A ‘Naga Sadhu,’ or Hindu holy man, places a mask across his face before entering the Ganges river during the traditional Shahi Snan, or royal dip, at the Kumbh Mela festival in Haridwar, India, April 12, 2021. As COVID-19 cases and deaths exploded in India in April and May, hospitals ran so short of oxygen that many patients suffocated. (Danish Siddiqui)
A healthcare worker administers a dose of CoviShield, a coronavirus disease vaccine, to a shepherd during a vaccination drive in Lidderwat, located in India Kashmir's Anantnag district, June 10, 2021. (Sanna Irshad Mattoo)
Urns containing ashes after final rites of people, including those who died from the coronavirus disease, await immersion due to a national lockdown, at a crematorium in New Delhi, India, May 6, 2021. (Danish Siddiqui)
Residences surround the grounds of a crematorium during a mass cremation for victims of the coronavirus disease in New Delhi, India, April 22, 2021. (Danish Siddiqui)
Pranav Mishra, 19, kneels toward the body of his mother Mamta Mishra, 45, who died from the coronavirus disease, ahead of her cremation, in New Delhi, India, May 4, 2021. (Danish Siddiqui)
A female patient suffering from the coronavirus disease is attended to by hospital staff inside the emergency ward of the Holy Family hospital in New Delhi, India, April 29, 2021. (Danish Siddiqui)
A man grieves as his family member is declared dead outside the coronavirus disease casualty ward at the Guru Teg Bahadur hospital in New Delhi, India, April 23, 2021. (Danish Siddiqui)
Manoj Kumar waves a handkerchief from the back seat of his vehicle at his mother Vidhya Devi as she receives oxygen in the parking lot of a Gurudwara (Sikh temple) amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease in Ghaziabad, India, April 24, 2021. (Danish Siddiqui)
A healthcare worker checks the temperature of a woman inside her hut during a coronavirus disease vaccination drive for workers at a brick kiln in Kavitha village on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, April 8, 2021. (Amit Dave)
A man sits next to his wife, who was suffering from a high fever, as she intravenously receives rehydration fluid at a makeshift clinic during a surge of the coronavirus disease in Parsaul village located in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, May 22, 2021. (Adnan Abidi)
Ashish Kashyap and Naman Sharma, volunteers at a non-profit organization, carry a bag containing unclaimed ashes of victims who died from the coronavirus disease at a crematorium in New Delhi, India, May 9, 2021. (Adnan Abidi)
The body of a person, who died from the coronavirus disease, lies on a funeral pyre during a mass cremation at a crematorium in New Delhi, India May 1, 2021. (Adnan Abidi)
Family members embrace while wearing personal protective equipment as they mourn a male relative, who died from the coronavirus disease, during his cremation ceremony in New Delhi, India April 21, 2021. (Adnan Abidi)
Manisha Bashu presses the chest of her father, who was having difficulty breathing, after he felt unconscious while receiving oxygen support at a Gurudwara (Sikh temple) amidst the spread of coronavirus disease in Ghaziabad, India, April 30, 2021. (Adnan Abidi)
Amid the controversy about the exact figures of Covid-19 deaths in India, four photojournalists have won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for 2022 for their photography of Covid deaths in India. It also includes slain photographer Danish Siddiqui, killed by the Taliban militants while covering conflicts between Afghanistan and Taliban forces in 2021. All four lensmen work for the Reuters agency.
While three other photographers – Adnan Abidi, Amit Dave, and Sanna Irshad Mattoo have got it for the first time, it was second for Danish Siddiqui, posthumously.
The 38-year-old Siddiqui had won the Pulitzer in 2018 itself.
Watch the award-winning photographs at eNewsroom India‘s gallery.
The chart above is a graphic story of the Indian Rupee vs the United States Dollar over the last five years. It, therefore, shouldn’t surprise anyone that the INR fell to an all-time low of Rs 77.4 to a US Dollar a few days ago. What has happened was inevitable. The reality is that India’s economy is weak, and it is getting reflected in the value of the currency.
The immediate reason was a hike in the US interest rates by the Federal Reserve which made the US Treasury bonds more attractive to foreign investors, leading to an exit of funds from India to a relative safe haven of the United States. Foreign investors had already pulled out a massive Rs 1.22 lakh crore from the Indian equity and debt markets in the year 2021-22. In the current fiscal 2022-23, global investors have already made a net sale of equity and debt of Rs 25,594 crore in the month of April alone.
The second factor was an increase in the repo rates of India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) by 40 basis points. The objective of RBI was to bring down runaway inflation. Nevertheless, the interest rate increase dampened business sentiments which in turn weakened the INR. The repo rate is the rate at which the RBI lends money to commercial banks in the country if they face a lack of funds. The central bank gives short-term loans to commercial banks against government bonds or treasury bills. The repo rate is basically used by the central bank to have a handle on inflation by regulating liquidity.
High fuel prices caused inflation
Inflation was already running high, as daily increases in fuel prices were having a cascading effect on the prices of everyday items. It had affected middle-class spending as without much disposable income, they were forced to spend only on essentials. The poor were in even worse shape and were cutting back on food. Millions had been pushed into poverty during the pandemic lockdowns, inflation now hit them when there were at their most vulnerable.
Figure 1India’s GDP % Source: Statista
Policy mistakes weakened the economy
But these are only a fraction of the reasons why the rupee had been on a slope for the last five years or more. The basic cause is simple – the Indian economy is simply not doing well ever since the government in its inexplicable wisdom pulled the handbrakes with a draconian decision to demonetize the currency in November 2016. In one stroke, almost 80% of the liquidity of the economy was sucked out. Millions of jobs were lost, as companies went out of business. Commerce and industry were thrown into utter chaos. The micro-small-medium-enterprises, which is almost one-third of the economy were the worst affected as thousands of units downed shutters never to reopen again. The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) tanked by nearly 2%.
