title: Hindi cinema

text: In her book, "The Cinematic ImagiNation", Jyotika Virdi wrote about the presence and decline of Urdu in Hindi films. Virdi notes that although Urdu was widely used in classic Hindi cinema decades after partition because it was widely taught in pre-partition India, its use has declined in modern Hindi cinema: "The extent of Urdu used in commercial Hindi cinema has not been stable ... the ultimate victory of Hindi in the official sphere has been more or less complete. This decline of Urdu is mirrored in Hindi films ... It is true that many Urdu words have survived and have become part of Hindi cinema's popular vocabulary. But that is as far as it goes. The fact is, for the most part, popular Hindi cinema has forsaken the florid Urdu that was part of its extravagance and retained a 'residual' Urdu", affected by an aggressive state policy that promoted a Sanskritized version of Hindi as the national language."


title: Hindi cinema

text: Contemporary mainstream films also use English; according to the article "Bollywood Audiences Editorial", "English has begun to challenge the ideological work done by Urdu." Some film scripts are first written in Latin script. Characters may shift from one language to the other to evoke a particular atmosphere (for example, English in a business setting and Hindi in an informal one). The blend of Hindi and English sometimes heard in modern Hindi films, known as Hinglish, has become increasingly common.


title: Hindi cinema

text: For years before the turn of the millennium and even after, cinematic language (in dialogues or lyrics) would often be melodramatic, invoking God, family, mother, duty, and self-sacrifice. Song lyrics are often about love and, especially in older films, frequently used the poetic vocabulary of court Urdu, with a number of Persian loanwords. Another source for love lyrics in films such as "Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje" and "Lagaan" is the long Hindu tradition of poetry about the loves of Krishna, Radha, and the gopis.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Music directors often prefer working with certain lyricists, and the lyricist and composer may be seen as a team. This phenomenon has been compared to the pairs of American composers and songwriters who created classic Broadway musicals.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Sound in early Bollywood films was usually not recorded on location (sync sound). It was usually created (or re-created) in the studio, with the actors speaking their lines in the studio and sound effects added later; this created synchronisation problems. Commercial Indian films are known for their lack of ambient sound, and the Arriflex 3 camera necessitated dubbing. "Lagaan" (2001) was filmed with sync sound, and several Bollywood films have recorded on-location sound since then.


title: Hindi cinema

text: In 1955, the Bollywood Cine Costume Make-Up Artist & Hair Dressers' Association (CCMAA) ruled that female makeup artists were barred from membership. The Supreme Court of India ruled in 2014 that the ban violated Indian constitutional guarantees under Article 14 (right to equality), 19(1)(g) (freedom to work) and Article 21 (right to liberty). According to the court, the ban had no "rationale nexus" to the cause sought to be achieved and was "unacceptable, impermissible and inconsistent" with the constitutional rights guaranteed to India's citizens. The court also found illegal the rule which mandated that for any artist to work in the industry, they must have lived for five years in the state where they intend to work. In 2015, it was announced that Charu Khurana was the first woman registered by the Cine Costume Make-Up Artist & Hair Dressers' Association.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Bollywood film music is called "filmi" (from the Hindi "of films"). Bollywood songs were introduced with Ardeshir Irani's "Alam Ara" (1931) song, "De De Khuda Ke Naam pay pyaare". Bollywood songs are generally pre-recorded by professional playback singers, with the actors then lip syncing the words to the song on-screen (often while dancing). Although most actors are good dancers, few are also singers; a notable exception was Kishore Kumar, who starred in several major films during the 1950s while having a rewarding career as a playback singer. K. L. Saigal, Suraiyya, and Noor Jehan were known as singers and actors, and some actors in the last thirty years have sung one or more songs themselves.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Songs can make and break a film, determining whether it will be a flop or a hit: "Few films without successful musical tracks, and even fewer without any songs and dances, succeed". Globalization has changed Bollywood music, with lyrics an increasing mix of Hindi and English. Global trends such as salsa, pop and hip hop have influenced the music heard in Bollywood films.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Playback singers are featured in the opening credits, and have fans who will see an otherwise-lackluster film to hear their favourites. Notable singers are Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Geeta Dutt, Shamshad Begum, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Sadhana Sargam, Alka Yagnik and Shreya Goshal (female), and K. L. Saigal, Kishore Kumar, Talat Mahmood, Mukesh, Mohammed Rafi, Manna Dey, Hemant Kumar, Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan and Sonu Nigam (male). Composers of film music, known as music directors, are also well-known. Remixing of film songs with modern rhythms is common, and producers may release remixed versions of some of their films' songs with the films' soundtrack albums.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Dancing in Bollywood films, especially older films, is modeled on Indian dance: classical dance, dances of north-Indian courtesans (tawaif) or folk dances. In modern films, Indian dance blends with Western dance styles as seen on MTV or in Broadway musicals; Western pop and classical-dance numbers are commonly seen side-by-side in the same film. The hero (or heroine) often performs with a troupe of supporting dancers. Many song-and-dance routines in Indian films contain unrealistically-quick shifts of location or changes of costume between verses of a song. If the hero and heroine dance and sing a duet, it is often staged in natural surroundings or architecturally-grand settings.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Songs typically comment on the action taking place in the film. A song may be worked into the plot, so a character has a reason to sing. It may externalise a character's thoughts, or presage an event in the film (such as two characters falling in love). The songs are often referred to as a "dream sequence", with things happening which would not normally happen in the real world. Song and dance scenes were often filmed in Kashmir but, due to political unrest in Kashmir since the end of the 1980s, they have been shot in western Europe (particularly Switzerland and Austria).


title: Hindi cinema

text: Contemporary movie stars attracted popularity as dancers, including Madhuri Dixit, Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sridevi, Meenakshi Seshadri, Malaika Arora Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and Tiger Shroff. Older dancers include Helen (known for her cabaret numbers), Madhubala, Vyjanthimala, Padmini, Hema Malini, Mumtaz, Cuckoo Moray, Parveen Babi , Waheeda Rahman, Meena Kumari, and Shammi Kapoor.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Film producers have been releasing soundtracks (as tapes or CDs) before a film's release, hoping that the music will attract audiences; a soundtrack is often more popular than its film. Some producers also release music videos, usually (but not always) with a song from the film.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Bollywood films are multi-million dollar productions, with the most expensive productions costing up to 1 billion (about US$20 million). The science-fiction film "Ra.One" was made on a budget of 1.35 billion (about $27 million), making it the most expensive Bollywood film of all time. Sets, costumes, special effects and cinematography were less than world-class, with some notable exceptions, until the mid-to-late 1990s. As Western films and television are more widely distributed in India, there is increased pressure for Bollywood films to reach the same production levels (particularly in action and special effects). Recent Bollywood films, like "Krrish" (2006), have employed international technicians such as Hong Kong-based action choreographer Tony Ching. The increasing accessibility of professional action and special effects, coupled with rising film budgets, have seen an increase in action and science-fiction films.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Since overseas scenes are attractive at the box office, Mumbai film crews are filming in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe and elsewhere. Indian producers have also obtained funding for big-budget films shot in India, such as "Lagaan" and "Devdas".


title: Hindi cinema

text: Funding for Bollywood films often comes from private distributors and a few large studios. Although Indian banks and financial institutions had been forbidden from lending to film studios, the ban has been lifted. Finances are not regulated; some funding comes from illegitimate sources such as the Mumbai underworld, which is known to influence several prominent film personalities. Mumbai organised-crime hitmen shot Rakesh Roshan, a film director and father of star Hrithik Roshan, in January 2000. In 2001, the Central Bureau of Investigation seized all prints of "Chori Chori Chupke Chupke" after the film was found to be funded by members of the Mumbai underworld.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Another problem facing Bollywood is widespread copyright infringement of its films. Often, bootleg DVD copies of movies are available before they are released in cinemas. Manufacturing of bootleg DVD, VCD, and VHS copies of the latest movie titles is an established small-scale industry in parts of south and southeast Asia. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) estimates that the Bollywood industry loses $100 million annually from unlicensed home videos and DVDs. In addition to the homegrown market, demand for these copies is large amongst portions of the Indian diaspora. Bootleg copies are the only way people in Pakistan can watch Bollywood movies, since the Pakistani government has banned their sale, distribution and telecast. Films are frequently broadcast without compensation by small cable-TV companies in India and other parts of South Asia. Small convenience stores, run by members of the Indian diaspora in the US and the UK, regularly stock tapes and DVDs of dubious provenance; consumer copying adds to the problem. The availability of illegal copies of movies on the Internet also contributes to industry losses.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Satellite TV, television and imported foreign films are making inroads into the domestic Indian entertainment market. In the past, most Bollywood films could make money; now, fewer do. Most Bollywood producers make money, however, recouping their investments from many sources of revenue (including the sale of ancillary rights). There are increasing returns from theatres in Western countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, where Bollywood is slowly being noticed. As more Indians migrate to these countries, they form a growing market for upscale Indian films. In 2002, Bollywood sold 3.6 billion tickets and had a total revenue (including theatre tickets, DVDs and television) of $1.3 billion; Hollywood films sold 2.6 billion tickets, and had a total revenue of $51 billion.


