Mumbai: In 1914, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, widely known as Dadasaheb Phalke, declined an offer to make films in London. "I have to keep making films in my country so that it gets established as an industry at home," said the man who gave India its first full-length feature film Raja Harishchandra. Nearly 95 years have elapsed since then and the Indian film industry has become the biggest in the world, but the father of Indian cinema continues to inspire and contribute to the industry. The latest instance of this is Harishchandrachi Factory.
This Marathi film about how Phalke made his first film has been nominated as India's official entry to this year's Oscars in the Foreign Film Category. It's the second Marathi film after Shwas (2004) to bag this honour. Its selection was announced by the Film Federation of India (FFI) and the jury was headed by veteran actress Asha Parekh.
"The inspiration for the film came from Dadasaheb Phalke. His adventure of filmmaking is the basis of the film," says Paresh Mokashi, director and writer of the film. Harishchandrachi Factory —which faced competition from 15 films including New York and Delhi 6 — captures the first two years of Phalke's cinematic career. The two-hour-long film starts with Phalke giving up his printing business after a fight with his partner. Soon, he accidentally comes across a tent theatre, screening a silent film. An awestruck Phalke decided to make a film and was encouraged by his wife and two enthusiastic children. The Oscar-nominated film ends with Phalke delivering Indian film industry's first hit using his advertising acumen.
Mokashi started working on the film in 2005. The script was ready after three months of research on Phalke's life. "After that started the magical hunt for money to make the film. I didn't want to make a low-budget film and make absolutely no comprises in creating this period drama," he says.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Key US review of airport safety standards in India begins today
New Delhi: The US aviation regulator will begin on Tuesday a final audit of its Indian counterpart, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on safety oversight that will be key to the future international expansion plans of Indian airlines.
The two-day audit is the culmination of a review begun by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) earlier this year after the International Civil Aviation Organization, or Icao, found India lacking in around 70 areas, including shortage of flight safety inspectors and other technical personnel.
Since the review began, no new direct flights to the US from India have taken off. No new code share agreements have been approved between Indian carriers such as Jet Airways (India) Ltd and National Aviation Co. of India Ltd-run Air India, and US airlines such as United Airlines and US Airways, according to officials at the DGCA and the civil aviation ministry.
Both Jet Airways and Air India connect cities in the US and have sought expansion of code-share agreements with US carriers that will depend on the audit. The outcome is also crucial for airlines such as SpiceJet Ltd and Paramount Airways Pvt. Ltd that are preparing to fly international routes starting next year.
Code sharing refers to a ticket marketing practice among airlines that allows carriers to share the two characters in codes used in airline reservation systems. This helps customers purchase a single ticket on a journey that has two flights such as a New Delhi-London leg and a London-New York one on two different airlines.
If the FAA downgrades its safety standards rating for India to so-called category II after completing the review, no new services by Indian carriers can be started to the US. Once placed in category II, no new code-share agreements can also be allowed. Climbing back to category I, the highest class of safety, could take months or years.
The two-day audit is the culmination of a review begun by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) earlier this year after the International Civil Aviation Organization, or Icao, found India lacking in around 70 areas, including shortage of flight safety inspectors and other technical personnel.
Since the review began, no new direct flights to the US from India have taken off. No new code share agreements have been approved between Indian carriers such as Jet Airways (India) Ltd and National Aviation Co. of India Ltd-run Air India, and US airlines such as United Airlines and US Airways, according to officials at the DGCA and the civil aviation ministry.
Both Jet Airways and Air India connect cities in the US and have sought expansion of code-share agreements with US carriers that will depend on the audit. The outcome is also crucial for airlines such as SpiceJet Ltd and Paramount Airways Pvt. Ltd that are preparing to fly international routes starting next year.
Code sharing refers to a ticket marketing practice among airlines that allows carriers to share the two characters in codes used in airline reservation systems. This helps customers purchase a single ticket on a journey that has two flights such as a New Delhi-London leg and a London-New York one on two different airlines.
If the FAA downgrades its safety standards rating for India to so-called category II after completing the review, no new services by Indian carriers can be started to the US. Once placed in category II, no new code-share agreements can also be allowed. Climbing back to category I, the highest class of safety, could take months or years.
Quake kills at least 11 in Bhutan, shakes India
GAUHATI, India—A 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook the remote mountain nation of Bhutan on Monday, killing at least 11 people, damaging an ancient monastery and forcing hundreds to flee, officials said. At least 15 people were also injured. The afternoon earthquake was initially reported in Gauhati, the capital of India's northeastern Assam state, but it was centered in a little-populated eastern region of the tiny nation of Bhutan.
