Music video featuring 'special children' spreads love, peace
Kolkata, May 13: In a bid to spread the message of peace and love, a Kolkata-based psychologist and a businessman have come up with a music video that features differently-abled children expressing a range of emotions.
The music video, directed by Anindya Chatterjee, depicts special kids as the messengers.
"The kids are away from the world of hatred and they only beget love," says the lyrics in the video titled "We are Special".
The video is based on a poem written by businessman Asif Iqbal and features 15 differently-abled children of Kolkata.
Iqbal, for whom writing is a passion, is one of the producers of the video.
"We are trying to spread a message of peace through these special kids who only understand the language of love," said Iqbal.
According to the writer, his poem questions what people lack in their lives. "Hatred is personified and termed as the root cause of killings, war and the gradual end of humanity."
"We have not formed an organisation yet. At present, the aim is to make a support group for the families of these children," said Jyoti Sapre, psychologist and producer of the music video.
The video has got accolades from the Indian Consulate in Dubai where it was watched by around 400 students of The Gulf Modern School.
"It was very easy to work with these kids as they do as you guide them. There were challenges as it was the rainy season. It was difficult to manage them," said Iqbal.
"We made sure that these kids face no problem because of us. We made all arrangements for the children and their parents," he added.
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Centre must roll back LPG price hike, says Kerala CM
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday demanded that the Centre immediately roll back the recent steep hike in LPG prices, alleging that it has severely impacted common people and small businesses.
In a statement, Vijayan described the increase as "one of the most cruel" in the history of cooking gas price revisions, saying it has pushed ordinary households and entrepreneurs into distress.
He said the price of commercial LPG cylinders had been raised by Rs 993 in one go, crossing Rs 3,000, which would adversely affect the hotel and restaurant sector.
The hike in the price of 5-kg LPG cylinders by Rs 251.50 would hit migrant workers and small families who depend on them, he added.
The chief minister alleged that the hike came immediately after the conclusion of Assembly elections in states, placing an additional burden on common people, small-scale entrepreneurs and migrant labourers.
Pointing to the ongoing crisis in West Asia, Vijayan said the hospitality sector has already been facing a shortage of cooking gas for months and the latest price increase would be difficult to absorb.
The burden would ultimately be passed on to consumers, he said, warning that several small establishments, including those in Kerala, could be forced to shut down.
Accusing oil companies of prioritising profits over public welfare, he said such a trend of imposing additional financial burden on people cannot be accepted.
Vijayan also alleged that the Centre's policies favour corporate interests and called for a correction in approach.
He urged the Union government to withdraw the excessive hike without delay.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by the steepest ever Rs 993 per 19-kg cylinder on May 1, marking the third straight monthly increase due to rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
