Bollywood can be demanding in terms of beauty standards and competition but actor Ileana D’Cruz says she has never let her personal insecurities slip in to her work.
The actor says working in the film industry can be a whirlwind of emotions, but she has an ingrained stability which comes from her upbringing.
“I’ve been brought up by extremely strong parents and was told to be a proud person and never lose my individuality. Somewhere along the lines maybe I had my insecurities as a person but somehow that hasn’t spilled into my work,” Ileana told an agency.
“When it comes to my work, I am super secure. I could be working with 20 actors and I’m fine because I know I am myself and different. It’s fine,” she added.
The “Raid” actor considers retaining one’s individuality, especially when there are other talented co-artistes, of utmost importance.
“The film industry is extremely demanding when it comes to the way you look; you being pitted against other women. But the beauty is that I am unique and I don’t think there’s anyone like me.
“There are lots of beautiful, smart women in the industry but they can’t be me and I can’t be them. I am very secure in the fact that this is me, this is who I am.”
Ileana will be next seen in Anees Bazmee’s “Pagalpanti”, her second multi-starrer comedy after “Mubarakan”.
“Pagalpanti” is scheduled to release on November 22.
Adv. Pratibha Bangera is a practising divorce and family court lawyer and throws light on how to handle divorce smartly with our Editor-in-Chief Dr Vaidehi Taman
What is the legal way to apply for mutual divorce?
You don’t require a court to grant marriage certificate, but a legal and valid mutual consent divorce can happen only and if a family court grants permission for the same.
While there are codified sections and provisions for people who have married under the Hindu, Christian, Parsi or special marriage laws, the Muslim, Jewish and other customary marriages do not have a codified section for mutual divorce in India.
Which type of people prefer mutual divorce in comparison to contested cases?
People who do not want to go through the ugly process of allegations and legal grounds, prefer ending any remaining unpleasantness by opting for “by consent divorce”. Also in some cases, the people are young and of remarriage-able age and prefer to avoid litigation battles and bitterness and choose to end their marriage expeditiously.
Also, the very rich and famous celebrities prefer a quiet and peaceful closure to an unpleasant situation.
Can celebrity divorce couples avoid public appearance in court?
With the rising number of celebrity artistes being recognised in court, not all parties are accomodated “in Chambers” of judge. There are no special rules in family court but the court can adjust such couples in Chambers to avoid press and harrasment by people wanting to take autographs or being photographed even in such places.
What precautions should a husband take while entering for a mutual consent divorce?
A woman thinks faster than men which has been a proven fact. So avoid delays because that is the main reason a woman reaches out for a contested petition. Any hurtful statements during discussions should be avoided and unless the demand is too unreasonable, offer to address all her concerns. Offer best child support voluntarily and have written terms for access and visitation.
What are the steps to be taken by the wife heading for mutual divorce?
Avoid emotional expression or passive decisions. Have a supporting expense sheet if you have children. Also work towards a backup plan for being self sustained because any amount of alimony or maintenance is not enough for lifetime and it is impractical to expect that divorce can be your life cover.
Children should be the area of highest concern for both parents.
Most marriages break down because the litigants waste precious time in blaming one another. Most divorce proceedings are also delayed due to same reasons.
Can a divorce be concluded in just one day?
It takes 6 months mandatory waiting time once you initiate a mutual consent divorce. But one can prefer an advance petition and ask for waiver of 6 months statutory period subject to fulfillment of certain conditions as per guidelines set by the Supreme Court
Is it better to have the terms ready before filing for divorce or let the court decide?
It is always better to resolve all disputes by holding lengthy joint meetings in a legally competent person’s office and not make too many changes thereafter.
Also stick to legal points rather than involving too many people who may go off tangent and spoil the case further.
Contested cases are expensive and time consuming especially if you are not well advised. Pay for mediation and get the best solution than getting mentally embroiled in a divorce saga.
