India's Painful Problem of Plenty..

Shantanu Bhagwat
03 April 2014, 06:53 PM IST

Most of you may know that India produces more food than we can consume. In fact, India has been self sufficient in food for at least the last three decades, having "achieved self- sufficiency in food production in the late 1970s (1)". And yet hunger in India remains at alarming levels. More children remain malnourished in India than any part of the world (almost 40% of the world's total according to some estimates).

What most of you may not know is that "..India wastes a quantity of wheat equivalent to the entire production of Australia every year, of which 21 million tonnes perishes every year due to a lack of inadequate storage and distribution (2).

Worse, "..up to 40 percent of the country's food harvest" rots before it gets to the market, thanks to inadequate cold storage facilities and transport bottlenecks.

A report from 2008 in ToI highlighted the scale of mismanagement and callous neglect of food storage:  "Over 10 lakh tonnes of foodgrains worth several hundred crores of rupees, which could have fed over one crore hungry people for a year, were damaged in..(FCI) godowns during the last one decade (between 1997 – 2007)."

Shockingly, "Rs 2.59 crore was spent just to dispose off the rotten foodgrains".  

Responding to an RTI query last year, FCI admitted that "..over 17,500 tonnes of foodgrain lying in its godowns got destroyed in the last three years (alone)".

This abysmal state of affairs has seen foodgrains being stored in classrooms, grains being burnt and stocks being infested with worms. A pernicious side-effect of rotten grains in godowns is the sight of good quality grains being left in the open since valuable space has been taken up by grains unfit for consumption.

Ironically, even as food production has soared in the last few years, storage capacity has actually decreased. This report by Kamayani Mahabal mentions how Government owned storage capacity actually fell to 32.1 million tonnes in 2009 from 36.7 million tonnes in 2004. This was UPA-I.

UPA-II was not much of an improvement. While "..total foodgrains stock in the Central Pool recorded an increase of 45.8 million tonnes between 2006-07 and 2011-12; FCI increased its storage space through hiring or owned space only to the extent of 8.4 million tonnes (18 percent)...Its owned storage capacity increased by mere 0.4 million tonnes during the period" (3).

What's worse, even the existing capacity – woefully inadequate as it was – was not being utilised fully. "The auditor (CAG) observed that utilization of existing storage capacity in various states and union territories was less than 75% in the majority of the months between 2006-07 and 2011-12." 

In case of fruits and vegetables - items that perish easily - lack of proper storage makes the situation worse.

An ASSOCHAM Study from 2013 estimated that "at least 30% of fruits and vegetables were rendered unfit for consumption due to spoilage after harvesting, negligent attitudes, absence of food processing units and unavailability of modern cold storages". The study also noted that barely 22% of produced fruits and vegetables reach the wholesale market in India.

Dr JP Narayan of LokSatta has noted that "Post-harvest losses of perishable commodities exceeds Rs 100,000 crores or Rs one trillion per annum".

I can go on and on..but I think you have got the point..In Part-II tomorrow, what needs to be done about this. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat! - Shantanu 

Track me on Twitter @SatyamevaJayate

21.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Age bar for bars

Jug Suraiya
03 April 2014, 03:52 PM IST

On April 1, the colour supplement of a national daily ran a front page story about the Delhi government raising the drinking age from 25 years to 27.

The feature quoted a young man who had planned to celebrate his 26^th birthday in a central Delhi pub with his friends and family and who, at the last moment, had to cancel his celebratory bash because of the sudden revision of the drinking age rule, a move aimed at protecting young people from the evils of alcohol addiction.

When outraged readers – such as myself – turned to page 2 where the story was continued, it was discovered that the article was an April Fool, joke, and that the drinking age in the Capital remained 25.

While many may have raised a toast to that in relief, some might have well taken it as an occasion to once again ask the question as to why one has to be 25 years, and above, of age to have a social drink in a pub or restaurant in Delhi.

In most other parts of the country, the drinking age is 21, when the local authorities deem you to be mature enough not to overindulge and get yourself drunk, and becoming an accident-prone danger to yourself and a nuisance to others.

A drunk, of any age, is a serious liability and a hazard to himself and others. And overconsumption of alcohol, like the overconsumption of anything else, is certainly undesirable.

But imposing the 21 – or, in the case of Delhi, 25 – age limit on drinking is questionable on several counts. At 18 you are deemed to be mature enough to cast your vote, an exercise which might well result in your indirectly helping in the formation of a government which will then prohibit you from drinking till you become 21 – or 25, as the case may be – because you can't be trusted to be responsible enough to drink sensibly before you reach that age.

