Msg from Jimmy Keir
Yes Radesh,
Life is to be cherished and to be lived every moment. My condolences to you and the family.
Jimmy
Msg from Fay Kelly
This is a very moving and thought-provoking letter. I have read it many times. I regret I did not ask your permission but I forwarded it to some of my friends because I felt it was important .
Meantime.
Victor Frankl's "Man's Search For Meaning" has inspired me in many ways.
warm regards
Fay
Hello Fay,
Thank you for your kind message.
There different times when one gets the feeling of "Sanyas" or renunciation in ones life.
One of the times is when one has been to a funeral or crematorian.
At that time one realizes the uselessness of all the running about we do.
However, on returning home, that feeling gradually vanishes and we once again become ogres.
If we could just maintain that feeling and knowledge that we are just one step from the otherside, we would all be better people.
I am glad you liked my mail and you don't require any permission from me to forward them.
Best regards
Radheshyam
Msg from Abhi Mahalanobish
Dear Sir,
I am a 1972 batch GMS fellow. I live in Siliguri and am doing business. I am 53 years old.
I do get your mails regularly but I must admit that I do not read all of them. Ofcourse, I shall take refuge under the excuse of my busy schdule. But then I guess I was only foolng myself. From now on I must find the time.
This piece of writing of your, as well as many others, bring out your philosophical thoughts and wonderful powers of expression. You have been blessed with the gift of articulate speech and your writings bring about many kinds feelings in me : happy, glorious and sad at times.
Thank you, Sir. God bless & Godspeed.
Warm regards
Abhi Mohalanobish
229, Sevoke Road, Second Mile
(Opposite Vishal Cinema)
Siliguri 734001
PS: I have from today started forwarding your mails to my son who will be-going to college this year . Why ? Learn good English. Learn to be a good human being.
Dear Abhi,
Thank you for your mail.
My mails are sometimes exceedingly long and people would not have the time or patience to go through them.
I don't blame you.
However, I try to connect all our boys so reading it may tell you of some of your friends looking for you.
We of Darjeeling schools and Christian Brothers schools should consider ourselves of one family.
We all have a common bond - Darjeeling and Christian Brothers.
I have also found that children are more receptive to positive feedback from third persons than their own parents.
So, I do hope my mails will help your children too to become ideal and good citizens.
It is not necessary that they be brilliant and outstanding although that also comes automatically if you are good.
Regarding the English part, I am still of the old school.
I don't like the new fad they use is SMS, all abbreviations and small letters.
English is such a beautiful language and these boys and girls are massacring it.
Best wishes to you and your family.
Radheshyam
Msg from Viraj Thacker.
I had received an e-mail through Viraj Tacker from one Fr Cedric Prakash SJ. against Gujarat Chief Minister, narendra Modi.
Such a letter coming from a Jesuit Father surprised me. Since it was highly objectionable. I did not post it, as we do not publish matter which we feel is objectionable. I had told Viraj accordingly.
Dear Viraj,
This is not worth posting.These Jesuits are annoyed because they are not being allowed to convert people as they would want
In Hindi we have a saying "Khisyani Billi Khamba nauche"
It is best to ignore them.
Radheshyam
Dear Mr. Sharma,
You’re on target as always! I’ve been reading a lot about massive conversions in Nepal – probably doing what wasn’t happening in India anymore. Various groups have taken advantage of the fall of the monarchy (the last pillar of Hinduism in Nepal) – in fact, one can argue that ever since the so-called introduction of democracy in Nepal (1990) – evangelical groups took forceful advantage - some have linked the rise of the Maoists to mass conversions in remote Nepal. Having filled the Maoist ranks, it was easy for evangelical sponsors (especially American) to manipulate the seemingly impossible! The royal massacre provided the right moment to dismantle the embodiment of Hindu religion and culture – the Nepali Monarchy.
Increasingly, there have been reports of Hindu groups resorting to violence in an attempt to stop the free reign of evangelism in Nepal – a nation that has been a ‘zone of peace’ for millennia.
Buying and selling human beings seems to have become a lucrative enterprise in the business of evangelism! In contrast to the Indian scenario, Nepal lacks the tools to resist.
Always good to be in touch. Best to the family.
Viraj.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Rats urinating on Cold Drink Cans.
This has been sent by Willy wu.
Where there are rats, there may be a problem with the following...
WASH THEM FIRST! Same applies to Beer.
This is Serious!
This incident happened recently in North Texas .
A woman went boating one Sunday taking with her some cans of coke
which she put into the refrigerator of the boat.
On Monday she was taken to the hospital and placed in the Intensive Care Unit.
She died on Wednesday.
The autopsy concluded she died of Leptospirosis.
This was traced to the can of coke she drank from, not using a glass.
Tests showed that the can was infected by dried rat urine and
hence the disease Leptospirosis.
Rat urine contains toxic and deathly substances.
It is highly recommended to thoroughly wash the upper part
of all soda cans before drinking out of them.
The cans are typically stocked in warehouses and transported straight to the shops without being cleaned.
A study at NYCU showed that the tops of all soda cans are more contaminated than public toilets (i.e.). full of germs and bacteria. So wash them with water before putting them to the mouth to avoid any kind of fatal accident.
Besides the rodents finding the top of the cans a ogod place to urinate and poison the drinkers, my Yoga guru, Swami Ramdeo has another name for Coca Cola, Pepsi and the whole lot of drinks.
During each of his Yoga Camps, he makes the children repeat :Thanda matlab Toilet Cleaner".
His contention is that these drinks contain so much acid that they could easily replace Harpic, Sanifresh and other toilet cleaners.
So you can say, the rats are just adding to the poison which man puts in those drinks.
Where there are rats, there may be a problem with the following...
WASH THEM FIRST! Same applies to Beer.
This is Serious!
This incident happened recently in North Texas .
A woman went boating one Sunday taking with her some cans of coke
which she put into the refrigerator of the boat.
On Monday she was taken to the hospital and placed in the Intensive Care Unit.
She died on Wednesday.
The autopsy concluded she died of Leptospirosis.
This was traced to the can of coke she drank from, not using a glass.
Tests showed that the can was infected by dried rat urine and
hence the disease Leptospirosis.
Rat urine contains toxic and deathly substances.
It is highly recommended to thoroughly wash the upper part
of all soda cans before drinking out of them.
The cans are typically stocked in warehouses and transported straight to the shops without being cleaned.
A study at NYCU showed that the tops of all soda cans are more contaminated than public toilets (i.e.). full of germs and bacteria. So wash them with water before putting them to the mouth to avoid any kind of fatal accident.
Besides the rodents finding the top of the cans a ogod place to urinate and poison the drinkers, my Yoga guru, Swami Ramdeo has another name for Coca Cola, Pepsi and the whole lot of drinks.
During each of his Yoga Camps, he makes the children repeat :Thanda matlab Toilet Cleaner".
His contention is that these drinks contain so much acid that they could easily replace Harpic, Sanifresh and other toilet cleaners.
So you can say, the rats are just adding to the poison which man puts in those drinks.
Breathtaking Feather Painting
The only use we made of feathers was in the making of chungwi. I think most of us would remember it.
Another use is in making pillows. Of course, I have never ever seen a feather pillow but have read about them.
That feathers could me made to look so beautiful was unknown to me,
Thanks to Shivtosh Deb, for sending these beautiful photographs.
He had sent many more, I have just put us a few.
The message at the end too is inspiring.
Radheshyam
A little something to put things in perspective.....
After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park , forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage.
One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick.
When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the
tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise.
She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies.. Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast ...because she had been willing to die, so those under the cover of her wings would live..
Being loved this much should make a difference in your life.
Remember the One who loves you.
Another use is in making pillows. Of course, I have never ever seen a feather pillow but have read about them.
That feathers could me made to look so beautiful was unknown to me,
Thanks to Shivtosh Deb, for sending these beautiful photographs.
He had sent many more, I have just put us a few.
The message at the end too is inspiring.
Radheshyam
A little something to put things in perspective.....
After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park , forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage.
One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick.
When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the
tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise.
She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies.. Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast ...because she had been willing to die, so those under the cover of her wings would live..
Being loved this much should make a difference in your life.
Remember the One who loves you.
The Origin of Man
I'm not sure I like this version, but with some men I know, there is a ring of truth to this.
EVE'S SIDE OF THE STORY
After three weeks in the Garden of Eden, God came to visit Eve. 'So, how is everything going?' inquired God.
'It is all so beautiful, God,' she replied. 'The sunrises and sunsets are breathtaking, the smells, the sights, everything is wonderful, but I have just one problem.. !
It's these three breasts you have given me. The middle one pushes the other two out and I am constantly knocking them with my arms, catching them on branches and snagging them on bushes. They're a real pain.'
And Eve went on to tell God that since many other parts of her body came in pairs, such as her limbs, eyes, ears, etc. She felt that having only two breasts might leave her body more 'symmetrically balanced'.
'That's a fair point,' replied God, 'But it was my first shot at this, you know. I gave the animals six breasts, so I figured that you needed only half of those, but I see that you are right. I will fix it up right away.'
And God reached down, removed the middle breast and tossed it into the bushes
Three weeks passed and God once again visited Eve in the Garden of Eden.
'Well, Eve, how is my favourite creation?'
'Just fantastic,' she replied, 'But for one oversight. You see, all the animals are paired off. The ewe has a ram and the cow has her bull. All the animals have a mate except me. I feel so alone.. .’
God though for a moment and said, 'You know, Eve, you are right. How could I have overlooked this? You do need a mate and I will immediately create a man from a part of you. Let's see....where did I put that useless tit?'
Now doesn't THAT make more sense than all that crap about the rib?
The above has been sent by Prakash Bhartia.
EVE'S SIDE OF THE STORY
After three weeks in the Garden of Eden, God came to visit Eve. 'So, how is everything going?' inquired God.
'It is all so beautiful, God,' she replied. 'The sunrises and sunsets are breathtaking, the smells, the sights, everything is wonderful, but I have just one problem.. !
It's these three breasts you have given me. The middle one pushes the other two out and I am constantly knocking them with my arms, catching them on branches and snagging them on bushes. They're a real pain.'
And Eve went on to tell God that since many other parts of her body came in pairs, such as her limbs, eyes, ears, etc. She felt that having only two breasts might leave her body more 'symmetrically balanced'.
'That's a fair point,' replied God, 'But it was my first shot at this, you know. I gave the animals six breasts, so I figured that you needed only half of those, but I see that you are right. I will fix it up right away.'
And God reached down, removed the middle breast and tossed it into the bushes
Three weeks passed and God once again visited Eve in the Garden of Eden.
'Well, Eve, how is my favourite creation?'
'Just fantastic,' she replied, 'But for one oversight. You see, all the animals are paired off. The ewe has a ram and the cow has her bull. All the animals have a mate except me. I feel so alone.. .’
God though for a moment and said, 'You know, Eve, you are right. How could I have overlooked this? You do need a mate and I will immediately create a man from a part of you. Let's see....where did I put that useless tit?'
Now doesn't THAT make more sense than all that crap about the rib?
The above has been sent by Prakash Bhartia.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Extortionist should find place only in jails
Court rejects bail plea of man who threatens to shoot Modi
Patna, (Bihar Times): The court of in-charge Chief Judicial Magistrate, Patna, Shailendra Kumar on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of Amit Kumar Singh, a doctor of indigenous medicine, who had allegedly threatened to shoot deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi if he did not pay Rs 55 lakh to him.
The charges against the petitioner by the police after investigation of the case was that he had sent a SMS from Samastipur on Modi’s cell phone demanding the amount. The police had lodged an FIR on the basis of a complaint lodged with it by the deputy chief minister’s private secretary Ajay Kumar Agarwal who had received the SMS on mobile on May 15.
At last, it seems, the judiciary is doing what it should have been doing.
Let us hope it has not taken this action because the affected person happens to be the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar.
This rule should be made applicable for all extortionist for they are the younger brothers of murderers and soon graduate to become murderers.
If murders are to be reduced, extortionists should be locked up as soon as they issue the threats and should not be released on bail as long as their trial is not completed.
Let them rot in jail
Patna, (Bihar Times): The court of in-charge Chief Judicial Magistrate, Patna, Shailendra Kumar on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of Amit Kumar Singh, a doctor of indigenous medicine, who had allegedly threatened to shoot deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi if he did not pay Rs 55 lakh to him.
The charges against the petitioner by the police after investigation of the case was that he had sent a SMS from Samastipur on Modi’s cell phone demanding the amount. The police had lodged an FIR on the basis of a complaint lodged with it by the deputy chief minister’s private secretary Ajay Kumar Agarwal who had received the SMS on mobile on May 15.
At last, it seems, the judiciary is doing what it should have been doing.
Let us hope it has not taken this action because the affected person happens to be the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar.
This rule should be made applicable for all extortionist for they are the younger brothers of murderers and soon graduate to become murderers.
If murders are to be reduced, extortionists should be locked up as soon as they issue the threats and should not be released on bail as long as their trial is not completed.
Let them rot in jail
CPM Criminals freed in Chhoto Angaria
Clean chit to Angaria eight
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Midnapore, May 28: A West Midnapore court today acquitted eight CPM activists in the 2001 Chhoto Angaria massacre for lack of evidence after an eight-year trial.
“The CBI could not establish the crimes allegedly committed by the accused. They were acquitted from the case on benefit of doubt,” said Biswanath Ghosh, the counsel for the accused, reading from the judgment.
Ghosh said the eight were acquitted because none of the charges — of murder, kidnapping with intention to murder, criminal conspiracy, arson, unlawful assembly with deadly weapons and illegal possession of arms — could be established. Two of the acquitted are CPM district committee leaders.
On the night of January 4, 2001, alleged CPM activists set fire to a house belonging to Trinamul Congress worker Abdur Baktar Mondal in Chhoto Angaria, West Midnapore, killing 11 Trinamul and People’s War Group activists. The CBI later said in its chargesheet that only five people, not 11, were killed.
The government ordered a CID probe, but Trinamul demanded a CBI inquiry. The government allowed it after a high court order.
Today, Shyamal Sengupta, the West Midnapore fifth additional district sessions judge, acquitted Tapan Ghosh and Sukur Ali, the members of the West Midnapore district committee, and the others.
One accused was murdered in 2004. Five are in hiding.
Nearly 3,000 CPM activists had assembled in the court this morning. Truckloads of activists came from Murshidabad to greet the eight.
“When they came out of jail, we garlanded them. They were taken in a procession to the Midnapore party office where a reception was held,” said district DYFI leader Sarfaraj Khan.
CBI lawyer Tapas Bose termed the verdict a “shame on Bengal”. “The state did not cooperate with us.... At least 17 of the 35 witnesses turned hostile because of threats,” he said, adding the agency would move a higher court.
Biman Bose, the CPM state secretary, said the verdict had made it “clear that they (the accused) were framed”.
Trinamul state president Subrata Bakshi said his party would launch a “political campaign against the acquittal”.
The above is another example of the miscarriage of justice when people accused of heinous crimes like rape, extortion and murder are given bail. The injustice is further aggravated when the state goes all out in support of the criminals.
The left front government uses all the means at its disposal to disuade witnesses for giving evidence.
I would have been surprised if the accused had been convicted.
Where are those NGO's like Stelvad who revived cases when there was miscarriage of justice in Gujarat, or, are there sympathies only there when minorities are involved so that there names are flashed in the papers.
It was an open and shut case.
CPM goons had committed the murders.
The state government dragged the case for eight years and did not cooperate with the CBI.The CBI themeselves have said so above.
Result - criminals have been freed.
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Midnapore, May 28: A West Midnapore court today acquitted eight CPM activists in the 2001 Chhoto Angaria massacre for lack of evidence after an eight-year trial.
“The CBI could not establish the crimes allegedly committed by the accused. They were acquitted from the case on benefit of doubt,” said Biswanath Ghosh, the counsel for the accused, reading from the judgment.
Ghosh said the eight were acquitted because none of the charges — of murder, kidnapping with intention to murder, criminal conspiracy, arson, unlawful assembly with deadly weapons and illegal possession of arms — could be established. Two of the acquitted are CPM district committee leaders.
