ISSUE 43 31st March, 2016

News In BriefElection Commission: Watchdog of DemocracyDuring a press conference back in Decem-ber 2015, Chief Election Commissioner, Dr.Nasim Zaidi said that it is the Election Commission’s endeavour to hold the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal in a free, fair and peaceful manner. He also spoke of deploying central forces and IT-enabled smart observers for the smooth functioning of the election process. In the run up to the Bengal assembly polls we are indeed seeing deployment of paramilitary forces and Zaidi is well on his way to fulfill his promise of deploy-ing central forces in all the polling booths of West Bengal.Riding on the success of Bihar assembly elections it was of lit-tle doubt that Election Commission would apply the same yard-stick in West Ben-gal assembly polls. In the first week of March, 4 companies of paramilitary forc-es arrived in the city and districts. A total of 10 companies of central forces are cur-rently deployed in the state. As part of confidence building measures, the secu-rity forces have been regularly conducting route marches and are patrolling the sen-sitive areas on a regular basis. In a major turnaround, police officials from the local police stations have no role to play this time.The Election Commission this time has the full power to deploy forces at their will unlike in the past when orders had to be obtained from local authorities. To ensure free and fair polls in the villages, a three tier secu-rity ring will be established around polling

booths. It seems the EC has learnt from its mistakes during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls where there were sporadic incidents of booth capturing and bombs being hurled in parts of Central Kolkata by the ruling Trin-amool Congress. EC’s extra precautionary measures can also be attributed to the fact that Trinamool made a mockery of the elec-toral policies during the state civic polls in 2015, by extensively using un-ethical means and elements to ensure its all round victory. Adding to chief minister Mamata Baner-jee’s worries, the Election Commission has

asked the state chief secretary Basudeb Banerjee to transfer almost 44 officials. The officials vary from DM( District Magistrate) to ICs( Inspector In charge). The transfer order came a day after Dr.Nasim Zaidi inter-acted with opposition political parties anad received complaints against a few officials. The most controversial figure to be trans-ferred is IPS Bharati Ghosh who was known to be close to Mamata Banerjee and alleged to have been working in nexus with Trin-amool Congress. Ghosh has been SP of West Midnapore for quite some time

before being appointed as In-charge of naxal eradication in Jhargram, West Mid-napore, Bankura and Purulia. The ploy was to retain her in her stronghold under the guise of a new position but the EC finally had their way by transferring her.It is also not suprising to know that the rul-ing party maintains their own version of what was known as CPM’s ‘Harmad Bahini’, in districts. Malda, Murshidabad and Nadia are the major arms making and smuggling hubs in West Bengal, with Birbhum being one of the most troubled areas. Each passing day

security forces have stumbled upon live bombs, ware houses of illegal ammuni-tion, raw materials for bomb-making etc. TMC leader Subodh Praman-ick was recently arrested for pos-sessing 3 crores worth of opium and bombs.

With the above named districts being the hub of fake currency and illegal arms, it is a major challenge for the paramilitary to ensure fair polls in the affected areas. Zaidi’s sole mission should be the effec-tive implementation of the central forces alongwith the EC’s stringent rules. The Election Commission’s vision of free and fair polls might actually result in the delink-ing of terror from polls in rural Bengal. If indeed the Election Commission can con-trol mob violence in rural areas there might be impact on TMC’s votebank and may result in a silver lining for opposition parties.

Saptarshi Chowdhury

Brussel’s Terror Attack32 people killed and over 300 wounded in a series of explo-sions at Brussel’s Airport and Belgian Capital metro station on March 22nd. Raghavendran Ganeshan, an Indian Infosys Employee also died in the attack.

Collapse of Kolkata Flyover

20 people killed and several injured as under construc-tion flyover collapses in the heart of the Kolkata. Rescue operations are underway of what the state government calls a monumental tragedy.

Uttarakhand Under President’s rule

Uttarakhand came under Presi-dent’s rule, a day before the Har-ish Rawat Govt. was going to move forward with the trust vote. The decision comes after a high level Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rebellion by nine Congress MLAs has led to the current political chaos in Uttarakhand

Top order fails as India enter Semis in T20 World Cup

Even though team India start-ed poorly in the ongoing ICC T20 world cup of 2016, the team has finally managed to reach the semi-finals of the tournament leaning on the broad shoulders of Virat Kohli

although the worry regarding the form of the top order of the Indian batting line-up remains. The team which has recently added a feather into its cap by winning the Asia cup in Ban-gladesh just before the start of the world cup, seemed to be a bit shaky in front of the Kiwis in the first match in the league section of the tournament leav-ing supporters doubtful whether India would qualify the league and enter the semis or not. There was much dilemma on whether India would be able to take on Pakistan after the match which was scheduled to take place in Dharmasala was called off due to security rea-

sons. But amidst all confusions, the match was rescheduled at Eden Gardens, Kolkata where India retained its winning streak against Pakistan in world cup matches and kept its hopes to enter the semi-final alive. The next match which was scheduled against Bangladesh saw a close fight between the two teams with India clinching win with just one run to spare. Bangladesh which was on the verge of winning the match just two runs in three balls, could not make it as three wickets fell prey to the intelligent bowling by Har-dik Pandya in the last over and a brilliant show of leadership by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Finally the most difficult hurdle in front of the Indian team came in the form of the Australian team. It was a knock out stage where the losing side would have to exit the tournament. Australia, batting first, put up a huge total of 160 runs in 20 overs leaving India a target of 161 runs to win the match and enter the semi finals. Even-tually like the previous matches, the top order of the Indian bat-ting line up failed to make a mark and it was left on the shoulders of Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh to keep the scoreboard ticking.Kohli and an injured Yuvraj Singh battled through the mid-dle overs of the Indian innings until Dhoni arrived and both

