AAP dharna: The unstated critical issues the country failed to see through

V Mahalingam
30 January 2014, 01:15 PM IST

This article is not about Arvind Kejriwal, his party members, ministerial colleagues or about the incidents involving Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti at Khiki Extension or Rakhi Birla demanding that the Police arrest suspects involved in setting a woman ablaze elsewhere in the capital. It is about the larger issues which the agitation had brought to the fore consciously or otherwise. It is about the security of the people, police functioning, its reactions to situations and people's involvement in the maintenance of law and order in a large city like Delhi. It is about the heightened terrorist threat which India and Delhi in particular is likely to witness after the US pull out from Afghanistan at the end of 2014.

Consider a situation - a citizen of the locality notices a group of men moving in to live with one of the residents of the locality. They are found moving in and out of the house at odd times looking different from the locals and speaking strange language amongst themselves with an odd accent. He suspects some shady activities going on in or from the house. He has doubts that the group may be militants who may carry out a strike somewhere in the city. If he rings up the police emergency number or contacts one of those PCR vans standing at the corner of the next street and informs them of his observation, what is the police expected to do or what can one assume the police would do? Wait to obtain a search warrant? Wait for the day break since they will be entering a house in which a family stays including a few ladies and children? Expect the person to come to the police station and file an FIR?

It is possible that the informant may be totally wrong in his assessment, he may not educated or well to do and he may not have the contact number of the Delhi Police commissioner to contact him directly. Should he wait for things to happen and then tell the police what he had thought about the men and help police draw the sketch of the culprits? Can the police afford to wait? We need answers to these issues so that we don't keep blaming one or the other when lives are lost as a result of delay.

The laws of the land as at present may not be permitting the police to enter the house at night and they may be hounded subsequently for their actions. They may be accused of colluding with some political party or an influential person to harass the occupants of the house. What is the answer? The people have a right to know how the police are expected to react to such complaints.

It is alleged that written complaints about the in laws setting fire to a lady has been made to the people at right quarters. What happened to those complaints? If the police had initiated some actions on the complaints, shouldn't the police inform the parents of the victim what they are doing to calm them? Shouldn't they act swiftly to prevent evidences being obliterated? Why do we not want to change for the better? Is the present methods and procedures the best that an Indian mind can configure? 

Times of India reported that 7 Africans were caught without documents in Chhatarpur, Delhi.  Where did they descend from? A Tanzanian woman was reported to have informed the police that she was being forced into prostitution by her Nigerian friend who lives there. Obviously these devious activities are going on in our cities. Are the police or the immigration authorities unaware of these activities? If it was the case, it speaks volumes for the inefficiency of the agency concerned. Reports of illegal migrants from Bangladesh flooding Assam and further shifting to metropolitan cities like Delhi and Mumbai in search of jobs has been in the news for quite some time. Pakistan based militants had come across the border to carryout strikes in places like Kaluchak (May 2012) and Samba (Sep 2013). Either they had entered the city sufficiently in advance to carry out their reconnaissance to be able to carry out the strike or some locals had helped them. Isn't there a need to evolve necessary methodologies to act on such activities with speed which costs lives besides adversely affecting the peace and security of the people?

As per National Crime Records Bureau up to 15 Oct, a total of 1330 rape, 2844 molestation, 793 eve teasing, 2906 kidnapping and abduction and 123 dowry death cases have been reported in the National Capital Region in the year 2013. Between Jan and Jun 2013, 7400 vehicles have been stolen of which 60 % were cars. This amounts to almost 41 vehicles a day!! The fact is the vehicles are being stolen by someone, transported to some place, suitably camouflaged to avoid detection, probably documents prepared and sold to someone!! Are these crimes not a matter of serious concern? Are the police doing its job? Is this the best that the government can offer to its citizens?

Our leaders and police have been telling people whenever there is a terrorist attack, a gang rape, murder, major theft cases or automobile theft that the police force is inadequate to keep a watch on every nook and corner of the city and there is a need to seek the help of resident welfare associations and integrate them in the crime prevention mechanism. Here are cases where, may be inadvertently, the AAP has been able to successfully rope in the common man in keeping a vigil and alerting the law enforcement agencies about possible crimes. Instead of acknowledging the active participation of the people in crime prevention and giving them a sense that their actions are being appreciated, are we not discouraging them by our unending criticism of the events in which AAP ministers were involved? Even if the people were wrong, was it not the duty of the government and the political parties to educate the people about the right methods rather than taking political advantage of the situation to criticize one or the other?

Whatever anyone may say about AAP but no one can deny the fact that this party has been able to garner the common man's support and participation in community issues which we have not witnessed in the country till today.

The central government had been under different political parties with different home ministers and home secretaries exercising control over the Delhi police. Every chief minister of Delhi has been crying hoarse that the Delhi police should come under the Delhi government by appealing to the central government and to the home ministers concerned. Have the so called non agitational methods yielded any results? Home ministry has far too many serious and not so serious issues to deal with includes terrorism, J&K, bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, implementation of official language etc.

