Budget 2013- An Economic Reform???

With hardly a few days left for the finance minister to open the cat out of the bag and state his Budget for the fiscal year 2013-14, people in all rungs of the social ladder will be expecting an economic reform to take place.

As stated in Abraham Maslow’s theory of human motivation, the first step is to attain the basic requirement of food, water and shelter. With rising prices becoming quite common today in our country, there is a need for economic stability among people of various income groups. The expectations of a farmer vary from those of a middle class man who manages to earn 3,00,00 rupees a year.

In a country primarily relying on its agricultural revenue, the importance of waiving off farming loans needs to be realised. This will greatly benefit those people who fall in a lower income bracket. Though write off of central loans save a lot of money for the state governments, people argue on the basis that waiving off loans is against the moral principles of lending loans. It penalises those who repay the loans. The question of expectation comes into picture. Farmers might expect further loans to be waived in the future. The problem lies in the fact that when prices rise, these people are forced to spend an large part of their income on a basic requirement like food, which takes savings out of the equation.

For people in the middle income criteria, it’s about increasing the income limit for taxation. High taxation rates in times of inflation could hit hard in the financial positions of people in the middle income group. The standard of living of these people is reduced. The obvious solution is now increasing the tax rate for people of the high income group. People will never hesitate to pay taxes if the money is used properly. Now increasing the tax rate for this income category prompts people into black money. They focus on saving money rather than giving it out to the government to be eaten off by corrupt politicians.

With the weakening manufacturing sector, there needs to be an increase in investment there which could not only strengthen its stand but also generate jobs for thousands. The manufacturing industries need a revamp in the way they are run. Adequate funding to improve the infrastructure of this industry and build up more micro-industries could help boost growth and generate jobs which could in turn reduce the percentage of unemployment.

Education is the backbone of a developing country like India. A lot of thought has to be given to allocating funds to promote students to pursue higher education, particularly those of a poor financial background. Exceptionally talented people of a poor background need to be encouraged by providing more government scholarships. Infrastructure in schools situated in the rural areas could be improved. People here fail to send their children to school because of improper sanitation facilities. This is a primary requirement especially for girls. This indirectly affects the literacy rate on the whole. The last venture of providing mid-day meals to children helped a great deal in increasing the students who turn up in school. Such innovative ideas are in call for, to improve standard of education provided to the poor.

With energy crises in states like TamilNadu, where the output from industries have been poor due to acute power crises, investing in transmission lines to benefit transfer of power could go a long way in increasing the throughput from industries. Power, unlike edible entities like milk (which can be transported easily) needs transmission lines to transfer it from one state to another. Proper infrastructure of transmission lines to carry power from states like Gujarat to Tamilnadu was one of reasons for the two hour power cut on a daily basis which can in turn affect the working of software and manufacturing industries. Fuel price always seems to be exponentially increasing which eliminates the possibility of using generators.

The Aadhaar(UIDAI), was a great step towards mobilizing funds and preventing corruption, or at least keeping it to a minimum. Nandan Nilekani took the great responsibility of leading the team to work on the Aadhaar. Great deal of investment went into infrastructure development, since this requires optical fiber lines to reach villages and rural areas. In the Aadhaar, money is transferred directly into the concerned person’s account which prevents its misuse. Further investment is a assured necessity for its full-fledged use throughout the country. The next task lies in integrating the Aadhar throughout the country and partnering up with nationalised banks for error free transfer of funds. 

India is witnessing a dull period in its economy with GDP falling to as low as 6% in the last quarter. Economists are predicting only slight signs of improvement in the GDP in this year. Analysis in October 2012 showed that the manufacturing and production sector are picking up.

The current situation reminds me of the economic crises that hit our country a decade ago. In 1991, P.V Narasimha Rao turned to Manmohan Singh, making him the Finance Minister to overcome the financial crises the country was in. He succeeded in bringing the country back on track as far as the economy was concerned.

A Budget is always expected by the citizens of the country to be better than the previous year. Today a revolutionary economic revolution is in call for.

The UPA have been staunchly criticized for its incapability to act for the past few years of its ruling. They have been written off the 2014 elections. A satisfactory and promising budget this year could probably affect the way the votes swing in the 2014 elections.

The Secret: A review

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne is a book that has changed the way I approach life. The way I think. The way I speak. It has transformed me as an individual.

Primarily focusing on the importance and relevance of positive thinking, this book explores the lives of many individuals, who through their exceptional mind power have overcome fateful accidents, financial constraints to make their life into one of happiness and prosperity.

The book begins with the “Law of attraction” which focuses on the idea that we attract into life, what we think. It explores the influence of negative thoughts on our daily lives. Every individual tends on focus on what he doesn't want rather than what he wants in life. This was true in my case too. That’s the nature of thought process. If you can devote ten minutes of your time after reading about the law of attraction, you might realize the mistakes that you do.

Life is how you structure it to be. If it’s not going the way you precisely we want it to, the structuring, rather the thought process in you, needs a refinement. The present is a reflection of the thoughts you have culminated through the years.

