Everyone Is Someone Else's Anti National

Like all my blogs, this has been in the drafts for way too long. The patriotic vs anti-national debate has been going on for 3-4 years now and i feel its high time to finish this post. 

In the long spectrum from extreme right to extreme left, a large majority is still confused about where their sentiments lie. To say anything against the majority is invoking the tag of being anti-national; to side with the majority is earning the tag of being blind bhakt. Historical figures, references and quotes are selectively and conveniently chosen by both sides to define the narrative. The mainstream media too has been biased and everyone can notice they are not objective. 

This blog is not about the right / left or MSM - but about how we define patriotism and nationalism in post-2014 period. There is lot of (mis)communication that goes around on the digital media, and that is equally, if not worse than the MSM lies. I feel that plays a huge role in defining the patriot / anti national narrative. 

The way i see it, everybody is anti-national - in varying degrees. The top 5 recent issues that bring out the best and worst of arguments and beheviours: 


Ram mandir in Ayodhya:
Yes, with the many many invasions from the west, thousands of temples have been attacked, plundered, broken, burnt. Many, like the Ram mandir have been converted, or used as a base for present day mosques. I even heard about the Shiv temple under Taj Mahal... Apparently w.r.t to the Ram mandir, the SC has asked parties to amicably resolve the issue. 
So going by sentiment of those who want the mandir, all places of worship that were taken over by the rulers, should be returned to the prior worshipers. Right? 
Then by the same logic, should the Buddhists in India start agitation for all the stupas and other places of meditation and worship that have been taken over by Hindu religion? (If you don't know about this, read up.) 
Don't give me sanatan dharma includes Buddhism logic, cos if it is one and the same, then if you zoom out far enough, all religions are the same. 

So, if you want to build Ram mandir but deny the same right to Buddhists (to claim their old places of significance), or dont have it in your heart to give up those places voluntarily, then in my opinion you are anti-national. 


Beef consumption: 
Symbolism is important to religions. All religions world wide have certain rites, rituals, traditions, symbols, and symbolic things, which are respected and revered and worshiped. Ditto with countries - flags, national anthems, etc. 
The cow is such a symbol. It is part of collective consciousness, where since childhood things like "There are 33 crore gods in cow's stomach", are told (which btw is a misinterpretation of the word 'koti'). 
Anyway, the key point i want to make is that the cow is as much a religious symbol, as it is a symbol for agrarian life. It makes the family self-sufficient. But what after the cow is past its prime? 
Also, what about all the traditional trades that have been going on for ages which are based on cow skin? Didn't cobblers in India use leather from bovine skin for centuries? Weren't low caste people employed to move out carcasses and didn't they eat beef as payment for the service? 

If history is been rewritten, then those doing it are anti-national. 

(I hate this vigilantism business... but on another tangent, why don't these thugs beat up those who litter or spit on the roads? Isn't cleanliness next to godliness?) 


Homogeneity: 
There is no "one" kind of Hindu. There are many many types of Hindus that make this whole sanatan dharma - Shaivaites, Vaishnavites, tantrics, mantrics, atheists, agnostic, aghoris, you name it. There are fish / meat eater Brahmans, there are pure vegetarian Hindus, there are Hindus who eat meat every single day, and there are beef eating Hindus. Till 3-4 generations back, some Hindus used to bury their dead. There are male gods who take female form, there are female gods who go a killing spree. One of the coolest god smokes pot, and a goddess drinks blood. You can never go to a temple, and still be a Hindu. 
There are multiple versions of Ramayan and Mahabharat and every possible story you have heard. We simply need to have the intelligence and maturity to accept all of them. Even the blasphemous ones! That is my kind of Hinduism.  
No one can monopolise Hinduism as defined by SC - that is, a way of life, because We are a culture that accepts, adopts, adapts, and evolves. 

So, in my opinion any one who thinks their version of Hinduism is the perfect one, and that should be implemented, and forced on the rest, is an anti-national. 


Riots: 
Everyone who thinks that there were no communal riots in India before 2002 - please wake up. Here is a ready list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_riots_in_India.
State sanctioned pogroms have been happening regularly post independence - and we have had riots even in pre-independence days. For all the Kashmiriyat, there were riots as long back as 1931. 
Electronic media was getting a foothold in late 90s and its new commanders had opportunity to telecast riot and its carnage for the first time in what followed the Godra attack. There was a media trial, and there was a judgement from the SC. The matter should end, right? But no!!  
The blame game on riots is nothing new. Who started first, who drew the first blood, what are we avenging, are all pointless when you think of the consequences. There is a moment of rage, some adrenaline rush and a pile of dead bodies and fires that you cant extinguish... 
Everyone must read "The Indians: Portrait of a People" by Sudhir Kakar and Katharina Kakar, and especially the chapter Conflict: Hindus and Muslims to understand the psyche of riot / rioters better. Trust me, it will open your mind. 

I digress. The point i am making is, anyone arguments begin and end with Gujarat riots of 2002 and conveniently ignores all other riots and acts of state sponsored terrorism, is in my opinion anti-national. 
And anyone asking you to go to Pakistan (for having that view), is an anti-national too. 


Triple Talaq:
There is an interesting forward on whatsapp about how egg has to hatch from within... if broken by outside pressure, a life is lost. 
Few generations back polygamy was okay for Hindus. Sati was practiced. Women were denied education. Social reformers worked tirelessly, to change the religion from within. The religion evolved. People evolved. Culture changed. 
Similarly, progressive Muslims need to create that change from within. Everything that goes against basic human rights, needs to go. It is a slow process, but it has to be done. One side note i need to mention. Just cos there was Mughal rule before the Brits came, doesnt mean Muslims will automatically be rulers after Brits left. Post independence India is a different country. It is a democracy, not a very good one, but it is a working democracy. The more you consider yourself as 'the other', more difficult it will be for you to join the mainstream. If you want to see option to democracy, look at our neighbour. And i hope that scares you... Your forefathers were from the same land... You are part of this culture. Everyone around you has evolved. You need to too...  
Anyone else from another faith, commenting on issues that relate to a specific religion, will always be an outsider. And outside pressure doesn't help to change. It only breaks... Hence it is high time that Mohammedans who feel the practice of triple talaq and anything else that is regressive, and has no place in the present and future, speak up now!

