Author: The Metrognome

Categories
Campaign

‘Political involvement translates to advocacy and awareness’

Our campaign partner, Silver Innings Foundation, was thrilled to host a local municipal councillor at their Alzheimer’s Day event yesterday.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in
Yesterday, on the occasion of World Alzheimer’s Day (observed globally every year on September 29), the Silver Innings Foundation celebrated a few events at their newly-opened indept attentionassisted elder care facility at Nala Sopara. The facility, A1 Snehanjali, held an interactive talk and play, played an interactive PPT and showed an inspiring video.
“A total of 55 people participated from various churches, senior citizens associations, women’s NGO Sakhaya, students from Nirmala Niketan College of Social work and residents and staff of A1 Snehanjali. Interestingly, the programme was inaugurated by chief guest corporator Rajan Nayak of Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation,” said Sailesh Mishra, Founder, Silver Innings.
He added, “It is important for persons from the political sphere to associate with activities pertaining to elder care and disorders such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. Their participation becomes an important support for any advocacy and public awareness campaigns. If we can sensitise elected public representatives and politicians, the awareness movement can easily penetrate at the grass root level.”
Local churches in the Nala Sopara (west) area also participated by sending two representatives each.
(Pictures courtesy Silver Innings Foundation)
Categories
Event

Largest ever auction of princely jewellery to take place in Mumbai

A sneak peek into the biggest-ever auction of royal Indian jewellery and other valuables to be auctioned at Taj tomorrow.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The biggest-ever auction of royal princely jewellery and other valuables of historical interest in the country will happen in Mumbai tomorrow, on Sunday, September 29, 2013. On auction will be paintings, sculptures, gems, jewellery, and coins, which the auctioneers, Rajgor’s, have sourced from collectors in Mumbai.

Dilip RajgorSpeaking to The Metrognome, Dr Dilip Rajgor (in pic on left), CEO, Rajgor’s explained, “It took about six months to put the entire collection together, after we had purchased it from collectors in the city. There are several wealthy collectors who have precious historical objects in their collections. Most of them are not interested in selling, but we convince them.”

Interestingly, a lot of people who have these historical treasures in their private collections are neither aware of the objects’ value nor are interested in getting a valuation done. “They sell off the pieces when they need money, but they may not get the items valued through the proper channels. An ordinary goldsmith will value a historical gold coin on par with today’s market rates for gold. But the true value is a 100 times more, owing to their rarity and historical significance.”

Mumbai boasts several private collectors, he says, as do other cities in the country. “Most of the collections comprise objects that are purchased from other collectors, while some were purchased directly from Kings. Collectors sell when they get old, if they are not handing rajgors2the collection down to the next generation,” Dr Dilip explains.

The auction

There will be four categories at the auction – coins, antiques, paintings and royal jewellery (this last is divided into 13 sub-categories). “We had an auction for the other items even last year, but the really interesting element this time is the jewellery,” Dr Dilip says. “There are so many beautiful surviving examples of historical jewellery, which give us a glimpse into making styles and design elements of the time. For example, when we speak of the Mughal period in history, we merely think of that era in terms of paintings. But there are so many beautiful items of kundan jewellery to be found in that period.”

The auction includes items right from the time of Alexander the Great to contemporary times. “We have tried to give continuity – there are all ranges, all eras. There are several collectors from outside who have already expressed an interest in buying tomorrow,” he says.

View some of the objects that will go under the hammer tomorrow:

If you want to be present at the Heritage of India Auction 10, register in person at 6th floor, Majestic Shopping Centre, Near Central Plaza, 144 JSS Road, Opera House, Mumbai 400004. Call 022 23820647 for details.

(Pictures courtesy Rajgor’s)

Categories
Enough said

When scenes of strife sicken

Images of riots make us yearn for human suffering to stop. But what about those who actively manufacture that suffering?
Humra QuraishiHumra  Quraishi

I realise that I am talking about the Muzzaffarnagar riots for the third consecutive week through this column. And I also realise that it is futile to keep harping on the patterns of riot and how similar they were to those witnessed during the Partition.

In this connection, I remember interviewing Sunil Dutt soon after the Mumbai riots of the 90s. I asked him if there was any solution to the civil strife and the rioting. And he’d nodded and said, “Yes, there can be a solution. Last night I was going through the latest issue of Time magazine, and the horrifying photographs of war-ridden Somalia shocked me so much that I couldn’t eat. It was dinner time but I couldn’t touch a morsel. Those pictures of people dying, injured and ill, rendered so helpless that most couldn’t even walk.

“And now I am going to suggest that those pictures and others be displayed all over our towns and cities, at all public places and sunil_dutteducational institutions of our country. They should be displayed with this caption, ‘See what war can do to you, your country, your fellow human beings.’”

