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Will see the trailer later.
But anything from Imtiaz Ali is welcome after rockstar
And is it rahman here?
What a shame this music will be on hood-lum-a…
Anyhow let’s see what Alia bhatt delivers…
Egg-jacktly Goldie –sadomasochism & Stockholm synd..
Btw since u are into reading good books –u should now read some ‘quality literature’ like 50 shades of grey..
C’mon let me teach u a few things đ
Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade was strip-searched by US police on arrest, was put in jail with drug addicts post arrest:
(If handcuffing in public wasn’t enough )
People are stripped search because there is possibility that they may smuggle things which could be harmful to arrested person or police officer or other confined person(s).
You may call it dumb but that is a procedure that is followed even if you are senator or a common man!
Same thing happens at airport. It doesn’t matter if you are 3 year old or 70 year or king; you have to go through the process.
I think we Indians in India are over reacting. IMO She did wrong. If they want official “servant” better get them diplomatic visa and Govt pay salaries as employees. If it is personal they need to adhere to law of the land.
But Are you living in US/Europe? Can you afford a 24 hour maid/help ? Can you bring help from India and pay her same as you pay in India?
This article exactly explains the situation:
“Anyway itâs not like there arenât plenty of mid-career professionals in the US who work and clean their toilets and make dinner for their children on their own precisely because they cannot afford cooks and nannies. We cannot have the old world convenience of domestic help in the United States and not be prepared for the inconvenience of the price tag it comes with.
We might come from a country where labour is cheap and noone raises an eyebrow that millions of Indians come to our homes everyday to cook and clean, seven days a week, 365 days a year and have their pay docked when they fall sick and donât make it to work. But that does not our cultural attitude towards domestic help will not cause a stink outside our borders. Just because our diplomatsâ nannies live in Manhattan and not a chawl in Mumbai does not mean that they should be grateful and not gripe about not being paid according to US Labour laws.”
Dangerous or harmless any suspect is accorded same treatment ( You will be finger printed, dna swabbed, handcuffed). If you don’t like your treatment and you are not guilty of anything you can sue back the Attorney office!
“We are so used to elites getting preferential treatment that anything not done elitist to elites becomes news. I am sure there are many arrests of Indian in US every year. But I don’t think they become news? If regular Indian is arrested and deported for any fraud why not a persons with means? At least the law is treating everyone same.
ps – I have seen small white kids getting frisked at airport. Even Senators are not spared by TSA. Many regular people with Khan and Mohamad names are always stopped and checked at airport so why is Shahrukh’s detention or Kalam’s frisking a big news. People are doing their job!”
Yes, it’s the having of such a law that I’m shocked about.
That a diplomat got caught and it made news while others’ didn’t, is not the issue – at least this brought this uncivilized law into the notice of the world.
“She said the US state department had alerted â in writing â the Indian embassy as early as September this year that there were allegations against the diplomat concerning underpayment of minimum wages and non-compliance, and that action could be imminent under US laws.”
They probably thought like India no one would act.
I don’t think it is lawless. For Indians Handcuffing and strip search are demeaning. But there is a logic why it is done (stated above). We certainly may not agree it but it was upheld by SC last year.
Munna, well said. The rhetoric from India is quite amusing in its hypocrisy. The entire uproar seems to be about the fact that she was arrested and strip-searched without any mention of the fact that is standard procedure in a criminal case. And of course, no one seems to care a whit about the facts of the case or the domestic helper that was defrauded
america preaching rule of Law is sheer nonsense and hypocrisy. America has one rule for its own Citizens and different rule for rest of world… List out will take year, latest has been Pakistan episode
Rest case is not what you read in papers… Its getting very dark with every passing hour.
Maid of Devyani, Richards both children and husband were flown out of India to US on 10th dec, 2 days before Devyani arrest by US Justice dept even knowing Maid’s Missing, her passport revoked and case filed in Indian court… both are Dalits and maid being Dalit christian.
Now US wont give paid travel & Immigration to entire family
for HR… something big there
This being wrong doesn’t make Consular’s position right. She is a Christian (as name suggested) and as I said her intention could be to immigrate (it is not easy to show that you are just being harassed and get immigrant status. She probably didn’t need to go through A3 visa if she already has sponsor. By your logic all Dalit Christian should be in US!).
We need to stop taking maids. If you want posting in foreign country be prepared to do your own work.
“This being wrong doesnât make Consularâs position right. She is a Christian (as name suggested) and as I said her intention could be to immigrate (it is not easy to show that you are just being harassed and get immigrant status. She probably didnât need to go through A3 visa if she already has sponsor. By your logic all Dalit Christian should be in US!).
We need to stop taking maids. If you want posting in foreign country be prepared to do your own work.”
Read my comment where I talked on all this?
I said case is not simple but some smelly rat. just for HR US justice dept wont take out entire family when talks are happening between 2 govts or just for HR .
Dalit was said because some politicians in India played D card for Dy consular but Maid is also Dalit nobody talks abt her.
Read my example again it was Pakistan episode so I am talking on that not what procedure are there in US. Same US doesn’t follow procedures of another country when its citizens get involved there. This is US hypocrisy.
Put her in jail if She has done forgery and fraud but as per Vienna conventions article 41 they can’t handcuff, indulge in cavity search of diplomat. Simple.
She is not Diplomat level, as per US rules (Consular) she could be arrested. Any arrested person has to go through the same procedure. It doesn’t matter if you are President of United States or Brittany Spears or Lindsay Lohan.
Now Indian Govt. are trying to put Devyani in UN mission for diplomatic immunity but I think State Department would deny the request because there is a pending case and it will be obstruction of justice!
2 examples which I can recollect of American Hypocrisy
1) In Pakistan episode US claimed Diplomatic immunity for one who has none and in Devyani case they deny where it Is.
2) Hope ppl here remember Romney Tax case during presidential race, where his tax return showed him paying half of min wages to his domestic help. Why no arrests there or case. Selective??
Again you are talking about arrest which I am not. Its about Handcuffed and repeated cavity search and DNA swab. You are mixing Issues here.
Hope some ppl here remember Russian spy case here.
” it was all ordered by a âconscientious personâ of Indian origin.”
Yup– that preet bharara guy is mad–there are some who try to show they are ‘fair’ & prove their ‘loyalty’ (like some ‘Hollywood’ fans here lol)
It’s not only about this Indian diplomat !! Haven’t heard of something like this before & for a domestic visa dispute..
Total disregard of the Vienna convention…Where are those ‘ nationalists’ and those ‘feminists’ here ?
Ps: “I have no idea what Bdsm means â but please donât tell me.”
Search for knowledge & wisdom should be an ongoing process
đ
“What were they searching for on her person, in a case of âvisa fraudâ case?”
Actually that’s a valid point — Goldie have u seen ‘new york’
There’s a scene where katrina offers herself for a ‘pat down’ search to save poor John from police …
Ps: this stuff is more common in NYC….
When I compared to Deepika with Meena Kumari after Cocktail some people were so totally dismissive…
“As a matter of fact it would not be repeat of the feat; rather Deepika could become the star who would have overhauled the record held by Meena Kumari for more than 60 years. Meena Kumari in the year 1962 became the first actor who was nominated for three films MAIN CHUP RAHUNGI, AARTI and SAHIB BIBI AUR GHULAM, eventually she went on to sweep all the awards for SAHIB BIBI AUR GHULAM.
For Deepika Padukone there are four super successful films that would be vying against each other to facilitate her to have a shot at the best female actor award and the films include, CHENNAI EXPRESS, COCKTAIL, GOLIYON KI RAASLEELA RAM-LEELA and YEH JAWAANI HAI DEEWANI. Each of the four roles are as different as chalk and cheese and the jury indeed is going to have the tough time in choosing the film to confer the award on Deepika. ”
It is not 4 it is still 3 only unless you include Race2 aswell. Cocktail was released in july 2012 and Ramleela in Nov 2013. How can one include both in same year award category?
yes but it’s not clear how becoming very successful makes one Meena Kumari. Just as Salman is fantastically successful but that hardly makes him Dilip Kumar!
Satyam even you know Can’t compare Meena Kumari to Dilip Kumar in acting.
Maddhubala, Nutan, Nargis may be…but meena Kumari just had one note and expression.
Madhubala was atleast easy on the eyes , LOL!!
Oldgold- I probably have only seen Pakkeeza, SBAG and Phool aur Pathhar of Meena Kumari.
Pakeeza’s songs are my absolute fav. songs…
Meena Kumar’s films of the 50s showed her versatality. You are perhaps talking of her 60s films where she was at an age where the heroines were expected to play serious ( think sad/suffering). Even Nutan had to go through this once she hit 30, also Asha Parekh etc.
“yes but itâs not clear how becoming very successful makes one Meena Kumari. ” It is abundantly clear. The report is not talking about success at all, when talking of breaking Meena Kumari’s record. It is talking of getting nominated for Best actress in 3 films in a single year, in Filmfare awards ( If that happens, that is.)
If you’re going to hang your hat on Filmfare nominations I have lots of thespians to sell to you from the last 15 years or more! SRK must be the greatest actor in history based on this yardstick!
Then again if Cocktail reminds you of Kaagaz ke phool (or whatever the Guru Dutt reference is) Deepika might as well remind you of Meena Kumari!
Will say this.. if Katrina’s the competition Deepika is Meena Kumari.
Hang the Filmfare awards, I would like to see one year in which Meena KUmari acted in films as diverse as YJHD, CE and Ram Leela essaying characters as diverse as Naian, Meenamma and Leela.
Poor Meenakumari, she must be turning in her grave, wishing that she was born a few decades later, so that she would have had the unparalleled opportunity to speak Hindi in a non-existent South-Indian accent whilst dancing with Kathakali dancers in Chennai, or to wear a mini-skirt whilst skiing in snow-clad peaks. How sad for her that she was denied such diverse avenues to express her artistic talent and had to make do with being known as the tragedy queen!
I’m waiting for Utkal to now deliver a lecture on how I don’t understand the true meaning of art, and how Deepika’s ‘mini-skirt in the snow’ moment was symbolic of the unrealistic nature of young love, or some such gibberish! đ
In 1960 Meena kKumari acted in a comedy Kohinoor and Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayee. Two diametrically opposite roles.
Going back further (I apologise, it’s too way back for a ‘now’ dude);
1956
-Mem Sahib – a very fiesty, modern and educated woman, who had her own mind as to who she’d marry.
-Ek Hi Raasta – a widow
Film dealt with widow remarriage, without her tears, with Ashok Kumar
-Halaku -a historical, period film.
