Writer-Director Manoj Sharma has just roped in yesteryear superstar Dharmendra in his Horror comedy film Khalli Balli produced by Kamal Kishor Mishra of One Entertainment Film Productions and Prachi Movies.
Dharmendra will be playing the role of Psychiatrist in the film. The film also stars Roja girl Madhoo, Kainaat Arora, Rajniesh Duggal, Rajpal Yadav, Vijay Raaj, Ekta Jain, Yasmeen Khan, Brijendra Kala, Yogesh Lakhani and Asrani. The film will be shot in Mumbai and Lucknow.
As I see it!
Harakiri is not a new word. The great Kalidas is infamous for cutting the same branch of the tree on which he was sitting.
The society has not learnt its lessons, cutting the same lifeline on which its life is dependent. Ironical as it may seem, it is not astonishing! If as a society we had the wisdom, we would not have had a “Nirbhaya” every day in some corner of our house. We wouldn’t have been tolerating the corrupt system without a protest, accepting it as a norm of life; we wouldn’t be aspiring for civil services because it could fetch huge dowry and a lifetime of free corrupt money. We wouldn’t have voted for corrupt politicians and by now risen above the caste and religious line, to become only Indians!
Well, Mamata Banerjee is on back foot now. However, I guess, being what rubbish she is known for, she will retaliate at some later date. It’s not easy to be magnanimous and swallow your ego! A street fighter is never!
Today the politicians will yield, but tomorrow the same will be repeated. It’s difficult for the generally noble doctors (read any intellectual) to regroup again and again. So, it is important that this time when the movement is pan India, it should be with both long and short term objectives. We may not be in a similar advantageous situation as we are. The injury of our brothers in Kolkata will go down the drain and the public will have to suffer again and again. Let us pressurise the govt to the maximum.
This is the first time when the doctors have refused closed door meeting. Kudos my young brothers and sisters! You deserve applause!
Now it is all transparent. Cheers!
The politicians cannot coerce or lure the representatives and it has happened in so many previous strikes that suddenly the strikes were called off after a closed door meeting.
I think…
When the government treats the patient as a Consumer and Doctor as a service provider, where is the Bond of purity between the patient and the doctor? It is the root cause of all the problems and rising cost of health care. This must end! Sanctity must be restored.
Every single doctor treats about 10 patients free every month. It all goes down the drain because some Idiot files a case in consumer forum!
Also, we waste about Rs 20,000 or more amount (on an average) per year of our savings to protect ourselves due to this nonsense act.
And we have to pay from our own pocket to attend the CMEs. If the Medical council wants us to renew every five years, isn’t it their duties to provide FREE CMEs which are relevant to every speciality!
Dear friends, it is just that we have been taken for granted. If we have risen today, better not to succumb but fight tooth and nail. Because time is a treacherous commodity! It may not be on your side always!
The General public is sympathetic and understands our plight. However, we can’t strike again and again! Not ethical.
(The author of the article is a renowned Plastic Surgeon practising in Mumbai.)
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
When All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi moved to take oath in the Parliament on Tuesday, he was greeted with slogans of “Vande Mataram”, “Jai Shri Ram” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai.” Owaisi waved at the BJP legislators and asked them to chant the slogans loudly. After the conclusion of the oath-taking ceremony, Owaisi responded “Jai Bheem Jai Meem, Takbeer Allahu Akbar, and Jai Hind.”
Congress MLC Anant Gadgil said, “Whenever a new member is elected into the Parliament, and he takes oath as an MP, his/her religious, caste, and political backgrounds are insignificant. By chanting religious slogans, BJP is displaying their communal attitude. Whenever a new member joins the Parliament, we welcome him and don’t see his political background.”
When asked about the sloganeering in the Lok Sabha, Owasi replied that it was good that they remember such things when they see him. He said, “I hope they also remember the Constitution and the deaths of children in Muzaffarpur.” Until now, the chanting of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ used to happen on the streets but now it has started happening in the Parliament too. Is Parliament a place to chant slogans like ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and Takbeer Allahu Akbar?
CPI (M) leader Ajit Abhyankar said, “Chanting religious slogans like ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Allahu Akbar’ in the Parliament is not right. This is what BJP wants. They want to divide the Parliament and it is a very sad day for the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. Both Owaisi and BJP are dividing the Parliament on the basis of religion.”