Does anyone think that it has the time to exercise supervision and control over the police in Delhi? Law and order is a part of governance. Haven't good governance been one of the main reasons why smaller states are created? What makes the central government feel that an elected Delhi government will not be able to do at least what it is managing to do now in the matter of dealing with the law and order situation in Delhi?

No less than the Supreme Court of India had decreed the government way back in 2006 to bring about police reforms based on a case filed by two very senior and a respectable police officers Prakash Singh and NK Singh. Have the so called peaceful means brought about the change? Are eight years not sufficient enough time to bring about the change? If this is the respect that the Indian government gives to the highest court of the land, what other peaceful means will work? Aren't we as a society becoming status quoists? As of today the requirements of reforms and policing methods have gone much beyond those envisaged in 2006. We are yet to wake up.

The situation created by AAP could have been utilized to highlight the deficiencies in the system along with the criticism which the political parties and the media chose to heap on AAP. An opportunity has been lost. If the chaos that one witnessed in Mumbai during 26/ 11 is anything to go by, it gives sufficient insight into the capabilities of our planners to stage manage a situation of that nature leave alone preventing it.

In the present scenario, the very sequence of police response to complaints need rethink. If there is a need for a magistrate, common citizens or camera teams to accompany the police for verifying critical information relating to crime, we may need to include these personnel in the Quick Response Teams (QRT). May be we may have to give magisterial powers to eminent civil society members.  If there is a need, we may have to be amend the laws.

Given the facts that the Al-Qaeda leader and Osama bin Laden's successor Ayman al-Zawahiri has issued his first guidelines to the militant outfit in which he has endorsed the right of militants to fight the Indians in Kashmir for jihad and that after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014 the country is likely to witness enhanced levels of terrorism related incidents, we need to focus on law and order issues now before it is too late. It is time the much awaited NCTC and a body to coordinate internal security issues within the country takes shape. The Special Forces need to come under a single authority like a Special Forces Command rather than each force reporting to a different ministry and the ministry being in a state not knowing when, where and how to employ these forces.

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Restaurant review: BusaGo (Asian multi-cuisine)

Rashmi Uday Singh
30 January 2014, 04:07 PM IST

Bandra buzzes. Before leaving for Spain, I popped into Busaba's baby sibling BusaGo and as you can see from the photo I shot, I ate almost everything on the short menu. 

DECOR
Cheery. Stamp-sized.  Crammed with five tables, open kitchen. Asian multicuisine menu and specials chalked onto the blackboard. A small alfresco area too.

FOOD
Please notice the three bottles of "Chibs multipurpose sauces" in the photo. Turn up the spice levels of your food and buy them (Red chilly is the best at  Rs 68) to take them home too. The star of Nikhil Chibs menu (the first to introduce it to Mumbai), is the velvety, coconutty Burmese Kaukswe, ladled on to either noodles or rice and sprinkled with crispy crunchy condiments and twist of lime.

Go for the meals in a bowl. Ask for the moist steamed crunchy Vegetarian Momos and Prawn Momos. The special of the day, the Bekti steamed fish sparkled with lemon is worth trying, as is the succulent, robustly spiced Korean Bulgogi. Go for the freshly squeezed "Make your own juice",  Nespresso coffee (served in a paper cup, Alas) too. Though not authentic the Bánh mì sandwich is tasty, filling and inexpensive.

MINUS POINTS
Bland Thai curry, Madras curry powder-laden Cambodian curry are avoidable as is the Coconut nimbu pani  laced with ginger and honey. Lacklustre Kungpao with peanuts. Hard crusted, oversweet Banoffee Pie. No alcohol.

MY POINT
Open through the day, VFM (average meal for 2, Rs 500. Home delivery too). Though some of the dishes are patchy the Kaukswe and Momos are worth trying. A welcome addition to buzzing Bandra.

Times Food Guide

BusaGo
Gaspar Enclave, Shop No 11, Pali Naka, Bandra West, 400050
Tel: 6127 8897
Open: 11:30am to 11:30pm

Rating: * Food: 3.5 * Service: 3.5 * Décor: 3

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Christies Impressionist and Modern Sale: Picasso, Giacometti and Juan Gris

Uma Nair
30 January 2014, 04:27 PM IST

Christie's Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale in London on February 4, 2014 sets the bar for rare and important works from distinguished sources to be offered at auction this season. Presenting discerning, informed and passionate international collectors with 48 lots spanning almost a century, the sale is led by Femme au costume turc dans un fauteuil, 1955 by Pablo Picasso, which comes to the market for the first time in over 55 years (estimate: £15-20 million).

It also features works from exceptional collections including: Modern Masters: Works from an Important Private Swiss Collection, an historic group led by a magnificent still life by Juan Gris, Nature morte à la nappe à carreaux, 1915 (estimate: £12-18 million) and Piet Mondrian's iconic Composition No. 2 with Blue and Yellow, 1930 (estimate: £8-12 million), please click here for a separate release on the collection; Trois homes qui marchent I, one of Alberto Giacometti's famous multi-figure compositions, dating to the height of his oeuvre, from The Property of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, Sold to Benefit the Acquisitions Fund (estimate: £6.2-8 million); Les cylindres colorés, 1918, by Fernand Léger, formerly in the collection of Louis Carré, the celebrated art dealer who was closely associated with the artist (estimate: £5-7 million); and Property from the Estate of Ayala Zacks Abramov, featuring Henry Moore's Mother and Child with Apple (estimate: £2.5-3.5 million). The enduring appeal of the Impressionist era is exemplified by L'Eglise de Varengeville; soleil couchant, 1882, by Claude Monet (estimate: £4-7 million). Estimates range from £150,000 to £20 million, with a pre-sale estimate of £94,150,000 to£134,900,000. Christie's evening auctions of Impressionist, Modern and Surrealist Art on 4 February have a total pre-sale estimate of £137.1 million to £199.5 million).