1957:
-Miss Mary – a christian girl, a comedy role
-Naya Andaaz – as a stage artiste.
-Sharada – where she ends up marrying her beloved’s (Raj Kapoor’s) father. She portrayed a stoical character here rather than a tragedienne.
I could go on recounting her varied roles.
She did quite a few comedy roles too.
She did Chitralekha after turning so called ‘tragedienne’. In this she played the role of a courtesan, with not a tear dropped, who renounces the world (for a short period).
The list could go on. Deepika’s role just involved chnaging her clothes from modern, to south Indian, to Rajasthani. They weren’t diametrically opposite in character.
Ashok Malik â@MalikAshok 3h
So Sangita Richard’s in-laws work in the US embassy. And her husband and kids were Fedex-ed to the US, while her visa status was dubious!!!
If alleged violation of US visa laws by Infosys can be settled with a fine, why couldn’t the US have done so for Khobragade? Or is a woman diplomat fair game for US law enforcers http://www.firstpost.com/world/devyani-khobragade-row-time-we-returned-the-insult-to-us-liberally-1293367.html
Folks who are accusing Preet Bharara of selectively going after an Indian diplomat seem to forget that he’s an equal opportunity offender- he also went after Dominique Strauss-Kahn quite aggressively in addition to all the Wall Streeters.
I agree that the strip-search is in completely bad form, but the author of this article is a jingoistic, delusional, xenophobic nit job! How ironic that he accuses the USA of racism whilst freely slandering the entire country with the most ludicrous and bas less accusations!
So he spends the entire article explaining exactly how diabolical and evil the USA’s treatment of the diplomat was…and then proposes tha India catches hold of ‘technical offenders’ from the USA and torutures them on similar grounds, just to show it’s supposed power! And he has also decided that Rajat Gupta was an innocent victim! This ‘journalist’ sounds terrifyingly like a bloodthirsty bigot, and not someone who is upset because of any moral or humanitarian reasons!
I dont know about Meena Kumari, I am quite glad to be living in these times rather than Meena’s , relishing the many splendours of a resurgent Bollywoord bursting with creativity of new directors, new story-tellers and intresting performers..from Anurag Kashyap, Reetesh Batra, Ananad Gandhi, Homi adjani, Imtuiaz ali, Maneesh Sharma to Naseer, Imtiaz, Nawajuddin, Ranabir, Vidya, Deepika., Huma, Pareeniti…..
“Deepikaâs âmini-skirt in the snowâ moment was symbolic of the unrealistic nature of young love, or some such gibberish! ”
Haha that was fun.
I actually don’t even have a problem with the ‘miniskirt in the snow moment’ since one is used to even more ironical stuff like “leather jacket, snow boots, gloves, cap, muffler’ BUT trembling in miniskirt reality “!!
But what made that more amusing was that the SAME deepika whilst ‘studying’ at home under ‘security’ of her parents chose to be fully covered from head to toe with not an inch of skin showing anywhere! đ
Ps: having said that, I liked ‘naina talwaar’ quite a bit (her Un/clothing choices nothwihtstanding)…
Deviyani: I broke down many times after repeated strip searches and ‘cavity searches’ !
In an email to her IFS colleagues, senior Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade called on the government to ensure her and her family’s safety and preserve the dignity of the IFS, which was “unquestionably under siege”, the Times of India reported. Devyani Khobragade. Facebook image “While I was going through it, although I must admit that I broke down many times as the indignities of repeated handcuffing, stripping and cavity searches, swabbing, in a holdup with common criminals and drug addicts were all being imposed upon me despite my incessant assertions of immunity, I got the strength to regain composure and remain dignified thinking that I must represent all of my colleagues and my country with confidence and pride,” she said in her email, the Times of India reported. Meanwhile, the US is reviewing the arrest of Khobragade after India took several steps to make its displeasure of consular official Devyani Khobragade widely known, including asking US diplomats to return their ID cards and removing the barricades from outside the US embassy in New Delhi.
I’m usually all in favour of ‘following rules’ and logic, and can see the point of ‘domestic rules’ taking precendence. This has creditably worked for America in ‘security’ issues
But on this occasion, I’m more with Oldgolds stance.
There IS somethign perverse here even taking it account everything here! And these things are not ‘trivial’
A diplomat like devyani, is pleading for ‘diplomatic immunity’ that is a well known internationally recognised (& followed) dictum, world over. Yeah certain offences over ride all these dictums like drug possession, security breaches, terrorism suspects etc
But why the heck do western embassies get involved when their nationals get caught in sexual offences, or drug peddling or even child/sex trafficking etc ??
Why was the Italian (I think) embassy trying to save some soldiers who fired on public or got caught with drugs ‘against domestic law!’
The bottomline is–
The US establishment slightly miscalculated with the Indian reaction. And mind you, if if was any European diplomat, this might have elicited the same response in the home country except that the events won’t have transpired similarly.
There was NO justification for REPEATED ‘STRIP SEARCHES’ and ‘CAVITY’ searches of a lady diplomat for a domestic visa dispute–
Period —–
From the above article showing american hypocrisy and meekness when confronted by Russians. Chinese :
“On December 5, 25 current and former Russian diplomats in New York and their spouses were charged with defrauding Medicaid, a state-run healthcare program, but none was arrested or prosecuted as the US said they enjoyed diplomatic immunity.”
Yes I can but again you sidetracking point I raised On Mitt Romney and no arrests of Russian dips citing immunity for them and no immunity for Indian… They belong to same flock, If applicable on one thn be it on all.
So when Preet Bharara, the attorney for the Southern District of New York, unsealed the criminal complaint against the Russians in court in his usual flashy style, reporters who cover Bharara expected at least a few of the 11 Russians still within the reach of New Yorkâs law enforcement to be paraded before them: it would have been a precursor to Khobragadeâs arrest and subsequent bail. But nothing of that sort happened. Instead, when Bhararaâs men set out in quest of the alleged offenders, with handcuffs in their pockets, they were promptly restrained by the US state department, according to authoritative sources who spoke to this writer. The state department told Bhararaâs office that all the 11 serving Russian diplomats on US soil had diplomatic immunity and could not be arrested.
How could that be? It has been ascertained that many of these 11 Russians are in far more junior positions than Indiaâs deputy consul general â acting consul general at that time. Yet the Obama administration told Bharara to take his hands off those 11 men and women and not go anywhere near those Russians still on American soil because they enjoy diplomatic immunity. But in Khobragadeâs case, the same state department insisted that she does not enjoy immunity except in the discharge of her official duties. There is a clear double standard here. That is because the Americans fear Russia. They have no such worries about India.
How does Mr Nayyar know ” It has been ascertained that many of these 11 Russians are in far more junior positions than Indiaâs deputy consul general â acting consul general at that time.” ?
Every article says dips belong to both Russian Permanent mission and consular missions. So all consular missions in US will be subjected to one law, Even if we leave aside Author may have its own sources. 43 is the count involved in this.
Only 11 are in US and diplomatic staff and their spouses. It is a long investigation. Do you think after Snowden episode US is going to show any mercy?
The bottom line is do we want maids/helps coming to US or any high profile country at peanuts where they can not do anything except be at mercy of employers.
ps – We can not dictate someone else’s behavior but we can certainly put our own house in order.
What a pathetic statement this is trying to make amends!! Utterly defensive. Now that the heat is burning his ass he is out with such statements. Moron will not rest until he features on TIME as the AMERICAN of the year I guess..Of course, Indian born American naturalized ‘greats’ like Zakaria are all mum, lest they end up out of TIME’S 100 best of year or whatever that crap is..
The authorities have clearly gone overboard here.
It might be true that in the US everybody is ‘supposedly’ equal before the law. But does it mean one goes to the extremes? It is like saying yes I am known for disproportionate treatment but I do that to all!! This really doesn’t answer the disproportionate treatment part..
SOP is fine but isn’t there something called threat perception? When arresting her, what was the threat perception? Cavity search is the LAST of the procedures as far as I know (the less harsher ones being pat down etc..). All the legalese written in the links pasted above might be okay but what about the situation at hand? Aren’t the officials well-versed in handling that? Cavity search for wage dispute? Well why not for a bicycle thief then? Was the maid tied in chains like that rapist from Ohio chained his victims?
This is interesting but I remember feeling like this when they used to show those ‘sex-offenders’ who would land-up to have sex with someone from yahoo or some chat pretending to be a woman. The guys who used to show up were of course morons of the first degree since they would land up in the sting even though the lady makes it clear in the chat that she is < 18! After those guys just walk to the front door, the cops would pounce upon them as though they were armed with bom@# from head to toe! And all they would find on them were some contraceptives!! It was actually hilarious to see 10-15 cops pounce on them as though they had finally caught bin laden!!
And it is now coming to the fore that all is not what it seems. The maid has a diary where she has clearly written that her owner treated her very well!! And 2 days before the diplomat's arrest, the maid's family was flown into the US on a refugee visa!!
That’s why Infosys paid the price. Go after them. If Infosys could be let off with a heavy fine, this diplomat needs to be strip-searched? For wage dispute? I don’t think anybody is contesting that what the diplomat did was lawful or not. Mis-representation is mis-representation. But one is merely talking how these are tackled. Were Infosys project-managers strip-searched?
But you don’t make them stay in house and keep their identity that they don’t run away.
ps – It is not that diplomatic staff is at fault. We Indians invite our parents during child birth and basically it takes away one job here. If we go by book rule most of the Indians are at fault! But then you can not use the argument in court that Why I was caught? when everyone was driving 75? If you are caught, you are caught!!
By the way, this is a strange case where I have seen left liberals (they should be supporting low wage worker) joining hand with right wing (why? Christian who probably has converted) đ
Saw yesterday, Mayawti claimed all this was done because Devyani is Dalit!!
This is not the first case. Someone needs to stop these bureaucrats. Indian Govt. is not going to stop it. When State Department pointed, they got court order from Delhi instead of putting their house in order. Instead of pointing fingers, Indian Govt needs to put its house in order.