title: Hindi cinema

text: A number of Indian artists hand-painted movie billboards and posters. M. F. Husain painted film posters early in his career; human labour was found to be cheaper than printing and distributing publicity material. Most of the large, ubiquitous billboards in India's major cities are now created with computer-printed vinyl. Old hand-painted posters, once considered ephemera, are collectible folk art.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Releasing film music, or music videos, before a film's release may be considered a form of advertising. A popular tune is believed to help attract audiences. Bollywood publicists use the Internet as a venue for advertising. Most bigger-budget films have a websites on which audiences can view trailers, stills and information on the story, cast, and crew. Bollywood is also used to advertise other products. Product placement, used in Hollywood, is also common in Bollywood.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Bollywood's increasing use of international settings such as Switzerland, London, Paris, New York, Mexico, Brazil and Singapore does not necessarily represent the people and cultures of those locales. Contrary to these spaces and geographies being filmed as they are, they are actually Indianised by adding Bollywood actors and Hindi speaking extras to them. While immersing in Bollywood films, viewers get to see their local experiences duplicated in different locations around the world.


title: Hindi cinema

text: According to Shakuntala Rao, "Media representation can depict India's shifting relation with the world economy, but must retain its 'Indianness' in moments of dynamic hybridity"; "Indianness" (cultural identity) poses a problem with Bollywood's popularity among varied diaspora audiences, but gives its domestic audience a sense of uniqueness from other immigrant groups.


title: Hindi cinema

text: The Filmfare Awards are some of the most prominent awards given to Hindi films in India. The Indian screen magazine "Filmfare" began the awards in 1954 (recognising the best films of 1953), and they were originally known as the Clare Awards after the magazine's editor. Modeled on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' poll-based merit format, individuals may vote in separate categories. A dual voting system was developed in 1956.


title: Hindi cinema

text: The National Film Awards were also introduced in 1954. The Indian government has sponsored the awards, given by its Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), since 1973. The DFF screens Bollywood films, films from the other regional movie industries, and independent/art films. The awards are made at an annual ceremony presided over by the president of India. Unlike the Filmfare Awards, which are chosen by the public and a committee of experts, the National Film Awards are decided by a government panel.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Other awards ceremonies for Hindi films in India are the Screen Awards (begun in 1995) and the Stardust Awards, which began in 2003. The International Indian Film Academy Awards (begun in 2000) and the Zee Cine Awards, begun in 1998, are held abroad in a different country each year.


title: Hindi cinema

text: In addition to their popularity among the Indian diaspora from Nigeria and Senegal to Egypt and Russia, generations of non-Indians have grown up with Bollywood. Indian cinema's early contacts with other regions made inroads into the Soviet Union, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and China.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Bollywood entered the consciousness of Western audiences and producers during the late 20th century, and Western actors now seek roles in Bollywood films.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Bollywood films are also popular in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, where Hindustani is widely understood. Many Pakistanis understand Hindi, due to its linguistic similarity to Urdu. Although Pakistan banned the import of Bollywood films in 1965, trade in unlicensed DVDs and illegal cable broadcasts ensured their continued popularity. Exceptions to the ban were made for a few films, such as the colourised re-release of "Mughal-e-Azam" and "Taj Mahal" in 2006. Early in 2008, the Pakistani government permitted the import of 16 films. More easing followed in 2009 and 2010. Although it is opposed by nationalists and representatives of Pakistan's small film industry, it is embraced by cinema owners who are making a profit after years of low receipts. The most popular actors in Pakistan are the three Khans of Bollywood: Salman, Shah Rukh, and Aamir. The most popular actress is Madhuri Dixit; at India-Pakistan cricket matches during the 1990s, Pakistani fans chanted ""Madhuri dedo, Kashmir lelo!"" ("Give Madhuri, take Kashmir!") Bollywood films in Nepal earn more than Nepali films, and Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan are popular in the country.


title: Hindi cinema

text: The films are also popular in Afghanistan due to its proximity to the Indian subcontinent and their cultural similarities, particularly in music. Popular actors include Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgan, Sunny Deol, Aishwarya Rai, Preity Zinta, and Madhuri Dixit. A number of Bollywood films were filmed in Afghanistan and some dealt with the country, including "Dharmatma", "Kabul Express", "Khuda Gawah" and "Escape From Taliban".


title: Hindi cinema

text: Bollywood films are popular in Southeast Asia, particularly in maritime Southeast Asia. The three Khans are very popular in the Malay world, including Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. The films are also fairly popular in Thailand.


title: Hindi cinema

text: India has cultural ties with Indonesia, and Bollywood films were introduced to the country at the end of World War II in 1945. The "angry young man" films of Amitabh Bachchan and Salim–Javed were popular during the 1970s and 1980s before Bollywood's popularity began gradually declining in the 1980s and 1990s. It experienced an Indonesian revival with the release of Shah Rukh Khan's "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" (1998) in 2001, which was a bigger box-office success in the country than "Titanic" (1997). Bollywood has had a strong presence in Indonesia since then, particularly Shah Rukh Khan films such as "Mohabbatein" (2000), "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..." (2001), "Kal Ho Naa Ho", "Chalte Chalte" and "Koi... Mil Gaya" (all 2003), and "Veer-Zaara" (2004).


title: Hindi cinema

text: Some Bollywood films have been widely appreciated in China, Japan, and South Korea. Several Hindi films have been commercially successful in Japan, including Mehboob Khan's "Aan" (1952, starring Dilip Kumar) and Aziz Mirza's "Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman" (1992, starring Shah Rukh Khan). The latter sparked a two-year boom in Indian films after its 1997 release, with "Dil Se.." (1998) a beneficiary of the boom. The highest-grossing Hindi film in Japan is "3 Idiots" (2009), starring Aamir Khan, which received a Japanese Academy Award nomination. The film was also a critical and commercial success in South Korea.


title: Hindi cinema

text: "Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani", "Awaara", and "Do Bigha Zamin" were successful in China during the 1940s and 1950s, and remain popular with their original audience. Few Indian films were commercially successful in the country during the 1970s and 1980s, among them Tahir Hussain's "Caravan", "Noorie" and "Disco Dancer". Indian film stars popular in China included Raj Kapoor, Nargis, and Mithun Chakraborty. Hindi films declined significantly in popularity in China during the 1980s. Films by Aamir Khan have recently been successful, and "Lagaan" was the first Indian film with a nationwide Chinese release in 2011. Chinese filmmaker He Ping was impressed by "Lagaan" (particularly its soundtrack), and hired its composer A. R. Rahman to score his "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" (2003).


title: Hindi cinema

text: When "3 Idiots" was released in China, China was the world's 15th-largest film market (partly due to its widespread pirate DVD distribution at the time). The pirate market introduced the film to Chinese audiences, however, and it became a cult hit. According to the Douban film-review site, "3 Idiots" is China's 12th-most-popular film of all time; only one domestic Chinese film ("Farewell My Concubine") ranks higher, and Aamir Khan acquired a large Chinese fan base as a result. After "3 Idiots", several of Khan's other films (including 2007's "Taare Zameen Par" and 2008's "Ghajini") also developed cult followings. China became the world's second-largest film market (after the United States) by 2013, paving the way for Khan's box-office success with "Dhoom 3" (2013), "PK" (2014), and "Dangal" (2016). The latter is the 16th-highest-grossing film in China, the fifth-highest-grossing non-English language film worldwide, and the highest-grossing non-English foreign film in any market. Several Khan films, including "Taare Zameen Par", "3 Idiots", and "Dangal", are highly rated on Douban. His next film, "Secret Superstar" (2017, starring Zaira Wasim), broke "Dangal"s record for the highest-grossing opening weekend by an Indian film and cemented Khan's status as "a king of the Chinese box office"; "Secret Superstar" was China's highest-grossing foreign film of 2018 to date. Khan has become a household name in China, with his success described as a form of Indian soft power improving China–India relations despite political tensions. With Bollywood competing with Hollywood in the Chinese market, the success of Khan's films has driven up the price for Chinese distributors of Indian film imports. Salman Khan's "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" and Irrfan Khan's "Hindi Medium" were also Chinese hits in early 2018.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Although Bollywood is less successful on some Pacific islands such as New Guinea, it ranks second to Hollywood in Fiji (with its large Indian minority), Australia and New Zealand. Australia also has a large South Asian diaspora, and Bollywood is popular amongst non-Asians in the country as well. Since 1997, the country has been a backdrop for an increasing number of Bollywood films. Indian filmmakers, attracted to Australia's diverse locations and landscapes, initially used the country as a setting for song-and-dance scenes; however, Australian locations now figure in Bollywood film plots. Hindi films shot in Australia usually incorporate Australian culture. Yash Raj Films' "Salaam Namaste" (2005), the first Indian film shot entirely in Australia, was the most successful Bollywood film of 2005 in that country. It was followed by the box-office successes "Heyy Babyy", (2007) "Chak De! India" (2007), and "Singh Is Kinng" (2008). Prime Minister John Howard said during a visit to India after the release of "Salaam Namaste" that he wanted to encourage Indian filmmaking in Australia to increase tourism, and he appointed Steve Waugh as tourism ambassador to India. Australian actress Tania Zaetta, who appeared in "Salaam Namaste" and several other Bollywood films, was eager to expand her career in Bollywood.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Bollywood films are popular in the former Soviet Union (Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia), and have been dubbed into Russian. Indian films were more popular in the Soviet Union than Hollywood films and, sometimes, domestic Soviet films. The first Indian film released in the Soviet Union was "Dharti Ke Lal" (1946), directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and based on the Bengal famine of 1943, in 1949. Three hundred Indian films were released in the Soviet Union after that; most were Bollywood films with higher average audience figures than domestic Soviet productions. Fifty Indian films had over 20 million viewers, compared to 41 Hollywood films. Some, such as "Awaara" (1951) and "Disco Dancer" (1982), had more than 60 million viewers and established actors Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Rishi Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty in the country.


