THE KOH-I-NOOR ‘K’ONTROVERSY

The controversy over the ownership of the fabled Koh-I-Noor, one of the world's largest diamonds, has got a new twist. The Indian government has said that the diamond was neither "stolen nor forcibly taken away," but was gifted to the English East India Company, which ruled over parts of the Indian subcontinent in the 19th century. The Central Government has told the apex Supreme Court, that the heirs of the Sikh Emperor Maharaja Ranjit Singh gave the Koh-I-Noor to the British as “voluntary compensation” to cover the expenses of the Anglo-Sikh Wars. The dates, however, caused some confusion, as Singh died in 1839. The diamond had in fact been handed over to the British by his youngest son, 11-year-old Duleep Singh, in 1849.

Solicitor-General Ranjit Kumar told a Bench led by Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur that if “we start claiming the treasures from the museums of other countries; they will claim their treasures from our museums.” Kumar also cited a 43-year-old law that does not allow the government to bring back antiquities taken out of the country before independence. Under the provisions of the Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) takes up the issue of retrieval of only such antiquities as have been illegally exported out of the country.

The court was hearing a petition filed by a Non Governmental Organization (NGO), All India Human Rights and Social Justice Front, on whether the government intends to make a bid to get back the Kohinoor. The famous 105-carat diamond has been part of the British crown jewels for over 160 years, but has been claimed by the governments of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan over the years. Many believe that the gem was "stolen" by the British, with several campaigns to bring the diamond back to India.

The gem, whose name translates as "mountain of light" in Persian, was mined in the Golconda region in southern India. It was seized by numerous rulers over the centuries, coming in the hands of the Delhi Sultans, the Mughals, Persian rulers and the Sikh maharajas of Punjab. It got its present name, “Koh-I-Noor”, from Persian ruler Nadir Shah, who invaded north India in 1739. After Shah's death, the diamond came under the possession of one of his generals, whose descendants finally gave it to Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh empire, in 1813.

For years, politicians and others, here and in the UK, have said the whopper of a diamond was seized after Punjab was annexed to British India and must be returned. In 2013, during a trip to India, UK Prime Minister David Cameron ruled out sending the diamond back to India. "I think I am afraid to say, to disappoint all your viewers, it is going to have to stay out," he told NDTV in an exclusive interview. The crown that has the Koh-I-Noor "has only been worn by female royals because it is said to be unlucky for men to do so," says The Daily Mail. If Kate Middleton, the wife of Prince William, who is second in line to the throne, eventually becomes queen consort, she will don the crown holding the diamond on official occasions.

 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy, on Tuesday, expressed his disappointment over the stand of the ruling dispensation and said that he would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the facts of the diamond’s transaction from India to Britain.

 “People have been demanding the return of the 105-carat stone for decades now. Common sense must prevail that one cannot and should not ask for a gifted item to be returned. Asking for return of a gift is a shameful act. The government of India is right in its stand before the Supreme Court,” historian Ram Narain Mishra, 45, told Gulf News.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma, on Tuesday, said that only the Centre can act on the issue of Koh-I-Noor.“According to the guidelines, the Central Government can take steps on things that were gifted or procured by the British before independence. Expert opinion on this regard will be taken on appropriate time and presented before the Supreme Court,” Sharma said.

It is really amusing to see how in a third world country, where poverty, illiteracy, drought, famine, terrorism and such cases are rampant even to this date, the government still is under the overwhelming desire to attain a piece of gem that would in no way solve the above mentioned problems. This case has been hyped so much in the last few decades that sometimes I feel that people forget that they are living in the 21st century where we all live in a “global village”, unlike the 18th and 19th centuries where our relation with Britain was solely based on imperialism.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

ANUMITA MUKHERJEE, a well wisher of all creatures is a freshman of English Literature from St.Xavier's college, Kolkata. Apart from writing about various social issues, she is an avid reader!

FAN: Reviewed!

How hard is it to believe that an anticipated commercial cinema doesn't have its promotional song running down with the ending credits?

How hard is to believe that a SRK movie with YRF doesn't have a girl romancing around the valleys, hills & waterfalls?

And how hard is to digest that a show is pulled by SRK, with SRK, in the darkest of emotions layered with unbeatable & unbearable pain, that totally invigorates, stimulates & elevates the love standards set by the King of Romance himself?

Please Welcome the next level of Love, the level of Darkness, the level of Obsession!

"Don't get obsessed, or it will posses you."

The above quote totally describes what the movie is summed of. This movie doesn't have a story that has emotions flowing around it, rather it develop its story on the feeling, the obsession that Gaurav has developed for Aryan.

As Gaurav, SRK pulls out his one of the best acts till date. The innocence mixed with the vengeance is a delight to watch out for.

The movie starts with the 1st trailer that has introduced Gaurav to the audience for the 1st time. The attempt to keep the editing sharp could've been applaudable if the screenplay was crisped a bit more. Namrata Rao, expectations aren't lived up to.

