Meet Vidya Malvade

From a career-defining role in 'Chak De India', to playing a sexy mom in 'Kidnap, followed by an off-beat character in 'Striker', Vidya has proved that she is willing to swim against the tide.

Vidya Malvade was born on April 13, 1979.

She pursued very diverse career choices before she turned to acting. Though Vidya studied Law, she worked as an Air Hostess for a long period of time.

Tragedy struck young for Vidya, when her husband, Capt. Arvind Singh Bagga, a pilot working for Alliance Air, died in a plane crash in 2000.

Vidya started her Bollywood career with Vikram Bhatt's 'Inteha' in 2003, co-starring Ashmit Patel and Nauheed Cyrusi. The film bombed at the Box Office.

She then did small roles in films like 'Footpath' and 'Mashooka', which didn't do well at the B.O. either.

Vidya's ticket to stardom was Shimit Amin's 'Chak De India', in which she played the captain and the goal-keeper of the Indian Hockey Team.

She was seen next in 'Kidnap', in which she played a 17-year-old girl's mother. This film too, failed to do well commercially.

"I don't come from a family of actors. I have struggled my way up till here. When I get a character which is really good, I am not going to give it up just because it is the role of a mom or a grand mom. I am very clear in my head that even if I am playing a character older than my age, I will make sure that I perform in a way that it will seem real. Now if people start offering me mother's role, I will say no to them as I have had already played one. If a good character comes to me in whatever form, I am going to grab it big time," says Vidya.

She played the role of the hero's sister in the Siddharth starrer, 'Striker'.

Her last film was 'Tum Milo To Sahi'.

She has also worked in many commercials, including a Santro Ad with Shah Rukh Khan. She has also walked for several renowned designers.

In 2009, Vidya married Sanjay Dayma, who was an assistant director to Ashutosh Gowariker in 'Lagaan'.

Vidya is a trained Kathak Dancer.

Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week- Photos

The biggest ever edition of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WLIFW) kick-started at New Delhi. This year the fashion extravaganza has the participation of 115 designers. We bring glimpses from some of the shows.

Pankaj and Nidhi

A close-up of a model during the Pankaj and Nidhi show at WLIFW.

Another outfit from Pankaj and Nidhi.

A model stops over for the cameras

Model Diandra Soares

A neckpiece replete with bubbles adds to the style of this outfit

A model presents a figure-hugging dress by Amit Aggarwal.

Ethnic chic all the way at the Anju Modi show.

Models in creations by Kavita Bhartia. This year, Bhartia's creations have been inspired by Paris, Persia, Britain and South Africa. The 'transculturation' injected an element of fun at the fashion fiesta.

Security Compromised

By Patricia Mukhim

‘The central security cover provided to former Assam chief minister Prafulla Mahanta and Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh has been withdrawn’

The latest news from Delhi is that the central security cover provided to Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and former Assam chief minister Prafulla Mahanta has been withdrawn.

The Union home ministry can give any number of reasons why it takes certain decisions. It is a powerful monolith and states are treated like little vassals of this vast, all-pervasive empire.

In the case of the Manipur chief minister, political analysts believe that Union home minister P. Chidambaram has not forgotten the smarting retort from the former when he stood his ground and denied entry to the NSCN (I-M) leader who wanted to visit his homeland in Manipur.

Ibobi Singh was summoned to Delhi and categorically told that he should allow safe passage to Thuingaleng Muivah who desired to sojourn to his birthplace Somdal. Ibobi Singh rejected Delhi’s directive outright. He maintained his obduracy throughout the entire length of Muivah’s stay in Nagaland.

In the case of Prafulla Mahanta, the reason is purely political antagonism. Mahanta had in recent times been acknowledged the undisputed leader of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and had in September this year been elected leader of the AGP Legislature Party.

Assam is heading for Assembly elections early next year and the AGP is still the only Opposition party that the Congress takes seriously. Badruddin Ajmal’s AIUDF has already declared that it would support any party that returns with a majority or requires the number to form a government.

