Diplomatic missions in India have reaffirmed the strong commitment of their respective countries’ to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, and the advancement of their human rights. On October 11, the missions will come together to mark the International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC) through a range of actions encouraging greater opportunities for girls.

Activities include interactions with students at academic institutions, distribution of IDGC activity guides to schools, illumination of office buildings as well as the organisation of “Girls’ Takeovers”. With the support of Plan India, a child rights organization which strives to advance children’s rights and equality for girls, the ‘takeover’ will provide an opportunity for young women of different backgrounds to interact directly with Ambassadors and High Commissioners and take on their role for a short time, followed by a large gathering to exchange experiences and discuss girls’ empowerment. These actions reflect our year-round support for promoting gender equality, according to a joint statement issued by the diplomatic missions in the national capital.

The International Day of the Girl Child, celebrated every year on October 11, is a UN-declared international observance day to support greater opportunities for girls and awareness of the gender discrimination they endure worldwide. It also recognizes girls as powerful agents of change and as leaders of tomorrow.

“Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. Also, as children are among the most vulnerable, they need special attention and we have to protect their rights. When a girl is safe, healthy, educated, and effectively supported by her family and community, she is free to pursue her goals, and the advantages of her success ripple outward to touch all of society. Girls, boys, men and women all have an important role to play in building a society that empowers every member to reach their full potential,’’ the joint statement said.

“We, as diplomatic missions in India, are committed to working together, and with the Government of India and civil society partners, to continue to raise awareness around the issue and to advocate for greater gender parity and equal access to opportunities. Investing in girls is investing in peace and prosperity,’’ it further added.

Baiju Bawra according to legend lived during the Mughal reign and sought revenge from Tansen, whom he held responsible for the death of his father. The film was a biopic of Baiju Bawra and his legendary vocal duel with the great Tansen .Vijay Bhatt’s classic, at the time of its making, was dismissed as a patsy while being shot primarily at Prakash Pictures, Andheri East. It was the year of Mehboob Khan’s Aan which was the talk of town that year. None of the crew of Baiju Bawra ever felt during its making that they were working on a film that would become a musical milestone. 

During the making of Baiju Bawra, friends and even his elder brother derided Vijay Bhatt’s vision and passionto make a film totally based on a classical music! The film went on to become not only the second biggest grosser of the year and was the 8th biggest hit of the 50s, but was classified a blockbuster hit  whereas Aan was termed a super hit, the naysayers had to eat a crow.

Baiju Bawra is one of the prime examples of Bollywood style of storytelling, the elements of which exist in the cinema of today. It has a singing hero, a demure heroine, a comic sub-plot, a rivetting jugalbandi between Tansen and Baiju that nothing but a blood feud, and then when you don’t expect it, a tragic end. Before Ranbir Kapoor became a symbol of the archetypical artiste slaving to his craft at Hazrat Nizamuddin’s Dargah in Rockstar (2011), or becoming a singer songwriter after having his heart broken Ae dil hai mushkil (2016). It was Bharat Bhushan who, as it happened, set the precedent 60 years ago. The film may have a revenge plot, but the film’s real message that strikes a universal chord even after nearly seven decades is that an artiste must first overcome his ego if he is to achieve knowledge or mastery over his craft. 

Vijay Bhatt’s film had, Bharat Bhushan and Meena Kumari in lead roles. Dilip Kumar and Nargis were the first choice as the lead pair, but date problems and fee wrangles made Bhatt settle for Bharat Bhushan and Meena Kumari. Bharat Bhushan according to director had the visage of a tragic musician, an image trap that later would become his undoing! Meena Kumari, on the other hand, was introduced by Bhatt in Leatherface (1939) as a child artiste. It was Bhatt who had rechristened six-years-old Mahjabeen Bano as Baby Meena. Dilip Kumar has always expressed regret over the decades for not taking up Baiju Bawra. 

