Filed under: Cynthia Chandran | Tags: attacks, Mumbai, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, terrorists
“I no longer want to see India as I feel it is unsafe anymore”. Randeep Hooda, a British born Indian and an undergraduate student in University of Westminster had never been to India and were planning to visit Mumbai during Christmas holidays.
Mr.Hooda’s sentiments clearly bring out the frustration about the 26/11 attacks. Like Mr.Hooda, there are several Indian students in the University of Westminster’s Harrow campus appalled at the terrorist’s attacks in Mumbai. Majority of them criticised the Indian government’s failure to pre-empt the attack and the time taken to flush out the terrorists.
The 26/11 attacks have killed more than 170 people and scores of people injured. Two of Mumbai’s best five star hotels, Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi Trident, a posh café, Leopold and a busy railway station were the few places the terrorists had struck.
Anxious moments at the Oberoi Trident Hotel.
Photograph with special permission from Indiavision News Channel.
One of the Master’s student who is doing Public Relations in Westminster, Misha Bothra were literally on tenterhooks as her close friend who was working as a jewellery designer with Thribhuvandas Bhimji Zaveri (TBZ) showroom in Taj was trapped for more than 24 hours.
“Nidhi Thakker was getting married next week and the day the terrorists struck was her last working day at the shop and she escaped from the gallows of death very narrowly”.
Nidhi had to hide under a jewellery display table until the National Security Guards (NSG) stormed in to save her and her colleagues.
Nidhi and her friends were led to the front of the hotel and put in a bus safely. She had severe leg cramps due to the crouching posture and was glad to take in fresh air.
Venting out the frustrations
Sanjay Singh, a computer animation undergraduate student echoed his sentiments, “No matter what the terrorists do to terrorise people, I being a Mumbaiker will move on with my life. I want all terrorists to be shot dead without giving them a chance democratically”.
Meanwhile, Mumbai returned to normal track with markets and schools opening and heavy traffic on the streets.
The violence, which began on Wednesday night, finally ended on Saturday morning, when Indian troops killed the last of the gunmen at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel.
Filed under: Cynthia Chandran | Tags: Ashok Gehlot, BJP, Gujjar, Scindia, seats
Why was Vasundara Raje Scindia, the former Chief Minister of Rajasthan defeated in the state elections recently? Her defeat brought shock waves all over the country.
She belonged to the erstwhile royal family of the Scindia’s and she always carried the charisma of being an elite. There was some form of aura which made the people respect her.
But that did not help her win the election this time.
The national BJP (Bharathiya Janatha Party) leadership had not projected her as the chief ministerial candidate this time.
There were severe differences of opinion between her and the State BJP chief, Prakash Mathur on various personal issues. The problems started between them during the party ticket distribution.
According to Indian Express, BJP which had 120 out of 200 seats, had to satisfy with 78 MLA’s behind congress which has 96 members in the assembly.
It is widely believed that the Gujjar community had made sure that she be defeated in the elections. This community had demanded several months ago that they be included in the OBC (Other Backward Community).
Vasundara vs. Gujjar
Infact, Vasundara Raje’s daughter-in-law also belonged to Gujjar Community.
The agitation went on for several days and the media had reported that as Chief Minister she did not handle the situation properly. The national leadership of the BJP had to meddle in this affair in order to get it sorted out.
Infact, the Congress also did not have a chief ministerial candidate and they never bothered to announce it. They were not hopeful of getting back to power and they were surprised by the upset victory. Obviously, the BJP is dejected by the turn of events.
The Congress has no other way other than to promote Mr.Ashok Gehlot as the chief ministerial candidate and he has since taken oath as the chief minister of Rajasthan.
The BJP central leadership had asked both Vasundara Raje and Prakash Mathur to come to Delhi to sort out the differences of opinion between them.
They are aware that this debacle cannot be repeated as Parliament elections are just round the corner.
Both the leaders met BJP Chief, Rajnath Singh, Prime ministerial candidate, L.K.Advani and former BJP chief, Venkaiah Naidu and were counseled by them to work together to ensure victory in the general elections.
