Rocking time

ON HOME TURF After three years, the National Law School’s Strawberry Fields returned to the campus

The 10th edition of Strawberry Fields, the National Law School’s annual rock competition, returned to the college’s campus after a hiatus of three years. Fifty bands fought it out over two days of preliminaries and a night of finals for one of the prestigious crowns of the amateur and semi-professional rock scene in India before a panel of 10 judges.

The first band to perform at the finals was Buzz Theory from Chennai, with an alternative sound that matched frontman Karthik’s personality. Extinct Reflections, the only Bangalore band in the finals, were up next and managed to get a moshpit going with their brand of metal. Cyanide from Delhi followed with some alternative and hard rock. At the fourth spot, Chennai’s Panatella brought their energy and fresh inventive funk to the finals for a second year.

And bringing up the rear with the last competitive performance of the evening were BruteForce from Pune, with a classic speed metal sound.

A laser show followed, after which the headlining act, Junkyard Groove from Chennai, the 2005 winners of the competition took the stage with a cover of Coldplay’s “Yellow”.

Brute Force were declared the best band of the finals, and received a cash prize worth Rs.50,000, while the runners up were Buzz Theory, who were awarded Rs.25,000.

The award for Best College Band went to Schikados.

Hindu On Net

Cause and effect

Do celebrities help a cause, asks Nandini Nair on the eve of World AIDS Day

It’s a celebrity conscious world, nothing works without that Anu Malhotra

PHOTO: PTI

FIGURE OF SPEECH AIDS awareness is on the rise but is it reflecting in a behavioural change?

When the red ribbon marks the calendar a mass reckoning with AIDS occurs. Many people might view this as trendy rather than concerted concern. But December 1 is simply a day, which reinforces the message, “Stop AIDS. Keep the promise.”

While views are divergent about the general extent of awareness of HIV and its transmission, the media has brought AIDS into drawing rooms and forced it into the public consciousness. As of August 31, the National AIDS Control Programme (NACO) accounted for 2759 cases of AIDS in Delhi. J.P. Kapoor, Project Director, Delhi State AIDS Control Society, says however that the HIV cases are as high as 78,000 approximately.

There’s a general consensus that celebrities attract attention to a cause. That’s the principle behind a programme like Haath se Haath Mila. Anu Malhotra, Creative Head of the programme, says, “It’s a celebrity conscious world, nothing works without that.”

The serial is unique as it brings together a “Yuva star” with a celebrity. “Yuva stars” are young leaders who have made a difference. Asked if celebrities make a difference, Malhotra says, “A yuva star Hassena, told us that it took her a year to convince paan wallahs to stock condoms, whereas after Fardeen Khan’s visit, 30 of them volunteered to stock condoms themselves.” She believes, “Using celebrities in the right way is a potent way of getting the message across.” When Priyanka Chopra or Bipasha Basu hugs an HIV positive person it sends out a positive message to the youth.

Crime-fighting hero

“Jasoos Vijay” is a pioneering programme created through a partnership between the BBC World Service Trust, Doordarshan and NACO. It weaves AIDS-related issues into a detective serial. The Trust’s India Director, Andrew Whitehead, says that messaging on AIDS occurs at three levels through the programme. The plot and dialogue deal with AIDS, the protagonist Detective Vijay is successful, married, inspiring and also HIV positive. And an interactive session with Om Puri allows viewers not only a chance to crack the mystery but also to discuss AIDS issues. Dubbed into various regional languages Whitehead says the serial reaches 30 million viewers weekly. Whitehead doesn’t believe that media attention to the issue is limited to World AIDS Day. He clarifies, “World AIDS Day is a focus, but there’s a lot more interest… in print, broadcast, radio and advertisements. A message becomes powerful through repetition, and celebrities are crucial in drawing attention. He explains, “Celebrities in all cultures are powerful platforms for messaging, especially in India with the power of the movie industry and sports.”