The BJP despite its strident call for support from the people of Assam as a party that will reverse every anti-people policy of the Congress is unlikely to make much headway. Reasons for people’s aversion to rightist politics have already been advanced by this writer in earlier articles. The BJP has not been able to convince the people of this region that it is an inclusive, liberal party with a secular outlook. It still carries the scars of Ayodhya and the unflattering reputation of being the party that destroyed a mosque which its “parivar” claims was built at the birthplace of a mythical God. The Northeast may be located in the periphery of India but its worldviews are broader and more universal. They resist any form of religious fascism. Of course, people here have their own battles as they strive to negotiate the ideals of nationalism with their ethnic identities.

Vendetta politics

So come what may, it is the AGP that will still give the Congress a run for its money. The refurbished image of the party and the public apology it tendered recently for its acts of omission and commission over the years is sure to endear itself to some section of committed voters. But the Congress is not taking any chances. It wishes to pulverise the AGP by punishing its leader and what better way than to withdraw his security cover and leave him a vulnerable man. The Congress hopes this would cripple Mahanta’s movements and, therefore, stifle his campaign.

Come to think of it, Prafulla Mahanta has more to fear from Ulfa than Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi. Mahanta is Ulfa’s bete noire and during the last part of his tenure in government, particularly when the NDA held sway in Delhi, Mahanta hadfor reasons right or wrong, tried to come down heavily on Ulfa.

The politics of the time perhaps demanded that he adopt that sort of hardline stance since the militant group was at its most brutal. And in the murky politics of the Northeast, it is difficult to say which political party is supping with which militant groups under cover of darkness. No one can take a moral high ground here.

Mahanta, moreover, is accused of the series of secret killings while he presided over the government. It would be difficult for him to identify his enemies. They are an amorphous blend of political rivals and former or present militants.

Without logic

So if Tarun Gogoi merits the VVIP security blanket although no militant outfit has so far made an attempt on his life and if the same is not extended to Mahanta, who by providence escaped several attempts on his life, then what are we talking about here?

Should the Union government behave like an extension of the AICC (Congress) party headquarters? Is there no such thing as reason and logic when deciding who merits what entitlements in this country?

Is this good for democracy? Or shall we say that democracy has long been buried in the pit-hole of partisan politics? What happens if Mahanta is eliminated tomorrow? Who will carry the moral baggage for the arbitrary decision taken? Assam’s political patriarch Tarun Gogoi or the highly supercilious Chidambaram?

Or, will it be explained away as a monumental oversight for which, like the recently held Commonwealth Games, too many people are responsible and none accountable?

Mahanta will, of course, have access to state-level security but we know who controls the proceedings in Assam. To talk of a free hand for the police is to be living in cloud cuckoo land. Assam police, irrespective of their cadres, have all slipped into the comfortable groove of cosy elitism. The situation is going to get worse than we can anticipate as the polls get closer.

Home truth

Indeed, over the next few months, Assam will be bombarded by the cacophony of street politics. But genuine contenders who could displace some of the existing rogue elements are in real danger of being bumped off. In the absence of a non-partisan police force, things will get extremely vicious and treacherous for those who dare to jump into the fray and to go all out in their anti-establishment campaign.

In Manipur, Ibobi Singh is better off because he is in the seat of power. If it gets too hot and he is threatened by sundry armed outfits, now that his effective security outfit is withdrawn, the only option left is for him to negotiate with them for his life. After all, only a fool is foolhardy.

So what Chidambaram has done in a flash of political brilliance or vendetta or what have you, is to make the politics of compromise with militant groups the only way out for those entrusted with governance.

To blame Ibobi Singh alone of corruption and to make that a lazy, pathetic plea for withdrawing his security exposes the kind of pompous panjandrums that sit in the home ministry.

But I guess that is the plight of lesser mortals in a democracy which is but an extension of caste and class politics.

(The writer can be contacted at patricia17@rediffmail.com)

Cow is God: Tripura Tribals Dont Milk Cattle

By Sujit Chakraborty

Bagmara (South Tripura), Oct 25 : Tribals of the dirt-poor village of Bagmara in Tripura have been holding on to their age-old custom that forbids consumption of cow milk, though nearly each household has at least one milch cow.

“We consider the cows as god; hence we stay away from any act of milking the milch cow,” Bagmara village chief Ranjit Tripura told IANS. The village is located 170 km south of state capital Agartala.

“We also believe that depriving the calf of mother’s milk is a sin and gods will not exonerate the sinner,” the nonagenarian tribal headman said.