The Gujjar community had sweet revenge towards Vasundara Raje. So will she be offered a seat for the Parliament elections then? Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
Filed under: Cynthia Chandran | Tags: 'Border', Anand Patwardhan, attacks, Indo-Pak war of 1971, Kargil war, titles, Vilasrao Deshmukh
The whole world was glued to their telly for almost 60 hours of watching the Mumbai attacks last month which killed at least 170 people. The news channels in India and abroad had marathon running of the attacks.
The viewers were literally punching on their remote control of the television sets to watch the best liveliest action. India’s film makers are well known for re-adapting true incidents in to films. According to BBC, 20 film titles are waiting for approval for possible movies based on the Mumbai attacks. This is not the first time that movies based on terror are being made.
Bollywood film industry was reeling under poor records at the box office for the films that were made earlier. The 26/11 attacks has come as a fresh lease of life to at least some of the film makers.
BBC reports that the possible film titles are ‘Taj Terror, ‘Operation Cyclone’ and 26/11- Mumbai under Terror’ et al. However, some might feel that it is inhuman to recreate the tragedy, which have affected hundreds of people alike.
“It always happens. People jump on every tragedy. It is like ambulance chasing,” says Anand Patwardhan, well known documentary film maker to BBC. Mr.Patwardhan is famous for his controversial documentary film, ‘Ram Ke Naam’ (In The Name of God).
The documentary brought out the gruesome reality behind the Ram Janma Bhoomi-Babri Masjid issue, which unfolded during BJP (Bharathiya Janatha Party) leader, L K Advani’s ‘rathyatra’.
When the Kargil war (1999) had taken place between India and Pakistan, there were hundreds of casualties. Then people realised the hardships of soldiers guarding the borders against enemies from across the border. The Kargil conflict was also made in to films in different languages in India.
J.P.Dutta, a Bollywood film maker came out with ‘Border’ in 1997, a well enacted film on the Indo- Pak war of 1971. It is feared that the misery of the people affected by war or the terrorist attacks are exploited, which is true.
Grave Mistake
The former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh had run in to controversy during the Mumbai attacks. He was accompanied by Ram Gopal Varma, a Bollywood film maker and his own actor son, Riteish Deshmukh, to Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi Hotels.
The citizens of Mumbai and the political brass could not digest this and finally, he had to tender his resignation.
It is not known whether Ram Gopal Varma is having any plans to make any film on the Mumbai attacks. His films are synonymous for slick thrillers like ‘Satya’ and ‘Company on the underworld.
Ten terrorists had struck on 26th November at Mumbai’s Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Oberoi Hotel, Leopold Café and other important places, which went on for almost 60 hours of battle. Several foreigners were also killed in the attacks.
So, will the cash box in the Indian theatres be piling? Will these films bring good news for the Bollywood film industry? Let’s wait for the drama to unfold…..
Filed under: Cynthia Chandran | Tags: Benazir Bhutto, INC, NDTV, PLO, Prannoy Roy, Radhika Roy, tabla, TWTW
While scanning through the website of India’s prime news channel, I was surprised to know that NDTV had celebrated its 20th birthday on 25th November. I feel that it was only couple of years back; I was watching their most loved programme, The World This Week.
This programme had created an impetus in Indian television history.
I have several sweet memories of this program. Since I was studying in the high school then, my parents had given me strict instructions not to watch too much of television programmes.
However, they would allow me to watch ‘TWTW’ every Friday night at 10 pm, because it improved your general knowledge watching the analysis on the world news in half an hour. That is what my parents told me and infact their observation was very true.
I still remember listening to Prannoy Roy’s soft mellifluous voice and believe that his program had inspired me to be a television journalist. Even before he had started anchoring this programme, he was quite popular among the viewers of Doordarshan with his election analysis in the early 80’s.
Prannoy Roy is the country’s first psephologists (the study of political elections) and he used to present it with Vinod Dua. When Dua goes on speaking in Hindi, I as a kid would keep asking my father that I wanted to hear the analysis in English only.