title: Hindi cinema

text: After the collapse of the Soviet film-distribution system, Hollywood filled the void in the Russian film market and Bollywood's market share shrank. A 2007 Russia Today report noted a renewed interest in Bollywood by young Russians.


title: Hindi cinema

text: In Poland, Shah Rukh Khan has a large following. He was introduced to Polish audiences with the 2005 release of "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..." (2001) and his other films, including "Dil Se.." (1998), "Main Hoon Na" (2004) and "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" (2006), became hits in the country. Bollywood films are often covered in "Gazeta Wyborcza", formerly Poland's largest newspaper.


title: Hindi cinema

text: The upcoming movie "Squad", is the first Indian film to be shot in Belarus. A majority of the film was shot at Belarusfilm studios, in Minsk.


title: Hindi cinema

text: and imported Indian films are usually subtitled in Arabic when they are released. Bollywood has progressed in Israel since the early 2000s, with channels dedicated to Indian films on cable television; MBC Bollywood and Zee Aflam show Hindi movies and serials.


title: Hindi cinema

text: In Egypt, Bollywood films were popular during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1987, however, they were restricted to a handful of films by the Egyptian government. Amitabh Bachchan has remained popular in the country and Indian tourists visiting Egypt are asked, "Do you know Amitabh Bachchan?"


title: Hindi cinema

text: Bollywood movies are regularly screened in Dubai cinemas, and Bollywood is becoming popular in Turkey; "Barfi!" was the first Hindi film to have a wide theatrical release in that country. Bollywood also has viewers in Central Asia (particularly Uzbekistan and Tajikistan).


title: Hindi cinema

text: Bollywood films are not influential in most of South America, although its culture and dance is recognised. Due to significant South Asian diaspora communities in Suriname and Guyana, however, Hindi-language movies are popular. In 2006, "Dhoom 2" became the first Bollywood film to be shot in Rio de Janeiro. In January 2012, it was announced that UTV Motion Pictures would begin releasing films in Peru with "Guzaarish".


title: Hindi cinema

text: Hindi films were originally distributed to some parts of Africa by Lebanese businessmen. In the 1950s, Hindi and Egyptian films were generally more popular than Hollywood films in East Africa. By the 1960s, East Africa was one of the largest overseas export markets for Indian films, accounting for about 20-50% of global earnings for many Indian films.


title: Hindi cinema

text: "Mother India" (1957) continued to be screened in Nigeria decades after its release. Indian movies have influenced Hausa clothing, songs have been covered by Hausa singers, and stories have influenced Nigerian novelists. Stickers of Indian films and stars decorate taxis and buses in Nigeria's Northern Region, and posters of Indian films hang on the walls of tailoring shops and mechanics' garages. Unlike Europe and North America, where Indian films cater to the expatriate marke, Bollywood films became popular in West Africa despite the lack of a significant Indian audience. One possible explanation is cultural similarity: the wearing of turbans, animals in markets; porters carrying large bundles, and traditional wedding celebrations. Within Muslim culture, Indian movies were said to show "respect" toward women; Hollywood movies were seen as having "no shame". In Indian movies, women are modestly dressed; men and women rarely kiss and there is no nudity, so the films are said to "have culture" which Hollywood lacks. The latter "don't base themselves on the problems of the people"; Indian films are based on socialist values and the reality of developing countries emerging from years of colonialism. Indian movies permitted a new youth culture without "becoming Western." The first Indian film shot in Mauritius was "Souten", starring Rajesh Khanna, in 1983.


title: Hindi cinema

text: In South Africa, film imports from India were watched by black and Indian audiences. Several Bollywood figures have travelled to Africa for films and off-camera projects. "Padmashree Laloo Prasad Yadav" (2005) was filmed in South Africa. "Dil Jo Bhi Kahey..." (2005) was also filmed almost entirely in Mauritius, which has a large ethnic-Indian population.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Bollywood, however, seems to be diminishing in popularity in Africa. New Bollywood films are more sexually explicit and violent. Nigerian viewers observed that older films (from the 1950s and 1960s) had more culture and were less Westernised. The old days of India avidly "advocating decolonization ... and India's policy was wholly influenced by his missionary zeal to end racial domination and discrimination in the African territories" were replaced. The emergence of Nollywood (West Africa's film industry) has also contributed to the declining popularity of Bollywood films, as sexualised Indian films became more like American films.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Kishore Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan have been popular in Egypt and Somalia. In Ethiopia, Bollywood movies are shown with Hollywood productions in town square theatres such as the Cinema Ethiopia in Addis Ababa. Less-commercial Bollywood films are also screened elsewhere in North Africa.


title: Hindi cinema

text: The first Indian film to be released in the Western world and receive mainstream attention was "Aan" (1952), directed by Mehboob Khan and starring Dilip Kumar and Nimmi. It was subtitled in 17 languages and released in 28 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, and France. "Aan" received significant praise from British critics, and "The Times" compared it favourably to Hollywood productions. Mehboob Khan's later Academy Award-nominated "Mother India" (1957) was a success in overseas markets, including Europe, Russia, the Eastern Bloc, French territories, and Latin America.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Many Bollywood films have been commercially successful in the United Kingdom. The most successful Indian actor at the British box office has been Shah Rukh Khan, whose popularity in British Asian communities played a key role in introducing Bollywood to the UK with films such as "Darr" (1993), "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge" (1995), and "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" (1998). "Dil Se" (1998) was the first Indian film to enter the UK top ten. A number of Indian films, such as "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge" and "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham" (2001), have been set in London.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Bollywood is also appreciated in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia. Bollywood films are dubbed in German and shown regularly on the German television channel RTL II. Germany is the second-largest European market for Indian films, after the United Kingdom. The most recognised Indian actor in Germany is Shah Rukh Khan, who has had box-office success in the country with films such as "Don 2" (2011) and "Om Shanti Om" (2007). He has a large German fan base, particularly in Berlin (where the tabloid "Die Tageszeitung" compared his popularity to that of the pope).


title: Hindi cinema

text: Bollywood has experienced revenue growth in Canada and the United States, particularly in the South Asian communities of large cities such as Toronto, Chicago, and New York City. Yash Raj Films, one of India's largest production houses and distributors, reported in September 2005 that Bollywood films in the United States earned about $100 million per year in theatre screenings, video sales and the sale of movie soundtracks; Indian films earn more money in the United States than films from any other non-English speaking country. Since the mid-1990s, a number of Indian films have been largely (or entirely) shot in New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver or Toronto. Films such as "The Guru" (2002) and "" (2007) attempted to popularise Bollywood for Hollywood.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Pressured by rushed production schedules and small budgets, some writers and musicians in Hindi cinema have been known to plagiarise. Ideas, plot lines, tunes or riffs have been copied from other Indian film industries (including Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and others) or foreign films (including Hollywood and other Asian films) without acknowledging the source.


title: Hindi cinema

text: Before the 1990s, plagiarism occurred with impunity. Copyright enforcement was lax in India, and few actors or directors saw an official contract. The Hindi film industry was not widely known in the Global North (except in the Soviet states), who would be unaware that their material had been copied. Audiences may not have been aware of plagiarism, since many in India were unfamiliar with foreign films and music. Although copyright enforcement in India is still somewhat lenient, Bollywood and other film industries are more aware of each other and Indian audiences are more familiar with foreign films and music. Organisations such as the India EU Film Initiative seek to foster a community between filmmakers and industry professionals in India and the European Union.


title: Hindi cinema

text: A commonly-reported justification for plagiarism in Bollywood is that cautious producers want to remake popular Hollywood films in an Indian context. Although screenwriters generally produce original scripts, many are rejected due to uncertainty about whether a film will be successful. Poorly-paid screenwriters have also been criticised for a lack of creativity. Some filmmakers see plagiarism in Bollywood as an integral part of globalisation, with which Western (particularly American) culture is embedding itself into Indian culture. Vikram Bhatt, director of "Raaz" (a remake of "What Lies Beneath") and "Kasoor" (a remake of "Jagged Edge"), has spoken about the influence of American culture and Bollywood's desire to produce box-office hits based along the same lines: "Financially, I would be more secure knowing that a particular piece of work has already done well at the box office. Copying is endemic everywhere in India. Our TV shows are adaptations of American programmes. We want their films, their cars, their planes, their Diet Cokes and also their attitude. The American way of life is creeping into our culture." According to Mahesh Bhatt, "If you hide the source, you're a genius. There's no such thing as originality in the creative sphere".


title: Hindi cinema

text: Although very few cases of film-copyright violations have been taken to court because of a slow legal process, the makers of "Partner" (2007) and "Zinda" (2005) were targeted by the owners and distributors of the original films: "Hitch" and "Oldboy". The American studio 20th Century Fox brought Mumbai-based B. R. Films to court over the latter's forthcoming "Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai", which Fox alleged was an illegal remake of "My Cousin Vinny". B. R. Films eventually settled out of court for about $200,000, paving the way for its film's release. Some studios comply with copyright law; in 2008, Orion Pictures secured the rights to remake Hollywood's "Wedding Crashers".


