Desi Brides in Western Gowns!

The Indian brides till date were seen in the traditional bridal wear for all their ceremonies. Their selections were always centered around the lehengas and the sarees for the engagement, and pheras. But the modern bride (latest fashion trend) has now decided to expand her horizon and wardrobe to include the western "gown", complete with trails and veils, which can be worn in ceremonies abroad. This bridal gown can be worn during the ring ceremony and the more traditional outfits are worn for the actual wedding ceremony.

This change of mindset of the desi bride has come with the entry of international clothing chains into the Indian market. As a result, the Indian Hindu brides are now beginning to adopt this fusion of Indian-western wear for their wedding ceremonies!

What Do Women Look For in a Relationship?

I have read a number of articles on the topic of "What women Want or Look for in a Relationship" and the point that is brought out in most of these articles is that women need to be pampered by flowers, gifts, romantic notes etc..!

Now, I don't refute this outright, but being a woman myself I do not completely agree with this way of going about in a relationship. A relationship between two people is special if they "connect" with each other instantly. There exists a chemistry between the couple, and this is what helps them to stick to each other! No matter, if you don't get her flowers or a gift or send romantic notes! Yes, they do add to the romance, but only if you are already into each other!

What I am trying to say here is that if a guy is trying to hit on a girl that he finds attractive, then just by giving her flowers etc.., won't get him anywhere with her, unless she's equally attracted to him. Instead, the best way for a guy to get a girl's attention would be to charm her and be a perfect "gentleman". A girl loves to feel "special". So, make her feel special by being extra sensitive to her feelings, emotions, and showing her that you care by your small thoughtful actions, could go a long way in making a place for yourself in her heart.

Romance is something that all women love. Men need to bring romance into the woman's life. Romance is not just going for a candle light dinner on a full moon night. Romance, according to me, is what the man makes the woman feel during the time he spends with her,which could be anywhere on earth. Romance is when the man leaves the woman enough to dream and fantasize about and keep on wanting more of him.......!

Corporate Education a New Trend in India!

Corporate Education a New Trend in India!

The industrial sector in India is growing at a much faster pace than what we are able to cope with in the terms of providing adequate and trained or skilled manpower (Human resources) to these companies. In order to overcome this shortage, a few companies like Mahindra $ Mahindra and Videocon, are planning to set up engineering colleges, five campuses of Mahindra college of Engineering in states like Chandigarh, Goa, and Maharashtra to begin with. The College in Chandigarh is expected to begin its sessions by the next academic year in June, 2008. The Videocon company following suit is also in the process of setting up two finishing schools for Engineers and technicians. Mahindra & Mahindra is expecting to invest Rs 250 Crores for the entire project, whereas Videocon is starting its project with an investment of about Rs 85 crores.

Soon, corporate education is going to be the new trend. Companies will realize that its better to train their own people right from the start and nurture them in their own brands. This is a fresh approach to the problem of ending unemployment and also increasing the standard of education in the country and using our own brains to uplift the country's economy. This will also attract students to stay on in India and look to a brighter future than going abroad. All the companies stand to gain from this as the students can be picked from these colleges. As stated by Mahindra & Mahindra, that in this project each campus will have speciality in different disciples and the intention is to tackle shortage of manpower, not only for the group but also for the overall industrial sector in the country. The students would not only be guaranteed absorption in the M&M group but also have the opportunity of other companies who are welcome to poach these students. This is really great news for all the fresh aspirants out there! Grab this opportunity!

Robot Will Now Teach Dentists to Feel Pain!

The future dentists in Japan may now soon be able to better appreciate patient’s pain by training on a high-tech dental patient which is a medical simulated Robot named Simroid. This robot can mumble words like “ouch” when the drill hits a nerve. Simroid is made to look like an attractive woman with long black hair and a pink sweater who can listen to instructions and also react to pain by moving her eyes or hands. Male dentists beware! Don’t try getting fresh with this robot because it can react to that too!

This robot was presented in Tokyo at the 2007 international Robot Exhibition that was held recently. This Robot has been designed for use in the clinical training at dental schools.

Japanese Dentists Unveil the Fast Dental ID System

Japanese Dentists Unveil the Fast Dental ID System

Japanese Scientists have come up with a new device that would help, by vastly speeding up the identification from the dental records, of victims of trauma and other disasters. 

How it works is like this: The computerized device will scan images of victim’s teeth and align them with pictures from unidentified people’s dental records and look for a match. This new system will help speed up the process of identification by automatically comparing the image of the victim’s teeth with other dental records that exist and offer a match in less than four seconds.

Dr. Eiko Kosuge, who is a dentist and radiologist at Kanagawa Dental College in Japan, led the study.

This system will help reduce the workload of the forensic experts by 95%.

MBBS, BDS Courses Now To Be Extended by One Year

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The MBBS course, in India, which was of 5 and half years duration, is now going to be extended by another year (6 and half years), as per the Rural Health Mission according to a proposal made by the Union Health Minister. 

As per the new recommendation the additional year would involve an internship in the rural areas, which would be of four months each at a Primary Health Centre, Sub-District hospital and a District Hospital respectively.

A stipend of Rs 8,000/- per month will be paid to the interns.

Actions taken so far: - 

1. A high-level committee has been set up by the Union Health Minister, Ambumani Ramadoss, to take opinions from 12 states on the matter.

2. The committee was met with stiff opposition from representatives of teachers, resident doctors, students and IMA when they visited Mumbai on November 21.

3. Other States who are also joining in the protests are Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and parts of Maharashtra that includes Aurangabad, Nagpur, kolhapur, and Solapur

With these changes being made in the medical education, Dentistry cannot be left behind and therefore it comes as no surprise that the Dental Council of India (DCI) increased the duration of the BDS course from 4 years to 5 years with immediate effect. Earlier, the course was for 4 years followed by one year of internship. However, the new regulation has scrapped the internship altogether. In all there are about 20,000 BDS students across 260 dental colleges in India.

Thousands of dental students have been taken completely by surprise by this move. They are now apprehensive of many factors that include the fees, and whether they would get enough of practical training. Earlier, the dental interns too got a stipend equal to the medical interns. But with this new ruling, they will no longer be called interns and therefore it is doubtful if they will get any stipend in their final year. Nothing to this effect has been mentioned in the regulations. They say that the fees will now be distributed evenly throughout the five-year period.

The DCI has justified its action by saying that the syllabus has undergone a sea change. However, a former general secretary of the MARD (Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors), Dr. Akash Akinwar believes that the decision is questionable as most of the private dental colleges have no infrastructure for internships, so they may be lobbying to get it scrapped all together.

The DCI has also come out with another regulation according to which the lecturers will now have to work for four years instead of three years to get promoted to the post of a Reader. (This regulation is still under consideration).

Great Diwali SMS messages for your friends and family !

Here are some Great Diwali SMS messages that you can start sending to your loved ones, friends or family. The festival is just round the corner and all have started buying gifts and fireworks to greet this occasion! Don't forget to wish your loved ones!

1. Aai aai Diwali aai, Saath me kitni Khushiya laayi,

Dhoom machao, mauz manao, aap sabhi ko Diwali ki badhai.

Happy Diwali

2. Deep Jalte jagmagate rahe, Hum aapko Aap hame yaad aate rahe,Jab tak zindagi hai, dua hai hamari 'Aap Chand ki tarah Zagmagate rahe...' Happy Diwali !