The Hindi words I had known then were basic words only. Later on I tried to learn the language by watching the available Hindi films from the video cassette libraries, which is another story.
Success on ‘Psephology’
I remember that Prannoy Roy had interviewed thousands of people for the exit poll with MARG (Marketing Research Group) and he predicted that the INC (Indian National Congress) would win the elections in 1980. He had hit the target with his point blank predictions and many a politician dread to reply to his questions.
Prannoy Roy was one of the premier anchor persons in India’s television history. I felt very happy to hear him saying about his wife and the founder of the New Delhi Television, Radhika Roy. However, for the first time in my life I saw how she looked like.
She is famous for her aversion to publicity and it is impossible to find her photo anywhere. So it came as a surprise when her black and white pictures (don’t know whether the colour photo was changed to B/W or not) were shown.
Prannoy Roy was beaming when he was showering her with all the credits of the channels success. He should indeed be proud of her.
The first episode of ‘TWTW’ was aired on 25th November, 1988 and the clippings which they re-telecasted it now have rekindled back my memories. The first thing hat had come to my mind was about the signature music of tabla playing.
‘TWTW’ reporters were all serious looking journalists with most of them sporting beards and dark complexioned. I don’t mean to be rude but NDTV had created a status then that looks did not matter when reporting news.
As years passed, I was shocked to learn that one of their senior reporters, Appan Menon had passed away in his sleep. Another well known reporter’s face that comes to my mind is about Sutapa Deb.
The first edition of ‘TWTW’ had reports from US on George Bush senior’s elections; a young Benazir Bhutto speaking to a sari clad Tavleen Singh and on PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organisation) leader, Yasser Arafat. In 1998, the production house gradually climbed up the ladder to bring news with Rupert Murdoch’s Star operations in India. Then on, there was no turning back for NDTV.
Keep going
NDTV has always stood for the unbiased news with highest quality and it has always been a part of my life. At this juncture, I have only one thing to wish them. Keep giving us better news!
Filed under: Cynthia Chandran | Tags: attacks, BJP, Elections, Kashmir, UPA
In India, counting of votes for State elections is scheduled to take place on 8 December, except in Kashmir where votes will be tallied on 28 December. State assembly elections were held in six States over the last few weeks.
Critics and media pundits are looking forward to the results. Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Mizoram had gone to the polls.
Parliamentary elections are due in the first half of next year and the state polls are expected to give a sense of how the electorate may vote then.
The ruling Congress government at the centre and the main opposition party, Bharathiya Janatha Party (BJP) were equally confident of getting majority of the seats. But post 26/11 attacks; it is doubtful who will have an upper hand.
Only Chattisgarh had gone to the electoral fray before the Mumbai attacks. After the attacks, Indians all over the country had held large demonstrations directing their anger at the politicians. The politicians had come under fire from the media and the pubic alike, regardless of whether they were from the ruling Congress or the BJP.
I feel skeptical that the public outcry would not spur any change in the political establishment. The voting percentage was badly affected, even though the government took extra efforts to have the citizens cast their votes.
Jolt from the blue
The Congress government was literally taken aback by the Mumbai attacks and their inefficiency in tackling the attacks were bared before the public. This had ruined the image of the government very badly.
Hence the ruling party was very desperate to put the fault on across the border, even before concrete evidence could be known. In a way, the government is trying to put the blame on Pakistan in order to have face saving measures.
Even before the attacks, the people were disappointed with the government due to inflation. The price of fuel and other essential commodities were hiked without any logic.
The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had cut down the fuel price only few days back and the rate were not controlled even when the international price had decreased drastically. All this factors are going to be affected very badly in the electoral fray.
The BJP will also be having a tough time as it had created anti nationalist sentiments during the enquiry of Malegaon bomb blasts. However, the BJP has been campaigning for a tougher anti-terror law in response to the terrorist attacks.
It is very unlikely that the BJP can have some stakes on the results.
Polling in Kashmir
Kashmir had a heavy turn out of voters as the people there were keen to see a change in the government and wanted to eradicate militancy. It was held in seven phases. They wanted a stable government, which would be tough towards terrorism.
