Run by the students of Udaan

MumbaiWeekly Volume 01 Issue 10 FRIDAY, 16 March 2012

arts feature sports metro

190 children suffer from Holi

colour poisoning

Above: A policeman speaks to children affected by color poisoning during the festival of

„Holi‟ at a hospital ward in Mumbai on 8 March 2012. Around 200 children and adults

were admitted into hospitals in Mumbai after celebrating Holi, a festival in India with

alleged toxic color. Chirag Sutar / Mumbai Weekly

India‟s festival of colours,

Holi, took a deadly turn in

the city with around 190

people including children

being hospitalized for

colour poisoning. The

victims of the toxic

celebrations were admitted

to Sion Hospital and

another 12 to Rajawadi

Hospital after they

complained of giddiness,

burning sensation on skin,

nausea and vomiting. The

State has set up a high-

level inquiry into the

episode. The hotbeds of

the colour poisoning, the

Police said, were areas like

Shastri Nagar, Shahu

Nagar and Lokmanya

Tilak Nagar in Dharavi,

where panic spread fast as

news travelled of children

fainting, after playing with

the coloured powders on

Holi. Between 1pm and

2pm, over 100 patients

from these neighborhoods

were rushed to Sion

Hospital-many in police

vans-with similar

complaints. Till late

evening, there was little

clarity on the source of the

poisoning or its precise

nature. The police

suspected the toxic

substances may have come

from a Dharavi dumping

ground where harmful

effluents are thrown by the

area's leather tanners. Soon

after the incident,

Maharashtra chief minister

Prithviraj Chavan ordered

a detailed probe by a six-

member committee into

the incident. The six-

member team is headed by

Medical Education

Department's Secretary, IS

Chahal, and will submit its

report in two weeks. The

committee will fix

responsibility and suggest

preventive measures.

(Photo feature on „Holi‟on

page 5)

UPA govt presents India‟s Rail and Union budget

Above: A man walks in front of a billboard in Mumbai on 16 March 2012. Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly. Left:

People stand in a crowded sub-urban train compartment in Mumbai on 14 March 2012. The railway budget was presented at

the parliament on 14 March 2012, to which there were mixed reactions. Though the budget had plans for modernisation of

Indian Railways, it was highly criticized for the hike in ticket fares. Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly

The finance minister presented the

budget in Parliament on 16 Friday 2011.

The following was proposed by him in

the following sectors.

Fiscal Deficit will see a drop from 5.9

percent of GDP in 2011-12 to 3.9

percent of GDP in 2014-15. Borrowing

Gross market borrowing seen at 5.7

trillion rupees in 2012-13 Net market

borrowing seen at 4.8 trillion rupees in

2012-13, excluding treasury. Total

expenditure in 2012-13 seen at 14.9

trillion rupees, up 29 percent, Plan

expenditure budgeted at 521.25 billion

rupees in 2012/13, up 18 percent.

Defence spending will rise 18 percent to

Rupees 1.94 trillion. Revenue and taxes

will be Rupees 10.8 trillion, non tax

revenue is pegged to be 1.64 trillion and

disinvestment should be in the target of

rupees 300 billion in the year 2012 -

2013. Service tax will be raised from 10

percent to 12 percent baring the

seventeen items in the negative list from

2012 - 2013. Corporate tax structure

will remain the same however income

tax exemption limit will be raised to

Rupees 2,00,000 for individuals. Coal

used by ower plants will be completly

exempt of import duty however gold

will be charged double on basic custom

duty. It was proposed to keep subsidies

under 2 percent of the GDP and futher

reduce it to 1.7 percent in the next

3years. On growth and inflation finance

Minister mentioned headline inflation

for the net few months and stability to

set in there after. Economy is expected

to grow at 6.9 percent in 2011 -2012 and

improve to7.6 percent in the next year.

the budget introduced some policy

changes namely, airlines will be allowed

to raise $1 billion as working capital by

external commercial borrowing.