3. Troubles as light as Air,

love as deep as Ocean,

Friends as Solid as Diamonds,

and Success as bright as Gold...

These are the wishes for you and your family on the eve of Diwali

4. May the Divine Light of Diwali Spread into your Life Peace, Prosperity, Happiness and Good Health.

Happy Diwali !

5. Ek Dua Mangte hai hum apne Bhagwan se...

Chahte hai Aapki Khushi Pure imaan se,

Sab Hasratein Puri Ho Aapki,

Aur Aap Muskaraye Dil-o-Jaan se!!

Happy Diwali and New Year that leads you on the road of Success.

6. Diwali aai, masti chahi, rangi rangoli,

deep jalaye, Dhoom Dhadaka, chhoda phataka, jali Phuljadiyan,

Sabko Bhaye, "Happy Diwali"!

7. Noticed ur phone got heavier with this sms? Thats bcoz it contains loads of love, affection and prayers to keep u happy this Diwali. HAPPY DIWALI !

8. Brighten this season with your smile... spread cheer, spread laughter. Happy Diwali!

9. Na zuban se,

Na nigahon se,

Na dimag se,

Na rango se,

Na greetings se,

Na gift se,

Aapko Diwali Mubarak ho direct DIL se…

10. This Is To Formally announce that I have started accepting Diwali gifts by CASH, CHEQUES & CREDIT CARD ect. Avoid last day rush. Send now!

11. Phool ki shuruvat kali se hoti hai,

Zindagi ki shuruvat pyar se hoti hai,

Pyar ki shuruvat apno se hoti hai aur

apno ki shuruvat aapse hoti hai.

* Happy Diwali *

12. I Pray to God to give U

Shanti,

Shakti,

Sampati,

Swarup,

Saiyam,

Saadgi,

Safalta,

Samridhi,

Sanskar,

Swaasth,

Sanmaan,

Saraswati,

aur SNEH.

SHUBH DIWALI...

Apocalypse! Rahul Dravid: The “Wall” Dropped from The Indian Team!

Rahul Dravid, also known as the great “Wall” of the Indian team is not an ordinary cricketer! He has been extraordinary in his entire career of cricket that can be seen from his records. Let’s take a look at the details of this great man’s career!

Rahul Sharad Dravid was born on 11th January 1973 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. However, he grew up in Bangalore, Karnataka and in 1984 he attended a summer coaching camp at KSCA's Chinnaswamy Stadium where a former cricketer turned coach Keki Tarapore spotted his talents.

He has a brother, Vijay. His father worked for the “Kissan Jam” company and that’s where he earned the nickname “Jammy” from his teammates in St.Josephs, Bangalore.

He started playing cricket at the very young age of 12 and represented the state level at under-15, under-17 and under-19. He scored his first century when he made the debut for his school team! He was not only batting but also keeping wickets. However, senior players like Gundappa Vishwanath, Roger Binny, Brijesh patel and Tarapore, advised him against this.

He was selected for Ranji Trophy in February 1991 where he played against Maharashtra alongside future Indian teammates Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath and went on to score a remarkable 82 runs to draw the match after batting at no.7. His first full season was in the year 1991-92, where he scored two centuries to finish with 380 runs at an average of 63.3. Since then he has been selected to play for the South zone in the Duleep Trophy for whom he has been subsequently chosen annually.

Rahul Dravid started his international cricket career in 1996, and is ranked among the 10 best current test batsmen by the ICC in world cricket. He has the highest test batting average of any Indian batsmen in history. He is also one of the only three batsmen to have scored more than 9000 runs in test cricket, the other two being Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar. As of now, he is the highest ranked Indian batsman in the ICC Test rankings and the 2nd highest rated Indian batsman in the ICC ODI rankings.

Rahul has always been one of the main pillars of the Indian batting with his blend of technical proficiency & stylish strokes. His strokes are so perfect technically that he is considered as the "wall" of the Indian Team. Initially, his batting style was regarded as “slow” for the ODI’s but with his imaginative placing of the ball & innovative strokes he made himself as an integral part of the Indian team for both Tests as well as ODI’s. His temperament for both the versions of the game is exemplary and has earned him respect from all the other players. The Indian Vice Captain has frequently played the sheet anchor role to perfection. . He was verily the batsman of the 1999 World Cup with two hundreds and the highest aggregate. For this, he was named as Wisden cricketer of the year, one of the few Indians to receive this special accolade. His good and innocent looks make him very popular among the girls.

Throughout his illustrious career, Rahul "the Wall" Dravid has lived up to his moniker on umpteen occasions, stonewalling against the best of attacks to serve the Indian cause. Dravid, who averages around 60 in both forms of the game, can undoubtedly be called the most valuable player for India.

In the Year 2005, he took over the mantle of the [b]Captain of Team India,[/b] amidst a lot of debates and hum and haw over the matter, as Sachin Tendulkar, who was the chosen one could not seem to perform the role well as his batting seemed to be affected! Sourav Ganguly was removed from the position also amidst lot of controversy and politics.

But, Dravid proved his mettle even then, with his consistency and iron wall approach to his game and his cool exterior not giving away anything to his rivals in the field! For this sheer consistency, time and again, there are few equals and he has also managed to maintain a test average of over 50. His temperament and his concentration in the game are exemplary and legendary. Rahul Dravid will always be known for his “modest, unassuming and well behaved” manner.

Some special Awards: -

·Dravid was named World Player of Year at the inaugural International Cricket Council (ICC) awards. A 50-strong panel of former cricketing greats, national captains, umpires and referees chose him. "It is quite unbelievable, I am really proud," said Dravid, who was also named Test Player of the Year. "I am so happy to be recognized by some really great people."

·Dravid, who had also turned his hand to wicket keeping in the one-day game, received the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for being the best player in both forms of the game in the year to July 31, 2004.

The “wall’ did not crumble by itself, it seems to have been pulled down and the Indian team suddenly looks very susceptible in the longer versions of the game. Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly the so-called “stalwarts” don’t seem to be performing either! At least not when it matters the most! So the question we need to ask here is why was Rahul Dravid taken out of the team? Any answers…………..?!!!

Exclusive First Pictures of Military World Games Opening Ceremony

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Military World Games, is a sports event for the military sports people organised by the International Military Sports Council (CISM). Started in 1995, the Military World Games are a multi-sports event, held every four years with many countries taking part. The 4th Military World Games were held in Hyderabad India, with some events like the triathlon and yachting taking place in Mumbai. Around 5000 athletes from more than 100 countries participated in the event. I had the privilege to witness the opening ceremony. Some photos of the opening ceremony are placed below.   

India has blasted the Pakistanis to Win the Twenty20 World Cup.

Oh! My, what a game! A nail biting finish to the last over! But Indians Are on the Top, the undoubted Champions of the Twenty20 world cup Finals. They showed great courage, grit and determination and some good strategy from Dhoni, got us the requred wickets at regular intervals.

RP singh proved a hero by getting those crucial early wickets and Pathan got the middle wickets that turned the game in our favour. Great game all along! I really enjoyed it. Am going to celebrate the victory, It's been 24 long years since we won the last world cup!

Congratulations Dhoni, and Team India! You have shown what you can do without Tendulkars and gangulis and Dravid's. Hope it's an eye opener to all those BCCI mandarins out there.We don't need TWO TEAMS, OR two captains for that matter. This is our DREAM TEAM, that we had all been looking for.

