The Batla House controversy

On the 23rd of May, Arnab Goswami on his Times Now show "The Newshour" brought sensationalised journalism to a new low by his insensitive labelling of Asad Ashraf, a journalist and a guest on his show as a 'Indian Mujahedeen sympathiser'. Asad Asharf, who worked at DNA, was called a "cover for terror outfit Indian Mujahideen" during a debate over controversial Batla House encounter by anchor Arnab Goswami.

Why?

Simply, because Ashraf is a Muslim.
The risk of being a muslim in a society divided into binary opposites based on religion proved unfavourable as Ashraf, along with a handful of other people, were branded as "attack sympathisers" and "Batla stand defenders" in a show that superficially debated the recent release of an (Islamic State) ISIS propaganda video!

The video was later removed by Times Now from their website.

The Batla House encounter officially known as "Operation Batla House", took place on 19 September 2008, against Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorists in Batla House locality in Jamia Nagar, Delhi, in which two suspected terrorists, Atif Amin and Mohamed Sajid were killed while two other suspects Mohd Saif and Zeeshan were arrested, while one accused Ariz Khan managed to escape. Encounter specialist and Delhi Police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, who led the police action was also killed during the incident. The encounter led to arrest of a number of local people, leading to widespread allegations and protests by political parties, civil society groups, activists, especially teachers and students of the Jamia Millia University. Several political organizations like the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) demanded a judicial enquiry into the encounter, in the Parliament, as "new versions" of the encounter, started appearing in the newspapers. Subsequently, on the Delhi High Court 's directive on 21 May 2009, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in its 22 July report cleared the police of any violations of rights.Public speculations and debate however continued.

A debate was held at Times Now channel after a ISIS video surfaced featuring an alleged Batla House encounter terrorist who managed to escape. “Where are the sympathisers of Batla House encounter?” asked Arnab Goswami. Journalist Asad Ashraf, who has been reluctant to accept Batla House encounter as a genuine encounter in the light of several discrepancies and loopholes in the police version of it, was invited to discuss on the issue.

The following is Asad's personal take on that particular situation and the present state of journalism as a whole:
“As I sit to write this piece, images from the day Arnab Goswami called me a 'cover for the Indian Mujahideen' in his studio, return to my mind. If it's merely the thought of being called a terrorist that scares me, I wonder what it would be like for those who are implicated in cases of terrorism on false charges.”

The question that arises: Is Arnab Goswami, arguably the most well-known face of Indian TV journalism today, setting a precedent that is very dangerous for the future of this country? Even as Asad vehemently writes:

“He is teaching a whole bunch of young journalists, who follow him, not to question the narratives propounded by the state machinery, to believe every word of it and call every detractor an 'anti-national'. While in a democracy where journalism is considered the Fourth Estate, it is the duty of journalists to continue to be watchdogs.

He is bifurcating opinion into the plain binary of national and anti-national!

Someone who agrees with him is a nationalist, while others are anti-national. In the name of debate, he is actually running media trials.”

Amidst the frenzy around the release of the video and the question of its authenticity, which was also raised on the show by various participants, it is important to remember that the video itself has been taken down and is unavailable.

All Ashraf was attempting to do on the show was highlight the loopholes in the police's version of the Batla House encounter. As a journalist, I felt, he had every right to do so. He was by no means attempting to say the accused were innocent.

“The take away from the events of that day not only jolt me, but also present a very grim picture of the time in which we are living. Journalism, once a respected profession has become a tool of hoop-la into the hands of certain promoters who use it as a mechanism to build public opinion and manufacture consent.” He further stated.

The absurdity of a situation, wherein Goswami calls Asad “a sympathiser of the Islamic State” and “a cover for the Indian Mujahideen”  just because he pondered over certain loopholes in the police version of the Batla House encounter strikes a poignant chord at the face of secular journalism.



