Msgs from Old Friends 5

Dear Mr Sharma,

Recently I have started corresponding with an ex- GMS "lad " by the name of Jimmy Keir. He graduated from GMS in 1952 and lives in Hongkong. He does visit India regularly and is
a very staunch supporter of GMS. He would like to receive your weekly news sheet and will be obliged if you could kindly put him on your list. I trust that you and your family are all
keeping well and may the New Year bring you all that you desire.
Warm regards.

Ashley Milne.

Dear Mr Sharma,

Further to my earlier e-mail, Jimmy Keir's email address is:- jimandsan@hotmail.com.
It's time for my bed, so I better hit the hay.

Regards.

Ashley Milne.

Hello Jimmy,

I just received your mail ID from Ashley and am forwarding the last mail I sent.
I havealso given a link to our blog.
You will find many interesting pieces to read in your spare time.
Of course you will not agree with all the views expressed.
That is diversity.

Radheshyam

Thanks Radheshyam,

Jimmy

Dear Ashley,
Thanks for Jimmy's ID.
I have sent last weeks mail and a link to our blg and also added him to my mailing list.
If there are any more boys, do let me know.
I would like to hear more from you.

Radheshyam

Msg from Willy Wu

Hi to all of you,

Most people are daily disgruntle and miserable, because
things don't go according to our ways. Looking at these
pictures will change our minds and start counting our
blessings.

Stay in touch....

Willy (1971).












Msg from Ashley Milne


Msg from Viraj

The water harvesting project was a major undertaking and the money (USD 95,000) was raised through OPs in Europe (mainly UK) and the US!

Warm Wishes,

Viraj.

http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/7202082_is4jt#462563559_4dWoe

Password: 1234

Thanks Viraj,
Beautiful photographs.

Radheshyam


Msg from John Kingsley

Folks, you’ve got to take a look at this. It’s just like the way we watched it on TV during the inauguration.

Grab the bar on the left to zoom into any spot in the picture. Amazing !!

Enjoy,

JohnK.

http://gigapan.org/viewGigapanFullscreen.php?auth=033ef14483ee899496648c2b4b06233c

Alternative Painless Treatment for Cancer

This has been sent by Partha Sengupta.
Having had two cancer deaths in my family(recently my Shala and earlier my Mama), I know the pains. Hence I am passing it on immediately.

Radheshyam

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY
TO TRY AND ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY
STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY .

Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer
cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have
multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer
patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies
after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to
detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the
detectable size. < BR>
2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a
person's lifetime.
3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer
cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and
forming tumours.
4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has
multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to
genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies,
changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the
immune system.
6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing
cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells
in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can
cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns,
scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will
often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of
chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor
destruction.
9. When the body has too much toxic burden from
chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either
compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to
various kinds of infections and complications.
10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to
mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy.
Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other
sites.
11.. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the
cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to
multiply.

WHAT CANCER CELLS FEED ON:
a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts
off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar
substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal,Spoonful, etc are made
with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural
substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in
very sma ll amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make
it w h i te in colour. Better alternative is Bragg's
aminos or sea salt.
b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the
gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting
off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk, cancer
cells are being starved.
c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based
diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little
chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains
livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which
are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.
d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole
grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body
into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked
food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live
enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular
levels within 15 minutes t o no urish and enhance growth of
healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy
cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables
including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3
times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104
degrees F (40 degrees C).
e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high
caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has
cancer-fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified
water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals
in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot
of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the
intestines become putrified and leads to more toxic buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By
refraining from or eating less meat it frees more e nzymes
to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the
body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6,
Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs
etc.) to enable the body's own killer cells to destroy
cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to
cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's
normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded
cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A
proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior
be a survivor. Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the
body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have
a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy
life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated
environment. Exercising da ily, and deep breathing help to
get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy
is ano ther means employed to destroy cancer cells.

(PLEASE FORWARD IT TO PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT)

This is an article that should be sent to anyone important
in your life.

The benefits of Ayurvedic Medicine

Radheshyam's mention of Ayurvedic medicine reminds of a long treatment I had taken under Dr. Shivkali Bhattacharya, one of the best Ayurvedic doctors at that time. I was then posted at our Amherst Street branch in Kolkata. I was suffering from a serious stomach ailment which was gradually reducing my weight. I could not digest anything. Neither Homeopathic nor alopathic doctors could do anything about it. Someone in the branch suggested I meet Dr. Shivkali Bhattacharya, who lived nearby. I visited the doctor and explained my problem. I was quite surprised when he told me to sit beside him and I watched his method of treatment and the medicines he gave to the defferent patients. I noticed that he gave the same suggestions and the same medicines to all the new patients. I asked the Doctor why the same treatment for all the new patients. He gave me the same medicines. The Doctor said that the stomach was the engine which drove the body. If that is not done, the body will not accept the actual medicines fast enough and the treatment will be delayed. So, the stomach has to be set right first. Then, the proper medicines will work. I was under his treatment for more than six years. Finally, he gave me the formula for a 'pachan', which I have given to many people, and they benefited by that pachan. Actually, I was fully fit after about three years. In 1989 was posted at Sainthia. Once a month I used to take some medicine from Dr. Bhattacharya as a precaution. And now I'm very much OK. There are some leaves and plants which are easily available in the village side in Bengal and even in Kolkata which can be used as medicine for short treatment without going to the doctor. When I'm in Madhyamgram (my home), I use these leaves and plants as medicine.
While playing football in college, I twisted my knee. After an X-ray I was told that an operation would be required. I was afraid of operation. So I went to a an old Homeopathic doctor. I showed him the X-ray report and told him that I don't want to be operated on. I asked him whether there is any Homeopathic treatment for this, without the operation. The doctor said yes and gave me medicine. I didn't require any operation. However, if I stood for a long time, there used to be a pain in the knee. I was then in Sainthia. There was an Ayurvedic doctor living about three
or four kms. away from Sainthia. I borrowed a bicycle from a neighbour and visited the doctor. He gave some oil in a small bottle. I came back with that 'magic oil'. I took a spoonful of that oil and heated it over a candle flame. The oil was heavy. On heating, the oil became light like water. I simply applied it on my knee, without any massage. Within 15 minutes, the pain was gone and my knee felt very light. The doctor had said that this oil if applied to a polio patient having even a little sensation, the patient would be cured. He said that this oil was very difficult to make because many types of leaves and roots were required for its preparation and he had become old - over eighty- so it was impossible for him. Dr. Shivkali Bhattacharya had cured a lukaemia patient. I have seen such marvellous cures, bordering on the miraculous. My own cousin had nephritis. He was admitted in the Ayurvedic Hospital for three months. That was almost 35 years ago. He's now hale and hearty. I think Ayurvedic and Homeopathic treatments are the in thing in India today, with all spurious alopathic medicines flooding the market. The side effects of alopathic medicines are also dangerous. So, I would suggest, that wherever Ayurvedic Doctors and medicines are available, you should all go for that.