I had probed him on allegations that he was working only for the minorities during the Hindu-Muslim riots. Looking suitably pained, he’d said, “These are filthy allegations. These are things I can’t even dream of – like people calling me a Pakistani agent or a desh drohi married to a Muslim! Why this propaganda that I’ve worked only for Muslims? When I undertook a padyatra from Mumbai to Amritsar, it was for no Muslim cause, it was for Hindus and Sikhs!

“Even during the Bombay riots, I helped whoever was affected. Obviously I couldn’t first ask them their religion and then help them. Though I have been a victim of the Partition myself, I have suffered tremendously, but my mother taught us never to hate another human being. I have passed this on to my children. It’s important to spread this message because once there is anarchy, it ruins everything.”

And while the tension abates somewhat over Muzaffarnagar (or that is what we believe, safe in our homes elsewhere), I am wondering about former army chief General VK Singh’s recent revelations. Sitting on his safe perch, assured of a strong political career with Narendra Modi as his chief, with an adequate monthly pension to boot, the General has only now spoken about money being given to certain politicians in the Kashmir Valley.

VK singhTwo things: one, if General VK Singh was aware of this, why didn’t he speak out earlier? Why now? Also, if what he is saying is true, is it really as shocking as all that? Don’t we all know that it is an ongoing trend to have money pumped from one location to another – to silence many voices and to keep one’s rule intact?

Little wonder, then, that in each and every conflict zone of this country, a certain section of society thrives. It’s this section – comprising politicians, informers, suppliers, sometimes even the police – that gets rich and flourishes. No wonder, also, that so many conflicts take place in the country fairly regularly.

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.the-south-asian.com, www.firstpost.com, www.topnews.in)

Categories
Do

Film and social media in Mumbai

Two events – one on films and the other on social media – will keep you entertained this Friday evening.
by Medha Kulkarni

Guru Dutt in PyaasaPyaasa, reloaded

In its 100 years of existence, the Indian film industry has produced some fabulous gems in terms of cinema. Today, make your way to NCPA, Mumbai to relive one of Indian cinema’s most iconic films, Pyaasa.

The NCPA Flashback Series, in collaboration with the NFAI, commemorates 100 years of Indian cinema. Every month, Indian cinema’s glorious past will be revisited through a selection of rare classics.

Guru Dutt’s classic melodrama was the first in a series to address the state of the nation and the displaced romantic artist. Vijay is an unsuccessful poet whose work is sold by his brothers as waste paper. Unable to bear the reigning philistinism, he chooses to live on the streets where a young prostitute, Gulab, falls in love with him and his poetry, while Vijay’s former girlfriend Meena marries an arrogant publisher for comfort and security.

When a dead beggar to whom Vijay gave his coat is mistaken for Vijay, Gulab has his poetry published in a book which becomes a bestseller. Everyone who had rejected Vijay now gathers to pay tribute to the dead poet. Vijay disrupts the celebration with a passionate song denouncing hypocrisy and calling for the violent destruction of a corrupt world.

Pyaasa

 

(B&W/Hindi/153mins/1957)

Directed and produced by Guru Dutt

Dialogues by Abrar Alvi

Cast: Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Mala Sinha, Johnny Walker and others

Head to the Little Theatre, NCPA, today at 6.30 pm. Admission on a first-come-first served basis. NCPA members will get preferential seating till 6.20 pm.

 

indiaculturelabOf social media and fashion

Social Media has been one of the biggest revolutions of this century. It has impacted every field and changed the rules. This Friday, September 27, The Fashion Funda panel discussion at the Godrej India Culture Labs seeks to explore this phenomena.

The discussion ‘Is social media the new front row?’ boasts of panelists such a Nonita Kalra (former Editor-in-Chief of Elle Magazine), Malini Agarwal (founder and Blogger-in-Chief of MissMalini), Pearl Shah (celebrity stylist and former Fashion Director of Marie Claire), Karishma Rajani (writer and blogger at the personal style blog Purple Peeptoes) and Parmesh Shahani (head of the Godrej India Culture Lab).

One of the highlights of the event is that the audience gets the chance to take a walk through  special ‘Fashionstallations’ made by Teach For India students – a look into the world of fashion as seen through a child’s eyes.

With a promise of ‘chic kababs‘ post the panel discussion, the event promises to be an engaging and interesting one.

Entry is free but seating is limited so make sure you reach the venue in time so as to not miss it. Get more information on the website www.indiaculturelab.org.

(Pictures courtesy urduwallahs.wordpress.com, 1linereview.blogspot.com, indiaculturelab.org)

Categories
Tech

Lumia 1020 comes to the party

While it has several great things going for it, the just-out Nokia Lumia 1020’s most striking feature is its camera.
by Manik Kakra

Nokia has just launched its much-anticipated smartphone in India, Lumia 1020. The Lumia 1020, popular for its unique 41 MP rear PureView camera, runs Windows Phone 8 OS, and comes with quite a few Nokia goodies. This Nokia device features a 4.5-inch (1280×768) AMOLED touchscreen with Nokia’s own ClearBlack display technology used along with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top.