Universe is a Catalogue

The Universe is perceived to act as a catalogue, where you can flip through its pages to get what you desire. The beauty in life lies in the fact that no two people have the same needs.

“Money doesn't grow on trees son”- The most common phrase I hear from my dad. We always believe that money or wealth is accumulated through hard work. This book changes the way we think about money. It’s probably easy to earn money after all!!

Medical miracles are often seen where people, completely bedridden fight it through to success in life. Our body is a product of our thoughts. “ I've seen kidneys regenerated. I've seen cancer dissolves. I've seen eyesight improve and come back”, says Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith. Real life stories are stated as examples which you can’t argue with.

In a few cases people might be financially well off but they fail in their relationships. They fail to attract the right people into their lives. You need to understand yourself as an individual before you expect others to understand you. When you don’t appreciate yourself how can others? In the quantum physic level, Dr Fred Alan Wolf explains how the molecules of energy vibrate with constant positive thoughts. 

The complete book is a vicious circle of the positive thought process. For those who feel you are an extremely positive person I recommend you to read this book because you can make your life even better. You need extreme dedication to incorporate the thought process that is explained in detail in this book. But once this gets into routine, you will find that the results are life transforming. I have truly experienced the fruits of my positive thoughts which made me fight health problems. 

This book is worth millions!!! Shelling out 600 bucks is definitely worth it if you believe in it. If you feel that’s not worth, just watch “Secret- The Movie” where the book has been made into a movie by Paul Harrington. It kindles the feeling of positivity and self-belief in you.  Visit www.thesecret.tv for more information about the book.

Vishwaroopam: A review

It was a journey of two and a half hours of adept screenplay and breathtaking performances. The director has marveled at his efforts of bringing us a spy thriller with such technical ingenuity and social consciousness.

Characterization:

Deep emotional venture into characters is seen only in Kamal Haasan and Pooja Kumar. As a nuclear scientist Nirupama's social interest or rather responsibility is seen. Kamal, in which ever form he is in expresses himself with complete emotion which makes his characterization more transparent. Rahul Bose poses as an excellent choice as terrorist, probably for the first time, with his body language and voice. Andrea, I believe is more of a tool to build up the story line.

Story:

With no particular statement against a religion, the director has tried to show the world really what's happening. The adamancy and refusal for change is a prominent character among jihadis. They are completely bound by religious and cultural views of their chauvinistic society. “Probably a terrorist too has a heart", is something he tries to convey in a few scenes. The story had an excellent blend of being a spy thriller and a movie which ventured into the life of people (Jihadis). In the chauvinistic society predominantly dominant in places like Afghan, its quiet apparent, as the film portraits, a blatant fact that a child is motivated or rather grown in an environment which instills in him the ideology that he will one day be a warrior. It’s not a choice given to him. He is lured or forced into his fate.   

We could see exceptional piece of screenplay writing throughout the movie. Cinematography was excellent especially during fight sequences. Thought provoking camera angles made chase sequences a treat to watch. The way the complete "act of terrorism" has been thought of is mind boggling. Whether it’s the pigeons of New York or the chemical called Cesium, it was a whole new concept. The story writer has gone into the mind of a terrorist to get most innovative ideas. Locations and costumes have been very well thought off. Whether it’s the sets of Afghan in Chennai or the headquarters of FBI in New York you can't think of anything better. Few guesses can be made regarding the progress of story by the interval if we watch the movie with complete involvement.

Exceptionally clear explanation for every aspect in storyline. A comical touch by Viswanath turns into a fight sequence which to me is one of the best choreographed and shot till date in Tamil Cinema. You can feel the hard work which has been put in when you see movie on screen. Even the drop of water dripping has its own significance. It was movie with a bilateral purpose of show casing talent with a strong social relevance.

What made me ponder my thoughts upon was how one actor bonds into three distinct roles he plays, plays those roles with complete flawlessness and makes us wonder if it’s the same man, Kamal Haasan who played those roles.

The movie makes us think of two things at the end. How could he encapsulate all he wanted to convey in three hours and last but not least, when advance bookings start for Vishwaroopam II.

CAN I CALL IT INABILITY TO CHANGE???

Freedom – A Far Fetched Dream?

The year, 2012, ended on a serious note, because of the Delhi Gang rape incident. The nation gave up celebrations to respect the "Delhi Braveheart" as she was, is and will be called.

She was a student of physiotherapy whose name was not revealed as it’s against the Indian law. Therefore, media houses used pseudonyms like Amanat, Braveheart, Nirbhaya and so on. Though there have been many rape cases in India (many of which go unreported) it was the heinousness of this incident that made the people raise their voice. Many protests were organised not only in Delhi but in other cities like Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkatta. People amassed in thousands outside the Parliament to support her.

When social networking sites were flooded with updates and tweets about her, on the political front, there was complete silence, which surprised many. Neither the politicians nor the head of the country can be held responsible for such a brutal crime committed by six people. But on the other hand, they are the responsible and learned people, who ought to have come out and pacified the citizens, whose relentless pursuit for justice was for a serious cause. It was a perfect chance for the votes to swing their way because there was not a better opportunity to win a citizens heart.

