TED India Talks-Ryan Lobo: Photographing the hidden story

Ryan Lobo has traveled the world, taking photographs that tell stories of unusual human lives. In this haunting talk, he reframes controversial subjects with empathy, so that we see the pain of a Liberian war criminal, the quiet strength of UN women peacekeepers and the perseverance of Delhi's underappreciated firefighters.

About Ryan Lobo:
As a photographer and filmmaker, Ryan Lobo uses his exquisite lens to capture humanity and nature at their most open and vulnerable moments.
During a recent shoot on the streets and beaches of Chennai, Ryan Lobo turned his lens on men and women in relaxed, after-work poses. His starkly beautiful black-and-white photos, Lobo writes, reveal what it's like “to be young, employed and alive in Chennai today, regardless of one's language, economic class or social skills.” This follows the theme of Lobo's career: breaking down stereotypes while reframing the landscape.

Since 2001, Lobo has been taking haunting stills of everything from Yakuza tattoos and the illegal organ trade to the Indian middle class. He's worked as a field producer on many nature-oriented shows for National Geographic and founded Mad Monitor Productions, a production company based in Bangalore and Washington, D.C. There's no scientific, economic or sociopolitical boundary Lobo isn't willing to cross. His intense fieldwork continues to illuminate his traveling (you can read about his journeys and see photographs on his blog) and a forthcoming book project.

"I have attempted to delve beneath clichés and with photographs tell stories about the secrets, trials and ethos of urban Chennai."
Ryan Lobo

Here is the Video:

TED India Talks-Thulasiraj Ravilla: How low-cost eye care can be world-class

India's revolutionary Aravind Eye Care System has given sight to millions. Thulasiraj Ravilla looks at the ingenious approach that drives its treatment costs down and quality up, and why its methods should trigger a re-think of all human services.

About Thulasiraj Ravilla:

Thulasiraj Ravilla is the executive director of the Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology, helping eye-care hospitals around the world build capacity to prevent blindness.
As director of the Lions Aravind Institute of Community Opthalmology, Thulasiraj Ravilla is helping to promulgate the Aravind Eye Care System's exam, diagnosis and treatment model to find culturally relevant solutions to the problem of avoidable blindness throughout India, and throughout the world.
Ravilla serves as chair of the Southeast Asian arm of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, and is head of Vision 2020: The Right to Sight, a global initiative for the elimination of blindness. He developed the LAICO-Aravind Eye Hospital Care System, and continues to lead it.
"When you grow in spiritual consciousness, we identify with all that is in the world so there is no exploitation. It is ourselves we are helping. It is ourselves we are healing."
Dr. G. Venkataswamy, founder, Aravind Eye Care System

Here is the Video:

Kasab says he never saw a AK-47 in his life :)

This is how the terrorists are trained. The person who earlier had admitted to his crimes and made a passionate plea to be "hanged" is now telling that he has not seen AK-47 in his life. He thinks that people of India will believe whatever he say. He should be hanged soon otherwise, he will start doing such naatak's everyday.

Read On..

In a dramatic turn around, the lone captured Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir alias Kasab Friday retracted his confession made earlier saying that he had come to Mumbai to work in Bollywood films and had never seen an AK-47 rifle in his life.

Retracting the confession made before a magistrate Feb 20 this year, Kasab told a special court that he had come to Mumbai at least 20 days before the 26/11 terror attacks.

"I was arrested three days before the 26/11 attacks, when I was going around Juhu area with some friends. I was in police custody at the time of the attacks," he told the stunned courtroom.

Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said that he had always anticipated that Kasab would retract his confessional statement.

"He has been trained by the terror organisations how to handle these things. But it (the retraction) will not affect the merits of the case in any manner. We have built up a solid evidence of 610 witnesses against him," Nikam told reporters during the lunch recess.

Kasab said that he had come to India on valid travel documents, but it is missing since his alleged arrest by police. He claimed that he had also lost his mobile phone and he did not know the whereabouts of his friends.

To a query from Special Judge M.L. Tahilyani, Kasab claimed that he was nabbed by the police since he was a Pakistani, three days before the attacks took place in Mumbai.

Kasab added that he closely resembled one of the terrorists killed in the 26/11 attacks and therefore was forced to take his place by police.

Kasab's surprise retraction of his confession came during the recording of his statement at the start of the second phase of the terror attacks trial.

He had earlier gone back on the confession July 20 in the court and later admitted to his crimes and made a passionate plea to be "hanged".

Kasab also claimed that he was forced to make and sign a confession before the magistrate.