On the night of January 4, 2001, alleged CPM activists set fire to a house belonging to Trinamul Congress worker Abdur Baktar Mondal in Chhoto Angaria, West Midnapore, killing 11 Trinamul and People’s War Group activists. The CBI later said in its chargesheet that only five people, not 11, were killed.
The government ordered a CID probe, but Trinamul demanded a CBI inquiry. The government allowed it after a high court order.
Today, Shyamal Sengupta, the West Midnapore fifth additional district sessions judge, acquitted Tapan Ghosh and Sukur Ali, the members of the West Midnapore district committee, and the others.
One accused was murdered in 2004. Five are in hiding.
Nearly 3,000 CPM activists had assembled in the court this morning. Truckloads of activists came from Murshidabad to greet the eight.
“When they came out of jail, we garlanded them. They were taken in a procession to the Midnapore party office where a reception was held,” said district DYFI leader Sarfaraj Khan.
CBI lawyer Tapas Bose termed the verdict a “shame on Bengal”. “The state did not cooperate with us.... At least 17 of the 35 witnesses turned hostile because of threats,” he said, adding the agency would move a higher court.
Biman Bose, the CPM state secretary, said the verdict had made it “clear that they (the accused) were framed”.
Trinamul state president Subrata Bakshi said his party would launch a “political campaign against the acquittal”.
The above is another example of the miscarriage of justice when people accused of heinous crimes like rape, extortion and murder are given bail. The injustice is further aggravated when the state goes all out in support of the criminals.
The left front government uses all the means at its disposal to disuade witnesses for giving evidence.
I would have been surprised if the accused had been convicted.
Where are those NGO's like Stelvad who revived cases when there was miscarriage of justice in Gujarat, or, are there sympathies only there when minorities are involved so that there names are flashed in the papers.
It was an open and shut case.
CPM goons had committed the murders.
The state government dragged the case for eight years and did not cooperate with the CBI.The CBI themeselves have said so above.
Result - criminals have been freed.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
UP, Home for Terrorists
Probe ordered into recovery of voter ID card from ISI agent
Kanpur: Kanpur district authorities have ordered a probe into how suspected ISI agent Vakas Ahmad managed to procure an Electoral photo Identity card and even cast his vote during the Lok Sabha polls.
The authorities have asked the concerned officials to file a report in the next three days.
Taking serious note of the recovery of voter ID card from Ahmad, who was arrested by ATS on Wednesday, Acting DM and chief development officer Rajiv Sharma said, "I have ordered the Electoral Registration officer and others officers at the SDM level to probe the matter and file a report in three days."
Employees of the Electoral department, responsible for issuing voter ID cards for the area from where Ahmad procured the card, would also be questioned during the probe, Sharma said, adding strict disciplinary action would be initiated against those found guilty.
The ATS of Uttar Pradesh Police had on Thursday arrested Ahmad from Bithur area of the district and recovered from him a number of documents, including an Electoral photo Identity card in the name of Ibrahim from Kanpur.
He had claimed during interrogation that he cast his vote during the recent polls.
Some time back the name of Azamgarh cropped up for being a district from where terrorists were being trained.
The people of Azamgarh and specially Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh had taken objection as to why that district was being given a bad reputation.
Here we have an ISI agent being caught from Kanpur district with a voter ID card.
It seems Mulayam Singh was right, the whoe of UP has become home to the ISI.He has made it very easy for Pakistani agents to operate ferom UP.
He should be tried as an anti-National.
Our Bengal Government acts as the conduit and UP the provides them home.
When we have such friends in India, who needs enemies to destroy it?
Radheshyam
Kanpur: Kanpur district authorities have ordered a probe into how suspected ISI agent Vakas Ahmad managed to procure an Electoral photo Identity card and even cast his vote during the Lok Sabha polls.
The authorities have asked the concerned officials to file a report in the next three days.
Taking serious note of the recovery of voter ID card from Ahmad, who was arrested by ATS on Wednesday, Acting DM and chief development officer Rajiv Sharma said, "I have ordered the Electoral Registration officer and others officers at the SDM level to probe the matter and file a report in three days."
Employees of the Electoral department, responsible for issuing voter ID cards for the area from where Ahmad procured the card, would also be questioned during the probe, Sharma said, adding strict disciplinary action would be initiated against those found guilty.
The ATS of Uttar Pradesh Police had on Thursday arrested Ahmad from Bithur area of the district and recovered from him a number of documents, including an Electoral photo Identity card in the name of Ibrahim from Kanpur.
He had claimed during interrogation that he cast his vote during the recent polls.
Some time back the name of Azamgarh cropped up for being a district from where terrorists were being trained.
The people of Azamgarh and specially Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh had taken objection as to why that district was being given a bad reputation.
Here we have an ISI agent being caught from Kanpur district with a voter ID card.
It seems Mulayam Singh was right, the whoe of UP has become home to the ISI.He has made it very easy for Pakistani agents to operate ferom UP.
He should be tried as an anti-National.
Our Bengal Government acts as the conduit and UP the provides them home.
When we have such friends in India, who needs enemies to destroy it?
Radheshyam
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
India as Investment Destination
I get a regular Newsletter from IDE, an investment firm. It advises investors in USA on where they should park their surplus funds.
Today I got this letter and it sure pumped me up.
I am sharing it with you.
Radheshyam
Invest in India Now!
By Ted Peroulakis
My article for Investor’s Daily Edge on 04/09/09 specifically recommended the PowerShares India (PIN). This Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) is traded in the U.S. and holds a nice basket of Indian stocks and seeks to mirror the Indian stock market measured by the Indus India index.
If you took my advice, you'd have seen a great short-term gain as the Indian ETF rose over 23% in just over a month. You don’t usually see big profits that fast--and our readers are quite happy about this gain.
Our staff here at Investor’s Daily Edge strives to give you information that you can profit from, that is our passion.
If you missed this opportunity to get into PIN, it is not too late. This Indian ETF has much more upside potential as India is one of the best foreign markets to invest in. Let me explain:
India’s recent election was a big victory for the free-market oriented Congress Party and paves the way for more economic reforms. Now, India is on track to open up its markets to more foreign investment. The election opens the door to immense investment into Indian stocks. You should put a small portion of your portfolio into India because massive gains are possible over the next couple of decades.
India has seen impressive gains in economic investment and output, but protectionism has hindered foreign access to India's vast and growing market. Recently, this has been changing and India has been slowly opening up its markets.
After the last Indian election—I expect protectionism to rapidly retreat which will be great for business. India is on track to open up its retail, insurance and banking sectors to more foreign investment. Also, the government may reduce its ownership in refineries, banks and fertilizer companies.
India is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, with strengths in their agriculture, textile, and service sectors. Plus, they boast many modern industries. Services are the main source of economic growth, accounting for over half of India's output with less than a third of its labor force.
The Indian economy has been growing an average of 7% over the last 10 years, reducing poverty by about 10% over the same period. India had GDP growth of 8.5% in 2006, 9.0% in 2007, and 7.3% in 2008.
India is a democratic federal republic with a strong and independent judicial system based on English common law. Plus, they have a stable economy and have a vast work force which can crank out products at an incredibly low cost. The nation has virtually unlimited potential as a low cost producer of goods and services.
What’s more, India’s standard of living is rapidly increasing and domestic consumption is intensifying. More and more Indians are driving cars and oil consumption is rising sharply. India has a population of almost 1.2 billion and growing. India could surpass China and become the most populous country in the world by 2029. India’s citizens are demanding more and more natural resources. For instance, Indians love gold jewelry and are one of the world’s biggest consumers of the yellow metal. All these factors are incredibly bullish for oil, gold and commodities in general.
Domestic consumption in India is exploding as people have more income to purchase retail goods. Many international companies are aggressively seeking to cash in on the new Indian consumer class.
Furthermore, Indians are smart—they have a strong pool of scientific and technical manpower. India leads the world in abundant high-quality and cost-effective workers. They produce some of the world’s best scientists and engineers.
India even exports their software services and software workers to other parts of the world which repatriate funds right back into the Indian economy.
Moreover, India has the world’s second largest English-speaking population. English is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication. English is the co-official language of India, with over ninety million speakers. This leads to outsourcing for thousands of U.S.-based software manufacturers, computer companies and other sales and service companies.
India has good infrastructure and billions are being spent to make it better in order to improve the lives of the rural poor and boost economic performance. They are improving their highways, building new roads, improving their electrical power sector. Plus, they are improving railways, upgrading airports and seaports, improving their sanitation and water supply. And, India has a rapidly growing and increasingly affluent urban middle class that is demanding improved infrastructure.
The Bombay Stock Exchange has taken off due to the election victory of the free-market oriented Congress Party. I expect billions of dollars worth of investment capital to flow into Indian stocks. India’s economy is going to continue to soar and you owe it to yourself to invest in India. Keep in mind that investments in developing markets tend to be volatile, so only put a small portion of your portfolio into emerging markets.
Again my favorite way for you to play India is the PowerShares India Fund (PIN). This Indian ETF offers excellent profit potential. Buy it now…
Best Wishes,
Ted Peroulakis
Today I got this letter and it sure pumped me up.
I am sharing it with you.
Radheshyam
Invest in India Now!
By Ted Peroulakis
My article for Investor’s Daily Edge on 04/09/09 specifically recommended the PowerShares India (PIN). This Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) is traded in the U.S. and holds a nice basket of Indian stocks and seeks to mirror the Indian stock market measured by the Indus India index.
If you took my advice, you'd have seen a great short-term gain as the Indian ETF rose over 23% in just over a month. You don’t usually see big profits that fast--and our readers are quite happy about this gain.
Our staff here at Investor’s Daily Edge strives to give you information that you can profit from, that is our passion.
If you missed this opportunity to get into PIN, it is not too late. This Indian ETF has much more upside potential as India is one of the best foreign markets to invest in. Let me explain:
India’s recent election was a big victory for the free-market oriented Congress Party and paves the way for more economic reforms. Now, India is on track to open up its markets to more foreign investment. The election opens the door to immense investment into Indian stocks. You should put a small portion of your portfolio into India because massive gains are possible over the next couple of decades.
India has seen impressive gains in economic investment and output, but protectionism has hindered foreign access to India's vast and growing market. Recently, this has been changing and India has been slowly opening up its markets.
After the last Indian election—I expect protectionism to rapidly retreat which will be great for business. India is on track to open up its retail, insurance and banking sectors to more foreign investment. Also, the government may reduce its ownership in refineries, banks and fertilizer companies.
India is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, with strengths in their agriculture, textile, and service sectors. Plus, they boast many modern industries. Services are the main source of economic growth, accounting for over half of India's output with less than a third of its labor force.
The Indian economy has been growing an average of 7% over the last 10 years, reducing poverty by about 10% over the same period. India had GDP growth of 8.5% in 2006, 9.0% in 2007, and 7.3% in 2008.
India is a democratic federal republic with a strong and independent judicial system based on English common law. Plus, they have a stable economy and have a vast work force which can crank out products at an incredibly low cost. The nation has virtually unlimited potential as a low cost producer of goods and services.
What’s more, India’s standard of living is rapidly increasing and domestic consumption is intensifying. More and more Indians are driving cars and oil consumption is rising sharply. India has a population of almost 1.2 billion and growing. India could surpass China and become the most populous country in the world by 2029. India’s citizens are demanding more and more natural resources. For instance, Indians love gold jewelry and are one of the world’s biggest consumers of the yellow metal. All these factors are incredibly bullish for oil, gold and commodities in general.
Domestic consumption in India is exploding as people have more income to purchase retail goods. Many international companies are aggressively seeking to cash in on the new Indian consumer class.
Furthermore, Indians are smart—they have a strong pool of scientific and technical manpower. India leads the world in abundant high-quality and cost-effective workers. They produce some of the world’s best scientists and engineers.
India even exports their software services and software workers to other parts of the world which repatriate funds right back into the Indian economy.
Moreover, India has the world’s second largest English-speaking population. English is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication. English is the co-official language of India, with over ninety million speakers. This leads to outsourcing for thousands of U.S.-based software manufacturers, computer companies and other sales and service companies.
India has good infrastructure and billions are being spent to make it better in order to improve the lives of the rural poor and boost economic performance. They are improving their highways, building new roads, improving their electrical power sector. Plus, they are improving railways, upgrading airports and seaports, improving their sanitation and water supply. And, India has a rapidly growing and increasingly affluent urban middle class that is demanding improved infrastructure.
The Bombay Stock Exchange has taken off due to the election victory of the free-market oriented Congress Party. I expect billions of dollars worth of investment capital to flow into Indian stocks. India’s economy is going to continue to soar and you owe it to yourself to invest in India. Keep in mind that investments in developing markets tend to be volatile, so only put a small portion of your portfolio into emerging markets.
Again my favorite way for you to play India is the PowerShares India Fund (PIN). This Indian ETF offers excellent profit potential. Buy it now…
Best Wishes,
Ted Peroulakis
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Dr Binayak Sen Released
Bail for ‘Maoist’ doctor after two years
OUR BUREAU
Binayak Sen comes out of jail in Raipur on Monday.
May 25: The Supreme Court today granted bail to one of India’s most famous prisoners, social activist Binayak Sen, who has been in a Chhattisgarh jail for two years since his arrest as an alleged Maoist courier.
There had been a global campaign for the release of the ailing Sen, who says the charges were trumped up, with US thinker Noam Chomsky and 22 Nobel laureates joining rights groups in sending appeals to the Indian government.
“Granted bail subject to furnishing personal bonds to the satisfaction of the trial court,” a two-judge bench ruled today.
The court refused to hear the Chhattisgarh government’s views. “He’s been in jail for two years now,” Justice Markandey Katju told Chhattisgarh counsel Mukul Rohatgi.
Sen, a heart patient in his 60s, is likely to walk free in a day or two, Raipur Central Jail authorities said.
“I am very happy that my sufferings are over. Dr Sen has finally got justice,” said his wife Ilina, who claims her husband was framed because he exposed rights violations by the Chhattisgarh administration in its battle against the Maoists.
Sen, a paediatrician and winner of the Jonathan Mann Award for service to the poor, had for years been treating Adivasis in the poorest areas of Chhattisgarh. He was arrested on May 14, 2007, under the Chhattisgarh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act on the charge of acting as a courier for jailed Maoist leader Narayan Sanyal.
The high court and the apex court rejected his bail plea last year after the Chhattisgarh government opposed his release. But scholars, doctors, lawyers and activists kept up the pressure, campaigning in the state and outside and writing to President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sen’s behalf.
A second bail petition, filed by Ilina, argued that although Sen had made several trips to Raipur jail as a rights activist to meet Sanyal, he could not have carried any letters to him or from him.
“In compliance with jail manuals, both he and the prisoner were thoroughly frisked and the meetings were held in the presence of jail officials,” the petition said.
“The police were resting the charge on an alleged oral disclosure by a co-accused in police custody, which is wholly inadmissible.”
The petition added: “Police have conjured up references to him (Sen) in so-called Naxalite literature.”
Sen’s lawyer Soli Sorabjee said the doctor had always been open and honest in his work as a rights activist. “His concern for custodial rights makes him a regular visitor to various jails.”
Chhattisgarh rights activist Gautam Kumar Bandyopadhyay, convener of the NGO Nadi Ghati Morcha, termed today’s court decision a “victory for human rights” in the state.
“This is good news, but justice was delayed by two years,” said Rajendra K. Sail, president of the Chhattisgarh wing of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, of which Sen is general secretary.
There was no official reaction from the state government.
About a week back I had written about the plight of Dr. Binayak Sen.
I am pleased to report that he has now been granted bail by the Supeme Court.
See the irony in the India.
Rapist, extortionists and murderers are granted bail within one month of being convicted. They then roam about freely to threaten the witnesses to their crime.
On the other hand, a person who is a qualified medical practioner who treated the Adivasis of Chattisgarh is castigated in jail for two years for just trying to help the downtrodden.