“The UPA displays so much fake anger, you wonder when will it rescind the nuclear deal. Khurshid said he won’t come to Parliament until Her Excellency the Acting Consul General’s honour is restored. Did he think of making some similar sacrifice to restore the dignity of 50,000 Muslims in the camps of Muzaffarnagar, 150 km away? Particularly when he represents Farrukhabad, not so far from there. As for our left-liberal bleeding hearts, they still can’t figure out whether to fight for a poor member of The Great Unwashed or take on The Great Satan. And, since I am being so reckless, let me also ask another trick question. Where did your Indian pride and self-respect go when you silently congratulated the same Americans for denying a visa to Narendra Modi? Whatever your political differences, he is a leader elected to a high political office in India. If he can visit 7 Race Course Road or Vigyan Bhawan, he cannot be barred from visiting Washington. And if he is, we should at least make the pretence of protest. So let’s not talk again about national pride and diplomatic propriety. Let’s also not kid ourselves into believing that employing house maids is some kind of universal human right. “
“For better or worse, motion pictures acquire a certain reputation, particularly among those who were young when they were first released, and then nobody wants to rock the boat and say, “Actually, I think Gone with the Wind is racist and stupid,” or “Actually, I think Three Amigos is a comic masterpiece,” or “Actually, I don’t get Spinal Tap, Dad.” In fact, movies need to be periodically re-evaluated. And so, for the past year I have gone back and watched scores of films widely viewed as classics to see if they have stood the test of time. Happily, in an overwhelming number of cases they have. But in more than a handful of cases, they have not.”
The U.S. position is that as a consul, Khobragade was not immune from arrest for allegedly under-paying her maid. But even if that were the case, Bhararaâs decision to treat her without regard for her status as a representative of a foreign, friendly government reflected the prosecutorâs over-exuberance straight out of an episode of Law and Order.
Khobragadeâs guilt or the nature of her immunity is a matter for a court to decide. Treating her courteously was necessary to ensure that American diplomats and consular representatives are protected and treated kindly abroad.
As Pakistanâs ambassador to the United States, I found myself at the center of a similar but much worse row in January 2011 when Raymond Davis killed two men in a crowded street in the city of Lahore.
The U.S. claimed that Davis carried a diplomatic passport and therefore enjoyed diplomatic immunity. Pakistanâs Foreign Office found that Davisâ name had been included on the list of diplomats serving in Pakistan only after he had committed the murders, which did not extend him immunity under the Vienna Convention
His job description, as an adviser at the U.S. consulate in Lahore, also entitled him to consular and not full diplomatic immunity.
Pakistanâs government could not free a killer without due process. But once he had been identified as a U.S. government functionary, our government ensured that Davis was treated with courtesy. American officials were immediately provided access to Davis and he was not subjected to a strip search. Once The Guardian revealed that he was, in fact, a CIA contractor, special arrangements were made for his security in prison in case other inmates might attempt to hurt him.
The Pakistani government avoided embarrassing President Obama, who had been misled into publicly insisting on Davisâ diplomatic status.
(4) Were any fraudulent or false documents used by Devyani Khobargade in USA to induce any person (including US Government) to do or omit to do anything which otherwise such induced person would not have done? Please do not mention the documents produced by Sangeeta Richard before the US embassy in India along with her application for Visa as this conduct is not actionable in the United States (at best US Government can cancel the Visa and file a First Information Report with Indian Police. Please name these documents and their import.)
Is this going to stop the court case (Department of Justice)? State Department obviously wants good relations. Only if they have issue with material against prosecution they will likely to drop the charges.
This guy has gone after high and mighty of Wall Street, as if he cares about Indian pressure.
ps – But who in India cares to know the difference between DOJ and State Department.
Happy to see my stance is vindicated–a satisifying turn of events! Have nothing against the US otherwise, but in this context, things were truly obscenely grotesque.
Continuing from my previous post some days ago –before the counter-attack started against bharara!
Now the discourse is changing and many have joined in/changed tone somewhat. There IS a certain ‘duplicity’.
Even in the Indian response –there are reasons for the swift counter response–
A) deviyani is a part of the strong IFS –who all feel they have been attacked
B) many of the ifs officers are utilising similar domestic helpers /visa arrangements and may also get caught
C) deviyani is a Dalit –which shouldn’t matter actually either ways..
D) the ‘domestic worker’ being Christian & apparently her relative is placed somewhere important ?? In the US (not sure though
E) it’s the REPEATED strip searches and ‘cavity’ searches which was disgusting
As I say–certain humans and situations don’t deserve ‘niceness’ but an apt response –nothing less…
Indians will be careful about bringing desi maids to US.
Instead they can ask helpful relatives to come on a pleasure trip.
Self help is the best help. Better to do housework. One of the spouses can become housebound and do household chores.
You cant have the cake and eat it too.
Dont fall for the glamour of US. After a time, it is boring to live there.
India offers better neighbours, accommodating and understanding people. There is nothing like living in one’s own country. The comfort level compensates the little inconveniences.
“India offers better neighbours, accommodating and understanding people”– Thanx for the invitation sanju—& for being so ‘accomodating’ –& yup plz gimme my coffee now đ
(brilliant stuff and some political local realities in end)
Letâs do a roll-call. When APJ Abdul Kalaam was searched and humiliated in the US the GOI and our MSM let it pass. It seems because APJ was a president nominated by the Opposition NDA govt his humiliation is tolerable. Because Subramaniam Swamy wrote a harsh article in India the doormats of Congress and Commies lobbied with Harvard to cancel his courses and get rid of him. Harvard obliged and what was the response of our MSM? They were absolutely thrilled that Swamy had been âsnubbedâ by Harvard. If you love an Indian being insulted by some entity in the US you will have more such experiences. The only time the MSM and GOI made a lot of noise is when Shahrukh Khan was held up. Oh but heâs a âsickularâ guy and a Muslim so that is an affront to India. Thatâs our media morons. Our sick media and Congress also celebrated when Wharton cancelled a video conference of Narendra Modi because of lobbying by Commies again. Of course, Modi is not an Indian so such nonsense is okay with them.
The worst has to be the lying about why Modiâs entry was banned by the US. They claimed it was because of Gujarat 2002 when it was not (read here). But even if Gujarat 2002 was an issue why should Congress and MSM celebrate over and over again because US banned his entry? These morons donât realise that even Gujarat 2002 is an internal matter and no business of the Americans. When the traitors celebrated that ban they celebrated an insult to India. Now they are in outrage mode over a woman who is accused of scams. Itâs not just the US ban, when the UK invited Modi to speak at their parliament a bimbo like Nidhi Razdan (of NDTV, of course) was so angry that she trashed a British MP live on TV. Unfortunately for her the British MP schooled her on respecting Indiaâs Supreme Court instead of blabbering like the idiot she is. And why does Modi bother the Western forces so much as he does the Congis and Indian MSM? Hereâs a chilling story by Gautam Sen who is known to have insights and quite blunt with facts:
On December 18 quite a few MPs were outraging over the Devyani episode in parliament and rightly so. But I fail to understand why a Commie like Sitaram Yechuri would want to complain or blabber about US behaviour. After all, he was one of the signatories to a letter written by the group called 65Traitors to Barack Obama to continue the entry-ban on Narendra Modi. Like slaves these MPs crawl at the feet of Obama to humiliate an Indian CM and then they are outraged at the Devyani episode? Mayawati even made this out to be victimisation of a Dalit woman. This is the idiotic behaviour of our MPs fully complemented by their Commie friends in the media. They beg the US to insult an Indian and when the US actually does it they play victim. The US recognises that many MPs and many MSM folks actually hate other Indians. These people donât recognise that our problems are our problems and one shouldnât invite foreigners to play a part in it.
There is, of course, another theory that the outrage by Congress GOI is owing to the fact that a US court had summoned Sonia Gandhi and has sought her response by January 2, 2014 in a petition where she has been accused of shielding criminals of the 1984 Sikh slaughter. That may well be the case but that doesnât bother me that much. It is in Indiaâs long term interest to be free of slavery to western forces. In other words, putting India first. Over the last few years it has also been a fashion with our MSM to pass on schoolboy-type articles and essays on India and Indians by western writers as grand âintellectual writingâ. Every scumbag newspaper, TV channel and Litterfest has these specialists on India who heap more and more insults on our culture, our people and our history. Our suck-up media loves them.
This Devyani episode too shall pass and the Congress GOI and MSM will be back to sucking up to America. Servantile habits donât disappear overnight. For a country surrounded by some very unfriendly neighbours India always remains under multiple security threats. There is no way a bunch of doormats for western powers in politics and in the news media can restore Indiaâs pride and place in the world. It will take some patriots to replace these haters. RahulG did say âIndia is a computerâ. Well, looks like we will need a new Patriotic software to clean up the American âcookiesâ in our establishment.
Phalke used cinema to make political statements. âIf Tilak encouraged the swadeshi movement politically, Phalke pushed it through cinema. His idea was to create fully home-grown images. In fact, there was an image war going on between the West and him, in the sense that if they were printing 1,000 copies of [the] Bible, he would counter it by publishing 2,000 copies of [the] Bhagavad Gita.â Though he lauds Paresh Mokashiâs Harishchandrachi Factory, a 2009 Marathi period drama depicting the adventure behind Phalkeâs first film, for being entertaining, Swaroop says it cannot be seen as an assessment of Phalkeâs life. âIt dealt with only a small part of his life.â
Swaroop sympathises far more with Phalkeâs later years. While Harishchandrachi Factory portrays the young Phalke as a man with a sense of humour, in his old age he was morose and grumpy. He died at 73. âHe became a megalomaniac,â Swaroop says. An anecdote from 1936, when Phalke went to Kolhapur at the invitation of the Maharaja of Kolhapur and decided to make a film, Gangavataran, about the river Gangaâs descent to earth, is particularly telling. âIt was too expensive to shoot in the Himalayas. So how do you transport the snow-clad Himalayas to Kolhapur? He painted the whole mountain range white. Everybody said he had lost it.â Unfortunately, all the effort went waste as the paint washed away in the rain.
In many ways, Phalkeâs life, though eventful, was a nightmare for his biographerâfull of professional courage and exciting travels but also of personal tragedies such as the death of his first wife and child in Godhra in 1898, and his temporary loss of vision in 1912. Swaroop found a way to simplify his research: âI drew a timeline of his life and started studying one year at a time. Once the grid was created, things started falling into place.â
To access rare material, he met Phalkeâs family members and visited all the towns in which Phalke had lived and worked, including Godhra, Trimbakeshwar, Baroda, Bombay and Pune. âThere were 165 characters in his life, including his wife and eight children. In order to know him better, I had to know the lives of those 165 characters.â When Swaroop began, there was no internet. He had to do things manually, relying upon the âold scrapbook method of cut-and-pasteâ.
Swaroop started out in the 1980s, collaborating with avant-garde filmmakers Saeed Akhtar Mirza and Mani Kaul. In 1988, he made Om-Dar-Ba-Dar, his only film to date, which has placed him in the âone-film wonderâ category.