Home to 356 families, consisting of around 2,000 men, women and children, the Bagmara tribal village, under the Rupaichari block in southern Tripura, has been ravaged by militancy for years.

The Tripura government has undertaken several schemes to develop this village sandwiched between two hills.

“To remove this age-old unscientific myth, the state administration has taken plans to train the tribals in modern methods of animal husbandry and to improve their economic condition,” state information department official Manoranjan Das said.

“A training camp on act of milking and care for milch cows was held last week, and more such programmes would be held in the near future,” he added.

About 300 families are dependent on traditional ‘jhum’ cultivation (slash and burn method of farming) and 342 families are living below poverty line (BPL).

To improve the condition of the people of 26 villages, including Bagmara, the state’s rural development department has constituted 441 self-help groups (SHG) and 72 more would be formed later.

“Despite grinding poverty, we have full faith in our gods and customs,” the headman said. “We are a tough group; you will not find a single inch of land in and around our village not utilised,” he said.

With tribals forming one third of the mountainous state’s total population of 3.8 million, Tripura has a rich cultural heritage of 19 tribes, mostly Hindu.

The Tripuris constitute the largest portion of the tribal community, representing more than 50 percent of the total tribal population of the state.

South Tripura’s district Magistrate Samarjit Bhowmik admitted his ignorance about the tribals not consuming cow milk. “I would definitely inquire about it and carry out some awareness campaign.”

“However, a large number of tribals in northeastern India still stick to their traditions and customs,” he said, adding that some people among the Chakma tribes never bring their pregnant womenfolk to the hospital, and follow their traditional process of using medicinal plants.

Tribal intellectual and renowned poet-writer Ratul Debbarman said: “It is interesting to note that although the religion of the majority of tribal people is termed as Hinduism, it is in fact a curious mix of Hinduism and animism.”

“The old gods have not yet been ousted and priests worship them alongside Hindu gods. The tribals worship elements such as water, fire, forests, and earth, each having its own god,” said Debbarman.

“A trace of their old faith is to be found in their practice of striking a bamboo in the ground during religious festivals and worshipping it. Sacrifice is an essential part of their religion,” he said.

Arunachal Govt Pushes For dams

By R Dutta Choudhury

Guwahati, Oct 25 : At a time when different political parties and organizations of Assam are launching movements against construction of mega dams, the Government of Arunachal Pradesh is mounting pressure on the Centre for getting necessary clearance for setting up of 132 hydropower projects.

Highly-placed sources in the Ministry of Environment and Forests told The Assam Tribune that the Government of Arunachal Pradesh has been following up the issue with concerned Ministries of the Centre regularly. Arunachal Government, in its letters to the Government of India, is trying to give a picture that the construction of the hydropower projects would benefit the entire North-east region.

Sources said that on its part, the Government of Assam has not been able to follow up the matter with the concerned ministries of the Government of India. The Assam Government had demanded a comprehensive downstream study on the environment impacts of the hydropower projects sought to be constructed in Arunachal Pradesh. But the Assam Government has not been following up the issue as vigorously at regular intervals as is done by the Arunachal Pradesh Government, sources added.

Sources revealed that of the 132 power projects proposed in Arunachal Pradesh, 23 are mega projects with the capacity to generate at least 500 MW of power. As per the proposals, the 23 mega projects would generate 31,580 MW of power.

Official sources revealed that of the proposed hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh, the Siang project would be the biggest with the capacity to generate 11,000 MW of power. But this project is sought to be constructed in phases. The other major proposed projects include Nyamjangchu project with a capacity to generate 788 MW of power, Tawang I project with 600 MW capacity, Tawang II project with the capacity to generate 800 MW of power Heo project with 210 MW capacity and Tato project with 170 MW capacity.

Sources said that as a part of its efforts to get the clearance of the projects, the Government of Arunachal Pradesh has been writing letters to the concerned ministries of the Government of India regularly. Only last week, the Government of Arunachal Pradesh wrote another letter to the Ministry of Environment and Forests requesting for speedy clearance of the projects.