Language Politics

The last post on our blog on languages has made me think on some of the utterances of Swami Ramdeo.
All our blog readers may have been astonished at my regularly advocating all to watch Swami Ramdeo’s programmes and practicing Yoga.
I assure you I have no axe to grind. My only reason for doing so is I have gained a lot by living a stress-free and healthy life and would like all of you to do so.
Recently, when my daughter-in-law was unwell I took her to Swamiji’s Ayurvedic medicine shop. They keep a Vaid (Ayurvedic Medical Practitioner) who advises you free of cost on the medicines to take. My daughter-in-law is much better now.
I would advise every one to give Ayurvedic medicines a trial.
In another five years, allopathy will be known an Alternate Treatment and Ayurvedic will become the mainline of treatment.
I like almost everything of Swamiji.
He gives spiritual discourse and lifts you spiritually.
He teaches you pranayam and Yoga. And he is an out and out a nationalist. He is leading the people against these corrupt politicians.
There is only one aspect on which I disagree.
When he talks of stopping education in English, he seems to be living in another world. He wants people of each state to do all the state functions in their regional language. All court functions and higher education should also be in regional language.
He should realize that English has become only the second most understood language in India after Hindi and is known by people in all states of India, unlike Hindi which is known only in the 8 states in northern India.
It is known to more people than any of the regional languages.
Have you ever gone outside your own state.
I have been to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.
Most of the signboards on shops are written in the local language. The bus routes on buses are also written in the local language.
For me, who does not understand or read any of the three languages faced great difficulty. Like a rustic, I had to ask where any bus was going.
In this respect, Kolkata is better. Most of the above are written in English and anybody who comes from any state can read and understands.
In Ahmedabad, I had bought a flat.
All the documents were in Gujarati, and I couldn’t read a word, leave alone understand.
Swami Ramdeo and the rulers in the Hindi speaking should not again try to play with fire. By advocating the use of regional languages in high courts they are just creating another tower of Babel.
Those who have read the Bible will remember that when men became proud they wanted to reach Heaven by building a tower to reach it. They had no difficulty for the first hundred or so feet.
Thereafter, God changed the language spoken by all the workers. They could not understand each other and started fighting and the tower of Babel came down.
Our Politicians are creating a tower of Babel to promote Hindi and destroy the other Indian languages.
English can no longer be considered a foreign language.
Language is meant to make people understand your thoughts.
When 25% of the people in your country understand a language, how can it be considered a foreign language?
Rather, it should be promoted equally with Hindi and the regional languages.
The three-language formula that was prevalent upto a few years ago was the best for the country. Unfortunately, the Hindi speaking politicians were just interested in advancing their own agenda and they broke up what was working very well and gave birth to regionalism.
All Indians should compulsorily learn three languages. Hindi, English and regional language.Those living in Hindi speaking states, too should be made to learn one other Indian languages ( there are 22 as per Schedule VII of the Constitution), besides Hindi and English. Just as examinations are held to test the Hindi for non-Hindi speaking candidates, Hindi speaking candidates should be asked to appear in a second Indian language. Hindi speaking students should not be allowed advantage because of their vernacular.
One of the benefits, which the English left behind after subjugating Indians for 250 years, was giving us the English language. Now we speak better English, grammatically than them. It is this English-speaking prowess, which has made us the leaders in BPO and software technology. It is this English which is making Indians a power in US politics where we can influence events.
And our Hindi speaking leaders, who themselves are giving the best English education to their own children are asking us to remain frogs stuck in our own ponds and wells.

Politicians again divding India

The following was published in "The Telegraph" on the 28th Jan.
It seems our Hindi speaking politicians are at their old game of igniting violence and dividing India further.
Since they do not know English, they do not want to raise themselves. It is easier pulling down the others to their standards. Going down is so much easier than climbing up.

Radheshyam

MIND YOUR LANGUAGE
The law commission has rejected a proposal to make Hindi compulsory in the Supreme Court and the High Courts. V. Kumara Swamy on why the national language is failing to make the cut in our legal system

India’s national language may have marched into every drawing room in the country thanks to television, but its entry into our law courts has been less emphatic. And now, with a Law Commission of India report rejecting a parliamentary committee recommendation that Hindi should be the compulsory lingua franca of the Supreme Court and the high courts, it may be a while before Hindi becomes the sole language of communication in our legal system.

The 216th report of the commission, titled “Non-feasibilty of Introduction of Hindi as Compulsory Language in the Supreme Court of India”, was presented to the government last month. In it, the commission’s chairman, Justice (retd) R. Lakshmanan, notes that language is a highly emotional issue. “It should not be thrust on people against their will, since it is likely to become counterproductive,” he warns.

In 2005 the Committee of Parliament on Official Language asked the government to amend Article 348 of the Constitution. Article 348 states that, “all the proceedings in the Supreme Court and in every High Court shall be in English.” It adds that “the authoritative texts”, such as the acts passed by Parliament or the state legislatures and all ordinances promulgated by the President or the Governor of a state, rules, regulations and by-laws should also be written in English. However, Section 2 of Article 348 makes an exception to this rule, stating that the Governor of a state may, “with the previous consent of the President,” authorise the use of Hindi, or another language, in high court proceedings.

The committee’s recommendations were clearly aimed at making Hindi more acceptable in courts of law. “We have already taken recourse to this provision in some states. We would like to extend it to the whole country through an amendment,” explains Jai Prakash, a member of Parliament and of the parliamentary committee that pushed for the amendment.

The move to make Hindi compulsory was also to enable the government departments that carry out judicial or quasi-judicial functions to deliver orders in Hindi. At present, these departments are unable to pass orders in Hindi because the appeal against their orders in the Supreme Court would anyway have to be conducted in English.

Proponents of Hindi point out that Article 343 of the Constitution declares Hindi to be the official language of the Union. They also cite Article 351 which states that it is the “duty of the Union” to promote Hindi. Of course, the most compelling argument against the use of English in our law courts is that many litigants are unfamiliar with the language, and hence would be much more comfortable if cases were dealt with in the vernacular.

But Justice Rajendra Babu, former chief justice of the Supreme Court, feels that making Hindi compulsory in our courts would give rise to its own set of problems. “Our jurisprudence is rooted in the British and other foreign laws and the laws are all documented in English. Translating and re-interpreting them in Hindi or other languages would not be easy,” he says.

Still, some states have already introduced Hindi in their high courts. For example, the high courts of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar have allowed their lawyers to argue in Hindi. And in the lower courts of almost all the states lawyers and judges use the local language of the respective state.

M.N. Venkatachaliah, a former chief justice of the Supreme Court, feels that Hindi should get the prominence it deserves. “…One must acknowledge that Hindi as our national language must assert its rightful place in all areas of our national life and the higher judiciary should be no exception. The Committee of Parliament on Official Language has rightly emphasised the importance of this matter,” he writes in his response to the Law Commission’s report.

However, legal experts feel that much is lost in translation, more so with regard to legal matters. “Translating judgements passed in Hindi in the Allahabad High Court have always been a problem,” says Krishna Lal Grover, president, Advocates’ Association, Allahabad High Court. He also contends that because lawyers in the Hindi belt are used to arguing cases in Hindi, they are at a disadvantage in the Supreme Court where English is the only accepted language.