Great going guys. KEEP IT UP!!!

Clash Of The Titans India Vs Pakistan – Finals Of Twenty20 World Cup

Team India has done it, Chak De, that is. The present team is what a dream team is all about. Eleven men working as a team and displaying, in turns, individual brilliance, for the ultimate goal of winning for the team. The team is full of die-hard youngsters willing to give their sweat and blood but unwilling to give in. Yesterday’s match was an example of what belief in oneself and trust in your teammates can do to the endeavor.

While Sreesanth took care of the danger men Gilchrist and Hayden, RP Singh and Harbhajan did their bit by bowling the tightest 18th and 19th over. It was very important because the last over was to be bowled by Joginder who was low on confidence and had been belted all around in his previous overs. 24 runs in the last over were still possible and Dhoni once again showed trust and faith in his bowlers by handing over the ball to Joginder in the face of a possible defeat. That is what did wonders for Joginder’s confidence and was clearly reflected in the first ball. It was a no score ball and Joginder smiled for the first time in the innings. And when one does that, smile in the face of adversity, there is little the adversary can do to stop him / her.

I doubt any of the previous captains, barring Kapil Dev would have had the guts to hand the ball to Joginder in the last over after he had been taken charge of by the Aussies. In fact, under the circumstances, you would have seen the faces of the big three i.e. Sachin, Saurav and Dravid turn pale and droop as long as gravity wished. Instead of planning strategy for the last three overs, they would have started planning how to justify their loss.

BCCI has unwittingly selected the best for this Indian team. I wish they had made this mistake for the ODI World Cup also. I don’t think the Indian team needs Sachin, Saurav and Dravid anymore because these three, though immensely talented individually, know nothing about teamwork, leadership and conviction. Moreover these three have been so over hyped by the media that the youngsters playing alongside must be having a tremendous pressure for fear of being admonished or being negatively talked about by the big three. 

Dhoni’s presence in the team as Captain has given the team an individual they can relate to. He does not have any airs and does not mind walking up to anyone for advice and guidance. His being the Captain also has forced his seniors Sehwag and Yuvraj to bear more responsibility. The result is there for all to see.

Pakistan also was knocked out in the ODI world cup and has come in with a younger team. They will be under tremendous pressure on Monday since they had lost to India in the initial stages of the tournament. Maybe it was a wake up call for them, but they have not looked back after that.

The final of the Twenty20 world cup is going to be an electrifying affair. A clash between these two teams is exciting enough without it being an important match. Finals of a World Cup is going to be breathtaking you can expect a lot of heart stopping moments. It will provide all the ingredients for a reel life blockbuster. May the best team WIN.

The AfterEffects Of ChakDe India!

All the media hype and attention that has surrounded the Indian cricket team in the last few years makes you almost believe that no other sports exist on the Indian horizon. 

But now, slowly but surely, the Indian sports configuration is being redefined and other games, other stars are emerging. One of the biggest among them is Jhulan Goswami, the only Indian in the list of the International Cricket Council’s award winners.

This woman has proved it yet again that women can excel at anything if they are determined enough about it. She has been praised highly by all the former players of both the men's team as well as the women's team! The women's criket team has always been treated as an unwanted step-child in our country! Jhulan Goswami who is now the only fastest bowler in India and that too a woman, has made us all proud of her! She has been given the ICC Cricketer of the Year (Women) award at a ceremony in Johannesburg. Chak De India!

The other game that has come in the limelight again, after a long time is Football. India beat Syria in the Nehru Cup football final at Delhi on August 29. Did we hear anything in the media about it? Chak De India!

Then came the Indian men’s hockey team’s victory in the Asia Cup final at Chennai, where the home team beat South Korea. This is another long awaited victory for our team. ChakDe India!

The only woman in India who is truly shining in glory is our Sania Mirza, in the game of Tennis. She has proved herself again and again. There are other women too like Tania Sachdev, just 21, won the Asian women’s chess championship in Tehran. And Anjum Chopra has won the coveted Arjuna award. This is gender justice with a vengeance! ChakDe India?

This film is being shown to most players before every match and can we see the difference it is making?

ChakDe India.

Should Students be allowed to Carry Mobile Phones in Campus?

Should Students be allowed to Carry Mobile Phones in Campus?

This is the current debate going on in India. The School authorities are very much against the use of these devices within the campus and are of the opinion that children should not be encouraged to bring their cell phones to school! Schools in Karnataka have banned the use of mobile phones and confiscate any phone that they find on students! Some parents, on the other hand, are anxious about this new ruling for the simple reason that they are not able to keep tabs on their children!

It has become a rage among students to carry their cell phones to school. The debate here is whether these phones are safe or may prove to be harmful to their health in the long run! There have been various studies on this aspect, and there is as yet no conclusive proof of any sort!

This is a ridiculous debate, according to me! I personally feel that there should be no doubt that any such devices should not be allowed on school campuses,(students below 18yrs of age).It is a known fact that mobile phones can be very addictive, and students get distracted easily with these kind of gizmos. Today, the electronic world is filled with a variety of such gizmos and the students are only interested in the kind of gizmo that they have! There will be a competition among each one to see who has the latest one and with how many features in it! To add to it, These gizmos also have games in it that are equally addictive, especially for kids who really have nothing much else on their minds or lives to do!

Then comes the fact that most of the mobile phones now come along with the camera feature, whether you actually want it or not, you are forced to get one simply because all the good models with the basic features will have a camera in it too! This as we have all witnessed several times is again a dangerous tool in the hands of students who are of the tender age of 13-16yrs, and whose hormones are going berserk! this will only lead to mishieve! How can you curb this?

Therefore, there are several reasons why a student below 18 years should not be allowed to carry a mobile phone within the campus at any rate! It doesn't matter if the school is Private or Public, the rules should be same for all!

Cell Phones are harmful to the Students! Does anybody else feel any different? Other than the mobile phone companies who are trying to target this very "gullible" segment of society for their personal benefits and are not really bothered about the health or effects of the device on the kids!

Vanessa Hudgens - Antithesis of woman

Someone once said and it is widely believed to be true in this women opressed world, 'The biggest enemy of a woman is another woman'.

All over, women belonging to various religions, casts, professions are fighting to survive in this male dominated world. It's a daily chore for them, trying to prove themselves and for what? It is to gain that respect which has eluded them for centuries.

It is one step forward and two back for them. The male chauvinists want and keep pushing them back to where they think women belong and what they are, mere sex objects. And women like Vanessa Hudgens are abetting with them to help them achieve their aim. It is because of women like Vanessa Hudgens that women all over the world will not be respected by men other than their own fathers, sons and brothers.

Do such women not have any self respect and dignity? Trying out such a sick stunt for their fifteen minutes of fame. Why do they try to hide behind the excuse that it was leaked. Because they do not want to lose their dignity. Poor miss innocent! She has been maligned and her trust broken. Maybe women like her do get away with it, but the damage they do to the gender of the species is irrepairable. She will retire respectably to her secure mansion away from the glaring eyes and millions of women will continue facing the harassment in their daily lives. Vanessa Hudgens and the likes couldn't have done more disservice to womanhood.

