Month: February 2014

Categories
Enough said

Letting books be banned

The withdrawal of Wendy Doniger’s book raises one important question – when will freedom of speech truly prevail in India?
Humra Quraishiby Humra Quraishi

Books have been in focus all since last year and even into 2014, but one book is the cynosure of all eyes at the moment – it is Wendy Doniger’s book, The Hindus: An Alternative History.

With the publishers (Penguin India) deciding to take the book off the shelves, it is time to ask ourselves some hard questions. Does anybody have the right to ban or withdraw a book because it offends somebody? Have we really not ‘developed’ yet? Where are the proofs of our so-called civilised thinking? Where are the people that support free speech? Most importantly, why are hardcore fringe elements allowed to sabotage creativity?

It is time that publishers, authors and academics dwell on these aspects at the ongoing World Book Fair, from January 15 to 23 at New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan. They must dwell also on this irony – every second city in this country is hosting a literature festival, yet we are becoming an increasingly intolerant society, and worse, a society that panders to the wishes of a handful of bullies.

While on the subject of books and publishers, I want to talk of the few people who have had the grit to self-publish their books. One such writer is Rajiv Soni, a chartered accountant-turned-writer. He has written two novels, Seher and Aaliya.

I had to ask Rajiv (in pic on right) about the ways of self-publishing one’s books. This is what he had to say, “When I approached some known publishing houses in 2010 for Seher, my first book, I rajiv sonimet with the following responses: ‘Oh, you’re a chartered accountant – why don’t you write a book on Accounting? Or, ‘Please leave your manuscript with us, we’ll get back to you (and not before three months),’ or ‘You’re a new author so please be ready to take 5 per cent (or even less) and that too, after six months.’

“I’ m so glad all this happened because I decided to go it alone. I built a small team comprising a ‘hard to please’ editor, a hardworking typesetter and a printer with good knowledge of paper GSM and ink types, a creative graphic artist who would understand what I wanted my cover to convey. The important issue then, is distribution. Fortunately I have a database of students whom I have taught over last few years…15,000+ in number. There is then a cascading effect if the book is ‘good’. Word of mouth is important…”

Selling hard copies via the web is an avenue that is also important – Flipkart, Snap Deal, Amazon and others can help with this. And now, with self-publishing possible in the form of Amazon’s Kindle platform (which enables an author to instantly start selling their books on the world’s biggest book marketplace) new authors are coming to realise that they no longer need big publishing houses to get their works out into the world and start making money.

Rajiv adds, “All in all, I’d still be happy to be associated with a reputed publishing house, but if that’s going to be like aspiring to have breakfast on Mars, then I might as well use that energy and thought into writing my next books: Karma in America, sequel to Seher.’

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of Kashmir: The Untold Story and co-author of Simply Khushwant.

(Pictures courtesy www.lokvani.com, www.newswala.com)

Categories
Do

Go birding!

bee-eaterUnique four-day global event invites citizen scientists to participate in a ‘spot a bird’ initiative – in their own backyard.
by Adithi Muralidhar

If you have always had a fascination for observing birds, this is a great chance for you to convert that hobby into something productive. The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is back with a bang!

GBBC is an annual four-day (February 14 to 17, 2014) event that engages bird watchers from all over the world. A citizen science initiative, this event is as simple as maintaining a sincere account of the birds you sight in your backyard. It attempts to create a real-time snapshot of the location and the birds found there. Organised jointly by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada, GBBS is sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited.

What is the event about?

To understand how to participate, first visit this page.

– Decide on a location where you want to bird. You could do this sitting by your window, sipping your morning coffee or on a walk to a nearby park, or visit to a national park/ bird sanctuary. The minimum time limit to do birding is 15 minutes.

– Observe the bird, note down the species, and note down how many individuals you can see of that particular species.

– Note down important aspects like time of the day, duration of birding, weather, any behavioural observations, and estimates of the number of individuals of a species.

– Register to enter your results here. Enter your results on the GBBC website by clicking on ‘Submit Observations’. Apart from entering the bird check-list, you will also be asked to map your location, mark the day and time, whether your sightings were incidental, during travel or while stationary. You will also be required to enter data like how many people contributed to the checklist, sighting of rare birds, unusual or peculiar bird behaviour. It is also important to mention if you are reporting all the species you saw or only the ones you could identify.

– If you are not familiar with identification of birds, try and check with peers, or use a field guide. Do not guess the names or enter unsure sightings.