There is another problem in making Hindi compulsory in all Indian law courts. Schedule VIII of the Constitution lists as many as 22 languages, and similar demands could come from champions of all regional languages. In fact, such demands started pouring in as soon as the parliamentary committee tabled its recommendations. Last year the Bar Councils of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry unanimously passed a resolution demanding the introduction of Tamil in the Madras High Court. R. Dhanapal Raj, former chairman of the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and a member of the Bar Council of India, says, “Why should we have Hindi when our people hardly understand the language? Moreover, most of our students study law in Tamil. Let Tamil, and not Hindi, be the official language of the Madras High Court.” Karnataka and Kerala are also pushing for the use of Kannada and Malayalam respectively in their legal proceedings.

But experts point out that the use of vernacular languages in courts of law has certain logistical difficulties. “It is now mandatory for the chief justice of a high court to be from outside the state. Besides, at any given point there may be as many as six to seven judges from other states in a court who do not know the local language,” says S. Jagadeesan, a former judge of the Madras High Court.

Well known author Buddhadev Guha, who campaigns for the use of Bengali in West Bengal, also sees no point in pushing vernaculars into our courts of law. “Even at the height of our agitation for using Bengali in conducting the affairs of the state, we never asked the government to make it the official language of the Calcutta High Court. The nuances of the English language, especially legal language, will be difficult to translate,” he says.

Of course, some legal experts dismiss the debate as inconsequential. “Lakhs of cases are pending in our high courts. What is needed is delivering justice without delay, not squabbling over languages,” says Justice Babu.

He may have a point.

Some fading memories.
1)Pokhral,G Storey,Lawrence,Richard Johnson 2) Storey Brothers & sister 3)Charlie,Huda,J Thorpe,Baraik,B K Dev Verman, U S Chanda,B B Shah 4) Pokhral, G Storey, 5) Senior Cambridge 1963 batch
These were sent by U S Chanda



The following were sent by J K
(S P Chatterjee + A K Roy)
(J K Ghosh)
(J K Ghosh)
(J K Ghosh + A K Roy)
(A K Roy + J K Ghosh + S P Chatterjee)

Happy Birthday...

How would you like it if your wife took you to a stripper's club on your birthday. I suppose that would be a dream come true.Read all about Dave's experience.

As usual from Rex Barker

Radheshyam


A wife decides to take her husband to a strip club for his birthday. An unorthodox choice for sure, but she just thought that since he was finally 40 years old, she'd give him a special treat.

They arrive at the club and the doorman says, "Hey, Dave! How ya doin'?"

His wife is puzzled and asks if he's been to this club before. "Oh, no," says Dave.

"He's on my bowling team." When they are seated, a waitress asks Dave if he'd like his usual and brings over a Budweiser.

His wife is becoming increasingly uncomfortable and says,"How did she know that you drink Budweiser?"

"She's in the Ladies' Bowling League, honey. We share lanes with them."

A stripper then comes over to their table, throws her arms around Dave, and says "Hi Davey. Want your usual table dance, big boy?"

Dave's wife, now furious, grabs her purse and storms out of the club. Dave follows and spots her getting into a cab. Before she can slam the door, he jumps in beside her.

He tries desperately to explain how the stripper must have mistaken him for someone else, but his wife is having none of it. She is screaming at him at the top of her lungs, calling him every name in the book.

The cabby turns his head and sarcastically says, "Looks like you picked up a real winner tonight, Dave."

Value of Time

Time is very very valuable but the value is relative and this has nothing to do with Einstein,
Rex Barker explains how the value Changes with different people

To realize the value of one year: Ask a student who has failed a final exam.

To realize the value of one month: Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

To realize the value of one week: Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize the value of one hour: Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realize the value of one minute: Ask the person who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize the value of one second: Ask a person who has survived an accident.

To realize the value of one millisecond: Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics.

Time waits for no one.

Treasure every moment you have. You will treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special.

SMS to your lover>

This too from Rex Barker

A wealthy man was having an affair with an Italian woman for several years. One night, during one of their rendezvous, she confided in him that she was pregnant.

Not wanting to ruin his reputation or his marriage, he paid a large sum of money if she would go to Italy to secretly have the child. If she stayed in Italy to raise the child, he would also provide child support until the child turned 18.

She agreed, but asked how he would know when the baby was born. To keep it discrete, he told her to simply mail him a post card, and write "Spaghetti" on the back. He would then arrange for child support payments to begin.

One day, about 9 months later, he came home to his confused wife. Honey, she said, "You received a very strange post card today."

"Oh, just give it to me and I'll explain it," he said. The wife obeyed, and watched as her husband read the card, turned white and fainted.

On the card was written: "Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti. Two with meatballs, one without.

Maybe

I remember long ago we were told the difference between a woman and a diplomat.
When a woman says NO, she means MAYBE,
When she says MAYBE, she means YES,
And when she says YES, she is no woman.
On the otherhand,
When a diplomat says YES, he means MAYBE,
When he says MAYBE, he means NO,
And when he says NO, he is no diplomat.

Well, here are some more situations where we say maybe, forgetting the the benefits which ensue in thinking deeper.
This has been sent by an office colleague.

Radheshyam

MAYBE
Maybe. . we were supposed to meet the
wrong people before meeting the right
one so that, when we finally meet the
right person, we will know how to be
grateful for that gift.

Maybe . . . when the door of happiness
closes, another opens; but, often
times, we look so long at the closed
door that we don't even see the new
one which has been opened for us.

Maybe . . . it is true that we don't
know what we have until we lose it,
but it is also true that we don't know
what we have been missing until it
arrives.

Maybe . . . the happiest of people
don't necessarily have the best of
everything; they just make the most of
everything that comes along their way.

Maybe . . . the brightest future will
always be based on a forgotten past;
after all, you can't go on
successfully in life until you let go
of your past mistakes, failures and
heartaches.

Maybe . . . you should dream what you
want to dream; go where you want to
go, be what you want to be, because
you have only one life and one chance
to do all the things you dream of, and
want to do.

Maybe . . . there are moments in life
when you miss someone -- a parent, a
spouse, a friend, a child -- so much
that you just want to pick them from
your dreams and hug them for real, so
that once they are around you
appreciate them more.

Maybe . . . the best kind of friend is
the kind you can sit on a porch and
swing with, never say a word, and then
walk away feeling like it was the best
conversation you've ever had.

Maybe . . you should always try to put
yourself in others' shoes. If you feel
that something could hurt you, it
probably will hurt the other person,
too.

Maybe . . you should do something nice
for someone every single day, even if
it is simply to leave them alone.

Maybe . giving someone all your love
is never an assurance that they will
love you back. Don't expect love in
return; just wait for it to grow in
their heart; but, if it doesn't, be
content that it grew in yours.

Maybe . . . happiness waits for all
those who cry, all those who hurt, all
those who have searched, and all those
who have tried, for only they can
appreciate the importance of ll the
people who have touched their lves.