Much of Bhutan, a Himalayan nation sandwiched between India and China, is sparsely populated, reachable only by walking paths and without electricity or telephones.
"We're trying to piece together information to assess the damage," Ugyen Tenzing, the country's director of disaster management said from Thimphu, Bhutan's capital.
He said at least seven people were killed when their houses collapsed in the eastern districts of Munggar and Trashigang, and rescuers were searching for survivors under the debris of other buildings. Most buildings in that region are small farmhouses made by hand from mud and stone.
Four Indian highway workers were also killed in Bhutan's Samdrup Jhongkar district, near the border with India, when the road they were working on collapsed, Tenzing said, adding that at least 15 people had been injured across the earthquake zone.
In the Trashigang district, more than 200 Buddhist monks and 100 local officials were forced to flee an ancient monastery when it was left damaged by the quake.
For centuries, much of Bhutan was governed from fortified monasteries, and today many of those buildings are also used as government offices.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake's magnitude as 6.3 and said it was centered about 80 miles (125 kilometers) north of Gauhati and 115 miles (180 kilometers) east of Thimphu at a depth of 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers).
"I dragged my family out. ... We ran down the staircase from our third floor apartment," said Sadeq Hazarika, an Assam state official who lives in Gauhati. "We saw our building developing a big crack. This was the biggest tremor I felt in many years."
The region has been hit by major earthquakes in the past, including in 1950 and 1897. Assam has been shaken by a series of small quakes in recent weeks.
The quake briefly rocked Bhutan's capital.
"We felt a strong shock for a moment—one second. People panicked and rushed out of their homes and businesses," said Tashi Dhendup, who runs a travel agency in Thimphu. He was not aware of any damage to buildings in that city.
The quake was also felt in Bangladesh and Lhasa, the Tibetan capital in southwest China, but there were no signs of damage in either place, officials said.
Coloradans mark Ramadan's end
The call to prayer Sunday morning to close the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and begin the celebration of Eid ul-Fitr was answered by about 12,000 Denver area Muslims, their largest known communal prayer in state history. The Colorado Muslim Council and other organizers had projected attendance of 8,000 at the "Festival of the End of the Fast" and were stunned by the turnout at Denver's Crowne Plaza Hotel near Denver International Airport. "It's a joyful day for us. To see our sheer numbers here in Colorado adds to our joy," said Mohammad Noorzai of the Colorado Muslim Council.
The crowd's size was impressive given that the day of the event, either Sunday or Monday, could not be set until late Saturday night. By then it was known that a sighting had been made of the crescent moon of the next Islamic month, Shawwal. Ramadan's 30 days of prayer, daylight fasting and devotion had ended. Because crowds overflowed the massive hotel conference room and spilled into the halls, a second service was added that nearly filled a room all over again. "It's historical for us," said volunteer organizer Mohamad Muraweh. "It's the first time we have had all the different Muslim communities in one place." The faithful knelt and bowed in prayer in diagonal rows, facing east, upon prayer rugs or long strips of white paper. The women were in the back or the next room.
The imam said Allah would bless their Ramadan, one marked by effort, sacrifice and patience, on this "day of the great reward." "Your sins are forgiven," Imam Hamdi Basha told them. Many Muslims wore their finest traditional clothing from all corners of the Muslim world of more than 1 billion people. There were jeans and T-shirts too. "The kaleidoscope, the breadth of all the cultures, always impresses me," said council spokesman Taj Ashaheed.
Noorzai said the investigation and arrest of two local Muslims on Saturday night in connection with an alleged terrorism plot has not diminished the joy of this occasion for the greater Muslim community. "We celebrate like anybody else — with families and lots of food and sweets," he said. "People exchange gifts. Children usually get new clothes and money." The council hopes to do a community-wide Eid ul-Fitr next year in a park or other outdoor setting, Noorzai said. The lunar month of Ramadan will fall and end 10 days earlier in 2010.
The crowd's size was impressive given that the day of the event, either Sunday or Monday, could not be set until late Saturday night. By then it was known that a sighting had been made of the crescent moon of the next Islamic month, Shawwal. Ramadan's 30 days of prayer, daylight fasting and devotion had ended. Because crowds overflowed the massive hotel conference room and spilled into the halls, a second service was added that nearly filled a room all over again. "It's historical for us," said volunteer organizer Mohamad Muraweh. "It's the first time we have had all the different Muslim communities in one place." The faithful knelt and bowed in prayer in diagonal rows, facing east, upon prayer rugs or long strips of white paper. The women were in the back or the next room.
