other like-minded parties to put up a fight against BJP-led state government.

He said preliminary round of talk for an alliance with the Congress for the Legislative Council polls from eight local self government bodies, which are scheduled for next month, has taken place.

There will be eight vacancies in the Legislative Council with as many members elected from the local self government bodies retiring on January 1, 2016.

Of the total members, four are from Congress – Amrish Patel (Dhule Nandurbar local bodies), Mahadev Mahadik (Kolhapur local bodies), Rajendra Mulak (Nagpur local bodies), Bhai Jagtap (Mumbai Municipal Corporation), while two from Shiv Sena – Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam (Mumbai) and Gopikishan Bajoria (Akola-Washim-Buldhana local bodies).

One is from NCP, Deepak Salunke (Solapur local bodies), while the other an independent, Arun Jagtap (Ahmednagar local bodies), who is a NCP supporter.

Tatkare said NCP has proposed that the party along with Congress can retain the 4:2 formula, but demanded the Akola-Washim-Buldhana seat, which was contested by the NCP last time narrowly losing to the Shiv Sena.

“The quota for Mumbai is 75 and Shiv Sena has the required numbers to get Ramdas Kadam elected in the first round from Mumbai. We are waiting for the Congress response regarding our alliance proposal,” he added.

In Bihar, the Grand Alliance comprising Congress, Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal bagged 178 seats in the 243-member house.

Chhota Rajan’s CBI custody extended by 3 days

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Afternoon Voice

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November 16, 2015

Underworld don Chhota Rajan’s CBI custody, which was to end on Monday, has been extended by three days in a case of alleged procurement of a passport on the basis of fake documents from Indian mission in Zimbabwe. The CBI announced during a daily briefing that the custody of Rajan, whose real name is Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, has been extended till November 19, without revealing the details about the court proceedings and whether he was produced before a CBI magistrate.

After being brought to India from Bali earlier in November, 55-year-old Rajan, who has provided tip-offs to Indian intelligence agencies on India’s most wanted terrorists Dawood Ibrahim, has been secretly guarded by central security agencies. Before his deportation process was to complete, the CBI was directed to register a case against him. The agency booked him for alleged cheating, forgery, and violations of the Passport Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

This is the second case of fake passport against him with the first one having been registered in 2002 for another passport, issued in 1996, with fake identity of Vijay Kadam, in Bangkok. “It has been alleged that said fugitive Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan got prepared an Indian Passport No G9273860 in the fake name of Mohan Kumar, allegedly residing at 107/B, Old M C Road, Azad Nagar, Mandya (Karnataka),” a CBI spokesperson had said after his deportation process was completed.

Rajan allegedly used the passport to escape to Australia in 2003. He had been residing in Australia since then till October 25 when reached Bali, where he was placed under arrest on the basis of Interpol Red Corner notice.

India must wage own war against terror, says Shiv Sena

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Afternoon Voice

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November 16, 2015

India must fight its own war against terror since the efforts against terrorism by the Western countries are limited to serving their own interests, the Shiv Sena said on Monday.

Referring to the 13/11 Paris terror strikes, the Shiv Sena said that the whole world has condemned the dastardly attacks in which 129 innocent lives were snuffed out.

“The question is – will merely such lip sympathy spell the end of terror in the world? A country like Pakistan – ‘which is a multinational company of terrorism’ – condemning the Paris attacks is indeed laughable,” the Sena said in an edit in the party mouthpiece Saamana on Monday.

It pointed out that India has been the biggest victim of terrorism in the past few years, but until the US and Europe are not attacked, they fail to understand “our anguish”.

“The US destroyed Iraq and killed Saddam Hussein for its own interests… Several countries like France had supported US then… France was a partner of US in that crime. It gave birth to a demon called ISIS which is now not sparing even Europe… this is the bitter truth,” the edit said.

Referring to ISIS, the Sena said the organisation has set its eyes on Kashmir and the manner in which its flags are raised there is “a matter of serious concern” in the wake of 13/11 Paris attacks.

In this connection, it pointed out how France and India are both grappling with “a fast growing Muslim population”, but while France is attempting to impose curbs, India is bowing before this phenomenon.

But for attempting to rein in the Muslim population, France has suffered by way of several terror strikes in the recent past, culminating in the most brutal hit since World War II last Friday – and ISIS has issued threats of more to come.

“It is high time Europe learns a lesson from 13/11 and unitedly make efforts to strike at the roots of global terror,” the edit said.