Maybe . . . you shouldn't go for
looks; they can deceive; don't go for
wealth; even that fades away. Go for
someone who makes you smile, because
it takes only a smile to make a dark
day seem bright. Find the one that
makes your heart smile.

Maybe . . you should hope for enough
happiness to make you sweet, enough
trials to make you strong, enough
sorrow to keep you human, and enough
hope to make you happy

Maybe . . . you should try to live
your life to the fullest because when
you were born, you were crying and
everyone around you was smiling but
when you die, you can be the one who
is smiling and everyone around you
crying.

Maybe . . . you could send this message
to those people who mean something to
you, to those who have touched your
life, to those who can and do make you
smile when you really need it, to
those who make you see the brighter
side of things when you are really
down, and to all those whom you want
to know that you appreciate them and
their friendship.
And if you don't, don't worry; nothing
bad will happen to you. You will just
miss out on the opportunity to perhaps
brighten someone's day.
.

Credit Card Frauds

Quite a few of us have credit cards.
This information sent Charles Tresham regarding scams should be useful to those who have and also those who propose to have one.

Radheshyam

Dear All,

Please be aware of the latest credit card scam. This one is pretty slick since they provide Y O U with all the information, except the one piece they want.
Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it. This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself.

Potential victims are called by someone purporting to be from "VISA" or MasterCard and works like this:-

Person calling says, "This is (name), and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA/MASTERCARD. My badge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA/MASTERCARD20card which was issued by (name of bank) did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for £497.99 from a Marketing company based in London?" When you say "No", the caller continues with, "Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from £297 to £497, just under the £500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement , the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?"

You say "yes". The caller continues - "I will be starting a fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 0800 number listed on the back of your card (0800-VISA) and ask for Security.

You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. "Do you need me to read it again?"

Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works the caller then says, "I need to verify you are in possession of your card." He'll ask you to "turn your card over and look for some numbers." There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the next 3 are the security numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, "That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that yo u still have your card. Do you have any other questions?" After you say, "No," the caller then thanks you and states, "Don't hesitate to call back if you do", and hangs up.

You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card number. Make sure you call back within 20 minutes! The REAL VISA/MASTERCARD Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of £497.99 was charged to our card.

Make a fraud report and close the VISA/MASTERCARD account. VISA/MASTERCARD will reissue a new card. What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them. Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or MasterCard directly for verification of their conversation. VISA advise that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit. However, by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.

The police say they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urge you to let everybody you know that this scam is happening .

Toiletry on a plane

This has been sent Jimmy Keir.
It has been written by a hilarious writer Garrison Keillor and can be read at Salon.com
Those of you who have seen the film "Ramji Londonwala would remember the hilarious scene in which Ramji decides to visit the Aeroplane Toilet.
These aeroplane toilets are really dangerous.
Our friend below had a completely different type and more dangerous experience.

Dec. 17, 2008 | It is rather haunting, the notice above the Flush button in the toilet on the airliner, "Do Not Flush While Seated on Toilet." One imagines the engineers of the toilet running tests with flush dummies with big flat butts and the suction ripping the stuffing right out of them, and the engineers thinking, "Oh criminy, you mean we wasted three years on this sucker?" So lawyers were brought in to write the warning, which had to be short enough to be printed in large type so that geezers would see it, who are the ones most likely to flush while seated.

So they limited themselves to those seven words and eliminated "Flushing While Seated May Suck Your Colon Out Of You And Cut You A New Orifice While Changing Your Gender In Ways You Don't Even Want To Think About."

I sat down on the closed toilet seat to ponder this and saw that, from the angle of the sitter, the warning notice is not all that prominent. A person could sit there and not notice those seven words, or mistake them for something innocuous such as "Do Not Flush Wallet Down Toilet" or "Use Only As Much Toilet Paper As You Need," the sort of signage that's written by morons for idiots, and so -- distracted perhaps by sudden turbulence or feeling rushed because others are waiting -- he presses the Flush button and suddenly feels the toilet grip his hinder like a python seizing a rat. He tries to pry himself loose. No go.
Now the flight attendant is tap-tap-tapping on the door. "Are you all right?" she asks.

The man on the toilet, Mr. Murphy, doesn't know how to answer that question. He is, basically, all right in that he is an economist with a shining résumé, is married to a noble and resourceful woman, has three excellent children who are drug-free and on the upward path, and he is flying to Washington to interview for a high-level position in the Department of the Treasury.

On the other hand, he is trapped in the toilet.

She persuades Mr. Murphy to unlock the door. She tries to yank him off the toilet by his wrists and then she lifts up his shirttails and tries to break the seal by inserting her elegant fingers between the toilet seat and his posterior. But he is well and truly stuck.

One last yank and she accidentally pushes the Flush button again and it makes a great flubbery sound that shakes the aircraft, and now poor Murphy feels his innards being pulled downward. He faints. And when he awakens, the plane has made an emergency landing in Schenectady and six men in yellow phosphorescent coats are cutting the toilet with an acetylene torch. They lift him out, the seat still stuck to him, and right here, as he's being carried to a gurney, his luck runs out.

A passenger shoots a video with a cellphone and that is the image that makes its way around the world via the Internet. It doesn't appear in the Times or the Post or the Tribune, but everybody and his cousin sees it, what appears to be a Parker House roll on a plate with arms and legs.

An economist should not get stuck in a toilet seat. That is a basic unspoken rule of life. And so ECONOMIST IN TOILET is the headline in the Enquirer, and so a promising career is cut short and poor Murphy must go into exile and teach accounting courses at a secretarial school in Costa Rica.

People do what they are told not to do. It happens time and time again. Here on the frozen tundra, it is known as the Tongue on the Frozen Pump Handle principle. If you put your tongue on a pump handle on a bitter cold winter day, the tongue will freeze to the handle and you will stand there, helpless, unable to cry out for help. Not that it would do much good -- most pump handles these days are in remote rural areas. We've all been warned against doing this and yet we all know that eventually we will do it someday. Somewhere there is a pump handle waiting for me.

I've always expected tragedy to strike around Christmas. A joyful season and all ye faithful have come and then, yikes! You flushed the toilet while sitting on it and your life will never be the same.

(Garrison Keillor is the author of a new Lake Wobegon novel, "Liberty," published by Viking.)

Migration for Livelihood in India

Migrant workers have become the source of tension between states. The most recent one being in Kerala where Bengali workers were harassed and asked to produce certificates of not being involved in criminal activities.
This is surprising, war between two comrades?
History repeats itself. Reminds me of the spat between Russia and China.
Raj Thackeray, after lying low for sometime after the Mumbai massacre has again raised his ugly head and unleashed his venomous tongue against UP and Bihar workers.
This has got me thinking of migration in India.

Migration in India is intrinsically linked to the development of the India Railways. It is only fair that we should have a look at how the railways expanded in India.

