"Eloquence"

Aamir Khan -3 Idiots

2009-12-23T06:46:00.000-08:00

The Legend Sachin Tendulkar

2009-09-25T01:08:00.000-07:00

"Its all about passion"-says Sachin India's greatest sporting icon & role model -completes two record breaking decades. (yeah i was living my dream...my cover shoot with him.)

2009-07-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

Mumbai sees tallest waves in 100 years

2009-07-23T04:33:00.000-07:00

Mumbai faced its highest tide in the last 100 years. According to reports, tides measuring up to 5.00 metres were seen in various areas of Mumbai city including Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Mahim beach and Worli Sea Face at around 1:30 afternoon. The civic body, Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), had already warned that the city could see one of the highest tide on July 23/24,2009 which might touch 5.05 metres.photo shriya patil shinde

2009-06-30T01:42:00.000-07:00

Laser show illuminates sea link
The Bandra -Worli sea link is just the first phase of the ambitious 20-km Western Freeway project. The second phase of the project, linking Worli to Haji Ali, will take another four years. The Rs 1600-crore project by Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is built by Hindustan Construction Company. Of the eight lanes in the bridge, only four will be opened to public for now. The remaining lanes will be operational once the Worli - Haji Ali section is complete. The cable supported eight-lane link is an engineering marvel in itself. It’s India’s first open sea bridge and weighs equivalent to 50,000 African elephants. The sea link will cut down the usually 45-minute peak-hour drive from Bandra to Worli to just seven minutes. A massive laser display lit up Mumbai’s skies in the run-up to the inauguration. The laser and fireworks show was visible from the sea fronts in Dadar, Bandra, Worli and Mahim. It was an orchestrated display of multi-colored lasers and fireworks of aerial shells and other spectacular illuminating display.

Sachin Tendulkar unveils his wax statue for Madame Tussauds Museum

2009-04-14T00:54:00.000-07:00

Sachin Tendulkar poses next to his wax statue, to be kept at the Madame Tussauds museum in London, in Mumbai on Monday April 13, 2009. Photo: Shriya Patil Shinde/India Today

Ratan Tata- Nano car

2009-03-30T00:53:00.000-07:00

pic-shriya patil shinde/india today
IMAGE OF THE WEEK -in INDIA TODAY magazine
Small Wonder-its finally here- Tata group chairman Ratan Tata at the launch of the Nano, the cheapest car in the world. From the singur strife to the gujarat welcome, its journey has been long,eventful & keenly watched. The next chapter begins in july when the Nano hits the roads.

Portraits of the unsung heroes

2009-02-10T23:00:00.000-08:00

Portraits of the unsung heroes-
The Mumbai city faced one of the most horrific terrorist attacks in the nation’s history on 26th November 2008, many ordinary citizens, displayed extraordinary grace of bravery during the 26/11 Mumbai terror atrocities. Many times, they did so at considerable personal risk, performing acts of heroism that were not part of their job descriptions. Without their quick thinking and common sense, the toll of the attacks would most likely have been even greater than the 173 confirmed dead. Victoria Terminus, also known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (cst), is the 130-year-old railway station, which was littered with dead bodies and punctured windows with bullet holes.
Police Inspector colaba police station Deepak DholePolice Inspector Deepak Dhole served 23 years in the police force, on the night of November 26, 45-year-old Dhole, a police inspector from Colaba police station, was stranded on the second floor of the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel with eight others, including a police-sub-inspector, five constables, two hotel staff members and two SRPF personnel. A large portion of their floor was on fire. And, as its senior-most member, it was Dhole’s responsibility to lead the group to safety, even as they took turns carrying the body of a slain jawan. When he entered the Taj around 10.40 pm that night, Dhole was accompanying Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) Vishwas Nangre-Patil, DCP (Special Branch) and 12 others. Until 3 am, the team used the hotel’s CCTV control room on the second floor to monitor the terrorists’ movements and to convey crucial information to back up evacuations. But when a raging fire consumed the second floor, they were forced to give up their vantage point. However, on their way out, while the four people escaped, 10 others, including Dhole, were stranded.“We were constantly firing towards the upper floors to prevent the terrorists from coming down. They set fire to the sixth floor and threw grenades from above. As the fire spread, the CCTVs blacked out and we realised that our floor was on fire too,” says Dhole. “That’s when we decided to leave. But when we began moving in a line towards the nearest staircase, the terrorists rained bullets on us and our group was split.” Dhole was behind SRPF constable Rahul Shinde when the latter fell to bullets, forcing them to retreat. Cupping his palms under Shinde’s arms, Dhole began to drag his body, directing the others forward all along. When they come to a corridor completely engulfed in flames and weren’t sure how to proceed, Dhole showed his presence of mind. “After weaving our way through what seemed like an endless corridor, we reached a point where we could see a fire exit. However the entire patch of corridor leading to it was in flames. I saw a fire extinguisher ahead and that’s when I dropped the body and rushed to grasp it. With its help I was able to pave a thin path to proceed. We rushed ahead and found a fire escape,” says Dhole, his burn face injuries still healing.