title: Hindi cinema

text: The Pakistani Qawwali musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan had a big impact on Hindi film music, inspiring numerous Indian musicians working in Bollywood, especially during the 1990s. However, there were many instances of Indian music directors plagiarising Khan's music to produce hit filmi songs. Several popular examples include Viju Shah's hit song "Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast" in "Mohra" (1994) being plagiarised from Khan's popular Qawwali song "Dam Mast Qalandar", "Mera Piya Ghar Aya" used in "Yaarana" (1995), and "Sanoo Ek Pal Chain Na Aaye" in "Judaai" (1997). Despite the significant number of hit Bollywood songs plagiarised from his music, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was reportedly tolerant towards the plagiarism. One of the Bollywood music directors who frequently plagiarised him, Anu Malik, claimed that he loved Khan's music and was actually showing admiration by using his tunes. However, Khan was reportedly aggrieved when Malik turned his spiritual "Allah Hoo, Allah Hoo" into "I Love You, I Love You" in "Auzaar" (1997). Khan said "he has taken my devotional song "Allahu" and converted it into "I love you". He should at least respect my religious songs."


title: Hindi cinema

text: Bollywood soundtracks also plagiarised Guinean singer Mory Kanté, particularly his 1987 album "Akwaba Beach". His song, "Tama", inspired two Bollywood songs: Bappi Lahiri's "Tamma Tamma" in "Thanedaar" (1990) and "Jumma Chumma" in Laxmikant–Pyarelal's soundtrack for "Hum" (1991). The latter also featured "Ek Doosre Se", which copied Kanté's "Inch Allah". His song "Yé ké yé ké" was used as background music in the 1990 Bollywood film "Agneepath", inspired the Bollywood song "Tamma Tamma" in "Thanedaar".


title: Naomi Watts filmography

text: Naomi Watts is a British actress and producer known for her work in Australian and American film, television and video games. Watts emigrated with her family to Australia from the UK at the age of 14, and made her debut in the 1986 Australian film "For Love Alone". She then pursued a brief career in the fashion industry, first as a model and later as a fashion editor. After attending a drama workshop, Watts quit her editing job and pursued acting as a career. She appeared in the sitcom "Hey Dad..!" (1990), and the soap opera "Home and Away" (1991). Her first lead role was in the 1993 thriller "Gross Misconduct", where Watts played a student who seduces her teacher, and then accuses him of rape.


title: Naomi Watts filmography

text: She transitioned to Hollywood productions in the mid to late 1990s starring in the science fiction film "Tank Girl" (1995), horror film "" (1996), and biographical drama "Dangerous Beauty" (1998). Watts played an aspiring actress in David Lynch's neo-noir film "Mulholland Drive" (2001), which was her breakthrough role and garnered her international recognition. She then starred as journalist Rachel Keller in the horror remake "The Ring" (2002), and reprised the role in its sequel "The Ring Two" (2005). Watts portrayed a grief-stricken mother with a history of substance abuse in the Alejandro González Iñárritu-directed "21 Grams" (2003), for which she garnered nominations for Best Actress at the Academy Awards, British Academy Film Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.


title: Naomi Watts filmography

text: Watts played Ann Darrow in Peter Jackson's monster film remake "King Kong" (2005), for which she won the Saturn Award for Best Actress. She also reprised her role voicing Darrow in the video game adaptation, for which she was nominated for a Spike Video Game Award for Best Performance by a Female. Five years later, she portrayed CIA officer Valerie Plame in the biographical drama "Fair Game" (2010) with Sean Penn. In 2011, Watts played FBI director J. Edgar Hoover's secretary Helen Gandy in the biographical drama "J. Edgar" with Leonardo DiCaprio. The following year, she starred as a doctor who is caught up by the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami with her family in "The Impossible" (2012). For her performance, Watts received nominations for Best Actress at the Oscars and Golden Globe Awards.


title: Naomi Watts filmography

text: She reteamed with Iñárritu on the 2014 black comedy "Birdman". In 2017, Watts starred in the third season of Lynch's television series "Twin Peaks" and as a psychologist in the psychological thriller series "Gypsy" which she also executively produced. She played Queen Gertrude and Mechthild in the romantic drama "Ophelia" (2018). Two years later Watts portrayed Fox News journalist Gretchen Carlson in the miniseries "The Loudest Voice" (2019).


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a disorder that results in involuntary repetitive body movements, which may include grimacing, sticking out the tongue or smacking the lips. Additionally, there may be rapid jerking movements or slow writhing movements. In about 20% of people with TD, the disorder interferes with daily functioning.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Tardive dyskinesia occurs in some people as a result of long-term use of dopamine-receptor-blocking medications such as antipsychotics and metoclopramide. These medications are usually used for mental illness but may also be given for gastrointestinal or neurological problems. The condition typically develops only after months to years of use. The diagnosis is based on the symptoms after ruling out other potential causes.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Efforts to prevent the condition include either using the lowest possible dose or discontinuing use of neuroleptics. Treatment includes stopping the neuroleptic medication if possible or switching to clozapine. Other medications such as valbenazine, tetrabenazine, or botulinum toxin may be used to lessen the symptoms. With treatment, some see a resolution of symptoms, while others do not.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Rates in those on atypical antipsychotics are about 20%, while those on typical antipsychotics have rates of about 30%. The risk of acquiring the condition is greater in older people, for women, as well as patients with mood disorders and/or medical diagnoses receiving antipsychotic medications. The term "tardive dyskinesia" first came into use in 1964.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Tardive dyskinesia is characterized by repetitive, involuntary movements. Some examples of these types of involuntary movements include:


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: In some cases, an individual's legs can be so affected that walking becomes difficult or impossible. These symptoms are the opposite of people who are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. People with Parkinson's have difficulty moving, whereas people with tardive dyskinesia have difficulty not moving.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Respiratory irregularity, such as grunting and difficulty breathing, is another symptom associated with tardive dyskinesia, although studies have shown that the rate of people affected is relatively low.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Tardive dyskinesia is often misdiagnosed as a mental illness rather than a neurological disorder, and as a result, people are prescribed neuroleptic drugs, which increase the probability that the person will develop a severe and disabling case, and shortening the typical survival period.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Other closely related neurological disorders have been recognized as variants of tardive dyskinesia. Tardive dystonia is similar to standard dystonia but permanent. Tardive akathisia involves painful feelings of inner tension and anxiety and a compulsive drive to move the body. In some extreme cases, afflicted individuals experience so much internal tension that they lose their ability to sit still. Tardive tourettism is a tic disorder featuring the same symptoms as Tourette syndrome. The two disorders are extremely close in nature and often can only be differentiated by the details of their respective onsets. Tardive myoclonus, a rare disorder, presents as brief jerks of muscles in the face, neck, trunk, and extremities.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: "AIMS Examination": This test is used when psychotropic medications have been prescribed because people sometimes develop tardive dyskinesia due to prolonged use of antipsychotic medications. The Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) examination is a test used to identify the symptoms of tardive dyskinesia (TD). The test is not meant to tell whether there is an absence or presence of tardive dyskinesia. It just scales to the level of symptoms indicated by the actions observed. The levels range from none to severe. The AIMS examination was constructed in the 1970s to measure involuntary facial, trunk, and limb movements. It is best to do this test before and after the administration of the psychotropic drugs. Taking the AIMS consistently can help to track severity of TD over time.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Tardive dyskinesia was first described in the 1950s shortly after the introduction of chlorpromazine and other antipsychotic drugs. However, the exact mechanism of the disorder remains largely uncertain. The most compelling line of evidence suggests that tardive dyskinesia may result primarily from neuroleptic-induced dopamine supersensitivity in the nigrostriatal pathway, with the D2 dopamine receptor being most affected. Neuroleptics act primarily on this dopamine system, and older neuroleptics, which have greater affinity for the D2 binding site, are associated with high risk for tardive dyskinesia. The D2 hypersensitivity hypothesis is also supported by evidence of a dose–response relationship, withdrawal effects, studies on D2 agonists and antagonists, animal studies, and genetic polymorphism research.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Given similar doses of the same neuroleptic, differences among individuals still exist in the likelihood of developing tardive dyskinesia. Such individual differences may be due to genetic polymorphisms, which code for D2 receptor binding site affinity, or prior exposure to environmental toxins. Decreased functional reserve or cognitive dysfunction, associated with aging, intellectual disability, alcohol and drug use, or traumatic head injuries, has also been shown to increase risk of developing the disorder among those treated with neuroleptics. Antipsychotic drugs can sometimes camouflage the signs of tardive dyskinesia from occurring in the early stages; this can happen from the individual having an increased dose of an antipsychotic drug. Often the symptoms of tardive dyskinesia are not apparent until the individual comes off of the antipsychotic drugs; however, when tardive dyskinesia worsens, the signs become visible.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Other dopamine antagonists and antiemetics can cause tardive dyskinesia, such as metoclopramide and promethazine, used to treat gastrointestinal disorders. Atypical antipsychotics are considered lower-risk for causing TD than their typical counterparts with their relative rates of TD of 13.1% and 32.4% respectively in short-term trials with haloperidol being the main typical antipsychotic utilised in said trials. Quetiapine and clozapine are considered the lowest risk agents for precipitating TD. From 2008, there have been reported cases of the anti-psychotic medication aripiprazole, a partial agonist at D2 receptors, leading to tardive dyskinesia.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: The available research seems to suggest that the concurrent prophylactic use of a neuroleptic and an antiparkinsonian drug is useless to avoid early extrapyramidal side-effects and may render the person more sensitive to tardive dyskinesia. Since 1973 the use of these drugs has been found to be associated with the development of tardive dyskinesia.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: An increased risk of tardive dyskinesia has been associated with smoking in some studies, although a negative study does exist. There seems to be a cigarette smoke-exposure-dependent risk for TD in people who are antipsychotic-treated . Elderly people are also at a heightened risk for developing TD, as are females and those with organic brain injuries or diabetes mellitus and those with the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. TD is also more common in those that experience acute neurological side effects from antipsychotic drug treatment. Racial discrepancies in TD rate also exist, with Africans and African Americans having higher rates of TD after exposure to antipsychotics. Certain genetic risk factors for TD have been identified including polymorphisms in the genes encoding the D, 5-HT and 5-HT receptors.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Prevention of tardive dyskinesia is achieved by using the lowest effective dose of a neuroleptic for the shortest time. However, with diseases of chronic psychosis such as schizophrenia, this strategy must be balanced with the fact that increased dosages of neuroleptics are more beneficial in preventing recurrence of psychosis. If tardive dyskinesia is diagnosed, the causative drug should be discontinued. Tardive dyskinesia may persist after withdrawal of the drug for months, years or even permanently. Some studies suggest that practitioners should consider using atypical antipsychotics as a substitute to typical antipsychotics for people requiring medication. These agents are associated with fewer neuromotor side effects and a lower risk of developing tardive dyskinesia.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Studies have tested the use of melatonin, high dosage vitamins, and different antioxidants in concurrence with antipsychotic drugs (often used to treat schizophrenia) as a way of preventing and treating tardive dyskinesia. Although further research is needed, studies reported a much lower percentage of individuals developing tardive dyskinesia than the current rate of people for those taking antipsychotic drugs. Tentative evidence supports the use of vitamin E for prevention.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Valbenazine was approved by the FDA for tardive dyskinesia in April 2017. Tetrabenazine, which is a dopamine depleting drug, is sometimes used to treat tardive dyskinesia and other movement disorders (e.g. Huntington's chorea). Deutetrabenazine, an isotopic isomer of tetrabenazine, was approved by the FDA for tardive dyskinesia in August 2017. Vitamin B6 has been reported to be an effective treatment for TD in two randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trials, but the overall evidence for its effectiveness is considered "weak." Clonidine may also be useful in the treatment of TD, although dose-limiting hypotension and sedation may hinder its usage. Botox injections are used for minor focal dystonia, but not in more advanced tardive dyskinesia. As of 2018 evidence is insufficient to support the use of benzodiazepines, baclofen, progabide, sodium valproate, gaboxadol, or calcium channel blockers (e.g. diltiazem).