Anyone defending practices that are used as tools of oppressing one gender, is in my opinion an anti-national. 


- - - 

There is one document - The Constitution of India - that gives us all right to live with dignity. And dignity is a two-way street. So is freedom. The Constitution protects us all. Implement it properly, in its true spirit, and everything will fall in place. 


The thing that both sides of this patriot / anti national debate need to know is, more you push people, people will disown you. More laws you make, people will find loopholes. More lies you tell, people will distrust you. This applies to both sides... 

And for the undecided... Always remember, we have really huge hearts. We learn new things, we go with the flow, we add things to our extensive culture, we append our cultures. We take from everyone and we share with everyone! We eat the west Asian import of jalebis and shawarma, with the same love that we eat indigenous jowar bhakri and rice kheer. 

Deep down i feel the people of Indian sub-continent are like a samosa... It can be filled with anything that is locally available. Don't fill your samosas with hate. It can have mutton kheema and aloo mutter at the same time!  


Till then, keep the outrage on the low and inward faith on high. 


PS: Secular is a very tricky word. It merits a blog by itself. 

The Curse of Homogeneity

In the rundown to the 2019 general elections in India and almost daily since, situation is getting uglier. Friends, families, co-workers - are already feeling the strain of being politically correct, or at least the pressure of saying the right thing, in front of right people. People now look at themselves and everyone around them basis of who they voted for in the last general elections. This rift is not good in short term or long run. Presently (and thankfully), this battle of opinion is fought the hardest "online" - in whatsapp groups and in comments section of newspaper articles. Wont be long before the fights happen over dinner tables and during water cooler chats. 

Social media has become a nuisance. Equality and access have given everyone voice, which everyone misunderstands as entitlement. This is where danger zone begins. 
When a person applies for a driving license, there is a test and practical. The individual is told what is right way and what is wrong. Following those rules is secondary, but there is awareness. There are road signs that tell people to slow down, not to honk, accident prone zone. Unfortunately, there is no entrance test to get on to social media. There are no signs telling people to behave themselves. I cant help but feel that Indians should be given a written test and practical "Learning licence" before giving them a SIM card and mobile connection. 

But i digress...

Basically, what is the pressure of everyone agreeing with you?? Why should everyone else be on the exact same page as you?? 

I might agree with you about Ambedkar, and not about Gandhi; 
I might agree with you on Ambedkar about Poona pact, but disagree about formation of Pakistan; 
I can say Gandhi was right about local self government, but was racist and promoted casteism using varna system; 
I can dislike Congress for being dynastic, but give credit for infrastructure in formative years; 
I might hate Congress - but doesn't mean i support BJP. 

That is the beauty of it all. I can have my opinions - based on my upbringing, my reading, my experiences. I can do feel and think what i wish to, what i want to. Why should it be anyone else's business to want to convince me and agree to what they think and feel? 
No one else needs to be my ideological clone. And i dont have to someone else's ideological clone. Why is everyone trying to force their opinion on others? 

If we were meant to be ideological clones of each other, we would all have been factory produced, with same IQ and EQ, and same life experiences. 

Those who believe in a higher power, God, should know better than demanding that everyone follow their ideology. 

Those who call themselves liberal, should remember that liberalism is based on diversity of opinion. So, if some people don't hate the same people you do, doesn't mean you belittle them. Similarly, the right wingers have no business labeling everyone as tukde tukde gang and giving out patriotic certificates. 

The echo chamber must never have sounded more shrill. If only everyone can be entitled to their view and opinions, and stopped forcing others to be on the exact same page! 

Policy Paralysis vis-a-vis Emergency

The word most commonly used to described UPA2 was "Policy Paralysis". Not only the government but individuals, families, offices, mom n pop enterprises - everyone, seemed to be stuck in decision making! There was inertia setting in, files not moving, projects not taking off, payments not happening. 

Apparently, the reason was, no one wanted to take risks. The environment was not conducive, one was punished for taking decisions. No one will take risks, if they are going to made scapegoats.

I was told earlier on in life that the key is to take decisions. Right or wrong, time will tell. You learn the lesson and move on. The UPA2 kind of paralysis happened perhaps due to hyperactive CAG, and over-enthusiastic judiciary, and definitely due to indecisive leadership. 

More often than not, knee jerk reaction follows policy paralysis. 
Since May 2014, we have seen many of UPA schemes and plans continuing, and their version 2.0 being launched too. There was extensive coverage in the newspapers about how PM Modi was getting the Delhi bureaucracy to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty - off the golf course. There were reports about early morning meetings, and late night meetings, and monthly PPTs to be made by MPs and ministers on the lines of KRAs. 
A lot of people suddenly woke up thinking nothing has been done for a decade. The coalition in the 90s hasn't helped much... Imagine a some government agency that doesn't do any work in the full financial year, for whatever reasons - and suddenly wakes up on last week of March and launches hajjar schemes to make up for lost time. No one will know the objective, no one will capture the effectiveness, they will just spend money cos they were meant to. 
Has the governance been like that since BJP led government came to power? Spending money, building roads, creating infrastructure? Is there a conducive atmosphere for business? Are they addressing unemployment? And migration? Are they clueless about where they are going? 
There are some ayes and some nays. But the question one needs to answer is, is the opposite of policy paralysis, intolerance? Or emergency. 
Let us introspect. With facts. With what we see, experience ourselves. Without name-calling. 