So, you're mature enough, and responsible enough, to vote for people who then deem you too immature and irresponsible to be allowed to share a beer with friends in a pub. Double standards?

Not only are you entitled to exercise your franchise when you reach the age of 18, you are exhorted to do so by the Election Commission and by the vote-hungry politicians vying with each other to get the nod of approval from first-time voters, who could well play a pivotal role in the upcoming elections.

At 18 you can get a license to drive a motor vehicle. If you are a female, at 18 you can get married and start raising a family of your own (the marriageable age in India is 21 for males and 18 for females). At 18 you can enlist in the defence services and be trained to fight for your country and die for it if necessary. And, if the Aam Admi Party has its way, at 21 you will be eligible to stand for elections (the current age being 25).

You can do all of these things. But you can't have an alcoholic drink, not till you're 21 (or 25).

The drinking age limit doesn't just make for an April Fool joke. It makes for a year-round joke on us and the illogical, ulta-pulta society we have created for ourselves. Find the joke funny?

 

jug.suraiya@timesgroup.com

21.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Will Kerala vote against the national mood?

John Cheeran
03 April 2014, 07:12 PM IST

Who will gain the upper hand in Lok Sabha elections in Kerala? If opinion polls are any indication, UDF should do fairly well.

Immediate factors bode well. Chief minister Oommen Chandy has said the elections would be a referendum on the performance of his government. It was quite a bold step for a CM to put his government on line. To his credit, Chandy has overcome the deleterious effects of scathing observations made against him by the high court single bench by securing a favourable verdict from the division bench on Tuesday. The damage has been contained, or LDF would have turned the HC remarks into a campaign agenda.

The worst that opinion polls portend for UDF is 10 seats. Last Friday, NDTV split the 20 seats equally between UDF and LDF. Times Now-C Voter seat projections on February 16 had set Kerala agog when it forecast a BJP win in two seats without specifying them. That survey, too, had favoured UDF to win at least 10 seats with LDF coming a close second.

Two rounds of surveys done by CSDS for CNN-IBN clearly give the edge to UDF. The latest findings, released on Tuesday, forecast up to 17 seats for UDF. They are consistent with what the CSDS projected in February.

A survey done by C-Fore for Asianet also gives the advantage to UDF, predicting 11 seats to the combine and nine to LDF. The survey expects LDF to make gains in north Kerala and UDF to dominate central and southern Kerala.

This then is the big message -- Congress may maintain its edge over LDF in Kerala. The surveys indicate that despite price rise, solar scam, the Western Ghats row, Chandy may succeed in neutralizing the anti-incumbency factor.

It has to be remembered that in 2009, when CPM's V S Achuthanandan was chief minister, anti-incumbency had helped UDF win 16 seats. In 2004, when A K Antony was chief minister, LDF had cashed in on anti-incumbency and schisms in Congress to win a record 18 seats.

Of course, these surveys can go wrong. But at the moment they indicate that unlike across India, anti-UPA and anti-Congress sentiment is not strong in Kerala. But in Kerala, electoral contests have been very, very close affairs. In 2009, Congress won Kozhikode by 838 votes and LDF clinched Palakkad by 1,820 votes from an electorate of 11 lakh voters. And in 2004, IFDP's P C Thomas won Muvattupuzha by 529 votes and CPM's K S Manoj defeated V M Sudheeran by 1,009 votes in Alappuzha. These results show how every frown, tic and sneeze of voters can determine the shape of our Parliament.

21.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Games played by DGCA

Veeresh Malik
02 April 2014, 04:14 PM IST

 

One of India's existing airlines announced a sale for airfares stretching into March 2015, basis advance purchase of atleast 90 days, at rates which were amazingly low. I was amongst the lucky people who scored 5 tickets at prices varying from 600 to 2500 rupees on routes like Delhi-Bengaluru, Delhi-Goa and Bengaluru-Goa for dates in October and November 2014 before the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in his kind intelligence and concern for the citizens of India pulled the plug on this customer friendly step and issued a show-cause notice to the said airline, so I guess I shall have to plan my return trips by train or hope for more sales.

The DGCA says that it has, apparently, acted in the larger interests of its core constituency - the Indian citizen who pays for the privilege of flying on domestic airlines. I presume that this is DGCA's core constituency, because without passengers, there would be no need of DGCA for passenger airlines on domestic routes. Unless, ofcourse, it is DGCA's submission that DGCA are there to ensure that their core constituency is the airlines, or the Minister, or the MPs, or the other VVIPs or the officials at DGCA itself, and are well served. Passengers and citizens, ofcourse, it is likely, are not relevant in their larger scheme of things.

