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MumbaiWeekly Volume 01 Issue 08 FRIDAY, 17 February 2012

feature metro sports people

Charge of the Saffron „Sena‟

The Shiv Sena – BJP –

RPI alliance defied

election pundits and

came out with the high-

est number of seats in

the Mumbai Civic Elec-

tion results announced

on 17 February 2012.

The alliance fell short

of a clear majority in

the civic body but is

expected to retain

power with the support

of independent candi-

dates. In the final tally

t h e S h i v S e n a ,

Bharatiya Janata Party-

Republican Party of

India combine bagged a

total of 107 seats. It was

followed by the Con-

gress-Nationalist Con-

gress Party coalition at

a distant second posi-

tion with 65 seats. The

MNS grabbed 29 seats,

and Independents and

others 26 of the total

227 seats.

The Shiv Sena alliance

also won majority of the

seats in neighbouring

Thane but fell short of a

clear majority even

there.

The Congress, suffered

the most, failing in yet

another attempt to cap-

ture the Brihamumbai

Municipal Corporation

(BMC). The Sena-BJP

combine, which has

kept control of India's

biggest and richest civic

body, now looks set to

extend its rule by an-

other five years.

Conceding defeat Con-

gress party's Mumbai

city president Kripa-

shankar Singh told the

media "We accept the

verdict given by the

citizens of Mumbai.

The Congress-NCP

alliance expected to

win these elections but

people have given a

verdict which is differ-

ent. We will work in

BMC as a constructive

opposition party"

After a fortnight of

campaigning candi-

dates could only attract

a low voter turnout of

People cheer the results of the Mumbai civic polls announced on 17 February 2012. The Shiv Sena alliance retained power in the body.

Saarthak Aurora / Mumbai weekly

Arkadripta Chakraborty / Mumbai Weekly

Consumer Price Index (CPI) to be introduced for retail sector

A girl sits on a window next to a hoarding in Mumbai. From 21 February 2012 the government will release the nation-wide Consumer

Price Index (CPI) on a monthly basis for better reflection of retail price movement and to help the Reserve Bank take effective monetary

policy steps to deal with inflation. The new CPI,according to experts,will eventually replace the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for policy

actions to deal with the price situation. The monthly CPI will be in addition to the three retail price indices -- for agricultural labour-

ers,rural labourers and industrial workers -- prepared by the Ministry of Labour. Shailesh Andrade / Mumbai weekly

Drug use in city

Two men smoke on a street in downtown Mumbai 15 Febru-ary 2012. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), substance abuse is persistent or sporadic drug use inconsistent with or unrelated to acceptable medical practice. The problem of substance abuse in the youth has gained an alarming status in Mumbai, like the rest of India. Narrowing cultural values, increasing stress and decreasing bonds are turning a casual initiation into substance use. Cannabis, her-oin, and Indian pharmaceutical drugs are the most frequently abused ones. Drug abuse is also due to the nature of the drug, the personality, circumstances and the immediate environment of the individual. Arkadripta Chakraborty / Mumbai Weekly

Cont’d on page2

people 2 FRIDAY 17 February 2012 Mumbai Weekly

A woman waves as the election news breaks out 17 February 2012. Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly

A group of men celebrate the election results. Gitartha Goswami / Mumbai Weekly A woman shouts during an election procession. Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly

People line up outside a poll booth in Mumbai. Arkadripta Chakraborty / Mumbai Weekly

A man walks past the Congress Mumbai party office. Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly A woman greets her supporters after the election results were announced in Mumbai.

Arkadripta Chakraborty / Mumbai Weekly

A man prepares for an election victory rally in Mumbai.

Arkadripta Chakraborty / Mumbai Weekly

A man looks for his name in the poll list in Mumbai 16 February 2012

Arkadripta Chakraborty / Mumbai Weekly

Charge of the saffron brigade

Cont’d from page1 45percent in Mumbai

the richest Civic

body in the country

pegged at 2200crores.