Diwali Decoration Brouhaha

Many of my whatsapp groups are abuzz with pictures of Diwali themed train in Singapore. Lot of praise and lot of admiration for this little country for celebrating Diwali. There is a sense of pride that "our" festival is being celebrated far and wide. 

http://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-globally/singapore-gets-its-first-diwali-themed-train-3087474/

There are some others who have gone one step ahead and shared pics of desi stations and railways and airport termini which don't have any Diwali themed decorations, yet, to bring out the contrast. That is the fun part - also little uncalled for. 

Indians are around 9% of Singapore population. And one way to look at the episode is, they are celebrating plurality in their country. Couple of years back there was a Barack Obama video wishing for Diwali; and Indians are just about 1% in US. Diwali, or Deepawali is celebrated around the world, and our desi diaspora has been a wonderful brand ambassadors. 

These are signs of an inclusive developed country with mature administrators and citizens. 

What i wish to highlight in this blog is our loss of diversity. In the race for homogenisation, urbanisation and being part of popular narrative, so many of our cultural identities, languages, dialects, festivals, occasions have gone extinct. We "had" such rich culture of song and dance, celebrating various life stages. Alas, even our villages which were the last bastions of cultural treasure have succumbed to the trappings of urbanisation. 

So, exporting our major festival is good thing. But losing our cultural diversity is very sad. Many many festivals, or different ways of celebrating the same festival, now no longer exist, because they didnt fit in the mainstream narrative, or the practitioners were ridiculed, or worse, killed. 

Yes, please be proud that Diwali is celebrated globally; and also remember, that there were many different ways of celebrating Diwali - that no longer happen. 

Traffic in Smart City: Sadakchhap Act

This morning i got into an argument with a random stranger on the road. I usually don't do that - being a non-confrontational person. I was crossing the road at Santosh hall, Singhgad road and one fellow on a motorcycle while jumping the red signal, almost ran me over! I raised my hand - half to stop him and half to slap him - as he rode past me without me even touching him. Luckily, his ego got bruised that someone actually raised hand at him and he came back to 'teach me a lesson'. During the argument he was more interested in invoking my mother and sister & how i dared to raise my hand, instead of talking about how he broke the signal, and ran over a pedestrian. This went on for 60 seconds - the time he would have spent at the signal anyway! 

While walking home i thought of usual traffic nuisances and solutions to some of them. Do add more... Since 100 cities are gunning for the funds of Smart City, it affects us all!! Proposing the Sadakchhap Act - 


a. Signals. We are IT power, aren't we? Most XII class students want to be engineers. Let us use that brain power to design more efficient signal systems. I hate those who break signals as much as i hate jaywalkers. Probably i hate the motorists more. We have surplus CCTV cameras. Let us get those with good resolution and start sending challans to offenders. They better pay up, or they have to pay interest on the fine. Better still, confiscate their vehicle. 

b. Public transport. Clearly it is not possible to have public transport that is not crowded. At least in peak hours. But surely school buses, buses of IT companies can be hired by the municipal corporation for peak hours. If there is a will, there is a way. 


c. Cant say enough about signals... Those who speed at yellow light can get away with a penalty. But those who run red lights, should be fined heavily. As much as drunk driving. 


d. Pedestrians safety. At all signals there should be a 20-30 sec green only for pedestrians. All vehicular traffic should stop and only those crossing roads should be allowed for these 20-30 secs. 


e. Jaywalkers. Indians love the road. We have collective sub-conscious memories of walking on the roads in villages and towns where we come from. We love the road so much that even if there is a footpath, we prefer to walk *on* the road. Should those who walk on roads when there are footpaths, be penalised? Nominally? Especially those who walk on roads where ramps are made, or those jumping over dividers. 


f. Footpath reclaim. First the municipality must gain control over the footpaths. Shops, squatters, large dustbins and about to be legalised shanties - all should be removed. Find them another place to do their business. But please free up the footpath. And then penalise pedestrians who still walk on the roads, even after footpath is provided. 

g. The zebra crossing is extension of the footpath. The motorists who are in a hurry and inch ahead little by little, so much that they are almost half way to the signal point, should be charged with Impatience Fine. I think its the curse of the Middle class. We have this in born thing of moving ahead in our lives, that we try that at signals too... How much time do you save by jumping a signal of 45 seconds??


h. Blocks. Let all the delivery tempos, vans, trucks be on the roads from 12 midnight to 6am. They park on roads and take forever to deliver goods, colas, supplies to the retail shops - blocking the traffic on our narrow roads. This will inconvenience a minuscule part of the population, but will make it a lot easier on those who travel on those roads.


i. Parking. I am undecided on the solution for chaos of parking. One drastic solution is, if the buyer doesn't have parking space at home, do not sell the vehicle! The loans have made it so easy, that some homes have 3-4 vehicles without even one allotted parking.  


j. Certain key signals should be 24 hours. And those ones should be followed day and night. 


k. Potholes. The road contractor has to be accountable for the quality of the road. The tender needs to have a guarantee of 20 years without repair. No riders. If there is untimely damage, the contract money should be taken back. 
Well, there's another way to deal with it... I have heard story of activists from a far-right political party in Maharashtra taking the road contractor to a newly laid road and slapping him with chappal for every pothole on the road. Perhaps this should be introduced too, along with the municipal guys who approve payments for shoddy jobs.

l. Leftists: Just like the confused Left of our country, everyone on the road is a confused leftist too. Have you seen people at a traffic signal wanting to go straight, but veering towards the left? And blocking the free left turn? And then giving looks when you honk at them to make way for a free left turn that you will miss because of them blocking the way? Ya, those ones. 

Sometimes i wish to buy a run down Ambassador car, fit a good quality safety harness for the driver, fix good quality guard in the front, and start ramming traffic offenders. Such is the level of road rage that sometimes i carry it to work / home. I do understand that lot of things from the Sadakchhap act are too unrealistic. But we need them - for 10 years, so the next generation doesnt make the same mistakes... 


I hope someone in power takes notice of the proposed plans. And most certainly hope they do introduce a more robust version of this and implement it immediately - before we create an even bigger mess!!