The film, which was never released and wasnât seen or heard of until a screening at the British Council in Mumbai in 2004 sparked fresh interest in it, has acquired a cult following since. That 16-mm print was subsequently lost. Fortunately, noted film archivist PK Nair commissioned another print to be developed from the negative at his personal expense. Eventually, Om-Dar-Ba-Dar landed where all ignored classics inevitably doâthe internet.
Swaroopâs reputation and legacy rest entirely on his one film. A Dadaist take on the futility of conventional values, it is a film of many âfirstsâ. It has been called Indiaâs first surrealist film, was the first Hindi film to experiment with non-sequitur dialogue and with lyrics as quirky as âBablu babylon se, Babli telephone seâ, and featured the industryâs first on-screen frog hunt.
Narrated in a non-linear style, Om-Dar-Ba-Dar is set in Ajmer and revolves around an adolescent named Om. His father (Babuji) is a retired government servant-cum-astrologer. His sister, the first of Indiaâs sexually liberated heroines, is an oddball who watches movies in seedy local theatres with predominantly male audiences. One day, Babujiâs client, a local businessman fearing an approaching war, hands him some diamonds to hide. Babuji stashes them in the sole of his shoe, which Om inadvertently wears and scoots off. Some of the gems slip out on the businessmanâs land and are swallowed by frogs, which then show up at a biology lab in a girlsâ school. When the businessman returns to claim the diamonds, Babuji convinces him they were crushed and fed to him, and advises that he defecate on his land to retrieve them. Meanwhile, Om becomes a media sensation at Pushkar for a breath-holding stunt, and the schoolgirls discover the diamonds during a biology practical, prompting a frog hunt. In the end, Omâs sister is shown pregnant with her boyfriendâs child. They decide to commit suicide, but not before finding out what KCN (potassium cyanide) tastes like. The boy consumes it and utters, âgobarâ (âcow dungâ). Better sense prevailing, the girl abandons the idea of suicide. This sense of irreverence defines Om-Dar-Ba-Dar. Movie geeks suggest that âgobarâ alludes to the belief that life is without meaning.
It is said that Swaroop still gets fan mail with the subject line, âSir, I loved Om-Dar-Ba-Darâ. But Swaroop himself is uncomfortable talking about the film. It almost seems as if it has done him more harm than goodâhis Citizen Kane, marking him for life.
One avid blogger has called the film a âsatirical representation of Indian life as a wholeâ. But Swaroop doesnât quite agree, insisting that one must not read meanings where none exist. âSatire is a low art form. In satire, you ridicule, but in Om-Dar-Ba-Dar there is a balance between ridicule and [the] sublime.â
Swaroop is also aware that some of the ideas and meanings expressed in the film remain abstract to most viewers. âIt was conscious,â he says of the filmâs esoteric nature. âWe wanted to get the audience in and then lock the door from outside. This was done to give them what we wanted to give them, not what they wanted to be served. People said, âSome things donât make sense.â But the moment anything makes sense, itâs a dead thing.â
The frog hunt is one of his favourite sections of the film. It was inspired by an old Rajasthani dictum: Heh mhaari leend hai (âland is my shitâ). âLeend is goatâs shit. In Hindi, you call it lenda,â he explains. In Swaroopâs words, Om-Dar-Ba-Dar combines two of his lifelong preoccupations: âscience and mythologyâ.
Among those greatly influenced by this cult film are Anurag Kashyap and Piyush Mishra. There are echoes of Om-Dar-Ba-Dar in Dev.D, Gulaal and Gangs of Wasseypur, particularly in their sense of music and dialogue. Swaroop sees this more as homage than influence. Personally, he enjoys Kashyapâs films, especially their stylistic treatment. âThere is something about them,â he says, but is also quick to point out that Kashyap is his very antithesisâmore âorganised, comprehensible and media-savvyâ than he ever was. âAlso,â he says, âI wasnât a full-time filmmaker like him. I was competing with painters and authors.
I never wanted to belong to the film culture, whereas Anurag seems perfectly at home here.â
SATYAMSHOT 
December 16, 2013 at 10:34 AM
Didn’t know Imtiaz Ali was making this between Rockstar and his next one with Ranbir. Also glad to see there’s another Rahman!
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December 16, 2013 at 11:05 AM
Will see the trailer later.
But anything from Imtiaz Ali is welcome after rockstar
And is it rahman here?
What a shame this music will be on hood-lum-a…
Anyhow let’s see what Alia bhatt delivers…
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December 16, 2013 at 11:54 AM
Looks awesome. Feels awesome. Needless to say, sounds awesome.
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December 16, 2013 at 12:15 PM
Trailer starts with awesome vilolence against a woman.
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December 16, 2013 at 12:43 PM
Agree Goldie–this depiction of violence against women is avoidable and counterproductive and only feeds some who are into violent fetishes …
The background score & visuals are expectedly good
But look @ utkal uncle –they don’t call him hyperbolic for nothing lol
Anyhow–liked this tagline–
“In bondage –she found freedom!” đ
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December 16, 2013 at 1:43 PM
So, is it about Stockholm complex?
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December 16, 2013 at 1:46 PM
Or masochism?
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December 16, 2013 at 1:57 PM
Egg-jacktly Goldie –sadomasochism & Stockholm synd..
Btw since u are into reading good books –u should now read some ‘quality literature’ like 50 shades of grey..
C’mon let me teach u a few things đ
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December 16, 2013 at 2:43 PM
And you can go ahead and enjoy this debate/discussion.
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December 16, 2013 at 2:44 PM
http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/the-buck-stops-here/december-16-neither-forgiven-nor-forgotten/301614?hp&livevideo-featured
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December 16, 2013 at 3:05 PM
Btw goldie–to add –Bdsm is consensual & voluntary …(& not forcible)
Anyhow –read this–disgusting stuff by USA
http://inagist.com/all/412642019211636736/?utm_source=inagist&utm_medium=rss
Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade was strip-searched by US police on arrest, was put in jail with drug addicts post arrest:
(If handcuffing in public wasn’t enough )
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December 16, 2013 at 3:12 PM
You forgot to add – it was all ordered by a “conscientious person” of Indian origin.
>Bdsm is consensual & voluntary âŚ(& not forcible)
I have no idea what Bdsm means – but please don’t tell me.
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December 16, 2013 at 3:24 PM
lol @ “but please donât tell me.”
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December 16, 2013 at 3:20 PM
People could be stripped searched for normal traffic stop. This is a more serious case.
There was a famous case in 2012 where guy was mistakenly stopped and stripped searched. He filed a case:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/02/justice/scotus-strip-search-ruling/
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/why-the-supreme-court-thinks-strip-searches-are-constitutional/255648/
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December 16, 2013 at 3:39 PM
What were they searching for on her person, in a case of ‘visa fraud’ case?
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December 16, 2013 at 4:23 PM
People are stripped search because there is possibility that they may smuggle things which could be harmful to arrested person or police officer or other confined person(s).
You may call it dumb but that is a procedure that is followed even if you are senator or a common man!
Same thing happens at airport. It doesn’t matter if you are 3 year old or 70 year or king; you have to go through the process.
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December 16, 2013 at 6:24 PM
Munna,
Stop being an apologist for this outrageous treatment of a member of a Diplomatic staff!
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December 16, 2013 at 6:42 PM
Was there a sarcasm?
I think we Indians in India are over reacting. IMO She did wrong. If they want official “servant” better get them diplomatic visa and Govt pay salaries as employees. If it is personal they need to adhere to law of the land.
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December 17, 2013 at 9:17 AM
Handcuffs and search is alright in case of a *DANGEROUS* person, not a person who may have committed a *serious* crime.
Serious is not dangerous.
>I think we Indians in India are over reacting
I’m not in India. In fact I would have reacted this way to any person, who not even belonged to any diplomatic sphere.
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December 17, 2013 at 11:37 AM
But Are you living in US/Europe? Can you afford a 24 hour maid/help ? Can you bring help from India and pay her same as you pay in India?
This article exactly explains the situation:
“Anyway itâs not like there arenât plenty of mid-career professionals in the US who work and clean their toilets and make dinner for their children on their own precisely because they cannot afford cooks and nannies. We cannot have the old world convenience of domestic help in the United States and not be prepared for the inconvenience of the price tag it comes with.
We might come from a country where labour is cheap and noone raises an eyebrow that millions of Indians come to our homes everyday to cook and clean, seven days a week, 365 days a year and have their pay docked when they fall sick and donât make it to work. But that does not our cultural attitude towards domestic help will not cause a stink outside our borders. Just because our diplomatsâ nannies live in Manhattan and not a chawl in Mumbai does not mean that they should be grateful and not gripe about not being paid according to US Labour laws.”
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December 17, 2013 at 11:40 AM
Dangerous or harmless any suspect is accorded same treatment ( You will be finger printed, dna swabbed, handcuffed). If you don’t like your treatment and you are not guilty of anything you can sue back the Attorney office!
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December 17, 2013 at 11:41 AM
On my facebook account I commented following:
“We are so used to elites getting preferential treatment that anything not done elitist to elites becomes news. I am sure there are many arrests of Indian in US every year. But I don’t think they become news? If regular Indian is arrested and deported for any fraud why not a persons with means? At least the law is treating everyone same.
ps – I have seen small white kids getting frisked at airport. Even Senators are not spared by TSA. Many regular people with Khan and Mohamad names are always stopped and checked at airport so why is Shahrukh’s detention or Kalam’s frisking a big news. People are doing their job!”
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December 17, 2013 at 11:46 AM
You break the law, you face consequences:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Singapore-to-deport-52-Indians-after-Little-India-riot-they-will-be-barred-from-returning/articleshow/27533933.cms
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December 17, 2013 at 5:15 PM
Yes, it’s the having of such a law that I’m shocked about.
That a diplomat got caught and it made news while others’ didn’t, is not the issue – at least this brought this uncivilized law into the notice of the world.
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December 17, 2013 at 5:18 PM
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Devyani-case-No-regret-but-conciliatory-US-promises-to-review-procedures/articleshow/27547650.cms
“She said the US state department had alerted â in writing â the Indian embassy as early as September this year that there were allegations against the diplomat concerning underpayment of minimum wages and non-compliance, and that action could be imminent under US laws.”
They probably thought like India no one would act.
BTW official US rules on Diplomatic Immunity: http://www.state.gov/m/ds/c9127.htm
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December 17, 2013 at 7:40 PM
Yahoo article and comments give some insight how people are different:
http://news.yahoo.com/indian-official-diplomat-39-arrest-nyc-barbaric-105440734.html
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December 18, 2013 at 9:02 AM
Let people be different, but let not a law be so lawless.