The Modi government after coming back to power had called on newly elected members from the Muslim community to win their trust. The government also had coined the slogan “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas” in an attempt to pave the way for inclusive development of the nation. However, when BJP legislators chanted the slogan “Jai Shri Ram”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to remain silent.
When AV spoke to BJP MP Gopal Shetty, the recently elected MP from the Mumbai North constituency said, “The Parliament is the temple of the country and nationalistic feelings will be evoked there only. It’s better if ‘Jai Shri Ram’ is not chanted in the Parliament. However, Owaisi should recite ‘Allahu Akbar’ in Masjid and we will chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in the temple but ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ should be chanted in the Parliament.”
What message are PM Modi and the BJP MPs trying to give by chanting these slogans in the Parliament? At least they could have maintained some decorum in the house as they are people’s representatives. People had voted for the BJP government with high expectations. However, if the newly elected members behave in such a manner, then they are only setting a wrong precedent in Parliament. Netizens took to Twitter to condemn the incident.
Rifat Jawaid tweeted, “This is extremely worrying when an MP is booed with provocative slogans inside the Parliament, the temple of democracy. This is shameful to say at least. These BJP MPs are doing a great disservice to their religion.”
Salman Nizami, another Twitter user tweeted, “BJP’s ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and Owaisi’s ‘Allahu Akbar’ – both are communal bigots doing politics on the blood of poor and innocent Hindu/Muslims. What has Owaisi done for the Muslims? What has BJP done for the Hindus? Drama Baaz. Shame on them.”
Another twitter user Shweta Hiya Chatterjee tweeted, “Such a disgrace to Indians. Never hd I imagined that I would have to watch such hooligans being elected as MP. Jai Shri Ram, Allahu Akbar, Jai Maa Kaali, such communalism & circus in the parliament. #DeathOfDemocracy has been declared.”
Zainaab Sikander tweeted, “To all MPs who tweeted Jai Shri Ram & to Asaduddin Owaisi sab who said takbeer. Congratulations for making an utter mockery out of the decorum of Parliament. The parliament is not to show off your religion be it “saffron” or “green”.
Earlier the furore over ‘Jai Shri Ram’ started in West Bengal after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lost her cool when a group of men chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’ as her convoy was passing through Bhatpara area in North 24 Parganas district. Mamata Banerjee had allegedly objected to uttering of the slogan ‘Jai Shri Ram’ during multiple incidents.
Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM had an alliance with Prakash Ambedkar’s Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh for contesting the Lok Sabha polls. However, the alliance failed to make a dent in BJP-Shiv Sena’s vote in Maharashtra. In the recent Lok Sabha polls, Owaisi won in his home ground by a margin of 2,82,186 votes against BJP’s Dr. Bhagwanth Rao.
When the Parliamentarians were taking oath on Tuesday, they forgot that they are bounded by the Constitution and its laws and moreover, they are in the house to serve the people; however, displaying of their religious beliefs — from ‘Allahu Akbar’ to ‘Jai Shri Ram’ to ‘Jai Maa Kali’ — was too dramatic, vague, and deliberate. This behaviour has disappointed many voters like me who have chosen the government or the MPs irrespective of their political parties, with the great faith of development and betterment of this country.
The entire Parliament is divided into Mandir and Masjid politics; secularism has become a slang with changed electoral equations. Since the 2014 election, swelling Hindu nationalism has put the opposition parties and secularism on the back foot. Many Indian intellectuals have clinched that the BJP is now the new custodian of Indian politics and nationalism.
The growing unanimity seems to be that Hindu jingoism has gained power at the cost of secularism to the point of being viewed as the only authentic stance an electorally successful nationwide political party can take.
The attitude of the Congress Party lends itself to such an interpretation too, at least up to a point, as the party at times has sought to downplay its secularist roots and embrace pro-Hindu sentiments.
When Congress has realised that the Hindu votes are sliding from them, they indulged in what some observers derisively have called “soft Hindutva,” emulating the kind of religiosity that is typically associated with the BJP. During the state election campaigns in Gujarat (2017) as well as Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan (2018), Rahul Gandhi took the unusual step (for him) of visiting dozens of temples. He presented himself as a Shiv Bhakt by sporting Chandan Tilaka on his forehead, his sister too indulged in doing Abhishek to Mahakal.
