Afghanistan is known as the 'Graveyard of Empires' 2
Tens of thousands of people have tried to flee Afghanistan to escape the hardline Islamist rule expected under the Taliban or fearing direct retribution for siding with the US-backed government that ruled for the past two decades. The Taliban led a pariah regime from 1996-2001, infamous for a brutal rule in which girls could not go to school and people were stoned to death.
Afghanistan suffers from one of the most prolonged humanitarian crises in the world. 2016, also witnessed some of the worst fightings since the US-led intervention in October 2001, 646,698 persons were internally displaced due to conflict, compared to 70,000 in 2010; this added to the roughly one million conflict-displaced in previous years. 2016 also saw one million Afghan refugees and migrants forced to return home from Pakistan and Iran.
More broadly, both Kabul and the humanitarian community, including UN agencies, estimate that millions of people, or almost one-third of Afghanistan’s population will be in need of humanitarian assistance. The overall humanitarian crisis is putting enormous pressure on Afghanistan’s already stretched public services and infrastructure, especially in urban centres, where 70-80 per cent of internally displaced and returning refugees tend to settle; most are jobless or under-employed, with little or no access to health care or education.
Overnight the Afghan government is overthrown by the Taliban. It is a huge crisis whose effects are felt all over the world. Many superpower countries enter Afghanistan but return after humiliating themselves. The Britishers came in the 19th century. They had to bear a very humiliating defeat. In the 20th century, the Soviet Union came to Afghanistan returned after 9 years with a lot of embarrassment. In the 21st century, the USA came to Afghanistan and is now returning in shame.
The Afghan people are brave and talented; it is just unfortunate that they have been caught up in conflicts for the last 40 years. The Taliban are Afghanistan’s deteriorate. They are the bottom-of-the-barrel, lowest-low of Afghan society who took over control after most of the sensible/ educated/ wealthy Afghans fled the war-torn nation. The Taliban are uneducated, deeply religious, and regressive in thinking.
What makes this interesting is the fact that the US military recruits most of their enlisted personnel from small-town America where lots of desperate/poor/white trash type of people live and they get shipped to war zones such as Afghanistan where they engage in combat. It’s a war fought basically by the Taliban of one nation versus the Taliban of another.
‘Talib’ in the Pashto language means ‘student’. So, Taliban literally means ‘students’ or a group of students. Taliban are a Tribal Muslim student’s organisation with rational militancy for freedom/self-determination, based on Islamic freedom of choice, are not at all nation of passionate exterminators’ colonial cowboys murdering Asian population. They are educated in madrasa.
It was initially a movement started by Mullar Omar, a jihadi during the Mujahideen war against the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan. Afghanistan, after the Soviet troops left, was in a pathetic situation. There was no stable Government and so many warlords rose during the Mujahideen because of the ISI and the CIA’s support.
After the war, no one cared for Afghanistan. US’s only goal was to drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan, so used the ISI and armed the anti-Soviet people & revolutionists of Afghan. Mullah Omar was one such guy who fought against the Soviets.
Omar started this movement named ‘Taliban’ soon after he became famous, and he utilized this fame to capture more and more provinces and someday entire Afghanistan. Their ultimate goal was to give Afghanistan a stable Government. But as they gained more power, Islamic extremism haunted them and their aim now became to implement radical Islam in the whole country.
Osama’s and Omar’s views of Islam and both their goals and interests were similar. That is why they became very close friends and the Taliban got connected to Al-Qaeda. After the 9/11 attacks, Osama was under the Taliban’s protection and they never agreed to hand him over to the US despite the entire world’s and the ISI’s pressure as well.
The US coalition lost because while they were welcomed as liberators in 2001, they stayed too long and became perceived as occupiers. The only reason young Afghan men had for joining the Afghan army was that they had no jobs, and they would get food, room and board and a small salary which they could share with their family by joining the Afghan army.
The US government spent billions in Afghanistan, but most of that money was likely siphoned off to private bank accounts and did not make it is way too ordinary Afghans. I am sure that there will be more than a few pro-American Afghans who will retire to very nice homes in Qatar with their families after the fall of Kabul.
One more reason it is difficult to defeat the Taliban is that they do not have a dread of funds. Billions of dollars of aid money flowing into Afghanistan for developmental projects. The contractors have to pay a portion of their profit as a ransom to the Taliban for not blowing up their project halfway, the second source of income is Opium. Afghanistan is the biggest exporter of opium.
The majority of their commanders, militants are present in Afghanistan, 90% control the entire Afghanistan. From crimes like denying women their basic rights and education, blowing up ancient artefacts, killing dozens of innocent men, women and children, destabilizing entire nations and robbing millions of their right to live peacefully, the Taliban have shown the world that they are not the type of people that we should show any mercy upon, regardless of the circumstances.
