tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799178100911446712024-03-14T14:21:06.957+05:30INCREDIBLE INDIA AND OTHER INCREDiBiLiTiESWestern Views on Eastern LiveUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger369125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-209040414935776892010-03-31T04:07:00.005+05:302010-03-31T05:38:37.622+05:30TIME TO SAY GOODBEY- MY LAST DAY IN INDIAToday will be my last day in India after 5 years of a more or less continuous stay. <br />It was an after all an overwhelming experience enabling me to see India multi - faceted lot more than tourist perspective of Indian live. On one side, due to the fact that I never was able to learn Hindi or Maharani I was not always able to understand what was going on around me And Indians me see me as an ignorant. On the other side I travelled most of the times like the Indians. <br />Indians now want to know my general impression about India and it is very difficult to define because the country is so large and multi- cultural with a social structure starting with the people sleeping at the border of the street, people living in the city in small tents, small house owners, the growing middle class, the owners of affiliates and medium size factories and the Mittals and Abamis. A variety of religions all with their own traditions, customs prejudices and the government trying hard (and quite successful) to avoid conflicts and real clashes.<br />What I admired the most in India is the free press and this is also the base of democracy to get people informed on a regular - non cheating base. Also the style of the news paper I know is very decent and informative; the stories of Spears and Hilton are really banned to the last pages. In general Indians are very open minded, honest and helpful. <br />In the 5 years I was in India, 3 times I lost my passport (simply felt out of the jacket) one time in Mumbai airport; people (non officials) followed my path from 1c to 1 d terminal based on the picture inside the passport to bring it back to me. I have to thank them.<strong> In 5 years in India nothing was stolen nothing went lost !</strong> Stolen were 2 expensive Konia’s in Neuss, Germany.<br />I enjoyed the weekly flights (Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai) in earlier times struggling with the comfort of the old domestic flight terminals , with no time of flight and gate indication ( gate were announced by screaming either in the loudspeaker or by natural voice) to the already quite sophisticated domestic terminals now. <br />Walking to the streets of India should always remind us western how our countries looked like 1 or even 2 generation ago. One or two generation ago we had the same discomforts, with missing hygienic toilets , people spitting everywhere, rouspering , sneezing everywhere without limits and having no handkerchiefs. One day in a German news paper having a test (the call it Knigge - test) about not to do- in India, it was mentioned never clean your nose in front of people. Of coarse it is not a bad behaviour to clean the nose in an handkerchief, but since most Indians don't have, in the hand is a bad behaviour (Mr Bean I hear your objections)<br />Indian woman did not like me, well at least not as close as I was dreaming of, but this was very good and my Portuguese wife will for sure be happy about that. <br />Now than bad points and this are also the points where Indians might have problems when they go abroad and sure get attacked.... and this is than called <strong>racial</strong> but from my point of view it is not, is just a cultural conflict. <br />- Indians have no idea what is the meaning of a queue, they don't want to stand in- line don't respect the line and will do everything possible to omit the line.<br />- Indian traffic is the most dangerous of the world, I assume their are rules but no drivers know them and if they know they don't mind. Police doesn't mind either.<br />- Please don't walk in India , side walks ( beside Delhi) are just for trees , cows, hawkers, panels, high voltage transformers, shiting, and other activities , but not for walking<br />I could for sure write a lot more about my expiernces but need some sleep otherwise I will miss my flight back to Europe.<br />I THANK ALL INDIANS I MET FOR THE GENEROSITY,RESPECT AND HELP AND I HOPE TO COME BACK AS A TOURIST SOON <br /><br />I still have a lot od unpublished expierences and pictures , so I will try hard to continue this blog , even if I will not be in India anymoreUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-18346241182316399652010-03-11T02:04:00.000+05:302010-03-11T02:05:12.257+05:30THE HOLY SWAMI NITIYANANDA AND HIS STORY III<OBJECT classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="420" height="400"><PARAM name="movie" value="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo.cms?msid=4482151&xmlpath=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videoplay_show/5637533.cms?slotid=121"></PARAM><PARAM name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></PARAM><PARAM name="wmode" value="transparent"></PARAM><PARAM name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></PARAM> <PARAM name="allowNetworking" value="all"></PARAM><PARAM name="quality" value="high"></PARAM><PARAM name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></PARAM><EMBED allowFullScreen="true" quality="high" allowScriptAccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="400" name="fullscreen" src="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo.cms?msid=4482151&xmlpath=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videoplay_show/5637533.cms?slotid=121"></EMBED></OBJECT>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-20915583255147110742010-03-10T19:04:00.002+05:302010-03-10T19:05:43.823+05:30THE HOLY SWAMI NITYANANDA AND HIS STORY II<OBJECT classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="420" height="400"><PARAM name="movie" value="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo.cms?msid=4482151&xmlpath=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videoplay_show/5660213.cms?slotid=121"></PARAM><PARAM name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></PARAM><PARAM name="wmode" value="transparent"></PARAM><PARAM name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></PARAM> <PARAM name="allowNetworking" value="all"></PARAM><PARAM name="quality" value="high"></PARAM><PARAM name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></PARAM><EMBED allowFullScreen="true" quality="high" allowScriptAccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="400" name="fullscreen" src="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo.cms?msid=4482151&xmlpath=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videoplay_show/5660213.cms?slotid=121"></EMBED></OBJECT>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-67555537722235700672010-03-10T18:48:00.002+05:302010-03-10T18:58:24.611+05:30THE HOLY SWAMI NITIYANANDA AND HIS STORY I<OBJECT classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="420" height="400"><PARAM name="movie" value="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo.cms?msid=4482151&xmlpath=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videoplay_show/5668195.cms?slotid=121"></PARAM><PARAM name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></PARAM><PARAM name="wmode" value="transparent"></PARAM><PARAM name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></PARAM> <PARAM name="allowNetworking" value="all"></PARAM><PARAM name="quality" value="high"></PARAM><PARAM name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></PARAM><EMBED allowFullScreen="true" quality="high" allowScriptAccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="400" name="fullscreen" src="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo.cms?msid=4482151&xmlpath=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videoplay_show/5668195.cms?slotid=121"></EMBED></OBJECT>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-61355825605524151232010-03-01T11:40:00.002+05:302010-03-01T11:41:19.919+05:30Happy Holi<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXqZNRPJMj8bsG3_091nM2rFsxv7UEyoCf-73yEi_z-rJdn6uI70Pdx9gu65BoUR2PhLyABWs_3s7Hq0fdqVleSEQWEcMbs2Z2Qqjwt-1YXEfJQBKLAMwR6upc9mvVkwLtMyS133lD7Mv/s1600-h/happy+holi.