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Tardive dyskinesia most commonly occurs in people with psychiatric conditions who are treated with antipsychotic medications for many years. The average rate of people affected has been estimated to be around 30% for individuals taking antipsychotic medication, such as that used to treat schizophrenia. A study being conducted at the Yale University School of Medicine has estimated that "32% of people develop persistent tics after 5 years on major tranquilizers, 57% by 15 years, and 68% by 25 years." More drastic data was found during a longitudinal study conducted on individuals 45 years of age and older who were taking antipsychotic drugs. According to this research study, 26% of people developed tardive dyskinesia after just one year on the medication. Another 60% of this at-risk group developed the disorder after 3 years, and 23% developed "severe" cases of tardive dyskinesia within 3 years. According to these estimates, the majority of people will eventually develop the disorder if they remain on the drugs long enough.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Elderly people are more prone to develop tardive dyskinesia, and elderly women are more at-risk than elderly men. The risk is much lower for younger men and women, and also more equal across the sexes. People who have undergone electroconvulsive therapy or have a history of diabetes or heavy alcohol use also have a higher risk of developing tardive dyskinesia.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Several studies have recently been conducted comparing the number of people affected of tardive dyskinesia with second generation, or more modern, antipsychotic drugs to that of first generation drugs. The newer antipsychotics appear to have a substantially reduced potential for causing tardive dyskinesia. However, some studies express concern that the number of people affected has decreased far less than expected, cautioning against the overestimation of the safety of modern antipsychotics.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: A practitioner can evaluate and diagnose a person with tardive dyskinesia by conducting a systematic examination. The practitioner should ask the person to relax, and look for symptoms like facial grimacing, eye or lip movements, tics, respiratory irregularities, and tongue movements. In some cases, people experience nutritional problems, so a practitioner can also look for a gain or loss in weight.


title: Tardive dyskinesia

text: Apart from the underlying psychiatric disorder, tardive dyskinesia may cause afflicted people to become socially isolated. It also increases the risk of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and can even lead to suicide. Emotional or physical stress can increase the severity of dyskinetic movements, whereas relaxation and sedation have the opposite effect.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: The simulation hypothesis proposes that all of our existence is a simulated reality, such as a computer simulation.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: The simulation hypothesis bears a close resemblance to various other skeptical scenarios from throughout the history of philosophy. The hypothesis was popularized in its current form by Nick Bostrom. The suggestion that such a hypothesis is compatible with all human perceptual experiences is thought to have significant epistemological consequences in the form of philosophical skepticism. Versions of the hypothesis have also been featured in science fiction, appearing as a central plot device in many stories and films. The hypothesis popularized by Bostrom is very disputed, with, for example, theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder, who called it pseudoscience and cosmologist George F. R. Ellis, who stated that "[the hypothesis] is totally impracticable from a technical viewpoint" and that "protagonists seem to have confused science fiction with science. Late-night pub discussion is not a viable theory."


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: There is a long philosophical and scientific history to the underlying thesis that reality is an illusion. This skeptical hypothesis can be traced back to antiquity; for example, to the "Butterfly Dream" of Zhuangzi, or the Indian philosophy of Maya, or in Ancient Greek philosophy Anaxarchus and Monimus likened existing things to a scene-painting and supposed them to resemble the impressions experienced in sleep or madness.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: In 2003, philosopher Nick Bostrom proposed a trilemma that he called "the simulation argument". Despite the name, Bostrom's "simulation argument" does not directly argue that humans live in a simulation; instead, Bostrom's trilemma argues that one of three unlikely-seeming propositions is almost certainly true:


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: The trilemma points out that a technologically mature "posthuman" civilization would have enormous computing power; if even a tiny percentage of them were to run "ancestor simulations" (that is, "high-fidelity" simulations of ancestral life that would be indistinguishable from reality to the simulated ancestor), the total number of simulated ancestors, or "Sims", in the universe (or multiverse, if it exists) would greatly exceed the total number of actual ancestors.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: Bostrom goes on to use a type of anthropic reasoning to claim that, "if" the third proposition is the one of those three that is true, and almost all people live in simulations, "then" humans are almost certainly living in a simulation.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: Bostrom claims his argument goes beyond the classical ancient "skeptical hypothesis", claiming that "...we have interesting empirical reasons to believe that a certain disjunctive claim about the world is true", the third of the three disjunctive propositions being that we are almost certainly living in a simulation. Thus, Bostrom, and writers in agreement with Bostrom such as David Chalmers, argue there might be empirical reasons for the "simulation hypothesis", and that therefore the simulation hypothesis is not a skeptical hypothesis but rather a "metaphysical hypothesis". Bostrom states he personally sees no strong argument as to which of the three trilemma propositions is the true one: "If (1) is true, then we will almost certainly go extinct before reaching posthumanity. If (2) is true, then there must be a strong convergence among the courses of advanced civilizations so that virtually none contains any individuals who desire to run ancestor-simulations and are free to do so. If (3) is true, then we almost certainly live in a simulation. In the dark forest of our current ignorance, it seems sensible to apportion one's credence roughly evenly between (1), (2), and (3)... I note that people who hear about the simulation argument often react by saying, 'Yes, I accept the argument, and it is obvious that it is possibility #"n" that obtains.' But different people pick a different "n". Some think it obvious that (1) is true, others that (2) is true, yet others that (3) is true."


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: As a corollary to the trilemma, Bostrom states that "Unless we are now living in a simulation, our descendants will almost certainly never run an ancestor-simulation."


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: Bostrom argues that "if" "the fraction of all people with our kind of experiences that are living in a simulation is very close to one", "then" it follows that humans probably live in a simulation. Some philosophers disagree, proposing that perhaps "Sims" do not have conscious experiences the same way that unsimulated humans do, or that it can otherwise be self-evident to a human that they are a human rather than a Sim. Philosopher Barry Dainton modifies Bostrom's trilemma by substituting "neural ancestor simulations" (ranging from literal brains in a vat, to far-future humans with induced high-fidelity hallucinations that they are their own distant ancestors) for Bostrom's "ancestor simulations", on the grounds that every philosophical school of thought can agree that sufficiently high-tech neural ancestor simulation experiences would be indistinguishable from non-simulated experiences. Even if high-fidelity computer Sims are never conscious, Dainton's reasoning leads to the following conclusion: either the fraction of human-level civilizations that reach a posthuman stage and are able and willing to run large numbers of neural ancestor simulations is close to zero, or some kind of (possibly neural) ancestor simulation exists.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: Some scholars categorically reject—or are uninterested in—anthropic reasoning, dismissing it as "merely philosophical", unfalsifiable, or inherently unscientific.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: Some critics propose that the simulation could be in the first generation, and all the simulated people that will one day be created do not yet exist.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: The cosmologist Sean M. Carroll argues that the simulation hypothesis leads to a contradiction: if humans are typical, as it is assumed, and not capable of performing simulations, this contradicts the arguer's assumption that it is easy for us to foresee that other civilizations can most likely perform simulations.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: Physicist Frank Wilczek raises an empirical objection, saying that the laws of the universe have hidden complexity which is "not used for anything" and the laws are constrained by time and location – all of this being unnecessary and extraneous in a simulation. He further argues that the simulation argument amounts to "begging the question," due to the "embarrassing question" of the nature of the underlying reality in which this universe is simulated. "Okay if this is a simulated world, what is the thing in which it is simulated made out of? What are the laws for that?"


