एक ऐसी इमारत जिसे देखकर आप भी हो जाएंगे फिदा...

Fat shaming doctors may harm obese people mentally, physically.

Fat shaming done by health care providers can take a toll on overweight people's physical health and well-being, according to a study.
The findings showed that obese people often fall victims to medical discrimination by doctors in the form of disrespectful treatment, lectures about weight loss, embarrassing comments, and a less thorough examination.

"Disrespectful treatment and medical fat shaming, in an attempt to motivate people to change their behaviour, is stressful and can cause patients to delay health care seeking or avoid interacting with providers," said Joan Chrisler, professor at the Connecticut College, US.

Further, overweight people often get excluded from medical research based on assumptions about their health status, meaning the standard dosage for drugs may not be appropriate for larger body sizes.

"Research has shown that doctors repeatedly advise weight loss for fat patients while recommending CAT scans, blood work or physical therapy for other, average weight patient," Chrisler said.
In some cases, doctors also do not take fat patients' complaints seriously or assume that their weight is the cause of any symptoms they experience.

"Thus, they jump to conclusions or fail to run appropriate tests, which results in misdiagnosis," Chrisler rued while presenting the results at the 125th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association in Washington D.C.

Weight stigma also leads to psychological stress, which can lead to poor physical and psychological health outcomes for obese people.
In addition, negative attitudes among medical providers can also cause psychological stress in obese patients.

"Implicit attitudes might be experienced by patients as micro-aggressions -- for example, a provider's apparent reluctance to touch a fat patient, or a headshake, wince or 'tsk' while noting the patient's weight in the chart," Chrisler said.

"Micro-aggressions are stressful over time and can contribute to the felt experience of stigmatisation," she noted.

Treatments should focus on mental and physical health as the desired outcomes for therapy, and not on weight, the researchers said.

Does Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk ignore the role of the Indian army?

Christopher Nolan's epic World War Two film, Dunkirk, which tells the story of the mass evacuation of Allied troops from the northern coast of France in 1940, has been getting glowing reviews in India.

But many are glowering over Nolan turning a blind eye to the role of Indian soldiers in the battle. The Times of India wrote that their "significant contribution" was missing from Nolan's "otherwise brilliant" work. Writing for Bloomberg View, columnist Mihir Sharma said the film "adds to the falsehood that plucky Britons stood alone against Nazi Germany once France fell, when, in fact, hundreds of millions of imperial subjects stood, perforce, with them".

Few can deny the role of the subjects. Some five million Commonwealth servicemen joined the military services of the British empire during WW2. Almost half of them were from South Asia. Indian soldiers played a key role in major battles like Tobruk, Monte Cassino, Kohima and Imphal. A multinational force of British, Indian and African units recaptured Burma (Myanmar) for the Allies.

What happened with the Indian soldiers in Dunkirk is less clear. Yasmin Khan, historian and author of The Raj at War: A People's History of India's Second World War, says she has often wondered why there is very little factual data on their role in the battle, which many say cost Germany the war.

What is well known, she told me, is that four companies of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps, including a unit of the Bikaner State forces, served in France during the campaign on the Western Front, and some were evacuated from Dunkirk. Among them were three contingents of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps. One contingent was taken prisoner by German forces.

According to one account, India also provided more than 2,500 mules - shipped from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Marseilles - to the war effort as the British animal transport companies had been phased out. An Indian soldier, Jemadar Maula Dad Khan, was feted for showing "magnificent courage, coolness and decision" in protecting his men and animals whey they were shelled from the ground and strafed from the air by the enemy.

The Indian soldiers and the mules were eventually ordered towards the coast. Many of the men could not take their animals on the retreat and gave them away to local people in France, according to the same account.
Historian John Broich says the Indian soldiers in Dunkirk were "particularly cool under fire and well organised during the retreat".

"They weren't large in number, maybe a few hundred among hundreds of thousands, but their appearance in the film would have provided a good reminder of how utterly central the role of the Indian Army was in the war," he told Slate. "Their service meant the difference between victory and defeat. In fact, while Britain and other allies were licking their wounds after Dunkirk, the Indian Army picked up the slack in North Africa and the Middle East.

'Survival story'

To be fair, Nolan has said that he approached the story "from the point of view of the pure mechanics of survival rather than from the politics of the event". "We don't have generals in rooms pushing things around on maps. We don't see Churchill. We barely glimpse the enemy," he told the Telegraph. "It's a survival story."

Historian Joshua Levine, who is also the film's historical consultant, told me that Dunkirk was a work of fiction and "it isn't a film's job to tell the full story of Dunkirk... and nor, in the time available, could it even try to do so".
"This film focuses on a few protagonists whose paths cross occasionally, each one of whom experiences just a tiny corner of the whole story. As Hilary Mantel says about historical fiction, 'The man who is fighting can't see over the hill, out of the trench.' What I'd love to see, though, is an Indian film about Dunkirk, or WW2 generally, and I sincerely hope Indian filmmakers are working on it."

But what about the criticism that the role of Indian and their South Asian counterparts in WW2 has been forgotten? Yasmin Khan says that their "sheer scale of the contribution" has become apparent in Britain in recent years. "No longer is it simply an island story of heroic, plucky British fighting against Nazi-occupied continental Europe; it has now become increasingly customary for historians to refer to the contribution made by Asian, African and Caribbean servicemen in the 1940s", she writes in her book.

A memorial to honour the role of these soldiers came up on London's Constitution Hill in 2002. There have been museum exhibitions, oral history projects and TV documentaries to "reveal how crucial they [the soldiers] often were to the action, the sacrifices that they made in the face of terrible odds, and also to divulge individual stories of great bravery and intrepid action".

"It is no longer true to suggest that this is an entirely forgotten story," she says. Meanwhile, Indians are flocking to watch Dunkirk, which opened at 416 screens, including 10 Imax screens, across the country, on Friday. Unlike most Hollywood films, Dunkirk hasn't been dubbed in any Indian language for wider viewership. Still, says Denzil Dias of Warner Brothers (India), the film raked in $2.4m (£1.84m) over the weekend. "This is the biggest opening of an English language-only film in India," Mr Dias told me. Clearly, viewers are not fretting about the lack of Indian soldiers in Nolan's tour-de-force.

Renowned Indian scientist Professor Yash Pal passes away.

Eminent Indian scientist and academician Professor Yash Pal passed away at his residence in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida district late Monday night. The 90-year-old scientist had earlier battled with lung cancer and overcame the disease around five years ago. He was admitted in hospital due to age-old ailments at the time of his death.

Professor Pal was born in 1926 in Jhang district of British India that is now in Pakistan. The 1976 Padma Bhushan award-winning scientist did his graduation in Physics in 1949 from Punjab University and went on to complete his Phd in 1958 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with specialisation in high-energy physics, astrophysics, communication, science policy and space technology.

He gained recognition because of his contribution in the study of cosmic rays. His science-based programme on Doordarshan titled ‘Turning Point’ made him a cult figure during the 90s. He had held the position of professor at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai. He also served as the Director at Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad for almost nine years, between 1973 and 1981.

Professor Yash Pal was later appointed as the Chief Consultant of the Planning Commission in 1983-84. He acted as the Secretary of Department of Science and Technology, a position that he held for two years, from 1984 to 1986. He was appointed as the Chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) where he served a full single-term of five years. During his term, Professor Pal started several innovative programmes to improve the standard of education.