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXqZNRPJMj8bsG3_091nM2rFsxv7UEyoCf-73yEi_z-rJdn6uI70Pdx9gu65BoUR2PhLyABWs_3s7Hq0fdqVleSEQWEcMbs2Z2Qqjwt-1YXEfJQBKLAMwR6upc9mvVkwLtMyS133lD7Mv/s400/happy+holi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443544043576371970" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-63271418554055068272010-03-01T10:23:00.010+05:302010-03-01T10:36:53.238+05:30RAILWAY TRACK OR MARKET PLACE ?A story without words. Just one remark, Indian trains don't have chemical toilets, just a hole, the rest I leave to your imagination. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Gr5z4lB4gcC0a7w-TaQd7XVFEOLLCW3mu0ZhIGCjTZNCpDwfgalyAvmU21Stp8Y3CE2i95mm-aJHdGnv7tlec_Nho1y9zaYN6PwNoUqqxBclBMo8izB7_WupQbCL6eAyj46rNTB0TQD7/s1600-h/Railway+track+or+market+place+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Gr5z4lB4gcC0a7w-TaQd7XVFEOLLCW3mu0ZhIGCjTZNCpDwfgalyAvmU21Stp8Y3CE2i95mm-aJHdGnv7tlec_Nho1y9zaYN6PwNoUqqxBclBMo8izB7_WupQbCL6eAyj46rNTB0TQD7/s400/Railway+track+or+market+place+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443527075121520418" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4f1yvFUAtecSRoz1je-Li7dWENfGOXIgToXrYt62l7lx8XKADEmoMlP_BG9PBacLfnXyswoexn7hXzmrIm0xDmy47CuyGTb8d7a6CWGu2gcwxDJDmz49aShlwuw_YwuCkPI8YovsD-VV4/s1600-h/Railway+track+or+market+place+3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4f1yvFUAtecSRoz1je-Li7dWENfGOXIgToXrYt62l7lx8XKADEmoMlP_BG9PBacLfnXyswoexn7hXzmrIm0xDmy47CuyGTb8d7a6CWGu2gcwxDJDmz49aShlwuw_YwuCkPI8YovsD-VV4/s400/Railway+track+or+market+place+3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443526938074552178" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxn8hE5pQQB8g9oDkS4QwcLyC2J3-kpNTS_oYMxtpxg3fXgYL5X6_nKxYzMaO2mG9KKkv69skF_yeRTfYxrW48qucc3bliWPj3OrHPjBlaJVc-MOhKJitwTkzXZakKsuQNgWd9c0n1tfF/s1600-h/Railway+track+or+market+place.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxn8hE5pQQB8g9oDkS4QwcLyC2J3-kpNTS_oYMxtpxg3fXgYL5X6_nKxYzMaO2mG9KKkv69skF_yeRTfYxrW48qucc3bliWPj3OrHPjBlaJVc-MOhKJitwTkzXZakKsuQNgWd9c0n1tfF/s400/Railway+track+or+market+place.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443526830192917026" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-23318257275402352772010-02-26T21:25:00.003+05:302010-02-27T12:53:32.420+05:30INDIAN CHRISTIAN BEHAVING LIKE MOSLIMS IN JAHLANDARBooks or publications showing prictures with Jesus showing a smoke in one hand and a beer in the other hand provoked strong reactions in Shilong and Jalandhar. The Shilong Archidioese Youth Movement (ICYM) condenmed the the print, saing : " This call for stong actions from the concerned authorities"<br /> In Jhalandar armed Christian youth forced closure of shops triggering quick retaliation provoking the 15 bikes burnt. Later a curfew for the city was released.<br /><br />If now Christian are behaving with the same stupid intolerance as moslems it is getting problematic. Jezus as no problem to see himself with beer and cigarettes he is above us in a form we cannot understand and it will take a couple of decades we might be able to understand , therefore we have to believe, there is no reason to defend him, he is over us.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-18591733726941352912010-02-26T20:50:00.002+05:302010-02-26T21:16:56.560+05:30DELHI AIRPORT AND THE NEVER ENDING FOG - OR IS IT SMOGFog season in Gurgaon and Delhi starts normaly at the end of Nov and ends by the last days of January. Living now here for 5 years always in the vicinity of the airport it looks to me as if the combination of the natural ambient fog combines to the heavy air polution. India don't want to spent money on redicilous (they think) ambient emission measurement, there are only figures for particulates available, therefore the figures for SO2, CO , THC, NOx and O3 are unknow. I assume for good reasons these figures should not be measured, once published , tourist would avoid Delhi in particular and India in special. I assume that the 5 years in India I was more exposed to poisinious pollutants than all the rest of my live together. <br />Another city was famously exposed in dense fogs that brought visibility to zero, the LONDON of the Sherlock Holmes stories and the tales of Jack the Ripper.All this is history , London is now blessed with clear skies even on the most wintry days. <br />The clean air act of 1956 forced people to stop burning coal and wood to heat homes. <br />As long as India don't has any regulations for ambient pollutants and more important also the equipment to measure it, the situation with get worse and worse. In the automtive sector it is all good regulated but for ambient it is catastrophic and India should take the responsability not to invite any tourist, taking is health at risk.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-77867123975664277982010-02-26T20:35:00.003+05:302010-02-26T20:43:23.673+05:30THE PEDESTRIAN IN INDIA - A CATASTROPHE- WELCOME TO ALL INNOCENT TOURISTLong time ago a wrote already a post about the unbelievable situation of the sidewalks in India, but now I did find a more neutral publication from <br /><br />Indrajit Hazra , Hindustan Times<br />I may have to manoeuvre myself through tributaries of urine and rows of shacks and stalls — and, on so many occasions, walk through people’s ramshackle living rooms — in Calcutta. But even with its village’s cape, Calcutta still makes it as a city because a person is able to walk from (almost) any point to any other if he wants to do so. <br />In Mumbai, walking is not confined to strolling in parks or along the sea front to stay fit. People walk there also to simply move — aimlessly or with a purpose — thus making even that grizzly leaking beast of a city such an attractive conglomeration of spots for bipeds.<br /><strong>Delhi is to pedestrians what garlic is to vampires</strong>. Even if the urbane middle-class Delhiite deigns to get down from his E-class or rigged-meter auto-rickshaw, there is no place to walk across vast stretches of the capital city of India. Without the safety and the vantage point of footpaths, we, middle-class residents of India’s only truly cosmopolitan city, are denied the choice available to all modern citizens: walking through one’s own city. <br />With no mainstream walking culture possible, some of us end up singing dohas to cracklingly crowded and grubby lanes and bylanes in Old Delhi and Chandni Chowk. In other words, Delhi revels in its underbelly without having a belly. Which is why Delhiites opt for Footpath Walking Lite: walking around (mostly in circles) the shopping areas of Connaught Place, Khan Market, South Extension and all those pretend boulevards inside malls that hope to satisfy a bit of our primal metropolitan urge to walk in public spaces amid fellow, anonymous citizens.<br />The urban phenomenon of footpaths (villages don’t need them) first appeared in Paris with the mushrooming of shopping arcades between the 1780s and 1860s. People started walking away from the dangerous streets with its speeding traffic and mud and mounds into the safety and ‘public privacy’ of the boulevards and sidewalks lined against or near these shops. Thus, an urban activity was born: strolling. <br />This, in turn, brought about streetlights and public transportation (both of these abundantly in short supply in Delhi 2010). It also gave birth to the urban sophisticate who literally used the city for his pleasures. Charles Baudelaire wrote in the 1890s about the flaneur, the leisurely stroller of cities: “The crowd is his domain, as the air is that of the bird or the sea of the fish. His passion and creed is to wed the crowd.” Not everyone, though, was pleased about footpaths and the new breed of citizens they spawned. Sounding like a future South Dilliwalla, a character in a 1866 French play whined: “Nowadays, for the least excursions, there are miles to go! An eternal sidewalk going on and on forever! This isn’t Athens any more, it’s Babylon!”