Sub Inspector Kiran Bhonsle –
Armed With Just Pistols, Mumbai Police Saved Many-Using Poor Weaponry, Indian Police Took on Terrorists
The terrorists who attacked the historic Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station in Mumbai were thwarted by a smattering of police officers belonging to the city's Railway Protection Force.Initially mistaking the sounds of firing for firecrackers, which are popular at many Indian celebrations, Bhosale recalled the moment when he realized that two gunmen were inside the station.
"I took up the pistol and took up some bullets" before heading toward Platform 1, he said. He said, "I suddenly saw two terrorists with AK-47 ... and I saw there were hundreds of people standing towards the opposite side of the station." “There were two options," he said, "whether I shoot on them or whether they shoot on me and I started sudden fire on them and because of this, they started fire on me."
Bhosale remembered seeing Kasav, 21, the night of Nov. 26 at the station. "Actually, he was just 50 to 70 steps from me, I saw he was having one AK-47 rifle in one hand and I understand that they are much trained, they were trained very well."
Moreover, he said, "they were smiling actually; they are very cool that time when they are firing on people ... on innocent people, ladies and children." In contrast, Bhosale had "a pistol," some bullets and a hefty dose of courage.
Many of those in the railway station, like Bhosale, would not even have worn a bulletproof vest.
"That was a sudden attack, we were not prepared for this," Bhosale said.

Maruti Phad driver
I can recognise him anywhere, says eyewitness to top cops’ killing. Phad was one of three eyewitnesses to the encounter in which terrorists killed three top police officers. “I remember his face well. If he comes before me, I will definitely be able to recognize him,” says 32-year-old Maruti Phad. A driver for Bhushan Gagrani, Principal Secretary (Medical Education) for the last ten years, Phad is one of the three eyewitnesses to the encounter in which terrorists killed three top police officers.
Late on November 26, Phad received a call from Gagrani asking him to report to the Mantralaya. Although he was aware that there had been a shooting at CST station and the Taj and Oberoi hotels, Phad was not worried at the time and decided to set off. “I knew there was trouble at CST station and at the two hotels, so I decide to avoid going past the railway station and make my way through Metro Theatre assuming it to be safe. I had barely reached the main road when they attacked,” says Phad. In a white Honda City, Phad was driving out of the back lane of GT and Cama hospitals towards the main road when the two terrorist — later identified as Ajmal Kasab and Ismail Khan — appeared and started shooting.
According to Phad, the duo walked from St Xaviers college footpath and took the Rang Bhavan lane. They started firing as soon as they Phad in his car at the entrance. “The first bullet hit my hand over the steering wheel. I immediately ducked, got in reverse gear and central-locked the car. Then in my crouched position, I slowly drove backwards while they continued to fire. The second bullet hit my hand again, and the third missed my head by a whisker,” says Phad.
In the blind firing, Phad also received a bullet in his back which he removed with his hands. When his tyres burst, he decided to feign death by slipping to the floor of the car and positioning his bleeding hand over his face. “They came and looked through the window. Assuming me to be dead, they disappeared. There was complete silence for about ten minutes. Then I heard the sound of the police car. I raised my head to see if I could get help,” recalls Phad.
As he looked up, Phad saw the two terrorists hiding behind bushes near an ATM as the police Qualis approached them. Soon, the duo started shooting at the police vehicle. The police retaliated in kind. “I saw them fire at the police car and waited to see what was happening. One of them was injured. When the firing from the Qualis stopped, they got into the police vehicle and passed by me before they turned towards Metro,” said Phad. Knowing that his family was worried sick, Phad later called home from the hospital to say that he was safe. He may have spared them some worry that day, but Phad has lost the ring finger on his right hand and his middle finger severely damaged. Doctors have not yet told him if he will be able to drive again.

