Tuesday 30 July 2013

A Midsummer's Love Tale - Chapter Eighteen - First Case

                              



                                        ALL COPY RIGHTS RESERVED
                                




                                         A MIDSUMMER’S LOVE TALE          
                                     







                                               CHAPTER EIGHTEEN





                                                         

                                                 FIRST CASE





















My first appearance on my own, the first case which I argued independently was another landmark in my career, another first. It was a Court case, a small matter, which was apparently listed in a Tribunal.
I prepared like mad for this one. I thought I'll turn to experience and take my father's advice.
When I consulted my father for this case, he made me look at it from a totally new dimension.
 He said ‘Son, have you looked at the section properly, if you read the section well and hard, you will find the answer for your case. Just explain the provisions of law to the Judge.’
Sure enough when I stood up and read the section the way he had told me to, I found that the case was as easy as eating a pancake.
The Judge nodded in agreement in what I had explained to him, and I won my first case.
As soon as came home, I touched my father’s feet out of gratitude. This was what experience was all about.
 He had been a Judge in his own time and he saw the case in its real perspective, free from any bias. 
He always advised me, ‘Son, if you can show the Court 'broad daylight',  why would you need a torch to show them around’, meaning thereby if you can explain the case from the section itself and the whole thing is crystal clear, then why look for ‘case laws’ or ‘precedents’.
 I followed this advice as much as I could to perfection. Sticking to the basics, and placing reliance on case law to the minimum.
Needless to say, I won this first case of mine only on the interpretation shown by my father.
The Judge in fact remarked,''Young man,this was the best interpretation I have come across of this particular section. Keep it up.''
I was thrilled and could only thank my father for all the wisdom he had imparted in the case.
On coming home and after meeting my father, I felt I should share this brilliant achievement of mine with someone..........who else but Alina and I immediately rang her up.
She was more than thrilled, ‘Congrats Viks, I knew you’d win your first case,’ she gushed.
I merely smiled, something she couldn’t see. ‘Thanks Alina, I’m really happy today.’
I was at a loss to say anything further. We made some more small talk before finally disconnecting. 
One thing is certain, nothing is permanent in life.....one lesson I had learnt.....never take life for granted. Sometimes the best solution for a problem lies in 'simply walking away' from the problem itself. 
Alina and my relationship was a 'case in point'.
So for all purposes this ‘rollicking’ love affair was all but over. I had to move on and look around. And look around I did…
…………………………………………………………..
End of Chapter Eighteen – A Midsummer’s Love Tale

Copyrights of this Chapter are with the author – any infringement of the contents of this Chapter will attract Copyright Laws.

Wednesday 24 July 2013

Bhag Milkha Bhag.....The Flying Sikh....

khudi ko kar buland itna ki khuda bande se puche bata teri raza kya hai....

This line is so apt for the movie I saw today....'Bhag Milkha Bhag....the story is pretty much known but the way its told and directed is what brings it out of the ordinary rut....

The scenes are intertwined with each other well and the performances are truly magnificent....Farhan Akhtar in the title role is totally fantastic...he has justified his inclusion in the film in the lead role of the Flying Sikh












Sonam Kapoor and Divya have all given breathtaking performances....the visuals are a treat to watch especially scenes of the water splashing in the buckets, the earthy feel of undivided Punjab, the pain of partition......the race run in Pakistan and the enthralling manner in which it was run and won...

The music as well as songs truly a treat to watch....

This is easily one of the best directed movies by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and he deserves a standing ovation for it.....take a bow please....




Sunday 21 July 2013

Issaq tera.....Amyra Dastur - Prateik Babbar













cute, charming, lovable, delightful are some of the adjectives used to describe the latest sensation all set to hit the screens - #Issaq releasing on 26th July......#Amyra Dastur - Prateik Babbar
the songs are already making waves........

A small backdrop on Amyra....she started off as a model in 'Clean and Clear, Dove, Airtel and so on.......Prateik has already made a mark for himself as a sensitive film actor known for his beautiful performances......he is the son of talented actor parents Smita Patil and Raj Babbar....so acting runs in his blood. Good luck to the film Issaq......and the popularity of the songs shows the film is bound to be a winner. Cheers!



Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan hug Each other at Baba Siddiques Iftaar Pa...

Saturday 20 July 2013

Ramaiya Vastavaiya ........a beautiful experience - pure and innocent

saw Ramaiya Vastavaiya and enjoyed it thoroughly....Shruti Hassan is definitely innocence and purity personified - she looks so much like an angel that you are prepared to overlook few scenes which could have been edited.

Yet I feel this is Shruti's film to a large extent - as she's the one around whom the whole story revolves! The film is all about purity of the soul, love sublime and human emotions properly being expressed.

Girish the new face in the film has enacted his part as the brash and flamboyant comic hero in the first half with great ease. Equally good is his transformation as a son of the soil in the second half of the film.

All in all the film is ably supported by sublime performances by Vinod Khanna, Randhir Kapoor and Poonam Dhillon....

                                                       




The songs are good with beautiful visual imagery.....the special appearance by Jacqueline was just too Jaddo ki Jhappi...

The film is a must see if you believe in the purity of love, sublime soul and transparent emotions...beautiful mix of the urban and the rural. Colorful and ever so pretty.

I would easily recommend it to anyone who's wanting to know India through the eyes of its lead pair Shruti and Girish....Before I part with it Shruti you're too angelic in the movie......So go watch and laugh it out.  

President Obama Speaks on Trayvon Martin

Wednesday 17 July 2013

Biography...Sonia Gandhi Part-4

Biography...Sonia Gandhi Part-3

Biography...Sonia Gandhi Part-2

Biography...Sonia Gandhi Part-1

A Midsummer's Love Tale - Chapter Sixteen - Home Sweet Home

                               
Continuing with my novel series presenting Chapter Sixteen ........would like some comments from you all on the chapters uploaded so far.....and would love any attempts by any publisher who would like to take up this as a printing venture. Thanks.


                                                           

                                                           ALL COPY RIGHTS RESERVED
                              



                                      


                                                             

                                                            A MIDSUMMER’S LOVE TALE  
                                     




                                    

                                                                 CHAPTER  SIXTEEN

       



                                  



