Earlier I had written on “Mass Media And Its Responsibilities,” where I had poured scorn over media for forgetting the ethics of journalism and resorting to cheap tricks, in order to attract viewers and gain rating points.
Matrix SUPER
Matrix
Snappy 2.4
Snappy 1.8
By Shilpa Nangali
Sometimes it so happens that we confuse dreams with reality and at such stage we fail to see the truth. However, an awful and most painful defeat of life comes when you surrender your dreams to reality. This may stop you from dreaming. You may feel like a bird with its wings being wounded making it unable to fly! Just imagine, how terrible it is if the person whom you love the most, cuts your wings…totally disastrous, isn't it ? I have no words to explain such pain but I have seen the pain of such people. Now, they are happy, and guess why? That’s because they understood that they are the ones who should take care of themselves and they are the ones who should see to that they give a chance for their wounds to heal!
Remember, if you are the one who never wants your wounds to heal, then nothing or no one can help you!
We face a lot of conceivable troubles while struggling to get the real happiness we need in our lives. I have seen one thing that life is a hell both for an idealistic person and a practical person. A blend of idealistic & practical view is what needed to live a happy life. In my battle to achieve this blend, I have now become realistic! I feel that’s much better!
Former Chief Minister of Karnataka, H D Kumaraswamy convened a Kayakalpa Samavesha, a JD(S) rally held to strengthen the party after he took over as the party chief — in Palace Grounds, Bangalore. This resulted in massive traffic jams around the area. Since Palace Grounds is centrally located, this effectively resulted in traffic gridlocks throughout major parts of the city.
Bangaloreans were enraged. After all we have lost count on how many times we have been held hostage, courtesy political demonstrations. Local newspapers spewed venom against the honorable former Chief minister’s actions resulting in widespread grief.
Guess what? The honorable former Chief minister instead poured scorn on Bangaloreans for being selfish. Being stuck in a traffic jam for 6-8 hours for the sake of a political show of strength, we even had to endure his accusations of Bangaloreans being the sole reason for the current sad state of affairs in the country. He even goes on to say that if children in villages walk 6-7 km daily to the schools; children in Bangalore being stuck in a traffic jam for 6-8 hours for a single day is no big deal. He even makes a last ditch effort to impress the village folks with the following line “Bangaloreans ask farmers not to come here. Imagine what would happen if the farmers refuse to sell their produce to Bangaloreans?” He goads Bangaloreans to stay in a village to understand the problems of the village folks.
Yes Mr. Kumaraswamy, we have become selfish. The sole reason is that when politicians like you get elected, the first thing you do is to fill up your coffers.
Even after 60 glorious years have passed since our country declared its independence, children in villages still have to walk long distances to the school. Why? It is because of politicians like you Mr. Kumaraswamy, who have embezzled the funds meant for the development of the villages and have left them in lurch instead.
Mr. Kumaraswamy says that it is the duty of a responsible political party to protest against the government’s failure. In the same vein, being a leader of a responsible political party, where is the accountability when you had failed.
If the JD(S) wants to address the problems of the rural folk, then why not go to the village and address the villager’s problems on the spot. Why cause in-convenience to the villagers, forcing them to come all the way to the city to have their problems addressed? Being a responsible party, shouldn’t that be the proper course of action. Of course I can understand if you want to contradict your own statements about your party being a responsible one!
Yes Mr. Kumaraswamy, we do have traffic jams at rock concerts. That is the reason why they are called rock concerts. They are generally held in the night, ensuring less inconvenience to the people. But political rallies. Tsk…Tsk….
If the farmers refuse to sell their produce to Bangaloreans, then let them keep it. We city folks can survive on junk foods sold by MNC’s.
Son of the soil eh? Sounds more like Son has been soiled. Soiled by corruption.
Image Source: PGN
Author
This is in response to the “Brilliant Article”, People!!! No Thank You by Vijai G on EmPower Research blog. Nice to know that Bangalore also had mills that were regarded as spearheads of industry yesteryears. I come from a place known as Chandernagore (Its a French Town on the banks of Ganges, 30 km upstream from Kolkata). It’s famous for Red Curd (Laal Doi) and also boasted of the erstwhile Gondalpara Jute Mills that along with Tribeni Tissues were a common figure in every household not only in Bengal, but also in India. Now the former has been shut down and the latter is running in the midst of losses.
Bandel, 20 km from Chandernagore and 52 km from Kolkata by train, once boasted of the world renowned Dunlop Tyres and Industries. Now it is in shambles.
