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Tuesday,
April 9, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Shockingly shameful Politics, Musharraf style Paes does it again |
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Reviewing the Constitution
The book of life
No winners in the Parivar cold war ‘We all want to look fabulous’ IN the weeks leading up to Oscars night, Beverly Hills, the super-rich city that is home to some of the world’s most photogenic people became even more beauty conscious than usual.
Obesity linked to severe injury, death
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Shockingly shameful WHEN it is absolutely essential to confront maniacal mobsters out to kill hapless citizens belonging to a particular community, policemen of Gujarat turn into silent spectators. But when they come face to face with mediamen who can record their activities on film, suddenly all the ferocity of a wild beast surfaces and they rain lathis and point carbines at the hapless journalists without any compunction. That this should happen at Sabarmati Ashram, of all the places makes the matter all the more shocking. This is not the first time that the police has targeted journalists, but it is unusual to find even officers of the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police using third-degree methods which are normally employed by constables and ASIs. Sunday’s unprovoked attack on mediamen is yet another proof that instead of being a lawkeeper, the Gujarat police has become a lawless mob in itself. The way Chief Minister Narendra Modi and even Union Minister of State for Home I.D. Swami have tried to make light of the police action, it appears as if the men in khaki were acting on a cue from political bosses. This attack was not an instance of mistaking newsmen for a rampaging crowd. That lame excuse could be somewhat plausible in the case of a print media journalist, but a video camera carried by a TV cameraman is a visible sign of his identity. The photographers were specifically targeted, giving an unmistakable impression that the policemen were out to settle scores with them. It is common knowledge that the Gujarat government and its police are extremely angry with the national Press which has highlighted the seamier side of the administration fearlessly. So, they hit back in their traditional inhuman style. Transferring a few officers is no punishment, Mr Modi. How would you have reacted if you yourself were left bruised and battered by a bunch of marauding cops? The police madness has overshadowed another equally condemnable incident. BJP youth wing workers assaulted Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar against all civilised values, decency and justice. She was only taking part in a public meeting and they had no business manhandling her. Unfortunately, such violence is becoming an everyday occurrence, whether it is in the case of Mr Abdul Ghani Lone or Ms Patkar. Howsoever sharp the difference of opinion may be, nobody has the right to browbeat an opponent like this. Yet, the attackers get away lightly and that leniency encourages them and many others to emulate such barbaric behaviour. Gujarat already has a stigma to wipe off. If Mr Modi does not rein in his crazed supporters and cops, the black mark would become permanent like a tattoo. |
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Politics, Musharraf style WHEN
Gen Pervez Musharraf announced his decision to hold a referendum at the end of his unusually long televised speech on Friday, he made it clear that he did not care for what the politicians or the thinking public in Pakistan said about his plan to continue as President. For him it was the opinion of the people in general that mattered. Hence his idea to
approach them through the nation-wide referendum. Another significant point he mentioned was that he did not believe in power-sharing as it affected smooth functioning of the government and, therefore, he wanted unbridled authority. Both points have been incorporated in the two questions to be put before the Pakistanis in the first week of May: “Am I (Pervez Musharraf) required for Pakistan? If yes, what should be the shape of the coming Assemblies and my relationship with them?” This is a wonderful recipe for an institutionalised dictatorship. Those who quote the constitution should remember his assertion made during the course of his lengthy address. He said he even had the “authority” given by the Supreme Court to amend the constitution. Thus, those opposing his dangerous plan — the 15-party Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amaal of the religious groups, et al — seem to be in for disappointment unless, of course, the masses realise the significance of their plea. So far as the ruling General’s popularity chart is concerned, media reports make one believe that he is ahead of any political personality, Ms Benazir Bhutto of the PPP and Mr Nawaz Sharif of the PML included. This is so despite the hate campaign launched against him by the religious organisations following the military regime’s U-turn on Afghanistan under the Taliban and the declaration of support for the US-led war on international terrorism. President Musharraf is basically a cunning dictator. Normally,