Kohli and Dhoni took away the match from the clutches of Aus-sies with 5 balls to spare stand-ing on a brilliant knock of 82 by Virat Kohli in 51 balls who was adjudged the Man of the Match. Although the team has reached the semis, the form of the top order of the Indian batting seems to be a major cause of concern when India faces the West Indies in the semis with likes of hard hit-ter Chris Gayle, who can be the turning point of any match at any point of time. Now it is to be watched on whether the Indian bowlers are able to withstand the Gayle storm or whether the big names of Indian top order can bring some glory to their name.

Avijit Das

PM’s three nation tourPM Narendra Modi is on a three nation tour from March 30 at Brussel, US and Saudi Arabia .PM Modi will attend the 13th India–EU summit in Brussel , Nuclear security sum-mit in Wsahington and visit Saudi Arabia to boost ener-gy and security cooperation.

ISSUE 43 31st March, 2016

Obituary:Johan Cruyff

The Team: Aakruti Shah,Avijit Das, Monalisa Mitra, Paramita Das, Palak Shah, Saptarshi Chowdhury, Shagufta Ali, Tiyasi Datta, Design Team: Utpinjar Dey, Indrani Sen, Rupa Thapa, Medha Saha, Rishin Bose

Chief Mentor: Dr Buroshiva Dasgupta Mentors: Debanjan Banerjee, Reshmi Naskar, Bhaswar Bhattacharyya, Ankita Ash, Barnali Ray, Anwar Ali,Sourav Basu

Johan Cruyff, the Dutch football player passed away on 24th March 2016.He was 68 and was suffering from lung cancer. The football icon took his last breath at his home in Barcelona, sur-rounded by his family. Being voted ‘Player of the Year’ thrice, he has also won innumerable trophies throughout his career as a player as well as a man-ager. Belonging to a family with very basic means, he rose to become a legend solely through his hard work and persistence. He is survived by his wife Danny Coster, their two daughters and a son Jordi Cruyff, who is also a football player. He may not be amongst us anymore, but he shall always be remembered as a player, a coach, an advisor and one of the game’s greatest think-ers.

The festival of Colour spreads Love, Unity and Equality “Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add colour to my sunset sky.” - Rabindranath Tagore

From the lanes of Mathura and Vrindavana, the colours of Holi have spread all over the world. With the advent of spring and the warm smile of the sun, the sky was adorned with riot of colour. Be it the streets of Barsana or the neighbourhoods of Kolkata, the chant of “Bura na mano, holi hain” filled the air. Celebrated in the last full moon day of Phalgun, Holi- the festi-val of colour and love is a signifier of the triumph of good over evil. It carries many connotations like the many colours used to celebrate the festival. As with other festivals, Holi’s real importance lies not just in its connotations from the past, but also in its current relevance. During Holi, we forget our past wrong doings by burning them in the symbolic fire of Holika forgive others and strengthen our relationships.Holi; also known as Phagwah in Nepal, Dol jatra in Assam, Basanta Utsav in West Bengal is celebrated differently in dif-ferent regions of India,although its symbolism almost remains

the same. In Gujarat, it is celebrated for 2 days, the first day when people offer raw coconut & corn in the Holika fire and the second day called Dhuleti- the festival of colour. The lathmaar holi of the Barsana region is quite wild as women beat men symbolically while the latter try to shield themselves, chant-ing ‘Sri Krishna!’ and ‘Sri Radhe!’. Ahmedabad celebrates Krishna’s childhood pranks. A pot of buttermilk is hung over the streets & young boys try to break it by making a human pyramid while the girls or ‘gopis’ try to stop them by splashing colours. Kanpur marks the struggle of freedom fighters under Nana Saheb by arranging Ganga Mela on the last day of holi. Gujiya, Puran poli, Mathri, Dahi Vada, Bhaang are the food delicacies. Nowadays, the celebration of colour has got a new form of expression, with holi becoming more commercial, it allows the usage of synthetic colours over the natural ones made from turmeric, radish, gulmohar etc. Alcoholic drinks are preferred over Thandai. While expressions might change but its essence and the reasons for its celebration remain the same. Thanks to the tales that were passed from one generation to another.“What is life without colours” – When we stay busy stocking up gulaals, filling our pichkaris and splashing colours on each other; amidst all the happiness, the widows of Varanasi and Vrindavana, spend their Holi every year within the temples, hugging the dark bleakness of life. Some were left behind by their family members and some chose this life voluntarily. They are bereft of their dignity. The society binds them in shackles in the name of ‘traditions’ restraining them from leading a nor-mal life. But this year, they broke this 400 year old tradition of Gopinath temple of Vrindavana and hundreds of them played holi within the precinct of the age old shrine. They were joined by many forward thinking Sanskrit scholars and priests. The custom, which forbids widows from wearing colourful sarees and playing with colours, was broken. About 1,200kg of gulaal and 1,500kg of rose and marigold petals were used in the celebration. The tears of joy rolled down from their eyes as they smeared colours on each other. They tapped their feet to the tunes of Braj holi songs, forgetting all the pains of their grief-stricken life for that moment. The smile on their lips was treasured by all. It was an unexpected change marking the epilogue of a sad saga.

