“There are no simple ways for artist to survive, yet they must do more. They must intervene into the system that alienates them”
- SAHMAT (Safdar Hasmi Memorial Trust)

SAHMAT has brought up one month long exhibition in M. F. Hussain Gallery of Jamia Millia Islamia.

The theme of the exhibition is the image, music, text through which SAHMAT is trying to show the interaction of various forms of art.

The exhibition has made a trajectory of the 20-years of cultural journey with a reproduction of M. F. Hussain’s paintings. A display of letters and messages from the legendary Satyajit Ray, Nagarjun and other renowned activists are also there.

Another interesting feature is a projection of works of slum kids. Newspapers, postcards, letters and photographs clicked by slum kids are being exhibited.

A good deal of displays from different groups like Image and words, 1991, Artists against Communalism, 1994 and Cartoons against Communalism, 1992 have marked the exhibition to a great extent.

The exhibition made a significant display of history. Gandhi is one part of it. Postcards for Gandhi-1994, is another wing of SAHMAT which signifies the role of postcard in the days of e-mail particularly in India.

“Art on the move”, a unique display of SAHMAT activities has taken the exhibition to a different level. Vivan Sundaram’s findings of a vehicular form, wheeled cart or a cycle rickshaw for navigating the art object into unlikely places of the city is an exciting idea of disseminating culture. It is through this medium that plays, concerts and demonstrations have been staged in the open.

Street banners, posters, and the books published by SAHMAT are also on display. A video compilation of the 20 years of SAHMAT projects, made by Shankar Sharma, Anant Raino, Sashi Kumar and Sohail Hashmi are also on display.

Besides that, there is a showcasing of “Gift of India”, which is an exhibition of abstract art of India.

A special segment on display is “Sportsmen against Communalism”. This adds up another flavor to the exhibition. Sports people like Manoj Prabhakar, J. Srinath, Md.Azaharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar, all vow against communalism in this segment.

Culture stems out from the habitual behaviour of a community. The exhibition of SAHMAT has made a distinct mark by including variety of art form within it’s encompass.

Are you clumsy? Are you susceptible to even minor falls? If the answer is yes, then its time to seriously think about your health. These are some of the common symptoms of Osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis, in simple terms, is a condition of increased vulnerability to fracture due to fragile and porous bone. Osteoporosis weakens the bone thereby increasing the risk of bone fracture.

Doctors warn that women are more prone to it as their bone mass density decreases after the age of 35 and further decreases after menopause. Bone mass (bone density) is the amount of bone present in the skeletal structure. Higher the bone density, stronger is the bone.

According to WHO, Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and an increased susceptibility to fractures, especially of the hip, spine, and wrist. Osteoporosis occurs primarily as a result of normal ageing.

In the US, records with the National Osteoporosis Foundation, show that Americans spend billions of dollars every year on osteoporosis. More than 10 million suffer from the disease followed by around 34 million who suffer from low bone density.

The situation in India is no better, says Dr Sandip Gupta, a consultant orthopedic and spine surgeon at Friends Orthopedic and Physiotherapy Centre in New Delhi. “This is because there is a lack of awareness about the disease. So patients come very late when complications have already occurred. And the long term medication and costly treatment that follows acts as a deterrent.”

He agrees that this is a complex issue as in some cases it takes years to detect osteoporosis and as a result, patients remain unaware until they suffer a painful fracture.

In a month, Dr Gupta gets an average of 20 patients, including those undiagnosed with clinical suspicion. Among them are people as young as 25 years old and some even 90 years old.

Sonam Lhamo is a house wife and is in her mid fifties. She has been suffering from osteoporosis form quite a few years now. She still finds it difficult to understand what the disease is all about. Being illiterate, she thinks it’s nothing more than “weak bones.” “I kept on suffering from sprain and minor fracture at home and I used to find it strange. But now I know,” she says.

According to orthopedists, the main factors that increase the risk of developing osteoporosis are genetic factors, lack of exercise, calcium and vitamin D intake. The other important risks include personal history of fracture as an adult, cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, poor nutrition, general health, thin and small body frames.

Dr Gupta, therefore, pointed out that parents should ensure good dietary regime for their children right from their childhood. “There are many products that prevent bone from weakening,” he says.

So you better act now or else you could be the next victim.

Report by:Kinga Dema
Copy Edit: Saurabh Sharma
Pix courtesy: Chiropractic Neurology Center

Personal computers to cell phones, rickshaws to kitchen, radio is almost everywhere. With its low cost, wide reach and mobile receiving sets, it is the most effective medium of communication. Community radio can be a big thing in transforming lives and helping in the development of rural India.
To make this vision possible various efforts are being made by the community radio stations. M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women's community radio in Nungambakkam, Tamil Nadu delivers health and nutrition tips for women. For a radius of 15 km around the college in Nungambakkam, women can tune into M.O.P. FM 107.8 for a daily broadcast of 'Pennae Nee Arivai'. Another community radio Ramana Voices (90.4 MHz) works for the disabled people.