"I was not present in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) and I did not open firing inside the railway station. I have never seen an AK-47 in my life, or even a rubber dingy," he claimed.

He said that he had been interrogated by four white men of whom one was David Coleman Headley, one of the terror accused who is now in custody in US.

Reacting to this, Nikam said the accused had made only "a passing reference" to Headley and T. Rana, both arrested in the US, and not a detailed statement on the issue.

Source: news.in.msn.com, 18th December 2009

In Tamil Nadu, even bypoll brings in freebies for people to vote

Even today, votes in India are earned in exchange of money, goodies and freebies like liquor, biriyani, etc. Such things are happening even in bypolls. This is one of the reason why India is still a developing country, not a developed country.

Read On..

Despite Election Commission’s hawk eye, it’s raining freebies in Vandavasi. With just three days left for an assembly by-election here, voters have been forming furtive queues in nondescript street corners to collect gifts, including biryani packets, envelopes with money, dhotis, sarees and booze bottles. The December 19 byelection is proving to be a big bonanza for voters.

‘‘While one political party offered Rs 500 per vote, another gave us Rs 200. People say there will be a second round of disbursement of cash just before the polling day,’’ said a gleeful Chinnadurai, a resident of Thellar, 15 km from Vandavasi town. A family with five voters in Vandavasi reserved constituency will pocket anywhere between Rs 6,000 and Rs 8,000 this month, besides goodies, pointed out Chinnadurai.

Money and liquor are flowing freely. One political party generously distributed quarter bottles of whisky, supplementing it with sumptuous biryani feasts. The women folk were mollified too. Uncomplainingly, they took rides in trucks to receive free sarees and dhotis.

Said chief electoral officer, Naresh Gupta: ‘‘Whenever we get complaints or alerts, we direct the district election officers concerned to send squads to the spot to check.’’ But, the party always breaks up before the election officials get to them, pointed out sources.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 16th December 2009

Haagen Dazs - Sorry, Indians not allowed

It looks like the Danish Ice cream Haagen Dazs has tried to bring in the Era of the British Raj where Indians are not allowed into a ice-cream parlor inside India.
This is a direct reminder of the Raj period when Indians and dogs weren't allowed into clubs and other 'white' places.

The City Walk Mall in Delhi recently opened up to Haagen Dazs ice cream parlor & they had a poster where they claim that only international passport holders are allowed for the preview. In India, Indian's are not allowed !!!!!!!! This is sick and disgusting.

Read On..

My friend Ramit (name changed on request) called me late Friday night. He sounded quite agitated. “You know, Haagen Dazs has opened its Delhi outlet”. I reacted with a joke. “Good, now you can spend a lot more on an ice cream than you normally would. But why are you agitated?”

“Because I am not allowed to enter”, he said. Now, Ramit is not like one of the politician’s son or into drugs, the sort who are often in news in India’s capital for all the wrong reasons, nor is he the kind who will shoot someone down because she refused to serve him a cone of ice cream.

He did not waste much time and said he has taken a picture and is mailing me the reason. I switched on my mail, and clicked on the attachment. I couldn’t believe what I saw. Was I in India, 62 years after gaining independence, and years after South Africa officially ended apartheid?

The banners outside the outlet said: Exclusive Preview for International Travellers. And under that, in an even finer print, the real bombshell: Access restricted only to holders of international passports.

I immediately called Ramit. “You are an international traveler, and you have a passport, so you can go in”, I said. Ramit’s response was instant: I tried to enter but they said you are not allowed for you don’t have an international passport.

I am normally not given to immediate emotional reactions, but I couldn’t resist this time. I was, to be honest, upset. How can they do this to an Indian, in India? Do a story on TOI or NBT? Do it for print or Online? Call other media friends and colleagues? I simply didn’t know how to react. Print would have a better impact, but should I wait that long?

Then I felt, why not use the power of the social media? Next thing I knew was that I had put up a few pictures on facebook, added a caption and also sent out a tweet with a request it be retweeted. In a few hours, it had turned into a viral and I started getting messages from angry Indians all over. Why just Indians, even friends in international media wrote to say “this is the stupidest thing they have seen in a long time”.

I didn’t stop at that. I ended up calling a few MPs I knew I could speak to bluntly and told them about it, taunting them about it.

I don’t know what finally worked, but it seems word did get around to the outlet’s franchisee and they started claiming there never was any restriction on anybody entering the outlet.