Says Jay Vincze, International Director and Head of The Impressionist and Modern Art Department, Christie's London: "This stellar sale presents international collectors and institutions with rare opportunities to acquire exceptional works with illustrious provenance by key impressionist and modern masters. The global market for this category continues to expand and deepen year on year, underpinned by passion for the beauty of the period and an increasingly far reaching appreciation and understanding of the importance of late 19th century and early 20th century art movements. We are very privileged to be offering the distinguished private Swiss collection which includes a magnificent still life by Juan Gris as well as some of the most important examples of De Stijl works ever to be seen on the market, many of which were acquired directly from the artists, with whom the collectors had significant relationships. We are also very honoured to be offering Picasso's powerful portrait of his great love Jacqueline Roque, which comes to auction for the first time in over 55 years. Such a major work from this important series has not been seen at auction since 'Femme accroupie au costume turc, Jacqueline' was sold at Christie's New York for $30.8 million in November 2007."

FEMME AU COSTUME TURC DANS UN FAUTEUIL

Pablo Picasso painted Femme au costume turc dans un fauteuil on 20 November 1955. This picture is one of a small group of portraits showing Jacqueline Roque in the costume of an 'odalisque', a woman of the harem. The identification of the model is clear from comparison with other works from the selected series, and also with portraits that Picasso had created of her during the course of 1954 and 1955; indeed, a little over a year before he painted Femme au costume turc dans un fauteuil, he had drawn an intimate image of Jacqueline's face showing the nose, as here, facing to the right while the rest appeared predominantly orientated towards the left. That had been one of Picasso's early depictions of Jacqueline: while they had met in 1952, when she was assisting Suzanne Ramié in the workshop in Vallauris where Picasso made his ceramics, it was only later in 1953 that she had become established as the artist's partner, especially following the final rupture with Françoise Gilot in September that year. Femme au costume turc dans un fauteuil therefore dates from relatively early in this relationship and is a colourful, tender celebration of Jacqueline, whom Picasso would marry six years later and who would become one of the most important muses of the artist's entire life.

Giacometti

'In the street people astound and interest me more than any sculpture or painting. Every second the people stream together and go apart, then they approach each other to get closer to one another. They unceasingly form and re-form living compositions in unbelievable complexity' (Giacometti, quoted in R. Hohl, 'Form and Vision: The Work of Alberto Giacometti', pp. 13-46, Alberto Giacometti: A Retrospective Exhibition, exh. cat., New York, 1974, p. 31).

Trois hommes qui marchent I is an early lifetime cast of one of Alberto Giacometti's famous multi-figure compositions, showing three men passing each other as though in a street. This work was conceived around 1948 and cast by 1951. It therefore dates from what is considered to be the height of Giacometti's creative powers, a window of several years during which he honed the iconic vision for which he is now famed - his elongated, stick-thin figures - and produced a string of masterpieces tapping into this new artistic solution. It is a reflection of the importance of Trois hommes qui marchent I that casts of it are held by several museums, as are casts of many of the related works from the era. Of all of Giacometti's subjects, it is perhaps the striding man that is most recognised; its fame has been increased because it is so emblematic of Giacometti himself, who often wandered around Paris' streets, a twentieth-centuryflâneur. Here, the three figures are weaving their way past each other, connected yet isolated, the perfect embodiment of city life and the human condition during the post-war years of existentialism. 

JUAN GRIS

Nature morte à la nappe à carreaux (The checked tablecloth) is a large-scale landmark painting by Juan Gris dating from 1915, a watershed year in which he shifted further from his earlier Analytical Cubism to the more lyrical Synthetic Cubism. The importance of this picture is reflected in the fact that it has featured in a number of significant collections since its execution, including that of one of the greatest patrons of Cubism, Dr G.F. Reber of Lausanne. Gris' move away from Analytical Cubism is demonstrated in the sheer exuberant energy of Nature morte à la nappe à carreaux, which features an explosion of objects, seemingly radiating from a point in the lower centre of the composition. There is a sense of dynamism to this composition, accentuated by its sheer size, which is at odds with the more static still life works that he often created; this was a characteristic that marked out his pictures of 1915 in particular. Indeed, it was making specific reference to Nature morte à la nappe à carreaux and another work from the same year that Gris' friend, dealer and biographer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler later wrote: 'Apparently Gris' ideal of architectural grandeur can only be realised with a static subject. But during the summer of 1915 he produced a series of pictures which are full of movement' (D.H. Kahnweiler, Juan Gris: His Life and Work, trans. D. Cooper, London, 1969, p. 126). 