– If you still have questions, visit this page GBBS’s FAQ section.

Why participate? 

Monitoring bird populations all over the world can tell us a lot about the status of a bird species – you can keep account of their abundance/absence in some areas, their migratory patterns, their breeding grounds, their behaviour and distribution, monitor any ill effects due to pollution and climate change, etc. This is a Herculean task and it cannot be done by a single team of scientists or nature enthusiasts. A collaborative effort like this will help put together pieces of the puzzle from all over the world, which will in turn help the scientific community to make inferences on trends in bird populations.  In 2013, 110 countries participated in GBBC and India contributed to the third highest chunk of checklists (467). Hopefully, with more participation from nature enthusiasts this year, we can do our bit and contribute to this initiative.

But remember…

While GBBC encourages participation from all age groups; beginners, amateurs and experts, one should take care that you are contributing to a global science project. This citizen science initiative asks for numerous individuals to contribute their observations of a particular subject (in this case, birds) to a central database, which in turn will be analysed by scientists. This empowers the scientific community since now they are equipped with a massive set of volunteers who contribute to enhancing their observational research. So, be sincere and responsible while doing your bit.

Adithi Muralidhar is currently an Associate Fellow with Observer Research Foundation, Mumbai. Apart from her pursuits in environment, education and sustainability, she also has a keen interest in socio-cultural issues. 

(Pictures courtesy GBBC website, Adithi Muralidhar)

Categories
Guest writer

Rise. Dance. And don’t stop talking!

A Mumbaikar has a V-Day message for the women who are battered by men, and for men who abuse women.
payal tiwariby Payal Tiwari

A few months ago

The phone was ringing at 3:00 am. Your sobs woke me up. He raised his hand on you! It sounded unbelievable to me…How could he? I know him so well…He’s so good to women, to you, to me, to everyone! This is unacceptable. I know you were bruised that night. I was too ill equipped to handle the situation, too scared to get you away from that house. You kept crying…I silently heard you cry.

A few weeks ago

We all met at our favourite café for Sunday brunch. I was so excited to meet you, we hadn’t met since you moved in with your boyfriend. He is so caring in his own way, it’s always fun being around you two. And I am knocked out of my senses when you tell me what you two have been going through these past weeks. My head throbs with shock as I hear you open up to me. How could you have survived alone in that house? How does he not acknowledge it as violence? Why do you not walk out of it each time wordlessly?

A few days ago

I have been in love with your ways of defying structures; we’ve all grown to theoretically understand various facets of feminism and practicing it in every way of our existence. Our conversations reinforce various facts and I register how prevalent and widespread domestic violence is in intimate relationships. We talk endlessly of love, power, and violence. I dissolve into thoughts and images of how he physically abused you after giving up on the ‘discussion’ he was having with you!  I feel a surge of confidence to hear that you decided to move on…Passing the stage of passive onlooker, who hopes that this was the last time, and he is so apologetic about it!

Today

Over drinks and food, you have opened up about all those girls in your college who occasionally got a beating or two under the garb of their partners being ‘possessive’. I remember you once telling me: “I like to be with a ‘manly’ boy and well. . .These things come with baggage!”

Domestic violence is endemic in nature! From marriage to live-in-relationships, domestic violence in various forms (emotional, physical, financial, and sexual) is extremely violence against womenprevalent in intimate relationships. Abusers are not peculiarly crooked-looking men who beat their wives to pulp, they can be the most loving and caring partners who resort to violence after a bad day or might not consider any other way of conflict resolution but to raise their hand.

But no incident is ‘provocative’ enough to invite someone to raise their hand. No ‘mistake’ is big enough to justify an episode of violence. ‘Just one slap’ IS domestic violence. That ‘one slap’ is also capable of ruining someone’s self confidence to such an extent that they start showing withdrawal symptoms.

Will we forever maintain silence around this issue, because it happened just once and we are sure he “won’t do it again?” Each day I get more concerned about violence against women. Because it is happening every day, every minute! Where do we go from here? Do we wait till this violence ends or do something about it? What can we do about it? Is this only a ‘women’s issue’ and does not affect men at all? Is the definition of violence restricted to only ‘physical battering’? No. It is not only a women’s issue because men also get affected by violence.  Violence spreads because of sexist attitudes that form a part of a certain culture that perpetrates rape and violence against women. This violence is of various degrees and moves beyond physical battering. It includes verbal thrashing (constant taunting, comparisons, constantly finding faults etc.) as well.

