To encourage Hindi Literature in its own way, Premchand Archives of Jamia Millia Islamia has organized a literary exhibition, based on the life of famous Hindi writer Pt. Banarasidas Chaturvedi. Gaurav Kumar & Dipu Shaw report.

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

By Dipu Shaw, Kapou Malaker, Gaurav Kumar

“The ban on smoking is a move in the right direction” - this is one thing that smokers, non-smokers or the busybodies of the anti-smoking lobby, all agree on. However, three months after the ban came into force, there are still doubts over how much it has worked.

Smoking already accounts for 900,000 deaths a year in India, according to a study of the New England Journal of Medicine. By 2010, this toll is expected to increase to 1 million people a year, the study points out.

Government of India has notified revised rules on the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places and geared up to prohibit smoking in public zone strictly from 2^nd of October, 2008.

As per the revised rules, the pubic zone has been categorized as shopping malls, cinema halls, public/private work places, hotels, banquet halls, discotheques, canteens, coffee houses, pubs, bars, airport lounges and railway stations.

But, making people aware of such no smoking zones is still a big challenge for officials.

“There are problems in executing the ban on smoking. Many people do not know how to identify these public places”, says Mohd. Iqbal, S. H. O. of Jamia Nagar police station.

However, a lot of people, mostly non-smokers believe that the ban is in the larger interest of the society. Prof. Manjula Batra of the Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia says that the objective of such an act is to promote the health of the people not only for this generation of people, but also of the future of the nation”. She suggests methods to spread awareness among the people. “We need to educate them. Media has an effective role to play. Arranging seminars, lectures etc to make people aware about the ban on the public places are available options”, she says.

Dr Sanjoy Gogia, physician, Internal Medicine in Max Hospital, New Delhi, is also one of the proponents of the ban. “This step is basically for the non-smokers. Passive smoking is equally harmful for people just like active smoking does”, says

Not everyone buys the views of the supporters of no smoking zones. “We know about the pros and cons of smoking. If we are uncomfortable with someone smoking in front of us, we can straightway go and tell that person not to smoke”, says Mukut Sharma, a student of the Indira Gandhi National Open University.

There are others in the student community who are demanding for Smoking Zones where they can go and smoke without affecting the non-smokers. Mayank Khurana, a 3^rd year statistics student of Hindu College, a regular smoker, feels that making the entire University campus a No Smoking Zone is not the best idea.

The Act has provisions for creating places where smokers can light up their cigarettes and smoke freely. Dr. Batra of Max Hospital says, “This act has clearly laid down that whereas in a hotel or a restaurant has the capacity of housing 30 people or more than that, then, it can have a separate smoking zone for it so that the general public is not affected”.

Nevertheless, places like University and college campuses do not fall in that category.

As of now, shutting your eyes to the “No Smoking Zone” boards and lighting your cigarette is a one way ticket to the police station.

Preserving their rich cultural heritage has often become the biggest challenge in front of Tibetans living in India. The Tibetan institute of performing arts in Dharamsala, the one set up by Dalai Lama has strived to preserve the rich Tibetan culture and theatrical tradition. Here is a report from Kapou Malakar and Gaurav Kumar .

By Gaurav Kumar and Sumiran Preet Kaur
Photos- Jaishree,Radio story: Aqsa Anjum

Janpath wore a deserted look even at the peak hours of the day, a week after the serial blasts. Delhi Police has now taken various precautions to ensure the safety of the citizens in Connaught Place (CP).

An official stationed near Janpath, on condition of anonymity, said that a lot of precautions have been taken to ensure safety from their side. All the dustbins have been turned upside down, the Central Park has been closed. There is a lot of frisking and metal detectors are used at all the crowded places

But are all these precautions enough to ensure the people of their safety? “Our business has gone down by nearly 50%. People are no more coming here,” says Ashwini Katpalia, owner of snack corner, Depauls at Janpath. “By turning the dustbins, how can how can you ensure the safety of your citizens. The city will get even dirtier. I mean will the bombers come back and put the bombs in the dustbins again? There is so much crowd that it is difficult to actually keep a track of all such activities. This time it was dustbins, next time it can be anything else.”