In the international arena, he served as a member of UN Advisory Committee on Science and Technology for Development. He was also a member of Scientific Council, International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste and Executive Committee and United Nations University. He was also the Vice-President of IUPAP and INSA Council between 1980 and 1981.

Owing of his achievements in the fields of science and academics, Professor Yash Pal was awarded the Macroni International Fellowship Award in 1980. Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) bestowed on him the prestigious GP Chatterjee Memorial Award in 1987. He was also honoured with the Association of Space Explorers Award in 1989.

In 2013, Professor Yash Pal was given the country’s second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan.

Fish prasadam in Hyderabad – What is it? Thousands take 'live' fish to cure asthma 2-3 minutes

Strange as it may sound, but thousands of people from across the country and abroad are travelling all the way to the southern city of Hyderabad to take 'fish prasadam’ - a homemade medicine made using small live murrel fish. The ‘fish prasadam’ that is believed to cure asthma and other chronic ailments is being organised by the Bathini Goud family since over a century in Hyderabad.

Before being swallowed by the patients, the live fish is stuffed with a yellow paste. And this time around, it is reported that about 47,000 asthma patients took the ‘fish prasadam' given by the Bathini Goud family at the Nampally Exhibition Grounds on Thursday, with more people expecting to receive the 'miraculous treatment' till the end of Mrigasira Karthi, Friday morning.

Although many people, especially the scientists and rationalists, have raised doubts about the authenthecity and healin gproperies of prasadam, the annual has gained support of various volunteers and groups, including the NCC cadets from local city colleges. “I have seen my brother recover from the disorder after he had taken the medicine and since then I wanted to try. I am sure it will reduce my asthama problem,” Rakesh Kumar, an asthama patient who has come from Hubli in Karnataka, was quoted as saying.

It is said that the secret herbal therapy has been handed down to the Goud family by a Hindu saint in 1845. Since then, the family has been distributing the 'fish prasadam' free of cost to lakhs of people suffering from asthma anually. The Goud family claims that the small live fish wiggles inside the person's throat, pushing the phlegm and making it easier for the individual to breathe, thereby helping to tackle the respiratory condition. Following 'fish prasadam' treatment, patients are advised to go on a strict diet for 45 days. They should also not have water until half-an-hour after the medicine is administered.

Lost cities – Muziris, did black pepper cause the demise of India's ancient port?

Around 2,000 years ago, Muziris was one of India’s most important trading ports. According to the Akananuru, a collection of Tamil poetry from the period, it was “the city where the beautiful vessels, the masterpieces of the Yavanas [Westerners], stir white foam on the Periyar, river of Kerala, arriving with gold and departing with pepper.”

Another poem speaks of Muziris (also known as Muciripattanam or Muciri) as “the city where liquor abounds”, which “bestows wealth to its visitors indiscriminately” with “gold deliveries, carried by the ocean-going ships and brought to the river bank by local boats”.

The Roman author Pliny, in his Natural History, called Muziris “the first emporium of India”. The city appears prominently on the Tabula Peutingeriana, a fifth-century map of the world as seen from Rome. But from thereon, the story of this great Indian port becomes hazy. As reports of its location grow more sporadic, it literally drops off the map.

In modern-day India, Muziris was much more of a legend than a real city – until archaeological excavations in the southern state of Kerala, starting in 2004, sparked reports of a mysterious lost port. Though the archaeologists cannot be certain, they – and, with some exceptions, historians too – now believe they have located the site of Muziris.

“This was a centre of paramount importance for Roman trade,” says Federico De Romanis, associate professor of Roman history at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. “What made it absolutely unique was the considerable amounts of black pepper exported from Muziris. We are talking about thousands of tons.”

In addition to pepper, De Romanis says, exports included both local products – ivory, pearls, spices such as malabathron – and those from other parts of India, including semi-precious stones, silks and the aromatic root nard. “These attest to commercial relationships nurtured with the Gangetic valley and east Himalayan regions.”

In the other direction, ships arrived with gold, coral, fine glassware, amphorae of wine, olive oil and the fermented fish sauce called garum. But the value of this trade was lopsided: De Romanis says Pliny the Elder estimated Rome’s annual deficit caused by imbalanced trade with India at 50m sesterces (500,000 gold coins of a little less than eight grammes), with “Muziris representing the lion’s share of it”.

Maritime trade between Muziris and Rome started in the first century BC, when it became known that sailing through the Red Sea to the horn of Africa, then due east along the 12th latitude, led to the Kerala coast. “Muziris was entirely dependent on foreign, especially Roman, demand for pepper,” De Romanis says. So when the Roman empire’s economy began to struggle in the third century AD, he believes the trade in pepper reconfigured itself, and Muziris lost its importance.

Dr PJ Cherian, director of the Kerala Council for Historical Research, confirms there are few references to Muziris after the fifth century AD. It had been generally assumed that Muziris referred to the port of Kodungallur, which had been put out of commission by devastating floods in 1341 – but excavations there did not turn up anything older than the 13th century.

Travel 11 kilometres by road from Kodungallur, however, and you reach the village of Pattanam. For years, children there had been collecting beads that would rise to the surface during the monsoon season. After an initial dig in 2004, systematic excavations by Cherian and his colleagues began in 2007. Soon, he says, it was clear they had discovered a major archaeological site.

Over nine seasons of excavations, they have found Roman amphorae (for the first time on the Keralan coast), a wharf-like structure, a dug-out canoe that is approximately 2,000 years old – plus foundations, bricks and tiles, tools and artefacts made of iron, lead and copper, glass beads, gold ornaments and semi-precious stones clearly meant for export.

So, is Pattanam the site of fabled Muziris? There isn’t clinching evidence yet, but Cherian thinks it’s likely. He is also tired of questions about the Roman connection, asking: “When they excavate a Roman site in Europe, do they obsess similarly about whether it traded with India?” To him, an integral part of the excavation is what it reveals about the people who actually lived there.

Tathagata Neogi, of the Indian Institute of Archaeology, explains the stages of occupation in Pattanam using a large photograph of an excavated trench’s cross-section. Human habitation began there around 1000BC, marked by characteristic Iron Age black and redware pottery, while the period between 500 and 300BC marks a mixed phase.

“We think this is when Pattanam began making the transition from a village to a trade hub,” Neogi says. The period from 300BC to AD500 is densely packed with evidence for trade both within and outside India. Burnt bricks and tiles, terracotta ring wells and coins suggest a thriving settlement. Small amounts of west Asian pottery in the earlier portions of this segment provide evidence for pre-Roman maritime trade. After AD500 the record thins out – until AD1500, when Chinese and European ceramics are found.

Today, Pattanam is a village situated four kilometres from the sea. The vegetation is typical of the region: tall arcing palms, squat plantains, vines and creepers, near-flourescent monsoon grass. There are sporadic houses, a temple, a village office and sudden channels of water.

The archaeological mound at Pattanam is around 70 hectares; atop it sits a museum displaying finds from the excavations. It is curious, Cherian notes, that a village should be named Pattanam, a word that means market-town or trading port across south India.

