The noise of 'Halla Bol'

Its' once again a call to the people of Nation to stand up and fight against injustice, corruption and bribery. Raj Kumar Santoshi's Halla Bol is a one man crusade against the evils of the society.

Ajay Devgan alas Ashfaque-ullah is a small townstreet theaterist who under the guidance of Pankaj Kapoor fought the evils for a better cause. The Halla Bol also gives a glimpse on the movement of street theaterist against the social and political evils. Pankaj Kapoor turned into a social reformer from being a dacoit has a credible performance, few riveting scenes keeping the audience quite engrossed. Ashfaque-ullah changes to Bollywoods' Sameer Khan..not only by name but by all ways that could have been. He makes it big at Bollywood & his living changed bigger. The glams and glamour ruled his life day in and day out. However it just took an incident at a party night that brought out Ashfaque from Sameer Khan. The murder hinting of the reality (Jessica lal Murder case) on that party night fuelled the climax of Halla Bol. And it is here that the story fights out all the bads with support from Ashfaque's wife (Vidya Balan), mentor ( Pankaj Kapoor) and his conscience.

Like Raang De Basanti, Damini, Ghayal, the noise of Halla Bol focuses on the conscience of the man on the street. It lies within as a sleeping volcano, when erupted will cause changes for the better.

The Auto Expo 2008--The People's car NANO

Amidst 29 countries participation,in front of 2000 companies the Hall 11 of Pragati Maidan,New Delhi will feel the magic of unveiling the most popular Ratan Tata's dream of rupees one lakh priced car. Way back was Maruti-800, which was the first car for millions of India. So this people's car is bound to put India in the Global Auto Map. As the car hits the road the 10% of around 7 million strong 2 wheelers will migrate to the four wheeler drive. It was the sight of four people with baggages in a two wheeler which ignited the spark in the minds of Tatas'to make the dream car possible today. Mr Ratan Tata shows indication of rural catchment also for this car sale.This high technology small size car is 8% small in size than the Maruti 800. However the inner space is said to be 21% more.It says to have a fuel economy of 23 kms per litre. Nano unveils in three basic models.

However, we also find the Renault-Nissan-Bajaj will also come up with a ultra low cost car at Rs 1.25 lakh.Their USP will be on higher mileage. Gordon Murray's small car T25 seems not far behind. Even BMW who aims to top the Indian luxury car segment is doing a feasibilty study on a luxury small car. This in itself speaks a volume on the potential of small cars in the emerging market. with the developed countries already saturated & has a more strict carbon emission controls the MNCs' is now vying at India on a large scale.

However with all these goodies, something that comes by natural is the concern on environment. With the people's car there would be a price cut across automobile industry to make vehicles affordable to people. As a result streets will be over crowded, roads to be more congested & emission of pollution will be no less.Its a growing concern as people all around the world is propagating on Global warming. The concern is with such low price will these cars be able to maintain and sustain the pollution control standards. Keeping our fingers crossed we wait for the car to hit the road.

As the Indian economy is growing hot. the automobile industry is growing hotter !!

Parenting

As the sun rises in the Eastern horizon, the calendar flashes another day, millions and thousands of people in different parts of this world celebrate their birthdays in one way or the other. It might range from a 105th birthday to an hour old birth of a child. Every one of us have our childhood memories in a special way to oneself. An individuals' childhood is very important in shaping ones future. They are just born in this earth, as naive & innocent as the freshness of the morning dewdrop on the grasses and flowers. It is the parents that they first look upto. It is the smell of the mother first, that they feel comfortable with. As they blinks to open the eyes for few seconds more they learn to see the fathers' wave. They grow few days old and then get familiar with the colours around, the noise everywhere and recognises the smiling faces all over him. They know they are important, they feel special always and make you utterly special too.The parents begin their noting downs in child book like the first sitting, the first crawl, the first tooth, the first walk, the first sound. The notes remain shut in their books. Begins the wave of comparison with the similar child around him or few children above his age in the neighbourhood.

Knowingly or unknowingly the child has been subjected to a feeling of not good.
Then as the child put his first step away from his familiarity to a school where he is expected to practice self discipline, a place where he would learn how to become a successful man, he is just thrown away in a melee of the unknowns.Their splash of colours here and there seem to fade away. It gets replaced by dotted lines & cursive writing within the stipulated time frame. They fail to respond to their own stimuli. Courtesy--the both working parents or the hectic schedule of this frantic pace of life. This modernity, tech savvy way of life carries with it a baggage of disadvantages too.Everywhere & in every step we look out at the "faayda" (profit)..little knowing that the damage on the minds of the lil' ones is already done...

Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par potrays many a "Ishaan" amongst the children of today. Its an awakening. Parents to realise that they are the bows & their children are like arrows going in varied directions according to their own pace & wish. Inculcate in them the values of Life not the value of only numbers. Children are really special. In our daily life with busy schedules and hectic pressures, the important question to ask us, the parents... are we spending enough quality time with our children... are we having that much patience and time to listen to them... to understand them.

Retail Boom-Growth & Challenges

India being the second most populous country with over 1 billion population, the retail segment is bound to make a difference in the economy. However the Indian bourses is still predominated by the Infrastructre stocks, and partly by the Financial stocks & rest by the IT sector. It will not be long when we would find that the retail industry contributing a significant portion in the SENSEX, as in the US developed market economy. Indian retail industry is broadly divided into organised and unorganised sector.We need to pull on the unorganised sector more to reap the
benefits. This boom in the retail segment of the industry owes much to its young population.With a high growth in the economy, rise in the income level, there is an increase in the disposable income. This income has resulted into a higher propensity to consume.

The increase in the consumerism can be felt when we see a growing number of shopping malls across the cities of India. These malls provide the people with all comforts-being a one stop shop for all goods to easy credit facilities with low interest & less documentation. Previously people went to a market place with different shops scattered in different directions. You needed to specify what you want to buy. Now customers have everything lying in front of them, packaged in most hygenic means, marketed in the minds through exclusive media interfaces. So you
might have gone to buy one thing but have ended up buing more than few. These shopping malls have also been a great help to the working women. To maintain a balance between work and home, hard pressed with time, shopping out in the mall on a weekend helps to run the family with much ease. Kids also find the places attractive, with escalators to go up & down, play area & rhymes CD to hear around. So Life made easier for a particular class of people. Yes, with
urban spending of Rs 10, it increase the rural income by Rs 40. This urban-rural linkage will be made more strong in the coming years with an upward surge in the retail industry.The increase in the consumer spending can also be attributed to the attitudes of this young people. As the saying goes "we wear our attitudes"- it is found that to be updated, contemporary & a willingness to change has become the order of the day. These young people do not mind in having more than one of the same gadgets. This is because they want to be updated, they want to be different & they have more choices in Life. This effect can be best described by the Mobile Handset Industry.This industry has been offering now and then with handsets targeted to different segments of its everincreasing customer base. With few changes, an updated version,added features and a multilayered promotional activities is bound to make a hit. This generation of today never minds to buy another one although the existing handset is doing good.So we are not surprised when we see there is a 50 percent plus growth in the gadget
market.

According to data from Economic Times investment in this retail sector is to be around $365 million in 2008. It is said that big players like Reliance, Aditya Birls Group, DLF and Spencer is expected to invest in Retail Business in 2008 an amount of $25-28 million.


However this segment is to face challenges too for its upward curve in the economy. Infrastructure, rising property price, multiple layers of tax, shortage of skilled manpower, lack of clear policy on FDI, underdeveloped supply chain to name the few.

Yet the India Inc to brave all these hurdles to be amongst the developed economy.

In Search of Happiness

A Search of Life….What we humans search in our day to day existence? Do we all know what is it that keeps us kicking in life & ticking with time ?

Esconsed in the couch with a book on her chest, she mumbles to herself the REASON of LIFE.
Is it the mere existence?Just getting up each morning ,going to work the whole day to buy few thousand dollars to come back home & sleep tight to wake up for another day ..This is the life of the people who just live to sustain each day. They know not what tomorrow holds for them. As the sun rises in the East they walk out to the calls of DESTINY. Have they ever questioned themselves as to where, what, why & how they LIVE.A thought which have often crisscrossed my understanding of LIFE.