Passengers are like game. To be hunted, discarded, hung as trophies maybe! That's what it looks like, if one takes a dispassionate look at some of the other steps taken or not taken by DGCA lately, Where they have dilly-dallied for months and years.

Here, then, are some more steps that we hope the DGCA will take in the larger interest of consumers, travellers, passengers and citizens of India. Now that we know that the DGCA can issue show-cause as well as cease-and-desist notices under their rules on instant basis.

# Please involve the users also as primary stake-holders in what appear to be constantly increasing "User Development Charges". When private airport operators are spending our good and hard-earned money on cricket teams and doubtful art, as well as simply not providing transparency on how they are spending money on contracts awarded for everything from parking contracts to civil works, then DGCA needs to reduce or simply drop these extra charges too.

# Please ensure the return of public transport at airports for all segments of society, from daily wage workers to the elite who may wish to take a bus instead of lugging their cars all the way, because nowhere else in the civilised world do airports ban access of buses, 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers and bicycles to airports as they do in India. Delhi, for example, is the only airport in the world where airport staff have to beg or hitch rides to reach the highway from where they can catch buses.

# Please do let us know what eventually happened to the reported dozens of fake pilots, close friends and family members of DGCA and other aviation authorities, who were nabbed not too long ago? Are we as stakeholders in our own safety at least now assured that the person in the cockpit is genuinely a trained pilot and not some sort of cowboy, please, why can't we have them display a copy of their licence as we board the aircraft?

# What is DGCA likely to do about over-priced sandwiches and tasteless food sold onboard planes, excessive parking charges, scams where even to pick-up and drop passengers we end up paying money to hoods, open sale of unhealthy cancer colas and junk food at terminals, lack of sufficient potable drinking water at airports and onboard, not enough toilets for visitors landside, and similar basic facilities?

# All good airports worldwide have very visible signage up letting people at airports know where basic first aid and medical facilities are positioned. Many airports also keep defibrillators and other equipment at multiple places, as well as have ample staff trained in CPR techniques, since flying is a stressful activity. I have yet to see defribillators in public places at airports in India and as for being trained in CPR, have not met a single ground staff at any airport other than the CISF and security staff who even know what I am talking about when I ask them if they know CPR.

# Would DGCA wish to look at the cancellation charges levied by airlines even if a passenger wishes to go on an earlier flight with ample seats available? What are convenience charges for internet booking when Delhi Metro gives its customers and passengers a 10% discount for using plastic instead of buying tickets at counters? Why are airlines bundling emergecny row seats at a price when the need is for trained and able-bodied people? Does DGCA really care for the passenger, what happened to the great announcement of a separate desk for handling passenger grievances?

# And finally, a question I have been asking for some time now, and never getting a response - under which expense head do airports in India, especially AAI airports, place what they spend for specific "VVIP" lounges? Whose money goes in paying for this fraud being played out on the rest of the travelling public.

The one time an airline decided to do something good for citizens, the DGCA comes down like a tonne of bricks, just to show it can! It is like a game for them, and we are the ball to be tossed around, right?

21.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

A tribute to Khushwant Singh

Jug Suraiya
02 April 2014, 12:14 PM IST

While I wouldn't dream of trying to step into Khushwant's shoes, I have sat on his potty in his bungalow in Kasauli. Since Khushwantji's prodigious reputation revolved largely around his seeming preoccupation with either end of the alimentary canal, I feel that my enthronement on this lordly perch could give me a unique insight into the man behind the myth. Despite not knowing me from Adam, my absent host had not objected to my inclusion in the house party staying at his bungalow. This bespoke magnanimity, a kindness which strangers could depend on.   

The house itself reflected the man as revealed in his writings; capacious; rambling; obdurately enduring, through with frequently cantankerous plumbing; crammed with memories and anecdotes, often repeated, like family portraits taken at different times; comfortably well worn, like the books on the shelves. Marcus Aurelius higgledy-piggledy with Over Sex-teen, or an old armchair moulded, a posterior, to accommodate a reader at ease with both. Pottering about that house, the presence of the host was made palpable by his momentary absence, as though he'd just stepped out of the room, mid-story. 