Some historians – such as Rajan Gurukkal, author of Rethinking Classical Indo-Roman Trade – have argued that Pattanam (which he believes is the location of Muziris) was likely nothing more elaborate than a colony of Mediterranean merchants, plus the inland traders and artisans who dealt with them. Gurukkal’s theory is based on the apparent absence of permanent structures, and the seeming disconnect of the materials and skills found at Pattanam with those of the wider region. He suggests the colony might even have been seasonal, inhabited only when ships arrived for trade.

Such a debate comes down to what is meant by a city or urban settlement. According to Cherian, “Urban is a complicated word – to me, it means ‘organised’, ‘thought out’, ‘planned’.” And he sees evidence of this in Pattanam: “It was certainly a city, but of its time.”

The excavations have revealed what appear to be toilets, drains and terracotta ring wells, and these – along with raised foundations aligned in one direction – suggest a planned settlement.

Cherian also thinks the level of technological accomplishment – the quality of mortar in a wharf structure; evidence of intricate glass and stone work – and the high density of potsherds (some 4.5 million have been recovered so far) all point to a settlement that was urban in character. The local coins suggest a monetised economy and a degree of political organisation.

Less than 1% of the site has been excavated. We have only touched the tip of the iceberg “We now recognise that ancient cities could look very different from their modern counterparts, even as they had the same functions of trade and economic integration,” says Monica Smith, professor of anthropology at UCLA, who studies newly emergent urbanism in the Indian subcontinent.

“It used to be felt, by 20th-century archaeologists such as V Gordon Childe, that monumental architecture was required before a site could be defined as a ‘city’. In addition, there was often a sense that a city should have a high density of concentrated populations at their core, in which that density was focused on a particular religious or administrative purpose such as a palace or temple.”

But Smith offers an example for a more spread-out idea of a city: the large Kumbh Mela camps in India, which come up only for the duration of the congregation, are well-planned, possess infrastructure, and have an “urban atmosphere”. She adds: “We can envision that temporary or sequential occupations could have been the case in ancient cities as well.”

Smith suggests such sites can grow in extent very quickly, especially when demand for a new commodity is high (black pepper, in the case of Pattanam). “This is why research of the kind done at Pattanam is particularly important. It can help us understand the dynamic changes over time, and evaluate the extent to which investments in features such as wharves and ring wells signalled a ‘core’ location around which surrounding suburbs grew.”

A more complete understanding of the Pattanam site – and its flavour of urbanism – will take a while yet, however. According to Cherian: “Less than one percent of the site has been excavated. We have only touched the tip of the iceberg.”

The quest for Muziris may or may not be over. But as De Romanis says: “Pattanam is the closest thing to Muziris we have got so far. Whatever it was, it should be treasured and taken care of.”

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The Ivory Throne

By

Manu S. Pillai

Star Trek Beyond 2016 (Rating ****)

Cast: Zachary Quinto, Chris Pine, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella
Director: Justin Lin

The Federation is experiencing a new era of prosperity and inter-planetary peace and has even constructed a giant new Starbase, the Yorktown. While the lives of the crew of the enterprise have gone through a few changes on the personal front, a major upheaval awaits them when the Enterprise is sent on a potentially dangerous mission to a nearby nebula. They have to fight and defeat a ruthless alien who is bent on destroying the Federation.

While Star Trek Beyond is chock-full of relentless action sequences (the first one, barely ten minutes into the film) and breathtaking space scenes, Lin and the writers of this film have taken things beyond just making stuff blow up in a dramatic fashion. A big part of the original Star Trek's charm lay in the way the characters got along and you'll see that here too.

Spock (Quinto) and Kirk (Pine) have a strong mutual respect along with being great friends. But Trekkie diehards will know that Spock and the ship's cranky doctor, Bones (Urban), had a rapport that was more lighthearted and allowed for humorous moments too. The same goes for the engineer of the USS Enterprise, Scotty, who brings his own brand of wit and humour to the movie. And so, you'll find a decent blend of seriousness and action as well as subtle humour. Lin has also taken a few risks in the film and balanced that off by also remaining for the most part, faithful to the original series. So there's plenty enough to excite, but it's not so radically different as to make long-time fans wonder about what the heck is going on.

To sum things up, get ready for some interesting side adventures, snappy dialogues, brilliant CGI, an entertaining score (the retro hit by Beastie Boys' Sabotage) and also a relationship angle, for good measure. The kind of blend that is signature JJ Abrams (he has a co-producer credit). Then there's the enemy leader Krall (Elba) who is bad to the bone no doubt, but without being over-the-top. A few logical fallacies aside, this one's really enjoyable.

उत्तम अनुवाद दिवाळी २०१६ (पद्मगंधा प्रकाशन) (दर्जा **)

अनुवादीत साहित्याचा मी फार पुर्वीपासून भोक्ता आहे. जगातल्या गाजलेल्या कादंबऱ्यांचा मराठी अनुवाद वाचण्याचा आनंद वेगळाच आहे. परंतु अनुवादाचा दर्जा जर चांगला नसेल तर मात्र निराशा पदरी पडते. उत्तम अनुवाद हा दिवाळी अंक वाचताना नेमके हेच झाले. उत्तम अनुवाद हे नाव वाचताना वाचकांच्या अपेक्षा उंचावतात. यात नक्कीच दर्जेदार साहित्याचा दर्जेदार अनुवाद वाचायला मिळेल असे वाटते. परंतु या वार्षिकाने मात्र वाचकांची घोर निराशा केली आहे. प्रकाशकाने लेखांची निवड व्यवस्थित केलेली दिसत नाही. मुळ लेखनच फारसे चांगले नसल्याने अनुवादही फरसा वाचनीय झाला नाही. त्यात अनुवाद कर्त्यांचा दर्जाही सूमार दिसून येतो. त्यामुळे साहित्याची पुरती वाट लागलेली दिसते. कुठल्या अंगाने याला उत्तम अनुवाद म्हणावे हा प्रश्न पडतो.

पुर्ण पुस्तकात मला फक्त "स्टीफन - राशोलचा कवी" हा एकमेव लेख आवडला. १५०० साली पोर्तुगिजांनी गोवा बळकावल्यानंतर ख्रिश्चन मिशनऱ्यांनी केलेल्या सक्तीच्या धर्मांतराची माहिती यात मिळते. गोवा आणि सालसेत भागातल्या सारस्वत ब्राह्मणांना त्याकाळी धर्म वाचवण्यासाठी घरदार सोडून परागंदा व्हावे लागले होते. मी स्वत: सारस्वत ब्राह्मण असल्या कारणाने माझ्या पुर्वजांचा इतिहास मला वाचायला मिळाला. त्याकाळी अनेक युरोपिय प्रवासी भारतात फिरुन भारताची हेरगिरी करत होते. त्यांनी भारताची, भारतीय लोकांची आणि इथल्या राजकीय गोंधळाची माहिती एकत्र करुन ती युरोपीयन राज्यकर्त्यांना कळवली. या माहितीच्या आधारेच ईस्ट इंडीया कंपनीची स्थापना झाली आणि त्यांनी भारतातल्या कुमकुवत राज्यकर्त्यांची सता उलथवून भारत गिळंकृत केला. हि माहीती मनोरंजक होती. याव्यतीरीक्त संपूर्ण अंक वायफळ कथांनी भरला आहे.

