Month: November 2014

Categories
Achieve

Sachin Test farewell image wins national photo award

Mumbai’s Mid Day photojournalist Atul Kamble continues to win laurels for his iconic image capturing Sachin Tendulkar’s last Test match.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Atul KambleMumbai-based news photographer Atul Kamble’s world-famous image of cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar’s last Test appearance in Mumbai has won the prestigious MFI-Yes Bank ‘Picture of the Year 2013’ award at the National Press Photo Contest 2014.

Mid-Day photojournalist Atul Kamble’s iconic photograph captures Sachin Tendulkar step out of the dressing room at Wankhede stadium to bat in his final Test innings as spellbound fans jostle to capture the historic moment, last November. The photograph was chosen among over 8,000 images submitted by over 240 photojournalists from across India for the MFI-YES BANK National Press Photo Contest 2014.

The photograph was selected unanimously as the ‘Picture of the Year 2013’ by the three-member jury of the contest which included award-winning photojournalists Pablo Bartholomew, Arko Datta and Rafeeq Ellias.

41-year-old Kamble, whose image also won the first prize in Sport category, will be awarded the grand prize of Rs 75,000 at an awards ceremony scheduled in Mumbai on December 19, 2014. 22 other photojournalists who won prizes in six categories will be also awarded cash prizes worth Rs 50,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 at the ceremony.

“I am very happy. I have been participating in MFI-YES BANK National Press Photo Contest since its inception and it is wonderful to win this prestigious award,” said Kamble after learning of his win.

Jury member Pablo Bartholomew, multiple award-winning photojournalist known for his iconic image of a child victim of Bhopal Gas Tragedy, said “The photograph captures Sachin Tendukar’s retirement from sporting life. The picture sort of epitomises an icon within that frame and that’s why it is important. For once, we are not leaning towards issue-based or conflict-based image, but it is a historic moment.”

“A cricketing legend bidding goodbye, bathed in a warm light, ‘alone’ –– despite the adulation of his cellphone waving fans. There were indeed events of more far-reaching impact during the year but no picture seemed to capture them as decisively and as poignantly,” said Rafeeq Ellias, who straddles many worlds that include photojournalism, advertising, cinema and design.

“Sports images are rarely given the highest honour in any photography competition but this was a compelling image that stood out… It is an image that beautifully combines form and narrative,” said jury member Arko Datta, whose iconic images of 2002 Gujarat riots, and the Indonesian Tsunami, are well-known.

The MFI YES BANK National Press Photo Contest is currently in its fourth year. The ‘Picture of the Year’ award has been won by independent Kashmiri photojournalist Showkat Nanda in 2011, India Today’s Mandar Deodhar in 2012, and Delhi-based photojournalist Chinky Shukla in 2013.

Categories
Tech

This just in: Microsoft Lumia 535

Launched in India at a price of Rs 9,199, this smartphone is Microsoft’s first Windows handset under its own brand.
by Manik Kakra | @Manik_K on Twitter

Microsoft’s first Windows Phone handset under its own brand, the new Lumia 535, has been launched in India two days ago. The phone marks the beginning of Microsoft phones in the Indian market, while the low-end feature phones will continue to be under the name Nokia.

Running on Windows Phone 8.1 (with Lumia Denim Update), the Lumia 535 features a 5-inch (540 x 960) screen with Gorilla Glass 3 on top, and comes loaded with many Microsoft apps and services like Offices, OneNote, OneDrive, Xbox app, and more. Under the hood, there is a Snapdragon 200 SoC (1.2 GHz quad-core processor, Adreno 302 GPU), along with 1 GB of RAM.

On the back, there is a 5 MP (AF) camera (with an LED flash), while the front has a 5 MP wide-lens camera. There’s 8 GB of on-board storage, which can be expandable up to 128 GB, plus, 15 GB of free OneDrive storage space.

This dual SIM handset sports Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, microUSB 2.0, WiFi, 3G connectivity, and 3.5 mm headset jack. Weighing about 146 grams, the phone packs a 1,905 mAh battery unit.