Does it stop after that? No i don't think so. There will be many more like Vanessa Hudgens who will be at this very moment asking their boyfriends to take their photographs in the nude so that they can claim their fifteen minutes of fame and glory when the time comes.

The fight for the women of this world will continue and one day they will succeed because for every Vanessa Hudgens there are many women of integrity, self respect and honour who still have the urge to live in a better world. Their indomitable spirit, never say die attitude and faith in themselves will see them through.

The Vanessa Hudgens of the world are not going to stop them. Bring on the next one!

Did The Movie Chak De India have an Impact on the fate of Hockey?

The Movie Chak De India is not making any difference to the fate of the game 'Hockey' in India as was anticipated, according to a recent news report/article in the Times of India newspaper. It has alleged that the people are only promoting themselves and the movie for selfish reasons and not for the love of the sports and has nothing, whatsoever to do with the revival of Hockey!

I disagree with this article/news report! The fact that the people concerned with this movie project even thought about this topic and decided to go ahead with it, specially in a country where people do not think beyond "Cricket" and more than that, it had the guts to not only focus on a dead sport but, focus on a "woman's hockey" team, goes to prove the good intentions behind the Movie.

Besides this, the movie also focussed, rightly so, on the spirit and jest and energy and the right amount of patriotism required to win a game. It reminded people what team spirit is all about, and that a game can be won only if the team is united in its goal! This comes at the right moment in our country where people had forgotten how to think beyond themselves and their personal glory to win matches!

Todays newspaper features an interview with the coach "Mir Ranjan Negi" who personally trained the girls to play their role realistically in the movie. In the interview he has stated that the movie has indeed made a difference to his life and the attitude of people with regards to the game of Hockey. There are young girls now calling him to ask if they could start playing hockey. This is indeed a positive step and shows that the movie did have a positive impact on the people and also potrayed Hockey as an interesting sport.

After all, a movie is made to inspire people and motivate them to a certain level! They cannot, go and put hockey sticks into everybody's hands and force them to play the sport!

According to me, the movie has done enough justice to the topic and the game of Hockey. It has potrayed the game and the need of the hour, Team spirit, in the right manner! What more inspiration could you need?

It was also reported that a TV serial (Left, right, left) now, following in the footsteps of Chak De India, is shooting an episode entirely on Hockey and will feature the local state women's hockey team in it.

This is a sure indication that the interest in the game of Hockey is definitely getting revived. And also goes to prove that the media can indeed play a very big & important role in inspiring and motivating people in the right manner. Kudos to ShahRukh Khan, and the entire team of Chak De India.

You can Also read my earlier byte on this topic:

http://kanwarpriya.blogspot.com/2007/07/srk-to-revive-indian-hockey.html

The Lead India - Times of India Initiative

On the 60th anniversary of India's Independence, the Times of India group has started a “LEAD INDIA” campaign to find new generation leaders for the country. This is very significant because, for one, a leading media group in the country has finally stated it openly that we lack good leaders, and for other, it is giving an opportunity to the common man to aspire for something bigger. 

The program is an offshoot of the last campaign, India Poised, launched by the group on 01 Jan 2007. Based on the responses from the readers the group identified the governance as being the country's Achilles’ heel.

The group has drawn a parallel with the corporate India. If India Inc can produce so many strong, highly motivated and transformational leaders, why can't the Indian politics? 

What is it that we (the youth) lack today? I, very strongly, feel that the youth today is missing out on strong leadership, good moral values, an ideal or true hero that he or she can idolize or find inspiration from! The youth today needs to be motivated in a correct manner so that they are inspired to work towards the progress of the country! Maybe what they lack the most is a feeling of Patriotism towards their motherland, the way our forefathers had felt! The media can play a very huge and crucial role towards this end by portraying or focusing on the people who have made a difference to our country and who continue to do good work. 

What better person than Shah Rukh Khan to lead this campaign! I think it is a very apt choice. He is young and energetic and full of spirit and passion! He has worked hard to achieve success on his own. His father too was a freedom fighter and so he obviously understands the importance of freedom in our lives and its effect on all of us! Shahrukh Khan is a good role model for the youth today! He has maintained his dignity vis-à-vis his acting and choice of work, and also is a true family man with good family values that is apparent! Most of the other people of his generation are busy either getting divorced or marrying twice or getting into ‘living in’ relationships!

So, what are the qualities we would want in the leadership today! According to a poll conducted by the Times Of India the qualities that were most sought in a leader are: - Honesty, Efficiency, Ability to inspire, Education, and carry people along.

The next important step is to identify the areas that need to be developed through good leadership! According to me, the first and foremost thing to consider would be farming and agriculture in our country! We definitely need strong and efficient leaders to work out good schemes to help the farmers come out of their debts, and also encourage more people to take up agriculture in a big way to stop the farmers from committing suicides and getting good returns for all their efforts! This way people living in rural areas would begin to prosper and would not think of selling away good fertile land to the ever greedy industrialists who would buy the land and build a factory or something else that would ruin the land and also spread pollution of all kinds in the otherwise beautiful countryside!

Honest and principled leaders could bring about a drastic change in our society by bringing down the rate of corruption in all spheres of life! This would automatically wipe out a lot of dirt and hollowness from our country, and help it to grow stronger by being more transparent in all its dealings! A strong police force, with honest and dedicated staff working to protect the people is the need of the hour! Also, young people to join the armed forces for the right reasons and to be dedicated to the interests of the nation. For this to happen, the government would have to provide more facilities to the armed forces and police force! Therefore, it is true that honesty is a virtue that is the first and foremost requirement of the day!

This is definitely a step in the right direction, taken by Times of India group. And I only hope that there would be more such campaigns taken up by other people or corporate groups to build on this front and hunt out the true leaders of our country! Because, I honestly feel that there is no dearth of talent and true potential in the youth of our country, they are there somewhere and need just the right push to come out and DO something to achieve their dreams and passions for the country! 

Jai Hind!

Indian Republic Day : 26th January : History of Gantantra Divas

The Republic Day of India (Gantantra Divas)is a national holiday of India to mark the transition of India from a British Dominion to a republic on January 26,1950. This is not to be confused with the Independence Day (India)on August 15th.

History

Although India obtained its independence on August 15, 1947, the Constitution of India came into effect only on January 26, 1950. During the transition period from 1947 to 1950, George VI King was the head of state. Lord Mountbatten and C. Rajagopalachari served as Governors-General of India during this period. Following January 26, 1950, Rajendra Prasad was elected as the first president of India.

Celebrations

To mark the importance of this occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, New Delhi. The different regiments of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force march past in all their finery and official decorations. The President of India who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, takes the salute. 

Celebrations, though on a much smaller scale, are also held in state capitals, where the governor of the state unfurls the national flag. If the Governer of the state is unwell, or is unavailable for some reason, the Chief Minister of the state assumes the honor of unfurling the National Flag of India.

On January 26, 1950. The Constituent Assembly was convened and appointed a committee with Dr. B.R.Ambedkar as Chairman to draft the Constitution. India declared herself to be a Sovereign Democratic Republic. The Indian Constitution, the longest in the world, consist 397 articles and 12 schedules which provides for a single citizenship for the whole of India.

It gives the right to vote to all citizens of 18 years and above, unless they are disqualified. Fundamental rights are guaranteed to the citizens, equality of religion and so on. The Supreme Court, consisting of the Chief Justice of India and other judges, is the guardian of the Constitution. It stands at the apex of a single integrated judicial system for the whole country. This is where the fundamental rights of the citizens are protected.