हा अंक मी Dailyhunt या Android App वर ४० रुपयांना विकत घेतला होता. आता ते सर्व पैसे वाया गेल्याचे दु:ख होत आहे. छापील आवृत्ती तर तब्बल २०० रुपयांना उपलब्ध आहे. तो वाचणाऱ्यांचे बरेच नुकसान होईल. Dailyhint हे बातम्या आणि पुस्तके वाचण्याचे अ‍ॅप अद्यापी नवीन असून बाल्यावस्थेत आहे. त्यात बरेच मराठी साहित्य स्वस्तात उपलब्ध आहे. परंतु छापील साहित्याचे डीजीटल स्वरुपात रुपांतरीत करणे अजुनही त्यांना बरोबर जमत नाही असे दिसते. मी वाचत असलेल्या पुस्तकातही बऱ्याच तांत्रिक चुका होत्या.

Isro creates history, launches 104 satellites in one go

PSLV-C37 carrying the 104 satellites lifted off from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 9.28am. It was PSLV's 39th flight+. Seventeen minutes later, the rocket started placing the satellites into orbit, one by one with a time-frame of about 11 minutes. Out of the total 104 satellites placed in orbit, 101 satellites belonged to six foreign countries. They included 96 from the US and one each from Israel, the UAE, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Kazakhstan.

PSLV first injected its main payload Cartosat- 2 series, India's indigenously built earth observation satellite. It was followed by two other nanosatellites of Isro ---- INS-1A and INS-1B. It then took less than 10 minutes for the rocket to spew out 101 passengers, which are all foreign nanosatellites, as it travelled up in altitude reaching the polar sun synchronous orbit. Russian Space Agency held a record of launching 37 satellites in one go during its mission in June 2014. India previously launched 23 satellites in a single mission in June 2015.

Isro chairman A S Kiran Kumar congratulated his team for the successful launch of 104 satellites. "My hearty congratulations to the team. The Prime Minister has conveyed his congratulations," he said.

"We can hit centuries like cricketers'

Director, Isro Satellite Centre Mayilsamy Annadurai said, "We can also hit centuries like our cricketers. In another two months, the number of satellites built by Isro will reach 100. Besides GSLV missions, we have get Chandrayan - 2 ready for launch next year." Mission director B Jayakumar said the launch involved complex issues in management and maneuvering, "A great moment for each and every one of us. We have so far launched 226 satellites including 179 foreign satellites," he said.

Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre K Sivan said it was the toughest mission they had handled. "We had to ensure they don't collide," he said. "Last year we saw nine successful launches. This year began with a remarkable event. Congratulations to customers on placing confidence on Isro's PSLV," said director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre P Kunhikrishnan.

All about 104 s atellites

Equipped with panchromatic and multispectral cameras, the 664kg Cartosat -2 will provide remote sensing services similar to that of its predecessors. Images from the satellite will be used for cartographic applications, urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation, utility management like road network monitoring, water distribution, creation of land use maps, change detection to bring out geographical and manmade features and various other land information system (LIS) and geographical information system (GSI) applications.

INS-1A and INS-1B are versatile and modular nanosatellite bus system envisioned for future science and experimental payload. Among the foreign satellites, 88 cube satellites belonged to San Francisco-based earth imaging startup Planet. With the launch, the company has increased its fleet to 143 satellites which will soon begin capturing images of the earth's entire landmass, including India, every day. Eight other satellites belonging to Spire Global, US, will provide services for vessel tracking and weather measurement. The nano satellites from Israel, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UAE are mostly technology demonstrators.

बळीराजाची बोगस बोंब

नगदी पिके घेणाऱ्या शेतकऱ्यांनी आजपर्यंत चांगला पैसा मिळवल्याने यावेळच्या गारपिटीने ते कोलमडून पडणे शक्य नाही. व्यवसाय म्हटला की त्यात धोके आलेच. मात्र वाटेल त्या कारणासांठी मदत वा सवलती जाहीर करण्याची प्रथा कर्जबाजारी राज्यासाठी धोकादायक असल्याने सरकारने ती बंदच करावी. 

शेतकरी म्हटला की तो गरीब बिच्चारा असायलाच हवा आणि तो नाडला जाणारच वा गेलेला असणारच असे मानण्याची प्रथा आपल्याकडे चांगलीच रूढ झाली आहे. गेल्या आठवडय़ात गारपिटीने महाराष्ट्रात जो काही हाहाकार उडवला तो पाहता या आणि अशा प्रतिक्रियांचा सामुदायिक पूरच राज्यभरातून येऊ लागला असून या पुरात मुळातच क्षीण असलेला समाजाचा सारासारविवेक वाहून जाताना दिसतो. शेतकरी प्रत्यक्षात लुटला गेलेला असो वा नसो. शेतकरी हे लुटले जाण्यासाठीच असतात आणि आपण प्रत्येक जण त्या लुटीस हातभार लावण्याचेच काम करीत असतो, हा समज या अशा प्रतिक्रियेमागे अध्याहृत आहे आणि अन्य कोणत्याही सामाजिक समजांइतकाच तो खोटा आहे. शेतकरी म्हटला की जो काही सामुदायिक कळवळा व्यक्त होतो तो वास्तविक अल्पभूधारक वा शेतमजुरांच्या परिस्थितीविषयी असतो वा असायला हवा. परंतु त्यांच्या हलाखीचे चित्रण आपल्यासमोर येत नसल्याने ते ज्याचे समोर येते त्याच शेतकऱ्यास आपण गरीब बापुडा समजून सहानुभूती व्यक्त करीत असतो. यात वास्तव किती हे तपासण्याची गरज आणि वेळ आता येऊन ठेपली आहे. याची कारणे अनेक. यातील एक म्हणजे या महाराष्ट्रात कित्येक वर्षांत कोणाही नागरिकाने कोणत्याही शेतकऱ्याकडून यंदा पीकपाणी उत्तम आहे, आंबा भरपूर येणार आहे, डाळिंबे छानच झाली आहेत वा द्राक्षे मुबलक येणार आहेत या आणि अशा प्रकारची वाक्ये ऐकली असण्याची शक्यता नाही. मग हा शेतकरी सातारा, कोल्हापूरच्या श्रीमंत मातीत शेती करणारा असो वा कोकणातील फळबागांत आंबा पिकवणारा असो. यंदा परिस्थिती किती बिकट आहे हे सांगणे हे त्याचे प्राथमिक कर्तव्य असते आणि ते तो प्रामाणिकपणे निभावून नेत असतो. आताही नुकत्याच झालेल्या ताज्या गारपिटीची हृदय वगरे पिळवटून टाकणारी माना टाकून पडलेल्या पिकांची छायाचित्रे सर्वत्र प्रसिद्ध होत असून आता आम्हाला आत्महत्येशिवाय पर्याय नाही.. या काही शेतकऱ्यांच्या प्रतिक्रियेने अनेकांच्या काळजात कालवाकालवदेखील झाली असण्याची शक्यता नाकारता येत नाही. या प्रसंगी या अशा नाजूक हृदयांची सार्वत्रिक तपासणी करवून घेणे शक्य नसले तरी शेतकऱ्यांच्या दाव्यांतील सत्यासत्यता मात्र नक्कीच तपासून घ्यायला हवी.