Meena Kumari won the first-ever Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1954, the first of four Best Actress trophies she won in her career. Naushad, also received the inaugural and incidentally his first and only Filmfare trophy as Best Music Director Award for the song, Tu ganga ki mauj, based on the raga Bhairavi! Mohd. Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Shamshad Begum, and renowned classical vocalists Ustad Amir Khan and D. V. Paluskar lent their voices to the score. It was perhaps the foremost array of playback singers that the Bollywood had witnessed! 

The Baiju Bawra- Tansen musical duel in the court of Mughal Emperor Akbar was to filmed as in form of the jugalbandi, Aaj gaavat man mero jhoom ke, was rendered by Ustad Amir Khan and Pt. D.V. Paluskar in one of the most historical moments of Hindi cinema. Ustad Amir Khan (also music consultant of the film), had been persuaded to lend his voice for Tansen by Naushad and Vijay Bhatt.However the quandary that who would portray Baiju the victor was excruciating? But great Ustad Amir Khan solved dilemma of Bhatt and Naushad by recommending Pt. D.V. Paluskar as choice for Baiju, the only artiste he held not only in highest esteem, but also didn’t mind being defeated on celluloid! 

Bharat Bhushan was earmarked for the role of Baiju because he had the face of a tragic musician, an image that refused to leave him all his life, driving him to reprise the same kind of role over and over again. He had when he was offered the role of Baiju after. Meena Kumari, on the other hand, was a Vijay Bhatt discovery, having being launched by him in Leatherface in 1939 as a child artiste. 

Since Bhatt was musically inclined and interested in literature, he had been thinking of making a film that could combine his two passions. He had read about Tansen, but it was the legend of Baiju Bawra that he felt compelled to film his own version. The doomed end to his film possibly came from the legend of Laila-Majnu. 

Naushad worked with Bhatt and his elder brother Shankar on the screenplay for nearly six months, signifying the kind of close involvement by which the film’s music was created. Naushad was discouraged by Shankarbhai Bhatt that the film full of classical music and ragas wil not go down the ordinary folk’s craw! An adamant Naushad wanted to change public taste and remained steadfast to his dictum that instead of commercial and crass music the public be  presented with music from our culture for a change and it worked.

The lilting bhajan man tarpat hai hari darshan ko aaj, the therapeutic  power of which brings Baiju’s mentor Swami Haridas back on his feet, is a striking example of India’s secular ethos; it’s a bhajanwritten, composed and sung by three Muslim artists who were master spirits of the time— lyricist Shakeel Badayuni, his brother-in-law Naushad, and Naushad’s ardent disciple Mohammed Rafi! The bhajan was reportedly confessed by the singer to be one of the toughest songs of his career as his mentor the perfectionist pushed him to nearly sound like the legendary singer. 

Vijay Bhatt wanted Kavi Pradeep as lyricist for Baiju Bawra as devotional songs like O duniya ke rakhwale were need of the musical. But Naushad and Shakeel Badayuni were an unbroken alliance since Andaz (1949) and Naushad insisted that Bhatt hear Badayuni’s lyrics first. It is said that an extremely keen Kavi Pradeep went to meet Naushad. However Naushad kept him waiting endlessly. An outraged Kavi Pradeep left, swearing not to work with Naushad in future!

Bhatt was overjoyed after hearing Badayuni’s compositions-Bachpan ki mohabbat ko, Jhoole mein pawan ki, Man tadpat Hari darshan ko aaj, Tu ganga ki mauj and Mohe bhool gaye saawariya, and  Baiju Bawra became musical milestone in careers of both Naushad and Badayuniand also forged an alliance that lasted another 17 years!

Every scene of Baiju Bawra was sketched by art director and artist Kanu Desai. And as most of its unit members and technicians, including the editor, sound recordist and production manager, were from Bhatt’s extended family. The shooting went on without any glitches, and the film was completed in a year’s time. 

Vijay Bhatt would always be on the verge of a nervous breakdown prior to his film being released, he would retreat to a hill station. In case of Baiju Bawra also his brother Shankar despatched telegrams to him to apprise him of his film’s box office status urging him to return, as the picture had been a huge hit.