Animals - One silly hypothesis

So thousands of years back, there was this country. Well, technically it wasn't a country yet. There were natives spread across the landmass, living off the land... And there were these migrants, who had just started coming... As expected, there was constant friction going on between the natives and outsiders - cultural differences, land, women, animals. Usual stuff, you get the picture...

The natives had their own systems and laws and way of life. It was an easy going, lets live thru the day sort of stuff. The migrants too loved to drink and eat and be merry, as at the core they were travellers who lived for the day. 

Over the next hundred years or so, there was some peace between the two sides and there was co-existence. The peace was as good as the terms of the last skirmish / battle / war. But with longer periods of peace, the natives moved to deeper jungles, and migrants settled down in areas they occupied. Agriculture happened. Animal rearing started. Cattle was used for farming. The outsiders developed a superiority complex in addition to formulating their own laws. They now had holy books and knowledge was passed down the generations. 

As part of sacrifices required as per the law, some of these animals were killed, and offerings were made to the gods, after which the outsiders would feast on the flesh of these animals. Over a period of time, they grew fond of one particular type of meat! They just loved it so much that they started eating it regularly, without waiting for ritualistic sacrifices. They killed so many of that one particular animal that its population fell drastically. They killed more than they could eat... And the natives actually came of out of jungles and started dragging carcasses for their own consumption. 

The greedy outsiders got so lusty for the meat of this particular animal that the religious heads had to intervene! They issued a diktat that his animal is holy and cannot be eaten. It was a very normal thing those days to use religion / culture / way of life as a tool to enforce certain beheviour from the migrants who were still struggling with this whole settlement gig. 

This religious enforcement took a good 20-30 years to actually get implemented. Lot of stories were spread about the metaphysical qualities of this Animal. Stories were planted about what made this Animal sacred. Fear was used to ensure no harm comes to this Animal in your watch. Eventually, the word had reached to all settlements that this Animal was not to be harmed, killed or sacrificed. Changes were made in religious texts to remove all ambiguity. Everyone now worshiped this Animal, as god. 

This Animal was removed from list of animals of sacrifice. It was a holy move to cover up for unholy acts of man. 

The unholiness continues. Blindly. 

Identifiable Iconic Structures Pune

Okay, i confess. I watch more English movies these days as compared to Hindi or Marathi. But without getting in to the why's of what i watch, let me bring you attention to something i noticed. 

Almost all English movies, especially the Hollywood projects have a set visual grammar. To establish the city in the opening credits, we see some buildings, monuments, bridges, facades, waterfront, beaches that are iconic, and give away the city where the story is set. Times square, San Francisco bay bridge, Eiffel tower, Sears tower, Burj Khalifa, or in 90s the WTC towers. 

Of course, there are these iconic pieces in India too. So one would show Gateway or VT / CST or local trains for Mumbai... Or India gate, Qutub minar for New Delhi, or Howrah bridge for Kolkata.

(Joke: It must have been pretty easy for Byomkesh Bakshi team to show that Kolkata of 1940s as nothing has changed!)

Just last month i saw Marathi movie "Coffee ani barach kahi" which had shots of Shanivarwada and the multiple bridges across Mula river. Ditto with "Gabbar returns" which was shot extensively at Agriculture college and Corinthian club.

I recognised it as Pune, but will everyone in Maharashtra or India who watches these movies know these buildings? 

So i set out to make a list of iconic buildings / landmarks / visuals of Pune. Stuff that you see and the first thing ringing in your head is "This is from Pune"!! 

Considering the historical importance, and rapid real estate growth i thought it will be an "easy task" to list down 30 such buildings / places / structures. 

I was terribly wrong... Here is my list of 15 that come to my mind (in random order): 

1. Shanivarwada; 
2. Fergusson College main building; 
3. Fergusson College Amphitheatre; 
4. University main building; 
5. Agriculture college main building; 
6. Cascading Kumar builders building on East street; 
7. Amanora future towers; 
8. Dadgusheth temple; 
9. Mandai; 
10. Symbiosis vishvabhavan (the one with flags of countries); 
11. PMC building front side; 
12. Geometric software building in Hinjewadi Phase 1; 
13. Z-bridge; 
14. PCMC building; 
15. Garware bridge. 

Can you list down buildings / structures that you think are iconic? One look and first thought is Pune!

Is our food dying?

Earlier this week, we had a longish debate at the lunch table. 

In the foreseeable future, will some foods / food preparations and items stop being made? Meaning, your regular home-made, catering cooked foods. Not factory manufactured biscuits and stuff. We are talking about vegetable, pulses, fruit preparations, breads, rice, accompaniments, domestic snacks, and more like that.

One argument is, everything is cyclical. Things make a comeback. Like bell-bottoms. Nothing really dies. Someone, somewhere will be producing, preparing, and consuming items that are perhaps not easily available. 

So, the item or preparation might actually be 'statistically' dead - but since someone is consuming it somewhere, there is a chance that it might make a comeback and become a rage all over the civilised world. 

I am in other school of thought. I think foods and food preparations are getting extinct. 

Two reasons. First being i have personally seen regular foods transitioning to exotic or once in a while affairs. Like the jowar / bajra / maize breads (locally called bhakari), which once were staple are now eaten perhaps twice a year, on occasions. 

Second is there is no makers, and no eaters left!! Just like the average vocabulary reduces 20% with each generation, i think the food items one is exposed to is reduced with every generation. My grandmother had far wider 'menu' so to speak, as compared to my mother. Perhaps, my mother only learnt and prepares what she likes / or what she is good at...
Similarly, with professional catering. The items on the menu are regular, similar everywhere... And the slightly more seasonal, complicated, expensive ones are discarded with each cook.


IMO, with changing tastes, choices, likes - there definitely will be food items that wont be available. No one will cook them. The recipes will die.