His supporters had to approach the Supreme Court twice to grant him bail whilst the scum of society are released by the lower courts within a month of conviction and Dr Sen was not even convicted.
Do you now wonder why people become Maoists?
OUR BUREAU
Binayak Sen comes out of jail in Raipur on Monday.
May 25: The Supreme Court today granted bail to one of India’s most famous prisoners, social activist Binayak Sen, who has been in a Chhattisgarh jail for two years since his arrest as an alleged Maoist courier.
There had been a global campaign for the release of the ailing Sen, who says the charges were trumped up, with US thinker Noam Chomsky and 22 Nobel laureates joining rights groups in sending appeals to the Indian government.
“Granted bail subject to furnishing personal bonds to the satisfaction of the trial court,” a two-judge bench ruled today.
The court refused to hear the Chhattisgarh government’s views. “He’s been in jail for two years now,” Justice Markandey Katju told Chhattisgarh counsel Mukul Rohatgi.
Sen, a heart patient in his 60s, is likely to walk free in a day or two, Raipur Central Jail authorities said.
“I am very happy that my sufferings are over. Dr Sen has finally got justice,” said his wife Ilina, who claims her husband was framed because he exposed rights violations by the Chhattisgarh administration in its battle against the Maoists.
Sen, a paediatrician and winner of the Jonathan Mann Award for service to the poor, had for years been treating Adivasis in the poorest areas of Chhattisgarh. He was arrested on May 14, 2007, under the Chhattisgarh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act on the charge of acting as a courier for jailed Maoist leader Narayan Sanyal.
The high court and the apex court rejected his bail plea last year after the Chhattisgarh government opposed his release. But scholars, doctors, lawyers and activists kept up the pressure, campaigning in the state and outside and writing to President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sen’s behalf.
A second bail petition, filed by Ilina, argued that although Sen had made several trips to Raipur jail as a rights activist to meet Sanyal, he could not have carried any letters to him or from him.
“In compliance with jail manuals, both he and the prisoner were thoroughly frisked and the meetings were held in the presence of jail officials,” the petition said.
“The police were resting the charge on an alleged oral disclosure by a co-accused in police custody, which is wholly inadmissible.”
The petition added: “Police have conjured up references to him (Sen) in so-called Naxalite literature.”
Sen’s lawyer Soli Sorabjee said the doctor had always been open and honest in his work as a rights activist. “His concern for custodial rights makes him a regular visitor to various jails.”
Chhattisgarh rights activist Gautam Kumar Bandyopadhyay, convener of the NGO Nadi Ghati Morcha, termed today’s court decision a “victory for human rights” in the state.
“This is good news, but justice was delayed by two years,” said Rajendra K. Sail, president of the Chhattisgarh wing of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, of which Sen is general secretary.
There was no official reaction from the state government.
About a week back I had written about the plight of Dr. Binayak Sen.
I am pleased to report that he has now been granted bail by the Supeme Court.
See the irony in the India.
Rapist, extortionists and murderers are granted bail within one month of being convicted. They then roam about freely to threaten the witnesses to their crime.
On the other hand, a person who is a qualified medical practioner who treated the Adivasis of Chattisgarh is castigated in jail for two years for just trying to help the downtrodden.
His supporters had to approach the Supreme Court twice to grant him bail whilst the scum of society are released by the lower courts within a month of conviction and Dr Sen was not even convicted.
Do you now wonder why people become Maoists?
Monday, May 25, 2009
RSS & BJP not willing to face facts
RSS defends Modi, blames campaign
SANJAY K. JHA
New Delhi, May 23: The RSS has diagnosed bad campaigning, not Narendra Modi or Varun Gandhi, as the cause of the BJP’s poor poll show and recommended that the only cure is re-affirmation of its ideological purity.
In the latest issue of its mouthpiece Organiser, the RSS has interpreted the verdict as the people’s rejection of smaller parties (third front) and a vote for the “evolution of a national polity.” Some essays have subtly suggested that the BJP move out of its coalition mindset and expand its own base.
“The silver lining in this electoral outcome is the unmistakable play of the national psyche and the emergence of a clear two-party system,” the editorial has said.
“There is no evidence to show that the ideology of the party has failed. There is also no evidence that the Modi campaign or the Varun Gandhi speech damaged its prospects. The BJP actually failed in presenting itself as a better alternative offering stability and a national vision. This has more to do with a mismanaged campaign and organisational weaknesses.”
The campaign was managed by the BJP’s most celebrated strategist Arun Jaitley, hailed as a rainmaker after victories in state elections.
But the RSS appears to have made a direct attack on his style of functioning. “Over-dependence on hi-tech and affluence more than grassroots-level management damaged the party. Politics is played out in the field, not in air-conditioned chat rooms.”
The RSS has also hit out at the BJP’s self-defeating obsession with media endorsement, saying “this was one of the reasons for the party losing in urban constituencies”.
After the 2004 defeat, too, the RSS and a large section of the BJP had slammed hi-tech campaigning and media obsession. The campaign in-charge then was the late Pramod Mahajan, who had apologised for the defeat.
But a more hi-tech campaign was launched this time through Advani’s website and sleek TV jingles. Nor did BJP strategists forget to shower pity on the Congress’s poor show on this front.
The RSS also does not share the dilemma of senior BJP leaders on Hindutva politics. It has indicated that any attempt to dilute ideology would be crushed with brute force. “...it has to shut its doors on all those who want to reshape it as a Congress B-team,” the editorial has said.
There has been a clamour from some BJP quarters that the party should adopt a progressive, secular agenda and fight poll on the planks of development and governance alone. Advani too unsuccessfully tried to pursue this line.
But most articles have suggested an aggressive Hindutva line. “The BJP will have no rationale if it is not a Hindu savvy party,” an article has said.
The BJP will also have to grapple with the RSS belief that the coalition era has ended. “People have become sick of coalition talk. The craze will be for parties with a pan-Indian vision and presence. Instead of wasting time coaxing and cajoling recalcitrant partners, national parties like the BJP can now concentrate on building up the organisational structure in states where it is weak,” the editorial has said.
There is a saying you can wake up a sleeping man but you cannot wake up a person who is lying awake.
The RSS is just not willing to accept the fact that their Mandir slogan is a dead issue. How long are they going to flog a dead horse?
They must realize that whatever religion a person belongs to he has certain basic needs like food, clothing and a shelter.
The Mandir slogan is just not going to give him that.
It may give huge benefits to the leaders like Ashok Singhal of VHP and others in the Bajrang Dal and other Hindu organizations.
Further you don't require a hi-tech campaign to get votes.
Your work speaks for itself.
Nitish Kumar has proved it.
Without much fanfare, he continued to work like the Ant in my previous post and he has been rewarded.
The BJP made a lot of noise like the grasshopper and so is left out in the cold.
First of all the RSS and BJP must be willing to accept where they have gone wrong, then only can they rectify their mistakes and take corrective action. If they do not do that they will be wiped out by a rejuvenated congress in the next election.
The BJP is still in power in some states.
They should tone up the administration in those states and arrange for upliftment of ALL PEOPLE, irrespective of caste or religion and provide a corruption free government.
Mr Advani had made a few election promises like issuing national identity cards for all. That should be implemented in those states so that foreigners may be traced and deported.
We should accept the minorities who have been with us since independence but we should identify the foreigners fairly.
There should be no witch-hunting.
Mr Advani had further promised computers and money for girls for their upliftment.You do that in those states where the BJP rules.
What the people want is good law and order and fairness in dealing with the poor.
If they do that, then they will not be enticed to change their religion, which the BJP is fighting and getting a bad name.
TREAT ALL INDIAN CITIZENS AT PAR, IRRESPECTIVE OF CASTE OR RELIGION.
Later, when they have won the confidence of the masses,
they should convince the people for controlling the size of their families.
without population control, the fruits of development cannot reach the masses.
SANJAY K. JHA
New Delhi, May 23: The RSS has diagnosed bad campaigning, not Narendra Modi or Varun Gandhi, as the cause of the BJP’s poor poll show and recommended that the only cure is re-affirmation of its ideological purity.
In the latest issue of its mouthpiece Organiser, the RSS has interpreted the verdict as the people’s rejection of smaller parties (third front) and a vote for the “evolution of a national polity.” Some essays have subtly suggested that the BJP move out of its coalition mindset and expand its own base.
“The silver lining in this electoral outcome is the unmistakable play of the national psyche and the emergence of a clear two-party system,” the editorial has said.
“There is no evidence to show that the ideology of the party has failed. There is also no evidence that the Modi campaign or the Varun Gandhi speech damaged its prospects. The BJP actually failed in presenting itself as a better alternative offering stability and a national vision. This has more to do with a mismanaged campaign and organisational weaknesses.”
The campaign was managed by the BJP’s most celebrated strategist Arun Jaitley, hailed as a rainmaker after victories in state elections.
But the RSS appears to have made a direct attack on his style of functioning. “Over-dependence on hi-tech and affluence more than grassroots-level management damaged the party. Politics is played out in the field, not in air-conditioned chat rooms.”
The RSS has also hit out at the BJP’s self-defeating obsession with media endorsement, saying “this was one of the reasons for the party losing in urban constituencies”.
After the 2004 defeat, too, the RSS and a large section of the BJP had slammed hi-tech campaigning and media obsession. The campaign in-charge then was the late Pramod Mahajan, who had apologised for the defeat.
But a more hi-tech campaign was launched this time through Advani’s website and sleek TV jingles. Nor did BJP strategists forget to shower pity on the Congress’s poor show on this front.
The RSS also does not share the dilemma of senior BJP leaders on Hindutva politics. It has indicated that any attempt to dilute ideology would be crushed with brute force. “...it has to shut its doors on all those who want to reshape it as a Congress B-team,” the editorial has said.
There has been a clamour from some BJP quarters that the party should adopt a progressive, secular agenda and fight poll on the planks of development and governance alone. Advani too unsuccessfully tried to pursue this line.
But most articles have suggested an aggressive Hindutva line. “The BJP will have no rationale if it is not a Hindu savvy party,” an article has said.
The BJP will also have to grapple with the RSS belief that the coalition era has ended. “People have become sick of coalition talk. The craze will be for parties with a pan-Indian vision and presence. Instead of wasting time coaxing and cajoling recalcitrant partners, national parties like the BJP can now concentrate on building up the organisational structure in states where it is weak,” the editorial has said.
There is a saying you can wake up a sleeping man but you cannot wake up a person who is lying awake.
The RSS is just not willing to accept the fact that their Mandir slogan is a dead issue. How long are they going to flog a dead horse?
They must realize that whatever religion a person belongs to he has certain basic needs like food, clothing and a shelter.
The Mandir slogan is just not going to give him that.
It may give huge benefits to the leaders like Ashok Singhal of VHP and others in the Bajrang Dal and other Hindu organizations.
Further you don't require a hi-tech campaign to get votes.
Your work speaks for itself.
Nitish Kumar has proved it.
Without much fanfare, he continued to work like the Ant in my previous post and he has been rewarded.
The BJP made a lot of noise like the grasshopper and so is left out in the cold.
First of all the RSS and BJP must be willing to accept where they have gone wrong, then only can they rectify their mistakes and take corrective action. If they do not do that they will be wiped out by a rejuvenated congress in the next election.
The BJP is still in power in some states.
They should tone up the administration in those states and arrange for upliftment of ALL PEOPLE, irrespective of caste or religion and provide a corruption free government.
Mr Advani had made a few election promises like issuing national identity cards for all. That should be implemented in those states so that foreigners may be traced and deported.
We should accept the minorities who have been with us since independence but we should identify the foreigners fairly.
There should be no witch-hunting.
Mr Advani had further promised computers and money for girls for their upliftment.You do that in those states where the BJP rules.
What the people want is good law and order and fairness in dealing with the poor.
If they do that, then they will not be enticed to change their religion, which the BJP is fighting and getting a bad name.
TREAT ALL INDIAN CITIZENS AT PAR, IRRESPECTIVE OF CASTE OR RELIGION.
Later, when they have won the confidence of the masses,
they should convince the people for controlling the size of their families.
without population control, the fruits of development cannot reach the masses.
The Ant & the Grasshopper
You must all have read thestory of the Ant and the Grasshopper.
Many versions of that story are going the rounds.
There is one of the newer versions, sent by my friend Mr Ganesan from Chennai
The Ant and the Grasshopper [Old story - New version]
Old Story:
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs dances plays the summer away.
Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.
New Version:
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The Grasshopper thinks the Ant’s a fool and laughs dances plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant’s house.
Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter .
Mayawati states this as “injustice” done on Minorities.
Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper.
The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance).
Opposition MPs stage a walkout. Left parties call for ‘Bengal Bandh’ in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry.
CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers.
Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the ‘Gharib Grasshopper Rath’.
Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the “Prevention of Atrocities Against Grasshoppers Act” [PAAGA], with effect from the beginning of the winter.
Arjun Singh makes ‘Special Reservation’ for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions in Government Services.
The Ant is fined for failing to comply with PAAGA and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, it’s home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.
Arundhati Roy calls it ‘A Triumph of Justice’.
Lalu calls it ‘Socialistic Justice’.
CPM calls it the ”Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden’
Koffi Annan invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.
Many years later...
The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley,
100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India,
..AND
As a result of losing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the grasshoppers, India is still a developing country...!! ! :) :) :)
MURPHY’S LAW
LAW OF QUEUE: If you change queues, the one you have left will start to move faster than the one you are in now.
LAW OF TELEPHONE: When you dial a wrong number, you never get an engaged one.
LAW OF MECHANICAL REPAIR: After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch.
LAW OF THE WORKSHOP: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.
LAW OF THE ALIBI: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the next morning you will have a flat tire.
BATH THEOREM: When the body is immersed in water, the telephone rings.
LAW OF ENCOUNTERS: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.
LAW OF THE RESULT: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will!
LAW OF BIOMECHANICS: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.
THEATRE RULE: People with the seats at the furthest from the aisle arrive last.
LAW OF COFFEE: As soon as you sit down for a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold
The Mother of All Resume - Man Mohan Singh
CAN U BEAT THIS RESUME !!!!!!!!!!!! !
Can our man of Steel beat it?
Sent by Jimmy Keir
RESUME
EDUCATION /Qualification:
1950: Stood first in BA (Hons), Economics, Punjab University, Chandigarh ,
1952; Stood first in MA (Economics), Punjab University , Chandigarh ,
1954; Wright's Prize for distinguished performance at St John's College, Cambridge,
1955 and 1957; Wrenbury scholar, University of Cambridge ,
1957; DPhil ( Oxford ), DLitt (Honoris Causa); PhD thesis on India 's export competitiveness
OCCUPATION /Teaching Experience :
Professor (Senior lecturer, Economics, 1957-59;
Reader, Economics, 1959-63;
Professor, Economics, Punjab University , Chandigarh , 1963-65;
Professor,Internati onal Trade, Delhi School of Economics,Universit y of Delhi,1969-71 ;
Honorary professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University ,New Delhi,1976 and Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi ,1996 and Civil Servant
Working Experience/ POSITIONS :
1971-72: Economic advisor, ministry of foreign trade
1972-76: Chief economic advisor, ministry of finance
1976-80: Director, Reserve Bank of India ;
Director, Industrial Development Bank of India;
Alternate governor for India, Board of governors, Asian Development Bank;
Alternate governor for India, Board of governors, IBRD
November 1976 - April 1980: Secretary, ministry of finance (Department of economic affairs);
Member, finance, Atomic Energy Commission; Member,finance, Space Commission
April 1980 - September 15, 1982 : Member-secretary, Planning Commission
1980-83: Chairman , India Committee of the Indo-Japan joint study committee
September 16, 1982 - January 14, 1985 : Governor, Reserve Bank of India ..
