It AAPened again... In Tihar jail.

Normally I never post on political issues in my blog; the one exceptional case was when Arvind Kejriwal became CM of Delhi. In that post, I tried to reason the tremendous performance by a political party that was very young and not with any substantial ideological backing. After some months this is another post on the same person.

Now situation has changed drastically from the time of my last post. AAP quit from governing Delhi in just 49 days and contested in Loksabha elections opposing Modi and his party BJP. They failed miserably and proved that they have lost the goodwill throughout the nation and particularly in Delhi. They tried to get back the abandoned Government in Delhi, but no one backed them. Delhi elections are impending. With their performance in the seats in Delhi in the Loksabha elections, there is minimal hope.

Two days back Kejriwal got arrested. He was send to Tihar jail by the Metropolitan magistrate. AAP cadre has started agitations against arresting their beloved leader who as per their claim is not a criminal. The case was a defamation suit filed by Nitin Gadkari, BJP leader. Kejriwal had made a list of most corrupt politicians in which Gadkari was named and announced it publically. Gadkari claims that he was insulted and went to court.
Court summoned Kejriwal and directed to sign a personal bond of Rs. 10,000, which he refused, reasoning that signing bond is against his party policy and many poor people who are not wealthy enough to sign bond are languishing in jails all over the country. The next alternative of the court was to send him to jail, which it did. This has caused AAP to agitate.

This is the whole background of the happenings. Why Arvind Kejriwal, who has not done any crime, is jailed? For this we have to know a bit about the legality of the issue.

India has a system that ensures its citizens’ freedom of speech. But there may be someone who misuses this freedom by baselessly insulting others. If I feel someone insulted me publically, I can sue them for defamation. When I file a defamation suit, it becomes the responsibility of the person who insulted me to prove either the comment was not insulting or what he commented was based on truth with facts and figures.

The first step the court takes after receiving a criminal suit is to summon the other party (defendant) and fix a date to hear his side of the argument. If the defendant does not come it is forcefully done by arrest. Serious crimes like murder are non - bailable offenses and the defendant has to live in custody till the hearing day and police is responsible to bring them to court. For other crimes that are not that serious, a bond is required to avoid judicial custody.

For many criminal cases a bail bond has to be signed by a reputed citizen who owns taxable property in India. They have to appear with the tax receipt and sign the bond, taking the responsibility of the defendant appearing in court for hearing. If the crime is not serious and the defendant is a person of repute, judge can insist for a personal bond. i.e the defendant agrees that he will appear before the court on the date of hearing. The court will require defendant to sign the bond for an amount, say 5000 or 10,000 which is the surety that he will do so. If he fails to appear on the day, only then this money will be encashed.

Criminal procedure of our country is such that, the defendant can avoid custody by signing a bond if the court approves.  In case of Kejriwal, he proclaimed that Gadkari is corrupt in public. Gadkari filed a defamation suit. Court summoned Kejriwal and he appeared. Next step is judicial custody and court gave an option to opt for a personal bond of 10,000 considering him a man of repute. But Kejriwal decided not to sign the bond. If he does not chose that option, the law of the land states that he has to be in judicial custody till the day of hearing.

Now my doubt is whether Kejriwal is so ignorant of this simple criminal procedure. It seems he is in dire need of some news space as his opponent in Varanasi is holding the limelight for now. Also impending elections in Delhi is also a reason for all this drama.

PS: Another defamation suit was filed by Gadkari on Manesh Tewari of Congress party for some of his remarks in 2010, regarding Adarsh scam. Last month Tewari had to issue an unconditional apology to Gadkari as he was unable to substantially prove any of his allegations. Following the apology Gadkari decided to withdraw his complaint.

Book Review: L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 30

L. Ron Hubbard was a pioneer in Science Fiction and Fantasy literature, with many trendsetting novels to his credit. Though scientology, that he co-discovered, discredited him severely, it is evident that the man deserves a space with stalwarts like Asimov. One major contribution of Hubbard to science fiction and fantasy writing is his establishing a yearly contest titled Writers of the Future and a parallel, Illustrators of the Future contest for illustrators which has launched the careers of several successful writers and artists. This is the thirtieth year of the contests.