The Lumia 535 goes on sale later this week at Rs 9,199, and comes in bright green, bright orange, white and black colour options. The user will also get free 500 MB of 3G data from Vodafone for the first two months, 2 months of BoxTV subscription, free recharge from PayTM worth 600 bucks, and free EBooks from Flipkart worth Rs 1,500.

Categories
Hum log

Longinus goes the Hollywood way…again

Choreographer Longinus Fernandes is working on his next Hollywood project after two big hits – this time, with the Wachowski siblings.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It would seem like Hollywood can’t get enough of apna Longinus Fernandes, choreographer and overall great dancer.

After working with the likes of filmmakers Danny Boyle (on Slumdog Millionaire) and John Madden (on The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2), Longinus choreographed a Chinese film. He is now back with another Hollywood venture with the well-known Wachowski siblings – Lana and Andy.

Longinus confesses to being “excited and thrilled” about his new Hollywood project. “The artists and the crews [in Hollywood] are always well prepared and exceptional [at their jobs]. Working with the Wachowski siblings was a dream come true for me. The couple of weeks that I worked on the venture gave me some of the best moments of my life,” he says.

Tabrez Noorani of India Take One Productions brought Longinus on board for the Wachowskis’ new project, the Netflix series Sense 8. The siblings are currently shooting the series at a number of locations in Mumbai. Bollywood actors Anupam Kher, Purab Kohli and Tena Desae are part of the cast.

Longinus says, “I was ecstatic when I was approached by the Wachowskis. I am lucky to have always been blessed with good work and good people. The song sequence [that I choreographed] is in English and Hindi and I have mixed Bollywood dance moves with some hip-hop and jazz. The makers wanted me to choreograph the song in such a way that it had a blend of both Indian and Western dance forms. They wanted typical Bollywood moves in the song sequence and so I included desi moves from bhangra and combined classical dances, too.”

Categories
Bombay, bas

So long, Santro…

A Mumbaikar gets nostalgic about her first car and the feelings of friendship, joy and even sadness associated with it.
Shifa Maitraby Shifa Maitra | @ShifaMaitra on Twitter

She was my first car…actually my first big buy, the symbol of my independence. My parents were excited, my father amused that I was taking them for a drive, my mother got me a beautiful Ganpati and my brother was relieved that he would have the family car all to himself.

It was another time, I was another person, the city was still Bombay and petrol was cheaper! The joy of driving, singing along with the song on the stereo and sitting in the car till the song got over, even after you reached your destination.

It was 1998 I think, the traffic was not so bad and you never thought twice before going alone for a drive at 2 am. It was also a time for growing up, to have fun times and some not so fun times. My silver Santro silently saw it all.

From the late night chats parked at Carter Road with gal pals, to driving back from work at Saki Naka and hoping Bani, my colleague and pal, would offer to drive! Feeling like I had arrived the morning I parked at the airport and flew out for a day trip and came back to the airport and drove myself home…but it was my first, so it felt special.

Looking back today, I also realise that somewhere my sense of independence and responsibility grew with my Santro. No more letting random people drive my car, no more drinking and driving…my friendship could not be put to test because, yes, I valued my car and it was there whenever I needed it, unlike you know who…

It gave me a lot of ‘me’ time and perspective. In fact, it even helped me decide, watching a gorgeous sun set at Madh Island, that I was going to be driving back alone. I don’t know how the other person got home, and if he is reading this, I still do not regret what I did.

Back to fun memories, the drive through the fog to Karjat one New Year ’s Eve, to the time we drove to Pune for my sister’s fun wedding, to mom and me taking off to World Trade Centre almost every weekend to shop and do lunch in town…

…to the times I patiently explained to my car that she had to stay home when I went on a date because sometimes it made sense to let the guy feel important! Or that I would always have a silver car, a promise that I have kept.

Sometimes I still miss those days and that car, that was home to CDs and magazines, shoes that were always there in case I felt like going for a walk, the beer cans and soft drink bottles that had to be disposed off before we got home – those days were fun!

I now have a fancier car and I guess a lot more, but whenever I look back at my Santro days, I smile and that is how it will always be. As the car gets phased out, I just want to say a huge, heartfelt ‘thank you’ from a friend!