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Should a successful chief minister be an economist?

Arun Jaitley
29 January 2014, 03:24 PM IST

The finance minister Mr P Chidambaram has commented that the amount of economics that Mr Narendra Modi knows can be written on the backside of a postal stamp. This statement comes from a keen student of economics who can be credited with pushing India's GDP growth to below 5%.

Mr Chidambaram believes that he is a principal repository of all economic wisdom. It is a different matter that he along with the other members of the UPA's dream team to manage the economy, have presented to the country not a dream but a nightmare. Political administrators who manage the economy are not known by their academic attributes. They are known by the footprints of performance they leave behind.

Mr PV Narasimha Rao and Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee had no claim to high levels of scholarship in economics. Experts are always available for special assignments in a government. It's a different matter that the Congress party chooses to make them finance ministers. Political leaders are expected to provide the leadership and decisiveness required for the management of the economy. They need to have a broad idea of the management of political economy. They are required to build consensus on economic issues. If consensus is not forthcoming they must assert themselves and overrule the critics. It is this quality that both Mr Rao and Mr Vajpayee had. It is for this reason that they find a special mention in history.

Mr Narendra Modi does not claim to be an economist. The manner in which he has administered Gujarat for the past 12 years has demonstrated his decisiveness and ability. Gujarat is an industrial hub of India. It is a manufacturing state. Its agricultural economy has grown in double digits. Its growth figures are higher than those of the rest of the country. Unlike Mr Modi, Mr Chidambaram and his prime minister did not have the ability to overrule their critics. They caved in even when obsolete suggestions were made by their party leadership. Observers today do not share Mr Chidambaram's opinion about Mr Modi. In fact, the revival of the investment cycle is being linked to a change in government where Dr Singh and Mr Chidambaram go out and Mr Modi comes in.

Mr Modi has demonstrated his clarity and effectiveness in generating and expediting economic activity in Gujarat. His ability does not require certification of Mr Chidambaram. But will Mr Chidambaram with his customary wisdom educate us on the extent of economic knowledge and understanding his de facto prime ministerial candidate Mr Rahul Gandhi possesses?

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A tattoo for Dhoni: Fail again, fail better

John Cheeran
29 January 2014, 10:05 AM IST

That there was no doubt about the outcome of India's fourth ODI against New Zealand, even Mahendra Singh Dhoni agrees. For, India on Tuesday was playing against itself, not against the Kiwis. And they did not do badly, either. They only lost one more ODI match, but Dhoni still have the satisfaction of calling the toss right for the fourth time on the trot.

An ordinary but revealing moment in the final stage of the match said it all. With New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum charging into play his own part in an awesome series win against world champions, both Ravindra Jadeja and Ambadi Rayudu rushed to close in on a skier that was coming down. What could have been an easy dismissal turned out to be a dropped opportunity. But not costly, considering that India had given up the match many overs ago.

Earlier, Dhoni had dropped Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina from the XI, an example of trying too hard to turn the tide. But the changes did not yield the desired result with Virat Kohli failing in his opener's role.  You cannot expect a cricketer to come good in every match. That, essentially, is the difference between sport and art. Only one guy came close to resemble Rajinikanth on cricket pitch. But even Sachin Tendulkar failed in such adventures.

It is important that Dhoni and, mostly, we, should get used to Kohli and his ilk failing more often. A team's strength is in all its men, so it is heartening that Rohit Sharma, Dhoni and Jadea all got runs today. That it was not enough is quite another truth.

Look at the Kiwis. They had a different hero for the day in Ross Taylor who slammed the door shut on India firmly with a coruscating century (112 from 127balls). Taylor and Kane Williamson did not give Indian bowlers any chance after New Zealand lost its openers in quick succession.

It was evident that India went into the match with its spirits drooping despite the exciting tie in Auckland. Losing two wickets early then made even Rohit Sharma sober---in the first 20 overs, India could log only 60 runs. The takeaway for India from Hamilton should be the unbeaten sixth wicket partnership for 127 runs between Dhoni and Jadeja. They are still at it.

May be Dhoni and rest of the Indian team should take a look at the tattoo the new Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka carries on his left forearm. The Samuel Beckett quotation reads "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."

There cannot be a better read for a team that is on a losing streak.

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Rahul Gandhi interview: More his team’s shortcoming than his

Rajesh Kalra
29 January 2014, 02:51 PM IST

It's a bit late in the day, but after resisting for a day, couldn't hold back from commenting on the most eagerly awaited political interview in the country in a while, where my colleague Arnab Goswami took on the scion of the oldest and largest political party of India, Congress. As was expected, the reactions to the interview are polarised – It was great to it was lacking in content; it was well handled to it was the massacre of the innocent; from none had the guts to sit through such intense grilling to he could take questions, for he couldn't understand them.

There probably is a bit of truth in all these assessments. The Congress party can perhaps take some heart from the fact that although Rahul Gandhi has made a habit of taking on the very establishment over which he has lorded over for years, he still did not come across as a put on. There was sincerity. Even the mumbles and disjointed responses made him look human, that perhaps some of his own partymen, who have placed him on a pedestal, refuse to see.

