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An online newspaper run by the photojournalism students of Udaan School of Photography
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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: [email protected]
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.