Month: November 2015

Categories
Enough said

As an Indian Muslim, I agree with Aamir Khan

The superstar was right in speaking about insecurity. The feeling of unease is slowly growing among the minorities in India.
Humra Quraishiby Humra Quraishi

We are so quick to take offence these days that we do not even stop to think about something being said, the wisdom or thought behind the statement. If an opinion is contrary to ours, we lack the sense to consider it. We pan it instead.

This is what happened with the recent fracas over actor Aamir Khan’s statements. What did the poor man do to deserve such censure? Did his statements about the growing intolerance in the country and his wife’s sentiment that she feared for her child merit such a brouhaha? We are champions of freedom of speech at other times – then why did we not allow him to exercise this same freedom? Did he say something seditious or scandalous? And if we chose to be scandalised by his personal opinion, is he to blame for it?

All the ‘nontroversy’ did was highlight Aamir’s point – that we are so intolerant today, we silence voices of dissent, we crush those who are different from us, we question sanity in the face of foolish rhetoric…

And I would like to ask all those who were offended by Aamir’s statements: Why were you silent when the Governor of Assam, PB Acharya, said this ghastly line, “Hindustan is for Hindus only”? Where was your sense of patriotism when he said this, why did you not ask for him to leave the country? He continues to sit pretty in his official residence, talking like an RSS pracharak – but nobody reminded him of the fact that this country belongs to everybody, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, alike.

But we are quick to ask Shahrukh Khan or Aamir Khan to pack their bags and move to Pakistan – and we choose this particular country for these men because of their religious identity.

It is the height of hypocrisy and naiveté to say ‘All is well’ when it is not. It is all very well for everyone to profess that they do not feel any insecurity or fear, when the fact is that some of us do. Is there any way to predict which artist’s face will be blackened next? Whose home will be attacked? Who would be hacked for eating non-vegetarian food? Who will be called anti-national for pointing out that all is not well with the Motherland?

To say that there is violence all over the world is a silly excuse. This argument is stale and ridiculous. The fault lines that were drawn years ago are now been deepened with these incidents. It is true that minority communities are being suppressed. Few have the courage to speak out.

Superstar Aamir Khan has the platform to speak about his fears and the security to ensure that he comes to no harm. But if a less exalted Khan had spoken out? Would he have remained alive to tell the tale?

As an Indian Muslim, I too have been experiencing some of this fear. It is translating into my everyday actions, into my writing. This had never happened before. Maybe it is a response to the kind of turbulent times we live in.

Humra Quraishi is a senior political journalist based in Gurgaon. She is the author of several books, including Kashmir: The Untold Story and Dagars and Dhrupad, among others.

(Picture courtesy khoobsurati.com)

Categories
Tech

Review: LG Nexus 5

We take a look at the new Nexus smartphone and like a few features. But some others require more work.
by Manik Kakra | @Manik_K on Twitter

LG’s Nexus 5 remains the most popular Nexus device till date. The phone got a lot of things right, and was not only liked by power users who are into Nexus’s products but also general users. Two years since the Nexus 5’s launch, the LG Nexus 5X is out. But does it fare well?

The looks. The Nexus 5X follows a familiar soft-touch look and feel of the Nexus 5. The soft-touch polycarbonate material and rounded edges and light weight make the phone comfortable to carry, but as soon as you press those Volume buttons and power/Lock key on the right, you realise this phone doesn’t ooze a premium feel. The phone has a flat back, plus, front-facing speaker (which also houses the primary mic) and notification LED below the screen.

The ear-speaker grille is surrounded by the 5 MP front-facing camera, sensors, which are visible if you look closely. On the back is the protruding 12.3 MP camera along with dual LED flash. The phone’s design reminds a lot about the Nexus 5, but it doesn’t feel better than other phones priced around Rs. 30,000, especially with Xiaomi, Motorola and ASUS designing phones well below the Nexus 5X’s price point.

Screen. The device boasts a 5.2-inch IPS LCD that’s covered by Gorilla Glass 3. The screen does a great job in daily use for videos, images, and text. It’s not the brightest LCD on a phone today, but it definitely has great colour reproduction, sharpness, and richer Black levels than earlier. It doesn’t have the highest resolution possible but it handles colours and sharpness for videos and images well.

Camera. Nexus phones aren’t really known for imaging. The 12.3 MP (f/2.0 an 1.55 microns) camera is apparently better at low-light shooting. Here are a few sample images.