The Early Days
After the 1995 Supreme Court judgment that airwaves or frequencies are a public property, demand for community radio was started. To begin with, government only allowed the campuses to set up their radio stations. The medium was restricted to campuses because government was not in a position to regulate the content aired over a large number of radio stations dispersed throughout the country. It was only after 2006 that government allowed NGO’s to own community radio.

But the journey of community radio was started much before that and was a success too.
Like, the “FM Ranchi” that came in the news after it forced MLA of the Khijli Vidhan Sabha of Jharkhand to come to their village, Angada, and promise to open a school there. This all happened after the play performed by the villagers was aired on the local FM channel.

Similarly the story of “Radio Ujjhas”. In the year 1999 it started as an educational activity by Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS) in Gujarat. But with the help from United Nations Development Programme and Ahmedabad-based Drishti Media it turned into a full-fledged community radio. The Radio Ujjhas was such a success that it caught attention even in Delhi. The National Foundation for India decided to replicate their experience in Jharkhand by launching a similar initiative, titled "Chalao Gaon Desh Mein".

Community Radio at a Glance
Radio as a medium works in three different forms. One way is to have a public broadcaster like AIR. Their job is to concentrate on the larger issues of the society like education health etc. Second type is in the form of commercial broadcasting like Radio Mirchi, Big FM etc. Their objective is to grab the market and earn profits.
Community radio forms the third category. It is different from the other two and caters only to a small community. This community may comprise of a university, colony or a small village. So, it helps in giving a voice to those who other wise won’t get the chance to speak. In the sense, it helps in transforming the lives of the local people.

Prof. S Raghavchari, in charge of “Apna radio” a community radio station at Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), says: “Community radio stations are by the people and for the people of the community. It broadcasts with the objective of serving the cause of the community by involving them in their programmes.”

“Community radio has the ability to bring about a revolution in a society,” says Sajan Venniyoor, founder of Community Radio Forum, a Delhi-based organisation that is working for broadening the scope of community radio by taking them beyond campuses. The positive impact can indeed be seen in the near by areas of radio Jamia

Abdul Ahmad who owns a Tailor shop at Batla House, a small area in Zakhir Nagar, is very optimistic about the community radio. “I was taken aback when I heard my daughter singing on radio. I always knew she can sing well but it was radio Jamia which provided perfect chords to her voice.”

Community radio has injected people with a fresh source of energy. “A man who runs a three wheeler came to studio one day and asked us to air his complaint of getting filthy, unhygienic drinking water. They feel it as their own station” says Prof. Raghavchari. Radio’s ability of wide reach and quick action makes it more effective.

Women benefit a lot from community radio. In villages they hardly get any chance to step out of their homes. This is their only mode of connectivity with the outer world.

“We have seen a very positive change in the lifestyle of women after the advent of community radio. They take social messages very seriously. Even government realises it and is spending lot of money on such ads,” says Dr. Sreedher, who is acknowledged for the setting up of India’s first community radio station at Pondicherry University in 2006 and is the director of Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMA)


Bone of Contention
Non-profit organisations with a proven record of at least three years of service to the local community can apply. Well-established educational institutions or State agricultural Universities and Krishi Vigyan Kendras can also apply for license. Apart from that, the government has laid some stringent eligibility conditions.

Community radio stations can air only those programmes that are relevant to the educational, developmental, social and cultural needs of the community. At least 50% of the content should be generated with the participation of the community.

“It’s all about community’s combined effort. If you tell them how to speak and what to speak, you are killing their ability to speak,” says Sajan Venniyoor, founder of Community Radio Forum.

Guidelines also restrict CRS to transmit sponsored programmes. They are also not allowed to air news or current affairs programme on air. However programmes sponsored by Central & State governments and other organizations to broadcast public interest information are allowed. Earlier, even advertisements were restricted.

And then the problem of campus radio and community radio. The picture is not as rosy as it seems. There is a debate to define campus radio and community radio clearly. A tussle between civil groups and government is raging. A couple of people who believe that campus radio is the community radio in a true form.

Says Sreedhar: “Community radio in its idle form can never exist. In India it’s not the right time to give the stations in the hands of the community completely. It’s quite evident that whenever autonomy is given it is used against the establishment. Then there is always a chance of getting CRS in the hands of the extremists/ fundamentalist who want to revolt”.

There are also people who want to a make distinction between campus and community radio. Community Radio Forum is one such initiative. “Campus radio is meant to be for the community. Why are Universities and Campuses given licenses in large numbers? Government is unwilling to understand the community and then unwilling to provide what they need,” says Sajan Venniyoor. The government should come out from the mindset of not trusting people, he adds.