The Political Model – The constitution pledge to solemnly resolve to constitute India into a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic and secure to all citizens its rights like:

Justice, social, economic and political

Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship

Equality of status and of opportunity and to promote among them all

Fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation.

How 'Jana Gana Mana' became India's national anthem

For most Indians, the most enduring image associated with Independence Day is the unfurling of the tricolour flag from the ramparts of the ancient Red Fort here, followed by the strains of the national anthem.

But few Indians would know how "Jana Gana Mana", composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore in 1911, two years before he won the Nobel Prize for literature, came to be India's national anthem.

While it is clear that "Jana Gana Mana" was sung for the first time at the Kolkata session of the Indian National Congress on December 27, 1911, a controversy still rages over whether the song was actually meant to welcome King George V, as was reported in some leading newspapers of that time.

It is on this ground that many had opposed the eventual choice of this song as the national anthem of free India.

While Tagore reportedly never contradicted these rumours, many of his staunch supporters contended that a deeply patriotic man like him would have composed a song in honour of the British monarch. As the national movement gathered steam, Jana Gana Mana's popularity increased by leaps and bounds.

Two other very popular songs during the freedom struggle were "Vande Mataram", from "Anand Math", written by Bengali novelist Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, and "Saare Jahan Se Achcha" by Urdu poet Mohammad Iqbal.

In many cases, British authorities, who were eager to crush any nationalist feelings among Indians during those years, had equated the singing of "Vande Mataram" with sedition, and people found singing it were punished severely and often jailed.

On August 14, 1947, just before the country's tryst with destiny, members of the Constituent Assembly listened in rapt attention as eminent freedom fighter Sucheta Kripalani sang the first verses of three patriotic songs - "Vande Mataram", "Sare Jahan Se Achcha" and "Jana Gana Mana".

"Jana Gana Mana" was also sung when Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted the Indian tricolour and lowered the Union Jack on August 15, 1947, at Prince's Park near India Gate in New Delhi, symbolising a new dawn in the country's history.

A final decision on adoption of a national anthem was taken on January 24, 1950, at a meeting of the Constituent Assembly, presided over by Rajendra Prasad, who later became first president of independent India.

In a short announcement, Prasad said although it was initially thought that the house would take a decision on the issue by way of a resolution, he had, instead, decided to issue a statement that "Jana Gana Mana" would be the national anthem.

He added "Vande Mataram", which had played a historic part in the freedom struggle, "shall be honoured equally with 'Jana Gana Mana' and shall have equal status with it".

"Vande Mataram" is India's national song.

Unsung Heroes of Freedom struggle in India - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

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Sardar Patel was popularly known as Iron Man of India. His full name was Vallabhbhai Patel. He played a leading role in the Indian freedom struggle and became the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India. He is credited with achieving political integration of India.

Vallabhbhai Patel was born on October 31, 1875 in Nadiad, a small village in Gujarat. His father Jhaverbhai was a farmer and mother Laad Bai was a simple lady. Sardar Vallabhai's early education took place in Karamsad. Then he joined a school in Petlad. After two years he joined a high school in a town called Nadiad. He passed his high school examination in 1896. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was a brilliant student throughout his schooling.

Vallabhbhai wanted to become a barrister. To realize this ambition he had to go to England. But he did not have the financial means to even join a college India. In those days a candidate could study in private and sit for an examination in Law. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel borrowed books from a lawyer of his acquaintance and studied at home. Occasionally he attended courts of law and listened attentively to the arguments of lawyer. Vallabhbhai passed the Law examination with flying colours.

Life and Work of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel : a Nation's Homage / Foreword by C. Rajagopalachari ; Editor in Chief: P. D. Saggi

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel started his Law practice in Godhra. Soon his practice flourished. He got married to Jhaberaba. In 1904, he got a baby daughter Maniben, and in 1905 his son Dahyabhai was born. Vallabhbhai sent his elder brother Vitthalbhai, who himself was a lawyer, to England for higher studies in Law. Patel was only thirty-three years old when his wife died. He did not wish to marry again. After his brother's return, Vallabhbhai went to England. He studied with single-minded devotion and stood first in the Barrister-at-Law Examination.

Sardar Patel returned to India in 1913 and started his practice in Ahmedabad. Soon he became popular. At the urging of his friends, Patel contested and won elections to become the sanitation commissioner of Ahmedabad in 1917. Sardar Patel was deeply impressed by Gandhiji's success in Champaran Satyagraha. In 1918, there was a drought in the Kheda division of Gujarat. Peasants asked for relief from the high rate of taxes but the British government refused. Gandhiji took up peasants cause but could not devote his full time in Kheda. He was looking for someone who could lead the struggle in his absence. At this point Sardar Patel volunteered to come forward and lead the struggle. He gave up his lucrative legal practice and entered public life.

Vallabhbhai successfully led peasants revolt in Kheda and the revolt ended in 1919 when the British government agreed to suspend collection of revenue and roll back the rates. Kheda Satyagraha turned Vallabhbhai Patel into a national hero. Vallabhbhai supported Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement, and as president of the Gujarat Congress, helped in organizing bonfires of British goods in Ahmedabad. He gave up his English clothes and started wearing Khadi. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel was elected Ahmedabad's municipal president in 1922, 1924 and 1927. During his terms, Ahmedabad was extended a major supply of electricity and underwent major education reforms. Drainage and sanitation systems were extended over all the city.

In 1928, Bardoli Taluka in Gujarat suffered from floods and famine. In this hour of distress the British government raised the revenue taxes by thirty percent. Sardar Patel took up cudgels on behalf of the farmers and appealed to the Governor to reduce the taxes. The Governor refused and the government even announced the date of the collection of the taxes. Sardar Patel organized the farmers and told them not to pay even a single pie of tax. The government tried to repress the revolt but ultimately bowed before Vallabhbhai Patel. It was during the struggle and after the victory in Bardoli that caused intense excitement across India, that Patel was increasingly addressed by his colleagues and followers as Sardar.

Sardar Patel was imprisoned during Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930. After the signing of Gandhi-Irwin pact in 1931, Sardar Patel was released and he was elected Congress president for its 1931 session in Karachi. Upon the failure of the Round Table Conference in London, Gandhiji and Sardar Patel were arrested in January 1932 and imprisoned in the Yeravada Central Jail. During this term of imprisonment, Sardar Patel and Mahatma Gandhi grew close to one another, and the two developed a close bond of affection, trust, and frankness without reserve. Sardar Patel was finally released in July 1934.

In August 1942, the Congress launched the Quit India Movement. The government jailed all the important leaders of the Congress, including Vallabhai Patel. All the leaders were released after three years. After achieving independence on 15th of August 1947, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of independent India and Sardar Patel became the Deputy Prime Minister. He was in charge of Home Affairs, Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of States.