Next month a compilation of thirteen winning stories with illustrations by the winners of the contest for illustrators is being released, titled ‘L Ron Hubbard presents Writers of the Future Volume 30’. It is edited by Dave Wolverton, Art Directed by Stephen Hickman and published by Galaxy press. The volume also contains three bonus stories by popular writers Hubbard, Orson Scot Card and Mike Resnik.  Three articles on writing and illustrating is also included.

Writing a Science fiction or fantasy novel may be an easy job for someone with good imagination. But it requires much more to write an excellent short story in the same genre. To build new concepts or even new worlds, establish them to the reader convincingly and structure a good story around it in the format of a short story is a task that needs imagination, mastery with words, talent and lot of discipline. These qualities are displayed abundantly and make the stories in this book an excellent read.

Each story is a unique piece, happening in a world of its own. Their ultimate success is in the fact that each of these stories connects with us and makes us appreciate our present. The emotional resonance that some of them generate is incredible. After reading the thirteen stories and three bonus stories by the veterans, I feel the participants’ work stands a notch above the others. May be, the reason is their firm footing in our present. It also helps that the stories came from different parts of the English speaking world giving much diversity to the collection.

I loved the science fiction works better than the fantasy stories. I felt science fiction stories were capable to stir me more with their dystopian predictions. Among the fantasy stories, the best one is the first story of the book- Another Range of Mountains by Megan E. O’Keefe. What I liked about this one is its total unpredictability. It tells the story of a lady who can unlock the memories of mirrors and draw them into paintings. What started as a kind of a detective story turns into a love story of sacrifice. A bit of ambiguity about the background of the lead character adds to the fun.

Among science fiction, my pick will be The Shaadi Exile by Amanda Forrest. In this story, traditional arranged marriage among Indians gets an inter galaxical placement. It is a deeply moving story about sacrifice and love for the family. Other notable stories are Animal by Terry Madden, a story about the last zoo in the world of future and its closure, with a great twist in the end, Rainbows for Other Days about a cyborg forest ranger in an apocalyptic, polluted world and Memories Bleed Beneath the Mask which is about memory transplant of an old judge.

Each story is accompanied by wonderful illustrations by artists selected from the illustrator’s contest. It adds value to the book. I am not overtly impressed by the essays about writing and illustrating, as they do not seem to offer any substantial or lifesaving advice to the upcoming artists.  

Book Review: Stephen Downing Is Dead

It is 1905 and Owen Bartlett has just arrived in Arizona from Boston, thanks to his father’s (who fathered him out of wedlock) insistence of him not practicing law in Boston. A man is killed just near the window of the hotel room in which he stays. Next day he comes to know that the diseased is Stephen Downing and the mysterious lady whom he saw that night is Eva, the dead man’s wife. He is perplexed when Eva wants him, a lawyer with no experience in criminal cases, to defend her husband’s alleged killer, a Mexican. Owen is pulled into a whirlpool of lies, secrets and deceit. What follows is a court room drama that intrigues the reader.

Stephen Downing is Dead is a novel written by Dan Goss Anderson. Much of the story takes place in Tucson, Arizona. The undercurrent of the story is the distrust between whites and Mexicans living there in the turn of Twentieth century. The story is told in a nonlinear narrative pattern. It flips between 1905 and 1955. The court case, in which Owen gets involved on bequest of Eva, forms the arc of the story in 1905. In 1955, Eva has just succumbed to her death, but just before dying, she confesses to Owen, now her husband, a secret that she kept hidden from him. Novel narrates Owen trying to come in terms with it. This plotting technique has made the construction of the story more robust.

The novel is an emotionally satisfying read. The characters are believable and multilayered. Even minor characters are given pivotal place in the story. I would like to specially mention the character of Eva. Writer succeeds in keeping the mystery surrounding her alive till the end. At the same time this mystery does not alienate the reader and makes us care for her. She is one of the liveliest of the characters that I have read about recently. In the initial pages we find a lot of descriptions of atmosphere, but in later parts, writer emphasizes on characters instead. I also loved the fact that the novel never tries to complicate the plot by filling it with too much of personal drama. The reader is made to know of the emotional state of the characters in a subtle manner.