dictators are not supposed to take a decision to earn popularity among the people. They function in accordance with their own wishes. But the Pakistani ruler has been very conscious about his popularity since the very beginning — October 12, 1999, when he grabbed power in a military coup. He had, perhaps, quietly begun to work on his referendum strategy ever since the apex court asked him to hold the promised general election by October, 2002. By the time the court verdict came he had almost succeeded in exposing the political heavyweights as the looters of the public exchequer. The loss of credibility suffered by the political class indirectly benefited the General though his rule neither alleviated the economic sufferings of the masses nor did it bring about a qualitative change in governance. Yet he did not depend on the popularity factor alone for implementing his larger agenda — his continuance in the office of President. He came out with a “power devolution” plan under the garb of strengthening “democracy” at the grassroots level. The result is that Pakistan today has Nazims and Naib Nazims at the district level. These people are wielding enormous power. They have their obvious stake in General Musharraf remaining an all-powerful President. And they may do what Basic Democrats did for Ayub Khan many years ago. In any case, armymen are also there to help the Nazims and Naib Nazims. |
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Paes does it again THE
sight of the country’s flag egging on athletes to victory is the stuff that legends are made of. One only has to look at the amazing track record of India’s tennis superstar Leander Paes to understand the importance of national pride in the life of dedicated sports persons. There is no doubt about his talent. But why is that he is found wanting in will and technique when he is playing in a prize-money tournament? But when he plays for India in the Davis, his game rises several notches above his best. Why? Of course, it is not just Paes but the Indian team, including Mahesh Bhupathi, another hugely talented and temperamental player, and the promising Harsh Mankad that played exceptionally well in the Davis Cup tie against New Zealand at Wellington. In 1975, 1976 and 1978 New Zealand had beaten India in the best-of-five matches by convincing margins. Even for the current round the Indian team travelled to Wellington as underdogs and overcame the cold and blustery conditions to beat the hosts by an unbelievable 4-1 margin. After India had lost the first singles Paes kept hope alive by making it 1-1 at the end of day one. The next day’s double encounter was marred by rain and biting cold. That upset the rhythm of the world famous doubles pair. In the end the will to win saw them pocket the match for India in a five-set marathon. On the final day Paes set a scorching pace in what was a third-in-a-row match for him. Young Mankad kept up the tempo although that match had become inconsequential. The victory over New Zealand means that India have now entered the world group qualifier for the second successive year. The fragrance of success is always sweet. More so when the odds are tipped in favour of the adversaries. Yes, Paes has once again made the India flag fly a little more majestically. However, his countless fans, and followers of the game, would like to ask him and Bhupathi some hard and uncomfortable questions. Why cannot they somehow make themselves believe that picking up a grand slam title — preferably all the four major titles in a single year, as many women and men players have done in the past — is also a “national duty”? What has caused more hurt to the tennis buffs, cutting across national boundaries, is their inability to stick together as doubles partners. They were simply the best doubles pair in the game. They broke the myth that the famous Woodie duo from Australia were the best doubles pair in the history of the game. Yet neither of them could fight that imposter called ego. They split. Under public pressure they teamed up again, but in their second coming the fire of yore was missing. It is just as well that they decided to part company again except in Davis Cup doubles games. There is a lesson in the unhappy stand-off between Paes and Bhupathi over trivial issues for current and aspiring Indian sports persons. What? That ego and arrogance are demons that destroy ordinary lives. They cause more damage when the lives are extraordinary — as they have done in the case of Paes and Bhupathi. The former number one doubles players deserve a salute and a “slam” for turning Indian tennis into a lore of contradictions. |
Reviewing the Constitution THIS is a tale of 11 wise persons. The men set out to analyse, review and correct all that was not well with India and its Constitution. That it was a stupendous task goes without saying. Whether they lived up to the job and challenges it threw up is, however, debatable. Unlike Gandhiji’s three wise monkeys, these persons were supposed to hear all evil, see all evil and speak all about evil — and then set about rectifying it. But, sadly, they acted partially like the Mahatma’s monkeys. They heard only the evil they wanted to hear, saw only the evil they wanted to see, and spoke only about the evil they wanted to speak! How else should one react to the eagerly awaited voluminous report (1976 pages) in two volumes, containing 249 recommendations of the National Commission to Review the