Some think tanks say, there is no textbook definition of what constitutes a wave in an epidemic. The term is used generically to describe the rising and declining trends of infections over a prolonged period of time. The growth curve resembles the shape of a wave. Historically, the term wave is used to refer to the seasonality of the disease. Several viral infections are seasonal in nature, and they recur after fixed time intervals. Infections rise and then come down, only to rise again after some time.
Covid-19 has continued relentlessly for the last one-and-a-half years, but in geography, there have been periods of surge that have been followed by a relative lull. In India so far, there have been two very distinct periods of the surge, separated by a prolonged lull.
On the other hand, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) director Randeep Guleria emphasized that India might not see the third wave of coronavirus but it largely depends on people following Covid norms. Here in Mumbai, life is back on track. Malls are packed, markets are overcrowded and people are really not bothered to maintain social distance or mask protocol.
Second Wave, Preparations Required for Third Wave and Majority of teenagers, uncles and aunties nowadays go for morning walks evening walks during the time of curfew everyone has walked out during the pandemic. After relaxation, there won’t be any deterrence. The general feeling is that adults are getting vaccinated, children are not being vaccinated and therefore if there is a new wave it will affect those who are more susceptible.
Hundreds of children have tested positive for COVID-19 during the first ten days of August across India, creating a worrisome situation for parents. Probably that is the reason the government is yet not prepared to reopen the schools. But the irony is that these kids are visiting malls, restaurants and gardens but not school. More than 50 per cent of children have already been infected as per the survey and have antibodies.
According to a study conducted by IIT researchers, India might witness the third Covid-19 wave in August with daily cases clocking between 1-1.5 lakh, however, researchers said the third wave is likely to be weaker than the second wave. The forecast by the researchers suggests that the government accelerate the vaccination drive, deploy surveillance methods to catch emerging hotspots and amplify genome sequencing given the potential for new variants to emerge.
In July, a report published by SBI Research predicted the third wave in India by August which will peak in September. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) scientist Professor Samiran Panda also told India Today TV that the third wave is likely to come by August-end and India may witness one lakh daily Covid-19 cases.
Currently, India has 4,13,718 active Covid-19 cases with a recovery rate at 97.35 per cent. However, southern states such as Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka along with Maharashtra are reporting high daily virus cases. While these states account for 83.12 per cent of the new virus cases, Kerala alone is responsible for 51.65 per cent of the new cases. On the vaccination front, the government has administered over 47 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines. However, only seven per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated so far.
The third wave at present under discussion refers to a possible surge in cases at the national level. The national curve seems to have entered a declining phase now, after having peaked on May 6. In the last two weeks in this August, the daily case count has dropped from the peak.
PM‘s Gati Shakti National Master Plan is the big brother of Make in India 5
Since 2014 our Prime minister has launched many schemes and policies, most of them were not the desired success, but in India, hardly anyone is talking about the policy failure. Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana ensures nobody sleeps on an empty stomach but on the other hand hunger rate has gone up. People are struggling to manage one-time meals. PM Modi has gone time and again in virtual interaction with different Yojana beneficiaries across India to convince the success of his schemes. But whenever his claims got exposed, the whistleblowers got attacked but the attitude has not changed.
It is said that the free ration being distributed to lakhs of families under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, helping lessen worries of poor during a pandemic but actually scenario is very much different than the speeches. PM Modi interacts with staged beneficiaries through video-conferencing to tell how successful his scheme was. When PM Narendra Modi launched Ujjwala 2.0 to provide LPG connections under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana from Uttar Pradesh’s Mahoba, a lot of money was spent on publicising these Yognas but the common man is yet to benefit. Every time there is the announcement of new schemes to give a feel-good factor but people at large feel cheated. In fact, no one is now taking these promises and schemes seriously.
Allegedly 80 crores in the entire country got free ration under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana during coronavirus pandemic. But still, hunger and poverty are not under control. India still needs freedom from starvation, unemployment, castes and so-called religious scuffles. India also needs equality in education; India needs clean water & air. Not last but least Indians need to breathe. Lip services are not going to impress anyone other than his cheer leader’s team.
Prime Minister Modi today announced that the govt will soon launch ‘PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan’, a 100 lakh crore national infrastructure plan. Gati Shakti is announced to help local manufacturers turn globally competitive; also develop possibilities of new future economic zones. Hope people have not forgotten the Make in India failure. Huge money was wasted on promotions and campaigns of Make in India, now no one talks about the same. Do you really buy that the ₹100 lakh crore Gatishakti initiatives will bring employment opportunities for youth and help them in holistic infrastructure growth?