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December 18, 2013 at 11:03 AM
I don’t think it is lawless. For Indians Handcuffing and strip search are demeaning. But there is a logic why it is done (stated above). We certainly may not agree it but it was upheld by SC last year.
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December 18, 2013 at 12:23 PM
Munna, well said. The rhetoric from India is quite amusing in its hypocrisy. The entire uproar seems to be about the fact that she was arrested and strip-searched without any mention of the fact that is standard procedure in a criminal case. And of course, no one seems to care a whit about the facts of the case or the domestic helper that was defrauded
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December 18, 2013 at 12:50 PM
america preaching rule of Law is sheer nonsense and hypocrisy. America has one rule for its own Citizens and different rule for rest of world… List out will take year, latest has been Pakistan episode
Rest case is not what you read in papers… Its getting very dark with every passing hour.
Maid of Devyani, Richards both children and husband were flown out of India to US on 10th dec, 2 days before Devyani arrest by US Justice dept even knowing Maid’s Missing, her passport revoked and case filed in Indian court… both are Dalits and maid being Dalit christian.
Now US wont give paid travel & Immigration to entire family
for HR… something big there
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December 18, 2013 at 1:23 PM
This being wrong doesn’t make Consular’s position right. She is a Christian (as name suggested) and as I said her intention could be to immigrate (it is not easy to show that you are just being harassed and get immigrant status. She probably didn’t need to go through A3 visa if she already has sponsor. By your logic all Dalit Christian should be in US!).
We need to stop taking maids. If you want posting in foreign country be prepared to do your own work.
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December 18, 2013 at 1:36 PM
“This being wrong doesnât make Consularâs position right. She is a Christian (as name suggested) and as I said her intention could be to immigrate (it is not easy to show that you are just being harassed and get immigrant status. She probably didnât need to go through A3 visa if she already has sponsor. By your logic all Dalit Christian should be in US!).
We need to stop taking maids. If you want posting in foreign country be prepared to do your own work.”
Read my comment where I talked on all this?
I said case is not simple but some smelly rat. just for HR US justice dept wont take out entire family when talks are happening between 2 govts or just for HR .
Dalit was said because some politicians in India played D card for Dy consular but Maid is also Dalit nobody talks abt her.
Read my example again it was Pakistan episode so I am talking on that not what procedure are there in US. Same US doesn’t follow procedures of another country when its citizens get involved there. This is US hypocrisy.
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December 18, 2013 at 4:52 PM
Pakistan should have refused. If accused person is not of diplomat status, law of land takes precedence.
Hypocrisy : It is not simple. There is politics involved and just opposite of Pakistan example where people were left without help : http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=250561266
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December 18, 2013 at 1:49 PM
Put her in jail if She has done forgery and fraud but as per Vienna conventions article 41 they can’t handcuff, indulge in cavity search of diplomat. Simple.
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December 18, 2013 at 4:56 PM
She is not Diplomat level, as per US rules (Consular) she could be arrested. Any arrested person has to go through the same procedure. It doesn’t matter if you are President of United States or Brittany Spears or Lindsay Lohan.
http://www.state.gov/m/ds/c9127.htm
Now Indian Govt. are trying to put Devyani in UN mission for diplomatic immunity but I think State Department would deny the request because there is a pending case and it will be obstruction of justice!
ps : More on Immunity – http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/18/justice/indian-diplomat-immunity/?hpt=hp_t1
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December 19, 2013 at 12:37 AM
Munna :
2 examples which I can recollect of American Hypocrisy
1) In Pakistan episode US claimed Diplomatic immunity for one who has none and in Devyani case they deny where it Is.
2) Hope ppl here remember Romney Tax case during presidential race, where his tax return showed him paying half of min wages to his domestic help. Why no arrests there or case. Selective??
Again you are talking about arrest which I am not. Its about Handcuffed and repeated cavity search and DNA swab. You are mixing Issues here.
Hope some ppl here remember Russian spy case here.
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December 19, 2013 at 12:41 AM
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/Devyani-Khobragade-was-not-arrested-in-front-of-her-children-she-was-not-handcuffed/20131219.htm
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December 16, 2013 at 3:19 PM
” it was all ordered by a âconscientious personâ of Indian origin.”
Yup– that preet bharara guy is mad–there are some who try to show they are ‘fair’ & prove their ‘loyalty’ (like some ‘Hollywood’ fans here lol)
It’s not only about this Indian diplomat !! Haven’t heard of something like this before & for a domestic visa dispute..
Total disregard of the Vienna convention…Where are those ‘ nationalists’ and those ‘feminists’ here ?
Ps: “I have no idea what Bdsm means â but please donât tell me.”
Search for knowledge & wisdom should be an ongoing process
đ
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December 16, 2013 at 4:06 PM
LOL at LOL for just LOL’s sake
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December 16, 2013 at 7:00 PM
this looks pretty promising (and it’s not often one gets to say that after watching trailers these days).
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December 17, 2013 at 2:44 PM
“What were they searching for on her person, in a case of âvisa fraudâ case?”
Actually that’s a valid point — Goldie have u seen ‘new york’
There’s a scene where katrina offers herself for a ‘pat down’ search to save poor John from police …
Ps: this stuff is more common in NYC….
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December 18, 2013 at 2:50 AM
Looks pretty good. Seems to be another Rahman ace
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December 18, 2013 at 2:55 AM
What a misogynistic trailer! you have a male voice in the songs for a trailer that focuses more on the female lead.. calls for a candlelight march..
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December 18, 2013 at 9:03 AM
This Imtiaz fellow seems to like his females in a helpless, giving in while suffering mode. We saw that in Rockstar.
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December 18, 2013 at 1:08 PM
When I compared to Deepika with Meena Kumari after Cocktail some people were so totally dismissive…
“As a matter of fact it would not be repeat of the feat; rather Deepika could become the star who would have overhauled the record held by Meena Kumari for more than 60 years. Meena Kumari in the year 1962 became the first actor who was nominated for three films MAIN CHUP RAHUNGI, AARTI and SAHIB BIBI AUR GHULAM, eventually she went on to sweep all the awards for SAHIB BIBI AUR GHULAM.
For Deepika Padukone there are four super successful films that would be vying against each other to facilitate her to have a shot at the best female actor award and the films include, CHENNAI EXPRESS, COCKTAIL, GOLIYON KI RAASLEELA RAM-LEELA and YEH JAWAANI HAI DEEWANI. Each of the four roles are as different as chalk and cheese and the jury indeed is going to have the tough time in choosing the film to confer the award on Deepika. ”
http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/13/dec/18-news-deepika-padukone-breaks-the-record-of-meena-kumari-121305.asp
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December 18, 2013 at 1:33 PM
It is not 4 it is still 3 only unless you include Race2 aswell. Cocktail was released in july 2012 and Ramleela in Nov 2013. How can one include both in same year award category?
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December 18, 2013 at 1:34 PM
yes but it’s not clear how becoming very successful makes one Meena Kumari. Just as Salman is fantastically successful but that hardly makes him Dilip Kumar!
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December 18, 2013 at 2:59 PM
Satyam even you know Can’t compare Meena Kumari to Dilip Kumar in acting.
Maddhubala, Nutan, Nargis may be…but meena Kumari just had one note and expression.
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December 18, 2013 at 3:15 PM
Not comparing.. Madhubala though was a complete non-actress. Amazed you think she was better than Meena Kumari. She couldn’t act to save her life!
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December 18, 2013 at 6:38 PM
Madhubala was atleast easy on the eyes , LOL!!
Oldgold- I probably have only seen Pakkeeza, SBAG and Phool aur Pathhar of Meena Kumari.
Pakeeza’s songs are my absolute fav. songs…
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December 18, 2013 at 6:35 PM
Meena Kumar’s films of the 50s showed her versatality. You are perhaps talking of her 60s films where she was at an age where the heroines were expected to play serious ( think sad/suffering). Even Nutan had to go through this once she hit 30, also Asha Parekh etc.
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December 18, 2013 at 1:34 PM
Btw Race2 was not a performance worth nominating in any award category. Though, we never as we are talking about bollywood awards.
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December 18, 2013 at 2:03 PM
“yes but itâs not clear how becoming very successful makes one Meena Kumari. ” It is abundantly clear. The report is not talking about success at all, when talking of breaking Meena Kumari’s record. It is talking of getting nominated for Best actress in 3 films in a single year, in Filmfare awards ( If that happens, that is.)
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December 18, 2013 at 2:13 PM
If you’re going to hang your hat on Filmfare nominations I have lots of thespians to sell to you from the last 15 years or more! SRK must be the greatest actor in history based on this yardstick!
Then again if Cocktail reminds you of Kaagaz ke phool (or whatever the Guru Dutt reference is) Deepika might as well remind you of Meena Kumari!
Will say this.. if Katrina’s the competition Deepika is Meena Kumari.
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December 18, 2013 at 2:26 PM
Hang the Filmfare awards, I would like to see one year in which Meena KUmari acted in films as diverse as YJHD, CE and Ram Leela essaying characters as diverse as Naian, Meenamma and Leela.
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December 18, 2013 at 2:33 PM
Poor Meenakumari, she must be turning in her grave, wishing that she was born a few decades later, so that she would have had the unparalleled opportunity to speak Hindi in a non-existent South-Indian accent whilst dancing with Kathakali dancers in Chennai, or to wear a mini-skirt whilst skiing in snow-clad peaks. How sad for her that she was denied such diverse avenues to express her artistic talent and had to make do with being known as the tragedy queen!
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December 18, 2013 at 2:38 PM
I’m waiting for Utkal to now deliver a lecture on how I don’t understand the true meaning of art, and how Deepika’s ‘mini-skirt in the snow’ moment was symbolic of the unrealistic nature of young love, or some such gibberish! đ
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December 18, 2013 at 6:23 PM
In 1960 Meena kKumari acted in a comedy Kohinoor and Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayee. Two diametrically opposite roles.
Going back further (I apologise, it’s too way back for a ‘now’ dude);
1956
-Mem Sahib – a very fiesty, modern and educated woman, who had her own mind as to who she’d marry.
-Ek Hi Raasta – a widow
Film dealt with widow remarriage, without her tears, with Ashok Kumar
-Halaku -a historical, period film.
1957:
-Miss Mary – a christian girl, a comedy role
-Naya Andaaz – as a stage artiste.
-Sharada – where she ends up marrying her beloved’s (Raj Kapoor’s) father. She portrayed a stoical character here rather than a tragedienne.