Perhaps you have heard of Hindustan Motors that manufactures the Ambassador, still the most sought after car for its hardiness and extra comfortability, is also running under losses. It is located at Hindmotor, a place 19 kms downstream Chandernagore.
It is very frustrating for the people of Bengal that whenever it looked like standing on its feet, it has been pecked by unwanted political vandalisms. First it was the CPM, then came the Congress briefly and finally it is now a tug of war between Trinamool Congress and CPM.
God has given us one earth and we had drawn lines on it and divided the land into entities that belong to you and me. I am thankful of the fact that the moon is the satellite of earth and far away from us. If it would have been on earth, we would have divided it too.
Such articles bring out the disgust that the people of Bengal are facing. Sourav Ganguly recently pointed out that he wants her daughter to grow up and settle in Bengal only, but is doubtful as he says "I don't want Sana to grow up and see there are no jobs in Bengal".
And CPM led coalition government in West Bengal is seeing dreams out of no-where that Sourav becomes the BRAND AMBASSADOR of HAPLESS BENGAL, IF NOT HOPELESS.
By Arunava Das
As usual I was traveling to office by my regular bus. After exchanging some friendly good mornings and smiles, the bus conductor issued me my fare. Since it was a Monday morning, and office peak hour, there was huge traffic and many boarded our bus. In Bangalore, bus commuters who stand in whatever small place they get to place their single foot, envy those who sit during the journey, they keep eyeing them, so that as soon as one gets up there is a mad rush to occupy the seat! Gosh...
I was lucky today. Got myself a seat at the back of the bus adjoining a window. I love window seats for the simple sake that I can watch the world go by in an animated state. I can sit there for hours without getting restless. While I was sitting there getting comfortable, a small voice spoke to my ear. I turned to see who it was and a young man was sitting next to me. He seemed elder to me, by say 4 years, nicely pressed dress, combed hair, polished shoes and eyes which spoke too little. With an executive bag on his shoulder he was a perfect example of a typical office guy. He spoke again, in a soft voice, “Can you give me 10 rupees?” I was confused. But then again, I observed him closely, now not about his appearance, but his body language. He was restless and was locking his fists feeling desperate. His eyes were blankly staring at something in space. He was lost in thoughts. Or rather I was. Could he be a poet? Could he be a hungry man? Was he mentally unsound? What would he do with ten rupees? I was a little apprehensive.
He introduced himself, soft spoken, gentle and said that he was working nearby. Then he turned silent again. Clenching his palm and resting it against his forehead, he was again lost in thoughts. After a while he rose suddenly, told me that he would get down here and wished me, saying, “Have a good day”.
Now what would I have to do? Give him ten rupees?
ByGuruvardhan
By Shilpa Nangali
We have to live each day as if it were our last. The past is over & gone, let’s not live in it. If you are lost in the past, you can’t see the sunshine of your future. However, the future is not guaranteed, so we should give the best we can today.
I always have felt & realized one thing that blessings alone do not open our eyes. Most of the times, we come closer to the God within us in the “breaking” & not in the “blessing”. If we look at the positive aspects in every incidence of our life, that’s probably one of the best ways to enjoy LIFE as a blessing and make it worth living!
Suffering is stronger than any other teaching, because it teaches us how we should be…we might be bent & broken, but that’s what gets us into a better shape and helps us fine tune our life!
Match Stats:
India 387 for 5 (Yuvraj 138*, Sehwag 85, Gambhir 51) v England in 50 overs.
England require another 388 runs with 10 wickets and 50 overs remaining at RR 7.81
Bowling card looked rather miserable.
JM Anderson 8 0 52 0 6.50 (3w)
SCJ Broad 10 0 74 0 7.40 (4w)
A Flintoff 10 0 67 1 6.70
SJ Harmison 10 0 75 2 7.50 (2w)
SR Patel 9 0 78 2 8.66
PD Collingwood 1 0 15 0 15.00
KP Pietersen 2 0 16 0 8.00 (1w)
First days as captain in India don't get much worse. Kevin Pietersen's decision to field because of an early morning start in Rajkot spectacularly backfired as India galloped out of the blocks and never looked back. What seemed a brave decision turned into an utter disaster with India posting 387 for 5 in 50 overs of ballistic stroke play. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag added 127 for the first wicket, after which Yuvraj Singh overcame a stiff back to slam an unbeaten 138 from just 78 balls. It was the fastest ODI hundred against England, while India's total was significantly higher than their previous best against this team, the 329 scored at Bristol in 2007, their highest total at home, and second highest anywhere.