Modi said the pace of service delivery through government schemes has gone up compared with earlier times and the goal is to make sure that all eligible persons are covered under these. Now the question is that how many people were covered under proviso schemes? If those schemes were successful then why do we need new announcements? Just to fool gullible voters?
The PM said the project would be a source of future employment opportunities for lakhs of youth in the country. The same PM said making Pakoda is also an employment and self-sustained business, whereas many companies for shout due to lockdown, many traders have gone bankrupt due to financial crunch, lakhs of youth landed in depression, PM Modi did not dare to talk on the failures of unplanned lockdown. He maintained silence on most crucial issues of the nation. All of a sudden he is now talking about harmony. He now believes that there is no harmony in the modes of transport in the country at present and Gati Shakti would come in aid on this front as it will break the silos and bottlenecks, seriously?
During his nearly 90 minutes speech, Modi also said India’s manufacturing and exports volumes should increase. But he did not say how the import and export collapsed during the pandemic and how the companies got shut abruptly due to the non-availability of funds and sustainable infrastructure.
He said the country will have to work together to make “world-class products”, using new-age technology and cutting-edge innovation. But he forgot to tell you, at present India lacks infrastructure and skilled labour. Yes “We have to work together…for next-generation infrastructure, for world-class manufacturing, for cutting edge innovation, and we have to work together for new-age technology,” as he said, but there is a lot of difference in practising what you preach. The nation is divided in between Hindu and Muslim. There are frequent communal tensions and hate, rapes and suicide rates have gone up. Fuel prices are touching the sky, the rupee has fallen drastically compared to the dollar but still, PM talks about Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas?
Well these occasional speeches are not going to fill the pockets of people. Just feel good jumlas may give some pleasure to PM but commoners are here to suffer if the approach of the government is not changed.
"100 per cent growth" - India should become the hub of global market: PM Modi 7
In terms of growth Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for “100 per cent” on the 75th Independence Day. He said in his speech “Now we have to move towards saturation. 100% of villages have roads, 100% of households have bank accounts, 100% of beneficiaries have Ayushman Bharat cards, 100% eligible persons have Ujjwala gas connections”. PM also announced plans to introduce fortified rice for the poor under different government schemes and a National Hydrogen Mission in view of climate change. “We have to make India a hub for production and export of Green Hydrogen”.
The Prime Minister said the government will launch Gati Shakti — a ₹ 100 lakh crore infrastructure plan — soon to boost manufacturing and employment. “All manufacturers should target the global market. India should become the hub of the global market.”
Sainik Schools will be opened to girls and 75 Vande Bharat trains will be connecting every corner of the country in 75 weeks of the Amrit Festival of Independence, PM Modi said. In future, August 14 will be observed as “Partition Horrors Remembrance Day”, PM Modi said. He also paid tribute to all the past leaders who fought the long and hard battle for Independence, saying, “Be it Nehru-ji, the first Prime Minister of India, Sardar Patel, who turned the country into a united nation or Babasaheb Ambedkar, who showed India the way to the future, the country is indebted to all of them”. He also greeted the Olympians present on the occasion, saying “I urge the nation to applaud their achievement today. They have not only won our hearts but also inspired future generations”.
Thirty-two athletes – including those who won medals at the Olympics – were invited to participate in the celebrations at the iconic Red Fort. Mentioning the ongoing battle against Covid and the loss of lives since last year, PM Modi said, “54 crore people have got vaccine doses… Despite all the efforts, we have not been able to save many people. Many children lost their parents”.
“In Jammu and Kashmir, the developments are seen on the ground… Be it the entire Himalayan region including our Eastern India, North East, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, our Coastal Belt or tribal areas, these will become the major basis for India’s development in future,” he added. For the second year in a row, the Independence Day celebrations remained muted as the country braces for a possible third wave of the Covid pandemic. The national capital was also under a tight security blanket that included anti-drone defence systems in sensitive areas.
India imported mobile phones worth USD 8 billion seven years ago and is now exporting USD 3 billion worth of mobile phones, the prime minister said.”We will have to work together for manufacturing world-class products, using cutting-edge innovation and new-age technology,” he told the nation. The government’s focus is to make small farmers, who own less than two hectares of land and comprise over 80 per cent of all farmers, the country’s pride, Modi added. Rice provided under any scheme will be fortified by 2024, the prime minister announced.
“We are witnessing the rapid transformation of our villages,” Modi said while stressing that digital entrepreneurs are being nurtured in villages too. During his Independence Day speech, Modi said multiple parts of the country — whether its east, northeast, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh including the entire Himalayan region, the coastal belt or the tribal region — will become a big base for India’s development in the future. “Very soon, the work of connecting all the state capitals of the northeast with rail services is going to be completed,” Modi said, adding that the region is getting connected with Bangladesh, Myanmar and Southeast Asia.
