R K Viswajit

Beating drugs with a workout

In Manipur, a fitness trainer uses workouts, meditation and counselling to keep youngsters off drugs.

RK Viswajit (in white Tshirt)

Gangadhara Katnam fills potholes

Fixing the roads, one pothole at a time

In Hyderabad, a retired civil engineer decides to fix his street's potholes himself and has since filled up 1,100.

Gangadhara Katnam fills potholes

Aabid Surti

Starting with a drop, to save millions of litres

In Mumbai, an 80-year-old spends his Sunday mornings fixing leaking taps and ends up saving 3 million litres of water. 

For eight years, Aabid Surti has spent Sunday mornings going door to door, fixing leaking taps for free with the help of a plumber and a pocket full of washers.

Babar Ali

A little boy set up a school where the syllabus was whatever he had learned in school

A free school set up by 9-yr-old Babar Ali.

In West Bengal, a little boy set up a school where the syllabus was whatever he had learned in school that day.

Bhabani Munda

A little girl broke boundaries with a football team

The Real Hero Bhawani Munda and her team Dooars XI football team of dooars.

In West Bengal, a little girl broke boundaries with a football team.

Dashrath Manjhi

 The Mountain Man of Bihar

Dashrath Manjhi of Gehlaur village near Gaya in Bihar spent most of his life carving a path through a mountain, armed with just a hammer and chisel.

Dashrath Manjhi, the man who challenged a flawed and negligent system. 

Palak Muchhal & Palash Muchhal-Th Heart of Heart-felt children

Palak Muchhal performs stage shows across India and abroad to raise funds for the poor children who need financial assistance for the medical treatment of heart diseases. As of August 2015, she has raised funds through her charity show which has helped to save lives of 800 children suffering from heart ailments. 

Palak Muchhal has made her entry in both Guinness Book of World Records and Limca Book of World Records for great achievements in social work.

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Palash Muchhal is a Music Composer from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. He and his elder sister Palak Muchhal perform stage shows across India and abroad to raise funds for poor children who need financial assistance for the medical treatment of heart disease. As of May 2013 they have raised funds of INR25 million (US$390,000) through her charity shows which has helped to save lives of 572 children suffering from heart ailments.

Palash Muchhal is the youngest music composer/director in Bollywood (India) at 18. He has recently entered his name in golden book of world records as the youngest music composer of Bollywood.

Oasis of the Seas-Picturesque

Picturesque

The world's greenest Cruise Ship – Oasis of the Seas

Top 17 things about the world's greenest Cruise Ship – 

Oasis of the Seas

1.      Weight - 225,282 tons

2.      Length - 1,187 ft

3.      Width - 208 ft

4.      Height - more than twice as high at 214 ft and 20 storeys

5.      Accommodate - 6360 passengers

6.      Cost to build - £800 million

7.      Prices for a two week cruise start at - £1300

8.      630,000 gallons of paint needed to decorate it

9.      2,300 tons of water in its swimming pools

10.  82 ft long zip wire and the largest pool

11.  3,300 miles of electrical cables to keep the lights in its cabin blazing

12.  2,700 Cabins blazing interior

13.  16 decks with outdoor park over 12,000 real plants & 100s of palm trees

14.  750-seater arena, ice rink, surf machines, a high-diving performance venue and an elevating bar

15.  Built in Finland, by the direction of Royal Caribbean International

16.  Dominic Paul, the senior vice president of Royal Caribbean International

17.  Oasis of the Seas first time sailed into Southampton at 10 am on 15 October 2014, Wednesday

OASIS OF THE SEAS-Largest Cruise Ship

The largest Cruise Ship of the world

·    Oasis of the Seas sailed into Southampton at 10am on 15 October 2014, Wednesday in dense fog, welcomed by a crowd of hundreds and helicopters circling overhead.

·         Weighing 225,282 tones, the 1,187ft ship is longer than London's The Shard is tall, and at 208ft wide, larger than the wingspan of a Boeing 747.

·         The Royal Caribbean vessel is longer than the Shard and wider than Boeing 747.

·         The Oasis of the Seas is five times bigger than the Titanic and three times the QE2.

·         It is also more than twice as high at 214 ft and 20 storeys as the Wightlink ferry passing behind it.

·         It cost £800 million to build – as much as Wembley Stadium.

·         Built in Finland, it is said to be the world's greenest cruise ship, reusing all its water and dumping no sewage into the sea.