Albeit some cases are only fit for contested divorce and deserving of lenghty trials but by and large all matters even contested cases get converted midway to mutual divorce.
Hence, detailed discussions on all points of maintenance, custody or residence and visitation rights should be clearly understood by both parties to avoid future conflicts.
Some couples who don’t resolve these points often end up with arguments in court before the counselor. And even police intervention is required.
One does need to develop enough patience to achieve a smooth closure.
Can divorcing parents get joint child custody?
There is no legal term like joint custody. While one parent gets custody, other parent is granted visitation rights. The primary guardianship goes to the person who takes custody while both parents are providers.
Can a parent be forced to visit a child?
No there is no legal provision for that. Parent can only be legally forced to provide financial support.
Can a child inhert rights to parental property after divorce?
Yes, the child has succession rights to properties owned by both parents. However if the parent has remarried, the first line of succession goes to the surviving spouse along with other surviving children.
How much alimony can a wife ask for in a consent divorce?
These terms are discussed and settled upon mutual understanding. The husband can also give more than what he earns if he has means to pay. The court is not concerned from where the money has come.
Our country and our society need a Uniform Civil Code now more than ever. Each religion has a different set of personal laws and most of these laws are discriminatory towards women and patriarchal in nature – thus violating the basic rights of equality and freedom of the women in our country. Yes, Article 25 of our constitution grants every citizen the right to practice, propagate and profess their religion and religious practices, but such practices should not be tolerated if they are violative of individual rights. And it’s not just the duty of our government to frame a Uniform Civil Code, if such a time comes when such laws are made then it is also the duty of each and every citizen of our country to accept and follow it, and respect the rights of other citizens – as only then our country will be truly democratic.
The principle for a UCC is mentioned in Article 44 in Part IV of our constitution. It is very interesting to note here that the provision for UCC is mentioned among the Directive Principles of State Policy and not in the fundamental rights as while making the constitution, even the members of the constituent assembly could not come to a consensus on this issue. While some of the members believed that such a code would encroach on an individual’s Right to Freedom others believed that it would co-exist with personal laws.
Personal religious laws do not come before women’s fundamental rights.
India at that time was a newly born country with vast diversity and thus, the members of the constituent assembly didn’t find the time to be right to introduce such a change. But they did include it in the directive principles, as a guideline for the future governments. This decision seems to be well thought – as it was taken keeping in mind the social and political condition of that time. But since then our country has come a long way, in quiet many fields we have progressed a lot, we stand as the largest democratic country in the world yet sixty-nine years after the adoption of our constitution, the questions such as should UCC be adopted, is the country now ready, remain unanswered.
Though India has not been able to come to a conclusion, time and again religious stakeholders, the common man, the government and the judiciary have debated upon the above questions. Various cases such as the Shah Bano case, Sarla Mudgal case and the Triple Talaq case have brought in the forefront the injustices suffered by women due to the personal law systems. Take for example the Shah Bano case and the Muslim personal laws, Shah Bano married a man called Ahmad Khan but later he drove her out of his house and refused to give her the maintenance amount and so she filed a case under Section 125 of CrPC against her husband demanding her rights. But instead of providing her with the maintenance amount he gave her an irrevocable talaq and took the defence that since Bano had ceased to be his wife so he was under no obligation to provide maintenance for her as per the Muslim personal laws.
Though the Supreme Court passed judgement in favour of Shah Bano complete justice was not granted as the verdict was overturned by Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act of 1986 passed by the parliament. It is very clear that the act was only passed by the then ruling party to not anger the Muslim community and lose votes.
The fact that our women despite living in a democratic republic have to approach the courts for their basic rights shows that a Uniform Civil Code is the need of the hour. Even the Supreme Court of our country in many other key judgements pertaining to ‘fundamental rights vs personal laws’ has upheld the need to form a Uniform Civil Code. The apex court has always endorsed gender justice and in the Shah Bano case the court also held that “It is also a matter of regret that Article 44 of our Constitution has remained a dead letter”. The issue regarding UCC has also been raised in many other judgements such as Lily Thomas v.Union of India 2000, Ahmedabad Women’s Action Group (AWAG) v. Union of India, AIR 1997 and the most recent being the Triple Talaq case.