                                                                       
                                                                 HOME SWEET HOME













I woke up with a start. Someone was nudging me. The first thing I saw Sonia was sitting on the edge of my berth, towards where my feet were.
 I smiled at her, and got up with a start. ‘We are going to reach Allahabad in 10 minutes. The train is standing at the outer signal.’ She informed me.
 It had arrived early as usual, and denied a signal because there was another train which was already standing there. This being an important train was generally allotted Platform No One for its arrival.
 I nodded in agreement.
 ‘Yes I know, it will be leaving shortly for the station. I’ll get ready in the meantime.’ I told her, as I started for the toilet to freshen up.
 I came back immediately as the train had started to move. I was ready and packed by the time the train arrived at the allotted Platform. I disembarked and started to look around who had come to pick me up.
 Sure enough I spotted our old driver Ashok standing in one corner near the steps.
I waved out to him, and he waved back in turn, smiling at me. He was an old trusted driver working with us now for over more than 25 years. He ran towards my coach as the train drew to a halt.
Before I knew he had called a coolie(porter) and we were off. Suddenly I remembered Sonia and asked Ashok to wait. Sure enough there she was at the door of the comparment and trying to organize a coolie.
I hailed one for her, ‘Come on I’ll drop you home, or has somebody come to pick you up?’ I asked her as the coolie picked her up her luggage.
‘No, no, I’ll manage’ she broke out quickly, ‘I don’t think anyone would have come to pick me up. But I’ll manage.’
 ‘How can I let you go alone Sonia, come on tell me where your house is and I’ll drop you’ I told her somewhat authoritatively, as I was keen to help her out in some way or the other.
‘OK only if you insist. I stay in Ashok Nagar.’ She informed me.
 ‘Oh, that’s pretty close to where I stay. Come with me then.’ I led her out, as I directed Ashok to keep tabs on her luggage too.
When we stepped out of the station, cab drivers, rickshaw pullers rushed up to us and started enquiring whether we wanted a cab or auto rickshaw.
Before I could react, it was Ashok who brushed them aside, ‘Nahi, car hai bhaiya, nahi chahiye,’ (we have our own car) he hollered at them before brushing them aside. I smiled as I wondered at his efficiency.
He quickly asked the coolies to offload the luggage in our car and asked them the fare. ‘Fifty rupees each sahib,’ they told him.
 ‘What loot is this?’ he asked them in an assertive tone, sounding almost threatening.
 ‘Take total 50 rupees’, he told them. Realizing that the situation was getting out of control, I stopped Ashok and gave the coolies a 100 rupee note.
Before Ashok could protest, I patted him on the shoulder, and said ‘Let’s go, Ashok, you know how ugly this can get? They work hard too. You know at Delhi I had to pay 100 rupees just for my luggage alone.’ I told him as a matter of fact. Before he could protest again, I motioned him to start driving.
I directed Ashok to first drop Sonia off to her home in Ashok Nagar, and we set off. Allahabad being a small town, it took us approximately 10 minutes to reach her place.
 ‘OK, that’s it, stop here!’ she told Ashok, and he dutifully stopped. The house was a small single storeyed one with a nice small beautiful garden in front. She got off there and Ashok helped her out with the luggage.
 I also got out. ‘It was nice meeting you Sonia, please keep in touch,’ I told her as I bid her farewell and got back in the car.
‘I will, and thanks for everything.’ She waved her hand and went off inside. Meanwhile, Ashok had reversed the car and we set off home. As I neared my home, I was amazed at the feeling of nostalgia which engulfs you when you reach your city, your home. Nothing can beat that. Nothing like your own home, sweet home sweet...…..!

                                                                               



‘Ashok, nothing has changed, everything looks the same,’ I asked him as we entered our driveway.
 He smiled, ‘Nothing can change here and you were out only for a few days, weren’t you?’
 ‘Yes, I totally agree with you,’ I replied back, ‘nothing can change here’. I patted him on the back and got out of the car.
 He was like the guardian angel of our family. Tremendous person, Ashok was. We were indeed lucky to have somebody like him look after us so well. We treated him like family.
There was no question of his being only a driver. His writ was written largely on the decisions made in our house, and his opinion was valued. I thanked God for the support system which he had given us and valued the same.
The next important step was my registration with the Bar Council which had to be done. Without that my appearance before the Courts’ was not possible, and so I set my heart and soul in achieving just that. I quickly filled out all the forms, annexed all the documents, and had them submitted at the Bar Council office which was not very far from my home.
Now I had to wait for the Council to convene a meeting in which my application along with others would be scrutinized, debated upon and a decision would then be taken. This purpose was achieved a month later, and believe me, I was enrolled as an advocate. Whether by accident or by design, I had been enrolled into the profession of lawyers’ and would now have to seriously decide whether I wanted to start my legal practice or continue with my stint as a journalist.
The only hitch with my continuance as a journalist was the pittance I was getting in the name of salary; it was more of an allowance or stipend.
 I had not opted as yet to become a full-fledged correspondent and was receiving a mere 800 rupees including travelling allowances. As a full-fledged correspondent I would get 4500 rupees a month which was what the other journo were getting in those days, who were working full time.
 I marvelled at the ingenuity of these people. They worked so hard to file their stories and ultimately this is what they were handed down. I was in a dilemma and didn’t know what to do. I thought I’ll consult Alina. I hadn’t spoken much to her after coming back and this was the perfect opportunity.
On an impulse I rang her up. ‘Hey Viks, what’s up? Hearing your voice after ages’ she chirped into the phone. I was taken aback. She sounded almost happy that I had gone.
 ‘I’m good, and how are you doing?’ I asked her.
 ‘Good, good, as you can probably make out, I’m happy about something, but I can’t tell you right now. But you tell me what’s up with you?’ she continued cheerfully. I told her my dilemma and asked her whether I should pursue law or stick to journalism.
Her answer surprised me. ‘Ordinarily Viks you should do what your heart tells you and your mind is up for it but in your case you will probably do what your family tells you to do, right?’ she stated as a matter of fact.  What she said made a lot of sense. I would probably do what my family would tell me and I was scared to take my own decisions. It’s not as if somebody was forcing me but intelligent reasoning was also telling me that as a profession, in the present circumstances, I would be better off as a lawyer. 
With a heavy heart I talked to my senior editors in Lucknow who were shocked and dismayed at my decision, as they had come to like my stories and wanted me to take over as the Chief of Bureau at Allahabad.
They didn’t want me to quit and in fact advised me to take up the permanent job now being offered. Wish I had done that at that point in time, but destiny had other things in store for me. Of course there was Hyder too to think of, but I was assured that he would be shifted elsewhere and not turned out. 
Ultimately, my decisions were made by my family as predicted by Alina. I resigned from my journalism stint and started my legal practice. So much for my ambitions, personal aspirations and high sounding idealism. It was as if it was all destined to happen. Life is certainly not a bed of roses.
..........................................................................................................
End of Chapter Sixteen - A Midsummer's Love Tale
All Copy Rights Reserved