·         Spread across its 16 decks is an outdoor park with more than 12,000 real plants and trees, an 82-foot long zip wire, and the largest pool on the seas. There is also a 750-seater arena, ice rink, surf machines, a high-diving performance venue and an elevating bar. It can accommodate 6360 passengers, including 2700 Cabins ‘multilevel urban style loft suites’ with floor-to-celling windows. It has a giant pool, musical Hairspray, ice dancing and shows by Olympic gymnast. Youth Zone has theme parks, children's science labs and a mock tall bar serving non-alcoholic drinks. There are also whirlpools, volley ball and basketball court, a rock climbing wall, a nine-hole golf course and a zip wire that races diagonally down nine decks. Central park has a square with boutiques, restaurant and bars.

·         Dominic Paul, the senior vice president of Royal Caribbean International, said: 'Today is an important milestone in the global expansion of the Royal Caribbean International business. 'We are marking a significant step change in our investment into growth markets around the world. 

'The welcome of Oasis of the Seas to Southampton is followed next year by sister ship Allure of the Seas sailing outside the Caribbean for the first time during a summer 2015 season based in Barcelona. 

'These investments highlight our commitment to deliver the most innovative and architecturally advanced ships to Europe and are part of our ongoing effort to redefine the cruise sector. 'Their extensive investments into new ships, new technology and new ideas are increasing the appeal of the cruise sector around the world.'

·         Onlookers this morning were kept in good spirits despite the grey weather with free tea and bacon sandwiches offered by Royal Caribbean.

·         It is a busy time for Southampton, with another Royal Caribbean ship, Quantum of the Seas, expected to dock in just over a fortnight to be showcased.

·         The first in a series of new ships coming from Royal Caribbean International over the next few years, Quantum of the Seas will sail from Southampton to New York on 2 November 2014.

·         In 2015 Quantum of the Seas will become the newest ship from a global cruise line to ever be based in the Far East when it offers cruises from Shanghai starting in June 2015.

Modi sake hand with Indians abroad

Modi meets Indians abroad:

·         New York, September 2014: 30 members of the US Congress are part of an 18,000 crowd at Madison Square Garden, a venue more associated with rock stars

·         Sydney, November 2014: 16,000 gather to hear Narendra Modi speak in Hindi at an arena in the city's Olympic Park

·         Toronto, April 2015: Canada's prime minister introduces Narendra Modi at an indoor arena with 10,000 present

·         Dubai, August 2015: 50,000 Indians living in the Gulf pack Dubai's cricket stadium for the biggest Modi rally abroad to date

·         San Jose, September 2015: after a visit to California's Silicon Valley, Modi addresses 18,500 at an arena known as the Shark Tank after the local ice hockey team

A Modi Not Welcome Campaign is organising protests during his visit, complaining of religious intolerance and an autocratic style of government.

Part of his purpose, say these campaigners, is to create a worldwide network of Hindu right-wingers - something they regard as worrying.

But there is broad enthusiasm among the Indian diaspora for Narendra Modi. Here's why:

1.      Modi has actively sought support from Indian communities abroad, and that's something new; the Indian diaspora are more often made to feel guilty for turning their backs on the home country than embraced for their global influence and success. Even now, any Indian seeking to become a national of another country has to hand back their Indian passport.

2.      India's prime minister has praised the diaspora as part of India's "soft power" - standing alongside yoga and the Bollywood movie industry in giving the country global prestige and influence. No other Indian leader has spoken so warmly of the achievements of Indians abroad.

3.      Indian communities in Western countries are often high-achieving and prominent in business, technology and the professions; they tend to be sympathetic to Modi's business-friendly policies. "Indians worship money and want to become rich," says CB Patel, "and Modi's economic priorities are much admired by Indians abroad."

4.      Gujarati pride is also at play. Modi is from this western state, which makes up just 5% of India's population but is much more prominent in the diaspora. More than 600,000 people of Gujarati origin live in Britain; along with Punjabis, they constitute the greater part of the Indian-origin population.

5.      The BJP's landslide election victory last year was in part because Modi was seen as representing hope for a revitalised India; the welcome he has received in Western capitals, with Barack Obama personally nominating Modi as one of Time magazine's '100 Leaders', is relished by Indians abroad as a sign of India gaining global influence and authority.

6.      While the organisers insist that Indians of all religions, regions and backgrounds will be present at Wembley, Modi's success reflects a Hindu cultural revivalism which is at least as evident, some would say more so, among the diaspora as in India.

The courting of Indians abroad is in part about money. The 30 million Indians living outside the country contribute an estimated $70bn (£45bn) to the economy each year in remittances.