Maneesh Sharma is known for his clean & neat elucidation of the script that holds the lion share in the success of Band Baja Baaraat & Shuddh Desi Romance. With FAN, Maneesh steps into the opposite world, he is equipped with. His flaws come out when we think of what someone like Farhan Akhtar or Vishal Bhardwaj could've done with the plot.

The climax, that starts from the 2nd half itself, has such well-gripped sequences, it will actually give you goosebumps. For those who haven't watched DARR & ANJAAM  like movies, be ready to watch the devil out of him

The emotions that are portrayed through Gaurav are the soul of the script. There couldn't have been a better display of love, hatred, obsession & vengeance put together. SRK has set the standards that are hard to challenge. It's an act to be preserved & watched out for, by the budding & aspirant actors

The action scenes are so brilliantly & naturally shot in India & abroad, you'll get a feel of watching a world-class action thriller. This, in real terms, is what we call an "Edge of the seat" thriller

Gaurav is SRK's comeback performance that could make him get his Filmfare romance back. He proves that when compared to acting grounds, apart from marketing, there is no one to beat him. He has made the standards rise so high, actors like Leonardo DiCaprio & Johnny Depp are soon to be called as the SRK of Hollywood.

But where SRK falls & fails, again, is like the dominance over the movie, like in the review. Though this time, not by name but by work, he still didn't get justice from the people behind the camera. As  said before

"‪#‎FAN is like a Bournville gifted to the mithai-loving audience. Beautiful & class apart, but maybe unfit for the mass."

"Determination becomes obsession & then it become all that matters."

All critics may have to pack their bags up, but the producer's expectation, weirdly & strangely, won't be matched. Though he previously did clarify that "FAN is not going to be a blockbuster", but surely is a comeback over the past pot-boilers that destroyed his past.

SRK's FAN is a MUST WATCH. With more breath-taking acts than seeti-maaro moments, the Badshah brings with him, the taste of darkness in Bollywood. The Darkness that is well described in the background score that will play while you leave the theater. The fear is sure to go down, the fear that is the most dangerous, the fear of Obsession, the fear of the love's next level.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 Ketan Sharma is marketer, avid reader, blogger & a future (enthutisat to be a) Best Seller. He's a student of St. Xavier's College. A die-hard (jersey) fan of Manchester United & Barcelona, & internatinally going loves Brazil (don't know why). Not a communist but will chose Russia over America (tho no one asks him to).

EDGE-X 2K16

With a number of events lined up, EDGE, a fest organized by Techno India, Saltlake, promised to leave the spectators in awe.

 
And boy did they manage to do that!

 With efficient management and time sorting, this fest stood out to be different from the others, not a single person went back home with a frown. Firstly, throughout the fest, everyone present was provided Redbull till stocks lasted. Much was mainly buzzed by KFC's finger lickin good eats. Big names for sponsorship was also a reason for the crowd puller. NVIDIA, PSP were the gaming partners promising top class gaming. With the level of energy pretty high, how could a fest as good as EDGE not be entertained?

The event list had it's own extremities. From Food for Fun to Cryber Crusade, this fest was a heaven for every geek in town. To top it all recreational events such as Paintball, Laser Tag and Archery was also held in the college premises itself. The different categories of event varied from Innovative, Newton, Compute Aid etc. Each events were judged by eminent personalities of that forté. Amongst all the events, Robotics was a real crowd puller with In Focus, the photography event being the most participated. Different colleges spread throughout the nation took part in this fest. The management team had take responsibility of outstation participants too.

The days were busy while the nights were young. The guest appearance line up was pretty impressive. While EDG Talks had Arunabhab Kumar, founder of TVF Qtiyapa and Som Singh Dutta on the last day, EDG Nights had Pretentious Movie Reviews fame Biswas Kalyan Rath from Pretentious Movie Reviews fame and Kartik Aaryan from Pyar ka Punchnama fame. This was enough to tickle the funny bone for geeks and increase the hotness quotient for the girls. The last day had no guest performances as such because the night was responsible for the prize distribution.

And here we bring to you a few moments from the grand EdgeX 2016!

 

With the follow up event, the Edge Walkathon for Cancer Awareness, on stage and off stage events being a big success, every participant and audience are already waiting for the next edition of it. 

Special thanks to Shreya Dutta

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Jyotishko Paul is a first year Media Science student studying at Techno India College. He loves painting walls, tripping and thinking. Music is his love too.  

KOLKATA : Coming of age

Kolkata, the heart of West Bengal lies amongst the hearts of a race which is famous their almost god-like devotion for culture. The love for fishes, afternoon naps and bhaar’er chaa is woven into the essence of every Bengali. We have a knack for  anything old and would rather prefer to spend a night reminiscing than being out in the city. SO what happens when a city full of these people decide to go upbeat? Why it comes off brilliantly of course! Recently the whole city was shaken of her personalized shoulders and had taken a step to keep the cultural game alive. Two events held within the span of two months showed how much we Bengalis are capable of change. The  Ahare Banglaa Food Festival and The 21st Kolkata International Film Festival! People are getting into the whole global food deal and turkeys are sharing freezers with chickens quite often. Seeing this change leave it to the Bengalis to introduce some culture in the whole affair. The Ahare Bangla Food Festival featured live performances and a fantastic array of dishes to choose from. The Taglines which followed the advertisements were quite a chuckle. Tags like “Koel er Kachakachi” which loosely translates to “Cuddling with the Cuckoo”.