Instead, new items will keep getting invented. One day someone is going to try pizza with black dal topping, or pour egg inside a chapatti and make inside out omelette.  


What do you think? Are we eating the kind of food/s our parents ate? Will the next generation eat food identical to us? 

Marathi Movies - overview 2

Thank you for reading my April '13 post on Marathi Movies. 
This week, Marathi movies are again the spotlight - with a political proposal. There has been a clutter of reactions, over-reactions, hyper-reaction, Assembly reactions - but i think lot of them came from 'emotional' side more than economic side. And movies now are basically, economics. 


First things first. 
Competition is good. Be it Marathi v/s Hindi or Domestic v/s international releases. In theory, free market means survival of the fittest (in this case, ideally should be 'product'). But since the rules don't apply in real life with soft power like music popularity, or hard power like star pull or marketing budgets, the end result might not necessarily be survival of the best, but that of the strongest. 

Much accolades are sung for 'different' topics of Marathi movie and how it is different from 'mindless' Bollywood fare. But at the end of the day, the shallowness of our movies is a reflection of the superficiality of our lives. Good doesn't always do well commercially. What is commercially successful is not necessarily a good product. 

So, fact 1: Marathi movies are on a back foot where commercial success is concerned. 


With minimum government intervention and with pure capitalism, in the last two decades, Indian cinema is represented globally via Bollywood. Like it or not. That is a fact. The wave of alternate music in 90s finally died a petty death. Bollywood music is popular music. Bully-wood means business. It attracts the best talent, on and off screen. It has shown how to market movies. It has made BO collections a topic to be discussed on dinner tables. Bollywood has the muscle to put weekend collections on television news!!

Yet, a Rs 100cr superhit amounts to nothing in a country of 1.3 billion. 


Now coming to the debate of Marathi movies getting 6 to 9 pm "prime time" slot in multiplexes. 

Personally, i think 6 to 9pm is TV viewing time in most Marathi speaking households. Maybe till 10pm... From whatever little i know people, we would rather wait a few months for the movie to come on TV and watch it for free, instead of paying money to catch it at a multiplex. Any outing to a multiplex in the evening show will set the family of 4 back by Rs 1000 for tickets, and another Rs 1000 for travel and snacks. Think about 'masses' and not like those who have access to read a blog. 

Fact 2: For producers to earn money, audiences have to spend money.


As a dip stick for 'movie going nature' of the people let us look at English movies dubbed in regional languages as an indicator. I am talking of a regular, parallel industry. English movies are regularly dubbed into Tamil and Telugu. There also are niche televisions channels in regional languages. Was "Amazing Spiderman" dubbed in Marathi for commercial release? No... 
Someone told me that in India, "Dark Knight Rises" had highest BO collections... wait for it... in Pune! Was it a Marathi dubbed version? No!

Again, this is no way is a challenge to the Maharashtra Govt to dub all English movies to Marathi. (The Censor board does enough damage on their own!!) 
Or to those whose logic is "Regional movies are stronger than Bollywoood in South". 

The fact is people in south LOVE their movies. We dont. Not like the way they do. Annually, Tamil and Telugu each release more movies than Hindi. So Marathi is not even a comparison. Similarly, I dont remember any self-immolation case in Maharashtra when Dada Kondke died. We are not crazy movie lovers. We dont have idol worship star culture. 

Fact 3: Don't compare Marathi movie market to Southern movie market, because Marathi audiences are not like Southern audiences.  


So, what kind of audiences do we have up here? There are two kinds of people who watch movies - masses and classes. Or simply put those who come in cars, and those who come on motorcycles. 

There was a discussion about 'quality' cinema when this whole multiplex debate was raging on. If we make quality movies, people will come to watch. For Marathi industry, why does quality equal to arty stuff? Why do we carry the cross of 'meaningful' cinema and then cry hoarse when it is not profitable? Isn't it too much to expect support for arty cinema from our audiences when they are conditioned (and bombarded) with run-of-the-mill Bollywood fare? 

Lets do a small mental exercise. Just list down top 5 grossing Marathi movies, in random order. 
My list is: Lai Bhari, Time Pass, Duniyadari, Natarang, Zapatlela-2 (in no particular order). 

Dont you agree that all movies in your list and mine are "massy" films? They are in NO WAY what one can call 'art' cinema. They are all GOOD movies, hence they are COMMERCIAL successes. I agree that all good movies dont become commercial successes. But i think we are looking at it in the wrong direction. 

Improve the quality of script, story telling, production values, music, acting, background score... 

Revival of Marathi movies since 2004 is a media creation. There is no new wave or anything. Majority of the movies in the last 5-6 years are more of the same old fare... We have moved from making slapstick comedy movies in 80s-90s to "national award winning" movies. Well unfortunately, National Award does not guarantee box office success. 

Dont trust me? 
Wait for 17 April and see what happens to "Court". 

The multiplex crowd isnt going to give you commercial success. We need a different delivery mechanism. 

Fact 4: Make movies for those who go to watch movies.

There was some talk about additional FSI granted to multiplexes against a promise that they will screen 124 Marathi shows in a year. The State promoting regional movies by ensuring screens is noble. And dropping ET is partial, but hey, its largely loss making industry... 

Making screens available is solving only a little part of the larger problem. Where is the money for exhibition!?? 

Here is the economics. Lets say an average Marathi movie gets produced in 1.3cr. Add another 70L for promotion and marketing. So thats 2cr down. 
Now comes distribution / exhibition, with the 2 revenue sharing models - Single screen and Multiplex. 

In single screen tie ups, the producer has to rent the screen for one show for one week. Usually, the rent is anything between 50k to 95k per week, depending on the location, quality of the cinema hall, quality of projection, and most important, seating capacity. Meaning, the producer can rent say, a 3-6pm show every day for all 7 days and the entire box office collections of all 7 shows in that time slot for the week go to producer. Some single screens charge local taxes and nominal maintenance cost (3 to 5 bucks per seat occupied). 