working of the Constitution (NCRWC) of India, submitted to the Union Minister on March 31. Set up in February, 2000, amidst nagging doubts its real purpose, it was headed by Justice Venkatachaliah, a former Chief Justice of India. Nevertheless, expectations were indeed high from this commission which comprised four judges, the Attorney-General and one of his predecessors, a constitutional and parliamentary expert, a politician, a diplomat, a media magnate, and a bureaucrat-turned-politician. The objective of the exercise was to ensure that the tenets of democracy — government of the people, by the people and for the people — were practised in letter and in spirit. Encompassing stable governments both at the Centre and in the states, improving the quality of our netagan, ensuring that the executive was strong, capable and willing to resolve major problems, and, most important, to establish the rule of law and usher in transparency and accountability. Was it able to achieve this tall order? “Yes” and “No”. Many good recommendations were indeed made. The Fundamental Rights have been enlarged to include the freedom of the Press, the right to elementary education, the right to privacy and the right against torture. The right to religious freedom has been made “non-suspendable”. It wants preventive detention not to exceed more than six months under any circumstance. It has favoured greater decentralisation in the Centre-state relations and recommended minimum use of Article 356. The report avers that it should be used only in “difficult circumstances” like if subversive activities are in full swing in a state or in the event of misuse of public money. It has mooted the setting up of a National Judicial Commission to oversee the conduct of Supreme Court and High Court judges. Significant changes have been advocated. It wants the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers to be directly elected by the Lok Sabha and the Assembly to obviate the need to test majorities in Rashtrapati Bhawan or in a Raj Bhawan. The commission feels this would combat the growing menace of horse-trading (sic.). Also mooted are important changes in the electoral process and laws governing the functioning of political parties. To make elections truly representative, the NCRWC has recommended replacement of the first-past-the-post system of elections to the Lok Sabha and Assemblies by a two-ballot system of elections. Only a candidate who secures 50 per cent plus one vote of the popular mandate would stand elected. If necessary, another contest would be held between the first two. Also, there should be proper vigil on the ceiling on poll expenses and the working of political parties regulated by law. A person with criminal charges framed against him by a court would be disqualified from contesting an election. At present only those who are convicted are barred. To deal with the growing menace of defections and bogus splits, the commission has recommended that all those who defect individually or in groups (so-called splits) must lose their seats and contest a fresh election. Unhappily, most of these recommendations got lost in the post-release acrimony between the members of the commission. The Chairman of the Drafting Committee, Dr Subhas Kashyap, reportedly alleged that nearly 10 per cent of the draft report had been changed without his consent. The commission’s views even on issues on which there was a consensus were changed. Another member complained that the legal eagles had got some good recommendations on judicial reforms deleted. Yet another bemoaned the exercise as an effort to “evade and defer” rather than identify issues. A former Judge of the Supreme Court even accused one of his colleagues of being anti-Dalit, re-opening the scars of Mr Purno Sangma’s resignation from the panel. One could dismiss these outpourings as ego clashes or perhaps one of settling old scores. But what should one say when major controversial issues were either not deliberated or were simply brushed under the carpet in the pretext that they needed a national debate. These were issues like whether a non-India born citizen should be allowed to hold high constitutional posts, the Uniform Civil Code, Article 370 and sweeping socio-economic changes. Bluntly put, the members did not seem to take their job seriously. A lot more could have been achieved in the two years they got to review the Constitution. Shockingly, two of these major issues — the Uniform Civil Code and Article 370 — were not even included in the agenda and surprisingly, no member raised them. Significantly, voting took place only on one Article of the Constitution — citizenship and top constitutional offices, on which former Lok Sabha Speaker Sangma resigned. Contrary to speculation, Mr Sangma’s ire was not solely directed against Mrs Sonia Gandhi, an issue on which he walked out of the Congress. He took up this matter in the context of the large illegal migration into the strategic North-East. This, he pointed out, had serious security concerns and a new threat to India’s independence and integrity from foreign powers. Interestingly, he gave the example of a “foreigner” who had become the Chief Minister of one of the North-Eastern states within 15 years of his migration to India. He, therefore, felt that the country needed to ensure that “only a natural born citizen” should hold