I am silently taking all the venom that people are spewing at me: Anna Hazare 9
Social Activist and Reformer Anna Hazare said, “I had no political ambitions, I never lived for myself. This is the reason I don’t fear losing anything. My honest human services are my assets and that is the reason I am loved by most people. When you do good for society, some people randomly hurl attacks and talk filth. I have learned to swallow humiliation. I believe in my duties towards society and I deliver them without any expectations.”
Hazare a simplistic man who is committed to the cause, decided to stick to his idealistic belief of not be involved in any political activity but social movements across the country and saw it as the best solution to fight corruption. He still believes the youth of the country should come forward for the change. He calls himself a people’s man — a man who has no relatives, no property and no bank balance. He lives in a simple room attached to the Yadavbaba temple in Ralegan-Siddhi village. He wears only white khadi.
He is 84 and yet active, he has a foolproof craft for youth to develop this nation. His agitation disturbs detractors and politicians. They unwillingly accept he is the only person who has the power to mobilize common people across the country and shake up a government. His small delicate body has taken several blows from the countless agitations, tours and hunger strikes he has undertaken since he came into public life in 1975.
When Afternoon Voice, spoke to him he said, “I am always happy; not scared of anything. I aim to work for rural development, rainwater harvesting, plantations and green lands. People have died due to a lack of oxygen across the nation, Mother Nature has all the capacity to protect mankind but for that, we need to be more responsible while damaging nature in the name of development. He is inspired by Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and Acharya Vinoba Bhave, he quotes them in all his public speaking. Ralegan-Siddhi was in the grip of drought, poverty, crimes and alcoholism. He used his savings for the developmental work of the village.”
He motivated villagers into voluntary labour. Canals and bunds were built to hold rainwater which solved the water scarcity problem and also increased irrigation possibilities in the village.
His achievements have won him many awards like the Indira Priyadarshini Vriksha Mitra Award, the Krishi Bhushan award, the Padma Shree, Padma Bhushan and the Ramon Magsaysay award. Care International of the USA, Transparency International, Seoul (South Korea) also felicitated him.
When asked why is he mute on BJP, he said, “I am not mute; I don’t favour any political party. Who so ever has done wrong to the country and its people I have voiced my opinion and I shall do so?”
In this file photo, Afghan policemen stand guard next to Indian and Afghan national flags, at a check point in Kabul city. | Image: Reuters
Afghanistan’s long-running conflict has worsened dramatically since May when the US-led military coalition began the pullout of its forces – the exercise is set to be completed before the end of the month.
As the Taliban have taken control of several districts across the country, US intelligence assessments have suggested the country’s civilian government could fall to the terror group within months of US forces withdrawing.
India has asked its nationals to leave Afghanistan today on a “special flight” from Mazar-i-Sharif – the countries fourth largest city – amid intense fighting with the Taliban.
The Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif tweeted “A special flight is leaving from Mazar-e-Sharif to New Delhi. Any Indian nationals in and around Mazar-e-Sharif are requested to leave for India in the special flight scheduled to depart late today evening”.
It asked Indian citizens who want to leave by the special flight to submit the details like their full name and passport number to the consulate immediately. Around 1,500 Indians are currently staying in Afghanistan, according to government data.
Last month India pulled out around 50 diplomats and security personnel from its consulate in Kandahar following intense clashes between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters around the city.
The Taliban had turned their sights on Mazar-i-Sharif. A spokesperson of the insurgents announced on social media that they had launched a four-pronged attack on the city. They have already captured Sheberghan to its west and Kunduz and Taloqan in the east.
New Delhi has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process that is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled. Mazar-i-Sharif is the largest city in the north and considered a linchpin to the government’s control over the area.
A woman observes the scene of an attack a day after a car bomb went off in Herat, Afghanistan on March 13, 2021. | Image: IC
India has safely evacuated its citizens, and Pakistan got a warning to dislodge terror entities from their border. Almost all the neighbouring countries are stressed. Continues 20 years of war is yet to settle, foreign forces are pulling out of Afghanistan following a deal between the US and the Taliban militants they removed from power back in 2001. The clash has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.
India had a month back pulled out around 50 diplomats and security personnel from its consulate in Kandahar as the security situation deteriorated and the Taliban gained control of new areas around the southern Afghan city.