For ex: The rent at decent single screen is say, 75,000 for one show one week (7 shows) + house full maintenance of say 600 people for 7 shows @ 5/-, then the producer gives the single screen owner 75k + 21k for one show, one week (96k). If the producer is feeling confident about the movie, and he rents 3 shows for one week, at 100 cinemas he pays rent of 96k x 3 x 100 = Rs 2,88,00,000 for single screen cinema. 

With initial investment of 2cr towards production and marketing cost and rental cost of 3 screens for one week across 100 cinemas, the final investment is: 4,88,00,000 (Four crore Eighty eight lakh).   

Whereas, the earnings at average ticket cost @ 75 for 21 house full shows for 600 people at 100 cinemas is: 75 bucks x 600 people x 21 shows x 100 cinemas = 9,45,00,000/-, which translates to revenue of Rs 4,57,00,000 (Four crore fifty seven lakh) odd.

So you can see, theoretically single screen cinemas are far more profitable for solid movies. 


Now with most multiplexes box office revenue sharing tie ups are structured as follows: 

• Week 1: 45% to producer + 55% to multiplex 
• Week 2: 40% to producer + 60 to multiplex
• Week 3: 35% to producer + 65% to multiplex
• Week 4: 30% to producer + 70% to multiplex
• Week 5 onwards: 25% to producer + 75% to multiplex

Hence focus on collections in the release week. That's when the producer stands to gain maximum. We should learn a thing or two from Bollywood. 

Since not many Marathi movies stay longer than 4 weeks, i will do the math for first week for one show per day for one week at a multiplex. With full occupancy at 250 seats @ 100 per ticket for 7 shows, the total revenue is 175,000 of which the producers share is Rs 78,750. If the movie is released at same number of multiplex screens as single screen (ie 2100 shows in one week), the producer can earn 78,750 x 2100 = 16,53,75,000/-


Fact 5: Marathi producers dont have money to buy 2100 shows in one week across multiplexes. 

The distribution / exhibition part of the movie business which seems to be getting more and more expensive...  

First the movie needs to be converted to the DCP (digital cinema print) format. Conversion for each centre is Rs 2000 + taxes. So if you want to screen you film at 100 screens across Maharashtra, you have to first shell out Rs 200,000 for conversion. This is one time cost... 

Then the cost for 2K projection is Rs 1000 per show. So if you have say, 100 screens playing 2 shows per day, the producer needs to pay Scrabble / INOX2K / K Sera Sera etc close to 1000 x 100 screens x 2 shows = Rs 200,000 + taxes. For one week, this runs to Rs 14,00,000 plus taxes. 
Let me give you a ball park on scale. In 2014, Happy New Year released at 5000 screens in India. The biggest grossing Marathi movie Lai Bhari released at 400 screens. 

It will be wrong to ask the government to reduce the price of tickets. But clearly, the digital projection has not helped the costs at all... 

Fact 6: Making money at the BO needs solid investment. We should look at other sources to screen the films. 



There are so many things that are just wrong with the industry itself. Why blame the government policies or the domination of Hindi? 
We rely too much on word of mouth. We have seen in the past few years what solid marketing can do to the fortunes of the movie. 
Songs are lifeblood of promotion. Adequate promotion of music is necessary. Proper music promotion can really help in creating awareness. 
I think Marathi industry has maximum one-time-producers. Why cant we make money for our producers, so they keep making movies?



I just hope the powers-that-be look at all aspects of production and distribution before bringing out any regulation about exhibition. I think that fighting for screens in multiplexes is a wrong approach. Yes, the maximum revenues come from Mumbai-Pune... But that doesnt mean that people from interior Maharashtra don't want to watch Marathi movies. We need to spruce up a different delivery mechanism for our movies. Forget the existing models. Make telefilms, premiere them on television, use youtube paid channel, make 4-5 movie compilation official DVDs...  

Fact 7: There has to be a way to reach 120 million people... 


And everyone, go watch Court.



PS: Thank you Mayur Ranade for the BO and digital cost info. 

PPS: By the time i published this post, the Maharashtra govt has relaxed the prime time to 12 noon to 9pm. 

Why Cant We Differentiate Good From Bad

There is no profession which allows a novice to become a practitioner. A medical doctor undergoes years of academic training, does an almost suicidal residency, finishes a specialised course, works under a superior for years, before there is credibility and fame. Lawyers, engineers, chefs, CA's - you name it. Include liberal and performing arts in the list... Singers, music producers, dancers, technicians. 
Even politicians who aren't born with a silver spoon start at the mohalla, corporation, and climb up to legislative assembly, before heading to the Parliament. 

The point i am making is, there is a certain amount of experiential learning involved in everything. Of course, education gives a degree, but it is the practice of the craft / trade that empowers the person. 

As consumers we talk to friends, family, references before picking the professional when we need any service. We ask references for doctors, lawyers, plumbers, etc... Others we trust 'recommend' the service based on word-of-mouth or individual experience. They tell us good from bad - and we find out for ourselves too, by interaction. 

Then why are we blinded while consuming media?

 

Most of us watch television and movies and read newspapers right from our childhood. We are exposed to all sorts of fare. And i am hoping people develop taste after a certain point of time. But this is where i am completely wrong!! Time and again, i ask myself why do we get subjected to shit on television? Or the bad reporting and grammar in the newspapers? Why are news so terrible on television? Why are we served with idiotic movies with unrealistic plots and executions? There is creative liberty - and there is the 100cr club!!

Let me take an example that everyone can relate to... 

Food. From childhood itself we know tastes, what to expect in what dish / preparation, what goes best with what, so on and so forth. I am confident that if we are ever served with a poor tasting food, we will immediately notice it, point it out. Often little bit salt here and there is enough to create a storm on the dining table! 

If eating food on a daily basis gives us enough sense to differentiate good from bad, tasty from bland, cooked from raw, edible from gone bad - why cant we differentiate good TV serials / movies / news / newspaper from bad - if we watch movies for 10-15 years?