<br />But before we get all poetic about the joys that footpaths can bring us, there’s the more prosaic matter of the proposed amendment to the Delhi Police Act, 1978. Jaywalking, defined as the act of a pedestrian illegally or recklessly crossing roads, is something that Delhiites engage in without having a choice on a regular basis. The penalty for jaywalkers is, on paper, Rs 20. The new law, if and when it’s passed, plans to up the fine to Rs 1,000. A bit rich, don’t you think, considering that it’s like punishing a ravenous vegetarian for eating meat when there’s only chicken on the menu?<br />But then, the proposed law brings hope. If walking along Delhi’s roads really becomes illegal, the authorities will be forced to provide us with proper footpaths. Who knows? The city may get universal streetlights and public transportation too. So thank god for foreigners from Commonwealth countries descending on Delhi in October. They’ll want to walk about town and not only along the grimy bits. And that’s how we’ll wrangle our own footpaths. Hurrah! <br /><br />ihazra@hindustantimes.comUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-79258003477938582962010-02-26T20:04:00.003+05:302010-02-26T20:09:15.768+05:30DEAR TOURIST PLEASE PAY YOUR HOSPITAL BILLS IN DELHIFrom Dwaipayan Ghosh | TNN <br /><br /><br /> According to police, Dr B P Singh of orthopaedic surgeon and owner of Prayag Hospital in Sector 41 in Noida ( is a satellite city of Delhi with only 3 Mio habitants), had attempted to kill journalist Mahesh Vats because the latter had failed to pay his hospital bills. <br /> Vats, who had reportedly paid a part of his Rs 32,000 bill to the hospital, had claimed that the treatment at the hospital was inadequate. Vats was admitted at the hospital a few years ago after he met with an accident. Matters got complicated in June 2007 when Dr Singh moved a city court to recover the remaining dues, about Rs 25,447, and the court directed the journalist to pay up. Vats then filed an application under RTI Act seeking information from Noida Authority over the alleged ‘‘illegal’’ construction in Prayag Hospital. Vats had even dragged the hospital to the consumer court and a local civil court. <br /> On August 16, 2007, a speeding Alto car hit Vats, who was on his scooter near Sector 71. The driver of the car ‘‘fled’’, but eyewitnesses claimed that three men got out of the car after Vats fell on the road and started beating him up. ‘‘The unidentified assailants then admitted Vats in Prayag Hospital and left the place. When policemen went to the <br />hospital, they found the victim being treated in the general ward. It was only after the policemen intervened that Vats was admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU),’’ said an investigating officer. <br /> The critically injured journalist was later shifted to Metro Hospital where he was placed under life support system. ‘‘The journalist had suffered severe head injuries and he succumbed to his injuries three days later,’’ added the officer. <br /> Based on a FIR lodged by one of Vats friend — U K Bharadwaj, a property dealer — police registered a case of abduction against the doctor and arrested him. <br /> Noida police sources admitted that they had received several letters from the journalist in which he had said that four men had tried to barge into his <br />house around 2am on August 11, 2007 — five days before he met with the accident. In the letters, the journalist had alleged that the unwanted visitors were policemen from Sector 58 police station. The scribe had also claimed he was threatened on July 18 and August 1, in 2007.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-30625530307671586162010-02-26T19:17:00.004+05:302010-02-26T19:53:13.060+05:30THE END OF THE INDIAN LIONS BY STUBBORN POLITICIANAmidst growing concern over depleting tiger population in India, Gujarat stoutly opposed in the Supreme Court, the Centre's proposal to shift some of the Gir Asiatic lions sanctuary to Kuno tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh. <br /><br />The Narendra Modi government warned that partial relocating the lions from the Gir sanctuary in Gujarat was fraught with "irreparable damage to the sociology of lions" and asserted that Madhya Pradesh cannot manage the relocation as it had failed to protect its own tiger sanctuary. <br /><br />"Already, their (Madhya Pradesh's) tigers are dying. It would be highly improper to shift the lions to Kuno reserve," senior counsel Mukul Rohtagi appearing for Gujarat told a bench of Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justices B S Chauhan and Chandramouli Prasad. <br /><br />The Modi government further argued that the people of the state take pride in the lions sanctuary and any attempt to translocate the animals to the Kuna reserve "against the will of people of Gujarat will cause irreparable damage to their conservation and cultural ethos." <br /><br />The Union Ministry for Environment and the Wildlife Board had come out with the partial relocation <br /><br />Fact is that if all Indian lions are located in one lion santuary than inbreeding or a disease will kill them. The reason Gujarat don't want the partial split is just for profit reasons wanting to have all the tourist for themself.<br /><br />Under these circumstances the it is only a question of time until the Indian lion is goneUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-4957323214210866582010-02-26T18:50:00.005+05:302010-02-27T12:56:20.345+05:30ELEPHANT ATTACKS BJP MEETING IN MEERUTAn elephant ( the symbol of BJP)invited to be admired on the occasion of a BJP- rally got mad and attacked for several hours everything what was around the Delhi-Dehradun road in Meerut. At least 30 cars were destroyed including a police car. The elephant could not be tranqiluised ( killing is not possible in India, because of the believe in Ghanes, the elephant like deity) because police was not in the position of the rifle and the syringe. It took 4 hours to get the tusker calmed down. Actualy there is no video available, but I could see the havoc on one of the Indian TV channels to have an idea what can happen if an male elephant is in must please look at <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jIspQikSVkc&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jIspQikSVkc&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />or use this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVaVp12WI0A<br />I assume videos about the rampage in Meerut will soon be available on you tubeUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-30826601877932392152009-12-31T02:29:00.005+05:302009-12-31T02:43:37.850+05:30COMMONWEATLH GAMES IN DELHI- WILL ENGLAND PARTICIPATE ?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDlmCKVDXzohh8sLU0Muw34Im8AudEYWFVgIBfUhy5iMi_A47fftLqi03qUYEhcTJpioxj5rqBVp1kaJlZcHqGejNSY0ItOC4vhe3pR5RA8toxhozrufpKCnJOgnzA6FxSwdfcUHf1tjF/s1600-h/Delhi+commonwealth+games-+symbol.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 87px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDlmCKVDXzohh8sLU0Muw34Im8AudEYWFVgIBfUhy5iMi_A47fftLqi03qUYEhcTJpioxj5rqBVp1kaJlZcHqGejNSY0ItOC4vhe3pR5RA8toxhozrufpKCnJOgnzA6FxSwdfcUHf1tjF/s400/Delhi+commonwealth+games-+symbol.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421139839152930658" /></a><br /><br />The Telegraph reported on Wednesday that a senior Whitehall source said there was <strong>"virtually no chance"</strong> an England team would be sent to India following security concerns over the Delhi event. <br />It would be a big debacle for Delhi, since now more than 2 years spending money urgently needed for suitable infrastructure for their own population to sport stadions for sports never applied in India. Making beautifications on parts of the city which might be visited by supporters from abroad, therefore leaving other parts in the same mess as they were before or even worse. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXL2esW9sZMj3pK31wIAbN8-vJl8RM-qAWNx5Pq_nXupQZrdU8C83OFcM0Euy5RLssKGiEZWqbnsEIplPmfFj5CdKSgGM2IesCLYzyXqmDuV2TuYFJvazj_mHeO2MrmApepFgyDTU93tqe/s1600-h/commenwealth+games-village-map.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 340px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXL2esW9sZMj3pK31wIAbN8-vJl8RM-qAWNx5Pq_nXupQZrdU8C83OFcM0Euy5RLssKGiEZWqbnsEIplPmfFj5CdKSgGM2IesCLYzyXqmDuV2TuYFJvazj_mHeO2MrmApepFgyDTU93tqe/s400/commenwealth+games-village-map.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421139965792971314" /></a><br />Meanwhile, the Hockey World Cup in New Delhi in February and March is emerging as a key staging post in the decision-making process. The world's top 12 hockey teams are confirmed starters at the World Cup, which will be held at Delhi's 20,000-capacity Dhyan Chand Stadium. <br />The England team, on the up after winning the European Cup earlier this year, confirmed that they had no plans to withdraw from either the World Cup or the Commonwealth Games, although their performance director, David Faulkner, said they reserved the right to withdraw at any time should circumstances change radically. <br />"That is an option if we feel the safety of our athletes is seriously compromised, but that is not a point we have reached or, to be honest, expect to reach," said Faulkner, who has spent much of the last three months fine-tuning detailed security arrangements for his team. <br />"It is way too early to make a decision for the Commonwealth Games and as for the World Hockey Cup, it is all systems go. <br />"We have gone into great depth about this and we have laid down very strict protocols and chains of command with the Indian authorities. <br />"For example, we will not travel in our team bus – to matches, training or anywhere – unless we are accompanied by an armoured vehicle front and rear. We simply won't travel or play unless that is in place. <br />"We will have our own security officer around the clock and although he will not be part of the Indian chain of command, he can advise us at all times. <br />"We are very mindful of the situation and are keeping all our playing squad informed. As of now, we haven't had one player who has expressed any wish not to play."<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87ls2BO1joPPO6J1nGvrorqbmFreWOkWB3aNPVMcQpIktYYgKiTpqYj9r5EqAe9KF6eAQHHaLHWMM8TM5Y4MkHyGFKILNwvoGZy1C2X3KeMefOEmTCAXMOYzSuazHQPpdV1bj14lIAIvQ/s1600-h/delhi++commonwealth+games+construction.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87ls2BO1joPPO6J1nGvrorqbmFreWOkWB3aNPVMcQpIktYYgKiTpqYj9r5EqAe9KF6eAQHHaLHWMM8TM5Y4MkHyGFKILNwvoGZy1C2X3KeMefOEmTCAXMOYzSuazHQPpdV1bj14lIAIvQ/s400/delhi++commonwealth+games+construction.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421139709089784370" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-49196420918099448262009-12-24T13:41:00.007+05:302009-12-24T16:35:28.824+05:30THE FREEDOM FIGHT IN MANIPUR CONTINUES<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCeewX6IW2RVFtwcDaYD-BxCMz-lNopHgvNpyMpWSsl82DO0guhXtm7qSM8ZkOMd_SrxieQ9TwxZLqr50rTN7_Zd7noalvfA2DRe3WjXALgC2zvWbWWvr8Rw6FWj-L9lyB_XM4iPL8dzT/s1600-h/Manipur+map.gif"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCeewX6IW2RVFtwcDaYD-BxCMz-lNopHgvNpyMpWSsl82DO0guhXtm7qSM8ZkOMd_SrxieQ9TwxZLqr50rTN7_Zd7noalvfA2DRe3WjXALgC2zvWbWWvr8Rw6FWj-L9lyB_XM4iPL8dzT/s400/Manipur+map.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418713947935461538" /></a><br />The Indian army says it has killed nine separatist rebels in three separate encounters in the country's troubled north-eastern state of Manipur.<br /><br />Army officials said the rebels belonged to two different groups. <br /><br />Six of those belonged to the Peoples Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Prepak) and three were members of the Kanglei Yana Kan Lup (KYKL). <br /><br />Manipur is home to nearly a dozen rebel groups - some fighting for the state's independence from India. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLSZpwF9w2cdCwOir7q7ie_ygxFIR6NB-QqoKIrzEwd0OuWFCN5QaM4R-bbZtOGOQQromdprdKxbh_OB6MD1RgfoQOJoqubyB05DpKCzQJuHWabB6tbP_xXXECoBOtoW4r_qR2ryffBDk/s1600-h/manipur+freedom+fighter.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 270px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLSZpwF9w2cdCwOir7q7ie_ygxFIR6NB-QqoKIrzEwd0OuWFCN5QaM4R-bbZtOGOQQromdprdKxbh_OB6MD1RgfoQOJoqubyB05DpKCzQJuHWabB6tbP_xXXECoBOtoW4r_qR2ryffBDk/s400/manipur+freedom+fighter.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418715535831698962" /></a><br /><br />Others are fighting for tribal homeland they want carved out of the state. <br /><br />Officials said the army raided two Prepak hideouts near the remote villages of Singheu and Laiboldung in Manipur's eastern Chandel district . <br /><br />"After encircling the Prepak hideouts late at night, the army attacked at first light. The rebels were taken by surprised and many were killed," military spokesman RK Palta said. <br /><br />He said another military platoon launched a similar attack on a Kykl base at Chirikhunao in the state's central district of Thoubal . <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rUvLYp9zEvcC6kG2cFDLhGim0KoSkfsKVBA3swOtW42652_yY7r0pPY701uA3hxj5o83a21CVqgrSzJF58Ewy0872ZkfICc9ZtcQJdzuAgvPKB3qfBRtdEqq15bzgOBKUO03Qd_7oHe3/s1600-h/Manipur_Imphal+uprising+memorial.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rUvLYp9zEvcC6kG2cFDLhGim0KoSkfsKVBA3swOtW42652_yY7r0pPY701uA3hxj5o83a21CVqgrSzJF58Ewy0872ZkfICc9ZtcQJdzuAgvPKB3qfBRtdEqq15bzgOBKUO03Qd_7oHe3/s400/Manipur_Imphal+uprising+memorial.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418715688972226930" /></a><br />The army says that troops have now fanned out around these bases to hunt down other rebels who fled after the encounters, leaving their dead comrades behind. <br /><br />Mr Palta said that some weapons and large quantity of ammunitions and explosives were recovered from the sites of the encounters.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-82667394367071953452009-12-24T13:23:00.007+05:302009-12-24T16:34:02.750+05:30TELANGANA'S FREEDOM FIGHTERS WON - TURMOIL STILL CONTINUES<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzkvhhe13gdq6-oXWOQQDny8g2jqvSkTsOdflbNCZVA8Dc_NFDrtCSYT_blVb5tptSrwLfrY63yOFWuwhl6E6PCn_tHzJKBiPfHubFipC6_3GNDw-0dO6KuKHxHIyXr31JRcJch4WGFaZ/s1600-h/anti+-+telangana+activist+on+train.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzkvhhe13gdq6-oXWOQQDny8g2jqvSkTsOdflbNCZVA8Dc_NFDrtCSYT_blVb5tptSrwLfrY63yOFWuwhl6E6PCn_tHzJKBiPfHubFipC6_3GNDw-0dO6KuKHxHIyXr31JRcJch4WGFaZ/s400/anti+-+telangana+activist+on+train.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418756315411047842" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-EMO49qyFrA4erG9ZcqxjVUK3ga7F-FMYflBqGjhEZthQq35TDhJHFn0T9HKzcmBSShh5_ygy5HQnF_CcrUNrUTZ1Fmp4kaavxOllr1Y-hDB7cHe6S4Cfl3qez3bmgOWGV3qH97ZpZNyA/s1600-h/Telangana+map.gif"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-EMO49qyFrA4erG9ZcqxjVUK3ga7F-FMYflBqGjhEZthQq35TDhJHFn0T9HKzcmBSShh5_ygy5HQnF_CcrUNrUTZ1Fmp4kaavxOllr1Y-hDB7cHe6S4Cfl3qez3bmgOWGV3qH97ZpZNyA/s400/Telangana+map.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418709205362480658" /></a><br />The opening day of a two-day strike by the supporters of a new state has brought violence to parts of India's southern Andhra Pradesh state. <br />Over 100 buses were burnt, and shops and businesses attacked overnight. <br />The strike was called after the federal government said the demand for a Telangana state would be considered after consultation with all parties. <br />Earlier the government had announced that it would allow the creation of Telangana irrespective of opposition. <br />An estimated 35 million people will live in the new state. <br /><br />The latest uproar and strike call followed federal Home Minister P. Chidambaram's statement on Wednesday evening that all political parties should be consulted before deciding on a new state. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9eGIBPnkLigwr7qKhTU_xFfyTprSTsNU3642D9hI3cfy_cSVpRqpn9IG4-QQAT44DKN0YHFvVOz57dDil0ctVOxnj9oLypkuC1rAuea6hXiETsTKaaxCZhxDbyRpquDNnf0Ph8wijZmc/s1600-h/Chowmohallah+palace+encroachments.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 351px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9eGIBPnkLigwr7qKhTU_xFfyTprSTsNU3642D9hI3cfy_cSVpRqpn9IG4-QQAT44DKN0YHFvVOz57dDil0ctVOxnj9oLypkuC1rAuea6hXiETsTKaaxCZhxDbyRpquDNnf0Ph8wijZmc/s400/Chowmohallah+palace+encroachments.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418711130323215842" /></a><br />Mr Chidambaran explained the government's change in stance by saying that the situation in Andhra Pradesh had "altered" since he had made an announcement earlier this month on the formation of a Telangana state. <br />"However, after the statement, the situation in Andhra Pradesh has altered. A large number of political parties are divided on the issue," Mr Chidambaram added. <br />"There is need to hold wide-ranging consultations with all political parties and groups in the state," he added. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBb_H1h0ocvgIjEQydHekHeF7s5psaOm706k4smfQpZlw9ytwkHrZraHE8DBHrF6mD-9S09xVvEQXz-p-UfHsylbU5N66bSZawaVs9Hze4Kg6rlmxf2KZ4QjLvMtzX06CVCQDYO3JmuzHn/s1600-h/hyderabad+city.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBb_H1h0ocvgIjEQydHekHeF7s5psaOm706k4smfQpZlw9ytwkHrZraHE8DBHrF6mD-9S09xVvEQXz-p-UfHsylbU5N66bSZawaVs9Hze4Kg6rlmxf2KZ4QjLvMtzX06CVCQDYO3JmuzHn/s400/hyderabad+city.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418711001181798402" /></a><br />Politicians from Telangana reacted sharply to Mr Chidambaram's statement, saying that the government had put the demand in "cold storage". <br />Investors fear the protests will hurt Hyderabad, an IT hub of southern India and home to firms like Microsoft, Google and Dell. <br />Telangana region is spread over 10 northern districts of Andhra Pradesh. <br />Campaigners say Telangana's economic development has been neglected in favour of the richer and more powerful Andhra region - and that a new state is the only solution. <br />The last three new states in India were formed in 2000: Chhattisgarh was created out of eastern Madhya Pradesh; Uttarakhand was created out of the hilly areas of northern Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand was carved from Bihar's southern districts. <br />India currently has 28 states.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0bOGwWVCDlPzbuirfg2ga-B5Vfb2g9uf37WZDDzO3AO-gCZLS6EpNLDV5SDv4MJ4xSeTdV6-GWLnaRaVukIo1xuM-8X0mcp0_YnMpIhyGukkdfz-p1l0c7k1NcN9oVIQ2oQgmO-P19iM/s1600-h/Infosys+campus+Hyderabad.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0bOGwWVCDlPzbuirfg2ga-B5Vfb2g9uf37WZDDzO3AO-gCZLS6EpNLDV5SDv4MJ4xSeTdV6-GWLnaRaVukIo1xuM-8X0mcp0_YnMpIhyGukkdfz-p1l0c7k1NcN9oVIQ2oQgmO-P19iM/s400/Infosys+campus+Hyderabad.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418711252432140514" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-78966157708766011632009-12-19T17:02:00.001+05:302009-12-19T17:04:08.967+05:30CASTE & MARRIAGEHC to decide woman’s caste abuse case against hubby <br /><br /><br /><br />Shibu Thomas | TNN <br /><br /><br /><br />Mumbai: Can a woman born into, what is called a ‘‘lower caste’’, and who marries an upper caste man file a case against her husband and inlaws under Special Atrocities Act? A full bench of Bombay high court will now decide on the vexed issue. <br /> The matter was placed before a larger bench following conflicting views of two benches of HC. The case concerned a complaint filed by a woman <br />belonging to Scheduled Caste, who married Rajendra Shrivastava (a Kayastha, an upper caste) in 1991. <br /> She filed a case against her husband and in-laws last year at Nehru Nagar police station under Atrocities Act for treating her cruelly. She alleged her husband and inlaws ‘‘from time to time, abused her in filthy language in the name of her caste’’. <br /> The Shrivastavas moved the high court seeking anticipatory bail. One bench of the court granted anticipatory bail to Shirvastava’s brother and sister ruling that the provisions of the special law could not be applied. <br /> But, another bench of Justice Dilip Bhosale disagreed and the matter was referred to the full bench.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-83541757560878495572009-12-18T17:56:00.005+05:302009-12-18T20:43:13.232+05:30GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION- INDIA HAS THE SOLUTION !Most countries plan to reduce emission intensity; it’s just that no one wants it to be legally binding <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFaj1h20g6jgM9sSO2lbmMMupP_ffZjJI-SWCRFXYZb69HO4M2gPLqWcoLJoEMf1-OJ0SkLrojBcamoFG8ffJoqOv9-Axa1ZpHH_3iGg8bSbP3fKAspzv-emBmr3S3dlhNMPhJhes_AvC/s1600-h/fight+climate+change.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 233px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFaj1h20g6jgM9sSO2lbmMMupP_ffZjJI-SWCRFXYZb69HO4M2gPLqWcoLJoEMf1-OJ0SkLrojBcamoFG8ffJoqOv9-Axa1ZpHH_3iGg8bSbP3fKAspzv-emBmr3S3dlhNMPhJhes_AvC/s400/fight+climate+change.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416594067142279746" /></a><br />CHINA <br />6.8 bn tonnes annually, 5.5 tonnes per capita <br />What it’s giving <br />China says it will cut its carbon intensity by 40-45% by 2020, compared with 2005 <br />What it wants <br />Developed nations’ targets to reduce GHG emissions not deep enough. It expects average cuts of at least 40% from 1990 levels by 2020 & wants a promise of more aid and technology <br />US <br />6.4 bn tonnes annually, 21 tonnes per capita <br />What it’s giving <br />The US has promised to cut 2005 emissions by 17%by 2020. It will extend cuts to 30% below 2005 levels by 2025, and 83% by 2050. Will work toward a goal of jointly mobilizing $100bn a year by 2020. Has pledged $1bn towards slowing deforestation <br />What it wants <br />An accord that covers all issues and has ‘immediate operational effect’ <br />EU <br />5.03 bn tonnes annually, 5.5 tonnes per capita <br />What it’s giving <br />EU leaders agreed in Dec ’08 to cut emissions by 20% below 1990 levels by 2020 & by 30% if other developed nations follow suit. EU leaders have agreed that developing nations will need about $147 bn a year by 2020 to adapt to climate change <br />What it wants <br />EU wants developing nations to curb the rise of emissions by 15-30% by 2020 <br /><br />JAPAN <br />1.4 bn tonnes annually, 11 tonnes per capita <br />What it’s giving <br />Japan will cut emissions by 25% below 1990 levels by 2020. PM Hatoyama said Tokyo would also step up aid <br />AFRICA <br />Negligible emissions <br />Where they’re willing to compromise <br />African group scaled back demands for aid from rich countries, meeting offers made by developed nations <br />What it’s giving <br />Want developed nations to cut emissions by 45% below 1990 levels by 2020 <br /><strong>INDIA <br />1.4 bn tonnes annually, 1.2 tonnes per capita <br />What it’s giving <br />Aims to cut carbon intensity by between 20-25% by 2020, from ’05 levels <br />What it wants <br />Like China, India wants rich nations to cut emissions by at least 40% by 2020 Additionally INDIA wants that each develped country introduces power cuts and loadsharing as usual in India. Having 4 hour of power cut each day the WEST would be able to save a lot more in green hous gases. As an additional step water rations should be introduced as e.g. 4 hours of tap water availability per day as usual in some Delhi districts.</strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-86424189354681869702009-12-18T17:36:00.000+05:302009-12-18T17:38:26.845+05:30SPITTING & THE INDIAN GENOMEJ U G U L A R V E I N <br />Thoo be it <br />From <strong>Jug Suraiya </strong><br /><br /><br /><br /> Yaark-thoo! Hey, watch it! Bloody hell. You almost got me. Sorry, where was i? Ah, yes. The decoding of the Indian genome. A team of CSIR scientists has, for the first time, unravelled the secrets that lie with the desi genome, using a sample taken from a 52-year-old DNA donor. A genome is like a map that helps us to chart our genetic karma – who and what we are, and what makes us tick and why. By studying the genetic sequences in the genome, scientists will be able to figure out why Indians are predisposed to diabetes, for instance, or coronary disease. Important as these revelations about blood sugar and dicky hearts undoubtedly will be, i’m hoping that the decoded genome will explain something seemingly far more fundamental to our inner being than a propensity to insulin deficiency and cardiac problems, something that identifies us Indians as Indians, whether we are in India or anywhere else on the face of the planet, North and South Poles, the Amazon basin, and the top of Mt Everest not excluded. What’s that something? Spitting. <br /> Indians spit. Caste, creed and sex no bar. The frequent and energetic ejection of saliva – despite the cautionary notices put up in our post offices, ‘Do not affix stamp with sputum’ – spitting is not just a national pastime; it is a national passion. More than kabaddi, or kho-kho, or IPL, spitting is our true desi sport. And we practise it assiduously wherever we happen to be: on the streets, in bazaars, on railway platforms and bus addas and airports, in offices and schools and factories and restaurants and shops and… Yaark-thoo! Godalmighty! That’s the second time someone’s almost got me in the space of a single column. <br /> How do we do it? Where does it all come from? The spit. The saliva. The sputum. The product of the salivary glands. What is it about our biological make-up that enables us to produce so much of the stuff that we seem to be forever having to get rid of it, expel it from our systems, lest through excess of it, surfeiting, our appetite for it would sicken and die. <br /> Gutka helps. So do paans and paan masala. The scarlet and red and crimson splotches and splashes and streaks that our public buildings and streets are decorated with – as though they were a form of folk art, like the ancient cave paintings in Bhimbhetka and other places – bear witness to their efficacy as salivary stimulants, the Viagras of sputum. But though gutka and paans contribute to the phenomenon, they cannot explain it in its enigmatic entirety. <br /> By and large – or rather, by and small – we Indians are not big people. True, the richer among us tend to be overweight. But for every XL Indian there are thousands, hundreds of thousands, of scrawny Indians. So, being small and skinny for the most part, how is it that we generate so much spit, the only natural resource which we seem to be in no danger of running out of? Where do we get it from, and where’s it stored? Do we possess a natural receptacle, like a kangaroo’s pouch, except inside rather than outside, where the stuff is tucked away till we thook! it out? <br /> The decoded genome should tell us all this, and more. Or maybe not. Maybe our desi habit of spitting has got nothing to do with our genes. Maybe our spitting is not so much a genetic consequence as a social and political comment. Read a newspaper. Or watch the news on TV. Or just look around you. <br /> Scams. Swindles. Satyam. Koda. Hawala. Telangana riots. Anti-Telangana riots. Anti-anti-Telangana riots. Political corruption. Bureaucratic corruption. Judicial corruption. Corruption corruption, where you have to bribe someone to accept a bribe. <br /> Leave a bad taste in the mouth? So how do you get rid of it? That’s right, Yaark-thoo! <br /> Can’t beat ’em, join ’em.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-26237503196514854722009-12-09T07:41:00.006+05:302009-12-09T09:51:44.872+05:30THE TELANGANA STORYWhat is Telangana? <br />Today, Telangana is a region comprising 10 of Andhra Pradesh’s 23 districts. Originally, it was a part of the erstwhile Nizam’s princely state of Hyderabad. The region accounts for 119 seats of 294 in the assembly. <br />When did Telangana merge with Andhra? <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7lY7q1oUh9OshWuwPbOK46ZwQXwYm4KiNTMbw0H0JD-XAijZsyo8UvlnH5sTDis-2zgTR-XOQ2CMm9EoVpHtIPd3y8BQZsT3MHwjW828LLx5qqxqDmnRtN0-DiGhF8e_0JDdS4J5LlkW/s1600-h/ScreenShot001.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 358px; height: 341px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7lY7q1oUh9OshWuwPbOK46ZwQXwYm4KiNTMbw0H0JD-XAijZsyo8UvlnH5sTDis-2zgTR-XOQ2CMm9EoVpHtIPd3y8BQZsT3MHwjW828LLx5qqxqDmnRtN0-DiGhF8e_0JDdS4J5LlkW/s400/ScreenShot001.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413084679438212450" /></a><br /><br />In 1948, India put an end to the rule of the Nizams and a Hyderabad state was formed. In 1956, the Telangana part of Hyderabad was merged with then Andhra state (carved out of Madras Presidency in October, 1953). The remaining parts of the Nizam’s empire merged with Karnataka and Maharashtra. Andhra Pradesh became the first linguistically carved state in the country after Gandhian revolutionary Potti Sreeramulu, on a hunger strike over the issue, died on December 16, 1952.<br /><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9_j7mTfuzqNiUxRz7XNNOJvNEtbD9oa7UNhrSzzY35aEsVYTcgdj4NPVL2GdrJNKC6851hyEQBolCWkpyadyU-C0r-l9PX4Tf0NaMMAE11dASt_K2pA1vudZYvI53JZ1Feyk9vP1I3w8/s1600-h/Telangana+freedom+fighters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9_j7mTfuzqNiUxRz7XNNOJvNEtbD9oa7UNhrSzzY35aEsVYTcgdj4NPVL2GdrJNKC6851hyEQBolCWkpyadyU-C0r-l9PX4Tf0NaMMAE11dASt_K2pA1vudZYvI53JZ1Feyk9vP1I3w8/s400/Telangana+freedom+fighters.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413086496334612706" /></a><br /><br />When did the movement for a separate Telangana kick off ? <br />The first Telangana movement intensified in 1969. There was a distinct difference between Andhra and Telangana regions. Since Andhra was part of a colonial Madras Presidency, education levels and development of this region were better than in feudal Telangana. People from Telangana were against merger with Andhra state as they feared they would lose jobs to them. <br /> Cultural differences, too, remain. Under Nizam’s, and before that, under the Qutb Shahi rule, the culture and langauge in Telangana bore influences of north India. Emphasis on festivals are also different. <br />What happened in the 1969 agitation? <br />Primarily a student-driven protest, it turned historical for the number of people who took part in it. Over 350 students were killed in police firing and lathi charge. Osmania University was the movement’s hotbed. Congress leader Marri Channa Reddy, who raised the ‘Jai Telangana’ slogan, diluted the movement by merging his Telangana Praja Samithi Party with Congress — Indira Gandhi made him the chief minister after this. That’s how the movement collapsed: a result of Indira Gandhi’s masterstroke. P V Narasimha Rao, too, was made CM in 1971 because he was from Telangana region. <br />What’s K Chandrasekhar Rao’s role? <br />In the 90s, KCR, then a member of the Telugu Desam Party, was hopeful of a ministerial post in the state government but was made deputy speaker after the 1999 elections. He quit TDP in 2001 to champion the cause of a separate Telangana state and founded Telangana Rashtra Samithi. All this while, with faster development in the rest of Andhra, a strong feeling was gaining ground in Telangana that it was being exploited and that the region’s surplus was being transferred to finance development in the rest of the state. In 2004 election, Y S Rajasekhara Reddy joined hands with KCR, promising a separate Telangana. But YSR got cold feet and backtracked, triggering resignations of TRS MLAs. KCR quit his Union ministry post. <br />What’s the stand of other political parties on Telangana? <br />Congress continues to flip-flop, while TDP, which was against separate Telangana until 2009 election, is now supporting it. BJP, CPI and PRP support Telangana. CPM’s stand still unclear, but by and large, it is opposed to Telangana. <br />What’s the Hyderabad angle? <br />Hyderabad, which is within the Telangana region, is a bone of contention between votaries of Telangana and those against it. The issue of AP capital remains a stumbling block in the creation of Telangana.