The name itself is a brilliantly witty pun in bengali, please excuse me as it can’t be translated. Food from around the globe were being prepared as fast as the gathering crowds gobbled it all up.

Next we come onto the 21st Kolkata International Film Festival. He who has passed through the Golpark region in the recent days can’t have missed the posters clouding the streets. One look at the Posters tells us that they are the brain-children of a brilliant mind. Colorful and Familiar images were used but with unique twists which made them Kolkatan.

Here we see the Columbia Pictures Logo but with the Signature Victoria Memorial Angel of our City.









The 20th Century Fox Logo with the Bengali Twist.

Looking upon these recent events it can be said with utter surety that the Bengalis have joined and advanced quite a bit in the race of modernized culture. A race famous for being megalomaniacs (sorry for the stereotyping) has taken to growing the events around the year. There was a time when The Book Fair was the only thing to look forward to. But now more and more events crop up to keep us from working too hard. Who wouldn’t love a day away from their mundane hardworking lives to let of a bit of steam and embrace some culture while they’re at it? 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :- 

Swagato Basak is a first year B.com student from Bhawanipore Education Society college.When he is not poring over his huge pile of books he prefers to read,write and photograph the grand event called Life.

West Bengal's Own Eiffel Tower

November 13th, 2015 proved to be fatal for the 130 souls whose earthly journey was exterminated by terrorist attacks in Paris.  It spread melancholy and chaos throughout Paris and her citizens. As governments in all nations keep Paris in their prayers,the West Bengal government is in no measure overdue.

    With a feeling of unanimous camaraderie with Paris and her loss, the West Bengal government has decided to build a miniscule, scaled down version of the original Eiffel Tower in Eco Park, Rajarhat Kolkata.  The 'seven wonders of the world theme park ' of Eco park will be complete with the Taj Mahal, Christ the Redeemer from Brazil, Chicken Itza from Mexico, Great Wall of China, Petra from Jordan, Machu Picchu from Peru, Collosseum from Rome and a 55 meters high Eiffel Tower comprising of 300 tonnes of steel.like the original, it will have two tiers, an observation room about 25m above base, two elevators, a coffee shop and a souvenir shop. A three acre plot inside the Eco park has been singled out for the establishment of these miniature monuments. It is an exciting plan to have all the seven wonders of the world situated on one platform.  Many beautification plans for architectural designs have also been brought forward.  Kolkata will have its own Eiffel Tower as a tribute to all Paris victims, the families of those victims and as a reminder of the magnanimity and power the monument of Paris holds even after suffering from such a plight.






ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shoheli Chatterjee has a great love for books and literature. Her other interests lie in music and painting. She is pursuing English Honours at Shree Shikshaytan College, Kolkata.

WE ARE WITH SRK...

On food politics: “Our religion cannot be defined or shown respect to by our meat-eating habits. How banal and silly is that.”
On intolerance: “Yes there is intolerance, there is extreme intolerance.… Not being secular in this country is the worst kind of crime you can do as a patriot.”

On the eve of his 50th birthday Shahrukh khan went through one of his most controversial interviews in recent times.
The veteran actor refused to cower away from issues of national importance and answered every question fired at him.
The very next day he was greeted by the sentimentalist BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya as an "anti-national" .“Aisa lagta hai, woh rahte hain Hindustan mein, lekin unki aatma Pakistan mein hai (It seems he lives in India, but his soul is in Pakistan)”.
BJP MP Adityanath even went to the extent of comparing SRK to the lashqar-e-taiba.So what exactly is this hype about? We're not new to the idiosyncrasies of our political leaders ,so honestly it doesn't come with a huge surprise.

Shahrukh khan,the household name familiarized to each and every Indian child even before he/she is familiarised with all his/her relatives.In a nation where our movie stars and cricketers are worshiped like Gods whats so special about this particular superstar,one might definitely wonder.

Its not just his ideal romanticism that has brought him under the limelight,no definitely not!When the entire Bollywood industry refuses to comment on a controversial aspect,the grandson of General Shah Nawaz Khan has took the pains of commenting on what he felt like is right,refusing to appease certain powerful or influential "leaders".Be it his feud with Shiv Sena members or his controversial comment in support of including Pakistani players in the IPL.

He is an Indian born,Indian actor who has brought nothing but pride for our motherland. If being rational,honest and undiplomatic makes you an unpatriotic, then of course you are an unpatriotic Mr.Khan. If being indocile and unselfish makes u a lashqar-e-taiba member,then of course you are one Mr.Khan . And to all those pezzonovante,well we will treasure this honest, indocile and undiplomatic veteran actor more than you can ever think of because he represents a class of people who GENUINELY CARE!

Thank you Shahrukh khan.

-Anubhav Chakraborty ( Founder and Editor)
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