There were 565 princely states in India at that time. Some of the Maharajas and Nawabs who ruled over these were sensible and patriotic. But most of them were drunk with wealth and power. They were dreaming of becoming independent rulers once the British quit India. They argued that the government of free India should treat them as equals. Some of them went to the extent of planning to send their representatives to the United Nations Organization. Patel invoked the patriotism of India's monarchs, asking them to join in the freedom of their nation and act as responsible rulers who cared about the future of their people. He persuaded the princes of 565 states of the impossibility of independence from the Indian republic, especially in the presence of growing opposition from their subjects. With great wisdom and political foresight, he consolidated the small kingdoms. The public was with him. He tackled the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Nawab of Junagarh who initially did not want to join India. Sardar Patel's untiring efforts towards the unity of the country brought success. He united a scattered nation without much bloodshed. Due to the achievement of this massive task, Sardar Patel got the title of 'Iron Man'. Sardar Patel died of cardiac arrest on December 15, 1950. For his services to the nation Sardar Patel was conferred with Bharat Ratna in 1991.

Not only Mahatma Gandhi

India acquired its independence from the British in 1947. The most renowned political figure of India's independence is Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948). He is sometimes referred to as the 'father of modern India' or as 'father of Indian nationalism'. But the modern Indian nationalism did not begin with Mahatma Gandhi but much before his appearance on the Indian political arena. 

In 1828, a man named Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833) founded an organization called 'Brahmo Samaj'. Indian historians consider this organization forerunner which paved the way for reformation in India and its establisher as the 'father of modern India'. Raja Ram and his organization 'Brahmo Samaj' tried to change the social order of India. But during that period there wasn't yet an Indian ethos among the Indians. Indians were never one nation but always a collection of different entities. They were used to different rulers including non- Indians. From their point of view the British were just another ruler over them. 

In 1857 the 'Indian Mutiny' took place almost all over India. In this Mutiny, different rulers of different kingdoms in the Indian sub-continent joined forces to defeat the British. The mutiny failed miserably to achieve its goal to defeat the British. After this mutiny a common feeling of an occupied and oppressed nation by a foreign power developed among the Indians all over the Indian sub-continent. One of the famous figures of this 'Mutiny' was Queen Laxmibai of Jhansi, popularly known as 'Jhansi ki Rani'. Later on many women freedom fighters who fought for India's independence had the 'spirit' of Jhansi ki Rani in their mind. 

In 1885 the 'Indian National Congress' was established. Among its founders were Justice M. G. Ranade, Surendranath Benarjee, Dadabhai Naoroji, Pherozshah Mehta and others. This organization, which was the main voice of the Indian nationalism under British rule, was established with British permission. The real purpose of the British in establishing this organization was to continue ruling India with the help of liberal and pro-British Indians. But within a short period of time a militant nationalist opposition was established within the Congress who demanded an independent India. This militant group tried to dispose of the liberal leadership of the Congress.

In the last decade of the 19th century the salient leader of the Congress was Gopal Gokhale. The militant Left group within the Congress tried to dispose of Gokhale as the leader of the Congress. The leader of this militant group was Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Two of his main associates were Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal. This trio was called in short Lal-Bal-Pal. These three men originated from three different parts of India. Rai was from Punjab in North India, Tilak was from Maharashtra in West India and Pal from Bengal in East India. Another important militant leader was Aurbindo Ghosh. 

Bal Gandadhar Tilak is considered by many to be the first Indian leader who moved the Indian independence cause from the closed rooms of the intellectuals to the ordinary people of India. Some of the main nationalist slogans used by Indians during their struggle for independence were slogans coined by him. One of his famous sentences was "Swaraj (self rule) is my birthright and I shall have it". Other of his important concepts utilized later on by Mahatma Gandhi were boycott of foreign goods and use of the term 'Swadeshi', meaning 'of our country' or 'self reliance'. Tilak tried different ways to gather the different Indian communities together and start unifying them. He succeeded in causing major uprisings against the British and was titled by the western press in 1907 as the ‘father of Indian uprising’. 

Tilak and his associates were considered by the British as the main cause for the violence against them and therefore they arrested and deported them. Tilak returned from his deportation in 1915 and became the leader of the Indian nationalism. In 1920, Tilak died and Mahatma Gandhi became the leader of Indian National Congress. 

Mahatma Gandhi, more than any other Indian is identified with India's freedom struggle. Gandhi succeeded in sweeping the Indian people after him like no other Indian leader ever did before him. Gandhi's philosophy of struggle against the British was non-violent non-cooperation. He demanded from the Indians to restrain even if the British forces physically attacked them. But not all Indians admired Gandhi and his ideas of non-violent struggle. There were many who used violence and terrorism to fight for independence. These terrorism acts were of two kinds. There were general terrorist acts against British government interests, like blowing bridges, buildings or railway tracks. The other kind of terrorist acts were against specific British officials who were spotted by Indians as responsible for actions, which caused damage or death to Indians. Two famous martyrs of India's independence history are Bhagat Singh and Chandra Shekher, who renamed himself 'Azad' meaning liberty.

Even within the Indian National Congress there were members who did not accept Gandhi's ideas. His opponents even established movements within the Indian National Congress, who had other ideas about India. Among his rivals within the Congress were C. R. Das, Motilal Nehru (father of Jawarharlal Nehru), Vitthalbhai Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose and others. Because of the growing criticism over his leadership, Mahatma Gandhi resigned as the leader of the Congress in 1933. Since then and until India's independence Gandhi was the father figure of the Congress, even though he was not the official leader of the Congress.

Among Gandhi's strong supporters or followers who were also national figures were C. Rajagopalachari, Mrs. Sarojini Naidu, Jawarharlal Nehru, Vallabbhai Patel and others. When Mahatma Gandhi arrived in India from South Africa in 1915, Vallabbhai Patel mocked at Gandhi's philosophy. Later on he became a great admirer of Gandhi. 

Along with the Congress there were other organizations, which were established outside the Congress and fought for Indian's right for self-definition. Among them were Home Rule League which was established by an Englishwomen, Mrs. Annie Besant. Hindu Mahasabha and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh which, were Hindu nationalist organizations. And there were other organizations.

Some regions and communities of India had more respect and honor for certain heroes and leaders who originated from their community or region. For example the untouchables, especially the Mahars had lot of respect for a senior Congress member, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. The Muslims respected Muslim League leaders Muhammad Jinnah and Dr. Muhammad Iqbal who demanded a separate state for the Muslims and eventually achieved it. The people of Tamil respected C. R. Periyyar whose main ideology was Tamili pride. There were also two nation wide leaders who were more respected within their region. The Bengalis adored Subhas Chandra Bose and the Maharashtrians adored Vinayek Savarkar. 

Subhas Chandra Bose won the Congress leadership in 1939. He was very militant in his ideas, but he did not get Gandhi's support for him and therefore he resigned from the Congress leadership. In 1943 he arrived in Japan and with Japanese help established in Singapore 'Free India' government and the Indian National Army whose soldiers were Indians. During the Second World War this army penetrated east India and attacked British posts. Many in India respected Bose and they called him 'Netaji' meaning honored leader.

Another leader who had a lot of respect in India was Vinayek Savarkar. His stronghold was in Maharashtra. In some of its regions Savarkar had more followers than any other Indian leader. Savarkar was a Hindu nationalist and leader of the Hindu Mahasabha. He supported violent acts against the British. Many of his supporters claim that the main reason the British left India wasn't the struggle organized by the Indian National Congress but the violent terrorist acts organized by people like Savarkar. He was called by his followers 'Swatantraveer(independence hero) Savarkar'. His followers also claim that for his role in India's freedom struggle he has not been honored and given the due respect because of his anti-Gandhi slogans and because the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi was his close associate.