important constitutional posts. The American model could be followed, whereby “no person except a natural-born citizen, or a citizen of the United States at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained the age of thirty-five years and been fourteen years a resident within the United States”. The logic behind this was to dispel any fear or doubt about divided loyalty to the highest office. Mr Sangma was essentially advocating a principle, not tilting against any individual. Alarmingly, Chapter10 on socio-economic changes and development was included in the report after the commission had finally concluded its deliberations in late January. Presented as a “consultation paper” by a member, it was adopted with any discussion, notwithstanding the fact that some of the recommendations are likely to have a far-reaching effect on India’s social fabric, its unity and integrity. Measures which include separate reservation for the minorities in the legislatures, setting up of “arakshan nyaya adalats” for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes and job reservations for them in private and multinational companies. All in all, it remains to be seen whether some good will come out of the commission’s report. Or, whether it would prove to be an exercise in futility, requiring it to be relegated to the dustbin of history. For the moment, it is one cheer for Justice Venkatachaliah and the commission, not three cheers! |
The book of life READING of books is at once an escape from and an attachment to life. It is an escape because the person who is always engrossed in books loses immediate contact with life. Books should be read with a view to supplementing the reading of the book of one’s life. Otherwise the very purpose of reading books is defeated. One discovers life’s many-coloured dome through the prism of books. The true lover of books is creatively engaged in the process of separating the wheat from the chaff. His mind takes the form of an internet that opens out new vistas of information and knowledge. Books enkindle imagination and satisfy curiosity. An inquisitive mind absorbs the wisdom of the earth as sand absorbs the early showers of rain. Nothing goes waste as everything is preserved in the reservoir of the mind. Knowledge ultimately leads an individual to the path that converges on the meadows of wisdom. The books are not merely the stepping stones to the cherished goal. They are in fact like fireflies that abound in a valley to dispel the darkness of ignorance prevailing there. Ultimately there appears a glow that radiates both the heart and the soul. Francis Bacon has said laconically: “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” John Milton is of the view: “A good book is the precious life-blood of a master-spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life.” The American novelist Herman Melville has expressed his opinion in his famous novel, Moby Dick, that “To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme”. To cap it all, Old Testament mentions: “Of making many books, there is no end.” So the process of producing books is endless. But the discerning reader finds out the kernel by breaking open the outer hard shell. Else, it is like the releasing of fragrance encased in the covers of a hard-bound book. William Shakespeare says: “Present mirth has present laughter.” In the case of books too, it is not hereafter. A good book should be read without losing time. It should not be kept on the shelf indefinitely for future reading. On the shelf, the book becomes a part of one’s forgetfulness. At least it loses its charm when read after a long time. True, the old classics and the scriptures never get outdated. But in the case of the books, concerned with the urgent topics of the day and the pressing problems of life, prompt attention is warranted. Some years ago I posted a question to the members of a Rotary Club: “Is there anything more beautiful than a good book?” No one answered and I still stand by that question. The beauty of a book lies in its appeal to the mind and in its timelessness. The book that creates in a person sublime feelings and he finds himself transported to an enchanted island serves its purpose. There he will meet Sirens to fascinate him and the Cyclops to frighten him. These are the two aspects that weave the warp and weft of human existence. Fascination is frightening whereas fear is fascinating. In the corridors of man’s imagination exist strange creatures that correspond with the real life individuals. The episodes are merely illustrative of the working of the minds of such characters. The timelessness of books has an edge over all other considerations. A thing of beauty, as John Keats avers, is a joy forever. Indeed, the joy that books provide is perennial. It is somewhere in the heart that it finds itself ensconced. When one returns to a book again and again, it certainly deserves a high pedestal in the world of thoughtful minds. Such a book is an eternal link between the past and the present. Ultimately, this link is further extended as it finds itself connected with the forthcoming products of a creative minds. It is the aesthetics of the creative process that determines the meaningfulness and purposefulness of human existence. In the present-day world, dazzled by sight and sound, it is high time to return to the sanctuary of books. The magic of words can never lose its charm, yet its importance need not be relegated to a secondary position. A written sentence is an idea solidified into an elegant pattern or the snowflake taking the shape of a crystal. It is a flame that moves forward imperceptibly to enkindle other numerous flames on the way. A good book is a flower, still folded in its pristine glory, that blossoms in the loving and caring hands. It neither wilts nor withers away at any stage: rather it blooms all the more all the time. Indeed, we have to read a large number of books so as to know at the personal level as to what is contained in the book of life. |