(continued on page 2)

2 FRIDAY 16 MARCH 2012 Mumbai Weekly budget

(continued from page 1) The finance

Minister also hoped to reach a consensus

on open multi-brand retail sector to

foreign investors. Infrastructure will get

a boost in the form of contracts to build

8800kms of road in 2012 - 2013. Financing of infrastructure bonds will

receive double government for allocation

of tax free bonds to Rupees 600 billion

in 2012 -2013. Agriculture credit target

should be raised Rupees 5.75 trillion in

2012 - 2013 and be self sufficient in urea

production within the next five years. The following is a list of items that will

be costlier and cheaper in 2012 - 2013:

COSTLIER

Two-wheelers, cars, commercial

vehicles, refrigerators, air-conditioners,

washing machines, watches , soaps,

cosmetics, homecare items, cigarettes

and bidis, packaged food items, pan

masala and chewing tobacco, unbranded

precious metal, jewellery , imported

luxury vehicles, imported bicycles and

bicycle parts, imported digital still

cameras, imported gold bars and coins of

certain categories, platinum, imported

cut and polished coloured gem stones,

air travel, eating out at restaurants and

hotel stays.

CHEAPER

Mobile phone parts, branded silver

jewellery, branded garments, imported

LCD and LED TV panels of over 20

inch, matches, footwear below Rs 500,

adult diapers, soya protein food

products, probiotics, writing instruments,

imported medical equipment.

The markets did not take well to the

budget announced. The BSE sensex

dropped 209 points closing down 1.19

percent. Inital reactions to the budget

mentioned it as flat, giving it a thumbs

down.

Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly

Shailesh Andrade / Mumbai Weekly Shankar Narayan / Mumbai Weekly

Shankar Narayan / Mumbai Weekly

People walk on the platform of a railway station. Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi presented the Railway Budget at the

parliament on 14 March 2012. Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly

3 FRIDAY 16 MARCH 2012 Mumbai Weekly metro

The death anniversary of Hazrat

Abdul Qadir Jilani, a Persian

Islamic preacher, was observed

on 12 March 2012, also called

Gyarvee Sharif. The devotees of

Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani and

the followers of Qadiri Order

celebrate gyarvee Sharif by

holding Majlis and Mehfils

(public gatherings) where

recitation of the Holy Qur‟aan

takes place and the life and

works of Hazrat Abdul Qadir

Jilani is made known to the

people. Replica‟s of Masjids

and other Holy places were

placed on carriages and taken in

procession around the city. The

tradition of feeding the poor by

Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani is

also observed in this day.

Mumbai Weekly photographer

Pratham Gokhale was in

the midst of the arrangements,

capturing the flavours and the

essence of the festival.

Eid e Ghousia observed in Mumbai

Just 7 paisa per kilometre!

People look at the fare list at a train station in Mumbai on 5 March 2012. Arkadripta Chakraborty / Mumbai Weekly

In probably the lowest fare

per kilometre in the world,

Mumbai‟s suburban

railway commuters pay 7

paise per km for a second

class season ticket (pass)

that offers them unlimited

monthly travel. A

commuter pays just 25

paise per km on a single

journey second class ticket,

while a first class monthly

season ticket costs a mere

25 paise per km.

Former Railway Board

Chairman Vivek Sahai,

who conducted a study on

fares in public transport in

Mumbai, said a reasonable

hike is necessary for

quality public transport.

“In the last two decades or

so, Mumbai has grown

northwards well beyond its

peninsular structure. Areas

like Lokhandwala,

Versova, Powai and Aarey

Milk Colony are quite far

from existing railway lines.

Also Bandra-Kurla

Complex is developing as a

major institutional area

where several service

sector companies have

mushroomed. People

residing in these areas have

high purchasing power,‟‟

Sahai added. In fact, it is

the lowest fare per

kilometre in the world for

any form of transportation.

He added that there is an

urgent need for a coherent

policy for an integrated

multi-modal transportation

infrastructure for Mumbai.

All modes of transports,

from cycle rickshaws,

autos, taxis to large-scale

public transportation

systems like buses, trains,

sea-based systems, need to

be seen from an

accessibility and

affordability perspective.

Differently-abled women demand

dignity

Holding placards over a

hundred differently-abled

women on wheelchairs

celebrated International

Women's Day by

demanding the right to be

treated with dignity and

equality. They gathered at

Mumbai‟s Marine Drive on

the eve of International

Women‟s Day on 7 March

2012.