This was followed by a tardy implementation of the Goods & Services Tax (GST) that further created hassles for the small and medium enterprises, increased the cost of compliance and made doing business highly cumbersome. The double whammy of demonetization and GST had dealt a body blow to the Indian economy, weakening its ability to withstand shocks. And more severe shocks did come as Covid19 hit the world in 2020. In March of that year, India announced an abrupt lockdown. Not only did it cause catastrophic human suffering, but it simply brought the economy to a standstill. Joblessness increased further wearying an already wobbly economy. Around 230 million Indians had been pushed into poverty during the pandemic lockdowns, per a report by a private think-tank Azim Premji University.
The shock of the Ukraine-Russia war
If these weren’t enough, the economy made vulnerable by policy missteps of the government, could not withstand a further shock of high oil prices triggered by Russia’s attack on Ukraine. India imports 80% of its oil requirement and any increase in its prices is bound to affect its economy, resulting in a trade deficit, despite rising exports. India’s trade deficit rose 87.5% to US$192.41 billion in 2021-22 as against US$102.63 billion in the previous year.
Figure 2 India’s Debt-to-GDP ratio (Source: Statista)
A yawning trade deficit
India historically runs a trade deficit. According to Acuité Ratings, the cumulative trade deficit for 2021-22 has widened to more than a decade high at $192 billion. It was in 2012-13 when the trade deficit peaked at $190 billion. Given the higher crude prices, Acuité Ratings expects the trade deficit to widen further. A higher trade deficit will put pressure on the current account deficit (CAD), which in turn will increase demand for foreign currency, especially dollars, to finance the deficit, and affect the INR value vs the USDollar.
High debt-to-GDP
One of the most worrying signals of the economy is the debt-to-GDP ratio. India’s total general government debt (Centre plus states) to GDP ratio increased from 48.8% in the 1980s to 89.6% in FY21. Public debt (Central government liabilities) rose from Rs128 lakh crore in FY21 to a high of Rs135.87 lakh crore by March 2022.
This means that there is a nearly 90% debt burden on the total value of goods and services the country produces. Servicing this debt will be a huge strain on the economy. Meanwhile, The International Monetary Fund has further slashed India’s economic growth prospects for 2022 to 8.2% from its earlier projection of 9%, which in itself was lowered from 9.5%.
Research firm CRISIL has reiterated its December 2021 forecast of India’s GDP growth at 7.8% for the fiscal year 2022-2023. The ongoing geopolitical turmoil in Europe between Russia & Ukraine has offset any potential upside due to the early end of a mild third wave of Covid-19 infections, it said.
A weak currency is a symptom
Against this backdrop, it wasn’t at all surprising that the rupee fell to its lowest against the US Dollar. The value of a currency is just a symptom of a deeper malaise that ails the economy. If the economy is feeble, it’s a no-brainer that its currency will also be weak. Raising interest rates, without addressing core issues like rising fuel prices will not be enough to combat inflation. It’s like shifting gears in a car, without pressing the clutch.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, recently announced employees can work from home forever. He calls the office an ‘anachronistic form’ that is ‘from a pre-digital age.’ Apple’s director of machine learning, Ian Goodfellow, has departed in protest of his company’s return-to-work policy. Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently shared his views on why in-office work is better, saying “I don’t know how you build great management” virtually.
Meanwhile, about 50% of leaders say their company already or will require a return to in-person work full-time in the next year, according to Microsoft research that surveyed 31,102 people around the world. Return-to-Office has opened Pandora’s box and has raised more questions than answers about flexible work. There is an overwhelming push-back from employees over return-to-office commandments.
Office tourists
Recently, a global technology company started a return-to-office for 30% of its workforce, but only about 10% turned up. Even those were ‘office tourists’ as those who turned up were mostly taking a break from two years of continuous work-from-anywhere or home, to catch up on colleagues for a chat, rather than any serious work.
Things have reached a point where employees would rather quit than return-to-office permanently. A survey conducted by recruitment and staffing firm CIEL HR Services showed that at least 6 out of every 10 employees in India were ready to resign instead of returning to the office. Interestingly, almost the same number of respondents were ready to skip a higher-paid job that requires them to come to the office, according to the survey findings. Tata Steel had announced an ‘Agile Working Models’ policy during the pandemic. Now, the firm plans to continue with it.
Courtesy: picxy.com/dreamworks
Employees are quitting in droves
A blanket return-to-office is one of the reasons why the information technology industry is witnessing unheard of attrition levels breaching the 25% high-water-mark, with some companies even reporting that a third of their workforce have quit. From an average employee’s point of view, they have enjoyed a return-to-homes in their tier-2/3 cities while working from anywhere in the last two years. This has helped them save on rents, live a better life compared to their cramped paying guest accommodations in polluted metropolises, and take care of their parents. Their savings had increased, and at the same time, they could contribute to their family incomes. Now, they aren’t ready to give up. Rather they would look for another job that offers flexible work.
Employees in semi-autonomous mode
The other major reason for not liking the return-to-office model is that employees have become used to working in a semi-autonomous mode with far less supervision from their managers. A whole new generation of employees who have joined the workforce in the last two years have never experienced the office environment and having managers physically supervise their work. Better work-life balance, being with the family, and financial gains are clearly some of the major reasons why employees are reluctant to accept return-to-office permanently.
Throughout the pandemic, office employees have found benefits of remote work that they don’t want to give up: There’s no commute, you can exercise during breaks and eat healthier when there’s not an office lunch involved, and your schedule is more yours to make time for what’s important to you, like picking your child up from school or starting and finishing work earlier. They’re joining a movement called the Great Resignation — a wave of workers quitting their jobs after realizing they want better.
Courtesy: simpliance.in
The future is about connecting
In a letter sent to company executives, a group of Apple workers voiced their opposition to the company’s return to office strategy, accusing the company of de-valuing worker flexibility and implementing a policy “driven by fear.” “Office-bound work is a technology from the last century, from the era before ubiquitous video-call-capable internet and everyone being on the same internal chat application,” the letter reads. “But the future is about connecting when it makes sense, with people who have relevant input, no matter where they are based.”