Rahul displayed his Janevu (a sacred thread worn by the upper caste Hindu males), and let his support discuss his Brahmin background as well as his Gotra (clan) in response to the BJP leaders who repeatedly brought up the Italian heritage of his mother, former Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi. Well, in the state elections, they performed very well but when it comes to electing the PM, the same thing did not go well with Congress.
On the other hand, Modi is these days very soft on Muslims and trying his level best in appeasing them. In this Hindu-Muslim tug of war politics, the main issue of building Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has taken a back seat and BJP is hell bent on coming back to this issue.
Beyond optics, Congress has begun flirting with some of the BJP’s favourite campaign themes. For instance, the party manifesto in Madhya Pradesh promised to build Gaushalas (cow shelters), develop the commercial production of Gaumutra (cow urine), and cow dung — the former is used in traditional Hindu medicine while the latter is used as fuel or fertiliser; promote the Ram Van Gaman Path (the path that Lord Ram took during his exile from Ayodhya); pass laws that would conserve India’s sacred Rivers, and promote Sanskrit.
The deputy speaker of Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha (state assembly) and manifesto committee chair admitted that the Congress was adopting this platform in response to BJP pressures. The BJP used to brand Congress as [a] Muslim party. It’s a conscious decision to shed that tag thrust on them by their rivals.
As a result, the Congress Party’s state manifesto differed vastly from the previous iteration issued in 2013. Five years ago, the party devoted a whole section to the “minority community,” (a reference mainly to Muslims), a section in which it promised to furnish special economic assistance for madrasas, a new law to curb communal violence, and the implementation of the Sachar Committee recommendations.
The Congress Party’s pro-Hindu trend is reinforced by the party’s strategy in terms of ticket distribution. In the 2014 general election, Congress party nominated only 27 Muslim candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, a paltry 5.6 per cent of its total candidates. Well, from 2014 to 2019, the politics was twisted in two religious groups, now minorities have no messiah and Hindus don’t like Congress; the changed narrative of Congress has damaged them to the core. In many BJP-ruled states, minorities have felt vulnerable because of the slayings of Muslims accused of harming cows and, to a lesser extent, the harassment of Christian priests or nuns.
Whether Congress-run state governments provide security to minorities and restore their trust in state institutions, including the police, will be an important measure of the party’s secular credentials. On this front, again, the situation varies from one Congress-ruled state to another, according to the capacity of state leaders to resist pressure from Hindu nationalists. The minorities have no national political party to look forward as Congress changed its stand.
Now coming back to the Ayodhya topic, the Congress is in a fix — if they support Babri and Muslim, they will get exposed over their Hindu stand, Janevu, and Gotra. If they don’t support Ram Temple, minorities will really dump them. It is the scenario with opposition party too, where Dalits are playing different politics. They as whole stood as a parallel politics with no inclination and no individual stand but fallback where they find gain. The Ayodhya affair is the best illustration of this dynamic.
After the Babri Masjid was destroyed in 1992, the Indian government appointed a one-man commission led by former Supreme Court justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan. The resulting report, which took 17 years to complete and whose contents were finally leaked to the media, assigned responsibility for the demolition of the mosque to clearly identified Hindu nationalist figures. To date, however, the judicial branch has not asked the government to table the report in the Parliament or to file charges. This delay suggests that trying Hindu nationalists, in this case, is seen as too electorally complex.
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)
Yoga plays a very important role in our lives. It makes us fit and healthy. However, very few people know about it.
Yoga is a panacea for all types of physical, mental, emotional, psychic, and psychological imbalances. In the famous documentary on mediation ‘Spiritual Reality: Journey Within’, many benefits of yoga have been enumerated upon. The documentary reveals how yoga replenishes and rejuvenates a yogi physically, mentally, and spiritually. In the state of perfect yoga, one receives abundant cosmic energy, which heals, energizes, and rejuvenates each and every cell, nerve, and organ of the physical, mental and spiritual body of a human. It cleanses the body of all its ills and toxins that might develop into some fatal ailments.
Yoga is very easy to do; basic yoga can be done anywhere. However, advanced yoga must be done under the care of an expert.
Many organisations such as Patanjali under the aegis of Baba Ramdev in India have contributed to its spread in recent times.
