Hindustan Times steals a popular blogger’s photograph!!!

The so-called “mainstream media” in India is stooping to new lows with each passing day! Most of the “mainstream newspapers” have ceased to report news but have resorted to sensationalism and trivialism to sell their newspapers. The broadsheets are broadsheets only in name and form, but their content is sheer tabloid journalism. This has led to readers calling them as “broadloids”. Going by their news content, one should actually call them “broadvoids”. There seem to be no exceptions to this rule.

Well, sensationalism and trivialism are just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many other unethical practices they indulge in to sell their newpapers. But stealing is the latest one!

Hindustan Times, a so-called “mainstream newspaper” has stolen a photograph that was taken by my favourite blogger and the person who led me to the blogosphere, Nita. Hindustan Times is published from Delhi and Nita lives in Mumbai. The article caught her eye because she was interested in the subject as she had written an article on the same on her blog. The article in the Mumbai edition of the newspaper is titled Towards getting it write and is penned by Rukmini Banerji and Wilima Wadhwa. The content is original but the photograph is a stolen one as the newspaper neither asked Nita’s permission to publish the photograph nor provided an acknowledgement. Nita is a freelance journalist and writer herself and she has written to the editor about this. Read more about this on her blog, A wide angle view of India.

Here is Nita’s original photo . . .

And here is the photo that was published in the newspaper . . .

Both the images are from Nita’s blog, http://nitawriter.wordpress.com

Now, Hindustan Times is supposed to be a “major” Indian “mainstream” newpaper. It is a commercial entity that is flush with funds. On the other hand, Nita is a blogger who posts articles purely for the love of writing and blogging. Nita would have accepted the use of her photograph if it had been used for a non-commercial purpose with an acknowledgement. She has the original photograph that was taken near her home and she can prove that it was taken by her. A few blogger friends are writing about this to make sure the paper responds to her e-mail. I hope the newspaper acknowledges that it had used a photograph from her blog and pays her adequately for the same along with an apology from the editor or whoever was responsible for stealing her photograph.

Nita herself does not believe that the so-called “mainstream newspaper” is going to respond to her e-mail. But the power of the truly free alternate media, especially blogs, must expose the unethical journalism that the so-called “mainstream media” indulge in to sell their newspapers!

Wish you good luck in your battle against those so-called “mainstream media” guys, Nita!

A chapter on superstar Rajinikanth in school textbooks!

Rajinikanth (Tamil: ரஜினிகாந்த், Kannada: ರಜನೀಕಾಂತ್, Marathi : रजनीकांत, Telugu: రజినీకాంత్), one of the most influential and bankable film stars in the Indian movie industry and the person who is synonymous with the title superstar, now features in an English textbook brought out by the Oxford University Press for class VI students!

Rajinikanth, a.k.a. Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, a.k.a. the superstar . . .

Image: http://www.rajinikanth.com

Rajinikanth was born as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad on December 12, 1949. His mother tongue is Marathi, but he worked in Bengaluru, the capital of the state of Karnataka as a bus conductor. He learnt acting and the Tamil language before doing supporting roles in Tamil films. Early in his career, he concentrated on roles that called for acting skills but after he achieved superstardom, he was offered roles in films which marketed Superstar Rajinikanth as their USP. Apart from Tamil, Rajinikanth has acted in 173 movies, including Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi and Bengali movies. He has also acted in a Hollywood film, Bloodstone.

Despite the fact that he comes from a modest background, he has not allowed fame and money to affect him. He retains his characteristic humility in real life. He is known for his philanthropic activities and his concern for those who are less fortunate in life. Infact, the main reason for his unbelievable popularity, apart from his unique acting style and punch dialogues, is the fact that he strongly identifies himself with the working class. His biggest blockbusters have been films in which he has played the role of a man from the working class who makes it big in life but never looks down upon the poor but fights for their rights. He is portrayed as a hero who strongly opposes the concepts that keep people oppressed. He is portrayed as a fighter who fights the concepts of feudalism, “free market capitalism”, exploitation, oppression, crime, corruption, backwardness and savagery in most of his films as these concepts and ideas always flock together and are the bane of any society or country and are the enemy of humanity and civilisation as well. Rajinikanth also avoids product endorsements and has strongly criticised alcoholism and drug abuse in many of his films. He has also given up the practice of smoking in reel life, to act as a role model for the youth.

Rajinikanth has always played the roles of deeply patriotic working class citizens, like in this movie, where he plays a bus conductor, which he actually was in real life before becoming an actor and a superstar . . .