LG Nexus 5The camera seems capable of giving detailed and sharp images. In low-light and good light conditions, the camera doesn’t disappoint. You can open the camera app from wherever you are even if the screen is locked, by double-tapping the Power/ lock button. The new camera app is much improved too. Other than some unusual focus issue in broad daylight, the camera app works well.

Battery. The Nexus 5X is equipped with a 2,700 mAh battery unit. The phone required to be charged well within 20 hours of heavy to moderate use. But what’s better is Android 6.0’s battery optimisation feature (Doze). Thanks to this new feature, expect your phone to give much improved standby time, when the phone is idle with the screen switched off.

Audio. The loudspeaker on the front does a pretty good job and usually doesn’t distort. It is quite loud and clear, while not as nice as the One M9+ and Note5 (better placed, though), it isn’t really bad either. In-ear headsets are just about okay, and I would suggest getting a decent pair for your new Nexus phone. Basics like call quality and network reception are top notch. Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity caused no problem.

Software and performance. Under the hood, there’s a Snapdragon 808 SoC (hexa-core -1.8 GHz dual-core + 1.4 GHz quad-core CPU and Adreno 418 GPU) along with 2 GB of RAM. Belonging to the Nexus group, the phone is expected to be smooth in various tasks, have stutter-free scrolling, and so on. Does it deliver on those points? Mostly yes. The phone does well when scrolling in apps, paying HD videos in the YouTube app, and switching between apps from the Recent Apps key (on-screen keys here) has been improved in Android Marshmallow. The phone hardly ever lagged, and almost always provided stutter-free experience in games (FF Legacy).

Where it slightly lagged was when switching to Chrome with a few tabs open or using an image-heavy app like Instagram or Imgur and having to load images again when scrolling.

I found WiFi performance and animations to be noticeably improved. It feels a bit more polished and less buggy to use. On the other hand, there’re also a few added features with this new version. One of those is Google Now on Tap. The swipe-up gesture to bring Google Now has been removed and you now have Google Now on Tap, which you can trigger by long-pressing the Home button inside any app.

Wrapping up, the Nexus 5X scores well on these fronts – Screen, general performance, camera, but lacks a little for battery life and aesthetics. While we have seen quite a few manufacturers bringing great value-for-money smartphones in budget, in my opinion, this year’s Nexus launches (the Nexus 5X and 6P) show the Nexus program is here to stay and its advantages – first in line for OS updates, no third-party bloatware, typical smooth performance – are well in place for now. If you’re looking to buy one, you should go for the 32 GB model (24 GB available space) that is priced around Rs. 31,000.

(Pictures courtesy Manik Kakra)

Categories
grey space

Why I was happy when my mother married again

Deep Shrivastava’s mother, Anuja, was widowed at a very young age. Today, she is married and lives in the UK.
As told to Reyna Mathur

My mother is the picture of happiness today – she has good health, a loving husband, a close circle of friends. At 66, she is doing all the things she never had the time or money for earlier. She travels, has a reading club, goes to the park for Tai Chi, even takes a baking class for the neighbourhood children.

This is not the story of a retired woman finally finding the time to enjoy her life. My mother, Anuja, got married for the second time five years ago. Her husband, Prashant, is settled in the UK and runs a small restaurant near their home. I lost my own father, Sushil, when I was about five years old. He had a heart attack on his way back from work one day and died in the train before he could get help. My mother was left to look after me, without an income and no skills that could get her a job.

It is safe to say that my childhood passed in relative poverty. My parents had not saved up too much money, and the expenses were mounting up. I remember seeing very little of my mother in those days…always a great cook, she would take catering orders for parties and weddings. She was always out of the house, even on Sundays, when other mothers would be at home with their kids. I was mostly brought up by my grandparents while my mother worked all the time. If she didn’t have orders, she would take home cooking classes.

I have seen her struggle to raise me, never once refusing to buy me something I wanted even when she had little money. She gave me a great education, a good life at home, even started saving up for my wedding…but she was unhappy. She rarely smiled – I used to think it was because she was tired from working all the time. But it was something else. I realised my mother was in love…

She met Prashant when she was catering for his nephew’s engagement party. They were instantly drawn to each other – he had never married and was not looking for a relationship. Neither was she, because she had a son at home and a house that needed her. But there were sparks, and for the two weeks he was in India, they would meet every day.