Shifa Maitra calls herself ‘a true blue Bambaiya’. She is currently a creative consultant with Balaji Motion Pictures. When not gritting her teeth at the traffic, she reads, writes, and watches movies, plays and people.

(Featured image courtesy jessicapuente.com. Image is used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Big story

Mumbai becoming unsafe every year

Latest White Paper on law and order in Mumbai by Praja Foundation reveals huge spike in crime, low policing effort.
by the Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Maximum city is in the grip of maximum crime. And understaffed, under-motivated cops are adding to the problem.

A White Paper released by the city-based Praja Foundation today, November 25, confirms some extremely grim findings that most Mumbaikars had probably already suspected. Apart from crimes against women and children increasing, there is a serious lack of policing, the Paper finds. The survey was conducted with a sample size of 22,580 respondents in Mumbai for the period 2013-2014, across all strata of society, of which 32 per cent confessed that they did not feel safe in Mumbai any more. An astonishing 65 per cent of respondents confessed to witnessing a crime of the nature of an accident, theft, murder, or rape.

92 per cent of those charge-sheeted have got away scot free. Overall, the conviction rate remains at 22 per cent. Currently the city has a sanction of 41,643 personnel, but only 37,159 are working as of now, a shortfall of almost 11 per cent.

Among those who witnessed a crime, 44 per cent have faced a crime themselves.

Extremely serious realities

As per the White Paper:

– There is 47% increase in rape cases and 52% increase in molestation

– North Central Mumbai has highest rate of registered crime

– There is 8% conviction rate in Class II serious offences

– There has been a 66% rise in chain snatching cases

– There has been a 17% increase in cases of housebreaking

– There were 1854 accidental railway deaths in Mumbai

As per a press released issued today, Praja said, “Disturbing crime statistics reveal that Mumbai is in urgent need of change in the area of law enforcement. The city is fast becoming an extremely unsafe place to live in. Recently released reports by Praja suggest that a combination of low conviction rates and high levels of understaffing in the police force have resulted in the crumbling of law and order in Mumbai. Although conviction rates in Class II serious offences (cases involving bodily harm, murder, rape, grievous hurt, kidnapping, abduction etc.) improved slightly from 7 per cent in 2012 to 8 per cent in 2013, they are still very less. 92 per cent of those charge-sheeted have got away scot free. Overall, the conviction rate remains at 22 per cent. This is a low figure. To maintain law and order in the city, it is imperative that these figures rise. Low conviction rates lead to thriving crime and, consequently, an unsafe city.”

From L to R- T N Srividya, Nitai Mehta, Milind MhaskeNitai Mehta, Founder and Managing Trustee of Praja Foundation, said, “Crime has flourished all over the State’s capital, and we must question why there has been such a sharp rise, despite having a police force that is honour-bound to protect the citizens.” Perturbing figures have emerged for the North Mumbai (Borivali, Dahisar, Malad West) area, which recorded the highest number of chain snatching incidents (487 incidents, an increase of 84 per cent) in 2013-14. 44 per cent of the respondents find North Mumbai an unsafe area to live in. North Mumbai figures show that, since most of them called the police helpline numbers of 100/103 etc. (65 per cent), which are manned by a distressingly understaffed Control Room (deficit of 47 per cent personnel), many of the complaints failed to be registered appropriately.”

Milind Mhaske, Project Director of Praja, argued, “There is obviously an urgent need to upgrade and increase staff in the Control Room, so that cases get the attention they deserve and crime does not go unreported”. This can, perhaps, go to explain why there are high instances of crimes such as chain snatching and house breaking in Mumbai. Mhaske added, “In 2013-14, chain snatching has gone up by 66 per cent; theft, by 19 per cent, Rioting, by 8 per cent. These are the crimes that really affect people’s perception of the city. And that perception is that, currently, Mumbai is not the safe and secure place that it once was.”

On the whole, however, North Central Mumbai (Vile Parle, Kurla, Bandra) remains the area where registered crime is most rampant, with 734 cases of housebreaking, 1598 cases of theft and 819 cases of vehicle theft. Nitai Mehta said, “Understaffing and multiplicity of tasks in the Mumbai Police Force is compromising investigation and thereby leading to low conviction rates. A fully manned force will mean that the officers handling criminal cases will focus solely on these investigations, rather than being called on to man roadblocks and performing bandobast duties. Consequently, cases that make their way to the courts will be watertight and there will be an assurance that the guilty will be convicted”.