Furthermore, Asad argues that “what must have really annoyed Arnab is the fact that I not only questioned the authenticity of the encounter, but also the video - that was supposedly released by the Islamic State - featuring one of the 'absconders' of the Batla House encounter. And that this came mere months after Arnab allegedly played doctored videos of JNU students on his show must have hit him where it hurts the most.” Playing at the role of a media man for seeking the truth Asad exemplifies that  “…as a journalist, with an acumen for investigation, Arnab should not only have agreed with me but should have also tried to investigate whether that video was at all genuine.But on the contrary, I was asked by him that if it was a 'fancy-dress competition'?Why not? It could have been a fancy-dress competition - a bit like hoax calls. Don't we have hoax calls about bombs being planted?

Did the video undergo forensic examination before being aired on Arnab's Newshour and becoming a matter of debate?”

On the other end, Tasleem Rahmani of the All-India Muslim Council pointed out how even the employees of Times Now were not sure about the authenticity of that video as they ran the ticker, '#BatlamaninISIS' below the screen followed by a question mark.
“But logic ceases to exist when it confronts Arnab Goswami on his Newshour show.
And what replaces it seems to be pure rhetoric woven into allegations and accusations.”, vents an infuriated Asad.

What is more shocking and ultimately threatening is the fate of the media and journalism in this nation, as exposed by the show.
The debate exposed two kind of journalism at play.
Goswami’s brand of journalism, which is both fed by and feeds on viewer ratings, is of screaming at others and tautology. He invites people less for conducting a debate and more for pillorying them with condemnations and accusations, and not allowing them the courtesy of defending themselves.
The moot question remains that will Goswami's brand of journalism be able to subdue the voice of reason and silence Ashraf's journalism, which merely wanted to open the debate up and question rather than claim?


- Ahona Das

Happy Birthday or HBD : How cryptic is too cryptic?

"Wake up sleepy heads", said Snow White as she shoved the morning curtains away. There were seven of them: Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, Dopey. Deep in the velveteen woods, they dug mines, came home for tea and muffins and danced all night to country music, round the fireplace.
Life was simple!
Somewhere along the same woods among the forest vines, the floral belt got 'curioser-and-curioser' as they spotted something strange for the first time:
"Do you suppose she's a wild flower?", they whispered to each other, as Alice made her way through the bowers and hedges.

In a parallel universe, swapping time and space, we snore off on our boring ebooks and wake up not to 'sunshine and birdsong' but tablet screen glare and alarm beeps.
First thing in the morning, before I brush my teeth, check the five text messages from BAE:
{Before any one(thing) else right?!}

'But why not say that out aloud? Yes, the whole thing?'
-''Jeez man, you gotta be kiddin' cz who's got so much time anyway?!''

Yeah, right. No we don't have time.

By my front porch there's a little garden and I see the white rabbit darting past with his stopclock.
No time at all! So somewhere between toasts and omelettes I text my BAE a bright 'Gd mrng/G8 mrn/Gdmg" with just a dash of HAND (that's ''Have A Nice Day''for you) sure to cheer him up. In a world of cryptic word game, we bump into each other between 'SUP' and 'BRB', 'LOL'-ing our way through '2DAY' and '2MORROW' in waves of virtual small talk and banter despite the pangs of LTNS. (Long Time No See)

With the growing use of CMC or Computer-mediated-communication and texting,the use of word play, contractions and acronyms seems to be changing the course of the English language forever. The use of mobile phones and telecommunication has been one of the runaway successes of the twenty first century. But the question arises if the increased use of shorthand acronyms have affected the way we use the language? And if it has, for better or for worse? Ironically, although high school teachers have been raising alarms for the "death of grammar" for quite a while now, the speed at which instant messaging takes place makes 'typos' and cryptic 'shorthands' common, even as we let each other get away with them because we know what they mean. In doing so, texts messages often range from heightened levels of ambiguity as one can observe from the example that follows:

A: I MU M8. LTNS. HRU?
B: OH, I'M FINE. I MU 2.
HOWZ UR SIS?
A: MY SIS IS OK. SHE IS ON A D8 2DAY.
B: I C. DAT'S GR8. IT'S GETTING L8. I SHUD GO. I'LL C U LTR. MYB 2MORROW?
A: OK. HAND. CUL.