Despite the need for a Uniform Civil Code, vote bank politics and appeasement policies adopted by political parties prove to be an obstacle. For a country to grow, social progression is as necessary as economic progression and UCC is imperative for India to progress socially as it will not only help in eliminating gender discrimination but would also promote the cause of national integration.
By Nisha
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Today’s teachers are feeling the heat and resentment, as they face many challenges in this profession. The foremost seems to be the discrepancy in the salary of private and government school teachers. While it is good that the government teachers are getting their due, private school teachers are overburdened with work and still do not get paid accordingly. The slightest lucrative opportunity elsewhere makes a teacher manipulative hoping to grab it. This results in high attrition rate and even the sense of belongings to an institution suffers a setback.
Our education system, which is designed around narrow and outdated exams, seems to be pushing teachers and students to forget about thinking and focus only on rote learning from a textbook. Well-meaning and hardworking teachers across the country spend countless hours covering portions, preparing kids for exams, and teaching them to score well. And anxious children across the country spend a lot of time memorising information, hoping that they will be able to provide the answer that the examiner is looking for.
The students are getting bored sitting in a classroom atmosphere and would like to learn more from outside. Even teaching children in an open space is an available option as the students would like to share the new experience of education sitting on the lawns of the school. But there are restrictions that children should be confined to four walls and glue to the black board or watch at the power point presentation all the time. This makes children more monotonous and when a class picnic or an educational tour is arranged the children consider it as a learning curve and make use of the opportunity in the best way possible.
Different options are tried out with different type of children. An educative lot is given a special training for improving their prospects in scoring high marks. Again, for differently-abled children we need to tap their talent and apply our mind to give them the much need boost. For example, these students can be trained in physical activities and with multi sports options they bring out the best in them on and off the field. It’s a good initiative if an inter-school competition is being held for these special kids with special needs. Such programmes are hardly conducted.
Autism is no longer classified as a single disorder, but rather an entire spectrum ranging in severity. It is the core of all of these syndromes, with its features being prevalent to varying degrees throughout, and includes disorders such as Rett Syndrome and Childhood dis-integrative disorder. Aarti Vatsala, an Indian working for 5 years in Kuwait and Gurugram in international schools after doing her MA in psychology feel at ease in dealing with children by taking them out.
Let’s get our teachers thinking about some fundamental questions: Why do we teach? What is the purpose of school? And what is it that we are trying to do every day in our classrooms? What does a child in the 21st century need to learn? How do we make sure that our students are thinking and learning? And why our students are not being praised and commended when they ask good questions in classes? Why isn’t thinking being valued and encouraged in our classrooms?
Let’s make sure that we do two central things. First, encourage our teachers to ask open-ended questions that stimulate thinking. And second, encourage our teachers to validate students who ask interesting questions. Then maybe we will begin to see some thinking in our classrooms.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Amid political uncertainty in Maharashtra, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday met the party’s newly elected MLAs, who are currently staying at a resort in Jaipur, to discuss the political situation in the state.
Kharge, who is the All India Congress Committee‘s (AICC) generally secretary, met the legislators informally to ascertain their views on what stand the party should take about government formation in Maharashtra, senior congress leader Manikrao Thakare told agencies.
“Kharge will then convey the sentiments of the legislators to the party leadership,” Thakare said.
All 44 MLAs, including senior leaders like Ashok Chavan, Prithviraj Chavan and Balasaheb Thorat, were staying at the resort in the Congress-ruled Rajasthan amid fear of “poaching” in view of the stalemate over government formation in Maharashtra.
The BJP and its ally Shiv Sena are locked in a bitter tussle over the chief minister’s post.
Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Saturday evening asked the BJP, the single largest party in the new Assembly, to “indicate the willingness and ability” to form government in the state.
In the October 21 polls to the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena-56, NCP-54 and Congress-44.
Rs 25000 crores energy booster to the realty sector from the Finance Minister is too little too late to a sector that is in the doldrums and a move to bail out politically backed builders who are bankrupt. Why should honest tax payers money be used to help the corrupt who have siphoned off many a banks money as corruption is the main cause why building projects could not have been completed. It should have been the other way round where unsold inventory of big infrastructure projects should have been taken possession by the government to repay banks many of whom have gone bust.
Good money should never chase bad assets and government is risking not just its own revenues but even those of LIC and SBI in helping the corrupt builders who have already looted the banks and investors.
S.N. Kabra
Government’s masterstroke to address home buyers woes
The government’s move to allocate Rs. 25,000 cr to stuck residential projects is a masterstroke to address home buyers issues relating to project deliveries and stressed developers funding issues that were stalling the completion of projects. Real estate sector which witnessed challenges in recent times will get major boost through this special window. This relief package will definitely ease the situation. Also this move will benefit lakhs of homebuyers. It’s a big positive for developers and real estate sector.
Siddhartha Mohanty
Stalemate continues but waiting for the climax
The BJP and the Shiv Sena are locked in a tug-of-war over the issue of the chief minister’s post, resulting in a stalemate in government formation. Sena has claimed top leaders of the party and the BJP had agreed on sharing the chief minister’s post on a rotational basis and 50:50 distribution of portfolio ahead of the October 21 assembly polls in the state. The BJP has, however, denied any such arrangement with Uddhav Thackeray-led party and has insisted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will continue to hold the post for full term. Thus the stalemate continues and we are all waiting for the climax scene just like in a Bollywood film. There is no Box office status here but bookies are very busy predicting the outcome in favour BJP-Sena coalition.
Nikhil Mani
Don’t take law in hand
Nowadays Police personnel hold a candle light protest at Delhi Police Headquarters over alleged repeated incidents of violence against them by lawyers. Thus it is called that lawyers and police are expected to work in harmony, being two important pillars of the justice system. The ugly showdown between the two in the national capital of Delhi has exposed them to public ridicule and scorn, and more worryingly a loss of faith in these institutions. People are anxious that what is happening in the country’s capital and how can India develop when law enforcement agencies are on the streets, what will happen to the common man? Hence law abiding and law enforcement should not be law breaker.
ATarique
Welcome Supreme Court verdict on Ram-Janmabhoomi
Chief Justice of India CJI should be complimented for taking all necessary precautions before pronouncing much-awaited and sensitive verdict on Ram-Janmabhoomi when in an unprecedented manner, CJI held a meeting in his chamber with concerned senior officers of UP responsible for ensuring law and order in the state. Furthermore, verdict was delivered on Saturday rather than normal working day between Monday and Friday, thus ensuring that weekend may provide a cool-down period before coming Monday.
Now that five-member Supreme Court has through its well-analysed unanimous decision on the most sensitive issue paving way for construction of a grand temple at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya under a government-managed trust. Indian Muslim community should respect religious sentiments of Hindus by extending support for construction of the temple at birth-place of Lord Ram at Ayodhya. Even though apex court declined Shia-community to be a party in the case, yet their suggestion for alternate land of five-acres for construction of a grand mosque at alternate place in Ayodhya was accepted by the court.
It will be even more welcome gesture if offer comes for sue-motto shifting mosques from Vishwanath Temple in Kashi and Krishna-Janmabhoomi in Mathura. Any such gesture will make India a glorious example of communal harmony. Grand mosques then can be made with co-operation of government and Hindu-organizations elsewhere at Kashi and Mathura also.
Subhash Chandra Agrawal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute should not be seen as anybody’s win or loss, and appealed to countrymen for peace, unity and amity.