Eve Ensler, the writer of The Vagina Monologues suggests that one billion women across the world stand up together on February 14, 2014 and dance just like that they did last year. This year we stand up for justice for those who have been fighting for it.  Let our dance be symbolic, and let’s unite against violence on women! There are many ways of celebrating, many ways to unite…  Let this fabulously festive way be our language to acknowledge the violence that women face very often!

We need stories, we need dialogues, we need conversations, and I am angry that we choose to ignore these incidences. I blame the parents, friends, colleagues and relatives of these men who are violent towards women. When will we have the conversation with these abusive men? If he did it once, he could do it again… 

I want us to talk unabashedly, as loud as we can. And together we need to talk. I want men, women, members of the LGBT community, everyone to come together and dance till the violence against women ends. I want to scream and shout till the violence against women ends! And in order to stop this violence from occurring we need to dance, fight, yell and talk… As hard as we can and as much as we can!

Payal Tiwari is a researcher on gender issues, and is based out of Navy Nagar, Mumbai. She holds a master’s degree in Women’s Studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). A fervent animal lover and a staunch feminist, she loves to travel, drink chai and read.

(Pictures courtesy ibnlive.in.com, faridabad.haryanapolice.gov.in)

Categories
Bombay, bas

So, you’re new to Mumbai…

Your only chance at survival in this magnificent metropolis is to learn about life here and why it ticks so.
by Dr Pooja Birwatkar

As a child, I heard a lot of stories about the big bad world that existed somewhere. A place where people were like machines devoid of emotions, leading a mechanical and calculated life, where crimes that one read about in stories actually occurred and people were heartless, self-absorbed and practical. Coming from a small hilly town with a close-knit community, I always wondered where this world was. Slowly I discovered it was called Bombay (in those days), and which we now know as Mumbai.

When I came to know that I have to visit this city, my first reaction was that of fear and a reluctance to go. As advice such as ‘Be careful there!’ from near and dear ones poured in my ears, my anxiety and restlessness grew. I landed in Bombay after many scary dreams and nightmares that I underwent all through the journey. The city appeared magnificent, voluminous and bustling. I remember clutching at my mother’s bag and holding her hand tight as we walked past Gateway of India.  Every person, to me, seemed dubious, and the crowded city looked so threatening. I went back with the resolution never to come back. But as fate would have it, I was back years later after having married a Mumbaikar. I questioned my fate – Why did I return, of all the places, to Mumbai? But being left with no choice, I settled for a life here.

Mumbai dads are like Santa Claus, because they usually come home late – normally when the kids are fast asleep.

In my initial year, I learnt a few things about the city:

– ‘Ka’ must be suffixed to all action words – jaaneka, khaneka, baithneka, rukneka, etc.

– If someone asks where your room is, the person is asking for your address and not about your personal room in your house.

– ‘Bumper to bumper’ means that there is a traffic jam and ‘mama’ is the name given to the traffic police man.

cutting chai– ‘Ek cutting dena‘ means give half a cup of chai.

– Everyone is genuinely busy in Mumbai. Soon, this will rub off on you, too.

– Everything you heard about the local trains of Mumbai is, unfortunately, true. But if one has to learn punctuality, learn from the local trains.

– If someone standing in the local train asks you which station you will get down at, it does not mean the person is interested in you or trying to be friendly. It simply means that your seat is now booked by him/her.

– Well groomed, hair in place, large bag, sandwiches or roti wraps in foil and cut fruits in zip lock bags, latest novel and big glares on…this is what a woman in the ladies first class coach normally looks like. To identify the second class ladies coach, you need no training – it is bursting with women, but is more homely. It is okay if you did not get time to eat or wear your accessories in a bid to catch the train, as you can buy all of it here.

– In Mumbai, the rains do not stop life, nor do terror blasts. However, local trains and BEST buses do manage to halt life momentarily.

– Winters are hardly present here, but nevertheless, Mumbai celebrates the spirit of winter.  Though the weather is merely pleasant, Mumbaikars still shiver, light fires, wear warm clothes and say ‘Arre, thandi hai kafi.’ This might make people from the North, who are used to harsh winters, roll their eyes and mock these deprived souls, but Mumbaikars don’t care. If they are not sweating, then it is winter in the city.

– It is never too late to go and eat dinner outside. Restaurants would be open. Almost everything gets home delivered.