While this may be considered a victory for people power, I am still unable to figure out who in his right senses would have advised the dessert company to do something so stupid. Was it a way to generate controversy for free publicity? Did they think it will work subliminally on Indians mind that now that it has been ‘certified’ by international travelers it would be good for them too?

Whatever it is, it is idiotic. I checked later and found that the franchisee is an Indian company based in Delhi and the man incharge is also an Indian.

I have often maintained that we ourselves are our biggest enemies. Our mentality is that of slaves and we think anything is good only if its approved by foreigners, or the “holders of international passport”.

Perhaps the Indian franchisee had this in mind. And a comment on the picture I put up on the facebook by an Indian who migrated to Australia decades ago sums it up: Most international travellers don't want HD in India when they can get it in their own backyard. Its a commodity not a special thing for them. They would also see this as pure cashing in and thinking they are idiots - 'India taking them for a ride.' Have to remember not every international traveler is American; makes an average salary of squillion dollars; can often be allergic to dairy (yes); is in India to have an 'authentic Indian' experience and by golly even enjoy kulfi, falooda, lassi, dosa! This is all about how India and Indians see themselves. Foreigners have nothing to do with it.

Source: blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 15th December 2009

Thieves caught emptying house, owner feeds them rosogollas

Heights of Gandhigiri. This guy looks like totally impressed by munnabhai series of movies. Instead of complaining to the police against the thieves who tried to loot his house, he gave them sweets and let them go. :)

Read On..

In an example of Gandhigiri, a man fed sandesh and rosogollas to two petty thieves who were caught red-handed while stealing valuable items from his house at Kamardanga village in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district.

The two teenage thieves, Bablu Mistry and Tapas Das, had sneaked into Jayanta Gutpa's house by breaking open a rear window Monday. Gupta was away in Kolkata where he works at the NSC Bose International Airport.

As the duo got busy picking up utensils, watches, clothes and electronic items from the house, their movements alerted neighbour Renuka Pal who was bathing in the pond in the rear of the house.

Pal gathered the villagers and caught the two thieves with the booty. The villagers beat the two miscreants black and blue and tied them up before informing Gupta.

But the situation changed when Gupta rushed home from Kolkata Monday evening.

'I felt very sympathetic to them because of their age. And they claimed that it was their first crime, which they had committed because they do not get two square meals a day,' Gupta said.

He untied the teenagers and treated them to sandesh, rosogolla, banana and bread before setting them free.

'But before that, I also told them about the perils of going the wrong way. They listened to me intently,' he said.

Source: sify.com, 15 December 2009

Indian women forced to have 5 abortions because in-laws did not want female child

Even after bringing the rule of not letting know the gender of the child before its birth, people are getting to know about the same. Worse, they are forcing to abort the child if its a girl.

Read On..

A pale Amisha Bhatt, 33, stood out in the crowd of rural women from over 15 districts of Gujarat who had gathered at Town Hall to participate in a public hearing of cases of violence against women. The public hearing was organized by Mahila Adhikar Abhiyan.

As women narrated their tales of rape, domestic abuse, Amisha's body shook as she relived the horror of repeated abortions and physical abuse she was subjected to by her in-laws in their obsession for a male heir.

Currently residing with her parents in Vastrapur, Amisha says that she was subjected to six abortions over eight years, the last being early this year. In between, she gave birth to a girl Kamya, who was saved because Amisha went to her parents' house because she took ill.

Amisha is currently fighting a legal battle with her husband and in-laws for forcible termination of pregnancies, physical and mental abuse and has claimed maintenance.

Amisha was married to Priyavadan Bhatt from Anand in year 2000. She says her torture began the day she conceived her first child. "My in-laws were obsessed with a male child. My elder brother-in-law has two daughters and the family wanted me to give them a male heir. My first pregnancy was terminated in August 2001 after sonography tests revealed it was a girl," says Amisha.

"When I was pregnant the third time, I had gone for a wedding where I fell ill and was packed off to my parents' place. This is how I gave birth to a girl child Kamya," says Amisha.

The pressure only increased after Kamya's birth. "After that, I was forced to undergo three more abortions, two in Vadodara and one in Godhra," says Amisha.

Early this year, she was thrown out of her house. "My mother-in-law said she would get another daughter-in-law who would give birth to a male child," says Amisha.

She is now under the care of Yogakshem, an NGO providing legal assistance, and is currently taking computer classes to stand on her feet. "The government has created lot of awareness about saving the girl child but the guilty need to be punished to serve an example. We have filed complaint under PC-PNDT Act against the doctors with district health officers but they have not been arrested yet," says RR Shukla of Yogakshem.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 9 December 2009