Are they happy? Do they suffer?Is the feeling of sadness creeps into their existence?..Do they FEEL the feelings of LIFE .. or is it that they live LIFE as it comes.This is a strata of people belonging to our own society.They are large in number & ever if they question there might be a REVOLUTION !!They have no luxury to feel the feelings but I make myself believe that they do enjoy & are happy because they live for another day & their WANTS from life is minimal.
It is in this society of ours only where we have another class of people who have the luxury to dance to the rhythm of raindrops … Have the time to listen to the songs of the birds from the faraway lands…Believes in the flow of the rivers in the mountain terrain..They work each day to achieve something higher, something greater than LIFE…In this pursuit of material gain & comfort they lose on to the charm of Living…

However are they happy?.. These strata of people can question as what is HAPPINESS?!
A fleeting moment? .. a recollection where you sit & smile..?.. A gesture which can make another person feel good? A deed of kindness bringing a ray of light in the eyes of a deprived child ? A warm hug from your loved ones ? A moment of togetherness ? Sipping a cup of Hot coffee together in a chilly wintry morning…

Do we buy these moments with the thousand dollars we earn?Do we feel these moments just because we have a hefty bank balance?Do we live & relive these minutes just because we know we have a better tomorrow…
The answer to me & me alone is No! … never !!

It is a state of mind …. You can never be happy if you do not want to be…Yes a WANT ?? a want is what defines your way of life… A want is what defines your attitude & it is this WANT that I feel we need to put a rein into to feel the Happiness in Life ‘s Living…

She comes back to reality … back again to the journey of Life like the other 364 days, let the search for Happiness continue … are you chasing it ?

Benazir

It was on the 21st June of 1953, a lil’ girl born in an affluent, renowned, political family of Bhuttos in Sindh, Pakistan. Like every child she also toddled to Jennings Nursery School holding her mother’s finger. In no time she took her fist steps to Jesus & Mary Convent School. As the ray of learning streaked through her mind she fancied within her a word-”Power”.

As years passed by, that lil’ girl grew up to be a beautiful lady. Graduated in Political Science from Radcliffe College, Harvard, she earned her MA degree from Oxford University. In these growing years & learning phase she came close with her father, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Within the subconscious state of her being she admiried the political charisma of her father & longed to feel the power. This feeling of her is best expressed as she sacrificed a year to be the President of the Students Union in Oxford college. Thus her chase for the dream begun.

Armed with western education, this tall good looking lady of Pakistan touched her people with the one charismatic smile. However, although she wanted to join Foreign Services yet she had to take the path of Politics to be what she was.

Hanged was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, & her life took a turn for the people of Pakistan. His execution in the year 1979, resulted in Benazir’s denunciation of Zia-ul-haq, & she began organising a political movement against him. It was the silent rage within her, that erupted now & then. She was put into a solitary confinement in year 1981.

In her book “The Daughter of the East ” she writes ”The summer heat turned my cell into an oven. My skin split and peeled, coming off my hands in sheets. Boils erupted on my face. My hair, which had always been thick, began to come out by the handful. Insects crept into the cell like invading armies. Grasshoppers, mosquitoes, stinging flies, bees and bugs came up through the cracks in the floor and through the open bars from the courtyard. Big black ants, cockroaches, seething clumps of little red ants and spiders. I tried pulling the sheet over my head at night to hide from their bites, pushing it back when it got too hot to breathe.”

This was the kind of torture she suffered physically. Mentally too she felt the pain of her idol being hanged. An intolerable suffering, yet she comes back to the people of Pakistan every now & then. Released from her confinement in the year 1981, she went to Britain only to come back in 1986. Her race to Power began & finally in the year 1988 she became the Prime Minister of Pakistan. That lil’ girl chasing her dream unknowingly came to the helm of POWER. However, the subsequent years were not free from events. In 20 months time her government fell off on corruption charges. It again rose to power in 1993. This time a three year tenure where she wanted to reach out to the masses. However in no time again that her democratic elected government fell prey to corruption charges & she left Pakistan.

I believe Power is an addiction. It beckons you now & then. It drives you to see the unseen, to hear the unheard & to make all things possible.

A mother of three children, a wife, Benazir could not restrict her inner self to come to Pakistan once again. Little knowing what the destiny is to unfold. It was her strive to be at the helm, that overshadowed her any other existence. She did not restrict her presence only to her children, because she felt her need in the hearts of the people of Pakistan. Knowing that her life is at risk, she continued to campaign once again & one more time. What would you call this? —-
Is it her passion to work for the people? Is it to avenge the death of her father in a military regime? Is it a feeling of duty ? Is it to be an embodiment of Patriotism OR is it that dream she once nourised within her. To be POWERFUL..to gain POWER.. to rule & reign at the helm.
She fell prey to a Terrorist attack. She was assasinated in 2007. The end of her Life, a struggle, a journey to POWER and the unfulfilled dreams of a great leader.