– Mumbai dads are like Santa Claus, because they usually come home late – normally when the kids are fast asleep. You expect the dhobi, pavwala, bhajiwala to be there in the crowdsevening when your door bell rings. It is unusual to find your husband so early at the door. The first reaction to your husband home early is to wonder if he is unwell or if there has been a bomb blast in the city.

– It is easy to cross the road despite the traffic, as discipline still prevails. I am not joking – once a dog stood next to me at a zebra crossing and waited patiently to cross the road.

– ‘Sobo’ means ‘South Bombay’, and if you are a Sobo resident, you are usually envied and considered to have ‘class’. Going to Kala Ghoda in Sobo is a status symbol.

– If you ask for directions, people will seldom say they don’t know. They make every effort to help you. Rest assured that you are bound to reach with the directions given to you.

– It is hard to imagine this, but amidst the hustle-bustle, Mumbai has a strong religious streak and rejoices during festivals.

– The ‘aam janta‘ here is not fashion-conscious, and frankly, they don’t care about the latest trends. Unlike their counterparts in other areas of the country, people here don’t look down upon you if you are not fashionably dressed.

– Mumbaikars are not star struck, but local train-struck. They would prefer missing seeing a celebrity over missing their long distance train.

New entrants like me owe a lot to this city. Mumbai makes you stronger – much more than you ever thought you could be – and teaches you to raise your self-esteem, and instills fearlessness and strength to go on. I now love this pulsating, vibrant city which never sleeps. So, to all you newcomers, it would be just a matter of time before you would also say with pride like me, “Yes, I am a Mumbaikar and it is my own aamchi Mumbai”. I belong here and I am happy to be here.

(Pictures courtesy Nidhi Qazi, www.thehindu.com, mumbaithecityofdreamscometrue.blogspot.com)

Categories
Event

Film fest: On gender issues and masculinity

Men Against Violence and Abuse (MAVA) and Ramnarain Ruia College are organising a two day film fest, starting from tomorrow.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It is an issue that is currently defining how society looks at women – gender issues have never been as significant as they are today. Seeing them through the prism of masculinity adds another dimension to their scope.

Film fest Final jpgKeeping this in mind, the city-based Men Against Violence & Abuse (MAVA), in collaboration with Ramnarain Ruia College, Matunga, has organised a two-day inter-collegiate film festival titled ‘Sama-bhav’. The festival starts today, February 13, 2014 and ends tomorrow.

“Around 11 feature, short and documentary films on the theme of ‘Gender, Masculinity and Relationships’ will be screened on both the days at the Ruia College Auditorium,” informs Harish Sadani of MAVA. The festival will be inaugurated by noted film actress Sonali Kulkarni, eminent social thinker Pushpa Bhave and gay rights activist Pallav Patankar.

What to expect at the Fest:

There will be a package of three groups of films that would be screened at the fest.

Group one: Intersection of caste-class-religion-gender and violence against women.

Dhag – in Marathi, by Shivaji Lotan Patil (in picture above)

Hasina – in Kannada, by Girish Kasarvalli

Asabhya Betiyan – in Hindi, by Nakul Singh Sawhney

Saving Face – from Pakistan, by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy

Osama – from Afghanistan, by Siddiq Barmak.

 

Group Two: Re-examining Masculinity

Till We Meet Again, by Rahul Roy

Boys Cannot Be Boys, by Continuing Education & Training Centre

Thanks – in Marathi, by Devendra Balsaraf.

 

Group Three: Lives of homosexual and transgenders

Bioscope, by Nirantar,

Transgenders: Pakistan’s Open Secret, by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy

Ebang Bewarish – in Bengali, by Debalina.

 

Head to Ramnarain Ruia Auditorium, Ruia College. The festival will be held from 10.30 am to 6.30 pm. There is no entry fee, but registration is mandatory. Interested college students, faculty, representatives of voluntary organisations and health professionals must register their names via email at saharsh267@gmail.com or call Manas Barve on 99697 65666.