England's decision to field because of an early morning start in Rajkot was in danger of backfiring as India galloped out of the blocks. What seemed a brave decision from Kevin Pietersen turned into a potential disaster, with Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag posting a century opening stand. An expensive Samit Patel removed both half-centurions before the half-way mark - Sehwag fell 15 short of another audacious hundred - but not before an ominous platform had been laid.
In the absence of Ryan Sidebottom, Stuart Broad was entrusted the new ball alongside James Anderson. Both were wayward in their first spells and India started briskly. There is no margin for error when bowling to Sehwag, especially on a quick outfield, and he flicked Anderson and Broad towards the square-leg boundary when they strayed on to his pads. And when Broad offered the slightest bit of room outside off stump, third man retrieved the ball from the boundary.
After 15 quiet deliveries, Gambhir walked down and lifted Anderson over mid-on. He then hit Broad for three fours in the sixth over, the gentlest of open-faced steers - which took him past 2000 ODI runs - sandwiched between slaps down the ground. The understanding between the two Delhi batsmen was further evident with some smart tip-and-runs as well.
India had made 53 in ten overs and Pietersen took the second Powerplay immediately. After three overs from Andrew Flintoff, Pietersen turned to Samit Patel's left-arm spin in the 13th over. Sehwag drove him inside-out through extra cover after which the batsmen took easy singles and doubles. The second Powerplay cost 40 runs.
Paul Collingwood, playing his 150th ODI, took the ball after the drinks break and Sehwag slammed his first two balls for six. The second shot, a disdainful sweep into the stands at midwicket, raised his fifty, from 44 balls, and India's 200. Sehwag gave Patel scant respect, hitting consecutive boundaries.
Gambhir followed Sehwag to fifty, from 59 balls, but became the first casualty. Dancing down to Patel, he holed out to Owais Shah at long-off. Sehwag smashed Patel for 15 runs off four balls in the 24th over before he was splendidly caught by Ian Bell at midwicket. England needed something extraordinary to stop Sehwag, and they were relieved to see his back after a 73-ball 85.
By Arunava Das
The need for a comprehensive policy statement on environment in India has been felt for some time now. There are many sectoral and cross-sectoral approaches to environmental management and a holistic picture of these is required. It is also necessary to review the earlier objectives, policy instruments, and strategies. The National Environment Policy (NEP, 2004) has been formulated with these concerns in mind. It supports India’s national commitment to a clean environment, mandated in the Constitution in Articles 48 A and 51 A (g), strengthened by judicial interpretation of Article 21. The NEP, 2004 is also intended to endorse India’s commitment to various international initiatives. The policy attempts to mainstream environmental concerns into all development activities. The NEP 2004 highlights the key environmental challenges faced by India at present as also those that the country is likely to face in the future. The draft document includes the objectives of environment policy, normative principles underlying policy action, strategic themes for intervention, broad indications of the legislative and institutional development needed to accomplish the strategic themes, and mechanisms for implementation and review. An extensive process of consultation with experts and various stakeholders has been carried out towards developing this policy. This process has also been documented. It is anticipated that the NEP, 2004 will be used as a guide for action: in regulatory reform, programmes and projects for environmental conservation; and review and enactment of legislation, by agencies of the Central, State, and Local Governments. The policy encourages partnerships of different stakeholders, i.e. public agencies, local communities, the investment community, and international development partners, in harnessing their respective resources and strengths for environmental management. It also expects to raise financial support through innovative processes to meet its objectives. The draft of the National Environment Policy, 2004 can be found on http://envfor.nic.in/. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has put this draft up for comments. The present debate under this forum hopes to stimulate discussion on the draft policy.
By Arunava Das
2002 - International Year of Ecotourism
The term ecotourism has come into existence fairly recently and now evolved as a concept. Simply stated ecotourism is environmentally responsible tourism, which must be:
1. Environmentally, socially, culturally, and economically sustainable
2. Educational and
3. Locally participatory
Ecotourism as defined by IUCN is, environmentally responsible travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas, to enjoy, study and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features both past and present), that promotes conservation, has lower visitor impact, and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local populations
Some Socio-economic and Environmental benefits of Ecotourism
• Tourism revenue generated can be channeled in to the management of the protected areas
• Tourism could generate local employment, both directly from the tourism sector and from various support and resource management sectors
• It could stimulate local industry i.e., hotel, restaurants, transport systems souvenirs and guide services. It generates foreign exchange
• It diversifies the local economy, particularly in rural areas where agricultural employment may be sporadic or insufficient
• It could benefit local people by stimulating development and improvement in support, infrastructure of services i.e. local transport, communications and water and energy systems
• It serves as an effective educational tool for visitors, creates awareness and instills in them a degree of concern which could perhaps eventually translate in to active support for the conservation of the area, the revenue earned from tourism prompts by convincing government officials and the general public of the value of natural areas.