But while not letting him off the hook for some pretty obvious flaws, there is a lot else that those who are his advisors and mentors need to do. My reference is especially to those who need to hide behind his powerful surname to maintain their own relevance in politics, those who need to ensure that Rahul Gandhi is always held up as a uniting force, so that their own home is not shattered.

A very senior journalist friend, whose dad was close to Indira Gandhi, had this to say after seeing the interview: Rahul Gandhi's interview with Arnab Goswami reminded me how intensively and comprehensively Indira Gandhi used to prepare for her TV interviews, in stark contrast to her grandson. He should know. His dad was one of the key persons in the team that used to brief her.

The point is, did Rahul Gandhi's team brief him the way he should have been? For, although it did seem he had prepared himself when it came to issues that are supposedly dear to him – systems, women empowerment and also his government's 'achievements' over the past ten years, he seemed ill-prepared when it came to some of the pointed questions and also the unrelated answers that he gave.

More importantly, knowing the kind of grilling that Arnab is now known for, his team should have gone through the possible counter-questions that came his way. As was seen, where Rahul Gandhi fumbled, some say floundered, the most was on issues such as taking on Narendra Modi for PM or the 1984 anti-Sikh riots vis a vis the Godhara riots..

It is these fumbles that gave ammo to his detractors, for an unprepared for such cross-questioning Rahul was forced to admit that "some Congress men were probably involved" in the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.

Clearly, these were not the questions that could be deflected with a single line or counter questioning by Rahul himself about the superficiality in the issues Arnab was raising while not discussing more important issues like women empowerment etc. It was made worse when Arnab told him pointedly that the interview's objective was to raise and get his response to issues that wouldn't be discussed otherwise, for the things that Rahul wants to raise can be heard in his speeches, anyway.

And this was not all. There was a lot else that he seemed unprepared for. The most obvious one was about his assertion that "I am absolutely against the concept of Dynasty, anybody who knows me knows that and understands that." Now, even if he really meant it, he perhaps could have handled it better, for, people in this country now increasingly believe what they see, not what they are told, thankfully.

The other one that comes to mind is his response to the questions on scams and his response: My position was that I report to the Prime Minister. Whatever I felt I had conversations with the Prime Minister. Whatever I felt about the issues I made it abundantly clear to the Prime Minister. I was involved in the legislation, RTI legislation. And now I have helped pass the Lokpal Bill.

Seemed like a smart answer, but immediately made it look as if it was the Prime Minister who was to blame for any inaction or delay on the government's part, whereas anything good that happened was solely due to his efforts. Perhaps true, but it didn't come across the way it could have.

In a nutshell, kudos to Rahul to agree to an interview when most others shy away, but his team has a lot of brushing up to do. Given that he was speaking in English and the audience was different, these fumbles did more harm than good and allowed him to become a butt of jokes on the social media. An opportunity like this does not come easily and was wasted. For them the advise is: It is simply not good enough to hide behind his name and yet not do the hard work that is necessary to ensure the name is not tarnished.

Also read: Full text of Rahul Gandhi's interview

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Lost wilderness

Jug Suraiya
28 January 2014, 02:13 PM IST

"Oh, he's so beautiful," said Bunny, from elephant-back.

I wouldn't have described him as beautiful. He looked proto-historic, a refugee from before the dawn of time; a huge grey rock come to life, with stubby legs; slender, flicking ears; and deep-set eyes covered  with long lashes. He was a full-grown male rhino, the first we'd ever met outside a zoo.

We were in the Kaziranga national park, in Assam. Kaziranga was part of the series I was doing for The Paper on wildlife sanctuaries.

A couple of weeks previously, we'd been in Jaldapara, in North Bengal. We'd stayed in a wooden cabin in the heart of the jungle.

The forest officer at Jaldapara had invited us to dinner at his cottage, some four kilometres away.

"I'll send my elephant to pick you up at seven," he'd said. It had made a quotable quote for the story I'd written.

Tragically, it was a story too much of which was written in blood. Poaching was already a full-fledged growth industry. At the park office in Kaziranga a forest ranger opened a locked safe and took out a bundle wrapped in jute sacking stained a rusty red. The ranger opened the sacking and revealed a triangular lump of flesh and compacted hair, jagged at the base where it had been hacked off from where it had originally grown: it was the horn of a rhinoceros, prized for its supposedly aphrodisiac qualities.

"They chopped the horn while it was still living. It bled to death. For once, we managed to catch the people who did it," said the ranger.

This was the other, unromanticised side of India's fast-disappearing wilderness and wildlife. The conflict was not just between a rapidly expanding human population – with its increasing need for cultivable land – and wildlife habitats; the real conflict was between two world views: conservation and progress, or what was seen as progress. It was an asymmetrical conflict. Despite champions like Billy Arjan Singh, conservation – even then – didn't stand much of a chance. Progress – or what passed by the name of progress – was an unstoppable juggernaut, cutting down forests, swallowing up grasslands, leaving its smouldering footprint on scorched earth.