Yoga has become quite popular in the entire world today, especially in the western countries because of its wholesomeness.
We must practice yoga for a healthy, happy and fulfilling life. It is a wonderful alternative healing therapy for any disease.
The practice of yoga is something that has the power to heal the entire body. It is the best medicine that any doctor can ever give you and that for any kind of disease that you are suffering from. In India, yoga day is celebrated every year on June 21, which came into being in the year 2015 with the genuine effort made by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. This tradition is 5000 years old. It embodies the unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help in well being. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day.” — Narendra Modi, UN General Assembly, September 2014.
To promote this important day and to help people know the significance of this day, every school and college organises for essay-writing competitions on Yoga day. Students prepare for the best essay on their part and it also helps in a way to spread awareness about the significance of including yoga in their everyday life.
Yoga is more than just burning your calories and toning your muscles. It is a mind-body workout where you have strengthening and stretching poses along with deep breathing techniques to relax your mind and body. There are more than a hundred different forms of yoga. Some are fast paced and intense. Others are gentle and relaxing. Yoga is an invaluable gift of ancient Indian tradition. It embodies the unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and well-being. The word ‘yoga’ literally means ‘union’. Through yoga, you can explore profoundly the very mechanics of life.
Yogic exercises recharge the body with cosmic energy and facilitate:
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
I am told you are awake 20 hours in a day of 24 hours. If it is a fact, I am sure the recent developments in our health care arena would have made your 56-inch chest swell to 65 inches!
With each incidence of violence on doctors, your rib cage must have expanded by a millimetre at least!
I am a doctor with big degrees who does some charitable work of my own will as a part of my duty towards society. Nobody tells me to do so. I do it of my own, as most of my fellow doctors do so. I am so relieved today that I am not in a government job. I am so relieved to be without any broken bones or skull or any stab. My wife, children, and my parents are equally relieved to see me alive in this country where you are forced to be a martyr because of system failures.
It happens with Armed Forces, Police, CRPF regularly. We doctors are no exceptions. We are bound to be bonded to sacrifice on the line of duty. Fair enough! Alas, we are made a martyr in the hands of our own countrymen! The correct word for this coward act of violence by the hooligans (or Rakshaks of the society, as they would want themselves to be called) would be backstabbing if not Harakiri!
Please understand Mr. Prime Minister that we doctors have more wisdom regarding the lacunae in the health care systems than your Bureaucrats or the Legislators who are busy playing politics in the 100+ Dead bodies of children who have died due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. The ever so well-dressed Sushashan babu takes seven days to get ready to visit the devastated families. Muzaffarpur is only 70 kms from Patna. The distance is almost the distance between Noida and Gurugram or between Churchgate to Virar, just in case, anybody’s geography is very bad.
The doctors have not failed the society, the society and system have failed the healthcare professionals.
A meager 1.4 per cent of the GDP you are allotting to health in the budget and you wish to have a fantastic system in place! Great thoughts, great Wisdom! All the better healthcare system countries are actually wasting their money when they are spending 5-6 per cent on Health!
Our TB, Filaria, Malaria, etc. programme have taken more than 50 years to be just as incomplete and they had begun! We Nation should take pride in that!
The privatization of medical colleges to increase the number of medical colleges has been a brilliant idea to rehabilitate the young millionaires and billionaires who otherwise would have been the last rank holders in a fair system. The lateral entry I guess! I am sure this word will resonate in the corridors of power.
And despite all these, you have a shortage of doctors. Actually, there is hardly a health policy worth its name in the country.
You say that the doctors don’t want to serve in rural areas. Yes! Correct! They don’t want. Why should they? When you don’t have a rural posting compulsory for an engineer, lawyer, and lecturers or for that matter of fact, any profession, why force it to the doctors!
Moreover, the Doctors should serve the villages without any facilities and infrastructure from the government, to attain martyrdom!
“Aa Bail Mujhe Maar” When the system is not able to protect the lives of doctors in big cities, how does the government do the magic of turnaround in the villages? As I said, the system fails us. Sir, please remember that every young doctor is some parent’s precious child, not just a scapegoat!
Many times in your speeches, you have said that the Gujaratis have inborn business sense. You come from Gujarat. I ask you, Sir, suppose there is a doctor resource crunch in the villages, what you should be doing!