या गारपिटीनंतर शेतकऱ्यांच्या या निसर्गनिर्मित हलाखीचे चित्रण दाखवण्याचा सपाटा दूरचित्रवाणी वाहिन्यांनी लावलेला आहे. त्याच्या रेटय़ाने सत्ताधाऱ्यांचे मन विरघळत असून या बाधित शेतकऱ्यांना नुकसानभरपाई देण्यासाठी सत्ताधाऱ्यांची लगबगदेखील सुरू झाली आहे आणि ती व्यवस्थित कॅमेराबंद होईल याचीही खबरदारी घेतली जात आहे. या पाश्र्वभूमीवर काही प्रश्न विचारणे गरजेचे ठरते. आपल्याकडील वातावरणात हे असे काही प्रश्न विचारणे हे सांस्कृतिक औद्धत्य असले तरी ते करणे ही काळाची गरज आहे आणि ती पार पाडणे हे आम्ही आमचे कर्तव्य समजतो.

यातील पहिला मुद्दा असा की जे काही संकटग्रस्त शेतकरी समोर येताना दिसतात ते सर्वच्या सर्व बागायती आहेत. खेरीज डािळब, द्राक्षे, आंबा आदी रोख पिके त्यांच्याकडून इतके दिवस काढली जात होती वा आहेत. या सर्व पिकांना चांगलीच मागणी असते आणि त्यामधील गुंतवणुकीवर परतावादेखील उत्तम असतो. तोदेखील करशून्य. त्यामुळे या वर्गातील शेतकऱ्यांच्या हाती चांगले पसे खुळखुळत असतात आणि ते त्यांच्या अंगांवरील दागदागिन्यांवरूनही दिसून येत असते. हा शेतकरीवर्ग राजकीयदृष्टय़ा चांगलाच सक्रिय असतो आणि त्याची कांगावकला वाखाणण्यासारखी असते. गारपिटीमुळे दूरचित्रवाणी वाहिन्यांवरून छाती पिटताना दिसतो आहे तो प्रामुख्याने हा शेतकरी. त्याचे व्यवहारज्ञान चोख असते. यंदाचे हे अपवादात्मक गारपीट वर्ष वगळता एरवी त्याने चांगली कमाई केलेली असते. तेव्हा आता तो छाती पिटत असला तरी प्रश्न असा की इतक्या वर्षांच्या कमाईचे त्याने काय केले? इतकी वष्रे जे काही कमावले ते सर्वच त्याने फुंकून टाकले की काय? हे जर खरे असेल तर त्याच्या अंगाखांद्यावरच्या दागदागिन्यांचे काय? आणि खरे नसेल तर मग त्याचे हे इतके छाती पिटणे कशासाठी? अन्य अनेक व्यवसायांप्रमाणेच शेती हादेखील व्यवसाय आहे आणि अन्य व्यवसायांइतकेच धोके त्यातदेखील आहेत. तेव्हा एखाद्या वर्षी एखाद्या व्यावसायिक समुदायास आíथक नुकसान झाल्यास तोदेखील अशाच आक्रोशिका रंगवतो काय? तशा त्याने रंगवल्या तर सरकार त्यांनादेखील ही अशीच नुकसानभरपाई वा कर्जमाफी जाहीर करते काय? आता यावर काहींचा युक्तिवाद असेल की औद्योगिक क्षेत्रास मिळणाऱ्या सवलतीची किंमत ही शेतकऱ्यांना दिल्या जाणाऱ्या कर्जमाफीपेक्षा किती तरी अधिक आहे. तो फसवा आहे. कारण त्या क्षेत्राबाबत सरकार चुकीचे वागत असेल तर त्या चुकीची भरपाई ही दुसऱ्या गटासाठी चूक करून द्यावी काय?

काही काळ हा सर्व युक्तिवाद मागे ठेवला तरी एक प्रश्न उरतोच. तो म्हणजे आत्महत्येच्या धमकीचा. माझे उत्पादन या वर्षी बुडले, सरकारने मदत द्यावी, अन्यथा आत्महत्या करू अशी धमकी अन्य व्यावसायिक देतात काय? त्यांनी ती समजा दिली तर त्याविषयी समाजास सहानुभूती वाटते काय? किंवा सरकार लगेच त्या व्यावसायिकास कर्जमाफी देते काय? या प्रश्नाचे उत्तर नकारात्मक असेल तर सध्या जे काही सुरू आहे ती शुद्ध दांभिकता म्हणावयास हवी. ही दांभिकता आपल्या समाजजीवनाचा कणा बनून गेली आहे आणि तिची बाधा सर्वच क्षेत्रांना झालेली आहे. घसघशीत मानधन घेऊन कला सादर करणाऱ्या एखाद्या वादक- गायकावर बेफिकीर अर्थनियोजनामुळे म्हातारपणी दैनावस्था आल्यास त्यास सरकार वा समाज कसे काय जबाबदार ठरते? आयुष्यभर कलेची सेवा केलेल्या कलाकारावर कशी वेळ आली म्हणून समाजही अश्रू ढाळतो. पण ते मूर्खपणाचे असतात आणि होतेही. कलेची सेवा म्हणजे काय? ती काय त्याने मोफत केली काय? आणि केली असेल तर त्यासाठी त्यास समाजाने भाग पाडले होते काय? नसेल तर त्याच्या दैनावस्थेशी समाजाचा संबंध काय? हाच युक्तिवाद शेतकरी म्हणवून घेणाऱ्या धनदांडग्यांनाही लागू होतो. आयुष्यभर आम्ही काळ्या आईची (या आईचा रंग भूगोलावर अवलंबून असतो. काही ठिकाणी ती लाल असते.) सेवा केली.. असा दावा हा शेतकरी करीत असतो. तेव्हा प्रश्न असा की सेवा केली म्हणजे काय? या कथित सेवेचा मोबदला त्यास मिळत नव्हता काय? आणि तसा तो मिळत नसेल तर तरीही तो हा उद्योग का करीत बसला? आणि मिळला असेल तर त्यात सेवा कसली? या सर्व शेतीविषयक चच्रेत एक प्रश्न उरतो. तो म्हणजे भूमिहीन शेतमजुरांचा. राजकीयदृष्टय़ा जोडल्या गेलेल्या बडय़ा शेतकऱ्यांना आपल्या ताकदीच्या जोरावर कर्जे माफ करता येतात वा आíथक सवलती पदरात पाडून घेता येतात. त्यातील किती वाटा हा बळीराजा आपल्या शेतात राबणाऱ्या भूमिहीन शेतमजुरांना देतो?

तेव्हा या कथित बळीराजाचे खरे अश्रू कोणते आणि बनावट कोणते हे शोधण्याचा प्रामाणिकपणा सरकारने दाखवावा आणि नुकसानभरपाया आणि कर्जमाफ्या जाहीर करीत हिंडायची प्रथा बंद करावी. स्वत:च्या मूर्खपणामुळे कोणत्या तरी जत्रेत चेंगराचेंगरी होऊन कोणी गेले, दे आíथक मदत. वादळात, गारपिटीत पीक पडले दे आर्थिक मदत ही प्रथा भिकेला लावणारी आहे. ज्यांना ती पाळायची आहे त्यांनी स्वत:च्या खिशातून मदत देऊन ती पाळावी. या कथित बळीराजाची बोंबदेखील बोगस असू शकते हे मान्य करण्याचे धर्य सरकारने दाखवावे आणि जनतेचा पसा वाया घालवणे थांबवावे.

लोकसत्ता १६ डिसेंबर २०१४.