At a “Wall Street Journal” industry event last year, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon weighed in on the idea of remote work, saying it “doesn’t work for people who want to hustle.” It “doesn’t work for culture, doesn’t work for idea generation,” Dimon continued. “We are getting blowback about coming back internally. But that’s life.” It appears the blowback won. Earlier last month, a year after JPMorgan had said everyone would be required to return to the office, Dimon conceded he now expects only about half his 270,000-person workforce to return to the office full time — and 10% will work fully remote.
New reality needs new processes
Looks like organizations must accept this new reality as the future-of-work and tailor ways of working, processes, management styles, remote working platforms, training and hiring among others to suit a flexible future. Instead of looking for specific skills, organizations are identifying people who are quick learners, comfortable with ambiguity, and adaptable to rapidly changing scenarios. Flexible and hybrid work will mean less direct supervision. This will require self-motivated employees, who can work in a semi-autonomous mode, and at the same time are at ease while collaborating over digital platforms. The shift is from skills to aptitude.
Delhi: Ishrat Akther from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir is a multi-faceted personality. She is an international wheelchair basketball player, a motivational speaker, Kashmir’s young leader and an achiever’s award-winner. Indeed, six years back, Ishrat’s life had no meaning — but an incident changed it all.
Now, Ishrat has become an inspiration for all those individuals who set limitations for themselves. Who refuse to dream and achieve their ambitions.
The girl next door
Ishrat was born in a village where women did not participate in sports. Like any other girl, she believed whatever her family taught her and did not dare to dream big. However, her life changed on August 24, 2016, when she fell from the balcony of her house. The injury was serious, it damaged her spinal cord – making her physically challenged.
Life changed for the good when the 25-year-old girl from the Authoora area in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district started her basketball career in 2018. For her, playing basketball was not just a love for the sport but a passion for standing against all odds, come what may.
“I never played any sport before 2016, not even in school, but in 2016 when I was just 18 years old, I met with an accident. I fell off from the balcony of my house and this made me bedridden for two long years,” recalls Ishrat.
Did not surrender to fate
A brave and resilient girl, she developed the will power to transform adversity into hope. Certainly, she did not wish to live a life of hopelessness and despair.
“After that accident, I was a patient at the Voluntary Medicare Society. I saw some boys coming to play basketball on the court which was in the society and all of them were in wheelchairs! Seeing them play, I was deeply influenced. I was inspired. I thought, “I don’t want to sit idle. Let people form their own, biased opinions,” she says and continues:
I, therefore, decided to play basketball. I remember that when the selection process for the Indian team started, police and army people came to my home and informed me that my name was in the list and if I wanted to attend the three-day selection process for the Indian team, I must leave for Chennai within a day. For me, this was a golden opportunity, so I left for Chennai all alone, and participated in the selection process. Luckily, and to my great joy, I got selected. Since then, I have been determined to live a life based on self-conviction, will power and courage.
At the Medicare Society, I joined the Wheelchair Basketball Team and got selected for the ‘nationals’ in Tamil Nadu, representing Delhi. Jammu and Kashmir did not have a team at that time. I was part of a team of good players. Eventually, a team for the state was conceived. I played the second national game at Mohali, representing J&K.
Ishrat Akhter receiving an award by the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha | eNewsroom India
Conquering world
“I was selected to represent India at the Asia Oceania Wheelchair Basketball Championship at Pattaya, Thailand in 2019. I am the only girl from my state who has represented India at the international level. Besides, I have participated in a Boys’ Wheelchair Race, I being the only girl in the race. Happily, I secured the first position. I also play Wheelchair Table Tennis,” says Ishrat, with great pride.
Among others, Colonel Isenhower has been a constant support for Ishrat. He has been her guide, mentor and guru. And she is full of praise for him.
“When the selection process for the Indian team was going on, communication services were suspended in Kashmir. Hence, Colonel Isenhower, who was in Kochi, traced me out in two days and arranged everything. Since then, he has been an inspiration for me. He has always been motivating me to do much, much more. He always says that I have to make my name and thus refuse to be restrained — because I am a wheelchair-bound person,” says Ishrat.
Ishrat’s family has always acted with amazing positivity and magnanimity, giving her optimism and courage. She feels that, undoubtedly, it is due to the support of her family that she has reached the international forum, something impossible to conceive for a girl with the kind of difficulties she had faced in her life.
On the flip side, she believes that her life has completely changed because of the accident which resulted in her opting for basketball.
Indeed, after four years of the accident, Ishrat has resumed her academic life, and is currently pursuing a diploma in the Women’s Polytechnic College, Srinagar.
Truly, she represents the eternal metaphor of hope. For her, sky is the limit.
“Not just an international recognition but after 4 years of my accident, I resumed my studies. I passed my Class 10 and also appeared for my Class 12 exams. Now, I’m also pursuing my Diploma,” she says.
Controls her life
The specially-abled Ishrat, braving all odds drives a car, all by herself without anyone’s support.
“In the beginning, it was very difficult, but I wanted to drive by myself. If one has courage and willpower – one can achieve anything in life,” she adds.
“I remember, I used to feel scared even if I had to go some miles away from my home but today I travel alone, even when I have to go to some places outside Kashmir. There are instances when I observe people looking at me and seeing how I manage things but at the same time I’m proud of the fact that today, I get invited to speak as a motivational speaker across India,” she points out.
In 2019, she was also selected for a Sports Visitors Program- Wheelchair Basketball and Accessibility in the USA but because of personal issues she was not able to attend it.
Ishrat is also a motivational speaker and has delivered many talks in Kashmir and other states. She was presented the Kashmir Young leadership award and Kashmir Young Achievers Award 2021 by the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha.
She has also received the Women Steel award 2022 from JKPCC.
Ranchi: While no official statement has been issued by the Enforcement Directorate officials on the raids conducted at the premises of Indian Administrative Service officer and mining secretary Pooja Singhal Purwar even after two days, political attacks and counter attacks have begun in Jharkhand.