“Women's Day is not just

to cheer our achievements

but to introspect what we

lack. And as women with

disability, we seek lot more

from the system that we are

a part of so that we can live

our life to our full

potential,” said a teenager

on a wheelchair holding a

banner that read -”You see

a wheelchair, We see a

person.” The rally also

campaigned the cause of

differently-abled women

who are easy targets of

attacks and rape. There was

also a signature campaign

which is to be submitted to

the Government demanding

stricter legislation and

punitive action to any

offence against women. Participants sit at a campaign on the occasion of Women‟s Day in Mumbai on 7 March 2012. Shailesh Andrade / Mumbai Weekly

EDITORIAL

OPINION : Celebrating every woman

4 FRIDAY 16 MARCH 2012 Mumbai Weekly

POINT OF VIEW : Electrifying India

A woman walks before a illuminated billboard in Mumbai. Pratham Ghokale / Mumbai Weekly

Women have always

been a part of my life

providing love and

care - nurturing me to

the man I am today. It

hurts me to see in the

news everyday some

woman somewhere has

been hurt physically or

emotionally by either

rape, dowry demands

or domestic violence.

India is racing towards

change, progressing

rapidly in the fields of

science and

infrastructure yet its

social outlook towards

women remains

primitive and stuck in

time. Not yielding to

this opposition,

women have moved

forward pioneering

their way into male

oriented roles - even

becoming national

leaders. While women

in urban areas have

more or less found

equality in society,

women in rural areas

still suffer

discrimination and are

taught to be

submissive to the men

in their families and in

society at large. Basic

health care, education

and other facilities are

often denied to women

in rural areas. Along

with this the problem

of female infanticide

and girl child

abandonment still

exist. Its time men and

women collectively

capitalize on India‟s

development and

economic growth and

make a push for

change in the general

outlook towards

women in the rural

sector. Stronger laws

and more punitive

action should be

introduced for offence

towards women and

their rights. While the

world celebrates a

single day in the year

as International

Women‟s Day, we

should cherish the

womanhood, in its

every avatar

throughout the year.

After all, is just one

day enough to express

our gratitude to our

mothers,

grandmothers,

teachers, wives and the

thousand women that

made our lives better?

Let us show our

gratitude by being the

change.

Almost one third of India does not have

electricity yet and to fill this void the

government has chosen to build nuclear power

reactors to generate electricity. Nuclear power

will definitely fulfill the country‟s power

requirement but has met with a lot of protest

from locals and environmentalists. Does nuclear

power pose a threat? The world still remembers

the Nagasaki and Hiroshima victims who were

bombed almost six decades ago using basic

atomic energy. Generations after this incident

are still affected being born disabled at birth.

The recent Fukushima Nuclear Power Reactor

disaster off the Japanese Coast raises safety

issues and the primary question is electricity

generation worth life? Radiation from a live

plant can leak causing havoc and destroying life

around it. Although government agencies and

companies have fulfilled all safety standards to

keep a Nuclear Reactor completely fool proof

and safe it always leaves a nagging what-if

doubt to people living around it. Keeping aside

the risk factor, safety issues and the high cost of

setting up the plant another large issue looms of

nuclear spent fuel disposal. On an average a

Nuclear Plant will produce approximately 300

metric tons of waste annually. There are two

ways of destroying this waste either it is stored

of reprocessed. India has chosen to reprocess its

nuclear waste and the method is believed to be

not fool proof. While science and technology

has the answers to all doubts, new challenges

can arise at anytime. Is it all worth the risk?

Many countries in the world have opted for

cleaner sources of energy production like wind

energy, tidal energy and even solar energy. The

power consumed in rural India is so less that

alternate sources of power can easily light up

villages. Maybe it is too early for India to

venture into Nuclear Power generation. Maybe

we should first spend our resources on getting

electricity to villages where people haven‟t yet

used electricity. Maybe Nuclear power reactors

are not such a good idea anyway. Energy

shortage will persist in the country and we will

continue seeing images of villages in the dark

living decades behind time but once again I raise

the question: Is electricity generation worth

putting human life at risk? People stand in front of a light source in Mumbai. Shankar Narayan / Mumbai Weekly