The imam said Allah would bless their Ramadan, one marked by effort, sacrifice and patience, on this "day of the great reward." "Your sins are forgiven," Imam Hamdi Basha told them. Many Muslims wore their finest traditional clothing from all corners of the Muslim world of more than 1 billion people. There were jeans and T-shirts too. "The kaleidoscope, the breadth of all the cultures, always impresses me," said council spokesman Taj Ashaheed.
Noorzai said the investigation and arrest of two local Muslims on Saturday night in connection with an alleged terrorism plot has not diminished the joy of this occasion for the greater Muslim community. "We celebrate like anybody else — with families and lots of food and sweets," he said. "People exchange gifts. Children usually get new clothes and money." The council hopes to do a community-wide Eid ul-Fitr next year in a park or other outdoor setting, Noorzai said. The lunar month of Ramadan will fall and end 10 days earlier in 2010.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Seven 26/11 suspects arrested: Pakistan
Pakistani authorities today said they have arrested seven suspects in the 26/11 Mumbai attack case. The arrested included Zakir-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah, according to TV reports. Authorities added that boat used by the suspects to carry out the attacks has been seized.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Ambassador-Designate Vinai Thummalapally arrives in Belize
September 15, 2009
Today, U.S. Ambassador-Designate Vinai Thummalapally arrived at the Philip Goldson International Airport and was met by Deputy Chief of Mission J.A. Diffily and Management Officer Sharon Featherstone. The Ambassador-Designate greeted the Belizean media with a message of goodwill to the Belizean people and promised continued cooperation with the Belizean Government. The Ambassador-Designate will present his credentials to the Governor General later this week.
Prior to his appointment as Ambassador, Mr. Thummalapally, from Colorado, was the President of MAM-A Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of recordable optical discs. Prior to his role at MAM-A Inc., he served as the plant manager for Mitsui Advanced Media Inc., which also manufactures recordable optical discs. He has served in several other similar roles in his 31-year career, including positions as General Manager for WEA Manufacturing, as a Managing Partner of Clines Office Products, and as Manufacturing Manager of Disc Manufacturing, Inc. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from California State University and completed post graduate courses in Business Administration. Mr. Thummalapally speaks Telugu, Hindi, and Urdu. He is married to Barbara Thummalapally and has two children. Ambassador Thummalapally was nominated by President Obama on June 11, 2009 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 23, 2009.
Today, U.S. Ambassador-Designate Vinai Thummalapally arrived at the Philip Goldson International Airport and was met by Deputy Chief of Mission J.A. Diffily and Management Officer Sharon Featherstone. The Ambassador-Designate greeted the Belizean media with a message of goodwill to the Belizean people and promised continued cooperation with the Belizean Government. The Ambassador-Designate will present his credentials to the Governor General later this week.
Prior to his appointment as Ambassador, Mr. Thummalapally, from Colorado, was the President of MAM-A Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of recordable optical discs. Prior to his role at MAM-A Inc., he served as the plant manager for Mitsui Advanced Media Inc., which also manufactures recordable optical discs. He has served in several other similar roles in his 31-year career, including positions as General Manager for WEA Manufacturing, as a Managing Partner of Clines Office Products, and as Manufacturing Manager of Disc Manufacturing, Inc. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from California State University and completed post graduate courses in Business Administration. Mr. Thummalapally speaks Telugu, Hindi, and Urdu. He is married to Barbara Thummalapally and has two children. Ambassador Thummalapally was nominated by President Obama on June 11, 2009 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 23, 2009.
World Bank to provide $3 bn for road projects
The World Bank has agreed to provide a USD 3 billion-loan for developing national highways. The World Bank assistance will be utilised for converting 6,372 km of one-lane highways to two-lane, out of the total of 19,702 km of single lane highways in the country. "They have (World Bank) for the first time informed me that they will be willing to fund the viability gap funding and also fund 50 per cent of our annuity projects," Nath said after concluding his week-long tour to the United States on Wednesday.
Nath also announced the construction of 18,000 kms of expressways in the country. "We are going to set up an expressway division in the next fortnight and I propose bringing in legislation for Expressway Authority of India," he said. "Roads in India are not merely a matter of connectivity but is an important component of inclusive growth," he said, adding the total project costs for 2009-2010 is estimated at USD 20 billion.
Nath also announced the construction of 18,000 kms of expressways in the country. "We are going to set up an expressway division in the next fortnight and I propose bringing in legislation for Expressway Authority of India," he said. "Roads in India are not merely a matter of connectivity but is an important component of inclusive growth," he said, adding the total project costs for 2009-2010 is estimated at USD 20 billion.
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