Image: http://www.rajinikanth.com

Rajinikanth’s popularity knows no boundaries. He has fans all over the world and they are not just people of Indian origin. He is quite popular in South Africa and parts of South-East Asia but is very popular with the Japanese, especially with the youth. Take a look at this dedicated Japanese fan site for Rajinikanth.

Here is a video from his last blockbuster, Sivaji . . .

If the video does not load, you can watch it here.

I have always been a fan of the தலைவர் (thalaivar-boss or leader) because of his humility and civilised nature in real life. There was this Tamil movie song about him:

Superstar yaarunnu kaetta, chinna kuzhanthaiyum sollum . . . which means If you wonder who the superstar is, even a child will tell you . . .

Now, with these English textbooks from Oxford University Press, those lines are all set to become a reality!

A Republic is born!

The historic first meeting of the Constituent Assembly (CA) of Nepal has endorsed a proposal to amend the interim constitution implementing the declaration of Nepal as a federal democratic republic. Out of the 564 democratically elected members of the CA, an overwhelming majority of 560 voted in favour of the proposal while only four members voted against it. With this move, Nepal’s 239-year old monarchy along with its associated filthy oppressive feudal structure has been officially abolished!

A himalayan achievement for the Himalayan country . . .

Image: Wikimedia commons

Take a look at the historic moment for the people of Nepal . . .

If the video does not load, you can watch it here.

Nepal’s last king, King Gyanendra, now Mr. Gyanendra, was a deeply unpopular figure in the country. He ascended the throne after his popular brother King Birendra and his family were killed in the June 2001 palace massacre allegedly carried out by Crown Prince Dipendra at the royal palace under mysterious circumstances.

A year later, the King declared a state of emergency and sent troops after the Maoist rebels when peace talks collapsed. Gyanendra appointed a series of prime ministers– Lokendra Bahadur Chand, Surya Bahadur Thapa and Sher Bahadur Deuba who was sacked again in February 2005 after which the monarch assumed absolute power drawing international condemnation. The King was viewed by the people as a tyrannical despot after a crackdown on political parties, the media, the Maoists and the people. Nepal’s seven main political parties and the Maoists teamed up to force King Gyanendra give up his dictatorial powers in April 2006.

The process has now been completed with the removal of the despot, his notorious son Paras and his coterie from the ceremonial roles that they held. The tyrant did not want to go without causing some trouble. Criminal royalist scum beings detonated two bombs outside the Birendra International Convention Centre in Baneshwor, the venue of the Constituent Assembly (CA) meeting on Wednesday evening. Thousands of people had gathered outside the BICC to cheer the announcement of republic by the first CA meeting. The bombs occurred just before the Assembly was about to get underway. Following the voting result, the CA also approved a proposal stating that the King should vacate the Narayanhity royal palace within 15 days. The proposal states that the King will lose all perks and privileges except his rights as a common citizen. The Narayanhity royal palace will be turned into a national museum or used in national interest as deemed necessary by the government, the proposal adds.

The Constituent Assembly elections were held in a free and fair manner under international supervision. The Maoists emerged as the single largest block in Parliament. The Constituent Assembly now has a big job on its hand to draft a new constitution for the Federal Republic of Nepal.

Talking with a few Nepali friends here, I discovered that they wholeheartedly welcome the changes in their home country. They were absolutely delighted that the tyrannical despot who lorded over a filthy oppressive feudal system has been forced out of his role. A feeling shared by almost all the citizens of Nepal.

The government has announced a public holiday on Thursday and Friday to celebrate the declaration. Rallies and celebrations have begun across the country on Wednesday with a large number of people participating to welcome the announcement. Civil society organisations are also holding rallies in major cities around the country including Pokhara and Biratnagar. Similar events were held on Tuesday as well. The Nepal Bar Association (NBA) lit candles at its office Tuesday evening while pro-republic artists performed at the Open Theatre the same day. The political parties have asked its cadres and sister organisations to organise rallies and demonstration to celebrate the historical event.

I heartily welcome my fellow South Asians into the club of countries that have abolished the filthy oppressive concept of feudalism!

Long live the Federal Secular Democratic Republic of Nepal!

Related post:

A brave new world!

A brave new world!

Image: Picasa’s web album-Ado’s public gallery

A tired soul, at the end of a tiring day,
Was returning home on a lonely stretch at night,
When something as clear as day,
Was seen in the twin beams of light,
A cat chasing a dog away!
Did his eyes see right?
Yes, whispered his soul to him, “Welcome to a brave new world, my boy!”

Adeus Guga!