The people of Kashmir have to wait longer until the end of this month to know about the electoral results. Now it is a matter of few hours to know the outcome of the six state elections.
Photograph with special permission from Indiavision news channel
The dreams of both the parties are going to be shattered very soon. Now both the political parties would have to toil extra hard to get back the people’s confidence and to motivate them to vote them back to power again.
But are the politicians able to understand the change of mind of the voters?
Filed under: Cynthia Chandran | Tags: BBC's Press Office, Labour party, Michael Grade, Mumbai attacks, Steve Pound, The Indian Express
Last week, there have been heated debates among the global media and a group of politicians in the UK’s ruling Labour Party on whether to address terrorist or gunmen coinciding with the Mumbai attacks. According to the ‘Indian Express’, BBC has been using the term ‘gunmen’ and avoided using the word, ‘terrorist’.
Steve Pound, MP, who is representing Ealing North in the British Parliament, said in a statement released to news agencies that it was ‘the worst sort of mealy-mouthed posturing.’ The ‘Indian Express’ had reported on this matter. Ealing North is having a major population of South Asians and infact he was echoing the sentiments of the people there.
The accusation against BBC was not something new. Following the July 7, 2005 bombings in underground tube stations, the correspondent had addressed the terrorists as ‘bombers.’ There was a hue and cry from across the world on using the word as ‘bombers’ or ‘militants’.
Later, the then BBC Chairman Michael Grade told BBC’s Today programme that the broadcaster should have called the July 7 bombers terrorists because they were universally viewed as such within the corporation.
BBC’s guidelines say that the ‘terrorist’ word is not banned, but should be used ‘sparingly’ and that a bare reporting of facts could be a ‘barrier rather than an aid to understanding’ and ‘undermine’ the news organisation’s ‘credibility’. BBC is state owned but independently run.
So they have a set of norms on what and how to report news. However, I feel that the ultimate decision should come from the editor and the reporter. But I do remember that during 7/7 attacks in London; the BBC had used the word ‘terrorist’ for a prolonged period and then moving on to ‘bomber’.
Photograph with special permission from Indiavision News Channel.
If you check the BBC’s website on Mumbai attacks, it is evident that the attackers are referred to as ‘gunmen’ in most places and ‘suspected terrorists’ in just one place. However according to the ‘Indian Express’, there is a sea change in BBC’s Hindi and Urdu service and it seems that the English language service people are the only one who is hesitant to use the word ‘terrorist.’
CNN’s Stand
It translates as freedom fighters in certain languages. “We are not alone in not calling them terrorists.”
In all its stories on Mumbai attacks, CNN described the attackers as terrorists without any fear. Nevertheless, the BBC’s press office had released a statement as “We are not calling them freedom fighters. We are calling them ‘bombers’ or ‘militants’. The fact is terrorist does not have a universal meaning.
The debate is still raging on and after a while it will be sidelined in the cacophony of other news items. This can of worms will be let loose when another terrorist attack happens elsewhere and the debate goes on and on without any proper conclusion.
Filed under: Cynthia Chandran | Tags: ATS, Malegaon bomb blast case, Narendra Modi, test, tortured
The whole of the country and people elsewhere in the World were shocked to know the tragic death of Maharashtra Anti- Terrorism Squad (ATS) Chief, Hemant Karkare to terrorist’s bullets on 26/11 attacks. This brave police officer was in the news for all the wrong reasons since the last week.
In the Malegaon bomb blast case, ATS had arrested some Hindu leaders alleging that they had masterminded the attack. The case got embroiled in politics and Hemant Karkare was under the centre of charges that it was being used as a tool to target the Hindu movement, Sangh Parivar.
The main opposition party BJP, Bharathiya Janatha Party and the other hard core Hindu movements like RSS (Rashtriya Swayam Sevak) and the VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad)alleged that ATS had illegally detained 11 Hindus and they had tortured them to admit their crime.
Majority of the Hindu leaders from different organisations demanded that Hemant Karkare and other officers should undergo narco analysis test, so that their ulterior motives can be revealed.