As soon as the raids began on Pooja Singhal’s aides in Jharkhand, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders were seen attacking the Hemant Soren government. Member of Parliament from Godda, Nishikant Dubey led it by tweeting about the raid at 7.44 am on May 6. While chief minister Hemant Soren, when asked about the raid, claimed he is not afraid of such raids.
On Saturday, a day after recovering a huge amount of cash, around 20 crores, from the premises of Singhal’s Chartered Accountant Suman Kumar, both BJP and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leaders held a press conference in the state capital.
Who is Pooja Singhal?
The 2000 batch IAS officer before serving as a secretary of the mining department of Jharkhand and managing director of Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation Limited was posted as deputy commissioner in different districts of Jharkhand including Chatra, Khunti and Palamu. She was also a sub-divisional magistrate in Hazaribagh in her early career.
After the ED raids, three times CPIML legislator Vinod Singh in his Facebook post claimed that he had been raising questions on her alleged corruption in Chatra, Khunti and Palamu districts inside the assembly since 2011. Most of the corruption charges against her were related to the rural job scheme—MNREGA. He mentioned that initially no action was taken on his demand, but later an inquiry was set up. The report was submitted by another IAS Nitin Kulkarni. The MLA had expressed satisfaction with it.
“But again no action was taken on the report, and when we made further demands, then chief minister Raghubar Das set up another committee in 2017 and gave a clean chit to Pooja Singhal,” Vinod Singh wrote in his post.
Saryu Roy, a former BJP leader, who has been raising corruption cases during the Raghubar Das government also tweeted that there should be an investigation on Momentum Jharkhand, an investors event along with MNREGA. He even tagged CM Soren and demanded that the state anti-corruption bureau should do its duty too.
The report on Pooja SinghalThe report on Pooja Singhal
Silence of Raghubar Das
Former chief minister Das, who has been accused of shielding Singhal and organizing Momentum Jharkhand, is in silent mode on the issue.
Since the raids began, the BJP national vice-president retweeted the tweets of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the party’s National President JP Nadda, but did not tweet a single thing about the raids at the IAS officer’s premises.
Is BJP being defensive?
Not only former chief minister Das is maintaining silence but other BJP leaders, who were in a hurry to take political advantage of the raids, seem to have gone on at a back foot. BJP’s state president Deepak Prakash conducted a PC to further attack Hemant Soren’s government, seeking investigation into the entire tenure of the IAS officer, but when questioned about her being given a clean chit in two cases by Raghubar Das led BJP government in 2017, Prakash replied that the clean chit should also be investigated.
JMM’s counterattack
JMM, the party, which was facing attacks from BJP leaders, also held a press conference and demanded an investigation on the trio– Raghubar Das, Babulal Marandi and former chief secretary Rajbala Verma.
“BJP state president Deepak Prakash has accepted that there should be an investigation on the clean chit given to Pooja Singhal by Raghubar Das government. But he has to make it clear, who is correct, the raids by ED or the clean chit given by Raghubar Das,” said JMM MLA Sudivya Sonu, while showing 2017’s clean chit letter given to Pooja Singhal.
Replying to a question, why did JMM make Pooja Singhal mining secretary? Sonu answered, “Had Raghubar Das (BJP) government taken action against Pooja Singhal, we would not have given her any department to look after. But, we lack IAS and IPS officers, so we have to take work from existing officials.”
While JMM’s senior leader Supriyo Bhattacharya alleged, “The clean chit was given by Raghubar Das and then Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma, so both should be investigated. Also, one of the corruption charges against Pooja Singha was leveled by the JVM party. Since Babulal Marandi has traded it and JVM has merged with BJP, Babulal should also be investigated in this case.”
Significantly, Suman Kumar, the CA of Pooja Singhal who has been arrested by ED on money laundering charges, alleged before media persons that ED officials are pressurizing him to name CM Hemant Soren, his secretary Vinay Choubey and Pooja Singhal in the money laundering case.
रांची: झारखंड के जिस आईएएस अधिकारी पूजा सिंघल पुरवार के यहाँ ईडी के छापे में करोड़ों कैश मिला है, उनकी शिकायत बगोदर के माले विधायक विनोद सिंह 11 साल पहले कर चुके हैं, विधानसभा में। कार्रवाई तो हुई नहीं, पर विनोद सिंह ने पूजा सिंघल के भ्रष्टाचार का मामला कई बार उठाया था। उनकी कार्यशैली पर चतरा, खूंटी, पलामू, जहाँ भी रही हर बार सवाल उठा, एक जाँच जिसे हजारीबाग उपायुक्त रहते नितिन मदन कुलकर्णी ने किया था और जिसे विधायक सही मानते हैं, उस पर कोई कार्रवाई नहीं हुई।
आज माले विधायक ने लिखा है इस बारे में अपने फेसबुक पोस्ट पे, पढ़ें:
शायद 2011 की बात है। मैं विधानसभा समिति के स्थल निरीक्षण में चतरा गया हुआ था। हमारे साथ समिति में अरूप चटर्जी और जनार्दन पासवान भी थे। जिला में समीक्षा के दौरान मैंने देखा कि मनरेगा की योजना में दो NGO को तत्कालीन उपायुक्त पूजा सिंघल के द्वारा करोड़ो रूपये अग्रिम भुगतान किए गए हैं। जबकि कार्य रिपोर्ट में कार्य की तस्वीर नहीं दिख रही थी। कुछ आधी अधूरी थी। मैंने स्थानीय विधायक जनार्दन जी से बात की, उन्होंने भी शंका जताई।