पुन्हा नव्याने सुरूवात लेखक - अभिषेक ठमके (दर्जा ***)

या कादंबरीतून महासागरांचा इतिहास, जमिनीखाली आणि समुद्रामध्ये कशा प्रकारे संशोधन होते, संशोधकांचे जीवन कसे असते, सैनिक म्हणजे नक्की काय असतो, निसर्गाची उत्पत्ती कशी झाली आणि अशा प्रकारची बरीच माहिती मिळवता येईल. हे पुस्तक म्हणजे एक अशी कथा आहे, जिथे सर्व काही संपतं आणि सर्वांना पुन्हा नव्याने सुरुवात करावी लागते. ही सुरुवात नव्या जगाची आहे, नव्या जगण्याची आहे, जगण्याची नाही तर नव्याने जगवण्याची आहे, नव्याने घर शोधण्याची आहे, गमावलेल्या सर्व गोष्टी पुन्हा नव्याने कमावण्याची आहे.

लेखकाला लहानपणापासून संशोधक होण्याची इच्छा, म्हणून भरपूर पुस्तके वाचून काढली. अनेक संशोधकांचे चरित्र वाचले. सर्वकाही सुरळीत चालू होते आणि त्यातच मिलिटरी स्कूलमध्ये शेवटच्या वर्षी लेखकाचा अपघात झाला. नंतर रेल्वेमध्ये प्रवास करत असताना अपघात झाला आणि लेखकाची बरीच स्वप्ने धुसर झाली. जास्त धावू नये, जास्त वजन उचलू नये अशी अनेक बंधने लेखकावर आली. संशोधनात काही करता आले नाही याचा खूप त्रास होत होता. संशोधनातून काहीतरी वेगळे प्रयोग करायचे आणि जगाला काहीतरी नवीन दाखवायचं ही खंत काही केल्या मनातून जात नव्हती. तेव्हा आपण पुस्तकाच्या माध्यमातून जगाला नवीन काहीतरी देऊ शकतो असे लेखकाच्या लक्षात आले आणि त्याने दोन पुस्तके लिहिली, मैत्र जीवांचे आणि अग्निपुत्र.

‘मैत्र जीवांचे’ पुस्तकामधून लेखकाने एकाच पुस्तकामध्ये ६ वेगवेगळ्या भाषांचा वापर केला, गुगल संस्थेमधील कामकाज कसे चालते हे दाखविले, ऑस्ट्रेलिया आणि जर्मनीमधील संस्कृती दाखवली. कादंबरीला चांगला प्रतिसाद मिळाला. नंतर ब्लॉगच्या माध्यमातून ‘अग्निपुत्र’ नावाची साय-फाय कादंबरी लिहिली, कादंबरीला एका वर्षातच ३,००,००० पेक्षा जास्त वाचकसंख्या लाभली आणि त्यानंतर आता ‘पुन्हा नव्याने सुरुवात’ कादंबरी आपल्यासमोर सादर करत आहे. तिन्ही पुस्तकांमध्ये मुख्य नायक हा संशोधक, डॉक्टरेट किंवा शास्त्रज्ञ आहे. नायकाला ही भूमिका का दिली हे आपल्याला समजले असेलच. पण मुद्दा हा नाहीच आहे, मुद्दा हा आहे कि लेखक तुम्हाला काय देतो आहे. का देतो आहे ते तुम्हाला बऱ्यापैकी कळले असेलच.

आज लेखकाने लिहिलेले पुस्तक वाचत असताना तुम्ही तुमच्या आयुष्याचे काही तास लेखकासाठी, लेखकाच्या पुस्तकासाठी देत आहात, तर ते तास तुमच्यासाठी अविस्मरणीय असावे, त्यातून तुम्हाला काही शिकता यावे, पुस्तक वाचत असताना नुसता विरंगुळा न होता तुम्हाला अशी काही माहिती मिळावी जी तुम्ही कधी ऐकली नसेल किंवा वाचली देखील नसेल आणि पुस्तक वाचल्यानंतर आपण काहीतरी नवीन, वेगळे वाचले आहे याचा आनंद तुमच्या चेहऱ्यावर असावा हा महत्वाचा मुद्दा आहे, आणि तो मुद्दा या पुस्तकामध्ये देखील तुम्हाला अनुभवायला मिळेल. महासागरांचा इतिहास, जमिनीखाली आणि समुद्रामध्ये कशा प्रकारे संशोधन होते, संशोधकांचे जीवन कसे असते, सैनिक म्हणजे नक्की काय असतो, निसर्गाची उत्पत्ती कशी झाली आणि अशा प्रकारची बरीच माहिती तुम्हाला या कादंबरीमध्ये वाचता येईल.

Byculla to Bangkok by S. Hussain Zaidi (Rating *****)

Most great cities have criminal underbellies. London, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Mos­cow, Istanbul—all these have nurtured notorious criminal networks. Mumbai’s underworld took shape in the 1950s and 1960s. The pioneering dons came from poor Muslim families—reflecting their socio-economic marginalisation. After the bomb blasts in 1993, the ascendancy of the Shiv Sena-led government and the rise of an elite, trigger-happy police unit, the balance of power shifted in favour of you­nger Maharashtrian Hindu mobsters.

In Byculla to Bangkok, S. Hussain Zaidi focuses on this part of the underworld. The nerve-centre of organised crime runs down Mumbai’s own centre. The  ear­lier generation of dons came from the southern end, close to the docks, while their successors lived further mid-town. This lower-middle-class milieu of mill wor­kers, petty government servants and street vendors was host to the dreaded BRA gang (of Babu Reshim, Rama Naik and Arun Gawli) and Amar (Raavan) Naik and his engineer brother Ashwin.

Starting out as small-time trouble-makers, these mobsters found themselves in high demand as the city began to reinvent itself from textile manufacturing centre to financial powerhouse. Real estate, particularly the lucrative stretch of defunct mill land, was the sought after prize. The involvement of politicians in the turf wars was no secret. Bal Thacke­ray called the Maharashtrian gangsters ‘amchi muley’ (our boys) and Chhota Rajan, grievously wounded in an attempt on his life in Bangkok, was whisked to safety by the Thai military police, suggesting protection at high levels.

The story has the customary amount of bloodspill and treachery, but also runs in other directions. The phenomenon of enc­ounters and glorification of policemen specialising in extra-judicial killings of alleged criminals has been written about before and even made into movies but Zaidi’s account also sheds light on the envy and ripple effect it caused in the force. Then there is the effect of globalisation, the ties to Afghan drug cartels and guerilla networks such as the LTTE. Also, top gangsters seeking refuge outside the country: Muslims heading west to Dubai and Karachi, Hindus to Bangkok, where all they need is “a one-bedroom flat, a TV airing Indian channels and a telephone to call India to issue threats”.

Zaidi’s book is littered with similar anecdotes and insights. We learn for ins­tance that Gawli’s terrace house is as large as a badminton court; that jails are the equivalent of cafes offering net­working opportunities for criminals; that a criminal modus operandi depic­ted in Scorsese’s Gangs of New York ins­pired Amar Naik to expand his operations.