An anthology of his writings 'Not a Nice Man to Know: the Best of Khushwant Singh' gives glimpses of his life like a tour of his house. There he pays tribute to his old friend and erstwhile typewriter borrower, "Nirad C Chaudhuri, Scholar Extraordinary" who can "write the English language... as few, if any, living Englishman could write." And there's "Mother Teresa, Apostle of the Unwanted," based on a profile (for the New York Times) done 20 years ago ("In my little study... I have only two pictures of the people I admire most – Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa." )  And the emotional "Farewell to The Illustrated Weekly" and to Bombay. ("I will miss the ladies and pimps of the Colaba lanes whose bawdy language has enriched my vocabulary and the pye-dogs who wag their tails when they see me." )

The task of packing and crating this assorted memorabilia of a long and crowded life went to one of KS's numerous protégés, Nandini Mehta, who did a good job as editor, irrepressible printer's devils notwithstanding ("compliment" instead of "complement", "Vale of Heath", etc.)  Another chela, Vikram Seth, contributed an acrostic Foreword ("King of the columnists and price of hosts, /Hero of cats (20 at least) who feed/Under your aegis..."etc.)  The result is a portable Khushwant, handy for perusal on the potty or elsewhere.

Which leaves unanswered the question: 'Why do people read Khushwant Singh? As he himself admitted with uncharacteristic – and unbecoming – modestly, he wasn't a great writer; he didn't have to be, for he belongs to that even rarer breed: the consistently readable writer.  Like a serviceable Punjabi tractor cutting a straightforward furrow through fertile soil, his prose yields regular harvests long after flashier sports models lie abandoned by the verge with overheated radiators. 

Khushwant's phenomenal success as a columnist and writer sprang from a most unwriterly virtue; he wrote for the reader, not for himself.  He had the knack of seeming to speak directly to the reader, shrugging himself out of the confines of the printed page, putting his arm across your shoulders so that you almost sensed the knobbly feel of a tweed sleeve, almost smelt the tart whiff of Scotch as he leant forward to impart a particularly juicy confidence. Trust the guy? You were ready to buy a second-hand car off him, don't bother with the registration papers.

Like a literary version of Osho Rajneesh, Khushwant always told the reader not what the reader felt he should want to hear, but what he really wanted to hear.  Thus the buffoon bored of buffoonery would read Khushwant for his scholarship, and the scholar stooped with pedantry would turn to him for jest; the prude would read him for bawdiness, and the sated libertine would swallow his bromides like ethical Eno's salts.

Khushwant was like everyone's uncle.  Not the real-life goody-goody uncle who became a vegetarian and joined a monastic ashram, never to be heard of again.  But the large, rumbustious, Rabelaisian black-sheep-of-the-flock uncle, who shoved off for far-flung lands, where he had many adventures and amours, made pots of money, which largely redeemed him in the eyes of the family on whom he would periodically descend, laden with gifts of a shrewd generosity, a fund of improper stories and a disquieting trail of luggage never fully unpacked before it was ready to be on the road again.

Unfortunately, they don't actually make them like that.  Which is why Khushwant Singh had to be a real sham – probably the realest one around.

jug.suraiya@timesgroup.com

21.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

The Companies Act, 2013:Impact on auditors and audit firms

Lubna Kably
02 April 2014, 06:32 PM IST

When the draft rules relating to the Companies Act, 2013, were first rolled out, Zenobia Aunty's auditor friends were shell-shocked. Typically, it is just the annual audit season that gets them down; else they are a more cheerful lot than their counterparts – those poor tax practitioners who battle it out in tax offices and tribunals.

What was the reason for their dismay? Well, rotation of auditors had been proposed not just for listed companies but for all companies, including private companies irrespective of its size.  "If rotation of auditors is to ensure shareholder protection by ensuring a 'comfort-level' doesn't develop between the auditor and the Company over the years, what is the logic of extending rotation to private companies?," queried a young chartered accountant.

The chairman of a Big 4 concurred, by adding that: "Nowhere in the world is rotation prescribed for private companies." Mind you, a loop-hole, if one could call it that was also effectively plugged in by prohibiting rotation among 'network firms' or associate or affiliates of an existing audit firm.

Today, all rules relating to chapter X of the Companies Act, 2013, relating to audit and auditors have been notified. Further, The Companies Act, 2013, has come into effect from April 1, 2014.

Many of the final rules are more rational, even as auditors will continue to find some new requirements challenging.

Mandatory rotation of auditors:  The final rules, which were recently issued, on the eve of coming into force of the Companies Act itself, are comparatively more reasonable for the auditor community without diluting the interest of any stakeholder (say, creditors) of large private companies.

Rotation of auditors is now mandatory for all listed companies and only those unlisted and private companies which meet the prescribed criteria.

Unlisted public companies with a paid up share capital of Rs. 10 crore or more; private limited companies with a paid up share capital of Rs. 20 crore or more; and companies with public borrowings from financial institutions, banks or from the public (by way of deposits) of Rs. 50 crore or more; will need to rotate their auditors.