What was shocking was the way the peaceful protestors were treated, which added fuel to fire and ultimately culminated into a rampage. Smoke grenades and cannons (luckily here it was water cannons!!)are not unheard of in wars, but this was the first time I witnessed them being used on innocent civilians. Section 144 was imposed in the national capital. Does it mean that there is truly no individualistic importance given to a citizen in this country?

Further, the explanation that the Delhi Police were not under the control of the head of the state was unacceptable. I truly appreciate the effort of the Head of the State to have been one among the people to hold a candle. She offered clear explanations and promised immediate and swift action. She participated in open discussions to hear the suggestions of the public, which goes a long way to show unfathomable interest in improving security for women. Helpline numbers and fast track courts were set up with immediate effect. Very importantly, the change in laws, pending for years was amended.

The panel of Justice Verma, Gopal Subramaniam, Leila Seth drafted a 600 page report encapsulating the changes in law that were feasible. Though the juvenile age still remains to be 18, which couldn't be reduced to 16, for reasons that may be, the effort was remarkable. I felt bit disheartened though when Justice Verma remarked that he had to type his own work since he couldn't afford a typist with his pension.  30 days is all it took to bring in the necessary changes. After a long time, a democratic country’s voice was heard. Had it not been for the resurgence of the public this would have gone as another drop of water in the ocean. The next question is "When laws are made for the people why can’t they be flexible? Here it was termed a "Rarest of rare case". I still haven't got the inner meaning of the statement. On what basis can a hideous crime like rape be classified as a rare case? It’s a question of a woman’s life and social security. Questions seem endless and pointless.

There are enumerable number of such cases being reported, and for a few, people are not allowed to file an FIR. People are made to think twice before they report a case in a police station. They start to feel insecure about the policemen. If this is the kind of insecurity that exists with the people who ought to provide security, there is no doubt the freedom of expression will be curtailed, or probably in a decade, be abolished. There needs a rapid change in the way security personnel are trained. They should lend a helping hand when one is needed. What is extremely saddening is that such rules are being enforced now. A true democratic country can change only if the people in that country realize their role as a citizen and change themselves. It’s an evolutionary process. This evolutionary process are the seeds which grow to make a country with complete freedom of expression.

The attainment of the developed country status by 2020 seems to be a far -fetched dream of a great visionary, Dr. Abdul Kalam. If society needs a refinement, the people, the politicians, the teachers, the leaders in every fraternity need to change.

It’s the attitude of individuals and not the stringent imposition of rules that can bring a country's development.

EVOLUTION OF FILM-MAKING

The past few decades  have shown us the evolution of contemporary and controversial cinema. Gone are the days when it was a fight to establish your supremacy as an actor or director par excellence. We have had great actors and directors who have showed the world that cinema can be as innovative as an other field.

Actors and film- makers have realized the social relevance and importance in making a film because it has become part of every human beings life. What was just a tool of entertainment has become the reason for a few murders too(in the real world).  People instill into themselves the characters, emotions during the 3 hour tenure. Today, cinema can be used as a tool to discuss issues pertaining to the country or the world.

As in the words of George Bernard Shaw, "The only genius to have come out of the movie industry", Charlie Chaplin, showed us that it was an art of body language or exceptional expressions that can get you off your seats and applaud an actor. He had seemingly ventured into every aspect of film-making, quiet surprisingly for a man who journeyed from "rags to riches". His first "voice" movie, The Great Dictator showed us the intent and social aspect in his movie making. It was not just an imitation of a leader. He was an actor who, through his journey, wanted to be part of and contribute to society.

We had another director, who made it a point to showcase himself in every movie of his, Alfred Hitchcock. Born just 4 months after Chaplin, he could confine thrillers inside four walls of an apartment. His in depth analysis of the inner psychology of characters was mind boggling. He incorporated technology a lot in his movies. His shower scene from "Psycho" is to date the greatest scene of all time in the history of cinema.

From a small village in Paramakudi, a boy who was written off the school distinction boards, is an actor who has and still strives to make films for a purpose. Kamal Haasan or Ulaganayagan, has been a farmer, tirelessly ploughing into the land of Indian Cinema, to extract the best out of him. His films have shown social, political, economic, religious and people's issues. From Hey Ram, through Anbe Sivam and now to Vishwaroopam, he has showcased that respect for a human being or a jihadi. Truly undeterred by failures, he has made films to improve the quailty of film-making and not for a potential profit. 

With the recent turn of events for the film Vishwaroopam, I seemingly was bewildered by the importance given to a movie these days. Its become a part of individual. Though the question of "democratic expression" was broken, which I was very unhappy about, I was happy that people do consider cinema "THEIRS". 

Immense support from the filming fraternity made me feel that an actor will always get what he deserves. The support and encouragement he got were the fruits of his labour through the 53 years he has made his present felt on screen. 

It is these people, who consider making movies their social responsibility and way to contribute as a citizen to the society, who leave their footprints not only in the Hollywood Walk of Fame but also in the Sands of time.