Back in 2001, the US was responding to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed. Officials identified Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, and its leader Osama Bin Laden, as accountable. Bin Laden was in Afghanistan, under the protection of the Taliban, the Islamists who had been in power since 1996. When they refused to hand him over, the US intervened militarily, quickly removing the Taliban and vowing to support democracy and eliminate the terrorist threat.
The Taliban swear not to allow Afghanistan to become a base for terrorists who could threaten the West. But its hard-line past monarchs has swiftly gained territory in recent weeks from Afghan army soldiers, who are now being left to protect a fragile government. The Taliban also made a pledge for national peace talks, but many fear a worsening civil war remains a far more likely outcome.
Afghanistan continues to allege that Islamabad is aiding Taliban terrorists and is also sending thousands of terrorists to the country to destabilise the government. Pakistan continues to deny any such role while highlighting that it is due to Islamabad’s efforts Taliban has sat down with the US and Afghanistan to talk peace and stability.
Despite being on the peace committee, where the US and the Afghanistan government are stakeholders, the terrorist group has used violence to stamp its authority and take control of vast regions of Afghanistan. The US and Nato to withdraw all their troops by August 31. The US, however, has not made any changes to its troop withdrawal plans which has provided a fillip to the Taliban which is advancing at a fast pace and has captured several major cities and provinces in the conflict-ridden nation. The US feels that Pakistan is safe for these Talibanis are they are causing uncertainty and instability in the conflict-ridden nation.
As per Britannica mention, the Afghan War, in the history of Afghanistan, the internal conflict that began in 1978 between anti-communist Islamic guerrillas and the Afghan communist government (aided in 1979–89 by Soviet troops), leading to the overthrow of the government in 1992. More broadly, the term also encompasses military activity within Afghanistan after 1992—but apart from the Afghanistan War (2001–14), a U.S.-led invasion launched in response to the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001. By this broader definition, many analysts consider the internal Afghan War as lasting well into the 21st century and overlapping with the U.S.-led Afghanistan War.
The roots of the war lay in the overthrow of the centrist government of President Mohammad Daud Khan in April 1978 by left-wing military officers led by Nur Mohammad Taraki. Power was thereafter shared by two Marxist-Leninist political groups, the People’s (Khalq) Party and the Banner (Parcham) Party, which had earlier emerged from a single organization, the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan, and had reunited in an uneasy coalition shortly before the coup. The new government, which had little popular support, forged close ties with the Soviet Union, launched ruthless purges of all domestic opposition, and began extensive land and social reforms that were bitterly resented by the devoutly Muslim and largely anti-communist population.
Insurgencies arose against the government among both tribal and urban groups, and all of these—known collectively as the mujahideen (Arabic: mujāhidūn, “those who engage in jihad”)—were Islamic in orientation. These uprisings, along with internal fighting and coups within the government between the People’s and Banner factions prompted the Soviets to invade the country in December 1979, sending in some 30,000 troops and toppling the short-lived presidency of People’s leader Hafizullah Amin.
The aim of the Soviet operation was to prop up their new but faltering client state, now headed by Banner leader Babrak Karmal, but the mujahideen rebellion grew in response, spreading to all parts of the country. The Soviets initially left the repression of the rebellion to the Afghan army, but the latter was overwhelmed by mass desertions and remained largely ineffective throughout the war.
Afghanistan has never conducted a full census, and it is thus difficult to gauge the number of casualties suffered in the country since the outbreak of fighting. The best estimates available indicate that some 1.5 million Afghanis were killed before 1992—although the number killed during combat and the number killed as an indirect result of the conflict remain unclear. The casualty rate after 1992 is even less precise. Many thousands were killed as a direct result of factional fighting; hundreds or thousands of prisoners and civilians were executed by tribal, ethnic, or religious rivals; and a large number of combatants—and some non-combatants—were killed during the U.S. offensive. Moreover, tens of thousands died of starvation or of a variety of diseases, many of which in less-troubled times could have been easily treated, and hundreds of thousands were killed or injured by the numerous land mines in the country. (Afghanistan was, by the end of the 20th century, one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, and vast quantities of unexploded ordnance littered the countryside.) The number of Afghan refugees living abroad fluctuated over the years with the fighting and reached a peak of some six million people in the late 1980s.
MahaRERA warns developers are not allowed to sell open parking 13
At regular intervals the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) comes up with new instructions for the builders and developers, such as they are not supposed to provide project updates, along with the sale of houses on a quarterly basis.
Also, it will conduct training and certification of real estate agents, for which a steering committee has been set up. By doing so, it desires to bring a certain level of consistency in the practices of real estate agents, enhance knowledge, awareness of regulatory frameworks and practices. Besides, hundreds of projects have been blacklisted, restricted from sale and advertisements over failure to update the projects for a long time.