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: It has been argued that humans cannot be the ones being simulated, since the simulation argument uses its descendants as the ones running the simulations. In other words, it has been argued that the probability that humans live in a simulated universe is not independent of the prior probability that is assigned to the existence of other universes.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: Some scholars accept the trilemma, and argue that the first or second of the propositions are true, and that the third proposition (the proposition that humans live in a simulation) is false. Physicist Paul Davies uses Bostrom's trilemma as part of one possible argument against a near-infinite multiverse. This argument runs as follows: if there were a near-infinite multiverse, there would be posthuman civilizations running ancestor simulations, which would lead to the untenable and scientifically self-defeating conclusion that humans live in a simulation; therefore, by "reductio ad absurdum", existing multiverse theories are likely false. (Unlike Bostrom and Chalmers, Davies (among others) considers the simulation hypothesis to be self-defeating.)


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: Some point out that there is currently no proof of technology that would facilitate the existence of sufficiently high-fidelity ancestor simulation. Additionally, there is no proof that it is physically possible or feasible for a posthuman civilization to create such a simulation, and therefore for the present, the first proposition must be taken to be true. Additionally there are limits of computation.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: Physicist Marcelo Gleiser objects to the notion that posthumans would have a reason to run simulated universes: "...being so advanced they would have collected enough knowledge about their past to have little interest in this kind of simulation. ...They may have virtual-reality museums, where they could go and experience the lives and tribulations of their ancestors. But a full-fledged, resource-consuming simulation of an "entire" universe? Sounds like a colossal waste of time." Gleiser also points out that there is no plausible reason to stop at one level of simulation, so that the simulated ancestors might also be simulating their ancestors, and so on, creating an infinite regress akin to the "problem of the First Cause."


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: In physics, the view of the universe and its workings as the ebb and flow of information was first observed by Wheeler. Consequently, two views of the world emerged: the first one proposes that the universe is a quantum computer, while the other one proposes that the system performing the simulation is distinct from its simulation (the universe). Of the former view, quantum-computing specialist Dave Bacon wrote,


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: In many respects this point of view may be nothing more than a result of the fact that the notion of computation is the disease of our age—everywhere we look today we see examples of computers, computation, and information theory and thus we extrapolate this to our laws of physics. Indeed, thinking about computing as arising from faulty components, it seems as if the abstraction that uses perfectly operating computers is unlikely to exist as anything but a platonic ideal. Another critique of such a point of view is that there is no evidence for the kind of digitization that characterizes computers nor are there any predictions made by those who advocate such a view that have been experimentally confirmed.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: Elon Musk firmly believes in the simulation hypothesis. In a podcast with Joe Rogan, Musk said "If you assume any rate of improvement at all, games will eventually be indistinguishable from reality" before concluding "that it's most likely we're in a simulation." He also stated in a 2016 interview that "there's a one in billions chance we're in base reality".


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: Another high-profile proponent of the hypothesis is astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson, who said in an NBC News interview that the hypothesis is correct, giving "better than 50-50 odds" and adding, "I wish I could summon a strong argument against it, but I can find none."


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: However, in a subsequent interview with Chuck Nice on a YouTube episode of "StarTalk", Tyson shares that his friend J. Richard Gott, a professor of astrophysical sciences at Princeton University, made him aware of a strong objection to the simulation hypothesis. The objection points out that the common trait that all hypothetical high-fidelity simulated universes possess is the ability to produce high-fidelity simulated universes. And being that our current world does not possess this ability, it would mean that either we are the real universe, and therefore simulated universes have not yet been created, or we are the last in a very long chain of simulated universes, an observation that makes the simulation hypothesis seem less probable. Regarding this objection, Tyson remarked "that changes my life."


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: A method to test one type of simulation hypothesis was proposed in 2012 in a joint paper by physicists Silas R. Beane from the University of Bonn (now at the University of Washington, Seattle), and Zohreh Davoudi and Martin J. Savage from the University of Washington, Seattle. Under the assumption of finite computational resources, the simulation of the universe would be performed by dividing the continuum space-time into a discrete set of points. In analogy with the mini-simulations that lattice-gauge theorists run today to build up nuclei from the underlying theory of strong interactions (known as quantum chromodynamics), several observational consequences of a grid-like space-time have been studied in their work. Among proposed signatures is an anisotropy in the distribution of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays that, if observed, would be consistent with the simulation hypothesis according to these physicists. In 2017, Campbell et al. proposed several experiments aimed at testing the simulation hypothesis in their paper "On Testing the Simulation Theory".


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: In 2019, philosopher Preston Greene suggested that it may be best not to find out if we're living in a simulation since, if it were found to be true, such knowing might end the simulation.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: Besides attempting to assess whether the simulation hypothesis is true or false, philosophers have also used it to illustrate other philosophical problems, especially in metaphysics and epistemology. David Chalmers has argued that simulated beings might wonder whether their mental lives are governed by the physics of their environment, when in fact these mental lives are simulated separately (and are thus, in fact, not governed by the simulated physics). Chalmers claims that they might eventually find that their thoughts fail to be physically caused, and argues that this means that Cartesian dualism is not necessarily as problematic of a philosophical view as is commonly supposed, though he does not endorse it. Similar arguments have been made for philosophical views about personal identity that say that an individual could have been another human being in the past, as well as views about qualia that say that colors could have appeared differently than they do (the inverted spectrum scenario). In both cases, the claim is that all this would require is hooking up the mental lives to the simulated physics in a different way.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: Economist Robin Hanson argues that a self-interested occupant of a high-fidelity simulation should strive to be entertaining and praiseworthy in order to avoid being turned off or being shunted into a non-conscious low-fidelity part of the simulation. Hanson additionally speculates that someone who is aware that he might be in a simulation might care less about others and live more for today: "your motivation to save for retirement, or to help the poor in Ethiopia, might be muted by realizing that in your simulation, you will never retire and there is no Ethiopia."


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: Skeptical arguments have historically played a role in the evolution of philosophical discussion, particularly in the fields of ontology, metaphysics, the theory of knowledge and the philosophy of science. The fallibility of perception, knowledge and thought have been made obvious employing several arguments. Solipsist scenarios, a common ground of debate in these fields, are extreme cases prompting these dilemmas for further discussion.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: In virtue of computational simplicity, achieving this last kind of simulations with equal resolution seems much more undemanding than assembling a super simulator that runs a complete reality, including multiple participants. If humanity was being simulated, as noted by Lorenzo Pieri, it is more "likely to be one of such Brain-in-a-Vat or «solo players», as it is much easier to simulate the inputs to the brain than the full-blown reality".


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: This probabilistic argument deferring to parsimony, is based on the idea that "if we randomly select the simulation (…) the likelihood of picking a given simulation is inversely correlated to the computational complexity of the simulation".


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: Science fiction has highlighted themes such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence and computer gaming for more than fifty years. "Jokester" (1956) by Isaac Asimov explores the idea that humor is actually a psychological study tool imposed from without by extraterrestrials studying mankind, similarly to how humans study mice. "Simulacron-3" (1964) by Daniel F. Galouye (alternative title: "Counterfeit World") tells the story of a virtual city developed as a computer simulation for market research purposes, in which the simulated inhabitants possess consciousness; all but one of the inhabitants are unaware of the true nature of their world. The book was made into a German made-for-TV film called "World on a Wire" (1973) directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The film "The Thirteenth Floor" (1999) was also loosely based on this book. "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" is a short story by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in "The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction" in April 1966, and was the basis for the 1990 film "Total Recall" and its 2012 remake. In "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank", a 1983 television film, the main character pays to have his mind connected to a simulation.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: The same theme was repeated in the 1999 film "The Matrix", which depicted a world in which artificially intelligent robots enslaved humanity within a simulation set in the contemporary world. The 2012 play "World of Wires" was partially inspired by the Bostrom essay on the simulation hypothesis.