Filmmakers return their National Awards

10 filmmakers return their National Awards

Dibakar Banejee,

Khosla Ka Ghosla (2007)

Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye (2009)

Anand Patwardhan,

Bombay Our City (1984)

Paresh Kamdar,

Rasyatra (1995)

Nishtha Jain,

Gulaabi Gang (2014)

Kirti Nakhwa,

Lost & Found (2008)

Harshavardhan Kulkarni,

Lost & Found (2008)

Hari Nair,

Sham's Vision (1997)

Rakesh Sharma,

Final Solution (2006)

Indraneel Lahiri,

Aamar Katha, Story of Binodhini (2014)

Lipika Singh Darai

Gaarud (2009)

Eka Gachha Eka Mainsha Eka Samudra (a tree a man a sea) (2012)

Kankee O Saapo (dragonfly and snake) (2013)

Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee (second from left) speaks during a press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday. Mr. Banerjee and nine filmmakers, including Anand Patwardhan (third from left), Nishtha Jain (left) and Paresh Kamdar (right), have returned their National Awards. Photo: Samrat Chakrabarti

FTII protest: 

“I am more afraid today than I was during the emergency because now there are roving gangs looking to do violence against anyone who speaks out. If you don't believe in armed struggle, then what do you do? This is what we have. We want to be a part of the awakening that is happening around the country, like the scientists and artists and writers returning their awards,” said eminent documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan on Wednesday while returning his National Award along with 9 others, including Dibakar Banerjee, Nishtha Jain and Rakesh Sharma.

Expressing solidarity with the FTII students who ended their 139 day strike on Wednesday, the filmmakers in a joint statement said that they see the ‘government’s stonewalling of the FTII students’ protest’ within a larger context of appointments of ‘people with narrow visions’ in other institutions such as the Children’s Film Society and Central Board of Film certification. They also said, “We stand firmly with the students of FTII and are determined to not let them shoulder the entire burden of their protests. They have mounted a historic struggle and we urge others within our fraternity to come forward.”

Citing the lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq and the murders of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and M M Kaburgi, the group voiced concern over the rising intolerance in the country. “People are being murdered for their beliefs and opinions. There has been no official condemnation of these groups (by the government) and we question this silence.”

Speaking at the press conference, Nishtha Jain, whose documentary Gulabi Gang was judged the best film on social issues at the 61st National Awards in 2014, said, “With much sadness I give up my only national award. It has meant a lot to me as it helped to gain recognition for my film Gulabi Gang and the issues it raised about gender discrimination in our country. But today this award has become a daily reminder of the the gap between the way the state looks at us as filmmakers and how they treat us as citizens who dare to dissent.” Dibakar Banerjee added, “This is not politically motivated. It is motivated by my conscience. I am not here out of anger or outrage. Those emotions have been exhausted. I am here to draw attention. Returning my national award for Khosla Ka Ghosla is not easy. It was my first film, and for many, my most loved. I am here to draw attention of the people.” He went on to add, the FTII students are asking for the right shikshparampara. They are not asking for money or more equipment or less exams or quotas or privileges. Why should they suffer months of indecision, stress and harassment to go through this?”

Commenting on the decision by the FTII students to return to classes, Banerjee said, “What more do you expect the students to do? They didn't burn buses to register their protest. The student union has two duties - to fight for students rights and to make sure that the student community does not suffer. They have been extremely mature.” The group stressed that their appeal is to the people and not the government.

The filmmakers join a growing cohort of intellectuals expressing concern over the rise of intolerance in the country. The first were writers who began returning their Sahitya Akademi Awards in early September following the cold blooded execution, at his home, of 77 year old rationalist, scholar and Kannada writer, M M Kalburgi. Himself a Sahitya Akademi award winner, Dr Kalburgi’s murder formed a pattern of killings; those of Govind Pansare in February 2015 and that of Narendra Dabholkar in August 2014. Common to all of these murders, apart from their premeditated nature, was the fact that all three victims were noted rationalists and scholars, who had attracted the ire of right wing Hindu groups. The writers began returning their awards in protest of the Akademi’s silence in the face of these killings.

The FTII strike began on June 11, following the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan, as the Chairperson of the institute, and four others nominations made to the eight member FTII society, that has much say in the running of the institute. The appointments surprised many in the film fraternity since the people selected to head the premier film institute are virtual unknowns in the film fraternity. Common however to all the appointments are right wing political affiliations. The students have since questioned the process by which these appointments were made and demanded that all future processes be made transparent. The strike lasted a total of 139 days ending on Wednesday despite no resolution to the crisis.

The statement

Government of India must urgently reveal its commitment to protect the freedom of expression of each citizen.

We, the undersigned, stand alongside the writers who have returned the country's highest literary honour, and hereby return our National Awards.

As filmmakers, we stand firmly with the students of FTII and are determined not to let them shoulder the entire burden of the protests. They have mounted a historic struggle and we urge others within our fraternity to come forward and carry this protest forward.