Chairperson, Housing and RERA committee of Builders Association of India Anand Gupta told Afternoon Voice that, “Earlier there was a lot of uncertainty on the selling of parking space. However, the RERA Act has clearly mentioned that the developers are supposed to sell parking spaces in podiums, stilts and basements. By issuing such a circular, MahaRERA has brought transparency in the realty sector.”
MahaRERA has specified that the developers of Mumbai and Maharashtra are not entitled to sell or allot open parking space to flat buyers. The open parking space is part of the common areas of a real estate project as per the RERA Act and is provided free floor space index (FSI).
According to the MahaRERA, the notification was issued following cases of disputes over the exact location of the parking space vis a vis the apartment. To prevent such happening, developers will be henceforth required to specifically mark the garage, open and /covered parking space in the real estate project in accordance with the approved/sanctioned plans and tag it to the apartment to which it is allotted.
The regulatory body has directed that the garage/ covered parking space when sold/ allotted for monetary consideration, the type, numbers, size as well as the place where such garage/ covered parking space is situated should be mentioned in the agreement for sale. It should be annexed to the agreement.
2020 & 2021 were the worst of all, some wished for the closure of Afternoon Voice, but we were determined to start again 15
After demonetization, the lockdown was the biggest hit and the Covid-19 crash followed by nationwide lockdown has taken our lives and livelihood on toll. Afternoon Voice experienced a major setback. Keeping our financial wheels turning during the lockdown period was tough due to less revenue and uncertainty in other businesses that supported our publication. Our Major support system is Vaidehee Aesthetics and that was almost shut. When there was not a single rupee income, paying the staff and business rents was a huge liability. I sold almost all that I had to breathe in this catastrophe and survive for better times.
Newspaper stalls were shut, our staff was not allowed to commute; meanwhile, there were various other losses. Some staff members suffered COVID, some of the staff members lost their family members and we lost our trusted watchman who succumbed to COVID. We would not have surrendered to COVID but definitely, the lockdown crises showed us tough days.
Unfortunately, the impact on small businesses like us was way more brutal as we had no cash reserves and had a smaller margin for managing sudden slumps. This is a crisis like no other as there is substantial uncertainty about its impact on our lives and livelihoods. Fortunately, we were not caged because the media was allowed to travel by private cars or bikes and I had my bike. The other staff stayed far away from the office and local trains and buses were not allowing private-sector employees to travel.
A decade ago, we started this newspaper and aspired to take it to peaks of success by mortgaging my house but after a decade, we once again started from scratch mortgaging my property. I and my colleagues did all that was never thought of; we did banner designing for COVID-19 safety promotions, pamphlet designing, letter drafting and handled social media for some actors and politicians. Even without any hesitation, I have translated books written by some regional writers from one language to another with the absence of fair credits. Buying and supplying groceries to various nearby societies. I and my colleague Akshay became part-time journalists and full-time skilled workers. For us, the struggle was ten times more than the routine and full of long work hours.
But frankly, we did not hesitate to slog, because we knew this too shall pass. No one supported us in our hard times and neither did we approach anyone for help. Once the lockdown relaxed, it gave us some breather but there were other challenges waiting for us; paying Income tax to sale tax and shifting the business to an affordable place. By some means, we found one cheaper place near Kandivali station but it was horrible for the newspaper office to function as that location was meant for courier businesses or floral shops.
Somehow, we parked our workstation there and went in search of another affordable but better place. We procured one place just beside another business. Making of this office has another interesting story to tell, but finally, we are at a reasonably good place. Slowly, Vaidehee Aesthetics also bounced back strongly, we got some additional work of publicity and paid write-ups. Still to run the show smoothly, in-between I joined “Free Press Journal” Mumbai’s oldest English daily to support my staff and business. That income really helped me to feed my team and address their minimum needs.
Lockdown and Covid brought many people’s livelihoods to a standstill. It was difficult to see our newspaper vendors suffering due to the lockdown. So, I tried my best to also support not only my staff but them too charity so they and their families survive through this difficult time. This year has taught me all about survival and sustainable arrangements. Meanwhile many wished for the closures of Afternoon Voice during that very difficult timeline, but we gave a strong fight and were very committed to standing again.
"Unbiased journalism can’t expire" - Pride to be only parallel media in India 17
These days media is abused, they are alleged with numerous adjectives. Their credibility has declined. I don’t blame anyone for this, neither media nor the people of this country. The journalist abides accountability before society in general, before the law and before the professional connotation. The social responsibility of the journalist requires that he acts in accordance with his personal ethical standards. Journalists the main goal is to guarantee the right of citizens and people to truthful and important information, which allows them to form an adequate impression about social processes, their essence and importance, about the situation in today’s world.