title: Simulation hypothesis

text: In the animated sitcom " Rick and Morty ", episode 01-04 titled "M. Night Shaym-Aliens!" demonstrates a low-quality simulation that attempts to trap the two titular protagonists; because the operation is less "realistic" than typically-operated "reality", it becomes obvious. This implies one of two options for the hypothesis: either, our perceivable "reality" is an almost flawless, detailed and unnoticeably computed simulation that compares relatively highly, or it's relatively minimal but "reality" is all oneself would recognise and would have no comparative rival to differentiate between.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On the evening of 24 March 2020, the Government of India ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21days, limiting movement of the entire 1.38billion (138 crore) population of India as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 pandemic in India. It was ordered after a 14-hour voluntary public curfew on 22March, followed by enforcement of a series of regulations in the countries' COVID-19 affected regions. The lockdown was placed when the number of confirmed positive coronavirus cases in India was approximately 500. Upon its announcement, a mass movement people across the country was described as the largest since the partition of India in 1947. Observers stated that the lockdown had slowed the growth rate of the pandemic by 6April to a rate of doubling every six days, and by 18April, to a rate of doubling every eight days.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: As the end of the first lockdown period approached, state governments and other advisory committees recommended extending the lockdown. The governments of Odisha and Punjab extended the state lockdowns to 1 May. Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal and Telangana followed suit. On 14April, Prime minister Narendra Modi extended the nationwide lockdown until 3May, on written recommendation of governors and lieutenant governors of all the states, with a conditional relaxations after 20April for the regions where the spread had been contained or was minimal.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 1 May, the Government of India extended the nationwide lockdown further by two weeks until 17May. The Government divided all the districts into three zones based on the spread of the virus—green, red, and orange—with relaxations applied accordingly. On 17 May, the lockdown was further extended until 31May by the National Disaster Management Authority.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 30 May, it was announced that lockdown restrictions were to be lifted from then onwards, while the ongoing lockdown would be further extended until 30 June for only the containment zones. Services would be resumed in a phased manner starting from 8 June. It was termed as "Unlock 1.0". Modi later clarified that the lockdown phase in the country was over and that 'unlock' had already begun.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: The second phase of unlock, Unlock 2.0, was announced for the period of 1 to 31 July, with more ease in restrictions. Unlock 3.0 was announced for August. Similarly, Unlock 4.0 was announced for September and Unlock 5.0 for the month of October. In the same way, Unlock 6.0 was announced for the month of November, Unlock 7.0 was announced for the month of December.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: In 2021, due to the largest wave of infection in the country, several state governments like Uttar Pradesh, Delhi etc. have announced complete lockdowns in April 2021.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: The Government of India confirmed India's first case of COVID-19 on 30 January 2020 in the state of Kerala, when a university student from Wuhan travelled back to the state. As the number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases closed 500, Modi on 19 March, asked all citizens to observe 'Janata Curfew' (people's curfew) on Sunday, 22 March. At the end of the curfew, Modi stated: "Janata Curfew is just the beginning of a long battle against COVID-19". Following this, while addressing the nation second time on the 24 March, he announced the nationwide lockdown from midnight of that day, for a period of 21 days. He said that the only solution to control the spread of coronavirus was to break the cycle of transmission through social distancing. He also added that the lockdown would be enforced more strictly than the Janata Curfew.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: The Janata Curfew () was a 14-hour curfew on 22 March 2020 initiated by Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India (from 7a.m. to 9p.m.). Every person was asked to obey the curfew, with exceptions for people of "essential services" such as police, medical services, media, home delivery professionals, and firefighters. At 5p.m. that day, all citizens were asked to stand in their doorways, balconies or windows, and clap their hands or ring their bells in appreciation for the professionals delivering these essential services. People belonging to National Cadet Corps and National Service Scheme were to enforce the curfew in the country. The Prime Minister also urged the youth to inform 10 others about Janata Curfew and encourage everyone to observe the curfew.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: The lockdown restricted people from stepping out of their homes. All transport services–road, air and rail–were suspended, with exceptions for transportation of essential goods, fire, police and emergency services. Educational institutions, industrial establishments and hospitality services were also suspended. Services such as food shops, banks and ATMs, petrol pumps, other essentials and their manufacturing are exempted. The Home Ministry stated that anyone who fails to follow the restrictions can face up to a year in jail.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: From 4 May 2020, the lockdown was eased with several relaxations in all zones per Ministry of Home Affair's guidelines.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: As part of Unlock 2.0 in July, most activities are permitted outside of containment zones, except educational institutions, international air travel, places of recreation (swimming pools, gymnasiums, theatres, entertainment parks, bars, auditoriums, and assembly halls), and large gatherings of any kind.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: One of the major development was around the re-opening of wine shops. As per the guidelines of issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, wine shops were allowed to re-open, however, people were asked to follow the protocols of social distancing and as well as wearing a mask. But in effect, things panned out to be utterly chaotic as long queues gathered outside wine shops from as early as 7 am.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: This led to State Governments and Municipal Corporations deciding to shut down wine shops again in some places. (e.g. - Mumbai). While some states decided to '"discourage alcohol consumption'" by levying special taxes on alcohol. Delhi imposed a 70% "'Special Corona Fees"'. Andhra Pradesh increased the prices by 75%. Tamil Nadu hiked the excise duty on India Made Foreign Alcohol by 15%.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: Delhi also came up with a system of e-token to avoid long queues outside wine shops. This also lead to the online sale of alcohol in some states that was previously prohibited.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 24 March, the first day of the lockdown, nearly all services and factories were suspended. People were hurrying to stock essentials in some parts. Arrests across the states were made for violating norms of lockdown such as venturing out for no emergency, opening businesses and also home quarantine violations. The government held meetings with e-commerce websites and vendors to ensure a seamless supply of essential goods across the nation during the lockdown period. Several states announced relief funds for the poor and affected people while the central government was finalising a stimulus package.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 26 March, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a stimulus package to help those affected by the lockdown. The package was aimed to provide food security measures for poor households through direct cash transfers, free cereal and cooking gas for three months. It also provided insurance coverage for medical personnel.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 27 March, the Reserve Bank of India announced a slew of measures to help mitigate the economic impacts of the lockdown.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: Prior to the announcement of the nationwide lockdown, on 22 March, the government had announced that the Indian Railways would suspend passenger operations through 31 March. The national rail network has maintained its freight operations during the lockdown, to transport essential goods. On 29 March, the Indian Railways announced that it would start services for special parcel trains to transport essential goods, in addition to the regular freight service. The national rail operator also announced plans to convert coaches into isolation wards for patients of COVID-19. This has been described as the first time in 167 years that India's rail network had been suspended, although there was also a strike in 1974.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 5 April, citizens all over India cheered and showed solidarity with the health workers, police, and all those fighting the disease by switching off the electric lights at home for 9 minutes from 9:00p.m. to 9:09p.m. and observed lighting diya, candle; and flashing torchlight and mobile flashlight.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: As the end of the initial lockdown period came near, many state governments expressed their decision to extend it until the end of April. Among them were Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka with some relaxations, West Bengal and Telangana.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: Towards the end of the initial period, the rate of growth of COVID infections in India had significantly slowed, from a rate of doubling every three days before the lockdown to one of doubling every eight days on 18 April.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 14 April, PM Modi extended the nationwide lockdown until 5 May, with a conditional relaxation promised after 20 April for the regions where the spread had been contained by then. He said that every town, every police station area and every state would be carefully evaluated to see if it had contained the spread. The areas that were able to do so would be released from the lockdown on 20 April. If any new cases emerged in those areas, lockdown could be reimposed.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 16 April, lockdown areas were classified as "red zone", indicating the presence of infection hotspots, "orange zone" indicating some infection, and "green zone" with no infections.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: The government also announced certain relaxations from 20 April, allowing agricultural businesses, including dairy, aquaculture, and plantations, as well as shops selling farming supplies, to open. Public works programmes were also allowed to reopen with instructions to maintain social distancing. Cargo vehicles, including trucks, trains, and planes, would run. Banks and government centres distributing benefits would open as well.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 25 April, small retail shops were allowed to open with half the staff. Again social distancing norms were to be followed.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 29 April, The Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines for the states to allow inter-state movement of the stranded persons. States have been asked to designate nodal authorities and form protocols to receive and send such persons. States have also been asked to screen the people, quarantine them, and do periodic health checkups.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 1 May, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Government of India (GoI) further extended the lockdown period to two weeks beyond 4 May, with some relaxations.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: The country has been split into 3 zones: red zones (130 districts), orange zones (284 districts), and green zones (320


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: districts). Red zones are those with high coronavirus cases and a high doubling rate, orange zones are those with comparatively fewer cases than red zone and green zones are those without any cases in the past 21 days. Normal movement is permitted in green zones with buses limited to 50 percent capacity. Orange zones would allow only private and hired vehicles but no public transportation. The red zones would remain under lockdown. The zone classification would be revised once a week.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 17 May, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) extended the lockdown for a period of two weeks beyond 18 May, with additional relaxations. Unlike the previous extensions, states were given a larger say in the demarcation of Green, Orange, and Red zones and the implementation roadmap. Red zones were further divided into "containment and buffer zones". The local bodies were given the authority to demarcate containment and buffer zones.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: The MHA issued fresh guidelines for June, stating that the phases of reopening would "have an economic focus". Lockdown restrictions were only to be imposed in containment zones, while activities were permitted in other zones in a phased manner. This first phase of reopening was termed "Unlock 1.0" and permitted shopping malls, religious places, hotels, and restaurants to reopen from 8 June. Large gatherings were still banned, but there were no restrictions on interstate travel. Night curfews were in effect from 9p.m. to 5a.m. in all areas and state governments were allowed to impose suitable restrictions on all activities.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: In future phases of reopening, further activities are to be permitted. In Phase II, all educational institutions are scheduled to reopen in July, pending consultations with state governments. In Phase III, easing of restrictions on international air travel, operation of metros, and recreational activities (swimming pools, gymnasiums, theatres, entertainment parks, bars, auditoriums, and assembly halls) would be decided upon in August.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: Phase II of Unlock began on 1 July under the guidelines and instructions of the MHA and the NDMA. Lockdown measures were only imposed in containment zones. In all other areas, most activities were permitted. Night curfews were in effect from 10p.m. to 5a.m. in all areas. State governments were allowed to put suitable restrictions on all activities, but state borders remained open to all. Inter- and intrastate travel was permitted. Limited international travel was permitted as part of the Vande Bharat Mission. Shops were permitted to allow more than five persons at a time. Educational institutions, metros, recreational activities remained closed until 31 July. Only essential activities were permitted in containment zones while maintaining strict parameter control and "intensive contact tracing, house-to-house surveillance, and other clinical interventions". Further guidelines regarding usage of Aarogya Setu and masks were reiterated.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: Unlock 3.0 for August 2020 removed night curfews and permitted gymnasiums and yoga centres to reopen from 5 August. Educational institutions would remain closed until 31 August. All inter-and intrastate travel and transportation are permitted. Independence Day celebrations are permitted with social distancing. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu imposed a lockdown for the whole month, while West Bengal imposed lockdowns twice a week.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 29 August 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines for activities permitted in Unlock 4.0. It said that ""Lockdown shall remain in force in the Containment Zones until 30th September 2020"". Outside the containment zone, however, some activities were given permission. Metro was allowed to be reopened in a graded manner from 7 September. Marriage functions with gatherings of up to 50 people and funeral/last rites ceremonies with up to 20 people were permitted. Religious, entertainment, political, sports, academic functions and gatherings of up to 100 people were allowed. Face masks were made compulsory in public places, workplaces and during transport.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 30 September 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines for activities permitted in Unlock 5.0. For schools it has a preference for online learning if possible, but States and Union Territories will be able to make those decisions from 15 October, in a graded manner. Lockdown shall remain in force strictly in the Containment Zones until 30 November 2020. Also, swimming pools being used for training of sportsperson would be allowed to open. Cinema halls, that had remained close all this while, could finally be opened from 15 October 2020, with a 50% of their seating capacity. On 3 November the Government of Kerala opened its tourism sector by reopening hill stations, beaches, national park, and inter-state public transport movement