Monday 15 July 2013

The politics of polarization as being played up.......

The debate has already begun to get polarized.....why is this happening? Because a party called BJP has hit upon an ace (according to their analysis) by the name of Modi.

The idea of adopting him as their brand ambassador is solely his 'brilliant' track record in his pet project State of Gujarat where he has succeeded in polarizing Hindus away from Muslims.

There could be a hundred and one reasons for his victory in Gujarat - among them could be a lack of leadership from the Opposition there and lots of traitors present in their ranks, as is evident of certain Congressmen being induced to cross over to BJP even as late as the election process being underway there.

Apart from that there were reasons that Modi managed to polarize the Hindu vote against the Muslims over there, who as I said earlier due to variety of reasons got the votes in his favor.

The trick worked there and Cong was blamed that due to the phrase 'maut ka saudagar' being used against Modi they lost the earlier election, and the Hindus rallied in support of him and he won on sympathy. Could be that people were fooled in the name of Gujarati pride to perceive him as their benefactor and vote for him.......and so in the recently concluded Gujarat election Cong kept quiet about the alleged murderous antecedents of Modi and didn't attack him personally, but yet they lost the elections due to lack of leadership alternatives and large scale polarization, as well as deceit. Analysis showed that people wanted a viable alternative and although Congress got a fair amount of seats and votes yet Modi managed to scrape through although with a lesser number of seats than last time.

The win however seemed to have galvanized and fired Modi's political imagination to a feverish pitch - he now felt he could aspire for the Country's top post by playing the same games he had played in Gujarat. The policy of divide and rule, polarization as well as spreading the canard of development through a well oiled machinery of advertising agents at his disposal which included social networks as well as top media journalists working at his 'behest.'

To top it all the local and national media who were itching for a fight between Cong vs who, and were smarting after Anna's miserable failure as a leader of national fame, saw the opportunity in Modi to be pitted against Cong.

Thus started the long planned moves to somehow project Modi's drive, his illusory development, his magic his charade and so on coupled with his national ambition, and projection of a national savior like image. Vested journalists having a new found love for the emerging Gujarat 'icon', mostly from English media and a few others were carefully & craftily drafted in to project the Rambo like image of the messiah. The plan was to cover his yatra before elections by latching on to him and covering his 'huge' fan base so to say. A lady senior group editor of a prominent English channel and another male senior group editor of another English media took turns to project his histrionics through belligerent yet carefully planned episodes so as not to arouse the peoples suspicion as well as their ire. Trips were planned to Gujarat to show the reaction of the minority community there post the riots and how they had indeed 'moved' on.... the 'ghettos' created in the name of minority civilizations were clearly sidelined and only those people were handpicked and interviewed who had business interests with the Government.