Even the readers, a citizen of this country, need to introspect about the double standards that they carry. Everyone wants journalists to be honest and unbiased. The question is that, do we really respect neutral reporters, newspapers and broadcasters? Ask me what the pain of being impartial is. They are attacked from all sides, and for not taking one particular stand no one stands by them.
This happens with me; I criticize and praise every political party. Whenever I write something against Congress, I am labelled as a BJP supporter, if I write against Modi I am branded as Congress paid media or AAP supporter. We don’t really like neutral journalists, because they are not always what we expect. They speak their mind being unbiased but that is harsh and not easy to digest. Mass media freedom is one of the major guarantees of the freedom of speech, an obligatory element for ensuring other civil rights and freedoms. The freedom of the press involves the possibility to freely discuss and criticize the activities of both the authorities and civil and private structures. Journalists contribute to the realization of the right to express unpopular opinions or agree with the point of view expressed by the majority. The journalist must defend the freedom of speech; retain the independence of his/her political views and convictions. He/she must resist any efforts to misrepresent information or introduce restrictions. Like any other citizen, the journalist has a right to political and other convictions. However, in his/her professional activity he/she should remain neutral and objective.
The journalist should do his/her best to acquire information from all possible sources, to make sure it is complete, truthful and unbiased. The information which may upset or embarrass a person should be checked prudently. Respecting the right of society to objective information, the journalist must convey truthful information and a whole spectrum of opinions on certain issues. Today journalism is in the custody of corporate houses, mafia and politicians, if media goes into wasted people’s hands you cannot expect a hundred per cent truthfulness. Their banner power is bigger than the reporter/anchor or editor. To fight this evil of the fourth estate, we stood all alone as a self-funded organization but people have yet to accept us as we are small media. People don’t want to give priority to small media groups as their reach is limited and such media houses may not help them reach wide.
I am fortunate to have a good number of readers and trusting us for our integrity. Unbiased journalism does not mean that journalists should refrain from expressing their personal opinions. However, the reader should be able to tell the difference between the articles stating facts and materials expressing someone’s opinion or interpretation of events.
However, this principle should not limit the journalist in choosing the style of writing. The journalist should not be a presenter for anyone’s interest. We avoid making mistakes, if at all, then we immediately correct mistakes quickly and incompletely. Corrections of significant mistakes should be published without delay in a visible place. We are not robots.
Expression of emotions is expected. To conceal disappointment, anger, or compassion at human suffering would be dishonest. Yet emotions in journalism can be over-used and manipulated. We need the freedom to breathe, to do justice to this profession. Unwanted and unexpected moral policing and taunting may discourage us from doing well.
For me this journey was not easy, when I was terminated from a media house for not writing what exactly my publisher wanted me to write (that was a one-sided story on a politician, whom the publisher was supporting), I decided to have my own publication, but every venture needs money. No one took me seriously when I express about having my own newspaper.
I had one house which was of my father after his death that got transferred to me. I mortgaged it and had some finance to fulfil my dreams. It’s been five years since the constant struggle. Everything is fresh in memory. The reason to start the endeavour, the reason to cope up with the trends, the challenges against the ethics, those threatening phone calls from the impotent and many other ways of spamming on social networks and the ever famous blogs against me. There have been millions of incidents and many of them I do not want to recall at all, which have tried to delude us in our way. We have skipped the hurdles and reached so far, the next level is still to arrive.
Starting from year one, the first problems which we faced were finances. The lack of finances where one lady had to toss the gambling coin in the air, with a possibility of either getting it or losing it all and guess what, we had the heads and ‘tails’ soon followed. It was totally a game of guts that we did. So far, the media was always owned by the ‘rich or ‘capitalists’ who had their own backing and they rely on them. Thus, the basic idea of parallel media died and pseudo-journalism flourished right from the early times. It was surely difficult for all of us to survive in the market.
The pehchaan; required from distributing the newspapers to holding up the cameras, it was a true challenge against the odds but the challenge was accepted and it had to be won, after all, my only house was on the mortgage for the gamble. Soon after the first year passed, we tried to dive into the various fields and tried to explore the potential talents from various phases of life. One of which was the hackers’ industry, which is just like underworld life. People are always hiding behind the scenes and we took up the challenge of exploring it, thus, our monthly niche Hacker5 was born.
Soon, our journey continued and year after year we finally completed three years, which was last year. The honour of having a television media was about to succeed but, unfortunately, we again met the wrong people at the right time and right place. Though there was a slight setback that was not enough to stop us. We have promised to go ahead and reach out to keep extending our own records, year after year.