(Pictures courtesy archives.deccanchronicle.com and Harish Sadani)

Categories
Become

Building a business on Mumbai’s traffic

Co-founder of Traffline, a traffic info service started in Mumbai, explains how he and his team made the startup successful.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It was a revolutionary idea for the country – log on to a website or app and find your nearest road route, with directions on how to get there and how much time you would need. When Brijraj Vaghani and Ravi Khemani (left and right in pic above) returned from the US at the end of 2008, however, they realised that the germ of a great idea they had could develop into something big and beneficial for India.

trafflineThe duo started Traffline in 2012, and till date, the traffic info service has been one of the fastest growing ones in the country. It is of especial use in busy cities like Mumbai and Delhi, where there is a heavy reliance on road transport. “However, India does not have a culture where one looks up information on the web or on one’s mobile phone when it comes to travel,” says Brijraj, speaking to The Metrognome from his Vile Parle office.

“Indians don’t check out traffic conditions till they are actually stuck in traffic. And even then, they avoid travelling instead of looking for alternate routes. Inculcating the culture of looking up traffic info before leaving the house, then making it a habit, was the biggest challenge for us,” he explains.

Small beginnings

Brijraj and Ravi set up Birds Eye Technology in 2011, and Traffline started operations in 2012. India is a very rich market for traffic apps, Brijraj says, because of the “multiple modes of transport, the multiple routes you have, especially in Delhi.” He adds, “We got together with two more guys – Sushant Bansode and Rizwan Ansari, and got working on Traffline.”

“You must build a good team, and you must be willing to go out there and sell your idea. Going out on the field is crucial. You cannot build your business sitting in office,” Brijraj says.

The start was frustrating – where were they to source data from? “The infrastructure to map and source data did not exist, not just in Mumbai, but even in Delhi and Bengaluru,” Brijraj says. “We had to actually go out on the field and collect data. Our initial data came from GPS installed in cabs and private vehicles. We also approached the Mumbai traffic police, but they were not helpful at first. It was tough.”

The team started work with field operations, renting out servers from Amazon, and procuring office space. “We procured angel funding in the first year. This took care of our inter-country travel, staff salaries, business development. Building the software itself took up to Rs 15 lakh,” Brijraj says.

Traffline has just received its third series of funding. “With every phase of funding, we expand our staff and business a bit more,” Brijraj explains, adding that Traffline aims at a presence in 10 Indian cities by the end of year 2014.

How does one start a business like this?

There is no substitute for ground work and market research. “What is the need for such a service? Who will benefit? What are the ways to make the business more user-friendly? Entrepreneurs must ask themselves these questions,” Brijraj advises. “There must be a plan at the very start – how much money will be needed, what are the business development plans, what kind of promotion are you looking at?” he adds.

Money is a crucial element in a business like this, more so, because the returns come in much later. “You have to build your database first, generate awareness, get users hooked. Once the business becomes stable, you can scout for funding,” he says.

The big ‘F’

Procuring funding is a step that most start-ups falter on. But it’s simple, actually. “A good idea is to take money from friends and family at the start – they are least likely to bother you about returning the money and will be patient with you more,” he advises.

Clarity of vision is important, Brijraj says. “You have to be clear in your head about what your business is, where you want it to go. Merely attending an investors meeting with a PPT will not help. Be honest, do your groundwork, and be clear about your expectations. You will find that people will invest in your business.”

Other key elements

Apart from funding, he says, other challenges are running the business from day to day. “At the start, it can be daunting and very frustrating,” he says. “Perseverance is key. And trafline-team-300x160always start a business with a good co-founder that you can trust.”

In the case of Traffline, Brijraj handles the business development side while Ravi looks after daily administration, finance and project management. “You must build a good team, and you must be willing to go out there and sell your idea. Going out on the field is crucial. You cannot build your business sitting in office,” Brijraj says.

In Mumbai, Traffline has now developed an excellent working relationship with the traffic police. “We worked together a lot during the recent Syedna funeral, and the Ganpati festival last year. We sit in their control rooms and issue alerts. This has happened after continuous follow up, and the traffic police see value in our services. Now they call and inform us about closed roads or traffic restrictions,” Brijraj reveals.

Key tips

Brijraj confesses that he took his time coming around to the idea of working on Traffline full time. “If you are sceptical or have the least doubt, work on the project part time. But keep researching the model constantly. Take the plunge to join it full time only when you have the confidence to do so.”

Be patient till the money comes in, he says. “Now that we are known and that we have funding to back us, naturally the expectations from us have increased. This means that we have to scale up our operations faster, grow our consumer base exponentially, come up with better products. Venture capital is like rocket fuel – it can take you from one spot to another very quickly, and people will also be willing to work with you more if you have funding,” he says.

(Pictures courtesy Brijraj Vaghani)

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