The hacked-off horn of the rhino I saw in Kaziranga wasn't just a pathetic exhibit in a case of poaching. It was a memento of a much larger, more tragic despoliation. I thought of the thumb of Eklavya, cut off by himself as guru dakshina to Dronacharya who feared that the tribal would outdo the high-caste Arjuna in archery.

In the rhino's horn, I saw what is often called progress as civilisation's revenge on all those, human and animal, who inhabit the forests that were humankind's first home.

That losing war still continues, 30 years later. As this is written, a mobile service provider reminds us that there are only 1,411 tigers left in the country. A beach resort has been started on an island in the Andamans where the stone-age Jarawa live; there are only some three hundred of the tribe left, and it is feared that contact with outsiders might lead to their physical and cultural extinction.

Tough luck for the Jarawa. For Eklavya. For the rhino.

"He's so beautiful," Bunny had said, on elephant-back.

jug.suraiya@timesgroup.com

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Lisa and Jane got married

Shreya Sen Handley
28 January 2014, 05:45 PM IST

I have resolutely held off making resolutions for the New Year. The echoes of resolutions shattering across Sherwood Forest in this, first month of the year, prove me right. Everyone's off their diet already. The gyms have stopped resembling funfairs and the pubs are heaving once more.  As I nibble at my dark chocolate biscuit (I'm on MY diet still), I wish we were as yielding, as flexible when it comes to the freedom we allow our growing children.  Instead we become men of steel, iron ladies, as starkly forbidding as the forest of Sherwood in the winter, as vengeful and underhand as King John, and as harsh and punitive as the Sheriff of Nottingham with the outlaws. And like them, when we don't like the choices our children make (especially sexual ones; in which we should have very little say), when we can't control who they are, we make them outlaws in their own homes. 

It's a tale as old as time but in 2013, the bigoted seemed to have worked extra hard at turning the clock back.  The Russian government passed a law banning the "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations". With subsequent veiled threats from Putin of a pogrom against Russian homosexuals and a concomitant rise in harassment, the Sochi Winter Olympics are all set to become the iciest of global gatherings in a while. Not to be left behind, at the fag end of last year, the Indian Supreme Court recriminalized homosexuality. These wise men reversed the progressive 2009 Delhi High Court ruling legalising consensual, adult gay sex because, in essence, they agreed with its hidebound challengers that homosexuality was "illegal, immoral and against Indian culture". Yesterday, by rejecting the strongly-felt petition to review their decision to make homosexuality a criminal offence again, they reiterated their atavistic stand. 

But I'm NOT on my sturdy Sherwood oak soapbox today to point out that penalising almost 20% of the global LGBT community does us all harm. Oh yeah, that's how un-Indian it is; nearly one fifth of the world's gay population is Desi. And if you'd rather not believe that, then even the most conservative estimate puts "them" at 20 million strong ("And they walk amongst us. Bachao!" did I hear you say?). For a country so pernickety about its image, victimising a responsible, hard-working, often hugely creative community of non-criminals don't look so good, y'know? With last December's doings, we've rediscovered our hallowed position, high on that list of nations that know diddly-squat about biology, history, humanity and good sense (the ILGA blacklist). 

Nor am I here to tell you that the whole concept of oppressing people for their sexual orientation is so archaic it boggles the post-Neanderthal mind. Ironically, while it's ridiculously old fashioned to be anti-gay, being gay is a very old fashion indeed; there's plenty of proof it's always existed in humans, it's become equally clear that animals can be homosexual too (oh dear, haven't you heard? Which cave have you been hiding in?).  Or that it's morally wrong. It kinda follows that if it's natural and practised responsibly (the only kind of sex, gay or straight, that I support), it can't be criminal and to persecute people for it puts us in the wrong. But you've heard it all before and it hasn't changed your mind, so I won't go over that again. And anyway, plenty of you don't need coaxing out of caves.  You're already there, basking in the light of reason. But stick with me even if you do agree, and put your two paise in at the end; we can move mountains when we shout together.  Mountains of tosh. Straight into the Indian Ocean.  

I'm here for a parent to parent-in-denial chat. I am a mom of two little ones. I can't change the minds of lawmakers, politicians and those natural leaders of our society, the patriarchs, who know best about everything.  But I can try, just try, to persuade a parent or two to think before they react (badly) when their just-turned-adult offspring reveal they're gay. The overturning of the progressive, humanitarian 2009 Delhi HC verdict worries me because far from the courts, the police and the baying fundamentalists, in the quiet of homes across India, this new ruling validates the mistreatment that young people, gingerly stepping out of the closet for the first time, receive. Of course, this ruling affects gay people of all ages but I do believe it harms the young more. Older people have survival strategies in place and what society thinks of them matters less. The threat of jail for something categorically NOT criminal is terrible.  If, as sometimes claimed, it's more often used to extract bribes than to detain, it is still unpardonable. Worse even than that is the deep, wounding disapproval, the ridiculous and hurtful attempts to "cure", and the severing of ties that many young, gay Indians experience.  