1982-85: Alternate Governor for India , Board of governors, International Monetary Fund
1983-84: Member, economic advisory council to the Prime Minister
1985: President, Indian Economic Association
January 15, 1985 - July 31, 1987 : Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission
August 1, 1987 - November 10, 19! 90: Secretary-general and commissioner,
south commission, Geneva
December 10, 1990 - March 14, 1991 : Advisor to the Prime Minister on economic affairs
March 15, 1991 - June 20, 1991 : Chairman, UGC
June 21, 1991 - May 15, 1996 : Union finance minister
October 1991: Elected to Rajya Sabha from Assam on Congress ticket
June 1995: Re-elected to Rajya Sabha
1996 onwards: Member, Consultative Committee for the ministry of finance
August 1, 1996 - December 4, 1997: Chairman, Parliamentary standing committee on commerce
March 21, 1998 onwards: Leader of the O pposition, Rajya Sabha
June 5, 1998 onwards: Member, committee on finance
August 13, 1998 onwards: Member, committee on rules
Aug 1998-2001: Member, committee of privileges 2000 onwards: Member, executive committee, Indian parliamentary group
June 2001: Re-elected to Rajya Sabha
Aug 2001 onwards: Member, general purposes committee
BOOKS:
India 's Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth -
Clarendon Press, Oxford University , 1964; also published a large number of articles in various economic journals.
OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Adam Smith Prize, University of Cambridge , 1956
Padma Vibhushan, 1987
Euro money Award, Finance Minister of the Year, 1993;
Asia money Award, Finance Minister of the Year for Asia, 1993 and 1994
INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS:
1966: Economic Affairs Officer
1966-69: Chief, financing for trade section, UNCTAD
1972-74: Deputy for India in IMF Committee of Twenty on
International Monetary Reform
1977-79: Indian delegation to Aid-India Consortium Meetings
1980-82: Indo-Soviet joint planning group meeting
1982: Indo-Soviet monitoring group meeting
1993: Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Cyprus 1993: Human Rights World Conference, Vienna
RECREATION :
Gymkhana Club, New Delhi; Life Member, India International Centre,
New Delhi
PERSONAL DETAIL:
Name: Dr Manmohan Singh
DOB: September 26, 1932
Place of Birth: Gah ( West Punjab )
Father: S. Gurmukh Singh
Mother: Mrs Amrit Kaur
Married on: September 14, 1958
Wife: Mrs Gursharan Kaur
Children: Three daughters
Our Prime Minister seems to be the most qualified PM all over the world.
Pass this to every INDIAN..... and be PROUD to be an INDIAN
Can our man of Steel beat it?
Sent by Jimmy Keir
RESUME
EDUCATION /Qualification:
1950: Stood first in BA (Hons), Economics, Punjab University, Chandigarh ,
1952; Stood first in MA (Economics), Punjab University , Chandigarh ,
1954; Wright's Prize for distinguished performance at St John's College, Cambridge,
1955 and 1957; Wrenbury scholar, University of Cambridge ,
1957; DPhil ( Oxford ), DLitt (Honoris Causa); PhD thesis on India 's export competitiveness
OCCUPATION /Teaching Experience :
Professor (Senior lecturer, Economics, 1957-59;
Reader, Economics, 1959-63;
Professor, Economics, Punjab University , Chandigarh , 1963-65;
Professor,Internati onal Trade, Delhi School of Economics,Universit y of Delhi,1969-71 ;
Honorary professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University ,New Delhi,1976 and Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi ,1996 and Civil Servant
Working Experience/ POSITIONS :
1971-72: Economic advisor, ministry of foreign trade
1972-76: Chief economic advisor, ministry of finance
1976-80: Director, Reserve Bank of India ;
Director, Industrial Development Bank of India;
Alternate governor for India, Board of governors, Asian Development Bank;
Alternate governor for India, Board of governors, IBRD
November 1976 - April 1980: Secretary, ministry of finance (Department of economic affairs);
Member, finance, Atomic Energy Commission; Member,finance, Space Commission
April 1980 - September 15, 1982 : Member-secretary, Planning Commission
1980-83: Chairman , India Committee of the Indo-Japan joint study committee
September 16, 1982 - January 14, 1985 : Governor, Reserve Bank of India ..
1982-85: Alternate Governor for India , Board of governors, International Monetary Fund
1983-84: Member, economic advisory council to the Prime Minister
1985: President, Indian Economic Association
January 15, 1985 - July 31, 1987 : Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission
August 1, 1987 - November 10, 19! 90: Secretary-general and commissioner,
south commission, Geneva
December 10, 1990 - March 14, 1991 : Advisor to the Prime Minister on economic affairs
March 15, 1991 - June 20, 1991 : Chairman, UGC
June 21, 1991 - May 15, 1996 : Union finance minister
October 1991: Elected to Rajya Sabha from Assam on Congress ticket
June 1995: Re-elected to Rajya Sabha
1996 onwards: Member, Consultative Committee for the ministry of finance
August 1, 1996 - December 4, 1997: Chairman, Parliamentary standing committee on commerce
March 21, 1998 onwards: Leader of the O pposition, Rajya Sabha
June 5, 1998 onwards: Member, committee on finance
August 13, 1998 onwards: Member, committee on rules
Aug 1998-2001: Member, committee of privileges 2000 onwards: Member, executive committee, Indian parliamentary group
June 2001: Re-elected to Rajya Sabha
Aug 2001 onwards: Member, general purposes committee
BOOKS:
India 's Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth -
Clarendon Press, Oxford University , 1964; also published a large number of articles in various economic journals.
OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Adam Smith Prize, University of Cambridge , 1956
Padma Vibhushan, 1987
Euro money Award, Finance Minister of the Year, 1993;
Asia money Award, Finance Minister of the Year for Asia, 1993 and 1994
INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS:
1966: Economic Affairs Officer
1966-69: Chief, financing for trade section, UNCTAD
1972-74: Deputy for India in IMF Committee of Twenty on
International Monetary Reform
1977-79: Indian delegation to Aid-India Consortium Meetings
1980-82: Indo-Soviet joint planning group meeting
1982: Indo-Soviet monitoring group meeting
1993: Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Cyprus 1993: Human Rights World Conference, Vienna
RECREATION :
Gymkhana Club, New Delhi; Life Member, India International Centre,
New Delhi
PERSONAL DETAIL:
Name: Dr Manmohan Singh
DOB: September 26, 1932
Place of Birth: Gah ( West Punjab )
Father: S. Gurmukh Singh
Mother: Mrs Amrit Kaur
Married on: September 14, 1958
Wife: Mrs Gursharan Kaur
Children: Three daughters
Our Prime Minister seems to be the most qualified PM all over the world.
Pass this to every INDIAN..... and be PROUD to be an INDIAN
Sunday, May 24, 2009
A Fitting Tribute to India’s Secular Traditions and Ancient History....
It is truly the greatest show on Earth, an ode to a diverse and democratic ethos, where 700 million + of humanity vote, providing their small part in directing their ancient civilization into the future. It is no less impressive when done in a neighborhood which includes de-stabilizing and violent Pakistan, China, and Burma. Its challenges are immense, more so probably than anywhere else, particularly in development and fending off terrorism -- but considering these challenges and its neighbors, it is even more astounding that the most diverse nation on Earth, with hundreds of languages, all religions and cultures, is not only surviving, but thriving. The nation where Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism were born,which is the second largest Muslim nation on Earth; where Christianity has existed for 2000 years; where the oldest Jewish synagogues and Jewish communities have resided since the Romans burnt their 2nd temple; where the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile reside; where the Zoroastrians from Persia have thrived since being thrown out of their ancient homeland; where Armenians and Syrians andmany others have to come live; where the Paris-based OECD said it was the largest economy on Earth, 1500 of the last 2000 years, including the 2nd largest only 200 years ago; where 3 Muslim Presidents have been elected, where a Sikh is Prime Minister and the head of the ruling party a Catholic Italian woman, where the President is also a woman, succeeding a Muslim President who as a rocket scientist was a hero inthe nation; where a booming economy is lifting 40 million out of poverty each year and is expected to have the majority of its population in the middle class, already equal to the entire US population, by 2025; where its optimism and vibrancy is manifested in its movies, arts, economic growth, and voting, despite all the incredible challenges and hardships; where all the great powers are vying for influence, as it itself finds its place in the world. Where all of this is happening, is India, and as greater than 1/10 of humanity gets ready to vote, it is an inspiration to all the World.
THE INDIAN ELECTIONS - NEW YORK TIMES
Good Karma!
THE INDIAN ELECTIONS - NEW YORK TIMES
Good Karma!
Msgs from Friends 20
Msg from Jimmy
Dear Radesh,,
Thanks to your previous newsletter I had an encouraging response from Karan Mehta, GMS '76, from Italy.
Deorali is a typical Govt. Primary School They have 35-50 students and four teachers. The schools are much neglected due to lack of funds. Sometimes the text books are 4th hand. Not all have electricity.
GFF have renovated the school, provided desks and benches, built a much needed wire fence as there is a 30 ft. drop just near the building, proper toilets, safe drinking water, text books, stationary, story books, DVDs, sporting equipment,etc. The villagers provide the labour.
This was all done within a budget of US $ 5000, a one time expence. It costs $ 1000 a year to maintain.
It has always been my ambition to have well off schools adopt such a school and for the kids to interact with each other.
The reward is to ensure that the kids have a good basic education in pleasant surroundings and to " FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS" which I preach to them.
Warm regards,
Jimmy
Dear Radesh,
Thanks to your mentoning the Glenn Family Foundation actavities in your previous news letter. As a result Karen Mehta, GMS '76, who lives in Italy, has responded. I am taking the opportunity to send you the name of our account for would be donors.
Many thanks,
Jimmy
The details of the account in order to make a deposit :
Please find below the wire transfer details for GLENN FAMILY FOUNTATION LTD account.
Beneficiary Bank : HSBC Private Bank
17, avenue d'Ostende
98000 Monaco
SWIFT Code: BLICMCMC
Bank Code: 13488
Branch Code: 00001
Account number: 62021
USD IBAN N° MC5813488000010062021000551
Please find below our correspondent Bank for USD wire transfer if necessary:
HSBC BANK USA
NEW YORK
ABA 021001088
SWIFT MRMDUS33
_______________________________________________________
Laura A. Ede
Administrator & Manager
Glenn Family Foundation Ltd
Change starts today; Changes starts with you
Visit Us: www.glennfamilyfoundation.org
Registered Office:
Kingston Chambers, P.O. Box 173,
Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
Registration #: 1398339
*** Please note new contact details ***
Office: + 61 2 9694 9900
Direct: + 61 2 9694 9971
Mobile:+61 400 347 080
Fax: +1 310 847 3187
Email: laura.ede@glennfamilyfoundation.org
From: Owen Glenn [mailto:owenglenn65@aol.com]
Sent: 24 February 2009 03:11
To: Jimmy Keir; Laura Ede
Subject: Re: Dear Jimmy
Laura
Gff in Monaco?? OGG
Kind Regards,
Owen G. Glenn
Phone +1 310 384 7043
Fax +1 310 847 8098
Msg from Prakash Bhartia
Know Your Customers:
A disappointed salesman of Coca Cola returns from his Middle East
assignment.
A friend asked, "Why weren't you successful with the Arabs?"
The salesman explained "When I got posted in the Middle East , I was very
confident that I would make a good sales pitch as Cola is virtually
unknown there. But, I had a problem I didn't know to speak Arabic. So, I
planned to convey the message through three posters...
First poster: A man lying in the hot desert sand...totally exhausted and
fainting.
Second poster: The man is drinking our Cola.
Third poster: Our man is now totally refreshed.
And Then these posters were pasted all over the place
"Then that should have worked!" said the friend.
"The hell it should have!?", said the salesman, " I didn't realize that
Arabs read from right to left"
Dear Radesh,,
Thanks to your previous newsletter I had an encouraging response from Karan Mehta, GMS '76, from Italy.
Deorali is a typical Govt. Primary School They have 35-50 students and four teachers. The schools are much neglected due to lack of funds. Sometimes the text books are 4th hand. Not all have electricity.
GFF have renovated the school, provided desks and benches, built a much needed wire fence as there is a 30 ft. drop just near the building, proper toilets, safe drinking water, text books, stationary, story books, DVDs, sporting equipment,etc. The villagers provide the labour.
This was all done within a budget of US $ 5000, a one time expence. It costs $ 1000 a year to maintain.
It has always been my ambition to have well off schools adopt such a school and for the kids to interact with each other.
The reward is to ensure that the kids have a good basic education in pleasant surroundings and to " FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS" which I preach to them.
Warm regards,
Jimmy
Dear Radesh,
Thanks to your mentoning the Glenn Family Foundation actavities in your previous news letter. As a result Karen Mehta, GMS '76, who lives in Italy, has responded. I am taking the opportunity to send you the name of our account for would be donors.
Many thanks,
Jimmy
The details of the account in order to make a deposit :
Please find below the wire transfer details for GLENN FAMILY FOUNTATION LTD account.
Beneficiary Bank : HSBC Private Bank
17, avenue d'Ostende
98000 Monaco
SWIFT Code: BLICMCMC
Bank Code: 13488
Branch Code: 00001
Account number: 62021
USD IBAN N° MC5813488000010062021000551
Please find below our correspondent Bank for USD wire transfer if necessary:
HSBC BANK USA
NEW YORK
ABA 021001088
SWIFT MRMDUS33
_______________________________________________________
Laura A. Ede
Administrator & Manager
Glenn Family Foundation Ltd
Change starts today; Changes starts with you
Visit Us: www.glennfamilyfoundation.org
Registered Office:
Kingston Chambers, P.O. Box 173,
Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
Registration #: 1398339
*** Please note new contact details ***
Office: + 61 2 9694 9900
Direct: + 61 2 9694 9971
Mobile:+61 400 347 080
Fax: +1 310 847 3187
Email: laura.ede@glennfamilyfoundation.org
From: Owen Glenn [mailto:owenglenn65@aol.com]
Sent: 24 February 2009 03:11
To: Jimmy Keir; Laura Ede
Subject: Re: Dear Jimmy
Laura
Gff in Monaco?? OGG
Kind Regards,
Owen G. Glenn
Phone +1 310 384 7043
Fax +1 310 847 8098
Msg from Prakash Bhartia
Know Your Customers:
A disappointed salesman of Coca Cola returns from his Middle East
assignment.
A friend asked, "Why weren't you successful with the Arabs?"
The salesman explained "When I got posted in the Middle East , I was very
confident that I would make a good sales pitch as Cola is virtually
unknown there. But, I had a problem I didn't know to speak Arabic. So, I
planned to convey the message through three posters...
First poster: A man lying in the hot desert sand...totally exhausted and
fainting.
Second poster: The man is drinking our Cola.
Third poster: Our man is now totally refreshed.
And Then these posters were pasted all over the place
"Then that should have worked!" said the friend.
"The hell it should have!?", said the salesman, " I didn't realize that
Arabs read from right to left"
Friday, May 22, 2009
Will Congress Blink
Congress blinks as Karuna, Pawar play hardball
Javed M AnsariFriday, May 22, 2009 3:06 IST Email
New Delhi: Manmohan Singh's attempt to cobble together a government of clean, honest, efficient ministers hit a bump on Thursday with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) threatening to merely offer support from outside, and not join the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) administration
The move came after the Congress refused to induct outgoing ministers TR Baalu and A Raja on grounds of their poor probity and performance, and differences over the number of portfolios that the DMK could get.
After several rounds of hard-nosed bargaining between the parties, DMK chief M Karunanidhi, who is also Tamil Nadu's chief minister, called prime minister Singh and told him of his party's decision to stay out of government. The DMK, with 18 MPs, is the third largest constituent of the UPA.
Senior Congress politicians involved in the protracted negotiations said the party finally offered to maintain the status quo with the DMK, ie induct the same number of ministers and give them the same ministries as in the outgoing government, but Karunanidhi refused.
The Congress stance was an improvement on its initial offer of two cabinet berths, but it proved unacceptable. When it became clear that the DMK team planned to fly back to Chennai on Thursday itself, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi intervened, urging Karunanidhi to stay back. He agreed.
The DMK had originally demanded five cabinet berths, in addition to four ministers of state and the right to retain the portfolios it held in the previous government. Observers say the reason for Karunanidhi's high-pitched strategy is his need to place key family members -- elder son MK Azhagiri, daughter Kanimozhi, and nephew Dayanidhi Maran -- in important positions at the Centre.