A press release from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) quotes its President, C.A. K Raghu as saying: Rotation of Auditors which has not been accepted across the world is now only restricted to certain class of companies leaving close to 90% of the companies outside the scope of rotation. This will benefit small and medium practitioners (which means auditors) and corporates.  

Last December, member countries of the European Union, approved new auditor regulations, which provide that auditor of public interest entities, be rotated every ten years – with provisions for a longer tenure when audit engagements are put out for bid or joint audits are performed. Public interest entities include banks, insurance firms and listed companies. "A point to note is that private companies continue to remain out of the ambit of auditor rotation requirement," points out a retired auditor friend to Zenobia Aunty. Moreover, he adds: Auditor rotation isn't yet on the legislative books in the United States of America.

Well, back home, private companies meeting the specified criteria have no choice but to rotate audit firms. One may well say that these are large firms, well equipped to bear any administrative hassles and costs that may arise owing to auditor rotation requirements.

Private companies in India which are subsidiaries of global MNCs will also have to comply with rotation requirements if they meet the prescribed thresholds. MNCs typically prefer to have a single audit firm carry out audit for its subsidiaries spread across the globe – it helps in seamless consolidation of accounts. Guess, they have to toe the line adjust to this new local requirement. Many could call it the cost of doing business in India!

Perhaps a 100% subsidiary in India of a foreign company, could have been exempted from audit rotation requirements.

Maximum tenure of an audit partner or audit firm: As regards the maximum tenure of an auditor (partner in an audit firm) and the audit firm, the term prescribed is five years and ten years respectively. Further, shareholders can at their discretion even determine that the audit partner be rotated at much shorter intervals or that there be a joint audit conducted.

The final rules clarify with an illustration, issues relating to a transitional period which is three years. Thus, if an audit partner, or audit firm is due to complete the maximum prescribed term of five and ten years respectively, the rotation requirements will apply at the end of the three year transition period starting from April 1, 2014. This transitional period is much welcome and who knows what the laws will be three years down the line – an amendment is always possible!

Rotation of auditors is in a nascent stage, be it in EU or in India. Thus, no statistical evidence would be available of whether such rotation truly meets the intended objective of 'independence' or whether it just results in an added administrative cost for companies.

Cap on the maximum number of audits: Surprisingly the cap on the number of audits continues. The earlier Companies Act and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India restricted the number of auditee companies to thirty. An audit partner could not be an auditor for more than twenty public companies of which not more than ten companies could have a paid up share capital of more than Rs. 25 lakh.

The Companies Act, 2013 and the final rules do not prescribe for any restrictions on the maximum number of audits based on the size of the companies. Thus, the maximum number of audits per audit partner is now twenty – which would include audits of small private companies.

Understandably, ICAI's President has said: "As far as the limit of twenty audits is concerned, this is likely to create practical difficulties for the profession. With the technological advancement both in accounting and auditing, chartered accountants can serve and bestow personal attention to a much larger population than the limit prescribed."

Reporting Frauds: While challenges arising from the above points can be dealt with by the audit professionals, the biggest challenge that lies ahead is public perception. Zenobia Aunty's favourite niece – this columnist, is a chartered accountant.

One of the things she learnt as a CA student was that the "auditor is a watch dog and not a bloodhound".  These were the famous words pronounced by Lord Justice Lopes of England's Court of Appeals in the case of Kingston Cotton Mills, a century ago.

In other words, he or she is not meant to attack the books of accounts with a preconceived notion that a fraud exists. Alas all her dreams of playing Sherlock Holmes had promptly disappeared during her first week of internship itself! But she soon learnt what it means to be a truly independent auditor, one whom the stakeholders can rely on. The auditor, after all, is responsible for verifying whether the financial statements exhibit a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the business.

Over the years, while auditors have continued to bank upon Lord Justice Lopes' verdict, public perception has changed. Incidents of fraud, even if ingenious and conducted by top management – such as Satyam in India have widened this perception gap.

Perhaps this change in perception is captured in the Companies Act, 2013 and notified rules. It was required under the new Act that the auditor should immediately inform the Central Government within a prescribed time frame and in the prescribed manner, if the auditor had reason to believe that an offence involving fraud is being or has been committed against the company by its officers or employees. No materiality limit was set for such reporting. The term 'Fraud' as defined under the Act, covers every act of omission or commission.

ICAI in its press note comments: We also understand that there are going to be practical difficulties in dealing with the requirement to report on every fraud. However, the silver lining in the final rules on reporting of fraud is that now the auditor need not report the fraud directly to the Central Government. In the first instance, the report would have to be given to the Board of Directors of the Company and  the Audit Committee and within next sixty days, the report on fraud shall have to be submitted to the Central Government. We are looking at various possibilities and hope to resolve this issue in a practical manner soon".