Currently the city has a sanction of 41,643 personnel, but only 37,159 are working as of now, a shortfall of almost 11 per cent. Due to the huge gap between sanctioned and available IOs (Investigating Officers), investigations have not been conducted in an organised manner. Mhaske contended, “A study of acquitted cases shows that the chief reason for acquittal has been ‘lack of evidence’. This, in turn, showcases the performance of the IO, the public prosecutor and the lack of coordination between the two.”

Summing up, Mehta said, “Priority must be given to training and staffing the police force so that it is strong enough to handle the crises a large and populated city like Mumbai throws at it. Issues related to crime and its curtailment must be a regular topic of deliberations. MLAs must be constantly engaged with the citizens as well as the police force to keep a diligent eye on the law and order situation in the city. Only then will Mumbai become a safe and peaceful city to live in”.

(Featured image courtesy www.thegoan.net. Picture is used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Wellness

Understanding the FX Syndrome

Have you heard about the FX Syndrome? It is caused by a genetic mutation and it affects several young boys.
by Ritika Bhandari Parekh

Every new born baby’s face is searched diligently for signs of its mother or father’s features. It could have its mother’s eyes or its father’s nose. But apart from these obvious physical attributes, how can one know if the genes responsible for that baby are normal or have gone haywire?

One major impact of this can be the genetic condition known as the Fragile X syndrome (FXS). FXS is caused by a gene mutation in the FMR1 gene, at the time of conception. The FMR1 gene is important for producing proteins that help in our brain’s development.

As the FMR1 gene is found in the X chromosome, it usually affects young boys and results in mental impairment, learning and communication disabilities. FXS is also a major cause of autism in children. Luckily in India, there is an organisation called the FX Society which helps to support families fighting the FXS.

Ami and Shalini41-year old Shalini N Kedia, chairperson of the Indian FX Society, started the organisation 11 years ago because of a personal experience. She says, “I realised that there is very little information about FX in our country. I wanted to do something about this.” Despite no medical background, she decided to accomplish three tasks for society.

“Our main role is to support the families which are already diagnosed with FXS. We give them accurate information and explain the dos and don’ts when dealing with the child. Since it is a genetic disorder, not everyone is acquainted with the science,” she explains.

“One of our major accomplishments is that we are very well networked all over the country today. So if your child tests positive, they are referred to us. And with our team of gynaecologists and paediatricians, we explain how something goes missing in the brain,” she adds.

Accompanying Shalini in her mission is 37-year old Ami Mehta Kothari, secretary of the FX Society. A trained multi-sensory educator, Ami has 10 years of experience in teaching special needs children. Ami says, “Our society also educates professionals in the country, because many children are not diagnosed because of ignorance. So we try to have seminars and workshops in educating people. Our third major task is to give women information so that they can take an informed decision when they opt for another child.”

Since there is no particular cure for FXS, the problems can be improved with various treatments. These treatments consist of special education, speech and language therapy, as also occupational and physical therapy.

The Fragile X Society is present all over the world, with the maximum research being done in the US. They have created reading and writing programmes for special needs children. “We have all the international level programmes, facilities and therapies available in the country. Last year, we facilitated the opening of Ummeed, a child development centre at Lower Parel. Thus, we can claim that any child who is diagnosed will get the best facility and treatment,” says Shalini.

But the crux of the matter is creating awareness. “The rate at which the syndrome is growing, we are definitely looking forward to take professional help of a PR firm in helping us reach more people,” Ami adds.

So if you know any child in your neighbourhood who has attention problems or is undergoing delayed development, help them reach out to the FX Society in India. Alternatively if your parent or grandparent is having balance or tremor-related problems, ask your doctor about Fragile X testing.

For more details, log on to http://www.fragilex.in or call 022 666 42151/+91-98201 99092.

(Featured image courtesy www.babycenter.in. Image is used for representational purpose only)

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