The first train in India was operational on 1851-12-22, used for the hauling of construction material in Roorkee.
A few years later, on 1853-04-16, the first passenger train between Bori Bunder, Bombay and Thana covering a distance of 34 km (21 miles) was inaugurated, formally heralding the birth of railways in India.
Robert Maitland Brereton, a British engineer was responsible for the expansion of the railway from 1857 onwards.
In March 1870, he was responsible for the linking of both the rail systems, which by then had a network of 6,400 km (4,000 miles). By 1880 the network had a route mileage of about 14,500 km (9,000 miles), mostly radiating inward from the three major port cities of Bombay, Madras and Calcutta. By 1895, India had started building its own locomotives
In 1900, the GIPR became a government owned company. The network spread to modern day states of Assam, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh and soon various independent kingdoms began to have their own rail systems. In 1901, an early Railway Board was constituted, but the powers were formally invested under Lord Curzon.
In 1907 almost all the rail companies were taken over by the government. The following year, the first electric locomotive makes its appearance. With the arrival of World War I, the railways were used to meet the needs of the British outside India. With the end of the war, the state of the railways was in disrepair and collapse.
In 1920, with the network having expanded to 61,220 km, a need for central management was mooted by Sir William Acworth. Based on the East India Railway Committee chaired by Acworth, the government took over the management of the Railways and detached the finances of the Railways from other governmental revenues.
The period between 1920 to 1929 was a period of economic boom. Following the Great Depression, the company suffered economically for the next eight years. The Second World War severely crippled the railways. Trains were diverted to the Middle East and the railways workshops were converted to munitions workshops. By 1946 all rail systems were taken over by the government.
Delhi was not even on the Railway map of India upto 1900. It was only in 1911 when the capital was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi that it gained prominence. It was planned by Edwin Lutyens, a leading 20th century British architect,
Migration cannot be discuused without speaking of the marwaris, who were probably the first migrants. And when you talk of marwaris, the first name that comes up is the Birlas.
Born on April 10, 1894, G.D. Birla, was a native of Pilani. His grandfather Shiv Narayan Birla was a traditional Marwari moneylender. Ghanshyam Das Birla entered the business arena during the time of First World War. He established a cotton mill in Sabzi Mandi, and later on established Kesoram Cotton Mills. Along with cotton mills he diversified to jute business and shifted his base to Calcutta city in Bengal, the world's largest jute producing region. He established Birla Jute Mills in Bengal, much to the consternation of established European merchants.

In 1919, with an investment of Rs. 50 lakhs, the Birla Brothers Limited was formed and a mill was set up in Gwalior. In 1930s, G.D. Birla set up Sugar and Paper mills. In 1940s, he ventured into the territory of cars and established Hindustan Motors
At that time large tracts of Rajasthan were deserts and the people could not feed themselves with the earning from the land. So they moved out.
The people of North Rajasthan moved over to Eastern India as Calcutta was the business capital at that time.
Not being well educated, they did not feel shy to set up small shops and start business. These small businesses gradully developed into business empires of the Birlas, Bangurs, Goenka, Poddars, Todis etc etc.
The people of south Rajasthan and Gujarat moved to Mumbai and started businesses there.The above two community with the Parsis who migrated from Persia (now Iran) 900 years ago because of persecution, were the three pillars on which Mumbai was born.
Raj Thackeray and his ilk were nowhere in the picture in the formation of Mumbai, which they now claim as there’s.
Those who do not learn from history are forced to create the same errors.
Raj Thackeray is making the same mistake which Jyoti basu made in 1967. He drove out industries by his shortsighted policy of intimidation and violence to win temporary battles for the workers. He has lost the war
Raj Thackeray is driving away industries. Nano has already gone to Gujarat. The textile industries were shut down long ago, thanks to an export from Bengal, Datta Samant.. Gradully Narendra Modi will pull away the two wheeler units from Pune. With the way Raj Thackeray treats people in the film industry, it is just matter of time when Modi will pull that industry to Gujarat. Whatever Maharashtra has, Modi can give more and faster.
Surat was the trading centre of the British upto 1687. The British got Mumbai through a dowry from the Portuguese on the marriage of King Charles II to the Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza. They had wanted a port where larger vessels could dock. Mumbai had the advantage of deep sea port facilities which drew the British from Surat to Bombay. So surat gradully lost prominence and Bombay was developed.
With Adani’s starting their port in Gujarat, you can expect most of the traffic to go back from Mumbai to Gujarat. Modi just has to lay double line for the railways for faster movement of traffic. The roads are already very good.
So then , Maharashtra will be left with only sugarcane which Raj Thackeray and Sharad Powar can use to make alcohol to get their people drunk and sugar to give them diabetes.
But the governments of UP and Bihar and Bengal should take care. The point raised by Raj Thackeray is very valid. Because of their failure their people are left jobless and have to move out for jobs.
The infighting continues between Mayawati and Mulayum Singh to provide inefficient government so that state will not improve in a hurry not withstanding Anil Ambani of Sanjay Dutt or Amitabh Bachchan..
There is not much hope for Bengal either.On one side we have a government which does not work run by Budhadev Bhattacharya where his writ does not run even in Writer’s building, so how can he control Nandigram. On the other side we have a oppositon led by a woman who copies the negative qualities of Jyoti Basu of 40 years ago. She does not even learn from history
I have some hope for Bihar under the capable and honest leadership of Nitish Kumar.At last Bihar is having an honest Chief Minister who wants to help the people irrespective of cast or religion. If only he could control the hooliganism caused by people of his state in the trains people would start believing Bihar is improving, for that is the external face of Bihar which outsiders see.
Migration also took educated unempolyed from Kerala / Tamil Nadu to other parts of India. I remember most of the stenos working in Calcutta and other parts of northern India were Menons, Pillais and Kuttys. Of course now the Keralites can afford to throw out the Bengalis out but once they depended on Bengal to feed its people.
Bengal and Kerala had a large proportion of literate people. We have a saying that the godess of Learning (Saraswati) and the godess of Wealth (Laxmi) cannot live together.. Meaning if you received education you become status conscious and hesitate to do menial jobs or sit in a shop for 10 to 12 hours. That is why the educated never became rich. They were satisfied with their monthly salaries. Of course that has changed now, with the educated people drawing fat salaries in IT, BPO and other industries.
So, who did the menial jobs.. People from Bihar, UP and Orissa came and did the menial jobs in Bengal. All coolies, thela walas and rickshaw pullers in Kolkata were from Bihar and UP. All house servants came from Orissa.All the taxi drivers were sardarjis from Punjab.
Why from these states?
Orissa is a land of dry weather and hurricanes accompanied by corrupt leaders. On the one hand the poor became poorer and the rich became richer. So the poor went to Kolkata for jobs and became household servants.
Bihar and UP had a different problem. Annual floods devastated the lives of all who lived near the Ganga and its various tributaries. This, accompanied by leaders who just played caste politics and amassed wealth shoved the people to Kolkata to become labourers, coolies, thela-walas, rickshaw-pullers. The recent floods caused by the Kosi in Bihar was completely man-made. Engineers who were incharge of the project were more interested in making money than in doing a good job.A thorough enquiry would prove it.
Punjab had its share of refugee problems. But the Punjabis did not sit idly cursing their fate and reminiscing about the ponds filled with fishes which they had left behind. They are hard-working and many took up driving taxis in Kolkata or any other jobs offered to them.They understood the dignity of labour.Jyoti Basu just understood the power of labour.
Jobs in Bengal dried up after Jyoti Basu came to power.
Ours was a cosmopolitan Engineering college with students from all over India.In 1967 when I entered college I used to pity the students from Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan as there were very few industries in those states. By the time I left college in 1971, thanks to Jyoti Basu, the shoe was on the other foot. Now Industries had risen in those states while ones in Bengal closed one by one.
Bengal could not even provide jobs to its own people. The once proud Bengali started accepting work as a coolies, thela-walas, most unwillingly in his state.When they entered these profession, unions were formed with frequent disruption and violence.
All professions in Bengal became unionized. students, teachers, hotels. restaurants,public transport, taxis, autos,hospital, nurses, doctors, offices,shops, police,. You name the organisation, there was one, two or sometimes three unions.
If Bengal is given a NSG unit, it will soon be politicised and will packed with pot-bellied party members and chamchas of the ministers. The NSG in Bengal will become just as useless as their other police force in the state. In any crisis, they will wait for orders from Biman Basu, the party secretary or Prakash Karat The centre will just be wasting resources by locating a NSG unit in Kolkata.
Production fell or stopped. Violence increased. Managers and owners began to fear their safety. Quite a few were killed.
The next flow of migration started, this time away from Bengal to Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai. And back to Delhi or Rajasthan. Rajsthan was now developing fast under Mohanlal Sukhadia and people of Rajasthani descent were welcommed with open arms. Jaipur, Kota, Bharatpur and other cities in Rajasthan rose like sphinx in the desert.
Bengal became a dead state. At the time of B C Roy, Bengal was one of the most industrialised states in India. By the time Jyoti Basu’s reign ended, it has become one of the most backward states of India.
Faced with a refugee problem from Bangladesh which they did not want to control because of vote bank politics, Bengalis soon found themselves without jobs. Finally it dawned on them that if they were to live they had to move out. While the earlier Bengali was educated, he could get white collared job anywhere in India. Thanks to the short-sighted policy of the Left Front who removed English from their school curriculum, the Bengalis had to do with menial jobs outside India. When I went recently to Mumbai on the death of my wife’s brother, the maid servant too happened to be a Bengali.
The once proud Bengali who never tired of talking of his Sonar Bangla and the fish available had to leave his state.
Now you find Bengalis in Delhi, Rajasthan, Mumbai, Gujarat, Kerala working at menial jobs and being persecuted for being Bangladeshis. I understand that all Bengalis are not Bangladeshis physical examination could prove if they are from Bangladesh.
Again, the Left front government is to blame for their plight for allowing free flow of minority community to come into India.
You may ask why I object to minority refugees and not to Hindus?
India and Nepal are the only countries on the earth which Hindus can consider as their own.. If we do not allow the Hindus living outside India to come back, where will they go?
On the other hand, the muslims had voluntarily decided to have their own country and broke away from India. Hence, those refuges should not be allowed to come into India, whether it be from Bangladesh or Pakistan.
But what to do to the minority refugees who have come over and are straining our economy.
They should all be detected and taken under custody as illegal immigrants and a count made.
All muslim countries including Bangladesh, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia (since they finance all the terrorist activities) should be informed that we have so many illegal immigrants and they should be asked to take them. If they don’t then I believe then the Thai solution would be the best.
Put 500 of them on a boat which can hold 300 people and leave them in the centre of the ocean with five days ration and inform the Muslim countries of their location. If those people die, then it is their responsibility.
We cannot afford to solve other nation’s problems and create our own.
The Muslims who are India citizens should be well looked after.
They chose to stay in India because they believe in India’s secular credntials. However, they should understand that NATION comes before RELIGION and not listen to some half-mad bin-Laden living in hiding.
Let them understand that they were allowed 4 wives during Prophet’s time as there was a disproportionate increase in female population as continuous wars had depleted the male population. Claiming that as a right in modern times creates distrust of their motives in Hindu minds. I know, the majority and educated among the muslims marry only once as nobody in his right mind could manage four women when even one is a problem. It is only the uneducated who use this provision to breed so that they have more hands to help them forgetting that they also have to intitially feed and educate those hands. The result is more criminals and beggars who roam the streets.
We should give our muslims good education (not the madarssa type) and allow them to compete with all the others. Let their education up to class X be free. Let us not segrgregate them . Asimmilate them amongst us and let them feel we are with them.
But illegal immigrants should be shown that we are serious about deporting them.