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: The Government Of India has decided to open all educational institutions by January 2021 including schools and colleges and universities across India. The Government of Kerala has decided to open its school from December 2020.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 27 October 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines for activities permitted in Unlock 6.0. The Ministry of Home Affairs did not make any new changes to the existing Unlock 5.0 guidelines in its latest instructions for another set of unlocking and said that they would continue to be implemented in the month of November too. Also, a handful of states have allowed opening up of more activities outside containment zones and announced partial reopening of schools. Lockdown has been enforced time and again in spite of attempts to permanently move towards an unlock phase. The government of India has extended the ban on scheduled international flights until January 31.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: In February end 2021, India got hit by the largest COVID wave. It is cited that people started becoming careless, not wearing masks and not following social distancing, around November- April. This wave caused a rapid surge in cases and deaths. Cases started to rise by March 2021, resulting in state-wide lockdowns. In Maharashtra there were total 4 phases of lockdowns from April to June.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: When cases rapidly increased in Maharashtra, CM Uddhav warned people on March 28, 2021, to imposed complete lockdown and night curfew was imposed. Schools and offices remained shut. On 4 April 2021 Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray announced a lockdown until April 30. On 5 April 2021 everything began to close due to rise in COVID-19 second wave. Only online deliveries were free at this stage. Films like Sooryavanshi, Bunty Aur Babli 2 got postphoned due to COVID-19's 2nd Wave.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: Several States And UTs Like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Bihar, NCT Of Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, J&K, Ladakh, Goa, Mizoram, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Puducherry, Telangana, Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh imposed complete Lockdown whereas some like Punjab, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland Imposed Partial Lockdown and Major Restrictions.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: Food delivery services were banned by several state governments despite the central government's approval. Thousands of people emigrated out of major Indian cities, as they became jobless after the lockdown. Following the lockdown, India's electricity demand fell down to a five-month low on 28 March 2020. Many states were keen on opening up liquor shops during the lockdown which was finally allowed in the 3rd phase beginning on 4 May. Reports of a surge in illicit liquor sales and most importantly, drying up of revenue from liquor sales was the main stimulation.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: Due to the lockdown, more than 350 deaths were reported as of 10 May, with reasons ranging from starvation, suicides, exhaustion, road and rail accidents, police brutality and denial of timely medical care. Among the reported deaths, most were among the marginalised migrants and labourers.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: India had already been experiencing a prolonged economic slowdown. The GDP growth rate had fallen from 8.2% in January–March 2018 to 3.1% in January–March 2020.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: In the first quarter of the financial year 2020-2021, this number went into negative. The GDP growth rate for April–June 2020 was -23.9%, which happened to be the worst ever in history. Crucial parameters like manufacturing, construction, trade, hotel industry saw a decline and slid into negative. Manufacturing growth at -39.3%, Mining growth at -23.3%, Construction growth at -50%, Trade & hotel industry growth at -47%.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: With factories and workplaces shut down, millions of migrant workers had to deal with the loss of income, food shortages and uncertainty about their future. Following this, many of them and their families went hungry. While government schemes ensured that the poor would get additional rations due to the lockdown, the distribution system failed to be effective.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: With no work and no money, thousands of migrant workers were seen walking or bicycling hundreds of kilometres to go back to their native villages. Many were arrested for violating the lockdown and some died of exhaustion or in accidents on the roads.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 29 March 2020, the government ordered landlords to not demand rent and employers to pay wages without deduction. It also announced that those who violated the lockdown were to be sent to government-run quarantine facilities for 14 days.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: In its report to the Supreme Court of India on 31 March, the central government stated that the migrant workers, apprehensive about their survival, moved in the panic created by fake news that the lockdown would last for more than three months.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: In late March, the Uttar Pradesh government decided to arrange buses at Delhi's Anand Vihar bus station to take the migrants back to their villages for free. Migrants across the country remained stranded until the last week of April, when the state governments were finally permitted by the central government to operate buses, but not trains.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 1 May 2020, the central government allowed the Indian Railways to launch "Shramik Special" trains for the migrant workers and others stranded. Due to lack of coordination between originating states and railways, reports were claiming that migrants were being charged for the train tickets. The government faced criticism from the opposition. The Railways later clarified that it was bearing 85% of the total cost of running and the rest 15% which makes up the ticket fare was being borne by the originating states.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: Despite the launching of special trains and buses by the government, the migrant workers chose to either travel together in large groups. They did not wait their turn to board the government-arranged transport, mainly due to starvation and eagerness to reach their homes soon. Additionally, they felt that going back to their hometowns, they could return to farming and take up small jobs under the MNREGA.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 26 May 2020, the Supreme Court admitted that the problems of the migrants had still not been solved and that there had been "inadequacies and certain lapses" on the part of the governments. It thus ordered the Centre and States to provide free food, shelter, and transport to stranded migrant workers.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: The order issued by the Home Ministry on 24 March allowed the functioning of shops dealing with food items as well as the manufacturing units and transportation of "essential goods". However, the lack of clarity on "essential goods" meant that the policemen on the streets stopped workers going to factories and the trucks carrying food items. Food industries also faced shortages of labour because the workers were unable to reach workplaces and the factory managers faced the fear of legal action. All these factors combined to result in shortages and a rise in the prices of food items. By the first week of April, essential industries such as growing, harvesting, and food deliveries were allowed to operate.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 26 March 2020, the Indian government announced a relief package of $22.6billion to assist the poor population hit economically by the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan was to benefit the migrant workers through cash transfers and initiatives for food security. However, on 9 April 2020, economists and activists argued that a significant proportion of the affected population was unable to avail the facilities. Only those registered with the federal food welfare scheme were able to secure benefits.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: According to a Government of India report filed with the Supreme Court of India, as of 7 April, state governments operated 22,567 relief camps for stranded migrant workers, of which 15,541 camps (amounting to 68% of all) were operated by Kerala, 1,135 camps by Maharashtra, 178 camps by Tamil Nadu and smaller numbers by other states. Non-governmental organisations were operating 3,909 camps.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 12 May 2020, modi announced that the government would provide 20trillion rupees ($266billion) in support package in fiscal and monetary measures to support the economy.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: Rivers had become cleaner as industries were closed due to the lockdown. The quality of air had significantly improved during the lockdown especially in metropolitan cities .


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: People were seen breaching the lockdown and not following social distancing by crowding in vegetable markets in some places. On 29 March, Prime Minister Modi advised against this, urging people to stay home in his "Mann Ki Baat" radio address.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: On 27 March 2020, the police arrested 8 people and registered a complaint against 150 people in Hardoi for gathering at a mosque. On 2 April 2020, thousands of people assembled at temples in various parts of West Bengal defying the lockdown for celebrating Rama Navami. 12 members of Tablighi Jamaat were arrested on 5 April 2020 in Muzaffarnagar for defying the lockdown and organising an event. A priest in Andhra Pradesh was arrested for defying the lockdown and organizing a gathering of 150 people in a church.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: According to a study at Shiv Nadar University, India could have witnessed a surge of 31,000 cases of the disease between 24 March and 14 April without lockdown. A group of researchers at the University of Oxford who tracked the governmental policy measures to counter the pandemic rated India's lockdown as one of the most stringent in the world, scoring "100 out of 100" on their tracker. They noted that India implemented school closures, border closure, travel bans, etc. but they said it was too early to measure their success in containing the pandemic.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: Shamika Ravi from Brookings Institution in India has noted that the growth rate of the pandemic has slowed from doubling every three days before the lockdown to doubling every six days by 6 April. It was derailed in the intervening period by the Tablighi Jamaat super spreader event in Nizamuddin. By 25 April, it had further slowed to a rate of doubling every twelve days.


title: COVID-19 lockdown in India

text: In a routine press briefing on 22 May, Dr. VK Paul, chairman of the national task force on COVID-19, along with officials from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, announced that the growth rate of new cases came down to 5.5% on 15 May from 22.6% on 3 April. The doubling rate of cases stood at 13.5 days. The death rate decreased to 5.5% from 48.1% on 5 April.