But interestingly, in the last letter, the Arunachal Pradesh Government tried to deal with the apprehensions expressed by different organizations of Assam and claimed that different organizations carried out basin studies for the projects. The Government of Arunachal Pradesh claimed that the projects would benefit the entire region in the days to come. The letter claimed that the Ranganadi project benefited the downstream areas but it did not mention about the floods reportedly caused by excess water from the project.

The letter said that at least 6000 persons are directly and indirectly employed in generating 1,000 MW of power and the power projects in Arunachal Pradesh would generate employment opportunities to at least 342000 persons. As Arunachal Pradesh would not have such a huge workforce, the other states of the region, particularly Assam would be benefited, the letter claimed. Assam would also get other economic benefits as all the materials for the projects would have to be brought from the downstream areas, the Government of Arunachal Pradesh said.

The Arunachal Pradesh Government further claimed that all apprehensions about the safety of the dams were taken care of while designing the projects, which would be run of the river projects.

However, the Government of India is yet to take the final decision regarding granting of environmental clearance for the proposed hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh.

Crimes Against Children Rising in Nagaland

Dimapur, Oct 25 : Despite the rise of crimes against children very little has been done to ensure child protection in Nagaland. Lack of services and non-availability of statistics on children has further intensified the gaps in this area.

While loopholes have been identified in the implementing process, affected children are at the receiving end with no adequate facilities to give them the required protection. This has also highlighted the absence of full time NGOs dedicated to the cause of children’s welfare in the State.

Speaking on child abuse, Director of Community Education Centre, Sobu pointed out that these children should be kept in a government recognised institution for protection. He expressed concern that there is no strong NGOs in Kohima dealing with child welfare or no full time NGO in the whole of Nagaland apart from NCRC which was only recently formed.

He specifically expressed concern over the lack of rescue homes as these children need care and protection and cannot be kept in a juvenile home or orphanages since they are not criminals but victims.

He lamented that no one has been speaking on child abuse. He stressed that the Department of Social Welfare should take initiative in advocating awareness and look into the welfare of children.

Meanwhile, Additional Director of Social Welfare department Khevito Shohe while admitting that not much importance was given to issues on children said that the recent case of child abuse wherein a 10 year old was physically abused by his employer in Bayavü Colony, Kohima has served as an eye-opener.

He said that concerns were perhaps lacking in this connection because cases of abuse was not known in the State earlier owing to the social stratum of Naga culture and tradition. However, admitting negligence also on the part of the department, he said that efforts are lately being made to give adequate protection to the victimised children.

He informed that a society under the Child Protection Act has newly been established in the department which would be mainly focussing on child counselling. The government is working in collaboration with some orphan homes and schools and pointed out that the children in need of protection would be sheltered in the orphanages for the time being.

Malaria Cases Escalate in Manipur

By Sobhapati Samom
 
Imphal, Oct 25 : An 11 year old Class V student of Catholic School, Canchipur, Baby Lalrilu was sick and hospitalised at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Hospital here on June 27 following a complaint of high fever and unconsciousness.

But unfortunately Baby Lalrilu, the only daughter of a young Rongmei widow Luma, 39, a resident of Langthabal Chingkhong village in Imphal West district, passed away the following day.

The family of the child including grandmother Pantiguru, was unaware of the cause of the death. “We still don’t know what kind of disease had attacked our grandchild”, Pantiguru said.

The family and the State Health officials remain clueless about the cause of the disease until the Regional Medical Research Centre, Dibrugarh and National Centre for Disease Control , New Delhi confirmed that her blood samples tested positive for Japanese encephalitis. Thus, the State Health department’s surveillance report identified her as one of the victims of Japanese Encephalitis outbreak in the State.

A day after, another baby Fankiya, six, of Lilong Tureal Ahanbi village in Thoubal district also died three days after her hospitalisation following similar symptoms.

Last year, Fankiya’s locality had witnessed outbreak of an unknown disease. “One 12 year old girl and 28 year old man were hospitalised due to the unknown disease”, Fankiya’s father Fariduddin recalled.

Even though the victims of the epidemic were mostly young children, a visit to another victim Haobijam Mema, 45 at Sawombung Wairi-Khundrakpam village in Imphal East district indicated that it does not spare adults as Mema had a similar history behind the cause of his death.

