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 New Delhi: Film producer Mukesh Bhatt has recently vented out his anger over the U/A given to the 'Jungle Book' by the CBFC. During the red carpet of the GIMA awards, the 63-year-old producer said, "This shows how crazy this country has become. If Jungle Book can get U/A, then I think the government needs to do some very serious thinking about CBFC. CBFC should be put in a garbage can." When asked about Pahlaj Nihalani's reasoning behind the U/A, Bhat said, "I am not talking about Nihalani. He is just a stooge of the people who have put him there. If a 'Jungle Book' can get a U/A, shame on India." Further, talking about the same actor, Ayushmann Khurrana said, "I don't know what's the criteria behind this, but the kids are used to these stories, the watch Iron Man and Captain America. I think they should have given it a U certificate because it is a children's film." 'Jungle Book' will hit the theatres on April 9. … [Read more...] about Tagging ‘Jungle Book’ U/A is shame: Mukesh Bhatt

  Mumbai: Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief Pahlaj Nihalani wonders why people, especially film producer Mukesh Bhatt, are trashing the board's decision to give "The Jungle Book" a U/A certificate. In an interview, here's what Nihalani had to say: Q. Mukesh Bhatt feels the CBFC belongs in the garbage can? Many people would have the same opinion about some of the films he produces. It’s all a matter of perception. Q. But why does he suddenly have these hate pangs about the CBFC? Because you gave a ‘U/A’ certification to the beloved children’s story "The Jungle Book"? Correction. I didn’t. The CBFC, an organisation appointed by the ministry Of information and broadcasting, of which I happen to be the chairperson, thought it sensible and wise to grant 'The Jungle Book' a ‘U/A’certificate. Q. But your board member Mr. Ashoke Pandit has been quoted as saying the decision was yours, not the CBFC’s? I have nothing to … [Read more...] about Pahlaj Nihalani defends U/A rating for ‘The Jungle Book’

ON THURSDAY, Peking University announced its decision to fire Feng Renjie, a teacher who was reported by his girlfriend as having sexual relationships with several female students. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments: The claims that Feng took advantage of his position to seduce students remind us of another case exposed a few days ago. On Monday, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics fired its associate professor Qian Fengsheng who is alleged to have molested a female student in his car. There is at least one lesson to be drawn from the two cases, namely that power of academic staff, such as professors, is power too, and must be regulated. When it comes to "power", most people associate the word with officials. However, the fact is that professors in colleges have power over the students they teach. A professor has the power to decide how much work one student has to do in the class and how many points he or she gets in the course. Further, the professor can decide for … [Read more...] about Teaching should be done by the book

Reading aloud may seem as simple as the alphabet, but most adults find themselves petering out somewhere at Gee! Britain discovered earlier this March, via a Nielsen's survey, that only 32% of its children under 13 are read to daily, down from 41% in 2012, while only 19% of 8-10-year-olds get this treat. No such survey has been done in India recently, but in a country glued to screens it would be no surprise to find that the ritual of bedtime storytelling is fast dying out despite study after study stressing the upsides of reading stories aloud to children: from improved cognitive development, to sharper language and literacy skills, and most importantly, closer bonding between parent and child. Publisher and founder of Pickle Yolk Books, Richa Jha, recalls reading to her children even before they could follow the words. "That's what led them to love words. My two children, now 14 and 18, latched on to books at an early age because I read to them." She continues to occasionally … [Read more...] about Parents, take note: Tucking your child in with a story will help raise a reader

NEW DELHI: India scored an important success when it fully protected its traditional knowledge by stalling a leading UK-based laboratory's move to patent a medicinal composition containing turmeric, pine bark and green tea for treating hair loss. The move comes just days after India foiled a similar attempt by US-based consumer goods giant Colgate-Palmolive from patenting a mouthwash formula containing herbal extracts. The vigilance of the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) helped protect the Indian products as the council in its submission to the European Patent Office managed to prove that turmeric, pine bark and green tea were being used as a treatment for hair loss in Indian systems of medicine like Ayurveda and Unani since ancient times. The UK-based company - Pangaea Laboratories Limited - had filed the patent application in February, 2011. The CSIR-TKDL unit had, however, objected to it and filed evidence on … [Read more...] about India wins patent war on hair loss formula