Think Sir, the answers will stare at your face.
You want to provide cheap healthcare. Very nice! However, the government thinks that the patients are not patients. They are consumers and we are service providers. The consumer protection forum treats the relationship between the doctors and the patients as such. India has just copied the concept from western countries. The result, high healthcare cost! Where is the trust and purity of the relationship? This is one of the root causes of the present day abyss. Increased litigations mean increased blackmail and thus increased insecurities in the minds of the doctors! Incidentally, I just wonder why we do not have political and bureaucratic negligence, railways, and transport negligence, lawyers and CAs negligence and very importantly judicial negligence!
By the way, belonging to the medical fraternity, I want to share a secret with you. Today, most of the doctors are afraid of taking up serious cases and have started referring to higher centres (Who wants to be blind or in a coma or paralysed in case the patient is not doing well!). The other secret is much more open. People don’t want their children to become Doctors after seeing the uncertainty in the profession and brutality ushered on to them, as they see it in the media.
Incidentally, for the society, this means Harakiri!
Regards,
Dr. Anshuman Manaswi
Plastic Surgeon, Mumbai
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
Yuvraj: A match winner in real life too
Six 6’s in a Stuart Broad over in T-20 World Cup is what Yuvraj Singh is remembered the world over but fighting cancer in real life is close to my heart. Yuvraj is a warrior not just on the cricket field but real life battles as well. He was coughing with blood on the cricket pitch in the 2011 World Cup but overlooked his fatal ailment to help India win the World Cup for which he was named the ‘Player of the Tournament’. Debonair looking Yuvraj Singh is today the poster boy of not the modelling or cricketing world but for ‘fight against cancer’.
Retired prematurely in today’s world where you can earn crores out of cricket but Yuvi has decided to devote more time for his charity that helps cancer patients in fighting the dreadful ailment. Yuvraj was a match winner not just in cricket but a winner in real life as well. Wishing Yuvi good health and hope his second innings after retirement is more memorable than his exploits in the cricket field and good luck to him.
S.N. Kabra
Footpath giving way
It was pathetic to see a portion of a footpath in Wagle Estate caved in damaging three vehicles parked there. Thus the safety of vehicles parked outside is in danger. This is a new way of damage. Previously vehicle threat and stealing of items from the car was posing problem and now a new development. BMC and TMC always talk about rain readiness but nothing is done to avoid such mishaps. It is dangerous to go out during monsoon season with potholes and craters adding to the road users’ misery. To add that tree falls and electrocution are causing deaths during rains. It is high time we address all these issues before the full time monsoon season and save human lives in rain related problems.
Chitra Rugmini
Simplified GST return-forms to be introduced
It refers to prototype of new simplified return filing system for Goods and Service Tax GST put in public domain on May 22, 2019 considering problems faced in existing GST system. But multiple types of forms will further confuse and complicate the system. Otherwise also, complete GST system including rate-structure and Input-Tax-Credit system for voluntary tearless compliance and preventing existing large-scale tax-evasion. System should be for tax-deposit on monthly basis but return-filing should be made on quarterly basis. Only other return should be an annual return. In case experiment is not successful, then it can be reverted back for monthly filing.
There should be just two GST-rates of 10 and 30 per cent. Rates of 0, 3, 5, 12 and 18 per cent should be clubbed in a slab of 10-per cent. Abolition of lower rates clubbed with abolition of slabs of 12 and 18 per cent in a uniform 10-per cent slab will be of ultimate advantage to consumers. Higher slab of 30-perecent can be there for commodities of long-lasting use irrespective of price-structure. Cess-system on luxury items should be replaced by additional slabs in multiples of 50 or 100 per cent.
Input-Tax-Credit (ITC) is most misused way of GST-evasion by manufacturers. With suggested lowered uniform 10-per cent slab, ITC system may be retained only for traders and abolishing it altogether from manufacturing and service sector. Presently manufacturers purchase left-out GST bills for falsely claiming ITC. Such reforms if implemented in consolidated manner will relieve all concerned and provide much more revenue to public-exchequers.