फिर हम तीनों ने कुछ गांव जाकर निरीक्षण का फैसला लिया। कई योजना धरातल में थी ही नहीं, कुछ कुआँ आधे अधूरे मिले भी तो उनका भुगतान मजदूरों को नहीं मिला। एक किसान ने अपना सर दिखाया कि मजदूरी भुगतान नही होने के कारण मजदूरों ने उनका सर फोड़ दिया। जबकि उन सभी योजना के नाम पर निकासी हो चुकी थी। आकर हम सभी ने एक संक्षिप्त रिपोर्ट विधान सभा में दिया, ग्रामीण विकास विभाग को सौंपा, और एक उच्चस्तरीय जाँच की मांग की। जाहिर है रिपोर्ट ठंढे बस्ते में रही।
लेकिन फिर मैंने अपने जाँच के तथ्यों पर विधानसभा में सवाल उठाया, और अंततः तत्कालीन आयुक्त हजारीबाग नितिन मदन कुलकर्णी को हमारे सवाल पर जाँच के लिए सौपा गया। उन्होंने अपनी जाँच में पूर्ण रूप से पूजा सिंघल को जिम्मेवार माना। इसी मध्य खूंटी से एक मनरेगा घोटाला की रिपोर्ट आई, उस समय भी वहाँ की उपायुक्त पूजा सिंघल थी, हमारे प्रश्न पर राम विनोद सिन्हा पर तो FIR हुआ लेकिन वरीय अधिकारी पर कार्रवाई नहीं हुई।
तब तक पलामू में भी क्रय में गड़बड़ी की शिकायत आई। फिर मैंने सरकार से प्रश्न पूछा कि आयुक्त हजारीबाग के रिपोर्ट पर कार्रवाई क्यो नहीं तो सरकार ने कहा कार्मिक विभाग समीक्षा कर रही है। मुझे 2010 से 2014 के अंतिम दो विधानसभा सत्र चित्रपट की तरह याद है जब भी उक्त घोटाला से सम्बंधित हमारा प्रश्न सूची में रहता था तो उसका नम्बर आने से पहले किसी और सवाल पर हंगामा हो कर सदन स्थगित हो जाता।
पिछले विधानसभा के रघुबर दास जी के कार्यकाल में अरूप चटर्जी ने भी मामले को उठाने की कोशिश की। लेकिन सरकार टालती रही। बल्कि नितीन मदन कुलकर्णी के जाँच रिपोर्ट के आधार पर करवाई करने के बजाय एक और जाँच कराकर उस पर लीपापोती की गई। क्लीन चिट दी गयी।
और अंततः आज के छापे के बाद स्प्ष्ट है कि सरकारों ने हमेशा भ्रस्ट अधिकारियों के बचाव का काम ही किया है।अपनी जरूरत के हिसाब से करवाई की है। वर्तमान सरकार अब भी सचेत हो और लंबित मामलों पर करवाई करे।
“सबसे खास बात ये है कि, नितिन कुलकर्णी के रिपोर्ट पे तो कार्रवाई नहीं की गई, और इन्हें बचाने के लिए एक दूसरी जाँच बैठा दी गई थी, जिसके वजह से ये आज तक कार्रवाई से बचती रहीं।” विनोद सिंह ने ईन्यूज़रूम को बताया।
उन्होने आगे कहा, “अभी भी जो छापे हो रहे, इसमे सिर्फ पैसे इतने हैं ये पता चला है, जिसे सफ़ेद साबित करना इस रसूख के अधिकारियों के लिए बड़ी बात नहीं है। कार्रवाई तो सही तब मानी जाएगी जब, किस-किस तरीके से ये पैसे आये इसकी जाँच और सजा हो।”
Earlier this week, Nike shared a letter from its founder Phil Knight on its social media channels. In the letter, Knight celebrated the 50th anniversary of a make-or-break moment in his company’s history. On May 1, 1972, Onitsuka Co, the Japanese shoemaker whose shoes Nike (then called Blue Ribbon Sports) had been licensing for the U.S. market, terminated their contract with Knight’s company. “What could have been a gut punch, was a royal kick in the butt that pushed us forward,” Knight recounts.
Make Its Own Products
The split from Onitsuka forced Knight, who had already been looking at alternative suppliers as the relationship with Onitsuka soured, to double down on his efforts to make his own line of shoes. And while the first shoes carrying the famous Swoosh – soccer boots from a Mexican factory that Knight planned to sell as football boots – were a failure, the Nike brand was born. “We had a dream, our love for sports, a ton of ambition, a trunk full of running shoes, and a big Swoosh on all of them,” Knight writes.
The World’s Largest Footwear Company
Back in 1972, Blue Ribbon Sports was constantly strapped for cash, with $1.3 million in annual sales according to Knight’s (highly recommended) memoir “Shoe Dog”. 50 years later, Nike is the world’s largest sportswear company with $44.5 billion in annual sales. In other words, it now takes Nike roughly 15 minutes to match what it sold in a year in 1972. As the following chart shows, Nike’s growth story had very few setbacks along the way with sales never declining for more than a year at a time.
Sales Grew 96%
Nike finished its fiscal year that ended on March 31 with a flourish. The sportswear giant beat analyst expectations as fourth-quarter sales grew 96 percent compared to the previous year and 21 percent compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019, which is a better gauge of performance as last year’s May quarter was heavily impacted by COVID-related store closures. Full-year revenue was up 19 percent to $44.5 billion, while net income more than doubled to $5.7 billion. The results were once again driven by strong growth of Nike’s direct-to-consumer business, which saw sales increase by 32 percent for the full fiscal year, compared to 12 percent growth in sales to wholesale customers.
Cutting The Middleman
The latest results are a continuation of a longer-term trend that sees Nike, like other industry heavyweights, cut out the middle man and move more and more towards selling directly to consumers, at the expense of traditional retailers. As the following chart shows, the percentage of direct-to-consumer sales in total Nike brand sales more than doubled over the past decade, climbing from 15 percent in 2010 to 39 percent in the fiscal year 2021. In the meantime, direct-to-consumer sales grew more than six-fold in absolute terms, from $2.5 billion in 2010 to $16.4 billion in 2021. The steep increase in direct sales is largely driven by sales across Nike’s digital platforms, which accounted for 21 percent of Nike brand sales last year.