What this ruling does is say to the purveyors of prejudice in their own homes - carry on, carry on stifling, punishing and banishing your children rather than admit there are many different ways of being good human beings, even "good Indians"- carry on. And that tone with which the SC judges told us they did it for our own good, wasn't that disturbingly familiar? It's employed in thousands of Indian homes when the older generation finally realise their children are never going to fit the rigid and suffocating mould they'd been trying to stuff them into from the moment they were born. You know the patter don't you?  We know best, we are being cruel to be kind, we have YOUR best interests at heart.  They insist you listen. They raise their voice. That makes it louder but not true. Most parents have convinced themselves they always act in their children's interest. With loving parents, it's usually true but not always. When I scold my little boy or girl for talking too loudly in a "nice" restaurant, am I really doing it to improve their manners or because I don't want fellow diners casting looks-that-kill our way? How often is it about our own "values"; received wisdom we've never sense-checked? How often about saving face when our kids don't quite fit in? 

If the sticks and stones you fear society will throw at your gay offspring is your reason for trying to change them, then consider this; they are just as likely to be discriminated against for their gender, disability, dark skin or some other trait that isn't someone's idea of perfect. You could, of course, take against your child for coming into the world dark or female. There are bleaching agents that damage skin (and self-esteem) for life or wells to throw your baby daughter into. You could do that. Or you could decide to love the most precious thing the world will ever give you. Whether they live up to your dizzyingly "high standards" or not. Got a mirror in your home? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  I can see you staring at the mirror aghast, wondering if I just said you might be gay too. Well, you might, but that's not what I meant. Your child is so like you. Their sexuality is as natural as yours, just a touch different. Like my son has green eyes while the rest of our family have brown. Your gay child is not a rotten apple. Just yellow-orange while you are red. 

Filmmaker Chitra Palekar said: "My daughter told me - Amma, I'm a lesbian. I wasn't shocked. I was just taken aback. My only knowledge about homosexuality was through films and literature. But I immediately accepted her. Because she was the same person she was two minutes ago. Nothing about her had changed for me." Like that Cole Porter song…"Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it, let's do it, let's fall in love"...with our children. When they tell you they are homosexual, embrace them. Tell them you'll fight the world for them, and you might find you don't have to. You've given them the strength to take on all-comers. Far from loving my children less for having the chutzpah to be themselves openly, I would love them more. I would support them in asserting that right. Sadly, not everyone feels that way. We've all heard the horror stories of beatings, forced marriages, and "remedies" that parents subject their children to. We strenuously deny these things happen in our circles. Maybe not, but exile does. Some boys I knew in school had to choose between living a lie and leaving home. They left. And though fortunate to find and openly love a partner of their choice, they never really found another place that felt like home. Does it have to be a choice between love and home for the Indian homosexual, can't they have both? 

We can pat ourselves on the back that unlike Saudi Arabia, Iran, or Nigeria the punishment isn't harsher. You could be executed for homosexuality in many Middle Eastern states. It's illegal to be gay in 36 out of 54 African nations. You could get life imprisonment for expressing desire, as Cameroonian Roger Mbede did. He had texted "I'm very much in love with you" to another man. The violent ill-treatment he received in prison led to his death this month. But I can't help feel that the vilification, rejection and withholding of medical treatment by his family, after his release, hastened his end, like nothing else could.  

In the West, you won't be executed, imprisoned or face as much disapproval at home for being gay. Not these days. But there are enough instances of discrimination, bullying and random jackbooted attacks to suggest homophobia is alive and well.  Then there's David Silvester. This far right United Kingdom Independent Party councillor has made the entertaining claim that England's recent floods are divine retribution for the legalisation of gay marriages in 2013: "The scriptures make it abundantly clear that Christian nations acting contrary to the Gospel will be beset by natural disasters. Large swathes of Britain have been afflicted by storms and floods because no man can mess with Almighty God and get away with it". Even the UKIP found this hard to swallow, and Silvester was suspended.  But which bit of a legal, life-long commitment, for which gay couples have fought long and hard, is immoral or irreligious? Two people in love who want to spend their lives together; a thing of beauty, surely? If like poop-head Putin, you believe paedophilia goes hand in hand with homosexuality (it SO doesn't), or if, like the former head of the Indian Psychiatric Society, Indira Sharma, you think the LGBT community are promiscuous, sex-obsessed exhibitionists who make out with anyone (just as long as they're the "wrong" sex), constantly and just anywhere, then the fact that so many of them want to settle down with each other is good, right? At the very least, it will stop the 24/7 canoodling on the kerbside, in the bushes, atop restaurant tables.  But it won't stop the floods. 

If we, and the generations before us, had grown up seeing the similarities (and the love!) amongst people rather than the differences, if we'd been encouraged to do so by our parents, then we wouldn't have the strife-torn world we live in now. If our inalienable right to individual choice and the happy acceptance of those of others' were taught at home, then parochial politicians and moth-eaten men in wigs wouldn't be a worry anymore, as they too would've been taught the right things at home.  Because there's no place like home to start changing the world (I know, I know, I've said it before but it IS worth saying again).  Here, in the woods, our babes have seen relatives in happy relationships with same sex partners. To them it's as natural as Daddy and Mommy being together.  Coming home shaken when a schoolmate insisted "girls can't marry girls", they asked if that could be true. Sitting them down with bickies and milk, I reminded them of Aunties Lisa and Jane. I told them how happy Lisa and Jane were after a decade together. How completely at ease in a world that only half-accepted them. How keen to live a good life and do the right thing by society. And though the wintry wind lashed mercilessly at our kitchen window, my children glowed with pleasure at the thought of their loving, lesbian aunts.   "I remember when Aunties Lisa and Jane got married", my son beamed. "What a wonderful day that was!" my little girl finished for him.