Radheshyam

Dr. Manmohan Singh cannot be a Politician

It seems I am not the only person appreciating the sterling qualities of our Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan singh.
Spontaneous, unadulterated prayers and love has been pouring out for him from all over India and even our arch enemy Pakistan. People in all walks of life are praying for him.
Truly the sign of a great man.
He can never be considered a politician
The politician comes in an altogether different packing.
When I saw Amar Singh's photograph with a bandage on his head, I wondered out loud to my wife, "Why only hurt, why wasn't he killed".
He is also a Singh.
But see the different reaction for the two Singhs.

‘Humble’ PM strikes a chord in Pak
From "The Telegtaph"


Islamabad, Jan. 24: Home is praying, so is the hometown across the border.

Several Pakistani citizens today wished speedy recovery for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, widely admired here for his humbleness and statesmanship.

“We pray for the early recovery of Dr Singh, who belongs to our area and it is this sense of belonging that make us proud of him,” Nausheen Khan, a native of Chakwal district, the hometown of Singh, told The Telegraph.

Nausheen, a geo-chemist now based in Islamabad, said residents of her area take pride in telling people that Singh was born in Gah. “Nobody would have ever thought that a kid who was born in a mud house and studied in a school which lacked basic facilities would one day become the head of a government.”

Many in Pakistan believe that Singh can be instrumental in preserving the nascent peace process launched in 2004. India suspended the dialogue process after the November 26 terror attacks.

“I am personally a fan of Dr Singh for his humbleness and the way he pushed forward the peace process with Pakistan,” said Salahuddin Ahmad, owner of a furniture shop in Rawalpindi. He was praying for the Prime Minister’s “early recovery”.

Mohammad Gulfam, a car spray painter, said: “I am not a very educated person but my reading about this man is that he is brilliant, clear-headed, very educated and sensible. His colleague Pranab Mukherjee is often swayed by emotions.”

A labourer, Mohammad Iqbal, said: “I am a human being and the Indian Premier is also a human being. He also has a wife and family. Let us, therefore, join them in prayers for his early recovery.”

CBI, The Central Government Dog, wagging its tail

Raje out, Lalit faces the heat
From "The Telegraph"

Jaipur, Jan 23: The Congress government in Rajasthan has formed a committee to probe property deals, including one involving cricket official Lalit Modi, struck during the erstwhile Vasundhara Raje regime.

The cumulative value of the contracts that will be probed adds up to Rs 22,000 crore.