I could go on recounting her varied roles.
She did quite a few comedy roles too.
She did Chitralekha after turning so called ‘tragedienne’. In this she played the role of a courtesan, with not a tear dropped, who renounces the world (for a short period).
The list could go on. Deepika’s role just involved chnaging her clothes from modern, to south Indian, to Rajasthani. They weren’t diametrically opposite in character.
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December 18, 2013 at 2:28 PM
Ashok Malik â@MalikAshok 3h
So Sangita Richard’s in-laws work in the US embassy. And her husband and kids were Fedex-ed to the US, while her visa status was dubious!!!
If alleged violation of US visa laws by Infosys can be settled with a fine, why couldn’t the US have done so for Khobragade? Or is a woman diplomat fair game for US law enforcers
http://www.firstpost.com/world/devyani-khobragade-row-time-we-returned-the-insult-to-us-liberally-1293367.html
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December 18, 2013 at 2:38 PM
Folks who are accusing Preet Bharara of selectively going after an Indian diplomat seem to forget that he’s an equal opportunity offender- he also went after Dominique Strauss-Kahn quite aggressively in addition to all the Wall Streeters.
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December 18, 2013 at 2:42 PM
I agree that the strip-search is in completely bad form, but the author of this article is a jingoistic, delusional, xenophobic nit job! How ironic that he accuses the USA of racism whilst freely slandering the entire country with the most ludicrous and bas less accusations!
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December 18, 2013 at 2:43 PM
*nut job
**baseless
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December 18, 2013 at 2:52 PM
So he spends the entire article explaining exactly how diabolical and evil the USA’s treatment of the diplomat was…and then proposes tha India catches hold of ‘technical offenders’ from the USA and torutures them on similar grounds, just to show it’s supposed power! And he has also decided that Rajat Gupta was an innocent victim! This ‘journalist’ sounds terrifyingly like a bloodthirsty bigot, and not someone who is upset because of any moral or humanitarian reasons!
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December 18, 2013 at 5:10 PM
Companies (Bank of America or JP Morgan are fined for Mortgage back securities fraud) are fined or official put in jail (in case of Enron and others).
Most of the Indian media just don’t know what they are talking.
Whatever be the case people should stop bring helps. It is not feasible/viable to pay them as per standards. They are at mercy of employers.
In this case they should have recalled the Consular when State department warned of impending legal action because of complain in September.
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December 18, 2013 at 2:48 PM
I dont know about Meena Kumari, I am quite glad to be living in these times rather than Meena’s , relishing the many splendours of a resurgent Bollywoord bursting with creativity of new directors, new story-tellers and intresting performers..from Anurag Kashyap, Reetesh Batra, Ananad Gandhi, Homi adjani, Imtuiaz ali, Maneesh Sharma to Naseer, Imtiaz, Nawajuddin, Ranabir, Vidya, Deepika., Huma, Pareeniti…..
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December 18, 2013 at 3:00 PM
“Deepikaâs âmini-skirt in the snowâ moment was symbolic of the unrealistic nature of young love, or some such gibberish! ”
Haha that was fun.
I actually don’t even have a problem with the ‘miniskirt in the snow moment’ since one is used to even more ironical stuff like “leather jacket, snow boots, gloves, cap, muffler’ BUT trembling in miniskirt reality “!!
But what made that more amusing was that the SAME deepika whilst ‘studying’ at home under ‘security’ of her parents chose to be fully covered from head to toe with not an inch of skin showing anywhere! đ
Ps: having said that, I liked ‘naina talwaar’ quite a bit (her Un/clothing choices nothwihtstanding)…
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December 18, 2013 at 4:45 PM
Deviyani: I broke down many times after repeated strip searches and ‘cavity searches’ !
In an email to her IFS colleagues, senior Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade called on the government to ensure her and her family’s safety and preserve the dignity of the IFS, which was “unquestionably under siege”, the Times of India reported. Devyani Khobragade. Facebook image “While I was going through it, although I must admit that I broke down many times as the indignities of repeated handcuffing, stripping and cavity searches, swabbing, in a holdup with common criminals and drug addicts were all being imposed upon me despite my incessant assertions of immunity, I got the strength to regain composure and remain dignified thinking that I must represent all of my colleagues and my country with confidence and pride,” she said in her email, the Times of India reported. Meanwhile, the US is reviewing the arrest of Khobragade after India took several steps to make its displeasure of consular official Devyani Khobragade widely known, including asking US diplomats to return their ID cards and removing the barricades from outside the US embassy in New Delhi.
Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/world/i-broke-down-many-times-after-repeated-strip-searches-devyani-1293443.html?utm_source=ref_article
I’m usually all in favour of ‘following rules’ and logic, and can see the point of ‘domestic rules’ taking precendence. This has creditably worked for America in ‘security’ issues
But on this occasion, I’m more with Oldgolds stance.
There IS somethign perverse here even taking it account everything here! And these things are not ‘trivial’
A diplomat like devyani, is pleading for ‘diplomatic immunity’ that is a well known internationally recognised (& followed) dictum, world over. Yeah certain offences over ride all these dictums like drug possession, security breaches, terrorism suspects etc
But why the heck do western embassies get involved when their nationals get caught in sexual offences, or drug peddling or even child/sex trafficking etc ??
Why was the Italian (I think) embassy trying to save some soldiers who fired on public or got caught with drugs ‘against domestic law!’
The bottomline is–
The US establishment slightly miscalculated with the Indian reaction. And mind you, if if was any European diplomat, this might have elicited the same response in the home country except that the events won’t have transpired similarly.
There was NO justification for REPEATED ‘STRIP SEARCHES’ and ‘CAVITY’ searches of a lady diplomat for a domestic visa dispute–
Period —–
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December 18, 2013 at 6:46 PM
Deepika looks so stylish in the pictures with the Big B..
http://srbachchan.tumblr.com/
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December 19, 2013 at 1:37 AM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2526067/Decoding-Khobragade-controversy-How-row-maids-visa-sparked-scale-diplomatic-incident.html
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December 19, 2013 at 1:38 AM
US :
http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/December13/KhobragadeStatement.php
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December 19, 2013 at 1:41 AM
From the above article showing american hypocrisy and meekness when confronted by Russians. Chinese :
“On December 5, 25 current and former Russian diplomats in New York and their spouses were charged with defrauding Medicaid, a state-run healthcare program, but none was arrested or prosecuted as the US said they enjoyed diplomatic immunity.”
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December 19, 2013 at 1:51 AM
Russian dips alleged to have committed health care fraud also Preet Bharara’s case.Russia can’t be kicked around the way India can it seems ?
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December 19, 2013 at 2:01 AM
I know you can Google.
http://www.niticentral.com/2013/12/19/russia-fumes-as-diplomats-charged-with-cheating-170253.html
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December 19, 2013 at 2:13 AM
Yes I can but again you sidetracking point I raised On Mitt Romney and no arrests of Russian dips citing immunity for them and no immunity for Indian… They belong to same flock, If applicable on one thn be it on all.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/russian-diplomats-cheated-us-health-care-program-in-shameful-scheme-feds-say/
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December 19, 2013 at 2:29 AM
reading about facts do help !!!
So when Preet Bharara, the attorney for the Southern District of New York, unsealed the criminal complaint against the Russians in court in his usual flashy style, reporters who cover Bharara expected at least a few of the 11 Russians still within the reach of New Yorkâs law enforcement to be paraded before them: it would have been a precursor to Khobragadeâs arrest and subsequent bail. But nothing of that sort happened. Instead, when Bhararaâs men set out in quest of the alleged offenders, with handcuffs in their pockets, they were promptly restrained by the US state department, according to authoritative sources who spoke to this writer. The state department told Bhararaâs office that all the 11 serving Russian diplomats on US soil had diplomatic immunity and could not be arrested.
How could that be? It has been ascertained that many of these 11 Russians are in far more junior positions than Indiaâs deputy consul general â acting consul general at that time. Yet the Obama administration told Bharara to take his hands off those 11 men and women and not go anywhere near those Russians still on American soil because they enjoy diplomatic immunity. But in Khobragadeâs case, the same state department insisted that she does not enjoy immunity except in the discharge of her official duties. There is a clear double standard here. That is because the Americans fear Russia. They have no such worries about India.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1131218/jsp/opinion/story_17690205.jsp#.UrKXKPQW3sa
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December 19, 2013 at 2:38 AM
If you read Indian websites , you will see same opinion.
I don’t see double standards. There are different levels of immunity. http://www.state.gov/m/ds/c9127.htm
How does Mr Nayyar know ” It has been ascertained that many of these 11 Russians are in far more junior positions than Indiaâs deputy consul general â acting consul general at that time.” ?
http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/05/world/russia-diplomats-medicaid-charges/
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December 19, 2013 at 2:56 AM
Simple commonsense.
Every article says dips belong to both Russian Permanent mission and consular missions. So all consular missions in US will be subjected to one law, Even if we leave aside Author may have its own sources. 43 is the count involved in this.
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December 19, 2013 at 3:21 AM
Only 11 are in US and diplomatic staff and their spouses. It is a long investigation. Do you think after Snowden episode US is going to show any mercy?
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December 19, 2013 at 3:03 AM
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303497804579240163174732486
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December 19, 2013 at 3:06 AM
https://www.indianembassy.org/press_detail.php?nid=1990
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December 19, 2013 at 3:17 AM
We can keep exchanging link đ
The bottom line is do we want maids/helps coming to US or any high profile country at peanuts where they can not do anything except be at mercy of employers.
ps – We can not dictate someone else’s behavior but we can certainly put our own house in order.
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December 19, 2013 at 3:35 AM
Hahaha !
I was ready to post one more link đ
Still posting it đ
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/365601/wow-us-charges-dozens-russian-diplomats-medicaid-fraud-scheme-andrew-c-mccarthy
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December 19, 2013 at 4:18 PM
Vikram Chandra â@vikramchandra 4h
I think that US will be trying tonight to figure out how to extract Berara’s foot from his mouth.
Kanchan Gupta â@KanchanGupta 2h
@BhaskarChat As I said, folks like you would be surprised that folks like us are not exactly ignorant
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December 19, 2013 at 9:08 AM
not sure if anyone has posted this before but here’s the US Attorney’s statement on this:
http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/December13/KhobragadeStatement.php
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December 19, 2013 at 11:03 AM
It has been posted above. Ideally everything should have been in political thread but we have hijacked highway!