Meanwhile, the Congress was also involved in tough bargaining with two other allies, the Trinamool Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). After two rounds of negotiations, it had managed to strike a bargain with both, with Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool apparently agreeing to settle for the railway ministry, in addition to five ministers of state, including one each in the health and home ministries.
The Congress offered the status quo to the NCP as well, so that the party would retain the agriculture ministry, and Praful Patel would stay on as minister of state with independent charge of civil aviation.
The Congress party's standoff with the DMK on the eve of the new government's swearing-in is almost a replay of events in 2004, when the DMK initially played hardball and threatened to stay out of the government. It eventually joined the government, again after a last-minute intervention by Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. Late on Thursday, Gandhi called on Singh at his 7 Race Course Road residence to discuss how to resolve the DMK impasse.
This time, too, senior Congress leaders are hopeful of bringing the DMK around. "They [the DMK] are our allies," said Congress general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi. "We will talk to them and persuade them to join the government."
According to senior Congress politicians involved in the dialogue with the allies throughout the day, the DMK acted tough from the very beginning, demanding the ministries of shipping, surface transport and highways, information technology and communications, and environment and forests, in addition to railways and health. The Congress tried to argue in favour of proportionate representation, but the DMK, it seems, was adamant.
It is shameful, the way the DMK chief is hankering for ministerial posts for his relatives. Such shameless nepotism has never been seen in India.Just because he has married thrice it does not mean that the Indian Tax payer has to bear the expenses of his shameful act.
The Congress should put its foot down.
Such shameful arrogance will never be accepted by the people of India. This is the best time and reason to let a recalcitrant and corrupt ally know that we will not tolerate corruption.
Proportional representation according to the number of seats won is a reasonable method of deciding the number of ministers from parties making up the UPA. If the DMK does not accept, it is their look out.
It would be best if the Congress dealt with the matter as they dealt with Lalu, Paswan and Mulayam in the matter of seat sharing before the elections.
If the congress is to rise to a level where it can get majority on its own, it will have to be strong and not give in to blackmail from corrupt people who are out just to add to their family wealth.
Radheshyam
Javed M AnsariFriday, May 22, 2009 3:06 IST Email
New Delhi: Manmohan Singh's attempt to cobble together a government of clean, honest, efficient ministers hit a bump on Thursday with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) threatening to merely offer support from outside, and not join the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) administration
The move came after the Congress refused to induct outgoing ministers TR Baalu and A Raja on grounds of their poor probity and performance, and differences over the number of portfolios that the DMK could get.
After several rounds of hard-nosed bargaining between the parties, DMK chief M Karunanidhi, who is also Tamil Nadu's chief minister, called prime minister Singh and told him of his party's decision to stay out of government. The DMK, with 18 MPs, is the third largest constituent of the UPA.
Senior Congress politicians involved in the protracted negotiations said the party finally offered to maintain the status quo with the DMK, ie induct the same number of ministers and give them the same ministries as in the outgoing government, but Karunanidhi refused.
The Congress stance was an improvement on its initial offer of two cabinet berths, but it proved unacceptable. When it became clear that the DMK team planned to fly back to Chennai on Thursday itself, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi intervened, urging Karunanidhi to stay back. He agreed.
The DMK had originally demanded five cabinet berths, in addition to four ministers of state and the right to retain the portfolios it held in the previous government. Observers say the reason for Karunanidhi's high-pitched strategy is his need to place key family members -- elder son MK Azhagiri, daughter Kanimozhi, and nephew Dayanidhi Maran -- in important positions at the Centre.
Meanwhile, the Congress was also involved in tough bargaining with two other allies, the Trinamool Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). After two rounds of negotiations, it had managed to strike a bargain with both, with Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool apparently agreeing to settle for the railway ministry, in addition to five ministers of state, including one each in the health and home ministries.
The Congress offered the status quo to the NCP as well, so that the party would retain the agriculture ministry, and Praful Patel would stay on as minister of state with independent charge of civil aviation.
The Congress party's standoff with the DMK on the eve of the new government's swearing-in is almost a replay of events in 2004, when the DMK initially played hardball and threatened to stay out of the government. It eventually joined the government, again after a last-minute intervention by Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. Late on Thursday, Gandhi called on Singh at his 7 Race Course Road residence to discuss how to resolve the DMK impasse.
This time, too, senior Congress leaders are hopeful of bringing the DMK around. "They [the DMK] are our allies," said Congress general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi. "We will talk to them and persuade them to join the government."
According to senior Congress politicians involved in the dialogue with the allies throughout the day, the DMK acted tough from the very beginning, demanding the ministries of shipping, surface transport and highways, information technology and communications, and environment and forests, in addition to railways and health. The Congress tried to argue in favour of proportionate representation, but the DMK, it seems, was adamant.
It is shameful, the way the DMK chief is hankering for ministerial posts for his relatives. Such shameless nepotism has never been seen in India.Just because he has married thrice it does not mean that the Indian Tax payer has to bear the expenses of his shameful act.
The Congress should put its foot down.
Such shameful arrogance will never be accepted by the people of India. This is the best time and reason to let a recalcitrant and corrupt ally know that we will not tolerate corruption.
Proportional representation according to the number of seats won is a reasonable method of deciding the number of ministers from parties making up the UPA. If the DMK does not accept, it is their look out.
It would be best if the Congress dealt with the matter as they dealt with Lalu, Paswan and Mulayam in the matter of seat sharing before the elections.
If the congress is to rise to a level where it can get majority on its own, it will have to be strong and not give in to blackmail from corrupt people who are out just to add to their family wealth.
Radheshyam
PM says Namaste, Priyanka Vadra just grins
Clean rule riles DMK
PM firm, sit-out threat by ally
- A moment to pause before a milestone
RADHIKA RAMASESHAN
New Delhi, May 21: The DMK this evening threatened to sit outside the government, unable to turn around Manmohan Singh who insisted his council of ministers should have a clean reputation and prompting Sonia Gandhi to call on the Prime Minister late tonight.
Singh, who is said to have reservations about at least two DMK nominees who were ministers in his erstwhile council, reportedly put his foot down and refused to accommodate them.
The dramatic turn of events came less than 24 hours before Singh was to be sworn in Prime Minister for a second term.
Sonia was in the Prime Minister’s house well past midnight. If a solution is not found before 6.30pm — the swearing-in has been pushed back by an hour for procedural reasons — Singh is likely to keep the disputed ministries with him for the time being, sources said.
The DMK’s vocal display of discontent, suitably aired before television cameras, came in the evening. “My leader Karunanidhi has advised me to inform that the DMK will support the government from outside,” said T.R. Baalu, one of the nominees reportedly disfavoured by Singh.
The purported reason for the DMK’s disenchantment is the Congress’s failure to set aside the berths — both in quantity and quality — sought by the southern ally which, with 18 MPs, is the second largest partner after the Trinamul Congress.
However, sources said the biggest sticking point was the inclusion of the names of Baalu and A. Raja — both ministers in the first UPA government — in a list Karunanidhi sent across to Pranab Mukherjee. The list, handed over by Baalu himself to the Congress’s chief interlocutor, was the political equivalent of a red rag as the bigger party had conveyed to the DMK the Prime Minister’s misgivings about certain nominees.
No specific charges were raised against any individual. But a whiff of controversy had hung around some ministries handled by Baalu and Raja last time. Baalu had looked after shipping, road transport and highways, while communications and information technology were run by Raja. Some of these ministries handle contracts that deal with crores of rupees.
His hands no longer tied by mercurial allies — the UPA now has the pledged support of 304 MPs even without the DMK which in any case has offered backing from outside — the Prime Minister is learnt to have told his party that he might be willing to let “political” nominees fill economic portfolios but he should be allowed to pick a clean team.
During the day, Singh phoned Karunanidhi, camping at the capital’s Tamil Nadu Bhavan with his family, who said the Congress’s stand was unacceptable. As part of the brinkmanship, the DMK claimed that Karunanidhi had blocked seats in three airlines to leave Delhi tomorrow morning if the talks collapse.
Officially, the DMK found fault with the Congress formula of one berth for every seven MPs, saying such an arrangement was not in existence in 2004 when the southern ally had two MPs less but three cabinet berths and five ministers of state. The DMK now wants nine berths, but the Congress is not willing to offer more than five or, at the most, six.
But the intractable issues are the two ministers and Karunanidhi’s demand that three relatives be accommodated. Allies such as Mamata Banerjee are also wary of giving too many berths to the DMK and opening the government to the risk of corruption charges.
Some allies like the NCP, however, are said to be pushing the line that allies should be allowed to retain the portfolios they held.
The NCP was sulking after word was out that the Congress wanted to bifurcate the agriculture and food supplies ministry held by Sharad Pawar. The Congress saw a “conflict of interest” in coupling the two departments because the pricing mechanism for agricultural produce had allegedly been devised to help the NCP’s core constituency of the “kulaks” of west Maharashtra.
The National Conference is also unhappy — Farooq Abdullah is apparently going ahead with plans to proceed to South Africa tomorrow to watch the IPL.
The above picture speaks volumes.
Our gentleman prime minsiter says namaste as our culture would tell us to do.
But the lady standing in front who calls herself a Gandhi but is actually a Vadra just stands there gawking and grinning.
Is this the respect you show your elders or have you become so haughty that you forget the minimum courtesy?
But that is not why I am writing today.
I am pleased to note that our prime minister who himself is honest is now trying to surround himself with honest colleagues. It is about time.
During his last stint, because of numbers he could not do so and had to put up with the likes of Shibu Soren and Lalu Yadav.
I am surprised at the audacity of Karunanidhi and the DMK.
Upto now, they had taken Tamil Nadu as their fiefdom, now they are reaching out to Delhi to create a new fiefdom.
No subtelety or hide and seek about it.
Karunanidhi wants four ministerial posts for his relatives.
This would be the first step in the Congress's efforts to root out corruption.
I wish our PM every success in his fight against corruption.
He may count on my support.
Not having Lalu in the cabinet would have another benefit.
Now they can start a campagn for limiting the number of children to one or two. With Lalu there, they could not as he (with 10 children) had set a bad example.
PM firm, sit-out threat by ally
- A moment to pause before a milestone
RADHIKA RAMASESHAN
New Delhi, May 21: The DMK this evening threatened to sit outside the government, unable to turn around Manmohan Singh who insisted his council of ministers should have a clean reputation and prompting Sonia Gandhi to call on the Prime Minister late tonight.
Singh, who is said to have reservations about at least two DMK nominees who were ministers in his erstwhile council, reportedly put his foot down and refused to accommodate them.
The dramatic turn of events came less than 24 hours before Singh was to be sworn in Prime Minister for a second term.
Sonia was in the Prime Minister’s house well past midnight. If a solution is not found before 6.30pm — the swearing-in has been pushed back by an hour for procedural reasons — Singh is likely to keep the disputed ministries with him for the time being, sources said.
The DMK’s vocal display of discontent, suitably aired before television cameras, came in the evening. “My leader Karunanidhi has advised me to inform that the DMK will support the government from outside,” said T.R. Baalu, one of the nominees reportedly disfavoured by Singh.
The purported reason for the DMK’s disenchantment is the Congress’s failure to set aside the berths — both in quantity and quality — sought by the southern ally which, with 18 MPs, is the second largest partner after the Trinamul Congress.
However, sources said the biggest sticking point was the inclusion of the names of Baalu and A. Raja — both ministers in the first UPA government — in a list Karunanidhi sent across to Pranab Mukherjee. The list, handed over by Baalu himself to the Congress’s chief interlocutor, was the political equivalent of a red rag as the bigger party had conveyed to the DMK the Prime Minister’s misgivings about certain nominees.
No specific charges were raised against any individual. But a whiff of controversy had hung around some ministries handled by Baalu and Raja last time. Baalu had looked after shipping, road transport and highways, while communications and information technology were run by Raja. Some of these ministries handle contracts that deal with crores of rupees.
His hands no longer tied by mercurial allies — the UPA now has the pledged support of 304 MPs even without the DMK which in any case has offered backing from outside — the Prime Minister is learnt to have told his party that he might be willing to let “political” nominees fill economic portfolios but he should be allowed to pick a clean team.
During the day, Singh phoned Karunanidhi, camping at the capital’s Tamil Nadu Bhavan with his family, who said the Congress’s stand was unacceptable. As part of the brinkmanship, the DMK claimed that Karunanidhi had blocked seats in three airlines to leave Delhi tomorrow morning if the talks collapse.
Officially, the DMK found fault with the Congress formula of one berth for every seven MPs, saying such an arrangement was not in existence in 2004 when the southern ally had two MPs less but three cabinet berths and five ministers of state. The DMK now wants nine berths, but the Congress is not willing to offer more than five or, at the most, six.
But the intractable issues are the two ministers and Karunanidhi’s demand that three relatives be accommodated. Allies such as Mamata Banerjee are also wary of giving too many berths to the DMK and opening the government to the risk of corruption charges.
Some allies like the NCP, however, are said to be pushing the line that allies should be allowed to retain the portfolios they held.
The NCP was sulking after word was out that the Congress wanted to bifurcate the agriculture and food supplies ministry held by Sharad Pawar. The Congress saw a “conflict of interest” in coupling the two departments because the pricing mechanism for agricultural produce had allegedly been devised to help the NCP’s core constituency of the “kulaks” of west Maharashtra.
The National Conference is also unhappy — Farooq Abdullah is apparently going ahead with plans to proceed to South Africa tomorrow to watch the IPL.
The above picture speaks volumes.
Our gentleman prime minsiter says namaste as our culture would tell us to do.
But the lady standing in front who calls herself a Gandhi but is actually a Vadra just stands there gawking and grinning.
Is this the respect you show your elders or have you become so haughty that you forget the minimum courtesy?
But that is not why I am writing today.
I am pleased to note that our prime minister who himself is honest is now trying to surround himself with honest colleagues. It is about time.
During his last stint, because of numbers he could not do so and had to put up with the likes of Shibu Soren and Lalu Yadav.
I am surprised at the audacity of Karunanidhi and the DMK.
Upto now, they had taken Tamil Nadu as their fiefdom, now they are reaching out to Delhi to create a new fiefdom.
No subtelety or hide and seek about it.
Karunanidhi wants four ministerial posts for his relatives.
This would be the first step in the Congress's efforts to root out corruption.
I wish our PM every success in his fight against corruption.
He may count on my support.
Not having Lalu in the cabinet would have another benefit.
Now they can start a campagn for limiting the number of children to one or two. With Lalu there, they could not as he (with 10 children) had set a bad example.
A true fairy tale
This is not a fairy tale but a true life story. Like all fairy tales, it has a happy ending but we do not know whether the wicked father has been punished.
Sent by Swapan Das
Neera Chopra lived through abuse, poverty and some tough choices to make her once-unwanted girl child, Pooja Chopra, the Pantaloons Femina Miss Pooja Chopra with her mother.
I don't know where to begin... they were terrible times. My husband was well-placed, but the marriage had begun to sink almost as soon as it began. Like most women do, I tried to work against all the odds .
My in-laws insisted everything would be alright if I had a son. My first child was a daughter, and that didn't do me any good... but I couldn't walk out. I had lost my father, my brother was in a not-so-senior position in Bata. I didn't want to be a burden on my family and continued to live in my marital home in Kolkata.
I looked after my mother-in law, who was suffering from cancer, and while bathing her, I would tell myself she would bless me and put things right.
I don't know how I tolerated it all. The least a man can do, if he must philander, is to not flaunt his women in his wife's face. Then began the manhandling. I still wanted my marriage to survive. I was a pure vegetarian and learnt to cook non-vegetarian delicacies thinking it would please him.
Then, I was pregnant again. When Pooja was eight months in my womb, my husband brought a girl to the house and announced he would marry her. I thought of killing myself. I hung on the slight hope that if the baby was a boy, my marriage could be saved.