“FY21 was a pivotal year for Nike as we brought our Consumer Direct Acceleration strategy to life across the marketplace,” John Donahoe, President & CEO of Nike said. Now approaching 40 percent, Nike aims for direct sales to represent 60 percent of its business by 2025, with the share of digital direct sales expected to double from 21 to around 40 percent. Earlier this year, Nike’s largest competitor Adidas had announced a similar initiative called “Own the Game”, under which the German sportswear giant plans to reach 50 percent direct-to-consumer sales by 2025.
চারুলতা আমার সবচেয়ে টেকনিক্যালি পারফেক্ট ফিল্ম। সদগতি আমার সত্যিকারের মৌলিক চলচ্চিত্র।
চলচ্চিত্র নির্মাতা সত্যজিৎ রায়
এই মে মাসে কান ক্লাসিক বিভাগে চলচ্চিত্র নির্মাতা সত্যজিৎ রায় এর দশটি চলচ্চিত্র প্রদর্শিত হবে। সত্যজিৎ রায়ের সেরা চলচ্চিত্র কোনটি তা মূল্যায়ন করা সত্যিই কঠিন। সত্যজিৎ রায়ের বর্ণাঢ্য কর্মজীবন কম বাজেটে তৈরি মাস্টারপিসে পূর্ণ। তাদের প্রায় সবাই সময়ের পরীক্ষায় দাঁড়িয়েছে। অপু ট্রিলজি ক্লাসিক বিষয়বস্তু-ভিত্তিক, দেবী হিন্দু কুসংস্কারগুলিকে কল্পনা করে যা বাস্তবে ভিত্তি করে না, মহানগর সংগ্রামী বাঙালি নিম্ন মধ্যবিত্তের দুর্দশাকে তুলে ধরে এবং গুপি গায়েন বাঘা বায়েন একটি সর্বকালের স্মরণীয় রূপক।
চলচ্চিত্র নির্মাতা সত্যজিৎ রায় কখনই গণবিনোদনকারী ছিলেন না। তিনি একটি বিশেষ শিক্ষিত দর্শকদের জন্য বাস্তবে ভিত্তি করে সামাজিকভাবে উদ্দেশ্যমূলক চলচ্চিত্র পরিচালনা করেছিলেন। এমনকি বাঙালি পরিবেশের বাইরেও তিনি একটি আন্তর্জাতিক দৃষ্টিভঙ্গি প্রকাশ করেছিলেন। আশ্চর্যের কিছু নেই যে তিনি গত সহস্রাব্দের বিশ্বের শীর্ষ পাঁচ চলচ্চিত্র নির্মাতাদের মধ্যে স্থান করে নিয়েছেন।
তিনি হলিউড ব্লকবাস্টার, ইউরোপীয় সিনেমা বা এমনকি দামি বলিউড গ্লসিসের জন্য উপলব্ধ বাজেট পাননি। শুধুমাত্র সুরেশ জিন্দালের কাছ থেকে উচ্চ মানের ফিনান্স পেয়েছিলেন, তিনি অবিস্মরণীয় শতরঞ্জ কে খিলাড়ি তৈরি করেছিলেন। পলায়নবাদী বিনোদন-প্রেমী হিন্দি চলচ্চিত্র দর্শকরা মুন্সি প্রেমচাঁদ মহাকাব্যের গভীরতা উপলব্ধি করতে না পারায় ছবিটি ফ্লপ হয়ে যায়। সত্যজিৎ নিজেও হিন্দি ভাষা নিয়ে খুব একটা স্বচ্ছন্দ ছিলেন না। তবুও তার টেলিফিল্ম সদগতিতে, তিনি আরেকটি মুন্সি প্রেমচাঁদ ক্লাসিককে ছোট পর্দার জন্য চিরসবুজ সেলুলয়েড সংস্করণে অনুবাদ করেন।
দেবীর একটি স্কেচ সৌজন্যে: রে সোসাইটি
আকিরা কুরাসাওয়া, ইংমার বার্গম্যান এবং প্রয়াত মার্টিন স্কোরসেসের মতো কিংবদন্তি পরিচালকরা তার চলচ্চিত্র নির্মাণের ক্ষমতা দেখে বিস্মিত হয়েছেন। একটি বিষয় কল্পনা করা থেকে এটির চিত্রনাট্য, পরিচালনা এবং সঙ্গীত রচনা পর্যন্ত, সত্যজিৎ আজও অতুলনীয়। তার প্রতিটি স্টোরিবোর্ডের জন্য, তিনি তার চরিত্রগুলির নিখুঁত স্কেচগুলি কল্পনা করেছিলেন এবং আঁকেন যা পোশাক ডিজাইনের উপরও দক্ষতা দেখায়।
60-এর দশকের গোড়ার দিকে আগ্রা সফরের সময় ডেভিড লিনের সাথে কথোপকথনের সময়, সত্যজিৎ সাহিত্যের উপর ভিত্তি করে স্মরণীয় চলচ্চিত্র নির্মাণের গুরুত্ব তুলে ধরেন। সত্যজিৎ নিজে মেধার লেখক ছিলেন। উভয় পক্ষই একটি বিষয়ে একমত যে একজন চলচ্চিত্র পরিচালকের কখনই জীবনের চেয়ে বড় চিন্তা করা উচিত নয়। তারা দৃঢ়ভাবে মনে করেন যে কোনো চলচ্চিত্র নির্মাতারই নিজেকে সাহিত্যিকের চেয়ে বড় মনে করা উচিত নয়।
সত্যজিৎ রায়ের মতো একজন নোংরা, গুরুগম্ভীর ব্যক্তি পরস্পাথর এবং মহাপুরুষের মতো চমৎকার ব্যঙ্গ-ব্যঙ্গ পরিচালনা করতে পারলেন তা বিস্ময়ের বিষয়। তার সব ছবি স্মরণীয় নয়। অভিজন ও আবর অরণ্যে কিশোর কন্যা বা প্রতিদ্বন্দীর তুলনায় নিকৃষ্ট। তবুও, তাদের স্মরণীয় সিনেমাটিক মুহূর্ত ছিল।
চলচ্চিত্র নির্মাতা সত্যজিৎ রায় সব সময় নতুন আসন্ন চলচ্চিত্র নির্মাতাদের উৎসাহ দিতেন। তিনি তাদের অনুকরণ না করার পরামর্শ দেন। বুদ্ধদেব দাস গুপ্ত, গৌতম ঘোষ এবং অপর্ণা সেন সত্যজিৎ রায়ের দ্বারা অনুপ্রাণিত হয়েছিলেন কিন্তু কখনও তাঁকে অনুলিপি করেননি। FTII পুনের ছাত্রদের কাছে, সত্যজিৎ রায়ের পরামর্শ ছিল সের্গেই আইজেনস্টাইনের ফিল্ম সেন্স পড়তে এবং চার্লস চ্যাপলিন, জন ফোর্ড এবং ভিত্তোরিও ডি’সিকার পথ অনুসরণ করতে।
সত্যজিৎ পরাবাস্তববাদী পথে হাঁটেননি বা অহেতুক সহজ বিষয়কে জটিল করে তোলায় বিশ্বাস করেননি। সিনেমার বিনোদন সম্ভাবনাকে তিনি কখনোই উপেক্ষা করেননি। তার শতবর্ষ শেষ হওয়ার সাথে সাথে, সত্যজিৎ অগণিত দর্শকের স্মৃতিতে রয়ে গেছেন একজন আইকনিক ফিল্মমেকার যার সেরা বিচার করা খুবই কঠিন ঠিক চার্লস চ্যাপলিন বা ফ্রান্সিসকো রসির ক্ষেত্রে।
রায়ের দুর্লভ ছবি দেওয়ার জন্য রায় সোসাইটিকে বিশেষ ধন্যবাদ।
“Charulata is my most technically perfect film. Sadgati is my truly fundamental film.” Satyajit Ray.