As far as I know, Hemant Karkare had no political inclinations towards any party and was always unbiased.
Bharathiya Janatha Party’s Prime Ministerial candidate and the opposition leader in the parliament, L.K.Advani had demanded a change in the ATS team along with a judicial inquiry. Advani had alleged that Sadhvi Pragya Singh, a key suspect in the Malegaon bomb blast case was tortured while she was in custody.
And it was ironic that the same Advani was speaking to the live television networks so well about Hemant Karkare, when he had laid his life for the country. Advani could be heard questioning the credibility of the ATS, when it indeed had done a good job in bringing out the ulterior motives of the Malegaon blasts.
Bravo
I felt all the more pride when I came to know that Mrs.Karkare declined Narendra Modi’s, (Gujarat Chief Minister) offer of one billion rupees for laying down her husband’s life, while combating terrorists. Modi had rallied support along with Advani when he had raised the allegation against the ATS chief.
I wonder how people can be so callous and have the audacity to offer money for laying his life, when the previous day they all had been braying for his blood.
He was always a friendly face among the Mumbai journalistic circles and will be badly missed by them. His willpower and the guts to say ‘NO’, whoever he found unethical, was liked and appreciated by the political brass of Mumbai, whether it was his friend or foe.
Now I wonder what will happen to the fate of the inquiry on the Malegaon bomb blasts without its brave and valiant chief.
Fourteen Maharashtra police personnel, including Hemant Karkare sacrificed their lives while fighting terrorists.
May their soul rest in peace!
Filed under: Cynthia Chandran | Tags: Chattisgarh, Elections, exit polls, intelligence failures, rising prices, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur
While India was reeling under the shock of the multiple terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the central Indian state, Madhya Pradesh was going on polls. Usually the Election Commission announces the poll percentage within an hour of the completion of the poll. But that didn’t happen on Thursday evening.
Six states are going to the polls which had started since 14th November, 2008.
Photograph with special permission from Indiavision News Channel.
Elections are due to follow in the coming few days in Delhi, North eastern state of Mizoram and western state of Rajasthan. Chattisgarh polling was marred by Maoist rebels, who are quite active in the state. Due to security reasons, elections in Jammu & Kashmir are taking place over seven phases, running in to several weeks.
Until yesterday, the major hurdle the UPA government faced was the rising prices. Recently there was a spate of bomb attacks by Islamist militants in different parts of the country. Many Indian cities, including the capital, Delhi and other states like Bangalore, Jaipur and Ahmedabad have been hit by bomb blasts recently, resulting in huge casualties.
The government was trying to sideline those attacks as the handiwork of militants across the border. But since the multiple terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the weakness of the government and its functioning of the intelligence wing have been bared before the public.
The Congress government was hoping to build on the results and hence call for an early general election in February. Now it is expected that the government may want to delay the vote until May, when the five year parliamentary term ends.
No bed of roses
With state assembly elections currently under way, the Indian government is under pressure to explain the intelligence failures.
But things are not that rosy for the main opposition party, Bharathiya Janatha Party as well. The people were shocked to learn that Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur was arrested for being a key suspect in the Malegaon bomb blast case, which had killed dozens of people.
What added more fuel to the fire was her close association with L.K.Advani, the Prime Ministerial candidate of the BJP? However, the BJP has been campaigning for a tougher anti-terror law in response to the terrorist attacks. The outcome of the polling will be known on 8th December, whereas the results will be known in Jammu & Kashmir only on 28th December.
When Mumbai is still groping in the dark to flush out the terrorists from Taj Mahal Hotel, the UPA government’s ineffectiveness to tackle terrorism has been once again bared before the people. I am curious to know which party will get the maximum number of seats in the state elections.
Usually an election brings revenue to the dozens of news channels in India by doing exit polls. But this time the government has approved a proposal to ban exit polls till the first phase of the polling is over, which has been a setback for the growing number of psephologists (the study of elections) in India.
So people all over the country are eager to know about the outcome of the state elections.
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