5 FRIDAY 16 MARCH 2012 Mumbai Weekly feature

Women of the Koli community carry earthen pots on their head during celebrations of the Hindu festival Holi at Mumbai on 6 March 2012. Shailesh Andrade / Mumbai Weekly

Shankar Narayan / Mumbai Weekly

Shailesh Andrade / Mumbai Weekly Shankar Narayan / Mumbai Weekly

Shankar Narayan / Mumbai Weekly

HOLI: A splash of

Color Holi - the festival of colors - is

undoubtedly among the most fun-

filled and boisterous of Hindu

festivals. It's an occasion that

brings in unadulterated joy and

mirth, fun and play, music and

dance, and, of course, lots of bright

colors. Holi was celebrated over

two days in the city on 7 & 8

March 2012 this year to signify the

end of winter. On the night before

the games with color, people light

bonfires and offer prayers. On Holi

day people play with colors and

water celebrating the festival.

Thandai, a traditional drink made

of milk and dryfruits is served

along with Indian sweets. Holi has

also taken a commercial turn with

flamboyant parties and Bollywood

themed events planned all over the

city. Mumbai Weekly sent its

photographers all over the city

capturing the essence of the

festival.

6 FRIDAY 16 MARCH 2012 Mumbai Weekly BUSINESS

Slow, but steady: Two wheeler market picks up

A man walks through a two-wheeler parking lot in Mumbai on 7 March 2012. After a period of sluggish sales during January, India's two wheeler market has picked up pace. According to news reports, the

February 2012 month has seen sales of more than 1.29 million units. It seems that the industry may grow at double digit but the growth rate will be around 10-12% for the rest of the financial year.

Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai Weekly.

Mobile sales surge as

India connects

According to CyberMedia

Research, the overall India

mobile handsets market sales

increased by 10 percent on

year over year (YoY) basis at

183 million units in 2011.

Nokia was the leader in the

mobile handset segment with

a market share of 31 per cent.

Handset manufacturers

Samsung and Micromax were

the second and the third

contenders.

Figures mentioned by

CyberMedia Research

suggest that a whopping

172.2 million feature phones

were shipped at 7 percent Y-o

-Y growth, and India

smartphones market in

particular witnessed the

launch of 150 models by over

30 vendors.

As far as a mobile service

subscribers go, news reports

mention that India had 903.73

million mobile connections as

of January end. In

comparison, China, the

world's largest mobile phone

market, had 987.58 million

mobile subscribers. Today,

close to 75 percent of the

population in India has access

to cellular phones.

Left: People use their mobile phones to take images in

Mumbai on 7 March 2012. Chirag Sutar / Mumbai Weekly

India lifts cotton export ban India has decided to remove

the ban on cotton export.

Earlier, within days of

imposing a ban on cotton

export, the Commerce

Ministry is considering

revoking its decision, say

news reports.

Agriculture Minister Sharad

Pawar and Gujarat CM

Narendra Modi had raised

strong objections on the ban,

and had asked Prime

Minister Manmohan Singh

to intervene. Ironically,

Government delays in

deciding on grains and sugar

exports have left traders

facing falling global prices

while its fickle policy on

cotton exports had last year

hurt its role as a steady

supplier, news reports said.

The change in position on

the ban on cotton exports

followed a meeting of group

of ministers (GoM) headed

by finance minister Pranab

Mukherjee.

A man fills pillows with dyed cotton in Mumbai on 8 March 2012.

Twisha / Mumbai Weekly.

Slowest growth of Indian economy at the end of 2011

Labourers work at a construction site in Mumbai on 6 March 2012. India‟s economy grew at its

slowest pace in past two years at the end of the year 2011. According to Siddhartha Sanyal of Barclays

Capital, the overall growth number is expected to turn weak as construction, industrial and mining

sectors are badly affected due to tight monetary conditions. Arkadripta Chakraborty / Mumbai Weekly

7 FRIDAY 16 MARCH 2012 Mumbai Weekly

On the first Sunday of March,

the annual vintage car rally in

Mumbai saw some of the

city's oldest, and shiniest,

motors parade before an

awestruck public. Neither fast

nor furious, these timless

beauties on wheels basked in

the morning sun gleaming in

pride for the years gone by.