As a reporter, Zaidi is limited by a lack of distance and narrative flair that could have injected a sense of the timeless into his material. Parts of the book read like a recitation of well-known facts from new­s­papers. The absence of financial estima­tes for what is, after all, a kind of business, is glaring. Anecdotes and stories are often thrown together pell mell, including a tantalising one about a Pat­han woman whose beauty was both a sou­­rce of power and a curse. Notwithst­anding the flaws, Zaidi is to be complimented for venturing into risky territory and emerging with a breezy, informative read.

What is Surgical Strike?

Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh:  In its longest and most complex mission, India's space agency ISRO today launched eight satellites from one rocket into two different orbits. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "Our space scientists keep scripting history."

The PSLV or 37th Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, carrying three satellites from India, three from Algeria, and one each from Canada and the US, lifted off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh at 9:12 am. Around noon, ISRO said its launch was "100 per cent successful".

Most countries launch satellites in a single orbit and even if multiple satellites are injected, it is in a sequence in the same orbit.

What makes this mission a challenge is that the PSLV will launch its payloads in two different orbits. The twin-orbit manoeuvre was recently accomplished by European Space Agency's Vega rocket.

"This is a challenging two-in-one mission which puts India in a unique league of nations having the capability to achieve two different orbits in a single mission," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman AS Kiran Kumar earlier told.

India's SCATSAT, meant for ocean and weather forecasts, cyclone detection and tracking, has been placed in orbit. India shares such data with the US, which helped them track Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Pratham, a 10-kg satellite developed by students of the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay, will study the total electron count in space. The 5.25-kg PISAT made by students of Bengaluru's PES University will take pictures of earth.

The mission will also test PSLV's multiple burn capability which will be utilized in the last leg and will set a new milestone for ISRO. The whole procedure was completed within 2 hours and 15 minutes - the longest mission for ISRO.

The stop-start of the rocket - while travelling at a speed of more than 2660 kmph - gives PSLV an edge in the multi-billion dollar commercial launch market. "It will open up new vistas to commercialise ISRO's launch capabilities for two-orbit configurations," said Dr K Sivan, Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center.

In another first later this year, India hopes to launch its heaviest rocket, the Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III, capable of taking up to 4 tonnes of communications satellite.

The three Algerian satellites are for earth observation, remote sensing and technology demonstration. The US' Pathfinder-1 is a commercial high resolution imaging micro satellite while Canada's NLS-19 is a technology demonstration nano satellite for experimentation in helping to reduce space debris and for tracking commercial aircraft.

London Has Fallen 2016 (Rating ****)

Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Alon Aboutboul.
Director: Babak Najafi

When a film titled London Has Fallen begins with the dusty fields of Pakistan, you know where it’s heading. It’s going to be yet another American geopolitical fantasy where Uncle Sam saves the world, as it bulldozes all nuances of the topic of terrorism along its way. But to be fair, keeping its problematic politics aside, the film begins to tell its story well

We see a wealthy Muslim arms dealer Aamir Barkawi (Alon Aboutboul) in his mansion somewhere in Punjab Province. He talks business with his sons even as they make plans for his daughter’s (their sister) wedding. In the next scene, we are inside the wedding, observing all its colourful festivities. We also catch someone making a suspicious phone call. Cut to the next shot, a G8 sanctioned drone sets its eyes on the venue: it becomes a small square plot on its display screen, a button pressed and a big boom heard. Barkwai may be a dangerous man, but you are made to feel for him, for his family and the innocents who have been wiped off the face of the earth. But as it turns out, the portion was merely a guilt-trip in advance for the makers of a movie where America, yet again, emerges as the hero.

London Has Fallen is a sequel to Olympus has Fallen (2013), in which North Korean terrorists had held US President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) hostage in the White House. But the series’ protagonist is not Asher, but Mike Banning, chief of his personal security. Now, I haven’t seen Olympus, but that film showed Banning falling from grace – he was demoted from the President’s detail after he failed to save the lives of Asher’s family – only to be reinstated at the end of the film after he pulls off an impossible rescue. That backstory explains the single-minded focus with which Banning works for Asher. But in isolation of the first film, London Has Fallen carries few traces of his troubled past. 

Yet, it isn’t a total disaster because director Babak Najafi manages to pull us into his film in the first 30 odd minutes. It’s when the US president, along with other world leaders (strong allies of the United Kingdom), descend in London to attend the British Prime Minister’s funeral. Given the short notice that the event has been planned, it becomes one with extreme high-security. This stretch is taut as we are introduced to one leader after the other, knowing that something terrible is about to happen. And then terror strikes as though it is some evil alien ship taking over earth. Sure, it makes for some spectacular visuals such as the Westminster Abbey collapsing as the Italian President romances with his girlfriend on its terrace or London Bridge falling down while the French President relaxes on his boat on the river Thames. While the impact is superficially pleasurable, London Has Fallen treats terrorism the way big, dumb blockbusters treat apocalyptic tsunamis or other natural disasters. 

So much more could have been extracted from Banning’s relationship with Asher. Banning is not just Asher’s personal security but also a confidante. Asher treats him as an equal, going for jogs together or putting up a sparring boxing match. But the film portrays Butler as an American superhero masquerading as an US agent, mouthing offensive lines such as “Go back to F**khead-istan or wherever it is you are from”, single-handedly saving his President from a terror attack planned for years. Butler isn’t bad, but he plays the character straight, as you expect him to. And an actor of Ackhart’s calibre seems severely underutilised and you just wish he had a better written character rather than a one-note helpless President. When both come out unscathed from a helicopter crash (leaving their third partner, um, a black character dead), Banning tells Asher that after everything else has failed, London by foot might well be there best option. I thought London by foot would be a great opportunity to take the film to an unexpected direction, giving us a tense, cinematic tour of a broken London. But no, turns out it was a short cut to get into a house. And from there to another one. London Has Fallen becomes too clichéd to make us care for its characters, an overdose of American self-righteous heroism, that the world already has had too much of.

The Mechanic 2011 (Rating ****)

Starring: Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Donald Sutherland.
Director: Simon West

The basic plot of The Mechanic—a loose remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson movie of the same name—holds boundless promise for action fans, and mostly fulfills it: A preternaturally skilled hitman (Jason Statham) teaches a young loose cannon (Six Feet Under’s Ben Foster) the tricks of his slick, deadly trade. But things aren’t that simple, naturally. The duo connect at the funeral of Foster’s father (Donald Sutherland), who was also Statham’s mentor in the killin’ business—and whom Statham murdered early in the movie, under orders from his clearly no-good handler. Feeling some pang of regret even though Sutherland double-crossed the company, Statham takes the hotheaded, boozed-out scamp under his wing and sets about making him into an ice-veined killer. It’s the least he can do, right?

For a good chunk of its running time, The Mechanic is a buddy movie about two guys really enjoying murder together. They almost seem ready to high-five after a job well done, even as Statham’s character glumly explains “I wanted you to see one up close.” In order to ease the audience’s conscience, the protagonists’ victims are conveniently more awful than they are: an arms dealer “who’ll sell to anybody,” a ridiculous cult leader, a hulking gay assassin who wants to fuck Foster. Statham’s hit-plans are frequently complex, and he’s always eight or nine steps ahead of everyone else—so much that it would’ve been nice to see these guys actually planning more assignments instead of just watching those assignments unfold. But that would leave less screen time for strangulations, splattery headshots, and murder-by-fireplace-tools, so maybe it’s just as well.