We are very happy to

see that Mumbaikars

have once again put

their faith in us. This

has given us strength

and we will not let

the people down.

This also shows that

t h e C o n g r e s s

and NCP are losing

their base in Ma-

harashtra and similar

results will be seen in

the Maharashtra as-

sembly elections of

2014," Shiv Sena

Executive President

Uddhav Thackeray

told media persons.

All eyes are now on

the 2014 state assem-

bly elections where

the Sena-BJP will

have an edge in fund-

raising and infrastruc-

ture that might prove

influential then.

3 FRIDAY 17 February 2012 Mumbai Weekly metro

The city of Mumbai was visited by

an „angel‟ in the form of a PETA

( People for the Ethical Treatment of

Animals) activist dressed in a red

gown distributing red roses urging

people to go vegetarian in Suburban

Mumbai 13 February 2012. The

„valentine angel‟ encouraged people

to show compassion to animals by

sticking to vegan meals.

Valentine‟s Day is the perfect time to

show love to all living beings by

choosing vegan meals said PETA

activist Benazir Suraiya. Not only

will you help countless animals,

you‟ll also do your health and envi-

ronment a favor she continued.

Sandeep Desai, a professor from Mumbai, asks for donations in a local train 16 February 2012. Saarthak Aurora / Mumbai Weekly

Large population of elderly in India is depressed: Report

According to a media report, one in every four among India's eld-erly population is de-pressed, one in three suffers from arthritis, while one in five cannot hear. One in three suf-fers from hypertension in rural India and one in two in urban areas, al-most half have poor vision. Around one in 10 experiences a fall that results in fracture,

while two in five are anemic. A Union Health Ministry note released stated that In-dia will soon become home to the second largest number of older people in the world. 80% of the elderly population are in the rural areas, 30% of them are below poverty line, and 51% of them would be women by 2016.

Above: A man sits by the sea front in Mumbai 13 February 2012. Above Right: A woman sits on the stairs in Mumbai. A recent report showed a large

number of elderly people are depressed in India. Shankar Narayan / Mumbai Weekly

Sandeep Desai is a man on a mission. Professionally,

a marine engineer (DMET), and an MBA, he was a

professor at the S P Jain Institute of Management &

Research and a visiting faculty at several B-Schools

all over India . In 2001, Desai founded the Shloka

Missionaries, a non-charitable trust, along with two

other trustees in order to spread literacy among the

poorest of poor in India. When shortage of funds

started hampering his efforts, he decided to collect

money directly from the common man. He began trav-

elling to and fro in the Mumbai local trains for upto

six hours a day, asking people for donations. In a span

of five months, he has collected over Rs. 4 lakh.

He enters the train and speaks to the passengers in

English, Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati. He explains to

them that donations made towards food for the poor

only solve their problems for a day, whereas dona-

tions made towards education change their lives in the

long run. Desai accepts donations from 50 paise to Rs

1,000 with equal humility. He has already started four

schools in Maharashtra and the construction of the

fifth school will soon begin in rural Rajasthan. Be-

sides collecting funds, he actively looks for teaching

volunteers as well.

PETA‟s

„valentine angel‟

descends on

earth

A PETA activist hands out roses to

people on 13 February 2012 in Mum-

bai. The „valentine angel‟ encour-

aged people to show compassion to

animals by sticking to vegan meals.

Shailesh Andrade / Mumbai Weekly.

Mumbai‟s

„Begging Professor‟

EDITORIAL

OPINION :CHILDHOOD LOST AND NEVER FOUND

4 FRIDAY 17 February 2012 Mumbai Weekly

POINT OF VIEW “ INCREDIBLE INDIA”

A woman walks past a billboard in Mumbai 14 February 2012. Arkadripta Chakraborty / Mumbai Weekly

The art of losing is-

n‟t hard to master;

so many things seem

filled with the intent

to be lost that their

loss is no disaster.