What happened that day?

Shoaib Hussain, had gone to Gaffar Market to collect his mobile. As he was approaching the bike, a strong push threw him 6ft away. Before being unconscious he saw people being blown into pieces. He woke in the hospital in I.C.U and had received multiple injuries and burns.

Jai Prakash, a beverage seller outside Central Park, says that immediately after the blast all were startled. “After I heard a huge thump I could not understand anything. The thump shook me. After a few seconds later people stared coming out of the Central Park in huge numbers. There was black smoke coming. By that time we knew it was a blast. I could see people lying on the ground in the park.”

Parshuram, a chaatwala at Janpath recalls that there was panic. “When people came to know that serial blasts were taking place in CP, everybody started running here and there. Everybody shut their shops and went home. There was police all around. Janpath hasn’t seen as much crowd as we used to see before the blasts.”

The never die attitude

So does that mean it’s a no-no to CP for shoppers? “Everybody gets scared initially. But people move on. There’s so much more to Connaught Place than just shopping. Clothes at cheap prices, restaurants, window shopping …No one can resist Connaught Place,” says Neelam Juneja , a doctor and a regular visitor to CP.

For Pia, a tourist from China, there is no reason to be afraid. “We all have to die, if not this way than some other way. We have to move on.”

According to Katpalia of Depauls it’s just a matter of time. “People have short memories. They will forget it and move on .We were lucky enough to escape this time. We all pray that we do not have to face it again. It is nothing less than a nightmare. Police cannot ensure everything with so much population in the city. It is us who have to keep our eyes and ears open. ”

By: Dipu Shaw & Gaurav Kumar

Have you given a thought to the number of people who make a living out of the blueline buses? The drivers and conductors may be the only people who come to your mind. But, wait! There are others too.

Jitendra Kalra runs a small business of supplying water to the drivers and conductors of the blueline buses. He employs six labourers for this. They fill the 15 liter water cans at the nearby Mandavli Water Tank at Rs 5 per can. They charge Rs 15 from the bus drivers for the water.
As the blueline buses stop at the Shakarpur stand, Ritesh Pandey, the water supplier can be seen rushing with a can of water into each of them. Ritesh, a labourer from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh is paid Rs. 3,000 per month by his employer for the job.

There are more than 50 such points at various bus routes in the capital. About 250 labourers are employed by small businessmen. They supply the cans of water to more than 4,000 blueline buses in the capital. While Ritesh rushes in and out of the buses exchanging the cans of water with empty cans in the buses, his colleague Manoj Kumar refills the empty cans at a water tank about 2 kilo meters away. Ritesh only gets a few minutes to supply the water and scribble the number of the bus in the small pad that he carries in his pocket.“I supply water for the first half of the day and from 2 pm we start collecting the money from the respective buses,” informs Ritesh. The passengers are usually too busy to notice him. Some even mistake him to be a fellow commuter when he enters the buses.

However, this business which is as old as the blueline buses may soon close down. The Government aims to phase out all the blueline buses from the capital’s roads. The red and green low floored DTC buses are already on the roads. “The phasing out has already begun and soon we will get rid of all the killer blueline buses,” says Haroon Yusuf, Transport and Power Minister. When asked about these water suppliers who would loose their means of livelihood, the Transport Minister said that the safety of Delhites was more important than the income of such small businessmen and labourers.

The DTC bus drivers do not buy the water cans. Instead, they drink water at the DTC Depot which is available for free.

Businessman Jitendra Kalra has other alternatives. “This is an illegal business and I am not solely dependent on it,” he specifies. Nevertheless, for poor labourers like Ritesh the blueline buses are the only means to earn their bread.

By

It’s not just the brownie; prices of all the items vary. Espresso Italiano starts at Rs 38 at Connaught Place while at Khan Market it is Rs 70, almost double the price. At Green Park Barista the Espresso Italiano is for Rs43. “I am addicted to drinking coffee. We usually go to Barista at CP every weekend. So I am quite familiar with the prices. But I was astonished to see that same items were available at higher prices in Khan market Barista outlet,” recalls Namrata Roy, a sales executive with VLCC(Vandana Luthra Curls and Curves).