When Pooja was born a girl, for three days, nobody came to the hospital. There was a squadron leaders wife on the opposite bed, who was kind enough to give me baby clothes for Pooja to wear. When she was 20 days old, I had to make a choice. I left the house with my girls Pooja and Shubra, who was seven then. I havent seen my husband since. I promised myself, even if we had just one roti, we would share it, but together.
I began life in Mumbai with the support of my mother, brother, who was by then married. It wasn't the ideal situation, especially when he had children space, money, everything was short.. I began work at the Taj Colaba and got my own place. How did I manage Truth be told, I would put a chatai on the floor, leave two glasses of milk and some food, and bolt the door from outside before going to work. I would leave the key with the neighbours and tell the kids to shout out to them when it was time to leave for school.
Their tiny hands would do homework on their own, feed themselves on days that I worked late. My elder daughter Shubhra would make Pooja do her corrections... This is how they grew up. At a birthday party, Pooja would not eat her piece of cake, but pack it and bring it home to share with her sister. When Shubhra started working, she would skip lunch and pack a chicken sandwich that she would slip in her sisters lunchbox the next day.
I used to pray, God, punish me for my karma, but not my innocent little kids. Please let me provide them the basics. I used to struggle for shoes, socks, uniforms. I was living in Bangur Nagar, Goregaon. Pooja would walk four bus stops down to the St Thomas
Academy. Then, too little to cross the road, she would ask a passerby to help her. I had to save the bus money to be able to put some milk in their bodies.
Life began to change when I got a job for Rs 6,000 at the then Goa Penta. Mr Chhabra, the owner, and his wife, were kind enough to provide a loan for me. I sent my daughters to my sisters house in Pune, with my mother as support. I spent four years working in Goa while I saved to buy a small one-bedroom house in Pune (where the family still lives). I would work 16-18 hours a day, not even taking weekly offs to accumulate leave and visit my daughters three or four times a year.
Once I bought my house and found a job in Pune, life began to settle. I worked in Hotel Blue Diamond for a year and then finally joined Mainland China which changed my life. The consideration of the team and management brought me the stability to bring them up, despite late hours and the travelling a hotelier must do.
Shubhra got a job in Hotel Blue Diamond, being the youngest employee there while still in college, and managed to finish her Masters in commerce and her BBM. Today, she is married to a sweet Catholic boy who is in the Merchant Navy and has a sweet daughter.
I continue to finish my day job and come home and take tuitions, as I have done for all these years. I also do all my household chores myself.
Through the years, Shubhra has been my anchor and Pooja, the rock. Poojas tiny hands have wiped away my tears when I broke down. She has stood up for me, when I couldn't speak for myself. Academically brilliant, she participated in all extra-curricular activities. When she needed high heels to model in, she did odd shows and bought them for herself.
When I saw Pooja give her speech on TV, I knew it came from her heart. I could see the twinkle in her eye. And I thought to myself as she won My God, this is my little girl. God was trying to tell me something.
Today, Ive no regrets. I believe every cloud has a silver lining. As a mother, Ive done nothing great.
I won due to my mothers karma
Pantaloons Femina Miss India Pooja Chopras mother promised One day, this girl will make me proud. Pooja speaks on fulfilling that promise... 'When I was 20 days old, my mother was asked to make a choice. It was either me a girl child, or her husband. She chose me. As she walked out she turned around and told her husband, One day, this girl will make me proud... That day has come. Her husband went on to marry a woman who gave him two sons. Today, as I stand here a Miss India, I don't even know if my father knows that it is me, his daughter, who has set out to conquer the world, a crown on my head. Our lives have not been easy, least so for my mother. Financially, emotionally, she struggled to stay afloat, to keep her job and yet allow us to be the best that we could be. I was given only one condition when I started modeling my grades wouldn't drop.
All the girls in the pageant worked hard, but my edge was my mothers sacrifice, her karma. Today, when people call to congratulate me, its not me they pay tribute to, but to her life and her struggle. Shes the true Woman of Substance. She is my light, my mentor, my driving force. My win was merely Gods way of compensating her.'
Sent by Swapan Das
Neera Chopra lived through abuse, poverty and some tough choices to make her once-unwanted girl child, Pooja Chopra, the Pantaloons Femina Miss Pooja Chopra with her mother.
I don't know where to begin... they were terrible times. My husband was well-placed, but the marriage had begun to sink almost as soon as it began. Like most women do, I tried to work against all the odds .
My in-laws insisted everything would be alright if I had a son. My first child was a daughter, and that didn't do me any good... but I couldn't walk out. I had lost my father, my brother was in a not-so-senior position in Bata. I didn't want to be a burden on my family and continued to live in my marital home in Kolkata.
I looked after my mother-in law, who was suffering from cancer, and while bathing her, I would tell myself she would bless me and put things right.
I don't know how I tolerated it all. The least a man can do, if he must philander, is to not flaunt his women in his wife's face. Then began the manhandling. I still wanted my marriage to survive. I was a pure vegetarian and learnt to cook non-vegetarian delicacies thinking it would please him.
Then, I was pregnant again. When Pooja was eight months in my womb, my husband brought a girl to the house and announced he would marry her. I thought of killing myself. I hung on the slight hope that if the baby was a boy, my marriage could be saved.
When Pooja was born a girl, for three days, nobody came to the hospital. There was a squadron leaders wife on the opposite bed, who was kind enough to give me baby clothes for Pooja to wear. When she was 20 days old, I had to make a choice. I left the house with my girls Pooja and Shubra, who was seven then. I havent seen my husband since. I promised myself, even if we had just one roti, we would share it, but together.
I began life in Mumbai with the support of my mother, brother, who was by then married. It wasn't the ideal situation, especially when he had children space, money, everything was short.. I began work at the Taj Colaba and got my own place. How did I manage Truth be told, I would put a chatai on the floor, leave two glasses of milk and some food, and bolt the door from outside before going to work. I would leave the key with the neighbours and tell the kids to shout out to them when it was time to leave for school.
Their tiny hands would do homework on their own, feed themselves on days that I worked late. My elder daughter Shubhra would make Pooja do her corrections... This is how they grew up. At a birthday party, Pooja would not eat her piece of cake, but pack it and bring it home to share with her sister. When Shubhra started working, she would skip lunch and pack a chicken sandwich that she would slip in her sisters lunchbox the next day.
I used to pray, God, punish me for my karma, but not my innocent little kids. Please let me provide them the basics. I used to struggle for shoes, socks, uniforms. I was living in Bangur Nagar, Goregaon. Pooja would walk four bus stops down to the St Thomas
Academy. Then, too little to cross the road, she would ask a passerby to help her. I had to save the bus money to be able to put some milk in their bodies.
Life began to change when I got a job for Rs 6,000 at the then Goa Penta. Mr Chhabra, the owner, and his wife, were kind enough to provide a loan for me. I sent my daughters to my sisters house in Pune, with my mother as support. I spent four years working in Goa while I saved to buy a small one-bedroom house in Pune (where the family still lives). I would work 16-18 hours a day, not even taking weekly offs to accumulate leave and visit my daughters three or four times a year.
Once I bought my house and found a job in Pune, life began to settle. I worked in Hotel Blue Diamond for a year and then finally joined Mainland China which changed my life. The consideration of the team and management brought me the stability to bring them up, despite late hours and the travelling a hotelier must do.
Shubhra got a job in Hotel Blue Diamond, being the youngest employee there while still in college, and managed to finish her Masters in commerce and her BBM. Today, she is married to a sweet Catholic boy who is in the Merchant Navy and has a sweet daughter.
I continue to finish my day job and come home and take tuitions, as I have done for all these years. I also do all my household chores myself.
Through the years, Shubhra has been my anchor and Pooja, the rock. Poojas tiny hands have wiped away my tears when I broke down. She has stood up for me, when I couldn't speak for myself. Academically brilliant, she participated in all extra-curricular activities. When she needed high heels to model in, she did odd shows and bought them for herself.
When I saw Pooja give her speech on TV, I knew it came from her heart. I could see the twinkle in her eye. And I thought to myself as she won My God, this is my little girl. God was trying to tell me something.
Today, Ive no regrets. I believe every cloud has a silver lining. As a mother, Ive done nothing great.
I won due to my mothers karma
Pantaloons Femina Miss India Pooja Chopras mother promised One day, this girl will make me proud. Pooja speaks on fulfilling that promise... 'When I was 20 days old, my mother was asked to make a choice. It was either me a girl child, or her husband. She chose me. As she walked out she turned around and told her husband, One day, this girl will make me proud... That day has come. Her husband went on to marry a woman who gave him two sons. Today, as I stand here a Miss India, I don't even know if my father knows that it is me, his daughter, who has set out to conquer the world, a crown on my head. Our lives have not been easy, least so for my mother. Financially, emotionally, she struggled to stay afloat, to keep her job and yet allow us to be the best that we could be. I was given only one condition when I started modeling my grades wouldn't drop.
All the girls in the pageant worked hard, but my edge was my mothers sacrifice, her karma. Today, when people call to congratulate me, its not me they pay tribute to, but to her life and her struggle. Shes the true Woman of Substance. She is my light, my mentor, my driving force. My win was merely Gods way of compensating her.'
Thursday, May 21, 2009
153 Criminals in the new Parliament
MPs with criminal records
The Sentinel, Gauhati
: By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, May 20: With the conclusion of the 15th parlia-mentary elections in the country, people across the world have gone overboard, terming the entire event as the largest democratic exercise in the world. The hearts of the people in the country are also brimming with the hope that their elected representatives would solve their sorrow and woes. But have the people of India chosen their representatives well?
According to a report compiled by the National Election Watch, the number of MPs with a criminal record has gone up this year. There are as many as 153 MPs with a criminal record in the 15th Lok Sabha, with serious accusations under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) levelled against 74 of them. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tops the list with 43 MPs, the Congress comes a close second with 41 such MPs.
JMM MP for Palamau in Jharkhand Kameswar Baitha tops the list of top 10 MPs with a criminal background, which has been prepared by the National Election Watch. Baitha is accused in 35 cases and has 50 serious charges levelled against him under the IPC. JDU MP for Jahanabad in Bihar Jagadish Sharma, who is accused in six cases and has 17 serious charges levelled against him, follows a close second, while Samajwadi Party MP for Mirzapur constituency in Uttar Pradesh Bal Kumar Patel is accused in 10 cases and has 13 serious charges levelled against him.
The other MPs in the list are: BJP MP for Panchamahal in Gujarat Prabhatsinh Pratapsinh Chauvan, who is accused in 3 cases and has 10 serious charges levelled against him; BSP MP for Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh Kapil Muni Karwariya, who is accused in 4 cases and has 8 serious charges levelled against him; CPI-M MP P Karunakaran, who is accused in 12 cases and has 6 serious charges levelled against him; Congress MP for Rajkot Kunvarji Mohanbhai Bavaliya, who is accused in two cases and has six serious charges against him; Congress MP Vittalbhai Hansr-ajbhai Radadiya, who is accused in 16 cases and has five serious charges levelled against him; Samajwadi Party MP for Chandauli in Uttar Pradesh Ramkishun, who is accused in 10 cases and has five serious charges levelled against him, and RJD MP for Saran in Bihar Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is accused in 7 cases and has five serious cases registered against him.
I would like to congratulate Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for giving us 41 Criminal MPs.
No, I have not forgotten L K Advani. Advaniji, please accept my congratulations for foisting on us 43 criminals as MPs.
It just shows that Swami Ramdeo was right when he warned all political parties of putting up honest or he will have to decide to support or put up honest candidates in the next elections.
The political parties have lost the last opportunity.
Now, we depend only on Swami Ramdeo
The Sentinel, Gauhati
: By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, May 20: With the conclusion of the 15th parlia-mentary elections in the country, people across the world have gone overboard, terming the entire event as the largest democratic exercise in the world. The hearts of the people in the country are also brimming with the hope that their elected representatives would solve their sorrow and woes. But have the people of India chosen their representatives well?
According to a report compiled by the National Election Watch, the number of MPs with a criminal record has gone up this year. There are as many as 153 MPs with a criminal record in the 15th Lok Sabha, with serious accusations under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) levelled against 74 of them. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tops the list with 43 MPs, the Congress comes a close second with 41 such MPs.
JMM MP for Palamau in Jharkhand Kameswar Baitha tops the list of top 10 MPs with a criminal background, which has been prepared by the National Election Watch. Baitha is accused in 35 cases and has 50 serious charges levelled against him under the IPC. JDU MP for Jahanabad in Bihar Jagadish Sharma, who is accused in six cases and has 17 serious charges levelled against him, follows a close second, while Samajwadi Party MP for Mirzapur constituency in Uttar Pradesh Bal Kumar Patel is accused in 10 cases and has 13 serious charges levelled against him.
The other MPs in the list are: BJP MP for Panchamahal in Gujarat Prabhatsinh Pratapsinh Chauvan, who is accused in 3 cases and has 10 serious charges levelled against him; BSP MP for Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh Kapil Muni Karwariya, who is accused in 4 cases and has 8 serious charges levelled against him; CPI-M MP P Karunakaran, who is accused in 12 cases and has 6 serious charges levelled against him; Congress MP for Rajkot Kunvarji Mohanbhai Bavaliya, who is accused in two cases and has six serious charges against him; Congress MP Vittalbhai Hansr-ajbhai Radadiya, who is accused in 16 cases and has five serious charges levelled against him; Samajwadi Party MP for Chandauli in Uttar Pradesh Ramkishun, who is accused in 10 cases and has five serious charges levelled against him, and RJD MP for Saran in Bihar Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is accused in 7 cases and has five serious cases registered against him.
I would like to congratulate Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for giving us 41 Criminal MPs.
No, I have not forgotten L K Advani. Advaniji, please accept my congratulations for foisting on us 43 criminals as MPs.
It just shows that Swami Ramdeo was right when he warned all political parties of putting up honest or he will have to decide to support or put up honest candidates in the next elections.
The political parties have lost the last opportunity.
Now, we depend only on Swami Ramdeo
Son Killed for Not Re-marrying
Father, relatives kill son for refusing to marry again
Patna, May 20 :A man in a village in Bihar's Bhojpur district declined to carry out his father's order to desert his wife and marry another woman. The enraged father and other relatives beat the son to death, police said Wednesday.
Dharmendra Choudhary, in his late 20s, was killed Tuesday, allegedly by his father and other family members in Saropur village of Bhojpur district, 60 km from state capital Patna.
"Dharmendra was beaten to death by his father and others after he refused to marry again," a police officer said.
Dharmendra's father-in-law Budhan Choudhary has lodged an FIR (first information report) at the Piro police station and blamed Dharmendra's father and other family members for the killing.
Budhan said his daughter Anita Kumari married Dharmendra in 2003 and the couple had no children. "Dharmendra's family members were pressurising him to marry again but he refused time and again as he was happy with his life."
Dharmendra had a heated conversation with his father and other family members Tuesday. After that he was beaten to death.
It is common in rural Bihar for families to force their sons to marry again if the couple do not have children after three years of marriage.
We have all heard of dowry deaths where a bride is killed because she had brought insufficient dowry. Nowadays, the government has made rules so stringent that wives have started harassing their husbands by lodging FIR's in police stations against them for demanding dowry, although the poor husband is innocent.
However, given above is another type of harassment where if the couple do not have children, the wife is invariably blamed although the husband may be at fault in having lower sperm counts.
The poor boy above lost his life, killed by his own father and relatives because he would not remarry.
I have a sister who too did not have any children. Her father-in-law tried many times to get his son to remarry. Her husband did not and they lived without children.
If you see your own good in whatever God does, it helps you to pass the worst of times with equanimity.
Then there are other cases where the husband remarries because the wife has not borne him a male issue.
We all know after reading about X and Y chromosomes that the husband is supposed to carry the Y chromosomes which produces male children and if no male is born, the husband is to blame. But in our male dominated society, even for this, the wife is blamed.
When I was in Patna, I had a landlord whose wife bore him 7 girls.
He decided to remarry to get a male heir.
He married an uneducated girl from a poor family who was of the same age as his fourth daughter.
The new wife bore him another five girls and then one boy.
The only silver lining in the whole episode was that he educated his second wife to become an M.A.