Pratap D.Kargopikar – deputy chief fire brigade
The Mumbai Fire Brigade has worked in dozens of major post-calamity rescue operations, but dousing fires even as terrorists constantly rained bullets and grenades on them was a first. “There were some pretty scary moments while we were fighting fires at the Taj Hotel. On 27th November night when we were in a cage trying to rescue guests, we saw one of the terrorists carrying a gun”, said Pratap D.Kargopikar – deputy chief fire brigade.
And, while they rescued over 750 men and women from the Taj, Oberoi and Trident hotels over 48 hours, they received severe criticism for one incredible delay: While fire engines reached the Oberoi within minutes of the attack, it was nearly another three hours before they reached the Taj, where the terrorists had set the sixth floor on fire. They got a call at 1 am on Thursday stating that there was a fire at the Taj. Within minutes, we reached with fire engines. There was no delay in responding to the call.
At the Taj, seeing the firemen spraying water, one terrorist hurled a grenade in the direction of fire officer. But they had not fully removed the pin of the grenade. It did not explode. One bullet also punctured the tyre of a fire engine. “There were people banging on the windows. We couldn’t just stand looking at them,” said Kargopikar. Starting with breaking windows are asking guests to do so, the first batch of seven firemen climbed up to the top floor where hostages were banging against the windows. Six hundred people were rescued from the Taj within the first 24 hours, another 150 from the Oberoi/Trident, where the first floor lobby was set on fire.

Head constable Jullu Yadav
Head constable Jullu Yadav, 52, originally hails from Benaras but has lived in Dombivili all his life. "My main regret is I could not kill the terrorists," said head constable Jullu Yadav, who was given Rs 10 lakh by railway minister Lalu Prasad at a RPF function. Although Jullu Yadav was unarmed that night when terrorists attacked CST station in Mumbai, he took the rifle of another policeman and opened fire engaging the heavily armed terrorists for a while. Stunning CCTV footage recovered from the night of the attack at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus where arrested terrorist Qasab and his fellow conspirator Mohammad Ismail Khan killed 57 people. "I was posted around platform 3 and 4 manning the evening crowd when suddenly I heard screams as passengers ran helter-skelter. I shouted at the passengers asking them what has happened and someone said there was firing." He said that within a moment the platforms were empty.
"I closed the exit gates and for the first time saw two of the terrorists, one of them being Ajmal Amir Iman aka Kasab ,loading their weapons sitting in a corner.""I asked an armed sepoy at a distance to fire at them but he remained motionless, perhaps taken by surprise," said Yadav, evidently the cynosure of all eyes at the investiture ceremony.It was then that his bravery came to fore. The constable, in service for 30 years now, snatched the .303 calibre rifle from the sepoy and confronted them. However, Yadav's weapon was no match for their guns as the two terrorists surrounded him from both ends and started firing at him. Yadav took cover behind a wall.

CST railway announcer Vishnu Zende
Just before 10 p.m., when Vishnu Datta Ram Zende heard a loud explosion and saw people running across the platform, he gripped his microphone and calmly directed a panicked crowd toward the safest exit. The station, Victoria Terminus, it turned out, was suddenly under attack, the beginning of a three-day siege by a handful of young, heavily armed gunmen. “Walk to the back and leave the station through Gate No. 1,” he chanted alternately in Hindi and Marathi, barely stopping to take a breath until the platform was cleared. No sooner, gunmen located his announcement booth and fired, puncturing one of the windows. Mr. Zende was not hurt. "It was perhaps the tone of my voice which made the passengers escape from the rear gate, which I was urging them to take instead of coming towards main hall where the terrorists were shooting," said Zende. CST railway announcer Zende was given Rs 10 lakh by railway minister Lalu Prasad at a RPF function.

Mohammed Tofiq Shikh Chotu the Chai wala (tea seller)
Mohammed Tofiq Shikh also known as chotu chaiwala of chhatrapati shivaji station (cst) railway station, was serving tea on platform no-8 & 9 the day terrorists attacked the cst railway station. Terrorists had fired randomly on the long distance train passengers where he was saved thrice by 3 bullets just passing by. Chotu the Chai wala at CST helped transporting the injured to St.George hospital. While walking away a tear rolled on the lad's cheek; he saved many lives.

vilas shinde contract based coolie
vilas shinde cst railway station contract based coolie who sustained a bullet injury- "It was the time when everyone leaves Mumbai. The station was packed." "Two young men opened fire, one here, the other over there," he said, pointing at the local train platform in front of him and the mainline platform further on. "It started with a grenade then AK-47s. I hit the deck with the customers. Five people were killed immediately. About 80 people died in total," he added.