Gustavo Kuerten, a former World No. 1 tennis player from Brazil and a three-time winner of the French Open, has bid farewell to professional tennis. Read more about the career of this tennis pro from Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brasil in this link.

Gustavo Kuerten, the champ . . .

Image:http://tugues.primera-clase.com

Guga, as he is affectionately known, is famous for his “tennis grunts” on the court. He is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English. In 2005, he was placed 37th in a list called “The 40 Greatest Players of the Tennis Era” by TENNIS, a popular tennis magazine.

My favourite male tennis players are Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but Guga is one of my favourites on clay. Brazilian sportspersons, be they footballers or racers or volleyball players are very charismatic and Guga is no exception.

Watch a video of the amiable Guga . . .

If the video does not load, you can watch it here.

We will miss you, Guga!

Adeus Guga! Obrigado!

Related posts:
Ro . . . Ro . . . Romário!

A green ride on the Greenfly!

My previous post was about cars that use Auto LPG. This one is about the world’s first motorcycle that is designed to run on Auto LPG- the Akhurst 500 Greenfly.

The Greenfly . . .

Image: Kyoichi Nakamura (www.motorradonline.de)

The Greenfly is not a new motorcycle, but a prototype built by Dave Akhurst on a Yamaha XT500 chassis. Take a look at some of the specs of the Greenfly:

# Engine: 500cc single cylinder, four-stroke, 2-valve SOHC, 87mm bore X 84mm stroke
# Power: 30PS (22kW)
# Weight: 110kg
# Brakes: Single discs (front and rear)
# Tyres: Tyres: 4.10 x 18 Dunlop TT100s (front and rear)

This is the stock Yamaha XT500 . . .

Image: www.motorcyclespecs.co.za

Have a look at a nicely restored Yamaha XT500 in action:

If the video does not load, you can watch it here.

There were rumours about Bajaj Auto developing a dual fuel Platina, but I don’t know what happened to the project

The Bajaj Platina . . .

Image: autos.maxabout.com

Related Reading:

Dual Fuel!
The Motorcycle Diaries (Part 1)

Dual Fuel!

Dual Fuel Cars running on Automotive Liquified Petroleum Gas (also known as Auto LPG, ALPG, or by their brand names) and petrol/gasoline are becoming increasingly popular in India. We have always had taxis and autorickshaws as well as a few private vehicles that strapped on ALPG kits to cut down on running costs, but now, with rapidly rising fuel prices, manufacturers are coming out with dual fuel cars that come with factory-fitted ALPG kits.

A model of an Auto LPG filling station . . .

Image: http://peso.gov.in

Benefits of Auto LPG

# ALPG is a clean burning, high octane, environment friendly fuel.
# ALPG produces less greenhouse gas emissions than other fossil fuels.
# Auto LPG follows the natural gas price graph more than the crude oil price graph.
# Unlike CNG(Compressed Natural Gas), Auto LPG is available throughout the country.
# ALPG is the only viable fuel which gives the economy of a diesel engine, emissions of a CNG engine and the performance of a petrol engine.
# Unlike CNG, Auto LPG is not stored at a very high pressure, so the additional weight of an ALPG tank is less when compared to that of a CNG tank.
# Manufacturers claim savings of upto 50,000 INR (750 EUR/ 1170 USD) p.a. depending on the car and the usage.

Advantages of cars with factory-fitted Auto LPG kits

# Since the kit is incorporated into the design by the manufacturer, it is much safer.
# Manufacturers modify the Electronics running the engine to use both Auto LPG and petrol/gasoline so the loss in power and torque is usually negligible.
# Factory-fitted kits usually use space saving toroidal ALPG tanks to save boot space.
# Factory-fitted kits come with a manufacturer’s warranty for both the car and the kit. Fitting after market ALPG kits on your car may violate the warranty conditions specified by the manufacturer.
# Road tax concessions may be offered by your local transport authorities depending on where you live.

The only disadvantages that I can think of are a slight loss of performance due to the increased weight of the vehicle and the negligible drop in power and torque figures and a loss of boot space depending on the size of the Auto LPG tank.

I searched the websites of Indian car manufacturers and discovered that the following cars and vans come with factory-fitted ALPG kits, but more manufacturers have planned launches in the near future:

# Chevrolet Spark LPG
# Hyundai Accent Executive eco LPG
# Hyundai Santro Xing eco LPG
# Maruti Suzuki 800 Duo
# Maruti Suzuki Omni LPG
# Maruti Suzuki WagonR Duo
# Mitsubishi Cedia ALPG
# Tata Indica Xeta LPG