Madhu Agrawal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Former Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, former NCP leader Jaydutt Kshirsagar, and RPI leader Avinash Mahatekar have been allotted cabinet ministerial berth in the Fadnavis-led BJP government in Maharashtra. The state government has undertaken the cabinet expansion a day prior to the commencement of the legislature’s monsoon session and four months ahead of the assembly polls. A petition has been filed by Advocate Satish Talekar in the Bombay High Court against the induction of these leaders as they are not the members of the legislative assembly or the legislative council.
When AV spoke to BJP spokesperson Avdhut Wagh, he said, “There is no provision as per the law that it is mandatory to be an MLA or MLC to become a minister. However, after becoming a minister, a candidate will have to get elected as MLA or MLC. Six months are remaining and everything will be finalised within this period. You will have to wait and watch. The government has taken the right step to induct these leaders as ministers and the party welcomes their decision.”
In the petition, it has been mentioned that the state government has flouted norms while allocating ministerial berths to Vikhe-Patil, Kshirsagar, and Mahatekar. The verdict of the high court is eagerly awaited. In the petition, it has been wondered how Vikhe-Patil, Kshirsagar, and Mahatekar can take an oath when they are not members of the legislative assembly or legislative council!
NCP IT cell National President Bindu Bhosale stated, “It is a wrong decision taken by the government to induct these leaders in the cabinet. Earlier Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil was the leader of the opposition from Congress party. He suddenly had switched loyalties towards the BJP. The government has inducted these leaders by sidelining their own party leaders just for the sake of gaining an upper hand over Congress-NCP.”
Moreover, the ministerial berths have been allotted to these leaders at a time when the tenure of the Fadnavis government is coming to an end. Assembly polls will be held in the state in October. Since the tenure of the state government will end after three months and these leaders can’t become members of the legislative assembly or legislative council within six months.
Shiv Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar said, “The government has taken the right step to allocate ministerial berth to Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Jaydutt Kshirsagar, and Avinash Mahatekar. One can be a minister without being an MLC or MLA for a period of six months.”
NCP leader Ajit Pawar has already raised this issue in the state legislature. On the other hand, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the rules have been followed while inducting these leaders in the cabinet. Vikhe-Patil, Kshirsagar, and Mahatekar have been allotted cabinet ministerial berths at a time when there is no emergency situation is prevalent. All these leaders will have to get elected as MLA or MLC within six months or else their ministerial berth will become void. This was the third expansion of the state cabinet.
Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh said, “The government can allocate ministerial berth to Vikhe-Patil, Kshirsagar, and Mahatekar but they will have to get elected as MLA or MLC within six months.”
The Devendra Fadnavis government took charge in November 2014 but Shiv Sena did not join the government at that time. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party joined the government in December that year during the first cabinet expansion. The second expansion of the cabinet was held in July 2016.
Rains have arrived so the season of dance; however, Mumbai lands in a pothole, the city gets stalled but there is a good side of the season. People go out on the beaches just to get soaked in water; they enjoy pours with Garam Chai and Vada Pav. Love in the air becomes visible and with that the music and dance too. These days the urban woman is pursuing music for various reasons, they dance in the wedding sangeets to shows. Music has no boundaries. In the rainy season, Flamenco has its own charm.
Originally Flamenco dance has no set of music; it was only singing and clapping of hands called “toque de palmas”. Some Flamenco dancing still follows an ancient tradition, but the use of guitars and other musical instruments has become more popular in modern Flamenco.
Traditional Flamenco dancers rarely received any formal training. Instead, Flamenco was passed down from friends, relatives, and neighbours. These days there are Flamenco dance classes, people pay lump sum amount to learn and perceive their fantasies.
Mumbai is one great city where classical to contemporary dances have its place and audiences. Dance reality shows have actually survived on all such forms. Experts have explored and modified the styles but the culture of dance still remained most adorable.
While some Flamenco musicians and dancers still learn the Flamenco on their own, most modern Flamenco artists are professionally trained. Flamenco dancing can have many different purposes. Whether the dance is intended to be entertaining, romantic, or comforting, Flamenco is a very emotional style of dance. Flamenco dancers try to express their deepest emotions by using body movements and facial expressions. As the dancers perform, they may also clap their hands or kick their feet. Many dancers also snap small percussion handheld instruments called “castanets.”
With roots in Indian, Arabic, Spanish cultures, Flamenco dance is known for its sweeping arm movements and rhythmic feet stomping. Flamenco dancers spend a great deal of time practising and perfecting the often difficult dance. Flamenco is a Spanish art form made up of three parts: Guitar playing (“guitarra”), Song (“cante”), and Dance (“baile”).