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-66047406336957596212009-12-08T21:24:00.004+05:302009-12-08T21:40:51.808+05:30INDIAN SCHOOLS ANY PARALLELS TO PORTUGAL or NW-EUROPE ? III<strong>ALARMING TREND !</strong>- DEC 2 Three students and two teachers beaten up when two groups of students clashed inside a school at Timarpur. The attackers also burnt a teacher motorcycle.<br />- OCT 22 A girl from Arunchal Pradesh molested by nearly 200 boys at Bharat Nagar in the New Friends Colony. The girl was just passing to attend classes at Jamia University when boys stopped her<br />- SEP 10 Five girls killed in a stampede in a Khajuri Khas school. Boys had allegedly misbehaved with girls at a staircase, causing the stampede ,!<br /><br />Of course these are not the real Indian problems I brought this just to show that India also has normal comparable to Europe problems and not only a problem that if some drunken driver in a MB missed the road and killed 3 people on the side walk.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-67184253366379621572009-12-08T21:18:00.003+05:302009-12-08T21:24:49.308+05:30INDIAN SCHOOLS- ANY PARALLELS TO PORTUGAL or NW-EUROPE IINew Delhi: Molestation of a girl from Arunachal Pradesh in a New Friends Colony school, manhandling of teachers at a school in Timarpur, and now violence against a group of schoolgirls at Shalimar Bagh — the incidents of rowdyism in government schools are increasing. This despite the fact that these schools are posting better results in Board exams and have implemented life-skill programmes like YUVA. <br /> Teachers attribute the alarming trend to disproportionate student-teacher ratio. There are not enough teachers to control the high number of students who study in government schools. They also say students are now blatant in their approach. They have nothing to lose with a ban on corporal punishment in place. In such a scenario, will the defaulters go unchecked? <br /> Explained D K Tiwari, secretary, Government Schools Teachers’ Association, ‘‘It has become difficult for teachers to maintain discipline among students as they no longer fear any action.’’ Tiwari added that there has been an increase of nearly five lakh students in 930 government schools in the city in the last six years. However, the government hasn’t recruited enough teachers all these years. <br /> ‘‘We worked hard to improve the results due to which the number of students opting for government schools has increased. But there are nearly 7,000 posts of teachers still vacant,’’ said Tiwari. He added: ‘‘We need 14,000 more teachers for over 13 lakh children studying in government schools today. We have conveyed this to the chief minister but nothing has changed.’’ <br /> According to teachers, many classrooms have 80 to 100 students whereas the prescribed teacher-student ratio is 1:40. ‘‘How do we give personal attention to every student? It’s almost a crowd out there,’’ Tiwari said. <br /> ‘‘We can’t strike a name off the rolls in case of misconduct. The students in a class are from different age groups as many admissions are done due to political pressure. So it becomes difficult to work on the attitudes of such a heterogeneous group,’’ said a senior government official. ‘‘The posts are sanctioned by the finance department. They take nearly two to three years to sanction posts. In the meantime, the number of students shoot up. Besides recruiting more teachers will need a huge financial outlay that the government can’t afford,’’ the officialUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-7803362768944454822009-12-08T21:12:00.003+05:302009-12-08T21:17:27.338+05:30INDIAN SCHOOLS -ANY PARALLEL TO PORTUGAL or NW-EUROPE ?In what appears to be a simple argument turning into a major catfight, two groups of students of a government girls’ school in Shalimar Bagh clashed on Monday afternoon just outside the school premises. What’s worse the students of Class XI and XII of Rajkiya Ucchatar Madhyamik Balika Vidyalaya roped in their male friends and brothers to teach the junior girls of class X a ‘lesson’, said sources. Injured in the fight, four class X students were admitted to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital. <br /> According to the police, the incident was a fallout of an argument between girl students of classes XI and XII on one side and those of class X on the other. ‘‘An argument had broken out between these two groups on December 4, the day the school had organized its sports day. An intervention by teachers diffused the situation and the matter was reported to the principal,’’ said the officer investigating the case. <br /> However, on Monday, seniors again threatened the juniors. ‘‘As soon as classes resumed, they told us that they would teach us a lesson outside the school. Since we were intimidated, we were returning in a group. Around 1.30pm, when we reached a sweet shop, 200 metres away from the school, we saw the seniors waiting for us. They surrounded us and used abusive language. As we tried to force our way out, we were surrounded by several boys — some of them students of the day school. Many of them were brothers and friends of the senior girls,’’ said one of the victims, who refused to be named. The victims told the police that the seniors along with these boys assaulted them. Said one of the victims at the hospital: ‘‘I was pushed to the ground by a girl. Before I could get up, one of the boys ran a bike over my legs.’’ <br /> Despite the battering, sources said, Class X students went back to the school asking the principal to step in. ‘‘However, she asked us to put our complaint in writing. Meanwhile, the locals called the police and we were sent to the Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital. Four of us were admitted,’’ said one of the girls of class X. The principal of the school could not be contacted. <br /> ‘‘A case of molestation, wrongful confinement and hurt has been lodged at the Shalimar Bagh police station. At present, we are recording the statements of the students,’’ said a senior district official. Sources in the police said they have already detained a few boys in this respect. ‘‘We are treating the case delicately as it involves minors,’’ added the official.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-78236222526609006262009-12-08T07:45:00.004+05:302009-12-08T07:57:52.429+05:30THE TELANGANA FREEDOM FIGHTERS- 17 CASAUALITIES UP TO NOWHyderabad: Telangana remained on the boil and the 48-hour bandh called by TRS demanding statehood saw five more suicides, forcing the Centre to review its options. <br /> The suicides on Monday took the death toll to 17. Seven others tried to end their lives while activists resorted to arson, destruction of public and private properties and demolition of cell phone towers. Train passengers were the worst hit as TRS activists stopped trains for over six hours at some stations. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_gXzyjKrEjKK90vAHE93RC57t8sHSlLBOm3Qt-r20yUeXWn8QZp6udkdX_2YUHPJZjLtTm5kJWL5su5zO-enUhUvpOYoGvpQYE90exzeNQnyXWfP_HjYCzjmRceu1M3Xq9hO-eiXUml3/s1600-h/Telangana+cops+trash.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_gXzyjKrEjKK90vAHE93RC57t8sHSlLBOm3Qt-r20yUeXWn8QZp6udkdX_2YUHPJZjLtTm5kJWL5su5zO-enUhUvpOYoGvpQYE90exzeNQnyXWfP_HjYCzjmRceu1M3Xq9hO-eiXUml3/s400/Telangana+cops+trash.