...One Art by Eliza-

beth Bishop

The art of losing has

been best mastered

by the human race

caught in the abyss

of modernity. Lose a

key, a watch, a pen –

the replaceable. But

then we lose time,

way of life, memory,

self- expendables- in

mastering the art of

running.

Life is not child's

play! Life doesn‟t

have time for child's

play. In fact it seems,

life doesn‟t have

time for childhood.

Red and blue bal-

loons don‟t crowd

the sky anymore.

Kites have returned

to their homes.

Cricket bats lie

somewhere full of

dust, unnoticed. Hide

-n-Seek has turned

into just a biscuit

brand. Streets too are

packed with busy

suits, skirts and there

is no place left for

the soft summer

cheerful frocks. Peb-

bles die a lonely

death. Vehicle-horns

subdue chirpy

squeals. The city is

running. We are run-

ning…leaving child-

hood behind.

Childhood, confined

within four walls of

mechanical innova-

tion, seems to fade

out. Gone are the

good old days when

children were born

children, and enjoyed

childhood pleasures

like riding a bicycle

or floating a paper

boat in a water-body.

Laptops and video

games are the toys of

new age children.

The world they live

in is of competition,

both in study and in

games. Childhood

has lost its becoming

now.

Incredible India- as it is

known. For outsiders it

is a rich conglomera-

tion of different cul-

tures, but for insiders it

is a constant struggle to

cope with this diversity.

It may seem simple,

that Indian culture is

the backdrop for life in

this vibrant country.

But thanks to the colo-

nial rule, culture in

India is a melting pot of

many things. It is not,

for instance, uncom-

mon to see people cele-

b r a t e V a l e n t i n e s

Day in modern cities

like Mumbai. Young

couples holding hands

and walking by the sea-

side, will not have en-

raged onlookers. It is

common place to see

expensive shops to

street-hawkers sell their

merchandise to these

couples, besides the

several other promos

and discounts that are

on offer to make the

day special. But in the

same country, also

making headlines are

honour killings -

where young people are

killed, merely for fal-

ling love or wanting to

get married to someone

who may not share their

caste or religion. Again

in cities like Mumbai,

young women are em-

powered to work late

and are safe to travel

even in the wee hours

of the morning. But

there are cities, where

women have been at-

tacked, when seen in

pubs, for instance. The

mix of cultures is send-

ing out mixed-signals,

empowering young

people at one level, and

restricting them at an-

other. And in this vast

„diversity‟ where do we

stand? Are we actually

being liberal, truly

behaving like responsi-

ble educated citizens or

is that just on the

surface? In the name of

values are we in fact

becoming more rigid?

True culture, traditional

or handed across from

the British, should in

fact bridge the dis-

tances between people,

and help people live in

greater understanding

of each other‟s differ-

ence. And that is the

peace one seeks in this

diversity.

Clockwise above: 1) A group of boys sit on a pile of mud in Mumbai. Gitartha Goswami /

Mumbai Weekly 2) A girl plays in Mumbai. Abhinav Reddy / Mumbai Weekly

5 FRIDAY 17 February 2012 Mumbai Weekly feature

Arkadripta Chakraborty / Mumbai Weekly Twisha / Mumbai Weekly

Arkadripta Chakraborty / Mumbai Weekly Arkadripta Chakraborty / Mumbai Weekly

Arkadripta Chakraborty / Mumbai Weekly

People eat at a street side stall in Mumbai 14 February 2012. Street food forms a major part of the local cuisine in the city dishing up food with influence from all over India. Saarthak Aurora / Mumbai

Weekly

Street food of Mumbai Upscale restaurants can be found in every part of the world, but it's the street food which adds that extra flavour to a city – for India‟s economic capital Mum-bai, street food makes an inseparable part of life. To a great extent, it

is Mumbai‟s fast pace that has lead to invention of these reci-pes that are tasty, quick, and extremely afford-able. No wonder, one can find the city streets sprinkled with small eating joints on every corner some more popu-

lar than the other but a savior nonetheless. From the humble Vada Pav (burger bun with a patato patty) to the family fa-vourite „Chaat‟ Mum-bai's street food has eve-ryone from a laborer, to a CEO gorging in com-pany.