Ten of Satyajit Ray’s films will be screened at the Cannes classic section this May. It is really difficult to assess which one is Satyajit Ray’s best film. The illustrious career of Satyajit Ray is full of masterpieces made on low budgets. Almost all of them have stood the test of time. The Apu Trilogy is classic content-oriented, Devi visualizes Hindu superstitions which are not grounded in reality, Mahanagar highlights the plight of the struggling Bengali lower middle class and Goopy Gayen Bagha Bayen is an all-time memorable allegory.
Satyajit Ray was never a mass entertainer. He directed socially purposeful films grounded in reality for a niche educated audience. Even in out and out Bengali surroundings he conveyed an international outlook. No wonder he ranks among the top five filmmakers of the world of the previous millennium.
He never received budgets available for Hollywood blockbusters, European cinema or even costly Bollywood glossies. The only time he got finance of high standards was from Suresh Jindal, he made an unforgettable Shatranj Ke Khiladi. The film flopped as the escapist entertainment-loving Hindi film viewers were unable to fathom the depths of the Munshi Premchand epic. Ray himself was not too comfortable with the Hindi language. Yet in his telefilm Sadgati, he translated another Munshi Premchand classic into an evergreen celluloid version for the small screen.
A sketch of Devi | Courtesy: Ray Society
Legendary directors like Akira Kurasawa, Ingmar Bergman and of late Martin Scorsese have marvelled at his filmmaking abilities. From conceiving a subject to scripting it, directing and composing music, Ray remains peerless even today. For each of his storyboards, he visualized and drew perfect sketches of his characters showing mastery over costume design too.
Once during a conversation with David Lean during the latter’s visit to Agra in the early 60s, Ray pointed out the importance of making memorable films based on literature. Ray himself was an author of merit. Both the stalwarts agreed on one aspect that a film director should never think larger than life. They also strongly felt no filmmaker should consider himself greater than a literary creator.
It remains a matter of astonishment how a no-nonsense, serious person like Satyajit Ray could direct excellent satires like Paraspathar and Mahapurush. Not all his films are memorable. Abhijan and Abar Aranye are inferior compared to Teen Kanya or Pratidwandi. Yet, they had memorable cinematic moments.
Satyajit Ray always encouraged new upcoming filmmakers. He advised them not to imitate him. Buddhadev Das Gupta, Goutam Ghose and Aparna Sen were inspired by Satyajit Ray but never copied him. To students of FTII Pune, Ray’s advice was to read Sergei Eisenstein’s Film Sense and follow the path of Charles Chaplin, John Ford and Vittorio D’Sica.
Ray did not walk the surrealist path or never believed in unnecessary complicating simple issues. He never ignored the entertainment potential of cinema. As his centenary ends, Ray in the memory of countless viewers remains an iconic filmmaker whose best is very difficult to judge just as in the cases of Charles Chaplin or Francisco Rossi.
Special thanks to Ray Society for providing rare pictures of Ray.