Now, the auditor is required at first to report the fraud to the board and the audit committee, seek their reply within a forty-five day period and within fifteen days of this reply, report the fraud to the Central Government together with the response of the board and audit committee. Well, this puts some degree of onus on the board and audit committee as well.

It remains to be seen how this new requirement pans out.

Having finished dictating her points of view, to this long suffering niece, Zenobia Aunty trundled off in search of her dog -Spot. He alone was loyal enough to listen to her off-tune rendition of Que-Sera-Sera, whatever will be, will be, the futures' not ours to see, Que-Sera-Sera.

21.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Meet casting director Mukesh Chhabra: The man behind films like Gangs of Wasseypur, Shahid, Highway

Mansi Dutta
01 April 2014, 03:09 PM IST

He has worked on the biggest films of 2013 and already has his hands full for the year ahead. At 32, casting director Mukesh Chhabra has worked on films as successful and assorted as Gangs of Wasseypur, Kai Po Che, Shahid, Hasee Toh Phasee, Highway. One of the most sought after names in business today, the Delhi-born and bred casting director recounts what brought him here, his upcoming films, favorite directors and more.

When did you know this was your calling?
When I noticed the big wave of changing cinema, in the sense that content and characters were given more importance than the so called 'stars,' I knew the audience was ready to accept new faces, new talent on the silver screen. That I thought would be the right time for me to enter this field. I had worked at Theatre in Education (TIE Company), at the National School of Drama in Delhi, where I was helping filmmakers connect with actors, for their local Delhi schedules. I was 19 then. That is where my journey as a casting director really begun. I felt I would do a decent job introducing actors to directors in my own fashion. So I took the leap and went ahead with my instinct. I think I was destined to be here.  

How do you go about the entire process of casting, connecting with aspiring actors? Have you ever approached someone randomly in a mall or on the road?
Yes, we do approach a lot of actors randomly. You cannot have inhibitions in this profession. Actors need you as much as you need them. Even in the past we've cast non actors in films. Fatka (child actor Irfan Khan) in Chillar Party was actually a boy we saw on the road. Many kids in that film weren't 'actors' per say, but once we did acting workshops with them, they did a fantastic job. So we do approach people randomly a lot of times.

Casting is no easy job. What's the toughest part about the process?
The smaller the role, the more difficult it becomes to cast. God lies in the details. Another huge responsibility is staying true to the soul of the film. Even the smaller actors should be relevant to the universe of the film. The authenticity of the script should be untouched and pure and that responsibility I feel, as a casting director, lies with me. That is the toughest thing to maintain according to me.

We've seen a whole lot of fresh faces in the industry lately. How has the process of casting undergone a change? Was it taken as seriously a profession few years ago?
Honestly, I don't think casting was taken that seriously before. It was difficult for new comers to approach the makers and vice versa. With the trend of casting directors coming in, the hierarchy has become easier both for filmmakers and actors. The kind of films being made now require good actors and fresh faces, relevant to the subject. For e.g., Kai Po Che saw very authentic Gujarati actors, Luv Shuv Te Chicken Khurana had a Punjabi background, thus had Punjabi actors. So our approach changes accordingly. We try look out for actors who would seamlessly fit in. Earlier this may not have happened.

A film you wish you had cast for?
Bandit Queen [Tigmanshu Dhulia was among the first to have been credited as a 'casting director' for a film. Until then, directors or producers called the shots].

Which are some of the upcoming films you've cast for?
There is Bhootnath Returns, whose promos are already out. Then there is Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet and Ugly, Raju Hirani's Peekay, Vishal Bharadwaj's Haider, Nishikant Kamath's Janpath, then there is Babbu Ki Jawani with new faces and Tevar which is very different for our style of work. There are many more to watch out for. I am lucky to have had such brilliant directors' trust and appreciate my work.

Which director have you enjoyed working the most with?
Tough to pick one, honestly. Every film, every director is special. I adore Anurag Kashyap for the kind of freedom he gives me in my work, Rajkumar Hirani for being the perfectionist that he is. He is precise and crisp in giving briefs. There's so much to learn from him. Imtiaz Ali is one of my favorites because he puts in much thought behind every character, making casting a fun, stimulating process. Abhishek Kapoor (director, Kai Po Che) is more like a friend. Work is fun with him. And Vikas Bahl (director, Queen/Chillar Party) and I share this mutual love for cinema, which is very inspiring. 