Tiyashi Datta

Movie Review: Kapoor & Sons (Since 1921)

Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Rajat Kapoor, Ratna Pathak Shah, Fawad Khan, Sidharth Malhotra, Alia BhattDirector: Shakun BatraRating:

A family movie produced by Karan Johar’s Dhar-ma Productions is expected to be an over the top drama about a perfect family, but ‘Kapoor & Sons’ proves to be a norm-breaker showcasing an Indian dysfunctional family. The Kapoors are like every one of us. There are squabbling parents, grandparents, a ‘perfect beta’, a ‘runner up’ son and then, there is sibling rivalry. Throughout the film, the Kapoors go through a plethora of events- celebrations, accidents, fights, revelations and heartaches. Set against the backdrop of Coonoor,

we see the two sons of the family; Rahul (Fawaad Khan) and Arjun (Sidharth Malhotra) reunite with their family after their Daddu (Rishi Kapoor) suf-fers a heart attack. What is seen next is the family, that looks so perfect has plenty of imperfections with the parent Kapoors (Rajat Kapoor & Ratna Pathak Shah) are at loggerhead always and the siblings don’t miss a chance for throwing a jar of cookies at each other.The family is sitting on a ticking time bomb and then enters Tia Mallik (Alia Bhatt), a potential trigger.The winners are the scriptwriters-Shakun Batra and Ayesha Dhillon.Not only they essay a next door middle class family but they have weaved each and every character beautifully making everyone stand apart. Daddu is seen a happy-go-lucky grandfather who is so full of life that every one of us would want a grandfather like him. But the show stealers are Fawaad Khan and Ratna Pathak Shah. Fawaad portrays the character of Rahul with much ease and makes you swoon and cry for him.While, Ratna is flawless as she is con-stantly seen struggling with her marriage and try-ing to keep the family together even though she stays frustrated with her life.The music has a very young and fresh vibe. While songs like Chull and Let’s Nacho are party num-bers. There are soft numbers like Budhhu SA Mann and Bolna that have a soulful touch.Saa-thi Rey is a mellow song with enchanting lyrics. Overall, music by Amaal Mallik, Badshah, Arko Pravo Mukherjee, and Tanishk Bagchia and lyr-ics by Badshah,Kumaar, Manoj Muntashir, Dr. Devendra Kafir, and Abhiruchi Chand makeup for a good album.Kapoor & Sons debunks the norm that every Indi-an family is perfect and reminds one to love their imperfect family.

Aakruti Shah Palak Shah

Campus News

Winner in CU Fest’16Students of M.Sc Computer Sci-ence, 2nd Semester, have won first place in Counter Strike 1.6 Gaming Competition. The fest ‘REFLEXONS 2K16’ was organ-ised by the department of Com-puter Science, University of Cal-cutta on 19th March, 2016. The team member comprised of Sou-maydev Maity, Sayan Banerjee, Archishman Sukul, Mrinmoy Pal and Md. Zubair Akhtar, co-ordinated by Sohail Ahmed.

Yes To Women Empowerment

On the eve of International Women’s Day,YES BANK organ-ised an interactive campaign named ‘SAY YES to WOMEN’S SAFETY’ on 18th March,2016.The programme aimed towards empowering women, building self confidence , helping them deal with risks for their person-al safety. Also associated with this event was the Karate Do Foundation of India, Kolkata.

Win in Shankar NethralayaA clinical symposium was held by Shankar Nethralaya, in their campus, on 27th March, 2016. The meeting was focused on a scientific presentation and was accompanied by a poster and a quiz competition. Students from NSHM, Kolkata (optom-etry department) came first in the Poster making competition, competing with other colleges like NSHM Durgapur, George College of Management and Science and Pailan College of Management and Technology.

Think Photography Canon conducted a workshop in the college campus on 11th February 2016. The workshop was conducted by their corpo-rate trainer, Mr. Bharat Bhusham Singh on the following outlines- Canon Imaging Philosophy, Legend of EOS & EF lens tech-nique, EF Lens- challenge in pursuit of excellence. The seminar ended with an open forum for question and answers.

P.C- Pranab Choudhary

India’s got talent Season 7

Shantam Kar & Suvojit Shome,4th semester students of Media Science, qualified audi-tions for a renowned real-ity television show India’s got talent Season 7 for Col-ors TV. The Kolkata auditions were held on February 10th.