Bhatt wanted Baiju Bawra be as visually stunning as De Mille epics like Cleopatra (1948), Samson and Delilah and The Ten Commandments. The river scenes were homage to DeMille as Bhatt was smitten by the way DeMille used special effects in the ‘parting of the Red Sea’ scene from The Ten Commandments. On a US tour in 1947, Bhatt met DeMille and sought his autograph. The Hollywood mogul signed with an emotional message: ‘Greetings from one director who is still trying to make good pictures, to another director, who will make great ones long after I am gone.’

NEW DELHI : World’s top 150 detectives from over 50 countries will gather in the Capital for a three-day international conference starting October 12 where they will brainstorm on emerging challenges regarding overall security scenario, anti-corruption and cyber threat issues.

Being organized under the banner of the World Association of Detectives (WAD), the 92nd WAD Annual Conference holds special significance as important issues related to India, which includes blackmoney, counterfeit currency, anti-corruption challenges, cyber security threats, will be discussed threadbare. Lt. Gen. (retd) Rajinder Singh, former Director General (Infantry), Indian Army and former Commander of UN Peace Keeping Forces, will inaugurate the Conference.

“Over 150 super sleuths, global investigators and detectives will gather to discuss emerging challenges in our sector and how to prepare to face them. The conference will bring together international experts from various fields like security, police, defense, private investigation and forensic sciences fields,” said Kunwar Vikram Singh, President of WAD, who is also the head of the Security Sector Skill Development Council (SSSDC). 

Interestingly, Mr. Singh, who is also Chairman of Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI), will take over as first-ever Indian Chairman of WAD at the end of the international conference.

Delhi event will see discussions and seminars of currently relevant topics like Cyber Security and the Dark Web; Anti-Corruption Partnerships; Threats to the Security Environment and Role of Interpol; Doing Business in India–Opportunities and Challenges. 

During their three-day stay in Delhi, global detectives, private investigators and security experts are likely to call upon key Indian ministers and government authorities to discuss challenges and threats being faced by India vis a vis issues like terrorism, corruption, trafficking, counterfeiting etc.

This is the second time that WAD is holding its annual conference in India. First was held in 1984 at New Delhi. WAD, the largest and longest established association of its kind in the world, represents investigation and security practitioners in more than 80 countries. It promotes and maintains the highest ethical practices among its members and fosters cooperation between investigators globally.

New Delhi : Experts across the globe agree that mental well-being is not merely an absence of disorder but a state of positive well-being. According to National Mental Health Survey (2016), 1 in 20 people suffer from depression in India. Depression, anxiety and substance abuse problems together are called Common Mental Disorders (CMD). CMDs are affected by a wide range of socio-cultural, economic and political factors. Yet when it comes to addressing CMDs, it is often seen in the limited view of “clinical” diagnosis.

 

According to National Mental Health Survey (2016), 10% of the Indian population suffers from common mental disorders.

 

The patriarchal structure of Indian society implies that the risk of these diseases are even higher for women. Depression is more common amongst women and is very closely linked to the experiences that they face from the inequities in the patriarchal social structure.

 

According to the Union ministry of health and family welfare, the country needs 11,500 psychiatrists while India only has 3,500 psychiatrists. India’s entire mental health workforce, comprising clinical psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric social workers and psychiatric nurses, stands at 7,000, while the actual requirement is 54,750. These numbers are alarming, especially, for a developing nation like India.

 

According to Gracy Andrew, Country Director, CorStone India Foundation, “The universal promotion of positive mental health can be done using a strength based or a positive resilience based approach to promote awareness about mental wellbeing in the general population. Let people become aware that as communities, they can support each other in times of distress. The recognition and management of depression and anxiety should be integrated within the government welfare schemes for health. For e.g. PHC’s already have family planning counsellors, if they are made aware of recognizing depression and providing counselling, along with regular counselling provided by them, would go a long way. If mental health is perceived in such a holistic manner it will be easier to spread awareness about the topic and provide services. This would eradicate the stigma attached to mental health.”

 

It is very well known that health spending within the country itself is low. Within health, unless carefully allocated and regularly monitored, funding for mental health tends to get eclipsed, or mental health services are often forgotten. Given the rising incidence of CMDs in the country, it is crucial to ensure that public health programmes view mental health as matter of over-all well- being and not just absence of diseases.