Do you recall any interesting anecdotes while on the sets?
There are so many I can think of, but one such instance was when Anurag (Kashyap) and I got into a heated argument about casting Pankaj Tripathi as Sultan in Gangs of Wasseypur. Anurag wasn't in favor of the decision, but once I convinced him and he saw Pankaj perform he was as much on board as me.

Which has been your proudest work/film till date?
Each film and each director is special but I have special regard for Anurag Kashyap who's been my mentor in the industry. So Gangs of Wasseypur would be one of the most special films that I have done. Another film that's very close to my heart is Chillar Party. Working with kids is as fulfilling as people say it is. And it is because of Chillar Party that I bagged GoW.

21.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Image inflation is no patch on Consumer Price Index

Every election is an opportunity for voters to put their representatives in the dock. For the voter, what matters are the necessities of life and he does not care much about where the elected go after the results - assembly or parliament. Pragmatism is triumphing politics like elsewhere in Kerala.

So the voter has no worries over foreign policy. The Enrica Lexie issue has not become a ringing poll theme even in Kollam and Alappuzha. Neither the average Malayali voter nor the fisherfolk in Kerala are worried about bringing the two Italian marines Massimilliano Latore and Salvatore Girone to justice. Surprisingly, BJP also has not come down heavily on the Centre for its utter lack of clarity on how to go about the trial of Italian marines. Possibly, only 'prime minister' Narendra Modi can pardon their indiscretion and repatriate the marines back to Italy without inviting charges of bowing to the Vatican.

The voter, meanwhile, is worried about issues such as drinking water, road connectivity, better schools and higher prices, for both things he needs to buy as well as to offer. A fall in rubber prices is a matter of huge concern, at least, in six Lok Sabha constituencies —Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Chalakkudy, Thrissur and Kannur.

If anything concerns Kerala, it is inflation and the attendant price rise. Congress paid the price for high inflation with defeats in four assembly elections in Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in 2013. Although the Consumer Price Index-based inflation fell to 8.10% (a two-year low) in February as per data released last week, in Kerala it is higher than the national average - 8.40%. The important point is that Kerala's neighbouring states have recorded inflation lower than the national average. Tamil Nadu (6.42%), Karnataka (7.81%) and Andhra Pradesh (7.93%). Inflation is highest in CPM-ruled Tripura - 15.48%.  

And who could have made a difference to your daily life and to the electoral prospects of Congress across India? A Malayali MP--K V Thomas and the Union minister for civil supplies, who championed the historic National Food Security Bill through the parliament.

The unsavoury truth though is that he supervised the largest hoarding of grains ever in India, touching 80 million tonnes (MT) when the buffer stock norm calls for only 31MT.

Economic pundits point out that if the man from Ernakulam had sold off this grain in the open market, rice and wheat prices would not have gone up by 20% month after month, resulting in price index spike and preventing RBI from cutting interest rates.

But does anyone - the average voter - grill Thomas on such skewed policy while he is crushed by price rise? Considering his popularity, underlined by flex boards this election season, he can well ignore the question and still book a ticket to Delhi.

21.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sunny, Supreme Court, BCCI and Kissa Kurti Ka

Amit Karmarkar
01 April 2014, 07:22 PM IST

"Mere Darji Se Aaaj Meri Jung Ho Gayi, Kal Choli Seelai Aaj Tang Ho Gayee"

Thanks to DJs in Abu Dhabi, this song is blared just before the opening match of the IPL 7 between MI and KKR at Shaikh Zayed stadium.

About 1,200 miles away at Yashraj Studios someone is contemplating legal action against the IPL for using their song from film Chandni without permission.

One Darji is following this game quite eagerly on his transistor. He had stitched Sunil Gavaskar's kurta as IPL's multi-faceted star commentator. However, when the Supreme Court appointed Sunny as the BCCI boss for IPL, the league authorities told the tailor that the kurta won't be required. And they also refused to pay his stitching fees despite the fact that everything is insured in BCCI properties, including stitching charges.

The Darji had no choice but to meet Mr Gavaskar and seek his intervention. Gavaskar, quite generously, paid him his stitching fees though it was BCCI's liability.
 
The stylish run machine took the kurta from the tailor and deposited it in the IPL clothing department (which is about six feet, three inches away from the Cheerleaders' 'unclothing' dept). However, he didn't forget to reimburse stitching charges from the BCCI.

It led to a new problem. How would this kurta of impeachable credentials be utilized?

Some of the off-the-field cricketing starcast gave their take: 

BCCI office peon: The boss was giving the kurta to me and asked me to either use it or gift it to someone. I said I won't take any risk. If the police raid my house tomorrow and finds IPL material, who will take responsibility?
 