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December 19, 2013 at 4:28 PM
What a pathetic statement this is trying to make amends!! Utterly defensive. Now that the heat is burning his ass he is out with such statements. Moron will not rest until he features on TIME as the AMERICAN of the year I guess..Of course, Indian born American naturalized ‘greats’ like Zakaria are all mum, lest they end up out of TIME’S 100 best of year or whatever that crap is..
The authorities have clearly gone overboard here.
It might be true that in the US everybody is ‘supposedly’ equal before the law. But does it mean one goes to the extremes? It is like saying yes I am known for disproportionate treatment but I do that to all!! This really doesn’t answer the disproportionate treatment part..
SOP is fine but isn’t there something called threat perception? When arresting her, what was the threat perception? Cavity search is the LAST of the procedures as far as I know (the less harsher ones being pat down etc..). All the legalese written in the links pasted above might be okay but what about the situation at hand? Aren’t the officials well-versed in handling that? Cavity search for wage dispute? Well why not for a bicycle thief then? Was the maid tied in chains like that rapist from Ohio chained his victims?
This is interesting but I remember feeling like this when they used to show those ‘sex-offenders’ who would land-up to have sex with someone from yahoo or some chat pretending to be a woman. The guys who used to show up were of course morons of the first degree since they would land up in the sting even though the lady makes it clear in the chat that she is < 18! After those guys just walk to the front door, the cops would pounce upon them as though they were armed with bom@# from head to toe! And all they would find on them were some contraceptives!! It was actually hilarious to see 10-15 cops pounce on them as though they had finally caught bin laden!!
And it is now coming to the fore that all is not what it seems. The maid has a diary where she has clearly written that her owner treated her very well!! And 2 days before the diplomat's arrest, the maid's family was flown into the US on a refugee visa!!
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December 19, 2013 at 4:51 PM
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/no-cavity-search-was-done-on-devyani-us-marshals/20131219.htm
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December 19, 2013 at 5:02 PM
I think no one should mind an employer claiming something on H1B petition and paying something else?
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December 19, 2013 at 5:26 PM
That’s why Infosys paid the price. Go after them. If Infosys could be let off with a heavy fine, this diplomat needs to be strip-searched? For wage dispute? I don’t think anybody is contesting that what the diplomat did was lawful or not. Mis-representation is mis-representation. But one is merely talking how these are tackled. Were Infosys project-managers strip-searched?
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December 19, 2013 at 5:32 PM
Great points An Jo,
Aside-a lot of people pay ( in cash ) less than minimum wages to get their grass cut here.
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December 19, 2013 at 8:30 PM
But you don’t make them stay in house and keep their identity that they don’t run away.
ps – It is not that diplomatic staff is at fault. We Indians invite our parents during child birth and basically it takes away one job here. If we go by book rule most of the Indians are at fault! But then you can not use the argument in court that Why I was caught? when everyone was driving 75? If you are caught, you are caught!!
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December 19, 2013 at 8:35 PM
By the way, this is a strange case where I have seen left liberals (they should be supporting low wage worker) joining hand with right wing (why? Christian who probably has converted) đ
Saw yesterday, Mayawti claimed all this was done because Devyani is Dalit!!
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December 19, 2013 at 8:26 PM
This is not the first case. Someone needs to stop these bureaucrats. Indian Govt. is not going to stop it. When State Department pointed, they got court order from Delhi instead of putting their house in order. Instead of pointing fingers, Indian Govt needs to put its house in order.
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December 21, 2013 at 12:34 AM
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/of-course-they-have-a-right-to-fleece-a-maid-break-the-law-and-claim-immunity/1210149/0
“The UPA displays so much fake anger, you wonder when will it rescind the nuclear deal. Khurshid said he won’t come to Parliament until Her Excellency the Acting Consul General’s honour is restored. Did he think of making some similar sacrifice to restore the dignity of 50,000 Muslims in the camps of Muzaffarnagar, 150 km away? Particularly when he represents Farrukhabad, not so far from there. As for our left-liberal bleeding hearts, they still can’t figure out whether to fight for a poor member of The Great Unwashed or take on The Great Satan. And, since I am being so reckless, let me also ask another trick question. Where did your Indian pride and self-respect go when you silently congratulated the same Americans for denying a visa to Narendra Modi? Whatever your political differences, he is a leader elected to a high political office in India. If he can visit 7 Race Course Road or Vigyan Bhawan, he cannot be barred from visiting Washington. And if he is, we should at least make the pretence of protest. So let’s not talk again about national pride and diplomatic propriety. Let’s also not kid ourselves into believing that employing house maids is some kind of universal human right. “
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December 19, 2013 at 12:56 PM
“For better or worse, motion pictures acquire a certain reputation, particularly among those who were young when they were first released, and then nobody wants to rock the boat and say, “Actually, I think Gone with the Wind is racist and stupid,” or “Actually, I think Three Amigos is a comic masterpiece,” or “Actually, I don’t get Spinal Tap, Dad.” In fact, movies need to be periodically re-evaluated. And so, for the past year I have gone back and watched scores of films widely viewed as classics to see if they have stood the test of time. Happily, in an overwhelming number of cases they have. But in more than a handful of cases, they have not.”
http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/dec/19/why-re-evalute-films-once-great-queenan
It is worth doing it for Indian films like Kagaz Ke Phool, Do Aankhein Barah Haath, Meraq Naam Joker, etc.
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December 19, 2013 at 6:01 PM
Must Read…….
The U.S. position is that as a consul, Khobragade was not immune from arrest for allegedly under-paying her maid. But even if that were the case, Bhararaâs decision to treat her without regard for her status as a representative of a foreign, friendly government reflected the prosecutorâs over-exuberance straight out of an episode of Law and Order.
Khobragadeâs guilt or the nature of her immunity is a matter for a court to decide. Treating her courteously was necessary to ensure that American diplomats and consular representatives are protected and treated kindly abroad.
As Pakistanâs ambassador to the United States, I found myself at the center of a similar but much worse row in January 2011 when Raymond Davis killed two men in a crowded street in the city of Lahore.
The U.S. claimed that Davis carried a diplomatic passport and therefore enjoyed diplomatic immunity. Pakistanâs Foreign Office found that Davisâ name had been included on the list of diplomats serving in Pakistan only after he had committed the murders, which did not extend him immunity under the Vienna Convention
His job description, as an adviser at the U.S. consulate in Lahore, also entitled him to consular and not full diplomatic immunity.
Pakistanâs government could not free a killer without due process. But once he had been identified as a U.S. government functionary, our government ensured that Davis was treated with courtesy. American officials were immediately provided access to Davis and he was not subjected to a strip search. Once The Guardian revealed that he was, in fact, a CIA contractor, special arrangements were made for his security in prison in case other inmates might attempt to hurt him.
The Pakistani government avoided embarrassing President Obama, who had been misled into publicly insisting on Davisâ diplomatic status.
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December 19, 2013 at 6:04 PM
http://www.firstpost.com/blogs/devyani-case-four-questions-preet-bharara-must-answer-1296123.html
3) What circumstance, if any, warranted the strip search and prying her cavities. Do not offer the lame excuse of standard procedure.
(4) Were any fraudulent or false documents used by Devyani Khobargade in USA to induce any person (including US Government) to do or omit to do anything which otherwise such induced person would not have done? Please do not mention the documents produced by Sangeeta Richard before the US embassy in India along with her application for Visa as this conduct is not actionable in the United States (at best US Government can cancel the Visa and file a First Information Report with Indian Police. Please name these documents and their import.)
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December 19, 2013 at 6:20 PM
US distanced from Preet bharara’s sttement already. There is no point of arguing on his baseless reply.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/devyani-case-us-distances-itself-from-preet-bhararas-statement/440586-3.html
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December 19, 2013 at 8:46 PM
Is this going to stop the court case (Department of Justice)? State Department obviously wants good relations. Only if they have issue with material against prosecution they will likely to drop the charges.
This guy has gone after high and mighty of Wall Street, as if he cares about Indian pressure.
ps – But who in India cares to know the difference between DOJ and State Department.
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December 19, 2013 at 8:54 PM
One of things peddled in India regarding unlawful search
procedure of search.
Click to access body_searches.pdf
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December 20, 2013 at 11:41 AM
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1131220/jsp/frontpage/story_17701442.jsp#.UrPszGeA2YE
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/diplomats-arrest-trouble-was-brewing-since-june/20131217.htm
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December 21, 2013 at 4:22 AM
Click to access Text_of_complaint__1692362a.pdf
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December 19, 2013 at 6:46 PM
Happy to see my stance is vindicated–a satisifying turn of events! Have nothing against the US otherwise, but in this context, things were truly obscenely grotesque.
Continuing from my previous post some days ago –before the counter-attack started against bharara!
https://satyamshot.wordpress.com/2013/12/16/highway-trailer/#comment-236205
Now the discourse is changing and many have joined in/changed tone somewhat. There IS a certain ‘duplicity’.
Even in the Indian response –there are reasons for the swift counter response–
A) deviyani is a part of the strong IFS –who all feel they have been attacked
B) many of the ifs officers are utilising similar domestic helpers /visa arrangements and may also get caught
C) deviyani is a Dalit –which shouldn’t matter actually either ways..
D) the ‘domestic worker’ being Christian & apparently her relative is placed somewhere important ?? In the US (not sure though
E) it’s the REPEATED strip searches and ‘cavity’ searches which was disgusting
As I say–certain humans and situations don’t deserve ‘niceness’ but an apt response –nothing less…
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December 21, 2013 at 5:26 AM
As I had felt earlier, this was not just a ‘trivial’ incident (& not just going by ‘rules’ as some suggested earlier…
It’s blown into a major diplomatic row !
BBC NEWS
India demand apology from USA
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-25446180
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December 21, 2013 at 5:54 AM
The fallout
Indians will be careful about bringing desi maids to US.
Instead they can ask helpful relatives to come on a pleasure trip.
Self help is the best help. Better to do housework. One of the spouses can become housebound and do household chores.
You cant have the cake and eat it too.
Dont fall for the glamour of US. After a time, it is boring to live there.
India offers better neighbours, accommodating and understanding people. There is nothing like living in one’s own country. The comfort level compensates the little inconveniences.