Kumar Saurabh, Marketing Manager of Barista Coffee house, Northern Delhi says that the price variation is due to the fact that all Barista outlets have been divided into three categories. “The first is the Espresso Bar, generally for students and first jobbers, like one at Safdarjung Enclave. Next Is Espresso Bar Plus meant for target customers like professionals, management students, for example the ones in Connaught place and Vasant Vihar. The third is Barista Crème in South Ex and Khan Market for businessmen where people have corporate deals.” But why the price variation? “The price variation is of only of 4%-5% .At Barista Creme we use special coffee beans and all items ordered are prepared in front of the customer only. In other outlets the sandwiches and other eatables are pre-packed. There is a difference of quality.” On being asked why isn’t there any mention of the quality difference and categories in the menu or different outlet names, he says “We will look into the matter. We take this as a feedback,”

And it’s just not the Barista. McDonalds take away counter at Shivaji Stadium, Connaught Place sells a fountain Coke for Rs 9. On condition of anonymity the employee at the counter said that the quantity that is sold at this price is half of the quantity sold at the standard price inside McDonalds.

For a Delhi based lawyer Dr Manjula Batra this is an unfair trade practice. “Price variation between the outlets is a complete discrimination. It is a market driven policy and cheating the consumers. Even if it is a legal practice, the onus of informing people about this difference lies with the company.” Many agree to the fact that a reputed company should always inform the customers. According to Sharon Arora, an MBA student , “I often have a cup of coffee at these joints. I was never aware of this change in prices according to the area. They should inform. We expect such a sense of responsibility from a brand”

But for some price hardly matters. For Sourav Mandal, a law student, such coffee joints are the “it” places. “Where else do you get coffees like these? The crowd is good. So is the food. Many foreigners prefer to go to such places. Youngsters also like the ambience. We can play the guitar, play scrabble and chill out. Many choose to go to such places for their dates.” Truly said, “ a lot can happen over a cup of coffee”. However, this coffee comes for a good price depending upon the location.

By: Neha Sethi, Sumiran Preet Kaur and Gaurav

Words: Kinley Tshering and Gaurav Kumar

Dechen Palden, 28, is a businessman like many other Tibetans living at Majnu Katila in Delhi. He follows his usual routine everyday except that for the last few months, he had been closing shop before time. In the evenings he leaves for Jantar Mantar where his brethrens are protesting against Chinese occupation of their homeland.

“We are not yet deterred and we are still protesting,” said Dechen Palden. “Starting from August 2 we will be fiercely campaigning until the Olympics starts.”

The Beijing Olympics is only about 10 days away, but the protests and politics over the Games continue. Despite China’s several attempts at quelling the global protests over its alleged human rights abuse, the protracted China-Tibet issue is surfacing again.

At the international front, the US presidential candidate John McCain, who met the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on July 25, said that the Olympic Games in August provide an opportunity for China to demonstrate that it recognizes human rights.

Shouting anti-China slogans and calling for international community to interfere, the Tibetans are demanding a peaceful resolution of the Tibet issue. Tibetan protesters also think that Olympics is an opportunity to internationalise the Chinese suppression in Tibet.

“This (protest) will continue,” said Gyari Thukten, a member of parliament of the Tibetan government in exile. “Emotions are at its height. As a government we are trying to calm down the people. But with the Chinese suppression going on, Tibetans will not stop.” Tibetans across the globe as far as Africa are protesting against China’s oppressive regime, said Thukten.

Unofficial reports suggest about 100 pro-independence protestors were killed in Lhasa during the protests. The Chinese government has however played it down. The Chinese has claimed that only 13 or so Tibetan protestors were killed in the mishap.

“The Chinese are lying. They are trying to hide their faults,” said Rinchen Norzom, the president of Regional Association of Tibetan women in Delhi. “They are blaming the Dalai Lama. What is happening in Tibet is a gross abuse of human rights.”