Of course, the M.A was from Bihar where in those days mass copying used to be the rule.
However, people of Punjab and Haryana have overcome this problem.
They get some fetal tests done by which they are told whether the foetus is male or female.
If it is female, they get it aborted.
My India is Great.
Of course, our government has made such testing illegal but still doctors carry out the test clandestinely with the result the female/male population ratio in those areas has become unfavourable towards female.
And the irony is, we worship the female as godesses.
All the important portfolios in the hierarchy of are gods have been allotted to ladies.Defence and Home, Durga, Finance, Lakshmi and Education, Saraswati.
Patna, May 20 :A man in a village in Bihar's Bhojpur district declined to carry out his father's order to desert his wife and marry another woman. The enraged father and other relatives beat the son to death, police said Wednesday.
Dharmendra Choudhary, in his late 20s, was killed Tuesday, allegedly by his father and other family members in Saropur village of Bhojpur district, 60 km from state capital Patna.
"Dharmendra was beaten to death by his father and others after he refused to marry again," a police officer said.
Dharmendra's father-in-law Budhan Choudhary has lodged an FIR (first information report) at the Piro police station and blamed Dharmendra's father and other family members for the killing.
Budhan said his daughter Anita Kumari married Dharmendra in 2003 and the couple had no children. "Dharmendra's family members were pressurising him to marry again but he refused time and again as he was happy with his life."
Dharmendra had a heated conversation with his father and other family members Tuesday. After that he was beaten to death.
It is common in rural Bihar for families to force their sons to marry again if the couple do not have children after three years of marriage.
We have all heard of dowry deaths where a bride is killed because she had brought insufficient dowry. Nowadays, the government has made rules so stringent that wives have started harassing their husbands by lodging FIR's in police stations against them for demanding dowry, although the poor husband is innocent.
However, given above is another type of harassment where if the couple do not have children, the wife is invariably blamed although the husband may be at fault in having lower sperm counts.
The poor boy above lost his life, killed by his own father and relatives because he would not remarry.
I have a sister who too did not have any children. Her father-in-law tried many times to get his son to remarry. Her husband did not and they lived without children.
If you see your own good in whatever God does, it helps you to pass the worst of times with equanimity.
Then there are other cases where the husband remarries because the wife has not borne him a male issue.
We all know after reading about X and Y chromosomes that the husband is supposed to carry the Y chromosomes which produces male children and if no male is born, the husband is to blame. But in our male dominated society, even for this, the wife is blamed.
When I was in Patna, I had a landlord whose wife bore him 7 girls.
He decided to remarry to get a male heir.
He married an uneducated girl from a poor family who was of the same age as his fourth daughter.
The new wife bore him another five girls and then one boy.
The only silver lining in the whole episode was that he educated his second wife to become an M.A.
Of course, the M.A was from Bihar where in those days mass copying used to be the rule.
However, people of Punjab and Haryana have overcome this problem.
They get some fetal tests done by which they are told whether the foetus is male or female.
If it is female, they get it aborted.
My India is Great.
Of course, our government has made such testing illegal but still doctors carry out the test clandestinely with the result the female/male population ratio in those areas has become unfavourable towards female.
And the irony is, we worship the female as godesses.
All the important portfolios in the hierarchy of are gods have been allotted to ladies.Defence and Home, Durga, Finance, Lakshmi and Education, Saraswati.
ISC Topper from Christian Brothers School
Not very studious yet 99.2%
- Record-breaking ISC topper from Calcutta school
CHANDREYEE CHATTERJEE
Calcutta, May 20: Calcutta finally has a national champion.
Subhojit Ghosh would read Harry Potter, listen to Nirvana and Fossils, be on Facebook for hours and when in the mood bury himself in textbooks — only to emerge as the highest scorer in the history of Indian School Certificate (ISC) exam.
The 18-year-old with a soft voice and shy smile today scored a record 99.25 per cent in his school-leaving exam.
His score card? Math 100; computer science 100; physics 99, English 98; chemistry 94; Bengali 92; environmental science 97.
“The 99.25 score (English and best three) in ISC is an all-time record in the history of the council. Never in the past has a student scaled such heights,” said Gerry Arathoon, the additional secretary and officiating chief executive and secretary of the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations.
The student of St. Joseph’s College on B.B. Ganguly Street in central Calcutta insisted he was “never very studious”. “The hours I put in would depend on my mood and could range from anything between two hours and 20 hours,” said Subhojit, with a shrug.
So, the record score came as something of a surprise for the boy from College Street. “I was expecting something around 96-97 per cent; 99.25 per cent is way beyond my expectations,” said the teenager who had scored 96 per cent in his ICSE.
Subhojit, who according to his father Subhashish Ghosh was “slightly tense” in the morning, logged in to the council’s website at 11am, with mother Sujata and sister Suchismita, 15, for company.
“At 11.15am, he called me and said in an incredulous voice that he had scored 99.25 per cent. He said he couldn’t believe it but that is what the website was showing,” recounted Subhashish, who ran to the nearest sweet shop and then rushed back home from work.
Proud parents Subhashish and Sujata are with a direct-selling company. “If you asked me what he did apart from studying, I would have to say ‘what not’!” smiled the father.
When he wasn’t busy listening to Bengali or English rock, Subhojit was on Facebook, playing games, leaving wall posts or playing random quizzes.
“I am not very politically aware and have not followed the elections very closely, but I do like Rahul Gandhi a lot because he is young,” said Subhojit.
Kid sister Suchismita, Class IX student of Loreto Dharamtala, doesn’t have to look so far for a young leader. “She is so proud of her brother. I know this result will inspire her as well,” said mother Sujata.
ISC conquered, Subhojit has now set his sights on studying aerospace engineering in IIT Kanpur. “I love physics so my first choice is aerospace engineering but then I also like mechanics so I would not mind studying mechanical engineering. If IIT doesn’t happen, then BITS Pilani.”
The not-so-studious topper is also clear about what he will never do — “study computers and leave my country”.
The above is another example of the way the Christian brothers run their schools.
Although Subhojit is not from Goethals but he makes us all proud of the Christian Brothers.
His feat is especially commendable since he has achieved this in Kolkata which is always rocking with Left Front and Mamata disturbances.
Further, he was not a book worm as he caried out a number of other extra-curricular activities.
I would say, he is truly God-gifted with an abundance of talents.
Congratulations, Subjojit.
Radheshyam
- Record-breaking ISC topper from Calcutta school
CHANDREYEE CHATTERJEE
Calcutta, May 20: Calcutta finally has a national champion.
Subhojit Ghosh would read Harry Potter, listen to Nirvana and Fossils, be on Facebook for hours and when in the mood bury himself in textbooks — only to emerge as the highest scorer in the history of Indian School Certificate (ISC) exam.
The 18-year-old with a soft voice and shy smile today scored a record 99.25 per cent in his school-leaving exam.
His score card? Math 100; computer science 100; physics 99, English 98; chemistry 94; Bengali 92; environmental science 97.
“The 99.25 score (English and best three) in ISC is an all-time record in the history of the council. Never in the past has a student scaled such heights,” said Gerry Arathoon, the additional secretary and officiating chief executive and secretary of the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations.
The student of St. Joseph’s College on B.B. Ganguly Street in central Calcutta insisted he was “never very studious”. “The hours I put in would depend on my mood and could range from anything between two hours and 20 hours,” said Subhojit, with a shrug.
So, the record score came as something of a surprise for the boy from College Street. “I was expecting something around 96-97 per cent; 99.25 per cent is way beyond my expectations,” said the teenager who had scored 96 per cent in his ICSE.
Subhojit, who according to his father Subhashish Ghosh was “slightly tense” in the morning, logged in to the council’s website at 11am, with mother Sujata and sister Suchismita, 15, for company.
“At 11.15am, he called me and said in an incredulous voice that he had scored 99.25 per cent. He said he couldn’t believe it but that is what the website was showing,” recounted Subhashish, who ran to the nearest sweet shop and then rushed back home from work.
Proud parents Subhashish and Sujata are with a direct-selling company. “If you asked me what he did apart from studying, I would have to say ‘what not’!” smiled the father.
When he wasn’t busy listening to Bengali or English rock, Subhojit was on Facebook, playing games, leaving wall posts or playing random quizzes.
“I am not very politically aware and have not followed the elections very closely, but I do like Rahul Gandhi a lot because he is young,” said Subhojit.
Kid sister Suchismita, Class IX student of Loreto Dharamtala, doesn’t have to look so far for a young leader. “She is so proud of her brother. I know this result will inspire her as well,” said mother Sujata.
ISC conquered, Subhojit has now set his sights on studying aerospace engineering in IIT Kanpur. “I love physics so my first choice is aerospace engineering but then I also like mechanics so I would not mind studying mechanical engineering. If IIT doesn’t happen, then BITS Pilani.”
The not-so-studious topper is also clear about what he will never do — “study computers and leave my country”.
The above is another example of the way the Christian brothers run their schools.
Although Subhojit is not from Goethals but he makes us all proud of the Christian Brothers.
His feat is especially commendable since he has achieved this in Kolkata which is always rocking with Left Front and Mamata disturbances.
Further, he was not a book worm as he caried out a number of other extra-curricular activities.
I would say, he is truly God-gifted with an abundance of talents.
Congratulations, Subjojit.
Radheshyam
Touching Moments
It is always touching when two colleagues meet and exchange hugs.
However,sometime your elevation does not allow you a hug.
You do the next best as these two officers of the Punjab Police are doing.
Sent by Keith Hayward
However,sometime your elevation does not allow you a hug.
You do the next best as these two officers of the Punjab Police are doing.
Sent by Keith Hayward
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Nitish is doing the Impossible, turning round Bihar
Nitish Model Prevails Over Modi Model
Soroor Ahmed
(Bihar Times) When Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar clasped his hand with the Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi in Ludhiana on May 10––after the election was over in his own state––he was roundly criticized. However, what needs to be eulogized is that he maintained an arms distance from the ‘BJP’s Prime Minister-in-waiting for the 2014’ Lok Sabha election.
Nitish did not allow Modi to enter Bihar though he addressed election rallies in neighbouring Jharkhand. That was the master-stroke because now it is clear that in most of the states where the Gujarat chief minister visited during the election campaign the BJP performed poorly. This happened even in those states where the performance of the state governments of the BJP was as good as Nitish’s. Modi toured the heartland of India, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab etc and the party’s result is there for everyone to see. Only in Jharkhand the BJP managed to revive but that was mostly because of the great vacuum created by the ‘secularists’ and tribal parties.
The irony is that even in his home state Gujarat the BJP got 0.9 per cent less votes in comparison to 2004 Lok Sabha election. There is now serious debate within the NDA circle that Modi is becoming a liability of a sort outside Gujarat.
The second thing that Nitish Kumar did was that he quickly blasted Varun Gandhi for his hate speech in Pilibhit thus taking the wind out of the sail of his opponents. Though Lalu talked of running roller over Varun’s chest even his ardent supporters did not approve the language. He ended up only facing criticism.
Thirdly the Janata Dal United distanced itself from the BJP’s decision to resurrect the Ram Mandir issue.
So while voters, to some extent got polarized in some of the constituencies in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and many several states, in Bihar, where there is 16.5 per cent Muslim there was much less scope of pre-poll polarization. Had Nitish allowed Modi to campaign in Bihar the result would have been quite different.
Though the first ‘secular’ partner of the BJP––since 1996 when only Shiv Sena and Akali Dal were with it––the Janata Dal United (earlier called Samata Party) never allowed any leader of the Sangh Parivar to even talk of the Modi Model in the home state here. Whenever any BJP men would talk of the Gujarat like development the Janata Dal United would counter it with the Nitish Model.
What many observers failed to notice is that even the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP, Lal Krishna Advani, did not address much public meetings during this campaign in Bihar. In comparison to the past very few BJP leaders from the Centre addressed rallies and they all spoke in measured tone.
Polarization––be it communal or caste––buries serious debates and people are carried away by emotion. Nitish did not let either Lalu nor the BJP–– though his partner––to exploit these issues at the time of the election.
What many urban-centric public opinion makers fail to appreciate is that mere development or law and order do not ensure victory in the election. Better political management are equally essential. Nitish knew this better than many in the BJP.
With weak BJP at all India level and Nitish winning the election on his plank, rather than on the Hindutva slogan, it is to be seen how the politics in the state heads.
The above is from the Bihar Times.
I agree with the writer.
If development work does not reach the poorest of the poor, what is the use of development.
I admire both Narendra Modi as well as Nitish Kumar.
Modi is more into Industrial development, is media savy.
Nitish is a silent worker and allows his work to speak for itself.
If the BJP is to rise, they will have to adapt both Modi's and Nitish's models.
Modi has another advantage.
He does not have to cope up with annual flooding of his state. Rather, he has the opposite problem, scarcity of water.
Of course the Kosi floods were man made.
Previous engineers, as is the habit in Bihar, probably spent only 10 to 15% of the sancioned funds and siphoned of the rest.
Nitish suffered because of their sins.
Even those floods could not dampen the faith the people of the state had on Nitish, inspite of the adverse propoganda war launched by Lalu and his men.
Congratulations Nitish!
Soroor Ahmed
(Bihar Times) When Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar clasped his hand with the Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi in Ludhiana on May 10––after the election was over in his own state––he was roundly criticized. However, what needs to be eulogized is that he maintained an arms distance from the ‘BJP’s Prime Minister-in-waiting for the 2014’ Lok Sabha election.
Nitish did not allow Modi to enter Bihar though he addressed election rallies in neighbouring Jharkhand. That was the master-stroke because now it is clear that in most of the states where the Gujarat chief minister visited during the election campaign the BJP performed poorly. This happened even in those states where the performance of the state governments of the BJP was as good as Nitish’s. Modi toured the heartland of India, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab etc and the party’s result is there for everyone to see. Only in Jharkhand the BJP managed to revive but that was mostly because of the great vacuum created by the ‘secularists’ and tribal parties.
The irony is that even in his home state Gujarat the BJP got 0.9 per cent less votes in comparison to 2004 Lok Sabha election. There is now serious debate within the NDA circle that Modi is becoming a liability of a sort outside Gujarat.
The second thing that Nitish Kumar did was that he quickly blasted Varun Gandhi for his hate speech in Pilibhit thus taking the wind out of the sail of his opponents. Though Lalu talked of running roller over Varun’s chest even his ardent supporters did not approve the language. He ended up only facing criticism.
Thirdly the Janata Dal United distanced itself from the BJP’s decision to resurrect the Ram Mandir issue.
So while voters, to some extent got polarized in some of the constituencies in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and many several states, in Bihar, where there is 16.5 per cent Muslim there was much less scope of pre-poll polarization. Had Nitish allowed Modi to campaign in Bihar the result would have been quite different.
Though the first ‘secular’ partner of the BJP––since 1996 when only Shiv Sena and Akali Dal were with it––the Janata Dal United (earlier called Samata Party) never allowed any leader of the Sangh Parivar to even talk of the Modi Model in the home state here. Whenever any BJP men would talk of the Gujarat like development the Janata Dal United would counter it with the Nitish Model.
What many observers failed to notice is that even the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP, Lal Krishna Advani, did not address much public meetings during this campaign in Bihar. In comparison to the past very few BJP leaders from the Centre addressed rallies and they all spoke in measured tone.
Polarization––be it communal or caste––buries serious debates and people are carried away by emotion. Nitish did not let either Lalu nor the BJP–– though his partner––to exploit these issues at the time of the election.
What many urban-centric public opinion makers fail to appreciate is that mere development or law and order do not ensure victory in the election. Better political management are equally essential. Nitish knew this better than many in the BJP.
With weak BJP at all India level and Nitish winning the election on his plank, rather than on the Hindutva slogan, it is to be seen how the politics in the state heads.
The above is from the Bihar Times.
I agree with the writer.
If development work does not reach the poorest of the poor, what is the use of development.
I admire both Narendra Modi as well as Nitish Kumar.
Modi is more into Industrial development, is media savy.
Nitish is a silent worker and allows his work to speak for itself.