In an unanimous verdict, the top court cleared the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.
“Whether it is devotion to Ram or Rahim, now is time for everybody to strengthen devotion to India,” the prime minister said in a series of tweets in reaction to the verdict.
He also asserted that the SC verdict in Ayodhya case will strengthen people’s faith in judicial system.
The temple of justice (the apex court) has resolved decades old dispute amicably, Modi said.
Following the Supreme Court verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute, Sunni Waqf Board lawyer Zafaryab Jilani, expressed disappointment and said they would decide the future course of action.
“We respect the judgment but we are not satisfied, we will decide further course of action,” Jilani told reporters.
“But we also appeal to the nation to observe calm and maintain peace,” he added.
The Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi ordered that the central government within 3-4 months should formulate a scheme for setting up a trust and hand over the disputed site to it for construction of a temple at the site.
It also added that an alternative five acres of land at a prominent location in Ayodhya should be allotted for the construction of the mosque following consultation between the center and state government.
The Supreme Court on Saturday cleared the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.
In one of the most important and most anticipated judgements in India’s history, a 5-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi put an end to the more than a century old dispute that has torn the social fabric of the nation.
The apex court said the mosque should be constructed at a “prominent site” and a trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the site many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born.
The site was occupied by the 16th century Babri mosque which was destroyed by Hindu kar sevaks on December 6, 1992.
The bench, also comprising Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer, said possession of the disputed 2.77 acre land rights will handed over to the deity Ram Lalla, who is one of the three litigants in the case. The possession however will remain with a central government receiver.
The Supreme Court said the Hindus have established their case that they were in possession of outer courtyard and the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board has failed to establish its case in the Ayodhya dispute.
Delivering its verdict in the politically-sensitive case of Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute in Ayodhya, the apex court directed allotment of alternative land to Muslims to build a new mosque.
The apex court said the extensive nature of Hindus worshipping at outer courtyard at the disputed site has been there, and the evidence suggests the Muslims offered Friday prayers at mosque which indicates that they had not lost possession of the site.
It said that despite obstruction caused in offering prayers at Mosque, the evidences suggest that there was no abandonment in offering prayers.
The apex court further said said that the underlying structure below the disputed site at Ayodhya was not an Islamic structure, but the ASI has not established whether a temple was demolished to build a mosque.
It said that terming the archeological evidence as merely an opinion would be a great disservice to the Archaeological Survey of India.
The court also said that the Hindus consider the disputed site as the birthplace of Lord Ram and even Muslims say this about that place.
The faith of the Hindus that Lord Ram was born at the demolished structure is undisputed, the apex court said.
The bench said the existence of Sita Rasoi, Ram Chabutra and Bhandar grih are the testimony of the religious fact of the place.
The apex court said however that the title cannot be established on the ground of faith and belief and they are only indicators for deciding the dispute.
With the term of the state assembly ending on Saturday, Devendra Fadnavis resigns as Maharashtra Chief Minister with no sign of a new government and his BJP and its ally Shiv Sena no closer to forming one together. Fadnavis met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to hand his resignation hours before the midnight deadline for government formation. Maharashtra is likely to come under President’s rule with the term of the state assembly ending on Saturday. It is distressing for him and his party that the BJP is not forming the Government in Maharashtra. If two partners do not trust each other, it would have been better if they resolved to govern in 12 hours shift on daily basis and with rotation of shift on next day.Why ask for 2.5 years tenure for each?
The BJP and Shiv Sena failed to resolve a feud that began hours after they won a clear majority in last month’s Maharashtra election. On October 24, the day of the results, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray sought to remind the BJP of a “50:50” power-sharing arrangement including chief ministership for the Sena for two-and-a-half years of the five-year term. Devendra Fadnavis was hoping for his second full term, rejected such a deal, but the BJP offered deputy chief ministership and key ministries, something that failed to mollify its long-term ally. Over the past 15 days, the row became more and more acrimonious with the Sena shooting a barb a day at the BJP, challenging it to stake claim to power as the single largest party and prove its majority on the floor of the house. The BJP won 105 seats in the 288-member house and along with the Sena’s 56, had 161 – enough and more to take power. But the Sena refused to play along, taking the fight to the brink while the BJP waited.
