Reality shows- Another reason why Indian families are glued to the Idiot-box

   Its has been a gruelling day, and you have just come home from your workplace. After you have settled yourself, you grab the remote and switch on the TV. Its a news channel covering the latest bombings in Pakistan. Switching the channel, you see some tennis match in progress. Irritated, you switch the channel to find a girl in her mid-twenties, weeping on TV. Instantly, you recognize the program, and now pay interest to it, something you've been doing for the past few days. Its another of those now popular reality shows, which your fellow-commuters were talking about in the local train.
   'Its the age of reality shows', as some entertainment pundits put it. Reality shows have been largely successful to capture the minds of millions of television viewers. The fact that what is depicted in these shows are not a work of fiction or the performance of a much-hyped actor, make it even more exciting to watch. Thanks to the majority at my home, I've started following three of such shows. First is a show called 'Lux Perfect Bride' aired on Star Plus every evening. Its about  prospective grooms looking for their perfect bride. Though I still struggle to fathom the show's ultimate goal, I find it very entertaining. Another show which is shown about the same time on NDTV Imagine is 'Pati, Patni aur Woh'. It is meant to test the parenting skills of the participating celebrity couples. Though very amusing in its concept, even a 6-year-old kid will tell you that the scenes are pre-planned and the actors are making a complete use of their acting abilities. The third show is on weekends, called 'Dance Premier League' on Sony Entertainment Television. With Shiamak Davar and Rani Mukherjee as judges, the dancing teams from various states test their dancing capabilities. These shows have surely succeeded in making me a slave to these shows, and even a single missed episode makes me uncomfortable that day.
   This just goes on to prove how addictive these reality shows are. This is in a way because, people can actually relate to these shows. Sources say that, 'TRPs of reality shows are better than those of other soaps'.Reality shows continue to strike a cord with the masses. They have given Indian families another reason to become glued to their television sets.
   For more interesting trivia on shows and soaps, visit this site.
Copyright ©2009 Y.K.Campwala

The Today Affairs India: Indian economy growing in the real sense?

The Today Affairs India: Indian economy growing in the real sense?

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Indian economy growing in the real sense?

   The last few weeks have been those of optimism for India. It follows the fact that people have started showing faith in the country's economic capabilities. The BSE's Sensex and the NSE have shown recent trends of growth, triggered by a fast recovery from recession. Even small businesses affected by global meltdown have recieved a major reconcilation. Stimulus packages have proved to be an enormous contributing factor to a quicker recovery. Another major factor to this trend has been the old-fashioned Indian economy.
   The recent demograhics have proved favorable for growth in China and India, in the Asian continent. India has been acknowledged by Standard & Poor's as the second-fastest growing economy after China, in the Asia-Pacific region. The Industrial Output growth for the month of September has been termed 9.1 pc this year. The business term 'stagnancy' has long been forgotten. Also, with no waiver in stimulus packages, hope is shining among the economic 'gullies'. The Rupee-Dollar value is on the rise, so also are stock market indices. MNCs are said to have made hiring and expansion plans, following the promising economy. Addressing a gathering at the 25th India Economic Summit, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the Stimulus packages provided by the government have been aimed at increasing domestic demand in the face of a global recession. He also expected the GDP growth to return to the 9-10 pc growth trajectory by 2012.
   With these prompts, the worst is definitely over for the Indian economy. But the spoiler has been the food prices which continue to soar, a fact which has been attributed to be a result of irregular rainfall. The above stated economic developments might be applied to the business world, but for the commoner, life has hardly changed. As the country approaches its high in the economic sense, the woes of the common man remain hardly pacified. Is this 'growth' in the real sense?
Copyright ©2009 Y.K.Campwala

The IOC fire burning a hole in the economy

   The last two days have been despairing as I remained glued to news-channels and watched Jaipur burn. The IOC fire has been  a rather unfortunate event, and the losses are overwhelming. The cause of the fire remains hazy, but the result is what we are able to fathom. Even as firefighters and army personell are trying to find a way to curb the blaze, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora has dampned hopes by declaring that the most obvious thing to do is let the fuel burn. Jaipur, which is often called the 'Pink City' now burns in a red blaze and its fate remains in grey gloom.
   It all started in the IOC depot in Sitapura Industrial Estate, situated 15 kms from Jaipur, when fire broke out at around 6:30 pm on Thursday evening, followed by massive explosions. It is suspected that the cause was a leakage in one of the eleven tankers. Sources go on to say that the leakage might have been caused by a mild earthquake the last night, but things are yet to be confirmed. According to IOC officials, around 90 lakh litres of petrol, diesel and keresone were stored in the oil depot. Reportedly, 5 people have been killed, 6 are missing while 150 others injured. Murli Deora, the Union Petroleum minister has announced a compensation for the dead and injured. A High level committee has been formed to probe the cause of the incident. Around 5 lakh people have been displaced from around the area to prevent further casualties. But the losses at stake are huge, projected at around Rs. 300 crore.
   In a period when economic stability was just starting to appear, and was heading towards growth, the incident has been a huge blow to the Oil & Gas sector, which is one of the core sectors of any economy. Even an Arab would find the carpet taken from under his feet, if he saw his oil-well burn before his very eyes, while he remained helpless. In such situations, the phrase "Prevention is better than Cure" seems to be the only cue that we can take. It is hoped that in the times of rising gas-prices, 'stringent', not 'adequate' measures are taken in the future to see to it that such incidents do not scar, rather burn the hopes flourishing oil industries.
Copyright ©2009 Y.K.Campwala