Kapoor of DSCAS points out, “The media plays a very important role in advocacy and in removing stigma. Positive reporting is very important.” An official of UNAIDS reiterates, “When celebrities talk, people listen.” Despite the spread of the message, the official however clarifies, “There’s a huge gap between awareness and knowledge. While people might have heard about HIV, it’s not been translated into a behavioural change.”

Still a gap

Whitehead supports this view: “People know they should protect themselves with a condom, but they don’t. It’s like smoking, people know it’s bad, but that doesn’t stop people.”

Interestingly, Nafisa Ali, the founder of an HIV Care Home differs on media coverage of the issue. “The media is looking only for celebrity endorsements and is not interested in the cause. They are interested only in figures and concentrate on the negative stories, instead of focusing on the positive ones.”

This year, it’s been twenty years since the first HIV case was documented in Chennai. Today, India has among the highest number of persons living with HIV/AIDS in the world, although the overall prevalence remains low. The promise is clearly not being kept.

Hindu On Net

Family relieved: Priya Dutt

“We were prepared for anything”

Mumbai:

Expressing relief at the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act court verdict clearing actor Sanjay Dutt of terrorism charges while finding him guilty for the lesser offence of possessing arms, his sister Priya Dutt said on Tuesday he had matured while facing trial for the 1993 serial blasts over the past 13 years.

The entire Dutt family was relieved after the court announced its verdict, she said. “We did not know what to expect. We were prepared for anything,” Ms. Dutt, a Lok Sabha member, told reporters. — PTI

Hindu On Net

Sanjay Dutt guilty of illegal possession of arms: court

Meena Menon

But TADA judge acquits him of conspiracy, terrorism charges in 1993 blasts case

SANJAY Dutt tiba di Mahkamah Tada, Mumbai, semalam dan didapati bersalah memiliki senjata secara haram. – AFP.

MUMBAI 28 Nov. – Bintang Bollywood, Sanjay Dutt didapati bersalah hari ini atas tuduhan memiliki senjata secara haram tetapi dibebaskan daripada tuduhan berkonspirasi berhubung siri letupan bom yang membunuh 257 orang di sini pada 1993.

Dutt mengaku tidak bersalah terhadap tuduhan berkonspirasi, memiliki senjata secara haram dan cuba memusnahkan bahan bukti berhubung serangan yang telah menggegarkan pusat kewangan dan perfileman India.

“Semasa proses pertimbangan, saya tidak mendapati dia pengganas atau pemusnah. Dia menyimpan senjata hanya untuk perlindungan dirinya,” kata Hakim Pramod Kode di mahkamah antikeganasan yang penuh sesak itu.

Kesalahan

Dutt, 47, menegaskan dia menyimpan senjata untuk melindungi keluarganya dan menafikan dia tahu tentang komplot pengeboman itu.

Sehingga semalam, mahkamah khas telah mensabitkan kesalahan 86 orang, kebanyakannya Islam, daripada 123 tertuduh dalam kes tersebut.

Siri letupan itu didakwa didalangi oleh orang paling dikehendaki di India, Dawood Ibrahim yang kini dipercayai berada di Pakistan, sebagai membalas dendam terhadap pertempuran agama Hindu-Islam beberapa bulan sebelum itu.

Pertempuran terburuk berlaku di sini di mana 900 orang terkorban, dua pertiga daripadanya Islam.

Hukuman ke atas 123 tertuduh akan dijatuhkan selepas semua keputusan dibuat dalam masa dua minggu lagi.

Kesalahan itu boleh membawa kepada hukuman penjara tiga tahun, tetapi Dutt sudah pun dipenjarakan selama 18 bulan semasa siasatan dijalankan.

Peguamnya memberitahu stesen NDTV India, Dutt mungkin tidak perlu menjalani sebarang hukuman penjara tambahan memandangkan dia sudah ditahan 18 bulan dan merupakan pesalah kali pertama.

- Agensi

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