Devendra was not excellent CM but he was not that non-performer too, he has internal disputes with several leaders. Though the critics and political opponents approve that the Fadnavis is a soft-spoken, grounded and humble person. It is his charm that wins trust and respect of his supporters. Add to that, given his RSS background, Fadnavis is extremely disciplined. He knows how much to speak and when to speak. More importantly, he knows when to keep quiet. But the big test for him is now.
Fadnavis was selected as CM, because he was not a political heavyweight and without muscle to promote himself. Modi and Shah are always very tricky and calculative. They could have made Nitin Gatkari, late Gopinath Munde, or some other political strongman to lead Maharashtra, but they chose an obedient, pliant Fadnavis for the job. Fadnavis might have acted as Yogi or Sonowal and made daily headlines laughable but he is smart and waiting for his time. Modi is a template, moving from CM to PM, that good governance is a precious quality to fast forward, not only in business but politics also. When all other BJP ruled states were following strong actions on beef ban, against minorities, he followed a middle path without any untoward incidents. In Maharashtra there were less crimes against minorities and women. He maintained law and order at a reasonable level unlike UP or Haryana.
But when it comes to corruption, his government always came in controversy from Chikki scam by Pankaja Munde to more than 184 financial defaulters like Nirav Modi. The fraud amount in different cases under Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government in the state, amounts to at least Rs 19,000 crore.
Mumbai-based RTI Activist Jeetendra Ghadge obtained this information from the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police.
The opposition accused Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil of wrong doing.
Fadnavis-led urban development department released vast tracts of land, meant for construction of social and affordable housing of the poorer sections, for the benefit of some of the country’s top business families and a clutch of builders.
In a controversial move taken ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the state Cabinet had approved the department’s proposal to lift curbs imposed on the development of vacant lands exempted under the erstwhile Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976. “It is a Rs 20000-crore fraud. Land meant for the housing of the poor has been parceled out to the rich. Aarey car shed scam made very loud voice against him. There were many attacks and accusations by opposition, including he lied in affidavit. Corruption is not always monetary but using his position to benefit his near ones, a clear case in his wife’s movie and singing career too is kind of corruption. She got opportunity in lot of shows and singing acting videos, even against Big B. For her shows Maharashtra police was forced to sale tickets.
There are plus and minus in his 5 years rule, BJP won all grass-root level elections be the Panchayat Samiti, Municipal Corporation on the back of Fadnavis’s image. He is a gifted orator, intelligent as well as a strong fighter.
It is not often in Indian politics that a young man of just 22 manages to take up a political position; he was the youngest Mayor of Nagpur at the age of 27 years. In fact, he was the second youngest mayor in Indian politics, as he became the mayor of Nagpur back then. The outstanding performance combined with consistent political track record stood in good stead, as he became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He is among the youngest Chief Ministers in India. Maharashtra has been a different political ball game. It has always been the same with the Chief Ministership being an impossible thing to retain. He successfully completed his one tenure, let’s wait for the next.
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)
Bollywood can be demanding in terms of beauty standards and competition but actor Ileana D’Cruz says she has never let her personal insecurities slip in to her work.
Adv. 
Today’s teachers are feeling the heat and resentment, as they face many challenges in this profession. The foremost seems to be the discrepancy in the salary of private and government school teachers. While it is good that the government teachers are getting their due, private school teachers are overburdened with work and still do not get paid accordingly. The slightest lucrative opportunity elsewhere makes a teacher manipulative hoping to grab it. This results in high attrition rate and even the sense of belongings to an institution suffers a setback.
Good money should never chase bad assets!
The Supreme Court on Saturday cleared the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.