6 FRIDAY 17 February 2012 Mumbai Weekly economy

The potato growing belt in north India had a bumper crop this year. However this was no reason to celebrate for farmers as prices dropped to an all time low of inr 3/kg ($.06/kg) forcing farmers to sell their

produce at a loss. The second harvest of the crop has seen farmers abandoning their produce in cold storages forcing cold storage owners to dump the stock on roads. The annual rent of the bags kept in cold

storage (Rs 65 per bag) and the freight charges (Re 1 per bag) which are higher than the market value of the potatoes. Arkadripta Chakraborty / Mumbai Weekly

Apple to quadruple outsourcing in India Apple‟s chief informa-

tion officer (CIO) Niall

O‟Connor visited India.

He had a meeting with two

of the country‟s biggest

consultancy firms –

Infosys and Wipro. Apple

already contributes mil-

lions of dollars to

both companies, but is

reportedly ready to quad-

ruple its investment in

India thanks to its industri-

ous workforces and

lower outsourcing cost.

Apple‟s current India

spend totals around $100

million, accounting for

nearly a fifth of its global

outsourcing spending. The

company already shares

about $50 million in an-

nual business with Infosys,

and Wipro has become

Apple‟s go-to source

for application and soft-

ware testing.

A street vendor grills corn cob in

Mumbai 17 February 2012.

Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai

Weekly

Maize exports on

decline

Maize exports have been increased

by 7 percent to 3 million tonnes in

the ongoing 2011-2012 marketing

year.

2.8 million tonnes of maize have

already been exported in 2011

marketing year (October-

September). There is more demand

of Indian maize in southeastern

and middle east countries. Produc-

tion of maize in Indian might touch

21 million tonnes in the 2012 mar-

keting year. Currently the whole-

sale price of maize is at Rs. 1,250

(25.37 $) per quintal.

Bumper potato crop forces farmer‟s to dump stock

A man looks at products at

an Apple reseller store in

Mumbai 14 February

2012. Apple a popular

computer and music

player brand in India an-

nounced it will quadruple

its outsourcing investment

to India. Arkadripta Chak-

raborty / Mumbai Weekly

7 FRIDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2012 Mumbai Weekly Arts and entertainment

Man looks from his window near a theatre in south Mumbai on 15 February 2012. Agneepath, a Bollywood movie crossed Rs.100 crores ($ 20million) in a fortnight of release at the Indian Box Office, after

setting the record for highest nett collections on the opening day Indian film industry, of Rs.21.72 crores ($4million). Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly

Bollywood churns out money spinner

Small scale pottery industry threatened with development

Dharavi a central dis-

trict in Mumbai is home

to thousands of micro

enterprises manufactur-

ing an recycling various

goods, one of them be-

ing earthen pots. From

five decades now pot-

ters for the northern

state of Gujrat have

made this their home

shaping pots from clay.

They manufacture

flower pots, to disposal

tea cups to artistic vases

which even find their

way into galleries. Most

of these businesses are

family run enterprises

with every one in the

house chipping in a bit.

The pots are hand made

with soil mixed in wa-

ter, shaped on a potters

wheel and either air or

furnace dried later. The

existence of there arti-

sans are now under

threat as the government

has announced an urban

development plan for

the area which most

probably will make

them shift from this

area. The lively hood of

these artisans is now

under threat and they

have no representation

to fight their cause.

Newly produced clay pots are left in the open as part of their manufacturing procedure.

Shankar Narayan Mumbai / Weekly

Shankar Narayan / Mumbai Weekly A man hand makes an earthen pot in Mumbai. Shankar Narayan / Mumbai Weekly

Kabir Festival celebrated in

Mumbai

A dancer performs at the „Kabir Festival‟ in Mumbai 17 February 2012 in

Mumbai. The festival is an enactment of the poems by the fifteenth century

poet Satguru Kabir. Varsha Lahrani / Mumbai Weekly

Kabiir Festival, a liter-

ary festival in Mumbai

started on 17th february.