Connectivity-wise, there are microUSB 2.0, Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi a/b/g/n, A-GPS and NFC. This phone also supports wireless charging, so you can put it on a supported charging pad (like the old Pre), and it should start charging sitting on it. Equipped with 2,000 mAh battery, the Lumia 1020 has got 32 GB of on-board storage, and users also get 7 GB of free storage on SkyDrive (using their MS Account).

Nokia-Lumia-1020Under the hood, there is a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragone S4 chipset, along with 2 GB of RAM. And since we are talking about the Lumia 1020, it would be wrong to not describe a bit about its camera technology. The smartphone boasts a 1.2 MP front camera and a 41 MP (Carl Zeiss) rear camera (with Xenon + LED flash). Yes, that 41 MP camera sets the stage here. Previously seen only on Nokia’s own PureView 808, the 41 MP PureView technology is quite interesting to dig. Nokia’s theory behind this implementation is that, the camera is going to give you details more than before.

What it’s doing is oversampling. You are given options to choose between 5 MP, 8 MP till 38 MP, among a host of other camera settings while taking a shot, and the camera captures a lot of details and so you don’t lose out on details when zooming in. Thanks to the camera’s large 1/1.5-inch sensor, you get a lot more details than a normal camera on a phone would. That means, you not only get good, sharp images, but images without too much noise. You can zoom-in as much you need, and still have your subject clear and bright. With Nokia’s Pro Cam app in use, it is really intuitive to select from settings while taking any shot – from ISO levels, to White Balance, and what not. They have covered a lot here.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 comes in white, black and yellow colour options, but, for some unknown reasons, its price point has not been declared at the launch. The phone goes on sale October 11 and is expected to be available for above Rs 45,000.

Categories
Big story

Dear BMC Commissioner, no hawkers please!

There’s a chance that 1 lakh hawkers will be added to Mumbai’s streets very soon. Retailers’ body will oppose it.

Two days ago, the Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association (FRTWA) wrote to BMC chief Sitaram Kunte protesting against the upcoming Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending Bill, 2012, which is to come into effect once cleared by the Rajya Sabha.

viren shahAs per the letter, the FRTWA is determined to protest the passing of the Bill on grounds that it will add more hawkers to the roads without clarity on who will regulate their working. Produced below is the full text of the letter written by Viren Shah (in pic on left), President, FRTWA:

“To The BMC Commissioner,

Mumbai

The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill, 2012 will come into effect once cleared by Rajya Sabha.

Presently, the city has between 1.5 lakh and 2 lakh hawkers, including unlicensed ones. The Act is expected to add on another 1 lakh hawkers who will spill onto the city’s pavements. Estimates have it that the number of hawkers will be 2.5% of the population.

Considering the latest census, which has pegged the city’s populace at 1.25 crore, the city will have 3.13 lakh hawkers.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has appointed a two-member committee to study the current hawking situation and come up with solutions which can be implemented as pilot projects in the city.

hawkers outside shopsThese experts will conduct street surveys and spatial studies for a holistic solution which can be implemented for the pilot projects. A work order for the study was issued last week. Dadar and Vile Parle have been earmarked as probable areas to conduct the pilot project study. Work on the survey is expected to start shortly after a meeting of civic officials scheduled for next week.

FRTWA strongly objects to this new policy whereby these two members who are going to make 1 lakh hawkers legal and they will be placed through out mumbais market and public places,stations,schools,hospitals which is going to be against the  supreme court guidelines.

Who will regulate them? BMC AND POLICE?

Even now these illegal hawkers are not under any control and the way they have spread their wings in sizes and width, they have not only occupied pedestrian footpaths but also parts of roads in many busy areas of Mumbai and that too main roads like Linking road, Crawford market and most of the station ares of Mumbai where pedestrians have no footpath to walk, vehicles have no road to drive on and  shopkeepers have no entrance for their customers to enter the shops.

We strongly object to such a policy whereby two members are going to give licenses to one lakh hawkers and Mumbai will become hawking zone.

These hawkers do not pay taxes, get goods without any license, without paying any octroi or VAT and neither they pay any income tax.

Why do we tax paying citizens bear their burden and allow these illegal hawkers to occupy our pedestrians footpath, roads and shop windows and entrances of shops without any tax to the Government?

We will approach the Supreme Court if such policy is passed by Rajya sabha.

We will not allow hawkers in front of our shops in Mumbai.

Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association (FRTWA)

Viren shah
President

(Pictures courtesy www.nscimumbai.com, www.wildjunket.com, www.dnaindia.com. Hawkers’ images used for representational purpose only)

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