Some Negative Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts of Ecotourism
• Tourism may cause degradation of the habitat by polluting waterways, accumulation of garbage, overharvesting of flora etc. *Unregulated tourist activity may cause disturbance to the flora and fauna e.g. Visitors may disturb nesting birds, use of spotlights shocks and disconcerts animals. Frequent damage to flora may affect their regeneration potential
• Ecotourism ventures often alienate local people if they are denied access to the area in question on one hand while outside tourists are encouraged on the other
• Influx of outsiders as tourists and entrepreneurs cause social and cultural degradation of the local population
The Debate
Although planned as an approach to make biodiversity pay for itself as also provide a financial incentive to communities to conserve, it remains a highly controversial concept. Ecotourism has been promoted the world over and raises several questions. A key question is who benefits from ecotourism? Several case studies show that profit from this enterprise ultimately goes to the exchequer or the private enterprises and not to the local people. Also, when does draw the line beyond which ecotourism starts to cause degradation and disturbance to the very elements which are to be conserved? There is a strong lobby that feels that ecotourism has alienated local people and caused social and cultural degradation. On the other hand supporters of ecotourism quote examples where the biodiversity and local people have benefited from ecotourism. Both points of view need to be debated.
By Arunava Das
By Shilpa C Nangali
You might have heard a lot about iPod, iRobots but have u ever heard about an iPill? Wondering what it is?
Definitely not Cipla’s emergency contraceptive!
Philips has developed an "intelligent pill" (iPill), which contains a microprocessor, battery, wireless radio, pump and a drug reservoir. The uniqueness of this iPill is that it can release medication in a specific area in the body. This iPill capsule can measure acidity with a sensor to determine its location in the gut, and can then release drugs where they are needed. This iPill is especially useful for those who are suffering from digestive tract disorders. Delivering drugs to treat digestive tract disorders such as Crohn's disease directly to the location of the disease means doses can be lower, reducing side effects.
However, capsules containing miniature cameras are already used as diagnostic tools but one disadvantage with these capsules is lack of the ability to deliver drugs. Also, these iPills can measure the local temperature and report it wirelessly to an external receiver!
But I don’t understand why everything must start with “i” ??? ;)
Drops pelting down a broken pane
Leaves falling down an empty lane
Green fading away, Black creeping in
Good wilting away, doors open to sin
Empty stomach, makes no sound
The hungry heart cries out loud
Shout no more, No one’s near
A drop of water, a sea of blood
The smell of sweat, the taste of mud
Soul searching within a crowd? Don’t
There’s no music, there’s just sound.
People moving fast, out of sight
Days drowning away into night
Yes, there will come the day I fear.
Yet I don’t move, I stay right here
Tears pouring down withered eyes
Body lives on, soul dies...
Niyad
Amazing nano-art had to post it!
Microscopic faces of Barack Obama made using nanotechnology, and imaged using a scanning electron microscope. Each face consists of millions of vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes, grown by a high temperature chemical reaction. - Courtesy ajohnhart of Flickr.com
My cousin and I sat down for our usual late night chat. We were discussing Kumble’s retirement. I started thinking about cricket on the whole and what it meant for me. There was a time when cricket was all we lived for. Kumble’s retirement has left yet another big hole in my ever depreciating love for the game. Two names I’ve been hearing since the very word “cricket”, Sachin and Kumble. Yes, it might be time for them to hang up their shoes, but with their retirement, they also take away what I felt for the game.
I slowly realized that these heroes are what bound me to the game, rather than the game itself. That explains my change of feelings from fanatic to just a watcher.
I know the day is not far away when Sachin, Dravid and Laxman would call it quits, they ideally should, but then they are the only ones left who never fail to take me back to my fanatic days.
There are many glorious moments of the game that still lingers in my mind. It takes me back to my school days when I used to walk, talk, eat and sleep cricket. I hope Dhoni’s boys manage to re create the magic that I used to associate with Indian cricket some time ago. I wish I could get back to those crazy days.
The days when:
- Sachin murdered each person who challenged him verbally or with provocative antics, examples being Henry Olonga, Michael Kasprovich, Andy Caddick, Azhar Mahmood and numerous others. Don’t ever challenge Sachin if you don’t want to see your bowls in the parking lot, as Caddick found out in the ’99 World Cup.