Nirajan Shah: I have a feeling that Sunny Bhai's kurta will matchpoint Mark Taylor. So, let's appoint him as subtext commentator (but tell him in clear-cut terms that if Sunny Bhai returns to the box, he will have to fly forward Down Under). With this decision, even our tailor will be happy.

Sanjay Patel: We should retire this kurta as a mark of respect to Gavaskar Sir (hope my suggestion goes down well with Srinivasan Sir).
 
Sundar Raman (Has multi-faced desktop on his laptop. A photo each of these three: godfather, godfather's god and a union leader who is in a position to save Raman's job). Why do you flies want my opinion on the kurta? Disgusting.

Lalit Modi tweets: If someone can send this kurta to me, I will wear it in the plane on my way back to India.

Prince Rohan: I was looking forward to the day when dad and I comment together by wearing a similar kurta in an IPL match. But now, I will wear the Liverpool shirt only. Official merchandise for franchise cricket!

 
Shivlal Yadav: Let's connect Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai by Metro train. Why fly and waste money? And let me know how many VIP passes the BCCI interim president gets for IPL matches? As far as the kurta is concerned, Arjun should wear it. Not Arjun Tendulkar but my son Arjun Yadav. (Whispers) You know, Sachin stole our name. If the kurta is given to my son, it could help to solve the Telangana crisis.

BCCI  VP and MCA's worker emiratus Ravi Savant: Let's give the kurta to Prof Shetty. He is used to wearing different hats and same hats. We would really like to see how he looks in a kurta.

Joint statement of IS Bindra and Farooq Abdullah: We know everything: from Kurta to Human Rights Commission; and from the G8 summit to nuclear weapons. But  why should we tell you?

PS: Last heard, the legal minds in India are wondering if N Srinivasan can file a case agaisnt MSD and the two supreme court judges. For, the judges threatened him that they will sack him as BCCI boss if he doesn't step down; and according to reports, even MSD threatened to resign as CSK skipper. The argument is simple: is threatening someone who is trying to recover from administrative and personal tragedy, not a crime?

21.16 | 0 komentar | Read More

Keep walking

R Edwin Sudhir
31 March 2014, 02:08 PM IST

It's been an interesting week for walking. On the sunny Sunday morning gone by, too close to sunrise for my liking but there really wasn't much of a choice, a motley group of people gathered at Mysore Bank Circle in Bangalore. For those unfamiliar with the city's topography, it's a landmark like few others. It marks the beginning of Avenue Road, a road like few others in this city. But more of that later.

There we were, coming in ones and twos, and marking our attendance to the Intach guide for the day. For, this was a Parichay, one of Intach's programmes to give people a deeper insight into various historical delights of the city through walks. Latha, our guide for the day, welcomed us briskly and once the entire contingent of about a baker's dozen had assembled and after a brief round of introductions, led us to the temple next door.

That was the beginning of a whirlwind tour of several temples on and off Avenue Road. We walked from one to another, with Latha leading the way and pausing to let the laggards, which included me trying to fend off waves of sleep, catch up. She's an Indologist with an academic's passion for history that comes across in the erudite description of temples, deities, and local lore.

I quickly lost count of the number of temples we visited, and all I knew that the interiors of the temples provided cool relief from the blazing sun outside. And everywhere, the priest blessed us so, by the end of the tour, we had accumulated enough divine protection against anything the world would throw at us.

But there was no protection from the stench from the rotting piles of garbage at virtually every intersection of this amazing maze of interlocking lanes and bylanes. The BBMP compactor trucks and crews tried to clear away the mounds of festering food and garbage but they were fighting a losing battle. Surprisingly, the residents of the neighbourhood (many of them quite wealthy going by the cars which slid by in slow motion thanks to the jampacked traffic on narrow roads) seemed to have come to terms with their spotlessly clean houses and disturbingly dirty neighbourhood.

Participatory civic action sounds great in theory but it clearly doesn't find many takers here.

That was the downside of a perfectly wonderful morning, with the walkers learning a lot about the temples of Avenue Road. The ten temples, I think, we visited were living jewels of religiosity and may they remain that way. The crisp breakfast and piping hot coffee at a darshini were the icing on the cake and rejuvenated our flagging energy levels.

There are more walks on the same theme on the anvil, and, to be sure, I'll try to be there.

The other interesting that happened on the walking front was coming across an online reference to the book 'Wanderlust' by Rebecca Solnit. It's a history of walking and I hope to read it over the next few weeks.

I'm rediscovering the joys of walking in a virtually unwalkable city.

21.16 | 0 komentar | Read More