Leopold cafe Stewart Sandesh Mali
Leopold cafe Stewart Sandesh Mali 28 years old was eye witness to the terrorist attack on Leopold. He was serving the customers suddenly firing started & he hide under table.7 customers & 2 Stewarts died in this 26/11 attack. He was lucky to survive; he saved himself by diving behind the chairs and tables, from where he got perhaps the view of the attack. At about 9:40 p.m., dinner at the Leopold was interrupted with a minute-long volley of gunfire and the loud bang of an exploding grenade. The gunmen never entered the restaurant, said leopold cafe stewart Sandesh Mali. They stood outside and casually opened fire, sending waiters and customers running for the kitchen or ducking below their tables, according to the Leopold staff. The gunmen then walked down a narrow street to the back entrance of the Taj hotel, where they then terrorized guests and hotel staff for more than two days. Restaurant staff took two days to mop up the blood and bits of scalp from the floor. Zoroastrian priests in white robes came to bless the business with burning sandalwood. The first customers were served on Dec. 1, just 48 hours after the siege of the Taj hotel was over.

DCP Zone1 Vishwas Nagre Patil
DCP Vishwas Nagre Patil, accompanied by two police constables and two SRPF constables, stormed the Taj Mahal Hotel and engaged the terrorists holed up inside the Taj in a fierce gun battle during the first couple of hours of the 60-hour-long siege that started on November 26. With no bullet-proof jackets, they held fort for four hours till the soldiers from India’s elite Marine Commandos force took over. "We did not want to give them any chance or any time to cause further damage. Our reaction time was just 15 minutes,” Patil says.
At 2202 hrs IST on November 26, Patil’s team cornered the four terrorists in the North wing of the hotel. In the heavy gun battle that ensued, they injured one terrorist, following which the terrorists started lobbing grenades from the upper floors. While one SRPF constable was killed, one other along with two police constables was injured with severe burns on their faces.The police team, meanwhile, started monitoring the CCTV footage from its control room and that's how they tracked the terrorists on the sixth floor of the hotel.
At 0300 hrs IST the next day, the DCP, another senior police official, and two Taj staffers Nausher and Puru reached the Taj ballroom and evacuated dozens of people with help of the fire brigade.After the 26/11 terror attack, Mumbai Police has been criticised for being ill-equipped and understaffed, but the CCTV footage shows that the policemen were not short.

Ruksana Jehangir Tomboli -(toilet money collector )
CST railway station toilet money collector eye witness Ruksana Jehangir Tomboli, 45 yrs-CST railway station toilet money collector. CST toilet money collector wants nothing for the extra work she had to do. She worked all night to wash the blood. And she needed seven to eight gunny bags just for the shoes and slippers. Ruksana Jehangir Tomboli eyewitness said that one of the terrorists hurled a grenade right into the middle of the waiting hall, leaving scores dead or badly injured. "Most passengers sitting in the waiting hall could not even move to safety, it was so sudden,'' she said.

Sweeper Ranjana Dilip Ahire
Sweeper who sustained a bullet injury-Ranjana Dilip Ahire, 35 years. Ranjana Dilip Ahire, who had been present on Wednesday night, said, "The men entered from the GPO side and reached the main waiting hall for long-distance trains near platform 13. After that, it was mayhem as they sprayed bullets indiscriminately,'' she said.

Akhara Kusti: a Struggle for Survival

2009-02-10T04:35:00.000-08:00

Akhara Kusti: a Struggle for Survival
Akhara Kusti or Indian style wrestling was once a very popular sport in India dates back to the 16th century. But now it is struggling for its survival. It was once considered to be the pursuit of heroes, and at the peak of its popularity at the beginning of last century, successful fighters were hailed as living legends. Except for these spirited and passionate wrestlers who work by day in tedious jobs to make a living, this fascinating sport will be lost forever.
They and born and bred in Kolhapur, & now stay in the slums of Mumbai, are fed on a diet of robust Maratha food and trained diligently in small-time gymnasiums, then converted into champions.
Traditional Indian wrestling (Kusti). The wrestlers are known as "Malla". This wrestling match is played in the square dark red clay ground, which is known as "Akhada". The town of Kolhapur (400.000 inhabitants) is the main center of Kusti in India. But these are the wrestlers struggling in Mumbai. Many young boys come to practice "Kusti'. The young wrestlers train two times a day: in the early morning (4am-6.30am) and in the afternoon (4pm-6pm) six days a week. Most of these young boys are very poor and modest. They live, eat and sleep together in small room near to Akhada. They are on the strict diet and train diligently. They are concentrated only on Kusti.
It is a dying sport. Some akharas also offer lodging facilities to its members, hence also youngsters from the villagers who turn up in the cities take up the sport which besides giving them strength and stamina also facilitates a shelters for them. But largely those who take up the sport do for the passion for the game and take great pride in declaring themselves as wrestlers.