India’s two universities, Chennai-based SRM University and KIIT University in Bhubaneswar have secured the IET (The Institution of Engineering and Technology) Accreditation, an internationally respected benchmark awarded to high-quality programmes that provide an ideal preparation for aspiring professional engineers. This prestigious accreditation was last awarded to Amity University in 2011.

The IET is one of the world’s leading professional societies for the engineering and technology community and IET accreditation, licensed by the Engineering Council, covers a broad spectrum of engineering and technology subjects.  It is recognized globally as an indicator of quality through the Washington and Sydney accords, governed by the International Engineering Alliance (IEA).  Departments with IET accredited programmes are eligible to apply for the EUR-ACE label, awarded by European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE).

KIIT and SRM University completed the accreditation process this year. As the next step, Nigel Fine, Chief Executive, The IET issued the IET Accreditation & Academic Partner Certificate to both the partners on the sidelines of the IoT India Congress 2017, held in Bangalore.

The affiliation allows students gain access to cutting-edge knowledge content on various engineering disciplines. It provides links to key industry stakeholders globally in an attempt to make them more industry-ready. The programme also includes activities like industrial visits, seminars, conferences, technical workshops to expose students to practical aspects of engineering as well as problem-solving skills in addition to theoretical aspects covered in the syllabus.

According to Dr. C Muthamizhchelvan of SRM University: “SRM encourages students to enroll in reputed national and international professional bodies. We believe in providing the maximum exposure to our students from all the relevant bodies. Receiving the IET accreditation is indeed a great honour and recognizes the highest standards of education we maintain for our students.”

Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT University says: “We are elated at this association with the IET. This accreditation definitely aligns with our objective to provide the best for our students.”

Founded 146 years ago, the IET is one of the world’s leading professional societies for the engineering and technology community with more than 167,000 members in 150 countries.

New Delhi : Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has embarked upon several digital friendly steps for extension of the benefits of APY to the citizens of India. PFRDA has developed the process to offer APY enrolment through eNPS platform for wider reach. Under this channel a complete end to end digital environment for subscription is enabled without submission of physical form at the convenience of the customer without visiting bank or post office.

So far APY is available for subscription through Banks, BCs and through internet banking. Now, APY is available on eNPS platform and any eligible Indian citizen can enroll through the APY@eNPS channel by visiting www.enps.nsdl.com. The customers of the Bank can visit eNPS portal and submit Aadhaar/ Bank Name and Savings Bank Account Number to join the scheme. 

The benefits of APY@eNPS are:

Paperless registration

No need for visiting Bank Branch.

Online enrollment can be made 24*7 at the customer’s convenience.

No Need for having internet banking Id.

Punjab National Bank is the first Bank to operationalize APY@eNPS and quite a few other banks are expected to launch this platform shortly offering Aadhaar enabled APY enrollment.

Any person in the age group of 18 to 40 years with a savings bank account and Aadhaar can register for APY by providing the minimum information in the APY@eNPS portal as rest of the information will be auto populated from the respective bank. This new feature not only makes it easy for the subscriber to join the APY but also reduces the workload for the Banks/Postal Branch which are implementing the APY.

Cloud-based Video Conferencing in its new and open avatar is changing the digital landscape like no other technology. It has the potential to disrupt like few other technologies and become the most important pillar of the digital disruption that we are witnessing across the globe. 

From what was hitherto considered a domain of the large corporations, video conferencing has moved from the boardrooms of large corporations to the laptops and mobile phones of SME and even individual service providers. The ever reducing costs and easy adaptability is helping its mass adoption.

Today’s $2.41 billion global web conferencing market is expected to be worth US$8.9 Billion by 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 8.3% during the forecast period between 2017 and 2025 (Source: Frost & Sullivan and Transparency Market Research).  The overall market is seeing accelerated demand propelled by easy-to-use, lower-priced, simplification, and migration from stand-alone audio to web conferencing and collaboration.