I had just started working at the time. My grandfather had already told me about the situation. It turned out that Prashant did not want to be married, and she was keen on marriage. I convinced my grandpa to call him home. It was the sweetest thing watching my mother bring her boyfriend home to meet her parents! I don’t know what my grandparents said to him, but two months later, Prashant proposed to my mother and she accepted.

I had kept a cheerful face throughout and participated with gusto during the wedding ceremony in Mumbai. But as she walked through the gates at the airport to fly to her new home, the tears started to fall down my face. My mother, my saviour, my hero…she was finally about to discover happiness after working all her life for me. As she turned back for a last look, I saw that she was crying too…and then she smiled through her tears.

Deep Shrivastava is a chartered accountant based in Pune. ‘Grey Space’ is a weekly column on senior citizen issues. If you have an anecdote or legal information, or anything you feel is useful to senior citizens, caregives and the society at large, feel free to get it published in this space. Write to editor@themetrognome.in or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Themetrognome.in and we will publish your account.

(Picture courtesy silverinnings.blogspot.com. Image used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Deal with it

How to be a good colleague

Being a good colleague at office has a positive effect on everyone around you, and by extension, the higher ups.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

We have all experienced the effects of obnoxious colleagues. They are rude, brash, uncivilised, miserly and rarely say a good word about anyone. In contrast, we also hold a special place in our hearts for those who are the exact opposite – sincere, affectionate, humorous, and compassionate. Everybody wants to have a good office colleague who can, in time, even become a good friend. But how many of us are able to achieve this level of ‘goodness’?

It is not that difficult to be a good office colleague; fundamentally, it is possible only if you are a decent human being to be a decent colleague, or else you will just come off as insincere and pretentious. Here’s how you start:

Be a team player. We are all employed to do a certain job and earn our salaries. However, it doesn’t help to be so rigid in our thinking at work. We must certainly finish our daily tasks first, but isn’t it nice if somebody asks if we need help when we are lagging behind? Be sincere in offering assistance or taking on someone’s workload if you have finished your own work and have time to kill. If nothing else, help a team that is racing to finish work against a deadline by getting them coffee and snacks at their desks so that they don’t have to interrupt their work. It is nice to help others without an ulterior motive – it puts you in a good frame of mind and your colleagues will love you for being supportive in times of need.

Be generous with your time and resources. Nobody likes a stingy colleague, who doesn’t contribute money for a common cause (such as helping out a colleague who has met with an accident or to get a present for somebody). People also hate those who never pitch in to buy the occasional treat for the office, but who line up to partake of the feast. If you are unable to contribute money for some reason, contribute your time. Volunteer to put up the decorations, or write out messages, or coordinate a small party. The key is to become a part of the team, not remain aloof.

Don’t claim credit for a team project. It may happen that you pitched an idea or gave an input that ultimately helped a project get on the right track. When the project finally succeeds, you should never remind anyone that it was your good idea that helped the process. Be modest when others compliment you on your talent and skills, but don’t jump in and agree with what the others say. The less you say about your own achievements, the more people will appreciate you for your modesty.

Plan new things for the group to do. We all lead very stressed lives, with most of us spending a majority of our waking hours in the office. In this situation, it is very important for each of us de-stress. If not daily, there should at least be a weekly activity that helps the office relax and laugh. If the office doesn’t follow a policy of regular team lunches or movie outings, initiate an activity that everybody will appreciate. Plan a film outing on a Friday evening, or an impromptu snacks and soft drinks party. If nothing else, keep an hour aside after lunch and play some really silly games that everybody will love participating in. People naturally gravitate towards bonding activities, and they will appreciate you for bringing a much needed stress-buster in the office.

Always take the high road. This is easier said than done, but it has huge long-term implications. If your boss yells at you in front of everyone, don’t argue but don’t be apologetic about his or her bad behaviour. Tell them calmly that you would like to revisit the issue once he or she has calmed down, and not before. This may shame the person into behaving better next time, and they might grudgingly even admit that you handled the situation with poise and maturity. The same applies to fights with colleagues. Sometimes, you may even argue with your best friend at work, but don’t engage in shouting matches and arguments in front of the others; but take it outside in a neutral environment. If somebody sends you a string of nasty or threatening messages or emails, do not respond to them till you are certain you can handle the situation in a mature way. Think twice before reporting somebody to the management – remember that obnoxious behaviour is sometimes just a cry for attention and can be swiftly tackled with understanding and firmness.