60th Anniversary of the Indian Independence

15th August 2007 will be the 60th Anniversary of the Indian Independence It coincides with the 135th birthday of Aurobindo, as you may know. Aurobindo's message for the day of Independence 60 years ago on 15th August 1947 was broadcast through All India Radio. This was the message that was written for All India Radio by Sri Aurobindo, given below.

August 15th, 1947 is the birthday of free India. It marks for her the end of an old era, the beginning of a new age. But we can also make it by our life and acts as a free nation an important date in a new age opening for the whole world, for the political, social, cultural and spiritual future of humanity. 

August 15th is my own birthday and it is naturally gratifying to me that it should have assumed this vast significance. I take this coincidence, not as a fortuitous accident, but as the sanction and seal of the Divine Force that guides my steps on the work with which I began life, the beginning of its full fruition. Indeed, on this day I can watch almost all the world movements which I hoped to see fulfilled in my lifetime, though then they looked like impracticable dreams arriving at fruition or on their way to achievement. In all these movements free India may well play a large part and take a leading position.

The first of these dreams was a revolutionary movement which would create a free and united India. India today is free but she has not achieved unity. At one moment it almost seemed as if in the very act of liberation she would fall back into the chaos of separate States which preceded the British conquest. But fortunately it now seems probable that this danger will be averted and a large and powerful, though not yet a complete union will be established. Also, the wisely drastic policy of the Constituent Assembly has made it probable that the problem of the depressed classes will be solved without schism or fissure. But the old communal division into Hindus and Muslims seems now to have hardened into a permanent political division of the country. It is to be hoped that this settled fact will not be accepted as settled for ever or as anything more than a temporary expedient. For if it lasts, India may be seriously weakened, even crippled: civil strife may remain always possible, possible even a new invasion and foreign conquest. India's internal development and prosperity may be impeded, her position among the nations weakened, her destiny impaired or even frustrated. This must not be; the partition must go. Let us hope that that may come about naturally, by an increasing recognition of the necessity not only of peace and concord but of common action, by the practice of common action and the creation of means for that purpose. In this way unity may finally come about under whatever form &emdash; the exact form may have a pragmatic but not a fundamental importance. But by whatever means, in whatever way, the division must go; unity must and will be achieved, for it is necessary for the greatness of India's future.

Another dream was for the resurgence and liberation of the peoples of Asia and her return to her great role in the progress of human civilization. Asia has arisen, large parts are now quite free or are at this moment being liberated: its other still subject or partly subject parts are moving through whatever struggles towards freedom. Only a little has to be done and that will be done today or tomorrow. There India has her part to play and has begun to play it with an energy and ability which already indicate the measure of her possibilities and the place she can take in the council of the nations.

The third dream was a world union forming the outer basis of a fairer, brighter and nobler life for all mankind. That unification of the human world is under way; there is an imperfect initiation organized but struggling against tremendous difficulties. But the momentum is there and it must inevitably increase and conquer. Here too India has begun to play a prominent part and, if she can develop that larger statesmanship which is not limited by the present facts and immediate possibilities but looks into the future and brings it nearer, her presence may make all the difference between a slow and timid and a bold and swift development. A catastrophe may intervene and interrupt or destroy what is being done, but even then the final result is sure. For unification is a necessity of Nature, an inevitable movement. Its necessity for the nations is also clear, for without it the freedom of the small nations may be at any moment in peril and the life even of the large and powerful nations insecure. The unification is therefore to the interests of all, and only human imbecility and stupid selfishness can prevent it; but these cannot stand for ever against the necessity of Nature and the Divine Will. 

But an outward basis is not enough; there must grow up an international spirit and outlook, international forms and institutions must appear, perhaps such developments as dual or multilateral citizenship, willed interchange or voluntary fusion of cultures. Nationalism will have fulfilled itself and lost its militancy and would no longer find these things incompatible with self preservation and the integrality of its outlook. A new spirit of oneness will take hold of the human race.

Another dream, the spiritual gift of India to the world has already begun. India's spirituality is entering Europe and America in an ever increasing measure. That movement will grow, amid the disasters of the time more and more eyes are turning towards her with hope and there is even an increasing resort not only to her teachings, but to her psychic and spiritual practice.

The final dream was a step in evolution which would raise man to a higher and larger consciousness and begin the solution of the problems which have perplexed and vexed him since he first began to think and to dream of individual perfection and a perfect society. This is still a personal hope and an idea, an ideal which has begun to take hold both in India and in the West on forward looking minds. The difficulties in the way are more formidable than in any other field of endeavor, but difficulties were made to be overcome and if the Supreme Will is there, they will be overcome. Here too, if this evolution is to take place, since it must proceed through a growth of the spirit and the inner consciousness, the initiative can come from India and, although the scope must be universal, the central movement may be hers.

Such is the content which I put into this date of India's liberation; whether or how far this hope will be justified depends upon the new and free India.

TADA Court sentences Sanjay Dutt

The TADA court today sentenced film actor Sanjay Dutt to 6 years of rigorous imprisonment. This has come as a huge shock to all his well wishers in the film fraternity as well as his family members. Just this morning, all his well wishers were pretty optimistic about his verdict and expected him to go free, as according to them he had already suffered enough, having served 16 months of jail term earlier. But, this verdict includes that jail time as well.The past 14 years of good behaviour of actor Sanjay Dutt, does not seem to have made any difference to the Judge presiding on his case. Judge Kode believes that he has not committed a minor offence and deserves to be punished severely. The public prosecuter in this case also is of the opinion that Sanjay Dutt was mature (31 years old) at the time of commiting the crime and that he would be very much aware of the fact that the AK56 rifle was a weapon of mass destruction!Sanjay Dutt has now requested Bail and also requested the court to give him time to surrender as he wished to meet his daughter! He said this to Judge Kode, " I owe you more than I owe my family".Court finds the Dutt's case was a grave one. Dutt's lawyers now likely to file petition for appeal in the Supreme Court!

Vaccination Can Prevent Monsoon Maladies!

Every year the monsoon brings with it a whole spate of viral, bacterial, parasitic and infectious diseases that cause havoc in the cities and the local hospitals are crowded with patients that are a burden to them! The most common diseases that affect the population with the onset of the monsoons are malaria, viral influenza, typhoid, chicken pox, conjunctivitis, gastroenteritis, hepatitis, diarrhoea, dysentery etc …..! To add to all this the monsoon, these days, also causes flooding in the cities and low lying areas causing a sudden rise in the flood related water borne diseases like Shigellosis, Cholera, Hepatitis A, Leptospirosis, Typhoid Fever, Malaria and Dengue fever.

Vaccination is a highly effective method of preventing certain infectious diseases.

For the individual, and for society in terms of public health, prevention is better and more cost-effective than cure. Vaccines are generally very safe and adverse reactions are uncommon. A number of combined vaccines are now available, providing protection against more than one disease, and new combinations are likely to become available in future years. The common vaccines available range from the seasonal flu to typhoid, hepatitis A, B , chicken Pox and even pneumonia.

There are many ways one can prevent getting infected with water borne diseases. Simple steps like safe and clean drinking water, maintaining hygiene, eating healthy Vitamin C rich foods (fruits and vegetables), and cooking meat, chicken, fish etc. properly can prevent the more common diseases like diarrhea, dysentery, flu, gastritis and even hepatitis. Getting yourself vaccinated properly before the monsoon hits your city, can prevent other diseases like pneumonia, chicken pox, dengue fever, typhoid etc..! A vaccine to prevent malaria is still in its nascent stages, but the moment it is fully developed and ready to use, it could save millions of people from this much dreaded and painful disease.