- Venkatesh Prasad got back at Aamir Sohail’s smirk by showing him the way to the pavilion after clean bowling him in the Quarter Final of the ’96 World Cup.
- Ajay Jadeja blasted 40 runs of 2 Waqar Younis overs.
- Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid made a mockery of Sri Lankan Bowling attack in the ’99 World Cup. Ganguly scored 183 and Dravid 145. I ended up feeling sorry for the Lankans.
- Warne looked down in despair at being mercilessly thrashed by Sachin and Co. The Masters of Spin.
- Kumble was hailed as the one among the greatest after scalping a perfect 10 against
These were the golden days of Indian cricket for me. We may have lost a lot, but there were victories which made us all forget them and forgive our heroes.
For now, all I can say is that I wish the guys all the best and that someday I’ll get back my lost love for cricket. Until then, let me go watch the good ole days on You tube…
Cheers…
Niyad
Why do grown-ups complicate matters which concern the literary education of children?
When a child is born, it has absolutely no choice in choosing the language it would like to learn. Invariably, it would be the mother tongue that would be taught. Later, as a part of getting that child ready to face and survive in this modern age, he gets to learn other languages and gets equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge.
Keeping what I have said above in mind, there is been numerous instances where the State Governments have tried to bring in a rule, some successfully; mandating the Govt. schools to impart education in the State’s official language, till a certain level. There have been variations, such as a ban on other languages, in order to promote the State’s language.
Living in India, which is supposedly a democratic country, don’t we have the right to choose the language in which we would like to study in? But, let me tell you, as a child I had absolutely no bias against languages. I am well versed in three languages and I had absolutely no bias against any of them.
But when State Governments bring in these stupid rules, is it not bias?
If I was forced to learn through the medium of, say Kannada or Telugu, frankly I would have dropped off, never to complete school. And let’s say that’s just me.
B.S. Yeddyurappa, Chief Minister of Karnataka, made the following statements after Kannada was accorded the hallowed “Classical Language” status by the Union Government, subject to High Court decision. He announced a special Rs. 25-crore package for the development of Kannada including grants to all the nine universities to set up research and development studies in Kannada, a Rs, 1-crore assistance to universities in the country and abroad seeking to set up a Kannada chair, a Rs. 2-crore programme to develop Kannada software with the advice and support of experts, a Rs. 1 lakh prize to each successful candidate who wrote the IAS, IPS and IFS examinations in Kannada and Rs. 50,000 to each successful candidate passing the Central services examinations in Kannada, and the appointment of special Kannada teachers in all medical and engineering colleges to teach the language to non-Kannadiga students.
He said that the State Government had taken up several steps for the development of Kannada, including mandatory use of Kannada in administration, display of Kannada name boards, priority for Kannadigas in jobs in the private sector and development of border areas.
He also said that a fine of Rs. 10,000 would be imposed on owners of shops and establishments who refused to display name boards in Kannada.
My grouse here is why wait till the language is given a classical status and then announce all these schemes. These could have been implemented earlier. Being accorded a classical language is just a matter of pride and nothing else. It’s just a piece of paper containing the Government’s Order (GO), with some Government official’s signature, filed for obscurity.
Certainly Kannada or any other language does not need a certificate or a GO to affirm its classical language status. But it’s a big ‘Yes’ if monetary rewards are to be taken into account.
The four criteria are: High antiquity of a language's early texts- recorded history of over a thousand years; a body of ancient literature, which is considered a valuable heritage by generation of speakers; The literary tradition has to be original and not borrowed from another speech community and the language could be distinct from its "later and current" forms or it could be continuous.
Looking at the above said criteria’s which only a handful of languages would meet. Apart from the monetary benefits, it’s nothing but just bragging rights, but of no avail. Our Government has spent lots of time and money on this issue of according classical status to a language. It would have been better off, if it had concentrated on more pressing issues at hand. But hell, what do you know! It always happens like this only in India.
What about “a fine of Rs. 10,000 would be imposed on owners of shops and establishments who refused to display name boards in Kannada.” If a name my groceries shop in Greek, because it sounds cool and funky, I have every right to do so. It is my fundamental right to freedom of expression. But like I said earlier, India is supposedly a democratic country. Reality is that it’s a jungle raj out here and people in power control everything and anything.
It’s a crooked version of Communism that we are trying to pass of as Democracy. It is also sad to see that we are oblivious to that fact. Even if we are aware, we just ignore it. It’s like “If it is not happening to me, why bother.” But when it happens to you, you silently suffer, cause no one else bothers.
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