I sometimes feel our apathy to what we consume on TV matches with the proven theory: money doesn't buy class. No amount of education or exposure will prepare the audience for "learning" to view. Perhaps it is time that we "teach" people how to consume media... Make everyone Pavlov's projects and condition their viewing skills. 

Sometimes i am shaken with the terrifying reality of our lack of judgement! How can people appreciate bad stuff!? They spend money and time to celebrate mediocrity. I think humans overall are lazy. They want appreciation for doing regular things. Hence they appreciate average presentations. 

I need to correct my opening line: 
There is no profession which allows a novice to become a practitioner - with the possible exception of media, which is a free for all. Since we don't know who is dishing out the junk, the audience needs to take charge and be more demanding. 

The bottom line is, its about our judgement. If we continue to consume BS, we will be force fed some more BS. 

The Pawar Equation

There is a standard argument that my parents have - known trigger, predictable response and sulking. This fight happens regularly, and the topic of this unique argument happens to be "saheb". 

It starts with something in the newspaper or TV. My father will comment on the issue and close it with how saheb has everyone in his pocket. Something like, "He is the big daddy". And that statement just irks my mother no end... 

Jokes apart, saheb is a standard response to many questions, like:

Who owns this land; 

Who owns this building; 

Who runs the sugar factory; 

Who controls the district cooperative banks; 

Who is funding real estate; 
Who has a stake in this / that; 
Who runs the government; 
Who has got XYZ person / political party on the ropes; 

Who owns the public bus service; 

Who is swinging the ball in the BCCI controversy; 

Who knows it all; 

Who is the smartest / most cunning politician; 

among many others.

The question "Do all roads lead to saheb?" is a debatable. However, people living this part of the world understand how deep the influence runs. We all have heard of his memory where he remembers names of people he's met 30-40 years back; the strong local support; the networking; and how he has a finger in every pie. You have to live in and around Pune to comprehend The Pawar Equation. 

So when my father says "saheb this, saheb that" in a tone of admiration, it gets my mothers goat. And for a good reason too. 

Her logic is simple: Why do people refer to him as if he is omnipotent? If its an open secret that he owns so much land, property, and has a stake in reality around - and it is claimed that he owns only 6 acres of land, why is there no investigation? 

That's one. The other thing is, isn't it a matter of great shame that he's referred to in admiration? If he stands for what is wrong in Pune, why are people of Pune so much in awe of the man!?

Conspiracy theories aside, the man has shown several masterstrokes in his long innings in political arena as well as other areas of his interest - the latest being "outside support" to the Fadnavis / BJP government in Maharashtra. 

Thank god there was a voice vote so we don't know if the BJP government got 'vocal' support from NCP. Everyone agrees that taking support from NCP doesn't bode well for the image of BJP; and exactly opposite for the reverse (where giving outside support to BJP ensures protection of tainted NCP cadres). The subtlety of this entire affair, and the immense political acumen does bring out a sense of awe. 

The bottom line is since YB Chavan we have not had a single 'truly' influential leader in Delhi. It is time we introspect and see if we want to be holed up in a well, or join resources to take the long leap. Each and every MLA in the house should remember that the State is not the Mumbai - Pune - Nasik corridor. Each MLA must want to make his constituency prosperous like Baramati. 

I am sure good things can be learnt too. 

Wish you an Irrelevant Diwali?

In our pre-liberalisation era, Diwali was long awaited festival for many reasons. My parents actually used to get a bonus and gifts from their employers. For my sister and me, Diwali meant new clothes, new shoes, lots of fun goodies to eat, going to relatives / them coming over, exchanging gifts - and again, special Diwali eats. I remember purchasing cloth for getting clothes stitched one month before Diwali... going to the tailor, getting measured and reminding him multiple times to keep the clothes ready before Diwali day. I have fond memories of nights when my mother and grandmother would prepare 'faral' items after the days chores were over. Me, sitting in the kitchen waiting to pop some fresh items as the official taster! 

Everyone we knew planned expenses around the festival. It was THE big thing of the year. For a country transitioning from agrarian economy to urban industrial areas, the festival (like many others) meant to connect us our socio-economic-cultural heritage. 

All our festivals have roots in the natural calendar. We had summer weddings because once the spring harvest was done, there was cash inflow. Post wedding season, there were a slew of occasions lined up for the newly married girl to visit her parental home - satya narayan pooja in shravan, rakha bandhan, janma-ashtami, vat pournima, kojagiri pournima, Ganesh chaturthi, Dussera, and the first Diwali, where she brought her husband along. 

Over the last few years, my sentiments about most festivals have become more and more practical. The question that's bothering me is has our perennial prosperity dampened enthusiasm towards most festivals, especially Diwali? Does having purchasing power all year long make these festivals any less special?

I buy new clothes, shoes, gadgets any time of the year. I don’t need an occasion to eat out, celebrate. The Diwali special eats are available in sweet shops. The "special-ness" of Diwali has certainly diminished for me, perhaps making it irrelevant.

Perhaps I am confused between reminiscing about the Diwali holidays and comparing it with our present day grind. Perhaps it is disillusionment with the way the festivals are celebrated. Perhaps it is a reminder to make the most of these occasions to socialise...

I am not bearish about festivals and festivities. People should continue to do things that make them happy. Yes, I will continue to light lamps, and eat the goodies that friends and relatives bring, and exchange gifts. These are all indicators of the fun times. The 'happiness' symptoms are all there - just feel that the soul is missing.

Is coverage of sexual assault cases numbing our senses?

A decade back, or even before that, rapes, molestation, sexual assault cases were relegated to 5 lines on page 2 or the crime page - as a one among the many reported pick-pocketing, robberies, cheating cases. I imagine the crime reporter coming to work only post lunch, calling few of his police buddies and noting down the FIR details. His interest getting piqued only with something sensational - like an acid attack, or double murder, or rape and murder, or some who-done-it; and then rallying with the Editor for some space on the front page. 