Flexibility is driving adoption and opening up newer segments. From what was just a boardroom phenomenon, based on propriety hardware and software, its moved to open technologies like WEBRTC. Both technology and infrastructure problems are being eased at rapid rates. We are seeing the growing adoption both in businesses and consumers. 

Products like DUO (Google), Chime (Amazon) and Skype (Microsoft) are addressing the needs of consumers through their apps which are currently being given free. The growing usage of these apps has broken down the barriers that people had in using video as a tool to communicate regularly. This has also increased the adoption of Video in business communications.

Collaboration needs of organizations both within the organization and with potential and existing customers have seen a large increase. Both large companies and SMEs are now integrating video meeting in their various processes, like, cross-office collaboration, sales meetings, customer care, product demo etc. They have clearly benefited from the adoption by reducing travel times of their employees, increased productivity and reducing the cost of sales and customer care and also improved response times to various stakeholders. The key has been to integrate the video meetings as a part of the existing process. Newer players like GoConsult are solving the problems of flexible integration and ease of using video meetings. They are bringing the services to the doorsteps of the small and really small players. Want to have a like call, don’t have to go Facebook, do it from your own website. Want to consult online, don’t have to ask your customer to come to skype etc, do it from your own website. And all this happens quite incredibly easily.

One of the most innovative adoptions has been by the consulting fraternity. They have now been able to extend the reach of their services beyond their localities. Imagine an Indian Astrologer or a Vastu consultant now being able to extend his practice sitting in Jaipur to the UK and USA. Companies like Goconsult.inare now providing the complete solution for these people who can seamlessly get integrated into their websites and they can start their services. Similarly Imagine Financial consultants, Doctors, Lawyers etc managing their customers from the comfort of their homes and simultaneously being able to extend their geography of services.

To enable speedy adoption of video-based communications where Video is a part of the workflow, a large number of platforms providing specialized solutions are coming up. Platforms which can help hospitals extend their services to locations where they don’t exist currently, a platform where financial institutions can do eKYC. Online portal for hiring where we can get to see the interviewee online before have an in-person meeting.

Government is showing great keenness in adopting cloud-based video conferencing in a large number of their process like courts getting to testimony online, jails getting the inmates to talk to their visitors online, hence reducing the risks. 

The video-driven transformation has truly begun. Businesses will have even more sway on their customers if they are encouraging them to directly interact with the brand – in real time and all from wherever they are. Entrepreneurs are now holding meetings, training employees, and encouraging a collaborative approach to doing business. Using technology to engage with customers worldwide is no more a thing of the future. It’s here. From now and beyond, brands and consumers will be pushing the boundaries to build business relationships without affecting productivity – and those who don’t embrace live video communication just might get left behind.

(The writer is a digital expert and CEO of Eyas Ventures.)

New Delhi : Delhi Metro has hiked its fares from today. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Board, in its meeting last night, decided to go ahead with fare hike as per the recommendations of the Fare Fixation Committee. 

DMRC Board said, it has no power to change the recommendations of the fare fixation committee, which has proposed the hike. 

The new fare structure will be: up to 2 km Rs.10, 2 to 5 km Rs. 20, 5 to 12 km Rs. 30, 12 to 21 km Rs. 40, 21 to 32 km Rs. 50 and for journeys beyond 32 km Rs. 60.

The fare hike of Rs. 10 for all travels beyond 5 km comes barely five months after the last one. The maximum fare, for journeys beyond 32 km, will now be Rs. 60.

10% discount will  be continued on every journey made by the passengers using Smart Card besides an additional 10% discount to the passengers using Smart Card who enter in the metro system during off peak hours based on the following time zones:

Start of revenue services to 08:00 AM.

Start of revenue services to 08:00 AM.

From 09:00 PM to closing of revenue service

The additional discount is applicable from Monday to Saturday (weekdays) only except national holidays. Thus, in all a passenger may avail 20% discount on smart card while travelling during the off-peak time on these day

There will be no change in the fares of Airport Express Line (Orange Line).

NEW DELHI : The Supreme Court has ordered ban on sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR during the upcoming festive season of Diwali. 

A bench headed by Justice AK Sikri had on 6th October reserved its order on a plea seeking restoration of the apex court’s last year order banning the sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR. 