The Great State Election Fest

  As 13th October looks steady to approach, the state and Election Commission are gearing up bigtime to make sure no stone remains unturned. On the advice of the EC, the state has decided to close down commercial and industrial establishments, hotels, malls, multiplexes and restaurants, on E-day. The measure aims to make sure that every eligible voter turns up to cast his vote during the elections. But it transpires to be another failed attempt to ensure a big voting turn-out.
  The present week has witnessed election campaigning by almost every political party to woo voters. Armed with huge posters, party pamphlets and loudspeakers, they tread every street in their locality to plead us to vote for the party. On certain occasions, the candidates themselves visit these houses to make sure that the votes are cast in their favor. As they all gear up for the democratic festival, the bookies are busy placing their odds. The common man seems to be lost in the madness, unable to decide the right candidate, what with enormous promises that galore each of their agendas. It is certainly easier to vote for Academy awards.
  The state has certainly added to its citizen's worries, spinning out policies that make voting mandatory. In a free country like India, is it not true that the right on whether to vote or not should be to the sole discretion of a citizen? It were better if the EC would have stringent norms on the eligibility of a candidate, which would make it easier for the common man to pick out the nobler one. The move would be better for us, than a policy which almost approaches talibanisation. Not to mention the heavy losses that would incur due to such a move.
Copyright  ©2009 Y.K.Campwala

Young Gandhi torchbearer visits UP

Yesterday's UP visit by Rahul Gandhi has been the hot topic of the day throughout headlines. Admist the plethora of politicians who endorse and sensationalize their own visits and trips, here is a man who begs to differ. Going to remote locations, and interacting with people on a personal level, has been an integral element of the Amethi noble. It follows that  Rahul Gandhi has strictly taken to heart, the Congress policy of 'Youth leadership'.
On Wednesday morning, the Gandhi scion reached the small hamlet of Shravasti in UP taking a rather unconventional way of transport. Admist surprised villagers, who had been foretold of a 'bade saab's' visit, he sat and discussed their problems regarding water shortage, education and land issues. He took shelter in a Dalit's cottage, and ate khichdi with them. Rather, a noble quality, something which reminds us of yesterday, when his father Rajiv scouted the streets of the country to get a better look at the people's lifestyle and problems. The young Gandhi it seems, has taken to his family lineage feature of refusing plush political life.
On the other hand, Mayawati, doesn't seem happy, what with Rahul sneaking under her very nose, uninvited. Even the Special Potection Group(SPG) violated its protocol, by not informing the state police beforehand. It seems the SPG didn't want to bother the UP police, who were busy guarding the erection of statues in the state, on Maya's orders.
All said, all done, it is time we need more leaders like Rahul Gandhi who can actually connect to the youth and old alike, who can convince villagers to talk freely about their problems, who can go deep into the Indian gutters and clean them with his very own hands.
Copyright ©2009 Y.K.Campwala

Sino-Pak alliance: The latest threat to India

These are proving to be testing times for India. First Pakistan, and now China.
In wake of the recent firings on the Indo-Chinese border, the Border Security Force is said to have beefed up. Also are reports of IAF planes landing and surveillance the Ladakh area.
In a country which is torn between terrorist attacks, naxalite problems, internal conflicts, rampaging swine-flu threats, economic meltdown,fake notes, rapes, murders and whatnot, this might seem to be a minor issue. But one should not forget the enormity of the the potential threat that China poses otherwise, which is keen to infiltrate our lands, in one way or the other.
Be it global issues, stock markets, or productivity, China has always been a fierce competitor, as far as Indian interests are concerned. The term "Hindi-Cheeni bhai bhai" was long buried, so are any attempts to 'improve relations' with India.
It is long known of how they share a mutual feeling with neighbours, Pakistan, regarding their interests towards India. The much speculated secret alliances between the two countries has been a subject of worry, among the Indian defence. With infiltration attempts on the Indo-Pak border ever increasing, it is but obvious, that somewhere a collective effort to destabilize the nation is on both the countries top priorities. If India has to survive, it would be imperative to target all intelligence agencies, to keep track, if not curb, these activities to the very details. It is high-time that India takes strict action to check the discrepancy, which it so vehemently undermines.
Copyright ©2009 Y.K.Campwala