Where is one to find answers for all the questions that stare at you? Why do parents, who cannot afford to feed or clothe their children, have them? Why hasn't the state enacted any laws to protect the rights of children in this country? The alleged mistreatment and mu-rder of a 12 year old girl has been a headline story this week and has touched everyone who is a parent or wants to be one. It has reminded me of the squalor and misery of the chil-dren in the Oscar award winning film Slum Dog Millionaire. The compensation of Ru-pees five hundred thousand to Shazia's parents is probably going to pacify them in their abject poverty. There are countless underage children who work as domestic help in homes and work long hours, for little compensation. There is no one to check the abuse they have to endure. It is a ve-ry common sight to see these little helpers sitting quietly on the side in expensive restaurants as their wards, not much younger than them, are pampered and fed in style by their parents. It has become a practice in this society to be as mean as possible to those who have nobody to side with them and are defenseless.
Where does the fear of God, so talked about in this country all the time, disappear when attacking the vulnerable? The exact cause of Shazia's death/murder has not yet been established or made public, but her frail little body had all sorts of marks on it, depicting torturous punishments. Shazia belonged to a minority religious group in Pakistan which makes it doubly shameful. The poor child could never have imagined, in her wildest dre-ams, that she would become a household name, in her death. That Parliament would observe a minute's silence for her. That political leaders would come from far and wide to offer condolences.
Perhaps, in death Shazia Masih can be a tipping point, just as Rosa Park's was in the US when she refused to give up her seat in a bus to a white person. Even as she sat firmly in her seat, Rosa Parks courage stood up for the ideals of freedom and justice for all. After this incident, Alabama's black community started a major bus boycott which was thought to be a laughable mat-ter initially but became a serious issue for the Mont-gomery Bus Service. It ended only when the US Supreme Court declared bus segregation unconstitutional.
Source:nation.com.pk/
Hollywood
Showing posts with label Richard Attenborough wins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Richard Attenborough wins. Show all posts
Richard Attenborough wins a Richard Attenborough award
What's the point of sharing your name with an awards ceremony if you can't share in the spoils yourself? To the illustrious Oscar Hammerstein II – who won an Oscar for best song back in 1965 – can now be added the name of Sir Richard Attenborough. The venerated actor and film-maker today took the prestigious All-Time Legend award at the fourth annual Richard Attenborough film awards.
Voted for by regional journalists across the UK, the winners were announced at a lunchtime ceremony in London. The Pixar animation Up was named best film, while Avatar creator James Cameron took the award for best direction. The acting honours went to Sam Rockwell (for Moon) and Carey Mulligan (An Education).
Lord Attenborough, now 89, came to fame as an actor in the 1940s. He began producing films in the 1950s and directing them in the 60s. He has won two Oscars, four Baftas and three Golden Globes, and now has a Richard Attenborough for the mantelpiece too. "I offer my warmest congratulations to this admirable set of winners," Attenborough said in a statement. "And I am honoured to be amongst them."
Source: guardian.co.uk/
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