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December 21, 2013 at 6:00 AM
“India offers better neighbours, accommodating and understanding people”– Thanx for the invitation sanju—& for being so ‘accomodating’ –& yup plz gimme my coffee now đ
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December 22, 2013 at 9:25 AM
http://www.mediacrooks.com/2013/12/american-cookies.html
(brilliant stuff and some political local realities in end)
Letâs do a roll-call. When APJ Abdul Kalaam was searched and humiliated in the US the GOI and our MSM let it pass. It seems because APJ was a president nominated by the Opposition NDA govt his humiliation is tolerable. Because Subramaniam Swamy wrote a harsh article in India the doormats of Congress and Commies lobbied with Harvard to cancel his courses and get rid of him. Harvard obliged and what was the response of our MSM? They were absolutely thrilled that Swamy had been âsnubbedâ by Harvard. If you love an Indian being insulted by some entity in the US you will have more such experiences. The only time the MSM and GOI made a lot of noise is when Shahrukh Khan was held up. Oh but heâs a âsickularâ guy and a Muslim so that is an affront to India. Thatâs our media morons. Our sick media and Congress also celebrated when Wharton cancelled a video conference of Narendra Modi because of lobbying by Commies again. Of course, Modi is not an Indian so such nonsense is okay with them.
The worst has to be the lying about why Modiâs entry was banned by the US. They claimed it was because of Gujarat 2002 when it was not (read here). But even if Gujarat 2002 was an issue why should Congress and MSM celebrate over and over again because US banned his entry? These morons donât realise that even Gujarat 2002 is an internal matter and no business of the Americans. When the traitors celebrated that ban they celebrated an insult to India. Now they are in outrage mode over a woman who is accused of scams. Itâs not just the US ban, when the UK invited Modi to speak at their parliament a bimbo like Nidhi Razdan (of NDTV, of course) was so angry that she trashed a British MP live on TV. Unfortunately for her the British MP schooled her on respecting Indiaâs Supreme Court instead of blabbering like the idiot she is. And why does Modi bother the Western forces so much as he does the Congis and Indian MSM? Hereâs a chilling story by Gautam Sen who is known to have insights and quite blunt with facts:
On December 18 quite a few MPs were outraging over the Devyani episode in parliament and rightly so. But I fail to understand why a Commie like Sitaram Yechuri would want to complain or blabber about US behaviour. After all, he was one of the signatories to a letter written by the group called 65Traitors to Barack Obama to continue the entry-ban on Narendra Modi. Like slaves these MPs crawl at the feet of Obama to humiliate an Indian CM and then they are outraged at the Devyani episode? Mayawati even made this out to be victimisation of a Dalit woman. This is the idiotic behaviour of our MPs fully complemented by their Commie friends in the media. They beg the US to insult an Indian and when the US actually does it they play victim. The US recognises that many MPs and many MSM folks actually hate other Indians. These people donât recognise that our problems are our problems and one shouldnât invite foreigners to play a part in it.
There is, of course, another theory that the outrage by Congress GOI is owing to the fact that a US court had summoned Sonia Gandhi and has sought her response by January 2, 2014 in a petition where she has been accused of shielding criminals of the 1984 Sikh slaughter. That may well be the case but that doesnât bother me that much. It is in Indiaâs long term interest to be free of slavery to western forces. In other words, putting India first. Over the last few years it has also been a fashion with our MSM to pass on schoolboy-type articles and essays on India and Indians by western writers as grand âintellectual writingâ. Every scumbag newspaper, TV channel and Litterfest has these specialists on India who heap more and more insults on our culture, our people and our history. Our suck-up media loves them.
This Devyani episode too shall pass and the Congress GOI and MSM will be back to sucking up to America. Servantile habits donât disappear overnight. For a country surrounded by some very unfriendly neighbours India always remains under multiple security threats. There is no way a bunch of doormats for western powers in politics and in the news media can restore Indiaâs pride and place in the world. It will take some patriots to replace these haters. RahulG did say âIndia is a computerâ. Well, looks like we will need a new Patriotic software to clean up the American âcookiesâ in our establishment.
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January 7, 2014 at 8:49 AM
Great news! Kamal Swarup’s Om Dar Badar gettinag theatrical release! more exciting than Sholay re-run!
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January 7, 2014 at 10:45 PM
This is indeed great great news. The mother of all and only post-modern surreal film that India has made.
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January 8, 2014 at 12:57 PM
rose mari mar lo (roemary marlo) roflmao
bt thi may be first a film inspired from serial and essentially a remake:
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January 8, 2014 at 12:59 PM
directed by imtiaz ali again the original
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January 8, 2014 at 1:16 PM
http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/cinema/phalke-s-alter-ego
Phalke used cinema to make political statements. âIf Tilak encouraged the swadeshi movement politically, Phalke pushed it through cinema. His idea was to create fully home-grown images. In fact, there was an image war going on between the West and him, in the sense that if they were printing 1,000 copies of [the] Bible, he would counter it by publishing 2,000 copies of [the] Bhagavad Gita.â Though he lauds Paresh Mokashiâs Harishchandrachi Factory, a 2009 Marathi period drama depicting the adventure behind Phalkeâs first film, for being entertaining, Swaroop says it cannot be seen as an assessment of Phalkeâs life. âIt dealt with only a small part of his life.â
Swaroop sympathises far more with Phalkeâs later years. While Harishchandrachi Factory portrays the young Phalke as a man with a sense of humour, in his old age he was morose and grumpy. He died at 73. âHe became a megalomaniac,â Swaroop says. An anecdote from 1936, when Phalke went to Kolhapur at the invitation of the Maharaja of Kolhapur and decided to make a film, Gangavataran, about the river Gangaâs descent to earth, is particularly telling. âIt was too expensive to shoot in the Himalayas. So how do you transport the snow-clad Himalayas to Kolhapur? He painted the whole mountain range white. Everybody said he had lost it.â Unfortunately, all the effort went waste as the paint washed away in the rain.
In many ways, Phalkeâs life, though eventful, was a nightmare for his biographerâfull of professional courage and exciting travels but also of personal tragedies such as the death of his first wife and child in Godhra in 1898, and his temporary loss of vision in 1912. Swaroop found a way to simplify his research: âI drew a timeline of his life and started studying one year at a time. Once the grid was created, things started falling into place.â
To access rare material, he met Phalkeâs family members and visited all the towns in which Phalke had lived and worked, including Godhra, Trimbakeshwar, Baroda, Bombay and Pune. âThere were 165 characters in his life, including his wife and eight children. In order to know him better, I had to know the lives of those 165 characters.â When Swaroop began, there was no internet. He had to do things manually, relying upon the âold scrapbook method of cut-and-pasteâ.
Swaroop started out in the 1980s, collaborating with avant-garde filmmakers Saeed Akhtar Mirza and Mani Kaul. In 1988, he made Om-Dar-Ba-Dar, his only film to date, which has placed him in the âone-film wonderâ category.
The film, which was never released and wasnât seen or heard of until a screening at the British Council in Mumbai in 2004 sparked fresh interest in it, has acquired a cult following since. That 16-mm print was subsequently lost. Fortunately, noted film archivist PK Nair commissioned another print to be developed from the negative at his personal expense. Eventually, Om-Dar-Ba-Dar landed where all ignored classics inevitably doâthe internet.
Swaroopâs reputation and legacy rest entirely on his one film. A Dadaist take on the futility of conventional values, it is a film of many âfirstsâ. It has been called Indiaâs first surrealist film, was the first Hindi film to experiment with non-sequitur dialogue and with lyrics as quirky as âBablu babylon se, Babli telephone seâ, and featured the industryâs first on-screen frog hunt.
Narrated in a non-linear style, Om-Dar-Ba-Dar is set in Ajmer and revolves around an adolescent named Om. His father (Babuji) is a retired government servant-cum-astrologer. His sister, the first of Indiaâs sexually liberated heroines, is an oddball who watches movies in seedy local theatres with predominantly male audiences. One day, Babujiâs client, a local businessman fearing an approaching war, hands him some diamonds to hide. Babuji stashes them in the sole of his shoe, which Om inadvertently wears and scoots off. Some of the gems slip out on the businessmanâs land and are swallowed by frogs, which then show up at a biology lab in a girlsâ school. When the businessman returns to claim the diamonds, Babuji convinces him they were crushed and fed to him, and advises that he defecate on his land to retrieve them. Meanwhile, Om becomes a media sensation at Pushkar for a breath-holding stunt, and the schoolgirls discover the diamonds during a biology practical, prompting a frog hunt. In the end, Omâs sister is shown pregnant with her boyfriendâs child. They decide to commit suicide, but not before finding out what KCN (potassium cyanide) tastes like. The boy consumes it and utters, âgobarâ (âcow dungâ). Better sense prevailing, the girl abandons the idea of suicide. This sense of irreverence defines Om-Dar-Ba-Dar. Movie geeks suggest that âgobarâ alludes to the belief that life is without meaning.
It is said that Swaroop still gets fan mail with the subject line, âSir, I loved Om-Dar-Ba-Darâ. But Swaroop himself is uncomfortable talking about the film. It almost seems as if it has done him more harm than goodâhis Citizen Kane, marking him for life.
One avid blogger has called the film a âsatirical representation of Indian life as a wholeâ. But Swaroop doesnât quite agree, insisting that one must not read meanings where none exist. âSatire is a low art form. In satire, you ridicule, but in Om-Dar-Ba-Dar there is a balance between ridicule and [the] sublime.â
Swaroop is also aware that some of the ideas and meanings expressed in the film remain abstract to most viewers. âIt was conscious,â he says of the filmâs esoteric nature. âWe wanted to get the audience in and then lock the door from outside. This was done to give them what we wanted to give them, not what they wanted to be served. People said, âSome things donât make sense.â But the moment anything makes sense, itâs a dead thing.â
The frog hunt is one of his favourite sections of the film. It was inspired by an old Rajasthani dictum: Heh mhaari leend hai (âland is my shitâ). âLeend is goatâs shit. In Hindi, you call it lenda,â he explains. In Swaroopâs words, Om-Dar-Ba-Dar combines two of his lifelong preoccupations: âscience and mythologyâ.
Among those greatly influenced by this cult film are Anurag Kashyap and Piyush Mishra. There are echoes of Om-Dar-Ba-Dar in Dev.D, Gulaal and Gangs of Wasseypur, particularly in their sense of music and dialogue. Swaroop sees this more as homage than influence. Personally, he enjoys Kashyapâs films, especially their stylistic treatment. âThere is something about them,â he says, but is also quick to point out that Kashyap is his very antithesisâmore âorganised, comprehensible and media-savvyâ than he ever was. âAlso,â he says, âI wasnât a full-time filmmaker like him. I was competing with painters and authors.
I never wanted to belong to the film culture, whereas Anurag seems perfectly at home here.â
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January 9, 2014 at 9:30 AM
perhaps a new thread should be started for Highway? this is completely hijacked by Ms. Khobragade.
the full song is also out now, by the way…
[new post created]
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