All this hypocritical activity was picked up by other media too who saw in this the story of the decade little realizing the dis service they were causing to the national secular fabric of this great Country, which strives in unity in diversity.

Why can't they realize once and for all that journalists too need to think out of their brains and their brains shouldn't be in their feet but in the right place.

 Who are these people trying to project as the savior? A highly complicated person suspected of alleged mass genocide, having engineered several alleged gruesome encounters most of them alleged to be fake, of fairly innocent people almost all belonging to the Muslim community.

Don't these journalists realize that by propelling a person of doubtful antecedents on to the unsuspecting majority and minority of this Country they are actually being part of a deeper malaise and a conspiracy hatched by those very people who are known for fanning communal agenda in this Nation. These people whose only aim is to somehow gain power by hook or by crook.

So rightly or wrongly Modi has been foisted upon the people and now every word uttered by him is being broadcast by every media as if their very life depends upon it. Every attempt is being made to project Modi as a larger than life image and the Cong and their allies as weak incompetent fools.

Modi by his recent actions has shown that he will continue to make provocative statements derived to polarize the Hindu vote against the minority community....he will continue to fan his religious and communal agenda as he did in Gujarat to prop up his image as the savior of Hindus....all this of course has the blessings of the media, who have unfortunately taken this as a TRP exercise instead of a fight against communal politics. The blessings of the people in Nagpur, the RSS is of course there as otherwise senior party leaders like Advani or Sushma wouldn't have been sidelined or subjugated into silence. It is as if the whole political class has got hypnotized by this one phenomenon.....

Past events clearly show that Modi is working on a well thought out communal plan of attacking the minorities and then grandstanding himself as the savior - the attacks upon him which follow by the other secular parties as a result really don't affect him or his party at all as they are known anti Muslims and their ideology is well known.

So what does one do in a situation like this....either one assumes that the voter in this Country will understand on their own and wait till the cows come home, or educate the voters from now on, that the social fabric of our Country is based on tolerance towards each other and not ascendancy of one religious view over the other as BJP seems to allegedly profess. The voter especially the youth needs to be educated regarding the value of our freedom, the secular fabric of our great Nation and the sacrifice which Bapu had to give to maintain the secular credentials of our Nation. In fact the very party professing to be savior today is actively involved in the painful elimination of the Father of the Nation.

The youth need to be educated that false propaganda in the name of wrong governance and throwing the bogey of fantastic development and super governance by Gujarat leadership shouldn't allow them to be swayed over to such an extent as to elect a monster which would destroy the secular credentials and polity of our Country and push us in an era where we would be worse than the Taliban next door.

The youth need to be educated that good governance is not all about what the media is trying to tell them but what is actually the situation on the ground, even in Gujarat. The situation is not what Modi is trying to tell them but a falsehood check on facts and figures with reality needs to be carried out before they lap and clap at every falsehood uttered at the dais.

Another disturbing fact is that although the BJP is in the Opposition they behave as if they control the entire political setup as well as the debate in this Country. As a result we see frequent and repeated adjournments of Parliament with no work being done and the Govt policies not being fully implemented.

A situation where it is presumed that the BJP would be dictating terms to the Govt of the manner in which democratic proceedings have to function and the agenda would be set by them instead of being vice versa.

This dangerous trend has to be reversed here and now and the divisive politics of Modi have to be full stopped before things take a turn for the worse.

So next time you hear or are fed a fiery speech don't get overwhelmed by the immediate effects but analyse the contents without fear or favor and then take an informed decision.

The social fabric of this Nation is far more important than the political aspirations of an individual out to divide this Country on religious and fundamentalist patterns.

Cheers to this sentiment...