Most of the campus stations even adopted villages. Students of “Apna radio” of IIMC Communication adopted a small village near its campus. Once in a week they go there to discuss problems with them. In the process they also teach them the technicalities of how the community radio works. “They are working to make them understand the nitty-grittys of the station. This has a dual effect. Student will have the first hand experience of the community. They will eventually develop a sense of their responsibility for the community,” says Prof. Raghavchari.

Dr. Sreedhar view it as a process in which students are just catalyst. Once the whole system is developed and everything will get in place, the role of the students will be restricted to campus activities. He also said that about 102 NGOs were given licenses but not a single station has started. “They are asking for the subsidies and tax reduction on transmitters.”

So where this issue is heading is indecisive, as of now. But there are lacunas in the policy framework, which needs to be ironed out first.

[Part 2-next week]

Jamia Millia Islamia’s Centre for the Study of comparative religions and civilizations has organised a three-day global congress on ‘World’s Religions After Sept 11- An Asian Perspective’. The exiled Tibetan spiritual head HH the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso along with the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Mushirul Hasan and other distinguished delegates were present at the opening ceremony of the conference on January 17 at the Ansari Auditorium

The Dalai Lama arrives at the Ansari Auditorium

The Dalai Lama greets an elderly lady.

The Dalai Lama plants a tree in the campus

Vice Chancellor handing the JMI Logo as a gift to the Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama addressing the gathering at the Ansari Auditorium

A mesmerized audience listening to the Dalai Lama’s speech.

The Dalai Lama folds his hands as a gesture of goodbye before he left the Auditorium

मेरा कल कैसा होगा

उज्जवल भविष्य की ओर

पढ़ाई के साथ साथ मस्ती

कहीं पे निगाहें , कहीं पे निशाना

हम भी हैं जोश में


अपना काम स्वयं

हम ये भी कर सकते हैं

फुर्सत के पल

फोटो फीचर:गार्गी निम्

The Jamia Teacher’s solidarity group along with AISA (All India students association) organized a candle march to express their concern for Palestinian victims in Gaza strip. Photo feature By Monis Ahmed and Babu

Posted By : Ramashanker Pandey
Photo By : Gargi Nim

Making others beautiful can come for a cost. Health experts warn that not only the users of beauty products but also the beauty professionals are at risk. Hairstylists who apply hair dyes on their customers have a much higher exposure to the chemicals than the customers. This is because the stylists mix the chemicals which can generate fumes. The stylists also apply the chemicals to the customer’s hair and that is why they would be at a higher risk than the customer.

Dr GK Jadhav, a cancer specialist at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, warns that hair professionals are prone to cancer. “They can catch cancer of the gall bladder because they are constantly in touch with the chemicals which are present in the dyes and for a longer duration of time”, he says. He refers to a research conducted by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), France. This research reveals that hair dyes are cancer causing in nature.

Chemical hair dyes contain a compound known as Paraphenylenediamine or PPD which is absorbed by the skin. It causes cancer. It gives a natural look to the hair and does not decolorize easily. That is why they are preferred to natural options like Henna.

The reason of this increasing risk among professionals is that they don’t cover their face and hands when they apply the dye, says Dr Jadhav.

The use of hair dyes has gone up drastically in India. The Hair dye market increased from Rs 700 million to Rs 2.54 billion according to a survey conducted by indiantelevision.com.

Nisha, a beautician at Batla House in South Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, says she doesn’t wear a mask or cover her hands while applying the dye. Neither is she aware of the fact that her own health is at risk.

Henna, which is a natural colour was the preferred earlier. But, its application leaves only a light impression on the hair. Therefore, it has to be applied several times to give a dark shade. So, in the rush for quick fix solutions, Henna often loses out.

Deepti Sinha, a student of 12th standard says, “I used to apply henna to cover my white hair. But now I only apply hair dye because it has strong colouring effect unlike henna. Moreover, hair colour gives a long lasting effect.”

Dr Jadhav is more concerned about the hair stylists. He advices them that henna and the vegetable colours are the only safe options. It is impossible to lose your customers by saying them ‘NO’ but wearing gloves and mask can minimize the risk to a great extent”, he says.

Copy editor: Neha Sethi
Photo: Gargi Nim

Seven states, each with a distinct culture and subcultures within them. Yet, we call them the North East. Their differences might not be so obvious to someone from any other part of India. Here’s a chance. The Purvottari Festival also called the spirit of North East is being celebrated at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA). The nine-day festival showcases the culture, dance, music, handicrafts and food of all the eight States of the region Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura besides presenting documentaries on the region and holding seminars. A report by: Dipu Shaw and Gaurav Kumar

Archaeological Survey of India recently celebrated the world heritage week. With this ASI wants to involve people in its effort to save the monuments. Here is a report by Sumiran and Sheeba