With the mushrooming of electronic new channels, the pressures of running a 24x7 channel and the hunt for "breaking news", saw crime stories transitioning from relative obscurity to discussions in our living rooms. The Nirbhaya Delhi rape galvanised citizenry. Protests across the country. Demands for better laws, better implementation of those laws. NGOs got more active. Sensitizing the police force. Data got shared. More cases started getting reported. A lot of content is being generated - around self-defence, about asinine comments by those in power, on equality of the genders. 

The discussion on sexual assault needs to happen - in our homes and schools - and not only in news studios. The reporting helps other victims come out, reducing the shame. The blame is slowly but surely shifting from the survivor to the perpetrator. And there is no doubt that the media, including digital guys have played a role in creating awareness. 

What is disturbing me, is since winter 2012, almost every week there is a rape story in news. Complete with the gruesome details. Consistently, on a clockwork there is a rape story followed by another. Sometimes with dramatic re-creations. One more shocking than the other. Each unique and more disturbing and perverted. 

Yes, those crimes are happening. And they need to be reported. 

Me, personally - i am getting numbed by the hammering of stories and extensive coverage. To re-live the human suffering, week after week, to know the intimate details of the tragedy, case after case, is causing some sort of emotional bankruptcy in me. I feel that by watching / following the reporting of rape cases, will eventually lead to some kind of self-protective emotional shutdown. 

I don't want to not care. But right now, at this moment, i feel sapped. I fear that future sexual assault cases will become a blind spot. The indirect pain as an audience, and the direct shame as an Indian male, are real. There is a feeling of helplessness as there are hundreds of cases been discussed, and new one still comes up. Catharsis works when there is an outflow. Right now, there is an overloaded of inflow and no outlet for expending of these emotions. There is only impotent rage. 

I often wish the court verdict and actual carrying out of the punishment, should be discussed by the media as much as the case itself - so that there is some sort of mental closure for the audience. 

All this is definitely affecting everyone at a subliminal level. They just don't know it yet. 

Achche Din Kaise Aayenge

What i appreciate about PM Modi is, he has intended and mentioned that he wants to bring everyone together - opposition, bureaucracy, CMs - to the task of nation building. The other thing that is noticeable is staying away from religious / communal polarisation, by not commenting either way. The interesting thing in the last one month is, barring a few leader who insist on stoking secular/communal flames, the discussion has moved to development and governance with Modi 2.0 and everyone is hoping that is a good thing. 

IMO, most political parties have understood the religious card, dividing us on communal lines, objectifying us as vote banks, is not working anymore. The next logical step should be to weed out the criminals, bring in more candidates of diverse backgrounds, include more women and make governance at grass-root level a mandatory for leaders to rise. 

There is one thing that is troubling me though. How do we evaluate the core campaign promise of "achche din" in the next five years? It might mean many things to many people - employment, (sense of) security, inflation, rising stock market, larger part of the GDP on health and education, reduced corruption, transparency, tax reforms, police reforms, land reforms, sanitation, cleaning up rivers, FDI, foreign policy, affordable housing, retur of black money stashed away in tax havens - and many more. I'd say each Indian will have an unique wish list and set of expectations from PM Modi and his government. 

However, that still doesn't answer the "achche din" definition and i will tell you why: On any day, in any city of the country - just observe the beheviour of our fellow country men at traffic signal for few minutes. There will be late lateef's who will speed thru a red light, there will be those who are inching ahead from the left, there will be the bold ones who will break away when it is not their turn. Now don't let me single out only those with vehicles... There are jaywalkers who will ignore red / green and just walk as if it is their god-given right, and those who prefer walking on the road instead of the footpath. There will be pedestrians who take their own sweet time to make up their mind where they want to go, while standing in the middle of the road... 

For me, the "achche din" comes down to the small things in life. The unnecessary traffic jams at railway crossing, when impatient idiots go on the wrong side of the road, and choke oncoming traffic. The careless bus driver who stops the bus in middle of the road, instead of at the bus stop. The greedy rickshaw-wallah who refuses to take short distances. The asshole who honks while the signal is still red. The careless person who is talking on the mobile phone while driving / riding, or cradling the phone between shoulder and ear and speeding away. 

These and many more people like this are constantly gnawing at my day-to-day peace. They are the ones who cause road-rage. They are the thorns as we hopefully land up in to the "achche din" democracy. 

Now that the political discourse is changing, i think it is time for the auxiliary organisations of political parties to focus on other things too. These auxiliary bodies have long-guarded our culture and religions and languages, which are as old as time itself. They have used their better judgement to censor what we should read / watch / listen / do - instead of letting us choose for ourselves. They have used fear and intimidation and destruction to force us to see things their way, without trying to chat, reason and see the other side. 

These auxiliary bodies will do the nation a great disservice and to the PM himself, if they continue to increase the nuisance value and not be a part of the "achche din" initiative. 

They need to stop "creating news" and indulging in hooliganism / goondaism, and focus on being a part of the constructive system. Won't it be wonderful sight to see the volunteers of these organisations partnering with traffic police and manning understaffed signals? Just like they go door-to-door canvassing votes, why should they not go to houses and mohallas and hold camps to educate people on how to cross roads? Or how it is important to make way for an ambulance. Or not spit in public. 

I think it is time for them to re-invent themselves, as their larger political masters are taking the direction of growth and governance.

Those who think that Civics is a school subject, and not to be followed on the street need to wake up! The long arm of the Law will catch up with the criminals. What about those who are super busy doing one little transgression at a time?

Well, i don't know how the turnabout is going to happen, but i hope it does. For me, the "achche din" initiative will be reality when we follow traffic signals on the day signals are not working. When people wont shamelessly declare - India mein gaadi chalyi, toh duniya mein kahi bhi chala sakte hai.

That, will be "achche din".