The picture that evolves is essentially that of a lazy custom of language use, that is at the same time rapid, ambiguous and hard to decipher. The duality between 'between' and 'by the way' is another example of this apparent ambiguity as they use the same contractions of btw. Some texting terms have even made it into common parlance: 'lol' (laugh out loud), 'omg' (oh my god), pls (please). The craze for shortening words, absorbed from texting, is also changing how we speak- 'amaze' for amazing, 'totes' for totally, 'blates' for blatantly: these are all largely teenage usages that are becoming mainstream. But does this mean it's turning us all into inarticulate blobs? We hope not!

A classic example of language laziness we face in our everyday lives or at least once every year, presents itself in the garb of Happy Birthday (HBD!) messages or posts on one's Facebook wall. What escapes me is the ultimate languidness and denial to budge a few more keys in your keypad to write the whole sentence.
Why wish somebody if you don't want to anyway?

"Sees it's your birthday on Facebook"
-'HBD'
"CAUSE AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!!"

Even as Memes like these take the online world by storm, do we change? Not really. The average individual gets 6 out of 10 HBDs as their birthday wishes; Bless the dear friends and cousins for the remaining four!

In a world that is fast becoming more and more brief and terse, where :) is easier than pulling a real smile and CTN (Can't Talk Now) an excuse for social detachment where do we see ourselves heading? How do you see a world where such cryptic forms take absolute shapes?
Is it just another one of those underlying dilemmas of a language evolution? Or is it a contagious language-laziness that characterizes the modern youth? Or more poignantly, is it a sign of drying up of earnestness, closure and emotional levels, even as we communicate amongst our closest ones? In a world where 'Tender Love and Care' only comes in fast-typed 'TLC's, 'GJ' (Good Job) doesn't seem so good, and 'IKR' doesn't mean anything (why of course I know that you know, that's why I tagged you in the first place!) aren't we burning our own hammocks in pushing people away with codified acronyms and dry small talk?


Article by :- Ahona Das.

Movie Review: TE3N

As the trusted-most single screen theater, a hard-working guy bought 3 tickets for the 9-12 show on Friday, when movies are generally expected to change screens. To write his reviews & to maintain his everyday overtime office, there is no show as empathetic for him as this. And there was so much enthusiasm & excitement in him to see the movie, he sadly skipped the basic function of ordering movie tickets mentioning movie names than to timings. Looks like he travels too much in the metro.
"Ek Paanch (INR 5) dena, than Ek <Station's name> dena!"



Don't know the how the movie Te3n will fare, the roller coaster journey for him has already kicked off. Thanks to faster than light 2G of Aircel, they managed to find a 9:45 show of TE3n (TEEN) at Priya Cinemas when it was already 25 past 9.
3 friends.
1 scooty.
1 helmet
& Zero license.
Moreover, they had to travel from Esplanade to Rashbehari, driving over all the major crossings in Calcutta with an underage driver accelerating the ride! Sounds exciting? Hell Yeah!
The critic went back to 3 idiots where 3 people drove a scooty down the roads of a metropolitan city. Since he was sitting in the middle, he could feel all the pain that the pregnant Mona Singh felt then.
With an arrival time as exact to the show timing, with the footpaths full of patrons, what was still amazing about the scene was the ambiance. A divine Bengali culture that lives in the lanes of South Calcutta is something unexplored by a Marwari guy who can actually count the number of Bengali people he knows. Now it actually felt like what actually Bengal & its culture is. So exquisite & enduring, he has never felt as attracted to the Bengali Culture as he has to the Bengali women. Surrounded by the people always excited to try out news hangouts, brands & dates, he regained his love for psychology, the love of human behavior, culture & happenings. TE3N movie was already making sense, in spite of all hurdles. But was it worth all of these? Read a bit more.
The movie starts with two straight heart breaks:
1. Vidya Balan in a Special appearance
2. Sujoy Ghosh NOT as the director.
The blessing of great artists turning into producers (like Vishal Bharadwaj, Anurag Kashyap,etc.) is that they help the best of cinema to get delivered, which they solely couldn't have. Thank you, to you all!