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412685470511697506" /></a><br /> The Telangana activists appeared to be in no mood to relent, with the spate of suicides only adding to the pressure on TRS and others to fight till the bitter end. After taking part in a TRS rally, G , 45, hung himself to death at his home in Ande village in Mirdoddi mandal of Medak in the afternoon. He left a suicide note demanding separate Telangana. Another activist Narsing Nayak, 35, hung himself from a tree at Mamidipalli in Sangareddy mandal. <br /> In Nalgonda district alone, three ‘T’ sympathisers committed suicide. TRS activist Satish haung himself at Veeravelli village in Bhongir mandal. “Prior to taking the extreme step, Satish took part in a rally and shouted Jai Telangana slogans,” the grieving parents said. Lingaiah of Nemmikallu in S Atmakuru mandal consumed pesticide at his home. He died later in a hospital. Mallesh of Palaram village in Nadigudem mandal consumed pesticide to end his life. “He died shouting Jai Telangana slogans. We have shifted the body for an autopsy,” a police official said. <br /> A tribal girl, Janabai, 18, poured kerosene and torched herself during a TRS rally at Gauraram village in Gandhari mandal in Nizamabad in the afternoon. She suffered 80 per cent burns as doctors at the Banswada hospital said her survival chances were remote. A TRS activist Raju is battling for his life after he held a high tension electricity wire at Turkapadgam village in Kandi mandal of Medak. “Even as he experienced a powerful shock, Raju kept shouting Jai Telangana,” a relative said. In Karimnagar district four ‘T’ sympathisers attempted suicide. <br /> In Adilabad district TRS activists vandalised the office of Sirpur paper mills at Kagaznagar by smashing the windowpanes and damaging furniture. At Thogutta in Medak, the activists went berserk and damaged the house of Dubbaka MLA Muthyam Reddy. Furniture was burnt, glass windows were broken and other household articles were strewn all over. The activists were lathicharged by the police.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-10020298953900136992009-12-08T07:38:00.005+05:302009-12-08T07:45:19.801+05:30IS INDIA GOING OUT OF WATER ?In a city where clean water has become a commodity that is delivered to the highest bidder, the poor often have to go without. <br />Yet those who have money can easily get enough. In Mumbai's wealthy suburbs, large tankers delivering water are commonplace. <br />Every day more than 5,000 tankers deliver some 50 million litres of water to people who can pay, according to unofficial estimates cited by the newspaper Mumbai Mirror. <br />Water shortages<br />But even if the wealthy were to go without such top-up deliveries, there would probably not be enough water to go around. <br />Mumbai's Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) delivers some 90 litres of water per day to the city's residents. <br />That is far short of the 135 litres of water the World Health Organization (WHO) says they require for their basic needs. <br />So in Mumbai, there is growing anger over the water shortages. <br />Last month, BMC hydraulic engineers' office was vandalised by activists. Over the weekend, a man died after violent clashes in the city between police and protestors who demanded better access to water for the disabled. <br />Global problem<br />But the lack of access to clean water is by no means merely a problem facing those who live in India's biggest cities. <br />In the central Indian city of Bhopal, people who live in some of the slums pump drinking water from groundwater contaminated by industrial pollution. Children who live in the slum play by the filthy and rubbish-strewn river that runs past. <br />Head out into rural India, and three-quarters of the population does not have access to safe drinking water. <br />As the population continues to grow the problem is getting worse. <br />India's water needs are set to double over the next two decades, according to consultants McKinsey. <br />Production of rice, wheat and sugar is set to push up demand from Indian agriculture, the consultancy warns. <br />And the problem is growing, both in India, as well as in China, South Africa and Sao Paulo state in Brazil. <br />By 2030, the four areas will account for more than two fifths of the world's water demand, largely thanks to a sharp rise in food production, McKinsey says. <br />By then, demand for water will be 40% higher than it is currently, the consultancy predicts. <br />Huge market<br />Many in India are looking to the industrialist Ratan Tata for a solution. <br />There are high hopes that he has delivered after Tata Group launched a water purifier that helps curb the spread of water-borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid or diarrhoea. <br />Tata's purifier will cost less than 1,000 ($21.50; £13) rupees to buy, half the price of the popular Pureit purifier already being sold by Hindustan Unilever. <br />Tata Chemicals' managing director R. Mukundan insists its purifier is unique. <br />"It doesn't compete with any existing product." <br />Moreover, he says, "this is opening up a complete new market" - one that is huge and growing. <br />Although limited access to safe drinking water is a huge problem in India, this is a global problem that affects about a billion people, according to the WHO. <br />"For the vast majority... today's water crisis is not an issue of scarcity, but of access," the WHO says. <br /><br />As long as the only goal of India is to rise is population without considering the provide them a decent live the situation will go from bad to worse, ending in a collaps with civil war situations in the fight for essential commodities.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2279917810091144671.post-69674479573432525782009-12-06T09:22:00.005+05:302009-12-06T09:38:22.999+05:30SUDDEN RISE IN H1N1 CASES IN DELHI , 233 REPORTED ON SATURDAY<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6eVQGVQ3n30wRoPRVDLEQNzkpMCZ-ZTg0LuB_U1SlOAbh49xLJ_SuBgHTnkjy1wSH1vjIBj-E8g4-qctz0BR6KncNuDczvgfqMtxGZqT0xCzHS9yOMw26Yc14HzBeWEUJBpzJhWjUtsbc/s1600-h/howtoavoidh1n1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6eVQGVQ3n30wRoPRVDLEQNzkpMCZ-ZTg0LuB_U1SlOAbh49xLJ_SuBgHTnkjy1wSH1vjIBj-E8g4-qctz0BR6KncNuDczvgfqMtxGZqT0xCzHS9yOMw26Yc14HzBeWEUJBpzJhWjUtsbc/s400/howtoavoidh1n1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411970066296342706" /></a><br />NEW DELHI: On Saturday, 223 H1N1 influenza cases, including one death, were confirmed in the capital. This is the highest number of cases reported <br />in a day since the infection entered the city. <br /><br />Though experts rule out the beginning of the ‘‘second wave’’, they advised doctors to give full-treatment dose to those who came in contact with H1N1 positive cases and were showing symptoms of the disease. <br /><br />Of the 223 confirmed cases, 131 are children. Experts say once a case or two is tested positive at a school or college or any institution, full dose of tamiflu should be given to the rest who show clinical symptoms of H1N1 influenza. The state health department attributed the high figure to awareness about the disease and more number of testing facilities. <br /><br />‘‘Now people have adequate knowledge about the disease. And with five private labs testing for H1N1, people are getting themselves tested,’’ said Kiran Walia, Delhi’s health minister. <br /><br />Meanwhile, one 37-year-old man died due to H1N1 influenza at Safdarjung Hospital on Friday night. His reports tested positive on Saturday. So far, 29 people have died due to H1N1 infection in the capital. <br /><br />toireporter@timesgroup.com <br />Fact is that the swine flu in India is extremely dangerous with a death rate of 1/31. An extremely deadly figure if compared to Belgium , now leading in the world wide statistics of dead rates from H1N1 with just 1/5,498 cases closely followed by Iceland and Portugal. Obviously the countries with the best medical treatment sytems. In Germany the risk to die is double as high as in the countries mentioned above 1/ 2004) <br />Amazing is that countries with an elaborated medical treatment systems have a lot high death rates as e.g. :<br />- Switzerland : 1/310<br />- Austria : 1/193<br />- Sweden 1/133<br />- Japan 1/132<br />- The Netherlands 1/35 ( very amazing und unexplainable since it is so close to the actual leader Belgium)<br />- US with 1/23 on the same level as developing countries and worse than India ( the explanation for this scaring figure I leave open for US citizens)<br /><br />I am still very scared to get H1N1 in India and happy to return soon the Germany , Portugal and Belgium.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0