Over a hundred and forty

vintage and classic cars rolled

out on Mumbai‟s roads this

Sunday. The Mumbai

Vintage Car Rally is an

annual affair organized by

the by the Vintage and

Classic Car Club of India

(VCCCI) where proud

owners polish and grease

their retired wheels for this

grand exhibition at Horniman

Circle in the financial hub of

the city. A welcome reprieve

from regular Mumbai traffic,

the rally is more than just an

opportunity for owners to

show off their envy-inducing

wheels. For the hundreds that

gather along the streets to

watch them roll by it is a

chance to glimpse a pre-

independent India when the

only cars on the roads were

imported ones. Most of the

participants had bought their

vehicles in scrap and

painfully restored them over

years to the shining beauties

they now are. Parking is a

major issue in the city and

most vintage car owners are

forced to park their vehicle in

the outskirts of the city.

Above: Car enthusiasts stand at the display area during a Vintage Car Rally at Mumbai on 4

March 2012. Left: A couple attired in traditional outfits poses next to their vehicle on 4

March 2012. Shaliesh Andrade / Mumbai Weekly

Vintage cars roll down memory lane

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Laughter Therapy in

Dharavi

Asia's largest slum

Dharavi was visited

by Clowns Without

Borders (CWB) on

March 3, 2012 for a

special

performance and

workshop. Based

out of Germany,

the group of

Georgia Huber, 39,

Alexander Straub,

42, Christine

Berger, 41,

Andreas Schantz,

44 and Stefan

Knoll, 46 offers

laughter as a way to

relieve people from

their suffering.

Mumbai weekly

photographer

Shailesh Andrade

was there capturing

all the laughter and

the fun times the

children had.

8 FRIDAY 16 MARCH 2012 Mumbai Weekly SPORTS

Published by: Udaan School of Photography. Editor: Shailesh Andrade Photo editor: Gitartha Goswami Chief Photographer: Pratham Gokhale Email: editor.mumbaiweekly@gmail.com

Mumbai team in World Series Hockey

An archer takes position during practice in Mumbai. Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai weekly Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai weekly

Pratham Gokhale / Mumbai weekly

Hockey fever is back in the

city with the launch of the

World Series Hockey (WSH)

league an initiative by the

Indian Hockey Federation.

Eight franchisees from around

the country representing

different cities will participate

in this exciting tournament

playing home and away

games, terminating in play

offs for the finals. Mumbai is

home to the Mumbai Marines

captained by goalkeeper

Adrian D‟souza and owned

by Ashish Bharatram (SRF

Group) and Harish Thawani

(Nimbus). Matches are played

every evening at 7pm and

9pm and broadcasted live on

TV by Neo Sports. Cheer the

Mumbai Marines live in their

coming matches at the MHA

stadium Churchgate on 11th,

14th, 16th and 30th March

2012.

Mumbai Weekly

Photographer Shailesh

Andrade was there at the

Mumbai Marines match

against the Chandigarh

Comets in Mumbai‟s MHA

stadium capturing the essence

of a fast action packed

game .

Mumbaikars aim for the bull‟s eye In a country where cricket is a

religion, for any other sport to

survive remains a challenge.

Mumbai's well-known

landmark, Shivaji Park, where

cricketing icons like Sachin

Tendulkar is known to have

practiced, is also a home to

many other sports - one of

them is the lesser known -

archery.

"People ask me what is this

game about because there are

many who haven't even heard

of it," says Swapnil Parab, a

state level player of Archery

from Mumbai, who runs

Savarkar Archery near Shivaji

Park.

It might be surprising for

many, but India is considered

as one of the top contenders of

archery internationally, opines

Parab.

"Deepika Kumari had won

gold at the Common Wealth

Games in 2010 and there are

so many others who have

shown remarkable skills in

international competitions.

Unfortunately, in India, the

facilities required to play this

sport are not ample - it's not

sport which can be played

where people constantly move

around - one needs a dedicated

space," he rues.

Maybe not hundreds, but Parab

has a modest number of

students from different walks

of life showing enthusiasm

towards the sport, "There are

school going children, and

there are also grown-ups who

have taken it up only as a

hobby."

Unlike other sports, archery

does not demand huge

monetary investments. "We

provide the gear required to

start. However, if one pleases,

he or she can invest in a decent

kit which comes for about four

thousand rupees," he says.