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Hasee Toh Phasee

Meeta Kabra
28 January 2014, 02:21 PM IST

We have another round of romcoms on our cards in the coming few weeks. Starting with One by Two, to be followed by next week's release Hasee Toh Phasee. As most other romcoms appear in their trailers, this one too looks fresh and out there with its craziness.

Parineeti Chopra seems perfect for the completely zany character she is playing. But, my worry is the same that I have for all films which have hilarious dialogue in the promos - that is all there is. The movie will just be sewing those moments together. Hopefully, it won't happen here.

There is hope at the hands of vinil Matthew, because I've loved some of the ads that he has directed. Hasee Toh Phasee does have a very similar texture. Hope it has the same slight hand in the writing too.

On the other hand, given Parineeti Chopra's character, I don't quite get what the title of the film is all about. She doesn't remotely look like a person who can't look through a guy's intentions. I hope the title will be the only quibble I have against the film.

Music Reviews:
Bollyspice - "2/5"
Bollywood Hungama - "2.5/5"
glamsham - "3/5"
IBN Live, IANS - "4/5"
Milliblog - "Vishal-Shekhar open their 2014 account on a promising note!"
Music Aloud - "7/10"

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Wawrinka's backhand slap to robot tennis

Amit Karmarkar
27 January 2014, 12:16 PM IST

Alas, Nadal has managed to convey the impression for the umpteenth time in his career that if he is 100 per cent fit, he cannot lose a match.

Sounds weird that a mortal can lose only if he is unfit. But that's what Rafa's ardent fans believe. If that is really the case, it isn't too surprising. For, robots generally mafunction only when hit by the virus or their code turns awry.  

Stanislas Wawrinka's triumph is a significant, well-deserved achievement. Not just because he defeated Federer's conqueror Nadal; but also for his single-handed backhand. Wawrinka getting the better of Djoko after 14 failed attempts may inspire his countryman Federer to do a Waw against Rafa.

Federer's fans would hope that the legend will try and learn a few tricks from his countryman and Olympic gold team-mate on how to dismantle and crush Rafa on all counts: physically, psychologically and on pure tennis terms too.  

Since Gaston Gaudio won the French Open in 2004, among the grand slam winners only Roger Federer owns a single-handed backhand. Others - Safin, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and Del Potro - all employ the double-handed backhand barring exceptional circumstances.

With due respect to their skills, the double-hander has this intrinsic curse of being ugly. I have yet to come across an out-and-out beautiful double-hander. Yes, the 'double' can take your breath away for its power, precision and execution. But it doesn't exhale fragrance.

Of course, two hands give a greater control and strength to the shot. But it can never match the beauty part. Apart from Federer, see Pete Sampras' single-handed backhand. Justin Henin's is (even more) poetry in motion.

But the single-handed backhand is fraught with danger. And that's why very few play it these days unless they have a crazy dream of winning 'multiple' Wimbledon titles. Federer has been losing to Nadal largely because of this single-handed backhand. Of course, Nadal's nous about the game, his team's ability to exploit the opposition weakness and his 'retrieval attack' is legendary. Apart from pinning Federer's backhand, he mixes things up and has unparallalled brutal skills. But clearly, his high ball to Federer's backhand with heavy spin or loop is cumbersome to Federer; and takes the cake for the Spaniard.

Perhaps, Monica Seles' (leftie like Nadal) success against Frauelin Forehand (Steffi Graf) was based on a similar principle. Since Gunther Parche ended that rivalry abruptly, we would never know if Graf swas capable to find ways to beat Seles had the 1993 Hamburg avoided.

Finally, what are the odds on Federer beating Nadal at Wimbledon (on grass) or the year-end championship (indoors) if they meet? Can't be entirely ruled out.

If Chang was Federer's coach, he would have perhaps advised him to serve under-arm and upset Rafa. And if Sunil Gavaskar was his mentor, he could have asked him to switch to double-handed backhand or play left-handed to negate Rafa's advantage. Remember SMG batted left-handed to negate Karnataka's Raghuram Bhat.

Of course, both are unpractical ideas but ideas nevertheless.

For the time being, let's celebrate this rare breed (Wawrinka) of single-handed backhand exponent winning a major title. If he can add another one, he will not only double Gaudio's major tally, but could also make tennis more enjoyable and less one-dimensional.

PS: Shooter Karoly Takacs was denied participation in the 1936 Olympics due to army rules for the Hungarian citizens at the time. His right hand was injured in the subsequent grenade explosion. But he learnt to shoot with the left hand and won two successive Olympic golds in 1948 and 1952. Of course, such a switch could well be impossible in tennis and for Federer. But once in a while, it's good to recall the inspirational story of Takacs.

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