Indian Idol - 3, Do we Already have one?

The futility of the show which, unfortunately, must go on is quite evident. Ankita Mishra has proved to be the spoiler of the show - Indian Idol. Unlike average performances by the Idol contestants of the past two series, this girl has taken the stage by a storm. Ankit/Ankiteshwari/Anky baby was voted out by the other contestants quite obviously because of the, perceived then and real now, threat posed by her.

She was brought in back again through the wild card entry, as the judges' choice and has not looked back ever since. The other contestants are looking like amateurs in front of her. The judges themselves are quite confused now and are wondering whether the contest is about performance, singing or both. The other contestents have hardly performed on stage and if idol is about an overall package all nine of the remaining ones and two idols of the yore have failed miserably. Ankita on the other hand performs and that too with oodles of innovation and freshness. Her singing is also always equal to the challenge and it leaves me wondering what the hell we are continuing the contest for. 

Ankita, in the course of her quest for the idol "KHITAB" has made all the judges dance to her tunes and I am talking literally. It all started with Udit Narayan, followed by Anu Malik and Alisha. Javed Akhtar who succeeded in holding himself back couldn't resist anymore when the girl was leaving, after having been voted out by the contestants. He too went on stage, perhaps knowing in his heart that she deserved better, and shook a leg to her singing. Now the latest with her on stage was Govinda. 

What more qualification do you need on your resume to be the idol?

Public Votes? I don't think so. Ever since the electoral system was initiated in the country we have failed in selecting rather electing a leader who had it in him to do something for the people. If that is the response to selecting a government on whom depends the future of the country and the people, hoe many are really going to be serious about voting for Indian Idol.

I seriously feel that Ankita should be declared the Indian Idol - 3, The true Bharat Ki Shaan immediately and the girl deserves it.

The New Seven Wonders of the World

The New Seven Wonders of The World was declared in a ceremony in Lisbon. The List contains the names of the following in the top seven:

Brazil's Statue of Christ Redeemer,
Peru's Machu Picchu,
Mexico's Chichen Itza pyramid
the Great Wall of China,
Jordan's Petra,
the Colosseum in Rome
India's Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal

The Taj mahal drawn by my son who is 9yrs old.

Women in Art

Watch this interesting video clip depicting 500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art!

Will “Bharat Ki Shaan” Turn into the Real Idol this Time?

The last episode of Indian Idol 3 saw the “Wild Card” entry contestants giving a really tough competition to each other as they all gave their best performance, in a do or die situation!

In all there were seven contestants chosen out of the eighteen that were eliminated during the piano rounds. All the judges had a tough time selecting the six contestants that were to go ahead into the fight for the entry into the gala rounds. The judges, after much deliberation, chose not six but seven contestants, as Alisha and probably Annu Mallik insisted on Suhit Gosain to be brought in too! This has come as a big surprise to many people, as there were other much better singers out there who could have been given a chance, other than Suhit.

Here, we need to pause and think: until now the judges kept harping on the fact that the ‘Audience’ was not voting according to talent and using their emotional quotient instead! But, on the contrary, I personally feel that here in this particular case it is the judges who are voting with their hearts instead of using their brains and concentrating on “just singing” talent! Suhit Gosain is definitely not a deserving candidate, and I really hope that the people now don’t allow him to go into the final round as it would then be a real tragedy for the other much better singers out there!

All the other six contestants gave a really fantastic and mind blowing performance, keeping aside Amit Paul, who forgot his lines in between! But, nevertheless, he has true potential and a very good voice too! So, who among them, are going to be the two lucky contestants to be chosen by the public and the Judges to go into the final round?

Guess we’ll just have to wait and see! The gala rounds are going to be even better. All the contestants are good singers (better than the earlier two Indian Idol contestants) so it’s a real tough call. We are hoping that we manage to find the real “Bharat ki Shaan” in the Indian Idol 3 this time! So, guys and gals out there, vote for the best voice and candidate! My personal bet is on Ankita Mishra, a good performer and singer, who is a complete package that India is really looking for!!!

What's in a name?

Guess where all these famous names of the IT industry came from. Read on to find out.

Adobe - came from name of the river Adobe Creek that ran behind the house of founder John Warnock. 

Apache - It got its name because its founders got started by applying patches to code written for NCSA's httpd daemon. The result was 'A PAtCHy' server -- thus, the name Apache 

Apple Computers - favorite fruit of founder Steve Jobs. He was three months late in filing a name for the business, and he threatened to call his company Apple Computers if the other colleagues didn't suggest a better name by 5 o'clock. 

CISCO - its not an acronym but the short for San Francisco. 

Google - the name started as a jokey boast about the amount of information the search-engine would be able to search. It was originally named 'Googol', a word for the number represented by 1 followed by 100 zeros. After founders, Stanford grad students Sergey Brin and Larry Page presented their project to an angel investor, they received a cheque made out to 'Google' 

Hotmail - Founder Jack Smith got the idea of accessing e-mail via the web from a computer anywhere in the world. When Sabeer Bhatia came up with the business plan for the mail service, he tried all kinds of names ending in 'mail' and finally settled for hotmail as it included the letters "html" - the programming language used to write web pages. It was initially referred to as HoTMaiL with selective upper casing. 

HP - Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard tossed a coin to decide whether the company they founded would be called Hewlett-Packard or Packard-Hewlett. 

Intel - Bob Noyce and Gordon Moore wanted to name their new company 'Moore Noyce' but that was already trademarked by a hotel chain, so they had to settle for an acronym of INTegrated ELectronics. 

Lotus (Notes) - Mitch Kapor got the name for his company from 'The Lotus Position' or 'Padmasana'. Kapor used to be a teacher of Transcendental Meditation (by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi). 

Microsoft - coined by Bill Gates to represent the company that was devoted to MICROcomputer SOFTware. Originally christened Micro-Soft, the '-' was removed later on. 

Motorola - Founder Paul Galvin came up with this name when his company started manufacturing radios for cars. The popular radio company at the time was called Victrola. 

ORACLE - Larry Ellison and Bob Oats were working on a consulting project for the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency). The code name for the project was called Oracle (acronym for: One Real Asshole Called Larry Ellison)

Red Hat - Company founder Marc Ewing was given the Cornell lacrosse team cap (with red and white stripes) while at college by his grandfather. He lost it and had to search for it desperately. The manual of the beta version of Red Hat Linux had an appeal to readers to return his Red Hat if found by anyone ! 

SAP - "Systems, Applications, Products in Data Processing", formed by 4 ex-IBM employees who used to work in the 'Systems/Applications/Projects" 

SUN - founded by 4 Stanford University buddies, SUN is the acronym for Stanford University Network. 

Xerox - The inventor, Chestor Carlson, named his product trying to say 'dry' (as it was dry copying, markedly different from the then prevailing wet copying). The Greek root 'xer' means dry. 

Yahoo! - the word was invented by Jonathan Swift and used in his book 'Gulliver's Travels'. It represents a person who is repulsive in appearance and action and is barely human. Yahoo! founders Jerry Yang and David Filo selected the name because they considered themselves yahoos