If the BJP is to rise, they will have to adapt both Modi's and Nitish's models.
Modi has another advantage.
He does not have to cope up with annual flooding of his state. Rather, he has the opposite problem, scarcity of water.
Of course the Kosi floods were man made.
Previous engineers, as is the habit in Bihar, probably spent only 10 to 15% of the sancioned funds and siphoned of the rest.
Nitish suffered because of their sins.
Even those floods could not dampen the faith the people of the state had on Nitish, inspite of the adverse propoganda war launched by Lalu and his men.
Congratulations Nitish!
A Tiger Squeaks
‘No truck possible with Raj’
Mumbai, May 19: Shiv Sena chief Mr Bal Thackeray has snapped all ties with estranged nephew Raj Thackeray taking serious exception to the latter’s “treacherous” behaviour. “There is no chance of reconciliation,” the uncle declared in a statement. The Sena chief and the ally BJP have held Mr Raj Thackeray responsible for their defeat in at least a dozen parliamentary constituencies just because Mr Raj Thackeray's had put up his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena candidates and split Shiv Sena’s committed Marathi votes. The total wipeout in nine of the ten seats in Mumbai and Thane was not only glaring but humiliating, including all six in Mumbai and three in Thane. ;SNS
After the extermination of one Tiger in Sri Lanka, another Tiger squeaks from Maharashtra.
While the imbecile Raj was creating havoc to the federal structure of India by spewing hatred for the north Indians, both the Shiv Sena and the BJP, conveniently kept silent as they did not want to spoil the Marathi vote bank.
Now that a number of Sena/BJP candidates have lost, they are angry on the imbecile.
That anger should have been demonstrated at that time
Mumbai, May 19: Shiv Sena chief Mr Bal Thackeray has snapped all ties with estranged nephew Raj Thackeray taking serious exception to the latter’s “treacherous” behaviour. “There is no chance of reconciliation,” the uncle declared in a statement. The Sena chief and the ally BJP have held Mr Raj Thackeray responsible for their defeat in at least a dozen parliamentary constituencies just because Mr Raj Thackeray's had put up his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena candidates and split Shiv Sena’s committed Marathi votes. The total wipeout in nine of the ten seats in Mumbai and Thane was not only glaring but humiliating, including all six in Mumbai and three in Thane. ;SNS
After the extermination of one Tiger in Sri Lanka, another Tiger squeaks from Maharashtra.
While the imbecile Raj was creating havoc to the federal structure of India by spewing hatred for the north Indians, both the Shiv Sena and the BJP, conveniently kept silent as they did not want to spoil the Marathi vote bank.
Now that a number of Sena/BJP candidates have lost, they are angry on the imbecile.
That anger should have been demonstrated at that time
3M, Strange bedfellows
Scramble to support govt
OUR BUREAU
May 19: The 261-member UPA is set to easily cross the majority mark of 272 with outside “secular” parties falling over themselves to offer support.
Mayavati today ditched Prakash Karat and announced unconditional and outside support to the government, as did the Janata Dal (Secular) and the RJD. The Samajwadi Party did not clarify if its backing came with strings attached.
A nuanced difference in these parties’ equations with the Congress was evident, though. The BSP, Samajwadis and the RJD gave their letters of support to President Pratibha Patil but the JD(S) handed its letter to Sonia Gandhi herself.
Former allies Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose post-poll overtures the Congress has ignored, and Lalu Prasad, bitter at alleged humiliation by some Congress leaders, did not seek time from Sonia.
Mayavati’s move is almost a slap in the face of CPM general secretary Karat, who had gone to her residence in Delhi days before last July’s trust vote to strike a surprise alliance. The CPM today virtually admitted the third front had been a failure.
Mayavati claimed Manmohan Singh had phoned her yesterday (she had rung him on Sunday), described her as his “younger sister” and urged her to take a “positive” attitude towards government formation.
Amar Singh, who handed the Samajwadi letter to Patil, said Manmohan had “twice” asked him for support, a claim Congress and PMO sources would not confirm or deny.
Congress sources suggested Mayavati and Mulayam were hoping to be let off in assets cases. “The CBI’s an autonomous body and we will do nothing to interfere,” a Congress source said.
Mayavati’s 21 MPs, together with Mulayam’s 23, the RJD’s four and the three JD(S) members, would raise the pro-government votes to 312.
Congress sources said the party was talking to Ajit Singh, who has five MPs. He may be asked to merge his Rashtriya Lok Dal with the Congress if he wants ministry berths.
The changing colours of Mulayam, Mayawati, Lalu would put even the best pedigreed chamaleon to shame.
Yes, politics make strange bedfellows.
Just imagine both Mayawati and Mulayam bedding with Manmohan, in the same bed.
3M is a good brand name.
And the Congress as usual states that the CBI is an autonomous body :), wink! wink!.
We all know how autonomous it is.
OUR BUREAU
May 19: The 261-member UPA is set to easily cross the majority mark of 272 with outside “secular” parties falling over themselves to offer support.
Mayavati today ditched Prakash Karat and announced unconditional and outside support to the government, as did the Janata Dal (Secular) and the RJD. The Samajwadi Party did not clarify if its backing came with strings attached.
A nuanced difference in these parties’ equations with the Congress was evident, though. The BSP, Samajwadis and the RJD gave their letters of support to President Pratibha Patil but the JD(S) handed its letter to Sonia Gandhi herself.
Former allies Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose post-poll overtures the Congress has ignored, and Lalu Prasad, bitter at alleged humiliation by some Congress leaders, did not seek time from Sonia.
Mayavati’s move is almost a slap in the face of CPM general secretary Karat, who had gone to her residence in Delhi days before last July’s trust vote to strike a surprise alliance. The CPM today virtually admitted the third front had been a failure.
Mayavati claimed Manmohan Singh had phoned her yesterday (she had rung him on Sunday), described her as his “younger sister” and urged her to take a “positive” attitude towards government formation.
Amar Singh, who handed the Samajwadi letter to Patil, said Manmohan had “twice” asked him for support, a claim Congress and PMO sources would not confirm or deny.
Congress sources suggested Mayavati and Mulayam were hoping to be let off in assets cases. “The CBI’s an autonomous body and we will do nothing to interfere,” a Congress source said.
Mayavati’s 21 MPs, together with Mulayam’s 23, the RJD’s four and the three JD(S) members, would raise the pro-government votes to 312.
Congress sources said the party was talking to Ajit Singh, who has five MPs. He may be asked to merge his Rashtriya Lok Dal with the Congress if he wants ministry berths.
The changing colours of Mulayam, Mayawati, Lalu would put even the best pedigreed chamaleon to shame.
Yes, politics make strange bedfellows.
Just imagine both Mayawati and Mulayam bedding with Manmohan, in the same bed.
3M is a good brand name.
And the Congress as usual states that the CBI is an autonomous body :), wink! wink!.
We all know how autonomous it is.
Nepal Saved by President
The following has been sent by Sanjesh Koirala.
The jury is out
What an irony that a party that hasn't renounced violence and keeps its own army wants “civilian supremacy”
By Kul Chandra Gautam
There has been much debate and public activism of late on President Ram Baran Yadav's action of overturning Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's decision to fire the Nepal Army chief and appoint a replacement. Curiously, the constitutionality of the prime minister's action has come under less stringent scrutiny as it is cloaked under the seemingly populist slogan of "civilian supremacy".
The Supreme Court will soon decide if the president's actions were constitutional. The case could also be taken to the CA, which has the power to even impeach the president. But his detractors have no patience or use for such constitutional and democratic remedies. They have already pronounced him guilty through a self-serving interpretation of the constitution backed up by street pressure and intimidation.
Lost in the hype is the constitutionality of the decision taken by a coalition government during a cabinet meeting boycotted by over half its ministers and objected to by all coalition partners.
Is it not the constitutional duty of the president then to take account of the views conveyed to him in writing by 18 political parties representing the majority of the membership of the CA? And shouldn't the prime minister have responded to the president's constitutionally valid request to reconsider his decision, having failed to secure a consensus support for his action as required by the interim constitution?
It is ironic that the one political party that has not renounced violence, that keeps a private army of its own, and that still subscribes to an ideology of "power comes from the barrel of the gun", claims to stand for "civilian supremacy". All other political parties with a much longer and consistent record of following democratic norms are castigated as supporting militarisation, and being feudal, reactionary, anti-people, lackeys of foreigners.
No political party in Nepal currently matches the paramilitary youth organisation and other fraternal groups aligned with the Maoists in terms of their capacity to organise demonstrations, agitation, intimidation and even "physical action" which means killing and maiming opponents.
The Maoist cause has been greatly aided by a group of supposedly "neutral" civil society leaders, some of whom had played an important role at the time of the 2006 people's movement, but who seem to have aligned themselves (perhaps inadvertently) with the Maoists since then.
The one-sided vitriol coming from some members of this civil society cohort is breathtaking and reminiscent of Stalin's hired propagandists. A well-known and thoroughly partisan leftist writer known for his poison-pen activism characterises Ram Baran Yadav as "an evil president who is tempted by greed for power, and is desperately seeking a crown and a throne". No one with an iota of objectivity would characterise Yadav, a humble son of a farmer and a life-long democrat, in such hyperbolic terms.
There is something deeply disturbing about civil society members not even granting the benefit of doubt to a president with a life-long record of commitment to norms of democracy, while granting carte blanche credibility to unilateral decisions of a party that waged a violent insurgency against parliamentary democracy.
This is not to blindly defend the Nepal Army or its chief. There are many documented cases of unprofessional behaviour, human rights abuses and impunity perpetrated by the army in the past. But the Maoist army is no less guilty of its own brutalities, forced recruitment, including that of minors, and other violations of human rights and impunity.
One can speculate about the president's intentions, but the Maoist intention to infiltrate the army, destabilise other independent institutions and to capture state power need no speculation. The official pronouncement of the recent Maoist party convention in Kharipati, Dahal's video-taped message to his party cadres in January 2008, and a consistent pattern of follow-up actions ever since, are all there in the public domain.
Yet, it is the humble and decent Ram Baran Yadav, circumscribed by the decorum of his office, and mindful of his constitutional duties, who is being portrayed as the villain. Yadav possibly helped prevent a major national disaster by his difficult but thoughtful decision not to lend constitutional legitimacy to a seemingly unconstitutional and unilateral act of the ruling political party on 3 May.
Yadav demonstrates one quality rarely found in his self-serving detractors: he has been a consistent champion of what he believes to be in the best interest of Nepal as a nation. The Supreme Court and history of Nepal will judge whether he was a hero or a villain.
(Courtesy: Nepali Times)
(Kul Chandra Gautam is the former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF www.kulgautam.org)
The communist behaviour is the same everywhere.
First they try to gain power by force.
If they fail in that, then they try to join forces with other parties who believe in democracy. After getting power, they jettison the other party using their cadres to humiliate them.
We saw that happening in Bengal when Jyoti Basu came to power riding piggy back on Ajoy Mukherjee. He then humiliated Ajoy Mukherjee so much that the poor man had to sit in dharna against his own ministry. Of course by that time Jyoti basu. with the help of his cadres, so penetrated the seat of power that he kicked out Ajoy Mukherjee.
That is happening in Nepal where the the prime minister tried to infiltrate the government with his Maoist cadres. Fortunately, the army chief saw through the plan and shot it down. The president too supported the army chief. I do hope the Supreme Court too sees through the ex-prime minister's game.
Our Indian communists tried Jyoti Basu's plan in Delhi but created a historic blunder which jyoti basu is still regretting.
The jury is out
What an irony that a party that hasn't renounced violence and keeps its own army wants “civilian supremacy”
By Kul Chandra Gautam
There has been much debate and public activism of late on President Ram Baran Yadav's action of overturning Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's decision to fire the Nepal Army chief and appoint a replacement. Curiously, the constitutionality of the prime minister's action has come under less stringent scrutiny as it is cloaked under the seemingly populist slogan of "civilian supremacy".
The Supreme Court will soon decide if the president's actions were constitutional. The case could also be taken to the CA, which has the power to even impeach the president. But his detractors have no patience or use for such constitutional and democratic remedies. They have already pronounced him guilty through a self-serving interpretation of the constitution backed up by street pressure and intimidation.
Lost in the hype is the constitutionality of the decision taken by a coalition government during a cabinet meeting boycotted by over half its ministers and objected to by all coalition partners.
Is it not the constitutional duty of the president then to take account of the views conveyed to him in writing by 18 political parties representing the majority of the membership of the CA? And shouldn't the prime minister have responded to the president's constitutionally valid request to reconsider his decision, having failed to secure a consensus support for his action as required by the interim constitution?
It is ironic that the one political party that has not renounced violence, that keeps a private army of its own, and that still subscribes to an ideology of "power comes from the barrel of the gun", claims to stand for "civilian supremacy". All other political parties with a much longer and consistent record of following democratic norms are castigated as supporting militarisation, and being feudal, reactionary, anti-people, lackeys of foreigners.
No political party in Nepal currently matches the paramilitary youth organisation and other fraternal groups aligned with the Maoists in terms of their capacity to organise demonstrations, agitation, intimidation and even "physical action" which means killing and maiming opponents.
The Maoist cause has been greatly aided by a group of supposedly "neutral" civil society leaders, some of whom had played an important role at the time of the 2006 people's movement, but who seem to have aligned themselves (perhaps inadvertently) with the Maoists since then.
The one-sided vitriol coming from some members of this civil society cohort is breathtaking and reminiscent of Stalin's hired propagandists. A well-known and thoroughly partisan leftist writer known for his poison-pen activism characterises Ram Baran Yadav as "an evil president who is tempted by greed for power, and is desperately seeking a crown and a throne". No one with an iota of objectivity would characterise Yadav, a humble son of a farmer and a life-long democrat, in such hyperbolic terms.
There is something deeply disturbing about civil society members not even granting the benefit of doubt to a president with a life-long record of commitment to norms of democracy, while granting carte blanche credibility to unilateral decisions of a party that waged a violent insurgency against parliamentary democracy.
This is not to blindly defend the Nepal Army or its chief. There are many documented cases of unprofessional behaviour, human rights abuses and impunity perpetrated by the army in the past. But the Maoist army is no less guilty of its own brutalities, forced recruitment, including that of minors, and other violations of human rights and impunity.
One can speculate about the president's intentions, but the Maoist intention to infiltrate the army, destabilise other independent institutions and to capture state power need no speculation. The official pronouncement of the recent Maoist party convention in Kharipati, Dahal's video-taped message to his party cadres in January 2008, and a consistent pattern of follow-up actions ever since, are all there in the public domain.
Yet, it is the humble and decent Ram Baran Yadav, circumscribed by the decorum of his office, and mindful of his constitutional duties, who is being portrayed as the villain. Yadav possibly helped prevent a major national disaster by his difficult but thoughtful decision not to lend constitutional legitimacy to a seemingly unconstitutional and unilateral act of the ruling political party on 3 May.
Yadav demonstrates one quality rarely found in his self-serving detractors: he has been a consistent champion of what he believes to be in the best interest of Nepal as a nation. The Supreme Court and history of Nepal will judge whether he was a hero or a villain.
(Courtesy: Nepali Times)
(Kul Chandra Gautam is the former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF www.kulgautam.org)
The communist behaviour is the same everywhere.
First they try to gain power by force.
If they fail in that, then they try to join forces with other parties who believe in democracy. After getting power, they jettison the other party using their cadres to humiliate them.
We saw that happening in Bengal when Jyoti Basu came to power riding piggy back on Ajoy Mukherjee. He then humiliated Ajoy Mukherjee so much that the poor man had to sit in dharna against his own ministry. Of course by that time Jyoti basu. with the help of his cadres, so penetrated the seat of power that he kicked out Ajoy Mukherjee.
That is happening in Nepal where the the prime minister tried to infiltrate the government with his Maoist cadres. Fortunately, the army chief saw through the plan and shot it down. The president too supported the army chief. I do hope the Supreme Court too sees through the ex-prime minister's game.
Our Indian communists tried Jyoti Basu's plan in Delhi but created a historic blunder which jyoti basu is still regretting.
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