Flamenco originated in the southern regions of Spain, but it’s thought to be influenced by many world cultures, including Latin American, Cuban, and Jewish traditions. Although there is no single Flamenco dance, dancers must follow a strict framework of rhythmic patterns. The steps a dancer performs are dependent on the traditions of the song being played. Perhaps the greatest joy of Flamenco dancing is watching the personal expressions and emotions of the dancer which change many times during a single performance.
Flamenco dancers, known as bailaores and bailaoras, are serious and passionate. Typical of Flamenco dance, a dancer will often stand motionless and free of expression for the first few moments of a song. As he or she begins to feel the music, the dancer might begin a steady beat of loud hand clapping. Then, as emotion builds, the dancer will begin a passionate dance. The dancing often involves fierce stomping, sometimes made louder with percussion attachments on the shoes, and graceful arm movements. Castanets are sometimes held in the hands for clicking, and folding fans are occasionally used for visual impact.
Probably the most important thing you will need to start Flamenco dancing is patience. The art of Flamenco dance is often difficult to master. Besides learning intricate steps and movements, you will also need to learn how to nonverbally communicate with a musician or a singer. You will be taught how to properly display your innermost emotions and feelings to an audience. However, with a good instructor and a bit of patience, even an inexperienced dancer can learn.
Leave aside Flamenco, the season in Mumbai right now says dance with your own moods, be it anything — Hindi film industry has given us many memorable songs, dances which we can’t miss in these rains. Flamenco dance too has many moves on Indian songs; the fusion has made it more interesting. So, step into your shoes and hit the floor.
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)
Following the meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday evening, patients heaved a sigh of relief on Tuesday after junior doctors resumed work at all state-run hospitals following their week-long stir that had disrupted healthcare services across West Bengal.
All the 14 medical college and hospitals in the state started functioning, with normal work resuming at outdoor facilities, pathological units, and other departments.
The patient turnout was high at all the hospitals, including the Nil Ratan Sircar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital, which was the epicentre of the junior doctors’ agitation.
“Most of our colleagues have resumed work and they are helping the seniors in delivering regular services in the outpatient departments (OPD) since Tuesday morning,” a spokesperson of a joint forum of junior doctors told PTI.
Since many junior doctors were in Kolkata to take part in the agitation, they could not reach their workplaces in far-off areas on Tuesday morning, he said, adding, “They will resume work as soon as they reach the hospitals.”
“It is a relief for us. We are poor and have no other option but to go to government hospitals. The stir had impacted our treatment. I am happy that it has been called off,” Ariful Haque from Malda district, who regularly visits the NRS hospital for the treatment of his brother’s cardiac ailments, said.
Santanu Hazra, a thalassemia patient undergoing treatment at the SSKM hospital in the city, was also happy with the doctors calling off their agitation and rejoining work.
“It was a terrible experience last week when I had to go back home almost every day due to the agitation. I am financially not that sound to visit private hospitals. I am happy that my treatment has resumed,” he said.
Private hospitals, which witnessed a low patient turnout and most doctors taking leave on Monday owing to a strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), also saw a normal inflow of patients.
The junior doctors called off their week-long strike on Monday night after meeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who assured them of steps to scale up security at the government hospitals in the state.
The medicos were on strike since last Tuesday, protesting against the assault on two of their colleagues by the kin of a patient who died at the NRS Hospital and Medical College.
The principal of NRS hospital Prof (Dr) Saibal Mukherjee said, “Doctors are having a busy time at the OPDs. The patients had come here last week but could not be attended to due to the agitation. We are trying our best to treat most of them as it is our duty to serve them.”
Senior police officials in the rank of assistant commissioners, along with adequate force, are stationed on the hospital premises to keep a check on the situation, as per the demands of the junior doctors.
At an hour-long televised meeting with the representatives of the junior doctors on Monday, Banerjee announced a number of steps, including asking the police to appoint nodal officers for the security of doctors at all government hospitals in the state, following which the doctors agreed to call off the stir.
They had received support from across the country. On the call of the IMA, medicos in Delhi and other states stayed away from providing non-emergency healthcare services on Monday.