No winners in the Parivar cold war WHAT is certain about the BJP is that its forthcoming Goa conclave is not going to make the party any wiser. Even in good old times, such quarterly rituals were meant more as a PR exercise. They were never meant as a forum for free and fair debate or conflict resolution. In case jarring noises surfaced, the emphasis has been to talk such things over with the individual or group concerned. Those who have been closely watching the policy tussles within the RSS parivar won’t give any credence to the media speculations about a showdown between the VHP group and the PM camp at the Goa session. There are already moves to avert discussions on the Narendra Modi issue at Goa. After the BJP wrested power at the Centre, the national executive was hardly given any role in policy decisions or organisational matters. Right from the Chennai session, the BJP’s decision-making process underwent sweeping changes. In the hey days of the Vajpayee rule, decisions on the BJP chief ministers and state units had wholly shifted to the PMO. After a few mishaps like the appointment of Gupta as UP Chief Minister, the PMO began loosening the grip. Despite this, all important decisions on the state units still continue to be taken at meetings on Race Course Road. For Vajpayee, the Modi muddle is not an ordinary change of leadership. It has ramifications far beyond the PMO and the BJP’s national executive. It has divided the entire RSS parivar. For about five weeks Vajpayee had to helplessly watch the Gujarat genocide even while the entire public opinion condemned it. This speaks of the wide support Modi enjoys from among the RSS outfits. Narendra Modi represents a determined group of Hindutva hawks who at times even defy the RSS establishment. Apparently, Modi and his Gujarat group have been acting on behalf of an aggressive section whom Vajpayee could not just wish away. If the VHP’s Ayodhya threat has been a challenge to Vajpayee on a religious issue, the Modi faction is pushing an alternative political agenda for the BJP. Both constitute two sides of the same aggressive Hindutva coin. A master tactician, Vajpayee may not be unaware of this combined challenge to his coalition agenda. Talk to any ordinary RSS activist. He will pour out with ‘I-told-you’s and ‘wait-for-more’s to describe the disaster awaiting Vajpayee’s coalition line. In private, even senior ones hardly conceal their glee over the repeated electoral defeats suffered by the BJP even in its strongholds. In Delhi, the shakha men openly say they did not back BJP in municipal polls just to discredit the Vajpayee line. Obviously, the hardliners try to project every BJP rout as a victory for their alternative hard line. The hardliners even tried to pin down Vajpayee by seeking early assembly elections in Gujarat. The idea had been to prove the efficacy of the Gujarat line in winning polls. Nearly three decades back, Gujarat was the laboratory for the experiment of the first ‘Janata Front’ as an alternative to the Congress at the Centre. For the past five years, the same political lab successfully propounded the dual strategy under which the BJP publicly distanced from the Hindutva even while it encouraged the sister Hindutva outfits to wipe up sentiments to win that section’s support. Now if the heightened fanaticism enables the Gujarat group win the polls, it could be trotted as a final field-test for the Modi line. Simultaneously, it will prove the worthlessness of the coalition line. However, Vajpayee has been quick to sense the trap and hence he flatly rejected the early polls. There were many more traps — some to cut his wings, some to remove him from the scene. The latter was in the form of a suggestion to send him to Rashtrapati Bhavan as president. Unfortunately, the NDA parties do not have a majority in the electoral college. Another move was to make L. K. Advani president of the party in case Vajpayee declined to accept a VRS. Perhaps Vajpayee knew that it is a sure recipe for a powerful parallel centre within the ruling establishment. However, Advani himself had poured cold water on the move. Incidentally, at present Advani is the one person in the entire parivar who can influence the course of events. He is clear in his mind about the kind of malady afflicting the party. And certainly he has the remedies. He had proved his ability to carry the entire parivar with him. But he is wary of taking any lead lest it will be interpreted as a tussle for power. It has been this sentimental factor that had prevented him all the while from taking initiatives. For this very reason, he won’t even pour out his mind. His has been a clash of conflict between his inner conscious and loyalty to a colleague. True, within the BJP, the lineup is yet to crystallise. For obvious reasons, even those who squarely blame Vajpayee’s coalition politics for the parivar’s