One of the deals that will be investigated will be the one that gave the Modi-headed Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) the right to lease out the popular Sawai Mansingh Stadium, the venue of many Indian Premier League (IPL) matches last year, government sources said. The proximity of Modi to Raje could also come under the scanner.

The panel will look into charges of corruption, misconduct, negligence, fraud, abuse of power and loss to exchequer during Raje’s tenure.

Retired judge N.N. Mathur will head the committee. Former IAS officers Inderjeet Khanna and H.N. Meena are the other members.

They have been asked to submit their report within six months. Modi is also accused of ousting the long-standing Rungta family from the RCA to become the most influential figure in the cricket body amid allegations he could do so as he was close to Raje.

During his campaign for the Assembly elections last December, chief minister Ashok Gehlot had raised several questions on the reported “closeness” between Raje and Modi.

Late tonight, Kishore Rungta welcomed the probe. “All corruption charges (against Modi) should be probed, including the signing of the MoU between RCA and the government over the leasing of the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.”

However, Modi told The Telegraph: “There is absolutely nothing to comment on the probe ordered against the deals during the BJP regime. What have I got to do with it?”

He added: “Also no comments on the MoU signed between SMS stadium and RCA. Let the investigations begin.”

Gehlot may review the RCA’s pact with the stadium himself. Already, and Republic Day celebrations this time will be held at the stadium. The Congress had opposed Raje’s decision to move such government programmes to other venues across the state.

The above is an example of the witch-hunt which follows a change of gvernement in the states or the centre.
Now, that Ashok Ghelot has come to power he has set the the CBI on the previous chief minister.
When Amarinder Singh came to power he set up enquiries against Prakash Singh badal
When Badal became Chief Minister, he returned the complement.
When Mulayum Singh was the Chief Minister, he set up enquries against Mayawate.
When Mayawati came to power she followed his example.
In the south alternately when Karunanidhi or Jaya Lalita come to pwer they set up enquires against the last incumbent.
The states are not the only culprits, we have the same problem at the centre.
When Indira Gandhi lost, the Janta Party government set up the Shah Commission.
Indira also repayed the complement when she returned to power.
The funny thing is that inspite of all these enquiries and commissions being set up, no politician has been convicted. Why?
No matter how much the politicians fight in front of the public, they have a code of conduct.They make up at night over a glass of their favorite drink.
We are all thieves.
We will not imprison each other.
So before the enquiries can give their results, they are withdrawn by change of government or change of equations.
We should disband the CBI since it is basically a Central Bureau of Investigation which dances to the tune of the Central Government. Or it can be used only for investigating crimes committed by the public. Of course, this too is white-washed if the so called public has strings he can pull at the centre.
For crimes committed by politicians, we should have some other

Set a Thief to Catch a thief

Two Price Waterhouse partners held
- CID claims auditor duo cleared forged Satyam papers for ‘a price’
From "The Telegraph"

Hyderabad, Jan. 24: Two Price Waterhouse partners were arrested today for alleged falsification of Satyam Computer Services audit reports in connivance with promoters led by founder and former chairman B. Ramalinga Raju.

S. Gopalakrishna and Srinivas Talluri were held this evening by investigators of the Andhra CID after questioning that lasted several hours yesterday. Both have been remanded in judicial custody for 15 days.

CID sources claimed that the two auditors had admitted to have cleared forged bank statements and other unverified documents “for a price”. But the sources did not specify the nature of the alleged favours. “Confessions” during interrogation are not admissible in court.

A spokesperson for Price Waterhouse, the statutory auditors of Satyam, said it had “not seen any evidence of any wrongdoing” by the two.

CID chief A. Sivanarayana had said earlier in the day that the auditors had been detained for their connivance with the promoters. The detention was later converted into formal arrest.

Gopalakrishna, Price Waterhouse’s chief relationship partner at Satyam, and Talluri, its engagement leader, are accused of issuing certificates for balance sheets and other financial statements prepared by the erstwhile Satyam management over the past eight years. The Satyam scandal had come to light when Raju claimed that the company’s balance sheets showed non-existent cash surplus and bloated profits.

The two auditors had been quizzed last Tuesday at Price Waterhouse offices in upscale Jubilee Hills and Satyam Info City. On Thursday, they were called to the CID headquarters.

The CID sources said Gopalakrishna, a member of an Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) council in the southern region, had been censured for audit problems in India Cements takeover of Raasi Cements in 1998. Gopalakrishna was also a signing authority on the financial statements of Global Trust Bank, which collapsed under the weight of financial irregularities, and had to be merged with Oriental Bank of Commerce in 2004.

In Delhi, a Price Waterhouse statement said: “We greatly regret that two Price Waterhouse partners have been detained today for further questioning. We do not know the basis for them being detained.”

We have seen police looting people.
That is not surprising as I have always maintained that there is no difference between the police, politician and criminals. The are the same three headed monsters. In our Ramayana we read of Ravana the demon having ten heads. This being Kalyug, Ravana has to manage with just three heads.
The central head is the politician and the two side ones are those of the police and the criminal.
We also know that auditors wink and turn a blind eye to the going-ons of management since they are paid by the management of companies. The one who pays, call the tune.
But the auditing profession could turn so low that one of the best auditing firms known internationally could have its partners arrested , is new.
I would request the government to audit the accounts independently of many other firms so that we know the skeletons lying in the cupboards.
I know the government is no white angel.It has its own skeletons which is brought out every year by the CAG audits.
That the CAG audit reports are just thrown out of the window is another matter as in most instances they nail the ministers in power.
But this being an audit of private companies, the government may condescend be more honest.

Radheshyam

A gentleman Prime Minister

Just two days ago I had given my views on three Prime Ministers of India whom admire greatly and consider as honest.
Further proof of this is given, if it is required, after all these years of knowing him through the media, by his exemplary behaviour at AIIMS.
He left instructions that AIIMS should function normally like any other day and the general public should not be inconvenienced.
His decision to have his second bypass done in India is also worth noting. He was advised by many peple to go abroad for this operation as it is considered risky.However, he decided to put his faith in the hands of Indian doctors led by DR. Ramakanta Panda. This is so different from the behaviour of our marxist ex-chief minister who used to go every year to London for his treatment.
We never came to know what ailment he suffered.
A big salute to Dr. Manmohan Singh.
I would also like to thank Sonia Gandhi who had the foresight to chose him as her PM when she could have easily ensconced herself in the chair.
I wish him a long life and another innings as the PM of India, after the next elections.

VIP or not, patients get treatment.
From "The Telegraph"

New Delhi, Jan. 24: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and AIIMS authorities have ensured that his treatment would not inconvenience thousands of Indians for whom the hospital equals hope.

All arms of AIIMS worked exactly like any other day as patients from across the country thronged the corridors of different departments, seeking out doctors and receiving treatment.

Security personnel remained unobtrusive — the gun-wielding officers were confined to the first floor of the red-walled cardiothoracic centre (CTC) where Singh was admitted initially before being taken to the fourth-floor operation theatre.

The Prime Minister, together with AIIMS, showed the country used to being shoved off roads at the sight of a red beacon that VVIPs need not make their presence a nuisance for ordinary citizens.