One flip side of the novel, which I felt, is its predictability. There are many plot twists that the careful reader can deduce much before revelation. If the novelist could make the suspense tighter, as the book is billed as a court room thriller, it would have enhanced the appeal of his novel. Still Stephen Downing is Dead is a good novel, that can be read quite quickly (I finished it in a day, in two sittings) and I felt satisfied with it as per my expectations.

Book Source: Publisher

Free Book Giveaway: Rise of The Sun Prince by Shubha Vilas

Dear Readers,

 Enter the contest by answering two questions below and stand a chance to win the fabulous retelling of Ramayana, Rise of The Sun Prince by Shubh Vilas, my review of which can be read here. Also you will have to like the facebook page of the book here.

 You will have to enter your name and email id to participate, which will be confidential with me. If you win the contest you will be asked for your address so that the book can reach you. :) The contest is valid only for participants with their mailing address in India.

The contest will be on for a week from today, you can participate till 22 May 2014 midnight to be considered for the contest.

Free Book giveaway- Rise of the Sun Prince by Shubha Vilas

Bombay Talkies: Peddling Bollywood

When Bombay Talkies released last year, I had a very strong urge to watch it. It sounded very promising. But I don't know how I forgot all about the movie later on and remembered about it only last week when I got hold of its DVD. It was alluring to watch four short movies directed by very strong directors of Hindi cinema- Karan Johar, Dibakar Banarjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap made for commemorating 100th anniversary of Indian cinema. Backdrop of all the shorts is Indian infatuation on cinema. Movies are life for most of us, providing rhythm and symphony for a monotonous existence. I thought I would just write a quick note on the four movies that are thankfully not interconnected in anyway.  

The first movie by Karan Johar is for me, the best one among the lot. I never expected I would give such a statement when another movie in the anthology is directed by Anurag Kashyap. But credit should go to Johar for making a deeply sincere, intellectually engaging, emotionally exploring piece, with a magical background of old Hindi songs. It is about a disturbed husband who comes out of the closet, thanks to the gay friend of his wife. Unlike others, this is the only movie that doesn’t overtly depend on a filmy setting to convey its point. It is not on the face too.

The second one by Dibakar Banarjee is about a failed ‘business man’ who discovers the genius actor inside him who wants to get out, when he unexpectedly gets a chance to act in a bit part in a Ranbir Kapoor movie. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is the lead actor on whom the burden of conveying the entire plot is bestowed. He delivers in style. Watching him act is a pleasure. He makes us a part of him when he goes through the conflicts his character undergoes. Each shot is an underlined statement about his talent.

Third short by Zoya Akhtar reminded me of the half an hour TV advertisements of Tele-brands and such companies. I feel it contains just shameless peddling of Bollywood. It shows a very shallow and regressive picture far from reality, which can be potentially dangerous. Using kids for this purpose makes it all the more deplorable.  I am confused which is more ridiculous- deifying Katrina Kaif or trying to find motivation from item songs. A boy, whose father wants him to be an athlete, trying to put on his sister’s dress and dancing to Sheila Ki Jawani song, looks as ridiculous as it sounds here. It is a tragedy as the movie was well shot and the actors, especially the kids had done some great work.

Anurag Kashyap’s work too started off the same way and I had a bad feeling about it. But with the comic ending he succeeded in spinning it to something better. This short is about a villager camping infront of Amitabh Bachchan’s home so that he can offer him the Murabba send by his ailing father, who thinks eating the Murabba that is half-eaten by the superstar can increase his survival chance.  Anurag tries to show off the Bachchan euphoria and his larger than life image. There was scope of some serious introspection, but nothing materializes, finally making it another try to glorify Bollywood and its effects on society. The humor laced narrative and some superb acting saves the movie from becoming propaganda material for Bollywood.