(Picture courtesy www.pamper.co.in. Image is used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Enough said

With Ved Bhasin’s passing…

We are slowly losing the few voices of dissent in a changing world. Ved Bhasin’s was one of those voices.
Humra Quraishiby Humra Quraishi

When I first heard the news of the passing away of the Jammu-based veteran journalist Ved Bhasin this week, my first reaction was: ‘We have lost a brave man who spoke and wrote so fearlessly…’ Ved will always be remembered for writing with conviction and passion.

He was a soft-spoken man with a core of steel. You could be fooled by the mild serenity on his face, but he could surprise you with his sharp views. Never one to mince his words or dilute details of horrifying tragedies in the Kashmir region, he continued to be fearless in his writing to his last days.

I met him five times in my life, and every time he impressed with his bold insights. I once asked him, “Don’t you fear the backlash that your words can cause? The State machinery does not let anyone get away easily.” He just shook his head and said, “Right from my teenaged days, I never gave up a cause that affected people. I have already detailed the struggles and threats I have faced till date. I have my wife to thank for standing by me all these years – not once did she hold me back from exposing the truths about political corruption.”

Ved was one of the on-ground journalists who was an integral part of the changing landscape of Kashmir. As the region changed and became more vulnerable to attacks and militancy, Ved’s writings became fiercer, more incisive. He was always rooted in the Kashmir soil and very close to its people. For a person who had seen it all in the region, I often urged him to write his autobiography. Such a book, I explained, would trace the development of Kashmir and how the State machinery had always overlooked the upliftment of its masses. He would only smile and say, “Maybe someday I will.”

I wish he had. His autobiography would certainly be an extraordinary work, backed by extraordinary reportage rooted in a place of terrible beauty.

(Picture courtesy www.risingkashmir.com)

Categories
Film

Review: Katyar Kaljat Ghusli

Bring alive the festive season with a musical treat comprising stellar performances and a gripping story of a bygone era.
by Ravi Shet

Rating: 4 out of 5

Katyar Kaljat Ghusli first shot to fame in the 1970s as a musical play helmed by singing stalwarts Pt Jitendra Abhisheki and Pt Vasantrao Deshpande. The same story has now been adapted for the big screen by director-actor Subodh Bhave, who also stars in the film.

The plot is based in the pre-independence period in princely Vishrampur, and centres on the clash between two musical gharanas led by Pandit Bhanu Shankar Shastri (Shankar Mahadevan) and Khan Saheb (Sachin Pilgaonkar). Panditji, owing to his talent, is elevated to the Rajgayak (royal singer) status in the State. He is impressed by Khansaheb’s talent, though the latter belongs to a different musical gharana, and asks him to move to migrate to Vishrampur.

Khansaheb moves to Vishrampur and performs a jugalbandi with Panditji, where the king declares Panditji as the winner of the competition. A frustrated Khansaheb continues to challenge Panditji year after year; however after a decade Panditji leaves the stage without singing which eventually makes Khansaheb the winner and he gets the Rajgayak status.

 

Khansaheb moves to the palace where Banke Bihari (Pushkar Shrotri), the State’s royal poet, and other royal attendants present him with a dagger (katyar) and inform him that the king would pardon one murder by the dagger.

Meanwhile, Sadashiv (Subodh Bhave) arrives at the palace hoping to take singing lessons from Panditji, but on learning that Khansaheb is the new court singer, he asks for lessons from him instead. Khansaheb is furious when he realises that Sadashiv sings in Panditji’s style and refuses to teach him. Though upset, Sadashiv leaves and takes shelter in a place where he meets Uma, Panditji’s daughter, and starts learning the notes her father has left behind. Here, he meets  Zareena, Khansaheb’s daughter, who urges him to come work in the palace disguised as a servant so that he may learn singing when her father is practicing.

The story moves at a fast pace and several scenes have been stitched together beautifully to create an impact. The music by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy is impressively scored to recreate a bygone era, and the camerawork is top notch. Debutant director Subodh Bhave has tackled a difficult subject deftly and extracted good performances from the cast, notably from Shankar Mahadevan, Amruta Khanvilkar, Mrunmayee Deshpande and Pushkar Shrotri. But Sachin Pilgaonkar steals the show with his excellent portrayal of Khansaheb.

(Picture courtesy marathimovieworld.com)

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