stagnation, tactfully avoid taking sides, at least while in Delhi. At the moment, it is difficult to predict the outcome of this bitter cold war being fought by the rival sides. But it is going to continue in one form or other — even if the present bout of armtwisting subsides. New irritants can crop up as sudden as the Gujarat genocide. The most unfortunate aspect of this bitter cold war between the coalitionists and hard Hindutva has been the absence of a forum for conflict resolution. In all previous policy crises, controversies were resolved at special conclaves attended by the major parivar outfits. In early ’90s, the economic policy clash was settled at Gandhinagar. Now the BJP is facing not only an identity crisis but crisis of confidence. If the failure of Vajpayee’s coalition experiment had led to the backlash from the parivar, the discord among the latter had also further contributed to the NDA government’s present plight. Most of the time, the Prime Minister remained preoccupied with the RSS pinpricks. Instead of giving him confidence, its rebellious arms constantly put spokes in free functioning. Today, Vajpayee’s BJP is not even a pale imitation of what was in its hey days. Vajpayee is no more seen as the hope of the nation. His is no more a party of fresh ideas and daring push because his own parivar siblings sabotage it. Loss of initiative led to loss of steam and stagnation of ideas. Now the government is in the third stage of imposed indecision. Practically every major government move in the past couple of years is being blamed for the BJP’s election defeats. Under such conditions, nothing much can be expected from internal discussions. In case some members dare to do plainspeaking at Goa, another quit threat from the Prime Minister could silence them. The only outcome of such sessions can be the formation of a few panels to ‘study’ the party’s setbacks. In true Congress style, it may also take decisions to ‘revamp’ the party and take special measures to ‘educate’ the people about the ‘good work’ done by the government. If all this is not enough, there can be training camps for the party workers. This is set to be the pattern even while the cold war get intensified. |
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‘We all want to look fabulous’ IN
the weeks leading up to Oscars night, Beverly Hills, the super-rich city that is home to some of the world’s most photogenic people became even more beauty conscious than usual. Where else but Beverly Hills else could you find a “bagels and botox” brunch, where locals drop in on their local plastic surgeon’s office to enjoy quick-fix cosmetic treatments and surgeries, have a snack and connect with old friends? It needs to be said that the concept of a snack, although pleasant in theory, may be mooted in Beverly Hills, where nobody seems to eat, especially in the early days of spring when people are getting ready for the Oscars, Mother’s Day and the wedding season. So the bagels and muffins, which are plentiful in the office of Dr. Brent Moelleken this day, have grown rather stale by 11 a.m. But coffee and juice are flowing and conversation is plentiful. “It feels like I’m home in a sense. My friends are here, I’m comfortable,” said 33-year-old Stacie Krajchir, who is kibitzing with friends in Moelleken’s office while everybody waits her turn for a botox treatment. Botox, or chicken botulinum toxin, when injected into facial muscles, renders them immobile, imparting a wrinkle-free appearance. Botox can also be injected into the armpits, paralysing sweat glands and preventing perspiration for up to six months, thereby saving on deodorant and dry-cleaning costs. Depending on the extent of the treatments, Botox could cost anywhere from $ 150 to 500. “We all want to look fabulous, less old, and it’s a fun bridesmaid thing to do,” said Krajchir, who was preparing her face for her younger sister’s wedding. “This wedding is stressful,” Krajchir said. “I deserve this.” And, “Just like when you find a cute pair of shoes, you refer people” to a good plastic surgeon, Krajchir said, referring to her friend, Jen, 32, who sat nervously nearby, waiting for her first-ever microdermabrasion, a treatment in which the face is simultaneously vacuumed and buffed with tiny crystals to impart a smoother complexion. “All my friends have, like, had everything done since they were 16. Their noses, chins, boobs. That’s the way it is growing up in L.A.,” said Jen, who is 5-1/2 months pregnant and, therefore, can’t receive botox, because it is, after all, a form of poison. Michael, a personal assistant to an unnamed celebrity couple who are holed up in Europe de-stressing in anticipation of the walk down the Red Carpet, is in the office to sacrificing himself to Moelleken’s work for the sake of his employers. Michael’s manner is cool and he is clad in nondescript jeans and a black shirt. A cellphone dangles from his belt. The edges of carefully spiked hair look as if they are dipped in gold. “I plan to get my lips inflated,” he said, referring to an injection of collagen that was planned for his upper lip. ‘’Women like me with puffy lips. “Plus I get a bonus in my paycheck for doing this so I’m not complaining.”