TE3N is directed by an almost debutante Ribhu Dasgupta, who has previously directed Michael which sadly couldn't release, which is a legal adaptation of the 2013 Korean thriller Montage. TE3N stars a Amitabh Bachchan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui & Vidya Balan as according to their screen timing, irrespective of how pivotal they later proved to be.



The most enjoyable part about thrillers is how well they grip you in, just like the way BAEs hug now-a-days, the tighter it is, the valuable it is. With a running time of 136 minutes, TE3N starts very slow. The 1st half is extensively stretched & still fails to make the viewers take a dive into the emotions. It is very confusing to find out who the actual lead is, even when you know that Sr. Bachchan is the one.
With flashbacks, heartbreaks, breakdown & unfinished romance, Ribhu tries out on everything to make another Talaash or Kahaani for the b-town audience. Sadly he prioritized his efforts on painting the building so much that he forgets to work on the pillars & the base.
A 8-year old flash back, 2 kidnappings, NRI's cash, Calcutta, Police, Pain, Travel & so on. This movie had so many ingredients, that if there was a cook as brilliant as Anurag Kashyap or Reema Kagti, this would have been into another cloud. Sorry Ribhu, but you turned out to be too amateur to cook it all.
TE3N as a thriller is loose, illogical & inconclusive. The lack is both in the script & direction. The roles are not written nicely. Sometimes you'll be force to feel that Nawazzudin Siddiqui is the actual lead & not Amit Sir.
But once again, the actors & the ambiance pulls it all. Ribhu will get full marks for the cleanliness he shows about the culture of Calcutta, proving once again that the beauty of diversity & culture is led by Bengal. You'll fall in love with the lanes & the articulation of the old world charm like never before.No matter which party ruined it how, Bengal's culture are so deep that it's beauty is flawless, till now.
As actors, Sabyasachi in his favorite army uniform pulls an applauding cameo where no hint of the Bengali accent makes him a national actor. Vidya Balan is gorgeous & beautiful. We are eager to see more of you, Vidya. Amitabh Sir is brilliant as the old daadu who effortlessly tries to both solve the mystery and carry the movie.
BUT
BUT!
BUT
The best is yet to be extolled. Nawazzudin Siddiqui you beauty, with that Tony Stark french cut, you, like a king roars down on every scene you are given. I haven't got down deep into the cinema yet to take the name of intellectuals for comparisons. But all I know is that for centuries to come, he's the face of acting, the god of this art.
"Nawazzudin Siddiqui kills it all. As a father & a cop, he requires no bullet or power to come up as the godfather!"



TE3N doesn't deserve to be missed. Irrespective of how deep I do the postmortem, it'll be enjoyed by the audience. Being surprising and not predictable is the USP. Watch it out for the chemistry that Vidya & Nawaz shares, the love that football & calcuttans share, the unabating manners that Bengalis have & the fort that Bengal has held.


- Ketan Sharma

Manual Scavenging: A Disgrace to a Civilised Society

"Manual scavenging refers to the unsafe, undignified removal of raw (fresh and untreated) human excreta from buckets or other containers that are used as toilets or from the pits of simple pit latrines.

Not all forms of dry toilets involve "manual scavenging" to empty them, but only those that require unsafe handling of raw excreta. If on the other hand the excreta is already treated or pre-treated in the dry toilet itself, as is the case for composting toilets and urine-diverting dry toilets for example, then emptying these types of toilets is not classified as "manual scavenging".

Also, emptying the pits of twin-pit pour-flush toilets is not classified as manual scavenging in India, as the excreta is already partly treated and degraded in those pits"
- Wikipedia

As described by The International Labour Organisaton there are three types of scavenging, they are as follows in India:

• Removal of human excrement from public streets and "dry latrines" (meaning simple pit latrines without a water seal, but not dry toilets in general)

• Cleaning septic tanks

• Cleaning gutters and sewers.