As many as 34 persons were officially reported dead in Manipur due to similar syndrome of Japanese Encephalitis within July last. Most of the victims, including the first three victims – M Sanathoi of Irengbam village, Salam Naocha of Loktak project both from Bishnupur district and Bharat of Kangpokpi under Senapati district, lived in the periphery of rice fields.

State Malaria Office, however, claimed that the actual death toll because of the Japanese Encephalitis epidemic was just nine while around 60 suspected cases were given symptomatic treatment though Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) epidemic had claimed 15 lives during the outbreak.

Even if the disease was cyclical in it’s appearance, no Japanese Encephalitis cases were reported in 2005 and 2006. But the State recorded a single case in 2007 followed by four other suspected cases in 2008. Last year, around 64 suspected cases were detected, but there was no report of any casualty due to the epidemic unlike in the current year.

The overall situation of the State has shown a substantial increase in total malaria cases from 708 to 1,069 (51 per cent) in 2009 as compared with the same period in 2008. Interestingly, as an anti-Malaria measure, the State Malaria office distributed 3,09,718 mosquito nets treated with insecticides last year.

But it was quite a surprise for the common man to hear how the dreaded epidemic appeared all of a sudden in Manipur. The State is no more a place of pleasant weather or cold place anymore”, Kh Meghachandra, Officer in Charge of Meteorological (MET) Office, Imphal said. “It would be interesting if one observes the rainfall pattern of the State for the last few years”.

Unlike the last decade, summer is refusing to end in Manipur with MET office unable to predict little or more rain even in the peak monsoon months. Manipur recorded actual rainfall of 594.7 mm during last year’s monsoon (June to September) against this year’s rainfall of 801.1 mm. In 2008 monsoon, the State recorded rainfall of 625.3 mm.

Although the State experienced a drought last year, it seemed the State had enough rain this year. This year’s early monsoon helped the germination process of rice across 1.68 lakh hectares of cultivable land out of State’s 1.90 lakh hectares of agricultural land since early June.

As a result, most of the rice fields both in the valley and hills of the State, besides the urban area, have enough stagnant water which happened to be the best breeding ground of Culex, a mosquito species that spreads Japanese Encephalitis. “So the chances of the outbreak of the disease is very high if there is early monsoon”, Y Krishna, Entomologist of the State Malaria office said.

T Kamini, a Biologist at the State Malaria Control Office, said the population of the Culex could increase when the stagnant water submerge the paddy fields.

So the mosquitoes breeding in the nearby rice field must have bitten the villagers particularly the children and spread the disease, a senior official at State Health Services Directorate observed. The climate change is a major factor for the outbreak of the epidemic this year.

Mushrooming of piggery both in the rural and urban areas is also another factor for the sudden rise of population of Culex as pig being one of it’s host animals, a senior researcher at the Department of Bio-technology in Manipur University said. “However, no study or investigation has been done so far”. The busy State Health officials are also yet to look into the matter.

A decade back, in Imphal, the maximum temperature was about 30 to 33 degree Celsius. But now it has climbed to 35-36 degree Celsius since last year. “This indicates that Manipur is warming up. This may directly or indirectly be related with the climate change and global warming”, the MET official said.

Though this kind of mosquito that spreads the epidemic couldn’t survive if the temperature goes down below 16 degree Celsius, they were very active in the warm temperature ranging from 20-30 degree Celsius, the Biologist explained. “That these mosquitoes have become active in Manipur means that the climate of the region has warmed up to some extent”.

The global warming affects insects and pests. Mosquitoes have migrated to higher altitudes and have adapted there. This poses new health problems. There will be more and more cases of mosquito related diseases earlier never heard of.

Not to speak of the valley, even the hill dwellers in Manipur’s Ukhrul district headquarter, 84 km north-east of the State capital Imphal have started to use mosquito nets since the last two years. “We have been using bed nets to protect ourselves from mosquito bites since last year”, AS Haorela, housewife at Ukhrul town said. “Earlier we never used it. But now some of the families even started to use ceiling fans”. This shows that hill stations such as Ukhrul is no more the cool place it used to be.

Where Children Sleep

Do you know where kids sleep?

You have a chance to find this out because James Mollison has published a book of photos of children’s bedrooms from all over the world.

He hopes that this project can encourage kids to think about inequality.