Celebrities

2008-10-14T00:23:00.000-07:00

-Sonam Kapoor

-Priya Dutt

-Kareena Kapoor

-kunal kapoor

-Anand Mahindra

-Karan Johar

-Falguni phatak

- zakir husain

-shabana & javed akhtar

-sanjay dutt

- Elsie Nanji

-shilpa shetty

-shabana azmi

-Roopa Purshothaman

-Minal Vazirani

-Gayatri Ruia

pix by shriya patil shinde/india today

Akshay Kumar

2008-10-14T00:20:00.001-07:00

pix by shriya patil shinde/india today

Madhu Sapre

2008-10-14T00:16:00.000-07:00

pix by india today- shriya patil shinde

Amitabh Bachchan with Abhishek & Aishwarya

2008-10-13T05:40:00.000-07:00

pics by india today-shriya patil shinde

HOMELESS CHILDREN

2008-10-13T05:23:00.000-07:00

WITH ACCELERATION IN ECONOMIC GROWTH, INDIA HAS BECOME ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. THIS HAS CREATED A RIFT BETWEEN POOR AND RICH; 22 PER CENT OF THE POPULATION LIVES BELOW THE INCOME POVERTY LINE. DUE TO UNEMPLOYMENT, INCREASING RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION, ATTRACTION OF CITY LIFE AND A LACK OF POLITICAL WILL INDIA NOW HAS ONE LARGEST NUMBER OF CHILD LABORERS IN THE WORLD. STREET CHILDREN ARE SUBJECT TO MALNUTRITION, HUNGER, HEALTH PROBLEMS, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, THEFT, HARASSMENT BY THE CITY POLICE AND RAILWAY AUTHORITIES, AS WELL AS PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ABUSE. THOUGH GOVERNMENT OF INDIA HAS TAKEN SOME CORRECTIVE MEASURES AND DECLARED CHILD LABOR AS ILLEGAL.THIS CHILD WAS PICKED UP FROM THE STREETS BY THE GOVERNMENT ORGANISATION AS A MAL-NOURISH HOMELESS CHILD.
MANY WERE ENSNARED IN DRUGS, GANGS, AND PROSTITUTION.MANY BOYS WHO WERE ONCE DYING ON THE STREETS OF MUMBAI UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS HAVE BEEN FOUND REHABILITATED. DRUG ADDICTED STREET CHILDREN USING THE FIRST CLASS LOCAL LADIES TRAIN COMPARTMENT AS THEIR SHELTER FOR REST.NONE OF THE RAILWAY POLICE AROUND TO SHOO... THEM AWAY FROM THE TRAIN.THIS KID REFUSED TO TEL IS NAME BUT CALLED HIMSELF AS MOUGLI. HE SAID EVERY EVENING I VISIT THE GARDEN A I ENJOY PLAYING ON SLIDES.BUT MY OWNER DOESNT ALLOW ME TO GO SO IN THE NAME OF BEGGING I VISIT A NEARBY GARDEN.
ON AUGUST 20, 2006 AFTERNOON WE GOT THE NEWS THAT TITUS & IRFAN TWO INMATES OF AN ORPHANAGE ARE BATTLING FOR THEIR LIVES AT HARKISANDAS HOSPITAL AFTER THEY JUMPED FROM THE THIRD FLOOR OF THE REHABILITATION CENTER ON SUNDAY, APPARENTLY IN AN EFFORT TO ESCAPE. SUNIL, SANDEEP, AKSHAY & PRAKASH THEIR INMATES SAID REGULARLY THEY WERE BEATEN UP BY WARDEN & THE AUTHORITIES PLAYED LOUD MUSIC SO THAT THE NEAR BY RESIDENTS WOULD NOT HEAR THE SCREAMS. THERE WAS A MAJOR CHAOS AMONG THESE KIDS.
THE CHILDREN WHO ARE FORCED TO BEG ARE USUALLY YOUNG RUNAWAYS, WHO HAVE LEFT HOME DUE TO VARIOUS REASONS SUCH AS HARSH TREATMENT, ABUSE, BROKEN FAMILIES AND POVERTY. IN ADDITION TO THESE ARE ABANDONED AND DESTITUTE ORPHANS WHO HAVE NO PLACE OF REFUGE.SO THEY STAY ON THE STREETS AND WHEN THE SUMMER TEMPERATURES ARE HIGH AS 34 DEGREE CELCIUS ONE CAN OFTEN SEE THESE KIDS HAVING DIP IN THE SACRED WATERS OF BANGANGA.

