It’s being called India’s version of the ice-bucket challenge and Bollywood stars are pitching in enthusiastically, not to raise money for Lou Gehrig’s disease – as was the case when people were pouring cold water over their heads – but to clean up the country.
On October 2 – a public holiday marking the birth of Mahatma Gandhi – the prime minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide Swachh Bharat, or Clean India, campaign.
He called on every Indian to dedicate 100 hours each year to cleaning up their local areas with the aim that by 2019, the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth, India will finally be clean.
Modi himself picked up a broom and swept away the litter in a police station compound and a slum. He also issued a challenge to famous people in all walks of Indian life, including Bollywood stars, to join the campaign so that their fame might motivate others to become involved. Among the celebrities he chose to invite were the actors Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra, both of whom responded on Twitter.
“Me & my Foundation accept the invite from our honourable prime minister for Swachh Bharat and will give our 100% for #MyCleanIndia,” Khan tweeted.
“I humbly accept respected Prime Minster Narendra Modiji’s challenge. This is an idea that is long overdue,” Chopra wrote.
The actor and producer Aamir Khan went even further at the launch of the campaign in New Delhi, offering to become its ambassador.
"I will be happy if they offer me this responsibility," said Khan, who was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People last year.
He highlighted many social problems in his acclaimed television series Satyamev Jayate (Truth Alone Prevails) two years ago. One episode was devoted to cleanliness and sanitation.
“I clean up at home and our office is waste-free,” Khan said after taking an oath, alongside cabinet ministers, to clean up India. “We should all support the prime minister in this step.”
He said he admired the prime minister’s campaign and urged all Indians to get involved.
“If they made Khan the campaign ambassador, he would galvanise young people into making a difference,” said the political analyst Satish Jacob. “He is a bit like Modi in that he has made an impact and can get through to people.” The response to Modi’s challenge has been enthusiastic. The cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, the politician and author Shashi Tharoor, the actors Hritik Roshan and Kamal Haasan and many other celebrities have agreed to join the campaign, which is expected to cost 620 billion rupees (Dh37bn) over the next five years.
Cynics might suggest that some Bollywood stars are notoriously fickle when it comes to social causes – enthusiastically backing them one day, forgetting them the next.
But when issues are addressed properly, as Aamir Khan did with his TV series, the impact can be stunning.
For example, an episode of Truth Alone Prevails dealing with child sexual abuse did more than any other effort by any organisation to draw attention to the crime and force Indians to acknowledge that it exists.
In his clean-up campaign, Modi plans to keep up the pressure on people and motivate them through social media, his MyGov.in website and a new website dedicated to the initiative. “The campaign should be not seen merely as a photo opportunity,” he said.
It has already had one unexpected benefit – a sales boom for broom makers. One large manufacturer in Jaipur, Chandra Prakash, said he was struggling to keep up with demand.
“I can’t cope,” he said. “Our normal weekly order is about 15 tonnes. Now it is 50 tonnes and I don’t have enough workers.”
How long this demand – and enthusiasm for the clean-up – will last is uncertain.
If any evidence was needed that it will not be easy to change bad habits, empty water bottles were later seen strewn over the lawns at the spot where the campaign was launched.
artslife@thenational.ae
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
MANDOOB
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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Results
1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix - 3:45:47
2. David Dekker (NED) Jumbo-Visma - same time
3. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
4. Emils Liepins (LAT) Trek-Segafredo
5. Elia Viviani (ITA) Cofidis
6. Tadej Pogacar (SLO UAE Team Emirates
7. Anthony Roux (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
8. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:00:03
9. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep
10. Fausto Masnada (ITA) Deceuninck-QuickStep
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 2 (Van Dijk 18', 24')
Brighton 1 (Dunk 79')
Red card: Alisson (Liverpool)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
HAJJAN
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