The performance called

„ A k a t h a K a -

hani‟ (Untellable Story)

is a song, story and

dance presentation fea-

turing three sisters; Jaya

Madhavan who is the

author of the book

„Kabir the Weaver

Poet', Bindhumalini

who is a trained Car-

natic and Hindustani

vocalist and Archana

who is a Bharatnatyam

dancer, will individually

narrate how Kabir has

affected their lives and

jointly sing the songs of

the saint-poet made

popular by Hindustani

classical singing legend

Kumar Gandharva.

Kabir festival intends to

introduce the message

of fifteenth-century

magestic Indian poet

Satguru Kabir (1440-

1518),The festival is a

voluntary effort by peo-

ple from different walks

of life, drawn together

by their passion for the

poetry of Kabir,The

universal relevance of

Kabir Vani is due to the

fact that human nature,

which he understood so

well,continues to remain

the same,the main focus

of the festival is to fos-

ter an awareness and

understanding of the

message of Kabir to the

audiences of Mumbai.

SatGuru Kabir's teach-

ings are being taught in

the schools and univer-

sities of India. Many

people, even those not

belonging to the Kabir

Panth, are able to quote

him freely. Many of his

sakhis are quoted as

popular wisdom in all

parts of India and

abroad. He had a pierc-

ing wit and a clarity of

thought which others

could not challenge.

8 FRIDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2012 Mumbai Weekly Sports

Published by:Udaan School of Photography. Editor: Shailesh Andrade Photo editor: Gitartha Goswami Chief Photographer: Krishanu Nagar / Pratham Gokhale Email: editor.mumbaiweekly@gmail.com

Punching the stress out of life Mumbai is running out

of open space and Gym

memberships have be-

come really expensive.

Beating both these re-

alities are martial art

c l a s s e s . M u mb a i

Weekly photographer

Shankar Narayan visited one such facility

run in the basement

parking of a building to

find young working

executives sweating it

out with friendly bouts

of kick boxing, sparing

with a punching bag

and strength training.

Not only does this work

out keep us physically

fit but is also a great

stress buster said a par-

ticipant.

Football gains popularity Maybe it is not a religion, but football in India does have a tre-mendous cult following. And this following is not something which is just new age. Indian football team qualified to play in the Football World Cup Finals in 1950. International teams and World Cup players have been coming to India year after year. The major hindrance in the devel-opment of this sport in the coun-try has been lack of infrastruc-ture, exposure and funding. But for the past few years, Indian football has seen an exponential growth. With the introduction of the I League, funded by ONGC and aired by Zee, both, players and viewers have started taking more interest in the world‟s most played sport. More and more home grown professional foot-ballers are coming up from train-ing facilities like Tata Football Academy. The national team has tied deals with multinationals like Nike and Panasonic. British clubs are taking interest in the scenario, with Manchester United FC start-ing a training facility in Mumbai and Liverpool FC planning to start one in the National Capital

Region. Indian firm Venky‟s are the recent owners of British first division club Blackburn Rovers FC. Not only are training facili-ties being developed, but the sport is becoming more glamou-rus with football cafes swarming all the major cities. If the pro-posed Premier League Soccer starts in the state of West Bengal, we could be seeing former World Cup players playing in Indian clubs. The respect towards Indian football was seen during the trib-ute match for India‟s most well known footballer Bhaichung Bhutia, when Bayern Munich first team players played a friendly in India. We cannot ex-pect Indian football to be at par with the European leagues be-cause of the very reason that European professional football clubs have been existing in large numbers since the mid 1800s. But the pace of development is constant. And if the sport grows like this, soon a conversation between two Indians about foot-ball will not have a reference to other popular sports of the coun-try.

Boys practice football at a coaching camp in Mumbai. Pratham Ghokale / Mumbai Weekly