Sources told The Telegraph that there were “specific instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office” that no inconvenience was to be caused to patients because of Singh’s stay at the hospital. VVIP visitors were also barred.

The institute has a standard VVIP protocol which, the sources said, kicked in the moment AIIMS received instructions from the PMO allowing the hospital to continue operations as normal.

The AIIMS protocol specifically involves sanitising just the floor of the building in which the VVIP is undergoing treatment, an official said. The lift in the building is made dysfunctional but operations elsewhere are expected to continue unhindered. However, if the government had sought more restrictions for laying a thicker security blanket, the hospital would have had little option but to fall in line, the sources said, pointing out that the clarification from the PMO removed any doubt.

Six SUVs for ferrying security officers guarding the Prime Minister marked their presence immediately outside the CTC. But anyone could enter the building and access all but the first floor with no questions asked after passing through a metal-detector check.

On the first floor, too, patients with appointments with doctors were allowed — they had to show two tall SPG men guarding the stairwell a special pass handed out to them by hospital authorities.

Almost a thousand policemen and Special Protection Group personnel were on duty in shifts — but most of them were in plainclothes.

Businessman Tarunesh Mishra, who brings his 12-year-old daughter, a leukaemia patient, every fortnight to AIIMS for blood transfusion, said he had expected a near shutdown at the institute today.

“I was apprehensive about coming today,” said Mishra, who had to return without help two years ago when the usually crowded AIIMS was effectively closed after doctors went on strike against reservations in education.

Rickshaw-puller Gajendra Singh didn’t even know he was sharing patient status at AIIMS with his Prime Minister. “What are you talking about? The Prime Minister is here? How come there’s no tamasha (ruckus),” asked the 53-year-old cataract patient, firing the questions in quick succession as he waited for his turn at the AIIMS Out Patient Department.

Barely a hundred metres from where the Prime Minister’s surgery was on, in the AIIMS auditorium, the Association of Surgeons in India (ASI) started a conference on complications in surgery. Dozens of participants registered at a counter, sipping coffee and cracking jokes.

It helped that AIIMS is more experienced than any other healthcare facility in India at handling VVIP patients.

Not a week passes without a cabinet minister or some other VVIP coming to AIIMS for treatment, an official said. Education minister Arjun Singh routinely goes to AIIMS.

Muslims in Trouble

I fully agree with the views expressed by Karanvir Mehta. It is a shame on our society that such biased feelings should prevail in Bengal but, at the same time, I support Radheshyam when he points out that the actual problem has to be sorted out by the educated section of the Muslim community itself. They must initiate steps to investigate what sort of education is being imparted in the madrasas. They must form a committee or forum and visit all the madrasas in the state to find out what is actually being taught there. As far as I can recall, the Bengal Chief Minister, Shri Bhattacharya, had categorically stated when he became the CM, that several madrasas in Murshidabad district were harbouring terrorists and storing arms, and would initiate steps to stop those unlawful activities. But, for some unknown reasons (read not to disturb the vote bank), those steps were never taken.
The situation has now gone out of control. No Hindu person will believe or trust any Muslim, no matter how educated he may be. It is now the responsibility of the educated and well-intentioned Muslims to take the matter in their own hands and erase the stigma labelled on them for the criminal and anti national activities of a few.

Priorities in Life

This story has been sent by Partha Sengupta.
Just after receiving it, I also heard it on TV from Jain Muni, Acharya Mahapragya.
Partha's is in pictures and more unerstandable.

Radheshyam


A long time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman


that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered.
Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, Came to a point when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted and was dying. Then he asked himself, "Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying
and I only need a very small area to bury myself."
The above story is similar with the journey of our Life. We push very hard everyday
to make more money, to gain power and recognition. We neglect our health , time with our family and to appreciate the surrounding beauty and the hobbies we love.
One day when we look back , we will realize that we don't really need that much, but then we cannot turn back time for what we have missed
Life is not about making money, acquiring power or recognition. Life is definitely not about work! Work is only necessary to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of life. Life

s a balance of Work and Play , Family and Personal time . You have to decide how you want to balance your Life. Define your priorities, realize what you are able to compromise but always let some of your decisions be based on your instincts. Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of Life, the whole aim of human existence.

So, take it easy, do what you want to do and appreciate nature. Life is fragile, Life is short. Do not take Life for granted. Live a balanced lifestyle and enjoy Life!

Watch your thoughts: they become words.
Watch your words: they become actions .
Watch your actions: they become habits


Watch your habits: they become character Watch your character: it becomes your destiny.

Msgs from Old friends04

Can we at least laugh at ourselves !!

Hi Radheshyam Sharma – I guess I’m on YOUR mailing list because of my Loreto Darj connection but anyway, I like receiving your news so now you are on MY mailing list. Your network might enjoy this:

Reasons Why We Indians Can't be Terrorists: Msg from Shobhana, Loreto

1. We are always late; we would have missed all 4 flights.
2. We would talk loudly and bring attention to ourselves.
3. With free food & drinks on the plane, we would forget why we're there
4. We talk with our hands; therefore we would have to put our weapons down.
5. We would ALL want to fly the plane.
6. We would argue and start a fight in the plane.
7. We can't keep a secret; we would have told everyone a week before doing it.
8. We would have put our country's flag on the windshield.
9. We would have postponed the mission because a cricket match was going on that day.
10. We would all have fallen over each other to be in the photograph being taken with one of the hostages.

Shobhana Mukhi
47H Melbury Road
London W14 8AD

Thanks Shobhana,
The reasons are hilarious and eye openers.
I'll have to pass the reasons to the others.

Radheshyam

Msg from Pu-Chin, Loreto

Unfortunately, i do not know any of you. I graduated from LCD in 1956, did a stint in st. Joseph's, got my I.Sc and then headed for Berkeley, CA. Have been here ever since. But you guys seem to be enjoying yourselves, in the Grand?
I was in Cal (can't get used to Kol) at the end of Nov. and beg. of Dec. last year, stayed with an ex-Loreto-ite and had ourselves a ball. i love Cal.

Cheers and Happy New Year
Pu-Chin

Hope 2009 brings us fewer wars and better economic trends and of course better health care.
Pu-Chin
Msg from Karanvir

Dear Radheshyam,
I hope this finds you and your family in good health. It was interesting to read that in Kolkata the winter is setting in. I remember taking out the blazer and sweaters in December. Here this year winter came in early with the first snow fall in November and since then it has been freezing cold right through. And we have at least another 2 months to go. Brrrrrrrrr. Thanks for the information on the yoga programme. Are DVDs available in India?

Till next time, take care.
Karan

Dear Karanvir,
I do not have the DVD but you could get them directly from Swamu Ramdeo's site.However, ift is much better if you practise with the programme on Aastha channel, if it is beamed to your place.You will find all the details on the Aastha Channel site whose link I have added to our blog.I have found the those who buy the CD just watch it for a few days and then it is packed away in some corner.However, if you practise with the TV programme, it will becom a habit.The basic things which he teaches has been put on our blog.

Radheshyam