1. Manmohan Attacks Modi Govt, BJP Back to Hindutva in Gujarat
Congress leader and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on Thursday, 7 December, accused the BJP government of not taking enough steps to tackle the allegations of corruption leveled against them.
Speaking at Rajkot, Singh said that while the UPA government had dealt with corruption allegations in a very strict manner, the same could not be said of the Modi government.
In another part of Gujarat, UP CM Yogi Adityanath and MP Anurag Thakur’s speeches in Amreli proved that the BJP is falling back on Hindutva and nationalism as its trump cards for the upcoming Gujarat election. Vikas is no longer the buzzword of the BJP.
Thakur’s address raked up issues such as the construction of a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the killing of ‘the Afzals of Kashmir’ and even ‘anti-nationalism’ in JNU.
And reminding his audience that it was 6 December, Adityanath boasted about how Hindus had displayed their might exactly 25 years ago, in reference to the demolition of the Babri Masjid by Hindu karsevaks.
2. Bengal Labourer Set on Fire Over ‘Jihad’ Suspicions, One Arrested
In a shocking incident, a man was brutally beaten up with agricultural tools and then set on fire in Rajasthan's Rajsamand area over suspicion of committing ‘jihad’.
The disturbing incident was captured on video – that has now been widely circulated on Whatsapp and other social media platforms.
In the video, the accused is seen saying that anyone who commits “jihad” will meet the same fate.
For more updates on the story, click here.
3. How a Journalist Was Sexually Assaulted the Day Babri Masjid Fell
When activist and documentary filmmaker Ruchira Gupta saw the first dome of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya come down just after noon on 6 December 1992, she knew she had to go inside the dispute site.
At 24, Gupta was reporting for Business India from Ayodhya. Many journalists thought the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal cadre would only perform a ‘symbolic’ kar seva at the disputed site they believed was the ‘Ram Janmabhoomi’. Gupta had to go see for herself what was happening on the ground instead of relying on secondary sources.
Recalling the series of events that followed, in which she was sexually assaulted, at a talk organised by The Wire on the 25th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, Gupta said she had to speak up.
Watch the full video here.
4. Milennials Review Shashi Kapoor’s Films
As a tribute to legendary actor and producer Shashi Kapoor, The Quint got its young journalists to watch his films for the first time and review them.
‘36 Chowringhee Lane’
For a film unlike its contemporaries, the bar for my expectations was set really high. Going just by the name, I could not guess what 36 Chowringhee Lane would be about. The opening shot was of a cemetery and I grimaced thinking it would be a long, morose film to get through and I was not wrong.
Read the full review here.
‘New Delhi Times’
‘New Delhi Times’ is an unflinching and incisive look at the dirty nexus between politics, media and business, through one editor’s investigation into a political assassination. It’s a film which should be made mandatory viewing for all Indian journalists. Especially, considering we might not see a brave film like this in a while. (Ahem, Padmavati, anyone?)
Read the full review here.
‘Deewar’
In the opening credits, Yash Chopra’s name as the director came as a personal surprise. I knew him as the man behind Shah Rukh Khan’s modern love stories such as Veer Zaara, or the forgetful Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Is he the same man who would later bring Switzerland to our movies, or us closer to the lofty ideas of romance, I wondered. This was another genre, another age, another feeling.
Read the full review here.
5. Watch: Meet The Last Tower Clock Expert
It was on December 14, 1998 when the tower clock started ticking once again after almost a century at St. Thomas Cathedral in Mumbai. Mohammad Ibrahim Damani, the man behind the magical renovation worked on the machine for 19 months, without a break to bring this old piece of art back to life.
32 years ago, when 72-year-old Damani left his job from Eastern Watch Company to start his own business, he came across the old St. Thomas Cathedral tower clock and asked the priest in-charge whether he could allow him to repair the clock. But, the priest sent him away saying - “Even the Britishers could not repair the clock, how would you?”
To watch the full video, click here.
Video Producer: Hera Khan
Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam
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