আলী আকবর খান লক্ষ্মী শঙ্কর দ্বারা পরিবেশিত আন্ধিয়ান (1952) এর জন্য ঘনশ্যাম কি আখেন ভজন রেকর্ড করছিলেন। লেখক, এবং পরিচালক, চেতন আনন্দ তার আলুভাইকে (ভক্তিমূলক গানে একটি ঐতিহ্যবাহী ছন্দ যোগ করতে সরোদ বাদককে বলেছিলেন। উস্তাদ গানটিতে একটি খোল ব্যবহার করতে বাধ্য হন যা পছন্দসই প্রভাব তৈরি করেছিল। তার আত্মপ্রকাশের জন্য, অন্ধকার আলী আকবর খান। রবিশঙ্কর (সেতার) এবং পান্নালাল ঘোষকে (বাঁশি) ব্যাকগ্রাউন্ড স্কোর তৈরি করার জন্য।
চলচ্চিত্র সঙ্গীতের ক্ষেত্রে সরোদ কিংবদন্তি সবসময় অন্ধকারকে তার হৃদয়ের সবচেয়ে কাছের বলে মনে করতেন। তিনি নবকেতনের হামসফর (1953) এর জন্যও সঙ্গীত রচনা করেছিলেন। যদিও অনাদি নাথ ব্যানার্জী পরিচালক ছিলেন, চেতন আনন্দ সঙ্গীতের স্কোর তত্ত্বাবধান করেন এবং ছবিতে অভিনয় করেন। আলী আকবর খান সরোদ এবং বেহালার একটি বিরল সংমিশ্রণ ব্যবহার করে হামসাফারের একটি আবেগঘন দৃশ্যের জন্য একটি স্কোর রচনা করেছিলেন।
দেব আনন্দের প্রতি ওস্তাদের ভ্রাতৃত্ববোধ ছিল যাকে তিনি “কাউবয়” বলে অভিহিত করেছিলেন। তাই যখন সুরকার হেমন্ত কুমার কিংবদন্তীকে ফেরি (1955) এর একটি দৃশ্যে সরোদ পরিবেশন করার জন্য অনুরোধ করেছিলেন যেখানে দেব আনন্দকে এটি বাজাতে দেখা যাবে, তিনি তা বিনামূল্যে করেছিলেন। আলি আকবর খান দেব আনন্দকে সরোদের সূক্ষ্ম সূক্ষ্মতা শিখিয়েছিলেন যিনি হেমন্ত কুমারের ছেলে রিতেশের সাথে তবলায় (শান্তপ্রসাদ বাজিয়েছিলেন) পরিচালক হেমেন গুপ্তার জন্য দুটি টেকে সিকোয়েন্সটি ক্যানড করেছিলেন।
গৌতম বুদ্ধের 2500 তম জন্মবার্ষিকীর উপর ভিত্তি করে তার পরিচালনায় অঞ্জলি (1956) এ, চেতন আনন্দ আবার আলী আকবর খান এর সাহায্য নেন। একটি 800 ফুট দৃশ্যে যেখানে নিম্মি চেতন আনন্দের ধ্যান ভাঙার চেষ্টা করেন, আলী আকবর খান আবেগগতভাবে অনুপ্রাণিত হন। তিনি চারটি ভিন্ন স্কোর রচনা করেছিলেন। জয়দেব অঞ্জলির অফিসিয়াল সুরকার হলেও চেতন আনন্দ দ্বিতীয়টি বেছে নিয়েছিলেন।
আন্ধিয়ানে আলী আকবর খানের কাজের প্রশংসা করে, সত্যজিৎ রায় তাকে দেবী (1960) এর জন্য সুর করার দায়িত্ব দেন। সিনেমার ভাষা যেমন দাবি করে, সত্যজিৎ রায় কঠোরভাবে সঙ্গীতের ব্যবহার নিয়ন্ত্রণ করেছিলেন। ফলাফল ছিল চমত্কার কিন্তু আপসহীন ওস্তাদ এর তীব্র প্রতিবাদ করেন। এমনকি তিনি সত্যজিৎ রায়ের ভারতীয় শাস্ত্রীয় সঙ্গীত বোধকেও চ্যালেঞ্জ করেছিলেন। তিনি যে পুঙ্খানুপুঙ্খ ভদ্রলোক ছিলেন, সত্যজিৎ রায় কখনোই এই সমালোচনার বিরুদ্ধে পাল্টা জবাব দেননি।
আলি আকবর খান এবং তপন সিনহা খুদিতো পাষাণ (1960) এবং ঝিন্দর বান্দি (1966) ছবিতে একসঙ্গে কাজ করে ভাল সম্পর্ক তৈরি করেছিলেন। খুদিতো পাষাণে, আলী আকবর খান লাঠি চালান কারণ হেমন্ত মুখার্জি তার সোনালী কণ্ঠে অমর ঠাকুর সংখ্যা, সাঘনা ঘনা রাত্রি রেন্ডার করেছিলেন। ঝিন্দর বান্দিতে, উস্তাদ বাঁশের বাঁশি এবং ভারতীয় ড্রামের সাথে সরোদকে একত্রিত করে স্কোর রচনা করেছিলেন।
আলী আকবর খান 1963 সালে লাল কেল্লার জন্য Son-Et-Lumet-এর ইংরেজি এবং হিন্দি সংস্করণে তাঁর সৃজনশীল সেরা ছিলেন। পর্যটন মন্ত্রকের জন্য একটি আলো, ছায়া এবং শব্দ পরীক্ষা চেতন আনন্দ দ্বারা দুর্দান্তভাবে পরিচালিত হয়েছিল। উভয় সংস্করণের জন্য আলী আকবর খানের স্কোর ছিল ফিউশন সঙ্গীতের মাস্টারপিস যা এমনকি ইহুদি মেনুহিন এবং মরিস জার দ্বারা প্রশংসিত হয়েছিল।
আলী আকবর খান এর একটি সর্বকালের স্মরণীয় অথচ নিয়ন্ত্রিত স্কোর ছিল 1958 সালে ঋত্বিক ঘটকের, অজান্ত্রিক-এর জন্য। অজান্ত্রিক-এ সরোদ, সেলো এবং বাঁশির স্মরণীয় ব্যবহার ছিল। হাউসহোল্ডার, 1964, একটি আইভরি মার্চেন্ট ইংরেজি চলচ্চিত্রে তার স্কোরের জন্য, উস্তাদ ভারতীয় ক্লাসিক এবং ওয়েস্টার্ন সিম্ফনিগুলির সাথে কিছু অবিস্মরণীয় মিউজিক্যাল মন্টেজ তৈরি করেছিলেন।
তার শেষ স্কোর ছিল Bernardo Bertolucc’s, The Little Buddha 1996-এর জন্য। যদিও ততক্ষণে তিনি ক্লান্ত হয়ে পড়েছিলেন এবং কিছু আকর্ষণীয় মিউজিক্যাল ইম্প্রোভাইজেশন করেছিলেন। তাঁর শতবর্ষে, ওস্তাদকে স্মরণ করা হবে কারণ দেব আনন্দ যথার্থই বলেছিলেন তিনি একজন সঙ্গীত সাধক যিনি চোখ বন্ধ করে সরোদে ঐশ্বরিক সুর তৈরি করেছিলেন। তিনি যখন চোখ খুললেন, তখন তারা লাল।