2013, our award event was graced by his gracious Late Balasaheb Thackeray honoured us and accepted the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ from us. It was truly an honour to have been blessed by the person who was the living legend and had times when he actually ruled the city. Soon, as life passes, even he made his glorious journey to the afterlife. We thought following his principles of being honest to the journalism, being unbiased and presenting the facts as it is, as much as possible, letting the masses judge us. Some people have taken away powers from the people but we believe in giving power back to the people.
Thus, we even came up with the idea of letting the common man or the citizens of India speak up and give out news about anything and everything that they feel is happening with factual evidence, thus citizen journalism was flourished. With power back to the people, it feels like to have accomplished a revolution. There were gimmicks of stopping us, various hurdles like income tax raid in our office, which made us wait for about three days and this happened thrice. We kept on keeping our words of saying that we are honest but we let them do their work, peacefully. By now even the income tax office must have our office address in their mind. The event of coming out clean from various challenges itself was the proof that we no need to show more proof of our honesty and dedication.
Honesty comes with a huge price and we are constantly investing in it, without hesitation. Such things do not affect us anymore, which includes RTI for what we do.
Wise once said, if you speak a lie, you need to remember and be smarter but if you speak the truth, you just have to remember the event and rest the God stands right next to you.
With high regards to my readers who have kept us strong and high respect to people who have taken the time out and contributed in our journey, thanks is a small word for them. We have pulled our socks with this 5th year, soon to hit 1567 days of our glorious journey, we stand up with the pride of being what we are today and will continue carrying on with it. Any hurdles may come but we are committed to being… unstoppable.
Beyond the newsstands for our team. Unshaken and totally dedicated! This was a long year for us. Several incidents had occurred in the country. The media houses were stormed by the events that shook the world. We were equally in rush to cover almost everything with different aspects of that event’s existence. There has been a repeated clear indication that something is going wrong and then there were good moments for our Indians fellow too.
The rise and falls, the ups and downs, many stories untold and many unheard, still we tried covering them all.
From a small team that rose from the ground till we skyrocketed! Today, we have worked more than 1000 days and have made a mark in the hearts of our readers. With our readers’ affection and faith, we have stood strong, stood against the odds and even after the hat-trick; we have this extended hat-trick where we again stand with pride to say. We have stood the test of time and have proclaimed ourselves as the only parallel media in the country which brings to you the as it is news, articles and commentary editorials. Surely, the one who notices evil finds that is just the other side of the same coin. Similarly, we aspire to capture the entire view and show you various traits right from every angle possible. We do not bias ourselves or strangle ourselves by becoming politically correct. For truth, to be blunt, bold and totally awesome, is our motto at Beyond the News (BTN). The wide coverage of our fortnightly magazine has been consistent in portraying truth for four years now and we aspire to continue the same.
The journey was difficult but difficulties are the only things which are guaranteed in life, isn’t it? We have embraced the challenge of running the show and we have proved it, once and for all that running a media house is no more game of the capitalists only. Money is the most important factor to run anything in this world, even your car needs cash to sustain itself. We are not even playing puppets with anyone, how do we ensure money? Struggle story is always aspiring and very inspiring towards growth but no one understands where it pinches in the shoe, except the one who is actually wearing it. If your heart is true to what you wish to do, everything is possible. Beyond the news was introduced to be our blunt mouthpiece with no hesitations in expressing the political and illogical games that are being played in the country.
From Arvind Kejriwal’s fast unto death, which keeps breaking even before his demands are met, his liberal thoughts and so on. Modi and his political moves, Rahul Gandhi and his repeated broadcast of foolishness on the social media, IIPM owning the government, Prime Minister going on foreign tours, the Sanju-Katju jugalbandhi (jammin) and our nuclear tests which are being conducted, South Korean Gangnam style and North Korea’s threat (Nah! they are joking). The voice of people has taken a toll over the past few months and over the repeated incidents, people have become more and more intellectual, politically sound and optimistic towards the opportunities. The growth of the country and the decline of the economics are all tied up into one. The last year which we spent seems like a story summed up over the nightly full of caffeine running across the membranes and still pushing our adrenaline rush into the veins as we typed the stories for you, the readers!
The awesomeness of movies which came out in the past year has taught us all many lessons too; about the politics, about the way people run the show and about the way people make sure that nothing stops them. It would be a wonder for you to know how we have grown. If you asked what happened two years ago and how politics controlled the country, you would have a different story, so did we. The evolution of thoughts is no more the cul de sac of people owning the media; it is even across the people. The stories which are shown to the people have come transparent and we believe, we have shown you what has been even the more transparent, a clear picture. We have grown up and we promise to keep growing. I will steal it from Wikileaks but with your support and love, we will never stop. Keep us strong!