SALTPANS--MILES, AND YET MORE ENDLESS MILES

2008-10-13T05:17:00.000-07:00

by Shriya Patil

MILES, AND YET MORE ENDLESS MILES, OF FRACTURED EARTH. NO TREES, NOT A BLADE OF GRASS. NO BIRDS. NO STONES, NO MILE-STONES. ONLY EMPTINESS EXTENDED. IT'S HARD TO MISS THE HUGE SALTPANS ADJACENT TO THE CREEKS OF MUMBAI, INDIA. ACCORDING TO THE SALT COMMISSION, THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 5,400 ACRES OF SALTPANS IN THE MUMBAI CITY, RANGING FROM MULUND TO NAHUR, KANJUR VILLAGE, GHATKOPAR, WADALA, MAHUL, MALVANI AND DAHISAR.
LANDLESS PEOPLE BELONGING TO SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY BACKWARD CASTES AND COMMUNITIES ARE COMPELLED TO WORK ON SALT PANS AS SEASONAL LABORERS. SALT PAN WORKERS WORK UNDER THE SCORCHING SUN FOR UP TO EIGHT-TEN HOURS EVERY DAY MAKING SALT FROM SEA WATER. THE POOR SALTPAN WORKERS DAY RUNS AROUND WITH THE RAISING SUN AS HIS CLOCK.EVEN AS THE SUMMER SUN BEATS DOWN RELENTLESSLY, WORK IS BRISK AT THE SALT PANS. THE WORKERS ARE PAID RS 2,000 (47$ APPROXIMATELY) PER MONTH, WORK FOR EIGHT MONTHS IN A YEAR AND ARE LAID OFF DURING THE MONSOON. PEOPLE MOSTLY RETURN TO WORK AT THE SAME SALT PANS, SO WE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING SOME OF THE SAME FACES EVERY YEAR.

HAMAL PANCHAYAT - CRUSADING FOR CHANGE

2008-10-13T05:10:00.001-07:00

Despite many efforts since independence, almost 90% of India's labour is in the unorganized sector. Working in farms, industry and commerce, they are among the most exploited of India's people. Neither do they get paid for days they are sick or injured. Yet, as movements like the Hamal Panchayat show, the improvement of worker conditions can only be obtained by a rights-based struggle for dignity and against exploitation.
Called Hamals in Maharashtra, manual load carriers are the backbone of commercial activity in every city. In Pune, there are over 14000 Hamals engaged in regular work.The Hamal Panchayat acts as a security blanket for porters, offering them basic economic facilities. In the narrow streets of Bhawani Peth is the office of the Hamal Panchayat, an organisation that works for the development of the porters of Pune, Maharashtra.
Vaman Chavhan, 65, never imagined a house of his own, leave alone formal education for his children. After all, Chavhan was a hamal, a porter/head-load carrier, the poorest among the community of unskilled labourers. As a daily wage labourer, earning between Rs 80 and Rs 100 per day, Chavhan may not have otherwise hoped for security. Like Chavhan, there are several other hamals who have got access to basic housing, education and medical facilities.
The panchayat has taken adequate steps to provide them essential facilities like banking, medical care and housing. It also started a community kitchen known as Kashtachi Bhakar where nutritious food was served at a nominal rate of Rs 5. Started in 1974, there are 12 kitchens now where almost 130 women from hamal households are employed for cooking and serving. These women, too, derive wage benefits of Rs 100 per day for eight hours of work. With this organisation constantly striving to improve their lot, hamals have found in it an ally who is willing to take some burden off their shoulders.

landscape

2008-08-08T06:25:00.000-07:00