SINGH MIGHT BE THE KING; BUT THE PEOPLE ARE STILL FOOL

Happy Singh rules Bollywood charts:
Happy Singh's goofball antics are all set to rewrite box office history with a staggering weekend take of Rs 28 crore for Singh is Kinng .

This has supposedly surpassed the two other mega-flicks which saw an unprecedented initial hoopla, Om Shanti Om with Rs 26 crore and Dhoom 2 with Rs 24 crore as their opening weekend collections. And with trade pundits predicting a first-week run of Rs 40 crore for the Akshay stunner, the Singh is Kinng juggernaut might just steamroll competition with collections mounting to nearly Rs 100 crores at the end of a three-four week run.

Considering that the film is billed at a production cost averaging Rs 50 crore, it’s easy to see Happy Singh grinning his way to the bank. Blockbuster hits like OSO and Dhoom 2 have a first-week take of Rs 36 crore and Rs 34 crore respectively.
Source :TOI
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3349699.cms

Poor country, struggling middle and lower middle class, poverty a major problem, terrorism a major major concern, and some stupid movie makes more money than would be needed to feed millions of unfed Indians. Reminds me everytime I see a ball game on Yankee TV about the claim America is at War. And then you see the scantily clad cheerleaders, the thousands of screaming fans, the over-paid and underworked ball players, and the stupid ads and you wonder where's the sacrifice and where's the desire to conserve while this war is going on. Some things never change. Waste!


Imran, NJ USA
(comment in response to the above news)

Minimum earning required, as per WORLD BANK, to live at above poverty line, for underdeveloped countries like India,China etc, about US$ 1.0 per day or US$ 30 per month i.e. Rs. 1,410

POVERTY LINE definition, as per Government of India, see below for explanation, at Rs. 10 per day, per person, approx. i.e. Rs. 300.

The World Bank's definition of the poverty line**, for under developed countries, like India, is US$ 1/day/person or US $365 per year. As per this definition, more than 75% of all Indians are, probably, below the poverty line!

As per the Government of India, poverty line for the urban areas is Rs. 296 per month and for rural areas Rs. 276 per month, i.e. people in India who earn less than Rs. 10 per day. As per GOI, this amount will buy food equivalent to 2200 calories per day, medically enough, to prevent death. At this level of earning, even in a poor country like India, survival on Rs. 10 per day is a nightmare! This actually translates to Rs. 3650 per year or US $ 75 per year.

On what basis have our planners decided this definition of "Poverty Line"?
Does it mean that one is expected to spend his entire earnings on fooding only? How and where is he or she supposed to cook it? What about the minimum needs in education, housing, health services, clothing,and other basic necessities? Are we supposed to live on pavements and sleep under trees from birth till death? YOU BE THE JUDGE!

Source: http://www.wakeupcall.org/administration_in_india/poverty_line.php

The first step towards eradicating poverty is to understand just how many of us are poor, and what that means. Thus far the government's measurement of poverty has simply been a self-serving one, and it's time we adopted a more honest calculation.

Compiled by:Lalit Kumar,Riddhiman Jain