Statham and Foster play off each other nicely, and director Simon West (Con Air) strikes a playful balance between carnage and conviviality, gore and gregariousness. A confrontation between the two leads is inevitable, and since The Mechanic is so morally muddled to begin with, it’s difficult to tell where things are headed, or how to take sides. That isn’t because these characters are well-drawn or terribly complex—they assuredly aren’t—but it’s still an unusual, intriguing path for a movie like this to travel. The only thing certain going into the climax is that guns will be fired and things will explode in style. Couple that with actual acting—Statham is the most winning action hero around, and Foster brings some nuance that the script probably doesn’t deserve—and it’s bloody fun.
 

Central Intelligence 2016 (Rating ***)

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Aaron Paul, Jason Bateman, Amy Ryan
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Call it the superhero scourge or the blight of franchise but the big-dollar cinema, which invariably has few brave men saving the world – sometimes in spandex, sometimes not-- seems to be throttling everything else. If a courageous film like the quirky buddy comedy Nice Guys finds its way to the theatres, we the audience decide to look the other way.

You, O Hollywood, have conditioned us. Even when we are talking bromance, we want it with a generous serving of formula, and – please, oh please – someone save the world. Enter Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and buddy comedy 101, Central Intelligence. The film keeps so much to the bromance formula that it is funny in itself: We get jokes on anatomy (Dwayne Johnson’s character is called Robbie Weirdicht), fart jokes, the mandatory marital counselling session and other vulgar gags.

But leave it to the pocket-sized Hart and his buddy, who is not called The Rock for nothing, to squeeze out the comic juice from this unevenly-paced thriller comedy. There may be crater-sized script holes but you still guffaw as this unlikely pair goes about sending CIA in a tizzy.

Now, for the plot: 20 years ago, Hart was the star of his high school, destined to great things while an overweight, awkward Johnson was the butt of all jokes. When Robbie is pushed into the school assembly naked by bullies, Hart is the only one who comes to his rescue.

Fast forward two decades and Hart is a burnt out accountant and Johnson is, well, back to being the buffed, muscled Johnson we know. He is also a CIA agent who may or may not have gone rogue. He definitely idolises Hart still and gets in touch with him. CIA boss woman (Amy Ryan) follows suit and a kerfuffle ensues. At stake are secret nuke codes which can destroy the world.

Hart and Johnson share an easy chemistry and there are enough lines in there to keep the jokes coming. Johnson calls a befuddled Hart “snacksized Denzel” and “like a black Will Smith” at various points in the film.

The muscled Johnson plays Robbie like a goofball who is still struck on Hart’s high school charisma. His love for unicorns, fanny packs and schmaltzy films keep the laughs coming. And hell, who has a name like Sting, or The Rock for crying out loud?

The trouble lies in director Rawson Marshall Thurber’s patchy handling of the story. There are moments when the film is slow and sluggish, and then it is on steroids with hyper action. Those are the moments when you thanks god that you are in this ride with a big Johnson and a little Hart. Also, watch out for the cameos both credited and not.

GSLV Successfully Launches India's Weather Satellite INSAT-3DR

In its tenth flight (GSLV-F05) conducted September 08, 2016, India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, equipped with the indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS), successfully launched the country's weather satellite INSAT-3DR, into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

The achieved orbit is very close to the intended one. The launch took place from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota, the spaceport of India. This was the first operational flight of GSLV equipped with CUS and the fourth to carry the indigenous CUS. This latest GSLV flight was the third consecutive success achieved by GSLV carrying indigenous CUS and the 2211 kg INSAT-3DR is the heaviest satellite to be launched from the Indian soil.

In its oval shaped GTO, the INSAT-3DR satellite is now orbiting the Earth with a perigee (nearest point to Earth) of 169.76 km and an apogee (farthest point to Earth) of 36,080.5 km with an orbital inclination of 20.62 deg with respect to the equator.

After a 29 hour 40 minutes countdown, the 415 tonne, 49 m tall GSLV-F05 carrying INSAT-3DR, lifted off at the rescheduled time of 16:50 Hrs IST. The 40 minute delay in the launch was due to an anomaly observed in the functioning of a pressure release valve in the liquid Oxygen filling ground segment which was resolved later.

At 4.8 seconds before the countdown reached zero, the four liquid propellant strap-on stages of GSLV-F05, each carrying 42 tonne of liquid propellants, were ignited. At count zero and after confirming the normal performance of all the four strap-on motors, the 139 tonne solid propellant first stage core motor was ignited and GSLV lifted off.

The major phases of the flight included the core motor burn-out, strap on burn-out, ignition of the second stage, separation of the core motor together with strap-ons, payload fairing separation, second stage separation, CUS ignition and its timely shut down after satisfactory performance. About seventeen minutes after lift-off, INSAT-3DR was successfully placed in GTO.

Soon after its injection into GTO, the solar array of INSAT-3DR was automatically deployed and the Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka took control of the satellite.

Like its predecessor INSAT-3D which is providing service from orbit since 2013, INSAT-3DR is an advanced meteorological (weather observation) satellite built by India to provide a variety inputs essential for accurate weather forecasting. For this, it is equipped with three payloads (instruments), namely, a Multispectral Imager, Sounder and weather Data Relay Transponder.

INSAT-3DR also carries a satellite aided Search and Rescue Transponder that picks up and relays alert signals originating from distress beacons of maritime, aviation and land based users.
In the coming days, INSAT-3DR's orbit will be raised from its present GTO to the final circular Geostationary Orbit (GSO) by firing the satellite's Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) in stages.

The satellite will be commissioned into service after the completion of orbit raising operations and the satellite's positioning in its designated orbital slot of 74 degree East longitude in the GSO and in-orbit testing of its payloads.

This latest flight of GSLV further highlights the success of ISRO in mastering the highly complex cryogenic rocket propulsion technology.

Ignited Minds by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (Rating ****)

Genius, it is said, is the ability to reduce the complex into the simple. The strength of Ignited Minds, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's latest essay at book-writing, lies in the scientist's ability to present some of the most tangled issues that confront the nation in easily digestible packages of information.

Kalam throws modesty to the winds and makes bold to present his "I have a dream" kind of vision statement to pull the nation out of the morass of doubt that it has fallen into. But those looking for an erudite discourse on the nation's woes by someone who has achieved so much may feel let down. Kalam's world-view is at times far too simplistic, even bordering on the naive.

Yet it is precisely the lack of cynicism that makes it a refreshing read especially for the young reader. Kalam's "Can Do" approach even at his age is a lesson for all those who curl their lips at any talk of India achieving greatness in the near future.


The scientist is right to rely on the young to ask him some of the most stimulating questions. A student in Assam, for instance, asks him pertinently why the flood waters of the Brahmaputra cannot be diverted to water-scarce Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu? Dulled, even deadened, by India's slow march to development, an adult reaction would be to dismiss such a notion outright.
But it is the childlike curiosity and quest for knowledge coupled with steely determination to do the job- which Kalam exhibits in abundance and which makes him so special-that can probably ignite minds and produce greatness.

Kalam believes the mission approach that he championed during his tenure in the country's leading scientific establishments is a good enough model to replicate. In his way, after careful analysis major problems have to be broken up into achievable goals, time frames fixed, resources provided and, presto, the team should deliver.

Unfortunately in India, Murphy's Law (anything that can go wrong will go wrong) still prevails. Kalam's notions may take a while gaining supremacy.