India - steps to becoming an investors paradise

The economic climate has suffered over the past few months and needs to be bettered if not reversed - let's analyze some of the factors inhibiting foreign investors and even Indians from looking to invest in India.
The basic complain of investors is again red tape....in spite of the fact that many obstacles seen earlier seem to have been eased. Yet many stumbling blocks still remain.
An investor willing to invest here in India has to go over a series of 'checks and balances'....which in turn leads to unnecessary delays and road blocks....perhaps some giving up halfway as a result.
We should be willing to provide a level playing field to all investors irrespective of where they wish to invest...considering the areas open to investment are clearly laid out in the open, as clear policy decisions.
The interference of the Govt to regulate such investment should be kept to the bare minimum...in fact there should be an open window system where all concerns of Indian and foreign investors can be addressed as soon as possible. Why should proposals relating to investment be kept pending indefinitely and subject to Govt approval at every step?
Similarly issues relating to finalization of land and building etc should be left to be dealt with at the level of the investor itself rather than Govt control be it environment factors or compensation factors for land acquired. Some necessary checks for hazardous units are required but those apply to all investors and not necessarily foreigners.
In fact it would be best if the manufacturing units are set up by the investors in industrial economic zones marked for such industrial production.
Steps like tax incentives and continuous power supply and other facilities can surely be provided at the level of the Govt or authorities concerned following a set pattern of clear cut laws to be followed in this regard.
For instance there shouldn't be any ambiguity in the amount of taxes that have to be paid by an investor especially foreigners on the capital invested by them and the take away profits at the end of it all. Nobody invests for charity but if laws are clear and they know exactly how much is required to be paid to the treasury and how much is 'take away' for them things would start looking up.
After all we are giving tax incentives and rebates to Indian manufacturing units too so the same benefits could be held out to foreigners wanting to invest here.....if they agree to bring in foreign capital....
Let's make India a dream destination to invest in rather than a place where investors would dread or think multiple times coming here to invest.
We have all the factors necessary to attract foreign and Indian capital - a stable Govt, good industrial climate, cheap labor, infrastructure....what is required is an investment climate with minimal Govt interference and a single window clearance mechanism so that projects get cleared faster - say three months to an outer limit of six months, and are then implemented faster, with no road blocks in between.
It won't take time for India to acquire its former glory of an investors paradise if an even playing field is provided to all investors - free from all forms of red tape...of course this is easier said than done - but there's no harm in giving it a try if the industrial climate has to look up and growth figures have to be achieved.
Cheers to that sentiment!

Saturday 13 July 2013

Girl Shot in Head by Taliban, Speaks at UN: Malala Yousafzai United Nati...

Pran Sahab is no more.....or is he.....1920- 2013











Pran Sahab the good old villain of the Hindi film industry whose film career spanned almost six decades passed away on 12th July 2013 at the Lilawati Hospital after a prolonged illness.
He would be remembered for his histrionic performances in over 400 roles which he did in various films.His full name was Pran Krishan Sikand although he was always lovingly known as Pran.
Pran Sahab will be remembered for his performance in films like Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti hain - Victoria No.203- Upkaar - Zanjeer - Don - Duniya to name just a few....He's the one who recommended Amitabh Bachhan to producers for his role in Zanjeer and even thereafter...in fact both of them went on to do almost 14 films together.

His role as the rigid and rich father of actor Rishi Kapoor in the popular RK film Bobby will be remembered forever....the convincing manner in which he did the role and his scenes with actor Prem Nath who played the role of Dimple Kapadia's father were a treat to watch.
Very few actors commanded so much respect from their film makers and equally few whose film careers stretched to almost six decades.....Truly there will never be another like Pran Sahab.

Another first. He seldom repeated the same character he had already played in a previous film, so all his film characters were different from the other. He turned down the role of a Pathan in Manoj Kumar's film only because he had already played the same character in the film Zanjeer, and rightly so because that character stands out till today and probably will continue to do so.

He was a man with the golden heart and kept a low profile throughout his film career.
Pran Sahab was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the prestigious DadaSaheb Phalke Award in 2013 which was in fact conferred at his residence by the IB Minister Manish Tiwari as Pran Sahab was too ill to collect it personally.

Many other awards by the film fraternity were also given to him during his lifetime like the Filmfare Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award.
He will always be remembered for the good work that he did, the veracity of his performances and the variety of roles that he did, performing each of them beautifully well.
May his Soul rest in Peace.
R.I.P.