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Obesity linked to severe injury, death MORE
bad news for obese people. A new study has linked obesity with severe injuries and even death, reports New Scientist. It says that heavier people are at a higher risk of dying or getting seriously injured in car accidents, though it is still not known as to what puts them at this extra risk. In the study, of more than 26,000 people who had been involved in car crashes, carried out in Seattle, Washington, it was found that those weighing between 100-119 kg are almost two-and-a-half times more likely to die in a crash than those weighing less than 60
kg. A similar trend emerged when the researchers looked at body mass index (BMI) — a measure that takes height as well as weight into account. Someone 1.8 metres tall weighing 126 kg would have a BMI of 39, but so would a person 1.5 metres tall weighing 88 kg. People are said to be obese if their BMI is 30 or over. The study found that people with a BMI of 35 to 39 are over twice as likely to die in a crash compared to those with BMIs of about 20. While it is not yet known why this is the case, the evidence is worth pursuing, says Charles Mock, surgeon and epidemiologist at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Centre in Seattle, who led the research.
ANI Pig’s intestine to heal damaged knees PIG'S intestine for healing damaged knee ligaments? Well, strange it may sound, but its true. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, led by Dr Volker Musahl, used pig gut scaffold to “patch up” injuries to the medial collateral ligament on the inside of the knee. Their experiments in rabbits suggested that the quality of the healed ligament was better than if the ligament had simply been left to heal on its own. “We have clearly shown that the quality of the tissue is better after treatment,” Dr Musahl said, adding that the presence of the scaffold seemed to attract cells called fibroblasts useful in healing.
ANI |
The heavens are still; no sound. Where then shall God be found? Search not in distant skies; In man’s own heart He lies. — Shao Yung. Cited in H.D. Gibbs, The Religions of Ancient China
*** The Divine and the human are one in quality; only the latter is temporary, the former enduring. The everlasting divinity is called human during the time it resides on this planet. — Inazo Nitobe, Japan
*** All things are Himself, And Himself is concealed on every side. — Idra Rabba
*** Sightless the tongue is, voiceless are the eyes; How then describe that vision, all unique! Wall-Emptiness; the Painter-Bodiless; Yet pictures infinite in forms and hues. — Tulasi Das, Vinaya Patrika
*** What the undeveloped man seeks is others; what the advanced man seeks is himself. — Confucius
*** Do not dictate your will to Him (God). Just resign yourself unto Him, abandon the little self, renounce spurious desires and thus you will make your body and mind full of light and a perfect instrument of the revelation of Divinity. All true knowledge and education worth the name comes from within and not from books or extraneous minds. — Swami Ramatirtha, In Woods of God Realisation, Vol. III
*** My heart crieth out for god, yea for the living God. — Old Testament, Psalm
*** I do not regard flesh-food as necessary for us at any stage and under any clime in which it is possible for human beings ordinarily to live. I hold flesh-food to be unsuited to our species. We err in copying the lower animal world if we are superior to it. Experience teaches that animal food is unsuited to those who would control their passions. — Mahatma Gandhi, Young
India, October 7, 1926 |
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