Please dont flip flop on the IT Act!

Provisions of Information Technology Act have been challenged before the Supreme Court as lacking constitutionality since they hinder the right free speech giving the government the power to remove content ambiguously defined as 'harmful', 'defamatory' etc.

What is shocking is that the BJP criticised the Act and its provisions when it was in opposition, but its government is now defending the Act before the Supreme Court!

I wish they watch this video of how our present Finance Minister, then Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha criticised the vague provisions mentioned in the Rules framed under the Act.

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Problems with Shenaz Treasurywala's open letter

Model-VJ-Actress Shenaz Treasurywala decided to write an open letter in the immediate aftermath of the Delhi Uber rape. Having come on the same day as the release of her new movie, her move has already been criticised as a publicity stunt. However, even leaving that factor aside, her letter is quite bizzare.

It is addressed to Modi and that I can understand since she is calling for change in law. But why in the world is it addressed to random individuals such as Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Anil Ambani? What is expected of them?

Secondly, she takes a stand that men (and the aforementioned powerful men in particular) need to save women. A stance that many women will find offensive by default. Women need to be respected as equals, not "saved" because they are weaker.

Lastly, the call for death penalty and more worryingly 'immediate death' (that too without bail during trial) sounds not entirely well thought out. She has not considered rationally, the impact of such sweeping changes to the criminal justice system either.

Please check out this scroll.in response to her letter - The real problem with actress Shenaz Treasurywala’s open letter on rape

Ananya Bhattacharya of India Today has also taken her to task - No Shenaz, death penalty is not the answer to rape

No Shenaz, death penalty is not the answer to rapeNo Shenaz, death penalty is not the answer to rape

Cinema - India's soft power

Just today, Quartz India has done a story about how Japan is going gaga over Bollywood. Even the ToI article regarding Putin's India visit is not complete without quoting the MEA spokesperson who recalled the success of Raj Kapoor movies in USSR/Russia. It is even cracking markets like Latin America and China! 

Soft power is a concept developed by Joseph Nye of Harvard University to describe the ability to attract and co-opt rather than coerce or use force. India can and should exert cultural influence through cinema and make other countries and their people well disposed towards India.

Indian Cinema can be India's soft power! Check out the craze regarding Indian cinema in Latin America as shown in this video! 

Stuttering Comedian! A beautiful ad by Nescafe!

I found this ad to be exceptionally good! It addressed the issue of stuttering in such a refreshingly positive manner!

Since they show only a very short edited version on TV, here is the full version for you!

Cash is cash. Toffees are toffees. How hard is it to understand this?

I always get annoyed by vendors trying to sell me toffees instead of giving me change... 

Not only is it annoying, it is also illegal! 

It is an unfair trade practice!

Section 2(nnn) in The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 added through The Consumer Protection (Amendment) Act, 2002 defines a restrictive trade practice as --

“a trade practice which tends to bring about manipulation of price or its conditions of delivery or to affect flow of supplies in the market relating to goods or services in such a manner as to impose on the consumers unjustified costs or restrictions and shall include- (a) Delay beyond the period agreed to by a trader in supply of such goods or in providing the services which has led or is likely to lead to rise in the price;

(b) any trade practice which requires a consumer to buy, hire or avail of any goods or, as the case may be, services as condition precedent to buying, hiring or availing of other goods or services”

Next time somebody does it, I swear I shall file a consumer complaint or better still, I think I shall also adopt this strategy of Nana Patekar!