The top court, through its 11th November order last year, had suspended all licences which permit sale of fireworks, wholesale and retail within the territory of NCR. 

Later, on 12th September, the apex court had temporarily lifted its earlier order and permitted sale of firecrackers. 

During the hearing on the plea seeking restoration of last year’s order, the Central Pollution Control Board had supported the application. 

The apex court had last month temporarily lifted its earlier order suspending licences for sale of fire crackers, saying a complete ban would be an extreme step and a graded approach was needed to curb pollution caused by them.

Those who had already bought firecrackers can still burst them.

In November last year, the court had stopped the sale of fireworks within the National Capital Region, which includes Delhi and nearby areas, following a petition flagging the alarming rise in pollution levels after Diwali.

Last month, the court temporarily suspended the ban and allowed the sale of crackers, saying a complete ban would be an “extreme step” and a “graded approach” was needed to tackle pollution.

That verdict will now only be effective from November 1. The court today said it wants to test the effect of banning firecrackers on air quality after Diwali, the festival of lights when millions across India celebrate by bursting crackers and lighting lamps.

Each year, the festival leaves the air in Delhi thick with deadly smog and suspended particles and residents complaining of breathlessness and lung difficulties.

Last Diwali, the pollution level in Delhi was said to be the worst in 10 years.

NEW DELHI: Nine years after it was set up as India’s primary counter-terrorism probe agency, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is all set to get its own new and swanky headquarter building in the heart of the national Capital. 

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the new Headquarters Office Complex of the NIA here on October 10.  Ministers of State for Home Affairs, Hansraj Gangaram Ahir and Kiren Rijiju will also be present at the inauguration ceremony. The foundation stone of the NIA Headquarters was laid by Rajnath Singh on September 10, 2015 and the construction has been completed within the stipulated period of two years, official sources said.  

The NIA, which came into existence on December 31, 2008, initially began operations in Hotel Centaur near IGI Airport and then shifted its Headquarters to the NDCC-II Building, Jai Singh Road near Rajiv Chowk. 

In addition to the new headquarters, the NIA has expanded its geographical outreach through a network of branch offices located at Lucknow, Hyderabad, Kochi, Guwahati, Mumbai, Kolkata, Raipur and Jammu. NIA also has its camp offices at Chandigarh, Srinagar, Chennai, Bangalore, Vishakhapatnam, Ahmedabad, Bharuch, Jagdalpur, Patna, Siliguri, Malda, Ranchi, Vijaywada and Imphal. 

The Ministry of Urban Development allotted 1.0356 acres of land opposite CGO Complex, Lodhi Road in Delhi at a cost of Rs.22.78 lacs on December 23, 2013 for construction of the NIA’s headquarters.  After the Home Ministry’s approval a year later, the MoU for construction of office complex building was signed with the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) Ltd on December 29, 2014. The Office Complex, comprising of administration building having nine floors & two basements with a total area of 1,14,056 sqft, has been built at a cost of Rs.35.13 crore. 

As the Central Counter-Terrorism Investigation agency, the NIA came into existence in pursuance to enactment of the NIA Act, 2008. with a mandate to investigate serious offences related to terrorist activities affecting the sovereignty, security and integrity of the nation. 

The NIA is investigating the crimes having national and international ramifications and NIA has all-India jurisdiction. The NIA started functioning on January 19, 2009. The first case was assigned to NIA in June, 2009 and by the end of July, 2017, a total 166 cases had been assigned to the NIA for investigation. These cases cover the entire spectrum of terrorism related challenges relevant to India and have involved investigative efforts in 26 States and UTs. 

Out of the 166 breakup cases, 63 cases pertain to ‘jihadi’ terrorism, 25 to terrorist acts by North East insurgents, 41 to cases of terror financing and fake currency, 13 to cases involving Left Wing Extremism while the remaining 24 cases relate to other miscellaneous terrorist acts/gangs. The investigations conducted by the NIA have helped to unearth an entire range of illegal activities involving terror funding to specific incidents of terror involving the killing of innocent persons.