Manual cleaning of railway lines of excreta dropped from toilets of trains (very common in India)
is another form of manual scavenging in India


A report by the SAFAI KARMACHARI ANDOLAN (a movement to eradicate manual scavenging in India) states that:



The presence of dry latrine poses a challenge in completing the sanitation chain. In India, people belonging to a specific caste, people in the Dalit community, are forced to complete this chain – The MANAUAL SCAVENGERS

Manual scavenging is considered one of the lowest, polluted and most degrading occupations.

The caste system dictates that those born into a particular Dalit sub-caste should engage in manual scavenging, and should remain doing so throughout their lives thereby denying them the right to lead a dignified life.
The  caste system dictates that those born into a particular Dalit sub-caste should engage in manual scavenging, and should remain doing so throughout their lives thereby denying them the right to lead a dignified life.

Manual scavenging is thus the most extreme manifestation of caste discrimination, that is, discrimination based on work and descent.
The Employment of Manual Scavenging and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 this act prohibits the engagement or employment of persons for manually carrying human excreta, and further prohibits the construction or maintenance of dry latrines. But ironically, in spite of having this legislation for more than 15 years, the practice of manual scavenging is rampant in various parts of the country in both the private and government establishments"

THE HINDU provides us with this startling facts about manual scavenging in India :

Maharashtra, with 63,713, tops the list with the largest number of manual scavenger households, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura and Karnataka, as per Census data.

There were several steps taken to eradicate manual scavenging , those include :

"In the late 1950s, freedom fighter G. S. Lakshman Iyer banned manual scavenging when he was the chairman of Gobichettipalayam Municipality, which became the first local body to ban it officially"

Under this, in February 2013 Delhi announced that they are banning manual scavenging, making them the first state in India to do so.

District magistrates are responsible for ensuring that there are no manual scavengers working in their district. Within 3 years time municipalities, railways and cantonments must make sufficient sanitary latrines available. The government of the state of Maharashtra has planned to abolish the menace of manual scavenging completely from the state soon. But by using Article 252 of the constitution which empowers Parliament to legislate for two or more States by consent and adoption of such legislation by any other State, the Government of India has enacted various laws . The continuance of such discriminatory practice is violation of ILO’s Convention 111 (Discrimination in Employment and Occupation.



The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993.

After six states passed resolutions requesting the Central Government to frame a law, The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993, drafted by the Ministry of Urban Development under the Narasimha Rao government, was passed by Parliament in 1993.

The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 punishes the employment of scavengers or the construction of dry (non-flush) latrines with imprisonment for up to one year and/or a fine of Rs 2,000. No convictions were obtained under the law during the 20 years it was in force.

The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013 or M.S. Act 2013.

Government has passed the new legislation in September 2013 and issued Government notification for the same. In December, 2013 Government has also formulated Rules-2013 called as "The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Rules 2013" or "M.S. Rules 2013". The details about Act and Rules are available on the website of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, GOI.

Further, the hearing on 27 March 2014 was held on Manual Scavenging of writ petition number 583 of 2003, and supreme Court has issued final orders and case is disposed of with various directions to the Government.

The broad objectives of the act are to eliminate unsanitary latrines, prohibit the employment of manual scavengers

and the hazardous manual cleaning of sewer and septic tanks, and to maintain a survey of manual scavengers and their rehabilitation."



People work as manual scavengers because their caste is expected to fulfill this role, and are typically unable to get any other work,” said Ganguly. “This practice is considered one of the worst surviving symbols of untouchability because it reinforces the social stigma that these castes are untouchable and perpetuates discrimination and social exclusion.

Manual Scavenging, even after several tries is still a blot in the Indian society.
Somehow the government  failed to eliminate it completely.
This act  mainly has the lower class as the victim.
It's hard to believe that even in 21st century such kind of discrimination is carried on the basis of caste.
The caste happens to decide the kind of occupation that suits an individual..
No one is born with a occupation so degrading,
You have the complete freedom to choose one for yourself.
It's high time, that the society should shed their mask of equally and actually think about the needy.
The lower classes, the dalits are not to be treated like this.
They too deserve, a healthy and hygienic life like all of us do.
It's time, we respect their existence too.



- Priyanka Chatterjee